Survivor Advisory Panel
Listening to and learning from those who have experienced sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is central to Awake’s mission. Awake’s Survivor Advisory Panel is a diverse group of survivors who are invested in the work of Awake and offer honest feedback about our ideas, programs, and goals. This panel includes women and men from throughout the United States – Catholics and non-Catholics, those who were abused during childhood and those who experienced abuse as adults. We realize that not every Awake initiative will resonate with every survivor, but we consider the wisdom and perspective of survivors essential to the decisions we make in carrying out our mission.
If you have questions about the Awake Survivor Advisory Panel, or if you are a survivor who would like to offer feedback about any of Awake’s work, please reach out to Executive Director Sara Larson at saralarson@awakecommunity.org.
Survivor Advisory Panel Members
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I am originally from Michigan, born and raised Catholic. Since 1998 when I got married, I have been living on Long Island where I am blessed to be a stepmother to two amazing adult children, both with fabulous spouses, and a "Grammy" to three beautiful grandsons. I have my Master’s in Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Care from Fordham University. I am a clergy sexual abuse survivor, and although I no longer consider myself part of the Catholic Church, my faith continues to be my strength. Finding Awake has been a tremendous blessing for me. I am passionate about Awake’s mission and want to contribute to providing a safe space for survivors to be heard, supported, and empowered. I know personally how painfully complicated this healing journey can be and I hope for every survivor to know that their voice has value.
Read Amy’s Survivor Story here.
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An educator by profession, I've stepped away from the classroom to tend to my own healing. I enjoy performing in the theater and taking ballroom dancing classes. I also love spending time in nature. One of the things I treasure most about Awake is that they've not only permitted me but also encouraged me to take up space and access the resources I need. They've given me a firm foundation of compassion, understanding, and community upon which to stand while helping me balance nurturing a Mary heart in a Martha world. My hope is to help other survivors feel welcomed and loved, to be seen, heard and validated, and to take up the space they need and deserve on their healing journeys. I'm humbled to be a part of this community.
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I have spent nearly thirty years in Catholic education. After years as President and Head of School, I returned to my first love, teaching, and now chair the Religious Studies department at a Catholic boarding and day school in California.
Raised Catholic in Utah, I was sexually abused as a teenager by a priest of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. I buried that trauma for decades, reporting it only in 2024 after my brother, a heavy rescue fire captain with job-related PTSD, died by suicide. My memoir, The Sacred and Profane: A Memoir of Faith and Reckoning, tells that story, and I am honored to support fellow survivors through Awake.
I live in Southern California with my wife, a litigation attorney, and my daughter, a dedicated high school equestrian.
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I live outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, with my husband, John, and our dogs, Schmoopie and Indie. After a long career in human resources and higher education, I now work as a coach, hypnotherapist, end-of-life doula, and writer. I am well acquainted with abuse by Catholic leaders. I understand how irreconcilably unequal power dynamics can fuel abuse, including coercive control. Too often, this goes unrecognized as abuse—by the person who lived it, and by those who shape a harsher narrative around what happened. All of this can leave psychological, emotional, spiritual, and physical damage that can last a lifetime. I am honored to serve on the Survivor Advisory Panel alongside others working to ensure that people with lived experience are heard, especially those the law does not yet protect, and those who have chosen not to share publicly. Each person carries a story and deserves a community that will hold them—and their story—with care.
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I am a member of a Catholic parish in the archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis, MN together with my husband. I'm a mother of five children and grandmother to six. I have retired from working as a Physical Therapist Assistant for 27 years. I was abused as an adult by a priest during a vulnerable time in my life. My experience as a survivor includes reporting my abuse to law enforcement and eventual testimony in court which resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of my abuser who is now laicized. I desire more stringent laws nationally against clergy abuse and in support of survivors. I wish to ensure that survivors receive validation and empowerment in their healing journey such as the Awake community has provided me.
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I am a practicing Catholic widow who lives in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I work as a parish secretary, but my passion lies in my work as an ecclesiastical seamstress, creating vestments for priests. I am a survivor of 4 years of ritual abuse by a priest involving the sacraments when I was aged 12 - 16 years. I left the church for more than 35 years and reverted 3 years ago after spending time working toward healing the deep wounds and fear of the Catholic Church and its clergy that my abuse left me with. Through Awake I have realized that I am not alone - particularly as a female survivor who has frequently had my story ignored or dismissed. I look forward to being a part of the mission of Awake as an Advisory Panel member.
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I live in Denver, Colorado, where I enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the energy of city life. As the proud mother of three and grandmother of four, I am continually challenged, humbled, and delighted by my family. Hiking forested trails, playing pickleball, and taking ballet classes engage my mind, body, and spirit while deepening my appreciation for the life I enjoy today.
I am a semi-retired psychotherapist, with 25 years of experience. This work has given me the privilege of witnessing profound examples of both the goodness and the fallibility of the human condition.
