The Anchor F riday , February 6, 2009
Diocese of Fall River
St. Stan’s School offers special needs program
B y D eacon James N. Dunbar
FALL RIVER — Breaking the ice to become an inclusion school and bring support services to children with disabilities rather than moving the child to the services, came readily at St. Stanislaus School. “I have listened to parents who thought they could not
send their child to a Catholic School because of his or her disability and the heartbreak it caused,” said Jean Willis, the principal. “Now I am seeing how grateful those parents are,” said Willis, who initiated and developed the program this year that serves 28 children spread Turn to page 18
PROUD PAPA — Permanent Deacon Paul F. Fournier vests his son Peter J. Fournier during a Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral January 31 at which the younger Fournier was ordained a transitional deacon, and is scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood this June. (Photo by Eric Rodrigues)
Fournier ordained transitional deacon at cathedral ceremony By Deacon James N. Dunbar
SPECIAL MENTOR — Colleen Hauser, a special education teacher in the inclusion school program at St. Stanislaus School in Fall River, and prize pupil Ashley Banalewicz, who has Down’s syndrome. (Anchor photo)
New England bishops begin monthly series on Catholic education By Dave Jolivet, Editor
FALL RIVER — Adhering to a document published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2005, the New England Catholic bishops have pledged to write a monthly letter extolling the virtues of a Catholic education. The document, “Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium,” was the source of the monthly topics to be addressed by one bishop each month. The letters will appear in the 11 Catholic newspapers across New England. “The idea for this campaign was introduced to the New England bishops at their yearly meeting late last year,” said George Milot, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Fall River. “It was initiated by the New England chapter of Chief Administrators of Catholic Education.”
CACE is comprised of diocesan school superintendents and assistant superintendents. “The bishops greeted the recommendation with enthusiasm,” Milot told The Anchor. “Each of the 11 bishops and Cardinal O’Malley are already on a monthly schedule through April 2010.” Auxiliary bishops are also participating. CACE administrators selected the topics based on the USCCB’s 2005 document. “Each bishop will write on a specific topic related to Catholic education.” In the bishops’ document they concluded, “As we, the Catholic bishops of the United States, and the entire Catholic community continue our journey through the 21st century, it remains our duty to model the person of Jesus Christ, to teach the Gospel, and to evangelize our culture. We are convinced that Catholic elemenTurn to page seven
FALL RIVER — A jubilant Peter J. Fournier was ordained a transitional deacon by Bishop George W. Coleman at rites in St. Mary’s Cathedral January 31. Hundreds, including 10 priests and 25 deacons, among the latter the ordinand’s father, Permanent Deacon Paul Fournier — as well as his mother, Florence Fournier, other family members, and parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Church in Attleboro, his home parish — attended the ordination Mass. As a transitional deacon, Deacon Peter Fournier will continue his theological studies at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, and hopes to be ordained to the priesthood for the Fall River Diocese in June.
He will, as a deacon, exercise his office by baptizing, proclaiming the Gospel, preaching, officiating at weddings and funerals, being an ordinary minister of holy Communion, assisting at Mass, and presiding at Benediction and prayer and Communion services, among others. Deacon Peter Fournier’s joy of becoming a member of the clergy was reflected in his ever-present smile throughout the ancient rites, in which he was told: “Believe what you read. Preach what you believe. Practice what you preach.” He was vested in the stole and dalmatic, the traditional vestments of a deacon, by his father. Turn to page 18
Father Looney proud of growing ministry efforts at Stonehill College
B y K enneth J. Souza A nchor Staff
EASTON — Since taking over an already-vibrant campus ministry at Stonehill College, Congregation of Holy Cross Father Thomas Looney has managed to make students keenly aware that there’s much more to their Catholic faith than a personal connection to God or even the dogmatic facts that can be learned within an academic setting. It’s about putting that knowledge and faith into practice in the real world each and every day. As the vice president for Mission at Stonehill College, Father Looney has built upon
the school’s solid tradition of outreach efforts and expanded them to other areas of the diocese and beyond. “Our mission statement says we want every graduate to help make the world a more just and compassionate place,” Father Father Thomas Looney said. Looney, CSC “Education is a privilege and education is a gift, not simply for your own self-improvement in the world, but also a gift to share. The best example we can be to our students is to
show our faith always needs to be put into action. The Catholic faith is not something that is simply an interior relationship between a person and God, but a relationship that is lived out in a community of faith that seeks to serve our brothers and sisters in this world.” To that end, Father Looney has helped organize and maintain many popular student programs at Stonehill College such as “Into the Streets,” a local community service effort, and Hope, an international spring break alternative mission. “For Into the Streets, our Turn to page 13
News From the Vatican
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February 6, 2009
Pope’s Africa trip includes meeting with bishops, youths, and disabled
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On his first trip to Africa, Pope Benedict XVI will meet with the continent’s bishops, visit a Church-run center for the disabled in Cameroon and address young people in a stadium in Angola, the Vatican said. The trip March 17-23 will focus on preparations for the Synod of Bishops for Africa, to be held in Rome in October. The pope’s schedule calls for him to release the synod’s working document when he celebrates Mass and meets with synod planners March 19. The pope’s program calls for encounters with political leaders, representatives of other Christian churches and Muslims in Cameroon, the first leg of his visit. In Angola, where the pope will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the country’s evangelization, he plans to talk to regional bishops, celebrate Mass for pastoral workers and meet with Catholic movements engaged in women’s promotion. The itinerary calls for the pope to leave Rome on March 17. He is expected to arrive at International Airport in Yaounde, Cameroon, where there will be a welcoming ceremony and the pope will speak. On March 18, following Mass, he make a courtesy visit to President Paul Biya at the Unity Palace in Yaounde. Later he will meet with bishops of Cameroon in the Church of Christ the King in the Tsinga quarter of Yaoundeand have lunch at apostolic nunciature in Yaounde. He will preside at evening prayer in the Basilica of Mary Queen of the Apostles in the Mvolye quarter of Yaounde, attended by bishops, priests, men and women religious,
The Anchor
deacons, members of Church movements and representatives of other Christian communities. On March 19, Pope Benedict will meet with representatives of the Muslim community of Cameroon in apostolic nunciature; celebrate Mass marking the occasion of the publication of the “instrumentum laboris,” or working document, of the Second Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, in Amadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde. He will give the homily. Later he will visit the Cardinal Paul Emile Leger National Center for the Rehabilitation of the Handicapped, where he will speak; meet with members of the Special Council for Africa of the Synod of Bishops in the apostolic nunciature, followed by dinner. On March 20, the pope will fly to Angola, make a courtesy visit to President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos in Presidential Palace of Luanda; and later meet with political and civil authorities and the bishops of Angol and Sao Tome. On March 21 he will celebrate Mass with bishops and priests for men and women religious, members of Church movements and catechists of Angola and Sao Tome in St. Paul Church of Luanda and give the homily. Later he will meet with young people in Coqueiros Stadium in Luanda for a speech. After Mass with Bishops of the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa on March 22, he will meet with members of Catholic movements for the promotion of women, in parish of St. Anthony in Luanda. On March 23, the pope will leave for Rome. OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 53, No. 5
Member: Catholic Press Association, Catholic News Service
Published weekly except for two weeks in the summer and the week after Christmas by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 — FAX 508-675-7048, email: theanchor@anchornews.org. Subscription price by mail, postpaid $14.00 per year. Send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA, call or use email address
PUBLISHER - Most Reverend George W. Coleman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Roger J. Landry fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchornews.org NEWS EDITOR Deacon James N. Dunbar jimdunbar@anchornews.org OFFICE MANAGER Mary Chase m arychase@anchornews.org ADVERTISING Wayne Powers waynepowers@anchornews.org REPORTER Michael Pare michaelpare@anchornews.org REPORTER Kenneth J. Souza k ensouza@anchornews.org Send Letters to the Editor to: fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org POSTMASTERS send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722. THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.
NOT-SO-NICE KITTY — Pope Benedict XVI looks at a lion cub held by a performer of the Medrano Circus during a recent weekly general audience at the Vatican. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters)
Great expectations: World issues dominate Vatican hopes for Obama
By John Thavis Catholic News Service
United States will translate into a serious U.S. commitment to help VATICAN CITY — The Vatialleviate global poverty. This was can has struck a predominantly an important area of cooperation positive tone as it opens relations with the Bush administration, with the administration of Presiand the Vatican wants it to condent Barack Obama, emphasiztinue under Obama. ing hopes for cooperation on isOn Pro-Life issues, Vatican sues of peace and social justice. officials said they hoped Obama While registering its disapwould not pick unnecessary fights pointment over an early presidenwith the Church. Although it was tial decision to restore funding expected, the Vatican reacted to programs that offer abortion quickly to the president’s execuoverseas, the Vatican has avoided tive order January 23 to remove pre-emptive battles with Obama a ban on federal aid to programs over Pro-Life and family issues. that promote or perform abortion Pope Benedict XVI overseas. sent an Inauguration “A very disappointn Pro-Life issues, Vatican officials Day telegram coning decision,” read said they hoped Obama would not gratulating the new the headline in the president and support- pick unnecessary fights with the Church. Vatican newspaper, ing Obama’s resolve quoting from a reacto “promote underHillary Rodham Clinton’s recent tion statement from U.S. bishops. standing, cooperation and peace statement that the new adminis- Archbishop Rino Fisichella, presamong the nations.” tration would move quickly to ident of the Pontifical Academy The Vatican newspaper, diplomatically engage Syria and for Life, told an Italian newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, com- Iran was seen as a wise move by that “if this is one of President pared the swearing-in of the first the Vatican. Obama’s first acts, I have to say, African-American president to The Vatican always was un- with all respect, that we’re a short the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 comfortable with the Bush ad- step away from disappointment.” and said it ushered in a new era ministration’s self-proclaimed Pro-life and family issues are of expectation and participation. “war on terrorism,” even though not merely U.S. domestic afWhat is expected of the officials gave qualified support fairs. Vatican diplomats know Obama administration, they said, to U.S. military action against that questions regarding populais a decisive initiative to restart terrorist enclaves in Afghanistan tion control, bioethics, the family the peace process and move it in 2001. Vatican sources said the and even homosexuality increastoward a definitive solution, not hope is that the anti-terrorism ef- ingly come up for debate in ina one-shot attempt but a “consis- fort under Obama will be carried ternational forums, including the tent commitment” to lead Israelis out with two principles in mind: United Nations. and Palestinians to the realiza- first, respect for legal rights, i.e., For these and many other reation that a settlement is in their a rejection of torture; and, sec- sons, the Vatican is closely watchown best interests. ond, attention to the underlying ing for Obama’s choice of a new Vatican diplomats were disap- causes of terrorism, including in- U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. pointed at the Bush administra- justice and political frustration. An early appointment would be tion’s peace-promoting efforts in On economic issues, Vatican viewed at the Vatican as a sign of the Holy Land. They said those officials cited potential areas of the president’s interest and attenefforts came late and that the agreement with Obama, includ- tion to the Holy See. most promising initiative — the ing his concern for those on the Many at the Vatican are alpeace conference in Annapolis, margins of society. The hope, ready looking ahead to an expectMd., in late 2007 — was not fol- they said, is that the president’s ed meeting between Obama and lowed up with diplomatic pres- stated concern for the poor in the Pope Benedict later this year.
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sure. While no one expects Obama to alter the United States’ fundamental support for Israel, Vatican officials said the new president begins his term with a certain amount of trust and sympathy among Arabs. That could be important, they said, because Arabs need to feel they have a world leader who takes their situation to heart. All this could help change the dynamic of tension and mistrust throughout the Middle East, they said. Already, Secretary of State
February 6, 2009
The International Church
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Theological. The future patriarch began representing the Russian Orthodox Church at meetings of the World Council of Churches in 1971 and participated in official dialogues with the Roman Catholic Church in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was named bishop of Vyborg
and assistant bishop of Leningrad in 1976; was named an archbishop in 1977. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church named him chairman of the Department for External Church Relations in November 1989 and two years later he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan.
NEW CHURCH LEADER — Russian Orthodox Patriarch-elect Kirill leads a service in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral after being chosen as head of the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church January 27. (CNS photo/Reuters)
Russian Orthodox Church elects Metropolitan Kirill as patriarch
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — The new patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church is Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, who has been in charge of the church’s ecumenical relations for the past 20 years and who has had dozens of high-level contacts with the Catholic Church. Metropolitan Kirill, 62, was elected patriarch of Moscow January 27 during a meeting of the church’s local council, which is made up of more than 700 priests, monks and laypeople representing each diocese and foreign mission of the Russian Orthodox Church. The delegates, coming from more than 60 countries, elected the patriarch from a list of three candidates chosen January 25 by the Russian Orthodox Bishops’ Council. Patriarch-elect Kirill, was seen as the candidate most open to improving ecumenical relations, especially with the Catholic Church, although he often criticized papal actions taken to re-establish the work of the Roman Catholic Church in Russia. The new leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, which claims more than 150 million members, has met three times with Pope Benedict XVI: immediately after the pope’s election in 2005; during a visit to Rome to consecrate a Russian Orthodox church in 2006; and for formal talks in December 2007. He had served as the Moscow Patriarchate’s director of external affairs — its chief ecumenist — since 1989. In that position, he held dozens of meetings with Cardinal Walter Kasper and his predecessors at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity as well as with the cardinals and Catholic bishops from around the world. The patriarch-elect was chosen by the Russian Orthodox bishops to be the interim head of the church after the death December 5 of Patriarch Alexy II, who led the church for more than 18 years. Patriarch Alexy’s tenure coincided with the breakup of the Soviet Union, the establishment of democracy, and the long and difficult process of re-establishing the Russian Orthodox Church and religious practice after decades of communist repression. But newfound freedom for the Russian Orthodox also brought the possibility for the Catholic Church to re-establish its structures in Russia and for the Ukrainian Catholic Church to worship freely in Ukraine, a process that led to Orthodox claims that the Catholic Church was trying to expand in traditionally Orthodox territory. As late as December 2007 Metropolitan Kirill publicly called on the Vatican to downgrade the status of the four Catholic dioceses in Russia and reclassify them as “apostolic administrations,” which they were prior to 2002. He told Russia’s Interfax news agency, “We shall never recognize them and will always dispute the presence of ordinary Catholic dioceses in the territory of Russia and consider it a challenge” to the tradition of church organization that Catholics and Orthodox share. When the Orthodox or Catholics have communities outside their traditional homelands, he said, a bishop should be in charge of their pastoral care, but that bishop should be an admin-
istrator, not the head of a diocese erected in territory already under the care of another bishop. “The Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church must work together to bring to light again the Christian roots of Europe,” he told reporters during a May 2006 visit to Rome. Patriarch-elect Kirill was born Vladimir Gundyaev Nov. 20, 1946, in what was then Leningrad and now is known as St. Petersburg. Ordained in 1969, he began teaching at the Leningrad
Feb. 8, 2009 Feb. 10, 2009 Feb. 13 - 15, 2009 Feb. 12, 19, 26, 2009 Feb. 20 - 22, 2009 Feb. 25, 2009 Mar. 4, 11, 18, 25, 2009 Mar. 14, 2009
~ Afternoon of Recollection ~ Prayer Shawl Ministry ~ Men’s Retreat ~ Women in Midlife ~ Single’s Retreat ~ Journey Into Lent ~ A Lenten Seminar ~ Stressed-out ... Who Me???
