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.

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.

 

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

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

  • “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.

 

Upcoming Events

(All events are virtual unless otherwise noted)

Featured
“Vos Estis” Five Years Later: JD Flynn and Anne Barrett Doyle in Conversation
“Vos Estis” Five Years Later: Part 2
Annual Leadership Gathering
Out of the Ashes: Annual Survivor Retreat
 

Latest Blog Posts

Featured
Making the Eucharist Accessible to Survivors of Abuse
Spirituality and Healing
Making the Eucharist Accessible to Survivors of Abuse
Spirituality and Healing

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?

Spirituality and Healing
Awake Celebrates Easter with Way of Light Prayer Service
Praying As a Community
Awake Celebrates Easter with Way of Light Prayer Service
Praying As a Community

Last week, Awake celebrated Easter by praying the Via Lucis, or Way of Light. This devotion, similar to the Stations of the Cross, meditates on Jesus’ Resurrection appearances to his disciples through Pentecost.

Praying As a Community
LOUDfence at Wheeling Cathedral Offers Support for Victim-Survivors
LOUDfence at Wheeling Cathedral Offers Support for Victim-Survivors

When worshippers arrived at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling, West Virginia for Mass this past Sunday, they found colorful ribbons tied to railings outside the building.