Father Timothy Crowley: Clergy Sexual Predator Profile

Father Timothy Crowley was ordained as a priest at Holy Cross Parish in Lansing, MI, in 1976. He was later transferred to Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Flint and then to Saint Mary, Star of the Sea in Jackson. 

While serving at Saint Mary’s in Lansing in 1982, Father Crowley began abusing a 10-year-old altar boy. Under Father Crowley’s guidance and supervision, the altar boy spent some nights at the rectory, where Father Crowley performed oral sex on him. Afterward, Father Crowley threatened to kill the boy if he told anyone. This abuse continued through Father Crowley’s appointments as pastor at Saint Anthony Church in Hillsdale (1984-1987) and Saint Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor (1987-1993).

In 1993, the Diocese of Lansing entered a secret settlement agreement with the boy’s family for $200,000. In exchange, the boy was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and Father Crowley was removed from the Lansing ministry.

After leaving Michigan in 1995, Father Crowley was eventually appointed chancellor for the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska—despite warnings from the Lansing diocese about Father Crowley’s history.

A few years later, in 2002, the Anchorage diocese defrocked him and reported Father Crowley to the Washtenaw County’s prosecutor’s office. In 2019, Father Crowley was charged with four counts of first-degree and four counts of second-degree sexual criminal conduct in the Washtenaw County District Court.

At Sommers Schwartz, personal injury attorneys Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller, Matthew Curtis, and Jay Yasso are fighting for sexual abuse survivors. Our firm has recovered millions from high-profile predators such as Dr. Larry Nassar—Michigan State University and USAG team physician—and Dr. Robert Anderson, who sexually abused students, athletes, and other patients for over thirty-five years at the University of Michigan.

Today, we want to fight for you, too.

If Father Crowley or another ecclesiastical leader has sexually abused you, don’t wait. Contact Sommers Schwartz for a free consultation and let our experienced attorneys help pursue your case with the compassion, empathy, and sensitivity your story deserves.