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The Church in the U.S.
February 6, 2009
Groups applaud Obama’s decision to end torture, close Guantanamo B y Dennis Sadowski C atholic News Service
WASHINGTON — Presidential executive orders to ban torture and close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are just the first steps in an effort to assure that torture never again becomes part of American policy, said religious and human rights workers. Organizations such as the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, which has partnered with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, planned to work toward getting the restrictions outlined in the January 22 orders signed by President Barack Obama adopted into law. “Our goal is to make sure this dark chapter never repeats itself in American history,” said the Rev. Richard Killmer, the campaign’s executive director. Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y., chairman of the bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, welcomed the order to ban torture, saying in a statement that the president’s action will “help restore the moral and legal standing of the United States in the world.” “A ban on torture says much about us, who we are, what we believe about human life and dignity and how we act as a nation,” Bishop Hubbard said. Obama’s action signals a departure from his predecessor, President George W. Bush, who denied ever approving torture, but allowed “enhanced interrogation techniques” to obtain information from detainees at the prison in Guantanamo and in detention facilities around the world. At one point, the CIA admitted to waterboarding three de-
tainees in 2003. Waterboarding causes the sensation of drowning and is considered torture by humans rights activists and some military and intelligence officials. In all, Obama signed three orders. The first closes the Guantanamo prison within a year. Detainees have been held at the prison for seven years. About 250 detainees remain at the prison. The second bans torture and the harshest interrogation methods in place since the first suspected terrorists were captured by American forces in Afghanistan in 2001. All U.S. interrogators will be required to adhere to the Geneva Conventions and follow the U.S. Army Field Manual, which prohibits threats, coercion, physical abuse and waterboarding during questioning. The third establishes an interagency task force to review detention policies and procedures as well as individual cases of detainees, with a report due 30 days after the signing of the executive order. Reaction from religious and human rights groups seeking to overturn U.S. policy on Guantanamo and the use of torture was laudatory. Matt Daloisio, a Catholic Worker and a leader in a faithbased campaign called Witness Against Torture, applauded Obama’s action. At the same time he called for a quick review of the cases of the Guantanamo detainees as well as the thousands who are being held at what are known as “black site” facilities worldwide. London-based Amnesty International called Obama’s action “a major step forward” and a “welcome sign that the new administration is willing to right the wrongs of the past.” “By prioritizing the closure of Guantanamo in his first 48 hours in office, President Obama is sending an important message to the rest of the world that the USA is now closing a dark chapter in its history,” said Irene Khan, the organization’s secretary general.
CRANKY CONGREGANT — Christy Fitzpatrick holds her restless son, Matthew, in a room set off from the rest of the congregation at St. Mary Church in Williamstown, N.J. While parents are often encouraged to use cry rooms or quieting rooms with their children, they are discouraged from letting the rooms become play areas. (CNS photo/Craig Pittelli, The Monitor)
Parishes explore best options at Mass for families with children
By Dorothy K. LaMantia Catholic News Service
TRENTON, N.J. — It is Sunday morning and Sally and Tom are preparing to take their three children — six-year-old Abby, three-year-old Matthew and one-year-old Joey — to Mass. Armed with a survival bag containing sandwich bags filled with Cheerios, three miniboxes of raisins, Matthew’s teddy bear, Joey’s blanket and teething ring, diapers, an emergency bottle and a few children’s books, the family can opt to be seated in the assembly or in the rear of the church, in case they need an easy exit with an unhappy child. Or, if theirs is a church with a separate space often called a “cry room,” they can opt for the place away from the congregation. Cry rooms, places meant to help parents soothe or quiet upset or misbehaving infants and young children, may seem like an obvious solution to a challenging problem. Yet, opinions are mixed on their effectiveness and how they impact the community. Many parishes do their best to welcome everyone at Sunday liturgy and to serve the needs of families with young children while preserving a positive worship experience for all. “The main concern of Church leadership is that all those present have the right to participate in the action of the liturgy,” said Mercy Sister Eleanor McCann, associate director of the Office of Worship in the Diocese of Trenton. The Church’s leading documents related to liturgy and
church construction do not make any “stipulation about removing a child from the Mass,” she said. Even so, sensitivity to other worshippers sometimes warrants a parent removing a child from the assembly. In the era before the Second Vatican Council, a timeout usually meant an embarrassingly long walk to the foyer, and parent and child would be behind heavy wood doors without any kind of sound system, separated from the assembly and the liturgy. In the late 1960s, the Vatican II changes introduced a new kind of church building: semicircular rather than rectangular, with shorter aisles, sections of pews that allowed greater visibility of the altar, and a cry room. Set adjacent to the congregation, the cry room provided a convenient place for parents to calm an unhappy or misbehaving child. A window and speakers let parents see and hear the liturgy. “It provides a pressure-valve release,” said Marge McGinley, pastoral administrator at Sacred Heart Parish in Mount Holly. “It takes pressure off the parent and the child without excluding them from the liturgy.” “We call it the ‘quieting room,’ where parents can hear and participate at Mass without making others feel uncomfortable,” McGinley told The Monitor, newspaper of the Trenton Diocese. “But we do not consider it a permanent place for families with small children.” Parishes where cry rooms are
used successfully often regard them as a place to introduce very young children to the Mass, with the expectation that as soon as possible they will sit with the congregation. “Our cry room is used by families with children age three and younger,” said Father Tim Capewell, pastor of St. David the King Parish in West Windsor. A weekday chapel is converted into a cry room for weekend Masses. Msgr. Ronald Bacovin, pastor of St. James Parish in Pennington, said his parishioners would not consider including a cry room in renovation plans for their church. “Cry rooms are not only noisy but none of the parents had time to focus on the liturgy or could hear or even see what was going on at the Mass,” he said. “When one child starts to cry or talk to another, the others pick it up.” “They became playrooms,” said Father Sam Sirianni, director of the diocesan Office of Worship and pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Freehold. “There was no training happening for how to go to Mass,” he said. “Some parents refused to take their children to the cry room because they could not train them to behave appropriately at Mass. Children must be trained to sit still and pay attention at Mass. It must be instilled.” In recent years, many parishes have created children’s liturgies or programs for children age three and up that include readings written for their level and activities based on them.
February 6, 2009
The Church in the U.S.
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Vatican orders study of women religious institutes in United States
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Vatican has initiated an apostolic visitation of institutes for women religious in the United States to find out why the numbers of their members have decreased during the past 40 years and to look at the quality of life in the communities. The announcement was made January 30 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington by Sister Eva-Maria Ackerman, a member of the American province of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George. She will assist Mother Mary Clare Millea, a Connecticut native who is superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an international religious institute that has its headquarters in Rome. Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, appointed Mother Clare as the apostolic visitor. The cardinal sent letters detailing the task to both the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the two major organizations representing heads of women’s religious orders in the U.S. It is too early to know how many volunteers will be enlisted to visit nearly 400 Catholic institutes for women religious in the U.S., how much it will cost or who will pay for the study, Sister Eva-Maria said during the press conference at the national shrine. “We hope to discover and share the vibrancy and purpose that continue to accomplish so much, as well as to understand the obstacles and challenges that inhibit these individuals and institutions, thus limiting their growth and/or redirecting their resources and outreach,” she said. The study — which is expected to be completed by 2011 — is in no way connected to the apostolic visitation of more than 200 U.S. seminaries and formation houses in 2005 and 2006, which was ordered in response to the sexual abuse crisis that hit the U.S. Church, Sister Eva-Maria said. It was not known why the Vatican chose to do this study now, why the U.S. was singled out and what prompted the Vatican congregation to order it, she said. “I don’t even want to speculate.” Once the study is concluded, a “comprehensive and confidential” report will be given to Cardinal Rode, but its findings are not expected to be made public, Sister Eva-Maria said. “First, Mother Clare will solicit voluntary input from the superiors general through inviting them to make personal visits with her in Rome or in the United States,” she said. “During the second stage, the major superiors in the United States will be asked for information such as statistics, activities and com-
munity practices. Selected on-site visits will be made during the third stage.” Catholic women religious have been involved in education, health care and a variety of pastoral and social services in the U.S. since before the nation was founded in 1776, said Mother Clare in a prepared statement released at the press conference. “I am truly humbled and a bit overwhelmed,” she said of her assignment. “While I have visited each of the communities and missions in my own congregation, the thought of gathering facts and findings about nearly 400 institutes across the United States can be daunting in scope.” A Website, apostolicvisitation. org, has been launched to provide basic information about the project. “I know that the object of this vis-
itation is to encourage and strengthen apostolic communities of women religious, for the simple reason that these communities are integral to the entire life of the Catholic Church, in the United States and beyond,” Mother Clare said. Sister Eva-Maria acknowledged that the population of women religious has significantly dropped during the past several decades, and that fewer nuns have chosen to teach school in the past 30 years in favor of doing social outreach. “Recruitment is of great concern for every (religious) community,” she said. “We live in a very different society,” she added, than that experienced by many of the U.S. saints who were nuns — SS. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Frances Xavier Cabrini, Katharine Drexel, Rose Philippine Duchesne and Mother Theodore Guerin.
BETHANY NIGHTS “A place to begin again”
Fri. Feb. 27 - 7:30 p.m. with John Polce - Good-will donation.
FOCA POINT — Loretta Fleming prepares to ship boxes of ProLife literature, used in a postcard campaign against the Freedom of Choice Act, at the office of the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment in Washington recently. Staff in the office were shipping boxes of postcards to dioceses and others as part of a national campaign against FOCA. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
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The Anchor Unity, magnanimity, and lunacy
In his great priestly prayer on the night he was betrayed, Jesus implored his Father that all the disciples would be one as the persons of the Blessed Trinity are one. He said that their unity would be the great witness to the world of the impact of his mission and of the Father’s love (see Jn 17). The day after he became Christ’s vicar in 2005, Pope Benedict, in his Latin homily before the college of cardinals in the Sistine Chapel, said that his foremost responsibility was to do everything in his power to seek to restore that unity in the Church for which Christ prayed. “Catholics cannot but feel encouraged to strive for the full unity for which Christ expressed so ardent a hope in the Upper Room,” the pope said. “The Successor of Peter knows that he must make himself especially responsible for his Divine Master’s supreme aspiration. … With full awareness, … Peter’s current successor takes on as his primary task the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ’s followers. This is his ambition, his impelling duty. He is aware that good intentions do not suffice for this. Concrete gestures that enter hearts and stir consciences are essential, inspiring in everyone that inner conversion that is the prerequisite for all ecumenical progress.” There are many concrete gestures that the Holy Father has made to bring this progress about. He has reinforced communal bonds with the Greek and Russian Orthodox. He has invited ecumenical collaborators not merely to observe but to participate in the Synod for Bishops. He has called a Year of St. Paul and said that the “one particular aspect to which special attention must be paid” during the year is the “ecumenical dimension,” since St. Paul “left no stones unturned for unity and harmony among all Christians.” During his Pauline Year catecheses, he has focused on questions of enormous relevance the sons and daughters of the Protestant Reformation in ways that have caused many of our Protestant ecumenical interlocutors to conclude that the central theological dispute of the Reformation, how one is justified, has now been adequately and eloquently resolved. And he has put in overtime to try to fix the one schism that has happened during his lifetime, that of the Society of St. Pius X. When Pope Benedict loosened restrictions in 2007 on the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Latin Missal of Blessed Pope John XXIII, he wrote in an explanatory letter that his principal motivation was to come to “an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church.” He was speaking specifically about reconciling the members of the Society of St. Pius X, who went into schism in 1988 due to illicit episcopal ordinations of four Society priests by a dying Archbishop Marcel Lefevbre. “Looking back over the past, to the divisions which in the course of the centuries have rent the Body of Christ,” the pope wrote, “one continually has the impression that, at critical moments when divisions were coming about, not enough was done by the Church’s leaders to maintain or regain reconciliation and unity. One has the impression that omissions on the part of the Church have had their share of blame for the fact that these divisions were able to harden. This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every effort to make possible for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew.” Pope Benedict has been, indeed, making every effort. On January 21, he gave permission to the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops to lift the automatic excommunication that the bishops of the Society of St. Pius X incurred by their illicit ordination. This is merely the first step in a staircase leading toward unity — the bishops are still suspended a divinis and the Society still has various conditions to fulfill to be rehabilitated — but it is a big step, one much desired by the leaders of the Society. In his papal audience last Wednesday, Pope Benedict said that his motivation for lifting the excommunication was fatherly mercy in a hopeful anticipation of a reunited family: “Precisely in fulfilling this service to unity, which determines in a specific way my ministry as the Successor of Peter, I decided some days ago to concede the remission of the excommunication incurred by four bishops ordained without pontifical mandate in 1988 by Archbishop Lefevbre. I have carried out this act of paternal mercy because repeatedly these prelates have manifested their sharp suffering in the situation in which they found themselves. I trust that following from this gesture of mine will be the prompt effort on their part to complete final necessary steps to arrive to full communion with the Church, thus giving testimony of true fidelity and true recognition of the magisterium and the authority of the pope and the Second Vatican Council.” If the pope behaved like a politician rather than a father, he probably would not have lifted the excommunications. It was a magnanimous, courageous move fraught with risks. First, many within the Church seem prone to view the possible return of the 1.5 million members of Society with as much enthusiasm as the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son for the homecoming of his wayward sibling. Benedict, however, has the perspective of the father in the parable, which is the only truly Christian frame of reference. There will obviously be issues of reintegration, since many members of the Society have entrenched misunderstandings of what the Second Vatican Council actually teaches and why, not to mention their vehement criticisms of the post-conciliar liturgical, doctrinal and moral free-for-all that the Council never sought nor sanctioned. Benedict probably anticipated that for that reason some would falsely conclude that this move toward reconciliation was a move away from the Second Vatican Council, which it clearly is not. Benedict seems hopeful, however, in the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome these obstacles. Second, while most of members of the Society are pious, faithful and unknown, the Society does have some notable crackpots — including two of its four bishops — and there was the risk that the lifting of the excommunications would be erroneously perceived by those sympathetic to the Church, or maliciously portrayed by those hostile to the Church, as an endorsement of long list of inanities those crackpots have uttered. The Vatican evidently underestimated this danger, which is why it was caught flatfooted when St. Pius X Bishop Richard Williamson’s denials of the extent of the Holocaust started to be broadcast throughout the media. Williamson’s revisionist lunacy has brought to the surface the issue of the caliber of leadership among those in the Society, as well as the fact that in some segments of the Society anti-Semitism has not been treated as the sin that it is. One good that has come out of this painful chapter will be that these realities will now have to be on the table as continued discussions toward rehabilitation continue. A final point. When President Obama proposed lifting the “political excommunication” of Iran to enter into negotiations about its nuclear intentions, no one accused him and the United States of sharing Mahmoud Ahamdinejad’s Williamsonian Holocaust denials or obvious antipathy toward the Jews. Such an accusation would have been ludicrous. Yet when similarly absurd accusations were being hurled that the pope and the Church deny the Holocaust and hate Jews, many in the media and among certain groups took them seriously. This should lead to a selfexamination on the part of those making such accusations.
