Safe Environment

All clergy, religious and employees of the diocese, as well as any volunteer who comes into contact with children, are required to take VIRTUS® Protecting God’s Children training. This training teaches how to build and maintain safe environments for our children to protect them from abuse.

All Catholic dioceses throughout the United States must provide age-appropriate Safe Environment training for children and youth in parish catechetical programs and Catholic schools. In grades K-6 we teach the Circles of Care lessons to students, which have been approved by the Diocese of Syracuse. These lessons teach students about appropriate and inappropriate boundaries and behaviors by peers and adults, the students’ right to remove themselves from uncomfortable situations, and the importance of informing a parent or other trusted adult when something is not right. An overview of the Safe Environment Training Program and grade level lesson plans can be found online at

https://www.syracusediocese.org/offices/catechesis/circles-of-care/