Act 16

This Act is now closed. Thank you to all those who participated!

What:  Over 40 years after Sister Cathy Cesnik was murdered, her death remains a mystery. The suspect, Father Joseph Maskell is also being accused by many students of sexually and physically abusing them at that time.  According to survivors now speaking out, Maskell, along with Father Neil Magnus and several others, were sexual abusing many students, which has been covered up for decades.

Recently, journalists and survivors have begun exposing these heinous crimes. A Huffington Post article this week shed light on the horrific series of events, as well as on a community in search for justice and truth.

Why: The truth of what happened at Keough High School in Baltimore is slowly being uncovered. It seems that many others, including police, medical professionals, and other community leaders participated in both the abuse as well as its cover-up. Some of them have since died, but exposing the truth can be a powerful way to bring justice to survivors and to prevent abuse of this magnitude from ever happening again. Let’s send a message that those who commit and conceal abuse should be exposed and held accountable, and that the community stands with survivors.

As these stories come to light, it can be truly powerful and important to provide a community of support around the survivors and others who are speaking out and searching for the truth. By participating in the conversation, we want to help promote a space of accountability, prevention, and support.

How to complete Act 16: Write a comment on the Huffington Post article Buried in Baltimore: The Mysterious Murder of a Nun Who Knew Too Much

*This is a truly horrific story, please consider your own triggers before reading this article, and always practice self-care. 

Comment Suggestions

• Encourage those who saw, suspected, or suffered abuse to come forward

• Show your support for Jean Wehner, Teresa Lancaster, and the many other survivors seeking justice, along with Gemma Hoskins, Abbie Schaub and other Keough High School students and supporters working to investigate the case

• Praise Huffington Post and other journalists who are helping to expose this story

When: Please take action by next Friday, May 22nd.

Wait - you're not finished yet! Once you've completed the action, in order to get credit for this Act, please do the following two things: 

1) Check the box below that says "I Completed Act 16."

2) Show the team what you did! Copy and paste your comment into the blue section below marked COMMENTS.

And let us know if you have questions - we're here to help! Email us at [email protected].

Remember – your voice counts! When we expose the lies, we stand up for victims and take power away from the abusers. When we all speak out together, we create a movement that the world cannot ignore.

So let’s SNAP into action!

SNAP Action Team

[email protected]