04.22.11

Diocese of Fall River

The Anchor

F riday , April 22, 2011

Bishop Coleman’s Easter Message:

‘The Peace of the Risen Christ’

Dear Friends,

J O

esus said to the disciples, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:21-22). n the evening of the first day of the week, little more than 48 hours after the tragic events that had happened on the first Good Friday, the disciples locked themselves in behind closed doors out of fear for their own safety. Suddenly, the living Jesus appeared and stood in front of them. Jesus, who had loved them in a way that no other person had ever loved them, whom they thought was dead, spoke this message, which at once offered them consolation and announced great joy: “Peace be with you.” ith resignation to forces beyond their control, they convinced themselves that Jesus had been abandoned to death, that He had descended to the realm of the dead, as we profess in the Apostles’ Creed. They never expected Him to return. Christ’s resurrection, however, proves that death no longer has the final say; death no longer has power over us. Along with death, our Lord’s rising also conquers violence, hatred, and every evil. t this time, we look for the Resurrection. Our nation continues to fight several wars around the globe. The people of our country are also still experiencing the pain of long economic hardship. The cities of the Diocese of Fall River especially suffer from the effects of unemployment and a lack of opportunities. We believe that in His dying on the Cross, Christ reaches down to these depths, too, the depths of human suffering. We also know that, as He rises from the tomb, He raises up these realities to new life with Him. he Easter greeting of peace which Christ first extended to His friends, makes its way to our ears and to our hearts as well.

This message is for us, who have put our faith and hope in the Son of God. This is why we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord at Easter; this event gives us immense joy and confidence in God’s goodness. t Easter, Jesus pours out His Holy Spirit upon the entire world.

The living gift of the Spirit strengthens our faith in the Paschal Mystery, in Jesus’ dying and rising. It accompanies us in all our sufferings. It enables us to break free of every single thing that holds us bound. It lifts us up above sadness and brings us an abundance of grace and peace. ith prayerful wishes that the peace of the Risen Christ remain with each of you and your families this Easter, I am

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Sincerely yours in the Lord,

Bishop of Fall River

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‘Bathroom Bill’ legislation re-filed

By Christine M. Williams Anchor Correspondent

BOSTON — While the Catholic Church and other faith communities in the Commonwealth continue to oppose the “Bathroom Bill” this legislative session, a small group of religious leaders went to the hill to urge congregants to support the legislation’s passage.

The headline in the April 5 issue of the Boston Globe read, “Religious leaders revive bid to pass transgender bill.” The Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality sponsored the event.

According to the article, Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of the Episcopal Diocese said, “Supporting this legislation, and supporting transgender people in the life of the Church and in secular society really has to do with the living out of my baptismal covenant.”

Daniel Avila, executive director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, the public policy arm for the four bishops in the Commonwealth, told The Anchor that religious groups that oppose the legislation need to respond by clearly articulating their position.

In 2009, the MCC submitted testimony before the Judiciary Committee that was subsequently published in the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly last summer.

The testimony affirmed the

inherent dignity of all people but noted that differential treatment of men and women can be required for the common good.

The transgender bill, which the bishops oppose in its entirety, would usurp the interests of the many for the few who struggle with gender identity disorder.

“The bill now before this committee was intentionally drafted broadly so as to permit any person for any reason to determine under state law to be identified with the particular sexual designation he or she chooses at any moment. The bill’s passage would launch the Commonwealth into a chaotically shifting legal milieu by forbidding the state from requiring an individual’s self-identification for legal purposes to comply with any time limitation, documentation, or other commitment that formalizes and stabilizes one’s individual sex designation. An individual would be legally empowered to pose as a man and a woman at different times or at the same time, and for any length of time, however short in duration,” the MCC said.

Avila said the bill would alter the constitutional balance between privacy and comfort. The Church believes that people have a right to personal privacy.

The Transgender Rights and Hate Crimes Bill was first introTurn to page 12

Divine Mercy devotions growing across diocese

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

FALL RIVER — It’s appropriate that Pope John Paul II will be beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1.

The revered former pontiff established Divine Mercy Sunday as a special day dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion in 2000 when canonizing St. Faustina Kowalska, the young Polish nun whose meditations inspired the five practices of this devotion.

Divine Mercy Sunday coincides annually with the second Sunday of Easter which concludes the octave of Christ’s resurrection.

Although the Divine Mercy devotion had been prayed regularly in parishes and in the privacy of people’s homes for years, the special observance of Divine Mercy Sunday has steadily grown since 2001.

Through Sister Faustina,

who died in 1938, Jesus revealed five special ways to live out the response to His mercy: veneration of the image of Divine Mercy; recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet; celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday; a novena prior to Divine Mercy Sunday; and special prayers at 3 p.m. each day, which He called the Hour of Mercy.

The Chaplet of Mercy, recited using ordinary Rosary beads of five decades, is prayed daily by the faithful all over the world.

The message Jesus gave to Sister Faustina Kowalska of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy was that God loves all of us no matter how great our sins; that He wants us to recognize His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust and receive His mercy.

While that message is nothing new and had always been Turn to page 20

The Anchor

April 22, 2011

long-distance friendships — With teachers on strike in Honduras, students there lost valuable education time. To fill some of that time, Bishop Connolly High School Spanish teacher Rachel Andrepont came up with the idea of an exchange on the Internet between her Spanish IV students and some of the high school students from the Fall River Mission in Guaimaca. Using a small webcam the students in Fall River and Guaimaca communicated, exchanging questions about life in Guaimaca and life in the U.S., favorite foods, favorite music, past times, and sports. Here in this lowresolution photo taken from the mission website, Guaimacan students participate in a conversation with their Fall River brothers and sisters.

Father Pregana brings Holy Land experiences to Guaimacan parish

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

GUAIMACA, Honduras — Fresh off a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Father Craig Pregana took his spiritual experience back to his parish of St. Rose of Lima in Guaimaca, Honduras.

“It was a great experience to walk where Jesus walked, and to do it during the Lenten season; so I bring back a little more to the parish in Honduras, I think, having been there and will be able to share it with them,” said Father Pregana. “I think the message that I want to communicate with them is, we are doing what we do and reenacting all of Holy Week to be able to walk with Jesus. That’s really our desire. We can’t repeat what He did but we can share now in what He did.”

That “share now” experience consists of celebrations during Holy Week that sees the town’s different barrios picking up their annually rotated

responsibilities that started on Palm Sunday.

“It’s been traditional,” said Father Pregana, of the divided responsibility. “People want to do their part, and it helps the barrios to form an identity and to support the community throughout the year.”

There are more than 20,000 parishioners in the town of Guaimaca, and as part of the diocesan mission, St. Rose of Lima Parish has set the rhythm for the life of many of the residents.

“Whatever the Church is doing,” said Father Pregana, “everyone else is doing as well.”

Beginning on Palm Sunday, the barrio in charge was responsible for preparing the altar and all the palms, and on Sunday morning the entire parish community gathered for the blessing and march from that barrio to the church for Mass. The walk was highlighted with singing and prayers, an interactive celebration that marked the intense spiritualTurn to page 15

George Weigel remembers Pope John Paul II as ‘pastor to the end’

B y K enneth J. Souza A nchor Staff

ROME — On the threshold of the beatification of Karol Wojtyla — the humble yet giant of a man better known to the world as Pope John Paul II — one of his close confidants, author and regular Anchor columnist George Weigel, remembers him not just as the Vicar of Christ but as a caring and compassionate friend.

Weigel, the award-winning Catholic theologian and preeminent Pope John Paul II biographer who penned “Witness to Hope: The Biography

of Pope John Paul II” and the recent follow-up “The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II — The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy,” fondly recalled that when his father died on Oct. 19, 2004, Pope John Paul II sent him a touching telegram to be read at the funeral.

“Six weeks later, at what turned out to be our last meal together, his first words to me were: ‘How is your mother?’”

Weigel told The Anchor. “He was a pastor to the end.”

Noting how the former pontiff was instrumental in creat-

ing more saints than any of his predecessors, Weigel said he’s not surprised that he is now on a fast track to becoming a saint himself.

“What it should mean for all of us is that sanctity is all around us, and that God is profligate in making saints,” Weigel said. “That’s what John Paul II taught with his beatifications and canonizations.”

Describing Pope John Paul II as a “radically converted Christian disciple,” Weigel said that the enormous amount he achieved during his lifetime Turn to page 20

News From the Vatican

April 22, 2011

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Pope Benedict says prayer, mission were foundations of John Paul’s life

a father’s touch — Pope Benedict XVI kisses a baby as he leaves a recent general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

To be holy is to love God, others, pope says at audience

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Everyone is called to holiness, which is simply striving to live in Christ, particularly in loving God and loving others, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Ending a long series of general audience talks about saints and doctors of the Church, the pope spoke about the meaning of holiness and how it is achieved.

Addressing an estimated 12,000 people in St. Peter’s Square recently, Pope Benedict said there are three simple rules for living a holy life: — “Never let a Sunday go by without an encounter with the risen Christ in the Eucharist; this is not an added burden, it is light for the entire week.”

— “Never begin or end a day without at least a brief contact with God” in prayer.

— “And along the pathway of our lives, follow the road signs that God has given us in the Ten Commandments, read in the light of Christ; they are nothing other than explanations of what is love in specific situations.”

The pope said he knows

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most people, aware of their limits and weaknesses, think it wouldn’t be possible to be a saint.

The doubts, he said, are one of the reasons the Church proposes “a host of saints — those who fully lived charity and knew how to love and follow Christ in their daily lives” — to be remembered on specific days throughout the year. The saints come from every period of the Church’s history, every part of the world, every age group and every lifestyle, he said.

“I must say that, personally, for my faith, many saints — not all of them — are true stars in the firmament of history,” the pope said. “But I also want to say that for me it is not just the great saints, who I know well, who show me the path to follow, but the simple saints — the good people who I have known in my life and who will never be canonized.”

The unnamed saints “are people who are, so to say, ‘normal,’ without visible heroism, but in their goodness each day, I see the truth of the faith, this OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 55, No. 16

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goodness that has matured in the faith of the Church. For me, their goodness is the surest form of apologetics for the Church and a sign of where truth lies,” the pope said.

“It is in the communion of the saints — canonized and not canonized — that the Church lives,” Pope Benedict said.

“We enjoy their presence, their company and we should cultivate the firm hope of imitating their journey and of joining them one day in the same blessed life, eternal life,” he said.

Pope Benedict said the Holy Spirit wants to transform each and every Christian into “tiles in the great mosaic of holiness that God is creating in history.”

“How great and beautiful and also simple is the Christian vocation seen in this light. All of us are called to holiness,” he said.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II’s life and ministry were built on prayer and on witnessing to the Gospel, Pope Benedict XVI said after watching a Polish-produced documentary about his predecessor.

“Once again I want to underline the two foundations of his life and ministry: prayer and missionary zeal,” the pope said after a recent Vatican screening of the documentary, “John Paul II: I Kept Looking for You.” Pope Benedict watched the film in the early evening with the director and producers, several cardinals and Vatican officials.

After the screening, he said: “John Paul II was a great contemplative and a great apostle. God chose him for the see of Peter and protected him so he could lead the Church into the third millennium.

With his example he guided us all in this pilgrimage and still contin-

ues to accompany us from heaven.”

The film was directed by Jaroslaw Szmidt and has been playing in Polish theaters since March 11; Tadeusz Lampka, one of the producers, told reporters at the Vatican that 300,000 people had seen the film in Poland in its first month on the big screen.

The producers plan on having DVDs of the film in several languages ready for sale by May 1, when Pope Benedict beatifies his predecessor.

The film concentrates on Pope John Paul’s pontificate and includes some 50 interviews.

Among the spiritual leaders interviewed are the Dalai Lama; Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople; and Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, a former chief rabbi of Israel.

Pope John Paul’s closest aides appear in the documentary, as do journalists.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The apostolic vicar in Tripoli called for a stop to the bloody conflict in Libya and urged dialogue among the various tribes there to help bring about peace, the Vatican missionary news agency reported.

Bishop Giovanni Martinelli, who serves the small Catholic community in the Tripoli area, said “we must find a way to end the war,” by emphasizing diplomacy over force, Fides reported April 16.

He said that for the first time in his 40 years in Libya, Muslim women had come into his church and urged him to help end the war, which was destroying their homes, families and way of life. Bishop Martinelli said that in Misurata, where there is a fierce battle for control between government and rebel forces, women were being raped and mutilated and families

were trapped inside their homes.

Bishop Martinelli said, “we should exploit tribal relations,” by engaging the elders of tribes to “find the path of dialogue between the different components of Libyan society.”

Bishop Martinelli has criticized the Western airstrikes against forces loyal to Libya’s leader, Col. Moammar Gadhafi. The airstrikes began in March as a response to violent repression of an uprising by opponents to Gadhafi’s 40-year rule.

The bishop has said repeatedly that the campaign carried out by U.S., French and British bombers to establish a “no-fly zone” meant to stop government aircraft from attacking rebels is not useful in resolving Libyan hostilities. The result, he said, has been casualties and devastation among the civil population.

Bishop in Libya calls for end to hostilities, urges tribal dialogue

The Church in the U.S.

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April 22, 2011

Chaput: U.S. bishops divided on sanctions for abortion supporters

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (CNS) — Archbishop Charles J. Chaput gave a frank response when asked why there is so much disunity among Catholics on the question of Catholics in political life standing clearly with the Church on major moral issues such as abortion.

“The reason ... is that there is no unity among the bishops about it,” said the Denver archbishop, who was asked the question after his recent keynote address for the University of Notre Dame Right to Life Club’s spring lecture series.

