02.05.2021

Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, February 5, 2021

Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week FALL RIVER — ­­ Since 1974, Celebrate Catholic Schools Week has meant a week at the end of January full of fun activities, inter-school competitions, and dress-down days culminating with a weekly school Mass. As with most things this year, Celebrate Catholic Schools Week will have a very different meaning for the 20 Catholic schools of the Diocese of Fall River as they celebrate what makes their schools unique during the week of January 31 ­­— February 6.

Every day of the week will have a new theme — from celebrating with the parish, to celebrating students and teachers, to celebrating our nation.

While the 2020-21 school year will be remembered as the year of masks, social distancing and hand sanitizer, it will also be recalled as the year of challenges for education in general. Catholic schools have much to celebrate as they often have been a haven of stability for the many families and students benefiting from the in-person Catholic education since the end of August.

Moreover, even during the pandemic, the Diocese of Fall River Catholic schools continue to live out the Catholic faith by integrating the teachings of Jesus Christ into all that is done at the schools every day. Many other educational forums do not have the benefit of someone sitting with each child and helping them learn to pray — which is one of the gifts of Catholic education that has been experienced by so many new families who have recently joined the Catholic school

community.

“I never knew it was like this and feel so blessed that my children are now at a Catholic school,” stated Christine Matias, parent of a kindergarten student at St. James-St. John School in New Bedford.

“While my children were getting a good education at their previous school, the pandemic has made us rethink what is truly important. Difficult times call for faith, community and appreciation of ‘normalcy’ and we could not be happier that our children are getting these every day at St. James-St. John School.”

“Celebrate Catholic School Week is a wonderful opportunity for all families to learn more about Catholic education and why it has been a valued education for decades,” indicated Daniel S. Roy, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Fall River. “As families make educational decisions for the Fall of 2021, we encourage all families to consider investing in a Catholic education for the formation of the whole child — mind, body and soul.”

Affordability is the main worry for many new families as they engage in learning more about the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fall River. “The cost of tuition is of great concern to many families,” said Christina Duggan, Vice President of Operations for the Catholic Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. “Each of our elementary schools encourages families to apply to the Foundation to Advance Catholic Edu8 Turn to page three

A student at Holy Name School in Fall River begins her day with her classmates with morning prayer. This week, diocesan schools have been taking part in the annual national Celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a number special events and activities.

Bishop Feehan ice hockey player suffers serious injury

By Dave Jolivet Editor

davejolivet@anchornews.org

“One minute everything is perfectly normal, suddenly it’s not. It was a normal game, and a normal play.” But quickly it was evident something was seriously wrong.

After Quetta was taken to the hospital, play resumed,

ATTLEBORO — It was a nightmare scenario. At a high school ice hockey game pitting Bishop Feehan High School against Pope Francis High School in West Springfield, 8 Turn to page 11 Feehan senior A.J. Quetta crashed head first into the boards and suffered a very serious injury. He was taken from the rink on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.

As of press time, Quetta has had one successful surgery at Mass General Hospital in Boston, but his prognosis is still unclear.

“This is every parent’s nightmare,” Feehan president February 5, 2021 senior † Tim Sullivan told The Anchor.

Feehan A.J. Quetta 1

2

† February 5, 2021

Schools mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week continued from page one

cation (FACE) which helps reduce the cost of tuition by providing scholarships.

Almost 950 students received a needs-based award this year, which in many cases can reduce tuition by 30-50 percent; and for many schools, this can result in a monthly tuition payment of $300 or less. Awards are determined by a family’s financial circumstances at the time of application. FACE scholarships help reduce the tuition cost and make a Catholic school education more attainable and, in the end, families realize that a Catholic education is well worth the investment. Families are encouraged to apply early for the best chance of receiving an award as funds are limited.”

Other concerns that have been expressed by interested families are special education services for their child. The Diocese of Fall River has made great improvements in special education by partnering with the S.E.A.L. Foundation, who oversees the special education professionals in each partnering school, as well as providing special education assistance to students who have a learning difference to ensure supportive accommodations are provided. In addition to the very high quality special education services, the smaller class sizes of Catholic schools lend themselves to a more personalized education focusing on each student’s specific needs.

While Catholic schools have weathered many challenges over the past few decades, there is no doubt that Catholic schools are still a valued piece of this country’s educational landscape.

Whether a family’s interest in Catholic education is due to the rigorous academics, or for the formation of the whole child, Catholic schools continue to provide children and families a faith-filled community where the values and teachings of Jesus Christ are

integrated into every aspect of a child’s development.

For more information about Celebrate Catholic Schools Week, please go to www. catholicschoolsalliance.org/ celebrate-catholic-schools.

For more information about scholarships from the Foundation to Advance Catholic Education, please go to www.FACE-dfr.org.

The Catholic Schools Alliance comprises administrators, teachers, staff, parents and clergy joined in

partnership to educate the children of the Diocese of Fall River in Catholic faith and values. Our schools have a demanding educational culture that helps students from across the academic spectrum reach their God-given potential. With an emphasis on service and respect for the dignity of every person, we prepare students to meet the challenges of today’s diverse world and become meaningful contributors to society.

February 5, 2021 †

3

Catholic Schools Week — 2021; Faith. Excellence. Service.

By Daniel S. Roy

Superintendent of Schools Diocese of Fall River

FALL RIVER — In expressing his gratitude for Catholic educators, Pope Francis said, “Educating is like an act of love; it is like giving life.” Catholic Schools Week has always been a wonderful time for Catholic schools to celebrate their unique ability to educate the whole child — mind, body and soul.

This year, Catholic Schools Week offers everyone an opportunity to reflect on where we have

4

been and where God is calling us to be. In particular, we recall how our Catholic school communities have faced the challenges of the pandemic, distancing, masking, and cleaning in order to create the space for learning. The sacrifices of our students, families, teachers, and administrators have made it possible for our schools to continue to serve the greater good.

In doing so, we remain attentive to where God is calling us. The pandemic has exposed many needs

† February 5, 2021

and will inevitably create new opportunities. Our schools will continue the long tradition of educating

Daniel S. Roy

young people to see that they are being called by their gifts and talents to respond to where God is calling them to serve and lead.

Whether we are working from home or the office, our daily schedules have changed dramatically from this time last year.

Social distancing requirements and large gathering limitations ensure that we spend more time at home and in smaller groups.

Gone are the days of soccer tournaments, dinners on the run, and homework crammed in on Sunday night. Over the past year, our sense of community has been disrupted in many ways, though our Catholic schools have offered an alternative.

The resumption of in-person learning this past fall provided families with peace of mind that their children would be welcomed back to caring learning environments.

Our schools have managed to remain open for full in-person learning as well as provide a remote option for families desiring it — and many of our teachers would say that they have never worked harder. They also realize how much they prefer community to remoteness. They know that their Catholic school provides familiarity and connection that comes from being with others in a safe environment.

Classrooms and hallways have sustained the “normalcy” of homework, tests, friends, lunches, and school Masses.

Our schools are welcoming many new families

due to what we are offering. What a blessing to expand our Catholic school community! So many of these families have expressed gratitude for their Catholic school and have been some of the first to re-enroll their children for the 2021-22 school year.

