The Eparchial Review Board on the Implementation of Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People Held Its Consecutive Meeting

The Review Board of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma on the implementation of the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People held its consecutive meeting on Monday, May 19, 2025 at the parish hall of Sts. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ambridge, PA.

The meeting was attended by five of the six Review Board members: Fr. Michael Polosky, eparchy’s Protosyncellus and Pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ambridge, PA and Administrator of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Aliquippa, PA; Fr. Lubomir Zhybak, eparchy’s Safe Environment Coordinator and pastor of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church in Youngstown, OH and St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church in Austintown, OH; Marika Zalisczuk, eparchy’s Victims Assistance Coordinator; Olga Perkun; and Don Fontana. A member of the board, Dr. Justine Perhosky could not be present at the meeting due to a personal reason.

The meeting began with a Paschal prayer, led by Fr. Polosky, after which the board members considered the current issues vis-à-vis the safe environment in the eparchy. After reviewing and approving the minutes from the last meeting of October 22, 2025, a situation with the background clearance procedures in Florida was discussed as part of the Safe Environment Training and Background Clearance Requirements, which went into effect in the eparchy in 2022. Afterwards, Fr. Zhybak informed the board that that the eparchy has been found compliant with the data collection requirements for the 2023/2024 Charter audit period as per Stonebridge Business Partners [that forwarded the documents to the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in Washington DC]. Fr. Zhybak also told the board members that the eparchy is scheduled to have the next triannual onsite audit by Stonebridge this year during the week of October 6^th in Parma, OH. Finally, the eparchy’s Policy & Procedures for the Protection of Children, Young People, and Vulnerable Adults was reviewed, preceded by a discussion of a particular procedural matter, that could be followed by a revision of the Policy & Procedures. Some other issues were discussed at the meeting as well.

The Review Board encounter was adjourned with a prayer to the Mother of God led by Fr. Zhybak.

Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma