Several Students from Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School will also participate.
The Archdiocesan Office for Child and Youth Protection (OCYP) will partner with Saint Pio Regional Catholic School in South Philadelphia to host the Archdiocesan 2023 Blue Pinwheel Awareness Garden.
The garden is being planted in observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month which takes place each April. The garden is part of a national movement called “Pinwheels for Prevention.” This grass roots initiative is sponsored by Prevent Child Abuse America.
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Saint Richard Church
3010 South 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19145
Approximately 315 students in grades Pre-K3 through 8 will work collaboratively with school faculty and administration as well as OCYP staff to plant 400 pinwheels. Several students representing Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School will also participate in the event and plant pinwheels.
Father Matthew Brody, Parochial Administrator of Saint Richard Church; Ms. Leslie Davila, Director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office for Child and Youth Protection; Andrew McLaughlin, Ed.D, Secretary for Elementary Education; Mrs. Francesca Russo, Principal, Saint Pio Regional Catholic School; and Ms. Kim Eife, Principal, Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School, will also be in attendance and participate.
Father Brody will lead everyone gathered in prayer followed by brief remarks from Ms. Davila. Students will then walk from inside the Church outside to the grass directly in front of the school.
Father Brody, Ms. Davila, Dr. McLaughlin, Mrs. Russo, and Ms. Eife, will plant the first five pinwheels and all of the students present will plant the remainder. Following the planting of the pinwheel garden, Father Brody will bless all in attendance as well as the pinwheels. Ms. Davila and OCYP staff members will then visit the classrooms with key participants from the school and OCE.
Recently, Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, released video messages in ENGLISH and SPANISH to stress the Archdiocese’s extraordinary commitment to protecting the children, young people, and vulnerable adults entrusted to its care. For more information about OCYP, please visit childyouthprotection.org/.
In addition to Pinwheels for Prevention, OCYP will sponsor another national program, Blue Sunday on April 30. OCYP will also run an awareness campaign surrounding the topic of child abuse prevention and awareness via its social media platforms OCYP Twitter and OCYP Instagram.
Background on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office for Child and Youth Protection
The Archdiocesan Office for Child and Youth Protection is comprised of caring professionals whose purpose is to support the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s commitment to creating and maintaining safe environments for the children who attend its churches, schools, and youth programs. Additionally, OCYP provides compassionate and supportive assistance to individuals who have been the victims/survivors of child sexual abuse and their family members.
The Archdiocesan schools and parish religious education programs offer age-appropriate child abuse prevention and technology safety instruction annually. During the 2021-2022 academic year, over 100,000 students in our elementary, secondary and parish religious education program received Child Abuse prevention lessons. In addition, 6,228 adults received mandated reporter training.
OCYP takes its direction from The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability, and prevention of future acts of abuse.
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Editor’s Note: For more information on the work and resources offered by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office for Child & Youth Protection, please visit childyouthprotection.org/. For information about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit aopcatholicschools.org/. For information about Saint Pio Regional Catholic School, please visit stpiocatholicschool.org/. For information about Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School, please visit neumanngorettihs.org/.