Lifting Up the Voices of Survivors (My Next Steps)
Lifting Up the Voices of Survivors (My Next Steps)
I’m shifting the focus of my writing, and I’m really excited about what’s next. As I explained in my final post on the old blog:
I still love to learn, reflect, and write, but at this point, I’m less interested in sharing my own voice and perspective and more interested in lifting up the voices of others, particularly those who often go unheard. I’m less enthusiastic about sharing news story after news story (so many of them sad and painful and discouraging) and more inspired to shine a light on the individual stories of survivors, the ones who are most deeply impacted by all of this news.
Last January, I gathered a collection of reflections and insights from some of my dearest friends, who also happen to be survivors of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. When I published Honest Words from 5 Survivors: What I Wish Catholics Understood, the response was overwhelmingly positive, and I felt like this piece offered something really valuable to the public conversation. I was honored to be able to create a space for these women to share their thoughts and feelings. A number of survivors contacted me in response to this post; many of them gave me permission to include their perspectives in the follow up post, More Honest Words from Survivors: What I Wish Catholics Understood, Part 2.
Since then, I have continued to engage in more and more conversations with survivors, from all sorts of experiences and perspectives. Hearing their stories and getting to know them as real, complex, beautiful people has profoundly changed me - and continues to change me every day. I’ve started to sense that THIS is where I am being called, that THIS is where I can make the most difference - by sharing these voices and encouraging Catholics to listen and be transformed.
The more I think and pray and plan for this next step, the more excited I get. I have had so many thought-provoking conversations with so many wonderful survivors, and I’m really looking forward to sharing their voices with all of you.
Please stay tuned for the first post in this series in a few weeks.
An Invitation for Survivors
If you have experienced sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, I would be honored to include your voice in future posts.
My hope is to include insight from a variety of perspectives - from women and men, young and old, those who were abused as children and those abused as adults, those who have remained Catholic and those who have left the Church (and every gray area in between).
I hope that these posts will help readers to listen with compassion and survivors to feel a little less alone.
If you think you might like to share your perspective, please click here for details:
I look forward to hearing from you.
With gratitude,
Sara
As always, I end this blog post with a prayer:
Lord, open our minds, our ears, and our hearts. Teach us to listen well. Amen.