SNAP Jeff City News Conference 9/19 @ 11:00 a.m.
Victims say top Catholic official is ‘becoming worse’ on abuse
They write names of 'credibly accused predators' on sidewalk
Newly filed civil lawsuit targets four or five allegedly abusive priests
SNAP: But Jeff City bishop refuses to 'reveal even one fact' about them
Group wants McKnight to disclose who 'Fr. Dave' is and where he is now
And it 'especially urges' those who hurt as adults to 'come forward & get help'
WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, abuse victims will discuss a new lawsuit filed last week alleging child sex crimes and adult sexual misconduct by four or five Jefferson City area Catholic priests.
They will also prod Jefferson City's Catholic bishop to reveal more information about
--the four newly-accused abusers - including which are alive and where they are now
--all of the clerics on his 'credibly accused abusers list, including their photos and complete lists of each parish where they worked.
Using chalk, they will write the names of the 10-12 proven, admitted and 'credibly accused' pedophile priests who are or were in the Jeff City area and are still alive.
And they will call on
--anyone who was 'sexually manipulated, exploited or victimized' as an adult to 'speak up, protect others and start healing,' and
--state lawmakers to reform Missouri's 'archaic, arbitrary and predator-friendly' statute of limitations on child sex crimes.
WHEN
Thursday, Sept. 19 at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE
On the sidewalk outside Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (where one of the accused priest abused a woman), 1206 E. McCarty in Jefferson City (573 635 6143)
WHO
Two abuse victims including a mid-Missouri native who for 30 years led SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org) and sued the Jefferson City diocese years ago
WHY
Last Thursday, five Missouri adults filed a civil lawsuit accusing and naming four or five Catholic priests of abusing them. (Four men say they were assaulted as boys and one woman says she was assaulted as an adult.)
Since then, SNAP says, Jefferson City Bishop Shawn McKnight refuses to disclose even a single detail about any of the alleged offenders. SNAP calls this secrecy ‘reckless and callous,’ and is urging church officials to reveal more details about the priests ‘so that the vulnerable can be safer and so the wounded can heal.’
The group is especially upset that McKnight won’t tell the public if any of the alleged child molesters are alive, nor where any proven, admitted or credibly accused abusive clerics are or were (which many US bishops do in fact disclose).
Parents, parishioners, police, prosecutors and the public need and deserve this information, SNAP contends.
“Hiding who or where abusers were or are recklessly and callously puts kids at risk and deepens the pain of survivors,” said David Clohessy of SNAP.
The alleged offenders are a ‘Fr. Dave,’ Fr. Thomas Duggan, Fr. Francis Gillgannon, Fr. David Darr and Fr. Gerald ‘Jerry’ Howard (accused by two individuals and a.k.a. Fr. Carmin Sita).
https://www.bishop-accountability.org/?mo=sita&post_type=accused&s=&order=ASC&orderby=post_name
Duggan, Howard and Gillgannon are deceased. It's not known whether 'Fr. Dave' or Fr. Darr are alive or deceased (or whether, in fact, they are the same person).
Duggan and Howard are on the official Jeff City diocese’s ‘credibly accused’ abusers list, on the church’s website. Darr and Gillgannon are apparently being accused for the first time. It’s unclear whether ‘Fr. Dave’ has been accused before. (There is one priest named David on the church’s ‘credibly accused’ list, Fr. David Buescher.)
https://diojeffcity.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Credibly-accused-list-8.16.2024.pdf
The victims, identified only their initials, are now between their 30s and 60s. They are represented by Kansas City MO attorney Rebecca Randles (816 931 9901, 816 510 2704). The suit was filed in federal court in Kansas City and seeks unspecified damages.
A copy of SNAP's letter to Bishop McKnight will be handed out at the event and is posted at davidclohessy.com and SNAPnetwork.org
CONTACT
David Clohessy, 314 566 9790,davidgclohessy@gmail.com