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Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , May 16, 2014

Area teens honored with Pope St. Pius X Youth Award FALL RIVER — Fifty-four young persons from parishes throughout the Fall River Diocese received the Pope St. Pius X Youth Award from Bishop George W. Coleman in the context of a prayer service on May 6 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River.

The annual award, named for the pontiff who created the Fall River Diocese in 1904 and presented for the first time in 2001, recognizes teens who serve their

Victoria Johnson from St. John Neumann Parish in East Freetown was one of 54 young women and men who were awarded the Pope St. Pius X Youth Awards

by Bishop George W. Coleman.

parish community with selflessness, commitment and dedication.

Nominated for the honor by their pastor, recipients are active in a variety of ministries and programs within their parishes.

Some are lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, teachers in parish Religious Education programs; others are altar servers, leaders in youth groups, and members of retreat teams.

Pope St. Pius X Youth Award recipients must have already received the Sacrament of Confirmation, be at least a sophomore in high school and not older than 19. Recipients participated in the award prayer service, offered readings, intercessory prayers and reflections.

During the ceremony, two recipients offered those in attendance personal reflections about receiving the award.

Mary Geralyn Burke, from Christ the King Parish in Mashpee, said, “I am aware that today is the day that one person from each parish is represented, but I really wish my whole youth ministry and all the other faithful communities I am involved in were here today. Every one of us has helped our youth ministry spread God’s love and grace to the younger kids and even adults within our parish and community. These people are my second family; I can count on them for anything. We have Turn to page 18

A collage painting entitled “Holy Mary Pray for Us” by Sam Barber is just one of the Marian-inspired works now on display at his home parish of Our Lady of Victory in Centerville. The renowned American impressionist was inspired by his recent conversion to Catholicism to paint myriad depictions of the Blessed Mother, to whom he has a great devotion.

Cape Cod artist’s devotion to Mary inspires exhibit

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

CENTERVILLE — After just a few minutes in the presence of Sam Barber, the renowned painter and American impressionist, three things become readily apparent.

First, he has been blessed with a God-given talent that is beyond comprehension.

Second, as a recent convert to Catholicism, his intense faith

would shame even the most devout, life-long Catholic.

And last, but certainly not least, he has a deep and infectious love for the Blessed Mother.

“I pray to her because she has the power over everybody,” Barber told The Anchor. “She is beautiful and she is the mother of the Lord.”

While best known for colorful seascapes and striking por-

traits inspired by and depicting the people and places around his Cape Cod home, Barber recently began to focus his attention on Our Lady.

So the oil paintings of sailboats in Hyannisport harbor and depictions of the Nantucket lighthouse that line his two-level Osterville studio have now been supplemented with portraits of the Madonna and Christ child.

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UMD Campus Ministry ready to reach out to incoming freshmen this summer

By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor

NORTH DARTMOUTH — Young men and women leaving the relatively secure environment of high school and setting off on a yet unknown college experience will encounter several major changes in their lives.

On Catholic campuses, one can easily find assistance, guidance and comfort. On a secular campus young Catholic students are bombarded with sights and sounds from every direction, and can easily miss the Catholic element that is there for them on campus.

Father David C. Frederici,

diocesan director of Campus Ministry and a chaplain at UMass Dartmouth told The Anchor, “Protestant and Catholic studies have shown that 94 percent of high school seniors active in parishes prior to college become inactive in the first year of college.”

It’s this staggering statistic and the desire to help young women and men entering college experience an easier transition that led Father Frederici and Deacon Frank Lucca, also a chaplain at UMD, to establish a new program, Embark, to assist this September’s crop of freshman at the North Dartmouth

campus.

As the name suggests, Embark is an effort to gather students and help them on a journey — a journey that is daunting, initially mysterious, yet challenging and exciting.

But the men know the journey needs Christ at the helm, and the Embark mission is to let students know that and to make them aware there are others on campus who have been in their shoes and have maintained a relationship with the Lord.

“While many things have changed in the last 20 years,” said Father Frederici, “college Turn to page 13

Students from UMass Dartmouth enjoy a pasta night at the Newman House, a home just off the North Dartmouth campus run by the university’s campus ministry. The house offers students the space for fellowship, prayer and fun. It is just one of the many services offered by the campus ministry that is already reaching out to this fall’s incoming freshmen.

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News From the Vatican

May 16, 2014

LCWR leaders, U.S. archbishop respond to Vatican official’s remarks

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The recent rebuke of the officers of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious by the head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office should be viewed as one part of his entire remarks and one aspect of the group’s visits and ongoing dialogue with Vatican officials, according to a statement by LCWR officers.

In his recent meeting with LCWR officials, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, voiced “increasing concern” about the LCWR’s promotion of the “concept of conscious evolution” in various publications and “directional statements” of some member congregations. He also criticized the group’s plan to honor a Catholic theologian, St. Joseph Sister Elizabeth Johnson, whose work he said has been judged “seriously inadequate.”

The cardinal made the remarks in an address to the presidency of the LCWR, a Maryland-based umbrella group that claims about 1,500 leaders of U.S. women’s communities as members, representing about 80 percent of the country’s 57,000 women religious.

The group is currently undergoing a major reform ordered by the Vatican in 2012.

“Over the past several days, there has been much public commentary on the opening remarks” of Cardinal Muller, LCWR officers said in a recent statement.

The group’s leaders described the cardinal’s address as “constructive in its frankness and lack of ambiguity. It was not an easy discussion, but its openness and spirit of inquiry created a space for authentic dialogue and discernment.”

They also said their meeting with the cardinal should be viewed within the context of all of their visits to Vatican offices where they “experienced a culture of encounter, marked by dialogue and discernment.”

In 2012, the Vatican announced a major reform of the LCWR to ensure its fidelity to Catholic teaching in areas including abortion, euthanasia, women’s ordination and homosexuality. The Vatican appointed Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain to implement the congregation’s “doctrinal assessment,” by providing “review, guidance and approval, where necessary, of the work” of the LCWR. The archbishop, who also attended the meeting with LCWR officials and superiors of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said in a recent statement

that Cardinal Muller’s opening remarks “invited a frank and open discussion by those present” and that a “respectful conversation” followed.

He said the cardinal “thanked the Sisters for the progress being made in the revision of the LCWR statutes and civil by-laws” and also spoke of “an incalculable debt” he owed to the women religious he has known throughout his life who influenced his faith and his vocation.

The archbishop said Cardinal Muller expressed concern about aspects of the mandated reform of LCWR that had not yet been addressed and asked the group’s leadership for “clearer signs of collaboration with the Holy See” and with their archbishop delegate.

Archbishop Sartain said he is “in full agreement with the issues raised by the cardinal” and said that during the past two years he has frequently discussed these topics with the LCWR leadership and will continue to collaborate with them.

“It is in the context of that relationship that we will continue to address the important matters,” he said. LCWR leaders expressed a similar desire to continue to dialogue, emphasizing in their statement: “We have come to believe that the continuation of such conversation may be one of the most critical endeavors we, as leaders, can pursue for the sake of the world, the Church and religious life.”

They also expressed disappointment about how they continue to be perceived by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“During the meeting, it became evident that despite maximum efforts through the years, communication has broken down and as a result, mistrust has developed,” the LCWR leaders said, adding that they do not “recognize ourselves” in the CDF’s doctrinal assessment and that their attempts to “clarify misperceptions have led to deeper misunderstandings.”

The group’s leaders noted that “in some ways, for LCWR, nothing has changed. We are still under the mandate and still tasked with the difficult work of exploring the meaning and application of key theological, spiritual, social, moral, and ethical concepts together as a conference and in dialogue with the Vatican officials.”

“This work is fraught with tension and misunderstanding.

Yet, this is the work of leaders in all walks of life in these times of massive change in the world,” they added.

Pope Francis greets a young pilgrim as he arrives for a weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican recently. (CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters)

Pope: Never forget to pray! Speak from the heart, ask God for help

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Never forget to pray, even while commuting, taking a walk or when waiting in line, Pope Francis said.

And don’t just stick to prayers memorized from childhood, but include heartfelt requests and pleas for help, advice and guidance, he said.

During a recent weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, the pope continued a series of audience talks on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

Looking at the gift of counsel, Pope Francis said people know how important it is to go to the right person — to “people who are wise and who love us” — to get the best advice, especially concerning difficult or “thorny” situations.

Through the Holy Spirit, God is there to enlighten people’s hearts and “help us understand the right things to say, the right way to act and the right road to take” when it comes to an important decision, the pope said.

By opening one’s heart to God, “the Holy Spirit immediately begins to help us perceive His voice and guide our thoughts, our feelings and our intentions” to be in harmony with God’s will.

Jesus becomes the reference point for modeling one’s behavior and finding the right way to interact with God and other people, he said.

The Holy Spirit helps people to grow in the virtues, to stop being “at the mercy of ego-

ism” and to see the world and its difficulties with “the eyes of Christ,” he said.

The Holy Spirit “enables our conscience to be able to make a concrete choice that’s in communion with God, and according to the logic of Jesus and His Gospel.”

But how can people make sure God is the One speaking to them and not their own biases, fears, limitations and ambitions? he asked.

The right counsel comes through prayer, he said.

“We have to give room to the Holy Spirit so that He can counsel us. And giving Him room means praying, praying that He come and always help us.”

“Prayer is very important,” he said, and “never forget to pray, never!”

“Nobody can tell when we are praying on the bus, on the road, we pray in silence, with the heart, so let’s take advantage of these opportunities to pray.”

Don’t just recite the prayers “that we all know from childhood, but also pray with our own words, pray to the Lord: ‘Lord, help me, advise me, help me right now, let me know what we should do.’”

This gift of counsel can also come through other men and women of faith, who can help those in need recognize God’s will, he said.

To give an example, the pope told a story of an event, before he was pope, when he was hearing Confessions at the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lujan in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“There was a huge line,” he said, and up next was “a big guy, all modern with an earring, tattoos, the whole nine yards, and he came to tell me something that had happened.”

The pope said the man had been going through something very serious and had asked his mother for help.

“That humble, simple woman gave her son the best advice that was spot-on,” the pope said, because she told her son to turn to Mary, who would tell him what to do.

The mother “had the gift of counsel,” he said, because she didn’t try to steer him with her own opinions, but pointed him in “the right direction.”

The man explained how he had prayed to Our Lady, who told him exactly what to do. “I didn’t have to say a word,” the pope said. “It was all the mother, Our Lady and the boy. This is the gift of counsel.”

The pope urged mothers in the audience: “You, moms, who have this gift, ask for this gift for your children, the gift of advising your children. It’s a gift from God.” At the end of his catechesis, Pope Francis addressed several groups and associations in the crowd, including family members of young people living at the San Patrignano rehabilitation center in Italy — a home for those tackling substance abuse.

The pope said he joined their call for an end to illegal drug use. He said the audience was a good opportunity to “tell everyone simply: No to every kind of drug, OK? You can do it!”

May 16, 2014

The International Church

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Thousands at rally in Ireland, pledge to work for repeal of abortion law

Women holding signs take part in a May 5 protest in Lagos, Nigeria, to demand the release of abducted high school girls. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the abduction of 276 schoolgirls during a raid in the remote village of Chibok in April. (CNS photo/Akintunde Akinleye, Reuters)

Nigerian cardinal urges action to free kidnapped girls

Abuja, Nigeria (CNA/ EWTN News) — Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Abuja has called for “concrete action” to save the hundreds of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, saying his country is “ashamed” by the failure to find them.

“Up until now we are hearing practically nothing concrete on the issue,” Cardinal Onaiyekan told Vatican Radio. “I think almost every Nigerian is taken aback. We cannot explain what is happening.”

“It’s still more baffling that our president seems to be impotent. We have to see concrete action.”

Nearly 300 girls, most of them aged between 16 and 18, were kidnapped April 14 from their boarding school in Borno, Nigeria’s northeastern-most state, by members of the radical Islamist group Boko Haram.

Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sinful,” launched an uprising in 2009 and hopes to impose sharia law on Nigeria. It has targeted security forces, politicians, Christian minorities, and moderate Muslims in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north.

There are 276 girls still in captivity, while 53 escaped, the Associated Press reports.

The schools in the area had been closed due to the threat of Boko Haram; Cardinal Onaiyekan said there was supposed to be security at the school, which had temporarily reopened so that the girls could take final exams.

“The soldiers who were there could not face the group of terrorists that invaded both the

town and the school,” the cardinal reported.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has claimed responsibility for the abductions and has threatened to sell the girls into slavery, threatening more attacks on schools.

A May 5 attack on another town in Borno, in which some 300 persons died, was attributed to Boko Haram. The previous day, another 11 girls were kidnapped in an attack on two villages.

Cardinal Onaiyekan noted the “unprecedented” demonstrations by Nigerians seeking the return of the girls.

The crime has drawn international attention.

U.S. President Barack Obama has said his government will work with the international community and the Nigerian government to do “everything we can to recover these young ladies,” he told the NBC television show “Today.”

“But we’re also going to have to deal with the broader problem of organizations like [Boko Haram] that can cause such havoc in people’s day-to-day lives.”

The president told ABC News that Boko Haram is “one of the worst regional or local terrorist organizations” and has been “killing people ruthlessly for many years now.”

The Nigerian government had declined offers of U.S. assistance until May 6, when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan. U.S. military and law enforcement personnel headed to assist the rescue effort include experts in intelligence, investigations, hostage negotia-

tion, and victim assistance, the White House said.

It was announced May 7 that the U.K. will send a small team of experts to assist Nigerian authorities.

Nigerian police have offered a $300,000 reward for information leading to the girls’ rescue.

The Council on AmericanIslamic Relations stated recently that “it is almost impossible to express the level of disgust felt

by American Muslims at the unIslamic and obscene actions of the terrorist group Boko Haram for the kidnapping and threat to ‘sell’ hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls. We urge authorities in Nigeria and throughout the region to do everything they can to return the girls safely to their families and to eliminate the threat to peace and security posed by Boko Haram.”

Boko Haram’s attacks have killed thousands since 2009; according to the BBC, they have killed 1,500 in 2014 alone. The U.N. estimates that the attacks have led to more than 470,000 internally displaced persons in Nigeria.

The U.S. recognized Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization in November 2013, after a lengthy advocacy effort from human rights and Christian groups.

“We know that Boko Haram have no sense of humanity,” Cardinal Onaiyekan said.

“We know that they are killing innocent people. But that they should be able to cart away almost 300 children in the Northeast of Nigeria without any trace of where these children are really baffles us.”

DUBLIN (CNS) — ProLife campaigners in Ireland vowed to work for the repeal of a controversial abortion law introduced in 2013.

An estimated 15,000 members of the Pro-Life Campaign came to Dublin recently to participate in the National Vigil for Life.

Ahead of local and European elections set for May 23, speakers encouraged supporters not to back politicians that supported the laws which, for the first time in Ireland, permit abortion in certain circumstances.

Caroline Simons, PLC legal consultant, said she was “massively encouraged by turnout at vigil.”

“We realize it’s going to be a difficult road back, but we are massively encouraged that so many people are ready to get on board at this stage to help turn things around,” she said.

In her address to the vigil, Simons said the government thought that after the law’s passage, “the Pro-Life movement would be crushed and beaten.”

“How wrong they were.

