Safeguarding: Building a Culture of Care

Reflection on the Safeguarding Policy for Minors and Vulnerable Persons

On August 23, 2025, the Scholasticate Community was blessed to hold a recollection on the MSC Safeguarding Policy for Minors and Vulnerable Persons with Fr. James Espuerta, MSC, as our speaker and facilitator. He began with an activity where we placed Post-it labels on a tarp with a picture of a swimming pool on it. It was a very symbolic activity. As we posted our notes on the tarp, I also realised that it was not just about articulating my level of awareness, but more importantly, a self-assessment of how much I truly understood the safeguarding policy and how seriously I am committed to implementing it.

Fr. James also emphasised that safeguarding is an essential part of our mission. He did not simply present the policy as a set of rules and regulations; instead, he gave us an eye-opener into the situation of the church and the efforts of the congregation to address such wounds. Aside from sharing his experiences and journey in specialising in this matter, he also touched our consciousness on the reality that, as missionaries, we must create safe spaces for minors and vulnerable persons as our concrete way of bringing God’s love to them. It served as a reminder of the responsibility that comes with ministry. As ministers and missionaries, people place their trust in us. It is trust that is sacred, and to betray that trust means failing to live out our charism. Safeguarding is directly connected to our identity as MSCs, a very part of our call to be “a heart of God” for the poor and the little ones.

As a scholastic brother already involved in missions and parish activities, I have also come to realise that safeguarding is non-negotiable; it is indeed essential. Jesus himself reached out to those who were neglected by society, oppressed by church political leaders, and those who are at risk, and he entrusted his disciples to do the same. In the same manner, in bringing my identity as an MSC, the knowledge I have gained from that recollection reminded me that creating a safe space for minors and vulnerable persons is also a way of living out the gospel and a concrete expression of our spirituality of the heart, just as Fr. Chevalier envisioned us to bring God’s compassionate love to the world. This is not the first time we have had a talk or recollection on safeguarding, but this time it gave me a renewed sense of commitment. There is a calling of not just knowing the policy intellectually but to embody it in my words and actions, always seeking the good of others.

In the end, I came away from our recollection feeling renewed and challenged. Renewed due to the grace we have received as MSCs for maintaining this Safeguarding policy for minors and vulnerable persons, and the opportunities we receive as formands to learn from our MSC confreres. Creating a safe space through safeguarding is a significant responsibility that requires humility, attentiveness, and continuous openness and learning. And this is what I love most about our formation as MSCs: we grow deeper in love through our spirituality, and God’s love shapes our hearts through our way of serving the poor and the little ones.

Rhyane R. Coronel, MSC