Two Religious Order Brothers, One a Former Principal, Sued for Child Sexual Abuse
Two religious order brothers who worked at a New Orleans high school in the 1980s have been accused of molesting a student in a recently filed lawsuit. Both have been previously convicted of child molestation for unrelated conduct in St. Tammany Parish. We applaud these brave victims for coming forward and hope that their example inspires others who may have been hurt to come forward and start healing.
According to reports, ex-principal Richard Langenstein and Robert Gandara abused the plaintiff while he was a 15-year-old student at De La Salle. Both were members of the Christian Brothers, a notorious religious order that has been marred by scandals at schools around the country. If the national trend holds true, we expect there to be more victims who were hurt and were shamed into silence. Hopefully, this action will encourage other survivors of abuse – whether at De La Salle or any other Catholic property in Louisiana – to come forward and get help.
This story is yet another reminder that it is not just priests who abuse children in the Catholic Church, but also staffers at every level. We renew our call for Archbishop Gregory Aymond to update the list of accused within the Archdiocese of New Orleans to contain the names, work histories, and whereabouts of every single Catholic employee who has been accused of hurting children, not just those wearing a Roman collar.
The complete picture of the abuse of Catholic children in the Archdiocese of New Orleans is still hidden. Survivors continue to come forward for help and healing. SNAP New Orleans exists to believe and support these survivors. The road to healing is long and requires specialized services, but we can help individuals and their loved ones find the resources that they need.
CONTACT: Kevin Bourgeois, SNAP New Orleans ([email protected], 504-376-5445), 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
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