Former Professor at Virginia Catholic College Arrested for Child Solicitation
William R. Luckey was arrested on June 25 and charged with solicitation of a 10 year old girl and two counts of taking indecent liberties with the child. Professor Luckey taught for almost 30 years at Christendom College in Virginia, a Catholic institution recommended by the conservative Cardinal Newman Society.
Since his retirement from Christendom in 2015, the professor has taught at Padre Pio Academy, a home-schooling co-op for students K-12 that is based at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Front Royal. Luckey's wife founded the academy in 2013. When her husband was charged, she resigned from its board.
What is most disturbing to us about this situation is that in 2018 an administrator from Christendom admitted that Luckey was among several faculty who were "transitioned out" after a group came forward with allegations of rape, sexual assault, and harassment at the school. The concerned alumni met with College President Timothy O'Donnell, who subsequently issued a statement saying, "We have failed some of our students. ... We will do better."
To us, doing better is doing the right thing. That is, to immediately report the allegations to law enforcement so a proper investigation could be completed and criminal charges could be filed if warranted. Instead, officials at Christendom apparently kept the accusations under wraps and enabled Professor Luckey to go on to work with children at Padre Pio Academy. We hold the College responsible for failing to protect vulnerable adults and children. For an institution like Christendom that prides itself on representing high moral standards, we find it appalling that they appear to have cared more about protecting their reputation rather than about doing what was right.
CONTACT: Michael McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267) 261-0578 ), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
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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