Candlelight Vigil for Meza Children Sept. 9th 2004

by Dogpatch 13 Replies latest jw friends

  • waiting
    waiting

    This is a quote from the Charlotte Observer - click above from our Undaunted Danny

    Brown says the Rock Hill church (KH?) did not participate at the Meza family funeral because surviving family members did not request their help. He said the Mezas' church (Pentacostal or KH?) did hold a memorial service the day after the funeral.

    Does this mean that the local KH held a memorial service in the KH for the dead family? Btw, questions in quote are mine.

    waiting

  • Undaunted Danny
    Undaunted Danny

    SC vigil will honor 3 slain Rock Hill children
    Charlotte Observer (subscription), NC - 3 hours ago
    ... org), a support group for abused children in "religious institutional settings." The Meza family were members of a Rock Hill Jehovah's Witnesses church. ...
    Posted on Thu, Sep. 09, 2004

    S.C. vigil will honor 3 slain Rock Hill children


    DAN HUNTLEY

    Staff Writer

    ROCK HILL - A national support group for sexually abused children will hold a candlelight vigil tonight to honor three murdered children from York County.

    The service is sponsored by Silent Lambs (silentlambs.org), a support group for abused children in "religious institutional settings." The Meza family were members of a Rock Hill Jehovah's Witnesses church. The children -- Jayro, 5; Denise, 8; and Denia, 14 -- died Aug. 9 before a fire engulfed their home. Authorities say they were slain by one of their parents -- Marbely or Jose Denis Meza -- who died in the fire. The case is still under investigation.

    Denis had been arrested three weeks before on charges he molested Denia. Officials say she was also raped within five days of her death.

    A national spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses church said that Denis Meza "confessed" to church officials about sexually abusing his daughter, but he stressed that church officials turned that information over to York County authorities.

    Bill Bowen, director of Silent Lambs and a former Jehovah's Witnesses elder from Calvert City, Ky., announced Wednesday in Rock Hill the establishment of the Meza Children Memorial Fund. Half of the money raised will go to a surviving Meza sibling in Nicaragua. The other half will go to local charities and to help cover the family's funeral costs. The vigil will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Rock Hill National Guard Armory at 126 Museum Road.

    Also today, the group will deliver stuffed toy lambs to three local congregations of the Jehovah's Witnesses Church. Along with the "silent lambs" will be information for church members on how to report sexual abuse to local authorities.

    To learn more about the vigil, the Meza Children Fund and how to volunteer, call Faith Lingerfeldt at (803) 684-4474. To learn more about Silent Lambs, call Bill Bowen at (270) 703-2257.



    Below:no JW keyword but still relevant legal development.
    An Award of Punitive Damages Against A Religious Institution:
    Findlaw.com, CA - 3 hours ago
    ... When the Catholic Church knowingly and repeatedly placed pedophiles in direct contact with children, it caused devastating harm. ...
  • Xandria
    Xandria

    This is in the Charlotte Observer from the Press Conference yesterday:

    Posted on Thu, Sep. 09, 2004


    S.C. vigil will honor 3 slain Rock Hill children

    DAN HUNTLEY
    Staff Writer

    ROCK HILL - A national support group for sexually abused children will hold a candlelight vigil tonight to honor three murdered children from York County.

    The service is sponsored by Silent Lambs (silentlambs.org), a support group for abused children in "religious institutional settings." The Meza family were members of a Rock Hill Jehovah's Witnesses church. The children -- Jayro, 5; Denise, 8; and Denia, 14 -- died Aug. 9 before a fire engulfed their home. Authorities say they were slain by one of their parents -- Marbely or Jose Denis Meza -- who died in the fire. The case is still under investigation.

    Denis had been arrested three weeks before on charges he molested Denia. Officials say she was also raped within five days of her death.

    A national spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses church said that Denis Meza "confessed" to church officials about sexually abusing his daughter, but he stressed that church officials turned that information over to York County authorities.

    Bill Bowen, director of Silent Lambs and a former Jehovah's Witnesses elder from Calvert City, Ky., announced Wednesday in Rock Hill the establishment of the Meza Children Memorial Fund. Half of the money raised will go to a surviving Meza sibling in Nicaragua. The other half will go to local charities and to help cover the family's funeral costs. The vigil will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Rock Hill National Guard Armory at 126 Museum Road.

    Also today, the group will deliver stuffed toy lambs to three local congregations of the Jehovah's Witnesses Church. Along with the "silent lambs" will be information for church members on how to report sexual abuse to local authorities.

    To learn more about the vigil, the Meza Children Fund and how to volunteer, call Faith Lingerfeldt at (803) 684-4474. To learn more about Silent Lambs, call Bill Bowen at (270) 703-2257.




    Xandria

    Today shall be an interesting day.

  • Undaunted Danny
    Undaunted Danny

    Silent vigil for victims of 'senseless' act
    Rock Hill Herald, SC - 2 hours ago
    ... Thursday night on the front lawn of the Rock Hill National Guard Armory in a vigil sponsored by Silentlambs, a support group for Jehovah's Witnesses who are ...


    Andrew Russell ? The Herald
    Angie Zeledon, 5, cousin to the Meza children, holds a candle during a vigil in memory of the the Meza family at the Rock Hill National Guard Armory on Thursday. Members of a Jehovah's Witness group used the vigil to protest sexual abuse. Below left, the Meza children -- Denia, Denise and Jairo -- are pictured in a memorial poster on display at the vigil.
    Silent vigil for victims of 'senseless' act
    Dozens gather with candles, prayers for Meza children killed before house fire

    By Matt Garfield The Herald
    (Published September 10? 2004)

    With heads bowed and candles lit, they stood in a grassy field to remember three children killed one month ago -- and to rally against the abuse that preceded the children's deaths.

    About 30 people gathered Thursday night on the front lawn of the Rock Hill National Guard Armory in a vigil sponsored by Silentlambs, a support group for Jehovah's Witnesses who are victims of abuse.

    They came to honor the Meza children -- Jayro, 5, Denise, 8, and Denia, 14 -- who were found dead with their throats cut after a fire destroyed their Crestview Drive home Aug. 9.

    Police say the crime was carried out by one of the parents, Jose "Denis" and Marbely Meza, who also died in the blaze. All belonged to a local Jehovah's Witness congregation.

    Authorities say Denia Meza was sexually abused within five days of her death. Her father had been arrested a few weeks before on charges he molested her.

    "We can't change what happened, but, hopefully, people will do a better job of listening to children," said Libby Sweatt-Lambert, executive director of the Children's Attention Home. "This was senseless."

    Bill Bowen, director of Silentlambs, led the group in a moment of silence and invited donations to a scholarship fund to benefit Janet, the 11-year-old daughter of Marbely Meza who lives in Nicaragua, as well as other local aid agencies.

    "We're holding this vigil to find some kind of meaning in why this happened," Bowen told the audience. "These were three little lives that were taken needlessly."

    Relatives of the Meza family stood off to one side, clutching candles as their young children wandered nearby.

    Matt Garfield ? 329-4063

    [email protected]

    Speak Out!

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