Living rosary at Saint Francis Xavier Parish offers prayers to end domestic violence

Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

KEARNS — The Saint Francis Xavier Parish Council of Catholic Women hosted a living rosary to pray for those affected by domestic violence. Afterward, they heard from a guest speaker from South Valley Services, a domestic violence shelter. 

On Oct.  8, more than 30 women gathered in the St. Francis Xavier School gym to  learn more about domestic violence prevention in Utah.

Because the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop declared October Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the St. Francis Xavier CCW chose to sponsor the event, said  Lynn Miller, the organization’s president.

She said that she hoped to learn more about the domestic violence situation in Utah and to take this “as a service project, since we asked everyone that was going to join us today to bring an item to donate to the shelter.”

Items such as clothes, shoes, nail polish, makeup, lotion, candy, soap, toiletries,  and  books were collected through the night.

“According to the Partnership Against Domestic Violence, every 9 seconds, another woman in the U.S. is beaten, every 9 seconds,” said JulieAnn Bowden, director of prevention and education of South Valley Services,  one of two domestic violence victim service providers in the Salt Lake area. They offer shelter and supportive services to men, women and children who have been forced to leave their homes due to domestic violence.

“No one deserves to be abused, and a strong support system has to be created in order to successfully leave an abusive relationship and transition back into the community,” Bowden told those gathered in the St. Francis Xavier gym.

Her presentation included how to identify a person suffering from domestic violence, the sources available to help a victim, how to prevent domestic violence, and information about the domestic violence cycle.

“It’s a sobering reality for one in four women in our state who will experience domestic violence in her lifetime,” Bowen said. “Violence against women may occur mostly behind closed doors – 60 percent of domestic violence happens at home – but that doesn’t mean the problem is any less visible. It pours out into the streets – domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families – and into future generations. Girls who witness domestic violence and don’t receive help are more likely to enter an abusive relationship as a teen, and boys from families of domestic violence are far more likely to become abusers as teens and adults, if no one intervenes.”

 Among those who attended the event was Jackie Bergstrom, a member of the parish’s CCW, who said she attended because “we have to know that there are people that are really in need, and when you have someone tell you what’s going on firsthand, it hits home. More than just knowing that they are there. … It becomes more real.”  

People need to be more conscious about it, be [willing] to help more, whether it is with time, money donations, whatever. We need to help each other; we need to be there for each other,” said Bergstrom.