I drove across the country to join Nate’s Mission

Dear friends,

My name is Patrick Noth, and I am a survivor of clergy sexual abuse. Two weeks ago, I made the decision to drive across the country with my wife to attend a press conference with Nate’s Mission. This was the first time in years that I had returned to Madison, Wisconsin, the diocese where I was abused by a Catholic priest when I was eight years old.

Speaking about my abuse in public for the first time was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, but this was a necessary step in my own recovery from the trauma inflicted by the priest who raped me, the Diocese of Madison who covered it up, and the law enforcement agencies who failed to deliver justice for these crimes. I spoke about what it means to heal from collective trauma - and what survivors of clergy abuse need in order to do this.

We need accountability for the perpetrators and the Catholic dioceses and Church administrators who enabled them. We need a public acknowledgement of the full scope and magnitude of the abuse and its concealment from Wisconsin’s Catholic communities.

Attorney General Josh Kaul made a promise to survivors and their loved ones last year when he opened his investigation into sexual abuse in faith-based organizations. He said he would follow the evidence wherever it leads. He said no detail was too small. Encouraged by his words, I submitted my testimony to his office. When I reached out to the Wisconsin DOJ after weeks of silence, a representative of his office told me that “investigation” was too strong a word to describe how the DOJ was approaching the Catholic Church. I was furious.

Survivors like myself pushed for this investigation for decades. We have waited too long, we have come too far, and we have been let down too many times. That is why I drove for two days to join Nate’s Mission to deliver a “progress report” on Attorney General Kaul’s investigation. Nate’s Mission is the only survivor-led organization in Wisconsin advocating for a justice-centered investigation and challenging the Attorney General to hold the Church accountable for their crimes against Wisconsin’s children.

I am asking you to make a contribution to Nate’s Mission to support their continued work.

Nate’s Mission is saving lives.

Survivors like me - even those who are not ready to speak publicly about what they’ve endured - need an organization like Nate’s Mission on their side. Every donation helps to ensure that what happened to me never happens again.

If you are led to do so, please share this message with your family and friends and ask them to consider supporting Nate’s Mission as well.
 

Sincerely,

Patrick Noth