Archdiocese holds annual child abuse prevention service Friday

The Archdiocese of Chicago will host its annual Child Abuse Prevention Prayer Service at 11:30 a.m. Friday. at its Healing Garden in Chicago.

The prayer service is celebrated in observance of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. As part of the service, students from Archdiocesan Catholic schools will plant pinwheels in the garden, and blue ribbons, another symbol of prevention, will be tied onto trees.

The Rev. Lawrence Dowling, pastor of St. Agatha Parish, will lead the service. Mike Hoffman, chairman of the Hope and Healing Committee, will offer a reflection.

The Healing Garden of the Archdiocese of Chicago is located adjacent to Holy Family Parish, 1080 W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago.