Diocese of Fall River, Mass.
Friday, March 10, 2017
On March 5, 41 catechumens who are to baptized at Easter participated in the Rite of Election and 55 candidates seeking full communion or the completion of their initiation into the Catholic Church gathered at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River with Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. (Photo courtesy of Deacon Alan Thadeu) The Anchor - March 10, 2017
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Parish rallies behind monthly Rosary parties during Fatima centennial By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff kensouza@anchornews.org
ACUSHNET — Recently more than 200 people filled the gymnasium of St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet. What’s surprising on this particular Sunday evening was that it wasn’t for a sporting event or even a school dance — the group of parishioners had come together simply to share fellowship, a potluck dessert, and to pray the
Rosary. “To me, it’s just tremendous,” said Msgr. Gerard P. O’Connor, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish. “It’s not a big commitment — you can come for the Rosary and leave afterwards if you don’t want to stay around. I know sometimes people have things to do at home. I had one couple tell me they had their date night on Sunday, but they thought it was a great way to start their date night by coming to pray the Rosary
first with their parish family. But others stay around and enjoy the social setting — as I say, it’s a great family thing.” What began as the brainchild of parishioner Mary Cardoza — who first organized the informal “Rosary parties” about six years ago — has now grown into a parish-wide movement, according to Msgr. O’Connor. “We would have a Rosary party at someone’s house on a Sunday evening and
everyone would bring a pot luck dinner and then we’d pray the Rosary,” he said. “It was mainly led by the children, so it was a family thing. Then we’d have dessert afterwards. But they were limited because of the size of a house: some people have bigger houses than others and could invite more people.” As this year’s centennial observance of Our Lady’s apparitions to the three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal was
quickly approaching, Msgr. O’Connor and Cardoza began to talk in earnest about how they could get even more people involved in their monthly Rosary devotions. “Our Lady gave many messages to the three children and the one message that repeats in many apparitions is pray, pray, pray — especially the Holy Rosary,” Mary said. “God wants us to intercede for each other, and by doing so Turn to page 20
Dispensation granted for St. Patrick’s Day This year, the celebration of St. Patrick’s feast day on March 17 falls on a Friday during Lent. In consideration of the culinary traditions of this feast and in response to a number of requests, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., has granted to Catholics in the Fall River Diocese a dispensation from the Lenten rule of abstaining from meat on that day. Catholics are asked to fast and practice abstinence in Lent as means of penance to unite in the suffering and death of Christ, and to prepare for His resurrection on Easter. In granting the dispensation, Bishop da Cunha encourages those who choose to make use of it to carry out some other sacrificial act or work of charity in keeping with the spirit of the Lenten season.
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The Anchor - March 10, 2017
Palm Sunday retreat to provide prayerful entry into Holy Week for RCIA candidates
By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor davejolivet@anchornews.org
EAST FREETOWN — For several months, dozens of individuals who have felt the call to become members of the Catholic Church have been preparing for Baptism or full communion with the Church. With the help and guidance of their sponsors, team members of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults program, and pastors, the candidates have been learning what God is saying to them in Scripture and what it means to be a full member of the Catholic Church. The hard work, dedication and reflection comes to full bloom during Lent, particularly Holy Week, when at the Easter Vigil, the individual is lovingly welcomed into the Church by family, friends and the parish community. Much of the preparation is a learning process. The diocesan Office of Faith Formation, which coordinates the RCIA program, is offering this year’s candidates, their godparents and sponsors, and RCIA team members the opportunity to feel in their hearts what they have read and studied, with an RCIA retreat on Palm Sunday, April 9 at St. John Neumann Parish in East Freetown. The retreat, to be led by Deacon Bruce Bonneau, assistant director of the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, is themed “Leave the Ashes, Take the Fire.” “This is a very powerful and meaningful day for those involved,” Bonneau told The Anchor. “Last year many of the candidates felt the love God has for them in a concrete way and that was a very good lead-in to
Holy Week which is the culmination of their decision to become members of the Catholic Church. “The theme implies the transition from the repentant time of Ash Wednesday to becoming inflamed with the fire of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, when the Lenten season ends.” The retreat day not only fills the candidates with the hope and love of the Father, but the sponsors, godparents and team members also come away with a renewed and revived spirit. “For those of us who were baptized as infants, we never had the chance to reflect on what the Sacrament really means,” said Bonneau. “So during the course of the day when the candidates are sharing what receiving Baptism means to them, it helps us reflect on something we may have never truly thought about.” The day begins at 1:30 p.m., following a brief registration period. “We open with an introductory prayer, but it’s an interactive prayer,” added Bonneau. “Everyone has the opportunity to share what spoke to them in that prayer and about coming into the Church.” Bonneau will next lead a conference concentrating on the day’s theme. “Lent is a time of purification and prayer — from Ash Wednesday through Pentecost,” he said. “We will explain what they will experience in the following days — Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. “This is not a theological presentation, but a reflection on what experiences they will encounter during Holy Week.” There will be time to
spend before the Blessed Sacrament and for reflection and prayer. “The attendees are free to go wherever they choose during that time,” said Bonneau. “The grounds in East Freetown are beautiful and quiet and the perfect place for one to absorb the sights and sounds of the day.” Following a group sharing session, Bonneau will lead a second conference, with the focus on the fact that Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil are not separate Liturgies, but all one prayer. “And it’s a prayer that carries on throughout the year and throughout one’s life,” he added. Closing prayer is held in the chapel. A dinner caps off the day, where more sharing often takes place while breaking bread. “I’m very pleased to be involved in this,” Bonneau told The Anchor. “I get so much out of it. It’s energizing for everyone who is here.” The registration cut off date is April 4. For more information, or to register, call Rose Mary at 508-678-2828.
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Girls ages 14-18 invited for a day of reflection on April 1 By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor davejolivet@anchornews.org
DIGHTON — In its tireless effort to introduce and encourage the discernment process in the lives of young people, the diocesan Vocations Office is offering young women ages 14-18 the opportunity to escape for one day in the serene surroundings of the Dominican Sisters convent in Dighton, to pray, listen, share and reflect on their lives. “Called By Name To Serve,” the day-long retreat, will take place on April 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. “This retreat as well as the others in the ‘Called By Name’ series, supports each person’s search to find God’s plan for her and on how to respond to that plan throughout life,” Dominican Sister Paulina Hurtado, associate director for Vocations for the diocesan Vocations Office, told The Anchor. “We are called to
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fullness of life as a gift from God which starts with our being created by God in His Own image, growing in relationship with Him though our whole lives and reaching the fullness of life when He calls us to Himself for eternity.” Sister Hurtado explained that for young people, being with others on these days of retreat, listening to their stories, praying together and celebrating the gifts and talents each brings along with them allows the girls to develop the ability to listen, observe, reflect and open one’s heart “to all what is life, beauty and love.” The time away from all other distractions and being with like-minded peers
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helps the girls also develop the ability to look at each other and at the world with
greater appreciation and to value each one as a gift from God, not only to be received, but to be given to others as well. “The day helps them develop a gradual discovery through their reflections, of new values in each other
and of new possibilities, a call that only each person can recognize and respond to, or follow,” added Sister Hurtado. She told The Anchor that God calls each of us in many different ways, among which include: through everyday events; an experience of nature; conversation with others; something one reads; work or other activities; music; silence; dreams; prayer; the needs of the world; and the example of others. “Feeling drawn to a certain decision, relationship or action, or finding joy, peace and willingness to respond in like manner, shows ways in which God is at work in us. Becoming aware of these and wondering the why and how of this awareness starts the process of discernment of
what we are called to at a specific time in life,” said Sister Hurtado. “These retreats cultivate the processes of awareness and of discernment throughout the growing years of the person to help her or him make the small and the more definitive decisions in life. It is a process of fine-tuning the ability to discern and to respond to any vocation, especially because all vocations come from God, to serve Him in a direct way as in total dedication to Him in consecrated religious life or the priesthood, or through service to Him in maintaining a strong family life, as well as in society, through service in a profession such as science or art, letters or politics. “Through these calls the plan of God is revealed to us, and our plans in turn fulfill God’s plan for us.” The cost for the day of retreat is $7 at the door. Reservations are required by March 24, by contacting Sister Hurtado at Sr.Paulina@dioc-fr.org, or by calling 909-496-2033 or 508-675-1311.
