The Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland (“RCBO”) is pleased the court has set a definitive deadline of September 11, 2023, for survivors of sexual abuse to file claims in RCBO’s Chapter 11 case.

 

This deadline, known as a “Bar Date,” is the date set for all claims to be filed in the Chapter 11 case.

 

To ensure potential claimants are aware of the Bar Date, the Court has ordered RCBO to post the Notice of Deadline for Filing Sexual Abuse Claims on its digital and physical properties in all its churches, schools, and social media accounts.

 

This letter in ENGLISH and SPANISH from Bishop Barber provides more details on how your parish or organization can assist in this effort.

 

The Notice in English, Spanish and Vietnamese is available on the diocesan website, at the link below. Please print or publish this Notice, as explained in Bishop Barber’s letter.

 

ACCESS THE NOTICE OF THE BAR DATE HERE (oakdiocese.org)

 

COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES

 

Please refer all media inquiries to Helen Osman, diocesan interim director of communications, at 510-271-1931.

 

You may want to set your Facebook post on this Bar Date Notice to limit comments. To do this, create the post, then, at the top-right corner of the post, click the three dots. In the three-dots menu, click “Who can comment on your post?” Select “Profiles and Pages you mention,” then click done.

 

You may find that your parish’s, school’s or organization’s social media accounts will receive negative, even hateful, comments. Polite discussion and questions, offered in an apparent spirit of Christian charity, are acceptable. Remember that our social media policy dictates that destructive and potentially inciteful comments are not tolerated. If your social media channels receive such comments, delete the post and, if necessary, block the user. Our goal is not to censor; it is to maintain a healthy platform for charitable and productive conversations and sharing of information. Please make decisions as you deem appropriate. If you have concerns, please contact Helen Osman, by email, [email protected].