The mission of St. Raymond’s Domestic Violence Outreach is to offer tangible support–– both spiritual and emotional––to victims of domestic violence by educating our community and providing individual and group counseling.
To get help, call the Parish Center at 847-253-8600 to schedule an appointment with a professional counselor or to speak with a St. Raymond staff member.
In an emergency, dial 911 or call the National Domestic Violence 24-Hour Hotline at 800-799-7233.
Who Are the Victims?
*Twenty-five percent of American women and eight percent of American men will experience domestic violence at some point in their lives. Children are very often witnesses and victims themselves.
This statistic does not include the vast number of unreported incidents of violence.
There is no evidence that the prevalence of domestic violence is any lower within faith communities.
What is Domestic Violence?
**Domestic violence (also known as spouse abuse, partner violence, intimate-partner violence, battering, and numerous other terms) is a pattern of coercion used by one person to exert power and control over another person in the context of a dating, family, or household relationship. The spectrum of domestic violence includes much more than physical assault. Domestic violence encompasses a constellation of controlling behaviors that include:
Actual or threatened physical harm, psychological abuse, and forced sexual contact;
Economic control;
Social isolation;
Destruction of a victim’s property, keepsakes, or personal possessions;
Abuse of animals/pets;
Misuse of divine beings or religious beliefs, practices, teachings and traditions as well as asserting male superiority and attributing abusive behavior to cultural traditions.
These behaviors can occur in any combination, sporadically or chronically, over a period of up to several decades.
Most victims of domestic violence are women in heterosexual relationships. Men in heterosexual relationships can also be victims of domestic violence, in addition to both women and men in same-sex relationships. Regardless of culture, race, religion, or socio-economic class, approximately 90 percent of reported domestic violence cases involve men who abuse women.
Upcoming Articles
What Causes Domestic Violence?
Myths and Facts about Domestic Violence
Who is at Greatest Risk? and Characteristics of Abusers
All articles on domestic violence appearing in the Parish Bulletin are archived on St. Raymond’s website at www.st-raymond.org.
*Rev. Joyce Galvin, Domestic Violence Presentations at St. Raymond July 2010
**Elaine J. Alpert, et al. Responding to Domestic Violence: An Interfaith Guide to Prevention and Intervention, The Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network, 2005
Resources
If you would like to schedule an appointment with St. Raymond’s domestic violence counselor, please call the counselor’s direct line at 847-253-5834 or call the Parish Ministry Center (PMC) at 847-253-8600. To speak to another staff member, please call the PMC. The strictest confidence will be maintained. In an emergency, dial 911 or call the National Domestic Violence 24-Hour Hotline at 800-799-7233.
St. Raymond de Penafort
301 S. I-Oka | Mt. Prospect, IL 60056| Ph: 847-253-8600
