Thank you for this post, it is such a powerful witness of devotion. It is the love of the church that resonates in calling out for its wounds to be healed by shining the light on where the wounds are.
PERPETRATORS AND THOSE THAT SUPPORT THEM ARE TERRIFIED BY TRUTH TELLERS: The perpetrator grooms his supporters as well. Because bystanders lack the courage to face very unpleasant truths, they are exploited by a masterful manipulator/perp. The witnesses that cover their eyes are tools in a cover-up, which is the second punch, (or knifing to be more accurate). When a victim at great risk to herself has bared her soul because she thought more highly of protecting others innocence and the church's salvific purpose than protecting her privacy, that second punch is for many is the end of their faith. I am amazed at the fight and courage to keep the faith demonstrated by Sisters of the Little Way of Beauty, in the face of such institutional betrayal.
Judith Herman PhD ground breaking work Trauma and Recovery should be seminarian's required reading. To quote " It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator, all the perpetrator asks is for the bystander to do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear and speak no evil. The victim demands action, engagement and remembering"
It is comforting to know that Providence, is on the side of the oppressed, the abused, those denied justice by institutions. When a church has become a business and is no longer in the relationship ministry to serve humanity, love God, and walk humbly with Him they pave over the little bodies to build their monument to themselves. To quote Lord Edward Thurlow 1731 -1806"Corporations have neither bodies to be punished, nor souls to be condemned, they therefore do as they like." When a church lawyers up rather than seeking healing and restorative justice, its no longer acting as the church but as a corporation, another way to take God's name in vain. The way to protect the church is to tell the truth and let the healing begin.
The beauty of the Little voices alignment with humility is a megaphone to God. The small voice echoes through the heavens and the universe and the stars and Providence responds. And the voice that roars in response, calls Lazarus to come out of the tomb of shame. The grave clothes get unwrapped in a community where Jesus is honored. These testimonies from the Sisters of the Little way are prayers that I hear as well and join my own and lift them up to the God that exalts the lowly and brings the powerful to nothing (quoting Mother Mary)
Not literally of course, but so much of your reaction and anger resonates with my own experiences. I wasn't the first to come forward in my case either, and I only came forward when I heard that a lawsuit that two other victims of his filed had stalled out.
When what he had done first became public via a local news article, pretty much everyone in my friend group from college changed their Facebook profile image to a picture of him in support of him. Meanwhile, I'd just realized what had happened to me because of what I'd read in that article...
Anyway. It's validating to hear your story and know I'm not the only one who's gone through this.
We’re so sorry for what experienced Emily. We’re honored that we’ve been able to give voice to some of the pain you’ve experienced and we hope that it prevents this from happening to someone else.
I learned a lot from this presentation. "Moral injury" described what many people in my parish experienced over the last few years. Some of it stems from personal experiences of abuse, and some from not being able to protect others from abuse.
A group at our church recently held a prayer vigil for those affected by domestic violence. It was attended by an elderly deacon. Afterward, I asked him whether clergy formation included any information about domestic violence that would make priests and deacons aware of the substantial percentage of every congregation that is affected.
He said that, to the best of his knowledge, the topic is not covered in the seminary, and that he knows it has not been addressed in diaconate formation or continuing education. If clergy knew more about the experiences of their congregants, they might think a little more before they got up in their bully pulpits. And maybe fewer people would quit or quiet-quit the church.
Myself and a number of victims were very seriously abused by franciscan friars of the renewal as well as by Jesuit priests. Our pain and wounds of abuse have been weaponised and used against us in the most disgusting, evil, sickening way by the one-sided, lying "orders", their brainwashed minions, the dioceses and authorities. The total coverup, absolute sheer hate, hostility, aggression, calumniation, exiling, banning, shunning, blaspheming, scapegoating, shaming, punishing persecution, attacks, isolation and victim blaming against us is complete but they cannot silence us forever. The more we spoke truth and the more deviant perversions, depravities, deep-rooted sickness, corruption and incompetence we uncovered within and up to the highest level, the more they lied and used their power and authority to come against us in every way to crush us. It has been completely shocking and beyond the worse of nightmares. The astounding depths of evil abuses in the church and their impacts cannot not remain in the dark. Most victims understandably have permanently left the church but I do feel that the truth will soon be coming out; victims cannot be destroyed and silenced permanently under the false narrative and church coverup agenda, despite the attempts to annihilate them totally. All the crimes of these evil men and the enablers must be exposed publicly to the world in full in order to ever allow any change, truth or justice and to allow a chance to halt the haemorrhage of souls. Until that time we can know that God fully knows and sees all the crimes of these evil ones and He does not take it lightly as the institution currently does; "it is better they have millstones around their necks and be drowned". The perpetrators and enablers care not at all. However, the victims are the best, most courageous and suffering souls and God, who is close to them, will bring great good out of it in the end for them and others.
Marian, we’re so sorry for the level of betrayal that you’ve experienced not only from the person who abused you but from those who should have responded differently. Thank you for listening to this podcast; please pray for us and we’ll be praying for you.
Thank you for this post, it is such a powerful witness of devotion. It is the love of the church that resonates in calling out for its wounds to be healed by shining the light on where the wounds are.
