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Working Groups Reports
From
VOTF Priests' Support Working Group
Svea Fraser
Members of
the Priest Support Working Group have continued to meet every week
to help make visible our support of Goal #2. Meeting and ongoing
conversations with the priests on the Sounding Board (ten priests)
and our pastors have brought about a discussion of the wording and
meaning of "priests of integrity." The process has been beneficial
in encouraging reflection and deliberation about its significance
not only for priests, but also for each one of us. Please log on
to the website to read about this and to contribute your opinion.
Concern for
due process for priests accused of sexual abuse, which includes
ways to be supportive during the time before they are fully apprised
of the allegations, and restoring their reputations when falsely
accused, is an ongoing agenda item.
In addition
to listening to the priests and pastors, and developing ways to
be mutually supportive, we seek to educate ourselves about our distinct
roles. The book, The Spirituality of the Diocesan Priest, by Donald
Cozzens, has been recommended for such a purpose.
Most of all,
Goal #2 calls for a new way of relating to one another. We must
get to know each other in order to better understand each other
and our specific ministries. Ultimately, this will result in a change
in culture-and a Church that models the Vatican II ecclesiology
as a Pilgrim Church journeying together.
Last week, the
Boston Priest Forum accepted a Constitution, which means they are
more formally organized. This is very good news, because now we
can begin to establish avenues of communication between our two
groups for greater understanding and support.
From
VOTF Membership Recruitment Project
Jane Macdonald
Although VOTF
membership has continued to grow primarily through website registrations
and the growth of Parish Voice Affiliates since the July 20 conference,
sustaining this growth clearly needs ongoing, systematic attention
by a team of people focused primarily on this issue. In early October,
Executive Director, Steve Krueger, convened a group of VOTF members
interested in developing a plan to address this need. The group,
called the Membership Recruitment Project (MRP), is coordinated
by Jane Macdonald, a member of the St. Ignatius Parish Voice Affiliate
in Chestnut Hill, MA.
During the initial
phase of its work, the MRP has created a prototype plan to bring
factual information about VOTF directly to parishioners, to generate
interest in VOTF and to counteract misinformation about VOTF that
has been widely circulated through the media and other sources.
The plan is comprised of seven basic activities:
- Developing
a letter to pastors asking them to invite MRP members to the parish
to distribute information about VOTF;
- Creating
a brochure for parishioners to provide basic Information about
VOTF;
- Conducting
follow-up phone calls to pastors to find out their response to
the letter and, if possible to schedule a parish visit;
- Recruiting
volunteer teams to distribute brochures in the parishes;
- Developing
orientation materials and training for the volunteers;
- Carrying
out the parish visits; and
- Evaluating
the plan and its impact on increasing membership.
The expertise
and support of Julie Rafferty as well as Luise Dittrich and Steve
Krueger from the VOTF National office was critical as we worked
together to prepare our brochures and mailings under unbelievably
tight deadlines.
In November,
following the distribution of brochures about VOTF by a team of
devoted volunteers, three pastors — Fr. Paul Rouse, Fr. Henry
Chambers, and Fr. William Williams -- invited members of MRP to
their respective parishes, St. Michael's in Avon, St. Thomas' in
Millis, and St. Mary's/St. Ann's in Hull. In all three parishes,
the MRP volunteers were warmly and enthusiastically received by
both parishioners and pastors who openly expressed admiration and
gratitude for the work VOTF is doing. Many expressed an interest
in learning more about VOTF and how to become members. Based on
the experience of these initial visits, the MRP team will be fine-tuning
the letter, the brochure, and the orientation materials in preparation
for additional parish visits, which are scheduled for January and
February 2003.
There are nine
members of MRP, seven consulting members and 13 volunteers. This
is the first phase of our project and we are so grateful to all
the people who contributed so generously to its success.
VOTF
Working Group on Survivor Issues
Andrea Johnson
Our group meets weekly on Tuesday nights at a church in Newton or
Wellesley.
Throughout the
fall we have had the inspiring company of several survivors who
join us in our work on various projects. Barbara Thorp from the
Boston Archdiocese Office for Healing and Assistance Ministry came
to talk with a group of survivors and working group members. She
addressed questions about the process for a survivor who might go
to her office. Our group, in consultation with survivors and advocacy
groups, has come up with guidelines for parishes interested in holding
survivor speaking sessions. Increasingly, survivors are speaking
at many parishes as well as Boston College, Boston College School
of Social Work and other institutions.
In November,
Kathi Aldridge and I went to the DC Conference of the USCCB joining
dozens of VOTF members and groups working on survivors' issues.
We attended press conferences by SNAP, The Linkup and VOTF. Particularly
memorable was a SNAP vigil held on Monday 11/11. Survivor Mark Serrano
began the vigil by asking those from Boston to raise their candles.
Then he thanked us for being so crucial in the ongoing awakening
of support for survivors.
Many of the
working group members stand in solidarity with survivors at Holy
Cross Cathedral (the ecclesiastical seat of the Boston Archdiocese)
every Sunday. Also, VOTF endorsed a candlelight vigil sponsored
by Coalition of Catholics and Survivors.
This week, David
Clohessy, national director of SNAP, came to our working group meeting.
Our discussion focused on the fresh outrage generated by the documents
just released. David told the large group that our work with and
for survivors is profoundly important. He said the best way we can
help survivors is to grow our numbers and increase the good work
we are doing.
On the Sunday
before Thanksgiving, VOTF members standing in solidarity with survivors
at Holy Cross Cathedral brought breads to give to survivors to wish
them well at Thanksgiving and also to thank them for all they continue
to teach us.
We were part
of planning and being present at a gathering for a survivor who
is going to India for six months where he has friends and teachers
and continues his spiritual and healing journey.
We have been
invited to participate in the Mind Body Institute's upcoming conference
on Spirituality and Forgiveness on 12/14-15 and have received a
group discount as well as scholarships for survivors who might want
to attend.
We have offered
public support for survivors' ideas for reaching out to other survivors
(holiday survivors survival kits with phone cards, cash for gifts,
gas cards, etc.) and we have also learned from the creative ideas
of many parish affiliates. We are eager to gather and share other
initiatives from survivors, VOTF members and affiliates. Readers
can send their ideas to me at andreajohnson@attbi.com.
We hope to post these on our website at www.votf.org.
At this writing,
we are actively involved in planning the protest at Holy Cross Cathedral,
December 7, over the latest documentation of clergy abuse.
VOTF
Structural Change Working Group
Margaret Roylance
The Structural
Change Working Group is now compiling all the responses we received
to our initial working paper. These comments will be incorporated
into a second draft of the paper to be presented to the Lay Leadership
Council at its January meeting. We are deeply grateful to all who
responded to our request for comment.
In addition
to feedback from VOTF members across the country, we received several
substantive responses from U.S. Bishops. Cardinal George of Chicago
said in his letter, "Any change in the Church will, unless most
carefully thought out, change the faith." We agree, and will shape
this and future recommendations with great care, and in open consultation.
We will not be dissuaded from this task because it is a challenge,
however; we are committed to following the advice of John Paul II
in On the Threshold of a New Millennium, to "listen to what all
the faithful say, because in every one of them the Spirit of God
breathes."
Please
forward submissions to In the Vineyard to leaderpub@votf.org.
In the Vineyard
Table of Contents
Page One
Jim Post's Speech
From the Desk of the Executive
Director
Working Group
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.
The first 100 visitors to the website are invited to participate
in a raffle for a beautiful Christmas basket. Just e-mail your
names to bensbakery@net1plus.com
and take your chances!
- 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.
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