Religious Ed suspended on military bases

[oldcatholicguy]

So, Yesterday the garrison suspended all religious education classes on our bases. All other chapel related youth activities were also suspended: no youth groups, no alter boys, no teens ushering or lectoring…nothing. We are told to be patient, that this is temporary (expected to last 5-8 weeks). What’s the hold up? Back ground checks.
In the past, it has been enough for all of the volunteers that teach/ lead religious youth activities to pass a criminal background check and take the on line child supervision course offered by the Boy Scouts. Now, the Army has decided that we also have to fill out additional forms which include releasing all of our medical and dental records to whoever…the release being valid for the next 5 years.
I am torn. The classes/ activities need to continue. It is unacceptable that the Army has reached into our Mass and told us our kids cannot serve until the adults turn over private information. I really do not know what to do: fill out the form (give to Caesar) or protest by no longer volunteering. Any thoughts?

They want you to release your medical and dental records? That’s very very odd. I had a TS clearance and never had to release those, and never had to request those when I was they guy throwing together clearance packets for other soldiers. What was their reasoning for need access to your medical and dental files?

 

[NeCo99]

How is this anti-religion? They are simply asking people to submit to more stringent background checks. They haven’t told anyone they cannot participate in worship services. They are simply saying, “hey let’s make double sure we are not hiring people who could be dangerous to our children”. I’m just not understanding why this is being viewed as some anti-religion crusade or anti-Catholic.

Military bases are different. No matter what you want to say about freedom of this and that, we have different rules. It’s always been like this. Soldiers can’t say and do the same things that civilians do and regardless of what people want to believe, a family member can ruin a servicemember’s career. When you enter a military base you have to follow different rules, plain and simple. Honestly, if people are seriously that unhappy with the structure and rules and regs of the military chapels, then it really is better to attend services off post. That’s not me being snarky, just pointing out that the military life has different guidelines, thus different hoops and redtape. Some of them aren’t a big deal to one person, but a huge deal to another. (I knew a lady who had a real issue with where the choir was seated at our last base and that we had services in different buildings to accommodate other denominations…she decided to go off post for services…no harm, no foul). It’s not always a conspiracy, sometimes it’s just a bunch of rules to cover things later on.

Also as far as the altar servers thing: I don’t know what churches the other person has been to but the last ones I have been to, the priest is over the altar servers, yes. But there is someone else who is responsible for training the altar servers, setting their schedule, getting them ready for special things (like when the Bishop comes to visit). That person has to be checked now also. No one is saying that no altar servers are not allowed. At our last church, my kids were actually one of the backups because they had been doing it so long. There was no need for oversight in those situations for the most part, so they and some of the older kids (high school age) would serve when needed. Also, at many masses during the middle of the day, (when kids were in school), adults were altar servers. So there is not a requirement that children be altar servers. Again, this is not a witch hunt, or some attempt to stop Catholic services. All religious programs are going through this.

The military child programs have something called “line of sight”. This means that in some situations (not all), a person who has not been checked can work with kids as long as a cleared person can see them at all times. Again, the problem now is that EVERYONE has to be rechecked.

Honestly everyone, we need to really look at this more openly. It’s a change to protect our children, not a campaign to remove religion from the military.

 

[NeCo99]

Thank you Kendra and NeCo, and breathe deeply people; but do realize that “postponed” may be for quite a while if the person who is processing the paperwork has been “sequestered” out of a job until Congress (all of them, I’m not making a partisan statement or taking political sides) gets its collective act together.

That’s the other issue a lot of people aren’t considering. A lot of the gov’t workers here are doing partial weeks or partial days. There simply is not enough time to do thousands (maybe more?) of these in a timely manner. A lot of these programs are not running through the summer so when August/September came around, there was probably an influx of paperwork.

 

[NeCo99]

I guess what is still not making sense, to me, is the background check for altar servers, ushers and I would suppose anyone serving at Mass? EMHC? Although someone pointed out that a priest could say Mass without a server, depending on the size of the congregation, it is going to be a lot more work for him.

Excessive is what pops into my mind.

I am all for background checks but for those who will be directly involved, over, children.
Ushers, altar servers and EMHC do not fit that category.

I am not sure where this came from, but the background checks are not for altar servers. (My kids are altar servers also). In some protestant religions (I converted), children are allowed to usher for certain events, so anyone who would be working with them would need a background check as well. It’s not even for the EMHC as I understood it. It’s for people who are working directly with children, plain and simple. I have been to more than one mass, at different locations, where adults have been altar servers. I’ve even stepped up to help.

 

[NeCo99]

Good grief. NeCo99 explained what is going on. The DoD isn’t stopping people from practicing their faith. It seems like on certain bases, children’s activities have been POSTPONED until background checks are done. They aren’t stopping Mass.

 

[dunkin]

Well, this was my first time venturing to forums for insight, thanks for all the (name removed by moderator)ut. I was leaning toward not filling out the paperwork/ not volunteering…but was wrestling with whether that was wrong. I do not know how this played out on the other bases. On our base some people filled out the forms, others didn’t and we lost some valuable volunteers. Our time to accomplish goals set out for RE ( particularly for those preparing for sacraments) has been decreased. I imagine someone has a plan for dealing with this.
Other issues I have seen in the posts
The kids were not required to do background checks, but they also are not allowed to serve u til all of the adults have been vetted.
There hasn’t been much in the media about this. There was a story in stripes:
stripes.com/news/audit-of-background-checks-disrupts-some-child-services-1.242390. It did not address the concerns most of us had about security of our information and the requirement to choose between rights to privacy and rights to participate completely in our faith. we all had previously submitted to criminal background checks and youth protection training required by the diocese, the release of more personal information seemed too invasive.
There have been interesting discussions about how to proceed. I have not heard how they will address Reconciliation since, according to the guidelines, no adult can be alone with a child. Again, I am sure there’s a solution in the works and we will find out soon enough.
Once again, thank you all for the insight.

 

[Hopey]

I am not sure where this came from, but the background checks are not for altar servers. (My kids are altar servers also). In some protestant religions (I converted), children are allowed to usher for certain events, so anyone who would be working with them would need a background check as well. It’s not even for the EMHC as I understood it. It’s for people who are working directly with children, plain and simple. I have been to more than one mass, at different locations, where adults have been altar servers. I’ve even stepped up to help.

the original poster said everything ceased including altar servers (kids), ushers etc.

 

[NeCo99]

the original poster said everything ceased including altar servers (kids), ushers etc.

You’re right.

I think that might be some of the issue…the wording and how it’s interpreted. One person mentioned privacy issues. A legitimate concern, but it’s different from some of the posters who seem to think random base commanders or an anti-Catholic person, is making things difficult. I get the feeling that there is a lack of information here, along with emotions running high because some feel they are under attack.

They ceased because if they are ***children ***performing these tasks, there has to be an adult watching them. That adult has to be vetted at this point. But I assure you, adult ushers who have no contact with children, are not being told they cannot attend service and perform their duties. (I went to one church where ushers would help take children to the child care room down the hall…that would be an example where the ushers would not be allowed to perform their “regular” duties). Altar servers who are stepping in as adults are not being told they cannot act as altar servers. Our choir director at our last church was the liturgist and worked with children and adults. That would be a definite example of how someone could misunderstand that an adult worker is being halted. She would have to wait until her check was done because she works with children also.

 

[maryjk]

The article mentions “background” checks.

It didn’t mention medical or dental releases.

I have had numerous background checks, including one for a security clearance. Not once did I have to release medical and dental records.

I just don’t see why they would need to know how many cavities I have had.