Seeking Wholeness: Women Dealing with Abuse of Power in the Catholic Church

While sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the Catholic Church has received extensive news coverage, less attention has focused on adult women betrayed and sexually abused by priests. Seeking Wholeness shares the stories of women who have been abused and how the abuse has affected their lives. Marie Bouclin not only records their accounts, but provides a model of spirituality and social support aimed at promoting their physical and emotional healing. As Bouclin recounts, even women therapists, spiritual counselors, and pastoral personnel working within the Catholic Church find themselves targets of clergy sexual abuse. Bouclin describes some of the conflicted psychological dynamics these women experience. Critical of the current, hierarchical model of Catholic priesthood, Bouclin offers an alternative approach based on the person and mission of Jesus. She explores the power of reading Scripture and sharing personal prayer in small-group faith communities. By doing so, she shows the paths women who have been sexually abused by priests can take to healing and wholeness.