He was ordained as an archdiocesan priest on May 22, 1937 at St. Patrick’s Seminary, in Menlo Park, California, and died March 24, 1969, in Medford, Oregon . In his 32 year career, Fr. McLeod was assigned to eleven parishes throughout Oregon.  His first assignment was in 1937 at St. Monica’s in Marshfield, Oregon, now known as Coos Bay.  McLeod was transferred to other parishes on a near-yearly basis until 1944 when he took a five year medical leave of absence at Mt. St. Joseph Residence, an extended care facility in Portland, Oregon.  Upon his release from Mt. St. Joseph’s, McLeod was assigned to St. Stephen’s in Portland, where he spent one year before being transferred in 1950 to Holy Cross.  In 1951 he was transferred to Immaculate Heart parish.  In 1952 he was assigned to St. Mary’s in Eugene where he spent two years before being transferred to his final assignment, Scared Heart parish in Medford, Oregon in 1954.  Fr. McLeod spent 15 years at Sacred Heart, dividing his time at nearby St. Joseph’s in Jacksonville. See Assignment Record.

Abuse Allegations 

Between 2000 and 2006, fourteen men came forward with allegations of sexual abuse by Fr. McLeod between 1940 and the mid-1960s. According to the victims’ testimony, McLeod followed a standard “MO” when grooming and abusing boys, usually between 10 and 17 years old: specifically, french-kissing, groping, and sexually gyrating against a boy while embracing him.  Common themes included summoning a boy to his rectory under the pretext of helping him with a project, or for confession.  Once there, McLeod asked about school work and grades or family matters then abruptly the discussion would change to sex, and Fr. McLeod began french-kissing and fondling the boy. He also would sometimes ask if the boy was circumcised, and then ask for a visual confirmation whereupon he would fondle the boy’s revealed penis.

During the 15 years Fr. McLeod spent at Sacred Heart in Medford, Oregon, he regularly took work party groups of children to help clean the nearby Jacksonville Church.  When they were finished, Fr. McLeod often returned all but one boy to his home or school, then went back to the Jacksonville Church where he would abuse the boy.  The history of Fr. McLeod’s sexual abuse history, according to victims, dates back as far as 1940, just three years after his ordination and during his assignment at All Saints Parish in Portland, when he abused a boy named “D.A.”  D.A. brought suit against the Archdiocese of Portland in 2001. See Complaint.

In early 2002, the Archdiocese attempted to have the case thrown out based on its argument that forcible french kissing of, and sexual gyrations on the then-adolescent boy, in the words of the Archdiocese “do not amount to child abuse,” within the meaning of the law.  A Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge disagreed with the defendants, ruling that it was up to a jury, not a judge, to decide whether such conduct is abusive.Plaintiff’s Response to Archdiocese’s Cross-motion for Summary Judgment.”

The Judge also rejected the Archdiocese’s claims that the Oregon Constitution’s and the U.S. Constitution’s religious liberty or due process guarantees should give the Catholic Church an automatic defense, and that Oregon’s child abuse law unconstitutionally discriminated against the Archdiocese.  For journalistic comment on argument that forcible French-kissing is not child abuse, see column by The Oregonian’s Steve Duin.

In January of 2003, another of Fr. McLeod’s victims, a 10 year-old altar boy in 1949, filed suit against the Archdiocese of Portland.  Plaintiff “C.M.,” alleged that between the age of 10-17, McLeod sexually abused and kissed him and fondled him over 50 times.

In 2006 four more men filed suit against the Archdiocese of Portland.  One plaintiff alleged that McLeod had abused him in 1945 while he was visiting his mother and father at their home in Portland.  Three others alleged abuse by McLeod between 1955-‘64.  One of these men was fondled and kissed by McLeod over 100 times.

The Archdiocese of Portland settled all claims involving Fr. McLeod, and listed him on their website as a priest against whom credible allegations of child abuse were made.

Read the files against Fr. McLeod here.

