The National Review Board
"Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal"
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops established the National Review Board during their meeting in June of 2002. The functions of the Board were revised slightly and reconfirmed in June of 2005 when the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was revised and extended to 2010. The purpose of the National Review Board is to collaborate with the USCCB in preventing sexual abuse of minors in the United States by persons in the service of the Church.
Functions of the National Review Board:
- Advise the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People on matters of child and youth protection specifically on policies and practices.
- Review the work of the Office of Child and Youth Protection and make specific recommendations to its Director, assisting the Director in the development of resources for dioceses and eparchies.
- Oversee the completion and dissemination of the study of the causes and context of the recent crisis of sexual abuse in the Church, including periodic assessment of data and preliminary results during the course of this study;
- Review, prior to publication, the annual report of the Office of Child and Youth Protection on implementing and maintaining the standards of the Charter and any approval and publication to the Conference President.
- Advise the Conference President on future members of the Board and future Directors of the Office;
- Advise the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People on the annual audit process prescribed in the Charter, including methods, scope, and personnel;
- Alert and inform the appropriate parties of concerns that emerge from the above responsibilities that may run counter to the spirit of the Charter;
- Consult as requested with the Conference President, the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Administrative Committee, and other USCCB or relevant Church entities on matters relating to the protection of children and young people from sexual abuse; and
- Make appropriate recommendations to prevent sexual abuse of minors.
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Judge Michael R. Merz is a graduate of Harvard College and the Harvard Law School and has been a trial judge for thirty years. His most important current work involves federal review of state death penalty cases. He has served the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on its Pastoral Council for the past six years and has done other volunteer service as Chair of the United Way and the Dayton Public Library boards. (appointed 2004; appointed Chairman 2007) |
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Ana Maria Catanzaro, R.N., Ph.D., is associate professor, director of public health programs and director of La Salle Neighborhood Nursing Center at La Salle University in Philadelphia. She holds a master of nursing degree from La Salle, a master of arts degree in religious studies/moral theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, a master of health sciences degree in clinical research from Duke University, and a Ph.D. from the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America. She did post-doctoral work at Duke University Center for Theology, Spirituality, and Health in the Center for Aging and Human Development. She is a member of the Philadelphia Archdiocesan Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People. (appointed 2008) |
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Thomas A. DeStefano, MSW, LittD is former Interim President of Catholic Charities USA and was the first lay Executive Director of Brooklyn Catholic Charities, a position he held for more than 20 years. He was also a member of the Vision 2000 Task Force and Steering Committee. Mr. DeStefano is on the advisory board to the New York City Department of Social Services and was president of the board of the SS Joachim and Anne Nursing Home. He was also on the boards of the People of Progress Corporation and Fidelis Care New York. He is a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College and Fordham University Graduate School of Social Work, where he earned a master’s degree and has served as an adjunct professor. His many honorary distinctions include the title of Gentleman of His Holiness, the Pro Vita Award from the Diocese of Brooklyn, and the St. Vincent de Paul Medal from St. John’s University. Mr. DeStefano is married to Joan Ellis. He is the father of two and the grandfather of five. (appointed 2005) |
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Ruben Gallegos, Ph.D., is President/CEO of International Educational Services, Inc., a childcare association for Central American unaccompanied minors. Previously he spent 33 years as an educator. He holds a doctor of philosophy degree from East Texas Sate University and was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award by Texas Southmost College. He has worked with Serra International, an association to promote vocations to priesthood and religious life, and was a Serra district governor, 2002-2004. He resides in the Diocese of Brownsville. (appointed 2008) |
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Emmet M. Kenney, Jr. M.D. is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at Prairie St. John's, a Catholic health care organization offering psychiatric and chemical dependency services in Fargo, North Dakota. He has worked there since 1996. He is a graduate of Creighton University School of Medicine. He conducted psychiatric training at the University of Minnesota, and completed his child & adolescent psychiatric fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Kenney is Clinical Associate Professor in the departments of Neurosciences and Pediatrics at the University of North Dakota, and is Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. He is an executive council member of the Northern Lights Council of the Boy Scouts of America; and a member of the board of directors of the Dorothy Day House, Moorhead, Minnesota and the Fargo Catholic Schools Network Foundation Board. (appointed 2007) |
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Diane M. Knight, ACSW, CISW recently retired as executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Inc. She serves on the Community Advisory Board, which advises the Archbishop of Milwaukee and the Archdiocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator. She also serves on the Code of Ethics Task Force of Catholic Charities USA. Ms. Knight holds a master of science, social work degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. (appointed 2007) |
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Justice Robert Charles Kohm serves on the New York State Supreme Court. A native of New York City, New York, he is a graduate of New York University and Brooklyn Law School. He served as Captain in the United States Army Reserves from 1964-1969. He was a Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York from 1990-1992 and was elected to the New York State Supreme Court in 1992 and re-elected in 2006. His work has included both bench and jury trials in the areas of criminal law, negligence, product liability, malpractice and commercial law. Judge Kohm has served as co-chairperson of the Judicial Skills Committee which created educational courses for Judges. He has lectured and co-authored publications for the education of the judiciary. He is an Adjunct Assistant professor at St. John’s University and has taught courses in Business Law. He is past President of the Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. He is President of St. Ann’s Church Holy Name Society in Queens, New York and a member of the Knights of Columbus, Columbian Lawyers Association and the Catholic Lawyers Guild. Judge Kohm is married to Muriel Kohm, an educator with a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. They have been married for 41 years and have three sons and three grandchildren. (appointed 2007) |