Your presence here today is proof that we are wasting no time in starting to rebuild. It’s going to take time, but when the public comes to realize the full horror of what the new legislation involves support for the repeal of the law will gather pace,” she said.

The Protection of Life

During Pregnancy Bill was signed into law July 30 after tense parliamentary debates during which several legislators resigned. However, while enacted, the government has yet to provide guidelines on the law meaning that no abortions have yet taken place.

When the guidelines are issued, the law will permit abortions when there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother, including when a woman says the continuation of the pregnancy leads to suicidal thoughts. It would also provide for jail terms of up to 14 years for those performing abortions in circumstances other than permitted by the law.

Under the law, the procedures for assessing the risk to the life of the mother differ depending on the woman’s condition. One doctor will be able to make a decision on whether to terminate a pregnancy in an emergency situation in which a mother’s life is in danger.

Where there is risk of loss of a woman’s life from physical illness, but where the situation is not an emergency and suicide intent is not a factor, two doctors will be needed to make the decision. However, in cases of suicide intent, the suicidal woman will be interviewed by a panel of three doctors, two psychiatrists and one obstetrician, who must agree unanimously.

The Church in the U.S.

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May 16, 2014

Report urges better parish response to Hispanic Catholic growth

Boston (CNA) — A new report finds many signs of vitality in Hispanic Catholic ministry in the U.S., but recommends immediate action and more youth outreach to meet Hispanics’ growing needs and to counter secularization.

“A new generation of Hispanic leaders in the Church is emerging,” Hosffman Ospino, the Boston College professor who led the study, said recently.

“The question is: is the Catholic Church ready for this? Will the structure of the American Catholic Church allow them to succeed?”

He said American Catholics “still have a long way to go,” Boston College reports.

The Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate conducted the study between 2011 and 2013.

It considered 4,368 U.S. parishes with some form of Hispanic ministry, which make up 25 percent of all Catholic parishes in the U.S. Ospino, a professor of Hispanic ministry and Religious Education, said that only three percent of Hispanic Catholic children attend Catholic schools, while fewer Hispanics under 30 attend church.

“The secularization of Hispanics is the biggest threat to the future of the Catholic Church in America. We run the risk of losing a whole generation of Catholics.”

The report was released as the Pew Research Center published the results of its national survey examining Hispanic religious identity in the U.S.; Pew reports that about 25 percent of the Hispanic population are former Catholics.

The changes appear to be primarily among adults under age 50. Those aged 30-49 who have left Catholicism move

towards either evangelical Protestantism or no religious affiliation, while those aged 1829 who have left Catholicism heavily trend towards adopting no religious affiliation.

About 55 percent of U.S. Hispanics are Catholic, 22 percent are Protestant, and 18 percent are unaffiliated. The report appears to show a 12-point drop in the proportion of Catholic Hispanics since 2010, when about 67 percent of respondents said they were Catholic.

Hispanic Catholics tend to be less religiously engaged than Hispanic evangelicals. About 40 percent of these Catholics say they attend religious services weekly or more and 61 percent say they pray daily. Hispanic Catholics tend to be less opposed to abortion and samesex marriage than evangelical Hispanics, though a majority of Hispanic Catholics favor a ban on all or most abortions and only 30 percent support gay marriage, the Pew report found.

Ospino said that a failure to address the issues facing Hispanic Catholics and their parishes could mean a “dramatic decline” for the parish structure in America, similar to that in Europe.

The summary report of Ospino’s study said that about 40 percent of all Catholics in the U.S. are Hispanic, which represents significant growth from the early 1980s, when Hispanics made up an estimated 15 percent of U.S. Catholics.

Since 1960, Hispanics have made up 71 percent of the growth in the U.S. Catholic population, the report said, and about six percent of all Masses in the U.S. are now said in Spanish.

Citing the Department of Labor’s 2013 Current Population Survey, the report said that 61 percent of Hispanics and 93 percent of all Hispanics under

age 18 are U.S.-born. The report said that as the U.S.-born Hispanic Catholic population increases, Hispanic ministry may need to expand or shift to providing more services in English.

Most parishes with Hispanic ministry are in the southern and western U.S. Hispanic parishes often bring together different nationalities and ethnicities from 21 Latin American countries, Spain, and Puerto Rico. About 72 percent of Catholic Hispanic parishioners have Mexican roots.

The apostolic movement with the greatest presence in parishes with Hispanic ministry is the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, which is present in about half of those parishes.

Pastors of parishes with Hispanic ministry have an average age of 58, slightly younger than the national average for Catho-

lic clergy. Of these pastors, 69 percent say they are proficient in Spanish.

The presence of vowed women and men religious is “very significant” in parishes with Hispanic ministry, the report said.

The summary report found 10 “signs of vitality,” such as the continued place of the parish as a “very important institution” for Hispanic Catholics to “build community and celebrate their faith.” A new generation of young Hispanic pastoral leaders is also emerging, and parishes with Hispanic ministry benefit from the experience of Hispanic and nonHispanic leaders. Hispanic permanent deacons are one of the fastest-growing groups of pastoral leaders.

However, the report also found areas requiring “immediate pastoral attention”: there

will be major transitions in the next decade due to the retirement of thousands of “culturally competent” pastoral leaders; Hispanic Catholics have “minimal” integration into parish life; ministry resources are “limited” and “unequally distributed”; the collection at Spanish-language Masses is “significantly” lower; there is a “widening distance” between predominantly Hispanic parishes and Catholic schools; and those engaged in Hispanic ministry are often unpaid.

Pastoral outreach to Hispanic youth, especially U.S.born Hispanics, is “minimal” compared to the size of the Hispanic population.

“Lack of appropriate investment in ministry with this population at a time when most young Catholics in the country are Hispanic is self-defeating,” the report warned.

Latino Catholic group aims to bring faith to all life’s aspects

Los Angeles (CNA/ EWTN News) — The Catholic Association of Latino Leaders’ national conference this August aims to achieve a “spiritual revolution” by helping Latino Catholics bring their faith into all aspects of life through serving their communities.

“Faith cannot be something independent or separated from our daily lives. It really has to be the prism through which we see everything,” Diana RichardsonVela, president of CALL, recently told CNA. “We’re truly looking for the participants to take this calling to heart. Their faith life should be their compass for everything, from their Faith Formation, their family life, and their work.”

The CALL conference will be held August 14-17 at the St. Regis Houston Hotel. The event features speakers and interactive workshops, as well as opportunities to attend Mass, go to Confession, and participate in social events.

Richardson-Vela said that the conference is “a wonderful forum” where attendees can “share their thoughts and engage in conversation and find very specific ways of how they can collaborate to serve the Latino community and their Church.”

CALL, founded in Denver in 2006, has more than 15 chapters across the U.S. Richardson-Vela said the organization aims to help Latino leaders grow in understanding their Catholic faith. In coop-

eration with their local bishops, members take part in service programs that are often related to education, media and legislation.

Members also take part in a three-year plan of formation on topics such as Catholic social teaching, business ethics, family issues, and immigration issues.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston will celebrate the conference’s opening Mass on the campus of the University of St. Thomas. Sen. John McCain of Arizona will speak on immigration.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia will speak about the teachings of Pope Francis, while Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles will speak on the New Evangelization and social media. Other speakers include Archbishop Gustavo GarciaSiller of San Antonio and Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix.

Richardson-Vela said that the presence of the bishops provides “a wonderful opportunity to engage in conversation” to discuss the needs of the Hispanic community and how leaders can better serve the Hispanic community within the Church.

The conference will discuss Pope Francis’ teachings, particularly his apostolic exhortation “Evangelium Gaudium,” and what these teachings mean for the Church and for the Hispanic community.

Richardson-Vela said that McCain’s presence at the conference is a “big confirmation” that the Hispanic population is grow-

ing “not only in numbers, but also in leadership positions.”

The presence of a senator who is working for immigration reform efforts “truly shows how the Hispanic community has a lot to say and a lot to give to the community and the country.”

Other speakers include Guzman Carriquiry, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, who will discuss how to integrate the American continent into the New Evangelization.

Christopher Kaczor, a philosophy professor at Loyola University Marymount in Los Angeles, will speak on the “Seven Myths of the Catholic Church,” while Terry Polakovic, executive director of ENDOW, will discuss feminism.

The conference will also seek to foster interest in the next World Meeting of Families, which aims to strengthen families around the world. Its next meeting is scheduled in Philadelphia September 23-27. Organizers are hoping that Pope Francis will attend the September event.

Archbishop Chaput will address the CALL conference about the upcoming World Meeting of Families. The conference has also invited Philadelphia auxiliary, Bishop John McIntyre, to speak about the event and to discuss why Catholics need to center on the family.

Registration for the 2014 conference in Houston is $485 for members of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders and $575 for non-members.

May 16, 2014

The Church in the U.S.

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Satanic black mass at Harvard ‘postponed indefinitely’ amid outcry Local faithful contact school administration to reconsider

dia outlets that a consecrated host would be used, although Cambridge — When the temple and the Cultural word of a proposed black mass Studies Club later denied this, re-enactment planned by a stu- insisting that only a plain piece dent group at Harvard Univer- of bread would be used.

The plans for the black mass sity for May 12 broke, a Fall River priest and a Fall River had drawn strong opposition Harvard student and member from the Archdiocese of Bosof the university’s Knights of ton, along with many students, Columbus Council took action. alumni and members of the In addition, 150 parishioners broader Catholic community.

Harvard senior Aurora Grifof St. Bernadette’s Parish in Fall River held an evening of Eu- fin told CNA that she presentcharistic Adoration and repara- ed university president Drew tion on the night the mass was Faust with petitions against the scheduled to take place, and event that had garnered more Father John Sullivan organized than 60,000 signatures.

Dr. Faust had released a a Mass at St. Patrick’s Parish in statement May 12 condemnWareham at the same time the Harvard mass was scheduled. ing the event as “flagrantly disrespectful and inflammatory,” The church was full.

Thousands also protested and the club’s decision to hold and prayed in and around the it as “abhorrent.” However, she stated that the ceremony would Cambridge area.

The efforts of the faithful be allowed to continue due to were not in vain, as the mass the university’s “commitment was “postponed indefinitely” to free expression.”

Faust had said that as a sign and did not take place May 12.

The news was announced of respect, she would attend a by the school’s newspaper, The Eucharistic Holy Hour being Harvard Crimson, just over held by the Catholic commuan hour before the event was nity at Harvard in response to the black mass. scheduled to occur.

Jim McGlone, a junior at Originally, the black mass Harvard, told CNA while he re-enactment was to take place on campus, at a pub in the was “glad” to see the universibasement of Memorial Hall. ty president use “the strongest The Harvard Crimson reported language possible” to condemn late on the afternoon of May the event, he disagreed that all 12 that the event had voluntari- speech and expression should ly been moved to The Middle be protected in a university setEast nightclub, a short distance ting, given the fundamentally from campus. However, shortly offensive nature of the event.

“It’s too much of a desecraafterward, the general manager of the nightclub told the pub- tion of Our Lord and a mocklication that negotiations had ery and parody of our faith,” he fallen through and the event said, to be “an attempt at dialogue — it’s really just an obwould not be hosted there.

Subsequently, in a breaking scenity.”

Rather than merely offering news update at 7:45 p.m. Easta safe haven for all kinds of ofern time, the publication reported that the black mass “has fensive speech, he continued, been postponed indefinitely the purpose of free speech is and will not take place tonight, “getting at the truth through according to (a) Satanic Temple discourse,” among people who may have disagreements. spokesperson.”

Freshman Bella Gomez told Connected to witchcraft CNA that rather than using and demonic worship, a black freedom of speech and relimass is a sacrilegious ceremony structured as a parody of the gion to make Harvard a “safer Catholic Mass. Invoking Satan, welcoming community for all,” the ritual is centered around Catholic students “are being the desecration of the Eucha- solely victimized by it.”

She said she felt “uncomrist, which is generally done by stealing a consecrated host fortable” at the idea of entering from a Catholic church and us- campus facilities that had been ing it in a profane sexual ritual, used for a satanic ritual, indior defecating and urinating on cating that the space would “no longer feel comfortable or safe” it.

A spokesperson for The Sa- for her.

The Cultural Studies Club tanic Temple, which was staging the event, initially told me- had defended the black mass

By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor and CNA reports

re-enactment as educational and dismissed critics as demonstrating a close-minded “paranoia.” The group had told CNA that those offended by the event hold outdated views “based on intolerance and ignorance,” which are “arrogant and egocentric.”

Father Roger J. Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette’s Parish in Fall River is a Harvard alum. He wrote the following to Faust: “Dear President Faust, “I am writing to ask you to use your office to intervene to shut down the terribly illadvised and totally insensitive Satanic mass that’s supposed to take place on May 12 at the Queens Head Pub within Memorial Hall.

“To argue, as the Extension School’s Press Release did, that it’s about education or freedom of expression or assembly or religion is silly. We all know that if there were to be a séance to communicate with the soul of Adolf Hitler, Harvard would never countenance it, first because we’re clearly dealing with conjuring evil, and second because it would be terribly injurious to Jewish members of the Harvard community and the wider community.

“We also all know that if an ‘independent student organization’ was trying to host an event in which there would be reenacting the burning of a copy of the Quran, it likewise would never be permitted, because Harvard would never associate itself with the desecration of Islam’s sacred text or allow its name or property to be used in something that would obviously outrage the spiritual sensibilities of Muslims.

“A ceremony invoking Satan, mocking the Catholic Mass and desecrating what Catholics believe to be the Body of Jesus Christ — or if, implausibly, an unconsecrated host will be used, something that is at least meant to symbolize the Eucharist — should be treated in the same way.

“It’s not enough for Harvard to put out a press release saying that Harvard doesn’t ‘endorse the views or activities of any independent student organization.’ Harvard simply would never allow itself or its properties to be associated with events that mock the religious beliefs, desecrate the Sacred texts, or insult the spiritual sensitivities of Jews or Muslims. Likewise it wouldn’t allow its reputation or institution to be affiliated

in any way with the activities or views of an ‘independent student organization’ that was reenacting the lynchings of African Americans or homophobic attacks or violence against women. Harvard would clearly act decisively in those situations out of just concern for its own reputation but also out of moral outrage against such insensitivity that clear thinking, ethical people immediately recognize as evil.

“You have a special responsibility over Harvard’s reputation as well as occupy the most prominent position of all to demonstrate what Harvard stands for. Please grasp that Harvard’s present acquiescence to allowing its campus to be the setting for this Satanic mass and its up-until-now anemic response have already brought the university local, national and international derision. The Founders of Harvard would, I think, be ashamed, that a school with a motto Veritas: Christo et Ecclesiae would allow itself to be used in any way whatsoever as the staging for Satanic worship.

“Yesterday I was asked by about two dozen people about what my alma mater was doTurn to page seven

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May 16, 2014

Anchor Editorial

Our need to be vigilant

On page 19 of this edition of The Anchor we have the news that Pope Francis has approved the beatification of his predecessor, Pope Paul VI, after having reviewed his holy life, his writings and the miraculous healing of a child in the womb (a child whose ailment was threatening the life of the mother, a mother who refused to abort her child).

