Rev. Philip E. McCrillis

Summary of Case: Accusations against McCrillis surfaced in a 2004 lawsuit that in the late 1960s he had sexually abused the two junior high aged daughters of a woman with whom he was sexually involved. The two women received a settlement from the San Francisco archdiocese, and the San Jose diocese deemed the allegations "credible". McCrillis retired in 2003, was pulled from public ministry in 2004, and died in 2007.

Ordained: 1961
Retired: 2003
Died: February 1, 2007

   

Start Stop Parish/Assignment Town/Accusations State Position Notes

1961

San Francisco archbishop was John Joseph Mitty (1935-1961), followed by Joseph Thomas McGuchen (1962-1977)

1965 St. Anne's San Francisco CA 4/5, 3/5, 2/5  
1965 1969 St. Albert the Great

Palo Alto

• McCrillis was accused in a 2004 lawsuit of having molested two junior high school aged sisters in the late 1960s. They met at St. Albert's.

CA 2/2

St. Albert's had a school with 147-115 boys and 157-144 girls.

The San Francisco archdiocese settled with the two accusers in 2004. The two women said they sought compensation for decades of therapy. They described lifelong suffering with depression, eating disorders, alcoholism, and troubled relationships as a result of the abuse.

1969 1973 St. Patrick Seminary

Menlo Park

• The women who accused McCrillis of sexually abusing them when they were junior high school students said McCrillis would take them each on overnight trips to his cabin or to his St. Patrick's Seminary apartment.

CA

faculty member

In residence

McCrillis is said to have become sexually involved with the girls' mother when their parents divorced in the late 1960s, and to have continued involvement with her until her death in 1991. McCrillis' family denied abuse claims, but acknowledged McCrillis lived with the girls' mother.
1972 1976 CA State San Jose Newman Club San Jose CA Director  

1973

1975

1974

1977

 St. Nicholas' Los Altos CA

3/3, 3/4

In residence.

St. Nicholas' had a school with 257-252 students.

McCrillis is not listed in the 1975 Directory's San Francisco archdiocesan pages as at S. Nicholas.

1977

McGucken was succeeded by John Raphael Quinn (1977-1995)

1978 Unassigned        
1978 1979 St. Nicholas' Los Altos CA

3/3

In residence.

St. Nicholas' school had 252 students.

1979

The San Jose diocese was established Jan. 27, 1981. Its bishop was Ronald Pierre DuMaine (1981-1999)

1982         McCrillis is not indexed in the 1980, 1981 or 1982 Directories, nor is he listed in the archdiocesan pages of the Directories for these years at his previous assignment.
1982 1983 Absent on Leave        
1983 1988 St. Nicholas' Los Altos CA

3/3

In residence.

St. Nicholas' school had 263-226 students.
1988 1989         McCrillis is not indexed in the 1989 Directory.
1989 1990 St. Thomas of Canterbury San Jose CA 2/3  
1990 1991 Special Assignment        
1991 1996 Holy Spirit

San Jose CA 2/2, 1/1  

1996

Patrick Joseph McGrath replaced DuMaine as San Jose bishop (1999-)

2000 Special Assignment: Vicar for Parish (Chancery) San Jose CA    
2000 2003 Absent on Sick Leave        
2003 2007 Retired      

McCrillis was kept from public ministry after accusations surfaced in 2004 that he had sexually abused two girls in the late 1960s. The accusations were deemed "credible" by the San Jose diocese.

McCrillis died Feb. 1, 2007.

 

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1962-2008)

• San Jose's Father Philip McCrillis, 72, By Kim Vo, San Jose Mercury News (California), February 21, 2007
• Priest's Honors Anger Accusers, Celebrated Cleric Faced Sex Abuse Claims, By Kim Vo , Mercury News, May 13, 2007



Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates McCrillis' career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on November  9, 2011.