Parish Voice and Affiliate Updates

From the Parish Voice office

Voice of the Faithful learned recently of SNAP’s award to VOTFer Jim Alvord of Bridgeport, CT VOTF. At SNAP’s mid-Atlantic regional conference, Jim was awarded the Survivor’s Lifeline Award. Mary Ann Keyes, national chair of Parish Voice, made the following announcement:

The Parish Voice team asks all of our members to join us in congratulating Jim Alvord, the Regional Coordinator from the Diocese of Bridgeport, on the occasion of his being recognized for the support he has given to survivors of sexual abuse. The Survivors Lifeline Award was presented to Jim by SNAP at its mid-Atlantic Regional conference on Saturday September 25th at Norwalk Community College.

Jim came to Voice of the Faithful early on. He, Joe O’Callaghan and others began talking about starting an affiliate in June of 2002. Jim attended the National Conference in Boston in July and upon returning to his parish in the Diocese of Bridgeport, he joined other supporters to form a Parish Voice affiliate at St Jerome’s in Norwalk. They had the support of their pastor, but the day after the notice of their first meeting appeared in the bulletin, a parishioner called the chancery in Boston to ask if Cardinal Law approved of Voice of the Faithful. Imagine that!! On August 12, 2002, Jim and the other leaders in his affiliate met with the pastor and two of Bishop Lori’s representatives. They were told they were good people, but could not meet on church property if they were associated with Voice of the Faithful in Boston. Since then, that diocesan affiliate has met in the First Congregational Church on the Green in Norwalk.

Despite the ban in the Diocese of Bridgeport, Jim has continued to work tirelessly to bring Voice of the Faithful to many in Connecticut. Most recently he was part of a team with others from NY and MA who are offering training to others in grassroots organizing. Several of the CT group were in Boston two weeks ago for a day of training. Joe O’Callaghan, leader of VOTF in the Diocese of Bridgeport until recently, said of Jim: “He has been a tireless leader and he always reminds us of our first goal. Jim has reached out to a number of survivors and has supported many through all of their struggles. He was involved in helping SNAP get started in CT and has always encouraged members to donate to SNAP.”

We are proud of all that Jim has done in his very public support for survivors and we congratulate him on this wonderful recognition by SNAP!

MORE from Parish Voice:

• In an effort to better support our Affiliates, the Parish Voice National Team has reorganized. Mary Ann Keyes will be the contact for the Central and East regions, Suzy Nauman is the contact person for the South and Alice Campanella is the contact for the West. If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to get in touch with the contact person for your region. Keep the faith, change the Church.
  Alice Campanella a.campanella@verizon.net; acampanella@votf.org
  Mary Ann Keyes makeyes@votf.org; makmad@comcast.net
  Suzy Nauman snauman@votf.org; snuz24@yahoo.com
• On Sept. 11, 2004 the MA-NY Hands, MA-NY Hearts Leadership Development Team held a day-long training in grassroots community organizing for fifty VOTF leaders at St. John’s in Wellesley, MA , birthplace of VOTF. Most attendees were from MA and NY, and one third were leaders from across the U.S., including four from CA and one from WA. The collective energy and enthusiasm from those gathered was wonderfully invigorating. What a thrill it was to spend time with so many members we had previously only met via email or telephone! This was the first of what we hope will be many such trainings over the next year. Stay tuned for training opportunities in a U.S. region near you!
• In the month of September we brought on three more affiliates. A hearty welcome to Northern Kentucky Voice of the Faithful (Diocese of Covington), VOTF Venice, FL Area, and from Canada (ta-dah!) VOTF Prince George. This brings us to 211 Parish Voice Affiliates worldwide!!

VOTF EAST

VOTF Winchester, MA VOTF for August and September 2004
Submitted by Bob Morris

The Winchester Area VOTF continued its weekly meetings throughout August and September. Numerous guest speakers discussed a wide array of issues facing our Church. William Gavin of the Gavin Group discussed the ongoing audits of dioceses that he oversees for the Office of Child and Youth Protection of the USCCB. Abuse survivor David K. O’Regan described his painful journey of coming to grips with his abuse over forty years ago. Patricia Hayes, a pastoral associate in rural Vermont, described the significant role she plays in leading several parishes. Two deacons and their wives discussed the role of the diaconate, present and future. James Keenan, S.J., of the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, delivered a paper on the role of the priesthood. Last but by no means least, Marina Wangh performed a one-woman play she wrote regarding the abuse crisis, portraying four persons whom she had interviewed (a survivor, a priest, the parent of a survivor, a therapist).

