Your Excellency,

We write this letter with the same respect and deference to your leadership we have maintained for the past eleven months since we began the process of allowing Father Dollins to examine us and the work we do in bringing Christ-centered care to women survivors of sex-trafficking in Denver and beyond. We think often of your words, spoken during your visits to Avodah, that illustrated the challenges which come in painful and sometimes hidden ways when one follows Christ, and even more so when they work to hold the hand of another and invite them to follow too. Certainly, we have seen these challenges in many ways, but the most difficult we have encountered has been that of being repeatedly ignored, misguided, and slandered as a direct result of the systemic governance issues and culture of self-protection that exist under the leadership of Father Dollins in the office of the Archdiocese of Denver. Despite not being an organization established under the Archdiocese of Denver, we have still been subject to the negative effects of these governance issues nonetheless.

Though we never sought to be directly affiliated with the Archdiocese of Denver, we have always desired to stay close to the guidance of you and others as we began our ministry. To this end, in November of 2021 we made Father Dollins aware of deeply hurtful accusations being spread by several persons in the archdiocese. We offered to have more fulsome conversations about the issue at hand but received only a short email response expressing sympathy for the troubles. Considering this lack of engagement, we were surprised to learn in March 2022 that the same persons had brought the original accusations to the direct attention of the archdiocese. Hoping to provide clarity into the identified concerns, we willingly attended an initial meeting with Fr. Dollins and another staff member of the archdiocese to discuss what was described as a collaborative review process led by Father Dollins, another member of archdiocese staff, and a reviewer Father Dollins described as a friend.

We participated in the review process fully, voluntarily submitting over a hundred pages of information and evidence to clarify every concern. Our effort in this review was made out of confidence in a fair process, respect for all involved, and clear expectations of the possible outcome - this being that we would be given guidance and input for our ministry to move forward. At the initial meeting, Fr. Dollins stated that this review process would be private and collaborative, as evidenced by Avodah being asked to share half the cost. Father Dollins also stated in an email that the intent was for a complete review so as to not derail our ministry.

During the review, our executive leadership, board, and legal counsel discovered lies and deceit between both Father Dollins and the reviewer he hired. We came to lose confidence in a fair process and good-faith dialogue, most notably in the third meeting held on August 23rd. We came to this meeting expecting guidance based on findings of the review and the additional information submitted after our second meeting in May. Despite our expectations for guidance and dialogue, it was in this meeting that we learned that we would not receive the final review report for which we paid half the cost and that, without any reason being given to us, the archdiocese decided to disaffiliate from our organization and remove the Blessed Sacrament from the chapels used by the religious sisters and women we serve at our Denver location. Rather than pastorally responding to our willingness to accept guidance and input on any issues, Father Dollins chose instead to indiscriminately punish us and begin a process of damaging the reputation of our organization and our work.

After meeting with you personally to share our experience with such a fragmented, unjust process, you heard us, reinstated the Blessed Sacrament for the religious sisters, and asked us to trust that there would be a resolution to a path ahead. Upon meeting with other staff to whom you directed us in September, we moved forward with providing additional information on our operations. The aim of this, we were told, was to work toward issuance of a new letter from the archdiocese which would give the same level of assurance to those making this mission possible that the original letter and related gossip took away. When referring to the issuance of a follow-up letter, one of your staff even went so far as to state “We’re Catholic – we believe the penance should be commensurate with the sin.” Hopes of this process quickly dwindled after we were told there was not sufficient time for review and conversation.

At the end of January we attempted to come back to conversation and provide any other information desired, when we were met with new accusations based on hearsay from multiple parties. It was during this meeting it became clear to us that no one in the office of the Archdiocese of Denver had even read everything we had submitted. Still, we hoped for dialogue when your staff told us they would meet with you on February 1st at 3:00pm to address our concerns. Later we were told the meeting could not happen due to schedule issues. Between February 1st and February 3rd, a series of accusations were brought to your staff; however, we were never made aware of what these accusations were, nor were we given a chance to defend ourselves. In a private email given to us with the release of the February 3rd letter, your staff made it clear that it was this new hearsay that put an end to our dialogue – dialogue we have been seeking for almost a year. Once again, rather than giving us the opportunity to respond and share the facts of our position, the culture driven by Father Dollins led your staff to react with haste and emotion based on hearsay alone, preventing you and others from seeing documents to properly discern the heart of the matter.

We are asking you to consider the inherent power you have as a shepherd to guide us as Catholics who desire to follow you and work for the good of the archdiocese you govern. Time and again we have witnessed the hurt and fragmentation caused by public statements made about our organization and others within the archdiocese. We have seen this fragmentation even within the office of the Archdiocese of Denver itself when individual staff are surprised to learn of communication and actions made by their own coworkers in this review process.

This systemic issue of those seeking pastoral guidance and a fair process only to be met with public condemnation must be brought to daylight. Expecting to be heard and guided, we have been left feeling unheard, unjustly punished, and rejected by the actions of Father Dollins on behalf of the Archdiocese of Denver. Father Dollins set a precedent of poor communication and lack of fair process by sending out the first letter against us in August after only two meetings with Avodah leadership. Moreover, we were never asked questions or given a chance for conversation about the materials we submitted. Additionally, accusations were made at the January meeting that resulted in the issuance of the February 3 letter, once again giving us no chance to respond.

We continue to hope for what was promised when this began – a collaborative process to look at the objective facts of our ministry and the opportunity to receive input and guidance from your office. As we have been in full operations for roughly only a year, we are keenly aware of the many opportunities for improvements in our organization which would strengthen our work. How are we to work toward achieving this when people on whom we rely for collaboration choose to listen to only one side of the story and cut off dialogue? Even after acknowledgement that hearsay was proven false, your staff still chose to believe in emotion-driven claims and ignore our requests for a balanced examination of facts. Moreover, when seeking mercy, justice, and charity, we are continually met with accusation, condemnation, and deception.

Amidst the amount of hearsay and confusion being brought to your attention regarding our ministry, we aim to share the facts. We humbly ask you to bear in mind our desire for dialogue and guidance and our hope to continue our work in helping such a vulnerable population find their identity and strength in Christ and His church.

In Christ,

The Avodah Collective Board of Directors