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In
the Vineyard is a service of Voice of the Faithful, Inc. published
twice monthly. Please send comments and inquiries
to pthorp.ed@votf.org.
“Rejoice
always, never cease praying, render constant thanks;
such is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do
not stifle the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test
everything; retain what is good.” 1 Thes 5:16-21
VOTF
officer nominations deadline is December 19. As
membership has learned recently, our long-serving
president Jim Post is not running for another term
of office. Jim made his announcement early
in order to encourage other leaders in VOTF to come
forward. All registered members have a voice in
the election process, beginning with the nomination
process. You are asked to use the nomination
form on the web site, not the email address (which
is set up to respond to general inquires). Not registered?
Click here. |
VOTF at Work in the World
(Please
note that many of the online publications require registering
before viewing the articles mentioned.)
Jim
Post reminds us that December 13 is an anniversary
no one in VOTF should forget. On that
day in 2002, Boston's
Cardinal Law resigned. As Jim says, "That day remains
the one day during the past four years when the Vatican
did 'get it right.'"
National
VOTF action to support all priests of integrity regardless
of their sexual orientation sparked nationwide VOTF participation.
VOTF Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia,
Boston and Fall River wore ribbons in the liturgical
color of hope – green – to Masses last weekend
and at Sunday evening vigils. SUPPORTERS are encouraged
to CONTINUE wearing the green ribbons to Masses in visible
support of our priests. “If we are to believe the
church's own contention that only 4 percent of priests
are pedophiles and researchers' assessment that anywhere
from one-third to one-half of presently ordained priests
are homosexuals, the eligibility of gays for the priesthood
is already proven.” Joan Chittister, NCR .
- A
National Catholic Reporter editorial offered eloquent
condolences to those in Church leadership who happen
to be homosexual. Of the Vatican document, NCR said, “The
language, of course, is more the product of ignorance
and fear than of enlightenment.”
- Media
coverage of the “green rally” was immediate
and broad – from regional to national including
the New York Times, the Boston
Globe
and the Herald
News; and various local TV coverage including
WCAU in Phila.
- Fr.
Bob Silva, president of the National Federation
of Priests’ Council spoke out early on the NFPC
web site: “… affirming those priests who
understand themselves to have ‘homosexual tendencies’ and
who are living a celibate and holy life. The ministry
of these priests is an inestimable gift to the Church
and of immeasurable value for the People of God.” Read
full text.
- Another
front on the battle against sex abuse is emerging. “Not
convinced the Vatican’s
new criteria banning gay seminarians address root causes
of clerical abuse, women who were abused by priests demonstrated
Dec. 1 outside chancery offices of the Boston archdiocese.” Read
Chuck Colbert’s column in NCR .
Statutes
of Limitation discussions are drawing lively
and constructive interest. Will civil suits help survivors
at the expense of many fine parishes? Will criminal suits
effect greater safety for children? In Commentary Fr. Tom
Doyle argues for changes in statutes of limitation.
-
 Survivors
and supporters share thoughts on their recent service
mission to Nicaragua. VOTF’s survivor support
activist Steve Sheehan wrote of his experience on this
trip – his Managua
Journal is on our web site
along with brief commentary from Sue Archibald, director
of The Healing Alliance, Vince Grenough, and Jeannie
Wills.
- Eyes
on NJ – “Churches, private
schools and other charities that negligently hire employees
who sexually abuse children would retroactively lose
their immunity against lawsuits under a bill that passed
the Senate last night 63-5.” Reported Dec. 13 in
the Star Ledger
- VOTF
Long Island, NY has posted on their
web site the words
of a survivor shared at a recent VOTF
St. Hugh’s meeting (Huntington Sta., NY). Coordinator
of St. Hugh’s Parish Voice and board member of
LI-VOTF George Sheppard noted the power of the presentation.
- SAVE THE DATE in Boston, MA, Jan. 10 is SOL
(Statutes of Limitation) Advocacy Day coordinated by
the Massachusetts Coalition to Reform Sex Abuse Laws.
Learn more.
