Safeguard The Children

Regarding my inaction on the blog lately, it is not because of a lack of material. In fact, I have an over abundance of topics to cover, but time limitations have prevented me from getting to them!

First and foremost, one of the recent events taking place at Holy Angels has been the reactivation of our Safeguard the Children Committee. For those of you unfamiliar with this committee, it was mandated by the Archdiocese roughly seven years ago for all parishes as a way of ensuring the safety of all the children of Catholic schools and Religious Education from any type of predatory behaviors or individuals.

After accomplishing initial goals, the committees seemed to fade out in many communities, including Holy Angels. Last year, as an end product of an audit process we completed, we made the decison to re-commit to Safeguard the Children.

The focus of this committee has been modified a bit, with our purpose now focusing on identifying dangers throughout the parish and making the entire community as safe as possible for children. While this may include fingerprinting volunteers and educating parents on the dangers of predators within the world we live, it also will include highlighting areas that may be dangerous in a physical sense, or practices we can institute to best ensure all our children's safety.

Currently, the committee meets at 7:00 pm on the first Monday of each month. Parent and parish involvement is the cornerstone of making this committee the most beneficial it can be. Currently, we have a parent information night planned, a booklet to be distributed at the start of next year, and a grounds walk-through to point out potential hazards. Any individuals interested in offering input are welcome to join us at our next meeting.