safe haven sunday Archives - Diocese of Venice

Equipping the Family: Having Critical Conversations

Posted on March 14, 2022March 14, 2022 by Bob Reddy

The consequences of pornography for the internet generation are being discussed with more frequency at every level, including in the Catholic Church. Pornography is one of the leading causes of abuse, adultery, divorce, addictions and human trafficking: it is, in short, a pervasive evil inflicting grave wounds on our families.

“It has been a year since the Diocese of Venice celebrated its first annual Safe Haven Sunday, but this was just the beginning of the pursuit to directly address the harmfulness of pornography to marriages, families, the culture and particularly to our youth and young adults,” said Bishop Frank J. Dewane. “Therefore, on Sunday, March 27, 2022, the Diocese will continue efforts by celebrating the second annual Safe Haven Sunday.”

This weekend of awareness will provide free resources to parents and grandparents so as to give them confidence in how to talk to their children and grandchildren about internet dangers, as well as their personal online and offline choices. To assist in these efforts, each household attending Mass the weekend of March 26-27 will receive a copy of “Confident: Helping Parents Navigate Online Exposure.”

“Confident” is a step-by-step conversation guide that includes: information about the prevalence of pornography use today; a four-step process for discussing pornography with a child or teen; scripts for conversing with a child about pornography in the light of Biblical sexuality; information about porn use versus porn addiction; and a plan for protecting your home and devices.

The content for Safe Haven Sunday was created by Covenant Eyes, a company that provides internet accountability software. Their goal is to equip people with tools that offer protection online and encourage accountability and trust in the fight against temptation.

“It is my prayer that the resources provided to you on Safe Haven Sunday will teach parents and grandparents how to effectively address pornography in the home and encourage the steps it takes to make our homes safe havens for all,” Bishop Dewane said.

Safe Haven Sunday was developed in direct response to the 2015 statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), “Create In Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography.” The document states: “The use of pornography by anyone in the home deprives the home of its role as a safe haven and has negative effects throughout a family’s life and across generations.”

The USCCB statement discusses Church teaching on sexuality, the human person and chastity and explains why pornography is sinful and harmful. It also covers the effects of pornography on the culture and individuals.

“The Church’s teaching on the harm and sinfulness of pornography is grounded in the greater ‘yes’ or affirmation of the inviolable dignity of the human person revealed fully in Christ and the gift of human sexuality and marriage in God’s plan,” the Bishops wrote.

The statement encourages parents to be cautious about media in the home. “Be vigilant about the technology you allow into your home and be sensitive to the prevalence of sexual content in even mainstream television and film and the ease by which it comes through the internet and mobile devices,” the Bishops wrote.

For more information about the issue of pornography and its impact on the family, please visit https://cleanheart.online/diocese-venice-0. This is a customized page specific to the Diocese of Venice which contains resources for parents, educators, clergy, and all those who struggle; all content is in line with Catholic Teaching.

For questions or more information about Safe Haven Sunday, please contact Carrie Harkey, Diocesan Coordinator of Family Life, at harkey@dioceseofvenice.org or 941-484-9543.

Free resources offered on Safe Haven Sunday

Posted on March 5, 2021March 5, 2021 by Bob Reddy

The Diocese of Venice is setting aside the weekend of March 7, 2021 as Safe Haven Sunday in order to give focused time and resources to address the harmful effects of pornography on youth, marriages, and families. Resources to protect individuals, marriages and families will be offered.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane designated Safe Haven Sunday knowing that pornography is one of the leading causes of addictions, abuse, adultery, divorce, and even human trafficking: it is, in short, a pervasive evil inflicting grave wounds on our families.

“This day of awareness will provide the opportunity for the Diocese to directly address the problem of pornography in marriages, families, and in our culture,” Bishop Dewane said. “Within the context of the Mass, parishes will provide teaching and resources that will support and protect individuals, marriages, and families in making all homes a Safe Haven.”

In addition, each household attending Mass the weekend of March 6-7 will receive a copy of the book, “Equipped: Smart Catholic Parenting in a Sexualized Culture.” This book includes a unique seven-day text-to-opt-in program: The Safe Digital Family Challenge. This Challenge provides practical tips any caring adult can take to create safer digital environments for themselves and their children.

To aide Parishes in their preparation for educating the faithful about the importance of Safe Haven Sunday, the Diocesan Office of Family Life hosted a series of presentations for Diocesan Priests, Deacons, and lay leaders between Jan. 11 and Jan. 13, 2021.

