Annual Compliance Audit (Audit year is July 1 - June 30)
In 2002 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. This Charter mandated that every diocese, parish, and Catholic school in the United States create and maintain Safe Environment programs for children and youth and conduct an annual audit to ensure compliance. An internal Safe Environment audit of all parishes and schools in the Bismarck Diocese occurs yearly. An on-site audit conducted independently by Stonebridge Business Partners, on behalf of the USCCB, occurs every 3 years and includes a look-back to the time of the last on-site audit. The Bismarck Diocese has participated in all yearly and on-site audits since the inception of these mandates and has maintained a constant record of full compliance with all requirements.
Bishop David Kagan is pleased to announce that, for the most recent on-site audit period of July 1, 2020, through September 30, 2023, the diocese was found to be in full compliance with the requirements in the Charter.
Additionally, for the annual data collection audit year of 2023-2024, the Bismarck Diocese was found to be in full compliance with the requirements in the Charter.
The following audit documents are to be sent to the Chancery no later than July 1 each year:
1. Letter to Bishop - signed by pastor/principal/superintendent • Use your own parish/school letterhead, a SAMPLE is provided below: • Sample letter to Bishop • Mail to: Bismarck Diocese, Stephanie Hoesel PO Box 1575, Bismarck, ND 58502-1575 • or email scanned document to Stephanie Hoesel, Safe Environment Coordinator
2. Parish/Catholic School Worksheet – this form is available to be downloaded under "Documents" on the bottom left side of this page, filled out on your computer and saved as a Word document. Please note: You may have to click on “enable editing” if it appears on the top of your screen before you will be allowed to enter data. • email to Stephanie Hoesel, Safe Environment Coordinator
3. Calendar of Training – this form is available to be downloaded under "Documents" on the bottom left side of this page, filled out on your computer and saved as a Word document. Please note: You may have to click on “enable editing” if it appears on the top of your screen before you will be allowed to enter data. • email to Stephanie Hoesel, Safe Environment Coordinator