On September 7th, 37 parish staff members from 17 parishes attended a diocesan safety and security awareness day titled “Holy Watch.”

This event provided information and training to parishes to aid in enhancing security efforts, including details about the many non-profit security grants that are available through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by Homeland Security and the process to apply for those.

“Holy Watch was developed to present security options, grant information, and cybersecurity awareness in this era of AI technology,” said David Wright, Planning and Research Consultant for the Diocese of Saint Petersburg.

Dioceses around the country experience vandalism and cyber-attacks at an alarming rate, causing local parishes to strive to do their part to minimize the risks.

“Our parish, like many churches, has experienced an increase of vandalism. We want to make our church as secure and safe for worship as possible for all who want to come,” explained Deacon Mark Manko, currently serving at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Homosassa.

Representatives from Homeland Security/Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the diocesan Manager of Information Technology, Pasco County Sheriff’s Department, and several security and IT vendors spoke about enhancing campus security, available grants, practical training, cyber security threats, and strong IT infrastructure. A prominent discussion was included on how Risk Management, Safe Environment, and the Office of Construction and Real Estate would assist in forming Safety Teams, accepting grants, hiring personnel, and installing new security equipment funded by the grants.

“I attended the event with our IT person and both of us found it to be a bounty of information and we learned a lot. The best part was learning about the grant procedure and how many ways we can protect our church and people,” Deacon Manko added.

The Diocese has received a lot of positive feedback including some suggestions for this event to take place more often as this topic affects so many in our communities. Participants had the opportunity to ask about the grants, available security systems, and how to strengthen their IT networks. And they continue to request information on these topics even after the conclusion of the event. “I’ve been fielding numerous calls and emails about the event and the grants, indicating a strong interest in utilizing these grants to benefit our parishes,” shared Wright.

This event, funded through donations to the Catholic Ministry Appeal, proved beneficial and actionable for Deacon Manko’s parish. “We immediately began working on our parish assessment and began to collect quotes for upgrading our security systems,” Deacon Manko shared. “Thank you for helping our diocese share information and resources. It is so important to know that each parish can learn and support each other.”