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Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , March 6, 2015

Area Catholics offer prayers for Coptic Orthodox martyrs

By Christine M. Williams Anchor Correspondent

ATTLEBORO — Local Catholics have prayed in solidarity with Coptic Orthodox Christians mourning the loss of 21 men martyred in Libya last month. In Attleboro, Father Riley Williams celebrated Mass in honor of the martyrs at St. Vincent de Paul Parish on February 22; about two dozen members of the local Coptic Orthodox Church attended. The community has five churches in the area — in Attleboro; Boston; Marshfield; Natick; and Nashua, N.H. Emil Khalil, a deacon in the

Coptic Orthodox Church, said that he watched the gruesome video of the martyr’s beheadings, released by ISIS, and does not recommend that others do the same.

“The way they killed people, it’s terrible,” he said. “You can’t imagine that people can kill people this way.”

He said asks the men every day to intercede for the conversion of their killers. He hopes that the 21 murderers will one day understand how much God loves all people.

Father Shenouda Awad, also a Turn to page 18

Father Paul Halladay, right, a Catholic chaplain, is seen with soldiers while stationed in Iraq in 2005. Father Halladay will be leading a four-day Lenten Mission in Fall River area churches beginning March 9.

(CNS photo/courtesy of Father Brian Kane)

Combat-tested chaplain comes to area to help faithful fight battle against evil

By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor

Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker prepares to administer the oath of office to Thomas M. Quinn III (seated with his wife, Sharon) as the new District Attorney for Bristol County. Quinn was sworn in by Gov. Baker at a ceremony held at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River last week.

Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., who delivered the closing Benediction, looks on in the background. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

Newly sworn-in District Attorney cites importance of faith, family

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

FALL RIVER — If it wasn’t already evident that faith and family are two pillars in the life of Thomas M. Quinn III, there were clues peppered throughout his Inaugural Ceremony last week.

Quinn took the oath of office as the new District Attorney for Bristol County inside the auditorium of Bishop Connolly High School — where all three of his

children attended — and before a packed audience that included a sizeable delegation of priests from the Fall River Diocese, including Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., who delivered the closing Benediction.

In addition to the many family members present, the master of ceremonies for the event was none other than Quinn’s brother, Andrew.

Turn to page 18

FALL RIVER — The origin of Lent is found in the desert where Christ battled the temptations of the devil for 40 days, in preparation for the Savior’s ministry to save mankind from the snare of sin.

Today’s faith challenges are no less difficult to bear — not without help from brothers and sisters in the faith.

On Monday, a U.S. Army chaplain, Father Paul Halladay, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Ala., and a veteran of the conflicts in Iran and Afghanistan, will use his experience as a priest and a soldier to assist area faithful in

Spiritual combat against evil in a four-day Lenten mission encompassing five Fall River area churches.

“God wants to do something very special for each and every one who attends the mission, even if only in part,” Father Halladay told The Anchor. “He wants your celebration of Easter, the celebration of His Son’s triumph over sin and death, to be the most fulfilling you’ve ever experienced.

This mission has that as its objective, to deeply enrich and fortify your Lenten preparation so that this celebration of Easter gives Glory to God like it never has before. A tall order indeed. I am humbled to

think that I should be a part of that and immeasurably grateful for the opportunity.”

The mission, which begins at 7 p.m. each night, commences March 9 at St. Bernadette’s Church, 529 Eastern Avenue, Fall River. The following three sessions are March 10 at St. Bernard Church, 32 South Main Street, Assonet; March 11 at St. Michael Church, 189 Essex Street, Fall River; and concludes March 12 at St. Anthony of the Desert Church, 300 North Eastern Avenue, Fall River.

Several priests will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 6-6:45 p.m.

Turn to page 15

Countering bullying with a Catholic response

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

WORCESTER — As the third of eight sons, Kevin Dowd decided to break away from following in his father’s police work footsteps and carve out his own niche.

“One of our cornerstones growing up was our faith community; my parents were really interested in making sure we understood our faith and participated in the traditions of our faith. Time was delineated

by the seasons of the Church,” said Dowd, who was involved in the youth group at St. Bernard’s Parish in Worcester, and taught fifth-grade Faith Formation classes while in high school.

It wasn’t until he spent four years as a pre-med major at Harvard University that he finally realized what his true calling in life would be: “I still wanted to help people, as somebody who wanted to bring healing to the world, I recognized that medicine wasn’t the root

that I was called to as a vocation,” said Dowd. “I felt a calling to teach.”

Dowd graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s in education from the Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College, and is currently a doctoral student in theology and education at Boston College.

What eventually brought bullying to his attention acaTurn to page 14

News From the Vatican

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March 6, 2015

Pope’s ‘Mexicanization’ comments not meant to offend, Vatican says

SALTILLO, Mexico (CNS) — A private email from Pope Francis to a personal friend was never meant to offend Mexican sensibilities, the Vatican said in a statement after the message — which suggested Mexico was synonymous with drugs and violence — was made public.

In a note to Mexico’s ambassador to the Vatican, Mariano Palacios Alcocer, the Vatican said the pope’s use of the term “Mexicanization,” presumably to describe problems in Argentina, “did not attempt in any way to hurt the feelings of the Mexican people, for whom he nurtures a special affection, much less undervalue the commitment of the government in the struggle against drug trafficking.”

“The expression ‘avoiding the Mexicanization’ was utilized by the pope in a strictly personal and informal email, in response to an Argentine friend very committed to the struggle against drugs, who had used this phrase,” the Vatican said.

Use of the term “Mexicanization” caused consternation for an increasingly image-conscious and embattled Mexican government and President Enrique Pena Nieto, who previously promoted an image of Mexico modernizing under his administration and largely stayed silent on the issues of drugs and crime. Pena Nieto’s plans unraveled with his awkward handling of the kidnapping and presumed killing of 43 teacher trainees last September and subsequent revelations that he, his wife and finance minister purchased properties from promi-

nent government contractors.

Pope Francis “did not intend to do more than emphasize the seriousness of drug trafficking afflicting Mexico and other Latin American countries,” the Vatican said in a recent statement.

“It is precisely this seriousness that determines the fight against drug trafficking as a priority in the programs of the Mexican government. These (programs) aim to combat violence and restore peace and tranquility for Mexican families, focusing on the causes of this social evil.”

The phrase occurred in an email Pope Francis sent his friend Gustavo Vera, whose Fundacion Alameda is dedicated to working with victims of human trafficking and the sex trade. Vera subsequently published the email on his organization’s website.

“Hopefully we’re in time to avoid the Mexicanization. I was talking to some Mexican bishops and it’s a terrible situation,” Pope Francis wrote in his email.

Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade told a recent news conference that Mexico had made great strides fighting drugs.

The crackdown on drug cartels and organized crime has cost an estimated 100,000 lives over the past eight years and left more than 20,000 missing in Mexico.

Mexico’s bishops have promoted peace, but often allowed the government to take the lead on the issue of security. Until recently, most bishops refrained from making strong statements on security matters.

Diocese of Fall River

OFFICIAL

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D., Bishop of Fall River, has made the following appointments: Reverend Edward J. Healey, Ecumenical Officer for the Diocese of Fall River.

Effective: February 17, 2015 Very Reverend Jay T. Maddock, V.F., Parochial Administrator of St. Bernadette Parish, Fall River, while remaining Pastor of Holy Name Parish, Fall River.

Reverend James M. Fitzpatrick, Parochial Vicar of St. Bernadette Parish, Fall River with residence at Holy Name Rectory, Fall River.

Effective: March 1, 2015

Pope Francis attends a Spiritual retreat in Ariccia, Italy, recently with members of the Roman Curia.

(CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters)

Longtime worker for migrants says challenges more urgent than ever

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Thirty-five years ago, when John Klink was working for Catholic Relief Services in Yemen, Blessed Teresa of Kolkata came to visit her Missionaries of Charities there.

The first question the legendary missionary asked the young relief worker was: “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Told his girlfriend was more than 2,500 miles away in Rome, in an era before email and cheap long-distance calls, Blessed Teresa offered: “Why don’t I take her some love letters for you?”

Klink gratefully accepted, then asked what he could do for her.

“I’d like you to have a reception for me,” Blessed Teresa replied without hesitation. “I would like you to invite the U.S. ambassador, the head of U.S. AID and the deputy head of U.S. AID.” The reception was to take place at his apartment that very evening, she said, so she could press the officials for more milk to give a community of lepers CRS was helping.

A combination of passion and practicality, as exemplified in his story about Blessed Teresa, has marked Klink’s own four-decade career promoting socio-economic development and human rights.

The Wyoming native has worked in rarefied diplomatic milieus, serving as a chief negotiator at the Holy See’s Mission to the United Nations and representing the White House at international conferences on such topics as population growth, the rights of children and human cloning. He has also served as an aid worker on the front lines during refugee crises in Thailand and the 1986 revolution in Haiti.

Klink’s most recent assignment, from 2006 to late 2014, was as president of the International Catholic Migration Commission.

Founded by Pope Pius XII in 1951, the ICMC (www.icmc. net) works to assist and protect migrants, refugees, internally displaced and trafficked people, by coordinating the work of Catholic agencies and collaborating with international organizations and national governments.

The ICMC has accompanied much more than one million refugees to the U.S. alone, providing them with food, clothing and shelter and a variety of services including psychological counseling and assistance with the legal procedures for resettlement. More than half of the Iraqi refugees now in the U.S. got there with the help of the ICMC. The commission’s most urgent challenge at the moment is assisting refugees from the Syrian civil war, which has now lasted almost four years, leaving 6.5 million homeless within Syria and driving four million out of the country.

Klink likens their plight to that of Holy Family taking refuge in Egypt during King Herod’s massacre of the innocents.

“When Joseph was woken in the middle of the night and told that he had to flee within moments, he became a refugee, and with him, Mary and the Baby Jesus,” Klink said. “Think of what’s happening right now with the number of beheadings of children that ISIS is behind and the incredible trauma that all of these families are sustaining. It is again the Holy Family’s winter.”

The flow of people has overwhelmed neighboring countries, with grave long-term ramifications for the region, Klink warns: “Imagine what it would be like if you invited your entire extended family over for Christmas and they stayed for three years, and you didn’t have the space for them and you didn’t have the food for them. How do you cope?

It has been very destabilizing for all these countries.

“And going forward, if the youth do not get the educational opportunities that they deserve, there are going to be refugee situations that will mirror in many ways what happened in Palestine, wherein you have refugee camps that last for generation upon generation and you have very disaffected youth who are prime targets for terrorists who want to bring them over to their side.”

The ICMC also works extensively to combat human trafficking, a problem on which Pope Francis has placed great emphasis.

The commission has helped set up safe houses in Lebanon and Kosovo for women who have escaped from slavery, offering them psychological counseling and legal advice on how to rebuild their lives.

But such assistance is usually “too little too late,” Klink says, so the commission also focuses on prevention, by teaching military and police how to recognize and offer protection to victims of trafficking. Last year, the commission partnered with the Philippine Catholic Bishops’ Conference to pilot a regional trafficking prevention project. The ICMC also promotes legislation against the practice in countries around the world.

Klink stepped down as head of ICMC at the end of 2014 and was replaced in January by Sir Peter Sutherland, a former attorney general of Ireland.

Asked what he will do next, Klink says he is continuing on as president of the ICMC American affiliate, but expects other interesting challenges.

“My life has been a series of calls,” he said. “When I was asked to serve at the United Nations, the nuncio said just come for two weeks, and that lasted 17 years.”

March 6, 2015

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The International Church

Central African archbishop compares his people to Israelites in desert

BANGUI, Central African Republic (CNS) — An archbishop in Central African Republic compared citizens of his country to the people of Israel wandering in the desert and urged them to use the pope’s planned autumn visit to escape from their “prolonged crisis.”

“God wanted His people to pass through that dreadful terrain so He could bring them to the land of milk and honey — the harsh ordeal was necessary for Israel to gain the firmness of a people,” said Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga, president of the bishops’ conference, in a Lenten pastoral letter.

“So the Lord is also leading us through the desert, like Israel, to make us a new people and help us uncover the fragility, poverty and powerlessness which caused the crisis afflicting our country,” he said.

The archbishop said he hoped the Central African Republic’s two-year civil war would mark “a passage from servitude to freedom” and enable its inhabitants to shake off the evil influence of “princes, powers, dominators of the world of shadows.”

“Recent events here seem to have plunged us into a sort of Spiritual lethargy, as if living in mediocrity with a dead faith.

People kill, steal, rape, seize and take hostages without any mass reaction, as if these things were normal. The time has come, with God’s grace, to wake up,” Archbishop Nzapalainga said.

The letter was sent to Catholic churches in late February as the United Nations reported a new increase in refugees, with 50,000 fleeing their homes

since January 1 to escape continued fighting between rival factions.

After the rebel Seleka alliance ousted President Francois Bozize in March 2013, it suspended the constitution. The country descended into ethnic and sectarian violence, with thousands of people fleeing their homes. The United Nations has warned there was a high risk of genocide.

In the letter, the archbishop said unity could be rebuilt through a new Forum de Bangui, convened by the country’s transitional parliament, which is expected to bring together all armed factions and political groups this spring.

“This basic consultation will give Central Africans an opportunity to talk and free themselves from the spirit of vengeance, jealousy, hatred and rancor,” Archbishop Nzapalainga added. “The enormous problems of misery and insecurity are driving many of us to discouragement and defeatism. But we cannot succumb to fatalism.”

