Honoring and remembering Trish McLelland

“If truth doesn't set you free, generosity of spirit will.”

― Katerina Stoykova Klemer

Trish McLelland has been set free. For decades, she exposed truth. And for her entire life, she personified generosity of spirit.

Already, this hero to our movement is deeply missed.

( Learn more about her here: http://www.dallasnews.com/obituary-headlines/20150107-trish-mclelland-68-who-built-database-of-abusive-clergy-dies.ece#commentsDiv )    

As most of you know, long before the phrase “pedophile priests” or “clergy sex crisis” were common (or even coined), Trish worked tirelessly to help victims and their advocates in very difficult civil abuse and cover up cases. But she didn’t stop there.

As most of you know, there is now on line an incredibly accurate, thorough, user-friendly and helpful data base of more than 4,000 proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics that warns parents, educates parishioners, helps prosecutors and journalists and police and countless others who care about kids. (See BishopAccountability.org)

No one has done more to build, maintain, and expand that crucial list than she did. Countless children are safer as a result.

And she did all of this with a gentleness and warmth that graced her family, friends, co-workers and allies.

Our thoughts are with Trish’s family and with those who worked most closely with her: pioneering and passionate attorneys Tahira Merritt and Sylvia Demarest, and the incredible crew at BishopAccountability.org: Terry, Anne, Suzy, Kathy and Pauline. They are feeling the loss of Trish the most. We wish them well in the tough weeks and months ahead.

But all of us, even those of us who never met or knew about Trish, will also miss her and her dedication and skill. 

In SNAP and in this movement, we value every single person who, in any way, protects kids, reveals wrongdoers, exposes cover ups, reforms laws, supports survivors and prevents crimes. But we especially value those who – like Trish - toil behind the scenes, day in and day out, with little reward for the painstaking work that it takes to expose and deter those who commit and conceal heinous crimes against children.

Thank you Trish. You’ve left an amazing legacy.