The format for two sessions planned for victims-survivors of clergy sexual abuse will provide victims-survivors an opportunity to share their experience, ask questions, receive answers and connect with supportive services, while ensuring the privacy of individuals is respected, the community group planning the sessions announced October 14. The format is different than that of the public listening sessions held by the archdiocese last May.

Survivors’ Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP), The Healing Center, community leaders, advocates and service providers have joined with Milwaukee’s Catholic bishops, Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Auxiliary Bishop Richard Sklba, in planning the sessions -- the first sessions of its kind anywhere in the country.

The sessions are open to victims-survivors of clergy sexual abuse, their families and other members of their support systems. Although both sessions are closed to the general public, the October 22 session will be open to media representatives with pre-approved media credentials. The October 26 session will be closed to the media, but a special media room will be available for anyone wishing to speak to reporters.

The October 22 session is scheduled from 6:30 to 9 p.m., and the October 26 session is scheduled from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Both sessions are at Milwaukee’s Midwest Express Center.

The community group planning the sessions has been meeting since mid-May. The group’s facilitator is Lina Juarbe, Executive Director of The Healing Center, which is affiliated with Aurora Sinai Medical Center. Juarbe will also facilitate both sessions.

The planning group includes victims-survivors of clergy sexual abuse; community representatives; victims-survivor advocates, including representatives of SNAP; Bishops Dolan and Sklba and other representatives from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee; and members of the community advisory board of Project Benjamin – the archdiocese’s response to sexual abuse of minors by clergy.

“The sessions are designed to honor survivors of clergy sexual abuse by having an opportunity to share their experience, ask questions and raise concerns,” Juarbe said. “The planning group hopes that these forums will begin to set the course for both individual and community-wide healing.”

The sessions allow for victims-survivors to share their experience and ask questions of a panel. The panel will include Archbishop Dolan, Bishop Sklba and Dr. Barbara Reinke, the director of the office for archdiocesan response to sexual abuse; Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann; Mary Hennis, director of counseling services at The Women’s Center, Milwaukee’s Peter Isely and Patty Marchant, victims-survivors of sexual abuse who have become nationally-recognized spokespeople on issues related to clergy sexual abuse.

Connected to the main session room will be a smaller “safe room,” where sexual abuse advocates working with victims of sexual abuse will be available to provide individual support for victims-survivors. Also on hand will be representatives from service providers in each of the 10 counties in southeastern Wisconsin that make up the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The PDF below contains more information.