Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Fr. Timothy Crowley

This page outlines the parish assignments, public allegations of child sexual abuse, and institutional actions against Fr. Timothy Crowley, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Michigan clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Timothy Michael Crowley
• Common Variations/Aliases: Father Timothy Crowley, Fr. Timothy M. Crowley, Timothy Crowley
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Parochial vicar, Pastor
• Current Status: Convicted and laicized

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Fr. Timothy Crowley was publicly identified as an accused member of the Catholic clergy in 2018, when the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, named him as a credibly accused priest. He was later arrested in 2019 in Tempe, Arizona, following an investigation by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office into the seven Michigan Catholic dioceses. 

Public disclosures indicate he was removed from the ministry in 2002 and laicized by the Vatican in 2015 following internal Church investigations into the abuse of minors. A report commissioned by the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau, where Crowley served in the 1990s, listed him as a credibly accused priest. 

Court records and Michigan Department of Attorney General releases state that he was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor in 2023, stemming from one victim’s allegation of abuse in the 1980s and 1990s. Crowley pleaded guilty to the offenses. 

He is also listed on the Attorney General’s Report on sexual abuse in the Diocese of Lansing, published in 2024. 

• Entity that Listed Him: Diocese of Lansing (Michigan); Diocese of Jackson (Mississippi); Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau (Alaska); Michigan Department of Attorney General; Vatican (laicized)
• Reason for Listing: Credible and substantiated allegations, as reflected in Church disclosures, public reporting, and government reporting; Michigan criminal conviction for abuse of a minor; inclusion in public disclosures following investigation

Key Status Facts

Ordination Year: 1976

Years in Active Ministry: 1976–2002

Locations Where He Served: Diocese of Jackson (Mississippi); Diocese of Lansing (Michigan); Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau (Alaska)

Restrictions: Placed on administrative leave in 1993; removed from ministry in 2002

Criminal Convictions: 2023 criminal conviction for abuse of a minor in the 1980s and 1990s

Laicization: 2015

Public Disclosure: Named in multiple Church lists and the 2024 Attorney General’s report

Number of Survivors: One, as reflected in public records

Assignment History

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Lansing (Michigan)

Parish Assignments (as documented in public reports):

• St Patrick — Brighton, MI (date range not publicly specified)
• Holy Rosary — Flint, MI (date range not publicly specified)
• St Mary Star of the Sea — Jackson, MI (date range not publicly specified)
• St Anthony of Padua — Hillsdale, MI (date range not publicly specified)
• St Thomas the Apostle — Ann Arbor, MI (date range not publicly specified)
• Archdiocese of Anchorage — Anchorage, AK (1995–2010)

Known Allegations

Fr. Crowley was placed on administrative leave from the Diocese of Lansing in June 1993. In August 1993, the Diocese of Lansing received a credible allegation of sexual abuse. The accuser, named only as John Doe 13, alleged that Fr. Crowley abused him over the span of eight years, beginning when the child was 10. The Church signed an agreement with the victim.

John Doe 13 provided detailed statements to the Michigan Department of Attorney General in 2019, alleging that Fr. Crowley sexually assaulted him multiple times. He also alleged that Fr. Crowley would masturbate in front of him, force him to perform oral sex, or make him watch pornography. 

These statements led to Fr. Crowley’s arrest and conviction for second-degree criminal sexual conduct on August 23, 2023, in Washtenaw County Circuit Court. He was publicly listed as a criminally accused priest and was required to register as a sex offender due to the conviction. 

Summary: Fr. Timothy Crowley was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor, stemming from one allegation of sexual assault and misconduct during the 1980s and 1990s. 

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:

• Monsignor Michael Murphy – Diocese of Lansing
• Bishop Kenneth Povish – Diocese of Lansing
• Archbishop Francis Hurley – Archdiocese of Anchorage
• Bishop Carl Mengeling – Diocese of Lansing

Institutional Actions and Review

In 1993, Fr. Crowley resigned his position at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Ann Arbor after admitting to sexual misconduct. He was placed on administrative leave in June 1993. 

After the August 1992 disclosure by John Doe 13, the Diocese of Lansing paid the victim $200,000 and required him to sign a settlement agreement. 

Following this, Archbishop Francis Hurley of the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau (then the Archdiocese of Anchorage) appointed Fr. Crowley to perform administrative work in Alaska and forbade contact with minors. The Attorney General’s 2024 report alleges that Fr. Crowley worked in Alaska from 1995 to 2010, during which time he did not return to Michigan.

Following the 2002 adoption of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Bishop Carl Mengeling withdrew Fr. Crowley from active ministry in the Diocese of Lansing, though he remained active in the Archdiocese of Anchorage. The Diocese of Lansing shared all pertinent information with the prosecutor’s office and advised Archbishop Hurley that Fr. Crowley would be arrested upon his return to Michigan.

In 2015, Fr. Crowley was laicized by the Vatican. He was arrested in Tempe, Arizona, in 2019 and convicted in Michigan in 2023 of two felony counts of sexual abuse. Fr. Crowley was sentenced to one year in prison, five years of probation, and lifetime registration as a sex offender.

Fr. Crowley was publicly named as a credibly accused priest in 2019 by the Diocese of Lansing, then named again in the Attorney General’s list of accused priests in Michigan in 2024. 

Timeline

1976 — Ordained in the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi

1982 — Incardinated in the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan

June 1993 — Resigned from the Thomas the Apostle Church in Ann Arbor, MI, and placed on administrative leave

August 1993 — Accused of sexual abuse by one minor

1995–2010 — Worked in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, with prohibited contact with minors

2002 — Removed from ministerial faculties in the Diocese of Lansing

2015 — Laicized by the Vatican

2019 — Arrested in Tempe, Arizona, for charges in connection with the 1993 allegation

2023 — Convicted of two felony counts of sexual abuse 

2024 — Named in the Michigan Attorney General’s report on clergy abuse in the Diocese of Lansing

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Fr. Timothy Crowley or other Catholic clergy members in Michigan, you may have a legal claim. Injury Lawyer Team provides trauma-informed legal representation to survivors of clergy abuse throughout the state. Contact us for a free and confidential consultation with a Michigan clergy abuse attorney to discuss your legal options. 

Sources

This page is based on public records, official Church disclosures, legal filings, and survivor reports, including the following:

• The Michigan Department of Attorney General, which announced Fr. Crowley’s sentencing in November 2023.
• The Michigan Attorney General’s 2024 report on the Diocese of Lansing, which lists Fr. Crowley as a credibly and criminally accused priest with known abuse in the Diocese of Lansing.
• The Diocese of Jackson in Mississippi, where Fr. Crowley served from 1968 to 1970, which acknowledges Crowley’s sentencing.
• The Diocese of Lansing’s 2019 list of clergy with a credible allegation of sexual abuse against a minor. 
• An article by CNY Central, reporting on the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau’s commission on credibly accused priests. 
• The Diocese of Lansing, stating that Fr. Crowley was credibly accused and pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a minor.
• People of Michigan v. Timothy Michael Crowley, the criminal case in which Fr. Crowley was ultimately convicted of sexual abuse. 
• Father Crowley’s profile on Bishop-Accountability.org, which compiles public records, Church documents, and survivor reports related to accusations of sexual abuse in the 1980s and 1990s. 

No criminal conviction is implied unless explicitly stated in public court records or official Church reports.

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.