Pope Paul VI is remembered for many things. Given what happened in Harvard Square this past Monday (please see the story beginning on page five and Father Landry’s column to the right of this editorial for details), the deceased Holy Father’s homily from the feast of SS. Peter and Paul in 1972 comes to mind.

The most famous line from that homily was “from some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God.” Later in the homily Pope Paul explained in which way the devil was moving about in the Church. “We believe that something preternatural has come into the world specifically to disturb, to suffocate the fruits of the Ecumenical Council, and to prevent the Church from breaking out in a hymn of joy for having recovered in fullness the awareness of herself.” He was speaking about how Satan was trying to derail the work of the Holy Spirit in implementing the Second Vatican Council, by seducing Catholics with erroneous interpretations of it.

One should also note how Pope Paul spoke about the devil being against “joy.”

Given Pope Francis’ emphasis on joy (e.g., his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium [the Joy of the Gospel], which he quoted this past Sunday in his Regina Caeli address [see below]), it is interesting to wonder about the Spiritual relationship between these two popes who are united in their battle against the devil.

In Evangelii Gaudium #3, Pope Francis refers back to his predecessor’s own apostolic exhortation on joy. “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting Him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since ‘no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord’” (Paul VI, Gaudete in Domino).

However, Satan does not want us to experience that joy. Later in 1972, on November 15, Pope Paul spoke more about Satan. He began his address at a general audience by asking, “What are the Church’s greatest needs at the present time?

Don’t be surprised at our answer and don’t write it off as simplistic or even superstitious: one of the Church’s greatest needs is to be defended against the evil we call the devil. Before clarifying what we mean, we would like to invite you to open your minds to the light that faith casts on the vision of human existence, a vision which from this observation point of faith reaches out to immense distances and penetrates to unique depths. To tell the truth, the picture that we are invited to behold with an all-encompassing realism is a very beautiful one. It is the picture of Creation, the work of God. He Himself admired its substantial beauty as an external reflection of His wisdom and power.”

In other words, Pope Paul was reflecting his joy at all the beauty in the world, a gift which comes from God. However, he asked, “But is this vision complete and correct? Are the defects in the world of no account? What of suffering and death, wickedness, cruelty and sin? In a word, what of evil? Don’t we see how much evil there is in the world — especially moral evil, which goes against man and against God at one and the same time, although in different ways? We come face-to-face with sin which is a perversion of human freedom and the profound cause of death because it involves detachment from God, the source of life. And then sin in its turn becomes the occasion and the effect of interference in us and our work by a dark, hostile agent, the devil. Evil is not merely an absence of something but an active force, a living, spiritual being that is perverted and that perverts others. It is a terrible reality, mysterious and frightening.”

It is incredibly sad that people would want to invite that ugliness into their lives through a “black mass.” However, as Father Landry writes in his column, the much more normal route for Satan to get into our hearts is via our own choosing to ignore God’s laws and do things “my way.” May this close call in Cambridge help us to be mindful of our need for vigilance with prayer and Penance.

Pope Francis’ address of May 11 Dear brothers and sisters, good day!

John the Evangelist presents us, in this fourth Sunday of Eastertime, the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Contemplating this page of the Gospel, we can comprehend the type of rapport which Jesus had with His disciples: a rapport based on tenderness, love, reciprocal knowing and the promise of an incommensurate gift: “I have come,” Jesus says, “so that you may have life and have it in abundance” ( Jn 10:10). Such a relationship is the model for relationships among Christians and for human relations [in general].

Many people even today, as in the times of Jesus, propose themselves as “shepherds” of our existence; but only the Resurrected One is the true Shepherd, Who

gives us life in abundance. I invite everyone to have trust in the Lord Who guides us. But not only guides us: He accompanies us, walks with us. We listen with the mind and heart open to His Word, so as to feed our faith, illumine our consciences, and follow the teaching of the Gospel.

On this Sunday we pray for the shepherds of the Church, for all the bishops, including the Bishop of Rome, for all priests, for all of them! In particular we pray for the new priests of the Diocese of Rome, whom I ordained a little while ago, in St. Peter’s Basilica.

A greeting to these 13 priests!

May the Lord help us shepherds to always be faithful to the Master and be wise guides and enlighten the people of God entrusted to us. Also to you, please, I ask that OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

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you help us: help us to be good shepherds. Once I read a beautiful thing about how the people of God help the bishops and the priests to be good shepherds. It is a writing by St. Caesarius of Arles, a father from the first centuries of the Church. He explained that the people of God must help their pastor and he used this example: When a calf is hungry, it goes to the cow, to its mother, to get milk.

The cow, however, does not immediately give it to him: it seems that she is keeping it for herself. And what does the calf do? He knocks against the cow’s udder with his head so that the milk comes out.

What a beautiful image! “Thus,” said this saint, “must you be with the pastors: always knocking on their doors, on their hearts, so that they might give you the milk of good doctrine, the milk of grace and the milk of guidance.” And I ask you, please, to importune the pastors, to disturb the pastors, all of us, so that we can give you the milk of grace, of doctrine and of guidance.

Importune! Think of this beautiful image of the calf, who importunes its mother so that she gives it something to eat.

In imitation of Jesus, every pastor “will sometimes go before his people, pointing the way and keeping their hope vibrant. At other times, he will simply be in their midst with his unassuming and merciful presence. At yet other times, he will have to walk after them, helping those who lag behind” (apostolic

exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, 31). May all pastors be thus! But you all, bother the pastors, so that they give you the guidance of doctrine and of grace.

On this Sunday we have the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In the message for this year I reminded [everyone] that “every vocation always requires an exodus from oneself in order to center one’s life on Christ and on His Gospel” (n. 2). Thus the call to follow Jesus is at the same time thrilling and demanding. Its realization always requires that we enter into deep friendship with the Lord so that we are able to live from Him and for Him. We pray also in this time that so many young people would hear the voice of the Lord, there is always the risk that it be suffocated by so many other voices. We pray for the youth: maybe here in the square there is someone who his hearing this voice of the Lord Who calls him to priesthood; let us pray for him, if he is here, and for all the youth who are called.

After the Regina Coeli Prayer: Dear brothers and sisters, I greet all of you, families, Church groups, associations and individual believers from Italy and from many countries, particularly those of the Diocese of Campo Grande and Dourados (Brazil), New York, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), and students from Miranda Do Corvo in Portugal and the boys from the School of the Heart of

Mary in the district of Alta Cordoba, Argentina.

I greet the Neocatechumenal communities in these Sunday of Easter who are bringing the proclamation of the Risen Jesus to 100 plazas of Rome and in many cities around the world. May the Lord give you the joy of the Gospel! And go forward, be brave!

A special blessing for children and young people who have received or are about to receive their First Holy Communion and Confirmation. And also for family members and friends of the new priests of the Diocese of Rome, which I ordained this morning.

Greetings to the State Forestry Corps, which organizes the National Day of the Nature Reserves; and to members of the “Young Mountain,” who came to Rome along the Via Francigena; to the Italian Network of Care Support in Oncology, encouraging their engagement with the patients and families; to the Civil Protection officials of Viggiù-Clive; and to the motorcycle riders of San Marino and Abruzzo.

And now I invite you to dedicate a good memory and a prayer for all mothers. We greet the mothers! Entrusting them to the Mother of Jesus, we pray to Our Lady for our mothers and all mothers: “Hail Mary ....”

A big greeting to mothers: a big hello!

Good Sunday to all! Good lunch and goodbye!

May 16, 2014

F

or those who were involved in trying to stop Harvard’s plans to give a venue for a re-enactment of a black mass by New York’s Satanic Temple, May 12 was shaping up as a day of infamy. It turned out to be a day of God’s glory.

God always seeks to bring good out of evil, but normally requires our cooperation. He showed that again on Monday as the big story became the enormous Eucharistic procession through Cambridge Streets from MIT to Harvard and the overflowing crowd at St. Paul’s Church for a Holy Hour of Adoration and reparation. Under the force of moral pressure, Harvard ultimately severed sponsorship of the event and the Satanic Temple was sent scrambling for an offcampus location.

The whole controversy provides us many lessons that go far beyond Harvard’s walls and concern much more than one outrageous event.

The first is about the reality of the way Catholic bashing is treated in contrast to other forms of offenses. Anglican scholar Philip Jenkins has called anti-Catholicism the “last acceptable prejudice,” something that’s true especially among elites. In a May 8 letter to Harvard President Drew Faust, I argued that Harvard

Anchor Columnist Lessons from Harvard would never provide a venue to offensive speech is not censora group that wanted to burn a ship, but reasoned discourse and copy of the Quran, engage in a robust dissent.” séance of Hitler’s spirit, reenact She decided to show solidarthe lynching of blacks, or posiity with those offended by this tively portray violence against fragrant and inflammatory disgays or women. Why would it respect by attending the Holy consider at all — not to menHour of Eucharistic Adoration tion sanction — a ceremony and reparation at St. Paul’s invoking Satan, mocking the Church in Cambridge — cerCatholic Mass and desecrating tainly a welcome gesture — but a host? neglecting to use her office to President Faust released a prevent the outrage in the first very strongly-worded statement on Monday, acknowledging that the Putting Into organizers of the event the Deep were “well aware of the offense they are causing so many others.” The

By Father black mass, she stressed, Roger J. Landry “had its historical origins as a means of denigrating the Catholic Church, place. She also failed to acmocks a deeply Sacred event in knowledge the double-standard Catholicism, and is highly ofunder which offenses against fensive to many in the Church Catholics are tolerated. If the and beyond.” She added, “The Satanic Temple had been plandecision by a student club to ning a ritualized burning of the sponsor an enactment of this Torah, it’s hard to imagine that ritual is abhorrent flagrantly she would have deemed that disrespectful and inflammatory.” the proper response would be to Yet she decided that Harallow it to continue and to go vard’s “commitment to free to pray with the Jewish students expression” basically was a supe- at the campus Hillel. rior value and refused to rescind The second lesson is about the group’s permission to use the reality of Satan worship Harvard property — the group and black masses. The Harlater decided on its own to find vard event was somewhat another venue — declaring that anomalous, being staged by a the “most powerful response to notorious publicity-hounding

7

“atheistic” Satanic group. Most diabolical worship happens by committed believers and servants of the devil who don’t send out press releases and whose black masses always feature stolen consecrated hosts. The Eucharistic reparation done on Monday in Cambridge, in Fall River, and elsewhere, needs to be on-going and all Catholics must exercise a much greater Eucharistic vigilance, something we’ll take up in next week’s column.

Third, we can’t forget that the devil’s main guise is not to get people to dress in goat heads, facial makeup, black clothing and amulets but to get us to distrust and disobey God. His aim is not to draw us to occult rituals of Eucharistic desecration, but to get us to receive Holy Communion unworthily or not at all.

While few ritually worship Satan, many unwittingly follow him.

The fourth lesson is the power of social media. The Satanic mass was stopped because social media made possible a massive and rapid response.

Within three days, 80,000 people had signed petitions calling on President Faust to shut the offense down. My own

letter to President Faust was quickly forwarded 3,000 times on Facebook and was able to become the main body of many news articles and television reports. The social media kept people informed, drew them to events, and got them mobilized. Imagine what the response would have been if all priests, parishes and Catholics regularly took advantage of this new means of communication.

Imagine the future possibilities toward the good and against evil if the Church more effectively helped everyone enter the digital continent.

The last lesson is about the powerful apostolate of the young moving forward. So many people deserve recognition for the good that happened at Harvard, but the most credit must go to a group of talented Harvard students and their Catholic colleagues at other Boston-area campuses who in the midst of exams organized to stop this sacrilege. The lessons they learned, and taught us all, will be important for us all as they take their newly-acquired skills, battle scars, and victories to a far greater vineyard than campus greens.

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

openly admit that you are doing so. This is a notion that we wholeheartedly reject. While we are partial to the Catholic faith, we oppose the notion of offending people of any creed for the sake of being offensive.

“We hope that you will join us in prayerfully responding to this terrible event occurring at our fair university. If you are on or near campus, we invite you to join us at St. Paul Parish at the corner of Bow and Arrow streets in Harvard Square on May 12th, from 8 to 9 p.m. for a Eucharistic Holy Hour and Benediction. If you will

not be in the area, then we encourage you to pray with us in solidarity wherever you might be. Let us join together in the presence of Our Lord and Savior and under the guidance of Our Blessed Lady to show the world that the power of darkness will never prevail over the light of Christ.

“Vivat Iesus!”

The organizers of the Holy Hour were successful — St. Paul’s Church was filled to overflowing, with people even kneeling in the vestibule and on the front steps to adore Our Lord in the Eucharist.

Planned black mass at Harvard postponed amid outcry continued from page five

ing in allowing this mockery of Catholicism and this acquiescence in the conjuring of evil. I replied that I can’t fathom how this ‘dear mother’ would have lost its capacity to see clearly how outrageous this is and that for the first time in my life I’m really embarrassed to be associated with Harvard. I’m sure there are many other alumni who are similarly ashamed.

“There’s still time to remedy this situation and clearly communicate that mockery and desecration of the religious rites, objects, and sensibilities of others have no place at Harvard.

“By shutting this event down and not just dissociating itself from what was supposed to happen but by forcefully condemning it, you would not only remedy the damage to Harvard’s reputation that has already taken place but set the type of example for educational institutions and the broader culture that Harvard has prided

itself in setting for 378 years.

“I’m hoping that you will use your office to respond as strongly to this insensitivity as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently used his office to respond to Donald Sterling’s racist comments.

“That’s what this situation warrants. That’s what you have the power to do. And that’s what I’m asking and praying that you will do.

“Respectfully, (Father) Roger Landry, AB 92.”

Curtis St. Pierre, currently finishing his freshman year at the Cambridge school is Grand Knight of the Pope John Paul II Council 14188, Harvard University Knights of Columbus.

He and his brother Knights released the following statement: “The Harvard Knights of Columbus are deeply saddened by the ‘re-enactment of a satanic black mass’ being hosted by a university club on campus. The black mass is a ritual that has

been unequivocally condemned by the Church throughout its history. It is an intentional perversion of the Catholic Mass intended to be incredibly offensive to Christians and Catholics in particular while desecrating what we hold to be Jesus Christ Himself present in the Eucharist.

“The organizers of this event have so far responded to criticism by citing the protections of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion — both venerable principles on which our great nation was built. Some have played down the offensive nature of the event by billing it as ‘educational,’ while others have pointed out that the ritual is satirical at its very core, and so is acceptable no matter how much it offends. Both of these points dangerously ignore the evil inherent in the ritual itself.

Furthermore, the message that these positions provide is that it is OK to attack someone else’s religious beliefs so long as you

8

A

frustration for anyone who prays or proclaims sacred Scripture is that there are so many different versions of The Bible. There’s the New American, the Revised Standard, the Douay Rheims, the Jerusalem, and so many more, and those are just some of the Catholic translations. If you include Protestant translations, you could start a library just of Bibles.

Having so many translations is great for study and trying to understand what the Scriptures are really saying.

When I come upon a difficult passage, I usually look at a website to get about a dozen translations including the original Greek and sometimes the official Latin.

The problem is that there is not one official translation for prayer, and so when I read my Bible, or pray my Breviary, or proclaim the readings at Mass, I am often using different translations of the same text. Why is that frustrating you ask? It’s frustrating because we grow up learning to read what we expect to read rather than what the

May 16, 2014

Seeing the Father Jesus reveals letters actually say. presence and plan for creation.