Pro-Life Mass continues to inspire youth
By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff beckyaubut@anchornews.org
FALL RIVER — The earliest mention that Marian Desrosiers, director of the Pro-Life Apostolate of the Fall River Diocese, could find of the annual Pro-Life Mass held by the diocese was in an article in The Anchor archives dated 1992 announcing a Pro-Life Mass being celebrated by the “new” bishop of the Fall River Diocese, Bishop Sean P. O’Malley, OFM, Cap. Back in those days, the Mass catered to an older demographic of Pro-Life committees and Pro-Life representatives from parishes and schools with each ProLife Mass being held on a Sunday at a different parish every year. It took almost 10 years before it evolved into the Pro-Life Mass held today. “In 2001, we added the reading of the Pro-Life essay winners at this Mass,” recalled Desrosiers. “It was around this time, or shortly after, that we switched the Mass to a weekday in order to allow our diocesan schools to attend. They have continued to be very supportive.” The transition from older to younger came about because it became important to the Pro-Life Apostolate to develop an outreach in the diocese and build that Pro-Life generation that is desperately needed, said Desrosiers: “We see that generation rising up all over our nation.” The Pro-Life Mass is a culmination of an entire year’s worth of the Pro-Life message, with each year’s essay theme based on the Respect Life Kit handed out by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This year’s theme is appropriately titled, “Moved by Mercy,” that pays homage to
the Year of Mercy instituted by Pope Francis. The essays give the young people an opportunity to reflect on what he or she has learned and share those reflections with others. Essay winners are awarded to middle school students (grades six-eight) and high school (grades nine-12) from parishes and schools from the Fall River Diocese. Each school and parish whittles down their submissions to the three best from their respective institution, and hand those over for consideration to the Pro-Life Apostolate. “We carried the theme straight through until the annual Mass,” said Desrosiers. “Every school and parish receives a copy of the USCCB Respect for Life Kit, and this year the Moved by Mercy was the teaching on the Good Samaritan. We like to weave that interaction of the message of the Good Samaritan into looking at the life issues, and the dignity of the human person. “What was happening over the year the more young people who attend the March for Life in Washington D.C., the more they’ve begun to weave that experience into the essay; not all, but we’ve seen an increase. Really what the Mass has done for us is to draw all the work into a focus of a final act of the ‘great prayer,’ not only to thank the Lord for all He’s given us over the course of the year, but to pray for the fight to begin our new year.” In 2002, the Pro-Life Apostolate began to hand out the John Cardinal O’Connor Award in honor of the man who believed in protecting all human life, from the unborn to convicts on death row. Father Gerald Shovelton was its first recipient. The John Cardinal O’Connor Adult Award was
given at a banquet/convention from 2002 until 2006. In 2007, the Pro-Life Apostolate added this award to the annual Pro-Life Mass and no longer did a separate banquet. The following year they launched the John Cardinal O’Connor Youth Award, with Jocelyn Trindade and Lauren Murphy being honored. For young people to be considered for the youth award, clergy and school staff send in a synopsis of a young person whose life they feel brings that message of mercy and dignity of the human person. Award recipients are those who have taken the Pro-Life message to heart and are living it out. “It’s wonderful because you can receive different perspectives, depending on who is being nominated, and I look at those different perspectives and work on life issues; it can be very difficult to narrow it down,” said Desrosiers. In 2013, at the Annual Pro-Life Mass, Kathleen St. Laurent, principal at Coyle
and Cassidy High School in Taunton, was presented a special award titled, “To Live Each Day with Dignity.” St. Laurent was instrumental in helping to defeat the 2012 bill, which would have legalized physicianassisted suicide in Massachusetts. St. Laurent also worked very closely with the Pro-Life office in developing “The Measure of Love is to Love Without Measure,” a parish educational guide that was distributed throughout the Fall River Diocese and beyond. An offshoot of the success of the Pro-Life Mass and its reaching out to the youth of the diocese is the annual Pro-Life Boot Camp held at Stonehill College, a success in its own right. “It’s another youth-focused event,” said Desrosiers. “They can take what they experience and internalize it. We like to say [the boot camp] is not necessarily a retreat, but it allows them to discover Christ within them and how
that can manifest itself to the world. The young people are the movers and shakers of the Culture of Life today.” Desrosiers believes the uptick in youth driven numbers spreading the Pro-Life message has been the answer to a call from the Holy Spirit, and the effect of the youth participating with their fellow peers in Pro-Life events: “They would come down [to the March] and would come back, and they would share their experience; it kept growing and growing.” This is the Pro-Life generation, this generation “is overwhelmingly more Pro-Life than their parents or grandparents’ generations,” added Desrosiers. The winning essays will be published in an upcoming issue of The Anchor. The Pro-Life Mass will be held at St. Julie Billiart Parish in North Dartmouth on March 23 at 11 a.m. and will be celebrated by Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. All are welcome to attend.
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Anchor Editorial
Preparing for the Easter Sacraments
“Imagine the day you were born. Now imagine that the Church of the Diocese of Fall River is rejoicing in the same way (as your parents did), welcoming you into our family of faith.” With these words, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., began his homily last Sunday at the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, the ritual in which people preparing to enter the Catholic faith at Easter are blessed by the bishop and begin their final, Lenten preparation for the reception of the Sacraments. After speaking about the joy that the soon-to-be new Catholics and we “old” Catholics will share at Easter, the bishop said, “I have also to remind you of the promise and commitment you will assume. You will be tempted to return to your old ways of life.” Echoing the Gospel of the day, the bishop recalled that Jesus was tempted in the desert right after His Baptism at the Jordan. “Here lives a big difference — Jesus did not give into temptation because He knew He had a mission.” Bishop da Cunha reminded his listeners that we all have a mission, but that our temptations try to lure us away from them: “Temptations look a lot better before you give into them than afterwards.” “The Lord invites us to remain faithful to Him. You cannot enter the Promised Land without passing through the desert,” the bishop said, literally referring to the journey of our Spiritual ancestors from Egypt to Israel and figuratively explaining the Spiritual life. “Remember, you are not alone. You have a family of faith walking with you.” The bishop then asked, “Will you remain faithful to that ‘yes’ for the rest of your life?” To maintain that “yes” until death, the bishop reminded us that we need to open our hearts and minds to Christ. He will then help us to remain faithful, as He is faithful. Our catechumens (now the elect, after last Sunday’s rite) and candidates for full Communion remind us of the great gifts we “cradle Catholics” often take for granted. Their enthusiasm for the faith can help rekindle (or ignite for the first time) our own love for the Lord and for His Church. In 2013, addressing a group of adults preparing for Baptism, Pope Francis said, “You, too, dear catechumens, have listened to those who have spoken to you about Jesus and suggested that you follow Him by becoming His disciples through Baptism. Amid the din of many voices that echo around you and within you, you OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER www.anchornews.org
Vol. 61, No. 5
Member: Catholic Press Association Published bi-weekly by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 — FAX 508-675-7048, email: theanchor@anchornews.org. Subscription price by mail, postpaid $20.00 per year, for U.S. addresses. Send address changes to 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA, call or use email address
PUBLISHER - Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Richard D. Wilson fatherwilson@anchornews.org EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchornews.org ADVERTISING Wayne R. Powers waynepowers@anchornews.org REPORTER Kenneth J. Souza k ensouza@anchornews.org REPORTER Rebecca Aubut beckyaubut@anchornews.org Send Letters to the Editor to: fatherwilson@anchornews.org
PoStmaSters send address changes to The Anchor, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720. THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.
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The Anchor - March 10, 2017
have listened and accepted the voice that points to Jesus as the One Who can give full meaning to our life.” As Bishop da Cunha did, so also the Holy Father reminded the catechumens to be faithful, a fidelity which Jesus would help them to achieve: “Dear catechumens, today you begin the journey of the catechumenate. My wish for you is to follow it with joy, sure of the entire Church’s support, who is watching over you with great trust. May Mary, the perfect disciple, accompany you: it is beautiful to have her as our mother in faith! I invite you to guard the enthusiasm of that first moment in which He opened your eyes to the light of faith; to remember, like the beloved disciple, the day, the hour in which for the first time you stayed with Jesus, felt His gaze upon you. Never forget the gaze of Jesus upon you; upon you, upon you — never forget His gaze! It is a gaze of love. And thus you shall be forever certain of the Lord’s faithful love. He is faithful. Be assured: He will never betray you!” In 1982, St. John Paul II baptized a group of catechumens while visiting Nigeria. His words to them speak to the hearts of today’s catechumens and to us veterans of the faith: “In a few moments I shall baptize and confirm a group of catechumens representing the different dioceses in Nigeria. The seed planted in this land through the Church’s faithful proclamation of the Good News of Salvation has borne fruit. Through Jesus Christ, in Whom we have redemption through His Blood, we have new members in His Body, the Church. “These brothers and sisters will now be cleansed with water by the power of the Living Word, which make them sharers in God’s Own life and His adopted children. They — and all of us together — will profess the Church’s faith in the power of the Lord’s Passion, death and Resurrection. In Baptism we are not only buried with Christ; we are also raised to life with Him, because we believe in the power of God Who raised Him from the dead. “In Confirmation these brothers and sisters of ours will be strengthened to be active members of the Church and to build up the Body of Christ in faith and love. They will be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the service of the Church in love. “Brothers and sisters, these Sacred rites of Christian initiation — Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharistic Sacrifice — remind us that we are all witnesses to Christ. May He stir our hearts to ever greater love.” May that be true for us here in Massachusetts, too.
Daily Readings March 11 — March 24
Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Mar. 11, Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:1-2,4-5,7-8; Mt 5:43-48. Sun. Mar. 12, Second Sunday of Lent, Gn 12:1-4a; Ps 33:4-5,1820,22; 2 Tm 1:8b-10; Mt 17:1-9. Mon. Mar. 13, Dn 9:4b-10; Ps 79:8-9,11,13; Lk 6:36-38. Tues. Mar. 14, Is 1:10,16-20; Ps 50:8-9,16bc-17,21,23; Mt 23:112. Wed. Mar. 15, Jer 18:18-20; Ps 31:5-6,14-16; Mt 20:17-28. Thurs. Mar. 16, Jer 17:5-10; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 16:19-31. Fri. Mar. 17, Gn 37:3-4,12-13a,17b28a; Ps 105:16-21; Mt 21:33-43,45-46. Sat. Mar. 18, Mi 7:14-15,18-20; Ps 103:1-4,9-12; Lk 15:1-3,11-32. Sun. Mar. 19, Third Sunday of Lent, Ex 17:3-7; Ps 95:1-2,6-9; Rom 5:1-2,5-8; Jn 4: 5-42 or 4:5-15,19b-26,39a,40-42. Mon. Mar. 20, 2 Sm 7:4-5a,12-14a,16; Ps 89:25,27,29; Rom 4:13,16-18,22; Mt 1:16,18-21,24a or Lk 2:41-51a. Tues. Mar. 21, Dn 3:25,34-43; Ps 25:4-9; Mt 18:21-35. Wed. Mar. 22, Dt 4:1,5-9; Ps 147:1213,15-16,19-20; Mt 5:17-19. Thurs. Mar. 23, Jer 7:23-28; Ps 95:1-2,6-9; Lk 11:14-23. Fri. Mar. 24, Hos 14:2-10; Ps 81:6c-11b,14,17; Mk 12:28-34.
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Our Lady of Fatima’s call to Lenten conversion
s we continue to examine the enduring relevance of the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima in anticipation of their centenary later this year, we can note the particular Lenten resonance of Mary’s appeal to the world through the three shepherd children. When St. John Paul II visited Fatima in 1982, he remarked that Our Lady’s words in the Cova da Iria can be summarized by the two-fold imperative with which Christ began His public ministry and which we hear as we’re marked with ashes: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” “These are the first words,” the pope said, “that the Messiah addressed to humanity. The message of Fatima is, in its basic nucleus, a call to conversion and repentance, as in the Gospel. The call to repentance is a motherly one, and at the same time it is strong and decisive.” We need to listen to that ardent maternal call to Penance and conversion with a fitting trepidation, he emphasized, because we can easily see “how many people and societies — how many Christians — have gone in the opposite direction to the one indicated in the message of Fatima. Sin has thus made itself firmly at home in the world, and denial of God has become widespread in the ideologies, ideas and plans of human beings. But for this very reason the Gospel call to repentance and conversion, uttered in the mother’s message, remains ever relevant. It is still more relevant than it was [in 1917]. It is still more
to establish in the world urgent.” the devotion to my ImOur Lady’s message has a particularly Lenten maculate Heart. If people do what I tell you, many relevance and urgency. In her first apparition, souls will be saved.” Devotion to Mary’s on May 13, she asked heart is to a heart that Lucia, Francisco and is pure, a heart that says, Jacinta, “Do you wish to “Let it be done to me acoffer yourselves to God, to endure all the suffering that He may please to send Putting Into you, as an act of reparation for the the Deep sins by which He is offended and to By Father ask for the conRoger J. Landry version of sinners?” cording to Your Word,” a At the beginning of heart that treasures God’s Lent, Mary could well Word within. It’s the opask each of us the same posite of the heart we’re question. warned about throughout On July 13, she repeated the appeal, telling Lent in Psalm 95: “If the pastorinhos, “Sacrifice today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” yourselves for sinners, and say often this prayer, To consecrate ourselves especially during any sac- to Mary’s heart is not just rifice: ‘O my Jesus, I offer to entrust ourselves to Mary’s intercession but this for love of You, for to enter into the essence the conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation of Christian discipleship. for all the sins committed Mary indicates that doing so is a matter of life against the Immaculate and death, of Heaven and Heart of Mary.’” Then she showed them hell. Mary also showed the a vision of hell, a clear shepherd kids in the July reminder of the stakes apparition another viinvolved in whether sinners, whether we, convert sion — the famous “third and begin to choose God. secret of Fatima” — in which Our Lady pointed It was, as Lucia recalled, toward an angel with a a “great sea of fire” in which “were demons and flaming sword who cried out in a loud voice, “Pensouls in human form,” ance! Penance! Penance!” emitting “shrieks and a summons that beyond groans of pain and dethe symbolism needs spair,” which Lucia said “horrified us and made us little interpretation. She also taught them tremble with fear.” It was a prayer known to many so frightening that had of us that we should say Our Lady not promised with particular fervor this to take them to Heaven they “would have died of centennial year. “When you recite the Rosary,” fear and terror.” she said to them, “say at “You have seen hell,” the end of each decade: Our Lady commented, ‘Oh my Jesus, forgive us “where the souls of poor our sins, save us from the sinners go. To save fufires of hell, and lead all ture souls, God wishes
souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Your mercy.’” That prayer would make a fitting Lenten aspiration, especially this year. Lent, after all, isn’t a period of Spiritual self-help training. It’s a time of prayerful supplication, for ourselves and others, to be forgiven and saved. Mary taught us this prayer through the shepherd children not for our edification but because she’s concerned as a knowing mother about our and others’ eternal destiny. In August, Mary repeated the summons with a holy candor that’s impossible to sugar coat: “Pray, pray a lot and offer sacrifices for the sinners. You know that many souls go the hell because there is none who pray for them.” In her last appearance in October, she repeated her appeal for people to recite the Rosary “every day” and emphasized, “it is necessary that they ask pardon for their sins” and “don’t offend our God and Lord.” Just like St. John Paul interpreted the Fatima message in a Lenten key, so did his successor. Writing in 2000, the future Pope Benedict underlined, “Our Lady’s call
to conversion and Penance, issued at the start of the 20th century, remains timely and urgent today.” Her “insistent invitation” to Penance, he said, “is nothing but the manifestation of her maternal concern for the fate of the human family, in need of conversion and forgiveness.” The key words of what Mary revealed, he added, were prayer and sacrifice “to save souls” and the “threefold cry ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!’” This, he said, is a repetition of the call to repentance and faith that began Jesus’ public ministry and began our Lent. To understand Fatima and our own day, he said, “means to accept the urgency of Penance, of conversion, of faith.” In future columns, we will have a chance to look at the Fatima message from other angles, but we should not miss the way that Mary revealed a century ago is calling us to live Lent and life with greater seriousness and urgency. In response to Mary’s appeal, Lucy, Francisco and Jacinta prayed with fervor, fasted heroically, and offered themselves and their sufferings as alms for the conversion of others. What will we do? Anchor columnist Father Landry can be contacted at fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.
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W
ith the Lenten season upon us, it’s about time we talk about sacrifices. So how do frogs play into this? Hear me out. As the coordinator for Academic Coaching and Research Services at Bridgewater State University, I supervise academic coaches who work oneon-one with undergraduate students to address issues in time management, discuss study strategies, develop specific and measurable goals for their semester, and other noncontent specific matters that they encounter as they transition throughout college. As I’ve been learning and growing throughout this experience, I’m constantly trying to find ways to engage students, to really connect with them and
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Eat the frog bring them into the conversation that is coaching. One way I’ve been attempting to do this is by making our coaching space more appealing and inviting. Enter the whiteboard. On the wall in our space is a giant whiteboard. Since last year, the same words had been written on it. There was no visual to grab your attention, just a brief list of words. This, I thought, was a good place for me to start. So for the past few weeks the coaches have watched as my apparently anal-retentive self spends entirely too long drawing out visual aids for coaching concepts. However, despite the meticulous nature of my artistic abilities (imagine
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drawing nearly perfect lines and then erasing them because they just weren’t straight enough), within the past few weeks actual pictures have emerged. All that being said, last week’s drawing accompa-
Radiate Your Faith By Renee Bernier
nied an explanation of the concept, “Eat the Frog.” This concept began with a quote from Mark Twain, when he said, “If you eat a frog first thing in the morning that will probably be the worst thing you do all day.” This quote was
expanded out into a whole approach on task prioritization by Brian Tracy, who wrote the book, “Eat That Frog.” The book explores the idea that “frogs” are the things you don’t want to do, but actually need to do. What else does that sound like? Well, in the context of Lent, we look at sacrifice in particular (though we shouldn’t forget that almsgiving is also emphasized at this time of the Liturgical year) as giving something up that would be particularly difficult or challenging in an effort to repent and, as the “Catechism” says, unite ourselves to the mystery of Jesus in the desert (CCC 540). In a way, we’re eating the frog and doing the thing we most don’t want to, so that everything else can take on new meaning. During Lent, at the end of our 40 days, we’ve practiced Spiritual discipline, we’ve mastered (hopefully) the desire to succumb to temptations to cheat on the promises we made at the beginning of Lent in the name of sacrifice, and we’ve hopefully eaten the frog every day. In his book, Tracy also says that the longer we look at a frog,
the more difficult it becomes to eat (so we should eat it fast and get it over with). For me, when I try to relate that to Lent, it reminds me that there is always something I know I should be doing — or not doing — yet the more I actively don’t do it — or do the thing I should be doing less of — the harder it is to change that behavior. It’s those things, those habits I’ve formed that I need to get away from, that I try to convince myself aren’t that bad when Lent comes around. By that very confession, it’s those things that are my frogs, the things my gut tells me I should no longer procrastinate addressing. And it’s those things that I should eat right away when it comes to Lent 2017. So what’s your frog? What is the thing you know you need to address, to sacrifice, to do more of even though you don’t want to? Are you ready to eat it? Anchor columnist Renee Bernier is the coordinator for Academic Coaching at Bridgewater State University. She still works with youth and young adult ministry, particularly helping to prepare high school students for their college experience. She can be reached at reneebernier17@gmail.com.
