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Bishop William Murphy's Report to the Diocese 2011 |
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Annual Letter to Diocese on Ongoing Commitment
to Safeguarding Children and Young People
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
 Every year since 2002 when the horrible tragedy and scandal of sex abuse of children and minors by Every year since 2002, I have written an open letter to all the faithful of the Diocese to give you a report on how we as a Diocese continue to fulfill our obligations and responsibilities to safeguard children and young people from the danger of sexual abuse by clerics and others within the Church. This is a solemn moral obligation I as your bishop accepted when the bishops of the United States adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People at Dallas in 2002. It is consistent with what I have done as your bishop beginning with my arrival here in September 2001 when I reviewed the unresolved cases and began to remove priests from pastoral ministry who had had credible allegations of sexual misconduct lodged against them.
At the same time that we were addressing these issues, we did then, and we do now, need to recognize that the priests of our diocese – aside from those who have abused – deserve and should always receive from us the utmost respect and support for the holiness of their lives and their dedication to faithful of this Diocese, a dedication that is proven day after day in their unstinting and often exhausting service to all the people entrusted to their pastoral care.
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Bishop William Murphy's Report to the Diocese 2010 |
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Regarding The Protection of Children and Young People
[Click Here to Download This Report As A PDF]
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Every year since 2002 when the horrible tragedy and scandal of sex abuse of children and minors by clergy became known, I have reported to you about the efforts of our Diocese, its parishes, schools and other institutions to protect children and young people within the communities that make up this local Church. I do so again this year with no less of a heavy heart that children and young people have been betrayed by priests and others who used their power and position to harm God’s little ones, scarring them
and leaving them and their families with a suffering that is unimaginable.
The horror cannot, however, paralyze us. It must be the stimulus to be ever vigilant and to do all we can to make our Church a “safe haven” where parents know their children will feel safe and be safe. This has been brought about by our compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that has guided the Church in the USA well since its adoption in 2002.
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Bishop William Murphy's Report to the Diocese 2009 |
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Regarding The Protection of Children and Young People
[Click Here to Download This Report As A PDF]
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Every year since 2003, I have reported to you about how the Diocese has been handling the allegations of sex abuse against children and young people and what measures we have been following to protect them. We all want every Catholic place, Church, school or other institution of the Diocese, truly to be “a safe zone” where parents and all our people may be confident that children and young people are being protected against the horrific tragedy of sex abuse that sadly was a source of such scandal within and beyond the Church in our time.
First may I assure you that the annual audit of our Diocese by the Gavin Group has found we are in compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People the U.S. bishops adopted at Dallas in June 2002. Last year when we volunteered to have our parishes audited, one parish visited was found not to have completed the background checks and Virtus training called for by the Charter. Our pastors worked very hard with the Director of our office, Ms. Eileen Puglisi. This year we, along with only 18 other dioceses, again volunteered to open the books of our parishes and the auditors found us in complete compliance. Given the numbers of staff and volunteers in our parishes, this is no small accomplishment. I want to thank our pastors and all those who worked with them to guarantee this important aspect of our diligence in protecting our children.
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2008-2005 |
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Most. Rev. William Murphy
Reports:
Columns:
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Report to the Diocese 2007 |
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The Church’s Commitment to the Protection of Children and Minors
February 7, 2007
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This year, as I have in past years, I am writing to you to give you an update on our ongoing efforts to be vigilant as a diocese in protecting children and young people from the threat of sexual abuse within the life of the Church. The occasion for this letter is that again this year as in the past we have received the notification from the Gavin Group, the outside auditors, who have certified that we are fulfilling all the elements of the United States bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. While I am pleased to have this and want all of you to know we have received this, we as a diocese, can never cease to be vigilant and we must always be open to finding ways that might improve our performance and make better our vigilance because the children and young people are our most valuable gifts for the life of the Church. We must always be conscious that we are called to be the instruments of God’s love and His grace. It is that love and that grace alone that can heal the hearts that have been broken, that can begin to salve the scars that have marred so many hearts and minds and to bring about a renewal of peace, which is His gift, a gift we pray He will grant us all in this diocesan Jubilee year.
Please allow me then to inform you of what has gone on this past year.
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Protecting Children 
