Do you know anyone, especially current or former Catholics, who spent any time in the San Diego area? If so, please tell them to mark this date on their calendars: February 3, 2025. That’s the deadline for anyone who may have been sexually assaulted, raped, fondled, or touched inappropriately as a kid by a southern California Catholic employee to get some justice, validation and compensation.
How? Through a federal bankruptcy court. The sprawling San Diego Diocese – which has had, over the years, thousands of men and women on its payroll – is seeking Chapter 11 protection. As part of that process, victims of sexual crimes and misconduct by one of those employees – ordained or lay person – can file a ‘claim’ and very likely get some financial compensation for their suffering (but only if they come forward by that February 3rd date).
“But I don’t know anyone who was hurt by a San Diego priest or anyone affiliated with the San Diego diocese,” you might think. With all due respect, unless you’ve directly asked your friends, family, and colleagues if they were sexually violated as a kid and, if so, was it by someone Catholic?” you can’t possibly know this.
Most abuse victims stay silent. Some, however, will disclose their pain if someone they know, love, or trust gently asks them about it. And when that happens, a silence is broken, a burden is lifted and long-overdue healing often begins. So even though just the thought of a conversation like this can be daunting, we hope you’ll consider taking this small but potentially significant step that just might have a huge, positive impact on someone you care about. As we’ve done with other dioceses, in the coming weeks, we will profile on this blog some of the most notorious and frequently accused abusive priests, nuns, brothers, monks, seminarians, and bishops who’ve spent time in the San Diego region. (Among them: Fr. Gregory Sheridan and Fr. Edward Anthony Rodrigue.)
But first, we want to draw your attention to the alleged predators who – as best we can tell – are still alive, so they may still be a threat to youngsters. If you can’t bring yourself to raise the awkward subject of possible childhood sexual abuse with friends, here’s an easier step: Send them this list and ask them to circulate it. That will feel less intrusive and potentially upsetting than asking them directly about their childhoods, yet still raises the topic while also reminding them that clergy still abuse and still pose dangers to kids today. Or if you’d rather not deal with friends about this topic at all, maybe you can just email this list to anyone you know who is in the San Diego area now, warning them about these still-living alleged predators.
We at Horowitz Law don’t claim that every single cleric here is now living and is definitely guilty of abusing a child. Nor do we claim that this is an exhaustive list of such clerics. But as best we can tell, here are many of the proven, admitted, publicly and/or credibly accused child molesting clerics who are or have been in the San Diego diocese. Unless otherwise noted, these are current or former priests. Robert Buchanan, Arthur Carrillo, Jose Chavarin, Edito Amora (a.k.a. D’Amora), Luis Eugene de Francisco, Michael K. Higgins, Gary Michael Holtey, Patrick J. Hughes, George Lally, Ramon Marrulo, Patrick Carl McNamara, Patrick J. O’Keeffe, Emmanuel Omemaga, David Roll, William Valverde, and Barry Vinyard.
According to BishopAccountability.org, there is also one nun – Sr. Bridgette – and a brother – Br. Thomas – who are or were in San Diego, have been accused of abuse and are still alive. Who knows where these accused child molesters are now? It’s a scary thought. Even if none of these individuals are attending or volunteering in a church or employed by a parish, the odds are that they’re not behind bars or miraculously ‘cured’ of their sexual compulsion or attraction to children. So again, you may well be helping someone you know by telling them, “There’s a chance for something good for anyone who was abused as a kid in the San Diego area, but there’s an upcoming deadline for action.” And you may well be helping someone you DON’T know by telling people, “Here’s a list of still-living accused abusers who are or were in California, so check and see if any of them live in your apartment building, sing in your church choir or sit on a park bench near a playground, feeding the birds and trying to chat up girls and boys or their unsuspecting parents.”
Here are just a handful of clerics who might especially warrant attention.
- Fr. Valverde was also a hospital chaplain (so had access to even more children, including some who may have been drugged up or unable to flee).
- Fr. Omemaga is a fugitive from justice.
- Msgr. O’Keeffe fled to Ireland.
So please, do something today that might protect the vulnerable or heal the wounded. Do something today that might enable someone you know who is hurting to break their silence and start healing. Do something today that might expose a predator, protect others, and thereby help the police, a prosecutor, a parent, a parishioner, a neighbor, a prospective employer, or an unsuspecting co-worker.
Please spread the word about these alleged child molesting clerics who are or were in southern California. Other Catholic entities in California have also sought or are now seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the courts. They include the Diocese of Sacramento, the Diocese of Santa Rosa, the Diocese of Oakland, and the Archdiocese of San Francisco. More are expected to follow. So any and everyone who was hurt as a child in California or by a California Catholic employee must know about their legal opportunities and upcoming deadlines. So, again, please help us spread the word.
Horowitz Law represents victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of San Diego 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 Diego 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. Contact us at 954-641-2100 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.