LANSING, Mich. — The Catholic Diocese of Lansing has released the names of priests accused of sexually abusing minors.
Bishop Earl Boyea commented on the list during a press conference on September 27.
"One priest is too many. One victim is too many," he said.
On Friday, Sept. 27, Bishop Earl Boyea published the names of priests who are credibly accused of abusing a minor since the foundation of the Diocese in 1937.
The Diocese says it's cooperating with the investigation, but that's not why it released the names on Friday.
"We view it as consistent with the Attorney General's investigation. When allegations come to the Diocese, we share them with the Attorney General. This release of names may lead to additional individuals coming forward either to us or the Attorney General," said Bloomfield.
“I think it’s courageous of Bishop Boyea and the Diocese of Lansing to publish these names -- but I also think it’s the right thing to do,” said Kathy Damman, a survivor of sexual abuse who now helps organize healing programs for fellow victims at the Diocese of Lansing Retreat Center in DeWitt.
“We’re not going to move past everything until our house is cleaned, until we are no longer hiding anything under a bushel basket, that we bring everything to the light.”
Since 1937, there have been an estimated 1,654 priests who served within the Diocese of Lansing, consisting of 471 diocesan priests, 518 religious priests, and 665 who were ordained for another diocese but who have resided, even temporarily, in the Diocese of Lansing, according to Boyea.
According to the report, 2.8% of those 1,654 priests that have been through the Diocese since 1937 have been subject to a credible allegation of sexual abuse.
The release comes in the middle of an external audit paid for by the Diocese and an investigation by the Attorney General's office.
"While we haven't yet completed that external audit, and it remains our intention to do so, nevertheless, we have documentation and files that we thought we needed to review this internally and share what we have now with the public," said Will Bloomfield, General Counsel for the Diocese.
Attorney General Dana Nessel said, "The Lansing Diocese has taken an important step today by publicly sharing information about priests who have been credibly accused of abusing minors. We welcome this transparency by the Diocese and will continue to work on our own efforts to pursue justice for the victims of clergy abuse.”
Bishop Boyea promised the Diocese would make public the names of those who abused minors shortly after the Michigan Attorney General's Office began investigating all of the states Catholic dioceses last fall.
Although a majority of the priest's worked at multiple parishes, the Diocese says it can't confirm if they were reassigned after the alleged abuse.
Among those names were:
I. Diocese of Lansing clergy permanently removed from ministry:
Aubin, Joseph Emile
Ordained – 1961
Senior Priest Status – 6/26/02
Removal from public ministry - 11/15/2018
Assignments -
St Paul, Owosso – Parochial Vicar
St Leo, Flint – Parochial Vicar
St Philip, Battle Creek – Parochial Vicar
Michigan Boys Training School - Chaplain
St Isidore, Laingsburg – Pastor
St John the Evangelist, Davison – Pastor
St. Mary, Durand – Pastor
Crowley, Timothy
Ordained for the Congregation of the Holy Ghost – 1976
Incardinated to Diocese of Lansing – 1982
Removed from ministry – 7/15/02
Laicized - 6/26/15
Assignments -
St Patrick, Brighton - Parochial Vicar
Holy Rosary, Flint – Parochial Vicar
St Mary Star of the Sea, Jackson - Parochial Vicar
St Anthony of Padua, Hillsdale – Pastor
St Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor – Pastor
Archdiocese of Anchorage
DeLorenzo, Vincent Anthony
Ordained – 1965
Removed from ministry – 1/23/02
Laicization pending
Assignments -
St Thomas Aquinas, East Lansing – Parochial Vicar
St Joseph, Kalamazoo – Parochial Vicar
St Augustine, Kalamazoo – Parochial Vicar
