rita smith, director of the national coalition against domestic violence, says the problem of abuse also imposes a significant cost to society. >> lost time at work, decreased productivity at work, health care costs related to injuries as a result of abuse, response time and cost for law enforcement to go to calls when someone is being battered. >> reporter: but so often the problem lies hidden. >> i've been a priest for 48 years. i didn't see it until i hired a pastoral counselor and one day she said, "father, you know, almost all my clients from the parish are women who are victims of domestic violence." and i didn't know it. and i knew many of those women. >> reporter: father dahm was surprised by the extent of domestic violence within the families he served. when he realized there was no official church outreach to abuse victims, he decided to start his own ministry. >> priests generally do not talk about it. and most dioceses in the united states have no services, or very limited services, for victims of domestic violence. >> reporter: he goes to parishes where he is invited. so far