Margaret Mead

Sheila Connors Grove
scgrove@comcast.net

The Boston Area VOTF Council has been an organization, a family, for almost one year. Our beginning seems so long ago, yet only yesterday. During these months we have been jubilant, often uplifted, and sometimes frustrated at the work to be done. Overall we can take much satisfaction in what has been accomplished.

Recently our leader, Mike Gustin, thought it necessary to compose an email to his affiliate members regarding the accomplishments of VOTF in the Archdiocese of Boston. As Mike said, "Sometimes we lose sight of where we've been." Periodically we need to reflect on what we have accomplished. We never do a good enough job communicating the actions we all have taken, all the work that has been accomplished. We have achieved much.

We thought it important to share this with you.

Summary of the first year of the Boston Area VOTF Council

March 9, 2004: Letter from Executive Director Steve Krueger to Rev. Christopher Coyne, with a copy to ABOM and Bishop Lennon, asking for details on how the reconfiguration process will work. Steve also asks for detailed financial information about the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston (RCAB) to be released to the public.

March 31, 2004: Boston VOTF Council sends a second letter to ABOM calling for more true lay involvement (beyond parish councils and parish finance committees) in the Central Committee that will oversee the Reconfiguration process and more transparency in the process for selecting which parishes will close. We ask for the following: a) laity should select their own representatives to the reconfiguration process, b) knowledge and recommendations of the laity should be held in equal esteem with those of clerics, c) lay input is given equal and serious consideration in designing the selection process, and d) at least some of the deliberations are held in open session.

May 13, 2004: The Boston Council's Committee on the Status of Women sends a letter to Archbishop O'Malley decrying his Holy Week comments about feminism and women, including the washing of their feet. He is reminded of the position and importance of women in the Church and in its ministries. The letter is posted on the Voice of the Faithful website. A polite but non-committal reply is received from the RCAB.

May 23, 2004: In anticipation of the Archbishop's announcement on parish closings, we hold a rally in front of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross that is attended by 100 people. We call attention to the fact that the reconfiguration process is unfair, inconsistent, and does not involve lay people that truly represent our parishes. We ask him to delay his final decision until more lay voices can be heard.

May 25, 2004: ABOM releases the list of parishes to be closed. VOTF holds a press conference at St. Susanna's in Dedham, calling for ABOM to keep vibrant parishes open and offering support for members of parishes named to close. We also call for the release of the RCAB financial data on which the parish closing decisions were made.

May 28, 2004: The Boston Council sends a letter to approximately 300 of the 360 pastors in the RCAB offering support and resources to each one of them as they were preparing to launch the reconfiguration process. Included with the letter is a list of recommended actions to be implemented by both the closing parishes and the "welcoming" parishes".

June 3, 2004: Boston VOTF Council releases a five-fold response to parish closings.

1. Call on ABOM to release a list of specific reasons for closing each of the 65 (at the time) parishes.

2. Urge ABOM to be open and responsive to legitimate appeals. Mistakes were made closing poor and multi-cultural parishes and need to be re-examined.

3. VOTF has organized listening sessions for distraught parishioners to share their thoughts and support each other.

4. VOTF is exploring legal vehicles, such as deed restrictions, that might be able to save some parishes and is seeking the help of attorneys to assist in preparing appeal documents.

5. VOTF is beginning to identify legal and legislative remedies to make the RCAB financially accountable to the Catholics in the pews.

June 23, 2004: Boston VOTF Council holds its first Parish Preservation Summit at Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Newton. The meeting is designed for any parishioners in the RCAB who want to share ideas on how they can resist, protest, and appeal the decision by ABOM to close their parish. This meeting is attended by 300 people who realize they are not alone and don't have to stand idly by as their faith community is shut down by ABOM.

August 15, 2004: Boston VOTF sponsors The Mass on Boston Common to celebrate as a community of believers in solidarity with all Catholics in the RCAB, to attend to the grieving of closing parishes by participating in the Eucharist, the source of life, healing, strength, and God's unconditional love. Under the threat of a hurricane, approximately 2,000 people attend this Mass. Many of the attendees are moved to tears during the Mass. As they leave Boston Common, one little girl looks up to her mother and says, "Why can't it always be like this" The Mass on Boston Common receives national news coverage.

August 29, 2004: Inspired by the Mass on Boston Common and the Parish Preservation Summit, St. Albert the Great parish in Weymouth begins a 24 hour a day prayer vigil that is still in effect six months later. This is a collaboration of effort between VOTF members and non-members who love their faith community and are willing to fight to keep it intact. Vigilers include grandparents, parents, and children. St. Albert's vigil received national news coverage.

Labor Day 2004: Members of many VOTF affiliates travel to Weymouth to attend a prayer service in support of St. Albert parishioners.

September 12, 2004 - Inspired by the Mass on Boston Common, the Parish Preservation Summit and St. Albert the Great, St. Anselm's in Sudbury begins a 24 hour a day prayer vigil that is still in effect six months later.

October 12, 2004 - Inspired by the Mass on Boston Common, the Parish Preservation Summit, St. Albert the Great and St. Anselm's, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish in East Boston begins a 24 hour a day prayer vigil that is still in effect five months later.

October 2004: Parishioners in the following parishes begin 24 hour a day prayer vigils in an attempt to keep their faith communities open: St. Bernard in Newton, St. Frances X. Cabrini in Scituate, St. Therese in Everett, St. James the Great in Wellesley, and Infant Jesus-St. Lawrence in Chestnut Hill. The Council of Parishes is formed.

