ABSTRACT
On October 14, 2003, the New York Times reported that a man had committed suicide by walking in front of an eastbound New Jersey Transit commuter train. He had “publicly acknowledged that he had been sexually abused by his parish priest” and had been “instrumental in organizing New Jersey residents who had been abused by priests.” He had become “an active speaker with the New York unit of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests . . . who was always available to break the silence . . . volunteering and making himself available for more and more speaking opportunities.” People close to him said that they did not know why he might have killed himself. The parish priest who was advocating for the survivor’s group is quoted as saying: “He didn’t seem alienated . . . we don’t know what triggered this death” (Smothers, 2003).
