Profile Facts
- Name
- Richard Van Lente
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Grand Rapids
- Ordained
- 1966
- Status
- Accused
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Reports of sexual misconduct by a parish priest can leave survivors and their families searching for answers. The clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC help Michigan survivors understand their rights and take action.
This page summarizes the reported allegations against Father Richard Van Lente, a priest of the Diocese of Grand Rapids who retired with restrictions in 2006. According to published diocesan records and the Michigan Attorney General’s December 2025 Grand Rapids report, multiple women reported sexual misconduct by Van Lente, including advances toward teenage girls. These are accusations. Survivors may discuss civil options with White Law PLLC confidentially.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Grand Rapids
The Diocese of Grand Rapids is one of seven dioceses in Michigan, along with the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Saginaw, Marquette, Lansing, Gaylord, and Kalamazoo. The Attorney General’s investigation, begun in 2018, released its Grand Rapids report in December 2025, describing reports about Father Van Lente dating back to the 1960s. A Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can help survivors understand how decades of documented complaints may support a civil lawsuit.
Van Lente served at St. Patrick’s Parish in Portland. After reports in 1985, he was sent for evaluation and ordered to avoid unsupervised contact with adolescent females, yet he remained in ministry for two more decades.
The Allegations Against Father Richard Van Lente
Reports Spanning Decades
Published records indicate that Richard Van Lente was ordained in 1966. According to the Michigan Attorney General’s December 2025 Diocese of Grand Rapids report, four women from St. Patrick’s Parish in Portland reported sexual misconduct by Van Lente to the diocese in 1985, including sexual harassment and exposure of his genitals. In February 1993, a woman told the diocese that when she was a teenager in the late 1960s, Van Lente twice made sexual advances toward her, first when she was in seventh or eighth grade and again toward the end of high school.
Evaluation and Restricted Retirement
Van Lente was sent to St. Luke Institute for evaluation and ordered by the bishop to avoid unsupervised contact with adolescent females. He retired with restrictions in September 2006. These are accusations, but the diocese’s own documented response, ordering restrictions while keeping him in ministry, can be significant evidence in a civil case about institutional negligence.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Two legal systems may respond to clergy misconduct, and they work differently. A criminal prosecution is filed by the state, requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and seeks punishment. A civil lawsuit is filed by the survivor, requires proof by a preponderance of the evidence, and seeks compensation.
Criminal Cases
Criminal charges are brought at prosecutors’ discretion. Many reports of clergy sexual misconduct never become criminal cases, especially when they surface years after the events.
Civil Lawsuits
Civil lawsuits allow survivors to seek damages from the priest and the diocese. Where a diocese documented misconduct, imposed restrictions, and still left a priest in ministry, those facts can strongly support a claim of institutional negligence.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Under §600.5805 of Michigan law, survivors generally must file civil sexual abuse claims within ten years of the abuse or before turning 28, whichever gives them more time. Michigan places no deadline on first-degree criminal sexual conduct prosecutions.
Survivors who were teenagers in the 1960s through the 1980s often did not report for decades. Fear, shame, and the authority of priests in Catholic parishes kept many silent. Whether a claim from that era remains viable depends on the facts, and an attorney can give an honest assessment.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
Civil damages may include the cost of therapy and medical treatment, as well as compensation for pain and suffering and emotional distress. Claims can be brought against the priest and against the diocese or institution where officials knew or should have known of the misconduct, failed to prevent it, covered it up, or failed to properly screen, train, and supervise clergy.
Michigan survivors of clergy sexual abuse are invited to contact White Law PLLC for a confidential consultation. Call (517) 316-1195.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.