Affiliate News

VOTF International

VOTF SaanichPeninsula Parish in British Columbia, Canada
Submitted by MaryAnne Gervais

VOTF SaanichPeninsula Parish in British Columbia, Canada moves into its second year of operation. We have a registration of 40 members, active and passive, but all are supporting members.

Our meetings have been very interesting with many guest speakers and a series of videos followed by discussion.

Recently we were able to share an evening with Ted Schmidt, editor of the Catholic New Times an independent and prophetic Catholic paper out of Toronto, Canada. Ted is a very forward thinking Catholic who has interviewed most of the leaders in the Catholic Church of Canada, so his remembrances were informative. Ted published an article on VOTF in Canada in the October 10th issue, which was submitted by yours truly. One of the major points in the article was directed to the hierarchy in our Diocese.

At a meeting with the future Vicar General, our team was informed that there was no Sexual Misconduct Policy for the diocese. A three-page draft of such was all that we were given. This is most upsetting and so we are now in the process of actively requesting that such a policy be written and enforced.

VOTF Sidney has connected with the three major survivor groups in our region and has offered what assistance we are able to give at this time. This fall we opened our season with a wine and cheese party; it was well attended and a good way to engage with members on an informal basis yet with our VOTF goals interspersed into the conversation. Our parish priest attended and we enjoyed his company.

Today the steering committee met to plan some of the year's events. Next month we will be offering the BBC series "Absolute Truth," which is a look at Catholic Church history since the Vatican II Council.

Wishing you all a great Fall and Winter Season.

VOTF WEST

VOTF East Bay, No. CA
Submitted by Mary Fadhl - this is the text of an award presentation made to a survivor whose work has been an inspiration

Welcome to Voice of the Faithful East Bay. My name is Mary Fadhl and I am a steering committee member.

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy." Who can deny the sexual abuse of children is a tragedy? Sometimes, though, circumstances produce heroes. Terrie Light is one such hero in the Oakland Diocese.

When just a child, a priest abused Terrie. Like every other victim of abuse, it had a profound effect on her life. For much of the journey, Terrie dealt with it alone. But as she began speaking to other survivors, she realized what a widespread problem it was.

In 1993, Terrie went public with her story. At the time she had children in Catholic school. As you might imagine, her experience was largely ignored within our diocese. However, closer to home, she was shunned at the playground causing her and her children more sadness and anger. In spite of this, Terrie continued to speak out to make sure the abuse would never happen to another child. At the time, the priest who abused her was not named and he was still active as a priest.

Terrie was on the original board of SNAP. She answered the help line and offered compassion and support to other survivors. Often, she was the first person an abuse survivor ever spoke to about the pain and betrayal of abuse.

In 1995 Terrie went east with three other survivors to speak to a bishops ad hoc committee. The group was there to tell bishops that abuse was not just a regional problem, but one that existed all over the United States. It was with a sense of discouragement that the group realized only one bishop seemed to feel compassion for their experiences as sexual abuse survivors.

Sr. Barbara Flannery [the victim assistance coordinator in the Oakland diocese; she has served in this position for nine years] became aware of Terrie in 1996. Sister said, "Terrie helped me understand the horrific effect clergy abuse has on children. She has been patient and understanding as she helped the Church."

Terrie, VOTF wishes to publicly thank you for speaking out and protecting all children. We honor your courage and perseverance. Thank you for your contributions. You are a hero.

VOTF CENTRAL

VOTF Dayton, OH
Submitted by Kristine Ward

The Dayton Affiliate continues bearing witness to the clergy sexual abuse scandal by being in the courtroom for the conviction, sentencing and probation review of Archdiocese of Cincinnati priest Thomas Kuhn. Father Kuhn was convicted on one count of public indecency with a minor and 10 counts of providing alcohol to minors. He was sentenced to five years probation to include daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in addition to gambling addiction counseling and sexual abuse counseling. He is forbidden to work in any position which would involve anyone under the age of 21 years. He has also been ordered to write letters of apology to two Dayton parishes where he served as pastor and to a Catholic high school in Cincinnati where he served as principal. The Dayton Affiliate continued to monitor the receipt of the letters of apology and how they will be made known to parishioners, student and former students.

