There are so many ways you can help the parish and we appreciate all that you do to make our parish a success!
These forms must be completed by all volunteers who come in direct contact with children or the elderly. Forms may be printed, completed & signed, and returned to the parish office.
The following is a link to the VIRTUS training requirement which is mandatory for all parish volunteers who come in direct contact with children or the elderly. You may either complete this training online or attend our session on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in the parish hall. If you have any questions about the program or are unsure whether or not you should complete the training, please contact the office.
The Diocese of Springfield, along with St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, is making a deeper commitment to safeguard children from abuse within the church through a national online training called VIRTUS. Clergy, lay ministers, and volunteers are expected to implement the “Protecting God’s Children” program in their own parishes. Our parish will be implementing this program with a mandatory training for all clergy, staff, and volunteers who come in contact with children and/or the elderly in our parish. Launched in 2002, VIRTUS is a
training program created in response to the clergy child sexual abuse scandal. “Protecting God’s Children” is now offered as an online awareness session for church employees, lay ministers, and clergy. VIRTUS programs help parishes protect children, educate adults about dangerous situations, and adults’ responsibilities if abuse is suspected.
The VIRTUS training is another layer of protection in addition to the criminal offender background investigation (CORI) and the Diocese of Springfield Safe Environment training.
In response the the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People as adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Dallas in June 2002 and revised in 2013, the Diocese's Safe Environment program includes:
All clergy, all employees of the Diocese, parishes and schools, and all volunteers who have regular contact with children, are required to participate in and comply with all aspects of the Safe Environment Program.
The policies and practices outlined in this website include important information about our belief that the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Springfield must maintain and support a comprehensive plan to ensure that all children are protected and safe from abuse and person-to-person violence. As Bishop of our diocese, I join the efforts of many other parish and school leaders who work daily to see that all of our programs are staffed with persons who care deeply about the welfare of our children and youth.Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski, Bishop
As copied from the Diocese of Springfield website: diospringfield.org.