MASSACHUSETTS
The Sun Chronicle
“I dislike the word victim. I’m a survivor. We were all survivors,” said John Robitaille in “Father Porter: Remembering the evil,” a story on Sunday’s front page.
Call this a semantical argument, if you wish, but the distinction is given weight in recovery programs for those who have suffered from abuse. Victims can carry the weight of victimhood throughout their lives. Survivors move on toward the goal of becoming thrivers again.
Formerly of North Attleboro, Robitaille suffered in the most notorious child sex abuse incidents ever to come to light in The Sun Chronicle area. It was committed a half-century ago by the then Rev. James Porter, an assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Church in North Attleboro.
But it was not until 20 years ago that Porter, who had since been defrocked, was brought to trial. Accusations were made that he raped and otherwise abused at least 131 children – the number is believed to be higher – but due to statutes of limitation, he only faced charges from 28.
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