The Dayton Affiliate is working with SNAP national leaders and the Cincinnati/Dayton chapter of SNAP concerning the need for a change in the child protection laws in Ohio.

The Dayton Affiliate encouraged its members to express support for priests of integrity on Priesthood Sunday October 31, a day designated by the National Federation of Priests. The Dayton Affiliate acknowledged in its regular updates to members the actions of local priests that have been supportive of sexual abuse victims and increased lay participation in the Church.

One of the newly appointed members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops National Review Board is from Dayton. Judge Michael R. Merz, a federal magistrate, has accepted the Dayton Affiliate's invitation to attend its November meeting.

VOTF EAST

Gaile Pohlhaus reminder to Maine VOTF - to participate in on-line conversation, please send an email request to VOTFMainemembers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

VOTF Westford/Chelmsford, MA
Submitted by Lauren Franceschi

Our group held our annual election in September and look forward to the inspiration and leadership of our new officers who will serve 1 year terms. They are President, Barbara Tempel; Vice President, Dennis Galvin; Treasurer, Marlene Lobo; Recording Secretary, Cathy Coveyou; Correspondence Secretary, Elaine Sullivan; two at-large representatives, Francine Gagnon and Carole Taylor

After some time off in the summer, we asked members to chair committees that will work on the following tasks in order to support our mission and goals and advance VOTF in the community and Church.

Tables at Annual Holiday Fairs - We will sponsor tables selling homemade crafts and baked goods at the annual St. Mary's Parish fair in Chelmsford. This raises public awareness of VOTF and the many reasons our group exists. Having these tables staffed by members also allows the general public in our small town to see who belongs to VOTF, and gives people the opportunity to ask questions about VOTF. Being present at these fairs also helps VOTF develop into a respected organization and permanent fixture in the churches and communities we represent. All proceeds of sales will be donated to charity.

Annual Conference Volunteers- The annual VOTF regional conference will be held in nearby Worcester in November so we have enlisted volunteers to communicate with the leaders of the conference and offer services from our group. Our members have contacted the Convention Committee and have offered to work at the National Office coordinating ticket distribution; others have offered to work as Registrars and Hosts at the Conference.

Support of Closing Parishes- Members of our group traveled to Weymouth, MA to attend a prayer service in support of those maintaining a round-the-clock vigil at the beloved St. Albert the Great, one of the churches identified for closing. We also have friends in nearby Sudbury facing the same challenges and in need of similar support. We will be visiting them in October and join them at one of their daily prayer services. Weymouth has put out a plea for funds, so our group voted to send $100 to the Weymouth parish to help out with their expenses. We also attended a City Prayer Vigil in Charlestown to support parishioners of another closing parish, St. Catherine of Siena, and their pastor Bob Bowers. We hope to offer support to each parish in the RCAB facing closing as needed.

VOTF Winchester, MA
Submitted by Bob Morris

The Winchester Area VOTF held three meetings in October. The highlight of the month and a highlight of the group's history was a lecture and discussion with John L Allen, Jr., Vatican Correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and CNN/Rome Vatican analyst. About 150 people skipped a Red Sox-Yankees playoff game to attend. While debunking the notion that the Vatican has a unified view on the sexual abuse crisis, or any other topic, Allen discussed several misconceptions held by American Catholics regarding the crisis. Allen also fielded questions on a wide variety of topics, including potential candidates to succeed John Paul II.

Another highlight for our group was a return appearance by Sister Janice Farnham, Professor at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. Before a crowd of about 60 people, Sister Farnham spoke about rebels in the Church's history who were misunderstood, or worse, during their lives, but whose ideas ultimately became widely accepted.

