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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The Power of Pets in Trauma Healing
When Jessica met Josie, she quickly knew they would make a good team. Josie is a goldendoodle that Jessica adopted last summer. “She had just had a bath and was hiding under a chair in their living room…
Awake Leaders and Volunteers Gather for Reflection, Community Building, and Discernment
On Saturday, May 30, Awake’s Staff, Board of Directors, Leadership Team, Survivor Advisory Panel, and other key volunteers gathered virtually and in-person in Milwaukee to reflect on the successes and challenges of the past year, as well as dream and plan for the future of our organization.
Jill Monaco
“Experience has taught me that you need to find a tribe of people or even just one person who can hold space for your story and pain.”
Courageous Conversation: Restorative Justice — Healing Possibilities for Abuse Survivors and the Catholic Church
Last week, Awake concluded its sixth season of Courageous Conversations with a discussion of the possibilities of restorative justice as a healing possibility for abuse survivors and faith communities.
Care for the Caregivers: Awake Implements Support Offerings for Staff and Volunteers
“We are now launching a new initiative that we’re calling ‘Care for the Caregivers,’ which offers a range of opportunities that our Staff, Survivor Circle Team, Leadership Team, Board of Directors, and key volunteers can access for emotional, psychological, and spiritual support.
This initiative is one way we can live out Awake’s core value of compassion—while also helping ensure that those who carry this mission can do so in a healthy way for years to come.”
Why Do Victim-Survivors Sometimes Forget Their Abuse?
When survivors of sexual abuse share their stories, they sometimes describe forgetting or repressing memories of their abuse for years, even decades, before the memories resurface, usually in the form of painful flashbacks.
Rooted and Rising: Dr. Eileen Dombo Discusses Setting and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
On Wednesday, April 22nd, Awake concluded the first season of Rooted and Rising, a series featuring presentations from mental health professionals to offer practical tools for healing. This event brought together attendees from across the United States and beyond, reflecting Awake’s growing community of survivors, loved ones, and supporters committed to healing and transformation.
Chuck Lovett
"I refuse to let the institution that didn’t stop these horrors dictate how I heal from them.”
What is Clericalism? And How Does It Contribute to Abuse in the Church?
A new book explores clericalism as a system of rules and “unchecked authority” in the Catholic Church that makes sexual abuse more likely to take place and to be concealed. We speak with author C. Colt Anderson about his deep dive into the problem of clericalism.
Awake Welcomes Four New Directors and Offers Gratitude to Three Departing Directors
“This week the Awake community expresses deep gratitude to three people concluding their terms on our Board of Directors and welcomes four new directors stepping forward to serve.”
Scarlett Faltys-Burr
“My family hopes our story of being exploited due to our vulnerability as immigrants is taken to heart and that our testimony helps bring about change.”
Awake Community Gathers to Pray the Way of the Cross with Survivors
On March 18, Awake held its annual Lenten prayer service, Way of the Cross with Survivors. This virtual event includes reflections written by members of the Awake community who have experienced sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Join Us In Welcoming Rebecca Dodge to the Awake Staff!
“I recognize the painful reality of abuse within the Church and the urgent need for accountability, transformation, and healing. I am deeply committed to doing my part in this sacred work.”
How Do Other Faith Traditions Address Abuse?
How do Jewish, Protestant, and Muslim communities address abuse by religious leaders? What can Catholics learn from these other faith traditions?
Timothy Quigley
“I had a Judas, who betrayed me with a kiss. It felt like Jesus left me. I only found Jesus again by identifying with him, with his passion, with his cross.”
Courageous Conversation: Understanding the Trauma of Institutional Betrayal
Awake welcomed three panelists to discuss a devastating harm known as institutional betrayal, experienced by an alarming number of victim-survivors who report their abuse to church leaders.
How Can We Address Abuse of Adults in the Catholic Church?
To consider how the Catholic Church might address abuse of adults, we spoke with Julie Hanlon Rubio, professor of Christian ethics at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University. “Sexual violence [is] an act of injustice,” she says. “It violates the dignity of a human person.”
Abuse in the Confessional: Understanding the Gifts and Risks of the Sacrament of Penance
Terence McKiernan, founder and co-director of Bishopaccountability.org, is currently writing a book about confession, including its history in the Church and influence in broader culture. The book also considers what McKiernan calls “the horror of confessional abuse” and what survivor stories can tell us about the risk of harm in this sacrament.
Rooted and Rising: Understanding Moral Injury
Last week, Awake hosted a Rooted and Rising event centered on moral injury, continuing the new speaker series designed to offer survivors practical tools for healing. Participants joined from across the country and beyond, reflecting Awake’s growing national and international community of survivors, loved ones, and supporters committed to healing and transformation.
Jennifer-Marie Burchell
”I am finally at a point in my healing journey where I can claim my own story.”