News from National

Your response needed!
Members participating in Voices in Action have been extremely busy and they are getting ready to roll out even more activities. But we need to know what you think! Your responses to a few short questions will help us as we go forward. Please help out. Here is the link for the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/326L8ZZ.

Media guide available for affiliates
The VOTF national Public Relations Director, Jessica Lillie, has developed a media guide for VOTF affiliates. The guide is designed to help affiliates gain local media coverage. If you are an affiliate leader or a media liaison for your affiliate and would like a copy of the guide, send an email to Jessica at votfpr@votf.org.

Win a trip for 2 to Ireland!
Do you have the luck of the Irish?  Join in on Voice of the Faithful's own version of March madness!  Anyone who donates $50 ($100 is 2 entries, $150 is 3 entries and so on) during the month of March will have an opportunity to win a gift certificate to Sceptre Tours.  The certificate is good on any of trips available at Sceptre Tours, a European vacation provider specializing in trips to Ireland.  Most of the packages include flight, accommodations and transportation. Click here to donate.  Click here for further details. Slainte!

Reflection for the Third Week
of Lent

By Gaile M. Polhaus, PhD

Reading II: 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
that our ancestors were all under the cloud
and all passed through the sea,
and all of them were baptized into Moses
in the cloud and in the sea.
All ate the same spiritual food,
and all drank the same spiritual drink,
for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them,
and the rock was the Christ.

And this is as true today for the Church, the Body of Christ, as it was for God's chosen People.

Yet God was not pleased with most of them,
for they were struck down in the desert.

These things happened as examples for us,
so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.
Do not grumble as some of them did,
and suffered death by the destroyer.

Do not grumble because things appear to move so slowly; remember the people wandered for a long time and grumbling slowed them down.

These things happened to them as an example,
and they have been written down as a warning to us,
upon whom the end of the ages has come.
Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure
should take care not to fall.

None of us stand secure alone.  We only stand secure on the rock of Christ together.

VOTF Ireland

The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference and the spiritual impact of clerical sexual abuse
Sean O’Conaill, VOTF Ireland’s acting director, sent the following letter to the secretary of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference:

Dear Sir,

"Those who have been sexually assaulted by Catholic clergy or religious have experienced spiritual trauma as well as emotional and psychological trauma. The impact on the soul is often subtle and grows more painful and debilitating as time passes."  

These words of Thomas Doyle O.P. have been borne out by the experiences of members of this organization.  Anxious to determine what expertise exists in the church in Ireland in dealing with this spiritual trauma we hope that the ICBC can help us do that. Can you therefore tell us specifically:

Has the ICBC sponsored any research into the spiritual trauma caused by clerical sexual abuse, either to children or to adults, and if so, with what published results?

Has the ICBC sought in any other way an understanding of this issue, e.g. by consulting with survivors of clerical sexual abuse or with specialists in Ireland or abroad?

Has the ICBC, or any individual bishop, sought to develop among Catholic clergy or lay people in Ireland an expertise in dealing with this trauma?  If so, what exactly has it done in this regard?

Is there a specific agency of the ICBC that has been tasked with this responsibility?

We are already aware of the organization 'Faoiseamh', but as it seems to be sponsoring forms of counseling that need not deal specifically with spiritual trauma (i.e. a traumatic upset in the survivor's relationship with God) we wonder if this can be the limit of the ICBC's response to the spiritual trauma caused by clerical sexual abuse.

As these questions are important in determining the full story of the ICBC's response to the totality of harm that has been done by clerical sexual abuse - both to victims and to the Church - we hope you can address them promptly.

Yours faithfully,
Sean O'Conaill 
(Acting Coordinator)

Help Wanted: National Development Coordinator

Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), a Catholic Church reform organization with more than 35,000 supporters worldwide, seeks a Development Coordinator to oversee the fund raising activities of its Voices in Action Campaign. Voices in Action is a campaign for bringing about meaningful Catholic Church reform on the local, regional, national and international levels. Sources of potential contributions include significant individual supporters, grants, and other charitable organizations as well as VOTF’s large network of individuals and affiliates.

