Coastal Delmarva VOTF

1/18/07
Dear Friends of VOTF:

What a great meeting we had last evening! Mary Pat Fox gave an excellent presentation during which she applauded our efforts to date and encouraged us to stay the course in the future. Below is a link to an article in today's News Journal which summarizes her remarks and quotes some of our members. Good work everyone!

Click here: delawareonline ¦ The News Journal ¦ Catholics urged to take charge

Secondly, for those who want to contact Delaware legislators to ask their support for the upcoming Child Victims Act, use the following link to connect to the official web site of the Delaware Legislature. All of our senators and representatives are listed on this site.

www.legis.state.de.us

Keep the Faith, Change the Church!
Skip Sullivan
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1/17/07
Dear Friends of Coastal Delmarva VOTF:

An article by Beth Miller featuring Mary Pat Fox's visit to our affiliate tomorrow evening appears in today's News Journal. Below is the link.

Hope to see you there!
Skip Sullivan

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070116/NEWS/7
01160343/1006/NEWS
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1/11/07

Dear Friends of Coastal Delmarva VOTF:

I encourage you to make every effort to attend our next general meeting. Mary Pat Fox, National President of Voice of the Faithful, will address us on Wednesday, January 17 (7:00 p.m.) at the South Coastal Library 43 Kent Avenue, Bethany Beach. Her topic will be: “Working for Truth: The Role of the Laity in the Guidance and Governance of the Catholic Church." This will be an excellent opportunity for us to hear first-hand about the efforts of VOTF at the national level and to dialog with Mary Pat about our activities and concerns as a local affiliate.

Attached is the flyer we are using to publicize Mary Pat's appearance. Please feel free to circulate it. Also, look for the press release and our ads in our local papers. Guests are welcome. Try to get the word out!

With fiercest hope!
Skip Sullivan

Click here for the Mary Pat Flyer

Dear Friends of Coastal Delmarva VOTF:

I thought you might be interested in the following Op-Ed's which appeared in Sunday's Boston Globe.

OP-ED Jan 7, 07 BOSTON GLOBE

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Dear Friends of Coastal Delmarva VOTF:

After meeting with representatives from both Delaware VOTF affiliates to discuss the content of a new statute of limitations bill, Senator Karen Peterson is prepared to introduce the "Child Victim's Act" in the Delaware Senate. This is a new bill, distinct from last year's HB 450. The following actions will ensue:

A. The draft of the bill will be reviewed by Senate attorneys.

B. Bill will circulated to members of the Gen. Assembly for co-sponsors.

C. Introduction of Bill and Press Release (most likely early next week)

In response to this, our first task is to contact area Representatives and Senators and ask them to co-sponsor and support this bill. Ask your friends to do the same. (A copy of the bill is attached for your information, as well as an issue brief on the topic.)

Secondly, now is the time to concentrate on building coalitions with other groups in order to ensure the success of the bill. We encourage you to call any likely organization. If you know a contact person and would prefer someone else make the call, we have folks who will do that.

Possible partners include:

Area Churches/Synagogues/Mosques - School Boards - Men's and Women's Clubs - YMCA/YWCA -Girl/Boy Scouts - Delaware Educational Association - Neighborhood Associations - Big Brothers/Big Sisters - AARP - Teachers Unions - Professional Organizations for Social Workers, Attorneys, Correctional Officers - Victims Assistance Groups - Child Protection Groups, etc.

These are only a few of the organizations we might approach. Please let us know of others. All of you are well connected and serve in many volunteer groups. Now is the time to act!

Finally, don't miss our meeting next Wednesday evening, January 17, at 7 p.m. at the South Coastal Library in Bethany. We will have an update on the status of the bill and a talk by Mary Pat Fox, President of National VOTF, on the Role of the Laity in the Guidance and Governance of the Catholic Church. Hope to see you there!

With fiercest hope,
Skip Sullivan

Click for: Proposed Legislation

1/11/07
Dear Friends of VOTF:

Please be advised that NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO is scheduled to air a three-part news series, featuring an update on the Catholic abuse scandal today and tomorrow. The series will be pegged to the first major news stories on this issue that were reported by the Boston Globe.

Rev. Thomas P. Doyle and A.W. Richard Sipe, two of the foremost experts on this subject and co-authors of the recently released "Sex, Priests and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2,000-Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse" (Volt Press, 2006), were interviewed for this series -- which is scheduled to air as follows:

PART 1:
Thursday (Jan. 11)
MORNING (during "Morning Edition")
* REV. THOMAS DOYLE's interview is expected to be included in this piece

PART 2:
Thursday (Jan. 11)
AFTERNOON (during "All Things Considered")

PART 3:
Friday (Jan. 12)
AFTERNOON (during "All Things Considered")
** A.W. RICHARD SIPE's interview is expected to be included in this piece

Audio/summaries of the series will also be archived online at NPR.org. For more information and specific NPR stations/showtimes, please go to: http://www.npr.org/

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