Courageous Conversations
Courageous Conversations is an ongoing speaker series hosted by Awake to build community, deepen understanding, encourage conversation, and inspire personal action in response to the complex issue of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
You can view all of Awake’s past Courageous Conversations recordings below (Season One, Season Two, Season Three, Season Four, Season Five, and Season Six.)
Our next Courageous Conversation will take place in February 2026. Sign up for our email newsletter to receive details when our topic and speakers are finalized.
Season Six
2025-2026
September 2025
What Has Helped My Healing Journey
This conversation focused on healing after abuse and what three survivors have found helpful and harmful in their healing journeys.
November 2025
Forming Seminarians to Respond to Survivors
This conversation explored the work of preparing priests in training to minister to people who have experienced harm in the Catholic Church.
Season Five
2024–2025
April 2025
Too Often Forgotten: Harm in the Deaf Catholic Community
Why are Deaf Catholics are at a higher risk for abuse? How can hearing Catholics can help? Laureen Lynch-Ryan, the Coordinator of Deaf Ministry in the Archdiocese of Washington and Maryann Barth, a Deaf professional educator and Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative for the Americas board member, reflect on these questions and more.
March 2025
Silent Suffering: The Invisible Abuse of Women Religious
This conversation on the abuse of women religious featured Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, Sr. Mary Lembo, a religious sister and instructor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome who teaches courses on safeguarding and survivor support, and Elizabeth Schick, a PhD candidate in
theology at Marquette University.
January 2025
Abuse and Systems of Power in the Catholic Church
Awake volunteers Natalie Pucillo and Tim Ehlinger joined in a conversation with theologian Christine Way Skinner and clinical psychologist Phil Monroe on the interplay between power and abuse in the Catholic Church. They identified opportunities where we can positively influence systemic changes that promote healing for individuals and the Church.
NOVEMBER 2024
Cultivating a Gospel Response to Trauma in the Church
Pete Singer of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) and Paul Fahey, a veteran of Catholic parish ministry and a mental health counselor, offer guidance on building church communities that are sensitive to the needs of abuse survivors.
September 2024
What Went Well—and Didn't—When I Shared My Story
Three survivors of abuse by Catholic leaders share their positive and negative experiences of disclosing their abuse to family, friends, colleagues, and church leaders, and offer advice on how to best listen to and support those who have experienced abuse.
Season Four
2023–2024
May 2024
“Vos Estis” Five Years Later: JD Flynn and Anne Barrett Doyle in Conversation
Journalist and co-founder of ThePillar, JD Flynn, and co-director of BishopAccountability.org, Anne Barrett Doyle, speak about the impact of Vos Estis Lux Mundi in the five years since its promulgation.
September 2023
Spiritual Trauma: Victim-Survivors on the Hidden Impact of Sexual Abuse
Four victim-survivors, Elsie Boudreau, Tim Ehlinger, Linda Ochs, and Mary Dispenza, reflect on the impact of abuse on their spiritual lives, how their experiences have influenced their relationship with God, and what has helped their spiritual healing.
January 2024
Silenced Voices in Minority and Immigrant Communities
Theologian Susan Bigelow Reynolds and survivors and advocates Aimee Torres and Eduardo Lopez de Casas discuss the factors that make immigrant and minority communities more vulnerable to abuse and how they can be made safer.
November 2023
The Challenge of Sharing the Light of Faith in the Shadow of Abuse
Therapist Regina Boyd, victim-survivor Mike Hoffman, and theologian Marcus Mescher talk about parenting strategies for balancing vigilance and trust and what gives them hope for the future of the Church.
Season Three
2022–2023
May 2023
A Shared Struggle: What Can We Learn From Other Faith Traditions About Addressing Abuse?
Dr. Guila Benchimol, Maureen Garcia, and Nadiah Mohajir share their expertise working in Jewish, Protestant, and Muslim contexts to prevent abuse and offer lessons to those working in other faith traditions.
March 2023
Face-to-Face and Heart-to-Heart: Fr. Hans Zollner in Conversation with Survivors
Fr. Hans Zollner, Director of the Safeguarding Institute of the Pontifical Gregorian University, speaks with two survivors of clergy abuse, Esther Harber and Mike Koplinka-Loehr.
January 2023
Family Matters: How Abuse Wounds the Loved Ones of Victim-Survivors of Clergy Abuse
Letitia Peyton, Peter Schiessl, and Jerri von den Bosch—a mother, a husband, and a daughter of survivors of clergy abuse—reflect on their experiences supporting their loved ones and working for change.
November 2022
Erased from the Narrative: The Role of Racism in the Abuse Crisis
Expert panelists Jeremy Cruz, Fr. Bryan Massingale, and Maka Black Elk discuss the ways racism impacts the problem of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
September 2022
What I Want Catholics to Understand: A Conversation with Abuse Survivors
Five victim-survivors with diverse experiences reflect on their experience of abuse, address common misconceptions, and answer audience questions.
Season Two
2021–2022
May 2022
Professional Insight on Trauma and Resilience in the Body of Christ
Deborah Rodriguez, MD and Regina Boyd, LMFT offer their expertise about the realities of trauma, discuss the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth, and share personal stories and practical tips.
March 2022
Why the Church Needs Survivors’ Stories — And How to Listen
Survivors Jerry McGlone, S.J., and Paula Kaempffer share their own powerful stories of healing, an invitation to center survivors’ voices, and guidance for listening well to those who have been harmed.
January 2022
How Journalists Have Uncovered Abuse in the Catholic Church
Insights from Walter Robinson, leader of the Boston Globe Spotlight team, Jason Berry, who began writing about Church abuse in 1985, and Anne Barrett Doyle, codirector of BishopAccountability.org.
November 2021
What Can I Do? Lay Leaders Responding to the Abuse Crisis with Compassion
Four panelists from varying backgrounds speak about the circumstances that moved them to action and the unique approach they have each taken to address the issue of abuse in the Catholic Church.
September 2021
A Body of Broken Bones: The Ripple Effects of Abuse on the Body of Christ
Dr. Marcus Mescher shares a thought-provoking presentation on moral injury, conscience, and the path to healing for our Church.
Season One
2020–2021
May 2021
Understanding the Wisconsin Attorney General Investigation
Survivor-advocates the Fortney sisters, retired WI Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske and theologian Patrick Hornbeck help Catholics understand this investigation.
February 2021
Understanding the Impacts of Trauma and Building Trauma-Sensitive Parishes
Psychologist Dr. Stephen Saunders of Marquette University gives an informative presentation on this vital topic, and we end with powerful comments from survivors.
April 2021
Telling Nate’s Story, with Special Guest Aaron Lindstrom
We learn about the legacy of clergy abuse victim Nate Lindstrom and hear the challenge of his brother Aaron: “It’s about time that we as Catholics fix the problem. I feel like we have the power to do that.”
January 2021
A Survivor, A Colleague, and An Advocate on Exposing David Haas’s Abuse
We lift up the voices of Margaret Hillman, Laurie Delgatto-Whitten, and Dr. Stephanie Krehbiel in this important dialogue about the abuse of Catholic musician and composer David Haas.
March 2021
Addressing Abuse of Adults in the Catholic Church
Esther Harber shares her personal story of sexual assault by a priest when she was a young adult, and panelists reinforce “It’s not only children,” providing valuable insight on this ongoing problem.
December 2020
The McCarrick Report, Dismantling Clerical Culture, and a Path to Change
Fr. Dan Griffith, liaison for Restorative Justice and Healing for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, offers a thought-provoking presentation that launches our first season of Courageous Conversations.