Churches address sexual violence on college campuses
The Domestic Violence Outreach Ministries of Saint Raymond de Penafort in Mount Prospect, Saint Edna in Arlington Heights and Saint Mary of the Annunciation in Mundelein, in coordination with the ministries of Our Lady of the Wayside and Saint James Parishes, will sponsor three upcoming presentations of the award-winning documentary movie "The Hunting Ground," which exposes a culture of denial amid a high percentage of sexual assaults on American college campuses.
Each presentation will open with a screening of the 2015 documentary film "The Hunting Ground," Based on statistical data and personal experiences, the film reveals that approximately 16 percent to 20 percent of undergraduate college students are sexually assaulted during their academic careers, yet many university administrators deny that a problem exists. Group discussions will follow the presentations.
College and college-bound students and their parents are invited to attend one of the two-hour presentations:
• Sunday, July 16: 6 p.m., St. Raymond de Penafort Parish Life Center, I-Oka and Lincoln streets, Mount Prospect
• Sunday, July 23: 3:30 p.m., St. Edna Parish Hurley Center, 2525 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights
• Sunday, July 30: 6 p.m., St. Mary of the Annunciation, 22333 W. Erhart Road, Mundelein
The ministries of the sponsoring parishes are members of the Archdiocese of Chicago Domestic Violence Outreach, led by Fr. Charles W. Dahm, O.P., who has preached on domestic violence in more than 100 Catholic parishes in the Chicago area.
ACDVO has developed the most comprehensive program addressing domestic violence of any Catholic diocese in the United States. Parish ministries often collaborate to increase domestic violence awareness, direct victims to local services, and provide educational programming in support of healthy relationships.
The faith communities of the Archdiocese of Chicago emphasize that every person deserves to be safe in his or her relationships. A wide range of resources for people affected by violence, including sexual assault, is available in the Northwest suburbs.
For information on sexual assault, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (800) 656-4673; visit www.rainn.org; or contact the Love Is Respect National Teen Dating Violence Helpline, (866) 331-9474 or www.loveisrespect.org.
For more information on the Archdiocese of Chicago Domestic Violence Outreach, visit www.DomesticViolenceOutreach.com.