Springtime is a season of new life. New life is what the women of SVdP’s Catherine’s Center aspires to each moment of their time in residence at this program of St. Vincent de Paul’s (SVdP) Restorative Justice Ministry.
Here is one such journey shared: “I was invited to Catherine’s Center from prison in 2012. Catherine’s Center has allowed me a safe haven where I could drop all of my previously held beliefs. I’ve been able to work through all of my traumas and in doing so, I’ve learned that the guilt and shame I’ve carried for so long weren’t mine to carry. For the first time in my 40 years, I heard and internalized the words, “I love you”. I wept for the little girl who never heard the words “I love you”. I cried tears of joy to have created a bond so strong where someone could say those words to me and mean them unconditionally, without having any ulterior motives. Today, I place great value on self, and have self-worth. Today, I know the true meaning of love and how to be loved. I believe my journey has just begun!”
SVdP’s Catherine’s Center is a spiritually based transformative program designed to help women leaving incarceration change their lives through therapy, education and training. It is a safe, nurturing environment for a woman to mature spiritually, emotionally and psychologically. Catherine’s Center provides unconditional love and spiritual support to ten very brave women, along with individual and group therapy, a 12 step recovery program, nutritional guidance, tools for relaxation and meditation, and basic skills to persevere in the real world.
Alumna “Dana” says, “I am proof that being in a safe environment, being open to change and receiving unconditional love will make a real impact on a woman’s life. I am eternally grateful to Catherine’s Center and words are not enough to express how I feel. Thank you.”
A woman’s immersion into this program is very difficult, but with courage and strength along with essential love and support, she can be transformed. This program reaps bountiful benefits to the woman, her family, her friends, and to our whole community, by developing new coping strategies and behaviors, reconnecting with family and ultimately transitioning into society as a productive member.
Courage and inspiration at its best!
Enjoy a short a video on SVdP's Catherine's Center: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BLsFCqdv2Q
You can also visit, http://svdp-sanmateoco.org/catherine.html
