Brother Gerald Chumik
Diocese of Fresno (Franciscan)
Ordained: Unknown
Removed: 1993
Assignment History:
- 1970-1978: St. John’s (Newfoundland, Canada)
- 1978-1982: St. Joseph’s (Los Angeles, CA)
- 1982-1985: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Fresno, CA)
- 1985-1986: St. Anthony’s Retreat (Three Rivers, CA)
- 1986-1997: St. Joseph’s (Los Angeles, CA)
- 1997-2003: St. Anthony’s Retreat (Three Rivers, CA)
- 2003-2004: Old Mission Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)
- 2004-2006: St. Anthony’s Retreat (Three Rivers, CA)
- 2006-2020: Franciscans’ Infirmary (Santa Barbara, CA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Brother Gerald Chumik:
Br. Gerald Chumik, a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Province of St. Barbara, who served in the Diocese of Fresno. According to media reports, he was accused of forcing a 12-year-old boy to perform oral sex on him from 1973-1976 in Canada. The sexual abuse by Br. Chumik lasted for three years. Br. Chumik arrived in California in the late 1970s, just after the abuse.
Br. Chumik’s charges in Canada came to light in the early 1990s after a man reported incidents to the Canadian police in St. John’s, 16 years after the alleged abuse occurred. Br. Chumik was subsequently restricted from ministry in 1990 and removed in 1993 when working in a prison and a mental hospital.
In 2004, it was reported that Br. Chumik was living in a Franciscan retirement home and infirmary in Santa Barbara, CA, and cannot leave the grounds without someone accompanying him. He receives sex-offender therapy sessions in Los Angeles even though officials know he is a fugitive from Canadian justice wanted on a warrant in Canada for two charges of gross indecency against the teenage boy. Extradition proceedings were never initiated because the crime was not covered in the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Canada.
In 2019, Br. Chumik was included in the Franciscan Friars Province of Santa Barbara’s List of Franciscan Friars from the St. Barbara Province with Credibly (sic) Claims of Sexual Abuse of a Minor.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Fresno in California. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California’s Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Fresno now have legal options due to a temporary change in California law, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us toll-free at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.