Prayer to end child abuse
God, in your providential love you comfort those who are wounded and afflicted. Hear our prayers for those who have suffered abuse by those in their families or by those entrusted with their care .In a special way, we pray for those who suffered abuse by clergy who betrayed a sacred trust and who were meant to stand for your loving presence in their lives. May those who have been hurt find support and encouragement in communities of faith, hope, and love. May they discover healing in genuinely loving and caring relationships. May they reclaim hope for themselves. May they be strengthened and confirmed in their resolve to set things aright. May they rest in you who make all things work for the good. Amen
by Father Louis Cameli Profiles in Catholicism.
Prayer for abused children
Lord we have seen and heard the children cry and pour out their
suffering and their pain,
They cry to you to rescue them from the abusers and the shame,
That is unjustly heaped upon them as if they were to blame,
while the abusers walk free and unsullied is their name.
Lord bring the abusers to justice and give the children closure, peace and freedom,
May they know they are the most important in your friendship and your kingdom.
To receive a child you said is to welcome and be one with you ,
Inspire us Lord to fight for their dignity and their rights
and give healing and a life that is wonderful and new.
Amen.
by Father Shay Cullen Profiles in Catholicism
A prayer for all the children traumatized by sexual violence
… Out of the silence
… Out of the secrecy
… Out of the shame
Has come a voice, oh Lord, not one
but many, not many but too many …
… Out of the silence
In which words fought to form
Or were mangled in the speaking
Or were decried as fabricated
Came the tears through which hearts,
Un-Hid, torched with knowing,
Struggled and grappled with pain
And said what was done, oh Lord, in secret.
… Out of the secrecy
In which files were hidden and moved,
Or left, too difficult to attend to,
Or lost, in paper mazes and people moves
Came the tearing truth to be told,
Shattering, boldly, the practices of the
Past, dismantling pretences and
Witnessing, oh Lord, to what happened.
… Out of the shame,
In which lives were cruelly twisted,
Shocked, unstitched, on hold
Stole the faltering start to stop abuse
Came the call out of silence, oh Lord,
Came the call out of secrecy, oh Lord,
Came the call out of shame, oh Lord!
Passing through a clawed silence
Passing through a scrupulous secrecy
Passing through a cloying shame
From here, oh Lord, will strength begin?
To what, oh Lord, will life now bring?
To whom, oh Lord, will my heart sing?
Oh Mother of the living Son, let life thrive
Oh wife and mother let families survive
Oh wife and mother and daughter too,
Open anew the vocations trashed and reviled.
Oh Joseph, foster father of the Son, show forth
The work, done, undone and still to be done
Of the husband’s cherishing of wife and family,
Foster the dignity of man and woman and work.
Out of awareness, let us listen to others
Out of what we know, let us know the unknown
Out of healing, let us help to prevent the stripping
Of innocence, peace, childhood, and friendship.
So, all angels and saints, traversing times
And places, search our holed humanity and
Turn hiding places inside out and help us address
The causes of vulnerability; undo disguises,
Challenge us anew to change, going beyond change
To conversion, conversion taking us through to
Being different and discovering the graced blessings
That perfects our efforts and grants us gifts.
Oh Lord, renew the face of the earth and inspire
The passing permanent improvement which, enriching
Now will go with us into eternity, outliving corruption
And causing love to course again through this generation.
by Francis Etheredge, author of numerous books and the forthcoming, Within Reach of You: A Book of Prose and Prayers.
Prayer for the children saved from sexual abuse by the Preda Foundation
Oh Lord, we thank you for hearing the voices of sexually abused children, who have been saved and brought into new lives through the work of Father Shay Cullen and the Preda Foundation These voices of hurt and fear are too often unheard.
Inspired by the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, those who work in the Preda Foundations hear the childrens' anguished cries and lovingly respond, freeing them from capture and gently, over the years, raising them from virtual death to new lives of fulfillment and responsibility, so that they in turn can be the voices of others in need.
Oh Lord, help us to hear the voices of all those crying out to us in need and fear. Help us to do what we can, following the model of the Preda Foundation, to help children and all those in need reclaim their lives and filled with love for You and for each other respond with love and care for all in need. by Dr. Eugene Fisher Profiles in Catholicism
A Prayer for Those Who Have Suffered Abuse by the Clergy
God, in your providential love you comfort those who are wounded and afflicted. Hear our prayers for those who have suffered abuse by those in their families or by those entrusted with their care .In a special way, we pray for those who suffered abuse by clergy who betrayed a sacred trust and who were meant to stand for your loving presence in their lives. May those who have been hurt find support and encouragement in communities of faith, hope, and love. May they discover healing in genuinely loving and caring relationships. May they reclaim hope for themselves. May they be strengthened and confirmed in their resolve to set things aright.May they rest in you who make all things work for the good. Amen by Father Louis J Cameli Profiles in Catholicism.
Videos
Pinwheels for Prevention Prayer Service