Volume 2, Issue 2, Fall 2019
Catholic Leadership Beyond the Abuse Crisis
Daniel Lowery
Pages 134-162
From Grief to Healing: A Pastoral Response to a Sexual Abuse Scandal in a Roman Catholic Parish
A pastoral response to challenges faced by lay leaders in a Catholic parish that has experienced an allegation of sexual abuse and the subsequent removal of a priest is described. Organized around a theological reflection, the four-part program draws on the Book of Lamentations and a contemporary understanding of the grieving process mediated by Jewish mourning practices.