Former Grace Church Rector Accused of Sexual Abuse

The former rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Medford has been removed from priesthood and is under investigation by Medford Police on allegations of sexual assault, according to a report in Tuesday's Boston Globe.

Robert M. Durkee, 85, was removed from the preisthood last week after a woman accused him of sexually abusing her in 1980 while she was in college, the Globe report said. Two more women came forward after his dismissal who alleged Durkee abused them during counseling sessions in 1983, the report said.

Durkee served as the state's military chaplain and the division chaplain for the 26th Yankee Infantry Division during his time at Grace Church, according to a Military Chaplains Association publication from 1996.

Durkee was born in Belmont and enlisted in in the U.S. Navy in 1944, the Military Chaplains publication said. He graduated from Tufts University in 1950 and served in the Air Force before joining Grace Church in 1964, the publication said.

After leaving Grace Church in 1989, he served as chaplain for several military organizations, according to the publication, which also listed more than a dozen of Durkee's military awards and decorations.

Read more in the Boston Globe: Former Medford Episcopal rector accused of sexual abuse in 1980s.