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Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , June 20, 2014

Two diocesan employees earn degrees from Theological Institute for New Evangelization

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

A statue of Servant of God Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton, the “Rosary Priest,” awaits guests to the peaceful Rosary Walk on the grounds of Holy Cross Family Ministries in Easton. (Photo by Dave Jolivet)

Seek the Sacred this summer

By Linda Andrade Rodrigues Anchor Correspondent

NEW BEDFORD — Grow and deepen your faith by going on pilgrimage in the Diocese of Fall River this summer.

Worship in our spectacular churches Be awed and humbled by the grandeur of St. Anne’s Church and Shrine, 818 Middle Street, Fall River. One of the most striking features of the Romanesque architecture is its gallery of large statues that line the interior. Gaze at the statues above and around the sanctuary that portray Christ’s 12 Apostles, along with St. Paul, St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Joachim, the husband of St. Anne. Smaller statues of angels overlook the saints.

A peaceful place for pilgrims to reconcile with God through prayer, the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, 947 Park Street, Attleboro, offers daily Mass and retreats. Walk the beautiful grounds, which include the shrine church, retreat center, Chapel of Light, welcome center and monastery.

The sanctuary of St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, is a masterpiece of architecture.

Eighteen-feet-high angels top each of the pillars, and 5,000 lights cast an ethereal glow. Join the countless faithful who have felt the Divine Presence in this holy place.

Thirty miles out to sea on the island of

Nantucket is St. Mary-Our Lady of the Isle Church, 3 Federal Street. The simple beauty of the sanctuary with its lovely stained glass window of the Blessed Turn to page 18

FALL RIVER — Two people from the Fall River Diocese were among the first to complete and earn Master of Arts in Ministry degrees from the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton recently.

Deacon Peter R. Cote, permanent deacon at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River, and Jennifer Linehan, newly-appointed Director of Faith Formation at St. Mary’s Parish in Mansfield, were among the 20 graduates — the largest group to date — to receive degrees from Cardinal Séan P. O’Malley, OFM, Cap., during May 22 commencement exercises held in the seminary chapel.

“I sought to apply for certification as a chaplain from the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and a theological or pastoral graduate degree is mandated,” explained Deacon Cote, who also serves as director of pastoral care for Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River. “My diaconal formation was an excellent experience, but it did not fulfill this requirement. The environment as well as the academic standards were both important to me in my deci-

sion as to where to pursue my education … and I found (St. John’s Seminary) exceeded all my expectations.”

After receiving a degree in marine biology from Roger Williams University in 2010, Linehan said she soon learned that God was calling her to “lead young people closer to Him.” “Through my discernment God provided an opportunity to chaperone a retreat, one that I went on multiple times in high school,” Linehan told The Anchor. “The retreat was lead by my youth minister, Jeff Cahill, a graduate of the Master of Arts in Ministry. The theme of the retreat was on God’s plan for our life, so when I approached him about following God’s plan, he directed me to … the Theological Institute.”

The Theological Institute for the New Evangelization — commonly referred to as TINE — was established by Cardinal O’Malley and was conceived under the leadership of Bishop Arthur Kennedy, then-rector of St. John’s Seminary.

TINE is geared towards laity, deacons, and religious and the program aims to give Catholics the whole-person formation needed to fulfill their mission in Christ. It includes two degree levels: the Master of Arts in Ministry degree Turn to page 18

St. Mary’s Education Fund Summer Gala planned for July 11

The beautiful stained glass window at St. Mary-Our Lady of the Isle Church in Nantucket welcomes visitors and parishioners to celebrate Mass on the island this summer. (Photo by Dave Jolivet)

Bishop Coleman celebration date changed

FALL RIVER — The Diocese of Fall River will recognize Bishop George W. Coleman’s 50th anniversary as a priest and his 11 years of dedicated service as bishop of the diocese at a special Mass and reception on August 26, rather than the July 22 date originally announced. Because of space constraints, admission to the 3 p.m. Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral and the reception immediately following at White’s of Westport is by invitation only. There will be, however, an open reception at White’s later that evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

MASHPEE — The 17th annual St. Mary’s Education Fund Gala on Cape Cod is set this year for July 11, at the Willowbend Country Club in Mashpee.

