Profile Facts
- Name
- Rembert D. Badarzynski
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw
- Ordained
- 1949
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 1/3/1997
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Rembert D. Badarzynski, a Franciscan priest ordained in 1949, was publicly named as accused in the Michigan Attorney General’s Diocese of Saginaw report released June 25, 2026. The clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC document the allegations here for survivors who may have encountered him in Saginaw in the late 1950s.
Badarzynski died in 1997, which forecloses criminal prosecution. The Attorney General’s public naming, however, gives survivors an official record to point to when pursuing civil accountability from the diocese.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Saginaw
The Diocese of Saginaw covers Michigan’s midsection and is one of seven dioceses in the state, with the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Marquette. The Attorney General’s Saginaw report, the most recent of the diocesan reports, issued in 2026, named Badarzynski among its accused priests. White Law PLLC serves survivors across Michigan as a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer.
Because the Saginaw report is so recent, survivors who were abused decades ago may only now be learning that their abuser was officially named. It is not too late to ask what that means for your legal options.
The Allegations Against Father Rembert D. Badarzynski
Where He Served
Badarzynski was a member of the Franciscans’ Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province, ordained in 1949. His assignments took him through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mississippi, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Philippines, as well as the Diocese of Saginaw. He died on January 3, 1997.
What Survivors Reported
According to the Michigan Attorney General’s June 25, 2026 Diocese of Saginaw report, the diocese received a report in August 2020 that Badarzynski sexually abused an altar boy, age 11 or 12, at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Saginaw in the late 1950s. With the priest’s death in 1997, criminal charges cannot be filed, but the Attorney General’s naming of Badarzynski provides an authoritative basis for civil claims against the diocese.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal Cases
Only the state can bring criminal charges, which may result in imprisonment. Because Father Badarzynski died in 1997, he is no longer alive for anyone to pursue criminal charges against him.
Civil Lawsuits
Survivors themselves bring civil lawsuits, seeking damages for the harm they suffered. A civil case can name the Diocese of Saginaw as a defendant and draw on the Attorney General’s report as supporting evidence.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 provides that civil sexual abuse lawsuits are timely if filed within ten years or before the victim turns 28, whichever period is longer. Michigan sets no time limit for first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Even when abuse occurred in the 1950s, the analysis is not over until an attorney reviews it. Institutional defendants and extended deadlines can keep claims alive far longer than survivors expect.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
A diocese may be liable when it knew or should have known a priest was abusing children and failed to intervene, whether through poor supervision, inadequate screening, or covering up complaints. Recoverable damages include medical and therapy costs, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
Call White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195. Consultations are free, confidential, and carry no obligation.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.