“There is unity among the bishops about abortion always being wrong, and that you can’t be a Catholic and be in favor of abortion — the bishops all agree to that — but there’s just an inability among the bishops together to speak clearly on this matter and even to say that if you’re Catholic and you’re pro-choice, you can’t receive Holy Communion,” Archbishop Chaput said.

Individual bishops probably do take such a stand privately more often than anyone knows, the archbishop noted, and he said he is not in favor of refusing Communion without giving private notice ahead of time to the person. He emphasized, however, that Catholics who support keeping abortion legal should be told that they will not be given Communion, and not to present themselves to receive.

Archbishop Chaput said he and others have been trying to move the U.S. bishops’ conference to speak clearly on this issue for a number of years. How-

ever, there is a fear, he said, that if they do so, the bishops might somehow disenfranchise the Catholic community from political life, making it difficult to get elected if a Catholic politician has to hold the Church’s position on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

The strategy clearly has failed, he continued, “So let’s try something different and see if it works. Let’s be very, very clear on these matters,” and he asked the audience to “help me to convince the bishops on that subject.”

The archbishop’s talk on “Politics and the Devil: Living in a World of Unbelief” touched on many of the topics in his 2008 book, “Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life” (Doubleday Religion).

“There is no such thing as morally neutral legislation or morally neutral public policy,” he said. “Every law is the public expression of what somebody thinks we ought to do. The question that matters is this: Which moral convictions of which somebodies are going to shape our country’s political and cultural future?”

The answer is obvious, Archbishop Chaput continued: “If you and I as citizens don’t do the shaping, then somebody else will. That is the nature of a democracy. A healthy democracy depends upon people of conviction working hard to advance their ideas in the public square respectfully and peacefully, but vigorously and without apolo-

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gies.”

Most people root their moral convictions in their religious beliefs, he explained, for what people believe about God shapes what they think about the nature of the human person and our idea of a just society. And if a citizen fails to bring his moral beliefs into our country’s political conversation and work for them publicly and energetically, he said, the defeat of his own beliefs will be ensured.

“We act on what we really believe,” Archbishop Chaput said.

“If we don’t act on our beliefs, then we don’t really believe them.”

The idea that the separation of church and state should force us to exclude our religious beliefs

from guiding our political behavior makes no sense at all, he continued: “If we don’t remain true in our public actions to what we claim to believe in our personal lives, then we only deceive ourselves, because God certainly isn’t fooled: He sees who and what we are. God sees that our duplicity is really a kind of cowardice, and our lack of courage does a lot more damage than simply wounding our own integrity; it also saps the courage of other good people who really do try to publicly witness what they believe. And that compounds the sin of dishonesty and the sin of injustice.”

Archbishop Chaput said that the moral and political struggle

today in defending human dignity is becoming more complex.

“Abortion is the foundational human rights issue of our lifetime,” he said, adding that “you can’t build a just society and at the same time legally sanctify the destruction of generations of unborn human life.”

Working to end abortion doesn’t absolve Catholics from the obligation to serve the poor, disabled, elderly or immigrants, he added. “But none of these other duties can obscure the fact that no human rights are secure if the right to life is not.”

The archbishop’s lecture was sponsored by the Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life and the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — U.S. dioceses and religious orders received 505 new credible allegations of child sex abuse by clergy in 2010, a slight decrease from the previous year and a significant drop from the 1,092 new allegations reported in 2004, when the numbers began being tallied, according to a recent report released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The report was prepared for the USCCB Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University from survey responses submitted by all but one of the 195 U.S. dioceses and eparchies (Eastern Catholic dioceses) and 156 of the 218 religious orders that belong to the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. Only seven of the new allegations involved children under the age of 18 in 2010, with two-thirds of the new allegations having occurred or begun between 1960 and 1984, the report said.

“The number of alleged offenders increased by one-fifth, from 286 alleged offenders reported in 2009 to 345 alleged offenders reported in 2010,” CARA said. Almost 60 percent of those offenders had been identified in earlier allegations and three-quarters of the offenders are now dead or laicized, the report said.

The CARA report was released in conjunction with the annual audit to review compliance by the nation’s dioceses with the U.S. bishops’ 2002 “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

CARA placed the costs associated with child sex abuse at $123.7 million for U.S. dioceses and eparchies and $25.9 million for religious orders in 2010, bringing to nearly $2.7 billion the amount spent by the U.S. Catholic Church to address clergy sex abuse since 2004.

More than half of the spending in 2010 — $70 million from dioceses and eparchies and $18 million from religious orders — was for settlement of abuse claims. The secondlargest category of expenditures was for attorneys’ fees; dioceses and eparchies spent $33.9 million on lawyers in 2010, while religious orders spent $4.8 million.

Nearly $10 million was paid out for the support of offenders in dioceses and eparchies, while religious orders spent about $1.8 million to support offenders in 2010, according to CARA. The cost of therapy for victims was $6.4 million for dioceses and eparchies and about $540,000 for religious orders.

In addition, dioceses and eparchies spent at least $20.9 million and religious orders about $1.6 million “for child protection efforts such as safe environment coordinators, training programs and background checks” in 2010, CARA reported.

The dioceses and eparchies reported that approximately 28 percent of their 2010 expenditures as the result of allegations of sexual abuse of a minor were covered by insurance. For religious orders, only four percent of the costs were covered by insurance.

The CARA survey also found that a growing number of allegations of child sex abuse have been unsubstantiated or determined to be false. Among dioceses and eparchies, 17 percent of the new allegations in 2010 were unsubstantiated or false, compared to 11 percent in 2006 and seven percent in 2007.

The percentage of allegations against religious-order priests that have been unsubstantiated or determined to be false has remained relatively steady at around 10 percent since 2006.

Asked who had first reported the alleged abuse to the diocese or eparchy, more than half (52 percent) said the victim himself or herself had made the report. More than a quarter of the reports were made by an attorney, while the rest were made by a family member or friend, law enforcement officials or the bishop of another diocese.

But only 39 percent of reports to religious orders were made by the victim, while 32 percent of the reports came from a bishop or eparch and 21 percent were made by an attorney.

The charter approved by the bishops in Dallas in 2002 called for an annual report detailing the number and type of sex abuse allegations involving minors against U.S. clergy. The first report, issued in 2004, covered the year 2003.

The Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., was the only diocese or eparchy that did not participate in the 2010 survey. The participation rate among religious orders was about 72 percent.

New sex abuse allegations down slightly in 2010; costs continue to rise

The International Church Archbishop: Church role in Cuba to aid ‘soft landing’ of changes ahead April 22, 2011

WASHINGTON (CNS) — If Cuba is amounts of money directly to their famigoing to undergo the kind of political tran- lies. sition that leads to an end of the 50-yearArchbishop Wenski told Catholic old U.S. embargo, the work toward recon- News Service in a phone interview that ciliation and forgiveness that the Catholic expectations are high in Cuba that recent Church is trying to facilitate there is an es- events are harbingers of something posisential step in the right direction, accord- tive. ing to the archbishop of Miami.

“There are a lot of expectations now,” The observation by Archbishop Thom- he said. “A lot of people are trying to get a as G. Wenski came just after Cuba re- sense of where things are going.” leased the last of 75 prisoners who had He said the Cuban bishops see their been held since anti-government protests role as contributing to a national reconin 2003. ciliation.

Archbishop Wenski last visited Cuba in “The Church is not about politics,” he February with a group of Cuban-Ameri- said, “but about trying to promote reccan pilgrims who were returning to their onciliation and forgiveness, which will homeland for the first time. The pilgrim- eventually make politics possible.” age brought the group by bus from Havana Archbishop Wenski described the efto Santiago, in the southeast, and back fort as “a way to help whatever is coming across the country with stops along the (politically) to make a soft landing.” way to visit local projects supported by To be sure, there are still areas of great the Cuban Associatension between the tion of the Knights rchbishop Wenski said United States and of Malta, a Floridasuch as the the Cuban bishops see Cuba, based group.

March sentencing A few months their role as contributing to a of an American, earlier, Archbishop national reconciliation. “The Alan Gross, to 15 Wenski was among Church is not about politics,” he years in prison for participants in cerefforts to bring said, “but about trying to pro- his emonies outside of telecommunicaHavana marking mote reconciliation and forgive- tions equipment the inauguration of ness, which will eventually make into Cuba to allow the first new Catho- politics possible.” a Jewish group to lic seminary builduse the Internet. ing in 50 years.

The latest State President Raul Castro and other represen- Department country reports on human tatives of the government as well the ap- rights released April 8 listed ongoing ostolic nuncio and bishops from Mexico, problems, including harassment, arrests, Italy and the Bahamas also attended the restrictions on speech, movement, press, ceremonies. peaceful assembly and other activities.

Since last summer, Cuba’s Catholic The International Religious Freedom Rebishops have had a highly visible role port released by the State Department in in some of the developments that have November, however, reported improveprompted speculation about positive ments in how churches and faith groups changes coming. were allowed to function, though noting When harassment escalated last sum- that significant restrictions remained. mer of women known as the Ladies in The human rights report had several White, who have been holding weekly positive comments when it came to resilent protests of their relatives’ deten- ligious activities, such as a notation that tion, the bishops began working with the Catholic priests and other clergy in some government to dial back tensions and ne- cases criticized the government in sergotiate the release of the last 52 of the 75 mons, Church publications and media prisoners. In the months following, the interviews without reprisals, “openly prisoners were released a few at a time, questioning how the country’s leaderand most were flown to Spain. About a ship dealt with criticism and managed dozen refused to leave Cuba and ultimate- the economy. Catholic publications in ly were allowed to stay there upon release. Havana and Pinar del Rio often chalThe final two were let out of prison March lenged government policies and assump23. tions. In February, the Cuban Council Another 35 detainees, long listed by of Churches issued a statement lamentAmnesty International as political prison- ing the death” of hunger striker Orlando ers but not part of the 2003 group, were Zapata Tamayo, a political prisoner who released in early April and flown to Spain, died in February following a prolonged along with more than 200 of their rela- hunger strike. tives.

In addition, the report noted, the CathMeanwhile, the White House in Janu- olic Church received permission to broadary announced presidential directives cast Easter Mass on state-run stations. loosening restrictions on travel to Cuba, Christmas Mass broadcasts have been opening the door to more travel for reli- allowed since the 1990s. Another special gious, cultural, educational and journalis- Mass broadcast was allowed last August tic purposes. Restrictions also were eased to launch celebrations of the 400th annion cash remittances to Cuba, allowing versary of the Virgin of Charity of El Coall Americans to send money to support bre, the patron saint of the country. And private economic activities or religious a Protestant organization was allowed to institutions. Previously only Cuban- host a series of nationwide radio broadAmericans were allowed to send limited casts.

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seeking safety — People fleeing unrest in Tunisia are checked by Italian police on the southern island of Lampedusa recently before boarding a cruise liner to a different part of Italy. More than 22,000 refugees, many fleeing political unrest in Tunisia and Libya, have arrived on the tiny island since January. (CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters)

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The Anchor Entering the Kingdom

“Are You the King of the Jews?”

Pontius Pilate’s question about Jesus’ identity, and Jesus’ response, bring us to the heart of the ongoing drama of Good Friday and the whole Christian life.

The accounts of Jesus’ Passion all center on whether Jesus is a king and, if so, what kind of king He is. On Palm Sunday, we saw what kind of king most of Jesus’ contemporaries were anticipating and hoping for. When Jesus rode into the city on a donkey accompanied by a colt, St. Matthew says this was to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy about how a Messiah-king would enter the city, “Say to daughter Zion, ‘Behold your king, who comes to you, meek and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Sitting on a donkey is what King David had his son Solomon do when he made him king. When the crowds started laying down their cloaks on the road for him to ride upon, this was a sign of respect normally reserved for the kings of old. As the crowds started shouting out with the words of Psalm 118, they indicated that they saw a real connection between Jesus and His most famous royal ancestor according to the flesh: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!” All of these were signs that they believed an enthronement was taking place, the installation of someone whom they hoped would do in their own age similar things to what King David had done a millennium before, to triumph over foreign armies and unite under one strong Jewish ruler the people of Israel.

The enthusiastic people in the crowds on Palm Sunday were not the only ones mistaken about what the inauguration of Jesus’ kingdom would bring. In St. Luke’s account of the Last Supper, right after Jesus described how one of them would betray Him, the Apostles started arguing about which of them should be regarded as the greatest. As had happened many times in Jesus’ public ministry, the Apostles, too, looked toward Jesus’ kingdom in temporal terms, hoping to have the choicest portions of what they predicted would be sizeable spoils. Jesus corrected them and called them to a different standard. Together with the unforgettable example of doing the service of a slave by washing their feet, Jesus said, ““The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; … but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the least, and the leader as the servant. … I am among you as the One who serves.” His kingdom would be defined not by thrones but by towels and the greatest among them would be those who followed His example of serving others to the point of giving themselves as a ransom to save others’ lives.

The Roman soldiers likewise had a notion of kingship that was incompatible with Jesus’ lifestyle: a meek king would be an anomaly; a king who would suffer and be crucified was unimaginable. For them, to rule was to be powerful and for that reason they could respond only with derision and cruelty to the suggestion that the Nazarene carpenter before them was a king.

After scourging Him nearly to death, they crowned Him with thorns, clothed Him in phonyroyal garments, repeatedly spat upon Him, slapped and beat Him with the reed they placed in His hand as a pseudo-scepter, crying out in mock adulation, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Pilate would even join in the action after Jesus had been brought out to him adorned in mock garb, saying, “Behold your king!” and “Shall I crucify your king?”

