Assignment Record – Rev. Martin McKeon, o.f.m.

Summary of Case: McKeon was ordained a Franciscan priest of the Santa Barbara, CA Province in 1952. The first 11 years of his ministry were spent at the Franciscan minor seminary in Santa Barbara, where he taught and was for a time Prefect of Discipline. He went on to serve as Promoter of Vocations for the province and, for almost 20 years, pastor of Mission San Luis Rey. He also served as an auxiliary Navy chaplain. McKeon was accused in lawsuits in the 2000s of having sexually abused at least three boys during his time at the minor seminary. He died in 1986.

Ordained: June 8, 1952
Died: Feb. 26, 1986

1945

San Diego bishop was Charles Francis Buddy (1936-1966)

1949

Los Angeles archbishop was James Francis Aloysius McIntyre (1948-1970)

1953

Santa Barbara

• McKeon was accused of the sexual abuse of at least three students of this minor seminary.

1964

Oakland bishop was Floyd Lawrence Begin (1962-1977)

1968

San Diego bishop was Leo Thomas Maher (1969-1990)

McKeon alluded in a 1981 letter to a stay he had had at Guest House.

McKeon died Feb. 26, 1986.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1953-1987)

• Hundreds Pay Respects to Memory of McKeon, By Ernesto Portillo, San Diego Union-Tribune, March 5, 1986
• LA Archdiocesan Report, Feb. 17, 2004, page 5
• John Roe 4 vs. Does, Cause No. 1156450, Superior Court of California;
• Abuse Was Common in Religious Orders, By Jeremy Herb and Rob Dennis, San Jose Mercury News, April 1, 2008
• Accused Clerics, Contra Costa Times, April 1, 2008
• Ernesto C. v. Franciscans, Cause No. 1337577, Santa Barbara Co. Superior Court Oct. 5, 2009
• Clover v. Franciscans, Cause No. 1338070, Santa Barbara Co. Superior Court Nov. 3, 2009
• McKeon's Personnel file, posted on BishopAccountability.org, May 23, 2012
• Franciscan Clergy Sex-Abuse Case Records Released, Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2012
• Franciscan Order's Files Tell Systemic Abuse Story, By Gillian Flaccus, San Antonio Express-News, May 23, 2012
• Roman Catholic Church Abuse Files Released in Unprecedented Move, CBS Los Angeles, May 23, 2012

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 McKeon'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 April 14, 2013