Letter to Survivors

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are writing as members of the Catholic Church, to offer you an apology. We are deeply sorry for the abuse you experienced in our Church and for the lifelong aftermath of that abuse.

The abuse you endured was horrific and inexcusable. The Church should have been a sanctuary for you; we are so sorry that it was a place of trauma instead. What you suffered wasn’t your fault, and we want to apologize for every time you were blamed for someone else’s sins. We are sorry for any time someone suggested that sharing your story would bring shame or scandal to the Church. We are sorry for the many ways your abuse was ignored, minimized, and covered up by church leaders who should have protected you. 

We recognize that many of you have been speaking out for decades, and we apologize for all the times that we in the Church didn’t listen, doubted you, or lacked the courage to act. We trusted the wrong people, and we didn’t trust you. We rarely gave you the support you needed and deserved as you sought justice and healing. We offer no justifications or excuses, only our sincere regret for the ways that our actions may have separated you from your spiritual home and deepened your pain.

We know that we can’t take away the past, but from this moment forward, we pledge to welcome you, listen to you, pray with you, and work together to create a community that makes space for everyone, especially survivors of abuse. We want to be your partners and fellow advocates in working for justice and healing.

We, the undersigned, are profoundly sorry that we have failed you. We commit to standing with you now.

Sincerely,

(Click here to add your name.)

Signed by:

Ana Acosta – Hortonville, WI
Bob Agnew – Milwaukee, WI
Elizabeth Allbright – Wauwatosa, WI
Rachel Amiri – St. Louis, MO
Beth Ann Andrews – The Woodlands, TX
Brenda Andrews – Milwaukee, WI
Hans Angermeier – Milwaukee, WI
Jeanette Angermeier – Milwaukee, WI
Barbara Angermeier – Elkhorn, WI
Tim Aquino – Aurora, CO
Ann Archibald – Wauwatosa, WI
Alexander Arguelles – West Chester, PA
Jocelyn Arnott – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Linda Atwood – Minneapolis, MN
Megan B – Milwaukee, WI
Charlene Bader – Conroe, TX
Kevin Bae – Vienna, VA
Sr Marie Balistrieri – Milwaukee, WI
Pat Ball – Catonsville, MD
Mary Bammer – Milwaukee, WI
Deacon James Banach – Milwaukee, WI
Andrew Bartell - Hawthorn Woods, IL
Gina Barthel – Elk River, MN
Steven Bartley – Colorado Springs, CO
Jennifer Bartowitz – Wauwatosa, WI
Christine Basta – Milwaukee, WI
Fr. John Baumgardner – Milwaukee, WI
Kimberley Bayer – Milwaukee, WI
Michele Beaulieux – Milwaukee, WI
Fr. Kent Beausoleil – Milwaukee, WI
Anne Bender – Milwaukee, WI
Fr. Thomas Berg – Yonkers, NY
Hannah Bergland – West Bend, WI
Brooke Bilderback – Atchison, KS
