Diocese of Stockton releases updated list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a child

By Bob Highfill
StocktRecord
November 12, 2020

https://bit.ly/3lvJjv3

The Diocese of Stockton has released an expanded and updated list of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a child.

The diocese added the names of 27 priests and two religious order brothers who have served in the Diocese of Stockton and faced credible accusations elsewhere. The original list published in 2017 during bankruptcy proceedings included only clergy who were accused of abuse that occurred within the diocese or who were accused while serving within the diocese.

No one on the updated list currently serves with the Diocese of Stockton.

Bishop Myron J. Cotta said the update is a vital part of the Church’s effort to confront and atone for the sins of the past.

“The process of atoning for the horrible sins of clergy sexual abuse requires us to continually revisit this list and seek to make it as thorough as we can,” Cotta said. “A thorough, honest and open accounting of the sins of the past is necessary if our Church and the many victim-survivors of clergy abuse are to find healing.”

The updated list was prepared following a review of more than 1,850 diocese personnel files by Kinsale Management Consulting led by Dr. Kathleen McChesney, a former executive assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a founding member of the Office of Child Protection at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The review found one case already on the diocese’s published list for which there was insufficient information to classify the allegation as credible. At the suggestion of the consulting firm and after review by the Diocesan Review Board, the name of the Rev. Manual Pascual was removed from the list. Pascual died in 2019.

The list of clergy who served in Diocese of Stockton and faced allegations elsewhere (there are no known allegations of abuse by these men made in the Diocese of Stockton, each has been listed as credibly or publicly accused in other dioceses through their religious orders or has been otherwise cited in public sources as having faced credible accusations outside the Stockton diocese):

• The Rev. Felipe Baldonado (deceased, 2003) from the Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province and California Mission Preacher from 1953-64 in Oakland, Stockton, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Francisco, who appears on the Orders of Friars Minor, Santa Barbara Province and Diocese of Las Cruces listings.
• The Rev. Raul Alberto Bosco (deceased, 2006), ordained in Argentina and served at St. Anthony, Hughson in 1991 and 1992 and appears on the Diocese of Las Vegas listing.
• The Rev. Sylvester Brown (deceased 2010) from the Diocese of Winona, who was in the diocese from Oct. 1, 2018 to Oct. 6, 2018 and appears on the Diocese of Winona listing.
• The Rev. James Cairns from Vincentian – Congregation of the Mission, who was in the diocese from 1980-86 and removed in 2001.
• The Rev. David Carrier (deceased, 2000) from Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province was in the diocese at St. Mary’s of the Assumption, Stockton from 1982-85.
• The Rev. Mario Cimmarrusti (deceased, 2013) from Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province was in the diocese at St. Mary of the Assumption, Stockton from 1982-85.
• The Rev. Edmond G. Cloutier (deceased, 2003), Diocese of Oakland, supply priest for diocese in mid-1980s, retired in 1980 and faculties revoked in 1990.
• The Rev. Raymond Devlin (deceased, 2011), Society of Jesus (Jesuit), was at Cathedral of the Annunciation, Stockton from 1994-97, appears on diocese listings for San Jose, Las Vegas, Salta Lake City and Jesuit West.
• The Rev. Joseph Dondero (deceased, 1997), Society of Jesus (Jesuit), St. Frances of Rome, Riverbank (Aug.-Sept. 1986), appears on listings of Diocese of San Jose and Diocese of Jesuit West.
• Br. Dennis Duffy, Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, St. Mary’s of the Assumption, Stockton (1968-71), removed from ministry/safety plan in 1990, appears on listings of Order of Friars Minor, Santa Barbara Province and Diocese of Oakland and Diocese of Gallup.
• The Rev. Theodore Feely (deceased, 1991), OFM Conventional (Franciscan), St. George Church, Stockton (1981-82), appears on Diocese of Las Vegas and Rockford lists.
• The Rev. J. Patrick Foley, Diocese of San Diego, preached at Parish Mission at St. Patrick, Sonora (Oct. 25-30, 2014), faculties removed in 2015, appears on lists in Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego and Santa Rosa.
• The Rev. Martin Gates (deceased, 2000), Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, St. Mary’s of the Assumption, Stockton (1964-65), appears on Orders of Friars Minor and Santa Barbara Province lists.
• The Rev. Harold J. Goschke (deceased, 1992), Diocese of Steubenville; chaplain, Duel Vocational Institute (1962-63), appears on Diocese of Steubenville.
• The Rev. Gavin Griffith (deceased, 2017), Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, St. Mary of the Assumption, Stockton (1965-66), appears on Order of Friars Minor, Santa Barbara Province.
• The Rev. Edward Henriques, Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, Mission Band from Stockton and San Francisco (1958-60), left the Order in 1965, appears on Order of Friars Minor and Santa Barbara Province lists.
• The Rev. Timothy Keppel, Congregation of the Resurrection, Lenten mission visiting priest to St. Joseph Mammoth Lakes (2012), no public ministry 2012, appears on Resurrectionist USA Province, and dioceses of San Bernardino and Mobile lists.
• Joseph Lopez, Claretian Missionaries, St. George Church, Stockton (1961-63), laicized 1970, appears on Archdiocese of Los Angeles list.
• Donald McGuire (deceased, 2017), Society of Jesus (Jesuit), All Saints, Twain Harte (Aug.-Sept. 1987), laicized 2008, appears on Jesuit West and Jesuit Midwest lists.
• Br. Neil McMenamin (deceased, 2015), Oblates of St. Frances de Sales, St. Mary’s High, Stockton (approx. 1971-2010), appears on Diocese of Salt Lake City list.
• Joaquin Moreno, Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, St. Mary of the Assumption, Stockton (1991-92), left the Order and was laicized in 2010, appears on Order of Friars Minor and Santa Barbara Province lists.
• The Rev. Thomas P. O’Neill (deceased, 2015), Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, principal St. Mary’s High (1970-78), appears on Diocese of Salt Lake City list.
• Patrick J. O’Shea, Archdiocese of San Francisco, Cathedral of the Annunciation, Stockton (Jan.-Oct. 1970), St. Luke, Stockton (Oct. 1970-Sept. 1971), laicized 2005, listed in multiple open sources, including media news accounts.
• The Rev. Joseph Prochnow, Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, St. Mary of the Assumption, Stockton (1964-65), removed from ministry/safety plan (1993), appears on Order of Friars Minor, Santa Barbara Province and Diocese of Oakland lists.
• The Rev. Thomas Patrick Purcell, Marianist (withdrew order in 1990), Diocese of Fresno (incardinated in Oct. 1990), St. Linus, Stockton (summer, 1981), St. Patrick, Sonora (Jan.-March 1982), appears on Marianist U.S. Province, Diocese of Tucson lists.
• The Rev. Charles “Jude” Ruetten, Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, St. Mary of the Assumption, Stockton (1956-59), left the Order in 1967, appears on Order of the Friars Minor and Santa Barbara Province lists.
• Anthony Smith (deceased, 2010), Redemptorist, Newman House Ministry, Stockton (2001-03), laicized 2007, appears on Diocese of Portland list.
• The Rev. Louis Telegdy (deceased,1995), Missionaries of the Precious Blood, St. Anthony, Manteca (1978-79), DeWitt Nelson Training Center (1978-84), appears on Dioceses of Davenport and Owensboro lists.
• The Rev. Ramon Varela (deceased, 2002), Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, St. Mary of the Assumption (1955-60), appears on the Order of Friars Minor, Santa Barbara Province, and Dioceses of Oakland and Phoenix lists.