But it was in Jesus’ dialogue with Pontius Pilate that the real confrontation and contrast between the world’s notion of kingship and Christ’s — both then and now — are put fully into relief. After the Roman governor asked whether Jesus believed Himself to be the King of the Jews, Jesus answered: “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” Pilate was able at least to understand that to be a king of any consequence, one needed to have armies, and the fact that Jesus would not be at the head of a group of soldiers causing trouble for Rome should have been enough for Pontius Pilate to find in Jesus no threat to Caesar’s retaining what Caesar claimed. When Pilate, however, pressed the issue and asked Jesus, “Then you are a king?,” we get to the heart of what Jesus’ kingdom is about: “You say I am a king,” Jesus replied. “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

About this dialogue, Pope Benedict XVI comments in his brilliant new book, “Jesus of Nazareth, Part II”: “With these words Jesus created a thoroughly new concept of kingship and kingdom, and He held it up to Pilate, the representative of classical worldly power.” In contrast to worldly force, Jesus proposed truth: “Dominion demands power; it even defines it. Jesus, however, defines as the essence of His kingship witness to the truth.” Jesus came to testify to the truth, which means “giving priority to God and to His will over against the interests of the world and its powers.” Jesus declares that God —not physical force — is the fundamental reality of life. “In this sense,” the pope continues, “truth is the real ‘king’ that confers light and greatness upon all things. … If man lives without truth, life passes him by; ultimately he surrenders the field to whoever is the stronger. ‘Redemption’ in the fullest sense can only consist in the truth’s becoming recognizable. And it becomes recognizable when God becomes recognizable. He becomes recognizable in Jesus Christ. In Christ, God entered the world and set up the criterion of truth in the midst of history. Truth is outwardly powerless in the world, just as Christ is powerless by the world’s standards: He has no legions; He is crucified. Yet in His very powerlessness, He is powerful; only thus, again and again, does truth become power.”

The “center” of Jesus’ message “all the way to the Cross, all the way to the inscription above the Cross,” Pope Benedict emphasizes, “is the kingdom of God, the new kingship represented

by Jesus. “And this kingdom is centered on truth. The kingship proclaimed by Jesus, at first in parables and then at the end quite openly before the earthly judge, is none other than the kingship of truth. The inauguration of this kingship is man’s true liberation.”

To be saved is not only to “listen to [Jesus’] voice but to “belong” to the truth “all the way to the Cross.” It’s not just to live according to the truth, but in communion with the Truth incarnate. In contrast to Pontius Pilate’s follow-up question, “What is truth?” — which evinced the relativistic roots of his pusillanimity in condemning an innocent man — and to the taunts of the “might makes might” mob at the foot of the Cross, “If you are a king, save yourself!,” we see the witness of the good thief, who recognized a truth in the One hanging on the Cross beside him that blood couldn’t hide or excruciating pain couldn’t obscure. He turned to One who would expire humanly before he would and asked Him to help him belong to the truth in the only way he thought possible: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Earthly kingdoms end with the death of a king; Jesus’ kingdom, the good thief somehow saw, was about to begin. He had no pretensions that he was going to live in that kingdom, but asked minimally to be remembered, which is the last wish of a dying man. The One hanging, however, beneath the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” responded with a largesse that befitted the king of heaven and gave him what he didn’t dare dream: “Truly I tell you, today, you will be with Me in paradise.”

On this Good Friday, let’s seek to follow Dismas into that kingdom, by belonging to fully living in the Truth to which Christ gave witness in life, death and glorious resurrection.

O

April 22, 2011

Totus Tuus

ne of my favorite spots in Rome is II chose those words as his papal motto, having entrusted his life, his priesthood St. Peter’s Square! This historical center of Catholicism certainly takes one’s and the entire Church to Christ through Mary’s maternal intercession. breath away, especially when one stands The pope explained the reason for there for the first time. It is one of those choosing this motto, “This phrase is not sites in Rome that one never gets tired of only an expression of piety, or simply an looking at. expression of devotion. It is more. DurWhile standing in the “Piazza di San ing the Second World War, while I was Pietro” there are many things that immeemployed as a factory worker, I came diately catch one’s attention. to be attracted to a Marian devotion. At There is the magnificent basilica first, it had seemed to me that I should that was built over the tomb of St. Peter distance myself a bit from the Marian himself.

There is the view of the Sistine Chapel devotion of my childhood, in order to where the white smoke rises indicating the focus more on Christ. But thanks to St. Louis de Montfort, I came to understand election of a new pope. that true devotion to the Mother of God is There is also the Apostolic Palace, actually Christocentric; indeed, it is very the residence of the pope containing the window where he comes to great pilgrims profoundly rooted in the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, and in the mysteries of the each Sunday for the Angelus. incarnation and redemption.”

Perhaps others are drawn to the colJohn Paul II had a tremendous love umns that make up the surrounding colonnade or the statues above that surround the and devotion to the Blessed Mother that went back to his childhood in Poland square. when, after losing his mother weeks There are many things that people can before his ninth birthday, he entrusted his stand and look at for hours, but there are life to Mary, two that are the Mother less obvious, of God, who but are filled Putting Into was given by with great senChrist Himself timental value, the Deep to be the especially with mother of the respect to Pope

By Father Church and John Paul II. the mother of The first is Jay Mello each of us. a small plaque This reality (formerly a simple red cobble stone) that indicates the is also symbolized in John Paul II’s papal crest. It contains a simple cross with an spot where Pope John Paul II was shot on May 13, 1981. On that spot people are “M” at the bottom right hand corner, representing Mary standing at the foot of reminded of the day when, while driving the cross when Our Lord said to St. John, along in the pope-mobile, greeting the faithful and just seconds after reaching out “Behold your mother,” and when He said to Mary, “Behold your son.” John Paul II to kiss a baby, the pope was shot. understood that this entrustment of the beThe details surrounding the assassinaloved disciple to Mary’s maternal care and tion attempt (and the pope’s forgiving the intercession was not limited to St. John would-be assassin) is a topic upon which alone, but to every disciple of Christ. we could spend a lot of time reflecting.

In his encyclical letter on Mary, RedempBut for the purpose of this article the significance of the day on which the pope toris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer), John Paul II explains this encounter at the foot of was shot is of tremendous value: May 13 the cross. He states that John is not alone in is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. accepting Mary as his mother, but that “it One of the “secrets” that the Mother can also be said that these same words fully of God revealed to the children was an image of a bishop dressed in white falling show the reason for the Marian dimension after being shot. The pope, the white-clad of the life of Christ’s disciples.”

The pope goes on to say, “The ReBishop of Rome, came to interpret this deemer entrusts His mother to the disprophesy of Our Lady to the children of ciple, and at the same time He gives her Fatima as alluding to this attack on his life. The pope attributed his survival to the to him as his mother. Mary’s motherhood, which becomes man’s inheritance, is a protection of the Blessed Mother, saying from the hospital, “It was a mother’s hand gift: a gift that Christ Himself makes personally to every believer. It is there, at the that guided the bullet’s path and in his foot of the cross, that begins the special throes the pope halted at the threshold of entrustment of humanity to the Mother death.” of Christ which has been practiced and John Paul visited Fatima a year later expressed in different ways throughout the on May 13 to give thanks to the Blessed history of the Church” (RM 45).

Virgin Mary. In a sentimental gesture, he Throughout his life, John Paul II totally placed the bullet that almost took his life embraced this understanding that he in the crown of the statue of Our Lady.

The second image that could almost go was entrusted to the intercession of our unnoticed is the sole representation of the Blessed Mother, which was evidenced by Blessed Virgin Mary in St. Peter’s square. his strong devotion to her. In fact, in his last public appearance on Palm Sunday John Paul II had the Vatican Mosaic 2005, when he appeared at the window Studios make an icon of Mary as Mother of the Apostolic Palace unable to speak, of the Church and place it in a window but only able to give his blessing, it is relooking over the piazza. The image is ported by those present, that, distressed in of the Blessed Mother holding the baby his inability to communicate to the crowd, Jesus. It contains the words “Totus Tuus” he simply wrote on a piece of paper, and John Paul II’s papal crest. Totus Tuus “Totus Tuus!” (“All Yours”) are the first two words of Father Mello is a parochial vicar at a total consecration to Mary found in the works of St. Louis de Montfort. John Paul St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth.

April 22, 2011

Q: I have a question about proper, or invariable, prefaces. During Lent, the Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation seem particularly appropriate. One popular liturgical planning guide even recommends using them. Sundays and weekdays of Lent, however, have proper prefaces. Are the two Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation therefore not allowed?

— D.H., Addison, Ill. A: The rubric that precedes the Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation in the new Latin Missal states that while this preface is normally invariable, it may be substituted by another one, provided that it contains the theme of reconciliation and forgiveness.

The rubric then suggests the Lenten prefaces as a suitable example for such substitutions.

Therefore, it is possible to adopt the Lenten prefaces when using these Eucharistic Prayers. Indeed, it is sometimes done by the pope when he celebrates the traditional Ash Wednesday station Mass in the Basilica of St. Sabina on Rome’s Aventine Hill.

The converse is also pos-

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he young priest introduced himself before he led a group of diocesan directors in a teaching on the spirituality of ministry.

He told us about his parents’ 40-year marriage and said, “my parents were high school sweethearts, and I was their senior year gift.’” This young priest’s simple statement of how his life came into existence told nothing of the struggle his parents must have faced as two teen-agers accepting the consequences of their decision. It told nothing of the condemnation they may have received, or of the tremendous love and support that may have helped them to grow and nurture their marriage. Instead, the declaration that he is a “gift” gave concrete evidence that where there is sin, grace abounds.

So often we forget that sin and grace are inextricably bound together like the helix of our DNA. When we forget this, we can get caught in the snare of attributing all of our sin to some evil force that exists outside of us, potent and difficult to overcome. We can lose heart and become gripped with fear, or be overburdened by scrupulosity, worrying

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Eucharistic prayers of reconciliation

days one to four because any sible on most Lenten weekone of the Lenten seasonal days; that is, one may use the prefaces may be used. On prayer of reconciliation with its proper preface during Lent. Sundays, however, either the This option is not available on preface is specific to the day or a Lenten preface is specifiSundays, which have specific cally mandated. prefaces, or during the fifth week of Lent and Holy Week where the prefaces of the Passion of the Lord are prescribed.

This possibility of substitution is not

By Father offered for the other Edward McNamara Eucharistic Prayers with proper prefaces.

The Eucharistic Prayers Eucharistic Prayer IV may for Masses for Various Needs never be separated from its are practically never used preface, and so its use during during Lent because their Lent is limited to weekdays use is restricted to whenever of the first four weeks. This one of these Masses is celEucharistic Prayer may not ebrated. Since such devotional be used whenever a “proper Masses are excluded during preface” is obligatory. Proper the Lenten season, except for preface is usually interpreted grave reasons and by mandate as preface of the day and not or consent of the bishop, the of the season. Hence, the fourth anaphora or Eucharistic occasion to use them almost never arises.

Prayer can usually be used Related to the question whenever the missal offers as to the use of the Euchaa choice of several seasonal ristic Prayers for Masses of prefaces, unless the rubric of Reconciliation, a reader had the days logically excludes inquired about the different this possibility. cycles of readings: For example, the prayer “My question is: When in may be used on Lenten week-

Liturgical Q&A

one of the three-year Sunday readings cycles (A, B and C) are priests allowed to substitute a different year’s readings for the current year at Sunday Mass? This was done in two parishes near me recently (Fourth Sunday in Lent) on the basis that there were RCIA candidates being initiated into the Church at Easter and that a different year’s readings were deemed more relevant to the reception/preparation of the candidates. If there are initiations every year at Easter (as seems to be the case in at least one of the parishes), it would seem to me that these parishes might never have the readings of the omitted years.

Are there any rules about swapping around the Sunday readings?”

This might effectively be the case. The introduction to the lectionary specifically mentions this possibility. To wit: “97. The Gospel readings are arranged as follows: “The first and second Sundays of Lent maintain the accounts of the Temptation and

Allowing Christ to transform us

messiness of human sin. This that even the most benign is why we say that we are behaviors can lead to the ocbaptized into Christ, because casion of sin. This is as much with Him, every occasion of a denial of the true nature of sin is an opportunity to show sin and grace as the mistaken God’s abundant love. Jesus belief that there is no such challenged the mispercepthing as sin, only psychologition of sin that alienated and cal flaws, or societal failures.

Neither position grasps the reality that sin and grace are the stuff that makes us human. To deny the existence of our inherent sinfulness, or to call every huBy Claire McManus man action an occasion for sin, distorts the Good News that marginalized the people whom Jesus Christ came to free us God loved so much. from our anthropological Our self-awareness of sin is destiny. We are, indeed, made ironically the point of converto be saved, as we celebrate sion to our self-awareness of in our liturgy each year at the grace.

Our Christian faith, so Easter Vigil: “O happy fault, filled with paradox, is rooted O necessary sin of Adam, in Good Friday.

This truth is which gained for us so great a at the heart of what one of Redeemer.” the readers of this column The challenge for us as expressed when she said that Christians is to look deeply evangelization needs a “Part into the dark side of our anTwo.” In response to my thropology, face it down, and then allow Christ to transform March 18 column about the Catholics Come Home camus. When Jesus accepted his paign, Sister Agnes offered own Baptism he accepted some insight from her many his solidarity with humanyears as a bearer of the Good ity. Jesus walked away from News. To evangelize, she said, his Baptism right into the

The Great Commission

one must be “not afraid to ask questions of those who have left: Are they still hurting?

Why did they leave?” The answers to these questions may make us very uncomfortable.

