OMAHA (NE)
KETV - ABC 7 [Omaha NE]
April 4, 2022
By Abbie Petersen
A night dedicated to healing at Saint Leo Catholic Church. It’s the fifth annual service the archdiocese has held for survivors of abuse and their family members.
A night dedicated to healing at Saint Leo Catholic Church.
It’s the fifth annual service the archdiocese has held for survivors of abuse and their family members.
KETV Newswatch 7 was there as the archbishop led the service.
Inside st. Leo the Great Catholic Church, men, women and children sat in pews Monday night.
Surrounded by the color purple, which symbolizes strength and domestic violence awareness.
Although the victim outreach and prevention office serves as outreach for victims of clergy abuse, organizers say this healing service is much more than that.
“We realize there’s a lot of people in our community that are hurting with wounds of abuse, both from childhood through adulthood so this is for everybody,” said Mary Beth Hanus, director of victim outreach and prevention.
Hanus says the service is an opportunity to pray together.
“We see the just transforming effect it has on some people, that their church cares about their healing and cares about their wounds and that they want Christ to heal them,” Hanus said.
One after another, people brought roses up to the front of the church, representing someone who has been hurt.
Hanus hopes the service shows people that the church cares.
“So, we make it special because people that have that kind of trauma kind of sometimes feel like they’re not worthy. So we want to make them know how worthy they are in god’s eyes,” Hanus said.