Father John Joseph Daly
Diocese of San Bernardino\
Ordained: 1951
Died: 1989
Assigned as follows:
- 1958-1961: St. Theresa’s (Palm Springs, CA)
- 1962-1968: St. Martins (La Mesa, CA)
- 1968-1969: St. John of the Cross (Lemon Grove, CA)
- 1970-1973: St. Augustine’s (Eagle Mountain, CA)
- 1974-1975: St. Joan of Arc (Blythe, CA; Palo Verde Junior College (Blythe, CA)
- 1976-1977: St. Joseph (Holtville, CA)
- 1978-1981: Immaculate Conception (Colton, CA)
- 1982-1985: Sacred Heart (Riverside, CA)
- 1986-1989: Holy Family (Hesperia, CA)
Summary of Abuse Allegations against Father John Joseph Daly:
Fr. John Joseph Daly was born in Ireland and is believed to have worked in Australia until 1958 when he was transferred to San Diego. According to media reports, in 2002, Daly was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy in 1977. The boy and his friend were picked up by Daly while hitchhiking. They accepted his offer of shelter at St. Joseph in Holtville, where the boy is said to have awakened in the night and discovered that Daly was orally copulating him. The boys ran away and reported the incident to the police that same night. Daly was arrested, but charges were not filed because the Diocese of San Diego told the County District Attorney that he would be moved out of the area.
Daly was sent to El Carmelo Retreat house for a month and then transferred to San Bernardino, successfully avoiding prosecution. Police reports showed that he had two prior arrests for sexual molestation in La Mesa, California, and San Antonio, Texas.
In 2002, Daly was named in a civil lawsuit. The case was set for trial in March 2007 but was dismissed in January 2007. His name was not included in the Diocese of San Diego’s list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor released in 2007. In October 2010, as part of a settlement with survivors of child sexual abuse, the Diocese of San Diego released Daly’s personnel file.
He retired in 1987 and died two years later in October 1989.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of San Bernardino. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in San Bernardino, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of San Bernardino now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims. Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.