Seminarian pleads; SNAP sympathizes with Hill parishioners
Our hearts ache for current and former Hill residents and St. Ambrose parishioners. Ex-seminarian Nicholas Pinkston of the scandal-ridden Kansas City diocese is the latest of several troubled clerics from elsewhere who worked at this church.
Pinkston just pled guilty to child porn charges here.
The other troubled clerics from elsewhere who spent time at St. Ambrose include:
---Fr. Darell Mitchell of Yakima, WA who was found to have child porn on his computer and was sent to a treatment center and to St. Ambrose in 2007. (St. Louis church officials sent him away after SNAP disclosed his presence on the Hill.)
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2007/01_02/2007_01_12_StLouisPostDispatch_PriestAt.htm
---Fr. Nicholas Voelker of Wichita, KS who was quietly allowed in 2005 to live and work at St. Ambrose’s, despite having been accused of assaulting a Kansas parishioner twice.(She later got a protective order and received a settlement from church authorities.)
http://reform-network.net/?p=1916
---Fr. Andrew Pinsent of England who suddenly and quietly returned to his home country after being charged in 2007 with assaulting a clergy sex abuse victim who was leafleting on a sidewalk on the Hill. Pinsent at the time was a student at St. Louis University, and a part-time pastor at St. Ambrose.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2007/01_02/2007_02_02_KMOV_PriestAt.htm
The latest St. Ambrose wrongdoer, Pinkston, “had been attending Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis and leading confirmation classes for seventh- and eighth-graders at a Catholic elementary school in St. Louis,” according to the Kansas City Star. In addition to St. Ambrose, he worked at Ascension and Our Lady of the Presentation parishes. He’s originally from Warrensburg MO.
Pinkston allegedly also had an “affair” with an adult woman and sometimes used the alias R. A. Manfir.
As best we can tell, St. Louis Catholic officials never warned the parishioners or the public about any of these troubled clerics. We hope they will act more responsibly now and urge anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or misdeeds by any of these men to come forward.
Read more on this story here:
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2011/07_08/2011_07_14_KansasCityStar_StLouis.htm
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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