Status Report on Clerics Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors

Church law for the United States is very clear in regards to clerics who have abused minors:

“When even a single act of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest or deacon is admitted or is established after an appropriate process in accordance with canon law, the offending priest or deacon will be removed permanently from ecclesiastical ministry, not excluding dismissal from the clerical state, if the case so warrants.”

“If the penalty of dismissal from the clerical state has not been applied (e.g., for reasons of advanced age or infirmity), the offender ought to lead a life of prayer and penance. He will not be permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to administer the sacraments. He is to be instructed not to wear clerical garb, or to present himself publicly as a priest.”

“When an accusation has been shown to be unfounded, every step possible will be taken to restore the good name of the person falsely accused.”

In the interest of accountability, the Diocese of Marquette maintains a list of names of men who have substantiated claims against them of sexually abusing a minor while assigned as clergy in our diocese. A substantiated claim is one for which sufficient evidence exists to establish reasonable grounds to believe that the alleged abuse occurred. It is not a presumption of guilt. The following men are listed here on the recommendation of the Independent Review Board for the Diocese of Marquette.

This is the status of the following priests of the Diocese of Marquette.

1. Administrative Leave

• Rev. Aaron Nowicki - Nowicki resigned and was removed from priestly ministry on Jan. 25, 2019 due to allegations of an improper, but not criminal, relationship with a vulnerable adult. A canonical (Church law) process is underway regarding those allegations. The allegations were reported by the Diocese of Marquette to the Michigan Attorney General.
  
  More than two years after Nowicki was removed from ministry, the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department announced on Aug. 16, 2021 that Nowicki had been arrested in an undercover operation concerning child trafficking. At this point the Diocese of Marquette suspended the canonical process against Nowicki while civil authorities pursued their investigation and trial.
  
  On Sept. 28, 2023, according to a press release by the Chippewa County prosecutor, Nowicki was convicted in a jury trial of Child Sexually Abusive Activity. With the conclusion of the civil trial, the canonical process against Nowicki has resumed.
   

2. Permanently Removed from Priestly Ministry

After initially being put on administrative leave, the following have been permanently removed from priestly ministry at the direction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican. They are prohibited from wearing clerical clothing and publicly presenting themselves as priests. Expected to lead a life of prayer and penance, they are still under the authority of the bishop and subject to certain priestly responsibilities including celibacy.

• Rev. Joseph D. Carne - Removed from priestly ministry in April, 2002. Died May 13, 2019.
• Rev. Richard T. Craig - Removed from priestly ministry in September, 1993.
• Rev. James L. Menapace - Removed from priestly ministry in July, 2002. Died Feb. 3, 2022.

3. Permanently Removed from the Clerical State

Permanent removal from the clerical state means that in accord with canon law these priests are no longer incardinated in the Diocese of Marquette and are unable to function as a priest anywhere.

• Terrence M. Healy - Granted leave of absence from Diocese of Marquette in January, 1978. Incardinated in the Diocese of Lansing in 1982. Removed from the clerical state in 1992. Died January 1, 2019.
• Gary A. Jacobs - Removed from priestly ministry in December, 1988. Removed from the clerical state in 2010.

4. Other

The following Franciscan friars are priests who served in the Diocese of Marquette. Their order, the Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province, has determined there are substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor while ministering outside the Diocese of Marquette. No friars were determined to have a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor while serving within the Diocese of Marquette.

• Rev. Juvenal Pfalzer, OFM – Deceased
• Rev. Roman Pfalzer, OFM – Deceased

If you know of an incident of sexual abuse of a minor by anyone in the Church, the Diocese of Marquette asks you to visit this page to learn how to report abuse.

Additionally:

If you have been subjected to sexual abuse or misconduct by a member of St. John the Baptist Province or if you have information about someone who has been abused by a friar, the Province advises that you first report it to your local law enforcement authorities. Then contact Fr. Michael Chowning, OFM, director of the Province Office for the Protection of Children, at 513-721-4700, ext. 3214, or at [email protected]. Your call and the information you provide will be confidential to the extent civil law allows. The Province is mandated under its zero-tolerance policies and procedures to report allegations and claims to local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies.