Awake Blog
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Teaching New Priests How to Minister to Abuse Survivors
A group of seminary educators has proposed a set of benchmarks to prepare Catholic priests to minister to people who have experienced abuse in the Church.
Victim? Survivor? Coper? Thriver? Which Name is Best After Abuse?
We surveyed 73 people who have endured abuse and asked them which terms feel right to them, which feel wrong, and why.
How Can We Make Churches More Trauma-Informed? Start with These 6 Principles
To make churches safe for all, faith communities need a deep understanding of the concept of trauma.
What is Vos Estis Lux Mundi? How Does It Affect Church Abuse Cases?
On the fifth anniversary of Vos Estis Lux Mundi, we offer a basic primer on this papal decree, which covers the investigation of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Courageous Conversation Explores Accountability for Bishops Under Vos Estis
Last week, Awake welcomed two respected observers of the Catholic Church to consider the first five years of Vos Estis Lux Mundi, a papal decree that created new church laws and procedures for reporting and investigating sexual abuse.
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?
LOUDfence at Wheeling Cathedral Offers Support for Victim-Survivors
When worshippers arrived at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling, West Virginia for Mass this past Sunday, they found colorful ribbons tied to railings outside the building.
Awake’s Board Welcomes New Directors, Thanks Outgoing Members
It’s an exciting week for Awake as we welcome three newly elected members to our Board of Directors, as well as a new treasurer.
Survivor Advocates for New California Law Criminalizing Sexual Abuse of Adults
When she discovered that her state lacked a criminal statute outlawing sexual contact between clergy members and adult parishioners, Lucy Huh was suddenly driven by what she calls “a personal quest.”
What is Institutional Betrayal? And How Does It Relate to Church Abuse?
Institutional betrayal occurs when leaders of an institution fail to protect members from harm or do not respond with support if someone reveals that they’ve been hurt.
6 Tips for Priests: How to Address Abuse in a Homily
Please assume that every time you preach, there are people in the congregation who have experienced trauma, including harm caused by Catholic leaders.
Awake Observes Lent with the Way of the Cross with Survivors
This service allows us to walk alongside Jesus on the road to the crucifixion and to see his journey through the eyes of abuse survivors.
How Parish Leaders Can Better Serve People with Traumatic Wounds
Trauma experts say every parish needs clergy and church staff who are trained to recognize trauma in the people they serve. Here are six things church leaders need to know about trauma.
Awake Unveils A New Name and New Look
Members of the Awake community have likely noticed some buzz in the air. This week, we’re finally ready to share the news.
Courageous Conversation: How Immigrant Voices are Silenced in Church Abuse
Awake’s latest Courageous Conversation explored important questions of how the abuse crisis has affected immigrant communities.
Professor and Students Examine the Crisis of Church Abuse in New Course
Marie Griffith, a religion professor at Washington University in St. Louis, thought she’d probably get eight or nine students signed up for her course, “The Abuse Crisis in Modern Christianity.” She was shocked when it filled up instantly, with a long list of students hoping to get in.
Awake’s Top 10 Blog Posts of 2023
To mark the arrival of 2024, we take a look back over the Awake Blog in 2023, a busy year of growth for Awake. Here are the ten blog posts that were read and shared the most often.
Carl Huber
“I believe in the power of storytelling as a means for people to feel validated, to feel heard, and it’s been a big part of my own healing.”
Holiday How-To: 10 Tips for Talking with Your Family About Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
Editor’s Note: As we prepare for Advent and the holiday season, we revisit this popular 2021 post designed to help you raise the topic of the abuse crisis while spending time with loved ones. It’s the holiday season,…
Polyvictimization: Why Many Victim-Survivors of Church Abuse Have Suffered Previous Trauma
When victim-survivors of sexual abuse by Church leaders share their stories, some mention that they experienced previous abuse or trauma even before they were harmed in the Church. Trauma researchers report that this is not uncommon. People who…