I have come to know many victim-survivors who have experienced abuse in adulthood. Many of these survivors are women in their 20s and 30s who had a deep faith that has been utterly Read more
Tag: Awake
Survivor Story: My Husband Kept His Abuse Secret for 33 Years of Our Marriage
Ken gave the basics of a story he had never before shared: In 1958, at age 12, he became an altar boy at a Catholic parish on Milwaukee’s South Side, where a much-loved priest was famous for his brief Saturday evening Masses. Read more
5 Lessons from the Struggle for Racial Justice
To be Catholic is both a gift and a summons. My involvement in Awake has made me ever more acutely aware of this. The issue of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is the core of Awake’s mission. But as a Catholic, I cannot help but notice the interrelatedness of justice issues, especially during these difficult days Read more
6 Simple Ways You Can Join Awake in Our Mission
The twin crises in our Church—the crisis of sexual abuse and the crisis of leadership failures in responding to that abuse—are large and complex problems. There are no simple solutions, no grand plan that will address the concerns and real pain of every person affected. It can often feel overwhelming Read more
Update: The Archdiocese Answers Awake’s Safe Environment Questions
Awake submitted a list of questions to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in December 2019, in an effort to understand how local Church leaders are responding to the abuse crisis. We received Read more
Update: The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Responds to Awake’s Questions (Part 2)
As we explained in our previous blog post, Awake submitted a list of questions to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in December 2019 and received responses to a shorter list of priority questions in January 2020. Read more
Update: The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Responds to Awake’s Priority Questions
As part of our ongoing effort to understand the abuse crisis at the local level, Awake submitted a list of questions to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in December 2019. While Archdiocesan Chief of Staff Jerry Topczewski replied that he would not be able to answer the complete list of questions at that time, he did agree to provide responses to a smaller list of “priority questions” that the Awake Leadership Team found most important. Read more
What is Vos Estis, and how is it Related to the Crisis in the Church?
On May 9, 2019, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter called Vos Estis Lux Mundi, which translates as “You are the Light of the World.” The letter creates new Church law around sexual abuse for the worldwide Church—the Roman Catholic Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches. Read more
Behind the Scenes of Awake’s Open Letter to Survivors
When members of the Awake Leadership Team began meeting in the spring of 2019, we wanted to make sure our first step as an organization clearly conveyed who we are and why we’re undertaking this work. This is how our Open Letter to Survivors was born. Read more
