Over $55,000 Offered to Archdiocese of Boston

Newton, Mass., - October 11, 2002 - Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), a group of over 25,000 mainstream lay Catholics formed in response to the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis, today announced that 267 donors have contributed more than $62,000 to the Voice of Compassion-Boston Fund. The monies raised constitute the Fund’s first quarter net results, ending September 30, 2002. The Fund’s administrator, National Catholic Community Foundation (NCCF), will offer 90% of the funds to the Archdiocese of Boston. The remaining 10% of the funds initiate a permanent or endowment-like fund, a portion of which will be offered on an annual basis. According to the Fund contract, a formal donation offer will be extended to the Archdiocese of Boston within the next few days.

“The Voice of Compassion-Boston Fund is an effort to provide an additional option for Catholics who have been unwilling to donate to the annual Cardinal’s Appeal because of a dilemma of conscience brought on by the sexual abuse scandal, but want to support the unmet needs of important Church ministries and programs. We are pleased that so many individuals and families contributed to the fund in support of the archdiocesan ministries of our Church and to help the poor and under-served,” said David Castaldi, Voice of the Faithful, trustee and liaison with the Voice of Compassion-Boston Fund.

Accountability and transparency in reporting are additional objectives of the Voice of Compassion-Boston Fund. Fund distribution will occur after receipt of detailed information regarding the allocation of the donation by the Archdiocese of Boston. In addition, the Archdiocese will be asked to provide NCCF an accounting of the use of the distributed funds. If adequate information regarding the use of the funds is not made available, or if the Archdiocese refuses to accept the funds, distributions will instead be made to Catholic Charities. If Catholic Charities does not accept the donation, NCCF will work with VOTF to distribute the monies to other Catholic organizations in the Greater Boston area.

“Voice of the Faithful set out to create a model of a laity-funded, laity-managed fund to support Catholic programs and ministries. The initial success demonstrates that this concept is appealing to Catholics and has the potential to raise money even in these scandal-ridden times. In drawing hundreds of individuals and families into this donor process, VOTF has made a start toward building a base of Catholic donors who can reconcile their moral outrage with a profound understanding of the good work that goes on in the Church,” said Jim Post, president, Voice of the Faithful.

“VOTF has been promoting the fund only to its own membership because it wants to supplement rather than compete with the Cardinal's Appeal. We continue to encourage Boston-area Catholics to contribute to the Cardinal's Appeal, if they feel they can,” Castaldi added.

About the Voice of Compassion-Boston Fund
The Voice of Compassion-Boston Fund was initiated by the Voice of the Faithful to respond to concerns about the decline in contributions to the 2002 Cardinal's Appeal and the resulting impact on the important programs, services and ministries of the Archdiocese of Boston. The Cardinal's Appeal supports over 80 programs that include spiritual and family programs, support for inner-city parishes, educational programs, Catholic schools and campus ministries, seminaries, health ministries and social services and property management and facilities maintenance. Distribution of Voice of Compassion-Boston Fund gifts is intended to mirror the distribution of funds from the Cardinal's Appeal. However, Voice of Compassion funds will be applied only to direct costs of these ministries, not to their indirect costs or to general administrative or fund-raising expenses of the Archdiocese. For more information regarding the Voice of Compassion Boston Fund please visit here.

About National Catholic Community Foundation (NCCF)
The National Catholic Community Foundation was founded in 1997 as a ministry to help donors become engaged in philanthropy. Now celebrating its fifth anniversary, NCCF offers a comprehensive array of services to donors and charitable organizations, including: the opportunity for multi-generational philanthropy; flexibility to distribute funds both nationally and internationally; and the resources of experienced individuals in philanthropy, the Catholic Church, and finance. For more information, please visit their web site.

Voice of the Faithful is a Newton, Mass.-based worldwide organization of mainstream lay Catholics who support the teachings of the Church and who formed in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. The group's mission is 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. Its goals are to support victim/survivors of abuse, to support priests of integrity, and to shape structural change within the Catholic Church in harmony and accordance with the teachings of Vatican II. VOTF's supporting membership exceeds 25,000 registered individuals from more than 40 U.S. states and 21 countries.

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Contact: Mike Emerton
Press Secretary
Voice of the Faithful
Newton, MA
617-680-2131