Proceeds from this evening of food, music and merriment benefit the St. Mary’s Education Fund, which provides need-based scholarships to children attending Catholic schools on Cape Cod and throughout southeastern Massachusetts.

Cochairmen Marilyn and Joseph Benoit and the gala committee have planned a wonderful evening: a multi-course dinner, silent and live auctions with fantastic prizes, and music and entertainment by the Frank Zarba Orchestra of Boston. A 6 p.m. cocktail reception will begin the festivities.

In his letter of invitation to support-

ers, Bishop George W. Coleman pointed out that Catholic schools “provide both a quality education for our children and young people as well as an atmosphere which promotes academic, moral and spiritual development.”

This summer gala, the bishop wrote, “is an opportunity to celebrate the tradition of Catholic education” and at the same time to support the St. Mary’s Education Fund to “ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the excellence of our Catholic schools in the diocese.”

The summertime gala was first held in 1998 and has become Cape Cod’s largest source of funding for the St. Mary’s Education Fund.

For ticket information and further details contact Jane Robin at 508-759-3566.

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News From the Vatican

June 20, 2014

A young woman’s Confirmation gift: Reading at pope’s Mass Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — After three years of waiting to be Confirmed, Clemence Figeac was asked to read an intention of the faithful during Pope Francis’ Pentecost Mass, just two days after receiving the Sacrament.

“It was very beautiful,” Figeac told CNA, “especially because first there was a little rehearsal the day before, and the person in charge of the Liturgy said that our reading had to be a prayer.”

The Liturgy director had stressed to Figeac that “we had to feel all words and pray because we are in prayer and we could help people pray.

There is a communication in our way of pronouncing or speaking,” she said, “and this is beautiful because it says there is a desire to pray.”

“One feels really moved in this prayer and in this Mass in a certain different way,” Figeac noted, explaining that while she read she prayed to the Holy Spirit to inspire those that heard her.

Hailing from the small town of Lille in northern France, 28-year-old Figeac grew up Catholic but had been distant from the Church, only discovering the importance of the Sacrament of Confirmation four years ago.

Figeac said she felt the desire to receive her Confirmation and “participate in the second living element in the Church” two years ago, so she moved to Rome in order to study. While there she met a priest from her hometown, Father Fabien Lambert, who serves as the chaplain for the Centro San Lorenzo, an international center for youth founded in 1983 by Pope St. John Paul II. “We met by chance and the encounter was very beautiful, like a city from Heaven” she said. “I immediately told him about my desire to be Confirmed, and he really accompanied me and helped me, although he would always wait

for a sign on my part.”

Figeac said she finally made the decision after receiving a message from Father Lambert one day asking if she had found a priest and a parish where she could arrange it.

“So I did my Confirmation at the Centro San Lorenzo with this priest that prepared me” she said, noting that she was recently Confirmed by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council of the Laity.

“It was a beautiful moment because you can see that he is a man of faith,” she said of Cardinal Rylko, “So this Mass had so much meaning.”

Figeac said “before I didn’t know the Church, I didn’t value the importance of the Church, I didn’t see the meaning of the Church.”

But when she finally “met the Holy Spirit,” she said she “had the will to discern the faith more, understand my faith” and “I really became Catholic.”

“I believe that this Sacrament carries you toward a second element: to participate in creating the Church. It allows you to live your faith. It gives you the strength to live your Christian life” she said.

So “as a gift, they proposed that I read an intention of the faithful in the Holy Father’s Pentecost Mass.”

Pentecost is a Greek term referring to the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. The Sacrament of Confirmation is a re-living of this descent into the heart of the one who receives it.

Figeac revealed that another great motivation to receiver her Confirmation is her work, because “I would like to work for the Church and give myself in service.”

“So the fact that the Holy Spirit helps you to have a role in the Church, I see it more in the role of my work.”

“I would like to be an element, to try to do something placing myself at the service” of the Church, she explained, adding that “everyone tries to do that, without doing big things, but at least the minimum.”

Figeac plans to move back to France in just under two weeks where she and her fiancée will plan their wedding.

