[Park Ridge, IL] – Word on Fire Catholic Ministries is a nonprofit global media apostolate that supports the work of Bishop Robert Barron and reaches millions of people to draw them into—or back to—the Catholic faith.
Last year, Word on Fire leadership received a complaint about one of its employees. The accusations against this employee surrounded events in the employee’s personal life, not the Word on Fire workplace, and did not involve any other Word on Fire employees.
Immediately, Word on Fire put the employee on leave and hired a third-party, independent investigator. Even though Word on Fire is a small, not-for-profit organization, it has robust abuse policies, including due process obligations.
As a result, Word on Fire terminated the employee’s employment, and within hours, notified the Word on Fire staff of this result.
As with any investigation of this sort, the process took time and required strict confidentiality in order to protect the reputations of those involved, to respect their right to privacy, and to ensure a fair and objective investigation.
Word on Fire did not ignore or bury any accusations; rather, it took swift and decisive action to ensure that an independent investigation moved forward without interference.
Ultimately, Word on Fire and Bishop Barron have been leading voices for accountability in the Church. The organization has zero tolerance for abuse or harassment of any kind.