As a survivor of clergy abuse, I have been involved with Awake for the past four years. I am deeply committed to Awake’s mission and hope to help create a safe space where survivors feel heard, supported, and empowered.
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I’m a mental health counselor and bioethicist living in Miami, but I’m originally from Argentina. I love to run, be in nature, read, and spend time with the people I love. During my free time, I can usually be found marveling at the beauty of nature from my hammock by the ocean. I believe that the existence of animals, especially horses and dogs, are irrefutable evidence of God’s love for us and have yet to meet an animal I haven’t loved. Awake has been an incredible blessing in my life, allowing me to explore my faith and relationship with God in a trauma-informed environment, without any pressure or expectation. My hope is for all survivors to experience the same love and unconditional acceptance that I have found so healing.
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I was born and raised Catholic, a California native now living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My husband and I are parents of three adult children and grandparents of seven, the loves of our lives. I am also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. I did not publicly tell my story until I was in my 50’s and, in the years since, still search for ways to heal what I now know are all the ways trauma impacted my life, and the lives of those I love. Having a place to share this healing journey with others has been life changing for me, and I am deeply grateful to the Awake community for being a place of belonging, acceptance and encouragement for those longing to be heard. I am humbled and honored to contribute in any way I can to the incredible work being done by and through Awake.
Read Maria’s Survivor Story here.
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I retired from a 40-year career in Human Resources. I have been married for 43 years to my wife, Karen, and we live in NY. We have three grown young men as children and couldn’t be more proud of who they are! I am an avid sailor on Lake Ontario, sing acapella harmony in two choruses, and love anything outdoors. I am a lifelong Catholic, and I’ve always had a close and informal relationship with the Holy Spirit. This personal connection saved my faith in God when I remembered my trauma nine years ago.
God has called me to support other survivors. I am particularly concerned with the Church’s response to abuse, not only to us survivors and our families, but its neglect of the people in the pews that also need healing. I see Awake as a great partner and advocate for this effort.
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I come to Awake from Pennsylvania, where I'm often found seeking beauty and the goodness of God - in nature, my work in healthcare, my family, and especially in the lives of the people I've met through Awake. Within Awake, I've experienced the hope that comes when isolation is broken and survivors experience community. Additionally, I've had the great gift to travel on pilgrimage around the world in the years since the abuse, and I bring to Awake what I carried to those sites - lament and prayer within the heart of the Church, compassion, love, and a hope that I am still able to recognize light and goodness. I have found that goodness and hope repeatedly through Awake's circles and retreats, and I am grateful to be involved in a new way.
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I am a husband, father of two adult children, businessman, practicing Catholic, and dear friend to many. I am a clergy sexual abuse survivor who first came forward with my story in 2006, beginning by telling my wife, then my local parish priest, and ultimately the Archdiocese of Chicago.
My first experience with Awake was the Open Letter to Survivors. I am a co-leader of the Friday Survivor Circle and consider the annual Way of the Cross Service to be a very powerful event.
Along with with a working group of seven survivors of clergy sexual abuse, I am working to create the National Healing Garden at The Catholic University of America.
I am honored and humbled to serve on the Survivor Advisory Panel.
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I am a happily married retired psychiatrist and grandfather living in Pasadena. At 14, I entered a Franciscan seminary to become a priest, but my path changed after four years of abuse by my confessor and mentor. I chose medicine instead, earning degrees from UCLA and Stanford, and I spent my career as a psychiatrist and addiction specialist serving people who were seriously mentally ill, addicted, and often pushed to the margins. Years of therapy and litigation brought some healing but a disappointing response from the Catholic Church, and I ultimately transitioned to the Episcopal Church, drawn to its inclusive community and commitment to social justice; I now serve as a Lay Eucharistic Minister at All Saints Pasadena and as a Novice in the Third Order, Society of Saint Francis (TSSF). Having completed Stillpoint spiritual direction formation, I offer pro bono contemplative accompaniment for others carrying spiritual injury, and I am currently deepening that work through the Oblate School of Theology's Forest Dwellers program on the spirituality of aging. I am honored to serve Awake Community on its Survivor Advisory Panel, DEI Team, and men's support group, where prayer and the Holy Spirit continue to guide me.
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I live in Plover, Wisconsin with my husband, Rusty. We have been married for 37 years and have six children and one grandson. I worked for the Catholic Church for more than 30 years. In 2018, I left my position in the church and went into Life Coaching. In my free time, I love being outside and am an avid hiker, cycler, and pickle baller. I care deeply about the people who have been hurt by church leaders, and I bring a unique perspective as someone who was invested in the Catholic Church since I was born and then made the decision to leave. I am grateful for the ways in which Awake has been victim centered, and I want to continue being a part of that mission where victims are heard and believed.