(8/1/2019) - The Catholic Church assigned Vincent DeLorenzo to seven churches in Michigan throughout his 37 years of ministry.

In mid-Michigan, he served as pastor at St. Pius X (Flint Township), St. Robert's (Flushing) and Holy Redeemer (Burton). The Diocese of Lansing reports so far, eight people have come forward alleging abuse against DeLorenzo.

His arrest in May prompted a now-50-year-old mid-Michigan man to share his story publicly for the first time. He has asked his identity be concealed.

“I remember being home that night and just being in my bed and crying. And feeling the worst feeling I've ever had in my life. Thought for sure my life would end in suicide, just because there seemed no way out,” the man shared.

The details are painful. The trauma is still very real.

More than 30 years ago, the man said former priest Vicent DeLorenzo sexually abused him in the rectory at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Flint Township.

“He directed me to a corner of the room. And, I approached him and then, he said something to me ; and I was trying to understand what he was saying, and he grabbed my belt and pulled me forward, in a very abrupt manner,” he said.

It’s a chilling memory he’s repressed for years.

“He says something about burning in hell with the devil,” he continued. “I know at some point he laughed at me. I don't know about what. That has been the most difficult part for me.”

It’s a laugh that would haunt him, now at age 50, looking at DeLorenzo’s mugshot after he was arrested earlier this year.

“Because he was smiling. You know, and of course I remember the laughing and the mocking,” he explained.

DeLorenzo’s arrest is not connected to this man’s alleged abuse, but another's. That man attended Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Burton.

Court records show between 1995 to 2000, when the man was just 5 or 6-years-old, DeLorenzo sexually abused him multiple times.

“Unfortunately, those clergy were hiding in plain sight, purporting to comfort their parishioners, hearing their confessions and taking advantage of their position of faith and authority. And today, we begin holding those clergy accountable,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said, announcing charges against the former catholic priest on May 24th.

Delorenzo is charged with three counts of 1st degree criminal sexual conduct and three counts of 2nd degree criminal sexual conduct.

The former priest actually admitted in 2002 to sexually abusing a young boy in the 1980s. The church placed him on ‘restricted ministry,’ allowing him to remain within the catholic church.

The AG said the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office did investigate, she’s not sure why charges weren’t sought.

It wasn't until nearly a decade later, on the man's 40th birthday, that he said he would fully understand that he too was a victim.

“About a year after I started therapy, I went to an attorney and - a very good attorney - and, I wanted to see if I could still file a lawsuit. And; I couldn't. The claim would be time barred criminally and civilly,” he explained.

So instead, he asked the Catholic Church to cover the cost of his therapy sessions.

His attorney wrote a letter to the Bishop at the time, dated November 15, 2013, it included a letter from the man’s therapist, a copy of his bills, as well as a detailed description of the abuse.

“They asked that I meet with a victim assistance coordinator, a social worker,” he said. “She asked a lot of questions and listened to me and immediately approved benefits.”

He added she also told him she was a mandatory reporter, which explains the letter the Diocese of Lansing sent to the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office the following week.

It was addressed to Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Randall Petrides.

Now, at that time, the man chose not to go to police. And he said, a while later, when he did feel comfortable sharing what happened, he considered calling police,”But then, I thought well no, the police would have my complaint. Nobody had reached out to me from the Prosecutor's Office, nobody had called me. So I just assumed, they didn't need anything from me.”

He assumed the Prosecutor’s Office would’ve passed his letter on to the Flint Township Police Department.

But back in May, the man was reading a Detroit News article where it's written that the only complaints the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office has received regarding DeLorenzo are from March 2018 and January 2019.

“I had to read that several times wondering where was the notice that was sent in 2013,” he said.

The man called the Prosecutor’s Office and spoke to Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor, John Potbury, who went looking.

Potbury said he found a file with several letters from the Diocese in the Office’s administrative storage unit in the McCree building in Downtown Flint.

“This has been like being abused all over again. I'm much stronger than I was before,” he said. “After this happened, I was waking up with the light on. Again, I was afraid.”

He believes this was a cover up by the Prosecutor's Office, adding the Diocese told him they never received a response from Petrides regarding their letter.

“I think that this is something that law enforcement should have had,” he added.

“The letter was addressed to our former Chief Assistant, who is no longer here. And, his files were kept for future use as we may deem appropriate. But, there was nothing to be done with this letter,” Potbury explained.

Petrides echoed his response when we spoke over the phone.

And he agreed with Potbury, that specific to this victim's case, the man didn't want to and couldn't seek criminal charges because of the statute of limitations. Too much time had passed.

“Were we to then turn this information over to police, would violate his privacy and his wishes,” Potbury added.

Not to mention, he said, it's not the Prosecutor's Office's job to investigate.

But as a result of finding the stack of letters in a file in storage and speaking to the Diocese, Potbury has developed a table of all complaints linked to catholic clergy in Genesee County.

“The extent of it was a bit of a surprise to me because we didn't have any police investigations brought to us,” Potbury said. “There were no criminal warrant requests submitted to us. I was not aware of all of these cases until I looked into it.”

Which is why, Potbury said, the letters were initially put away in the file and not looked at again.

“The protocol would be to put it in a file and keep it, if it were ever needed in the future.

And they are. A source close to the DeLorenzo criminal case currently in the courts shared this victim is expected to be called as a witness.

So, even though a criminal complaint was never filed, under the Michigan Rules of Evidence, similar acts evidence is allowed -- meaning he can testify.

“If I could help corroborate another survivor's account and that survivor had an actual claim that cold be prosecuted, that would make me feel very good. I'm very motivated to do that, if I can,” he added.

If you believe you’re a victim of abuse at the hands of a Catholic clergy member, you're urged to call the Attorney General's Office at 844-324-3374 or email aginvestigations@michigan.gov.

In a statement, DeLorenzo's defense attorney, Mike Manley, said in part, “... These are new allegations that Mr. DeLorenzo vehemently denies. The facts will be presented to a jury. If the prosecution proves its case, he will be held accountable. If not, he and his accusers will have had their day in Court. Either way, due process and the rule of law will prevail.”