Recently you may have seen #metoo on your Facebook and Twitter social media feeds. Following the sexual assault complaints against a prominent film producer, women have been speaking out about their experiences with sexual harassment and assault.
Because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we offer this #metoo litany as a way to lift our voices together in solidarity with women and girls who have said “me too.”
God of the matriarchs, we pray for all the women and girls who are survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault. We bravely choose to share our stories in person and by posting #metoo on social media. We did nothing wrong, and we release all shame—shame that was never ours to begin with.
God of love and mercy, hear our prayer.
God who knows our hearts, we pray for all women and girls who are survivors of sexual harassment and sexual assault. We bravely choose to keep our stories to ourselves for reasons of our own. And we walk alongside survivors whose suppressed memories have been triggered by #metoo posts. We did nothing wrong, and we own our stories.
God of love and mercy, hear our prayer.
God of truth, as we remember our baptismal call as your precious and beloved children, we release any shame we were told is ours. In our own time and way, we release the people who didn’t believe us or tried to minimize the truth. We did nothing wrong, and we own the truth.
God of love and mercy, hear our prayer.
God of justice, we pray that those who harassed or assaulted us will come to understand the evil that they did, and that they will never do it again. And Lord God, our prayer calls us to action. We will use our voices. We will work to stop lawmakers and others from minimizing assault and blaming victims. We did nothing wrong, and we will work for change.
God of love and mercy, hear our prayer.
God of courage, we give thanks for activist Tarana Burke, who started the “Me Too” movement. We are thankful that her willingness to tell her story is leading other women to heal.
God of love and mercy, hear our prayer.
God of wisdom, help us spread knowledge about what it means to live in a rape culture. Help us to stand firm in our faith and embolden us to work to end sexual violence and intimidation whenever it occurs in our church, community and world.
God of love and mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
What would you add to this litany?
Elizabeth McBride works as the director for intergenerational programs and editor of Café. Whether we tell our stories or keep them to ourselves, our loving God is with us.
Download this litany and use it in your group or congregation.
I am an adult survivor of clergy sexual exploitation/abuse by an ELCA pastor. After reporting him last year, he denied everything but we were believed and he was forced to resign from his church and the ELCA roster. Unfortunately by ELCA policy, this STOPPED the investigation and may have left further victims undiscovered and trapped in silence and shame. Also, many requests expressed afterward to ensure my emotional safety and healing were ignored. While his abuse became known to his churches, it was never made PUBLIC which now PROTECTS a CLERGY ABUSER who is now free to find another denominational clergy position to abuse other vulnerable women. We believe this is negligent on the part of the ELCA. The ELCA needs reform on this issue and listen to their victims, just like in the Nassar abuse cases, to not only prevent these abuses of power and trust but also to help victims heal. I’d like to challenge you to convene a forum of ELCA clergy sexual abuse victims to do this, and I’d like to be a part of this #metoo #churchtoo movement and reform in the ELCA. If the Women of the ELCA truly want to support women in this cause, it will take more than “thoughts and prayers” to create the social change needed to no longer accept what was previously accepted or tolerated. I found the courage to come forward to protect other women, please find the courage to make changes. Contact me if you are interested.
I led a forum in my church in February 2018 – we used this litany to close our time together. It was exactly what we needed for such a holy time. Thank you.
I appreciate that this is a women’s site. However, to read through this litany, I feel a profound missing link in not acknowledging that young men are victimized by older men, and women can also be perpetrators of assaults against young men and women.
Thank you for reminding us that women aren’t the only victims.
Help us to educate and empower all young women to refuse to be the next statistic. Give them the strength and self confidence to speak up immediately directly to their aggressor without fear of retribution, believing in their right to decent, fair treatment.
Thank you for these words of unity & sisterhood support. We all do need to stand hand in hand together — “WE, too” – as that’s how healing & hope prevail.
Amen! Thank you for this!
Thank you for this. I needed to be reminded again that what happened to me was not my fault, that it wasn’t “just boys being boys”, that it was wrong, that I was the victim.
Thank you! I know just in going through the litany myself, it is calming.