Leonel C. Noia
Ordained: 1973
Leonel C. Noia was convicted of sex crimes in 1976 after two brothers testified that he showed them pornography and touched their genitals on a camping trip. At the time, he was serving at St. Joseph Parish in Mountain View, CA. Because of his conviction, Noia’s priestly faculties were suspended and he was incarcerated until 1978. Upon his release and completion of psychiatric treatment, Noia returned to work in the church as a pastor, and served in assignments at three San Jose parishes throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He was permanently banned from ministry in 2002 based on the new zero-tolerance policy of the Dallas Charter.
