In the summer of 2018 the Catholic Church and, indeed, the country was sent reeling in shock, horror, anger and disgust. A grand jury in Pennsylvania released a document detailing the abuse of minor children by Roman Catholic clergy over several decades, and the subsequent cover-up by Church leaders. Then came the revelation that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Newark and Washington, D.C., was accused of both the abuse of a minor child and of seminarians in his charge.
Many dioceses and parishes throughout the U.S. almost immediately began to seek ways to respond. Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in High Point was one of those parishes. Through the leadership of the parish Liturgical Commission, a plan was devised as a response to the crisis.
A member of this commission called people and dioceses around the country, talking with those who were responding with prayer, education and other efforts. Other commission members gathered material from the religious and secular press. Findings were shared with the entire group.
We began our response in September by incorporating into each Sunday’s General Intercessions a petition related to the crisis. We prayed for victims, perpetrators, families and for the Church as a whole. Later in the fall, we introduced a prayer (written by a member of the commission) that the entire congregation prayed together as the concluding prayer to the General Intercessions.
During the Fourth Week of Lent, we held a “Listening Session” to provide the whole parish a forum in which we could come together to share our feelings about the crisis and explore ways to address it. We enlisted the assistance of a facilitator as well as trained small group leaders who would facilitate the discussions. The emphasis was on listening – listening attentively, prayerfully and charitably to each other’s experiences and feelings. The Listening Session went quite well, with many participants offering positive feedback afterwards. After the Listening Session, the petition during the Intercessions and the concluding prayer were ended.
In May, a Mass of Reparation and Healing was celebrated. Commission members served as lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and a parishioner who self-identified during the Listening Session as a victim of clergy abuse also participated. Many who were present commented on how beautiful and moving the liturgy was. It truly was a valuable healing experience.
The commission now has the task of exploring what, if any, responses would be appropriate in the future. One suggestion has been to offer an adult education program focusing on the issue. Another might be future worship opportunities for healing and reparation. In any case, the group felt that we have not necessarily exhausted our response.
I have not read many stories in the Catholic News Herald about what has been done here in the Diocese of Charlotte to respond to this crisis in the Church. Hopefully, the lack of reporting is not an indication of inaction. I would encourage parish lay leadership to explore ways by which you might respond which would be appropriate for your individual parish needs. We here at IHM have learned so much from what others around the country have done. Please feel free to learn from us. And above all, please continue to listen to the voices of the victims and continue to pray for their healing and, indeed, that of the whole Church.
Paul Kiley is a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish’s Liturgical Commission.