CALIFORNIA
Santa Barbara Independent
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
by PAUL FERICANO
I recently met with a group of former schoolmates — all survivors of clergy abuse — who attended St. Anthony’s Seminary in Santa Barbara in the ‘60s and ‘70s. This is where the crisis first exploded onto the national stage in 1992. At this gathering several issues were discussed regarding the Franciscans, the religious order of men who were our teachers. What puzzled, angered, and disappointed many was the shortage of moral courage witnessed over the years among the friars in general and, in particular, with the Franciscans at Mission Santa Barbara. Promises of cooperation were broken, allowing grief to fester like an unattended wound. Suffering in the community continues to this day, but the pastoral care that once defined Franciscan charity does not. This is what mystifies most survivors and former students of St. Anthony’s Seminary.
The Franciscans took a leap forward in 1993. Urged by the laity after allegations at St. Anthony’s came to light the year before, they created the church’s first Independent Review Boards (IRB) to deal openly with clergy sexual abuse. At the time, these charges represented the largest case of reported institutional abuse in the country — 39 students molested by 12 friars over a span of 25 years. The friars took responsibility, and the IRB became a model for other religious orders enmeshed in similar cases.
In 2006 the Franciscans got it right again. They crafted the Office of Pastoral Outreach (OPO). This was a new model built on the ashes of the IRB to help survivors continue to receive counseling. Its success is due to the efforts of one woman — a lay psychotherapist and Buddhist practitioner who is the program’s outreach coordinator and sole survivor advocate. The OPO represents both a measure of independence and a sense of safety for survivors. Unfortunately, that’s where much of the Franciscan outreach ends.
A “circle the wagons” mentality — which landed the Franciscans in trouble in 1993 — has returned. The refusal by friars in charge at Mission Santa Barbara to participate in the healing process is at the heart of it. For more than six years, there has been no attempt or inclination, as a group or as individuals, to reach out to survivors, their families, and the greater community. Some have even thwarted such efforts. Two friars, newly assigned in 2012 to the Parish of St. Barbara are trying to accomplish some things privately. One believes he’s been called to Santa Barbra to help people heal. This is a hopeful sign.
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