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February 6, 2009
Martyr for national unity
ext Thursday we celebrate the bicenten- school, he taught himself law, passed the bar and nial of the birth of the greatest presi- rose to become an excellent litigator. When even dent ever to serve our country. He has long been so many family members died, including two of considered great on account of his most notable his four children, he soldiered on. One can argue deeds: his winning the Civil War to keep us one that one of the reasons he was such an effective country; his Emancipation Proclamation that commander-in-chief during the Civil War was befreed the slaves; his lofty oratory which inspired cause he knew how to respond to the heartbreak the nation in some of its lowest moments; and his of losing battles without losing focus on winning courage in the face of death, which began with the war. Because he knew how to get up, he could assassination attempts even before he became help the nation learn resilience and endurance our 16th president and culminated in his becom- when it needed it most. As steely a commander-in-chief as he was, ing our first president to be slain. The many recent historiographical studies that Lincoln was also a deeply compassionate man. have focused on his interior deeds have helped us Compassion comes from the Latin roots meananew to see that the good fruit he bore came from ing “to suffer with,” and one of Lincoln’s greatest a good tree. “Nearly all men can stand the test of traits was his ability to empathize. He did not aradversity,” he once said, “but if you really want gue against the evil of slavery merely on the printo test a man’s character, give him power.” When ciples of justice and slavery; he also put himself he was given that power and faced the greatest in the shoes of slaves and encouraged everyone crisis our young nation had yet confronted, the to do the same. A month before he was slain, he said, “I have always thought that all men should depth of his virtuous character was revealed. Lincoln’s life is one of the greatest and most be free; but if any should be slaves, it should be inspiring biographies in our nation’s history. A first those who desire it for themselves and secchild born in a one-room log cabin in Hodgen- ondly those who desire it for others. Whenever ville, Ky., rose to the White House. A boy with I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it only 18 months tried on him perof formal educasonally.” tion became one This sense of our country’s of compasmost famous orasion made him tors. A man who eloquent in the suffered so many face of tragedy. defeats over so By Father He could enter many years never Roger J. Landry into the pain of gave up and led Massachusetts our nation to permother Lydia haps its most imBixby who he was told had lost five sons on the portant victory. I think the best way to mark his 200th birth- battlefield and write, “I feel how weak and fruitday is to reflect on, and seek to imitate, the vir- less must be any word of mine which should attues that made him great. Especially faced with tempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so the crises of our own day, our nation needs more overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tenderAbraham Lincolns, not just in public office, but ing you the consolation that may be found in the also in courtrooms and country stores, farms and thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray financial institutions, colleges and churches, and that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only hospitals and homes. When we look at Lincoln, there are so many the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and virtues from which we could choose. Whole the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid books could be written about his honesty, integri- so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.” Lincoln was able to enter into her darkness ty, prudence, courage and sense of responsibility. I’d like to focus on three of his virtues that I find and point to the reason for hope because he himparticularly inspirational: his perseverance, com- self had suffered so much and was prepared to — and would — lay down his own life on that passion and magnanimous readiness to forgive. Some could look at Abraham Lincoln as the same altar. Lincoln was able to do the same thing greatest loser ever to be president. When he was for a grieving nation on the blood-drenched fields seven, his family was forced out of their home. of Gettysburg. Because of his history and capacity to experiTwo years later his mother died from bad milk. At 22, he took out a loan to buy a village store, ence the pain of the defeated and the suffering, but soon the store failed, his business partner he was a profoundly merciful man. As president, died, and he was saddled with debt that took him he was savagely ridiculed and caricatured in the 17 years to pay off. He ran for state legislature press and in political backrooms, yet he refused and lost. He tried get into law school, but since to sink to his opponents’ level. For the good of he had little formal education, he was not admit- the nation, he embraced some of his most meanted. He got engaged to Anne Ruttedge at 26, but spirited rivals into his cabinet. When he was acthen she died, leading to a nervous breakdown cused of being soft toward his enemies, he retorted, “Am I not destroying my enemy when I make that had him bedridden for six months. After gaining election to the Illinois state him my friend?” He permitted General Grant to assembly, he sought to become speaker of the allow General Lee to surrender with dignity rather house, but was defeated. Two years later, he tried than to try him for treason. After the war was won to become an elector to the Electoral College and and the reconstruction efforts were commenclost again. He proposed to Mary Owens, but was ing, another general asked how the Confederates rejected. At 34, he ran for Congress and was van- should be treated. “Let them up easy,” he replied. quished. After experiencing the joy of congres- He knew that the only path to peace and national sional election two years later, he was defeated unity was through forgiveness. If only those in the in re-election. He tried to become an Illinois land Middle East would learn from him. Lincoln was equally merciful to those on office official, but was spurned. At 45 he ran for the U.S. Senate, but was beaten. In 1856, he death row begging to have their lives spared. In his great speech in Gettysburg, Lincoln tried to become the Republican vice-presidential nominee, but received fewer than 100 votes. In said that it was the task for the living to dedi1858, he ran again for Senate and lost. Two years cate themselves to the unfinished work which later — with eight electoral losses, two failed the slain had so nobly advanced. As we prepare businesses, a nervous breakdown and so many to mark the bicentennial of his birth, let us take misfortunes on his resumé — he was incredibly up the work to which he gave his “last full measure of devotion,” so that our country, “under elected President of the United States. Lincoln was a man who never gave up and God shall have a new birth of freedom,” based didn’t let circumstances define him or keep him on virtues, like Lincoln’s, that set and keep us down. Even though he didn’t have the means for free. Father Landry is pastor of St. Anthony’s Parmuch formal education, he became an avid reader and autodidact. When he couldn’t get into law ish in New Bedford.
Putting Into the Deep
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February 6, 2009
The mission of Catholic schools
he beginning of a new costs and declining enrollment year is often accompa— will be intensified by the nied by two exercises — predic- terrible economic environment tions and resolutions. It’s in that spirit that I begin a series of reflections The Value of from the bishops of New Catholic Schools England on our Catholic schools. First, a prediction. By Bishop This New Year will be a Thomas J. Tobin very challenging time for Catholic schools throughout New England. The routine in which we’re living. It’s safe challenges faced by the Catholic to assume that just about all of schools of our region — rising our Catholic schools will be af-
fected in one way or another, to one degree or another. Without a doubt, a number of schools will merge or close, or be otherwise transformed. Those directly involved in the Catholic schools ministry — and indeed the entire Catholic community — need to be creative and courageous in supporting schools, but also prudent and realistic in responding to the challenges we face. While we work hard to keep our schools
Orthodoxy, belief and worship, continued
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he basic pattern of the St. John the Baptist, “the greatest Liturgy — the official of all born of woman” (Mt. 11:11), public worship of the Church as who heralded the Lord’s coming. distinguished from private devotion Adjacent to the icon of the Virgin is — is the same in Orthodoxy as in an icon of the church’s patron saint. Catholicism. There is, above all, the On the Deacons’ Doors appear Mass, which Eastern Christians call either the holy angels or deaconthe “Divine Liturgy,” together with saints. If the sanctuary represents the other sacraments; secondly, the heaven and the nave earth, the role Divine Office, a collection of prayers of the angels and deacons are paraland hymns recited at certain times lel. The angels go back and forth of the day; and thirdly, services intended for special occasions, such as monastic profession, the consecration of a church, and burial of the dead. Beginning in the 13th By Father century, the patriarchs of Thomas M. Kocik Constantinople pressured all Orthodox churches to adopt the Byzantine rite, which had originated as the rite of between heaven and earth as the deathe cathedral of Constantinople, cons go back and forth between the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom). As altar and the nave. As the angels are this rite spread throughout the East, God’s messengers and our heavenly it displaced the older rites previously intercessors, the deacons who stand celebrated by the local churches. before the doors leading the people (Similarly, in the Western Church, in prayer are like angels knocking on from about the eighth century, the the gates of Paradise. Roman rite became gradually more Over the Royal Doors is located widespread, replacing or assimilatan image of the “Mystical Supper,” ing local rites wherever it was introor Last Supper. A crucifixion icon duced.) Only those Eastern churches marks the pinnacle of the iconostathat weren’t in communion with sis. In Slavic countries, the iconosConstantinople – the Nestorians and tasis becomes even more elaborate, Monophysites – were able to mainwith prophets and ancestors of tain their ancient rites. In theory, Christ and rows of interceding saints. however, Orthodoxy doesn’t require Thus, the iconostasis displays the conformity to the Byzantine rite, entire preparation and accomplishjust as Catholicism doesn’t require ment of our salvation. Though it adherence to the Roman rite. separates the nave from the altar, it’s In most Orthodox churches, the considered a barrier only by those sanctuary is separated from the main who are ignorant of its true funcbody of the church, or nave, by a tion as a visible sign of the union of solid screen called an iconostasis, heaven and earth. The vines, medalhaving three openings: the “Royal lions, and peacocks found on some Doors” in the center and two smaller iconostases symbolize the redeemed side doors called “Deacons’ Doors.” Garden of Paradise, the destiny of all The Royal Doors bear the image the faithful. of the Annunciation, for it was by The Divine Liturgy is structured passing through the Virgin Mary’s around a series of appearances of womb that God the Word took flesh, the sacred ministers from behind passing from heaven to earth that he the iconostasis. The most impormight lead us from earth to heaven. tant of these appearances are the The four Evangelists are often two solemn entrances. The “Little depicted on the doors as heralds of Entrance,” after the opening rite, is a the Gospel. procession with the Gospel, symbolFlanking the Royal Doors are izing Christ’s coming to us in the icons of Christ and his Mother on Word; the other, “Great Entrance” the viewer’s right and left respecat the beginning of the Eucharistic tively. Next to Christ is an icon of part of the service, is a procession
The Fullness of the Truth
bearing to the altar the gifts of bread and wine prepared before the beginning of the Liturgy; this is said to prefigure Christ’s coming to us in the Eucharist. Both these anticipations are fulfilled in two later appearances: the procession of the deacon with the Gospel to the ambo for the reading, and the procession of the celebrant to distribute Communion. The Byzantine rite features three forms of the Divine Liturgy throughout the year: the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (used most Sundays), the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (used ten times a year), and, rarest, the Liturgy of St. James, celebrated in certain places only on St. James’ Day, October 23. There is also the Liturgy of the Presanctified, used on Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent, and on the first three days of Holy Week. Like the Good Friday service of the Roman rite, this liturgy contains no Eucharistic consecration and sacrifice, but Communion is given from elements consecrated on the previous Sunday. While in most Catholic parishes the Eucharist is celebrated daily, in the Orthodox Church a daily liturgy is unusual except in cathedrals and large monasteries; in a normal parish church, it is celebrated only on Sundays and feasts. In contrast to the sobriety, solemn dignity, and comparative brevity of the Roman rite, the Byzantine rite is florid, opulent, and lengthy. There’s no Byzantine equivalent to the Roman “Low Mass.” At every Divine Liturgy, incense is used and the service is sung, even if there be no choir or congregation, but the priest and a single server or reader. Instrumental music is prohibited except in some Greek Orthodox churches in America. Having treated thus far the sacraments of Christian initiation and the Divine Liturgy, we’ll touch briefly on other aspects of Orthodox sacramental life next time. Then we’ll conclude the segment on Orthodoxy by considering what might be done to reunite the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Father Kocik is a parochial vicar at Santo Christo Parish in Fall River.
open and do our very best to ensure that Catholic schools are as accessible as possible to our students and their families, especially the underprivileged and underserved, we have to admit that in some cases, it’s a goal not completely attainable in our day. Regardless of the number of schools we maintain, however, it’s critically important that we never lose sight of their fundamental mission. Fidelity to mission, I’m convinced, will be one of the key components to successful Catholic schools. And what, exactly is that mission? In 2005 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops penned a document entitled, “Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium.” And in the introduction of their statement, the bishops described the purpose of Catholic education: “to provide an atmosphere in which the Gospel is proclaimed, a community in which Christ is experienced, service to our sisters and brothers is the norm, and thanksgiving and worship of our God is cultivated.” A word about each of those components. When the bishops speak of Catholic education “proclaiming the Gospel,” it’s a clear recognition that our schools are a critical part of the foundational mission of the Church. The Church is, by nature, a teaching Church, an evangelizing Church. “Go forth and teach,” Jesus said to his disciples. If our young people graduate from Catholic schools without being inspired by the Gospel, without a firm grasp of the tenets of the Catholic faith, our schools are failing in their mission. Next, Catholic schools are to form a community in which Christ is experienced, a clear reference to the Church. In an age of exaggerated individualism, comprised of the “me generation,” encouraging loyalty to any community is a
daunting task. And yet Catholics know, instinctively, that from the moment of their baptism they belong to something greater than themselves — the Church, founded by Christ and guided in the truth by the Holy Spirit. In all that they do, Catholic schools should effectively model the wider ecclesial community. With this faith community as the base of operations, then, Catholic schools are to encourage service to our brothers and sisters, not just as a demonstration during Catholic Schools Week, but as a way of life, “the norm” the bishops insist. One of the great hallmarks of Catholic education, on every level, is the service provided by students to the Church and the broader community. It can only be hoped that the service the students learn in their youth will remain with them throughout their lives. And finally, Catholic schools are to cultivate “thanksgiving and worship of our God.” The ultimate purpose of Catholic education then is vertical, not horizontal. While community and service are legitimate goals of Catholic education, it all ends in God “in whom we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). As Pope John Paul II reminded us so clearly a few years ago, “The ultimate goal of all Catholic education is salvation in Jesus Christ.” I began with a New Year’s prediction. It’s appropriate, then, to conclude with a New Year’s resolution. Let the Church — the entire Church — bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity; those directly involved in Catholic schools and others — resolve to recognize the irreplaceable and enormous value of our schools, and let’s resolve to do all that we can to preserve, support and hand on this important heritage. Bishop Thomas J. Tobin is Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, R.I. This is part of an ongoing series by the bishops of New England on the importance of a Catholic education.
NE bishops begin series on Catholic education continued from page one
tary and secondary schools play a critical role in this endeavor.” Stating a clear vision for the future, the bishops stated, “Our Catholic schools are a vital part of the teaching mission of the Church. The challenges ahead are many, but our spirit and will to succeed are strong. We, the Catholic bishops of the United States, in cooperation with the total Catholic community, are committed to these challenges. Adversity often brings out the best in men and women. We must respond to challenging times
with faith, vision, and the will to succeed because the Catholic school’s mission is vital to the future of our young people, our nation, and most especially our Church.” The Anchor has elected to run the series as a monthly column entitled, “The Value of Catholic Schools.” This first in the series appears above on this page. Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of the Diocese of Providence, R.I., kicks off the series with letter, “The Mission of Catholic Schools.”
