AUSTRALIA
The Catholic Leader

December 4, 2017

By Emilie Ng

SEVENTEEN abuse survivors are sitting in a room in Hobart as a Catholic priest guides them through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For several days the survivors have unpatched hidden wounds caused by traumatic abuse experiences in their childhood or adult life.

There are a number of people who were sexually abused by clergy, others were the victims of horrific violence, and still more were violated by their own families.

They all long for one thing – to be healed.

Anne Sherston is observing the faces of these survivors, many of whom have kept their abuse a secret for decades upon decades.

Their faces are beginning to change; that spark in their spirit is coming back to life.

It’s what Anne calls the “magnificent” transformation that occurs in people who go on a Grief to Grace…