Priest with "established" allegations of abuse in residence at a New Orleans parish
The Dominican Province of St. Joseph has posted a list of those friars "credibly accused" of the sexual abuse of a minor. This list included the name of a man with an allegation that was "deemed to be established by the lay Provincial Review Board." The friar is currently in residence at a New Orleans parish.
Fr. Richard Raphael Archer was removed from public ministry in 2002, according to the Dominicans. Yet the website of St. Dominic Parish in New Orleans, which has an attached school that serves children pre-K through 7th grade, shows that the priest is "in residence." In fact, in 2017 the New Orleans Archdiocese celebrated Fr. Archer's 65 years as a priest.
The Dallas Charter promised zero tolerance for those clergy who sexually abuse a child. We believe that zero tolerance means that the Church, or a religious order like the Dominicans, should not assign a priest who was removed from ministry to a parish, especially one with an elementary school attached. The community is best served by keeping those with a history of abusing minors, particularly those who are still recognized as clergy, from any position where they may have access to children.
CONTACT: Becky Ianni, SNAP Board Member ([email protected], 703-801-6044), Tim Lennon, SNAP Board President ([email protected], 415-312-5820), Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 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