Clergy from Stockton Diocese accused of sexual abuse while in the Diocese of Stockton (priests ordained by or incardinated in the Diocese of Stockton that have faced a credible accusation of sexual abuse of a minor, either in the Diocese of Stockton or elsewhere):

• The Rev. Michael Kelly, who served with the diocese from 1973 to 2012, when he was removed from the ministry.
• The Rev. Titian Miani, who served with the diocese from 1972 until his retirement in 1993, whose dates of alleged abuse occurred from 1968-70 while in Los Angeles; he was removed from the ministry in 2002.
• Msgr. Edward Noonan (deceased), who served in the diocese from 1933-69 and whose dates of alleged abuse were 1952-55, 1959-62, 1965 and 1967.
• Oliver O’Grady, who was in the diocese from 1971 to 1993, convicted in 1993, deported to Ireland in 2000 and laicized in 2001 for incidents reported in 1973, the 1908s and 1990-92.
• Oskar Pelaez, who was in the diocese from 1994-2001, convicted in 2002 for incidents in 1997, and laicized in 2016.
• Leo Suarez, who served with the diocese from 1988-2009, self-reported abuse in 2009 and faced allegations in 2014 over incidents in 1988 and 1996; he was laicized in 2016.
• Clergy from other dioceses or religious orders accused of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Stockton (priests or brothers who were incardinated in other dioceses or took vows for religious orders but were assigned at some point to the Diocese of Stockton, where they were credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor):
• The Rev. Antonio Camacho from the Diocese of San Juan de Lagos, Mexico, who was in the Diocese of Stockton from 1981-84 and removed from the Stockton Diocese in 1984 over alleged abuses in 1982-84.
• Br. Didachus Clavell from the Franciscan Order – Santa Barbara Province, who was in the diocese in approximately 1964, when abuse was alleged, and retired in July 2012.
• The Rev. Murty Fahy (deceased 2001) from Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, who taught at St. Mary’s High School from 1970-85 and was associate pastor at St. Anne’s Church from 1985-2001, accused of abuse over incidents from 1991-97.
• Louie Ladenberger from Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, who was in the diocese from 1972-74, dismissed from the Order and laicized in 1996 over alleged abuse in 1974-75.
• The Rev. Antonio Munoz Rodriguez from the Diocese of Tijuana, Mexico, who was in the diocese from 1977-81, and removed from the ministry in 1981 over abuse alleged in 1981.
• The Rev. Eduardo De Jesus Perez Torrez from the Diocese of Palmira, Columbia, who was in the diocese from 1999-2014 and removed in 2014  over abuse in 1999.
• The Rev. Fernando Villalobos (deceased) from the Franciscan – Santa Barbara Province, who was in the diocese from 1979-85 and was alleged to have committed abuse from 19878-83.