Since I first took on the role of General Manager at Saint John, there are several responsibilities that I take very seriously (and my wife can attest to the sleepless nights and constant focus I put into our church). At the top of that list is creating and maintaining a safe and protective environment at Saint John to ensure the positive, accepting and joyous Catholic faith we enjoy and the activities we use to celebrate that faith and our community.
A bombing at a Catholic Church in New Mexico. A staff member indicted for child abuse in Indianapolis. An unfathomable shooting at a church in South Carolina. Ministry members being accused of inappropriate behavior locally and across the country. This is the world we live in. It is not what we want it to be and it is may not be the world we used to live in. However, it is the reality of our world. 30 years ago, you could walk right onto an airplane. The tragedies we have all endured have changed the way we do things.
The same goes for how we minister at Saint John. On January 19th, 2015, Father John and I signed and released the policy, Creating a Safe Environment at Saint John: Volunteer Background Checks and Safe Environment Training (https://legacysite.sjecc.org/about-us/safe-environment-at-saint-john). This policy clearly lays out why and who are required to perform the Diocese of Venice background checks and attend the Safe Environment Course. We have made this process as simple and effective as possible, from deploying the only fingerprint station in a church in the Southern Deanery of the Diocese, to providing multiple opportunities for the training classes. We have given ministers at Saint John every opportunity to comply with this policy, and bent over backwards to ensure it can be followed.
There seems to be a level of misunderstanding of what “Ministry” is. It is not “volunteering”. Volunteering is giving of your time in a way that is prioritized by the volunteer. Ministry is giving of yourself and your gifts to the Mission of the Church. Being a minister is a sacrifice towards the purpose of that ministry and the overall church’s needs. The church needs to be the protective, healing, loving, and collaborative environment for all our Parish Family. Any minister should be able to support and assist any one of us in our times of need, whether that is standing in the front of the church and helping an adult in a wheelchair find a seat in our pews or lending a hand serving food at a Families in Christ. We should all be ready to support vulnerable adults and youth in our ministries, and as such, we should all become compliant.
There is no more discussion about the policy. There is no rational argument against it. It is the full and complete requirement for active ministers at Saint John to comply with this policy. If they choose not to do so, they will not be authorized to minister at Saint John until they go forward with the proper steps.