St. Paul (MN)
Catholic News Service via Catholic Philly
February 10, 2020
By Joe Ruff
Father Dan Griffith has held the stone.
He has felt the emotional weight and lifting of that weight in a healing circle where people are invited to take turns holding a stone or other “talking piece” and tell their story as others respectfully listen.
“It’s humbling and you’re vulnerable,” Father Griffith said of sharing in a healing circle his story of secondary trauma from the church’s clergy sexual abuse crisis.
The priest is quick to point out that his secondary trauma cannot be compared with the deep and long-standing harm done to those directly traumatized by a priest.
It is vitally important to have the church acknowledge the harm done, foster accountability and offer roads to healing, he said.
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