In Memory of Santiago “Charlie” Feliciano, a Brave Whistleblower
A longtime friend to SNAP and a brave whistleblower who worked for the protection of children and the vulnerable has passed away. We mourn the loss of our friend and a warrior in the fight for prevention and justice. We hope that the Cleveland community will accord his passing with the honor he deserves.
Santiago “Charlie” Feliciano, Jr. was the chief legal counsel for the Diocese of Cleveland from 1985 to 2000. He left the Diocese in 2000 for private practice. According to Charlie, he was forced out by Diocesan officials. In 2002, he went public with his complaints about how Catholic officials in Cleveland cared more about their image than they did about protecting children and supporting survivors. Charlie was fired, he said, for being “too victim-centric.” We are grateful that he was.
There is no doubt that, thanks to Charlie, more information about clergy abuse and cover-ups came to light. His example as a Catholic insider who decided to use his voice to protect children and support survivors can be held up as an example of someone who did the right thing at the right time. We honor his memory and legacy and hope that people in the future will associate the name Charlie Feliciano with someone who knew how to do the unpopular, hard, and correct thing when it was needed most.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(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
Showing 3 comments
Charlie Feliciano, Jr. did!