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This profile was written by Patrick Price, Fundraising and Development Manager of SNAP, to honor our courageous and dedicated supporters and donors.

At the age of 17, Dan Frondorf was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in his Cincinnati community. For 20 years, Dan kept his abuse a secret, out of shame and out of fear of not being believed. Dan told no one what he endured, not even his parents. However, in 2002, a story came out in the news of another man who had been abused by the very same priest. Shocked by the news and overwhelmed with anger that he was not the only one, Dan finally told his wife what happened to him. He also began to share the details of his experience with other people.

Following the 2002 media article, Dan eventually learned that more than 40 men had been abused by this cleric. Many of those who had been sexually molested were friends and acquaintances who Dan knew well from his high-school years. The attorney for the case assembled all the abuse survivors together for an impromptu get-together to share their stories. At this meeting, Dan first met David Clohessy, SNAP's National Director at the time, who had helped the attorney to organize the meeting.

From the greinReport.com

Bishop Emmanuel Bushu Calls Out Bishop Michael Bibi for Restoring Child Rapist to Ministry

by: Matthew David

Following in the footsteps of St. Paul, Bishop Emeritus Emmanuel Bushu is calling out his successor for restoring a child abuser to ministry while violating Canon Law in an on the record interview about the responsibilities of Catholic Bishops.

Bishop Emeritus Emanuel Bushu of Cameroon was asked to retire by Pope Francis upon his 75^th birthday, on December 28^th of 2019. At the same time, Pope Francis selected the young Auxillary Bishop Michael Bibi of Bamenda (age 48 at the time) to replace Bp. Bushu as apostolic administrator of the Buea diocese.

Within months of being appointed apostolic administrator, Bishop Bibi restored an admitted child rapist priest to ministry, yet cancelled 88 innocent priests, deacons and seminarians.

Bishop Bibi’s decrees impoverished these ordained men (and blocked the ordination of the seminarians), cutting their pay to zero, eliminating their health coverage, even going so far as telling the faithful to have nothing to do with them while he investigated the procedural validity of their “lay associations”.

On February 16^th, 2022, he issued a decree banishing them from his diocese with only six days to leave.

Citing concerns that the Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB) was operating independent from the diocese, Bishop Bibi removed the entire board of the CUIB contrary to their corporate statutes, worked with a bank manager who was his friend to take control of the bank accounts against the wishes of the signers, and withheld money from orphans, according to ongoing litigation in civil court and direct correspondence.

With each of these actions, Bishop Bibi has publicly cited Canon Law as a basis for them.

On April 15^th, Bishop Emeritus Emmanuel Bushu provided an interview with this journalist detailing the responsibilities of a Catholic Bishop under Canon Law, speaking specifically to these kinds of topics that are afflicting the people of the Buea diocese.

The full interview can be heard here.

This profile was written by Patrick Price, Fundraising and Development Manager of SNAP, to honor our courageous and dedicated supporters and donors.

In the early 1970’s from the age of 10 to 13 years old, Dan McNevin of Fremont, California, was groomed and abused by his parish priest, Father James A. Clark. For years Dan felt persistent shame and confusion. He abandoned his faith and he believed he was the only boy to have experienced such abuse by Clark, who, unbeknownst to Dan, was already on probation for a sexual felony when Clark was assigned to Dan’s parish. Later, Dan would learn that his brother had also been systematically sexually assaulted by Father Clark.

In 2002 when the Boston Spotlight scandal made headlines and the California legislature opened its first retroactive window, Dan, then a 42-year-old adult, contacted the Oakland Diocese hoping to learn about Clark and whether Clark had been moved around similar to the Spotlight scandal. The Oakland chancellor lied to him, saying Oakland “was not like Boston”. Dan discovered the lie through a media outlet reported that other Oakland priests were shuffled from place to place. At that point, Dan filed a lawsuit to seek the truth through the secular court system; the chancellor could lie to him without reprisal, but not if under oath. The lies he heard as an adult opened his eyes to an evil nearly as great as the abuse; the systemic dishonesty still persistent in the church, and he saw that dangers persisted, so reforms had to be forced upon the bishops running the show. It was through the deposition process that he discovered Clark was already a convicted felon. The discovery of that lie meant the bishop had lied to others, and as result, 56 cases settled on the same day.

