A Guide to Creating Worship Services That Nurture Victims of Sexual Assault

Abstract

How does a religious group create a safe and welcoming environment for people affected by sexual assault? This article seeks to establish a set of guidelines for religious organizations, especially those following in the Roman Catholic tradition, as they design worship services. Ten distinct areas of liturgical planning are considered with recommendations for making each more sensitive. After a closer examination of one Catholic liturgy created for honoring victims of sexual assault, the article concludes with an outline for a liturgy designed to nurture victims of sexual assault.

KEYWORDS:

• Catholic
• Liturgy
• sexual assault

Notes

1. According to the Department of Justice, in 2007 there were 248,280 reported incidences of rape or sexual assault.

2. See Armstrong, D. (1983, Winter). “Counseling rape victims.” Leadership, 4(1), 41–43; Bilich, M., Bonfiglio, S., & Carlson, S. (2000). Shared grace: Therapists and clergy working together. New York, NY: Haworth Pastoral Press; Stinson-Wesley, S. Amelia. (1996). Daughters of Tamar: Pastoral care for survivors of rape. In J. Stevenson Moessner (Ed.), Through the eyes of women: Insights for pastoral care (pp. 222–239). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press; Leslie, K. J. (2003). When violence is no stranger: Pastoral counseling with survivors of acquaintance rape. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

3. For a concise table of all the readings outlined in the Lectionary for Mass, see the Roman Catholic Lectionary Web site moderated by Dr. Felix Just, S.J. at http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/index.html