Archdiocesan prayer service for Child Abuse Prevention Month
A prayer service and pinwheel planting in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 17, at the Healing Garden of the Archdiocese of Chicago, at Holy Family Parish, 1080 West Roosevelt Road in Chicago.
The outdoor service will be led by the Rev. Larry Dowling, pastor of St. Agatha Parish. The service will include prayers and reflections from Mike Hoffman, chairman of the Healing Garden Committee, and other volunteers and students. Students from St. Ignatius College Prep will perform music.
Hundreds of students from Catholic schools are expected to participate in the event. Each student will plant his or her own pinwheel and blue ribbon for prevention, many of which are being handcrafted. The pinwheels symbolize the innocence of youth and stand as reminders that every child deserves to be safe wherever they go.
"The Archdiocese works in partnership with DCFS throughout the year to accomplish our mutual goal of protecting all children from abuse or neglect by strengthening families and creating awareness," Archbishop Blase J. Cupich said in a recent news release issued by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services announcing events to mark April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
"Since 2003, the Archdiocese of Chicago's Office for the Protection of Children and Youth has touched more than 600,000 with its screening, education and prevention programs. Importantly more than 200,000 children have been trained to recognize and resist sexual predators and other potential abusers," Cupich said.
Among other events for Child Abuse Prevention Month is "The Healing Journey," 7 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at St. Mary of the Woods Parish, 7033 N. Moselle Ave., Chicago. Three panelists will discuss the difficult issues of childhood sexual abuse, how it has affected the church and how healing can be realized in our society.
On Saturday, April 18, at 4:30 p.m., Archbishop Cupich will celebrate the Fourth Annual Child Abuse Prevention Mass, also at St. Mary of the Woods. And parishes and schools around the archdiocese will be planting pinwheel gardens, hanging blue ribbons and hosting other special services and events.
The Healing Garden was created in 2010 for victim/survivors of clerical sexual abuse, their families and the greater Catholic Church. The concept came from clergy abuse victims, priests and Office for the Protection of Children and Youth staff members. A focal point is the sculpture, Circle of Love, depicting the Holy Family. More information is at www.healinggardenchicago.org.