Our group is also readying for sale its Christmas cards, which raised $4100 for survivors last year. Please visit www.votfwinchester.org to view the cards, and print an order form. Contact Bob Morris at rmorrisvotf@aol.com if you have any questions. Other initiatives, such as a new means of supporting priests, and a faith sharing program, are in the works.

Highlights in the coming weeks include talks by John Allen, Vatican Correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, author and CNN Vatican analyst in Rome (Sunday, October 17, at 7:00 p.m.); abuse survivor Gary Bergeron (author of Don’t Call Me a Victim) (Monday, November 8, 7:30 p.m.); and Fr. Donald Cozzens, author of The Changing Face of the Priesthood (Thursday, December 2, 7:30 p.m.). All meetings are at St. Eulalia’s Church, 50 Ridge Street, Winchester. (Photo credits Nelson E. Bolen)

VOTF NJ
Submitted by Carole Rogers

We continue to be committed to the education of NJ Catholics and as we began our fall speaker series, more than 120 people turned out to hear an excellent talk by Rev. Anthony Ciorra, new Dean of the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Studies at Fordham University. Father Tony spoke about “A Spirituality for Times of Transition” and reminded us that we, like the ancient Israelites, live in desert times. We can also find comfort, he said, in the New Testament account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We need to be humble as we seek answers, have hope as we struggle, and be rooted in Scripture for the journey ahead. Our next two speakers should prove equally enlightening: in October, Dr. Mary Segers of Rutgers University and in November, Father Eugene Lauer of the National Pastoral Life Center.

We are also on the road toward a meeting with our new bishop, Arthur Serratelli. First, two of our members were invited to his installation and then three additional members were invited to a preliminary meeting with the Vicar General, Msgr. Herb Tillyer, and the Director of Communications, Marianna Thompson. We remain hopeful that a meeting with Bishop Serratelli will follow.

At its September meeting, our Structural Renewal Committee undertook two new initiatives. Members are conducting a survey of parishes in three New Jersey dioceses to determine how many have pastoral councils and how those councils function. Members are also investigating models of good parishes, asking if there are alternative effective ways of assuring lay pastoral participation.

Rev. Anthony Ciorra speaks at Assumption Church. Photo by Joe Barrett

VOTF Harvard, MA
Submitted by Joanne Helhowski

St. Theresa, the Little Flower (Worcester diocese) resumed meetings after the summer break. With the start of our third year, in early September, we sponsored our second annual fall mum sale for the benefit of the victim and survivors organization. The fundraiser offers our small parish an opportunity to show their support for the victims of the clergy abuse. It was a huge success and the profits realized enabled us to provide contributions of $400 each to The Linkup and SNAP.

VOTF New Hampshire
Submitted by Anne Coughlin

The state of New Hampshire and the Diocese of Manchester have gone to court over their differences regarding the agreement both signed in December, 2002, which allowed the Diocese to avoid criminal charges for their handling of child sexual abuse allegations. New Hampshire Voice of the Faithful has joined a group of about 30 individuals and groups in filing a motion to intervene in the matter.

Note: We are grateful for Anne’s coverage of events in NH. Because several matters are still pending, we will have fuller coverage from NH in the future. Readers might want to check www.nhvotf.org for ongoing developments and www.bishop-accountability.org. The latter offers a chronology of news coverage by diocese.

VOTF CENTRAL

St. Christopher Parish Voice, Cleveland, OH
Submitted by Fred McGunagle

Donna Albertone, director of the Cleveland Diocese's VIRTUS* program, was describing the 36,000 clergy, parish and school employees and adult volunteers who have taken the diocese's required course in preventing child sex abuse. She spoke at the Sept. 9 meeting of the St. Christopher Parish Voice.

They come reluctantly, grumbling under their breath, she said. “They’re not happy,” Donna Albertone said. “They are told they have to be there – ‘If you want to coach your son’s football team, you have to come.’ But an hour into the session, the Holy Spirit has taken over. They’re there because they’re a mother, a dad, a grandmother. This is information they need as a caregiver. That transformation takes over.”

Starting in January, her staff will begin training children in parish schools and after-school religion classes and will start evening sessions for their parents. VIRTUS has been adopted by many US dioceses following the USCCB Charter revision in November 2002 and the approval of the Norms by the Congregation of for Bishops in December 2002.

