New Affiliate of Voice of the Faithful
Announces Its Formation

Arizona-Based Lay Catholic Group
Calls for Membership

Phoenix, AZ - March 29, 2003 - Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), a group of over 25,000 mainstream lay Catholics formed in response to the Catholic Church's clergy sexual abuse crisis, today announced the founding of its new Parish Voice affiliate located in Phoenix, AZ. The new Phoenix group is asking for truthfulness, accountability and openness in the ever-widening scandal involving Church leaders within the Phoenix area. VOTF-Arizona will hold its next meeting on Sunday, March 30th, at 2 p.m., at the Scottsdale Public Library located within the Civic Center complex, 3839 C ivic Center Blvd. All Catholics, including members of the clergy, who wish to discuss thoughtful, Spirit-filled change are welcome to attend.

"I love the Catholic Church, and I want it to be whole again for myself and my children," said spokesperson Sandy Simonson, a founding member of VOTF-Arizona. "I am just as saddened and heartsick as many other Catholics in the area, but I decided to try and do something constructive to make sure clergy sexual abuse never happens again. We cannot live in denial about this situation any longer."

Ms. Simonson further elaborated on the new group's formation and its desire to be an active participant in a more open and transparent Catholic Church: "Several concerned Catholics located in the Phoenix area registered with VOTF-National via their Web site. It was not long before the national organization introduced us to each other and our affiliate was formed. Since then, we have developed a position paper and several key message po ints and are now ready to put out a call for members."

About Voice of the Faithful-Arizona
VOTF-Phoenix is asking the Catholic Church for honest answers regarding the clergy sexual abuse crisis as well as financial accountability regarding where the laity's money is being allocated. In addition, the group is seeking to become an active part of a solution for the future as directed in the documents stemming from Vatican II, released over 40 years ago. For more information on how you can become a part of this powerful movement, please visit our Web site at www.votfaz.org.

###