Chicago, (April 23, 2024) – The Archdiocese of Chicago is preparing to host its 13th annual prayer service for child abuse prevention and pinwheel planting at the Healing Garden located at Holy Family Parish. The event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, April 25, 2024, at 1080 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, emphasized the importance of creating safe environments for young individuals, stating, “In the Archdiocese of Chicago, we take seriously our responsibility for maintaining safe environments for our students and young people in our parishes, schools, and community, so they may grow and thrive freely.”

Michael Hoffman, a clergy abuse survivor and chairman of the Hope and Healing Committee for the archdiocese’s Office of the Protection of Children and Youth (OPCY), highlighted the significance of breaking the silence surrounding childhood abuse. Hoffman expressed, “Abuse of children is facilitated by a culture of silence or a practice of willful blindness. The annual Pinwheels for Prevention Prayer Service helps to break the silence that surrounds childhood abuse in our society.”

The event will see the participation of students from various schools, including St. Ailbe School, Annunciata School, Northside Catholic Academy, St. Ignatius College Prep, and St. Therese Chinese Catholic School. Activities during the service will include planting pinwheels and tying blue ribbons onto trees, symbolizing efforts towards child safeguarding.

Hoffman further emphasized the collaborative effort in protecting children, stating, “Together, children and adults plant pinwheels in the Healing Garden of the Archdiocese of Chicago, as a visual, public display of support for protecting all God’s children from any kind of harm.”

The Healing Garden, dedicated to the healing and recovery of child abuse victims and their families, serves as a place for the community to come together during National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Efforts are also underway to establish a National Healing Garden in Washington, D.C., aiming to promote healing and reconciliation for abuse victims.

The Archdiocese, through OPCY, provides training to children and youth in schools and parishes to recognize and report inappropriate behavior. More than 100,000 students receive safe environment training in Catholic school religious education classes annually, highlighting the commitment to safeguarding children from abuse.