TN--Victims urge “outreach” in church abuse case
For immediate release: Friday, Sept. 4
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected], [email protected])
We applaud law enforcement personnel for catching an abusive minister who fled overseas and hope the alleged criminal’s church colleagues will aggressively seek out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered his crimes.
Luke Cooke was charged in 2007 with raping an 8-year-old and a 16-year-old. Cooke then went to China, Morocco and Albania where he was captured.
There’s a clear lesson here: If you were sexually assaulted, justice healing and prevention are possible. The first step is calling the independent, unbiased, experienced professionals in law enforcement.
Many churches profess to be “shepherds.” But in child sex cases, they often ignore the wounded sheep who often suffer in shame, isolation, confusion and self-blame.
So we call on law enforcement to spread the word far and wide about where Cooke committed his crimes. We urge them to investigate Cooke’s church colleagues and supervisors, and file charges if any of them concealed his crimes. And we urge every single current or former member or staff at Cooke’s church to do all they can to seek out and help others who were assaulted by him.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 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, [email protected], [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected])
Fmr. youth pastor extradited to TN after years of running from child rape indictment
Sep 04, 2015 5:42 AM CDT, By WMCActionNews5.com StaffCONNECT - MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) -
A former youth minister charged with rape was extradited to Shelby County on Thursday.
Luke Cooke was indicted on rape and aggravated sexual battery charges in 2007. Shelby County investigators said Cooke raped an 8-year-old and a 16-year-old.
Cooke then left the country. He was . . .
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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