Ukrainian Eparchy of
St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio
The Ukrainian Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio (“the Eparchy”), encompasses eleven states, with a total Catholic community of 11,162. It has 41 eparchial priests, six deacons, and 38 parishes. The Eparchy operates two elementary schools in Ohio; there are no seminaries or Catholic colleges within the jurisdiction. Bishop Robert M. Moskal, who was installed in December 1983, leads the Eparchy. A compliance audit was conducted during September 8-10, 2003.

The following describes conditions evident during the week of the audit. Information on corrective actions taken by the Eparchy subsequent to the audit will be found in the last paragraph.

Findings

To Promote Healing and Reconciliation
From 1994, in keeping with its eparchial statutes, the Eparchy has had a specific policy dealing with allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. This policy was last revised in August 2003 to conform to the Charter. The procedures and format for filing complaints are included as part of that policy, and the entire document has been mailed to every household in the Eparchy, as well as to all pastors, all deacons, and all women religious. An outreach program is in place. Kristin Ligus, a doctoral candidate in psychology, was designated as victim assistance coordinator in August 2003. There have not been any allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by clergy since the creation of the Eparchy in 1983. In the event of receipt of an allegation of sexual abuse, the Eparchy will utilize the resources of the respective Latin Rite dioceses when making referrals for services outside of the immediate area of Parma. The bishop will offer to meet with all victims/survivors and their families. The eparchy has a well-qualified victim assistance coordinator and a board of review consisting of a diverse and qualified group of members of the community that was informally established in August 2002 and was formally seated in August 2003. The Eparchy has never entered into any confidentiality agreements.

To Guarantee Effective Response to Allegations of Abuse of a Minor
Eparchial policy requires reporting all allegations of abuse of a minor to civil authorities, and victims/survivors will be advised that eparchial personnel must report all such allegations. The Eparchy currently maintains a list of required reporting agencies for all states/counties within its multi-state jurisdiction and will consult with the respective Latin Rite diocese as necessary. Standards of behavior for clergy and all eparchial personnel are clearly articulated. Although the Eparchy has had no allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clerics, its policy clearly requires full disclosure to parishioners and the public.

To Ensure Accountability of Procedures
The Eparchy has cooperated with the research study regarding the “nature and scope” of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.

To Protect the Faithful in the Future
The Eparchy has established a safe environment program but additional training needs to be conducted. Revised codes of conduct are included in the Eparchy’s Policy and Procedures Concerning Sexual Abuse of Minors by Clergy or Church Personnel and has been distributed to all parish personnel and households. An Instruction was issued to complete the safe environment training for all required personnel. The Eparchy has established procedures for evaluating the background of all personnel that includes utilizing the resources of law enforcement, but not all of those background checks had been completed. An Instruction was issued for the Eparchy to complete the background checks of all eparchial and parish personnel, including volunteers who have regular contact with minors. The Eparchy utilizes extensive screening procedures for seminary candidates that include psychological evaluations. Formal, ongoing formation programs have been developed and implemented.

Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter

At the conclusion of the audit, the Ukrainian Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio, was issued two Instructions.

INSTRUCTION 1—The Eparchy should complete safe environment training for all required personnel.

INSTRUCTION 2—The Eparchy should complete background checks of all eparchial and parish personnel, including volunteers who have regular contact with minors.

As of December 1, 2003, the cited Instructions had not been fully addressed. The Ukrainian Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio, is compliant with the Charter, as measured by the process described in Chapter 2 in Section I, with the exception of Articles 12 and 13.


The compliance audit measured activity that has occurred since the adoption of the Charter in June 2002 with the exception of certain mandated actions found in Articles 5 and 14. Actions taken by the diocese/eparchy prior to June 2002 to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests and deacons are not included in this summary report.




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Office of Child and Youth Protection
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194
(202) 541-5413 | FAX: (202) 541-5410
Email: ocyp@usccb.org