The Worst Thing a Priest Can Say to an Abuse Survivor

Last updated on: March 21, 2019 at 10:00 pm By Mary Pezzulo

A friend posted the following commentary today, about the experience of a mutual friend of ours talking to a priest lately: Here’s the scenario: some poor brave soul has gone to the good father for guidance or understanding. He/She has been traumatized by early childhood sexual abuse and consequently struggles with any given one of the host of psychological terrors or mental health battles associated with this, armed with her faith, her therapist, her doctor, her medication, her coping habits... Read more

Saint Joseph and the Silent Magnificat

Last updated on: March 19, 2019 at 5:04 pm By Mary Pezzulo

Today is the solemnity of Saint Joseph, which means that I have to come up with something to say about Saint Joseph. I’m notoriously at a loss when it comes to popular Latin Catholic saints, honestly. Most of them don’t strike my imagination very much, and all have been praised much more eloquently by better people than me. But you know, I do love Saint Joseph. I love him because he was a nobody like me. Saint Joseph never... Read more

Let Me Tell You About Christchurch

Last updated on: March 16, 2019 at 6:03 pm By Mary Pezzulo

Let me tell you about some good people who lived in Christchurch, New Zealand. Let me tell you about Daoud Nadi, who was born in Afghanistan but took refuge in New Zealand in the 80s. He was an engineer, a father, a community leader, a supporter of fellow migrants. “Whether you’re from Palestine, Iraq, Syria – he’s been the first person to hold his hand up,” said his son, Omar. Daoud Nadi was apparently the first man who saw a... Read more

Catholic Authenticity, Church Militant, And the Smearing of Abused Women

Last updated on: March 14, 2019 at 8:48 pm By Mary Pezzulo

Today, I’m feeling less hopeful than ever that the Catholic Church has learned her lesson about believing abuse survivors. My friend Mindy recently had the courage to leave her abusive marriage to a drunk. Her situation was so severe that social services changed the locks on her doors for her. He has twice been charged with making death threats. Mindy blogged about this, because that’s what she does. Since she is a former Catholic and was married in the Catholic... Read more

The Scandal of a God Incarnate

Last updated on: March 12, 2019 at 2:34 am By Mary Pezzulo

Yet another content warning for my friends who are sensitive to this sort of thing: I’m going to talk a little about penises one more time. I promise I have a good excuse, and it’s to do with Christianity. There will be many fine art paintings as well. I am still getting feedback on my post from days ago that inexplicably went viral. A lot of people are very thankful that I wrote it, and I’m humbled by the praise... Read more

A Gold Day, A Kite Day

Last updated on: March 11, 2019 at 7:32 pm By Mary Pezzulo

February is truly gone, and the gray went with it. If the physical and emotional color of february is that drab, ashen, Ohio Valley steel gray, the color of an Ohio Valley March is gold. The sun comes back, filtering yellow ochre through dirty window panes, and shrinks the snow drifts to messy mustard piles of slush on the edges of parking lots. The grass that was hidden underneath that mess is gold like hay. Gold crocuses bloom all... Read more

More on Christ the Victim, And the Necessity of Speaking Out

Last updated on: March 10, 2019 at 8:47 pm By Mary Pezzulo

I was going to let the trolls take over the combox and retire on the click money. However, I received a comment from someone whom I need to address personally. In public, because she addressed me in public. It comes from a Disqus user named [email protected]. That name is not the secret email that I can see when I log in as a Disqus moderator; it is this person’s chosen public Disqus name, and that’s why I’m posting it... Read more

Aleteia White-Washes Slavery

Last updated on: March 10, 2019 at 2:56 pm By Mary Pezzulo

Today, I read an article over on Aleteia that made my jaw drop. As an American, and a descendant of Irish immigrants myself, I am accustomed to hearing Irish immigrants glorified as plucky heroic saints and slavery dismissed. But this article, penned by Larry Peterson, is in a class of its own. It tells the story of the immigrant Michael Morris Healy and how he got six of his mixed-race slaves educated abroad and into seminaries and convents. And it... Read more

Blasphemy, Scandal and the Divine Victim

Last updated on: March 9, 2019 at 9:04 pm By Mary Pezzulo

Just another warning to my dear readers, I’m going to talk about sexual abuse and Roman crucifixions again. I’m not going to mince words. I’m always surprised about which posts of mine go semi-viral. At least it wasn’t a political post this time. The other day I wrote a meditation on the sufferings of Christ, discussing the likelihood that He was a victim of sexual violence during His passion. I didn’t see anything wrong or controversial about saying this, even... Read more

Was Jesus Really Sexually Abused?

Last updated on: March 8, 2019 at 1:12 pm By Mary Pezzulo

Just a heads up for my friends who have been abused, I’m going to be rather graphic in descriptions of Roman Crucifixion and the sexual abuse that often went with it today, so consider this your content warning. One of my readers, who is herself an abuse survior, seemed surprised when I mentioned that Jesus endured sexual abuse in my post from last night. Apparently no one had mentioned it before. I find it’s a topic that’s not discussed... Read more