That was the message Saturday from the Rev. Donald Cozzins, keynote speaker at the first Voice of the Faithful conference in Greater Cincinnati, held at Good Shepherd Church Community Center.
“We are witness to the unraveling of the last feudal system in the west,” Cozzins said to thunderous applause from the 250 people participating in the conference. “The feudal system depends on the serfs – in this case the laity – being uneducated. The most significant gift this scandal brought us is a laity who will no longer be treated as less than full adult members of the church they love.
“They are no longer serfs.”
[Full Story]
If I was a conspiracy theorist I would believe that the Bishops setup and implemented VOTF. I look at the structure of VOTF and the types of speakers they select and the arguments they make I can infer the antithesis of intelligent design. Could any group that wanted to be taken seriously as an advocacy group for the faithful choose so many unfaithful speakers? If the Bishops wanted to setup a lay advocacy group doomed to failure they could not have done any better than how VOTF turned out.
Even their website betrays their lack of faithfulness. Under Prayerful Voice – recommended reading they don’t recommend any books on prayer by any of the acknowledged spiritual classics on prayer like Imitation of Christ or any of the works of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Instead we have a book by the dissident nun Joan Chittister, O.S.B who refused a Vatican order forbidding her from working with those who have same sex attraction. Another book by is by Fr. Anthony de Mello, S.J whose writings have been condemned by Cardinal Ratzinger of the Congregation for the doctrine of the faith. Out of the rest of the recommended readings the only one I have even heard of was Henri J. M. Nouwen of whom I have no experience with his books. Out of the gigantic treasury of prayer in the Church they managed to only find some writings from the last fifty years.
A couple of years ago in my eternal quest for books I went to the bookstore of the diocese retreat center. I know now why it was called a retreat center since they seem to have retreated from the faith and after looking at their selection I soon retreated from the store. If I wanted to know about “Hilter’s Pope”, or the enagram, or centering prayer, or any other new age fads then this place would have been a book mine. But since my tastes run more toward non-heretical books it wasn’t for me. I did look through their whole collection figuring there must be something I would want. But just like VOTF recommended readings there were no classics from the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, Carthusians, etc.
Also from VOTF site is a Liturgy of Rededication and Reconsecration. After the Homily they have:
PROFESSION OF FAITH
[Use many different “voices” throughout the assembly]
I take it the following is not taken from the Liturgy for Humility.
Who will bind up the wounds?
Response: Here I Am.
Who will be voice for the voiceless?
Response: Here I Am.
Who will speak the truth?
Response: Here I Am.
Who will stand for justice?
Response: Here I Am.
Who will sow love?
Response: Here I Am.
Who will save the Church from the evil Bishops?
Response: Here I Am.
Well I added the last one, but they were on a roll and it just flowed.
LITURGICAL DANCE
“My Song Will Be With You Forever,” David Haas, GIA, from the CD, “Where the River Flows.”
[Prayerful gestures are a way of using your body for praise, for wholehearted response to God. This brings prayer to another level in that it moves it from inside your mind and heart to an outside, visible expression.]
Yes we are really faithful, it says so in our name. Just ignore the fact that the Bishops have banned liturgical dance, we are really
faithful to ourselves. “Change the Church, not Ourselves.”
FINAL BLESSING:
May almighty God bless us, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
or
[Have the participants turn and raise their hands in blessing over each other; divide as necessary.]
I have to admit VOTF is really good at “divide as necessary”