Vineyard readers
will remember coverage provided in the March 2005 issue
of what has been happening to the Catholics
of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in St. Louis, MO, at
the hands of their diocesan leadership. “In a defiant
challenge to Archbishop Raymond Burke's authority as the
leader of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the board of directors
of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church has hired a Roman Catholic
priest from the neighboring diocese of Springfield-Cape
Girardeau to be its parish pastor.” This faith community
of life-long Catholics had each other and one more priest
of integrity to see them through a shattering experience.
See St.
Louis Today , NewsChannel
Five and the Kansas
City Star .
- Did you know? Read Commentary for the Association
for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) reminder
to all Catholics of the principle of subsidiarity advocated
by Pope John Paul II.
VOTF
National Communications - The monthly
Communications Discussion Groups have begun with great
enthusiasm. We
had representatives from VOTF affiliates across the country
participating in our initial December sessions. These small
discussion groups will deal with meeting promotion, press
interviews, national and local topics of interest, etc.
It’s a great opportunity to discuss your communications
questions and learn some of the “best practices” of
other affiliates. VOTF National is providing conference
call coverage for these discussions. If you would like
to participate, please contact Communications Director,
John Moynihan jmoynihan@votf.org,
617 558 5252. Discussions will be held monthly on Wednesday
and Thursday nights and
will last about an hour. The next meetings will be Wednesday,
January 11 @ 7:00 PM and Thursday, January 12 @ 8:00 PM.
| Good
news for the thousands who have benefited from Boston
College’s Church in the
21st Century Initiative. Director of the C21 Center
Tim Muldoon advises that
the first C21 volume, Church Ethics and Its Organizational
Context: Learning from the Sex Abuse Scandal in the
Catholic Church is now available. For a preview, go
to the Rowman
and Littlefield web site. If your browser cannot
access the page, go to www.rowmanlittlefield.com and
search by title. The book is edited by Bartunek, Hinsdale
and Keenan and includes a contribution from VOTF president
Jim Post |
Site-seeing,
Etc.
VOTF vice president Kris Ward has identified some handy
e-addresses for those wishing to correspond with
our leadership in Rome. Kris notes, “In
my conversations in Rome during the time of conclave, I was told
that communications
are read; some segments of the Church communicate in
abundance; notice is taken among Curia aides who
have cross-conversations
in Curia departments; and of course, aides have conversations
with their bosses.”
- pcpl@laity.va for
Cardinal Francis Stafford, the Cardinal Archbishop
of Denver before going to the Vatican to head the
Pontifical Council on the Laity; he speaks English
as do his aides; Archbishop Levada, the new head of
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith can be reached
at cdf@cfatih.va;
Pope Benedict’s address, tended
by English speaking aides, is bendictxvi@vatican.va;
Kris also notes a new USCCB
web site.
ALSO
- The
USCCB initiated a “Response and Prevention
Project” under the Office of Child and Youth Protection.
The Executive Summary is on the USCCB
web site.
-
America magazine has run several articles reflecting
on Vatican II “at 40”; see the Nov. 28 and
Dec. 5 issues and in their Dec. 12 issue, see “Best
Practices in Church Management.”
- Bishop-Accountability.org was among
the first calls placed by Philadelphia Deputy DA Gallagher
to say that the BA.org
web site “had been crucial in helping his office
get a handle on the crisis in the Church.” This
site is crucial for all who care about children.
Visit www.bishop-accountability.org and see for yourself.
-
Keep up with VOTF
affiliate Best Practices.
Merry
Christmas from the VOTF National Office!
Quote for our time:
“…
the experience of the meeting, and of getting to know Tom
Doyle, has greatly helped the whistle blowers in this diocese,
ending their lonely isolation. Voice of the Faithful has
given Derry the realisation that this home diocese of Colmcille
of Iona is now firmly part of an international Catholic
network bent on restoring compassion and integrity to our
Church - and on placing lay people in a leadership role.” Sean
O’Conaill speaking of Tom Doyle’s visit to
Derry. Read more at www.votfireland.com
The next issue of In the Vineyard is January 12, 2006.
Copy deadline Monday, January 9. |