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very day at Morton Hospital and Medical Center, where I work as a Catholic chaplain, many wonderful things occur. One may even call them “miracles”: babies are born, elders walk out with new knees and hips. But other miracles of a spiritual nature occur as well. Sins are forgiven and patients are strengthened, even healed, by the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. The Body of Christ is built up by the faithful Catholic reception of the holy Eucharist, which is also given as Viaticum to those preparing to meet the Lord. A patient ear and words of comfort are offered to those who need them. As we see in today’s Gospel, Jesus spent himself in relieving the sick of their diseases and infirmities. People sought him out wherever he went. We notice, strangely, that
The Anchor
February 6, 2009
Continuing Christ’s ministry to the sick
he would tell the people not to Morton are blessed to have a tell others about these cures. tabernacle in our office. Saying Why did he do this? Because the rosary or Chaplet of Divine while curing the sick was Mercy in the presence of Our a sign that God’s Kingdom Lord, the divine healer, can be was at hand, he did not want a great source of grace for the people to see himself only as patients we serve. It also helps a miracle worker. He wanted them, rather, to recognize that he Homily of the Week was the one who could Fifth Sunday free us from sin and in Ordinary Time the grip of the devil. Physical cures were By Deacon only part of what he Phil Bedard was offering. Before dawn the following day, Jesus went off to a quiet place to pray (Mk to keep me aware that it is Jesus 1:35). Prayer was a very imporwho is really doing the work of tant part of his life. By prayer ministry. he maintained that loving relaJesus, we see toward the end tionship with the Father and inof this passage, felt the need to terceded for the people. Prayer spread this message to all the is a very important aspect of towns of Galilee. “Let us go on any ministry but it is crucial in to the nearby villages that I may the ministry to the sick. We at preach there also. For this pur-
pose have I come.” Jesus had come to preach by his words, his example, and his deeds. In the second reading, St. Paul reflects on how he felt the “obligation” to “preach the Gospel.” He also saw the Gospel for what it was — “good news” — that would be the source of freedom and life for all, as members of the one Body of Christ. In preaching the Gospel, he “became all things to all, to save at least some.” One might say that St. Paul was an “entrepreneur” of the Gospel, doing whatever it took to “sell” the message of God’s universal love and his invitation to mankind to enter his family, the Holy Trinity. For that reason, he is a good model of the enthusiasm and creativity that one needs in the ministry to
the sick, especially when there are so many different needs and circumstances to which one must be sensitive. Today, it is as God’s family that we approach the table of the Eucharist. We come as sinners needing to be forgiven. We come as the sick needing to be healed. But especially we come to share a meal with him who took upon himself all our diseases and infirmities. “By his stripes we were healed” (Is 53:5). With the aid of the Holy Spirit let us, like Jesus and Paul, bring the good news of salvation, of healing, to the people we meet during this coming week. Whether we work in a healthcare setting or not, we can bring hope and healing to a world in great need of them. Deacon Bedard is assigned to St. Jude the Apostle Parish and to Morton Hospital and Medical Center in Taunton.
Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Feb. 7, Heb 13:15-17,20-21;Ps 23:1-6; Mk 6:30-34. Sun. Feb. 8, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jb 7:1-4,6-7; Ps 147:1-6; 1Cor 9:16-19,22-23; Mk 1:29-39. Mon. Feb. 9, Gn 1:1-19; Ps 104:1-2,5-6,10,12,12,35; Mk 6:53-56. Tues. Feb. 10, Gn 1:20-2:4a; Ps 8:4-9; Mk 7:1-13. Wed. Feb. 11, Gn 2:4b-9,15-17;Ps 104:1-2,27-30; Mk 7:14-23. Thu. Feb. 12, Gn 2:18-25; Ps 128:1-5; Mk 7:24-30. Fri. Feb. 13, Gn 3:1-8; Ps 32:1-2,5-7; Mk 7:31-37.
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hat’s the biggest threat to the world’s prosperity and stability over the medium haul — say, between 2020 and 2050? The proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons of mass destruction? A continuing economic recession? Jihadism running amok? The Detroit Lions ushering in the Apocalypse by winning an NFL championship? (Just kidding on the last....) Guess again. According to Neil Howe and Richard Jackson, two researchers at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, the primary destabilizer of
‘Afflicted’ with fertility?
world affairs in the mid-decades Japan will be above the official of the 21st century will be retirement age; demographics — meaning, pri— by 2030, thanks to several marily, too few people throughout too much of the developed and developing world. Some numbers-crunching helps make the case: — in the 1980s, the median age was 34 in By George Weigel western Europe and 35 in Japan. Absent an unanticipated and dramatic change in birth rates, the median generations of cratering birth age in western Europe in 2020 rates and the resulting demand will be 47, and in Japan, 52; for immigrant labor to fill — in the 2020s, half the adult low-wage jobs, the number of populations of Italy, Spain, and Muslims will double in France and triple in Germany. Amsterdam, Birmingham, Cologne, and Marseilles will likely be majority-Muslim cities, 20 years P.O. Box 22, 39 North Moodus Rd. Moodus, CT 06469 . 860-873-1581 from now; Website: www.myfathershouse.com Email: sbsheldon@sbcglobal.net — China, the fair-haired boy * FRI. FEB. 13 7:30 PM till COMMUNION WITH GOD RETREAT weekend of establishment international SUN. FEB. 15 1:30 PM with Fr. Bill and his team from My Father’s House. affairs analysts, is heading for Registration FRI 7:30 p.m. serious trouble, thanks to its * THUR. FEB 19 HEALING MASS with Fr. Bill and his team including 6:30 PM till 9 PM teaching, confessions and pray-overs, followed draconian one-child policy and by refreshments. communism’s destruction of * EVERY 1ST SUNDAY Catholic 12-STEP Healing Program with Fr. Bill (after the 1:30 Mass) & his team. Each Meeting will include teaching, traditional Chinese culture. By 3:00-4:30 PM sharing & prayers for Healing; open to everyone 2030, China will be an older (not just AA). country than the U.S. As Howe EVERY WEEKLY HOLY SPIRIT BREAKFAST with Mass * THURSDAY at 11:30 and continuing the study of St. Paul with the and Jackson write, “Imagine 10:00 AM - 2 PM encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI includes lunch. [Chinese] workforce growth * EVERY 4TH PRAYER CENACLE with OUR LADY, QUEEN OF slowing to zero while tens of TUESDAY the HOME — using the book of Our Lady’s Message 7:00 PM of Mercy to the World. millions of elders sink into indigence without pensions, without * EVERY 2ND ST. MONICA’S PRAYER GROUP to pray for our THURSDAY children, family, and loved ones before the health care, and without children 7:30-8:30 PM Blessed Sacrament. to support them. China could EVERY 1ST MONTHLY DISCIPLESHIP/PATRICIAN * THURSDAY Meeting - MEN & WOMEN. Why not join us this careen toward social collapse 7:00-9:00 PM month? — or, in reaction, toward an Check out our website at www.myfathershouse.com for upcoming Parish Missions authoritarian clampdown”; Call us to have your family reunion here. Lodging & meals available. — Vladimir Putin’s plans for
My Father’s House
The Catholic Difference
a new Russian imperium may run aground, because Russia will almost certainly be in demographic free fall by 2050, if not sooner. With what demographers call “lowest-low” birth-rates, and confronting colossal public health problems related to alcohol abuse and environmental degradation, Russia is a mess. Today, the average Russian man’s life expectancy is 59, which is 16 years less than his American counterpart (and somewhat less than the life-expectancy of those in his grandfather’s generation who survived Stalin and Hitler). Forty years out, Russia will have fallen in the world population tables from fourth place (in 1950) to 20th place; — and while all this is going on, western Europe will be in continuing social, economic, and political crisis, thanks to too few tax-paying workers trying to support the womb-to-tomb Euro-welfare state – which has already displaced private-sector health care and pension options while suppressing the habits necessary to sustain them. Ever since the 1968 publication of Paul Ehrlich’s intellectually fraudulent bestseller, “The Population Bomb,” enlightened opinion has held that “overpopulation” is the problem. It isn’t, and it never was. Now, thanks in part to the triumph of a contraceptive mentality
in societies that have lost any religious sense of obligation toward the future, the grim truth is revealing itself: the problem is too few people. Of course, there was always something instinctively counterintuitive about the anti-natalist cast of mind, which thinks of a newborn calf as a “resource” or an “asset” and a newborn child as a “burden” or “problem.” Now that implausibility turns out to have, not only the gravest moral consequences, but the most severe economic, social, and political results. Yet the mythology of overpopulation is so deeply embedded in American elite opinion that even realistic observers like Howe and Jackson, after looking into the demographic abyss, can still write that contemporary sub-Saharan Africa is “afflicted” with “the world’s highest fertility rates.” No, sub-Saharan Africa is “afflicted” with vast governmental corruption and ineptitude, ethnic and tribal madnesses, jihadism, and diseases ancient and modern. But it is not “afflicted” with people. Ideas have consequences, for good or ill. The false idea of “overpopulation” has helped make it very likely that our children and grandchildren will live in a far less stable world than ours — which has not exactly been placid. George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Tahiti can wait
Monday 2 February 2009 — time to read them? I toss them Three Mile River, The Dightons on the coffee table and they — feast of the Presentation soon bury themselves under the ust when priests are breath- Christmas cards. They reemerge ing a post-Christmas sigh like crocuses after Candlemas. of relief, the annual “Lenten It’s Lenten scramble time. Gone rush” begins. Yes, dear readers, you’ve heard of the Christmas rush, but there’s also a Lenten Reflections of a rush. Lent doesn’t Parish Priest automatically happen. It takes advanced planning. By Father Tim Good grief, it’s only three Goldrick weeks to Ash Wednesday. Someone more organized than I would plan earlier, but I’ve are the days when a pastor could been trying to get organized for slip off before Lent for two my 37 years in ordained ministry. weeks in Tahiti. It hasn’t happened yet. It probThe marathon staff meetings ably never will. begin. There’s a whirlwind of Lenten materials begin to ideas raised within moments of arrive in early Advent. Who has the opening prayer. After hours of
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The Ship’s Log
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February 6, 2009
brainstorming, patterns emerge. We want to make this first Lent in this new parish an exceptional opportunity for spiritual growth. We want to make Lent’s spiritual tools as accessible as possible to as many parishioners as possible. We want to fully utilize the ancient and powerful liturgies provided by the Church. This means there will be no shortcuts taken here, no “shorter versions” or minimal ritual actions. (No, we will not baptize the adult catechumens with disposable Dixie Cups.) We intend to use the traditional spiritual exercises but at the same time creatively provide variety. There are as many levels of spiritual growth and of particular interests as there
A firm foundation
southern Massachusetts, I’d uring the first part of give just about anything for one, January, my children just one, weekend of stable ice and I tried desperately to get out conditions so we could savor on the ice-covered cranberry the joy of skating on the bogs. bogs near our home in order to Of course this is not just a go skating. For two Saturdays tale of two climates. It is an in a row we drove by the bogs analogy for the home “climate” on our way to sports practices of deep faith that we want to and, seeing the mid-morning create for our children, in order sun sparkling brilliantly off to help them learn that our the glassy surface of the ice, Catholic faith is dependable and exclaimed, “We have to go ice that our God is the firm foundaskating.” Unfortunately, we tion upon which they can build could not rearrange our Saturday schedules so that by Sunday joyful their lives. In the Old Testament God says this about morning of the first weekend, the temperature had risen above freezing rendering the ice mushy and unsafe for skating. Rain on the following Saturday night caused the uniform, glossy bog By Heidi Bratton ice to degenerate into patchy puddles with a matte finish. Jesus: “Look! I am placing a The unpredictability of foundation stone in Jerusalem, winter weather in our area still a firm and tested stone. It is a surprises me. When I was growprecious cornerstone that is safe ing up in a northern Wisconsin to build on. Whoever believes climate of deep winters, things need never be shaken” (Isaiah were different. Without ques28:16). tion, several feet of ice would Of the many practical ways cover the lakes from the end of that we can create a climate of December clear through to the deep faith in our homes, one of beginning of March. Area lakes the easiest and most fun is by were transformed into stable replacing some of our secular surfaces, not just for ice skating, media with good Christian but also for snowmobiling, ice media, media that we choose fishing, and even driving cars specifically for its ability to and trucks. In fact, the lake ice familiarize our children with was so dependably safe that the stories and characters of we routinely drove across it the Bible. Imagine our children by either snowmobile or car knowing Moses, Rahab, and Siin order to get to and from my mon Peter as well as they know high school. Tourists from ChiElmo, the Berenstain Bears, and cago booked snowmobile and the Very Hungry Caterpillar. ice fishing vacations months in Knowing the first set of real-life advance, without ever worrying Bible characters is the beginthat the lakes would go mushy ning of a firm, spiritual foundaand ruin their plans. Here in
Home Grown Faith
tion. Knowing the second set of imaginary characters, although fun, is spiritually mushy. A second way we can prepare our children to know God as the precious cornerstone of their lives is by acquainting them with the nature or the divine characteristics of God. God has many characteristics, but the very first one they should know is that God is love. There is no better way to model this characteristic of God than to take our marriage vows seriously. This means working to keep the flames of romance and respect burning brightly even after the honeymoon is over. Of course this is not what our “me-first” culture will counsel us to do, but there can be no denying that marital discord and divorce shake a child’s world and his or her faith foundation to the very core. If we are in a troubled marriage or divorced, we can still honor our marriage vows and stabilize our children’s faith development by treating the other parent with respect, remaining open to counseling and perhaps reconciliation, and continuing to pray for our spouse or ex-spouse. Creating a climate of deep faith, a consistently loving climate based on a solid knowledge of the Bible and of who our God is, this is what we parents can do to prepare our children at home to know and to build their lives on Christ, the solid rock. Heidi is an author, photographer, and full-time mother. She and her husband raise their six children in Falmouth. homegrownfaith@gmail.com.
are parishioners. Preparing a prayerful Lenten program is interdisciplinary. It means rereading official diocesan and worldwide instructions (for the gazillioneth time) to make sure we are on the right page. Consumable supplies must be ordered. (No, we will not, to save money, scrape off “2008” and recycle last year’s Paschal candle stub.) Liturgical music must be coordinated. Altar servers must be trained (we’ve recruited new ones). Lectors need to be briefed on Scriptural choices and given time to rehearse. Due to increased attendance, we’ll need to increase our number of Communion stations. An informational session for our extraordinary ministers of the holy Communion is scheduled and an instruction on our new Communion procedures to the assembly. Religious Education students and their families need to be somehow involved. Home devotions could well be fostered. Outreach to those in the parish who are somehow struggling alone would be an act of charity. For example those who are selflessly serving as home caregivers are often overlooked. We want to offer the tools of traditional piety — the rosary, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and other prayers as well as fasting, alms-giving and increased opportunity for the sacrament of penance. Lent is at its core a penitential season. We want to make sure people who resolve to attend daily Lenten Eucharist can accommodate that in their work schedules. We want to provide Bible study and insight into Church teachings. We want to make simple suggestions for community-wide conversion. We want to offer some sort of spiritual guidance for those who are ready to delve deeper. We want to pray for the young and adult candidates for
the sacraments of initiation. Lastly, we want to participate in the diocesan-wide Reconciliation Weekend and to encourage attendance at deanery and neighborhood ecumenical Lenten events. We want a lot. As one ministry staff member says, “Our Lenten program is ambitious.” I hereby nominate that for “Understatement of the Year Award.” Can we do this? Yes, we can. Mass will be offered seven days a week. The rosary will be prayed before the morning Masses, as always. We will add a daily evening Mass. We will offer the Prayer of Christians during the Three Days of Easter. Parishioners will pray for the young candidates for confirmation. Their names are posted on the church bulletin board and parishioners are invited to take a name. “The Journey of Faith” will be offered — five sessions as a sort of Parish Mission given by both clergy and laity. Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament will be added on Monday evenings. On Wednesday afternoons, a licensed master social worker has volunteered to offer a support group for those dealing with the care of a sick or elderly loved one. On Wednesday evenings, an adult education course entitled “Scripture and the Writings of Pope John Paul II” will be available. On Fridays, parish individuals and families will lead Stations of the Cross. Religious Education students will take turns bringing home a statue of the Blessed Virgin and rosaries for family-centered prayer. I look out my window at the ice and snow, and Tahiti inexplicably comes to mind. “Lent” means “Spring” and Spring can’t come soon enough. Will I be able to slip off to Tahiti after Easter? That’s highly unlikely. Tahiti can wait. Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Nicholas of Myra Parish in North Dighton.
