MILWAUKEE (WI)
Fox 6
April 24, 2013, by Katie DeLong
MILWAUKEE (WITI) — This week, Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki held a Mass of Atonement — a Mass that has become an annual event during which the church seeks forgiveness for clergy who have sexually abused children. Now, Listecki has released a letter following that Mass in which he discusses Child Abuse Awareness month and Safe Environment Week within the Archdiocese.
Archbishop Listecki’s letter reads:
Love One Another
April 23, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This is Child Abuse Awareness month and this week is Safe Environment Week in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, where we pay special attention to the measures adopted over the past 10 years to ensure children are safe in our parishes and schools.
Last night, as a way of marking these events, I celebrated a Mass of Atonement, joining our prayers to the sacrificial act of Jesus, to pray for those who have suffered from clergy sexual abuse, for the community that carries the pain associated with their brothers and sisters, for the reform in the heart and mind of those clergy who have abused, but most importantly, for a sense of understanding that God’s love can accomplish a reconciliation in our lives and in our community.
In preparing for the Mass, which was hosted by St. John Vianney Parish in Brookfield, I began thinking about how our attention to Safe Environment is one of the good things that has come out of the evil that was perpetrated upon innocent children. The Safeguarding All of God’s Family program has provided training to more than 50,000 adults who have contact with our young people and, in addition, more than 100,000 children received safe environment education in their curriculum.
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