IA--Victims urge IA Catholic officials to act in murder case
For immediate release: Monday, Feb. 15, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
An ex-priest who was just charged with raping and murdering a beauty queen spent time in Dubuque, we have learned. We fear he may have hurt a woman in Iowa too.
We urge Iowa Catholic officials, especially Dubuque Archbishop Michael Jackels, to aggressively beg victims, witnesses and whistlebowers to come forward to law enforcement so the full truth about this heinous crime can be uncovered.
Last week, John Feit was arrested in Phoenix for killing a 25 year old parishioner in McAllen, Texas in 1960. Two years later, he pled “no contest” to assaulting another young woman.
After Irene Garza’s murder, Catholic officials quietly moved Feit several places including “a monastery in Dubuque, Iowa,” according to a 7,100 word investigative report on the case in Texas Monthly.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/case-not-closed/#sthash.siDyz3wI.dpuf
Even though Feit’s time in Iowa was allegedly “brief,” it takes just seconds to assault a vulnerable person. And even if he did NOT hurt a single Iowa woman, the prudent, caring move now would be for Iowa Catholic bishops to use parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements to urge anyone with information or suspicions about Feit to call secular authorities.
Feit also spent a short time in a Missouri monastery where he reportedly admitted, in detail, murdering Irene Garza.
So there may be a current or former church official in the state who has information or suspicions about Feit and who could help prosecutors convict Feit.
Regardless of what Iowa church officials do or don’t do, we beg Iowa Catholic parishioners to beat the bushes, spread the word about Feit and beg anyone who can help shed light on these serious allegations to speak up and call police.
(Feit was also sent to San Antonio and later New Mexico, where he worked at a “treatment center” that housed dozens of pedophile priests, including some of the most notorious and prolific ones in US history. Feit is a Chicago native.)
http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/case-not-closed/#sthash.siDyz3wI.dpuf
http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/unholy-act/
Timeline of the case: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/headlines/20160210-anatomy-of-a-murder-case.ece
Timeline of the case: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/headlines/20160210-anatomy-of-a-murder-case.ece
SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747,[email protected])
Irene Garza's family feels weight has been lifted as former priest faces murder charge
Posted: Saturday, February 13, 2016 7:19 pm
KRISTIAN HERNANDEZ AND LORENZO ZAZUETA-CASTRO | STAFF WRITERS
EDINBURG — Noemi Sigler stood over her cousin Irene Garza’s grave Friday and felt the weight of a decades-long fight to bring the young woman’s killer to justice had finally been lifted from her shoulders, she later said.
“You can’t even imagine. I had so many doors closed in my face, and I would often get so discouraged,” said Sigler, who for the past 32 years tirelessly pressed law enforcement to get the man who killed her cousin.
“Many times I would try to stop and I’d try to leave it alone, but Irene would always bring me back,” she added.
But in a stunning development last week, Sigler’s efforts finally seemed to . . .
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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