Clergy abuse victims leafletting & news conf Wed 3/20 @ 1:00 p.m. in Alton
Victims to leaflet church where accused priest was ousted
With little attention, cleric was suspended 6 months ago
A 2nd predator priest, now deceased, also worked there
SNAP: ‘Bishop must do outreach to seek others in pain’
WHAT
Six months ago, a priest was quietly suspended after being accused of sexually abusing a child. Clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will hold a brief sidewalk news conference and then leaflet around a Catholic parish and school where he worked and reportedly molested.
WHEN
Wednesday, March 20 at 1:00 p.m.
WHERE
Outside Immaculate Conception-St. Mary's Church, 519 East 4th Street in Alton, IL (618 465 4284)
WHO
Three/four members of a support group called SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the nation's largest self-help organization for clergy abuse victims
WHY
Last September, a credibly accused predator priest who worked in Alton, Fr. William M. Brown, was quietly put on leave due to an allegation that he sexually abused a child. Since then, church officials have disclosed no further information about him nor revealed where the alleged abuse occurred.
SNAP however, is in touch with a Missouri man who reporting having been repeatedly molested by Fr. Brown at Immaculate Conception-St. Mary’s parish.
From 1995-1997, Fr. Brown worked at Immaculate Conception-St. Mary’s parish in Alton (part of the Springfield IL diocese). He was then transferred to Boston where he worked for another 26 years.
https://www.bishop-accountability.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/assign-brown-william-m-omv.pdf
Fr. Brown is also associated with a Colorado-based Catholic non-profit called the Spitzer Center. A native of Germany, Fr. Brown grew up in California and studied in Massachusetts.
The second accused predator priest who was at this parish is Fr. John Steven Rabideau. When he was accused of molesting three boys, he fled the country. In 2004, Fr. Rabideau was an active priest in the Philippines but two years later, he was arrested in Colombia and extradited to Michigan. He pleaded no contest to abuse charges and was sentenced to 5-10 years in prison.
https://www.bishop-accountability.org/accused/rabideau-john-steven-1990/
Neither cleric has attracted much attention in the Alton area and no local media covered Fr. Brown’s suspension last fall.
SNAP wants Catholic officials in Alton and Springfield to alert their flock about both men and beg anyone who saw, suspected or suffered crimes, especially by Fr. Brown, to contact law enforcement.
DETAILS
Photos of both priests can be found at https://www.bishop-accountability.org/religious_orders/omv-oblates-of-the-virgin-mary-0940/ Fr. Brown is alive. Fr. Rabideau died in 2014.
Neither priest is on the Springfield diocese’s official public list of credibly accused child molesting clerics.
Both accused priests belong to a Boston-based Catholic religious order known as the Oblates of the Virgin Mary (OMV). About six weeks ago, the head of that order, Fr. David Nicgorski, was suspended after several nuns accused him of sexually manipulating and coercing them in spiritual direction and, in one case, accused him of committing sexual assault.” He has also been accused of hearing confessions invalidly in a diocese where he was prohibited from ministry.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/oblates-mum-on-status-of-accused
The head of the Springfield IL diocese is Bishop Thomas Paprocki, 217 698 8500, [email protected]. Last October, SNAP filed a formal complaint against him with the Vatican because of his ‘secrecy and callousness’ in abuse and cover up cases.
https://www.snapnetwork.org/groups_seek_vatican_s_help_re_springfield_il_bishop
CONTACT
David Clohessy, 314-566-9790, [email protected],
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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