SNAP applauds the ongoing clergy abuse probe in Michigan as another Catholic priest is under investigation
(For Immediate Release September 20, 2021)
Fr. Bryan Medlin, a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Gaylord, is under investigation by the Office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. According to the Michigan State Police, they are investigating reports of a Diocese of Gaylord clergy member who is accused of sending inappropriate text messages to high school students.
We applaud the ongoing investigation in Michigan for making children and communities safer, and for forcing institutions to be honest and accountable. This disturbing news is sadly not shocking to us, but it refutes the message we often hear from Catholic officials that their sex abuse scandal is a "thing of the past."
An alarming "red flag" to us is the fact that Fr. Medlin apparently worked in four different parishes in eight years. Given the current investigation, this makes us wonder why the cleric was transferred so frequently.
Fr. Medlin was appointed pastor of the National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods in September of 2021. He was also the Assistant Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Gaylord effective August 4, 2021. Prior to these appointments, the priest was employed as the pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Lake Leelanau. Fr. Medlin's LinkedIn profile also notes that he was an associate pastor at St Francis Xavier Church in Petoskey, Michigan, from 2013-2015. That parish has a school. Following his time at St. Francis, the cleric worked as an associate pastor at All Saints Catholic Community in Lake City.
SNAP Leader Nadja Tirrell in Lansing Michigan remarked, "The Diocese of Gaylord has an obligation to state the nature and number of allegations made, as well as to confirm that Fr. Bryan Medlin is indeed the cleric under investigation. We suspect that there is certainly more to this story, including questions regarding Fr. Medlin's assignment history. Transparency does not damage the integrity of investigations. It allows additional survivors to come forward and places the safety of children first. We hope that the Diocese of Gaylord will change course and make the protection of young lives its top priority."
We urge anyone with information regarding this investigation or with knowledge or suspicions of abuse by clergy in Michigan to contact the AG's hotline at 1-844-324-3374.
CONTACT: Nadja Tirrell, Michigan SNAP Leader ([email protected], 810-874-9620), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager, (267-261-0578, [email protected] ), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected]
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world's oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has 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
Showing 1 comment