Dallas bishop promoted to El Paso; SNAP’s worried
We are troubled by the promotion of Bishop Seitz from Dallas to El Paso. Seitz comes from a diocese (Dallas) with a disturbing record on children’s safety and from a school (St. John’s University) with an even more disturbing record on children’s safety.
-See BishopAccountability.org and http://www.behindthepinecurtain.com/wordpress/welcome
We hope that Pope Francis will appoint church officials who aren’t so closely tied with institutions that have dismal track records on children’s safety.
We hope Bishop Seitz’ first act in El Paso will be to alert parishioners and the public about former Cathedral High School principal Stephen Furches, who is accused of sexually assaulted an El Paso child in the late 1980s. The lawsuit against Furches has received little public attention. We suspect there are others who were assaulted by Furches who are still suffering in shame, silence and self-blame. Bishop Seitz should aggressively seek them out. He should also emphatically urge anyone who may have knowledge or suspicions about Furches’ crimes to contact law enforcement.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2012/07_08/2012_08_16_Prieskop_CatholicPrincipal.htm
Whenever a Catholic official is promoted, it’s tempting to be hopeful. When it comes to clergy sex crimes and cover ups, often Catholics assume that the new guy will be better than the old guy. But that’s a reckless assumption. Complacency protects no one. Only vigilance protects kids.
So we urge El Paso Catholics to be skeptical about Seitz. We urge them to judge him by his deeds, not his words, and by his performance, not his promises.
And we hope that every single person who witnessed, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and cover ups in El Paso will find the courage and strength to step forward, call police, protect kids, expose corruption and start healing. And we hope they’ll contact secular authorities, not church officials.
To read more: http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/08/16/49365.htm
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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