VOTF Grand Rapids, MI
Reported by Laurel Hill

VOTF Grand Rapids is co-sponsoring with Aquinas College an evening with Fr. Richard P. McBrien, Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at Notre Dame University, and well-known author. He will speak on "Challenges Facing the Church Today" on 2/27 at the Aquinas College Lack Center. Fr. McBrien's talk will be followed by a Q & A session as well as a book signing opportunity and reception. This event is in keeping with our intention to bring relevant speakers to Grand Rapids in order to encourage continued discussion.

Our Steering Committee has a scheduled meeting coming up with our Diocesan Vicar General. We first requested a meeting with our bishop in August. We are hopeful that this meeting will produce encouraging results. Specifically, we are hoping to gain a listening session/meeting for our victim/survivors with the bishop. We also hope to learn the identity of the members of our Diocesan Review Board.

Please keep us in your prayers as we do all of you.

From VOTF Northwest Nassau, Long Island, NY
Reported by Carol Bongiorno

Our group had its first meeting at the end of September in a private home with about 25 people. We met again in November, December and January. Our group has grown to 65 members from ten parishes. We keep our pastors informed of our activities with the monthly minutes.

Sadly, our Bishop, William Murphy, was one of the first to issue a ban against VOTF meeting on church property. After a three-month search we have found a local Community Church, the only place where we are welcome. We have tried fire houses, libraries, VFW and American Legion halls, a retreat house and a Catholic club. Either outside groups are not welcome, Catholic organizations fear the reprisal of the Bishop, or the price was too high. Being allowed to use the Community Church seems an ecumenical gesture on the part of its Pastor and Board and we are very grateful. We have learned that, where banned, VOTF members have been meeting in Protestant churches throughout the Northeast.

Our affiliate is part of the VOTF Long Island Regional group. Approximately 900 people attend the VOTF-Long Island Regional monthly meetings. Seven hundred attended a VOTF Mass for solidarity with the victims of abuse that was held at Maria Regina Church in Seaford on December 8th (concelebrated with 8 priests and 11 deacons) and followed by a candlelight vigil.

There are approximately 1000 VOTF members on Long Island. The VOTF-LI Victim Support Committee has been meeting to discuss ways to channel requests from large numbers of victims of abuse and their families seeking support and referrals. The Finance Committee of VOTF-LI sent a letter to the Bishop, offering expert help with financial accountability and transparency in connection with the Bishop's Annual Appeal. The offer was rejected. Consequently, VOTF-LI is not endorsing the Bishop's Appeal and has set up an alternative "Voice of Compassion" fund.

At our own local meeting Jim Howard, Co-Moderator, offered this question for our reflection: "If Bishop Murphy were present tonight, what suggestions would you give him?

Feedback from Groups: Hold listening sessions in parishes with key persons, including VOTF members; lift the ban on the use of church facilities for our meeting, full financial disclosure; listen with your head and your heart to the laity; as shepherd, follow the model of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, whose ministry was marked by compassion, not power. It was evident that the climate of fear which has apparently prevented the Bishop's openness to VOTF must be dispelled before any constructive dialogue can take place.

PROJECTS for Northwest Nassau Parish Voice Affiliate:

• Petition for Listening Session are being sent to all pastors in our area.
• Members are asked to research the status of their parishes' Pastoral Advisory Committees and/or Parish Councils for future discussion and follow through.
• We have made arrangements with survivors of abuse, those who treat victims, and priests to speak at our monthly meetings.
• Education: Emphasis will be placed on Vatican II documents, Canon Law and church history.
• NY State Disclosure Law: The final version of the Vatican approved, Catholic Bishop's Charter requires compliance with local laws. Unfortunately, only 27 states require that sexual abuse by clergy be reported to the police and New York State is not one of them. We are looking into this further and understand that there is a bill under discussion at this time.

Last but not least is the power of prayer. Our opening and closing prayers are inspired and inspiring. We feel God is working very powerfully among us. We try to keep our focus on Jesus. In Him we have the hope of restoring and healing our beloved church. We are very grateful for the encouragement and resource materials received through Voice of the Faithful, Boston, and Voice of the Faithful, Long Island.

