Father James McSorley
Diocese of Sacramento/Oblates
Ordained: 1946
Died: 2005
Assignment History:
- 1955-1961: Oblate Mission (Lagao, Cotabato)
- 1961-1963: Oblate Mission House and Procure (Oakland, CA)
- 1963-1967: Ferdinand’s (San Fernando, CA)
- 1964-1965: St. Alice (Springfield, OR)
- 1967-1969: Oblate Mission House and Procure (Oakland, CA)
- 1971-1972: Sacred Heart (Boise, ID)
- 1972-1975: Our Lady of the Lake (McCall, ID)
- 1977-1978: Bishop O’Dowd High School (Oakland, CA)
- 1978-1979: St. Joseph’s (Pinole, CA)
- 1979-1981: Holy Cross (Santa Cruz, CA)
- 1981-1982: St. Mary’s (Aberdeen, WA)
- 1982-1983: Little Flower (Billings, MT)
- 1983-1985: Nativity (Hollywood, FL)
- 1984-1986: St. Thomas Center (Bothell, WA)
- 1985-2005: Oblate Mission House and Procure (Oakland, CA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father James McSorley:
A Philippines missionary for 15 years, Fr. James P. McSorley moved back to the US in the early 1960s. He started at the Diocese of Oakland and moved to the Diocese of Monterey, CA, then Boise City, ID, Great Falls-Billings, MT, and Archdioceses of Los Angeles CA, Portland OR, Seattle WA, Miami FL, and as an Army chaplain in Germany.
According to media reports, in a 2002 lawsuit, McSorley was accused of molesting a boy in 1964 at St. Alice’s in Springfield, OR. He was also accused of abuse in the 1960s while in Germany. The Archdiocese of Portland paid $100K to settle a claim in 2003. According to media reports, in 2018, a man told reporters that McSorley molested him and other boys at Sacred Heart in Boise, ID from 1971-1972. He said he reported it to the Diocese of Boise in 1993 and again in 2000, but they never contacted the police.
In 2003, McSorley was moved to the Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland until his death. His name was included on the Archdiocese of Seattle list of credibly accused in 2016 and on the Diocese of Oakland, Diocese of Boise, and Diocese of Sacramento list in 2019.
McSorley died in 2005.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Sacramento 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 Sacramento now have legal options due to a temporary change in the 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 at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.