They have become some of the best advocates for Catholic education and are ever ready to share their story with their circles of family, friends, and other prospective families.

During this Catholic Schools Week, each day’s theme is communicated by a new video that highlights the many aspects of our schools; i.e. our parish, our community, our nation, our faculty, and vocations. Our Catholic school community is made up of so many wonderful people with so many interesting backgrounds and experiences. We are pleased to have Edna McKenna, a retired Navy Command Senior Chief Supply Officer, teach at Bishop Stang High School. Claudine Cloutier, an attorney with Keches Law Group, freely gives of her time and talent as the chair of the FACE Board of Directors. St. Stanislaus School’s new relationship with the Catholic Collaborative of Central Fall River has seen an influx of many new students with many new traditions which have benefited the culture and learning opportunities for all students and staff. We are not limiting ourselves to expressing our wonderful story to just one week and look forward to a continuous stream of ways to tell our unique story.

H

How to respond to prodigal Catholic public figures?

ow do we respond effectively as Catholics to the tragically too common circumstance of Catholics in prominent positions blatantly betraying the Catholic faith? On the intentional killing of fellow human beings, the truth about the family, the revelation about the human person made in God’s image male or female, and Christ’s personal identification with the hungry, thirsty, sick, naked, imprisoned, migrant or someone otherwise in need?

There is, of course, no single, concrete, detailed answer applicable in every time and place with every person.

As Catholics, truth and love must always be part of our response since without truth we leave others enslaved and without charity we are just a noisy gong. Prudence is always required to know best what to say, when and how.

The other theological and cardinal virtues — faith in God, hope that people can change, courage to say things out of season, justice with regard to the real harms done, and moderation not to go too far too soon — are always similarly helpful. There is also the indispensable guidance and assistance of the Holy Spirit and His gifts.

Since many Catholics, however, are tempted to objectify, treat by different standards and occasionally even dehumanize Catholics in public office who are unfaithful to Church teaching in scandalously conspicuous ways, it’s helpful to examine the ways most Catholics handle circumstances in their own families and apply that practical wisdom to the circumstances of prominent prodigal sons and daughters of the family of faith.

I’d like to mention three different stories.

The first has happened often in parish life. Parents or grandparents come to see me, crestfallen, frustrated and at their wits’ end, over the situation of their children or grandchildren who have

stopped coming to Mass, are cohabitating with a boyfriend or girlfriend, invalidly married, or in some other serious immoral situation.

As if that’s not a big enough concern already, they then tell me that their children or grandchildren have stopped talking to them.

When I ask what happened, the pattern is almost always the same. They recount that they gave witness to the truth, let their loved ones know that they were sinning, appealed to them to convert and go to Confession, expressed their fear that they would go to hell if they died, and so on.

“How did she respond?,” I gently ask. “Terribly” is the basic reply.

“How often would you say these things to him?,” I query. “Almost every time I see him!”

It’s certainly understandable that a faithful parent or grandparent would worry, even obsess, about the situation of a loved one in danger. If the person were in an ICU in danger of death, it is natural that the elder would struggle to think about anything else. Hence it makes sense that faithful parents and grandparents would similarly be preoccupied when their loved ones’ souls were in serious danger.

But how they handle the situation matters. Especially in circumstances when their loved ones are in denial about the moral qualification of their lifestyle, or when they feel trapped, powerless or too afraid to change it, bringing it up in every conversation as if it’s the only thing that matters is counterproductive. Not only can it stimulate people’s defensiveness to their whole life summarized by the expression “living in sin,” or resentment over seeming to be more judged than loved — leading the person to “dig in” and remain in the situation out of

a desire not to let the parent or grandparent “win” or incentivize his or her style of attempted persuasion — but it can unintentionally deteriorate the relational bridges that the loved one may need to come back to the communion of the faith.

“What’s the right way to do it, Father?,” several have desperately asked.

“Your loved ones need to know the truth and where you stand,” I reply. “But you

don’t need to remind them every time you see them.”

For the call to conversion to be effective, in most circumstances it must be enveloped by a thick layer of love, rather than shrouded in shame, embarrassment, fear and what may seem like judgmentalism. That’s why in such situations it’s important to focus nine parts on loving as normal, and one part on illustrating that that love likewise extends to appropriate concern for their loved one’s soul, relationship with God and eternal happiness.

The second story has to do with a question I get every time I give adult education talks on Catholics and politics: “Why don’t the bishops excommunicate pro-abortion Catholic politicians?” It’s a fair question that is often phrased with a mix of frustration and discouragement, and occasionally with a sense that they think the prelates are weak cowards, or asleep with their rod and staff, or even secretly pro-abortion.

I generally begin by speaking about canon law about excommunication. But then I shift to prudence, as to whether they think excommunicating offending politi-

cians will likely lead them to conversion and remove the scandal or get the politicians to dig in and try to use it to their political advantage — and perhaps even cause other unintended stumbling blocks to the faithful.

As part of that dialogue I ask how we generally handle the situation of pro-abortion family members or those who otherwise take positions or live in ways contrary to Catholic faith and morals.

Do we generally “excommunicate” them from Thanksgiving dinner?

In large audiences, there are always a few who say they do.

I politely ask what’s been the impact of that de facto familial exile. Does it lead the offending parties to conversion? Are the other family members happier as a result or does it weigh like a pall over the gathering? I’m grateful for the honesty of the interlocutors who have humbly admitted that it has not brought about conversions and in fact has divided the family with regard to those who “support” the ostracized family member versus those who “oppose.”

For the vast majority who admit they don’t excommunicate family members, I ask why they don’t. In general they say that they don’t think it will work to bring the individuals to repentance and they fear it will only drive the family further apart. They also admit that, with respect to the bad example that might be given to younger generations, they have a greater duty to teach the faith well and maturely: that loving a wayward uncle is not incompatible with helping them see that not all of his decisions are wise and holy ones.

In these discussions, I generally encourage people to remember that bishops are asking themselves similar questions about balancing a clear witness to the truth and a call to conversion with

helping people remember that they are beloved members of the family, even when they make sinful decisions.

Similar practical wisdom should inform the way Catholic citizens as a whole approach Catholic public figures who oppose, rather than live by and proclaim, the Gospel.

The last story is St. Monica. For 17 years she had to deal with the various moral problems of her pagan husband Patricius and her cantankerous mother-in-law, and then for 15 additional years she had to suffer the flagrant sins of her famous son Augustine. She patiently told the truth, forgave, loved and prayed. All three eventually converted. And because of 32 years of persevering prayer for their conversions, she, too, became a saint.

St. Monica teaches us that in response to the sins of our family members and the disappointment and worry we experience as a result, we’re not called to become the wagging fingers of the Mystical Body of Christ but the calloused knees. We’re called not to “virtue signal” the truth as take-it-or-leaveit propositions with eternal consequences, but announce the truth in affectionate charity, reminding them by our behavior of the love of the Father of the Prodigal Son. Where such sins of our prominent Catholic family members abound, as they unhappily do, our prayers must abound all the more, and far more than our criticisms, however just.

We must never lose a profound sense of family — ecclesial and national — even if made dysfunctional by sin.

