Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13

The feast of Pentecost calls us to celebrate the great gift of the Church to the world. Through the Fruits (Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Generosity, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Modesty, Self-Control, Chastity) and Gifts (Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord) of the Holy Spirit, the Church has flourished for some two thousand years bringing the Good News of the Love of God to those near and far and offering comfort and solace to those in need. 

We have been very blessed to have traveled the country these past few years promoting the Protecting God’s Children^® Programs and witnessing firsthand thousands of good people sharing their talents and gifts as ambassadors of Good News. Through accepting the inheritance of evangelization as handed down by Mary and the Apostles, we all share our gifts and contribute to lightening the burden of removing the crosses of shame, guilt, poverty, abandonment, prejudice, and hatred from the world.

Since the terrible days of 2002 and the news of so many abused innocent children was brought to light, we have been living in shame. To think that our very own priests, religious, and pastoral ministers were responsible was almost too much to bear. Perhaps historically, it was record time in which the Church community responded. Living in shame did not allow us to be anchored down and allowing the horrors of child abuse to continue. The response of the People of God was enormous and extremely powerful. Perhaps for the first time in history, the entire Catholic Community of the United States was united in attacking the issue of child sexual abuse and made momentous progress in teaching adults and children about the dangers of child sexual abuse and the ways we could prevent this from happening.

Because of the shame, many other feelings and issues were raised: anger, frustration, fright, lack of trust, betrayal, and disappointment to name just a few. In the early days, the anger was felt and expressed in many ways, but the Good People of God still held forth that their main objective would be the prevention of child sexual abuse in our Church communities and institutions.

Fear prompted many to see the new programs of sex abuse prevention as difficult and even harmful. Some felt that we would lose our good ministers and volunteers because of what we were asking of them. We walked together and we listened and we yelled and sometimes screamed, but the work was being done.

God did not let us down. We tried not to let Him down, either. We raised the bar for those who would be our volunteers and ministers and we did everything we could to instruct them how to be safe working with and around children. Most importantly, we taught them how to detect signs in other adults that would make them unsuitable to work with children. So many thousands of people worked hard to train and educate people across the country. Still, so many people work hard to educate themselves on an ongoing basis through online programs and workshops.

Since 2002, our anger may have dissipated and the strong feelings may have softened. We have reached out to victims and we have realized that we, too, have individually been victimized by those who have betrayed us. We have turned our sorrows into positive steps in protecting children and we have done this for the benefit not only for the Church but for the entire world.

It has become a major part of our identity as a Catholic Community to put first the needs of children and vulnerable adults. It was always our call, and it was always our first response to reach out to those in need as mandated and modeled by Jesus in the Gospels. We were duped, however. We were misled by those who thought they could fool us and we were groomed to think that good works and good deeds could be a disguise and cover up for hurting children. We know otherwise now and it has been painful and difficult to watch the intense agony of victims. We walk with them, we have been called to conversion by them and we do everything we can to prevent child sexual abuse. It is our way of saying we are sorry. We have been changed, thus the Church has changed, not without pain, but with great hope and promise. Let us continue to carry forth the great work we have begun.