We must do more than provide only shelter for the wounded and tortured souls who suffer from domestic violence. While providing safe harbor is important, the only way the cycle of abuse will ever be broken is to provide medical and psychological care in addition to a safe place in which to reside temporarily. This is our Apostolate.

We are in the process of establishing a first for any monastic community. We feel led by God to establish a facility to provide that global care for those in need. Every 9 seconds in the United States a woman is being abused in one form or another. The cost to society is tremendous and often times ignored.

Following the lead of Mother Teresa we plan on setting our first location in the State of Mexico where we now hold a nonprofit certificate from that state. From there we can provide aid to those in need from such surrounding states as Arizona, Colorado, and Texas.

We have established a website at http://www.saintpatricksmonastery.com as our first step. We welcome all to come and visit us there. If there are those who would be able to volunteer services to us, please do make contact with me, or Fr. Vincent.

May God bless!

Fr. Chris

Thank you, Father, for the link and the information. I will be praying for your apostolate.

I agree that counseling and related services are necessary, but there are way to few safe refuges available to enable victims of abuse to escape from it.

We need a LOT more safe shelters. All of the counseling in the world will not affect a person that does not have a safe place to go.

We need to convince State Legislators to allow the victims of abuse to NOT have to provide a physical address to counsel for the abuser. In many cases, the abusers lawyer passes on the address where the victim is living, thereby making them (and others) vulnerable. That has to stop.

Children that witness abuse of a parent MUST be protected. Until and unless the perp has been cleared by competent authorities (and not the rubber stamp that all too many abusers counseling programs really are), they should not be allowed any contact with their children.

Any parent that is twice convicted of abusing a child in their custody or control, should automatically lose ALL parental rights permanently. NO EXCEPTIONS. If a parent can do that a 2nd time, after being convicted, no amount of treatment is going to make a significant difference. It is MUCH better to remove the child from that cycle, and get them with parents that WILL love and nurture them.

I grew up being abused in just about every way that a child can possibly be abused. I was beaten, burned, sexually molested (by my mother and several step-fathers), psychologically abused for my entire life till I ran away and joined the Army, starved (we had only dry dog food to eat for weeks at a time), my feet are permanently deformed because i had to wear shoes that were way too small, and I could go on and on.

Counseling is UTTERLY useless for the victim(s), until they truly believe that they are safe. No amount of caring, no services offered, will really matter until that person can come to believe that they really and truly are safe from the person (or people) that has been abusing them. Many of them have been through situations where the perp promises never to do it again, even promising the courts and probation officers that they won't do it again, or where the authorities have told them they are safe, but they find that the reign of terror almost always comes back.

The victim believes, deep in their soul, that they will NEVER be safe, no matter what. Telling them that they are won't really penetrate, it takes time, and physical distance, before this can sink in.

I can give you an example of that from my own life. I was 16 when I enlisted in the Army. The recruiter KNEW I was only 16, and my mother knew it too, when she signed the papers saying I was actually 17. She couldn't get at me in the Army, but the fear was there that when I refused to give her an allotment for most of my pay (which was $78.00 per month BEFORE income taxes and Social Security), she might inform the Army that I was under age. If she did, I would be kicked out, and she would have control of me again.

It was ONLY when I had my 17th birthday, and I turned myself in (knowing that they would keep me), that I finally felt truly safe. I underwent years of counseling, to rid myself of the demons from that abuse. Forgiveness took a LOT longer, that only happened in the past 5 years (I am 68 now).

So yes Father, your counseling program is important. But, don't be upset if it doesn't really "take" in the beginning, because a lot of the victims simply are not ready for it for quite some time. They will go through the motions, but it won't really penetrate to where it makes real changes, until that person KNOWS that they are permanently safe from the person that had been abusing them.

Just now reading this, OM. for you.

Yes now a days Domestic violence and abuse are the biggest controversy.Even the educated people will be victim of this domestic violence.Actually the women of our society are the most victims of this domestic violence.If we people raise our voice against domestic violence than we can protect our women from this curse.So it's good to know about Domestic Violence Facts.

I see this every day and I don't think there is a permanent solution. The women keep going back to the guy who beat them or they find another one just like him.

We can't give up. We have to continue to provide services and protection. The abusers are almost always Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde types. When they haven't been drinking they're no problem, but when they've had one or two beers their personalities change. They don't even have to be drunk.

The system in Texas is trying to get started putting these guys in a center that addresses their mental needs. Many veterans come home with PTSD and get no help. Their first reaction is to strike out when they feel their needs aren't being met by their wives and girlfriends. I felt sorry for a veteran with PTSD who was sent to prison for 20 years last week because I knew he needed to be in a hospital.
The State is just being made aware of the problem with the abusers. It's really sad when little boys grow up thinking the only way to deal with women is to beat them.