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| Voice of the Faithful |
In response to the sexual abuse issues within the church, a group of Massachusetts Catholics created an organization called Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) in spring 2002. |
| VOTF's Mission |
To provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance
of the Catholic Church. |
VOTF's Goals
- To support those who have been abused
- To support priests of integrity
- To shape structural change within the Church
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| VOTF at Holy Trinity |
In February 2003, a “Parish Voice" Affiliate at Holy Trinity Parish was formed in accord with VOTF’s Mission and Goals. The Pastoral Council has also affirmed VOTF’s formation at Holy Trinity. The affiliate’s activities are guided by an elected Steering Committee.
- Who we are: VOTF members are faithful Catholics in communion with the universal Catholic Church. At Holy Trinity, VOTF members are a diverse cross-section of active and prayerful “people in the pews”.
- How we function: We seek to achieve our goals through prayer, dialogue and education, in the spirit of openness and mutual respect advocated by Pope John Paul II in Ut Unum Sint (“That All May be One”). VOTF members are committed to working with the clergy, the bishops and ALL Catholics to rebuild the deeply flawed human institutional life of our Church as our response to the grievous human suffering caused by clerical sexual abuse.
- Theological rationale for our activities: The documents of Vatican II illuminate our path to lay involvement, as a prayerful People of God, in Christ’s eternal ministry. We believe that the laity has the graced dignity, intelligence, responsibility and obligation to cooperate in Church governance in a meaningful way, according to the norm of law (cf Canon 129).
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| For more information: |
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