Father Rocco Francis Perone was ordained as a Paulist Priest on May 3, 1949, at St. Paul’s College in New York. Beginning in June, 1949, and throughout his career, he held five distinct positions in five different regions, until his retirement in August, 1989. His first assignment was at St. Mary’s in Chicago, Illinois. He was then transferred in 1950 to Portland, Oregon, to work at St. Philip Neri. Six years later, in 1956, he was suddenly transferred to Layton, Utah, to work at St. Rose, under the capacity of missions ministry. Then, between 1957 and 1988, he worked in missions out of St. Austin’s, in Austin, Texas. His final assignment was from 1988 to 1989, where he was assigned to St. Peter’s Parish in Toronto, Canada. See Assignment Record

The first known report of abuse was made by a boy’s mother in 1953, in Oregon. The 12-year old boy had been informed by Father Perone that a physical inspection of his genitals was necessary for a sports clearance. Infuriated, the boy’s mother called Father Quinn, the pastor of St. Philip Neri, in Portland — Father Perone’s church. The next day, in all-too-familiar Church protocol, Father Perone was placed “on a mission,” to Utah. The boy’s mother was prepared to testify to all this in 2002. The six short years he was in Portland, from 1950 to 1956, Father Rocco Perone, a “Paulist” priest (“OSP”), abused at least 15 boys, and quite possibly another half-dozen who never came forward—two of whom committed suicide. According to the victim’s testimony, Perone followed a standard MO when abusing boys: he called them up to the “Scout Room” (a storage room in the upstairs portion of a building at St. Philip Neri) and had them give confessions about their “impure thoughts.” He then asked the boys to “show” him, at which point he would sexually abuse them. He would bind the boys to sacramental secrecy, instilling divine fear in them should they speak up about it. 

Witnesses were also prepared to testify that the Paulist Fathers again received written complaints about sexual abuse of boys by Perone in 1956, while he was on “mission” in Utah. They nonetheless allowed him to stay in ministry. Father Perone’s victims from the 1950s continued to struggle many years later with the effects of the devastating abuse, as evidenced in one of his Portland, Oregon victim’s 1989 letter to the Father Gallagher of the Paulist Fathers.  ARCH 031; K.A. letter to Fr. Gallagher, dated 6/20/1989. To see Fr. Gallagher’s response to this particular victim’s letter, ARCH 028; response to K.A. To see the Portland Archdiocese’s action taken in response to their conversation with Father Gallagher, click ARCH 018; Lienert to Levada letter. Neither the Paulists nor the Archdiocese ever gave the requested notice, despite that they acknowledged it would help victims. ARCH018-019.

In Father Lienert’s own words, he states that the Church’s protocol for handling incidents of priests’ sexual abuse of children is that they remove the priest from the parish, get him therapy, and then make a determination of whether he can remain in ministry. Therefore, the Church acknowledged that its own policy was to leave the option open for allowing a priest who had been found abusing children to remain in ministry.  ARCH 012; Lienert memo to file dated 4/28/1989

Even after receiving an in-person admission to abusing two boys from Perone himself, the Paulist Fathers nonetheless decided to place him in a position in a parish in San Antonio, Texas, following his release from a Catholic-run sexual treatment program, on the condition that Perone not be allowed to have any contact with young people. ARCH 010; Lienert memo to file, 3/21/89. To our knowledge none of Perone’s parishes, including this one, were ever told of his prior accusations of abuse.

Continuing Deception by Archdiocese Even in Current Internet Postings

Incredibly, even after a decade of being held accountable for sexual abuse by its priests, the Archdiocese of Portland in its own website as recently as of today (11/26/08), continued to post documents in a deceptive fashion. One example is document no. ARCH014 As readers can discern from the narrative above regarding the correspondence between a Perone victim and the Archdiocese in 1989, the Archdiocese never, in fact, agreed to give the notice to St. Philip Neri parish or other parishes concerning Fr. Perone. They simply refused to do it. Yet, by posting this document at the very beginning of its website, taken out of context, the Archdiocese deliberately sought to make it appear that they did, in fact, give this warning.