How does the Catholic Church resolve new bioethical questions?
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number of years ago, I participated in a debate at Harvard on embryonic stem-cell research which also included a Jewish rabbi, an Episcopalian clergyman, and a Muslim imam. The debate went smoothly and cordially, although I was the only voice in the group who defended the human rights of individuals who happen to still to be embryos. After the debate, the Episcopalian clergyman pulled me aside and told me how he thought Catholics should consider themselves fortunate to have such an authoritative reference point in the Church and the Vatican, particularly when it comes to resolving new bioethical questions. With surprising candor, he shared how he had sat on various committees with others from his own faith tradition where they had tried to sort through the ethics of embryonic stem cells, and he lamented, “We just ended up discussing feelings and opinions, without any good way to arrive at conclusions.” Many people, indeed, appreciate that the Catholic Church holds firm and well-defined positions on moral questions, even if they may remain unsure about how or why the Church actually arrives at those positions, especially when it comes to unpacking new scientific developments like embryonic stem-cell research. So how does the Church arrive at its positions on bioethics? For one thing, it takes its time, and doesn’t jump to conclusions even in the face of media pressure for quick sound bites and rapid-fire news stories. I once had a discussion with a journalist for a major
newspaper about the ethics able in an important docuof human-animal chimeras. ment called Donum Vitae He mentioned that a lead(On the Gift of Life). ing researcher working on This same document chimeras had met the pope also identified key moral and afterwards implied problems with doing huthat the pope had given man embryonic stem-cell his blessing to the project. I research 11 years before reminded him that it’s quite common Making Sense for the pope to offer general encourageOut of ment and blessings Bioethics to those he meets, By Father Tad though that wouldn’t Pacholczyk be the same thing as sanctioning new and morally conit was even possible to troversial techniques in the destructively obtain those biosciences. As a rule, the cells from human embryos. Catholic Church does not When the first test tube address important bioethical baby was born in 1978, questions that way, through the serious moral concerns chance encounters with the raised by the procedure had pope as you are strolling already been spelled out 22 through the hallways of the years earlier, by Pope Pius Vatican. XII, in his 1956 “AllocuInstead, the Church may tion to the Second World reflect for months, years, Congress on Fertility and or even decades, to identify Human Sterility” wherein important considerations he concluded: “As regards and guiding principles experiments of human when new moral dilemartificial fecundation ‘in mas arise in the bioscivitro,’ let it be sufficient to ences. Even with this slow observe that they must be and deliberative process, rejected as immoral and I think it’s fair to say that absolutely unlawful.” the Church generally stays Whenever definitive ahead of the curve. By conclusions about medithe time of the successful cal ethics are reached or cloning of Dolly the sheep otherwise clarified by the in 1996, for example, the Church, they are normally Catholic Church had alpromulgated through ofready been reflecting on the ficial Church documents, question of human cloning like papal encyclicals and for many years, and conaddresses, or, with the apcluded, nine years prior to proval of the pope, docuDolly, that human cloning ments and commentaries would be morally unaccept- from the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF — the Vatican office responsible for preserving and interpreting Catholic doctrine), or other congregations, councils or dicasteries of the Church. Even today, certain bioethical controversies remain under active discussion within the Church, such as the question of whether it would be allowable to “adopt” abandoned frozen embryos by implanting and gestating them in volunteer mothers. While a 2007 CDF document expressed some reservations and concerns about the proposal, debate continues inside and outside the Vatican. New medical discoveries and technological developments challenge us to careful moral reflection and discernment. These scientific developments can either be an opportunity for genuine human advancement or can lead to activities and poli-
cies that undermine human dignity. The U.S. bishops in a recent document summed it up this way: “In consultation with medical professionals, Church leaders review these developments, judge them according to the principles of right reason and the ultimate standard of revealed truth, and offer authoritative teaching and guidance about the moral and pastoral responsibilities entailed by the Christian faith. While the Church cannot furnish a ready answer to every moral dilemma, there are many questions about which she provides normative guidance and direction.” Anchor columnist Father Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, and serves as the director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org.
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Old soldiers never die Tuesday 7 March 2017 — Homeport: Falmouth Harbor — Distinguished Service Medal: Anniversary here’s a Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea, Mass., and another in Bristol, R.I., and then there’s the Home for Soldiers and Their Orphans in Darien, Conn. These are the places old soldiers (who never die) can go to fade away. An old soldiers’ home might be a retirement home, a nursing home, or a hospital. Although old soldiers’ homes have existed since the 1830s, they came into their own after the Civil War. As elderly Civil War veterans began to pass away, most of these institutions eventually became part of what is now the Veterans’ Administration. There are places old soldiers can go, but where can old priests go? I remember when old
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priests didn’t go anywhere. numbers of retired pastors, They simply remained as another issue arose. Where titular pastors in the parish would a retired priest go? to which they had been The answer was that he assigned. Men in their could go anywhere he 90s were still considered wanted to go. pastors on duty, although Some priests kept inherthe day-to-day operation ited family homes and othof the parish was carried ers purchased cottages for out by a bevy of curates. The Priests’ The Ship’s Log Hostel in Fall Reflections of a River was origiParish Priest nally built for the By Father Tim use of priests on Goldrick active duty who, for some reason, needed to be temporarily away from the themselves, often in parthustle and bustle of parish nership with other priests life. There are currently a of the same age. Some few priests residing at the priests moved in with famPriest Hostel. ily members, often siblings. When the supply of These private residences young curates began to served as a kind of safety evaporate, there was no net in retirement. one to assist the old pasAccording to the lattors in their parishes. est census by Father Tom In my own lifetime, the Lopes, who is the diocesan phrase “retired pastor” liaison to retired priests, came into use. Before that, these are the retired priests the phrase “retired pastor” currently living in private was an oxymoron. Pastors homes within the diocese: didn’t retire. They remained Fathers Jack Andrews, in their assignment. Like Jim Buckley, Martin old soldiers, they just faded Buote, Ed Byington, Bill away. Campbell, Phil DaviWith the growing gnon, Ken Delano, Brian Harrington, Paul Lamb, Horace Travassos, Jim Morse, Lou Pereira, and Msgr. Ron Tosti. Priests living outside the
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diocese are Fathers Bill Costello, Jim Ferry, Peter Graziano, Roger LeDuc, and Jerry Shovelton. Father Joe Mauritzen lives in a seminary, where he is on staff. Bishop George Coleman lives in a local rectory, as does Msgr. Dan Hoye. Then something new came along. Bishop O’Malley opened the Cardinal Medeiros Residence in Fall River. This provided independent living facilities at reasonable cost to the priest. Retired priests quickly filled the facility, so many that the residence was expanded to accommodate even more retired priests. Priests living at the Cardinal Medeiros Residence are Fathers Henry Arruda, Jerry Barnwell, Bill Blottman, Michael Camara, Paul Canuel, Dick Chretien, Ed Correia, Manny Ferreira, John Gomes, Henry Kropiwnicki, Roger Levesque, Tom Lopes, Jim McLellan, Tom Rita, Arthur Wingate, and Msgrs. Tom Harrington, Henry Munroe, John Perry, John Smith, and Barry Wall. I bet you recognize some of these priests’ names,
dear readers, and may have wondered where they went. Priests who need nursing home care can choose any nursing home they can afford but they can always find exceptional and reasonably priced care at one of the several diocesan nursing facilities. All of these things have been on my mind for the past month. Father Frank Wallace (aka FXW ), an old soldier and my housemate, recently suffered a fall. He spent a week in the hospital undergoing tests. There were no broken bones, but his doctors recommended long-term nursing care. FXW has frequently said to me, “Tim, I’m 95 years old. I’m the oldest priest in the diocese. I couldn’t have had a more wonderful life, even if I had planned it. So, if you should happen to find me collapsed on the floor one day, you have two choices. You can either contact the nursing home that borders the rectory to the east or you can telephone the funeral home bordering the rectory on the west. Your call.” As it worked out, it was his call. FXW decided to transfer to the Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River. There, he joins Msgr. John Moore and his own classmate Father John Driscoll, the longest ordained (senior priest) in the diocese. I bet they’ll have lots to talk about. And that, dear readers, is where old priests go. It sure is quiet around here without FXW. I miss him. So does my dog Lurch. He lies at Frank’s bedroom door. Anchor columnist Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth.
