History and Response
The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was established in 2002 to address the issue of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The charter outlines procedures for dioceses to follow to ensure the safety of children and youth in the Catholic Church going forward.
The Diocese of Saint Cloud is committed to following the procedures outlined in the charter, which include promulgating a sexual misconduct policy, safe environment training, background checks of all adults working with children, youth and vulnerable adults, hiring a victim assistant coordinator, the creation of a diocesan review board and a prompt effective response to any allegations.
- To read the entire document, visit: The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (PDF) USCCB
- Para leer el documento completo, visite: La Carta para la Protección de la Infancia y la Juventud (PDF) USCCB
For more information, contact Bailey Ziegler at (320) 258-7655 or email at Bailey.Ziegler@gw.stcdio.org.
Reporting Abuse
Visit online at How to Report Abuse.
Letter from the Bishop
- Read the Letter from Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C. (PDF) promulgating our 2024-2025 Safe Environment efforts throughout the diocese.
Mandatory Reporting Guideline
- Updated 2023 Mandatory Reporting Guidelines (PDF)
Site Administrators Guide
CMGConnect – Diocese of St. Cloud – Safe Environment Site Administrator Guide (PDF)
Training and Background Checks of Adults
- Training and Background Checks are now synced, and will be renewed together every 5 years. This is done online at https://stcloud.cmgconnect.org.
- New staff and volunteers should ‘Register for a New Account.’ Those who have an account need to use it. If in doubt, or if you forgot your username or password, check with your site administrator.
- Instructions for:
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- New Users (PDF)
- Users who need to renew (PDF)
- Those working with Vulnerable Adults (PDF)
Training of Students
“The job of ensuring children’s safety is a challenging undertaking. The prevention of child sexual abuse requires more than adult awareness, education, and training about the nature and scope of the problem. We must also give our children the tools they need to overcome the advances of someone who intends to do them harm. The Teaching Boundaries and Safety Guide is a tool designed to assist parents and teachers in this important task. The Empowering God’s Children program is a vehicle through which parents, teachers, catechists, and youth ministers give children and young people the tools they need to protect themselves from those who might harm them.
Each year, the program provides a theme that introduces and builds on the basic concepts of the Teaching Boundaries and Safety Guide. The material is developmentally appropriate for each age group and includes content and activities that reinforce the message”. (Virtus)
The Diocese of Saint Cloud is excited about using the materials from www.Virtusonline.org to train the children and youth of the diocese about safety and to give parents and teachers the tools they need to address this very important topic. Each parish faith formation director, youth minister, Catholic school principal will have access to the new lesson plans each year.
Resources for Safe Environment
- Sexual Misconduct Policy (revised 2024) (PDF)
- Poliza de Etica Ministerial en Relacion a Inapropiada Conducta Sexual y Abuso Sexual (2024) (PDF)
- Standard of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries (PDF)
Ética Ministerial de Comportamiento y Límites Ministeriales Código de Conducta para todo el personal de la Iglesia (PDF)
- Declination Form for Parents (PDF)
- Awake – Awake is a community of abuse survivors, concerned Catholics, and allies responding to the wounds of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
For more information, contact Bailey Ziegler at (320) 258-7655 or email at Bailey.Ziegler@gw.stcdio.org.