A father in West Warren wrote to Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus on August 22, 2021, begging him to intervene after a priest he described as his family's landlord, employer, and pastor allegedly crept around their house just after midnight while they were out of town. Nearly five months would pass before the Diocese of Worcester notified state authorities that the priest, the Rev. Alan J. Martineau, had allegedly been sexually abusing the man's teenage daughter.
A Letter Describing Months of Alarming Behavior
According to The Boston Globe, the father's letter was addressed to McManus along with Richard Reidy, then the bishop's deputy and now bishop of the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, and fellow Worcester cleric James Mazzone. The father described what he called “a long series of spiritually, socially, and psychologically abusive behavior,” including the alleged nighttime entrance into the family's home. The letter did not describe the alleged abuse of the man's daughter, the Globe reports.The family's teenage son reportedly saw Martineau around the house just after midnight on the night of August 22, 2021, while the girl and her parents were away. Court records cited by the Globe indicate Martineau later said he had entered to close windows ahead of predicted rain, but the family did not accept that explanation, noting that the priest had their phone numbers and could have simply called.
Eviction Threats Against the Family's School
A Father Confronts Martineau About Messages A seminarian living at the church told the girl's father in January 2021 about text messages between Martineau and the girl, the Globe reports. The father confronted Martineau about the messages, after which the relationship ended, the Globe reports.
What the Diocese Knew, and When
McManus learned of the allegations against Martineau no later than September 9, 2021, according to bishop-accountability.org, when priest Alfredo Porras told the bishop that Martineau had confessed at least partially. That meeting came just weeks after the father's letter, and Martineau was separately reported by another priest for questionable behavior around the same time.The Diocese of Worcester has said its initial understanding was limited. Ray DeLisle, the diocese's chancellor and director of communications, said the early concerns raised were about boundaries and poor judgment, but not sexual in nature. Nearly five months elapsed between the meeting where McManus was informed of the initial allegations and when the diocese contacted authorities, the Globe reported separately.
A Planned Transfer, Then a Reversal
The diocese initially sought to transfer Martineau to a different parish, St. George Parish, before the matter was identified as a sexual-abuse complaint. In a statement, the diocese said that transfer was rescinded and never took place, and that it resulted in immediate removal from active ministry once the nature of the allegation became clear. The girl disclosed concerns to Porras in August 2021 and gave officials a written account in October. MassLive reported that Audette filed two reports indicating possible abuse in February 2022 and a third in August 2022. Martineau was suspended from ministering as a priest in late January 2022 and formally placed on leave of absence on February 11, 2022, according to the diocese's statement. DeLisle has said the sequence shows McManus intervened directly or through intermediaries and did not ignore reported issues, and the diocese maintains it handled the case properly. The diocese has also said it does not comment on personnel matters involving clergy or laypeople beyond its public statements.
The Girl Was 14 When It Began
The girl was 14 when the alleged touching began in 2019, according to bishop-accountability.org. Beginning that year, the girl said, Martineau repeatedly hugged, kissed, and touched her, according to the Globe's earlier reporting — including, in one allegation, hugging her in a way that their groins touched. The girl was between 14 and 16 years old during a messaging relationship in which Martineau exchanged approximately 80,000 text messages with her, the Globe reported.
Criminal Case, Plea Deal, and Dismissal
Martineau was charged in January 2023 with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 or older, according to bishop-accountability.org. His attorney, Louis P. Aloise, called it the weakest case he had seen, the Globe reported. In September 2025, Martineau entered a plea agreement, admitting sufficient facts to convict him of assault and battery but not pleading guilty. Prosecutors asked Judge Maura K. McCarthy, who presided over the case in East Brookfield District Court, to order a psychiatric evaluation as a condition of the agreement; McCarthy declined that request. The judge sentenced Martineau to a year of probation and ordered him not to contact the victim, and that probation was lifted early in June 2026, according to masslive.com. The underlying case was dismissed after the plea agreement.
Diocese Bars Reinstatement, Vatican Complaint Filed
After an independent investigation, McManus determined there was a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by Martineau, the diocese said in a statement. BishopAccountability.org reported that Martineau has been barred from presenting himself as a priest; a canonical trial may seek his permanent removal from the clerical state. The diocese has also said it does not comment on personnel matters involving clergy or laypeople beyond its public statements.
Part of a Wider Reckoning
The Massachusetts attorney general's investigation found evidence that 270 religious leaders abused almost 1,000 children over more than a century across the Worcester, Fall River, and Springfield dioceses, the Globe reported. Within the Worcester Diocese alone, the attorney general's report tied 90 accused clergy members to 216 survivors, according to bishop-accountability.org.
What Remains Unresolved
Clergy members were added to Massachusetts' mandated-reporter list by a 2002 law. Questions remain about exactly when each diocesan official first learned the specific details in the father's letter, and the outcome of the Vatican's vos estis review of McManus has not been disclosed. It is also not yet known whether Martineau's canonical trial has begun or concluded.
