Monthly Reflection

May, 2025 Monthly Reflection

The Lovely Month of May

By Katie Boller Gosewisch

May is my favorite month. There are so many good things about May: it is the month of Mary, spring has sprung, Mother’s Day and my birthday are in May (I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention that at least once), and there is more blessed daylight.

In April, the nation focuses on both child abuse and sexual assault awareness. May, appropriately, follows up with Mental Health Awareness Month. One in five Americans suffer from a mental health condition, but less than half of those individuals receive treatment. Children and adolescents are the most profoundly affected age group—potentially meaning that interventions are being received at a younger age, but also that more people are growing up with mental health struggles. A prime predictor of mental health difficulties is the experience of trauma—particularly at a young age when the brain is still developing.

I was discussing childhood mental health with a Board member just yesterday and we were talking about various interventions and the importance of making those interventions at an early age—to give kids help as soon as they need it. She likened it to visiting the dentist. What an apropos analogy! Unfortunately, while our culture has improved in the area of mental health awareness, many are still stigmatized by their experience of mental health issues. Not everyone views mental hygiene in the same way we view dental hygiene: routine and regular. But we ought to; it is so very important.

Many know that I was abused as a child. I don’t typically say much more than that, but for the purposes of this reflection I will share a little more. The abuser, in addition to what he did to my body, also did quite a bit of damage to my mind—so much so that I was too scared to say anything for nearly 2 decades. I was 21 when I first disclosed the abuse to my spiritual director. It took geographical and mental space away from the abuser to feel safe enough to disclose. But I often think about what intervention—including mental health tools—at a much younger age would have meant for me and what it would have meant for the millions of individuals who share this experience. Child sex abuse is a predictor of vulnerability to a legion of other social ills—including human trafficking. How many more people could be spared additional trauma(s) if we embraced mental health care more fully?

It is important to note that one doesn’t need to experience abuse as a child to encounter mental health hurdles (or be trafficked). Trauma is, unfortunately, part of the human experience. From big to small, trauma can build up causing mental health disturbances that leave us negatively vulnerable. Please, take time to learn about what you can do to support those in your lives (and yourself). Give grace. And if you are struggling, remember that you deserve support and care as much as anyone else.

Mother Mary, pray for us. Saint Dymphna, pray for us.

**Visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ website for more information. If you need support, call 800-950-6264 or text “helpline” to 62640. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.**

 

Katie Boller Gosewisch

Executive Director

Alliance to End Human Trafficking

Monthly Reflections Archive

Making Space for Justice and Compassion This Lent Katie Boller Gosewisch Lent is a season of reflection, sacrifice, and renewal—a time to examine our hearts and align our actions with ... ...

Read More

AEHT on the Ground: Reflections from the Tucson-Nogales Border Visit Sister Sally Duffy, SC “If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts” Hebrews 3:7 To deepen our understanding ... ...

Read More

November Reflection: Progress, Partnership, and Prevention Katie Boller Gosewisch In the ongoing pursuit of a world free from human trafficking, we find inspiration in the resilience of survivors, the unwavering ... ...

Read More

Precious Alexandra Maria Elena Perales Alexandra arrived at Myriam’s Haven, a program supporting human trafficking survivors hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, in 2010. She had escaped ... ...

Read More

Faith and Action in Ending Human Trafficking Sally Duffy, SC As I write this reflection today, the Catholic Church is celebrating the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The first reading ... ...

Read More

Reflecting on Progress: AEHT’s Latest Initiatives Katie Boller Gosewisch, Executive Director This past month and a half, I have had two very unique opportunities to take part in building our ... ...

Read More

January 2024 is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, as decreed by presidential proclamation. Sister Michelle Loisel, DC While we like to think of slavery as a relic of ... ...

Read More

Human trafficking and migration—Contemporary forms of slavery Sister Michelle Loisel, DC  Global Estimates of Modern Slavery demonstrates that migrant workers are three times more likely to end up in forced labor ... ...

Read More

Incarcerating Human Trafficking Victims is an Injustice Sister Sally Duffy, SC In August of 2018 Sasha Naiman, deputy director of Ohio Justice and Policy Center (OJPC), contacted me asking if ... ...

Read More

Human trafficking and homelessness Sister Michelle Loisel, DC We know that sex trafficking is the crime of using force, fraud, and/or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or to ... ...

Read More

TACTICS SIMILAR TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING Sally Duffy, SC Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently began bussing immigrants to places such as New York City, Chicago, and Washington DC to draw attention ... ...

Read More

How Bad Can a Chocolate Pumpkin Be? Jeanne Christensen, RSM The Catholic Health Association has a spring campaign called “How Bad Can a Chocolate Bunny Be?”  Let’s plagiarize and ask ... ...

Read More

Why not use the word “slavery” when referring to trafficking? Sister Michelle Loisel, DC Over the past few months, there have been several articles written and discussions at webinars I ... ...

Read More

“That they all may be one.” John 17:21 By Margaret Louise Brown Christ’s Farewell Discourse, as written in the Gospel of John, shares His final request.  That humans live together ... ...

Read More

Words Survivors Want to Hear Kathleen Bryant RSC We have so much to learn from the soulful stories of victims, survivors, and thrivers from their experience of being trafficked. We ... ...

Read More

A Century Later Human Trafficking Activists Continue Her Work By Sr. Maryann Mueller, CSSF Women’s History Month was first observed in Sonoma, California, in 1978 as Women’s History Week. Nine ... ...