Most of us comprehend Jesus’ mission to the world is to faster than we actually read, call us back and remind us of because our brain has learned what is actually written on the how to guess words, and fill pages of Creation. He does this in popular phrases, without by revealing to man the Father. actually taking the time to read Jesus is God’s Logos, His expresthem. So when we pray with different versions of the same Scripture Homily of the Week passage we need to be Fifth Sunday careful to read what’s of Easter actually written rather than what we expect to

By Father be written.

Ron P. Floyd Life is often the same; we see what we want to see. Each of us interprets sion of Himself, and it is only in reality based on a series of prerelationship to the Father that judgments; our understandings we can understand the purpose of right or wrong color the way of creation and the reason for we see the world. Whether we and destiny of mankind. see la vie en rose, ignoring the This is why Jesus is so disinjustices and evils in the world, tressed when Philip demands, or we see the world in shades “Show us the Father and that of gray, missing the goodness of will be enough for us.” Philip Creation, the way we read the had been living with Jesus and world is not always the way the experiencing life with Him, world was written. but he had been reading his St. John begins his Gospel encounter with Jesus’ according with the idea that Jesus is the to his own preconceived noWord of God, because God tions of Who and What Jesus sent His Son the Word to was. To be fair to Philip, all the enlighten the world about His Apostles probably did the same,

and continued to do so until Jesus rose from the dead. Many of Jesus’ disciples continue to do the same today.

Jesus came to break us of our preconceived notions, so that perhaps for the first time in our life we could see the world not as we think it to be but as it really is.

That’s why blindness is such a powerful theme in the Gospels, because we are so often blind and Jesus came so that we might see. Jesus wants to show us the Father, so that seeing the Father, or rather beginning to encounter the God Who is love, we can understand how totally good Creation is and why we have been created. By showing us God, Jesus also shows us what we are meant to be and sets us free from fear. Let not your hearts be troubled!

When we read God’s masterpiece of Creation, the way it is written rather than the way we expect it to be, we realize that it is a love story, not a horror film.

Our hearts are filled with peace, knowing, as John puts it, that

“God so loved the world.”This is the peace Jesus gives to His disciples, a peace that can only come from knowing our place in God’s plan for Salvation.

We should not forget, however, that it wasn’t just the crowds, or the Pharisees, or the Sadducees who missed what Jesus was actually saying and doing. His disciples and even the Apostles did as well.

Like Mary Magdalene in the garden, and Peter in the boat, and the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus is often standing in front of us and we don’t recognize Him. The Word of God is waiting to show us the Father. Will we open our hearts up enough to see what is actually written on the pages of sacred Scripture, and of history, and of each day of our lives?

Will we allow the Son to show us the Father in our everyday lives, or will we be like Philip and close our eyes to what Jesus is showing us?

Father Floyd is in residence at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis and chaplain at Cape Cod Hospital and Pope John Paul II High School.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. May 17, Acts 13:44-52; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 14:7-14. Sun. May 18, Fifth Sunday of Easter, Acts 6:1-7; Ps 33:1-2,4-5,18-19; 1 Pt 2:49; Jn 14:1-12. Mon. May 19, Acts 14:5-18; Ps 115:1-4,15-16; Jn 14:21-26. Tues. May 20, Acts 14:19-28; Ps 145:10-13b,21; Jn 14:27-31a. Wed. May 21, Acts 15:1-6; Ps 122:1-5; Jn 15:1-8. Thurs. May 22, Acts 15:7-21; Ps 96:1-3,10; Jn 15:9-11. Fri. May 23, Acts 15:22-31; Ps 57:8-12; Jn 15:12-17.

M

ay is a special month for the Church. With all of those First Communions, Confirmations, Baptisms, weddings, we might even say that May is filled with grace.

Grace is so tightly bound to our understanding of Sacraments that we might be too stingy with it. Grace is not something one learns in a Religious Education program, and it is not a virtue one develops. Grace is not given out as a reward for good behavior or special acts of piety. Grace is the way in which God communicates with humanity, and is given freely and unconditionally

by God for our Salvation.

Theologians have been trying to explain grace for centuries.

They have parsed it up, wrapped it up with adjectives, sanctified it, modified it and limited it, but grace abounds despite their best efforts. Most theologians agree that we could never merit grace, but we definitely can get in its way. No matter how much God wants to pour out grace; we must cooperate in order to fully receive its benefits. God communicates this offer of grace directly into the souls of every human being, but gave to

The gift of grace

humanity absolute freedom to Marathon Monday and in the accept the offer. It is very good year that followed did nothing news that everyone is given an to earn it. They did not need to equal measure of grace, but it is be church-goers, do-gooders not automatic that every person or even believers; they simply recognizes this gift. Grace is were the beneficiaries of what never taken away; it just sits theologians call “unmerited there like an unopened gift left grace.” Those moments of grace behind the Christmas tree. that sprung up all over the city Perhaps the easiest thing we can do to be evangelizers is to shine a light on moments of God’s grace whenever they pop up in people’s lives. In describing the

By Claire McManus aftermath of last year’s Marathon Day bombings, Governor Deval Patrick reflected, “We survived of Boston last year gives us a as a community because small glimpse into God’s plan for our acts of grace were handed on Salvation. God gives grace to from person-to-person. This all of humanity so that we can is what makes a community make God present in the lives of strong.” The governor did not others. need to be a theologian to grasp Grace, unbound and let loose that grace ties humanity tois everywhere around us. This is gether by “indissoluble bonds what Karl Rahner meant when of charity.” It is no surprise he described the world as “perthat grace arises from the ashes meated with grace and God’s of even the most devastating self-communication.” Grace as of tragedies. No theologian God present everywhere in the could articulate better what we world is an appealing concept, learned last year in Boston: the but it can also be overwhelmrecipients of God’s grace on ing and incomprehensible. It is

The Great Commission

like trying to grasp the concept of cellular biology without ever seeing a single cell. This is why we need Sacraments, for they are the magnifying glass that helps us to recognize moments of grace. When a gift is given, the usual response is “thank you.”

Acts of charity, piety and Sacraments are not requests for grace but are the way that we say “thank you” to God’s gift. Rather than view Sacraments as discount grace stations, they can be understood as opportunities to say thank you to God’s gift of grace that we recognize at special moments in our lives.

Sacramental preparation programs will look very different if more emphasis is placed on the grace that is already present in our joys and sufferings, rather than on the grace one might get. Baptismal preparation should spend more time helping parents to reflect on the feelings they had when they first looked at the face of their child. This moment of grace, coupled with the stress of sleepless nights and anxiety over nurturing a young

life, should be brought to light as times when God is most present.

This can all be brought to the baptismal font as they say yes to God’s grace present in their child. Confirmation, rather than viewed as an end to formal catechesis and entrance into an adult faith, could be re-imagined as the lens through which a young person recognizes God’s presence in other people, and God’s radical presence in the world through Jesus Christ. Confirmation can then be the moment when a young person would says yes to living in right relationship with God and humanity.

Sacraments are times for us to talk back to God. Yes, God, we want You to keep us together for life. Yes, God, I will be a servant to Your people. Sorry, God, I forgot to recognize Your gift. Eucharist then takes its rightful place at the center of all Sacraments, drawing all of God’s grace-filled people together to be nourished and sent forth to bring God’s grace into the world all over again. God’s plan is all so simple, and dare I say, graceful.

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

May 16, 2014

Monday 12 May 2014 — Homeport: Falmouth Harbor — National Etiquette Week begins he world is impressed by the simple lifestyle of Pope Francis. Although a Jesuit, he has adopted the manner of a Franciscan Friar. It seems to me, dear readers, that the Franciscan charism is currently trending worldwide. For example, I read somewhere of how Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriquez Maradiaga, speaking recently at a meeting of Franciscan Friars in Florida, wore a Franciscan habit for the occasion. Cardinal Rodrigues, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, must be an honorary Franciscan. He is actually a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco religious order.

Cardinal Oscar is also, by the way, the coordinator of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals.

As an aside, dear readers, I once bumped into Cardinal Oscar in Tegucigalpa. I was visiting the diocesan mission in Honduras and somehow ended up attending one of the cardinal’s daylong clergy conferences. With a cue from Cardinal Oscar, the priests began the meeting by exuberantly singing a rousing hymn in Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish.

A handful of monsignors were singing even louder than the others. I later learned the reason they

T

appy May everyone!

H This month’s column is a venue for me to not only share

my faith with you, something I have been so blessed to be able to do, but to also share my pride.

This month my brother graduated from the University of South Carolina, an achievement that I was able to witness the culmination of in a wonderful ceremony just this past weekend. After four years of living away from home, of navigating his own academic waters, and discovering himself through the relationships he’s built with peers and mentors, Jon is a college graduate with a bright and promising future, and I couldn’t be happier. And this journey, at least from my perspective, is yet another way in which we can see God hard at work.

Folks, nothing is coincidence. In a book I recently read, one of the characters talks about coincidence, posturing that maybe nothing that happens in our life is ever a coincidence. For example, she says, “If you want a cheese sandwich and you get a cheese sandwich, that can’t be a coincidence, can it? And by the same token, if you want a job and get a job, that can’t be a coincidence either.” Now, I think she’s on the right path here, but she’s leaving out a major proponent here: God’s presence in our lives. Sure, I could have the cheese sand-

Anchor Columnists Hold, please sang so enthusiastically. Cardinal of the parish credit card came up Oscar had composed the hymn. again. The name still had to be Father Craig Pregana has on his changed from his to mine. It was cell phone a photo of Cardinal not a burning issue. I have had Oscar with his arm around my no reason to use the card in the shoulder. The cardinal and I were two years I’ve been here, but just busy after the meeting discussing in case I ever needed it. Since we how much we admired Whoopi both had the time and we were Goldberg, but that’s another both sitting there, we decided to story. Sometimes I wonder how I bumble into these situations.

At any rate, I have The Ship’s Log known a few actual Reflections of a Franciscans over the Parish Priest years and I, too, admire their life of simplicity.

By Father Tim One Franciscan of my Goldrick acquaintance is Cardinal Sean O’Malley, formerly Bishop of Fall River, now Archbishop of Boston make another attempt to change and also a member of Pope Fran- the name. All other informacis’ Council of Cardinals. One tion would remain the same. It day, Bishop O’Malley was out to seemed a simple task. It wasn’t. lunch with a group of Fall River First, monsignor had to make diocesan priests, including yours the call, identify himself by name, truly. At the end of the meal, the give the last four digits of his bishop, over our protests, insisted Social Security, and ask for a on taking the check. He reached name change on the card. His job into the pocket of his traditional was now complete and I was put brown Franciscan habit and on the line. pulled out a single credit card. “I “What is your full name, never leave home without it,” the please, including any middle bishop joked. initials?”

Msgr. John Perry, retired pas“What is your social security tor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Falnumber?” mouth, visited me the other day.

I gave the last four digits.

As we were chatting, the topic “I’m sorry, sir, but we need the

complete number.”

I provided it.

“What is your address?”

“It’s the same one as on the card.”

“You need to give the address.”

“OK. It’s Post Office Box 569, Falmouth, Massachusetts.”

“Is that your physical address?”

“No. That’s my mailing address.”

“What is your physical address?”

“511 Main Street, Falmouth, Massachusetts.”

“Is that spelled F-ou-l /M-o-u-t-h?”

“No, Falmouth, not Foul Mouth.”

“Thank you.”

“What is your mailing address?”

“I just gave it to you!”

“You have to give me your mailing address at this time.”

I did.

“I have one last question, sir.

What is your mother’s maiden name?”

I answered.

“Thank you. Hold, please and a member of our Cooperate Card Transfer Team will be with you shortly.”

Insipid music followed.

“Hello, is this the party to whom I’m speaking?”

“Yes.”

9 “What is your name?”

“What is your Social Security number?”

“What is your mailing address?”

“What is your physical address?”

“What is your mother’s maiden name?”

“I’ve already answered these questions!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I must ask you to answer them for me.”

I did.

“Thank you. Please hold and the executive co-chairperson of our Corporate Card Transfer Team will be with you shortly.”

More elevator music played.

Monsignor waved goodbye and went off to get a haircut.

“Hello. Is this Timothy Goldrick?”

“Yes.” “What is your name? What is your Social Security number?

What….”

It took almost an hour to change just one line on the card.

After that experience, I now wonder just how complicated it is for parishioners to reach me on the phone — or in any other way.

Perhaps I, too, should simplify. I’m still considering the matter. Let me get back to you. Hold, please.

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

Coincidence? I think not

wich, but I would probably have to make it myself. Lord knows cheese sandwiches don’t just appear out of nowhere. And if I wanted a job, well then, I would have to research the position, write a cover letter and fill out an application, and follow up with a phone call. Those things yield results, maybe not always the ones we want, but we were striving for something that we worked towards and if we achieved it, then there doesn’t seem to be much room for coincidence if we put all of our efforts in. However, they’re also not coincidence because somewhere down the line, there was an intervention. We bumped into someone in the supermarket on our way to get bread for our sandwich, someone we hadn’t seen in years, who had something important to tell us. That job we wanted and were hired for came after high recommendations from a college professor we thought loathed us. So where am I going with this? Our lives are a series of encounters with God when we least realize it, that often get attributed to mere coincidence.

I opened with Jon’s graduation because I think his journey after high school and into his undergraduate career has been evidence of that very statement.

After planning to go down to South Carolina with a close friend, he found himself enduring the second semester of college without that person by his side, after he decided to pursue college closer to home. Coupled with the notification that he was not to be granted student housing the following year, only his sopho-

Radiate Your Faith

By Renee Bernier more year, the question became whether or not Jon would move home and attend a more local school. Alas, after lots of research and touring of student apartment complexes, it was decided that he would remain at USC and live off-campus with a friend he had made during that first year. And so, he moved into an apartment where he lived until the past year, where he made another move into a house with friends who had been looking for roommates. During these past few years, Jon shifted his focus from journalism to a more specific scope — public relations — and found work at a local after-school

program. He learned the value of true friendship, hard work, and commitment to studies and also relationships. Now, how, you may ask, am I drawing this connection to the aforementioned coincidence discussion? Because as much of Jon’s experiences were dependent on him really making the effort to succeed, so also was God present. What if Jon’s friend hadn’t been looking for a roommate at his apartment after that stressful first year?

What if he hadn’t met his girlfriend? What if he had never been offered two jobs in the course of two months? What if he had never worked in the after-school program? Well, respectively, he may have transferred and thus never entered into some of his closest relationships.

He might still be discovering the beauties and struggles of a committed relationship. He might be unemployed and struggling to find work. He may have never discovered his passion for working with youth and families or met people who would introduce him to the nonprofit sector and thus instill in him a passion for work in that field. And the crazy thing is, each decision Jon made, each challenge he was presented, was preceded by circumstances completely out of his control. Our

lives are only a mere piece of the puzzle; everyone else’s lives are compiled with their own series of questions and answers, clear choices and harder decisions.

