Profile Facts
- Name
- Ronald J. Dombrowski
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw
- Ordained
- 1972
- Status
- Accused
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Ronald J. Dombrowski, ordained in 1972, was permanently removed from ministry in 2021 after multiple people accused him of sexually abusing boys on overnight trips, allegations detailed further in the Michigan Attorney General’s 2026 report on the Diocese of Saginaw. Our clergy sexual abuse lawyers compiled the documented accounts here so survivors can see the full pattern that has been reported.
Dombrowski is reported to be living. This page walks through the allegations, the diocese’s response, and the criminal and civil options that may still be available under Michigan law.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Saginaw
The Diocese of Saginaw covers mid-Michigan and stands among the state’s seven Catholic dioceses, Detroit, Gaylord, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, and Saginaw. In June 2026 the Michigan Attorney General released a dedicated report on the Saginaw diocese, part of the statewide clergy-abuse investigation that began in 2018, documenting how allegations against priests like Dombrowski were handled. As a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer, White Law PLLC analyzes each new report for survivors.
Overnight trips with a priest, to Florida, to hotels, to the rectory, created the unsupervised access at the heart of these allegations. If a trip like that is part of your story, an attorney can help document it.
The Allegations Against Father Ronald J. Dombrowski
Where He Served
Published records indicate that Dombrowski was ordained in 1972 for the Diocese of Saginaw. He was suspended on March 15, 2018, after the diocese was contacted by someone claiming sexual abuse as a minor by Dombrowski. In July 2021 the diocese announced his permanent removal from ministry, disclosed that two additional alleged victims had come forward after the initial allegation, with accounts dating to early in his priesthood, and said he would live a life of prayer and penance. He was added to the diocese’s list of credibly accused priests.
What Survivors Reported
The Michigan Attorney General’s June 25, 2026, report on the Diocese of Saginaw details a pattern of allegations centered on overnight trips. In June 2013, a woman told the diocese that when her son was ages 10 to 12 during 1972–1974, Dombrowski would sleep with him and other boys on overnight hotel trips, and that her son said the priest would “hold him during the night like a teddy bear”; the son met with the diocese in March 2018 and said the incidents occurred during a 1975 trip to Florida and included unwanted touching and abuse. Also in March 2018, a woman reported that her two young teenage brothers spent weekends in the rectory with Dombrowski and that one brother said he would wake at night feeling something hard against his back; the brother confirmed Dombrowski slept in bed with him, in the early 1980s when he was in seventh or eighth grade. In June 2018 a man reported that as a boy in the mid-1970s, he and his two brothers were made to cuddle with Dombrowski during trips; in April 2018 another man reported similar behavior toward him and other boys during overnight trips some 40 years earlier. In May 2024 the diocese received a report from an attorney that a man claimed Dombrowski had groomed him as a boy and tried to get him to sleep with him at a hotel during an overnight trip. Dombrowski is reported to be living, so criminal charges may still be possible, and civil claims are available regardless.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
When prosecutors file criminal charges, they seek punishment on behalf of the public. When survivors file civil lawsuits, they seek compensation for what they endured. Each path has its own rules, and a survivor can pursue a civil case whether or not criminal charges are ever filed.
Because Dombrowski is reported to be alive, Michigan authorities could still bring criminal charges, the state sets no time limit for first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Survivors may also file civil claims against Dombrowski or the Diocese of Saginaw, which has acknowledged multiple accusers.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Under Michigan Legislature §600.5805, a survivor generally must file a civil sexual abuse lawsuit within ten years, or before turning 28, whichever is later. There is no statute of limitations for first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Michigan.
Allegations in this case stretch from the early 1970s to 2024, and new accusers are still coming forward. If reading these accounts resonates with your own experience, do not assume your time has expired, have an attorney review your specific circumstances.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
The diocese may be liable where it knew or should have known of Dombrowski’s behavior, for failing to stop the overnight trips, for not acting on early complaints, for covering up what it learned, or for poor screening, training, and supervision. Survivors may recover damages for medical and therapy expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
White Law PLLC is ready to listen. Call (517) 316-1195 for a free, confidential consultation. We charge no fee unless we win your case.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.