Father Stephen M. Kiesle
Diocese of Oakland
Ordained: 1972
Laicized: 1987
Assignment History:
- 1972-1974: St. Joseph’s (Pinole, CA)
- 1975-1978: Our Lady of the Rosary (Union City, CA)
- 1978-1979: St. Columba’s (Oakland, CA)
- 1979-1981: Leave of Absence
- 1981: Left Priesthood
- 1985-1987: St. Joseph’s (Pinole, CA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Stephen M Kiesle:
Notoriously referred to as the “Pied Piper,” the twice-convicted serial pedophile priest, Fr. Stephen M Kiesle, was accused of sexually abusing at least 15 children from approximately 1972 to 1995. According to media reports, in 1978, Kiesle was arrested for sexually abusing two boys ages 11 and 12, and he was put on three years’ probation and ordered to receive counseling. During this time, Kiesle was approved by The Bishop of Oakland to work on special assignments in two neighboring dioceses.
In 1981, Kiesle supposedly left the priesthood and moved to Pinole, CA, where he worked as a youth minister at St. Joseph’s from approximately 1985-1987 when the Diocese of Oakland finally requested that the Vatican have him laicized.
According to media reports, in 2002, Kiesle was arrested and charged with 13 counts of child sexual abuse that took place while he worked at Santa Paula during the 1960s and 1970s. However, all but two of the charges were dropped due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that changed the law surrounding the statutes of limitation. In 2004, he was accused of sexually abusing a 15 year-old-girl and was sentenced to six years in jail. He was released on parole in 2009 and sent back to prison months later on a parole violation. Upon his release, Kiesle became a registered sex offender.
Most recently, in March of 2020, Kiesle was accused of sexually abusing a 5-year-old boy in a closet at St. Joseph’s church in Pinole, CA, in 1985. The Victim is suing Kiesle, the Diocese of Oakland, and retired Bishop John Cummins, claiming that they knew the priest was a danger to children but allowed him to continue working anyway.
Kiesle is currently living in the East Bay.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Oakland in California. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in California, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Oakland now have legal options, 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.