Chicago Archdiocese hires new director of child protection office

Mary Jane Doerr, associate director in the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will take over Feb. 8 as director of the Office for the Protection of Children and Youth in the Chicago Archdiocese.

She replaces Jan Slattery, who recently retired after 10 years.

Originally from Chicago Heights, Doerr joined the U.S. Conference in 2008, helping dioceses across the country implement their safe environment programs and draw up auditing mechanisms to make sure dioceses adhere to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

"We are pleased to have attracted a national leader in child protection to the Archdiocese of Chicago," to follow up the work of Jan Slattery, said Archbishop Blase J. Cupich. "Jan established a nationally recognized approach to preventing abuse, and led an office that provides help and healing to victims and their families and cooperates with civil authorities in a prompt and transparent manner."