Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, held two sidewalk news conferences Wednesday, one outside of the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City and the other in front of Columbia’s downtown police station.
After several alleged church sex-abuse cases have come to light in Missouri recently, SNAP hand-delivered a letter to Bishop John Gaydos of Jefferson City Wednesday. The letter urged the diocese to alert its parishioners to the Rev. Gerald Howard and the Rev. Kenneth Roberts, both of whom have ties to mid-Missouri.
As previously reported in the Missourian, Dr. Mark McAllister of Roanoke, Va., formerly of Boonville, released information about the sexual abuse he said he suffered under the Rev. Gerald Howard in Boonville in the 1980s. McAllister received a $600,000 settlement from the Newark, N.J., Archdiocese, the Jefferson City Diocese and Servants of the Paraclete.
During Wednesday’s news conference, SNAP announced new information about Howard. The network said it had received information from former patients and staff of the now-closed Charter Hospital, where Howard was a youth counselor after leaving Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Boonville.
According to a network news release, SNAP has a letter from one of Howard’s former co-workers, who is now a Columbia police officer, confirming Howard’s employment at the hospital.
SNAP’s letter to the bishop says that Roberts is “a convicted predator from Dallas who is accused of molesting children in Texas, St. Louis and southern Illinois.” Roberts lived in the Jefferson City diocese and retired to Osage Beach, according to a network news release.
According to The Quad-City Times (Iowa), Roberts was ordained as a priest in the 1960s in Dallas and is the author of the book “From Playboy to Priest.” Roberts kept an apartment in St. Louis County while traveling the country promoting his book and lecturing.
A recent lawsuit filed by Christopher Amenn of O’Fallon, Ill., against Roberts was recently dismissed by the Illinois Supreme Court due to a statute of limitations. Amenn alleges that Roberts abused him when Amenn was 13, during a private meeting. At the time, Roberts was a guest speaker at Amenn’s school.
The network says it has a copy of two key documents—a letter from Roberts to the bishop indicating that Roberts is living at Osage Beach, and an “intake form” for pedophile priest cases that is filled out by hand by a church official. The form lists Roberts’ address in Osage Beach.
Members of SNAP are concerned that others may have been abused by Howard and Roberts and urges any victims to call their local law enforcement office.
Food for thought:
Since SNAP’s mid-Missouri chapter was created in May 2009, at least seven victims have come forward about church sex abuse.
Do Missouri victims feel more comfortable coming forth about their abuse now that SNAP has a mid-Missouri chapter?
Whom did victims go to for support before SNAP was around?
Are there any Missouri counselors or support groups out there that can speak to their experience with sex-abuse victims?
And have they seen an increase in reports of sex-abuse cases since SNAP’s mid-Missouri chapter was founded?
Faith in Focus 
After reading your post, I thought you might find the following information interesting and possibly useful.
Thomas Edward knows first-hand the emotional and physical pain associated with sexual abuse and neglect. He understands what it’s like to suffer in silence with nowhere to turn. And he’s passionate about helping other male survivors heal from the aftermath of their abuse and move from surviving to thriving.
Tom wrote Healing a Man’s Heart, a workbook designed to help Christian men face, admit, and deal with their abuse. He says, “I wrote this workbook for men who are stuck just like I used to be—men whose hearts long to be set free, but fear dampens and steals any ray of hope.” His goal is for men to become comfortable addressing the issues within them and eventually arrive to a point of breaking the silence.
Tom also conducts “Healing Broken Men” workshop retreats, which are great for participants to start or continue their healing in a safe, private, and supportive environment. Workshop sessions include losing the victim status, removing the fear factor, destroying lies and myths, repainting your picture with truth, and reclaiming God’s identity for you.
For more information about Thomas Edward, the Healing a Man’s Heart workbook, or the Healing Broken Men workshops, visit http://www.healingbrokenmen.com.
Thank you to The Columbia Missourian for posting this article.
SNAP urges anyone who has been harmed by Roberts or Howard to please come forward and contact law enforcement.
Judy Block Jones, SNAP Ohio Valley Regional Dirctor
636-433-2511
snapsteubenville@gmail.com
“Speak up to heal, expose child predators, protect kids”
As I have said many times before, it is imparative for the people that belong to this RCC [anti- christ church,] to do their homework [research] and realize that all the harping , marching, talking etc., will never change the RCC. The Evil one has taken over.
For yourself and your family “get out”, LEAVE! Otherwise you are an assessory to the Crimes Against Humanity they have been committing. The sexual abuse of children and marginalized adults by RCC priests and nuns didn’t just start. We are now just finding out what has been “par for the course” for these clergy in the RCC for many millenia
The Internet and the WWW is a mavelous tool that takes all the wonder out of what used to be thought of as, just being a small, local problem. We all heard stuff over the years but didn’t know how pandemic it was. NOW WE KNOW!
The sexual abuse by clergy is prevelant all over the Roman Catholic World. Where many countries allow the RCC to make many decisions for them [they run the countries ] Thus you have, Ireland, Canada, India, Mexico, Spain, and Italy who is doing it’s best to take back their control of their country from the Vatican. Most countries are just finding out about all the hideous cruelty that was inflicted on these unfortunates, during their childhoods, by the people who were to be their loving caregivers. THEY HAVE NOW COME FORWARD![those still alive]
Sadly, the people in these countries are so brain washed they don’t know how to get out of this terrifying continuance of abuse in their institutions, schools, orphanages etc., It goes on in every category; including confiscation of the monies along with the sexual abuse, just because they run it and they can!
Snap is getting their message across but the PEOPLE IN THE PEWS still need to LEAVE! Your God knows where YOUR HEART IS & where you are coming from and you shouldn’t continue to support their evil…when you go back to their churches again & again,. You mock your God and ” He will not be mocked”
Thank you, Gail and Judy, for your comments.
VRy interesting to read it 😛