CA- Encino priest sentenced to life in prison for abuse
A convicted predator priest who worked in Encino will spend the rest of his life behind bars. On Thursday, he was convicted of abuse - for a second time - and was sentenced to life in prison.
He’s Fr. William C. Wert, who twice worked at Crespi Carmelite High School, a college prep school for boys in Encino (in 1987 and from 1993 to 1999).
In 2007, he was convicted of molesting a Washington DC area child but served only 15 days in jail. In 2011, he was living at a Catholic retirement home in Venice, Florida when he was arrested on the more recent abuse charge.
Catholic officials in California, Florida, Illinois and DC have a duty. As “shepherds,” they have an obligation to seek out wounded members of their flock, in this case, kids who were raped, sodomized or otherwise assaulted by Fr. Wert. They can’t profess to want to do “better” in abuse cases while sitting idly by when they know of a proven serial predator.
But they will likely now do essentially nothing. They might, in a small story in a church newsletter, announce Fr. Wert’s sentence. But they won’t use their tremendous resources – church websites, parish bulletins, and pulpit announcements – to try to find others who were assaulted by Fr. Wert and who are still suffering in pain.
We hope we’re wrong. We Catholic officials will aggressively seek out others who may have been hurt by Fr. Wert.
A photo of Fr. Wert is available at BishopAccountability.org
For the full story, see
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130516/ARTICLE/130519737
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