(The Diocese of Dallas, Texas, has implemented a diocesan-wide program to educate the community and to prevent incidents of child abuse. This program is called "Safe Environment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse". The Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, the Diocese of Austin, Texas, and the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, are in the process of implementing a prevention and education program designed by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group called "Protecting God's Children". Some dioceses that have not yet started their programs are using Cleveland’s as a model.)

The training is not just about clerical abusers, who make up a tiny proportion of child molesters. It’s intended to alert trainees to the warning signs of any predator and teach them how to report them without making llegations. “We view everyone as a potential child abuser,” she said, “and everyone who comes into contact with a child as a protector of that child. Predators love children, and to a predator, love equals sex. It’s very easy for a child molester to slip into a child’s life. The only thing we can do is take away the opportunity to molest.”

The scandal showed that parishes were places where children were particularly vulnerable to abuse. Now, Albertone said, Cleveland parishes have a most thorough protection program.

• VIRTUS is the brand name that identifies best practices programs designed to help prevent wrongdoing and promote "right doing" within religious organizations. The VIRTUS programs empower organizations and people to better control risk and improve the lives of all those who interact with the Church. The National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc. (National Catholic) created the programs. In March of 1998, National Catholic invited prominent national experts—experts in many disciplines—to discuss these questions at a forum in Washington, D.C. From those discussions, the initiative for the VIRTUS programs was created. The National Catholic Board of Directors selected an Ad Hoc Committee to oversee development of the programs. The Ad Hoc Committee was assisted by a steering committee of nationally known experts and program and service providers. Information about the VIRTUS program, including warning signs of predators and tips for protecting children, is available at www.virtus.org.

VOTF Boise, ID
Submitted by Darlyne Pape

We continue to grow slowly within our one affiliate here in Boise and we continue to enjoy a very positive relationship with Bishop Driscoll and the diocese. During the past few weeks, I was asked to write an article on VOTF for our parish newsletter and we had an exhibit table at the recent Fall Religious Education Conference where we distributed materials and answered questions. John Bieter, the co-founder of our affiliate, will be teaching an eight-week course on Church History that will be sponsored by seven local parishes. In addition, I continue to serve on the Review Board and have been asked to sit on the Diocesan Pastoral Council. In July, we sent letters of support to all the priests receiving new assignments* within the Diocese. We meet monthly at one of the local parish centers.

*Some priests in our diocese routinely get new assignments in July; they serve 6 years in a parish, and then consult with the bishop if they want to remain in the same parish for another 6 years or accept a new assignment. This is the usual procedure. However, because of the decline in the number of priests, adjustments need to be made outside the 6 + 6 model. Also, we have a large Hispanic population in certain areas and that necessitates assigning clergy in those areas who are bilingual. A small number of re-assignments are necessitated by priests leaving on sabbatical or leaving the priesthood all together.

VOTF Detroit, MI
Submitted by Judy Szczesny

At our May meeting, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton spoke on Vatican II and the role of the Laity. In June, we had Dr. Carol Crowley speak on the "Lifelong Effects of Sexual Abuse." Dr. Crowley counsels the abused. A member of SNAP was at the meeting, and spoke of his ordeal, as well as a priest/chaplain Fr. Don Worthy, who has tried to talk to the cardinal and bishops in the archdiocese, about the crisis; Fr. Worthy feels that they really do not fully understand the extent of the damage done to the victims and to the Church as a whole. As Father Worthy says "They just don't get it."

In July we had two priests, Fr. Patrick Casey and Fr. Tom O'Brien SJ., speak on the "Effects of the Abuse Crisis." We had thought it would be a talk on how the abuse crisis affected them, but they were more interested in how it affected us, the laity.

We plan on having a Healing Service at Manresa, the Jesuit Retreat House, in Feb. 2005. It will be in a meeting room and modeled after a Healing Service done in St. Paul, MN. We are hoping to have priests, nuns, brothers and possibly a bishop there to apologize for their ordeal.

VOTF SOUTH

VOTF Atlanta, GA
Submitted by John Dearie

The officers of VOTF-Atlanta were busy during the summer working with a professional to create a new, portal-type website. It is now complete at www.votf-atlanta.org and includes an interactive forum labeled "Atlanta Catholic Voices" where local Catholics can voice their thoughts and concerns. A moderator will oversee the site.

Our meetings continued through the summer but September’s meeting had to be cancelled due to a tropical storm.

Meetings are planned for October 12th and November 8th. In October, we plan to show the video on the VOTF Mass on the Common, and are looking for a guest speaker for November.

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