Critic of Voice of the Faithful Accepts
Invitation to Address Local Affiliate

Whippany, NJ - February 11, 2003 - Voice of the Faithful/NNJ, the rapidly-growing Northern New Jersey (NNJ) affiliate of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) announced today that Deal W. Hudson, publisher/editor of Crisis Magazine and vocal critic of VOTF, would be the next speaker in its series addressing the current crisis in the Catholic Church. This VOTF/NNJ event is free, open to the public, and will be held on Thursday, February 20th at 7:30 pm at Our Lady of the Angels in Little Falls, NJ.

Commenting on why VOTF/NNJ invited Mr. Hudson, who considers the organization to be "not as 'faithful' as it claims," to speak, Ann Zouvelekis, a VOTF/NNJ co-founder, said, "VOTF is committed to open dialogue, especially with those who disagree with us. We are providing a forum for healthy exchange which we would like to see in the Catholic Church. We believe that we grow in faith when we listen to each other."

Mr. Hudson will be the latest in a series of speakers sponsored by VOTF/NNJ as part of the group's commitment to achieving its stated goals of: supporting victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse; supporting priests of integrity and; shaping structural change within the Catholic Church.

Prior to his arrival at Crisis Magazine, a Washington DC-based Catholic monthly, Mr. Hudson taught Philosophy at Fordham University, New York University, and Mercer University, where he was chair of the department. He appears regularly on such television and radio programs as NBC Nightly News, C-Span's Washington Journal, PBS's The Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, and NPR's All Things Considered. An author and commentator, Mr. Hudson's articles and opinions have been published in wide variety of outlets including: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Village Voice, and The National Review. For more information regarding Mr. Hudson's talk and VOTF/NNJ, please visit the Web site at www.votfnnj.org.