Profile Facts
- Name
- Dennis A. Wagner
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Grand Rapids
- Ordained
- 1978
- Status
- Guilty plea
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Dennis A. Wagner, ordained in 1978, is a priest of the Diocese of Grand Rapids who faces accusations of sexual abuse involving minors. White Law PLLC’s clergy sexual abuse lawyers represent survivors throughout Michigan; here is what has been publicly reported about Father Dennis A. Wagner.
What follows is a summary of Father Dennis A. Wagner’s assignments, the accusations on the public record, and the civil and criminal avenues Michigan law provides. Survivors deserve clear information, and that is what this page aims to give.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Grand Rapids
State investigators have been examining clergy abuse in Michigan since the Attorney General’s 2018 investigation, with the Diocese of Grand Rapids included in that effort. If Father Dennis A. Wagner abused you, a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer at our firm can walk you through the findings.
Michigan is home to seven Catholic dioceses, Diocese of Grand Rapids, Diocese of Kalamazoo, Diocese of Saginaw, Diocese of Marquette, Diocese of Gaylord, Archdiocese of Detroit, Diocese of Lansing. The Attorney General’s office has released detailed reports on several of them, and the findings for the Diocese of Grand Rapids help document the allegations against Father Dennis A. Wagner.
The Allegations Against Father Dennis A. Wagner
Where He Served
Dennis A. Wagner was ordained in 1978 as a priest of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, per published diocesan records. He was suspended in May 2002, agreed to seek laicization, and was laicized on April 5, 2004. He was included in the Michigan Attorney General’s December 15, 2025 report on the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
What Survivors Reported
Published records indicate that Wagner pleaded guilty in 1983 to assault and battery of a 13-year-old boy during a tubing trip, receiving two years of probation and counseling; he apparently admitted at the time to molesting more than one boy. He was sent to the St. Luke Institute in 1986 and allowed back into parish ministry in July 1987 on the condition he have no contact with anyone under 18.
Many more allegations followed, describing abuse of boys in lakes, swimming pools, cottages, and showers. In the early 1990s, a man told the Diocese that Wagner raped him in a lake in 1985; no criminal charges were filed because of the statute of limitations, and the Diocese paid for the man’s therapy. Wagner was later allowed to work as a canon lawyer in the Diocesan Tribunal Office. At least six allegations against him were substantiated, and several settlements were paid.
Wagner’s 1983 guilty plea is a matter of public record. Survivors may still bring civil claims against him or the Diocese.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Michigan law treats abuse by clergy such as Father Dennis A. Wagner through two separate systems. Criminal prosecution is the government’s case and aims at punishment, while a civil claim belongs to the survivor and aims at compensation. A survivor may pursue a civil case regardless of whether criminal charges were ever filed.
A survivor abused by Father Dennis A. Wagner can bring a civil lawsuit against him directly, against his estate where applicable, and against the diocese or order that placed him in ministry. Liability can attach when church officials knew or should have known of the threat and still failed to prevent the abuse, hid it, or used poor screening and training practices. Compensation may cover medical and therapy expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 controls the civil deadline for claims involving Father Dennis A. Wagner: survivors typically have ten years from the abuse or until their 28th birthday to sue. First-degree criminal sexual conduct, by contrast, carries no statute of limitations under Michigan law.
Delayed reporting is the norm, not the exception, in cases involving clergy such as Father Dennis A. Wagner. Memory loss and trauma responses can keep survivors from recognizing or disclosing abuse until decades later. Michigan law’s longer civil window was built with that reality in mind.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
If you were abused by Father Dennis A. Wagner, please reach out. White Law PLLC offers confidential consultations at (517) 316-1195.
Every consultation is private, and there is no obligation. Sharing your story with an experienced attorney is the first step toward holding Father Dennis A. Wagner, and any institution that protected him, accountable.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.