VIRTUS is a program created by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group in the United States with a “Protecting God’s Children” component that combats sexual abuse of children in the Church. It is currently used in over 80 dioceses in the U.S. and is mandatory for anyone working or volunteering with children. Think about this… …

VIRTUS is a program created by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group in the United States with a “Protecting God’s Children” component that combats sexual abuse of children in the Church. It is currently used in over 80 dioceses in the U.S. and is mandatory for anyone working or volunteering with children.

Think about this… Is CPR training or active shooter drills able to prevent church, school, or workplace violence? No, but it can help prepare everyone for the unimaginable. This is why the VIRTUS program is so important! VIRTUS training is one component of child protection which includes safeguards like background checks, employee screenings, and victim assistance hotlines to help identify and report cases of abuse.

The goal of the VIRTUS program is primarily to be proactive instead of reactive when dealing with child sexual abuse.

VIRTUS focuses on educating anyone in the Catholic church, Catholic schools, or affiliated organizations, who have substantial contact with minors, by providing them with information to help prevent abuse. This takes place in VIRTUS “awareness sessions” led by trained facilitators. The awareness sessions consist of videos, worksheets, and discussions. The videos incorporate interviews with both victims and convicted perpetrators.

Thousands of people each year, employed or volunteering in any capacity, such as priests, deacons, religious, teachers, coaches, school staff, parish personnel, field trip chaperones, room mothers, or cleaning up the church grounds on weekends with the youth, are first required to undergo a criminal background check, attend the three-hour VIRTUS training class, and complete the monthly Virtus online bulletins.

The “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002, implemented VIRTUS “Protecting God’s Children,” education for adults, and VIRTUS “Empowering God’s Children,” education for our children. The Diocese of Alexandria’s Safe Environment Office and randomly chosen churches and schools are audited yearly to ensure all measures are taken to keep our children safe.

For more information about VIRTUS, visit the Diocese of Alexandria website: www.diocesealex.org.

If your church, school, or organization needs a VIRTUS class, please call to reserve a date by contacting Kecia Coco, Director of Safe Environment: kcoco@diocesealex.org or 318-445-6424 (ext. 213).