It is when those questions are answered and the decisions are made, one way or another, that they intersect with our lives. In my head, these constant intersections are all part of God’s bigger plan for us and our lives. This plan isn’t something that we ourselves can see. Sure, we may think we see how our lives are going and think that God has certain things planned for us, but just when we think we have it down, we are set on a completely different path. Maybe this path is nothing we would ever pick for ourselves, maybe we won’t see its significance in our lives for years to come. But take comfort in your faith: God would never steer you wrong. He may take you down the winding road, but He will be there right alongside you, in the people you meet, the opportunities you are presented with, and the love He has for us each and every day. Jon, congratulations on a successful four years. I know you’ll do great things — how could you not with God by your side!

Anchor columnist Renee Bernier is a Stonehill College graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.

10

May 16, 2014

Local Catholic girls’ troop earns Pro-Life patch sort things. I don’t know why.”

The troop has previously parATTLEBORO — “Life is ticipated in Pro-Life service. awesome and precious,” said Last month, they made Easter 10-year-old Caitlin Brawley of crosses and presented them to Rehoboth. That concept became people in a nursing home.

Scouts, including Emily a reality when her American Heritage Girls troop earned the and Caitlin are Catholic, and Respect Life Patch by serving at since the troop is chartered by a the Abundant Hope Pregnancy Catholic parish, they often serve at their church. The girls sold Resource Center in Attleboro.

On April 22, six of the troop’s roses at Massachusetts Citizens nine members spent time sort- for Life’s annual rose drive in ing baby clothes and touring May last year. They also handed the center. The troop, chartered out and collected baby bottles

by Our Lady of Mount Carmel filled with change that benefitParish in Seekonk, was founded ted Abundant Hope.

Many of the girls have supjust over a year ago. A second troop, located in Worcester, was ported the Pro-Life cause with also founded last year. Currently, their families as well.

Emily said she and her family they are the only troops in the regularly pray the Rosary for life.

Commonwealth.

American Heritage Girls, an They have also prayed outside international faith-based scout- the Four Women Health Cening organization, added the ter in Attleboro, the only aborRespect Life Patch last month. tion clinic in the Diocese of Fall AHG, founded in Ohio in 1995, River, during the 40 Days for currently has more than 30,000 Life campaigns. The last time they participated, a man drivscouts in 48 states.

According to a press release, ing away from the clinic rolled the new patch “reinforces the down his window and told the organization’s commitment to vigilers that he and the woman honoring life from conception with him decided not to abort to natural death.” The group their child.

“God makes life, and we incorporated the patch after a Michigan troop designed and shouldn’t have the right to take earned a Pro-Life patch for par- it away,” Emily said.

The national administration ticipating in events like the 40 of AHG supports that sentiDays for Life campaign.

Caitlin said she enjoyed fold- ment.

The largest scouting group ing “a lot of cute baby clothes” while earning her Respect Life for girls in the nation, Girl Patch. When asked if she would Scouts of the USA, takes “no like to return to serve there in position” on abortion. This year, the future, she immediately gave some Pro-Life groups boycotted Girl Scout cookies, citan emphatic “yes.”

“Life is a gift, and too many ing the organization’s support people are forgetting that,” she of Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions added.

Fellow scout Emily Day, in the country. Girl Scouts of eight, of Rehoboth, said she too the USA claims “no official had fun organizing the baby relationship” with Planned clothes, particularly the clothing Parenthood. Individual troops donated by a family with twin are allowed to partner with the girls — there were two of each abortion giant.

On April 2, a committee of the cute outfits.

She also looks forward to re- of the United States Conferturning, saying, “I really like to ence of Catholic Bishops isBy Christine M. Willams Anchor Correspondent

American Heritage Girls Troop MA3712 earned the Respect Life Patch by volunteering at Abundant Hope Pregnancy Resource Center in Attleboro. The girls helped sort baby clothes, which the center provides free-of-charge along with other baby care items, pregnancy testing, referrals, counseling and support. From left: Ana Pittsley, Madison Burbank, Caitlin Brawley, Siera Larkin, Ireland Larkin, Emily Day. Missing Amanda Abbott, Teresa Cazziniga, Rebecca Fortner.

sued a resource guide on Girl Scouts for Catholic parishes.

The Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth did not support or oppose parishes’ involvement with the Scouting group. The committee recommended clear communication at the local level, adding that some dioceses give individual troops a document with expectations to ensure that “every Catholic troop is free from any programming or activities contrary to the Church’s teaching.”

Of the three million Girl Scouts nationwide, an estimated 400,000 are Catholic.

Some Catholic parents say they are more comfortable with their daughters participating in AHG since the organization is Pro-Life in word and deed.

Last January, AHG assisted the Diocese of Arlington, Va. as the largest sponsor of its national prayer gathering and youth rally in Washington, D.C. prior to the March for Life.

Parents of local scouts say that these types of activities are what inspired them to start an AHG troop in Seekonk.

“As a Christian, [the Pro-Life cause] is something close to my heart,” said Elizabeth Day, Emily’s mother. Day co-founded the troop with Maureen Brawley, mother of Caitlin.

“The reason Maureen and I started this was because it was faith-based and had Christ at the center, and it was filled with Scripture and morals and values that are in line with our faith,” said Day. Brawley said she is “thrilled” that AHG offers the Respect Life Patch.

“It’s such a great witness for these young girls,” she said, adding that she and her husband wanted Caitlin “to be involved in things that reinforced our values.”

“It keeps that moral compass where we want it as parents,” she said.

11

May 16, 2014

Cape Cod artist’s devotion to Mary inspires exhibit continued from page one

“I’ve been painting Mary now for almost a year-and-a-half,” he said. “I do a lot of different types of works — landscapes, boats, scenery — but inspiration can come so quickly.”

In honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the fruit of Barber’s Divine inspiration is now on display throughout the month of May inside the Msgr. Perry Parish Center at Our Lady of Victory Church in Centerville.

A dozen of Barber’s paintings comprise what is being temporarily called the “Holy Mary Gallery,” which also features two crucifix sculptures he fashioned out of branches and his private collection of “Mary rocks” that bear an uncanny resemblance to iconic poses of the Blessed Mother.

“I’ve collected images of Mary for the last five years,” Barber said. “To me, each one is unique.

I see Mary in everything.”

Barber gathered most of these stones during long walks on Sandy Neck Beach near his home while praying the Rosary on one of the sets of colorful beads that he also fashions himself.

In fact, he traces his devotion to Our Lady and his eventual conversion back to these prayerful walks.

“I prayed to (Our Lady) to help me sell my house in Hyannisport, because I couldn’t afford the taxes anymore,” Barber explained. “She helped me out.”

Noting that a slagging economy and an inability to sell his artwork at the time created some serious financial hardships for his family, Barber felt compelled to rekindle his faith. Although he had been raised in the Greek Orthodox faith, in subsequent years he drifted from religion altogether.

But through friends and ac-

quaintances, he often found himself attending services at Our Lady of Victory Parish.

“Over the last five years I would come (to Our Lady of Victory Church) and sit and listen,” he said. “I came here many times for weddings and funerals when Msgr. John Perry (was pastor). I always felt I wanted to do something with Mary. She was my favorite.”

When Barber confessed to his friend, Barbara Fitzgerald, that he was thinking of becoming a Catholic, she immediately introduced him to Father Patrick Tarrant, a retired priest who assisted at the Centerville parish.

“He’s such a holy man and he came to my house and saw my paintings,” Barber said. “He told me we had to get together every week for lessons for about six or seven months. Then one day I was with him in a restaurant and I told him I’d like to convert today and he said: ‘Let’s go.’”

Barber’s Baptism into the Church was a revelation and through Mary’s intercession he was able to sell his Hyannisport home and move his family into a more modest house in Centerville, about a mile from Our Lady of Victory Church where he now attends Mass regularly.

Calling Mary “the queen of everything,” Barber said she is one of the most unique and beautiful things about Catholicism.

“Catholics are so devoted to Mary,” he said. “I respect her because she is the queen of the Church, the queen of Heaven, and she’s done so much for us.”

The paintings in the Holy Mary Gallery range from traditional poses of the Madonna with Christ Child to collages featuring depictions of Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady

The New Bedford Catholic Woman’s Club recently hosted “Bishop’s Night” at the Wamsutta Club in the Whaling City. Bishop Coleman addressed the women at the event. Club officers gathered for a photo with the bishop and other invited guests. From left: Leonora Carreiro, Mary Mitchell, Delia Silva, Mary Griffin, the bishop, Joyce Audette, president Lynn Kuczewski, Father Robert Powell, and Father Karl Bissinger.

of Guadalupe, to moving portraits of Mary at the foot of Jesus’ cross at the crucifixion.

“She has sorrow, but she is happy because she knows everything is coming back and she knows He is going to be risen in three days,” Barber said. “I tried to capture what I knew about that moment, because since I’m an artist I have a vision and you can see Jesus on the cross at the top of the hill and at the bottom you can see Jerusalem. I’ve seen that in different paintings, but then I added my own interpretation.”

Barber said he bases most of his paintings on existing works but then adds his own unique style and point-of-view to the composition.

“I’ve looked at the artwork of Bernini and Michelangelo and I copy some of those old masters but then I change them,” he said. “I change the positions of the hands or the poses and I add my own vision.”

Although his image of Mary isn’t based on any one person or

model, he sees her in his own unique way.

“Whenever I see a beautiful woman, I think to myself: ‘My God, she looks like Mary,’ but she doesn’t have the halo or the spirit or the grace,” he said.

“To me, this is what Mary looks like,” he added, pointing to a painting depicting a teen-aged Blessed Mother holding Baby

Jesus. “She’s petite, she’s not a big girl, she’s small but she’s beautiful. Someday I hope to see her in my dreams and then I’ll know what she really looks like.”

As Barber conducted a guided tour of the Holy Mary Gallery, he would often call each painting his “favorite” until moving onto the next one, which then Turn to page 13

Artist Sam Barber pauses while working on his latest painting of the Blessed Mother, modeled after a Greek icon, to show how much he loves Our Lady. The renowned American impressionist will be offering a series of art classes at his home parish of Our Lady of Victory in Centerville next month. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

12

May 16, 2014

Sine Nomine revives lost repertory for upcoming performances

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

ing for this concert coming up.”

Vickie Duclos Barrett has been a Sine FALL RIVER — This coming week- Nomine member since 1997. A fund-raiser end, Sine Nomine, an acclaimed chamber for Salve Regina University in Newport, ensemble based in Fall River, will be bring- R.I., and parishioner of St. Christopher’s ing its talented voices as it presents “Sounds Parish in Tiverton, R.I., Barrett said that of the Settlers” during two performances: shortly after she moved back to the area, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Pius V Catho- she looked for a musical outlet that would lic Church in Providence, R.I. (tickets are challenge her but was also close by “and $20; $15 for seniors and students) and May Sine Nomine fit that requirement,” she said.

18 at 3 p.m. at Dartmouth High School in “Besides the fact that the music is chalDartmouth (admission is free). lenging and the quality of the musical diPronounced “See-nay Nom-in-nay,” rection is very high, one of the things that and meaning “without a name,” Sine No- has been very fulfilling for me is that we mine (www.SineNomineChoir.org) draws sing music of the Church,” said Barrett. its members from professional singers and experienced amateurs from across the Massachusetts south coast and greater Providence.

According to the group’s press release, artistic director Joseph Fort drew on materials held at Harvard University in Cambridge, where he is currently a grad student pursuing a Ph.D. in music theory, and reunited the texts of the Old South Church’s 1640 “Bay Psalm Book” with melodies that would have been sung by the Puritans themselves.

The first step to learning each performance piece is to get to know the meaning of the words “and get how the composer is trying to enact the words through the music,” said Fort, who has been the artistic “There is an element of worship being able director for Sine Nomine for the past year. “I to really explore the type of music that we spend a lot of time beforehand, even before do, and the words are just so powerful. For rehearsals start, really trying to get to know me, it’s an extension of worship and an exthe music.” tension of my faith.”

Appreciating the original context of The “Sounds of the Settlers” will be coveach piece, and knowing that most of the ering a variety of psalms, including Psalm music was written for church services, helps 100, a psalm for giving grateful praise that the singers and concert-goers “know the really connects with Barrett: “The words are original settings and what the intentions very powerful,” she said. were,” Fort explained. “The idea of a concert What Barrett really likes about Sine Nois a relatively recent phenomenon, this idea mine is that though it’s an amateur singing that you would sit and listen to this mu- group, “the thing that connects us is the sic when previously the act of singing this music. We come from all walks of life, all music was to be devotional. I think that’s education and religious backgrounds and particularly true of the repertoire we’re do- people are at different points in their lives.

L

ast week I wrote about the holy ground at National Shrine of Our Lady of the Martyrs in Auriesville, N.Y., and the desperate financial situation it’s in.

And I do pray it can be saved.

In the column I also mentioned that there are “holy grounds” all around us.

I find it amazing that some things that we take for granted every day of our lives can become holy ground if we just look at them with a different perspective; with a “new” set of eyes.

During the winter months, when the four-legged member of our family had to go out one more time for the night, I would impatiently wait for Igor to “find the right spot,” and often that takes more than just a few seconds. I would dance from one foot to the other, turn my coat collar to the wind and try to stay warm as Iggy continued her journey.

But now (finally) as the weather is becoming more seasonal, I’m growing less impatient (unless the Bruins or Red Sox

What really binds us together is the quality of the music and performance. We’re an amateur group on a very high level, which is wonderful for this area.”

Each of the concerts given by Sine Nomine could be viewed as a walking exhibition or museum-type piece “to show how these things were done previously,” said Fort.

In reaction to the rich musical Litanies of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, which the Puritans found distracting for their prayer, the Puritans “stripped everything down and made it much more plain,” said Fort. “That presents a challenge for us because if you want to give a concert, you

want to give a concert of music that people want to listen to.”

That also means finding pieces that singers want to sing. The upcoming performances will mark the debut of Joel Rust’s “Meditation,” a setting of a text by 17thcentury Massachusetts pastor and poet, Edward Taylor.

The text itself is very old, noted Barrett; “It’s a very mysterious text,” she said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it. As a singer, for me, I really think about the words beyond the rehearsal; what is [the composer] trying to say? Joel Rust created a very challenging piece, and we’ve spent many hours putting this piece together. I think the more we lis-

The sky’s the limit ... or is it?

are on) with enduring the pooch’s ritual.

In fact just the other night, she unwittingly provided me with one of those moments of seeing things with a “new” set of eyes.

Looking for a way to keep myself amused while waiting for Iggy, I glanced up at the sky. The stars

By Dave Jolivet that could make it through the light pollution of the city were crisp, bright and aglow.

That alone made me wonder how far away they were, how large they were, how many years it took for that image to make it to my eyes, and how God can keep track of not only the billions of creatures on earth, but also the trillions of inanimate objects of His creation across the universe and beyond; and possibly other life forms as well.

My View From the Stands

Then I glanced at the moon. It was brilliant, not quite full, but the details I could see with the naked eye were astonishing. I’ve looked at the moon countless times in my lifetime, but somehow, this time was different.

I could see craters that had to stretch for miles and miles considering the distance of the moon and the size of the scars.

It brought me to another place. When did they happen? How did they happen?

If it happened again, would we be witness to it? Why did they happen?

People often say, “Everything happens for a reason,” so I thought what possible reason can exist for those craters. Maybe I slipped into an existential moment or I

ten and learn it, we’re really starting to appreciate the rhythm, melody, harmony and the words, and I hope that the audience takes that away with them. What Joel Rust has done is really find a way to illustrate the words in 21st-century tonality.”

