Coastal Delmarva VOTF

PRAYER TO THE SPIRIT

O Spirit of God, and God of the Spirit,
We remember the many ways You have touched our lives,
transforming us and leading us to fulfill Your mission.
We celebrate the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit among us.
We believe that the Spirit calls us to continue the work of God in the world and through the Church.
We believe that the Spirit transfigures us from within and we are grateful.
We believe that you will empower us to be Your Presence to each other and to all those with whom we meet.
We pray now for continued hope and confidence that you will continue to generously pour out your gifts.
We pray for courage that we may remain committed to the vision of a stronger Church,
and for strength that we may work tirelessly to fulfill Your will.
We pray all of this in thanksgiving, and in the name of Jesus, our friend.

04/01/07
Folks: On short notice I was called to a strategy session in Wilmington on Saturday. Those present were the Conaty family, Bill Pare, Senator Peterson and myself. We discussed what Senator Peterson will say in her introduction of the bill and then who she will call as witnesses and in which order. She will ask each of them questions to guide their testimony.

Then we talked about what we need to do. Karen Peterson has asked that we arrive at Legislative hall at 3:00 p.m. to create a large group in the halls so the Senators know this is a well supported topic, go on to the senate floor and claim the 20 seats that are open to the public (any seat without a Reserved sign) or go upstairs to the balcony and sit from front to rear. Please wear your pin and a photo of any victim. If you don't have a pin, more will be available at the hearing.

The Senate will begin its session at 3:30 p.m. with some housekeeping and introductions. After about 30 minutes, Senate Bill 29 is the first item to be considered. The hearing is expected to last a couple of hours and at least one senator is expected to propose an amendment.

Our plan is to meet at St. Ann's west parking lot at 1:30 p.m. and see who needs rides. I will have copies of the route. The most important thing we can do for this hearing is bring out the numbers. I hope you will work your schedule and attend. Karen asks that we fill the Senate Chamber. At our last meeting, a show of hands indicated about 10 cars, so lets fill them.

Thanks. Skip and I will see you on Wednesday, April 4th at 1:30 p.m. at St. Ann's.

John Sullivan

4/5/07
Dear Friends of VOTF:

CONGRATULATIONS! THE DELAWARE STATE SENATE UNANIMOUSLY PASSED THE CHILD VICTIM'S ACT LAST EVENING!

Thank you to everyone who contacted legislators, wrote letters, recruited coalition partners and attended the Senate hearing and yesterday's session. A special thank you goes to the Conaty family for their leadership and untiring efforts on behalf of this issue. We all can be proud of our role in bringing this about and proud of our senators for doing the right thing. Messages to our senators and other key players expressing our gratitude would be most appreciated.

The link below will take you to today's front-page coverage of the testimony given in the Senate consideration of the bill. Senator Karen Peterson was eloquent in her defense of the bill, as were the expert witnesses who spoke. Those of us who attended the session were spellbound for the entire four hours of debate.

Again, I commend you for your dedication to the welfare of our children and to justice for survivors. Let's take a moment to celebrate, then catch our breath and renew our efforts when the bill goes to the House for consideration after the legislature's two-week spring break.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a Blessed Triduum and Happy Easter.

With fiercest hope,
Skip Sullivan

Click here: delawareonline ¦ The News Journal, Wilmington, Del. ¦ Sex abuse victims seek more time to sue

P. S. The Diocese of Wilmington's newspaper, The Dialog, published two letter this week refuting their editorial position in opposition to the look-back provision in S.B. 29. This is real progress!

http://www.cdow.org/040507.pdf
'

05/12/07
The News Journal report on hearings of 5/10/07

05/01/07
The Coastal Delmarva Chapter of Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) will meet on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 (7:00 p.m.) at the South Coastal Library, 43 Kent Avenue, Bethany Beach, DE. The principal speaker is Delaware State Representative Deborah Hudson. She is the primary sponsor in the Delaware House of a bill (Senate Bill 29) recently passed unanimously by the State Senate- The Bill would change the Delaware Statute of Limitations to allow victims of sexual abuse additional time to seek civil remedies.

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Dear Friends of VOTF:

Please join us on Wednesday, April 18(7:00 p.m.) at the South Coastal Library, 43 Kent Avenue, Bethany Beach, DE. There will be a video presentation of the film 'Hand of God," followed by discussion. Please come and bring a friend!

Keep the Faith, Change the Church

Skip Sullivan

Synopsis:

Hand of God is a unique and provocative look at Catholic clergy abuse, told from the personal point of view of a survivor, his brother (the film's director) and their family. The storyline begins in Salem Massachusetts in the 1950's. The abuse occurs in 1964 but is not revealed until some 30 years later when Paul Cultrera encounters the Archdiocese of Boston. His brother, director Joe Cultrera, narrates from the perspective of a young person unconsciously recording. As the years pass the director becomes an active participant. He assists his brother's investigations and the documentary itself creates a dialogue within the family. During this process the Archdiocese closes the family's neighborhood church. The director and his father find themselves in heated encounters with the clergy. They begin to question their own holy ghosts. This is an engaging portrait of one family's attempt to regain its footing above a crumbling corporate belief system.

See www.handofogodfilm.com for more information.

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