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Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , April 4, 2014

Franciscan radio station forges ahead with new programs, look

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

NEW BEDFORD — It’s been a little more than three years since WPMW — a “micro-FM” radio station located at 88.5 on the dial and better known as Radio CorMariae — first began broadcasting from studios above Our Lady’s Chapel, located at 600 Pleasant Street in downtown New Bedford.

“We had our very first broadcast in December of 2010,” said Friar John Mary, F.F.I., chief operator of Radio CorMariae. “The first broadcast was basically just a test.

At the time the transmitter was propped up on a box

outside the door of the shack where the antenna (in Dartmouth) was located.”

The first and, to date, only Catholic radio station currently operating within the Fall River Diocese, it is run and maintained by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate in collaboration with the congregation’s lay apostolate, the Mission of the Immaculate Mediatrix.

First licensed by the Federal Communications Commission in December 2010 to broadcast within a limited range from Westport to Fairhaven in the greater New Bedford area, WPMW is an Turn to page 18

Friar John Mary, F.F.I., second from right, chief operator of Radio CorMariae in New Bedford, oversees the recording of a group as they pray the Rosary at a 40 Days for Life vigil outside the Four Women Abortion Clinic in Attleboro recently. (Photo by Tom Keough)

Our Lenten Journey

Staff members from three Greater New Bedford Catholic Schools recently gathered for three professional development sessions using Father Robert Barron’s “Catholicism” series. Teachers and staff from Holy Family-Holy Name School and St. James-St. John School have met together this year with All Saints Catholic School personnel to further explore the Catholic faith. Father John Oliveira, Father Craig Pregana, and Msgr. John J. Oliveira, pictured here, each moderated one of the sessions. (Photo courtesy of Susan Massoud)

Trio of New Bedford schools gather for viewing, discussion of ‘Catholicism’ series

By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor

NEW BEDFORD — In the fall of 2011, Father Robert Barron, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago hosted a 10-episode series titled, “Catholicism,” in which he proposed to help Catholics better know and understand their faith. The series received very positive reviews after its airing on public television stations across the country.

The series has since been released on DVDs with various study aides that have been utilized by thousands of Catholics in adult Faith Formation classes, RCIA programs, and in other teaching environments. In a pro-

motion for the videos, Father Barron said what he proposed to do was to “take you on a guided exploration of the Catholic world, but not in the manner of a docent, for I am not interested in showing you the artifacts of Catholicism as though they were dusty objects d’art in a museum of culture. I want to function rather as a mystagogue, conducting you ever deeper into the mystery of the Incarnation in the hopes that you might be transformed by its power.”

Father Barron did this through his taping the series in 50 locations in 15 countries, bringing alive the rich Catholic history around the world.

Three Catholic schools in New Bedford recently completed a series of professional development sessions that used the first three installments of Father Barron’s series. Staff members from All Saints Catholic School, St. James-St. John’s School and Holy Family-Holy Name School met at the All Saints location for the sessions moderated by Fathers Craig Pregana and John Oliveira, and Msgr. John J. Oliveira.

“Earlier this year at a diocesan principals’ meeting a clip of the series was shown with the suggestion that schools might use the series for professional development over the course of the next Turn to page 13

Perpetual Adoration: Christ always present in our midst

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

NEW BEDFORD — Blessed Pope John Paul II said that the best, most effective and surest way to bring everlasting peace on earth is through the power of Eucharistic Adoration.

A way for anyone to focus more on his or her faith, Eucharistic

Adoration makes the Eucharist the center of an individual’s personal relationship with Him. And while many parishes across the diocese offer Eucharistic Adoration, there are only four places where perpetual adoration is held: Holy Trinity Parish in West Harwich; Our Turn to page 13

A full house attended the annual Youth Convention that took place at Bishop Stang High School last Sunday. Sponsored by the diocesan Faith Formation Office, the convention was formulated by graduates of the diocesan Christian Leadership Institute. (Photo by Frank Lucca)

News From the Vatican

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April 4, 2014

Obama meets with pope at time of ‘tense’ relations with Church

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — U.S. President Barack Obama’s March 27 meeting with Pope Francis comes at a time of tension between his administration and the Church over religious liberty, several Catholic leaders have said.

“There has been a great deal of acrimony over issues related to religious freedom. This is something new and quite serious, since it affects the ability of the Church to carry out its mission,” V. Bradley Lewis, a philosophy professor at the Catholic University of America, told CNA recently.

He said relations between the U.S. government and the Catholic Church are “quite vexed. I don’t believe they have been this vexed in my memory.”

Many Catholic dioceses, charities, universities, health care systems, and even the Little Sisters of the Poor, have filed legal challenges against the Obama Administration’s mandate requiring most employers to cover or aid access to procedures and drugs that violate Catholic teaching: sterilization and contraception, including some abortion-causing drugs.

Lewis said that the contraception mandate has been “a source of great tension,” it is “not an isolated incident.”

The Obama Administration has revised conscience protection rules in federal health care law, and argued against protecting the hiring decisions of religious groups before the U.S. Supreme Court — an argument rejected in a unanimous decision by the justices in 2012.

The administration also ended a contract with the U.S. bishops to help human trafficking victims. Its allies opposed the grant because the program would not facilitate access to abortion and contraception.

Lewis commented that Pope Francis is in a “very strong position” to make a case to the president about the importance of religious freedom, “in a way that cannot be perceived as politically motivated.”

“I hope the president will listen.”

Chad Pecknold, a religion professor at the Catholic University of America, agreed with Lewis that the Obama Administration’s relationship with the Catholic Church has been “tense.”

“Some bishops have described the administration as

hostile to the Catholic Church, and coercive of conscience.”

He attributed these hostilities largely to the government’s agenda, rather from “any hostility of the Church toward the duly-elected government.”

Pecknold said Pope Francis is not unaware of these tensions, and though he will have wanted to diffuse them, “he will almost certainly seek to stand with the fight for religious liberty, to defend the weak and unborn against the unjust exercise of free choice.”

He said it was unusual for U.S. presidents to visit the pope until after the Second Vatican Council; but since John F. Kennedy’s presidency, every U.S. president has met with the pope.

“This particular meeting between President Obama and Pope Francis is significant as their first meeting, and because of perceived symmetries between them on questions of economic justice,” Pecknold reflected.

However, he added that such meetings are “so often symbolic,” and it is uncertain whether substantive discussions take place.

Lewis said the pope is a “unique world leader” who has “no particular political or geopolitical agenda or interest.”

“His agenda is the Gospel and his authority is moral and spiritual in nature,” he added, suggesting other world leaders value discussions with the pope because “he has no ulterior motives” and because so many of their citizens consider him a spiritual leader.

Maryann Cusimano Love, a fellow of the Catholic University of America’s Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies, said the Church and the U.S. government have “many areas of common concern” in foreign policy and Pope Francis and Obama were likely to discuss these.

She noted their shared concern for peace and anti-poverty work, and suggested they could discuss nuclear weapons, since Obama is in Europe to host the Nuclear Security Summit.

“For the first time, a U.S. president has agreed to the Catholic Church’s call for a world free of nuclear weapons,” Love said.

She noted the U.S. and the Holy See can find common ground in opposition to world hunger and human trafficking.

Immigration issues are another

point of discussion.

However, she noted that the U.S. government is arming and funding the military capacities of governments such as Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, as well as non-state combatants in Syria, while the Church has emphasized the need to reduce trade in guns and conventional weapons that can worsen conflicts.

“Bishops in Africa and Latin America will tell you that their countries are awash in guns that were ‘Made in the USA,’” Love said.

According to Love, the Holy See and the U.S. government “work for peace in the Middle East,” though the Holy See supports stronger protections for Palestinians, including Palestinian Christians.

And Msgr.

Anthony Figueiredo, director of the

North American College’s Institute for Continuing Theological Education, told Vatican Radio recently that while “the Church is looking for points we have in common,” the Holy See is “very concerned about questions, for example, of religious freedom.”

The Church is “concerned about ethical issues such as the destruction of the family by laws which propose gay marriage or ‘liberty’ in so many ways.”

“We believe in something else: We believe that there is a law placed in our hearts by God, and no one has the right to change that law. In fact, when one lives that law, one finds true freedom and true joy.”

“That’s what the Church wants, and certainly that is what this pope wants.”

Following Obama’s meet-

ing with Pope Francis, and later with officials of the Secretariat of State, the Holy See press office stated that “views were exchanged on some current international themes and it was hoped that, in areas of conflict, there would be respect for humanitarian and international law and a negotiated solution between the parties involved.”

“In the context of bilateral relations and cooperation between Church and State, there was a discussion on questions of particular relevance for the Church in (the U.S), such as the exercise of the rights to religious freedom, life and conscientious objection, as well as the issue of immigration reform.

Finally, the common commitment to the eradication of trafficking of human persons in the world was stated.”

Vatican accepts resignation of Germany’s ‘Bishop Bling’

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican has accepted the resignation of a German bishop who was at the center of controversy over expenditures for his residence and a diocesan center.

Following a diocesan investigation, the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops studied the audit’s findings and accepted the resignation of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg. Auxiliary Bishop Manfred Grothe of Paderborn was appointed to serve as apostolic administrator of Limburg in the meantime, the Vatican announced March 26.

Bishop Tebartz-van Elst would be given, “at a suitable moment,” another unspecified assignment, the Vatican statement said. It said the Vatican accepted the bishop’s offer to resign “given that a situation exists in the Diocese of Limburg which prevents the fruitful exercise” of his office.

In Germany, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the bishops’ conference, said the resignation would “end a period of uncertainty” in the Limburg Diocese. He told a Berlin news conference that he believed Bishop Tebartz-van Elst’s case had been handled “fairly and transparently” by the Vatican and the German Church.

“It was a major concern that all arguments should be placed on the table, and that everyone involved, including the bishop, should play their

part in an independent report as the basis for a balanced decision,” said Cardinal Marx, whose remarks were carried

by Germany’s Catholic news agency, KNA. “Our Church is now well on its way to ensuring greater transparency and increasing its credibility again,” he added.

Bishop Grothe told the news conference that the situation involving the Limburg bishop had “hurt many people.” He said he would “carefully and prudently reappraise what happened” and ensure “the path to a new beginning,” as administrator of the Limburg Diocese.

Pope Francis called on the German clergy and faithful in the diocese to accept the Vatican’s decision “with meekness and to try to dedicate themselves to rebuilding a climate of charity and Reconciliation,” the statement said.

The pope had authorized a leave of absence for the bishop in October after allegations of overspending and leading a lavish lifestyle.

“A situation has been created in which Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst currently cannot exercise his episcopal ministry,” the Vatican said last year in a written statement.

The bishop has been at the center of controversy over the remodeling and building project in Limburg, which was estimated to have cost about $40 million. Media dubbed Bishop

Tebartz-van Elst the “luxury bishop” and “Bishop Bling.”

In early September, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, sent retired Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo to visit the diocese to promote peace between the bishop and some of the diocese’s priests concerned about the diocesan center project.

After the cardinal’s visit, Bishop Tebartz-van Elst agreed to publish figures about the construction project and cooperate with a commission established by the bishops’ conference to audit the project and examine how decisions were made. In most cases, Church law requires consultation with a diocesan finance council before large sums of diocesan money can be spent.

In a separate controversy, the bishop agreed in November to pay a court-ordered fine of 20,000 euros rather than contest charges that he perjured himself before the Hamburg District Court. Hamburg prosecutors had charged him with lying to the court in a case involving the magazine Der Spiegel.

The bishop had sued over an article alleging that he had flown first class on a trip to India for charity work when he told a Der Spiegel reporter that he flew business class. Although the bishop denied that he said he flew business class, the reporter had a recording of his words.

April 4, 2014

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The International Church

Jordan transfers desert patch into new refugee camp for Syrians

AZRAQ, Jordan (CNS) — This desolate dusty patch of desert near Jordan’s borders with Syria and Iraq is soon to be home to the latest victims of Syria’s three-year civil war.

U.N. officials warn that with increasing numbers of Syrians fleeing daily to Jordan — almost 800 in one 24hour period in March — the opening of yet another refugee camp is imperative.

“This is what we are expecting to continue for the months to come,” Andrew Harper, U.N. refugee agency representative to Jordan, told reporters at the new Azraq camp.

“Zaatari ( Jordan’s biggest camp with some 120,000 Syrians) and the host communities are completely full, so we need to mitigate the pressures on the host communities by establishing this camp,” he said of $64 million dollar facility, some 62 miles east of the capital, Amman.

But there’s a catch: a huge

shortfall of international funds and money needed to run the camp. The international community has pledged just 16 percent of the $1.2 billion the U.N. has sought to help Syrian refugees in Jordan.

“How can we continue to do what we are doing if the international community is largely ignoring Jordan or taking it for granted?” Harper asked. He said the refugees are not solely Jordan’s problem, but are an international one, as the Syrian conflict shows no signs of letting up.

Both the United Nations and the Jordanian government admit that the bulk — about 80 percent of the 600,000 registered Syrian refugees — live in communities concentrated mainly in the northern border area, but are also scattered throughout the country.