VOTF Brooklyn Diocese, NY
Reported by Melissa Gradel

Still banned from meeting on diocesan property, VOTF is active and growing in Brooklyn and Queens, the two boroughs of NYC that comprise the Diocese of Brooklyn. Meetings are being held at a Franciscan college, an American Legion Hall, and a Baptist church.

Rockaway Beach VOTF, Brooklyn VOTF, and a third group still in formation in the Park Slope neighborhood, worked together on several important issues this month. We held a candlelight vigil in front of St. James Cathedral on Epiphany. One hundred thirty-five people attended on a bitter, snowy evening to reaffirm our support for victims of clergy sexual abuse, our support of priests, and our determination to see healthful change within our church. We stated that by barring VOTF meetings from our parish churches, Bishop Daily had rejected the gifts of the laity. Thanks to the artistic talents of Suzanne Michelle, a member of the Brooklyn VOTF Organizing Committee, several dozen boxes naming some of those gifts were assembled to comprise a stunning mural, which shimmered in the snowfall as the assembly sang "O Come, O come Emanuel." The first gift was Love, the last Compassion … in between were Justice, Fidelity, Parenting, Financial Wisdom and others.

On January 18, six local VOTF leaders met with a committee representing the Diocese, headed by Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius Catanello. The meeting lasted nearly five hours. Perhaps the most important outcome was that all present established considerable common ground in our concern for victims and priests, in our belief that a more active laity is necessary for the health of the Church, and in our personal sadness, anger and bewilderment at the events of the past year. Areas of friction included the meaning of "structural change" in VOTF's goals, our association with SNAP, and our "use of the media." In addition, Bishop Catanello had received an item from Crisis magazine, naming many of the speakers at last July's conference and suggesting that, by inviting these speakers, VOTF endorsed a range of positions on issues. VOTF representatives responded to these concerns with correct information and stated firmly our pledge to support survivors' groups such as SNAP and our belief that the ban on VOTF meetings is wrong.

As membership here grows, we are trying to become more active in the governance and shaping of VOTF as it begins its second miraculous year. Two Brooklyn and Queens members attended the informal Council meeting on January 18 and another attended the Council meeting on January 23. In addition, we are working together with others in the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area to build regional cooperation and communication, and hope through these efforts to help VOTF become a truly national, sustainable voice for Catholic lay people.

VOTF St. Louis de Montfort Parish Voice, Long Island, NY
Reported by Bill Lynch

Parishioners at St. Louis de Montfort can't fully appreciate the difficulties faced by other VOTFers unable to meet in their own churches. Not every parish has a Fr. Charlie or a Fr. Frank of Hope House, willing to provide meeting spaces. Nor does every parish have a Dr. Maureen or a Sr. Eileen and such a talented and generous staff. I keep telling myself - it's not supposed to be this easy. All of us, though, tell ourselves how fortunate we are.

We heard recently of a new Parish Voice on Long Island, at Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park. More good news - the LI VOTF is holding its first Parish Voice Affiliates Forum for its 40 Parish Voices on 2/4 at Pax Christi in Port Jefferson. The purpose is to get to know each other and share our thoughts on helping the Church.

At a recent gathering, we were privileged to hear from Bob Keeler, a member of the Newsday editorial board, a Nobel Prize winner, a supporter of Hope House and a friend.

We also addressed the Bishop's Annual Appeal. For those not comfortable supporting the appeal and the help it provides so many charities, we provided contact information for the Long Island Voice of Compassion Fund.

VOTF Tri-Parish of Long Beach and Point Lookout, NY
Reported by Tom Dowling

Our tri-parish Parish Voice consists of St. Ignatius and St. Mary of the Isle, Long Beach and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Point Lookout. At our upcoming second meeting we expect to hear one of our deacons speak about accountability at both the parish and diocesan level. We have about 80 members already and keep each other informed with postcards, e-mail and our website at www.parishvoice-seaside.org. This includes links to regional and national sites.

