Catholic Diocese of Lansing: 17 priests credibly accused of sexually abusing minors

As U.S.-based Roman Catholic bishops are meeting outside Chicago on the church sexual abuse scandal, many are dismayed that it has taken so long for the church leadership to meet and act after so many years.

According to the diocese's statement, it has received 155 allegations of priests sexually abusing minors since 1937. Nearly all of those allegations are from the 1960s to the mid-1990s, with one allegation of abuse after 2000that ended up being a false report, according to the statement.

That includes 73 allegations against the 17 priests credibly accused of abusing a total of 66 boys, four girls and three children whose gender was not reported:

• Rev. Joseph Aubin: Removed from public ministry in 2018. Last served as pastor at St. Mary in Durand.
• Timothy Crowley: Defrocked in 2015. Charged by the Attorney General in May. Last assignment in Michigan was as Pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor.
• Rev. Vincent DeLorenzo: Removed from ministry in 2002. Charged by the Attorney General in May. Diocese request to defrock is pending. Last served as pastor at Holy Redeemer in Burton.
• Paul Guoan: Defrocked in 2015. Last served as sacramental minister at St. Joseph Home in Jackson.
• Terrence Healy: Defrocked in 1992. Last served as pastor at St. John the Baptist in Howell.
• Michael Kelly: Defrocked in 1992. Last served as parochial vicar at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing.
• Rev. James Novak: Removed from ministry in 2002. Diocese request to defrock is pending. Last served as pastor at St. Mary in Westphalia.
• Rev. James Lee: Died in 1992. Last served as parochial administrator at St. Peter in Blissfield.
• Rev. Marian Lesniak: Died in 2011. Last served as pastor at St. Joseph the Worker in Jackson.
• Rev. John Martin: Died in 1968. Last served as pastor at St. Isidore in Laingsburg.
• Rev. John Slowey: Died in 1983. Last served as pastor at St. Mary in Niles.
• Rev. Chester Tomaszewski: Died in 1987. Last served as pastor at St. Joseph in Ypsilanti.
• Rev. Darius Wyszynski: Died in 2013. Last served as pastor in St. Stanislaus Kostka in Jackson.
• Jason Sigler: Defrocked in 1999. Priest for the Archdiocese of Winnipeg who served the Diocese of Lansing from 1968 to 1970 and in 1974 at parishes in Jackson and Flushing.
• Rev. Alphonse Boardway: Religious order priest once assigned to Holy Cross in Lansing. Died in 1997.
• Rev. Joseph McHugh: Religious order priest who was in residence at St. Gerard in Lansing from 1974 to 1976. Died in 2007.
• James Rapp: Defrocked former religious order priest who served at Lumen Christi High School in Jackson from 1981 to 1986.

The total number of allegations also includes cases where there was insufficient evidence, often because the accused priest was already deceased. In total, 69 clergy were accused of sexually abusing minors. That's a fraction of the 1,654 priests — 471 incardinated in the diocese, 518 religious order priests and 665 from other dioceses who resided in the area at one point — who have served within the diocese since 1937.

The Diocesan Review Board also is currently considering several allegations received over the last year, according to the release.

Will Bloomfield, the diocese's general counsel, said all of those allegations were forwarded to the Attorney General and local prosecutors and law enforcement when appropriate. 

AG still investigating

The diocese released the list in the middle of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's investigation into sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.

That state investigation halted plans for an external review of the Lansing diocese announced in September 2018 after the AG's office served a search warrant for the Lansing diocese's offices in October 2018 and took possession of all its clergy files.

The AG's office praised the diocese's move to release the list, calling it "an important step."

"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,” AG spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney said in a Friday morning email.

Boyea has emphasized throughout the investigation that the diocese "welcomes a review of our handling of abuse cases by Michigan's Attorney General."

He's said in previous news releases that the diocese is confident in its process, which includes reaching out the law enforcement and prosecutors.

Bloomfield said diocesan leaders still intend to solicit an external review once the diocese gets those files back.

He added Friday that because of clerics' spiritual calling, they "should be prodded more" and accept being held to a higher standard.

"We want to be the best that we can be," Boyea told reporters during a press conference.  

'Culture of transparency'

Boyea added the diocese also wants to support any victims of clerical abuse.

Eileen Craig, a survivor of sexual abuse who now counsels fellow victims through Grief to Grace, said the diocese's actions Friday represent a move in the right direction.

"We are open to the victims," Craig said. "We love them. We want them to move forward."

Bloomfield said though some of the credible allegations have resulted in settlements, a lump sum payment isn't the diocese's preferred way to help victims.

Craig said the diocese is moving away from a "culture of not really responding to the victims" to a "culture of transparency."

"It's our preference to try to assist them on an ongoing basis," he said Friday after a press conference.

Craig emphasized those who participate in retreats the diocese holds for survivors come away with a support system.

How to report abuse

The diocese is not aware of any priest actively ministering at any diocesan parish who has abused a child, according to the release.

