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In this issue: News from Chicago; We Want Your Opinion; New Faces in the National Office; Letter to the Editor; Priest Support Working Group News; Events; Book Review; and more.

NATIONAL News

News from Chicago
Voice of the Faithful Demands Cardinal George’s Resignation

Last week, VOTF released a statement calling for Cardinal George to resign and for authorities to begin a criminal investigation into the actions of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

“The recently revealed deposition by Cardinal Francis George is a clear indictment of his pastoring skills and his inability to lead the people of Chicago. His repeated failures in both the Bennett and McCormack cases indicate a trend to disregard advice from outside clerical circles and continue to follow precedents of deceit, cover-ups and secrecy (imbedded in the clerical culture) in lieu of protecting innocent children from irreparable harm.”
For the entire press release:
http://www.votf.org/Press/pressrelease/081808.html
For more coverage, click here.

We Want Your Opinion!

VOTF is engaged in a strategic planning process and we’re asking all members for feedback. In particular, we need to know from our membership what they perceive to be our greatest current strengths and weaknesses. As we plan for a focused future to reach the goals we set for ourselves, we need members to define what might be future opportunities for the organization as well as threats that may be obstacles for us.

All members from the Board of Trustees, Officers, the National Rep Council and Working Groups have been polled. Now it's the members turn. We urge every member to give us your input. Only through honest, transparent communication can we grow and become stronger. The online survey will gather your information until Monday, September 15. We will analyze the data provided and report back to all members in late Fall.

Thank you in advance for your ideas,

The National Officers

Take the survey

From the National Office: New Faces

VOTF welcomes Jessica Lillie as PR Director for the national office. Ms. Lillie most recently worked as director of public relations and fundraising for a non-profit agency near Chicago. She comes to VOTF with a background in broadcast journalism and several years experience writing and producing television news shows.

"We are pleased to add Jessica's talents to our staff, and we look forward to the new opportunities her knowledge of today's technologies will provide," said Donna B. Doucette, Executive Director of VOTF. "Jessica is replacing long-time VOTF member, John Moynihan, who served the organization for almost three years, and we thank John for his hard work."

Ms. Lillie has a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism. She has also studied journalism and public relations at universities in Australia and Massachusetts.

VOTF also welcomes to our national office Brian Roylance, who as our new Office Manager will be manning the telephones, keeping our inventory steady, our office machines running, generating reports and generally helping things work smoothly. If you recognize that last name, yes, Brian already has a history with VOTF. His mother Margaret is a long-time member and the chair of our national Structural Change Working Group.

Say hello to Brian and to Jessica the next time you drop in or call!

LETTER to the Editor 

In response to VOTF’s request for Cardinal George’s resignation, Ruth Bertels, editor of the website, Taking Five, urges VOTF members and all Catholics to act:

“Jesus acted, even when he was exhausted, distracted, discouraged. Is he saying to us today, "Oh, ye of little faith! Why do you doubt your power for good? My grace is sufficient for you! Where is your faith? Your love for Me? Your love for my sheep, your brothers and sisters?"

To read Ruth’s letter in its entirety, please click here.

Priest Support Working Group News

VOTF’S Providence Convention “Disciples in Action” provided an occasion for honoring selected clergy with a “Priest of Integrity” award for their noted courage and compassion in their ministry.  We know that there are many untold stories of priests doing heroic service in their communities, but it is our hope that highlighting the ones that we have come to know about gives us examples to follow and hope in the unseen goodness that abounds. 

There were many priests nominated from across the country, and although a few were singled out at the convention, there were ten more who also deserve our appreciation and support. In the upcoming editions of In the Vineyard, we will recognize each of these priests of integrity.

Fr. Pat Brennan – a Priest of Integrity

Fr. Pat Brennan is pastor of Holy Family Catholic Community in Inverness, IL.  He has long been recognized as a priest who lives the faith he preaches.  Holy Family Parish was charged with the challenge to be an experimental parish with liturgies, music and homilies melding contemporary theology with psychology and the headlines.  Fr. Pat's gifts are evident in his ability to empower the laity to question, discern and act courageously and with compassion according to their informed consciences.  Fr. Pat's homilies resonate with parishioners who often feel that the message was customized specifically for them.  He is well known for his "reality-based" preaching and servant leadership.

