Last weekend CY CHRIST was represented at the SNAP Annual Conference. It took place in Denver and was a fantastic conference. For those who might not know, SNAP is the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Although started to support those who were abused by Catholic priests, it was helpful to meet survivors who suffered abuse by Presbyterians, Coptics, Adventists, and others.
The conference was a great networking event, and it was a pleasure to meet so many survivors. To me, they are inspiring people and I have tremendous respect for what they’ve overcome. This conference was the first to have a survivors’ art exhibit. Showcasing the work of survivors and what they’ve gone through. It was difficult to walk through the gallery and see the pain reflected on canvass, or in poetry. However, there were stories of hope in it too.
In fact, the whole conference was filled with hopeful, positive, and empowering tones. Of not only the progress that has been made, but the progress still to be made. It was great to come together with people who are striving to make church a safe environment. Who are trying to reveal the people who claim to be Christians, but are, in reality, Anti-Christ by how they abuse, or how they cover it up.
On Saturday evening, they showed the Netflix documentary, “Procession.” The documentary was a powerful journey from hurt to healing through an innovative approach to drama therapy. I highly encourage you to check it out.
Once again, one of my favorite parts was meeting fantastic people! Mitch Garabedian, the lawyer who was at the center of helping victims when the Boston Globe broke the story of the church’s scandal, presented at one of the breakout sessions. It was great to hear from Tom Doyle, a Canon Law lawyer who tried in the mid 1980s, to stop the cover-up of sexual abuse, and Terri McKiernan, the founder of bishopaccountability.org.
There were so many great people there, in fact, I’d say, it was a conference made up of great people. We are hoping to partner with SNAP and with End Clergy Abuse (ECA) to help more survivors and to bring about change. If you’re a survivor and are looking for assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to us, or to find a SNAP support group. Below will be links to SNAP and ECA’s website where you can find more resources. We look forward to having more news on how we’re working with SNAP and ECA.
https://www.snapnetwork.org/snap_locations
