Awake Blog
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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…
Courageous Conversation Follow-Up: Fr. Hans Zollner Addresses More Audience Questions
On March 4, Awake hosted Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, considered one of the Vatican’s leading experts on safeguarding, for a virtual panel discussion with two survivors of clergy sexual abuse. A recording of the event is available here.…
Two Years Into Wisconsin’s Faith Leader Investigation, McCarrick is Charged, Survivors Can Still Report
Last week former cardinal Theodore McCarrick was charged in Wisconsin with fourth-degree sexual assault. The criminal charge was based on a report made by McCarrick’s victim, now in his 60s, who revealed that when he was 19, McCarrick…
Valentino “Val” Borrelli
“My wish is to help the laity understand that abuse victims are not some delicate flowers that can’t handle life because of the abuse. We are valuable members of society and … we deserve the chance to be heard.”
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…
Jennifer LaVoy
“If my story helps just one person realize the danger of clericalism and abuse of power, it’s worth it to me.”
6 Things Never to Say About Survivors of Clergy Abuse
Back in 2021 I wrote a blog post for Awake that covered some of the hurtful things that people sometimes say to clergy abuse survivors, along with more supportive things they might say instead. Many people read it and several survivors—including my mom—responded with additional things that they’ve heard from Catholics and would add to the list.
Courageous Conversation: In Discussion Led by Survivors, Vatican Advisor Hans Zollner, SJ, Weighs in on Abuse in the Church
By Anselma Dolcich-AshleyGuest Writer Last week, Awake hosted Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, director of the safeguarding institute of the Pontifical Gregorian University and advisor to Pope Francis, for an honest conversation with clergy abuse survivors Esther Harber and…
Called to the Foot of the Cross: Why the Church Needs a “Catechesis of Survivor Stories”
Today we revisit a post from November 2021 about efforts by a Jesuit priest and researcher to help the Catholic Church heal by making stories from abuse survivors a regular part of Church life. 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.
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…
Mike Hoffman
“To be able to share my story, which I kept secret for over 30 years, and still feel safe and loved was such a profound experience.”
Grappling with the Church’s History as a “Perpetrator Institution”
As Executive Director for Truth and Healing at Red Cloud School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Maka Black Elk holds a complex set of identities. He is a member of the Oglala-Sioux Tribe, the son and grandson of people who attended an Indian boarding school, and a survivor of childhood sexual abuse…
What Should I Do If Someone Tells Me They’ve Been Abused? The 5-Step VEEEL Method
This week we revisit this terrific advice from Deborah Rodriguez, MD, who spells out how to respond if someone discloses their abuse to you. It’s helpful for anyone who wants to respond to victim-survivors with healing compassion.
Courageous Conversation: Panel Reveals the Impact of Clergy Sexual Abuse on Families
Awake’s January Courageous Conversation provided an opportunity to listen to a mother, a husband, and a daughter of victim-survivors of abuse. The conversation “Family Matters: How Abuse Wounds the Loved Ones of Victim-Survivors,” featured…
Esther Harber
“That profound understanding that I am not alone takes a great deal of the shame away. ”
Case of Prominent Jesuit Highlights Church Failures Around Abuse of Adults
The case of Fr. Marko Rupnik, a prominent Jesuit priest who has been accused of sexual and spiritual abuse of religious women, suggests that the Church hierarchy remains unwilling to take the abuse of adults seriously. Rupnik, 68,…