Subject: Catholic Diocese of Orange

• New PR Flack For OC Diocese, Same Idiocy

  Long-time observers of the Catholic Diocese of Orange pedo-priest scandal no doubt remember Father Joseph Fenton, the former director of communications who was an unrepentant asshole and didn't mind using sex-abuse survivors when convenient for Bishop Tod. D Brown. He's no longer the Orange diocese's PR flack; that dirty work now falls to one Ryan Lilyengren. And the man is earning whatever Brown pays him. On Thursday, after Brown's deposition for a civil lawsuit filed against former Mater Dei

  September 15, 2007

• OC Diocese Paid Admitted Child Molester $100,000

  Back in 2004, the Catholic Diocese of Orange quietly settled a lawsuit filed against former Mater Dei boys' basketball coach Jeff Andrade. To quote from my 2006 story regarding a current molestation lawsuit against Andrade: "In 2003, Mater Dei officials admitted to Orange County Register reporter Jim Hinch that they dismissed Andrade because of his relationship with [a 15-year-old student0]. Andrade sued Mater Dei and the Orange diocese...for invasion of privacy, stating in his argument that "

  September 17, 2007

• Saying Howdy to John Urell in Canada

  As lawyers debate whether John Urell--the former point man for the Catholic Diocese of Orange in its sex-abuse fiasco--should return from Canada after failing to finish a deposition, a intrepid Canadian reporter decided to drop in on the monsignor. Mark Bonokoski of the Toronto Sun visited the Southdown Institute and asked if he could speak with Urell. Click here to find the results!

  September 25, 2007

• Statutory Rapist Andrade And Pals Seek to Block Many Things

  A slew of in limine motions filed this past week by former Mater Dei High School boys' basketball coach/admitted statutory rapist Jeff Andrade and his former employers, the Catholic Diocese of Orange. Andrade's lawyers moved that any potential jury not hear "in any manner, either directly or indirectly, any reference to documentation, witness testimony and/or opinions that refer to any allegation that [Andrade] was criminally prosecuted or not criminally prosecuted as a result of his sexual rela

  September 25, 2007

• Hilarious Quote of The Year Award Goes To...

  Peter Callahan, longtime attorney for the Catholic Diocese of Orange. Today, the Orange County Register plays catchup to the Los Angeles Times and interviews Scott Hicks, who claims Bishop Tod D. Brown abused him decades ago. Again, no mention of the fact that the Weekly broke this story six months ago. But we're straying from our point. In the Register piece, Callahan was asked to comment about Brown. Not only does Callahan label Hicks' allegation as an "attack," but he then offers this gem:

  September 30, 2007

• Did John Urell Lie During his Deposition?

  October 3, 2007

• Diocesan Lawyers All of a Sudden Uppity

  For decades, the Catholic Diocese of Orange has dealt with survivors of its pedo-priests in secrecy--sealed settlements, claimed ignorance, and always, always, away from a jury. In none of the civil settlements that the Orange diocese signed off on were there any admission of guilt by the priest or diocesan lay employee charged with molestation. That's what makes the current strategy by longtime diocesan lawyer Peter Callahan so bizarre. Callahan has represented the Orange diocese on almost all

  October 3, 2007

• What the Hell is Bishop Brown Doing in St. Augustine?

  As the Catholic Diocese of Orange heads toward a potentially blockbuster civil trial, as diocesan PR flacks spin furiously, Bishop Tod D. Brown is in...St. Augustine, Florida?! Yep. His Excellency is there as part of the Joint Committee of Orthodox and Catholic Bishops. Now, we don't hold anything against our Orthodox brethren--Orange County Register columnist Steve Greenhut is Greek Orthodox--but surely there are more important things for Brown to take care of that a millennium-old schism, no?

  October 4, 2007

• Breaking: Orange Diocese Settles Andrade Case

  Scroll down for updates as they come... Just received word that the Catholic Diocese of Orange just settled a civil suit filed against it and former Mater Dei High School boys' basketball coach Jeff Andrade. Strange, considering diocesan lawyers were publicly proclaiming they were raring to start the trial. And isn't it convenient that they announce it on a Friday afternoon, just as the weekend starts and reporters are busy planning how to lose the weekend in a glass of Jack Daniels? Details as

