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Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , February 14, 2014

Worldwide Marriage Encounter retreat coming to neighboring Rhode Island

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

Senior members of the basketball team at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River who have been playing on the court together since the fifth-grade CYO team at Holy Name School include, from left, Brian Quinn, Jack Santoro, John Goncalo, Mike Sullivan, and Alex Medeiros. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

Longtime teammates find common bond in basketball

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

FALL RIVER — When the basketball team at Bishop Connolly High School won the division IV Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association title last year — netting the school its first-ever state basketball championship — a core group of players experienced a bit of déjà vu.

Having played on the court together since first joining the CYO team at Holy Name School in Fall River while fifth-graders, teammates John Goncalo, Alex Medeiros, Brian Quinn, Jack

Santoro and Mike Sullivan had previously won the diocesan CYO championship in 2010, after beating the Taunton and New Bedford area division champs to take the title.

“Playing together has helped us on and off the court,” Quinn told The Anchor. “Since we’ve been playing together for eight years now, I think we really know each others’ strengths and weaknesses on and off the court and we can really exploit that as a team.”

“I definitely think the fact that we all played together for Turn to page 18

ASHBURNHAM, Mass. — Offering a positive and personal experience to married couples, a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend is being held March 14-16 in South Kingston, R.I. With an emphasis on communication, the weekend retreat offers couples a chance to reestablish a relationship with each other and with God. Steve and Kim Brown went as a couple to experience a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend in 2009 after seeing it promoted in their parish bulletin.

“A weekend without the kids was the big draw for us; we

didn’t really know a lot about it at all,” explained Kim. “It was a great experience, more than we had anticipated.”

Designed as a Marriage enrichment program, the Worldwide Marriage Encounter is a

series of presentations given by three Catholic couples and a priest. Each couple offers their own unique perspective of Marriage, and woven throughout the weekend presentations is time for reflection for couples attending the encounter.

“Even though you’re there with a group of people, it’s designed in a way that you’re really just focused on your spouse.

Through the course of the weekend there’s a series of talks, and you sit and listen to the presentations, then you have time to go back as a couple to your room to have some quiet time,” said Kim. She added, “It really taught us about the Sacrament of MarTurn to page 18

Led by the Holy Spirit, area men to gather for Lenten retreat

By Linda Andrade Rodrigues Anchor Correspondent

WORCESTER — Every year the Diocese of Worcester hosts a Lenten Catholic Men’s Conference that connects more than a thousand men, young and old, at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester. Serving its diocesan brothers in Christ, it anticipates that this year’s gathering, slated for April 5,

would be much the same.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you in everything,” Jesus said.

Involved in youth ministry and participating in Confirmation retreats for the past 30 years, Herman Millet has attended every one of the conferences since their inception 14 years ago. This year he joined

the Planning Committee.

“One of the things — that is, the cornerstone of our organization — is to identify as many parish contacts in our diocese as possible to work with their pastors and encourage men to come to our conference,” Millet explained.

But this year they are reaching far beyond diocesan borders Turn to page 14

Falmouth Knights make Rosaries to commemorate anniversary

FALMOUTH — Back in September 2013, the Falmouth Council No. 813 Knights of Columbus decided to answer a call for Rosary makers that appeared in the bulletin of St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth. The KOC’s intent was to make 110 Rosaries to celebrate the council’s 110th anniversary on Sept.

6, 2013.

Banding together, the Knights far surpassed their original goal, making more than 190 Rosaries by hand. They recently asked the state chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, Bishop Robert Hennessey, if he would be willing to bless the Rosaries at a special Mass to be held at St. Patrick’s Church in Falmouth.

Bishop Hennessey generously agreed to oblige them and the parish’s pastor,

Father Timothy Goldrick, invited the blessing to take place during the 11 a.m.

Mass on Sunday, February 2.

The Knights greatly appreciate the efforts of Bishop Hennessey and Father Goldrick, along with two special women — Pat Connelly and Ginny Akhoury. Connelly is the woman who initially placed the notice in the parish bulletin at St. Patrick’s and taught the KOC how to create the Rosaries. She received supplies for the Rosaries freeof-charge from Akhoury, who resides in New Jersey.

Connelly then distributed the supplies to anyone willing to make the Rosaries, collected the completed Rosaries, and sent them back to Akhoury, who distributes the Rosaries throughout the world.

Members of the Falmouth Council No. 813 Knights of Columbus recently made more than 190 Rosaries to commemorate the organization’s 110th anniversary. The handmade Rosaries were then blessed by Bishop Robert Hennessey, state chaplain for the KOC, at St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth. Pictured after the recent blessing are, from left, Edward Graham, C. Richard Castleberry, Geraldine Castleberry, Charles Manning, Bishop Robert Hennessey, Gregory Pinto, Father Timothy Goldrick, Mary Sawyer, James Sawyer, Mary Vanderlaske, and Steven Vanderlaske. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Pinto)

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News From the Vatican

February 14, 2014

Vatican official slams ‘negative approach’ of U.N. report

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — In the wake of the U.N. Child Protection Committee criticizing Vatican policies and calling for the Church to change its doctrine, a leading archbishop countered that the committee’s analysis fails to be objective.

“The concluding recommendations point out a rather negative approach to what the Holy See has been doing and has already achieved in the area of the protection of children,” Archbishop Silvano Tomasi told Vatican Radio on February 5.

Archbishop Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, made his comments in response to a recent U.N.authored Rights of Children report claiming that the Vatican “systematically” adopted policies allowing priests to rape and molest children.

The document was issued following a January 16 committee hearing in Geneva on global children’s rights.

Charging the Church to open its files on previous cases of abuse and criticizing their stance on homosexuality, contraception and abortion, the report suggested the Church change its canon law to ensure that what it called children’s rights, including access to health care, are guaranteed.

Archbishop Tomasi responded that the analysis first “in some ways is not up to date” because it does not take “into account some of the clear and precise explanations that were given to the committee in the encounter that the delegation of the Holy See had with the committee three or four weeks ago.”

The archbishop also pointed out an apparent “difficulty” in the committee understanding “the position of the Holy See,” which cannot compromise teachings which are “part of their deep convictions and also an expression of freedom of religion.”

The committee’s call for the Church to shift her stance on abortion would be a “contradiction” of the work that they do, which is to ensure “that children be

protected before and after birth.”

Drawing attention to the rigorous efforts to protect minors that the Church has made — particularly in the formation of priests and in the decisions of various episcopal conferences — Archbishop Tomasi said it “is very difficult, I think, to find other institutions or even other states that have done so much specifically for the protection of children.”

In their report to the U.N. commission, Archbishop Tomasi explained how the Holy See emphasized that “priests are not employees of the pope but they are responsible citizens of the countries,” and as such are “accountable to the judicial system of those countries.”

Highlighting how the Church has made great efforts to “give an objective picture of the remedies undertaken” to protect minors, as well as those yet to come with the new Vatican commission, the archbishop stressed that there is actually “a small percentage of Church personnel that have committed abuse.”

But due to the tone of the U.N.’s report, he observed that perhaps “not all the observations in the facts have been adequately taken into account in the conclusions.”

“We need time to reflect carefully on the conclusions and recommendations of the committee,” the archbishop explained, “and to prepare an adequate response, so that the objective may really be pursued.”

Noting that the Holy See is a “state party to the Convention of the Child,” Archbishop Tomasi affirmed that they intend to “faithfully” carry out the elements of the report that they are able to for the sake of “the protection of children.”

“This is the way toward the future,” he said, “and I don’t think that there will be fundamental changes in this task ahead.”

The U.N.’s conclusions came at the end of its 65th session, in which reports were of Germany, the Holy See, Congo, Portugal, the Russian Federation and Yemen were examined.

Pope Francis looks at a life-sized replica of himself made entirely out of chocolate in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican recently. Made of 1.5 tons of cocoa, the chocolate image was given to the pontiff during his general audience, according to Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters)

The Eucharist gives us a taste of Heaven, pope reflects

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — During his general audience, Pope Francis spoke on the significance of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, explaining that it is a banquet which reminds us of the eternal life that is yet to come.

“The Eucharist configures us in a unique and profound way with Jesus,” the pope noted February 5, “renewing our heart, our existence, and our relationship with Him and with our brothers, and gives us a foretaste of communion with the Father in the banquet of the King of Heaven.”

Addressing the thousands gathered in a rainy St. Peter’s Square for his weekly address, the pontiff continued his catechesis on the Sacraments of Initiation, turning specifically to the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

“Dear brothers and sisters,” he began, “in our catechesis on the Sacraments of Christian Initiation, we now reflect on the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood.”

This Sacrament “is the heart of Christian initiation and the Church’s fountain of life,” the pope explained, which “accompanies every step of our pilgrimage of faith, fellowship and witness.”

Shifting attention to the familiar layout of Catholic churches, the pope observed that in the “center we find the altar,” which is “a table that has been prepared and that makes us think of a banquet,” and “on the table, there is a cross to indicate that Christ’s sacrifice is offered on that altar.”

“He is the Food we receive under the species of bread and

wine,” the pope continued, adding that “next to the table, there is the ambo, which is where the Word of God is proclaimed, through which the Lord speaks to us.”

Recalling how Jesus gave us this Sacrament at the Last Supper “when He broke bread and offered the cup,” the pontiff noted that this act was a “foreshadowing of His sacrifice on the cross.”

“In the Eucharistic sacrifice, Jesus has thus given us the supreme prayer of thanksgiving to God our merciful Father,” he explained, highlighting that the Church “performs the memorial of the Easter of the Lord, in which Christ is made mysteriously present and we are able to participate.”

We can say that we “receive communion,” in Jesus’ “Passion, death and resurrection,” the pope stated, and “thus, the

Eucharist configures us in a unique and profound way with Jesus.”

It renews “our heart, our existence, and our relationship with Him and with our brothers, and gives us a foretaste of Communion with the Father in the banquet of the King of Heaven.”

Concluding his reflections, Pope Francis expressed his hope that “the celebration of the Eucharist always keeps the Church alive, and makes our communities distinguished by love and communion.”

“Let us ask the Lord, present in this Holy Sacrament, always to shape our lives and our communities.”

Following his remarks, the pope offered special greetings to groups of pilgrims present from various countries around the world, and imparted his apostolic blessing.

A large drawing of Pope Francis depicting him as a superhero is seen on a wall near the Vatican recently. The Argentine pope is shown taking off into the air with his right fist clenched in a classic Superman style. (CNS photo/Robert Duncan)

February 14, 2014

The International Church

A maritime ship sits more than 100 yards ashore near a road in Anibong, a community in Tacloban February 4. According to the Philippine government, more than 6,000 people died as a result of Typhoon Haiyan in November. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

From tarps to steel roofs: Filipinos move to transitional shelters

TANAUAN, Philippines (CNS) — Two-week-old Jesse Awa did not seem to mind the sound of loud hammering and saw blades cutting through wood as he slept peacefully, snuggled in his mother’s arms.

Just a few feet away, carpenters worked under a hot midday sun constructing a new home, albeit temporary, for his family.

His parents, Jeniffer and Maria Cecelia Awa, were excited though. In a couple of days they, Jesse and their three other school-age children would be able to move into a model transitional shelter, a far better alternative than their Typhoon Haiyan-ravaged home.

“I’m too much happy for my family,” Maria Cecelia Awa said.

“It’s a very helpful program because we can sleep well without any worries,” said Jeniffer Awa, a mechanic who works in nearby Tunauan.

The Awa family is the first in the community, known as Barangay Cabarasan Guti, who are preparing to move into a shelter being built from felled coconut trees in the poor rural community. The shelter is part of a burgeoning Catholic Relief Services typhoon recovery effort.

While not victims of the powerful storm surge because their community is nearly a mile from the Pacific Ocean shore, the Awas rode out the storm in their home as parts of it were peeled away by the fierce winds from the November 8 storm. Currently, a tarp covers a portion of their tiny home made of wood, palm leaves and

rusty corrugated steel.

“It was bad. It was an unforgettable moment,” Jeniffer Awa told Catholic News Service.

The shelters are being built as CRS transitions from emergency to recovery mode three months after the typhoon wrecked a large swath of the Visayas region of the central Philippines. In all, 25 families in Cabarasan Guti will be the beneficiaries of the transitional dwellings. Their homes were among the 551,000 lost or severely damaged in the storm.

The shelters are available in two sizes: 194 square feet for families with six or fewer members and 259 square feet for larger families. Once framed, a corrugated steel roof tops the structure before the walls are finished. The structures are built about three feet above ground level to prevent damage from potential flooding.

Some families in the community were living in donated tents or under large tarps carefully draped and tied over what was left of their homes.

The shelters are meant to be transitional and will last about three years, said Ruel Bansala, transitional shelter engineer with CRS, the U.S. bishops’ international relief and development agency. That’s more than enough time to allow a family to save resources to build a new home, he said.

Families are chosen based on various criteria. Barangay captains identify families in need and identify any special circumstances, such as an elderly or disabled member or newborn child. CRS staff members make

the final decision on who will be part of the program. Under terms of the agreement, at least one family member must volunteer to help with construction in some way, even if they have no carpentry skills.

Near the Awas’ shelter, workers were building a larger structure for another family. Both buildings will serve as models for other families to visit and for other agencies to study.

Landowners also are brought into the process to assure that the dwelling occupants will be able to stay on the same property.

Materials costs are about $750. CRS hires local carpenters to build the shelters.

The shelter project also is helping the community in another way. CRS has hired experienced chainsaw operators from Mindanao in the southern Philippines to cut coconut trees that were felled or sheared off by Haiyan’s howling winds.

Not far from the Awas’ home, a team of workers adeptly cut the timbers into the appropriate lengths and widths for use in the shelters.

The operators are training local men in the skill of lumber production as well.

Elizabeth Tromans, technical adviser for emergency preparedness and response for CRS, explained that hiring local operators gets money flowing in local economies, a must when a disaster has forced people out of work.

Bansala said CRS plans to build about 10,000 shelters throughout the Archdiocese of Palo in the next several months.

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The Church in the U.S.

February 14, 2014

Panel looks at impact of ‘Gaudium et Spes’ on Catholic higher education

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Few documents of the Second Vatican Council have impacted Catholic education as greatly as “Gaudium et Spes,” said a panel of speakers recently.

“No other document gives us the crucial role of Catholic higher education in the Church,” said Massimo Faggioli, an assistant professor of theology at the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minn.

Faggioli was one of three speakers on a panel that addressed the topic “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Advancing the Insights of ‘Gaudium et Spes.’” He was joined by Maryann Cusimano Love, associate professor of international relations at The Catholic University of America in Washington, and Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA. The panel discussion came on the second day of the annual conference of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, held February 1-3 in Washington. “Living the Vision of ‘Gaudium et Spes’” in Catholic higher education was the overall theme of the meeting.

“Gaudium et Spes,” the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, was the last document of Vatican II to be promulgated, in December 1965.

The document, whose Latin title means “joy and hope,” was intended to lay out the Church’s relationship to a rapidly changing society.

According to the panel it has a great deal to teach Catholic educators.

