Part 4: Reporting abuse, a mother sees another side of church leadership
Below is a transcribed version of a @ACNAtoo’s guest twitter thread (originally posted July 19, 2021) by Cherin Marie (CM) the mother of the 9 year old victim at the heart of this case, sharing important further evidence of the Upper Midwest Diocese’s malpractice, including legal misinformation that caused great harm.
You can read an ‘easy read’ version of the thread in its entirety by clicking the button below.
To view a transcription of Cherin Marie’s original July 7th Twitter thread on our website, click on the button below.
Start of twitter thread.
We’re publishing this guest thread from the mother of the nine-year-old victim of sexual assaults by Mark Rivera. At the mother’s request, we’ll be calling her “Cherin Marie” or “CM” to protect her & her daughter’s identity.
Who’s who:
Mark Rivera: The Catechist of Christ Our Light Anglican and former member of Rez who spent over twenty-five years in church communities in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. So far, ten people have come forward and alleged sexual abuse by Rivera, ranging from a nine-year-old girl to a woman in her forties. With the exception of the oldest known victim, all the other currently known victims were connected to ministries in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest.
Christ Our Light Anglican Church (COLA): small church in Big Rock, IL that CM helped plant in 2013
Reverend Rand York: Former Rector of COLA, Great Uncle of CM, the mother of the nine-year-old victim.
Chris Lapeyre: Former COLA Senior Warden
Dean William Beasley: Diocese of the Upper Midwest Missioner General, Dean & former head of Greenhouse Movement
The Rt Rev. Stewart Ruch III: Bishop of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest
Church of the Resurrection (Rez): Diocesan headquarters in Wheaton, IL, where CM, the victim's mother, attended for 18 years
Cherin said that Christ Our Light Anglican Church (COLA) leaders pressured her not to report the abuse to civil authorities.
This is that story.
On 5/17/19, my nine-year-old daughter told me that Mark Rivera, my godfather, church leader, spiritual mentor, former neighbor of ten years, very close friend, and groomsman in my wedding, had been sexually abusing her.
In shock, and not knowing what else to do, I texted my priest, Fr. Rand York (who is also my great uncle, with whom my children and I had lived with for two years). I told Fr. Rand there was an emergency I needed to talk to him about and we agreed to meet the following morning.
Mark Rivera and Rev. Rand York: Photo obtained from Christ Our Light’s public Facebook page.
On 5/18/19 my husband and I met with Fr. Rand at his house and I told him what had happened. His initial response was of shock and grief. He told us that our church, Christ Our Light, would pay for my daughter's counseling and that he would support us through whatever came next.
Rev Rand York and Mark Rivera at Church of the Resurrection’s New Building Consecration in December 2012.
Fr. Rand also stated that he would be contacting his superior, Diocese of the Upper Midwest Canon William Beasley, who was Dean of the Greenhouse Movement at the time, to inform him of our daughter’s allegations. Fr. Rand York and Cn. William Beasley had been close friends for over twenty years.
Dean William Beasley and Rev. Rand York
Fr. Rand then told us that he wanted to confront Mark Rivera privately and that he would be waiting until after that evening’s COLA church service---where Mark would be serving as Church Catechist. We had to insist that Fr. Rand cancel the service and address this immediately.
About an hour later I received a text message from Mark Rivera asking if I knew why Fr. Rand had canceled church. Shortly afterward, Mark’s wife, [redacted], texted me too, demanding to know what was going on. I did not respond to either message but I felt completely sick.
A while later Fr. Rand called my husband to say that he would be meeting with Mark Rivera shortly and he asked us to pray for him. Fr. Rand explained that he was very angry at Mark. He called what Mark had done “a millstone", because Mark had caused a little one to stumble.
Mark Rivera with Cherin’s son in 2013
We did not hear back from Fr. Rand for some time; by then his entire tone had changed. He had spoken with Mark Rivera, who claimed to be shocked and hurt by my daughter’s allegations. Rand said Mark wanted to talk and asked if we would be willing to meet together that evening.
I went to the meeting alone while my husband stayed home with our kids. As I turned into the driveway at Rand's house Mark pulled in right behind me. I rushed inside before he had a chance to get out of his car, but the house was quiet and I couldn't find Fr. Rand anywhere.
I decided to go wait in Fr. Rand's living room, where COLA held daily morning prayer services. I heard Mark enter the house just as I sat down on Rand's couch and could just make out Fr. Rand's voice greeting Mark and directing him into the room where I was waiting, alone.
