Catholics For Family Peace

What is it?

Catholics for Family Peace: Education and Research on Domestic Abuse is an initiative by the National Institute for the Family. This initiative promotes peace within families and helps Catholics recognize and respond to instances of domestic abuse with compassion. Our vision is that all families have peace in their homes and that they, when such situations arise, respond with knowledge and compassion to domestic abuse, in accordance with the Gospel values. Our objectives are the following:

• To inform the Catholic community on how to promote family peace and to prevent domestic abuse.
• To promote the teachings of the Catholic Church related to domestic abuse.
• To collaborate with clergy and lay leaders to promote an informed and compassionate response.
• To conduct and encourage research on the relationship of faith and domestic abuse.
• To serve as a resource to pastors and inform them on how the universal Church addresses instances of domestic abuse.
• To collaborate with other faith-based and secular organizations that address domestic abuse and promote peaceful relationships.

How does it help?

We aim to inform everyone on how the Catholic community promotes family peace, prevents and responds to domestic abuse, and promotes a healthy prayer-life in all families. Our initiative provides education, resources and research that help pastoral leaders, clergy and parishioners recognize domestic abuse and respond with compassion.

Why is it important?

We hope that all Catholic homes will be places of peace and to make this a reality we must address the serious, and often hidden problem, of domestic violence.

Domestic abuse is a serious and recurring problem in the United States and comes in many forms: physical, sexual, financial, spiritual and emotional. Women are the victims far more often than men, though domestic violence is present to a significant degree in every demographic group in the United State, including in faith communities. Domestic violence hurts the families of our parishioners and impacts the students in our schools. Our bishops, in their statement When I Call for Help: a Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence against Women, issued a call “for a moral revolution to replace the culture of violence.”

How did it start

Dr. Sharon O’Brien is the founding Director of the CFFP. Started as a task force of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011, it then became a 5-year project of the National Catholic School of Social Service at the Catholic University of America. Now, Catholics for Family Peace is a national initiative of the National Institute for the Family, a Catholic research and development organization based in Washington, D.C. Fr. Donald Conroy is the Executive Director of NIF. CFFP serves as a clearinghouse for effective pastoral practices of the universal Church that address violence in the home. We benefit from the volunteer service of many Catholic experts: http://www.catholicsforfamilypeace.org/board-of-advisors.html

Benefits

Often a friend may become the first responder to a person suffering from abuse. We want to equip them with clear and correct information about what the Church teaches about domestic abuse. We assist professionals in dioceses, parishes, schools, seminaries, etc. to address the issue.

We encourage research on domestic violence particularly as it relates to religion, and we work to disseminate our findings to Church authorities. We seek to broaden our community’s knowledge of the root causes of domestic violence and to foster appropriate responses.

We serve as a clearinghouse for “best practices” regarding ministerial initiatives in preventing domestic violence in our Catholic communities and dealing with its aftermath. We are concerned for all those affected by the tragedy of domestic abuse: victims, innocent witnesses, particularly children, as well as people who abuse.

Means and funding

The National Institute for the Family solicits donations for the efforts of this initiative from members of the Catholic community. These donations cover expenses for our website, digital communications, participation in relevant conferences, and membership in family ministry associations. Parishes and dioceses cover expenses for educational presentations to their staff members and volunteers.

This initiative can be taken up in any community by a small group of people who want to address this issue of domestic violence. CFFP is happy to share our strategies and outlines of presentations with those who want to start the initiative in their countries.

Learn more

Visit our webpage, www.catholicsforfamilypeace.org. Email: Education Director Dr. Lauri Przybysz catholicsforfamilypeace@gmail.com. Sign up to receive our quarterly newsletter (a form is on the homepage). Mailing address: P. O. Box 1477, Severna Park, MD 21146.

Countries involved

At this time, Catholics For Family Peace is only in the USA. We are happy to guide new project leaders elsewhere

How to start?

First gather a work group, similar to the task force from which CFFP grew. Then, identify potential partners in the Catholic community, universities, Catholic Charities, social service organizations, national council of Catholic women, researchers, directors of women’s shelters and abuser intervention programs. From this group, learn what the needs of your community are, and find out what resources are already available. Then, study what other faith communities are doing. In the U.S., the Jewish and Muslim women’s organizations have been doing extraordinary work, and CFFP has benefited from their models. Find out what secular services are available and talk with the leaders to learn best practices.

After the work group finishes its study, identify an executive team who will carry on the initiative. Create a website and social media to share educational information. Reach out to diocesan offices, seminaries, priests’ councils, women’s groups, parents’ organizations and offer to make presentations to educate people about how Catholics can respond with compassion when there is abuse in a home.