SNAP commends the parishioner who exposed an abusive Catholic priest 25 ago for sharing his story publicly, calls on the Diocese of Springfield to be fully transparent
Earlier today a former parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, came forward publicly to reveal that in 1977 he confronted the Rev. Daniel L. Gill, the assistant pastor at the parish, about a 14-year-old girl's report of sexual molestation by the priest. Russell G. Powell also said that he informed Fr. Gill's superior of the accusation and of the priest's admission of guilt. Fr. Gill subsequently disappeared from the parish, Russell said, and later was transferred to another Catholic church in Brimfield.
We commend Russell for his actions in 1977, and also for coming forward publicly with his testimony after the story of a courageous survivor of Fr. Gill, Sheri Biasin, appeared in the Berkshire Eagle last week.
What concerns us is how the Diocese of Springfield is responding to this new information. It is easy enough to do the math and to determine that the girl that Russell helped is the third known victim of Fr. Gill. Yet the Diocese still insists that it needs more from Sheri to place the priest on its list of "credibly accused" clerics. After reading about the many gaps in Sheri's file, we wonder if Fr. Gill's superior reported to the Diocese in 1977, and whether or not that information was also "lost."
To us, transparency and accountability are actions. Words alone do not help survivors to heal. In a previous statement, the Diocese acknowledges that Sheri's repeated outcries were not handled well. Let us hope that this new information is a huge wake-up call for Church leaders in Springfield. They need to look into what happened to Sheri's reports, and any others. The Diocese must provide a full public accounting of who knew what about Fr. Gill, when they knew it, and what they did with the information. Catholic officials have acted with impunity, to the detriment of countless young lives, for long enough.
CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(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
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