Safety & Security

1.  In case of an emergency while you are serving the parish.
2. To keep children safe:  New volunteers, working directly with children, must provide 2 references.  Seasoned volunteers have the staff as their references.  All info is kept securely.

Volunteer Application - English
Volunteer Application - Spanish

PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN TRAINING:
The Protecting God’s Children training is a mandated Archdiocesan program required of all parish clergy, staff, and volunteers. It is a prevention and awareness training at the parish level for adults, administered by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group under an umbrella called VIRTUS. Its purpose is for parishioners and staff to be fully educated in the responsibility that adults have in protecting all of God’s children – including each other. A one-time class fulfills the requirement within the Archdiocese of Boston, and the training is good for five (5) years.

The program is designed particularly for those adults who have custodial care of children as part of their duties, but is required of ALL parish volunteers. Training in the signs and symptoms that indicate a child is being abused in some way, and how to talk with children about these issues will also be included, as will training in the responsibilities of mandated reporting and the archdiocese's policies and procedures for preventing child abuse. An online component called "VIRTUS Online" will provide continued training through monthly bulletins and annual recertification.

More information about VIRTUS and Protecting God's Children

Training sessions in English and Spanish will be offered at St. Mary's in the fall, but you can take the training at another location if it's more convenient:
Find a Protecting God's Children training here - choose Boston, MA (Archdiocese)

SAFE ENVIRONMENTS PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS

The Archdiocese of Boston has several approved programs for children in preschool through grade 8 that focus on training children about personal safety and abuse prevention. They have been designed for teaching children both in the Catholic schools and in parish religious education programs. Each grade-specific program must be taught annually in parish religious education programs.

The programs concentrate on teaching children basic skills that will help keep them safe from dangerous or abusive situations, while supporting parents, educators and community members in responding effectively to suspected abuse. The developmentally appropriate programs introduce the subject of sexual abuse in the context of general safety.

We will be using Empowering God's Children, a program approved by the Archdiocese of Boston and presented in partnership with VIRTUS to provide the youth in our Religious Education programs with lessons on safe environments and their safety rights and boundaries. 

Click here for the Empowering God's Children Parent Guides and Opt-out Form. 

Thank you for your partnership with us to protect youth.