St Casimir, Lansing – Parochial Vicar
St Pius X, Flint – Pastor
St Robert Bellarmine, Flushing – Pastor
Holy Redeemer, Burton – Pastor
Guoan, Paul James
Ordained – 1987
Removed from ministry – 3/11/02
Laicized - 6/26/15
Assignments -
St Pius X, Flint – Parochial Vicar
St Robert Bellarmine, Flushing – Parochial Vicar
St Gerard, Lansing – Parochial Vicar
SS Charles and Helena, Clio - Pastor
Jackson Area Hospital Chaplain, In-Residence, Queen of the Miraculous Medal, Jackson
Jackson Area Prison Chaplain, In-Residence, St Mary Star of the Sea, Jackson
St Joseph Home, Jackson – Sacramental Minister
Healy, Terrence M
Ordained for Diocese of Marquette – 1968
Incardinated to Diocese of Lansing – 1985
Removed from ministry - 9/4/87
Laicized - 6/12/92
Assignments -
Holy Family, Grand Blanc – Parochial Vicar
St Francis of Assisi, Ann Arbor – Parochial Vicar
St Joseph, Saint Johns – Parochial Vicar
Holy Family, Ovid – Parochial Administrator
Holy Family, Ovid – Pastor
St John the Baptist, Howell – Pastor
Kelly, Michael Robert
Ordained – 1976
Left active ministry - 12/1/83
Laicized - 2/9/92
Assignments -
St Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor – Parochial Vicar
St Michael, Flint – Parochial Vicar
Holy Family Grand Blanc – Parochial Vicar
St Therese, Lansing – In-Residence
St Casimir, Lansing – Parochial Vicar
St Mary Cathedral, Lansing – Parochial Vicar
Novak, James Martin
Ordained – 1957
Senior Priest status - 6/25/97
Removed from ministry – 11/25/02
Laicization pending
Assignments -
St John the Evangelist, Jackson – Parochial Vicar
St Luke, Flint – Parochial Vicar
St John, Benton Harbor – Parochial Vicar
St Ann, Cassopolis – Pastor
Office of Catholic Education, Lansing Catholic Central High School
St Agnes, Fowlerville – Parochial Administrator
St Joseph, Owosso – Pastor
St Therese, Lansing – Pastor
St Mary, Westphalia – Pastor
II. Diocese of Lansing deceased clergy:
Lee, James William Jr.
Ordained – 1948
Senior Priest status - 10/15/84
Died - 1/25/92
Assignments -
St John, Benton Harbor – Parochial Vicar
Resurrection, Lansing – Parochial Vicar
St John the Evangelist, Jackson – Parochial Vicar
St James, Mason - Pastor
Our Lady of the Pines, Nevis, Minnesota – In-Residence
St Alice, Plainview, TX – In-Residence
St Dominic, Clinton – Pastor
Holy Family Grand Blanc – Parochial Vicar
St Joseph, Ypsilanti – Pastor
St Peter, Blissfield - Parochial Administrator
Lesniak, Marian John
Ordained – 1950
Senior Priest status - 10/3/02
Died - 10/9/2011
Assignments -
All Saints, Flint – Parochial Vicar
St Stanislaus Kostka, Jackson - Parochial Vicar
St Joseph the Worker, Jackson – Pastor
Martin, John Edward
Ordained – 1918
Senior Priest status - 6/15/66
Died - 11/9/68
Assignments -
St Vincent, Detroit – Parochial Vicar
Sacred Heart, Yale, MI – Pastor
St Philip, Battle Creek – Parochial Vicar
St Mary, Morrice – Pastor
St Isidore, Laingsburg – Pastor
Slowey, John Donald
Ordained – 1940
1/13/83: Died
Assignments -
Holy Maternity, Dowagiac – Parochial Vicar
St Michael, Flint
Percy Jones Army Hospital, Battle Creek – Chaplain
St Charles, Coldwater – Parochial Vicar
St Louis University – student
Catholic University – student
St Casimir, Lansing – Parochial Vicar
St Vincent Home for Children – Director
St Mary, Niles – Pastor
Tomaszewski, Chester Vincent
Ordained – 1959
Sick Leave - 1/15/87
Died - 10/21/87
Assignments -
Holy Redeemer, Flint (Burton) – Parochial Vicar
St Joseph, Watervliet – Parochial Vicar
St Mary, Paw Paw – Parochial Vicar
St John the Evangelist, Davison – Parochial Vicar
Our Lady of Fatima, Michigan Center – Parochial Vicar
St Mary, Bronson - Parochial Vicar
St Ann, Cassopolis – Pastor
St Stanislaus, Detroit – Parochial Vicar
St Paul, Owosso – Parochial Vicar
St Stanislaus, Bay City – Parochial Vicar
SS Charles & Helena, Clio – Parochial Vicar
St Anthony of Padua, Hillsdale – Parochial Vicar
St Dominic, Clinton – Pastor
St Joseph, Ypsilanti – Pastor
Wyszynski, Darius
