Please feel free to download, sign and mail either or both of these letters, and send them to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 3211 4th St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20017

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE U.S. CATHOLIC BISHOPS FROM VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL OF CT, NJ, AND NY ASSEMBLED IN OUR CONFERENCE AT FORDHAM UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK, SAT., OCT. 25, 2003

Dear Bishops:

Today, gathered together as faithful members of Christ's Church, we are challenged to reflect on the current crisis and to take the opportunity to offer our hands and our hearts to work with you and with our priests for the renewal of our Church.

We call upon the Holy Spirit to guide you in your deliberations next month and we pledge our willing collaboration in the task of strengthening our Church, Christ's Body on earth.

As a practical means of achieving that goal, we ask you to place on your agenda the topic: "How can an effective lay voice be incorporated into parish and diocesan pastoral councils and a national council?"

We believe that dialogue among all the constituent members of our Church is essential to the well-being of the whole.

The development of appropriate means for the presentation of the ideas and opinions of the laity on the parochial, diocesan, and national levels is, we believe, of the greatest importance.

We are prepared to discuss this possibility with you at a convenient time.

We ask our Lord Jesus Christ to bless your labors for the good of our Church.

Respectfully,

Robert Mulligan Connecticut Co-Chair 50 Aiken Street No. 201 Norwalk, CT 06851

Anne Zouvelekis New Jersey Co-Chair 14 Sunset Drive Whippany, NJ 07981

Maria Coffey New York Co-Chair 201 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011

Bishop Wilton D. Gregory
President
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20017-1194

Dear Bishop Gregory:

Enclosed is an open letter addressed to all the Catholic bishops of the United States by Voice of the Faithful of Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York assembled in our conference at Fordham University on Saturday October 25, 2003.

We ask that you read the letter to the assembled bishops at your conference in Washington, November 10-13, 2003 and that you place on the agenda the following question:

"How can an effective lay voice in the Church be incorporated into parish and diocesan pastoral councils and a national council?"

We are prepared to discuss this possibility at a convenient time.

Respectfully,

Robert Mulligan Connecticut Co-Chair 50 Aiken Street No. 201 Norwalk, CT 06851

Anne Zouvelekis New Jersey Co-Chair 14 Sunset Drive Whippany, NJ 07981

Maria Coffey New York Co-Chair 201 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011