Archbishop Nzapalainga said Christians had stopped “acting as Christians” during the conflict, adding that true conversion would require “sharing wealth and power” and showing an interest in the “problems, sufferings and injustices” of others.

He added that Pope Francis’ planned visit to Bangui and nearby Uganda later this year would be a “sign of Divine goodness.”

“As Christ’s ambassador, the pope will mediate a Divine grace, which produces many fruits here if we collaborate

A displaced Syrian girl finds temporary shelter at a school in Damascus, Syria, recently. A prominent Syrian Christian political leader has called for U.S.-led coalition forces to use airstrikes to aid fellow Syrian Christian and Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State militants in northwest Syria following reports of flagrant abductions and church burnings. (CNS photo/Youssef Badawi, EPA)

generously with it,” the archbishop said.

The secretary-general of the bishops’ conference, Msgr.

Cyriaque Gbate Doumalo, recently told Catholic News Service that a date and itinerary for the pope’s visit would be announced during the Central

African bishops’ ad limina visit to Rome in May. Meanwhile, in a recent statement, Salesians said there was still “no rule of law” in much of the Central African Republic, where police and security forces remained “nonexistent.”

It added that, despite the

insecurity, the Salesians had maintained their educational activities to prevent local children falling into the hands of armed groups, but said the order’s community in Bangui had “suffered threats, theft and violence” and was aware its members were “risking their lives.”

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March 6, 2015 The Church in the U.S. Survey: 133 percent increase in attacks on religion in past three years

WASHINGTON (CNS) — A new report from the Liberty Institute in Plano, Texas, shows that incidents of “religious hostility” have more than doubled in the United States over the past three years.

The report, “Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America, 2014 Edition,” chronicles a series of more than 1,300 court cases recently handled or monitored by the institute, a nonprofit legal group that represents plaintiffs who feel their religious liberty has been violated.

“The freedom to openly exercise your faith is under intolerant, growing, damaging attack,” reads the opening statement. “If this hostility is not identified, defeated and deemed socially unacceptable, then we will forfeit the benefits of religion and freedom.

We will risk watching our freedom and our American way of life destroyed.”

“A lot of people think that this only happens in China or North Korea,” Justin Butterfield, editorin-chief of the survey, told Catholic News Service. “We published ‘Undeniable’ to get people to realize that religious persecution is something that happens here in the United States.”

The new edition of the report has four main sections: attacks on religious freedom in the public arena, in academic settings, against churches and ministries, and in the military.

“The thing to remember is that not only are these attacks on liberty becoming more numerous, but the types of cases we’re seeing are getting worse,” said Butterfield. “I never would have imagined that a presidential administration would argue in favor of protecting religious belief but not religious action and prac-

tice, but that’s exactly what the government did in the HosannaTabor case.”

He was referring to the government’s lawsuit over a Lutheran school’s firing of a teacher.

In its 2012 decision in HosannaTabor v. EEOC, the court unanimously rejected the government’s attempt to more narrowly define who is a religious employee and upheld a “ministerial exception” to federal anti-discrimination laws. The case is included in the “churches and ministries” section.

Documentation in the survey includes citations from court cases, news stories and reports from various organizations.

The “public arena” category of the survey describes challenges to praying in public, publicly displaying Nativity scenes or menorahs, and displaying the Ten Commandments. A legal challenge to prayers delivered prior to town council meetings in Greece, N.Y., reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Last May, the court ruled 5-4 that the prayers in Greece did not violate the Constitution.

The category also includes the federal requirement that most employers cover contraceptives for their employees among high profile attacks on religious liberty. Dozens of challenges to the mandate continue to make their way through the courts. Most employers, including religious ones, are required to cover employees’ artificial birth control, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs, even if employers are morally opposed to such coverage.

As an example of attacks on religion in a school or academic setting, the survey described the case of a third-grader who was told he could not include a reli-

gious message in the goodie bags that he was bringing to a party to share with his classmates. In another case, a Houston-area school district banned religious items at Christmas and Valentine’s Day cards that contained religious content. In both instances the courts ruled on allowing religious messages.

Regarding the military, the report recalls the case of Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Philip Monk, who after 19 years of service was relieved of his position and reassigned because of his views on Marriage.

It said that when Monk returned from a deployment to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, he had a new commander who was openly gay.

She asked his views on same-sex marriage. He declined to answer but she insisted, the report said, and after he said he believed in the “Biblical view of Marriage,” she had him reassigned despite his “spotless record.”

When he reported the situation to his superiors, Air Force investigators initially charged him with making false official statements. Eventually the charges were dropped and he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

A Military Times news story in August 2013 said the Air Force had found Monk’s claims to be unsubstantiated and that while he had made false claims, he had not violated any sections of the military code. The Air Force claimed Monk was already scheduled for a change in duties and his confrontation with his superior had nothing to do with that.

However, in a statement issued in October 2013, the Lib-

erty Institute disputed the Air Force’s findings and said it stood

by Monk.

Another example of religious hostility in the military was the instance of an informational slide listing Catholicism, evangelical Christianity and other religious groups along with Hamas and alQaeda under the heading of “Religious Extremism” that was used in a training briefing for a group of about 100 Army Reserve soldiers. After religious leaders complained to Army officials, it was removed.

There are a variety of reasons for increased religious hostility, according to George Yancey, professor of sociology at the University of North Texas and co-author of “So Many Christians, So Few Lions: Is There Christianophobia in the United States.”

“My research suggests a certain willingness of Americans to dehumanize conservative Christians. Yet many of these individuals also espouse a desire for religious neutrality,” he told CNS. “So how do we reconcile these two concepts? I discovered in my research that these individuals, who tend to be white, male, wealthy, highly-educated, politically-‘progressive’ and nonreligious, tend to use mechanisms that can be justified for nonreligious reasons but have a disparate impact upon Christians.”

Regarding religious freedom on campuses, Yancey said some colleges require the leadership of student groups to be open to individuals of all faiths. “In theory, this is religiously neutral but in practice it punishes religious groups that take seriously the tenets of their faith,” he said.

“So those with Christianophobic tendencies can hide their pos-

sible bigotry with measures that punish Christians but ones for which they can also find nonreligious justification.”

Attacks on religion come from a flawed understanding of the First Amendment, according to Butterfield. “What people need to understand is that the First Amendment has two parts, saying that the government cannot prohibit free exercise of religion, nor can it establish a state religion.”

“People have confused the two clauses and created clauses about church and state that aren’t even in the Constitution,” he explained. “This is another reason we started publishing this survey, not only to educate people about hostility toward religion, but also educate employers, school officials, and government officials about what the Constitution actually does say in regard to religious liberty.”

But the survey’s executive summary says “there is hope” on the religious freedom front.

“When those who value religious liberty actively engage in the cultural and legal battle against secularism, they push back the secularists’ agenda,” it reads. “Those organizations that have pushed back in the Health and Human Services mandate cases have stopped the government from forcing businesses to decide between abandoning their religious beliefs or going out of business.”

In an open letter to the American people that is included in the 393-page document, Liberty Institute president and CEO Kelly Shackelford called for Americans to “make the restoration of liberty a personal and national priority.”

A couple walks hand-in-hand through the snow during a winter blizzard in Boston recently. With record snowfall for this time of year, parishes all over the Archdiocese of Boston face a plethora of problems after each storm. (CNS photo/Brian Snyder, Reuters)

The Church in the U.S. Texas bishop frames theological call to be ‘with the immigrant’

March 6, 2015

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The faith and social justice considerations of immigration might be viewed theologically with an eye not just toward how migrants change “by being with us,” said Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, but also “are we willing to change by being with the immigrant?”

In a recent lecture at The Catholic University of America in Washington, Bishop Flores wove together theology, personal stories from people at various stages of the immigration continuum and philosophical perspectives of several novelists.

Drawing from material by novelist Walker Percy, Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI and other writers, Bishop Flores also sprinkled his remarks with references to the play and movie “Into the Woods.” He drew a comparison between the comparatively ordinary lives of Hobbits and the more exotic existence of other magical creatures of the “Lord of the Rings” books and put his thoughts in context of the work of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Bishop Flores framed a challenge to the Church and to all who believe in Christ’s model of justice, saying they are called to break free of “paralysis, the human affliction of our time,”

that keeps people from acting to protect those most in need.

Bishop Flores’ talk was the third annual Hispanic Innovators of the Faith Lecture at the university. A native of the Mexican border region of Texas, he heads a diocese that was in the apex of the surge last summer of unaccompanied minors and family immigrants from Central America that overwhelmed governmental and social service resources.

He illustrated his more theological and philosophical points with stories of individuals he met in immigrant detention centers in the U.S., in a shelter for repatriated youths in Honduras and in a Guatemalan community of people determined to make a better life for themselves amid poverty and violence in their country.

Bishop Flores distinguished between the “economically and technologically advanced West,” or ETA West as he called it, that defines the lives of most North Americans, and the more struggling version of the West experienced by the poor of Central America. A feature defining the ETA West is a sort of inertia brought on by the many distractions of society.

“As a novelist, Walker Percy (shows) us modern persons in motion, or at least attempting to move. His characters are indi-

viduals, flawed, self-consumed at times, anxious, yet longing to get over some kind of internal paralysis. Paralysis is for Walker Percy, the human affliction of our time,” Bishop Flores said.

Some of Percy’s characters are severely paralyzed, he observed, while others are “more or less paralyzed, depending on how successful they are in regaining self-possession of themselves as selves.

He compared such characters to the opening chapters of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium,” “as a call to the Church to overcome a kind of sweet paralysis not unlike what Walker Percy elucidates. The Holy Father, writing 30 years later, describes the way the general ailment diagnosed by Percy as epidemic in the modern West shows itself in the particular context of the Church’s members.”

The human mind, particularly the theological mind, is involved in an immigrant journey, a kind of itinerant trek in search of something better, Bishop Flores said. “When we are honest with ourselves, in moments of lucid self-awareness, we know that this is an urgent journey. It is not a vacation journey, it is more like a hike wherein we seek signposts in a strange land, in search for real food. Intelligibility is the

Bi-national gathering aims to build bridges, promote Pro-Life values

El Paso, Texas (CNA) — Wading into the deep-seated topics of family, Marriage, and religious freedom, the Catholic dioceses of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez will host a first-of-its-kind joint congress in April.

The congress, organized by the Marriage and Family Life Ministry in the diocese of El Paso, will be held April 18 at Franklin High School in El Paso, Texas. The congress in Juarez, Mexico will be held on April 18-19 at the Seminario Conciliar Theater.

“The goal for the congress is to share the Gospel of Life with the community and equip them to return to their homes and dioceses with resources, information, and a more profound understanding about their roles as baptized members of the Church,” stated the congress’ website.

The pro-family assembly will feature leading bilingual speakers from around the country, who will present on Pro-Life issues, including Marriage, family, and religious freedom.

Among the clergy of presenters will be Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller from the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso, and Padre Ernesto Maria Caro of Evangelizacion Activa.

Alejandro Bermudez of EWTN and ACI Prensa will also be speaking, along with Trent Horn of Catholic Answers and Monica Ashour of the Theology of the Body Evangelization Team.

“Please invite your parishioners and families to this first of a kind event,” stated Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso in a press release for the event.

This is the first time in history that simultaneous congresses in the border region will be taking place. Not only is this groundbreaking for building bridges within the area, but it has also been described as crucial in addressing the threats and challenges that families face within both countries.

All clergy, including priests, deacons, religious and seminarians, will be waived the $12 admission fee. The priests who attend will also be invited to concelebrate the closing Liturgy.

“We hope to help everyone be more effective in the proclamation of the dignity of human life and defend against related threats and challenges that affect their families and communities.”

More information can be found at http://www. elpasolife2015.org/

food of the mind, and without it we wither to listless foraging on ideas that do not nourish, they only anesthetize.”

He said that people on a pilgrim journey of faith and immigrants — while on distinctly different types of journeys — both depend upon God and the people they meet along the road, he said.

Bishop Flores described talking with many immigrants who told of having been helped on the road by someone they believed God put in their path.

Some credit St. Toribio Romo, considered a patron and protector of immigrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

“A third of the boys I confirmed in Detroit in the Mexican neighborhoods during my time as an auxiliary bishop there chose the name Toribio for their confirmation,” he said.

St. Toribio “has appeared to many, assisting them in small but decisive ways, often saving their lives. Word spreads. People have faith. From the perspective of faith, Heaven is not so far from earth, and some-

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times it is a lot closer than the United States.”

Yet, he added, “sometimes we in the Church in the ETA West can smugly ask the immigrant Church to assimilate to the customs and habits that are our own. We ought to pause before facilely insisting upon such a demand. For in doing so, we may in some way be asking them to abandon a Christ of Flesh and Blood for a gray pragmatism of indecisive small-mindedness.

“Perhaps we have become too accustomed to our five-story office buildings, our myriad of forms to fill out, our recorded messages on phone lines and our endless meetings to discuss whether we will actually do something,” he said. “No, we must take seriously what the Holy Father says when he urges us to let ourselves as a Church be evangelized by those whom we are asked by God to receive hospitably. The immigrant changes by being with us. The question is, are we willing to change because we are with the immigrant?”