VOTF Northern New Jersey
Reported by Maria Cleary

The Northern NJ Affiliate is preparing for its February 20 meeting with Deal Hudson as the featured speaker. We invited him because Archbishop Myers of Newark sent us one of Deal's articles in response to our question, "Why have you banned us?" We feel it's important to hear our critics as well as our supporters, and we'll report back on how the evening unfolded.

We've finally started breaking into Action Groups, including Survivors, Prayerful Voice, Education, Structural Change, Finance, and Priests' Support. Each group is meeting separately. We're hoping this will be an opportunity for other members to take on leadership positions, so we can add to the size of our core team. Prayerful Voice took a first step in that direction by planning a prayer service for Feb. 1. Many of us are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to pray as community and we hope this will become part of our regular monthly calendar.

Finally, we're excited to report that we've launched a "Tri-State Regional Chat" via AOL Instant Messenger. Members from NJ, NY and CT logged on last Sunday and we had a wonderful "conversation." We're planning to do this on Sundays from 8-9 pm, and anyone from our area (and beyond!) is welcome to join us. Better yet, it's easy to start your own. Email Maria Cleary at clearymf@optonline.net for details, or check with your local teenager. They're the experts! Blessings to all from the Garden State!

VOTF Camden Diocese
Reported by Kevin Gemmell

VOTF Camden continues to meet monthly despite the large geographic area covered by 450,000 Catholics. Our next meeting is 2/18. We meet at Mary's Vineyard, a spiritual wellness center in Cherry Hill, NJ. VOTF Camden has recently reached out by letter to the 126 pastors in this diocese inviting them to meetings and explaining the purpose of VOTF.

The Bishop of Camden, Nicholas DiMarzio, has banned VOTF in major part because he believes that "those in prominent leadership positions…openly dissent from Church teachings." We have repeatedly asked for follow-up meeting to correct the bishop. He has refused to cite his sources or explain his reasoning and has ignored repeated written requests for communication. In addition, the Camden Diocese continues to succeed in using the NJ statute of limitations to thwart survivors' efforts to be heard in court. There are 22 plaintiffs suing the diocese for allowing abusive priests to remain in ministry. The plaintiffs also allege that Bishop DiMarzio and his prior two predecessors engaged in a cover up of the abuse.

VOTF Greater West Hartford, CT
Reported by Joanne Moran

On January 3, 2003 Jayne O'Donnell, of VOTF Greater West Hartford and Mary Ann Murray of VOTF Manchester, the two regional coordinators for the Hartford Archdiocese, joined John Ryan of VOTF for a meeting with Archbishop Daniel Cronin. The meeting was the result of several attempts to make contact with the Archbishop. Among those attempts were Jim Post's letter that went out to all U.S. bishops, letters from our local leadership and, finally, a telephone call that indicated VOTF's great desire to initiate a dialogue with the Archbishop. The meeting was also the result of the internal dialogue and constant prayer of the membership of the local VOTF affiliates, including VOTF of Greater West Hartford.

The three representatives had two objectives in mind when they prepared for the meeting:1) to allay any fears that the local hierarchy might have regarding the real mission and goals of VOTF; 2) to set a basis for future and ongoing dialogue, particularly around the issue of lay involvement in the governance and guidance of the Church. The meeting was both cordial and, in light of the objectives, successful. The various local affiliates, including VOTF of Greater West Hartford, will ask their membership to develop a list of questions and issues for VOTF's future meetings with representatives from Archbishop Cronin's office. Our leadership will be calling the Chancery shortly to set a date for those talks.

VOTF of Greater West Hartford has encouraged the Church of St. Timothy to sponsor a lecture series on the Documents of Vatican II. Our monthly February meeting will be spent attending these lectures. We have encouraged the membership of other nearby affiliates to attend. There will be four talks in the series given by Reverend Aidan Donahue, former president of St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Ct. The talks will be held on Thursday, February 6, 13, 20 and March 6, 2003 from 7-9 p.m. at the Church of St. Timothy at 1116 North Main Street, West Hartford. All are welcome.

VOTF Eastern, CT
Reported by Bob and Grace Marrion

We will have our fourth regular meeting this week with a change in location. We now meet at the Days Inn in Niantic. While our bishop has not permitted us to meet on church property, he has kept the door open for further discussions and we plan to visit him again soon.

