Rev. Titian (James) Miani-Assignment

Rev. Titian "Jim" Miani, S.D.B.

A priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco and native of Italy, Miani was ordained in 1955 in California. He had previously been a Salesian brother. In 1947 - while still in Italy - Miani was accused of sexually abusing a boy on a church retreat. He later worked at a Salesian-run boys' home in Edmonton, Canada; he was accused there by at least three students of child sexual abuse. Miani entered a Salesian seminary to prepare for the priesthood in 1950, in California. After ordination he served in the Monterey-Fresno diocese, followed by Los Angeles. He was accused in a 2008 lawsuit of sexually abusing at least 12 students there, during his time at St. John Bosco High School. Those accusers included four siblings - three girls and a boy. In 1967 he transferred to San Francisco and, later, Stockton. Miani worked in the Oakland diocese, as well. In 1993 a woman reported to the San Francisco archdiocese that Miani molested her over several years beginning in about 1970, when she was in sixth grade. He was arrested in 2003 and charged with abusing two girls in Los Angeles; an archdiocesan report shows there were four accusers alleging abuse from 1957-1967. The charges were dropped in 2003 due to a California Supreme Court ruling regarding statutes of limitations.

Ordained: 1955

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State/Country	Position	Notes
1947			Perdonone • Miani was accused of assaulting a boy during a church retreat in Perdonone, Italy, in 1947.	Italy		The abuse is said to have been reported to church authorities, who then sent Miani to Brazil.
			Rio de Janero	Brazil		Miani was sent to Brazil for a few months to do missionary work with children.
1948	1950	St. Mary's Home for Boys	Edmonton • Accused by at least three students of sexual molestation.	Alberta, Canada		This was a Saleisan-run boarding school for Native American boys.
1950	1955	Seminary		CA		A 1950 letter from the President of the Salesian Society in the U.S. to the American Consul in Genoa, Italy refers to Miani as "Rev. Brother Miani, S.D.B.", assuring the Consul that Miani was coming to the U.S. for "no other reason" than to continue his studies toward ordination to the Salesian priesthood.
1955 Monterey-Fresno bishop was Aloysius Joseph Willinger, C.SS.R. (1953-1967)	1957	St. Francis School	Watsonville	CA		St. Francis was a high school run by the Salesians of St. John Bosco, with 68-65 students, all male.
1957	1958		Edmonton	Alberta, Canada		Miani is not indexed or listed in the diocesan pages of the 1958 Directory.
1958 Los Angeles archbishop was James Francis Louis McIntyre (1948-1970)	1959	St. John Bosco High School	Bellflower	CA	7/7 Revs.Geo. M. Salbeck, s.d.b., Dirl; Lucian Lomello, s.d.b., Albert Adreatta, s.d.b., Fred Consol, s.d.b., Louis Conconi, s.d.b., Victor Androni, s.d.b., Tizio Miani, s.d.b., Manuel Barbariol, s.d.b, Benjamin Figueroa, s.d.b.	Miani is indexed and listed in the Los Angeles diocesan pages of the Directory as "Tizio" Miani. St. John Bosco High School hd 302 students, all male.
1959	1963	Bishop Mora Salesian High School	Los Angeles	CA	8/9, 3/11, 3/13, 3/12 Principal was Rev. John J. Malloy, s.d.b. Vice Principal 1959-1960 was Rev. Michael Ribotta, s.d.b., replaced1960-1963 by Rev. Ralph Murphy, s.d.b. Treasure 1959-1960 was Rev. James Collins, s.d.b., replaced 1960-1963 by Miani. Other priests working with Miani at Bishop Mora during these years were Revs. Charles J. Farina, s.d.b., Frank Branjos, s.d.b., Alfred Consol, s.d.b., Emmanuel Barbariol, s.d.b., Benjamin Figueroa, s.d.b., Marco Flac, s.d.b., John Tkalec, s.d.b., John Brown, s.d.b., Illio Torricelli, s.d.b., Anthony Krajci, s.d.b., George Pratte, s.d.b., Albert Andreatta, s.d.b., Larry Lorenzoni, s.d.b.	Bishop Mora was a high school with 425-835 students, all male. Lorenzoni was accused of abuse of two high school aged boys.
1963	1966	St. John Bosco High School	Bellflower • According to a 2008 lawsuit, Miani molested more than a dozen children during his two stints at St. John Bosco, including four siblings- a boy and three girls- whom Miani befriended after the death of their father.	CA	3/8, 3/9, 3/10 Director and Pincipal was Rev. John J. Malloy, s.d.b. 1963-1965, replaced by Rev. Joseph J. Mediati, s.d.b. 1965-1966. Vice Principal was Rev. S.H. Giacomini, s.d.b. Other priests working at St. John Bosco during these years were Revs. Louis Gallo, s.d.b., John Jakub, s.d.b., George Pratte, s.d.b., Alphonse Straub, s.d.b., Daniel Travares, s.d.b., Mirko Flac, s.d.b.	St. John Bosco High School had 430-600 students, all male.
