OVERVIEW

“The Church has always affirmed that parents have the duty and the right to be the first and the principal educators of their children.” This statement from The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality is the core principle upon which the program Touching Safety is founded and designed.

This right of parents to educate their children, particularly in the area of morals, values, and human sexuality, is also recognized by the Church as “an educational duty.”

The job of ensuring children’s safety is a monumental undertaking. In this effort, the Church provides for collaboration betweeen parents and competent educators. The role of catechists is to assist and complete the work of parents.

The Touching Safety and Protecting God’s Children programs are NOT sex education and they are not intended to be substitute for the responsibility of parents in educating their children in the area of human sexuality and love. Rather, through these programs catechists and youth ministers become partners with parents in assuring that all God’s children have the tools they need to protect themselves and to resist the overtures of persons in the community who want to prey on them.

Teaching children to protect themselves is part of a mandate adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in June 2002.

All of our catechists have undergone a mandatory 3-hour session on Virtus, and thus, are able to teach the Virtus Lessons to their classes once per catechetical year.

PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN HANDBOOK

You can download a copy of the "Touching Safety Handbook" below:

Click here to download