RETURN to NEWS HEADLINES pageSNAPSteubenville Press Release; Friday, July
13, 2007
For immediate release: Friday, July
13, 2007
For more information: Judy Jones (636-433-2511), Helen
Schoeppner (740-568-8213), David Clohessy (314-566-9790)
Support
Meetings Set For Clergy Sex Abuse Victims
Group Seeks To ‘Protect The
Vulnerable & Heal the Wounded”
Self Help Organization Holds
Confidential Sessions in 3 S.E. Ohio Cities
Confidential
support group meetings for clergy sex abuse victims and their families are
scheduled for three Ohio cities in the weeks ahead.
The meetings are
sponsored by a Chicago based organization called SNAP, the Survivors Network of
those Abused by Priests. SNAP is the nation’s oldest and largest self help group
for men, women and children who have been sexually exploited and assaulted by
clergy. Despite the word ‘priests’ in SNAP’s name, the organization welcomes and
helps anyone hurt by religious figures in any denomination.
The sessions
will be held in July, August and September in the Steubenville, Columbus, and
Marietta areas.
"Many adults who were molested as kids are still trapped
in shame and self blame. They need and deserve help,” said Judy Jones, SNAP
leader for Southeastern Ohio. "We have already had two support meetings and our
attendance is growing."
"It is important that a safe place is created for
victims to come forward, break their silence, know they aren’t alone, and begin
to recover," said Helen Schoeppner, SNAP’s co-leader for Southeastern Ohio. “In
a support group meeting, victims can find help and strength to get professional
therapy and report these crimes to law enforcement, so that others will be
protected.”
The two women believe that church officials, especially in
the Steubenville diocese, still ignore victims of sexual abuse by clergy. They
are disappointed that Catholic authorities have rejected their requests to
announce SNAP support meeting dates in church bulletins.
"The
Steubenville church hierarchy acts like they just want victims to give up and go
away,” said Jones. “Publicly, they claim to care, but their actions show they
really don’t.”
Jones and Schoeppner are particularly concerned about the
thousands of youngsters attending the Franciscan University Youth Conferences in
Steubenville.
“We wish parents wouldn’t let their children attend these
functions without a chaperon. This concern is another reason why we plan to make
SNAP an even bigger presence in Ohio," says Jones.
The meetings will
be:
* July 23 in Columbus
* August 20 in
Marietta
* September 17 in New Concord
Victims, family members and
supporters are welcome to attend. For more information and details about
locations contact:
Judy Jones, SNAP Co-Leader.
(636-433-2511)
Helen Schoeppner, SNAP Co-Leader.
(740-568-8213)
Or: please check our web site: http://www.steubenvilletruth.org/
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