TX- Sex abuse case vs. TX priest settles
For immediate release: Monday, Feb. 24, 2014
For more information: David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Director (314) 566-9790 cell, [email protected]
Sex abuse case vs. TX priest settles
Pedophile priest worked in Beaumont & Wash. State
A child sex abuse lawsuit against a Catholic priest who worked in Beaumont and may still live in Texas has been settled.
Last week, the diocese of Yakima, Washington confirmed that it has resolved a molestation case against Fr. Ernest Dale Calhoun. The diocese agreed to pay the victim $75,000.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/2-priest-sex-abuse-lawsuits-settled-in-Yakima-246545671.html
A support group for clergy sex abuse victims is urging Beaumont’s Catholic bishop to “aggressively reach out to others who may have seen, suspected or suffered Fr. Calhoun’s crimes.”
Fr. Calhoun was ordained by the Beaumont Diocese and he faced his first child sex abuse lawsuit in 1988.
According to BishopAccountability.org, Fr. Calhoun's personnel file “shows he should never have been ordained.” In 1969, he raped a 15 year old and was transferred to the Yakima Diocese where he continued to abuse.
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/member/psearch.jsp
“Fr. Calhoun is a serial predator. He was recruited, educated, ordained, trained, transferred and shielded by Catholic officials. So whether he's still in a church or not, it's the duty of Catholic officials to warn families about him and protect kids from him,” said David Clohessy of St. Louis. Clohessy is the director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
“Bishop Curtis J. Guillory should use his vast resources – church bulletins, parish websites and pulpit announcements to seek out others with knowledge and suspicions about Fr. Calhoun- and beg them to call police so he might be prosecuted and kept away from children,” said Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP's outreach director.
SNAP, is the nation’s oldest and largest support group for victims of clergy sexual abuse with support groups in over 60 cities nationwide.
(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 25 years and have more than 15,000 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]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])
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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