VOTF Working Group Activity

The Priests' Support Working Group is regrouping after a summer sabbatical. Our efforts will continue to be at the inter-parish level, bringing together groups of lay and clergy to meet and discover ways of collaboration and mutual support and understanding. We look forward to panel discussions and opportunities to better understand what is meant by priesthood: the common priesthood of all believers and the ordained ministerial priesthood. As we continue to support the integrity of the priesthood we hope to build stronger liaisons between individual priests and priest groups, such as the Boston Priests' Forum. We need each other now more than ever: VOTF's three goals are interdependent and will only succeed by working together for justice and healing.

We are seeking broader representation and will be soliciting names as contacts in every affiliation. Please join us, through prayer, active participation or contact Svea Fraser at sveaandscott@comcast.net.

Survivor Support Working Group - News coverage from reporter Steve Sheehan

Manchester, NH, Rally and Solidarity March
The street in front of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph was filled with over 200 survivors and supporters on the morning of September 21, 2003, demanding the resignations of both Bishop John McCormack and Bishop Francis Christian for their complicity in the cover-up of the sexual abuse of children in New Hampshire and in Massachusetts, where McCormack had worked for the Boston Archdiocese prior to being transferred to Manchester.

After a press conference at which representatives from Speak Truth to Power (STTOP), Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), The Linkup, Coalition of Catholics and Survivors, VOTF, and New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership voiced their grievances, over 100 participants took to the podium to express their individual demands for the resignations of both bishops.

To conclude the ceremony, a solidarity march was conducted around the cathedral while participants held aloft posters displaying photographs of many of the survivors taken at the ages at which the abuse occurred and defining the enormity of the crimes committed.

Quincy, MA, VOTF hosts Fundraiser for The Lighthouse
The members of the Quincy, MA, Affiliate of VOTF held a fundraising gathering on the evening of September 21, in the parish hall at Saint John the Baptist Church. The members were introduced to the history and mission of The Lighthouse by Phil and Lauren de Albuquerque, co-founders, who raised the money to provide initial funding for the operation through the sale of a rental property that they owned. Phil showed a 15-minute video that he had prepared showing the physical plant of The Lighthouse and highlighting some of the programs and projects that have taken place and are planned for survivors.

The Lighthouse is a non-denominational resource and referral center that survivors may call or visit for advice on how to get the help they need in their healing journey or just to find a safe welcoming place to be among friends.

After a question-and-answer period, refreshments were offered and a raffle was conducted in which $1500.00 was raised to benefit the Lighthouse.

Many thanks to Mary Beth Kabat and all the members of Quincy VOTF for their wonderful generosity.

Musical Tribute to Survivors
On the evening of September 28 the Pickman Auditorium in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, was filled with the music of Bach, Schumann, Debussy, Barber, Loeffler and Messaien, raising the spirits of survivors and advocates in a musical tribute to those who have been abused by clergy.

The performance was arranged by Elizabeth Ostling, Assistant Principal Flute for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Ms. Ostling was assisted by her mother, Joan, and her sister, Margaret in organizing the recital and the reception that followed. Performing with Elizabeth were John Ferillo and Elita Kang, both of the BSO, as well as Carol Rowland of the New England Conservatory of Music and Hugh Hinton of the Longy School of Music.

There was no admission charge, but donations were accepted for the benefit of The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (S.N.A.P.)

This writer in no way resembles a music critic. Nonetheless in my layman's opinion this performance was superb throughout and the evening was entirely delightful. Kudos to Elizabeth, her family, the performing artists and all who contributed to the success of this event.

VOTF Christmas Cards
Order your VOTF Christmas Cards, sponsored by the Winchester, MA Area VOTF! All proceeds will benefit the Lighthouse, a resource center in Boston for survivors of clergy abuse. Please place your order by October 31 if at all possible. The four designs were produced by artists in our affiliate. The back of each card will have a little information about the Lighthouse and also invite people to learn more about VOTF by visiting the national site. A PDF version of our order form with pictures of each of the cards is available on the first page of our local web-site (www.votfwinchester.org).

