NJ- Victims blast archdiocese over predator's defrocking
For immediate release: Thursday, June 19, 2014
For more information: David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Director (314) 566-9790 cell, [email protected]
Church lawyer says that priest is defrocked
Victims blast Myers for violating church policy
SNAP to Newark archdiocese: “Stop the secrecy”
Catholic officials let pedophile legally change his name
Then, they sent him from NJ to “unsuspecting families” in MO
A lawyer for the Newark archdiocese disclosed yesterday that a twice-convicted predator priest who pled guilty this week to sexually assaulting three Missouri boys has been formally defrocked by the Vatican.
A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is blasting Newark archdiocesan officials for keeping this news secret for almost two years and begging them to “aggressively seek out” others who may have “seen, suspected or suffered” the cleric's crimes.
In an email to the director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, attorney Charles Carella of Roseland (973 994 1700, [email protected]) said Fr. Carmen Sita (Jerry Howard) was permanently ousted from the priesthood in September of 2012 by then-Pope Benedict.
(Here's a link to the actual defrocking document:http://www.snapnetwork.org/mo_church_lawyer_says_that_priest_is_defrocked)
“Catholic officials – in both New Jersey and Missouri - callously kept this fact hidden from parents, police, parishioners and the public, which essentially rubbed even more salt into the already-deep wounds of this serial predator's victims and their families,” said David Clohessy of SNAP. “It would have been a real comfort to many victims and to many concerned Catholics to know that Fr. Howard was off the payroll and kicked out by the Vatican. But instead of sharing this information, two prelates – Archbishop John Myers and Bishop John Gaydos - hid it.”
SNAP also charges that the bishops' secrecy “clearly violates the U.S. bishops formal and allegedly binding national abuse policy, which mandates 'openness and transparency' in clergy sex abuse cases.”
At least five New Jersey men have settled civil cases stemming from child sexual abuse they say they suffered at the hands of Fr. Carmen Sita, according to attorney Greg Gianforcaro (908-859-2200).
In 1982, Fr. Sita pled guilty in Jersey City to molesting a boy and giving him liquor. Then, Newark Archdiocesan officials let Sita change his name to Gerald “Jerry” Howard and sent him to the Jefferson City Missouri diocese, under then-Bishop Michael McAuliffe. McAuliffe assigned Fr. Howard to Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic parish in Boonville.
In 2010, Fr. Howard was arrested and charged with molesting three boys in the Boonville area.
SNAP says it has heard from a fourth man who reports having been sexually assaulted by Fr. Howard in Missouri. At the time of those crimes, Fr. Howard was working as a counselor at a hospital.
According to church records, the priest himself asked, in December 2011, to be defrocked.
“For 30 years after Sita first pled guilty to child sex crimes, apparently not a single Catholic official in either New Jersey or Missouri made any effort whatsoever to get this predator ousted from the priesthood,” said Clohessy.
After leaving Boonville, Howard worked as a counselor in Boone and in Callaway counties in Missouri. When arrested in 2010, Howard was living in New Jersey again.
The prosecutor is Doug Abele of Cooper County ([email protected], 660 882 7577). Howard was represented by attorney Jim Rutter of Columbia (573 303 3909, [email protected]).
In civil suits, Howard's victims have been represented by attorney Bryan Bacon of Columbia (314 566 8386), Ken Chackes of St. Louis (314 369 3902) Greg Gianforcaro (908-859-2200).
A photo of Fr. Howard, and other information, is available at BishopAccountability.org.
(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 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])
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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