We must always remember that persevering prayer, like Monica’s, does work, as does incessant charity, and through them, God makes saints.

Anchor columnist Father Roger Landry can be contacted at fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.

February 5, 2021 †

5

Editorial

What if?

Daniel Cellucci, the CEO of Catholic Leadership Institute, put out a video late last year entitled, “What if they don’t come back?” You can watch it on YouTube or read the text of the talk on the Our Sunday Visitor website. He doesn’t just say, “So what if they don’t?” but instead challenges his listeners and readers to see what they will do differently, in the face of the departure of so many Catholics.

After raising the “so what?” question, he commented, “I don’t ask that question with a callous disregard for the consequences. The implications of perhaps 30 percent or more of our people not coming back are many and significant. It will completely change the landscape of our Church, affecting every ministry, every parish and every diocese. Most gravely, souls are at stake.”

Before getting to that grave matter, he discussed the other fears which leap immediately to mind — the loss of revenue, which would lead to closing of churches and loss of jobs for Church employees. “Often the fear that lies in the depth of this question is not primarily in our care for souls but in our care for our own comfort. If we say it too loudly or too frequently, then we will also have to recognize that we cannot remain in the status quo and might be forced to change.”

Cellucci then recalled that even before the present situation, Catholics in the pews were expressing fears. “Beyond our personal concerns, we have larger mission concerns as well. Prior to this pandemic, the cry I heard from so many faithful parishioners was for the next generation. What if the Church is not here for our children and grandchildren? How will they know truth? How will they come to know the Lord? Our fears are real and strong.

But are they stronger than our faith and hope? Jesus told us that He will build His Church and the gates of hell will not overcome it (cf. Mt 16:18). He didn’t say how many parishes there would be or what the priesthood would definitively look like. As far as I know, He didn’t mention Mass times or diocesan departments.”

Before the pandemic, our “what if’s” were often of the “how to avoid a problem” variety, as Cellucci mentioned, “to mitigate risk instead of stimulating possibility. What if we offend someone? What if no one shows up?

What if we close? These are all perfectly responsible, pragmatic to ask — that is, if we weren’t Christians.” In other words, we need to trust more in God than in other human beings and their whims.

Cellucci sadly stated that we Christians often think “as if we are the audience instead of the actors” in the march of Salvation history. We “deny the incredible potential the Lord has placed within each of us. We ask ‘what if’ as if the victory hasn’t already been won. This is not a new challenge for us because of COVID-19. This is a pandemic of doubt that has plagued us for OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 65, No. 3

www.anchornews.org

Published biweekly except for one week in autumn by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, Mass. 02720, Tel. 508-675-7151; FAX 508-675-7048; email: subscriptions@anchornews.org.

To subscribe to The Anchor online visit https://www.fallriverdiocese.org/subscribe Subscription price by mail, prepaid $29.00 per year for U.S. addresses.

Please send address changes to The Anchor, PO Box 318, Congers, NY 10920, call or use email address.

PUBLISHER – Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D. EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Very Reverend Richard D. Wilson, V.G. fatherwilson@anchornews.org

ADVERTISING

EDITOR/PRODUCTION MGR.

David B. Jolivet

davejolivet@anchornews.org

Wayne R. Powers

waynepowers@anchornews.org

POSTMASTERS send address changes to The Anchor, PO Box 318, Congers, N.Y. 10920.

THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.

6

† February 5, 2021

decades.”

Trying to move us in a positive direction, away from being live-action Eeyore characters from “Winnie the Pooh,” Cellucci challenged the listeners, “But what if we chose to lead with different ‘what if’s?’ We are a people who believe that ‘nothing is impossible with God,’ who knows the victory has been won, who knows the reason for our hope. We are a people who ask the question ‘what if?’ not with fear, but with wonder in God’s goodness and power.”

He then recalled the many clever innovations that Catholics have done over the past year so as to be able to continue to share the faith. “Parishes that couldn’t send an email have learned to live-stream. Grandmothers are leading the Rosary over Zoom, and even my own mom now knows how to take herself off mute. What does that teach us about the tremendous opportunities before us?”

Looking to whenever the pandemic comes to an end, Cellucci addressed the desire of many to “go back to the way things were.” He cautioned against that. “But what if things don’t go back to normal? That’s an easy one. We don’t want to go back to normal. Normal was a three-decade Sacramental free-fall. Normal was 60-70 percent of those baptized no longer practicing the faith at all. Sure, we don’t want to wear masks everywhere, and we don’t want people to be afraid. But if we remember where we were, back when it was ‘normal,’ was it all that God wanted it to be?”

Seems like the answer to that question has to be “no.”

Cellucci ended with a challenge for us. “This is our chance to ask ‘what if’ and write a new story. What are you afraid to lose? We have to ask ‘what if’ with the same confidence the early Church had. The answer to that question is the same as it was then. We can’t lose everything, because for us as disciples, nothing can change our real everything, which transcends time, space and conquers death. The most important things we have as believers remain the same — our identity and relationship as beloved children of the Father.

So why not ask a different what if — what if God is calling me to something greater?”

We know that every day God is doing that, and yet we’re fine with keeping things “as is.” That’s not good for us as individuals nor as a community.

We know that Jesus condemned the man who buried the one talent that had been entrusted to him (“You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?” [Mt 25:26]), while He praised those who multiplied their talents. Let us beg the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of Our Lady and St. Joseph, to help us see what we can do as individuals and as communities to live Christ’s message in new ways in our world, so that people come back (or come for the first time).

Daily Readings † February 13 - February 26

Sat. Feb. 13, Gn 3:9-24; Ps 90:2-4c,5-6,12-13; Mk 8 1-10. Sun. Feb. 14, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Lv 13:1-2,44-46; Ps 32:1-2,5,11; 1 Cor 10:31—11:1; Mk 1:40-45. Mon. Feb. 15, Gn 4:1-15,25; Ps 50:1,8,16bc-17,2021; Mk 8:11-13. Tue. Feb. 16, Gn 6:5-8; 7:1-5,10; Ps 29:1a,2,3ac-4,3b,9c-10; Mk 8:14-21. Feb. 17, Ash Wednesday, Jl 2:12-18; Ps 51:3-6b,12-14,17; 2 Cor 5:20—6:2; Mt 6:1-6,16-18. Thu. Feb. 18, Dt 30:15-20; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 9:22-25.

Fri. Feb. 19, Is 58:1-9a; Ps 51:3-6b,18-19; Mt 9:14-15.

Sat. Feb. 20, Is 58:9b-14; Ps 86:1-6; Lk 5:27-32. Sun. Feb. 21, First Sunday of Lent, Gn 9:8-15; Ps 25:4-9; 1 Pt 3:18-22; Mk 1:12-15. Mon. Feb. 22, 1 Pt 5:1-4; Ps 23:1-6; Mt 16:13-19. Tue. Feb. 23, Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-7,16-19; Mt 6:7-15. Wed. Feb. 24, Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4,12-13,18-19; Lk 11:29-32. Thu. Feb. 25, Est C:12,14-16,23-25; Ps 138:1-3,7c-8; Mt 7:7-12. Fri. Feb. 26, Ez 18:21-28; Ps 130:1-8; Mt 5:20-26.