Pope Francis balances a basketball during a special audience for members of CSI (Italian sport centers) in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican recently. (CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters)

Even an insult is killing your brother, pope says

how there are some “who, in Vatican City (CNA/ good thing. It is realism.”

Reaching an agreement is their hatred, express their hate EWTN News) — In a recent daily homily, Pope Francis re- a good thing, the Bishop of through insults with great flected on true brotherly love, Rome continued, explaining flourish — and that hurts.”

“Let us be realistic: [have] explaining that if we really that “one must make a deal — want to love one another we and one takes a step, the other the criterion of realism, the need to be realistic and willing takes another step and at least criterion of coherence. Do not to compromise for the sake of there is peace: a very (imper- kill, do not insult.” fect) peace, but a peace agreeMoving on to his final point, keeping peace. the pope explained that the “In our day we think that ment” nonetheless.

Jesus, he said, also tells us third criterion Jesus gives us to ‘not killing our brother’ means simply not actually murdering this and praises “the ability to love “is a criterion of fraternity him — but no — not killing make agreements between our- rooted in sonship.”

If we are not allowed our brother means to kill our brother, it is not (even) insulting f you do not hate, and you would because we have the him,” the pope stated not kill your enemy, your broth- same Father he pointat a recent daily Mass, ed out, saying that “I adding that “The er, then do not insult him either.” cannot go to the Fainsult comes from ther if I do not have the same root of the selves and overcome the ‘holi- peace with my brother.” crime: hatred.”

“Do not talk to the Father if Taking his cue from the er-than-thou attitude’ of the day’s Gospel passage in Mat- Pharisees,” adding that when you are not at peace with your thew during which Jesus states we make compromises, “we put brother — if you do not have at that one must reconcile with a stop to hate and strife among least a compromise agreement,” the Bishop of Rome went on, their brother before leaving us.”

Speaking of the importance reiterating how there are three their gift at the altar, Pope Francis recalled how Jesus said of having coherence with oth- criteria: “a criterion of realism; we must love our neighbor, but ers, the pope warned that “to a criterion of coherence, meannot in the way of the Pharisees, speak ill of someone is to kill ing not to kill and not even to “because they were ideologues.” the other, because the act is insult, because those who inExplaining how their atti- rooted in hatred all the same.” sult kill; and a criterion of fraNoting how often today ternity rooted in sonship.” tude “was not love” but rather “One cannot talk to the Fa“indifference toward one’s many think that to kill one’s neighbor,” the Roman pontiff brother means to kill him only ther if one cannot even speak observed that Jesus “gives us in the physical sense, Pope to one’s brother,” he said, “and three criteria” on how to truly Francis explained that even the this means overcoming the hoperson who gossips and “who lier-than-thou attitude of the love.

“First, a criterion of real- calls his brother stupid is kill- scribes and the Pharisees.”

“This program is not easy, is ism: of sane realism. If you ing his brother, because the act it? Though, it is the way that have something against an- is rooted in hate.”

“If you do not hate, and you Jesus tells us to keep going.” other and you cannot fix, look Concluding his homily, Pope for a (compromise) solution at would not kill your enemy, your least,” and try to find a way “to brother, then do not insult him Francis asked for the grace “to move forward in peace among get along with your adversary either.”

Observing how it is “a com- ourselves, with compromises, while you’re on the road,” the mon habit among us is to seek and always with coherence and pope encouraged.

“It will not be ideal, but a out things to find insulting,” in a spirit of fraternity rooted compromise agreement is a the Roman pontiff described in sonship.”

“I

The International Church Arab Christian witnesses grace of pope’s prayer for peace

