Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Church of St. Mary's! We are blessed to have so many caring volunteers who want to support our families in the faith formation of our young church. The Archdiocese of Chicago requires all volunteers to complete the following items before they begin their ministry with children. The following needs to be completed for all those who are interested in volunteering as a Catechist, Classroom Aide, or Office Volunteer. Thank you for your help in keeping our young church safe!

The links for the online forms/processes are below, with specific instructions for each compliance item. 

Application for Employment or Volunteer Service - If you are a new volunteer, please complete this form and return to the Religious Education Office.

CANTS Form - Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS) Background Check. Please download and submit completed form to the Religious Education Office. [Submitted Annually]

ASB Form - Archdiocesan Standards of Behavior. Please download and submit only the last page (Acknowledgement Form) [Submitted Annually]

Mandated Reporter Acknowledgement Form - Acknowledgement that you are expected to be a Mandated Reporter. Please see following Training. [Submitted Annually]

Mandated Reporter Training - Once completed you will see a certificate with an emblem in the middle, please submit a copy of this certificate to the Religious Education Office. [Renew every 3 years]

 

Virtus is the Archdiocese of Chicago platform used to track various requirements for volunteers. Once you have created a Virtus Account you may use it in other locations that also use Virtus.

Virtus - New Account: Please visit this site and select "First-Time Registrant" to create a new account.

 Please use your name on your state ID.

  • Primary Location, please select: St. Mary Parish-Lake Forest (Lake Forest)

Virtus - Select this link if you already have an account but cannot login

 

You will need a Virtus account in order to complete the following:

  • PGC (Protecting God's Children) Training - this is an online training and needs to be "attended" once. Volunteers are expected to keep their account current by reading the monthly bulletins sent via email. There is an online recertification of the PGC training, called, "Keeping the Promise Alive" every 3 years.
  • Criminal Background Check - A criminal background re-check is required every 3 years. If you are due for a re-check, you will see the prompt when you log into your Virtus account. The background check needs to be completed on a desktop computer in one sitting, otherwise it will not process.