VIRTUS Training/ Fingerprinting

VIRTUS training is a safe environment training that was developed in conjunction with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It was created and developed to address the issue of if sexual abuse could be prevented, and if so, how? It is a training that not only raises awareness about the issue of sexual abuse, but also steps to take in order to prevent it before it happens, and how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse and predatory behavior. It is mandated, along with Fingerprinting, by the ADLA, for all adults interacting with minors in a ministry setting. Because we are trying to make ALL of our ministries at SJSP more friendly to youth and young people (and we never know when we are going to be serving alongside them), the more people we have in our parish that are VIRTUS trained, the more eyes and ears we have in our parish, and the safer environment that our parish will be for our children and vulnerable adults. 

For more information, please see the VIRTUS website.

Fingerprinting is the second thing that the Archdiocese mandates of all volunteers who interact with minors (along with VIRTUS training). When you are fingerprinted, what is happening? An organization is running a background check on you, in order to make sure that there is no criminal history. The reason why that you have to be fingerprinted separately for EACH organization that you volunteer for, is that it is against Department of Justice (DOJ) policy for ANY organization that runs a background check on you to share the information that comes back with ANY other organization. In other words, they are NOT ALLOWED to share this information with ANYONE. That is why it is necessary to be fingerprinted separately for each organization that you work/volunteer for. 

For more information, please see the ALDA Fingerprinting website. 

VIRTUS classes are offered on a once monthly basis at SJSP. VIRTUS classes rotate every other month between two formats. The first is a Saturday, 3 hour class, from 10 AM to 1 PM, for those who HAVE NOT been VIRTUS trained before (those who HAVE NEVER been VIRTUS trained in the past), this is called Protecting God's Children (PGC). The second is a Wednesday evening, 1.5 hour class, from 7:30 PM to 9 PM, for those who HAVE BEEN VIRTUS trained in the past (those who just need a recertification), this is called Keeping the Promise Alive (KPA). An important caveat to note here is that VIRTUS training is valid for 4 years from the date that the initial training was taken, before recertification training needs to be done. If it has been more than 4 years since your initial training, it is technically expired, and no longer valid, and the initial training (PGC) should be redone, instead of a recertification (KPA). 

In order to sign up for a VIRTUS class session, simply call the Parish Office, and request to sign up for the next upcoming training that fits your need (either NEVER having been trained in the past, or just needing recertification). See below calendar for upcoming PGC and KPA VIRTUS class dates. 

Fingerprinting is also offered on a once monthly basis at SJSP. It is usually scheduled relatively close to the VIRTUS training for that month (within a few days), so that way, you can get VIRTUS trained and Fingerprinted relatively close to each other. The Fingerprinting live scan operators come out to our Parish from the Archdiocese offices downtown, so them coming out to our parish needs to be scheduled (booked) in advance. This is why there are some months where there is no Fingerprinting at SJSP (because all of the appointments for the month were already booked). 

However, there is good news with Fingerprinting. Fingerprinting for the ADLA is done only once, and it is good for forever (it never needs to be renewed). And also, Fingerprinting (along with a valid VIRTUS training) is good across the ADLA (meaning that if you were to move anywhere within LA County, and attend another Catholic Church, Fingerprinting and VIRTUS training would not need to be redone simply because you moved). Lastly, you can go to other Parishes (other Catholic Churches) within the ADLA to get Fingerprinted and VIRTUS trained, and it would be valid for SJSP. We offer it at our parish so that it is most convenient for our Parishioners (so that they do not have to drive). 

In order to sign up for Fingerprinting, simply call the Parish Office, and ask to sign up for the next available Fingerprinting date and time. See below Calendar for upcoming Fingerprinting dates. You will need to bring a valid form of ID with you to the appointment, and appointments typically take about 20 minutes.