S

ince the time of Moses, ashes have been used as a symbol of penance. They also symbolize death so they remind us of our own mortality. When we received ashes before COVID-19 restrictions, the priest or other minister, using their thumb, signed your forehead with the sign of the cross and said, ”Remember! You are dust and to dust you shall return.”

With our death comes eternal life, so the ashes remind us that we need to be prepared when we stand before God on judgment day. We are reminded that we must die to sin so we can rise to a new life in Christ through His cross and Resurrection.

Lent prepares us to joyfully enter the Easter Season.

Ash Wednesday marks the start of our Lenten journey. Being marked with ashes reminds us that we are human and sinful.

That doesn’t mean we are not holy. It means we need improvement. We reflect on our lives and ask for God to help us change our hearts.

We ask for transformation to cast aside our sinful ways and prepare to celebrate Easter with the joyfulness of a fresh, clean heart.

This year Ash Wednesday services will be very different because of COVID-19. There will likely be only one service.

The remembrance phrase will be spoken once over everyone and not individually. The priests or ministers will not be placing ashes on your forehead with their thumbs because of health concerns. The exact method for distribution of ashes has not been determined yet.

The method will likely vary by diocese. Many of us may not be able to attend the service and may experience it remotely. Please consider the powerful symbol of

Lent: A time for conversion ashes even if you receive them differently or even not at all as you remain socially distanced.

Since Lent is a time of penance, people sometimes associate Lent with “giving up” something. Popular things to give up have been sweets or alcohol. We think we’re making a sacrifice.

“I am going to make a real sacrifice this Lent!” The word “sacrifice” means to make something holy.

Instead of giving up things like chocolate during Lent, perhaps we should be giving up the things we do that harden our hearts. A great list of things to give up can be found by examining our own conscience: greed, selfishness, anger, jealousy, hatred, intolerance. We can make a conscious effort to transform our actions into holy actions such as compassion, patience, acceptance and forgiveness. What good is giving up something for Lent if nothing was really made holy through our sacrifice?

Lent is a time for Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.

Jesus prayed everywhere and always. Do we dedicate a part of our lives to pray?

Going off to a quiet place, as Jesus did in the desert, is a great way to connect to God and experience God’s presence. Even in the stillness we can experience God. It takes so little effort and only requires a desire to clear our minds and hearts and be open to God’s love. Our society has forgotten how to listen. We’re so busy promoting our own personal agendas. Christ has a lot to say to us in the stillness if we would only pause to listen.

Fasting is our remind-

er to take care of the poor and hungry. It doesn’t need to exclusively center on consuming less food. You could redirect some of your time to reading Scripture or volunteering for community service. These noble efforts go a long way to softening our hard hearts.

Almsgiving is more than writing a check to a charity.

While financial support is important, so is the giving of our time and talent. We

could do things like providing companionship by visiting a nursing home or providing babysitting services to a single parent who deserves a night out.

It can also involve stewardship that could include protecting and safeguarding the environment and other resources abundantly given to us by God. Lent is our primary journey that brings us to the joy of Easter, the pinnacle celebration of the Church year. Easter marks Christ’s Resurrection and our Redemption. Our focus on Lent is to die in our old ways and make room for the new ways illuminated by the Light of Christ and our new life filled with the love of God. How do we discern our path to a greater fullness in Christ?

Lent is the ideal time to consider dealing with a most important Christian concept: conversion. Conversion is a Spiritual enlightenment causing a person to lead a new life that results in a transformation.

Conversion is the process of

transforming yourself from one state of being to another, hopefully better, state of being. It can be a difficult concept to understand.

Think about the following analogy: You have a house with a garage. You wish you had a big family room so you decide to convert your garage into a family room. You go through a decision making process weighing the pros and cons. On the good side will come the warm and hospitable gathering place for friends and family to enjoy companionship and entertainment. On the bad side, the cars are now sitting outside in the hostile weather.

You make the decision to compromise the well-being of the cars in favor of the benefits of the people.

The house will never be the same again. It’s hard to go forward with your plans.

It’s even harder to go back to the old way after you’re done. But the benefits of the family room are everlasting and good. Your future is better because of your work.

Transforming your house is very similar to transforming your life. The transformation process will convert your life from one state to another. The old, unsuccessful activities like giving up chocolate for Lent are token gestures with usually little impact and hardly life-changing. If you decide to make the hard decision to strive for real conversion, your life will be very different.

Conversion can be hard.

But no matter who you are, what you’ve done or what you have become, anyone can do it. It is easier to achieve conversion with the help of the Christian com-

munity. When you combine our loving God, our worship, rituals, prayers and our community of believers supporting each other, we have a recipe for success.

Real conversion is complex. It requires a radical transformation touching all the dimensions of the human being, “spirit, soul, and body.” All that is good and bad in you is from the heart.

The hardened heart needs to be broken because real conversion needs to start with the heart. Ezechiel described in beautiful and poetic terms the conversion that would come about as we build the New Kingdom of God on Earth: “I will give them a new heart, and put a new Spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh” (Ez 11:19). (Modified combination of NRSV and NABRE translations).

As we enter the season of Lent, let us try to really make a difference and “give up hardness of heart” for Lent. Give up hatred and intolerance. Give up indifference. Give up impatience.

Give up negativity and selfishness. Give up your old ways. Embrace the ways of Jesus and make them permanent and everlasting.

May Christ, the Light of the World, shine His light through you to others as you strive to journey with Him and live the Gospel this Lenten season.

Rick Swenton is a parishioner at St. Pius the Tenth Church in South Yarmouth and is a member of the choir and a cantor.

He has a certificate in Lay Ministry from the Archdiocese of Hartford with a focus on Liturgy and Music.

He is a published Church music composer. He resides with his wife, Gail, in South Dennis.

February 5, 2021 †

7

8

† February 5, 2021

FACE to participate in the 49th ASICS Falmouth Road Race August 2021 FALMOUTH — The Foundation to Advance Catholic Education (FACE) is excited to announce it will participate in the ASICS 2021 Falmouth Road Race. FACE will be part of the Numbers for Non-Profits Program with six entries where participants will raise funds for FACE student scholarships.

Each year runners enjoy the beautiful scenic views along the seven-mile seaside course from Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights. The race is a fa-

vorite that attracts thousands of elite runners and recreational runners from

local areas as well as from around the world visiting the Cape Cod Town of Falmouth, which is part of the Diocese of Fall River.

Last year, FACE vol-

unteer, Cassandra Robin, participated in the first Falmouth Road Race AtHome Edition and raised $3,660 for FACE! If you are interested in participating and would like more information, please contact Jane Robin at jrobin@ catholicfoundationsema. org or call 508-380-7521.

FACE provides critical scholarship support to children in need of financial assistance to attend Catholic schools of the Diocese of Fall River.

Visit the Diocese of Fall River website at: fallriverdiocese.org

Holy Family Parish 370 Middleboro Avenue East Taunton Register for Mass attendance online at hfparish.net and click on the ‘Sign up’ icon Weeknight Masses at Parish Center (438 Middleboro Ave.) at a variety of times, including Saturdays at 7 p.m.

