Monday, October 24, 2005

"Best of the Best?"

VOTF wants everyone to know how wonderful it is.
Voice of the Faithful, a national lay Catholic reform group launched at the height of the clergy sex abuse scandal, has a membership that is deeply devoted to Catholicism but will need to recruit more active members if it wants to remain vibrant, according to academics who gathered for a symposium on the organization's future yesterday at Boston College.

The academics based their observations on a survey the Voice of the Faithful conducted earlier this year.

The organization will use the survey, which included responses from 1,300 members nationwide, to help it develop a new action plan to broaden lay people's role in Church decisions.

Among some of the key findings praised by the group and academics yesterday:

93 percent are ''cradle Catholics," meaning worshipers raised in the Church.

2 out of 3 attend Mass at least once a week, opposed to 34 percent nationally.

8 out of 10 pray at least once a day.

Half are members of parish councils; 45 percent are on liturgy committees.

87 percent have college degrees, with six out of 10 members holding a graduate or professional degree.

I can't say I'm a terribly huge fan, seeing VOTF more as a bull in a china shop than a group which actually understands the nuances of ecclesiastical governance, one able to distinguish canonical issues from doctrinal ones.

Then again, if it's better to light one candle than curse the darkness, they've got this outrageously angry Boston pseudo-Catholic beat.

Tip to Jim Mac.

-30-

6 Comments:

Blogger Rocco Palmo said...

No, John, not lucky for Eddie -- lucky for you.

24/10/05 17:07  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rocco,

At the very least, remove the link to her venomous blog. Quoting her is one thing, but sending traffic her way is quite another.

24/10/05 17:42  
Blogger Bill White said...

What the heck happened here? Rock went on vacation a while back and when he started up again it's as if someone else took over the place. Did someone hijack this blog to damage his public image?

24/10/05 20:11  
Blogger Disgusted in DC said...

When someone accuses his own bishop - Sean O'Mallley in this case - of schism, then pseudo-catholic is a pretty accurate way to describe such a person.

24/10/05 20:26  
Blogger David L Alexander said...

"That's interesting; where did you see those stats?"

John, Dom Bettinelli's got the latest buzz over at Bettnet.com. He talks about the article in the Boston Globe with the stats. His analysis is good, and (for VOTF-watchers like us) not surprising.

By the way, I have no reason to defend Carol McKinley, who's ready to burn me at the stake any moment. (Anybody got a match?) But I'd suggest that people look up the definition of the word "schism" or "schismatic" before they reduce such labeling to "name-calling."

After all, if the biretta fits...

25/10/05 16:08  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I find it deliciously ironic that those liberal things that they're pushing for, have been instrumental in causing the scandal in the first place.

Tony,

I'm not overly fond of VOTF for many reasons, but your statement quoted above just does not make sense to me. Granted, I'm not overly bright, but I do try to stay informed.

Could you please clarify for me just what things that they're pushing for, have been instrumental in causing the scandal? Please be specific, so I can try to grasp this.

Thanks!

25/10/05 16:58  

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