2 September 2021
September is Safeguarding Month, and in 2021 it will look a little different to other years, due to lockdown. This year the theme of Safeguarding Month is Participation of Children and Young People in our Catholic Communities.
The annual Liturgy of Lament, the public acknowledgement of the pain and suffering of those who have been wounded by abuse in the Catholic Church, will be online only, as our churches are closed and people unable to gather. You can watch the Liturgy of Lament, presided by Bishop Anthony Randazzo, online at 7.00pm on Thursday 9 September on YouTube or the Diocesan website.
The theme for Safeguarding Month has come from the release of a new booklet – Children and Young People’s Participation in Catholic Communities: A guide to supporting & engaging, listening, and communicating with Children and Young People.
At World Youth Day in 2016, Pope Francis said to the young people, “The Church wishes to listen to your voice, even your doubts and your criticism, make your voice heard, let it resonate in communities…”
The development of the booklet forms part of a Greater Sydney Safeguarding Project between the Dioceses of Broken Bay, Parramatta and the Archdiocese of Sydney. The resource is a tool to assist Catholic Communities to understand how to strengthen safety of children and young people by focusing on Standard 2 of the Australian Catholic Safeguarding Standards where children are safe, informed and participate. Therefore, children are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
In the foreword in the booklet, Bishop Randazzo, Bishop Long and Archbishop Fisher say, “As leaders of the Catholic Church, we endorse the underlying principles and practices of participation expressed in this document. Our Catholic communities have a responsibility to all our Children and Young People to help them reach their full potential.”
The booklet provides principles upon which this can be achieved. The booklet will be released on Wednesday 8 September online on the Safeguarding month page www.bbcatholic.org.au
Hard copies will be available for parishes.
As part of Safeguarding Month, we celebrate NAPCAN Child Protection week and this year we also celebrate the Australian Safeguarding Sunday Mass on Sunday 12 September. Bishop Anthony Randazzo will celebrate Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, Waitara on that Sunday at 9.30am. You can watch the live stream on the Hornsby Cathedral YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/HORNSBYCATHEDRALPARISH
On 22 September, Fr David Ranson, Vicar General, will present on Zoom Ministering to a Church in Trauma. Everyone is welcome to join. Registrations are essential and places are limited.
Register here: https://bbcatholic.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJItce2qpjovHtWs7Vymz9XkWVhlVTlq22Px
Please keep all those who have suffered hurt and abuse in the Catholic Church in your prayers, and participate in the activities on offer throughout September.
