Awake Blog
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In Memory of Pete Singer: Why We Must Build a Trauma-Sensitive Church
We at Awake were sad to learn of the passing of Pete Singer, executive director of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), on May 1. We are fortunate that he was able to take part in our November 2024 Courageous Conversation, “Cultivating a Gospel Response to Trauma.” To honor Pete’s memory, we revisit the summary of that important conversation.
Courageous Conversation: Why We Must Work Toward a Trauma-Sensitive Church
Our latest Courageous Conversation, “Cultivating a Gospel Response to Trauma,” considered why Catholics are called to create faith communities sensitive to the needs of people with traumatic wounds, including those who have been abused in the Church.
How Can We Make Churches More Trauma-Informed? Start with These 6 Principles
To make churches safe for all, faith communities need a deep understanding of the concept of trauma.
Catholics Have Questions About Awake’s Next Step Recommendations. We Offer Answers.
We call the recommendations “Next Steps” because we see them as building on the progress the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has already made to assist survivors and address abuse by church leaders. But we believe more can and should be done. We developed these recommendations carefully over the course of two years by listening deeply to survivors and researching widely accepted best practices already implemented in other dioceses.
Courageous Conversation: Understanding Trauma to Build Trauma–Sensitive Parishes
Every parish has members who have experienced sexual abuse or other types of trauma, making it essential to create communities that feel welcoming and safe to victims and survivors, said Stephen Saunders, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Marquette University, during Awake’s latest Courageous Conversation event.
6 Ways Clergy and Church Leaders Can Build Trauma-Sensitive Parishes
This week we revisit a post we originally published in August 2020, which describes ways parishes can better serve wounded people by incorporating an understanding of trauma into parish work.