John Stephen Cummins

[2] On January 24, 1953, Cummins was ordained a priest by Bishop Hugh Donohoe at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco.

[3] In addition to his duties as chancellor, Cummins coordinated the Social Justice and Ecumenical Commissions, and oversaw the diocesan insurance program.

[2] Cummins continued to serve as chancellor until 1971, when he was named executive director of the California Catholic Conference.

[4] As an auxiliary bishop, Cummins continued to serve as executive director of the California Catholic Conference, a position which he held until 1977.

[4] In February 1982, Cummins wrote to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, forwarding a request from Stephen Kiesle, a priest in the diocese, to be laicized.

[2] He was chairman of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) from 1995 to 1999, and served as a delegate to several synods in Rome.

The plaintiffs were two brothers, Bob and Tom Thatcher, who charged that Robert Ponciroli, a priest at St. Ignatius Parish in Antioch, California, molested them when they were minors in the early 1980s.