Prayer Requests

A reader writes:

I’m a long time reader and have a prayer request:

I’m a survivor of clergy abuse that I suffered as an adult while in religious life. I was sexually abused by my religious superior, after he groomed me before the abuse. I blamed myself for years, and couldn’t bring myself to report it because he was so highly regarded by the provincial and my other community members. I was so ashamed that it was nearly impossible to speak about what happened, and when I alluded to it in conversations with another superior, he said I must have misunderstood my abusers intentions.

I left religious life as an emotional cripple. I managed to find employment, but then the news broke that my abuser had been caught abusing a young student. Once I could finally acknowledge what happened to me, my world came crashing down.

After months of unemployment and emotional agony, I connected with other abuse survivors and found a good doctor who properly diagnosed me with PTSD from my abuse. After months of therapy, I’ve put most of what happened behind me and am a healthy functioning adult with a wife and family. While things are good now, between unemployment and medical bills, we’re in debt in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Please ask your readers to pray for me. I’m trying to earn additional money where I can, and am working up the nerve to write my old order to get help paying the bills. They’ve stonewalled me thus far, so I’m hoping prayers will turn their hearts.

P.S. The sexual abuse of seminarians and younger religious is the abuse scandal that has yet to see the light of day. I’ve never been in an abuse survivor’s group where less than 20% of the survivors were sexually assaulted while in seminary or religious life.

Father, hear our prayer that this man and all victims of this kind of abuse. Grant him both healing and justice and grant repentance and forgiveness to all who have committed and abetted these sins. Mother Mary, pray for him, and for them. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Another reader writes:

Hi. I’ve written you before about a young man I know who’s dying of liver failure. He only has a few days left to live. Please storm heaven for his conversion!

Father, hear our prayer that he receive the gift of faith and find eternal life through Christ our Lord. Mother Mary and St. Dismas, pray for him that he have the grace of a happy death.