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March 6, 2015

Anchor Editorial

Protecting our brothers and sisters

“We have become used to the suffering of others. It doesn’t affect us. It doesn’t interest us. It’s not our business.” Pope Francis said these words when he visited the small Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013, mourning the deaths of many immigrants who perished in the Mediterranean Sea, trying to make their way from North Africa to Europe.

His words then still sting our ears now (or they should). God calls us to not be like Cain, who famously asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9).

We thank God that in the Fall River Diocese we have so many who answer that question with a resounding, “yes.” We even have an organization called “My Brother’s Keeper” here in our diocese (based out of Easton and Dartmouth) which lives out that filial love for its neighbors — as its website (mybrotherskeeper.org) states, “Because we serve in Christ’s name, every donated good is checked for quality to ensure that each item we deliver is new or in like-new condition, providing people with renewed hope and a sense of value.

Our delivery vehicles are unmarked to protect the privacy of those receiving our help.”

During these days in which Christians and other innocent people are being killed in Libya, Syria and many other countries, while others are being enslaved, it is easy to forget about these brothers and sisters of ours. We are distracted by the weather or by some minor celebrity’s antics or other trivial matters back in the U.S. This edition of The Anchor reminds us of terrors our fellow Catholics are undergoing in the Central African Republic, something hardly ever mentioned in the American media, but not forgotten by Pope Francis, who is determined to visit them later this year.

Whatever happened to those girls kidnapped in Nigeria? We might feel like there is nothing we can do for them, but we can still pray and make sacrifices for them, asking God to give them the Spiritual help that they need, while also praying for the conversion of their captors.

Pope Francis, echoing the constant teaching of the Church, reminded his assembled congregation at St. Martha’s House on February 17 that there is a connection between all attacks on human dignity. He had begun his homily by speaking about the martyrdom of the Coptic Christians killed by ISIS in Libya, but then moved on to how anyone can say “yes” to evil. We are all “capable of doing good, but we are also all capable of destruction; destruction great and small and even within our own family. [We are capable of destroying] our children,” not allowing them to grow “in freedom, not helping them

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.

The Liturgy last Sunday presented to us Jesus in the desert, tempted by Satan, but victorious over temptation. In the light of this Gospel we have become aware again of our condition as sinners, but also of the victory over evil offered to all those who undertake the journey of conversion and, like Jesus, want to do the will of God. In this Second

Pope Francis’ Angelus message of March 1

Sunday of Lent, the Church points out to us the end of this journey of conversion, namely, participation in the glory of Christ, on Whose Face shines that of the obedient Servant, dead and Risen for us.

The Gospel page narrates the event of the Transfiguration, which is at the height of Jesus’ public ministry. He is on His way to Jerusalem, where the prophecies of the “Servant of God” will OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

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to mature; eliminating our children.” He thus brought up the topic of the barbarity of the killing of children in the womb through abortion, a barbarity we are too accepting of in our society.

The pope’s remarks at the beginning of this editorial bring to mind another tragic situation that we often are too willing to tolerate — that of the suffering of undocumented immigrants. We are concerned (and rightfully so) about the sufferings of our fellow Christians in the Middle East, wondering either how the situation can be resolved so that they are protected or how they can escape from there with their lives (in many ways this is similar to how compassionate people in the 1930s and ’40s worked to see how Jewish people could escape from Hitler), but how can we say that people fleeing from being murdered by gangs run amok in Central America should just stay there and reform their countries? Yes, good people down there need to work to make their nations better, but sometimes, when the choice is staying and dying or leaving and living, the latter option is the one that is selected. On the page before this one you can read about one bishop’s pastoral accompaniment of immigrants and his reminder to all of us that we are called upon by God to be mutually changed due to our encounters with these brothers and sisters of ours.

On the page facing this one, Father Landry reminds us of our responsibility to do almsgiving (during Lent and throughout the year), not just with our money and other resources (although if we do have these, God calls upon us to share them), but also with our time and our very being (in imitation of Christ’s giving His very Self for us). So, in our Lenten prayer we can also think about how we can give some of our time, talents and treasure to help promote human life, from people facing persecution and death (whether at the hands of ISIS or gangs or dictatorial regimes or doctors in clinics) to people who have lost their liberty (captured by terrorist organizations and/or human traffickers) to people whose dignity is disrespected (the poor, the mentally ill, victims of prejudice, etc.).

As we are reminded in the homily on page eight, God has given us the Ten Commandments and He is always true to His side of the “bargain” of our relationship with Him (there is no greater bargain that you could get at any store).

Living out the Ten Commandments reminds us that other people’s lives (and the threats to them) ARE our business. May our meditations on Christ’s sufferings during this Lent help us to see how we can respond to the indignities He continues to endure in so many people.

Vol. 59, No. 9

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be fulfilled and His redeeming sacrifice will be carried out. The crowds did not understand this: in front of a Messiah who was opposed to their earthly expectations, they abandoned Him. They thought that the Messiah would be a liberator from the dominion of the Romans, a liberator of the homeland and they did not like Jesus’ perspective so they left Him. The Apostles also did not understand the words with which Jesus announces the success of His mission in His glorious Passion; they did not understand! Jesus then decided to show Peter, James and John an anticipation of His glory, that which He would have after the Resurrection, to confirm them in the faith and encourage them to follow Him on the way of trial, on the way of the cross. And thus, on a high mountain, immersed in prayer, He is transfigured before them: His Face and His Whole person shine with a resplendent light. The three disciples are frightened, while a cloud overshadows them, and —

as in the Baptism at the Jordan — the Father’s voice resounds from on High: “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him!” (Mk 9:7). Jesus is the Son Who made Himself Servant, sent into the world to realize, through the cross, the plan of Salvation, to save all of us. His full adherence to the will of the Father renders His humanity transparent to the glory of God, Who is Love.

Thus Jesus reveals Himself as the perfect icon of the Father, radiation of His glory. It is the fulfilment of revelation; therefore, next to Him transfigured, Moses and Elijah appear, who represent the law and the prophets, to signify that everything ends and begins in Jesus, in His Passion and His glory.

The task for the disciples and for us is this: “Listen to Him!” Listen to Jesus. He is the Savior: follow Him. In fact, to listen to Christ entails assuming the logic of His Paschal Mystery, to walk with Him to make of our own existence a gift of love to others, in docile obedience to the

will of God, with an attitude of detachment from worldly things and of interior freedom. In other words, we must be ready to: “lose our life” (Cf. Mk 8:35), giving it so that all men are saved: thus we will meet in eternal happiness. Jesus’ way always leads us to happiness; do not forget this!

Jesus’ way always leads to happiness. There will always be a cross and trials in the midst, but in the end it always leads to happiness.

Jesus does not deceive us; He has promised us happiness and He will give it to us if we go on His ways.

With Peter, James and John we will also go up today on the mountain of the Transfiguration and pause in contemplation of Jesus’ Face, to receive His message and translate it into our life, because we can also be transfigured by love. In reality, love is able to transfigure everything.

Love transfigures everything!

Do you believe this? May the Virgin Mary, whom we now invoke with the Angelus prayer, support us on this path.

Anchor Columnist Almsgiving

March 6, 2015

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n Ash Wednesday, Jesus spoke about three elements central to a Christian plan of life. Last week we discussed fasting.

We’ve tackled prayer several times already and will do so again. Today, we take up the third element Jesus gives us for our Spiritual game plan for Lent and beyond: almsgiving.

“When you give alms,” Jesus tells us, “do not blow a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret and your Father Who sees in secret will repay you.”

Just as prayer is meant to help us to begin to think and will as God does, and fasting is meant to help us to hunger for the things for which God hungers, the ultimate purpose of almsgiving is to help us to enter into a deeper communion with God by sharing with others the providential care He has first give us.

“Your well-being,” St. John Vianney once told his parishioners, “is nothing other than a depository that God has placed in your hands.” God has made us stewards of His own generosity so that we might share in His paternal love.

Pope Francis stressed this point in his 2015 Lenten Letter, writing, “In each of our neighbors, we must see a brother or sister for whom Christ died and rose again.

What we ourselves have rethat we ourselves go withceived, we have received for out something we need for them as well.” someone who needs it more Jesus came from Heaven — is one of the greatest to earth to form us to be ways to ensure that we don’t children of God, true chips worship the ancient golden off the Divine block. He calf. Many of us are tempted came not merely to call us to to serve and place our faith, love others as He has loved hope and love in mammon us, but to show and help us instead of God. Our Spirituto do so. The Good Samaritan wanted to train us to become Putting Into good Samaritans. The Kingdom He estabthe Deep lished is one in which we take responsibility

By Father for each other as our Roger J. Landry brothers’ keepers, in which we care for the Lazaruses all around us. The Lord and Master al growth is impeded because entered into our world not we, like the rich young man, to be served but to serve and won’t let us give what we to teach us how to become have to the poor to follow great through becoming Christ more fully. servants of all the rest. That’s We notice, however, that the theological foundation the Gospel doesn’t list many for our charity. material benefactions of The word “almsgiving” is Jesus. His principal alms was derived from the old English the gift of Himself. On variaelmesse, which comes from ous occasions, the evangethe Greek word eleemosyna lists say that His “heart was for mercy, as in Kyrie, eleison, moved with pity” and as a “Lord, have mercy.” Almsresult He taught, healed, fed, giving refers principally not forgave and resuscitated. to the giving of goods to the Almsgiving involves not indigent, but to the Christjust giving food to the hunlike compassion that leads us gry, clothing to the naked to do all we can for those in and welcome to strangers, need. but also visiting the sick and There’s an obvious maimprisoned, teaching and terial dimension to giving counseling those in need, alms, since many suffer in forgiving and calling people various forms of material from sin, praying perseverneed. Genuinely sacrificing ingly for the living and the our money and possessions dead and other personal acts.

— giving not just someMany of those who come thing but giving to the point to see me for Spiritual direc-

Visit us online at www.anchornews.org Be sure to visit the Diocese of Fall River website at fallriverdiocese.org The site includes links to parishes, diocesan offices and national sites.

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tion live according to a vow or promise of poverty and so their almsgiving can seldom take on the form of giving money or possessions. I often encourage them in Lent to give of themselves and their time, making a commitment each day to give at least 15 minutes reaching out to care for someone whom they know to be in need, to pray for that person and to visit, make a phone call, or write a letter or an email. Those who do this have learned that once one intentionally begins to dedicate an extra 15 minutes a day to this type of almsgiving, one’s charity doesn’t stop at the quarter-hour, but begins to mushroom through life.

That experience points to an important truth: in a plan of life, the key is to plan one’s charity. Random acts of kindness ought to be encouraged but are not enough.

Just as prayer ought to be scheduled rather than spontaneous, the same goes for charity. It’s not sufficient to

wait for someone in need to come to us. When we know there are those who are suffering and that Jesus personally identifies with them (Mt 25:31-46), we need to go out in search. We need to plan.

That’s what so many charitable agencies, like those funded by the Catholic Charities Appeal do, but that type of organization ought to take place on a personal level as well. Charity is too important to Christian life and the spreading of God’s Kingdom for it to remain happenstance. Christ’s charity toward us, after all, was planned from before the foundation of the world.

In Lent and in life, we’re being summoned by God to plan and grow our charity more than a greedy businessman seeks to grow his profits.

This is the way we will grow in the image of the Divine Giver, which is the goal of Lent and the purpose of a plan of life.

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

Special Lenten programs on the Portuguese Channel

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I

f someone were to ask me what are two great evils we face in today’s world, I would reply: greed and violence. Apparently neither of these social issues are new or particular to our world today and both are the essential problems addressed in our first reading today from the book of Exodus.

It is important to remember that the Ten Commandments were not intended to be punitive or to restrain freedom. Much like parents who construct a fence around their yards to keep their children from wandering off and getting lost or being harmed, the Commandments come from God’s deep love and concern to protect us. They are designed to keep us safe, not only from the harsh realities that are often perpetrated by the outside world, but also and perhaps most importantly, from the destruction we can cause one another from within our own culture and belief system.

The Commandments take us beyond the legal world of contracts in which if obligations are met both parties enjoy the mutual benefits promised.

It is a world formed around a covenant where mistakes and broken promises are a part of the deal, and allow God’s

March 6, 2015

God keeps His side of the bargain, do you?

relationship with us to be that in the Old Testament most of sons and daughters, not closely resembles what we call unknown parties where any greed today; making God and breach will sever the relationHis gifts our possessions — ship; a world where forgiveness gifts we think we are entitled and mercy are possible and and to use as we see fit. Greed retribution is eliminated. comes from self-centered and The Commandments are meant to push us beyond our Homily of the Week normal comfort zones Third Sunday to create a “peculiar and particular nation of Lent of people raised above all other nations; a

By Deacon people Sacred to God.” Bruce J. Bonneau Unfortunately, we have not done very well at moving beyond our world into unexamined lives that make the God’s world. We tend to take world a very small place where the paths of least resistance, we can construct little gods preferring to stay in our boxes that demand and control our of self-indulgence as individuals attention and allegiances. In the and as a society, which is why end they are self-satisfying at we needed Commandments best and self-destructive when in the first place. The covenant carried forward to their natural is there to prod us; move us conclusion. beyond our comfortable worlds A former Spiritual director and teach us to think in differonce told me: If you want to ent ways. know Who your God is, you The first three Commandonly need to look in two places: ments ask us to trust God your checkbook and your apabove all else; to believe that pointment book. This exercise God is everything or that God taught me a great deal about is no thing; to believe that God myself and how easy it is to acis everywhere or that God is cept unexamined beliefs. How nowhere and to accept this quickly we can buy into ways would be the beginning of a of behaving which clearly stand mature and growing relationin opposition to God’s basic ship. What is called idolatry request that we trust in Him

alone, individually and collectively. I have always thought it ironic that, as a country, we print on our money the phrase, “In God We Trust.” Who is the real God? When we name our own gods it is inevitable that we will attach ourselves to many strange gods. The many myths that lie beneath the surface of our lives; the little lies that get us through the day; the addictions that prop us up; anything to keep us alive and allow us to hold our graven images in place. It seems that we will do anything to maintain them and go to any length, even violence towards one another to keep them.

