Affiliate News

"In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity." Pope John XXIII, Ad Petri Cathedram and popularly attributed to St. Augustine

**** Nearing completion! The VOTF Education and Action Handbook is one step closer to VOTF affiliates. This document is for the use of our affiliates as an education and study guide for developing a renewed vision of the Church in the 21st century, based on the implementation of Vatican II. The Handbook is also a guide for actions and initiatives that VOTF might consider in the fulfillment of our mission and goals.

The VOTF Handbook consists of an Introduction and two parts. Part I is devoted to Education, Part II to Action. It is fully annotated and referenced and will bring all of us to places we might never have known.

Among the most beautiful references in the Handbook is the following:
He maintains himself, his bishop, and the laity in full communion within the church (Canon 209). He is a peacemaker, a reconciler (Mt. 5:9), who does not exclude any Catholic from his person-to-person ministry, nor exclude them from church property. He “reconciles differences in such a way that no one need feel himself a stranger in the community of the faithful.”

Readers will find that the Handbook is more than a guide – it actually uplifts and restores a sense of direction to Catholics still reeling from the collapse of moral authority in the Church. Information about its distribution will be sent to all of our affiliates. Watch this space for further developments.

**** News from Mary Ann Keyes, Parish Voice chair:

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that the Parish Voice office welcomes Randi Simons (rsimons@votf.org) to our national PV team. Randi is a member of VOTF and has been passionate about VOTF from the time of our conference.

In the letter she wrote after her interview she said: “I came away very impressed and excited about the work you are doing and your own attitudes and commitment towards it. Our discussion also gave me a strong sense of how an administrative assistant can be of help to you. I really wanted to stay and talk with everyone more and just roll up my sleeves and start working!”

We feel that the void left by Ann Potts departure many weeks ago has been filled by someone who brings not only needed skills, but a passion for VOTF. Randi is a quick learner and will be working with us about 20 hours a week. We do need administrative help and having someone who is willing to “roll up her sleeves” and is flexible and amenable to whatever needs to be taken care of, is going to be a tremendous asset to our efforts.

In the Parish Voice office, we often have to operate in a responsive mode while at the same time carrying on the daily work of developing materials, fielding calls and e-mails, setting up conference calls and providing minutes, etc. We have grown enormously in the past two years with over 200 affiliates and not enough hours in the day to tend to all the needs. Randi is looking forward to working with National PV and all of you.

VOTF EAST

VOTF Northern Virginia
Submitted by Jim Webster

VOTF members in northern Virginia’s Arlington diocese have held the first two monthly meetings to support survivors of clerical sexual abuse sponsored jointly with members of the Survivors Network of Abuse by Priests (SNAP). The number of survivors increased at the second meeting, telling VOTF coordinators that the session was quite helpful. The meeting was publicized by the diocesan newspaper and several parish bulletins.

VOTF has prepared and distributed copies of a brochure that invites survivors to attend the monthly meetings, held in a county library meeting room. The brochure also provides contact information for VOTF affiliates in northern Virginia and adjoining areas of Maryland and Washington, D.C.

In a project to increase financial accountability, our affiliate also has begun to survey parishes in the Diocese of Arlington to learn how many have created lay finance committees. Initial inquiries suggest that most parishes fall short of expectations but concrete data is needed to determine the fact. A questionnaire is being prepared. The group also questions the independence of the diocesan finance council – nearly all members are either priests or diocesan employees who answer to the bishop.

VOTF members were particularly active in an unsuccessful effort to persuade the Virginia General Assembly to enact legislation adding clergy to those required to report suspected sexual abuse to law enforcement authorities. The bill passed the state Senate but was defeated by a committee in the House of Delegates for the second year in a row. Its sponsor said she would reintroduce the bill next year despite continuing opposition from fundamentalist Protestants. Both Virginia Catholic dioceses supported the bill.

The diocesan Arlington Catholic Herald declined to publish a paid advertisement by VOTF that sought to express support for survivors, families, and others wounded by the scandal and emphasized VOTF’s hope to support priests who are living up to their priestly calling, a concrete expression of VOTF's Goal #2. The newspaper did not say why the ad was refused, only that it was rejected by someone “upstairs” in the chancery.

VOTF efforts to encourage our bishop (Bishop Loverde/Arlington diocese) to support survivors have had mixed success. Although the chancery released the statistical data that it provided to the John Jay survey, it has not released the names of priests credibly accused of abuse.

As of the end of March, Bishop Loverde had not answered or acknowledged letters that VOTF sent him in February and again in early March. The letters commended him for releasing statistical data but also asked that he release the names of clergy abusers in the diocese. “We urge you to take this next step as a sign of Gospel compassion for survivors, their family members, and all who have lost trust in our Church,” the letter said. “In the interests of full healing, we also recommend that you arrange with the Diocese of Richmond to release the same information on abuses that occurred within the boundaries of the Arlington Diocese between 1950 and 1974,” when the dioceses were divided. “Without this information, those still trapped in silence and shame in our Diocese will have little confidence to take advantage of the support services you have offered. Parents will continue to worry that these same abusers are residing or working in their neighborhoods without the customary public disclosure that enables them to take reasonable precautions. Where information is partial, people typically assume the worst.”

The group hopes to continue to seek a positive working relationship rather than adopt a confrontational approach through the news media.

VOTF Westford-Chelmsford, MA
Submitted by Lauren Franceschi

Survivor Support : Our Parish Voice donated $150.00 to help sponsor the "Bishop Accountability March" that took place in Boston in January. A number of our members also participated. The march was very well planned and led by the Coalition of Catholics and Survivors.

Marchers gathered in front of the Boston Cathedral as the names of all accused priests in the Archdiocese of Boston were read; the list seemed endless. Then the group marched silently thru the streets of Boston carrying large "Crosses of Shame" that bear the names of the Bishops who have participated in sexual abuse or the cover-ups, and posters with photos of young victims.

The group assembled again on the steps of the State House in Boston and eloquent speakers called on Governor Mitt Romney to insist that the Church release the names and whereabouts of the accused priests named in the Boston settlements so that the general public can protect themselves and their children against these dangerous perpetrators who have not been prosecuted by the law and have been allowed to live amongst the unsuspecting public of Massachusetts

Also, our PV is once again sponsoring the Support of Survivors Walk (SOS Walk) that raised over $5,000.00 last year that was donated to The Survivors Appeal. We hope this year to have more participation from VOTF members outside of the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts. This event has the potential to raise lots of money and public awareness as it grows each year in attendance and sponsorship. The event will take place at Merrimack College, No. Andover, in June. Exact date and details TBA.

VOTF St. Thomas More Parish Voice, Durham, NH
Submitted by Lorraine Graham

At Masses on the weekend of March 14th, members of St. Thomas More Parish Voice, Durham, NH collected signatures for the VOTF Petition Drive. There was an announcement in the bulletin and we also made an announcement at the end of each Mass.

On March 19th we mailed off to the VOTF office 145 signatures, which didn't include most of our membership who had signed on-line previously. (Signatures included our pastor and deacon.) Some parishioners took home copies of the petition to read at leisure. During Lent, our parish has a Soup Supper every Wednesday evening. When our Parish Voice group sponsored one, we were able to collect additional signatures.

Also during Lent our parish is showing one tape each week at a morning and evening session of the five tapes that make up the "Faithful Revolution" Vatican II series. This was lent to us by the Nashua, NH affiliate. Our pastor was very agreeable to our suggestion to share these tapes with the parish as a Lenten series and he leads the discussion period after the one-hour tape. This is an excellent series of tapes that have been very well received and we recommend them to other parish voices. There is a set of these tapes at our diocesan office for loan, so there isn't anything in them that would be objectionable to the "hierarchy.” They are a strictly enlightening, educational and fascinating review of Vatican II and its call to the future. We wish a blessed and holy Easter to all.

VOTF Winchester, MA
Submitted by Bob Morris

Three special evenings highlighted our regular Monday night meetings (one meeting was canceled due to a parish meeting on parish closings). On March 29, we were led in a beautiful and moving Lenten Prayer Service by Sister Kay Hannigan, P.B.V.M., Director of the Center for Religious Development in Cambridge, and by Sister Joan McCarthy, C.S.J., Spiritual Director of St. Stephen's Priory in Dover. Both Sisters addressed the importance of prayer and discernment in our daily lives. Their moving presentations were augmented by the extraordinary talents of Tish Blain, who led us in song, and closed the service with a powerful version of "Give Me Jesus." Very special thanks are due to Sister Marie Doyle, C.S.J., for coordinating this program.

