Lists and Loopholes in Houston: Priests in Catholic Scouting

On January 31, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston (ADGH) released its list of priests “credibly accused” of abuse since 1950. As I’ve discussed earlier here on the blog, one of those priests was Joseph G. Leduc, a central figure in my book MASS: A Sniper, a Father, and a Priest.

In MASS, I discuss Leduc’s heavy involvement in Catholic scouting, first in New England and Florida prior to his ordination, and then in the greater Houston area, from 1955 until 1963. It is a reasonable hypothesis based on significant markers (including the Eagle Scout award at the age 23 and the Vigil honor just months after his ordination) that activity in Catholic scouting enabled Leduc to maneuver a seminary transfer from the Diocese of St. Augustine–which had no diocesan scouting program yet in place–to the Diocese of Galveston, which did.

By 1960, Rev. Leduc was Catholic Area Chaplain for the region, presiding over large gatherings of troops in Baytown. He also accompanied local Catholic scouts to the National Jamboree in Colorado Springs.

MASS traces the interruption in Leduc’s scouting activity and leadership in 1964-65. He entered into the military chaplaincy that took him out of Texas for multiple active duty and reserve assignments, from July 1965 to (roughly) December 1968. When Leduc returned to ADGH, he received the St. George Award for Catholic Scouting the same year of his short-lived assignment as first Parish Administrator for St. Dominic’s Houston. He was one of the first two priests to receive the award in the diocese.

When Leduc first arrived as a seminarian in Houston in 1952, the Director of Catholic Boy Scouts for ADGH was Rev. Henry A. Drouilhet, assigned to St. Mary’s in Port Arthur TX, very close to the border of Louisiana. Drouilhet remained in that role until the Diocese of Beaumont formed in September 1966, splitting off from ADGH.

Rev. Drouilhet was also Leduc’s supervising pastor at St. Mary’s Church when, in 1965, he was assigned to Port Arthur. According to military records, it was the same year Leduc entered the military chaplaincy training program.

Last month, the Diocese of Beaumont named Drouilhet as one of its 13 priests credibly accused of sexual abuse.

Rev. Drouilhet was not included on the ADGH list. However, Drouilhet’s name should still be known to former Catholic scouts who grew up in the greater Houston area in the 1940s-1960s. The majority of Drouilhet’s time as a priest–nearly 40 years, from 1928 to 1966–was spent within ADGH. He died in 1988.

Anyone trying to locate or “call out” to survivors in the region needs to know that Leduc and Drouilhet were associated.

It should give locals pause that Leduc was able to “rise” quickly in Catholic Scouting under Drouilhet, and that both priests have been named as credibly accused of abusing children. There is no indication that either one was ever formally restricted from ministry. We do not know how many accusations were made, or whether any survivors are still alive.

Leduc’s infamous friend and scouting mentee, Charles Whitman, committed the UT Austin shooting rampage on August 1, 1966, after first murdering his mother Margaret and wife, Kathleen. At 12 years old, Whitman was reportedly one of the youngest Americans ever to receive an Eagle Scout award when Leduc was his scoutmaster in Florida.

The geographical split between ADGH and Beaumont in 1966 conveniently took Drouilhet off the books of the ADGH chancery, before any potential Houston survivors would have had a chance to come forward.

It doesn’t matter whether this outcome was intended or not. Catholic Scouting should provide an invaluable network for outreach to victims from a generation that will not be alive forever. Many may no longer live in the region.

Contact law enforcement, an attorney, and SNAP (Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests) if you are a victim-survivor or survivor’s family member with memories of Leduc or Drouihlet.