“Healing our Church” is a six-week program that attempts to help those who have suffered sexual abuse within the Church.
It was founded by RENEW International in response to recent reports of past sexual abuse scandals and cover-ups within the Catholic Church.
RENEW International is a Roman Catholic ministry organization that provide support to parish life within more than 160 dioceses in the United States.
SR. THERESA RICKARD
President, RENEW International
“They're need to kind of work through this and feel empower to really help to renew and reform the Church. I talk to people in the grocery store, when I was on the plane; my own family gatherings. So I knew that we as a instrument of God's Grace needed to be an instrument in the healing for the Church at this time.”
The program is conducted in small groups. This is because they found it provides more opportunity for participants to express and share their feelings.
SR. THERESA RICKARD
President, RENEW International
“We hear the story of victims survivors and their experience. We then move to scripture, the teachings of the Church and what the Church has in place and then we move to action. So people get to share on all three of those aspects; and then it moves them to what they can do personally for victims to safeguard their environment. And also what they can do collectively to ensure their parish and their homes are places where children are safe.”
So far the program has helped participants gain insight into what the Church has done to address these issues; as well as empower them to help bring about change in the Church.
SR. THERESA RICKARD
President, RENEW International
“We did an impact survey, after they completed the six weeks in they're small group, and 85% of the people said they had greater knowledge of what the Church and diocese was doing to help people; and safeguard, such as all the training programs that are in place. Many people had no idea all the things the Church had done since 2002.” “It gave them an opportunity to talk with other people of faith and help them to work through their anger; and more importantly gave them a sense that they could do something about this that there were some actions they could take.”
RENEW International hope to bring their “Healing Our Church” to Europe and anywhere else in the world where it is needed.
