Profile Facts
- Name
- John Edward Martin
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
- Ordained
- 1918
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 11/9/1968
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father John Edward Martin served Michigan parishes for decades and was later accused by multiple men of sexually abusing them as boys. This profile from White Law PLLC’s clergy sexual abuse lawyers gathers the public record for survivors and their families.
One accuser reported that a bishop made abused boys swear on the Bible never to speak of what happened. If you were silenced in that way, please know that no vow extracted under those circumstances binds you today, and our firm is ready to listen.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Lansing
Father Martin was ordained for the Detroit archdiocese in 1918 and became a priest of the Diocese of Lansing when it was created in 1937. Michigan’s seven dioceses, the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Lansing, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Gaylord, Marquette, and Kalamazoo, were all swept into the Michigan Attorney General’s clergy abuse investigation beginning in 2018.
The Attorney General’s December 2024 report on the Diocese of Lansing covers Martin’s case. A Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can help survivors understand what the report documents and how it may support a claim.
The Allegations Against Father John Edward Martin
Reports Surface in 2010
Published records indicate that in June 2010, two men separately told the diocese that Martin had sexually abused them as boys. Notices were placed in two church bulletins, and multiple accusers came forward. Most described abuse in the 1950s and early 1960s, one in the 1940s, and the victims were ages 10 to 17.
Abuse, Confession, and Enforced Silence
One man told the diocese in August 2010 that in the late 1950s he had told then-Bishop Albers about his own abuse and another boy’s abuse by Martin, and that the bishop made the boys swear on the Bible that they would never speak of it again. Martin allegedly would sexually abuse boys and then hear their confessions and forgive them. He was pastor of St. Mary’s in Morrice and then St. Isidore’s in Laingsburg from 1941 to 1966, retired in 1966 when the church burned down, and died on November 9, 1968.
Martin was included on the Diocese of Lansing’s list of credibly accused clerics on September 27, 2019, and on the Detroit archdiocese’s list of June 10, 2019, which noted that he had been removed from public ministry.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Father Martin died in 1968, so criminal prosecution is impossible. The passage of more than half a century has closed the criminal courthouse door in his case.
The civil courts remain open to survivors in appropriate circumstances. Claims may be brought against the diocese, particularly where bishops allegedly suppressed reports, as one accuser described, rather than protecting children.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally requires civil sexual abuse claims within ten years of the conduct or before the survivor’s 28th birthday, whichever is later. First-degree criminal sexual conduct carries no limitations period in Michigan.
Cases this old face steep timing hurdles, yet the law continues to change and exceptions exist. Survivors should get an individualized assessment instead of assuming the answer is no.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
If Father Martin abused you or a loved one, contact White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 for a free, confidential consultation. We are at .
Your story deserves to be heard, however many years have passed. We will handle it with the gravity and confidentiality it warrants.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.