Clergy, staff, and volunteers working with youth shall maintain an open and trustworthy relationship between youth and adult supervisors.

A. Clergy, staff, and volunteers must be aware of their own and others’ vulnerability when working alone with youth. Use of a team approach to managing youth activities is recommended.

B. Physical contact with youth can be misconstrued and should occur (a) only when completely nonsexual and otherwise appropriate, and (b) never in private.

C. Clergy, staff, and volunteers will refrain from (a) the illegal possession and/or illegal use of drugs and/or alcohol at all times, and (b) the use of alcohol when working with youth.

D. Clergy should not allow individual young people to stay overnight in the cleric’s private accommodations or residence.

E. Staff and volunteers should not provide shared, private, overnight accommodation for individual young people including, but not limited to, accommodations in any Church-owned facility, private residence, hotel room, or any other place where there is no other adult supervision present.

• In rare, emergency situations, when accommodation is necessary for the health and well-being of the youth, the clergy, staff, or volunteer should take extraordinary care to protect all parties from the appearance of impropriety and from all risk of harm.
• Use of a team approach to managing emergency situations is recommended.

[ Top of page ] 

4. Sexual Conduct

 5. Harassment

Clergy, staff, and volunteers must not engage in physical, psychological, written, or verbal harassment of staff, volunteers, or parishioners and must not tolerate such harassment by other Church staff or volunteers.

A. Clergy, staff, and volunteers shall provide a professional work environment that is free from physical, psychological, written, or verbal intimidation or harassment.

B. Harassment encompasses a broad range of physical, written, or verbal behavior, including without limitation the following:

• Physical or mental abuse.
• Racial insults.
• Derogatory ethnic slurs.
• Sexual advances or inappropriate touching.
• Sexual comments or sexual jokes.
• Requests for sexual favors used as: 
  • a condition of employment, or 
  • to affect other personnel decisions, such as promotion or compensation
• Display of offensive materials.

C. Harassment can be a single severe incident or a persistent pattern of behavior where the purpose or the effect is to create a hostile, offensive, or intimidating work environment.

D. Allegations of harassment should be taken seriously and reported immediately to the appropriate person in the parish, or diocese.

[Top of page ]

 6. Parish, Religious Community/Institute, and Organizational Records and Information

Confidentiality will be maintained in creating, storing, accessing, transferring, and disposing of parish, religious community/institute, or organizational records.

A. Sacramental records shall be regarded as confidential. When compiling and publishing parish, religious community/institute, or organization statistical information from these records, great care must be taken to preserve the anonymity of individuals.

B. Information regarding adoption and legitimacy remains confidential, regardless of age.

C. Only staff members who are authorized to access the records and supervise their use shall handle requests for more recent records.

D. Parish or diocese financial records are confidential unless review is required by the diocese, or an appropriate government agency. Contact the Office of Finance upon receipt of any request for release of financial records.

E. Individual contribution records of the parish, or diocesan office or agency, or organization shall be regarded as private and shall be maintained in strictest confidence.

[Top of page ]

 7. Conflicts of Interest

Clergy, staff, and volunteers should avoid situations that might present a conflict of interest. Even the appearance of a conflict of interest can call integrity and professional conduct into question.

A. Clergy, staff, and volunteers should disclose all relevant factors that potentially could create a conflict of interest.

B. Clergy, staff, and volunteers should inform all parties when a real or potential conflict of interest arises. Resolution of the issues must protect the person receiving ministry services.

C. No clergy, staff, or volunteer should take advantage of anyone to whom they are providing services in order to further their personal, religious, political, or business interests.  

• Pastoral counselors should not provide counseling services to anyone with whom they have a business, professional, or social relationship. When this is unavoidable, the client must be protected. The counselor must establish and maintain clear, appropriate boundaries. 
• When pastoral counseling or spiritual direction services are provided to two or more people who have a relationship with each other, the Pastoral Counselor or Spiritual Director must: 
  • Clarify with all parties the nature of each relationship, 
  • Anticipate any conflict of interest, 
  • Take appropriate actions to eliminate the conflict, and 
  • Obtain from all parties written consent to continue services.

D. Conflicts of interest may also arise when a Pastoral Counselor’s or Spiritual Director’s independent judgment is impaired by: 

• Prior dealings, 
• Becoming personally involved, or
• Becoming an advocate for one person against another.

In these circumstances, the Pastoral Counselor or Spiritual Director shall advise the parties that he or she can no longer provide services and refer them to another Pastoral Counselor or Spiritual Director.