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William D. McGarry is the Vice President for Operations and Finance of Southern New Hampshire University. He is the former President of Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA., has served as Vice President of Administration and Finance at Springfield College, Springfield, MA, and Vice President of Business and Finance at both Albright College and Rider University. At Rider University, he was promoted to the positions of Executive Vice President, and later, CEO of the merging Westminster Choir College. For four years prior, he was Vice President of Franklin Pierce College. Mr. McGarry holds two degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a certificate in Planning Program Budget Systems from the University of Michigan. He has held many directorships, including those of Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, Mercer Council on Alcohol and Drug Addiction, Worldwide Marketing Partners, and Princeton Rotary Club. Mr. McGarry is married to social worker Mary Burke McGarry and has two daughters. (appointed 2005) |
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Al J. Notzon III recently retired as the director of the Alamo Area Council of Governments, a Texas association of local governments. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Mary’s University, and has done graduate work in economics, law and urban planning. He is active in the Archdiocese of San Antonio and currently is chairman of the Archdiocesan Review Board. (appointed 2008) |
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Thomas Plante, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at Santa Clara University and adjunct clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Kansas and did a post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University in clinical and health psychology. He is a member of the Diocese of San Jose, California, Diocesan Review Board and the California Province of the Society of Jesus Sensitive Issues Team. He is author of the book Sin Against the Innocents: Sexual Abuse by Priests and the Role of the Catholic Church as well as Bless Me Father for I Have Sinned: Perspectives on Sexual Abuse Committee by Roman Catholic Priests. (appointed 2008) |
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Joseph G. Rhode, M.D. received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Virginia and completed his undergraduate studies at Mount Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg, MD. He is currently President of Midland Family Physicians in Texas. He serves as Chairman of the Credentials Committee for Midland Memorial Hospital, where he also established the hospital's Ethics Committee. He is a Knight in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Dr. Rhode is a father of seven, married to Carolyn C. Rhode, M.D. He serves on the Review Board for the Diocese of San Angelo, to which he was appointed in 2002 by Bishop Michael Pfeifer. (appointed 2005) |
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Judge Geraldine Rivera sits on the District Court, 2nd Judicial District, State of New Mexico. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law, where she was editor of the New Mexico Law Review. She is a past board member of Catholic Charities and a past defender of the bond of the marriage tribunal of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. (appointed 2008) |
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Susan Steibe-Pasalich, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and the director of the University Counseling Center of the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, and a concurrent assistant professor in the department of psychology. She received her doctorate from the University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Lay Review and Advisory Board for the Protection of Children and Young People for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, and serves on several committees at Notre Dame, including the Student-Athlete Drug Testing Committee, the Committee for Academic and Student Life and the University Wellness Committee. She has been married to her husband, Dan, for 17 years, and they have one daughter. (appointed 2007) |
To whom does the National Review Board report?
The Board reports to Bishop William S. Skylstad, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
How does the Board conduct its work?
The Board conducts it work by participating in meetings, commissioning research on behalf of the USCCB, conducting interviews and speaking with various individuals and groups.
How often does the full Board meet?
The full Board meets approximately five times per year.
Do Board members receive a salary?
The Board members do not receive a salary.
Who appoints members of the Board?
Members of the Board are appointed by the President of the USCCB.
Does the Board conduct investigations of sexual abuse?
The Board does not conduct investigations into specific incidents of sexual abuse.
Does the Board have the authority to remove a priest or deacon from ministry?
The Board does not have the authority to remove a cleric from ministry. It is the responsibility of the Bishop to remove a priest or deacon from ministry when appropriate.
Does the Board interact with diocesan review boards throughout the United States?
There is generally no direct contact between the Board and diocesan review boards. The functions of the National Review Board and the Diocesan Review Board are different in scope. The Charter requires that each bishop to establish his own diocesan review board. The diocesan review boards are primarily concerned with examining instances of sexual abuse by a cleric. The National Review Board's mandate is broader in scope, dealing with national policy issues, studies, recommendations to the body of Bishops and interaction with the Office of Child and Youth Protection.
When did the Board commission the study on the "nature and scope" of the problem of sexual abuse of children and youth in the Catholic Church?
The Board commissioned this study in April, 2003 by selecting the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City to conduct this research.
What is the purpose of the "nature and scope" study?
The "nature and scope" study is a descriptive research project that depicts the extent of clergy sexual abuse by Catholic priests and deacons within the United States.
What time period does the study encompass?
The study covers the time period from 1950 through 2002.
What is the Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the U.S.?
This Report was prepared by the National Review Board as a result of interviews conducted by members of the Board. The Report is intended to inform the public as to possible reasons for the crisis of abuse to have occurred and to provide a framework for a more comprehensive study on the causes and context of the abuse crisis.
Who was interviewed for this report?
Numerous professionals were interviewed for this Report to include psychiatrists, behavorial scientists, Catholic Church officials, and other experts. Victims of clergy abuse and representatives from faith organizations were also interviewed.
What is the purpose of the study of the "causes and context" of the crisis of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy?
This study will attempt to identify the causes of incidents of abuse by Catholic clergy and the circumstances surrounding the abuse crisis from which preventative measures can be taken to prevent future offenses from occurring in the future.
When will the "causes and context" study be commissioned?
The causes and context study will be commissioned in 2004. It will be guided, in part, by patterns and trends that result from the "Nature and Scope" study and the "Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church."
Will the results of the "causes and context" study be made public?
The results of the "causes and context" study will be publicly released when the study is concluded. Since so few studies exist which delve into the area of sexual abuse of children, it is the intention of the National Review Board, through these studies, to foster a dialogue in academic, legal, and law enforcement circles, among others, to prevent further abuse to the extent possible.
How can we contact the National Review Board?
The National Review Board can be contacted by writing to Judge Michael R. Merz, Chair, USCCB National Review Board, c/o the Office of Child and Youth Protection, 3211 Fourth Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20017.