Shannon Carr

Shannon Carr

Founder, MPHS

I am blessed you are visiting this page and I want you to know more about me. I’ll make it simple. I’m a mother, friend, daughter, author, speaker, and survivor of abuse, cancer, and natural disaster! None of these ‘titles’ define me, yet they each give flavoring to my life.

About Shannon

Shannon Carr is a woman in love with God and excited about her faith. But it wasn’t always that way. She was only 3 years old when the abuse began by a family member. While still a teen, her boyfriend was tragically killed in an auto accident, and she began to question a God who would claim a young man with so much life yet to be lived. At the fragile age of seventeen, she was raped and she began to distrust a God who would allow such a thing. Again, as a freshman in college, she was raped a second time, and she began to earnestly put as much distance between herself and God as she possibly could.

It has been said that the best thing about hitting bottom is that, when we do, we have no place else to go but up. Such was the case with her. Growing up with such evil it is no wonder she struggled with low self-esteem. At the age of 27, having run from God as far as she could go, she found herself at the bottom of a life that was no longer tolerable. Having no place to go but up, she looked to Heaven. And there was God, surrounding her with His peace.

It was the beginning of a love story that has grown more beautiful with each passing day.
Shortly after her love affair with God began in earnest, Shannon felt a distinct calling to begin teaching the teens at her local church. Not only did this give her an opportunity to share her own struggles as a teen and tell others how God changed her personal tragedy into triumph, but it also allowed her to look beyond the traditions to more deeply explore the intricacies of her faith.

Her Ministry

Her work with teens led to a full-time youth ministry. Within the next four years, that ministry bloomed, allowing her to witness God’s amazing work in her church and her life. In 2007, her youth group was voted in the top five of EWTN’s Catholic Youth Groups in the United States, and in 2008 she was invited to speak on God’s unfailing love at the World Youth Day Festivities in Sydney, Australia. In 2011, she was again asked to speak at the WYD Festivities in Madrid, Spain.

Having spread the message of God’s amazing love to thousands of teens, she eventually felt called to broaden the sphere of those with whom she shared her personal story. Shannon wrote Exposed: Inexcusable Me…Irreplaceable Him (Believers Press 2010) as a way of offering encouragement and hope to both teens and adults suffering from physical and emotional abuse. In 2011, she stepped away from her parish ministry to have more time for speaking engagements and to start Hopeful Hearts, an advocacy non-profit organization (501 c3) giving a VOICE to survivors of abuse. The ministry exists to help others understand their worth and realize their full potential while also providing programs that empower and serve to educate and improve the lives of those similarly victimized. Beginning in 2012, Shannon has been called to keynote retreats and seminars for women’s groups in Mississippi, Washington and Texas.

Founding Hopeful Hearts

Shannon Carr’s purpose in founding Hopeful Hearts was to help give a voice to those who can’t speak out, providing help and encouragement to survivors of abuse.

“My experience in helping survivors of abuse, along with what I find to be true for myself, is no matter the age or the type of abuse you don’t feel like you have a voice. You are either shamed into being quiet or made to feel guilty so you don’t tell, or belittled enough that you begin to believe you deserve what is being done or said. You don’t matter. I think it’s time for survivors to recognize that they do matter and they are not alone. It is my goal (or desire) to be a voice for them and hopefully encourage survivors of all ages, genders and races to speak out and begin to talk about the abuse. The more we talk about it the better chance the cycle will be broken.”
– comments Shannon Carr

Discovering God’s willingness to carry our burdens on the day she hit bottom opened her heart. Now she delights in imparting that truth to others. It has become her calling, her passion and her joy and nothing pleases her more than the opportunity to share her love and excitement with everyone she meets.

Shannon is the author of three books: EXPOSED, REDEEMED, and RECLAIMED all available on Amazon. She has been a columnist for CHOOSE-NOW MINISTRIES, a featured columnist with CatholicLane.com, Lifestyle & Charity magazine, Catholic Women’s magazine, and SpiritLed Woman Magazine. She lives in Kingwood, Texas, where she is active in her local church and community. She has two sons, Ryan and Seth, who provide her with endless joy and reason to continually count her blessings.

CONTACT

We would love to talk to you. If you need help, would like to become a partner, or are interested in booking Shannon or Tamara for an event please contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

Email: shannon@hopefulheartsministry.org