Those who accept the last seven Commandments declare that they will trust one another. Like protective covenants, which restrict the use of property for the benefit of its owners, these Commandments are the absolute minimums that need to be observed if people are going to live together in community. The faith life of a community is built upon a covenant of trust and mutual respect.

The greatest offence to any of the last seven Commandments could be best characterized as

violence in any form.

The most obvious and basic example being: Thou shalt not kill. One has to wonder how seriously we have taken this Commandment given the fact that the devastating wars in the last century were between Christian nations and the many acts of terror perpetrated in the name of religion to this day.

Violence can take many forms as set forth in the other six: stealing, extorting and defrauding people, treating others as objects for personal gain and gossip to name some of the ones that diminish the presence of God within each of us.

The Commandments are but some of the ways God remains with us and in us. They bring with them obligations designed to help us stay in a right relationship with God as the center of our lives and with one another absent greed and violence.

Fortunately for us, God’s love is not conditioned on our perfect observance of them. God will always keep His side of the bargain, will remain faithful, and never abandon us. Do we have the courage to keep ours?

Deacon Bonneau currently serves at St. Mary’s Parish in Fairhaven, and is assistant director of Adult Evangelization and Spirituality at the diocesan Faith Formation Office.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Mar. 7, Mi 7:14-15, 18-20; Ps 103:1-4,9-12; Lk 15:1-3,11-32. Sun. Mar. 8, Third Sunday of Lent, Ex 20:1-17 or 20:13,7-8,12-17; Ps 19:8-11; 1 Cor 1:22-25; Jn 2:13-25. Mon. Mar. 9, 2 Kgs 5:1-15b; Pss 42:2-3, 43:3-4; Lk 4:24-30. Tues. Mar. 10, Dn 3:25, 34-43; Ps 25:4-5b,6,7bc,8-9; Mt 18:21-35. Wed. Mar. 11, Dt 4:1,5-9; Ps 147:12-13,15-16,19-20; Mt 5:17-19. Thurs. Mar. 12, Jer 7:23-28; Ps 95:1-2,6-9; Lk 11:14-23.

Fri. Mar. 13, Hos 14:2-10; Ps 81:6c-11b,14,17.

S

ome months after my son-in-law, Rob Susil, died, a longtime friend asked me, in a gentle but point-blank way, “Are you still fighting God?” The only honest response was, “Yes.” At which my friend said, simply, “You’re not going to win, you know.”

I think back on that exchange now, during the Lent following the fifth anniversary of Rob’s death, because Lent is the “acceptable time” [2 Cor 6:2] to ponder the mystery of suffering and death, and what it teaches us about God’s ways, our ways, and the incalculable difference between the two.

Even after a half-decade, the death of Dr. Robert Susil makes no sense by any human calculus.

He was a young man in terrific physical shape at the beginning of the very prime of life. He was a thoroughly converted disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a devoted husband and father. He was also a brilliant scientist and

No fighting God compassionate healer, one of the reflection on the unfathomable country’s foremost young cancer mysteries of evil and suffering doctors, who died of cancer after and their relationship to God. having won the esteem of his And in Job, I began to find, if colleagues at the highest altitudes not answers to Rob’s death that of American medicine; as one of made rational sense, then at least his older Johns Hopkins colleagues said to me, at Rob’s wake, “We just lost our next Nobel Prize.” If that was true, I kept asking myself, why did God take him years before he

By George Weigel had the chance to make what I’m sure would have been a historic Pro-Life speech while accepting one of the world’s most prestian answer that made sense in gious awards? I’d probably have light of Biblical faith. been watching on CNN-purgaJob, I came to see, is the tory, but still, why? model of what an Italian Biblical My friend’s nudge about scholar has called “the befighting God prompted me liever who loves the true God in to dig into the Book of Job. himself and for himself, without It’s strange that the Lectionulterior motives” — and does so ary doesn’t make more use of precisely along the dark path of Job during Lent, for surely this suffering. It is Job, sitting amidst masterpiece of world literature is misery, who rejects his friends’ the apex of the Old Testament’s calculating, facile suggestions

The Catholic Difference

about why bad things happen to good people. It is Job who, in the end, refuses to cram the Divine will and purpose onto the procrustean bed of human wisdom.

It is Job who, finally, let’s God be God — and who, by admitting that he is not the artisan of his own existence, makes a deeper act of faith in the God Whose Divine “logic” is beyond anything human minds can grasp.

Robert Charles Susil, I came to understand, was another of those righteous men who loved the true God “in himself and for himself,” making no bargains in the process. And if he could approach the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that way, how could I do less? So while I do not pretend to have gained any further insight these past five years into the Divine “logic” of Rob’s life and death, sharing his Passover

gave me, ultimately, the gift of knowing that I cannot fight the God in Whom I profess faith each Sunday without rendering that profession of faith false — although it took me a while to accept the gift.

Lent — the Christian walk to Jerusalem with the Lord Who meets His destiny there in complete submission to the Father’s will — is an annual reminder that God is God and we aren’t. When Jesus tells Pilate, “You would have no power over Me unless it had been given you from above” ( Jn 19:11), He is not making an abstract point in political philosophy; He is making an act of faith in the design of Salvation the Father has devised.

The grace to bring ourselves to embrace that design, however “illogical” it may seem, is one special grace of the 40 days.

George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

March 6, 2015

Thursday 5 March 2015 — Icebound in Falmouth Harbor — Full Lenten Moon his Lent, I’ve resolved to take special care preparing my daily homilies.

I deliver a brief (three to fiveminute) homily at daily Mass throughout the year but Lent is a season when preaching the Word has increased Spiritual importance. Every preacher has his own preparatory routine. Here’s mine.

The first Mass of the day is at 7 a.m. so I get up at 5 a.m. in order to meditate.

First, I get a steaming hot cup of coffee and sit down on the old couch in my study (with Transit the greyhound sleeping upside down beside me). There’s a small table to my right. On it are several favorite books I use in preparing my homilies.

I begin by looking up the day in the 2015 Ordo. This is the “Order of Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours and the Celebration of the Eucharist.” Due to my geographical location, the edition that applies to me is specifically geared for the Archdiocese of Boston and the dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester. The Ordo tells me all I need to know

T

W

elcome to March — and Lent! I’ll let you in on a secret. You want to know how I remember we’ve arrived at the Lenten season? Every Friday I forget that it’s Lent until about lunchtime when I realize that I’ve packed a sandwich with delicious cold cuts that I can’t eat. It’s at that point that I’m stomping my feet and silently seething with frustration (and hunger) that I remember that I am an active member of a season of sacrifice.

This tends to calm me down, but it never quite makes the longing for my sandwich go away! These weekly reminders are coupled with the age-old question of what I’m giving up for Lent, something that I’ve grappled with this year. It’s not that I haven’t critically assessed what I should give up in the past, but this year in particular has caused me to pause.

What is it that has been consuming my attention, taking me away from Christ and all that He has to offer

Anchor Columnists And so, my dear people, lettuce Then I move on to consultto celebrate Mass properly ing various Bible commenthat particular day. It even tells me what color vestments taries and dictionaries of the Bible that I keep in my pile I should wear. It lists the of books.

Scripture readings officially By now, I usually have assigned to the day. My task is to celebrate Holy Mass in union with the Church UniThe Ship’s Log versal and the local Reflections of a diocesan Church, all Parish Priest the while conscious of the Spiritual

By Father Tim needs of this particuGoldrick lar gathering of the Church at prayer.

Next, I review some ideas. I let them float the Bible passages. I like to around in my mind for a read them in more than one time, let them focus, and translation in order to pick then head off to the Sacup subtle nuances. I consult risty to vest for Mass. My several Bible translations system usually works — but that I also keep on my table. not always. Of course, this Then, after a quick prayer to the Holy Spirit, I ponder the procedure applies only to daily homilies. On Sundays Word in my heart. What is God revealing to me person- and Holy Days, my regime is much more extensive. ally in these passages? What Recently, the priest scheddoes God want the assembly uled to celebrate 7 a.m. Mass to hear this day? telephoned to say he was unAfter I have some idea of able to make it to the church what I will be talking about, I look at what insights others due to weather conditions. have had in reading the same I had barely enough time to grab a cup of strong coffee, passage. Also on my table but no time at all for reflecare several daily meditation tion on the Scriptures of the booklets. I especially like day. As I went to say Mass, I “Magnificat,” “Give Us This resolved not to preach. Better Day,” and “Living Faith.”

to remain silent than speak with no preparation whatsoever.

The first reading that day happened to be one of the Creation accounts from the Book of Genesis.

This, unfortunately, was breaking news to me. As I sat there listening to the reader, a thought came to me out of nowhere. The reading presumed an understanding of how the author comprehended the physical universe.

Using an upturned glass bowl on a platter, I explained the concept and invited the congregation to reread the passage with this in mind. At 7 a.m. on a Monday morning I was expounding on ancient Hebraic theories of cosmology — for the Spiritual benefit of the congregation.

I’m not sure if anyone found it inspiring, but it was either the intervention of the Holy Spirit or the effect of too much caffeine. God alone knows.

The first rule of preaching is this: always prepare.

You really need to have an attention-grabbing beginning and a definitive ending. End-

9 ing can be the most difficult part, but if you haven’t struck oil in a timely manner, quit boring. Between the beginning and the end, you need a theme. Make your point clearly and succinctly. Strive for continuity. Affirm and challenge at the same time.

Don’t insert a lot of long quotes so as to appear welleducated (Zzzzz). On the other hand, preach with confidence. It’s not about what you think, what you believe, or what opinion you hold — it’s about the authoritative Word of God. One phrase to always suppress, dear readers, is “My dear people.” It sounds way too patronizing.

“Let us” is another one to avoid like the plague. Sounds like “lettuce.” You are a preacher, not a greengrocer.

Use well the tools of rhetoric — alliteration, pauses, word-play, eye contact, etc.

Look to Bishop Fulton J. Sheen as your model. Know your congregation. And don’t dumb down your thoughts and words. Even little children will get your drift.

And so, my dear people, in conclusion, lettuce (sic)….

Anchor columnist Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth.

Now is the time to begin

me? Though trite sounding, technology has done a bit of a number on me this year and it’s found itself on the top of my Lenten sacrifice list. I’ll explain.

For years I put off entering into the world of modern technology via the Smartphone. In my junior year of college I left for my study abroad experience in Italy and I remember thinking that when I got back there was going to be no avoiding it — I would have to buy into the Smartphone generation.

That’s right. I had convinced myself that in just three short months a technological revolution would take over cell phone providers as we knew them and I’d be roped into the craze, with no option of your basic phone call device.

Imagine my surprise then when I returned home and this hadn’t happened. What bliss! Why, you ask, was I so adamant against the Smart-

phone in the first place?

For the very reason that I’m giving it up for Lent. I had a suspicion that once I got one I would be hooked on all that it had to offer: Email at my

Radiate Your Faith

By Renee Bernier

fingertips? Yes! Pinterest just a swipe away? Amazing! The touch screen texting? Turns out I love it. Games like Trivia Crack? It’s a handheld mental workout! But what’s really got me is what I had never anticipated being an issue — Facebook. I don’t think I’m much of social media hog, but when it comes to Facebook, I find myself clicking on my app now more than ever.

Whether I’m checking the newsfeed or looking at

pictures someone posted, it’s time that I could be spending in a much more meaningful way. So that’s the first thing to change, starting this Lenten season. Right now I’m on a “strictly-for-work” Facebook hiatus. I only go on to maintain the page I use for my students. Other than that, I’m off. What is going to make this an even greater challenge is adding to my break from technology. Each week, another app will be sacrificed. No Pinterest may be where I face the greatest challenge, but when one thinks about the greater sacrifice that we are constantly reminded of during Lent, Pinterest seems like a drop in the ocean. It’s this greater, Living Sacrifice, that of Jesus Christ, that we reflect on as we offer up our own. For without that, nothing else would matter. And perhaps what I want to emphasize the most is that during these 40 days we will falter.

We will eat that sandwich

on Friday without even realizing what we’ve done. We will cave, and find ourselves browsing Pinterest for 20 minutes. Our sacrifices may weigh on us and we’ll feel as if we can’t continue to live without what we’ve given up.

But I’ll call on the Point of Grace song, “How You Live,” to share a message that I’m working to live out this Lent as we face what can sometimes be a journey characterized by stops and starts. The words are simple but beautiful and they read: “Oh wherever you are and wherever you’ve been. Now is the time to begin.” Even if we have a Lenten relapse, we are encouraged to pick ourselves up and start again. The next day is a new day, where we can make our small sacrifices again, with no judgment and total forgiveness.

Anchor columnist Renee Bernier graduated from Stonehill College and is a graduate student in the College Student Personnel Program at James Madison University in Harrison, Va.

