Spring 2020

SNAP Returns to Rome, Live Music & Volunteering at 2020 Conference, SNAP Blog, Conference for Jewish Survivors, SNAP Leaders in the News

Welcome to the SNAP spring newsletter! 

SNAP Returns to Rome

In February, SNAP sent five delegates to Rome for the 2nd Annual Survivors' Summit, on the first anniversary of Pope Francis' four-day summit for Catholic leaders on preventing sexual abuse. There they joined Ending Clergy Abuse: Global Justice Project (ECA), Xumek, a Mendoza-based human rights organization, The Archangel Foundation, BishopAccountability.org, deaf victims of childhood sexual abuse by Catholic clergy from Argentina, and other survivors and attorneys. The groups were requesting more accountability from Pope Francis and his Church.

On February 20th, all participants stood in St. Peter's square holding banners asking for accountability and zero tolerance for sexual abuse. February 21st, they sat in at the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), which is charged with addressing sex abuse allegations against clergy all over the world.

Mary Dispenza, along with the other four Snappers, also marched to the headquarters of the umbrella group of religious sisters and met with the executive secretary, Sister Patricia Murray. Their aim was to request that the organization speak out more about the unacknowledged problem of nuns who sexually abuse children and other sisters.

Read more about the summit on National Catholic Register.

Watch Mary Dispenza's Update on Abuse by Women Religious produced by The Archangel Foundation.

Live Music at the 2020 SNAP Conference

This year's conference will feature live music from Ængel!

Ængel is a contemporary musician & songwriter whose passion is to write the pain of life into music and give it back to the world as something beautiful. With incredible soul and an unforgettable delivery, Ængel's sound transcends the mundane and connects us to something Higher.

You can find more music, live performances and uplifting vlogs by Ængel on her YouTube.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The conference will be the weekend of July 24-26th in our new location Denver, Colorado at the Crown Plaza Denver Airport Convention Center. 

We have secured a special rate of $124 at the Crowne Plaza Denver Airport Convention Center, located in Denver, Colorado. 

And, from now until May 1st, you can secure your seat at the conference for just $109. Take advantage of this low rate before prices rise at the end of February and register today!

Stay tuned for more updates on the schedule, additions to the speaker list and exciting breakout sessions. 

We're looking forward to seeing you in July!

Volunteer for the 2020 Conference

We are currently soliciting submissions for workshops! If you are interested in leading a workshop at the conference or have an idea that you think would benefit attendees, let us know.

Keep up with SNAP on our Blog!

Keep up to date with SNAP by visiting our blog. There you can find major updates with SNAP, important deadline reminders, helpful resources for survivors, documentaries and podcasts, best practices for reporting abuse, and written pieces from our very own SNAP Leaders. Keep up with us.

There's a New Conference for Jewish Survivors

Registration is open for the inaugural conference of the Jewish Survivors Of Harassment & Abuse Network, taking place Memorial Day, Monday May 25th in New York City. The cost to register is $36 ($50 after April 1). You can learn more and sign up at jshan.org.

This is a survivor-run survivor-centered conference featuring leading advocates, attorneys, therapists and journalists. The conference is open to anyone who identifies as a victim of harassment or abuse in a Jewish communal context and their loved ones.

This will be a historic event for the Jewish community, and SNAP is honored to support it.

Please visit the JSHAN website or facebook page to learn more, register or volunteer and please share this post on Facebook to let others know about the conference.

SNAP Leaders in the News

• In Pennslyvania, Shaun Dougherty is bidding to represent the state's 35th Senatorial District.
• Read Ann Hagan Webb's opinion piece on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence's opposition to new legislation that would extend the SOL laws in Rhode Island.
• Frank Meuers speaks about his experiences during a conference organized by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Ramsey County Attorney's Office.
• Houston SNAP Leader Eduardo Lopez de Casas and others met for a small news conference outside Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston to demand more transparency from the Catholic Church after receiving no information on the progress of investigations one year after the church released a list of credibly accused priests.
• New Orleans SNAP Leader Kevin Bourgeois and Louisiana SNAP Leader Richard Windmann among other survivors and members of SNAP, held a press conference outside of the New Orleans Saints training facility amidst sending a letter to NFL demanding a response from the New Orleans Saints that they release emails exchanged with the Archdiocese of New Orleans. A New Orleans judge later granted a motion filed by the Associated Press related to emails exchanged between the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the New Orleans Saints.
• More stories can be found our Story of the Day page on our website.