Fr. Jack Baker Arrested in Michigan, SNAP Applauds AG Investigation
For the sixth time in three months, Michigan’s top law enforcement professional has charged a priest with child sex crimes. She predicts more arrests will be made before her investigation is completed.
We are grateful to AG Dana Nessel and her team for their dedication to investigating cases of clergy sex abuse and cover-up, including this one against Fr. Joseph “Jack” Baker. Children and vulnerable adults are safer because of her courage, as well as the bravery of Michigan victims who have come forward to aid in this investigation and who continue to cooperate with secular officials.
There is no doubt in our mind that attorneys general in most other states could be just as successful at uncovering and prosecuting crimes if they were as determined as AG Nessel. She and her staff spend weekends volunteering to comb through church abuse records. We applaud all of them and hope their example inspires other AGs throughout the country.
For a long time, cases of clergy abuse in Michigan have been stymied and survivors have been denied the chance to expose abusive clergy and complicit church officials in court, thanks to the state’s outdated statute of limitations for filing civil suits for child sex abuse. We hope that legislators in Michigan will take a cue from AG Nessel and use their power to help protect children and support survivors by taking up the issue of SOL reform.
We urge anyone who may have any information or suspicions – whether about Fr. Baker or any other church official – to make a report to police, prosecutors and the attorney general’s office so that communities will be safeguarded and the truth will be revealed.
CONTACT: Jeanne Hunton, SNAP Michigan (586-804-3654, [email protected]), Zach Hiner, Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
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