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few days ago I met a very little girl who made a big impression on me. Grace and her older brother Benedict suffer from a rare genetic disorder that has resulted in serious hearing impairment and limited physical growth. The two come to our home for the elderly each week with their mother to pray the Rosary with our residents. Watching Grace and Benedict interact with the elderly, I was amazed by their maturity and graciousness. I almost felt that I was in the presence of angels –
Guest Columnist By Sister Constance Veit, LSP
such was the radiance of these two beautiful little ones in the midst of our frail seniors. In all likelihood, Grace and Benedict will never make an impact on the world scene, and yet I believe that they, and so many other little, hidden souls, make a huge difference in our world Spiritually. This is what our Holy Father is suggesting by his Lenten message this year. The theme he has proposed for our 2017 journey through Lent is, “The Word Is a Gift. Other Persons Are a Gift.” Using the parable of Lazarus and the rich man from St. Luke’s Gospel, Pope Francis turns our attention to those whom we might usually ignore. He compares the anonymity of the rich man, who is never named in Scripture, with Lazarus, who appears with a specific name and a unique story. Lazarus “becomes a face, and as such, a gift, a priceless treasure, a human being whom God loves and cares for, despite his concrete condition as an
Other persons are a gift outcast.” The Holy Father continues, “Lazarus teaches us that other persons are a gift. A right relationship with people consists in gratefully recognizing their value.” Lent, he says, is a favorable season for recognizing the face of Christ in God’s little ones. “Each of us meets people like this every day,” says the pope. “Each life that we encounter is a gift deserving acceptance, respect and love. The Word of God helps us to open our eyes to welcome and love life, especially when it is weak and vulnerable.” This is what our foundress St. Jeanne Jugan did so beautifully. Mindful of Christ’s promise that whatever we do to the least of His brothers and sisters we do to Him, she opened her heart and her home definitively to the needy elderly of her day. She often counseled the young Little Sisters, “Never forget that the poor are Our Lord. When you will be near the poor give yourself wholeheartedly, for it is Jesus Himself Whom you care for in them.” Jeanne Jugan looked upon each elderly person with the loving gaze of Christ and so she saw each one as a treasure worthy of reverence and loving care. She knew that despite outward appearances, each person to whom she offered hospitality was someone for whom Christ died and rose again; each one was someone worthy of the gift of her own life. Pope Francis’ prayer this Lent is that the Holy Spirit will lead us “on a true journey of conversion, so that we can rediscover the gift of God’s Word, be purified of the sin that blinds us, and serve
Christ present in our brothers and sisters in need.” Let us pray for one another, he concluded, “so that by sharing in the victory of Christ, we may open our doors to the weak and the poor. Then we
will be able to share to the full the joy of Easter.” I thank God for my recent encounter with Grace and Benedict, for they opened my eyes anew to the beauty in each human person. My wish
for you this Lent is that God might lead you to a similar life-changing encounter. Sister Constance Veit is the director of communications for the Little Sisters of the Poor.
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The Anchor - March 10, 2017
Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in New Bedford recently held its semi-annual retreat in the parish hall. Retreat leaders were Mercy Sister Marianna Sylvester, Jennie Antunes and 11 parish team members. Here they are pictured with pastor Father Sudhir Nayak. The theme of this retreat was, “Stewardship: A Way of Life.�
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here’s a challenge that has gone viral on Facebook called, “Forty Bags in Forty Days.” It intentionally coincides with the 40 days of Lent, promising to organize one’s life by getting rid of the stuff that gathers throughout our homes, seemingly by its own volition. Millions of people are taking part in this challenge; yearning for the simplicity it will bring. It is no surprise that this secular de-clutter so easily co-opts the Sacred Spiritual exercise of the Lenten fast. After all, don’t we tend to use Lent as a personal make over? “When you fasted and lamented, was it really for God?” asks the prophet Zechariah. God
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Merciful fast answers with a reminder that we within mercy, and God is asking are called to be merciful, not to us to give ourselves a makeover give up candy and wine. “Judge into God’s Own image. with true justice, and show kindMercy is part of our Spiritual ness and compassion toward each DNA, so it should be a natural other. Do movement not opto go from press the doing merwidow or ciful acts The Great the orphan, to being the resident Commission mercy itself. alien or Lent is a By Claire McManus the poor; good way do not plot to start that evil against transformaone another in your hearts.” We tion so it will last beyond the have heard this admonishment in 40 days. Although we may have every way throughout our Salva- limited mercy to extraordinary tion history. Thomas Merton said “works,” the Corporal and Spirithat God is mercy within mercy tual Works of Mercy are more than a to-do list in order to get into Heaven. We perform these acts with the best intentions of taking care of the people whose welfare has been entrusted to us by God. But God wants more than our good works. Kerry Weber wrote in her book, “Mercy in the City,” “It’s easy to have good intentions. What’s difficult is the follow-through, because God didn’t challenge us to the Corporal Works of Mercy for 40 days. God challenges us to a lifestyle — and lifetime — of mercy.” The challenge is not adding these acts of mercy to our lives, but transforming our everyday actions into works of mercy. Deep in the roots of the Corporal Works of Mercy is the need to be aware of the physical needs of those around us. The hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned are all in need of our care, and our contribution to the Church’s tradition of social justice has far reaching impact. But we can also give meaning to the everyday acts of care that we give to those we love. This is where mercy becomes a part of who we are, not just what we do. The mundane acts of providing for our families can be an occasion for reflection on the call to take care of the corporal needs of the ones we love. It is the intention that we mix into the recipe that transforms the act of prepar-
ing a meal into an act of mercy. Mercy is the spice that makes the food we give to our family an act of love. Mercy transforms a cup of coffee with a lonely friend into an encounter with the Christ within each of us. Mercy is the fashion that adorns the dressing of the little baby, or the aging parent. Mercy brings comfort to the friend trapped in the prison of addiction. The Spiritual and Corporal Works were given to us so that we would always know that we are not alone on this journey through life. This is why we were advised to free the sinner from the danger of going down the wrong path. We must always forgive those who have wronged us, and bear wrongs patiently. We need these people with us on the journey; no one can be left behind. We can also find ways to think outside of the usual box of fasts to be creative mercygivers. The Ignatian Spirituality website suggests that we “choose something to create: a recipe, a sculpture, a model airplane, a poem, a painting, a birdhouse, a film, or something that draws on your talents. Give your creation to someone you love and tell him or her why you did it. Do everything you can to make the gift beautiful and remarkable so that the person understands that you gave your best effort on his or her behalf.” As we enter into the final weeks of Lent we can look at our life through mercy-colored lenses. Even though Lent is a time to go deep inside ourselves to find God within, the more we connect with others, the closer we are drawn into God. There are so many interesting ways in which we can re-make our fast, transform our almsgiving, and energize our prayer. While we fill those 40 bags of junk this Lent with all the mess that clutters our lives, let’s make room for the people who will enrich our journey. Anchor columnist Claire McManus is the director of the Diocesan Off ice of Faith Formation.
Don’t shut U.S. doors to refugees, bishops plead
Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — With people fleeing humanitarian crises around the world, President Donald Trump’s new executive order halting refugee admissions is wrong, Catholic bishop and aid groups maintain. “We remain deeply troubled by the human consequences of the revised executive order on refugee admissions and the travel ban. While we note the administration’s efforts to modify the executive order in light of various legal concerns, the revised order still leaves many innocent lives at risk,” Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, Texas, stated. Bishop Vasquez chairman of the U.S. bishops’ committee on migration. “The U.S. Catholic bishops have long recognized the importance of ensuring public safety and would welcome reasonable and necessary steps to accomplish that goal,” he said. “However, based on the knowledge that refugees are already subjected to the most vigorous vetting process
of anyone who enters the United States, there is no merit to pausing the refugee resettlement program while considering further improvement to that vetting process.” Bill O’Keefe, vice president for advocacy and government relations at Catholic Relief Services, said that “with the most refugees in the world since World War II, now is not the time for the world’s leader in refugee resettlement to back down.” Trump issued a revised executive order on immigration and refugee admissions, revoking his old order that was blocked by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A 120-day ban on all refugee admissions remains in the revised executive order, and Trump capped the total number of refugee admissions at 50,000 for fiscal year 2017. In contrast, the Obama Administration accepted 85,000 refugees in FY 2016, including more than 12,000 from Syria. Thirty-five thousand refugees have already been
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 March 12, 11:00 a.m.
Celebrant is Father Andrew Johnson, pastor of Good Shepherd and St. Stanislaus parishes in Fall River.
March 19, 11:00 a.m.