Tom Groome gave a wonderful presentation here on 1/12 with about 100 people in attendance. He spoke on "Our Hopes for Renewal in the Church," drawing from his recent book What Makes Us Catholic.

Our group has scheduled two special Masses, one for survivors of abuse on 3/30 and for our priests on 5/25. Both will be held at St. Agnes in Niantic. We have also been in touch with SNAP to arrange for a speaker in the Spring.

We were invited to join the Hartford affiliates for a meeting with Mary Ann Keyes on 1/18 (see below). They plan to meet monthly and have graciously included us in their future meeting plans.

Our membership continues to grow. For information, please contact robertmarrion@sbcglobal.net.

Greater Hartford Parish Voice
Mary Ann Murray

On 1/18, the Greater Hartford Parish Voice Affiliates met in Hartford with VOTF Parish Voice Coordinator Mary Ann Keyes. This was the first meeting of all area affiliates. We covered a lot of ground in two hours with the able assistance of Mary Ann. We will meet again in February and hope to establish a schedule of regular meetings of all affiliates for mutual encouragement and coordination of our efforts to support VOTF's goals. We will address the challenges and concerns particular to the Hartford archdiocese in order to help heal our Church and strengthen Catholicism in our region.

We have a new (the seventh!) Parish Voice in the Hartford diocese at St. Christopher's in East Hartford. It is currently led by Anita Connor.

We are grateful to Mary Ann Keyes and all who faithfully give of their time and talents to work for healing and justice.

VOTF Durham, NH
Reported by Lorraine Graham

St. Thomas More of Durham, NH, which serves the seacoast area, hosted Sr. Carole Descoteaux, former president of Notre Dame College in Manchester, NH, on 1/22. She spoke on "The Role of the Laity - Their Rights and Responsibilities," as articulated in Vatican II. Sr. Carole's comments were very well received, especially when she said, "I believe that Voice of the Faithful is consistent with the message of the Second Vatican Council…and it's about time! The Spirit of God is moving!"

It was an inspiring session and we hope to have Sr. Carole back for Part II as we continue to educate ourselves on our right and responsibility to work for change in the Church.

At our 2/12 meeting, we will move from a Steering Committee format to elected officers and by-laws. We hope to apply for our own 501c-3 tax exempt status so that parishioners might contribute directly to our parish without the 7.8% cut going to the diocese. We have already established a bank account for parishioners to fund our parish directly.

Many of us attended the Manchester Solidarity March (see report below) in support of victims of abuse. Fr. Tom Doyle spoke in a moving testament to Goal #1. Hundreds of victims, survivors, and VOTF and CCS members from MA, NH and other states participated.

VOTF Northampton/Springfield Affiliate, MA
Reported by Ann W. Turner

In December, Fr. Mark Stelzer, who is active at Elms College, spoke at our meeting about Vatican II and the rights of the laity. It was a useful addition to our ongoing inquiry into the laity's place in the Catholic Church.

In January, we addressed "What's Next?" We discussed where we wanted to go in the coming months and what goals might we set for ourselves. Mary Keville, the moderator of the Worcester, MA affiliate (and a great help in getting our group started and continuing to advise us) had sent a long e-mail of various possible answers to our question. After intense, small group discussion, we came up with a number of proposals for our future:

1. Reach out to and learn more about our diocese. With that in mind, we are drafting a letter to Bishop Dupre inviting him to a meeting or suggesting a representative group meet with him. We want to express our support as well as acknowledge our appreciation for the use of St. Mary's for our VOTF meetings;
2. Extend our support to the community of priests in our diocese;
3. Extend our support to Fr. Scahill, a priest in East Longmeadow, who took the courageous stand of withholding the diocesan tax until Fr. Lavigne, a local priest named in many abuse suits, has been officially laicized;
4. Research the MA statute of limitations on reporting sexual abuse;
5. Reach out more to victims in our diocese and investigate the existence of any local victims' groups.