The only response to their hurt and disillusionment is the Good News that Jesus came to heal, not just the individual, but also the Church that He established to continue His mission. Our best effort to evangelize must begin within the mess that we have made of our lives, personally and institutionally. Our own era has its fill of sin and betrayal, but nothing that we have experienced comes close to the scandal that launched our mission. There was no greater mess or scandal than the unjust execution of the innocent Son of God, as St. Paul explained to the fledgling Christian community in Rome. “Only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” God’s message

Transfiguration of the Lord, with readings, however, from all three Synoptics.

“On the next three Sundays, the Gospels about the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus have been restored in Year A. Because these Gospels are of major importance in regard to Christian initiation, they may also be read in Year B and Year C, especially in places where there are catechumens.”

Thus, a parish that has catechumens every year might never use the Lenten readings from cycles B and C, at least at those Masses attended by the elect. This might be a small disadvantage, but I believe it is far outweighed by the privilege of being able to receive new members into the Church every Easter season.

Father Edward McNamara is a Legionary of Christ and professor of Liturgy at Regina Apostolorum University in Rome. His column appears weekly at zenit.org. Send questions to liturgy@zenit. org. Put the word “Liturgy” in the subject field. Text should include initials, city and state.

to us is that we do not need to stay in that messy place where we hang the cross as condemnation. Instead, we must place the cross in relation to all that Jesus did before His crucifixion, and all that became possible after His resurrection. This is the path to true discipleship.

Reconciliation is the other voice that accompanies the welcome home in the two-part harmony that leads to evangelization. Jesus came so that we may have a full life, freed from the shackles of sin. If we follow His example, evangelization will be a symphony of healing and reconciliation. Our parishes must become places that exude healing and forgiveness as part of their welcome.

Each and every sacrament must be an opportunity to be reconciled to God. Every feast must be a celebration of our return from exile and a welcome back into the community of believers. Unless we are a Church that embraces the sinner, not as one filled with evil, but as a person, fully human, there will be no home to which we welcome them back.

Claire McManus is the director of the Diocesan Office of Faith Formation.

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hat would you have done if you were the first person to arrive at the empty tomb on that first Easter morning? What if it were you who was alone in the garden, confused and questioning, when you encountered there a stranger? How would you feel when you recognized that stranger as Jesus, your Lord, who just a few days before had given His life on the Cross for you?

To say that we would have felt joy would, I’m sure, be an understatement. The experience of Mary Magdalene on that first Easter morning remains one unmatched in the history of the world. But who says that this event is only in the past?

Easter is not only something that happened 2,000 years ago in a small city half a world away. It is renewed in each

April 22, 2011

The Anchor

Living in the light of the Resurrection

of our lives in so many ways. it found us: it changes us, just First among these ways is at as it changed the lives of Mary every Mass, when our Lord Magdalene and the disciples so becomes substantially present long ago. When Christ became in the Eucharist, in which He incarnate, He took on all that shares His very self with us.

Our encounter with the Risen Lord is deepened through our Homily of the Week hearing of the Word Easter of God, and also our Sunday interaction with the worshipping comBy Deacon munity, the Church Riley Williams which is the Mystical Body of Christ. In all of these ways Christ is present to us, coming into we are, as one like us in all our lives and guiding us on our things but sin. In His death on journey through life towards the cross, He has conquered sin heaven, our true home. and renewed humanity, and at There is, however, another Easter He reveals His victory. dimension to Easter, seen in So, what does Easter mean how our encounter with Christ for us today? It means realchanges our lives. This enizing His victory in each of our counter can never leave us as lives. It means recognizing that

Easter isn’t just something that happens in the life of Jesus, but also in each of ours, through Him. It means loving others in a complete and selfless manner as we have been loved by Christ. It means recognizing that nothing we have done in life makes us unlovable or unredeemable, and that all things can be redeemed in Christ.

It means not remaining chained by our past sins, but rather seeking the forgiveness that Christ offers through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, thereby restoring His image in us.

Now, does this mean that everything in life will go perfectly from now on? Our past experience is enough to prove that this is not the case.

This unfolding of the victory

of Easter can take a lifetime to realize. It doesn’t mean that we won’t face further challenges, or future times in which we’ll feel stretched beyond what we can handle. By living Easter, however, we will live in the presence of Christ, who journeys with us through our difficulties and leads us to the new life beyond them.

As we renew our baptismal promises on Easter, may we do so realizing that we are not simply acknowledging a fact from the past, but also the foundation for the present hope in which we live. On this Easter may the Risen Christ come into each of our lives, that we may share more fully in His. Deacon Williams, a native of Osterville, is a transitional deacon studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Apr. 23, Holy Saturday, The Easter Vigil, (1) Gn 1:1-2:2 or 1:1, 26-31a; Ps 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35 or Ps 33:4-7, 12-13, 20, 22; (2) Gn 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Ps 16:5, 8-11; (3) Ex 14:15-15:1; (Ps) Ex 15:1-6, 17-18; (4) Is 54:5-14; Ps 30:2, 4-6, 11-12, 13b; (5) Is 55:1-11 (Ps) Is 12:2-3, 4-6; (6) Bar 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Ps 19:8-11; (7) Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28; Pss 42:3, 5; 43:3-4; or when Baptism is celebrated, (Ps) Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6 or Ps 51:12-15, 1819; (8) Rom 6:3-11; Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; (9) Mt 28:1-10. Sun. Apr. 24, Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of the Lord, Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; Col 3:1-4 or Col 5:6b-8; Jn 20:1-9 or Mt 28:1-10 or, at an afternoon or evening Mass, Lk 24:13-35. Mon. Apr. 25, Monday in the Octave of Easter, Acts 2:14, 22-33; Ps 16:1-2a, 7-11; Mt 28:8-15. Tues. Apr. 26, Tuesday in the Octave of Easter, Acts 2:36-41; Ps 33:4-15, 18-20, 22; Jn 20:11-18. Wed. Apr. 27, Wednesday in the Octave of Easter, Acts 3:1-10; Ps 105:1-4, 6-9; Lk 24:13-35. Thur. Apr. 28, Thursday in the Octave of Easter, Acts 3:11-26; Ps 8:2ab, 5-9; Lk 24:35-48. Fri. Apr. 29, Friday in the Octave of Easter, Acts 4:1-12; Ps 118:1-2, 4, 22-27a; Jn 21:1-14.

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or the past six weeks, I’ve had the privilege of participating in the station church pilgrimage of Lent, a Roman tradition that dates back to Christian antiquity.

From at least the early fourth century, the pope celebrated Mass during Lent with his clergy and the Roman Christian community at a designated “station” church. As Christianity became a more public faith, these “stations” were often basilicas built to honor Roman martyrs, constructed atop or around a former house church. Pope St. Gregory the Great fixed the order of the Roman station church pilgrimage in the sixth century, although further stations were added later as the Roman Church began to celebrate Mass on every one of the 40 days.

Companions on the road to Easter

seminary on Rome’s JanicuThe classic station church lum Hill, began to follow the pilgrimage died when the ancient custom of walking to popes moved to Avignon in the station church traditionthe 14th century. But strong echoes of the ancient pilgrim- ally appointed for that day, age remained in the liturgy, for the Mass texts and prayers of Lent frequently reflected the Roman station church of the day and the saint honored there. Those

By George Weigel echoes continue, if in more muted form, in the post-conciliar Lenten liturgy. What each day of Lent. The prachas been revived, however, tice caught on among other and in a very dramatic way, English-speakers in the city, is the station church pilgrimso that, in Lent 2011, as many age itself. And the revival as 500 Anglophones have has been largely an American come to the traditional station affair. church of the day at 7 a.m.

In the mid-1980s, students for Mass. Many walk. Others from the Pontifical North take buses, or the Metro, or American College, the U.S. drive. But on any given day of Lent, Monday through Saturday, you’ll find hundreds of English-speakers at the station church of the day, keeping faith with the traditions of the first millennium.

I was introduced to this happy custom in the mid1990s, while working on the biography of Pope John Paul II, and over the past 17 years it has been a rare Lent when

The Catholic Difference

I have not been able to make at least a part of the station church pilgrimage. This year, I’m doing the entire pilgrimage while preparing a book on this remarkable tradition in cooperation with Elizabeth Lev, a brilliant art historian, and my son, Stephen, a gifted photographer. We hope to have “The Station Churches of Rome: A Pilgrimage of Conversion” available by Lent 2013 in formats ranging from a traditional hardback to an iPhone app: as a means of discovering many unknown riches of Roman Church art and architecture; as a companion with which to “make” the station church pilgrimage at home; as an invitation to try a part of the pilgrimage in person; and, we hope, as a literary and visual deepening of the Lenten experience, wherever one lives the 40 days.

Along with some classic studies of the liturgy, one new book has been an invaluable companion on this year’s station church walk: Pope Benedict XVI’s recentlypublished study, “Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week — From

the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection” (Ignatius Press). Father Raymond de Souza has written that this second volume of the pope’s projected three-volume masterwork on Jesus firmly establishes Joseph Ratzinger as the most learned man in the world. It’s a title the Holy Father would doubtless dismiss with his usual shy smile. A close reading of the book suggests that Father de Souza was not exaggerating.

There is an astonishing amount of learning, distilled over a lifetime of reading and prayerful reflection, gathered here. Benedict XVI is fully in command of contemporary biblical scholarship. Rather than dissecting the biblical text, though, he deploys that critical historical knowledge in a richly theological and spiritual presentation of the Passion narratives that invites the reader into the mystery of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen — and does so in a way that is accessible to everyone, for which he deserves the gratitude of the entire Christian world.

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

April 22, 2011

Johnny ‘The Ladder Man’ and other saints I have known

22 April 2011 — at home in the Dightons — God’s Friday o, dear readers, Johnny “The Ladder Man” is not a firefighter here in Dighton. He’s one of the saints in Heaven. His formal name is St. John Climacus. “Climacus” isn’t his surname. It’s his nickname. It’s Greek for “he of the ladder.” St. John was a sixth-century abbot of the monastery on Mount Sinai.

He wrote a book called “The Ladder to Paradise” in which he compared the stages of spiritual growth to the rungs of a ladder.

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The monks started calling him Johnny “The Ladder Man.” On his feast day, it occurred to

The Ship’s Log Reflections of a Parish Priest

By Father Tim Goldrick me that some of our saints have nicknames more colorful than any member of the Mafia. Nick-

names indicate just how familial the saints can be for us. We only give nicknames to family members and close friends.

Few people know, for example, that my family nickname was Timmy-Joe (a contraction of Timothy Joseph). My college classmates called me “Zoob.” They said it was Russian for “The Tooth.” Seems I was always grinning. My seminary classmates called me “Goldie.”

It’s a spin-off of my surname.

Spiritually strong

Say religion is very important o little boys and girls in their lives: 63 women; 49 play with blocks in the men. same way? According to Dr. Have absolutely certain belief Gianfrancesco Zuanazzi, who in a personal God: 58 women; taught the psychology of mar45 men. ried life at the John Paul II InstiAttend worship services at tute for the Studies of Marriage least weekly: 44 women; 34 and Family in Rome, no. Little men.” boys tend to build towers, while The woman’s spiritual inclilittle girls tend to build harbors nations are a source of profound and place objects in the middle. strength for her. She in turn can Zuanazzi explained that boys be a rock, a resting place for her experience the need to discover family members. who they are by looking outside of themselves and beyond. Girls, on the other hand, know they are the same as their mother, and are serene about their identity. They enclose space moved by

By Joan Kingsland the desire to take care of life, whether it’s a home they’re imagining or a I would link a woman’s intecorral for animals. rior strength to her experience of Characteristic of the man is a being loved. When she knows drive to go beyond and to condeep within that she is loved for quer. The woman tends towards her own sake, unconditionally, a greater interior depth. Men and thus truly, a woman is cain general are not at rest with pable of enduring great suffering themselves, urged on by a sense for the sake of her loved ones. of transcendence; women are at In experiencing love the woman home within themselves, moved feels the need to love others. by a sense of immanence, of Pope John Paul II affirmed serene indwelling. this in his 1988 Apostolic Letter It’s not surprising, therefore, on the Dignity and Vocation of that women have a greater inWomen: “A woman’s dignity terior strength in contrast to the is closely connected with the man’s might. Women are more love which she receives by the attuned to the spiritual element very reason of her femininity; it of their personhood and to God. is likewise connected with the Proof of this is found in the Pew love which she gives in return” Forum’s U.S. Religious 2007 (n. 30).

Landscape Survey, summarized With her tiny, hunched in the article, “The Stronger Sex stature, Blessed Mother Teresa — Spiritually Speaking” found of Kolkata is a prime example at pewforum.org: of feminine strength. She knew “Percentage of women and what she wanted: to take care men who: of the most abandoned and Are affiliated with a religion: needy people. She was also very 88 women; 79 men. capable of mobilizing all types Have absolutely certain belief of people to that end, including in God or a universal spirit: 77 politicians, businessmen, generwomen; 65 men. als and many regular folk.

Pray at least daily: 66 Another example is Cristina women; 49 men.

Feminine Gifts

Mocellin. Like St. Gianna Molla, she refused cancer treatment in order to give birth to her son, Riccardo. Every year I read out loud in class the letter she wrote to her baby son a month before she died (October of 1995), and every year I get choked up: “Ricardo, you’re a gift for us.

That evening, in the car, returning from the hospital, when you moved for the first time, it seemed like you said to me: ‘Thank you, mamma, for loving me.’

“And how could we not want you? You are precious, and when I look at you and see how beautiful, lively and sweet you are, I think that there’s no suffering in the world that isn’t worth it for a child.

“I can’t but thank God for wanting to give us this great gift of our children. Only He knows how much we want more, but right now that is truly impossible” (Cronache Italiane, Monday 4, December 1995).

