In our ongoing coverage of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, CBS 11 News brings you the story of decades of abuse by members of the Catholic Church in villages across Alaska.

The molestation and fear endured by young Alaska Native boys and girls are finally being brought to light in a new documentary called "The Silence."

The film speaks with adults who as young boys and girls growing up in villages on the western coast of Alaska were forced to commit sexual acts all in the name of God.

It’s a terrifying tale of pain and suffering that the victims who call themselves survivors are glad to share so they and their communities can begin the process of healing.

"He would ask if we wanted to touch his private area and he would say he would give us candy or give us a good prize," said victim Alberta Steve.

It’s a real-life story of sexual abuse in Alaska.

"Father Endal and Joseph Lundowski…they couldn't stop molesting me when they started,” said victim Benjamin Andrews. “It was almost an everyday thing.”

Andrews said Father Endal told him that participating in such acts would make him “closer to God."

Generations of children were molested in villages along the western coast at the hands of respected members of the Catholic Church

“Father Poole would have me sit on his lap, straddling his legs and we would French kiss for hours,” recalled Elsie Boudreau. “He would tell me that he was my friend and that he was my brother, my father, and my lover.”

Survivors like Elsie Boudreau have held the suffering inside for their entire lives.

“I truly, truly believed that there was something wrong with me, to the core of my being,” said Boudreau.

It’s a cycle of denial, fear, and pain that kept the now grown men and women from talking about their horrible secrets until a just a few years ago when they stepped forward together in a lawsuit.

“Secrets that were enforced on threat of damnation of peril to your immortal soul and maybe, maybe there will be some relief for these long-suffering people,” said the group’s attorney Ken Roosa. 

Relief was a reason why "The Silence" wanted to share their stories.

Because it’s such a small community, the abused impacted not only the victims, but also their relatives, said the film’s director Tom Curran.