Profile Facts
- Name
- James Moeglein
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit
- Order
- OSC
- Ordained
- 1970
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 1/21/2023
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father James Moeglein was a Crosier religious-order priest who was barred from public ministry in 2002 and later named on credibly-accused lists in multiple dioceses. White Law PLLC’s clergy sexual abuse lawyers maintain this profile from public records for survivors.
Moeglein’s assignments took him from Michigan to Minnesota and Nebraska, so survivors may be spread across several states. Our firm can help determine where a claim should be filed.
Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Detroit
Moeglein worked in the Riverview, Michigan, area in 1989-1990 and appears on the Archdiocese of Detroit’s credibly-accused list. Michigan’s seven dioceses, Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Gaylord, Marquette, and Kalamazoo, have all been covered by the Attorney General’s clergy abuse investigation begun in 2018.
Because he was a religious-order priest, the Crosier order shares the spotlight with the dioceses where he served. A Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can identify all the institutions that might bear responsibility.
The Allegations Against Father James Moeglein
Barred in 2002
According to published records, Moeglein, ordained in 1970 for the Crosiers (OSC), was one of eight Crosiers barred from public ministry in 2002 and placed under restriction after allegations of sexual misconduct. A 2000 news article described him as prior of a Crosier monastery in Nebraska until mid-2000, and he lived in a Crosier community in Onamia, Minnesota, beginning in 2000.
Named Across Dioceses
He had no faculties after June 2002 and was living under a safety plan as of 2014. The Diocese of St. Cloud named him as credibly accused in March 2014, and in November 2017 his name was added to the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese’s list of priests and religious brothers with substantiated claims of sexual abuse of a minor. The Detroit archdiocese included him on its June 10, 2019 list. Per the order’s list, Moeglein died on January 21, 2023.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Father Moeglein died in 2023, so he can no longer be criminally prosecuted. The criminal process has run its course for him.
Civil claims may still be brought against the Crosier order and the dioceses where he ministered. Orders that restrict an accused priest to community living under a safety plan have created records that can support a survivor’s case.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 controls the civil filing deadline: in most cases, survivors have ten years from the abuse or until their 28th birthday, whichever date comes later. For first-degree criminal sexual conduct, Michigan law sets no deadline at all.
Survivors outside Michigan should ask about other states’ deadlines too, since Moeglein served in Minnesota and Nebraska. The most favorable jurisdiction’s law may control.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
Contact White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 for a free, confidential consultation about abuse by Father Moeglein. Our office is at .
We handle cases involving religious orders as well as diocesan priests, and we will pursue every available avenue of accountability.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.