SAINT PAUL (MN)
The Catholic Spirit [Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis MN]
August 23, 2024
By Josh McGovern
As the coordinator of restorative practices and survivor support for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Paula Kaempffer works one-on-one and in small groups with victims-survivors of clergy abuse.
Support for victims, Kaempffer said, is an important aspect in the healing process. As a victim of clergy sexual abuse herself, Kaempffer took the position hoping to bring healing to all those she could.
Kaempffer told “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley during an interview debuting at 9 p.m. Aug. 23 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, “One statement that I hear said to victims-survivors over and over and over again by bishops, by priests, by parishioners, ‘Why can’t you just get over it?’ And my response to that is, ‘Don’t you think we would if we could?’ … It doesn’t go away. We never get over it. We get through it to a certain point in our lives, but we never get over it. It’s always going to be there.”
Kaempffer said there are ways for listeners to support victims of clergy sexual abuse. One way is to bring a speaker into a parish to talk about the issue to keep the victims present in parishioners’ minds. Overall, in the United States, one in every three women have been sexually abused in their lives, Kaempffer said.
“It’s the saddest statistic I’ve heard in a long time,” Kaempffer said. “I’m sure it’s like one in four, one in five for men. It’s around us in our pews each Sunday. There are people sitting next to us who have experienced sexual abuse and there’s many folks who have experienced clergy sexual abuse, many who have not come forward as of yet, and maybe will never come forward.”
One idea Kaempffer likes was offered by a woman in Wisconsin, who asked her pastor if the church could have an eternal candle with a plot next to it in memory of all those have been abused.
“I thought that was simple enough,” Kaempffer said. “That would be beautiful to do in each parish. It’s very simple, it doesn’t cost a lot, it’s easy to maintain. That’s just a suggestion. Also, once a month, mention them in the Prayers of the Faithful and … on the website and in the bulletin, post that there are support groups for those (who need them).”
To hear more from Kaempffer about the importance of talking about clergy sexual abuse and abuse in general, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Aug. 24 and 2 p.m. Aug. 25.
The program also includes an interview with Bishop-elect Kevin Kenney on his journey to accepting the call to the episcopate. Also, Father Anthony Skaria dives into the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and the new Syro-Malabar parish at the former St. Vincent de Paul campus in St. Paul.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.