Claude Bilodeau – Sudbury
Joanna Boey – New Berlin, WI
Angie Boggs – Reston, VA
Barbara Bollinger – Albany, OR
Tom Bontempo – Glenshaw, PA
Aubrey Booser – Mission Hills, KS
Valentino Borrelli – Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Ajoy Bose – Milwaukee, WI
Peter Bowler – Dallas, TX
Terry Brecklin – Menomonee Falls, WI
Jackie Briski - Milwaukee, WI
Patty Breen – Farmington Hills, MI
Elizabeth Brick – Milwaukee, WI
John Brick – Milwaukee, WI
Kathryn Brine – Merrifield, MN
Jackie Briski – Milwaukee, WI
Fr. Jason Brooks– Wauwatosa, WI
Fr. John Brophy – Milwaukee, WI
Doris Brosnan – Shorewood, WI
Ellen Brostrom – Milwaukee, WI
Jessica Brundage – Milwaukee, WI
Alexandra Buchlmayer - Pewaukee, WI
Jeff Burden – Detroit, MI
Paul Burgoyne – Milwaukee, WI
Katie Burke – Cypress, TX
Deacon Dan Burmeister – Kenosha, WI
Leon Burzynski – Milwaukee, WI
Rilene Butts – Portland, OR
Anna C
Jim Caccamo - St. Paul, MN
Carol Caffrey – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Caldwell – Federal Way, WA
Stephen Calme – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Jo Canar – Milwaukee, WI
Berenice Cangas – El Paso, TX
Catherine Ann Cappello – Gilbert, AZ
Kimberly Carrigan – Milwaukee, WI
Lindsay Caruso – Milwaukee, WI
Larry Case – Fridley, MN
Bill Casey – Arlington, VA
Eileen Cauley – Elm Grove, WI
Jim Cauley – Milwaukee, WI
Patrick Cauley – Lewisville, TX
Lynn Charnitz – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Charnitz – Madison, WI
Jaime Cheaney – Arnold, MO
Deacon Michael Chmielewski – New Berlin, WI
Anne Chrzan – Venice, FL
Anh Clausen – Milwaukee, WI
Janet Cleary – Milwaukee, WI
Jan Clements - Hamburg Township, MI
Brenda Coleman – St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Kathy Ann Coll – Pittsburgh, PA
Sophie Collins – Shorewood, WI
Rebekah Colson – Bridgeville, PA
Amanda Conlin – Milwaukee, WI
Patrick Conlin – Milwaukee, WI
Fr. Jim Connell – Milwaukee, WI
Nathan Conroy – Albany, OR
Deacon Jeff Copson – New Berlin, WI
Lisa Corona – Milwaukee, WI
John Costantino – Pittsburgh, PA
Mary Crane – Milwaukee, WI
Makayla Crockett - Milwaukee, WI
Mary Ann Crowder – Morgantown, WV
Thomas Cwik, SJ – Saint Louis, MO
Dean Daniels – Milwaukee, WI
Jerome Danks – Milwaukee, WI
Julie Darnieder - Shorewood, WI
Anne Dauska O’Connor – Whitefish Bay, WI
Michelle Dawson – Kansas City, MO
Dominic de Souza – Greenville, SC
Talayah Dee - Milwaukee, WI
Katherine Delemont – Franklin, WI
Holly Delgado – Milwaukee, WI
Jenni Dellaert – Iowa
Phil DeLong – Land O’Lakes, WI
Nicholas Denari – Portland, ME
Kathleen Deuel – Buffalo, NY
Fr. Thomas DeVries – Milwaukee, WI
Pam Dowling – Milwaukee, WI
Cathy Drake – Roselle Park, WI
Marianne Dropp – Milwaukee, WI
Maralyn Dubik – Buffalo, NY
Barb DuBois – St. Charles, MO
Emily DuBois – St. Louis, MO
Angela Duperon Allen – Mission, Canada
Bill Durako – Rockford, IL
