Parishoners at St. Joseph's in Mendham 'Sad to Hear' of Decision to 'Evict' SNAP
By Abbott Koloff
Daily Record
November 7, 2007
http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711070367
MENDHAM — Fifty people participated in two demonstrations outside of St. Joseph's Catholic Church Tuesday night in support of clergy abuse victims who were told earlier this year that the church no longer would host their meetings.
Two dozen members of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, walked in a candlelight procession from St. Joseph's to their new meeting place a half mile away at Grace Lutheran Church. About two dozen others, parishioners at St. Joseph's, stood outside their church holding candles and a sign:
"You are in our prayers."
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| Some parishoners of St. Joseph's Catholic Church at a candlelight vigil for the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests hold a banner that reads, 'You are in our prayers' in Mendham Tuesday.
Photo by Karen Mancinelli |
Paterson Diocese officials have said SNAP was asked to move solely because the church didn't have room for the meetings. SNAP officials have characterized the move as an "eviction."
"This was a place of healing at one time," said Mark Crawford, head of New Jersey's SNAP chapter. "St. Joseph's was at the epicenter of clergy abuse in New Jersey. It was a great opportunity that we could come here for healing." SNAP had been invited to meet at the church in 2002 by Monsignor Kenneth Lasch, a nationally known victim's advocate who was then St. Joseph's pastor. Some former parishioners have said they were abused decades ago by another former pastor, James T. Hanley, who has admitted abusing at least a dozen children at three Morris County parishes.
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| Lou Serrano of Mendham wears a button and a photo of his son Mark Serrano, whom Rev. Hanley named as his first victim, during a candlelight procession in front of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Mendham on Tuesday. Mark Serrano is the national spokesman for Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests. Photo by Karen Mancinelli |
This past June, SNAP officials received a letter from Monsignor Joseph Anginoli, the present pastor, saying the church needed the space where they held their meetings. SNAP officials said they waited until this week to announce moving to Grace Lutheran because they had been holding out hope that St. Joseph's would find a place for them.
Anginoli did not return a phone call earlier this week. Paterson Diocese officials also did not respond to messages.
Significant place
Ray Skettini, one of three Hanley survivors participating in the march, said St. Joseph's was an important place for him because it was where he first talked about being abused as a child. He came forward after Mark Serrano, a former St. Joseph's parishioner, went public in 2002 with his own story of abuse. "That was the day I discovered I wasn't the only one," said Skettini, of Vernon.
As SNAP members began their march, they passed a group of parishioners holding up a banner in the church parking lot.
"All of us were sad to hear that they no longer were allowed to meet here," said Judy Chester, 47, of Mendham Township. "There is space here for their meetings — classrooms, a library. ... This is where it began. We should be there for them."
At one point, the demonstrators were asked by a man to move off church property to the sidewalk. The parishioners complied, but some said the request upset them.
"As a member of this parish, I have a right to support this group," said Denise Mortenson, of Mendham.
Abbott Koloff can be reached at (973) 428-6636 or akoloff@gannett.com.
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