Carla Hill appointed new archdiocesan victim assistance coordinator

By Sean Gallagher

Carla Hill has been appointed the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ victim assistance coordinator.

Hill will coordinate the archdiocese’s response to provide emotional and spiritual support for victims of sexual abuse by clergy, religious, paid lay staff or volunteers in the parishes, schools and agencies of the Church in central and southern Indiana.

Since 1999, Hill has worked for Catholic Charities as a counselor at several schools in the archdiocese. She will continue in that role while taking on the work of victim assistance coordinator.

Archdiocesan chancellor Annette “Mickey” Lentz, who is Hill’s liaison with the archdiocese in her work with victims of sexual abuse, is happy to have Hill working in this new capacity.

“She sees herself as a good listener and able to give direction in a kind yet purposeful way,” Lentz said. “It is a pleasure to have Carla Hill working for the archdiocese in this new role.”

Lentz was especially pleased that Hill sees giving pastoral care to victims of sexual abuse as a ministry.

“What I’m hoping is to help people ease some of their hurt—because there’s a lot of hurt,” Hill said.

She also said that her “ultimate goal” will be to help victims come to “where they want to be with their faith.

“But the other avenue of that is just to lessen the pain,” Hill said. “And if you lessen the pain, that’s the primary goal.”

Prior to ministering in the Church in central and southern Indiana, Hill worked for nearly two years for the State of Kansas as a sexual abuse investigator. She also worked as a counselor for Catholic Charities in Kansas, and in that role ministered to victims of sexual abuse.

At the same time that Hill became the new victims assistance coordinator, two new members were appointed to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis Review Board.

The review board assists Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein in carrying out the provisions of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002. The charter establishes protocols for dealing with the sexual abuse of minors by Church personnel.

The new review board members are Mary Horty, a member of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis, and Eileen Ahrens, a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis.

Horty is a retired Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer who worked as an instructor and detective in IMPD’s child abuse department.

Ahrens previously was a caseworker for the Department of Public Welfare in Hamilton County, Ohio, and worked as an outreach coordinator for Adult Protective Services in Marion, Boone, Hamilton and Hendricks counties in Indiana.

Victims of sexual abuse in archdiocesan parishes, schools and agencies should call Hill at 317-236-1548 or 800-382-9836, ext. 1548. She may also be reached by e-mail at chill@archindy.org. For more information about the archdiocese’s sexual misconduct policies, log on to www.archindy.org/abuse. †