Ohio Catholic Priest Accused of Child Sexual Abuse
Fr. Dean Mathewson, a priest from the Diocese of Columbus, has been removed from ministry following allegations of child sexual abuse. The incident is said to have occurred in the 1990s while he was working at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Newark. We now call on Catholic officials in Columbus to do outreach to ensure that parishioners at every parish and school where this man worked is informed of the allegations and that survivors and witnesses are encouraged to come forward and make a report to local law enforcement.
By our count, if the diocesan review board deems this allegation credible, Fr. Mathewson would be the 53rd clergyman to be added to the list of "credibly accused" in the Diocese of Columbus, which has 106 active parishes. Clearly, despite rhetoric from Catholic officials, abuse within the Church is not a thing of the past. Given what we know about the delayed disclosure of abuse, and the multiple layers of trauma, we expect to learn more about cases from the late 1980s and 1990s as our current decade rolls on.
Fr. Mathewson taught at St. Francis de Sales High School and worked at St. Matthias in Columbus in the 1970s. The priest was also assigned to Bishop Flaget High School in Chillicothe; St. Mary in Chillicothe; St. Joseph and Marion Catholic High School in LaRue; St. Francis de Sales in Newark; St. Brendan in Hilliard; and St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Columbus. His most recent position was as a Catholic chaplain at Riverside Methodist Hospital.
We encourage anyone who has been harmed by Fr. Mathewson to come forward, make a report to law enforcement and begin healing. We also hope that anyone with knowledge of these crimes contacts law enforcement.
CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 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