Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, will host a vigil at Holy Rosary at 1 p.m. Sunday to call attention to instances of alleged child molestation by priests.
Verne Wagner, a SNAP member who said he was abused as a child by a priest from St. Rose Parish in Proctor, said he thinks this is the first SNAP vigil in the Northland.
SNAP is sponsoring vigils in 45 cities across 23 states this weekend. Its members are seeking closure from the Catholic church regarding what they call "three egregious cases" of abuse, including that of Father Ryan Erickson. Erickson, a priest in Wisconsin, hanged himself in 2004 after being questioned about the slaying of two funeral home workers.
In 2005, a St. Croix County Circuit judge ruled there was probable cause that Erickson shot the two men. SNAP contends that Erickson murdered the two men because they knew he had abused children.
