ARLINGTON (MA)
The Winchester Star
Thursday, September 8, 2005
The Winchester Area Voice of the Faithful will host a yard sale to raise funds for survivors of sexual abuse on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 125 Jason St., off Massachusetts Avenue, in Arlington. All of the proceeds will go to support SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) and The LINKUP/ Healing Alliance for Survivors of Clergy Sex Abuse.
These two national groups are nonprofit organizations that continue to give support to survivors of sexual abuse across the country. Although the Catholic Church crisis of sexual abuse by clergy does not make the news every day, many survivors continue to come forward in attempts to deal with the abuse they suffered and continue to seek healing.
The need will be on going as most victims of clergy sexual abuse do not come forward for many years after the abuse takes place. They feel alone and have nowhere to turn. Connecting with others that have been abused is a first step. There are local contacts in almost every state, and many chapters meet monthly. Their national conventions bring people together for support and offer workshops on healing and ways to deal with related problems.