Chelmsford Priest Nabbed In Prostitution Sting

Chelmsford Priest Nabbed In Prostitution Sting
Parochial vicar one of eight charged at Nashua hotel; parishioners shaken

Lowell-Sun Online
By Robert Mills and Kris Pisarik, Sun Staff
Updated: 04/14/2010 08:33:24 AM EDT


The Rev. William Ventura ... charged in
prostitution roundup

CHELMSFORD -- A month ago, the Rev. William Ventura wrote about God's love for people despite their sins. Yesterday, Ventura, the parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist Church in Chelmsford, was one of eight men arrested in a prostitution sting at a Nashua hotel.

The operation last Friday night began after police spotted queries on Craigslist, the classified-ad Web site, seeking individuals looking to pay a female for sex. All eight men face a charge of prostitution, a class A misdemeanor. At booking, Ventura gave the address of the St. John rectory, 115 Middlesex St.

Ventura, 31, was immediately relieved of his priestly duties, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Boston. He voluntarily accepted a leave of absence, and is barred from public ministry. He was released on bail Friday night.

Ventura serves as parochial vicar, a position formerly known as curate. There is also a retired priest and a pastor serving at the church. A woman who answered the door at the rectory yesterday said no one would be commenting on the arrest. Ventura did not reply to an e-mail sent to his church account. "I'm very, very shocked," said David Valentino, a parishioner at St. John's for 15 years. "But I guess nothing should surprise me in this day and age, with everything that's going on."

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