Mark Rivera talking with Upper Midwest Diocese Chancellor Charlie Philbrick.
Mark came in and sat down in a chair to my right. We sat alone in silence for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, I left the room and waited in the hallway until Chris Lapeyre, the COLA Senior Warden, arrived and he and Fr. Rand came to join Mark and finally noticed I was there.
As our meeting began, Fr. Rand sat off to the side on my left, looking down at his hands and saying nothing. Chris Lapeyre sat in front of me and took the lead directing the meeting. Chris invited Mark Rivera to speak first and Mark looked me straight in the eye and lied.
Mark Rivera at Church of the Resurrection in 2012
With a seemingly sincere expression, Mark Rivera stared into my eyes and said, “I have never touched your daughter, my goddaughter, inappropriately”. He then went on to bemoan the fact that it was his word against hers, and that even he would believe my daughter’s story.
Mark Rivera then told us that his wife had not been surprised by my daughter's allegations because [redacted] had been acting like someone had abused her too. Mark explained that [redacted] and [redacted] had recently had to ask her if someone had touched her inappropriately.
After this shocking admission about [redacted], Mark Rivera insinuated that he and his wife had written off both my daughter's allegations and [redacted]’s alarming symptoms as a demonic attack against the church and that it was reasonable for us to do so as well.
Mark Rivera at Church of the Resurrection
After Mark Rivera's horrifying and disorienting statements, Chris Lapeyre next turned to me and asked me to disclose, in front of Mark, all that my daughter had told me. I did not do this but I was stunned and appalled that Chris had asked me to, especially in front of Mark.
Mark Rivera and Bp. Stewart Ruch
After attempting to extract the details about what my daughter said Mark did to her, in front of her alleged abuser, Chris Lapeyre went on to explain that Fr. Rand York had consulted with the Diocesan Chancellor (lawyer) Charlie Philbrick about my daughter's allegations.
Chris Lapeyre said, "We have been advised by the Diocesan Chancellor that we do not need to report this to the authorities", and then Chris added, "And it sounds like you don't need to either...."
I was given no explanation; they were just refusing to report Mark.
I was aghast and could not believe what I was hearing. Chris Lapeyre's words were still spinning around in my head when he asked me, in front of Mark, whether I planned to report my daughter's abuse to the authorities. The pressure was overwhelming. I felt like throwing up.
I was acutely aware of Fr. Rand's continued silence and of Mark's self-pitying frown and slumped posture. Chris looked at me pointedly, with his eyebrows raised, waiting for my response. I finally said, "I have no plans to do that at this time" and Chris nodded his approval.
Mark Rivera at Church of the Resurrection
I left in a daze while trying hard not to look at Mark. I think Fr. Rand hugged me as I left and I know Chris Lapeyre walked me out to my car. In Fr. Rand's driveway, I hinted to Chris that my daughter's allegations were very serious, without telling him any details.
In response to this, Chris Lapeyre’s eyes filled with tears and he finally admitted that I needed to report Mark. "You have to report this," he said. Chris went on to say that, in his personal experience, DCFS was fair and reasonable and that they would be so for Mark as well.
Chris Lapeyre admitting to me in private that I needed to report Mark did nothing to diminish the pressure I felt not to do so. The fact that Chris had told me, in front of Mark, that he and Fr. Rand were not going to report my daughter's abuse still weighed heavily on me.
I went home still in shock, confused and devastated by Fr. Rand's sudden departure from the supportive, comforting presence he had been that morning. I felt like I wasn't "allowed" to report Mark and that if I did, I would be doing so without my church’s support or approval.
Years of spiritual abuse by church leaders had trained me that I needed “permission” from the church before making big decisions. Mark’s best friend (Chris Lapeyre) and Mark's spiritual mentor (Fr. Rand York) were my church leaders; it was clear they wanted to protect Mark.
When I called the police, the following Monday, I was on my own with no support or help. My church leaders and close friends (all of whom were mandated reporters) failed to report my daughter's abuse and I was left to make this awful but crucial decision on my own.
Thank you for reading Cherin’s account of her church leadership’s horrendous failure of mandatory reporting and pressure not to report her nine-year-old daughter’s allegations of sexual abuse. Some additional context is in this article can be found in this 7/19/21 article by Kathryn Post of the Religion News Service: “In ACNA abuse case, mother of an alleged victim says she paid a price for coming forward.”
End of Twitter Thread.