In fact, “the document reads as if it could have been written yesterday by Pope Francis” said Cusimano Love.

So what insights does the document have to offer Catholic universities?

Firstly, “Gaudium et Spes” can be implemented in the personal vocations of professors and academics. Cusimano Love encouraged educators to be what she called “‘pracademics,’ bringing the practice of the Catholic Church into (their) research and teaching practices.”

Secondly, “Gaudium et Spes” calls for civic engage-

ment and advocacy by universities, which are considered political actors. “If we are not in the public square, there is a huge voice that is missing,” said Father Snyder.

Lastly, “Gaudium et Spes” asks universities to produce graduates who can “interpret the signs of the times,” as described in chapter 16, verse three of the Gospel of St. Matthew.

Faggioli, who teaches the history of modern Christianity at St. Thomas, said that colleges can do so by “having more courses in history and literature.” Though there has been a trend in recent years among Catholic universities in recent to focus on jobspecific training, Faggioli believes this should not be done at the expense of a liberal arts education.

“If we are only trained to do a job, we will be enslaved by signs of the times,” he said.

In his remarks during the panel discussion and afterward to Catholic News Service, Faggioli said that a broad Catholic education should not be limited to undergraduate formation.

“Catholic colleges and universities should be more emphatic in helping students pursue their vocations as scholars,” he explained.

“Higher education is being enslaved to the idea that every student is just there to become a professional,” he reiterated. “That is not education, that is training. And that is fundamentally different from the Catholic understanding of the human person.”

Speaking of the Catholic responsibility for developing conscience, he said if educators fail in this with their students, then “after us, there is nothing.”

While in Washington Faggioli delivered this year’s Hecker Lecture at St. Paul’s College. His address was titled “The ‘Social Message’ of the Liturgical Reform of Vatican II.” The lecture series is named after the founder of the Paulist religious order, Father Isaac T. Hecker.

Among the books and articles he has written, Faggioli’s book “Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning” was published

by Paulist Press in 2012.

Thousands of young people gathered for a Pro-Life youth rally and Mass at the Verizon Center in Washington January 22. Thousands of young people gathered at the arena to rally and pray before taking part in the annual March for Life, which this year marked the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion across the nation. (CNS photo/Leslie Kossoff)

Lower abortion rate credited to culture shift, not contraception

Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — Despite claims that contraception is responsible for record-low abortion rates in the U.S., one researcher says Pro-Life laws and a growing “culture of life” could be playing a significant role.

“It is unlikely contraceptive use has anything to do with the decline,” said Michael New, research associate for the Reproductive Research Audit.

Attributing the abortion decline to contraception, he argued, fails to take into account other statistics on birth control and unintended pregnancy, as well as changes in public opinion and the effects of Pro-Life legislation in recent years.

While the “data is far from perfect,” New told CNA, the organization behind the study does “acknowledge that some Pro-Life laws and clinic closures contributed” to declining abortion rates.

In addition, he said, numerous national studies on attitudes toward abortion show more clearly that Pro-Life “efforts to change the hearts and minds of Americans may be making a difference.”

New responded to a recent report by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive research organization formerly affiliated with Planned Parenthood. The report found that in 2011, there were 16.9 abortions per 1,000 U.S. women between the ages of 15 and 44.

This marks a 13 percent decrease from 2008, bringing the abortion rate to its lowest since the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion throughout the U.S.

The current abortion rate reflects a drastic reduction from 1981’s peak of 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women.

The Midwest experienced a 17 percent decrease in abortion from 2008 to 2011, the largest decline during that time period. The Northeast witnessed the smallest abortion decrease, with a nine percent drop.

The study’s lead author, Rachel Jones, said that state-level abortion regulations are unlikely to be the cause of declining abortion, because many of them were implemented late in 2011.

Rather, she suggested that improvements in contraceptive use were responsible for the abortion decline, which “coincided with a steep national drop in overall pregnancy and birth rates.”

However, New contested this claim, arguing that other studies indicate little change in contraceptive use in recent years. In addition, he said, “Guttmacher’s own studies show that the unintended pregnancy rate has remained about the same — and may be increasing slightly.”

The largest problem with the author’s statements, New said, is that she “totally disregards changes in public opinion” in explaining the decline in abortion.

Since the early 1990s, he explained, the decline in abortion rate has been largest in regions “with the greatest increase in Pro-Life sentiment,” such as the South and Midwest.

Furthermore, he added, “six of the nine Gallup polls taken since May 2009 show that Americans are more likely to consider themselves ‘Pro-Life’

rather than ‘pro-choice.’”

Leaders of Pro-Life organizations echoed New’s comments and critiques.

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, noted in a recent statement that it “is impossible really to know the true abortion rate” because abortion doctors are not required to report on the abortions they perform.

She criticized the suggestion that Pro-Life laws have not impacted abortion rates. According to Guttmacher, more than 100 Pro-Life laws were enacted at the state level from 2008 to 2011.

“The truth is that these common-sense limits on abortion protect women and their unborn children from abortion industry abuses,” Yoest said, adding that “no matter how many abortions there are, abortion carries serious risks for both mother and unborn child,” and therefore warrants stricter regulations.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Pro-Life Susan B. Anthony List, praised efforts aimed at “educating Americans about the reality of abortion, steadily changing hearts and minds.”

“The debates going on in the states and on the federal level to protect babies after 20 weeks, ban sex-selection, stop taxpayer funding of abortion, and more, are evidence themselves that our arguments are convincing,” Dannenfelser said.

“Guttmacher’s new report is another indication that our nation is indeed growing weary of the destruction wrought by legalized abortion on demand.”

February 14, 2014

The Church in the U.S.

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Catholic ‘Mass mobs’ boost attendance at Buffalo parishes

Buffalo, N.Y. (CNA/ EWTN News) — Buffaloarea Catholics have created a new twist on the “flash mob”: a “Mass mob” inspiring dozens to attend a Mass at older parishes to spread “awareness and appreciation” of the communities.

The Buffalo Mass Mob helps participants “support and experience some of Buffalo’s wonderful churches in need of a boost,” the project said on its website. The churches are selected through an online vote, and the event is then publicized Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington gives a blessing during the dedication of the South Gallery through social media such as Vault Mosaic at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington recent- Facebook and Twitter. ly. The mosaic is the second to the last step in completing the artistic vision of the original designers of Buffalo resident Christopher the shrine. (CNS photo/Matthew Barrick) Byrd, 46, has helped organized two Mass mobs: a November event at St. Adalbert Basilica and a January 12 event at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

“I call these churches faith Lincoln, Neb. (CNA/ Francis as the quiet hero of the and television.” enhancers.

You can’t help but “If we want to prevent EWTN News) — A Rolling liberal left,” he said, adding that walk in and feel closer to a Stone piece on Pope Francis it depicts the pope as a leader secular media from hijacking higher power,” he told the Aswas an attempt to “hijack” the of “a move to liberalize and de- religious realities, we need repapacy for secularist causes, but sacralize the Catholic Church.” ligious people at the helm — sociated Press.

A flash mob is an event in Catholics should be prepared The bishop rebuked this ef- using the ordinary avenues of which people who gather in a to use the pope’s “pop culture fort, saying that Rolling Stone media to present a compelling particular location, which has moment” rather than become and its collaborators are “work- witness to truth,” he said, addbeen organized via social meits “victim,” Bishop James D. ing to hijack the papacy of a ing “our willingness to work dia; the groups often give a Conley of Lincoln has said. loyal, though often unconven- in and with secular media will seemingly spontaneous musical determine the extent to which “Pop culture is important, tional, son of the Church.” performance for onlookers. and powerful. The sign value He suggested such misrep- we can control the telling of the Buffalo’s “Mass mob” was inof Pope Francis’ pontificate is resentation arises from “sexual story.” spired by the practice, and seeks He said that he suspects immense. And liable to misin- and social libertines” who are to highlight “historic and heriterpretation,” he said he said in not interested in discrediting Pope Francis is “keenly aware” tage” parishes in the city. a February 3 essay for the First Christianity, but in “refashion- of the risky choices he is makThe January 12 Mass mob Things website. ing” it and claiming Christ and ing, citing the pope’s preference at Our Lady of Perpetual Help for “a bruised Church which “But our task is to wed sign the pope as their supporters. drew about 300 people to the and substance. To use the new“The secularist social agenda goes out to the streets” than old church, where about 50 found fascination of the world is more palatable to impression- “a Church suffering from selfusually attend. for the Holy Father for the able young people if it comple- absorption.”

Father Donald Lutz, the “Those ‘streets’ are the world quiet, personal conversations ments, rather than competes parish’s pastor, said the Mass which lead to conversion. To with, the residual Christian- where people live and where mob is “wonderful.” use piqued curiosity to speak, ity of their families. The enemy they can be reached, both effec“It just shows that we are from the heart of a disciple, to has no interest in eradicating tively and affectively,” the pope not just one parish, that it’s the suffering souls.”

Christianity if he can sublimate said in his January 23 message whole family of the diocese. We for the World Day of CommuHe criticized the Febru- it to his own purposes. take care of each other,” he told ary 2014 issue of Rolling Stone “The greatest trick of the nications.

Bishop Conley added that the Associated Press, adding magazine’s cover story profile devil isn’t convincing the world of Pope Francis by Mark Bi- he doesn’t exist — it’s convinc- Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 that the events can help a parnelli. ing the world that Jesus Christ also noted that Catholics can ish “pay a few more bills.”

Elizabeth Barrett, an The profile, subtitled “The is the champion of his causes,” introduce the world to Jesus 88-year-old lifelong parishioChrist by “patiently and reTimes They Are A-Changin’,” Bishop Conley said. claims that Pope Benedict He added that Catholics spectfully engaging their ques- ner of Our Lady of Perpetual XVI’s papacy was “disastrous” who are well-formed know tions and their doubts as they Help who lives one block from and “reactionary” and insults that the pope is not breaking advance in their search for the the church, said the crowd rehis appearance. It depicts Pope new ground, on economics, ef- truth and the meaning of hu- minded her of her childhood.

“You had to get here very Francis as an example of “papal forts at increasing women’s par- man existence.” early when I was young, it was The bishop emphasized celebrity” and a “change agent” ticipation, and charity to those so crowded.

And now there are that Catholics should take “far who is creating a “gentle revo- with same-sex attraction. just a handful.

It’s hard to aclution.”

“But the media has driven a more seriously” their mandate cept, but you have to.”

Bishop Conley said the piece wedge between Francis and his to live “charitably, joyfully and The church has stained-glass was “an exercise on standard re- predecessors by focusing less boldly in discipleship of Jesus windows from Austria and an visionism” that tried to show on substance than method,” he Christ.”

He said the Gospel prom- ornate marble altar. the pope’s break from “the sup- said.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help posedly conservative Church of Rolling Stone’s effort to re- ises that “authentic commitreceived advanced notice about old.” shape Pope Francis’ public im- ment to the truth” that refuses the Mass mob, and a reception “Light on facts, heavy on age should “spur committed to separate social justice form was held after Mass at a nearby implication, half-truths and Christians to work in secular orthodoxy and piety will “lead community center. hearsay, the piece remakes Pope and social media, in radio, film to conversion.”

Bishop: Pop culture’s take on pope an opening for conversion

Byrd told the Buffalo News that he hopes the Mass Mob will inspire people to return a few times a year. The mob “gives the church a little oneday boost, attendance-wise and in the collection basket.”

The Diocese of Buffalo has closed almost 100 churches due to declines in attendance, financial support, and the numbers of priests. Buffalo’s population grew consistently into the 1950s, peaking at more than 580,000.

Re-routing of railway and shipping lines, as well as the exit of heavy industry, drew people away from the city, and the population has now fallen to less than 300,000 — smaller than it was in 1900.

Church closures resulting from the changing population trends are a motivation for the grassroots effort to raise awareness of historical parishes.

“It is Buffalo Mass Mob’s hope to help create more awareness and appreciation for sacred sites in Western New York through the simple act of experiencing them in their intended purpose and encourage people to attend Mass more at Buffalo’s historic churches,” the organization’s website says.

Danielle Huber, one of the Mass mob organizers, said, “we need to be proactive to save these buildings.”

The Buffalo Mass Mob’s next event is scheduled for March 23, though the parish to be assisted has not yet been determined. The group will profile five potential churches in coming days, with Buffalo residents voting on the parish to be “mobbed.”

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February 14, 2014

Anchor Editorial

The Theophany of the Mass

This past Monday Pope Francis asked us to try to refrain from looking at our watches during Mass. He made this request during his daily celebration of the Mass that morning: “Counting the minutes [until Mass is over] is not the attitude the Liturgy requires of us.”

The reason the pope gave (of course, he would understand if we had a serious commitment) is that the Mass is a “theophany.” A “theophany” is a direct encounter with God, such as what Moses had on Mount Sinai or Elijah had on Mount Horeb. We are so fortunate that we can participate in a theophany everyday, if we so chose, without having to climb a mountain.

Pope Francis reminded the congregation at Mass on Monday that each and every Mass is this type of direct encounter with God. “It is a theophany: the Lord is made present on the altar to be offered to the Father for the Salvation of the world.”

The Holy Father reminds us, “When we celebrate the Mass, we don’t accomplish a representation of the Last Supper. It is something else, it is the actual Last Supper. It is actually living once again the Passion and redemptive death of the Lord.”

The pope contrasted the Mass with other devotional activities, such as putting together a Nativity scene or praying the Stations of the Cross.

Those things aid our prayer in remembering Jesus’ birth and death (they are good things to do), but they are not actually opening up time and space for us to be truly present at the Paschal Mystery, as does the Eucharist.

“The Liturgy is entering into the Mystery of God, allowing oneself be brought to the Mystery and being in the Mystery. We gather together to enter the Mystery; that is what Liturgy is. It is the time of God, it is the space of God, it is the cloud of God which wraps around everyone” at the Mass, the Holy Father preached.

He noted how people sometimes say, “‘I have to go hear Mass.’ Mass is not heard, it is participated in, participating in this Mystery of the presence of the Lord among us.”

The pope also acknowledged that there might be someone at his daily Mass who came because it was a “tourist stop.” The congregation laughed at this thought, according to the Vatican Radio report. However, we all know of how churches at times are visited not due to the continuing presence of Christ in the Eucharist, but due to the presence in the past of some historic figure who attended Mass there.

Many of these “historic” churches do what they can to take advantage of these tourist visits so as to “plant a seed” in the hearts of the people who are visiting, who want to sit in the pew where some late Catholic prayed, helping to animate these tourists to come again, to realize that there is Someone much greater than the historical personage whom they are remembering.

We invite the tourists to come back sometime when we are celebrating the Eucharist, when they can bring their joys and fears and unite them with Christ’s victory over death.

