Father Francis Ford
Diocese of Santa Rosa
Ordained: 1951
Leave of Absence: 1979
Died: 1985
Assignment History:
- 1949-1950: St. Francis (Spoke, WA)
- 1950-1953: St. Elizabeth’s (Oakland, CA)
- 1953-1958: U.S. Air Force Chaplain
- 1960: St. Elizabeth’s (Oakland, CA)
- 1960-1963: Ascension (Portland, OR)
- 1963-1967: St. Paul of the Shipwreck (San Francisco, CA)
- 1967-1968: St. Luke’s (Woodburn, Oregon)
- 1969: St. Apollinaris (Napa, CA)
- 1970-1972: St. Rose’s (Santa Rosa, CA)
- 1973: St. John the Baptist (Napa, CA)
- 1974-1976: Napa State Hospital (Napa, CA)
- 1977-1985: Unknown
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Francis Ford:
Fr. Francis Ford, also known as John Ford, was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1951. He left the order and was incardinated into the Diocese of Santa Rosa in 1971. According to media reports, in 2002, he was accused of child sexual abuse in a lawsuit against the Portland Archdiocese and the Franciscans. In 1961, Ford reportedly abused a 12-year-old former altar boy for two years while assigned to Ascension parish in Portland, Oregon. One of the incidents occurred during a trip to the World’s Fair in Seattle, Washington. Fr. Ford moved back and forth between the Portland Archdiocese and positions in California. In 2002, the lawsuit was settled for $3.8M.
According to media reports, Fr. Ford spent time in the U.S. Air Force and then served briefly at St. Anthony parish in San Francisco, California before he was assigned to Ascension parish in Portland, Oregon in 1961. He left Portland in 1964 to serve at St. Paul of the Shipwreck in San Francisco, California, before returning to Oregon in 1967 to serve in Astoria. Ford returned to California in 1969 to work at St. Apollinaris parish in Napa, and then apparently left the Franciscan Order. He served as a priest until his death in 1985.
In 2019, Francis Ford was included on a list of priests in the Diocese of Santa Rosa, the Santa Barbara Province Franciscans, and the Diocese of Oakland’s list, named as being credibly accused of child sex abuse.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa now have legal options due to a voluntary compensation fund created by the Diocese of Santa Rosa, 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.