The Catholic charity Caritas serves refugees in the various communities, because Syrians can become isolated

A clergyman hears confession from Pope Francis during a penitential Liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 28. Pope Francis surprised his liturgical adviser by going to Confession during the service.

See article on page 11. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters)

in Jordanian towns and cities and are not aware of the services provided.

“Caritas is trying to help by working in different sectors to cover the gaps,” Omar Abawi of Caritas Jordan explained, adding that nearly half of the urban refugees are registered with his organization. Some have received first-time aid, while many more are multiple aid recipients. Refugees make use of Caritas’ medical clinics, receive hospital referrals, obtain some educational benefits in addition to basic necessities like milk, diapers, food.

Abawi said Caritas supports 36,000 families or 157,000 individuals — more than half women and children. But he admitted that many gaps remain in providing services for the Syrian refugees.

“They are suffering from exploitation. Only one-third of the urban Syrian refugee children attend school, while two-thirds are out of school, and this is one of the big problems,” he told Catholic News Service recently.

“Mainly, they are working as child earners who assist their families with food and rental fees. Rent in the northern governorates has increased by 300 percent,” Abawi said, criticizing the exploitative practices by some Jordanian landlords against the Syrians.

“It’s a long-term conflict.

All the emergencies programs will continue and become relief projects,” he added.

“We are coordinating with the U.N. agencies and other

nongovernmental organizations to fill in the gaps as much as we can through coordination and case referrals,” he said.

Caritas is also experiencing a funding gap for the Syrian refugees.

“In 2013, we made 23 projects totaling $18 million. This year’s projection is around $16 million, but already Caritas has used $10 million out of the $16 million. We are still working to cover the other things,” Abawi explained.

The U.N. said the new Azraq camp will be three times bigger in size — about the space of 2,070 soccer fields — than Jordan’s largest refugee camp at Zaatari, some 31 miles away.

Zaatari is the secondbiggest refugee camp in the world and Jordan’s fifth-largest city.

“But Azraq won’t be like Zaatari in so many ways,” said Bernadette Castle-Hollingworth, UNHCR senior field coordinator.

Zaatari seemed to spring up overnight in July 2012 when thousands of Syrians streamed over the border, and there was nowhere to put them. It has been plagued with water and electricity problems, rioting in the initial phase, and now dangerous sewage in its alleyways.

Castle-Hollingworth said Azraq’s first 5,300 housing units using “green” solar power energy will be filled around April 30, when the camp is expected to open its doors.

“This camp has the capacity to hold in excess of 100,000 to 130,000 people,” said Robert Beer of the Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the U.N. partners in the camp.

“Some lessons were learned from Zaatari. With the numbers of refugees arriving there is huge pressure on the response to provide services and infrastructure on time,” he said. “So it’s crucial now to develop this site as quickly as possible.”

The Church in the U.S.

4

April 4, 2014

Women rally outside Supreme Court for religious liberty

Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — Women supporting employers challenging the government’s contraception mandate spoke out in support of a vision of women’s equality that supports fertility and women’s role as employers, as the case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court recently.

“All issues are women’s issues,” said Ashley McGuire of The Catholic Association, quoting an earlier statement

by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (RN.H.).

“Women are just as entitled to religious liberty as any man, and women have as much of a stake in the outcome of this case as any man.”

McGuire was speaking at a March 25 demonstration in front of the Supreme Court building, as the high court heard oral arguments for two appeals challenging a mandate issued by the department of Health and Human Services under the Affordable Care Act. The mandate requires that employers provide and pay for drugs and devices including contraception, sterilization, and some products and procedures that cause early embryo death.

Both the Hahn family, the Mennonite owners of Conestoga Wood Specialties, and the Greens, an evangelical Christian family who own and operate the Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby, object to the mandate’s requirements that they provide and pay for certain drugs that can kill human persons in their earliest stages of development.

While some religious nonprofits and houses of worship have been given an exemption or accommodation by the administration, for-profit businesses have been told they must comply or face fines of up to hundreds of dollars per employee per day.

Supporters of the mandate have said that those claiming a religious or conscientious opposition to complying with the mandate are waging a “war on women.” McGuire said that this framing of the debate “has been hijacked by an alarming paternalism and sexism.”

This approach equating an objection to contraceptives and early abortion-causing products as an opposition to women in general speaks “as if women aren’t bosses, as if all women think the same way on issues such as contraception and abortion,” she said.

Meg McDonnell, communications director for Women Speak For Themselves, a women’s group opposing the mandate on religious freedom grounds, challenged that those “who are supporting the HHS Mandate and claim to speak for all women are simply trying to divert attention away from the serious religious liberty issues at stake.”

“Some of our women agree with the Green and Hahn families’ objections to these drugs, some do not,” McDonnell said. “All of our women agree, however, that businesses with consciences are good for women, good for families, and good for America. No one speaks for all women on these issues. Women speak for themselves.”

Penny Nance, president of Concerned Women for America, noted that “fully a third of the plaintiffs against the mandate are women-owned businesses,” adding that these female business owners “want the opportunity to live out our faith in every sector of our lives.”

Jeanne Monahan, president of the March for Life, stressed that the challenge to the mandate is not about contraception, but instead “is about religious liberty.”

“This is about President Obama changing the landscape of the separation of Church and state that we have known until today,” she said,

adding that “no one should be forced into a corner on things such as this.”

Lila Rose, president of Live Action, argued that “fertility first of all is not a sickness or a disease, pregnancy is not something that needs to be medicated, and abortion certainly is not health care,” adding that some of the drugs required by the mandate “can cause (the) death of our weakest and smallest Americans.”

“It’s bad enough that our country allows drugs that kill human beings but we will not be forced to pay for them.”

Tina Whittington, executive vice president of Students

for Life of America, commented that as a woman, she found “it demeaning that those on the other side equate birth control with equality instead of addressing the tough issues our nation faces.”

She continued, saying that as “a secular employer of conscience, I stand here today with Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood,” because of the case’s importance for conscience rights and their protection, particularly for people in business. The case, she said, is about life and about women, but moreover, “it is about conscience rights of all Americans and American employers.”

Knights of Columbus wins prize for ethical business practices New Haven, Conn.

(CNA/EWTN News) — The fraternal organization the Knights of Columbus has been recognized as one of the world’s most ethical companies by a research center on best practices in corporate ethics and governance.

“This really speaks to the fact that a company can be committed to Church teaching, committed to Catholic values, and still provide a top quality service and be very successful at what they do,” Andrew Walther, vice president for communications and media with the Knights, told CNA March 21.

Timothy Erblich, CEO of the Ethisphere Institute, announced the award March 20, saying, “The Knights of Columbus join an exclusive community committed to driving performance through leading business practices. We congratulate everyone at Knights of Columbus for this extraordinary achievement.”

The institute named the New Haven, Conn.-based Catholic fraternal organization and life insurance company to its 2014 World’s Most Ethical Company list. The Knights is only one of two companies in the life insurance category to be recognized.

The assessment is based on consideration of an organization’s ethics and compliance programs; its reputation, leadership and innovation; governance; corporate citizenship and responsibility; and culture of ethics.

Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the fraternal organization, noted that it began more than 130 years ago to protect Catholic families who lose their breadwinner and to provide charity for those “on the margins of society.”

“Today, those same founding principles are at work in every aspect of our business, guiding our corporate governance, our professional agency force, our investments, and our day-to-day business operations,” Anderson said in a statement. “It is this continued commitment to our foundational, Catholic principles that is the key to our ethical, sustainable and successful business model.”

Walther added that the award is a testament to the fraternal benefit society’s commitment to “the same core Catholic founding values that have always guided our operations.”

He said the Knights take the idea of fraternity “very, very seriously.”

“The idea of a strong brotherhood based on faith is something that is critical to forces for good in the world.”

The Knights’ insurance agent is himself a member of the organization. He provides insurance and long-term planning services to “his brother knights,” Walther explained.

Agents aim at “really doing the best possible job” for insured members while working to follow the principle of protecting Catholic families established by the order’s founder, Father Michael McGivney.

“The entire idea is to have a company that really follows Catholic teaching.”

The Knights try to show their Catholic values “every step of the way” in its dealings with members, employees, and investments. The organization does not invest in companies whose actions “clash” with Catholic teaching, including companies involved in pornography, abortion, and “a host of other issues that would be antithetical to Catholic teaching.”

This means that insured members and families can have “the peace of mind that comes from dealing with people who share their values” and also work with a “top-rated insurer,” Walther said.

Rather than having to pay shareholders, the Knights direct insurance proceeds back to the community through charitable programs in the U.S. and around the world.

These programs help those in need and support local parishes, dioceses around the world, and the Vatican.

The Knights of Columbus offers insurance to members and their immediate families.

The order has about 950 employees and almost two million insurance policies in force, totaling $93 billion in value.

There are more than 1.8 million Knights of Columbus in 15,000 councils around the world, and the organization donated more than $167.5 million and 70 million volunteer hours to charitable causes in 2013.

5 The Church in the U.S. Church depends on ‘zeal of her sons,’ archbishop tells men’s conference

April 4, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — It’s becoming something of a habit.

The Man Up Philly Men’s Spirituality Conference, in its sixth year and for the first time held at St. Joseph’s University, easily surpassed previous numbers this time.

“We had upwards of 1,400,” said Eustace Mita, who has chaired the event since its beginnings in 2009 as an outgrowth of a Men’s Gospel Group at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Media.

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who gave the opening address in spacious Hagan Arena at the Jesuit-run university, said in the booklet for the March 15 event, “God calls every man, whatever his vocation, to be an active agent of Christian love and justice. The mission of the Church depends in so many ways on the zeal of her sons.”

During his address the archbishop especially recommended to the assembly the

example of St. Thomas More, the 16th-century English statesman, martyr, husband and father.

“Sir Thomas More was one of the most distinguished scholars of his time,” the archbishop said. “He was a man of faith who lived what he claimed to believe, and a husband and father first.”

Archbishop Chaput urged the men to obtain a copy of the movie “A Man for All Seasons” about the saint’s life, and even if they’ve seen the film before, “watch it again with your family.”

Conference attendees came from the four corners of the archdiocese and many were repeaters.

Deacon Bill Bradley, who heads the archdiocesan Office for Black Catholics, brought a group of 13 men from St. Raymond Parish, Philadelphia.

This was his fourth year at the conference, which in the past was held in high school auditoriums.

Boston cardinal, abuse survivor among members of Vatican commission

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, four women — including a survivor of clerical sex abuse — two Jesuit priests and an Italian lawyer are the first eight members of the new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Pope Francis established the commission in December; announcing the first members March 22, the Vatican said they would help define the tasks and competencies of the commission and help identify other potential members. Cardinal O’Malley is also one of eight members of the Council of Cardinals advising Pope Francis on the reform of the Roman Curia and governance of the Church. When the child protection commission was announced, Cardinal O’Malley told reporters it would take a pastoral approach to helping victims and preventing abuse, given that much of the Vatican’s attention thus far had been on implementing policies and legal procedures for investigating al-

legations of abuse and punishing guilty priests.

The cardinal said the commission would look at programs to educate pastoral workers in signs of abuse, identify means of psychological testing and other ways of screening candidates for the priesthood, and make recommendations regarding Church officials’ “cooperation with the civil authorities, the reporting of crimes.” The first eight members of the commission include Marie Collins, who was born in Dublin.

At the age of 13, she was sexually abused by a Catholic priest who was a chaplain at a hospital where she was a patient.

Addressing a major conference in Rome in 2012 on the protection of children, she said being abused led to depression, despair and deep loss of trust in the Catholic Church. “Those fingers that would abuse my body the night before, were the same fingers that would give me Holy Communion the following day,” she said.

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

“The new venue works out very well and our men really look forward to this,” he said.

In addition to husbands and fathers, there were a number of younger men and even boys in attendance.

For example, Robert Post brought a small group from the Knights of St. George, a Catholic youth scouting program. The boys were from the Regina academies, archdiocesan high schools or homeschooled.

“As dads, it’s our job to catechize them in the faith,” Post said.

The meetings for the St. George Knights always start with Mass, but in addition, “it’s a fun club, we do a lot of outdoor things,” said Theo Austin, of Regina Coeli Academy in Abington, adding, “I’m enjoying today.”

Most of the day’s program, from which some of the younger children were excluded, revolved around the issue of pornography.

“It’s the hardest addiction to beat,” Mita told CatholicPhilly. com, the archdiocesan news website. “Man Up Philly just bared its soul and said we are going after it with full guns. It is the devil’s way of keeping us in darkness.”

The speakers that addressed the topic included Timothy Donnelly, a businessman and spiritual writer; Mary Anne Layden, a psychotherapist at the University of Pennsylvania who treats sexual violence victims and perpetrators, and sex addicts; Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, who specializes in spirituality for men; and businessman David Abel, who spoke of how pornography almost destroyed his own life.

The final speaker of the day was Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, whose message was one of hope.

He spoke of how easy it is in police work to become discouraged because of the evil that officers deal with every

day.

