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Press Release From the Hillcrest Survivors Steering Committee
Investigation into boarding school abuse is set
Church agencies reach funding deal with survivors
Both liberal and evangelical Protestant groups are involved
Survivors set precedent, command seat at the table
For almost four years, dozens of adults have lobbied over 15 church agencies to investigate the sexual, physical, racial, psychological and spiritual abuse they say they suffered as kids at a Christian boarding school in Africa.
Now, finally, their efforts seem to be paying off. Eight religious groups that sent missionaries to Hillcrest have agreed to fund and cooperate with an independent probe into the alleged abuse at the school from its founding in 1942 until the present.
"This hard-won commitment means that decades of crimes and cover ups by church staff, volunteers and supervisors will be fully and finally examined and exposed - not by biased church insiders but by credible outside investigators," said Letta Cartlidge of Colorado, who was abused at the facility in the ’80s and early ’90s. "It's been a very long, tough road but now, we have real hope that the horrors so many of us endured will be brought to the surface."
While there are no official estimates of the number of youngsters who were violated over the past eight decades at Hillcrest, the Hillcrest Survivors Steering Committee (HSSC) surmises there could be many hundreds of victims. Although the school was founded to teach children of missionaries, over the decades more than 6,000 children have attended Hillcrest from over 40 different countries around the world. The HSSC has taken dozens of reports from people who say they were hurt at the school, some of whom are as old as 80. And the committee has identified about 50 credibly accused perpetrators of abuse there.
Don't miss your chance to receive restitution from the Catholic Diocese of San Diego!!
Last chance for restitution!
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of California, has set a final deadline of FEBRUARY 3, 2025, for the Diocese of San Diego to receive claims from survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or others. This is your last chance for restitution. If you do not file a claim and the bankruptcy proceeds to its conclusion, you will be permanently barred from taking action against the Diocese.
You can find the forms for filing a claim at this link.
Do not let this opportunity slip away! File your claim before FEBRUARY 3, 2025.
Only weeks left to pass Ohio HB 322 - Together we can protect kids!
Do you live in Ohio? Your help is needed to protect children in your state.
House Bill 322 has passed the Ohio House and is now stuck in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The measure creates the offense of grooming, that prohibits any adult from engaging in a pattern of conduct with a juvenile if the adult and juvenile are in any sort of a relationship such as a priest, teacher, coach or relative.There are only a handful of weeks left to get this passed. If it does not pass the bill will die in December.
For 5 years the parents of Ohioans for Child Protection have worked to criminalize grooming a child for the purpose of sexual abuse in the wake of the Fr. Geoff Drew case.
Please call the Senate Judiciary Committee members listed below and urge them, and their fellow lawmakers, to support HB 322. If you have limited time please call the Senators in bold the most frequently. THANK YOU!
Laicized priest calls out Oakland Catholic bishop
November 7, 2024
By Tim Stier
[Tim Stier served for decades as a priest in the Diocese of Oakland, California. He was laicized on March 19, 2022.]
Dear Mike,
I was in the courtroom on Monday in Oakland. I saw you there in clerics with four lawyers.
For the next hearing on 12/13/24, I encourage you to behave like a disciple of Jesus and dress in lay garb. Bring a friend for support but NO lawyers. Be there in utter humility and simplicity, and after you have heard more heartbreaking testimonies to the lifelong impact of clergy sexual abuse of minors, cross the room and express your sorrow and support.
Surely you saw and heard how broken these victims are. I left there feeling unbearably sad and angry, and am still in shock.
As you know, I’ve been pleading with you to hold John Cummins accountable for aiding and abetting abuse during his 27 years as Oakland’s bishop. Recently I’ve been pleading with the leadership of Bishop O’Dowd High School to remove John’s name from the beautiful newish center on BOD”s campus. None of them will even respond. Are they afraid of getting fired? I told them I had also Ms. Valley of the Valley Foundation to let her know of Cummins’ part in supporting abuse by clergy in our diocese. Would you consider ordering a name change on that building?
This is the first time I’ve communicated with you since you had me laicized last year. My refusal of an assignment back in 2005 was precisely due to Allen Vigneron’s refusal to open a dialog throughout the diocese on the abuse catastrophe. If he had listened to me, the Diocese might not be bankrupt and you might be doing the ministry for which the Lord called you. For the past 15 years I’ve been working to support victims, for transparency, and accountability.
