News Story of the Day
Defrocked former priest from Easton jailed in sex case
By Don Lehman, The Post Star
BALLSTON SPA — A defrocked former Catholic priest who lives at a “retreat” in Washington County was ordered held for lack of bail Tuesday on charges that accuse him of sexually abusing a teenage boy in Saratoga County earlier this year.
Judge to decide if ex-priest who molested boys can be committed indefinitely
By Megan Crepeau, September 5, 2017, Chicago Tribune
Court records show more than two dozen boys and young men have alleged Daniel McCormack molested them in their youth, most notably at St. Agatha Parish on Chicago's Southwest Side, where the young Roman Catholic priest coached basketball, taught algebra and delivered eloquent sermons.
Victoria Police launches new podcast to tackle sexual crime
By David Sparkes, ABC.net.au, September 4, 2017
Victoria Police has launched a new podcast about sexual violence, aiming to convince more victims to report their assault.
The six-part series, called Unspeakable: Understanding Sexual Crime, is part of National Child Protection Week and tells true stories, featuring interviews with investigators, victims and their families.
Inspector Everett Moutsidis from Family Violence Command told ABC Radio Melbourne each episode would provide a glimpse into the work done by Victoria Police's Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Teams (SOCIT).
Active lawsuits accusing Guam priests of sex abuse now top 100
By Steve Limtiaco, Pacific Daily News, September 1, 2017, USA Today
AGÅTÑA, Guam — Two more lawsuits filed Friday in U.S. District Court here bring the number of active suits accusing clergy members and others affiliated with this island’s Catholic Church of sexually abusing children to more than 100.
The two priests named in the lawsuits — the Rev. Louis Brouillard, 96, and Antonio Cruz, now dead — have been named in other suits: Brouillard is accused in 58 cases, Cruz in seven cases although the plaintiff requested an additional one that was filed Monday in federal court be voluntarily dismissedThursday.
Cambodian court imprisons Korean in sexual abuse of children
The Associated Press, The Seattle Times, August 31, 2017
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian court has found a 63-year-old Korean man guilty of child sex offenses and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.
A spokesman for the Siem Reap provincial court said Park Youl was found guilty on Thursday of child prostitution and sexual intercourse with girls under 15 years of age.
Cambodian newspapers, citing anti-human trafficking police, said at the time of Park’s arrest last October that he was a pastor of a Christian church in Siem Reap in northwestern Cambodia.
Former NY priest Francis Stinner dies, but sex abuse controversy lives on
By Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, August 30, 2017, USA Today
Francis Stinner, a defrocked priest with ties to Somers, Bronxville, Chappaqua and Goshen in New York, died earlier this month at the age of 76.
Archdiocese bankruptcy plans face off in court
By Jean Hopfensperer, August 29, 2017, Star Tribune
Judge hears competing plans to settle the claims, assigns the archdiocese some homework.
Ex-Savannah Catholic priest indicted for sexual battery of minors
By Jan Skutch and DeAnn Komanecky, Savannah Morning News, August 28, 2017
Former Savannah Roman Catholic priest — and convicted child sex offender — Wayland Yoder Brown has been indicted in Jasper County, S.C., on nine counts of criminal misconduct with a minor — sexual battery — involving two male victims, South Carolina Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone III announced Monday.
Brown, 74, is in custody in Maryland, Stone said. He will be extradited to South Carolina. It’s not known how long that process will take.
Restraining order, but no charges for New Ulm priest
By: Tom Lyden, August 27, 2017, FOX 9
NEW ULM, Minn. (KMSP) - A New Ulm area Catholic priest will not face criminal charges after a six-month long criminal investigation into allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a teenage girl.
The girl’s mother, however, has taken matters into her own hands, taking out a restraining order against the priest--Father Sam Wagner, age 33.
In a statement, the Diocese of New Ulm said Fr. Wagner remains on leave from the ministry pending a decision by its Clergy Review Board.
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