Ordination: 1985

Notes: In 1992, Fr. Ponciano Ramos was accused of sexually abusing three boys at St. Rita Catholic School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He eventually pled guilty to criminal charges of child sexual abuse and was sentenced to an 18-month suspended sentence and 15 months of probation. According to papers filed in Marion County Superior Court, the incident began when the three boys set off two stink bombs, after which all three were forced to submit to a strip search by Fr. Ramos. Following the conviction, Fr. Ramos was briefly moved to Chicago before being moved to the Diocese of San Bernardino. He was removed from ministry in 2002. Less than a year later, in 2003, Diocese of San Bernardino Bishop Gerald Barnes and the Diocesan Review Committee unanimously agreed that Fr. Ramos should be brought back to active ministry. Fr. Ramos was included in the Diocese of San Bernardino’s list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors. Fr. Ramos was purportedly allowed to return to restricted duty, working at Divine Word Seminary in Riverside, California. According to the Diocese of San Bernardino, Fr. Ramos was permanently banned from ministry in the Diocese, however, his current whereabouts, status as a priest, and whether he has access to children are unknown.

Assignments:

1986-1992 St. Rita, Indianapolis, IN

1993 Unknown

1994-1996 Society of the Divine Word, Riverside, CA

1997 Unknown

1998 St. Martha’s, Murrieta, CA

1999-2003 St. Mary of the Valley, Yucca Valley, CA

2004-2016 Society of the Divine Word Missionaries (Divine Word Seminary), Riverside, CA

2017-2018 Unknown