By Kath Gannaway
A bronze plaque will be a permanent acknowledgement of the suffering of victims of sexual abuse in the Healesville parish.
The ceremony of dedication will take place at the end of a Mass of Healing and Hope to be held by the parish community on Wednesday, 25 October, at St Brigid’s Catholic Church at 7pm.
The plaque will replace ribbons that were placed in the church grounds as a statement of support for victims, after the manner of the Loud Fence movement that began in Ballarat a few years ago in response to abuse by Catholic priests in that region.
Wording on the plaque will read: “In recognition of those who have suffered through betrayal of trust…”.
Two Healesville priests have been convicted on child sexual abuse charges, David Daniel in 2000 and Paul Pavlou in 2009.
The parish is inviting those who have been sexually abused by any priests in the parish, and others affected – families of victims, teachers and parish staff who tried to warn of the danger, and the people who support victims, to join the parish community in working to heal the hurt.
“We have been wanting to do this for a long time,” parish pastoral associate Debbie Edwards said.
“At last, we have the opportunity to make it happen.”
The opportunity arose out of an initiative of the Lookout4Children group whose purpose is to support victims and promote an awareness of the issue in Healesville.
“The group approached the parish with a proposal to hold an information forum, and a Mass of Healing was deemed to be more appropriate at this time,” a spokesperson for ‘Lookout’ explained.
He said members worked with parish staff in a two-hour session planning the event.
“The meeting recognised that people may not be able to come at short notice, but it is hoped there will be other similar events in the future with an accent on healing the hurt in the parish and in the whole town,” he said.
The widespread scourge of child abuse has been revealed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
The final report of the commission will be released in December, and the ramifications are likely to be a topic of interest for many institutions in Healesville.
“The safety of children will only be secured through adequate protocols and constant vigilance,” Lookout4Children spokesperson said.
Parish secretary, Paula Pearce, spoke at the planning meeting of current practices and protocols that go to developing a culture of alertness, and people attending the Mass will hear of changes in the culture of parish and school.
Another speaker will outline the concerns of the Lookout group, especially the on-going needs of victims whose lives have been damaged or ruined by abuse.
The Lookout spokesperson said child abuse, including sexual abuse, was not confined to historic instances in churches and other institutions, but occurred all too frequently in families.
The group hopes to hold a public meeting next year to raise awareness of the issue in the town.
Lookout4Children can be contacted at info@lookout4children.com .