1966	1967					Miani is indexed as at St. John Bosco but not listed there in the Los Angeles diocesan pages of the 1967 Directory.
1967 Oakland bishop was Floyd Lawrence Begin (1962-1977)	1968	Salesian High School	Richmond	CA	7/10 Revs. John Maxwell, s.d.b., Director and Principal; John O'Brien, s.d.b., Vice Principal, Charles Farina, s.d.b., James Chiosso,s.d.b., Innocente Clementi, s.d.b., Albert Mengon, s.d.b., James Miani, s.d.b., Frank Varanjos, s.d.b. Peter Ago, s.d.b., Arthur Brainard, s.d.b.	Miani is indexed twice in the 1968 Director-as Titian at St. John Bosco HS in Los Angeles, and as James in Richmond, CA. He is listed in the diocesan pages at Salesian High School in Richmond, as James. Mengon was accused of abusing at a Salesian youth camp. Salesian High School had 350 students, all male.
1968	1969					The 1969 Directory indexes Miani twice-as Titian at St. John Bosco in Los Angeles, and as James in Richmond CA. He is not listed in the diocesan pages is in either Los Angeles or Oakland.
1969 San Francisco archbishop was Joseph Thomas McGucken (1962-1977)	1972	SS. Peter and Paul's (Italian)	San Francisco • A woman reported to the L.A. Vicar for Clergy's office in 1993 that she had been molested in around 1970 by Miani, when she was in sixth grade and for several years.	CA		Indexed as Titian Miani, s.d.b., at this parish, but the 1970, 1971, and 1972 Directories do not list him there in the San Francisco diocesan pages. Parish was run by the Salesian order, and had a school with 189-221 boys and 1782-178 girls.
	1970	University of San Francisco	San Francisco	CA	student	Graduated in 1970
1972 Stockton bishop was Merlin Joseph Guilfoyle (1969-1979) followed by Roger Michael Mahony (1980-1985), Donald William Montrose (1985-1999), and Stephen Edward Blaire (1999- )	1981	Holy Cross	Linden	CA	1/1 Administrator	Indexed and listed as Rev.Titian A. Miani beginning in the 1975 Directory. Miani left the Salesian order in 1974 and became incardinated in the Stockton diocese.
1981	1985	St. Patrick's	Angel's Camp	CA	2/2, 1/1, 1/2 Miani worked under Rev. Aloys Conrad Gruber 1982-1983, and is listed as "Parochial Vicar for the Upper Sierras". Rev. John B. Wang, s.d.b., worked under Miani 1983-1985.	Two parishes were missions of St. Patrick's (see below), and Lake Alpine was a station.
1981	1985	St. Patrick's	Murphy's	CA		This was a Mission of St. Patrick's in Angel's Camp.
1981	1985	Our Lady of the Sierra	Arnold	CA		This was a Mission of St. Patrick's in Angel's Camp.
1985	1993	St. Luke's	Stockton	CA	3/4, 3/5, 3/6 Pastor was Rev. Aloys Conrad Gruber, second priest was Joseph Nguyen Vinh. In residence 1985-1990 was Rev. George F. Lacey. Rev. William L. Kraft was a fourth priest 1990-1991, replaced by Rev. John D. Riley 1991-1993. During 1988-1992 Deacon George Reinert worked at St. Luke's, joined 1991-1993 by Deacon Joseph Artesi.	St. Luke's had a school with 331-348 students.
1993	2008	Retired/St. Luke's	Stockton • Arrested and charged in 2003 with having sexually abused two girls in the 1960s in Bellflower CA. Charges dropped do to a CA Supreme Court ruling which reimposed the statute of limitations that had been briefly lifted.	CA	3/4, 4/6, 4/7, 3/6 Pastor was Rev. Aloys Conrad Gruber until 1996, replaced by Rev. Harmon D. Skillin, JCD 1996-2004. Pastor 2004-2007 was Rev. Matthew O'Donnell. Rev. Tuan Nguyen, s.d.b. was second priest 1995-1996, replaced in that position 1996-2000 by Rev. Dean McFalls, when Nguyen was listed third.He moves back to second spot thereafter. Retired Rev. George Lacey returned 1996-2001. Rev. Paul Tran, s.d.b. is fourth priest 1999-2000. Third priest 2000-2003 was Francisco Naranjo. Rev. John Lindsay, o.s.f.s. was third priest listed 2006-2007. Deacon Joseph Artesi continued at St. Luke's 1995-2007, joined by Deacon Haet Tansaeng 2001-2007 and Deacon Glenn Sell 2003-2007.	St. Luke's had a school with 375-200 students. In the mid 1990s, St. Luke's begins to be referred to as "Vietnamese." The Stockton diocesan pages of the 1994 and 1995 Directories index Miani with an address at Casa Manana. The 1996-2007 Directories list him in the Stockton diocesan pages at St. Luke's, and with the Casa Manana address. The 2004-2007 Directories also index Miani at Diamond Springs, CA. Per diocesan officials, Miani was removed from active ministry in 2002. He had been a supply priest during his retirement prior to his removal. Miani was listed in 2010 on the Stockton diocese's website as retired. He is not listed there in Aug. 2013.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1956-2007).

