Restoring All Things In Christ
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Children of the Immaculate Heart (CIH) was founded to serve those who are vulnerable due to sex trafficking. It seeks to reach out to women and children directly in the sex trafficking industry as well as those made vulnerable in trafficking-dependent industries.
Through bringing hope, healing, and evangelization to one heart at a time, CIH intends to be a light in the dark alley where many are suffering. CIH provides services aimed at holistic healing for sex trafficking survivors, including therapy, case management, housing navigation assistance, job training, education, and much more. We understand that healing from sex trafficking can be a long, multi-facetted process. We meet our clients at the stage they are at, and we are honored to walk with them through every stage of healing. |
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Long-term supports may be familiar with our minor residential program, The Refuge, which provided housing and holistic healing for survivors of child sex trafficking from 2020-2023. While we are not currently able to offer services within a home setting, we continue working to follow God's call for us to serve survivors of sex trafficking - providing adult women and their children with vital services to help them move towards healing, stability, independence, and restoration in Christ.
It is the hope of CIH that our clients will be able to live not only in physical freedom, but that they will encounter the love of Jesus Christ and discover the true freedom of being daughters of God, who heals us through His own sacred wounds.
Saint Pope John Paul II and the Council Fathers of Vatican II are our inspiration through their articulation of the dignity of the human person and the beauty of true masculinity and femininity. The culture of death has made industries out of using human persons for passing pleasure. These evils are a direct affront to the dignity of the human person and destroy the natural and supernatural happiness of human beings - preventing them even from understanding themselves.
CIH desires to contribute to the building of a civilization of love through our work – helping survivors encounter the love of Jesus Christ, to heal, and to reach the stability they need to live healthy, flourishing lives in society.
It is the hope of CIH that our clients will be able to live not only in physical freedom, but that they will encounter the love of Jesus Christ and discover the true freedom of being daughters of God, who heals us through His own sacred wounds.
Saint Pope John Paul II and the Council Fathers of Vatican II are our inspiration through their articulation of the dignity of the human person and the beauty of true masculinity and femininity. The culture of death has made industries out of using human persons for passing pleasure. These evils are a direct affront to the dignity of the human person and destroy the natural and supernatural happiness of human beings - preventing them even from understanding themselves.
CIH desires to contribute to the building of a civilization of love through our work – helping survivors encounter the love of Jesus Christ, to heal, and to reach the stability they need to live healthy, flourishing lives in society.
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*Please note: all photos are for illustrative purposes only and do not depict actual clients or survivors.
Our Core Values
CharityAs a Catholic Christian organization, we see charity as the love of God and neighbor - our central call as disciples of Jesus Christ, and the foundational virtue that animates and inspires all other Christian virtues. The virtue of charity compels us to respond with compassion for each person, creating a healing environment for survivors and staff.
See: Jn 13:34, 1 Cor 13:1-4 & 13, Catechism of the Catholic Church p.1822-1829 |
TruthTruth allows for transparency and the vulnerability that is necessary for genuine love and relationships to thrive. Our embrace of truth informs our person-centered policies for both staff and clients, and ensures honesty, accountability, and moral clarity in all we do.
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ChastityWe see chastity as “[…] the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being” (Catechism of the Catholic Church p. 2337). This full integration of one’s sexuality into one’s personality is especially important in healing sexual wounds. Our program supports survivors in finding this unity, restoring their dignity, and helping them cultivate healthy, life-giving relationships.
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Our Patron Saints
In our Catholic tradition, we believe that we have spiritual brothers and sisters already in Heaven who can pray for us and who can serve as models and inspiration as we strive to follow Christ in our own lives.
CIH has chosen three patron saints that we especially look to:
CIH has chosen three patron saints that we especially look to:
The Immaculate Heart of MaryMary - the greatest of saints - is honored for her complete, loving, humble “yes” to God throughout her life. The model disciple, she always points us towards Jesus: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (Luke 1:46); “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5)...
The title “Immaculate Heart of Mary” points to her heart - full of pure love for her son, Jesus, and those He entrusted to her maternal care from the cross (all of us). Her heart is one that has endured deep suffering itself, and is moved to compassion by humanity's pain and brokenness. Hers is a tender heart that is ready to welcome the lost and the sinner, and bring us to her son Jesus - the One who restores all things. |
Saint Josephine BakhitaBorn in 1869, Saint Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped by slave traders as a child in Sudan and suffered so much that she forgot her own name. After being brought to Italy, she gained her freedom and became a religious sister. She was able to forgive her slave traders, and even recognize God's Providence in bringing good out of evil by allowing her to encounter Him and the Catholic Faith in Italy.
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Saint Maria GorettiSaint Maria Goretti, born in 1890 into a poor family in Italy, chose purity and faithfulness to God even in the face of violence. At only eleven years old, she resisted the sexual advances of a young man, warning him that it was against God’s Will. Furious, he stabbed her 14 times. Before she died from her wounds, she expressed forgiveness towards her attacker. Although he was initially unrepentant, her attacker had a deep conversion in prison after having a dream of Maria Goretti offering him forgiveness and a white lily for each of the stab wounds.
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