Jackson diocese promotes abuse awareness month WASHINGTON/JACKSON — Catholic dioceses nationwide are promoting Child Abuse Awareness Month during April. Awareness will be highlighted through special prayers during Sunday Masses, diocesan and parish lectures, and other educational activities.
Child Abuse Awareness is a major initiative of the Catholic Church in the United States. As a result an estimated 1.6 million persons have undergone background checks; 1.8 million priests, deacons, candidates for ordination, educators, employees and volunteers have gone through safe environment programs and approximately 6 million children in parish school and religious education programs have received age-appropriate instruction in this area.
The diocesan and parish efforts were urged by the U.S. bishops’ Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People. It provided educational materials, homily resources, prayer cards, intercessory prayers, posters and other materials to each of the 195 dioceses in the United States.
Dioceses are providing information via their websites and through distribution of prevention and awareness materials to all parishes and schools.
“We can never rest when it comes to protecting children and teenagers,” said Bishop Gregory Aymond, committee chairman. “The prevalence of child abuse in our society calls for vigilance of parents, pastors, teachers, indeed, all responsible adults. Child Abuse Prevention Month deserves our attention in both prayer and action.”
The Diocese of Jackson, Office of Protection of Children, monitors and facilitates the ongoing screening and training programs for all adults who work in programs for children and youth in both schools and parishes.
“At the present time, we have 4,556 adults in active ministry with young people who have undergone background checks and an initial training in the diocese’s Protection of Children Program,” stated Vickie Carollo, director of the office for the Jackson diocese.
“Since October of 2002, many of these individuals have also participated in ongoing reviews of material focused on providing safe environments when working with children/youth in parishes and schools. There were 7,692 children/youth instructed in age-appropriate self-protection skills in 2006-2007.
“The Office of Protection of Children continues to review new materials for both adults and children/youth in order to provide parishes and schools with up-to-date and appropriate training in providing safe environments,” Carollo said.
Carollo has sent child abuse prevention and awareness information to all parishes and schools in the Jackson diocese, requesting the information be used in their liturgies and bulletins during April and throughout the year.
“As we mark Child Abuse Prevention this month during this beautiful Easter season, let us celebrate all that is done in our communities, our nation and our world to protect our most valuable gift from God – our children,” Carollo said.
The resource materials sent to dioceses were developed by the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and underwritten by the Catholic Communication Campaign, which is supported by a collection taken up annually in parishes to support church media efforts.
The resource material is available at http://usccb.org/ocyp/april_cap_month.shtml. Or visit the Diocese of Jackson’s website – www.jacksondiocese.org – and click on the Child Abuse Prevention link.
