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Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Tom Alban, director of the Archdiocese of Baltimore's  Office of Risk Management, and Lt. Kathryn Greenbeck, commander of the Behavioral Assessment Unit for Baltimore County Police, are seen at the March 15, 2025 parish safety seminar at St. Isaac Jogues in Carney. (Carole Norris Greene/Special to the Catholic Review)

Parishes get training to be welcoming, but alert to safety 


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Catholic Review Filed Under: Feature, Local News, News

Several years ago, while serving as an usher at St. John Parish in Westminster, Kevin Carter began hearing news reports about incidents involving churches and schools. He shared the idea of forming a parish safety committee with Father Mark Bialek, the pastor, who gave him the green light to lead the effort. 

That spark led to a half-day training program at St. John in mid-January for ushers, greeters, sacristans and others who support parish security and safety during Mass. At the suggestion of Tom Alban, director of risk management for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Carter opened the training session to other parishes, with more than 60 attending from 20 parishes. 

Carter said extraordinary ministers of holy Communion and lectors have also utilized the training.  

He said the parish has not conducted formal sessions with members of the general congregation, but “I think, in this day and age, everybody has heard the government’s message of, ‘If you see something, say something.’ And so people are aware.” 

Alban told the Catholic Review that staff and volunteers serving in roles that involve establishing safety and security should be alerted to those who are clearly looking to avoid contact, or don’t wish to engage or otherwise want to go unnoticed. “Those individuals seeking to cause harm most often wish to go undetected and simply not acknowledged,” he said. “Likewise, such staff and volunteers need to be looking to identify those individuals whose conduct is inconsistent with the nature and decorum of a given event.”  

For example, an individual who is loud and disruptive while in church or individuals who are attending celebratory events who appear withdrawn, unengaged and likely alone at such events would be acting outside of the norm of expected behavior. 

Safety and security start with being welcoming. One of the handouts at the Westminster seminar, “The Power of Hello,” addressed how greeting people who come to the church helps provide a welcoming environment, as well as giving ushers a chance to assess any areas of concern. It’s not meant to create a sense of paranoia, but caution.  

“Each parish and school, with the support of the archdiocese, has a moral, ethical and legal obligation to provide a safe and secure environment for parishioners to worship and for students to receive a Christ-centered education,” Alban said. 

At St. John, the safety committee’s goal is to “create a welcoming environment for people to come into church and at the same time be aware of things that we should look for, somehow to identify areas of concern and things like that. It was very beneficial in that sense that we got that kind of information, and it fit in perfectly with the kind of welcoming attitude that Father Mark would like to create for St. John’s and what we like to do as ushers,” Carter said. 

“We want members of the congregation, especially, to be attentive. And Father Mark has constantly stressed the idea that we want to be open and welcoming, and we don’t want people to be afraid to come to church,” he said. 

In early March, Christian Kendzierski, executive director of communications for the archdiocese, sent a message to parish and school leaders after the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, urging them to review safety measures and procedures, although there had been no direct threats to parishes and schools. 

“The goal is practicing disciplined awareness, not fear. As faith communities, it is important that we focus on behavior and not identities,” the message said. Some tactics included ensuring entrances were monitored and secure and that available camera systems are operating. The leaders were also encouraged to be cautious and report to authorities individuals asking probing questions about security posture or unfamiliar people not engaging in “normal congregational activity.” 

Carter said it has been important for the safety committee to develop a good relationship with local law enforcement. His parish reached out to the Westminster Police Department. 

“They’ve been wonderful,” he said. “They have somebody who’s trained in that particular area and came in. They did a walk around the church. They also looked at the parking areas and other aspects of the church and came back and gave us some good advice on things we could do to improve. And we’ve implemented those things. Anytime we’ve called and asked questions, they’ve been very responsive. We appreciate everything they’ve done.” 

Alban agreed that a strong relationship with first responders – police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) – is critical. It should be a partnership where the parish or school seeks assistance from the first responders and finds ways for the parish or school to support the mission of the first responders. 

“The key is that the first time responders are on your parish or school campus should not be in response to an emergency,” Alban said. “Rather, such responders should be invited to the campus for formal and informal tours and assessments. Also, such responders should be encouraged to come to events such as school programs and other programs where the parish and school communities can learn more about the work each agency provides and what to expect and how to respond as a student, parent or parishioner while on campus during an emergency.”  

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