Awakening. Transforming. Healing.

Awake is a community of abuse survivors, concerned Catholics, and allies responding to the wounds of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Our Mission
Our Mission

Now is the time to awake from sleeP.

~ Romans 13:11

Letter to

Survivors

If you have experienced sexual abuse by a Catholic leader, we are glad you have found your way to this website. We would be honored to connect with you.

Find Support
Find Support
 

We invite all Catholics to add their names to this letter as a gesture of solidarity and support.

Sign the Letter
Sign the Letter

Centering the
Voices of Survivors

“Being among survivors who are facing their own trauma is a great gift. Often we don’t have to say a single word, but we understand each other and can feel safe.”

—Deborah

“I have learned that being a female survivor of adult abuse is not as unusual as it seemed to me for many years… Survivors are not limited to the ones you see on the TV news. Sometimes we are sitting in a pew next to you.”

—Patty

“I told the bishop and my superiors about the abuse, not for any personal gain, but so that it would stop. It haunted me that I never got any guarantees that this man was disciplined or dealt with… No one in the Church should ever have to beg for justice.”

—Carl

Read Survivor Stories
Read Survivor Stories

  • “Healing is seeping through my life because of Awake.”

    —Amy, Survivor

  • “Awake has given me a way to focus my frustration and anger about the crisis in our Church by turning it into action.”

    —Patty, Board Member

  • “As a clergy abuse survivor who has felt alone and isolated, it is really powerful to see so many good people involved on behalf of healing wounds caused by abuse.”

    —Mike, Survivor

  • “Awake has been a lighthouse in the storm. During a time of extreme distress, Awake offered our family a place of refuge, compassion, and genuine concern.”

    —Jolene, Sister of a Survivor

  • “I have seen Awake make survivor voices a priority in everything they do. Awake is doing this ministry like no other Catholic organization.”

    —Natalie, Survivor

  • “Awake is a very real, palpable source of hope for the Church today.”

    —Fr. Tom, Board Member

  • “I make a monthly donation to Awake because I am inspired and in awe of the work you do. We must keep the sexual abuse crisis in the church in focus as we work toward healing.”

    —Sue, Donor

  • “Awake began as a tiny mustard seed and is now a blessing to so many. This is certainly the working of the Holy Spirit.”

    —Deacon Larry, Survivor

We invite you to join us.

Subscribe
Subscribe
Attend
Attend
Donate
Donate
 

Upcoming Events

(All events are virtual and in U.S. Central Time unless otherwise noted)

Featured
Courageous Conversation: Restorative Justice (Part 1)
Courageous Conversation: Restorative Justice (Part 2)
Summer Prayer Service
Survivor Retreat (For Women)
Survivor Retreat
 

Latest Blog Posts

Featured
Care for the Caregivers: Awake Implements Support Offerings for Staff and Volunteers
News About Awake
Care for the Caregivers: Awake Implements Support Offerings for Staff and Volunteers
News About Awake

“We are now launching a new initiative that we’re calling ‘Care for the Caregivers,’ which offers a range of opportunities that our Staff, Survivor Circle Team, Leadership Team, Board of Directors, and key volunteers can access for emotional, psychological, and spiritual support.

This initiative is one way we can live out Awake’s core value of compassion—while also helping ensure that those who carry this mission can do so in a healthy way for years to come.”

News About Awake
Why Do Victim-Survivors Sometimes Forget Their Abuse?
Explainer
Why Do Victim-Survivors Sometimes Forget Their Abuse?
Explainer

When survivors of sexual abuse share their stories, they sometimes describe forgetting or repressing memories of their abuse for years, even decades, before the memories resurface, usually in the form of painful flashbacks.

Explainer
Rooted and Rising: Dr. Eileen Dombo Discusses Setting and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
Rooted and Rising
Rooted and Rising: Dr. Eileen Dombo Discusses Setting and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
Rooted and Rising

On Wednesday, April 22nd, Awake concluded the first season of Rooted and Rising, a series featuring presentations from mental health professionals to offer practical tools for healing. This event brought together attendees from across the United States and beyond, reflecting Awake’s growing community of survivors, loved ones, and supporters committed to healing and transformation.

Rooted and Rising