Fort acknowledged the Joel Rust piece has been difficult for the singers, and “one thing that has been a challenge is persuading the choir to like the music” but also work through the piece to sing it as close to its original form as possible.

The “Old Way” was to sing your line and just “ornament” it in a way where the singer would trill along to get to his or her right note, explained Fort, “with no concern how the person next to you was ornamenting it, with a result where there’d be all sorts of clashing notes and it didn’t matter because it was all about your devotion and what you’re feeling during a devotional activity.

Now, today, we’re so hung up on having everything unified and carefully put together,” he said, adding the first few tries of having the singers do “Meditation” in the “Old Way” brought some skeptical looks, but “now everyone likes it.”

The 25-member group will present many songs from varying degrees of provenance, including a beautiful piece by Thomas Tomkins, “When David Heard” and music by Thomas Ravenscroft, whose rendition of “Three blinde mice” [Old Way spelling] will have the audience hearing a new twist on an old favorite.

“We’re trying to give a sense of what music was going on for the Puritans, but we’re keeping it very broad,” said Fort.

“I think when you go to a Sine Nomine concert, there is that other element; for me, it’s that spiritual atmosphere,” said Barrett. “I know that for some of the audience members who have been coming for years, that’s what they comment on. It’s more than just listening to music, there’s something about what’s being created during the performance that really touches them.”

was waxing philosophical (both out of my league), or maybe I was just contemplating more of God’s holy grounds some place other than on earth.

God knows the number of hairs on my head (a number that is becoming less taxing for Him), and no bird falls from the sky without His knowledge. To paraphrase the late, great Dr. Seuss (and inspiration of our own Deacon Frank Lucca), “Oh the things that God knows!”

I would love to know just what’s going on in the vast heavens we take for granted every day. I would love to know the reason for the Solar System, the Milky Way, the universe, black holes, and beyond. All that came from a dog who had to go out one more time for the night, and a glance up at a moon that looks down on us every night.

There’s holy ground everywhere. We just have to take the time to notice. The sky’s the limit. davejolivet@anchornews.org.

13

May 16, 2014

Cape Cod artist’s devotion to Mary inspires exhibit continued from page 11

received the same level of affection.

“One of our parishioners, Tom Duffy, just came back from Lourdes and brought me pictures of Our Lady from the grotto,” Barber said. “So what I’m going to do is I’m going to take those (photos) and enlarge them and make them into prints and I’m going to paint them.”

Noting that he works on upwards of 15 paintings at a time, Barber is forever fine-tuning and tweaking his artwork.

Pointing to a work-in-progress called “Mary Rose,” he offers a quick critique.

“It’s not finished yet, I need to do some more work on it,” he said. “You can see there’s a lot of light on Jesus’ legs; it should be in shadows.

“I work on one for maybe an hour, an hour-and-a-half. I’m doing a commissioned work now for Father Mark Hession of the Our Lady of Victory Church building and grounds.

I just finished it for him this morning.”

Having lived on Cape Cod for more than 35 years, Barber’s artwork is clearly infused with a bright and airy color palette that captures the essence of the area.

“Surrounded by water causes the sky to change from green to green-blue to aqua-light blue, sometimes in a matter of minutes,” he said. “When I first came here to study with Henry Hensche, I knew right away that this was the place for me and that I would stay.”

In keeping with the tenets of impressionistic painters like Degas and Monet, Barber never uses blacks or dark browns in his paintings.

“Black has an oxide chemical (in it) that eats the other colors,” he said. “If you remember John Singer Sargent, he was a great portrait painter, and about 35 years ago I went to the Boston Museum and I was admiring one of his paintings — the girl

with the pink dress — and more recently I went back to see it and the whole thing looks gray because he used black. Even her face and the skin tones have faded.”

Barber will be sharing some of these tricks of the trade during art class workshops for adults and children next month at Our Lady of Victory Church, with all proceeds to benefit his home parish.

“I’m going to teach classes to two different groups,” he said.

“I’m going to have young people for one class, because I’m going to explain to them the love of flowers, the love of colors, and the love of two colors together; how yellow is the happy color, and how red is the love color, the blood color.”

A longtime fixture at the prestigious Wally Findlay Gallery in New York City, which sold some 2,200 of his paintings over a 24-year period, Barber’s impressive list of clients over

the years has included everyone from the Kennedys to Fox News Channel president Roger Ailes.

“I’ve sold paintings to a lot of famous people, I’ve sold paintings to the royal family, to the Kennedys, and a lot of important people have come to my home to buy paintings,” he said.

“So if I drop dead right now, I did it all for the Lord and I leave everything behind to tell the stories.”

Barber, now 70, seems content to be working for an even more powerful client these days.

“I hope God will give me a dog’s life,” he said. “Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll live another 10 or 15 years so I can do a lot more painting.”

Sam Barber’s “Holy Mary Gallery” is now on display in the parish center of Our Lady of Victory Church, 230 South Main Street in Centerville, throughout the month of May. Viewing times are during parish office hours: Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed for lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.); Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon; and Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Sam Barber’s art classes will be held at Our Lady of Victory Church on June 7 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon for adults and on June 21 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon for children, ages 10 to 15 years.

To register or for more information, call Lisa Aubin at 508-775-5744, extension 119, or email lisa@olvparish.org.

UMD Campus Ministry ready to reach out to incoming freshmen continued from page one

students remain pretty much the same. In the first few weeks of college, a student will get a good feel of whether or not it is for them. One of the greatest assets in helping with this major life transition is the presence of peers in their lives. Students who have gone through what they are going through and are willing to lend an ear, a hand, a shoulder. We have 12 young men and women, trained peer minsters, who will assist Frank and I this summer and fall.

These fellow classmates can give them the knowledge and experience they won’t necessarily get at freshman orientation.”

The Embark program is a four-step procedure that is already underway. Step one is to reach out to high school campus ministers and administration to let them know the UMD Campus Ministry exists and the many things it has to offer UMD students. “We present them with a brochure and information and get a feel from them who from their school is heading to UMD,” Lucca told The Anchor. “We’ve contacted the five Catholic high schools in the diocese and we’ve reached out to the Worcester Diocese and the Boston Archdiocese as well, and we plan on contacting the Providence, R.I. Diocese.”

From the student information gathered during the stepone process, the second step can

begin.

During the summer months Father Frederici and Deacon Lucca make regional visits to each of the deaneries to meet with incoming freshman. “We hope to be able to bring some peer ministers along as well,” said Lucca.

“These evening gatherings are an opportunity for incoming freshman to meet the campus ministry team and other students who will be attending UMass Dartmouth in the fall,” explained Father Frederici. “We invite incoming freshman to join us for pizza, tips on how to survive their freshman year and to meet fellow UMD students.”

All of this preparation work will lead up to Novus 2014.

“Novus was just accepted by the UMD administration, and

we’re very grateful for their cooperation,” said Lucca. “The Novus aspect will allow incoming freshman who experienced the Embark session and made a commitment to take part in the Freshman 5 program early in the first semester to move into the dorms on Friday and not Sunday. This is important, because it can be a madhouse when all the freshman move into the dorms on the same day.

Moving in early will allow them to become acclimated to campus life a little bit more easily.”

The peer ministers will move onto campus on Thursday. There will be a dinner and Mass for the students and their parents on Friday. “From Friday to Saturday evening, the campus ministry and peer ministers Turn to page 18

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, May 18, 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Maurice O. Gauvin, pastor of St. George Parish in Westport

14

May 16, 2014

Martha’s Vineyard parish employs FIDELIS program to ‘bring back the good old days’ “He is a Boston native and is a graduate of Holy Cross ColMARTHA’S VINEYARD lege, Harvard Divinity School — Back in the “good old days” and he has a Ph.D. in Theolwhen the pews were full at ogy from the University of Sunday Mass and the parish Chicago and has been workhosted so many events, the en- ing with parishes and dioceses ergy around faith communi- for more than 40 years.

“One of Dr. Swain’s gifts ties was all buzz. All the pastor had to say was “The church is teaching and he created a needs...” and tradespeople, three-tier program which he business people, moms and entitled Fidelis. Each tier dads alike would roll up their lasted for 10 weeks and each sleeves and get the job done. session was approximately Parishioners young and old two hours long. Fidelis I could not wait to participate in gave participants an overview whatever event the church was of the Catholic Church and hosting. Feast days and Holy teachings. It is designed to Days of Obligation services transform the way we think, were fully attended and many feel and respond to our idenmore faithful found true peace tity as a Roman Catholic lay sitting with Our Lord in front person. Fidelis II focused of the Blessed Sacrament for on ministry as relationship and brought the participants Eucharistic Adoration.

In an effort to bring back to a deeper awareness of their those days of engagement, faith and call to discipleship.

Good Shepherd Parish of It equipped them with key Martha’s Vineyard, under tools for them to take on parthe supervision of Bernard ish leadership. Fidelis III F. Swain, Ph.D., introduced was a supervised practicum a leadership program called where the participants would FIDELIS, which asks every- look for a ministry to support, one: “What can I do to make begin or enhance by their parmy church a better place to ticipation.”

FIDELIS members are worship? How am I called to answering this question by serve?”

“For the last few years we working with their pastor and have had Dr. Swain of Boston parish staff to create, oversee, helping us with our Pastoral and help sustain already esPlanning and organization of tablished and new programs the parish,” pastor Father Mi- and projects that fill the everchael Nagle told The Anchor. growing needs of the parish Special to The Anchor

and the greater island community.

The aim of FIDELIS as a working forum, is to inspire parishioners to seek and to experience a more vibrant faith life, to take on leadership roles in their parishes, and to reestablish some of the old practices that have been lost, like having greeters welcome parishioners to Mass, facilitating adult Faith Formation classes, coordinating pilgrimages to nourish the faith, and to find new ways to bring back the essence of women’s and men’s auxiliary groups that were so vital in the past.

The parish had two graduating FIDELIS classes and one that is in its final stages of completion. The graduates of the program have done some great work thus far. They have been able to help support the community by joining other churches on the Vineyard that provide a hot meal one day a week for those who are in need during the winter months. Together as a united Christian community, they can now offer a hot meal seven days a week to those in need.

The number of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and lectors has grown considerably due to another graduate taking the initiative to coordinate, train and recruit those who would be interested

in serving in those capacities but didn’t know how to get involved.

This year’s FIDELIS graduating class was asked by the Parish Council to establish a task force to help create a Growth Committee. The newly-formed Growth Committee will meet monthly to assist the parish Planning Council enlist new members with fresh ideas and capabilities to develop strategies and to implement programs that will foster growth of our parish in faith and in number.

In addition to the formation of the Growth Committee, the group is excited to introduce other programs, with the hope of serving to enhance participation in the parish and unite everyone as a community of faith.

A newly-planned Padré Pio Prayer Group held a plenary session in late March. Padré Pio prescribed the formation of such groups, some 2,000 now worldwide. They pray privately and together as his “spiritual militia” for inspiration from the Holy Spirit in marshalling the evangelical purpose among others and themselves.

The Martha’s Vineyard group wishes to restore fathers’ leadership of the family in its ministry and mission.

To embrace the richness and diversity of their faith family, they will reintroduce a Corpus Christi celebration, celebrated in the tradition of their Brazilian brothers and sisters. Large spiritually-in-

spired ground murals made of eco-friendly natural materials will fill the parking lot and provide an area for procession as the group participates in the joyful celebration of the Body of Christ.

In an effort to further strengthen relationships, the group will host a family potluck dinner with a movie for adults and games and other events for kids. The movie, “Fireproof,” will open the doors to any who may be interested in a 40-day love challenge which could help couples, parents and singles meet life’s ups and downs with a little more joy, love, and acceptance.

There are also plans to offer a Marian Shrine Pilgrimage to take place in April of 2015 to better connect with Our Lady and through her, Our Lord.

They will journey to Lourdes and her healing waters and continue on in the footsteps of faithful pilgrims to the Way of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, with the journey ending in Fatima, Portugal at the Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima.

For more information on this amazing pilgrimage contact Carmen Amadeo at reflexgirl3@ gmail.com or Laura Rose at fetcera@yahoo.com.

“This program has been a great gift to the parish,” said Father Nagle. “It has served as a great adult education and formation program. It has shown our adult participants what it means to be an active member of the parish community and how their baptismal calling fits into the life of the Church.

And it has become a source of new life and programs identified and initiated by the participants and Dr. Swain.

“This program has been well received and, in spite of the time and study it demands, for those who have participated in the program and for the parish it has produced good fruit.”

The FIDELIS experience is one from which every parishioner and parish could learn and grow. Those who have participated in this program said it has helped bring new light and perspective to their faith and has given them the opportunity and the tools to participate more fully in the parish’s faith journey.

For more information on Dr. Swain and how to bring FIDELIS to your parish, contact him at bfswain@juno.com.

15

May 16, 2014

Our readers respond Keep Good Friday holy My name is Margaret McGee, a parishioner of St. Rose of Lima Church in Rochester, and I am writing this letter in response to the recent article in The Anchor entitled, “Proposal to remove Good Friday from school calendar faces opposition.”

I am the person who initiated the petition opposing this action. I spoke with Kenneth Souza this morning and he had left a message for me by phone, which I did not receive and therefore was unable to provide him with my comments. Therefore, I thought I would share with you my comments and request they be mentioned on the “Our readers respond” page, according to your discretion. I thank you in advance for taking the time to read this letter.

The original article regarding this proposal was posted in The Standard Times on Saturday the 29th of March at which time no one was aware it had been voted upon. It certainly was very upsetting to me as well as to many of the residents of Rochester, Marion and Mattapoisett as we learned of this supposed “decision” made by some (not all were present) of the Old Rochester Regional Joint School Committee members.

The following week, on Thursday, April 3, The Wanderer printed an article entitled, “Big changes to school calendar.” As I read through this article, the Holy Spirit set a fire within me! I felt very strongly I was being called to not just complain about it, which was my usual action but to do something about it!

I have been a practicing Catholic all my life, was Baptized in the Holy Spirit at St. Patrick’s Church in Wareham in February 2002, survived the loss of my youngest son, Brendan, in a car accident in September 2003, and all throughout, I always felt God’s strength and grace carrying me, supporting me, and guiding me. Seven years later, with an abundance of God’s grace, I wrote and published a book entitled, “He’s Right Here.” I know this was all God’s work.

A year later, my husband and I lived Cursillo, February and March of 2004. I will always remember Father Joe Callahan’s words to me as he handed me a crucifix and spoke these words: “I’m counting on you, ”

and I answered, “And I on you” (words written on the back of the crucifix).

While reading the above mentioned article in The Wanderer, these familiar words rang very clearly in my mind. “I’m counting on you.” I felt it was the least I could do for Jesus, Whom I love so very much. I knew I needed to make every effort to make a difference, to stand up for Christ. The music of “Here I am Lord” began playing in my head and I actually said out loud, “Send me! I will go forth and proclaim the Gospel!” It was really strange because I had never felt such empowerment before. My son Brendan was an altar server and he always enjoyed participating in the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent at St. Rose of Lima Church in Rochester. After he passed away at the age of 27, I felt personally connected to the Blessed Mother as I identified with her pain and many times had to fight back the tears. It breaks my heart that Good Friday, commemorating Christ’s Passion and death on the cross is looked upon with such indifference by many. I believe it should remain a day of reflection and certainly not a regular school day like any other day of the year!

