Kathleen McChesney

By Laurie Hallstrom

   Long before “CSI,” “Law and Order,” or the “X-Files,” Kathleen McChesney studied to be a forensic scientist.

   Her career has included working as a police officer; detective; Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the first Executive Director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; leader of a crisis management team for the Walt Disney Company; and now she operates her own firm, Kinsale Management Consulting.

   McChesney was the featured speaker at Catholic Social Services (CSS) Palm Sunday Brunch held in Rapid City, March 16. It is one of two major fund-raising events held by CSS. The theme for the event was “Amazing Grace.”

   “I have had the privilege of having some extraordinary experiences in my career. I have seen some of the greatest acts of kindness and sacrifice that people have made to one another, things that you could only really call manifestations of ‘amazing grace.’ I have also seen some of the worst things that people have done to one another,” said McChesney.

   As a detective, she and her partner were investigating a sexual assault case when they found an eight year old girl alone in a house filled with wall-to-wall filth. “We were able to get her to a foster home that evening. (The abuse included) neglecting a child by failing to provide the basic necessities, food and shelter, not to mention failing to provide protection, companionship and love. These are things we often see that people need.

   “(That night) we also saw some good things. When we arrived at the foster home with the child, we met a young couple who had a small house, but large hearts.”ß

   McChesney continued by saying foster parents are some of her personal heroes. “I think that ‘amazing grace’ is surely manifested by the foster parents who take in children who have nowhere to go. Those of you who spend your time volunteering to help children and young people in developmental activities and those of you who are foster parents or are involved in these activities, I want to tell you how important that is. Your generosity and your spirit and your faith mean so much to the people you’ve helped. These programs really do keep our communities safe and our children secure.

   “As a law enforcement officer and an FBI agent, I have interviewed hundreds of criminals over the years. I have often found that many of these offenders have something in common. Many were abused or neglected as children. Now I want to be clear about this, this does not mean every child who is neglected or abused becomes a criminal, because most do not. But by failing to provide physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional nourishment to children, we fail our society and we do not reflect Christianity or Catholicism.

   “Law enforcement officers regularly look to faith based institutions  like social services to help in dealing with personal crises they see among the people that they serve.”

   She said Catholic Social Services in particular provides an additional layer of support that the government cannot. (See a list of services provided by CSS at left.)

   In the fall of 2002, she received a call from Justice Anne Burke who was with the Illinois State Court of Appeals. Judge Burke had been selected by the U.S. bishops’ to be a part of a national review board to help the bishops’ conference implement policies and procedures to ensure that children and young people were safe and secure in church environments.

   “Justice Burke told me about the commitment of the U.S. bishops to deal with these issues. She told me they had approved the charter for the protection of children and young people which was a guideline for dealing with reports of abuse and for prevention of abuse. Through this charter the bishops intended to establish a national office for the protection of children and young people and Justice Burke told me that she and the members of the review board wanted me to retire from my position at the FBI and head this brand new office.

   “This was a very difficult decision for me at first because I did hold a very high position. I knew that the church and faith had helped so many people through life crises big and small, through illnesses, through deaths, through life’s decisions. I knew that the church had nurtured millions of people and sustained them through their lives as they had through mine. Then I watched friends and colleagues talk about leaving the church because of what was happening. It was the church’s time in need. I worried about the future generations of young people who might miss out on the opportunity to have God’s presence in their lives. I knew that I wanted to help in whatever way that I could. So I agreed to retire from the FBI and I spent the next two years developing and implementing  structures to help the church respond appropriately to allegations of abuse and putting in place policies and procedures that would prevent abuse from happening where possible.”

   She concluded by giving the audience four challenges:

   “First, think about safety and be aware. Know the signs of abuse and neglect and the characteristics of abusers and be alert for those signs. If you do not know what they are, I know the diocese has resources, but there is also a wonderful resource through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, you can get all kinds of materials from their Web site. 

   “Second, have courage to report to authorities if something seems wrong. It is better to report something and find out that it was nothing than to not report something that is truly wrong.

   “Third, provide support to children and young people. Be involved with activities or contribute in some other way to the positive development of children and young people whether it is through a church, school or community program or in your own homes.

   “Fourth, pray and be grateful. Pray for the safety and well being of the young and vulnerable and be grateful for a faith that can support you through the worst that people can do to one another and be grateful for a faith that can inspire you to do the best for one another.”