On Friday, November 30, as Christians around the world began preparing for the season of Advent, people of the Archdiocese of Newark gathered in prayer, longing for Light as we find our way through the darkness of acknowledging the sins and failing of the U.S. Catholic Church in respect to sexual abuse and cover-up.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark led this “Longing for Light…We Wait in Darkness” themed prayer service which began with those gathered singing, “Longing for peace we wait in darkness; make us your own; Christ be our Light.” This was followed by a reading from the Book of Isaiah and a moving presentation by a clergy abuse survivor who said that he gives thanks, most of all to God for His grace alive in him. He shared that his despair is the “human abyss of the pascal mystery touching the wood of the cross.” He calls the Church to “own up to the truth, to live the good news, to realize, as he has, that the truth does set you free.” The survivor shared that “his life was only restored by God’s grace and his active acceptance of that grace.” The Church, the survivor said, needs to become a healed Church. He thanked Cardinal Tobin for having the wisdom and fortitude to have this and similar prayer services giving us the opportunity to acknowledge and pray together for healing.
Wally Shackell, a St. Michael’s parishioner, joined the gathered representatives of other of the Archdiocesan parishes who processed into the basilica carrying a Book of the Gospel as the congregation chanted in the name of all parishioners of the Archdiocese “O Word of God, come into this space, come send us your grace. Open our minds; show us your truth. Transform our lives anew.”
The Books of the Gospel were purchased by the Knights of Columbus and other benefactors. Cardinal Tobin asks the parishes to use the books in their parish liturgies to “echo our commitment to justice and healing for the survivors of abuse.” He asks us to “place our commitment to the Word of God once more, to make the Gospel the heart of the Church, of our archdiocese, of every community and every family, so that the power of the Gospel may renew and refresh the people of our world.” The Cardinal concluded by saying that he prays that these copies of the Word of God will soon be read in every parish as we pray for the survivors and the necessary reform of the Church and concluded by giving thanks to the One who has called us to come out of the darkness into His Light.
Click here to view the prayer service video on the Archdiocesan Facebook page.
