Catholics & victims to leaflet outside church

New data shows parish had 4 alleged predator priests

It’s one of the “hardest hit” Chicago Catholic parishes

Groups urge anyone who “saw, suspected or suffered” crimes to get help

They urge parents to ask loved ones “Did any of these clerics ever hurt you?”

Parishioners are urged to push Cardinal George to be more open about pedophiles

WHAT
As parishioners leave/enter mass, concerned Catholics and clergy sex abuse victims will hand out fliers listing four priests who worked here over a span of 32 years. Each is accused of molesting children. The leaflets urge church members to
--- contact Cardinal Francis George and urge him to disclose more about pedophile priests, and
--- ask their relatives and friends if they were sexually violated by any of the five accused child molesting clerics who worked at this parish.

The event happens just weeks after a new study showed that 256 of the Chicago archdiocese’s roughly 400 parishes have, at one time, had an accused pedophile priest working there.

WHEN: Sunday, Dec 5, 10:30 a.m.

WHERE
Outside St. Thomas Villanova, 1201 E Anderson, Palatine

WHO
Three-four individuals who belong to a Catholic lay reform group called VOTF (Voice of the Faithful) and/or a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

VISUALS
There will be large printed charts of data and photos of child victims and accused priests.

WHY
According to newly-released study, over a 34 year span, four alleged predator priests worked at St. Thomas (Fr. David Francis Braun from 1985-1989, Fr. Daniel Peter Buck from 1984-1988, Fr. Walter Edward Huppenbauer from 1971-1976, from 1983-1993, and again in 2003, and Fr. Marion Joseph Snieg in 1993.

Still, however, VOTF and SNAP worry that others who attended St. Thomas may have been hurt by these clerics and may still be suffering in shame, silence and self-blame. The groups want church officials and members to aggressively seek out anyone who may have been assaulted, urge them to contact police, and offer them help. Parish and archdiocesan staff should, SNAP and VOTF say, use parish bulletins and websites and pulpit announcements to reach out to victims and prod them to come forward, get help, call police, expose wrongdoers, protect children and start healing.

Because Chicago archdiocesan officials have been less-than-forthcoming about child molesting clerics, volunteers from VOTF and SNAP spent hours and hours over five years researching and compiling thorough assignment records on nearly100 admitted, proven and accused predator priests. They used two primary sources: the Official Catholic Directory (which is essentially a church-sponsored annual ‘yearbook’ of priests and a Boston-based research group called BishopAccountability.org.

There are only a handful of dioceses in the world whose accused priests’ assignment histories have been compiled and analyzed in this way. They include Los Angeles CA, Rockville Centre NY and Davenport IA.

CONTACT
Robert Kopp, 847 363 3458, Sandra Stilling-Seehausen 847 456 0016,
David Clohessy 314 566 9790, Barbara Blaine 312 399 4747