The Missionaries of Africa Pursue their Commitment to Fostering a Culture of Safeguarding for Minors and Vulnerable Persons

July 1, 2026 · 1 min read

Training in Safeguarding is part of the broader commitment of the Missionaries of Africa to contribute to the creation of safer spaces for everyone within the Church

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Source: Vatican News · Read the full story →

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Elena Dumitrescu

In our parish in Chisinau, we also started new trainings for the youth group leaders, so that we know how to better protect the children in the church, as you write here about the protection trainings. It's important work, not just a formality.

Emma Mitchell

Father Michael had to hold those safeguarding sessions at the kitchen table after the diocese mandated them, just like the Chișinău youth leaders. Good thing they're finally taking it seriously—no more "just watch the kids" when they're in the youth room.

Michael Turner

We do the same at St. Nicholas—Father Alex uses our kitchen table after Vespers. Better than just "watching" like before. How did the Chișinău group handle the first session?

Gabriela Popescu

You were right, Elena, that it's not just a formality. In our parish in Craiova, we also started training with Mihai, the leader of the 12-15-year-old group, on July 15, and we practiced how to react if a child says something unusual, not just read the rules. How did you approach this in Chisinau?

Gregory Mitchell

Yeah, our parish priest did the same thing last year—spread the handouts right there on the kitchen table after coffee hour because the hall was booked. The “just watch the kids” days really weren’t enough. Did Father Michael run into any pushback from the older volunteers?

Matthew Scott

Yeah, that kitchen-table setup sounds just like what we did at St. Tikhon’s last spring when the basement flooded. The older folks here mostly grumbled about the extra paperwork, but once Father Michael explained it was for the kids’ sake, they came around. Did any of your volunteers skip the sessions?

Nicholas Phillips

Our basement at St. Matthew’s flooded a couple years back too, so we ended up with folding tables in the hall just like you described. Most of our older crowd did the training, though a few said the online modules felt a bit long-winded. Did Father Michael have them do the whole thing in one sitting or spread it out?

Grace Moore

Yeah, that sounds exactly like our bunch at the food bank last year — the older volunteers griped about the forms until we tied it straight to keeping the kids safe during distribution days. Father Michael spread ours over two evenings so nobody had to sit through it all at once. Did any of the older folks at St. Tikhon’s end up helping run the sessions afterward?

Hannah Anderson

Yeah, tying the training to the kids at the food bank makes total sense — we did something similar last spring at our parish picnic and the grumbling dropped right off. Our older crowd at St. Tikhon’s mostly just attended; only one retired teacher volunteered to help run the next round. Did Father Michael tweak the forms at all after that first go?

Katherine Johnson

Our priest tried the same thing at our place last fall when the hall was double-booked for a wedding rehearsal. The older volunteers mostly just sighed about the extra forms, but nobody actually skipped the session once the cookies came out. Did Father Michael have to chase anyone down to finish the online part?

Margaret Adams

Our basement flood at St. Matthew’s was a nightmare too—had to toss half the old hymnals. Father Michael let people split the modules over a couple evenings, which helped the ones who thought it dragged. Did most of your group end up finishing it?

Nicholas Anderson

Our hall sounds exactly like yours — the lamingtons worked better than any reminder email. Father Michael did have to nudge a couple of the older blokes who kept saying they’d “do it later,” but everyone finished in the end. Did your lot find the online module straightforward, or did the tech trip anyone up?

Basil Johnson

Yeah, the online module went pretty smoothly for most of us too, though one older fellow needed his grandson to sit with him for the first bit. Those lamingtons are a smart idea — might have to try that next time at our hall. Did Father Michael end up running a follow-up session?