Monday to Saturday 8 a.m. at the church February 5, 2021 †

9

Diocesan Faith Formation Office offers guides and activities to celebrate the Year of St. Joseph

By David G. Carvalho

Diocesan Faith Formation Senior Director dcarvalho@dioc-fr.org

FALL RIVER — On Dec. 8, 2020 Pope Francis announced a Year to St. Joseph. As a diocese, we will be partaking in this year through opportunities for prayer and formation, including the 33-day Consecration to St. Joseph concluding on May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

For more information and to register for free events during this year, visit or fallriverfaithformation.org/ stjoseph.

Living the Year of St. Joseph Talk On Tuesday, March 2 at 7 p.m., Father Donald Calloway, MIC, author of the book “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father,” will be having a virtual talk for the diocese as a prequel to the consecration to St. Joseph, which will begin on March 30.

Father Calloway, a prominent Marian priest, exhibits an unmistakable zeal for the priesthood and devotion to Our Lady. He is a well-known conference speaker on Divine Mercy and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He speaks passionately about these topics in his moving conversion story.

For more information, or to register for this free event, visit bit.ly/stjoseph2021 or fallriverfaithformation.org/ stjoseph.

Mass for Solemnity of St. Joseph Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River on March 19 10

at 7 p.m. for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Mass will also be livestreamed. Pre-registration for in-person will be required.

Mass for Feast of St. Joseph the Worker Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River on May 1 at 10 a.m. for the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. The Mass will also be live-streamed.

Pre-registration for in-person will be required.

Holy Hour for the Year of St. Joseph On Tuesday, June 8 at 6 p.m. (the Tuesday after the Solemnity of Corpus Christi), Father Jay Mello, pastor of St. Michael and St. Joseph parishes, will lead a Holy Hour at St. Joseph Parish (1335 North Main Street, Fall River). Confession will be available. RSVP at fallriverfaithformation.org/ stjoseph.

Holy Hour for the Family On Monday, July 12 at 7 p.m. (the Feast of St. Louis and Zelie), Father Richard Wilson, pastor of Holy Family Parish, will lead a Holy Hour at the Holy Family Parish Center (370 Middleboro Avenue, East Taunton). Confession will be available. RSVP at fallriverfaithformation.org/ stjoseph.

Meet Your Spiritual Father Talk On Saturday, August 21 at 1 p.m., Dr. Mark Miravalle, author of the book, “Meet Your Spiritual Father: An Introduction to St. Joseph,” will be having a virtual talk

† February 5, 2021

for the diocese.

Dr. Miravalle earned his Sacred Theological Doctorate at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He holds the St. John Paul II Chair of Mariology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has been teaching since 1986. Dr. Miravalle is the founder and senior editor of “Ecce Mater Tua,” an international journal of Mariology research and president of the International Marian Association.

Well known throughout the world for his lectures on Mariology, Dr. Miravalle has addressed several episcopal conferences, including those of South India, Nigeria, Venezuela, and Costa Rica.

Dr. Miravalle has spoken at numerous international conferences and has appeared on EWTN, National Public Radio, and the BBC. For more information, or to register for this free event, visit fallriverfaithformation. org/stjoseph.

Strategies for Becoming Stronger Spiritual Leaders of Your Family Talk On Tuesday, October 5 at 7 p.m., Katie Warner, author of the book, “Head & Heart: Becoming Spiritual Leaders for Your Family,” will be having a virtual talk for the diocese.

Warner is a Catholic wife, home-schooling mom, and author who loves creating and sharing resources for Catholic families. Warner received her graduate degree in theology from the Augustine Institute and is a Catholic speaker, an EWTN TV segment host, and a correspondent for the National Catholic Register. Warner has

also authored several prayer journals and bestselling Catholic children’s books.

She is also the part-time communication manager for the national evangelization apostolate, Catholics Come Home. Warner, her hus-

band Raymond, and their four young children live in Georgia.

For more information, or to register for this free event, visit fallriverfaithformation. org/stjoseph.

Prayers and fund-raisers support injured athlete continued from page one

but hearts were heavy. Following the game, the players from Pope Francis and Feehan gathered at center-ice on one knee, joined in prayer for their fallen fellow athlete.

Pope Francis High School is selling shamrocks with A.J.’s #10 on them to help raise funds.

The shock waves from the catastrophic event have traveled far. A.J. and the Quetta family face a long road ahead of them, as does the Feehan community, the hockey community, and frankly, anyone with heart.

“The faculty and students are shaken by A.J.’s injury,” said Sullivan. “We have to be there for each other. We can’t take care of everything. The doctors will take care of A.J. We will be there for each other as a Feehan community.”

The school gathered for a prayer service for A.J. on Friday, January 29. “The outpouring of support has been incredible,” Sullivan told

The Anchor. “Within 15 minutes of us posting to families and alumni, Mercy Sister Sheila Harrington, sister of Feehan mainstay, the late Sister Pat Harrington, advised us that A.J.’s name was in the prayer list at the House of Mercy on Baggot Street, in Dublin, Ireland.

“So many other alumni have extended support, as have others not in the immediate Feehan family.”

With the injury happening on the cusp of Celebrate Catholic Schools Week, Sullivan said the response at the school has been a prime example of what Catholic schools are all about. “This is Catholic education in action. We have a shared mission to be there for those in need, no matter what the need, and that’s never been more evident than through the reactions,” he said.

“If not for COVID-19 restrictions, I know there would have been a huge gathering of students the next day for a candle-light vigil. But the

students and staff are praying and doing what they can.

“I’ve heard from all the Catholic high schools in the diocese, many grammar schools, Bishop da Cunha and Chancellor Kevin Kiley; all supporting A.J., his family and the Feehan family.

“Only in a Catholic school can students, faculty, administration and staff openly express their support and concern with prayer, reaching out to Jesus Christ. That is a strong Celebrate Catholic Schools Week message.”

On January 28, Sullivan was invited to speak on the Greg Hill Morning show on radio station WEEI out of Boston. That day, the Greg Hill Foundation held a fundraiser for the Quetta Family, with hundreds of listeners responding.

The New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, and the Providence Bruins each donated $25,000. At press time, the total was at more than $120,000.

The Boston Bruins and the Boston Bruins Foundation pledged a minimum of $100,000 to help the family. At the January 28 game between the Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Garden, Bruins’ alternate captain, Brad Marchand, hung A.J.’s Feehan No. 10 jersey on the glass behind the bench during warm-ups.

The Bruins also taped their pregame warm-up sticks with Feehan colors, and a future Bruins 50/50 raffle proceed will go to A.J.’s recovery efforts.

The team presented the game 8 Continued on page 12

February 5, 2021 †

11

Gina Simoneau, Feehan’s a helmet sticker honoring director of Strategic ComA.J.. The game was livepuck to the Feehan family munications told The Anstreamed on TW @Feehanafter the game.

Elysa Quetta, A.J.’s sister, chor. “An ‘AJ’s Army’ banner Hockey.”

A.J.’s sisters, Elysa and initiated a GoFundMe page hung behind the Feehan bench, and all players had 8 Continued from page 14 and at press time the donations topped $700,000 with more than 10,000 donors.

