Protecting God's Children (PGC)

What is VIRTUS® Protecting God’s Children training?

The Protecting God’s Children program is the VIRTUS program for protecting children from child sexual abuse. Protecting God’s Children is a 3-hour awareness session for adults in the faith community who interact with minors.

Participants are taught to identify situations that could leave a child vulnerable, the methods of sexual offenders and critical steps to help prevent abuse.

Who is required to attend Protecting God’s Children workshops?

• All clergy working in the Archdiocese of Detroit
• All adult paid employees of Central Services, Parishes, and Catholic Schools
• All adult volunteers who have regular and/or unsupervised contact with minors

Not our Compliance, but our Calling.

Often when we hear about the efforts of the Church in regard to sexual abuse, we hear about the importance of compliance with the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. From a faith environment perspective, the importance is not in our compliance, but in our calling. As Catholics we are called to respect the life and dignity of every human person from conception to natural death. The Charter guides us in action to our calling. Our calling furthers the Gospel message of Christ.