Voices of Survivors
In early July, 2003, more than twenty survivors came together to answer the question, "What do we want the Church to do?" Through meetings, e-mails and countless conversations we reached consensus and produced the document "Call to Reform the Archdiocese of Boston." We hope that Bishop O'Malley and other members of the Church hierarchy will use this document, informed by our horrific experiences, to create a safer environment that can begin to truly honor and protect the sacredness of all children and adults. If you would like more information, please contact Kathy Dwyer, wolfkmd@aol.com, Dale Walsh, dalewalsh@aol.com, or Ann Hagan Webb, annhaganwebb@yahoo.com. Please see the document here.

The Linkup Breaks Ground on Healing and Recovery Center
By Susan Archibald, President, The Linkup

The past two years have brought much progress in the crisis involving the Roman Catholic Church. We can proudly measure exposure of the issues, improved policies, monetary compensation for survivors, and empowerment of the laity. Yet one crucial area remains remiss: the compassionate outreach to survivors by the institution, and funded programs for healing and recovery.

The opportunity is obvious. There are 13 treatment centers in the United States for offending clergy. For survivors, there are none.

When a diocese learns of a priest's potential misconduct, they typically whisk the priest away to a Catholic-run treatment center so that he can repaired, renewed, and returned to a place within the Church. Could we not work with the hierarchy to provide a similar service to victims and survivors?

Leaders and members of The Linkup believe we can, and are determined to work cooperatively with church leaders to make this concept a reality.

On September 26, 2003, The Linkup broke ground and launched a $200,000 capital campaign for a healing and resource center just outside Louisville, Kentucky. The "Linkup Farm" will be a place of healing and recovery for survivors. Bluegrass, gentle breezes, and the rolling hills of the Kentucky countryside provide a peaceful backdrop for those who visit.

The two-acre site will boast a barn-like structure with meeting space, a library, kitchen, office, and an overnight suite for guests. The barn is to be surrounded by flower and vegetable gardens to be worked by visitors. Programs at the center will be focused on healing and recovery, to include: gardening, bread-making, art therapy, spiritual reconnection, lectures and peer support groups.

The "Linkup Farm" is about community. Survivors standing beside supporters, hammers in hand, to forge hope out of tragedy.

And this is just the beginning. The search has begun for larger acreage on which to construct phase two. This second phase will incorporate a working farm with long and short-term stay facilities for survivors, run by a permanent staff including survivors and mental health professionals.

Big dreams, we know. But dreams can become reality when those who care bring energy together as a team. The team is wide open, and there is a place for everyone. If you would like to be a play a part, please contact us at 502-290-4055, or visit our website, www.thelinkup.org .

The Linkup- Survivors of Clergy Abuse was incorporated in 1991, and now has over 3,000 members is the US and Abroad. Its headquarters are in Louisville, Kentucky.

Protecting Our Children Working Group -
submitted by Kathy Mullaney and Mary Irene Lanigan

Jetta Bernier's Presentation at the VOTF: Protecting Our Children Supper Meeting, Tuesday, 9/16/03, at 6:30 p.m., Parish Center of Our Lady's Church, West Concord

The twenty of us who gathered in the gracious new Parish Center at Our Lady's Church in West Concord were inspired by Jetta Bernier's presentation of the goals and the structure of the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership (MCSAPP). For years, as Executive Director of Massachusetts Citizens for Children, Jetta had called for a statewide comprehensive program for preventing child sexual abuse. As public attention was drawn to child sexual abuse within the Church, the time had come for a new approach: forming a Partnership composed of statewide agencies that address the needs of children. Jetta participated in our POC workshop during the 2002 VOTF conference. Our mutual interests prompted her to invite the Protecting Our Children Working Group of VOTF to join the Partnership.

