WHEELING — Expanding the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston’s Safe Environment Program, Bishop Mark Brennan is requiring additional protocols to increase safety and reduce risk in Catholic schools and parishes.
In a Feb. 20 letter to all pastors, administrators and principals of Catholic schools, Brennan said he is expanding the requirement of fingerprinting as part of the Diocese’s background check process, and has engaged Corporate Security and Investigations (CSI) of Pennsylvania as the third-party service provider to conduct Safe Environment spot checks, site assessments and training.
“Today I write to you with hope and confidence that the efforts to establish a culture of safety and awareness in our diocese continue to move forward in significant ways,” the bishop said in his letter.
Fingerprinting is now required of not only the bishop himself but of all priests and deacons, all seminarians, all Catholic school principals, teachers, staff and certain volunteers, as well as chancery staff. Fingerprints will be submitted to, and housed within the FBI as part of the background check process.
Fingerprint records will not be kept by schools or the diocese.
Brennan said that CSI is an organization comprised of experienced professionals from law-enforcement, public safety, academia and the private sector, who specialize in various services focused upon safety.
Beginning this year, CSI representatives will be visiting parishes and schools to perform more frequent and regular spot checks to ensure compliance, accuracy and consistency at the local level.
CSI experts will also assess and evaluate site security and offer recommendations to enhance the safety of people, buildings and properties. The preliminary plan is to conduct site assessments by regions. CSI representatives will also review and offer suggestions for site security plans parishes or schools already have in place.
The diocese, through CSI experts, and Diocesan counsel, will also offer training on safety, de-escalation and harassment of professional staff.
Bryan Minor, director of Diocesan Administrative Services and Safe Environment Process administrator, said the Office of Safe Environment welcomes this additional measure that will contribute to the safety of young people and peace of mind of parents and educators.
Minor said the Safe Environment Office looks forward to working with parishes, schools, clergy and seminarians throughout the diocese to implement these protocols.
The Office of Safe Environment strives to raise awareness and reduce risk throughout the diocese, Minor said, noting that the Safe Environment process is mandatory for employees and volunteers who work directly or indirectly with children.
In addition to the new protocols to the Safe Environment Program, Brennan noted that the Diocese worked for several months to implement the third-party reporting system known as Ethics Point, which will soon be incorporated; the expansion of various lay boards and implementation policies designed to provide necessary stewardship of church resources; the establishment of a victims assistance fund, which was recently created; and the continuation of encouraging the reporting of abuse to civil authorities first and foremost.
