Concerned Catholics published a 30 page booklet entitled Toward Hope and Understanding: Stories of Victims of Sexual Abuse in the Davenport Diocese. This booklet includes several accounts of what survivors endured and their experiences of seeking redress through the Church, as well as related resources. These are very troubling stories and we have taken great pains to edit them in a way that will make them at least palatable to the average adult Catholic (we encourage discretion with minors). They are also very important stories for us to know - both because sharing their experiences to such a crucial part of victims' healing and because it tells us things about ourselves as Church we need to pay attention to. The Introduction to this publication is available by clicking here.
To download a zip file with the complete Word document click here
Hard Copies of the booklet are available by contacting (don't forget to include your name and mailing address so we can mail it to you) CC at dwhiston@mchsi.com
Here are some Newspaper articles from the weekend of hope and understanding
The Telegraph Herald: http://www.thonline.com/admin/print_story.cfm?ID=82734
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Event to encourage talk about sex abuse
Church hosting 2-day conference for victims
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050623/NEWS01/506230309/1079
SNAP, Alleged Victims Bring Demands To Diocese
Group Submits Letter To Bishop Charron
http://www.theiowachannel.com/news/4650111/detail.html
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Abused seek support, justice
Meeting examines church's action
http://websearch.cs.com/cs/boomframe.jsp?query=iowa+city+press+citizen&page=1&offset=1&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D7f620481dc9e9ea3%26clickedItemRank%3D1%26userQuery%3Diowa%2Bcity%2Bpress%2Bcitizen%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.press-citizen.com%252Fapps%252Fpbcs.dll%252Ffrontpage%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DCSroll%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.press-citizen.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Ffrontpage
Abuse victim advocates want list
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050625/LIFE05/506250318&SearchID=73212366318893
Here is the link to my article on how survivors of priest abuse lost
their religious faith.
Katherine van Wormer
UNI
http://www.uni.edu/vanworme/articles/priest.pdf
Here are some old and new letters or articles to fill in some of the background of our groups concerns, and activities. Click on the intro to see the full text.
We would like to make you aware of an article in the October 15, 2004 National Catholic Reporter by Jason Berry entitled “The Power of Purifying Memory”...
John Whiston, "Scripture Comments on the
Fourth Sunday of Lent (The Man Born Blind)," St. Thomas More Church, Iowa
City, IA March, 6, 2005.
Homily
4th Sunday of Lent 2005....
John Whiston, Opinion Piece on the Election of Bishops, The Catholic Messenger