Profile Facts
- Name
- Raymond John Pilarski
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Gaylord
- Ordained
- 1955
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 10/19/2017
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
When a priest abuses the trust placed in him, the betrayal cuts especially deep. The clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC help Michigan survivors confront that betrayal in court, seeking both compensation and institutional accountability.
Father Raymond John Pilarski was ordained in 1955 and served in northern Michigan for decades before being permanently removed from ministry in 2006 over allegations of sexual abuse. Attorney General reports later documented allegations spanning from the 1950s onward. This page summarizes the record and survivors’ legal options.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Gaylord
The Diocese of Gaylord covers northeastern Michigan as one of the state’s seven Catholic dioceses, alongside the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Dioceses of Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Marquette. The Michigan Attorney General’s statewide clergy-abuse investigation, launched in 2018, released its Gaylord report in January 2024, documenting allegations against Pilarski and others.
Working with a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer allows survivors to turn official findings like these into the evidentiary backbone of a civil lawsuit.
The Allegations Against Father Raymond John Pilarski
Removal From Ministry
Published records indicate that Pilarski was ordained for the Saginaw diocese and became a priest of the Gaylord diocese when it was created in 1971. He retired in 1998. In February 2007, the diocese announced that Pilarski had been permanently removed from ministry in 2006 due to allegations that he abused a 13-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman, both in the mid-1970s. The Vatican agreed with the decision to remove him permanently. He died on October 19, 2017 in Alpena, Michigan, and his name appeared on the diocese’s list on November 10, 2018 and on the Saginaw diocese’s list on April 10, 2019.
Decades of Allegations
The Michigan Attorney General’s January 8, 2024 Diocese of Gaylord report documented multiple allegations of the sexual abuse of girls and adult women, occurring as early as the 1950s and continuing for decades. The Attorney General’s June 25, 2026 Diocese of Saginaw Report further revealed reports that Pilarski sexually abused three teenage girls and a 23-year-old woman during the 1960s. Because Pilarski died in 2017, criminal charges can no longer be filed, but civil claims against his estate or the dioceses that supervised him remain available.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal prosecution belongs to the state and can send an offender to prison. Civil litigation belongs to the survivor and can secure financial recovery for injuries, treatment costs, and suffering. These remedies are independent: a civil case does not need a criminal conviction, or even criminal charges, to move forward.
Dioceses can face civil liability when their leaders were aware of abusive behavior, or should have been, and failed to prevent it, hid reports, or did not properly screen and train priests.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan law (MCL §600.5805) provides survivors with ten years, or until age 28, whichever is later, to file a civil sexual abuse claim. No statute of limitations applies to first-degree criminal sexual conduct. The extended civil period recognizes that trauma and memory suppression often delay reporting by many years.
Survivors should still act promptly, since exceptions and individual circumstances can affect the deadline.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
Michigan survivors harmed by Father Raymond John Pilarski or any other clergy member may recover compensation for medical and therapy expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. A civil lawsuit also creates a public record of what happened, making it harder for institutions to look away. White Law PLLC will fight for both forms of justice on your behalf.
Call (517) 316-1195 for a confidential case review,.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.