For at least eight years, victims of child molesting nuns and members of SNAP have repeatedly urged America's largest organization of nuns to expose the truth about child sex crimes and cover ups by women religious. But the LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious) continues to essentially rebuff us and them.
Now more than ever, since they're being attacked by bishops like we have been (and are being), nuns should be sympathetic to our plight. It grieves us to have to keep prodding them to take long-overdue, simple steps to protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded. But how can we do otherwise?
Contact: Mary Dispenza
Phone: (425) 644-2468
Email: mcdispenza@comcast.net
- 2002 - LCWR refuses to participate in USCCB’s “Policy for the Protection of Children”
- April 5, 2002 - LCWR issues statement on clerical abuse
- August 24, 2002 - LCWR National Board issues statement on sexual abuse
- June 12, 2004 - Nun survivors meet for the first time in Denver at SNAP Conference
- July 13, 2004 - Hand-delivered to LCWR and USCCB from nun survivors regarding Plan of Hope, Respect, and Open Healing. Also requested nun survivors be allowed to speak at LCWR-CMSM Joint Assembly in Ft. Worth. To date, we received no answer from USCCB.
- August 5, 2004 - Letter to LCWR from SNAP expressing dismay over their decision not to let us speak
- August 9, 2004 - E-mail to National Review Board to intervene on our behalf
- August 13, 2004 - LCWR Press Release: Response of LCWR President Sister Constance Phelps, SCL saying we can’t speak in Ft. Worth
- August 19 to 22, 2004 - Joint LCWR – CMSM Assembly in Ft. Worth, TX. Nun survivors attempt to attend event but are refused.
- October 3, 2004 - Meeting with LCWR Leadership in Chicago
- November 22, 2004 - LCWR letter to SNAP refusing to work with SNAP members who are survivors of sexual abuse committed by nuns and sisters
- August 2, 2005 - Not allowed to speak at LCWR National Conference in Aneheim, CA; we are present – we delivered letter
- August 17, 2006 - Not allowed to speak at LCWR National Conference in Atlanta, GA; we are present – we delivered letter
- August 24, 2007 - LCWR contacts us to meet to talk but LCWR does not provide an agenda after numerous requests; Not allowed to speak at LCWR National Conference in Kansas City
- September 19, 2007 - LCWR responds to SNAP, denying all five requests
- August, 2008 - LCWR rebuffs us via letter; SNAP holds night-time vigil
- October 9, 2008 - SNAP meets with Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious in St. Louis; requests are denied
- February 23, 2009 - SNAP asks to speak at the LCWR conference in New Orleans
- March 26, 2009 - LCWR denies all of SNAP's requests
- August 11, 2009 - Not allowed to speak at LCWR Conference in New Orleans; we deliver letter
- August 14, 2010 - Not allowed to speak at LCWR Conference in Dallas; we are present
- August 16, 2011 - LCWR National Conference in Garden Grove, California
- August 7, 2012 - LCWR National Conference in St Louis; SNAP members deliver letter and hold vigil
Letter sent to bishops:
Aug. 8, 2012
Dear Archbishop Sartain Bishop Blair, Bishop Paprocki
We write you with great sadness and reluctance. Each of you, like most of your colleagues, has done a poor job of dealing with child sex abuse and cover up. Still, each of you have a chance to prod US nuns to do a better job in this regard. For the sake of prevention, healing, openness and justice, we hope you seize this opportunity.
We have little faith in "internal" church "investigations" and reports on clergy sex crimes and cover ups. We have even less faith when they're conducted by bishops or “outside” firms hand-picked and hired by bishops.
Still, something is often better than nothing. That’s the case today with abuse and cover up by nuns. Right now, there's very little known about child sex crimes and cover ups by nuns. No one's apparently trying to learn more. And as best we can tell, no one inside or outside of the nuns’ community is trying to prod them to do a better job of protecting the vulnerable and healing the wounded.
So with considerable reluctance and distrust, we're asking you to expand your “oversight” of the LCWR into what the organization – and America’s religious orders of women- are doing and are not doing regarding child sex crimes and cover ups by nuns.
