Support Group for People Abused by Clergy Members

KTIV
March 30, 2016

http://www.ktiv.com/story/31585065/2016/03/28/support-group-for-people-abused-by-clergy-members

[with video]

A support group for men and women abused by clergy will offer a way for victims to talk about their experiences.

SNAP, or "Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests," will hold a confidential support meeting, Tuesday night, at El Fredo's Pizza, in Sioux City, starting at 7:00 p.m.

Organizers say victims, family members and supporters are encouraged to attend.

SNAP member Tim Lennon will be there. Lennon says he was abused by Father Peter Murphy, of Sioux City's Blessed Sacrament Parish, in 1959 and 1960.

"Primarily as a support network, as a peer network we provide a great amount of hope for people to see that they're not alone," said Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests San Francisco local leader, Tim Lennon. "What happened to me should not happen to another child and I do know what I have suffered and what I have gone through I've known other survivors have as well. They need that support, they need to understand that they're not alone, that they can get better, that there's other people out there that'll help."

Lennon says the group goes beyond those abused by clergy members, but it's also for any victim of institutional abuse.

He says those attending the meeting tonight can choose to tell their story or just listen.