The Safe Environment Office educates clergy, employees and volunteers of the Archdiocese of Chicago on how to prevent sexual abuse, recognize grooming behaviors and create safe environments for children and young people in our parishes, schools and community. In addition, the Safe Environment Office is responsible for tracking the screening of clergy, employees and volunteers.

All AOC volunteers are required to have an online VIRTUS account, where all of the Safe Environment training and documents are maintained and updated. All volunteers are required to access their VIRTUS account, at least annually after July 1st, to update contact information and complete all required documentation and training. Log in to your account at www.virtusonline.org. If you need a password reset, please contact the SE Office  email dgarcia@archchicago.org.

If you have already attended a training session, but never created a VIRTUS account online, go to www.virtusonline.org and create a new account. Be sure to choose the training session you attended from the drop-down box when prompted. All volunteers should have “VOLUNTEER” as their primary role with a secondary role (i.e. catechist) listed as a Title or Function, to indicate the appropriate compliance requirements. When completed, contact the SE Office to have your new account approved/activated at 312.534.5206 or email dgarcia@archchicago.org.