A 'Prayer for Healing in the Church'

Whether you are a survivor of sexual abuse or a family member of someone suffering, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger wants “everyone to feel they are part of this family.”

Bishop Scharfenberger touched on the themes of family, faith and the saintly nature of humanity during an evening prayer service for survivors of sexual abuse at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany on Wednesday night. The service titled “Prayer for Healing in the Church” was open to survivors, their families as well as the community at large, and was attended by about 40 people on the cold and windy night. 

“Many people are broken and hurt .. the pain doesn’t go away,” said the Bishop about those who may have been abused by clergy or even their family members. “They have no one to talk to … that pains me that anyone has to suffer in silence.”

Bishop ended his homily adding that we are all ‘called to be saints’ to heal that Church.

“If there is to be healing in our Church … the only way to get it right (is if) we become the holiness of God,” he added. “Jesus is looking for you to heal His Church through us. We can walk together.”

These words were echoed in the reading at the service (1 Corinthians 4:5): “Stop passing judgment before the time of the Lord’s return. He will bring to light what is hidden in the darkness.”

Bishop Scharfenberger has been a leader in survivor-first ministries in the Diocese of Albany, publishing a List of Offenders on the diocesan website, creating a Task Force this year to study policies related to sexual abuse and protecting children and speaking out about the need for transparency in all levels of the Church related to sexual abuse.

It is this level of transparency and trust that Bishop has pledged to bring to the troubled Diocese of Buffalo in his new role as Apostolic Administrator. The Western New York diocese is dealing with the resignation of Bishop Richard Malone, over 200 sexual-abuse lawsuits and the specter of bankruptcy. Bishop Scharfenberger will be the decision-maker in Buffalo until a full-time successor to Bishop Malone is named.

Teresa Pitt Green, co-founder of Spirit Fire, a group that looks to help survivors of sexual abuse through restorative justice and collaborated with the Diocese on the service, also spoke. Pitt Green, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse, talked about her journey back to the Church saying, “families heal together … I came back to the Church and found the truth.”

The prayer service was the second offered in the Diocese; the first was held at All Saints Church in Albany in October.