Ordained: 1980
Laicized: 1991
Died: 1994
Assigned as follows:
- 1981-1982 Unknown
- 1983-1984 St. Anthony Seminary (Santa Barbara, CA)
- 1985 Unknown
- 1986-1987 St. Anne (Santa Ana, CA)
- 1988-1989 St. Barbara (Santa Ana, CA)
- 1990-1993 Unknown
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Brother Phillip Mark Wolfe:
Brother Phillip Mark Wolfe was ordained Franciscan Order priest in 1980, who served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. According to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, at least three people have accused him of child sexual abuse between approximately 1975 and 1989. He was convicted in 1989 of sexually abusing a boy while he worked as a boys’ choir teacher at St. Anthony’s Seminary in Santa Barbara. He was sentenced to one year in jail and five years’ probation. He was defrocked from the order after his conviction. A civil suit was filed in 1991 and settled in 1992. He hanged himself in his Albuquerque, N.M., apartment in 1994.
According to media reports, Brother Wolfe was also named in a civil suit filed in 2001 alleging he repeatedly sexually abused a young teen-age boy in Portland, Oregon, in the summer of 1982 when Wolfe visited his family, while he was a guest priest at St. Anthony’s in Tigard. The case was settled in May 2002 for $10,000. In the fall of 2009, he was again named as a child sexual abuser in two more lawsuits.
His name appeared on the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ list of clergy credibly accused of sex abuse of minors. In 2019, it was also included on the Santa Barbara Province Franciscans list. It noted allegations of child sexual abuse from 1978 through 1986 received in 1988, 1993 and 2009, and that he left the order in 1991.
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. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest or other Catholic clergy in California State, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles now have legal options, 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 Los Angeles and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.