Our Goals and Activities

Below are our three goals and the progress we have made in each over the years.  This listing shows a history of our activities.  Note that our activity subsided and eventually ceased in 2005 before this site was reactivated in 2008.

Educating parents about TAT

• Reposted this website (April 2008). With the TAT issue coming into focus again because of compliance audits, we have posted this website again to inform those researching the issues.
• News Story on O'Reilly Factor (10/9/03).  Fr. Mullen of St. Brendan's parish was on national TV with FoxNews Bill O'Reilly, opposing TAT.
• News Story on Boston's Channel 7 (8/7/03).  We had the lead story on the 5:30pm news, a 2-3 minute segment that was done very well by the production team at Channel 7.  It presented our concerns with TAT in a credible way.
• Regional Meeting (6/22/03). On June 22 we are organizing a regional meeting in the Boston area to bring together concerned parents with one of its objectives to educate parents.  This meeting was cancelled at the request of Bishop Lennon and has not been rescheduled.
• Media Coverage (5/03 & ongoing).  We've explained our position to the media, including the Associated Press, Boston Globe, Fox25 News, The Pilot, The Wanderer, Catholic World Report, Washington Post, Lowell Sun.
• Created Presentation (4/03).  We created a PowerPoint presentation to explain our concerns and passed it out at the St. Catherine School (Norwood) Parent's Meeting on 4/15.
• Web Site (3/03 & ongoing). We created and maintain this website, providing discussion areas and other information for parents to be educated about TAT.
• Word of Mouth (3/03 & ongoing). We've been telling school parents and others by word of mouth about what we've found with the TAT program and encouraging them to look a the materials themselves to make an informed decision.
• Letter to Norwood parents (3/03). We sent a letter to parents of St. Catherine School in Norwood explaining our concerns and encouraging them to attend the 2nd Parent's Meeting on TAT

Getting back the right to Opt-out of TAT ü

• Right to Opt Out Reinstated! (6/15/03) About two months after making the TAT program mandatory for all children in Catholic schools, the Archdiocese of Boston has reversed its decision and will now permit parents to withhold their children from attending. 
• Spoken to Deacon Rizzuto (4/15/03).  At the Parent Information meeting in Norwood, several parents spoke personally with Deacon Rizzuto about the Opt-Out decision being revoked.  Deacon Rizzuto said he recommended that decision with Sr. Kathleen Carr (Archdiocesan Catholic School Director) and Bishop Lennon approved it.  The sentiment was that TAT was a very good program and it should be part of the curriculum just as math and English are part of it.

Replacing the TAT Curriculum

• Meetings with Bishop Malone ü(June & August 2003).  In Boston's South region, Bishop Malone met with a few from our Norwood, MA group and was very receptive to our concerns.  He has taken this issue to the other bishops and to Archbishop O'Malley, and we hope to escalate it so action is taken in September.
• Implementation requirements (TBD).  We can only consider developing an alternative program if we think it may be used by some dioceses.  We are hoping our discussions with archdiocesan officials will open this possibility.  We may also consider engaging other dioceses at some point.
• Researching alternative curriculums (3/03 & ongoing).  We have been scanning the market for existing sexual abuse prevention programs.  There are some that we believe are more in line with Catholic teaching than TAT, but nothing that is entirely Catholic in its approach.  As a result, we're also looking into developing one.