-Source-Philly.com-
When Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro shared the details of the grand jury report on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, it was a bittersweet moment for our family. We were happy our daughters were finally able to be heard, and we were heartbroken to relive what happened to them years ago. The report made public the fact that Father Augustine Giella, a priest we trusted and welcomed into our home, sexually abused five of our daughters.
On the day the report was released, we saw the pain of our children's abuse being forced back into the forefront of their hearts and minds and into the national spotlight. As we watched our daughters that day, we didn't see them as the adults everyone else saw, but as the children they once were. As parents, we were in awe of their strength. We don't want anyone else to have to endure the broken trust or innocence we saw on that stage and continue to endure as a family.
When you realize that the whole dynamic and legacy of your family and grandchildren has been altered dramatically because of the actions of another, then and only then, do you grieve the loss of what could have been. Finding out that our daughters were abused was life changing for us. Something like this alters the very fabric of your family and your family's legacy for years to come. We have experienced grief at its lowest depth.
How do you survive that? How do you come to terms with the guilt as a parent? How do you grasp the failure of protecting your own children?
We know that this is not just a Catholic problem. This evil has infested many institutions. Knowing that there are still perpetrators out there makes it very hard for us to sleep at night. We know that what happened to our family can happen and, is happening right now, to others. We don't have all the answers, and we certainly don't intend harm or ill on any person or institution. Read more
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