For St. Boniface Archbishop Albert LeGatt, the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the Church was “unfathomable.”

“When I think of this whole reality of sexual abuse, that’s the word that comes to mind,” he said in a reflection at the March 14 prayer service for survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Winnipeg.

About 75 people attended the service, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada, at Christ the King Parish.

“When I hear stories from survivors and family members, I have a sense of the unfathomable,” he said. “How could a person do that to another human being? To someone so little, whether that was by a priest, a parent, a coach, a teacher. How?”

Also unfathomable is how the Church was silent on the problem for so long, as if it just wanted it “to go away, not deal with it,” he stated.

That response, he said, was “beyond my understanding,” adding all he can do now for those harmed by clergy is to serve them and “put it in the hands of God and ask Him to carry us all into healing.”

The prayer service was billed as a safe place for those who had experienced sexual abuse. Also invited were those who knew survivors of clergy sexual abuse and people who wanted to express their sorrow and concern about it.

The service, which was created by St. Boniface communications director Daniel Bahuaud and Amber Wsiaki, a member of the archdiocese’s Safe Church Environment committee, was based on the Way of the Cross.

Bahuaud and Wsiaki led the service, alternately reading through the stations in English and French through the lens of sexual abuse.

“Through the Way of the Cross, through the sufferings of Christ, we will remember those who have suffered at the hands of pastors, and who have known betrayal and heartbreak of the gravest kind,” they said in both languages.

They highlighted the “scourge of abuse by priests, pastors and people in authority,” noting it leaves “lasting wounds” that can lead to mental health issues and even suicide for some.

“Wounded survivors of abuse bear a heavy Cross,” they said, noting it continues to haunt them and their families long after the abuse happened.

Bahuaud and Wsiaki went on to give thanks for those in the Church and beyond who are working with survivors of sexual abuse, providing counselling, active listening and presence, along with those who “strive to change the structures that perpetuate the cycle of violence.”

The service included the reflection by LeGatt and concluded with the congregation praying God would help them to “hear the cry of the abused.” Prayer urns were provided for people to share prayer requests that would be prayed over by members of local religious orders.  

In attendance at the service was Richard Fréchette, who chairs the Safe Church Environment committee for the archdiocese. For him, the service was a way to recognize that “what happened was so wrong, it should never have happened, especially at the hands of clergy.”

The archdiocese has protocols in place to try to prevent it from happening again, said Fréchette, who is also a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ national committee for Responsible Ministry and the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons.

“The archdiocese has come a long way,” he said.

For LeGatt, the service was an important way to underscore the importance of the issue and to invite local Catholics to participate in seeking the healing of those affected by clergy sexual abuse.

“We need to recognize the depth of suffering that sexual abuse has caused,” he said. “We need to do our part as a Church to acknowledge that darkness and deal with it, not try to hide it away.”

The service took place against the backdrop of a lawsuit filed against the archdiocese in March over an allegation of sexual abuse by a priest in rural Manitoba decades ago. But LeGatt noted it had been planned long before that lawsuit was filed.

“We don’t take any of this lightly,” LeGatt said of sexual abuse. “We don’t want to become indifferent to it. This diocese has been marked by it . . .  it is a sickness in the body of humanity.”