“People don’t call 911 to tell you have a nice day,” he said.

Despite this, Ramsey is certain, one has to take into account the circumstances of people’s lives. So many people have never had a decent chance to succeed, especially those without good role models in their lives to mentor them.

“We have to look at the good, and even in the worst, most crime-ridden neighborhoods, there are more good people than bad,” he said.

“It was inspiring to hear his optimistic view of society,” said Brian Waware, a student from Kenya who is studying at the University of Pennsylvania.

“As a young person in college, I thought his message was good, focusing on seeing the good in people.”

The conference concluded with an afternoon Mass celebrated by Msgr. Ralph Chieffo, pastor of St. Mary Magdalen in Media, where Man Up Philly had its beginnings.

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April 4, 2014

Anchor Editorial

Mass on the border

Tuesday, on April Fools’ Day, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, OFM Cap., was joined by several other bishops who form part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration in celebrating a Mass on the U.S./ Mexico border. They offered the Mass for the repose of the souls of immigrants who had died while attempting to enter the country. The bishops said that they were inspired to have this Mass on the border after seeing Pope Francis last year travel to the Italian island of Lampedusa, where he offered Mass for those immigrants who had died in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach a better life in Europe.

“The U.S.-Mexico border is our Lampedusa,” Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle said. “Migrants in this hemisphere try to reach it, but often die in the attempt.” He added, “Hopefully by highlighting the harsh impact the system has on our fellow human beings, our elected officials will be moved to reform it.”

“As a moral matter, our nation can no longer employ an immigration system that divides families and denies basic due process protections to our fellow human beings,” said Bishop Elizondo, the chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration. “Those who have died, and those deported each day, have the same value and innate God-given dignity as all persons, yet we ignore their suffering and their deaths.”

Calling upon the Congress and the president to pass immigration reform, Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City said at the border, “Our elected officials are sent to Washington, D.C. to make decisions and lead our nation into the future. They should no longer delay action on this issue, which enjoys the support of the large majority of the American public.”

The bishops invited Catholics and other people of good will to join with them in promoting immigration reform. Among the steps that they recommended were: • “By advocating for immigration reform sending an electronic postcard to members of Congress. Or by using the toll free number: 1-855-589-5698 to ‘support a path to citizenship and oppose the SAFE Act.’” • “By fasting in solidarity with migrants and immigrants. Fasting turns peoples’ attention away from their own needs and allows them to open their hearts to the suffering of others.”

• By having their own Masses and prayer services for this intention, using resources which can be found at the USCCB’s website dedicated to this issue, www.justiceforimmigrants.org.

Besides asking for legislation to remedy this situation, the bishops also asked the Obama Administration to do what it could now via administrative action.

One of the requests that the bishops made to the federal government was that it “End federal-state enforcement programs. The use of the Secure Communities program — mandated for every jurisdiction — and the 287(g) program has contributed to the increase in deportations and, in our view, undermined basic civil rights. We strongly believe these programs should be phased out, as they create fear and distrust in immigrant communities. State and local law enforcement should be able to focus upon crimes in their community, not immigration enforcement. At a minimum, detainers should be placed on those who are Level One offenders and not to those who have minor offenses.”

The bishops also called upon the U.S. government to make certain that those who are deported are not put into life-threatening situations. “For those who are deported, we ask that you ensure that their return is achieved in a safe and humane manner and that they are not returned to particularly dangerous locations. Families should be kept together, all belongings should be returned prior to deportation, and nighttime deportations should be eliminated. We have concern that migrants who are returned to dangerous places at night will become victims of human traffickers and drug cartels. Unaccompanied children who are returned to Mexico and Central America should be provided family reunification and re-integration services upon their arrival.”

The Christian Post reported, “According to Humane Borders, an organization that offers medical and food assistance to migrants walking through the desert, many Mexicans and Central Americans die before reaching the U.S. due to severe dehydration. Since 2001, the organization has reported over 2,000 deaths alone within close distance to Pima County, Ariz.”

As we prepare to observe Holy Week and the Lord Jesus’ mercy towards us, may Christ help us pick up our crosses and learn to love our neighbors, no matter from where they come, so that we might be able to hear Jesus tell us someday what He told the good thief, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”

Pope Francis’ weekly Angelus address and prayer

Dear brothers and sisters, hello.

Today’s Gospel presents us with the episode of the man born blind to whom Jesus gives sight. The long narrative opens with a blind man who begins to see and closes — this is curious — with those who presumably see and who continue to be blind in their soul. John tells of the miracle in just six verses because He wants to draw attention not to the miracle but to what happens afterward, that is, to the discussions that the miracle causes. He also wants to draw attention to the gossip. Often a good work, a charitable work causes gossip and discussion, because there are some who do not wish to see the truth. The evangelist John wants to

draw attention to this, which also happens today when a good work is done. The blind man who is healed is first interrogated by the astonished crowd — they saw the miracle and they interrogate him. Then he is interrogated by the doctors of the law; and they also interrogate his parents. In the end, the blind man who is healed arrives at faith, and this is greatest grace that Jesus bestows upon him: not only to see Him but to know Him, to see Him as “the Light of the world” ( Jn 9:5).

While the blind man comes gradually closer to the light, the doctors of the law on the contrary sink ever further into their interior blindness. Shut up in their presumpOFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

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tions, they think they have the light; because of this they do not open to Jesus’ truth. They do everything they can to deny the evidence. They question the reliability of the man who is healed; then they deny the action of God in the healing, saying that God does not heal on the Sabbath; then, finally, they doubt that the man was even born blind. Their closure to the light becomes aggressive and leads to the expulsion of the man who is healed from the temple.

The path of the blind man instead is a gradual process that begins with knowing Jesus’ name. He does not know anything else about Him. In fact, he says: “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes” (9:11). In response to the pressing questions of the doctors of the law he first says that Jesus is a prophet (9:17) and then a Man close to God (9:31). After he is thrown out of the temple, excluded from society, Jesus finds him again and “opens his eyes” a second time, revealing to him His true identity: “I am the Messiah,” He tells him. At this point, the man who was blind exclaims: “I believe, Lord!” (9:38), and prostrates himself before Jesus. This is a passage of the Gospel that gives us a glimpse of the drama of the interior blindness of many people. And we glimpse our own interior blindness too because we sometimes have moments of

such blindness.

Our life is sometimes similar to that of the blind man who is open to the light, who is open to God, who is open to His grace. Sometimes, unfortunately, our life is a little like that of the doctors of the law: from the height of our pride we judge others, and, in the end, the Lord! Today we are invited to open ourselves up to the light of Christ to bear fruit in our life, to eliminate non-Christian ways of acting; we are all Christians, but all of us, all of us, at times act in ways that are not Christian, we act in ways that are sinful. We must repent, we must stop acting in these ways so we can set out decisively on the road of sanctity. This road has its beginning in Baptism. We too are “enlightened” by Christ in Baptism, so that, as St. Paul notes, we can walk as “children of light” (Eph 5:8), with humility, patience, mercy. These doctors of the law did not have humility, patience or mercy!

I would like to suggest to you today, when you return home, to open the Gospel of John and read this passage of chapter nine. It will do you well, because in this way you will see this road from blindness to light and the other, wicked road toward deeper blindness. Let us ask ourselves about the state of our heart. Do I have an open heart or a closed one? Open or closed to

God? Open or closed to my neighbor? We always have some closure in us born of sin, of mistakes, of errors. We must not be afraid! Let us open ourselves up to the Lord.

He awaits us always to help us see better, to give us light, to forgive us.

Let us not forget this! To the Virgin Mary we entrust the Lenten journey, so that we too, like the blind man who was healed, can with the grace of Christ “come to the light,” make progress toward the light and be reborn to a new life.

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

Hail Mary ...

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

Hail Mary ...

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

Hail Mary ...

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

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

Amen.

April 4, 2014

“When laws can stop the blades of grass from growin’ as they grow, And when the leaves in summer-time their color dare not show, Then I will change the color too, I wear in my caubeen, But till that day, please God, I’ll stick to the Wearin’ o’ the Green.” arch 17 dawned like any other day here in Kalaupapa. It was just another workday for the National Park personnel whose workday begins at 6 a.m. For us whose day begins in church it meant an early rising at 5 a.m. and the celebration of Mass at 5:45 a.m. Yet it was a little different for this Irish-born lad. It was the feast day of my patron saint and so I wore a loud shirt

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ne of the biggest challenges of those involved in the Religious Education of young people is trying to help their families to grasp that Christianity is not a classroom but a way of life. The goal is not just to help people know the faith but to live it.

About a month ago, I got an email from the mother of a First Communion student who took offense to the requirement in our parish that for children to make First Communion, they need to be coming to Mass.

She wrote that I should “respect” that she and her husband have made the choice not to practice the faith but wanted their children “to explore our religion and then make their religious preference once they have received their Sacraments.” She objected to feeling pressured to do something “she doesn’t believe in,” and referenced parishes in which coming to Mass each week wasn’t a requirement.

I emailed her back asking to meet with her and her husband in person to discuss her email.

But I also sketched out for her an explanation of the Christian logic behind the requirement.

I copied my DRE and she, protecting identities, forwarded it to some of her colleagues.

Since then apparently it’s gone viral. On their behalf she suggested that I share some of what I wrote as a help to parents and Religious Educators elsewhere because, as she said, “This is one of the biggest problems we have.”

Anchor Columnists Kalaupapa: The wearing of the green

a seminary where he studied with Happy St. Patrick’s Day for the priesthood. Eventusplashed all over the front in ally he became bishop and, in vivid green. True to my heriresponse to a dream (I’ve had tage I was wearing the green.

Most people including many who march in the annual big cities’ St. Patrick’s Day parades know very little about St. Patrick himself exBy Father cept that, according to Patrick Killilea, SS.CC. legend, he chased all the snakes out of Ireland, though I might dispute a few of these), returned to that. Still they may hoist sevIreland in 432 A.D. to preach eral beers in his honor. Patrick to those wild Irish men and was born somewhere in Great women. After spending the Britain and, as a teen-ager, rest of his life bringing the was snatched away by some marauding Irishmen and taken Gospel message to the Irish people, he passed away in the across the sea to shepherd year 461 A.D. and is buried in sheep on an Irish mountain.

Downpatrick in the midst of After some years he escaped the green fields of Ireland. to Europe, then later entered

Moon Over Molokai

When I was growing up in those same green fields, St. Patrick’s Day meant a day off from school, Mass at our parish church, appropriately named St. Patrick’s Church, and the wearing of the green. It consisted of the wearing of a bunch of shamrocks on the jacket lapel sometimes embellished by a golden Irish harp. It was a fun day, a holiday, and a Holy Day, and we were all wearing the green.

At about 6:15 p.m. I strolled to our Care Home, formerly the Kalaupapa hospital. There, armed with ukuleles, a few of our patients and some of our nurses assembled and were singing some old-time favor-

7 ites, including Irish songs. At one stage Paula got to her feet, put her uke aside, and danced an Irish jig. She invited me to join her on the floor but I reluctantly declined since I dance with the gait of an elephant or the grace of a rhino. I did not see any green beer there that evening, thank God, but there were ample refreshments to go around.

The sun had long set over Maunaloa as I said good night to the party-goers and slowly made my way back to my house. It had been a pleasant evening, an evening to remember, an evening wearing the green. Aloha.

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

Helping children to learn to live the faith living according to the truth.

So here goes.

We obviously don’t want either After inviting them to a of those to happen! meeting, I explained, “The “We always allow kids to principle the Church works on attend class, whatever their is that Christianity is a way of level of practice, but with life, not just a set of teachings. regard to receiving the SacraJesus called us to follow Him. ments, there are clear criteria So if you really want [your children] to be exposed to the Catholic faith, they need to do more Putting Into than ‘know about’ it the Deep but they need to practice it. It’s the difference between learning

By Father how to swim from a Roger J. Landry teacher in a classroom versus getting in the that must be met. With regard water. to Holy Communion, one of “At a practical level, if those criteria is that the person they’re learning in class — as understands that the Euchathey are — that the Eucharist rist isn’t bread and wine but really is Jesus and that Jesus is Jesus. Another criterion is that God and that He eagerly dethey’re desirous and capable sires to feed us with Himself, then there’s going to be a huge of living a Eucharistic life. As kids always respond during spiritual disconnect if they’re dialogue homilies at their First not coming to be in His presHoly Communion Mass, the ence and eventually to receive most important thing is not Him. the ‘first’ but the ‘Holy Com“I often ask second gradmunion.’ The second, the 10th ers: Can there be anything and the 4,421st times are just more important in the whole as precious as the first. world than receiving God “But young children hungry inside? If your son says ‘yes,’ for God cannot drive themand then is prevented from selves to Mass. One of the coming to receive God inside toughest things in the priestat Mass, there will be a ‘moral hood is consoling those kids schizophrenia’ between what who want to come to Mass but he’s learning here and what whose parents won’t take them he’s learning by you and your or won’t arrange for or allow husband’s example at home. someone else to bring them.

