The Office of Victim Assistance offers avenues for counseling, therapy, and spiritual guidance for victims of abuse and their families.
Our office provides services to those who have experienced abuse as a minor by church personnel, whether the abuse occurred within or outside of our archdiocese.
Through prayer, retreats, groups and connecting with other dioceses if needed, together we will walk through the process that leads to healing.
You matter to us. We want you to have what you need to heal emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Peace of Christ,
Reporting Abuse
We are here to listen and take action. Visit our reporting abuse page for reporting information and the Office of Safe Environment to learn more about how the Archdiocese of Atlanta provides safe spaces for our most vulnerable communities.
Healing Opportunities
The Office of Victim Assistance provides healing opportunities throughout the year, which includes:
- Trauma Recovery Group, for adults living with unresolved trauma
- The Way for Women Retreat, a healing retreat for female survivors of abuse
- The Way for Men Retreat, a healing retreat for male survivors of abuse
- Zoom Support Group, provided by the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis
Read further to learn more about these opportunities. For applications and more information on these programs, please contact our office.
Trauma Recovery Group
The Trauma Recovery Group helps you improve your daily functioning by helping you live effectively in the present. This group will help you stabilize by identifying conflicts and unlearning specific distortions related to the effects of the trauma you have experienced and replacing them with new tools.
Based on Dr. Colin Ross’ Trauma Model, an internationally recognized and research-based model for effective therapy with survivors of trauma, you will move toward the ultimate healing of interpersonal forgiveness and grief.
This co-ed group is limited to 10 participants. It is led by two professional counselors experienced in working with survivors of trauma and well-formed in the truth of the Catholic faith. All those who participate in this group will learn how to move forward on their journey to peace.
Read Brochure- Coming soonThe Way for Women Retreat
The Way for Women Retreat is a healing retreat for female survivors of abuse. It is a 3-day guided meditation and prayer program for women whose abuse by another has deeply affected their heart, mind, body and soul.
These three days of guided meditations and prayer crafted around the Stations of the Cross will show you the steps Christ took to overcome dread, confusion, deep hurt, betrayal and anger not only for his experience of abuse, but for your abuse as well.
The retreat team consists of professional counselors in private practice and a priest within the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The team is experienced in working with survivors of abuse and well-formed and grounded in the truth of the Catholic faith.
Read Brochure – Coming soonThe Way for Men Retreat
The Way for Men Retreat is a healing retreat for male survivors of abuse. It is a 3-day guided meditation and prayer program for men whose abuse by another has deeply affected their heart, mind, body and soul.
In cooperation with the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., we share the hosting of this retreat every other year within our diocese (contact Sue Stubbs for more details).
These three days of guided meditations and prayer crafted around the Stations of the Cross will show you the steps Christ took to overcome dread, confusion, deep hurt, betrayal and anger not only for his experience of abuse, but for your abuse as well.
Read Brochure – Coming soonZoom Support Group
Provided by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the Zoom Support Group meets virtually on the second Monday of each month, from 6:30-8 p.m. central time. This group is for families, relatives and friends of victims of clergy or religious sexual abuse.
For more information and to participate, please contact:
Paula Kaempffer
Coordinator of Restorative Practices and Survivor Support
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
kaempfferp@archspm.org
763-688-3978
Upcoming Events
The Office of Victim Assistance has scheduled a three-day guided meditation and prayer program for women whose abuse by another has deeply affected their heart, mind, body and soul. Registration[...]
The Office of Victim Assistance has scheduled a three-day guided meditation and prayer program for women whose abuse by another has deeply affected their heart, mind, body and soul. Registration[...]
The Office of Victim Assistance has scheduled a three-day guided meditation and prayer program for women whose abuse by another has deeply affected their heart, mind, body and soul. Registration[...]
Healing Organizations
- SpiritFire is a survivor-led organization founded by two survivors of clergy abuse, Teresa Pitt Green and Luis Torres, to share their stories and provide avenues of healing for other victims/survivors of clergy abuse.
- The Maria Goretti Network reaches out to abuse victims, their families and to those who support their recovery, with God’s love as witnessed in the life of Maria Goretti.
Spiritual Guidance
Spiritual Guidance for Survivors
The Archdiocese of Atlanta is committed to providing spiritual and pastoral care to survivors of abuse.
The archbishop has appointed a group of priests as spiritual directors to reach out to victims of abuse who may be experiencing confusion and hurt in their relationship with the Catholic Church.
These spiritual directors are strictly pastoral in nature. A survivor may contact any priest listed, another priest or spiritual director of their choosing, or request that someone be assigned to assist them during this difficult period.
NOTE: The archdiocese has created separate lists for victims and the accused to prevent any potential conflict of interest regarding an individual priest whom survivors would contact and those chosen to minister to alleged perpetrators.
Prayers for Victims and Survivors of Abuse
Stations of the Cross
- “The Way: Stations of the Cross for Survivors of Abuse” is used in The Way retreats for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Proceeds of the book benefit the production of Watershed: The Way to Peace for Survivors of Abuse.
- AWAKE, a ministry in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, has “The Way of the Cross with Survivors,” which includes reflections for each station written by survivors.
- Stations of the Cross from the Collaborative Ministry Office at Creighton University
Praying the Rosary
- From the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Diocesan Resources Collection – Rosary Guide for Healing and Protection in English and Spanish.
- Rosary for Healing from Abuse from the Diocese of Sioux Falls
Novena for Our Church
Pray for the emotional, physical and spiritual healing of the Catholic Church as a whole and especially for the victims of abuse and their families during this nine-day Novena for Our Church.
It begins on November 30, the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, and ends December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
