Clergy sex group to hold Kansas City meeting

Meeting is a confidential group for victims

Family members and supporters also welcome

Leaders of a Chicago-based international support group will a meeting in Kansas City on Saturday August 13, in response to the frustrations and concerns related to the sexual abuse and cover-up in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The meeting is designed to help those who have been sexually assaulted by religious authority figures, their families. The event is being organized by a self-help organization called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org).

“If you have been victimized by clergy, please know that you are not alone,” says Barbara Dorris, SNAP’s Outreach Director. ‘You can get better. You can reach out to others who have been hurt just like you have. Together, we can heal one another.”

The meeting will be from 2:00-4:30 on Saturday, August 13. For the location of the meeting and any questions, contact SNAP Kansas City Leader Mike Hunter (913-634-6490, mhunter535@gmail.com). For the privacy of victims, SNAP does not disclose meeting locations to the general public.

(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 23 years and have more than 10,000 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, SNAPclohessy@aol.com), Mike Hunter (913-634-6790, mhunter535@gmail.com), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, SNAPblaine@gmail.com), Peter Isely (414-429-7259, peterisely@yahoo.com), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)