Protecting God's
Children
The national sexual-abuse prevention program
"Protecting God’s Children” was adopted by the
Archdiocese of St. Louis in November 2002 and is
provided at no cost to parishes, schools, and
archdiocesan agencies. All archdiocesan employees and
volunteers who work with children on a regular basis
are mandated to attend a presentation of the program.
Priests in the archdiocese also participate in the
program, and pastors are encouraged to be present at
sessions that are offered in their parishes.
Developed by National Catholic Services, “Protecting
God’s Children” is a comprehensive
two-and-one-half-hour program that includes two video
presentations which incorporate stories from victims
of sexual abuse and their families who speak about
the impact that the abuse has had on them. In
addition, the videos feature testimony from
perpetrators of child abuse who tell how they
selected their victims and how they made the victims
feel that the abuse was their own fault. The program
also provides information on how to prevent situations
that can lead to abuse, on what behaviors should raise
concern about abuse, and on how to report abuse. |
