Barbara Blaine
Encyclopedia
Barbara Blaine is the founder and president of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
(SNAP), a national advocacy group for survivors of clerical
sexual abuse
. She alleges that she was sexually abused during her teenage years from junior high school until graduation (the abuse occurred from 1969–1974) by a priest. She revealed this in 1989. The priest, Chet Warren, was removed from ministry and has been defrocked after she and others came forward.
Blaine was born in Toledo, Ohio
, and currently resides in Chicago
. She has a bachelor's degree
from St. Louis University, a master's degree
in social work
from Washington University in St. Louis
and a law degree from DePaul University
School of Law.
Blaine worked as a lay
missionary in Jamaica
before moving to Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood in 1983 to take a job with Pax Christi
, an international Catholic
peace movement. She then held a decade-long position with the Catholic Worker, a social service agency. Blaine also opened a homeless facility in a convent
at the now-shuttered Little Flower Catholic Church on the South Side. In 2002 she also worked as an assistant Cook County Public Guardian
in Patrick Murphy's office.
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, established in 1989, is the oldest and most active support group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their supporters in the United States...
(SNAP), a national advocacy group for survivors of clerical
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
. She alleges that she was sexually abused during her teenage years from junior high school until graduation (the abuse occurred from 1969–1974) by a priest. She revealed this in 1989. The priest, Chet Warren, was removed from ministry and has been defrocked after she and others came forward.
Blaine was born in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, and currently resides in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. She has a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from St. Louis University, a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
from Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and a law degree from DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
School of Law.
Blaine worked as a lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
missionary in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
before moving to Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood in 1983 to take a job with Pax Christi
Pax Christi
-History:Pax Christi was established in France in 1945 as a reconciliation work between the French and the Germans after the Second World War. In 2007, it existed in more than 60 countries...
, an international Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
peace movement. She then held a decade-long position with the Catholic Worker, a social service agency. Blaine also opened a homeless facility in a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
at the now-shuttered Little Flower Catholic Church on the South Side. In 2002 she also worked as an assistant Cook County Public Guardian
Cook County Public Guardian
The Office of the Cook County Public Guardian is an office in the US set up to act as the guardian of disabled adults, as well as to act as attorneys and guardian ad litem for abused and neglected children in Cook County. The Public Guardian's Office employs around 400 personnel, including...
in Patrick Murphy's office.
External links
- SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)
- Most Controversial Highlights in the 1962 Ottaviani Directive (English)
Articles about Barbara Blaine
- Toledo native Barbara Blaine crusades against sexual abuse in the Catholic church Toledo City Paper, cover story, April 29-May 5, 2004, by Bill Frogameni
- MS Magazine - Women of the Year (2002)
- Survivor groups gain support amid priest scandal - Chicago Tribune
- How Deep the Scars of Abuse? - Washington Post