News Story of the Day
Church child abuse victims' group SNAP takes on Poland
By Polskie Radio
August 13, 2014
SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), which was founded in the US in 1989, currently has representatives in 56 countries.
“We want to appoint a local [SNAP] leader in every diocese or region,” said Maria Mucha, who is setting up the organisation's Polish network, in an interview with the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.
Priest abuse victims demand Jarrell, Harson release names
By Claire Taylor
August 13, 2014
A national group of priest sex abuse victims is calling on Bishop Michael Jarrell and District Attorney Mike Harson to release the names of 15 credibly accused priests.
New documents show falsehoods in Nienstedt testimony
By Madeleine Baran
August 11, 2014
Documents made public Monday in a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis show that Archbishop John Nienstedt made false statements under oath in April about his knowledge of a priest accused of child sexual abuse.
Former deacon, teacher in Mahoning County loses teaching license
BY The Vindicator Staff Report
August 8, 2014
A former deacon and teacher at two schools in Mahoning County has lost his teaching license.
Ernest Formichelli taught at Cardinal Mooney High School from 1976-2013 and St. Christine School from 1971-76, according to diocese records. He no longer is employed by the Diocese of Youngstown and no longer is a deacon.
Attorney releases names of 8 'credibly accused' priests
By Forum News Service
August 5, 2014
ST. PAUL – Plaintiffs' attorney Jeffrey Anderson released the names of eight priests from the Diocese of New Ulm who had been "credibly accused" of sexually abusing minors.
Listen to Barbara Blaine on WBEZ's Morning Shift!
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, of SNAP, met in Chicago this weekend for their annual conference. The organization functions as a support group for victims of sexual abuse by clergy members, and works to connect people with the resources to move on from that experience. Now, 25 years after their inception, SNAP’s founder Barbara Blaine explains what the new pope’s formation of commission for the protection of minors means for the group, and how they can work with the Church in order to heal.
Alleged abusive priest serving in Lafayette
By Claire Taylor
July 30, 2014
Here in the heart of Cajun country, where the first priest sex abuse scandal rocked the Roman Catholic Church faithful in the 1980s, allegations have surfaced that a priest who sexually abused a boy in the 1970s continues to minister in Lafayette.
SNAP’s clergy abuse victims mark 25 years and eye new targets
By David Gibson
July 29, 2014
(RNS) When victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests first organized into a small band of volunteer activists in the late 1980s, reports of clergy molesting children were still new and relatively few. Most were minimized as anomalies or dismissed altogether — much the way the victims were.
Fulton’s First Presbyterian named in lawsuit
July 24, 2014
A local church has been named one of the defendants in a lawsuit that also includes Jack Wayne Rogers, accusing Rogers of sexually assaulting the plaintiff when he was a child in 2000.
Wake-up call for Catholic hierarchs
By Mark Silk
July 21, 2014
Jennifer Haselberger’s affidavit ought to be sounding alarms throughout the length and breadth of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. What the former chancellor of the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minnesota has done is to call into question the efficacy of the procedures the American church has put into place to assure the faithful and society at large that it is successfully dealing with the sexual abuse of minors by priests.
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