From Our Founder

I am a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Kouts where I serve as Chairman of our church’s Pastoral Council and work with young adults in our music ministry.  Our parish belongs to the Gary Diocese which mandates that all of us who work with children and young adults MUST complete a training program called VIRTUS.  VIRTUS is designed specifically to teach those who work with children about all aspects of child sexual abuse. VIRTUS empowers us to protect our children and our community from its devastating effects.  VIRTUS training shocked and awakened me to the horrors of this terrible crime.  I have four precious children and it matters to me what kind of world I am sending them out into each day.

Child sexual predators come in all shapes & sizes; it is impossible to profile this predator by age, sex, race, religion, profession, vocation, or relationship.  Members of this group are disguised and their behavior is the only thing that gives them away.   Through their lies and manipulation we are provided a window into that behavior.  So you need to know what to look for and remain vigilant whenever you’re around children to hunt this predator and prevent this crime remembering that you never find what you’re not looking for.

This is an illness and its only cure is to keep the predator away from its prey.  Almost all of the people caught committing this crime have done it before and will do it again if given the opportunity.  That is why irrespective of incarceration, therapy, or probation, every sentence or plea must prohibit all contact with children… FOREVER!  Sexual predators must have “free range” to commit their crime.  Permitting them to even be near a child is tantamount to a permission slip for the predator.  

Drug abuse and child sexual abuse share something in common.  The “system” we created to protect and serve us is inadequate and largely ineffective.  Photo ops, sound bites, and catchy slogans are not enough.  Community “feel good” initiatives manufactured to make us feel safe and feel like we’re doing something have not alleviated either problem. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

What we need is a comprehensive approach that demonstrates a sincere appreciation for the enormity and complexity of each problem.  More importantly, we must demonstrate our determination to commit the resources necessary to combat the terror.  We can’t afford NOT to.  The price of dealing with the problems now pales in comparison to what we’ll pay later if we don’t.