LETTERS to the Editor 2002

Ready in the nick of time for the July 2002 VOTF “debut” at the Hynes Auditorium, Boston MA, was VOTF’s first communication vehicle. “Voice” was the generous gift of Brown Publishing Company, then in Wellesley. What follows are some of the letters we published in the first issues of “Voice” and a prayer written by one of VOTF’s founders for one of the early meetings at St. John the Evangelist Church, Wellesley MA.

“The trade winds in the Catholic Church (the media attention, new grass roots movements starting, the passion in our hearts) are here NOW. They will go away, as sure as the sun’s rising tomorrow.

These winds, unfortunately, have come three months early for VOTF. We are not incorporated; we do not have a refined mission statement; we do not know what we are doing; it is too early.

But we must launch the boat! To not take advantage of this historic opportunity to leverage this trade wind for reform is to settle for a lesser Church for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.” From co-founder Paul Baier, the wind behind our sails, when we were at risk of missing our launch

“Thanks for understanding the difficulties that victims have had to live with. It gets easier when people like yourselves band together in the cause of what is right and just. Remain strong and let no one question your faith.” From a survivor attendee of the convention

“The most moving experience was to see and hear [survivor] Arthur Austin’s growth from Good Friday, when he could barely speak without breaking down from [the story of] his sexual abuse, and then to see him on this Saturday, challenging us, each and every one of God’s people, full of confidence and conviction.” From a convention attendee

A poem from Danusha Goska in Indiana:

Listen for the silenced;
embrace the exiled;
remember the forgotten.

“Movements such as VOTF are an unmistakable sign that Christ is still with His Church and the Holy Spirit continues to blow where She will. We stand at the threshold of a new and wonderful chapter in the story of redemption.” Brother Michael Cook, a.h., San Antonio TX

A Prayer for the Laity

Dear God, help us to think clearly tonight and to be our best selves.
Help us to act from motives of justice, not revenge.
Help us to temper our emotions with reason, and our anger with mercy
Help us to give strength to each other, and to Fr. Tom, Sr. Evelyn and Fr. John.*
Help us to act in imitation of your son, with love as our true and transformative guide.
Above all, help us to stand in our truth, unafraid.
We ask these things in the name of the Creator, both Father and Mother…and of the Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ and of Wisdom Sophia, the Holy Spirit. Amen

Luisa Cahill Dittrich for an early VOTF meeting in 2002

*Fr. Tom Powers is pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Wellesley MA where VOTF was born. Sr. Evelyn Ronan continues as Pastoral Associate there. Fr. John Philbin was the retired, long-serving pastor who died a few years later. It was extraordinarily difficult for the parish staff to support VOTF, given the obvious relationship every parish has with its diocesan leadership – in this case, Cardinal Bernard Law.