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The Anchor
February 6, 2009
For young hoops star, standing up for the unborn was a slam dunk By Dave Jolivet, Editor
Please visit us at: www.CarmelTerrace.org or 508 788 8000 933 Central St. Framingham, MA 01701 On the campus of St. Patrick's Manor
The trip for Landais was an incredible learning FALL RIVER — When it came to being a voice experience. “When I walked into the Verizon Center for the for the voiceless, his heartstrings were stronger than the netting attached to a basketball rim. For Ricky Mass, I was overwhelmed by how many people Landais, a junior hoops standout at Bishop Con- were there praying and praising God for the gift of nolly High School, attending the March for Life in life,” Landais recalled. “But when we finally hit the Washington, D.C. on January 22 was something streets, and I saw them closed off to traffic and filled he felt he had to do — even if it meant missing an with thousands of Pro-Life supporters it was unbeimportant varsity basketball game against Dighton- lievable. I saw a man there in a wheel chair, I beRehoboth High School, and possibly diminishing lieve he was a quadriplegic, and thought he possibly his team’s chances of an important win. Landais is could have been aborted, but there he was supportthe Mayflower One League’s leading scorer, aver- ing life. It hurts to think of how many good people were aborted and what they could have become.” aging nearly 22 points per game. Landais realizes that education is the key to end“Ricky came to the meetings we held at Connolly to inform students about the march and he ing the evil of abortion. “More people, including the young and the adults, felt a strong obligation have to know what aborto go,” said Deacon Antion really is,” he said. thony Cipriano, a reli“When more people region teacher and campus alize this, then more will minister at the Fall River stand against it. I wish I school. “But he was strugcould spread the word gling with the fact that he and have more people my would miss a key basketage understand this.” ball game. Landais and Cipriano “I told him to look at agreed that the bus trip the big picture and to folhome was filled with low his heart.” prayer and conversation Landais knew he had about what an incredible to go and opted to make experience the march the trek to march for the was. “When we went unborn. “The trip really down there, everyone opened Ricky’s eyes,” was separated — seniors, added Deacon Cipriano. juniors, sophomores and “His heart was on fire freshmen,” said Landais. seeing young people his “But on the ride home, age marching, chanting we were all one family. and singing for the most I never felt such a bond vulnerable of human bewith people as I did on ings — the unborn. “ the bus trip home. They “This trip has made an impression on me that I ANCHOR PERSON OF THE WEEK — Bish- were all my brothers and will never forget,” Lan- op Connolly Junior Ricky Landais. (Photo by sisters sharing the same Dave Jolivet) concern for life. I would dais told The Anchor. “It definitely do this again.” was overwhelming to see “For many kids, the March for Life is a lifeall those people, many of them my age, marching and yelling to protect the unborn. I truly enjoyed it changing experience,” Scanlan told The Anchor. and wouldn’t trade that experience for the world.” “It shows them that others have the same concerns Landais said he was “oblivious to what abortion and that they can become activists and can create really was,” before he learned about its evils in les- change. The fact that Ricky’s coach and teammates sons by Deacon Cipriano and Connolly principal supported his choice was a beautiful example of Michael Scanlan. “When I heard what the abortion how as Catholics we have to prioritize things in our process really entailed, it killed me inside,” said lives.” Michelle Landais, Ricky’s mom, also made the Landais. “I never understood it before, and didn’t think it really pertained to me. But those lessons trip as a chaperone. “I thank Ricky for opening my really opened my eyes. A friend of mine and I went eyes to what abortion really is,” she told The Anonline to learn more about the issue and I knew I chor. “He taught me how evil it is and now I’m a part of those who will fight for the unborn in any had to go to Washington to be part of the march.” One obstacle standing in Landais’ way was a way I can. Women must be told before they get very important game against D-R scheduled for an abortion what is really happening. These babies one of the nights the Pro-Life pilgrims would be are not ‘mistakes,’ nor should they be ‘terminated,’ as some women are told. This was an incredible away. “Deacon Tony told me to follow my heart,” said experience for both of us and I’m very proud of Landais. “I had to make a choice, and I knew the Ricky.” God gave Ricky Landais the talents to shine on correct choice was to stand up for the unborn.” Landais admitted that some of his teammates a basketball court. And the young man decided to may not have understood his decision, but he had give back a little and become an active advocate for their support and that of his coach Bill Shea, and the most defenseless of all of God’s creatures. For that of the Connolly athletic director, Frank Sher- someone so young, Landais has a very mature grasp of what being a true Catholic is all about, and that man who also attended the march. It turned out that Dighton-Rehoboth High School demonstrates his talents aren’t limited to the hardagreed to reschedule the game for a few days later. wood. To nominate a Person of the Week, send an “Once the game was rescheduled, some other athletes wanted to make the trip as well, but by then email message to FatherRogerLandry@AnchorNews.org. in was too late,” said Deacon Cipriano.
February 6, 2009
The Anchor while he attended Harvard College during the 1860s. When Henry Gardner, who greeted Lincoln and became governor of Massachusetts in 1855, met with Lincoln at the White House 13 years after the Boston meeting,
PRESIDENT LINCOLN’S BRAINTRUST — General Ulysses S. Grant, left and Jim Dunbar, a member of Battery A, of the Second Rhode Island Regiment, a reenacted Civil War contingent of the Artillery Company of Newport R.I., discuss battle strategy. (Photo by Matthew Brady)
Abe Lincoln’s visits to New Bedford, Taunton recalled
By Deacon James N. Dunbar
NEW BEDFORD — As we approach the 200th anniversary of his birth on February 12, I recall meeting President Abraham Lincoln at Fort Rodman in 1983. What might seem a time warp was in reality a hosted reenactment of the assault on Fort Wagner. S.C., in July 1863, staged at Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven. We stopped at Fort Rodman to pick up Lincoln and some of the troops that would be involved Lincoln — actually an actor portraying the 16th President of the United States — was there like all of us: recreating history as do dedicated, well-studied reenactors, hoping to teach the young and the old the proud history of our nation, as well as the vital role the local community has always played in that story. I was there as a uniformed member of
President Abraham Lincoln
Battery A, of the Second Rhode Island Regiment, a reenacted Civil War contingent of the Artillery Company of Newport R.I., a militia which dates to 1741, and proud of its continuous service. It was a banner day, because not only did I meet “Lincoln,” but also Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the hardworking photographer Matthew Brady, chronicler of the war between the states. But what I learned that day was that Lincoln as a member of Congress had actually visited New Bedford to make a political speech, as well as another in Taunton, as he toured Massachusetts from September 12 to 21 in 1848 stumping in support of General Zachary Taylor, the Whig candidate for president. What was even more interesting was that while as youngsters we had learned how Lincoln grew up in a log cabin in Illinois, his connection to Massachusetts dated to 1637, when his English ancestor, Samuel Lincoln — actually his great-great-great-greatgrandfather — arrived in the new colony and settled in Hingham on Cape Cod where he was employed as a weaver. Many of Samuel Lincoln’s descendents remained in Hingham for generations. More than 200 years later, Massachusetts served as the home for Robert Todd Lincoln, the president’s eldest son, who lived in Stoughton
11 the president recalled the Massachusetts visit: “Yes, I had been chosen to Congress then from the wild West, and with hayseed in my hair I went to Massachusetts, the most cultured State in the Union, to take a few Turn to page 18
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The Anchor
Christ as Head
he Letters to the Colossians and to the Ephesians have so much in common, they can be thought of as twins. Or better, since Ephesians is longer than Colossians, as elder and younger brothers. No other letters speak so clearly and beautifully of calling Christians to rejoice in liturgy and in music, in “psalms, hymns and inspired songs.” The heart of a Christian should sing with joy, they tell us. Secondly, in no other letters of St. Paul do we find such a clear “domestic code” of family life:
Living the Pauline Year By Father Andrew Johnson, OCSO how husbands and wives and children should live so as to be in accord with the Gospel. Finally, and this is the Holy Father’s main point this week, they share a unique Christology: in no other letters is Jesus named as Head of the Church (in Greek, kephalé). He is her head, her guide, leader and Lord; he is also the one who gives life to all the other members. He is the very life force of the Church. He does not just direct or lead us; he is organically united to us. His Commandments are not just precepts, they are vital forces for our lives. The vocations the risen Christ gives us are not just roles in an organization, but charisms and ministries that help his Body grow in love. Then, in a second and related sense, Christ is considered not only as head of the Church, but as head of the celestial powers and the entire cosmos. This is very consoling: it means that with Christ as Head not just of the Church but of all the powers of the universe, the Christian has nothing to be afraid of. We are free of all those terrifying gods and spirits which paganism so feared. The Holy Father says, “There is not, on one hand, a great material world and on the other hand, this small reality of … the world of people: Everything is one in Christ.” He is Pantokrator,
as the Byzantine tradition calls him, Lord of all. In him, the mystery of God’s loving will for us and for all creation has taken bodily form. “If we are with Christ, even though we cannot intellectually understand everything, we know that we are in the nucleus and on the path of truth.” Such a faith takes away all fear and builds confidence. We never lose who we are, our unique personhood, but our identity is secured by our Head, who insures that the mystery of God’s will for us will be accomplished. The two letters also share a developed ecclesiology in their teaching that the Church is the Spouse of Christ. In the Second Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul had compared the Christian community to a bride, writing: “For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God, since I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2). The Letter to the Ephesians develops this image and makes it transcendent. He, we could say, has conquered her for himself, and he has done this with the price of his life. As the text says, he “handed himself over for her” (Eph 5:25). When Paul wants to illustrate the love Christ has for his Church, he can think of no better comparison, none higher or truer, than the love a bridegroom has for his bride. The mysteries of love, Christ for his Church and the groom for his bride, illuminate each other. Which is the first principle of the analogy? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It doesn’t matter; they’re two mysteries which require each other to be coherent. These two brief letters, Colossians and Ephesians, hold incredible riches of wisdom and devotion. Pope Benedict has opened the door to them with this instruction. We should go in often. Father Johnson is diocesan director of the Pauline Year and parochial vicar at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis.
The Portuguese TV Mass broadcast on the Portuguese Channel February 8 at 11 a.m. will originate from St. Anthony’s Church in Taunton.
CNS Movie Capsules NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “My Bloody Valentine 3-D” (Lionsgate) Risible, gore-saturated horror tale in which the sheriff (Kerr Smith) of a small mining town suspects his wife’s (Jaime King) old flame (Jensen Ackles) of committing a series of ax murders around Valentine’s Day. Director Patrick Lussier’s slipshod updating of the “O”-classified 1981 film of the same title (minus the 3-D) puts current technology to questionable use, with body parts and blood flying off the screen willy-nilly. Pervasive gory violence, strong sexual con-
Movies Online
Can’t remember how a recent film was classified by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops? Want to know whether to let the kids go see it? You can look up film reviews on the Catholic News Service Website. Visit catholicnews.com and click on “Movies,” under the “News Item” menu.
February 6, 2009 tent, including brief but graphic nonmarital sexual activity, one scene of extensive full female nudity, frequent rough and crass language, and some use of profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. “The Uninvited” (DreamWorks) Restrained psychological thriller in which a mentally unstable teen girl (Emily Browning) and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) suspect their late mother’s nurse (Elizabeth Banks) of murdering Mom to marry their father (David Strathairn). Directors Charles and Thomas Guard’s mostly gore-free adaptation of a 2003 Korean film inspires a few chills the oldfashioned way, but its twisting plot is somewhat predictable. Brief nongraphic sexual activity, adultery, cohabitation, moderate violence, underage drinking, sexual and contraceptive references, occasional
crass language and a few uses of profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” (Screen Gems) Relentlessly violent horror action prequel in which a parthuman, part-werewolf Lycan (Michael Sheen) leads a slave revolt against a cruel vampire king (Bill Nighy) while romancing the sovereign’s daughter (Rhona Mitra). Director Patrick Tatopoulos’ grim feature debut uses the slaves’ longing for freedom as an excuse for mindless bloodletting. Pervasive violence, much of it with gore, torture and nongraphic premarital sexual activity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, February 8 at 11:00 a.m. Scheduled celebrant is Father James Morse, pastor of St. Stephen’s Parish in Attleboro
Area woman attends recent NCCW board meeting in D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lynette Ouellette, past president of the Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and current Boston Province director representing the Fall River, Manchester N.H. and Portland, Maine dioceses, recently attended the National Council of Catholic Women’s Board Meeting held in Washington, D.C. Board members participated in small groups to identify membership and structural needs. Marketing and communication surfaced as the primary issues to be addressed including the use of Internet technology in order to better accomplish goals and aspirations. Anthony Picarello Jr., general counsel for USCCB, spoke on the attempts of states to change the Statute of Limitations and the threat to the work of the Catholic Church. This presentation was to raise awareness of this potential problem in individual states.
