LOS ANGELES (CA)
Ventura County Star [Camarillo CA]
April 27, 2023
By Tom Kisken
A healing garden dedicated to sexual abuse victims opened Tuesday night at Our Lady of The Assumption Catholic Church in Ventura.
The garden is one of five planned across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which includes Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties. The gardens were inspired by clergy abuse victim and horticultural teacher Joe Montanez, who spoke during a blessing and prayer service Tuesday.
The blessing was led by Monsignor Leon Hutton, episcopal vicar for the Ventura and Santa Barbara counties region of the nation’s largest Roman Catholic archdiocese. It was followed by prayers that are part of a nine-day Novena for Healing from Abuse. There was also a presentation that included support resources for victims.
In a news release, archdiocesan officials asked people with information regarding sexual misconduct to contact law enforcement and to also reach out to the archdiocese’s Office of Victims Assistance Ministry at 800-355-2545 or at protect@la-archdiocese.org.
The archdiocese’s first healing garden was blessed in October by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez at St. Camillus Center for Spiritual Care in Los Angeles. The garden dedicated on Tuesday is the second in the archdiocese and the only one planned in Ventura County.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.