Dear Parishioners of Holy Trinity,

The following are excerpts taken from an Aug. 19 letter to parents from Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien.

“It has been nearly six years since the Archdiocese of Baltimore made sweeping changes to its long-standing Child Protection Policy, including the formalization of our zero tolerance policy for offenders. In 2002, Catholics in the Archdiocese received a letter from Cardinal Keeler which advised them of the changes and shared the efforts of the Archdiocese to protect children and to promote healing among victims of child sexual abuse.

“The Archdiocese of Baltimore is committed to healthy ministry, and seeks to engage competent, qualified people. To protect children and youth, Church personnel are screened for their fitness to work with minors. This process includes mandatory completion of criminal background checks for all clergy, employees and for all volunteers having substantial contact with minors.”

Completion of STAND training through the Archdiocesan Office of Child & Youth Protection is necessary for all parishioners involved with children and youth. From catechists to coaches, the program is designed to keep kids safe.

All volunteers are required to fill out an Application for Volunteer Service, but only those with substantial contact with children need to fill out the Volunteer Criminal History Screening Consent Form and to attend one of the STAND video sessions. Volunteers who provide transportation need to fill out the Driving Record Check Consent Form."

The Archdiocese is pleased to announce that STAND video training is now up and running online! The course takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours to complete, then the participant will be able to print a certificate of completion. Go to www.archbalt.org/STAND/training.

The Holy Trinity Parish Community, in order to comply with the policies of the Archdiocese for the protection of our children and youth, has scheduled training sessions for the video STAND to be held in the Parish Center Chapel:

2009
February:
March: 18, Wednesday at 7 PM.
April: 8, Wednesday at 8 PM.
May:
June: 10, Wednesday at 7 PM.
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

Please call the Parish Center at 410-766-5070 ext. 10 to register.
On behalf of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding as we work together to build a community of faith and worship in which all will find a safe and nourishing environment and may grow in the love of God and one another.

Blessings,
Sue Love
Screening Coordinator