The Holy Father told the congregation on Monday, “We would do well today to ask the Lord that He give each of us that ‘sense of the Sacred,’ that sense which has us understand that it is one thing to pray at home, to pray in church, to pray the Rosary, to pray so many beautiful prayers, to do the Stations, so many beautiful things, read the Bible, and it is another thing the Eucharistic celebration. In the celebration we enter into the Mystery of God, into that road which we cannot control: only He, the Only One, to Him the glory, to Him the power; He is all. Let us ask that grace: that the Lord teach us to enter into the Mystery of God.” The pope was not criticizing those other devotional exercises. We all should pray outside of Mass, too, but He was reminding us (or bringing to our attention for the first time) that the Mass is this incredible privileged encounter with Christ because in this theophany we are present to His Last Supper, Passion, death and resurrection. If we have been going to Mass all of our lives, we have been at least physically present to this wonderful reality.

We pray for that grace that the pope urged us to request, that we might open our hearts to truly experiencing this great Mystery.

Pope Francis’ weekly Angelus address and prayer

Brothers and sisters, hello!

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, which follows directly after the Beatitudes, Jesus says to His disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13,14). This surprises us a little bit when we think of the people to whom Jesus was speaking. Who were those disciples? They were fishermen, simple people. But Jesus looked upon them with the eyes of God, and His statement should be understood precisely as a consequence of the Beatitudes. He wishes to say: If you will be poor in spirit, if you will be meek, if you will be pure of

heart, if you will be merciful, you will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world!

To better understand these images, let us bear in mind that the Jewish law prescribed putting a little salt upon every offering presented to God, as a sign of the covenant. Light, for Israel, was a symbol of the messianic revelation that triumphs over the darkness of paganism. Thus, Christians, the new Israel, received a mission for all men: with faith and charity they can direct, consecrate and make humanity fruitful. All of us baptized are missionary disciples and we are called to become a living Gospel OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

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in the world: with a holy life we will give “taste” to the different spheres [of society] and defend them from corruption, just as salt does; and we will bring the light of Christ with the witness of a genuine charity. But if we Christians lose our taste and extinguish our presence as salt and light, we will lose effectiveness.

But how beautiful is this mission to give light to the world!

It is a mission that we have. It is beautiful! It is also very beautiful to keep the light that we have received from Jesus, protect it, keep it. The Christian must be a shining person, who brings light, who always gives light! A light that is not his, but a gift from God, it is Jesus’ gift. And we carry this light. If the Christian extinguishes this light, his life has no meaning. He is a Christian in name only, he does not bring light with him, his light is without meaning. But I would like to ask you now, how do you want to live? Do you want to live like a light [“lampada”] that is on or one that is off? On or off? How do you want to live? [The people in St. Peter’s Square respond, “On!”] A light that is on! It is God Himself Who gives us this light and we give it to others. A light that is on! This is the Chris-

tian vocation.

The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived by work of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary ...

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy Word.

Hail Mary ...

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary ...

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The day after tomorrow, February 11, we celebrate the memorial of the Blessed Virgin of Lourdes, and we will observe the World Day of the Sick. It is a propitious occasion to put the community of sick people at the center. Pray for them and with them, be close to them. The message for this day is inspired by an expression of St. John: “Faith and Charity: ‘We Ought to Lay Down Our Lives for One

Another’”(1 Jn 3:16). In particular, we can imitate the attitude of Jesus toward the sick, the sick of every sort: the Lord cares for them, shares their suffering and opens their heart to hope.

I also think of all the health workers. What precious work they do! Thanks so much for your precious work. Every day in the sick they encounter not only bodies marked by fragility, but persons to whom they offer attention and appropriate care.

The dignity of the person is never reduced to his faculties or capacities, and it is not lessened, disabled and in need of help. I think also of the families, where it is normal to take care of those who are sick; but sometimes the situations can be more burdensome. Many people write to me, and today I want to assure all of these families of my prayers, and I say to them: Do not be afraid of weakness [“fragilità”]!

Do not be afraid of weakness!

Help each other with love, and you will feel the consoling presence of God. The attitude toward the sick that is generous and Christian is salt of the earth and light of the world. May Mary help us to practice it and obtain peace for all of those who are suffering.

Anchor Columnist

February 14, 2014

W

7

Cardinal Dziwisz’ holy and prudent disobedience

hen I first read John Paul II’s last will and testament published a few days after his death, I was disappointed to read what he had written in 1979 and never amended: “Let my personal notes be burned. I ask that Father Stanislaw see to this and I thank him for his help and collaboration.”

I thought it was a shame that these personal notes would go up in smoke. In 1995, John Paul II had told his biographer George Weigel that too many people err because “they try to understand me from the outside.

But I can only be understood from the inside.” I thought these notes would be one of the most important means for grasping John Paul II from the inside.

Two months later, however, my sadness turned to joy.

During a press conference the day after he was appointed Archbishop of Krakow, the former “Father Stanislaw” Dziwisz, John Paul II’s personal secretary for 39 years, said that he had not followed through on John Paul II’s request.

“Nothing has been burned,” he declared. “Nothing is fit for burning. Everything should be preserved and kept for history, for future generations, every single sentence. These are great riches that should gradually be

made available to the public.” in accordance with the pope’s After those two personal wishes. “It would be a crime” notebooks containing John Paul to destroy works that testify to II’s thoughts from 1962-2003 spiritual depth of John Paul II, were considered by the Congre- he concluded. gation for the Causes of Saints That didn’t mollify the during his canonization process, concerns of one well-known they have now indeed been priest, Father Tadeusz Isakomade available to the public wicz-Zaleski, who is leading a in the 640-page book “I Am boycott of the publisher (Znak) Very Much in God’s Hands,” and claiming that the publicapublished in Polish on February 5.

The publication has created enormous conPutting Into troversy, in protest and the Deep praise, in Poland that has spilled over into

By Father other countries.

Roger J. Landry Cardinal Dziwisz anticipated some of the criticism. He wrote in the book’s preface that he simply tion will damage the faith not did not have the “courage to only by failing to respect the burn the notebooks” because wishes of the dead but also by they contained “important infor- “consciously violating the pope’s mation” about John Paul II’s life will.” He said Cardinal Dziwisz’ as well as the “key to his spiri“public act of disobedience is a tuality.” He added, “What had form of anti-witness that can’t to be destroyed, was destroyed. be justified by any explanation And what had to be saved, for that it’s for the good of the the benefit of humankind, has Church. Does a cleric serving as been saved.” a secretary know better than St. He stated during a JanuPeter’s successor?” ary 22 press conference that he But Father Adam Boniecki, was explicitly motivated by the who edited the “Kalendarium” or “despair of historians” at the de- public diary of the life of Karol struction of the wartime letters Wojtyla from his youth through and notebooks of Pope Pius XII his papal election, said that, even

CRS Rice Bowl Lenten program has new twists: An app, recipes, contest

WASHINGTON (CNS) — When trying to change one’s eating habits, especially cutting calories, there’s nothing like getting some madeto-order recipes from a popular chef to help keep one motivated.

At least that’s part of the thinking behind one of the new approaches to Catholic Relief Services’ annual Rice Bowl program for Lent.

Weekly recipes created by a celebrity chef of sorts — Father Leo Patalinghug, host of Grace Before Meals, a family apostolate focused around meals — this year have been linked to Rice Bowl, the 39-year-old CRS campaign to raise awareness about hunger and raise funds to combat hunger and poverty.

Five recipes — one for each week of Lent — and short videos about them by Father Patalinghug, a Baltimore archdiocesan priest, that will be available on YouTube or the CRS website will feature lowcost, meatless ingredients, ex-

plained Joan Rosenhauer, CRS executive vice president for U.S. operations, at a thematic breakfast February 5. The simple meal on the last day of the annual Catholic Social Ministries Gathering was noted as being typical of breakfast in the Philippines: eggs, rice, bread, juice, fresh tomato and cucumber slices.

Other elements of the program were related to relief work CRS has been doing in the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan in November wiped out hundreds of thousands of homes, crops and much of the fishing industry in one region of the country.

Traditional dancers and a percussionist from the Philippine Cultural Society at George Washington University, Philippine craft pieces on the dining tables and other elements rounded out what Rosenhauer suggested as a model for how parishes or dioceses might launch their own Rice Bowl campaigns.

In addition to the recipes, CRS has a free Rice Bowl app available for smartphones and tablets. It will allow users to schedule delivery of daily reflections during Lent, to set and track progress toward a Lenten goal, and view the recipes or see stories about people whose lives have been changed by the program, notes a CRS release.

Also this year, CRS will host a photo contest in conjunction with Rice Bowl. Weekly winners will receive a small fairtrade prize and a grand prize winner at the end will receive an Easter basket full of fairtrade items.

In 2013, CRS raised more than $7 million to support Rice Bowl programs internationally.

The dioceses where funds are raised keep 25 percent of the revenue for local needs.

The app can be downloaded at: iTunes and the Google Play Store or at crsricebowl.org/ app. Other information about the campaign is available at crsricebowl.org.

though he initially had misgivings, he now applauds Cardinal Dziwisz’s decision. “I admit that without having read the book, I was unpleasantly surprised with the decision. After reading the notebooks, however, I am grateful to him for having taken the risk of following his own conscience and not being a scrupulous bureaucrat.”

Father Boniecki’s comments point to what I think is the main issue. When someone — from a pauper to a prince to a pope — writes something in a will, or otherwise makes known what he or she desires to be done posthumously, must we do it (presuming it is not illegal or immoral)?

Must that expressed desire be the final and only word?

Is it even possible for God to overrule such a decision, speaking, for example, through the conscience of the one entrusted by the deceased to carry out his or her wishes?

This is not an infrequent concern. For example, when a Catholic tells his family that after he dies he wants to have his cremated ashes scattered on a beach, must the nearest of kin carry out those wishes, even though they’re inconsistent with reverence for the dead and therefore explicitly against Church discipline that requires cremains to be buried in the ground, in a columbarium, or intact at sea? Or can the survivors overrule those wishes, recognizing that their loved one would have wanted to die and be buried as a good Catholic should?

Most families in these circumstances grasp that God, speaking through the clear discipline of the Church He founded, should be obeyed and that their deceased loved one would never have wanted to put them into a situation in which they might be disobeying God by executing his or her wishes.

Cardinal Dziwisz recognized this truth. “In writing his will,” he noted in the preface to the book, “the Holy Father knew he was entrusting the notebooks to someone who would treat them responsibly.”

It would have been very easy, after all, for the pope himself to have destroyed the notebooks at any point in the almost 27 years of his papacy. He didn’t, because, at least implicitly, part of him knew that this chronicle of who he is on the inside was worth preserving at least until his death. And so he made his wishes clear but he essentially left the final decision to his faithful collaborator.

He knew his secretary’s character better than anyone, and that he was absolutely not a “scrupulous bureaucrat.” He also saw that a “cleric serving as a secretary” might in fact be able to discern better than St. Peter’s successor what would objectively be for the greater glory of God and the good of the Church.

And so he entrusted the notebooks to someone who would be attentive not just to the pope’s wishes but also responsive to the pope’s Boss’ wishes.

Thank God he did.

Anchor columnist Father Landry is pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River. fatherlandry@catholicpreaching. com.

8

I

n the beginning of this week’s Gospel passage, Jesus tells His disciples: “Do you think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets? I have come not to abolish but to fulfill it.”

Can you imagine what that meant for His disciples, who were probably hoping that Jesus would dismiss them from some of the burden of the law. A law filled with so many rules that it was already almost impossible to follow?

That must have been devastating to them, yet, Jesus goes even further. Not only did He command that the law is to be obeyed, but He Himself adds more stipulations to it. To make things even “worse,” Jesus prescribes a number of punishments to those who break the law along with His new amendments to it.

Is this really what Jesus intended for His disciples; to bring extra burden to them?

No, of course not!

In this Gospel passage from St. Matthew, Jesus teaches a few lessons which could be expounded into volumes, but the essence in these lessons seems to be Jesus calling the disciples to listen attentively to the heart, to discern God’s will and act with

February 14, 2014

God searches the human heart

love. Jesus tells them, “Unless cal life like the one lead by the your righteousness surpasses that Pharisees and the scribes, which of the scribes and Pharisees, you leads to eternal punishment of will not enter the Kingdom of the soul. In His Divine wisdom, Heaven” (Mt 5: 20). We know Jesus, scrutinizes the human soul; from Scripture that most of the the heart. He looks at the whole scribes and the Pharisees put person, from what is “brewing” heavy burdens on the Jewish within the human heart, to what laity, while they acted as “hypocrites” (Mt 15:7-9). They pretended Homily of the Week to live according to the Sixth Sunday law, but away from the public they did what in Ordinary Time they willed.

By Deacon This is what Jesus wanted to change with Eduardo Borges His radical teaching in the life of His disciples and all of us. He wants our exterior “good” behavior to appears on the exterior. To Him be an expression of our heart, not they have the same value. a mere facade. If our inner most When Jesus says: “But to being is in harmony with the law you, whoever is angry with his (the Ten Commandments) and brother will be liable to judgthe love of God, then we will ment,” He is teaching us that treat others as we would like to thoughts are just as important as be treated, with respect, kindness deeds. Anyone who is angry may and love. In the fulfillment of entertain thoughts of killing. If the law, Jesus simplified it into those thoughts persists for a long two Commandments: Love God time, it is a matter of time before with your whole heart. Love your the ultimate blow. The same way, neighbor as yourself.

Jesus gets to the cause of the This is the fundamental pursin of adultery, by condemning pose of Jesus’ teaching. lust in the heart which always Jesus came to warn us about precedes the act of adultery. the danger of living a hypocritiWhen presenting the dis-

ciples with these warnings, Jesus knows how much these inordinate emotional feelings prevent the human heart from growing in virtue. Jesus wants to make clear to the disciples that sin, which poisons the human heart, prevents us from becoming what we were created for; to live in communion and friendship with God and our neighbor.

How can one enter into a relationship with God when one holds resentment and anger against a brother, or when because of selfish desires one lusts after other women, or when one defames someone with gossiping and lies? The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” tells us that: “sin is love of oneself even to contempt of God” (CCC 1850). Therefore, in essence, God cannot live where He is not welcome.

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus was preparing the disciples’ hearts to receive Him, to have a full communion with Him. Jesus was preparing them to enter His Kingdom, which He was to establish in the end by His death and resurrection.

Jesus wants to do the same

thing with us today. He wants us to empty our hearts from passing things and make them ready to receive Him. Let’s ask Jesus to help us to examine the health of our hearts and examine our conscience and ask God to send His Spirit, “For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God” (1 Cor 2:6-10).

Then the Spirit will lead us into the Sacraments where our hearts will be strengthened with the grace and love of God. In the Sacrament of Penance, God is there awaiting us as the father in the story of the prodigal son awaited his son. God is telling us: “Welcome home My son. I have prepared a banquet table for you and your friends. Come and partake of it.”

It is in the banquet of Holy Communion that we find Jesus, Who came so we would have eternal life.

Nourished by this celestial food, let us allow the heart of Jesus to make our hearts like His, and filled with His Joy, let us bring Him to everyone we come across in our lives.

