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Silence 02 - Why.  Remember the general quiet and stillness associated with test taking when we were in school.  Everyone understood the necessity of maintaining silence in order to allow for each student to achieve his or her best possible results.  Teachers for their part facilitated this by establishing an atmosphere conductive to learning through limiting noise and movement.  Our liturgy should indeed create an environment for “learning.”  The motion, noise, and atmosphere of the profane must give way to the silence and mystery of the sacred. [1]    “Sacred silence is to be observed at designated times.  Even before the celebration begins, it is a praiseworthy practice for silence to be observed in church, in the sacristy, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred celebration in a devout and fitting manner.” [2]  Prior to be elevated to the Chair of Peter, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote in The Spirit of the Liturgy: “We should expect the liturgy to give us a positive stillness that will restore us.  Such stillness…a time of recollection, giving us an inward peace, allowing us to draw breath and rediscover the one thing necessary.  For silence to be fruitful, it must not be just a pause in the action of the liturgy.  No, it must be an integral part of the liturgical event.”

A relationship of faith and commitment exists between the Catholic Church and its members and the public, whether they are children, young people, adults or elderly.  Sexual abuse in this context, or any other relationship, is a matter of grave concern.  Knowledge of such abuse requires a special response in order to facilitate the healing process and assure the safety of the community.  With this in mind, the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee is committed to healing the hurting hearts of sexual abuse victims.  This diocese has established Victim Assistance Coordinators who are experienced and trained counselors.  These coordinators are available to help persons who have been sexually abused by a priest, deacon or other church personnel.  VICTIM ASSISTANCE COORDINATORS: Louis M. Makarowski, Ph.D., P.A., Pensacola/Ft. Walton (850)477-7181; James Gagnon, MSW, LCSW,  Tallahassee/Panama City (850)877-0205; Deacon Santiago Molina, for Spanish speakers - En Espanol, (850)627-2350.
 

Diocesan Abuse Hotline: 850-435-3536