LONG ISLAND (NY)
Newsday
BY DICK RYAN
Dick Ryan of West Islip is the author of "Holy Human: Stories of Extraordinary Catholics."
March 10, 2005
March 19 figures to be a huge success for the Long Island Voice of the Faithful for a number of reasons.
That's when it hosts its second major convention, this time featuring two heavyweight speakers, John H. Allen, the renowned Vatican-based correspondent for theAbuse Tracker , and the Rev. Thomas Doyle, a highly respected lawyer on church issues. There will also be a special panel to discuss the priesthood and the laity and a 3 p.m. Mass.
Naturally, these people won't be anywhere near the inside of a Catholic Church, banned as they are by Bishop William Murphy from even breathing outside the nearest bingo hall.
But for all their planning and preparation, the Voice of the Faithful goofed in one crucial area. There should have been a special invitation to the man who was the inspiration and impetus - along with his old friend Cardinal Bernard Law in Boston - for the creation of Voice of the Faithful. There should have been a special place at the table for a third speaker with the perfect credentials for the occasion: the leader of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.