Our affiliate believes it is essential to apply VOTF goals locally, to become knowledgeable about the Springfield Diocese, and to build bridges to the community of priests.

VOTF West Concord, MA
Reported by Bob O'Grady

On 2/12, the Parish Voice of Our Lady Help of Christians, (West) Concord, MA will have the pastor, Fr. Austin Fleming, speak on several subjects, among them the progress of the Boston Diocese's Priests Association. He will share his views on solutions to the projected diminution of priests available for parish ministry. We expect that Fr. Austin will also are discuss the impact of the past year on his own life and ministry as well as give us suggestions for the kind of support we can offer priests. All are welcome to attend.

VOTF Waltham, MA
Reported by Tim Buckley, Marie White and Jennifer Watts

Four VOTF members enthusiastically responded to our pastor's request for volunteers to attend the Archdiocese of Boston's weekend training program for VIRTUS that is being implemented at every parish by the Office of Children's Advocacy. This program creates an awareness of and provides policies for reporting abuse and neglect of children in our parish. Training sessions are scheduled in February and March for all parish staff, parish pastoral council members, and all parish volunteers and parishioners who interact with children on a regular basis. Our pastor, Fr. Wendell Verrill, has sent letters to staff members and volunteers asking them to choose one of the three dates for introductory sessions. He is even serving all attendees supper after the meeting! His goal is to have all training completed by late Spring.

The Parish Pastoral Council of St. Mary (including two members of St. Mary's VOTF Steering Committee!) organized a celebration for Fr. Wendell Verrill on 2/1 and 2/2 to celebrate his 65th birthday and the 40th anniversary of his ordination. We all wanted to express our love and support to him for his integrity, wisdom, faith and leadership.

VOTF Fall River, MA
Reported by J. Christopher Boyd

In the Fall River Diocese, we are planting the seeds for what we hope will begin a flourishing VOTF Parish Voices across the diocese. Previously, the island of Nantucket had formally established the only Parish Voice in the diocese. Now, due to the sensitive efforts of the team in North Falmouth, we are proud to have a second PV in the area. This team is well organized and distributing their efforts among a number of highly motivated leaders. Generating interest through positive newspaper coverage and drawing on surrounding towns for membership, their most recent meeting showcasing a Jesuit priest from Boston College drew a crowd reported at greater than 300. Their efforts to grow quietly and steadily have blossomed rapidly and dramatically. It suggests to me that there is an enormous desire to participate in and support the efforts of Voice of the Faithful in this area. The spirit is moving our Church - we simply need to help facilitate the opportunities for the faithful to respond. Presently, we have the beginnings of our next PV developing in Orleans (ed. Note: Orleans has joined the fold!) We hope this will enable the many towns in between Falmouth and Orleans to gravitate toward these PV's and build out from there.

I have broken the diocese into clusters for communication purposes. My hope is that this will encourage interested members to work together in building local Parish Voices around the diocese. We have interested members from the various corners of the diocese, including Norton area, Mattapoisett area, Fall River area, and various towns on Cape Cod. Some will work toward finding a meeting place in local parishes, others will meet in homes, while others are still are looking for alternative meeting sites, such as restaurants, school rooms, town halls, and, if necessary, non-Roman Catholic church facilities.

I expect to have at least one more parish voice affiliate to report by next quarter. To have successfully accomplished my goals as the parish voice coordinator, we will have established at least one parish voice affiliate strategically located in each of the cluster areas of the diocese, and at least six affiliates within the diocese. We're well on our way with the hard work, determination and good will of members throughout the diocese.

VOTF Westford-Chelmsford
Reported by Mike Gustin

The Westford-Chelmsford Area Parish Voice had much to celebrate recently with the early January election to Parish Council of two VOTF members in one of our parishes, St. Catherine's in Westford. We nominated two of our strongest VOTF voices, Dennis Galvin and Lauren Franceschi, and fellow parishioners elected both to serve on the Parish Council.

We look forward to implementing VOTF's vision for Structural Change by our active involvement in Parish Council. VOTF members now represent 25% of the total Parish Council membership at St. Catherine's.

