MINNESOTA
Pioneer Press
By Elizabeth Mohr
emohr@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 09/13/2015
A victim of sex abuse and a priest convicted of child molestation have formed an alliance with a noble goal: to create a hub of resources for victims of sexual abuse and those fighting to stop it.
The pair is raising funds and hope to buy the Chancery building of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which has an assessed value of about $6 million.
The building, in the shadow of the St. Paul Cathedral on Summit Avenue, is the administrative epicenter for the Roman Catholic archdiocese. The archdiocese placed the building on the market, along with other properties, as part of its bankruptcy process.
Susan Pavlak and Gil Gustafson envision a rebirth of the Chancery as a Christian-based center for “all those affected by sexual abuse.” The building would become home to the Gilead Project, which they describe as an effort to address the systemic change needed to help victims and people of faith heal from the sex abuse crisis, and also to prevent abuse.
The programming would include training for churches and clergy or child-protection professionals, research grants and development of publications.
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