* Content Warning* This episode contains mature themes and is not appropriate for minors.

Friends,

In this vulnerable and sobering episode, I visit with Father John Michael Paul, a Catholic priest who discovered that the founder of his religious community had a decades-long history of sexual abuse. For someone who spent decades serving as a priest and leader in his community, the betrayal was spiritual, deeply personal, and formative.

As someone who entered the Catholic Church shortly before the 2002 abuse crisis, I remember how destabilizing that season was for many of us. In today’s conversation, we explore what happens when the shepherd you trusted is revealed to be a wolf, and how truth, though painful, becomes the doorway to freedom.

• The impact of clergy sexual abuse on priests themselves
• Betrayal trauma within religious communities
• Spiritual fatherhood and spiritual disillusionment
• The difference between institutional loyalty and fidelity to truth
• How shame keeps abuse hidden
• The long road toward forgiveness
• What healing looks like when trust has been shattered

A Note to Listeners

If you have experienced betrayal within the Church, know this: your pain matters. Truth may take years to surface, but light always exposes what darkness tries to conceal.

Forgiveness is not denial. It is not spiritual bypassing. It is a grace which is often slow, often costly, but real.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32

Connect with Dr. Carron

• Partner with the mission: https://go.drcarron.com/FIFYPodcastGift

• Join the weekly newsletter: https://go.drcarron.com/newsletterfreegiftoptin
• Work with me 1:1 — Looking for shame‑free, nonjudgmental support on your healing journey? Schedule a free consultation and let’s chat: https://go.drcarron.com/chatwithdrcarron

Love the Podcast?

If Forgiveness Is for YOU resonates with you, please:

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• Share with someone who needs hope
• Leave a rating and written review

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

1. Open the Apple Podcasts app
2. Search: Forgiveness Is for YOU
3. Tap the show (not an episode)
4. Scroll to Ratings & Reviews
5. Tap Write a Review

Credits

• Host & Producer: Dr. Carron Silva
• Podcast Editor: Dr. Carron Silva
• Cover Art Designer: Dr. Carron Silva
• Music: Kode M (@kodemaster90)
• Social Media Manager: Diamond_Media00

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word

Thank you for listening, Friend. Remember: Forgiveness is for YOU.

Friends,

In this episode of the ongoing series on spiritual abuse, I sit down with Catholic Counselor Paul Fahey to explore a subtle but deeply impactful layer of harm: the abuse of conscience.

Many of us were taught to “follow our conscience,” but few of us were ever taught how a conscience is properly formed — or how it can be manipulated. When spiritual authority bypasses freedom, pressures compliance, or equates disagreement with sin, faith formation can quietly become control.

Paul defines conscience through a Catholic lens and offers concrete examples of how it can be distorted in families, churches, and religious communities. We also discuss how parents can faithfully teach their children without crossing the line into coercion, and why healthy formation always respects human dignity and freedom.

If you have ever struggled with religious guilt, fear-based teaching, or confusion about trusting your own moral judgment, this conversation will bring clarity and hope.

Paul Fahey's Link(s):

Email: paul@faheycounseling.com

Article: https://wherepeteris.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/The-Place-Where-You-Stand-is-Holy-Ground.pdf

Presentation: https://youtu.be/HjuL6lIKM28?si=yKvqiC31Ph-WN45P

Reference(s):

The Role of Conscience: https://www.usccb.org/resources/Role%20of%20the%20conscience.pdf

Connect with Dr. Carron

• Partner with the mission: https://go.drcarron.com/FIFYPodcastGift
• Join the weekly newsletter: https://go.drcarron.com/wellspringfreegiftoptin
• Work with me 1:1 — Looking for shame‑free, nonjudgmental support on your healing journey? Schedule a free consultation and let’s chat: https://go.drcarron.com/chatwithdrcarron

Love the Podcast? Please:

• Follow / Subscribe
• Share with someone who needs hope
• Leave a rating and written review

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to Leave an Apple Review

1. Open the Apple Podcasts app
2. Search: Forgiveness Is for YOU
3. Tap the show (not an episode)
4. Scroll to Ratings & Reviews
5. Tap Write a Review

Credits

• Host & Producer: Dr. Carron Silva
• Podcast Editor: Dr. Carron Silva
• Cover Art Designer: Dr. Carron Silva
• Music: Kode M (@kodemaster90)
• Social Media Manager: Diamond_Media00

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host. Guests are welcomed in a spirit of respectful dialogue and freedom of expression.

A Final Word: Thank you for listening, Friend. Remember: Forgiveness is for YOU.

Friends,

In this episode, I welcome Sr. Mary Stephen, founder of Restorative Catholic, to explore a restorative path forward for trauma survivors within the Catholic tradition. Sr. Mary Stephen shares how her vocation within a vocation led her to integrate somatic healing with Catholic spirituality, creating spaces where wounded hearts can safely encounter healing from the inside out.

We discuss how trauma is stored in the body, why traditional spiritual practices sometimes fall short for trauma survivors, and how somatic pilgrimages can help restore trust, presence, and peace.

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body, your faith, or yourself after painful experiences within religious spaces, this episode invites you to consider a path of restoration rooted in compassion, embodiment, and grace.

Sister Mary Stephen's Link(s)

Website: https://restorativecatholic.com/

Connect with Dr. Carron

1. Partner with us HERE
2. Link to my weekly newsletter.
3. Need someone to accompany you on your journey to freedom in a shame-free, nonjudgmental space? Come into coaching with me. To schedule a free consultation click on this link and let's chat!

Note: Opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their personal opinions and do not necessarily represent those of the host. The host understands that guests have the right to freedom of expression.

If the Forgiveness is for YOU podcast resonates with you, please rate, share on social media, write a review, and subscribe.

Apple Podcasts Link:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forgiveness-is-for-you-overcome-trauma-through-forgiveness/id1721956839

How to write a review on Apple Podcast App

1. Open Apple Podcast App
2. Search for Forgiveness is for You: Overcome Trauma…
3. Click on the SHOW, not the episode
4. Scroll all the way down to “Ratings and Reviews”
5. Click on “Write a Review”

Podcast Editor: Dr. Carron Silva

Cover Art Designer: Dr. Carron Silva

Music Provided by: Kode M @kodemaster90

Thank you, and remember Friend, Forgiveness is for YOU!