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  Group Sponsors Movie about Abusive Priest
Support Group Wants to 'Protect Future Generations'

Record-Eagle
June 16, 2008

http://www.record-eagle.com/wellbeing/local_story_171094652.html?keyword=secondarystory

TRAVERSE CITY — "Deliver Us From Evil," an Oscar-nominated documentary about the Rev. Oliver O'Grady, an abusive Catholic priest, will be screened at the June 30 Community Film Night at the State Theatre.

The film is sponsored by SASATEAM, Survivors Against Sexual Abuse.

Barb Russell, director of the group, said she saw the film during last summer's Traverse City Film Festival. She was later inspired to form SASATEAM after hearing festival founder Michael Moore tell a group of film festival volunteers, "We either stand for something, or we stand for nothing."

"I personally want the words 'childhood sexual abuse' to no longer be spoken in a whisper and with shame," she said. "I want people to be so aware of this tragedy that it will allow children to come forward and speak their truth, and also allow parents to be vigilant so that this will never happen to their children."

Russell said she was abused as a child. "The statistics on sexual abuse continue to astound me," she said, "especially that more than half of child sexual assaults are not reported."

"This documentary so impacted me," she said, "and apparently the rest of the audience that saw it with me at the Opera House — everyone gave it a standing ovation."

Russell and a core group of members have continued to show the film at Russell's home and get the word out through notecards for sale at Unity Fair Trade Marketplace, mailings and a Web site, www.sasateam.org. "Our primary aim is to protect future generations," Russell said.

"Deliver Us From Evil" tells the story of O'Grady, who moved from a northern California parish to another during the 1970s, earning the trust of each congregation. He had been an active pedophile for more than 30 years, which the Catholic church was aware of, but his job was never threatened. Filmmaker Berg interviews O'Grady, interspersing his comments with the stories of his victims.

The unrated film will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 30. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors 65 and older, $6 for students and children and free for active-duty service members.

 
 

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