Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Springfield, IL

  • About
    • Register with Cathedral
    • Subscribe to the Weekly Eblast
    • Cathedral Weekly
    • History of the Cathedral
    • Mass & Reconciliation Schedules
    • Parish Staff
    • Cathedral Online Prayer Wall
    • Contact Us
    • Announcements
  • Sacraments
    • Becoming Catholic
    • Vocations
  • Ministry List
    • Advent Resources
    • Ministry List
    • Adult Faith Formation
    • Cathedral Concerts
    • Family of Faith
    • Grief Share
    • Holy Mass Livestreams
    • Spiritual Resources
  • Stewardship
    • Stewardship Form
    • Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response
  • Support
    • Give Online
    • E-Giving Frequently Asked Questions
  • Sunday News
    • Cathedral Weekly
    • Sunday Announcements
    • Mass Intentions
    • Weekly or Announcement Submission

Becoming Trauma-Aware And Ready To Serve

In an episode of Call the Midwife, young nurse Jenny Lee works with a teenage-girl who has lived a life of poverty. A Catholic priest, who oversees the home where the girl has been sent to escape an abuser, tells an angry and distraught Jenny: “Poverty isn’t bad housing or dirty clothing. It’s never having been loved, or even respected. It’s not knowing the difference between love and abuse.”

This description of poverty was particularly striking to me as a Catholic and because at the time I was trying to devise a health education session specifically for people who have high blood pressure and are homeless. It’s well known that people who live in poverty often don’t do what they are “supposed” to – whether it’s take their medicine or hold down a job. Why is that and what can we do about it?

As I went through the various behavior change models, trying to convince my homeless clients to take even small steps to improve their lives, I found that traditional approaches for behavior change make two key assumptions that weren’t applicable to the people I was working with: first, traditional methods assume the sole responsibility for changing is on the individual. Secondly, they assume all people view themselves as worthy of good health and a good life. But these faulty assumptions create a disconnect that can harm the very people we are trying to help – and it ties back to the description of poverty given by Father Joe on Call the Midwife.

I then happened to attend a trauma-informed care training. Trauma-informed care is based on research that has been around for 20 years, and it changed how I saw and did everything as I interacted with people living in poverty. Most importantly, it gave me tools to connect with my homeless clients as we talked about their health and lives.

The idea is that emotional trauma – abuse, neglect, living in poverty – alters a person’s brain and body, and leaves them much more likely to suffer poor health and social outcomes. And while trauma affects all demographics, its effects are most severe in vulnerable populations, such as those who live in rough households, or distressed neighborhoods. There is hope, though. With trauma-informed schools, churches, hospitals, and social services, we can help people and communities build resilience and heal.

We are called to serve the poor and vulnerable among us; we must see that poverty is more than a lack of material resources. Therefore, our first step is to become trauma-informed and build our services upon this foundation. As we encounter the homeless, the incarcerated, the addicted, and those living in poverty or abuse, we then will open ourselves to a greater empathy and compassion in a productive, respectful manner.

Trauma-informed care is a tool that helps us be better servants to those who need us most.

 Erica Smith is the executive director of Helping Hands of Springfield, a non-profit organization in Springfield that serves people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. She is also a SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)-certified Trauma-Informed Care educator.

 If you are interested in helping our parish discern how to better care for those in need, please come on Monday, December 10, at 6 p.m. to the Atrium for a 45-minute presentation called “Healthy Spaces for Helping.” This is a session about the effects of trauma (abuse, neglect, living in poverty) on children and adults. We’ll learn about why being trauma-aware is essential to responding to the needs of our community, particularly people and populations who are homeless or who live in poverty. If you are interested, please contact Vicki Compton at [email protected] or by calling 522-3342. All parishioners and friends of the Cathedral are welcome!

❮❮ Previous Post
Next Post ❯ ❯

Receive Cathedral e-news!

* indicates required



/

( mm / dd )


Liturgy

Sunday Masses (unless noted differently in weekly bulletin)
Saturday Evening Vigil – 4:00PM
Sunday – 7:00AM, 10:00AM and 5:00PM

Weekday Masses (unless noted differently in weekly bulletin)
Monday thru Friday – 7:00AM and 5:15PM
Saturday – 8:00AM

Reconciliation (Confessions)
Monday thru Friday – 4:15PM to 5:00PM

Saturday – 9:00AM to 10:00AM and 2:30PM to 3:30PM

Sunday – 4:00PM to 4:45PM

 

CatholicMassTime.org

Parish Information

Parish Address
524 East Lawrence Avenue
Springfield, Illinois 62703

Parish Phone
(217) 522-3342

Parish FAX
(217) 210-0136

Contact Us

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2021 · Log in