Participation in liturgy is often described and prescribed as a source of comfort and healing for survivors of clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse (CPSA). However, as Liturgy in the Shadows of Trauma demonstrates, the diverse forms of trauma inflicted by the sex abuse crisis threaten the ability of liturgical worship to function as the source of grace that it is meant to be.

 

The authors frame this complex issue in a way that illuminates the church’s ongoing role in impeding the healing of survivors. In so doing, they lay important, constructive groundwork for how we can faithfully promote healing in liturgical life.

David Farina Turmbloom teaches at the University of Portland and earned a PhD in systematic theology from Boston College. A past president of the Catholic Academy of Liturgy, he is currently the president of the Liturgical Conference and a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy. He directs the Collaborative Humanities Investigating Religion and Power (CHIRP) lab at the University of Portland.

 

Megan Breen, earned a BA in history with a minor in communication from the University of Portland. With Lamberger and Tyschper, Breen is a co-founder of the CHIRP Lab and has co-authored two published articles.

 

Noah Lamberger earned a BA in philosophy with a minor in theology from the University of Portland. With Breen and Tyschper, Lamberger is a co-founder of the CHIRP Lab and has co-authored two published articles.

 

Kate Tyschper earned a BA in social work with a minor in sociology from the University of Portland. With Breen and Lamberger, Tyschper is a co-founder of the CHIRP Lab and has co-authored two published articles.

 

Cover design:  Ponie Sheehan