“Violence against women, inside or outside the home, is never justified. Violence in any form-physical, sexual, psychological, or verbal is sinful; often, it is a crime as well.” USCCB, When I Call for Help, 2002.

Diocese of St. Petersburg Webinar Recording – Presented on Thursday, October 14, 2021, 7 p.m., on Zoom
Effective Strategies for Helping Families Suffering Abuse, presented by Laura Yeomans, on behalf of Catholics for Family Peace.  This webinar is for clergy and lay pastoral leaders to increase awareness of the reality of domestic violence and to equip ministry leaders with resources to better accompany survivors in healing. 

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Check out the resources in this digital toolkit in English and Spanish offered by Catholics for Family Peace. The toolkit includes helpful links to:

• social media posts and helpful social media channels
• bulletin announcement for the month of October
• personal prayers and prayers of the faithful for the Month of October (English and Spanish)
• preaching tips based on scriptural readings that can be used throughout the year
• marriage resources
• instructive podcasts

More resources are available at:

• Local Domestic Violence Centers in the DOSP
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org – 800-799-SAFE (7233)
• USCCB Resource Page 
  • When I Call for Help:  A Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence Against Women (English and Spanish)
  • Suggestions for preaching about family violence
  • Addressing domestic violence in the sacrament of reconciliation
  • What do you say?
  • Life Matters: Domestic Violence (web page format here)
  • Resource Flyer in English and Spanish for use in parish and diocesan facilities
• ForYourMarriage.org & PorTuMatrimonio.org
• CatholicsforFamilyPeace.org – We aim to inform everyone on ways the Catholic community can promote family peace and to prevent and respond to domestic abuse and to provide resources and promote prayer for all families. Our initiative provides education, resources, and research that help pastoral leaders, clergy, and parishioners recognize domestic abuse and respond with compassion. 
  Catholics for Family Peace is an initiative of the National Institute for the Family, a Catholic research and development organization based in Washington, DC. CFFP serves as a clearinghouse for effective pastoral practices of the universal Church that address violence in the home. Training and information presentations may be scheduled at parishes, seminaries, and for  organizations. ​To schedule a training, contact us.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC – Resources – Laura Yeomans