Profile Facts
- Name
- Vincent W. Bryce
- Role
- Priest
- Diocese
- Diocese of Grand Rapids
- Order
- OP
- Ordained
- 1957
- Status
- Accused
- Records
- Diocesan and public records
Father Vincent W. Bryce, a Dominican friar ordained in 1957, admitted to sexually abusing a boy, an admission that led to his immediate removal from his Grand Rapids assignment in 2002. He was later named in the Illinois Attorney General’s 2023 report on clergy abuse. The clergy sexual abuse lawyers at White Law PLLC document his case here.
An admission of abuse is powerful evidence. Survivors harmed by Bryce should know that his own acknowledgment, combined with two attorneys general’s reports, provides a strong foundation for civil claims.
Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is one of Michigan’s seven Catholic dioceses, alongside the Archdiocese of Detroit and the dioceses of Gaylord, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, and Saginaw. Bryce worked in the Grand Rapids diocese when the complaint reached the Dominicans’ Chicago office in 2002. White Law PLLC represents survivors statewide as a Michigan clergy sexual abuse lawyer.
Religious-order priests answer to both their order and the local diocese, creating overlapping lines of responsibility. Civil cases can pursue both, and both may carry insurance and assets to compensate survivors.
The Allegations Against Father Vincent W. Bryce
Where He Served
Bryce was a Dominican (OP) ordained in 1957. When a complaint arrived in April 2002, he was working in the Diocese of Grand Rapids; he was immediately removed from his assignment and returned to the order’s headquarters. Church directories later placed him at St. Dominic Priory in St. Louis from 2003 through at least 2017. He died in 2023.
What Was Reported
According to published records, a man accused Bryce in April 2002 of abusing him as a boy around 1977. The complaint went to the Dominicans’ Chicago office, which notified Grand Rapids. Bryce admitted to the abuse, which occurred in another state, later identified by the order’s St. Albert the Great Province as St. Vincent Ferrer in River Forest, Illinois, in the early 1970s. He was included on the Chicago archdiocese’s list in October 2022 and in the Illinois Attorney General’s May 23, 2023 report, which notes one reported survivor. With his death in 2023, criminal prosecution is no longer possible.
Criminal vs. Civil Sexual Abuse Cases
Criminal Cases
Criminal prosecutions seek imprisonment and are filed by the state. Father Bryce died in 2023, so he is no longer alive for anyone to pursue criminal charges against him.
Civil Lawsuits
Civil lawsuits seek compensation for survivors and can name the religious order, the diocese, or both. Bryce’s admission of abuse gives such claims an unusually strong evidentiary starting point.
Statute of Limitations on Clergy Sexual Abuse Cases in Michigan
Michigan Legislature §600.5805 generally allows civil sexual abuse claims within ten years or until the victim turns 28, whichever is later. Michigan sets no statute of limitations for first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Because Bryce’s abuse occurred outside Michigan, survivors may have claims under more than one state’s laws, a complexity that makes early attorney involvement especially valuable.
View All Accused Clergy in Michigan
Pursue Justice With Help From White Law PLLC
A religious order that receives an abuse admission yet simply rehouses the friar may be liable for failing to protect the public. Survivors can pursue damages for therapy and medical expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
Call White Law PLLC at (517) 316-1195 for a free, confidential consultation. We advance all costs and charge no fee unless we win.
Profiles summarize published records and allegations. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding.