St. Jude House will hold its Candlelight Vigil on Monday, October 1st on the eastside lawn of the Crown Point Court House Square. This event is the kickoff for October’s national Domestic Violence Awareness month. The Candlelight Vigil is held to honor and remember all those whose lives have been lost to domestic violence as well as to support all victims impacted by domestic violence.
“This event is heartfelt and impactful as we remember all those lost in Indiana over the last year as a result of this senseless crime,” stated Carol Highsmith, chair of the St. Jude House Board of Directors. Highsmith continued, “our vigil provides the opportunity for the larger community to come together and helps break the silence around the issue of domestic violence and its impact on the community.”
The vigil begins at 6:30 pm with a silent march around the Court House Square. Immediately following the march, a brief service is held to include remarks from community leaders who provide resources for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Victims are honored by lighting a candle in their memory and reading their names. The program includes inspiring testimony from two survivors as well as a video testimony from a survivor.
Community members may wish to come to the Court House Square before the march to view and discuss the resources that St. Jude House and other community partners provide. In addition, St. Jude House will display the Clothesline Project—a visual display of shirts with graphic messages and illustrations designed by women survivors of violence, by their friends and/or by their family members. Every minute, twenty people in the United States become victims of intimate partner violence. Every minute…such a large number, and yet their stories are rarely ever told or acknowledged. The Clothesline Project makes their voices heard, and tells their stories.
For information about tribute donations which will be recognized during the program, please contact Val Lay at St. Jude House, 219-662-7066.
St. Jude House, located in Crown Point, IN, pursues a vision where all engage in healthy relationships characterized by the mutual sharing of resources and responsibility. St. Jude House is a catalyst in Northwest Indiana for the prevention, education and awareness of domestic violence and sexual abuse; providing quality, compassionate and effective services to those impacted by abuse.