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“Mom, would you
be upset if you found out Sandusky was innocent?”
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Shannon Dietz’s son asked her this question as they
were watching the Today show earlier this week. They were playing a
part of Sandusky’s ‘statement’ that he recorded from prison stating:
“They could take away my life, they could make me out
as a monster, they could treat me as a monster, but they can’t take away
my heart. In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged disgusting
acts.”
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Dietz, a rape survivor, said, “I realized that my
son, as innocent and naive as he is, listened to this man’s words and
thought ‘He sounds sincere, like he really didn't do this and what if
he is really innocent?’ and that scares me. It scares me because I
know first-hand how ‘innocent’ the accused can make themselves to be.”
Shannon Deitz is founder and president of Hopeful
Hearts Ministry, a non-profit that helps abuse and rape victims.
At the fragile age of seventeen, she was raped and began to distrust a
God who would allow such a thing. Again, as a freshman in college, she
was raped a second time, and she began to earnestly put as much
distance between herself and God as she possibly could.
At the age of 27, having run from God as far as she
could go, Shannon found herself at the bottom of a life that was no
longer tolerable. Having no place to go but up, she looked to Heaven.
Deitz felt a distinct calling to begin teaching the teens at her local
church. Not only did this give her an opportunity to share her own
struggles as a teen and tell others how God changed her personal
tragedy into triumph, but it also allowed her to look beyond the
traditions to more deeply explore the intricacies of her Catholic
faith.
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Her story is told in Exposed: Inexcusable Me…Irreplaceable Him (Believers Press) offering encouragement and
hope to both teens and adults suffering from physical and emotional
abuse. In 2011, she stepped away from her parish ministry to start Hopeful
Hearts Ministry and to have more time for speaking engagements and
to work on writing projects.
Monday, Sandusky was convicted of his crime and
sentenced to 30 years in prison. Eight victims bravely came forward to
tell their story that proved his guilt.
Dietz states, “What upsets me about this whole
situation, and truthfully that of all of the alleged sex crimes is the lack
of remorse, regret or sincere apology from the convicted. While I
hand the ultimate judgment and sentence over to God, I also know that
genuine repentance is the key to receiving forgiveness. I have spoken at
prisons and witnessed the sincerity of a soul that has stripped themself
of pride in order to receive the fullness of God’s love and compassion
and work towards reparation.”
About Shannon
Deitz:
Deitz has been a ‘featured columnist’ on CatholicLane.com. She
and her husband, Neal, live in Kingwood, Texas, where they are active in
their local church and community. The couple has two sons, Ryan and Seth,
who provide them with endless joy and reason to continually count their
blessings.
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“Disclosure of Material
Connection: I received one or more of the products or
Services mentioned above
for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good
for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
With the Federal Trade
Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides concerning the
Use of Endorsements and
Testimonials in Advertising.”
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