“Who are the people in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood, in your neigh-bor-hood? … They’re the people that you meet each day!” This sweet song from Sesame Street taught many of us about the many helpers all around us. It seemed to say, just look around – all these ordinary people make up a community…
In many ways, healing is about reconnecting. A cut heals when our cells reconnect. Connecting with loved ones heals your heart. Some harmed by clergy sexual abuse can heal when they reconnect with a church that cares. Many times, this happens outside of the “church and the steeple” when caring volunteers show up for them. …
In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we are told that, “moved with compassion” he approached the man who fell into the hands of robbers and “ poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.” Wine was meant to sanitize and oil to facilitate healing. When I was ordained a priest almost 33…
The year of 2023 was an important year for establishing the actual entity called Journey to Bethany, developing its strategic plan and then initiating those services which assist abuse survivors “in their search for healing and justice”. For me, key to the mission of Journey to Bethany is the notion of the Body of…
Although I have not worked directly with the Journey to Bethany team in walking with individuals who have been sexually abused by clergy in the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese, I have participated in numerous workshops, presented by the Journey to Bethany team, specifically dealing with Trauma-Informed Care and Response. These workshops have provided valuable information,…
My name is Dr Mike Kirse. I’m a 60-year-old man who is still recovering from the emotional and spiritual damage done to me in my middle teenage years from sexual abuse by two priests. I am, and have always considered myself, a victim. That changed a little over a year ago when I started attending…
Our name inspires us to empower a community to welcome and care for people harmed by clergy sexual abuse. So, why Bethany? We are named for the Bethany, a village east of Jerusalem and the home of Jesus’ friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Bethany frequently surfaces in the bible as a place where Jesus…
This Christmas, we worked with Whitney True-Francis, the diocese’s Victim Assistance Coordinator, to send cards to survivors that she encounters through her work. We hope these cards helped the survivors to feel supported and to know that so many people care. We were careful to include messages that were supportive and open to the idea…
This weekend, as we mark the fifth Sunday of Lent, Catholics will hear the story of Jesus in Bethany and Lazarus’ rising from the dead. This Gospel inspires Journey to Bethany’s name and our work. At Bethany, Jesus found deep renewal through friendships. It was here that Jesus called his friend Lazarus forth from a…