On March 15, four Pastoral Associates – Mary Lou Burke of St. Eulalia's in Winchester; Linda DeCristoforo of Immaculate Conception in Revere; Marie LaBollita, S.C. of Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton; and Sister Mary O'Rourke of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Saugus – discussed the many responsibilities facing Pastoral Associates today, and the even greater responsibilities that they are likely to face in the future. Mary Lou Burke is due special thanks for organizing this program, as well as for her support of our group over the past two years.

On March 1, Francine Cardman, Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, addressed our group. Professor Cardman showed us how views expressed in the earliest days of the Church (120 A.D.) still resonate with us today.

At our monthly working group meeting, we worked on two special events – our semi-annual pot-luck supper for priests (May 22), and our second coffeehouse fundraiser for survivors of abuse (June 4). We have great expectations for both events.

Finally, we have several special evenings planned in the weeks ahead:
April 12: Terry McKiernan of Bishopacountability.org
April 26: Sister Mary Johnson, SND, Associate Professor of Sociology and
Religious Studies, Emmanuel College, Boston
May 3: Margaret Guider, O.S.F., Associate Professor of Religion and Theology,
Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge
May 10 (2nd anniversary meeting of Winchester VOTF): Kathleen McChesney,
Ph.D., Executive Director of the Office of Child & Youth Protection of the U.S. Conference of Bishops, and Jim Post, President of VOTF.

VOTF Springfield/Northampton, MA
Submitted by Joan Smola

On the eve of the Installation of Bishop Timothy A McDonnell as Bishop of Springfield, MA, there are signs of hope. Voice of the Faithful moderator, Joan Smola will be attending the installation as an invited guest of the Diocese along with alternate moderator, MaryAnn Lord. Survivors have also been invited. Outside the church, the local VOTF affiliate and SNAP will hold silent vigil for victims/survivors. Our Diocesan Victims Advocate, Laura Reilly, has informed us that because of expected inclement weather, she is working on getting a tent set up for those participating in the vigil, as well as extending an invitation for them to go into the Diocesan Pastoral Center for cookies and coffee!

There are other positive signs that the diocese is open to working with Voice of the Faithful in a more proactive way than was previously experienced. Although Bishop McDonnell has declined an invitation to attend the next VOTF meeting on April 13 because of a previously scheduled Confirmation, he has informed VOTF that he wants to meet with them as soon as his schedule allows. Our Diocesan newspaper the Catholic Observer has accepted our ad, which welcomes the new Bishop, explains the mission and goals of VOTF, and refers readers to the Web Site urging them to sign the petition.

A "Fund for Healing and Hope" is being established by the diocese for use by victims of clergy sexual abuse who are in financial need. The fund will be administered at least partly by families of victims. Many people have been angered by a previously established fund that had collected nearly $100,000 from private donors to assist abusers who have been dismissed from ministry.

We hold out hope that in a diocese so seriously wounded by the abuse crisis, especially by the allegations of sexual abuse against its bishop and his sudden departure, that victims will be given priority and that VOTF and the laity will all be given a voice.

VOTF Seacoast, MA
Submitted by Jack Lutts (Quincy, MA) on Father Tom Doyle's Talk at St. Albert the Great on March 21, 2004.

The talk was jointly sponsored by the Mayflower and Norwood VOTF affiliates. There were about 350 in attendance.

His message: He started by indicating that the institutional Church is in deep trouble in its way of doing business. The root of the trouble is less in the rampant sexual abuse found among the clergy as it is in its clerical culture dedicated to the preservation of a power structure in the name of preserving the faith. The sexual abuse crisis has made this state of things painfully obvious. The good that can come from this shameful state of affairs is that it has shown the power of the laity. Left to the clergy, nothing would have been really done about the scandal. It would have continued to be covered up "for the good of the church." Instead, thanks to the publicity of the press and the persistence of lawyers for the victims, the whole shameful mess is being revealed and lay people are coming to realize that they must grow up in their personal spirituality and that the Spirit of God speaks through all of us and not just the hierarchy.

He indicated that these developments in the scandal caused a true crisis in his own Catholic life. He was very grateful for VOTF coming into existence. Here he saw real faith and hope and a group brave enough to think as Catholic adults. He declared our existence a threat to the preservation of clerical power. He declared that the clericalism of the Church's mode of government is a disease, born of a misguided belief in the superiority of the clerical state.

