Care and Commitment
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Care and Commitment

Comfort them and send healing for their wounds of body, soul and spirit.

Archbishop Jerome E. ListeckiCommitment from the Archbishop

I, Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, promise to meet personally with any abuse survivor or family member who would like to meet with me.  I will find a way for abuse survivors to tell their stories and be heard, and for those stories to be preserved.

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Mass of Atonement

This Mass is a faith-filled, heartfelt and visible action step as we continue our path of reconciliation and resolution. While no single statement or event can make up for the painful abuse of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, as believers we know that in Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection, we find hope beyond measure as we move toward a brighter future.

Survivor Assistance - Where to get help

Each of the 10 counties in the archdiocese provides sexual abuse awareness education and free services to sexual abuse survivors. Survivors are also encouraged to contact the archdiocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator or the Healing Center to begin the healing process.

Stages of Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse

Although most of the stages in the healing process are necessary for every survivor, a few of them - the emergency stage, remembering the abuse, confronting family - are not applicable for every person. Survivors are encouraged to seek professional help to receive the care and support they need.

The Wounded Body of Christ

A guide for parish group discussions about abuse in the Catholic Church.

Community Advisory Board

The purpose of the Community Advisory Board (CAB) is to bring together a group of individuals having professional or personal experience or knowledge relevant to abuse prevention, intervention, and healing of individuals and parish communities directly or indirectly affected by sexual abuse.The board meets on a regular basis in order to provide input and feedback to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on its policies, procedures, programs, response and outreach to survivors of clergy sexual abuse, their families, and others that have been deeply affected by clergy sexual abuse.While maintaining its primary focus of addressing clergy sexual abuse of minors, the board recognizes the purpose of the CAB includes addressing other aspects of abuse that may intersect within our archdiocese, parishes, schools, and communities.

The members of the board help raise awareness within their communities and professions of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s abuse prevention and response measures.  The board serves as an instrument of education and vigilance and as a pathway of archdiocesan accountability to the larger community for its efforts to prevent abuse, intervene where offenses have occurred, hold perpetrators accountable and offer healing to those directly and indirectly affected by abuse.

Members of the Board include victims/survivors of clergy sexual abuse, family members of victims/survivors, victim advocates, professional psychologists and therapists who work with sexual abuse victims and/or perpetrators, members of law enforcement, and members of the archdiocesan staff.

Members include:

Teri Balash

Peter Burds

Maryann Clesceri
The Healing Center

Mary Howard Johnstone, OP
Attorney

Diane Knight

Betty Salazar

Robert Schiltz
Law Enforcement Officer

Rev. Luke Strand
St. Francis de Sales Seminary

Sharon Thyne

Kathy Lyn Walter
Wisconsin Department of Corrections

Prayer of Healing for Victims of Abuse

Praise to you, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
source of all consolation and hope.
By your Son’s dying and rising
He remains our light in every darkness,
our strength in every weakness.

Be the refuge and guardian
of all who suffer from abuse and violence.
Comfort them and send healing
for their wounds of body, soul and spirit.
Rescue them from bitterness and shame
and refresh them with your love.
Heal the brokenness in all victims of abuse
and revive the spirits of all who lament this sin.

Help us to follow Jesus in drawing good from evil, life from death.
Make us one with you in your love for justice
as we deepen our respect
for the dignity of every human life.

Giver of peace,
make us one in celebrating your praise,
both now and forever.

Amen.

(+ John F. Kinney, Bishop of Saint Cloud Imprimatur, given May 15, 2002)

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Ministry in the Midst of the Sexual Abuse Allegations

This resource is designed for people who work at parishes and schools and provides information on dealing with times of crisis.

National Diocesan Victims Assistance Coordinators

Listing of national diocesan victims assistance coordinators.

Resources for Victims of Domestic Violence

One of the hard earned and painful lessons which the family of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee learned in its struggle with the clergy sexual abuse crisis is how insidiously it tears at the fabric of the relationships within that family; and yet, how strong that fabric can be when a family finally stands up to the abuse and confronts it. This is a lesson other families can learn from us.

Sexual Abuse and the Church: How Parents and Teachers Can Help

Guidelines that can assist parents, teachers and those who work with children help with children's reaction to the sexual abuse crisis.

Sexual Abuse in the Church: Tragedy and Crisis

Information on typical reactions to times of crisis, actions that help address the crisis, and how Christian hope influences how we deal with the crisis.

Sexual Abuse Prevention & Response Services

Sofia Thorn, BSW, MSW, LCSW
Victim Assistance Coordinator
414-758-2232

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The Archdiocese of Milwaukee

3501 South Lake Drive
St. Francis, WI 53235

Phone:  (414) 769-3300
Toll-Free: (800) 769-9373
Fax:  (414)  769-3408