Father Carlton Whitten
Ordained: 1961
Removed: 2007
Died: 2020
Assignment History:
- 1961-1962: Alma College (Los Gatos, CA)
- 1962-1963: Manresa Hall (Port Townsend, WA)
- 1963-1965: Jesuit High School (Sacramento, CA)
- 1965-1972: Bellarmine College Prep. (San Jose, CA)
- 1972-1977: Brophy College Prep. (Phoenix, AZ)
- 1977-1980: St. Ignatius Prep. (San Francisco, CA)
- 1980-1987: Jesuit High School (Sacramento, CA)
- 1987-1990: Loyola High School (Los Angeles, CA)
- 1990-1992: Jesuit High School Community of Sacramento (Carmichael, CA)
- 1992-1999: Jesuit High School (Sacramento, CA)
- 1999-2001: San Luis Obispo Church-Old Mission (San Luis Obispo, CA)
- 2002-2003: St. Agnes (San Francisco, CA)
- 2004-2007: St. Charles Borromeo (Peoria, AZ)
- 2007: St. Joseph's (White Salmon, WA)
- 2007: Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose, CA)
- 2007-2012: Sacred Heart Jesuit Center (Los Gatos, CA)
- 2013-2020: Unknown
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Carlton Whitten:
Fr. Carlton Whitten was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1961, who served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of San Jose. According to media reports, in December 2017, he was placed on leave while the Jesuits investigated an allegation he had sexually abused a 17-year-old boy while working at St. Joseph in White Salmon, Washington. Pornography was also found on the computer he used.
Whitten was reportedly a visiting priest sent to work at St. Joseph temporarily. During his "semi-retirement" years, he frequently worked along the west coast for priests on vacation or leave. He was moved from his residence at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California, to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California, while the allegation of the abuse was investigated.
In 2012, Fr. Whitten was named on the Diocese of Phoenix's list of priests that have been laicized and/or removed from ministry due to sexual misconduct with a minor. He was also included on the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' list of clergy credibly accused of child sexual abuse. His name was also added to the Jesuits West Province list. It noted he was living at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, on a safety plan.
Fr. Whitten died in December 2020.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of San Jose 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 San Jose now have legal options due to a temporary change in the 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.
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