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February 8, 2004
Dear St Peter's Parishioner: We are survivors (and family members) of clergy sexual abuse. We are working hard to heal from this trauma, and want to reach others who have been similarly victimized but remain trapped in secrecy, silence and shame. A first step in healing is to ensure that the cycle of violence stops with us. We don't want to see anyone suffer as we have. We are here at St Peter's to ask for your help in three ways: 1) If you have any information about sexual abuse at this parish or anywhere else please contact civil authorities. (The phone # for the Kane County prosecutor is: 630 232 3511). Please accept your duty as both a Christian and an American to turn over any information you have to law enforcement. 2) If you know of anyone who has been abused by a religious figure,
please pass this information on to them. If you suspect someone
was abused, please gently and cautiously bring up this subject and
reassure them that recovery IS possible and that you will support
them. 3) Contact Bishop Thomas Doran and ask him to turn over documents regarding sexual abuse to the Kane County Prosecutor. Let him know that you expect him to support law enforcement and to stop the cover-up. Please let him know that you don't expect church authorities to investigate crimes anymore so than you would expect a prosecutor to suggest topics for homilies at church. (Contact Bishop Thomas Doran at : 555 Colman Center Drive, P.O. Box 7044, Rockford, IL 61125) We all know that sexual abuse is devastating to victims and their families. We also know that it is rare for a child molester to stop abusing without some type of intervention. Hundreds, if not thousands, of us who were abused by priests might not have been had church leaders reported crimes when they knew about them. Thank you for your concern, patience and understanding. Please contact us if you have any questions or if we can be of any help. SNAP |
www.snapnetwork.org