ST. AGATHA – The 37-year-old Ottawa man who has identified the Rev. Michael Doucette as the priest who abused him 22 years ago wants to speak to local parishioners about the abuse he suffered in order to tell his side of the story.

David Gagnon, formerly of Old Orchard Beach, claims he was abused for three years between the ages of 15 and 17, and he wants parishioners to have all the information they need to make an informed decision about Doucette’s remaining in the parish.

Gagnon claims the parishioners have only one side of the story, that of the abuser.

By Tuesday afternoon, Gagnon said he had not heard from parish officials about his request, which actually was made by letter dated Feb. 14 to Bishop Joseph J. Gerry, head of the Diocese of Portland.

The bishop turned the decision over to the parish council where Doucette is pastor.

Kevin Lavoie, acting chairman of the parish council, said Tuesday that he was not yet sure if a meeting between Gagnon and the parish council would happen. That decision was going to be made at some point Tuesday night.

If the parish council decides to meet with Gagnon, the session may postpone a weekend meeting of the parish council with officials of the diocese.

Lavoie said he still had to speak with some members of his council about Gagnon’s request.

“He has asked to meet with us, and we are looking at that request,” was all Lavoie would say.

Doucette is pastor of three parishes in the St. John Valley. Because of the low number of priests in the diocese, he became pastor of St. Luce Parish in Frenchville and St. Joseph Parish in Sinclair when he was named last July to the St. Agatha post.

The diocese is seeking feedback from parishioners about two St. John Valley priests who have abused children. Earlier this month, the diocese announced that two active Maine priests, Doucette and the Rev. John Audibert of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish at Madawaska, had been involved in cases that are 22 and 26 years old.

Gerry will make a decision on their future after the feedback is received.

Monsignor Marc Caron, co-chancellor of the diocese, met Tuesday afternoon with Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson to discuss what other information about abuser priests, other than what already has been released, she may want from the diocese.

According to Sue Bernard, a spokeswoman for the diocese, Anderson would like the names of all living priests, including non-active, retired or former priests, who allegedly have been involved in the sexual abuse of children.

The two parties agreed that someone from the diocese would report to Anderson in one month. Anderson said she would decide after that if any prosecution is warranted, or if the names of anyone should be released in the interest of protecting the public. Maine has a statute of limitations limiting prosecution to those cases occurring after 1985.

Gagnon had reached a financial settlement with the diocese after confronting church leaders about his abuse in 1992 and had agreed to not discuss the incidents.

“The bishop dodged my request and put it in the hands of the pastoral council,” Gagnon said Tuesday about his request. “The head of the pastoral council wants me to tell my story to four or five of their members, and they would convey it to the parish.

“Mr. Kevin Lavoie, acting pastoral council president, is quite reluctant to allow me to come there,” Gagnon said in a telephone interview from Ottawa. “It seems criminal that he [Doucette] has the right to tell his side, while the victim is not.”

In his Feb. 15 letter to Gagnon, Gerry again told Gagnon that he was sorry for the abuse he suffered. He offered to pay for Gagnon’s travel to St. Agatha, if the parish council approves the visit, and for more counseling for Gagnon. The bishop also offered a face-to-face meeting with Doucette and both their counselors, if Gagnon wanted that.

“Abuse of any kind is horrible, but all the more so when it comes at the hands of a servant of the Church,” Gerry wrote Gagnon last week. “I confess that I feel inadequate in this regard [about how the church is handling the situation] because it is so difficult to know what will bring healing to you, your family, the community, and yes, even to Father Doucette.”The bishop also wrote: “I have spoken with Father Doucette and I assure you that he does not in any way whatsoever seek to minimize or excuse what he has done. He has acknowledged what he did was terrible, and I want to make sure you understand that.”

Gerry also wrote that if the local parish council recommends that it is inappropriate for Doucette to continue in the ministry, “I will abide by that recommendation.”

Gagnon, an unemployed lay pastoral worker in Ottawa, holds a master’s degree in pastoral sciences. He claims he lost his job with the church in Ottawa in 1992 after disclosing his abuse by Doucette. He was living in Ottawa when he contacted the Diocese of Portland about the sexual abuse he had suffered.

“It’s difficult to find work in the secular world with the degree I have,” Gagnon said. “I have worked as a chaplain in a hospital and a school, but lost both those jobs when the bishop here [in Ottawa] would not issue a letter of continuation [maintaining his chaplaincy].”It’s the good-old-boy mentality,” he said. “I’ve paid a heavy price for this, even though I was not the perpetrator.”

Gagnon claims he has been victimized by the church for the last 10 years because he came forward and told the truth about what happened to him.

“Scripture says the truth will set you free,” he said. “In my case, it set me free to be poor.”

Gagnon said he has come forward because the diocese continues to be deceitful. He said the church was supposed to name the priest who abused him in 1992, but never did.

“Doucette told parishioners about a relationship,” he said. “This was not a relationship – it was sexual abuse of a child.”Gagnon emphasized that “the hierarchy of the church was in denial, and still is. I’ve paid the price with emotional scars, and I’ve paid with my career, but I’m hanging in there.”

Gagnon claims that Doucette’s parishioners have erroneous information and a number of people on the parish council are reluctant to have him come to the parish.

“A number of people are uncomfortable with the issue, as well they should be,” Gagnon said. “Mr. Lavoie will discuss it with others on the council and get back to me, but I expect the answer will be no.”

He said he found it sad that parishioners of St. Agatha would make a decision without all the information, and that they would put their children at risk.

Gagnon also claims the diocese is covering up for other priests. He said he knows of other victims, and that there are more than two priests involved in sexual abuse in the diocese.

In other New England states, including Massachusetts, where a major scandal developed, the dioceses have opened files and insisted that all active priests have no history of sexual abuse of children.

Bernard said different states have used different criteria to make abusing priests known to the public. The diocese wants to know what prosecutors in Maine want.

She said the reaction of Mainers to the issue has been mixed. There are those who believe the cases are old and should not be brought up again, and others who believe it is not right to allow priests with such a background to continue working.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.