Quick Links
Child Safety
What's Happening
Child sexual abuse is a terrible crime that causes indescribable harm to a child. Child sexual abuse is an affront to a person's dignity and it violates every principle of profound respect for human life that the Gospel teaches.
As a diocese, we are strongly committed to work tirelessly to educate, train, and guide our communities in the ways of justice and respect for others and their innate, God-given dignity. We strive unceasingly to heal the brokenness of victims of past wrongs brought about by the Church’s ministers and to bring justice, rehabilitation, and forgiveness to the perpetrators of acts that were so detrimental to others.
Protecting God's Children Training: Ongoing
Cell Phones and Parental Controls: Protect Your Children
The Office for Ministerial Conduct has teamed with the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families and the Religious Alliance Against Pornography to publish a booklet entitled, "Cell Phones and Parental Controls: Protect Your Children." The booklets contain information about the potential dangers of internet-enabled devices and steps parents can take to protect children from access to pornography and other inappropriate material. These booklets are available at parishes and diocesan schools.
CLICK HERE to download a copy of "Cell Phones and Parental Controls: Protect Your Children."
Related Links:
Ten Ways to Keep Children Safer
Tips for Safe Use of the Internet
Internet Resource Safety Guide (pdf)
How to Report Inappropriate or Illegal Content on the Internet
Protecting Youth on the Internet (USCCB) (pdf)
Take our Code of Conduct Quiz!
Did you know that the Diocese of Manchester has a Code of Conduct ? This Code of Conduct applies to all Church personnel. “Church personnel” not only refers to priests, deacons, and religious men and women, it also includes all those who regularly work or volunteer at diocesan parishes, schools and camps. Some examples are: lectors, ushers, catechists, day care staff and volunteers, Catholic school volunteers, Boy Scout leaders, CYO coaches, youth ministers, members of pastoral and finance councils, choir directors and members, and parish outreach workers.
It is important to be familiar with the Code of Conduct.
CLICK HERE to take the quiz to check your knowledge.
Related Links:
Code & Policy (pdf)
Code & Policy in Spanish (pdf)
Avoiding the Appearance of Impropriety: Recommendations for Keeping Boundaries
Prayer for Victims of Abuse
Please pray for victims of clergy sex abuse and for all victims of abuse.
Related Links:
Prayer Card - English (pdf)
Prayer Card - Spanish (pdf)
How to obtain outreach for victims of abuse.
Article: What Parents Can Do to Protect Young People by Sr. Mary Angela Shaughnessy
How to Respond to a Disclosure of Abuse
How to Report Abuse
Keeping God’s Children Safe
The Catholic Church is dedicated to ensuring the safety of children. In addition to other programs described in the Child Safety pages of this Web site, the Diocese of Manchester provides personal safety training, known as Circles of Care, to all students in diocesan Catholic schools and religious education classes. We also strive to provide resources for parents on child safety topics.
Listen to Teresa Kettelkamp, Executive Director of the USCCB's Office for Child and Youth Protection, discuss the progress the Church has made over the past several years. (mp3)
View our personal safety curriculum for students, Circles of Care
View a pamphlet about Talking with Your Children About Abuse
Child Sexual Abuse: An Old Problem Just Discovered (USCCB) (pdf)
2008 Attorney General Audit
Attorney General Kelly Ayotte published the results of the fourth audit of the diocesan safe environment program on January 26, 2009. The letter from the Attorney General and Bishop McCormack’s response to her are available on our Child Safety Reports and Updates Web page.
How the Diocese Works to Protect Children
The safe environment program for the Diocese of Manchester has been developed over the last several years to highlight best practices. To review a summary of these developments CLICK HERE.
Coloring Book
The Diocese of Manchester is committed to preventing the abuse of children. Please click on the link to download and print Being Friends, Being Safe, Being Catholic, a coloring book for children ages 10 and under. The coloring book is a teaching tool which contains safety tips and may be used at home or in school or religious education classes.
Download a copy of the coloring book, Being Friends, Being, Safe, Being Catholic (pdf) 9MB
USCCB Issues Fifth Annual Charter - Implementation Report
On Friday, March 7, 2008, the Office of Child and Youth Protection for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released the fifth annual Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Report is based on an independent compliance audit conducted by the Gavin Group and has been reviewed by the National Review Board, a lay advisory group of the USCCB. In the 2007 audit, the Diocese of Manchester was found in full compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
In the past six years, child safety has become part of the culture of the Church. The Diocese has established an office dedicated to promoting and ensuring a safe environment in the Church, and this office works with hundreds of pastors, principals, employees, and volunteers in its safe environment work. Among other things, the Diocese has trained over 17,000 adults in sexual abuse awareness, reporting, and prevention; updated and improved its sexual abuse prevention policies, programs, and protocols; and developed a program and materials for children and parents on sexual abuse prevention.
Related Links:
Gavin Group Report, September 25, 2007
Full Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People