Either he’s going to think that I acknowledge that you and we’re not teaching him the your husband do not want to truth — which will underpractice the faith. But I hope mine the whole purpose of his that you can see that by default coming — or that you, your husband and your family aren’t you’re also making your chil-

dren non-practicing Catholics, something that will in fact hurt them in terms of their ability to make an informed choice later to practice the faith on their own.

“In terms of your children’s growth in the Catholic faith, please realize that Mass attendance is far more important than class attendance. Holy Mass is not an optional part of the Catholic faith but the most important part, where we meet the Risen Lord Jesus and enter into a communion of life and love with Him. If our program doesn’t communicate that message clearly, we would be guilty of pastoral malpractice.

“It might seem that our program is ‘more demanding’ because we’re actually requiring what should be a given everywhere, but I urge you to reflect on your own experience growing up. As kids, most of us preferred those coaches who didn’t run tough practices and those teachers who didn’t give us homework and doled out easy grades. But as we matured, we began to recognize that those coaches and teachers who challenged us more actually cared for us more.

“In terms of Religious Education, you may find a program that looks the other way when children don’t attend Mass, but we love the kids entrusted to us too much to let them fall through the cracks. Jesus gave Himself to us in Holy Communion as food for our soul and if we’re not receiving Him, we’re spiritually malnourished.

We care about your kids too much to allow that to happen to them with our acquiescence and tacit blessing.

“Know of my prayers for all four of you as you discern what you’re going to do. And please pray for me and for our catechists who have dedicated their lives to teaching the young the beauty of our faith.”

Since that email exchange, the father has thankfully been bringing the children to Mass and the couple and I have scheduled an appointment to meet. Please keep them and all parents and children in similar situations in your prayers.

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

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little boy was afraid of the dark. One night his mother told him to go out to the back porch and get the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, “Mom, I don’t want to go out there. It’s dark.” The mother smiled and said: “You don’t have to be afraid of the dark, dear, Jesus is out there. He’ll look after you and protect you.” The little boy looked at his mother and asked, “Are you sure He’s out there?”

She said: “Yes, I’m sure. He’s everywhere, and He’s always ready to help you when you need Him.” The little boy thought about that and then went to the back door and opened it a little. “Jesus? If You’re out there, would You please hand me the broom?”

In two weeks we will recall the death of Jesus, but today we’re confronted with the death of Lazarus. I’d like to focus on a phrase that we heard in this week’s Gospel.

“Now Jesus loved Lazarus, so when He heard that he was ill, He remained for two days

April 4, 2014

Jesus, are You there?

in the place where He was.” grown up and left his aunt’s What? Why on earth didn’t home, he received a letter Jesus rush to the bedside of from her. She was dying, and His friend Lazarus and heal seemed very afraid. The man, him before he died? Why did the boy whom she had raised, He stay away for two days? Why didn’t He Homily of the Week hurry to comfort MarFifth Sunday tha and Mary? How could He love Lazarus of Lent and do these things?

By Deacon Take a moment and Paul Levesque picture yourself seriously ill. See your family and friends praying for you. Some may even say, “Jesent her a letter that read: sus, the one You love is sick, “It’s now 35 years since maybe dying. Can You help?”

I, a little boy of six, was left And imagine, just like in this alone in the world. You sent week’s Gospel, that there is word to me that you would no immediate response. This come get me, give me a home might cause you to wonder, and be a mother to me. I’ve “Is Jesus out there? Does He never forgotten the day when really love me?”

I made the long journey to We all know that Jesus your house. I can still retaught using parables. Allow member my disappointment me to continue in the style when, instead of coming for of the Master. A long time me yourself, you sent your ago there lived a little boy servant James to come get whose parents had died. He me. I remember my tears and was taken in by an aunt who anxiety as, sitting on a horse raised him as if he were her and holding tight to James, own. Years later, after he had we rode off to my new home.

“Night fell before we finished the journey and as it grew dark, I became even more afraid. ‘Do you think she’ll go to bed before I get there?’ I asked James.

‘Oh, no,’ James said, ‘she’ll be sure to stay up for you. When we get out of these woods, you’ll see a light shining in her window.’

“Soon we rode out of the woods and there was your light. I remember that you were waiting at the door; you put your arms tight around me; you lifted me — a tired, frightened little boy — down from the horse. You had a fire burning on the hearth and a hot supper waiting on the stove. After supper you took me to my new room. You listened as I said my prayers and sat with me until I fell asleep.

“Now, very soon, God is going to send for you, and take you to a new home. You needn’t be afraid of this call to take this journey. God can be trusted to do as much

for you as you did for me so many years ago. At the end of this journey you’ll find a welcome and love waiting. You’ll be safe in God’s care. I’m going to pray for you. And I look forward to the day when I make the same journey and find you waiting at the end of the road to greet me.”

Let’s take a look at the symbolism in this parable.

James represents death. The light at the end of the journey is Jesus, the Light of the world. The house is Heaven; God is the loving aunt. This is a homecoming story. It’s about hope. It’s about God’s promise. It’s the Gospel.

The little boy’s question, “Jesus are you out there?” must have been Lazarus’ question. And sometime it’s our question, too. The Good News is that He is out there and always will be: for Lazarus, for you, and for me.

Deacon Levesque was ordained last October and currently ministers at St. Bernard’s Parish in Assonet.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Apr. 5, Jer 11:18-20; Ps 7:2-3,9b-12; Jn 7:40-53. Sun. Apr. 6, Fifth Sunday of Lent, Ez 37:12-14; Ps 130:1-8; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45 or 11:3-7,17,20-27,33b-45. Mon. Apr. 7,Dn 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62 or 13:41c-62; Ps 23:1-6; Jn 8:1-11. Tues. Apr. 8, Nm 21:4-9; Ps 102:2-3,16-21; Jn 8:21-30. Wed. Apr. 9, Dn 3:14-20,91-92,95; (Ps) Dn 3:52-56; Jn 8:31-42. Thurs. Apr. 10, Gn 17:3-9; Ps 105:4-9; Jn 8:51-59. Fri. Apr. 11, Jer 20:10-13; Ps 18:2-7; Jn 10:31-42.

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or the better part of two centuries now, one of the standard tropes in western high culture has held that the-God-of-theBible-is-the-enemy-ofhuman-freedom. This past December, Professor Rémi Brague exploded that myth in a lecture at the Pontifical Urban University that was, I’m willing to wager, the most scintillating such exercise heard in Rome that semester.

Professor Brague’s talk was a running commentary on a florilegium of Biblical texts; I can’t fit the entire roster into a single column, but the following selections (the text preceding a summary of Brague’s remarks on that Scripture, with a few additions from your scribe) may be aids to Lenten reflection.

“And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested

God and freedom distinction between masters from all His work which and slaves.

He had done (Gn 2:2-3). In “I am the Lord your God, establishing and blessing the Who brought you out of the Sabbath, God created “free land of Egypt, out of the time,” time for the activities that befit free human beings.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. The seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall do no

By George Weigel work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, house of bondage” (Ex 20:2). or your maidservant, or your As Israel’s liberation from cattle, or the sojourner who Egypt demonstrated in a is within your gates. For nation-forming experience, in six days the Lord made Heaven and earth and rested God not only creates us free; God sets us free and then the seventh day; therefore provides a “codification of the Lord blessed the Sabfreedom” in the Ten Combath day and hallowed it” mandments. The decalogue is (Ex 20: 8-11). This Sabbath time-for-leisure encompasses not the imposition of the will of an arbitrary divinity; the everyone, not just slaveTen Commandments help owners. All are called to leisure, and thus the Sabbath the liberated from falling has a profound social dimen- back into the bad moral habits of slaves, and thus help a sion: it’s the thin wedge by which freedom enters ancient free people remain faithful to the logic of their liberation. societies, eradicating the

The Catholic Difference

“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex 22:21).

Freedom, as the Bible understands it, is not the static possession of a privileged caste, but a dynamic of human liberation that is in principle universal.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mi 6:8). God hopes, indeed expects, mercy to emerge from liberated and sanctified human nature; God hopes, and indeed expects, that human beings should be just, merciful, and loving freely, not from compulsion.

As John Paul II put it at Sinai in 2000, the moral code of a liberated people, those Ten Commandments, were written on the human heart before they were engraved on tablets of stone.

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1). Sin is a weakening of liberty, not an expression of human freedom. Freedom is not a matter of doing what we like, “my way”; freedom is freely choosing what is good, and what can be known to be good, as a matter of moral habit — which is another word for “virtue.”

“The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom 8:21). The God of the Bible creates history as the stage on which the drama of freedom is played out. And at the end of that drama is Easter, in which self-giving love is proven stronger than death, creation is restored, and the true meaning of freedom is confirmed.

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

April 4, 2014

Wednesday 2 April 2014 — Homeport: Falmouth Harbor — “Reconciliation Day” suggested by Ann Landers in 1989. remember watching on a black-and-white television (10-inch screen) the live broadcasts of “Life is Worth Living” with Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. I loved his sense of humor and his storytelling skills.

My favorite story went something like this. Bishop Sheen was in New York City to give a major presentation. He arrived early in order to check into his hotel and unpack before heading out to the conference.

Later that night, the bishop returned to his hotel room to find that housekeeping had thoughtfully turned down his sheets and placed a chocolate mint on both pillows of the double bed. The staff had even set out the bishop’s pajamas for him. According to the saintly bishop, housekeeping had also arranged night clothes on the other side of the bed. Unfortunately, what the staff thought was a set of “baby-doll” pajamas was actually the bishop’s lacy Liturgical surplice. I guess one could call the lace surplice “liturgerie?”

What is a surplice, anyway?

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e often wonder if today’s young people get it! Do they understand their faith? Are they willing to live it? Can we trust them to be the Church of today?

The past few weekends I have been fully immersed in retreats, the youth convention and middle school rallies. I have seen and witnessed first-hand the active power of the Holy Spirit working with and within the young people I have had the honor of ministering to. So often many of us are ready to give up on the young people in our lives, our neighborhoods, our communities, and our churches. We are constantly bombarded with news of their various misdeeds and failures, but yet there are so many more actively living their lives in faith-filled ways. Our youth are seeking, are hungry and thirsty for so much more in their lives, they long to be a major part of our Church, to belong and to share their love of God with anyone willing to listen.

Do we create environments that allow them to express their beliefs, their convictions, their ready acceptance that God is truly the center of their lives? Or

Anchor Columnist Everything old is new again

forms of the Council of Trent.

It’s a modified alb (baptismal garment). Centuries ago, clergy The reforms of the Council of Trent followed the Protestant wore thick furs under their Reformation. The Council Liturgical garments to keep of Trent unified the Roman them warm in the unheated Rite. The reforms of Vatican II churches of northern Europe. were a reform of the reform.

The problem was that the Now we are in the process of bulky furs didn’t fit very well reforming the reform of the under the albs. The alb was modified with boarder sleeves. The length was also shortened. ExpenThe Ship’s Log sive lace was added — Reflections of a the more lace the better Parish Priest to impress. Lace had to be painstakingly handBy Father Tim tatted. Lace was a status Goldrick symbol.

I see the latest Liturreform. The Church is always gical catalogues have ads feain a state of reformation as turing elaborate lace surplices. she strives to follow ever more Who would buy such relics? faithfully the guidance of the Hipster priests, that’s who.

Holy Spirit. This is a continuYes, dear readers, just as the ous process. Continuity is the Evangelicals, Lutherans, and Methodists, et alia have hipster basis of validity. The Church takes the best and leaves clergy, so does the Catholic behind the rest as it moves Church. These are the 20- and forward (at varying speeds) on 30-somethings who want to return to times they have never the pilgrimage of faith.

Oddly, dear readers, the in their lives experienced.

Just as we have some mature folks stuck in the 20th century are the ones who bore the folks Catholics still stuck in the stuck in the 16th century. One 1970s after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, so we of the reasons there’s divisiveness in the Church in our time, have some younger Catholics stuck in the 1570s after the re- it seems to me, is that we’re

literally living today in different time periods. Just saying.

The Church of the 16th century was, more or less, the Church of the 1950s. I remember the 1950s. I lived in the 1950s. I enjoyed the 1950s. Not everything was perfect in the 1950s, though, just as not everything was perfect in the 1970s. The Church just did the best she could with what she had at hand.

I remember when hardly anyone received Holy Communion. I remember when the average Sunday Mass lasted only 15 minutes. I remember when Solemn High Masses went on for hours on end. I remember when participation at Mass was minimal and worshipers turned instead to private devotions while Mass was being celebrated. We sat there in our own little worlds — the “frozen chosen,” to use Father James Martin’s phrase.

I remember being so terrified of priests that I would actually cross the street to avoid one. I remember several priests saying “private” Masses in the same room at the same time

9 because there was no such thing as celebrating Mass together (concelebrating). I remember those lacy surplices.

Oh, yes, I do remember the 1950s.

I’m a priest living in the 21st century. I need to belong to a 21st-century Church. In the Church of the 1950s, there was a wonderful sense of the Sacred and the beautiful. I remember. I pray that Sacredness and beauty can be carried into today’s Church, but I don’t want to return to the 1950s.

