Book Review on That She May Dance Again
BOOK REVIEW
That She May Dance Again: Rising from Pain of Violence Against women in the Philippine Catholic Church, by Sr. Nila V. Bermisa, MM, Women and Gender Commission- Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (WGC- AMRSP), 2011, 195 pp.
Sexual abuse is one of the common diseases of our country. Wherever you go, there are cases of women being sexually assaulted. It may be in the family, in the workplace, in the society and even in the Church where the person belongs to. That she may dance again by Sr. Nila V. Bermisa, MM. tells about violence against women happening within the walls of the Philippine Catholic Church. Its major theme is justice seeking by and for women abused within the Roman Catholic Church. Sexual abuse by the members of the clergy is one of the controversial issues that is frequently being masked by the Church and on which most are not aware of. The book basically tells about the history and faces of violence in our country as well as personal stories from the victims and the impact that it has brought into their lives. The purpose of the work is to encourage and enable women, especially those who were abused, to seek justice, stand up against their pain, and become the agents of change as well.
In the first chapters, the author tells her and her companions’ respective journeys of fighting violence against women within the Catholic Church and the different organizations like the WGC (Women and Gender Commission), AMRSP ( Association of Major Religions Superiors in the Philippines), SABAKAN, KALIKASAN, and Talitha Cum that help abused women to recover and to attain justice. Even as a child, the author has already shouldered the burden of these women. Together with their companions they try to help these women by helping them seek justice and encouraging them to become catalysts of for empowerment of other women. The author tells her journey and experiences with these women and their struggle to find just
That She May Dance Again: Rising from Pain of Violence Against women in the Philippine Catholic Church, by Sr. Nila V. Bermisa, MM, Women and Gender Commission- Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (WGC- AMRSP), 2011, 195 pp.
Sexual abuse is one of the common diseases of our country. Wherever you go, there are cases of women being sexually assaulted. It may be in the family, in the workplace, in the society and even in the Church where the person belongs to. That she may dance again by Sr. Nila V. Bermisa, MM. tells about violence against women happening within the walls of the Philippine Catholic Church. Its major theme is justice seeking by and for women abused within the Roman Catholic Church. Sexual abuse by the members of the clergy is one of the controversial issues that is frequently being masked by the Church and on which most are not aware of. The book basically tells about the history and faces of violence in our country as well as personal stories from the victims and the impact that it has brought into their lives. The purpose of the work is to encourage and enable women, especially those who were abused, to seek justice, stand up against their pain, and become the agents of change as well.
In the first chapters, the author tells her and her companions’ respective journeys of fighting violence against women within the Catholic Church and the different organizations like the WGC (Women and Gender Commission), AMRSP ( Association of Major Religions Superiors in the Philippines), SABAKAN, KALIKASAN, and Talitha Cum that help abused women to recover and to attain justice. Even as a child, the author has already shouldered the burden of these women. Together with their companions they try to help these women by helping them seek justice and encouraging them to become catalysts of for empowerment of other women. The author tells her journey and experiences with these women and their struggle to find just