Awake Blog
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Making the Eucharist Accessible to Survivors of Abuse
Recently Paula Kaempffer of the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis began to consider a powerful idea: why couldn’t she take the Eucharist to victim-survivors who want to receive it, in the same way that lay ministers take communion to parishioners who can’t leave their homes due to illness or mobility issues?
The Complicated Question of Forgiveness After Sexual Abuse
Today we revisit a post on how the concept of forgiveness is sometimes misused against abuse survivors. We originally shared this post in September 2021. Forgiveness is central to Christianity. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus…
Making the Eucharist Accessible to Survivors of Abuse
In her work with people who have been sexually abused in the Catholic Church, Paula Kaempffer, Outreach Coordinator for Restorative Justice and Abuse Prevention for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis, has found that a surprising number…
Awake is Launching a New Blog Series on Survivor Stories. Here’s Why.
When Awake Milwaukee was established in 2019, we quickly realized how much we had to learn about the experiences of victim-survivors of abuse in the Catholic Church.
Courageous Conversation: Survivors Discuss the Sacred Power of Listening
In the latest installment of Awake Milwaukee’s Courageous Conversations last week, two survivors of clergy sexual abuse offered moving testimony about the power of having others listen deeply to their personal stories.
The Complicated Question of Forgiveness After Sexual Abuse
Forgiveness is central to Christianity. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells Peter to forgive, “not seven times, but 77 times.”
Courageous Conversation: Panelists Describe Pain, Loneliness, and Healing After Clergy Sexual Abuse in Adulthood
Awake Milwaukee’s latest Courageous Conversation was an emotionally intense discussion of the wounds suffered by people sexually abused as adults in the Catholic Church.
