Catholics join Fort Smith community in rally against child abuse

Immaculate Conception Parish introduces residents to safe environment program

Published: May 12, 2012

By Maryanne Meyerriecks
Fort Smith Correspondent

Maryanne Meyerriecks

Father Greg Luyet, Patty and Deacon Greg Pair of Immaculate Conception Church and Pat Neal, national director of Virtus, supported the Step Up Speak Out Rally at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith April 28.

Maryanne Meyerriecks

FORT SMITH -- Father Greg Luyet, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, stepped up to the pulpit the weekend of April 21-22 to speak out against child abuse, particularly sexual abuse of minors.

He was joined by ministers throughout the area, rallying together to challenge their congregations to protect children and inviting them to attend a Step Up, Speak Out Rally at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith the following Saturday.

Immaculate Conception parishioner Sam Sicard got the idea for "Step Up, Speak Out" while listening to news coverage of child sexual abuse accusations against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky in 2011. After hearing statistics on the prevalence of child sexual abuse, he gathered together a group of community and church leaders, business people and others to plan a rally to raise awareness. They formed an organization under the auspices of the United Way and planned a media campaign using Facebook and other social media to network and educate people about violence against children.

The Catholic response to the community's advocacy was to share knowledge of the safe environment program used in all Catholic churches and schools in Arkansas. Father Luyet contacted Pat Neal, director of Virtus programs and services, the diocese's Protecting God's Children for Adults program, and requested permission to offer a screening of the Virtus program and materials to people of other or no faith backgrounds. Pair and Surennah Werley, Immaculate Conception's director of religious education, held two informational Virtus sessions for men and women in the community.

"The people attending the Virtus training sessions saw the need of a program like this," Pair said. "One group even realized that they had some work to do in this area of protecting the children they see on a day-to-day basis. They were very surprised to know that no volunteer or minister in the Catholic Church can participate if they have not gone through the program."

At the Step Up, Speak Out Rally April 28 Immaculate Conception Church hosted a Virtus informational booth, one of 32 booths circling the campus green. Two multi-disciplinary informational workshops were offered to help adults learn to recognize potential abuse situations.

Besides information, the fair offered free family activities, including bounce houses, kids' games, a rock climbing wall, musical entertainment, a magician, face painting, lunch and arts and crafts booths.

Neal traveled from Tulsa to join Father Luyet and Pair at the Virtus booth, talking to visitors and passing out literature.

"This event was such a great way to increase the level of public awareness," she said. "The people who came by and visited with us were pleased to know about Virtus, that it's been in existence for more than 10 years and is available to any organization."

Virtus is now the standard that many organizations look to as they consider implementing safe environment programs, she said.

Pair sees Step Up, Speak Out as a beginning.

"It is our hope that other communities will do the same for their children," he said. "God gives us such a precious gift in our children and it is up to us to protect them."