The Springfield Diocese is hiring a new director of its Office of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance, which works with survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
The current director, Jeffrey Trant, who started at the diocese in 2019, is leaving in the middle of January to head up the Children's Advocacy Center of Franklin County and Northern Quabbin.
According to the diocese, Trant "overhauled" the way it "responds to allegations of sexual abuse" and secured an agreement with the district attorneys in the region to make sure law enforcement is the first to investigate.
Olan Horne, a survivor and advocate, said Trant has been a voice of reason to Bishop William Byrne's office.
"He opened up a door of communications for survivors — directly between survivors and the bishop's office and law enforcement. And I think that role he did well," Horne said.
Going forward, Horne said, the bishop needs to make sure that people in the Springfield Diocese, who have been involved in the cover-up of abuse, are held accountable.
Trant was not available for an interview. In a letter to survivors and others, he wrote it was a privilege “to support meaningful change that promotes healing and recovery.” He acknowledged, “there is a long way to go to truly transform the Diocese into a “trauma-responsive Church.”
Carolee McGrath, a spokesperson for the Springfield Diocese, said it's committed to making sure sexual abuse cases are handled correctly and that children are safe.
McGrath said Bishop William Byrne will continue that work and respond with "compassion, of course, but also in a trauma-informed way."
"There is an absolute commitment from the bishop — and I think Jeff was so instrumental in that — to make sure that the diocese going forward gets this right and handles things in a way that greatly improves the way we respond to these allegations of sexual abuse," she said.
Under Trant, a list of credibly accused clergy was updated to include those who were deceased at the time the allegations were made, including the late Bishop Christopher Weldon.
Catholic Recruiter Associates is conducting a nationwide search for the diocese to replace Trant. In the meantime, Norman Charest will serve as the interim director of the office that assists victims.
