NATIONAL NEWS

USCCB November 11-14 meeting, Washington, DC.Voice of the Faithful will again bear witness in Washington, DC at (outside) the US bishops' bi-annual meeting. Communications manager Suzanne Morse will join VOTF vice president Kris Ward alongside SNAP and other advocacy groups to help ensure that the voices of survivors and laity are heard. Key issues of concern include plans for the bishops' review of the Charter for Protection of Children and Young People; the need for episcopal accountability; and the direct and indirect effects of diocesan bankruptcies and reorganizations. Please watch the VOTF web site for coverage. You can also view topics included on the bishops' agenda by visiting http://www.usccb.org/comm/finaladvisory.htm;

ELECTIONS Update - The VOTF election season is at hand. Nominations have been solicited from all registered members; the Nominations Committee has interviewed the nominees to learn of their interest, ability, and readiness to serve in an elected national leadership position. The names of those who have accepted nominations will be posted shortly, as well as the voting deadline.

Elections will be held to fill four positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Balloting will be by electronic and paper ballot. The electronic ballots are much less expensive than paper mail ballots, so please be sure to register on the website if possible.

It is expected that all voting will take place in early December; results will be announced before Christmas.

The one-year term for elected officers begins January 1, 2005.

PARISH VOICE - A Note to Affiliate Leaders and Regional Coordinators from National Parish Voice:

A suggestion comes from Wayne Koch of Richmond, Virginia. Wayne's affiliate has bought copies of the Jim Muller and Charles Kenney book Keep the Faith, Change the Church for their local community library as well as for their parish library. The book can be ordered from the VOTF homepage: www.votf.org. Keep the Faith, Change the Church communicates well who we really are as a movement and has already brought Catholics to VOTF who had previously been skeptical. Let's make the book as widely available as possible!

We have three new affiliates! VOTF Union County, NJ (diocese of Newark); VOTF Metuchen Diocese at St. Matthias (NJ); VOTF Charlotte (North Carolina). That puts us at 214 affiliates total, in 74 U.S. dioceses and two Canadian dioceses. Welcome all!

Our MA-NY Hands, MA-NY Hearts leadership and organizing training has been launched in the PA/MD/VA/DC area. Our professional organizer, Aimee Carevich, is happy to report that there is now a team of thirteen people there with whom she will work over the next few months, as she did this past summer with leaders from MA/CT/NY. We look forward to continued good news from PA/MD/VA/DC. Comments from affiliate members elsewhere who have started the program have included: "It gave us direction!" "Excitement is building!" "We now have the knowledge we've been missing." "We have a 'To Do' list and a timeframe now." Onward and upward!

THE PARISH VOICE CONNECTION
A new yahoo group site has been set up to focus on financial accountability issues in the Catholic Church. These issues include parish closings, diocesan bankruptcies, church ownership, and financial transparency and accountability at all levels of the Church.

It is important to understand, however, that this site is not a spin-off of Voice of the Faithful or the Structural Change Network. This is an unmonitored site, but our members should chime in. While not coming under the auspices of Voice of the Faithful, the ideas formulated could be a great resource, as these are important issues that we are all facing.

To subscribe, send a message to: financial_accountability-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

2005 VOTF National Convention News

Plans are moving ahead for our 2005 National Convention on July 9-10, 2005 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Volunteers are sought (from all corners of VOTF) to serve on a wide range of Convention Planning Committees including: Program Development (prayer, speakers, breakout sessions, liturgy, and outreach); Promotion/Publicity/Tickets & Communication; Operations (logistics, signage, etc.); Finance (budget, registration, etc.); and Technology. The specific time commitment for each committee will vary, but all will require frequent emailing and regular conference calls. Throughout the convention planning process, additional volunteers will be sought for specific tasks. All VOTF members who are willing to donate their time and talent to planning this wonderful undertaking are urged to contact Ann Carroll (anncarrollvotf@yahoo.com). Monthly updates will appear in each issue of In the Vineyard, so stay tuned!

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.