Voice of the Faithful
   
     
Subscribe to VOTF Newsletter
Email:
 
    Keep the Faith, Change the Church    
top 2
 

Voice of the Faithful Conference

Being Catholic in the 21st Century: Crisis, Challenge and Opportunity

Sat., Oct. 25th, 9AM –6:30PM, Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus

Topics To Include Restoring Trust & Credibility … Protecting Our Children … Sexuality & the Modern Priesthood

New York, Sept. 17, 2003 – On Sat., Oct. 25th , Voice of the Faithful affiliates from Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, in cooperation with the National VOTF, Inc., will offer a full day of dialogue, reflection, and planning for the future, entitled, Being Catholic in the 21st Century: Crisis, Challenge and Opportunity. The public is invited to join in the conversation with authors, scholars, theologians, journalists, abuse survivors and their advocates, clergy, VOTF members, and other concerned Catholics.

The Conference’s exceptional line-up of speakers and panelists will include authors Eugene Kennedy (The Unhealed Wound), Tom Beaudoin (Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X) and David Gibson (The Coming Catholic Church), editors from Newsweek, Newsday, and the National Catholic Reporter, a member of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer prize winning Spotlight Team, and many other luminaries.

Panels and breakout sessions will explore timely topics, such as Restoring Trust & Credibility … Protecting Our Children … Sexuality & the Modern Priesthood. Participants from diverse fields will provide legal, psychological, theological, and personal perspectives on these issues, and share their suggestions for the future.

An inspiring Mass of Healing and Hope will end the conference day and will send participants home to their communities with renewed confidence for the work ahead.

Why This Conference?

Being a good Catholic has traditionally meant being an obedient, compliant Catholic. Showing respect for the clergy often translated into never asking questions and doing whatever the priest asked you to do. We have seen the tragic results of this approach when exploited by predator priests and the bishops who protected them. The pain and suffering of so many at the hands of trusted religious leaders is the beginning of the story, but we cannot let it be the end.

The Church in America is in the gravest crisis in its history. Faithful Catholics have been shaken to the core by ongoing reports of priestly sexual abuse and the discovery of an institutional culture that concealed the truth. This crisis poses both a challenge and an opportunity for Catholic laity, bishops, and priests who must all work cooperatively to heal these painful wounds, rebuild trust, and renew the Church in the 21st century. The Conference will explore this crisis, as well as the challenges and opportunities of moving forward. This event is not to be missed by concerned Catholics, survivors of clergy sexual abuse, religion reporters, and interested citizens.

Register today online for $35 per person and get full Conference details, including program and list of speakers, at www.votf.org/octconference.

Press coverage is welcome. Pre-conference interviews can be arranged. Contact Marie Ford Reilly, 212-426-3782, mfordreilly@prodigy.net.

 

# # #

 

 

top 3

Find a Parish Voice affiliate in your area.

Calendar of events


Click here to get your copy of Keep the Faith, Change the Church.

Voice of the Faithful is recognized as one of the most promising lay organizations to evolve in the Catholic Church. Your support is absolutely necessary for us to continue. The online donation form and the mail in donation form are both quick and easy ways for you to participate, and we are most grateful. (VOTF is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. )

VOTF™
Mission Statement

To provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church.

 

Our Goals

1. To support survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

2. To support priests of integrity

3.To shape structural change within the Catholic Church.
More


right line

Pray Each Day
at Noon

Jesus, Lord and Brother, help us with our faithfulness. Please hear our voice, and let our voice be heard. Amen. More

 

         

home | survivor support | clergy support | about us | press | contact us| site map

Copyright © 2006 Voice of the Faithful, Inc. All rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions

Voice of the Faithful, VOTF, "Keep the Faith, Change the Church,"
Voice of Compassion, VOTF logo(s), Parish Voice, and
Prayerful Voice are trademarks of Voice of the Faithful, Inc.