Safe Haven Sunday | Sept. 10-11, 2022
Safe Haven Sunday Letter (English) • Safe Haven Sunday Letter (Español)
Resources to Protect Your Family
Today, adults and children often have anonymous access to content that is not only graphic, but frequently violent and perverse. Many forms of social media were designed in a way that gives predators and other bad actors easy access to users. Without parental involvement, children are likely to be impacted in ways that harm their human dignity and, with growing frequency, even their safety.
Parents are the first and primary educators and protectors of their children. You can help communicate God’s mercy and His desire for their good through their use of computers and mobile devices.
Our diocese will observe Safe Haven Sunday on September 10-11, 2022. The goal is to raise awareness about the issue of pornography and how parents can help their children safely navigate the use of mobile devices, computers and social media. This effort was inspired by the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ statement Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography. This is done in many dioceses in our country on dates chosen by each bishop.
Our Diocesan Vision, One Family: Restored in Christ – Equipped for Mission calls us all to be equipped for our mission to make disciples. To this end, there are practical steps and resources that any parent can take to form their children, regardless of technical knowledge.
A few free resources include:
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- quick tips to keep kids safe from porn in an article on CatholicKey.org;
- a free e-book Connected: How Strong Family Relationships Lead to Internet-Safe Kids from Covenant Eyes;
- a free seven-day text-to-join ‘Safe Haven Challenge’ program that provides practical guidance to create safer digital environments (text SAFEKIDS to 66866) and a free month of access to Covenant Eyes’ monitoring and blocking software;
- more information on the 7-day ‘Safe Haven Challenge’; videos, blogs and other resources to keep kids safe or to address a pornography habit; and a quiz to receive customized recommendations, all on the Marriage and Family Life Office website.
There are also monitoring and blocking software like Covenant Eyes, Bark, and similar options out there. Learn the facts about the dangers, make a plan, pray, and make your plan a reality for the sake of your children and their future.
Our children are precious gifts from God. Thank you for all you do to raise them as disciples of Jesus Christ.
