The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Assistance Ministry will host its 14th Annual Hope and Healing Mass on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the Church of the Holy Family in Chicago. The event is intended to provide a supportive environment for survivors of clergy abuse.

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, stated, “Gathering for the Hope and Healing Mass is an important step in the ongoing journey toward reconciliation. We pray for all survivors of clergy sexual abuse and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to their healing.”

Bishop Lawrence J. Sullivan will serve as the main celebrant and homilist at the Mass. The program will feature welcome remarks from Mike Hoffman, chairman of the archdiocese’s Hope and Healing Committee and a survivor himself. Members of the Office of the Protection of Children and Youth (OPCY) will read Cardinal Cupich’s letter of support and participate as gift bearers. Rev. Lawrence Dowling will lead prayers for hope and healing, while survivor Jim Richter will share a reflection after communion.

Hoffman commented on the significance of this year’s liturgy: “The Mass of Hope and Healing, planned by survivors of clergy abuse and for survivors, family members and our whole Church, takes on added significance as we near the conclusion of the Jubilee Year 2025, a time of grace, renewal and hope. At this liturgy, survivors will know their story matters, they are believed, and they are not alone.”

He also acknowledged parents affected by these events: “I ask us to remember and honor the parents of survivors who felt time with a priest was a good way to pass along the Catholic faith they love so much. The abuse imposed upon me by my parish priest was not my parents’ fault. I want to honor and lift up my parents, and all parents of abuse survivors, for doing what all parents would want to do; share their faith with their children.”

Since its inception in 2011 at the request of victim-survivors seeking mutual support within their faith community, attendance at this annual Mass has grown to include clergy members; victims; families; lay ministry staff; Catholic school leaders; and others committed to child safety.

The OPCY offers pastoral care and resources to those impacted by clerical sexual abuse. Since it was established as one of the first such ministries in the country, more than 400 victim-survivors and family members have received support through its services.

Nationally, efforts continue with groups like the National Catholic Restorative Justice Initiative (NCRJI), which is working on creating a National Healing Garden in Washington D.C., modeled after Chicago’s own garden. Hoffman leads this planning committee. He said: “The next step in the process is to reach out to the Church as a whole, in a deliberate and intentional invitation to engage together in the efforts to heal. Healing is never a solitary act; we cannot do this alone. We are working for the National Healing Garden to be completed by the year 2027, near the time of the 25th anniversary of the Dallas Charter, which we feel is an opportunity to lift up and honor the voices of all survivors of any kind of abuse, no matter who the perpetrator was.”

Information about services provided by OPCY can be found at https://protect.archchicago.org/offices-and-services/office-of-assistance-ministry.