Former Westland, Canton Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse to Appear in Court
By Susan Vela
Patrick Casey, a former priest in Canton and Westland, returns to court on Thursday because of apparent sexual conduct during another man’s confession. A preliminary examination is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. in 18th District Court. Casey, 55, faces a felony charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. According to an affidavit, he engaged in sexual acts, including oral sex, with a man in his 20s whom he was counseling during confession at the now-closed church. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel named Casey as one of five men once priests charged with 21 counts of criminal sexual conduct in May. He faces 15 years in prison if convicted. According to an affidavit, Case became an ordained priest in 1997. He served as pastor of the St Thomas a’Becket Catholic parish in Canton before moving to St. Theodore of Canterbury in Westland in August 2012. A 24-year-old man had reached out to Casey while he was at St. Thomas’ for spiritual guidance. Casey invited him to a meeting, where the other man told him he was gay. They continued to meet and communicate during the following months for discussions “on a wide range of moral, theological and spiritual topics regarding the teachings of the Catholic Church.” The 24-year-old man was enrolled at St. Thomas a’Becket’s “Right of Christian Initiation for Adults.” He sought confession at the Canton church but a pastor said no because the man had not completed this religious instruction. The man emailed Casey, explaining that he was in great emotional turmoil. He asked to speak with Casey, even if it was just a phone conversation.
Casey agreed to meet a few days later, on Jan. 17, 2013, at his St. Theodore office. During that meeting, the 24-year-old asked if he could give confession. “John Doe proceeded to tell Casey that he wanted to kill himself and that a voice was telling him that it would be better if he was dead,” the affidavit reads. He also confessed to trying to commit suicide several weeks earlier. Casey, dressed in black clerical garb, apparently steered the conversation toward sex, “telling him that he could not have a gay relationship and go to heaven.” Casey said that he was also gay and shared a suicidal story of his own. During the man’s confession, Casey approached the man, told him to stand up, and began massaging his genitalia and performing oral sex on the 24-year-old. The man later told Catholic Church officials about the incident. The Archdiocese of Detroit began a formal investigation, which included an interview with Casey. Casey admitted that the sexual acts occurred. Officials recommended that Casey be dismissed from the clerical state. On Aug. 1, 2018, the Archdiocese agreed with the recommendation. They found that Casey “took advantage of someone who was vulnerable,” explaining that “[a] confessor, who should be a father, teacher and doctor … cannot become a wolf who pulls sheep down and scatters them. Reverend Casey’s actions were predatory; he became a wolf.” Casey already has been arraigned in court and has declined to comment. St. Theodore of Canterbury merged with St. Damian and Divine Savior churches, also in Westland, in 2016 to form the St. Mary, Cause of Our Joy Catholic Church, 8200 N. Wayne Road. Bishop Gerard Battersby visited the church soon after Nessel made her announcement. “We would like to thank Bishop Gerard Battersby for coming to speak at all of our Masses this weekend,” a Facebook post reads. “Our parishioners are thankful for the prayers and support that were offered to help them begin to heal and move past these difficulties." Contact Susan Vela at svela@hometownlife.com or 248-303-8432. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.