Special to The Message
The Catholic Diocese of Evansville will adopt Circle of Grace as the children’s safe environment curriculum for our diocese effective July 1, 2025. This curriculum will be used for grades K-12 both in our parish programs and Catholic schools. Circle of Grace was developed in the Archdiocese of Omaha and is currently used in over 68 dioceses. The curriculum, which is both clinically sound and grounded in solid Catholic tradition, focuses on prevention and safety education, as well as on the sacredness of each person and the importance of positive relationships with God and others. According to the curriculum’s website, Circle of Grace teaches children and youth to “identify and maintain appropriate physical, emotional, spiritual and sexual boundaries; recognize when boundary violations are about to occur; and demonstrate how to take action when boundaries are threatened or violated.” At the same time, each lesson of Circle of Grace is correlated with appropriate Catholic teaching, and a strong parent component means that parents can easily and actively participate in their children’s formation. It is our hope that the adoption and implementation of this new children’s safe environment curriculum for our diocese will be another step forward in continuing to build up a safe and grace-filled environment for all of our children and youth.