Local Church in full compliance with U.S. bishops' 'charter'

Safe environment coordinator seeks more volunteers

By Rebecca Saunders
The Catholic Sun

Last month, the Diocese of Phoenix was notified that it is in full compliance with the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” a set of guidelines from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church.

More than 150 Catholics from 52 different parishes have been trained to lead and train others in the diocese’s safe environment training program. Although these numbers mark a certain success, the diocesan office of Safe Environment Training still needs almost 150 more facilitators to lead the programs next fall.

Last year the diocese contracted with Praesidium, a leader in “abuse risk management.”

“Praesidium is a research-based program focused on prevention, which is exciting for our diocese to move in that direction,” said Jennifer King, coordinator of Safe Environment Training for the Phoenix Diocese. The feedback on Praesidium has been very positive at the trainings she hosts, according to King. She attributes the success to the high quality of Praesidium materials and the preventative focus of the program.

Wanted: Trainers

Mary Ann Ronan, director of faith formation at St. Paul Parish became a trainer because there is “a need for positive spiritual people to lead these sessions for their parish,” she said.

“As difficult as the topic is, we need facilitators who are upbeat and already have trust within the parish community,” Ronan said.

Facilitators for the Praesidium safe environment training classes are given 16 hours to learn how to lead the video-based trainings that are utilized in the three separate safe environment training programs for parents and families, youth and ministers.

“I feel that being a trainer is my responsibility if I am to effectively live out my ministry,” said Debbie Rondberg, Praesidium trainer and director of religious education for St. Anne Parish in Gilbert. “This situation affects all of us, not just the children we read about in the newspaper.”

While Rondberg values many aspects of the information presented in the Praesidium program, she believes awareness was the most vital point.

“Awareness of boundary violations, awareness of intentions and motives by individuals. A heightened awareness about unhealthy situations” is focused on, she said. “This program removes the ignorance that tends to cloud this issue.”

Church employees are not the only parishioners that King wants to train. “A trainer can be a volunteer or employee with in the parish,” she said. “We ask that they are comfortable speaking about sexual abuse, comfortable in large crowds and willing to spend some time for this ministry.” Parish pastors and school principals must approve all trainers.

Fr. Peter Dobrowski, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Bullhead City, became a trainer because he wanted to personally know the quality of what his parish employees, volunteers and youth would experience.

“The respect it showed to those who were taking it” was the strength of the training, Fr. Dobrowski said. “It appealed to our intelligence, creativity and enabled us to own the material.”

Called to protect

King is very excited about the growing program.

“I have been so grateful for the competence of everybody that’s coming through. The energy, excitement and support of this ministry has been incredible,” King said. “This is part of what we need to do as baptized Catholics — protect our children. We need somebody out there efficiently giving that message. They don’t need to be experts on child abuse, but they need to be willing to help find the answers if they need to and most importantly be willing to give the information in a way people can receive it.”