Every adult in a position that requires contact or interaction with youth or vulnerable adults must complete the SafeParish™ edition of Protecting Children from Sexual Abuse training session and complete a background check before they are permitted to work or volunteer within any of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati parishes, schools, or institutions. Employees are also required to complete manual fingerprinting before beginning their employment at an Archdiocesan parish, school, or institution.
To register for SafeParish™ go to www.aocsafeenvironment.org, choose ‘Register’ and then enter the passcode protectcincy when prompted. If you have not previously completed an online background check, you will be prompted to complete a screening through SELECTION.com. Guardian Angels parishioners may obtain a token to cover the background check fee. To obtain the token, please email:
Adults must stay current in completing the SafeParish™ quarterly bulletins to remain in compliant. Non-compliant adults will no longer be permitted to work with youth or vulnerable adults until compliance is reestablished
At the recommendation of the USCCB, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will require the selection.com online background check be done every 5 years. Everyone in the St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes whose online background check is older than 5 years has or will receive an email from administration@mccalmon.com to complete the background check. The cost to renew is $20. There is a 30 day period to complete this.
For more information, visit the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s website. For any questions regarding the SafeParish™ Program please contact:
Per the Decree on Child Protection, “a ‘volunteer’ is an adult who is not a cleric or employee (for example, a catechist, scout leader, coach, server coordinator, parent interns, student teachers and others in similar capacities etc.) who function in any capacity to assist in activities with children. This includes all adults accompanying children on any overnight activity.”
The easiest way to determine your eligibility is to attempt a login at aocsafeenvironment.org with your username and password. If you are blocked, then your account is either suspended or non-existent. You can also contact the head of the Parish Service Organization for which you volunteer – a detailed list of active and inactive SafeParish™ accounts is distributed monthly to volunteer coordinators. A final resource is to contact the Safe Environment Coordinator at safeenvironment@gaparish.org
Selection.com, a national, Catholic faith-based background check company located in the Cincinnati area, provides all background checks for the Archdiocese. The background check is done online and is accessed via your SafeParish™ account if you already have one, or as part of the SafeParish™ registration for new volunteers.
The cost of the background check is $25. This can be paid with credit card or a token requested from safeenvironment@gaparish.org (for those whose primary volunteer location is Guardian Angels).
To register for a training session, go to aocsafeenvironment.org and create an username & password. Please set your primary volunteer location upon registration. The training is provided online, and will not allow your device (phone, tablet, or computer) to multi-task during training. You may complete it all in one setting, or log-on and log-off to complete in portions.
Part of the SafeParish™ program is the ongoing education component via online quarterly training (“bulletins”). The bulletins are meant to deepen the awareness formed at the SafeParish™ training session. Once a quarterly training is assigned, the user will be emailed and they will have 30 days to complete the module. After this time, the user’s account is suspended and they are not cleared to volunteer with children.
All volunteers must keep up-to-date with their trainig, even outside of their normal volunteering “window.” For instance, a volunteer for a group that only meets with children in the Fall of each year should still remain compliant with their online training throughout Winter, Spring, and Summer. This will ensure that the volunteer is not suspended and is able to work with children immediately when their next volunteer cycle occurs.
How is God working in your life through our parish? Parishioners have the opportunity to participate in the Disciple Maker Index (DMI), an anonymous survey that helps us better understand the spiritual life of our parish community and how we can continue growing together as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Please take 10 minutes to provide your feedback. Select the survey for your home parish location:
Your voice matters, and your feedback will help as we work together towards the future of St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes. Survey portals will be open from October 27 through November 24.