Fr. Michael L. Barnes
Ordained: 1975
Left Priesthood: 1988
Died: 2017
Assignment History
- 1974-1976: St. Michael Overlea (Baltimore, MD)
- 1976-1982: St. Clare (Baltimore, MD)
- 1982-1983: St. Thomas More (Baltimore, MD)
- 1985-1986: St. Pius X (Baltimore, MD)
- 1988: St. Mary (Cumberland, MD)
Summary of Abuse Allegations Against Father Michael L. Barnes
Father Michael L. Barnes was a Catholic priest who worked in multiple parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland. In March of 2009, the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced that it had learned of an allegation of sexual abuse against Father Barnes, who left the priesthood in 1988. Barnes was sentenced in Worcester County Circuit Court to six months in prison upon being found guilty following his Alford Plea to one count of Child Abuse-Custodian related to an allegation that he sexually abused a minor from 1977 to 1983.
According to media reports, a Baltimore man filed a lawsuit in 2009 in Delaware, alleging that Father Michael L. Barnes abused him while he was a minor at the St. Clare School. The lawsuit states the church was aware of Barnes' history, which included several other molestation claims. At the time of the lawsuit, Barnes, who left the priesthood in 1988, was employed by the Archdiocese of Washington as lay director of adult faith formation at a Rockville church. According to the lawsuit, the abuse began in 1977, when the victim was 12 years old, and lasted five years. The documents stated that the abuse took place in Rehoboth Beach and Fenwick Island, Delaware. The victim told the court that Barnes gave him alcohol and pornography, engaged in mutual masturbation with him, and performed oral sex on him. Barnes died in 2017.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Maryland, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse nationwide. We can help. Contact us at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today.