As a victim of abuse by church personnel you may experience a crisis of faith. Archbishop Gregory John Hartmayer has appointed a group of priests as spiritual directors to reach out to you as you may be experiencing confusion and hurt in your relationship with the Catholic Church.
Providing Pastoral Care
The Archdiocese of Atlanta is committed to providing spiritual and pastoral care to alleged survivors and perpetrators of sexual abuse. Any person designated by the archbishop to assist in this pastoral process should avoid being concerned with the validity of the allegations. His or her function is strictly pastoral in nature without regard to the truth of any allegation or to the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident. Upon an allegation being made, a survivor or an alleged perpetrator may contact any priest listed, another priest or spiritual director of their choosing, or request that someone be assigned to assist them during this difficult period.
The archdiocese has created separate lists for these ministries to prevent any potential conflict of interest regarding the individual priest whom survivors would contact and those chosen to minister to alleged perpetrators.
Spiritual Directors for Victims
In response to the pastoral need to provide outreach for victims of sexual abuse, the archbishop has appointed the following priests:
Monsignor Peter Rau
Pastor
St. Peter Chanel
11330 Woodstock Rd.
Roswell, Georgia 30075
678-277-9424
Father Brian McNavish
Director, Catholic Center
University of Georgia
1344 S. Lumpkin Street
Athens, GA 30605
706-543-2293
Father Carlos Bustamante*
Parochial Vicar
St. Joseph Church
87 Lacey Street NW
Marietta, GA 30060
770-422-5633 *Spanish Only
Spiritual Directors for the Accused
In response to the need to provide pastoral outreach to alleged perpetrators, the archbishop has appointed the following priests to be available to assist those who have been accused of sexually abusing a child/vulnerable individual:
Father Paul Moreau*
Pastor
St. Joseph
958 Epps Bridge Parkway
Athens, GA 30606
706-367-7220 *English/Spanish
Father Matthew Dalrymple
Pastor
St. Luke the Evangelist
91 North Park Street
Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-864-4779