The Church of the 1970s was marked with enthusiasm, creativity, hopefulness, and a warm sense of community. I remember. I pray that enthusiasm, creativity, hopefulness, and community can be carried into today’s Church — but I don’t want to return to the 1970s either.

I am but a simple parish priest. I rely on the Magisterium to guide the universal Church in these lofty matters.

Just don’t ask me to wear a lacy surplice. I’m no hipster priest, as the “curate” here is forever pointing out to me.

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

Whom shall I send?

are we too wrapped up in the traditions and rituals that seem to exclude those who want to live a faith that is fully alive in them and their worlds? Are we afraid to allow creativity into our faith lives, are we afraid to venture out of the norm, to see the Church beyond its walls? To open up the Word of God and make it relevant to our lives today, to see ourselves in Scripture and understand that those words have as much meaning for us today, as they did so many years ago?

The past few weeks we have seen how Jesus did just that, how He ventured beyond the rules and constraints of His time to minister to those in need. We have seen Him curing a man blinded from birth, speaking to a Samaritan woman in the middle of the day, and simply reaching out to those who would normally be ignored or forsaken by others. He dared to bring Church to others. He dared to look beyond the walls built by human hands, tearing them down piece by piece, getting to the very heart of what it means to be Church. He was willing

to think outside the box, to go where others feared to tread, to lead us to Salvation, to all that is promised through the Father; to a life filled with love, hope and faith.

Yet so often we are ready to blame the world around us, fearful to look into our own

In the Palm of His Hands

By Rose Mary Saraiva

hearts, afraid that if anyone gets a glimpse of our faith life, they may not understand or worse yet, reject us. It is always a wonderful experience for me to be surrounded by rooms filled with faith-filled people, regardless of their ages. It is refreshing and reassuring that God is still very much a part of so many out there who would not want it any other way, who are not afraid to share their faith and love with others.

These past weeks have reminded me that like the woman at the well, I too thirst; I too

want to belong; I too want the Lord in my life, and that like that woman, I am willing to leave my jug (my fears) at the well, and go out and share the Good News.

Being around the youth of my parish and our diocese has filled me to overflowing, has given me a new found hope and conviction, reminding me that God is working through each and every one of us, every single day of our lives. What we do with the stirrings within is of course, totally up to us.

What I witnessed these past weekends have been poignant reminders that I, like every one of you, have so much to offer to one another.

That our faith journeys serve not only to deepen our own faith, but to bear witness to others that God is working in each and every one of us. Reminders that we are all reflections of Christ; His hands and feet, His legs and arms, His eyes and ears, and His voice; we are the Body of Christ.

How we live our lives, how we treat others, and what we are willing to sacrifice for the sake of another, allows others to see Christ, to encounter Christ, to

know how much He loves them, and that He truly walks beside them each and every day. It is not our words, but our actions that speak of God’s love. Our struggles, our joys, our very own stories help others come to fully understand how God is working in our lives, how He too, can work in theirs.

The 2013 CLI graduates worked diligently at this year’s youth convention and for the closing prayer, they chose the Stations of the Cross. A traditional prayer, but what they did with it made it relevant to the struggles we all face today.

Reminding us all that God is the very essence of our being, and that He is as much our Father today, as He was so many years ago to all those who bore the faith to others. May we continue to bear witness to God’s love, regardless of our age or experience.

Anchor columnist Rose Mary Saraiva lives in Fall River and is a parishioner of St. Michael’s Parish, and she is the Events Coordinator and Bereavement Ministry for the diocesan Office of Faith Formation. She is married with three children and two grandchildren. rmsaraiva@dfrcec.com.

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April 4, 2014

New website encourages return to Confession during Lent Atlanta, Ga. (CNA/ EWTN News) — The website GoodConfession.com aims to encourage Catholics to go to Confession more often, and to

return to the “life-changing” Sacrament if they have been away for some time.

“We, as practicing Catholics, need to help our brothers and

sisters back to the Sacramental graces that come through Confession,” Tom Peterson, president of Catholics Come Home, told CNA recently.

“When we do, the results are miraculous. We’ve seen lives change. It’s like a weight lifted off your soul, but also off your back.”

The website offers an explanation of the Sacrament, guides people through the process of Confession, and discusses “struggles with sin,” providing an examination of conscience and Confession times.

The website says that frequent Confession advances one’s self-understanding, helps overcome vice, brings peace, and helps penitents become more saintly and “more like Jesus.”

The website includes testimonies from people “who took advantage of the Sacrament and felt God’s healing grace and forgiveness and are free,” said Peterson, whose organization launched the website.

Peterson said that Confession might be “the most underutilized Sacrament we have in the Church.”

Studies indicate that even many self-described practicing Catholics have not been to Confession in five years, he said.

Thompson cited Pope Benedict XVI’s statement that the New Evangelization begins in the Confessional.

“I really want to encourage anyone of our readers who hasn’t been to the Sacrament of Confession in a while, I’d say in more than two weeks, to take advantage of it again,” said Thompson.

“It’s life-changing. It’s eternity-changing.”

He said that people who go to Confession “with a contrite spirit and a pure heart” encounter a God Who “wants to wrap His arms around us and love us.”

The website displays several videos on Confession: “Sin separates us from God. But when we humbly repent in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God’s mercy forgives, and His grace sets us free,” says the video “Heavy Burdens.”

“So experience a fresh start today. Come home, to discover the healing and peace that only comes from God.” Catholics Come Home hopes to broadcast the ad on television during Lent next year.

April 4, 2014

Bless me, Father: Pope leads by example, goes to Confession

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Leading a penitential Liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis surprised his liturgical adviser by going to Confession during the service. After an examination of conscience March 28, the pope and 61 priests moved into confessionals or to chairs set up against the walls to offer the Sacrament to individual penitents. However, as Msgr. Guido Marini, master of papal Liturgical ceremonies, was showing which confessional the pope would be using to hear Confessions, the pope pointed to another confessional nearby, indicating that he himself was going to first confess.

The pope, dressed in a simple white alb and purple stole, spent about three minutes kneeling before the priest’s open confessional and received absolution.

The priest also clasped the pope’s hands and kissed his simple silver ring. Pope Francis then went to another confessional and spent about 40 minutes hearing Confessions. In his homily, the pope said following God’s call to conversion is not supposed to happen only during Lent, but is a lifetime commitment. He also spoke about two key characteristics of Christian life: putting on a “new self, created in God’s way” and living in and sharing God’s love.

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April 4, 2014

All I’m asking for is ...

he lovely, one-of-a-kind Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin sang about it in 1967 — respect. In her song (written by the equally cool and greatly underrated Otis Redding), Aretha pleads: “R-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to me.”

Athletes clamor for it every year, only their version translates into dollar signs.

But most importantly, Jesus asked that we respect each other — without conditions.

In Matthew 5:46-48, He says, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

My View From the Stands

By Dave Jolivet Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

Therefore you are to be perfect, as Your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

Respect is steadily becoming a lost art; as steadily as the relentless tides wear away at shorelines.

You can witness this on the roadways. You can see it in full display at malls and supermarkets. You can watch it play out on buses, planes and trains.

Many people just don’t care about their brothers and sisters the way they should.

I can’t count the times that I go out in public and watch my fellow human beings walking around with blank expressions on their faces.

I’ve mentioned in previous

columns that I like to look into the eyes of people I encounter.

It’s there where I can get a small glimpse of what they’re feeling and their frame of mind.

Far too often all I see are eyes that are cold as stones. I don’t see peace; I don’t see happiness.

Often that translates into a lack of respect towards others.

We can encounter disrespect from cashiers and clerks, drivers and passengers, children towards parents, parents towards children, and many young people seemingly towards everyone.

It happens at work, it happens at school, it happens at Church functions.

Disrespect hurts. And to me what hurts most is when it comes from sources one wouldn’t expect. I think anyone close to the Church has, at one time or another, felt the sting of disrespect from a source who just leaves you feeling numb and wounded.

I concur with the Queen of Soul, “All I’m asking for is a little respect.” It really doesn’t take much: a smile, a gesture of kindness, letting someone cross the street, saying “please” and “thank you,” and most importantly, “I’m sorry.”

Unlike the warped world of sports, respect isn’t about money.

It’s about recognizing everyone we encounter as a child of God; a brother and sister.

It would be nice to see a reverse in the tides, and have respect become the source that wears away at the shoreline of bitterness.

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

Michael Peña, left, stars in a scene from the movie “Cesar Chavez.” Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles has praised the film, saying “This fine film shows a man of deep faith who struggled against injustice using the spiritual weapons of nonviolence, prayer and fasting.” (Screen shot of official movie trailer)

Bishops say Cesar Chavez film shows Catholic social justice

Los Angeles, Calif.

(CNA/EWTN News) — Several bishops have praised “Cesar Chavez,” a new movie about the labor rights leader and devout Catholic, for its portrayal of a man whom they say embodied the ideals of Catholic social justice.

“This fine film shows a man of deep faith who struggled against injustice using the spiritual weapons of nonviolence, prayer and fasting,” Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles said recently.

“Cesar Chavez” is distributed

by Pantelion Films and Participant Media, and was released nationwide March 28. It played at The Berlin Film Festival and won the audience award for narrative film at the South by Southwest film festival earlier in March.

The Arizona-born Chavez grew up in a family who lost their business and land during the Great Depression, moving to California to become migrant farmworkers.

Chavez, a father of eight, organized agricultural workers to advocate for better labor protections and higher wages by means of protests, strikes, and boycotts.

His protests frequently featured Catholic elements, including praying the Rosary as well as images of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He also incorporated fasting into his efforts to draw attention to the plight of laborers.

He successfully organized tens of thousands of workers as members of the United Farm Workers union.

Archbishop Gomez said recently that Chavez “was a man of prayer and man of peace. Learning about his life tells me that he had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and that he tried

to live the Beatitudes in his daily life.”

The film depicts his early years as a labor organizer, including his launch of a massive boycott of grapes picked by non-union workers. The film dramatizes his conflicts with President Richard Nixon and then-California governor Ronald Reagan, as well as his 300-mile protest march from Delano to Sacramento.

Michael Peña plays Chavez, while America Ferrera plays his wife Helen. Labor organizer Dolores Huerta is played by Rosario Dawson and John Malkovich plays Bogdanovich, a vineyard owner opposed to Chavez’s work who is himself an immigrant from Europe.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said he has always considered Chavez a prophet of nonviolence who preached and exemplified “the best in Catholic social justice and American civil rights.”

He called the film a “fine movie” that “only confirmed that high estimate.”

Father Greg Boyle, founder and director of the Los Angelesbased gang member rehabilitation program Homeboy Industries,

said the movie will “galvanize a new generation” to embrace the fight for “justice and equality.”

“Cesar Chavez lived as though the truth were true and took seriously what Jesus, Gandhi and Martin Luther King took seriously: the way of non-violence.

This film shows the way.”

Archbishop Gomez hoped that the film may “inspire us to continue Cesar’s work until all our brothers and sisters are able to live with the dignity that God intends for them.”

At a recent conference in Anaheim, Bishop Edward Clark, an auxiliary of the Los Angeles archdiocese, said the film “is going to be a wonderful opportunity for us to unite around issues very important for our Catholic community,” while his fellow auxiliary, Bishop Gerald Wilkerson, said that seeing the film will be an opportunity “to be inspired by this great man and his love for the people and the Church.”

And Father James Martin, editor at large for America, noted “how much I respect and honor Cesar Chavez and all the wonderful work he did, and this new film is a terrific testimony to his life.”

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

Celebrant is Msgr. Gerard P. O’Connor, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Acushnet.

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April 4, 2014

NB teachers attend ‘Catholicism’ series

Perpetual Adoration: Christ always present in our midst

year or two,” All Saints principal Susan Massoud told The Anchor.

“It is important that our teachers and staff are well grounded and knowledgeable about the Catholic faith and we are continually looking for ways to encourage continued spiritual growth as adults. The ‘Catholicism’ series combines solid teaching with inspirational and often stunning visual images, posing key questions for consideration, which in turn lead to personal introspection and further discussion.”

Cristina Raposo, principal of St. James-St. John School added, “We (HFHN, ASCS, and SJSJ) decided that we could meet together and present the material to our faculty and staff with a pastor from each of our parishes as the mediator.”

For each of the three sessions, attendees met at All Saints Catholic School for a lunch and socializing, a brief introduction to the segment, a viewing of the episode, followed by some comments from the moderators and then a question-and-answer discussion.

“Faculty and staff have found them to be interesting and really enjoyed the follow-up portion with the pastor who brought it to real world examples,” said Raposo.

“Overall, the series seems to be well-received,” said Massoud.

“Sometimes there was so much to consider in a single segment that the participants need some time to digest before responding, but once discussion opened more and more comments and questions emerged.”