Deacon Borges was ordained last October and now ministers at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and St. Anthony of Padua parishes in New Bedford.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Feb. 15, 1 Kgs 12:26-32;13:33-34; Ps 106:6-7,19-22; Mk 8:1-10. Sun. Feb. 16, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sir 15:15-20; Ps 119:1-2,4-5,17-18,33-34; 1 Cor 2:6-10; Mt 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a,27-28,33-34a,37. Mon. Feb. 17, Jas 1:1-11; Ps 119:67-68,71-72,75-76; Mk 8:11-13. Tues. Feb. 18, Jas 1:12-18; Ps 94:12-15,18-19; Mk 8:14-21. Wed. Feb. 19, Jas 1:19-27; Ps 15:2-5; Mk 8:22-26. Thurs. Feb. 20, Jas 2:1-9; Ps 34:2-7; Mk 8:27-33. Fri. Feb. 21, Jas 2:14-24,26; Ps 112:1-6; Mk 8:34—9:1.

P

ete Seeger died on January 27, rich in years (94) and in honors (a lifetimeachievement Grammy, the National Medal for the Arts).

His death rated a segment on the PBS News Hour, during which the inconvenient fact that Seeger had been a member of the U.S. Communist Party for years was finessed by the expedient of noting that he had eventually left the party. What Pete Seeger never left, of course, was the left: not the pragmatic liberal world of Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, and Scoop Jackson, but the hard left that created Stalin’s Popular Front in the ’30s and later spelled the country’s name “Amerika” in the ’60s.

With songs like “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”

“If I Had a Hammer” and “Turn, Turn, Turn” (best performed, if I may say, by The Byrds), Seeger did as much as anyone to popularize the folk music renaissance of the late ’50s and early ’60s. But the

Andrew Cuomo and the liberal blacklist principle vexation was the adulation that came Seeger’s “gridlock” in Washington that, way in recent decades had on his account, was caused less to do with his mastery by “extreme Republicans,” of the five-string banjo and which he distinguished from his song-writing than with “moderate Republicans” (i.e., his status in certain circles as a living martyr: the man who stiffed the House Un-American Activities Committee, found himself blacklisted, and was reduced to performing on college camBy George Weigel puses for a while.

Blacklisting is obviously bad business.

Republicans who tend to do What’s worth noting today, what Cuomo wants them to though, is that the ugly habit do). Then, turning to his own of blacklisting has migrated on the political spectrum. Ask Empire State, he announced that such extremists, among a lot of people the first thing whom he listed “right-to-life” they think of when they hear people, “have no place in the “blacklist,” and the response state of New York.” will likely be “Joe McCarMy professional obligations thy” or “HUAC.” The proper take me to New York with response would be “Andrew some frequency; and despite Cuomo.”

Cuomo’s rant, I somehow In mid-January, the New doubt that there will be cusYork governor indulged toms agents at Penn Station himself in a remarkable rant checking to see if I am one on a local radio station. His

The Catholic Difference

of those deplorable right-tolifers before I detrain and begin contributing to New York’s exchequer by paying its exorbitant sales tax on various goods and services. Still, it’s instructive to know that, by the lights of its 56th governor, I am in New York on sufferance: much like I was, I suppose, when I crossed into East Berlin in 1987 and was given a hard stare by the goon who examined my U.S. passport and looked at me as if I were a lower life form.

Cuomo is a blacklister — in the moral, if not literal, sense of the term. He deems unfit to live in his state those who disagree with his fervent, indeed fanatical, embrace of the most extreme form of the abortion license. Press him hard enough and he might even say such people are un-American. Thus has the HUAC ethos been recon-

stituted in our time by the governor of New York.

So it was not without a certain sense of ironies in the fire that I read Governor Cuomo’s statement on the death of Seeger, who waited until three years after the collapse of the Soviet Union to apologize “for once believing Stalin was just a hard driver,” not the mass murderer that more honest and discerning men and women on the democratic Left knew him to be a halfcentury earlier: the Seeger who, according to the motu proprio from the gubernatorial cathedra in Albany, inspires Cuomo and, Cuomo hopes, others in their quest to “make New York State the progressive capital of the nation.”

Where have all the liberals gone, long time passing? Not quite all have gone hard Left.

But Cuomo has, becoming a blacklister in the process.

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

February 14, 2014

14 February 2014 — Mashpee Town Cemetery — Night of the Full “Snow” Moon. ’ve lived more than a year in the Town of Falmouth.

My interest in local history is just now stirring. It was tweaked by a highway sign on the Falmouth/ Mashpee line. It looks like any place-sign erected by the State of Massachusetts. This sign, however, reads “Welcome to the land of the Wampanoag.” I filed it in my memory for some other occasion.

One day, after celebrating a Mass of Christian Burial, I officiated at an interment at the Mashpee Indian Cemetery. I had never been in this place before.

The cemetery is relatively small.

Many of the stones include not only the person’s legal name, but also the name by which he or she was known by the tribe. Some were engraved with animist symbols.

The cemetery is located behind an old meeting house. The meeting house style is quintessential New England — your standard Congregational church design. It’s a white wood-framed building with two windows on either side and two front entrances (many of the early congregations were segregated by gender).

I

s a starting point, let’s examine some philosophical A writings on the love shared in

friendship. C.S. Lewis described friendship as, “A relation between men at their highest level of individuality.” Henri Nouwen further characterized friendship as revealing the all-embracing love of God. St. Francis de Sales, in his “Introduction to the Devout Life” spoke of a spiritual friendship binding souls together. He said, “If the bond of your mutual liking be charity, devotion and Christian perfection, God knows how very precious a friendship it is. Truly, it is a blessed thing to love on earth as we hope to love in Heaven, and to begin that friendship here which is to endure forever there.”

Let’s jump to friendship in modern life. A young faculty member clicked the last button to complete the application set-up.

Rachel grinned and told me, “You’re on Skype and Facebook.

Select your friends and then your pictures and stuff are immediately sent to all of them.” In a way, she opened a new world for me. It is remarkable to be able to instantly share images and events with friends and family. However, as I explored this new world, I noticed so many people use these tools superficially. To me, this approach is missing a key ingredi-

Anchor Columnists Holy history mystery

pine branches in this ceremony.

The Old Indian Meeting House “Is there anything else?” I has no steeple. The building is in asked. “Yes. We say a prayer in very good condition. I filed this the Wampanoag dialect. The in my memory for some other prayer commends the soul of occasion. our beloved dead into the hands I hurried to the cemetery of the Creator.” Perfect. We will before the cortege. Some memincorporate your prayer. bers of the Wampanoag Tribe The spontaneously-combined had arrived before me. They were preparing tribal symbols for the burial. I was taken The Ship’s Log by surprise. I asked the Reflections of a leader what the symbols represented and how they Parish Priest were used. “First,” she

By Father Tim said, “we burn a bundle Goldrick of sage. It’s a symbol of purification. We purify the grave, the body of rituals and prayers seemed to the deceased, and the mourners. speak to all those who had It’s also a symbol of our prayers gathered in the cemetery that day. rising to Heaven like smoke.”

They spoke to the Wampanoag Perfect. As Catholics, we burn chief and his assembled elders. incense as a symbol of purificaThey spoke to the tribal memtion and of our prayers rising to God. We will use burning sage as bers. They spoke to those of European descent. The Holy Spirit part of this Rite of Committal. moved among us. “Amen. That “We also use pine branches,” was beautiful,” was the universal she explained. “At the end of the response. Indeed, it was. ceremony, each mourner is given Back home, I decided the time a pine branch to drop into the grave or place on the casket. Pine had arrived. I began my historical is an evergreen. It represents eter- research. It’s still evolving. At this point, here’s what I understand nal life.” Perfect. Evergreens are also a symbol of eternal life in the (subject to correction): There was a man named Catholic tradition. We will use

Richard Bourne, an immigrant from Devonshire, England by way of Barbados. He settled early in the Town of Sandwich.

A lawyer by profession, he was a prominent individual in town.

He also demonstrated talent as a Christian lay preacher. Whether his religious roots were Congregational or Quaker I have yet to learn. At any rate, he dedicated himself as a missionary to the local Wampanoag.

The term “Wampanoag” is from Narragansett, an extinct Algonquin dialect. It means “People of the East,” “Easterners,” or, more poetically, “People of Dawn’s Early Light.” The Wampanoag lived east of the Narragansett. In the late 17th century, Richard Bourne arranged for the transfer of 16 square acres of land to the Wampanoag. Called “Mashpee Plantation,” it was, it seems, the first “Indian reservation” in the United States. Whether that was good or bad, I do not know. The name “Mashpee” comes from mass-nippe, meaning “GreatWater.” In about 1684, an Indian Meeting House was built for the Christianized natives, sometimes

Friendship in the 21st century?

go, and wherever you lodge I will ent of friendship — the person’s lodge, your people will be my individual story. Is it a positive people and your God my God” that 21st-century technology (Ru 1:16). Both Naomi’s and is serving to redefine human Ruth’s selfless love is marked by friendship in this way? faithfulness, kindness and honor.

Albert Camus presented a Naomi and Ruth took care of recipe for being a friend. He each other and God took care of said, “Don’t walk in front of me; both of them.

I may not follow. Don’t walk The real-life example of behind me; I may not lead. Walk beside me and just be my friend.” friendship is a 60-plus years of friendship between Alice and Friendship is thus an art which must be learned through observation and then honed by a lifetime’s Wrestling with God day-to-day experiences.

Holding on for Living the mantra of “Walk beside me and just His blessing be my friend” culminates in a meaningful friendBy Dr. Helen Flavin ship where, as Mark Nepo says, “Giving and receiving become the same.” Let’s examine one Biblical Pauline. Although I never met Pauline, I know Alice from my and then one modern friendship ministry at the nursing home. experience.

Alice and Pauline were friends In a time of famine, Naomi, from grammar school to high her husband and their two sons school; attended each other’s left Bethlehem for Moab. Her weddings; were friends through sons both married. Eventually the birth and maturation of their her husband and two sons died. children; through the ups and As a broken woman, Naomi had downs of everyday life; supported to return to Bethlehem. Naomi one another through family tells her two daughter-in-laws deaths; and Alice was there when to return to their own mothers’ Pauline succumbed to a brain homes. Orpah does so. Ruth, on tumor. In their friendship, I see the other hand responds, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake fulfillment of Proverbs 17:17: “A friend is always loyal, and a sister you! For wherever you go I will

is born to help in time of need.”

Alice shared with me how one time she was in severe back pain and had to go to the doctor. Her husband was at work and Alice didn’t have another ride. As Alice debated what to do, the doorbell rang and it was Pauline! She had been guided there by the Holy Spirit. After a lifetime of friendship together, Alice and Pauline held hands and exchanged an “I love you” as Pauline went home to Our Lord.

Not surprisingly, in an information technology era that for some time has favored quantitative aspects of friendship, there are now numerous “how to” resources for building friendships. One example is Joy Carol’s “The Fabric of Friendship.” Carol lists some qualities that serve to cultivate lasting friendships. These include: knowing yourself; really listening to another; sticking it out when there are difficulties (that not taking things personally and listening with one’s heart really help here); and most importantly, being truthful, but kind. In the latter, I hear echoed the thought, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy” (Prov 27:6). Another example is the Horchows and their book “The Art of Friend-

9 called the “praying Indians.”

Richard Bourne was ordained the first minister. The meeting house is reputed to be the oldest extant Christian church building on Cape Cod. The building was later moved to its present site, according to tribal oral tradition.

It was restored in the 1990s. The Rev. Richard Bourne was followed by a Wampanoag minister, Simon Pompmunnet, followed

by Joseph Bourne (grandson of Richard) and then by Solomon Briant, a Wampanoag. The first known interment in the cemetery was in October of 1770 and the most recent, February of 2014. I was present at the latter.

History is all around us, wherever we happen to live. That history directly impacts who we are.

Unfortunately, so few of us take the time to investigate local history. We may not even appreciate those historical sites located just down the street. As for myself, I love a good history mystery on a long winter’s night.

[My research assistant in writing this column was Father Peter John Fournier.]

Anchor columnist Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth. He can be reached at frxmas@aol.com.

ship.” They emphasize the idea that people, in talking together, offer gifts of their knowledge.

This brings us to the key understanding for meaningful friendships in the 21st century — the effective use of technology to enhance individual relationships.

This is where the older generation can share a lifetime’s wisdom of friendship and the younger generation can share a lifetime’s experience with technology.

This week, let us each be open to making a new friend; sharing our experience; and mastering a technology that aids with that communication.

John Roebuck said, “The needle’s eye is wide enough for two friends.” I know Pauline will one day come back to escort Alice through that gate into Heaven. I hope that when it is my turn to die, that a friend will come back for me.

Anchor columnist Helen Flavin is a Catholic scientist, educator and writer born and raised in Fall River. She is a member of St. Bernadette’s Parish and received her Ph.D. in neurochemistry from Boston College and teaches in the Chemistry Department at Rhode Island College. She is also a science instructor at Bishop Connolly High School. She can be reached at hflavin@bishopconnolly.com.

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February 14, 2014

Nuncio: Church’s involvement in world affairs fits evangelizing mission

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Dialogue is “an important element of all social life” and “an essential element” of why the Catholic Church is involved “in the world of diplomacy and international relations,” the Vatican’s U.N. nuncio told Catholic social action directors meeting in Washington.

“With the Church as a dialogue partner, temporal powers should see that faith and reason are compatible and necessary allies in addressing and combating the problems

that threaten all of human society,” said Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt.

He made the comments in an address after he received the Harry A. Fagan Award by the Roundtable Association of Catholic Diocesan Social Action Directors. The event came on the eve of the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, held February 2-5.

The award is given annually to someone who has made a lasting contribution to Catholic social action efforts in light of Church teaching.

It is named for the late Harry Fagan, a veteran Catholic social action leader who was involved in social ministry in Ohio and at the now-closed National Pastoral Life Center.

He was secretary of the association, founded in 1987, until his death in 1993.

Archbishop Chullikatt, who has been U.N. nuncio since July 2010, was honored for his defense of the poor and vulnerable and his efforts to help forge international agreements on the environment and on nuclear weapons.

In his remarks, the archbishop discussed Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”). He tied the vision the pope lays out for an evangelical Church to the Catholic Church’s efforts at the U.N. to protect the human person, especially the poor and vulnerable, and to promote the common good, dialogue and peace in society. “‘Evangelii Gaudium’ is a call to action, a call to embrace the evangelizing mission, a call to dare, a call to proclaim the Gospel, not burdensomely, but joyfully because the Gospel is the true inheritance of our lasting peace and happiness,” Archbishop Chullikatt said.

Taken as a whole, he continued, the document “transmits the following conviction: The Gospel joy is the source of strength for the Church’s evangelizing mission in the world. Hence, the Church has to transform the frailty of her

people toward evangelical joy.”

God is the source of that joy, which “indwells in the missionary nature of the Church,” Archbishop Chullikatt said.

The pope’s focus in “Evangelii Gaudium” is the human person, he said, “in particular the poor among us, and the responsibility that we have as followers of Christ to promote their well-being, spiritual as well as material, by reaching out to them and by entering thus fully into the fabric of society.”

Pope Francis discusses “the profound connection between evangelization and integral human advancement,” Archbishop Chullikatt noted. The pope also stresses “the inclusion of the poor in society, and the promotion of the common good, solidarity, dialogue and peace in society,” he added.

