A Letter from the Mother of an Abuse Victim
I am the mother of CC. Out of concern for the safety of my son I cannot further identify myself today. But through this letter I am here to speak for our son. To make known the devastation that was caused to him and our family by the irresponsibility of church officials and hospital administrators both here and at the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, The Jesuits House at Gonzaga University, at The Nancy Reagan Care Unit at Deaconess Hospital, and the officials at the Society of Jesus, Oregon Province.
If these bishops, church officials and hospital administrators had done the responsible and moral thing in the beginning, then Father Ronald Lane Fontenot, a dangerous sexual predator of boys would have been stopped long ago, long before he molested my son and many other boys who were patients in the Care Unit. Had the bishop of Lafayette Diocese not covered it up, Father Fontenot would have been arrested and prosecuted in Louisiana and never would have set foot in Spokane. Instead, these men gave Father Fontenot a clear avenue to come to Spokane and to destroy the lives and futures of the young men he was allowed to molest.
For those that allowed these atrocities to occur, it is time to stop sweeping the truth under the rug. The healing of these victims can not occur until you reach out to them. I urge you to notify all the other victims that it is okay to come forward and get the healing they need, to tell them it was not their fault and to tell them the truth about why you covered up for Father Fontenot, protected him and shielded him and yourselves from scandal. Now is the time to make atonement and to reach out and help Fontenot's suffering victims in all the states and cities he abused in.
I urge you to notify the community of Houston, Texas that a dangerous pedophile is living in their midst. Fontenot was convicted of five counts of child sexual abuse here in Spokane and you have a moral duty to tell the parents in Houston that this priest is living in their community and that their children are at risk.
Finally, I'd like to speak to our elected representatives in Olympia. If these church officials and leaders cannot do the right and moral thing to help these victims at this time, then I call upon the legislature to pass laws that will make it easier for victims to use the courts to get healing and to hold these organizations responsible for their actions so that future generations of children can be made safe.
Thank you.
SC
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests