Date: Monday, Aug. 24
Start Time: 6:30 p.m.
End Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Register here
A 2014 study found that 75% of adult Christians reported experiencing harm in their religious communities due to spiritual coercion and abuse of spiritual authority, however, the existence of spiritual abuse and the harm it causes is largely unrecognized and unaddressed in the Church. Drawing from psychological research and the Church’s teaching on human dignity, this presentation with Paul Fahey and Thomas Berg will help you define, recognize, and respond to spiritual abuse and religious trauma.
Paul Fahey is a professional counselor, retreat leader, and the host of the Third Space podcast. He provides counseling for those who have been spiritually abused and creates resources for Church leaders to better safeguard their communities against abuse. Paul Fahey lives in Michigan with his wife, Kristina, and five kids. Thomas Berg is a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of New York. He earned a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from Marquette University (1983–86), an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University (1997), and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Pontifical University Regina Apostolorum in Rome (1999). He served for thirteen years as professor of moral theology and formation advisor at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY, including ten years as director of seminarian admissions. Among his many written works is Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward for Wounded Catholics. A sought-after speaker on the clergy sexual abuse crisis and the renewal of seminary formation, he has accompanied numerous survivors in their healing.
For more information contact Paula Kaempffer, coordinator for restorative practices and survivor support for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, at kaempfferp@archspm.org.
