Praise for the work of CLC

Lee Hillman/St. Joseph Parish Hamilton

As the father of an 11-yr-old I remember the moment when the sexual abuse revelations truly hit home for me. I was chatting with a friend’s mom who I really love and respect, about how much my daughter was enjoying being a volunteer in our Social Justice group. She responded “aren’t you concerned about her being molested by the priest?”  It was a disturbing comment, and I was both offended and saddened by the remark knowing how much I love my daughter and my parish, and my priest. Upon further reflection however, I realized that this is not only reality for a minority of people within the Catholic Church, it’s also the perceived reality for the majority of society who are not part of the Catholic faith. 

The stories of cover ups and legacy of abuse were everywhere in the media and I wanted to know exactly what the church was doing about it and how deeply were they acknowledging guilt and atoning for sins.  I also wanted to know what we as parishioners can do collectively to help atone for the church and clergy’s sins.  

Attending the CLC event at my parish was a godsend!  Finally, I felt like I had a deeper understanding of the abuse that was taking place, how it occurred, the roots of the problem and what we can be done to help heal and repair.  It was direct, truthful, unvarnished information and ironically felt like a breath of fresh air.  When we broke out into discussion groups, we had insightful and passionate conversations, not everyone agreed on the causes and solutions to the problems, but it was always respectful and extremely validating to be finally have the freedom to express how we are feeling.  I highly recommend all parishes get involved with Concerned Lay Catholics, I personally found it to be a transformative experience and no longer feel so “alone” as a father with young children in the parish.

Father Charlie Jordan, Pastor Blessed Sacrament and Sacred Heart Parishes, Hamilton, Ontario

I worked with the members of Concerned Lay Catholics to organize and host a parish conversation for my parishioners in 2019. I am the pastor of two parishes in Hamilton, Ontario- Blessed Sacrament and Sacred Heart. I can heartily attest to the positive impact this facilitated conversation had on the members of my parish who attended. The process was respectful and informative and the fact that I did not have to come up with all the materials myself, made it very doable. I would like to add that as (former) Bishop’s Delegate for sexual abuse allegations in my diocese, I am grateful for the work of CLC in developing tools that can be used in parishes to help pastors and ordinary Catholics engage with this difficult issue in a pastoral and healing way. I strongly encourage any pastor who is unsure about whether to open the subject up in his parish, to get in touch with CLC and find out more. You will be meeting a need and your parishioners will thank you.

Pat McKenna, Parishioner, St. Joseph's Parish, Hamilton

I found it very helpful to have an opportunity, in a large group broken up into smaller discussion groups, to share concerns and suggestions about issues facing the Catholic Church today. In our meetings in May 2019, we discussed particularly the issue of sexual abuse and its possible relationship with celibacy of male priests, the reluctance to allow the ordination of women, and the differences in expectations and traditions in the Church in other countries. I recommend that other parishes develop their own Concerned Lay Catholics Group.

Fr Bill Truscz, Pastor, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Winona, Ontario

Many thanks to the Concerned Lay Catholics for your very thorough and thoughtful approach to this wound in the church. I found your format to be comprehensive, respectful of all parties involved, and very readable. At the same time, there is, in your report, no sugar-coating of real problems. In this regard recommendations made are, for the most part, practical, and important to implement. I appreciate the focus on, not just the sin of clergy sexual abuse of minors, but the roots of the problem. Your way of treating the sin as only the symptom of a deeper malaise, namely, clericalism, is valid. With you, I hope and pray that greater attention to such recommendations as those expressed in your report might bring healing to our beloved church. May God bless you richly for the care, concern and courage that you have all exercised in presenting this report. In Christ’s love, Father Bill Trusz.

Margaret Vernon, Blessed Sacrament Parish

I have been gravely concerned with the issues of clergy exploitation and abuse of their sacred trust, particularly with those most vulnerable. And have read and watched in shock, horror and extreme disappointment, the depth and extent of that abuse of power, particularly the sexual exploitation and abuse of children – those least able to defend against such incursions. To say that I was extremely angry and disappointed in what I saw as the Church’s response to these occurrences is an understatement. Hence, I was very strongly motivated to attend a parish conversation that was hosted by Blessed Sacrament Church regarding the issue. The facilitators and presenters were experienced, knowledgeable, also very concerned, and had very welcome resources. They listed with respect and compassion and provided much information on what the Church is already doing to curtail the abuse. It was so heartening to see that the reality of sexual abuse was being treated seriously, that there is much already being done, with additional plans to address this issue on an ongoing basis. The shared stories of other parishioners – their experiences, feelings and hurts – helped me realize I was not alone in my sense of betrayal and desire for change. But more than that, I experienced what “Church” is all about: shared accountability, support, listening, engaging, learning, attending to each other’s pain and hurt, and allowing healing to begin. Our thoughts and feelings were validated; our ideas and suggestions for change were taken seriously; and I left with a deeper sense of community and renewed hope for the healing and renewal of the Church. I would very strongly encourage, even urge, anyone struggling as I, to participate in any such parish meeting. More, I hope and pray that such parish conversations will continue because of the value these meetings offer.