Celebrant is Father Maurice O. Gauvin, pastor of Espirito Santo Parish in Fall River.
accepted this fiscal year, O’Keefe noted, which means that under the new policy very few refugees will be accepted from March through September. “Resettling only 50,000 refugees a year, down from 110,000, does not reflect the need, our compassion, and our capacity as a nation,” Bishop Vasquez stated. “We have the ability to continue to assist the most vulnerable among us without sacrificing our values as Americans or the safety and security of our nation.” There are several humanitarian crises around the world, O’Keefe said. The Syrian civil war, raging since 2011, has already displaced more than 11 million and created almost five million refugees, but there are also large conflicts in Iraq, Nigeria, and Ukraine. Four famines in Africa and the Middle East are also worsening, he said. With all this, “the U.S. needs to be increasing our humanitarian assistance and helping people where they are, as well as taking more of the most vulnerable people who are fleeing violence as refugees, and that we can safely take.” Although the order says that the 120-day ban on refugee resettlement gives the administration time to review the security of the program, the process is already secure, O’Keefe insisted. “Refugees, though, are already subjected to extreme vetting to get here,” he said, adding that the process often takes at least two years and involves the work of 13 federal agencies. The indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, featured in the first executive order, is not in the new one. Neither is the prioritization for refugee admissions for those of minority religions who suffer religious persecution. O’Keefe praised the omission of both policies. “Being a Syrian doesn’t
predispose one to any of the things that our vetting system would look out for,” he said of there being no indefinite ban on Syrian refugee resettlement. Also, religious-based persecution is already one of five criteria of vulnerability for those refugees who are being vetted for admission to the U.S., he noted, adding that some “local Church leaders” have said that a special designation “wouldn’t be helpful” and “actually exposes them to greater danger.” However, some have been pushing for a special refugee status for persecuted religious minorities, especially those in Syria. Persecuted Christian minorities, including genocide victims, must have a “fair outcome” when looking to resettle elsewhere, Andrew Walther, vice president of communications and strategic planning at the Knights of Columbus, explained. “As part of the review of the refugee admissions procedure, the UNHCR referral process for refugees should be closely scrutinized, and the serious inequities in the number of Syrian refugees admitted from communities targeted for genocide should be rectified,” he said. Refugees must first register with the UNHCR to be eligible for resettlement. Yet although Christians make up only a small percentage of the Syrian population, the percentage of Christian refugees from Syria who are resettled in the U.S. is even smaller, Walther noted. “The Obama Administration policy was to prioritize these groups, but despite this they remain severely underrepresented in U.S. refugee admissions, so it’s clear that a fair outcome is even more important than a stated priority,” he said. Syriac Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan of Antioch has warned that Christians
hoping to be resettled in the U.S. or Canada have never even had the chance. “I personally heard on several occasions from many of our Christian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, that their applications for refugee visas, either to the U.S. or Canada, are without any response, if not refused by the consulates of the U.S. and Canada,” he stated. Elsewhere in the executive order, a ban on entry by most foreign nationals into the U.S. from six countries is still in effect. The countries are Iran, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan, while Iraq, which was formerly on the list, is now omitted. Exceptions to the visa ban include refugees already admitted to the U.S., lawful permanent residents, those who received visas before 5 p.m. on January 27 –— the date of the original executive order — and those travelling on diplomatic visas. Yemen and Somalia have “developing famines” and their own conflicts, so “it strikes us as cruel, actually, to restrict the number of people who can come,” O’Keefe said. Catholic Charities, USA, whose affiliates partner with the government to help resettle refugees in the U.S., spoke out strongly against the temporary refugee ban. “At the heart of the work of Catholic Charities is the Gospel mandate to welcome the stranger and care for the most vulnerable among us,” Sister Donna Markham O.P., president of Catholic Charities, USA, stated. The “executive order not only hinders that work, but also effectively abandons, for four months, the thousands of endangered refugees fleeing violence, starvation and persecution,” she said. The group “is leading an ambitious $8 million campaign to support the work of local Catholic Charities agencies in caring for refugees.”
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For and About Our Church Youth
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’ve never been one who is good at giving things up. I truly try to be a “giver” in all that I do, but I like my toys and other distractions. Over the years when Lent came along, I’d try to figure out what to “give up” as the good Sisters taught us in school. I always thought sweets, or candy, or television or movies or some other material item that I liked, but I didn’t like the idea of losing those things. I don’t know about you, but I was more inclined to give up things that I didn’t like as much — like vegetables. Of course, there was little value in giving up what I didn’t like or want! Generally when I chose to give up the things I liked, I wasn’t successful a lot of the time. I was very good at rationalizing why I could have that candy bar just this one time — perhaps as a reward for going two days without one. I guess I kind of lost the meaning of Lent. It is funny how my brain works. My wife would say it’s scary how my brain works!
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It’s not just the NOT, but the DO!
In any case, there are rea- ers. Looking inside is not sons why we traditionally always fun or easy. But this “give up stuff ” during Lent. year that is my intent. And What we give up should just as importantly, I intend really be something we like, to concentrate on what I or like to do or that we can do for others, especially find pleasure in. Through those in need. I vow this this sacrifice we can learn Lent to give of myself. To self-control, tell ourselves DO something. “no” once in a while (what I recently came across a a novel idea!) and it helps YouTube video posted by us identify with the sufferings of Christ. Lent gives us that opportunity to discover those things that get in the way By Deacon of our relationship Frank Lucca with God and to give up those things that so often take over our Strayer University. It struck lives. The less stuff in our me this might very well be lives, the more room there a excellent visual for me is for God, yourself and for and each of you to help us others. successfully continue our I believe that in my case, Lenten journey. perhaps, I chose the wrong As an experiment, they things to give up. Perhaps, I placed a blackboard in the needed to look at giving up middle of New York City, more than material items, asking those who pass by perhaps I needed to look to write down their biginside (not an easy thing gest regret. At first each to do) and give up those regret on the blackboard things that truly get in the seems different and unique. way of my relationship After all, we all have difwith God and with othferent lives and stories. The board stood empty for a long while as people stared at it. Finally, one young girl wrote, “I regret all the time I wasted not saying ‘Yes.’” Another wrote, “Not saying I love you.” But as the board was filling up, they noticed that all of the responses had one alarming thing in common. The stories were about chances NOT taken, words NOT spoken, actions NOT taken, dreams NOT pursued. Nearly every regret contained the word NOT! People were then given an eraser and the word NOT was soon being erased from each phrase. Each phrase became a
The Anchor - March 10, 2017
Be Not Afraid
positive and so each was ultimately erased leaving a blank blackboard. In effect a “clean slate.” The message I think is clear. It’s not the NOT but the DO. So take a moment to look inside and write on your own blackboard. What does your blackboard look like? What regrets are listed? What sins are listed there? Can you turn each of those NOTS (things you didn’t do, shouldn’t have done or wish you had done) into a DO? This Lent let’s DO! Remember, each of us has possibility and promise. There is no better time than now to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to seek out God’s mercy and remake our lives. To erase all of those regrets and sins off our own blackboards. He makes all things new. To begin again with a clean slate. This, my friends, is the
message of Lent: None of us is beyond redemption. None of us is beyond a clean slate. We only need to ask for God’s forgiveness. That is the hopeful message of Lent. Of course, now that I’ve looked at my own blackboard, it just may have been easier to just give up those candy bars! I guess I’ll just have to give up on that slimmer waistline and work on beefing up my soul this Lent! Get me an eraser! Anchor columnist Frank Lucca is a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Fall River, a youth minister at St. Dominic’s Parish in Swansea, and a campus minister at UMass Dartmouth. He is married to his wife of 38 years, Kristine, and the father of two daughters and their husbands, and three grandsons. So blessed! Comments, ideas or suggestions? Please email him at DeaconFrankLucca@ comcast.net.
St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet had the pleasure of recently hosting Curt Anderson, a Christian rock performer from Nashville, Tenn. Students were not only entertained by his own songs played on piano and guitar, but inspired by his positive and selfless message to live for Christ. He is pictured above playing for the third-graders who sang along in a private song request of “Lord, I Need You,” by Matt Maher.
For and About Our Church Youth
St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro recently hosted its annual Fifth-grade Invention Convention, where each student created a practical solution to a problem they faced. Each of the 37 students created very unique inventions that could be useful in everyday life. They displayed their projects to their parents and peers in the Sacred Heart Church hall.
Seventh-grader Maddison Chippendale, from Holy Name School in Fall River was honored with a scholarship by the Knights of Columbus for writing the winning essay entitled, “What it means to me to attend a Catholic school.”
Award-winning photographer and photojournalist Peter Pereira recently spoke about perseverance with grades four-eight from St. James-St. John School in New Bedford.
Preschool students at All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford recently enjoyed a team-building activity for “team” day. All students participated in an activity led by Young World’s, Ashley Hanson, and in each classroom celebrated the importance of working together.
