Know the indicators of an unhealthy or abusive relationship
Healthy relationships are not perfect, but healthy relationships make both people feel respected, supported and safe problems can be...
top of page
St. Patrick Church Domestic Violence Outreach Ministry
IF YOU NEED HELP CALL:
A Safe Place at
(847) 249-4450 or (800) 600-SAFE (7233)
A Safe Place is the sole provider of services exclusively addressing domestic violence and human trafficking in Lake County, Illinois. A Safe Place is a recognized 501(c)3 listed under Lake County Crisis Center for the Prevention & Treatment of Domestic Violence Inc.
National Domestic Violence Hotline at
24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse. Contacts to The Hotline can expect highly-trained, expert advocates to offer free, confidential, and compassionate support, crisis intervention information, education, and referral services in over 200 languages.
OUR MISSION
St. Patrick’s Domestic Violence Outreach Ministry serves as our parish’s primary resource for assisting and supporting the Archdiocese of Chicago Domestic Abuse Outreach Program. Our priority Is to raise awareness in our community of the prevalence and scope of domestic abuse and highlight the available resources to support abuse victims and their families.
OUR STORY
We are a group of parishioners who were moved by Fr. Chuck Dahm’s riveting sermon on domestic abuse at St. Patrick in March of 2022. We answered the call to help raise awareness about its prevalence all around us. We are collaborating with neighboring parishes and have educated ourselves on local and national resources to help those in need. We are passionate advocates for raising awareness about the plight endured by so many. Our goal is to be a beacon of light and hope to those in darkness.
Watch Fr. Dahm's sermon from March 6, 2022 at St. Patrick Church:
Pope Francis marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25, 2021 by writing on Twitter: “The various forms of ill-treatment that many women suffer are acts of cowardice and degradation of all humanity. We must not look the other way,” the pope wrote on his account, @pontifex.
ARTICLES
For more information, or to join our cause, please contact Sally Willis.
WHAT IS DOMESTIC ABUSE?
Domestic violence and abuse happens when one partner attempts to gain power and control over the other using various forms of abuse. These unhealthy relationships can include physical, emotional/psychological, verbal, economic, and/or sexual abuse.
Domestic violence and abuse occurs across demographic and gender lines, leaving no one unscathed by this horrible trauma. If domestic violence were a disease, it would be considered an epidemic due to how many people are affected.
*Taken from: https://asafeplaceforhelp.org/about/what-is-domestic-violence-2
EXAMPLES OF ABUSE
-
Physical Violence/Abuse
-
Emotional and Psychological Abuse
-
Verbal Abuse
-
Economic Abuse
-
Sexual Abuse
THE CYCLE OF ABUSE
Trauma and abuse manifests itself in a circular and continuous manner.
TENSION BUILDING
Minor incidents of physical / emotional abuse. Victim feels growing tension. Victim tries to control situation to avoid violence. “Walking on eggshells.” Victim cannot control abuser. Longest phase.
Minimizing the abuse or acting if it did not happen.
Denial keeps the cycle going.
DENIAL
Perpetrators, victims, and society at large minimize violence in relationships.
EXPLOSION
The actual abuse: physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, financial, …
HONEYMOON PHASE
Abuser sorry and apologetic. Abuser makes promises. “Hearts and flowers.” Idealized and romantic. This phase often disappears with time.
The cycle often repeats over & over again after “promises, good deeds, begging for forgiveness, etc.”
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS
-
One in 4 women will experience domestic violence at some point in their lifetimes and are more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than men
-
Women ages 20 to 24 are at the greatest risk of becoming victims of domestic violence.
-
Every day, three women are murdered at the hand of their intimate partner.
-
Every year, more than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes and children exposed to domestic violence are more likely to have health problems, including becoming sick more often, having frequent headaches and stomach aches and being more tired and lethargic.
-
Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten, more often than not by her intimate partner.
-
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families.
DISTURBING FACT
While you have been reading this webpage, approximately 13 women have been assaulted or beaten by an intimate partner.
To learn more please explore these rich and invaluable resources.
SERVICE AGENCIES
Contact Your Local Police Department
Dial 911
PRAYER
Loving God,
Shine your light of hope, healing and love on those individuals that have been affected by violence in their families.
As we stand in solidarity with them, we lift up our prayers to you and ask that your love will heal and transform their pain in body, mind, and spirit and give them the strength encouraged to move forward.
We pray for your peace and for the end of all forms of violence. This we ask and this we pray as we are “Silent No More.”
bottom of page