Child Protection Efforts at St. Ignatius of Loyola
My Dear Friends in Christ,
On March 19, 2020, the parish and school underwent an audit to check our compliance with the Decree on Child Protection of the Archdiocese. 97 percent of employees and outside/auxiliary personnel were in complete compliance with the Decree and 93 percent of volunteers were in complete compliance with the Decree. In some cases, the lack of compliance occurred when new employees had not been able to complete the fingerprinting or when employees had fallen behind on their VIRTUS Bulletin. Overall, we are doing an excellent job in complying with the terms of the decree, particularly given the large number of volunteers we have at St. Ignatius.
Last December, I formed a Parish Safe Environment Committee to assess how well as a parish we comply with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The USCCB provided a parish self assessment guide, as well as a tool utilized by parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, to help us. Committee Members (Barb Campbell and Laura Sieve, our parish Safe Environment Coordinators, Erin Hazelbaker, [Nick Roos could not attend.]) and I went through both of these assessment tools.
While we realized we were in compliance with the Charter, we also felt we could improve in some areas. Some concerns that emerged included the safety of children during an All School Mass, when the church is entirely full. This year, during Catholic Schools Week, to remedy the situation, a security guard was placed at the entrance. Our school is proactive in stamping out abuse, holding regular seminars on issues like cyberbullying and internet safety at the health fair. Each year there is a presentation by the Council on Child Abuse.
Another issue that emerged was the need to have two VIRTUS-trained individuals present for events that required babysitting. Greater efforts continue to be made to recruit VIRTUS-trained baby sitters, and these efforts have borne fruit for the Risk of Education Book Study and the Mom’s Ministry. The need for greater situational awareness and vigilance at Mass, especially by ushers, was also raised. To that end, an usher retraining session was held and further training was offered to teach first aid and to demonstrate how to properly use AED equipment. Deacon Mike Erb and Nick Roos continue to offer the VIRTUS training sessions here on campus.
EthicsPoint
Upon my arrival at St. Ignatius, one of the first things I did was put up “EthicsPoint” Posters in the parish office; the Behler Room; and in the Faculty Lounge at St. Ignatius School. The parish council has been active in
discussing EthicsPoint, yet many parishioners are unaware of it. Grateful for the efforts of the parish council, I would like to use this opportunity to highlight its essential facets to make you aware of what is currently available to promote community involvement for child protection and to allow your voices and concerns to be heard.
EthicsPoint is a third-party reporting system that enables parishioners, employees, volunteers, and any other party to report concerns about financial, professional, or child protection on the part of any parish, school or archdiocesan employee via phone or online.
The person reporting concerns can either identify her/himself or remain anonymous. If you report anonymously via online or phone, the third-party vendor will not share your personal information with Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Regardless of whether your online report is submitted anonymously or identified, there will be a request for your email address, so you can receive a confirmation of your report. When submitting a report, you must select one of the following categories: Safe Environment for Children & Youth (This is the category for Child Protection); Workplace Safety; Harassment & Inappropriate Behavior; Accounting & Financial; Fraud & Theft; Gifts & Donations; Confidentiality; and Catholic Schools.
Upon completion of an online submission, you will also receive a report key and password. This allows you to follow up on the status of your report anytime. No decisions are made or reports reviewed by the third party, as this is a confidential reporting and documenting system only. All reports are forwarded to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for action. Anyone filing a report will receive follow up notifications to acknowledge that the report has been received and when it has been acted upon.
The Central Office of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati receives all complaints. Every report is initially reviewed by three senior staff members of the Archdiocese, depending upon which complaint category was selected. These individuals determine the appropriate person(s), typically including Human Resources, to follow-up on the complaint. Reports about clergy and laity are handled identically. In the case of a report alleging a violation of the Decree on Child Protection, the matter is assigned to the appropriate personnel of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for prompt action. If the report involves possible criminal behavior, it is also promptly sent by the Chancellor to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.
A working group – including Finance, Human Resources, the Chancellor, the Safe Environment Coordinator, and Catholic Schools – reviews all open Safe Environment reports and follows them to resolution. The Archdiocesan Review Board advises the Archbishop and Chancellor on the handling of abuse or allegations of abuse of children. This Board meets quarterly and is consulted as needed in between regularly scheduled meetings. This board is also called the “Review Board for the Decree on Child Protection” and its members are listed on the AOC website: bit.ly/AoCreviewboard
EthicsPoint is accessible via the “Report Misconduct” link at the top of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati home page (www.catholiccincinnati.org). There are also flyers posted around St. Ignatius Church and School with information. Please find the EthicsPoint flyer HERE If you have any further questions about EthicsPoint, do not hesitate to contact me or a member of the parish pastoral council, whose contact information can be found HERE.
Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting
Recently, the USCCB has launched a system for reporting any bishop who has: forced someone to perform or submit to sexual acts through violence, threat, or abuse of authority; performed sexual acts with a minor or a vulnerable person; produced, exhibited, possessed, or distributed child pornography, or recruited or induced a minor or a vulnerable person to participate in pornographic exhibitions; or intentionally interfered with a civil or Church investigation into allegations of sexual abuse committed by another cleric or religious.
This system, known as the Catholic Bishop Abuse Reporting System (CBAR), is operated by Convercent, Inc., an independent third-party entity, through a secure, confidential, and professional platform. This is for reporting of bishops only – reports on other clerics or any lay employee or volunteer should still be made via EthicsPoint. Individuals may call 800.276.1562 or go to www.ReportBishopAbuse.org to make a report.
Conclusion
I realize that this may be a bit much to read, but I do not wish to neglect my duty as a shepherd asked to guard the sheep from wolves who would seek to prey on its youngest and most vulnerable members. I recall living in Rome 15 years ago, when Pope John Paul II was in his agony. Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was asked to lead the Way of the Cross. In his meditation on the Ninth Station, the Third Fall of Jesus, he wrote: “What can the third fall of Jesus under the Cross say to us? We have considered the fall of man in general, and the falling of many Christians away from Christ and into a godless secularism. Should we not also think of how much Christ suffers in his own Church? How often is the holy sacrament of his Presence abused, how often must he enter empty and evil hearts! How often do we celebrate only ourselves, without even realizing that he is there! How often is his Word twisted and misused! What little faith is present behind so many theories, so many empty words! How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him! How much pride, how much self-complacency!”
My friends, we cannot be complacent. While happy with our efforts at St. Ignatius, there is still much filth that must be purged, and that begins with deeper personal conversion and continues with communal conversion and vigilance. Please join me in making every effort to keep our young people safe in these difficult times.
