Catholic Family Services hosts Mass to end woman abuse

TORONTO - The foundation that supports Catholic Family Services of Toronto doesn’t know how to solve the problem of men beating up and bullying their wives and girlfriends, but they know one thing we should be doing about it. They want us to pray.

Catholic Family Services of Toronto Foundation is bringing Catholics together to pray for victims, families and even the abusers at its second annual Mass to End Woman Abuse Nov. 3. This year the Mass will be held 6 p.m. at St. Clare’s Church, 1118 St. Clair Ave. W., with Fr. Vito Marziliano presiding.

The Mass will offer prayers for women and for healing, said Mary Benincasa of St. Clare’s parish.

“We want to consider the issue and to pray for those involved,” said Benincasa.

Statistics Canada reports that on a single day, April 15, 2010, 4,645 women were living in 593 shelters serving abused women nationwide. Another 426 had to be turned away because there was no more room.

On that day 66 per cent of the women reported emotional abuse and 53 per cent physical abuse. Most of the women (80 per cent) in the shelter for reasons of abuse said they had been abused by a husband or common-law partner.

Three-quarters of the women who have children bring them along to the shelters. On average, each mother brought two children.

Thirty-one per cent of women in shelters have been there before.

Catholic Family Services tries to prevent women from ending up in shelters through family and couples counselling.

This year’s Mass will include an acknowledgment that the problem is not limited by age and includes a good deal of elder abuse, said Benincasa.

There will be no collection during the Mass, but the foundation will be taking donations after.