Bishop Di MarzioStatement from Futures in Education on Child Victims Act
A message to our faithful donors,
Allow us to share with you the Bishop’s statement on the passage of the Child Victims Act in New York State. We join in the prayers for the victim-survivors, especially those in our Catholic community in Brooklyn and Queens.
In our ongoing efforts to address many of our donors’ concerns, we reiterate the commitment of Futures in Education to properly steward your donations to the various scholarship programs and special events that support Catholic education in Brooklyn and Queens. Please remain assured that your gift to Futures in Education is for that purpose only. Those funds cannot be used in the settlement of abuse claims or for anything other than their intended purpose.
The independent CPA firm that conducts the certified audit for Futures in Education has been instructed to expand its scope to include Futures in Education’s compliance with the commitment described above. You may find the results of the annual audits, along with additional details on the accountability of our organization, online at https://futuresineducation.org/accountability-to-donors/.
We thank you as always for your generosity. Your financial sacrifice is vital to giving the opportunity of a Catholic education to children from families who otherwise would not be able to afford the tuition. May we continue to pray for healing and for the strength to live out the Gospel in all that we do.
A Message From Bishop Di Marzio 1.29.19
Today the New York State Legislature passed, and Governor Cuomo is expected to sign into law, the Child Victims Act. We pray this landmark legislation will help bring some measure of healing to all survivors of child sex abuse by offering them a path of recourse and reconciliation. This legislation is another important step to aid all victim-survivors, not just in the Church, but across all of society as we work to address this terrible evil.
Within the Church, we all know the devastating toll child sex abuse takes on its victims and its effects throughout adulthood. We have taken steps to assist survivors in healing from the damage. We have offered outreach to victims and provided them with numerous resources such as therapy provided by independent licensed mental health practitioners and varying support groups. We have also offered our Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) which has provided for many victims an important acknowledgment they wanted from the Church that this did happen to them.
We commend the brave survivors who used their voices to call for change and have become the voice for many other victims. We renew our commitment to advocating for reforms that assist their healing process and promoting compensation programs that offer survivors a clear, non-adversarial and simple path to compensation.
We ask that you join us in praying that all victim-survivors are able to access the support they need on their journey towards reconciliation, healing, and peace.