Father Peadar "Peter" Brennan
Ordained: 1961
Removed: 1995
Assigned as follows:
- 1961-1964: St. John of the Cross (Lemon Grove, CA)
- 1964-1967: St. Francis de Sales (Riverside, CA)
- 1967-1969: Sacred Heart (San Diego, CA)
- 1970-1972: Our Lady of Grace (El Cajon, CA)
- 1972-1974: St. Thomas Indian Mission - (Fort Yuma, CA)
- 1972-1974: St. Mary's (Winterhaven, CA)
- 1974-1982: St. Anthony (Upland, CA)
- 1983-1988: St. Francis of Assisi (La Quinta, CA)
- 1988-1989: St. Michael's (Poway, CA)
- 1989-1991: Absent On Leave
- 1992-1995: Holy Innocents Church (Victorville, CA)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father Peadar "Peter" Brennan:
According to media reports, documents from the San Diego settlement contain no evidence that Fr. Peadar "Peter" Brennan was accused of sexually abusing minors. He was accused of fathering two children, while he was the founding pastor at St. Francis of Assisi parish in La Quinta in the 1980s. Despite letters written by the woman's husband to Pope John Paul II, Bishop Straling kept him at the parish. He was only removed when the second baby was due and the mother threatened to sue. Upon the birth of his second child, he was moved to the Diocese of San Diego. Shortly after, while a settlement was negotiated, he was sent to Albuquerque Villa, an institution run by the Servants of the Paraclete, known for treating priests accused of child sexual abuse.
Brennan was then transferred to the Archdiocese of San Francisco where he became the founding pastor of Holy Innocents. He resigned in 1995, when a whistleblower reported to Auxiliary Bishop Barnes and Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, the Vatican's Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in the United States, that Brennan had fathered a third child. Bishop Barnes removed Brennan, announcing that he would seek laicization in order to marry. The files, however, do not show that he was ever laicized. He began receiving retirement benefits in 2003.
In October 2010, as part of a settlement with survivors of child sexual abuse, the Diocese of San Diego released Brennan's personnel file. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of San Bernardino. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in San Bernardino, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of San Bernardino now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.