April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which is a time for us to raise awareness about the horrible reality of child abuse and neglect, and to rededicate ourselves to fostering a culture of safeguarding. One way we live this out in our diocese is through our commitment to Safe Environment training and background checks for all clergy (priests and deacons), seminarians, employees and any volunteers who interact with children, young people or vulnerable adults. During the 2025 audit year, our diocese reported 4,606 individuals as Safe Environment compliant, which means they were background checked, trained to recognize the warning signs of child abuse and instructed on how to report it. This is a great achievement for our diocese and for the local communities served by our parishes and schools.
In addition to providing Safe Environment training for adults, the diocese has also been committed to providing age-appropriate Safe Environment education for children and young people. For example, the curricula of our Catholic schools and religious education programs contain learning objectives to protect children from abuse, while also stressing the importance of personal health and development and the teachings of the Gospel with respect to human sexuality and morality. This supplements the curriculum of the State of Ohio, which requires schools at specific grade levels to provide instruction to students on internet safety, suicide awareness and prevention, safety training and violence prevention, social inclusion, personal safety and assault protection, and dating violence protection. The Safe Environment education of children and young people is an important opportunity for collaboration between Church and State, as well as educators and parents/guardians.
This year, the diocese announced a new initiative to provide a standardized Safe Environment training lesson to the children and young people in our schools and parish religious education programs. The VIRTUS Empowering God’s Children® program is a comprehensive curriculum that educates children and young people about boundaries, safe and unsafe behaviors, and healthy relationships. The material is developmentally appropriate for each age group and is in line with Catholic theology and teachings. Research shows that abuse prevention is most effective when there is a partnership between parents and lesson leaders (teachers, catechists, youth ministers, etc.) and when the material is reiterated in a classroom setting. Empowering God’s Children® is designed to facilitate this partnership so that children and young people are provided with the tools they need to recognize abusive relationships, protect themselves from boundary violations and report concerns to safe adults. The adoption of this new standardized program is the culmination of a process that began with the conclusion of the 2023 StoneBridge Safe Environment audit of the diocese. Our diocese remains in full compliance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
During the month of April, I encourage you to review the resources available on the Safe Environment page of the diocesan website (https://doy.org/safe-environment/). Here you will find information about reporting child abuse, neglect and human trafficking. There is also a link to our Safe Environment/child protection training, which is called VIRTUS Protecting God’s Children. The diocese has made this training available online for free, and we encourage anyone who has contact with children—especially parents/guardians—to complete it.
Our diocese remains committed to creating and fostering a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults. It is of vital importance that any known or suspected child abuse or neglect be immediately reported to the proper civil authorities. You may be the only voice that can speak up for a child who is suffering, and the witness of Jesus in the Gospels demands that we speak up for the most vulnerable. The Diocese of Youngstown’s response to allegations of abuse is governed by civil law and its Safe Environment policy, available at https://doy.org/safe-environment/.
The Diocese of Youngstown encourages anyone who has experienced abuse or misconduct by a cleric, church employee or volunteer to contact civil authorities and then the diocese directly through Dominic Colucy, victims assistance coordinator, at 330-744-8451, ext. 293, or via the confidential diocesan response line at 330-718-1388. Colucy’s email is dcolucy@youngstowndiocese.org.
