What I've Written on Sexual Abuse in the Church

 

"feather pen and paper" by Loni Townsend is licensed under CC BY 2.0.


 This used to be combined with my resources page, but I eventually decided making this a separate post would make the site easier to navigate. 


My Story

Stuff I've written particularly about my journey and what I've learned and experienced. 

Weeds Among the Wheat 

My story, and a reflection on how to reconcile something evil coming from someone you know has also done a lot of good. There's a version of this post on my blog, but the link is to the version I wrote for FemCatholic. (The version on FemCatholic is better formatted, but is now also possibly behind a paywall. You can see the version I wrote for this blog here).  

OCD and the Terrifying Mercy of God

This one I originally wrote about my struggles with OCD and scruples, but I think a lot here also applies to the struggle of navigating a faith life post experiencing most types of spiritual trauma, including abuse. 


A piece I wrote that talks about some of the spiritual aftermath of abuse, and how healing from that can begin. Written for 1Peter5 (not necessarily an outlet I recommend, but I'm happy they published this piece). 


A realization I had about the circumstances in which my assault took place, and how they were a direct attack on an area where I was already wounded. 

Practical Stuff

Stuff about what we can do and what we should be aware of when it comes to abuse. 

Wolves in Shepherd's Clothing


An exploration of healthy boundaries between women and priests, and what those ought to look like. What I wish I'd known then (this link is to the revised version of this post). 


A guide for those who receive these stories, and some do's and don'ts for responding to them. Written with input from other survivors of clerical abuse. 

What to Do if You've Been Abused by a Member of a Religious Order

There are certain circumstances that are unique to cases where the abuse was perpetrated by someone in a religious order, versus a diocesan priest or staff member. This details what those differences are, and how to address them so that your case has a greater likelihood of being heard and taken seriously. 

Recognizing the Red Flags of Clerical Abuse 

A piece I wrote for CatholicMom.com. A good resource on how to recognize the warning signs of clerical abuse (particularly of adults) before it happens. 


An interview about healthy boundaries with priests with a Catholic psychologist. We discuss the ways boundaries are broken, and what to do about it when they are. 


Cultural Stuff

Things I've written about Catholic culture surrounding this issue-- both good and bad. 


Sometimes it's just helpful to know that we're not alone. People have walked this path before us. 

Victim Blaming Response #1

A piece I wrote in response to a query about victim blaming in the Church for FemCatholic. Why I think victim blaming happens, and why it's destructive. 


A pet peeve of mine. Homosexual abuse DEFINITELY exists in the Church. But certain groups in the Church seem to insist on laser focusing on it to the point of ignoring sexual abuse in the Church if it happens to a woman. 


How the political and ideological divides in the Church handicap attempts to create resources and Church reform. 


A piece I wrote for Crisis Magazine about a neglected aspect of how the Church addresses (or doesn't address but should) abuse that takes place in a sacramental context. 


My Substack. I've mostly stopped using this blog as a space for my "serious" stuff; this is where that sort of writing has moved. I write essays on all sorts of things, but the abuse crisis features in several of them. 


Last updated 05/14/2023.

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