November 19, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
NEW: Survey for Parishes and Schools
Do you have Catechists? Or Youth Ministers? Lunchroom individuals who volunteer? We are conducting a survey to get a sense of how many of these individuals are working in our parishes and schools. The results of this survey will help us better understand how to program roles in VIRTUS and give us better insight for future training purposes. Please note that this survey will be available until February 2026 and can be found here.
NEW: Recertification Module for 2026–2029
Our current recertification module for VIRTUS is “Protecting God’s Children 4.0 and Vulnerable Adults 2.0”.
Beginning January 1, 2026, the recertification module will be, “Teaching Boundaries and Safety Online Module 2.0”
Here is a description of the module from VIRTUS:
- This module is an online training that provides best practices for employees, volunteers, caring adults and parents, equipping them on how to be better protectors of children, and on how to teach children to better protect themselves. This online module builds from the foundation of the Teaching Boundaries and Safety Guide™, and provides easy conversation starters, bulleted tips and quick summaries of pertinent information. It can be used as a standalone online training or supplemental training to provide any adult a self-paced resource on a variety of topics ranging from age-appropriate discussions, how to communicate with all ages, problematic behavior that would raise concerns, and pro-tips and resources for communication.
This module is 30 minutes long. For anyone who would like to be assigned the training ahead of time, please contact Maegan at pierson.maegan@aod.org.
NEW: Recertification Module Automatic Assignment
At 15 days prior to the expiration of an individual’s initial Protecting God’s Children Certification, VIRTUS will automatically assign the recertification module. Please note: You will still need to remind people that they need to complete the recertification module to remain compliant, this is just one less administrative step 😊
NEW: ICHAT Facts
Many of you have asked for clarification about ICHAT and the Background Authorization Form. Here is some guidance:
- The Background Check Authorization Form is consent to run an ICHAT on an individual. Each parish or school is still responsible for running the ICHAT at their local level.
- Do not upload ICHAT results into VIRTUS. Please print them and store the results in a locked filing cabinet.
- If you have individuals fingerprinted at your parish or school, you do not need to run a yearly ICHAT on those individuals. The CHRISS system is consistently monitoring individuals on a state level.
- You need to run a Christian Background Check on any individual at your parish or school who has not resided in the State of Michigan for the last 7 years. If you regularly need Christian Background Checks run at your parish and school, please email me so that we can set you up with an account.
- Anyone needing more than 5 background Christian Background Checks conducted a year needs a Christian Background Check account)
NEW: Facilitator Training – January 5-9 From 9Am-12Pm – Read Here
Are you interested in becoming a Facilitator? We would love to have you! The Office of Safe Environments is now accepting applications for those who would like to facilitate. Lisa Richards and I conduct a pre-screening process to ensure we have the candidates we need to be a part of the facilitation team. Please send your resume and cover letter to pierson.maegan@aod.org
