On July 29, 2025, Journey to Bethany hosted the Journey Together Breakfast, a gathering focused on deepening our commitment to healing and supporting survivors of abuse by those within the Catholic community. Through thoughtful dialogue, participants explored five essential questions. Here’s a summary of the insights and the action steps we’re taking together.
- Accompanying Survivors on Their Healing Journey
Participants emphasized the importance of listening, and healing prayer. Suggestions included offering trauma-informed resources for prayer because many times abuse by clergy or people in the church harms survivors’ faith and faith community.
Action Steps:
- Form a volunteer-led prayer group (rosary, healing prayer) meeting regularly in person or online.
- Provide Mass intentions for parishes to use in support of survivors.
- Rebuilding Trust in the Church
Trust begins with transparency, spiritual tools for trauma survivors, and honest conversations. The group discussed the need for clergy and lay leaders to proactively address trauma and offer spiritual support.
Action Steps:
- Revisit and potentially relaunch the Spiritual Guides Program with help from past resources.
- Continue offering workshops like the Trauma-Informed Response Workshop.
- Explore and recommend diocesan resources to support survivors and their families in their faith journeys.
- Learning from the Past as a Community
The conversation highlighted the need to promote transparency and empower survivors to share their stories.
Action Steps:
- Develop a process to facilitate culture-shifting conversations focused on healing and protection.
- Invite survivors to share their experiences through writing, video, and art, and feature these on the Journey to Bethany and diocesan websites.
- Demonstrating Support for Survivors
The answer was simple yet profound: Love. Our community must embody love in every interaction, outreach, and initiative.
- Reaching All Who Have Been Harmed
Participants acknowledged the challenge of reaching survivors who may no longer attend Mass or feel invisible. Suggestions included collaborating with AA/NA groups, therapists, and Catholic social events.
Action Steps:
- Ensure that priests, deacons, and other religious have the knowledge and resources they need to refer individuals to Journey to Bethany.
- Partner with trauma-related support groups and therapists to raise awareness and encourage referrals from those groups.
- Connect with social and cultural events (e.g., Irish Fest, Knights of Columbus, grade school reunions) to reach survivors, and those who can recommend Journey to Bethany, outside parish life.
Next Steps: Keeping the Conversation Going
- Host regional and parish-level conversations similar to this one.
- Share this summary and outcomes with diocesan leadership, clergy, survivor advisory groups, and the broader Journey to Bethany community.
This plan reflects our shared commitment to healing, justice, and transformation. Together, we continue to walk the path toward a Church that listens, loves, and learns.
