YOUTH SAFETY

In 2018, under the visionary leadership of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, our Archdiocese took a critical step towards protecting the Children and Youth in her care by creating the Youth Protection Manual (“YPM”) for Metropolis/Direct Archdiocesan District Camps and Retreats. This document established new Policies for the Safety of Children and Youth to guide youth work of all sorts, and at all levels, across the entire Archdiocese (which includes each Metropolis and Parish, and their respective institutions, ministries, entities, organizations, programs, and events).

These Policies strike a careful balance: creating space for healthy, Christ-centered ministry interactions while establishing clear boundaries and safe environments. Through rigorous training, clear protocols, transparent communication, regular screening, and effective teamwork, we can ensure that all Youth Ministry Programs and Events effectively nurture healthy, Christ-centered connections while doing our absolute best to prevent unsafe or abusive situations.

The policies are available for viewing here.

Training and screening are managed at both the metropolis and parish level through a third party, Sterling Volunteers. One or more individuals at each parish are assigned by the Parish Council and Priest(s) as the Parish Youth Safety Administrator(s), and those individuals coordinate the registration, training and screening of all Youth Workers (YW) in the parish. Training is required annually and background screening is required every two years.

The Parish Youth Safety Administrator for St. Katherine is Jerry Vasilatos. He can be contacted at (480) 242-6659 or retiredjerry@cox.net.

If you are seeking certification as a Youth Worker at St. Katherine, please use the button below to email our PYSA and you will be sent instructions. Please indicate the church youth ministry you will be involved in within the content of your email.