“The ‘Catholicism’ series was a well-constructed and engaging experience,” Ashley Medeiros, a teacher at St. James-St. John School told The Anchor. “The presentation of material offered by Father Barron provided comprehensible insight into our faith as well as challenged us to consider ways to relay his thoughts to our students. It is important to acknowledge the idea that we, too, are growing in faith along our students. As a learned human behavior we have been conditioned to think and respond in black and white terms. Father Barron challenges this concept. He states we must come to terms with not knowing answers. We try very hard to comprehend theological ideologies created to understand God, when we need to accept the resonating video statement, ‘I am Who I am.’ This message is the largest piece I have gained from the experience.”

Bridget Correia, a teacher

Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Seekonk; Corpus Christi Parish in East Sandwich; and Our Lady’s Chapel in New Bedford.

While three of those listed are parishes, Our Lady’s Chapel is unique in its location as a stand-alone sanctuary located in downtown New Bedford, and founded by the Friars Minor in 1950. Though closed by the Friars Minor in 1992, the Franciscans of the Immaculate reopened it that same year and the chapel is now in its 12th year of offering perpetual adoration.

Being an adorer and taking part in perpetual adoration means more than just a visit with God, it creates a moment of true connection with the Lord, said Martha McCormack, a member of Our Lady’s Chapel.

“I hear people say all the time that there’s a feeling here, just a wonderful feeling here and once you come, you don’t want to leave. It’s the presence of God; it’s what we all hunger for,” said McCormack.

Though not purposely designed, the four locations that offer perpetual adoration are located in such a way — one in New Bedford, Seekonk, and two down the Cape — that people can find one close enough to take advantage of adoration during times when his or her own parishes may not offer it.

“We don’t want to take away from the parishes who have their own parishioners for adoration, we are really sensitive to that,” said McCormack. “However, there are people out there where a 24-hour adoration is not available for them in their parish, so those are the people we’re trying to reach. We just want to let them know we’re available.”

When Father George Harrison was assigned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Seekonk, he saw an opportunity to instill in his parishioners a blessed devotion.

“What inspired me is that I’ve tried to make a Holy Hour every day for my priestly life,” he said. “I just know the graces and the fruits of spending time with our Lord and the Eucharist.”

In 1996, what started as Eucharistic Adoration from nine in the morning until nine at night became perpetual adoration a few years later, after a visit and Mass by Bishop Sean P. O’Malley, OFM, Cap.; “He carried the Blessed Sacrament into the chapel and it’s been perpetual ever since,” said Fa-

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at All Saints Catholic, echoed Medeiros’ sentiments. “I really enjoyed watching the segments from Father Barron’s ‘Catholicism’ series over the last few Greater New Bedford professional days.

The series itself is extremely well done, and I often found myself wanting to continue on even after our segment was finished.

“Father Barron has a captivating yet simple way of explaining Catholicism to his audience which made it easy for me to find value in each segment. Aside from the actual series itself, I felt the discussions following each segment were very beneficial. It was helpful to hear other teachers explain their thoughts or ask questions after each segment.

Even though we had all watched the same segment, we all found importance in different quotes, references, and even images in clips. It became very interesting to reflect upon and unpack each session because there were so many different ideas surfacing in the room. As Catholic school teachers, we are constantly trying to answer questions from our students about God. These sessions became reminders that we are not only witnesses of Christ in our schools, but we are also adult Catholics who need to continue to grow in our understanding of faith.”

Massoud and Raposo agreed that a better knowledge and understanding of the Catholic faith would benefit the many students attending the New Bedford schools.

“I felt it was important for all to understand and in many ways all of the faculty and staff have a direct connection with the students and their faith,” said Raposo.

“The ‘Catholicism’ series is a beautiful and interesting presentation that we all enjoyed and learned from,” Robin Benoit, a teacher at St. James told The Anchor. “As adults, we too need to grow in our faith. The material presented by Father Barron challenged us to consider ways to relate our faith to our students.

Father Barron gave us ideas to think about when addressing our students about God. This engaging presentation and the discussions that followed each segment allowed all attending to learn and I enjoyed learning more about our faith.”

“The format has been a work in progress, but those who have attended have seemed to love it,” said Massoud. “We plan to continue these gatherings into next year.”

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ther Harrison.

When Father Harrison left Our Lady of Mount Carmel and went to Holy Name Parish in Fall River, he started a Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel there, though he “didn’t get to make it perpetual, but it was on the way,” he said.

Upon his arrival to Corpus Christi Parish in East Sandwich, he set about making perpetual adoration a part of the parish.

“I established it because the Lord is worthy to be adored because everything comes from Him,” said Father Harrison.

“We believe in His Real Presence. When we come to Him in adoration, He unleashes powerful graces. I can honestly say that any success I’ve had in these parishes regarding Confessions, Mass attendance, collections — everything just blossoms.”

“It’s amazing. It’s lay-driven, the parishioners know the benefits that are unleashed when they come to the Lord in adoration,” said Father Harrison, who added there’s no secret to his success; “I just put the True Priest at the center of the community and call people to Him to adore Him and worship Him.” Linda Nason picked up where Father Harrison left off at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, becoming the perpetual adoration coordinator and seeing it into its 14th year at the parish.

“I feel like your prayer life becomes more meaningful,” she said. “You become closer to God and you can see the blessings He’s bestowed upon you because of the time you’ve spent with Him. He can open many doors for you; you just have to have the faith.”

Another aspect of taking part in perpetual adoration is becoming closer to your Catholic community.

“I think having adoration brings unity,” said Nason. “During Mass people don’t always say hello. I’ve made so many friends just by doing adoration; there’s a lot more unity.”

It hasn’t been easy sustaining the numbers for adorers, though. Nason and McCormack acknowledge that some individuals may feel they don’t have the time or can’t commit on a regular basis.

“We have seven days, 24-hours in each day — there’s got to be some time you can give up to the Lord,” said Nason, who added that she feels retreats may help light a fire within. “When you get retreats, the heart opens up and the person realizes on their own to let God in, and everything will fall into place.”

“It’s been slowly declining,” said McCormack. “We do get new adorers, but they don’t stay.

They may stay for a year or two, but we’re not a parish” so they don’t have a steady supply of individuals to feed the schedule.

Still, it doesn’t deter McCormack; “I think we are serving a great purpose. There is a need.

We really need this in the world today.”

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April 4, 2014

2014 Pro-Life Essay Contest winners This year’s Pro-Life Essay Contest, sponsored by the Diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate, was themed, “Open Your Hearts to Life.” The contest was open to all students enrolled in diocesan schools or Religious Education programs. There were two age categories — Junior High School Level and High School Level. The following are the first- and second-place winners in each category. The students read their essays aloud at the annual diocesan Pro-Life Mass held at St. Julie Billiart Church in North Dartmouth on April 3.

First Place High School

Second Place High School

Open Your Hearts to Life

Open Your Hearts to Life

As creations of God and inhabitants of this earth, we are called to open our hearts to life. Opening our hearts to life involves supporting life in all situations. We are to love others, to spread the love of God. We are not to tear life down, but to build it up. Openness to life includes, of course, being open to new life and supporting life from its start in the womb. Though we have the ability to create new life, the overall authority to do so is God’s.

God is the ultimate Giver of life, forming each of His children with love.

Job 10:8-12 tells us, speaking of God, “Your hands shaped me and made me. Did You not clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in Your providence watched over my spirit.” God’s creation begins before conception, as He forms the people He will breathe into life.

Abortion is an act through which one closes their heart to life. Ending a life in the womb is a rejection of the creation of God. The act of abortion has a great impact on life. Frankly, it brings life to an abrupt end. Having a heart that is open to life is putting others over self, which is a fundamental teaching of Jesus Christ. Our openness to life can be obstructed by various things. We may have selfish desires regarding our future, or may want to walk the path of greatest convenience. However, being open to life involves sacrifice. The sacrifices that we will make in this life are nothing compared to the ultimate sacrifice made on the cross for all people by Jesus Christ.

Another thing that can keep us from being open to life is fear. God does not call us to live our lives in fear, but in love. In 1 John 4:18 this is supported, and we read, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Life is many things. It is adventure. It is joy. It is pain. Above all, life is a blessing from God. This blessing is to be cherished. Having a heart open to life is cherishing the blessing of life and the gift that it truly is. Without God’s ultimate authority and love, life would not be.

We are told in Psalm 127:3, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” All new lives are God’s. All are created in His great image of love. Jesus, Who was born into this world to die on the cross for us all and to rise from the grave, is life.

Having a heart open to life, particularly new life, is having a heart that is open to our Lord Jesus Christ, Who tells us in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” In all ways, we are to intensify the abundance of, and have hearts completely open to, life.

By Christina Strachoff Grade 12 Coyle and Cassidy High School Taunton

From time to time as I sit in biology class, I’m struck with a sense of awe and wonder at the beauty and order of life. I feel overwhelmed by the knowledge that what we often think of as a simple body is in fact a magnificent creation, whose systematic order is so complex that we still do not fully understand all its mysteries. At moments like these I feel humbled by the omnipotence and omniscience of God, the Creator of this breathtaking life.

Genesis 1:26 tells us that, “God said: Let Us make human beings in Our image, after Our likeness.” Since God is all good and He created humans in His image and likeness, then human life is intrinsically good. Later in Exodus 20:13 as God gives Moses, and by extension us, the Ten Commandments we are told, “You shall not kill.” As we can see in the Commandments, we have no right to take innocent human life. Only God, Who created all life, has the authority to end life.

Unfortunately, however, human beings have increasingly attempted to assume this authority. Begin with the legalization of abortion; proabortion advocates justify the taking of human life on the grounds that women have the right to choose. Women can choose whether or not to carry out a pregnancy. To them this is seen as the greatest right which must be protected. Yet this logic is fundamentally flawed.

What are rights? Human rights are owed to us merely because we are living humans. There are no other prerequisites. We can’t have the right to liberty, or the right to choose, or any right for that matter if we are not living. Therefore, the right to life is the most basic right.

If the right to life is denied then all other rights have been denied.

However, once human life is no longer thought of as intrinsically good and worth protecting unquestioningly, we then reach a moral system in which some human life is more valuable than other human life. This has happened in our society. Science recognizes a growing fetus as both living and part of the human species, thus it is undeniably human. Yet, according to this moral system a fetus has less value than its mother. Therefore humans can destroy it through abortion.

Also, if the elderly are sick and dying, they are viewed as less valuable, and hence humans can end their lives through euthanasia. If someone suffers from an illness which doctors claim to be fatal, that person’s life suddenly loses value, and therefore he can choose to end it by physician-assisted suicide. This subjective moral system opens many terrifying doors. Who could be next? What stage of life will it next deem not valuable enough to protect under any circumstance? These thoughts often cause me to shudder and wonder what can I do in the face of this overwhelming culture of death.

In response to this question, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, referencing the quote from Pope Francis, has called on Americans to open their hearts to life. If we openly love and accept all people, at every stage of life, we will stand out like the city on a hill in Matthew 5:14. It could not be hidden from the rest of the world.

In the same way, if we open our hearts to life our actions will serve as an example, showing others the beauty and dignity of all human life.

Yet action alone will not be enough to reverse the culture of death in our society. We can never forget the power of prayer. Through both prayer and action we can open our own hearts and the hearts of all Americans to the magnificence of human life.

By Theresa Gallagher Grade 11 Bishop Stang High School North Dartmouth

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April 4, 2014

2014 Pro-Life Essay Contest winners First Place Jr. High School

Second Place Jr. High School

Open Your Hearts to Life

Open Your Hearts to Life

We consider life as a gift from God because He “gives to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25). God gave us life because we matter to Him. Our life is God’s gift to us and what we do with that life and all that we are should revolve around honoring our Creator and His wishes.

God sent His Son to die on a cross so we could live a fulfilling life in this world and the world to come. Therefore, our life matters, how we spend our time, what choices we make and how we treat others. We see the importance of human life through the Infancy Narratives of Jesus beginning with the Annunication where Mary finds out she is pregnant with a Child. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and announces that the Holy Spirit will come to Mary and a Child will be conceived. This Child will be called Jesus, Son of God. Mary is scared but she has faith in God and she says “yes” to this gift of life.

One of the events from the life of Jesus that exemplifies the respect of all human life is the cleansing of the leper. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus came down from the mountain and saw a man with leprosy. Instead of walking away, Jesus touched the leper and healed him, knowing that the leper had a contagious disease and was shunned by the rest of society. This is an example of how Jesus shows us the importance and value of human life.

Another way that we see the value of human life in the New Testament is the way that Jesus would show compassion to sinners. Mark 2:13-17 describes how Jesus had dinner with Levi, who was a tax collector, along with other sinners. Jesus did not think that sinners were any less important or valuable than those who were not. Jesus always showed kindness toward them. Both of these examples show that Jesus values all life. Everyone is an important part of God’s Kingdom.

