MOUNT ANGEL ABBEY
Office of Child Protection

Our Response
to Child Abuse

A Time for Healing
and Reconciliation

What you can expect
By phoning the Office of Ministries Coordinator to report past abuse by abbey personnel, you set in motion a process of investigation. Below is a brief description of what you can expect will happen:

• The Ministries Coordinator will take your information. You will not be asked to give a detailed description of the alleged abuse at this time.
  
  
• If the Coordinator is unavailable you may leave a confidential voice mail message. The office is open Monday - Friday. If you phone on a weekend, your call will be returned.
  
  
• After speaking with you, the Ministries Coordinator will inform the Abbot.
  
  
• If the allegations are subject to reporting under Oregon law, and you have not done so, the Abbey will file a report with civil authorities. The Abbey will cooperate fully with the civil authorities in their investigation of the charges.
  
  
• The accused individual will be informed of the allegations by the Abbot or his designee, and will be given the opportunity to respond.
  
  
• The accused cleric, employee or volunteer, will be placed on administrative leave pending a preliminary investigation by a team including lay members of the Ethics in Ministry Advisory Board. In cases where a priest-monk is serving at a parish, the Abbey, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Portland, will take appropriate action.
  
  
• On behalf of the Abbot, the Ministries Coordinator may offer you assistance, such as an advocate for healing and reconciliation; pastoral/spiritual counseling; and/or psychological counseling, as appropriate.
  
  
• You may request to meet with the Abbot and/or the Abbey's Review Board. The Board, composed of a majority of lay men and women, is not a forum for discovery nor is it a legal forum. The Board assists the Abbot in assessing complaints.
  
  
• The Ministries Coordinator will stay in contact with you regarding the status of your report. You will be kept informed of the outcome of the preliminary investigation.
  
  
• If the allegations are substantiated according to Church law, the accused person will be removed permanently from ministry.
  
  
• If the allegations are not substantiated, everything possible will be done to maintain or restore the good name and reputation of the accused.
  
  
• The safety of the community and the rights of all parties involved - including the rights and reputation of the accused - will be considered in any action taken.