Profile Facts
- Name
- Patrick J. Barrett
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Gaylord
- Ordained
- 1959
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 3/30/2006
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Patrick J. Barrett, ordained in 1959 for the Diocese of Gaylord, was placed on leave in 2002 after a complaint that he had molested a girl decades earlier, and the diocese’s own investigating committee found the charges credible. He was permanently removed from public ministry and died in 2006. The clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC present the documented record here.
When a diocese itself validates an allegation, survivors gain powerful corroboration. This page explains what was reported about Barrett and what legal options remain for those he may have harmed.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Gaylord
The Diocese of Gaylord serves northern lower Michigan and is one of seven dioceses in the state, along with the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, and Saginaw. Michigan’s Attorney General investigated all seven dioceses beginning in 2018; the resulting January 8, 2024 report includes Barrett. White Law PLLC advocates for survivors statewide as a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer.
A credibility finding by the diocese’s own committee is a rare and significant admission. Survivors with claims involving Barrett should know that this official record exists and can support a civil case.
The Allegations Against Father Patrick J. Barrett
Where He Served
Barrett was ordained in 1959 and served in the Diocese of Gaylord. He was placed on leave in 2002, permanently removed from public ministry that same year, and included on the diocese’s public list on November 10, 2018. He died on March 30, 2006.
What Survivors Reported
According to published records, Barrett was placed on leave in 2002 after a complaint that he molested a girl some 30 years earlier, with the abuse alleged to have occurred outside the diocese. He also allegedly abused the accuser’s four sisters, at least one as young as age five. The diocese’s investigating committee concluded the charges were credible. He was included in the Michigan Attorney General’s January 8, 2024 report. Because Barrett died in 2006, criminal prosecution is no longer possible, but civil claims against the diocese may still proceed.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal cases are the government’s mechanism for punishing offenders; civil lawsuits are the survivor’s mechanism for recovering damages. The diocese’s credibility finding speaks to the strength of the underlying reports, but it is not a substitute for either proceeding.
Since Father Barrett died in 2006, he is no longer alive for anyone to pursue criminal charges against him. Civil litigation against the Diocese of Gaylord, however, remains a separate path, one that can rely on the diocese’s own conclusion that the allegations were credible.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 sets the civil filing deadline at ten years, or until the victim turns 28, whichever comes later. First-degree criminal sexual conduct carries no statute of limitations in Michigan.
Survivors sometimes wait a lifetime before disclosing abuse, especially when the abuser targeted multiple children in one family. The extended civil deadline exists precisely for these circumstances.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
A diocese that finds abuse allegations credible yet failed to act sooner may be liable for the harm that followed. Survivors can seek damages for counseling and medical expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress, holding the institution accountable even when the priest is gone.
Reach out to White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 or . Consultations are free and confidential, and we only get paid if you do.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.