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March 6, 2015

Some kidnapped Christians released in Syria

AMMAN, Jordan (CNS) — Christians in the Middle East welcomed the release of nearly 20 Assyrian Christians abducted by Islamic State militants in northeastern Syria, but expressed concern that more than 200 others

remained in captivity. “I can confirm the release of 19 persons (17 men and two women) who were captured by the Islamic State in the Khabur region,” said Father Emanuel Youkhana, who heads the Christian Aid Program

Northern Iraq, CAPNI. “We pray and hope for the others to be released,” he added.

Bashir Saedi, a senior official in the Assyrian Democratic Organization, said all those released were around 50 years of age or older, suggesting that age might have been a factor. Vatican Radio reported that Osama Edward, who heads the Assyrian Human Rights Network, said the Christians were released because jizya, an Islamic protection tax levied on non-Muslims, had been paid.

They are now “in the church of the city of Hassakeh,” Edward said. The network published photographs on its Facebook page that appeared to show people in Hassakeh greeting the returnees.

CNN reported that London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday that “a self-proclaimed ISIS court ordered the release, citing an Assyrian commander. The ‘court’ told the commander that the fate of the other kidnapped Assyrians has yet to be decided by ISIS Sharia jurists.

The Syrian Observatory said its information indicates ISIS has taken the hostages to the Mount Abdelaziz area, southwest of Tal Tamer.”

At the Vatican March 2, Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government of Iraq, met Pope Francis to discuss concerns about Islamic State extremists and the fate of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East. A statement released by the Kurdistan regional government said Barzani asked Pope Francis to encourage international community to provide more humanitarian aid.

The Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon, following a plenary session March 2, met with the Vatican nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, and addressed the urgency to press the international community to end the war in Syria and find sound solutions in Syria and Iraq.

Resettling Christians in their home countries and securing assistance to help those who have been displaced within and from Syria and Iraq was also a key issue.

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March 6, 2015

I

A city loses its heart

wonder if Pawtucket, R.I. is an organ donor, because what else will the Boston Red Sox do with the city’s collective heart after the parent club ripped it out last month.

My heart goes out to the city of Pawtucket, its residents, its businesses that thrived on having the PawSox in town, employees of the club, and the fans. They are all victims of the heartless “business” of sports.

Last month the PawSox were sold and the new owners’ plan is to move the club to Providence, leaving a gaping hole in

My View From the Stands

By Dave Jolivet the collective soul of the hard-working inhabitants of Pawtucket.

Business as usual, without much regard for the little people — as usual.

The PawSox have been part of that town for 45 years — nearly half a century.

Yet with the few strokes of a pen, it’s all crashing down.

Eight years into its existence Mr. Ben Mondor who loved the PawSox and the city, as much as Mr. Robert Kraft loved the New England Patriots, bought the club in 1977 and turned the floundering franchise into a winner in more ways than one. Mondor immediately restored the name Pawtucket Red Sox, replacing the Rhode Island Red Sox that had a one-year hitch in 1976.

Mondor turned the ballpark into a family-friendly haven with free parking and inexpensive tickets. The club became successful, but it was the fans who made the PawSox the PawSox. Pawtucket routinely topped or was at the top of the International League (AAA league) in attendance. Why? For all the reasons instituted by Gentle Ben mentioned earlier.

The PawSox had its share of notable players perform on the pristine field of McCoy Stadium,

either as members of the club, or on rehab stints. Major League Hall of Famers Carlton Fisk, Dennis Eckersley, Jim Rice, and Wade Boggs. Others included Roger Clemens, Tony Conigliaro, Nomar Garciaparra, Sam Horn, Mo Vaughn, Jon Lester, Manny Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield.

Even future Hall of Famers, Yankee greats Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, graced the diamond at McCoy. The PawSox and McCoy were part of the longest game ever played in professional baseball — a 33-inning affair against the Rochester Red Wings — a game that started on April 18, 1984 and ended two months later on June 23 with a 3-2 PawSox win.

There were no drunken fans at McCoy and no vulgarities hurled at the players. There were reasonably priced hot dogs and soda and popcorn and ice cream. The mascots Paws and Sox constantly roamed the cozy park evoking smiles from the plethora of children in attendance (adults too).

Beatle great George Harrison once sang “All things must pass.” And because of business as usual, the fun and games provided by the Pawtucket Red Sox will pass in the not-too-distant future. They’re slated to again become the Rhode Island Red Sox. It didn’t work the first time, but there is no Ben Mondor to make it right this time.

My heart goes out to you Pawtucket — for having yours ripped out because of business as usual. davejolivet@anchornews.org.

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March 6, 2015

Bishops’ communications chairman welcomes FCC vote on net neutrality WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Federal Communications Commission’s voted February 26 to preserve an “open Internet” and safeguard net neutrality was welcomed in many quarters of the country, including by the chairman of U.S. bishops’ Committee on Communications.

“The Internet is a critical medium for religious speech.

Radio, broadcast television and cable television are, in large part, closed to noncommercial religious messages,” said a statement by Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City.

“From the inception of the Internet until the mid-2000s, Internet service providers were not permitted to discriminate or tamper with what was said over those Internet connections,” he added. “Today, the FCC restores this protection for speakers, protection particularly important to noncommercial religious speakers.”

The issue had heated up significantly over the past four months, after President Barack Obama in November called on the FCC to preserve an open Internet.

Groups of all types and stripes bombarded the FCC with email messages and phone calls beseeching the agency to act decisively to prevent preferential treatment for some content providers and to keep the Internet from splitting off into “fast lanes” for those willing to pay.

Among the groups advocating for net neutrality was an interfaith group, Faithful Internet.

Helen Osman, secretary of communications for the U.S. bishops, recorded her own plea for an open Internet from a Vatican rooftop.

“Pope Francis’ inspirational message of hope has inspired millions of people, Catholics and others,” Osman said in the message. “This would not have been possible without an open Internet, in which faith content is provided alongside commercial content in an equal fashion. Let’s keep the Internet open and free for the common good.”

The U.S. bishops have long supported the concept of an open Internet, which would keep Internet service providers such as Verizon, Comcast, AT&T or Time Warner Cable from tampering with access by consumers to any legal website or other Web content.

The FCC split along party

lines in its vote, the three Democrats voting in favor of the new rules and the two Republicans voting against them. All five commissioners are expected to testify March 18 at a Senate hearing on net neutrality.

Senate Republicans have considered passing a bill overriding the FCC’s new rules, which it has the authority to do. But GOP lawmakers have likewise been besieged by messages from Americans seeking the preservation of an open Internet.

Problems first cropped up in the mid-2000s as some Internet service providers were caught blocking certain kinds of Internet traffic. Even under the principle of net neutrality, illegal content may be blocked such as pornography or the filesharing of copyrighted material, but when uncopyrighted material was found to have been blocked, the FCC took action in 2010. Those rules, though, were thrown out in court.

Five years ago, the FCC had branded the Internet as an information service. With the new rules, the FCC has determined the Internet to be a telecommunications service, using rules first issued in 1934 to regulate utilities to justify its position.

Verizon issued a recent statement, using a font resembling the keys on a manual typewriter to mock the FCC’s decision, even dating the press release Feb. 26, 1934. Verizon senior vice president of public policy and government affairs Michael Glover said the FCC’s use of “badly antiquated regulations” was “a radical step that presages a time of uncertainty for consumers, innovators and investors.”

However, many groups lauded the FCC’s vote. Among them were the media policy group Free Press, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Public Knowledge.

Opponents include the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, now headed by Michael Powell, a former FCC chairman. The organization may file suit to block the rules.

By the same token, cities like Chattanooga,Tenn., and Wilson, N.C., may seek judicial redress to expand their existing municipal broadband networks to nearby cities. Currently, 19 states including Tennessee and North Carolina have since passed laws forbidding cities from building their own broadband networks.

Those laws may be at risk after the FCC’s actions.

Kevin Costner stars in a scene from the movie “McFarland.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Disney)

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

“The Lazarus Effect” (Relativity) Four intrepid young medical researchers — Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, Evan Peters and Donald Glover — working to develop a treatment to restore neural functions in coma patients discover that their therapy can bring animals back from the dead.

When they apply the process to humans, the results are supposedly scary. Screenwriters Luke Dawson and Jeremy Slater work in some bargainbasement theology by way of Wilde’s character, a nominal Catholic. For better or worse, though, director David Gelb zooms past her ruminations and gets down to the genuine business at hand: an unconvincing portrayal of mayhem and death. Frequent action violence, some sexual banter, fleeting profanity and crude language. 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.

“McFarland, USA” (Disney) Uplifting fact-based sports

drama, set in 1980s California, about a high school teacher and coach (Kevin Costner) whose downward career spiral leads him to take a job in the impoverished fieldworkers’ community of the title. As he and his family — Maria Bello plays his wife and Morgan Saylor and Elsie Fisher his daughters — struggle to adjust to the area’s Hispanic culture, the trainer recognizes a widespread gift among his new students for long-distance running, and organizes a cross-country team. Director Niki Caro’s faith- and family-friendly tale

of youthful underdogs pitted against the odds honors its strong central marriage, the bonds of its other close-knit clans as well as the value of education and self-improvement. Highly recommended for moviegoers of most ages.

An out-of-wedlock pregnancy, a single mild oath, a couple of crass terms, occasional ethnic slurs. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested.

Some material may not be suitable for children.

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, March 8, 11:00 a.m.

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

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March 6, 2015

Indian diocese joins with Pope Francis in praying for persecuted Christians Miao, India (CNA/ EWTN News) — A remote diocese under the shadow of the Himalayas recently joined hands with Pope Francis’ prayer for persecuted Christians in the Middle East through a special candlelight prayer service.

In the wake of the rising persecution against Christians all over the world and especially the dramatic violence targeted towards Christian populations in Syria and Iraq, Pope Francis called on all the faithful to offer prayers during a recent Sunday Angelus.

Responding to Pope Francis’ call for solidarity and prayer, the Diocese of Miao, a remote tribal diocese located in India’s northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state, joined to pray with the pope at Christ the Light Shrine, Miao.

“The faithful in the Diocese of Miao and people of other faiths joined the pope’s prayer with a special candlelight prayer service, denouncing the horrifying atrocities of despicable torture against the human race,” Father Felix

Anthony, the Miao Diocese’s head of communications, told CNA. “Everyone present was

these incessant, inhumane, and horrifying crimes that are committed against Christians,” Father Anthony said.

is happening to our brothers and sisters across the world and I join with our pope to pray for them. I hope it ends

Faithful in India’s Miao Diocese pray in a candlelight vigil for persecuted Christians in the Middle East, March 1. (Photo by Father Felix Anthony)

deeply moved with tears to hear about the heinous cruelty committed against the Christians, and invoked God to stop

Mr. Likhum, a layman and member of the parish pastoral council in Miao, said that “I feel deeply disturbed by what

soon.”

Another parish member, Mrs. Mossang said, “The Church is going through a dif-

ficult time; this reminds me of what happened during the Apostles’ time. God has always answered our prayers and I am sure He will help us all.”

“I thank Pope Francis for helping us to express our solidarity with our persecuted brothers and sisters,” Mossang said.

Father Anthony said the faithful in the Diocese of Miao, under the pastoral guidance of Bishop George Pallipparmabil, has also been praying fervently for the protection of the pope, for his good health and his safety.

“During the month of January the children in the diocese recited 22,064,841 Hail Marys for the same intention,” the priest added.

After a recent Angelus address, Pope Francis asked the faithful present to keep praying for Christians in Iraq and Syria, who continue to be persecuted and killed by a faction of the Islamic State. Pope Francis said that he, along with other members of the curia, offered the last Mass of a recent retreat for the Christians in the Middle East.

Willy’s Story — the homeless man buried in the Vatican Vatican City, (CNA) — Willy Herteleer, a homeless man who lived on the side streets outside St. Peter’s Basilica, made headlines after his death, when he received a special burial in the Vatican’s Teutonic Cemetery. The following is an account of his story as told by Msgr. Amerigo Ciani, a canon of St. Peter’s Basilica and painter who had become friends with Willy: Everyone in the neighborhood outside the Vatican knew Willy Herteleer.

The “Borgo” — as the area that borders St. Peter’s Square to the north is called — has a small-town-feel. Alongside the monsignors, Sisters, cardinals and Romans who live in the neighborhood, there are many homeless people. You can see them every morning at Mass at the Pontifical Parish of Sant’Anna, just off the Borgo inside the Vatican walls.

Willy was one of them.

His austere appearance, the cross around his neck and the pull-cart he had turned into a piece of luggage to carry everything he owned left an imprint.

He participated in Mass every morning. “My medicine is Communion,” he always said.

He was always well-groomed,

but didn’t seek much conventional medical attention.

Willy was one of the many men and women who live on the side streets around St. Peter’s, men and women who live on the margins of the tourist routes, who have friends throughout the neighborhood.

Among his closest friends were an Italian monsignor, an American religious Sister and a German journalist.

More than 80 years old, Willy died one day in December at the hospital near the Vatican where he would often visit to use the bathroom or clean up a bit.

He had to look good because his days were spent as a street evangelizer. After morning Mass, he would stop for a while and speak with the people.

“When did you last go to Confession?” he would ask everyone he met. “Are you going to Communion? Do you go to Mass?”

He asked the same of other homeless people, those with whom he chose to live.

