Fr. Joseph W. Roach
Ordained in 1948 for the Diocese of Saginaw. Parish priest, pastor, diocesan director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Retired in 1989. Relocated to CA where he continued ministry for the Diocese of San Bernardino. Died 8/9/2015. Named publicly as accused in the MI Attorney General’s 6/25/2026 Diocese of Saginaw Report, which shows that the Diocese received a report in 3/2024 that Roach allegedly molested and raped an 8-year-old girl in 1974. His accuser said that Roach would take her out for ice cream, grope her in the car and show her pornographic pictures. She said that the rape occurred when her grandmother left her at Roach’s house while she went to a hair appointment, and that she (the girl) hid behind the washer and dryer until someone came. Roach also allegedly groomed the girl’s brothers. The Diocesan Review Board determined that there was not enough information to substantiate the allegations.
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