To buy this book, go here: [email protected]

A look at Clergy Abuse within the Serbian Orthodox Church from Bojan Jovanovic

Powerstories Theatre in Tampa, FL is confronting the often-shrouded, controversial topic of abuse in the Catholic Church in Ireland with CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE: THE MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES.

For twenty-two years, Powerstories has been driven by giving voice to women. Now, more than ever in our history, we refuse to whisper, defying the stigma of talking about abuse in religion. We are honored to debut this vastly unknown story based on Ireland's sordid religious history. CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE: THE MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES is live at the theatre from April 28 to May 15 and live-streamed on April 30, May 7, May 14, and May 15.

We have ten tickets available for the May 7 live stream and the first ten people to SNAP Communication Mgr. Mike McDonnell at [email protected] will receive the e-ticket invite for viewing. 

At this doorstep of Christian suffering that Good Friday represents, at this doorstep of Christian joy that Easter, the resurrection of Christ, brings it is fitting to be reminded that it is up to us all to contribute to the end of sexual violence, abuse and assault against children and young people. And when it comes to ending such abuse and suffering brought upon by members of the clergy and Church hierarchies, by the Church, then indeed Christians especially are morally and otherwise duty bound to assist in rooting out such evil from the temples of God on earth.

This profile was written by Patrick Price, Fundraising and Development Manager of SNAP, to honor our courageous and dedicated supporters and donors.

For more than a decade, beginning at age 17, Michael Roberts was mentally and emotionally dominated and sexual abused by a Catholic priest, whom I will refer to as “Fr. Gregory.” Michael’s trauma began at his high school in his hometown in Massachusetts. At first, Michael viewed the priest as a charismatic and caring man, almost a second father, who invited him to outings, events, and his residence. Fr. Gregory seemed to be a compassionate man who in time integrated himself deeply into Michael’s family. His parents loved and trusted the priest whom they regularly invited to family dinners and vacations. Yet, inside this man who beamed with love lurked a dark shadow, one that would eventually engulf Michael.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and this year we are leading a couple of great events that we want you to be involved in. Read on for more information and how you can help us recognize survivors during Sexual Assault Awareness Month:

Empowering Survivors through our Survivor Speak Out

This April, we are again partnering with our friends at The Army of Survivors to hold a Survivor Speak Out. This event will be held virtually on April 13 from 4 to 6 PM ET.

At this event, we will have an opportunity for approximately 10 people to share their stories and experiences and welcome all survivors of sexual abuse as well as allies, advocates, friends, and family. 

Here's how you can get involved:

Please register to join us, even if you don't want to speak, and be there to support the survivors who are speaking out. If you know a survivor you think might want to share their story, please share the registration info with them.

This profile was written by Patrick Price, Fundraising and Development Manager of SNAP, to honor our courageous and dedicated supporters and donors.

In the early 1970s during most of his senior year in high school, Brian Toale was sexually abused by a faculty member who ran the Ham Radio Club of which Brian was a member. For more than 20 years, Brian’s struggle with the effects of those events led him ultimately to 12 Step recovery and therapy, which allowed him to slowly, over the next 25 years, put his life back together. He came to realize that the sexual abuse was not his fault and the shame he had felt all those years should never have been his to bear.

In order to “move on” and symbolically give back the shame, Brian wrote a letter to the principal of his old high school describing the facts and details of what he had undergone during the sexual abuse encounter and the effects the abuse had on his life. The goal of his letter was closure and as Brian puts it, to bring “relief to his mind and spirit.”