Profile Facts
- Name
- Thomas G. Lapine
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Kalamazoo
- Order
- CSC
- Ordained
- 1949
- Status
- Accused
- Died
- 6/17/1994
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Allegations of sexual abuse by clergy surface years, sometimes decades, after the harm occurred. If you or someone you love was hurt by Father Thomas G. Lapine, the clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC can explain your legal options in a confidential consultation.
This page summarizes the reported accusation against Father Lapine, a Holy Cross priest who served as a hospital chaplain in Kalamazoo and died in 1994. According to published records, he was included in the Michigan Attorney General’s May 2024 report on the Diocese of Kalamazoo after a man reported that Lapine sexually abused him as a fifth-grader in 1973. Because Father Lapine is deceased, criminal prosecution is not possible, but civil claims may remain available.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Kalamazoo
The Diocese of Kalamazoo is one of seven dioceses in Michigan, along with the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Saginaw, Marquette, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Gaylord. The Attorney General’s clergy abuse investigation, launched in 2018, released its Kalamazoo report in May 2024, documenting allegations against priests including Father Lapine. A Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer can help survivors understand how the report’s findings relate to a civil claim.
Lapine served as chaplain at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo from 1969 to 1981. Hospital chaplains, like parish priests, hold positions of profound trust, and institutions that place them in those roles must answer for how they supervised them.
The Allegations Against Father Thomas G. Lapine
Ministry Across Several States
Published records indicate that Thomas G. Lapine, a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross (CSC), was ordained in 1949. He worked from 1944 to 1964 in Oregon at Columbia Preparatory School and the University of Portland, then served as a hospital chaplain in various places from 1964 to 1984, including St. Joseph’s in Mishawaka, Indiana. He was chaplain at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 1969 to 1981, retired in 1992, and died on June 17, 1994, at Moreau Seminary in Notre Dame, Indiana.
The 2016 Report
Father Lapine was included in the Michigan Attorney General’s May 2024 report on the Diocese of Kalamazoo. In 2016, a man reported to the diocese that Lapine sexually abused him as a fifth-grader in 1973 at St. Mary School. This is an accusation, reported more than four decades after the alleged abuse. Survivors of abuse in Catholic schools and hospitals should know that civil claims can target the institutions involved, not only the individual priest.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Two legal paths can follow clergy abuse, and they serve different ends. A criminal prosecution is filed by the state, must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and seeks to punish. A civil lawsuit is filed by the survivor, must prove the claim by a preponderance of the evidence, and seeks compensation. Father Lapine’s death means only the civil path is open.
Criminal Cases
Criminal cases are brought by prosecutors to punish offenders. They cannot proceed against a deceased person and they award nothing to survivors.
Civil Lawsuits
Civil lawsuits allow survivors to pursue damages from the abuser’s estate and from the diocese or religious order. Where a priest moved between schools, hospitals, and states over a long career, each institution that employed him may face questions about what it knew and what it did.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Under Michigan Legislature §600.5805, civil sexual abuse lawsuits generally must be filed within ten years of the abuse or before the survivor turns 28, whichever is later. Michigan law sets no time limit for first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges.
A survivor who was in fifth grade in 1973 understandably may not have reported until decades later. Childhood trauma, shame, and the passage of time all work against prompt disclosure. Whether a claim from that era can still proceed depends on the facts, and an attorney’s review is the only reliable way to find out.
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 abuser’s estate and against the diocese, religious order, or other institutions where leaders knew or should have known of the abuse, failed to prevent it, covered it up, or failed to properly screen, train, and supervise clergy.
For a confidential discussion of your legal options, reach White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 or stop by the office at .
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.