Dear SNAP Survivors and Allies,

I usually reach out to you each month to tell you about the latest news from our SNAP community.

But I’m coming to you today to ask for your help. SNAP, our partners and other advocates, like you, are working hard to get California AB1739 passed, which we believe is an important survivor justice bill, an an intrinsic part of SNAP’s mission.

Individual allies are being asked to submit their letters in support here. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, March 15, so please join us urgently in voicing your approval. You can find the bill language here.

This is some of what I said in the letter that I submitted on behalf of SNAP yesterday:

“SNAP works to reform archaic, predator-friendly laws that allow abuse and cover-ups to continue. By changing these laws, cycles of trauma are broken, ensuring the next generation is protected. AB1739 would do just that.”

I’m attaching some sample letter language below for those who would like to get involved and join us in getting this important law passed.

Thank you in advance for your support — your efforts can help get this legislation over the finish line to help prevent clerical abuse!

In Solidary, Angela

Sample Support Letter – AB 1739

https://calegislation.lc.ca.gov/Advocates/

Date

Assembly Public Safety Committee

Business and Professions Committee

RE: AB 1739 (Ward) Healing arts: Sexual Exploitation: Clergy – SUPPORT

Dear Committee Members:

On behalf of [your name], I am pleased to support AB1739 which would strengthen protections against sexual exploitation by expanding California law to explicitly include members of the clergy within the state’s sexual exploitation statute.

[Insert description of your activism experience]

If passed, this legislation would bring California in line with 14 other states and the District of Columbia, which have similar laws in place. We believe that clergy should be held to the same standards expected of those who work in other helping professions, like counseling, psychology, and medicine. AB1739 would do just that.

We are grateful to Assembly Member Christopher Ward for this effort to make California’s faith-based communities and beyond safer. Clergy abuse not only affects those in the three major Christian groups in the United States, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox, but in every other religious community as well as other communities where members of the clergy engage the public (e.g., hospital visits, home visits, etc).

Respectfully submitted, Your Signature

Dear SNAP Survivors and Allies, 

February may be the shortest month of the year, but our SNAP community was hard at work last month seeking justice for survivors. 

In case you missed it, SNAP had several news releases in February, including our statement on the Syracuse Diocese Emerging from Bankruptcy, the Camden Diocese Agreeing to $180 Million Settlement to Survivors and Brennan’s Resolution for Global Settlement of Abuse Cases Cheats Brooklyn Survivors of Their Day in Court. 

And then there was the surprising news that SNAP appeared in the Epstein files. Epstein and economist Larry Summers’ conversation concerned SNAP’s work to initiate an investigation by the International Criminal Court into the pope and three Vatican officials over sexual abuse. That these two men of privilege were tracking our efforts shows how they perceived SNAP as threatening to their own wrongdoing. You can read more about SNAP’s important advocacy with its partners and the International Criminal Court on our website under 2011 history.  

If you need to report abuse or find out information about the office of the Attorney General in your own state, you can find all the latest updated information here including contact details and the latest news from all 50 states. 

In February, we also launched an “Arrest Counter,” documenting the number of clerical arrests across different denominations. You can find the counter on the homepage and the latest arrest news here. We’re up to 20 and counting so far in 2026 – if you hear about a clerical arrest in your community, please let us know. 

We’ve also added more resources to our website resource page including most recently to Prosopon Healing, a site dedicated to helping Orthodox Christian survivors. If you know of other resources in your community, please send me an email so that we can share and help amplify these important healing resources. 

Don’t miss out on this month’s Story of Strength featuring Jay Sefton. Many of you will remember Jay from his remarkable one-man-show that he performed at July’s Annual Conference in Harrisburg. “Unreconciled” combines pathos and humor documenting Jeff’ survivor’s journey and his advocacy in Pennsylvania. As he says in the story, “If the church would step out of the way and let the courts do what they do, I think that would be a move toward transparency and making this right.” 

I’d like to end by thanking the Alphawood Foundation for their generous contribution to making our SNAP work possible. We’ve also received some incredible donations from our community – thank you for your help. If you’d like to support our work, you make a donation online here, or if you’d prefer to make a donation by check, you can send your donations to our SNAP PO Box 42515, 5636 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington,DC 20015. 

Thanks to you all for all you do and for your continuing work to support survivors seek, and ultimately get, justice.  

In solidarity, Angela

Dear SNAP Survivors and Allies,

It’s hard to believe that January is already over. But as we kick off the 2026 New Year, we have a lot of news to share and more ways to reach out to survivors and engage with our community. 

Your voice matters. That’s why we’ve launched a new feature, “Survivors for Survivors”, so you can tell, in your own words, how you are supporting survivors in your local community. Your story has the power to offer hope, healing and solidarity to other survivors. New to filming a 2-3 minute selfie video? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with step-by-step instructions at the bottom of the page. We can’t wait to hear what you are doing locally.

Have a question for me? We’ve also launched another new feature, “Ask the ED.” You can submit your questions here. In addition, I’ll also be asking the SNAP Community a question each month in a video message from me. January’s question is “What would you like to see SNAP prioritize in 2026.” Tell us what you think, and I’ll be compiling responses to share with you all. 

All of these tools can be found on the SNAP homepage in the dropdown “Engage.” In addition, you’ll find copies of my past newsletters as well as Community Updates from Shaun, our Board President. 

