Tod D. Brown
Ordained: 1963
In 1997, the Fresno Diocese received a letter from a man claiming to have been abused by Bishop Tod David Brown in 1965 when the man was 12 years old. Brown was a young priest at the time, serving at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Bakersfield, California. Brown initially denied the claim and the Diocese demanded that the accuser submit to a psychological interview before it would conduct an investigation or interview Brown. The Diocese never interviewed the alleged victim but nevertheless concluded that the accusation was without merit.
In 2004, Bishop Brown released the names of individuals accused of sexual abuse in his diocese but neglected to include his own name. In 2007, Brown stated that he had omitted the allegation against him “because it was very embarrassing and very painful.” Brown also faced scrutiny based on his handling of abuse allegations made against priests while he served as Bishop of the both the Boise and Orange Dioceses. Brown retired in 2012.
Father Brown's Assignments
| Placement | City/State | Date(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Our Lady of Perpetual Help | Bakersfield, CA | 1963..1967 |
| Assigned to duty outside diocese as "student" | 1967..1968 | |
| St. Jude's | Marina, CA | 1969..1972 |
| Monterey Diocesan Headquarters | Monterey, CA | 1972..1974 |
| St. Jude's | Marina, CA | 1974..1977 |
| St. Francis Xavier | Seaside, CA | 1977..1988 |
| Diocese of Boise | Boise, ID | 1989..1998 |
| Diocese of Orange | Garden Grove, CA | 1998..2012 |
Articles about Father Brown
- Orange County Weekly - Nailed? Bishop Tod Brown and His Undisclosed Molestation Accusation (24/04/2007)
- San Jose Mercury News - SoCal Roman Catholic Bishop Says He Was Falsely Accused of Abuse (13/09/2007)
- Los Angeles Times - Deposition Reveals Abuse Allegations Against O.C. Bishop Brown (14/09/2007)
- Los Angeles Times - O.C. Bishop Accuser Identifies Himself (15/09/2007)
- Los Angeles Times - SoCal's Other Wayward Bishop: Tod D. Brown, the Catholic Bishop for Orange County, Makes Cardinal Mahony Look Like a Saint (01/10/2007)
- Orange County Weekly - Tod Brown's Own Private Idaho (15/07/2010)