The Board issued the following statement reaffirming life which will be sent out to secular and Catholic newspapers: “The National Council of Catholic Women and its affiliated members throughout the United States and the world are committed to preserving life at all ages and stages — from the unborn to the elderly, from the immigrant family to those living on death row. All persons must be treated with compassion and love. Their right to life with dignity must be preserved. The NCCW stands with the United States Catholic bishops in promoting the seven principles of Catholic social teaching. NCCW will work to ensure that all members are familiar with the principles and will continue action to implement them in affiliate programming.” The NCCW also voted to place a full page ad in the New York Times, publishing the state-
ment made by Cardinal Francis George, president of the USCCB at the close of their November meeting. With the emphasis on supporting efforts regarding climate change, the board took the St. Francis Pledge to Protect Creation and the Poor. NCCW will encourage affiliate groups to participate in this new initiative which will be launched on Earth Day, April 22. While meeting in Washington, the board attended a live EWTN performance of “The World Over” by Raymond Arroyo at the John Paul II Cultural Center. Board members attended Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and had the opportunity to visit Mary’s Garden, made possible through the generosity of NCCW members. Any woman wishing to know more about the National Council of Catholic Women is asked to contact Ouellette at 508-674-7036.
February 6, 2009
The Anchor
Ministry efforts at Stonehill College are growing continued from page one
students volunteer on a regular basis with our community partners in the Brockton and Easton areas,” Father Looney said. “At the beginning of the school year all our students literally go out ‘into the streets’ to do ministry.” “The Hope program is our spring break alternative service program,” he added. “This spring break our students will be going to three international sites — Honduras, Peru and the Dominican Republic. In fact, this year, at the same time we’ll be in Honduras, Bishop George W. Coleman will be there as well, visiting the mission that the diocese sponsors. About a dozen students and I will be seeking to help the community in whatever way they need us. It’s a wonderful thing because our students give up their spring break to reach out to God’s poor and oppressed, when they could be lying on the beach in the Bahamas somewhere.” Father Looney said he tries to engage the students in moments of prayer and theological reflection about the experience, so there are always several levels of outreach going on. He asks them to contemplate the reality of poverty in today’s society, what God is inviting them to do in response, and how God is present in all they see and experience. “There’s a lot of mutual learning going on,” he said. When he first came to Stonehill College, Father Looney said there were already many school-based programs run through the campus ministry office that he hoped to draw from and expand upon. The college hosted open retreat weekends each semester for all students and also sponsored a special retreat for seniors. He has since added a new one-day QUEST retreat for incoming freshmen as a means of acclimating new students to their community. “One of the things we’ve realized is the transition from high school to college is a very significant one, especially for students who are residents of Stonehill and have moved out of their homes and are not living with their parents or siblings anymore,” Father Looney said. “So they come to Stonehill and they find the need to connect and feel that sense of support that a faith-based community can bring. The QUEST retreat provides that opportunity. It’s kind of a one-day, Saturday experience — so it doesn’t take up too much of their time. The other retreats are weekend-long experiences and we provide overnight opportunities for students to spend the entire weekend together.” Another program which began at Stonehill under Father Looney’s purview is the student-run, student-based Campus RENEW program, which is a subset of RENEW International of which many Catholics might be familiar from parish participation in the same program. “It’s not a situation where students are being taught or preached to by someone who is older than them whose
experience might be different from theirs,” Father Looney said. “Campus RENEW is an experience where they sit and read a passage of Scripture and they reflect on where God is in their own lives. I think Stonehill is proudest when we enable our students to take up and use the gifts that they have to grow in their own faith — so Campus RENEW is certainly one of our proudest achievements.” Last semester Father Looney said they had 18 students in three groups who participated in Campus RENEW by going through a series of training sessions to become group leaders. This semester they have an additional three groups of 20 students already signed up to participate in the next session. “The thing we like a lot about Campus RENEW is it’s based on the Sunday readings and it gives the students a chance to apply the Gospels to their own life situations,” he said. “By participating in the program we think it not only gives them a faith-based opportunity to share here while at Stonehill, but it also provides to them as adult Catholics the tools that they’ll need to go back to their parishes and bring this vibrant ministry back.” Father Looney has also worked to make Stonehill College an important resource to train and enrich the efforts of those who teach Religious Education classes throughout the diocese and those who instruct full-time students in diocesan Catholic schools. “In collaboration with the Diocese of Fall River and teachers, Stonehill last year ran a program for people who teach Religious Education in parishes,” Father Looney said. “They came to Stonehill and enjoyed some excellent input from Claire McManus, director of Faith Formation for the diocese, and Congregation of St. Joseph Sister Jean Marie Gribaudo. We’re also starting a program this week for members of the Catholic school program in Fall River. I think we’re having one teacher from 21 different schools in the diocese who have been chosen to come to Stonehill for a five-part series on ecclesiology … myself, Sister Jean Marie and Claire McManus will be the presenters of the content of that material, and one of our professors, Dr. Karen Anderson, who is the chairman of the education department, will help translate the content of the theology we will present into appropriate pedagogy for various age levels in the schools.” Both programs were devised as a means to help teachers think about how best to present concepts like the Blessed Trinity to a third-grader or an eighthgrader, or how to speak about the Eucharist to a fifth-grader, Father Looney said. “Our hope is that this wonderful program will help increase the faith knowledge of those who teach in the Catholic grade schools in the diocese and also enable them to take that faith knowl-
edge and translate it into practical ways of teaching their students,” he added. Among other things Father Looney has tried to accomplish at Stonehill, he pointed to last year’s Conference on Apostolic Religious Life, which was a collaborative effort between Stonehill College, the Archdiocese of Boston and the Diocese of Fall River to focus on the gift of religious life to the Church. This symposium drew more than 600 participants and culminated with a closing liturgy with Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, along with Cardinal Sean O’Malley from Boston and Bishop Coleman. “It was a wonderful thing for our campus,” Father Looney said. “We had over 40 student volunteers that day who worked with the food service, with the hospitality, and with the liturgy. So it gave our young people an opportunity to meet men and women from a variety of different religious communities. They had an opportunity to see many young women, particularly some of the newer religious communities who were there, so it gave our students some good, positive interaction, I think. We’re very happy about that.” This Lenten season, Father Looney said they will also be offering a series of daily reflections on the college’s Webpage for every day of Lent based
13 on Gospel passages. “The reflections are written by students, faculty, staff, alumni and benefactors,” he said. “We see this as a real important way of reaching out to the community to affirm our Catholic tradition and the importance that we give to our faith in the season of Lent when we are called to turn our minds and hearts to God. We hope people will use our Website as part of this Lenten journey.” Even with all of his wide-reaching efforts to spread the Gospel beyond the confines of the Stonehill College campus, Father Looney noted they have also just renovated their school chapel as means of stressing “the intimacy and beauty of our liturgical worship space,” he said. It is here that he hopes students will find a centralized home base for quiet prayer and solitude during their hectic schedules so that they might encounter the love of God that is at the heart of all life and all reality. “One of the things I think we’ve noticed about our students is that they live in a world that’s bombarded by sounds,” Father Looney said. “From their iPods to cell phones … they’re just surrounded by noise. We feel one of the great gifts that our Catholic tradition can offer students is the invitation to slow down, to be quiet, and to enter into some solitude and to experience the call and presence of God.”
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The Anchor
February 6, 2009
Pope cautions tribunals against granting annulments too easily
GOOD CHEER — Sacred Heart Home resident Ana Dellumme displays the gift she received from St. John the Baptist Parish in New Bedford. Each resident at the New Bedford extended care facility was given a present.
PART-TIME DIRECTOR OF MUSIC Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Milford, MA is seeking a parttime Director of Music to coordinate and expand the quality of liturgical life for its faith family. The candidate is required to have a B.A. in music with experience in directing music in various parish situations. Continuing professional development will be encouraged and supported. Organ and keyboard skills are necessary. The selected candidate must be a creative self-starter, able to work collaboratively with entire parish staff and eager to develop new initiatives. Duties will include direction of parish and youth choirs, Cantor preparation, weekend Masses and holy days, funerals and weddings. Compensation (including benefits) will be competitive. Please send cover letter, résumé and three references, no emails please, by March 31, 2009 to: Rev. Richard A. Scioli, C.S.S., Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 5 East Main Street, Milford, MA 01757
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Granting marriage annulments too easily and without real cause plays into a modern form of pessimism that basically says human beings are not able to make lifelong commitments to loving another person, Pope Benedict XVI said. “We run the risk of falling into an anthropological pessimism which, in the light of today’s cultural situation, considers it almost impossible to marry,” the pope said in a speech to members of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota. The tribunal mainly deals with appeals filed in marriage annulment cases. Pope Benedict said there is still a need to deal with a problem Pope John Paul II pointed out in a 1987 speech to the Roman Rota, that of saving the Church community from “the scandal of seeing the value of Christian marriage destroyed in practice by the exaggerated and almost automatic multiplication of
declarations of nullity.” He said he agreed with Pope John Paul that too often members of Church tribunals see a failed marriage and grant the annulment on the basis of an ill-defined case of “immaturity or psychic weakness.” According to canon law, the validity of a marriage requires that both the man and woman freely and publicly consent to the union and that they have the psychological capacity to assume the obligations of marriage. Pope Benedict said tribunal judges must remember there is a difference between the full maturity and understanding that people should strive to develop over time and “canonical maturity, which is the minimum point of departure for the validity of a marriage.” In addition, he said, granting an annulment on the basis of the “psychic incapacity” of the husband or wife requires that the tribunal establish and document the fact that the
person had a serious psychological or psychiatric problem at the time the wedding was celebrated. In defending the permanent and sacramental nature of marriage, tribunals are not making life difficult for couples that want to split up, the pope said. Defending the marriage bond gives witness to the fact that the ability to love and to pledge oneself to another forever is part of human nature, the pope said. The Church’s insistence that it is possible for the vast majority of people to make a lasting commitment to marriage can help couples “discover the natural reality of marriage and the importance it has in the plan of salvation,” he said. It is true that human nature is limited and imperfect, but that does not mean that people, “exercising human freedom supported by grace,” cannot make a commitment to loving each other and raising a family together, he said.
FALL RIVER — Bishop George W. Coleman will be the principal celebrant of a 4 p.m. Mass tomorrow at St. Mary’s Cathedral to celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life. All are invited to attend the Mass intended to acknowledge and encourage those who have chosen to answer the special calling from God to lead a consecrated life. Living a consecrated life means taking a religious vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Individuals leading consecrated lives include religious Sisters, Brothers, priests, and monks who live their lives through their profession of vows as part of their communities. It also includes consecrated virgins as well as single lay people who are part of secular institutes that make private vows to bishops as they live out their vocation in various walks of life. Pope John Paul II instituted
World Day for Consecrated Life in 1997 to help the entire Church appreciate more greatly the sacrifices and commitments made by those living consecrated lives. The event
is usually on the weekend following the feast of the Presentation, February 2. The theme for this year’s day is “For the Sake of the Gospel.”
World Day for Consecrated Life Mass is tomorrow at cathedral
Marian Medals Ceremony on local cable TV
FALL RIVER — A video of the 2008 Marian Medals Ceremony on November 16 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River continues to air on several cable television public access channels in the Fall River Diocese. The schedule is as follows: — Easton and Raynham, cable channel 9, Feb. 6, 7 and 8 at 10:30 a.m. — Mashpee, cable channel 17, Feb. 11 at 2:30 p.m. — New Bedford, cable channel 95, Feb. 12 at 8:30 p.m. — North Attleboro, North TV channel 15, Feb. 7 at 1:30, 8 and 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; Feb. 8 at 6 p.m.; Feb. 9 at 12:30 and 8:30 a.m.; Feb. 11 at 12:30 and 5:30 a.m., 12 noon, and 2:30, 5:30, and 10:30 p.m.
— Swansea, cable channel 98, Feb. 10, 17 and 24 at 11:30 a.m.; Feb. 12, 19 and 26 at 10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. — Westport, cable channel 17, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. Please note that public access channels in other communities are also airing the Marian Medal Ceremony video. However, not all airings are scheduled far enough in advance to include the information in this listing. Copies may be ordered in VHS format ($21.95) or DVD format ($23.95). To obtain a video, forward a check payable to the Diocesan Office of Communications, Diocese of Fall River, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722. Shipping is included in the video cost.
February 6, 2009
‘World Marriage Day’ provides Church chance to recognize important vocation B y Michael Pare A nchor C orrespondent
“It is only the rock of total, irrevocable love between a man and a woman that can serve as the foundation on which to build a society that will become a home for all mankind.” — Pope Benedict XVI OAK BLUFFS — At the close of Mass each Sunday, Father Michael Nagle, pastor at Good Shepherd Parish on School Street in Oak Bluffs, asks if there is anyone in the congregation celebrating a birthday. He also asks if anyone is celebrating a wedding anniversary. It’s a simple thing to do, said Father Nagle, yet it is so vitally important. “It’s so important to show the younger folks that there are people who have been married 30 or 40 or 50 years … despite all the pressures today, it’s important to see there are people out there really committed to one another.” Later this year, when Father Nagle poses his question, Brion and Grace McGroarty will raise their hands in celebration of 34 years of marriage. The couple has three grown children and one grandchild. Grace McGroarty, a registered nurse, sees a connection between her faith and the strength of her marriage. “The Lord will bless you and hold you together if you trust in him,” she said. “If you use the gifts that he gives you. If you pray … if you go to church.” McGroarty knows that a solid marriage provides a foundation on which to build a family. Sadly, she suggests, the importance of marriage is being lost upon too many people these days. Statistics bear that out. Divorce rates, even among Catholics, have never been higher. McGroarty, as a nurse, also sees how divorce and separation causes countless ancillary problems. She sees first-hand that issues connected to the breakdown of the family unit put children in situations that jeopardize their health. “Children aren’t being brought up so well anymore,” she said. “They are not being cared for.” This Sunday, the Church will do its part to counter those societal pressures working against the sanctity of marriage when it celebrates “World
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The Anchor
Marriage Day.” “Worldwide Marriage Encounter,” the Church’s popular weekend program designed to help married couples grow closer to one another, established “World Marriage Day” to honor the husband and wife as head of the family, the basic unit of society. It salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in daily, married life. The idea of celebrating marriage began in Baton Rouge, La. in 1981, when couples encouraged the mayor, the governor and the local bishop to proclaim St. Valentine’s Day as “We Believe in Marriage Day.” The event was so successful, that the idea was presented to and was adopted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter’s National Leadership. A year later, 43 governors officially proclaimed the day and celebrations spread to U.S. military bases in several foreign countries. In 1983, the name was changed to “World Marriage Day,” and was designated to be celebrated each year on the second Sunday in February. In 1993, Pope John Paul II,
imparted his Apostolic Blessings on “World Marriage Day.” Celebrations continue to grow and spread to more countries and faith expressions every year. Throughout the Bay State and certainly, within the Diocese of Fall River, preserving the sanctity of the Catholic marriage is a priority issue. In fact, since last spring, churches throughout the state have been taking part in an aggressive initiative spearheaded by the Massachusetts Catholic Conference in Boston called “The Future Depends on Love.” The initiative is a direct response to a precipitous decline in the number of Catholic marriages in Massachusetts in recent years. In the Fall River Diocese, for example, marriages have declined by 47 percent in 20 years. One theme of “The Future Depends on Love” initiative is that people have somehow lost the spiritual connection to the sacrament of marriage and damage done as a result is tangible. It is designed as an 18-month initiative to run until June. The idea is that the message behind it — the sacrament of marriage
is good, healthy, and critically important for the future of the Church — to take hold, so that in essence, it runs forever. “World Marriage Day” will provide pastors the opportunity to reinforce the benefits of a healthy Catholic marriage. Scottie Foley, a program director at the Diocese of Fall River’s Office of Family Ministry in North Dartmouth, believes that the idea that Catholic marriages is a healthy and powerful endeavor is a message that needs to be heard. “Catholic marriages need strengthening,” said Foley. “Sometimes married couples don’t realize that marriage is a vocation and that vocation is very important to the future of the world.” This weekend, said Foley, churches throughout the diocese have the opportunity to recognize and applaud the effort that couples put in on a daily basis. “Marriage is hard work,” she said. The Church, she said, is the first place couples should look to strengthen their marriage. “It has been statistically proven that couples who go to church together and who pray
together have much lower rates of divorce than those who do not,” she said. Foley does speak from experience. She and her husband Jerry, who is also a program director at the Office of Family Ministry, will celebrate 45 years of marriage this summer. “We had a lot in common,” said Foley. “That was a good start.” But, she added, it was a “Marriage Encounter Weekend” that they experienced about eight years into their marriage that really helped them to communicate with one another. “We learned that God is not jealous of our love for one another and that it is OK to place a priority on your partner,” she said. Foley believes it is important for couples to recognize that any marriage is filled with moments of joy, as well as moments of disillusionment. There are ups and downs. There are times when communication is critical. But always, she said, there is God. “Couples need to learn how important the vocation is … to everyone around them and to God.”
