Diocese of La Crosse Priest Abruptly Resigns With Admission
(For Immediate Release October 24, 2022)
“After many years of neglect, I am being called to face the wrong I caused someone by behavior inappropriate for a priest,” Pierce said. “Facing up to what I have done now requires that I resign as your pastor.”
To us, Pierce’s resignation achieves virtually nothing. It's incumbent on La Crosse Diocese Bishop William Patrick Callahan to quickly announce whether Pierce’s admission constitutes a credible allegation. Was this victim a child or an adult? And after that, we insist Callahan use pulpit announcements, parish bulletins, and church websites to aggressively seek out anyone who may have seen, suspected, or suffered crimes or neglect by Msgr Pierce while in the eastside parishes, previous work assignments, and seminary life. It is rare to see one allegation cited with such a quick resignation.
“After many years of neglect?” Pierce is not old in years and consciences are a lifetime. We can’t help but wonder if church officials ignored the allegations against Pierce and we hope any and all information is turned over to law enforcement. In Wisconsin, victims of child sexual assault older than 45 can’t bring criminal charges forward, and for civil cases, the ability to sue ends at age 35. For a priest who loved his weekly ‘blah, blah, blah' letter to parishioners, Pierce and church officials are silent about this disturbing news. Every parent, every parishioner, past and present, who had contact with Msgr. Pierce should be alerted.
CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager (267-261-0578, [email protected]), Zach Hiner, Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
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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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