VOTF Winchester Area, MA
Reported by Bob Morris

Our group has been meeting weekly since May 13 at St. Eulalia's Parish in Winchester. We have over 300 registered members, from over a dozen parishes in Winchester and many surrounding towns. At our January 13th meeting, we welcomed Jacqui Landry, the Catholic Chaplain for undergraduates at Harvard University. Ms. Landry, a featured speaker at the VOTF convention in July, addressed the question of the impact that the scandal of the past year has had and will have on the youth of our Church. Her talk, attended by over 100 persons, reminded us that the scandal will be the defining event in the Church for an entire generation, and that its impact will be felt for years, if not decades to come.

On January 27, we welcomed two survivors of sexual abuse - Phil Saviano, the former New England Regional Director for SNAP, and Carol Xenos. Both Phil and Carol gave moving and powerful presentations, which brought home to the over 100 present from several area parishes that we must never cease our efforts to support the survivors of abuse - our wounded and despairing brothers and sisters.

VOTF St. Bernard's, Newton, MA
Reported by Martha Rowland

Glenda Alderman, a licensed social worker and supervisor of Trauma Services for Family Service of Greater Boston, spoke at St. Bernard's VOTF Parish Affiliate on 1/23. She addressed the prevalence of abuse in general; the estimate is that one in seven boys and one in four girls have been victimized by abuse. She spoke of the importance of parent and teacher involvement in understanding and determining danger signals. Glenda also brought information from the Children's Advocacy Center of Suffolk County on resources available to adult survivors of clergy abuse as well as contact information. Her talk was followed by a lively and informative Q & A period.

VOTF St. Mary's, Jefferson and St. George's, Worcester Diocese
Reported by Joyce Godfrey

For our January Parish Voices meeting, we had a wonderful session with David O'Brien from Holy Cross College. He spoke about the crisis in the Church and addressed the question, "Where do we go from here?" There was a lively discussion period afterward. We hope to bring David back for some more educational sessions in the future.

It was brought to our attention that our neighboring parish, St. George's, whose parishioners have been invited to join us for Parish Voices, is now starting a pastoral council. Members of St. Mary's pastoral council, are helping them with the process. We are very pleased that by attending Parish Voices people were inspired to take a more active role in their parish and approach their pastor about starting a pastoral council.

VOTF Merrimack Valley Region, MA
Reported by Stacey Quealey

In the Merrimack Valley Region, MA, we are beginning to develop our own regional personality. We will be eagerly pursuing the development of Working Groups (the successful think tanks from our forebears in Newton/Wellesley, MA). I am thrilled to announce that Lauren Franceschi (Westford-Chelmsford VOTF) will be a tremendous support in this process. I expect many other local leaders will emerge as well. It is exciting to foresee how VOTF can now become further defined and effective by strong regionalization across the state and across the country. In this way, Parish Voices can come together in their respective regions and do some real work in advocating for victims, supporting priests who are living up to their vows, and promoting cultural change in their local parishes (especially through Parish Councils). We all know that parish life is where the changes, over time, will make the biggest impact on church reform in general.

VOTF Plymouth Cluster and Duxbury Area Affiliates
Reported by Kathleen Leslie

We are sponsoring a presentation by Fr Michael Himes, Monday, February 24th at Sacred Heart High School in Kingston, Massachusetts. Fr Himes, a Professor of Theology at Boston College will speak on the "Call to Baptism" and the role of the laity in the Catholic Church. All are welcome. Contact plyvotf@adelphia.net if you have questions.

VOTF St. Rose of Lima, Topsfield, MA
Reported by Vince Guerra

As part of the ongoing Adult Education Forum on the Catholic Church, VOTF Northshore Affiliate will sponsor Roger Haight, S.J., author, lecturer and faculty member at Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA. He will speak on "Lay Ministry in the American Catholic Church," Sunday, 1/23 at 7 p.m. His talk will address the history of the Catholic Church in America and the development of lay ministry following Vatican II. The evening will begin with a brief business discussion followed by Fr. Haight's talk and a Q&A period. All who are interested are welcome and encouraged to bring a friend.

