The sexual assaults took place at St. Jude's parish in Waltham between 1980 and 1985, when the victim was between 10 and 15 years old. Prosecutors said the boy was sexually abused by Gale about twice a month. The victim, now 34, told Gale he'd been tortured by his sexual abuse. "The scars of the abuse will continue to haunt me," the man said. "My life has been permanently scarred."

The victim first told a friend about the abuse in 1995, and went to authorities in 2002. Gale was indicted in August 2002. His father said all three of his sons were altar boys at St. Jude's. "We put them in your care; we believed in you. You let us down," he said, looking directly at Gale as his now-grown sons, seated in the front row, wiped away tears. "You don't know what you've done to us as a family, and you'll never know." Gale apologized and asked for forgiveness. "Saying sorry is very easy, but I am truly sorry," he said.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 10 to 12 years, but Judge Charles Grabau settled on the shorter prison term, citing sentencing guidelines in place when the crimes were committed. Gale's time in prison will be followed by 25 years of probation, when he must register as a sex offender and have no unsupervised contact with children under 16. Gale's attorney had tried to get the charges dismissed, arguing that the 15-year statute of limitations for rape had expired. But prosecutors said Gale had moved to New Hampshire, stopping the clock on the statute of limitations. Gale claimed he was just visiting his sister in New Hampshire, and was actually living in Boston. A judge refused to dismiss the case, clearing the way for a trial.

Before he was sentenced, Gale told the judge he turned his life around after he was sent to a psychiatric hospital in Connecticut in 1987. His attorney, Robert Lewin, said Gale had years of psychotherapy, quit drinking, joined Alcoholics Anonymous, attended classes at the University of Massachusetts and worked as a substance abuse counselor at two hospitals. Since his indictment, Gale has been working as director of personnel for a machine company, Lewin said. But a man who attended the sentencing hearing disputed Gale's claim that he stopped abusing children in 1987. Michael Corbett, now 28, said he was 17 when Gale made an unwanted sexual advance toward him at St. Monica's Parish in Boston in 1993. Corbett said Gale undressed in front of him in a room at the rectory, then kissed him before Corbett fled. He later filed a civil lawsuit - one of more than 500 settled by the Boston Archdiocese last year for a combined $85 million. Gale's lawyer declined to comment on Corbett's claim.

The victim in the criminal case thanked Gale for pleading guilty. "I don't need to hear I'm sorry. ... Hearing the guilt has helped me, and I appreciate your saying that," he said.

Gale was one of dozens of priests accused of molestation in thousands of pages of church documents made public last year. In a report on the sexual abuse crisis within the Boston Archdiocese issued in July 2003, state Attorney General Thomas Reilly said allegations that Gale was sexually abusing children in the 1970s and early 1980s were brought to senior archdiocese managers in 1979, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1992 and 1994, but he was repeatedly assigned to new parishes.