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	Dedication Set for Monument for Victims of Catholic Clergy Abuse Courier [Grand Mound IA] April 20, 2007 http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2007/04/20/news/breaking_news/doc4628f7a007f5a972981382.txt Des Moines (AP) — A monument honoring the victims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests will be dedicated Sunday in a small eastern Iowa town touched by the abuse. Parishioners of the SS. Philip & James Catholic Church in Grand Mound will host a ceremony at 1 p.m. Sunday to unveil the granite monument. They and members of a group called Catholics for Spiritual Healing raised the $4,000 for the creation and placement of the 3.5-foot-high monument. The torch and flame design also depicts an angel and a small boy carrying a Bible. The verse is from Luke 12: "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs." The base states that the monument is "dedicated to our children who survived abuse by those we trusted." It will be placed in the yard outside the SS. Philip & James Catholic Church, the last stop in the 40-year career of James Janssen, a former priest who worked in the church from 1980 to 1990. Janssen was placed on indefinite leave in August 1990 and retired from active ministry in November 1991. Janssen was accused of sexually assaulting about a dozen boys in six parishes over three decades. He was defrocked in 2004. Sue Green, a member of Catholics for Spiritual Healing and the wife of a priest abuse survivor, said the monument will help heal the wounds of abuse. "The main purpose of this really is so that survivors know there is a group of individuals in Grand Mound, Iowa, who care deeply about survivors," Green said. "And celebrate their courage and their strength that it took for them to come forward to reveal all of these atrocities within the church, which has created an environment for growth and healing." Grand Mound is a town of 670 people about 150 miles east of Des Moines. Diocese spokesman Deacon David Montgomery said Bishop Martin Amos was invited to the Sunday ceremony but had previous commitments and couldn't attend. "He's very pleased that they're doing this," Montgomery said. Diocese leaders have asked every parish to have a statute or item "signifying the importance of protecting God's children and reminding everyone of the scars of abuse." Other parishes have placed statues, plaques or photographs in similar fashion, Montgomery said. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The diocese has paid $9 million to resolve cases in which 37 men said they were sexually abused as boys by priests. A federal judge has set July 16 as the deadline for anyone else who claims to have been sexually abused by priests to file claims. According to a bankruptcy notice, the diocese has been receiving complaints of abuse since 1989 that extend back to the 1940s. The notice lists the names of 23 priests who have been accused of abuse. The Davenport diocese was the fourth to file for bankruptcy because of abuse claims. The others were Portland, Ore., Spokane, Wash., and Tucson, Ariz. The Diocese of San Diego filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February.
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