Mass of Atonement Offers Healing

Mass of Atonement in Fond du Lac

Tuesday, April 1
Stations of the Cross at 5 p.m., Mass at 6 p.m.
Holy Family, 271 Fourth Street Way, Fond du Lac
Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob is the celebrant
The Mass will be interpreted for the Deaf

For a decade and a half, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Mass of Atonement has been a way for the Church to be present to the pain of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their families, to take ownership of past sins and make a truth-filled effort to help in their healing.

But this year’s Mass to be held April 1 at Holy Family in Fond du Lac will take on additional meaning, particularly for the Deaf community impacted by approximately 200 or more incidents of abuse by Fr. Lawrence Murphy at St. John’s School for the Deaf during the second half of the 20th century.

This year, Fr. Christopher Klusman — one of a handful of deaf priests across the United States — will play a key role as part of the Mass of Atonement’s presence to help heal the wounds in the Deaf community.

“I grew up, was born deaf, and I’m involved in the language (ASL) and in the culture and have some of the same experiences that Deaf people feel. There is that connection there, and they have a safe connection compared to a person who doesn’t know how we grew up,” Fr. Klusman said.

“I don’t want them to feel abandoned or alone … I’m there for them, and that I’m in it with them.”

Fr. Klusman, who won a national award for his pastoral work by the National Catholic Office for the Deaf in 2024, is partnering with archdiocese Victim Assistance Coordinator Sofia Thorn to help with deaf-centered, trauma-informed care for the community that endured so many of Fr. Murphy’s sinful actions.

“They had been advocating for themselves for almost 20 years before the archdiocese really gave an official recognition to it,” Thorn said. “There’s a lot of hurt for the Deaf community because it took so long to get that response.”

The tone of the Mass — which will be interpreted for the Deaf — and the visible steps that priests and Church leadership take during the early portion of the liturgy to remove their signs of authority are designed to help in taking active steps of atonement.

“They remove the miter, the pallium and the ring, the bishop’s ring and the staff. They’re prostrating themselves right in front of the altar,” Thorn said.

The timing of the Mass this year offers additional meaning, as it comes during Lent — a time of atonement for Catholics. In the past, the Mass has been celebrated during National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month in April.

The time of Lent, and the visual statement of clergy begging for forgiveness, offers what Thorn said is an impactful statement that helps heal wounds.

“For those who feel comfortable coming or for their family members who are still struggling, there’s just something very powerful about it. And last year, a number of people who said, ‘I had no idea this existed,’ also said, ‘It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,’” Thorn said.

“I’ve had a lot of family members come up and say, ‘Thank you for doing this. I thought I had healing, and I didn’t. I thought I was resolved, and I wasn’t,’” she said.

“The Deaf community says that for the archbishop to lay down all of his items is very powerful visually. Deaf people are visual people. They’re visually centered, so to see that really touches their hearts and impacts them,” says Fr. Klusman.

“But also, Deaf community members come up to me and they’ll say something like they’ve been searching the Church for something, waiting for the Church to reach out for their pain and address their pain, so to see that Mass of Atonement is really powerful.’”

Thorn says the entire community is invited to the Mass of Atonement.

“You don’t have to be a survivor,” she says. “It’s really a way of us acknowledging where the Church failed and hopefully steps that we’ve made to rectify that and to really work towards recognition and healing.”

Archbishop Grob highlighted the following Scripture verse in considering the Mass of Atonement: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake. (Psalm 79:9)

“As we gather once again for the annual Mass of Atonement, I invite you to join with me in turning to our loving God in prayer. In our time together, we will not only seek the grace of conversion for our own hearts but ask for renewed spirits to continue the work of healing within the Church on behalf of our sisters and brothers most deeply affected by abuse. May we actively participate in God’s healing action,” Archbishop Grob said.