12 February 2025, El Paso, Texas, Steven Zimmerman – In January 2019, the Catholic Diocese of El Paso released a list of priests who had credible accusations of sexual abuse filed against them. I wrote for San Eli News and the El Paso Herold-Post when this list was published. The list created quite a stir in El Paso and continues to do so today.
As I wrote in San Eli News, I had spoken to several people with the Housing Authority of El Paso, who indicated that the complex’s name would be changed. One individual remembered that article and reached out to me.
“I remember him, Father Ochoa,” says an El Paso resident. We will call Manny Escobar (he has asked that we not use his real name). “I remember when he would make me come to him, and what he had done to me, and to others.”
Father Aloysius Ochoa, a member of the Society of Jesus, abused Manny.
When the list was published, Bishop Mark Sietz, or the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, said, “My heart goes out to you who have been victimized by clergy who turned out to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. I ache for both the victim-survivors who have courageously come forward and those of you who have never shared your pain. I am hoping those of you who have never reported what happened will now feel assured you can come forward and tell your story without fear.”
“It is good they [the Catholic Diocese of El Paso] made this list, and the Bishop’s words were a drop in an ocean of pain,” says Manny, “but El Paso, with that name on those apartments, and not doing what they said years ago about changing the name, it makes me relive this.”
“My father is hurt,” says Maria, Manny Escobar’s granddaughter. “He will find longer ways to reach the places he needs to visit on Alameda to avoid seeing that name.”
Maria also says that her father avoids the Church where the abuse happened.
“Little Flower was where my family would go to Mass, historically,” says Maria. “Today, for my father, he cannot bring himself to even think of his old parish.”
Maria told us how her younger brother, a Little Flower Catholic Church member, wanted his grandfather to be the godfather of his newborn son.
“The pain in my father’s eyes when he said he couldn’t go into that church, it was bad,” says Maria. “Even worse, my grandfather has not attended Mass since the abuse. He did try to speak with another priest, but he was later accused of sexual abuse as well.”
In the mid to late-1960’s, Father Ochoa was sexually abusing alter boys. At the time, Little Flower was a mission of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish.
“He is dead,” says Manny Escobar of Fr. Ochoa. “His death still has not made the pain go away. Even with another person sued, this pain was still for me.”
In 2007, another individual filed a lawsuit that alleged Fr. Aloysius Ochoa sexually assaulted them when they were an alter boy.
Manny Escobar told us he feels lost, and not attending Mass worries him about his soul.
“I did try to go back to church, even began talking to a priest, Fr. Miguel Luna, at Santo Nino de Atocha,” says Manny. “Then the rumors about Fr. Luna started.”
On 15 July 2019, a jury found Miguel Luna guilty of six counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, three counts of indecency with a child, sexual contact, and three counts of sexual assault of a child. Luna was accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl who was an altar server.
During Luna’s trial, three victims spoke out about his abuse.
“How can I return to the Holy Church,” asks Manny, “when I’ve had this with one priest, and then the one helping me was doing the same thing? I can’t.”
Manny Escobar acknowledges that not all priests are evil and that he shouldn’t judge all priests based on the actions of a few.
“I have two priests in my extended family,” says Manny Escobar, “and they are great priests with a heart for the people. Maybe I lost my faith because of all this, I don’t know.”
We did attempt to contact the Housing Authority of El Paso’s Public Information Officer, but the email bounced back with an error that read, “Your message to [email protected] couldn’t be delivered. pio wasn’t found at hacep.org.”
I called the Housing Authority and was eventually given a number to call. The number was not for the Public Information Officer, as I learned the department does not have one. The lady I did speak to seemed shocked when I told her the reason for the call. I was promised a callback within an hour, but that call never happened.
The audio of my call with the Housing Authority is below: