CENTERVILLE (MA)
Cape Cod Times
By Sean Teehan
steehan@capecodonline.com
September 27, 2012
CENTERVILLE — A contract distributed to members of a local church that drew public scrutiny was written with the best of intentions, the church’s pastor said.
“All the sudden, we’re thrust in this public relations disaster,” the Rev. Mark Hession, pastor at Our Lady of Victory Parish, said.
A report by a Boston television station this week said parents bringing their children to Our Lady of Victory for religious education were asked to sign a form agreeing that, “Should we choose to allow another adult to provide supervision to a child, the ultimate supervision and safety of that child is still our responsibility and ours alone.”
The document further stipulates parents “specifically agree not to hold the diocese or any of its employees or contractors liable for any accident, illness or harm that may result from the trip or activity,” the report said.
But the program to which the form refers is the GIFT program, a multigenerational gathering in which parish families gather for a meal before breaking up into religious study and prayer groups separated by age. About 180 people attend each of these events.
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