Working Group News
Priests’ Support Working Group applauds Boston
College Gasson Professor Jim Keenan’s talk “The Ethical
Rights of Priests.” PSWG member Pat McNulty says, “Priests
have been speaking out in the past three years, some
as individuals and some in groups protesting hierarchical
actions. Catholic moral theologian James Keenan S.J.
poses the question: Do priests have a right to do this?
His answers to some troubling questions have been addressed
in this clearly written, enlightening essay. For more
on this paper, please email pthorp.ed@votf.org.
Survivor Community News includes a new resource
to survivor-related news – Steve Sheehan tracks e-news
items daily. To join the distribution list, call Suzanne
Morse at VOTF 617-558-5252.
Parish Voice Report
MANY Hands, MANY Hearts Update “As a person with
many years of organizing and direct action experience,
I must say that, when I was invited to get involved,
I was very skeptical. I asked myself, ‘What would I
learn that I don’t already know? Why should I spend
my valuable time on this?’ Well, I learned a great deal
and I’ve become motivated to spend a lot of time working
with others to bring this organizing vision into reality.
I think it has the potential to do more than anything
else we’ve done so far to achieve VOTF’s goals.” Dick
Taylor, Greater Philadelphia Affiliate
MANY Hands, MANY Hearts is a national grassroots initiative
within VOTF aimed at creating real change in the Church
through direct action organizing. To date, nearly 70
leaders have been intensively trained, and 200 members
have been engaged in building the foundation for the
actions that will be occurring this spring.
Since the organizing training in Boston in September,
26 affiliates across the country have been engaged in
1:1 campaigns. These 1:1 conversations are helping us
to identify local and regional areas of concern around
which VOTF should take action. At the same time, those
issues are being pooled and submitted to the National
Office so that potential areas for national focus can
be identified for the July National VOTF gathering and
beyond. The 1:1’s are also helping us to uncover new
leaders, as well as the resources of current members
that will help us to achieve change.
To follow up on the work of these 1:1 campaigns, as
well as to start to build regional unity and a common
sense of purpose, affiliates in specific areas will
gather together throughout January and February in regional
summits. Together they will process their key learning,
successes and challenges with the 1:1 campaigns and
will obtain training about how to move forward in grassroots
organizing and action.
Beginning in February and running through May, these
affiliates, functioning independently and collectively,
will be embarking upon action campaigns to make concrete
changes in the Church.
For more information on the MANY Hands, MANY Hearts
initiative, please contact Aimee Carevich at 617-558-5252
or aimee@jetesh.com.
Leadership Change
Cathy Bern has stepped down as the Regional Coordinator
for VOTF in Albany. We are grateful for the work she
did in bringing the message of VOTF to Albany and hope
that she will continue to be a supporter of the movement.
We are pleased to announce that Sheila Peiffer has
agreed to take on the role of Regional Coordinator in
Albany. Sheila has been involved as an active member
of Voice of the Faithful from the early days of our
formation. Prior to moving to Albany, Sheila and her
family resided in Southampton, NY, where Sheila was
a director of Religious Education for 6 years. She holds
a Master’s degree in Theology and a Certificate in Pastoral
Ministry from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception
in Huntington, NY. When the crisis broke, Sheila played
a major role in the growth of VOTF in the Diocese of
Rockville Center, NY where she was a Regional Coordinator
and Co-Director of VOTF-LI. Sheila is currently employed
as Campus Minister of the Academy of the Holy Names.
Other Developments
Around the nation, there is growing focus on Church
finances– from parish to diocesan levels. While
the dioceses of Spokane, Washington; Portland, Oregon;
and Tucson, Arizona have filed for protection from creditors
under Chapter 11 of the US bankruptcy code, parish finances
are coming under closer scrutiny by laity. One Catholic
Voice for Action, a South Florida laity group, has recently
begun studying the financial books of the Archdiocese
of Miami. What growing lay interest and activity underscores
is that more and more Catholics are moving toward greater
responsibility for our Church. Readers can track national
coverage through any web browser – use Roman Catholic
Church Finances in your subject line.
There is an excellent Reuters
article on this subject and one from Newhouse
News Service.
Interesting development in Minneapolis-St. Paul where
Archbishop Harry Flynn has banned the Legionaries
of Christ from working in the archdiocese and prohibited
its associated lay movement Regnum Christi from using
archdiocesan property or parishes for its activities.
The Legionaries are also banned in the Columbus, Ohio
diocese. For more of this story, click
here.
VOTF Representative Council minutes are available
until they are posted on the web site by contacting
Gaile Pohlhaus at gaile.pohlhaus@villanova.edu
- At
the December Council meeting in Greenwich, CT, Joe
O’Callaghan, former professor of Medieval History
at Fordham University, delivered an enthusiastically
received paper on “Counsel and Consent as Christian
Virtues: Five Proposals for Structural Change in the
Catholic Church.” It is available on the Bridgeport,
CT web
site. Joe is happy to continue the conversation;
he can be contacted at clonmeen@optonline.net.
- The
next Representative Council meeting will be held
at Our Lady Help of Christians, Newton, MA on Saturday
January 15, 2005, 10 am.
- Questions
about Council but didn’t know who to ask? In the
interest of national communication as we work on restructuring
the Council, a message has been sent out on all lists
by the Representative Council Steering Committee that
one of the steering committee members will be available
to address members’ questions at the VOTF national
office on Tuesdays from 3-5 pm. Call 1-617-558-5252
and ask for Anne Southwood.
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.
Voice
of the Faithful is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt organization.
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