For more information about the issue of pornography and its impact on the family, please visit https://cleanheart.online/diocese-venice-0. This is a customized page specific to the Diocese of Venice which contains resources for parents, educators, clergy, those who struggle etc., and all content is in line with Catholic Teaching.

For questions about Safe Haven Sunday, please contact, Carrie Harkey, Diocesan Coordinator of Family Life, at harkey@dioceseofvenice.org or 941-484-9543.

Safe Haven Sunday

Some key facts about pornography:

More than 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites;
The porn industry’s annual revenue is more than the NFL, NBA and MLB combined. It is also more than the combined revenues of ABC, CBS and NBC;
Some 47 percent of families in the United States reported that pornography is a problem in their home.
Pornography use increases the marital infidelity rate by more than 300 percent;
The average age that a child is first exposed to porn is 11, and 94 percent of children will see porn by the age of 14;
Some 56 percent of American divorces involve one party having an “obsessive interest” in pornographic websites.

Safe Haven Sunday March 7, 2021

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Bob Reddy

Pornography is one of the leading causes of addictions, abuse, adultery, divorce, and even human trafficking: it is, in short, a pervasive evil inflicting grave wounds on our families. Pornography creates unsafe environments for children and confuses others about attitudes towards sex and marriage. It is a moral issue.

For this reason, Bishop Frank J. Dewane has designated March 7, 2021, Safe Haven Sunday in the Diocese of Venice. This day of awareness will provide the opportunity for the Diocese to directly address the problem of pornography in marriages, families, and in our culture. At the same time, resources will be made available to support individuals, married couples and families in making their homes safe from pornography.

Safe Haven Sunday was developed in direct response to the USCCB’s document “Create In Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography.” To aide Parishes in their preparation for educating the faithful about the importance of Safe Haven Sunday, the Diocesan Office of Family Life hosted a series of presentations for Diocesan Priests, Deacons, and lay leaders between Jan. 11 and Jan. 13, 2021.

The response to the presentations was overwhelmingly positive. Several priests noted that addiction to pornography is a common theme in troubled marriages and that the tools provided through the Safe Haven Sunday process are most welcome.

In addition, several lay leaders expressed their gratitude toward Bishop Dewane for having the courage to publicly address the issue of pornography. They are also grateful for the opportunity to take part in the presentations, while at the same time being provided real resources that can be disseminated to the entire Parish community.

More than 50 priests attended a presentation on Jan. 12 at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Port Charlotte, while another 140 attended separate sessions at St. Catherine Parish in Sebring, St. Leo the Great Parish in Bonita Springs, and St. Patrick Parish in Sarasota.

“The goal of the sessions was to raise awareness among those who help advance the mission of the Church to foster and support holy families,” explained Carrie Harkey, Director of the Diocesan Family Life Office. “This is the introduction to a three-year process which will create awareness about this important issue while also providing key tools to create that safe haven in the home.”

The presentations were delivered by Ryan Foley, Vice President of Business Development for Covenant Eyes, a company that provides faith-based internet accountability and security software in support of families to protect them from internet pornography.

Foley covered current statistics, trends, the devastating impact pornography has on children’s developing brains, as well as offering resources and tools to aide in ministering to those struggling.

“First exposure to internet pornography is often during the elementary school years, often by accident with the search of a keyword on social media,” Foley explained to his stunned audiences. “When parents and guardians haven’t created an environment where it’s safe and welcome to talk about uncomfortable topics, children will often hide these experiences out of shame and embarrassment. This reality creates an impediment to obtaining deep and lasting relationships with Our Lord.”

The presentation for priests included an overview of the issue, enlightenments about accessibility of pornography for faithful of all ages, as well as also offering tools for future homilies, private discussions in marriage counseling, or in the confessional.

The first Safe Haven Sunday will have a theme of “Equipping the Family, Safeguarding Children,” a time when the Diocesan faith community joins in saying we want holy, healthy, and safe homes, free from pornography and other online threats that deprive the home of its role as a safe haven.

To help marriages and families, each home will be given a free copy of Covenant Eyes’ book, “Equipped: Smart Catholic Parenting in a Sexualized Culture.” This book includes a unique seven-day text-to-go-opt-in-program, the Safe Digital Family Challenge. This challenge provides practical tips any caring adult can take to create safer digital environments for themselves and our young people. To ensure that all families receive this book, the Diocese is supplementing half of the costs.

Additional information about Safe Haven Sunday will be shared in the coming weeks. If you have any questions, please contact Carrie Harkey, Diocesan Coordinator of Family Life at harkey@dioceseofvenice.org or 941-484-9543.