OH – Columbus priest takes his own life in wake of allegations involving a minor, SNAP responds
For immediate release Friday, December 22, 2017
Statement by Judy Jones, Volunteer SNAP Midwest Associate Leader (636-433-2511, [email protected])
Father James Csaszar, former pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in New Albany, Ohio, recently took his own life in Chicago. The priest had been on administrative leave since November 7th, when the Diocese of Columbus reportedly became aware of “excessive and questionable text and telephone communications with a minor.” The priest was working at Saint Rose Parish in New Lexington at the time of the inappropriate communications.
We here at SNAP, the Survivors Network, are extremely disturbed by the tone-deaf statement released by the Diocese of Columbus in response to Father Csaszar’s suicide.
The diocese wrote:
We are reminded throughout sacred scripture that God our Father is loving, merciful, compassionate and forgiving. We also know that in his years of priestly ministry Fr. Csaszar did many good things for the people that he served in his parish assignments. And so we ask that everyone pray for Father Csaszar, his family, friends, and parishioners during this most difficult time.
Once again, Catholic officials seem oblivious to the life-long suffering that child victims of clergy sexual abuse endure, as well as to the likelihood that there may be additional children who received inappropriate communications from Father Csaszar.
Where are the prayers for the child victims/victims? Does the Church really believe that whatever good the priest may have done washes away the consequences of the crimes which are still under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and New Lexington police?
We hope that anyone who experienced, witnessed or suspected Father Csaszar’s crimes will find the courage to make a report to law enforcement. We also hope that any victims will not suffer alone and in silence, but will seek out support from groups like ours.
The Church appears not to care about the damage that this priest may have inflicted on children, but we here at SNAP not only care, we also have decades of experience helping survivors.
The head of the Diocese of Columbus is Bishop Frederick F. Campbell, 614-224-2251 or 614-228-2457.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 25,000 members. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
CONTACT
Carol Zamonski 614-653-1502, [email protected], Melanie Sakoda 925-708-6175, [email protected], Joelle Casteix 949-322-7434, [email protected], or Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Executive Director 314-503-0003, [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
Showing 2 comments
November 7th after the diocese was made aware of excessive and questionable text and telephone communications with a minor and for potential misuse of church funds while serving as pastor of St. Rose Parish in New Lexington.
There has to be something more to this story that the Diocese isn’t saying because there could be more minors he communicated with and aren’t saying.
From the article:
His ‘diocese’ asked that “everyone pray for Father Csaszar, his family, friends, and parishioners during this most difficult time.”
As usual there is no concern expressed for the innocent victims; only damage control for the roman church. If Father did so much good for everyone-why were there multiple allegations against him-and why did he commit suicide?