Abuse Response Team Facilitated Discussions

Will You Help Us Build a Holier and Healthier Church?

 
You are encouraged to attend one of three upcoming facilitated discussion sessions on the sex abuse crisis in the Church:

• Monday, November 4 at 7:00PM
• Wednesday, November 6 at 10:00AM
• Thursday, November 7 at 7:15PM (groups to be held in both English and Spanish)

All sessions will be held in Friends and Family Hall. Fr. Scott has specifically asked for recommendations as to what steps the parish should undertake next concerning the crisis. Each session will consist of small groups, each led by a facilitator, addressing a structured series of questions and issues. You can sign up for the sessions here.
 
These sessions follow two key recent initiatives:
 
This past weekend (October 26 and 27), the Abuse Response Team (ART) sponsored a series of presentations and homilies by Fr. Gerard McGlone, SJ, Ph.D., of the Berkley Center of Georgetown University. (You may view  the recorded livestream here.) Fr. McGlone drew on his experiences as an academic researcher, as a teacher, as a psychologist, and as a survivor of priestly sexual abuse. He provided both facts to dispel myths about abuse and he recounted recent Church history on the topic. 
 
He also urged us to listen to the stories of survivors, and he provided a series of striking images to help us understand the crisis and to find a way to move forward.
 
Fr. McGlone reminded us that, during the crucifixion, Mary and John remained at the foot of the Cross, the other disciples having abandoned their Lord.  Later in the Upper Room, Mary greeted the returning men, her mantel still bloody from when she held the body of her Son.  Imagine the chaos of the Upper Room, Fr. McGlone noted, think of the sense of betrayal, despair and disorientation.  Yet all soon went forth to spread the Gospel to the world.
 
Fr. McGlone appealed to us, as laity, to reclaim our baptismal rights not only to fight the scourge of clericalism, one of the key sources of the crisis, but also to fulfill our individual missions as Intentional Disciples.
 
Recently, the parish also distributed copies of Bishop Barron’s book, Letter to a Suffering Church, in which the Bishop discusses the crisis in light of Church history and relevant theological concerns. The Bishop’s recommendations for next steps hinge on the active engagement of a concerned laity.
 
Please attend one of the sessions listed above so that we can work together to build a Church and a parish that is both holier and healthier.