Bishop Peter Jugis recently signed the updated Protocols for Ministry With All Minors. The original protocol became diocesan law in 2004. Youth Ministry Director Paul Kotlowski and Providence Sister Betty Paul, in cooperation with pastors in the diocese, helped update the guidelines which were promulgated by Bishop Jugis.
— Sueann Howell | Catholic News Herald
Diocese revises policy to protect minors
CHARLOTTE — Changes are being made to the Diocese of Charlotte's policy governing the protection of children and young people.
The changes to "Protocols for Ministry with and to Minors," which will go into effect Sept. 1, create a more closely-aligned child protection policy for all youth-related ministries across the diocese, including its 92 parishes, 19 Catholic schools, faith formation programs, agencies and groups, events and more.
The updated policy applies to all ministries to all minors, from birth through high school.
Among its updates, it changes the adult chaperone-to-youth ratio from 1:8 to 1:10 with "two deep" leadership, includes consideration of certain possible pastoral situations such as unwed pregnancy, and correlates more closely with relevant civil laws.
It is the first update in nearly six years to the policy, which was first issued in 2004 by Bishop Peter Jugis.
"The hallmark features of this current revision include the expansion to include all minors, intentional and systematic collaboration with the diocesan Hispanic Ministry vicariate, and inclusion of pertinent existing diocesan Catholic schools' policies," said Paul Kotlowski, diocesan director of youth ministry, who led the update work in collaboration with others.
The diocese has had child protection policies in place for more than 20 years.
Its 1994 "Policy of the Diocese of Charlotte Concerning Ministry-Related Sexual Misconduct by Church Personnel" established an independent review board to investigate claims of abuse.
Less than six months after being installed as bishop, during an Ash Wednesday 2004 homily, Bishop Jugis apologized for the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Church that had victimized so many children, including those hurt by priests in the Charlotte diocese. The following week he announced a set of protocols for youth ministry based on the misconduct policy the diocese had relied upon since 1994 but which would mirror the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' 2002 "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People."
This "Protocols for Ministry with and to Minors" has been diocesan law since 2004.
The diocese has instituted a five-year review schedule since then, so that diocesan leaders can remain vigilant in working to ensure the safety of children entrusted into the Church's care, Kotlowski noted.
The current revision process was spearheaded by Kotlowski and Providence Sister Betty Paul, and is the result of extensive consultations with pastors and parish catechetical leaders over the past year and a half.
"It was a great experience to work with Paul on the update and to do our best to coordinate and integrate the protocols to include some of the policies in the Catholic schools and to do an integrated approach with the Hispanic community," said Sister Betty, who serves as diocese's northern region coordinator in the Faith Formation office.
"What was significant for me is that when we speak about young people in our Church, we're not just speaking about those persons involved in youth ministry programs, faith formation programs, in the Catholic schools, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Hispanic Ministry youth programs. It's the goal of integrating our whole Church and our involvement in the Church," she said.
"It's about expressing to those young people and their adults the importance of their safety and our responsibility for their safety, regardless if we are responsible for them in a particular venue or program...so that the responsibility is for all of us within the Catholic community."
"Each parish setting, school setting is different," she noted, adding, "Our goal is that the protocols will assist the parish leaders and school leaders in each of these settings, that they will help them to have a positive influence on their ministry."
The new policy is being distributed to all priests, deacons and parish leaders, as well as published on the diocese's website at www.charlottediocese.org.
Church staff, ministry leaders, volunteers and others will have the chance to learn about the updated policy during a Sept. 17 Education Vicariate training session at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory. Parishes and others can schedule their own training on the new policy by contacting the Faith Formation, Youth Ministry or Hispanic Ministry offices.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
For more
At www.education.charlottediocese.com: Read the revised "Protocols for Ministry with and to Minors" that applies to all youth ministry in the Diocese of Charlotte
Update: Training for those interested in volunteering at the Charlotte Center for Women will be held Aug. 22 and 29 from 10 a.m. to noon. For more details, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
CHARLOTTE — Ever since Brice Griffin came out of a post-abortion Rachel's Vineyard retreat to help her heal from her own abortion, she has wanted to help others avoid making the same deadly mistake.
Griffin, a parishioner at St. Patrick Cathedral and ardent pro-life advocate, is taking her "jump in with both feet" attitude and working toward opening a women's health center on Latrobe Drive in Charlotte, close to the largest and busiest abortion mill in North Carolina. She wants to divert women from A Preferred Woman's Health Center, instead offering them a better way forward than abortion.
Standing on the sidewalk near the Latrobe abortion facility, praying for and counseling abortion-minded women, Griffin has seen license plates from South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and more. From Oct. 1, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014, this abortion mill alone performed 5,610 abortions – more than half the total in Charlotte over that time. Two women had to be taken to the emergency room following abortions at the Latrobe mill, which has the worst record of health code violations in North Carolina. And unlike other abortion facilities in the state, the Latrobe mill does not provide any health care services to women: the private, for-profit business focuses exclusively on chemical and surgical abortions.