[ Top of page ]

 8. Reporting Ethical or Professional Misconduct

Clergy, staff, and volunteers have a duty to report their own ethical or professional misconduct and the misconduct of others.

A. Clergy, staff, and volunteers must hold each other accountable for maintaining the highest ethical and professional standards. When there is an indication of illegal actions by clergy, staff, or volunteers, you should notify the proper civil authorities immediately. Also notify the Pastor, diocesan office director, or the Vicar General (or his designee).

B. When an uncertainty exists about whether a situation or course of conduct violates this Code of Pastoral Conduct or other religious, moral, or ethical principles, consult with: 

• Peers, 
• Others knowledgeable about ethical issues, or 
• The Pastor, diocesan office director, or Vicar General (or his designee).

C. When it appears that a member of clergy, a staff member, or a volunteer has violated this Code of Pastoral Conduct or other religious, moral, or ethical principles: 

• Report the issue to a supervisor or next higher authority, as soon as possible, or 
• Refer the matter directly to the diocesan office director or the Vicar General (or his designee).

D. The obligation of Pastoral Counselors and Spiritual Directors to report client misconduct is subject to the duty of confidentiality. However, any agreement or duty to maintain confidentiality must yield to the need to report misconduct that threatens the safety, health, or well-being of any of the persons involved except as provided for in Section 2 – confidentiality of the confessional.

[ Top of page ]

 9. Administration

Employers and supervisors shall treat clergy, staff, and volunteers justly in the day-to-day administrative operations of their ministries.

A. Personnel and other administrative decisions made by clergy, staff, and volunteers shall meet civil and canon law obligations and also reflect Catholic social teachings and this Code of Pastoral Conduct.

B. No clergy, staff, or volunteer shall use his or her position to exercise unreasonable or inappropriate power and authority.

C. Each volunteer providing services to children and youth must read and sign the Volunteer Code of Conduct before providing services.

[ Top of page ]

 10. Staff or Volunteer Well-being

Clergy, staff, and volunteers have the duty to be responsible for their own spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional health.

A. Clergy, staff, and volunteers should be aware of warning signs that indicate potential problems with their own spiritual, physical, mental, and/or emotional health.

B. Clergy, staff, and volunteers should seek help immediately whenever they notice behavioral or emotional warning signs in their own professional and/or personal lives.

C. Clergy, staff, and volunteers must address their own spiritual needs. Support from a Spiritual Director is highly recommended.

D. Inappropriate or illegal use of alcohol and drugs is prohibited. Legal availability of alcohol requires the prior approval of the appropriate supervisor

[ Top of page ]

 IV. Volunteer's Code of Conduct

Our children are the most important gifts God has entrusted to us. As a volunteer, I promise to strictly follow the rules and guidelines in this Volunteer’s Code of Conduct as a condition of my providing services to the children and youth of our parish, school, diocesan office, or agency.

As a volunteer, I will: 

• Treat everyone with respect, loyalty, patience, integrity, courtesy, dignity, and consideration. 
• Avoid situations where I am alone with children and/or youth at Church activities. 
• Use positive reinforcement rather than criticism, competition, or comparison when working with children and/or youth. 
• Refuse to accept expensive or other gifts that may be misinterpreted from children and/or youth or their parents without prior written approval from the pastor or administrator. 
• Refrain from giving expensive or other gifts that may be misinterpreted to children and/or youth without prior written approval from the parents or guardian and the pastor or administrator. 
• Report suspected abuse to the pastor, administrator, or appropriate supervisor and the civil authorities. 
• Cooperate fully in any investigation of abuse of children and/or youth.

 As a volunteer, I will not:

• Smoke or use tobacco products in the presence of children and/or youth. 
• Use, possess, or be under the influence of alcohol at any time while volunteering. 
• Use, possess, or be under the influence of illegal drugs at any time. 
• Pose any health risk to children and/or youth (i.e., no fevers or other contagious situations). 
• Strike, spank, shake, or slap children and/or youth. 
• Humiliate, ridicule, threaten, or degrade children and/or youth. 
• Touch a child and/or youth in a sexual or other inappropriate manner. 
• Use any discipline that frightens or humiliates children and/or youth. 
• Use profanity in the presence of children and/or youth.

I understand that as a volunteer working with children and/or youth, I am subject to a thorough background check including criminal history. I understand that any action inconsistent with this Code of Conduct or failure to take action mandated by this Code of Conduct may result in my removal as a volunteer with children and/or youth.

_____________________________________________
Volunteer's Printed Name  

_____________________________________________
Volunteer's Signature

___________________
Date

[ Top of page ]

Click to Print