Ordained for Assumption BVM Franciscan Province, Wisconsin – 1958
Incardinated to Diocese of Lansing - 1970
Senior Priest Status - 11/5/07
Died - 2/17/2013
Assignments -
St Stanislaus, Wyandotte – Parochial Vicar
St Mary, Green Bay, Wisconsin – Parochial Vicar
Immaculate Conception, Three Rivers – Parochial Vicar
St John the Evangelist, Jackson – Parochial Vicar
St Philip, Battle Creek – Parochial Vicar
St Michael, Flint – Parochial Vicar
St Leo, Flint – Parochial Vicar
St Joseph, Ypsilanti – Pastor
St Stanislaus Kostka, Jackson – Pastor
III. Extern clergy – clergy of other dioceses – that had a credible allegation of sexual abuse during their time in the Diocese of Lansing:
Jason Sigler
Ordained for Archdiocese of Winnipeg – 1966
Dates present in Diocese – 1968-1970; 1974
Laicized – 2/23/99
Assignments -
St. John the Evangelist, Jackson
St. Robert, Flushing
IV. Religious Order clergy with a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor during their time in the Diocese of Lansing:
Boardway, Alphonse O.F.M. Conv, Our Lady of Consolation Province
Ordination - 1967
Died - 1997
Assignments -
Holy Cross, Lansing
McHugh, Joseph, CSSp, Irish Province
Ordination - 1958
Dates present in Diocese – 1974-1976
Died – 9/25/07
Assignments -
St Gerard, Lansing – In-Residence
Rapp, James, OSFS Toledo-Detroit Province
Ordination
Dates present in Diocese - 1981 – 1986
Laicization – 9/21/09
Assignments -
Lumen Christi High School, Jackson
The investigation was launched after a Pennsylvania grand jury said more than 1,000 children had been sexually abused by priests there since the 1940s.
The Diocese hired an outside agency to review its handling of sexual abuse allegations of minors.
On Friday, May 24, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced criminal sexual conduct charges against five Michigan priests, two of them with ties to the Lansing Diocese.
Vincent DeLorenzo
DeLorenzo once served parishes in three counties within the Catholic Diocese of Lansing. He's facing several felony counts of criminal sexual conduct. He's accused of fondling and assaulting a young boy for five years while he was a pastor at Holy Redeemer Church near Flint.
DeLorenzo is also accused of abusing a 5-year-old boy after a family funeral in Genesee County in 1987. In May, the Diocese of Lansing requested DeLorezno be defrocked.
Timothy Crowley
Crowley is facing several felony counts of criminal sexual conduct.
Crowley served as a priest in Jackson's St. Mary, Star of the Sea, St. Anthony's in Hillsdale and St. Thomas in Ann Arbor.
The AG's office says Crowley molested a boy at Saint Mary Parish in Jackson and Saint Anthony in Hillsdale. The Lansing Diocese says an allegation made against him in 1993 led to his removal from the ministry. He was defrocked in 2015.
Since the allegations have come to light there have been a total of 155 allegations against priests involving sexual abuse of minors. That includes the 73 allegations against the 17 confirmed priests in the list released by the Diocese.
According to their press release, over 90% of such allegations stem from a three-decade period beginning in the 1960s.
They say that’s according to new data published by the Michigan diocese listing the names of all those priests credibly accused -- all of whom are now dead or no longer in active ministry.
“The primary intended audience of this list are victims of abuse: to encourage presently unknown victims to come forward; to help victims expose their abusers; and to assist victims in finding healing – it is also hoped that this information will assist all to ensure that such abuse never happens again,” said Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, on Sept. 27.
Boyea added, "My first response to that is that I am sorry. All I can do is just apologize. It happened before my time but I feel the pain that they experienced. I can only apologize for them for that."
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