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Youth Pages
RISE AND SHINE — Students in grades pre-k and kindergarten from the Greater New Bedford Catholic schools enjoyed celebrating Catholic Schools Week with the Toe Jam Puppet Band on Pajama Day.
IN FINE VOICE — Students from North Attleboro’s St. Mary-Sacred Heart School Choir recently performed for residents of Madonna Manor in North Attleboro.
TRADING SPACES — To start off Catholic School’s Week, St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro invited students from St. Mary’s-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro to a school “swap” for the day. Students in kindergarten through fourth-grade visited with students of their own grade at St. Mary’s-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro, while the fifth- through eighth-grade students visited St. John’s. Each school planned special activities for the day including watching a movie and playing games at St. Mary’s-Sacred Heart while the older students were visited by Linda Pacheco of the Bristol County Sheriff’s office to speak to them about Cyber Bullying, as well as a competitive volleyball game and ice cream sundaes.
February 6, 2009
BOOK WORMS — Students in grades k-eight at St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro enjoyed an afternoon of reading together as “Book Buddies.” After reading the book aloud, the older students helped their younger partners discuss and draw out their favorite part of the book. They also spent some time decorating bookmarks together to be given out at the upcoming weekend Masses at Sacred Heart, St. Mary, and St. Mark parishes as a thank you for all the support they give the school. From left, Second-grader Grace Daniels, Fifth-grader Owen Conroy, and Second-grader Tobey Dickeson.
ROLE MODEL WRITERS — Bishop Feehan High School Sophomores Michelle Denison and Michael Boyland were winners in the Greater Attleboro American Heroes Biography contest. The two were recognized on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for their essays on people they greatly admire. Denison wrote her essay on her grandmother, Shirley Denison, for her open-heartedness and “willingness to always accept people into her home, especially when they needed help.” Boyland wrote his essay on his great-uncle Bobby Boyland because of what he did for the civil rights movement “including strikes and marches with Martin Luther King himself.” Feehan Principal Bill Runey is pictured with the winning students.
HOLY NAME HEROES — James Sears and Mercy Sister Timothea Riley were honored at a Holy Name Teacher Appreciation Day luncheon during Catholic Schools Week. Sister Timothea has served the parents and students of the Fall River school for 30 years; currently she is the school’s administrative assistant. Sears has served the Holy Name family for 25 years as maintenance director.
February 6, 2009
A
lthough I’m not a Tina Turner fan, the title of this song has been stuck in my head all week. February is the month often associated with love, with St. Valentine’s Day as a key focal point. So this is a good time to really look at our understanding of love. Scripture says that “God is love.” To me that says, ‘Good luck understanding it. “The more I come to know about God, the more I realize how little I know. The same is true with love. The more I think I know, the more I realize I don’t really know much. I think you will agree that the word “love” is so overused that its meaning has often been reduced to a greeting, a preference or taste, or a random feeling. Love is not just a “second hand emotion” or a “sweet old-fashioned notion” as the song would suggest. Love is so much deeper and wider than that. Love involves an act of the will, a deliberate
Youth Pages ‘What’s love got to do with it?’
choice. Infatuation is a feeling; love is a decision. Love cannot be based on a feeling. Feelings are too fleeting; they change with the wind. Love lasts. It is love that carries us in good times and in bad, when things are going well and when a relationship is stressed. Whether it is a familial love, a friendship, a romantic love, or any relationship, the choice of loving someone involves a deep sharing and a sacred trust that is not disposable. We can’t settle for the cheap imitations of love that society offers us. So, although I will admit that I am not as good at loving as I would like to be, I would like to share a few lessons on love that I have learned over the years. At the base of all love is a genuine concern for the welfare of the other. That concern has to motivate us to action. When we
love, we honestly care about how that person is doing physically, emotionally, spiritually, and every other way. It’s important to realize that we don’t really even have to know someone personally in order to love them. We can love our brothers and sisters in the
Be Not Afraid By Jean Revil Congo who have been experiencing great violence amidst their great poverty, even though we may never go to the Congo and meet any of them. We can, and should, care about their welfare and support them in the ways that are available to us; whether that is with our prayers, with our
money, or with our efforts on the political front to make life better. If that’s not true then I think we have to ask: what’s love got to do with it? Jesus called us to love everyone, not only those we know, but everyone. To like someone we would have to meet them and have similar interests or values, but the love that Jesus calls us to is not limited by interests or time or space. If that basic concern for the welfare of another also includes friendship, then love is taken to a different level. Still, at the base, we care for their welfare, but in a friendship, we tend to expect that concern to be mutual. The love of friends is indeed rooted in God, though we may not always acknowledge or recognize that fact. It must be rooted in God, because God is love. Any decision to love another is going to bring us to a deeper understanding of
17 God’s love, if we are willing to be open to the lessons. If that’s not true then I think we have to ask: what’s love got to do with it? Love will involve sacrifice; just look at the cross. But love also involves trust, openness, and surrender. Friends, best friends, love deeply by sharing deeply. If you’re also blessed with the experience of romantic love, that Valentine’s Day kind of love, you really care about what happens in that person’s life, and they’re your friend. If that’s not true then I think we have to ask: what’s love got to do with it? Everyone wants to be happy in this life. Everyone searches for meaning in this life. We come from God and we are going to God. What’s love got to do with it? Everything. Jean Revil teaches spiritual theology and thanatology at Bishop Stang High School. Comments welcome at: jrevil@ bishopstang.com.
The Anchor is always pleased to run news and photos about our diocesan youth. If schools or parish Religious Education programs have newsworthy stories and photos they would like to share with our readers, send them to: schools@ anchornews.org
VOICES FOR THE VOICELESS — This group from Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to join with hundreds of others from the Fall River Diocese and thousands more from across the country at the annual March for Life in the nation’s capital. See related story on page 10.
‘What do I do for others that would please Jesus?’
Editor’s note: Because of a printer’s error, Amanda Crowley’s winning entry in the Catholic Schools Week essay contest was incomplete in last week’s edition. The following is the complete essay. I do things for others that would please Jesus because I want to serve the Lord and make the world a better and more peaceful place. I want to serve God the way the early Christians did. I want to do the work of Jesus and to be helpful to the Lord whom I love so much. I have helped soldiers by
sending food to them. I used half my allowance and did extra jobs to earn money to buy them food. I took out the trash, swept the bathroom floor and helped my mom prepare dinner. I also did my own laundry. By the end of the week, I had enough money to buy a lot of food for the soldiers. I felt really proud when I was able to send all that food to them. I would like to continue doing this year after year. I read to some people in a nursing home. It is really fun because I meet a lot of new friends. I bring a lot of books with me, so that they can choose the one
they want to hear. By the end of the day, I have read a lot of books many times and I know them by heart so I no longer even have to look at the page. One of their favorite books is about Jesus. I also make cards for the people in this nursing home. I go so often that they have a seat ready for me! We talk about things and then I teach them how to make cards. They really like the pop-out ones. When I do all of these things, I feel so good. I love doing all these things for God’s people. — Amanda Crowley, Grade Three, Holy Trinity Regional School, West Harwich
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February 6, 2009
Remembering Abe’s visit to New Bedford and Taunton
St. Stan’s offers special needs program
lessons in deportment … and a superb dinner, by far the finest I ever (had) in my life.” As he tried to rally members of the Whig Party to vote for Taylor, at the same time denouncing Democrats and criticizing the Free Soil Party and former President Martin Van Buren, Congressman Lincoln criss-crossed eastern Massachusetts, giving 12 speeches in 11 days. While Massachusetts was far removed from the battles of the Civil War, its abolitionist history made its activities and leaders essential figures in the war and important influences on Lincoln. A 1783 court decision abolished slavery in Massachusetts. The Emancipation Proclamation specifically allowed AfricanAmericans to enlist in the military and fight for the Union cause. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, comprised mainly of men from New Bedford, was one of the most celebrated of these black regiments. Their courage, reflected in the film “Glory,” had a significant impact on black civil rights. While Lincoln also took time to visit Rhode Island, his three appearances there were reportedly by journalists of the day as “inconspicuous.” It’s hard to explain that, because Lincoln would usually speak about 10,000 words at any given speech, most of which lasted an hour-anda-half. As a newsman, it’s easier to understand how the Boston Advertiser reporter who covered Lincoln’s address at Worcester’s City Hall, recorded only 2,000 of the speaker’s words. According to reports from The Daily Mercury newspaper in New Bedford, Lincoln gave approximately the same talk when
over the 10 classes from prek through kindergarten and up to grade eight with such disabilities as Down’s syndrome, major speech delays, autism, and a variety of learning disabilities. “For all of us at St. Stan’s, we feel that a Catholic education is important to all our children, and it is imperative we take steps to make sure that happens. Families can’t do it alone,” she added. Father Bruce M. Neylon, pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish, heartily endorses the program, which makes his parish school the only one with it in the Fall River Diocese. He said it reminds him of the special education efforts at Nazareth Hall where he was chaplain from 1975 to 1982 while serving at Holy Name Parish. “I saw at that time how meaningful it was to give special education help to those with Down’s syndrome, and others, and how the young people advanced because of it,” he said. And what also sparked him and Willis to take up the inclusion school format came in the person of Ashley Banalewicz, a charming eight-year-old, who has Down’s syndrome and is currently in the second grade at St. Stan’s. “She came to us three years ago as a kindergarten student, providing us with a challenging experience. In her few years here she has advanced wonderfully,” reported Willis. “Children like Ashley offer unconditional love to their peers, their teachers, all of us, and it has a great effect on children around here to be loving as well,” Father Neylon noted. “We can also see how more compassionate all the students have become since we became an inclusion school,” Willis added. Inclusion is a term that expresses commitment to educate all children to the maximal extent appropriate in the school classroom that he or she would otherwise attend. To do that, St. Stan’s hired Colleen Hauser, a graduate of Bishop James Hartley High School in Columbus, Ohio, which is an inclusion school. A 2008 graduate of Dominican University in Illinois where she earned a degree in special education, Hauser is in graduate studies at Providence College in the Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers and is pursing a master’s degree
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he appeared there Sept. 14, 1848 at Liberty Hall campaigning for Congressman Joseph Grinnell. It was a favorite venue for abolitionist speakers. He arrived in the afternoon at the train station on Pearl Street. Newspapers reported the weather was unseasonably cold for September. But this time the speech lasted two hours, because Lincoln knew Taylor was quite unpopular. The Mercury reported that Lincoln delivered “a most admirable and effective speech,” which was marked by great originality, clear, conclusive, convincingly reasoning and enlivened by frequent flashes of genuine, racy, Western wit.” In a contrary opinion, Samuel Rodman, a local Quaker who likely had strong anti-slavery leanings, wrote in his diary: “It was pretty sound, but not a tasteful speech.” Lincoln spent that night as a guest of Grinnell in his home on County Street, before leaving for Boston the next day. A Rhode Islander who attended one of the Lincoln talks described him; “Mr. Lincoln was a tall man about 40 years of age, clothed in dark clothing with a black silk cravat, over six feet in height, slightly stooping as tall men sometimes are, with long arms, which he frequently moved in gesticulation, of dark complexion with dark almost black hair, with strong and homely features, with sad eyes, which moved in earnest argument or quiet humor, and then assumed a calm sadness….” But news commentators of his day also said Lincoln knew words were important. His penchant for stories prevented him from “miscommunication” about what he intended to say. He understood the
Peter Fournier ordained transitional deacon continued from page one
In his homily, Bishop Coleman, looking forward to the June ordination, reminded Deacon Peter Fournier that Pope Benedict XVI in his diary wrote: “But I am also a deacon, I continue being a deacon, and I would like to also exercise the ministry of the diaconate placing the word of God on its throne.” Bishop Coleman advised, “As a deacon, that is, as a minister of Jesus Christ, serve the people in love and joy as you would the Lord. Since no one can serve two masters, look upon all defilement and avarice as serving false gods.” The bishop added, “Do not turn away from the hope offered by the Gospel. Now you are not only a hearer of the Gospel but also its minister. Holding the mystery of
faith with a clear conscience, express by your actions the word of God which your lips proclaim, so that the Christian people, brought to life by the Spirit, may be a pure offering accepted by God.” The Fournier diaconate father and son team recalls another family with a father and son who served as deacons. Father John M. Murray, currently a parochial vicar at St. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth, and his late father, Permanent Deacon Michael Murray, had been deacons prior the former’s priestly ordination in 1998. Deacon Michael Murray, who served at Immaculate Conception Parish in Taunton and St. Mary’s Parish in Norton, died March 17, 2008 after a two-year battle with cancer.
nature of the relationship between the leader and his audience. He was described as having a gift of oratory as a child, “which he then honed by addressing his companions from a tree stump.” Following his New Bedford talk, Lincoln would speak in Boston, Lowell, Dorchester, Chelsea, Dedham and Cambridge, before appearing September 21 for a talk at Mechanics Hall & Union in Taunton’s Whittenton section. It was a building owned by the debating club at Reed & Barton Silversmiths. Unfortunately, no record of this talk remains. But his speech that same evening in Union Hall above Foster and Lawton’s General Store in Taunton received press coverage. Taunton was a quickly industrializing town with many Free Soil supporters. According to which side of the political tracks you lived on, the reviews of the talk were mixed. The Taunton Gazette reported “Mr. Lincoln is well versed in the political tactics of the Western country. His speech was full of humor….” The Old Colony Republic praised Lincoln: “Leaning himself up against the wall, as he commenced, and talking in the plainest manner, and in the most indifferent tone, yet gradually fixing his footing, and getting command of his limbs, loosening his tongue, and firing up his thoughts, until he had got entire possession of himself and of his audience, were done in a style that will long be remembered.” But the Bristol County Democrat was not nearly as positive. In a report written by Dr. William Gordon, a Free Soiler, “The speaker was far inferior as a reasoner to others who hold the same views, but then he was more scrupulous, more facetious and with his sneers he mixed up a good deal of humor.” Gordon claimed Lincoln misrepresented the Free Soil Party, dissected and refuted each of Lincoln’s arguments, and accused him of intellectual dishonesty. That night, Lincoln stayed in Taunton, most likely as the guest of Samuel L. Crocker or Francis Baylies, former congressmen. Arguably, slavery was but one of the many reasons that prompted the Civil War. But few can refute that Lincoln’s desire for full emancipation dominated his agenda, policies and actions — as well as his speeches — and swayed public opinion and the outcome of the war. Ironically, his post war feelings and sensitivity for civil rights in the South raised a whole new issue, and many historians contend it was what fueled his assassination.
