St. Isidore faithful,
We have all been affected, in one way or another, by the horrible sexual abuse scandals of the Catholic Church. The news is disturbing, and for many of us, incomprehensible. Back in August, I wrote a letter to the parish communicating my feelings on how the St. Isidore community has addressed the scandal. I’m writing to you today to inform you of two events, one an opportunity for dialogue and transparency, the other, an opportunity for further vigilance against this issue.
On October 25, 2018, we will be offering a Healing Prayer and Open Forum regarding the recently surfaced abuses within the Church. The session will begin at 7 PM in the social hall, and we will plan on wrapping up no later than 8:30 PM. Our time together will include prayer, discussion and information. Additionally, we will have round table discussions. All adults are invited to attend this session.
On November 10, 2018, we will be offering a Protecting God’s Children seminar. St. Isidore is recommitting itself to providing an environment where it is nearly impossible for these type of horrific abuses to occur. With that said, we need everyone’s assistance. Staff and most of our key volunteers have already attended a Protecting God’s Children seminar and have a Criminal Background Check on record. This session is being offered to anyone who has yet to fulfill this requirement. This offering is free and usually lasts about 3-hours. The program will begin at 9 AM and end at roughly 12 PM. A light meal will be served at 8:30 AM. Anyone who is interested in making St. Isidore the safest environment possible for all our visitors, parishioners, and friends, should attend this training.
As stated in my homily shortly after the story in Pennsylvania came to light, we are asking our parish members to “Lead, not Leave” the Church. Please plan on attending the open forum and this training; encourage everyone you know to be part of a vigilant parish body that is working to make sure that something like this will not occur here at St. Isidore.
–(Rev.) Ronald Victor
What is VIRTUS® Protecting God’s Children training?
The Protecting God’s Children program is the VIRTUS program for protecting children from child sexual abuse. Protecting God’s Children is a 3-hour awareness session for adults in the faith community who interact with minors.
Participants are taught to identify situations that could leave a child vulnerable, the methods of sexual offenders and critical steps to help prevent abuse.
Who is required to attend Protecting God’s Children workshops?
- All clergy working in the Archdiocese of Detroit
- All adult paid employees of Central Services, Parishes, and Catholic Schools
- All adult volunteers who have regular and/or unsupervised contact with minors
Not our Compliance, but our Calling
Often when we hear about the efforts of the Church in regard to sexual abuse, we hear about the importance of compliance with the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. From a faith environment perspective, the importance is not in our compliance, but in our calling. As Catholics we are called to respect the life and dignity of every human person from conception to natural death. The Charter guides us in action to our calling. Our calling furthers the Gospel message of Christ.
For more on Protecting God’s Children visit this website.
We encourage anyone who has been abused to contact civil authorities. Individuals may also call the Archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Line at (866) 343-8055 or visit protect.aod.org.
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