Torrent of Grace: A Catholic Survivor’s Healing Journey After Clergy Abuse

Clergy abuse survivor Mark Joseph Williams shares his personal journey of spiraling into substance abuse and shame in the agonizing aftermath of trauma. Hitting rock bottom, he encountered healing in the place few survivors would look--the Catholic Church. There, despite and beyond clergy abuse and power plays of the hierarchy, he rediscovered new life within the sacraments and the mystery of the cross.

Now, with his unique perspective as a victim seeking redemption, he counsels both victims of clergy abuse as well as faith leaders invested in transforming a broken church.

Mark Joseph Williams, a clerical abuse survivor, serves as special advisor to Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, in the Archdiocese of Newark. Mark is a management consultant and forensic psychological clinician. He and his wife, Karen, have four grown children and five grandchildren. Mark is a 1978 graduate of King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. with a B.A., Philosophy and holds a M.S., Social Work, 1980 from Columbia University. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in human resources consulting, retained search, and project leadership. He has performed functional and operational reviews for public, private, and nonprofit organizations. Mark held the top Human Resources role in several global companies and has also been an operational executive at major hospitals in the Northeast United States