To report suspected abuse call the Kentucky Child Protection Hot Line: 1-877-KYSAFE1 or 1-877-597-2331 (Toll Free) or contact your local Commonwealth Attorney

• Reporting Requirements
• Diocesan Response to Reports
• (B&W Printable Version)

To report abuse to the diocese, current or past, by anyone acting in the name of the Church, please call: 270-852-8380 - Pastoral Assistance Coordinator

All training and forms can be done electronically and online. Please visit http://owensborodiocese.org/safe/ to login and complete all necessary paperwork.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops created the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in June 2002, which addresses allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.

This Charter led to the creation of the Office of Safe Environment at the Diocese of Owensobor. The Office of Safe Environment works for the protection of children, young people and other vulnerable individuals who have been entrusted to the care of our parishes, schools, religious education classes and other diocesan programs.

The Charter also includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of future acts of abuse.
 

Quick Links

• http://owensborodiocese.org/safe/

The Gospels of Mark and Luke include the story where Jesus reprimands his disciples for not allowing little children to come to Him. Jesus asserts that His Father’s Kingdom belongs to little children.

Our Lord was emphasizing the openness, trust, and sheer wide-eyed wonder with which children approach life. He wanted his followers to contemplate the possibilities of God’s Kingdom for them with the same childlike wonder.

It is extremely sad, therefore, to contemplate the terrible effects that the crime of child sexual abuse has on children and young people and their families, and sadder still to consider that this has occurred within our Church.

Mission

The mission of the diocese’s “Safe Environment Program” is to insure the safety of children and young people who have been entrusted to our care in our parishes, schools, religious education classes, and other programs.

We pursue this mission in four ways:

1. By thoroughly screening and supervising all Church ministers, employees and volunteers who work with children and young people as part of their ministry.
2. By providing appropriate training in recognizing and reporting child abuse.
3. By verifying that all Church ministers, employees and volunteers who work with children and young people are prepared to follow Christ-centered and professional codes of conduct and respond to the allegations of sexual abuse.
4. By providing the opportunity for every minor in Catholic schools and parish faith formation programs to participate annually in a safety training covering the topics of sexual abuse prevention and the need to tell if abuse is occurring.