Western Kentucky Catholic

(September 2004 Issue)

Letter from Bishop John J. McRaith

"Embracing a Novus Habitus Mentis"

 Dear Friends,

As we welcome the month of September and the arrival of Fall, we also mark the initiation of another school year. As school resumes for our children and young people, we are ever-conscious of what it takes to make their home and school environments safe and healthy.

For over two years now the Church in the United States has been dealing with clergy sexual abuse of minors. Sadly, stories of abuse continue to be reported, and these incidents continue to disturb and infuriate us even now. There are many issues that still need to be talked about and analyzed with regard to both victims and perpetrators. This need undoubtedly will continue to be a focus for the Church in years to come.

I recall after Vatican II a phrase that circulated in theological writings that spoke of the need for a novus habitus mentis: a "new way of thinking." The events of the past few years can be said to have spawned again a "new way of thinking," this time with regard to efforts made in protecting our children and young people from sexual abuse. One new aspect is the recognition that it takes a combined effort from everyone in the Church—and in the wider communities in which we live—to be effective in wiping out sexual abuse of minors and in providing assistance to those who have been abused. 

Last October (2003), every Catholic Diocese in the United States underwent an audit of its efforts to implement the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People ("Charter"). The results of the audit that took place here in the Diocese of Owensboro have been reported to you previously. Once again, this fall we will undergo an audit when members of The Gavin Group, Inc., visit us here in Owensboro, during the week of September 27 through October 1, 2004. At that time two auditors will analyze our Diocesan policies and will check our compliance with the Charter, particularly with regard to developments that have occurred since the last audit.

This, then, is an opportune time to tell you about some of the events that have transpired since last October, events which the auditors will be hearing about when they arrive in a few weeks. There are many things of which we can be proud here in the Diocese of Owensboro.

•  First, with regard to prevention, we are making a concentrated effort to ensure that all employees and volunteers are thoroughly screened with comprehensive background checks before they are allowed to participate in activities with children in our Catholic schools and our parishes. Many of you have cooperated in allowing criminal background checks to be run on you, even if you only volunteer for one hour a month. I commend all employees and volunteers who submitted to this process, and I thank you for putting the safety of our children and young people ahead of your own privacy concerns. I also wish to thank all those who continue to spend countless hours inputting data and analyzing the completed background checks. 

•  Second, by the end of May of this year, every Catholic school in the Diocese had participated in Safe Environment programs for children ranging from grades Kindergarten through 12, as well as programs for adult volunteers and employees. This means that every Catholic school hosted up to four age-appropriate sessions for the children in attendance. Presenters from one of the five Rape Crisis Centers in Western Kentucky came into the schools and taught the students how to be safer with regard to protecting themselves from all kinds of abuse. Young people in high school also participated in sessions that informed them of methods for avoiding date-rape situations and other issues that confront teens and young adults these days. In addition, employees and adult volunteers in our schools viewed an original video that was produced here in the Diocese. The video includes, in part, the testimonials of actual victims of clergy sexual abuse on the effect that that the abuse has had in their lives. (This video continues to be mandatory viewing for all new employees and volunteers whose activities bring them in contact with minors in the Diocese.)

•  In addition to our Catholic schools, the majority of our parishes also hosted Safe Environment programs for their own employees, volunteers, and young people who attend religious education programs. This means that many of our children who attend public schools are now uniquely able to take the message of how to be safer to a forum that would otherwise be outside the reach of our own parishes and schools. I am extremely grateful to all who helped implement the programs in our schools and parishes and to all who attended—adults and young people alike—for this marvelous display of dedication to the cause of eliminating sexual abuse of minors.

•  Another way in which we are being proactive in the Diocese with regard to eliminating sexual abuse is in the continuing efforts of the Diocesan Review Board. This dedicated group, primarily composed of lay women and men, has been meeting monthly since April of 2002. They work tirelessly to field questions and concerns that come to the Board through various channels. I cannot thank them enough for their wisdom and expertise in making recommendations to me on matters I believe are much to weighty for any one person to decide alone. Our Victim Assistance Coordinator, Rita Heinz, has also been invaluable in her direct contact with those who are in need of counseling assistance. My sincere gratitude is extended to her also and to all who actually provide counseling and therapy to victims of sexual abuse. 

•  A final group of people who deserve accolades in terms of their dedicated commitment to implementing the Charter are the members of the clergy who serve alongside me here in the Diocese. I am very proud of them for enduring the scrutiny under which all clerics have found themselves, not only here in the United States, but worldwide. Though the deeds of a few did irreparable damage to many innocent young people in this country, I am proud of the way that the clerics who minister here in the Diocese have stepped forward and selflessly offered themselves in an effort to relieve the pain caused by a few. I extend my heart-felt thanks to them at this time.

There are many other efforts that the auditors will hear about at the end of the month, not the least of which is an effort to collaborate with other denominations in the effort to prevent sexual abuse and to heal the wounds caused by it when it is not prevented. You will hear more about these efforts in upcoming editions of the Western Kentucky Catholic. In the mean time, I ask for your continued prayers and support in these prevention efforts—which can only be accomplished through the joint efforts of all of us. 

And so, although I continue to grieve the tragic events that befell so many innocent young people in the past, I thank you for your willingness and openness to embrace this novus habitus mentis that can lead us to provide a safer environment for the children and young people who are the future of the Church.

Wishing you God's blessing, I remain

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Reverend John J. McRaith

Bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro