The Catholic Community of Saint Jude

All adults 18 years of age and older who will be working with children under the age of 18 (whether in a church, sports, academic setting, etc. or as a chaperone or in any other capacity) must attend a Protecting God's Children workshop.  Workshops last approximately 3 hours.  

Workshops are offered around the Joliet Diocese regularly throughout the year.  You may attend the workshops at any of the locations, but you must register ahead of time either online at the VIRTUSOnline website or through the individual parish.

To see a list of all parishes in the Joliet Diocese offering the program and the dates they are being offered, go to the Joliet Diocese website: www.dioceseofjoliet.org/protecting.asp#VIRTUS and click on the VIRTUS/Protecting God's Children Workshop Schedule.

For some general background information on the program read the paragraph below.

The PROTECTING GOD’S CHILDREN™ Program for Adults: trains adults on how to protect all children. The training makes participants aware of the signs of child sexual abuse, the methods and means by which offenders commit abuse, and five easy steps one can take to prevent child sexual abuse. Two videos are the centerpiece of the training: A Time to Protect God’s Children and A Plan to Protect God’s Children. The training is customized incorporating your archdiocese’s, diocese’s, religious institute's, or other organization's policies and procedures. Training includes onsite instruction from a certified trainer, 12 online training bulletins per year, and an annual re-certification training course via the VIRTUS Online™ system.

The above information was taken from the VIRTUSOnline website.