I Don't Think This Is What Fr. Damien Had in Mind …

By Joelle Casteix
Worthy Adversary
May 22, 2012

http://theworthyadversary.com/752-i-dont-think-this-is-what-fr-damien-had-in-mind

Things are looking uglier and uglier for the Irish Christian Brothers at Damien Memorial High School in Honolulu. To date, we have found five known perpetrators who worked at the school, had direct access to students, and abused. There are the three we discovered in January:

Fr. Gerald Funcheon, Br. Robert Brouillette, and Br. Thomas Ford,

And the two latest additions, just discovered in the past week:

Fr. Lawrence Spellen and Br. J.B. Lackie.

Call me crazy for saying it: but it's looking like Damien was a den of child sex abuse.

Victims Rights

Victims at Damien High School have until August 1, 2012 to seek justice and accountability from the Irish Christian Brothers. But there is good news: victims rights in the Hawaii have expanded dramatically—but only for two years.

A new law in the State of Hawaii has given these victims and other victims of child sexual abuse new rights in the courts. Last month, Governor Neil Abercrombie signed Act 068 into law. It temporarily lifts the civil statute of limitations and gives victims of childhood sexual abuse a two-year "window" to come forward and use the civil courts to seek justice and expose predators, no matter how long ago the victim was abused.

Similar laws in Delaware and California exposed hundreds of predators and helped law enforcement put child molesters behind bars.

The new law gives rights to almost all victims, not just those at Damien Memorial. If you live in Hawaii or know victims who were abused there, pass the word. The biggest tragedy is when a victim learns about the law … after it has already expired.