Reporters At Large

Have you attended a lecture, event or talk on a subject of interest to VOTF? Do you have information other readers might find helpful? Please consider sending a brief commentary to share.

Survivor Support Events and News
On the Manchester, NH Solidarity March, January 26
THE LONGEST LINE - Reported by Bill Fallon

Catholics are used to waiting in long lines - at Mass for Communion, at Confirmations, funerals, etc. On a cold Sunday morning in late January outside St. Joseph's Cathedral in Manchester, New Hampshire, a group of 83 Catholics waited single file in the longest line of all. They waited to step up to the podium, hold high a poster picture of a victim taken at the age of abuse, and announce the brief caption - "Jamie, abused from age 10 to 14," "Patricia, abused at age 11," "My son, Andrew, abused and raped by Paul Shanley," "Suicide victim #1." For more than half an hour the posters were read, as the silent crowd of about 200 people, herded behind police barriers, listened respectfully as the mournful strains of Barber's Adagio played endlessly.

When the last poster bearer had finished, the crowd joined them in a silent single file march around the cathedral block, more than completely encircling it. A few short speeches by leaders of survivors groups ended the moving two-hour Solidarity March program, and the crowd dispersed to all parts of New England. They'll long remember the biting cold, the graciousness of the Episcopal Church across the street in letting marchers use their facilities when the cathedral authorities refused such a request (and guarded the doors), and the absence of the focus of it all, Bishop John B. McCormack.

For almost ten years Bishop McCormack was a central figure in the Boston Archdiocese practice of shuffling abuser priests from parish to parish. The crowd came to demand his resignation, and will likely come again and again. Each time, as new victim revelations continue, the long line will grow longer.

From our Maine Affiliate
Reported by Stephen Sheehan

Meeting at Most Holy Trinity Parish in Saco, ME on January 22, 2003
Speaker: Fr. William Clark, SJ
Subject: The Role of the Laity in the Catholic Church in the 21st Century.
Contact: Paul Kendrick, VOTF Maine

Summation of Presentation:

The fact of the clergy sexual abuse crisis has deeply compromised the ability of the Church to take a firm moral stand. The underlying causes of the crisis must be addressed and remedied before the Gospel message can be heard.

The laity can no longer adopt a passive role. We must now assume the role bestowed by our baptism as sharing in Christ's threefold role as prophet, priest and king.

The Church is a sacrament. Its mission is to point out the Kingdom of God and to make it happen. The authority of the laity to participate fully is not dependent on the hierarchy, on Canon Law or on the traditions of the Church but derives from God through our baptism. In Lumen Gentium, these rights and responsibilities are noted in the first section of the document, before the roles of the hierarchy and the religious.

The Church is a mystery, not an institution. It is manifested as a relationship with God. This can only be properly understood when seen from within. Members enter this relationship through baptism.

Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) has a right to exist. This right is clear in Canons 208 - 231. We have the right to associate and to meet to discuss our concerns and a right, sometimes a duty to make our concerns known to the hierarchy in fulfillment of our priestly role.

VOTF must be a broad-based organization with modest but firm goals, initially focused at the local level in order to build a stronger, larger group, similar to the church in the first two centuries.

Tools that are used against us:

• Wait-and-see attitude is directed against the desire of the laity to dialogue with the hierarchy;
• Denial of use of Church property is directed against our desire to work within the Church;
• Disruption of meetings employs exhausting negative energy and is directed against our right to meet and organize;
• Broad and false characterization as dissenters is directed against our stated mission and goals;
• Complaints about vagueness are directed against our methodology for growth and development.

Our response to these tactics:

• Frontal assault is divisive. We need to listen and not combat arrogance with arrogance;
• We need to open dialogue, but this cannot happen when one party is cowed into submission;
• We need to stand firm in our rights and duties, but always listen;
• Conduct continual education of the laity in the Catechism, Vatican II documents, the Bible, and Canon Law, using all reference materials at our disposal;
• We need to demonstrate our holiness, be more conspicuous as practicing what we preach;
• We need to be watchdogs at the parish level to insure that laity participation remains constant and that we do not regress;
• We need to do more outreach to young people, minorities and those who are disadvantaged/disaffected.