The seventh-grade girls basketball teams from St. John the Evangelist in Attleboro and Mercymount Country Day School in Cumberland, R.I., recently gathered for a scrimmage at St. John the Evangelist School for the fourth annual “Hoops for the Hungry.” The girls asked for a non-perishable food donation in lieu of an admission fee. They collected 11 boxes of food which were given to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Lavina Burman, a seventh-grader at St. Joseph’s School in Fairhaven, recently won the Lions Club Peace Poster Contest. The theme for this year’s contest was “Celebrating Peace.” Burman won the local contest and went on to win at the district level to compete state-wide. Her personal quote to accompany her artistic design was “The Path to Peace Lies Within Us.” The Anchor - March 10, 2017 17
For and About Our Church Youth Abigail Kurtzer, left, a junior at Coyle and Cassidy High School in Taunton, is more than your average cousin. Her cousin Max Derba, right, is an eight-year-old boy from Florida who loves video games and superheroes, and suffers from a high-risk case of neuroblastoma. He and his mom Laura have been in Boston for treatment for nearly six months. Thinking it might cheer Max up, Abby wanted to mobilize her basketball team to send letters to Max and his mom who are far from dad, big brother Declan and other family and friends. Abby was able to do more than that, mobilizing the entire school. She worked quickly to put her plan in motion. With her friends, they visited every homeroom telling Max’s story, and encouraging everyone to make him a card. More than 300 cards, as well as a series of gifts, were delivered to his room at Boston Children’s Hospital. Students wrote heartfelt letters to Max and his family. Laura would read letter after letter to Max when he was unable to talk due to severe mouth sores. Laura said that Max, an otherwise loving and happy child, rarely smiled during his last course of treatment; however the cards, which were eventually hung all over his room, brought a smile to his face. Grandpa Peter Tamulionis couldn’t thank the CC community enough, saying, “It was just amazing that kids this age would think of this.” Mom also wanted to share her thanks, saying, “Students should be so proud of themselves.”
Bishop Feehan High School, Attleboro, announced that six student writers were recognized in the Boston Globe 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing competition sponsored by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. A total of 10 Feehan students submitted 23 pieces of writing. Eleven of those pieces, submitted by six different students, received recognition, making the number of awards the most the school’s students have received in five years. This writing contest is celebrated as the most prestigious recognition and scholarship program for teens in the United States. Front row from left, Megan McFarland, Cassandra Schifman, Sarah Wilk, and Heather Hannon (Franklin). Back row: Feehan president Tim Sullivan, Eric Blair, English teacher Meredith Bickford, Sam Carter, and Principal Sean Kane.
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Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth recently hosted worldrenowned artist Rob Surette. He inspired the students not only with his “speed painting” but also his inspirational message to follow your dreams and make a difference in the world. Pictured with Surette are Bishop Stang students Jared Pimental, Noah Gagnon, and Maya Tavares.
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Acushnet parish holds Rosary parties for Fatima centennial continued from page two
with persistent prayer, God can change any situation.” “The only place we could do that, really, was at our parish school,” Msgr. O’Connor said. “Our parish center is not that big. So that’s what we decided. We started doing them on Sunday nights at 6 p.m. back in November. We decided to skip dinner (and) we would just pray the Rosary beginning at six and then people could bring desserts to share and the kids could run around and play in the gym. It’s really turned into a general social time, which is great for a parish as well to bring all the people together.” Having taken a brief hiatus in December for Christmas, the January Rosary party again drew more than 200 people,
and Msgr. O’Connor said they plan to host one every month through October in observance of the Fatima centennial. “We’ve been really enthused by it and we’ve been amazed with the turnout,” Msgr. O’Connor said. “We planned on the first one to have some water and coffee and we expected to get maybe about 100 people. Then 230 turned up! So now we know. Like everything, it all works out. And people seem to have a good time. I think it’s something we might carry on ad infinitum at this point.” Although Msgr. O’Connor conceded that his parish has always had “a great Marian devotion,” he’s still been pleasantly surprised with the level of enthusiasm for the Rosary
and the ones that did get baptized will never see the inside of a church or learn parties. any formal prayers. I do my “Nowadays, to get 23 best to invite them to come people to do something in to church and they somea parish is tough, but 230 times say they will come is pretty good,” he said. but don’t. “We’ve always done Days “We as a parish can With Mary, we promote stand in the gap and pray the brown scapular, we’ve with a fervor and sacrifice had first Saturday devothat will bring God to do tions, and we pray the Rothe miraculous. Here at St. sary every day as a parish. Francis we want to take But when you see things Our Lady’s advice and like this happen, I think it’s fight back with the power a really powerful response of the Rosary!” in our devotion to the “It’s just a good Catholic Blessed Virgin Mary.” thing to do and it brings Given most families’ families together,” Msgr. hectic schedules today and O’Connor agreed. “Young society’s current preoccupaand old would come and tion with everything from the priest would always social media to sporting be there to pray the Roevents, it’s ever more imsary and many blessings portant for families to take came out of this. Many time to come together and people have told me they pray, according to Cardoza. had prayers answered and “In my own family, I find it was generally a great urgency for intercessory thing.” prayer,” she said. “Some of “I think it’s true what my nephews and nieces are Father Peyton said: ‘The not getting married and family that prays together, of the ones who did, two stays together,’” he added. out of the three Marriages “And I think it’s true about ended in divorce. They are a parish family as well. We having children and some are supposed to be a family are not getting baptized of brothers and sisters and
we should all pray together — not just at Mass, but at other times as well. And this is all part of it.” Msgr. O’Connor firmly believes that this communal prayer has already borne much fruit. Recently when a well-known parishioner became ill, he suggested the parish get together one night to pray the Rosary for her and the church was packed. Likewise, when they planned a special send-off for a new seminarian who was departing to begin his studies, a Rosary prayer and social gathering drew similar numbers. “We’ve always had an active, involved parish and people always turn out to support these things,” he said. “It’s been a real blessing for our parish.” To promote the monthly Rosary parties, Msgr. O’Connor put together a large postcard with all the dates that was distributed to parishioners and the families at the parish school. “People tend to remember little things like that Continued on page 21
More than 200 people filled the gym at St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet for one the parish’s recent Rosary parties. These large monthly gatherings include prayer, fellowship and a social component, all in observance of the 100th anniversary year of Our Lady of Fatima’s apparitions to three shepherd children in Portugal. (Photo courtesy of Msgr. Gerard P. O’Connor)
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Sister Mary Nora Smith, R.S.M., sister of Msgr. John J. Smith
CUMBERLAND, R.I. — Sister Mary Nora Smith, R.S.M., formerly Sister Mary Padraic, died February 19. Born in New Bedford, she was the daughter of the late Ambrose and Nora Sparrow Smith; sister of the late Robert, James, Am-
Helen Stempsey, mother of Father William Stempsey, S.J.
ORLEANS — Helen (Kuras) Stempsey, 84, of Orleans, died February 21, at home. She was the wife of the late William Edward Stempsey. She was born on June 15, 1932, in Albany, N.Y. She was a graduate of St. Ann’s Academy in Albany. Stempsey worked for the N.Y. telephone company from 1949 to 1969. With her husband, she was owner and operator of Kelly’s Jewelers from 1967 until 1978, retiring to Orleans. Helen was a Registered Jeweler and member of the American Gem Society. She was a communicant of St. Joan of Arc Church, and member of the St. Joan of Arc Lady’s Guild. She received the Marian Medal Award for service to the Church of the Diocese of Fall River in 2007. She is survived by her son, Father William E. Stempsey S.J., of Worcester; and many nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on February 27 at St. Joan of Arc Church, followed by her burial in Orleans Cemetery, Orleans. Arrangements were handled by Nickerson Funeral Homes in Orleans.
brose, Philip and Michael, as well as deceased sisters, Julia, Patricia and Nora. Sister Mary Nora leaves a brother, Msgr. John J. Smith of the Diocese of Fall River. Sister entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1947 and professed vows in August of 1953. With the exception of three years teaching at St. Peter School in Warwick, R.I., her ministry in Catholic education was spread throughout the Diocese of Fall River, in West Harwich, Fall River and New Bedford, as a teacher and administrator. Upon Sister’s retirement as principal, Sister Mary Nora offered her services as substitute teacher in the New Bedford Public School system. More recently, Sister Mary resided at Mount St. Rita Health Centre in
Cumberland, R.I. where she was lovingly cared for. She enjoyed visits from family and Sisters of Mercy who remember gratefully Sister Mary Nora’s generosity and kindness in providing for the needs of those to whom she ministered and with whom she shared community life. A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated February 25 at St. John Vianney Parish in Cumberland. Interment followed at Resurrection Cemetery in Cumberland. Donations in her memory may be sent to the Sisters of Mercy, 15 Highland View Road, Cumberland, R.I. 02864. Gallogly Funeral Homes of West Warwick, R.I. was in charge of the arrangements.
Continued from page 20
and will put it up on their fridge as a reminder,” he said. “There’s a pretty picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary on one side and then on the other you’ve got your dates of the Rosary parties. It’s good to have something to put up on your notice board, especially if you’ve got a family and you’ve got all these different things going with sports and everything else. “I think if you offer them and promote them well, and you tell people about the power of this prayer, I think they’ll want to come.” With a large contingency of Portuguese families at his parish, Msgr. O’Connor said he knew they would want to observe the 100th anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima in some way and the Rosary parties seemed
a natural fit. “There’s a lot of Portuguese heritage in our parish and I think we’ve got some individuals going to Fatima this year,” he said. “We don’t have a trip ourselves planned, but we’ll be doing some other things as a parish, especially in May and October.” In the meantime, Cardoza hopes everyone will “seize this opportunity to pray as a parish, not only for ourselves, but also for our friends, families and neighbors to come back to the faith and turn to God so we can all enter His Kingdom,” she said. Future Rosary parties at St. Francis Xavier School are slated to begin at 6 p.m. on the following Sunday evenings: April 2, May 21, June 25, July 16, August 13, September 17 and October 15. For more information, visit www.sfxparish.com.
