Contact: Jessica Lillie, votfpr@votf.org, (781) 559-3360, cell (314) 749-5188
For Immediate Release
VOTF ANNOUNCES VOICES IN ACTION CAMPAIGN
The Campaign Highlights Action Plans for the Organization.
August 19, 2009 – Boston –In July, Voice of the Faithful raised more than $120,000 in an emergency fundraising campaign that served as a referendum on the organization’s viability as a change agent in the Catholic Church. Thanks to that cash infusion, the organization is now confidently launching Voices in Action, a practical pathway for transforming the Catholic Church through local, regional and national action.
Voices in Action focuses on improving parishes and dioceses; fostering greater accountability in Church leaders and in the laity as well; ensuring financial transparency; healing survivors; protecting children; supporting clergy working together with laity; and encouraging systematic transformation and growth in the universal Church.
“The campaign is a product of thousands of hours of work by hundreds of participants and five teams of volunteers who are launching action plans for the next two years,” says VOTF President Dan Bartley. “It is with great excitement that we introduce this campaign to the public, but it is something that could not have been done without the support, time and treasure, of all of our members. Over the next few weeks members and all lay Catholics will be asked to volunteer their financial support and time for one or more of the initiatives.”
A few of the actions Voice of the Faithful is targeting for the new plan are:
• Increasing lay involvement in bishop selection in select dioceses where bishops are nearing retirement.
• Developing an advocacy guide to help members work for statute of limitation legislation reform across the country to prevent child sexual abuse and bring perpetrators to justice.
• Implementing in 25 parishes effective Safe Environment Committees that all parishes can model.
• Implementing parish finance committees and/or parish councils in 25 parishes that do not currently have them as required by canon law.
To learn more about the strategic plan and how you can become involved, please visit www.votf.org or email Jessica at votfpr@votf.org
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Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) is a lay organization formed in 2002 in response to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. It started in the basement of a church in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and has since expanded worldwide with more than 150 Parish Voice affiliates and 30,000 members. The entire organization is committed to helping the Catholic Church.