Abuse survivors challenge Bishop Robert Vasa to "do the right thing"
For Immediate Release, February 7, 2024
Survivors and advocates have written to Bishop Robert Vasa of the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa, asking him to release all of the information in his files on convicted child abuser Fr. Mark Kristy, as well as to order Fr. Peter Talcott not to allow Fr. Kristy to serve masses at the Talcott residence, possibly endangering any children who may be in attendance.
Fr. Kristy was ordained in 1985. He reportedly trained as a psychotherapist after his ordination. According to the Official Catholic Directory (OCD), the clergyman went to seminary at the Carmelite House of Studies in Berkeley from 1982-1984 (Diocese of Oakland) He was apparently ordained in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He worked at St. Margaret and Santa Cruz in Tucson from 1986-1993 (Diocese of Tucson). Then, he was assigned to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 1994-1996, where he worked at St. Therese. From 1998-2015, Fr. Kristy was living at the Carmelite House of Prayer in Oakville, in the Diocese of Santa Rosa, and was a Latin mass celebrant. He is not listed in the OCD after 2015, when he was removed from ministry.
A PDF of the letter can be found here.
CONTACT: Dan McNevin, SNAP Board of Directors Treasurer ([email protected], 415-341-6417), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Director ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Joey Piscitelli, SNAP Northern California ([email protected], 925-262-3699), Dorothy Small, SNAP Sacramento Area ([email protected], 530-908-3676), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board of Directors President ([email protected], 814- 341-8386)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org.)
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