What other possible reason could there be for the Archdiocese posting this document in isolation at the beginning of the material on Fr. Perone? Readers should not be deceived: document no. ARCH014 was the notice that K.A., a Perone victim, requested that the Archdiocese give in 1989. Despite discussion of the possible benefits of doing so, ultimately the Archdiocese decided not to give the notice. For the Archdiocese to post this notice conspicuously at the beginning of the Perone documents is nothing but misleading. 

Court Filings
Include: Complaint w/request for punitives; the Memo in Support of Punitives.

Father Rocco Perone Documents

Breakdown of Documents Released by the Archdiocese of Portland

Fr. Rocco Perone Documents provided by the Archdiocese of Portland

Fr. Orso-Manzonetta spent 44 years, as an ordained member of the priesthood, in the Archdiocese of Portland. In those 44 years, Fr. Orso-Manzonetta was assigned in some capacity to 8 parishes. PD 1686.
Fr. Orso-Manzonetta repeatedly abused boys, especially during his years at St. Michael’s, where he often – with ongoing knowledge of the Archbishops in Portland – had boys spend the night with him.  As well, several Archbishops allowed this practice to continue, even after Fr. Orso-Manzonetta “promised” not to do it again.  See e.g., PD 1834-1841, 1811.

The earliest allegations to the Archdiocese were in 1974. PD 1836.

During psychological evaluations in 1994, Fr. Orso-Manzonetta admitted to sexually acting out at least 20 years prior, when allegations were made. These allegations were apparently reported to Archbishop Dwyer, but no written record from that time exists in the documents. PD 1811, 1836.

In 1983, the archdiocese again received allegations against Fr. Orso-Manzonetta. The ‘83 allegations included accusations of sexually abusing children at All Saint’s, St. Michael’s, two Central Catholic High School football players, and two male prostitutes that went to the Newman Center at Portland State University. It was reported that even the Portland Police Department suspected Fr. Orso-Manzonetta of “messing around with boys.”  PD 1834-1841.

Yet in 1983, Fr. Orso-Manzonetta was sent to be the pastor at St. Peter’s in Newberg, OR. More suspicious behavior was reported to the archdiocese in 1988. Apparently, Fr. Orso-Manzonetta had invited a young boy, whom he was not an acquaintance of, to stay the weekend with him in the church rectory. PD 1831-1833.

From 1992 through 1997, many more allegations of sexual abuse came forward to the archdiocese against Fr. Orso-Manzonetta. The allegations in the ‘90s include sexual abuse from the parishes Fr. Also was assigned to in Portland, Newberg, and Tillamook. PD 1807, 1818-1822, 1824-1828, 1844.

Breakdown of the 04-15-08 documents

PD 1684-1729 – These documents concern Fr. Also’ background; documents relating to ordination, pre-ordination, and seminary studies.

PD 1730-1737 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s placements and transfers after ordination; documents relating to parish-transfers and assignments.

PD 1738 – This document concerns a newspaper clipping on Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to newspaper articles.

PD 1739-1740 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s placements and transfers after ordination; documents relating to parish-transfers and assignments.

PD 1741-1750 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s tenure at St. Michael’s and parishioner letters relating to his transfer; documents relating to tenure and transfer.

PD 1751 – This document concerns a newspaper clipping on Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to newspaper articles.

PD 1752-1754 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s tenure at St. Michael’s and parishioner letters relating to his transfer; documents relating to tenure and transfer.

PD 1755-1756 – These documents concern an interview of Fr. Orso-Manzonetta by the Archdiocese; relating to Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s placement and future placements.

PD 1757-1763 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s tenure at St. Michael’s and parishioner letters relating to his transfer; documents relating to tenure and transfer.

PD 1764-1770 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s placements and transfers after ordination; documents relating to parish-transfers and assignments.

PD 1771 – This document concerns a newspaper clipping on Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to newspaper articles.

PD 1772-1773 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s placements and transfers after ordination; documents relating to parish-transfers and assignments.

PD 1774-1778 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s personal finances; documents relating to Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s health, finances, and wishes.

PD 1779-1782 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s placements and transfers after ordination; documents relating to parish-transfers and assignments.

PD 1783 – This document concerns a newspaper clipping on Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to newspaper articles.

PD 1784-1797 – These documents concern Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s health, personal finances, and final wishes; documents relating to Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s health, finances, and wishes.

