The Irish Christian Brothers (ICB), a religious order of brothers (monks) headquartered in New York state, filed bankruptcy last year when they were faced with more than 50 victims of abuse, molestation and beatings. The Canadian congregation (affiliated with the ICB in New York) faced national disgrace when more than 300 children came forward to tell…Continue reading August Deadline Set For Irish Christian Brothers Abuse Victims
UPDATED JANUARY 27, 2012 – Today, the Orange County District Attorney’s office charged Richard Aldana with seven felony counts of lewd acts on a child. Good news, indeed. Original post: International human rights groups cry foul when rape victims are stoned, imprisoned or forced to marry their rapists. But in sunny California, the news…Continue reading **UPDATED** It is NEVER Okay To Defame A 14-Year-Old Crime Victim
How about a little good news: It looks like South Dakota lawmakers are working to undo a terrible wrong. The South Dakota House of Representatives is considering a bill that will abolish the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. If passed, the law will be in direct rebuttal to a 2010 law that…Continue reading Are South Dakota Lawmakers Seeing the Light?
From the Office of Keep Your Trap Shut, You Pesky Victims’ Activists: Pope Benedict yesterday espoused the virtues of silence: By remaining silent, we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself, and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested. Ah, the irony.…Continue reading Well, at least Pope Benedict is sticking to the company line
Joe Paterno’s death last weekend came as a bit of a shock and a huge disappointment. I knew he was sick, but my disappointment did not come from grief. My upset was quite different: The man at the center of the biggest child sex abuse scandal of 2011 is gone, and we will never know…Continue reading Ignore the Man Behind the Curtain: Joe Paterno and the Catholic Sex Abuse Crisis
… or go and see in theaters six months from now if you are terminally unhip like me. I have not one—but TWO—friends with documentaries at Sundance this year. Apparently, I am the perfect random, non-movie-industry person to know if you are a filmmaker. (I like to pretend I actually had something to do with…Continue reading Two Movies You Should See At Sundance
From the latest in San Diego—where a modern-day lynch mob has started to intimidate victims and their family members—click here
NEWS: Abuse victims to bishop: ‘Stop the lynch mob’ Parishioners are confronting, intimidating family members of potential abuse victim Hurt and confused Catholics are giving predators a “free pass,” SNAP says You must help create a victim-safe environment in your churches, they demand In response to what they are calling a “modern day lynch mob,”…Continue reading NEWS: Abuse victims to bishop: ‘Stop the lynch mob’
You can read my latest post for the Ms Magazine Blog here.
The Penn State scandal has really upset me. Actually, it’s upset me far more than I would like to admit. I’ll begin with what upset me the most—besides the obvious horrific and stomach-turning sex abuse and cover-up, and the fact that the man who admitted to abusing me and another girl still has his job…Continue reading Where are the congressional hearings about the Archdiocese of Philadelphia?
Patrice Apodaca wrote a wonderful piece referencing me. It’s worth a read, especially in light of the Penn State scandal. Here is the piece she wrote in Orange Coast in 2010.
About the Penn State abuse crisis and the stunning parallels to the Catholic Church
Penn State does not have a monopoly on sex abuse cover-up. Adrian College officials have known that Thomas Hodgman was an admitted predator since 2003, yet, they support him and have allowed him to keep his job. They have not warned parents, students or the general community of the risk. As a result of my 2005…Continue reading The Thomas Hodgman Abuse and Cover-up Documents
Penn State is not the only university with a sex abuse and cover-up problem. Adrian College, a small liberal arts college in Michigan, has knowingly employed an admitted child predator for years. Professor Thomas Hodgman, the director of choral music at Adrian College, is an admitted child predator with at least two victims. One of…Continue reading Penn State has good company in Adrian, Michigan
Catholic parish volunteer charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct with a minor: SNAP responds Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, SNAP Western Regional Director (949) 322-7434 jcasteix@gmail.com Last week, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles hid a small notice in a parish newsletter to inform families that a church volunteer, prayer leader and former…Continue reading SNAP Statement on Cesar Alvarez
Investigative journalist and author Jason Berry achieved prominence for his reporting on the Catholic Church sex abuse crisis in Lead Us Not Into Temptation (1992), a book used in many newsrooms. He has been widely interviewed in the national media, with many appearances on Nightline, Oprah, ABC and CNN. USA Today called Berry “the rare investigative reporter whose scholarship, compassion and…Continue reading Jason Berry Coming to Newport Beach November 3
In September, victims of sexual abuse “upped the ante,” making a serious move to expose and prevent clergy sex crimes and cover-ups at the global level. How? SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (of which I am a member), filed a more than 80-page complaint (with 20,000 pages of documentation) with the International…Continue reading Four Myths About SNAP’s ICC Complaint
Statement by Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, SNAP Western Regional Director, 949-322-7434, jcasteix@gmail.com We are saddened and disturbed to learn that despite a second allegation of abuse by Fr. Michael Kelly, Stockton Diocese officials still refuse to remove him from active ministry with children and families. Despite years of telling Catholics about child safety “reforms,” Stockton…Continue reading Victims respond: Lockeford priest accused of abuse by second child, remains in ministry
I’m angry. I’m upset and I’m frustrated. And I know I am not alone. My disgust has a target: the homework packet that came home with my five-year-old kindergartener on Monday. The six-page albatross includes writing, math, drawing, story problems, coloring, and a nature walk. The whole she-bang is due Friday morning. The assignments must…Continue reading Homework in Kindergarten? NO!
California is inundated with civil and criminal clergy sex abuse cases. I realized it was time for an update: Inland Empire Last week in Ontario, Fr. Alex Castillo was sentenced to a year in jail for lewd acts on a child. Although he was only prosecuted for his crimes against one victim, the sentencing report outlined…Continue reading The California Clergy Sex Abuse Powder Keg, Part 2