Pope Francis has given us many examples of the importance of human life. First of all, he chose to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi because St. Francis was a man of poverty, peace and he protected creation. Another example is how he lets the children make noise during Mass. Some priests and people at Mass get upset when babies and toddlers make a little noise, but Pope Francis wants the parents to know that it’s OK. Since these children are the future of the Church and they are the most important people in that Church. Pope Francis is always trying to “protect creation.” He has been very critical of the persecution of Christians in Africa and Asia. He is always encouraging respect for the elderly and is trying to encourage more help to protect children from slavery and starvation. Finally, he is also very outspoken about abortion and he calls our society’s culture a “throwaway culture” where things that are not necessary are thrown out, including the lives of babies. Pope Francis is truly living up to his name.

The message that all life is important and valuable is becoming lost in our society that can sometimes be self-centered. For example, if a woman conceives a child and does not feel she wants the child, our government and society support her decision to end the baby’s life. This is a common attitude in the more progressive countries, like America and those in Europe, too.

Pope Francis directly addressed this attitude when he said, “It is not progressive to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life.” I think he means that society, with the support of government, should focus more on helping a mother get care for her baby instead of ending the pregnancy and killing the baby. Not only are we throwing away babies, but our society is also throwing away other lives, like people who are sick. There are doctors who help people die who are really sick and it is legal in some states and countries. This is called euthanasia and it really is like assisted-suicide. This is another example of society not valuing the gift of life.

The gift of life is important to me because I am grateful that God has given me the opportunity to be here on this earth and live my faith. I try to respect all life, like humans, animals and even little bugs. Abortion is very disturbing to me because getting rid of a baby, sometimes because the baby is an inconvenience. This shows me that society has become more harsh and is losing respect for human life. Also, the fact that a doctor will help you die is scary because doctors take an oath to protect us. Sometimes the people who think they want to die are not in their right minds. I would be so sad and disappointed if a relative of mine died in this way. My hope is that Pope Francis will work with governments and unite society to help everyone respect each other and our gift of life.

By Benjamin Resende Grade Seven Holy Name School, Fall River

I stood against the wall waiting for my next instructions. I was handing out boxes of food to those in need in the basement of the old St. Anne’s Church in the middle of Fall River. One by one, men, women and children walked by me to check in. I was given the job of handing out which of the certain boxes they were to receive. This had been going on for hours.

As quickly as the crowd started dying down, it picked up again. While all the other volunteers were busy with their own jobs and the growing crowd, I still stood waiting by the readily stacked boxes.

Movement outside the door caught by eye. A man walked in as imperceptibly as he could. This was not easy for him. As he walked, the sound of a soft, steady thump traveled with him. I noticed he walked with a slight limp.

I looked down to see that one of his legs was replaced with a prosthetic one.

No one noticed him walking in.

I watched as he walked up to the front desk without a word; no “good morning,” not a nod of his head acknowledging anyone who may have noticed him. He walked up to the front desk and humbly placed a thick stack of folded dollar bills into our donation jar. As I watched, a feeling of inspiration and admiration washed over me like a great wave.

This moment has replayed in my mind over and over again. It has caused me to think: why couldn’t our world be made up of moments like this all the time? In those split seconds, that moment was filled with an appreciation for life, love, compassion, modesty and kindness. Though our world is definitely filled with moments like this, it is also immensely filled with moments of hatred, ill-will, and complete disregard toward the importance and beauty of life. Our world is filled with cruel acts like homicide, abortion, physicianassisted suicide, bullying, and much more.

When we open our hearts, it’s like saying we take a chance. We are willing to receive whatever comes our way. In this instance, we “open our hearts to life” — we receive this great gift of life God has given to us. We are given life so that we may one day have eternity in Heaven with God. How can we be so spoiled and selfish? We take all that God has given us, and put it to waste.

We throw it all away, without a second thought. We hear of all these rich and famous people with anything they could ever want in the world, and in just one moment, one decision, they throw it all away. People begin to forget and take their gifts for granted. They forget that everything comes from God. In society today, it’s so easy to forget what really matters. Material things and senseless gossip starts to fill and cloud our minds. We are so focused on the gossip and lies that our world contains, and we forget what is really true: life is an extraordinary gift from God that should be respected.

And it isn’t just the rich and famous. Average people like you and me waste this precious gift of life given to us. It is wasted every day. According to CBS News, a person commits suicide every 40 seconds and a murder is committed every 60 seconds. People in this world are abused physically and mentally. Some are taken away, never to be seen again. Death is brought upon someone not because God is calling, but because people begin to believe that they have a right to determine the length of someone else’s life.

God became Incarnate and died so that we may live. He gave us a chance to accept His gift of life. Some choose to ignore it and reject it.

Think of this man that I had seen on that day. He was missing a part of him. Imagine losing a part of yourself that had been a part of you your entire life, whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally. Like a piece missing from a puzzle, you wouldn’t feel complete. This man lost his leg. He could have become depressed or even committed suicide. Maybe he could have just used the money to buy himself something to make himself feel better. Instead, he walked into an old church basement and quietly placed the money in a jar to be used for the less fortunate.

I was still watching as the man slowly turned around and began his journey out the door. I caught his eye before he could leave. I looked at him and said, “Thank you.” It didn’t come out as loud as I had intended or wanted to.

It was practically a mumble of sounds as I mouthed the syllables. The man had heard me. With a slight nod of his head and a warm, gentle smile, he was on his way. As I write this essay and replay this moment in time, I realize: I have witnessed the beauty of life.

By Angela Brillantes Grade Eight Holy Name School, Fall River

Youth Pages

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April 4, 2014

The Lower School Drama Program at St Pius X School recently performed 101 Dalmatians to a sold out audience. The talented young actors sang, danced, and entertained the crowd with an incredible performance!

Jennifer Nguyen, Alexa Crawford, and Ali Pelletier are students at Emmanuel College. They are doing research on the “Sex Differences in Leadership Styles” with Joyce Benenson, Ph.D. (not pictured). Holy Family-Holy Name preschool students were asked to participate in a puppet show where they guided them in a coloring exercise.

Seventh- and eighth-graders from St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet, along with their principal, Michelle Russo, are pictured on the steps of the State House in Boston. Fourhundred Catholic school representatives from across Massachusetts met recently at the State House to bring to the attention of legislators inequities in service and resources to their schools. There are currently 188 Catholic elementary, middle, and high schools in Massachusetts educating some 58,500 students. The Catholic school community is the largest of the non-public school systems in Massachusetts. Catholic Schools Advocacy Day is an annual event coordinated by the Parents Alliance for Catholic Education, a grassroots advocacy organization. The representatives attending the event included parents, students, teachers, administrators and supporters of Catholic schools.

Third-graders at Holy Name School in Fall River recently began the Junior Achievement program presented by Bay Coast Bank. Here, students are learning with Sandra Letendre about the city, the different zones in the city, and ways to responsibly spend money to buy things that they need and want. The program runs for five weeks.

Under the direction of Mary Frost, art teacher at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro, the eighthgraders designed peace posters for the South Attleboro Lions Club Peace Poster Contest. The 2013 theme was “Our World, Our Future.” Winning the contest this year was eighth-grader Christine Schremp, shown holding her poster alongside Frost. Schremp attended a dinner and received her reward at that time.

St. Mary’s (Mansfield) Middle School Theatre Program recently presented the contemporary musical “Fiddler on the Roof, Jr.” Pictured are the cast and faculty advisors.

April 4, 2014

Youth Pages

S

17

Go deeper

ness of the celebration. At a ometimes we are a wedding reception are you shallow people — we the “hit” on the dance floor? just want to get by, do the At Mass, does your behavior bare minimum or simply and attitude encourage othjust scratch the surface. ers to celebrate with you?

But where does that get us?

It’s a dangerous myth A job half done is incomto think and act as if we plete. Climbing a mountain halfway only is not reaching the top.

Why are we sometimes afraid to go the distance, to go deeper? What does it mean when we

By Ozzie Pacheco say we want to “go deeper” in our faith?

What should we go deeper into? This have all the answers to depth isn’t simply about life’s problems. Working having knowledge of God together means listening and His love for us, but also to each other and relying about our everyday life and on the wisdom of others. our relationships.

Sometimes their thinkTo have a life rooted in ing is not our thinking and faith means to have a deep their thoughts are not our life with Christ. He is the thoughts. But isn’t that part most important piece. And of life? We are all different there’s no better place to begin than to reflect on how and need to respect that.

Supporting other’s ideas we can have a deeper joy in means that sometimes we Christ. This joy comes to us need to humble ourselves. by connecting ourselves to Going deep is immersing God and to others by worourselves in the truth that shiping together, celebratJesus Christ died to save ing together and working us from our sins; the truth together. in seeing the depth of our It’s important to take sin and the depth of God’s some time to worship tograce; the truth in rememgether whenever we meet in bering that there is nothing Jesus’ name. In other words, we can do to make ourselves we need to focus our hearts more acceptable to God; on what matters most and the truth to returning to remind ourselves that worthe grace that demands “my shipping God is more important than doing the work life, my soul, my all.” Depth of God. How often does this occurs when we explore happen to you? Sometimes I more deeply the truth of the Gospel. am guilty of this, especially This past month 41 young when I get to the parish on men and women from my Sunday mornings with a multitude of tasks in hand that I forget to spend some time with Our Lord, to worship Him and thank Him. I’m so immersed in my work I forget the reason why I’m doing the work in the first place. Then I realize I’m not getting any deeper in my faith, I’m just going through the motions of ministry.

Time to slow down and refocus on connecting myself back to God and others.

Who doesn’t like a party?

Celebrating together means to focus on the good things that God is doing in our lives! But, we need to stop and celebrate those good things. The goal, however, is to make sure that every time we do gather we take the time to realize the worthi-

Be Not Afraid

The Lower School Drama Program at St. Pius X School in South Yarmouth recently performed “101 Dalmatians” to a sold-out audience.

The talented young actors sang, danced, and entertained the crowd with an incredible performance.

First-grader Brooke Coryer works to classify a shark tooth as part of a STEM activity at St. Joseph School in Fairhaven recently. Students in grades one through eight learned about the life of a paleontologist, fossils, relative and carbon dating, and had lots of fun digging through sand to find and examine various shark teeth from many different species of shark. The teeth were collected at Caspersan Beach in Florida, otherwise known as “The shark tooth capital of the world.”

Faculty, staff and students from St. James-St. John School in New Bedford celebrated Mardi Gras with pancakes and beads.

parish immersed themselves in this truth at their Confirmation retreat. They learned that to know God’s deep lasting joy means to truly know Christ. They began their retreat with a deep clean — Confessing their sins, a healing of their mind, body and soul. Unfortunately, you don’t hear the word sin much these days. We want to live deeper in Christ, but something happens.

We slip backward.

We fall down. We sin. So, what do we do about it? Take a break from the ordinary and enter the extraordinary time we call Lent. Our Confirmation class did and they are all the better for it.

The time away from their busy lives helped our youth to deepen their desire to know God, deepen their hope in becoming the person God wants them to be, deepen the certainty of the confidence they have in themselves and deepen their love for God, the true love of sacrifice that builds and strengthens relationships.

They began their journey to become disciples of Christ: disciples who love God, disciples who love people and disciples who make disciples.

They went deep into their faith and heard Christ calling them to “Go make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). God bless!

Anchor columnist Ozzie Pacheco is Faith Formation director at Santo Christo Parish, Fall River.

18 Fledgling Franciscan radio station forges ahead

April 4, 2014

prayers from the Attleboro vigil site, Radio CorMariae now offers original continued from page one programs such as “The Marian Franaffiliate of EWTN Radio, a subsidy of Life location — which airs on Satur- ciscan Holy Hour,” “The Sweet Christ the Eternal Word Television Network. day morning at 9 a.m. — is the first on Earth,” and for Lent “The Stations Since first taking to the airwaves, in a long line of local programming he of the Cross,” which is produced inRadio CorMariae has worked in the plans to air on WPMW. studio by one of WPMW’s volunteers “We’ve just been playing it and and features music from Billboard interim to expand its evangelization outreach by upgrading its studio and people who have been listening have magazine’s top-selling classical artists remote capabilities, Friar John recently picked it up and really enjoy it,” he for 2012 and 2013, the Benedictines of said. “We’re hoping to help in anyway Mary, Queen of Apostles. told The Anchor.

Among WPMW’s newest acquisi- we can to bring people out there — to Friar John is also developing a parttions are a digital delay and a codec to change the hearts and minds of the nership with The Anchor to provide transmit and receive audio program- people going to and working there at short news briefs or summaries of feaming via a cell phone — both of which the abortion clinic.” tured articles from around the diocese Led by volunteer Charlene Harri- that would be of interest to local liscan be used to broadcast live shows son, the 59-minute program includes teners. from remote locations.

“We’ve done tests for future live the praying of three sets of mysteries “As a local station, we’re expected to broadcasts, so we’re ready to go live,” of the Holy Rosary along with other provide local news,” he said. “The FCC prayers for those working at or going actually requires us — because we’re a Friar John said.

