Contact: Suzanne Morse 617-680-2131, smorse@votf.org

For Immediate Release

Voice of the Faithful Announces Justice Anne Burke to Receive Inaugural Distinguished Lay Person Award at Indianapolis Convocation

Newton, Mass. – June 17, 2005 – Leaders of Voice of the Faithful are announcing that Justice Anne Burke, of Chicago, IL, will receive the organization’s first Catherine of Siena Distinguished Lay Person Award at a Convocation to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana from July 8th through July 10th. Burke, who was Interim Chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s National Review Board from 2002 to 2004, is a Justice of the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District. She will be presented with this award at the Indiana Convention Center on Sunday, July 10th at the event entitled “The Laity Speak, Accountability Now.”

As Interim Chair of the National Review Board, Burke oversaw the landmark study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice that measured the nature and scope of clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the United States. She also was instrumental in influencing the USCCB’s decision to maintain the audits mandated by the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that measured the implementation of child safety protection policies in all dioceses.

“Anne Burke has provided a model of leadership for all lay Catholics to follow,” said James E. Post, president of Voice of the Faithful. “She courageously spoke the truth about clergy sexual abuse to Cardinals at the Vatican, U.S. Bishops, and to countless groups of lay Catholics across the country. We are so pleased to have this opportunity to recognize her tireless and inspirational effort to bring accountability and responsibility to the Catholic Church.”

The award, the first to be given by the organization of lay Catholics, is named for St. Catherine of Siena, a 14th century Italian saint who encountered crisis and corruption in the Catholic Church and took noble and effective action to end it.

“We live in times of crisis. We seek true reform,” said Kristine Ward, vice president of Voice of the Faithful, and one of the Convocation’s co-chairs. “Models of exemplary lay leadership are needed as torchbearers of light in our Church. Laity has many gifts that we willingly use for the Church’s service. Voice of the Faithful, in the inauguration of this award, seeks to light the lamp of recognition of laity and call forth the talents of all members of the Body of Christ.”

The focus of the Indianapolis leadership meeting will be to determine ways to bring greater accountability to the Catholic Church, particularly in the areas of bishops’ accountability, financial accountability, and lay accountability. The Convocation will include grassroots training sessions, as well as panel discussions and breakout sessions that will focus on accountability-driven actions. Francine Cardman, who is Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, will deliver the keynote address. Other speakers will include Justice Anne Burke, the former head of the National Review Board; Paul Lakeland, chair of the department of Religious Studies at Fairfield University; and David Castaldi, chair of the board of Voice of the Faithful.

For more information on Anne Burke or the Indianapolis leadership meeting, including information on the program, speakers, and registration, please go to Voice of the Faithful’s web site.

//end

About Voice of the Faithful: Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) is a worldwide movement of concerned mainstream Catholics formed in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. The group's mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church. Its goals are to support victim/survivors of abuse, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change within the Catholic Church in full accordance and harmony with Church teaching. VOTF's supporting membership exceeds 30,000 registered persons from 50 U.S. states, 39 countries and 207 Parish Voice affiliates throughout the world.