It was on Friday morning April 4 during a prayer meeting at His Land in Lakeville when I first spoke about my plan to begin circulating a petition for Good Friday to remain a day off from school in calendar year 2014-15.

As soon as I arrived home from the prayer meeting, I voiced my concerns to Diane Russo, secretary at the office of ORR superintendent Douglas White, and she suggested I make my concerns known to Rochester School Committee chairman, Michelle Cusolito (no longer a member) and ORR School Committee chairman, James O’Brien. An hour or so later, I received a return phone call from James O’Brien and I discussed my concerns with him and inquired whether or not it would be feasible to circulate a petition to keep Good Friday a day off and whether my petition would be considered for a reversal of the vote if I presented it at the next scheduled joint school committee meeting. He agreed this was definitely a possibility and so I was on a mission. I felt empowered

to do God’s work! “God is the victory,” began to chime in my head and I was energized with God’s grace and direction to get the ball rolling.

I made a phone call and spoke to Matthew Bernat from Sippican Week in Marion and he asked me to email my letter of opposition to him.

I was very surprised it was printed on the front page of the April 10 issue of Sippican Week just six days later but also believe it was the power of prayer, as I recalled lifting up these petitions during intercessory prayer at my prayer meeting.

On that same Friday, I had also brought a copy of my letter (directed to all Rochester School Committee members) to the editor of The Wanderer on Friday, April 4 and it was printed on page 44 of the Thursday, April 10 issue.

Included in the letter to the editor was this comment: “I am writing this letter to speak to those who share my opinion and agree with my concerns and who would be perhaps willing to sign a petition to overthrow this decision. I believe it is a grave injustice to the Christian community.”

My email address and phone number were included for those who wished to contact me.

Early the very next morning, I received a phone call from Joseph Napoli of Marion and not more than five minutes later from Josephine Pannell of Mattapoisett who wanted to sign my petition.

Very interestingly, Joseph is the name of my guardian angel so when I received their calls within five minutes of each other, I knew it was indeed God’s work! On this same day I brought a copy of my petition to both of them who offered to join me in my endeavor.

According to the article from the April 25 issue of The Anchor, it was quoted that more than 700 signatures have been received. Added to that number, I have 216 signatures at this time and expect to have many more by the date of the May 28 joint school committee meeting. Until then, I will continue to pray and thank God for all the help He has sent and I will leave the results to Him. Very importantly, I would like to make it known to the

residents of Rochester, Marion and Mattapoisett of the next joint school committee meeting, scheduled for Wednesday evening May 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Mr. Douglas White’s office/ conference room located behind the Old Rochester Regional High School, Marion Road in Mattapoisett. All are welcome to attend and will have an opportunity to voice his/her concerns.

Again, I thank you so very much for taking the time to read this letter. God bless.

Margaret (Maggie) McGee Rochester Executive Editor responds: Thank you for f illing in more of the Spiritual story behind this controversy. I pray that you and the other people of the ORR district will be successful in making Good Friday a day off again. When I went to public school (kindergarten through grade eight, 1973 to 1982) I was glad to have the day off. Back in 1977 my grandmother was going to take me to ride the new extension of the Orange Line train to Oak Grove on Good Friday, but my mother nixed that adventure, saying that we could wait until April vacation, since riding the “T ” was not a penitential way to spend Good Friday (I guess, unless you are a commuter).

She encouraged us to spend the day, especially between noon and 3 p.m., in prayer.

landscape we see carnage everywhere: massive unemployment, civil unrest; God banished from schools and even conversation; children under assault in classrooms by perverse and anti-family indoctrination; freedoms of speech and religion ground down by political correctness; and government instigated racial and class warfare. Recently a Colorado principal required high school students to pledge allegiance in Arabic — changing the wording to “One nation under Allah.” In this turning point election year, can we stay home from primaries?

The election? Can we just automatically — again — vote the letter instead of the person? There are enough Catholics in this country, according to a recent survey, to change the Senate or to elect the next president. This year, can we come together as Catholics, rather than members of a particular party and vote our faith — instead of political loyalties?

Patricia Stebbins East Sandwich

Executive Editor responds: Thank you for letter. I probably vote the same way as you do, for the same reasons (to defend life, Marriage and religious liberty).

Although I share most of your assessment, I would say that it probably would be hyperbolic to say that the “nation is on the verge of plunging into commuA Christian obligation nism,” although under Presi“Involvement in politics is dent Bush many people were an obligation for a Christian” always warning us that the na— thus saith Pope Francis! tion was on the verge of fascism.

From an excellent little That being said, I am concerned book, “Pope Francis Speaks to about our country. However, in Our Hearts, Words of Chal- terms of the high school in Fort lenge and Hope,” these partic- Collins, Colo., having the chilular words reach out at a time dren recite the pledge in Arabic, when Christianity is under I also read that they were going brutal attack throughout the to translate it into Chinese and world and our own nation is Korean. In terms of “one nation on the verge of plunging into under Allah,” Allah is the word communism. He says, “We in Arabic for God and Christians must be involved in politics in Malaysia have been fighting because it is one of the high- the government there, which est forms of charity for it put into effect a law earlier this seeks the common good. And year which mandated that only Christian lay people must Moslems could use “Allah” to rework in it.” fer to God. Australia Network He describes politics as News reported on January 25, “dirty” but asks why? Is it be- “Of course we are extremely discause we cannot be bothered appointed,” Reverend Hermen to enter what is the battle- Shastri, general secretary of the ground for our faith? Pope Council of Churches of MalayFrancis questions our blam- sia, said of [the government’s ing others for this situation, ban]. Malay-speaking Chrissaying, “It is a duty!” for us to tians say they have used “Allah” work for the common good. to refer to their God for hundreds In surveying the political of years.”

16

Youth Pages

A giant “National Geographic” map of the African continent visited All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford recently, allowing students the opportunity to measure, explore, and “walk around” another part of the world.

Seventh- and eighth-grade students from St. Margaret Regional School in Buzzards Bay recently presented their environmental study results about the health of the Agawam River system at Bridgewater State University. This was the 17th annual Watershed Access Laboratory Project Seminar at Bridgewater State University.

The Agawam River Project is a river study project for seventh- and eighth-grade students at St. Margaret’s. Hadley Way, left, and Hannah Grassi give their presentations.

The fifth-grade students at Holy Name School in Fall River recently took advantage of a new app which brings Scholastic News printed magazine to the digital world on iPads. The students watched videos pertaining to the articles and then tested their knowledge by playing an interactive Jeopardy-like game.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently announced the selection of Owen Leary, a senior at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth, as a 2014 U.S. Presidential Scholar. Leary is one of 141 outstanding American high school seniors who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, service, and contribution to school and community. The U.S. Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington D.C., from June 22-25. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, selects honored scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.

Since 1983, each Presidential Scholar has been offered the opportunity to name his or her most influential teacher. Each distinguished teacher is honored with a personal letter from the Secretary of Education. The teacher chosen for recognition

by Leary was Kathy Crosson of Bishop Stang.

May 16, 2014

Students from St. James-St. John School in New Bedford enjoyed a recent Dr. Seuss Book Fair.

The eighth-grade boys basketball team at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro celebrated a milestone. The team is the first in the school’s 60-year history to make it to the championship game in the Catholic Athletic League’s CYO New England Championship.

The team placed second in the School Division losing the championship game by only one point. Shown here is the team winning the St. John’s Basketball Tournament in the Senior Division. The team is coached by Jeff Nelson, Sharon Breault and Tim Sullivan. The team also won the Mercymount Pot O’ Gold Tournament, the Attleboro Holiday Tournament and they finished with a record of 29-1.

St. Michael School in Fall River recently celebrated its student athletes. Students who participated in Catholic Youth Fustal and CYO. St. Michael and St. Joseph Basketball teams enjoyed a pizza party and received trophies for a job well done. The u10 and u14 Futsal teams took first place, and the “C” division girls and the “C” division boys basketball also took first place.

May 16, 2014

L

ast week I had the privilege of preaching at the annual grade eight Mass held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River. Let me share with you the homily I preached at that Mass: There are two thoughts that strike me in the readings today (Acts 8:26-40; Jn 6:44-51). First is that of discernment. Discernment is listening for the voice of the Lord calling out to us. Often when we hear or think of discernment we think of those thinking about priesthood or religious life. Certainly, that involves discernment. God calls each of us to a vocation in life, one where our gifts and talents are best used for service to God. A vocation how we will best experience God’s love and be drawn deeper into His mystery. God calls us to the vocation that will allow us to live in joy.

For most of you, this will be within the vocation of Marriage. For others it will be as priests or religious.

This discernment takes years. It is beginning now and will continue in high school and beyond. It involves selfdiscovery, learning who you are and about your relationship with God and others.

It is a process of coming to know and love God in a deeper way. It involves prayer, conversations with family and friends and lots of personal

Youth Pages Faith feeds the desire for truth

successful. St. Matthew tells meditation and reflection. us “Where two or more are Discernment also takes gathered, there am I in your place within daily life. The midst” (Mt 18:20).

Lord is constantly at work What does this mean? in the day-to-day of human activity. Listen again to Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel: “No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draw him.”

By Father Each day the Lord David C. Frederici is at work calling people to Himself.

It comes in the form Well, think about it, when of longing and desire in our you are feeling down or hearts. Desire to know truth, discouraged, don’t you want desire for goodness, beauty others to lift your spirits, to and love. Each day the Lord encourage you, perhaps chalcalls us to “close the deal,” to continue what He has started. lenge you? That is how Christ reaches out to us, through That is what happens in our first reading. God stirs up others. We need others to come to a deeper understandin the heart of the eunuch a ing of the faith and to help us longing and desire for God, for something more. This de- to hear the voice of the Lord calling out to us. sire leads the eunuch to seek There are great challenges God and he begins reading ahead of you. This is a very the Scriptures, in this case Isaiah. The Lord sends Philip exciting time in your lives.

Believe it or not, the next to “close the deal.” Philip four years of high school are works to help the eunuch understand Who God is, why going to fly by. Remember we believe He is God and the that God is still at work in difference that God makes in your life and the lives of those around you. He is callour lives. ing you to a specific vocation This brings me to the second point of today’s readings: and is calling you to action faith is not lived on our own. each day. Don’t go it alone.

Remember you are never Aristotle said that hualone. The Church is always man beings are social beings. there, ready to love you and Meaning, we need other support you in all the chalpeople to flourish and to be

Be Not Afraid

The eighth-grade Confirmation group from St. Mary’s Parish in Mansfield recently held a coat drive for the Pine Street Inn in Boston. The students had the opportunity to go to Boston to tour the Pine Street Inn and present the coats to them. From left: Tess Collins, Rachel O’Sullivan, Mike Sestak, Sarah O’Sullivan, Matt Murray, Devin Chatterjee, John Cooney (front), Leo Adorno (back), Elana Yaghoobian, Adam Salachi, Jack Murphy, and Nick Menz.

lenges that come your way.

Do not stop seeking to grow in love of God. There is a myth you will encounter, perhaps in high school or in college.

This myth states that faith and reason are opposed; that you will only be happy if you shed yourself of religion. There is nothing further from the truth. Faith feeds that desire we have for truth, love, beauty and goodness. It motivates us to learn. That is why Catholics have contributed so much to the sciences,

17 literature, art, etc.

Our Catholic faith helps us to be good students, the best husbands and wives, moms and dads, priests and religious, teachers, lawyers or accountants, etc., that we can be. Faith gives us the energy to live life joyfully and to work with one another to build up the Kingdom of God in our world.

Anchor columnist Father Frederici is pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pocasset and diocesan director of Campus Ministry and chaplain at UMass Dartmouth and Cape Cod Community College. david.frederici@umassd.edu.

St. Francis Xavier, Acushnet, had a clean sweep in the CYO “C” Team Basketball Championships. Pictured (top and bottom photo) with their winning trophies are the St. Francis Xavier, Acushnet girls and boys CYO “C” Team champs with their coaches. Girl’s coaches: Mike King and Todd Govoni; Boy’s coaches: Christopher Borba, Tony Martins and Tony Ramous.

Send school and Religious Education news to: schools@anchornews.org

18

May 16, 2014

UMD Campus Ministry readies for new year continued from page 13.

Recipients of the 2014 Pope St. Pius X Youth Award gathered at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River with Bishop George W. Coleman for a group photo.

Diocesan youth honored with St. Pius X Youth Award continued from page one

all been friends since we were younger and I know these friendships are going to last for the rest of my lifetime.

“Every one of them has made me and guided me to be a more caring, strong, friendly, generous, loving, and faithful person I am today.”

Matthew Gagnon of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Swansea also expressed his gratitude and love for the Church. “I am truly honored to receive the Pope St. Pius X Youth Award, however it seems odd to get an award for what we are all supposed to do — help others. My faith is my identity; it’s a way of life.

“To me, faith is action. When we pray and go to Mass we act upon our love for God. When we are out in the streets serving the community we are God’s instruments of love and compassion. If one is trying to be faithful and Christ-like in life, action is required. It takes action to be a Catholic. It is not always fun, easy, socially-acceptable or, in some places, legal, but with faith in God we are given strength to succeed.”

“To my fellow recipients, your willingness to take action brought you here,” he concluded. “Even when times are hard or you are placed in new circumstances, continue to take action and put God first. You will never fail because God will never fail you.”

The sentiments echoed Burke’s closing remarks: “So remember tonight,” she said. “How good it feels to have served God with the love and grace He has granted upon us all. No matter if you do something big or small to help someone in need, you can make a difference and grow in God ‘s faith. You may even have enlightened someone without knowing and this is what God has chosen us to do. By going and making a difference you are answering the call from God, and each of us

recipients are being rewarded for just that tonight. Let’s all continue to make a difference in the lives of the people around us, whether they are in our parish or not. Anyone we help in our lives will touch each of our hearts and hopefully you will do the same to them.”

The following is a list of the Pope St. Pius X Youth Award recipients and their parishes by deanery.

Attleboro Deanery Monica A. Curtin, St. Mary Parish, Mansfield; Mary G. Day, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Seekonk; Korey J. Dufault, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Attleboro; Andrew J. Forte, St. Mary Parish, North Attleboro; Emily Horan, St. Mark Parish, Attleboro Falls; Timothy Legg, Sacred Heart Parish, North Attleboro; Cory Rebello, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Attleboro; and Collin P. Walter, St. Mary Parish, Norton.

Cape Cod Deanery Mary G. Burke, Christ the King Parish, Mashpee; Shaelyn K. Calvey, St. Margaret Parish, Buzzards Bay; Kezia S. Duarte, St. Mary-Our Lady of the Isle Parish, Nantucket; Joshua B. Ford, St. Joan of Arc Parish, Orleans; Peter Z. Hartnett, Corpus Christi Parish, E. Sandwich; Liam Loiselle, Our Lady of Victory Parish, Centerville; Kevin P. Nicolai, Holy Redeemer Parish, Chatham; Katelin E. Oberlander, St. Pius X Parish, South Yarmouth; Sarah A. Peninger, Holy Trinity Parish, West Harwich; Sean Quinn, St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, North Falmouth; Molly P. Shanahan, Our Lady of the Cape Parish, Brewster; Rory P. Trimble, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Hyannis; and Emily S. Turner, St. Patrick Parish, Falmouth.