Click here to read more about Father Pat Brennan.For more information on VOTFSBA’s annual report, click here

EVENTS

Save the Date

If you haven't heard Francine Cardman speak since the 2002 convention and/or if your faith these days needs a little refreshing, this presentation is for you. On Thursday, October 2, 2008, at 7 pm, Francine Cardman will deliver a lecture on "Meeting Jesus: Christ in Tradition and Traditions." The free lecture will take place in Peterson Hall #024 (on the Brighton campus).To register, contact STMCE@BC.EDU or call 617-552-6501 or 800-487-1167.

"Meeting Jesus: Christ in Tradition and Traditions" will focus on "the earliest Christians, we meet Jesus Christ on the way, in the world, through the relationships and communities that are the contexts of our lives. These experiences are immediate and particular but are also part of larger contexts and communities that extend across cultures and across centuries. This wide and deeply textured network of Christian faith offers multiple, rich traditions of practice and reflection within which we may encounter Jesus Christ and continue to hand on the Tradition of God’s saving love. This presentation will sketch the contours of this broad terrain and explore examples of its diverse possibilities and perspectives." Submitted by P.L. Thorp

Walk Across Oregon! (Support for Survivors)

Why? We want to inspire people across Oregon to work to prevent the sexual abuse of children and to care for survivors of abuse. Our ideas include (1) providing private support, group support and community support for survivors of child sex abuse (www.compassionategathering.org); and (2) building support for eliminating the statute of limitations on prosecuting child sex abuse.

Where? We will start in Ashland , Oregon , on September 1, 2008, and end in Portland tentatively on September 29, 2008.

Who? We will be wearing neon yellow t-shirts that say “Stop Child Sex Abuse” on the front and “Walk Across Oregon” on the back. We include survivors of childhood sex abuse and clergy abuse, family members of survivors, and supporters from the community. All survivors and supporters are welcome to join us at any point in the walk.

SITE-Seeing, Etc.

In a recent issue of Foreign Policy Magazine, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson was asked what the Pope should do to resolve the sexual abuse crisis. He answered:

I will know the Catholic Church is truly serious when it places obligatory celibacy on the table for discussion. I don’t believe the celibacy requirement is the sole cause of abuse, but it has become a litmus test.

The problem is not celibacy, but obligatory celibacy. Mother Teresa freely chose a celibate life because it was the only way she could do what she felt called to do, what she wanted to do. By making it obligatory, you create numerous priests, who want to be good priests, but who are living an unwanted and unaccepted celibacy. Unwanted celibacy can contribute to unhealthy psychology, such as severe depression. It can contribute to unhealthy ideas—for example, misogyny. It can contribute to unhealthy living conditions, including loneliness and lack of support. When these three things come together, you have the circumstances in which sexual abuse can arise.

Click here to read the article in its entirety.

News from VERMONT

Father Tom Doyle testified in the recent Vermont sexual abuse case. To read about the case and Father Doyle’s testimony, click here.

BOOK Review

Voice of Renewal/Lay Education Working Group has an annotated bibliography and book summaries available on the VOTF website. Anne Southwood, co-chair of Voice of Renewal/Lay Education Working Group reviewed God's Problem by Bart D. Ehrman, 2008 (Harper One, NY) for Vineyard readers this month.

After driving through a scary thunder and windstorm, anticipating suffering from the displacement of my heavy vehicle by a sudden evil strike, the flyleaf of this book made it easy to pick from my pile to review. The author, a younger but noted biblical scholar and pastor, expert on the early Church and life of Jesus, states his goal as helping people examine the reality of suffering in their lived experience in the real world. He encourages us to face suffering.

To read the rest of Anne’s review click here.