My Episode of the Leave, Laugh Love Podcast

Making Stories Heard

Hello, old friends.

I wanted to share this podcast with you. I’m still learning how to promote what I say and do as if I’m a product, which I clearly am not, but also I do think that this was an important conversation and hope you will listen.

The wonderful Evelyn and Veronica at Leave, Laugh, Love invited me to chat with them about my work, about their own experience, and about that weird and meandering journey that so many find ourselves on as we leave our parents’ homes and traditions and discover our own. And what that looks like when you’ve experienced high-demand religious environments as all three of us did while students at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Take a listen here.

Talking about clergy abuse is hard. Writing about clergy abuse is hard. You realize that there’s rarely a resolution. There’s precious little reform. And even in the rare case of a conviction such as Fr. DavidMorrier, TOR, it’s mostly lawyers and press releases and prayer vigils and no comments.

Just thoughts and prayers. We didn’t do anything bad, but if we did we’re sorry, but we really didn’t, we had no idea, won’t you please remember how important our work is? We serve a higher purpose, a greater good, it’s too important for us to be distracted by an isolated incident and all of the other incidents spanning our entire history. It was just that one time. And that other time. And that time before that, but he’s dead now, why are you still talking about that? He did so much good, why are you focused on the bad? We’re rebuilding the church! Have you contributed to our capital campaign?

Perhaps some day the fire will fall.