More than 250 individuals came to Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, Forest Hills, April 21, to pray for hope and healing for survivors of sexual abuse and all who have been impacted by sexual abuse, especially crimes committed by clergy and church workers.
I still feel “not so good” at times, but I am feeling hopeful that the scourge of sex abuse by clergy is at last being handled responsibly.
For the past few years, I’ve awoken each day to the same unstated question: “Who will win today, the light or the dark?” That’s what the last few years have felt like – a pitched battle for my mind and my soul.
A Mass is of Hope and Healing is by no means a way to erase that fact or to avoid it. Rather, it is the most powerful way to confront it and help to correct it.
“What is the Diocese of Brooklyn doing today to protect our children and vulnerable adults?”
Last year, the diocese offered its first Mass of Hope and Healing requested by survivors of sexual abuse. There was a very positive reaction on behalf of survivors, lay faithful, and clergy. Many stated how they experienced it as a grace-filled evening. This year, the second Mass of Hope and Healing will take place on Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m., at Our Lady Queens of Martyrs Church in Forest Hills.
Eight women who were sexually abused as children by a former priest will receive $9.1 million in a legal settlement announced by the Archdiocese of Seattle, Wash.
God has blessed me with the honor of accompanying survivors of clergy sexual abuse on their journey toward healing, and as we prepare for our second Mass of Hope and Healing, I invite all those who have been impacted by childhood sexual abuse to join us.
The diocesan Office of Victim Assistance is starting a new initiative to help survivors of clergy or church personnel sexual abuse build stronger family relationships.
“Spotlight,” which chronicles the Boston Globe’s uncovering of the clergy sex abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston, is a movie no Catholic will want to see. Whether it’s a film many mature Catholics ought to see is a different question entirely.
