- Download PDF Version available for use with email and print distribution.
To: All clergy, parish secretaries and bulletin editors
From: Patrick Metts, LPC, associate director, Office of Evangelization and Discipleship
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Annually, the Office of Evangelization & Discipleship updates our online resources and referral information currently available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the resources on our webpage and consider printing pamphlets to raise awareness in your parish.
Mass will be offered by Bishop Bernard (Ned) E. Shlesinger III for the 2022 National Observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month on Thursday, October 13, at 12 p.m. The Mass will be livestreamed from the Chancery Chapel of St. Dominic. Please join us in prayer for all those affected by domestic violence.
To learn more about the Catholic response to domestic violence, visit the U.S. Bishops’ website for their Pastoral Letter: “When I Call for Help.” Additionally, Catholics For Family Peace has prepared a toolkit of helpful resources to use this month.
USCCB Resources
- When I Call for Help is available online or for purchase. Also available are resource cards that give warning signs of abuse and a hotline number.
- Preaching Resource on Domestic Violence Throughout the Liturgical Year
- This English/Spanish Sign, with the National Domestic Violence hotline and space to add local resources, is designed for use in restrooms.
- Life Matters: Domestic Violence – a pamphlet from the USCCB’s Pro-Life Secretariat.
- Made for Love, Episode 4: When Love Means Leaving (Domestic Violence).
- More information can be found on the USCCB’s Domestic Violence Page.
- Catholics For Family Peace has drawn together many helpful resources for parish leaders to use during October and throughout the year.
For further information, please contact me at 404-920-7643 or pmetts@archatl.com.