Dear Parents, May God’s peace be with you: Coinciding with the celebration of Easter, the month of April is the National Child Abuse Prevention Month. As Bishop Byrne has said, “the Easter spirit-filled celebration of prevention is a reminder of the God given responsibility which is entrusted to every Catholic adult throughout the Diocese to join in the cause to create and maintain nurturing environments for the children God has entrusted to our care and protection.” In conjunction with an invitation from Bishop Byrne to all parishes to join this national effort to bring an increased awareness, the Diocesan Offices of Catholic Schools, Faith Formation and Safe Environment and Victim Assistance have developed a few resources to promote child safety in our schools and faith formation programs. We have developed age appropriate, grade specific lessons and activities to raise awareness about child safety and well being that will be delivered through our Catholic schools and religious education programs. These will be made available to every family through our programs, Diocesan social medial channels, as well as a designated area of the Diocese of Springfield website. In addition, on Wednesday, April 14th the Diocese of Springfield will be recognizing Child Abuse Prevention Month. A special flag raising ceremony and prayer service will take place to honor those who have suffered abuse and raise awareness for child abuse prevention. St. Michael’s Cathedral will fly the Children’s Memorial Flag throughout the remainder of the month to honor and recognize National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month. We hope this event and the lessons prepared for our schools and programs will raise awareness of the role we play in providing a safe and loving environment for each child in our care. We hope the resources provided also encourage good conversations at home about child safety and well being. God Bless, Daniel Baillargeon, PhD, Superintendent of Catholic Schools