Awake Blog
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7 Tips for Survivors on Sharing Your Story with Journalists and Others
To help survivors who are interested in speaking with journalists, we consulted Mike McDonnell, a victim-survivor of abuse by two priests that began when he was 11.
He first went public with his abuse in his 30s and has shared his story with journalists many times. Here he offers some questions for survivors to ask themselves if they’re considering talking with a reporter.
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.
Holiday How-To: 10 Tips for Talking with Your Family About Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
It’s the holiday season, a common time for family gatherings—and a chance to engage loved ones in important conversations.
Interview with Fr. Tom Berg: 3 Ways the Abuse Crisis has Changed Seminary Formation
Fr. Tom Berg has particular insight into the crisis of sexual abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church. He spent 23 years of religious life, including nine years as an ordained priest, as a member of the Legionaries of Christ. The legion’s founder and director general Marcial Maciel Degollado was forced to step down in 2005, eight years after public allegations by nine former Legionaries that Maciel had sexually abused them as children and young adults.
Why I Remain Catholic Despite the Sex Abuse Crisis
When the news of the McCarrick scandal hit the headlines, the blow to my family and our faith was devastating. Normally, I am an unabashed enthusiast full of love for the Catholic Church—sharing my faith even with secular friends—but these revelations reduced me to silence.
Researchers Seek Information About Jesuit Daniel Kenney, “The Monkey Priest” with Milwaukee Connections
A group of academic researchers at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska has been working to gather information about Daniel Kenney, a popular Jesuit priest credibly accused of sexually abusing boys who attended Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha between 1965 and 1989. Kenney’s career also included multiple periods in Milwaukee.
What We Often Get Wrong About Sexual Abuse and Sexual Offenders
On the Awake blog we’ve written multiple posts about grooming, the tactics abusers may use to prepare their victims for abuse.
7 Tips for Survivors on Sharing Your Story with Journalists and Others
In the 2016 movie Spotlight, there’s a powerful scene in which Boston Globe reporter Michael Rezendes interviews a young man named Patrick McSorley, who was sexually abused at age 12 by a priest.
Survivors Offer Their Take on Church Changes Regarding Abuse of Adults
Last week on the blog we described two new developments in the Catholic Church, which suggest that officials are beginning to acknowledge sexual abuse of adults by clergy and other church leaders.
Is the Catholic Church Beginning to Address Abuse of Adults?
As we’ve noted on this blog many times, the problem of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is not limited to the abuse of children.
Holiday How-To: 10 Tips for Talking with Your Family About Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
It’s the holiday season, a common time for family gatherings—and a chance to engage loved ones in important conversations.
Called to the Foot of the Cross: Why the Catholic Church Needs a “Catechesis of Survivor Stories”
Gerard McGlone, SJ, a Jesuit priest and researcher, believes all Catholics should regularly hear the stories of people who have experienced sexual abuse in the Church.
6 Ways Clergy and Church Leaders Can Build Trauma-Sensitive Parishes
This week we revisit a post we originally published in August 2020, which describes ways parishes can better serve wounded people by incorporating an understanding of trauma into parish work.
The Sacred Work of Listening to Female Abuse Survivors
Some pockets of the Catholic community have overlooked the experience of female victim-survivors of sexual abuse, perhaps because media coverage has often focused on male victims. On Monday, October 25, Awake Milwaukee co-sponsored a panel discussion that centered the stories of women abused by clergy or others in the Catholic Church.
My Husband Was a Victim of Clergy Abuse. I’ve Had to Work Hard for My Own Healing.
On this blog in June 2020 I first shared the story of Wendy Liedtke, a widow who was grieving the sudden death of her husband, Ken, at age 72.
Wendy had stumbled upon Awake Milwaukee the previous year during a late-night internet search for information about sexual abuse in the Church.
Dr. Kathleen McChesney: Transparency Around Clergy Abuse is “Absolutely Essential.”
Dr. Kathleen McChesney is a central figure in the Catholic Church’s efforts to address sexual abuse by clergy and religious leaders.