Protecting God's Children

All Catholic schools and parish religious education programs in the Diocese of Joliet must offer instruction for children (grades K-12) and their parents/guardians to prevent child sexual abuse.

In addition, out of concern for the safety and well-being of children, every diocesan, parish, school or religious education employee or volunteer who is involved with minors on a regular, recurring basis and those who may have an opportunity to be alone with children during parish, school or religious education-sponsored events are required to attend a VIRTUS® PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN™ Program workshop. This is a one-time requirement. Of all the "safe environment" programs available, Protecting God's Children was selected for the Joliet Diocese because it was comprehensive and professional.

If you need more information about these requirements as they relate to the diocesan schools, please call Pamela Gean at the Catholic Schools Office (815-221-6122) or another contact as outlined on the Diocese's official page. You can also find more information on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) web site or the Virtus web site. If you want more information about reporting abuse, visit the Diocese of Joliet's page for Protecting our Children.