Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Richard Howard

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

• Primary Entity Name: Richard Howard 
• Common Variations / Aliases: Deacon Richard J. Howard, Deacon Richard Howard, Richard Howard
• Role/Title at Time of Incident: Teacher, Deacon
• Current Status: Laicized

Public Identification and Clergy Status

Richard Howard was publicly identified as a criminally and credibly accused clergy member by the Diocese of Saginaw. In 1989, he was convicted of sex crimes in Bay County for molesting a 15-year-old boy at Bay City All Saints High School, where he served as a religious teacher and deacon. 

• Entity that Listed Him: Diocese of Saginaw, Vatican (laicized)
• Reason for Listing: Substantiated and credible allegations of child sexual abuse, including criminal convictions; laicized by the Vatican in 2006

Key Status Facts

Ordination Year: 1977

Years in Active Ministry: 1977–1988 

Locations Where He Served: Diocese of Saginaw

Restrictions: Faculties suspended in 1988

Criminal Conviction: 1989 conviction in Bay County, MI, for two counts of attempted second-degree criminal sexual conduct

Released from Prison: Served 6 months in jail and 5 years of probation; his probation ended in 1993

Laicization: 2006

Public Disclosure: Named in the Diocese of Saginaw’s 2018 list of credibly accused clergy

Assignment History

Primary Diocese: Diocese of Saginaw

Parish Assignments (as documented in public reports):

• St. Stanislaus — Bay City, MI (Sept 1977–April 1988)

Non-Church Assignments: Deacon Richard Howard also served as a religious teacher at All Saints High School in Bay City, MI, which is where the alleged sexual abuse took place. 

Known Allegations

Richard Howard was criminally accused of molesting a 15-year-old boy while at All Saints High School in Bay City, MI, which is part of the St. Stanislaus parish. Public records do not state the exact nature of the allegations. He was removed from the clergy in 1988, convicted in 1989, and laicized in 2006. There are no publicly available survivor reports. 

Summary: Former deacon Richard Howard was credibly and criminally accused of sexual abuse of a student at the high school where he taught religious studies; the Vatican laicized him in 2006. 

Overseeing Authorities During Key Periods:

• Bishop Francis F. Reh — Diocese of Saginaw
• Bishop Kenneth E. Untener — Diocese of Saginaw

Institutional Actions and Review

The Diocese of Saginaw permanently suspended Richard Howard’s priestly faculties on April 18, 1988, shortly before he was arraigned for criminal sexual conduct. 

According to court records, Howard was arraigned on May 31, 1988, for three felonies, including attempted criminal sexual conduct, criminal sexual conduct, and gross indecency between males. He originally pleaded not guilty, then pleaded no contest to two counts of attempted second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Howard was sentenced to six months in jail and five years of probation, along with a $1,500 fine. Once released from probation in 1993, he was not required to register as a sex offender. 

Richard Howard was laicized by the Vatican on February 17, 2006, under Pope Benedict XVI. 

The Diocese of Saginaw added Deacon Howard to the list of accused clergy in Michigan in 2018. 

Shortly after this list was released in 2018, the Diocese of Saginaw announced that it would appoint Judge Michael J. Talbot of the Michigan State Appeals Court as a special independent delegate to investigate allegations of abuse within the Church. This release included a mention of Richard Howard. The Saginaw County Prosecutor Attorney’s Office issued a statement requesting that victims contact law enforcement rather than address concerns to the Diocese of Saginaw or Judge Talbot.

The Michigan Department of Attorney General has not yet released a public report on its investigation into the Diocese of Saginaw. Still, prior public reports indicate that the police executed two search warrants at properties associated with the diocese in 2018, including employment records and victim lists. The Attorney General has released reports on five of Michigan’s seven dioceses, but there is no pending date for the Diocese of Saginaw. 

Timeline

1977 — Ordained to Permanent Diaconate

1977–1988 — Served at St. Stanislaus parish, serving as a religious teacher at All Saints High School

1988 — Removed from ministry

1988 — Arraigned for criminal sexual conduct with a 15-year-old boy

1989 — Pleads no contest to two counts of attempted criminal sexual conduct; sentenced to six months of jail and five years of probation

1993 — Released from probation and is not required to register as a sex offender

2006 — Laicized by the Vatican

2018 — Included on the Diocese of Saginaw’s list of credibly accused clergy

Speak With an Attorney

If you or someone you know was sexually abused by Deacon Richard Howard or another clergy member, you may have legal options. Injury Lawyer Team represents survivors of child sexual abuse throughout the state. Contact a Michigan clergy abuse attorney to schedule a confidential consultation about a legal claim. 

Sources

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

• An archived article on Bishop-Accountability.org from the Diocese of Saginaw, listing Richard Howard as a credibly accused clergy member and outlining his parish assignments. The link has been removed from the Diocese of Saginaw’s website.
• An article from MLive.com, reporting on the Diocese of Saginaw releasing a list of credibly accused clergy, including Richard Howard.
• The Diocese of Saginaw’s 2018 list of credibly accused clergy, which includes Richard Howard and acknowledges that he has been laicized. 
• Richard Howard’s profile on Bishop-Accountability.org, which compiles church documents and public records related to allegations of sexual abuse. 
• An article from WRAL News, announcing that the Diocese of Saginaw had appointed a special independent delegate to investigate allegations of sexual abuse within the Church. 
• An article from MLive.com, reporting on a police raid on the Diocese of Saginaw properties in 2019.
• State of Michigan v. Richard L. Howard, detailing his 1989 conviction of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. 
• An article from MLive.com, reporting on a second 2019 police raid on the Diocese of Saginaw, including the diocese’s response.
• An article from MLive.com, listing the criminal allegations against Richard Howard. 

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