Two More Lawsuits Filed against Former Carmelite Priest, SNAP Responds
Two more lawsuits have been filed against a former New York priest charging that he sexually abused the plaintiffs when they were altar boys in the 70s and 80s. We hope that these lawsuits encourage others who may have seen, suspected, or suffered sexual abuse by this priest or others to come forward, get help, and start healing.
Fr. George Boxelaar was a Carmelite order priest who has been accused of abusing children in the Archdiocese of New York and elsewhere. Originally from Holland, Fr. Boxelaar reportedly hurt over a dozen children.
Despite this, Catholic officials in New York have not listed the cleric as an abuser, even though the allegations were reported in 2002. It seems likely that his crimes were known much earlier as at least six children were victimized by him in the 1970's and 1980's. However, Church leaders in New York continue to split hairs and choose not to name him publicly because of his status as an order priest instead of a diocesan one.
Not one order cleric or brother, lay employee or nun is listed on the Archdiocese of New York’s website. But as the example of Fr. Boxelaar shows, there is simply no doubt that dozens, if not hundreds, of order priests abused children while working in the archdiocese. It is also beyond dispute that lay employees, religious brothers and nuns also abused while employed by the archdiocese.
We call on Cardinal Timothy Dolan to stop trying to hide the true scope of abuse in his archdiocese and live up to his promise to be open and transparent. He should update his list to include all the abusers in his files. Adding names to his list is a simple and straightforward task that would help create safer, more informed communities. If Catholic officials in New York really want to demonstrate to the public that they are taking abuse seriously, this step should be taken today.
CONTACT: Brian Toale, SNAP Manhattan ([email protected], 646-657-9278), Zach Hiner, 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