Ordination: 1951

Notes: Bp. Joseph Ferrario’s sexual escapades with both children and young men were widely known throughout his career and either ignored or allowed to
flourish by his superiors. Bp. Ferrario began his career in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. By the 1960s, Bp. Ferrario had already abused multiple seminarians at St. Stephen’s in Kaneohe. During Bp. Ferrario’s subsequent assignments, he abused multiple boys and reports of abuse were made to the Diocese of Honolulu, but these reports were ignored by diocesan officials. In 1982, Bp. Ferrario was elevated to Bishop of Honolulu, despite multiple reports of inappropriate behavior with children and young men. It is believed that in 1986, the Papal Nuncio ordered an investigation of Bp. Ferrario’s fitness. The results of the investigation have not been made public. In 1991, attorney Jeff Anderson filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of a survivor abused by Bp. Ferrario, but the lawsuit was dismissed due to the statute of limitations. He has been named in several other civil lawsuits related to child sexual abuse.

Assignments:

1952-1955 St. Joseph’s College, Mountain View, CA (SFR)

1956 St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Theological Dept., Baltimore, MD

1957 St. Joseph’s College, Mountain View, CA (SFR)

1958-1966 St. Stephen’s Minor Seminary, Kaneohe, Ohau, HI

1967 Our Lady of the Mount, Kalihi, HI

1968-1970 Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, Honolulu, HI

1971-1973 St. Stephen’s Seminary, Kaneohe, HI

1974-1975 Holy Trinity, Honolulu, HI

1976-1977 St. Anthony, Kailua, HI

1978-2003 Bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu, HI

1982-1984 St. Stephen’s Seminary, Kaneohe, HI

1985-1989 The Augustine Educational Foundation, Honolulu, HI

1993-2003 Retired; remained Bishop Emeritus of Honolulu until 2003

2003 Died