PA--Criminal hearing for Franciscan Friars in sex abuse cover-up case set for Wednesday
National victims support group will be available to comment, answer questions
What:
Clergy sex abuse survivors and their supporters will attend a criminal hearing for three Franciscan Friars charged with failing to properly supervise a Johnstown-area sexual predator cleric, accused of abuse by more than 90 children.
Afterward, they will comment on the outcome of the hearing and answer questions from the media.
When:
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
The hearing begins at 8:30 am
Where:
At the Blair County Courthouse
423 Allegheny St in Hollidaysburg, PA
Who:
Two or three members of a national victims’ support group called SNAP (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAPNetwork.org) and their supporters, including John Nesbella, the SNAP leader for the Altoona-Johnstown area.
Why:
Franciscan Friars Giles Schinelli, Robert D'Aversa and Anthony Criscitelli are charged with criminal child endangerment and conspiracy for failing to properly supervise Brother Stephen Baker, a suspected sexual predator whose assignments put him in a position to molest children.
Baker killed himself in 2013, shortly after the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstwon settled claims with 11 of his alleged victims.
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2016-04-27/testimony-resumes-in-friars-child-endangerment-hearing
Criminal charges stemmed from an FBI investigation of the civil lawsuits against Baker and a 2016 grand jury report that found that the three defendants should have done more to protect children.
Baker was a religion teacher and athletic trainer at Johnstown's Bishop McCort High School in the 1990s.
http://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2017/04/hearing-for-friars-delayed-until-june/
Contact:
Judy Jones ( 636-433-2511, [email protected]), JohnNesbella (814 243-5213, [email protected]),
Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003, [email protected])
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