Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Donald Hartman

This page outlines the assignments, credible allegations of child sexual abuse, and institutional actions involving Father Donald Hartman, as part of the Injury Lawyer Team’s legal representation of survivors in Catholic clergy abuse cases.

• Primary Entity Name: Donald Hartman
• Common Variations / Aliases: Fr. Donald Hartman, Father Donald Hartman
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Catholic Priest, Parish Priest
• Current Status: Deceased; Removed from Ministry

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Father Donald Hartman was publicly identified in Catholic Church disclosures and a statewide law enforcement investigation as a priest associated with multiple allegations of sexual abuse of minors connected to his ministry in the Diocese of Marquette.

Entity that Listed Him:

• Diocese of Marquette
• Michigan Department of Attorney General (Diocese of Marquette investigation report)
• Bishop Accountability (compiled public records and disclosures)

Reason for Listing: Reported allegations of sexual abuse of minors; documentation in diocesan files reviewed during the Michigan Attorney General investigation; inclusion on a diocesan status report of clerics removed from ministry.

Key Status Facts

Ordination year: 1950

Years in active ministry: Not fully documented in public records, he remained a priest of the Diocese of Marquette until removal from public ministry in 1992.

Locations where he served: Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, including assignments connected in records to St. Ignatius Loyola (St. Ignace), Sacred Heart (Champion), and other parish contexts referenced in diocesan and investigative materials.

Any restrictions placed (e.g., no minors, monitoring): On January 3, 1992, the bishop directed him into an assessment program and ordered that he not engage in public ministry pending completion.

Removal, resignation, reassignment: Removed from public ministry in 1992.

Public disclosure/listing date: He appears on the Diocese of Marquette public status report of clerics removed from ministry and is discussed in the Michigan Attorney General’s Diocese of Marquette report (released October 2022).

Assignment History in Primary Diocese or Order

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Marquette (Michigan)

Parish Assignments (as documented in public reports):

• St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, St. Ignace, Michigan (1960–1961, as reported by an altar server alleging abuse during that period)
• Sacred Heart Parish, Champion, Michigan (1963, as reported in an allegation discussed in diocesan records)
• St. Michael Parish (Diocese of Marquette, Michigan) (dates not publicly specified; an accuser reported abuse in the 1953–1954 period when Fr. Hartman was serving there)
• Diocesan Retirement Home, Escanaba, Michigan (context referenced in a civil pleading filed in 1991 alleging sexual assault of a minor at that location)

Early roles, transitional assignments, or training placements:

• Assessment placement ordered: Saint Luke Institute, Suitland, Maryland (directed by the bishop in January 1992 as part of the response to an allegation; this was not a parish assignment but a documented placement)

Known Allegations

Public records and diocesan materials summarized in the Michigan Attorney General’s Diocese of Marquette report describe multiple allegations against Fr. Donald Hartman, spanning different decades and parish contexts, and received from both sources. At the same time, he was alive and after his death. The reported settings consistently involved pastoral access to minors, including altar servers and youth in parish environments.

A major institutional turning point occurred in late 1991 and early 1992. The Michigan Attorney General report describes a civil pleading filed in Dickinson County Circuit Court, including allegations that Fr. Hartman sexually assaulted a minor identified as a 12-year-old altar boy, with the alleged misconduct occurring at the Diocesan Retirement Home in Escanaba. 

In a January 3, 1992, letter, the bishop directed Fr. Hartman to enter an assessment program at Saint Luke Institute in Suitland, Maryland, and instructed him not to engage in public ministry pending completion. That directive aligns with the Diocese of Marquette’s public status report listing him as removed from ministry in 1992.

Following his removal, the Diocese continued to receive reports dating back to earlier decades. The Michigan Attorney General report summarizes a 2002 communication in which a man told the diocese that Fr. Hartman was “pedophilic” and described being an altar boy at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in St. Ignace in the late 1950s. 

The report also describes a 2004 meeting in which an accuser reported abuse occurring when the accuser was 14 or 15, and Fr. Hartman was serving as an associate at St. Michael Parish. In 2005, diocesan notes summarized in the report describe another allegation of abuse during 1960–1961 at St. Ignatius Loyola in St. Ignace, including an account that the accuser was abused multiple times while serving as an altar boy.