It encourages people to report abuse, no matter when it happened, to the AG's investigation hotline at 844-324-3374.

There's also support available if people contact the diocese's victim assistance coordinator at 888-308-6252 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The diocese has a zero-tolerance policy. It removes any member of church ministry credibly accused of having sexually abused a minor or vulnerable adult.

Where did the priests serve?

The 17 priests served at dozens of parishes over more than six decades.

Aubin was ordained in 1961 and retired in 2002 before being removed from public ministry in 2018. He served at:

St. Paul in Owosso
St. Leo in Flint
St. Philip in Battle Creek
Michigan Boys Training School
St. Isidore in Laingsburg
St. John the Evangelist in Davison
St. Mary in Durand

Crowley was incardinated into the diocese in 1982 and left the diocese for Alaska before being defrocked in 2015. He served at:

St. Patrick in Brighton
Holy Rosary in Flint
St. Mary Star of the Sea in Jackson
St. Anthony of Padua in Hillsdale
St. Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor

DeLorenzo was ordained in 1965 and removed from ministry in 2002. He served at:

St. Thomas Aquinas in East Lansing
St. Joseph in Kalamazoo
St. Augustine in Kalamazoo
St. Casimir in Lansing
St. Pius X in Flint
St. Robert Bellarmine in Flushing
Holy Redeemer in Burton

Guoan was ordained in 1987 and removed from ministry in 2002 before being defrocked in 2015. He served at:

St. Pius X in Flint
St. Robert Bellarmine in Flushing
St. Gerard in Lansing
SS Charles and Helena in Clio
Queen of the Miraculous Medal while a hospital chaplain in the Jackson area
St. Mary Star of the Sea while a prison chaplain in the Jackson area
St. Joseph Home in Jackson

Healy was incardinated in 1985 and removed from ministry before being defrocked in 1992. He served at:

Holy Family in Grand Blanc
St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor
St. Joseph in St. Johns
Holy Family in Ovid
St. John the Baptist in Howell

Kelly was ordained in 1976 and left active ministry in 1983 before being defrocked in 1992. He served at:

St. Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor
St. Michael in Flint
Holy Family in Grand Blanc
St. Therese in Lansing
St. Casimir in Lansing
St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing

Novak was ordained in 1957 and removed from ministry in 2002. He served at:

St. John the Evangelist in Jackson
St. Luke in Flint
St. John in Benton Harbor
St. Ann in Cassopolis
Lansing Catholic Central High School
St. Agnes in Fowlerville
St. Joseph in Owosso
St. Therese in Lansing
St. Mary in Westphalia

Lee was ordained in 1948 and received senior priest status in 1984 before he died in 1992. He served at:

St. John in Benton Harbor
Resurrection in Lansing
St. John the Evangelist in Jackson
St. James in Mason
Our Lady of the Pines in Nevis, Minnesota
St. Alice in Plainview, Texas
St. Dominic in Clinton
Holy Family in Grand Blanc
St. Joseph in Ypsilanti
St. Peter in Blissfield

Lesniak was ordained in 1950 and received senior priest status in 2002. He died in 2011. He served at:

All Saints in Flint
St. Stanislaus Kostka in Jackson
St. Joseph the Worker in Jackson

Martin was ordained in 1918 and received senior priest status in 1966. He died in 1968. He served at:

St. Vincent in Detroit
Sacred Heart in Yale
St. Philip in Battle Creek
St. Mary in Morrice
St. Isidore in Langsburg

Slowey was ordained in 1940 and died in 1983. He served at:

Holy Maternity in Dowagiac
St. Michael in Flint
Percy Jones Army Hospital in Battle Creek
St. Charles in Coldwater
St. Casimir in Lansing
St. Vincent Home for Children as director
St. Mary in Niles

Tomaszewski was ordained in 1959 and died in 1987. He served at:

Holy Redeember in Burton
St. Joseph in Watervliet
St. Mary in Paw Paw
St. John the Evangelist in Davison
Our Lady of Fatima Michigan Center
St. Mary in Bronson
St. Ann in Cassopolis
St. Stanislaus in Detroit
St. Paul in Owosso
St. Stanislaus in Bay City
SS Charles and Helena in Clio
St. Anthony of Padua in Hillsdale
St. Dominic in Clinton
St. Joseph in Ypsilanti

Wyszynski was incardinated in 1970 and received senior preist status in 2007. He died in 2013. He served at:

St. Stanislaus in Wyandotte
St. Mary in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Immaculate Conception in Three Rivers
St. John the Evangelist in Jackson
St. Philip in Battle Creek
St. Michael in Flint
St. Leo in Flint
St. Joseph in Ypsilanti
St. Stanislaus Kostka in Jackson

Sigler, a former priest for the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, served the Diocese of Lansing from 1968 to 1970 and in 1974 at St. John the Evangelist in Jackson and St. Robert in Flushing. He was defrocked in 1999.