Thanks to a major grant to advance research regarding the protection of children, youth, and vulnerable persons in Jesuit institutions of education, Fordham’s Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies and Department of Theology conducted this interdisciplinary initiative from June 2020-December 2022.
Our activities included:
- funding research by Fordham faculty and faculty at other Jesuit institutions;
- hosting events dedicated to understanding the experience of structurally vulnerable groups (including but not limited to children; African American, Latinx, and Indigenous populations; working-class populations; and college students);
- developing resources for administrators, staff, faculty, alumni, and students at Jesuit educational institutions; and
- creating a partner network of Jesuit educational institutions dedicated to our goal of “confronting the causes and legacy of clergy sexual abuse.”
In the Spring of 2023, the Taking Responsibility Initiative received an extension of its initial grant. This extension will enable us to consolidate, amplify, and build on the findings of the original grant period. Taking momentum from the results and recommendations conveyed in the Final Report and drawing on the arguments, evidence, and analyses of the seventeen research reports as well as the many assorted webinars and resources, we aim to foster ongoing research, conversation, and action regarding the protection of children, youth, and vulnerable persons in Jesuit institutions of education. Keep an eye on this webpage and on Taking Responsibility’s social media accounts for new programs and opportunities. Questions, comments, or suggestions? Please contact us at takingresponsibility@fordham.edu.
If you are a survivor of clerical sexual abuse at Fordham, we strongly encourage you to report your experience to Fordham’s Special Committee on Clerical Sexual Abuse and with the victim advocate for the Jesuits USA East Province.
