Five women have accused the late Dr. William Velie, a primary care physician at the Community of Jesus in Orleans, of sexually assaulting them during medical examinations when they were teenagers between the 1980s and 1990s. Velie, who served as the group’s primary care doctor for over 35 years and was a member of the community, died in 2021.
The allegations describe abuse occurring under the guise of “exams” or “virginity tests” at Velie’s office, located adjacent to the Community of Jesus compound. Greta MacMillan, one of the five women, stated that the assault she experienced happened in 1989 when she was 16 years old. MacMillan and more than 30 other former residents described the community as a coercive, high-control environment where children were separated from their parents and adults maintained an intense focus on sexuality.
Allegations of Abuse at Velie’s Clinic
MacMillan recounted that she was taken to Velie’s office against her objections after returning to Orleans from Grenville Christian College. Alone with Velie in the examination room without a nurse or parent present, MacMillan said the doctor examined her vagina with ungloved hands and told her that “this is what happens” to girls who have sex. MacMillan stated she went home, stood in the shower for a long time, and never told anyone about the incident until decades later.
Community of Jesus Separated Children from Parents
According to former members, the Community of Jesus practiced separating children from their parents and placing them in communal houses, with MacMillan noting she was placed in one at age nine and saw her parents only a couple of times a week. The community’s members follow a “Rule of Life” drawing on Christian monasticism, and the organization states in its publications that it is an ecumenical Christian community in the Benedictine monastic tradition, while noting it is not affiliated with the Catholic Church.
More than 50 former residents have become involved with an advocacy organization called Rock Harbor Truth, which is devoted to the recovery of former residents who call themselves survivors.