“The common good and global peace intersect the fundamental objectives of the United Nations,” he continued. “The common good and peace are not simply attractive political slogans which can be put aside once they are mentioned in any discourse; rather, they are realities of life that guarantee authentic human flourishing for one and all.”

“The world in which we live at the present time is beset with a great deal of challenges and difficulties. Yet the Christian response is not to give up hope,” Archbishop Chullikatt said. “Rather, the Christian response should be to draw fresh hope from Christ Who has redeemed us and made us

His adopted sons and daughters.”

Among the tasks of Christ’s followers is to “know our faith and communicate it in the concrete circumstances of our daily lives,” he said.

“Within the international context, and in particular at the United Nations, the Holy See actively works to transmit the values of the Gospel for the well-being of all persons,” Archbishop Chullikatt said.

“Several Catholic-inspired nongovernmental organizations are also present at the United Nations and support us and join us in this noble task.”

He said he hoped Pope Francis’ exhortation would inspire all to recommit themselves to spreading the Gospel and promoting its values, “which are so much needed in the world in which we live, the ultimate purpose of which is really and truly the well-being of all peoples and the Salvation of the world.”

In its work at the United Nations, the Catholic Church “continues to exhort the position of right over might, not to preserve her own position or prestige, but to secure the peace and the inherent dignity that belong to all,” he said.

“When right relations based on the exercise of objective reason and the application of generosity prevail, God’s justice and peace will reign on this planet,” he added. “Pope Francis has helped us understand this with his apostolic exhortation.”

The western winter sky was in all its glory, silhouetting St. Mary’s Church in Mansfield following a recent Sunday evening Mass there. (Photo by Bill Breen)

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February 14, 2014

Pope in WYD message: Poverty leads us to true happiness

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — In his message for the 29th World Youth Day, Pope Francis draws his theme from the Beatitude on poverty, emphasizing that it teaches us joy, as well as the proper attitude to have towards those who are poor.

“To be blessed means to be happy. Tell me: Do you really want to be happy?” the pope asked in his February 6 message for the 29th World Youth Day, which takes place this Palm Sunday, on April 13.

“In an age when we are constantly being enticed by vain and empty illusions of happiness, we risk settling for less and ‘thinking small’ when it comes to the meaning of life.

Think big instead! Open your hearts!”

World Youth Day is a gathering of youths from all over the world to meet with the pope in order to build and strengthen the bonds of faith, friendship and hope, symbolizing the union between people of different cultures and countries.

This year’s theme, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt 5:3),” is the first in a series of three that will focus on the Beatitudes, culminating in the international event to be held in Krakow, Poland in 2016.

In his message to the youth, Pope Francis reflected on the revolutionary power of the Beatitudes, noting that in proclaiming them “Jesus asks us to follow Him and to travel with Him along the path of love, the path that alone leads to eternal life.”

Highlighting how the Beatitudes are “new and revolutionary,” the pope observed that “they present a model of happiness contrary to what is usually communicated by the media and by the prevailing wisdom” of our culture.

Warning the youth against

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the many forms of “low cost” “the poor are not just people to through Him, “it has yet to be happiness that the world pres- whom we can give something.” realized in its fullness.” ents, the pontiff cautioned “The Lord calls us to a GosHe also highlighted that them not to “stuff themselves” pel lifestyle marked by sobriety, there is “a close connection with the wrong things, but to by a refusal to yield to the cul- between poverty and evange“swim against the tide” and to ture of consumerism,” he said, lization,” drawing attention to “say no to an ephemeral, super- urging the youth to “put Jesus the passage in Scripture where ficial and throwaway culture.” first” and to “be detached from Jesus sends His out disciples, Turning to the Beatitude possessiveness and from the telling them to “take no gold, itself, the pope explained that idolatry of money and lavish no silver,” and “no staff.” we can understand the mean- spending.”

“Evangelical poverty is a ing of being “poor basic condition for in spirit” when Jen an age when we are constantly being spreading the Kingsus “became Man” dom of God,” the enticed by vain and empty illusions of pontiff explained, and “chose the path of poverty and self- happiness, we risk settling for less and ‘think- adding that “the emptying.” ing small’ when it come to the meaning of life. most beautiful and Looking to the Think big instead! Open your hearts!” spontaneous exGreek roots of the pressions of joy expression, Pope which I have seen Francis revealed that the Greek Pope Francis also encour- during my life were by poor word for poor, “ptochós,” does aged the youth to care for the people who had little to hold not “have a purely material poor and to “be sensitive to onto.” meaning,” but “suggests low- their spiritual and material liness, a sense of one’s limita- needs,” entrusting to them “the tions and existential poverty.” task of restoring solidarity to Recalling the life of St. the heart of human culture.”

Francis of Assisi, the pope notUsing the example of St. ed that he “understood perfect- Benedict Joseph Labré, who ly the secret of the Beatitude of begged on the streets of Rome the poor in spirit.” and gave spiritual advice to “When Jesus spoke to him many, including “nobles and through the leper and from prelates,” the pontiff emphathe crucifix, Francis recognized sized that the poor “have much both God’s grandeur and his to offer us and to teach us.” own lowliness,” the pontiff ob“They show us that people’s served, highlighting how he value is not measured by their imitated “Christ in His poverty possessions or how much monand in love for the poor,” add- ey they have in the bank. A ing that “for Him the two were poor person, a person lacking inextricably linked — like two material possessions, always sides of one coin.” maintains his or her dignity.”

In order to make poverty Moving to the second part real in our own lives, the pope of the Beatitude, “for theirs is explained that we need to “try the Kingdom of Heaven,” the to be free with regard to mate- pope noted that “Jesus is the rial things,” to “experience con- Kingdom of God in Person,” version in the way we see the and although we have already poor,” and to understand that seen the Kingdom of God

“I

“Evangelization in our time will only take place as the result of contagious joy.”

Drawing attention to the Canticle of Mary, who was “poor in spirit,” the pontiff noted that “the joy of the Gospel arises from a heart which, in its poverty, rejoices and marvels at the works of God, like the heart of Our Lady, whom all generations call ‘blessed.’”

The theme for next year’s WYD will focus on the Beatitude “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8), and the international event in 2016 will conclude the reflection on the Beatitudes by examining the meaning of “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7).

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February 14, 2014

Chart-topping Benedictine nuns to release album for Lent Kansas City, Mo. (CNA/EWTN News) — The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles — an order of contemplative nuns who live in a cloister yet repeatedly climb music charts — are set to release an album for Lent later this month.

Of the 23 songs found on “Lent at Ephesus,” three are original compositions by Sisters of the community, whose priory is in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

“We feel like we are stepping out on a limb whenever we record any original pieces,” Mother Cecilia, prioress of the community, told CNA. “In a way it is difficult, because the hymns we write come directly from our hearts, and lending them to a larger audience always costs something.”

“Lent at Ephesus” was released February 11 on the De Montfort Music label, which was founded last year by Kevin and Monica Fitzgibbons; it can be ordered from the Sisters at http://benedictinesofmary.org/.

It is the Benedictine’s third album with the label; 2012’s “Advent at Ephesus” was number one on Billboard’s Classical Traditional Music Chart for six weeks, and last year’s “Angels and Saints at Ephesus” spent 13 weeks in the same position.

All the music released by the Benedictines of Mary come from their life in community, of which singing is an integral part.

Their life is marked by obedience, stability, and “continually turning” towards God. They have Mass daily according to the extraordinary form, and chant the psalms eight times a day from the 1962 Monastic Office. They also support themselves by producing made-toorder vestments.

The chanting of the Divine Office so characterizes their life that the original compositions on “Lent at Ephesus” flow from it in some way.

Mother Cecilia said that the melody of “Divine Physician,” composed in 2012, “grew out of the Passiontide responsory, a very poignant piece of chant that stands out in a melancholic

contrast to the ones used daily and on feast days.”

The song’s lyrics come from Scripture and the Rule of St. Benedict, while the lyrics of “Mother of Sorrows” are adapted from a poem authored by St. Alphonsus Liguori.

“The words by themselves are heart-wrenching,” the prioress reflected, “and it is hoped that the music further brings to life the most bitter sorrow of Our Lady at the foot of the cross, musically capturing the sword that pierced her heart.”

The final original composition, “My Mercy,” was written by a Sister in the community “for our bishop’s anniversary, something he could easily call to mind and meditate upon.”

Mother Cecilia said the Divine Mercy is “a favorite theme within our community,” where they pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily. “We often think of ourselves as vessels in Our Lady’s hands to draw the Blood and Water from Our Lord’s pierced side, poured out for priests.”

She said the lyrics come largely from the diary of St. Faustina, “and it seems their very simplicity is what moves hearts.”

“It has been our ‘most requested’ piece, and we thought it a fitting and uplifting end to the Lent CD, because it is the culmination of the fruits of the Passion.”

The songs on the album are in English and Latin, and include chant, hymns, and polyphony; music from the Liturgy of Holy Week is included, as are familiar hymns such as “All Glory, Laud and Honor.”

The album’s producer, Blanton Alspaugh, commented that “their singing has a very pure and yet sophisticated style.

Their talent is as remarkable as their sense of charity.”

Monica Fitzgibbons, cofounder of De Montfort Music, observed that “to encounter this music is to be invited and included in a very special expression of love from the depths of the human soul as they devote each breathtaking and heartfelt note to their Divine Spouse.”

Animated characters appear in “The Lego Movie.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Warner Bros.)

CNS Movie Capsules NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by Catholic News Service.

“The Lego Movie” (Warner Bros.)

This lively 3-D animated adventure, populated by the toys of the title, centers on an ordinary construction worker (voice of Chris Pratt) who finds himself taken for a prophesied hero and propelled on a crusade to thwart an evil CEO’s (voice of Will Ferrell) scheme to control the world.

He’s aided in the struggle by, among others, a tough but fetching underground activist (voice of Elizabeth Banks), her self-centered boyfriend, Batman (voice of Will Arnett), and the pixilated mystic who predicted the champion’s arrival in the first place (voice of Morgan Freeman). Opposing them is the would-be dictator’s principal minion (voice of Liam Neeson), a police officer torn between the good and bad sides of his own personality. Colorful, fast-paced and diverting for both young and old, directors and co-writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s film is also surprisingly pointed in its satire of conformist consumerism. A format-shifting conclusion showing family bonds trumping selfishness is another asset. Cartoon mayhem, some peril, a bit of mild scatological humor. The Catholic News Service classification is A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association

of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested.

Some material may not be suitable for children.

“The Monuments Men” (Columbia) George Clooney co-wrote, directed and stars in this factbased World War II drama in which his character, a leading art historian-turned-Armyofficer, assembles an eccentric team of similar experts (most prominently Matt Damon, Bill Murray and John Goodman) to trace and rescue the vast store of cultural treasures purloined by the Nazis during their four-years-plus occupation of most of Europe.

As these over-the-hill soldiers adjust to life in uniform and the perils of the Western Front, their attention focuses on a Paris museum curator (Cate Blanchett), who witnessed the Teutonic looting firsthand. Despite its honorable intentions and a cast of heavy hitters, Clooney’s picture, adapted from the book

by Robert M. Edsel (written with Bret Witter), falls well short of the monumental.

Though the script’s comic byplay is amusing enough, a firm foundation is never laid for its more solemn moments.

Possibly acceptable for mature teens. Some combat vio-

lence with brief gore, about a half-dozen uses of profanity, a few crude and crass terms. The Catholic News Service 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.

“That Awkward Moment” (Focus) Though it presents itself as a quip-filled romantic comedy, writer-director Tom Gormican’s film is, sad to say, not much more than a collection of smutty moments. Zac Efron stars as a commitmentphobe who, together with his friends, longs for near-daily sexual encounters but flees at the first sign of stability. They eventually arrive at some form of maturity and wisdom, but the film takes an ugly approach before getting them there. Frequent nonmarital sexual encounters, partial male nudity, sexual sight gags and banter, constant references to body functions, pervasive rough and crude language.

The Catholic News Service 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 16, 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father John P. Phalen, CSC, president of Holy Cross Family Ministries in North Easton

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February 14, 2014

C

Difficult moral decisions in brain death and pregnancy

NN recently profiled the case of a woman named Marlise Munoz, who was pregnant and brain dead.

Its report noted that Munoz was “33 years old and 14 weeks pregnant with the couple’s second child when her husband found her unconscious on their kitchen floor November 26. Though doctors had pronounced her brain dead and her family had said she did not want to have machines keep her body alive, officials at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, argued state law required them to maintain life-sustaining treatment for a pregnant patient.”

The family sought a court order to have Munoz disconnected from the ventilator because she had shared that she never wanted to be on life support. It remained unclear, however, whether Munoz would have felt the same way about life support if she knew she were pregnant and nurturing a child.

As weeks on the ventilator turned into months, Munoz began to manifest overt signs of death: her skin texture changed, becoming cool and rubbery like a mannequin’s, and her body began to smell

expended so much effort to of deterioration. Maintaining a mother’s corpse on a ventila- foster that new life, naturally want to offer her child this tor requires significant effort opportunity to live, even after and expense, and imposes real her own death? The medical burdens on family members, literature documents several who would like to be able to cases where such a child has grieve their loss, and are not been delivered later by Cfully able to do so while their loved one remains in a state of suspended Making Sense animation — deceased, Out of yet not quite ready to be buried because she is Bioethics still supporting a living

By Father Tad child.

Pacholczyk Munoz’s case raises challenging questions: should the continued section and fared well. Thus use of a ventilator in these it can clearly be reasonable in circumstances be considered certain situations for medical extreme? Could such lifeprofessionals to make a serious sustaining measures be coneffort to shuttle a pregnancy sidered abusive of a corpse? to the point of viability, for the These are hard questions, in benefit of the sole remaining part because people can give patient, i.e. the child. their bodies over to a variety As Munoz’s pregnancy apof uses after they die. Some proached 22 weeks (with 23 donate them to science, so weeks generally being considstudents can open them up, ered “viable” for life outside look around inside and learn about anatomy. Others donate the womb), lawyers for the family declared that the child their organs to help strangers was “distinctly abnormal,” with who need transplants. Simisignificant deformities in the larly, a mother’s corpse — no lower extremities. The child longer useful to her — may was also reported to suffer be life-saving for her child. from hydrocephalus and a posWouldn’t a mother, carrying a child in her womb, and having sible heart defect. Some com-

mentators even speculated that the defects of the unborn child may have been “incompatible with life.”

In prenatal cases, depending on the likelihood of survival until viability, efforts may be made to at least offer a C-section and provide Baptism. Often the family, with the assistance of perinatal Hospice, can hold and name their child right after such a delivery, even as his or her brief life draws to a close.

This can provide valuable healing and closure for the family.

Whether Munoz’s unborn child (later named Nichole by her father) had defects that were genuinely “incompatible with life,” or whether she would have simply been born with handicaps, is an important question. Extensive prenatal testing was rendered difficult by the machinedriven, ICU-bound body of Munoz. The possibility that a child might be born with handicaps, of course, should not become the equivalent of a death sentence for the unborn, as members of the disability community are quick to

remind us. We should love and welcome those with disabilities as much as anyone else.