There is a collision course involved between monarchical clericalism and the realities of today. But the enemy of any reform lies in apathy and fear. We need to realize that we are not here to preserve the hierarchy. They are have failed us badly as leaders and have forgotten that they are here to serve the People of God, of which we are an important part. We are called to be followers of Christ and not a collar [i.e., a priest]. We should be striving to make the Church not an institution of rules but a loving home.

Fr. Doyle’s talk received a standing ovation and was followed by a brief question and answer period. VOTF Petitions [from the main webpage] were circulated throughout the audience.

VOTF CENTRAL

VOTF Chicago, Il
Submitted by Terrence O’Connor

On March 11th of last week, five Chicago members of Voice of the Faithful met with Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago. It was in one sense an historical event comprised of the original Parish Affiliates combined with VOTF business and community leaders from each corner of the Archdiocese. It was a meeting of dialogue on the issues of the crisis in our Church.

In a few weeks we plan to share the highlights of our meeting with a written report. This meeting was eight months in the planning and when it was over an hour and a half later, we all prayed together that with God’s help, we are able to heal the many victims of this tragedy.

On behalf of the five members of the Chicagoland-VOTF Dialogue group, we thank our members for the encouragement to proceed with a plan of consensus from across the Archdiocese. The letters and e-mails kept us focused and on track. We also thank all the priests of integrity and survivors who came forward and asked how they might help, and our friends in Arlington Heights, Chicago, Evanston, Inverness, Libertyville, Naperville, Oak Park, Palatine, Winnetka, and Zion who supported the plan as advisors and consultants. We are grateful also to Cardinal George for welcoming us as we shared our thoughts, concerns and recommendations in a very straight-forward manner. We will forward the report from our meeting, “The Dynamics in Chicago”, as soon as possible.

VOTF SOUTH

VOTF Louisville, KY
Submitted by Paula Radmacher

The Archdiocese of Louisville, the first diocese west of the Allegheny Mountains, stretches through central Kentucky from the banks of the Ohio to the Tennessee border, serving almost 200,000 Catholics in 12 regions. According to the data included in the John Jay Report, sex abuse in the Archdiocese involved an estimated 40 priests and 278 victims. Prior to 2002, the Archdiocese expended approximately $820,000 in settlements related to 30 priests and 215 victims. In 2003, the Archdiocese paid out $25.7 million to settle additional lawsuits. One more lawsuit is pending.

The Louisville affiliate of VOTF came together in early 2002, thanks to the hospitality of the priests of the Passionist Monastery in our town who offered us a place to gather (the “Barn”) when our diocesan priests were unsure what to do with us. Later, our Goal 2 team decided to attempt a series of dialogues with our “priests of integrity.” All priests of the diocese were invited on three separate occasions to join us at the Barn. Eventually, a total of 19 priests participated, with only one priest coming to the inaugural session. The dialogues were all successful, in that they were open and mutually respectful. Several priests commented on the fullness of their schedules, and how hard it is to add another meeting, even an important one like this. Others mentioned that it was even more difficult for clergy who live outside Louisville because of added travel time. They suggested that we pursue appearances at their monthly Regional Council meetings, so we did.

The Archdiocese is divided geographically into twelve Regions, five of which are based in rural communities. Each region has a Regional Council, composed of all the priests, deacons and lay Pastoral Administrators in that area. Their task is to plan for the needs of their specific region and to try to develop cooperation between parishes. In February, we sent letters to all the Regional representatives and alternates, asking to be invited to an upcoming meeting for dialogue. On March 22, four of us drove thirty or so miles to St. Brigid Church in Vine Grove (in Region 10) where we enjoyed a prepared lunch with eight priests and three Deacons before settling in for about an hour of dialogue. The discussion was honest, spirited and, again, mutually respectful – a good experience for all of us. We now have invitations to come to three other Regional meetings during April. Two more invitations are pending and likely to happen. If all of these invitations come to pass, we will have visited half of the regions in a matter of three to four months.

We are encouraged that the councils are opening their doors to us to come and tell our story of VOTF-Louisville, to share our anguish as friends and family of victims, our anger as the faithful who feel betrayed, and to let them know we want to be part of the restoration of our Church. We may not always see eye to eye with them, but at least we are talking.

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