Awake Blog
Welcome to the Awake Blog! If you’re new to Awake, we recommend you check out these top blog posts from our archive.
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Courageous Conversation: Abuse Survivors Discuss the Act of Sharing Their Stories
At last week's Courageous Conversation, speakers Gina Barthel, Wendy Mitch, and Vincent Perez recounted some of the most helpful and compassionate responses to their abuse stories, as well as a few of the most painful.
Courageous Conversation Explores Accountability for Bishops Under Vos Estis
Last week, Awake welcomed two respected observers of the Catholic Church to consider the first five years of Vos Estis Lux Mundi, a papal decree that created new church laws and procedures for reporting and investigating sexual abuse.
Courageous Conversation: How Immigrant Voices are Silenced in Church Abuse
Awake’s latest Courageous Conversation explored important questions of how the abuse crisis has affected immigrant communities.
Courageous Conversation: Sharing Faith with Children in the Wake of the Abuse Crisis
Last week Awake welcomed three panelists who shared both professional and personal insights into the hopes, concerns, and challenges for parents and others aiming to share the Catholic faith with children while building a…
Courageous Conversation: Survivor Panel Describes the Spiritual Impacts of Sexual Abuse
Awake’s first Courageous Conversation of the 2023-24 season featured four victim-survivors who shared powerful stories of how they came to connect with God and to courageously undertake a long journey of healing. “Spiritual Trauma:…
Courageous Conversation Explores How Other Faith Traditions Address Abuse
Last week, Awake hosted a Courageous Conversation featuring guests from Jewish, Protestant, and Muslim backgrounds who shared insights about addressing abuse in those contexts. The panelists included Toronto-based Dr. Guila Benchimol, senior adviser on…
Courageous Conversation Follow-Up: Fr. Hans Zollner Addresses More Audience Questions
On March 4, Awake hosted Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, considered one of the Vatican’s leading experts on safeguarding, for a virtual panel discussion with two survivors of clergy sexual abuse. A recording of the event is available here.…
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: Panel Reveals the Impact of Clergy Sexual Abuse on Families
Awake’s January Courageous Conversation provided an opportunity to listen to a mother, a husband, and a daughter of victim-survivors of abuse. The conversation “Family Matters: How Abuse Wounds the Loved Ones of Victim-Survivors,” featured…
What Is Racism’s Role in the Abuse Crisis?
Last week Awake hosted a thought-provoking Courageous Conversation about the ways racism impacts the problem of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
The panel discussion, “Erased from the Narrative: The Role of Racism in the Abuse Crisis,” featured Fr. Bryan Massingale, a professor of ethics at Fordham University in New York and a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee; Maka Black Elk, executive director for Truth and Healing at Red Cloud Indian School in South Dakota; and Jeremy Cruz, a professor of theology and religious studies at St. John’s University in New York. The recording of the conversation is available here.
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.
Courageous Conversation: Abuse Survivors Can Heal—and Thrive—in the Aftermath of Trauma
The more our communities understand about trauma, the more likely we are to help survivors of experiences such as clergy sexual abuse achieve healing and post-traumatic growth. Trauma knowledge is also essential for survivors themselves in their recovery…
Courageous Conversation: Survivors Discuss the Sacred Power of Listening
In the latest installment of Awake Milwaukee’s Courageous Conversations last week, two survivors of clergy sexual abuse offered moving testimony about the power of having others listen deeply to their personal stories.
Why Catholics Need to Hear Survivor Stories (and 5 Ways to Listen Well)
One of Awake Milwaukee’s central missions is a commitment to listening to sexual abuse survivors. Many have carried painful experiences in silence for decades.
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.
Spotlight Reading List: Who is Reporting on Clergy Abuse Today?
During Awake Milwaukee’s recent Courageous Conversation about the Boston Globe Spotlight series, panelist Anne Barrett Doyle named multiple journalists currently shining a light on sexual abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church.
Courageous Conversation: Panel Marks Twentieth Anniversary of Boston Globe Spotlight Stories About Clergy Abuse
The realities of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church might still be unknown without the efforts of investigative journalists.
Courageous Conversation: Lay Leaders Reflect on Their Role in Facing the Abuse Crisis
Last week Awake Milwaukee hosted its latest Courageous Conversation, which considered the role of lay leaders in addressing the twin crises of sexual abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church.
Courageous Conversation: Examining the Ripple Effects of Clergy Abuse in the Church
Last week Awake Milwaukee launched the 2021-2022 season of its Courageous Conversations series by discussing the ripple effects of the twin crises of sexual abuse and leadership failures in the Catholic Church.
Courageous Conversation: Understanding Wisconsin’s Clergy Abuse Investigation
Awake’s latest Courageous Conversation offered Wisconsin Catholics insights into Attorney General Josh Kaul’s recently launched statewide investigation of sexual abuse by clergy and faith leaders.