TX – Priest found guilty of decades old murder, SNAP responds
For immediate release Friday, December 8, 2017
Statement by Melanie Sakoda of California, Volunteer Member of SNAP’s Board of Directors (925-708-6175, [email protected])
Yesterday a jury found former Catholic priest John Feit guilty of the April 1960 murder of Irene Garza, a McAllen schoolteacher and former Miss South Texas.
http://www.themonitor.com/irenegarza/article_95ac295c-dbb4-11e7-86cd-27a391da0db6.html
We here at SNAP, the Survivors Network, are grateful for this verdict. We commend all the witnesses who came forward, and we also applaud Texas authorities for deciding to prosecute this very old case. We hope that this conviction, long overdue, will bring some measure of comfort to Ms. Garza’s family and friends.
All too often in the past church officials protected clergy accused of crimes, and law enforcement looked the other way. From the evidence that was introduced at Mr. Feit’s trial, this appears to have been the case in Texas in 1960.
Thankfully, times have changed 2002, when the Boston Globe exposed this dangerous practice in the Archdiocese of Boston. We hope that the jury’s decision in this trial will inspire others who has experienced, witnessed or suspected crimes by clergy to report to law enforcement.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 25,000 members. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
CONTACT
Melanie Sakoda 925-708-6175 [email protected], Joelle Casteix 949-322-7434, [email protected], or Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Executive Director (314-503-0003, [email protected])
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