While working at the veterans' hospital in Palo Alto, Scanlan lived at St. Pius parish in nearby Redmond CA. In June 1999, Murphy assured the San Francisco archdiocese that Scanlan was fit to minister at the parish, which had an elementary school. Murphy signed a Request for Faculties form stating that Scanlan "had manifested no behavioral problems in the past that would indicate that he might deal with minors in an inappropriate manner."