Profile Facts
- Name
- Michael G. McKenna
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Grand Rapids
- Ordained
- 1973
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 10/26/2023
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Michael G. McKenna was permanently removed from ministry after credible allegations that he sexually abused children in the 1970s, with prosecutors later saying the evidence showed abuse but the statute of limitations barred charges. Our clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC maintain this profile from the public record.
The bishop described McKenna as having several victims, and the Attorney General’s 2025 report details numerous allegations. Survivors who have carried these memories for decades deserve a legal team that takes them seriously.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Grand Rapids
McKenna served in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, one of Michigan’s seven dioceses alongside the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Lansing, Saginaw, Gaylord, Marquette, and Kalamazoo. The Michigan Attorney General’s investigation into clergy sexual abuse, launched in 2018, produced its Grand Rapids report in December 2025.
That report details the many allegations against McKenna. A Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can help survivors connect those documented accounts to a potential civil lawsuit.
The Allegations Against Father Michael G. McKenna
Early Warnings and Removal
Published records indicate that in 1993, a 16-year-old boy and his parents told the diocese they were concerned about McKenna’s behavior. McKenna was a longtime family friend who sought increasing time with the boy, with boundary violations, and the family wanted him to get help. McKenna went on sabbatical in 2002 and was placed on medical leave in 2003. He was permanently removed from all ministry in December 2006 after credible allegations that he sexually abused a child in the 1970s, and was ordered to live a life of prayer and penance. Additional allegations of old abuse became public in March 2008. Prosecutors said evidence showed abuse but the statute of limitations prohibited criminal prosecution.
Accounts in the Attorney General’s Report
The Attorney General’s December 2025 Grand Rapids report details numerous allegations: in May 2002, a man said McKenna sexually abused him for at least two years beginning in 1973, when he was an 11- or 12-year-old altar boy; in February 2004, a man reported abuse at ages 12 to 15 in 1975-1978; in October 2004, a man said that when he was 18, McKenna asked for a massage during which the priest appeared to have an orgasm; in December 2006, a man reported abuse between 1976 and 1977; in January 2007, a man alleged abuse as a 13-year-old altar boy in the mid-1970s, and another accused McKenna of abusing a boy from 1978 to 1985, beginning when the boy was 11 or 12.
Further reports followed: in November 2009, a man said his cognitively impaired 29-year-old son was spending weekends with McKenna and feared abuse; in 2010, a man said McKenna abused him at age 12 in 1978, while another account described abuse at ages 9 to 10 in 1975-1976. McKenna died on October 26, 2023.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Prosecutors concluded that the statute of limitations barred criminal charges against Father McKenna, and his death in 2023 has closed the question permanently. The criminal courts will not address his case.
Civil courts apply different rules. Survivors may still seek damages from the diocese, particularly where officials received reports, such as the family’s 1993 concerns, yet left McKenna in a position of access to children for years afterward.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Under Michigan Legislature §600.5805, civil sexual abuse claims are generally timely when filed within ten years of the abuse or before the survivor’s 28th birthday, whichever is later. First-degree criminal sexual conduct has no statute of limitations in Michigan.
The McKenna record itself shows how limitation periods have blocked prosecutions here. Civil deadlines are a separate analysis, and survivors need counsel to evaluate them rather than assuming the outcome.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
If Father McKenna abused you or your child, contact White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 for a free, confidential consultation. We are located at .
Our firm has the experience to handle complex, multi-victim clergy cases. We will stand with you through every step.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.