Mission
The Domestic Violence Committee is a group of individuals, guided by Catholic social teaching, which seeks to encourage religious leaders and congregations to improve their skills in understanding and responding to domestic abuse. The committee works to promote community response to domestic abuse through awareness, education and prevention.
The committee’s primary function is to provide domestic violence response training sessions at parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago. These sessions train parish staff members to address all aspects of domestic violence, which then equips these staff members with the tools and resources to assist, support and ensure the safety of domestic violence victims who may look to the Church for help.
If you are interested in inviting the Domestic Violence Committee to provide a training session at your parish please contact Rosi Viquez at 847-882-7580 or email at rosi.v@churchoftheholyspirit.org.
Rosi Viquez (Church of the Holy Spirit)—Program Coordinator
Father Charles Dahm, O.P. (St. Pius V Parish)
Deacon Retired Judge Dan Welter (St. Josaphat Parish)
Beth Horvath (St. Matthew, Schaumburg)
Adrienne Kalmes (St. Anne, Barrington)
Carlos Lopez (St. Pius V)
Sue Low (Church of the Holy Spirit)
Dolores Tapia (St. Pius V)
Sisters of Mercy
Sister Dorothy (Good Shepherd Women’s Shelter)
- Suggestions for preaching about family violence
- Sample homilies on domestic violence
- Addressing domestic violence in the sacrament of reconciliation
- Batterers and the sacrament of reconciliation
- What do you say?
- Domestic Violence Fact for Illinois
- Domestic Violence Fact Sheets by Topic
- Equality Wheel
- Equality Wheel—Spanish
- Power and Control Wheel
- Power and Control Wheel—Spanish
- Religious Community Checklist
- FaithTrust Institute
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
- Family Violence Prevention Fund