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Making the Eucharist Accessible to Survivors of Abuse
Recently Paula Kaempffer of the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis began to consider a powerful idea: why couldn’t she take the Eucharist to victim-survivors who want to receive it, in the same way that lay ministers take communion to parishioners who can’t leave their homes due to illness or mobility issues?
The Complicated Question of Forgiveness After Sexual Abuse
Today we revisit a post on how the concept of forgiveness is sometimes misused against abuse survivors. We originally shared this post in September 2021. Forgiveness is central to Christianity. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus…
Courageous Conversation: In Discussion Led by Survivors, Vatican Advisor Hans Zollner, SJ, Weighs in on Abuse in the Church
By Anselma Dolcich-AshleyGuest Writer Last week, Awake hosted Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, director of the safeguarding institute of the Pontifical Gregorian University and advisor to Pope Francis, for an honest conversation with clergy abuse survivors Esther Harber and…
Courageous Conversation: Abuse Survivors Share What They Want Catholics to Understand
Last week, Awake Milwaukee launched the third season of its popular Courageous Conversations series with “What I Want Catholics to Understand,” a panel discussion that featured five victim-survivors of abuse in the Catholic Church. A recording of the conversation is now available on Awake’s YouTube channel. Here we offer a summary of the main insights shared during the conversation, which was moderated by Sara Larson, executive director of Awake Milwaukee.