PERPETRATORS AND THOSE THAT SUPPORT THEM ARE TERRIFIED BY TRUTH TELLERS: The perpetrator grooms his supporters as well. Because bystanders lack the courage to face very unpleasant truths, they are exploited by a masterful manipulator/perp. The witnesses that cover their eyes are tools in a cover-up, which is the second punch, (or knifing to be more accurate). When a victim at great risk to herself has bared her soul because she thought more highly of protecting others innocence and the church's salvific purpose than protecting her privacy, that second punch is for many is the end of their faith. I am amazed at the fight and courage to keep the faith demonstrated by Sisters of the Little Way of Beauty, in the face of such institutional betrayal.
Judith Herman PhD ground breaking work Trauma and Recovery should be seminarian's required reading. To quote " It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator, all the perpetrator asks is for the bystander to do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear and speak no evil. The victim demands action, engagement and remembering"
It is comforting to know that Providence, is on the side of the oppressed, the abused, those denied justice by institutions. When a church has become a business and is no longer in the relationship ministry to serve humanity, love God, and walk humbly with Him they pave over the little bodies to build their monument to themselves. To quote Lord Edward Thurlow 1731 -1806"Corporations have neither bodies to be punished, nor souls to be condemned, they therefore do as they like." When a church lawyers up rather than seeking healing and restorative justice, its no longer acting as the church but as a corporation, another way to take God's name in vain. The way to protect the church is to tell the truth and let the healing begin.
The beauty of the Little voices alignment with humility is a megaphone to God. The small voice echoes through the heavens and the universe and the stars and Providence responds. And the voice that roars in response, calls Lazarus to come out of the tomb of shame. The grave clothes get unwrapped in a community where Jesus is honored. These testimonies from the Sisters of the Little way are prayers that I hear as well and join my own and lift them up to the God that exalts the lowly and brings the powerful to nothing (quoting Mother Mary)
I'm in this podcast, and I don't like it.
Not literally of course, but so much of your reaction and anger resonates with my own experiences. I wasn't the first to come forward in my case either, and I only came forward when I heard that a lawsuit that two other victims of his filed had stalled out.
When what he had done first became public via a local news article, pretty much everyone in my friend group from college changed their Facebook profile image to a picture of him in support of him. Meanwhile, I'd just realized what had happened to me because of what I'd read in that article...
Anyway. It's validating to hear your story and know I'm not the only one who's gone through this.
We’re so sorry for what experienced Emily. We’re honored that we’ve been able to give voice to some of the pain you’ve experienced and we hope that it prevents this from happening to someone else.
I learned a lot from this presentation. "Moral injury" described what many people in my parish experienced over the last few years. Some of it stems from personal experiences of abuse, and some from not being able to protect others from abuse.
A group at our church recently held a prayer vigil for those affected by domestic violence. It was attended by an elderly deacon. Afterward, I asked him whether clergy formation included any information about domestic violence that would make priests and deacons aware of the substantial percentage of every congregation that is affected.
He said that, to the best of his knowledge, the topic is not covered in the seminary, and that he knows it has not been addressed in diaconate formation or continuing education. If clergy knew more about the experiences of their congregants, they might think a little more before they got up in their bully pulpits. And maybe fewer people would quit or quiet-quit the church.
Thank you~
I am unable to afford a subscription but I'd like to donate to your healing ministry. Please let us know how to do this. Blessings~
Kathy, thank you for wanting to support our ministry. You can find more here: https://www.sistersofthelittleway.com/p/support-our-mission
Myself and a number of victims were very seriously abused by franciscan friars of the renewal as well as by Jesuit priests. Our pain and wounds of abuse have been weaponised and used against us in the most disgusting, evil, sickening way by the one-sided, lying "orders", their brainwashed minions, the dioceses and authorities. The total coverup, absolute sheer hate, hostility, aggression, calumniation, exiling, banning, shunning, blaspheming, scapegoating, shaming, punishing persecution, attacks, isolation and victim blaming against us is complete but they cannot silence us forever. The more we spoke truth and the more deviant perversions, depravities, deep-rooted sickness, corruption and incompetence we uncovered within and up to the highest level, the more they lied and used their power and authority to come against us in every way to crush us. It has been completely shocking and beyond the worse of nightmares. The astounding depths of evil abuses in the church and their impacts cannot not remain in the dark. Most victims understandably have permanently left the church but I do feel that the truth will soon be coming out; victims cannot be destroyed and silenced permanently under the false narrative and church coverup agenda, despite the attempts to annihilate them totally. All the crimes of these evil men and the enablers must be exposed publicly to the world in full in order to ever allow any change, truth or justice and to allow a chance to halt the haemorrhage of souls. Until that time we can know that God fully knows and sees all the crimes of these evil ones and He does not take it lightly as the institution currently does; "it is better they have millstones around their necks and be drowned". The perpetrators and enablers care not at all. However, the victims are the best, most courageous and suffering souls and God, who is close to them, will bring great good out of it in the end for them and others.
Marian, we’re so sorry for the level of betrayal that you’ve experienced not only from the person who abused you but from those who should have responded differently. Thank you for listening to this podcast; please pray for us and we’ll be praying for you.