The first “live” program that Friar to the Four Women Clinic. non-profit, educational station — to “One of our other volunteers here provide programming that focuses on John attempted was one of the recent Saturday morning Rosary recitations (at Our Lady’s Chapel), Helen Calla- local issues in the area.” during the 40 Days for Life vigil out- han, said she was in her car listening To that end, Friar John plans to proside the Four Women Abortion Clinic to the Rosary and she heard some- gram several two- to four-minute slots one’s beautiful voice on the radio and dedicated to local news culled from the in Attleboro.

“What we’ve done is to record (the it surprised her, and then she realized pages of the official diocesan newspaRosary) and then clean it up for re- it was the Rosary being prayed and per. These will be run in between the broadcast instead of (transmitting) it she didn’t know it was Charlene,” longer 30- or 60-minute time slots. live,” Friar John said, explaining that Friar John said.

“We’re looking to use some mateAs the group prays and meditates rial that has been published in The Anthey wanted to work out any potential on the mysteries, Friar John captures chor — information we think would be bugs before attempting to “go live.”

“You need to be able to have a broad- everything on a series of wireless mi- pertinent and interesting to our listencast delay to cut out any obscenities or crophones and then relays the audio ers — and fill that time,” he said. “This mistakes,” he explained. “We just had back to the New Bedford studio via his would also help people to look for The that equipment put in place, so now we cell phone where it is then recorded for Anchor to get the full story.” are ready to do a live show. You learn later broadcast.

Friar John is working with one of “It’s all set up as if we’re going live,” his lay MIM volunteers, a retired man after you try something live whether he said. “But we record it and play it from Taunton who “wants to get into you want to do it again or not.”

Another impediment to immedi- back. So if we wanted to air it live, we radio as his new career in retirement,” ately going live is the lack of person- could.” to develop the Anchor-based material.

Although the bulk of WPMW’s nel needed to maintain such program“We’re hoping to have people who ming. With only four friars sharing schedule includes a mix of syndicated are inspired to come in and do original responsibilities between WPMW and Catholic programming from EWTN programs and stick with it,” Friar John Our Lady’s Chapel and a handful of Radio, Ave Maria Radio and Relevant added. “You don’t want to start a show eager but untrained volunteers at their Radio — all of which provide around- and have it prematurely end after one disposal, there aren’t enough hands to the-clock satellite feeds that Radio year. We’re looking to program shows CorMariae is licensed to tap into — with someone who has that type of go around.

“You really need someone in the stu- Friar John said they need to fill about commitment.” dio to do it properly,” Friar John said, six hours a day with locally-produced New equipment and new programs adding that the staff member in the content. at Radio CorMariae have also spurred “We can’t just do one thing and put the need for a new look — something studio would be responsible for operating the digital delay and mixing board. our station I.D. on it at the top of the of a station branding “facelift,” if you Despite these initial setbacks, Fri- hour,” he said. “That is why we had our will — replete with a new and easierar John said the pre-recorded Rosary studio built the way it is.” to-read logo, according to Friar John.

In addition to the Holy Rosary and hour from the Attleboro 40 Days for “We felt we needed to change the logo, because it’s an icon that when you see it, you immediately identify with the radio station,” he said. “(The old logo) was just two words and when you saw it, you had to wonder: ‘Is that C-O-R?’ So even though we know it’s Latin, we thought others who didn’t know anything about Catholicism were confused by it.”

The omnipresent photo of Our Lady in the old logo has also been replaced with a simpler depiction of her Immaculate Heart, surrounded by rippling radio waves reaching out to souls in need.

“We came to a point where we were putting Our Lady on everything, and we can’t put Our Lady on a lawn sign, for instance, because we wouldn’t want her to be vandalized or defaced,” Friar John said. “But we still want the station to be identified with her, so the new logo incorporates her Immaculate Heart.”

Taking their cue from the PBS membership model, WPMW will soon embark on a campaign to get people to support the radio station and its ministry via several different membership levels where gift items bearing the new logo will be offered for sale.

“We’ll have gold, silver and bronze level memberships … where they will receive a fleece jacket, black tote bag or travel mug, respectively — all with the radio station’s new logo,” he said.

Those without the means or wherewithal to support Radio CorMariae financially, Friar John said, can simply fill out one of their new pledge cards instead.

“We had pledge cards printed up where people can support us by: first, setting their radio preset to our station; second, telling three people about the radio station and to suggest listening to it; third, listen to the station for one whole month themselves; and finally, provide their contact information in the hopes of getting them to become members,” he said. “We hope after listening to us, they will want to continue being a supporter.”

Last, but not least, Friar John said they are always looking for volunteers to help with their mission.

“We have a dedicated group of about 14 or 15 volunteers now,” he said. “But we’re still looking for more volunteers to help make our station successful. It’s still in its infancy and now we’re building up to the potential of doing more.

I’m sure Our Lady brought the station to this point of potentiality so that we could recruit a volunteer base and go forward. We are seeking energetic individuals who will dedicate their time to the programming and apostolate of Radio CorMariae.”

For more information about Radio CorMariae, including volunteer opportunities, a complete program schedule and links to content and live streams, visit www.radiocormariae.com.

Visit The Anchor online at http://www.anchornews.org

19

April 4, 2014

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

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

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

ATTLEBORO — There is a weekly Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at St. John the Evangelist Church on N. Main St. Brewster — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the La Salette Chapel in the lower level of Our Lady of the Cape Church, 468 Stony Brook Road, on First Fridays beginning at noon until 7:45 a.m. First Saturday, concluding with Benediction and concluding with Mass at 8 a.m. buzzards Bay — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, every first Friday after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending the following day before the 8 a.m. Mass.

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

EAST TAUNTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the chapel at Holy Family Parish Center, 438 Middleboro Avenue, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

On First Fridays, Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Holy Family Church, 370 Middleboro Avenue, from 8:30 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m. Mass every First Friday with special intentions for Respect Life, followed by 24 hours of Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel, concluding with Benediction Saturday morning followed immediately by an 8:30 Mass.

NEW BEDFORD — Eucharistic Adoration takes place 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 233 County Street, with night prayer and Benediction at 8:45 p.m., and Confessions offered during the evening. Please use the side entrance.

NEW BEDFORD — There is a daily holy hour from 5:15-6:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue. It includes Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Liturgy of the Hours, recitation of the Rosary, and the opportunity for Confession.

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

NORTH DARTMOUTH — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Julie Billiart Church, 494 Slocum Road, every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m., ending with Benediction.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available at this time.

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

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

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

SOUTH YARMOUTH — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Pius X Parish, 5 Barbara Street, on Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., from March 13 to April 10. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will also be offered at this time.

Taunton — Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Tuesday at St. Anthony Church, 126 School Street, following the 8 a.m. Mass with prayers including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for vocations, concluding at 6 p.m. with Chaplet of St. Anthony and Benediction. Recitation of the Rosary for peace is prayed Monday through Saturday at 7:30 a.m. prior to the 8 a.m. Mass.

Taunton — Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord, 31 First Street. Exposition begins following the 8 a.m. Mass. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, and Adoration will continue throughout the day. Confessions are heard from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Rosary and Benediction begin at 6:30 p.m.

WAREHAM — Eucharistic Adoration at St. Patrick’s Church begins each Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. and ends on Friday night at midnight. Adoration is held in our Adoration Chapel in the lower Parish Hall. ~ PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION ~ East Sandwich — The Corpus Christi Parish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 324 Quaker Meeting House Road, East Sandwich. Use the Chapel entrance on the side of the church.

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

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

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

Pope confirms heads of Vatican curial agencies

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis confirmed the head of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and named among its new members Australian Cardinal George Pell, Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, and Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin of Indianapolis.

The Vatican announced March 29 that the pope confirmed Brazilian Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz as prefect of the congregation, the Vatican office that oversees the world’s religious orders. The new members also include: Cardinals Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City; Luis Tagle of Manila; Bishop John Corriveau of Nelson, British Columbia; and Bishop Kieran O’Reilly of Killaloe, Ireland.

Pope Francis also reappointed 11 members to another five-year term, including: Cardinals Francis E. George of Chicago; Wilfrid F.

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks April 6 Rev. Philip Lariscy, O.S.A. Founder of the New Bedford Mission, 1824 Rev. Edward J. Mongan. Retired Pastor St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1920 Rev. Msgr. John A. Chippendale, Retired Pastor, St. Patrick, Wareham, 1977 Rev. Lorenzo Morais, Retired Pastor, St. George, Westport, 1980 Rev. Msgr. William D. Thomson, Retired Pastor, St. Francis Xavier, Hyannis, 1987 Rev. Gerald E. Conmy, CSC, Associate Pastor, St. Ann, DeBary, Fla., 1994 Rev. Msgr. Francis J. Gilligan, P.A. STD, Archdiocese of St. Paul, 1997 Rev. Lucien Jusseaume, Chaplain, Our Lady’s Haven, Fairhaven, Retired Pastor, St. Roch, Fall River, 2001 April 7 Rev. James A. Dury, Retired Pastor, Corpus Christi, Sandwich, 1976 Rev. Alvin Matthews, OFM, Retired, Our Lady’s Chapel, New Bedford, 1988 April 8 Rev. Bento R. Fraga, Retired, Sacred Heart Home, New Bedford, 2012 April 9 Rev. Cornelius McSwiney, Retired Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Fall River, 1919 Rev. Edward F. Dowling, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Fall River, 1965 April 10 Rev. John P. Doyle, Pastor, St. William, Fall River, 1944 April 11 Rev. John F. Downey, Pastor, Corpus Christi, Sandwich, 1914

Napier of Durban, South Africa; Sean P. O’Malley of Boston and Jesuit Father Adolfo Nicolas, superior general of the Jesuits worldwide. The pope also confirmed

French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran as president and Comboni Father Miguel Ayuso Guixot as secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Around the Diocese Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville will present its seventh annual dinner and “Comedy Night” tomorrow featuring three of Boston’s top headliners: Bob Seibel, Steve Calechman and Steve Macone. Doors open in the Msgr. Perry parish center at 6 p.m. sharp. Buffet Dinner will be served from 6 to 7:15 p.m., with showtime at 7:30 p.m. For questions of more information, contact Kelley Spodris at 508-775-5744 or via email at kjs@olvparish.org.

All are invited to join in prayer for “Building a New Culture of Life” on April 10 at 1 p.m. in St. Jude’s Chapel of Christ the King Parish in Mashpee. Prayers will consist of the four mysteries of the Rosary with brief meditations on each.

The prayer group at St. Patrick’s Parish in Wareham is sponsoring a series of seven DVD talks, given by leaders in the Renewal and the New Evangelization, designed to introduce people to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and to an experience of a New Pentecost. This seven-week seminar will be held on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the parish hall, 82 High Street in Wareham, from April 23 through June 11.

A Healing Mass will be celebrated on April 24 at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford. The Mass will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will include Benediction and healing prayers. At 5:15 p.m. there will be a holy hour including the Rosary.

For more information or directions, call 508-993-1691 or visit www. saintanthonyofnewbedford.com.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, District of Greater Attleboro, is sponsoring its third annual family walk, “Helping Our Neighbors,” on April 26 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Mass Audubon Society’s Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary next to the La Salette Shrine at 947 Park Street, Route 118, in Attleboro. This fun-filled family event will include guided nature tours, balloons, face-painting, refreshments and is pet-friendly. Proceeds from the walk will benefit those less fortunate from the towns of North Attleboro, Attleboro, Mansfield, Norton, Rehoboth and Seekonk. For more information, or to pre-register for the walk, visit www.svdpattleboro.org, or register on-site the day of the walk.

ECHO of Cape Cod is sponsoring its third annual dinner/auction at 6 p.m. on April 26 at Christ the King Parish in Mashpee. This fundraiser helps to support the ECHO Retreat program, now celebrating its 44th year on Cape Cod. For tickets or more information, email EchoofCapeCod@gmail.com or call 508-759-4265.

The feast of Divine Mercy will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Church, Onset Bay Lane in Onset, on April 27 at 2:30 p.m. featuring the Divine Mercy Chaplet with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and veneration of the image. Guest speaker will be Marty Rotella, a threetime Grammy Award nominee, who will also perform live at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 5 Armory Road in Buzzards Bay. For more information call 508-295-8952.

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April 4, 2014

Pope to politicians: Follow God’s love, reject self-serving corruption

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis warned government officials against abandoning the path of God’s love and liberating Salvation for the dead-end road of self-righteous corruption. Do not follow the path promoted by “these ‘pundits of duty’ who have lost the faith and hold the people together with this theology of obligation,” where rules and duties crowd out the will of God, he told Italian and European government officials.

“Let us pray that the Lord gives us the grace to always take the road of Salvation, to open ourselves to the Salvation that only comes from God and from the faith,” the pope said.

The pope’s remarks came during an early morning Mass at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica March 27, several hours before the pope met U.S. President Barack Obama at the Vatican. Almost 500 Italian parliamentarians, government ministers, officials and former members of parliament attended the morning Mass.

The pope’s homily focused on the day’s Scripture readings, beginning with the Book of Jeremiah (7:23-28) in which God laments His people’s long history of turning their backs on Him and not obeying or listening to Him. In the Gospel reading (Lk 11:1423), Jesus warns people who accused Him of having the power of Satan that “whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.”

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