CA--Parish honoring admitted child molester
Parish honoring admitted child molester
He was sued for abuse last year, however
San Gabriel Parish still calls him priest, gives him award
May 25 event will also honor actor Edward James Olmos, others
Victims to Archdioceses: Act now to stop dangerous callous behavior
Victims of child sex abuse wrote a letter today to the Archdioceses of Los Angeles and Chicago and a Chicago-based religious order to express their outrage that a banned priest and admitted child molester is being honored by a local Los Angeles-area parish.
That man, Bruce Wellems, has been banned from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, removed from the priesthood in both Los Angeles and Chicago, and has also been taken out of ministry by the Claretians, a religious order—all for allegations of sexual abuse.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-priest-past-abuse-met-20160102-story.html
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6637ed5e5f59448b9bc88f41fdda7fe2/chicago-based-religious-order-sued-docs-allegations
http://theworthyadversary.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Wellems-Honoring.pdf
(The announcement is on page two of the link)
The letter was written by two members of SNAP, the Survivors Network (SNAPNetwork.org) the nation’s largest support group for men and women sexually abused as children in religious and institutional settings.
Bruce Wellems and the Claretians were sued by Wellems alleged victim, Eric Johnson, in September 2016. As a result of the case, Wellems is not allowed to wear a priest collar, present himself as a priest, or perform any of the functions of a priest.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6637ed5e5f59448b9bc88f41fdda7fe2/chicago-based-religious-order-sued-docs-allegations.
Parishioners at San Gabriel Mission were informed of allegations against Wellems in 2014, when letters written by Claretian officials surfaced, saying that Wellems had been accused of sexual misconduct and banned from Los Angeles.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/social-affairs/20140910/san-gabriel-priests-past-misconduct-detailed-in-letters-called-smoking-gun
“To honor a man like Bruce Wellems is tone deaf and utterly callous,” the letter said. “He’s not allowed to be in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He’s been sued for sexual abuse. He’s admitted to the offenses. He's been taken out of ministry by his religious order. He’s not allowed to act as a priest. Yet, San Gabriel and his fellow Claretians decided to give him an award next to Edward James Olmos. I doubt seriously that anyone wants to share the stage with Wellems knowing his track record of alleged abuse."
The letter asks that the parish and the Claretians rescind the award and write an immediate apology to Wellems’ alleged victim and anyone else who was hurt by this award announcement. The letter also asks for an apology from the Archdioceses of Chicago and Los Angeles and reassurances that reckless and dangerous behavior like this will not happen again.
"Through this entire ordeal,” the letter says, "no one has ever expressed a word of sorrow or remorse for the boy and the family that Bruce Wellems hurt to deeply. How shameful for an organization that claims to care about those who have been so deeply hurt.”
The alleged victim of Bruce Wellems is represented by Chicago attorney Marc Perlman (773) 368-0142.
The letter, sent by email, is attached below.
Contacts:
Joelle Casteix, SNAP Volunteer Western Regional Leader
(949) 322-7434
[email protected]
Barb Dorris, SNAP Managing Director
(314) 503-0003
[email protected]
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
PO Box 56539
Saint Louis MO 63156
Archbishop Jose Gomez
http://theworthyadversary.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Wellems-Honoring.pdf
1. Require San Gabriel Mission and the Build the Dreams Scholarship Fundraiser immediately rescind the award honor for Bruce Wellems2. Require that San Gabriel Mission and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles issue immediate public apologies to Bruce Wellems alleged victim and anyone else who was offended by this insensitive action3. Conduct immediate sexual abuse prevention and sensitivity outreach at San Gabriel Mission, so that the Mission does not honor or protect other admitted
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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