VOTF Canidates for Election
Canidates for Secretary/Clerk
Cathy Fallon (incumbent)
Jeanne Martin
Jeanne Martin
Background
I served in the Army from 1983-1987, a graduate of the University
of Massachusetts/Boston with a Bacholor of Science in Nursing degree.
The majoity of my work life has been in health related fields. I
have worked as a Mental Health Worker, Home Health Aid, private
care in homes for aging or disabled people, and five years of nursing
with one year as shift supervisor.
I also have a certificate in Network Administration, which was
a seven month course in computers.
Why You Should Vote for Me to Balance the Class Scale
VOTF is seen by the general public (and me) as representing the
"upper pews" of Catholic society, it doesn't have too - vote for
me.
Prior to VOTF I was a "go, pray, and leave" Catholic attended weekly
(often daily) Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Malden
(on the Medford line). I would describe my faith as intensely personal
and salvational. I have a personal relationship with Christ and
look to him for strength and find it in his example more times than
not. What Catholicism has not been to me is "community". I am very
much the outsider, the Samaritan woman. My status in society is
very low as is my income which is below the poverty line. As an
unmarried woman without children I have no real role in the church
(except to take up space on Sunday or to be offered assistance too
- in the role of "poor"). Through VOTF I have been seriously heard,
which considering my class is a wonderful experience for me (in
a church that would not otherwise value what I have to say). I don't
get to sit at the table very often so when I do I appreciate it.
And I have formed relationships, a sense of Catholic community for
the first time in my life through VOTF.
I have been extremely involved with VOTF since March of 2003. I
have attended every Tuesday night working group meeting with the
exception of two, supported candlelight vigils, listened to victim/survivors
speak at events, attended the Bishops Conference in Washington,
attended many of the B.C in the 21st Century seminars open to the
public, joined a local VOTF affiliate about three months ago, supported
fundraisers, written responses to inquiries about VOTF, etc.. I
have the time and ability to take on this role. If I had questions
I am sure to ask someone. I realize it is not a powerful role, but
you have to admit that if every org. has a secretary/clerk it's
got to be important. Sounds like a good first step for you to take
in balancing the class scale in the Church.
VOTF needs everyone to participate in the process, not just the
privileged. You can change this by voting for me.
Jeanne Martin
Member VOTF
Catherine R. Fallon
Candidate's Statement
Secretary/Clerk Voice of the Faithful
I have been privileged to serve as Secretary/Clerk of the Voice
of the Faithful for the past ten months, almost since its inception.
Recording the growth and development of this fast-growing and most
promising lay reform group in the Catholic Church has been and remains
a fascinating challenge and a Spirit-filled apostolate niche from
which to serve and help to save our beloved Church. From our early
plenary meetings, built on a successful formula of welcoming newcomers,
providing educational speakers, and reaching out to listen to stories
of survivors, to our leadership and then steering committee meetings,
to our more policy and administrative oriented sessions as we evolved
into officers and executive committee members - each stage of our
growth has been an exercise in organizational change and corporate
development.
Although I have been in communications and journalism since my
teens, and have served as secretary of other organizations, I discover
that I am still on a learning curve regarding stylistic and legal
requirements and the differences between informal record-keeping
for a small local nonprofit group and corporate minutes for a Board
of Trustees for a national and international organization. I want
to continue to work with the President, the Moderator and legal
counsel to balance the needs for good records of voted actions with
the need for outbound communication to Council and Parish Voices
and the need for maintenance of an historic record of the organization's
dynamic growth.
I believe it is important to establish our Corporate Voice through
the vehicle of minutes written in accordance with accepted legal
practices, and to work with the executive committee and Board of
Trustees to agree on and establish a distinctive communication style
that will be helpful to secretary clerks who succeed me in this
role. This style is one that is evolving, and I would like to continue
to serve in this important office for another year long term, both
to preserve records and the memory of how certain decisions were
made, and to set clear directions as established by the Trustees
and the Executive Committee for future growth and expansion.
The job is more complicated than I realized at first. The clerk
must listen and write with understanding of the issues, the ability
to synthesize and distill discussions, and the ear to discern what
an outsider could read into the minutes. The clerk must balance
the need for disclosure with the need to hold close those matters
that are not yet fully formed or voted upon in order to prevent
misunderstanding. I would like to write a how-to manual to pass
along to my successor the lessons learned during two terms of service.
I want to gain your confidence and I ask that you vote for Catherine
Fallon for Clerk for another six-month term in the office of Secretary/Clerk.
Catherine R. Fallon, Secretary/Clerk
Cathy Fallon was one of the first members to join Voice of the
Faithful who lived beyond the St. John the Evangelist parish boundaries.
Her notes from the March 2002 the West Region Archdiocesan Convocation
were the first posting of the brand-new website for Voice of the
Faithful. She also assisted her husband, Bill, in the administration
of the July 20 Conference, Response of the Faithful.
She is a member of St. Julia parish in Weston, MA, where she serves
as a Eucharistic Minister and was chair of the Community Life Commission
for several years. She helped plan a Healing Mass at St. Julia in
Fall, 2002, and is a involved in a committee planning a four-evening
retreat on the future of the Church during Lent 2003.
Cathy has been active in several civic organizations in Weston
and Winchester. She chaired Roxbury-Weston Programs, Inc. and led
the Weston Interfaith Action Group, of which she has been a member
for fourteen years. A graduate of Middlebury College, she served
on its Board of Trustees and is currently a member of their Board
of Overseers. She was a Winchester, MA town meeting member and School
Committee member for over a decade, and was a long-time member of
the League of Women Voters. Cathy has held a number of administrative
positions in Alumni Relations and Development at Brandeis University,
where she is a Senior Development Officer. In that role she edits
a newspaper and is engaged in strategic planning as part of the
senior vice president's team. Cathy and her husband, Bill, are the
parents of three sons and a daughter, and the grandparents of two
boys and (almost) three girls who range in age from age eight to
minus one month.
|