For a time he lived in a shelter. “Yes, it’s nice, welcoming and clean. Yes, you eat well and the people are nice,” he told people. “But I need freedom. I love freedom!”

He preferred his friends.

He preferred the streets. He preferred the monsignor who brought him oranges, the journalist who took his photo.

After Mass, he would speak with his friend Msgr. Amerigo Ciani. “Thanks for your homily pronounced so calmly. I understand it well and it helps me to meditate throughout the day,” he said.

On December 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Francis was celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica when Willy left his earthly life.

His friends began to search for him when he did not show up to the usual morning Mass later that week.

One of them, a German named Paul Badde, had only recently become a confrere in the Confraternity of the Camposanto of the Teutons and Flemish, a small cemetery in the Vatican. He proposed that Willy — who was Flemish — be buried there, among the “confreres.”

The confraternity is made up of priests and men and women of German descent. German priests reside on campus, in a residence just next to the cemetery. It is all contained all within the Vatican walls, but is

autonomous and independent — a little piece of Germany.

The cemetery dates back to the times of Charlemagne, who gave the piece of land next to St. Peter’s Basilica as a burial plot for pilgrims from German and Flemish lands who perished on their journey.

Willy’s friends organized everything, obtaining the necessary permission from the Vatican, Italy and Belgium, where Willy began his life. They made contact with his family — his four children whom he had not seen for decades.

Father Hans-Peter Fischer, rector of the Camposanto Teutonico, celebrated his funeral

Mass, along with Msgr. Ciani.

Some of Willy’s friends were present, including Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist Sister Judith Zoebelein.

“Although he was alone, he didn’t feel alone,” said Msgr.

Ciani in the homily. “The presence of God was strong and alive within him. He prayed and prayed. He prayed for the conversion of everyone, even for strangers to repent.”

And, that’s how Willy’s story on earth finishes, with a tomb in the Vatican’s cemetery, surrounded by the affection of those who were close to him in life.

His was a life lived in the margins, but a life full of love.

A last blessing for Willy Herteleer by Msgr. Amerigo Ciani. (Photo by Paul Badde/CNA)

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March 6, 2015

Countering bullying with a Catholic response continued from page one

demically and professionally was the year of 2010.

“By that point I was beginning a doctoral program at Boston College, and in the early stages of my doctoral work I recognized — and I think everybody recognized — that 2010 was a terrible year in the U.S. for youth suicides related to bullying,” said Dowd. “In the beginning of the year we had Phoebe Prince and at the end of the year we had Tyler Clementi.”

Prince was taunted and bullied for several weeks at South Hadley High School in South Hadley, ultimately hanging herself on Jan. 14, 2010 at the age of 15 in the stairwell leading to the second floor of the family apartment. Clementi was an 18-year-old student at Rutgers University in New Jersey, who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22, 2010 after two classmates used a webcam to view Clementi kissing another man without his knowledge, and one classmate — his own roommate — posting what he saw on Twitter.

“There were suicides before Phoebe and after Tyler and a lot in between, but those were bookends in the public eye,” recalled Dowd. “By some estimates there were 36 or 37 suicides that year, and it was bad enough that President Obama spoke about it publicly to the nation about bullying. He brought it the national attention and that’s really when it caught my attention.”

As a Religious Educator, Dowd began to wonder how a whole year of national attention to raising awareness to youth bullying and suicides didn’t create a response from the Catholic Church: “I didn’t hear voices from my own Church speaking out against it or giving guidance. I wanted the Church to do more and I started to look into what are we doing as a faith community?”

The answer, said Dowd, was very little.

“In the schools it may be different,” said Dowd of how secular and Catholic schools handle bullying. “We still have this mindset that bullying is a school problem, and the schools do more but as a larger faith community.”

There are resources online for bullying, but to view bullying from a religious standpoint, Dowd recommended the book

“Bullying, a Spiritual Crisis,” by Dr. Ron Cram, which was done in a scholarly way from a Christian perspective.

“One of the claims he makes is that the Church, for the most part, just looks the other way,” said Dowd. “We have this serious, everyday violence affecting millions of young people and for the most part the Church just looks the other way. I don’t think it’s intentional, we’re just not used to thinking of bullying as a moral issue and that it’s something the Church needs to address consciously and intentionally.”

Dowd has taken to spreading the message through speaking engagements in parishes and other religious institutions, and for the most part those listening have been receptive: “People are very happy to have somebody speaking about bullying,” said Dowd. “The kids hear this in assemblies in school and it’s become part of our public awareness, so I find that people are happy to have somebody addressing this issue from a safe perspective.”

There is still a minority who feel that this isn’t a faith issue.

Dowd said, “I think it’s that attitude that we need to reassess.

We’re looking at an issue that is a Pro-Life issue, it’s about human dignity; it’s about human value and worth, and how we treat one another. This is definitely a Faith Formation issue.”

Dowd said the first step is to frame bullying in a way that people will take it seriously and make it an important issue and not a rite of passage as a youth.

“One of the things that people resist, and I heard this not often in Church groups but in the larger public, you’ll hear people say that ‘kids need to learn how to be strong and it will give them a thick skin’ [or] ‘I think these anti-bullying programs are actually making kids weak,’” said Dowd. “The problem is that they’re not talking about real bullying, just the garden-variety conflicts. Bullying is a very specific form of violence; you can’t just tell somebody to toughen up.”

The Catholic Church and its leaders can be a “sanctuary” and a “safe place” for students to share. It was on a retreat when a student shared his story with Dowd through a poem of being bullied. The 15-year-old young man was using Imitatio Christi (be like Christ) in his approach to the bullying, so as things were done to him the youth wouldn’t

fight back because he was trying to be like Jesus.

Dowd said, “It was almost heroic. He was just trying to be a good Christian but all this was building up inside of him and he became suicidal. He may even have lashed out in violence if he hadn’t been able to talk to someone. We, as Religious Educators and community, we need to be careful when helping young people and help them understand there is a time to be able to speak out and defend yourself.”

We’re not required to play the martyr, said Dowd, even Jesus got angry at Peter; “We forget the full humanity of Christ and we need to incorporate that into our Spirituality and recognize that we can be faithful followers of Christ and still be angry and stand up for ourselves.”

And while it’s important for the person being bullied to not feel alone, the person doing the bullying is often overlooked as an individual who could be helped. To reach out to the one doing the bullying and go beyond the punishment that is often meted out once the bullying is recognized, can help put that bully back on the right track.

“Bullying is always a cry for a relationship,” said Dowd. “The bully is trying to have a normal relationship but does it in a way that is destructive and making things worse for him or herself.

“I think part of the plan for the religious community for a bully is to help nurture healthy relationships. That may not be something [the bully] has had before, even in their own home, and it’s so important. We need to stand by and not give up on the bully and let them know that we care about them as well.

We need to let them know that they’re not bad people. They may have done something bad, but we recognize that they’re essentially good. It is possible to start over, say you’re sorry and begin again. I think that many kids don’t often feel [that way], and that they’re pigeonholed into this role, and that they’re forever branded as the bully — and I think that it’s something that we can do differently. Challenge them to be the best versions of themselves.”

Dowd offers educators eight points as a guide — the first being to “teach and preach” about bullying, and that bullying should show up as a regular part in Religious Education while parents hear it from the pulpit.

The second point should be to “model” it and do an examination of conscience, and ask ourselves if we are being bullies in our own community or are we modeling a non-bully stance?

The third point is communication, and having “fragments” of information floating around does no one any good, but good communication can assemble the pieces together — talking to parents, engaging students, are all things worth examining.

The fourth point is counsel, to go beyond mandatory reporting and work as a mentor.

The fifth point is to advocate, and that as a Church community the separation of church and state is not healthy when a religious voice should be part of the public forum. The sixth point is being organized because it’s easy for bullying to drop off the radar until something happens to bring it back to the forefront; the only way to stay on track is to have teams constantly reviewing the situation, like parent-teacher organizations that can implement the

anti-bullying programs.

The seventh point is providing a sanctuary-type environment like youth groups, sports and retreats to help provide a safe place for youth to turn to and break the silence. The eighth point is prayer — public and private — and create specific prayer service that can be done from the pulpit or in youth groups because “everything should be rooted in prayer,” said Dowd.

You need to have a team of stake-holders like parents, teachers, students, community members to work together — the larger the community, the better, said Dowd, because “what I’ve seen in the research that if [bullying] is treated as just a school problem, it’s not terribly effective. The bully goes beyond the school, especially in the cyber world, and the best approaches seem to be a ‘whole community’ approach.”

For those who would like to contact Dowd to come and speak at their parish, he can be reached at dowdk@bc.edu or at 774823-0664.

Vatican condemns leak of documents on differences over economic reform

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As Pope Francis and Vatican officials try to completely revamp the Vatican’s economic policies and the procedures at what is commonly called the Vatican bank, differences of opinion are normal, but leaking documents about those discussions is illegal, said the Vatican spokesman.

“The fact that complex economic or legal issues are the subject of discussion and diverse points of view should be considered normal,” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the spokesman, in a note published in late February.

The spokesman’s comments came after the Italian magazine L’Espresso published three articles allegedly illustrating how “power struggles between the most important prelates are placing the reforms of Pope Francis at risk.”

The articles particularly target Australian Cardinal George Pell, head of the Secretariat for the Economy. The leaked minutes of a meeting of cardinals, the magazine said, show top Vatican officials are concerned about a lack of checks and balances as the cardinal gains more power over Vatican spending, hiring, income and revenues.

“Passing confidential documents to the press for polemical ends or to foster conflict

is not new, but is always to be strongly condemned, and is illegal,” Father Lombardi said.

One of the articles focused specifically on what it described as lavish spending by Cardinal Pell’s Secretariat for the Economy during its first year of existence even though the office was formed to monitor and rein in spending.

L’Espresso said it had seen receipts and they included a 2,508 euro ($2,813) bill from Gammarelli, a Rome clerical tailor shop, and surmised that it was for a “cappa magna” or great cape with a long train sometimes worn in processions.

In a recently-released statement, the Secretariat for the Economy said the article’s report of a conversation between Pope Francis and Cardinal Pell about his office’s spending — a conversation the magazine presented in direct quotes — is “complete fiction.”

The money spent by the secretariat in its first year was “in fact, below the budget set when the office was established” in February 2014, it said. An audited financial statement will be presented to the Council for the Economy, which oversees the secretariat’s work.

“Finally and for the record,” the statement said, “Cardinal Pell does not have a cappa magna.”

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March 6, 2015

Army chaplain to bring priestly, military experiences to mission continued from page one

each night. A shorter version of the mission talk will be given each day as the homily at the 12:05 p.m. Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 327 Second Street in Fall River.

Father Halladay was invited by Father Roger J. Landry, former pastor of St. Bernadette’s Parish in Fall River, now working for the Church at the United Nations in New York City. The two were classmates at The North American College in Rome.

Father Halladay’s path to the priesthood and military were leaps of faith based on prayer and faith in what God was calling him to do.

Led by the Holy Spirit, Father Halladay answered the call to enter the seminary and discern a calling to the priesthood, “not without much prayer” he said. “I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the West Indies. A freewheeling, laidback, easy-going Caribbean lifestyle is difficult competition for the sacrificial life of a priest in the mind and heart of a 25-year-old young man.

However, I came from a very practicing Catholic family in Alabama. We attended daily Mass and I kept this up even through college and while in the Peace Corps. I know the example of my parents in this regard had a lot to do with my considering the priesthood seriously as it was always understood in my family (more implicitly than explicitly) that this was a legitimate, honorable, valid and laudable life choice.”

The military aspect of Father Halladay’s ministry was totally unexpected. “I requested to participate in the Army’s

chaplain candidate program in my last summer of seminary,” he told The Anchor. “It was only because I had not planned anything, the opportunity for the chaplain candidate program was available and I needed to do something, that I went to my archbishop and requested the Army chaplain candidate summer program. I had no intention, at that time, to pursue Army chaplaincy, it was simply something to do over a summer while still a seminarian.”

Father Halladay was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Mobile in 2000.

Shortly after Father Halladay approached his archbishop to discuss the possibility of entering the Army Reserves.

“He said, ‘Not right now’ so I held off for another year, to see if I still had the desire,” said Father Halladay.

He tried again at a later time and received the same response.

After the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on 9/11/2001, Father Halladay again approached his archbishop, this time with the request to become an active duty Army chaplain. “I felt that if this was indeed the Holy Spirit prompting me to pursue this ‘calling within a calling’ that I needed to do so and be ‘all in’ so to speak,” he explained. “I had already said to myself that if my archbishop ever says no that would be the end of my asking. By requesting active duty status over the reserves, I was considerably ‘upping the ante’ and providing my archbishop with every reason to say no. To my surprise, he said yes. Given my persistence, and the develop-

This week in 50 years ago — Civic leaders met with Bishop James L. Connolly in North Attleboro to lay the cornerstone for Madonna Manor, the fifth Catholic home for the aged in the diocese.

25 years ago — Father Daniel L. Freitas, diocesan director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, presented Dr. Robert J. Sullivan with the Top Hat citation for his 23 years as physician for St. Vincent’s Camp in Westport and at the Rose Hawthorne Home in Fall River.

ment of our nation’s involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11, in 2004 he gave me permission to go to the Army chaplaincy.”

After completing his training, Father Halladay served in various capacities in the U.S., Iran and Afghanistan, on loan from the Archdiocese of Mobile. He received a Bronze Star for exceptional service in Iraq and once pulled several of his comrades to safety after the truck in which they were traveling was attacked by a suicide bomber.