  October 5, 2007

• Bishop Brown Still Doesn't Get It

  Pick up this newspaper this Thursday, when this reporter will have a more in-depth take on the Orange diocese's settling four more sex-abuse cases for about $7 million. In the meanwhile, allow your humble servant to rail about the latest foot-in-mouth case of Orange Bishop Tod D. Brown. Today, Associated Press reporter Gillian Flaccus filed a report from Newport Beach, where three of the four victims came forth to face the cameras. She also interviewed Brown, who's scheduled to appear in Orange

  October 8, 2007

• Mater Dei Writes A Lot, Says Nothing

  Today, officials at Mater Dei High School sent out a two-page memo to alumni regarding the recent settlement involving the Catholic Diocese of Orange and four young women who claim they were abused by diocesan lay employees during the 1990s. Two of the perpetrators-- Jeff Andrade and Larry Stukenholtz--worked as assistant boys' basketball coach and choir director at the school, respectively. Both of them admitted to their guilt--Andrade in a sworn deposition, Stukenholtz as part of Mater Dei's i

  October 8, 2007

• Urell Supporters Take Out Full-Page Ad in OC Register

  We rarely read past Page Four of the Orange County Register's front page, since anything beyond that is usually Macy's ads and rehashed Associated Press or Reuters blurbs. Indeed, we didn't read past page four this morning until an eagle-eyed reader (gracias, amigo) alerted us to a full-page ad taken out by a group calling themselves "Friends of Msgr. John." The ad in question was an "Open Letter in Support of Msgr. John Urell," the priest who for years handled sex-abuse complaints in the Cathol

  October 10, 2007

• The Continuing Story of the Bunglin' Friends of Monsignor John

  Go visit the website of the Friends of Monsignor John, the brave individuals who sought to publicly support the Catholic Diocese of Orange's longtime point man in its horrendous sex-abuse scandal. Notice anything different? Notice there are no more comments, deleted or otherwise? Notice there are no more depositions, redacted or otherwise? Notice there isn't even the text of the group's full-page ad in the Orange County Register from last week? Granted, websites constantly evolve, but the Friend

  October 16, 2007

• The Orange Diocese's Record-Breaking Streak

  This year's edition of our annual Scariest People issue includes two entries from the Catholic Diocese of Orange: lead sex-abuse lawyer Peter Callahan and Varsity Gold, the high-school fundraising outfit that hired and proudly employees statutory rapist (and former Mater Dei boys' assistant basketball coach) Jeff Andrade. With those two entries, the Orange diocese enters the Weekly's record books as the organization with the longest consecutive streak of appearances in Scariest. The previous ent

  October 29, 2007

• Goodbye, Bishop Soto, and Good Riddance

  We've always tried really hard to like Jaime Soto, the auxiliary bishop in the Catholic Diocese of Orange who's leaving this weekend to become coadjutor bishop in the Diocese of Sacramento. He's a virtual Aztlanista on immigration, urges compassion for AIDS victims, and always sports a smile. But our admiration for Soto goes the way of church attendance every time we remember Soto's involvement in the Orange diocese sex-abuse scandal.

  November 2, 2007

• OC Teen Molestor Suspended from Work in St. Louis

  Remember Larry Stukenholtz? Probably not. The former Mater Dei choir teacher didn't get as much attention as his fellow molestor, former assistant boys' basketball coach Jeff Andrade. But Stukenholtz was also part of the most recent sex-abuse settlement by the Catholic Diocese of Orange. Stukenholtz is now a music professor at St. Louis Community College, and sex-abuse victims have long tried to get the man fired. Last year, when Sarah Gray filed a lawsuit against Stukeholtz claiming he abused

  November 21, 2007

• It's Dec. 10--Do You Know Where John Urell Is?

  Remember John Urell? Monsignor for the Catholic Diocese of Orange? Who covered up for pedophiles? Whose supporters continuously shot themselves in the foot? Who was whisked off to Canada to--take your pick--combat an "acute anxiety disorder" (according to the diocese) or to evade a deposition (says suing lawyers)? That guy? Well, it's December 10--and he should be back in town. So where is he?

