We never speak of Priest Support without acknowledging its connection to our goal of Supporting Survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Without the revelations of abuse and cover up and the courage of the victim/survivors who shared their stories, we would never have been catapulted from our pews, and moved to action.
We therefore advocate for reforms in those Structures of the institutional church that allowed church leadership to put the needs of the institution ahead of the needs of the victims, and which also have created a culture within the ranks of clergy and laity which discourages voices from being heard and marginalizes those few who do speak out.
It is imperative that we seek justice and healing for survivors. We must also insist on due process and justice for those accused. So it must be clearly stated that our support of priests is inclusive of all priests. We further believe that it takes great courage these days to be a priest who remains faithful to his vows and to his pastoral, sacramental commitment to his faith community.
We have also come to realize that our advocacy must extend not just to priests as individuals but to the institution of the priesthood itself, which we view as being in a state of crisis. We believe that issues affecting priests and the priesthood have immense significance not only for priests but for essential reforms needed in the church. We further hope that just as our support has been a factor enabling many victims of sexual abuse to become survivors, our support will enable many priests and priest associations to become more openly involved in church reform efforts.
Beyond our advocacy on behalf of all priests, we seek to recognize some among the many who exhibit, in word and action, principled leadership, courage, and compassion. Annually we invite nominations for such priests who we recognize with our Priest of Integrity Award.
Working Group Roster
John Ryan, Chair (Bloomington IL)
Joan Bedosky (Long Island NY)
Bill Farnon (Philadelphia PA)
Ed Gleason (San Francisco CA)
Frances Hofmeister (Cincinnati OH)
Clare Keane (Winchester MA)
Dick Okenfuss (Cincinnati OH)
Bev Rowden (San Rafael CA)
Bob Rowden (San Rafael CA)
Rosanne Santos (Hanover NH)
Bob Stewart (Chantilly VA)
Elizabeth Warren (Joelton TN)
