Church Tells Sex Abuse Support Group to Meet Elsewhere
By Phil Garber
The Observer-Tribune [Mendham NJ]
June 13, 2007
http://www.recordernewspapers.com/articles/2007/06/13/observer-tribune/news/doc467051e2c478c467231648.txt
Mendham – The church that was at the center of the nationwide clergy sex abuse scandal no longer will accommodate meetings to help victims of such abuse.
The church pastor, Monsignor Joseph T. Anginoli, notified members of the New Jersey chapter of Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP) on June 6 that they no longer may meet at the church.
A spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Paterson said room in the Pax Christie House adjacent to the church is needed for a new pre-kindergarten program and that numerous church groups will be affected by the squeeze, in addition to SNAP.
The announcement comes on the fifth anniversary of the first disclosures of sexual abuse by priests that sparked a nationwide scandal. That year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met in Dallas to draft new rules to avoid such abuse.
 |
| This millstone was set last year at St. Joseph’s Church in Mendham to symbolize the weight carried by victims of clergy sexual abuse. The church has told an abuse support group they must find a new place to meet. |
St. Joseph Church gained national notoriety in 2002 when the first victims came forward to claim they had been sexually abused by the former church pastor, James T. Hanley. A total of 25 men since have claimed to have been molested by Hanley, who subsequently has been forced out of the clergy. The diocese paid out nearly $5 million in 2005 in settlements with 21 alleged victims of Hanley.
A former St. Joseph pastor, Monsignor Kenneth Lasch, was instrumental in forming SNAP and allowed its members to meet at the church. But Lasch retired in 2005 and his successor, Anginoli, has not been supportive of the group, according to Mark Serrano, a former Mendham man who was abused by Hanley.
In 2004, SNAP developed a memorial in the form of a millstone to depict the suffering of those who were sexually abused by members of the clergy.
Support Gone
Serrano said the latest decision shows the church no longer supports those who have been victimized.
"The crime scene had been transformed into a real healing center," Serrano said on Monday. "This fulfills Anginoli's commitment to have nothing to do with SNAP or with people victimized at St. Joseph's."
Serrano said on Monday the decision was "calculated to further remove the church leaders from the effects of their own decisions."
Serrano said SNAP has been meeting regularly at the church on the first Tuesday night of the month.
"Every month, new victim survivors come forward to these meetings," Serrano said. "Unfortunately, the process takes decades and many people still are suffering and need the outlet."
Mark Crawford of Woodbridge, co-director of SNAP in New Jersey, said the church decision was wrong.
"It clearly sends a message that survivors of clergy abuse are not welcome," Crawford said. "It's a sad revictimization of the victims."
Crawford said the diocese claims to reach out to victims but that claim seems hollow in light of the latest announcement.
"The diocese talks about outreach to victims yet it allows the one place where victims meet on Catholic property to be told they can't meet anymore," Crawford said.
Crawford said he was certain the group would find a new place to meet and has been in touch with several organizations.
Anginoli notified SNAP in a one-paragraph letter to Patricia Serrano of Mendham, Mark Serrano's mother and the SNAP outreach coordinator in New Jersey.
"As space is limited, it will be necessary for your group to seek another venue to meet," Anginoli wrote. "This is effective immediately, as renovations will commence shortly to ready the building for our children."
Diocesan spokeswoman Marianna Thompson said as many as 20 parish ministries have to rearrange their schedules because of the new pre-kindergarten program. The groups range from Scouts to career transitioning and Bible study groups.
"This is a parish decision and not a reaction to a specific group," Thompson said.
She said with new families in the parish, there is a need for the new educational program and there is currently no space. She also said the space will be renovated and won't be appropriate for adult group meetings.
"The whole parish scene is in flux at the moment," Thompson said.
Mrs. Serrano, founder of a parish-based support group called Healing Our Survivors Together, said the church was the scene of the abuse and later a scene of healing.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.