Fr. Clement J. LePine
Accused in 2005 of abuse of at least two girls as young as age 5, and a boy, in the 1960s and 1970s. The Diocese deemed the allegations credible, and agreed to remove LePine’s name from the parish hall at St. Joseph’s in Ishpeming, where he was assigned 1957-1986. LePine died in 2000. He reportedly would sit on his front porch and lure children with offers of candy, games and toys. One victim said she reported her abuse to Catholic Social Services in 1981 or 1982; in a subsequent meeting she said she felt demeaned and disbelieved by a priest who said he was a priests’ counselor. Included in the MI Attorney General’s 10/2022 report.
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