A 59-year-old youth minister for a church in Tucson recently was convicted on six counts of sexual molestation of a 13-year-old girl, a member of the youth group.
A 25-year-old youth ministry intern, who had been serving in a church in Tempe for only six months, recently was arrested after admitting to having sex with a 14-year-old girl in the youth group.
Two 13-year-old boys recently were arrested in Tucson for using their mobile phones to send a nude photo of a 13-year-old girl that she had sent to one of the boys using her mobile phone.
These three stories, all very close to home, illustrate how vulnerable youth is to predators and, sadly, to youth themselves.
In the first story, an older man volunteers his time, but takes advantage of the trust of the church community. He violated prudent boundaries by taking children home in his car. I am sure it seemed harmless enough to those in charge, but he used the opportunities to size up potential victims, eventually picking out a girl whose need for a father figure must have been obvious to him.
This predator moved slowly but surely, molesting her for more than a year while he went about his other duties as a youth minister. He dominated the girl’s psyche by professing his care for her and threatening suicide should she reveal the abuse.
In the second story, the youth ministry intern, still a student, offended in a very different manner than the older man. He convinced the girl to sneak out of her house so they could have sex in his car. In the wake of his arrest, two other girls from a church in another state where he had worked also accused him of abuse.
In the third story, the two boys, still minors themselves, and the girl who sent the picture of herself, got caught in what is an increasing source of danger to our children and youth – the use of the electronic communication devices to share inappropriate images and information.
In this case, the crime was committed only by minors. It could have easily expanded to involve adults who would use the image and information for even worse purposes.
I can only imagine the sense of betrayal, failure and disappointment that those responsible for supervising these youth ministers and the young offenders must have felt.
The impact of these crimes goes beyond the churches themselves. Such incidents further erode in our communities the trust that parents have in people of faith who are involved in youth ministry.
We don’t know what policies to prevent abuse were in place in the churches involved or how well they were followed. We do know what we are to do to prevent such things from happening and how to respond if they do.
This year, I am collaborating with Joe Perdreauville of our diocesan Office of Pastoral Services and John Shaheen of our diocesan Property and Insurance Office to enhance our policies, procedures and resources to make our youth ministry programs as safe as possible for young persons and those who serve them.
How important and challenging it is to provide ministry to our youth!
I sometimes use the analogy of the electrical system to bring home this point.
We can’t really live our normal lives without electricity, and we certainly can’t use electricity safely without the skills and dedication of electrical engineers and electricians.
Youth ministry is essential to our parishes, and we certainly can’t have safe youth ministry without skilled and dedicated youth ministers – people who know the techniques of good youth ministry, people who know the boundaries of proper ministry and people who want our young persons to be safe.
Nothing we do will completely eliminate the risks of youth ministry, but whole-heartedly implementing our Safe Environment Program allows us to carry on this critical work so that our young persons are safe as they learn about and experience God’s presence in their lives.
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( 3 / 104 )Directo del encabezado de una plana de periódico vienen tres lecciones en qué tan importate es tener pólizas y procedimientos en su lugar (y seguirlas/os) en el ministerio de jóvenes de una parroquia o iglesia.
Un ministro de jóvenes, de 59 años de edad, en una iglesia de Tucsón fue convicto recientemente con seis cargos de abuso sexual a una jovencita de 13 años de edad, miembro de un grupo de jóvenes.
Un ministro interno de jóvenes, de 25 años de edad, que había estado sirviendo por seis meses solamente en una iglesia de Tempe, fue arrestado recientemente después de admitir que había tenido sexo con una jovencita de 14 años de edad, en un grupo de jóvenes.
Dos muchachos de 13 años de edad fueron arrestados recientemente en Tucsón por haber usado sus teléfonos celulares para mandar una foto de una jovencita desnuda de 13 años de edad, que le había mandado a uno de los muchachos de su teléfono celular.
Estas tres historias, todas muy cercanas a nuestros hogares, ilustran qué tan vulnerable es la juventud a predatores, y tristemente, jóvenes mismos.
En la primera historia, un hombre mayor ofrece su tiempo como voluntario, pero toma ventaja de la confianza de la comunidad de la iglesia. El violó los límites prudentes llevando chamacos a sus casas en su carro. Estoy seguro que eso parecía suficientemente inofensivo para los encargados del grupo; pero el usó estas oportunidades para tantear sus víctimas, y eventualmente escoger a una joven, quien para él le pareció obvio, necesitaba la figura de un padre en su vida.
Este predator se movió muy despacio, pero con seguridad, molestando a esta jovencita por más de un año mientras que cumplía con sus deberes como ministro de jóvenes. Él dominó el psiquis de la joven por medio de profesar su cuidado para ella y amenazándola con que él se suicidaba si ella revelaba el abuso.
En la segunda historia, el ministro interno de jóvenes, todavía un estudiante, ofendió de manera muy diferente que el hombre mayor. Él convenció a la joven a que se saliera a hurtadillas de su casa para que así pudieran tener sexo en su carro. Poco antes de su arresto, otras dos jóvenes de una iglesia en otro estado, donde él también había trabajado, lo acusaron de abuso.
