Catholic archdiocese to launch training program

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has created a new training program for volunteers, staff members and clergy that will be required before working with minors in Catholic churches or schools.

The program launches July 1, archdiocese leaders said in a news release.

The new training program — called Safe & Sacred Training Program for Catholic Dioceses — provides online training in several areas, including appropriate and inappropriate interaction with minors, proper boundaries, potential red flags and how to report suspected child abuse.

While the archdiocese has had a training program in place since the 2002, the nationwide “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” the archdiocese's new Safe & Sacred program is updated to reflect current knowledge about topics such as human trafficking and grooming and includes specific content related to local needs.

“Archbishop (Paul S.) Coakley and leaders of the archdiocese are committed to creating and maintaining safe environments for children and vulnerable adults in all churches, schools, Bible studies, youth groups, camps or any event sponsored by the archdiocese or a parish,” Maggie Beckham, coordinator of the archdiocese's Safe Environment Office, said in a statement. “It is important that we always assess, evaluate and update our training and reporting so we do all we can to create a safe environment and protect our parishioners, especially minors, from anyone who seeks to do harm.”

Proud to Protect has been providing the Safe & Sacred online program to Catholic dioceses and eparchies across the United States for more than 10 years. Thousands of adults serving in Catholic schools, parishes, youth programs and other service organizations participate in Safe & Sacred Training Programs every year.

Along with the required training, adults who work or volunteer for the archdiocese must have a completed background check, three approved references and be interviewed before before they begin.

To learn more or to download a copy of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, go to archokc. org/safe-environment. For more information about Safe & Sacred, go to proudtoprotect.com/proud-to-protect/ safe-and-sacred.