Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Eugene F. Alvesteffer

This page documents Eugene F. Alvesteffer’s clerical background, publicly reported allegations of sexual abuse involving minors, and the institutional actions taken against him, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Michigan clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Eugene F. Alvesteffer
• Common Variations / Aliases: Eugene Alvesteffer, Fr. Eugene Alvesteffer, Fr. Eugene F. Alvesteffer
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic parish priest
• Current Status: Deceased

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Public records confirm that Eugene F. Alvesteffer was formally identified by Church and civil authorities as a priest against whom sexual abuse allegations involving minors were reported. He has been publicly listed as a credibly accused Michigan clergy member by the following entities:

• Michigan Attorney General (2025 report)
• Diocese of Grand Rapids

Because of the historical timing of the allegations and his death in 1998, Alvesteffer was not removed from ministry or formally disciplined, and never faced criminal charges.

• Entity that Listed Him: Michigan Attorney General, Diocese of Grand Rapids
• Reason for Listing: Substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors

Key Status Facts

Ordination Year: 1965

Years in Active Ministry: 1965–1998

Locations Where He Served: Diocese of Grand Rapids (MI)

Restrictions: None documented in the public record

Died: January 18, 1998

Public Disclosure: Identified posthumously in diocesan disclosures and the Michigan Attorney General’s report on clergy abuse in Michigan

Assignment History

Primary Archdiocese: Diocese of Grand Rapids

Parish Assignments (as documented in public reports):

• St. Simon’s Parish – Ludington, MI (dates not specified)
• Various parish assignments within the Diocese of Grand Rapids, MI (1970s–1980s)
• St. Bernadette Parish — Wyoming, MI (dates not specified)
• St. Dominic Parish – Wyoming, MI (1977–1986)

Publicly available assignment records for this period are incomplete and, in some cases, inconsistent across diocesan summaries, Catholic directories, and later investigative reviews. As a result, not every parish placement or year of service can be reconstructed with precision from surviving public documentation.

Non-Church Assignments: Diocesan directories list Alvesteffer as being on “special assignment” by 1988, a designation that typically reflects non-parochial duties and helps explain the absence of standard parish listings in the later years of his ministry.

Known Allegations

Publicly available Church records and subsequent government review describe a pattern of allegations involving Eugene F. Alvesteffer that span several years of his active ministry, with reports emerging long after the alleged misconduct occurred. 

The earliest allegation documented in diocesan and investigative files places the abuse in Ludington around August 1970, during Alvesteffer’s assignment at St. Simon’s Parish, where a survivor later alleged inappropriate sexual conduct while he was a minor. 

Additional allegations expanded the scope of the reported misconduct, with one survivor asserting that abuse occurred repeatedly over a prolonged period from approximately 1970 through 1978 at St. Bernadette’s Parish, including incidents alleged to have taken place inside the church sacristy. 

Another report later described alleged abuse during the late 1970s to about 1980 at Alvesteffer’s cabin, in a narrative that also implicated another priest and was reviewed by diocesan officials, who treated the account as credible based on the information available.

Separately, in the mid-1980s, Church officials recorded a complaint involving a minor who had stayed overnight at Alvesteffer’s cottage, prompting an internal meeting and documentation in his confidential personnel file. Alvesteffer denied the misconduct, and no restriction was imposed at the time. 

In the decades that followed, additional individuals came forward through diocesan victim assistance channels, resulting in counseling offers and formal documentation. 

Taken together, these multiple reports led the Diocese of Grand Rapids and later the Michigan Attorney General’s investigation to publicly identify Alvesteffer as a credibly accused priest. 

Summary: Eugene F. Alvesteffer was a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Grand Rapids who was posthumously identified as credibly accused based on multiple allegations of sexual abuse involving minors, with no criminal charges or documented ministerial discipline imposed before his death in 1998.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods

• Arthur J. Breitenbeck – Diocese of Grand Rapids
• Robert J. Rose – Diocese of Grand Rapids

Institutional Actions and Review

Institutional records indicate that Church authorities first became aware of concerns involving Eugene F. Alvesteffer in the mid-1980s, when a complaint involving a minor was relayed internally to diocesan leadership rather than through civil authorities. 

That concern prompted an internal response consisting of a meeting with Alvesteffer and the creation of a confidential memorandum placed in his personnel file, with no documented restrictions, suspension, or reassignment imposed at the time and no indication that information was shared externally or with future parish communities. 

In the years that followed, Alvesteffer continued in ministry until the late 1980s, after which he was listed in diocesan directories as being on a “special assignment,” a status that did not involve public disciplinary action and did not trigger disclosure. 

Additional allegations surfaced only years later, beginning in the 1990s and continuing into the 2000s, after his death in 1998. At this point, the Diocese of Grand Rapids addressed the allegations through victim assistance measures such as counseling offers rather than ministerial sanctions. 

Public disclosure of Alvesteffer’s name did not occur contemporaneously with the alleged misconduct or the initial internal complaint, but instead resulted from later retrospective file reviews and broader clergy abuse investigations. 

After his death, he was publicly named by the diocese of Grand Rapids as one of the Michigan clergy members credibly accused of sexual abuse.

Timeline

1965 — Ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Grand Rapids

1968–1971 — Assigned to St. Simon’s Parish, Ludington, Michigan

August 1970 — Alleged sexual abuse occurred at St. Simon’s Parish in Ludington

1970–1978 — Additional alleged sexual abuse occurred during this period, including incidents alleged to have taken place inside St. Bernadette’s Church

1977–1986 — Assigned to St. Dominic Parish, Wyoming, Michigan, representing his last clearly documented long-term parish appointment

1978–1980 — Additional alleged sexual abuse occurred at Alvesteffer’s cabin

1984 — Church officials were internally notified of concerns involving a minor

1988 — Listed in official Catholic directories as being on “special assignment,” with no public disciplinary action recorded

1992 — An allegation connected to the 1970 Ludington period was documented in diocesan insurance-related correspondence

1998 — Eugene F. Alvesteffer died.

2002 — The Diocese of Grand Rapids publicly identified Alvesteffer among priests with substantiated or credible allegations following internal review

2009–2010 — Additional allegations were brought forward to the Diocese of Grand Rapids through victim assistance channels

2025 — Alvesteffer was included in the Michigan Attorney General’s statewide clergy abuse review

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Eugene F. Alvesteffer or another Catholic clergy member in Michigan, you may still have legal options. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of clergy abuse across the state.

Contact us to schedule a confidential consultation with a Michigan clergy abuse attorney and learn what steps may be available to you.

Sources and Public Records

This page is grounded in publicly available records, official Church disclosures, investigative reporting, and survivor documentation, including the following sources:

• The 2025 Michigan Attorney General investigative report into the Diocese of Grand Rapids, which identifies Eugene F. Alvesteffer among clergy associated with credible allegations of sexual abuse involving minors.
• A compiled clergy profile maintained by BishopAccountability, which aggregates records and documents relating to Alvesteffer’s clerical service, reported allegations, and posthumous public identification.
• A contemporaneous news article reporting on the Diocese of Grand Rapids’ public disclosure of priests linked to abuse allegations, in which Alvesteffer is named as part of that disclosure.
• An investigative news report examining the broader history of clergy sexual abuse in West Michigan that includes references consistent with Alvesteffer’s posthumous listing.

No criminal conviction is stated or implied unless expressly reflected in public court records or official Church determinations.

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.