Cathy Durako – Rockford, IL
Jean Eakins – Seattle, WA
Kay Edlebeck – Milwaukee, WI
Candace Edwards – Papillion, NE
Margie Ehart – Severn, MD
Samantha El-Azem – Wauwatosa, WI
Christine Ellerbrock – Marysville, OH
David Elliott – South Charleston, WV
Beverly English – Chatou, France
Jenny Erato – Waukesha, WI
Thomas Esch
Linda Esparza – Newbury Park, CA
Irma Patricia Espinosa - San Jerónimo, México
Jill Estermann – Appleton, WI
Amanda Ethier – Illinois
Lauren Everly - Ponte Vedra, FL
Peggy Fargo – Nokesville, VA
Patti Farry – Dunmore, PA
Angela Fernandes – Seattle, WA
Simcha Fisher – Marlborough, NH
Brooke Fitzgerald - Avon, CT
Katherine FitzGerald – Watertown, NY
Kathryn Foegen – Buffalo, NY
Ann Fox – Colwich, KS
Paula Fox – Manitowoc, WI
John Fox – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Fox – Aurora, WI
Krysten Fulcher – North Saint Paul, MN
William Furey – Savannah, GA
Jeannie Gaffigan – New York, NY
Mary Beth Gahn – Milwaukee, WI
Pia Galea – Sydney, Australia
Crystal Gallentine – Clarksville, TN
Shannon Garcia Martinez – Milwaukee, WI
John Gentile – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Gentile – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Frances Gerber – Independence, MO
Justice Janine Geske (ret.) – Milwaukee, WI
Steven Gimmarro
Emily Goehner – Norwich, NY
Patricia Gomez – Concord, MA
Deacon Bill Goulding – Hales Corners, WI
Judy Grayhack – Pittsburgh, PA
Jan Greenleaf – Peoria, IL
Fr. Gregory Greiten – Milwaukee, WI
Chad Griesel – Milwaukee, WI
Jack Griffith – Hartland, WI
Sue Gronemus – Milwaukee, WI
Hannah Grubbs – South Bend, IN
Jenny Gryniewicz – Wauwatosa, WI
Kirsten Guidero – Marion, IN
Ed Gunn – Mt Carmel, PA
Fr. Howard Haase – West Bend, WI
Barbara Haase – Beaver Dam, WI
Anne Haddad – Baltimore, MD
Faith Hakesley – Boston, MA
Mary Karen Halmstad – Brookfield, WI
Sarah Hambrook – Milwaukee, WI
Laura Hancock – Milwaukee, WI
Elizabeth Handle – Grafton, WI
Fr. Charles Hanel – Pewaukee, WI
Michelle Hansen – Milwaukee, WI
Deacon Keith Hansen – Racine, WI
Rachel Haskin – Lake Odessa, MI
Kevin Hayes – Pittsburgh, PA
Sylvia Hecht – Milwaukee, WI
Ellen Heitman – Nashotah, WI
Julie Helmrich – Milwaukee, WI
Nancy Heltemes – Wauwatosa, WI
Jess Herrick – Milwaukee, WI
Ann Hilbert – Brookfield, WI
Megan Hoefler – Whitefish Bay, WI
Cathy Hoelter – Shorewood, WI
Amanda Hoff – Brookfield, WI
Mike Hoffman – Chicago, IL
Stacy Hollermann – Waite Park, MN
Janel Holmes – Wauwatosa, WI
Peter Horton – Pittsburgh, PA
Kathleen Howland – Minneapolis, MN
Charles Huber – Fort Worth, TX
Maggie Hucko – Cedarburg, WI
Brigid Hughes – Brookfield, WI
Leslie Hultgren – Cedarburg, WI
Deacon Tom Hunt – Milwaukee, WI
Haley Huser – Arvada, CO
Christine Hyland – Oakton, VA
Alice Iaquinta – West Bend, WI
Patricia Ingrilli – Wauwatosa, WI
Sheila Jacque – Fox Point, WI
Jim Janco – Deptford, NJ