I will attach my 5/31/22 Letter to the Clergy to remind you why Cummins’ name should not adorn any structure in our diocese. John has never repented.
See you in December in the courthouse.
In shock,
Tim
Don't miss your chance to receive restitution from the Franciscan Friars of California!
The Franciscan Friars of California have filed for bankruptcy, and the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California has set a final deadline of July 19, 2024, at 5 PM Pacific Time, for survivors of sexual abuse by the Franciscan Friars of California to file claims for damages against the friars. This is your last chance for restitution. If you do not file a claim and the bankruptcy proceeds to its conclusion, you will be permanently barred from taking action against the friars. Additional information is pasted below.
Sunday is the 20th anniversary of the suspicious death of Fr. James Chevedden
Fr. James Chevedden, a Catholic priest who accused another Jesuit of sexually assaulting him, died under suspicious circumstances on May 19, 2004. We stand in solidarity with Fr. James’ family, as we near the 20th anniversary of his death.
San Jose authorities concluded that Fr. James committed suicide on his birthday by jumping from the roof of a parking structure across the street from the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on May 19, 2004. However, his family has always questioned this finding.
Fr. James told his family in 2002 that he had been sexually assaulted by Br. Charles Leonard Connor. At the time, both men were living at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Altos, California.
According to Fr. James, the assault by Br. Connor occurred when Fr. James was recovering from the injuries he sustained when he jumped from a window-washing scaffold on the Sacred Heart grounds in 1998. After surgery for his injuries, Fr. James was confined to a wheelchair with casts on both feet, and he was escorted around the facility at times by Br. Connor. It was then that Fr. James was sexually and physically assaulted by Br. Connor.
Don't miss your chance to receive restitution from the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore!
Last chance for restitution!
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Maryland, has set a final deadline of May 31, 2024, for the Archdiocese of Baltimore to receive claims from survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or others. This is your last chance for restitution. If you do not file a claim and the bankruptcy proceeds to its conclusion, you will be permanently barred from taking action against the Archdiocese.
You can find the forms for filing a claim at this link.
Do not let this opportunity slip away! File your claim before May 31, 2024.
URGENT: Ohioans: Your Support for HB 322 Needed before 4/24
Rebecca Surendorff, Co-Chair of Ohioans for Child Protection, asked us to pass along this important message. Since 2019 the parents and grandparents of Ohioans for Child Protection have been asking lawmakers to craft legislation to protect Ohio's children.
Your help is urgently needed! Ohio House Bill 322 would criminalize grooming a child for the purpose of sexual abuse. This bill was voted out of committee with bipartisan support and with endorsements from the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association and Child USAdvocacy.
What can you do? Call or email your Representatives, as well the House Leadership, before Wednesday, April 24th, and urge them to pass HB 322.
Letters in support of California AB 2295 needed!
Letters of support are needed for AB 2295 by April 16th!
This is the last day to register your support in the Assembly Public Safety Committee's official record before the first policy hearing on April 23, 2024.
AB 2295, authored by Assembly Member Dawn Addis, would eliminate the statute of limitations going forward in criminal cases being brought against perpetrators of child sexual assault. This will allow child victims to seek justice, get these perpetrators off the streets, and thereby prevent more child sexual assaults. It will also create a public record of these offenders so churches, youth organizations, and communities can take the appropriate steps to prevent their access to children. You can find a fact sheet about AB 2295 here.
Support for California SB 894
We request your support for SB-894 (Min): Sexual Exploitation by a Member of the Clergy. This bill would bring California in line with 13 other states and the District of Columbia in establishing criminal statutes for sexual exploitation of adults by clergy, similar to existing laws governing sexual relationships between therapists or doctors and their patients. The current gap in protection leaves many individuals without the necessary support and resources to address the trauma and harm caused by these actions.
SB-894 aims to rectify this by extending legal protections to adults who are sexually exploited by members of the clergy. By recognizing and addressing the specific dynamics of power and trust inherent in these relationships, this legislation seeks to provide avenues for justice and support for victims abused by members of the clergy as adults.
The hearing for SB-894 is scheduled for April 9, 2024, and we are eager to secure letters of support as soon as possible.
