SNAP Reacts to the Release of Names of Accused Clerics in the Diocese of Sacramento

The Diocese of Sacramento has finally released its list of clergy “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children.  There are 62 names on the list, including at least 25 that, as far as we can tell, have never been publicly identified before: 

Fr. Thomas Allender, SJ; Deacon Alejandro Arroyo; Fr. James Casey; Fr. Robert Casper, SDS; Fr. Andrew Coffey; Fr. Malachy Conway; Fr. Pablo Cortes, SDB; Fr. John Crowley; Fr. Michael Dermody; Fr. Thomas Dermody; Fr. John Dowling; Fr. Oscar Figueroa; Fr. John Hannon; Fr. David Hernandez Cota; Fr. Joseph Hoan, Diocese of Long Xuyen, South Vietnam; Fr. Michael Lynch; Deacon Jesus Magallanes; Fr. James Mennis; Fr. Luis Michael O’Halloran, OP; Fr. Z. Enrique Perez, CO; Fr. Vernon Petrich, SDS; Fr. Michael Proulx, OSsT; Fr. William Storan; Fr. Simon Twomey; Fr. John “Casper” Watts, CP.

Eight of the 62 have not previously been associated with abuse in the Diocese of Sacramento:

Fr. David Brusky, SDS; Fr. Charles Gormley, Diocese of Cheyenne WY; Fr. Victor Marron, Diocese of Clogher, Ireland; Fr. Luis Martinez, SF; Fr. Kevin O’Brien, OCarm; Fr. James McSorley, OMI; Fr. Oliver O’Grady, Diocese of Stockton CA; Fr. Luke Zimmer, SSCC.

However, there are at least 17 others, who have been publicly identified as abusers and who worked in the Diocese of Sacramento, who are not included on the list:

Fr. Raymond Devlin; Fr. Martin Donnelly; Fr. Mark A. Falvey; Br. William C. Farrington; Fr. Michael M. Garry; Fr. Patrick Gleeson; Fr. Gunter Klingenbrunner; Fr. James F. Kuntz; Fr. Angelo C. Mariano; Michael Martis; Fr. Cornelius F. O'Connor; Fr. Charles J. Onorato; Fr. Umberto Penunuri; Fr. Jose Ribeiro; Fr. Renerio Sabuga Jr.; Fr. Stephen Speciale (Specialle); Fr. Philip Sunseri.

We are grateful that the Diocese has included not only Diocesan clergy, but also extern and order priests. We are also thankful that Church officials included photos, work histories, and, most critically, when the diocese learned of the each allegation and when they took action.

However, one important piece of information seems to be missing for some of those named: their current whereabouts. For those men who are still alive, this information should be publicized, as they may present a danger to children where they work or live. 

Finally, we urge the Diocese to expand their list to include information on brothers, nuns, lay employees and volunteers who have abused children, as well as all those who have abused adults.

Only with the disclosure of all this information can we get a clearer picture of what went wrong in Sacramento and what must be done now to protect children and vulnerable adults, and to prevent further abuse.

If you were abused in the Diocese of Sacramento, or witnessed or suspected abuse, and you have not yet reported, or you did report and do not see your abuser’s name on the Sacramento list, we hope that you will find the courage to speak out. We recommend that you look for support from family, friends and groups like ours, and then contact law enforcement and the California Attorney General.

CONTACT: Dan McNevin, SNAP Board Member ([email protected], 415-341-6417), Joey Piscitelli, SNAP California ([email protected], 925-262-3699) Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator, ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

 (SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)