Two More Catholic Clerics Sued in New Jersey thanks to the Child Victims Act
A Catholic priest and a Catholic brother have been named in lawsuits for child sexual abuse in New Jersey. This latest news that shows the great benefit of the state’s Child Victims Act. Giving survivors their chance at a day in court can lead to safer, more informed communities.
Father Patrick Barrett, who worked at St. Anthony of Padua in Woodbridge, and Brother Regis Moccia, who taught at St. Joseph’s in Metuchen, have both been named for the first time in lawsuits filed against the Diocese of Metuchen. According to the complaint against Fr. Barrett, he is accused of grooming and sexually abusing a 9 to 10-year-old child from 1983 to 1984 when the victim participated in youth and church activities at St. Anthony. The lawsuit against Br. Moccia accused him of sexually abusing a 13 to 14-year-old student from 1994-1995 while the victim was a student at St. Joseph’s.
We applaud these brave survivors for coming forward and sharing their stories publicly. When accused abusers are named for the first time, it often brings others who were hurt and are still suffering in silence forward. We hope that anyone who may have been abused by either of these men will be inspired by these brave victims and make their own police report.
This story is yet another example of why archaic statute of limitations legislation must be reformed and repealed so that survivors are not bound by legal technicalities and can come forward to share who hurt them and who enabled their abuse. Communities are safer when perpetrators are known and giving survivors their day in court is a major component of creating safer and more informed communities. We hope that every state in the union will follow the example of New Jersey and work on passing SOL reform now.
CONTACT: Mark Crawford, SNAP New Jersey ([email protected], 732-632-7687), Zach Hiner, SNAP 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