MI-- College finds priest sexually harassed teenager
For immediate release: Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
A Central Michigan University investigation has found that a priest “engaged in sexual harassment” of a teenager who he had counseled and hired.
http://www.cm-life.com/article/2016/02/priest-investigation
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2016/02/report_lawsuit_filed_against_n.html
The cleric is Father Denis Heames. His boss, Saginaw Bishop Joseph Cistone, refuses to disclose Fr. Heames’ whereabouts.
Fr. Heames was removed from St. Mary's University Parish, after a brave Central Michigan University student, Megan Winans, accused him of sexually exploiting her.
Shame on Fr. Heames for claiming his abuse of Winans was "a relationship between two adults.” And shame on Cistone for letting this deliberately self-serving and hurtful inaccuracy stand unchallenged. These are well-educated men. They know that no Catholic, especially not a teenager, can genuinely ‘consent’ to sex with a man who she’s been led to believe, since birth, is God’s representative on earth and who can forgive her sins and help her achieve eternal life, and a man whose bishop holds him out publicly as being a safe, celibate shepherd.
Let me repeat what SNAP director David Clohessy said about this case a few weeks ago: A Saginaw priest is being sued for sexually exploiting a college student. We applaud her courage while we deplore the secrecy of Saginaw’s bishop.
http://www.cm-life.com/article/2016/02/father-heames-lawsuit
For about two years, Fr. Denis Heames of St. Mary’s University parish manipulated, deceived, hired and supervised a student named Megan Winans. For about a month, Saginaw Bishop Joseph Cistone kept silent about Winans’ lawsuit against church officials, which was filed Jan. 14.
Shame on Fr. Heames for abusing his position of power and trust, as both priest and employer, to prey on a devout, vulnerable student.
Shame on Bishop Cistone for keeping the case quiet for weeks. His secrecy is problematic and wrong because hours and days are crucial in a sex abuse case. Every minute a predator's crimes or misdeeds are kept secret gives him and his allies time to destroy evidence, fabricate alibis, intimidate victims, threaten witnesses and discredit whistleblowers.
We suspect Fr. Heames has hurt other vulnerable students families with similar clerical misconduct. So we urge Bishop Cistone to aggressively reach out to others who may have seen, suspected or suffered Fr. Heames’ hurtful misconduct.
Many know about child molesting Catholic clerics. But few realize priests abusing vulnerable adults is as or more widespread but still deeply hidden. It’s always wrong and hurtful for doctors to have sex with patients, therapists to have sex with clients and ministers to have sex with congregants. That’s especially true in Catholicism, where parishioners are taught, from birth, to respect and trust priests as holy celibate men who can forgive sins and get them into heaven.
In 17 states, it’s a crime for a cleric to have sex with a congregant.
So let no one be misled: this was NOT an “affair.” It was shrewd, subtle, selfish manipulation by a highly educated, cunning predator who took advantage of the prestige afforded by the Roman collar to satisfy himself and exploit a trusting young woman.
We commend Megan Winans for having the wisdom to understand that she’s been severely hurt. We commend her for having the strength to step forward. And we commend her for having the compassion to expose Fr. Heames as a predator so that others might be spared the pain she’s endured.
We hope every single person who saw, suspected or suffered misdeeds by Fr. Heames or cover ups by Bishop Cistone will be inspired by Winans’ courage. We hope every person who has knowledge or suspicions about this betrayal or similar clergy betrayals will come forward, get help, call police, expose wrongdoers, protect others and start healing.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 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]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])
Internal investigation finds priest sexually harassed student
By Sydney Smith | Published 23 hours ago
Before Father Denis Heames was removed from St. Mary's University Parish, the Central Michigan University student he was having an affair with told a faculty member about their relationship.
That conversation launched a sexual harassment investigation through the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity (OCRIE).
Though the office states it “endeavors to issue a determination” within 60 days of formally launching an investigation, its look into Heames’ behavior began in August 2015 and was completed last month.
Heames was named in a lawsuit filed Jan. 14 in Isabella County Court. Heames, along with St. Mary's, the Diocese of Saginaw and his spiritual director, Trudy McCaffrey, are accused . . .
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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