Rev. Orlando Alberto Battagliola/Battaglio

Summary of Case: A native of Argentina, Battagliola arrived in the Monterey-Fresno diocese in 1963. In a 2003 lawsuit he was accused of having sexually abused a 14-year-old altar boy in the early 1970s. Battagliola was murdered in a San Francisco motel room in 1977.

Ordained
: 1963
Incardinated: Monterey diocese, 1963
Died: Feb. 17, 1977

     

Start Stop Parish Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1963

Monterey-Fresno bishop was Aloysius Joseph Willinger, C.SS.R (1953-1967)

1964 St. Katherine's Del Ray CA 2/2 The 1965 Directory indexes Battagliola as at St. Katherine's but does NOT list him there in the diocesan pages. He IS listed in the diocesan pages at Our Lady of Sorrows in Parlier.
1963 1964 St. Lucy's Fowler CA   This was a mission of St. Katherine's in Del Ray.
1963 1965 Our Lady of Sorrows Parlier CA

1/1

In residence 1964-1965.

This was a mission of St. Katherine's in Del Ray.

1965

The Monterey diocese was established Dec. 13, 1967. Its bishop was Harry Anselm Clinch (1967-1982)

1971 Our Lady of Solitude Soledad CA 2/2, 2/3 The 1966-1971 Directories do not index Battagliola. They do list him, however, in the Monterey diocesan pages as Orlando A. "Battaglio".
1971 1974 San Luis Obispo (Old Mission)

San Luis Obispo

Battagliola was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having sexually abused an altar-boy in the early 1970s, beginning the grooming process when the boy was a freshman in high school. Battagliola is said to have plied the boy with alcohol and driven him around town in his car while sexually abusing him. The boy reportedly developed a sexually transmitted disease as a result. He also quit sports, at which he had excelled, began cutting school, and lost his good reputation among his peers. The boy went on to develop a drug habit and life long emotional problems.

CA 2/3

The Old Mission had a school with 178-163 students.

From 1972 on, the Directories resume using the name "Battagliola" rather than "Battaglio". He is indexed in the 1972-1974 Directories as at Our Lady of Solitude in Soledad, but he is NOT listed as there in the Monterey diocesan pages. He IS listed at San Luis Obispo (Old Mission) for these years.

1974 1977 Our Lady of Refuge Castroville CA

1/1, 1/2

Administrator

Battagliola is indexed in the 1975-1977 Directories as at Our Lady of Solitude in Soledad, but he is NOT listed there in the Monterey diocesan pages. He is listed at Our Lady of Refuge as "Alberto Battagliola".
1974 1977 Boy Scouts Castroville   Spiritual Advisor Battagliola was murdered in Feb. 1977 in a San Francisco motel room.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1964-1978)

Diocese Named in Abuse Suit, By Alex Friedrich, Monterey County Herald, March 15, 2003
Abuse in '70s at Mission Alleged, Slo Man Claims Priest, Now Dead, Molested Him, San Luis Obispo Tribune, March 16, 2003
Man Says Abuse 'Tore Me Down', By Alex Friedrich, Monterey County Herald, March 24, 2003
Litigant Wants Info on Priest, By Patrick S. Pemberton, San Luis Obispo Tribune, March 29, 2003
Clergy Abuse Details Emerge, By Alex Friedrich, San Luis Obispo Tribune, April 16, 2003
Diocese of Monterey, Calif., Facing Millions in Sex-Abuse Lawsuits, By Laurie Phillips, Tribune [San Luis Obispo, California], January 27, 2004
Diocese Discusses Abuse Cases, By Dan Laidman, Monterey County Herald, January 28, 2004
Bishop Ryan's February Pastoral Letter, By Bishop of Monterey, February 4, 2004



Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Battagliola's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on July 21, 2011.