MI--Victims want nuns disciplined & action by archbishop
For immediate release: Monday, May 9, 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])
Catholic officials should demote and discipline two nuns who are letting a suspended Detroit predator priest work at a center for teenagers. And Detroit’s archbishop should stop pretending to be powerless and discipline the priest harshly while warning the public about him vigorously.
Fr. Kenneth Kauchek was temporarily ousted because he molested a girl. He now works for Gianna House Pregnancy and Parenting Residence, a Catholic-run group that reportedly helps girls. http://www.dailytribune.com/article/DT/20160416/NEWS/160419643
This is a stunningly irresponsible move. Those responsible should be demoted and punished for putting youngsters in harm’s way.
In 2009, Fr. Kaucheck was removed from Guardian Angels parish in Clawson because of credible allegations he had molested a girl.
Sister Mary Diane Masson is Gianna’s co-founder. Sr. Theresa Mayrand is on the board. Both are recklessly endangering kids. Demoting them would deter such recklessness in the future. Doing nothing will encourage such recklessness in the future.
But the one person who could and should move immediately to protect kids, warn parents and discipline wrongdoers is Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron.
As best we can tell, Vigneron evidently told few or no parishioners where Kaucheck was which, we believe, is a violation of church policies and Vigneron’s repeated pledges to be “open and transparent” in clergy sex cases.
Vigneron claims he’s asking the Vatican’s help in ousting Fr. Kaucheck from the non-profit. He’s being deceptive, as is his public relations staffer, Joe Kohn.
Both men know the church is a monarchy, that priests swear to obey their bishops, and that it’s simple, cheap and easy for church officials to protect kids from Fr. Kaucheck.
All they need to do is use the dozens of Detroit church websites and bulletins to warn families about Fr. Kaucheck. Vigneron should insist that every priest announce from the pulpit next Sunday what Fr. Kaucheck has done and where Fr. Kaucheck is. That’s a sure fire, immediate way to make it harder for him to assault another girl.
Kohn and Vigneron can also threaten Fr. Kaucheck, saying ‘We’ll give your full personnel file to law enforcement unless you do as we say.’ Frankly, they should have done so years ago.
Kohn claims Detroit church officials “are addressing the matter under canon law.” Baloney. Canon law is what bishops hide behind when they are too timid or self-serving to take decisive action against a child molesting cleric. We know of no bishop anywhere who has been penalized under ‘canon law’ for taking steps to safeguard kids from a predator priest.
So Vigneron can and should take immediate steps to warn parents, police, prosecutors, parishioners and the public about Fr. Kaucheck and remove him from working anywhere he might have access to youngsters.
--Sr. Masson belongs to the Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania-based Felician Sisters of North America (724-846-1035). She is a co-founder and board member of the agency. Her supervisors are believed to be Sister Constance Marie Tomyl and Sister Mary Jolene Jasinski (724-846-1035
--Sr. Mayrand belongs to the Adrian Michigan-based Dominicans Sisters. Her supervisor is Sr. Attracta Kelly (517-266-3400). Sr. Rose Celeste O'Connell (517-266-3570,[email protected]) and Sr. Elise D. García (517-266-3490, [email protected]) are in charge of PR for the group.
Other Gianna board members, all or most of whom are Detroit-area Catholics, include a judge, two nurses and several business officials: Daniel Patrick O’Brien (an Oakland County Circuit Court judge and a former adjunct professor for Oakland Community College), Nancy J. Hauff (a nurse at Wayne State University and at the Detroit Medical Center), David Masson (a retired executive), Tom Masson (a building materials industry expert), Kevin Murphy (who works at Technology Solutions in customer service), Charles Smith (who has worked in the financial services industry and has served as the Finance Committee Chair at the Home Visitors of Mary), Debra Smith (a vice president for Macquarie Equipment Finance in Bloomfield Hills) and Diane Kelly Trombley of Troy, MI (president of Michigan Nurses for Life).
We desperately hope Fr. Kauchek has not sexually assaulted any teenager he met through Gianna. But if or when such abuse reports surface, these board members are partly responsible and should be punished too.
No matter what church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in Catholic churches or institutions to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
(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])
Priest removed for sex abuse works with teens at pregnancy center
By Niraj Warikoo - Detroit Free Press 10:54 p.m. EDT May 8, 2016
Priest removed in 2009 from two churches amid allegations he abused teen is now director at Eastpointe center for teens
A Catholic priest removed from churches in metro Detroit after he was accused of sexually abusing a teenager is now the development director of a new Catholic center in Eastpointe that counsels pregnant teenagers, prompting calls for him to step down.
The Rev. Kenneth Kaucheck, 62, was banned from public ministry by the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2009 after church officials determined he . . .
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