Victoria: Healing Pilgrimage For the Innocents

For the Innocents invites you to come on pilgrimage to espouse the National apology – to all those who experienced Sexual Abuse as children in an Institution – by the Prime Minister. Our pilgrimage will gather at 11.30 at the Healing Remembrance Garden of St Patrick’s College, 1431 Sturt St Ballarat on Saturday, 20 October, 2018.


Introduction

The Prime Minister Scott Morrison will deliver a National Apology to victims and survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse on Monday 22nd October 2018.

The National Apology, to be delivered at Parliament House in Canberra, will acknowledge and apologise for the appalling abuse endured by vulnerable children, by the very people that were supposed to care for them, leaving immeasurable and lasting damage.

The National Apology will pay tribute to victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, many of whom have so bravely shared their stories through the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, with the aim of ensuring the shameful practices are never repeated in the future.

The Apology will be delivered by the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, in the House of Representatives at 11:00am on Monday 22 October 2018. A viewing ceremony of the Apology will be held in the Great Hall in Parliament House, and the event will be televised live around Australia. After the Apology, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition will address guests in the Great Hall.


For the Innocents invites you to come on pilgrimage to espouse the National apology to the abused by the Prime Minister.

Our pilgrimage will gather at 11.30 at the Healing Remembrance Garden of St Patrick’s College, 1431 Sturt St Ballarat on Saturday, October 20. At noon, we will be welcomed by John Crowley, the Principal.

At noon, we will be welcomed by John Crowley, the Principal of St Patrick’s College.

We’ll have a ’gathering of lament’ symbolic ceremony with the ‘Quilt of Hope’ and our Federation Square pilgrim cross.

We invite each to wear a coloured ribbon and walk/drive to the Golden City Hotel for lunch and those who wished would place their ribbon on the Cathedral fence.

For the Innocents wants the abused to know there are ordinary people, faithful to Jesus’ message of love and care, who support them on their journey towards healing. For the Innocents remains part of the Pilgrim People and accepts that survivors want little to do with anything ‘church’.

Ballarat was chosen because of the terrible abuse and over-representation of suicides that have occurred since the early 1960s. The era of Bishops James O’Collins and Ronald Mulkearns was characterised by scandal and continuous cover-ups that continued well into this century.

Our intention is to walk as pilgrims seeking forgiveness and redemption from both victims and the offending church.

A pilgrim quests for redemption, for rediscovery, for new enlightenment, for insights to lighten the paths into our future, to lead with confidence through darkened passageways, to help us make ‘quality decisions’ that impact and reach our family and community.

For the Innocents may be found at www.fortheinnocents.com

It is an advocacy and victim support group of 58 ordinary people committed to restorative justice. It has gathered since 2011 to stand in support of child sexual abuse victims, their families and truth-telling whistle blowers as the ripples are far wider than just the act of abuse.

For the Innocents is committed to righting the wrong through public education and actively fosters the creation of healing gardens as places of transformative reflection. It seeks to sustain survivors and thrivers because of the neglect of various institutional leaders who illegally covered up monstrous crimes.

The spontaneous Loud Fence movement let ordinary people express their concern at a time when bishops and their consultants continued to ignore them with subsequent tragic consequences.

We acknowledge each victim is unique. We acknowledge Bishop Paul Bird’s first concern is for victims who have suffered at the hands of churchmen and denials by bishops. We applaud him.

We will advise authorities of our intentions. We have no wish to disrupt but to espouse the apology of our Prime Minister.

Ballarat priests and people are most welcome to join us. There can be no justice without truth and both are essential for healing.

You may view the document repository – healing strategies – of For The Innocents here.

With love and the force of Jesus

Professor Michael Parer
For the Innocents Chair and Convener
Former Parish priest St Patrick’s Gordon, Millbrook, Springbank, Mount Eggerton, Ballan.

* espousal an act of adopting or supporting a cause, belief, or way of life, adoption, embracing, taking up, taking to, taking to one’s heart, enthusiastic/wholehearted, reception, acceptance, welcome; support, backing, championship, help, assistance, aid, siding with, favouring, preferring, abetting, aiding and abetting, encouragement; defence; sponsorship, vouching for, promotion, furtherance, endorsement, advocacy, sanctioning, approval

Event Details

Program: Pilgrimage Walk in Ballarat
When: Saturday, October 20,2018
Time: 11:30am
Where: Healing Remembrance Garden, St Patrick’s College, 1431 Sturt St Ballarat
Pilgrims End: Golden City Hotel.
Pilgrims will wear loud fence ribbons to tie at the Cathedral.
More information: Michael Parer, mob 0409250004, ph 03 51221345
ALL WELCOME; Ballarat Priests are also welcome to participate