by Reinhold Niebuhr

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. 
Living one day at a time; 
Enjoying one moment at a time; 
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; 
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.

Maria Goretti patroness of abused children
icon by Fr. Bill McNichols
 

Shannon Deitz McGraw  "Exposed:  inexcusable me...irreplacable Him", 2016.


Shannon provides a moving but not traumatic account of the affect of abuse on an individual and a family. 








Allen Hebert, Deborah Rodriguez (Author), et al. "Abuse of Trust: Healing from Clerical Sexual
                                                                               Abuse"  2019

Deborah Rodriguez (Author), is a contributor to this important book.  Abuse of Trust, 2019, offers readers a perspective on the interplay between abuse and Faith along with Hope for the Church offering meaningful help on the healing journey. Abuse of Trust covers a lot of ground and covers it very well. Those sharing the experience of abuse, and the not infrequent failure of leaders to respond effectively, provide a moving account of their journey. The sections on trauma and the Theology of the body are both well done and provide practical insights.  - Fr Gavin Vaverek




Forgiveness Made Easy: The Revolutionary Guide to Moving Beyond Your Past and Truly Letting Go    Barbara J. Hunt, 2017
Many people don't understand what forgiveness really is. Most people don't realise that they are the one who stands to benefit the most from forgiving. This simple, revolutionary guide explains what forgiveness really is - letting go of bad feelings - as well as what forgiveness isn't and how to overcome the five most common obstacles to doing it.

Once you know what's been getting in your way, you can use the simple seven-step Forgiveness Made Easy Process immediately to:

My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints Paperback – May 14, 2012  by Dawn Eden 
Eden uses her own story as a backdrop to introduce numerous holy people--like Laura Vicuna, Thomas Aquinas and Bernard of Clairvaux--who suffered sexual abuse or sexual inappropriateness, as well as saints such as Ignatius of Loyola who suffered other forms of mistreatment and abandonment. Readers seeking wholeness will discover saints with wounds like their own, whose stories bear witness to the transforming power of grace. Eden explores different dimensions of divine love--sheltering, compassionate, purifying, etc.--to help those sexually wounded in childhood to find their identity in the abiding love of Christ.
 

Miguel Prats speaks on behalf of male surivors of abuse on I HAVE A VOICE. He can be reached at 713-851-3708 and miguel@mgoretti.org for speaking engagements.

Shannon McGraw  is a survivor and formed HOPEFUL HEARTS MINISTRY
(Visit and Subscribe to Shannon's YouTube Channel here). She is on the Boardof Directors at MGN.

Debbie Rodriguez MD, Pacific NW Regional MGN Mgr, speaks on Trauma Informed Care & other related topics related to healing. Contact her @ "debbie@mgoretti.org"

Fr. Gavin Vaverek VP of MGN speaks on the Church's role in healing all survivors of abuse not just those abused in the Church. fatherg@mgoretti.org

Philip Fry Arizona and New Mexico Group Leader can be reached at pfry@mgoretti.org.

Mike Hoffman, Survivor of clergy abuse & co-facillitator of the Chicago chapter talks about his path to recovery. mike@mgoretti.org

Christine Lawless MD, MGN Chicago group leader speaks on why one should remain Catholic in these trying times, supporting our priests and healing from abuse. Contact christine.lawless@yahoo.com