  December 10, 2007

• Accused Mater Dei Statutory Rapist Loses Again

  It hasn't been a good couple of months for Larry Stukenholtz, a former Mater Dei High choir director whom the school canned in the late 1990s for carrying on a relationship with a student. In October, his victim was part of a $6.685 million settlement that the Catholic Diocese of Orange reached with four girls molested by diocesan employees. Stukeholtz also lost his job as a music teacher at St. Louis Community College after its Board of Trustees unanimously voted to boot the bum out. Now come

  February 7, 2008

• To the Anonymous, Mater Dei-Loving Faxing Coward

  **UPDATE: This is now the most-commented post in Navel Gazing history. Keep up the wackiness, readers! Over the years I've covered the Catholic Diocese of Orange sex-abuse scandal, I've found few people braver than Joelle Casteix. She's one of Orange County's most prominent sex-abuse survivors (a choir director repeatedly raped Casteix while she was a student at Mater Dei High during the 1980s) and frequently stands outside churches to demand clueless Catholics hear the voices of the Orange dio

  February 18, 2008

• Petey Callahan Bilks OC Catholics But Good

  It's been a rough half-year for Peter Callahan of the Tustin law firm Callahan, McCune & Willis, mostly because of his big mouth. The head lawyer for the Catholic Diocese of Orange sex-abuse scandal unwittingly revealed in September the sealed amount Bishop Tod D. Brown gave to a statutory rapist, barked at a sex-abuse survivor during a press conference, and did enough other wackiness to earn the title of one of our Scariest People late last year. Through it all, diocesan apologists said nothin

  February 21, 2008

• Pedophile Protector Apologist of the Day...

  ...Is Patrick Redmond of Newport Beach! Today, the Orange County Register prints his letter blasting star columnist Frank Mickadeit for his supposed "umbilical fascination" with famed Catholic Church sex-abuse victim's attorney John Manly. The trigger for such a clever twist of words? A March 7 column Mickadeit wrote about the return of Monsignor John Urell, the longtime Catholic Diocese of Orange priest who lost it in a deposition regarding his pedophile-protecting past, in which he quoted a Ma

  March 12, 2008

• Stalinism, Sex Abuse and the Catholic Diocese of Orange

  Under the reign of Orange Bishop Tod D. Brown, the Catholic Diocese of Orange has lied, spun, hid, dismissed, excused, and ignored its shameful sex-abuse scandal--no surprise there. But never in my four years of reporting on the story have I ever encountered such a ridiculous action as the one I'm about to explain. Look closely at the picture to the left of this post. It's from the Orange diocese's new history of itself, which I reviewed this week. Pay special attention to the space between the

  June 2, 2008

• John Urell Leaving

  Monsignor John Urell, longtime pedophile protector in the Catholic Diocese of Orange, announced last week he's leaving St. Norbert's in Orange (where he currently serves as pastor) for St. Timothy in Laguna Niguel. In a letter he read to parishioners two weeks ago and reprinted in this past weekend's St. Norbert church bulletin, Urell gave no real explanation other than "I know it is time for me to go and use my talents and abilities in a new place and with a fresh start." Urell will now serve

  June 6, 2008

• On A Flippant Attitude Toward the Diocese of Orange Sex Abuse Scandal

  September 18, 2008

• Coming Red Mass "Shaping Up to be the Best Ever," Says Pedo-Apologist-Honoring Lawyer

  The Catholic Diocese of Orange's Red Mass will occur today, and David Belz is happy! In a confidential e-mail obtained by the Weekly, the Rancho Santa Margarita attorney and member of the local chapter of the St. Thomas More Society tells the letter's recipients that "The 2008 Red Mass is shaping up to be the best ever. We have commitments from the largest number of judges we have ever had." Ooh, goody! You mean it'll be better than the Red Mass where all those judges and attorneys ignored the

  October 6, 2008

• OC Reg to OC Bishop: Heckuva Job, Brownie

  Sorry for not noticing this earlier: in November, Orange County Register reporter Teri Sforza wrote a puzzling post on the Reg's OC Watchdog blog noting that the Catholic Diocese of Orange had nicely recovered from all the payouts courts forced them to give to the victims of its rapin' employees over the years. "What is it they say about confession being good for the soul? Perhaps it's good for the bank account as well," Sforza wrote, adding, "We commend the Diocese for this startling bit of fin

  December 22, 2008

• a Peek at the Bishop's Past

  December 6, 2007

• Bishop Brown Breaks His Covenant with the Faithful for the Trillionth Time

  IUpdated, with new info on the bottom...Both the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register revealed today that Jon Kirrer of Fountain Valley filed a lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Orange and its pedo-priest Denis Lyons alleging sexual abuse during the mid-1990s, and isn't it refreshing to know that Orange Bishop Tod D. Brown is up to his same tricks? Diocesan spinner Ryan Lilygren issued a statement to both papers that, "We intend to maintain the integrity of the judicial process and

  February 11, 2009

• The Latest Pedo-Priest Settlement: Denis Lyons (Again)

