Project will help victims
A number of survivors of domestic violence have begun an Archdiocese-wide project to help victims and potential victims by having trained counselors placed at parishes.
The Ministers of Light project "is focused on primary prevention -- stopping domestic violence before it happens -- as well as intervention, which means helping survivors and their families who have questions," said Marisela Sookraj, 34, a parishioner at Mission Dolores in San Francisco.
Working with Catholic Charities CYO and La Casa de las Madres, she and other organizers propose to train domestic violence ministers to work at each of the 89 parishes in the Archdiocese.
"The difference between this effort and others in the past is the other efforts have been very sporadic," Sookraj said.
Here is her description of the project:
The Ministers of Light Campaign is an emerging, survivor-driven, grassroots effort rooted in faith-based community organizing and supported by newly ordained Auxiliary Bishop William Justice of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The campaign is a direct response to a mandate issued and reaffirmed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1992 and again in 2002 forcefully condemning domestic violence against women, and calling for the Catholic Church to ignite a moral revolution against domestic violence.
Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.
The vision of the Ministers of Light Campaign is that all our parishes are viewed as places of refuge, healing, support, and advocacy for victims and survivors of domestic violence. We would like to serve as a model for other Archdiocesan parishes in terms of the dedicated attention given to this critical issue and the individuals and families whose lives have been forever impacted by domestic violence.
The campaign’s mission is to create a formalized infrastructural framework providing for a trained, committed domestic violence lay minister within each of the 89 parishes of the Archdiocese of San Francisco working in partnership with established domestic violence survivor service providers, advocacy groups, and other community-based organizations. It is important that each parish is included in this effort because each parish is reflective of particular demographic characteristics providing a unique perspective as far as understanding and responding to domestic violence. It is equally important that our Ministers of Light are both representative of and supported by their parishes.
Once recruited, screened and trained, a domestic violence minister or "Minister of Light" would occupy a two-year minimum volunteer position and willingly commit to fulfilling a number of responsibilities within the parish community focused on both primary prevention and intervention. These include (1) serving as an in-house resource and advocate for survivors of domestic violence (including friends and family); (2) coordinating with our local partner domestic violence survivor service organization to host an annual awareness event; (3) contributing towards initiating and facilitating a faith-based support group for survivors based on an established model; and (4) organizing an annual "St. Rita" mass recognizing, mourning and honoring victims and survivors of domestic violence.
The Ministers of Light campaign is especially timely for two principal reasons. During economic downturns like the one we are currently experiencing in the United States, the intensity with which women already in abusive relationships are battered is increased due to additional stressors such as job loss and home foreclosure. Second, we know that one of the first places a woman turns to for help is in fact her church and extended faith community. Thus, doing domestic violence awareness work within a faith context is critical in order to access communities of women who are abused and who may harbor misconceptions about Scripture that present a barrier towards seeking assistance.
The campaign is led by a Survivor Steering Committee and has successfully forged partnerships with a number of established and well regarded survivor service community-based organizations involved in spearheading outreach, recruitment, and training efforts. These organizations include Catholic Charities CYO, La Casa de Las Madres, Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse (CORA), and Marin Abused Women's Services (MAWS).
If you are interested in serving as a Minister of Light at your parish, or if you are a survivor and would like to be part of the Survivor Steering Committee, please contact Marisela at ministersoflight@gmail.com or call (415) 625-2710.