In Your Prayers Please Please pray pray for for these these priests priests during during the the coming coming weeks weeks
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 March 16 Rev. Francis J. Maloney. S.T.L., Pastor, St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1957 Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, C.S.C., 2006 March 17 Rev. Henry R. Creighton, SS.CC., 2004 Deacon Michael E. Murray, 2008 Rev. Bartley MacPhaidin, C.S.C., 2016 March 18 Rev. Robert D. Forand, C.P., West Hartford, Conn., 1989 Permanent Deacon Frank W. Mis, 2011 March 19 Rev. John J. McQuaide, Assistant, St. Mary, Taunton, 1905 March 20 Rev. Francis A. Mrozinski, Pastor, St. Hedwig, New Bedford, 1951 March 22 Rev. Joseph A. Martins, Assistant, St. John the Baptist, New Bedford, 1940 Rev. James T. Keefe, SS.CC., Chaplain, U.S. Army, 2003 March 23 Rev. James F. Kelley, USN Ret., Archdiocese of Anchorage, Former Assistant, St. Mary’s Mansfield, 2002 Rev. Normand J. Boulet, 2015 March 24 Rev. John J. Murphy, C.S.C., 2004
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Around the Diocese At 3:30 p.m. on March 12, Gail Archer of New York City will play a recital at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Bedford’s North end. As an avid participant in the effort to keep the church’s historic 104-year-old Casavant pipe organ in good working order, Archer is familiar with this magnificent instrument. A freewill offering will be accepted for the pipe organ fund and will be used toward ongoing renovations. All are welcome. For more information, visit www.musicatsaintanthonys.org. Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 121 Mount Pleasant Street in New Bedford, will host an “all you can eat” Souper Sunday on March 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. The menu will include choice of eight homemade soups (clam and corn chowder, French onion, minestrone, chicken noodle, kale, French pea, and tomato rice), served with bread, crackers, pudding and beverage. Free will donations will be accepted to benefit Catholic Social Services and the Sister Rose House for the homeless of New Bedford. For more information, call 508-287-0962. Holy Name Parish invites all to explore Bishop Robert Barron’s series “Catholicism” for Lent. The presentations will take place at Holy Name School, 850 Pearce Street in Fall River, on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. on March 15, March 22 and April 5 and will be presented by Patrick McNabb, director of Faith Formation at Holy Name Parish, and Juan Carlos Munoz, a seminarian studying to become a priest for the diocese. For more information email faithformation@holynamefr.com or call 508-678-7532. The Taunton district of St. Vincent de Paul Society, 141 Washington Street in Taunton, will be having an end-of-season yard sale on March 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Missions for Humanity is having its annual benefit Dinner and Auction March 18, at 6 p.m. at White’s of Westport. This fund raiser allows MFH to purchase the medications and supplies for their mission trips to Honduras and Tanzania. Tickets may be purchased on the website www.missionsforhumanity.org by clicking “Benefit Dinner,” or by emailing Kathy at kcrosson1@comcast.net . All are welcome to an Organ Recital at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 327 Second Street in Fall River, on March 19 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Members of the Southeast Chapter of the American Guild of Organists will perform on the pipe organ, which was rebuilt in 2015. A Healing Mass will be celebrated on March 23 at St. Andrew the Apostle Church, 19 Kilmer Avenue in Taunton. It will begin at 6 p.m. with recitation of the Rosary and will include the Sacrament of Confession. Holy Mass will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will conclude with healing prayers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. All are welcome. For more information, email standrewtaunton@ comcast.net or call 508-824-5577. A Women’s Day of Recollection: Finding Jesus in Everyday Life will be held on March 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Corpus Christi Parish in East Sandwich. Radio host, author and inspirational Catholic speaker Allison Gingras will share with humor and personal experiences, practical ways to grow Spiritually while meeting day-to-day obligations. The free event includes inspirational presentations, discussion, lunch, and more. For more information or to reserve a seat, visit https://lentday4women.eventbrite.com or call 508-243-1133. The Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will hold a fund raiser on March 26 at Lepage’s Seafood and Grille, 439 Martine Street in Fall River, between 4 and 7 p.m. The menu will include choice of clam boil ($25) or fish and chips ($20) available to dine in or take out. There will also be a door prize and raffle. For tickets or more information, contact Lynette Ouellette at 508-6747036. Deadline for tickets is March 19. Dr. Gloria Polo died after being terribly burned by a lightning bolt on May 5, 1995 in Bogotá, Colombia; she was judged, and then came back to life. Come hear Dr. Polo tell her amazing story as a Lenten reflection on March 26 at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford beginning at 4 p.m. For more information, call the parish rectory at 508-993-1691 or visit www.saintanthonynewbedford.com.
To submit an event for consideration in The Anchor’s “Around the Diocese” listing, send the information by email to kensouza@anchornews.org
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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. ASSONET — Beginning September 14, St. Bernard’s Parish will have Eucharistic Adoration every Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the altar at the conclusion of 9 a.m. Mass and the church will be open all day, concluding with evening prayer and Benediction 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 time of Eucharistic Adoration Wednesdays from 7-9 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church on North Main Street. 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 8:30-11:30 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 — 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. FALL RIVER — St. Joseph’s Church has a Holy Hour every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m., with Benediction at 6:45 p.m. FALL RIVER — St. Michael’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with Benediction at 5:30 p.m. Falmouth — St. Patrick’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration each First Friday following the 7 a.m. Mass, with Benediction at 4:30 p.m. HYANNIS — St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis, 347 South Street, Hyannis, has Eucharistic Adoration from noon to 3 p.m., daily Monday through Friday. 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 Fridays 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 5:30 to 6:30 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. NORTH EASTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Immaculate Conception Church Chapel on the first Wednesday of the month beginning after the 8:30 a.m. Mass, until 6:40 p.m. Those wishing to make a monthly commitment can sign up on the parish website at www.icceaston.org or call the parish office at 508-238-3232. ORLEANS — St. Joan of Arc Parish, 61 Canal Road, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday starting after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending with Benediction at 11:45 a.m. The Sacrament of the Sick is also available immediately after the 8 a.m. Mass. 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 4:15 to 4:45 p.m. Rosary and Benediction begin at 5 p.m. WAREHAM — Eucharistic Adoration at St. Patrick’s Church takes place 9 a.m. Thursday through 7 p.m. Friday. 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.
S
I got your back
ometimes, er, sorry, most times, it’s difficult to find the good in this world. Politicians’ allegiances are truer to party lines than to the fellow citizens they claim to represent. Various movements calling for tolerance, tolerate only those who agree with their philosophies. Demonstrations often lead to violence, with the common
My View From the Stands By Dave Jolivet
man’s livelihood often falling victim to vandalism and destruction. Those who claim to live and breathe to proclaim God’s Word do so only with words, sometimes changing the “rules” to suit their own needs in one way or another. Goodness, one can’t even drive down a city street, at the speed limit, without another “human being” virtually driving their vehicle in your back seat, all the while gesturing sign language that isn’t your standard ASL. We’re often given the message during Lent, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” And how can I argue with that? Jesus
Himself said it on the mount. But, speaking for myself, and perhaps for others, that is often not an easy thing to do. I feel as humans, we need a pat on the back and a show of support every now and again. And I feel the Good Lord knows that too. That’s why this Lent in addition to loving those who hate me, and seemingly there are many, most of whom, gratefully, I don’t know personally, I’m going to pray for the good people of this world — the unsung saints who visit and/ or care for elderly parents, disabled children, the poor, homeless, and those in prison. I’m going to pray for the people who are victims of those I mentioned in the opening paragraphs of this column. I’m going to pray for those who are meek, humble and kind of heart, that this world doesn’t eat them up. Good people, I know you’re out there, and I know how lonely it can feel. Cheer up though, there are more of you than there are evil people. We just don’t hear of them. Carry on good people, and remain one of the many unknowns in this crazy world. I got your back. davejolivet@anchornews.org.
Anchor notice: Just this year alone, The Anchor has had to compensate the U.S. Postal Service more than $300 for subscribers who had not notified us of an address change. These fees are prohibitive and greatly affect production costs. As of April 1, The Anchor will have to charge subscribers $2 to offset the crippling fees. We regret the need to do this. If any subscriber will be changing an address, please call the office at 508.675.7151 or email subscriptions@ anchornews.org, to prevent the fees. The Anchor - March 10, 2017
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Visit the newly-designed Diocese of Fall River website at fallriverdiocese.org The site includes links to parishes, diocesan offices and national sites.
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The Anchor - March 10, 2017