St. John Vianney High School nurse was charged Thursday after confessing to child sex crimes.
(For Immediate Release May 8, 2023)
A former nurse at St. John Vianney High School was charged Thursday after confessing to child sex crimes. St. John Vianney is a private, all-male Catholic college preparatory school in Kirkwood, Missouri. Erin Foerstel was charged with two felonies: one count of second-degree statutory sodomy and one count of sexual contact with a student.
While we mourn for the harm inflicted on this young boy, we are glad to learn that the perpetrator has apparently admitted her crimes and been arrested. It can be extremely difficult for any survivor to come forward and talk about their abuse, especially if their perpetrator is a trusted authority figure working in the Catholic school system. It is even more difficult at a young age.
In April, the school sent a letter to parents saying Forestel was removed from the campus for "engaging inappropriately with a student" and violating the school's social media policy by "privately communicating" with boys. Vianney President Rick Davis and Principal Ian Mulligan provided additional information in an email Thursday, noting that Foerstel had worked at St. John Vianney from August 2020 until April 24, when she was fired.
We think that it is important to note that an average of two arrests per month of trusted figures in Catholic institutions is still a reality. BishopAccountability, the largest public library of information on the Catholic sex abuse scandal, has documented over 3,000 more perpetrators since 2004. This number, added to the initial 4,300 plus names acknowledged by Church officials in the John Jay Report, brings the staggering total to over 7,000 abusers, and this figure is growing monthly.
SNAP is calling on officials from the high school, the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and the Marianist religious order to provide a full report to parents and the public about what they know about Forestel and her nursing career: where she trained, where was her practicum, where she worked previously, to which sports teams she was assigned during her tenure at St. John Vianney, and if there were any previous concerns or complaints. The openness and transparency promised in the 2002 Dallas Charter demands nothing less.
CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected] 267-261-0578) Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President, (814-341-8386 [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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