By Brian Hudgins
The Advocate
December 1, 2007
http://www.2theadvocate.com/features/11986796.html
When details of alleged sexual abuse by Boston area priests came to light, the response by Lafayette native Donna Doucette and many others was to the point: They collectively raised their voices.
A small group of parishioners formed Voice of the Faithful in 2002 in the basement of St. John the Evangelist Church in Wellesley, Mass.
Doucette, who grew up in Louisiana, went to Harvard University eventually settled in Massachusetts where she has lived since 1969.
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| Donna Doucette |
Doucette is now executive director of the organization. What was a small starting group grew rapidly. Voice of the Faithful has roughly 30,000 members.
"In the initial VOTF meeting, there were 35 people," Doucette said by phone. "The next week, it was double that. The next week, it was 200 people. It grew exponentially as the news media uncovered awful things that had been done."
The scandal resulted in the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law, who had served as the archbishop of the Boston archdiocese.
Being in the Boston area that was at the center of the storm, Doucette said she and many others were appalled.
"In my parish, the priests held listening sessions where we could ask questions," Doucette said. "We were aware people were having meetings and discussions. I saw a notice asking for people to help out, so I went to a (VOTF) meeting."
As Doucette continually encountered more people through meetings, she noticed a resolve among the members.
"It's fascinating to discover how important a personal relationship with God is to people," Doucette said. "That insistence by people that the church will not be taken away by abuse is heartening."
Within her duties as executive director of VOTF, Doucette routinely calls on the skills she has gained during her career.
"I have published newsletters, run a business and run a documentation department for a software firm," she said.
Doucette has learned that flexibility is a big part of handling the needs of a national organization with numerous affiliates.
"It changes day to day," Doucette said. "Sometimes, you have to talk to affiliate leaders or you need ideas for a guest speaker or you need to make sure we have equipment for speakers. I try to make sure that people are talking to each other. What is most important each day is decided by the organization throughout the country."
When Doucette joined VOTF, she often helped organize local conferences by coordinating surveys and finding out how different parishes were organized.
"We are the church," Doucette said. "As adult baptized Catholics, we the laity want to participate more fully in our church. We want the voices of the laity to inform our actions, our structures and our faith. And in doing so, we want to ensure that sexual abuse and cover-ups will not happen again."
Part of that effort is keeping lines of communication open.
"The interesting thing is, you sit in church, and you don't talk about the things you believe," Doucette said. "In VOTF, we talk about developing faith so the church can grow in the community."
Doucette's childhood spent in Louisiana and her years in Massachusetts have given her a couple of places that she calls home.
Doucette recalled that the first year she and her late husband, Gene, spent in Massachusetts was an eye-opener.
"The first year, we could have come back any time. I had to ask people to repeat themselves three or four times before I could figure out what they were saying. It was like another country. It's not similar to your own experiences. It was a huge adjustment."
After making that adjustment, Doucette found her voice.
"I'll always be Cajun, but I'll be a Cajun living up north," she said.
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