Looking Ahead

What's Next for Third Space

When I worked at a parish, this time of the year included self-reflection and looking ahead. RCIA and First Communion would be over, so I’d take some time to think about what changes I ought to make in the next ministry year. All of that to say, May—more than December—feels like the time for a year in review.

Looking Back

Last June, after three years of grad school, I officially started as a professional counselor. In addition to building my caseload, last summer I helped facilitate Awake’s retreat for survivors of abuse in the Church, rebranded Pope Francis Generation into Third Space, and launched the Third Space Podcast.

The podcast is a one-man show, made with a $70 microphone and some online AI editing tools. I hope to invest in higher production quality in the future, but I’m really happy for what it is right now. This season will end with 20 episodes (plus a bonus panel discussion about Pope Leo that’s still TBD) and currently has nearly 1,200 average downloads per episode. It’s been a privilege to run the podcast. I’ve had the opportunity to interview abuse survivors, catechists, theologians, journalists, and historians. I’m taking the summer off of podcasting to spend more time with the family and to prep for Season Two (which will start in September).

I also led nine of my live online workshops about Spiritual Abuse in the Catholic Church over the past year. Over 90 people have participated in those workshops so far, from all vocations and walks of life. These workshops have been incredible, and I’ve learned so much from the participants and all they’ve shared about their experiences and perspectives.

In addition to these ongoing projects, last fall I was a speaker for Awake’s Courageous Conversations where I participated on a panel discussion about how to foster trauma-informed church communities and spaces. I was also a part of a panel discussion for the Religion to Reality series with DeSales Media to discuss evangelization, clericalism, and how to engaging with the secular world. I also published a long article about the development of doctrine.

This spring I led a Lenten study group about Pope Francis’s encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. In addition to that, I was invited by Fr. Boniface Hicks to give a presentation about abuse of conscience for his group of spiritual directors seeking ongoing formation. And currently, I’m just finishing up offering my spiritual abuse workshop for the wonderful Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph in the UK.

Looking Ahead

Like I mentioned above, I’m taking the summer off from the podcast and workshops to spend more time with my family and plan for next year. With Kristina’s help, I plan to put together a new website (in addition to this Substack) where I can host all of my resources. I’ve started thinking about podcast guests for next season, and I plan to make some updates to my spiritual abuse workshop. I’m also excited to continue writing about Pope Leo XIV and can’t wait for him to drop some new Catholic Social Teaching encyclicals.

In other exciting news! I just finished professionally filming my spiritual abuse workshop and my Catholic Social Teaching retreat to be turned into online courses!

Mary Ashley and Nate Bannister were incredible. They flew out from New Mexico and we spent three days filming these projects. I’m so excited to share these courses with you once we finish post-production.

Gratitude and Support

Since starting grad school, my long-term goal has been to be able to support my family while only seeing clients 2-3 days a week so that I have time to invest in my side projects without sacrificing time with the family. I want to be able to lead conferences, speak at priest convocations, work with religious orders, and present in seminaries about spiritual abuse so that clergy and lay leaders are more aware of the symptoms of spiritual abuse and religious trauma; more equipped to recognize and prevent spiritual abuse; and more empowered to understand and respond to abusive systems in the Church.

If anything, this past year has demonstrated that this goal is possible. In 2024, these side projects brought in nearly $20k, which was more than half of our income for the year (they can hardly be called side projects anymore!). And as my client caseload has grown this year, we were able to replace our nearly 20 year old vehicle with a much nicer 16 year old vehicle, and we’re on track to pay off all of my student loans from grad school by the end of this year.

All of that to say: Thank you. Your support has allowed me to do this. Thank you.

Here are ways for you to continue supporting me and these projects:

• Please pray for me. Genuinely. Existing and working in this third space can be such a consolation at times, and at other times it is spiritually exhausting, please pray for me

• Tell others about my work! I regularly receive emails from individuals looking for resources to better understand their experiences of abuse in the Church, and being able to listen and serve to the extent I’m able is a privilege. My email is: paul@faheycounseling.com

• If you have connections with dioceses, seminaries, religious communities, Catholic universities, or any place that forms lay or ordained leaders in the Church, please consider inviting me out to speak or introducing me to the person who can invite me

• Become a paid subscriber. You don’t get any extra content, but it’s a way for you to directly support the projects and resources I’m developing

Again, thank you!

Peace,

-Paul