Sooz Elizabeth Jeson – Milwaukee, WI
Shanedra Johnson – Milwaukee, WI
Donna Johnson Polencheck – Twin Lakes, WI
Fr. Joseph Juknialis – Milwaukee, WI
Pollyanna Kabara – Milwaukee, WI
Paula Kaempffer – Ramsey, MN
David Kang – Milwaukee, WI
T. Paul Kariuki – Bloomington, MN
Jim Karolewicz – Mequon, WI
Kathleen Keane – White Bear Lake, MN
Clare Kelley – Boston, MA
Nancy Kenny – Pittsburgh, PA
William Kessenich – Appleton, WI
Cece Kim – Milwaukee, WI
Fr. Peter Patrick Kimani – Milwaukee, WI
Anna Kinskey – Milwaukee, WI
Fr. Tim Kitzke – Milwaukee, WI
Kathy Klamka – Gilbert, AZ
Griffin Knipp – Milwaukee, WI
Jerry Knipple – Milwaukee, WI
Carol Knoeber – Wylie, TX
Sara Knutson – Milwaukee, WI
Tom Koester – Milwaukee, WI
Bill Kolanko – Whitefish Bay, WI
Michael Koplinka-Loehr – Lansing, NY
Karen Kornosky – Montgomery, AL
Mary Krawczyk – Milwaukee, WI
Joan Kress – Milwaukee, WI
Christian Krokus – Scranton, PA
Michael Krueger – Madison, WI
Liz Kuhn – Milwaukee, WI
Andrew Kuzma – Milwaukee, WI
Marian Lamoureux – Brookfield, WI
Ellen Lang Roder – Milwaukee, WI
Michael Larson – Milwaukee, WI
Sara Larson – Milwaukee, WI
Gina Larucci – New York, NY
Michelle Laufer – New Berlin, WI
Ronald Lemmert – Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Laura Lemna
Erynn Lewis – Milwaukee, WI
Michael Lewis – Beltsville, MD
Tammy Lewis – Rockford, IL
Wendy Liedtke – Milwaukee, WI
Emily Lindsay-Deddens - Glen Ellyn, IL
Anthony Linn – Milwaukee, WI
Sister Barbara Linke, SSND – Milwaukee, WI
Ty Linn – Shorewood, WI
James Linn – Shorewood, WI
Sylvia Llanas Buckman – Milwaukee, WI
Kyle Lloyd – Wahiawa, HI
Sheila Long – Whitefish Bay, WI
Mary Lujan – Spring, TX
Joseph M – Milwaukee, WI
Jennifer Mackinnon – Mequon, WI
Sister Margaret Maher – Menomonee Falls, WI
Raynah Marise - Pune, India
Lucie Martinot-Lagarde – Washington, DC
Lonnie Massey - Fort Worth, TX
Eileen Mathy – Champaign, IL
Lynne McAllister – Pittsburgh, PA
Fr. Patrick McCafferty - Belfast, Northern Ireland
Fiona McCarthy – Pensacola, FL
Liz McCloskey – Washington, DC
Millie McCormick – Lake Geneva, WI
Rachel McGrew – Milwaukee, WI
Angie McIntyre – Tempe, AZ
Patricia McKay – Milwaukee, WI
Sandra Melcher – Milwaukee, WI
Alicia Menard – Fairbanks, AL
Lisa Metz – Milwaukee, WI
Jon Metz – Milwaukee, WI
Kirsten Metz – St. Louis, MO
Mary Jo Meyer – Kiel, WI
Fr. Michael F. Michalski – Milwaukee, WI
Cammy Miller - Uniontown, OH
Wendy Mitch – Plover, WI
Julee Mitchell – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Margaret Moore – St. Louis, MO
Claudia Morris – Milwaukee, WI
John Morrison – Ogdensburg, NY
Suzanne Moscicke – Menomonee Falls, WI
Joan Moulder – Pine Hill, NJ
Mitch Mueller – West Bend, WI
Larry Mulligan – Grand Rapids, MI
Spencer Mullins – Nashville, TN
Katherine Murray – Shorewood, WI
Andrew Musgrave – Cincinnati, OH
Nadia N – Milwaukee, WI