PD 1798 – This document concerns Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s parish record; documents relating to parish-transfers and assignments.

PD 1799-1807 – These documents concern sexual abuse allegations against Fr. Orso-Manzonetta by a man who was abused by him at age 16; documents relating to accusations of sexual abuse where Fr. Orso-Manzonetta drugged a boy and sexually abused him.

PD 1808 – This document concerns a personal card sent to Fr. Lienert from Spokane, WA; documents relating to Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s health, finances, and wishes.

PD 1809-1855 – These documents concern sexual abuse allegations against Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; the documents include a letter dated 1983 from a former priest to Archbishop Power reminding him that Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s abuse of boys needs to be addressed, and a 1983 report on Fr. Orso-Manzonetta that describes police suspicions of his abuse of boys and use of two male prostitutes he picked up from near Portland State University’s campus.

PD 1856-1859 – These documents concern sexual abuse allegations against Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to communications between victims and the Archdiocese and the victim’s request for help in dealing with the issues caused by Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s abuse of him..

PD 1860-1884 – These documents concern articles written about or including Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to newspaper articles.

PD 1885-1902 – These documents concern articles written about or including Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to newspaper articles.

PD 1903 – This document concerns Fr. Orso-Manzonetta’s parish record; documents relating to parish-transfers and assignments. PD 1904-1905 – These documents include an inter-Archdiocese letter to Archbishop Levada discussing sexual abuse allegations against Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to accusations of the sexual abuse of boys in Newberg, and All Saints School are here.

PD 1904 – 1906 – This document concerns a newspaper clipping on Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to newspaper articles.

PD 1907-1912 – These documents concern sexual abuse allegations against Fr. Orso-Manzonetta; documents relating to the victim’s discussions with the priest he reported the abuse to, and requests for relief for the damages incurred by the sexual abuse are here..

Breakdown of the 06-04-07 documents

PD 0157-0178 – These documents are found in the documents released on 04-15-08.

Breakdown of Documents Released by the Archdiocese of Portland

Fr. Orso-Manzonetta Documents provided by the Archdiocese of Portland

Fr. Orso-Manzonetta Documents provided by the Archdiocese of Portland – Part 1

Fr. Orso-Manzonetta Documents provided by the Archdiocese of Portland – Part 2

Fr. Orso-Manzonetta Documents provided by the Archdiocese of Portland – Part 3

Fr. Orso-Manzonetta Documents provided by the Archdiocese of Portland – Part 4

Fr. Orso-Manzonetta Documents provided by the Archdiocese of Portland – Part 5

• University of Portland, 1944 –‘45.
• St. Thomas Seminary –Denver, Colo., Aug. ‘45 – May ’50.

PD 1685

Fr. Aldo Orso-Manzonetta was born July 26, 1923 in Portland, OR.  Fr. Orso-Manzonetta was ordained into the priesthood on June 3, 1950 in the Archdiocese of Portland by Archbishop Howard.  Fr. Orso-Manzonetta died on March 22, 1996. PD 1685, 1795

PD 1685

PD 1795

Fr. Orso-Manzonetta was appointed to the following churches/positions: PD 1686.

1. St. Cecilia, Assistant, Portland; June 30, 1950 – October 1950.
2. St. Cecilia, Administrator, Portland; November 1950 – June 1951.
3. Downtown Chapel, Assistant, Portland; September 1951 – March 1954.
4. Our Lady of the Mountain, Administrator, Ashland; May 1954 – September 1954.
5. All Saints, Assistant, Portland; September 1954 – December 23, 1957.
6. Mercy Home, Chaplain, North Bend; April 1958 – August 1959.
7. St. Michael’s, Pastor, Portland; September 2, 1959 – August 1, 1983.
8. St. Peter’s, Administrator, Newberg; August 1, 1983 – November 10, 1983.
9. St. Peter’s, Pastor, Newberg; November 10, 1983 – August 1, 1989.
10. Sacred Heart, In Residence, Tillamook; August 1, 1989 – April 1, 1991.
11. Sacred Heart, Administrator, Tillamook; April 1, 1991 – July 1, 1994.

PD 1686