The Feehan Shamrocks resumed playing, following a team meeting where all the players agreed it was what A.J. would want.

The game took place January 29 in Attleboro between Bishop Feehan and Austin Prep. “Before the Captains from the Feehan and Austin Prep hockey teams game, both teams joined at met at center ice before a January 29 game, to express center ice to pray for A.J.,” support for A.J. Quetta. (Photo courtesy of Feehan) 8 Continued from page 11

12

† February 5, 2021

C

onfucius, the great Chinese philosopher, is credited with many witty sayings, most of which I dare not quote here, but this one I can. It goes, “Man who wears short sleeved shirt supports right to bare arms.” He has also been quoted as saying, “He who sits on needle gets the point.” Now I believe that most people would agree that getting a needle in the seat would not be something to look forward to, unless absolutely necessary. However, there are millions of people on our earth today who are looking forward to baring their arms and inviting some lovely young nurse to give them a shot

Baring arms for the cause

or needle in the arm containing the COVID vaccine. Of course, they might like a shot of brandy first. Lol. So it was that yesterday, January 25, a cavalcade of vehicles drove up the driveway of Bishop Home complex where our Franciscan Sisters’ house stands. I call it the Manor House. I myself joined the cavalcade at about 11:35 a.m. right back of the now familiar red truck, driven by Marco who happens to be Kalaupapa’s head cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs. I would have loved to get out of my van

and needle him about the Chiefs’ chances against Tom Brady in the upcoming Super Bowl. I resisted the temptation because Sister Barbara Jean was

doing guard duty in my vicinity and motioned me to move on to the place of “execution.” It was time to prepare for the sting of the needle which would administer the long anticipated COVID vaccine.

As the procession of vehicles did a “stop and

go,” two lovely young nurses, Kerry and Holly, administered the vaccine.

I hardly felt the prick of the syringe needle when it was my turn to bare my arm. A lovely young nurse has that effect on me.

Then it was time to move down the circle for a pause of 15 minutes of recovery. Sister Alicia was there at the head of the line to make sure that we did not jump the gun and leave prematurely. She and Sister Barbara Jean were like sentries at their posts.

After a break for lunch, the operation continued into the afternoon until all had offered to bare

their arms for the cause.

For myself it was an overall pleasant experience and, on returning to my hermitage, I had my usual repast, then did my customary meditation on the horizontal.

Some people call it siesta.

It has been written that, “He who sleeps on a bed of nails is a holy man.”

Well, I guess that I’m not yet ready for that degree of holiness because my bed is very comfortable, though narrow, and I can now rest up until the next time that I am called upon to bare my arm for the cause. Aloha.

Anchor columnist Father Killilea is pastor of St. Francis Church in Kalaupapa, Hawaii.

February 5, 2021 †

13

F ocus

W

on

C hurch Y outh

Don’t, don’t … Do!

ell next week is the beginning of Lent! Hard to believe. And Lent always brings to mind what I should give up for Lent.

I’ve never been one who is good at giving things up.

I truly try to be a “giver” in all that I do, but I like my toys and other distractions.

Over the years when Lent came along, I’d try to figure out what to give up as the good Sisters taught us in school. I always thought sweets, or candy, or television or movies or some other material item that I liked, but I didn’t like the idea of losing those things. I don’t know about you, but I was more inclined to give up things that I didn’t like as

much — like vegetables. Of course, there was little value in giving up what I didn’t like or want! Generally, when I chose to give up the things I liked, I wasn’t successful a lot of the time. I was very good at rationalizing why I could have that candy bar just this one time — perhaps as a reward for going two days without one.

I guess I kind of lost the meaning of Lent. It is funny how my brain works. My wife would say it’s scary how my brain works!

In any case, there are reasons why we traditionally give up stuff during Lent.

What we give up should really be something we like, or like to do or that we find pleasure in. Through this sacrifice we can learn self-control, tell ourselves “no” once in a while (what a novel idea!) and it helps us identify with the sufferings of Christ. Lent gives us that opportunity to discover those things that get in the

way of our relationship with God and to give up those things that so often take over our lives. The less stuff

in our lives, the more room there is for God, yourself and for others.

I believe that in my case, perhaps, I chose the wrong things to give up.

Perhaps, I needed to look at giving up more than material items, perhaps I needed to look inside (not an easy thing to do) and give up those things that truly get in the way of my relationship with God and with others. Looking inside is not always fun or easy. But this year that is my intent.

Searching though my homily notes, I came across a Lenten reflection. I do not recall the author but it is not me. In the reflection it lists those things that we should “give up.” I read this reflection as a sort of internal examination and found 8 Continued from page 12

Ella, spoke to both teams before the game, expressing the family’s thanks for the outpouring of support and prayers.

According to the Feehan website, “A.J. was watching the live-stream with Mrs. Quetta, texting his reactions throughout the game. From the texts it was clear that A.J. supported his teammates and, well, still hates to lose.”

14

† February 5, 2021

it rewarding to look at each of the items and if they applied to me, to resolve that this Lent I would bring about a change in myself by focusing on the positive things I could do to make more room for God, myself and others. To take some time to tidy up and dust off my very soul.

Perhaps you may find it valuable to look at the list of things that you might want to give up this Lent by focusing on the positive. So instead of DON’T, we can think DO. Spend a moment on each of these actions and really give some thought and prayer on whether it applies to you and how you might change the focus to the more positive.

Do give up complaining — focus on gratitude.

Do give up pessimism — become an optimist. Do give up harsh judgments — think kindly thoughts.

Do give up worry — trust Divine Providence. Do give up discouragement — be full of hope. Do give up bitterness — turn to forgiveness. Do give up

hatred — return good for evil. Do give up negativism — be positive. Do give up anger — be more patient.

Do give up pettiness — become mature. Do give up gloom — enjoy the beauty that is all around you. Do give up jealousy — pray for trust. Do give up gossiping — control your tongue.

Do give up sin — turn to virtue. Do give up putting people in categories. Do remember that we are all made in the image and likeness of God our Father. Do give up giving up — hang in there!

Of course, now that I’ve completed this inner self-examination, it just may have been easier to just give up those candy bars! I guess I’ll just have to give up on that slimmer waistline and work on beefing up my soul this Lent!

Anchor columnist Frank Lucca is a deacon in the Diocese of Fall River assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Dartmouth and a campus minister at UMass Dartmouth. He is married to his wife of 43 years, Kristine, and the father of two daughters and their husbands, and five grandsons! So blessed!

“When people ask what they can do to help A.J. and his family, my first response it: Pray!,” Sullivan told The Anchor. “So much prayer is needed in addition to the financial support that is going to be needed to help A.J. and his family move forward.”

Several times, when Sullivan was talking to The Anchor, he choked up when mentioning the support and reactions of people from all

over. “The last 40 hours has seemed like two months.

We are filled with sadness and gravely concerned, but prayer is so powerful.”

And prayer is what A.J., the Quetta Family, and the Feehan family could use in abundance.

To help with A.J.’s medical treatment and recovery, visit the family’s GoFundMe page at https:// gofund.me/5c4593a5.

