Facilitating healing dialogue among those wounded by abuse
in the Roman Catholic Church -- and beyond
Teresa Pitt Green, Co-Founder Spirit Fire
Be the Spark!
Understanding the spiritual dimension of trauma is essential for all Christians, because we are surrounded by survivors and their family members in our friend groups, workplaces, parishes, and communities.
Spirit Fire invites you to promote spiritual healing, especially where abuse has occurred in settings of faith.
Learn from our trauma-informed approach. Begin to foster a restorative dialogue that prioritizes safety, consolation, and hope when speaking of God, faith, Scripture, our timeless traditions, doctrines, and the writings of Christian thinkers.
Anyone can be a spark in the healing Spirit Fire. Survivors. Family members. Parishioners. Church workers. Lay ministers. Clergy. Leaders. Reach out to us and find out what you can do to spread the Spirit Fire.
Spread the
Healing Fire
By some estimates:
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50% of the people in the pews on Sunday have suffered trauma within the past year.
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25% of the adults you know have endured abuse as minors.
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Many have been harmed as vulnerable adults.
It doesn't take much to notice that everyone in the Church suffers in solidarity from the wounds of victims and is in need of healing insights and grace.
The need for healing can seem endless, but God's sovereignty is infinite, the Victory of Jesus is complete, so we can dare to hope.
Find ways that you can--no matter what your unique station in life may be--help others recover from deep spiritual wounds even when the harm was inflicted in faith-related settings.
A Relational Approach
"We are wounded in relationship, and in relationship we must heal."
Carl Jung
Spirit Fire works in tandem with safeguarding programs and therapeutic protocols, amplifying their success by fostering relational healing and recovery. Its work embodies and cultivates healing and recovery person-to-person, heart-to-heart. It teaches from its work walking through the impact from abuse in the Catholic Church with survivors, their family members, parishes, clergy and religious, lay ministries, and leaders. Spirit Fire basic guidelines include nonalignment and inclusive policies to ensure that debate about other issues, however important, cannot impede healing and where the hurt cuts deepest in our Church.
Feature Article
Catholic University to Honor a Bold Advocate for Abuse Survivors
The Catholic University of America in Washington DC honored Teresa Pitt Green, a writer and speaker who promotes healing for survivors of abuse and their families through her work in Spirit Fire, with an honorary doctoral degree in May 2024.
Free Download Available
Pray with Spirit Fire for Catholic hearts broken by the tragedy of abuse that has transpired in our Church since the middle of last century – and before. With this booklet, you or your group may join in a prayer service which has evolved with rich input over many years, since it was first offered by survivors in 2017. Just let us know where to send your free copy for reflection and prayer.
