If you’ve seen the movie SPOTLIGHT — and, if you haven’t, you should — you know how the story of SPOTLIGHT goes.

In the Fall of 2001, the Boston Globe, and eventually the SPOTLIGHT team — the Globe team that does deep, investigative dives into stories — after first screwing up and failing to dig into the story of Father John J. Geoghan, under new editor Marty Baron, and inspired by a July 29, 2001 Eileen McNamara column about the handling of the case of Father John J. Geoghan by Cardinal Bernard Law, finally started doing its job.

And uncovered a massive scandal.

But what happened next?

SPOTLIGHT & Since

While the movie SPOTLIGHT ended on a hopeful note, its ultimate impact, at least when it comes to the lives of survivors, was extremely limited.

Particularly outside of Boston and a few other large (arch)dioceses.

There was lots of talk, but precious little action.

And dangerously little change.

To be clear, I say this as a survivor.

Someone whose life was turned upside down in the weeks following the release of the orginal SPOTLIGHT articles, which inspired the movie by the same name.

My SPOTLIGHT

The original SPOTLIGHT articles, which detailed the Catholic sex abuse crisis in Boston, led the New York Times to do its own reporting.  On March 2, 2002, just a few weeks after the release of the original SPOTLIGHT articles, a story ran in the New York Times...

• 2 paths, no easy solution
  on abusive priests
  (2002 March 3)

...that named my favorite priest -- and not just my favorite PRIEST, but one of my favorite PEOPLE -- from my childhood as an abuser.

Sacrificed Podcast

Sacrificed is a podcast I started to provide an audio record of what I've experienced, been subjected to, and endured as a survivor of the Catholic sex abuse crisis. The first episode of Sacrificed...

•  SPOTLIGHT & ME & Since

...is a record of what happened to my family and me in the weeks and months and years after the release of the original SPOTLIGHT articles.

SPOTLIGHT@20

Given the importance of SPOTLIGHT, both the original articles and the movie, and the impending 20th anniversary of the release of the original SPOTLIGHT articles, I've started a project...

• SPOTLIGHT at 20

...whose goal is to document the current state of the Catholic sex abuse crisis, from the point of view of a survivor. That includes laying out...

• SPOTLIGHT: The Problem

Nothing

The brutal reality of my story is that my Archdiocese of St. Louis does nothing to help survivors.

And worse.

Abuse of the Abused

As a survivor of the Catholic sex abuse crisis in St. Louis, I've been subjected to what I call the Abuse of the Abused. I discuss that experience both in written form and in an episode of my podcast...

• The Abuse of the Abused

Smear Campaign

The most devastating aspect of my treatment has been theSmear Campaign the Archdiocese of St. Louis has, and continues to, despite my pleas, wage against me.

That has led my parish, and even my children, to shun me.

My Friend the Cardinal

Why am I being treated this way?

As I explain in another episode of Sacrificed, I suspect the problem is the involvement in my story of...

•  My Friend the Cardinal

Vos Estis Lux Mundi

In June 2019, Pope Francis put into effect Vos Estis Lux Mundi, a new part of Canon Law that prohibits what the Archdiocese of St. Louis has done, and is doing, to me.

The problem is the reality of Vos Estis is VERY different than the promise.

Something lay Catholics, and even the press, seem afraid to discuss, much less report.

So What?

What's the big deal?

So survivors aren't being helped. Actually. Who cares?

The big deal, and the reason you shoud care, is that Catholic bishops CONTINUE to ordain KNOWN abusers, meaning children, women, and men remain at risk.

• Stika, Predation, & Change