More about the "clergy sex abuse garden" in Oakland

When I first reported the clergy sex abuse garden planned for Oakland's new Cathedral of Light, I commented that "Abstract landscaping is not how Catholics heal spiritual and psychological trauma."

Today CNN does a story on it:


Photo caption: "Terrie Light, a victim of sexual abuse, says this broken rock represents the shattered lives of victims."

She explains: "She says the garden's centerpiece, a symbolic low stone sculpture that's broken, is fitting for those whose lives were shattered by priests. "The energy that the artist put was this circular stone trying to pull itself to become unbroken. That is our journey. That is what we try to do every day -- is to try to be unbroken."

She goes on: "Terrie Light, who has been a vocal advocate for abuse victims for many years, says getting the garden built was not an easy process. "We got silence, then we got passed around," she says."

Even worse:

The bench placement is deliberate and takes into account the feelings and needs of abuse victims. Those who choose not to face the cathedral end up facing a small lake across the street.

So people are expected to come all the way to the Cathedral, to the abuse garden, only to stare ... away?

More of this:

Why outside?

"There are people that want to go into a church that cannot. It's too painful, too emotionally traumatizing," she says. "There are other people that are ambivalent -- that want to be there and not want to be there. This gives them the option."

The garden is not what survivors had originally envisioned -- a lush, English garden with flowers and trees. But they are pleased with the outcome.

First of all, again, this garden should not serve as an alternative to the true reconciliation which must occur within and through the Church. Nature walks and foux spiritualism are not how such wounds heal.

Oh, and - wait a minute - they say they wanted a lush, English garden "with flowers and trees"?! Then who was pushing for the modernist/abstract solution that was actually implemented?! Questions, questions ... regrets.