Gordon Nary – Chicago, IL
Tom Navin – Larkside Park, KY
Dennis Neuenfeldt – Milwaukee, WI
Pat Neuenfeldt – Milwaukee, WI
Sandy Nickel – Brookfield, WI
Bruce Nogalski – Pewaukee, WI
Renee Normand – Chippewa Falls, WI
Deacon Larry Normann – Nashotah, WI
Vincent Noth – Milwaukee, WI
Sharon O’Brien – Silver Spring, MD
Siobhan O’Connor – Buffalo, NY
Erin O’Donnell – Milwaukee, WI
Anne O’Meara-Stillwell – Milwaukee, WI
Megan O’Halloran – Milwaukee, WI
Charlotte Odum – Rutherfordton, NC
Jane Ore – Elm Grove, WI
Catherine Orr – Mequon, WI
Rosa Ortiz – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Osep – New Berlin, WI
Catherine Owers – South Bend, IN
Gina Parnaby – Roswell, GA
Deacon Joe Pasquella – Wellsville, NY
Janet Patterson – Wolcottville, IN
Margaret Payant – Milwaukee, WI
Manuel Perez – El Paso, TX
Mark Peters – Wauwatosa, WI
Gina Peterson – Oak Creek, WI
Deacon Greg Petro – Racine, WI
Letitia Peyton – Washington, LA
Elly Pick – Shorewood, WI
Valerie Pierce – Gwinn, MI
Tom Pipines – Pewaukee, WI
Joan Plumley – Menomonee Falls, WI
David Poniewaz – Milwaukee, WI
Laura Pontikes – Houston, TX
Patty Porter – Nashotah, WI
Carole Poth – Milwaukee, WI
Betsy Potter – Brookfield, WI
Miguel Prats – Katy, TX
Allison Proffitt – Easton, MD
Deacon Steve Przedpelski – Milwaukee, WI
Natalie Pucillo – Washington, DC
Fr. Jordi Pujol – Rome, Italy
Cindy Puskar – Dayton, OH
Timothy Quigley - Lancaster, PA
Kerry Quimi – Mequon, WI
Fr. Ronald Raab, CSC – Colorado Springs, CO
Fr. Jim Radde, S.J. – St. Paul, MN
Caitlin Raether – Shorewood, WI
Hery Narindra Jeannot Rakotoarimana – Antananarivo, Madagascar
Mairead Rauch – Milwaukee, WI
Marcia Reardon – Minneapolis, MN
Albert Reichelt – Baltimore, MD
Meg Reinhardt – St. Louis, MO
Jen Renquin – Green Bay, WI
Jeanne Reynolds – Dover, DE
Kiera Reynolds – Saint Cloud, MN
Laura Rice - Wichita, KS
Sharon Richardson – Milwaukee, WI
Jim Richter – Minneapolis, MN
Emily Ring – San Diego, CA
Mamie Riyeff – Milwaukee, WI
Corey Robak-Klein – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Robertson – Milwaukee, WI
Bradley Roder – Lenexa, KS
Dean Roder – Milwaukee, WI
Shelly Roder – Milwaukee, WI
Sharon Rodney – Saskatoon, Canada
Claire Rogel – Pittsburgh, PA
Lydia Ross – Kansas City, MO
Fran Rossi Szpylczyn – Clifton Park, NY
Jan Ruidl – Racine, WI
Deb Rydlewicz – Nashotah, WI
Tera Sabatino – Denver, CO
Susan Sajdak – Milwaukee, WI
Paul Salsini – Milwaukee, WI
Allen Samson – Milwaukee, WI
Fr. Daniel Sanders – Mequon, WI
Cheryl Sarkisian – Fresno, CA
Don Sass – Milwaukee, WI
Maryanne Sauer - Pittsburgh, PA
Kelly Savasta – Milwaukee, WI
Bruce Seidel Jr – Cincinnati, OH
MaryBeth Scalice - Milton, MA
Chris Scanlan – Minneapolis MN
Mary Schaefer – Vienna, VA
Donna Scheppe – Naperville, IL
Heather Schieder – Buffalo, NY
Deborah Schiessl – Brooklyn Park, MN
Anne Schmidt – Milwaukee, WI
Joseph Schmidt – Milwaukee, WI
