Fr. Larry Lovell – Archdiocese of Los Angeles

| Sep 18, 2020 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Father Larry Lovell

Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Claretians)

Ordained: 1951

Removed: 1986

Laicized: 1992

Assignment History:

  • 1976-1979: Sacred Heart (Prescott, AZ)
  • 1980-1984: San Gabriel Mission (San Gabriel, CA)
  • 1985: SS. Anthony and Pius X (Phoenix, AZ)
  • 1986: Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (San Gabriel, CA)
  • 1986-1990: Unknown
  • 1991: Foundation House, Villa Louis Martin, Our Lady of Lourdes Novitiate (Jemez Springs, NM)
  • 1992-2019: Prison Sentence (Florence, AZ)

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Larry Lovell:

Fr. Larry Lovell was ordained a priest for the Claretian religious order in 1951, and served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. According to media reports, he was accused of sexually abusing at least 11 children and has been named in at least two civil lawsuits. In 1986, Fr. Lovell was convicted of repeatedly molesting a 14-year-old at San Gabriel Mission, where he had been in charge of altar boys from 1979 to 1984. Fr. Lovell pled no contest and received three years of probation. After he was criminally convicted, Fr. Lovell was removed from ministry and sent to a New Mexico treatment center.

After being laicized in 1992, he worked as a case manager for the University of New Mexico Mental Health Center. In 2003, Fr. Lovell was arrested and criminally charged in California for sexually abusing a child under the age of 14 between 1976 and 1979 while serving as a priest at Sacred Heart Parish in Prescott, AZ, but the charges were later dismissed.

A few months later, Fr. Lovell was again accused of molesting four boys at San Gabriel Mission in California between 1980 and 1984. In March 2004, he was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of molestation of a child and sexual conduct.

As of February 2013, Father Lovell is serving a 26-year combined prison sentence after pleading guilty to more sexual abuse lawsuits in Yavapai and Maricopa counties. The former priest, married with three stepchildren since 1995, was living in New Mexico at the time of his arrest on the Arizona charges. His wife knew he had been a priest but never knew of past allegations until his arrest in 2003. Fr. Lovell was included in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ 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 Archdiocese of Los Angeles 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 Archdiocese of Los Angeles now have legal options due to a voluntary compensation fund created by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, 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.