Fall River Deanery Sierra N. Aguiar, St. Michael Parish, Fall River; Xavier R. Faria, St. Bernard Parish, Assonet; Sara Ferreira, St. Dominic Parish, Swansea; Matthew T. Gagnon, St.

Francis of Assisi Parish, Swansea; Sean Galego, Sacred Heart Parish, Fall River; Jameson T. Hughes, St. John the Baptist Parish, Westport; Matthew J. Machado, Santo Christo Parish, Fall River; Anthony J. Mahoney-Pacheco, Holy Name Parish, Fall River; Jillian Sargent, St. Patrick Parish, Somerset; Cameron Souza, St. Joseph Parish, Fall River; Gabrielle Souza, St. Thomas More Parish, Somerset; Shawn Szczupak, St. Stanislaus Parish, Fall River; and Thomas Zmuda, Good Shepherd Parish, Fall River.

New Bedford Deanery Shashawna S. Amaral, Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. James Parish, New Bedford; Samantha H. Correia, St. Joseph Parish, Fairhaven; Mayse M. Dias, St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, New Bedford; Raquel M. Ferreira, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, New Bedford; Victoria Johnson, St. John Neumann Parish, East Freetown; Frederick M. Kalisz, III, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, New Bedford; Taylor Markey, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, New Bedford; Luke McGraw, St. Mary Parish, Fairhaven; Allison M. Paiva, St. Julie Billiart Parish, North Dartmouth; Bessy P. Rivas, St. Kilian Parish, New Bedford; Brett M. Santos, St. Mary Parish, South Dartmouth; Giovanni Sequeira, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, New Bedford; and Andrew Tricker, St. Patrick Parish, Wareham; Taunton Deanery Jacquelyn R. Bechtel, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish, North Easton; Ashley Correia, Annunciation of the Lord Parish, Taunton; Meghan Dunne, Holy Cross Parish, South Easton; Evangelos Mines, St. Ann Parish, Raynham; Joseph Silveira, St. Anthony Parish, Taunton; Joshua Tibbels, St. Nicholas of Myra Parish, North Dighton; and Jazmin L. Wallace, Holy Family Parish, East Taunton.

will inform the students about the campus, what it has to offer and all the things the campus ministry has to offer,” said Father Frederici. “In the past, I’ve had students come up to me well into the year and say, ‘I just found out there’s a Mass on campus every Sunday.’ By meeting with the freshman, we can let them know there’s Mass and much more for them on campus.”

As part of the agreement with UMD, after the Novus retreat experience, the freshmen who took part will then help the rest of the incoming freshmen move in on Sunday. “That’s another way for the students to get to know each other and make the transition easier,” added Father Frederici.

All of the students will experience freshmen orientation on the first Monday and Tuesday of the semester, and the campus ministry will be present there as well.

The final step of the Embark program is the Freshman 5 program. “This is a five-week faith sharing program for the freshmen,” said Father Frederici.

“The students are divided into small groups of five individuals, and they will meet once a week with peer ministers for about a half hour for a spiritual connection,” said Lucca. “It’s like a safe haven for them.”

The sessions begin about a week after classes begin. “After the five weeks are up, the groups can continue to meet if the students choose to do so. Our hope is that the freshmen will find these meetings valuable,” said Father Frederici.

The goal of the Embark program is to make the freshmen feel welcome and comfortable, and then the hope is that they will invite some of their friends and the Catholic presence on campus will continue to grow and assist everyone.

“All are welcome here,” said Father Frederici, “regardless of personal history, background, race, age or orientation. All are welcomed, accepted, loved and respected at the UMD Campus Ministry.”

Besides the proactive approach the campus ministry is taking this summer with the incoming freshmen, there are a plethora of fun activities and spiritual aids for all UMD students.

The Charis Retreat program, which had a very successful launching last semester at UMass Dartmouth will be offered again this year. The Seek-

ers’ Retreat will be offered in the fall, and the “Jesus — Who Do You Say That I Am?” Retreat will be offered in the spring.

Both are three-day retreat experiences. In addition to these campus ministry offers one-day retreats twice annually, and a Bible Students’ Retreat.

There are also Bible sharing groups; reVerb, a Catholic young adult ministry for college students who want to experience Christ and the Church through adoration and fellowship; Catholic 101, designed for students who want to enrich their understanding of the fullness and beauty of the Catholic faith, held via a virtual online webinar system; Jeremiah’s Journey, a monthly spiritual direction along with threefour afternoon sessions offered throughout the semester; a Peer Ministry Leadership Institute, a five-session training program (held in the spring and early fall) designed to prepare student leaders to work with their peers; Corsairs Community Outreach, that allows students to get involved with the community in ways such as working with a soup kitchen, My Brother’s Keeper; and campus can and clothing drives.

Other activities include Theology on Tap, the Relay for Life, Alternative Spring Break, and the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Also available from the campus ministry is the Newman House, a near-campus center available for student use from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The house features a chapel, office space, high speed Internet, cable TV, a full kitchen, dining room, living room, and patio.

“We’re here to provide students at UMass Dartmouth the opportunity to be supported, educated and to grow in the Catholic faith,” said Father Frederici. “We aim to live out our call to be true disciples of Christ in our everyday lives.”

For more information about the UMass Dartmouth Campus Ministry and all it has to offer, visit umassdcatholics.com, or scan the QR code below.

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May 16, 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available at this time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pope to beatify Pope Paul VI at end of synod on the family

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul VI October 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family. Pope Francis signed a decree May 9 recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Pope Paul, who led the Church from 1963 to 1978, and authorized publication of the October 19 beatification date, according to a recent Vatican statement.

The miracle involved the birth of a baby in California in the 1990s. The family’s name and city have not been released, but according to news reports, a pregnant woman whose life was at risk along with the life of her baby was advised by doctors to terminate the pregnancy. Instead she sought prayers from an Italian nun who was a family friend. The nun placed a holy card with Pope Paul’s photograph and a piece of his vestment on the woman’s belly. The baby was born healthy.

For Pope Paul’s sainthood cause, physicians continued monitoring the child’s health up to the age of 12 and everything was normal.

Pope Paul’s connection with the themes expected to be raised at the synod on the family October 5-19 include the encyclical for which is he is most known, “Humanae Vitae.”

The 1968 encyclical, usually described as a docu-

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks May 17 Most Rev. James E. Cassidy, D.D., Third Bishop of Fall River, 1934-51, 1951 Rev. Albert Evans, SS.CC., 2003 May 19 Rev. Ambrose Lamarre, O.P., 1940 Rev. Thomas Trainor, Pastor, St. Louis, Fall River, 1941 Rev. Arthur C. Levesque, Pastor, Our Lady of Fatima, New Bedford, 1988 May 20 Rev. Antonio L. daSilva, Pastor, Our Lady of Health, Fall River, 1952 May 22 Rev. Daniel L. Freitas, Retired, Former Pastor, St. John of God, Somerset, 2012 May 23 Rev. William F. Donahue, Assistant, St. Francis Xavier, Hyannis, 1944 Rev. Alfred J. Guenette, A.A., 1995

ment affirming the Church’s prohibition against artificial contraception, places that conclusion in the context

of Catholic teaching on the beauty and purpose of Marriage, married love and procreation.

Around the Diocese Join Abundant Hope Pregnancy Resource Center of Attleboro for its fifth annual Walk for Life fund-raiser on May 17 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Newell Shelter at Capron Park, County Street in Attleboro. It is the mission of Abundant Hope to offer free and confidential services to women, men and families with small children in an unexpected pregnancy, with an alternative to abortion. For more information and to receive donor forms, email info@abundanthopeprc.org or call 508-455-0425.

The Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Nurses will sponsor a presentation entitled “Mary: A Caregiver During the Suffering and Joys of Everyday Life” by Father John Sullivan, M.S., on May 17 from 8:30 to 11:15 a.m. at Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River. Mass and lunch will follow the presentation and all are welcome. To register or for more information, contact Betty at 508-678-2373.

On May 18 the Women’s Guild of Holy Trinity Parish in Fall River will be hosting a spectacular May Basket Penny Sale at 1 p.m. in the church basement. The church is located on the corner of Tucker Street and Stafford Road in Fall River. Admission is $1, which makes you eligible to win one of the 100 prizes on the grand table. Additional raffles will be offered for the larger prizes such as food baskets and appliances. Door prizes are free to players in attendance. Also, a luncheon menu will be available including chow mein sandwiches, hot dogs, chouriço and peppers, and a variety of delicious pastries and other goodies.

St. John Neumann Parish, 157 Middleboro Road in East Freetown, will host its 30th annual Lakeside Family Festival on Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26. Admission is free and the fair will be open on Friday from 6 to 11 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from noon to 11 p.m., and Monday from noon to 5 p.m. There will be a huge barn sale all weekend along with amusement rides, entertainment, a car show on Sunday (rain date is Monday) and a great selection of home-baked goods, games of skill, assorted food booths, raffles and a silent auction. For more information visit www.sjnfreetown.org.

Emmaus is a retreat program for men and women, ages 20-plus, who seek to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ, regardless of their present level of faith and practice. The next Emmaus weekend will be at Cathedral Camp in East Freetown on May 30 through June 1. Contact Brittany Juszkiewicz at publicity@emmausretreats.com for more information and an application or visit www.emmausretreats.com.

Boy Scout Troop 333 has begun its final push to collect worn, torn, faded or badly-soiled American flags which they will honorably retire during a solemn ceremony on May 31. This ceremony, sponsored annually by the East Freetown troop, will burn hundreds flags which have been collected from cities and towns in the South Coast region. The public is invited to attend the 1 p.m. ceremony at Cathedral Camp, 167 Middleboro Road in East Freetown, and are welcome to bring any flags that may need to be retired. It is suggested that visitors bring a folding chair for their comfort. Additional information about Troop 333 may be found at the troop’s website: www.CCTroop333.com or by calling Mike McCormack at 508-965-1075.

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May 16, 2014

Catholic eighth-grade students attend Mass, tour cathedral diocese.

It includes the aforemenFALL RIVER — While tioned cathedral tour, a factKevin Lane, a student at St. finding scavenger hunt, and John the Evangelist School lunch on the scenic grounds in Attleboro, expected to see surrounding St. Mary’s CatheBishop George W. Coleman as dral before celebrating Mass he celebrated Mass for his fel- with Bishop Coleman.

Kevin Baker, an eighthlow eighth-graders from Catholic schools across the diocese, grade student at St. John the he didn’t anticipate seeing the Evangelist School in Attleboro, final resting places of two of was fascinated by the interior the bishop’s predecessors: Bish- and exterior architecture of the op William Stang and Bishop more than 160-year-old stone cathedral.

Daniel F. Feehan.

“I didn’t know that the statLane and some of his classmates were treated to a guided ue of Jesus (across the street) tour of the Cathedral of St. from the cathedral was made in Mary of the Assumption last France,” Baker said. “That was week just prior to the annual interesting to learn.”

Colleen O’Brien, a classmate diocesan Mass for eighth-gradof Baker’s, was surprised to ers.

“I learned a lot about the learn the history of some of the former bishops (of our dio- stained-glass windows in the cese) — I always heard about cathedral’s choir loft.

“I didn’t know that the Bishop Stang and Bishop Feehan from the high schools stained-glass windows were named after them, but I never made by Terence O’Dugan,” really knew much about them,” O’Brien said. “I really like the Lane told The Anchor. “When rose window up there — it’s rewe went down into the crypt ally colorful and pretty.”

Chelsea Gomes, a stuto see where they are buried, I learned about their lives; when dent from All Saints Catholic they were born, when they died. School in New Bedford, was That was one of the most inter- impressed to learn why there’s esting parts of the tour for me.” an image of a pelican carved An annual tradition spear- into the front of the cathedral’s headed by the diocesan Cath- wooden tabernacle.

“The legend is that the peliolic Education Center, the Cathedral Mass for Eighth- can mother will actually feed Graders provides a unique op- her young and starve herself portunity for these students and die just to feed her kids, as they are about to transition and that’s supposed to symbolfrom middle into high school ize Jesus suffering and dying on to come together to laud their the cross to save us,” she said.

Gomes’ classmate, Emma academic achievements, celebrate their faith, and learn a bit Braga, thought it was “cool” about the rich history of their to learn about the different

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

Father Jason Brilhante, parochial vicar at St. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth, recently attended the annual eighth-grade Mass and tour of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River with seven students from St. Pius X School in South Yarmouth. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

symbols depicted in the various carvings and windows and learning about “where it originated and how it was first built.”

But there was no denying that brief jaunt down into the seldom-seen crypt below the altar level of St. Mary’s Cathedral where past bishops of the diocese are buried remained a highlight of the tour for most students.

“I loved learning about the history,” said George El-Haoui, a student at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro, “but I really loved going down into the crypt (where the bishops are buried).”

Several students from Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro under the guidance of Father David M. Costa, who serves as chaplain there, were

invited to come back and be tour guides for their younger counterparts this year.

“I remember how much I liked the tour when I was in eighth grade,” said Timothy Legg, a Feehan student and member of Sacred Heart Parish in Attleboro. “I’ve always liked the history of churches, it’s always been interesting to me, so I thought I’d like to come back and give a tour (of the cathedral) this year.”

Legg patiently pointed out some of the intricate details in the cathedral’s remarkable woodwork as eighth-graders scurried to jot down the information on their scavenger hunt sheets.

“Being a tour guide you get a different experience, a different point-of-view, which I enjoy,” he added.

In welcoming the more than 400 students present who would be entering high school in the fall, Dr. Michael S. Griffin, superintendent of schools for the Fall River Diocese, noted how this was a special opportunity to congratulate them on their academic success to date and to say “we are all very proud of you.”

“Each of you has accepted the challenge of a Catholic education, which means not only an exceptional commitment to academic excellence — and we recognize all the hard work that you’ve put into that — but also we know that you’ve made a real commitment through these years to grow in the knowledge and practice of your faith,” Griffin said. “So as you prepare now to move onto the next level of your education, we encourage you to continue

to apply those lessons knowing that God will continue to walk with you, to be with you, and to continue to call you to a life in a relationship with Him and in service to others. We want you to know that our prayers will continue to be with you.”

In his homily remarks during the Mass, Father David C. Frederici, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pocasset and chaplain at UMass Dartmouth and Cape Cod Community College, echoed Griffin’s sentiments.

“There are great challenges ahead of you,” Father Frederici said. “This is a very exciting time in your lives. Believe it or not, the next four years of high school are going to fly by.

Remember that God is still at work, in your life and the lives of those around you. He is calling you to a specific vocation and is calling you to action each day. Don’t go it alone. Remember you are never alone. The Church is always there, ready to love you and support you in all the challenges that come your way.”

And Father Costa, who helped organize the annual eighth-grade Mass and tour, beamed with pride about how well-behaved and respectful the students were as they walked around the cathedral and its surrounding property.

“I think the respect that you show each other is really evident, and I think that’s a wonderful tribute to your teachers and your pastors who have invested so much in you,” Father Costa said. “We are proud to claim you as our own and to welcome you to our cathedral church.”