Why does this matter? Because we believe that
- many abusive nuns have never been exposed or disciplined.
- many who have seen, suspected or hidden their crimes have similarly never been exposed or disciplined
- many who were abused by nuns have coped by essentially denying and mischaracterized the crimes they suffered, and minimizing the impact of those crimes, so they suffer in confusion, denial, isolation, shame and self-blame.
We suspect that fewer nuns molest than priests. (Research suggests that more men are sexual predators.) At the same time, however, that’s just speculation. And regardless of the rates or percentages of abuse, two other facts are important. First, there are more nuns than priests. (55,944 nuns in the US versus 41,406 priests) Second, many more nuns had more access to more kids, largely because they worked and work in schools.
Ultimately, however, the numbers or percentages are not especially relevant. If there are 400 or 4,000 or 40,000 adults who were victimized by nuns in this country, every single one of them deserves help. And if there are 4 or 40 or 400 children who may be victimized in the future by nuns in this country, they need protection.
Again, we take this step with great sadness and reluctance. Everyone knows most nuns don’t commit or conceal child sex crimes. Everyone knows that most nuns do wonderful, selfless work, often to help society’s marginalized.
But we see little or no evidence that nuns – either in or through the LCWR or their individual orders – are in any way, shape or form “trailblazers” in making the church or our society safer from clergy child predators or making substantial contributions to the healing of those who suffer because of clergy child predators.
It’s a painful truth to acknowledge. It’s unusual and unsettling for us to seek your help in dealing with it. But our concern – for the vulnerable and the wounded – and our inability to get the LCWR to be more pro-active, leave us with few other options.
Click HERE to download a .zip archive of correspondence between SNAP and the LCWR, SNAP and LCWR press releases, and other coverage of the groups (4.76 mb)
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-go to educating to end abuse .com and find the interview of peggy warren and story about gilbert-bonneau— he was murdered-in 1953 and they got a site for him justice for gilbert— but i think when they exhumed his body it was so bad off they could not fully prove it but the death cer-was forged- —You don’t hear about nuns murdering children because the children died and neither they nor their families talked. Rarely, a child escapes with his life or a murder is witnessed. At three and a half years old I was living at the St. Agnes home for children in Sparkill, New York. It was run by Dominican nuns. One of them smothered me with a pillow and thinking I was dead, called an ambulance. I wasn’t dead but in a coma that lasted almost a year and I am permanently brain damaged. Gilbert Bonneau was also smothered with a pillow like I was — by a nun at St. Colman’s home in Watervliet, New York. He was in a coma and died – but there was a witness who saw the nun straddle Gilbert and smother him. This eye witness who was physically abused by the nuns is still alive. He relives this evil and it has ruined his life. Gilbert’s family has tried for years to get justice for Gilbert but haven’t succeeded because of a church that knows no mercy. We will never know how many children were smothered by nuns or if they are still killing children in isolated places like church-run homes and Third World countries. If you know of children who died while being “cared” for by nuns or clergy please speak out – publicizing what they did is the only way to stop them. I have written about SNAP and their role in helping me and so many others. The statutes may run out but if enough of us talk about what happened there will be justice. I am writing about the evil deeds of nuns and clergy on my blog: catholicchurchabusebynunsandpriests.blogspot.com.