Public reaction to Munoz’s case ranged from strong support and hope that her child would be born, to claims that hospital officials were treating her deceased body as an incubator to “preserve the fetus she carried.” In the end, a judge in Fort Worth ordered Munoz’s corpse to be disconnected from life support, even though the pregnancy had been successfully maintained for nearly two months and Nichole was a mere stone’s throw from viability. While it was clearly a difficult and heart-wrenching situation for all involved, including the courts, this legal decision seemed questionable, given the uncertainty surrounding Nichole’s actual medical condition and her apparent proximity to being able to be delivered.

Anchor columnist Father Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, and serves as the director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org.

with God and is worthy of global Catholic devotion “has to be treated with care.”

“It’s not as if the Vatican is asking for a canonization, it’s the people,” he said. Nothing happens without grass-roots pressure at the start.

That helps explain why members of religious orders occupy most of the places on the Church’s calendar of saints, and why lay saints are so few.

“One could say a religious order is a mightier lobby for a cause,” encouraging its members and the people they serve to pray to the habited holy one and report back any favors received, Father Lindeijer said.

Generally for canonization, the Church requires a demonstration that the popular devotion to a candidate has extended over a long period of time. Canonization, Father Lindeijer said, “is not a stamp of approval” for how someone lived his or her life, but is a way for the Church to hold that person up as an example for today’s Catholics and the Catholics of tomorrow.

For example, the Diocese of Macerata, Italy, recently con-

expected to do the same later this year with Blessed Jose Anchieta, a late 16th-century missionary to Brazil, and Blesseds Marie de l’Incarnation and Francois de Laval, who were missionaries in Canada in the 1600s.

Father Lindeijer said he considers setting aside the miracle requirement a less serious exception than shortening the waiting period after a candidate’s death.

The 1917 Code of Canon Law stipulated that a sainthood cause could not open until 50 years after the candidate’s death.

Pope John Paul shortened the

period to five years, but set even that aside for Mother Teresa of Kolkata. A month after Pope John Paul’s death, Pope Benedict XVI announced he had set aside the waiting period for his predecessor’s cause.

“I’ve never believed in ‘santo subito,’” Father Lindeijer said, referring to the calls for Pope John Paul’s canonization immediately after his death.

“Fame comes and goes, and fame of sanctity, as Pope Benedict rightly said, is something that should be growing,” he said. “When that phenomenon can be proven, it shows that the Holy Spirit is at work.”

People power: Popular devotion is key factor in sainthood process VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The sainthood process is long and technically complicated, and ultimately requires the approval of the pope, but the whole procedure is driven

by Catholics in the pews and, especially, those on their knees.

The Congregation for Saints’ Causes and the official promoters of causes — known as postulators — do the paperwork, but if there is no evidence of widespread devotion to a candidate, no visits to the person’s grave, no reports of favors and even miracles received through the potential saint’s intercession, the cause just sits there.

Even for centuries.

Jesuit Father Marc Lindeijer, assistant postulator of sainthood causes for his order, says he has no problem waiting.

On the contrary, as far as the Dutch priest is concerned, the more time passes, the more certain the Church can be of the lasting importance of a candidate’s witness.

“I think the process has to be long and complicated,” he said.

The solemn declaration that a specific person is in Heaven

cluded the preliminary phase of the cause of its native son Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci, the 16thcentury missionary to China.

The cause also has received strong support from Chinese bishops, Father Lindeijer said.

However, he worries that outside of Macerata and China, Father Ricci is admired for his scholarship and culturally sensitive approach to missionary work, but not necessarily venerated as holy. To promote his cause successfully, Father Lindeijer will need to answer the question: “Are people praying to Matteo Ricci?”

“Massive popular devotion” is even more important than verified miracles in deciding whether or not to canonize someone, Father Lindeijer said.

When “the cult is clear and many people receive many graces praying to them,” the pope can waive the requirement of a miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession.

For instance, Pope Francis will canonize Blessed John XXIII April 27 even though there is no papal decree recognizing a specific miracle; he is

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February 14, 2014

Area men to gather for Lenten retreat continued from page one

because of a change in the venue at the DCU Center.

“The Holy Spirit must have done this,” said Millet. “There was a scheduling mix-up, and instead of scheduling where we normally are (with a capacity between 1,000 and 1,200 guests), they scheduled a larger part of the center. This year we’re setting a goal for 1,500, but it will still look like there is no one there.”

Consequently, they are encouraging men of the Fall River Diocese and Archdiocese of Boston to join them at the retreat.

A parishioner of St. Kilian’s Parish in New Bedford, Edwin Aldarondo lamented the lack of opportunities for Catholic men to come together to share new ways to grow in their faith.

“The Archdiocese of Boston used to offer a men’s conference once a year,” said Aldarondo, a Confirmation teacher and youth coordinator. “We used to promote it in our parish, and open it up to other parishes in the area. But they are not running the conferences anymore.”

Searching online, he discovered the Catholic Men’s Conference in Worcester.

“I feel there is a great need for men to get involved in our diocese, and this is a great opportunity,” he said. “I requested information and started promoting it to the Knights of Columbus and Men of the Sacred Hearts and other ministries

I am involved in. I love to encourage young teen-agers to attend the conference as well.”

According to Millet, the most effective way to acquaint Catholic men with the retreat is a tap on the shoulder and a personal invitation.

“Someone like Edwin is so important to us,” said Millet. “He sounded very excited about bringing a bus to Worcester this Lent.”

The Catholic Men’s Conference has always been held on the weekend of the Third Sunday of Lent.

“When I’m speaking to someone about coming, I tell him to think about making a one-day retreat as his Lenten observance,” said Millet. “That is always a good thing.”

Those men who desire a deeper union with Christ and are looking for practical answers for today’s challenges will have the opportunity to strengthen their Catholic identity at the Catholic Men’s Conference, which will include dynamic talks from five outstanding Catholic leaders.

New England Patriots’ veteran Kevin Reilly will speak about overcoming adversity with faith and persistence. “In this day and age, we are quickly becoming a nation of victims, allowing adversities and challenges to overwhelm the skills and blessings that our God has

Guest speakers for the Catholic Men’s Conference April 5 in Worcester include, top, from right: Kevin Reilly, Steve Ray, and Christopher West; and bottom: Gus Lloyd and Father Frank Hoffman.

given us to handle the crosses that come with this life,” he said.

A convert, author, film producer and certified guide to the Holy Land, Steve Ray will explain how our culture is falling back into a new paganism. “We worship at the altars of comfort, affluence and self-indulgence,” he said.

One of the most recognized teachers of “Theology of the Body,” Christopher West will speak on the topic “Sexual Redemption: Untwisting the Lies and Rejoicing in the Truth.” “Pornography used to be something one had to seek out,” he said. “Today, it seeks us out.”

Sirius radio host Gus Lloyd will talk about “Magnetic Christianity.” “We all have family and friends who no longer practice their faith,” he said. “We can help re-evangelize the culture, starting with ourselves.”

Relevant Radio’s Father Frank

This week in

“Rocky” Hoffman will explain how Confession is one of the two “breadand-butter Sacraments” along with the Holy Eucharist, and essential to staying on track in the Christian life. “Do not be afraid,” he said.

Ticket prices, which include lunch, are $30 for students, $45 for adults through March 22, and $60 for adults after that date and at the door. For tickets, send a check to Catholic Men’s Conference, 49 Elm Street, Worcester, Mass., 01609; or purchase tickets online through PayPal at www.firstmensconf.org.

For bus transportation to the Conference in the company of the men of the Diocese of Fall River, call Edwin Aldarondo at 508-998-8603 or St. Kilian’s Parish at 508-992-7587.

For more information about the retreat, visit www.firstmensconf.org or call Julie Schroeder at 508-929-4345.

Diocesan history

50 years ago — A Lenten forum for adults featuring speakers from the medical profession and the clergy was conducted at Immaculate Conception Church in North Easton, starting on Ash Wednesday night and continuing through Easter Sunday.

10 years ago — Anne Marie Kelly, director of staff development and pain management at Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River, was the recipient of the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium Award of Excellence.

25 years ago — Father William H. O’Reilly, former pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Taunton, delivered the invocation and Benediction at the swearing-in ceremony for his nephew, William K. Reilly, the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

One year ago — Bishop George W. Coleman presided over the blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly-completed academic resource center at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth.

15

February 14, 2014

See the forest for the trees Reflections on the Year of Faith from a runner of the Myles Standish Marathon Editor’s note: This is the second installment of a three-part reflection by Rob Grant who participated in the November Myles Standish Marathon, where he helped raise funds to help the hungry and homeless.

CARVER — Massasoit prevented the failure of Plymouth Colony and the almost certain starvation of many. A contemporary parallel can be drawn in that The Damien Food Pantry in Wareham helps people from going hungry in the 14 surrounding communities.

Forging a tie with this local charity rather than an internationally-oriented one for which I’d run in the past, was an exciting change. Paired with an old, reliable friend Jeff Carboni, GM at Cosi’s, who concurred that the Damien Food Pantry was appropriate for a Cosi Benefit Night.

“I’m familiar with them,” Jeff said. “I want to help you with this charity run.” He did in scheduling our event for November 20 and helped set up a display table by the door of his store at Wareham Crossing with an assortment of Damien Food Pantry non-perishable foods on its “Wish List.”

One patron pitched in, not through a donation, but by giving something even more precious to the Damien Food Pantry — volunteering his time.

“I’ve been thinking of doing something like this. Seeing you here, it’s as if it is a sign to become involved,” marveled the enthusiastic Cosi patron.

“Feeding the hungry is a greater work than raising the dead” — St. John Chrysostom.

This quote underscores each brochure of Damien’s Place that were distributed at Cosi’s.

Three days earlier in the throes of the marathon, I felt a twinge of “the wall” coming on earlier than usual. A few of us runners turned onto Long Pond Road, signaling the end of our 15-mile jaunt through Myles Standish Forest. The tough work would begin.

With Thanksgiving to take place 11 days thenceforth race day, during the marathon, and after, I often daydreamed into a stream of conscience, swept up in thoughts concerning the continuation of good works born from various pilgrim-type figures in history who modeled so well the helping of the needy and the poor in their day and age, whose exemplary mission-

ary activities we may emulate and follow in their footsteps, namely, St. Damien and Myles Standish.

The latter, a more obscure figure than St. Damien, held the prestigious distinction of being a captain of the Plymouth Colony militia, and also settled the town of Duxbury.

Time is short. Many people in our society recognize the dwindling hourglass of time in their lives, and accordingly start to do the right thing. Recently on “60 Minutes,” Warren Buffett and other billionaires pledged to give away up to 99 percent of their fortunes.

Your average charity-marathoner, however, may well give more when measured under the Widow’s Mite lens; for they dole out nearly every ounce of time, talent and treasure — not just a rote plucking from the pocketbook, which is a start, but rather borne from a total donation of self for others.

To put the magnifying lens over the charitable works of St. Damien and Myles Standish reveals a nice overview of how we may take something from their self-giving and apply it to our own lives presently.

St. Damien’s personal pilgrimage had led him overseas from Belgium to care for a leper colony on Molokai. Whereas Standish, an English officer who was sought from England and voyaged to New England, played a key role in advising and counseling the locals in the defense of Plymouth.

Both men donned the hats of leadership in their particular endeavors. St. Damien was depicted at his canonization at St. Peter’s Square with a widebrimmed, brown straw hat atop a bedraggled, pocked face from leprosy, as opposed to the slicker, buckled black pilgrim-hat that evidently sat atop Myles’s crown.

The only adornment on my person was a “Boston Strong” bracelet, which I’d forgotten about until the masseuse brightened, “I really like your bracelet, and what’s that?” Jennifer pointed to the image, laminated in its oblong shape, above my heart over my breast pocket. I answered, “The Sacred Heart of Jesus,” then flipped it instinctively over to show her, “and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, see?”

“Did you just pin that on?”

“No. I wear it all the time as a witness to the faith.”

Moments before flopping

onto the patch of grass beside Jennifer’s massage table, I recalled my parent’s wave at the end of the final bend of the long lap around Plymouth North High School by the finish, as it made me overflow with gratitude for the support that Bob and Elaine showed in coming out to see me at a marathon.

Conversely, not long before this bliss, when I’d been in the thick of battling “the wall,” a penance I was dearly paying throughout the last four miles, a slow dirge that inhibited my pace, slowing to a labored uphill crawl with nary a motion that resembled a racked, old man on pilgrimage from Liverpool to Lough Derg only to find himself alone amongst the motionless and near lifeless plaintive wails of fellow pilgrims praying for and atoning from herewith limiting their purgatory. OK, a bit of an exaggeration!

Despite the stereotypical image of a marathoner as an endorphin-rush seeker, prone to addictive endeavors, akin to how most San Fran miners had been smitten in their Gold Rush quests, marathoners nonetheless make slow jogs and mad dashes down hills in an effort to finish the unbelievably long course where we have time, like that old Liverpool penitent at his place of pilgrimage at St. Patrick Sanctuary on a one-day retreat, to step back while jogging forward and think of our lives’ directions.

Ultimately, we break through our dreaded wall and find the gumption to make good on our pre-race promise to our charityof-choice, which demands for a “Boston Strong” finish, while recognizing that our involvement in such a noble service is where true power and reserve of mind reside in the battle to overcome obstacles, as did both Myles and St. Damien throughout their stellar lives.

The crowd gleans a glimpse of such heroics in a special way at a marathon finish, where there exists an almost incommunicable thrill of completion of a task once considered insurmountable. An indescribable grandeur experienced by the marathoner that soars within their being and could never be downplayed, radiates and draws in the observer, flooding them with inspirational thoughts that ripple out as if from a rock thrown into a still pond.

The will to finish and conquer “the wall” is a reality in mara-

thon running, and tantamount to the response from St. Thomas Aquinas when his sister asked what it takes to become a great saint — we must will it! Same thing with running a marathon.

The recollection of the most challenging hills becomes miraculously transformed from awful to the most pleasant memories when endured and linked to something else greater than us — or more accurately, somebody!

Tapping into such Divine strength at a marathon is a necessity, not only for the running participants, as one may guess, but is also the domain of an unsung hero at most marathons — the masseuse.

“Where did you summon the strength to work on people nonstop from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.?”

“Our training is to stay calm and to give peace — those two things are the whole goal of massage. I got a good night’s sleep because I knew I would be the only masseuse on duty. I also ate a good breakfast. And I’m so motivated by the marathoners who can run that distance. I can’t run that far.”

“What moments stand out?”

“All the runners were truly inspirational. Especially impressive was Mike Brooks who completed his 400th marathon. Another was the gentleman who pushed his son in a wheelchair (Dick and Rick Hoyt). The look on their faces was beautiful. To see that was just so heartwarming.”

Watching a video of Team Hoyt (whose motto is “Yes, You Can!”) had inspired 47-year-old, John Young to begin marathoning.

Plymouth race director Ann Marie Winchester was touched when John wanted to come back to hand out medals in Plymouth this year after having run the Myles inaugural marathon last year where he qualified for Boston.