And pray.

D

War of another kind: The DNA of family life

espite the existential body blows thrown at the family in recent decades, there is a template that might help to push back against the present confusion. In Biology 101, we learned that at the center of every plant or animal cell is a nucleus, whose

key function is to control growth. The genetic material contained within is a repository of hereditary information that serves to organize how the cell reproduces itself, meaning that the inheritance from

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, February 7 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from St. Francis Xavier Church in East Providence

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, February 14 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Santo Church in Fall River

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, February 7 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Thomas C. Lopes, retired priest of the Fall River Diocese.

Sunday, February 14 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Robert A. Oliveira, Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Fall River.

previous generations of cells is inextricably tied both to the survival and

Like the biological cell, the strength of the nuclear family, as the Church understands it, depends on its various ingenious elements. Interestingly, while both membranes are required for the good of the cell, one remarkable feature is their future of a particular livasymmetry. Research has ing thing. shown that they cannot The nucleus is surbe reversed; neither can rounded by two memthere be two inner membranes — an inner and an branes or two outer, for outer — which comprise each has a distinct, comthe nuclear envelope. Not plementary, and irreonly is this envelope esplaceable role. sential to maintaining the Moreover, the memshape of the nucleus, but branes’ task of filtering it contains pores which incoming material and faallow critical substances cilitating outgoing mateto enter and exit, without rial is integral to survival which the cell would die. and growth, and mirrors It is fascinating to see the way that the family how, on the most subsidmust interact with the iary level, tremendously outer world. Each filter’s complex activities take criterion is to distinguish place which are ordered between what nourishes not only to the very existhe cell and the toxins tence of living things, but that would destroy it. In the flourishing of their this regard, the Catechism species. quotes from Gaudium et It requires no great Spes: “The importance leap to see how the of the family for the life Church relates this biand well-being of society ological phenomenon entails a particular reto the most basic family sponsibility for society to structure. Indeed, the Cat- support and strengthen echism notes, “The famMarriage and the family. ily is the original cell of Civil authority should social life. It is the natural consider it a grave duty society in which husband ‘to acknowledge the true and wife are called to give nature of Marriage and themselves in love and in the family, to protect and the gift of life. Authorfoster them, to safeguard ity, stability, and a life public morality, and proof relationships within mote domestic prosperithe family constitute the ty’” (CCC, 2210). foundations for freedom, Thus, it should besecurity, and fraternity come clear in coming within society” (CCC, months whether the 2207). family will be allowed to

maintain its integral task, or whether the Christian inheritance it relies on for strength and purpose will have to do battle with a pernicious mutation.

Gene therapy, despite its effectiveness when treating some diseases, is potentially disastrous when applied to the healthy parts of cells. The Catechism reminds us: “The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom” (CCC, 2207). With all the audacity of those who built the tower of Babel, tinkering with the mission of the family — whether its construction or what is forced into its inner sanctum — threatens its very ability to survive.

Altering its DNA can only undermine its essential moral framework; and vice versa, because inhibiting the benefits that healthy families offer to society will diminish the surrounding culture well into the future. There is already a quiet nuclear war simmering — one effectively below the radar of any standing army. Parents everywhere need to be vigilant, and safeguard that which has been entrusted to them so that coming generations may benefit by the stable truths on which nature and grace depend.

Anchor columnist Genevieve Kineke is the author of “The Authentic Catholic Woman.” She blogs at feminine-genius. typepad.com.

February 5, 2021 †

15

Christopher N. Gallant, brother of Father Jon-Paul Gallant FALL RIVER — Christopher N. Gallant, 63, passed away unexpectedly, Saturday, January 23 at his residence. Born in Fall River and a lifelong resident of the city, he was a son of Cornelia M. (O’Neil) Gallant of Fall River and the late Robert J. Gallant.

A graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School, Class of 1975, he served in the United States Army. He worked as an information

16

operator at New England Telephone and AT&T for many years. He was a communicant of Holy Trinity Church.

Music, writing and acting were among Christopher’s main passions. As an accomplished drummer and percussionist, he founded the band Device Cycle and played in several other local groups throughout the years. He also appeared in several

† February 5, 2021

films including “Armistad,” “Celtic Pride, and “Two Good Guys,” as well as in the television series “Brotherhood.” Christopher had an encyclopedic knowledge of literature, music, theatre and film. But it was the great love he had for his nieces and nephews and the opportunity to care for his mother that filled his spirit in his final days. He was a kind and gentle soul.

In addition to his mother, he is survived by five siblings, Father JonPaul Gallant of Attleboro, David M. Gallant and his companion Dawn Dubois of Fall River, Peter J. Gallant and his wife Carmen of Providence, Timothy F. Gallant and his wife Robin of Somerset, and Elizabeth A. Green and her husband Jonathan of Cambridge; and many nieces, nephews and two great nephews. He was the brother of the late Robert J. Gallant Jr. and James H. Gallant.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Holy Trinity Church in Fall River on February 3. Contributions in his honor may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Holy Trinity Parish.

In Your Prayers

Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks: Feb. 14 Rev. Charles E. Clerk, Pastor, St. Roch, Fall River, 1932 Rev. Msgr. Francis McKeon, Retired Pastor , Sacred Heart, Taunton, 1980 Feb. 15 Rev. Joseph G. Lavalle, Pastor, St. Mathieu, Fall River, 1910 Rev. James C. Conlon, Pastor, St. Mary, Norton, 1957 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, Catholic Memorial Home, Former Pastor, St. Theresa, South 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 Mt. Carmel, New Bedford, 1997 Feb. 22 Rt. Rev. Msgr. Jovite Chagnon, Founder, St. Joseph, New Bedford, 1954 Rev. Albert A. Croce, C.S.C., 2014 Feb. 24 Rev. Edward F. McIsaac, Retired Chaplain, Rose Hawthorn Lathrop Home, 2002 Feb. 25 Rev. Leo J. Ferreira, V.G., Pastor, St. Mary, Brownsville, Texas, 1988 Rev. William T. Babbitt, Assistant, St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1998

The Year of St. Joseph — With a father’s heart Editor’s note: This begins a monthly series on St. Joseph by Grace Small, during this year of St. Joseph.

St. Joseph — Head of the Holy Family, Pray For Us! n Dec. 8, 2020 Pope Francis wrote an apostolic letter, “Patris Corde,” which means “With a Father’s Heart,” to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. His apostolic letter celebrates this anniversary with a special “Year of St. Joseph,” beginning on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception this past December to the same Solemnity on Dec. 8, 2021.

To honor St. Joseph, these monthly articles will focus on one aspect of St. Joseph with the same purpose in which Pope Francis expressed in his apostolic letter: “To increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.” The theme for each month will be drawn from one of the verses in the Litany of St. Joseph and this month we will reflect on St. Joseph as “Head of the Holy Family.”

Since we just celebrated Advent and Christmas it will be easy to recall the mysteries in which St. Joseph partook in order for us to draw fruit to increase our love for him, to trust in his power of intercession and to imitate his virtue and zeal.

Let us recall that Sacred Scripture first mentions St. Joseph at the Annunciation.