-email me at richardbonnie@att.net——i can find out thing for you—skeltons of small children were found inside walls and under floorboards—THIS WAS A CATHOLIC NUN CONVENT—EXPOSE?? MURDER TOO?? iTHINK SO.-‘they use your words against you’ but never said-we told you so—they are so kind and good to me—--and these people who was a cannon lawyer and president of convent had the nerve to say ’i had no proof ’ it sickened me so much – they just said ’it was so long ago; ’ yea sure -this nun poisen in my food-that almost killed me at 8—then the nun had me touch her-then say the goverment would take me away if i would not do what she asked— then she came into our home over 15 times and one authority just said—‘that does not fit the legal term for abuse’ they are liers—and just plain abusers who NOW AFTER 1962 STILL PROTECT—and the church officals lied -to the point that named a school near new orleans that she was in at TIME OF MY ABUSE1962— 63 they the school informed me last month-;she was NEVER THERE AT ANY POINT-I dont know if david can help me get this to media put someone who still protects abusers after 40 years must not be reliable to be president of a conventI, also, experienced physical violence, in the school, I mentioned, in my last story. (St. Francisis of Assisi Parish, now Divine Mercy, in Vineland, NJ) Here is my story: During my schooling in the 8th grade, the nuns and teachers came up with a morning routine, they wanted us kids to follow. First thing, as the school day started, we were given song sheets and asked to line up in the hallway (there was only K-8th grade, one classroom each), so the line extended right down the center of the school hallway. We were to all sing together, a song or two, to start off our day. One day, toward the end of my 8th grade year, we were lining up for the ritual. Unfortuately, for me, a friend, goofing around in the class took my songsheet, so I did not have one. Kids were lining up, so I joined the line without a songsheet, figuring, what did it matter, I was singing. During the song, our 8th grade teacher, a nun named Siser DC, came up to me and told me to go back to the classroom. I resisted a bit, wondering why, but I went back. She sent others back, as well, for various reasons. Well, after the singing was done and everyone back in the classroom, those of us that were told, to return and sit were each given a punishment. We were told to write the songsheet out a couple of time. When she (the nun), got to me and told me to write the sheet out two or three times (?), I spoke up and questioned her. I asked “Why?” This started to anger her and she said, “You did not have your song sheet”. I did want to say my friend had jokingly taken it, so I said, “What does it matter, I was singing?” The arguement began to escalate until she said, “Well, maybe, you shouldn’t be going to school here.” I stood up, upset, and agreed, and said, “Maybe, I shouldn’t”. I was upset and starting to make my way to the classroom door, I wanted to get out of there. Sister DC, became very anger and smacked me right across the mouth. At that point, (knowing what I know now), I would decsribe the feeling I had as sirreal. Everything went into slow motion, I was shaking and I clenched my fist and punched her back, right in the stomach. She turned to the class and said, “Did everyone, see that, she hit me, she hit me.” I ran out the classroom door and down the hall to the principal’s office (another nun). The kids in the classroom were chanting “Run, Annette, run” and Sister DC was running down the hallway after me. I ran as fast as I could, so I could get to the principal before Sister DC got ahold of me. My grandmother was called in, and I was suspended for a day but still allow to graduate the 8th grade.
I know the story in long, but my point, in all of this is the PHYSICAL VIOLENCE. I’ve been reading some articles relating to sexuality and the RC hierarchy, and all I can say is, I’m back to the sexual frustration of these women. I believe it leads to PHYSICAL VIOLENCE!!! When one is sexually happy and satisfied, they are not so easy to anger and become violent. The church teaching celibasy if fundamentally wrong. It goes against NATURE’S WAY!!! Going against nature’s way, is never a good idea.
All you gotta do is Google BishopAccountability. Click on the color map of the USA. When the names of the various states pops up, click on any state and on a city, then search around on the internet for a photo. It can be difficult because many have been so sneaky and they seem to be able to get lots of help from the church, families, etc. Still, I’ve tracked down dozens of photos and I send them to BA. Trish is the woman that I work for and she is always grateful because she has so much to do that she welcomes all the help. Besides she is very sweet and everybody in San Francisco loves her. Volunteer work is basic to my survival!
1. ignored
2. ocstracized
3. experiencing their trauma minimized or dismissed
I learned that the only way to receive support from women religious for the most part…is not to be a survivor. Unfortunately I am one. Thus, ignored.
Here’s the thing though. I don’t have to understand my faith the way they do. I do not need to emulate the silent treatment.
I call for a change, for sound over silence, for no more evasion. Face the truth, deal with it, heal it and we need to move forward, removing those who have crossed the line from the ranks. Purge your congregations. Stop making excuses and face what has happened and please, for the love of your God please stop using the silent treatment with us. You make it many times worse when you ignore survivors. It was awful!