A year after the clergy abuse crisis came to light again, news reports continue to come out that can disturb and frighten Catholics. If you, your pastor, or a parishioner are seeking healthy, healing ways to respond, you need to consider how you’re responding to Church scandals. Here are two excellent resources to get started:
- Restore the Church is a set of free podcasts, videos, and articles published by St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in The Woodlands, Texas. Last summer the church hosted two town halls for their parishioners so they could grieve, pray, and respond together. This page serves as the gold standard for how a parish can respond and heal as a community of faith.
- The Wisdom of St. Catherine of Sienna in Times of Crisis is an hour-long talk and Q&A given by Sister Mary Madeline Todd, OP, at Harvard University and provides listeners with seven ways they can come to the aid of God’s people when they are in crisis.
Given the sensitive nature of this topic, please make sure you thoroughly review these materials before sharing with others.
Responding to Church scandals is not anyone’s favorite thing to do, but necessary to promote healing in each parish, diocese, and the Universal Church. The two resources mentioned above can help you be the healing hands of Christ in the lives of victims, the scandalized faithful, and even non-believers who are struggling to see the good in the Body of Christ. It’s in difficult moments that our call to work for the Church becomes the most challenging – but also the most grace-filled!
