EMPOWERING GOD’S CHILDREN®

• All Faith Formation students are required by the Diocese of Pittsburgh to complete "Empowering God's Children," a Virtus training that educates children about personal boundaries and safety.

• Parents may choose to deliver instruction at home or bring their child(ren) to the church for instruction by the end of Fall 2022.  Select your option below.

• All information about Empowering God's Children, including the full lesson plans and videos are available below.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is now requiring all parishes to present the Empowering God’s Children® program to students enrolled in Faith Formation.  Developed by Virtus, this is an age-appropriate,  comprehensive program through which educators (teachers, catechists and youth ministers) and/or parents can give children and youth the tools they need to protect themselves if someone tries to violate their boundaries.  More information can be found in the Program Overview.

Each year, Empowering God's Children will present a theme that introduces and builds on the basic concepts of the Teaching Boundaries and Safety Guide. The material is developmentally appropriate for each age group and includes content and activities that reinforce the message. Within each lesson plan is the ability to tailor the activities and messaging to meet the needs of the children and youth at all levels.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is requiring all parishes to teach all children and youth (fall of 2022)
Lesson 1 Physical Boundaries: Safe and Unsafe Touching Rules.  In this Lesson, "Students learn simple rules about what to do and how to react when someone’s touch is confusing, scary, or makes the child or young person feel uncomfortable. Young people start to deal with the real risks they face when they are out in the world and on their own, and they begin to learn where to draw boundary lines in relationships."

**This program, Empowering God’s Children®, replaces the "Personal Safety Curriculum" of Catholic Vision of Love (CVOL) provided by the Diocese of Pittsburgh. 

ALL PARENTS MUST CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:

OPTION 1:  PARENT-LED, AT HOME INSTRUCTION.  You will teach Empowering God’s Children® to your child at home.  To select this option, you must complete the following steps:
           
            1.   Sign up HERE:
            2.   Click here for teaching Empowering God’s Children® to your child at home.
            3.  Complete Lesson 1 with your child and return page 2 of the form above to Sara                                          by October 31, 2022.
OR

OPTION 2:   CATECHIST-LED, IN-PERSON GROUP INSTRUCTION.  Your child will attend an onsite session of Empowering God’s Children® at Saint Joseph Church.  This session will be taught by members of our Faith Formation team.

Grades K-2:  Sunday, August 28th 10:00 AM-10:50 AM
Grades 3-5: Sunday, September 11th  10:00 AM-10:50 AM
Grades 6-8:  Sunday,  September 25th, 10:00 AM-10:50 AM
To register your child(ren) for the in-person session(s) above, click HERE

Parents are strongly encouraged to preview the content for Empowering God's Children prior to teaching/sending their child to the lesson. 

Click here for Lesson 1 for Grades K, 1, 2.   Watch the Intro Video HERE
Click here for Lesson 1 for Grades 3,4,5.   Watch the Intro Video HERE
Click here for Lesson 1 for Grades 6,7,8.    Watch the Intro Video HERE

PLEASE NOTE: In each lesson, there are "Instructions for Lesson Leaders" for adults/parents only and the "Instructions for Students" sections/worksheets are for children. Click here for Teaching Boundaries and Safety Guide™ for Educators & Parents.

For more information, please contact Sara Octave, Director of Faith Formation by phone at 412-676-7211 or by email at [email protected] 

Thank you for your cooperation.

All program resources, including the guide & lessons links & videos are available on http://virtusonline.org/virtus/.

Visit our Safe Environment page if you are interested in being a volunteer at Christ the King Parish.