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In November 2006, a group of victims, an offender priest, other clergy, staff from parishes, Archbishop Dolan and lay people participated in a Restorative Justice Circle (a healing circle) at Marquette University Law School which was facilitated by a distinguished professor of law, Janine Geske. It took the law school, with the support and assistance of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, two years to complete the process. Amy Peterson, from the archdiocese’s Office of Sexual Abuse Prevention and Victim Services, worked with Professor Geske to identify and bring together the circle participants. The meeting, recorded by the law school, offered people a unique opportunity to come face-to-face with the victims of abuse, explore the pain and suffering in their own lives as a result of these horrific acts, and dialogue about how to move forward, rebuild trust and restore shaken faith.
The power of this video is in the honest illustration of the harm done and the truthful confrontation of its consequences. This video provides a thoughtful and moving discussion of the issues that must be confronted in order to heal the Church and move forward in faith. Please visit the Web site at www.healingcirclegroup.com to see a preview of the video and/or order a set of DVDs for your parish community.
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