Please send comments and inquiries to pthorp.ed@votf.org.

In this issue: Reports on the survivor support gathering during the Pope’s visit include “Still Learning” commentary from VOTF’s Kris Ward, comments from SNAP’s David Clohessy and a report from VOTF Survivor Support Working Group member Steve Sheehan; VOTF Priest Support Working Group report on attendance at Summit conference to address the priest shortage; the VOTF Prayerful Voice working group wants YOU!; Bishop Robinson’s much-anticipated arrival from Australia later this month – what do you know about the bishop? (See Affiliate Notes); VOTF Priest of Integrity Award recipient Msgr. Breslin has died (see Commentary); VOTF Orange County meeting with Chancellor; and more.

NATIONAL News

Thanks to Francis Piderit in VOTF New York, we now have a version of the New York Times ad that affiliates might use for recruiting purposes and for advertising regional meetings – read more under AFFILIATE Notes; also, did you know about VOTF’s “Ad Trucks” that drove around Washington DC and New York City on the days of the Papal Masses said there? These trucks were given routes in and around the Mass sites, with backup routes to use if the police moved them away from the primary routes (and, of course, the police did). You can view the electronic signs that were displayed on the sides and back of the display trucks here,

SURVIVOR Support Community – Click here for commentary on the papal visit from VOTF’s Kris Ward, SNAP’s David Clohessy and VOTF’s Steve Sheehan. Also, Fr. Tom Doyle’s comments on the papal visit here.

PRIEST Support Working Group – Click here to read John Ryan’s summary of the Summit 2008 conference April 20-22 in Orlando, Florida, attended by Svea Fraser and John Ryan of the VOTF Priests’ Support working group. The Summit was planned over a five-year period by six partnering organizations and funded by a $2 million grant from the Lily Foundation. The six partnering organizations, including the National Federation of Priests Council, function under the auspices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The driving question of the gathering was how the church will be able to meet the ministerial and sacramental needs of the faith community over the coming decades in the face of the increasing scarcity of priests in the United States. John’s report is well worth reading in its entirety and even includes a surprise development at the end of the conference.

DIOCESE/State Watch

Davenport IO: “A bankruptcy judge on Wednesday approved a $37 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport and more than 150 people who say they were sexually abused by its priest. . . . Davenport is one of six Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States to file for bankruptcy due to sexual abuse scandals. The others are based in Portland, Ore.; Spokane, Wash.; Tucson, Ariz.; San Diego; and Fairbanks, Alaska.” See Associated Press coverage and local coverage.

Commentary

VOTF Loses a Friend – on the death of Msgr. Breslin by Kris Ward, VOTF Region 6 representative.

Fr. Marek Bozek on “The Odyssey of Joseph the Dreamer” – David Biersmith (VOTF Region 9 representative) recaps Fr. Bozek’s talk

SITE-Seeing, Etc.

Banning as policy continues in our Church: This month it’s Fr. Tom Doyle. See the National Catholic Reporter story here.

• While you’re there, see Tom Groome’s review of Robert McClory’s new book As It Was in the Beginning: The Coming Democratization of the Catholic Church.
  
  
• Nearly half of Belleville IL’s active priests have appealed to Bishop Braxton to step down; one person took out a $10,000 ad asking the Pope to remove him. NCR has the story here. 

See Commonweal magazine for “Reforming the Vatican: What the Church Can Learn from Other Institutions”: “Too often when someone proposes the reform of church structures, the reformer is attacked for borrowing from the secular political field, as if this were necessarily a bad thing. But throughout history the Vatican has often imitated the organization of secular political institutions. Today the governance of the church is more centralized than at any time in its history. To make the church more collegial, the Vatican should once again adopt practices of the secular political world.” Subscribers can access the story here.

Don’t Forget! June 8/9 Retreat with EDWINA GATELEY at Evensong by the Sea, Retreat & Spirituality Center, Harwich Port MA. Contact: 508-432-0027 or email to info@evensongretreat.com. Edwina’s talk is entitled “Why the Church Needs Rebels.”

Anglican bishop N.T. Wright, who has been called “one of the best biblical theologians in the English-speaking world,” has written a shortened version of a recent tome on the Resurrection. America magazine reviews Surprised by Hope as suitable for “an educated Christian readership in search of a more informed assent to their central beliefs.” Subscribers can access the May 12 issue here.

Several affiliates publish their own regional newsletters. VOTF Bridgeport CT is another model for affiliates considering another communication vehicle. See “Our Voice” at www.votfbpt.org.

Might be worth checking out: Common Good Convention in Philadelphia, PA: July 11-13, 2008.

QUOTE for our time: “I think of the man-made barriers and disciplines that separate women from greater roles in the church, in particular women who serve the church in ministry.” VOTF National Council of Representative member Pat Gomez reflecting on the papal visit. Click here for the full commentary.