Mother Teresa, Gianna Molla and Cristina Mocellin were all heroic in their self-giving out of love. But there are many other women whose interior strength keeps them and their family and others going.

It’s good for us women to be mindful of our special capacity for interior strength so that we can foster it. Our friends and family members are relying on us. It’s also key for us to root the source of our strength in our being infinitely, unconditionally loved by our heavenly Father.

Joan Kingsland, a consecrated woman of Regnum Christi, teaches theology at Mater Ecclesiae College in Greenville, R.I. She received a doctorate from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Rome.

Please don’t spread any of this around.

The study of the saints is called hagiography. It’s fascinating. Of course, many of the saints are little-known outside their geographic area and most are not in the universal calendar of the Church. Still, we loved them enough to give them nicknames.

There’s St. John Chrysostom, fourth-century Archbishop of Constantinople. He was so renowned for his preaching and public speaking that people gave him the nickname “The Man with the Golden Mouth.” In Greek, that’s chrysostom. Do not confuse him with “The Man with the Golden Gun.” That would be James Bond.

One of my favorites is St. Simon “Stylites.” What, pray tell, is a stylite? Well, for 600 years it was a form of asceticism favored by extreme hermits. It has inexplicably gone out of fashion. They just wanted to rise above it all so they set up a pillar, built a small wooden platform on top (exposed to the elements) and proceeded to live up there for years on end. Simon’s pole was more than 50 feet in the air.

Simon lived on his pillar for 38 years. They call him stylites, “Saint on a Stick.”

There’s one famous saint whose given name we don’t even know. We do know he was born to a noble Roman family. We call him “The Patrician.” That’s Patricius in Latin. The feast day of St. Patrick is 17 March.

There’s St. John “The Good,” the seventh-century bishop of Milan. There’s no St. John “The Bad.” That would be an oxymoron. Let’s not forget the saint they call “Shorty” — St. Bassian of Lodi. Bassian, from the Latin, means short and stocky.

How about the Italian saint who was so morose they called her “The Gloomy?” That would be St. Fusca. She suffered martyrdom at the age of 15 years, having been denounced to the authorities as a Christian by her own father. No wonder she was gloomy. “Brother Angel” is yet another — the 14th-century

Dominican friar and world-class Italian painter Blessed Giovanni, “Fra Angelico.”

Speaking of Dominicans, another famous saint was so disliked by some of the friars that they mocked his weight. They called him “the dumb ox.” Have you ever seen the size of a live ox? I have. Fortunately, the nasty nickname never caught on. To us, he’s St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the Church’s most brilliant scholars.

Even some of the Apostles had nicknames. Jesus Himself called one of them “Rocky.”

His true name was not Sylvester Stallone but Simon Bar Jonah.

Petrus or “Peter” means “The Rock.” St. Thomas is another.

“Thomas” means “the twin.” I wonder if he was identical or fraternal.

We had a pope named “Hap.” That would be Pope St. Hillary (hilarus).

Some of our saints must have had parents who just couldn’t come up with a good name for their baby, so they gave the kid a number instead. It’s usually the child’s birth order in the family.

St. Secundus was the number two son. St. Quintus is named “The Fifth.” This, I presume, was not a reference to a measure of Scotch. I am not making this up.

As we gather in our churches during this most holy week, our solemn worship here on earth is a reflection of and a participation in the Divine Liturgy that takes place eternally before the throne of God. The glory of the saints in festive array worshipping in heaven is beyond our imagining.

Nevertheless, as we look out at the holy ones, we’ll see some familiar faces. Over there is John “The Ladder Man” next to John “The Man with the Golden Mouth.” And there with “Rocky” is the pope formerly known as “Hap” with “Brother Angel” and “The Patrician.” We’ll feel right at home.

Isn’t hagiography fun?

Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Nicholas of Myra Parish in North Dighton.

30 Budlong Road, Cranston, R.I. • 401-942-4800

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The Anchor

A guide for the Lenten pilgrimage

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

FALL RIVER — As people begin to gather at Espirito Santo School in Fall River, John Jacob acknowledges each person with a quiet greeting in Portuguese. It is the first rehearsal for this year’s Romeiros, a procession that will begin at the Espirito Santo Parish then weave its way through the streets of Fall River. As more people continue to come in from Rhode Island, New Bedford, Taunton and Fall River, many of them may not be aware that if it weren’t for John Jacob and two other cofounders, the Romeiros may not have become an annual event.

The Romeiros is marked by singing and prayers, as area Portuguese Catholics display their faith by dressing in traditional costumes and making their way from parish to parish, stopping each time to pray. The day-long procession in Fall River hearkens back to the traditional weeklong procession on the island of St. Michael in the Azores, when groups from different villages would set out for a pilgrimage; a religious practice that stemmed from a major earthquake in 1522 that destroyed area towns, killing many inhabitants.

Seen as the only life insurance the islands had against such a catastrophe repeating itself, the romeiros (pilgrims)

would stop at more than 100 the city had difficulty clos- in the presence of Pontius Pichurches and chapels along ing entire streets for them to late, while those using staffs pass, limiting the procession will be expressing Jesus as their route.

A parishioner of Espirito to only one side; that is, until king. Rosaries will be in abundance, said JaSanto Parish since he cob, but cell phones came to the country will not and are kept in 1969, Jacob, along out of sight during the with two other men, procession. introduced the idea When the group of the city holding its steps off at 8 a.m., own Romeiros. Gathit will make its way ering a small crowd of to the first church, roughly 68 people on where the master will the steps of Espirito stop outside the door.

Santo Parish in 1984, Praying for the pabefore the group was tron of that church, he able to take its first will sing as the crowd step, Jacob was apresponds, and after proached and told asking permission to there might be a misenter, everyone will understanding over go into the church to why all those people pray. had gathered together.

“Then we pray to“It was very difgether. We pray for the ficult. The Big Dan people of the parish case was at that time,” that are sick, all the said Jacob, of the souls who have died, rape case that rocked and most of the times the city decades ago. we pray for peace in “When we went the the world and for those first time, we were at the steps and a lot of Anchor Person of the Week — John Ja- who are out of work,” cob. (Photo by Becky Aubut) said Jacob, adding that people told us that we the group will pray for were doing a kind of troubled young people demonstration. It was very tough; the first couple of it became too large, said Ja- to find their own inner peace.

Those watching may ask years were very tough. A lot cob. The number of participants has grown to an annual for a certain prayer to be said. people didn’t understand.”

It took a few more years 250-plus people contributing When a person does that, he of consistently making the their faith and prayers; a few or she will need to match pilgrimage to area churches years ago they had their larg- their devotion by praying before people were able to est crowd to date with 292 the same prayer equaling the appreciate what they were participating: and last year number of people in the proseeing. One other obstacle the Romeiros saw 269 people cession. As the procession continues, a band will play, the participants faced was singing and praying.

The event begins at Es- the statues of Jesus and Mary pirito Santo Parish as people will make the rounds with the gather together at 6 a.m. and participants until additional don traditional costumes. parishes are visited, with the Shawls cover the upper body, entire day culminating back representing when Jesus was at Espirito Santo Parish just

April 22, 2011

after 6 p.m.

“It’s the one day we all call each other brother and sister,” said Jacob, of the 12- to 14mile journey.

The age demographic of those brothers and sisters tends to hold a larger contingency of older Portuguese Catholics, and Jacob hopes that the youth don’t lose sight of the meaning behind the history of the Romeiros.

“We need some younger people, especially young men, to say those prayers in front of the church because not everyone knows how to do that,” said Jacob, of those needing to learn the customs of being a master. “This is a good time for them to learn that because the older ones won’t be here forever to keep up the tradition.”

And Jacob knows that more than anyone; he is the last cofounder of the Romeiros still living. The other two passed away some years ago. Knowing that the procession will be forever part of his legacy, he also hopes that youth will be inspired to continue the tradition long after he is gone.

“There were two kids, seven or eight years old, and they were coming with their father,” said Jacob. “Now they are married with their own children and they continue to come. It’s important, and for me, the most important thing is we have a lot of young people.”

To submit a Person of the Week nominee, send an email with information to fatherrogerlandry@anchornews. org

April 22, 2011

The Anchor

To advertise in The Anchor, contact Wayne Powers at 508-675-7151 or Email waynepowers@anchornews.org

St. Francis Xavier Parish, Acushnet

Wishing You a Happy and Holy Easter

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The Anchor

April 22, 2011

‘Bathroom Bill’ legislation re-filed continued from page two

duced three years ago. The legislation would add “gender identity of expression” to the state ban on sex discrimination. It has been dubbed the “Bathroom Bill” because it would open up all public facilities to both genders, which would include school, hospital and church rest rooms. Opponents say that those who stand up for designated facilities could be charged with a civil rights violation.

In an effort to enact the Transgender Rights Bill into a law, supporters attached the measure to the Massachusetts budget last year, but it was later dropped. It never came up for a vote.

Currently, the legislation has been again assigned to the Judiciary Committee. Avila said that the committee generally holds off hearings on controversial bills until late in the legislative session. There is no indication of an upcoming hearing date.

Fewer legislators support the bill this year. The number dropped from 81 to 52 in the House and from 23 to 16 in the Senate, according to Kristian Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute.

The bill has changed slightly from last year. Its length is a bit shorter, but Mineau told The Anchor at its core it is the same.

It would still open up public rest rooms to members of the opposite sex and because the

language is subjective, anyone could claim the right to use an opposite-sex bathroom. It would create a “chaotic environment” for students using bathrooms and locker rooms at school. Mineau called the move “preposterous.”

“It’s an invasion of modesty and it opens the door to sexual predators. It gives them a carte blanche license to walk into any bathroom they please, claiming they feel like that gender. No one can challenge them,” he said.

“We are not saying that transgendered people, as troubled as they are, are sexual predators.

But there are tens of thousands of registered sexual predators here in Massachusetts. Why are we opening the bathroom doors to them?” he clarified.

The American Psychological Association lists transgenderism as a mental disorder, and opponents of the transgender bill say that good public policy should help people overcome such a disorder.

“Transgendered people are people who are struggling with a serious issue,” Mineau said.

“They don’t need to be given a license to further accentuate their problems.”

A website was created in opposition to the bill. Concerned citizens who want to sign a petition against the “Bathroom Bill” can visit www.nobathroombill. com.

Happy Easter from

birds of a feather — Animated characters Blu and Jewell appear in a scene from the movie “Rio.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Fox)

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

“Arthur” (Warner Bros.)

The utterly frivolous, merrily alcoholic heir (Russell Brand) to a billion-dollar corporate fortune is threatened with disinheritance unless he marries a domineering executive (Jennifer Garner) who plans to curb his wayward lifestyle. A chance encounter with a working-class New York City tour guide (Greta Gerwig), however, leaves the previously heedless playboy smitten and forced to choose between luxury and love. Though director Jason Winer’s remake of Steve Gordon’s popular 1981 comedy intermittently touches on the limits of materialism, it gives a pass to its main character’s promiscuity and tends to trivialize his problem drinking. The fitful laughs on offer mostly derive from the tart observations of Helen Mirren as the man-boy’s affectionate but not uncritical British nanny — the distaff counterpart to John Gielgud’s butler in the original.

A fleeting nongraphic bedroom scene, an obscured nude image, brief irreverent humor, frequent sexual references, a couple of uses of profanity and a few crude terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“Hanna” (Focus) Espionage thriller in which Saoirse Ronan plays the titular teen, a child bred to kill.

Raised in isolation by her father (Eric Bana), who trains her to use violence as instinctively as a wild animal, she’s pursued — once she starts to put her deadly skills to use — by the CIA agent (Cate Blanchett) who alone knows her family’s dark secrets. Engaging performances overcome plot improbabilities in director Joe Wright’s action outing. But the moral murkiness of story lines instrumental to the wrap-up, and references to genetic manipulation and abortion, restrict the film’s appropriate audience to religiously and ethically well-grounded adults.

Mature themes, extensive but non-gory gun and martial-arts violence, a single profanity and fleeting crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“Rio” (Fox) Buoyant animated adventure with music about a Brazilianborn macaw (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) raised as a cosseted pet in Minnesota. Informed by an eccentric Rio-based scientist (voice of Rodrigo Santoro) that her feathery friend is the last male of his species, his devoted owner (voice of Leslie Mann) reluctantly brings him back to his native land so that he can mate with his sole remaining female counterpart (voice of Anne Hathaway). But the potential lovebirds get caught up in the illegal avian trade. Lessons about environmental stewardship and love-inspired loyalty are decked out in kaleidoscopic colors and delivered in an overwhelmingly child-friendly tone in director Carlos Saldanha’s 3-D flight of fancy. A few nursery-level bathroom references, a fleeting double entendre. The Catholic News Service classification is A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G — general audiences.

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6

Sunday, April 17, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday Celebrant is Bishop George W. Coleman

April 22, 2011

R

uth Pakaluk died of metastatic breast cancer in 1998 at the youthful age of 41. She had seven children (one of whom died of sudden infant death syndrome), and was married to Michael Pakaluk, professor of philosophy at Ave Maria University (and columnist for the Boston Pilot). Ignatius Press has just published a magnificent volume of her letters and talks entitled “The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God,” edited with a biographical overview and notes by Michael.

One might think that her life, marked by the untimely deaths of her son Thomas, followed by her own, was tragic.

Actually, it is more a divine comedy that has a happy ending, manifesting “the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God,” one of her favorite lines from a Graham Greene novel.

This is because, as Michael documents in his introduction, Ruth’s life was one of continual conversion and joy amidst the ups and downs of daily life. She showed “the greatest love in the smallest things,” as Pope Benedict recently said of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Gifted with a great sense of humor, a powerful and penetrating intellect, and a dynamite writing style, Ruth reminds me of Flannery O’Connor, the great American writer whom Thomas Merton compared to Sophocles.