“Last year, John was less than a mile from the finish when the bomb went off. Fifteen days later, he finished the final mile there, and will be running Boston again in 2014. We appreciate his dedication in coming back here to Plymouth to help at the finish.”

Jennifer recounted the most memorable moment for her at Myles this day, as “the teenager who the EMTs brought over because she had severely cramped up, also within a mile

from the end.”

“I straightaway had to interrupt one massage, so I could attend to her,” Jennifer explained.

“It was challenging. She was shivering. I calmed her and did my best to warm her. Even with three Mylar wraps and the stretching and massaging, the cramp kept coming back a good while.”

“You must have done a great job. I remember that her father thanked you with a little gift.”

“That was unexpected. I was just doing my job, comforting her. It was her first marathon and hadn’t run that far; lactic acid had built up. I guided her breathing and got her spirits up.”

“Was it difficult to be barraged?”

“It was nonstop, but found time to nibble on a slice of Bertucci Pizza.”

Jennifer’s generosity of spirit and work ethic reminded me of the yeoman work that St. Damien had willingly undertaken. Despite being all alone with no yoke-mate, he was undeterred.

At St. Damien’s beatification, Pope John Paul summed up his life, “Love expresses itself in giving. He loves for others, those whose needs were greatest.”

Jennifer’s sensitiveness in working on the young girl held the earmarks of St. Damien’s extremely devout care of the lepers. For Jennifer expeditiously admitted the EMT-led young girl, tending to her cramps with great tenderness.

“Normally I do pressure stretches, and warm up the muscles. With her, I focused very hard on the goal — peace.”

“Sometimes life is a rat-race, and the rats are winning,” I offered.

“My job is to slow their thoughts down, particularly when they are discouraged.”

Marathon running guarantees neither a top-three placing, nor a finisher’s medal.

However, donating to a charity does guarantee a tangible reward, treasure in Heaven.

Oscar Wilde said, “What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Rob Grant is an Associate Missionary of Peace (Third Order member) for the Apostles of Peace in East Weymouth. He resides in Mattapoisett and is an active member of the Legion of Mary at St. Joseph Parish in Fairhaven.

16

Youth Pages

Students in grades pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro recently received a lesson in money from Ms. Money and the Coins, a musical educational program sponsored by the Blue Hills Bank Charitable Foundation. Julie Beckham, financial educator with BHBCE, also know as “Ms. Money,” along with her colleagues Chris “Nickles” Doherty and Carol “Penny” Smolinsky entertained and taught the students about making, saving, sharing and spending money. Shown here are first-graders participating in the finale along with Penny and Nickles.

Supersized and calorie-free, sixth-grade students at All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford displayed their giant scale model 3D candy bars created in math class at a recent school Open House.

February 14, 2014

The kindergarten children at Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford studied Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and learned that this great man wanted people in the world to live in peace and harmony.

The children volunteered ways to show kindness and love to others and promised to help make Dr. King’s dream come true.

First- and second-graders at Holy Name School in Fall River recently enjoyed learning about the Chinese New Year. All the students made colorful and festive dragon masks.

Students from St. James-St. John School in New Bedford recently participated in a middle school science fair. Shown are some of the award-winners.

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

February 14, 2014

T

oday is Valentine’s Day and this past week was National Marriage Week, so I wonder what I should write about?

I know! Let me start this way; what are the chances that two people from two different worlds meet each other?

Miles from where they began.

From different states, different backgrounds, different religious upbringings, different lifestyles and different personalities. What forces were in play for this to occur? Looking back over these 35 years, there is only One force that was in play: God. My wife Kris and I have been married for 35 years! It is incredible to think that 35 years have passed since that rainy day in August 1978. This journey of 35 years started with those few tentative steps up the aisle at the conclusion of the Marriage ceremony. Who could know then what this journey would be like? Who could dream that 35 years later we’d be together when so many other Marriages seem to end — sometimes in months or within a few years?

How did we make it through 35 years? I’d like to share with you a few scenes from those 35 years — that have brought us to this point in our lives.

Scene 1 — 1974: Kris and I start teaching in the same school in Attleboro. We date once. She dumps me. We don’t speak for two years.

Scene 20 —1977: We’re engaged, but Kris returned the ring to me twice this month.

She said I deserved better. She’s had a tough upbringing. Unconditional love is something she’s unfamiliar with. I gave her back the ring each time.

Scene 72 — 1978: Wedding day. Kris is at the hospital. Her grandmother had a heart attack this morning. She’s walking home to get dressed. We’re off to the church. Pouring rain. We get married. Visit Babcia in the hospital. She’ll be OK. We head to the reception. Off to a good start … not!

Scene 151: Constant stress over the first few years of Marriage as a result of Kris’ mother.

Marriage was strained and stretched but didn’t break … yet.

Scene 280: I decided and Kris supported my decision to leave a steady job and go out and start a business. I wanted it all!

Scene 340: Got what I wanted. Business success! Free time for each other and our families became non-existent.

But I didn’t care, because we were successful! We had it all!

Scene 500: Graced with first beautiful daughter. Was home

Youth Pages Scenes from a Marriage

only 10 days in the first 90 days of her life. Made it home for her Baptism. Whew! What is wrong with this picture?

Scene 800: I’m happier. Kris is unhappier. I don’t notice. Second beautiful baby girl is born.

I’m home even less.

Scene 950: Kris asks me to sell the business. We do. She returns to teaching. I work for another company.

Scene 1,000: Kris asks me to go on a Cursillo retreat. I balk.

Finally agree to go.

Scene 1,002: I went to the Cursillo retreat.

God used that time well. I was forced to look at my life of success and came to realize that it was a life of failure. I was doing everything for myself and nothing for others. I hardly gave God much thought. On that weekend God sent me a message … that I had to change my life more toward what He wanted from me. I can honestly say that I came home from that weekend a changed person. So much so that I scared the heck out of my own wife Scene 1,003: Kris returns from Cursillo retreat. Together at home we examined our lives. We discern that God wanted us to work as a team to be part of His plan for the two of us; we felt He wanted us to fulfill the verse that appeared on our wedding invitation — “And the two shall become as one.”And so with little discussion we redirect and change our lives and lifestyle.

Scene 1,100: We devoted ourselves to the service of others and raised our girls with these same values. No matter where we went in the service of the Lord, our girls went with us. It was then that Kris and I realized that the empty feeling that had so long occupied a place in both souls was gone. I thanked God for the many gifts that He had so graciously bestowed upon us.

Scene 1,340: We begin Youth Ministry program in our parish.

Scene 1,400: Business partner nearly bankrupts us. We start over. For whatever happened to us, Christ was always at our side — directing us, helping us — all we had to do was ask and ask we always did.

Scene 1,424: Some health issues affect many members of the family but we all get through it by the grace of God. Eldest daughter gets married. Good times!

Scene 1,470: After many years of discernment I discuss the diaconate with Kris. She tells me that is where I belong. Five years of study begins.

Scene 1,526: Ordained in October 2013. A new way of life awaits us. Three months in, and it is all we ever dreamed it would be and more!

Scene 1,560: Gonna be a grandpa in less than two weeks!

Youngest daughter is getting married in June and I’m receiv-

Be Not Afraid

By Deacon Frank Lucca ing their vows! The cycle of love begins again.

Scene 1,600: Kris is my inspiration, my anchor and my support. She has never denied me anything, and has always been supportive of my sometimes lamebrain ideas. She is always there for me. And for me to get involved in all of the areas of ministry that I have been involved in, she has taken a back seat to keep the house going, the girls supported and all of the other hundreds of things that have to happen in a Marriage. She more than carries her weight in our relationship. She serves in her way so that I can serve in mine. That’s the team effort that works for us.

These are but a few of the thousands of scenes that we have lived. Just like you and your family. Some ups and a lot of downs. Even though we have been faithful servants of Christ during all these years since Cursillo do not think that we have not experienced our periods of desolation. Christ never promised us a rose garden.

He only promised to be there to help us get through the perils that we may face. He helped us as we witnessed the death of our fathers and a mother, the sicknesses of a mother, friends and their children and the breast cancer diagnosis that Kris faced

14 years ago. It was especially during these periods that our Marriage was strengthened.

During this darkest period of our lives when Kris felt that she was being punished by God for not being good enough, we prayed to Christ, our best friend.

We turned to Him for consolation and He was there waiting for us.

Many people have asked why we continue to have faith when so much has happened in our lives — especially Kris’ illness and other difficulties that we’ve face. I think they feel that God has abandoned us and therefore we should abandon Him. While we’ve both gotten angry at God over the years — we know He continues to be there for us. If we walk away, He stays — ready to rejoin us and return to our sides whenever we need Him. There is no greater feeling than to know that God is with us always and He will never let us down — even when we let Him down.

So how did we make it through 35 years? We continue to be best friends and

17 hold Christ as the center of our lives. No decision in our life is ever made without first consulting Him. Everything we do and everything that we are as individuals to each other and to those that we serve arises from the faith that we have in our Lord, Jesus Christ. Of course it is easier to look back at our age to see God’s plan for us. For you it may not be as clear yet. It will be some day.

In the meantime, turn yourself over to God’s will. Talk to Him before you do anything.

Trust in Him and know that whatever is happening to you at any moment is happening for a reason. Remember to let go, and let God, for above all He is the One Who knows where you’ve been, where you are going and where you should be.

Anchor columnist Frank Lucca is a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Fall River, a youth minister at St. Dominic’s Parish in Swansea, and a campus minister at UMass Dartmouth.

He is married to his wife of 35 years, Kristine, and a father of two daughters and a sonin-law. Comments, ideas or suggestions? Please email him at DeaconFrankLucca@comcast.net.

Bishop Connolly High School senior Vanessa Calouro of Fall River, received special recognition at the Emerging Young Artists 2014 Invitational Exhibition. Calouro received second-place in the 3D sculpture category for her Cheetah Shoe sculpture. Awards were recently presented at UMass Dartmouth. She will be attending Brown University in the fall.

Students from Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth recently shared their knowledge and love of science while serving as judges for the St. Joseph School science fair in Fairhaven.

18

February 14, 2014

Marriage Encounter to take place in R.I. continued from page one

riage and really gave us better ideas on how to be a better listener, have better communication; for us, we hadn’t really thought about the Sacrament of Marriage the way God intended it. Coming off the weekend, we saw our Marriage in a completely different way. It brought God into our Marriage, much more so than beforehand.”

Upon their return home, Steve and Kim saw immediate changes in how they related to each other.

“The thing I learned most was to really listen to Kim and to give her 100 percent,” said Steve. “They deal a lot with feelings and how feelings can’t be right or wrong, but your behaviors can. You have a right to feel that way, but it’s how you act on those feelings.”

“I saw how I could put expectations on Steve without realizing it, and that nobody is perfect,” said Kim, who learned how to let go and appreciate who Steve is as a husband and as a person. “It brought so much intimacy to our relationship.

It’s like peeling back layers and getting to know each other on a deeper level. It was a neat experience. We loved the weekend so much that at the end we both agreed that we wanted to be involved in any way we could.”

According to the Worldwide Marriage Encounter website, the story of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter began in 1952, when a young priest in Spain, Father Gabriel Calvo, began developing a series of conferences for married couples focused on the development of an open and honest relationship within the Marriage, and learning to live out a Sacramental relationship in the service of others. Each presentation ended with a question designed to encourage the couple to look at the concepts presented in terms of their own relationship. For the next 10 years, the “Marriage teams of Pope Pius XII,” as the presentations were called, traveled throughout Spain with this series of conferences for Married couples.

By 1962, Father Calvo began presenting the conferences as weekend retreats, and as the movement spread, a national executive board was formed in 1969 to coordinate the development of the movement in the United States and Canada.

The expansion continued on an international level, and the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend is now offered in

numerous languages in more than 90 countries.

After experiencing the weekend retreat as a couple, the Browns were inspired to become part of the team. Each encounter has three couples at different places in their Marriages, a unique cross-section of couples that will give those attending a chance of finding someone to relate to when listening to a presentation.

“One thing we definitely stress is that none of us are professionals at all, we’re just married couples sharing our experiences,” said Kim. “There are certain points on the weekend we try to get across; we try to tell those points but through our own story.”

Steve and Rosemary Trettel have been involved in the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement for almost 40 years, and the benefits of reinforcing the Marriage bond between a couple reaches beyond the home; “Many pastors have discovered that couples who have experienced a Marriage Encounter Weekend are involved in the life of their parish as leaders and volunteers,” wrote the Trettels in an email. “These couples are attractive in their devotion to their spouse, and have close-knit and faith-filled families.”

Seeing the couples arrive not knowing what is going to happen, then watching as the weekend progresses and seeing the couples become closer is “amazing to watch,” said Kim. “You can see it in their body language.”

Most weekends are held at retreat centers, but the Encounter being held from March 14-16 in South Kingston, R.I., is being held at the Hampton Inn in South Kingston; June 20-22, the Betania II Retreat Center in Medway will be holding its own Encounter. Worldwide Marriage Encounters are held throughout the year; check www.wwme.org for more information.

“We had been married for 13 years when we went and we thought we had a great Marriage,” said Kim. “We did not have what we considered a problem Marriage; we weren’t there trying to fix anything. It was just a weekend away and it made us like newlyweds, honestly. It opened up our communication and intimacy so much.

I don’t know many couples who leave not feeling like it improved their relationship.”

Longtime friends find common bond in basketball continued from page one

all those years factored into our winning the state championship (last year),” agreed Santoro. “Even though it was a team effort, there are five of us here who made up a big part of that team. Without one of us, it would have changed things around and made a completely different team.”

As senior members of Connolly’s championship team, the five seasoned schoolmates recently reflected on finding a common bond not only in the game of basketball, but also in attending similarly small, tight-knit Catholic schools, beginning with Holy Name in Fall River.

“We were all best friends in eighth grade and when people were making their decisions about going to high school, we were talking about where we were going to go,” Goncalo recalled.

“For myself, I had two siblings who went to Connolly, so I knew I was going to come here. For a while, a couple of us were going to Durfee, so there was a question of whether we would all stick together, but as it happened it all just fell together and we ended up coming here. It’s not like we all planned to go to Connolly, but I think we all agree we’re glad we did. We’ve had some of the best years of our lives between Holy Name and Connolly.”

“I wasn’t supposed to come to Connolly originally,” said Medeiros, who had planned to go to neighboring Durfee High School until he won a scholarship after writing a winning essay. “I remember coming here and sitting in the waiting room with a bunch of seniors thinking what type of legacy I’d leave behind after four years. I think I’ve left a positive one.”

Noting how the sports program at Connolly was somewhat “downplayed” when he enrolled, Medeiros said he’s proud of the fact that he helped “change that attitude for the better.”

And playing alongside his four longtime basketball buddies was certainly a factor in the team’s ultimate success.

“A big thing that motivates us is the fact that we’re all from Fall River,” Medeiros said. “We have a lot of Fall River pride. We’re all living here and have gone to school here our entire lives, so I think that’s what drives us to succeed, too.”

Sullivan said the skills learned through playing competitive sports are just as important as a school’s academic curriculum.

