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	Group Shows Support for Priest Sex-abuse Victims By Erika Slife Chicago Tribune February 23, 2009 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-priest-abuse-survivors-23-feb23,0,3787576.story Following sentencing of defrocked priest Donald McGuire, group members pass out fliers at Holy Family Parish Following this month's sentencing of defrocked Catholic priest Donald McGuire, a small group of supporters who offer help to victims of sexual abuse by clergy braved the cold Sunday to hand out informational fliers to parishioners at Holy Family Parish. The parishioners "have a lot more influence than we could possibly imagine," said Peter Isely, Midwest director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "The way to make changes is to make a call or two, and those things really add up." On Feb. 11, McGuire, 78, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, marking another chapter in his stunning fall from the pinnacle of the Jesuit order. He had once traveled the world giving spiritual retreats and had even acted as a confessor to Mother Teresa. On Friday, another lawsuit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court alleging sex abuse and a coverup by McGuire and his supervisors. Isely said the group was at Holy Family because it was run by Jesuits for more than 100 years. In 1996, the archdiocese of Chicago leased the Near West Side church. Kate Bochte, 47, traveled from Geneva to support the victims. "These individuals have done nothing wrong and the church turns their back on them in a very cruel way," she said. "I always feel like there should be a million Catholics beside me doing this. But there aren't." Contact: eslife@tribune.com
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