CONNECTICUT
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COURANT STAFF REPORT
The Hartford Courant
4:52 p.m. EDT, April 4, 2014
Voice of the Faithful, a lay organization pushing for structural reform in the Roman Catholic Church, has its first overall assembly in two years in Hartford on Saturday.
More than 200 people are registered to attend the conference at the Connecticut Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This year’s theme is “Turning Talk Into Action.”
“This is a great opportunity,” said Jayne O’Donnell of West Hartford, development coordinator for Voice of the Faithful. She said workshops will give participants hands-on tools they can use when they return to their communities to promote reform and healing in the church.
The morning will be dominated by an address by John L. Allen Jr., a longtime news reporter covering the Vatican, who was recently named associated editor for Catholic news at the Boston Globe. Also speaking will be the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest, author, and senior analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, an independent newspaper.
Afternoon workshops will focus on financial accountability, women in the church, clericalism and celibacy, and support for survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
The final session Saturday will be a panel discussion on healing and reform.
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