Rev. Michael McDonald

Summary of Case: McDonald was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having sexually abused a Salinas boy repeatedly from 1964-1967, beginning when the boy was 10 years old. McDonald died in 1971.

Ordained: 1958
Died: Nov. 3, 1971

     

Start Stop Parish Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1958

Monterey-Fresno bishop was Aloysius Joseph Willinger, C.SS.R. (1953-1967)

1963 St. Anthony's Atwater CA 2/2 Parish had a school with 152-189 boys and 146-172 girls.
1958 1963 Immaculate Conception Buhach CA   This was a mission of St. Anthony's in Atwater.
1958 1961 U.S. Air Base Castle Field CA   This was a mission of St. Anthony's in Atwater.
1963 1964 St. Peter's LeMoore CA 2/2 Parish had a school with 156 boys and 135 girls.
1963 1964 St. Joseph's Stratford CA    
1963 1964 St. Rose's Tache Indian Reservation CA    
1964 1965 St. Patrick's Watsonville CA 2/3  

1965

Willinger was succeeded by Harry Anselm Clinch (1967-1982) as Monterey bishop. The Monterey-Fresno diocese split in Oct. 1967.

1968 St. Mary of the Nativity

Salinas

• McDonald was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having sexually abused a boy repeatedly between 1964 and 1967, beginning when the boy was 10 years old.

CA 2/2 Parish had a school with 111-136 boys and 128-111 girls.

1965

 

 1968 Camp McCollum   CA   This was a station of St. Mary of the Nativity in Salinas.
1968 1969 St. Joseph's Capitola CA 3/3 Parish had a school with 128-149 girls.
1969 1971 St. Augustine's Scotts Valley CA 1/1 McDonald died Nov. 3, 1971

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1959-1972)

• Diocese Discusses Abuse Cases, By Dan Laidman, Monterey County Herald, January 28, 2004
• Church Faces Big Financial Hit from Sex-Abuse Cases, By Donna Jones djones@santacruzsentinel.com, Santa Cruz Sentinel [California], January 28, 2004
• Bishop Ryan's February Pastoral Letter, By Bishop of Monterey, February 4, 2004



Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates McDonald's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on Aug. 18, 2011