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A Good Day with SNAP
SNAP’s national convention was held last weekend
in Jersey City, NJ. VOTF president Mary Pat Fox addressed
the gathering on Saturday. The text of her talk is on
the VOTF website. What follows is Mary Pat’s assessment
of her day with SNAP.
SNAP Conference Recap
Of the 300 persons at the SNAP national convention held
in Jersey City, New Jersey this past weekend, over 50
were members of Voice of the Faithful.
The main speakers included: Jason Berry, Marci Hamilton,
Bishop Tom Gumbleton, Tom Doyle, and Richard Sipes. The
discussion picked up by the press was that of Bishop
Gumbleton because a few members questioned his culpability
as a bishop in knowing what had gone on and not telling
anyone. Bishop Gumbleton, in his response to the questions
posed from the floor and later Tom Doyle, in his address,
explained how one could be in the midst of a problem
like this and not be “in the know.” Bishop
Gumbleton talked about how the positions he held were
not in administrative jobs where he would have known
about priests’ assignments or their discipline.
According to Tom, once they figure out what you will
not stand for, you get “frozen out.” It caused
me to remember times when I was not “in the know." It
was usually when people were doing something unethical
or a bit shady and knew I would not approve, condone
or be a part of it. That is how you keep a secret quiet – you
only let those in who will be incriminated along with
you. They then have “skin in the game” and
risk themselves along with you if they talk. I found
Bishop Gumbleton to be a humble man trying to help support
a cause that he believes is working for justice - SNAP.
I was honored to give a short
speech in
the main tent. In addition SNAP provided us with a room
for a breakout session called “VOTF Caucus.” We
had 30 VOTF members attend including Barbara Blaine,
National Director of SNAP, and VOTF members from NY,
Chicago, IL; New Jersey; Minnesota; Arizona; Boston,
MA; and Philadelphia, PA. Everyone shared the work they
are doing on the Campaigns for Accountability. It was
great to hear that so many are doing so much in this
regard; we are improving statutes of limitations in many
states and financial accountability in dioceses – a
step at a time. VOTF members are making things happen.
We also had a few prospective members join the group
because they were interested in the campaigns.
Being in the company of so many brave people was a humbling
experience and a privilege. It also re-inspired me in
the work we share. We learned a lot about each other – that
always makes for a very good day.
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