Father Halladay told The Anchor that his ministry differs somewhat with deployed soldiers and those in the homeland. “So, the importance of a chaplain, particularly when in garrison and not deployed, is somewhat minor,” he said. “As part of the Commanders Special Staff, however, we advise him or her on issues of morale, and religious accommodation needs for soldiers, we are usually the go to person for the Army’s required twice annual Suicide Prevention Training and Sexual Harassment Training. We also spend a lot of time counseling soldiers on issues ranging from professional difficulties as a soldier to family life issues and we generally make sure that in the planning of training and field exercises the needs of the soldiers, Spiritual and corporal, are duly considered.”

When deployed to the Middle East, the soldiers’ views of a chaplain become more intense. “When deployed, the chaplain becomes a real source of morale boosting,” Father Halladay told The Anchor. “At

Diocesan history

10 years ago — More than 50 members of the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Brownies and Cub Scouts received awards at the annual Religious Emblems Ceremony held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River.

One year ago — In a move to provide students with more opportunities and resources for their Catholic education, it was announced that Coyle and Cassidy High School in Taunton and Taunton Catholic Middle School would be merged into one school, serving grades six through 12.

the very least, we break up the routine and provide some diversion, but at our best we are there when things are at their worst. As my first commander with the 1-506th, Colonel Ron Clark, once said, ‘When things are bad, you call for the medic, when things are really bad, you call for the chaplain.’”

Father Halladay sees a parallel with military life and the lives of everyday faithful.

In the military, he said, “It’s a fight, constituted of mostly long moments of boring, same old, day-to-day routine and then unexpectedly punctuated with intense fighting. If you’ve let yourself grow lazy, complacent, inattentive to details during the long moments of lull, when it’s time to spring into action, to respond to a situation, an attack, well you could get yourself and others killed.”

He likened that to our Spiritual lives. “We can find church boring, the same old routine, we can let our personal prayer life flag and keep no good watch for potential dangers — near occasions of sin — as one version of the Act of Contrition puts it,” he continued. “Well, that’s how deadly sin gets into your life, and if you’re not careful, that deadly sin can become a habit and then perhaps even an addiction. In some cases the ‘flash to bang’ of sin to addiction can be swift indeed. Life is a constant battle against these forces that have an effect on our corporal as well as our Spiritual lives.”

Father Halladay said the compendium of Catholic saints is “filled with soldiers, even some chaplains,” includ-

ing St. Francis of Assisi, with the Crusading chaplains; and St. John of Capistrano, another military chaplain.

He said of the sainthood causes of more recent military chaplains — Servants of God Fathers Vincent Capodanno and Emil Kapaun — “It would be a marvelous grace and blessing indeed to have these two American priests and chaplains canonized as saints. I think, too, it would spur a deeper interest in Catholicism within the military and amongst a population that does not have a solid understanding of faith and religion and their importance in our lives.”

With 15 years experience as a Catholic priest and 11 years as a Catholic Army chaplain, Father Halladay’s upcoming Lenten Mission in the Fall River area should prove to be unique, inspiring, and helpful in the day-to-day fight against evil of any type.

“I would like to convey my sincere thanks and gratitude for this opportunity and ask for the prayers from the faithful of the Fall River Diocese as I continue to prepare for this mission,” said Father Halladay.

Helping to enrich and fortify people’s Lenten preparation to celebrate God’s glory at Easter in a more special way, Father Halladay told The Anchor, “I am humbled to think that I should be a part of that and immeasurably grateful for the opportunity.”

The mission is free of charge.

On each mission night, the hosting parish will have a free reception in the respective parish halls. For more information, contact any of the participating parishes.

Youth Pages

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First-grade students at All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford shared their joy of reading books from the “Pete the Cat” series, creating artwork and writing about their favorite stories. Here, older students stop to view their work.

March 6, 2015

The students at Holy Name School in Fall River collected non-perishable foods to be given to a local food bank at the Diocese of Fall River Catholic Social Services.

Sally Sullivan’s first-grade class at St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro celebrated the 100th day of school by dressing up like they were 100 years old. The students also baked 100 cookies and created a poster board with 100 things like 100 stickers, Legos, letters, etc.

During “Who is My Hero?” Day at Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford, kindergartner Isabel Maraujo dressed as her teacher, Sister Muriel Ann Lebeau. Maraujo said, “Sister Muriel is my hero because she teaches us about Jesus and loves Jesus.”

Third-grade students at St. Joseph School in Fairhaven celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year with stories, crafts, and treats.

St. John the Evangelist School (Attleboro) eighth-graders Victoria Rego and Ava Smith were selected as winners of the Martin Luther King Committee’s “Seekers of Justice” Poster Contest. Rego painted a poster about Shirley Chisholm and Smith drew one about Vivian Malone Jones. Both were unsung heroes who played a major contribution to the cause of equality. Each student was awarded a cash prize during the committee’s interfaith service held at the Immanuel Lutheran Church. Mary Whelan presented the prizes to the winners.

March 6, 2015

J

esus tells us in the Sermon of the Mount “Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill” (Mt. 5:17). In a few weeks, during the Sacred Triduum, we will recognize that God Himself became the Lamb. He sheds His Blood to save us from certain death and to rescue us from slavery. He rescues us from the slavery of sin and death. As a result of these actions, this perfect sacrifice, we have the ability to live eternal life with God. Death was defeated on the cross and has no power over Christ, and we have the possibility to experience the fruits of that victory.

We just don’t commemorate this victory, we are also called to service. We are called to be Christ in our world today. To be His Hands, reaching out to those in need, regardless of who they are or what they believe.

To be His Voice, calling others to a loving relationship with God; speaking God’s truth in opposition to injustice, regardless of whether that injustice is

Youth Pages Called to be Christ in our world political, economic, religious, kids in the neighborhood. As sexual, whatever. Pope Paul I would run out the door, my VI reminded us that to work dad would call out, “Take your for peace meant to work for brother” and then we were justice. given the instruction “stay We are called to be close.” That meant that we Christ’s Eyes, to see Him needed to be within earshot of in the other: a loved one, our dad calling us home. stranger, the sick and the sufThe Eucharist serves that fering, even the person who purpose. It keeps us within is perpetuating injustice. We earshot of God and our famare called to be His Heart, bringing His love and compassion into a world that at times seems devoid of it.

The big question:

By Father how? The answer: the David C. Frederici Eucharist.

The Eucharist unites us to one another, the ily of faith.

Body of Christ. The Mass I served as a hospital we celebrate every day is chaplain for about seven the very same Mass that the years. Often I would be Holy Father celebrates; the paged by the family of a pavery same Mass that is being tient. The patient had taken celebrated in Afghanistan, a turn for the worse. Part in Jerusalem, Japan, South of the family’s response was Africa, Washington D.C., to call out to the Church.

St. Mary’s Cathedral in Why? That’s what families Fall River and the saints in do, when in need we call out Heaven. to our family members. The I remember in the summost important aspect of mertime as a kid, we were hospital ministry is the disallowed to go outside after tribution of the Eucharist. It dinner to play with the other keeps us close to our Father

Be Not Afraid

and faith family, even in our times of illness.

There is also another very practical and important aspect of the Eucharist we should keep in mind. Let me introduce this with an example.

Back in 1995 I got my first apartment. It was kind of exciting, being out on my own in the “real world.”

Getting the apartment was relatively easy.

The first big challenge was getting furniture.

I got some from yard sales and some from family.

My kitchen table was actually my parents’ first kitchen table.

They had gotten it from my grandparents. It was from the 50s and screamed 50s. It was steel with a Formica top. I think my brother actually has it in his apartment now.

The neat thing is I have many memories of some important events happening at that table.

Family celebrations, times of crisis, important and intimate conversations, and at times some important life decisions were made based

17 on those conversations. That table is intimately linked to this table, the altar.

We come to this table for times of celebration and times of crisis and sadness.

We engage in important and intimate conversations with our God and at times, some important life decisions are made based on those conversations.

Like our kitchen tables, we bring our stresses and trials, joys and successes to the altar at this meal. They become part of our offering. We share them with one another and with God. During the course of our great prayer of thanksgiving, God receives our sacrifices, our very selves and sanctifies them.

We are nourished, strengthened, challenged and given the wisdom to help us live a life consistent with who we are as Children of God and members of this great faith family.

Anchor columnist Father Frederici is pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pocasset and diocesan director of Campus Ministry and Chaplain at UMass Dartmouth and Bristol Community College.

During Lent, pope offers handy tips for preparing for Confession VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As Catholics are encouraged to make going to Confession a significant part of their lives during Lent, Pope Francis offered some quick tips to help people prepare for the Sacrament of Penance.

After a brief explanation of why people should go to Confession — “because we are all sinners” — the pope listed 30 key questions to reflect on as part of making an examination of conscience and being able to “confess well.”

The guide is part of a 28page booklet in Italian released by the Vatican publishing house. Pope Francis had 50,000 free copies distributed to people attending his Angelus address February 22, the first Sunday of Lent.

Titled “Safeguard your heart,” the booklet is meant to help the faithful become “courageous” and prepared to battle against evil and choose the good.

The booklet contains quick introductions to Catholic basics: it has the text of the Creed, a list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Ten Command-

ments and the Beatitudes. It explains the seven Sacraments and includes Pope Francis’ explanation of “lectio divina,” a prayerful way of reading Scripture in order to better hear “what the Lord wants to tell us in His Word and to let us be transformed by His Spirit.”

The booklet’s title is based on a line from one of the pope’s morning Mass homilies in which he said Christians need to guard and protect their hearts, “just as you protect your home — with a lock.”

“How often do bad thoughts, bad intentions, jealousy, envy enter?” he asked. “Who opened the door? How did those things get in?”

The Oct. 10, 2014, homily, which is excerpted in the booklet, said the best way to guard one’s heart is with the daily practice of an “examination of conscience,” in which one quietly reviews what bad things one has done and what good things one has failed to do for God, one’s neighbor and oneself.

The questions include: — Do I only turn to God when I’m in need?

— Do I take attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation?

— Do I begin and end the day with prayer?

— Am I embarrassed to show that I am a Christian?

— Do I rebel against God’s plan?

— Am I envious, hot-tempered, biased?

— Am I honest and fair with everyone or do I fuel the “throwaway culture?”

— In my marital and family relations, do I uphold morality as taught in the Gospels?

— Do I honor and respect my parents?

— Have I refused newlyconceived life? Have I snuffed out the gift of life? Have I helped do so?

— Do I respect the environment?

— Am I part worldly and part believer?

— Do I overdo it with eating, drinking, smoking and amusements?

— Am I overly concerned about my physical well-being, my possessions?

— How do I use my time?

Am I lazy?

— Do I want to be served?

— Do I dream of revenge, hold grudges?

— Am I meek, humble and a builder of peace?

Catholics should go to Confession, the pope said, because everyone needs forgiveness for their sins, for the ways “we think and act contrary to the Gospel.”

“Whoever says he is without sin is a liar or is blind,” he wrote.

Confession is meant to be a sincere moment of conversion, an occasion to demonstrate trust in God’s willingness to forgive His children and to help them back on the path of following Jesus, Pope Francis wrote.

The Anchor is always pleased to run news and photos about our diocesan youth. If schools, parish Religious Education programs, or home-schoolers have newsworthy stories and photos they would like to share with our readers, send them to: schools@anchornews. org

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March 6, 2015

New Bristol County D.A. cites importance of faith, family continued from page one

“He’s been a person who has been shaped by his family, he’s been shaped by his faith, and he’s been shaped by his friends and his community,” said longtime friend and Deputy District Attorney William McCauley in his introductory remarks. “Tom Quinn has been a man in motion his whole life and you can’t stop him.

He’s motivated by service.”

“This is a big moment for myself, for my family and for the District Attorney’s office,”

Quinn told The Anchor just moments before being sworn in by Gov. Charlie Baker. “I’m very happy to have the ceremony here at Bishop Connolly High School — it holds a special place for me.

My faith is very important and I hope to rely on that in making the many important decisions I’ll have to make.”

Assuming the role of the chief law enforcement officer for Bristol County, Quinn takes over the office vacated when his former boss,

Sam Sutter, was elected mayor of the City of Fall River during a recall election in December.

The naming of Sutter’s replacement became something of a political football in the aftermath of the high-profile recall election and was one of the first tasks to come across the desk of newlyelected Gov. Baker.

“It was very important to us that we not make a mistake here in a nascent administration,” Gov. Baker said. “We talked to po-

On March 2 Father Shenouda Awad of Holy Family Coptic Church in Attleboro, formerly St. Joseph’s Church, welcomed the priests and parishioners from St. Vincent de Paul Parish for a celebration of the Stations of the Cross. St. Vincent de Paul Parish was formed as the result of a merger between St. Joseph’s and Holy Ghost Parishes in Attleboro. The images of the Stations of the Cross date from the time the church was St. Joseph’s, and have been maintained by the Coptics. (Photo courtesy of Father Riley Williams)

Area Catholics offer prayers for Coptic martyrs continued from page one

member of the Coptic Orthodox Church, said that he is proud of the 21 men who kept their faith until death. The video shows that many of the men’s last words were “Ya Rabbi Yasou,” which translates to “My Lord Jesus Christ.”

