Leadership

Awake is led by a small staff and a dedicated team of volunteers, in collaboration with our valued Survivor Advisory Panel and many supporters who offer their time and energy to our mission. Please get to know our staff, Leadership Team, and Board of Directors below!

Staff

Sara Larson

  • I am deeply honored to devote my time and my heart to the mission of Awake. The Catholic Church has been my home at every stage of my life, but it wasn't until the summer of 2018 when I began wrestling with the darkness present in the Church that I love. After months of reading, learning, praying, and listening to the stories of abuse survivors, I left my parish ministry job and began the work that would eventually become Awake. In the years since, I have been profoundly changed by the relationships I have built with survivors who have trusted me with their stories and challenged me to ask hard questions and work for real change. These amazing men and women are the reason behind everything I do with Awake.

    You can read more about me here and contact me at saralarson@awakecommunity.org.

Meghan Fiebelkorn

  • I am a wife, the mother of five beautiful children, and a practicing Catholic living in Brighton, Michigan. Before coming to Awake, I worked within parishes and nonprofits in the Diocese of Lansing, MI for over 15 years.

    In my work, I have experienced great joy in walking with others as the God of love draws us closer to himself. At the same time,  I have also personally experienced and been privy to systems of abuse within the Church. I have had the honor and heartbreaking privilege of listening to and speaking with clergy sexual abuse survivors, as well as survivors of emotional and spiritual abuse. The more I see and experience, the more I feel convicted that believers are called to speak with a “prophetic edge”  to bring healing, reform, and justice within the Church. 

    I am humbled and honored to walk in the sacred space of survivors and allies through my work, and am inspired by and grateful for the courage of the men and women involved with Awake. 

    You can read more about my background and what brought me to work with Awake here on the blog, and you can contact me at meghanfiebelkorn@awakecommunity.org

Catherine Owers

  • I grew up in New Orleans, attended the University of Notre Dame to study English and theology, and have lived in South Bend, Indiana ever since. For me, the summer of 2018 highlighted the deep wounds in the body of Christ, and I was drawn to Awake’s approach of healing and hope through the robust virtual offerings during the early pandemic days.

    Courageous Conversations was my entry point to Awake: I attended the first season and served as a volunteer for our second season. Now in my work as Awake's Community Engagement Specialist, I help lead our Courageous Conversations Planning Team along with Erin O'Donnell.

    My work for Awake includes our communications efforts and assisting in other programing areas. Throughout the years of connecting with survivors, advocates, allies, and concerned Catholics, the questions that have most resonated with me are “How can I be a safe person for survivors of abuse?” and “How can we build communities and institutions that are truly welcoming to abuse survivors?” I'm always interested to hear others' responses to these questions!

    You can reach me at catherineowers@awakecommunity.org.

Esther Harber

  • I am a devoted Catholic living with my husband and daughters in Ohio. I am a convert from a fundamentalist Protestant denomination, and I was blessed to enter the Catholic Church in 2006. The Lord placed a passion in my heart for sharing the faith, and I spent the better part of my twenties as a lay missionary in New York City. I was also in religious life for a year. During my time as a missionary, I experienced spiritual abuse and a sexual assault by a Catholic priest. After a long period of healing, I felt the Lord calling me to walk with other victim-survivors and to bring light to this crisis in the Church. While I love the Church, I know personally how hard it is to wrestle with one’s faith in the wake of such atrocities, and I desire to help others in this healing journey.

    Abuse survivors can contact me at estherharber@awakecommunity.org.

Leadership Team

  • I grew up Catholic in an era when much of the abuse in the Church was occurring, and when priests were routinely transferred from parish to parish despite their abusive past. I am retired from a career as an IT Project Manager, giving me time to pursue more volunteer interests. As a member of Saints Peter and Paul parish I have served as a trustee, on the Stewardship Commission, and as a co-chair of the Block Party.  When I considered becoming involved in Awake, I asked “If not me, then who?” and decided that as a person of faith I needed to step up to work towards healing the wounds in our Church.  In addition to the Leadership Team, I also am currently a member of the Development Committee.

