The Archdiocese of Chicago to Hold 13th Annual Hope and Healing Mass
Chicago - (Sept. 18, 2024) – The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Assistance Ministry will hold its 13th Annual Hope and Healing Mass at 10 a.m., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, at Church of the Holy Family, 1080 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Chicago. The Mass is an opportunity for clergy abuse victim-survivors to find a safe space for healing where they can feel supported. (editor’s note: to protect the privacy of victim-survivors who will attend the Mass, media are asked to not film or photograph their faces).
"Clergy sexual abuse is a profound betrayal of trust that has caused immense suffering and grief, and as a Church, we must continue to confront this painful reality with utmost seriousness and humility,” said Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago. “As victim-survivors gather for this healing Mass, we acknowledge the deep wounds inflicted on the innocent and commit ourselves to the path of justice, rebuilding trust and providing support and healing for survivors, ensuring transparency and accountability, and creating a culture where every person is valued, protected and respected.”
Rev. Richard Jakubik, pastor of St. Mary of the Woods Parish in Chicago, will serve as the main celebrant. Mayra Flores, director of the Office of Assistance Ministry, and Michael Hoffman, chairman of the archdiocese’s Hope and Healing Committee, victim-survivor and parishioner of St. Mary of the Woods Parish, will participate in the Mass.
“The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Assistance Ministry has been at the forefront over the years, in working with clergy abuse survivors by asking survivors what they feel they need in their own individual healing journey,” said Hoffman. “This dialogue, with support and encouragement from archdiocesan leadership, has produced several survivor-driven healing initiatives.”
The Mass for Hope and Healing was first held in 2011 when victim-survivors requested a special Mass so they could support one another and reconcile their experiences with their desire to be part of a Catholic faith community. Each year, victim-survivors collaborate with clergy and staff to plan the liturgy. Attendance has grown to include clergy, victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse, family members and caregivers of survivors, church lay ministry staff, Catholic school leadership and many others who are committed to the protection and safety of children and youth.
The National Catholic Restorative Justice Initiative (NCRJI), a group of Catholic clergy, victim-survivors and laypeople dedicated to promoting healing in the Church from clergy sex abuse, is leading an effort to develop a National Healing Garden in Washington, D.C. to symbolize the U.S. Catholic Church’s acknowledgment and permanent commitment to the healing of victims of clergy sexual abuse. It will also serve as a venue for prayer services and other events dedicated to healing. Hoffman serves as chairman of the National Healing Garden planning committee and noted the Healing Garden of the Archdiocese of Chicago will serve as a model for the National Healing Garden.
The survivor vision statement for the National Healing Garden states, “As clergy sexual abuse survivors from across the United States, in relationship with the Church, we offer empathy and acknowledgement to all survivors of any kind of abuse. In this sacred healing space, we invite the entire Body of Christ into the journey of accompaniment and reconciliation, imploring God’s mercy to bring healing to the lives of everyone harmed by abuse in the Church. Pledge with us to continue working to respect, protect, defend, and restore the dignity that all deserve as children of God.”
Hoffman added, “the national garden, like the Hope and Healing Mass in the Chicago Archdiocese and other survivor-driven initiatives, will serve as a witness of unity and renewal to Catholics across the country and to encourage reconciliation, healing to the lives of everyone harmed by abuse in the Church and eventual freedom from the painful wounds of abuse.”
The Office of Assistance Ministry, part of the archdiocese’s Office of the Protection of Children and Youth (OPCY), provides pastoral care, support and resources to victim-survivors of clerical sexual abuse, and their loved ones in their journey to achieve psychological, emotional and spiritual healing. Since its creation as one of the first victim assistance ministries in the United States, the Office of Assistance Ministry has provided services and support to more than 400 victim-survivors and their family members.
For more information on the services provided by the Office for Assistance Ministry, please visit
https://protect.archchicago.org/offices-and-services/office-of-assistance-ministry.
