Contact the Attorney General’s Office
Despite widespread evidence of clergy sexual abuse and cover-up by faith based institutions in Wisconsin. there has never been a third party investigation or inquiry into these crimes. Although Catholic dioceses and some religious orders have been compelled to share the names of credibly accused clergy, the list of names are often incomplete. Well-documented evidence demonstrates that the problem is far more widespread than has been acknowledged to date. The Catholic Church is not solely responsible for this failure. Other institutions, including law enforcement, have failed to provide the public safety and institutional accountability that every child and family in Wisconsin deserves.
The Catholic Church and other religious organizations in Wisconsin have been accountable to virtually no one under Wisconsin law. The result of this practice is a system that allows serial child predators to abuse hundreds of children while being shielded from prosecution by powerful organizations. Furthermore, it has allowed these organizations to manage their own “settlements” to victims, with the ability to revoke payments and disrupt the victims’ mental health treatment at any time. This is the practice that Nate Lindstrom experienced, and it resulted in his death. It is time for Attorney General Josh Kaul to open a statewide inquiry into sexual abuse within faith-based organizations.
We are asking you to take action by contacting the Office of Crime Victim Services with a request for the Attorney General to open this inquiry. It is important that the Wisconsin Department of Justice hears directly from survivors of these crimes and all who support them.
The following is a sample message to Michelle Viste, Executive Director of the Office of Crime Victim Services:
To Executive Director Michelle Viste,
I am contacting you on behalf of Nate Lindstrom and his family. Nate’s childhood was stolen from him when he was abused by Norbertine priests as a teenager attending Notre Dame Academy in De Pere, Wisconsin. He took his life last spring after St. Norbert Abbey abruptly discontinued payments intended to support his mental health treatment stemming from abuse that occurred on their watch. Nate’s case and many other documented cases of child sexual abuse by priests in Wisconsin continue to raise serious questions as to how church officials are internally managing or concealing the reporting of clergy sexual abuse and their treatment of victims.
We cannot accept that organizations who have spent decades covering up sexual crimes against children are allowed to manage these cases behind closed doors. We are asking the Wisconsin Department of Justice to open a statewide inquiry into clergy sexual abuse in Wisconsin dioceses and religious orders - like Attorneys General in at least twenty other states have done.
Nate Lindstrom’s case is just one among thousands in Wisconsin. He spent his life fighting for justice for survivors of clergy sex abuse, and now that he is no longer with us, we make this request to you on his behalf. Please share this message with Attorney General Kaul.
Thank you,
Your Name Here
Tips for Emails
It’s important to let the Attorney General’s office know you are a constituent if you live in Wisconsin. If you don’t live in Wisconsin, it would be helpful to make your connection to the Lindstrom family or the St. Norbert Abbey known.
This is just a sample message - it does not need to be copied and pasted. In fact, it is best if it is not! Please add your own thoughts, experiences, and connections to the Abbey, the Catholic Church, or Lindstrom family if you have them. Unfortunately, many “form letters” get ignored or discarded, so a personalized email or letter goes a long way.
What Next?
Post to social media! Let your friends, family, and followers know that you emailed the Attorney General’s office and ask them to do the same. Use the hashtag #IBelieveNate and tag Nate’s Mission on Facebook and Twitter.
Call, text, or email your close friends and family in Wisconsin. Ask them to send a message on behalf of Nate and his family.
Persistence is key. If you don’t get a response, send a follow up message or call the office.