  • I am originally a Registered Dietitian but currently work as a stay-at-home mom. Several years ago I experienced deep personal wounding from the lack of support I received from clergy during a difficult life situation. I became disillusioned and angry, including with how the Church has handled the abuse crisis and its victims. I could not just ignore the gross injustices that had been inflicted on the Church’s own flock. I became increasingly aware of the vital role of the laity in helping heal the Church. I asked God to lead me to somewhere I could help—however small that role might be. Finding Awake was a clearly answered prayer. I have gratefully served Awake as a member of the Prayer Team since 2022.

  • Fifteen years ago, my commitment to the life and teachings of Jesus and curiosity about faith and religion, led me to a masters degree in theology. I then began teaching high school theology. I have taught in parish religious education programs, served on parish school commissions and pastoral council, and other service work through the Church. Victims of abuse, God’s beloved children, have been critically damaged and need healing and support. The integrity of our Church and its ability to authentically share the Gospel has also been damaged and needs healing and renewal. Awake has given me a place to work toward healing and renewal alongside victim-survivors and other concerned Catholics.

  • I’m the fourth child in a Catholic family of eight children, have been married 44 years, have four grown daughters and we are joyful grandparents to five beautiful grandchildren. My career spanned non-profit organizations (fundraising, directing) in combination with civic involvement via elected leadership positions (Legislature) in upstate New York. I am passionate about overcoming historic barriers for underrepresented survivor constituencies (barriers such as systemic oppressions, community-wide collective trauma, stigma, shame, silence and secrecy,) to have full access to services and resources, to meet their unique needs. As I continue on my healing journey, I find Awake to be a much-needed balm and a responsive model for the global Roman Catholic church to follow, keeping survivors at the center of both safeguarding and healing.

 

  • I am a husband and a father of two and enjoy games, nature, and theology. I fell in love with Catholicism as an adult in college and have been deeply involved with the Church ever since. I’ve led or been involved in dozens of bible studies, men’s groups, and service opportunities through the Church and enjoy sharing my love of Christ, the Eucharist, and our Holy Mother with anybody willing to listen. As the scandals of recent years have rocked the Church, I knew I needed to do something positive to fight for who we could be as a Church- a true light for the world. I could not stand by and do nothing, and I hope my involvement with Awake helps to heal the divide between the Church, those affected by our sins, and the world.

  • I am a wife and mother of two sons and a freelance journalist covering mainly health and science topics. A lifelong Catholic, I’ve lived in many different dioceses, including 8 years in the Archdiocese of Boston, before moving with my husband to Wisconsin in 2006. I’m a member of Saints Peter and Paul parish on Milwaukee’s East Side. I joined Awake in part to help make the Church a safe community for all, and to help educate fellow Catholics. I also joined for my sons. When they become adults and learn the history of the Church, I want them to know I worked for change and healing.

  • I am a cradle Catholic who was born and raised in Maryland and now lives in Washington, D.C. I work in higher education student support while simultaneously pursuing a Master of Divinity focused on Catholic faith responses to suffering and trauma. For over 10 years, I was a professional church musician serving in Catholic and Protestant churches. As a survivor of abuse by a lay minister, I am passionate about spreading awareness about the spiritual effects of abuse by lay leaders, and working for accountability and transformation in our Church. 

  • I’m a cradle Catholic originally from Dearborn, Michigan. While studying German as an undergraduate, I discovered a love for theology which ultimately led me to pursue graduate studies in theology in Europe, where I lived for a total of six years. I’m currently working on my PhD in Theology at Marquette University, and I have a deep personal and academic interest in the intersection between trauma and theology, particularly trauma that has occurred within religious settings. As a theologian, I feel called to wrestle with the hard questions on behalf of those who have been hurt or marginalized in the Church, and it has been an immense privilege as well as a healing opportunity for me to become involved with Awake. I assist with facilitating Courageous Conversations Small Groups, and serve as a member of the Leadership Team.