OK, I’m biased. I knew Ruth the last 10 years of her life, and have always been close to Michael and the Pakaluks. Ruth, Michael and myself were all active in Opus Dei as well as the Pro-Life movement, and we all had Harvard bachelor’s degrees.

Funny to think of Ruth (or Michael, for that matter) as a bachelor of anything, since they got married as undergrads. Ruth went on to serve as president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life for a number of years, as if being a mother and homemaker didn’t give her enough to do.

Here’s Ruth giving a talk on Plan of Life, “a schedule or a system for working prayer and other aspects of the spiritual life into your daily routine”: “The love God is really looking for, the love that is true and that counts, is the love of 10,000 mornings of getting up, being cheerful, listening to the kids when they come in from school like a thundering herd of elephants,

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The Anchor

Radiating joy amidst the screaming kids and smiling at your husband ant. In fact, it seems to me to when he comes in from work make it less pleasant, because and refraining from rehearsing business suits are uncomfortall the horrors of your day. It able. A surprising number of is these countless, repeated acts of self-denial that makes love deepen and grow.”

In a letter to a friend dated Sept. 18, 1993, she wrote: “I understand completeBy Dwight Duncan ly the relief you felt at the end of the day.

Mothers long for the same every day starting at about 4 p.m. My friend people find the money they Katy and I call it the Arsenic make adequate compensation Hour (it’s either you or them, for this experience of drudgbut someone’s going to get it ery. I don’t think I would. in the tea).

“Housewives have lots of “However, we somehow physical work and drudgdrag ourselves through it, ery and the psychologically through dinner, through the difficult task of listening to bedtime bedlam, then collapse children fight, cry, and whine. at the close of the day after But we have more free time maybe writing a letter (like to think our own thoughts and this one) or reading a chapter converse with our friends than or two. But it is a great life. most people ever do. I canAs far as I can make out, not picture a job that would everyone has the burden of be more appealing to me than finding a large part of the day this.” a grind. Just because you exThe pope could easily perience this in a business suit have been explaining Ruth does not make it more pleaswhen he said earlier this

Judge For Yourself

week: “Christian holiness is none other than charity, fully experienced.” However, in order that charity might, “like a good seed, grow in the soul and there bear fruit, the faithful must listen gladly to the Word of God and, by its grace, carry out His will through their works, participate frequently in the sacraments, above all the Eucharist and the Holy Liturgy; they must constantly apply themselves in prayer, in the abnegation of their selves, in the active service of their brothers and in the exercise of every virtue” (Pope Benedict XVI,

general audience of April 13, 2011).

Get this book. Read this book. It couldn’t be more timely: A Hollywood movie out next month entitled “There Be Dragons” depicts the origins of Opus Dei in the early years of St. Josemaria Escriva, its founder. Ruth’s story is likewise one of holiness, extraordinary virtue, lived amidst ordinary concerns in modern America. Her story, though practically here and now, is nonetheless timeless and radiant.

To be continued.

Dwight Duncan is a professor at UMass School of Law Dartmouth. He holds degrees in civil and canon law.

14

I

n 1785, the great Scottish poet Robert Burns created a work from which emerged one of the most recognized adages in history.

In his poem, “To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough,” he wrote, “The best laid schemes of mice and men / go often askew.” I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve lived out that proclamation.

Once in a while, we tend to get little reminders of simple things that are taken for granted. This morning I received one of those reminders. It was another instance of my “best laid plans” going “askew.”

Today is Patriots Day in Massachusetts, and most diocesan offices are closed.

But Monday holidays and the

The Anchor

April 22, 2011

Going askew with stitches and glue

editorial side of The Anchor My well-intentioned gesare like oil and water — they ture “askewed” the rest of don’t mix. The Anchor goes to my day ... and a few more for press on Tuesdays so Mongood measure. While washing days are crunch days when the blade, my finger glanced most of the news copy and across the dreaded weapon, photos are edited and fine-tuned.

My plan today was to meet staffers Becky and Ken and prepare this week’s edition to be “put to bed,” as we like

By Dave Jolivet to say, then get out and enjoy the rest of the Bay State holiday.

My plans started out fine opening up a nasty boo-boo. enough. I got up on time, Denise would be the first to showered and groomed and tell you that I’m notorious for was nearly out the door when slicing and dicing myself in I decided to finish one small the kitchen, but usually the chore — washing our food wounds are manageable. Not processor to save my wife today. I immediately had a Denise the trouble. feeling that this time I would need some assistance. So instead of saving her the minute of cleaning time, I took a good hour-and-a-half away from her day — driving me to the ER and the subsequent wait.

It’s ironic that our trip to put me back together again, brought me right past The Anchor office at about the same

My View From the Stands

time I had planned on arriving for work.

The finger had to be glued shut and held secure with cloth stitches, pretty much limiting my typing abilities for a few days.

I had a feature to write that Ken graciously took on, but “My View From the Stands” would be a different story (no pun intended).

I thought of dictating a column to Emilie and having her type it since her nimble fingers fly across the keyboard. But she’s on a well-deserved vacation from school this week, and I would have felt obligated to pay her.

“I can do this,” I defiantly thought. This column will be a labor of love. So hearkening back to my hunt-and-peck typing days in high school, I courageously started to write this week’s column. Since I’m sharing this story with you, the “human processor” catastrophe saved me the mental effort of coming up with a topic.

With a throbbing ring finger held daintily in the air,

I’m banging out this creation one baby-step at a time.

I’m nearly done now, and this has taken me at least four or five times longer than my usual masterpieces.

This wasn’t so bad ... just slow.

I find it amazing how such a simple error can change things in an instant.

The things at The Anchor that I could practically do blind-folded (although I don’t, Father Landry), are now a chore. I now have to shower with a surgical glove on one hand, and strumming my guitar is out of the question this week. Plus Denise had to wash the blade again. And she and Emilie have to keep me away from sharp objects from here on in.

Oh well, the best laid plans of this mouse went askew today. So if you excuse me now, I’m going to go check on the Boston Marathon and the Red Sox. I just hope I don’t start clapping when something good happens, or else there goes the plans for the rest of the day.

‘Sin-free’ play advances NAC to quarterfinals of priestly soccer series

Revise d and Updat ed

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — “Angelic” play helped advance the Pontifical North American College soccer team to the quarterfinals of the Clericus Cup. A three-way tie for the lead in the division was broken by adding the total of yellow, red and “sin bin” blue cards each team accumulated over the past three matches.

The 16-team tournament exclusively for priests and seminarians in Rome uses the yellow card for a foul or unsportsmanlike conduct; the red card, which results in expulsion from the game; and the soccer series’ unique blue card, which is a five-minute expulsion for players who get carried away and need time to

This week in

cool down. Zero disciplinary actions against the North American College gave it the nickname “Little Angels” and bumped the squad to the top of its division.

The Brazilian College had three yellow cards, and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas of Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, had two yellow cards. Brazil did not make the cut because of its penalty points, while the Angelicum will advance to the quarterfinals with the NAC and six other teams.

This year’s Clericus Cup season is significantly shorter than in the past, with only three games played before the quarterfinals May 14.

Diocesan history

50 years ago — A special edition of The Anchor was distributed in the churches to every Catholic family in the diocese to commemorate Bishop James L. Connolly’s 10th anniversary as Ordinary of the Diocese with related pictures and stories.

10 years ago — The Fall River Diocese marked the 60th anniversary of its Catholic Charities Appeal effort which was started in March of 1942 by Bishop James E. Cassidy in response to the area’s needs in the aftermath of World War II.

25 years ago — Workers installed the lone stained glass window that survived the 1982 fire that destroyed the original Notre Dame Church in Fall River inside the newly-built church on Eastern Avenue in the city. The 28-foot window depicting the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt was made in Paris.

One year ago — Longtime program directors Jerry and Scottie Foley announced their intention to retire from the Diocesan Office of Family Ministry after nearly 30 years in the ministry during an annual appreciation banquet for program volunteers at the Hawthorne Country Club in North Dartmouth.

April 22, 2011

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The Anchor

Father Pregana brings Holy Land experiences to Guaimaca continued from page two

ity that is a cultural stamp of the country’s native people.

“Some of it is cultural, lots of singing and marching; processions are big and more animated.

It helps you enter into it a little bit more because there is more drama to it,” said Father Pregana, “you get a bit of a more feel for it.”

As the Holy Week progressed, there were additional celebrations by barrios, including dramatizations of St. Peter’s denial and Judas’ betrayal. Holy Thursday saw a barrio prepare to wash feet, followed by adoration. Reenacting the arrest of Jesus is especially moving, said Father Pregana, as the entire procession walks in silence to commemorate Jesus being taken to Caiaphas. Good Friday also takes tremendous effort as many of the youth create living Stations of the Cross.

“That’s a huge piece,” said Father Pregana. “They march through the town and reenact the Good Friday service. It’s a big celebration for all of Holy Week and certainly Easter.”

What makes the celebrations more poignant is the staggering poverty faced by the residents of the barrios. Many of the basic comforts we take for granted in the United States are luxuries in Guaimaca, said Father Pregana, and while everyone seems to live in poverty, there are some who live in misery; that’s when the Church can reach out and connect to those who need it most.

“We’re trying to reach out and bring them in,” said Father Pregana, “and let them know the Church is helping how we can.”

The Church is playing a more important role than ever since the schools recently closed while the teachers are on strike, leaving children with nowhere to go. The teachers went on strike after the government insisted that the cities pay for the teachers’ salaries instead of receiving their salaries at the federal level.

“The problem is the cities cannot afford it,” said Father Pregana. “You can understand the teachers’ position, but unfortunately the children are caught in the middle. In the long run, what is happening is the poor are really being held poor and aren’t receiving an education. It’s hurting the society because they’re not going to be able to develop as much as they should be developing.”

One way Father Pregana is helping keep the youth busy is having them form a youth council. Similar to creating a parish council, each barrio is represented in the youth council that meets on a regular basis. Maintaining that unity will help promote the life of young people in the parish,

said Father Pregana, and keep the future of the Church intact.

“We are trying to keep them connected to the Church, because without going to classes, obviously, there’s a bigger chance of their doing drugs or hanging around getting into bad habits,” said Father Pregana, adding that the youths just finished building a chapel in a barrio as a project.

“We try to provide them a place to stay connected and to occupy their time, also reaching out.”

Recently, to fill some of that time, Bishop Connolly High School Spanish teacher, Rachel Andrepont, came up with the idea of an exchange on the Internet between her Spanish IV students and some of the high school students from the Fall River Mission in Guaimaca. Using a small webcam the students in Fall River and Guaimaca communicated. The students exchanged questions about life in Guaimaca and life in the U.S., favorite foods, favorite music, past times, and sports.

This past Christmas, many families benefitted from a Christmas tree tag fund-raiser that garnered an incredible showing of

support from many local parishes in the Fall River Diocese.

“We had a tremendous response, and we are very grateful for the parishes in our diocese that supported the mission. Many people who have never come there, understand the poverty level and were able to reach out.

I know that things are difficult here, but people are very much willing to reach down and sacrifice as well,” said Father Pregana.

During Lent, Father Pregana promoted a “Coffee-to-Go” program, where people sacrificed their morning coffee usually purchased at a coffee house and donated that money to his mission.

As a thank-you, Father Pregana provided those who participated with some Honduran coffee.

“It was really done to raise consciousness, that, although things are difficult here, we are far more blessed,” said Father Pregana. “I think the sacrifices that we make for the poor down in Honduras are sacrifices that God certainly blesses. If we recognize that our lives are blessed, we really should bless the lives of others.”

sweet contribution — Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River recently recognized volunteers from Espirito Santo Parish at the “Love Made Visible” awards presentation. The volunteers made more than 400 malassadas for residents and staff in celebration of Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Seated, from left: Catholic Memorial resident Dorothy Souza, Lourdes Alves, and Marcia Souza. Standing: Silvinia Pavao, Maria Raposo, Santo Cristo Aldolfo, and Beatrice De Oliveira.

a peek at history — Associate Nancy Reed of Taunton enjoys display of Holy Union history at the recent celebration of the order’s 125th anniversary in the U.S.

Area Holy Union Sisters celebrate 125 years in U.S.

FALL RIVER — The Holy Union Sisters are celebrating 125 years in the United States this year with regional celebrations throughout the northeast.

It was fitting that the celebration for this area began with the Sisters, former students, friends and family recently joining the St. Michael Parish Community for the Sunday liturgy.

Evan Matos, president of the student council, welcomed the Sisters.

The Holy Union Sisters have ministered continuously at St. Michael School for its 80 years of existence, Father Edward Correia noted in his homily. He compared the faith of the first 10 Holy Union Sisters who traveled from France to Fall River with the man in the Gospel born blind, but whose faith enabled him to see. It was the faith of these women that enabled them to come to cross the ocean and come to an unknown land to staff Sacred Heart School in Fall River at the invitation of the pastor, Father Matthias McCabe.

During the liturgy, the congregation renewed its baptismal promises and the Holy Union Sisters renewed their vows. Holy

Union Associates renewed their promises. Sisters served as lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and participated in the offertory procession.

Retired pastor, Father Luis Cardoso and Deacon Jose Medeiros were also in attendance.

A reception and brunch at Venus de Milo in Swansea followed the Mass.

Visual displays of the schools and parishes staffed by Holy Union Sisters in Fall River, Taunton and Brockton as well as Portsmouth and Tiverton, R.I. evoked fond memories from those attending. A PowerPoint presentation of the vision of Holy Union’s mission into the future was shown. All who attended received a souvenir booklet which details the history of Holy Union in the United States.

