Profile Facts
- Name
- Neil Kalina
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit
- Order
- PIME
- Ordained
- 1981
- Status
- Convicted
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Learning that a trusted priest has been accused of child sexual abuse can shake a family’s faith and sense of safety. White Law PLLC’s clergy sexual abuse lawyers represent survivors across Michigan who are ready to come forward and seek accountability.
This page outlines the reported case of Father Neil Kalina, a PIME missionary priest ordained in 1981 who served in the Archdiocese of Detroit and was convicted in 2022 of criminal sexual conduct. The summary below draws on published diocesan records. Because his case ended in a criminal conviction, the finding of guilt is a matter of public record, and survivors may also pursue separate civil claims.
Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Detroit
The Archdiocese of Detroit is one of Michigan’s seven dioceses, along with Saginaw, Marquette, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Gaylord, and Kalamazoo. In 2018, the Michigan Attorney General began investigating clergy sexual abuse statewide, and the resulting reports have detailed how dioceses responded to complaints, including cases where accused priests were allowed to leave the state and continue working with young people. A Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can explain how those findings may support a civil lawsuit.
Kalina was pastor of St. Kieran in Utica when the reported abuse occurred. After a drug conviction in the 1980s, he moved to California, left active ministry in 1993, and later ran what he described as a faith-based service program for at-risk young men, still calling himself ‘Father Neil.’
The Allegations Against Father Neil Kalina
Complaint, Investigation, and Arrest
According to published records, the archdiocese received a complaint in 2017 that Kalina had fondled a 12-year-old boy after plying him with alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana during sleepovers in the rectory of St. Kieran in Utica in the mid-1980s, when Kalina was the parish pastor. Kalina had earlier been convicted in 1985 on drug offenses and sentenced in 1986 to six months in jail and two years’ probation. He was investigated in 2018 by the Michigan Attorney General and arrested in May 2019 in Littlerock, California, on criminal sexual conduct charges, to be arraigned on charges related to alleged incidents involving a 14-year-old in 1984.
Conviction and Resentencing
Kalina was included on the Detroit archdiocese’s accused list in June 2019 and on the San Bernardino diocese’s list in May 2021, where he had been assigned from 1987 to 1989. He was convicted in June 2022 and sentenced on July 26, 2022, to 7 to 15 years in prison, with credit for time served. After an appeals court ordered resentencing due to a technical error, Kalina was resentenced on January 9, 2025, to 7 to 15 years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
A criminal conviction like Kalina’s brings a measure of public accountability, but it is only one part of the picture. Criminal cases are prosecuted by the state, require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and result in punishment. They do not award damages to survivors.
Criminal Prosecution
Prosecutors decide whether to bring charges, and survivors participate as witnesses. A conviction can imprison an offender, but it leaves the survivor’s injuries uncompensated.
Civil Lawsuits
A civil lawsuit is the survivor’s own case, seeking money damages under a lower standard of proof. Survivors may sue the abuser and the diocese or religious order, especially where church leaders knew of complaints, moved the priest to new assignments, or otherwise failed to protect children.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally requires civil sexual abuse claims to be filed within ten years of the abuse or before the survivor turns 28, whichever date is later. Michigan imposes no statute of limitations on first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Survivors of clergy abuse often cannot come forward for many years. Shame, fear, religious guilt, and trauma that buries memories can delay disclosure for decades. An attorney can review the dates and circumstances of your case to determine whether a civil claim remains viable.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
Through a civil claim, survivors may recover damages for therapy and medical expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Defendants may include the abuser and the archdiocese or other church institutions where officials knew or should have known about the abuse, failed to prevent it, covered it up, or failed to properly screen, train, and supervise priests.
If Father Kalina abused you or a loved one, contact White Law PLLC for a confidential consultation at (517) 316-1195. The firm’s office is at .
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.