From June 9 to 13, 2025, the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ) of the Philippine Region participated in a Basic Orientation Workshop on Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults at the Sacred Heart Spirituality Center in Lucoban, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur. The seminar was conducted by the Catholic Safeguarding Institute, led by Msgr. Ramon Masculino, Jr., and emphasized the Church’s pastoral and moral responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of society.

This initiative reflects the Church’s deep commitment to healing, justice, and renewal. Safeguarding is not merely a legal obligation; it is a Gospel imperative rooted in the recognition of every person’s God-given dignity. As Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me… for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mt 19:14). To protect children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and all those at risk is to walk in the footsteps of Christ, who stood with the weak and opposed injustice.

The workshop offered concrete tools for the SCJ participants, including updated policies, risk assessments, and reporting mechanisms. These are vital to ensuring that parishes, schools, formation houses, and retreat centers are safe and nurturing spaces. In this way, the Church rebuilds trust, responds to past failures, and supports survivors of abuse. Safeguarding becomes not just a structure, but a living witness to Gospel values.

Moreover, the sessions highlighted the need for ongoing formation and vigilance. True safeguarding is not achieved through one-time training but through continuous education and personal conversion. Ministers of the Church are called to place the well-being of others above institutional concerns.

For the SCJs, whose charism flows from the compassionate Heart of Jesus, this mission takes on a spiritual depth. As Fr. Leo John Dehon envisioned, the love of the Heart of Christ is a love that heals, protects, and defends. To safeguard is to live this love in action.

The workshop in Lucoban was more than a program—it was a commitment to become not only ministers of the sacraments, but also guardians of dignity and protectors of the vulnerable. May this effort bear lasting fruit in a Church that is faithful, compassionate, and just.

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)