June 20, 2014

and Islamic religious com- Focolare for a woman to be in- This gift can be only granted munities. Prayers were offered cluded in the papal delegation, by God. Only God can change in Hebrew, English, Italian, representing the movement our hearts, and if we change and Arabic, praising God for and the effort for peace, group our hearts we can change our Creation, asking pardon for president Maria Voce imme- relationships, and we can besin, and requesting the gift of diately thought of Karram. “It lieve in peace more.” peace. was a great privilege for me to On the three-part prayer, KarPope Francis and ram noticed that for the two presidents have lived in the Holy Land their intentions, Musplanted an olive tree lims added some words most of my life, and when I ar- off the cuff — “words and spoke about the need for peace. The rived here I saw that we were going to I think were not suppresidents, the patri- pray all together: Jews and Muslims, posed to be said.” arch, and Pope Fran- Palestinians and Israelis. That meant “What I undercis also exchanged stood is that they a sign of peace and to me that we really have to believe in really wanted to ungathered for a private peace.” derline their feelings, discussion. their suffering, their For 12 years, Karbeing oppressed. I ram was the Focolare move- be representing the Focolare think they wanted to say: ‘We ment’s director for the Holy movement,” Karram said of are here! We want peace!’ But Land, moving a couple of Voce’s choice. we do not have to forget that months ago to work at the At the invocation for prayer, this peace has to be just, and Focolare Movement’s Interna- Karram was also charged of that no one would ever forget tional Center in Grottaferrata, reading the Prayer of St. Fran- our suffering,” Karram stressed. not far from Rome. cis.

She added that she hopes In 2013, she was awarded According to her, the event that “even these words not with the Mount Zion prize to- proves that peace “is not a work written but said may help peogether with the Jewish woman of people, it is a work of God. ple to understand that there Yisca Harani for “the important effort to the development among religions and cultures in the Holy Land and to the mutual understanding between Jewish, Christians and STrasbourg, France, bacy in the Catholic Church, Muslims.”

(CNA/EWTN News) — Al- the Becket Fund reports.

When the Vatican asked the Martinez appealed the decithough the European Court of Human Rights has allowed sion to a local employment tria bishop to set standards for bunal, contending that the act Diocese of Fall River Catholic religion teachers in violated his right to personal Spain, some say the threat of autonomy. He took his appeal government interference still to Spain’s Constitutional Court and the Third Section of the gives cause for concern.

“If government can dictate European Court of Human who teaches a particular re- Rights, losing his appeal there His Excellency, the Most Reverend George W. Coleman, ligion, then government can as well.

Bishop of Fall River, has announced the following appointThe Grand Chamber of the dictate what the content of ments: Strasbourg, France-headquarthat religion is,” Eric Rassbach, deputy general counsel at the tered human rights court sided Rev. Jason Brilhante, Parochial Vicar, Saint Mary’s ParU.S.-based Becket Fund for with the bishop by a narrow ish, Mansfield Religious Liberty, said recently. margin of nine to eight. The Rev. Christopher M. Peschel, Parochial Vicar, Saint Pius Rassbach, an expert con- majority decision ruled that the Tenth Parish, South Yarmouth, and part-time Chaplain, Cape sultant with third parties who teacher did not suffer “disproCod Hospital intervened in the case, said the portionate” interference in his Effective: June 25, 2014 human rights court’s Grand private life and did not suffer Chamber recognized that the violation of rights guaranchurches “must be able to re- teed by the European ConvenDiocese of Fall River quire their teachers to show tion on Human Rights.

It found that the teachloyalty to Church beliefs” in order to be “truly autonomous.” er’s activity and the Catholic The legal case was brought Church’s mission was “very on behalf of a Catholic religion close” in proximity. Because teacher in Spain, Fernandez the teacher was voluntarily His Excellency, the Most Reverend George W. Coleman, Martinez. He taught Catholic bound by “a duty of loyalty Bishop of Fall River, has accepted the nominations of the religion classes in a state high to the Catholic Church,” the Reverend Daniel Mentesana, I.V.E., Provincial Superior of school under a legal arrange- renewal of his contract could the Institute of the Incarnate Word, Province of the Immacument in which religious com- be rejected for failing to fulfill late Conception, and has made the following appointments: munities may approve or reject that duty.

Rassbach said the case upreligion teachers.

Rev. Juan Núñez, I.V.E., Pastor, Saint Kilian’s Parish, In 1997 the local bishop de- held religious freedom.

New Bedford “Whether Catholic priests Deacon Alexander Reyes, I.V.E., Deacon, Saint Kilian’s clined to renew Martinez’s conshould be celibate or not is Parish, New Bedford tract on the grounds the teacher, a former Catholic priest, something for the Catholic Effective: July 1, 2014 publicly opposed priestly celi- Church to decide, not govern-

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — The interfaith prayer for peace in the Middle East held on Pentecost by Pope Francis reminds us that peace is not a work of people but a work of God, said a key participant in the event.

