The Isaiah Journey

The Day of Prayer for Victims and Survivors of Abuse, 9 May 2023, is a day of prayer for those who have been abused, in a season of hope and new life.

The Isaiah Journey (formerly ‘Let’s Be Honest’) is a working group of the Bishops’ Conference that has grown out of the need for a pastoral-spiritual response to the suffering of victims and survivors of abuse in the Church. The working group has prepared a range of resources for prayer, action and reflection for use throughout the year which are launched on the day of prayer. You can find these here:

• Isiah Journey Pastoral Report

• A Guide for Survivors of Abuse - a short leaflet explaining how the Church will support and respond to Survivors
• A Guide to Listening to those Impacted by Abuse in the Church. The Guide has been written for clergy, religious, and lay people. It seeks to support an active listening to the truth of the wound of abuse; the devastating effects on individuals, families and communities, and humbly to be part of the journey towards healing. The guide offers support in the space of pastoral care, theologically rooted in the Gospel imperative that we, as baptized persons, are called to live together as members of Christ’s Body.

A focus for this year is an ongoing project which seeks to support parishes, communities and individuals which have been affected by the abuse of victims in particular where there is an allegation against a member of the clergy. This project begins on the margins with those who might have known or worked with the perpetrator, offering resources for their reflection and support. However, as with all work by the Isaiah Journey the experience of the survivor is central. Resources include:

• Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity Prayer – a Personal Reflection

• Exploring Landscapes - a Reflection

• Intercessions - 7 days of prayer

• Labyrinth - a spiritual exercise

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Additional Resources:

Lets Journey Together - A week of online Guided Prayer for all who have been affected by clerical abuse in the Catholic Church

Northampton Healing Garden - creating a Healing Garden

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Resources for the Day:

Intercessions, Homily Notes, Other Activities- it is important is for the local Church to acknowledge and respond in prayer when it is able, rather than restrict its activities to just one day in the year. Much of the material in this resource has been written by and with survivors.

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