Iowa anti-abuse group will leaflet churches Sunday

By PAT KINNEY, Waterloo Courier
Friday, April 16, 2004

HUDSON --- Members of the Northeast Iowa chapter of a support group for survivors of sexual abuse by clergy will leaflet two Roman Catholic churches in the Waterloo area on Sunday.

Steve Theisen and Heather Smith, co-founders of the Northeast Iowa chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, and supporters will leaflet Sacred Heart Church in Waterloo at 8:15 a.m. and St. Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Falls at 11:30 a.m. The leafleting will let victims of religious sexual abuse, their families and their supporters know of the chapter's formation.

Meeting locations, times and contact persons are included in the information. The support meetings will be a safe place for victims, their families, and their supporters to meet. Because the meetings are to be a safe place, no media or religious personnel will be allowed to attend unless they themselves have suffered religious sexual abuse.

Both parishes to be leafleted have had priests accused of sexual misconduct with minors. In 2002, the Rev. Allen Schmitt was removed from three Allamakee County parishes following allegations against him at St. Patrick's Church in Cedar Rapids, and prior to that, at Sacred Heart in Waterloo, both in the 1970s.

In 2000, the Rev. Michael Fitzgerald, a former associate pastor at St. Pat's in Cedar Falls, was removed from St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Marion in connection with inappropriate Internet activity with a member of an anti-sex abuse watchdog group posing as a 13-year-old boy. Other allegations also surfaced. Fitzgerald was killed in a 2001 car accident in Illinois. No allegations surfaced against him during his time in Cedar Falls.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church also was chosen because it was the site of Archbishop Jerome Hanus' Service of Lament for abuse victims a little more than a year ago.

Theisen and Smith said survivors felt the apology given at this service was a start. But now they hope Hanus will continue the healing of victims and the church by being open and honest by releasing the names of all clergy who have had credible accusations made against them so children can be protected and more victims can come forward to begin healing.

The following is the Northeast Iowa SNAP support group meeting schedule:

--- Dubuque: The third Monday of every other month beginning Monday at the Dubuque Area Lifetime Center, 3505 Stoneman Road, Dubuque. The meeting time is 6:30 to 9 p.m.

---- Hudson: The first Monday of every month, beginning May 3 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Hudson Public Library.

--- Mason City: The third Monday of every other month beginning May 17 from 6:30 to 9 p.m at the OK House on the North Iowa Area Community College campus.

For further information, victim-survivors and their families may call Theisen at 319-231-1663 or Smith at 319-236-8147.