Safe Environment

Mission Statement

If people are to worship, study or celebrate together in the Catholic Community, they must do so in a safe environment. In their Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the United States Catholic Bishops recognized past failures in this regard and pledged themselves to protect the Faithful in the future.

“Dioceses will establish ‘safe environment’ programs. They will cooperate with parents, civil authorities, educators, and community organizations to provide education and training for children, youth, parents, ministers, educators and others about ways to make and maintain a safe environment for children.”

— USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Article 12.  Link to full charter here.

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 Linda Kaiser at (320) 251-2340 or email  at [email protected].

Contact Information

Linda Kaiser, Director of the Office of Safe Environment

Chancery
P.O. Box 1248
St. Cloud, MN 56302-1248
(320) 251-2340
(320) 251-0470 (fax)

Office hours:
Mon. – Fri. – 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m (closed 1 hour for lunch)

Training and Background Checks of Adults

1. Training and Background Checks are now synced, and will be renewed together every 5 years. This is done online at https://stcloud.cmgconnect.org.
2. 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.
3. Instructions for:

• • New Users (PDF)
  • Users who need to renew (PDF)
  • Those working with Vulnerable Adults (PDF)