Read More

Connecting the Dots By Sister Anne Victory, HM Remember those childhood puzzles and exercises of “connecting the dots?”  By following the numbered sequence, an image would emerge that was not ... ...

Read More

Preying on the Vulnerable……Let Us Pray and Advocate by Sally Duffy, SC Labor trafficking advocacy can often get overshadowed by sex trafficking in discussions with state and federal legislators. This ... ...

Read More

SIMPLE YET COMPLICATED Sister Michelle Loisel, DC “Kaleidoscope” by docoverachiever is licensed under CC BY 2.0 When I was a little girl, I loved kaleidoscopes. I was fascinated by the ... ...

Read More

Compassion and empowerment are at the heart of relationships with survivors of human trafficking. They are essential elements for building trust and restoring one’s sense of self and dignity.  From ... ...

Read More

May – The Month Honoring Mothers Jeanne Christensen, RSM May…the month of mothers. Some we remember with fondness and affection, others we prefer to forget and some we have never ... ...

Read More

“Charity is directed at the effects of injustice, its symptoms. Charity addresses problems that already exist. Justice is directed at the root causes of social problems. Justice addresses the underlying structures or causes of these problems.” ...

Read More

The Nexus Between Covid-19 and Human Trafficking By Jeanne Christensen, RSM Justice Advocate – Human Trafficking Sisters of Mercy of the Americas West Midwest Community This was originally written for and ... ...

Read More

Human Trafficking: The Legacy of 400 Years of Racism and Colonialism By Jennifer Reyes Lay, Executive Director of AEHT As we approach the annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons ... ...

Read More

Refugees and Human Trafficking in the Context of a Pandemic by Kathleen Bonnette, Th.D. Globally, there are more than 70 million displaced people who have been forced to flee their ... ...

Read More

Moving Into Mutuality By Kathleen Bryant, RSC As women religious accompany and listen to people at the borders, we discover relationships of trust among asylum seekers, migrants, and ourselves. The ... ...

Read More

The Dangerous World of Electronic “Babysitters” By Sister Margaret Louise Brown, D.C. With the advent of personal electronic devices, we are becoming an imploded society. They are everywhere and used ... ...

Read More

Better Companies, Better World Linda Haydock, SNJM To change corporate business practices on human trafficking is a long-term, demanding, and often daunting task. Let us celebrate the progress we have ... ...

Read More

Are Migrant Children Welcomed in Jesus’ Name? by Jeanne Christensen, RSM World Refugee Day is June 20. On that day, people all around the world will remember those refugees and ... ...

Read More

The Power of Why?: Addressing the Root Causes of Human Trafficking  by Ann Scholz, SSND, Associate Director for Social Mission, LCWR There is an old, and perhaps over-used story, about ... ...

Read More

Passionate and Alive by Kathleen Bryant, RSC Borders were definitely not barriers to communication, sharing of passion and collaboration when we came together in Cleveland.  Imagine throwing a party and inviting ... ...

Read More

Take Off Your Shoes. Get Your Feet Wet. Anne Victory, HM My favorite place for reflection is the beach. Every year I look forward to the annual trek with friends ... ...

Read More

Developing Survivor Advocacy Training for Trafficked Persons by Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA After more than a hundred presentations designed to raise awareness about human trafficking in western Wisconsin, various professionals and ... ...

Read More

The Path Chosen for Me By Janus Small My personal belief is that there is a reason for everything that happens in your life – sometimes revealed immediately, sometimes later, ... ...

Read More

Forced to Seek Safety in a Foreign Land: The Plight of Those on the Move By Jean Schafer SDS As we think of the Holy Family during the Advent/Christmas season, we ... ...

Read More

Hope is a Way of Life by Anne Victory, HM With all of the recent crises—multiple hurricanes leaving millions without the basics of life, earthquakes killing thousands, devastating forest fires, ... ...

Read More

Traffik 2017: A New Art Exhibit about Human Trafficking Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA On May 11-12, 2017 Mayo Clinic-Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, WI held its 20th annual conference on Child ... ...

Read More

What Does It Mean to be Safe? by Sister Kathleen Bryant, RSC Neurologists say that our brains are always scanning for information, for danger, for distraction like a vacuum cleaner! ... ...

Read More

Human Trafficking Survivors: Leaving Their Tombs Behind by Sister Maryann Mueller, CSSF As we celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we may be reminded of ... ...

Read More

The Tenth Station – Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments (John 19:23-24) by Jeanne Christensen, RSM Contemplation During Lent this year, I was asked to reflect on the tenth station ... ...

Read More

Do my actions and beliefs reflect Redemption? by Sister Sally Duffy, S.C. A pattern of behaviors and conditions exist at the intersection of many issues, such as human trafficking, immigration ... ...

Read More

Pray, Love, Act by Carol Davis, OP Globally, there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking, with hundreds of thousands in the USA, per the International Labor Organization. Human trafficking ... ...

Read More

Collaboration: Ending Human Trafficking by Working Together by Anne Victory, HM Work on the issue of human trafficking can be taxing, even overwhelming at times for so many reasons. The ... ...

Read More

Contemplative Sustainability by Sister Kathleen Bryant, RSC For those of us involved in the multiple facets of fighting human trafficking, it has a price. We hear painful stories while growing ... ...

Read More