Fr. Robert M. Van Handel
Founding director of Santa Barbara Boys’ Choir and principal of St. Anthony’s Seminary High School. Admitted to his pedophilic behavior to his Provincial in 1992; sent to treatment. May have sexually abused 150 boys, ages 8-12. Criminally charged 1994 with abuse of students. Convicted. Sentenced 8/1994 to eight years in prison for abuse of one. Released in 2002. Named in several civil suits. Reportedly abused six boys 1970-1982. Four claims settled in 2006. Personnel file released in 5/2012; may have been laicized 7/23/1997. On sex offender registry in 1/2012. Included on the Santa Barbara Province Franciscans’ list 5/31/2019, which notes a report in 1992 of abuse of minors 1977-1984. On the Oakland diocese’s list in 2019. Accused along with Msgr. Vincent McCabe in a 6/2022 lawsuit of abuse of a fifth-grade boy in 1989. Per the plaintiff’s attorney, Van Handel told his superiors in the 1970s that he was attracted to young boys. Van Handel moved in 2013 to the Portland, OR area. In 2019 he was a resident of a senior living facility and had advanced Parkinson’s disease. He died 6/2/2020.
- BA.org Assignment Record
- L.A. Times Database 04.20.06
- Santa Barbara Province Franciscans List 05.31.19
- Link to additional articles prior to 12.31.11
- Fox News 05.22.12
- CBS Los Angeles 05.23.12
- San Antonio Express News 05.23.12
- Personnel file posted on BishopAccountability 05.23.12
- LA Times 05.23.12
- Christian Post 05.24.12
- The Patch 06.01.12
- San Antonio Express News 06.01.12
- Daily Mail (UK) 06.02.12
- KVOR 06.02.12
- LA Times 01.15.13
- Get Religion 01.16.13
- Santa Barbara Province Franciscans List 05.31.19
- Diocese of Oakland List 06.01.19
- USA Today 11.11.19
- SNAP 11.13.19
- Tributearchive.com Obituary 06.02.20
- Santa Barbara Independent 06.20.22
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