"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Mt 3:3

In this Issue:

Responding to the John Jay and
National Review Board Reports

Events, Etc.
  • Another VOTF milestone in the recent publication of the VOTF genesis story by Jim Muller and Charles Kenney Keep the Faith, Change the Church. The first VOTF story is now in bookstores and available at Amazon.com. Voice of the Faithful is making a limited time offer of signed copies of Keep the Faith, Change the Church by the authors. Your purchase of this signed copy for $50.00 including shipping and handling will help support Voice of the Faithful and the important work we continue to do in returning responsibility to Catholicism. Click Here.
  • Jason Berry and Gerald Renner, authors of Lead Us Not Into Temptation and Vows of Silence - The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II will be speaking at St. John the Evangelist School Hall in Wellesley, MA on Tuesday March 16th 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm.
  • Scandal and Sunlight – What the John Jay Study Means to Catholics, Remarks of James E. Post President, Voice of the Faithful St. Patrick and St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, Hartford, CT
  • From Hartford, CT to St. Louis, MO and on to San Francisco, CA - VOTF is engaged in and hosting conferences and symposia; VOTF Mayflower, VOTF Boston and VOTF South Shore affiliates to host VOTF Priest of Integrity award recipient and survivor advocate Fr. Tom Doyle. All are welcome to hear Fr. Doyle speak at St. Albert the Great Church, Rt. 53 (1130 Washington St.), E.Weymouth, MA on Sunday, March 21, 2 pm. For directions, visit www.angelfire.com/rock2/kevinzip/voice.htm .
  • Have a few free hours next week? Spend some at Boston College. Monday, March 15, 2004 . Check www.bc.edu/church21/ for more information
Parish Pastoral Councils

  • Get ready! Read the VOTF Structural Change statement and watch for more details in coming months - the Primer on "Organizational Structures of the Catholic Church" is nearing completion for distribution. This document will prove to be an historic development in responsible Catholicism.

  • How healthy is your Parish Pastoral Council? Consider the VOTF Boston, MA survey of parish pastoral councils http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=51127395154

  • Confused about Parish Pastoral Councils? You're not alone. Archbishop McCarrick of Washington, DC thinks there's a parish pastoral council, the so-called "lay voice" in our Church, in every parish "in the world." So he said to Tim Russert on NBC News "Meet the Press." Wrong. (see the program transcript at www.msnbc.com); Gaile Pohlhaus, PA, found this web site on parish pastoral councils quite helpful: http://www.west.net/~fischer/ and/or http://users.adelphia.net/~markfischer/

Parish Closings - Coming to your neighborhood?

Something to think about - prayers, poetry, a homily and your opinion

 

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In the Vineyard
March 2004
Volume 3, Issue 3
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A wilderness, indeed. There are many ways to assess the wilderness in our Church. Let's consider one view using a VOTF lens.

Step One: A voice for the laity "goes public" on March 9, 2002. Tuesday of this past week marked two years since VOTF took its first public steps into the arena of Church reform. On that day in 2002, the "new kid on the block" attended the Boston Convocation hosted by Cardinal Law. Organizations and parish representatives from all over the archdiocese gathered to voice their outrage over revelations of clergy sexual abuse. We also gathered to state our hopes and expectations; VOTF continues to stand by the document we presented that day (LINK). Conclusion two years later? The message is worthy.

Step Two: Following intense public pressure and media exposure, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) commissioned a National Review Board (NRB) that would study the extent and causes of the crisis and publish those findings. This effort culminated in the release on February 27, 2004 of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice report and the NRB report. Conclusion two years later? Voices matter.

Step Three: The much-touted release of the John Jay and National Review Board reports did little to relieve pain, provide hope or remediate much for Catholics who are expecting bishop accountability or Vatican intervention. What it did accomplish, however, is a modicum of clarity - the debris of deception will not move, and has not moved, of its own accord. Conclusion two years later? Again - voices matter..

Among many other commentators and observers, National Catholic Reporter recognizes all of the above. The current issue's editorial (March 12, 2004) compares two ads that appeared on the same day in the New York Times - February 29. One was a USCCB ad, which "had a ring of finality about it." The other was the VOTF ad, promoting the VOTF Petition Drive. According to the editorial, the VOTF message "had the sound of a campaign getting underway. Which view prevails, those who think the issuance of the reports marks an end to a difficult chapter or those who think the event marks the beginning of a process aimed at essential reforms, could well determine the future shape and tone of the Catholic Church in this country."

As we said to Cardinal Law over two years ago, "We are the Church; we are the People of God." Conclusion two years later? We are the Church; we are the People of God.

The campaign is under way.

Peggie L. Thorp, Ed.