Safe Environment

Safe Environment Team. Over the last weeks there have been revelations that have been sad and disturbing about clergy abuse in our Church. I am sure that we are all heart-broken. I wanted to be sure that everyone in our parish knows that we have a Safe Environment Team. If you have any concerns about anything happening at our parish please reach out to someone on the team. I am the chairperson of the team (Margie Burton). The other members of the team are Katushka Olave, Kathy Juranas, Jeannie Smith, Marc Moore and Patty Davis.

For those of you who are not aware, all priests, employees and volunteers working in our Church are background checked and must attend a Safe Environment Training. The background checks and training are repeated every five years. We do this to create a safe place for our children and youth.

In June of 2002, the USCCB created the Charter for Protection of Children which has a comprehensive set of procedures addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. It has been revised several times with the latest revisions in June of 2018. The Diocese of Raleigh has a Code of Conduct for Church Personnel that outlines expected behavior for all who work or volunteer in the Diocese.

I want to call your attention to a portion of the statement from Bishop Zarama
…Let us continue to pray for all victims of sexual abuse; they are our priority. If you, or anyone you know has been harmed by ministry-related sexual abuse, please contact the Director Office of Child and Youth Protection of the Diocese in Raleigh at 1-866-535-7233. Information given to the diocese will also be turned over to civil authorities.

Of course, if we can be of any help to anyone or you want to speak about this, feel free to contact us.