The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops requires all Dioceses to have in place Safe Environment Programs for the protection of children and young people.
Statement of Diocesan Policy
The Safe Environment Program by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston consists of the following components:
- Background Checks
- Policy Relating to Sexual Abuse of Children (2022)
- Awareness training for adults (VIRTUS online or live training)
All three components (Background Checks, Policy Relating to Sexual Abuse of Children, and Awareness Training for Adults – VIRTUS) are mandated by the Diocese for persons seeking employment or seeking to volunteer, directly or indirectly with children, within the Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston and any entity that falls under the Diocese. An employee is defined as a person who performs regular work or service and is paid by the Diocese or a Diocesan-entity (parish, school, pastoral center, etc.) A volunteer is a person who performs a regular service at no charge to the Diocese or Diocesan-entity. The Safe Environment process applies to any employees or volunteers who work directly or indirectly with children/minors. A person is considered in compliance with the Safe Environment Policy upon successful completion of all three components. The background check includes a nationwide sex offender search. Every employee and volunteer is issued the Policy Relating to Sexual Abuse of Children so that he or she clearly knows the Diocese’s stance on this issue. And lastly, the online or live training is intended to raise awareness regarding sex abuse. Priests, deacons, and seminarians are considered employees, and the Safe Environment process applies to them. Their compliance is documented at the Chancery-level by the Diocese’s Safe Environment Coordinator.
Background checks are conducted every three years for priests, deacons, seminarians, Catholic school principals, Catholic school teachers, directors of religious education, and other employees and volunteers who work directly or indirectly with children.
Starting in 2024, all employees and volunteers are required to complete yearly Safe Environment continuing education in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, as directed by the Bishop.
Safe Environment at St. Francis de Sales
Following Diocesan policy, all individuals over the age of 18 who are or wish to become liturgical ministers, catechists, musicians, choir members, or to volunteer in any capacity are required to complete all 3 components as well as engage in completing monthly bulletins and yearly continuing education as outlined above. If any of these lapse, you will be taken off the ministry schedule. To complete all three components, please register for a VirtusOnline account.
Karen Modzik (karenmodzikdre@gmail.com) is the Safe Environment Coordinator at St. Francis de Sales. April Lawrence (april.lawrence@stfrancisdesalesparish.com) is the Safe Environment Assistant at St. Francis de Sales.
Click here for instructions for registering for Virtus
- Background Check – These checks are handled through the Virtus website. There is no cost. Once approved, when you login, you will be prompted to complete the background check. The parish does not receive details of the background check, we are only given a yes or no, and everything is kept confidential.
- Education regarding Diocesan policies and Acknowledgement
– You will need to read and acknowledge several policies promulgated by the Diocese. These can be done inside of Virtus, or you may request paper copies and sign your acknowledgement of the policies. Copies of these policies are linked below as well. These include the Diocesan Policy Relating to the Sexual Abuse of Children, the Code of Conduct, and the Reporting Statue. Once you have read these policies, please login to your VirtusOnline account. You will be prompted to acknowledge the policies.
Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Policy Relating to Sexual Abuse of Children
Code of Conduct
Reporting Statue Acknowledgment
- Online Training (Protecting God’s Children for Adults by Virtus®) – The online training, Protecting God’s Children for Adults by Virtus®, helps you learn about how to see signs of abuse, what to do should you suspect an issue, how to help keep yourself and children safe, and much more. Click here for instructions for registering for Virtus and completing the course. Should you have trouble or questions you may contact the parish Safe Environment Coordinator Karen Modzik at karenmodzikdre@gmail.com. Once you have finished the course, it will be recorded in your Virtus account, allowing the Diocese and parish to track compliance. Additionally, the Diocese had added the following requirements as of 1/1/2025. Please make sure to whitelist notifications for Virtus in your email client.
- Monthly Bulletins – Please login to your VirtusOnline account to complete monthly bulletins. You will be required to read a short educational article and answer questions. As an alternative, you may read and complete the monthly bulletins in person at the parish. A notebook with all bulletins is available on the credenza in the Gathering Space.
- Continuing Education – Yearly refresher training is required. Please watch for notifications from Virtus and login to complete any yearly refresher training.
