AboutUs

About Us

Who Are We?
Voice of the Faithful [VOTF™] is a worldwide organization of mainstream Catholics formed in response to the clergy sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. It began as a "listening session" of 30 parishioners at St. John the Evangelist church in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Within a year, VOTF had over 25,000 registered supporters from 40 U.S. states and 21 countries worldwide, and it continues to grow. This extraordinary growth has been fueled by our desire to promote dialogue between laity and clergy as we collaborate to renew and strengthen all areas of Church life.

The Coastal Delmarva Affiliate of VOTF was formed in 2003 by a group of Catholics living in Bethany Beach, Delaware. We are not organized under the auspices of any particular parish and welcome members from anywhere.

Who Belongs to Voice of the Faithful?
VOTF members are thousands of faith-filled Catholics who have served at the heart of Catholic parishes for decades. We are the "people in the pews" who teach CCD classes, proclaim the Good News as lectors at Mass, speak out for social justice, sing in the choir, take communion to the sick, and serve as Eucharistic Ministers, ushers, deacons, and Parish Council members.

What Is Our Mission?
Our mission is "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 members do not seek to change Church teachings. VOTF does seek an active role for laypersons in Church decision making related to finance, personnel assignments, and policies that protect our children, honor the rights of victim/survivors and their families, and support due process for the accused.

What Are Our Goals?
· To support victims of clergy sexual abuse
· To support priests of integrity
· To shape structural change within the Church

What Do We Mean by "Structural Change" within the Church?
The documents of the Second Vatican Council proclaim that lay Catholics have a right -- indeed a responsibility -- to become active in the guidance of the Church as "the people of God." We believe that Catholic laypersons must become involved by studying the causes of the current scandal and by working collaboratively with the clergy to ensure that we have a voice in creating procedures that protect our children and prevent future misuses of power. To learn more, visit our Web site at www.votf.org.

What Has VOTF Been Doing in Parishes across America?
Voice of the Faithful supports the creation of Parish Voice™ affiliates, which are groups of laypersons at the parish level who agree with the mission and goals of VOTF and who seek to develop activities for realizing these goals at the parish level.

To date, over 180 Parish Voice affiliates have formed throughout America and abroad, with more forming every day. Members come together to pray, conduct healing services, plan and run educational programs, and conduct social justice projects. In parishes with Parish Voice affiliates, laypersons and priests alike report that Church members are more energized and involved in Church life than ever before.