Mt. Pleasant Priest Placed on Leave for Behavior Violations

By Rick Mills
Morning Sun
July 6, 2015

http://www.themorningsun.com/general-news/20150706/mt-pleasant-priest-placed-on-leave-for-behavior-violations

A Mt. Pleasant-based Catholic priest has been put on administrative leave for inappropriate behavior related to his ministry, church officials said in a press release.

The Rev. Denis M. Heames, priest at St. Mary’s University Parish, has been placed on administrative leave “due to boundary violations related to his priestly ministry,” said Bishop Joseph R. Cistone of the Saginaw Diocese.

“Last weekend, it was brought to my attention that Father Heames has been involved in boundary violations related to his priestly conduct serious enough to require appropriate assessment and treatment,” Cistone told parishioners at St. Mary University Parish.

Cistone did not go into detail on what boundary violations were committed or who was harmed, but assured parishioners and the public that they did not involve children.

“It is important to assure you that these actions in no way involved minors,” Cistone said. “Nonetheless, peoples’ lives have been affected and Father Heames will need to address these matters in a comprehensive way. Consequently, this past week, I placed Father Heames on an administrative leave of absence.”

Cistone said the diocese cannot yet address Father Heames’ future ministry and that church officials are making arrangements to ensure the Sacramental and administrative needs of the parish are met, the press release said.

“Even as priests, we still deal with weaknesses and sin as any other person,” Bishop Cistone said. “It greatly distresses me to know that any person entrusted to our care has been harmed by a minister of our church.”

Heames was assigned as parochial administrator of St. Mary’s University Parish in 2012 and also appointed as adjutant judicial vicar for the Diocese of Saginaw. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2008 and his first assignment was as associate pastor at Sacred Heart in Mt. Pleasant.

Heames began canon law studies at Gregorian University in Rome in 2009, where he was a student until 2012, and was assigned to St. Mary’s after completing his graduate degree.