“What you take away from sports, you bring into life,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s basketball

or football; you form a bond with people in a way that you don’t really know. It teaches you about teamwork and how to work well with others. Even in the workplace, you learn how to work together with other people.”

“You can also learn lots of life lessons that even relate to your academics — it teaches you a lot of skills,” Santoro said. “Even the way we carry ourselves should reflect those skills that we’ve learned.”

“It’s good to be competitive because you want what’s best for each other,” Quinn agreed. “The thing that’s special about these guys is no one really cares who scores the most points. We all want what’s best for each other and for the team to succeed.”

In fact, this emphasis on “team effort” and the eschewal of “star players” became a hallmark of Connolly’s winning formula last year.

“Starting to play basketball together at a young age really taught us how to be competitive and work together as a team,” Goncalo said. “As we were growing up and playing basketball together, we could continue to work as a team with guys we knew for so long.”

“It’s pretty much part of the team chemistry,” Medeiros added.

“Playing so long with each other, we tend to know each other’s tendencies — we know when someone’s going to make a cut to the hoop or not, it’s just natural.

I think being competitive makes each other better — it’s almost like a sibling rivalry, we want to do better. The competition level is always there and that helps to improve our game.”

“I’m certainly very proud of them and all they’ve accomplished, and the fact that they’ve stuck together all these years is a testament to their friendship,” said Father Jay Maddock, pastor of Holy Name Parish in Fall River. “When they won the state championship last year, they asked to come here to Holy Name School to give a presentation to the students. They spoke about what Holy Name meant to them and how they (became friends) here.”

As the five friends prepare to embark on college careers, they’ve also taken on a new role in mentoring the younger members of Connolly’s basketball team.

“I think we’ve taken on a bigger responsibility in leading our team (this year), because not every team can have five senior players who have played together for eight years,” Goncalo said. “We under-

stand the game of basketball, we know how it should be played and we know our teammates.”

The benefit of attending two smaller, community-oriented Catholic schools isn’t lost on the group, either.

“Coming to Connolly was almost like Holy Name, Part Two,” Quinn joked. “We were used to a small school. Connolly is such a tight-knit group, it’s been a great experience for me.”

“When I was in middle school, Connolly wasn’t even on the radar for me,” Santoro admitted. “My parents were always suggesting Connolly and I wanted no part of it, but I’m definitely happy I chose it. Coming from Holy Name, it was an easy transition.”

“Coming from Holy Name School, it was the same type of tight-knit community, just on a little bit bigger scale,” Goncalo agreed. “It helped me develop socially and academically, while leaving a mark on the school with winning a state championship. I’m exceedingly happy with my experience here if just for the people I’ve met.”

With graduation looming in June, the longtime classmates said they’re planning to venture off to different colleges and will likely take up other sports like football and baseball.

“I’m looking at going to either Framingham State or Westfield State next year,” Sullivan said.

“I’m not too sure about sports, because it takes a lot of dedication.

But if I were to play something, it would probably be either football or baseball. I can’t play basketball anymore. I’m still going to love it, but league-wise my basketball career is over.”

But even though the opportunity to win a third basketball championship at the college level isn’t in their future, it’s obvious the tight bond between these five friends and teammates will endure long after they graduate from Bishop Connolly.

“We’re probably going to go our separate ways next year for college; maybe one or two of us might be going to the same college,” Quinn said. “Even though we’ll be apart, we’ll always have that bond and that friendship for the rest of our lives. No matter where we go, we’ll always have each other.”

“I’m confident these are the type of guys who even if you haven’t seen them in two years, if I see one of them on the street it’s going to pick right back up where we left off,” Goncalo agreed.

“These are some of the greatest friendships I’ve ever made.”

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February 14, 2014

Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese Acushnet — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Monday and Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Evening prayer and Benediction is held Monday through Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel at Holy Ghost Church, 71 Linden Street, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

ATTLEBORO — The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette holds Eucharistic Adoration in the Shrine Church every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. through November 17.

Brewster — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the La Salette Chapel in the lower level of Our Lady of the Cape Church, 468 Stony Brook Road, on First Fridays beginning at noon until 7:45 a.m. First Saturday, concluding with Benediction and concluding with Mass at 8 a.m. buzzards Bay — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, every first Friday after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending the following day before the 8 a.m.

Mass.

East Freetown — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. John Neumann Church every Monday (excluding legal holidays) 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Our Lady, Mother of All Nations Chapel. (The base of the bell tower).

East Sandwich — The Corpus Christi Parish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 324 Quaker Meeting House Road, East Sandwich.

Use the Chapel entrance on the side of the church.

EAST TAUNTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the chapel at Holy Family Parish Center, 438 Middleboro Avenue, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. On First Fridays, Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Holy Family Church, 370 Middleboro Avenue, from 8:30 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.

FAIRHAVEN — St. Mary’s Church, Main St., has Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Chapel of Reconciliation, with Benediction at noon. Also, there is a First Friday Mass each month at 7 p.m., followed by a Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration. Refreshments follow.

Fall River — Espirito Santo Parish, 311 Alden Street, Fall River. Eucharistic Adoration on Mondays following the 8 a.m. Mass until Rosary and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Bernadette’s Church, 529 Eastern Ave., has continuous Eucharistic Adoration from 8 a.m. on Thursday until 8 a.m. on Saturday.

FALL RIVER — St. Anthony of the Desert Church, 300 North Eastern Avenue, has Eucharistic Adoration Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

FALL RIVER — Holy Name Church, 709 Hanover Street, has Eucharistic Adoration Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Our Lady of Grace Chapel.

FALL RIVER — Good Shepherd Parish has Eucharistic Adoration every Friday following the 8 a.m. Mass and concluding with 3 p.m. Benediction in the Daily Mass Chapel. A bilingual holy hour takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. Park behind the church and enter the back door of the connector between the church and the rectory.

Falmouth — St. Patrick’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration each First Friday, following the 9 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 4:30 p.m. The Rosary is recited Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

MANSFIELD — St. Mary’s Parish, 330 Pratt Street, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Benediction at 5:45 p.m.

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m.

Mass every First Friday with special intentions for Respect Life, followed by 24 hours of Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel, concluding with Benediction Saturday morning followed immediately by an 8:30 Mass.

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. Please use the side entrance.

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 — St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, 565 County Street, holds Eucharistic Adoration in the side chapel every Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

NORTH DARTMOUTH — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Julie Billiart Church, 494 Slocum Road, every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m., ending with Benediction. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available at this time.

NORTH DIGHTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Wednesday following 8:00 a.m. Mass and concludes with Benediction at 5 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration also takes place every First Friday at St. Nicholas of Myra Church, 499 Spring Street following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending with Benediction at 6 p.m. The Rosary is recited Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

OSTERVILLE — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 76 Wianno Avenue on First Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

SEEKONK ­— Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish has perpetual Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day in the chapel at 984 Taunton Avenue. For information call 508-336-5549.

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.

Taunton — Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord, 31 First Street. Exposition begins following the 8 a.m.

Mass. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, and Adoration will continue throughout the day. Confessions are heard from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Rosary and Benediction begin at 6:30 p.m.

WAREHAM — Eucharistic Adoration at St. Patrick’s Church begins each Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. and ends on Friday night at midnight. Adoration is held in our Adoration Chapel in the lower Parish Hall.

WEST HARWICH — Our Lady of Life Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Holy Trinity Parish, 246 Main Street (Rte. 28), holds perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. We are a regional chapel serving all of the surrounding parishes. All from other parishes are invited to sign up to cover open hours. For open hours, or to sign up call 508-430-4716.

Pope says relativistic ideas of Marriage lead to divorce

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis said contemporary ideas of Marriage as an arrangement defined by personal needs promote a mentality of divorce, and he called for better preparation of engaged couples as well as ministry to Catholics whose Marriages have failed.

The pope’s remarks appeared in a message distributed February 7 to Polish bishops making “ad limina” visits to Rome to report on the state of their dioceses.

Pope Francis met with the group but, as he frequently does, dispensed with reading out his prepared text.

In his message, the pope warned the bishops of some of the “new challenges” the Church faces in society, including the “idea of liberty without limits, tolerance hostile to or wary of the truth, or resentment of the Church’s justified opposition to the prevailing relativism.”

“Marriage today is often considered a form of emotional satisfaction that can be constructed in any way or modified at will,” he said. “Unfortunately this vision also influences the mentality of Christians, causing them to resort easily to divorce or de facto separation.”

Pope Francis said pastors should search for ways to minister to divorced and separated Catholics, “so that they do not feel ex-

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks Feb. 15 Rev. Joseph G. Lavalle, Pastor, St. Mathieu, Fall River, 1910 Rev. James C. Conlon, Pastor, St. Mary, Norton, 1957 Feb. 16 Rev. Alphonse J. LaChapelle, Assistant, Holy Ghost, Attleboro, 1983 Rev. Joaquim Fernandes da Silva, CM, 2001 Feb. 17 Rev. Louis R. Boivin, Retired, Cardinal Medeiros Residence, Former Pastor, St. Theresa, Attleboro, 2010 Feb. 19 Rev. Andrew J. Brady, Pastor, St. Joseph, Fall River, 1895 Rev. Leopold Jeurissen, SS.CC., Pastor, Sacred Hearts, Fairhaven, 1953 Feb. 20 Rev. James H. Fogarty, Pastor, St. Louis, Fall River, 1922 Rev. Raymond M. Giguere, O.P., Assistant, St. Anne, Fall River, 1986 Rev. Thomas E. Morrissey, Pastor, St. Jacques, Taunton, 2006 Feb. 21 Rev. Msgr. Luiz G. Mendonca, PA, Retired Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New Bedford, 1997

cluded from the mercy of God, the fraternal love of other Christians and the Church’s solicitude for their Salvation,” and help such persons keep the “faith and raise their children in the fullness of the Christian experience.”

The pope has said Church law regarding Marriage, divorce and separation is a topic that exemplifies a general need for mercy in the Church today, and that it will be a subject of discussion at this October’s extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the “pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.”

In his message to the Polish

bishops, the pope called for better pastoral preparation of couples engaged to be Married, to highlight the “beauty of this union that, when well founded on love and responsibility, can overcome trials, difficulties (and) selfishness with mutual forgiveness, repairing what might be ruined and not falling into the trap of a throwaway mentality.”

The pope said pastors should serve as “authentic fathers and spiritual guides” to Married couples, protecting them from the “threat of negative ideologies” and helping them to “become strong in God and His love.”

Around the Diocese All are invited to join in prayer for “Building a New Culture of Life” on February 20 beginning at 1 p.m. in St. Jude’s Chapel of Christ the King Parish in Mashpee. Prayers will consist of the four mysteries of the Rosary with brief meditations on each.

A Day with Mary will be held on March 1 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, 235 North Front Street in New Bedford from 7:50 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. It will include a video presentation, procession and crowning of the Blessed Mother with Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. There will be an opportunity for Reconciliation and a bookstore is available. Please bring a bag lunch. For more information call 508-998-8274.

A St. Joseph’s Men’s Retreat (for men 18 years and older) will be held on March 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organized by Deacon Chris Peschel, the day will include lunch, talks, a holy hour and time for fellowship with likeminded Catholic men. A freewill donation will be accepted. The day begins at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Attleboro at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. with Mass. Family members are encouraged to have their family attend Mass at the church. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Deacon Peschel (chrispeschel@yahoo.com) or Shawn Seybert (shawnseybert@ comcast.net).

A Healing Mass will be held on March 20 at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford. The Mass will begin at 6:30 p.m. and includes Benediction and healing prayers. At 5:15 p.m. there will also be a holy hour including the Rosary. For location or more information, visit www.saintanthonyofnewbedford.com or call the rectory at 508-993-1691.

Holy Cross Family Ministries will sponsor a retreat afternoon on April 6 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Bishop Stang High School, 500 Slocum Road in North Dartmouth. The keynote speaker will be Alejandro Aguilera-Titus of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. There will be a break-out session led by Jim and Terry Orcutt, founders of My Brother’s Keeper, a ministry based in Easton which serves people in need. The program will also include Benediction, Rosary, praise and worship music and a snack break.

The event is free. A bus will be going to the retreat, leaving from St. Vincent de Paul Parish (71 Linden Street in Attleboro) at 1 p.m. and returning after the event. A freewill donation to help pay for the bus would be appreciated, but is not required.

Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River is searching for missing alumni as the school plans for its 50th anniversary to take place during the 20152016 school year. If you or someone you know is an alumnus of Bishop Connolly High School and is not receiving communications from the school, please send your contact information via the school’s website at www. bishopconnolly.com; by email to Anthony Ciampanelli in the Alumni Office at aciampanelli@bishopconnolly.com; by phone at 508-676-1071 extension 333; or mail the school at 373 Elsbree Street, Fall River, Mass. 02720. Please provide the graduate’s name (including maiden name if appropriate), complete mailing address, telephone number, email address, and the year of graduation.

20

February 14, 2014

L

I’m in an Igor state of mind

ast Sunday, February 9, How I wish I had those cards was the 50th anniversary today! of The Beatles’ historic first I watched the televised special appearance on the “Ed Sullivan last Sunday night that featured Show.” The Fab Four took the many musicians paying tribute to world by storm that day, and I, The Beatles. As I sat and listened, as an seven-year-old lad, went I couldn’t believe that 50 years along for the ride (I guess I had a had come and gone. Add to that, “Ticket to Ride”). earlier that day I attended a team I remember one Sunday shortly after seeing the lads from Liverpool on the telly, I was at Mass with my parents. When the time came for the collection, I couldn’t get the coin my folks had

By Dave Jolivet given me to drop in the basket out of my pocket in time. The collector went on meeting for a youth retreat, and his way, and I sat there with a I couldn’t believe how young sheepish look on my face. some of the teammates were. I As soon as Mass was finished, can recall working on my first I freed the uncooperative coin Confirmation retreat when I was and on the way home mom and in my early 20s! dad allowed me to buy a pack I went to bed that night of Beatles cards that came with feeling — old. a stick of bubble gum as hard as But it was my pooch Igor who rock (and roll). brought me out of that funk.

That started a Sunday Igor turns 12 this month, and tradition — buying a pack of in dog years that makes her in Beatles cards, but only if I didn’t her 60s in human years. For some miss the collection basket at unknown reason, my devil dog Mass! has been very rambunctious and

My View From the Stands

mischievous this week.

She has a tendency to steal socks, gloves, hats, and whatever she can sink her canines into, then hold the item hostage for a dog treat.

That’s not unusual. Once the ransom is paid, she’s content.

Spoiled, you say? What dog isn’t?

But this week, no sooner did we pay the price when Iggy would jump up and pursue her next victim, claim it, and guard it with an innocent, “Look what I got, dad,” countenance.

She was very puppylike this week. As I forked over the billionth mini filet mignon treat I realized she doesn’t care how old she is, she’s still the same pest she was a dozen years ago.

That warmed my heart, and regarding my self-pity about feeling old — I decided to “Let It Be.” I’m as young as I want. And I want to be a pup. With that being said, look out world, look out team, look out family: Dave’s a pup again.

Dave Jolivet can be reached at davejolivet@anchornews.org.