Compassionate Gathering Press Release:

Go to www.compassionategathering.org and click on the “Surveys” button in the menu and then the “Oregon Survivors Survey” button.

Virginia Jones, the media spokeswoman for the Walk Across Oregon to stop child sex abuse by eliminating the statute of limitations on criminal prosecution of abuse, works to heal the wounds caused by clergy sex abuse.

What: Survey of What Oregon Clergy Sex Abuse Survivors Want for Healing

Contact:

Virginia Jones, survivor of sex abuse and rape, cofounder of Compassionate Gathering, e-mail: , cell: 503-866-6163.

Steve Fearing, survivor of clergy abuse whose 1992 lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Portland lasted nine years and went to the State Supreme Court, setting legal precedent in the state of Oregon by opening up the statute of limitations on civil lawsuits to allow survivors to sue within three years of realizing that they have been harmed by abuse, e-mail: s_fearing@yahoo.com, cell: 503-975-0799.

Mandy Davis, a senior research assistant and adjunct instructor in the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University, e-mail: madavis@pdx.edu.

Olan Horne was abused by Fr. Joseph Birmingham in the Archdiocese of Boston. More than 120 men have come forward who were abused by this same priest, and Olan is a founding member of the Survivors of Joseph Birmingham (SOJB). Members of SOJB cornered Cardinal Law in 2002, and persuaded him to come to several of their support group meetings to hear from survivors in person. This story was told in the book and Showtime movie, Our Fathers: The Secret Life of the Catholic Church in an Age of Scandal. Olan consulted on a survey of what clergy abuse survivors want and need for healing sponsored by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Results were briefly posted on the Bishops' Conference web site starting in late 2005. Olan inspired and advised Virginia Jones on the construction of her survey. Olan was one of the five survivors of clergy abuse who met with Pope Benedict XVI in April, 2008. E-mail: olanhorne@hotmail.com.

Why:

Many clergy abuse survivors remain wounded and estranged from the Catholic Church.

  • 1. The first goal of this survey is to find out what survivors want and need for healing.
  • 2. The second goal is to empower survivors by giving them a voice in the process, including those who want to remain anonymous.
  • 3. The third goal is to give the Archdiocese of Portland and the people of the Catholic Church feedback from survivors on what survivors want the Archdiocese to do to help survivors heal from abuse.

Who am I and why am I doing this?

My name is Virginia Jones. My Catholic parish was wounded when the pastor was removed in 2002 because he sexually abused boys. The Church kept things quiet rather than help parishioners cope with their feelings and their differences. As a result, more than one quarter of the parishioners left. These events helped me understand that all the people of the Catholic Church have been wounded by how sexual abuse has been handled within the Church. I feel that the whole Church will be healed by caring for the survivors compassionately. Fortunately, after a significant effort by a small group of parishioners, the new Franciscan pastor of the parish, Fr. Armando Lopez, supported us reaching out to other parishioners and survivors for healing. We hold Compassionate Gatherings each month, giving survivors of clergy abuse and other forms of abuse a safe place inside the Catholic Church to tell their stories .

I am also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and rape, although my abusers were not Catholic priests. The Catholic clergy abuse scandal pushed me to examine my own life and work on healing my own wounds and now others.

What will be done with this information?

  • 1. All information will be kept confidential unless you choose otherwise. I will never know who you are unless you tell me. If you choose to participate in some of the options for healing (ie. setting up an emergency fund for survivors), your identity will only be known to other people participating in the same project. No identifying information about you will be shared with anyone.
  • 2. Mandy Davis, a senior research assistant and adjunct instructor in the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University, will help me analyze the results statistically.
  • 3. This statistical analysis will be presented to Archbishop Vlazny and other church affiliated organizations to educate them about what survivors want and need for healing.
  • 4. The media will also be informed of the results of this survey as will organizations concerned with survivor issues including the Survivors’ Network of Those Abused by Priests, Voice of the Faithful, and Bishop-Accountability.Org.

How to do it?

  • 1. Go to www.compassionategathering.org and click on the “Surveys” button in the menu on the left hand side of the home page of our web site. Proceed to the “Oregon Survivors Survey.” You can fill out the survey online.
  • 2. Currently only the Oregon Survivors Survey is available. If you were not abused in Oregon, and you do not currently live in Oregon, you can still fill out the survey by indicating where you were abused and what state you live in one of the comment sections.
  • 3. If you were abused by a priest or minister from another religion, you may fill out the survey by indicating the religious affiliation of your abuser in the comment section.
  • 4. If you don’t have internet access and want a paper copy of the survey, you can contact me at: Virginia Jones PMB #348 2000 N.E. 42nd Avenue Portland, OR 97213-1305
  • 5. Answer only those questions you feel comfortable answering. Leave blank any question that bothers you.
  • 6. Family members can fill this out for survivors who are unable to fill it out for what ever reason. There is a place in the Background Questions where it is possible to designate that you are a family member filling out the survey.

Constructing and posting these surveys is expensive. Donations are gratefully accepted in order for us to continue this work of giving a voice to the voiceless on what is needed for healing. We will soon begin the process of forming a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit corporation. Donations are not currently tax deductible. Please send contributions to:

Virginia Jones
PMB #348
2000 N.E. 42nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97213-1305