The local Coptic Orthodox community has held a vigil and offered prayers for the men. They also plan to speak about the martyrs and the importance of being witnesses for Christ in everyday life.

Father Awad added that he felt the support of the Catholic Church when he attended the Mass held in Attleboro last month. During the service, he prayed for unity between all churches.

“Our sister church is sharing in this event,” he said. “We are sharing the prayer about one issue.”

Father Williams said that while he does not want to gloss over the divisions between the Catholic and Coptic Orthodox churches, what unites the communities is much greater.

“We are all followers of Christ,” he said, adding that the martyrs’ lives were completely centered on Christ. “They made the ultimate sacrifice.”

He said that he was moved by the martyrs’ witness and is always glad to see the power of the Holy Spirit working in believers.

Donna Lamontagne, a Catholic who attended the Mass, said the service was simple and beautiful and praised Father Williams’ homily.

“Father Williams wanted to make sure that we recognize that all of us who live our lives for Christ can learn from the sacrifice of these people,” she said.

She added that attending the Mass and offering prayers for the men was something small she could do to make a difference and show compassion for Christians all over the world.

“The beheadings are simply terrible,” she said. “We wanted to show solidarity with the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church — to show that other Christians feel their pain and that they’re not alone in their struggle.”

Father Edward Healey, pastor at Holy Trinity Parish in West Harwich, sent a letter of support to the local Coptic Orthodox community on behalf of the Diocese of Fall River and Bishop Edgar da Cunha. Father Healey is also Fall River’s representative for Ecumenical Affairs.

“Let us continue to support one another in faith and to pray that the Gospel of the Prince of Peace will be heard by those who plot evil against others and be effective in changing their minds and hearts,” he wrote in the letter.

Several of the people who spoke with The Anchor said that the martyrs’ deaths keep our lives as Christians in the United States in perspective and remind us of the people all over the world who cannot go to church and know they will be safe.

Susan Small, a Catholic who attended the Mass dedicated to the martyrs, said that the intention for persecuted brethren is always in her heart.

“I pray for them at least once a day,” she said.

lice chiefs, we talked to mayors, we talked to city councilors, we talked to community activists, we talked to local officials — and the question we asked all of them was who would be the best person to serve as District Attorney of Bristol County. I just want you all to know that the overwhelming response we got back was that people felt Tom Quinn was the right man for the job.”

With his wife Sharon by his side, Quinn beamed when Gov. Baker called him up to take the oath of office.

“I have some idea about what it’s like to be the spouse of a public figure, because I’ve been married to someone who has said to me many times that she feels like she’s lending me to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” Gov. Baker said.

“Sharon, I want to thank you for lending your husband to the people of Bristol County,” he added, joking: “Someday you can have him back.”

During his inaugural address, Quinn proceeded to thank his wife for “her strong support over the last 27 years. She’s been there for me and she’s been tolerant of the sacrifices that I’ve had to make and the time demands of a prosecutor. I certainly wouldn’t be here without her strong, quiet support,” he said.

Quinn also thanked his three children — Michael, Caroline and Brian.

“I’m very proud of the young adults they’ve become and of the support they’ve given me over the past few months,” he said.

He thanked other family members, including his six siblings, and singled out his mother, Jean, and aunt, Rosemary, who were present at the ceremony.

“They gave me the good, moral foundation that will assist me in the many important decisions I’m going to have to make as District Attorney,” he said. “This day is as much about them as it is about me.”

Quinn also dedicated the ceremony and gave special thanks to his late uncle, Judge James M. Quinn, who died 14 years ago.

“He was a great mentor to me and he provided priceless advice,” he said. “I would not be here without his guidance. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have had him involved in my life.”

A native of New Bedford who grew up in Dartmouth, Quinn graduated from Dartmouth High School in 1978 and went on to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester and Suffolk University Law School in Boston. He was named First Assistant District Attorney in Bristol County

in 2007 and previously served as an assistant district attorney from 1988 to 1997.

Along with raising a family and practicing law, Quinn has been generous in giving time to serve his community and Church.

“He’s committed to this idea that he can make a difference,” McCauley said. “He recognizes his own blessings and he wants to share that with others.”

Quinn is a longtime and active parishioner at Holy Name Parish in Fall River, where he has served as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, a Religious Education teacher, a member of the Holy Name School Parent Council, and member of the Holy Name Parish Finance Council.

He also serves on the Executive Council for Bishop Connolly High School.

“I’ve been involved at Holy Name Parish for many years — all my children went to the parish school — and it’s been an important part of my life,” Quinn said.

“I know some of the parishioners are here today and I’m grateful for their presence.”

In joking about what he called “the process” of selecting someone to replace Sam Sutter after his winning the mayoral election in December, Quinn said he received a great deal of support over the last two months from his parish and the local community.

“I remember going to church and everyone was telling me they were supporting me and keeping me in their prayers,” he said.

“I even remember going to Mass one time at St. Mary’s in South Dartmouth and a gentleman I used to play sports with came up to me and gave me a ‘thumbs up’ — that meant a lot to me.”

But it’s clear Quinn doesn’t take the responsibility of running the 180-person Bristol County District Attorney’s office lightly.

“I truly care about the citizens of Bristol County and their ability to feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods,” he said. “As your lead prosecutor in Bristol County, I’m keenly aware of the awesome responsibility of my position and I’ve always respected the power of the District Attorney’s office.”

During his closing Benediction, Bishop da Cunha referenced the Scripture passage in which Solomon asks God for the ability to distinguish between good and evil, between right and wrong.

“Dealing with what’s right is always something Tom Quinn has known how to do,” said McCauley. “Tom has been the ultimate professional and getting to know (him) has been one of the many blessings in my life.”

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March 6, 2015

Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese Acushnet — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening prayer and Benediction is held Monday through Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the Adoration Chapel at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 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.

ATTLEBORO — There is a weekly Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at St. John the Evangelist Church on N. Main St. 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, Monday through Saturday, from 6:30 to 8 a.m.; and every first Friday from noon to 8 a.m. on Saturday.

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 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 11:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Reconciliation, with Benediction at 11:30 a.m. 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 from 7:30-11:45 a.m. ending with a simple Benediction 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.

NORTH EASTON — A Holy Hour for Families including Eucharistic Adoration is held every Friday from 3-4 p.m. at The Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington Street.

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. ~ PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION ~ 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.

NEW BEDFORD — Our Lady’s Chapel, 600 Pleasant Street, offers Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day. For information call 508-996-8274.

SEEKONK ­— Our Lady of Mount 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.

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 are invited to sign up to cover open hours. For open hours, or to sign up call 508-430-4716.

Priest killed in Congo, bishop warns of ‘very dangerous’ situation

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A diocesan priest in Congo was killed February 25 in an apparent attempted robbery.

The victim, Father Jean-Paul Kakule Kyalembera, served at a parish in Mweso, situated in North Kivu province. The pastor of the same parish had escaped an attempted homicide last November, according to Fides, the news agency of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Bishop Theophile Kaboy Ruboneka of Goma told Fides the incident seems to have been an act of “gangsterism.”

“The priest was closing the church door when he saw one or more bandits who were hiding somewhere,” he said. “The criminals shot without hesitation, hitting him in the abdomen and in the head. Father Kakule died instantly.”

Three suspects were arrested and interrogated by police, said the bishop. The priest’s funeral was February 28 in Goma.

The bishop said the situation in his diocese “is very dangerous” with “numerous gangs that terrorize the population” and “too many weapons in circulation.”

Priests and religious, including women religious, have been among the victims of violence and extortion in North Kivu.

“They are threatened with death if they do not pay ransom,” said the bishop.

The whereabouts of three Assumptionist priests, who were kidnapped from another parish in North Kivu in 2012, remain unknown.

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks March 7 Rev. Arthur P.J. Gagnon, Pastor, Holy Rosary, New Bedford, 1958 March 8 Permanent Deacon Victor Haddad, 2014 March 9 Rev. Msgr. Henry J. Noon, V.G., Pastor, St. James, New Bedford; Vicar General, 1934-47, 1947 March 12 Rev. Aurelien L. Moreau, Pastor, St. Mathieu, Fall River, 1961 Rev. Adrien E. Bernier, Pastor, St. Mathieu, Fall River, 1989 Rev. George I. Saad, Retired Pastor, Our Lady of Purgatory, New Bedford, 1991

Around the Diocese

The Women’s Guild of St. John Neumann Parish will sponsor an Attic Treasure Sale on March 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parish hall, 157 Middleboro Road in East Freetown. A continental breakfast and hot homemade lunch will be served and the hall is wheelchair-accessible. Admission is free and all are welcome. Take the Chace Road exit off Route 140. For more information call 508-763-2569.

Renew your faith and rekindle the Spirit with Holy Cross Landings. If you have been away from the Church for a while, Holy Cross Parish, 225 Purchase Street in Easton, is inviting you back by joining them on eight consecutive Mondays beginning March 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. The program is friendly and supportive and is not parish-specific. For details or more information, contact Harold Smith at 508-238-1899 or visit www.holycrosseaston.org.

On March 15 at 3 p.m., Jon Wiening of Providence R.I., will play a classical guitar recital at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Bedford. The recital is a fund-raiser for St. Anthony’s 100-yearold Casavant pipe organ as a part of the Music at St. Anthony’s concert program. No tickets are needed to attend, but a freewill offering will be collected during the concert for the organ fund. Complimentary tea and cookies will be served after the concert in the church hall. For more information, visit www. musicatsaintanthonys.org or call the rectory at 508-993-1691.

A mission for the Taunton Deanery entitled “The Joy of the Family: Begins in our Homes” will be held March 16-19 at 7 p.m. each night at St. Ann’s Parish, 660 North Main Street in Raynham. Join Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C., in an examination of Pope Francis’ messages in “Love is Our Mission” to learn how your family is a holy family. He’ll discuss models for our families — our Church family, our own family, and merciful families — all in the context of this year’s Synod on the Family. Father Raymond is president of Holy Cross Family Ministries, a worldwide ministry that helps families pray and he has spent 14 years in Hollywood creating faith-based family film, television and radio programs. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information call 508 -823-9833.

Find a deeper connection with God through the music and story of internationally-celebrated singer/songwriter TAJČI during a free concert to be held March 26 at 7 p.m. at St. Jude the Apostle Parish, 249 Whittenton Street in Taunton. This transformational Lenten experience, entitled “I Thirst,” will include a freewill offering to benefit My Brother’s Keeper. For more information, call 508-824-3330.

A Book Fair will be held on March 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth.

Book donations are now being accepted at the school, with all proceeds to benefit the American Heart Association in memory of former teacher Richard Flynn and Joseph Silva.

All are welcome and encouraged to buy gently-used books at great prices. For more information, contact Colleen Silva at csilva@bishopstang.org.

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March 6, 2015

‘Who, me? Yes, you.’ Fess up to sins, stop judging others, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Drop the innocent look and the habit of judging others, Pope Francis said: recognizing one’s own faults and failings is

the first requirement of being a good Christian.

In fact, paradoxically, one finds peace and relief in judging one’s own sins, being mer-

ciful toward others and saying, “Who am I to judge?” he said during his homily at a recent morning Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.

The pope’s homily was based on the day’s reading from the Book of Daniel, which laments, “We have sinned, been wicked and done evil,” and expresses the shame of having rebelled against God Who is so full of compassion and mercy. It also focused on the Gospel reading according to St. Luke, in which Jesus tells His disciples to stop

judging and condemning, but to “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Pope Francis said it is so easy to shift the blame.

“We are all experts, we have Ph.D.s in justifying ourselves: ‘But it wasn’t me, no, it’s not my fault. Well, OK, but it wasn’t that bad, you know. That’s not how it went.’ We all have an alibi to explain away our failings, our sins,” he said.

“So often we are able to make that face that says, ‘Who, me?’ that face that says, ‘Well, I didn’t do it, maybe it was some-

one else,’ playing innocent,” he said. “But one doesn’t progress in Christian life this way.”

While it is easier to blame others, “when we begin to look at the things we are capable of,” the evil that one is tempted to commit, he said at first “we feel bad, we feel disgust,” but then “something a bit strange happens,” the self-critical approach then “gives us peace and wellbeing.”

By directly, honestly and quietly confronting the evil within, such as feeling envy and knowing how it can lead to putting people down and “killing them morally,” he said, one discovers “the wisdom of accusing oneself.”

“If we do not learn this first step in life, we will never, ever make progress on the path of Christian life, Spiritual life,” he said, according to Vatican Radio.

Another Christian virtue is being able to feel ashamed before God, he said. Christians should engage in a kind of dialogue with the Lord, not being afraid to feel that shame expressed in the Book of Daniel.

When people can see their own faults, he said, it is easier to ask God for mercy and to be merciful toward others.

“When someone learns to accuse oneself, one is merciful toward others: ‘Yes, but who am I to judge if I am capable of doing worse things?’”

The phrase, “Who am I to judge,” he said, comes from listening to Jesus telling His disciples to “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

The day before, after praying the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis urged people to listen to Jesus and follow Him because only He brings true happiness.

“Jesus’ path always brings us happiness, don’t forget it,” he said.

While following Jesus will always mean carrying some kind of cross and enduring some hardship, the pope said, “in the end He always brings us happiness. Jesus does not deceive, He promised happiness and He will give it if we follow His ways.”

By following Jesus, one’s life can become “a gift of love toward others, in docile obedience to God’s will, with an approach of detachment from worldly things and of inner freedom,” he said.