The Catholic Church in Australia will mark Safeguarding Sunday 2024 on September 8, at the conclusion of National Child Protection Week.  Safeguarding Sunday seeks to acknowledge the immense damage caused by the sexual abuse of children and adults at risk, including by priests, religious and lay people within Catholic contexts. It makes a commitment to practices and protocols that create and maintain safe environments for all people. It invites people to pray for those harmed by abuse directly and indirectly.

This year Safeguarding Sunday has adopted the theme of National Child Protection Week – “Every conversation matters”. Embracing this theme, we are reminded that every conversation about safeguarding matters. Children and adults at risk are more likely to raise concerns and issues in an organisation that empowers and listens to them, and creating space for children and adults to have a say in decisions that affect them is an integral part of every safe organisation.

Resources, including for liturgical celebrations, have been created to support local recognition of Safeguarding Sunday.  They include parish notices, prayers of intercession, prayer slides and social media images and are available from the Catholic Australia link below.

Prayer for Safeguarding Sunday 2024

Gracious God,
you love and care for all of your children, especially the smallest and most vulnerable.
We entrust to you the lives of children and adults at risk who have been sexually abused,
neglected or exploited and whose trust and innocence has been destroyed.

Help us to hear their cries of pain and to take responsibility for those whose lives have been broken.
Help us to recognise the hurt felt by those wounded by abuse, and the failure to be heard.

We pray that with the help of your grace communities and families will find understanding and support,
so that now and in the future, their wounds may be healed and they may find lasting peace.

Let your grace and love fall gently now upon our children and adults at risk,
giving them the inner strength, peace and resilience to seek out assistance when required.

Help us all to listen with open hearts, so that when children and adults at risk speak, they are truly heard.

We ask this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirt, God forever and ever.  Amen.