Report from the Representative Leadership Council
Submitted by Cathy Fallon, VOTF Secretary

VOTF Council Eager for National Representation

Meetings of the Voice of the Faithful Representative Lay Council have been held monthly (with the exception of August) since last June, in the spacious lower level of Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Newton, MA. Thanks to the energetic leadership and gracious hospitality of Rose Walsh, light suppers have been available on a pre-ordered $5.00 pp basis at 5:00 p.m., with meetings following at 7:00. This has enabled folks from New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island to rest and get to know their fellow representatives in an informal setting. Last month, Rose unfortunately broke a leg, but in the best tradition of VOTF volunteerism, Mary Sheehan and Martha Rowland took over the hostess duties and welcomed travelers and newcomers with smiles and refreshments. Jim Post brought a surprise visitor, Kathleen McChesney, recently appointed executive director of the Church's Office of Child and Youth Protection, to meet some of the Council leadership. He had driven Ms. McChesney from the Chancery office where she had met with Bishop Lennon. McChesney said she was very pleased with our work, especially as it regards bishop accountability and child protection initiatives.

By the time the meeting was called to order, crowd estimates ranged upwards of 200. About twenty newly-elected representatives from newly-formed parish affiliates included Ed Wilson from Brooklyn, N.Y. and Inger White from Minneapolis/St. Paul. A spirit of excitement swept through the hall as all the new representatives stood to introduce themselves and were welcomed with warm applause. Their presence among us affirmed that we must be doing something right-Voice of the Faithful is continuing to grow, and grow rapidly.

Encouraging and managing that growth, in fact, was the subject of several motions brought to the floor that evening. The first motion was to postpone the election of officers one month until February 22, so that representatives could consult with their affiliates about the candidates. A lively discussion ensued, but the motion failed. Jim Post noted that at an informal meeting held in North Andover on January 11, a number of issues were raised regarding national representation. The bubbling up of these ideas and issues attests to the importance and identity of Voice of the Faithful as a national organization. A second motion, to postpone consideration of the slate of officers until there is affiliate representation on the Executive Committee, also failed because the wording of the motion would have precluded having the twice-postponed election take place. A third motion, to create three vice-president positions to more broadly represent the country, passed. At the end of the meeting Jim Post asked for and received the affirmation of the Council to encourage the growth of local parish voice affiliates in every parish, cluster, vicariate and diocese in the country. He announced his intention to create a task force to establish a plan for selecting qualified persons to carry out and manage our rapid national growth.

By popular demand, the February meeting will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church in Wellesley, MA on Saturday, 2/22, to allow more people to attend from out of state. Recognizing the need for adult education of our leadership, and taking advantage of the generosity of the faculty of the Jesuit Theological Seminary in Cambridge, we are very grateful for a much-anticipated morning session, "Educating Ourselves," featuring three half-hour lectures by theologians Roger Haight on the differences between doctrine and dogma, Catherine Mooney on activists in the Church throughout history, and James Keenan, S.J. on moral authority. All Council members able to do so are encouraged to come share this unique and timely gift. The Council meeting will follow at 1 pm.

Our Council Home Hospitality Program was activated successfully in January; Maura O'Brien has a list of willing VOTF hosts. (maura.obrien@attbi.com).

Links:

Representative Leadership Council Report - covering the 1/23 Council

Working Groups - ongoing progress reports on goal-related work

Reporters at Large - members covering key events in Naples, FL and Manchester, NH

Voices, Voices Everywhere! - updates from affiliates coast-to-coast

Notes from Members - members share information about resources supportive of female victims of abuse and an upcoming talk by Fr. Austin Fleming in Concord, MA.

Jim Post's Speaking Schedule

Please forward submissions to In the Vineyard to leaderpub@votf.org.