Delmore Named New Victim Assistance Coordinator

A strong background in counseling will serve Stephanie Delmore well in her new role with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Since July 1, Delmore has been the new victim assistance coordinator and employee support coordinator for parishes and schools.

The victim assistance coordinator position had been under the umbrella of Catholic Charities for the past five years before Delmore assumed the role. It was combined into the new role in the central offices of the archdiocese, because Safe Environment Program Manager Suzanne Nickolai was also seeing a mental health need in schools based on calls to Nickolai’s office.

“I think this is an interesting role for me, personally, because it feels like such a merger of my background in school counseling and my clinical, professional counseling background,” Delmore said. “I’m really enjoying the role because of that.”

“As we searched for the best fit for this position, we wanted someone that possessed not only the correct skillset, but also would be able to provide highly compassionate care and response that survivors and their families in the archdiocese deserve,” Nickolai said.

Delmore said Dr. Kathleen Cepelka was also interested in providing assistance to principals, staff and teachers in schools. That includes resources and support for mental health issues, along with emotional and social learning, and how they can respond. She will also provide development opportunities for staff at schools and is part of a group of first responders who can go to parishes and schools if there is any type of critical incident where the staff needs assistance.

After graduating from college in the Chicago area, Delmore lived in Illinois before moving to the East Coast with her husband, Mike. They moved back to the Milwaukee area in 2003. She grew up in the Milwaukee area and attended Catholic Memorial High School.

Delmore started her professional career as a counselor and has worked in various community health settings, working with children, adults and families. She also has a background in working with individuals with trauma.

“Stephanie is highly qualified and competent,” Nickolai said of Delmore. “She is a compassionate listener, a strong advocate, a knowledgeable counselor and has a solid understanding of mental health and trauma.”

Delmore has two children, including one in college and a junior in high school.

“Shuttling (the high school junior) to hockey has dominated our lives for a while,” Delmore said. “Youth sports has been a big part of our free time. Our kids were both big soccer players.”

For the past three years, Delmore was the part-time counselor at St. Charles Parish School in Hartland while maintaining a private counseling practice.

As the victim assistance coordinator, her role involves making people who file a report of abuse feel safe and comfortable, and she said she is able to assist in-person (off site, if needed) or via Zoom or telephone.

To report an incident of abuse, contact Delmore at 414-758-2232 or via email at delmores@archmil.org.

Archdiocese Updates Accountability Report

As part of the Dallas Charter that came in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the early 2000s, every diocese and archdiocese in the United States is required to prepare an annual report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on how they are responding to the crisis.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has updated its annual report, entitled “Actions Taken, Commitments Made, Promises Kept.”

The report assists parish staff and parishioners to understand what steps the archdiocese has taken to combat abuse and ways it is working to prevent further incidents.

New items in the report include an update that every priest, bishop and deacon in the archdiocese underwent a criminal background check in 2019 and all volunteers working with minors and anyone that is a parish or school employee also receive a criminal background check as part of the archdiocesan Safe Environment Program prior to beginning employment or volunteering and then every subsequent five years.

All priests, deacons, and bishops must read, sign and abide by the Code of Ethical Standards as part of the Clergy Handbook.

Every year, each parish/school is required to complete annual Safe Environment documentation that is compiled into a Charter Compliance report for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The annual archdiocesan Charter Compliance Report is sent to StoneBridge Business Partners for review on behalf of the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection USCCB. The USCCB compiles each diocese and eparchy’s report into an annual report for all dioceses and eparchies in the United States. This Annual Report is available at https://www.usccb.org/offices/child-and-youth-protection/audits. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has been found compliant each year since the USCCB Charter Audit process began in 2004.

The updated annual report for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee can be found at https://www.archmil.org/ArchMil/attachments/2020ResponseClergySexualAbuseV3.pdf.