Safe Haven Sunday: September 10-11, 2022
Safe Haven Sunday Parish Resources
Items done to prepare (July-August)
- Parish representative places order for Safe Haven Sunday Prayer Cards (suggested one per family of each). Please order online by August 1st. These are provided to each parish free of charge.
- Pastor informs parish of the initiative through its normal communication channels: see sample email here.
- Determine roles and responsibilities of parish staff members and volunteer assistants:
- Who will help with the printing and/or mailing or emailing of the introduction letter of Safe Haven Sunday from the priest to parish households?
- Who will order copies of the Prayer Cards to distribute to all parishioners on Safe Haven Sunday? (Order placed by August 1st)
- Who will make sure the bulletin blurbs and the bulletin insert are included in the parish bulletin on the designated dates?
- Who will post information about Safe Haven Sunday on the parish webpage and/or social media?
- Who will print the General Intercessions and make them available at the ambo for Safe Haven Sunday?
- Who will place the Prayer Cards in the pews prior to the Vigil Mass and Sunday Masses?
Items done to prepare (August)
- Parish representative prints and mails/e-mails introduction letter of Safe Haven Sunday from the pastor to parish households (or creates bulletin insert).
- Parish representative ensures bulletin announcement and insert are included in the parish bulletin on the designated dates
- Parish representative posts information about Safe Haven Sunday on parish website and social media.
To do just prior to Safe Haven Sunday Masses
- General intercessions are printed and made available at ambo.
- Prayer cards placed in pews prior to Vigil Mass and replenished as necessary for Sunday Masses.
Would you like to print these parish implementation resources?
Ways to Continue the Conversation
- Host a showing of the movie Screenagers https://www.screenagersmovie.com/
- Host an education event for parents or students at your parish or school like the Making Our Home Safe (My House Apostolate) or Be Alert (Stop Trafficking Project) http://www.stoptraffickingproject.com/bealert.html
- Promote the local My House 3-Day intensive workshop for men https://centerforhealingkc.com/my-house/my-house-workshop
Resources to learn more . . .
Educational videos for parents to watch with their children and videos for parents (Bi-lingual, Spanish and English). School curriculum – Digital Citizenship, videos on how to set parental controls on devices, and more.
Local resources, including helpline phone number, blog articles, links to helpful videos and education for parents and strugglers. Sign-up for covenant eyes from the link on this website provides a small amount of funding to the My House effort locally.
Learn about Covenant Eyes software and find access to education materials like Protect Young Eyes and more.
kcsjfamily.org/protectyourfamily
Our Diocesan Family Life page, which contains a wealth of additional resources
Coverage of the Safe Haven Sunday held in New Orleans:
www.ncregister.com/daily-news/creating-a-safe-haven-from-the-pornography-pandemic
Screenagers
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is Safe Haven Sunday?
Safe Haven Sunday is a weekend within the liturgical calendar selected by the diocese to directly address the harms of pornography and to provide resources to support and protect individuals, marriages, and families in overcoming pornography and making their homes safe.
Q. Is Safe Haven Sunday an annual initiative?
Safe Haven Sunday is designed as an annual initiative to occur in the life of the diocese on a selected weekend to educate on the harms of pornography. New implementation materials are designed every year that will reflect the annual theme to assist diocesan and parish leaders with the promotion and implementation of Safe Haven Sunday.
Q. What is this year’s theme for Safe Haven Sunday?
This year’s theme is Equipping the Family, Safety Through Connection.
Q. Is Safe Haven Sunday implemented at the diocesan or parish level?
Both. This is a weekend that is initiated by the diocese, and the Bishop requests that the parishes implement this weekend. The diocese plays a leading role in the weekend, primarily by way of communicating necessary actions to implement the weekend and, at the same time, spearheading communication with the parishes and the public. The parish role is to provide communications to parishioners and implement Safe Haven Sunday. Parishioners may also access this year’s educational resource e-book, Connected: How Strong Family Relationships Lead to Internet-Safe Kids.
Q. What role does the Pastor/parish priest have in the implementation of Safe Haven Sunday?
This effort is designed to be led primarily by the Pastor. He will be provided all the tools to make Safe Haven Sunday a success, including homily helps, general intercessions, prayer card, bulletin blurbs and insert, as well as the opportunity to purchase educational resources to distribute to parishioners, which includes this year’s booklet, Connected: How Strong Family Relationships Lead to Internet-Safe Kids, which is available in both English and Spanish. There is also a free seven-day text-to-opt-in program, available in English and Spanish, that provides practical tips that adults can take to create safer digital environments. Throughout the book and resources, readers are encouraged to sign up for the seven-day text-to-opt-in program by texting “SAFEKIDS” to 66866. Safe Haven Sunday is designed to be successful whether the Pastor/parish priest chooses to preach on pornography or chooses not to preach on the subject, relying instead on the resources and materials to deal with the subject pastorally. There are a variety of resources to help with this on the Covenant Eyes Safe Haven Sunday Implementation Page.
Q. Who sets the date for Safe Haven Sunday?
The Bishop sets the date for diocesan implementation. All parishes in the diocese are asked to commit to celebrate Safe Haven Sunday on the same day. Our Safe Haven Sunday is set for September 11, 2022, which is the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Q. What are the costs to a parish with Safe Haven Sunday?
There is no cost to the parish. Families may access the e-book, Connected: How Strong Family Relationships Lead to Internet-Safe Kids, free of charge. The official Safe Haven Sunday prayer card will also be provided at no cost to the parish. The book is highly recommended but is optional. We recommend that a prayer card be given to each family leaving Mass on Safe Haven Sunday. Parishes may place their prayer card orders here. Prayer Cards will be distributed by the diocese at the end of August.
Q. Who is involved with the diocese in preparing Safe Haven Sunday resources and materials?
Covenant Eyes has prepared the Safe Haven Sunday concept, including the resources and materials. Covenant Eyes is a company committed to creating faith-based resources that foster the virtue of chastity and the tools to overcome pornography use and addiction. Its flagship service is Internet Accountability and Filtering. Safe Haven Sunday is one of the many resources Covenant Eyes has developed to assist U. S. dioceses and parishes to implement the USCCB’s November 2015 formal statement, Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography, one step at a time.
Q. How can I get my other questions answered as they arise?
Please contact Dino Durando with your questions. (816) 714-2371 (direct) --- [email protected]