Virtus

Dear Our Lady of Hope Volunteer,

For the safety of the children in its care, the Diocese of Arlington requires all volunteers who will have substantial contact with children to adhere to its Policy on the Protection of Children. This includes Religious Education catechists and aides, scout leaders, youth ministry and school volunteers, and the mother’s faith formation group. The Diocesan policy can be found on the  The Diocese of Arlington: Child Protection Page.

The Diocesan Child Protection Policy has a few simple requirements:

• Complete the following policy forms: the Questionnaire, the Code of Conduct signature page, and the Acknowledgment of Receipt form (which is the last page in the policy).
• Complete the Background Check forms, which must be notarized.
• Attend the "Protecting God’s Children" seminar. Anyone who has previously attended this seminar will not need to attend again. You must pre-register online to attend the seminar (listed below are instructions for registering). Please check www.virtus.org for upcoming dates and locations. Make sure to stay until the very end when the attendance sheet is signed!

Please return all the signed and completed forms to the Religious Education Office as soon as possible. You must submit the forms and be registered for a seminar in order to participate in your parish activity. Thank you for your cooperation in this important matter. We appreciate your dedication and the sacrifices that you have made for the children at Our Lady of Hope Parish. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact the R.E. Office at 703-433-6777.

May God bless you,

Cathy Plummer
Director of Religious Education

Rev. William P. Saunders
Pastor

Virtus Registration for "Protecting God’s Children Seminar" Instructions

1. Go to  www.virtusonline.org
2. Click on "Registration" (will be on the left side of the screen)
3. Click on "Begin the Registration Process"
4. Screen will show "Please select your Archdiocese/Diocese/Religious Organization from list below": Click on arrow and scroll down until you see "Arlington, VA (Diocese)"
5. Click on "Select" button
6. New Screen will show "Create a User ID" They suggest using your full name without spaces, or using your e-mail address (i.e., johnsmith or johnsmith123 etc.). Next, enter your password in the "Create a password" box. Your password should be at least 4 characters long (i.e., 1234). Careful!! Your password and User ID are case sensitive, so to be on the safe side, enter the information using lower case letters only.
7. New screen will ask you to enter your personal information, such as address, e-mail, phone number. Enter personal information, the press "Continue"
8. Screen will show "Please select the primary location where you work, volunteer, or worship" (i.e. Our Lady of Hope)
9. New screen will ask if you work, volunteer, or worship in another location. If you click on "No" Registration Process will continue. Clicking on "Yes" will take you back to previous screen where you will be able to choose other parishes/organizations/schools where you volunteer and/or participate. When finished click "No."
10. Screen will ask you to "Enter Title/Function" (i.e. Catechist; Scouts Leader etc.)
11. Screen will show, "Please select any additional roles you play within your diocese" check all that apply, then click "Continue"
12. Screen will show several "Yes" or "No" questions. Please click on correct answer and continue.
13. Screen will show "Have you already attended Protecting God’s Children Session?" Click on "Yes" or "No." If you clicked "Yes" follow instructions on the screen. If you clicked "No," a new screen will come up showing all of the upcoming "Protecting God’s Children" sessions. Select the session you wish to attend.
14. Click on "Complete Registration" and follow the on-screen instructions.