As its first major action, the MCSAPP applied to the Center for Disease Control (which considers child sexual abuse a major health problem) for funds to support a child sexual abuse prevention program. The CDC grant intended to sponsor programs that shifted the responsibility for detection and prevention from educating children to educating adults. The MCSAPP's proposal won funding for Massachusetts, one of three states whose plans were selected. In each of the states (the other two are Georgia and Minnesota) the focus of the programs is on training adults to assume responsibility for the detection and prevention of child sexual abuse. What distinguished the Massachusetts Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership program was its recognition that child sexual abuse is a public health problem. The funds granted to our state are currently being applied to the development of three permanent local collaboratives (pilot communities).

Jetta Bernier announced that of the several communities that presented proposals, the three selected are Gloucester, Newton, and Orange/Athol. Each either has formed or will form a local collaborative that commits to engaging the resources of all agencies that touch upon the lives of children in the community. The goal is to develop a child abuse prevention program that focuses on informing and training adults for detecting predators and knowing what to do about them. The general public needs to see child sexual abuse as a preventable public health problem. One of the communities, Newton, is now in the process of organizing its local collaborative of all the health, education, safety, and other organizations that touch the lives of children. Another, Orange/Athol, which has 5-7 times more abuse than the average community, will use data collected by the University of Lowell from courts, hospitals, DSS, and schools of the area. As part of its permanent role in preventing child sexual abuse, the state-level MCSAP Partnership will evaluate and support the local collaboratives.

MCSAPP has set for itself five broad goals, three of which focus on the selection and support of these permanent local collaboratives for child sexual abuse prevention. These are the goals:

• To develop and maintain a strong and permanent state-level collaborative (the MCSAP Partnership) on child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention.

• To define and implement a comprehensive perpetration prevention response to child sexual abuse through the state-level collaborative (MCSAPP).

• To support the development of a network of three permanent local collaboratives (pilot communities) on child sexual abuse prevention.

• To assist the local collaboratives in applying the public health model to understand the nature and scope of child sexual abuse, conditions that allow it to occur, and strategies to prevent it in their communities.

• To implement a comprehensive perpetration prevention response to child sexual abuse through the three local collaboratives.

As the first goal indicates, the Partnership has designed for itself a permanent function in the state's effort to prevent child sexual abuse. In the fall of 2004 it will conduct a conference featuring the programs developed by the local collaboratives (pilot communities). By presenting results of the pilot programs, the Partnership hopes both to create advocates in the pilot community and to stimulate other communities to assess their readiness to undertake programs of their own. As part of Goal #2, an objective at the state level is to develop a booklet teaching parents how to protect children: for example, not being deceived by the "niceness factor," what to look for in people who take care of your children, a list of local resources. Mayors in the pilot communities have already committed to distributing the booklet to everyone in the community.

The core members of the Protecting Our Children working group were delighted to be joined by VOTF leadership and VOTF colleagues from Bridgewater, Wayland, and West Concord (our hostesses). We call to your attention two programs for child sexual abuse prevention: "Christian Stewardship of Children in the Catholic Community," developed by The Protection of Children Committee of the Concord Area VOTF; and "Safe Environment Policies and Procedures," developed by St. Zepherin's Parish in Wayland. Both are available on the POC link of the VOTF web site. We invite other VOTF affiliates to share with us their efforts, and efforts in their communities, to inform about and to prevent child sexual abuse, so we can share them with others.

We hope that some will join us for our next meeting on Tuesday, October 21st, at 7:00 p.m., St. John's Church in Wellesley. Please email us at votfprotect@yahoo.com for directions and details.

Voice of the Faithful, VOTF, "Keep the Faith, Change the Church,"
Voice of Compassion, VOTF logo(s), Parish Voice, and
Prayerful Voice are trademarks of Voice of the Faithful, Inc.

Voice of the Faithful is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt organization.