In March, 2010 I received a call from an obviously distraught young man who was apparently standing in front of the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s offices having been, once again, frustrated in his attempts to seek assistance and counseling that he desperately needed because of the sexual abuse he suffered when he was in the second and third grade of a private Catholic boys’ school on the Main Line. Now 27, he had suffered in silence and shame for most of his life. But at this point, after seeking help in the confessional during sixth grade without success and after having been violated again when he sought guidance from another priest at the private Catholic high school where he attended, he felt like he was out of options. Living on the street, without a job, without a car, and without medical insurance to pay for the therapy he obviously needed, he turned to the church once again. And once again, he was being manipulated to sign releases to permit the Archdiocese to possibly obtain evidence to discredit him and only getting sporadic and minimal amounts of cash that provided little to no help in getting the treatment he needed. That was the beginning of my involvement in the Philadelphia clergy sexual abuse crisis which has grown exponentially since we filed the first lawsuit in February 2011. As I begin this journey with my clients and other survivors, I will be writing about this crisis for the foreseeable future.
