Profile Facts
- Name
- Robert J. Monroe
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Marquette
- Ordained
- 1938
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 9/16/1980
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Robert J. Monroe was accused of sexually abusing very young children in Sault Ste. Marie in the 1960s, and a diocesan review board validated the claims. White Law PLLC’s clergy sexual abuse lawyers prepared this profile from the public record.
One survivor was only four years old when the reported abuse began. Survivors of abuse at such a young age often struggle the most to come forward, and our attorneys will meet that courage with patience and care.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Marquette
Monroe served in the Diocese of Marquette, which covers the Upper Peninsula and is one of Michigan’s seven dioceses, alongside the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Lansing, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Gaylord, and Kalamazoo. The Michigan Attorney General’s October 2022 report on the Diocese of Marquette documented the allegations against him.
When a review board validates claims, that finding can strengthen a survivor’s position considerably. A Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can explain how to use the documented record in a civil case.
The Allegations Against Father Robert J. Monroe
Abuse Reported at St. Mary’s
According to published records, which summarizes the Attorney General’s October 2022 Marquette report, a man reported to the diocese in June 2002 that Monroe, ordained in 1938, had sexually abused him and other boys in the mid-1960s at St. Mary’s in Sault Ste. Marie, when he was ages 5 to 7.
A Mother’s Report and Validated Claims
In 2005, a woman reported that Monroe had sexually abused her multiple times at age 4 in 1968 and 1969. Her mother allegedly caught him in the act and told Bishop Salatka in early 1969. The woman said a friend told her in sixth grade that the priest had similarly abused her. The diocesan Review Board validated the claims. In 2018, a 48-year-old woman reported that Monroe abused her when she was 10 at Nativity Parish in Sault Ste. Marie. Monroe died on September 16, 1980.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Father Monroe died in 1980, so criminal charges are long since impossible. More than four decades have passed since his death.
Civil claims do not require a living abuser. Survivors may sue the diocese, and here the record includes a mother’s contemporaneous report to the bishop and a review board’s validation, facts that can powerfully support a claim of institutional failure.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally requires civil sexual abuse claims within ten years of the abuse or before the survivor turns 28, whichever is later. Michigan sets no time limit for first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges.
Abuse of very young children in the 1960s presents the hardest timing questions in this area of law. Survivors should still seek counsel, because the analysis turns on individual facts and a changing legal landscape.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
If Father Monroe abused you or your child, call White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 for a free, confidential consultation. We are located at .
We understand how difficult these cases are, especially when the abuse happened in early childhood. We will handle your story with exceptional care.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.