The year-long celebration will conclude with a 3 p.m. liturgy on October 16 at Sacred Heart Church, Fall River, where Bishop George W. Coleman will be the celebrant. A reception will follow at Whites of Westport.

Further information about the year’s events can be found on the United States Province website: www. Holyunionsisters.org

16

Youth Pages

April 22, 2011

singing his praises — Students at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro attended a service at the church as part of the parish’s Lenten Mission held for four days in April. Vince Ambrosetti artist and songwriter headed the mission. Shown are the students with Father Richard Roy, pastor of St. John’s, participating in the service through song.

time well invested — Five lucky high school students were invited to attend the sixth annual Global Economic Forum presented by the Archway Investment Fund at Bryant University, North Smithfield, R.I. Students had the unique opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on “Current Market Trends” and were fortunate to hear a keynote address from Gary Shilling, a leading economic consultant.

From left: Coyle and Cassidy High School (Taunton) students Scott Cummings, Jason Kelly, and Matt Besse, and Bishop Connolly (Fall River) students Peter Le and Ryan Faria.

great day — Deacon John Foley, left, of the Fall River Diocese, was the Confirmation sponsor for his niece Grace Bentley in Fairfield, Conn. Bishop William E. Lori of the Bridgeport Diocese was the principal celebrant. At right is Father Samuel Kachuba of St. Pius X Church in Fairfield, where the Confirmation was recently held. (Photo by Barbara-Anne Foley)

bunny hop — An Easter Outreach Dinner for 150 local neighbors in need was recently hosted by 130 Bishop Feehan High School, Attleboro, students who were participating in a day-long retreat. Kate Svensen, left, and Katie Powell kept the kids entertained while the adults enjoyed their meals.

defending champs — Students from the Greater New Bedford Catholic schools recently participated in the second annual Catholic Challenge at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth. Pictured are the winners for a second year in a row, St. James-St. John School in New Bedford.

April 22, 2011

M

ark was a freshman in high school when he saw a kid from his class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books and Mark thought to himself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?

He must really be a nerd.” Mark had quite a weekend planned — parties and a football game with his friends the following afternoon — so he shrugged his shoulders and went on. As he was walking, he saw a bunch of kids running toward Kyle.

They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying.

Mark saw this terrible sadness in Kyle’s eyes. He jogged over to Kyle to help him look for his glasses. Kyle, with a smile of gratitude, thanked Mark for his consideration and intervention.

Mark helped Kyle pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, they

Youth Pages Intervention

lived near each other, so Mark always be friends, that the miles asked why he had never seen him apart would never be a problem. before. Kyle said he had gone Kyle was going to be a doctor to private schools before now. and Mark was going for busiThey talked all the way home. In ness on a football scholarship. that brief time, Mark had come Kyle was valedictorian of the to know Kyle as a pretty cool kid. He invited Kyle to play football with his friends. They hung out all weekend and the more Mark got to know Kyle, the stronger their friendship grew.

By Ozzie Pacheco Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. Mark stopped class. Mark teased Kyle all the him and said, “Boy, you are time about being a nerd. He had gonna really build some serious to prepare a speech for gradumuscles with this pile of books ation. Mark was just glad he everyday!” He just laughed and didn’t have to get up there and handed Mark half the books. speak.

Over the next four years, Kyle When graduation day came, and Mark became best friends.

Kyle looked great. He was one When they were seniors they of those guys who really found began to think about college. himself during high school. He Kyle decided on Georgetown filled out and actually looked and Mark was going to Duke. good in glasses. He had more They knew that they would dates than Mark had and all the

Be Not Afraid

17 girls loved him. Mark could see that Kyle was nervous about his speech. So he smacked him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be great!” Kyle looked at Mark with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.

“Thanks” he said. As Kyle started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began.

“Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach … but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.” Mark just looked at his friend with disbelief as he told of the first day they met.

Kyle had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn’t

have to do it later. Kyle looked hard at Mark and gave him a little smile, “Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.”

God puts us all in each other’s lives to impact one another in some way. At one time or another we all need some intervention. We all need to know that the struggles and pain we face today are necessary for a tomorrow filled with hope. We only need to stick out our chin and live and accept the help that others want to give.

Christ wants to intervene for us. As a matter of fact He has done that already. We only need to look to the cross to be reminded of it. Christ came between us and sin and He showed us that we can overcome it and win! Now look to the empty tomb and know that all will be well, again. Look for God in others. Happy Easter!

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

WYD organizers expect more than one million in Madrid

patrons of the arts — Bishop George W. Coleman recently visited and toured the first-ever Greater New Bedford Catholic Elementary Schools Art Collaborative at Gallery X in the Whaling City. This was the first time all five schools, St. James-St. John School, Holy Family-Holy Name School, All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford, St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet, and St. Joseph School in Fairhaven, have joined together in a cooperative to share their work with the public in a formal gallery setting. With Bishop Coleman is his secretary, Father Karl C. Bissinger. (Photo by Ed Goulart)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — With more than one million Catholic youths expected to converge on Madrid for World Youth Day in August, organizers are busy making final preparations, including the choice of new songs for the crowds to sing in addition to the official hymn.

World Youth Day will be celebrated in Madrid August 16-21.

With the event five months away, organizers said more than 290,000 people already had enrolled. Yago de la Cierva, executive director of WYD 2011, said that in previous World Youth Days, the number of people signed up to participate officially in the full program represented only about 25 percent of the total number of people who came for the main events with the pope, so WYD Madrid should draw well over one million people.

Briefing reporters about the preparations, he said the Pontifical

Council for the Laity had asked that the event be identifiably Spanish.

“This will be a Spanish fiesta,” he said.

De la Cierva said, the traditional bond between the faith and art will be highlighted, especially during the Stations of the Cross.

And, “there will be many events late at night. We Spaniards eat dinner at about 10 (p.m.) and we don’t go to bed before midnight,” he said.

“Obviously, the catechesis in the morning will begin later” than was usual at WYD in other cities.

Organizers have announced a series of measures to reduce the gathering’s impact on the environment. They are encouraging pilgrims to walk, ride bikes or take public transportation to events and will provide electricity-generating bicycles at selected events so participants can pedal to recharge their mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices.

18

The Anchor

April 22, 2011

Cardinal Wuerl explains bishops’ teaching role on theological matters

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Bishops have a responsibility to teach the Catholic faith and preserve it “as it has been received and passed on” and thus are bound to respond to the work of theologians if they perceive the faith is being portrayed in error, the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine said in a new resource for prelates.

While bishops welcome dialogue with any theologian over any particular work, they also must uphold the teaching Magisterium of the Church, said Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, the committee chairman.

The cardinal offered the explanation of the bishops’ teaching role in a 13-page document, “Bishops as Teachers,” released April 18.

The document challenged the April 8 assessment by the 10-member board of directors of the Catholic Theological Society of America that raised concerns about the doctrinal committee’s critical assessment of a 2007 book

by Sister Elizabeth Johnson, a Sister of St. Joseph, who is a professor of theology at Fordham University.

“The leadership of the Catholic Theological Society of America seems to misread the legitimate and apostolic role of bishops in addressing the right relationship of theologians and bishops,” the

document said.

The doctrinal committee originally said March 30 that the book, “Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God,” contained “misrepresentations, ambiguities and errors” related to the Catholic faith.

The CTSA’s board suggested that the bishops misread the book’s premise and expressed concern that the bishops’ criticism “seems to reflect a very narrow understanding of the theological task.”

Cardinal Wuerl wrote that the new resource was being provided to bishops “should any questions arise concerning the ancient and long-recognized episcopal “munus docendi,” or power of authoritative teaching.

The duty of bishops is to “see that the noble enterprise of theology is integrated into the overall mission of the Church to transmit the good news,” the document said. “Both bishop and theologian serve the word of God and cooperate in building up the community of faith.”

Cardinal Wuerl said the teaching authority of bishops is measured against the background of “the generally recognized catechetical deficiencies of past decades beginning with the 1970s. The result is a generation or more of Catholics, including young adults today, who

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under the guidance of the Magisterium. The ministry of bishops and the service rendered by theologians entail a mutual respect and support,” he said.

Cardinal Wuerl acknowledged that theologians “enjoy a legitimate autonomy” that is defined by the standards of the theological field as well as the boundaries of “spurious or fruitless investigation.”

At the same time, he said, the truth of revelation must be the starting point for all theological inquiry because it builds on what is already confidently known.

Drawing from St. Paul’s oftcited examples of sports, Cardinal Wuerl compared the identifying of boundaries of authentic faith as a bishop’s contribution to the growth of theological understanding to a tennis match.

“In a tennis match, it is not the player who called the balls ‘out of bounds’ but the referee. The player may object that it was not his or her intention to hit the ball out of bounds. He or she may even question whether the ball is out of bounds. But it is the referee who must make the call. Otherwise, there can be no coherent game, no enjoyment of the match, no sense of progress in learning the sport: In short the ‘tennis game’ would devolve into a fruitless exchange of individuals hitting the ball at will,” the cardinal said.

“So it is in academic theological investigation. If it is to be directed toward a fruitful deepening of our understanding, then it cannot be an exchange of individuals hitting the ball randomly. Once ideas are written and published by a theologian, they must stand on their own; it is the bishops who are entrusted with

the office of referee, who must call the play,” it said.

Cardinal Wuerl also wrote that the Church encourages respectful dialogue among theologians and bishops.

“As a person of faith, the theologian understands and appreciates the charism of teaching entrusted to his or her bishop, and willingly submits personal theological ideas for the bishop’s evaluation,” the document said.

“The doctrine committee does not wish to stifle legitimate theological reflection or to preclude further dialogue, but it does want to ensure that the authentic teaching of the Church, concerning doctrine and morals, is clearly stated and affirmed,” the document said.

“While dialogue between theologians and bishops is very important it should work alongside of the bishops’ primary teaching and sanctifying mission.”

The document held that theological books meant for instruction in Catholic institutions are required to receive an imprimatur (“let it be printed”). It added that even for books that do not require such approval, it is recommended.

However, once a theological book is published — such as Sister Elizabeth’s — it is open to response from the bishops, Cardinal Wuerl wrote.

“When a work is published and, particularly, if it is being used an accepted as authentic Catholic teaching, the bishops have an obligation to address it. Thus the initiation of dialogue by an author is not only welcome but recommended, before the work is published and the bishop may be constrained to make a public appraisal of it.”

WASHINGTON (CNS) — At a time when federal budget decisions “involve hard choices and much shared sacrifice,” a decision on whether to fund the Planned Parenthood Federation of America “is not one of those hard choices,” the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities told members of Congress.

Calling the federation “by far the largest provider and promoter of abortions nationwide,” Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of GalvestonHouston in an April 13 letter urged support for House Concurrent Resolution, which would amend federal appropriations bills for the current fiscal year to exclude any funding for Planned Parenthood or its affiliates.

The concurrent resolution, sponsored by Republican Reps. Diane Black of Tennessee and Martha Roby of Alabama, passed in the House by a 241-185 vote April 14

but was defeated in the Senate, 5842, later that day.

Cardinal DiNardo said more than five million children have been aborted at Planned Parenthood facilities since 1970. “The organization’s involvement in abortion (now including chemical abortions using RU-486) has substantially increased in recent years, and its provision of other services such as prenatal care and adoption referrals has declined markedly,” he added.

Planned Parenthood also has opposed “any meaningful limits on abortion, including modest measures such as public funding bans, informed consent provisions and parental notice requirements on unemancipated minors,” the cardinal said, noting that one of the organization’s legislative priorities “is to oppose conscience clauses (which it calls ‘refusal clauses’), so that hospitals, physicians and nurses will not be allowed to serve the

health care needs of women without taking part in abortion.”

Although some argue that the debate over Planned Parenthood funding is about “women’s access to basic health care,” Cardinal DiNardo said Catholic and other faith-based health care providers “generally do provide mammograms, comprehensive prenatal care and maternity care as well as other life-affirming medical care for women, while Planned Parenthood does not.”

“The question at issue here is: When low-income women need those legitimate health care services, should the federal government insist that they receive them from the local abortion provider?” he said. “Low-income women generally oppose abortion more than other Americans, therefore more deeply oppose being told that an abortion clinic is a ‘good enough’ place for them to receive their health care.”

Defunding Planned Parenthood not a hard budget choice, cardinal says

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have little solid intellectual formation in their faith.”

As a result, he wrote, “the bishops are rightly concerned about the spiritual welfare of those students using this book who may be led to assume that it’s content is authentic Catholic teaching.”

He also said that the Committee on Doctrine has special responsibilities to address theological errors that might arise in the work of a theologian.

The CTSA said the bishops failed to follow procedures for addressing issues of concern with the work of theologians as outlined in the document “Doctrinal Responsibilities: Approaches to Promoting Cooperation and Resolving Misunderstandings Between Bishops and Theologians” approved by the bishops in 1989. But Cardinal Wuerl said that document offers only “one way of proceeding but not as obligatory.”

Cardinal Wuerl said it is only the “uninterrupted tradition, stretching back to the time of the Apostles and continued by their successors, the bishops, that we can be sure of the integrity and validity of the Christian faith.”

“In continuing the mission of Christ the teacher, the bishops in union with the pope are therefore ministers of a free and wonderful gift of God, the assurance that we adhere to the true faith,” it added.

The relationship between theologians and bishops can be reciprocally enriching, Cardinal Wuerl wrote.

“Bishops and theologians are in a collaborative relationship. Bishops benefit from the work of theologians, while theologians gain a deeper understanding of revelation

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April 22, 2011

Virginia bans abortion coverage

RICHMOND, Va. (CNS) — Virginia became the seventh state to bar abortion coverage from being offered by private insurance companies through the new staterun health insurance exchanges that were mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the sweeping health-reform law passed last year by Congress.