Pictured: Stanton Healthcare/Charlotte Center for Women's team is pictured with the speakers from the fundraiser at St. Patrick Cathedral April 23. Pictured are (from left) Dr. Matt Harrison, Ryan Bomberger, Jewels Green, Patrick Mahoney, Brice Griffin and Mike Griffin. (Photo provided by Brice Griffin)
"Charlotte is an abortion destination. My ultimate goal with this new women's center is to completely replace our abortion business in Charlotte," said Griffin. "I want to reach out to these people and tell them that abortion isn't the only answer. I want to give them real options without compromising the life of the child or safety of the mother. I want to make it so we don't even need abortion as a choice for women."
What started as a vision for Griffin is getting closer to reality after partnering with Stanton Healthcare. Inspired by the example of human rights activist and feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, it was started in 2006 in Boise, Idaho, by Brandi Swindell. The clinic's free pregnancy services in Idaho became so successful that the nearby Planned Parenthood moved its location away from the Stanton Healthcare center, Griffin said.
"That's what we want to do here. I wanted this in Charlotte, near our abortion clinics. I thought it would be awesome to have that, especially with the abortion pill (RU-486) reversal process gaining momentum. When women walk out of the abortion clinic in tears, regretting what they've done, we'll be there to help them."
After a fundraiser for Stanton Healthcare/Charlotte Center for Women at St. Patrick Cathedral last month drew about 100 people and raised more than $12,000, Griffin said they have enough money to sign the lease on an office space in a retail park near the Latrobe abortion mill. The fundraiser included a large turnout from pro-life advocates not just from the Catholic community, but Protestant congregations in Charlotte as well.
Griffin said the next step toward making Stanton Charlotte a reality is training volunteers to be counselors. Dr. Matthew Harrison, thought to be the first doctor to have reversed a chemical abortion, will be the facility's medical director.
"I think there's a real need for free prenatal care in the Charlotte area," Harrison said. "Stanton Charlotte will give resources and services to the women going to the abortion clinic because they don't have anywhere else to go. We want to have the same types of resources as a crisis pregnancy center, prenatal care and job training to help moms be able to support themselves and their families."
Harrison, who works as an inpatient resident at Rowan Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, used to run his own clinic where he offered free prenatal care for abortion-vulnerable women.
"I've been looking for outpatient places to offer these services again, and Stanton Charlotte is a great opportunity," he said. "We want to place the center close to the busiest abortion clinic in town – to have a visible presence right there close to where the people are who need our help the most."
The hours and services for the new Charlotte Center for Women will depend on volunteers, Griffin said. They will start with counseling, free pregnancy tests and being able to offer the RU-486 abortion pill reversal kit, but Griffin said she hopes the center can quickly expand to include ultrasounds, job training and other services.
Griffin said she hopes to have the center open soon and at least operate during the same hours as the nearby Latrobe abortion mill, but she doesn't expect this center to take the place of the persistent sidewalk counseling ministry already in place outside Latrobe.
"I'd like to see the new center open today. It's going to depend on manpower and God's will," she said. "I've spent so much time in prayer for momentum and support on this project. Now we have that momentum and I saw all the support at the fundraiser. I see my prayers answered. I'm ready and chomping at the bit to get started."
Stanton has affiliates in southern California, Ireland, and is working on expanding in Detroit, Alabama and Ghana. The goal is to make Stanton Healthcare as recognizable as Planned Parenthood, Griffin said. Stanton's vision is to replace abortion businesses around the world because they believe that women and their families are entitled to quality, coercion-free care and compassionate alternatives to abortion.
Griffin, who has been active in the local and national pro-life movement, had an abortion in 1998. She has shared her testimony at the March for Life Charlotte and her teenage daughter, Zoe Griffin, shared her experience at this year's March for Life about learning that she had lost an older brother.
"There was no Stanton Healthcare next door, no sidewalk counselors when I walked out from having my abortion," Griffin said. "I suffered for many years with depression and suicidal thoughts."
She said she suffered in silence for nearly a decade until she listened to a homily by Father Larry Richards about confession, in which he urged those who have had an abortion to confess it, because "your child is praying for you in heaven."
"I ran to (my priest) and confessed my abortion and he directed me to Rachel's Vineyard," Griffin said.
"I had no idea so many suffered like I did. Once I realized how many people were out there hurting, I wanted to help. I just jumped in full speed and I haven't been able to slow down."
— Kimberly Bender, cnline reporter
More online
At www.thestantonproject.org/charlotte and www.charlottecenterforwomen.com: Learn more about the project, how you can help as a volunteer or donate