By Fr. Terry Specht
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 11/4/04)

Since June, more than 5,000 volunteers and employees throughout the Arlington Diocese have gathered on evenings and weekends to participate in the VIRTUS presentations "Protecting God’s Children," learning how to more effectively create a safe and nurturing environment for children and young people in their parishes, schools, and indeed, our neighborhoods. The four-hour sessions offered at 35 locations have been no small investment in time for those who have attended. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and usually goes as follows: "I came to the seminar expecting little. I left it excited about the concrete steps I learned to protect children." In a society where child abuse is sadly still an issue, our diocese is being well-served by "Protecting God’s Children."

This concrete help is found in the steady and consistent steps that our diocese continues to make in protecting children, building on the foundation laid in 1991 when a strong Child Protection policy was put in place. "Protecting God’s Children" has been vital to our child protection efforts because it teaches diocesan employees, volunteers and parents to:

Following the success of the "Protecting God’s Children" program, the diocese has now instituted "Protecting God’s Children for Parents." The parents’ program follows the outline of the program for employees and volunteers, but focuses more specifically on the family and the teaching of children (by their parents) in safety and trust. "Protecting God’s Children for Parents" responds to the numerous requests from parents who have attended "Protecting God’s Children" and expressed a need for similar resources to help parents. The program includes access to an online database with many articles and features addressing child safety within the family. Parishes, schools and other diocesan organizations can schedule "Protecting God’s Children for Parents" seminars at their locations by contacting the director of Child Protection and Safety for the diocese.

Earlier this year, Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde set the following guidelines for the selection of a children’s program: any program selected must 1) respect the irreplaceable role of parents, who "have the first responsibility for the education of their children" [Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2223], 2) be fully in accord with our Catholic teachings on the dignity of the human person and morality, 3) be age-appropriate, 4) effective, and 5) not place the burden of protection on children.

The latest step in developing a comprehensive and Catholic approach to the protection of our children is the selection of "Formation in Christian Chastity," a children’s safety program that has received favorable input and reviews from parents, priests, psychologists and teachers. Of the nearly 20 different programs reviewed by the diocese, "Formation in Christian Chastity" is the program that best meets the requirements set by Bishop Loverde.

The program, by incorporating the insights of the Pontifical Council for the Family’s "The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality," was developed with the understanding that the topics of human sexuality, chastity, family and moral living are best communicated directly by parents to their children. For grades one through four, parents will be provided with letters that outline a series of teaching points along a particular theme that matches with the general development of their children. Basic classroom presentations by diocesan religious education instructors in grades one and five through eight will supplement the material sent home to parents. For grades five to eight, there will be both parent guides and classroom presentations that focus specifically on the moral teaching of the Church. The intimate details of human development are always reserved to the parents.

The goal of the program is to assist parents in instilling the Church’s teaching on chastity in their families. This explicitly Catholic approach goes beyond the mere requirements set out by the U.S. Bishops’ 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, and responds to the real needs of our families, parishes and schools. Displaying a clear Catholic understanding of the human person, the program incorporates the Catechism of the Catholic Church, devotional prayers to the saints and examples from sacred Scripture to help children grow to appreciate the sacredness of the human being. Safety is introduced through teaching about the dignity and integrity of all God’s children.

The combination of "Protecting God’s Children for Parents" and the children’s program "Formation in Christian Chastity" will now provide the potential for a thoroughly comprehensive and faithful approach to assist families in keeping their children safe and helping them to grow in virtue. They are parent-centered, as most of the teaching is provided to the parents through mailings for their use in teaching of their children. Parents may opt out of any classroom training. If they should choose this option, they will still receive the mailings for their own use. The programs are faithful to Catholic teaching on human sexuality and present an opportunity to help children grow in virtue. The combination of the adult/parent and children training also places the emphasis of safety on adults, teaching them to be aware of warning signs in the behaviors of other adults.

"Formation in Christian Chastity" is age-appropriate, taking care to protect the innocence of young children. Any specific information about the intimate details of human development is provided only to parents through mailings. Parents can decide when and if the information is necessary for their children at their own age of development.

Parishes and schools will be provided with training in presenting "Formation in Christian Chastity" starting in January 2005. Parish communities may examine the program and incorporate it into their religious education program or may decide to develop their own program for approval by the diocese.