Father Philip Wolfe
Ordained: 1980
Removed: 1989
Died: 1994
Assignment History:
- 1981-1982: Unknown
- 1983-1984: St. Anthony's Seminary High School (Santa Barbara, CA)
- 1985: Unknown
- 1986-1987: St. Anne's (Santa Ana, CA)
- 1988-1989: St. Barbara's (Santa Ana, CA)
- 1990-1993: Unknown
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Philip Wolfe:
Fr. Philip Wolfe was ordained a priest of the Franciscan Order in 1980, who served in the Diocese of Orange. According to media reports, he was convicted in 1989 of sexually abusing a young boy from 1975 to 1989 while he worked as the victim's choir teacher at St. Anthony's Seminary in Santa Barbara, CA.
Fr. Wolfe was sentenced to one year in jail and five years' probation. The Franciscans defrocked Fr. Wolfe after his conviction. Fr. Wolfe has been named in several civil lawsuits. One suit was filed in 2001, alleging Fr. Wolfe sexually abused a boy in Portland, Oregon, in 1982.
In the fall of 2009, two more suits against Fr. Wolfe surfaced. He committed suicide in 1994, but his legacy lives on. Fr. Wolfe was included in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' 2019 list and on the Santa Barbara Province Franciscans list of priests accused of sexual misconduct involving minors.
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 adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.