All of us are currently aware of the changing world we are living in. Some of these changes are deeply troubling. Perhaps the most troubling of all is the ever present fear of violent attacks against innocent men, women and children attending religious services.
Almost two years ago, our parish formed a Security Committee consisting of the Pastor and select parishioners, including a retired law enforcement officer. The committee’s task is to investigate ways to help ensure the health, safety and well-being of everyone whether attending Mass in our Church; attending Religious Education class in the PREP building; playing basketball in the gym or attending special events wherever and whenever they are held throughout the year. As you can imagine, this task is rather daunting. As Pastor, I am grateful to those who are working with me on the Parish Security Committee.
Almost two years ago, at our neighboring parish of St. Catharine, Blauvelt, the Orangetown Police Department presented a security workshop for all of the religious organizations in our town; there are over 60. The purpose of the workshop was to help our local congregations to better prepare for and respond to possible acts of violence at our various worship sites. Following this meeting our parish committee members met with a representative of the Orangetown Police Department in order to further discuss what we might do here in our own parish.
We attended a second “hands on” security workshop held at St. Ann’s, Nyack. This meeting featured the Archdiocesan security consultant, Mr. Frank Napolitano, and members of the Boston Swat team. Those in attendance “role played” armed attacks on school classrooms and also a Church building. We then discussed practical ways of applying what we had experienced to our own worship sites and schools.
A third workshop was recently held at St. Paul’s, Congers. Once again we had a presentation from the Archdiocese as well as a Swat Team officer. We spent the evening reviewing a printed Parish Safety & Security Training Manual generated by Ratio Risk Services and listening to a presentation by the Swat officer.
Here at St. Aedan, we have a number of security initiatives already in place. During PREP class days, the school building is locked-down following the beginning of classes and an adult supervisor is present to monitor the entrance ways. A number of other measures have also been taken within the school.
At Sunday and Holy Day Masses, some new signage informs Mass goers that the rear/side doors will be locked at the start of each of our Masses. (Doors, even when locked from the outside, still allow people to exit at any time.)
So, if you wish to enter Church via the rear/side door, please arrive before Mass begins. All of our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses (gym & church) enjoyed the presence of a plain-clothes, professional security guard provided by 24/7 Security Services. These security professionals are current as well as retired law enforcement officers. We are considering using them again for future Masses and events.
Our Parish Security Committee will be meeting again in the very near future. In the meantime, I am inviting our parish law enforcement men and women (on the job, as well as retired) to speak with me if they would be willing to consider getting involved in some capacity with our parish security. We will, of course, continue to explore other initiatives which may help us to better ensure the safety of everyone who attends events here at Saint Aedan. (i.e. special training for ushers; new panic bars on doors; internal/external camera system, etc.) If interested, in getting involved, just send me an email, or phone call, or speak with me following Mass.
In the meantime, here’s what you can do: Be vigilant when attending Mass or parish events. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING! Do not personally confront anyone. Contact local law enforcement and let them check things out. (OPD should be on your speed dial anyway: 845-359- 3700.) A blessed and safe New Year to all!