The Catholic parish of St Mary’s Bridgend is committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of the children within our church communities, and also to encouraging an environment where all people and especially those who may be vulnerable are able to worship and pursue their faith with encouragement and in safety. As such, the policies and procedures related to Safeguarding promulgated by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales and adopted by the Archdiocese of Cardiff have been put into practice in the parishes.
This commitment flows from the fact that we are all made in the image of God and the Church’s common belief in the dignity and uniqueness of every human life.
Each child, young person and vulnerable adult has the right to the highest level of care, protection, love, encouragement and respect that we can give. (A “vulnerable adult” is a person aged 18 or over who, by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness is, or may be, unable to take care of him or herself against “significant harm” or “exploitation”).
The Safeguarding Representative
We have a safeguarding representative who works with the parish priest and the Safeguarding officer of the Archdiocese of Cardiff to ensure that the parishes are aware of the importance of protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults; and what is involved in promoting good and safe practice.
The safeguarding representative is Mr Granville Pearson.
The Archdiocese of Cardiff Safeguarding Advisory Commission
The Archdiocese of Cardiff Safeguarding Advisory Commission co-ordinates, plans and monitors all aspects of safeguarding work within the Diocese.
See the Safeguarding Advisory Commission page of the Diocesan website for more information.
The Diocesan Safeguarding Officer is Mr Martin Mahoney.
Safeguarding in the parishes
In accordance with National Safeguarding policies, all Parish Volunteers who work with children, young people and vulnerable adults must comply with formal recruitment procedures involving interview, references, self declarations and clearance by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), before being appointed to any relevant position within the parishes. All completed paperwork is sent to the Diocesan Safeguarding Office in Cardiff where they are processed and stored. All information is treated as confidential.
Our Buildings might be fairly new (12 years), but our faith and our original St Mary’s, on the same site, reminds us of the long history of our parish and of our Catholic Faith that goes back to the time of the Apostles.
The Church was Consecrated by Bishop Reagn Bishop of Wrexham on 12th March 1999.
The Catholic Community of Bridgend continues to grow; Mass is celebrated daily click here to view Mass times.We have the pastoral care of the large Filipino community, Polish community and the people of Bridgend. A monthly Mass is celebrated for the Polish and Filipino communities.