The Michigan Attorney General’s report further documents a 2010 allegation concerning Sacred Heart Parish in Champion in 1963 and notes subsequent reporting steps, including diocesan contact with a county prosecutor in early 2011. The investigative record also references a diocesan review board data sheet indicating that an allegation was “validated” as consistent with other reports, and that the victim requested no further action.

Summary: Publicly documented records describe multiple allegations of child sexual abuse associated with Fr. Donald Hartman across several parish settings in the Diocese of Marquette, including reporting that triggered his removal from public ministry in 1992 and additional reports received in later years concerning earlier decades.

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:

• Bishop Mark F. Schmitt, Diocese of Marquette (issued the January 3, 1992 directive placing Fr. Hartman into assessment and restricting ministry)
• Bishop James H. Garland, Diocese of Marquette (bishop when the diocese received and responded to certain later reports in the early 2000s, as reflected in correspondence summarized in the Michigan Attorney General report)
• Bishop Alexander K. Sample, Diocese of Marquette (named in diocesan investigation records as involved in reviewing or receiving certain reports in the mid-2000s)

Institutional Actions and Review

The documented institutional response centers on restrictions imposed by the ministry, assessment placement, and subsequent file-based review. The Michigan Attorney General’s Diocese of Marquette report describes a January 3, 1992, letter directing Fr. Hartman to enter an assessment program at Saint Luke Institute in Suitland, Maryland, and prohibiting public ministry pending completion of the program.

The report also notes that it is unclear whether that directive was prompted by the civil pleading filed in Dickinson County Circuit Court in December 1991. Still, the timing coincides with his exit from public ministry.

Later diocesan actions described in the investigative record include receiving additional reports in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2010, documenting interviews and communications with diocesan leadership, and referring at least one matter to a county prosecutor in early 2011. The report also describes internal review board handling, including a review board data sheet stating that an allegation was “validated” because it was consistent with other reports, and that no further action was requested because the priest was deceased.

For survivors seeking Michigan-specific information about civil options involving clergy abuse, see the Injury Lawyer Team’s Michigan resource pages, including the Michigan accused priests hub.

Timeline

1950 — Ordained as a Catholic priest
1960–1961 — Reported abuse alleged at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, St. Ignace, Michigan, involving an altar server
1963 — Reported abuse alleged at Sacred Heart Parish, Champion, Michigan
December 19, 1991 — Amended civil complaint filed in Dickinson County Circuit Court alleging sexual assault of a minor at the Diocesan Retirement Home in Escanaba
January 3, 1992 — Bishop directed Fr. Hartman to enter assessment at Saint Luke Institute and prohibited public ministry pending completion
1992 — Removed from public ministry
March 27, 2002 — Report made to the diocese describing the alleged abuse context from the late 1950s
April 22, 2004 — Meeting recorded in diocesan file describing reported abuse when the accuser was 14 or 15, and Fr. Hartman was an associate at St. Michael Parish (Michigan Attorney General report)
September 2005 — Diocesan notes summarize allegation of abuse during 1960–1961 at St. Ignatius Loyola in St. Ignace
December 2010 — Diocesan file reflects discussion of reported abuse in 1963 at Champion Catholic Church, connected to Sacred Heart Parish
February 9, 2011 — Diocese attorney reported Doe22 allegations to Marquette County prosecutor
November 15, 1999 — Died
October 27, 2022 — Michigan Attorney General released the Diocese of Marquette final report summarizing diocesan files and investigative findings

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Michigan, you may still have legal options depending on the facts and the applicable civil law. The Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors, and our clergy abuse attorneys can help you understand your rights and pursue justice.

Sources and Public Records

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

• The Michigan Department of Attorney General’s Diocese of Marquette final report, which summarizes diocesan files and includes documented references to allegations, diocesan correspondence, and reporting steps involving Fr. Donald Hartman, including the January 3, 1992, restriction letter and later reports received by the diocese. 
• The Diocese of Marquette “Status Report on Clerics Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors,” which lists Rev. Donald Hartman with ordination year, removal from ministry year, and deceased status. 
• BishopAccountability.org’s profile for Donald Hartman, which compiles publicly reported information and references the Michigan Attorney General report and contemporaneous reporting about allegations and ministry removal.

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.