By Bailey Ziegler
The Church must be a safe place for everyone — especially youth, young people and the most vulnerable in our society. Maintaining a safe and healthy environment in our churches and Catholic schools is central to our ministry.
The Diocese of St. Cloud has a long-standing commitment to the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” first published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002 in response to the sexual abuse crisis. The Charter outlines guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and the prevention of future abuse. Bishop John F. Kinney, who chaired the Bishop’s Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse in the early 1990s, played a key role in shaping this response. Since then, our diocesan leadership has continued to work closely with the Diocesan Review Board and expanded efforts through the Safe Environment office.
While this work cannot erase the pain and trauma experienced by survivors of abuse within our own diocese, it reflects our ongoing commitment to building a Church where such harm will never happen again.
We have clear standards and policies that everyone serving in ministry must follow. All clergy, employees and volunteers who work with or around young people or visit vulnerable adults are required to complete “Safe Haven” training and undergo a background check every five years. Youth participating in parish faith formation or attending Catholic schools receive annual safety training through Virtus’s “Embracing God’s Children” program. These modules empower young people to recognize unsafe situations, understand their boundaries and know they are safe and protected.
Our policies are regularly reviewed and updated. In 2024, we revised our policy to require that all adults chaperoning field trips within our schools complete training and background checks. While many schools already practiced this, formalizing it in policy clarified expectations.
Each year, dioceses across the country participate in a national data collection process that tracks key metrics: the number of trained and background-checked staff and volunteers, youth participation in safety training and reported allegations of abuse. These statistics help ensure transparency and accountability, both nationally and locally.
This fall, the Diocese of St. Cloud completed a routine audit of our compliance with the Charter along with the national data collection. This audit involved the submission of over 90 documents and the participation of more than 20 individuals from diocesan staff, the diocesan review board, parishes and schools. I’m pleased to share that the diocese was found in compliance, continuing our strong history of exceeding expectations in this area.
In collaboration with Bishop Neary and the Diocesan Review Board, we will continue to build on this work, incorporating feedback from the audit to strengthen our efforts. Bishop Neary, following in the footsteps of his predecessors, calls on all of us to uphold the dignity of every person — honoring the past while looking forward with hope and healing. His latest promulgation letter for the 2025–2026 Safe Environment Program is available on the diocesan website.
I firmly believe that the work of creating a safe environment, though born out of a painful chapter in our Church’s history, extends far beyond the sexual abuse crisis. We remain committed to restoring trust, healing wounds and ensuring such harm never happens again. But we also face new challenges: an epidemic of loneliness affecting youth and vulnerable adults, deep political divisions, violence in schools and churches and global conflict. These realities threaten our sense of safety and belonging. In the face of these challenges, how can the Church be a place of healing and refuge in every aspect of life? That is the question we must continue to ask—and answer—with courage, compassion and unwavering commitment.
We continue to pray for the healing of all of those affected by abuse in the church and for a Church where all feel safe and protected.
Bailey Ziegler is the diocesan director of human resources and the safe environment coordinator for the Diocese of St. Cloud.