 Board of Directors

 

  • President

    I am blessed to be raising three boys. I am an active member of St. Joseph Parish in Wauwatosa, where I have served on parish council and on the Stewardship and Communication Committees.  My full-time job is in finance. I became involved in Awake’s Leadership Team after finding out that my great-uncle was credibly accused of abuse as a priest in the Green Bay diocese. After taking a year to focus on my family, I am excited to be part of the Board of Directors. Awake has given me a way to focus my frustration and anger about the crisis in our Church by turning it into action. I desire to help our Church fully acknowledge the pain and hurt caused and work towards bringing Christ to others.

President

  • A lifelong Catholic, I grew up in the Fond du Lac area and graduated from UW-Madison. My work as a high school teacher brought me to Milwaukee where I met my husband A.J. We live in Glendale with our young daughter, and we are parishioners at Holy Family parish in Whitefish Bay. When I was a high school senior, our parish priest was removed due to allegations of sexual abuse, just before abuse scandals in the Church made headline news in 2002. Due to that experience, it became apparent to me in 2018 that the way we responded in the early 2000s was woefully insufficient, and Awake provides the opportunity to listen to survivors and work with the Church to affect change. I am grateful that I can work with Awake to help bring healing in the manner to which Christ compels us.

Secretary

  • I am a lifelong Catholic who grew up in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. I went to college in the Chicago area and worked as an attorney in Illinois as well. After years of practicing law, I obtained a license in canon law, the law of the Catholic Church. I have since worked for dioceses, Catholic ministries, and currently for a religious order. I live in northern Illinois with my wife and son. I was in college when the sexual abuse crisis became public and the Archbishop resigned. I was shocked at how the institutional Church had treated so many people. I have encountered many survivors, and am committed to helping inside the Church anyway I can. I joined Awake because as people of God we are called to action in bringing Christ's redemptive healing to the Church.

  • I am a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, but grew up in Milwaukee. After serving for thirteen years as professor of moral theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY and collaborating in the formation of future priests, I am now a visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame.

    Helping Church leaders to respond more adequately to the clergy sexual abuse crisis has become a passion for me. I believe intensely in Christ’s power to turn our wounds into sources of grace for ourselves and others. I am also a founding member of the National Catholic Restorative Justice Initiative which seeks to apply the practices of restorative justice to the Church’s sexual abuse crisis. Along this path, our Lord has led me to accompany a number of survivors on their journey toward healing, and to collaborate more closely with Awake, supporting our organization’s prophetic mission.

 

  • I am an employment and immigration attorney and partner at a local law firm. I live on the east side of Milwaukee with my husband Rob, two children, and dog Tilly. I am a lifelong Catholic and dedicated to our Catholic community in Milwaukee. It is my honor to be on the Awake Board and assist this important organization in their work to provide comfort, counseling, and consolation to victims of clergy abuse. I appreciate Awake’s community of concerned and faithful Catholics dedicated to doing something constructive about this crisis in our Church.

  • I have served the greater Cincinnati area as a leader in Catholic adult formation for over 25 years. Most recently, I founded Magdala House where I host retreats and accompany others as mentor and spiritual director. I have a certificate in spiritual direction and am currently studying theology at the Athenaeum of Ohio. Before entering full time ministry, I worked as a statistician. My husband and I are parents to three adult sons, and I enjoy long walks in the woods with my golden retriever, Daisy May. Helping support the Awake community in its mission is an honor and privilege. I offer my own personal experiences with abuse in the Church and my formation as a spiritual director to accompany those seeking healing and to inspire transformation in the Church.

