Man Who Was Member of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) Kills Himself

earthlink news ^ | 10-13-03

[Coleus]

Priest-abuse victim commits suicide

Train strikes Morristown man lying on tracks
Tuesday, October 14, 2003

BY JEFF DIAMANT AND BRIAN T. MURRAY
Star-Ledger Staff

A Morris County man who was abused by a Roman Catholic priest as a youth, then began speaking out last year about his ordeal to other victims as well as church reformers, committed suicide this weekend.

James Kelly, 37, of Morristown was killed when he was struck by an eastbound NJ Transit train in Morristown about 5 a.m. Sunday. Kelly lay down on the tracks and waited for the train to hit him, authorities said.

Matt Kelly said yesterday he did not know how big a factor the sex abuse his brother endured at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Mendham played in James Kelly's decision to kill himself.

"He had a lot of problems. I'm not comfortable saying (the sex abuse) was the primary reason, but I don't know," Matt Kelly said. He and other family members declined further comment.

James Kelly was an active member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and had been a featured speaker at meetings of the Voice of the Faithful, a church reform group.

"He actually spoke at our very first meeting, in August 2002," said Maria Cleary, chairman of Voice of the Faithful's New Jersey chapter. "He was just the most beautiful person, just so full of grace. His story was such a sad thing to hear."

Kelly was among at least 16 people -- including three of his brothers, though not Matt -- who claimed they were sexually abused as children by the Rev. James Hanley, pastor at St. Joseph's Church. James Kelly had said his abuse occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Hanley served in five North Jersey parishes from 1962, the year he was ordained, until 1986. Former parishioners from all but one of those churches have come forward claiming they were abused.

Officials from the Diocese of Paterson, which oversees those churches, have said the first time they learned of Hanley's deeds was when a parishioner and his parents made allegations against the priest in 1985. The diocese forced Hanley to retire in 1988, but it was not until last year, after mounting pressure from victims such as Kelly, that Hanley was formally removed from the priesthood.

Paterson Bishop Frank Rodimer has said Hanley has admitted to abuse.

Though there were dozens of other allegations against Hanley, no criminal charges were ever filed against him because the statute of limitations had expired.

James Kelly's willingness to speak about his abuse impressed victims and nonvictims alike.

"He was my go-to guy for speeches," said David Cerulli, co-director of the New York chapter of SNAP. "Whenever I needed a speaker, he was the guy I could call, and he would do it ... He didn't have fear about speaking or telling his story.

"There are many, many survivors who just can't tell their story, even in support groups. Jim could tell his story to a whole group of Voice of the Faithful people," Cerulli said.

Kelly spoke to the group in Brooklyn and Queens.

"He just impressed all of us" in Queens, said Anne Heslin of Rockaway, N.Y. "He was so kind, even when he was telling this terrible story. There was nothing really malicious about him at all. He made a real impression on all of us."

Kelly joined SNAP last December when the group met with then-Attorney General designate Peter Harvey and unsuccessfully requested that Harvey impanel a state grand jury to subpoena church documents and determine the full extent of the sex abuse scandal.

"In a clear, forceful, and compelling voice, Jim discussed how pedophiles like Hanley first manipulate a child's mind and violate trust, before pursuing a sexual violation," Paul Steidler, a SNAP spokesman, said in an e-mail yesterday. "That's how I'll remember Jim -- as a warrior for his fellow-Mendhamites, and all kids, talking forcefully and clearly to the highest law enforcement folks in the state."

Yesterday, people who knew him through Voice of the Faithful and SNAP expressed shock at his death.

"You really can never know what kind of long-term effect (abuse) has on a person," Cleary said. "You just can't. You don't know why things turn out the way they do. All you can be sure of is that it has an immeasurable effect on a person for the rest of their lives."

In an e-mail to SNAP national board member Mark Serrano on Oct. 2, Kelly expressed interest in speaking at this weekend's Voice of the Faithful conference at Fordham University in the Bronx.

"I am attending and would like to speak, or do anything else that you may need me to do. I look forward to seeing you," he wrote.

Born in Bowie, Md., Kelly's family moved to Mendham in 1972. He graduated from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in 1990, served in the Army Reserves, and worked as a salesman in the telecommunications industry for 10 years. He was laid off earlier this year, friends said.

He is survived by his parents, two sisters and five brothers.

Staff writer Bill Swayze contributed to this report