They will ask bishops to disclose predators' names & stop 'hardball legal
                                  tactics'
 Self-help group highlights two 'egregious' multiple murder & suicide cases
                 SNAP and NH VOTF want church officials to
 - release of names of ALL accused priests, which Bishop McCormack refuses
                                   to do
    - agree to audits of its sexual abuse policy by the Attorney General
   - support statute of limitations reform so survivors can seek justice
                              - tell the truth

    MONTPELLIER, N.H., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ --
    What:
    Vigil marking the fifth anniversary of disclosure of the clergy sexual
abuse scandal in the Catholic Church
    Where:
    St. Joseph Cathedral, 145 Lowell St. Manchester, NH 03104

    When:
    Saturday, January 6, 3:30 PM

    Who:
    Contacts and participants:
    David Clohessy, SNAP national president cell 314-566-9790
    Carolyn Disco, NH VOTF Survivor Support Chairman 603-424-3120,
    cell 917-620-8172
    MORE DETAILS: In over 50 cities this weekend -- with candles, signs and
childhood photos -- supporters and victims of sexually abusive clergy will
stand outside churches and hold vigils to mark the five year anniversary of
the Catholic molestation and cover up crisis.
    (On January 6, 2002, the Boston Globe ran the first of what would
ultimately become 850 stories about pedophile priests, sparking the
exposure and suspension of some 900 proven, admitted and credibly accused
child- molesting clerics across the US.)
    Members of a self-help group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of
those Abused by Priests, are organizing the events, designed to emphasize
that "innocent kids and vulnerable adults are still at risk and church
officials are still reckless and secretive," according to Barbara Blaine of
Chicago, the group's president and founder.
    "Bishops are working harder than ever at public relations," Blaine
said, "but fundamentally, they still protect their secrets more than they
protect their flocks."
    At the vigils, victims will briefly highlight what they call two
'particularly egregious' cases:
    - a Wisconsin priest, Fr. Ryan Erickson, who murdered two men in 2002,
      after one of them confronted him with allegations that he was molesting
      children,

    - a Kansas priest, Fr. Robert Larsen, whose sex crimes against kids led
      five of his victims to commit suicide.

    SNAP members will ask that

    -- church employees and lay Catholics download photos of families hurt by
       Erickson and Larsen and display them in local churches, and

    -- bishops to disclose the names of accused predator priests, stop using
       "hardball legal tactics" and display photos of several victims in
       churches across the country.
    Details of this weekend's events, which start Saturday morning January
6th, will be prominently displayed on the home page of SNAP's website:
SNAPnetwork.org)
    The 28 states include: CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IO, MA, MN, MI, MO,
MT, NE, NH, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OK, RI, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI, WA and WY.
    The 56 cities include: Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Boston, Carmel,
Charlottesville (VA), Cheyenne, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado
Springs, Dayton, Denver, Des Moines, District of Columbia, Duluth, Great
Falls (MT), Green Bay, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Knoxville,
Lafayette (IN), Lansing, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Madison, Manchester NH,
Madiereville (IN), Milwaukee, Miami, Monterey, Nashville Newark, New
Orleans, New York City, Newark, Orange County (CA), Peoria, Phoenix,
Portland (OR), Providence, Rapid City (SD), San Antonio, San Bernardino,
San Diego, Santa Barbara, St. Paul, St. Louis, Seattle, Toledo, Tucson,
Tulsa, and West Palm Beach, Wichita.
    Additional sites are expected to be finalized on Saturday. These will
be added to the list on the SNAP website, SNAPnetwork.org
    At some of the vigils, victims will

    -- hand out fliers to parishioners entering or leaving mass, and

    -- be joined by members of Voice of the Faithful, an independent Catholic
       lay reform group.
    SNAP is the nation's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse
victims. Founded in 1989, it has more than 8,000 members and 65 support
groups. Most were molested by Catholic priests, nuns, bishops, and
seminarians. But a growing number were abused by religious figures in other
denominations.