Faith-based groups helping FLDS youths
The fact that some of these Texas facilities have religious ties could be a concern for some because many mainstream Christian religions admittedly do not know a lot about Fundamentalist LDS Church beliefs and practices.
In her briefing with child protective services officials, Judge Barbara Walther expressed concern that the children be allowed to freely practice their religion, and the state has issued a guide stressing the same directive to foster-care providers — religious based or not
"We have long had the belief in CPS that children and families should be allowed to worship freely. ... We never try to impart our views on the children and families that we serve," said CPS spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner.
Meisner said contract providers are held to that same standard of respect.
Some of the faith-based providers have a history that stretches back more than a century.
Catholic sisters ventured from Galveston to San Antonio to help the sick and homeless as early as 1869. Soon after, the first orphaned children were admitted into their care at the Santa Rosa Infirmary. The effort would grow to become St. John's Orphanage, recognized as the first Catholic orphanage in Texas.
The Web site for St. PJ's, as it is now commonly called, said the institution includes a Kiddie Cottage for very young children, two residential homes for independent living geared for children ages 15 to 18 and an emergency shelter that opened in 2002.
Boysville Inc., in San Antonio, was established in 1943 after the Rev. Don Holliman noticed orphaned, homeless and abandoned boys were routinely arrested by police, to give them a place to stay. Offended the boys were incarcerated even though they had committed no crimes, the Rev. Holliman established Boysville, according to its Web site.
A home was provided by local businessmen with assistance from two service organizations. It was known from the beginning as "A Home With a Heart for Boys."
In contrast, Utah's foster-care system does not use any faith-based institutions to house abandoned, neglected or abused children.
"To my knowledge we've never had anything that is faith based," said Ken Stettler, the state's human services director over licensing.
Stettler, who has been with the agency since 1989, said Utah lacks the same tradition as Texas does in using faith-based providers to deliver direct care.
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