Former Priest Pleads Guilty in Sexual Assault Case

A former Lansing Diocese Catholic priest has pleaded guilty in a sexual assault case more than ten years old.

84-year-old Vincent Delorenzo, formerly of Flint, pleaded guilty to one count of first degree attempted criminal sexual conduct. Delorenzo was accused of assaulting a five-year-old boy in 1987 following a service he officiated for the boy’s deceased family member. Several other sexual assault charges were dropped from alleged conduct between 1995-2000 at Holy Redeemer School and Church.

Delorenzo was arrested in 2019 in Florida. Michigan’s statute of limitations in the case is tolled when a defendant leaves the state for any reason within the statute of limitations and resumes if and when the defendant returns to the state. His sentencing will take place June 13. He is among the first priests charged by the Michigan Attorney General’s office in May 2019.