Assignment Record– Rev. Kenneth R. Kaucheck

Summary of Case: Kenneth Kaucheck was ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1976. He was assigned to parishes in Clawson, Dearborn, Detroit, and in Troy, where he was appointed pastor. He pastored parishes also in Grosse Pointe, Royal Oak, and Ferndale. Kaucheck served on the Archdiocesan Tribunal for many years and was a Regional Vicar. In January 2009 a woman reported to the archdiocese that Kaucheck had engaged in "sexual misconduct" with her in 1976, when she was 16 years-old and he was her counselor at Guardian Angels parish in Clawson. When a senior priest at Guardian Angels was told of the situation that year, he held a meeting with Kaucheck, the girl and her father and brother. Kaucheck was reassigned. In 2009 the Archdiocesan Review Board deemed the allegation credible, and Kaucheck was placed on leave. In May 2016 it came to light that, along with a nun, Kaucheck co-founded a facility for pregnant teens in 2015. The archdiocese stated that his position there violated the restrictions placed on him in 2009, and that he could be removed under canon law.

Ordained: 1976
Educated: Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit MI; St. John Provincial Seminary, Plymouth MI; St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore MD.; Gregorian University, Rome, Italy. Doctorates in ministry and canon law.

1976

Archdiocese of Detroit

Archbishop was John Francis Dearden (1958-1980).

Clawson

• A woman told the archdiocese in January 2009 that Kaucheck engaged in "sexual misconduct" with her in 1976, when she was 16 years-old and he was her counselor. The girl told the receptionist at Guardian Angels at the time, who reported it to a church deacon. The deacon informed the parish's senior priest. The senior priest held a meeting with Kaucheck and the girl and her father and brother. Kaucheck was reassigned.

Guardian Angels had a school with 449 students.

1980

Dearden was succeeded by Edmund Casimir Szoka (1981-1990).

1990

Adam Joseph Maida replaced Szoka as Detroit archbishop (1990-2009).

2009

Allen Henry Vigneron succeeded Maida (2009-).

Kaucheck was placed on leave in 2009 due to an allegation in January that he had engaged in sexual misconduct in the 1970s with a teenage girl. The Archdiocesan Review Board deemed the allegation credible. Civil authorities were notified.

In 2015, along with a nun, Kaucheck co-founded Gianna House Pregnancy and Parenting Residence, a facility for pregnant teens in Eastpointe MI.

In May 2016 the archdiocese stated that his position was a violation of the restrictions placed on him in 2009, and that he could be removed under canon law.

Kaucheck reportedly has been living at the Jesuit Manresa Retreat House in Bloomfield Hills.

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Source: Official Catholic Directory (Kenedy & Sons, 1977-2014).

• Priest Resigns from Ferndale Church after Sexual Misconduct Accusation, By Cecil Angel, Detroit Free Press, April 24, 2009
• Royal Oak, Ferndale Priest Resigns; Sexual Misconduct Alleged, By Doug Guthrie, Detroit News, April 24, 2009
• Parishioners Told of Abuse Allegation against Priest, By Christy Arboscello, Detroit Free Press, April 25, 2009
• Pastor Resigns Amid Sexual Abuse Allegations, By Jeremy Carroll, C & G, April 27, 2009
• No Charges for Oakland Priest Accused of Sex with Girl, By Cecil Angel, Detroit Free Press, April 28, 2009
• Protestors Claim Clergy Sex Allegations Mishandled, By Oralandar Brand-Williams, The Detroit News, May 4, 2009
• Detroit Archdiocese: Priests and Policy Status Report, By Ned McGrath, Archdiocese of Detroit, October, 2009
• Priest Booted from Church for Sexual Misconduct Heads Agency for Pregnant Teens, ClickonDetroit, May 9, 2016
• Priest Accused of Sex Abuse Finds Work at Teen Pregnancy Center, By Kelly Weill, Daily Beast, May 9, 2016
• Activists Sound the Alarm after Priest Who Was Accused of Assault Is Given Position at Teen Pregnancy Center, By Lindsey Ellefson, Mediaite, May 9, 2016
• Priest Banned for Molesting Girl Gets a New Job As Director of Teen Pregnancy Center, By David Edwards, Raw Story, May 9, 2016
• Priest Banished for Sex Abuse Now Works with Pregnant Teens, By Beth Dalbey, Patch, May 9, 2016
• Archdiocese seeks to remove priest from pregnant-teenager facility, By Jameson Cook, Daily Tribune, April 16, 2016

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Kaucheck's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with the allegations against him, as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegations we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on May 12, 2016.