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Diocese Releases Accused Priests" Names

WILX 10 NBC
September 27, 2019

https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Diocese-of-Lansing-releases-name-of-priests-accused-of-sexual-abuse-561503801.html

LANSING, MI (WILX) -- 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.

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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