Don’t miss out on the most recent SNAP statement responding to Pope Leo’s consistory last month. SNAP spokesman, Peter Isley, declared justice was not on the agenda: “This consistory brings together the very men who engineered the global cover-up of clergy sexual abuse, yet there is no plan to discipline perpetrators, no transparency, and no accountability for bishops who protected abusers.” 

An important resource has been modernized and streamlined on the new website. All Attorney General offices have been updated with current telephone numbers, contact information and the latest news from all 50 states. SNAP urges survivors and their loved ones to report abuse whenever possible and ensure their experiences are formally documented, helping build a record that can drive reform and accountability. Let your voices be heard so real change can happen at the state level. 

We’ve added more Stories of Strength in January. The latest highlights the powerful and poignant story of Canadian survivor, Nicholas Harrison. We also have new features from Joelle Casteix and Dan McNevin. Each month, we’ll be featuring individuals in our SNAP community who have turned their trauma into powerful advocacy and outreach on behalf of survivors. 

Finally, I would also like to thank our funding partner, Focus for Health, for their generous donation in January. So many of you in our community continue to support SNAP’s important work each month. Thank you so much for your donations. If you support us by check, please note that our PO Box has changed to a DC address: PO Box 4215, 5636 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20015, which you can find at the bottom of our website homepage.

And don’t forget to follow us on social media on Facebook, X-Twitter and LinkedIn. We welcome you to share our content widely so that we can reach as many survivors, advocates and allies as possible. 

Thanks to you all for all your support and for your continuing work to support survivors on their healing journeys.  

In solidarity, Angela

Dear SNAP Survivors and Allies,

I can’t let the year end without thanking each and every one of you. Your dedication, creativity, support and heart have made such a meaningful difference to me during my short tenure at SNAP.  I’m deeply grateful for all the care and thought you put into what we did as a community together in 2025!

December was an important month for SNAP. Sarah, Peter and other survivors held a press conference in Chicago detailing how Pope Leo helped shield clergy accused of abuse in Peru. The new recordings of church officials spurred SNAP to file an updated complaint with the Vatican. You can watch the full press conference here.

SNAP continued to hold the church accountable to fight and stand with survivors. Read the most recent statement on the Michigan AG Report detailing decades of preventable clerical sexual abuse against children. You can find this statement and all of our latest news on SNAP in Top News on our website.

As the year draws to a close, I need to let you know some changes to the SNAP leadership. Guila Benchimol has stepped down from the SNAP Board as Leona, Mike and James have joined us. I spoke to Guila last week, and she will continue to support our work at SNAP moving forward. We thank her for her invaluable work during her Board tenure.

Guila is one of the survivors featured in our  “Stories of Strength.”  Learn more about her survivor journey in her own words in this powerful documentary. Her organization, Ampersands Restorative Justice, is also featured in our Survivor Support Resources.

In addition, SNAP Japan’s Harumi Suzuki is stepping down because of ill health but is actively working on identifying a successor. We thank her for all of years of service to survivors in Japan and beyond.

So many of you have remembered SNAP in your end of year charitable donations. I have been blown away by your generosity. If you’d still like to make an end-of-year, tax-free donation, there is still time. No donation is too small and provides much-needed support for us to reach even more survivors.

I hope the holidays give you a chance to rest, recharge and enjoy time with family and friends and all the people you love. I know the holiday season can be a trying time for many. Remember you are not alone! Reach out to us, and we can put you in touch with a survivor who can help in your healing journey.

I wish each and every one of you the best. I can’t wait to see what 2026 brings,

Angela

Dear SNAP Survivors and Allies,

I wanted to reach out to the entire SNAP community today to let you know of some exciting progress that has been made. This week, SNAP launched our new website: www.snapnetwork.org. The new site will have easier navigation on both your laptops and phones, tells the rich history of SNAP, offers more resources to support survivors and help them in their healing journeys while seeking justice.

You’ll notice we also have a new series “Stories of Strength” profiling members of our SNAP community that have turned trauma into powerful advocacy and outreach on behalf of themselves and their fellow survivors. We will be adding more of these inspiring narratives in the months to come.

And, for those who would like to participate, we have started a “Giving Tuesday” digital campaign. We invite you to amplify the campaign across your social networks, which will make a real difference to the SNAP community. Please like, share and repost to help increase visibility on LinkedIn, X-Twitter and Facebook

Also I am pleased to announce that the Board has appointed Leona Huggins, Mike Johnson, and James Egan to the SNAP Board earlier this month. Leona will serve as the Board’s new Vice President. In the words of our Board President, Shaun Dougherty, their “experience, professionalism and commitment to survivor-centered advocacy will be tremendous assets to our work.” Please join me in welcoming all three of them.

Earlier this month, we launched our new internal NetSuite platform that was provided to us free of charge by Oracle. The new system will allow us to store all our financial and administrative information under one roof. Oracle is also providing us free training and tech and cyber security support for the foreseeable future.

Finally, I’d just like to acknowledge a major $20,000 anonymous donation we received in October. The donor told me he decided to give in appreciation of the support that he had received from the SNAP community over the years and to help fund our continuing work to support survivors into the future. We thank him for his generosity.

For those who are celebrating, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving with friends and family. We at SNAP know the holidays can be a difficult time for many survivors. Know that you’re not alone, and our SNAP community is here to support you.

I wish each and every one of you the best, Angela