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Members of MidMichigan Voice of the Faithful meet at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 3109 Swede Ave.; or at St. Brigid Catholic Church, 207 Ashman St. in Midland.

SEEKING REFORM: Voice of the Faithful Keeps Faith, Agitates for Change

Transparency Sought About Little Books of Bishop Ken Untener

June 29, 2014       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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For the past decade they've been meeting every month, praying to save their endangered churches and the religious structure known for centuries as the Roman Catholic Church.

They are dozens of knowledgeable lay persons and priests who call themselves Voice of the Faithful.

When formed in 2003 in response to the emerging clergy sex abuse scandal, the Midland-based group was the 200th such local unit of the national VOTF.

The VOTF's three goals are to support victims of clergy sexual abuse, to support priests of integrity, and to shape structural change within the Church.

Harry Grether, coordinator of the Mid-Michigan affiliate of VOTF, told the Midland Daily News several area priests encouraged him to start an area group.

"It's a group of people who really love their faith, but that have some concerns about it," he said.

One concern is that church leaders, specifically bishops, weren't living up to their responsibilities as shepherds, or leaders.

At a recent meeting in Midland, members were baffled by the current bishop's response to questions about a survey of area Catholics. "All the Bishop has said is that such information is "between me and the Holy Spirit," complained a member.

The lack of transparency is a major concern here as well as worldwide, they noted, secrecy being a trademark of church officials all the way up to the Vatican.

So far the Midland VOTF counts an online audit of the Saginaw Diocese's finances as a major accomplishment. However, members note that there is one glaring omission: information about the income from the Little Books of the late Bishop Ken Untener.

The Little Books, begun by Bishop Untener as a Lenten prayer guide, are perhaps one of Catholicism's outstanding publishing successes, at least in this part of the country.

Reliable sources in the diocese state that some 3.5 million Little Books are sold -- get this-- WORLDWIDE. The project's income is believed to be about $2.5 million annually.

Details about the project are sketchy; some local sources say the net income was directed by Bishop Untener to go to St. Stephens School, Saginaw.

When Bishop Joseph Cistone arrived from Philadelphia in 2009, the Little Book money no longer went to the school, now slated for closing.

Supposedly the funds now flow into an entity called the "Saint Robert Bellarmine Trust." Suddenly, the money disappeared and does not show up as a separate line item in the diocesan financial report.

Attempts by VOTF to get solid information from officials of the diocese reportedly have been unsuccessful, but they still keep trying.

An online listing of charitable organizations states the following information under the Saint Robert Bellarmine Trust.

"This organization is registered with the IRS.

"This organization is not required to file an annual return with the IRS because it is a church."

Another listing states: "Saint Robert Bellarmine Trust is a registered 501(c)(3) organization located in Saginaw, MI and is focused in Special school for the blind, handicapped, etc, Hospital, and Publishing activities."

Nancy J. Werner is listed as the only official and the trust's address is diocesan headquarters at 5800 Weiss Street, Saginaw. Its founding date was 1946. The diocesan directory lists Leona Jones as operations manager of the Little Books.

The national organization's website (votf.org) states: "Voice of the Faithful is a lay organization of faithful Catholics, who organized in 2002 as a response to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. We started in the basement of a church in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and have since expanded worldwide with more than 30,000 members.

"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."

MidMichigan VOTF meets 7 to 9 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of each month, and often has educational presentations as part of the meetings. The group typically meets at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 3109 Swede Ave.; or at St. Brigid Catholic Church, 207 Ashman St.

For more information, contact Schoren at jwschoren@chartermi.net or (989) 835-4489.



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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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