MENDHAM (NJ)
Obverser-Tribune
By MARIA VOGEL-SHORT Staff Writer
12/01/2005
MENDHAM — Virginia resident Mark Serrano, a former graduate of Mendham High School, said Monday there is a public safety crisis for abused children who must come out of the darkness into the light.
Serrano is a survivor of child sexual abuse who has become nationally known for his advocacy of abuse prevention.
He received the Voice of Courage award on Tuesday, Nov. 22, for speaking out. He was one of seven recipients who were honored for having spoken out about their own abuse.
The award was given by the South Carolina-based Darkness to Light organization, which is dedicated to protecting children and preventing abuse.
“Parents have to take it upon themselves to prevent abuse,” said Serrano, a former resident of Mendham. “This award validates the importance of speaking out and encourages others who have been abused to come and go forward, because it’s the right thing to do.”
Serrano, 41, broke a confidentiality agreement with the Paterson Diocese and the Catholic Church in 2002 when he publicly talked about how he had been sexually abused by James T. Hanley, a former priest at St. Joseph Church in Mendham.
After settling a civil lawsuit against James T. Hanley, Serrano spoke on national television about the abuse he received from the priest that began when he was 9 years old.