Joanne Schoenke – New Berlin, WI
Jerome Schroeder – Milwaukee, WI
Paul Schultz – Edgerton, WI
Amie Schumacher - Little Falls, MN
Jackie Schwabe – Wauwatosa, WI
Sister Debra M. Sciano, SSND – Milwaukee, WI
Leah Sealey – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Jo Sebern – Milwaukee, WI
Molly Sheahan – Sacramento, CA
Beverly Sherman – Fairfax, VA
Kathleen Shriner – Delphi, IN
Ann Shoplik – Pittsburgh, PA
Amy Siesennop – Oconomowoc, WI
Elizabeth Sigmund – Oconomowoc, WI
Jeanine Sismour – Pittsburgh, PA
Deacon Sandy Sites – Menomonee Falls, WI
Robert Sledz – Belvidere, IL
Lori Slevin – Livonia, MI
Jean Smith – Milwaukee, WI
Kathy Smith – Elm Grove, WI
Kayla Smith - Tucson, AZ
Johanna Smith – Downingtown, PA
Tracy Smith – Puyallup, WA
James Sponholz – Milwaukee, WI
Joseph Stanek – Scranton, PA
Stacey Stark – Wauwatosa, WI
Elaine Steele – Whitefish Bay, WI
Mary Steele – Albuquerque, NM
Holly Steffes – Milwaukee, WI
Christina Steiger - Corvallis, OR
Lizzy Stempien – Brookfield, WI
Fr. Steven Wood – Weaverville, CA
Rose Stewart – Glen Burnie, MD
Fr. Bob Stiefvater – Milwaukee, WI
Sara Stone – Milwaukee, WI
Lucy Strausbaugh – Baltimore, MD
Birgitta Sujdak Mackiewicz – Peoria, IL
Rebecca Surendorff – Cincinnati, OH
Oliver Sweet – Milwaukee, WI
Steve Szymanski – Milwaukee, WI
Amy Taylor – Milwaukee, WI
Bruce Teague
Barbara Teske-Young – Wauwatosa, WI
Kiah Tessman – Kalamazoo, MI
Michael Thelen – Edgewood, KY
Barbara Thorp - Norwood, MA
Eduardo Torres – Mesquite, NV
Catherine Treutelaar – Mukwonago, WI
Molly Turro – Jericho, VT
Eve Tushnet – Washington, DC
Kathleen Utschig – Milwaukee, WI
Mary Kate Uy – Milwaukee, WI
Glenn Vanek – Plainfield, IL
Mary Varley - Stockport, United Kingdom
Gerald Vigna – Camden, NJ
Gary Vogt – Albuquerque, NM
Jerri von den Bosch – Milwaukee, WI
Louis vondenBosch
Samantha Vosters – Milwaukee, WI
Christine Way Skinner - Newmarket, Canada
Steph Weiler – Wauwatosa, WI
June Wessa – Milwaukee, WI
Fr. Dennis Wieland – Wauwatosa, WI
Kate Williams - Riverside, IL
Fr. Stuart Wilson-Smith, CSP – Chicago, IL
Richard Windmann – Burleson, TX
Irene Witt – Milwaukee, WI
Teresa Witt – Flushing, MI
Gerry Wolf – Butler, WI
Maria Wood – Bear Creek, WI
Benjamin Worley – Newtown, Powys, Wales
Laurie Wright Garry – Newbury Park, CA
Sara Wykes – Rockford, IL
Christa Wynk – Brownsburg, IN
Barbara Yanchek – Jermyn, PA
Yvonne Yaz – Milwaukee, WI
Maria Yiu – Vancouver, British Columbia
Jasmine Young – Phoenix, AZ
Michelle Zakula – Milwaukee, WI
Nancy Zehms
Ann Zelenka – Baltimore, MD
Jane Zeman – Butler, WI
Zac Zepeda – Helotes, TX
Elizabeth Zimmer – Shorewood, WI
Eric Zimmer – Shorewood, WI
Jolie Zimmer – Milwaukee, WI
Theodore Zimmer – Milwaukee, WI
Kelsey Zimmerman – Arlington, VG
Diane Zindell – Jermyn, PA
Claire Ziolkowski – Milwaukee, WI
Vivian Zoller – St. Thomas, Waterdown, Ontario