| There Is Help
Help For Those Who Are Abused
• Begin to believe that you are not alone and that help is available for you and others in your household.
• Talk in confidence to someone you trust: a relative, friend, parish priest, deacon, religious sister or brother, or lay minister.
• If you choose to stay in the situation, at least for now, set up a plan of action to ensure your safety. This includes hiding a car key, personal documents, and some money in a safe place and locating somewhere to go in an emergency.
• Find out about resources in your area that offer help to those who experience abuse and their children. The phone book lists numbers to call in your local area. Your diocesan Catholic Charities office or family life office can help. Catholic Charities often has qualified counselors on staff and can provide emergency assistance and other kinds of help.
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides crisis intervention and referrals to local service providers. Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 800-787-3224 (TTY). E-mail assistance is available at ndvh@ndvh.org.
Help for Those Who Have Abused
• Be ready to own your behavior. Know that you have the power to express yourself in safe, healthy ways.
• Be willing to reach out for help. Talk to someone you trust who can help you evaluate the situation. Contact Catholic Charities or other church or community agencies for the name of a program for those who have abused.
• Keep in mind that the Church is available to help you. Part of the mission Jesus entrusted to us is to offer healing when it is needed.
• Find alternative ways to act when you become frustrated or angry. Talk to other people who have overcome abusive behavior. Find out what they did and how they did it.
• The web site www.psychologytoday.com has an online directory of therapists, support groups, anger management classes/groups and other resources.
• The National Domestic Violence 24 Hour Hotline is also available to assist those who have abused: 1-800-799-7233.
Excerpts from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Statement on Domestic Violence
“As pastors of the Catholic Church in the United States, we state as clearly and strongly as we can that violence against women, inside or outside the home, is never justified. Violence in any form -- physical, sexual, psychological, or verbal -- is sinful; often, it is a crime as well. …
“[W]e emphasize that no person is expected to stay in an abusive marriage. … Violence and abuse, not divorce, break up a marriage. We encourage abused persons who have divorced to investigate the possibility of seeking an annulment.”
prepared by the parish partner, Old St. Mary Domestic Violence Ministry
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In addition to charity, the Catholic Church also asks us to address some of the underlying causes of poverty and other social conditions; to work to end things in our society that are simply wrong or unjust; to make our society more just and more faithful to the vision Jesus left us.