  • I was raised in Cedarburg and graduated from Beloit College with a BA and a MAT in Elementary Education. After teaching sixth grade, I graduated from Marquette Law School, served as Chief Staff Attorney at the Milwaukee Legal Aid Society, taught as a law professor at Marquette, was appointed as an interim Milwaukee County Executive, and founded the Marquette Law Restorative Justice Initiative and the Andrew Restorative Justice Center. I also served as a Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge for 12 years and a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice for 5 years. I have been a practicing Catholic for over 40 years. For the last 15 years I have worked internationally to develop, teach and apply restorative justice approaches to the clergy/religious abuse scandal. Having the deepest respect for Awake’s work, I am happy to serve as a member of its board.

  • I am a Ph.D. candidate and doctoral research fellow at Baylor University, where my research focuses on the impact of race and culture on clergy abuse disclosure, reporting, and recovery processes. I have engaged lawmakers and led state-level policy initiatives to prevent clergy-perpetrated abuse. As a devout Catholic, I remain deeply committed to exposing abuse at all levels within the Catholic Church for its ultimate healing and transformation. The institution's repeated betrayal of victims through denial, concealment, and inadequate response must end if the church hopes to truly embody the justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity that stands at the core of its proclaimed values. Through Awake, I have found profound support from other survivors who, despite the tremendous pain they have suffered, have chosen not to allow what happened to them to destroy their faith.

 

  • I grew up Catholic in a suburb of Philadelphia, and after graduating from college I worked as a chaplain in the Diocese of Fort Worth. I then completed advanced studies in theology and social work at Boston University and began a career as a therapist and social worker. For 14 years, I served as the Director of Investigations and Religious Accreditation at Praesidium. Over the past two decades, I have also dedicated much of my time to working with children and families in the Texas foster care system. Currently, I run an investigation agency that specializes in cases of clergy misconduct, and I serve 12 religious orders as a survivor assistance coordinator. This role has deepened my appreciation for the vital mission of Awake. I am honored and excited to contribute to the meaningful work of this much-needed organization.

  • I am originally from the Boston area and was personally impacted by the crisis there. For the past 25 years, I have lived and worked in the Washington, DC region where I am an attorney with practice experience in the public and private sectors. I came to Awake to share in its restorative mission of supporting individual survivors and in advancing transparency, accountability, and positive change in the institutional Church.

  • I am a recent graduate of the English department at Marquette University, the last chapter of a lifetime of Catholic education. Currently, I’m a non-profit professional in the Milwaukee area. I spend my free time reading, cooking, and with my friends, and driving frequently to my hometown, Appleton, Wisconsin, where most of my family, including my parents and two sisters, live. I’ve been interested in and increasingly involved with Awake’s work for close to two years. I’ve found incredible value in this community’s mission to intentionally emphasize survivors’ perspectives on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, which I see elsewhere discussed abstractly without understanding or dismissed completely. As a Catholic, I’m frequently awed at the resolute sense of strength in survivors and encouraged by the authenticity of Awake’s work.

  • I am a mother, grandmother and social worker. I worked for the Archdiocese of Boston for thirty-five years followed by five years with One Fund Boston coordinating supportive services for those injured at the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. In 2002, when the clergy sexual abuse scandal exploded, it was a privilege to be charged with developing a program of pastoral care and clinical services as an outreach to survivors, families and parishes for the Archdiocese of Boston. Survivors continue to courageously point the way with prophetic voices longing for justice, healing, and renewed trust and friendship as sisters and brothers in Christ. I am humbled to be invited to join Awake as an ally in its zeal and passion to continue the journey.

 
 

  • Treasurer
    I live in Michigan, and am a wife to a wonderful husband and mother of two beautiful young adults. I grew up in a large Catholic family in Indiana and attended Catholic grade school and high school. After college, I worked as an environmental engineer for 30 years in the consulting industry. Currently I serve as an active volunteer for several local Catholic organizations. Service to others is and has always been an important part of my life, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Awake’s important mission to be informed, encourage change, and help those who are hurting from abuse.

 

Treasurer (Non-Director)