Service to mark the stories of institutional abuse of children

Stolen Innocence 

This liturgy is written to mark the telling of stories of institutional abuse of children.

I. Gathering

Introductions
My name is ……………………
I am here to care for you in this time and place.
This is ………………. and ………..……….,
who will sit over there
and be available if you need anything
– a glass of water, someone to sit with…. (Pause) …
They are simply here to be welcoming
and try to make you feel more comfortable and at ease.

Together, with the community of ……………………
We are here to mark in time and place that we know
that terrible things have happened.
Together, we will try to mark in time and place
that while we cannot change the past,
we can learn to be honest about it.
We can be present to one another in the here and now.
We can name the hope that the future
will never see this past repeated.


Calling
We call upon the Spirit of Life
To come upon us here.
We call upon the Spirit of Life
To come upon us here.
We offer this time to ourselves, to one another,
To memory and to truth,
So that we may bring light to dark places,
And so light may come into our own corners and crannies.
We call upon the Light of Life
To come upon us here.
(A Candle or Lamp is lit.)

II. Naming of Brokenness

Confession of Sorrow (community)

We have heard stories of vulnerable children,
entrusted to the care of [the Church] ………………….
Stories of betrayal, violence, psychological abuse and physical trauma.
We have been deeply shocked – to the core of our beings.
As we have heard, we have known the truth …
These truths threaten our very human identity.
How can we be human and have let these things happen?

So, we confess:
Our community failed to secure the safety of these children.
We failed to ensure the wellbeing of these children.
We failed to enact the ideals we stand for –
to love children as God would love them,
ensuring there are no obstacles to their healthy living.
Our failures allowed, and, at times, supported the conditions
that made these crimes possible.

III. Lament

Prayer of Sorrow

Habakkuk 1:2-4
O LORD, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see wickedness,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.

Prayer

We are so deeply sorry,
Sorry for the wrongs of the past and
Sorry for the sense of woundedness now.
We bear the shame of the world on heavy spirits
Wondering how recovery could ever be possible.
We weep with those who have been weeping inside for years.
We pray for healing – with longing – with pleading.

IV. Reflection - Guiding of Body, Mind and Spirit

Some people get caught up in the story of abuse.
Neither perpetrator nor victim, they struggle with a sense of powerlessness
and may try to find how to help, yet fail…
The story of Hagar tells of a woman who feels helpless to save her son.
She struggles with whether to watch him die.
In an act of defiance, she refuses to watch, but turning away doesn’t save him.
We remember that his brother is almost sacrificed too.
What is it with such stories of violence and neglect?
Sometimes right inside a violent or neglectful story a moment presents itself.
It may be an idea, a small act, a seemingly minor choice.
Sometimes, it can be a little thing that leads to survival.


Read extracts from Genesis 16 and 21

Reflection - Woman in the wilderness
Her laughter echoes in the silence of desert air.
Her curse rests on my tired frame.
I am resigned to rest and not awake again
for living has been left among the goats and sheep.
I carry only a sharp knife that might slit another’s throat.
Such inconceivable sacrifice! A welcome act for us.
No cairn, nor laden wood, is set for honouring our deaths.
Our carcasses will simply act as finders’ feast.

He’ll claim, “Yahweh – stayed my hand.”
But I do not await a voice.
No Master will speak to this mother’s ear.
I cannot bear the yearnings of the hungry child.
I move away to wait for sleep to come.

Singing voice – like angel touch –
Enters my awareness.
As chorus fills my being, I hear what must be done:
I move again to claim a promise
Of nations yet to be born.
My being - finds meaning - in creation’s promise.

(Hagar)

V. Silence - Meditation

Possible Music to play after a time of silence:
- Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JxPj3GAYYZ0
- In the arms of an angel (Sarah McLachlan) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1SiylvmFI_8
- Hope has a place (Enya) https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PL6E8FBD9EE75FE279&params=OAFIAVgZ&v=zl0q8f8nC8Q&mode=NORMAL 

VI. Light in the Dark - Contemplation

This is a good place to light candles as prayers.

VII. Promise - Companioning

It is appropriate to anoint with oil as part of prayers for healing and wholeness.
This may lead in to a blessing.

VIII. Act of Blessing

The act of blessing is the calling forth of that which is life-giving and life-forming.
Blessing is about recognising that God can bring forth creation, life and live... even from nothing.
So it is that when we feel like we have the least, God is able to still bless us...
Gifting us with the merest spark if hope.
So, go with God's blessing surrounding you. Amen.


____

See also this lovely prayer from Kath Behan:
https://www.facebook.com/kath.behan.7/posts/10155248330257994