Priests and VOTF, Naples, FL
Reported by Richard Caldarone

On Thursday, January 23, about 250 Catholics from Naples, FL attended a Mass concelebrated by priests and deacons from five Catholic churches located in Naples and neighboring Bonita Springs. The principal celebrant was Fr. Jack Donahue of St. John the Evangelist church in North Naples who gave the homily. Fr. Donahue said that the sex abuse crisis has seriously injured the institutional church and caused a crisis of confidence. He referred to the victims as his spiritual children. He also expressed compassion for his brother priests who had victimized those most vulnerable in our church. He described them as part of our broken human family. He also talked about the effect the scandal has had upon the honorable and chaste priests who now are often looked upon with distrust or suspicion.

He said that he welcomed more participation in parish affairs from finance to hiring of church employees, but said that this involvement may not be easy going since many priests have been used to running their parishes in their own way for many years. Fr Donahue stated that the church has weathered worse times and that "through our pain, we are forming and giving birth to a renewed church." Fr. Glockin, the pastor of St. John's, said that he welcomed the parishioners' involvement and that it's "the people's church".

After the Mass, Peg Clark, founder of the local VOTF group, introduced the board of directors of the Southwest Florida Chapter of VOTF. She felt that the many retirees in the area had the time and energy available to work for a stronger church and that they could offer to volunteer in local charities and to participate in the recovery of the church. She said "Maybe God gathered us here in Southwest Florida for this unique purpose."

Prior to the mass, the ushers greeted those who came and distributed a folder stating the purpose of VOTF and information for those who might wish to become involved.

The following letter came to the In the Vineyard mailbox from a priest in California. It is a special grace to know of Fr. Tureman's support.

Dear Friends,

I want to thank you for your newsletter and the amazing work you are doing to help heal our shattered institution. As a priest, this has been the most painful time I have ever experienced, both professionally and personally. As I hear the revelations coming out of Boston and other areas, I keep wondering how much more shock can I take. Just when we have seen the worst, there is more. This crisis has undermined the good work that the vast majority of my fellow priests do.

I have never seen a crisis that has hurt so many good people both within and outside of the institution. I was pleased when VOTF and the local clergy in Boston finally demanded Cardinal Law's resignation. Your work and witness have given me hope that out of this will come a better day. But I do believe that Cardinal Law is only the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully, this will translate as the first step in a serious reform of the entire institution. This may be the only action that might restore any credibility to our Church.

My prayers and support are with you and VOTF. I know you will keep those of us trying to share God's hope and love in your prayers as well. Keep up the good work and we will walk in solidarity with you by doing the best job we can do, here in our parishes.

Yours in our Savior
Fr. Tom Tureman, SDS

Notes From Members

From Terry McKiernan
"If you are concerned about female victims and the Edwards/Foster case, please take a moment to look at www.parcc.org, where you will find a letter written by Susan Gallagher -- a survivor herself, a teacher, and a close analyst of the crisis -- assessing the Globe's coverage of these two issues and providing extensive backup.

Some of you may feel it is wrong to criticize a newspaper that has been such an advantage to the movement, or that it is a strategic mistake to do so. I can see the force of those arguments, but for me, the neglect of female victims and the implications of the Edwards/Foster case are too serious to be ignored. Many of you are not in the Boston area, but I think the issues are important for you, too."

From David Sanderson
"As pastor at Our Lady Help of Christian's in Concord Massachusetts, Fr. Austin Fleming has been outspoken about the church crisis in parish listening sessions, in dozens of homilies and letters, in the Boston Priests Forum, and in his support of Voice of the Faithful. Fr. Fleming will be the Guest Speaker at the Concord MA Area VOTF Parish Voice Meeting on Wednesday, February 12th at 7:30 PM. All are welcome to attend."

Date: Wednesday February 12th
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Concord Massachusetts. The meeting will be held in the parish hall of Our Lady Help of Christians Church, located on Church Street between Main Street (route 62) and Commonwealth avenue, just up the hill from the West Concord MBTA station, one mile Southwest of the corner of Route 2 and Route 62.