Profile Facts
- Name
- Stanislaus Bur
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Grand Rapids
- Ordained
- 1950
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 2/1/2009
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Stanislaus Bur, ordained in 1950, drew abuse allegations spanning five decades and two Michigan dioceses, Grand Rapids, where he was ordained, and Saginaw, where he was incardinated in 1971. He was permanently removed from ministry in 2005, ordered to a life of prayer and penance, and died in 2009. The clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC compile the extensive documented record below.
Survivors describe being plied with alcohol at a priest’s cabin, abuse on road trips, and assaults in parish settings. If Bur harmed you, the sheer volume of documented reports may help corroborate your account.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Grand Rapids
Bur’s career crossed two of Michigan’s seven Catholic dioceses, Grand Rapids and Saginaw, which also include the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Gaylord, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Marquette. Both dioceses’ Attorney General reports name him: Grand Rapids in December 2025 and Saginaw in June 2026. White Law PLLC serves as a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer for survivors statewide.
When a priest moves between dioceses, each institution that received complaints shares potential responsibility. Our attorneys investigate every assignment and every file.
The Allegations Against Father Stanislaus Bur
Where He Served
Bur was ordained for the Diocese of Grand Rapids in 1950 and incardinated into the Diocese of Saginaw in 1971. He retired without faculties in 1983, was suspended from active ministry, and in November 2005 was permanently removed and assigned a life of prayer and penance. He died on February 1, 2009.
What Survivors Reported
published diocesan records documents numerous accusations. In 1992, he was accused of molesting an Ionia altar boy in 1958; the Grand Rapids diocese found the allegations credible and paid for the victim’s therapy for years. The Attorney General’s December 2025 Grand Rapids report adds: a 2006 accusation of abusing two boys on a 1967 road trip; a late-2006 report of abuse beginning at age 11 in the late 1950s; a 2007 report of abuse beginning at age 12 or 13 in 1957–58 in Ionia, with the accuser naming four other victims who all became alcoholics. The June 2026 Saginaw report adds: 1972 allegations from two boys, ages 13 and 14, of incidents during overnights at Bur’s cabin where he gave them alcohol, after which he was reassigned; a 2008 report of abuse at ages 8–9 in 1978–80 in Beaver; a 2018 report of abuse at ages 16–18 in the late 1960s including rape; and a 2024 legal claim of fondling a boy in 1973. With his death in 2009, criminal prosecution is no longer possible.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal Cases
Prosecutors bring criminal cases to punish offenders with imprisonment. Father Bur died in 2009, so he is no longer alive for anyone to pursue criminal charges against him.
Civil Lawsuits
Civil lawsuits are the survivor’s own action for damages, and here the record is unusually rich: a diocese that paid for therapy, two Attorney General reports, and a 2024 legal claim. Either the Grand Rapids or Saginaw diocese may be named as a defendant depending on where the abuse occurred.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally allows civil sexual abuse suits within ten years or until the victim turns 28, whichever is later. Michigan imposes no statute of limitations on first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
With allegations spanning the 1950s through the 1970s, survivors may assume time has run out, but institutional defendants, discovery of concealed records, and individual circumstances can change the analysis entirely.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
Dioceses that reassign a priest after cabin-abuse reports, or retire him quietly amid “rumors,” may be liable for every child harmed afterward. Survivors can seek damages for counseling and medical expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
Contact White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 or . Free, confidential consultations, no fee unless we win your case.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.