About 50 parishioners from Southland Catholic churches held battery-operated candles Thursday evening while standing beneath a towering statue of Mary at OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park.
The observation of Domestic Violence Month included counselors, outreach advocates, nursing educators, nursing students and at least one hospital administrator. They joined in prayers before walking the perimeter of the hospital campus, many wearing shirts and ribbons of purple.
One in four women and one in seven men in the U.S. have experienced some form of intimate partner violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The abuse can include verbal abuse, financial abuse, intimidation and sometimes escalate to murder and suicide.
Cook County leads Illinois with the highest number of domestic violence related deaths, with 37 in 2023. The figure represents more than double the number in 2022, according to the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Some attending the prayer vigil said they experienced domestic violence. Others witnessed family members and friends struggle in troubled relationships.
“This issue is close to my heart,” said Robert Landuyt, deacon at St. Gianna Parish in Evergreen Park. “My daughter and granddaughter were severely abused. I came home to all of this. We were very surprised the man who was living with my daughter had abused them and nobody wanted to do anything to prove it.”
Ensuring his family members would be safe required four years of wrangling with the court system and DCFS, Landuyt said.
That was in the early 2000s. About 10 years ago, Landuyt began working diligently to address the issue with Charles Dahm, a Dominican priest and director of domestic violence outreach for the Chicago Archdiocese.
Thanks to Dahm and others, 180 parishes participate in domestic violence prevention activities aimed at bringing awareness and promoting prevention strategies.
This event was coordinated with the Southside Domestic Violence Outreach Committee, which also includes parishes St. John Fisher, St. Cajetan, Christ the King, St. Barnabas, St. Christina, St. Catherine of Alexandria and Our Lady at St. Germaine.
“I came to realize it’s a learned behavior,” Landuyt said. “If you had a dad who was physically abusive and violent to your mother, you may assume this is how it has to be, but that’s not the case. Our real feeling with all of this is, let’s get to a point where we never have to have these events to bring awareness.”
Fifteen members of St. Gianna volunteer.
“They’re not necessarily trained as counselors, but they do connect people with resources and with people who can help,” Landuyt said.
One of those volunteers, Charlene Bermele, a registered nurse and interim dean for St. Xavier University’s college of nursing, health sciences and business, made domestic violence the subject of her dissertation. She was out of town during the vigil but made an outsized effort to bring awareness to St. Xavier nursing students. As a result, 12 students and two faculty members participated.
“I know someone who passed away from domestic violence,” said Alexa Ramo, a senior nursing student at St. Xavier. “I saw an advertisement about this and wanted to participate in the devotions. We’re taking courses to perform interventions and learning how to respond and give comfort so people can feel safe and supported.”
Students had comforted an abuse victim who gave birth earlier in the week, said Mary Murphy Smith, associate professor of nursing at St. Xavier.
St. Xavier nursing students Justina Watts and Olivia Dominici led the procession around the hospital, carrying a large banner emblazoned with a purple butterfly that flapped in the evening breeze.
Watts said she experienced domestic violence and regarded the butterfly as a symbol of freedom.
Dominici, a representative of the St. Xavier Student Nurses Association, welcomed the chance to connect with others on addressing the challenge.
“We’re learning it’s important for people affected by domestic violence to know their options,” she said. “Many don’t know how to get out of those cycles of abuse.”
Rita Ryan, a certified domestic violence professional, helped establish A New Direction in Morgan Park. The organization provides emergency support for women and children. Ryan also helped develop a children’s therapy program.
Frank Cihak, who leads domestic violence outreach efforts at St. Christina in Mount Greenwood, said he has referred people to A New Direction.
“Rita helps put them in touch with legal resources and helps them realize how this affects children, and then they find reason to get out,” he said. “What they won’t do for themselves, they will do for their children.”
The Catholic Church tolerates civil divorce sought to ensure personal safety or the safety of children, though the divorced person may not remarry in the church unless an annulment is granted.
“You do not need to be in an abusive relationship, you can leave,” Cihak said. “The Catholic Church is on the right side of this.”
The walk concluded with Rev. Dahm thanking parishioners for their participation.
“Let’s raise a candle in the darkness to help domestic violence victims see the light, that they don’t have to stay in abusive relationships,” he said. “We can help them find peace and safety.”
This was fourth annual walk for Diane Allen, a member of St. Gianna and volunteer for the Crisis Center of South Suburbia in Tinley Park.
“I feel good about helping other women. I think it’s so good if they see they are being supported through events like these,” she said.
The Crisis Center provides emergency shelter for domestic violence victims. Its number is 708-429-7233. The organization will host a pop-up tent from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 17 at the farmers market at Yukich Field, 8900 S. Kedzie Ave., Evergreen Park.
Susan DeGrane is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
