Profile Facts
- Name
- Roman Ament
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit
- Order
- OFM Cap
- Ordained
- 1934
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 1/12/1984
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Roman Ament was a Capuchin friar, ordained in 1934, whose ministry carried him across the United States and overseas as a missionary. In January 2019, his own religious province publicly named him as a friar with confirmed allegations of sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable adults. The clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC maintain this profile for Michigan survivors seeking answers.
Ament died in 1984, so no criminal case can be brought against him personally. His religious order, however, has acknowledged the allegations, and that acknowledgment can matter a great deal in a civil claim.
Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Detroit
Michigan’s Catholic landscape comprises seven dioceses: the Archdiocese of Detroit plus the dioceses of Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, and Saginaw. When the Michigan Attorney General opened its clergy abuse investigation in 2018, it examined files from every one of them. As a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer, White Law PLLC uses the investigation’s published reports to support survivors’ claims.
Religious-order priests like Ament often moved between dioceses and even countries, which can make tracing their assignments difficult. Our attorneys know how to follow that paper trail and identify every institution that may bear responsibility.
The Allegations Against Father Roman Ament
Where He Served
Per published records, Ament worked in numerous U.S. states, including Michigan, Indiana, New York, Wisconsin, and Arizona. He also served as a missionary in Nicaragua and Saudi Arabia, and possibly other countries. He was ordained in 1934 and died in Arizona on January 12, 1984.
What Has Been Reported
In January 2019, the St. Joseph Province Capuchins published a list of friars with what it described as confirmed allegations of sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable adults, and Ament’s name was on it. Because he died in 1984, criminal prosecution is off the table. But the order’s own public acknowledgment of confirmed allegations may support civil claims by survivors abused during his assignments.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal and civil cases serve different purposes. A criminal prosecution, brought by the state, seeks punishment. A civil lawsuit, brought by the survivor, seeks compensation for medical treatment, lost opportunities, and the human cost of abuse.
Father Ament died in 1984, so he is no longer alive for anyone to pursue criminal charges against him. Civil claims, by contrast, can be directed at the religious order or diocese whose decisions placed him near children, and those institutions are still here to answer.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 sets the civil deadline for sexual abuse lawsuits at ten years, or until the victim reaches age 28, whichever is later. For first-degree criminal sexual conduct, Michigan law sets no deadline at all.
Survivors often need decades before they can speak about what happened; trauma and memory suppression are well documented. Never assume too much time has passed without having an attorney evaluate your specific dates.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
A religious order or diocese may be liable if it knew or should have known a friar was dangerous, failed to supervise or screen him, or quietly transferred him instead of warning anyone. Available damages can include the cost of medical and psychological care, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
Reach White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 or visit us at . The consultation costs nothing, and we advance all case expenses, you pay only if we secure compensation for you.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.