SAFE ENVIRONMENTS  First in a series of articles

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I concluded last week's article by noting that achieving the goal of a "Safe Environment" means that all Catholic parishes, schools and institutions will in fact be - an-d will be known to be - places where all people will be safe from abuse of any and every kind - especially children, young people and anyone else who might be particularly vulnerable to abuse. How do we make that Safe Environment a reality? It' s going to take some changes in thinking as well as some practical steps.

The first and necessary step is to reshape any belief that Safe Environment measures should focus exclusively on people who are or might be predators. Our commitment to prevention leads us to quite the opposite emphasis: the Diocese is requiring awareness training of all of us - volunteers and employees - so that we will all acquire the skills and develop the vigilance that are needed. When we have those skills and that vigilance, then the predators can be found out and kept out.

Another step is to change the thinking that Safe Environment training should be required only of those people who have direct contact with children as, for example, teachers, catechists, baby sitters, etc. That thinking can also be expressed in terms of the most-often-raised objection: why should Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Ushers, Choir Members and other such volunteers have to go through all this training and scrutiny?

It is both chilling and sobering to realize that child molesters communicate via the internet to post information on organizations and places where vigilance is low and the pool of potential victims is high where "good hunting/fishing spots" are available. If an exception is made for one or more groups of volunteers because they don't seem to minister directly to children, that fact will become known and communicated among predators - and used by them; a weak point will be created in the wall of protection and certainly, in time, exploited to gain access to potential victims. Again, as an example: if the Diocese were not to require the screening 'of Liturgical Ministers, you can be sure that predators would use that knowledge and volunteer for those kinds of ministries as a way of establishing a presence and the appearance of trust within a parish and they are willing to take years, if necessary, to do so.

Let's realize also that the creation of a Safe Environment is more than just looking out for the stereotypical leering weirdo in a trench coat who lurks at. school bus stops (although just two weeks ago, . the Connecticut Post reported the arrest of an individual for suspicious loitering around a school in a nearby town). Safe Environment awareness includes sharing responsibility for the security of our buildings, doors, windows, and parking lots; noticing and reporting people who "don't belong" and so forth. Together we will lean much more about this awareness in the training program to be described in future columns.                                                . 

Whose responsibility is a Safe Environment? Everyone's. Everyone's eyes and ears are the tools we need: all employees, all volunteers, even those who don't appear to have any regular contact with children, and even vendors and contractors who have a regular presence on our property - all of us share the responsibility for protecting our children.

Either we all take the lead in creating the safe environment now, or together take the blame when some act of abuse or misconduct happens in the future.

to be continued...