October 2004: Thirteen billboards appear around Boston that say: "Thou Shalt Not Close Vibrant Parishes"

November 8, 2004: Members of the Boston VOTF Council meet with Jack Connors, a member of the Review Committee appointed by ABOM to take a second look at the results of reconfiguration. This committee was created because of the resistance to the reconfiguration process, the parish vigils, and the continued charges that the process was not fair and mistakes were made. At this meeting, we relay that the process was flawed, pitted one parish against another, and should be stopped. We suggest that true lay participation is necessary for the process to be legitimate. Jack asks us to put our thoughts together and send them back to him.

November 18, 2004: VOTF holds a regional convention at the Worcester Centrum. Despite a snow storm that morning, it is attended by 1,200 people.

December 2, 2004: Boston VOTF Steering Committee sends a letter to Jack Connors making the following points: a) ask the Review Committee to recommend halting the parish closing process, b) recommend the development of a long term strategic plan for the RCAB that will address finances and personnel as part of a larger whole, c) encourage the establishment of active, collaborative, councils at the parish, regional, and diocesan levels composed of priests, pastoral associates, and experienced lay people (elected by their peers) to help develop the strategic plans, d) recommend publishing a complete audited financial report of all archdiocesan assets, revenues, expenses, and outstanding obligations annually, e) allow parishes that are appealing to submit plans for how they can become financially viable, f) make information available outlining financial needs of Catholic relief agencies in the RCAB so individuals and parishes may elect to support them directly.

December 2004: VOTF members are mobilized to support legislation to eliminate the statute of limitation on sex crimes and to eliminate the Charitable Immunities cap. VOTF members call, write, fax, and e-mail their state senator and representatives and encourage them to co-sponsor these bills. As a result, these bills now have 40+ co-sponsors. This is overwhelming, as 6 co-sponsors are considered strong support for a bill.

February 9, 2005: The VOTF Boston Council votes to endorse legislation introduced by Senator Marion Walsh that requires all religious organizations to disclose specific financial information to the public.

Other Achievements:

Along the way, individuals from all affiliates have done many additional things: developed policies for the CAP team to protect our children, written letters to the editor of local papers calling for meaningful lay involvement in our church as well as suggesting alternatives to closing parishes. Our members are active in their parishes and serve on their parish councils and finance committees. We have a young mother who is a member of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council. She is well informed and making her voice heard on our behalf. A few affiliates have developed terrific documents recommending structural changes in the church. We need to find a way to integrate these into the larger picture. We are educating ourselves about how our church functions.

This is only a partial list of what has been accomplished. You can see that VOTF has not been silent. Clearly VOTF is far from perfect, but it has helped to change the landscape in the RCAB. VOTF has made it OK to ask questions, to seek answers. VOTF has mobilized Catholics to engage their state officials, to encourage them to pass legislation to protect victims of sexual abuse and require financial disclosure. VOTF has stood in solidarity with Survivors of clergy sexual abuse. We believed them and offered them our financial support. VOTF has encouraged faithful Catholics to act as adults in their faith community. VOTF continues to call for the accountability of our bishops and financial transparency.

VOTF has encouraged faithful Catholics to stand up and fight the unfair closing of their faith communities in order to sell their local assets to fund the day-to-day operations of the RCAB. VOTF has inspired hundreds of parishioners to spend thousands of hours researching Canon and Civil law while preparing appeals in an attempt to keep their parishes open. These appeals have been submitted to ABOM and to Rome. Imagine, Boston Catholics appealing to Rome!

VOTF has started the discussion of what the future church might look like. Understanding that for the foreseeable future, at least 3 priests will retire or die for every new priest ordained in the RCAB, VOTF has highlighted the necessity for direct involvement of lay people who comprise 99%+ of the People of God. This is in direct accord with the teachings of Vatican II.

The parishioners of St. Albert the Great and St. Anselm's, as well as the other vigiling parishes, may be able to teach us a great deal about the future church. They are holding Eucharistic prayer services lead by lay people because the Archbishop has taken their priests away from them. Their faith communities are stronger than ever. Their parishes are functioning very well. People are energized and supporting each other in doing God's work.

As members of Voice of the Faithful, one thing that we can count on is criticism. We have been criticized by priests, bishops, survivors, friends, enemies, non-members and even our own members. Some will say we have not done enough. Some will say we have gone too far. The important thing is that we have done something, and we keep coming back.

There is much more work left to do. We all know this is a marathon, not a sprint. But do not ever let anyone say that VOTF has been silent. Do not ever let anyone say VOTF has done nothing. That is simply not true, and now you know the specifics. What we have done is not just significant, not just important. It is unprecedented in the history of the Archdiocese of Boston. It may be unprecedented in the Catholic Church in America. Stop for just a minute and think about that. It's truly amazing.

We encourage you to print this report and make it available to all of your members at your next meeting so they can see what VOTF has accomplished. This will help them answer questions about VOTF. Hopefully, it will inspire them to continue their interest in our work.

Thank you for allowing us to serve you and for your unprecedented commitment and support.

Respectfully,
Boston Area VOTF Council Steering Committee
              Mike Gustin, Chair
              Leslie Dennis
              Sheila Connors Grove
              John Hynes
              Dorothy Kennedy
              Linda Gray MacKay
              Darrell Simpson
              Ed Wade

Next Meeting of the Boston Council: Wednesday, April 13, at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady Help of Christians Church, 573 Washington Street, Newton. Everyone is welcome!