Dear Brother Priests, Deacons, Safe Environment Coordinators, Parish and School Leaders

 

It is hard to believe that almost four months have passed since I began serving in the Safe Environment Office of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on May 16. I feel truly honored and blessed to serve the Church in this important ministry and to work alongside so many dedicated people who share the commitment to protecting our children and vulnerable adults.

 

These first months have been a time of learning, listening, and building relationships. They have also been a reminder that Safe Environment is much more than policies and requirements—it is about creating a culture of protection, respect, accountability, and care throughout our Archdiocese.

 

I am grateful that, during this time, we completed our USCCB audit and that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee was found in compliance with all audited Articles of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. This is an important affirmation of the work and dedication of so many throughout our parishes, schools, and ministries.

 

We are also grateful for the message from Archbishop Jeffrey Grob regarding the audit and our continued commitment to a Safe Environment. While we celebrate this accomplishment, we recognize that our work does not end with compliance. We must continue to strengthen our practices, provide meaningful training, promote accountability, and work together to ensure that our Church remains a safe place for everyone.

 

I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me and look forward to continuing this important ministry with all of you. May God continue to guide us and bless our efforts as we work together to protect and serve God’s people.

 

Dear Brother Priests, Deacons, Parish and School Leaders, and Members of Our Archdiocesan Community,

 

I am pleased to share with you the results of the recent Safe Environment audit conducted in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by StoneBridge Business Partners for the period of April 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026.

 

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has been found compliant with all audited Articles of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. This is an important affirmation of the work that so many of you do every day to make our parishes, schools, and ministries safe places for children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

 

I am grateful to our priests, deacons, employees, catechists, volunteers, teachers, administrators, and parish and school leaders who take seriously their responsibility to create a culture of protection and care. Your commitment to Safe Environment requirements is an essential expression of our pastoral responsibility.

 

At the same time, the auditors offered several recommendations for our continued growth. These recommendations do not affect our compliance with the Charter. Rather, they provide us with opportunities to strengthen our practices and ensure that our commitment to safeguarding is lived consistently throughout the Archdiocese.

 

Among the recommendations are:

 

 

These recommendations remind us that Safe Environment is not simply a program or a requirement—it is part of who we are as a Church. Protecting children and vulnerable adults is a shared responsibility and a fundamental part of our pastoral ministry.

 

I ask each of you to continue approaching this responsibility with diligence, openness, and a spirit of collaboration. Our goal is not merely to meet a standard, but to build and sustain a culture in which every person is treated with dignity, respect, and care.

 

I am grateful for your continued partnership and commitment. Together, with the grace of God, we can continue strengthening our parishes, schools, and ministries as places where children, young people, families, and vulnerable adults are safe, respected, and able to encounter Christ.

 

With gratitude and prayer,

Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob
Archbishop of Milwaukee

Welcome to the VAC Corner!

 

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Sofia Thorn, BSW, MSW, LCSW. I have an extensive history of practice and work in trauma treatment and trauma informed care as both a Psychotherapist and a Community Health based Clinical Social Work Case Manager. I have been working as the Director of Victim Services and Victim Assistance Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee almost 4 years. My role is not just to take reports from victims/survivors of clergy abuse, but to also support the survivors, their families and the communities impacted by this abuse.

 

As laid out in the newly revised Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Article 1, which was approved during the June 2026 Plenary Assembly of U.S. Catholic Bishops: "Dioceses/eparchies are to reach out to victims/survivors and their families, to accompany them, and to demonstrate a sincere commitment to their physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. The Church’s first obligation with victims/survivors is to work for healing and reconciliation…This outreach may include counseling services, spiritual assistance, support groups, healing opportunities, and other social services agreed upon by the victim/ survivor (or his or her parent or guardian) and the diocese/eparchy…"

 

As Pope Francis explained, “By an attitude of prayer and penance, we will become attuned as individuals and as a community to this exhortation, so that we may grow in the gift of compassion, in justice, prevention and reparation.” (Pope Francis, Letter of His Holiness to the People of God, August 20, 2018, no. 2). We commit ourselves as bishops to work with the faithful and with all to foster reconciliation among all people in our dioceses/eparchies. We especially commit ourselves to accompany those individuals who were themselves abused and with the communities who have suffered because of the sexual abuse of minors that occurred in their midst.

 

My current focus has been to offer more opportunities to pray and be present in communities that were impacted by abuse. Under the support and guidance of Archbishop Grob, last year we offered not only the Mass of Atonement in Twin Lakes, and our annual Rosary for Hope and Healing, but also the Stations of the Cross for Atonement and Healing in 5 different locations during Lent (including one exclusively in Spanish and one exclusively in ASL). I have also worked very closely with Fr. Christopher Klusman of the Deaf Apostolate to be present to and meet the needs of the Deaf Community that was devastated by the clergy sexual abuse that occurred at St. John’s School for the Deaf over approximately two decades.

 

With this in mind, please know that I may be reaching out to you to coordinate offering Stations of the Cross this Lent (my goal is to be in as many counties as possibly) at your parish. My goal is not to bring back the pain and suffering that occurred, but to work towards healing. Traumatic events are much like a deep wound. They must be healed from the inside out, or the infection and pain can remain.

 

And most importantly, we would like to invite you to join us on Saturday, September 26th, at 10am at Sacred Heart Cemetery in St. Francis, to join us in the Rosary for Healing. It will be led by Bishop Schuerman, with decades offered in English, Spanish and ASL. We hope to see you there.

 

SOFIA L. THORN, BSW, MSW, LCSW
Director of Victim Services & Victim Assistance Coordinator
Office of Child and Youth Protection and Compliance 

Please visit their page for information and resources: Main page

 

For the 2025 Annual Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, please go here.

 

In June 2026, the USCCB revised the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and made significant changes. To see the revised charter, please go here. If you want to have hard copies of these documents, please contact our office. 

 

            September 30, 2026, from 9:30 – 11:30 am

                    Meeting ID: 895 7007 4482
                    Passcode: 847757

            October 8, 2026, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm

                   Meeting ID: 841 7707 6116
                   Passcode: 807108

 

            Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 10 AM

            Sacred Heart Cemetery - 3635 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. St. Francis, WI

 

            November 3, 2026, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in ENGLISH

            Place – Mary Mother of the Church Pastoral Center

            Information and registration go here. 

 

 

           April 12, 2027, at 6 pm; Rosary at 5 pm.

           Place - St. Katherine Drexel - 511 S Spring St, Beaver Dam, WI 53916

 

            Abril 15, 2027 a las 6:00 pm

            Lugar – Basílica de San Josaphat - 2333 S 6th St, Milwaukee, WI 53215

As we continue our commitment to a Safe Environment, parish and school audits will resume this fall. These visits will build on the suggestions from our Summer Audits and help us strengthen our policies and practices.

As Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob reminds us, these visits are not intended only as inspections, but as opportunities for “collaboration, support, education, and accountability.”

We look forward to working together with our parishes and schools to continue fostering a safe environment for all. For preparation, you can see these instructions.