The Diocese of Biloxi requires background checks of all clergy, religious men and women, employees and volunteers whose duties include contact with minors and with those individuals who habitually lack or have impaired use of reason. Additionally, all visiting clergy, religious men and women, and external employees coming to work in our diocese are required to supply the pastoral center with a letter of suitability stating them to be compliant with their respective diocese's standards for safe environment and background checks. This includes but is not limited to foreign-born and temporarily assigned priests.
Please print out and complete the below form (two sided) and turn into your parish Director of Religious Education, Youth Minister, or equivalent position at the schools or parish. They will ensure the Diocese Pastoral center receives your completed form. Your information will then be submitted to ISP (Integrated Screening Partners) for processing. The hard copy of the form will be kept on file locally in our diocesan archives.
Background checks will be rerun every five years automatically.
Informationally, once every six weeks a report is compiled by the Director of Religious Education at the Diocese level and sent to parish secretaries, DREs, or equivalent roles to notify schools and parishes who has completed their background checks.
In the event that a background check does not clear; the pastor or principal is contacted immediately and the employee or volunteer in question is removed from ministry.