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Don’t
Miss This Extra Forum on Oct. 20 at the Convention
in Providence!
Child
Protection Forum: Survivors Perspective
Light
fare and beverages served
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
All are welcome!
Room 552 at the Convention Center
One
of survivors' biggest concerns is protecting children
today. SNAP National Director David Clohessy
and Outreach Director Barbara Dorris will report
on
the state of child protection in churches today and tomorrow. They'll offer
a somewhat different analysis of the continuing crisis and its roots. And
they'll offer a “tool kit” of options
for advocacy and action, including concrete steps
anyone can take to attract new members and motivate
current
members of reform organizations. Attendees will be encouraged to discuss,
question
and participate.
VOTF National Notes
 Yet
another reason to join VOTF in Providence RI
for the third
VOTF
national
convention “Disciples in Action” is to hear from other lay people:
How are others uncovering and acting on their own responses to the needs
of our
Church?
One
such person you will want to meet is VOTF member
Richard Taylor. Richard will be at the Providence
RI Convention with his new book Love in Action.
He will be ready for signing your copy and chatting
about the confluence of reform and gospel nonviolence
and its significance for VOTF and other reform-oriented
efforts. Former VOTF president Jim Post said
of Love in Action:
"Nearly
all of us understand the meaning of love. Many
of us understand the meaning of ‘tough
love.’ But do we understand the importance
of love united with action? Richard Taylor
helps us turn our love of Catholic faith and
gospel values into ‘love in action.’ He
is first and foremost a teacher, and his lifetime
of nonviolent action to secure social justice
is inspirational. In this book, he teaches
us how to be true to our deepest beliefs in
Jesus, in justice, and the gift of using our
knowledge and faith to make a difference. Every
Catholic can use this book in their daily life."
See
the link to Dick’s website and testimonials
from Bishop Gumbleton, Chris Schenk and Fr. Tom
Doyle at SITE-Seeing, Etc.
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DIOCESE/State Watch
News Alert: Orange County CA – Associated
Press reports, “A judge began criminal contempt-of-court
proceedings Tuesday against the Roman Catholic
bishop of Orange County in a highly unusual
hearing that marks the first time a U.S. bishop could
face jail time in the church sex abuse scandal.
Bishop Tod D. Brown waived his arraignment
for allegedly violating a court order when he sent
Msgr. John Urell,
a high-ranking church official, out of the country before
he could complete his testimony in a lawsuit. He could
face a range of punishments from a verbal reprimand to
jail time if found in contempt.” Read
the AP story.
Read
more inside at DIOCESE/State
Watch. SURVIVOR Community News:
To
read an excerpt of the “New York Law Journal” report
on Marci Hamilton’s Call to Action to Expand Time
for Abuse Claims, click
here. VOTF president Mary Pat Fox attended the gathering on
Sept. 25 and reported to Vineyard readers in
the Sept. 27 issue.
AFFILIATE Highlights:
Voice of the Faithful (VOTF)
of Palm Beach County will sponsor a conference entitled “The Real Costs of
the Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church” on
November 10, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Unity
of the Palm Beaches, 1957 South Flagler Drive, West Palm
Beach, FL. The featured speakers will be Mr. Jason Berry
and Rev. Thomas Doyle. Read more under AFFILIATE
News.
VOTF
Philadelphia has booked a talk with Bishop Geoffrey
Robinson: The Sydney, Australia bishop spoke out recently
on behalf of Catholic Church reform and will be visiting
the US along with his new book Confronting Power
and Sex in the Catholic Church. The Bishop has said that
the Catholic Church is more interested in managing the
clergy abuse crisis than confronting it. Read
more about
Bishop Geoffrey Robinson.
CONTINUING
a VOTF Winchester Area (MA) Tradition, the
Winchester Area affiliate is proud to present a
brand new line of Christmas cards! All proceeds from
the sale of these cards will benefit survivors of clergy
sexual abuse. Cards sell for just $15 for a package of
12 cards. We are selling 4 different cards, and you can
buy either 12 cards with the same design, or a mixed
package, with 3 cards of each of the 4 designs. Each
card has the VOTF web address on the back.
You
can buy cards in 1 of 3 ways: 1) at one of the VOTF
tables at the Providence convention; 2) at any of our
weekly affiliate meetings on Monday nights; or 3) by
visiting our website,
and printing and mailing the order form with your payment.
Thank you
for your support! If you have any questions, contact
Bob Morris at rmorrivotf@aol.com.
SITE-Seeing,
Etc.
| Correction: The link to the book Voices
of the Faithful, noted in the Sept. 27 issue,
was incorrect. For the correct link click
here. We apologize to readers for
the inconvenience and thank
you for catching it! |
VOTF member
Richard Taylor’s
new book Love in Action: A Direct Action Handbook
for Catholics Using Gospel Nonviolence to Reform and
Renew the Church is being praised by many committed
to the work of reform. Fr. Tom Doyle said of the book, “[Here
is a] way to dispel the doubt and replace it with hope
among Catholics hoping for significant reform in the
institutional church in the face of serious opposition
to progress." Bishop Gumbleton finds that “Love
in Action teaches us how to make our Church, which
dares to teach justice, itself just.” FutureChurch
director Chris Schenk said that Love in Action “contains
vitally important tools for building a more effective
church reform movement.” Read more about Richard’s
book and his nonviolence stance at his website.
And look for a review of Love in Action in an
upcoming Vineyard.
Read
more inside at SITE-Seeing, Etc.
QUOTE
for our time: “We have a Church
where fear dominates. The bishops are afraid
of the Rome (of the Pope, the Curia, the
nuncios). The priests are afraid of the bishops.
The laity is afraid of authoritarian priests. The
result is a Church closed in upon
itself, and totally cut off from the world." From
the FutureChurch Summer 2007 newsletter quoting
Chilean theologian Pablo Richard who spoke
at a public lecture during the time of the
Latin American bishops meeting in the Spring
of 2007. .
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