A Report from the Office of Child and Youth Protection to the People of the Diocese

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
September 12, 2013

http://www.diocese-kcsj.org/_docs/OCYP_Report_2013_final_reduced.pdf

[full text]

When I accepted the responsibility of forming the Office of Child and Youth Protection, I made a promise to work alongside my team to rebuild your trust in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis within our faith community. I asked you to set aside the past and join our team in the battle against sexual abuse. I believe now more than ever that only by standing together can we cast the widest and

strongest safety net of protection for our children.

Throughout our diocese, people have stepped forward to strengthen that net. You are arming yourself with knowledge, standing watch against predators, educating children, and speaking out against abuse. You are beginning to understand why victims of abuse stand silent, alone, feeling needless shame and misplaced guilt. You are offering your prayers to help begin the healing process. Many of you made a call to the Ombudsman when something felt wrong to you. Over 1,000 leaders in our diocese attended Mandatory Reporter Training. And in every parish and school our children are being trained to identify and report abuse.

As you can see in this first comprehensive annual report, we are making a difference. Perpetrators of sexual abuse will continue to inhabit this world. We must remain vigilant. We must support the programs in place to keep children in our parishes and schools safe. It is up to ALL of us in this Catholic faith community to make sure our clergy, teachers and volunteers have the required training and background checks. We all must know the warning signs of abuse. If any of us observe or suspect abuse of a minor, we must report it. We cannot assume someone else will make that report. It is up to each one of us as ethical reporters to help stop abuse.