Qualified candidates must have proven interpersonal, written and verbal abilities; at least four years experience in development; a demonstrated track record of achieving revenue targets by prospecting, cultivating and managing donors; a high-energy, positive, “can-do” attitude; a high degree of initiative; strong computer skills and knowledge/skill using database programs; and the ability to multi-task effectively and efficiently. Presence on-site is preferred but not required for this part-time (20 hours per week) consulting position, which has performance potential for growth into a full-time staff position.

To apply, send an introductory letter, resume, and at least two samples of successful campaigns to dbdoucette@votf.org. Also send the introductory letter by mail to D.B. Doucette, P.O. Box 423, Newton MA 02464.

Site Seeing

German scandal seems familiar
http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/
scandal-takes-familiar-trajectory-germany

Lessons for the Pope?
http://www.uscatholic.org/blog/2010/03/
what-pope-should-learn-sex-abuse-scandals-his-home-country

Catholic attack groups endangering the Church?
http://ncronline.org/news/politics/
indecent-unchristian-witch-hunt

Listening Assemblies

STRUCTURAL CHANGE: A LISTENING ASSEMBLY
In this time of crisis in the Church, we gather this fall to discern the common sense, the "sensus fidelium", of the people of God in our world today. This is one of several grassroots listening sessions being held in preparation for the first national meeting of the American Catholic Council in June of 2011. In these assemblies, we come together to discuss the current state and future of the Roman Catholic Church. Bring your experiences, both positive and negative, and share with the community your hopes for the future.

A listening assembly will be held October 2, 2010, at St. Joseph Shrine, Sterling NJ. The time and additional details will be available shortly. Since we have little access to the people in the pews, we ask that you make this event known to your friends via e-mail, phone and word of mouth. Please go to the web site of the American Catholic Council about this important initiative, which is cosponsored by various individuals and reform groups across the country.

If you are holding a listening session in your area and would like to publicize it, please send it to Vineyard@votf.org.

Unfulfilled Promises of Vatican II- Part III (an editorial)
By Edward M. Thompson

In the last two segments of "The Unfulfilled Promises of Vatican II," I argued that the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI were largely responsible for a purposeful retrenchment of the institutional church in opposition to the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. Good Pope John's refreshing quip of opening the windows of the church to let in some air has been replaced by a cynical closing of this window (of opportunity) and an about-face in regard to expanding local control of bishops, priests and laity.

Question # 1: Would the church have had the horrific sex-abuse scandal, first uncovered in 1984 in a Louisiana diocese and then in Boston by the Globe in 2002, if local control existed over the selection of bishops? Some may consider this question naive given the reality of the present- day monarchical church. However, it may be instructional to fantasize about such a church where true local control of parishes and dioceses was the policy. The bishop would be selected from among the priests of the diocese. The new bishop would be familiar with the needs of the local church and would be able to foster trust and confidence among the people. This idyllic Church would be devoted to simply bringing Christ's Peace to all people without the clericalism and triumphalism we've witnessed over the past 45 years.

Continued
http://votf.org/vineyard/March11_2010/promises.html

Calendar

Voice of the Faithful in CT to Screen “Vows of Silence” Film on Legionaries of Christ

The film “Vows of Silence,” concerning the Legionaries of Christ, will be shown on Thursday March 11 by Voice of the Faithful at the First Congregational Church on the Green in Norwalk at 7:30 P.M. Everyone is invited to attend.

For more information click here

Fairfield University Center for Catholic Studies and VOTF Bridgeport
Present:  The Discipleship of Equals

Saturday March 27, 2010
Oak Room, Campus Center
Fairfield University
“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:37-38
For more information and to register, please go to  http://www.votfbpt.org/The_Discipleship_of_Equals.pdf

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