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while teaching in her day job. Hauser explained how the special needs students are taught within the framework of their own classroom. “The teacher, for instance, in a mathematics class continues to teach according to her lesson plan. During that class I then meet with, say, one to three perhaps of the special education students in that classroom with a one-onone approach. I do not bring a new curriculum. What I do is to assist those students to better understand what they have already been taught and help them to catch up.” It also means working with the classroom teachers and reviewing teaching resources and professional materials; working with the various teachers’ aides; and with the family as well. Hauser’s busy schedule has her meeting her special needs students throughout the grades three times a week — “except for Ashley,” she said laughing. “We meet every morning before school to do exercises, and my time with her is truly one on one … and during the day she searches me out from time to time,” Hauser noted. Father Neylon said the idea of an inclusion school plan is endorsed by the Vatican, and called attention to a Dec. 8, 2008 talk given to the United Nations by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, C.S., Holy See permanent observer to the UN agencies in Geneva, on the occasion of the 48th international conference on education. Here’s what Archbishop Tomasi said: “An inclusion education embraces all children and youth in their existential context and all persons dedicated to their formation, a comprehensive process that combines transmission of knowledge and development of personality. In fact,” he concluded, “the fundamental questions any person asks deal with the search for meaning, of life and history, or chance and dissolution, of love and transcendence.” While it is not a new concept for Willis, a veteran in special education, having taught autistic children for six years in the Westfield School System, she looks to learn more. “I’m intending to travel to Ohio and observe the special needs program that is running in some of the parish schools in Columbus, in order to find the best ways and means to make our program grow,” she told The Anchor.
February 6, 2009
Around the Diocese Eucharistic Adoration
Eucharistic Adoration:
ACUSHNET — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Church, 125 Main Street, Mondays from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., ending with evening prayer and Benediction. EAST TAUNTON — Eucharistic adoration takes place First Fridays at Holy Family Church, 370 Middleboro Avenue, following the 8:30 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 8 p.m. NEW BEDFORD — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place at St. Joseph-St. Therese Church, 51 Duncan Street, Mondays following the 8:30 a.m. Mass until 1:30 p.m. For more information call 508-995-2354. NEW BEDFORD — Eucharistic adoration takes place 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 233 County Street, with night prayer and Benediction at 8:45 p.m., and confessions offered during the evening. NEW BEDFORD — There is a daily holy hour from 5:15-6:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue. It includes adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Liturgy of the Hours, recitation of the rosary, and the opportunity for confession. NEW BEDFORD — Sisters of Reparation of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus M. Wendy and M. Grace will present the message of Diving Mercy as given by our Lord to St. Faustina March 1 at 3 p.m., at St. Lawrence Church, 565 County Street between North and Hillman streets, followed by veneration of a relic of St. Faustina. All are invited. TAUNTON — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord Church, 31 First Street, immediately following the 8 a.m. Mass and continues throughout the day. Confessions are heard from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., concluding with recitation of the rosary and Benediction at 6:30 p.m. TAUNTON — Eucharistic adoration takes place every Tuesday at St. Anthony Church, 126 School Street, following the 8 a.m. Mass with prayers including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for vocations, concluding at 6 p.m. with Chaplet of St. Anthony and Benediction. Recitation of the rosary for peace is prayed Monday through Saturday at 7:30 a.m. prior to the 8 a.m. Mass. WEST HARWICH — Our Lady of Life Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Holy Trinity Parish, 246 Main Street, holds perpetual eucharistic adoration. For open hours, or to sign up call 508-430-4716. Miscellaneous: Miscellaneous ATTLEBORO — There will be a visual presentation on the life of St. Paul at St. Joseph Parish tomorrow at 7 p.m. Entitled, “The Listening Eye: Seeing St. Paul,” it will be given by New York painter, sculptor and curator Henry Artis. The presentation is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted. EAST FREETOWN — Emmaus is a Catholic retreat program for young adults ages 20 and older. It is a co-ed weekend for people who are seeking to grow in their relationship with Christ regardless of their current level of faith and practice. The weekends are held at Cathedral Camp and the next retreat is February 2022. For more information, contact Kevin Rapoza at 401-624-7605, or visit www. emmausretreat.com. EASTON — Public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the sacrament of the sick will take place in the chapel of the Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington Street, February 11. Adoration will begin with the rosary at 9 a.m. and conclude at 11:45 a.m. Mass will be celebrated at noon and include the anointing of the sick. The celebrations will commemorate the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick, a special day of prayer and remembrance for all who are sick and suffering. For information, call Holy Cross Family Ministries at 508-238-4095. FALL RIVER — The Fall River Area Men’s First Friday Club will meet tonight at the Parish of the Good Shepherd, 1598 South Main Street. Following the 6 p.m. Mass celebrated by Father Al Ryan, the club will have a hot meal in the church hall. Guest speaker is Father Ryan, who will talk about his experiences as a military chaplain. All gentlemen are welcome. For information, call 508-672-8174. FALL RIVER — The Fall River Symphony Orchestra will perform at St. Anne’s Church May 3 at 3 p.m. to benefit the St. Anne Shrine Historical Restoration Fund. Tickets will be available February 23 at St. Anne’s Credit Union branches, the Fall River Chamber of Commerce, and at the door prior to the event. The concert is sponsored by St. Anne’s Credit Union. HYANNIS — Beginning February 15, the Tridentine Mass formerly celebrated at Our Lady of Grace Chapel in Chatham will be celebrated Sundays at 1 p.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis. NEW BEDFORD — “A Day With Mary” will take place tomorrow, 8:15 a.m.-3:25 p.m., in St. John the Baptist Church, 344 County Street. It will include a video, instruction, devotion, a procession and crowning of Mary, Mass, an opportunity for the sacrament of penance, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, rosary, and enrollment in the Brown Scapular and investiture in the Miraculous Medal. For information call Mary Creeden at 508-984-1823. NEW BEDFORD — There will be a visual presentation on the life of St. Paul at St. Anthony of Padua Parish Sunday 8 at 2 p.m. Entitled, “The Listening Eye: Seeing St. Paul,” it will be given by New York painter, sculptor and curator Henry Artis. The presentation is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted. SEEKONK — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 984 Taunton Avenue, will host a healing Mass at 7 p.m. February 11 to celebrate World Day of the Sick and the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The rosary will be recited at 6:30 p.m. Benediction and a healing service will follow the Mass. All are invited.
Support Groups NORTH DARTMOUTH — The Diocesan Divorced and Separated Support Group will have an open meeting February 11 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Family Life Center, 500 Slocum Road. The discussion will include personal difficulties regarding separation and divorce and all are welcome to attend. There is no charge and coffee and tea will be available.
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The Anchor Father David Ziomek was native of Taunton
MILTON — Father David F. Ziomek, 59, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, and pastor of St. Elizabeth’s Parish in Milton, died December 31. Born in Taunton, the son of Julian and Martha (Kuszaj) Ziomek, he grew up in Holy Rosary Parish in Taunton. He attended St. Joseph School and the former Msgr. Coyle High School, now Coyle and Cassidy High School, in Taunton. Following his graduation from Boston College in 1972, he earned a master’s degree
from The U.S. Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Having grown up in the Polish heritage and being fluent in Russian, he served for a few years as a tour guide in Russia, relating his experiences in his book, “A Christian View of Russia.” He later studied at Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Boston and was ordained a priest for the Boston Archdiocese on May 21, 1994 by Cardinal Bernard Law in Holy Cross Cathedral.
Father Ziomek served as a parochial vicar at St. Mary Parish in Franklin and St. Joseph Parish in Wakefield, before being named pastor of St. Elizabeth in Milton in July 2005. He leaves his parents. He was preceded in death by a sister, Geralyn Ziomek. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, was principal celebrant of Father Ziomek’s funeral Mass in St. Elizabeth’s Church on January 6. Burial was in St. Joseph Cemetery in Taunton.
NEW BEDFORD — Dominican Sister of Hope Flora Desorcy, 92, who taught at several Catholic schools as well as ministering in the Diocese of Fall River, died January 25 in St. Luke’s Hospital. Born in Sherbrooke, P.Q. Canada, the daughter of the late George O. and the late Diane (Tardif) Desorcy, she entered the novitiate of the Dominican Sisters of Fall River in 1939, and professed final vows on March 7, 1943. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the College of the Sa-
cred Hearts in Fall River. Sister Desorcy taught at St.Anne’s School in Fall River and St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet, as well as in Plattsburgh, N.Y. She served at St. Rose Sister Hope Flora Convent and Desorcy, OP St. Francis Xavier Parish, and in retirement resided in Fairhaven where she performed volunteer ministry.
She leaves a brother Joseph Desorcy of Marion; a sister Gabrielle Richard of Willington, Conn.; and nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Romeo and Roger Desorcy, Sister Cecile Desorcy OP, and Doris Dubois, Theresa Robitaille, and Muriel Motta. Her funeral Mass was celebrated January 28 in St. Francis Xavier Church in Acushnet. Burial was in Notre Dame Cemetery, Fall River. A Scholarship fund has been established in Sister Flora’s memory at St. Francis Xavier School, Acushnet. To contribute or for more details call 508-995-4313.
Sister Flora Desorcy OP; taught in diocesan schools
In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks
Feb. 9 Rev. Msgr. John J. Kelly, Pastor, SS. Peter & Paul, Fall River, 1963 Rev. Peter J. McKone, S.J., Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River, 1972 Rev. Vincent R. Dolbec, A.A., Assumption College, 1985 Feb. 10 Rev. Edward L. O’Brien, Pastor, St. Mary, Mansfield, 1966 Rev. Lucien A. Madore, Retired Chaplain, Mt. St. Joseph School, Fall River, 1983 Feb. 11 Rev. John O’Connell, Founder, St. John Evangelist, Attleboro, 1910 Rev. John J. Sullivan, S.T.L., Retired Pastor, Holy Rosary, Fall River, 1961 Rev. William J. McMahon, Retired Pastor, St. Joan of Arc, Orleans, 1987 Feb. 12 Rev. Stanislaus Bernard, SS.CC, Retired Founder Our Lady of Assumption, New Bedford, 1961 Feb. 14 Rev. Charles E. Clerk, Pastor, St. Roch, Fall River, 1932 Rev. Msgr. Francis McKeon, Retired Pastor, Sacred Heart, Taunton, 1980 Feb. 15 Rev. Joseph G. Lavalle, Pastor, St. Mathieu, Fall River, 1910 Rev. James C. Conlon, Pastor, St. Mary, Norton, 1957
Catholic TV Program On the Portuguese Channel Wednesday, February 18 at 9:30 p.m. “Good News for Life” (“Boa Nova da Vida”) “What is the Role of the Christian Lay Person in the Family?”
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The Anchor
A walk on the wild side
n the 70s, Lou Reed recorded above zero, an old gent looked at me and pointed to his head a song, “Walk on the Wild insinuating I was crazy. I would Side.” It was a pretty sleazy look have responded verbally, but my at life in the big city. The song’s mouth was wrapped tighter than a only merits were a melodic bass mummy’s with scarves, hats and riff and a jazz-like back beat. hoods. So I just shook my head in I’m reminded of the song disagreement, and he walked away when I take my daily walk in the “country” part of Fall River. In the shaking his head. wilds, so to speak. In order to restore my body to at least a semblance of what it once was, I take a threemile trek each day. At first the task was just that — a task. Now it’s something to which I By Dave Jolivet look forward each day. In a daily grind filled with work, taxiing family memBut the favorite part of my bers, chores and televised sporting walk is noticing the flora and events 24/7, a walk lets me think fauna surrounding me. and unwind. I see and hear all types of birds. At the start of each venture into the wild I say a rosary and a Chap- Around Halloween time there are literally hundreds of black birds let of Divine Mercy for a plethora in the trees, making the leafless of intentions that seems to mount daily. Then I just take in the sights branches appear in full bloom again. One day I could hear them and sounds around me. Often I’ll cross paths with other chirping like crazy from afar. Yet, as soon as I approached, they fitness gurus and we exchange clammed up. I walked by thinking hellos. Sometimes I’ll run into they must have been talking about someone who’ll initiate a conme the whole time. versation. I patiently listen while Part of my journey takes me wobbling in place to maintain my past a farm for about a third of a cardiac benefits. mile. There are plenty of cows, When it comes to walking, I goats and chickens doing what go Postal. I don’t mean I travel cows, goats and chickens do all wielding an Uzi, it means I walk day. When the wind is right (or no matter what the weather. wrong), one can not only see and I recall one day, with the temhear the farm life, if you get my perature barely peeking its head
My View From the Stands
drift (or theirs). But that’s OK. I like the smell of a real old farm. On Super Bowl Sunday, I was walking past a herd of goats that happened to be fairly close to the roadside. They all seemed occupied with one thing or another — until I came along. Every one of the dozen or so goats stared at me as I walked past — some maneuvering around others to make sure they could see me. They all had the same look — bearded faces with blank stares. It was eerily reminiscent of what I see in the mirror each morning. I glanced back as I passed and they were still there — staring. I was becoming a bit paranoid. I checked to see if I had a hole in my pants or spinach in my teeth. I guess I was their Super Bowl pre-game entertainment. Reflecting on my encounter with the goats, I thought to myself, “Weird little creatures, but I like them.” As I sailed out of sight, I didn’t doubt my hoofed little friends were thinking, “Weird little creature, but we like him.” One day as I plodded along, a dog started to walk beside me. He would wander into each yard, and ultimately was shooed out of each yard, with the owners shooting me an evil glance. As I continued I wanted to call out, “Not my dog, not my dog.” The pooch remained
February 6, 2009 with me until he hooked up with a walker passing in the opposite direction — probably suffering the same consequences. Except for having to step around an occasional roadkill, I truly enjoy my 45 minutes away
from the real world. It gives me great pleasure to take a walk on the wild side each day. Not Lou Reed’s wild side, but the Good Lord’s. All that’s lacking is the cool bass riff and a jazzy back beat.