• 3 Priests Ordered to Stand Trial, By Sandra Marquez , Associated Press, carried in Contra Costa Times [Los Angeles CA] , Downloaded June 20, 2003
• Two More Socal Clergy Sex Abuse Cases Dropped, Associated Press, July 15, 2003
• Los Angeles Archdiocese Accused, Archdiocesan Report, p. 5, Feb. 17, 2004
• Cardinal Untruths, Mahony's Testimony in Sex Scandal Clashes with Earlier Statements and Reality, By Jeffrey Anderson, LA Weekly, December 15, 2004
• L.A. Archdiocesan Report Addendum, Oct. 12, 2005
• Siblings File Abuse Lawsuit against Catholic Order, By John Spano, Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2008
• Salesian Order of Priests are the Last Standing in Los Angeles, By Cheryl Buchanan, Injury Board.com, January 28, 2008
Credible Allegations of Abuse
• Priest Defrocked, Salesians Sued in Unrelated Sexual Molestation Cases, California Catholic Daily, February 1, 2008
• Lawsuit: Church Protected Abusive Salesian Priest, By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press, June 30, 2010
• Roman Catholic Church "Enabled" Child Abuse at Californian High School, Herald Sun, June 30, 2010
• Bellflower man sues Vatican, Catholic order over alleged abuse, By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press,
June 30, 2010
• Lawsuit Filed, Now Priests' Addresses Requested, By Sue Nowicki, Modesto Bee, July 2, 2010
• Titian Jim Miani Timeline, andersonadvocates.com

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Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy & Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Miani's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated Aug. 20, 2013