BishopAccountability.org
	Clergy Abuse Support Group to Hold Local Meetings By Brian Gadd Coshocton Tribune September 4, 2007 http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070904/NEWS01/709040315/1002 A Chicago-based organization which offers support for victims of clergy sex abuse will be holding three confidential counseling sessions in the area over the next three months. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) plans to host meetings Sept. 17 in New Concord, Oct. 15 in Columbus and Nov. 19 in Cambridge, said Judy Jones, SNAP leader for southeastern Ohio. Despite the word "priests" in the group's name, the organization helps anyone hurt by religious figures in any denomination. Jones said there are many victims of clergy abuse in the area, from Zanesville to Marietta. "The hardest part is getting them to come forward. It's very close-mouthed in small communities," said Jones, a Woodsfield native who now lives in Missouri. Jones said it has been hard to schedule sessions in the area - three have been held so far - because victims of abuse don't want others to see them going to the meetings. "That's why we thought if we could find someplace central, like the Cambridge or Zanesville area, it would be easier for people," she said. "We don't want to be in locations near Catholic churches. We want people to know we are providing a safe place for them." Though she doesn't have a solid number, she said the number of victims in southeastern Ohio she has become aware of "blows my mind." Another problem is keeping track of where priests accused of abuse have come and gone from. "It's a big problem, because they will go to an area, and then be gone. And odds are, if they've been somewhere, they've abused there," she said. Area co-leader, Helen Schoeppner, led a previous session in Marietta. A family member of Schoeppner's was abused by a priest decades ago. "It is important that a safe place is created for victims to come forward, break their silence, know they aren't alone and begin to recover," she said. "We want to let survivors know there's someone to talk to about it and we can help them get help." Contact: bgadd@nncogannett.com, 740-450-6752.
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