Finally, on October 25, our group discussed and began the "1 on 1 Campaign," launched by the Parish Voice Office. This is an exciting initiative, which will hopefully revitalize affiliates everywhere. Our group will also be launching a regular series of faith-sharing evenings, beginning on November 29.

Looking ahead, we will welcome Professor Jane Regan of Boston College on November 22, discussing adult faith formation, and Fr. Donald Cozzens on Thursday, December 2. All meetings are at St. Eulalia's Church, 50 Ridge Street, Winchester.

SAVE THESE DATES/East Region

• VOTF Affiliates of Maryland, Virginia and Washington sponsor "Are the Wounds Healing?" A Symposium to Assess the Catholic Church's Response to the Sexual Abuse Scandal, Sunday November 14, 1 pm, The National 4-H Conference Center, 7100 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD [(301) 961-2840 or (800) 368-7432 ]

• Speaker: David O'Brien, Loyola Professor of Roman Catholic Studies, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts; Panelists: Barbara Blaine, Founder & President, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP); Reverend Donald B. Cozzens, pastoral theologian, psychologist & author; and Jim Post, President, Voice of the Faithful

  For directions: http://www.4hcenter.org/contactus_directions.html (Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway) exit #33, Connecticut Avenue South towards Chevy Chase) A donation of $10 is requested.
  
  

• The Voice of the Faithful Affiliates of The North Shore, Lynn and Seacoast Areas in Collaboration with Boston College, Department of Theology sponsor A Faith Formation Program for Adult Christians: The Living Christ, and We His Disciples. Francine Cardman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Church History, Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA will speak on "Living Faith II: Lay Spirituality: The Promise of Vatican II" at St. Rose of Lima Church, Topsfield, Sunday, November 14, 2004, 6:30-9:00 pm. Lecture, Discussion and Refreshments

• Tuesday, Nov. 16, the Paulist Center in Boston is hosting a presentation on Marriage in the 21st Century by Ed Vacek, S.J., 7-9:30 pm. Paulist Center Web site has directions.

• Voice of the Faithful, West Suburban Parish Voice - What Deacons DO and DON'T - Thursday, Nov.18, 7-9 pm, Philbin Hall, St. John's School, Wellesley. Contact Julie and Frank McConville at jfmcconville@comcast.net

• Stephen Pope of Boston College, author of the recent collection of essays titled Common Calling: The Laity and Governance of the Catholic Church will be speaking at a VITF Parkway meeting, Monday, Nov. 29, at St. John Chrysostom Church, West Roxbury, 7:30 pm. All are welcome.

VOTF South

VOTF Louisville, KY
Submitted by regional coordinator Vince Grenough

Several months ago, the Goal #2 team of the Louisville affiliate wrote letters to the priest-chairmen of each Regional Council in our archdiocese. In the letter, we requested that four representatives of Voice of the Faithful be given time on the agenda at an upcoming monthly meeting. There are twelve Regional Councils in the Louisville archdiocese. At this point we have been invited and have dialogued with seven of these groups and have an invitation to come to the eighth group next week. We expect to be invited to the remaining groups in the near future after we make follow-up contacts.

In each case, we were told ahead of time that 30 or 40 minutes was allotted on their agenda for our presentation. But, in each case so far, once we got started each group allowed us to use the entire hour and a half of their meeting time AND invited us to join them for lunch (e.g., one time it was delicious home-made bean soup and cornbread by one of the priests) in the same location.

At almost every meeting there were some hard questions about VOTF, but each meeting ended cordially. Our primary purpose in meeting with them, we said, was to show our support for them, but we also have challenged them to refer parishioners to VOTF and to use us as a resource for their ministries.

We learned, often ahead of time, that certain priests would not come to the meeting specifically because we had been invited. So we began sending letters to each pastor in the Region a week earlier, including a personal invitation and also Voice of the Faithful literature.

No great miracles have come from this effort so far, but seeds are being planted. Some will grow when the time is right.

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