En la tercera historia, los dos muchachos, aun todavía menores, y la jovencita quien mandó el retrato de ella misma, quedó atrapada en lo que es una fuente acrecentada de peligro para nuestros niños y jóvenes – el uso de artefactos de comunicación electrónica para compartir imágenes e información inapropiadas.
En este caso, el crimen fue cometido solamente por menores. Pudo muy fácilmente haberse extendido a envolver adultos quienes sin duda pudieran haber usado imagen e información con propósitos peores.
Solo me puedo imaginar el sentimiento de traición, fracaso y desilución que aquellas personas responsables de supervisar a estos ministros y ofensores menores pudieron haber sentido.
El impacto de estos crímenes va más allá de las mismas iglesias. Tales incidents erocionan, además, la confianza que los padres en nuestras comunides tienen en personas de fe quienes están envueltos en el ministerio de jóvenes.
No sabemos qué pólizas y procedimientos para prevenir abuso estaban en vigor en las iglesias envueltas, o qué tan bién las seguían. Nosotros sabemos qué debemos hacer para prevenir que tales cosas sucedan y cómo responder si suceden.
Este año, estoy colaborando con Joe Perdreauville de nuestra Oficina diocesana de Servicios Pastorales y con John Shaheen de nuesta Oficina diocesana de Propiedad y Aseguranza para pulir nuestras pólizas, procedimientos y recursos para hacer los programas del ministerio de jóvenes tan seguros como sea possible, para nuestros jóvenes y aquellos que los sirven.
¡Qué importante y tan lleno de desafíos es proveer ministerio a nuestros jóvenes!
Algunas veces uso la analogía del sistema eléctrico para traer este punto a nuestros hogares.
No podemos, en realidad, vivir una vida normal sin electricidad, y ciertamente no podemos usar electricidad de manera segura sin las destrezas y dedicación de los ingenieros eléctricos y los electricistas.
El ministerio de jóvenes es esencial en nuestras parroquias, y con toda seguridad no podemos tener un ministerio de jóvenes seguro con ministros de jóvenes sin destrezas y dedicación – personas que conozcan técnicas de un buén ministerio de jóvenes, personas que conozcan los límites propios del ministerio y personas que que quieran la seguridad de nuestros jóvenes.
A pesar de todo lo que hagamos no se podrán eliminar completamente los riesgos del ministerio de jóvenes, pero implementando firmemente nuestro nuestro Programa del Ambiente Seguro nos permite seguir adelante con este trabajo tan crítico para que nuestros jóvenes estén seguros al aprender y experimentar la presencia de Dios en sus vidas.
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( 2.9 / 86 )We don’t know when.
We don’t know who.
But, we do know that it can happen.
In September, I wrote about a report that caused a chill for those of us who work to prevent abuse of children in churches and schools.
It was the story of the arrest of a 53-year-old employee of a discount store in Tennessee who was a trusted volunteer youth pastor at a Baptist church.
It turned out that he had fled another state where he had been on probation after his conviction for molesting children. The church that had let him become a volunteer had no idea who he really was.
This is why we set up systems and follow them, systems not only for screening of new volunteers and employees, but for supervision and education of existing personnel and the education of our children and youth so that they can play a part in their own safety.
Screening includes careful review of the background of any person entrusted to work with minors or entrusted with the care of vulnerable adults.
Supervision and education of employees and volunteers includes regular review of the Code of Contact, our diocesan Guidelines for the Prevention of and Response to Sexual Misconduct and the ministry-specific guidelines in each parish and school that we have come to call Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs).
As critical as all that is, the education of our children and youth in personal safety is equally important.
This education is another level of protection from a past sex offender who somehow gets through all the other safeguards.
When the education of children in personal safety was first introduced in our Diocese, the concern from some parents was obvious.
I listened to their worries that children would be traumatized or be led to file false reports. There also were misunderstandings about the nature of personal safety education that confused personal safety education with “sex education.”
Because these same concerns were being raised in other dioceses as well, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops commissioned a study that examined the scientific and religious evidence about personal safety education.
The study found that education in personal safety does not traumatize children or lead them to file false reports.
Personal safety education does, the study showed, develop in children and youth greater trust in the great majority of adults who act in appropriate ways and are clearly there on behalf of the children’s welfare. That trust leads them to speak with adults about what troubles them rather than to keep secrets.
While that study is solid evidence of the value of personal safety education, it does not speak to us as eloquently as our personal experience.
Not long ago, I had a conversation with a mother that made the study come alive.
She told me that her daughter, since she was very young, had lived with a fear of being abducted and harmed by a stranger. How this fear came to be, the mother didn’t know.
She told me that in the last year her daughter’s fear had lessened greatly because she had received personal safety education in her parish and at home.
