The Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church: Turning Defeat into Victory
In her writings, Alice von Hildebrand frequently discusses how, with the intercession of Mary, we can turn defeat into victory.
I often wondered how abuse survivors quietly went on their way to authentic healing after suffering the pain of unimaginable betrayal. These accounts are hard to find in the mainstream media or on the pages of well-known victim advocacy sites. Here is a blog post from one such person.
True Healing from Abuse Starts from the Heart by John Everett
Another casualty of the abuse crisis in the Church is the accused priest thrown into crisis resulting from the zero-tolerance policies in many dioceses. Fr. Arthur Joseph chronicles his day-to-day existence while on administrative leave without due process. He not only survives but thrives with the grace of God and the intercession of our Lady.
Fr. Joseph most clearly describes what it’s like in his Living in the Catholic Gitmo series of posts, but the rest of his archived posts also allow us to witness the action of the Holy Spirit changing heart-breaking defeat into victory in his soul. I am only a third of the way through his archives, but I feel as though I need to slow down and mediate on Father’s words.
Even more edifying is to read John Everett’s letter to Rome defending those priests discarded in the name of zero-tolerance.
Both John and Fr. Joseph reference the Servant of God Catherine Doherty and her Madonna House apostolate. More on that next time because you have plenty to unpack with this post.
