Father John Ruhl
Diocese of Orange (Vincentian)
Ordained: 1964
Removed: 2002
Assignment History:
- 1965-1966: Unknown
- 1967-1971: Seminary of Our Lady Queen Of Angels (San Fernando, CA) 1971: Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Newell, CA)
- 1972-1977: St. Vincent Seminary (Montebello, CA)
- 1978-1979: St. Vincent de Paul (Huntington Beach, CA)
- 1980-1981: St. Anthony Claret (Anaheim, CA)
- 1982: Unknown
- 1983-1987: Mission San Juan (Capistrano, CA)
- 1988-1991: St. Joseph’s (Placentia, CA)
- 1992-2001: Inactive Leave
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Fr. John Ruhl:
Fr. John Ruhl was ordained a priest of the Vincentian religious order in 1964, who served in the Diocese of Orange. According to media reports, he has been accused of child sexual abuse by at least three people. He was named in two civil lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse; one from 1972 to 1973 while at St. Vincent Seminary in Montebello, CA, and the other abuse from 1981 to 1982, while serving at St. Anthony Claret in Anaheim, CA.
In 1992, a lawsuit was filed against Fr. Ruhl, the Diocese of Orange, bishops, and other church officials. The lawsuit asked for a temporary restraining order and alleged that Fr. Ruhl physically assaulted a kindergartener at St. Joseph Elementary School in Placentia. Fr. Ruhl attended dinner every Friday night with the family the victim. Shortly after this lawsuit was filed, Fr. Ruhl took a leave of absence.
According to Fr. Ruhl’s priest files that were released in 2013, in 1993 church officials noted that they had given Fr. Ruhl a lie detector test after a previous accusation had come to light and said: “that there was reason to suspect that there had possibly been other inappropriate behaviors.”
Fr. Ruhl was included in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ 2019 list of priests accused of sexual misconduct involving minors. Fr. Ruhl was also named in the Diocese of Orange’s list of clergy removed from ministry due to a credible allegation of sexual abuse. As of 2016, the Diocese of Orange listed Fr. Ruhl’s status as a “Life of Prayer and Penance.” Fr. Ruhl’s current whereabouts and whether he has access to children are unknown.
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.