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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Meet Awake’s New Patron Saints
In a special prayer service this week, Awake introduced a group of patron saints recently chosen for our community, and launched a novena calling on the intercession of these saints. A recording of the service, just 16 minutes…
As Awake Begins Our Fifth Year, We Unveil An Updated Mission Statement
It’s hard to believe that it was only four years ago, in August 2019, that Awake Milwaukee was launched. What started as a small group of Catholic lay people gathering in my living room has become a vibrant, rapidly expanding nonprofit organization with a national and even international reach…
Awake Community Gathers to Celebrate God in the Stillness
Last week, Awake hosted its much-loved annual Prayer in the Park service, which featured hymns, scripture, poetry, and small group conversation, all built around the theme of “Finding God in the Stillness.” Some members of the Awake community…
“I Will Never Forget This Weekend”: Transformative Experiences at Awake’s First Retreat for Abuse Survivors
I didn’t know what to expect when I stepped into Awake’s recent weekend retreat for abuse survivors. After months of planning and more Zoom meetings than I can count, we were finally bringing together 17 people who had experienced sexual abuse by a Catholic leader…
The Awake Team Gathers to Connect and Look Ahead
Last weekend members of the Awake community gathered at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin for our third annual leadership gathering, which allowed the group to pray and reflect, socialize, and discern efforts for the year ahead.…
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…
Awake Welcomes New Members to Board of Directors and Leadership Team
Awake Milwaukee continues to grow and recently celebrated the addition of three new volunteers to our team, including two new members of the Board of Directors and one addition to our Leadership Team. The Board of Directors is…
The Way of the Cross with Survivors: A Lenten Opportunity to Pray with Those Who Are Hurting
Last week Awake Milwaukee observed the Way of the Cross, a prayer service following the footsteps of Jesus to Calvary, accompanied by victim-survivors of sexual abuse and their friends and families. At each station, a survivor offered a reflection to help those praying to connect the sufferings of Jesus with the suffering of those who have experienced sexual abuse in the Church.
Fr. Hans Zollner Resigns from Papal Commission, Survivors Respond
Fr. Hans Zollner made a surprise announcement Wednesday that he resigned from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which advises Pope Francis about safeguarding efforts in the Catholic Church. Considered the Vatican’s leading expert on safeguarding,…
Awake’s Core Values: A Closer Look at What Matters Most to Us
As we approach Awake’s fourth anniversary this summer, we are currently working through a strategic planning process to help us consider our future. One of the first steps in the process was to clarify our values as an…
In Peaceful Mini-Retreat, Awake Reflects at the Doorway of Lent
Last weekend, members of the Awake community gathered for a three-hour mini-retreat to prepare for the season of Lent. Held at the St. Bakhita Catholic Worker House in Milwaukee, the retreat included people who have experienced harm in…
Awake’s Top Blog Posts of 2022
As we turn the page on a new year, we at Awake value the chance to look back over the last 12 months to see which posts were read most by the Awake community. This data reveals a…
Awake’s Advent Prayer Service Reflects on the Holy Darkness of the Season
Last week, Awake offered a short, moving Advent prayer service titled “Holy Darkness.” It featured four parts based on the four weeks of Advent, including music, readings, questions for reflection, and silent time for prayer and contemplation.
Awake Reflects on Darkness, Light, and Hope in Advent Prayer Service
Last Friday evening the Awake community gathered for an Advent prayer service exploring both darkness and the gift of light.
Awake Announces Newly Expanded Survivor Advisory Panel
Listening to survivors has always been a priority for Awake Milwaukee.
In our earliest days, before we had even chosen the name “Awake,” we gathered in Sara and Mike Larson’s living room in Milwaukee to listen to a woman who was abused by a priest in grade school. This survivor described her hard work to heal and the pain she experienced as an adult, when she faced legalistic Church leaders in her efforts to report her abuser, who remained in ministry. Listening to her was a powerful experience, reinforcing our drive to learn more about the problems of abuse and cover-up in the Church, to work for transformation and healing, and to understand how we might walk with abuse survivors.
Hopeful News about the Synod Process — and Awake’s Synod Report
After Awake Milwaukee hosted two synod sessions in June to ensure that abuse survivors, their loved ones, and concerned Catholics had a voice in the global listening initiative of the Catholic Church, we submitted our report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s synod team. Awake’s complete synod report is available on our website.
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.
Survivors Respond as Rembert Weakland is Honored with Archdiocesan Funeral
Today the Archdiocese of Milwaukee holds a funeral Mass for former archbishop of Milwaukee Rembert Weakland, who died on August 22 at age 95.
We at Awake know this may be a difficult day for many sexual abuse survivors and their loved ones, and the celebration of Weakland’s life may bring up strong, painful feelings. In a press release Awake issued today, we explained, “Sexual abuse, especially abuse by a religious leader, is a deep and long-lasting trauma, and we urge all people to be mindful of this reality when they speak about Weakland’s legacy.”
Awake Summer Prayer Service Celebrates the Beauty of Creation
Members of the Awake community gathered last week in a leafy clearing in Milwaukee’s Estabrook Park for a summer prayer service that included scripture, hymns, and poetry.
