Voice of the Faithful® members from around the country gathered April 18 in Hartford for the movement’s 2015 National Assembly. The Assembly took place in the Connecticut Convention Center’s ballroom and breakout spaces.
The featured speaker was Marie Collins. Collins is a member of the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and a clergy sexual abuse survivor from Ireland. She was among the first survivors there to take a prominent role in pursuing justice, having helped the Archdiocese of Dublin to set up its Child Protection Service in 2003.
Click here to view Collins’ talk and click here to view the question and answer session that followed her talk.
The 2015 National Assembly included workshops on financial accountability, lay input options for the 2015 bishops’ “family life” synod, how the clergy and laity can talk to each other as equals, the healing circle model of restorative justice, and a survivor support discussion with Tom Doyle.
Here are some links to additional information from the Assembly:
- Marie Collins Biography
- Video of Marie Collins’ Talk
- Video of Marie Collins Q&A
- Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors: Structure
- Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors: Original Members
- Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors: Members 2015
- Workshop Descriptions
- Workshop Report: Clergy/Lay Diologue Best Practices
- Workshop Report: Towards Healing the People of God
- Workshop Report: Diocesan Finances presentation
- Workshop Report: Diocesan Finances presentation notes
- Workshop Report: How to Read a Diocesan Finance Statement
- Workshop Report: How to Access VOTF’s Diocesan Finances Database
- Healing Circle
- Fr. Tom Doyle Biography
- Fr. Tom Doyle Clergy Sexual Abuse Bibliography