Father Gregory Kareta
Ordained: 1956
Retired: 2003
Died: 2006
Assignment History:
- 1956-1958: Thomas the Apostle (Detroit, MI)
- 1958-1963: Hedwig's (Polish) (Detroit, MI)
- 1963-1964: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Hermosa Beach, CA)
- 1964-1965: St. Josephat's (Milwaukee, WI)
- 1965-1971: Bishop Montgomery High School (Torrance, CA)
- 1971-1978: Paul the Apostle (Pismo Beach, CA)
- 1971-1978: California's Men's Colony (California)
- 1978-1979: Queen of Angels (Riverside, CA)
- 1979-1980: Joseph's (Barstow, CA)
- 1979-1980: Franciscan Center (Newberry Springs, CA)
- 1979-1980: MCSC Base (Baker, CA)
- 1979-1980: A station of St. Joseph's (Kelso, CA)
- 1979-1980: A station of St. Joseph's (Mountain Pass, CA)
- 1980-198: Queen of Angels (Riverside, CA)
- 1981-1982: Thomas (Riverside, CA)
- 1981-1982: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Riverside, CA)
- 1982-1984: Kareta is not indexed in the 1983 or 1984 Directories
- 1984-1996: Paul the Apostle (Coalinga, CA)
- 1996-2002: Joseph's (Avenal, CA)
- 1996-2002: Cecilia's (Kavanaugh, CA)
- 2002-2003: Kareta is not indexed in the 2003 Directory
- 2003-2004: Retired, St. Joseph Cupertino Friary (Arroyo Grande, CA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Gregory Kareta:
Fr. Gregory Kareta was ordained a priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual in 1956, who served in the Diocese of Monterey. In 2003, Fr. Gregory Kareta was accused and charged with two counts of child molestation when abusing an 11-year-old in 1973-1974.
According to court records, Kareta repeatedly molested the 11-year-old altar boy during the summers of 1973 and 1974 when Kareta was the pastor of St. Paul of the Apostle Catholic Church in Pismo Beach, California. Three other alleged victims corroborated the charges. The charges against Fr. Kareta were dismissed that same year due to a Supreme Court ruling that had lifted the statute of limitations on sex crimes against children. Shockingly, Fr. Gregory Kareta was kept active.
According to media reports, in 1985, the former 11-year-old altar boy initially reported the abuse approximately 10 years after the incident to the bishop at the Montgomery Church in Torrance, but was encouraged to not report Fr. Gregory Kareta. Kareta allegedly admitted that he sexually abused a child in the 1960s while he was on assignment in Wisconsin.
After getting authorities involved, police reports indicate that in 1973, the 11-year-old boy was sent to stay with Kareta in St. Paul of the Apostle Catholic Church in Pismo Beach, CA where Fr. Gregory Kareta molested the boy numerous times. The police reports continue to state that the following year, the boy was again sent to Kareta in St. Paul of the Apostle Catholic Church in Pismo Beach, CA in which the abuse allegedly occurred daily.
In 2002, Fr. Gregory Kareta was removed from St. Joseph's when the allegation surfaced that he had molested an 11-year-old boy in 1973 and 1974 while assigned to St. Paul of the Apostle Catholic Church in Pismo Beach, CA.
Sexual Abuse in Milwaukee, MI
Fr. Gregory Kareta admitted to abusing youth in the 1960s in Milwaukee, WI. According to the Bishop Accountability website, letters from Kareta's personnel file show that Kareta was accused of molesting a boy while he was pastor of this parish (St. Josephat's in Milwaukee, WI). Kareta admitted the abuse in a letter of apology to the victim.
Current events
In 2019, Fr. Gregory Kareta was included on the Diocese of Monterey's list of priests who was named as being "credibly accused" of child sex abuse. He was also included in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Report to the People of God: Clergy Sexual Abuse Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Religious Order Priests and Brothers section. Fr. Kareta died in 2006.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Monterey 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 Monterey now have legal options due to a voluntary compensation fund created by the Diocese of Monterey, 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.