“And in the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary”(Lk

O

1:26-27). Joseph is already the Head of the Holy Family at the moment of Christ’s Incarnation in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was a most virginal spouse wed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Joseph was prepared by God for his vocation as head of the Holy Family. The Virgin Mary was truly his spouse as they lived a virginal married life in full mutual consent through the power and grace of God. It is important to note, especially in our times, that it is the consent that makes the Marriage real and binding, and not mere physical union. Joseph is the “Guardian of the Redeemer” in taking Mary as his wife and guardian of both her and the Fruit of her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit.

He undertakes his virginal fatherhood not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, which is more perfect than a carnal union.

Joseph is also the Messianic Father with full legal rights over the Person of Jesus Christ. St. Joseph is of the House of David and thereby makes Jesus a descendant of David the King.

The Angel Gabriel tells Mary, “Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever” (Lk 1: 31-32). While the Angel Gabriel tells Mary that she “shalt call His name Jesus,” it is Joseph who will give Him His name as his legal father.

St. Joseph took the leadership role as Head of the Holy Family when he heard the Word of God spoken to him by the angel

who tells him, “Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.

And she shall bring forth a Son: and thou shalt call His name Jesus. For He shall save His people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled

which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: ‘Behold a virgin shall be with Child, and bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.’

And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife” (Mt 1:1825). Speaking of St. Joseph’s faith, St. Josemaria Escriva wrote, “He kept the Commandments of God without wavering, even though the meaning of those Commandments was sometimes obscure or their relation to the rest of the Divine plan hidden from him, Joseph’s faith does not falter, he obeys quickly and

to the letter. To understand this lesson better, we should remember that Joseph’s faith is active, that his docility is not a passive submission to the course of events. For the Christian’s faith has nothing whatever to do with conformity, inertia or lack of initiative” (“Christ is Passing By,” no. 42).

In the context of these difficult times we need to be faithful to God’s law and not conform ourselves to the practices of the world which may endanger our faith and separate us from God. We can recall how Joseph once again protected the Holy Family by obedience to the voice of the angel and escaped to Egypt. Joseph obeyed the command of the Lord through the angel who, “appeared in sleep to 8 Turn to page 18

February 5, 2021 †

17

Grace Small — Year of St. Joseph continued from page 17 Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the Child and His mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him. He arose, and took the Child and His mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod: That it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: ‘Out of Egypt have I called My Son’” (Mt 2: 13-15).

Having lived in Egypt for a time the Holy Family did not assimilate or conform themselves to the pagan practices of the world around them.

Rather, they lived more securely their faith in the plan God had for

18

their family. By their prayers and good example they showed service and charity to their neighbors. By their just and upright lives of holiness they witnessed to their faith in the Living God. And by their fidelity to each other: husband to wife, wife to husband, parents to children and children to parents they gave witness to the fidelity of God. There out of the land of idolatry God drew His Son Jesus to the promised land of the Redemption and with Him, His Immaculate Mother and Foster Father St. Joseph. We, the Mystical Body of Christ, must follow them to the land of the Redemption. Only anchored in our Catholic faith, can we follow where they have preceded

† February 5, 2021

up while we as pilgrims witness to the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15).

What can we take from Joseph’s example as Head of the Holy Family? God wills to restore the family by means of a family, the Holy Family. The first mission of God was to establish the human family in the Garden of Eden and then in the fullness of time restore it by the Holy Family. That is where civilization and its renewal begins. Within the family of one man and one woman bound by the Sacrament of Matrimony, united by mutual consent, as modeled by the Holy Family, we see the way to restore both Church and society.

In the Holy Family we witness the virtues of fidelity and chastity which we are all called to practice according to our state of life. We witness the fulfillment of the law of God and the precepts of the Church.

Through prayer, we can imitate St. Joseph’s interior life, keeping silence

so as to hear His Word at times spoken through the Angel of the Lord, at other times spoken by Our Lord Himself or the Immaculate Virgin, his spouse. Through the leadership of St. Joseph men find a perfect model to imitate, even as Jesus Himself obeyed and imitated.

With these reflection’s let us “Go to Joseph” in thankfulness for his protection of the Holy Family, the Church and our very lives and find in him a loving father for all our temporal and Spiritual needs.

Anchor guest columnist Grace Small and her husband Bill are parishioners of St. Mary Church in Providence, RI and have made their solemn profession as Third Order Franciscans of the Immaculate, through the Franciscans of the Immaculate in New Bedford, MA. They have both earned a Certificate in Catechetical Studies through TINE, The Institute for the New Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Boston.

W

hen I was 16 years old, I was involved in a violent car accident.

The circumstances aren’t important now, but I ended up with a broken nose and two friends had much more serious injuries.

At the time, my dad worked second shift, so he didn’t know about it until he came home. My mom told him and I heard him come to my room.

He didn’t scold me, although he had every reason to. He hugged me and told me he was so afraid this day would come. He told me he worried every time I went out with my friends, every time I went to the beach, every time I stepped on the ice to play hockey. My heart broke for him and at the time, I had no idea what he felt like — until I had children.

That fear for their safety

Trying to imagine the unimaginable

is as natural as breathing. injury, my mind often wanThere were some incidents ders to what the Quettas are along the way, and for the going through. most part, things worked out.

I read through some When I learned of A.J. Quetta’s tragic ice hockey injury (page one), I remembered my dad’s worries, and my own. But I can’t even imagine what A.J. is going through and what his family is going through.

Frankly, no one should have to go through any of this.

My heart breaks for the Quettas, and like everyone else, all I can do is pray and donate toward his treatment and recovery.

As Bishop Feehan High School President Tim SulliA.J. and his mom and dad. van told me, “One minute everything is perfectly normal, of the myriad posts on the suddenly it’s not.” family’s GoFundMe page and Since learning of the was brought to tears by many

of them. People from all over, fellow hockey players and rival teams, athletes of all kinds, parents, students, grandparents, just plain folk who are touched and care enough to try to help.

A.J.’s teammates opted to play their next scheduled game, against Austin Prep, and both teams had their colleague on their minds.

The Boston Bruins have stepped up, as have the Providence Bruins, New England Patriots and sports-talk radio station WEEI in Boston.

So many prayers and so much love and support is being showered on the Quettas and the Bishop Feehan family. It’s heartwarming, especially in this day and time in history when everything seems out of whack.

But, truthfully, it’s an expression of love that I so wish didn’t have to be. My heart is so broken, I can’t begin to imagine what those close to the tragedy are experiencing.

When I was 18, I witnessed a crash between an fire truck on a call and a car. I went to help, and the civilian driver was a good friend.

I remember praying that I wish everything was going to be alright, perfectly normal as it was seconds before.

I wish that now for the Quettas and Feehan. I have very seldom wished for something more than this.

Please help them any way you can — help the nightmare to end.

God please be with the Quettas, Feehan, and all whose lives have gone from perfectly normal to not. davejolivet@anchornews.org

February 5, 2021 †

19

Please support the TV Mass Donate online at www.GiveCentral.org/FRTVMass Or mail your check payable to: Diocese of Fall River – TV Mass, 450 Highland Ave. Fall River, MA 02720

20

† February 5, 2021