Msgr. Lawrence Baird – Diocese of Orange

On Behalf of | Sep 3, 2019 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Monsignor Lawrence Baird

Diocese of Orange

Ordained: 1969

Removed: N/A

Assigned as follows:

  • 1969-1973      St. John (Hacienda Heights, CA)
  • 1974                Vocations Commission (Los Angeles, CA)
  • 1975-1977      St. Anthony Claret (Anaheim, CA)
  • 1978                Our Lady of Fatima (San Clemente, CA)
  • 1979-1983      Cathedral of the Holy Family (Orange, CA)
  • 1984                St. Callistus (Garden Grove, CA)
  • 1985-1988      St. Polycarp (Stanton, CA)
  • 1989                Unknown
  • 1990                Development Office (Orange, CA)
  • 1991-1993       St. Norbert (Orange, CA)
  • 1994-1997      Cathedral of the Holy Family (Orange, CA)
  • 1998-2000      Our Lady Queen of Angels Church (Newport Beach, CA)
  • 2001-2006      Orange Catholic Foundation (Orange, CA)
  • 2002-2003      Our Lady Queen of Angels Church (Newport Beach, CA)
  • 2004-2006      St. John Vianney (Orange, CA)
  • 2005-2016      Diocesan Finance Council
  • 2007-2017      Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Newport Beach, CA)

Summary of Abuse Allegations against Monsignor Lawrence Baird:

Monsignor Lawrence Baird was ordained a priest in 1969, who served in the Diocese of Orange, where he was a spokesman 1986 to 2004. According to media reports, in 2002, he was accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl twenty years earlier, when she came to him seeking counsel after being sexually abused by another priest, Father John Lenihan. He immediately called a news conference, vigorously denied any misconduct and later filed a slander lawsuit against the accuser. It was eventually dismissed by a judge, who ordered the priest to pay the woman’s legal fees.

Monsignor Baird was later accused of sexually abusing another girl. It is believed he never faced any punishment and was allowed to continue serving. He is known to defend priests known by church officials to be molestation risks.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Orange in California.  If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California’s Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Orange now have legal options due to a temporary change in California law, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us.  Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.

Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.