MD- Former youth leader sentenced, SNAP responds

For immediate release: Thursday, September 4, 2014

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])

A former Maryland youth group leader has been sentenced to 16 years in jail for sexually abusing at least three boys. We are grateful to the brave victims who came forward and helped get a dangerous predator off the streets.

While Raymond Fernandez was working as a coach and youth group leader at Greater Grace World Outreach Church in Baltimore, he abused at least three boys. We are glad that he will be behind bars for 16 years and will have to register as a sex offender, but we are worried there are more victims suffering in silence and self-blame.

We urge Greater Grace World Outreach church to use their resources and seek out anyone else who might have been hurt by Fernandez. One of Fernandez’s victims came forward after seeing him at a church function as recently as 2013. If you or anyone you know was hurt by Fernandez, or any other church official, please do the right thing and come forward, report to police, and start healing.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have 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])

 


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