Just Another Cover-Up

How rich…Seattle University is changing the name of the Connelly Center because its namesake protected a sexual predator in the 60’s. This is a cover-up of sexual abuse by erasing history. The Jesuits of the Oregon Province declared bankruptcy because its members abused more than 500 minors and vulnerable adults, mostly from the Native American Community, and covered it up for years.

A more fitting action would be to gather the names of every child, teen, and adult raped or violated by Jesuits and their associates and place these names on a “Wall of Remembrance” in a conspicuous place on the SU campus. Invite tribal members and other survivors traumatized by the Jesuits to come to SU for a three-day period of purification, penance, and prayer. Ask tribal elders to cleanse and sanctify the “Wall of Remembrance” through ritual smudging, dance, and drumming. Invite survivors to tell their stories. Have all Jesuits, especially those who are young, participate. Ask the elders, the survivors, and their family members to educate the Jesuits in particular, and our whole community, about what more can be done to foster healing and peace.

The victims of sex abuse and their families must never be forgotten, especially by the Jesuits and their associates.

Robert Fontana, 2016 graduate