This Sunday, September 24th has been designated as Safeguarding Sunday, when as a Diocese, we focus on safeguarding our children and vulnerable adults. This year, the 20th Anniversary of the CSPS, in his letter to all churches in the Diocese, Archbishop Farrell says: “An anniversary such as this provides an opportunity not only to look back and consider what has been done but also to look forward at what remains to be done and the challenges of the future.” He goes on: “We have learned, then, that dealing with the consequences of the past vital though it remains, has to be accompanied by steps to ensure that what happened then is not happening now and will not happen in the future…We have learned too that the lay faithful have taken this matter to heart and are determined to rid the Church of the scourge of clerical child abuse. “

You can read the full text of the Archbishops’ letter and the Newsletter from the Child Safeguarding and Protection Service (CSPS) here.