While the state’s House of Delegates voted 61-36 for the ban, a deadlocked 20-20 Senate vote required a tiebreaking vote to be cast

by Virginia’s lieutenant governor, Bill Bolling.

The vote on abortion coverage was an amendment to the original bill that creates the exchanges. It had been passed by state lawmakers earlier in the year during its regular session, but Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican and a Catholic, exercised his right under Virginia law to offer amendments to bills once passed during the regular session. The language in McDonnell’s amendment prohibits abortion on demand but permits abortion in the cases of rape, incest and when the mother’s life is endangered. The other states to have banned abortion coverage on state health insurance exchanges are Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

The states were taking advantage of a clause in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which holds that “a state may elect to prohibit abortion coverage in qualified health plans offered through an exchange in such state if such state enacts a law to provide for such a prohibition.”

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks April 25 Rev. John J. Murphy, Retired, Catholic Memorial Home, 2007 April 25 Rev. John J. Wade, Assistant, Sacred Heart, Fall River, 1940 Rev. Raymond J. Lynch, Chaplain, Catholic Memorial Home, Fall River, 1955 April 26 Rev. Ubalde Deneault, Retired Pastor, St. Joseph, Attleboro, 1982 Rev. James F. Greene, Pastor, Our Lady of Fatima, New Bedford, 2002 April 27 Rev. Francis J. Bradley, D.D., Retired Rector, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Fall River, 1925 Rev. Romeo D. Archambault, St. Anne, New Bedford, 1949 Rev. Edward F. O’Keefe, S.J., Retired, St. Francis Xavier, Boston, 1973 April 28 Rev. Stanislaus J. Goyette, Pastor, St. Louis de France, Swansea, 1959 April 29 Rev. James Leo Maguire, Pastor, Diocese of Monterey, California, 1987 Rev. Adolph Szelagowksi, OFM Conv., Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Bedford, 1989 Rev. Peter P. Mullen, M.M., Maryknoll Missioner, 1999 Rev. John M. Breen, M.M., Maryknoll Missioner, 2005

19

The Anchor Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese

Acushnet — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays end with Evening Prayer and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.; Saturdays end with Benediction at 2:45 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — St. Joseph Church holds eucharistic adoration in the Adoration Chapel located at the (south) side entrance at 208 South Main Street, Sunday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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 following the 11 a.m. Mass until 7:45 a.m. on the First Saturday, concluding with Benediction and Mass. buzzards Bay — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, every first Friday after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending the following day before the 8 a.m. Mass.

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

East Sandwich — Eucharistic adoration takes place at the Corpus Christi Parish Adoration Chapel, 324 Quaker Meeting House Road, Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Also, 24-hour eucharistic adoration takes place on the First Friday of every month with Benediction at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.

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, following the 8 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 8 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 8:00 a.m. Mass until Rosary and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.

FALL RIVER — Notre Dame Church, 529 Eastern Ave., has eucharistic adoration on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the chapel.

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 until 6 p.m. in the Daily Mass Chapel. There is a bilingual Holy Hour in English and Portuguese from 5-6 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.

HYANNIS — A Holy Hour with eucharistic adoration will take place each First Friday at St. Francis Xavier Church, 21 Cross Street, beginning at 4 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.

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.

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 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 5 p.m.; and every Friday from noon to 5 p.m., with Benediction at 5 p.m.

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

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

WAREHAM — Adoration with opportunities for private and formal prayer is offered on the First Friday of each month from 8:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Church, High Street. The Prayer Schedule is as follows: 7:30 a.m. the Rosary; 8 a.m.

Mass; 8:30 a.m. exposition and Morning Prayer; 12 p.m. the Angelus; 3 p.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet; 5:30 p.m. Evening Prayer; 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confession; 8 p.m.

Benediction.

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

WOODS HOLE — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Joseph’s Church, 33 Millfield Street, year-round on weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No adoration on Sundays, Wednesdays, and holidays. For information call 508-274-5435.

Around the Diocese 4/22

The Catholic movement Communion and Liberation will sponsor a Way of the Cross today beginning at St. Joseph-St. Therese Church, 1960 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, and processing through Brooklawn Park to Ashley Boulevard and Tarkiln Hill Road beginning at 11 a.m. All are invited to join this procession. The Way of the Cross will include prayers, readings and hymns and will be accompanied by Father Karl Bissinger, who will provide brief meditations at various stops in the park. The Way of the Cross will conclude at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church on Tarkiln Hill Road. For more information contact Robert Sampson at 508-525-0051.

4/22

The 35th annual Canal Walk for Haiti will take place today along the Cape Cod Canal service road starting at the railroad bridge in Buzzards Bay. Walkers will proceed to the Herring Run Visitors Center where rest rooms and free refreshments will be available. The total distance of the walk is 10 kilometers, or about 6.3 miles. For more information email vtortora@capecod.net or ourladyofthecape@yahoo.com

4/26

The Daughters of Isabella Catholic Organization will meet on April 26 at 7 p.m. at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 121 Mount Pleasant Street in New Bedford. Any woman over the age of 18 is welcome to join. For more information call Regent Sally Medeiros at 508-567-3288.

4/27

The Pro-Life Prayer Groups of Holy Trinity and Holy Redeemer parishes are hosting a holy hour Arpil 27 at Holy Trinity Church, West Harwich, following the 9 a.m. Mass. The Rosary will be recited as will Pro-Life prayers, concluding with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

4/28

The Lazarus Ministry of Our Lady of the Cape Parish, Brewster, is offering a six-week bereavement support program called “Come Walk With Me” beginning April 28 through June 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The program will meet at the parish center and is designed for people who have experienced the loss of a loved one within the past year. For more information or to pre-register, call Happy Whitman (508-385-3252) or Eileen Burch (508-394-0616).

4/30

Courage, a welcoming support group for Catholics wounded by same-sex attraction who gather to seek God’s wisdom, mercy and love, will next meet April 30 at 7 p.m. For location information call Father Richard Wilson at 508-992-9408.

4/30

“Spring into Health,” a health fair presented by the parish nursing ministries of St. Anthony Parish, East Falmouth; Our Lady of Victory Parish, Centerville; and Christ the King Parish, Mashpee will be held April 30 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Christ the KIng Parish Hall in Mashpee.

The fair is open to the public and will include free screenings and presentations on hearing, blood pressure, and CPR, with doctors, pharmacists and nurses. For directions or more information, visit www.christthekingparishparish.com

4/30

The Catholic Women’s Club of Christ the King Parish, Mashpee, will host an Italian Night on April 30 in the parish hall. Cocktails will be served at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m. featuring a dinner prepared by Chef Roland with accordian music by Ray Caviccio. For tickets or more information call Joanna at 508-495-1233.

5/1

St. Mary’s Parish, Fairhaven will host a Spring Buffet Breakfast on May 1. Share in the delight of a May Day buffet of plain and blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, baked ham, sausage, homemade potatoes, fruit cup, juice and coffee while visiting with family, friends and neighbors.

Tickets are available after all weekend Masses and at the rectory during business hours. For more information call 508-992-7300 or visit www.sscc.org/stmaryfhvn

5/13

International singing star Tatiana Cameron Tajci (pronounced “Tai-Chi”) will perform an inspirational concert titled “I Do Believe” at Corpus Christi Parish, East Sandwich, on May 13 at 7 p.m. For tickets or more information call 508-888-2740 or visit www. idobelieve.com.

20

The Anchor

George Weigel remembers JPII as ‘pastor to the end’ continued from page two

was a direct result of his vibrant faith.

“Everything he accomplished — as priest, literary man, philosopher, bishop and pope — flowed from that,” Weigel said. “And that’s his point of connection with us. Very few Catholics, even in a community of a billion-plus people, will enjoy the range of natural gifts that were showered on Wojtyla

by God. But by our Baptism, we have the capacity, with God’s grace, to become radically converted disciples, too. That’s what the Church is saying in lifting up his life as an example for others: that all of us are called to radical, evangelical discipleship, turning our own conversion into a mission to others.”

A Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., who is presently in Rome awaiting the beatification and working on a book on the Lenten Station Churches, Weigel described the enormous impact Pope John Paul II’s papacy had on Catholics and non-Catholics worldwide from its very beginnings in 1978.

After the shockingly sudden death of Pope John Paul I, the notion that the pope had to be Italian was broken.

The immediate and continuous impact he had, Weigel said, did not come as a surprise to the pontiff.

“I think he understood, throughout his life, that if you spoke the word of truth forcefully and clearly enough, people would respond,” Weigel said.

“He had seen that in Poland, and he didn’t see any reason why the rest of the world wouldn’t respond similarly.

“As he once said to me: ‘If the Holy Spirit saw fit to call the archbishop of Krakow to be bishop of Rome, it must mean that there is something in the Krakow experience of use to the whole Church.’ That ‘something’ was courageous truth-telling.”

Of Pope John Paul II’s many lasting legacies, one of his greatest was his uncanny ability to connect with Catholic youth and galvanize them into becoming more vibrant members of the Church for the present and future.

“He had been a magnet for the young since he was first ordained and, once again, he thought that this experience could be ‘universalized’ through instruments such as World Youth Day,” Weigel said. “He knew that young people of all times and places want to be summoned to lives of heroic virtue, and he was prepared to issue the summons and back it up by the transparent courage of his own life. His refusal to pander was also powerful in a culture that constantly panders to the young.”

Weigel believes that although Pope John Paul II experienced government corruption and the pitfalls of communism firsthand in his native Poland, he never set out to become an influential geopolitical leader.

“Even though he was the pivotal figure in the collapse of European com-

May the joy of the risen Christ be with you throughout the year

From the community of St. Pius X Parish South Yarmouth, MA Father George C. Bellenoit, Pastor

April 22, 2011

munism and in helping to bring democracy to Latin America and East Asia, he did so not as a political figure, but as a pastor telling the truth about human dignity and human rights,” he said.

In addition to his devotion to Catholic youth and his prolific promotion of the universal call to holiness, Pope John Paul II was a great teacher and defender of the faith, keen to spread the Gospel by traveling to remote regions and prodigiously producing many rich encyclicals, apostolic exhortations, homilies, speeches and other writings.

“He certainly worked with collaborators he trusted, such as then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in shaping his Magisterium,” Weigel said. “He had a vigorous work ethic, but he also knew how to pace himself. Until his body betrayed him, he exercised seriously and, until the end, he took real vacations.

But the reactor core of his remarkable energy was his prayer. You could sense

him withdrawing into prayer, and then returning to the scene, recharged.”

Despite Pope John Paul’s position and importance on the world stage, Weigel said he always felt comfortable in his presence and was never in awe of his stature. The pope had a quick wit and robust sense of humor that often tended towards the ironic. He cites some good examples of this in “The End and the Beginning.”

“He was a man whose own natural curiosity and courtesy put others at ease, and over more than a dozen years of intense conversation, I got used to the fact that, however odd it may once have seemed, the pope was a regular part of my life,” Weigel said. “He still is, of course, through the solidarity of prayer and the Communion of Saints.

“When I visited his bier in the Sala Clementina before the body was transferred to St. Peter’s, I could only say ‘Thank you’ and ‘Pray for us.’”

Divine Mercy devotion prevalent across diocese continued from page two

taught by the Church in Scripture and tradition, the new Divine Mercy devotion that St. Faustina promoted, takes on a powerful new focus, calling people — all sinners — to accept God’s mercy with thanksgiving and to spread that knowledge to others that they may come to share His joy, resurrection, and ultimately their own.

St. Faustina’s 600-page diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul,” written in obedience to her spiritual director, has become a handbook for the devotion which is firmly rooted in Church doctrines and is linked to Christ’s resurrection message.

Born Helena Kowalska in the village of Glogowiec west of Lodz, Poland, on Aug. 15, 1905, St. Faustina was the third of 10 children. When she was nearly 20, she entered the Congregation whose members devote themselves to the care and education of troubled women.

After receiving her religious habit, she was given the name Sister Maria Faustina, to which she added: “of the Most Blessed Sacrament.”

Among the parishes in the diocese with special Divine Mercy Sunday devotions: — Holy Trinity Parish, West Harwich: April 25-29 at 7 p.m.; May 1 at 3 p.m.

— Our Lady of Fatima Parish, New Bedford: every Tuesday at 7 p.m.; May 1 at 3 p.m.

— Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Seekonk: April 30-May 1, 20 minutes prior to Mass.

— St. Anthony’s Parish, Taunton: May 1 at 3 p.m. with Benediction.

— St. Anthony of Padua Parish, New Bedford: April 22-24 and April 30 at 3 p.m.; April 29 at 4:15 p.m.; April 25-28 at 5:15 p.m.; May 1 at noon.

— St. Margaret’s Parish, Buzzards Bay: May 1 at 3 p.m. with eucharistic adoration.

— St. Mary’s Parish, Mansfield: May 1 at 3 p.m. with Benediction at 4 p.m. and Mass at 5 p.m.

— Corpus Christi Parish, East Sandwich, May 1 at 2:40 p.m. with Benediction.

mercy shall be theirs — Polish Sister St. Faustina Kowalska is depicted with an image of Jesus Christ the Divine Mercy. Pope John Paul II will be beatified May 1, Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast that held special significance to the Polish pontiff. He wrote his second encyclical on God’s mercy, he canonized St. Faustina, and his death on April 2, 2005, came a an hour-and-a-half after cardinals and priests began celebrating the Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday at his bedside. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

On the cover: Jesus’ scourging at the pillar as depicted in a stained-glass window inside Holy Trinity Church in Fall River.

(Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)