  Just got off the phone with V. James DeSimone, attorney for a man who says pedo-priest Denis Lyons molested him as a child during the 1990s. They have settled their civil suit against the Catholic Diocese of Orange for an undisclosed amount. "Our client is pleased with the settlement, and looks forward to working with the district attorney's office," to bring criminal charges against Lyons, who has cost Orange Bishop Tod D. Brown more than $4 million in civil settlements. No personnel files will

  February 27, 2009

• A Priest the Diocese of Orange Admits Faced an Abuse Accusation Is Still in Ministry In Spain

  March 19, 2009

• [Scariest People 2008] The Sexorcist

  October 30, 2008

• What We Can Learn About the Juaneños' Modern-Day Plight From 'Chinigchinich'

  July 3, 2008

• The Catholic Diocese of Orange's History Book Is Pretty-and Pretty Pathetic

  May 29, 2008

• OC's Scariest People

  Our Congressional delegation tops this year’s list of 33 villains (31 for October, plus two more to get to the Dia de los Muertos, ese)

  October 25, 2007

• Jane C.R. Doe Speaks

  October 11, 2007

• Full-Court Mess

  June 28, 2007

• OC's 31 Scariest People

  Now 25 percent more terrifying!

  October 27, 2005

• Orange

  October 20, 2005

• Tom Fuentes,

  March 31, 2005

• Personnel Bile #1

  Weekly announces release of Catholic Church pedo-protecting archives

  February 3, 2005

• The Year In Letting Go, Go, Angels!

  Los Angeles Ashes

  December 30, 2004

• The Year In Keeping The Faith

  December 30, 2004

• A Millstone Around Their Necks

  December 2, 2004

• Lifestyles of the Rich and Pious

  A Tour of the Orange Dioceses Most Transubstantiastic Homes

  September 16, 2004

• Room at the Inns

  September 16, 2004

• The Diocese of Orange Assignment Records of O.C.'s Latest Accused Pedo-Priest, Gordon Pillon

  PillonYour Catholic Diocese of Orange made national headlines again earlier this week when former Catholic priest Ben Rodriguez filed a civil lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court alleging that Father Gordon Pillon molested him numerous times while Pillon served at La Habra's Our Lady of Guadalupe during the early 1980s. Pillon had already been removed from ministry by his most recent employer, the Diocese of Peoria, for this accusation and another one and currently teaches in Prague.What none

  April 24, 2009

• OC Diocese Hires Pedo-Protector as Assistant Superindendent for Church Schools

  Brown: Loves his pedo-anything!​About two months ago, the Catholic Diocese of Orange put out a help-wanted ad for a new position: Associate Superintendent for Finance & Advancement. The job, a description stated, entails the applicant "to offer oversight, support and professional consultation to parishes/schools, high schools, Office of Faith Formation, and to other diocesan organizations on school marketing and full enrollment concepts, financial planning for schools, formal long-range pl

  July 29, 2009

• Starbucks Paying for Legal Defense of Former Barista, Admitted Statutory Rapist

  Generic picture of coffee lest Starbucks get snippy with any parodies of its stupid logo...​Better stop buying your Frappuccinos and whatever other drinks Starbucks brews--your hard-earned cash just might be going to the legal defense of a former barista criminally convicted of statutory rape. In a case currently winding through U.S. federal court in SanTana, a former Starbucks worker is suing the company and one Timothy Horton for civil damages regarding Horton's admitted statutory raping of

  August 19, 2009

• OC Diocese Priorities: Surfers and Facebook, Yes; Sex-Abuse Victims, No

  ​Priorities, priorities, priorities: The Catholic Diocese of Orange is already heavily promoting the Blessing of the Waves, an easy stab at a national feel-good story they began last year than involves surfers, priests, and prayer at Huntington Beach. "In Orange County our beaches are more than simple geography, they are the cultural and spiritual center of our community. It is important that we recognize this common element in all our lives, regardless of faith tradition," read the event's Fa

  September 2, 2009

• Want to Find Crime? Go to Church

  Here's lookin' at ya!Forget the barrios, Harbor Boulevard and potential marijuana fields of Cleveland National Forest. If Orange County law enforcement wants to find illegal activity, they should go to church. Insert your favorite Catholic Diocese of Orange reference here. Then, take a look at what's been going on at Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo and St. Joseph's Church in Placentia. Better yet, if its St. Joseph, look for blood stains in the parking lot.

  September 24, 2009