News Story of the Day
One woman's journey out of child sex abuse helps reform Massachusetts child sex crimes law
By Ivey DeJesus | [email protected] July 18, 2016 at 7:00 AM, updated July 18, 2016 at 12:32 PM
A highway exit sign triggered the flood of memories.
Rosanne Sliney was 24 years old when the sight of the exit sign unleashed a tide of memories long repressed: Her uncle sexually abusing her in his car.
She was 5. He was her mother's brother, a beloved member of a large Italian-American family from Massachusetts, her godfather.
Irish Catholic Church ‘trying to dump’ sex abuse priests on State
The Irish Times Mon, Jul 18, 2016 by Patsy McGarry
Two of America’s leading Catholic child protection advocates have strongly opposed suggestions by the church that care of laicised priests convicted of child abuse ought, in certain circumstances, to be a State responsibility.
Ex-Penn State player won’t give up the fight for Joe Paterno despite latest damning court documents
EVAN GROSSMAN, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, Tuesday, July 12, 2016
A week after circulating a petition to have Joe Paterno’s statue and legacy restored in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky horror story, Brian Masella, a former Penn State football player, isn’t relenting in his crusade.
“No, absolutely not,” Masella told the Daily News after a wave of new accusations that Paterno knew about Sandusky’s behavior as far back as 1976 were revealed in unsealed court documents.
Priest sex abuse victim angered by lack of recourse: 'None of them are registered sex offenders'
By Ivey DeJesus, [email protected], July 09, 2016, PennLive
Shaun Dougherty's story begins on page 66 of the grand jury report into widespread child sexual abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese.
That page - one of 147 pages in the report detailing accusations against more than 50 religious leaders, priests and teachers - begins the account into the investigation of George Koharchik, a longtime priest, who among other diocesan assignments, was pastor at St. Clement Church in Johnstown for a decade.
Lenexa church opposes young sex crime victims remaining anonymous in civil lawsuit
BY LAURA BAUER, [email protected], July 7, 2016, KC Star
Two girls and their guardian sued Westside Family Church, saying it knowingly let teen sex offender be around kids
The victims’ attorney filed a motion to keep the girls’ identities secret during the civil lawsuit
The church’s attorney opposed that motion and said the case should be dismissed and refiled
Fugitive molester accused of sexually abusing teen while on the run
By Mark Mueller and Enrique Lavin, NJ Advance Media, For NJ.com, July 05, 2016
An evangelical preacher wanted by authorities in New Jersey for molesting a teenage boy and for allegedly abusing three other young men has been accused by a parishioner of groping a teen in Nicaragua, where the fugitive had been in hiding, according to church officials there.
Gregorio Martinez, whose flight from justice was profiled in a special report by NJ Advance Media in May, allegedly groped a 15-year-old boy in Estelí, Nicaragua, earlier this year, said Pedro Matamoros, the pastor of the church where Martinez lived for about seven months.
Sioux City Diocese asks for information on children victimized by deceased priest
IAN RICHARDSON, [email protected], July 3, 2016 Sioux City Journal
SIOUX CITY | After more than 55 years, a new sexual abuse allegation is casting a shadow on the career of a now-deceased priest who served in the Sioux City Diocese during the 1960s.
The Rev. Peter Murphy, who served at eight parishes throughout Northwestern Iowa in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, has been accused of raping and sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy while he was a temporary assistant at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Sioux City in 1960.
Sex abuse group to Jeff church: 'Shame on them'
A priest sex abuse victims group has criticized Jeffersonville church officials for requesting prayers for an accused child molester instead of his potential victims.
David Clohessy, director the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, released a statement calling First Christian Church’s actions “stunningly callous.”
Pennsylvania Senate committee reveals its twisted priorities
Bill White, Contact Reporter, June 29, 2016, The Morning Call
Pennsylvania House Bill 1947 stripped of retroactive access for victims
Piorities are important, for people and for politicians.
Most members of the state Senate Judiciary Committee made their priorities clear Tuesday. They concluded that it was more important to protect the financial resources of the Catholic Church and insurance industry than to offer justice to more victims of child sex abuse, to unmask predators to protect future children and to punish institutions that have aided and abetted in child abuse.
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