deborahkloos2018@gmail.com
DEBORAH KLOOS
SELF-TAUGHT ARTIST
I'm Deborah Kloos, a retired registered nurse with a strong passion for becoming a recognized artist in the community.
Art is deeply ingrained in my soul. I'm self-taught, as my focus in school was on sciences to pursue nursing. My artistic talents include woodcarving, wood burning, stained glass, fused glass, sculpture, needlepoint, needle felting, jewelry making, and mosaic work.
My inspiration to send my artwork to Pope Francis was the result of experiencing clergy sexual abuse at age 16. I refrained from attending the Catholic Church for years and tried to put the abuse out of my mind. I felt ashamed about what happened to me at the hands of a 63-year-old priest when I was 16. I always believed it was my fault.
I resumed attending church when I enrolled my son in the Catholic school system, hoping he could learn about God. I attended Mass because of the school Masses, wanting to keep an eye on my son, Darren. At that time, the clergy abuse issue began to gain public attention due to the Charles Sylvester case, and I realized I was not the only person who had suffered from this abuse. I also noticed that the Church never remembered abuse survivors in their prayers during Mass. This angered me, prompting me to continue writing to the Diocese of London. However, they were reluctant to include clergy abuse survivors in their prayers.
I initiated communication with the Vatican, and after years of correspondence, I was contacted by a priest named Fr. Hans Zollner, Marie Collins, an abuse survivor from Ireland, Baroness Sheila Hollis, and Cardinal O’Malley from Boston. They were part of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Fr. Zollner facilitated the reception of my artwork by the Holy Father, and I eventually visited the Vatican.
Through the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Pope Francis granted my request for a Day of Prayer for clergy abuse survivors worldwide.
This is how my artwork inspired the world. It must be God working.
The artwork Pope Francis accepted from me aimed to encourage the Catholic Church to pray for clergy abuse survivors and victims worldwide. As a result of my efforts, Pope Francis granted a yearly Day of Prayer Worldwide for clergy abuse survivors.
https://www.catholicregister.org/item/21354-abuse-victim-finds-healing-in-prayer-art
