“Living Way of the Cross Against Human Trafficking” included stops at six Green Bay area sites
By Jeff Kurowski | For On Mission
GREEN BAY — A faithful group hit the road on April 4 to pray for victims of human trafficking in advance of the upcoming NFL Draft in Green Bay.
The Diocese of Green Bay, Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross and Lamers Bus Lines, Inc., sponsored “Living Way of the Cross Against Human Trafficking,” which featured bus travel to six area sites that provide either services or support for victims of sex trafficking or sexual exploitation.
The amount of people coming to the area for the NFL Draft, Thursday, April 24, to Saturday, April 26, creates a heightened cause for concern for trafficking crimes, said Becky Wright, program director at Awaken Justice Wisconsin in Green Bay.
“What we’re told by law enforcement is anytime you have that influx of people you’re going to see the potential for all crime to increase — theft and drugs — and, unfortunately, trafficking is also a part of that,” she said.
Awaken Justice Wisconsin, a faith-based nonprofit that increases awareness and education about commercial sexual exploitation and provides restoration services for victims, was among the stops for the group.
Prayer was in the form of the Stations of the Cross for Victims of Human Trafficking, created by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services.
Fr. Kevin Ripley, director of the Kairos Year for the Diocese of Green Bay, led prayer that included Scripture and a meditation followed by a group prayer. Each station was designated to individuals or groups affected by trafficking.
For example, the fifth station was: “For the perseverance of those who work on behalf of victims of trafficking.” The eighth station was: “For the spiritual growth of service providers and advocates.”
Lucas Holt, Human Dignity and Life advocate for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay, was among the organizers of the prayer effort. Trafficking falls under the role of his position, he said.
“With the draft coming up, we’ve talked to a handful of different organizations,” he said. “Rather than trying to create separate things, why don’t we all work together? This is one of those things. We’ve got the Sisters (of St. Francis of the Holy Cross), Whatsoever You Do (Inc.) and people from Awaken Wisconsin all working together.”
Holt said that while actions are “obviously important” to help prevent trafficking, prayer is also needed.
“We really want prayer to cover this, too,” he said. “As faith-based people, we ask the Lord to protect and guide.”
The first two stations were prayed in the Day Chapel at Resurrection Parish in Allouez before the bus departed to the first site, Wise Women Gathering Place in Green Bay.
The other stops, in addition to Awaken Justice Wisconsin, were House of Hope, the Whatsoever You Do House of Hospitality, the Brown County Jail and the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross Motherhouse.
The Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross started with a corporate stance against human trafficking in 2013, and have been committed to the fight against all forms of modern slavery ever since, said Sr. Sally Ann Brickner.
“We collaborated with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious Region 9 for an anti-human trafficking campaign in 2015,” she said. “We had signs in buses all over the state, like we do now in Green Bay.”
To help create awareness of human trafficking during the NFL Draft, the sisters have collaborated with the Alliance to End Human Trafficking and other local organizations.
Sr. Sally Ann, who volunteers as a member of the prayer team at Awaken Justice Wisconsin, said that the sisters draw inspiration from the pope’s leadership.
“Pope Francis had asked at the beginning of his pontificate that by 2020 modern slavery be eradicated. We’re not there yet,” she said.
A team of direct service providers has been active in prevention measures for the NFL Draft, said Wright, especially promoting the “Be Safe” telephone number of (920) 212-SAFE (7233) for victims of human trafficking or the commercial sex industry.
“We had 10,000 (drink) coasters (featuring Be Safe information) printed and delivered to the Brown County Tavern League for hotels, bars and restaurants in the Stadium District. We ordered 4,000 mirror clings for restrooms,” said Wright. “The Be Safe number is on squad cars. There are internal and external ads on city buses. Our goal is if a victim is not from here, they can see that number for help.”
Wright added that she’s grateful for the canvassing work of Holt and Catholic Charities to bring organizations together.
Awaken Justice Wisconsin, Golden House, Wise Women Gathering Place, We All Rise African American Resource Center and Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin partnered to create a training video. The target audience (for the video) is hospitality workers, said Wright.
The community can help in the fight against human trafficking, said Wright.
Red flags to watch for include when a woman, accompanied by a man, is afraid to speak for herself or a woman is stripped of any form of identification because the trafficker wants to isolate her, she said.
“The reason it can be hidden so well is the younger the victim and older the trafficker it sometimes just looks like a dad and his daughter. That’s when you have to be really vigilant with body language,” said Wright. “We are promoting the same motto as the police department which is, ‘If you see something, say something,’ but don’t intervene on your own. Traffickers are dangerous people.”
The final bus stop site before returning to Resurrection Parish included a special prayer in addition to the Stations of the Cross. A memorial at Awaken Justice Wisconsin honors the life of a victim who died last November at the hands of her trafficker.
Prayer opportunities for victims, perpetrators and those fighting human trafficking are available during the NFL Draft. Tony Pichler, co-founder of Whatsoever You Do, Inc., and mission outreach director at Resurrection Parish, announced that Eucharistic Adoration will be held in the Day Chapel at Resurrection from 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, through 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 26. To register for a time slot or assist with security, visit //CatholicCharitiesGB.org/Events.