MD- Sovereign Grace Ministries abuse trial, SNAP responds
For immediate release: Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790,[email protected])
We are impressed by and grateful for the courage of every victim and witness who testified in the child sex abuse trail against a former member of the Covenant Life Church, Nathaniel Morales. It takes real strength and bravery to take the witness stand in open court against a charming and charismatic spiritual figure.
And we hope that the courage of these men and women will inspire others who saw, suspected or suffered crimes in the Sovereign Grace Ministries (Covenant Life Church is part of) to step forward too. It's never too late to share what you know or believe about child sexual abuse with police, prosecutors and the public.
These insular institutions - in which officials discourage trust in secular authorities and insist on handling crimes internally - won't reform themselves. It takes brave individuals - inside and outside these unhealthy institutions - to speak up if kids are to be safe.
Finally, Morales didn't act alone. Others with Sovereign Grace Ministries are likely complicit in his child sex crimes or child sex crimes by other predators. We hope they will "come clean" about what they know or suspect about abuse, including Mark Prater and C.J. Mahaney and all the rest.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 18,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell,[email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])
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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