August 19, 2025 // Bishop

Diocese ‘Promises to Protect, Pledges to Heal’ Regarding Abuse

Clare Hildebrandt

Reporter

Throughout the past 25 years, a crisis in the Church has come to light that has wounded the entire Body of Christ, especially all who have been victims of abuse at the hands of those entrusted to their care.

This gut-wrenching reality, first acknowledged in the early 2000s, shocked the faithful as they learned that decades of abuse had taken place in what is supposed to be a place of refuge and authentic love. Leaders within the U.S. Church, recognizing the brokenness and tendency to sin, not only have taken steps to remedy the abuses of the past but also to bolster abuse prevention now and in the future.

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Need Help?

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual misconduct or abuse by a member of the clergy or anyone ministering on behalf of the Church, officials with the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend’s Office of Pastoral Care are here to help and listen. As part of our ongoing care for victims of sexual misconduct and abuse, we offer pastoral support and counseling. We pledge to listen, support, investigate, and follow our policies and procedures outlined by the bishop. 

For misconduct by a priest against someone younger than the age of 18, contact diocesan victim assistance coordinator Jodi Marlin at 260-399-1447 or [email protected]. To report other sexual misconduct situations that occurred in a Catholic environment, contact Mary Glowaski at 260-399-1458 or [email protected]. 

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This need for preventative action led the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to write and implement the initial Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2002, which continues to be revised and implemented in dioceses throughout the country – including the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

The document set forth clear principles of safety and prevention for dioceses while articulating the mission of addressing the wrongs of the past and, going forward, safeguarding the dignity of all. At the heart of the text is the urgency to “protect all of God’s people” because “it is not just a responsibility, but a sacred duty.”

The document, also known as the Dallas Charter, was thoroughly revised in 2018 and spurred dioceses to establish safe environment programs and the ministry of victims’ assistance. The former aims to safeguard children and vulnerable adults in Catholic schools and Church programs by performing background checks and appropriate training for those who are entrusted with caring for young people. The latter accompanies victims of abuse on their journeys of healing.

Within the past two decades, ample reports have been conducted on the effectiveness of the charter in the U.S. Church. The most recent study, conducted in 2024 by Stonebridge Business Partners, found success in these policies.

The report states: “In 2024, the Church conducted 2,237,906 background checks on clergy, employees, and volunteers. In addition, in 2024, over 2.2 million adults and over 2.8 million children and youth were trained in how to identify the warning signs of abuse and how to report those signs.”

The annual report also showed these safeguarding policies are working. It stated that, nationally, out of 902 allegations made between 2020 and 2024, 26 involved “current year minors,” and “of these allegations, two were substantiated, 13 were categorized as investigation ongoing, four were unsubstantiated, four were categorized as unable to be proven, one was referred to the provincial, and two were categorized as ‘other.’”

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend thoroughly complied with the charter’s policies and procedures, establishing the role of a victim assistance coordinator as well as a safe environment program shortly after the charter’s passage. Throughout a span of 15 years, Cathie Cicchiello developed extensive safe environment training procedures: Those policies and procedures have been passed on to Scrogham.

For two decades, Mary Glowaski served as the diocese’s victim assistance coordinator. She is now assistant to the bishop in pastoral care, and the duties of overseeing the safe environment program and serving as victim assistance coordinator have shifted to others at the diocesan chancery.

“Throughout the years, and with the development of the role, victim assistance became much more pastoral, attending to all kinds of needs – not just [implementing] the report,” Glowaski explained. “You help with counseling, at times with financial struggles, and with finding assistance and support in other areas of life,” Glowaski explained.

She told Today’s Catholic that the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has always had the unwavering support of Bishop Rhoades in assisting victims and implementing stringent safety policies.

“Bishop Rhoades has always and will always meet with any victim or family member or somebody associated who’ve been harmed in any way. And Bishop Rhoades has always had an attitude, a belief, a desire to provide their pastoral care,” Glowaski said.

Marci Rittmanic, director of human resources for the diocese, said that leaders in the diocese take the task of abuse prevention seriously.

“We want to make sure our teachers and employees have background checks. We want to make sure they’ve had training on how to identify abuse,” she said.

Recently, the diocese entrusted these important positions to two veteran employees.

Jodi Marlin, assistant to Bishop Rhoades and to Glowaski, stepped into the role of victim assistance coordinator, while Brandy Scrogham, an HR specialist, now serves as the safe environment coordinator.

“I share in the Church’s responsibility to recognize when harm has been done to a minor or young person, Marlin said. “It’s an honor to play a role in any healing that might take place”.

She added: “Those who seek a renewed commitment to Christ and His Church, after such a spiritually devastating experience, have a tremendously courageous faith. I am here to assist them in any way I can as they work through their pain and pursue healing and justice.”

Scrogham said she serves “behind the scenes with the policy and the procedures” and told Today’s Catholic that she makes sure “everyone in schools and volunteers in churches have their safe environment training and background checks.”

Scrogham added: “Safe environment is one of the most important things we do here at the diocese. I can look at it from a teaching standpoint, because that is where I spent the majority of my career. We must keep our children safe. … If we can’t do that, what are we doing this for?”

Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic.