Saint Joseph Church Coopersburg, Pennsylvania
Saint Joseph Church     Coopersburg, Pennsylvania

Calling All Adults

of the

St. Joseph Parish Family!

 

Please take a moment to read this important information regarding the requirements for all volunteers working with children and youth within the Diocese of Allentown and the State of Pennsylvania.

Volunteer Clearances - Who needs them, and why?

  • All employees and volunteers of a child care service, school or a program, activity or service responsible for a child’s welfare, are required by Pennsylvania State Law and the Diocese of Allentown to complete clearances.​

 

  • All volunteers having direct contact with minors are required by Pennsylvania State Law and the Diocese of  Allentown to complete clearances.

 

In the state of Pennsylvania, all persons, both employees and volunteers, who come into contact with children at any time in the course of their work are considered  mandated reporters of child abuse and are required by Pennsylvania State Law to report to law enforcement authorities all cases of suspected child abuse. In order to further protect the youth of our community, PA State Law requires that all employees or volunteers who come into contact with children complete a PA State Police Criminal Background Check, PA Child Abuse History Clearance, FBI Criminal Background Check, National Sex Offender Registry Check, and to attend Mandated Reporter Training.

 

Additionally, the Diocese of Allentown requires these persons to attend a Protecting God’s Children Workshop, and to read & acknowledge the Diocesan Code of Conduct, Sexual Abuse Policy and Child Protective Services Law sheet. In 2022, the Diocese of Allentown also added a policy on social media and electronic communications. In some cases, volunteers may also be asked to read monthly educational bulletins on the Virtus Online Training/Tracking Platform. All actions taken by the Diocese of Allentown in regards to Youth Protection are based on the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, established by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops in June 2002. The norms resulting from the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People require dioceses to work with parents, civil authorities, educators, employees and volunteers to establish and maintain the safest environment for minors.

 

“Churches, schools, and youth organizations must ensure that children and youth who worship, study, or participate in activities sponsored by a parish can do so in the safest and most secure setting possible.” - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Child and Youth Protection

Volunteer Opportunities within Our Parish Family

  • PREP Teachers & Classroom Helpers
  • High School Teen Group Chaperones
  • Vacation Bible School Teachers & Helpers
  • Parish Festival & Event Children’s Activities Monitors
  • All CYO Coaches & Assistants
  • All Parish School Volunteers - Cafeteria, Library, Classroom Parties, Field Trip Chaperones, Classroom Assistants, etc.

Any other individual or group running or assisting at a child/youth activity, or, using Parish buildings during school/PREP hours may be required to complete the clearance process. This may include members of any of our Parish Social and/or Spiritual Activities. Check with the Parish Safe Environment Coordinator for details.

What are the steps to becoming a volunteer in our parish?

Every employee and/or volunteer in our parish must complete the 11 steps on the Diocese of Allentown “Safe Environment Requirements Checklist”. This list includes the items required by the State of Pennsylvania as well as the Diocese of Allentown. Details on how to complete these steps can be found on our Volunteer Requirements webpage.

 

Safe Environment Requirements Checklist

 

  1. Diocese of Allentown Background Authorization form

  2. Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Background Fingerprint Check (DHS only)

  3. PA Child Abuse History Clearance

  4. PA State Police Criminal Record Check 

  5. National Sex Offender Registration Check 

  6. Signed Acknowledgement Form for the Diocese of Allentown’s Sexual Abuse Policy 

  7. Signed Acknowledgement form for the Diocese of Allentown’s Code of Conduct 

  8. Protecting God’s Children Workshop 

  9. Mandated Reporting Training - 

  10. Child Protective Services Law Policy 

  11. Social Media & Electronic Communications Policies

 

What kind of information is collected, and who will have access to it?

When applying for the clearances required by Pennsylvania State Law - PA State Police Criminal Background Check, PA Child Abuse History Clearance, National Sex Offender Registry Check and the FBI Criminal Background Check - individuals will be required to provide personal identifiers including, but not limited to: applicant’s Full Name, Date of Birth, Address, Phone Number, Social Security Number, Email Address and Driver’s License Number. Under Pennsylvania Law pursuant to § 6344 (b.1), the employer, administrator, supervisor or other person responsible for employment decisions or acceptance of the individual to serve in any capacity requiring clearances, shall maintain copies of the required information. Your personal volunteer file will be located in the parish Rectory and may only be viewed by the parish Safe Environment Coordinator, and/or the parish priest if deemed necessary. Additionally, the Diocesan Safe Environment Coordinator’s office keeps secure files of all Diocese of Allentown employees and volunteers. Protecting your personal identity is a priority in the clearance process, so please do not be concerned about providing this information.

If you are interested in volunteering...

If you have completed any/all of these items, please  submit the documentation to the Rectory. You have a few options for how to submit your completed paperwork to the Rectory: In a sealed envelope addressed to PARISH SAFE ENVIRONMENT COORDINATOR, which can be placed in the offertory basket at any weekend Mass; personally delivered to the Rectory during normal business hours (typically, Monday-Friday 10AM-3PM); or, mailed to the Rectory at 5050 St. Joseph’s Road, Coopersburg, PA 18036. Please indicate if you need any of the papers returned to you.

 

Questions can be directed to the Parish Safe Environment Coordinator, Janessa Lanning O’Donnell, at the Rectory office: 610-965-2877, or via email: janessa.odonnell@stjoescoopersburg.org.

Join us in celebration!

 

Public Mass Times

Daily Mass

Monday - Saturday

8:00 AM

 

Saturday

Evening Vigil

5:15 PM

 

Sunday Morning

9:00 AM

11:00 AM

 

Saturday Confessions are held from 4:30 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. 

Stations of the Cross

Friday Evenings - 7:00PM

February 16th to March 22nd

The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed after the morning Mass on Fridays, with the church open for private adoration throughout the day. Benediction will conclude at Stations on Friday evenings.

 

Stations of the Cross for Children

with St. Michael the Archangel School

Monday Mornings - 9:00AM

February 26th to March 18th

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