Rev. Joseph Pacheco- Assignment Record

Rev. Joseph Pacheco

Summary of Case: Pacheco was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having sexually abused an altar boy between 1965-1968, while assigned to Merced and Tulare parishes. In 2006 Fresno bishop Steinbock acknowledged the abuse occurred, apologized to the victim, and said the diocese had learned since 2003 that Pacheco had sexually abused other boys.

Ordained: 1957
Died: May 17, 1992

Start	Stop	Parish/Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1957 Monterey-Fresno bishop was Aloysius Joseph Willinger, C.SS.R (1953-1967)	1961	U.S. N.O.T.S. (Naval Ordnance Test Station)	China Lake	CA	Chaplain
1961	1967	St. Aloysius	Tulare	CA		Pacheco was the priest listed as serving St. Aloysius' mission parish, St. Rita's. He is not listed in the Monterey-Fresno diocesan pages of the Directories at St. Aloysius. St. Aloysius had a school with 169-137 boys and 181-187 girls.
1961	1967	St. Rita's	Tulare • Pacheco was accused in a 2003 lawsuit of having sexually abused an altar boy between 1965-1968, while at this parish and Sacred Heart in Merced.	CA	1/1 Pacheco was also vice chair of the Tulare Interracial Advisory Council, while at St. Rita's. The Council was a youth organization. Additionally, he was a leader of the Columbian Squires, which was a group for boys ages 14-18.	St. Rita's was a mission of St. Aloysius in Tulare.
1967 Fresno split off to become its own diocese in 1967. Its bishop was Timothy Manning (1967-1969), followed by Hugh Aloysius Donohoe (1969-1980)	1971	Sacred Heart	Merced • The accuser in the 2003 lawsuit claimed he would spend nights in Pacheco's rectory rooms in Tulare and Merced, and that he would spend weekends with Pacheco at a mountain camp.	CA	1/1, 1/2	In 2006 Fresno's Bishop Steinbock apologized to the Pacheco's victim, and said that the diocese learned after 2003 that Pacheco had sexually abused other boys.
1967	1973	St. George's	El Nido	CA		This was a mission of Sacred Heart in Merced, later of the Catholic Church of Merced, which combined Sacred Heart with two other parishes.
1971	1973	Catholic Church of Merced	Merced	CA	3/5, 3/4	This was a combination of Our Lady of Mercy, Sacred Heart, and St. Patrick). Parish had a school with 122-116 boys and 163-158 girls.
1971	1973	St. John the Baptist	Hopeton	CA		This was a mission of the Catholic Church of Merced.
1973 Columbus bishop was Edward John Herrmann (1973-1982)	1977	On Duty Outside the Diocese/Pontifical College Josephinum	Worthington	OH
1977 Donohoe was succeeded as Fresno bishop by Jose de Jesus Madera Uribe, M.Sp.S. (1980-1991)	1981	Catholic Church of Merced	Merced	CA	4/4, 1/4, 1/3 Administrator 1978-1981	Parish had a school with 317-453 students.
1977	1981	St. John the Baptist	Hopeton	CA		This was a mission of Catholic Church of Merced.
1977	1981	St. George	El Nido	CA		This was a mission of Catholic Church of Merced.
1981	1986	Holy Ghost	Gustine	CA	1/1 Pacheco was elevated to Monsignor in 1983.	Parish had a school with 150-189 students.
1981	1987	Vicars Forane	Fresno	CA
1982	1992	Diocesan Finance Committee	Fresno	CA
1982	1984	Senate of Priests	Fresno	CA	President
1983	1987	Bishop's Advisory Council	Fresno	CA
1986 John Thomas Steinbock replaced Uribe (1991-2010)	1992	Our Lady of Miracles	Gustine	CA	1/1	Parish had a school with 189-176 students. Pacheco died May 17, 1992

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1958-1993)

• Fresno Diocese Sued in Alleged Abuse in 1960s, By Michael Baker, Fresno Bee (California), December 16, 2003
• More Sex Abuse Suits Filed against Valley Priests, By Marc Benjamin, Fresno Bee (California), December 17, 2003
• 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
• Diocese to Pay $750,000, By Pablo Lopez, Fresno Bee [Fresno CA], December 22, 2006
• News from the San Joaquin Valley, Associated Press, carried in Mercury News, December 22, 2006
• Catholic Diocese to Pay $750K in Sex Abuse Case, CBS 13, December 22, 2006

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 Pacheco'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 Sept. 8, 2011.