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From the Desk of the Executive Director
Steve Krueger

In this season of Advent we are called to live in both the darkness and the light. Revelations of last week in the Archdiocese of Boston have both illuminated and darkened our journeys, as individuals and as an organization. Our mood in the office has reflected this contrast. Through the darkness of betrayal and brokenness in a dysfunctional Church, we continue to seek and find light.

Going into last week we were filled with cautious optimism after an historic "frank and candid" meeting with Cardinal Law. Still we knew there was much work to do in forging that relationship and at the same time reaching out to Catholics to join our mission of building a stronger and healthier Church. Then, this week, our hearts were broken again. Our hope was challenged in unimaginable ways, and our path became obfuscated by the anguishing fog of doubt from the revelations of this Archdiocese's moral as well as financial bankruptcy.

We have been sustained by hope and our baptismal call to act. Today, we are called to be healers for one another and for our Church. Our hope is rooted in prayer, in seeing God's grace in one another, and in harvesting the fruits of our labor. Our actions are rooted in our baptism. We hope. We act.

The litany of broken truths and values we held as sacred is unbearably long. We ask ourselves: What can we do? What do we do? As we pulled ourselves together this past week, we found ourselves moving toward the light in each other — in our survivor sisters and brothers, in our struggling priests, and in our families and colleagues. Our faith tradition began with light and a journey. That tradition remains.

This past Sunday, hundreds of Catholics from around the Archdiocese of Boston met to support the survivor community at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and to reclaim our Church. These Catholics were supported in their witness by other VOTF members across the country who attended their cathedrals. The Boston event was sponsored by six survivor organizations, and had the full support of VOTF.

Tomorrow evening, your Representative Council will vote on a motion put forth by Jim Post that will ask for Cardinal Law's resignation as well as actions from the Holy Father and the U.S Conference of Bishops. It is clear today that we have taken another step as an organization — recognizing that our words and actions must reflect our accountability to God and our consciences' even as we are mindful that we must work collaboratively as one Church. We must continue to grow and call for Catholics to join our mission of building a stronger and healthier Church. If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem.

We are an Advent people called to the light of revelation and to act on that understanding in faith. As Oscar Romero said, "We are prophets of a future not our own." God's time is not ours. Is there hope? Yes. We recognize that hope in one another … and in all that we have seen and learned in Voice of the Faithful and in our hearts. Together we are keeping the faith and together we will renew our Church.

In the Vineyard
Table of Contents

Page One

Jim Post's Speech

From the Desk of the Executive Director

Working Groups

Voices, Voices Everywhere!

Notes

• A Few Contributors to In the Vineyard might enjoy this link identified by our Webmaster, Eileen Hespeler. It covers the topic of writing online: http://www.clickz.com/design/write_onl/
• Many of our members have written of their great appreciation for the homilies by Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton of Michigan. The website address for The Peace Pulpit, homilies by Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton, is http://nationalcatholicreporter.org/peace/
• Be sure to click onto the Boston College website for information and re-caps on the education initiative "The Church in the 21st Century - From Crisis to Renewal"
• There is now a printer friendly version of "In the Vineyard"
• Terry McKiernan of Our Lady Help of Christians, Newton, tells us that Ben's Bakery in Providence, RI is donating 10% of their holiday-season sales to Survivors Appeal. This is a single-donation collection fund, which will distribute money to all the survivor groups as well as individual survivors. Ben's sells fudge, candies, nuts and other gift items. Italian cookies are a specialty as are custom baskets. Purchases can be made online at http://www.bensbakeryandcafe.com.
• A Place at the Table Survivors and supporters have put together a simple cookbook for the holidays and throughout the year, dedicated to the memory of Laura Gallagher -- amazing mom and friend, and wife of Joe Gallagher, who has been a solid supporter of survivors from the beginning of this crisis. A Place at the Table: Cuisine with Compassion is available for $15.00, with the proceeds going to survivor organizations in the Boston area. If you are interested in buying a copy, please contact Steve Lewis at afreeknight@attbi.com
• Slowly we have assembled a group of volunteers to make up an Editorial Advisory Board who will help gather material for, edit and distribute In the Vineyard as well as the quarterly publication. Members are Cathy Fallon, Eileen Hespeler, Amy Kotsopoulos, Anne Murphy, Jane McDaid, Donna Salacuse, Midge Seibert, Steve Sheehan, Tom Smith and Peggie Thorp. We expect to have our first group meeting in January.