PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN

St. Mary's parish has made the protection of God's children a priority and upholds the U.S. Bishops Charter for the Protection of Children.To review the Charter click here.

All volunteers are encouraged and all who work with children are required to participate in the Protecting God's Children Program for Adults.  The program is offered at St. Mary's on a regular basis but sessions are also available at other locations. To see a list of available locations and dates click here and select Allentown, PA (Diocese) from the drop-down menu. All upcoming sessions will be listed. (All sessions are three hours in length.)

Also it is also required for volunteers working with children to:

• read the diocesan Code of Conduct and sign the acknowledgment form
• read the diocesan Sexual Abuse Policy and sign the acknowledgement form
• complete the permission form for a USIS Background Check

You can read the documents on-line in Adobe Acrobat Reader*, print and sign the acknowledgement forms and complete the USIS Background Check form.  These can then be sent into the Parish office. If you prefer, you can obtain a copy of the documents from the Parish Center Office.

Once a year the program for parents "Called to Protect" is offered.

Following Diocesan Guidelines the Child Lures Program is offered in all of our religious education programs.

National Registry of Sex Offenders:  www.familywatchdog.us

Pennsylvania Registry of Sex Offenders:  pameganslaw.state.pa.us