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AFFILIATE
Highlight: Congratulations
VOTF Winchester MA!
The Winchester Area Voice of the Faithful began meeting
on May 13, 2002 at St. Eulalia parish in Winchester,
Massachusetts. With the exception of holidays, the
group has been meeting weekly on Monday nights since
then, and on May 14, 2007, celebrated its 5th anniversary
of weekly meetings. In that time, the group has, among
other things, raised nearly $10,000 to benefit survivors;
met 3 times thus far with our regional bishop; hosted
dinners and other events for area priests; conducted
frequent prayer services; held regular small group
faith sharing meetings; and welcomed numerous guest
speakers, including several from outside the Boston
area.
The real significance of the group, however, can be
found in the following comments from several members
on the occasion of the group’s 5th anniversary.
Bob Morris,
Winchester Area VOTF
Marie Doyle: In a very dark period in the life of
our Church, VOTF has been a source of hope for me.
It has given me an experience of a loving community
deeply committed to something far larger than itself.
As we sought the ways to care for the victims of sexual
abuse and for priests in ministry, we came of age as
adult Catholics and are taking our responsibility in
seeking the changes needed for the healing of the Church.
Through VOTF God has given us a joyful light in the
terrible darkness.
Joan Cote: What has meant the most to me....Meeting
and enjoying the company of faith -filled Catholics...being
in the company of people who have great compassion
for the survivors of sexual abuse....being part of
a group that asks the survivors of sexual abuse "How
can we help you heal?” and being in a group who
rely on prayers and action to help the survivors.
Clare Keane: The words of many people fill my thoughts
as we begin our 5th year as an active VOTF Affiliate.
Fr. Cuenin’s Italian – piango, prego, spero-
expresses things well. We came into VOTF on a wave
of tears and anger; we prayed for survivors, for faithful
priests, for our church, and for ourselves; we found
a committed community and reason to hope. We are less
naïve than we were five years ago when we hoped
to change the hearts and minds of the hierarchy. But
we ourselves have changed – we have learned to
listen, to pay attention, to empathize, and to prioritize
our activities, which has kept us here returning week
after week, because it is the most valuable thing we
can do…
Alice Wadden: The true blessing of the Winchester
Area VOTF has been to be part of an amazing faith community.
The crisis in 2002 was like the tip of an iceberg.
The church in the Archdiocese of Boston is in much
better condition five years later than it was in 2002,
but the struggle continues. We must never go back to
expecting that the hierarchy will lead the laity as
in the past. Transparency and sharing of the governance
of the archdiocese is necessary. One specific area
that we need to address is the generational divide – will
our children and grandchildren be part of the Roman
Catholic Church? We must continue to educate ourselves
to be disciples of Christ and active, vigilant members
of the Church.
Anne O’Connor: What has meant the most to me
in the Winchester area VOTF is that I believe my attendance
at the meetings is one minute step toward changing
the church. Thanks to Bob Morris we have had inspiring
meetings over the past five years, e.g., the recent
tribute in memory of Rev. Bob Bullock.
Eva Arnott: What has meant the most to me in the Winchester
VOTF is the opportunity to regularly come together
with a community of people who accept the teachings
of the Church as the distilled wisdom of many inspired
people over almost 2000 years and from many diverse
cultures. At the same time, VOTF members have worked
to have input from trained lay people in improving
the efficiency and human resource management of the
church as an institution run by fallible human beings.
The challenge continues to be the need to separate
that which is basic and should be decided by people
from all over the world who come together for decision-making
in Rome, and that which is a question of managerial
competence where an MBA is more useful than a MDiv.
 Louise Aleo: I was never out-of-love with my Church – but….
Like many families, we members may irritate each other
on occasion. Often we just shrug our shoulders, grumble
a bit and try to tolerate annoyances… We are
family. Until, suddenly! We are stunned by a grievance
so horrible…Five years ago on a Monday evening
at a church in Wellesley, our family decided to make
some changes. We took a name that signaled our intent.
No longer quietly tolerant, we were Voice of the Faithful,
a voice that our hierarchy had not heard in centuries.
This Voice demanded Change! But, the change had to
come from us, the laity, first. What changes have I
seen in our five years together?
The most important change has been the gathering
of laity in prayerful open discussions of the troubles
of our Church. Along with the echo of our voices
came those wonderful priests who had the courage
to come out to conference with us adding their voices
to ours.
Together, we forced the exposure of those criminals
who hid themselves among our priests and of those
who protected them. And slowly, we are achieving
the release of financial records.
We are still working toward our goal to shape structural
change in our Church… a change that encourages
the type of communication between the hierarchy and
laity that should be a normal function of a stable
family; a change that invites lay participation and
inclusion in non-doctrinal decisions, sharing our
talents and helping to find solutions to ensure a
healthy Christian community. But I have noticed that
change is creeping in …slowly … after
all this is the Catholic Church.
John Gray: The formation, and continued existence of
Winchester's VOTF, has provided a positive outlet
for expressing deep disappointments and frustrations
over our recent church scandals. It has also given
opportunities for involvement by those who seek to
address some of the issues that appear to have been
inadequately dealt with by higher church authorities.
The group has also provided numerous wonderful speakers
on a wide range of topics of interest to a laity
that wishes to become better informed about their
faith and their church.
Millie Feloney: God is good. How fortunate I feel.
St. Eulalia’s welcomed me here to heal. I’m
from Cambridge, a place of promise, But we couldn’t
find another Bob Morris.
Bill Murphy: I was raised in a church and in a family
where denial was a major fact of life and an important
technique for dealing with life. I really appreciate
VOTF as a group of committed catholic Christians who
create an environment where we are all affirmed in
our honest faith struggles, supported as we grapple
as a community with them, and trust that the Spirit
will guide us through them - although we may not know
the way. It feels good to come on Monday nights, because
there is less dissonance or disconnect between my real
life and my faith life, and. for that I am very grateful
to our VOTF group.
Jan Dolan: What has meant the most to me in the Winchester
Area VOTF is the camaraderie with the other members,
many of whom I did not know and which for me has developed
and flourished. It has provided me an opportunity to
think more completely about our church, particularly
its structure, and an opportunity to truly appreciate
how very vital the church with all its perceived faults
is to me. These 5 years have given me hope and, yes,
frustrations. When I begin to ponder why we are spending
these many hours on issues that seem to be moving slowly
or not moving at all, I am reminded of an article in
NCR, perhaps a year ago. The gist of it was: history
will show that just as a pebble gains momentum as it
rolls down a hill, Voice of the Faithful started slowly,
but in time shook the foundation of the Church.
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