Rosary Campaign for Peaceful Homes: Preparing for Domestic Violence Awareness Month
I’m so honored to announce that Laura Ercolino of Hope’s Garden and I have joined together to initiate a Rosary campaign for the month of October.
On our liturgical calendar, the month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, with October 7 as the Memorial of Our Lady of Rosary and October 13 the Miracle of the Sun.
October is also Respect Life Month—and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
During October, Laura Ercolino of Hope’s Garden and I are hoping to inspire as many individuals and organizations as possible to pray a daily Rosary for peace in homes and for the healing and restoration of marriages and families.
The statistics are shocking, yet they reveal a harsh reality: one in every three women in the U.S. has been, or is, in an abusive relationship. For men, the statistics are also grim—one in every eight to ten men find themselves to be victims of violence within what should be the safety of their own homes. These statistics hold steady regardless of race, educational level, location—and religion. What this means is that when you attend Mass on any given day, chances are you will run into a falsely smiling parishioner who’s hiding a deep, confusing, and even shameful secret.
Their home is not a home of peace, but of terror and chaos.
That’s why I’m so honored to announce that Laura Ercolino of Hope’s Garden and I have joined together to initiate a Rosary campaign for the month of October.
It’s time to start talking about this serious problem, to build awareness, support, and healing help for Catholics suffering in abusive marriages.
In addition, the tragic pornography epidemic has drastically increased the rates of physical and sexual abuse within marriages and homes, and as Catholics we know the Rosary is the most powerful prayer weapon against this evil. Overcoming pornography addiction is another focus of our Rosary prayers during the month of October.
Most pornographic movies, magazines, and web sites can function as training manuals for abusers, whether they intend to or not, teaching that women are unworthy of respect and valuable only as sex objects for men. A great deal of mainstream pornographic material—not just the so-called “hard core”—contains stories and images showing the abuse of both women and children as sexy.
(Lundy Bancroft, Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men)
Will you join us in this campaign for an end to domestic violence and peace in homes?
It’s easy to participate!
First and foremost, you could commit to a daily Rosary during the month of October with the intention of praying for peace within homes and for the healing and restoration of marriages and families. If praying a Rosary each day feels too much for you, you can still join this intention in your daily prayers by reciting just one Ave Maria.
Can you spread the word? Laura and I have created a digital packet with resources and images that can be shared through social media, in parish bulletins, bulletin inserts, flyers and more (links below). Please share these with your local parish, diocese, or any other Catholic resource you are in contact with.
If you’re a Catholic organization who would like to be included on our resource page, please send me your logo, URL, and a brief description of your ministry, so you can be included that way.
Our goal is to help all individuals impacted by domestic abuse to find the resources they need to access healing and restoration in Christ, strengthen their Catholic faith, and build homes founded on authentic love. Prayers are our primary means of healing, but also spreading the word in whatever way you are able is another huge step toward attaining the peace of Christ in all homes.
For more information, visit the Hope’s Garden website.
PDFs for bulletin inserts, boards, flyers etc.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13ZrA75RGHO-FYAk6QJYrWcU9id9UGFMQ?usp=sharing
Images for social media, websites, bulletins, flyers, etc.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IRou2D-SeRE59VUtrW38kmOo7-R4AvLb?usp=sharing
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Wonderful, Holy Spirit inspired mission!