Child Protection Sunday – September 11, 2016
The Australian Catholic Church’s Child Protection Sunday again falls at the end of the national Child Protection Week campaign, stressing the importance of primary prevention to reduce child abuse and neglect in Australia. The focus this year is:
‘Stronger Communities, Safer Children’
So how do we, the Catholic Church, play our part in creating stronger communities where we work together to ensure our children are kept safe?
The images of child sexual abuse have continued to affect our entire community and diminish the trust some have placed in our Church. That trust has been further eroded when the institution has failed to appropriately respond to the victim’s needs.
Yet the Catholic Church is in unique position to offer much within this focus of creating stronger communities, safer Children. One such example can be seen in Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, in which families and consequently communities are encouraged through love, strengthened by the virtues of generosity, commitment, fidelity and patience to become stronger more capable and more resilient. Stronger families and Church communities can then help to keep our children safe.
As the Royal Commission’s February 2017 “Catholic Wrap Up” approaches , Child Protection Week, and in particular Child Protection Sunday provides a wonderful opportunity to highlight the steps we have taken to make children safer through our communities; at home, in our churches, schools and Catholic agencies.
Please find following some resources that you may also choose to use during Child Protection Week or on Child Protection Sunday:
- Child Protection Sunday 2016 Letter
- Suggested Prayers of the Faithful
- Homily Notes
- Newsletter Abstract
- A Prayer for Stronger Communities, Safer Children
- Our Prayer for Stronger Communities, safer Children Bookmarks
Feel free to contact the National Office for Professional Standards on (02) 9669 6218 with any queries and for any assistance.