Clergy abuse victims/advocates presser THURS 11/30 @ 11:15a.m. & 1:15pm in Chicago
At a sidewalk news conference with signs and childhood photos, clergy sex abuse advocates will
-- announce a new formal, first-ever complaint to the Vatican against five top Chicagoland Catholic officials for 'ignoring, hiding and/or enabling' child sex crimes by clergy,
-- blast those church figures for ‘doing little or nothing’ to protect others from a predator priest who is believed to now live and work 'unsupervised and unmonitored' in the Chicago area (despite a recent $2 million settlement paid to one of his victims), and
-- urge the church officials to warn police, prosecutors, parents, parishioners and the public about him, and
-- harshly critize the heads of three dioceses (Chicago, Joliet, Rockford) and a Chicago-based Catholic religious order for how they mishandled the predator, the case and the settlement.
They will also beg anyone who saw, suspected or suffered his crimes or church cover ups to call law enforcement.
--At 11:15 a.m. outside the St. John Stone Friary, 1165 E. 54th Pl. (in Hyde Park), Chicago
--At 1:15 p.m. outside St. Rita of Cascia High School, 7740 S. Western Ave., Chicago
A veteran Chicago attorney who represents abuse victims and the former long-time director of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
A large photo of the abuser and a poster listing credibly accused Chicago clerics in the Augustinians, the religious order to which the predator priest belongs
Last week, a $2 million settlement was announced between local Catholic officials and a suburban Chicago man, Robert Krankvich, who was raped as a youngster by Fr. Richard J. McGrath.
Yet today, Fr. McGrath is "on the loose, walking free, unmonitored, unsupervised and unpunished," living at an undisclosed location, advocates say, "despite being ousted from his job at a school by church supervisors, having what a student thought was an image of a naked boy on his phone, withholding that phone from superiors or law enforcement, taking the 5th amendment, committing other inappropriate behaviors and continually disobeying his supervisors."
The advocates say at least five Chicago area church authorities are responsible for "the on-going threat to children caused by Fr. McGrath and their continued secrecy about other predators."
Earlier this year, Pope Francis permanently established the first-ever process through which formal complaints can be filed with the Vatican against church officials who improperly deal with child sexual abuse. Two groups - SNAP and Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA) - are submitting such a detailed complaint charging that the five church officials "are still hiding and protecting dozens of other predators besides Fr. McGrath endangering the vulnerable and re-victimizing the wounded and "impeding abuse investigations by deterring victims from speaking up."
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253939/pope-francis-decrees-permanent-vos-estis-lux-mundi-legislation-to-counter-abuse
(Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul made similar charges six months ago in his 700 page report on a five year investigation into Illinois' bishops, naming 149 omitted abusers' names.)
Those targeted by SNAP and ECA are Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, Joliet Bishop Ronald Hicks and Rockford Bishop David Malloy (in whose jurisdictions Fr. McGrath worked, lived or may live or work now) and are two Augustinian officials, one in Chicago and one in Rome. (The latter is Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost, now a top Vatican official overseeing the selection of new bishops across the world. He is the former head of the Augustinian’s Midwest province.)
Around 2018, church officials sent Fr. McGrath to live at St. John's Friary as allegations began to emerge that he had child pornography on his cell phone and had sexually abused a student. "The monastery is next to a daycare center and around the corner from a Catholic elementary school," reported one local news outlet. "Yet no one informed the people running those institutions Fr. McGrath was living there." His current whereabouts are unknown.
After leaving the friary in 2018, supposedly without permission, Fr. McGrath has been living and working without supervision by the Augustinians; yet he remains an Augustinian priest.
https://www.bishop-accountability.org/2021/02/church-officials-okd-moving-another-priest-accused-of-abuse-to-hyde-park-friary-records-show/
Fr. McGrath worked at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox (where the abuse happened) for 32 years, St. Rita’s High School in Chicago for 11 years and at St. Edward Central Catholic High School in Elgin in the Rockford Diocese for four years. His full work history is here:
https://www.bishop-accountability.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/assign-McGrath-Richard-J.pdf
The lawsuit was filed in April 2018 and was set for trial on Sept. 29. The settlement was finalized last week and publicized in the Sun-Times last Sunday.
The regional headquarters of the Augustinians is at 10161 S. Longwood Drive in Chicago (872 265 1100). https://www.midwestaugustinians.org/
Providence Catholic High School (815 485 2136) is at 1800 W. Lincoln Highway in New Lenox in the Joliet Diocese (815 221 6100). https://www.providencecatholic.org/
Krankvich's attorneys are Marc Pearlman (773 368 0142 cell, 312 261 4550, [email protected]), Jeff Anderson (612 817 8665 cell, 651 227 9990, [email protected]) and Daniel Kotin (312 605 8800, 312 346 3191, [email protected]). The Augustinians' lawyer is Michael Airdo (312 647 2483) and Fr. McGrath's lawyer is Patrick Reardon (773 271 5716).
David Clohessy 314 566 9790, [email protected] (SNAP)
Mike McDonnell 267 261 0578, [email protected] (SNAP)
Tim Law 206 412 0165, [email protected] (ECA)
Peter Isely 414 429 7259, [email protected] (ECA)
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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