Episode 030 - Radical Solidarity: Listening, Healing, and Hope with Meghan Fiebelkorn

In this powerful and honest episode, Christopher Wesley sits down with Meghan Fiebelkorn, Associate Director of Awake, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic leaders. Meghan shares her journey from parish ministry to Awake, unpacking how the Church can walk with survivors through radical solidarity, trauma-informed care, and a commitment to truth and healing. They discuss Awake’s unique focus on hope-filled advocacy, what it means to be survivor-centered, and how parish leaders and lay ministers can respond with integrity to the ongoing crisis. This conversation is both sobering and hope-filled, offering a path forward rooted in love for the Church and a desire for real transformation.Key Takeaways

• Awake’s Origin and Growth: What started in a living room in Milwaukee is now a national organization helping survivors across the country and advising Church leaders at every level—including the Vatican.
  
  
• Singular Focus, Widespread Impact: Awake remains intentionally focused on the issue of abuse by Catholic leaders, avoiding ideological distractions while drawing support from diverse corners of the Church.
  
  
• Radical Solidarity: This means more than support—it’s about listening, learning from survivors, and re-centering ministry on the most vulnerable, not institutional protection.
  
  
• Trauma-Informed Ministry: Church leaders must recognize that survivors are already in our pews. Empathy, sensitivity in language, and a posture of listening are vital for building trust.
  
  
• Hope Through Accountability: Meghan calls for a renewed commitment to credibility in evangelization, transparency in leadership, and prioritizing those who have been harmed.
  
  
• The Abuse of Adults Must Be Recognized: Meghan highlights the urgent need to broaden the conversation to include adult victims and the misuse of power in pastoral relationships.

What Meghan Recommends

• Go-To Tools: Google Calendar and phone reminders to stay organized as a mom and ministry leader
  
  
• What She’s Reading:
  
  
  • Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII
    
    
  • Spe Salvi by Pope Benedict XVI

These short encyclicals offer deep insights on Catholic Social Teaching and the virtue of hope.

Connect with Meghan and Awake

• Website for Awake HERE
  (Includes contact info, survivor stories, parish resources, blog, and recorded Courageous Conversations)
  
  
• Recommended Resource: “Cultivating a Gospel Response to Trauma” (with Pete Singer and Paul Fahey) – available in Awake’s Courageous Conversations series.

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Recorded on Riverside - HERE

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