NC--Victims challenge bishop about accused abusive teacher
For immediate release: Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016
Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 503 0003 cell, [email protected])
A female teacher who now lives in Charlotte is accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a girl. For the safety of children, we call on Charlotte Catholic officials to warn parents, police, prosecutors, parishioners and the public about the alleged predator.
We hope this new lawsuit, filed today in Boston, will bring comfort to some, knowing that an alleged sex offender has now been “outed” and knowing that youngsters are now safer. We also hope this case will expose what her colleagues and supervisors did and didn’t do to protect kids. We hope others who have information or suspicions about her crimes will come forward now to protect others and begin healing. And again, we hope Charlotte Bishop Peter Jugis will use his vast resources to sound the alarm about this credibly accused child molester.
http://www.wcvb.com/news/woman-says-catholic-school-ignored-sex-abuse-by-teacher-coach/41024144
We believe Catholic officials were warned about Diane Ryszewski before she reportedly “sexually abused the then 14-year-old girl between 1975-1977” while both were at Marian High School in Framingham MA and lived together in Hopkinton MA. We also believe they could and should have done more to stop her wrongful actions.
All of us must accept the painful reality that women can be sexual predators too. We must also be careful to use appropriate language to describe these crimes.
We hope that
--her victim (or victims) feel some relief, and
--archdiocesan and school officials aggressively seek out others who may have seen, suspected or suffered this teachers’ crimes.
We also hope that Bishop Jugis and his staff (and Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley and his staff) will use parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements to warn families about her and beg any victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to contact the independent, experienced professionals in law enforcement.
Regardless of what Catholic officials do or don’t do now, we beg current and former school staff, students and parents to take action, rather than wait for and hope that O’Malley and Jugis will step up. We beg everyone associated with this school, now or in the past, to spread the word about these charges against Ryszewski and prod potentially helpful sources and witnesses to call law enforcement immediately.
We suspect that Ryszewski could still be criminally convicted. If so, we hope she ends up behind bars as long as possible so more kids are safe. And we hope secular authorities will consider charges against anyone who may have ignored or hidden her crimes.
Finally, we applaud this brave, wounded but strong woman who is taking action today to safeguard others and deter similar crimes and cover ups now and in the future. It takes real courage to squarely face one’s pain and to publicly confront wrongdoers. We are confident that this lawsuit will be a positive step forward in her long journey of healing.
No matter what judges, prosecutors, school or church officials do or don’t do, we urge every single person who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes and cover ups in Catholic or public schools to protect kids by calling police, get help by calling therapists, expose wrongdoers by calling law enforcement, get justice by calling attorneys, and be comforted by calling support groups like ours. This is how kids will be safer, adults will recover, criminals will be prosecuted, cover ups will be deterred and the truth will surface.
(The victim is represented by Boston attorney Carmen Durso.)
(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])
Woman says Catholic school ignored sex abuse by teacher, coach
Woman files suit against Marian High School, Archdiocese of Boston
UPDATED 9:06 AM EDT Aug 03, 2016
BOSTON —A woman is filing a lawsuit claiming a former teacher sexually assaulted her for years, and claims school administrators knew it was happening and did nothing to stop it.
According to the lawsuit, the unidentified victim claims former Marian High School physical education teacher and sports coach Diane Ryszewski sexually abused the then 14-year-old girl between 1975-1977.
The victim claims the assaults occurred daily, according to the lawsuit.
Shortly after the victim started high school Ryszewski, who was her coach, took a strong interest in her and eventually . . .
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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