Church volunteers receive security training

“It’s important for our volunteers to understand they are the first line of defense.”                                

-Mary Stewart, Director, Office of Risk Management

For Immediate Release

October 17, 2017

Manassas, Va. – Approximately 45 church ushers/greeters from All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas and ushers in other parishes will participate in a security training program Saturday, October, 21 to enhance parish security. The Catholic Diocese of Arlington Office of Risk Management created the 2.5-hour session with the assistance of a special agent from the FBI Behavior Science Unit and Catholic Charities of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington (CCDA) Counseling. 

This is the first training of its kind at All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, and one of several training sessions throughout parishes within the Diocese. The training sessions started in October, 2016.  

The objective/goal is to:

• Recognize the need for security/safety
• Understand when the “normal” differs
• Learn how to respond to suspicious persons
• Gain communication skills for different situations
• Document and report situations

“It’s important for our volunteers to understand they are the first line of defense at any parish,” says Mary Stewart. Stewart, a former police officer, is Director of the Office of Risk Management for the Diocese. “If we can increase their ability to recognize suspicious activity and notify the proper authorities to respond, then we believe we will have time to prevent a tragic event.”

Here are the details:

When:                       Saturday, October 21, 2017

                                  From 9:30 a.m. to noon

Where:                     All Saints Catholic Church (inside the Parish Activities Center)

                                 9300 Stonewall Road     

                                 Manassas

Reporters:  Please, do not publish protocols for security reasons.