Fr. Leonel C. Noia
Ordained: 1972
Assignments:
- 1970-1971: St. Patrick Seminary, Menlo Park, CA (SFR)
- 1971-1972: St. Victor Parish, San Jose, CA (SFR)
- 1972-1982: St. Patrick Parish, San Jose, CA; St. Joseph, Mountain View, CA; St. Julie, San Jose, CA (SFR)
- 1982-1986: St. Anthony Parish, San Jose, CA (SJ)
- 1986-2002: Five Wounds Portuguese National Parish, San Jose, CA (SJ)
- 2002-2005: Sabbatical and retirement
- 2005: Died
Fr. Leonel C. Noia worked at parishes in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and Diocese of San Jose. According to the Diocese of San Jose, Fr. Noia engaged in sexual misconduct with children at St. Patrick Parish during the 1970s. Fr. Noia was criminally convicted of child sexual abuse in 1976 and was sentenced to six months in jail, five years of probation, and was ordered to get psychiatric treatment. Fr. Noia has been accused of child sexual abuse by two people and both victims filed a civil lawsuits related to the alleged abuse. Fr. Noia’s victims claim that he often shared alcohol, marijuana, and pornography them and other boys at St. Patrick Parish in San Jose. Diocese of San Jose church allegedly knew of Fr. Noia’s inappropriate behavior towards a number of other boys. Fr. Noia was permanently banned from ministry in 2002. The Diocese of San Jose included Fr. Noia on its list of clergy with credible allegations of sexual abuse of children.