Rev. Daniel E. Carter

Summary of Case: Carter was accused by a woman in a 2002 lawsuit of having molested her when she was 8 years old, in the late 1970s. Carter was a Marist Brother at the time, later to become a diocesan priest. The San Francisco archdiocese didn't place Carter on leave until more than four months after they learned of the allegation, doing so only after the woman filed suit. Carter was reinstated after eight months, despite the pending lawsuit. The review board had called the allegation "inconclusive", but Levada told Carter the allegation was "unfounded". Carter remains a parish pastor in San Francisco in September 2011.

Ordained
: 1979


   

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes
    Notre Dame des Victoires

San Francisco

Carter was accused in a 2002 lawsuit by a 33 year-old social worker of having fondled her in the late 1970s when she was an eight year- old student at this parish's elementary school.

  teacher

This was a Marist order parish and school with a ministry to French Catholics.

This assignment is per news reports. The abuse is said to have occurred before Carter's ordination, when he was a Marist Brother.

1979

San Francisco archbishop was John Raphael Quinn (1977-1995)

1989 All Hallows San Francisco CA 4/4, 2/2, 2/3

Parish had a shcool with 288-192 students.

Carter was a Marist priest until 1989.

1989 1995 Our Lady of the Pillar Half Moon Bay CA 2/3, 2/2  
1989 1995 St. Anthony's Pescadero CA   This was a mission of Our Lady of the Pillar in Half Moon Bay.
1989 1990 Our Lady of Lourdes Moss Beach CA   This was a mission of Our Lady of the Pillar in Half Moon Bay.
1989 1995 Our Lady of Refuge La Honda CA   This was a mission of Our Lady of the Pillar in Half Moon Bay.
1994 1995 Mission Dolores San Francisco CA   This assignment is per a St. James' church bulletin.

1995

Quinn was succeeded by William Joseph Levada (1995-2005)

2001 St. James San Francisco CA 1/4, 1/2, 1/1 Parish had a school with 239-225 students, and a religious education program with 65-107 students.
1996 2002 Youth Guidance Center San Francisco CA    
Sept. 2001 Aug. 2002 Immaculate Heart of Mary Belmont CA pastor This assignment is per news reports.
Aug. 2002 April 2003 Administrative Leave      

Carter was placed on leave in Aug. 2002 due to an accusation that he had molested a girl in the 1970s. His accuser said she brought her complaint to the archdiocese four months before filing a lawsuit, but the archdiocese did not respond. Carter wasn't removed until just after the lawsuit was filed.

IHM was split with supporters who raised money for his defense and launched a petition drive on his behalf. There were home masses with Carter presiding as part of the campaign to have him reinstated. Other parishioners were appalled at Carter and his supporters' behavior.

Carter is not indexed in the 2003 or 2004 Directories.

April 2003 Aug. 2003

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Belmont CA pastor

Carter was returned to active ministry in April 2003.

Levada's handling of the Carter case was controversial. Carter was reinstated despite a pending lawsuit (although it had been briefly retracted, then refiled). Also, the archdiocesan review board had deemed the case "inconclusive", but Levada told Carter the allegations were deemed "unfounded".

Aug. 2003 2005 St. Kevin's San Francisco CA assistant Parish had a religious education program with 85 students.

2005

George Hugh Niederauer replaced Levada (2005-)

2011 Our Lady of Lourdes San Francisco CA 1/2, 1/1 Parish had a religious education program with 24-68 students.
2005 2011 All Hallows Chapel San Francisco CA   This was a mission of Our Lady of Lourdes.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1978-2010)

Oakland, S.F. Dioceses Sued; Belmont Pastor Put on Leave, By Sandra Gonzales and Lisa Fernandez, San Jose Mercury News
Suits Charge Two Bay Area Priests with Molestation, By Josh Richman, Tri-Valley Herald, August 9, 2002
Woman Says S.F. Priest Molested Her in '70s, By Bill Wallace, San Francisco Chronicle, August 9, 2002
S.F. Archdiocese Quietly Removing Accused Priests, By Jaxon Van Derbeken, San Francisco Chronicle, August 29, 2002
Accused Priest Returns to Pulpit, By Tim Hay, San Mateo County Times (San Mateo, CA), April 8, 2003
Archbishop to Move Belmont Priest Accused of Sex Crime, By Tim Hay, San Mateo County Times (San Mateo, CA), April 10, 2003
See No Evil, By Ron Russell, San Francisco Weekly, May 21, 2003
Abuse Victims Lament Pace of Reform, By Elizabeth Fernandez , San Francisco Chronicle , June 17, 2003
Holy War on the Peninsula, By Ron Russell, SF Weekly (California), July 30, 2003
Archbishop's Thorn, By Ron Russell, SF Weekly (California), August 27, 2003
Deadline Looms for Molestation Lawsuits, By Michelle Durand, San Mateo Daily Journal [California], Downloaded December 30, 2003
St. James' church bulletin.



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 Carter'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 Oct. 3, 2011