In fact, when the mother shared with her daughter what she learned in our new educational video, that a convicted sex offender said he backed away from children who had received personal safety education, the daughter’s reaction was: “I am so excited!” – excited because she realized that she does know what is inappropriate behavior by an adult and what she is to do if she feels uncomfortable or unsafe.
She felt confident that she would not be a victim because she understands that she can speak up, say “No!” and tell someone.
Her mother was so happy to see this confidence in her child, and I was very happy to hear of it.
I would like to hear from you about your experience with personal safety education of children. You are welcome to contact me at 520-838-2513 or pauld@diocesetucson.org.
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( 3.2 / 153 )Is there anyone out there who enjoys an audit?
I bet not.
But no matter how time consuming they are and no matter how nit-picking they may seem, audits are a standard part of how we operate in every important endeavor in our society.
In the Diocese of Tucson, audits are a regular part of how we operate in the Safe Environment Program.
In fact, we have just finished another on-site audit of the Safe Environment Program conducted by the Gavin Group.
This independent firm does the audits of dioceses nationwide that are required by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Review Board that collaborates with the Conference to prevent the sexual abuse of minors by persons who serve the Church.
Exactly what does our audit involve?
Before all else, the audit requires preparation. Preparing for an audit is hard work, but it provides the framework for a thoughtful review of what has been done.
This preparation goes on in each parish and school of the Diocese. It is not a job that is taken lightly.
The review of what has been done leads inevitably to what might have been done better. This is the real fruit of an audit.
An operation as complex as that of a parish, school or a diocese has so many moving parts, it is unreasonable to believe that they will all be working well at any given time.
From that perspective, audits are simply an opportunity to discover those areas that need more attention so that a timely correction can be applied.
So, as much as we might wish that we could do away with the stress of audits, dispassionate consideration suggests that timely “maintenance” of the Safe Environment Program would suffer if we did.
In the Diocese of Tucson, we put such store in audits that we not only commit to the annual audit through the Bishops’ Conference, we also have the professional services of our own internal auditor, Katherine Preble.
Katherine visits each of our parishes and schools on a two-year cycle to examine financial records, human resources practices and, importantly, Safe Environment Program implementation.
Many people have commented to me about the positive impact Katherine has made through her visits.
In addition to these more traditional types of audits, the Safe Environment Program also includes another type of audit process: the review of the Compliance Plan.
A compliance plan is a policy statement of the parish or school that outlines the way in which the Safe Environment Program will be implemented in that particular place, so an audit of the compliance plan is central to the planning process of each parish and school.
Each year, when the leadership of the parish or school reviews the plan, they consider whether the plan still fits the local circumstances and whether is actually being carried out.
These three audit processes – annual collection of data, internal auditor visits and annual review of the compliance plan – are just the formal ways in which the audit component of our complex Safe Environment Program is carried out.
Also, in the course of each year, there are many other specific checks that are done as issues arise, augmenting our common commitment to try to do the right thing and to keep on doing it.
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( 3 / 137 )By Paul Duckro, Ph.D
A newspaper story caught my eye a few weeks ago.
It was about child molester who had been arrested in Tennessee after hiding from authorities for seven years.
He had been convicted in Georgia and had fled after violating his probation by failing to register as a sex offender.
As described in the story, he literally recreated himself.
He established a new life in Tennessee under an assumed name. He worked at a retail store. He was a volunteer youth minister in a local Baptist church.
It is not known yet whether he harmed any children under his care at the Baptist church, but you can imagine the anxiety that the leaders of that church must have experienced when they learned of his background.
The story did not make clear whether the church had tried to do any kind of background check or how completely the fugitive had covered his tracks. He may have taken on not only a new name, but also a new Social Security Number.
That notwithstanding, it is likely that the “low tech” aspect of a background check, a simple set of phone calls, might have been enough to expose him.
I read this story with particular interest because it coincided with the completion of this year’s education video for our diocesan Safe Environment Program.
In the video, we listen to the chilling account by a child molester who specialized in church settings. He describes how he infiltrated churches, committing his crimes against children while hiding in plain sight.
The video helps us to understand that child molesters can look like ordinary people who work their way into the heart of a church community by being pleasant and useful.
As they gain trust, they gradually take liberties with the behavioral limits built into the policies – like the Code of Conduct and Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs) of our Safe Environment Program – written for their particular ministry.
If they are not called on these violations, child molesters know that they are safe to act out.
They are a small percentage of all the persons who so generously give their time to carry out the ministries of churches, but that small percentage does untold damage if they are not detected in time.
The video – as does the newspaper story – also emphasizes for us just how critical it is to follow through on background checks for any person new to a parish or school community.
If you are an employee or volunteer at a parish or school, you will see the video during these next few months. I hope that it will encourage you to advocate for and follow the policies and procedures that your parish or school has put into place to protect those that our parishes and schools serve and those, like you, who provide the service.
If you are a parishioner or member of a school family, I hope this column will give you the confidence that the persons responsible for the care of children at your parish or school are receiving education that will help them to recognize child molesters and to respond to situations that put a child’s safety at risk.
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