Chapter 11 Court Required Notification

Safe Environments
Victim Assistance
Credibly Accused List

Safe Environment Program for Adults

Reporting Abuse

All priests (locally based or visiting, or member of a religious order) and deacons; all diocesan and parish staff; all school personnel; and all volunteers (such as catechists) who interact with minors or potentially interact with them must 1. Undergo a criminal background check and 2. Participate in a comprehensive Safe Environment training program.

Safe Environment Training

All adults working in the diocese are required to complete our online Safe Environment training and renew this training every five years. Catholic Mutual Group currently provides this training and it consists of video segments, questions, and a review of diocesan policies. Topics include “grooming” of potential victims, boundaries, signs of sexual abuse, reporting, etc.

 

Seminarians must comply with all Safe Environment requirements. Part of their formation also involves psychological tests reviewed by a board that includes lay experts.

 

Additionally, all clergy and adults who minister with children must also agree to abide by a ”Code of Ethical Standards for Church Ministers” that clearly states what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior and the “Electronic Communications with Minors policy.”

Background Checks

All clergy, religious brothers and sisters, staff and volunteers who work with children at parishes and schools are subject to a criminal background check that is continuously updated against local, state and federal databases. Seminarians receive further screening prior to ordination.

Clergy and school personnel have their criminal records reviewed continuously, through Livescan. Reports of these records are monitored by the appropriate department or office. In addition, international and temporarily assigned priests must have a “Letter of Suitability” to serve in the diocese.

The criminal records of all other diocesan employees and volunteers are monitored on a quarterly basis.

All reports of criminal activity are thoroughly investigated. If the alleged activity involves sexual abuse of minors, the individual is
immediately suspended.

Register for Training

To register for the online Safe Environment training program and access the background check process, please contact your parish, school or diocesan human resources administrator for instructions. There is a fee associated with the background screening.

Safe Environment Program Contacts

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About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pulido’s coat of arms is divided into four quarters with wavy horizontal lines from top to bottom. The blue and white lines represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. They also suggest water, which alludes to Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and to the waters of baptism. The red and gold lines represent the Holy Spirit and fire. The colors also can be seen as referring to the Blood that (along with water) poured from Jesus’ side at His crucifixion, as well as to the bread (gold) and wine (red) transformed into the Eucharist. At the center is a roundel featuring a symbolic representation of the “mandatum” (washing of the feet), which he believes exemplifies service to all humanity. The roundel’s outer edge is a line composed of small humps; it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima, where Bishop Pulido served as a priest before being named a bishop.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms depicts a red boat on a blue ocean, which is crisscrossed by diagonal lines suggesting a fisherman’s net. This symbolizes his ministry as a “fisher of men,” as well as how his own father had been a fisherman. The boat is also a symbol of the Church, which is often referred to as the “barque of Peter.” At the center of the sail is a red beehive (a symbol of the bishop’s baptismal patron saint, St. John Chrysostom, who was known as a “honey-tongued” preacher). The beehive is surrounded by two green palm branches (an ancient symbol of martyrdom; the bishop’s ancestors were among Vietnam’s first martyrs). The eight red tongues of fire around the boat are a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the diversity of ethnic and cultural communities. The red of the boat, the beehive and the tongues of fire allude to the blood of the martyrs.

About the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms combines symbols that reflect Bishop Bejarano’s spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows four wavy vertical lines on a gold background. These represent flowing waters. This alludes to his chosen motto and also symbolizes the graces that come from the Divine life to quench our thirst for God. The upper third of the shield is red because it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, of which the Bishop’s patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted holding one. The Eucharist is Bishop Bejarano’s inspiration for his vocation. It was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. It represents the call to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. The monstrance is flanked on either side by an image of the Sacred Heart, alluding to the mercy of God and echoing the idea of a sacrificial offering of oneself united to the sacrifice of Christ, and of a rose for Our Lady. It is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, and highlights the bishop’s Hispanic heritage.

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