An Arab Christian with Israeli citizenship, Margaret Karram was the only woman in the Holy See delegation for the prayer held recently in the Vatican’s Gardens.

“I have lived in the Holy Land most of my life, and when I arrived here I saw that we were going to pray all together: Jews and Muslims, Palestinians and Israelis. That meant to me that we really have to believe in peace,” Karram told CNA. On Pentecost Sunday, the pope and Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I met with Presidents Shimon Peres of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine at the Vatican, praying together, talking about peace and exchanging symbols that represent a move towards peace.

The evening’s prayer was divided into three parts, following the chronological ordering of the Jewish, Christian,

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is a long way to go” to achieve peace.

As a Christian who had lived in the Holy Land for most of her life, Karram said that “being Christian and living in the Holy Land is a great challenge, because Christians are the minority, just two percent of the population.”

“It is a great challenge also because many Christians left the Holy Land, which is sad, because the Holy Land is for all of us and — as Christians — we have a message to give to the world, and it is important for Christians to be present there,” she said.

Karram explained that people emigrate “because they don’t see any future for their children, and they wish to be in a safe place.” She hopes then that “these people, wherever they can be, bear witness to their Christian faith and be an instrument of peace in other countries.”

European court narrowly affirms Catholic religious freedom

ment officials, and not judges,” he said.

However, Rassbach criticized the “chilling” dissent authored by Judge Dmitry Dedov, whom the Russian government appointed to the human rights court in 2012.

Dedov said Europe’s human rights convention “does not entitle religious organizations, even in the name of autonomy, to persecute their members for exercising their fundamental human rights.” He criticized the Catholic discipline of priestly celibacy as something that “contradicts the idea of fundamental rights and freedoms.”

His dissent said that media reports on clerical sex abuse have portrayed the “adverse consequences” of “the outdated rule of celibacy.” He also cited Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and Colleen McCullough’s novel “The Thorn Birds” as portrayals of the negative consequences of celibacy.

Rassbach said the dissent “shows just how high the stakes are here.”

“The dissent should be condemned by all friends of human rights as a call to gross government interference with religious practice that ought to belong to Europe’s past,” he said.

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June 20, 2014 The Church in the U.S. New Evangelization must zero-in on poverty, lawyer says

New Orleans, La. (CNA/EWTN News) — The call of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis to connect the issues of poverty and the New Evangelization has come not a moment too soon, George Mason law professor Helen Alvare told the U.S. bishops recently.

Speaking at the U.S. bishops’ Spring General Assembly in New Orleans, Alvare presented three themes which the last two Bishops of Rome have proposed in linking service to the poor with the New Evangelization.

The first was an “exhortation to integrate our services to the poor with an introduction to the person of Christ,” Who “placed Himself in circumstances of profound condescension,” in humility, poverty, and in His crucifixion.

Alvare noted that in the mind of Pope Francis, this has to be done through “style and tone, words and gestures. We need to convey physically as well as verbally, humility, tenderness, and the warmth of the love of Christ.”

She added that as part of this, the Church’s organizational structures and procedures should harmonize with the call to poverty and evangelization: “prioritize introducing people to the One Who loves them, not the care and feeding of bureaucracy. There should be a simplicity about our endeavors that allows others to see that our wealth is God, and nothing else.”

Alvare’s second theme was a great attention to those on the peripheries, saying the poor are

“often socially invisible, and may be often outside the organized structures of our own Church.”

She went on to note that there are spiritual and moral poverties, as well as material, and that all of these “must provoke the particular offer of Jesus Christ.”

The final theme, she said, is to remember what the poor have to offer: “the possibility of finding joy in life that is not calibrated to possessions or pleasure.”

The law professor then presented possible ways of implementing these themes, including introducing Christ to the poor by name, and sharing Christ and His meaning through “images that can act as a bridge.”

She suggested that “a whole body of literature exists doing this,” noting such works as “Atchison Blue,” “Cloister Walk,” and “Christianity Rediscovered,” which recount the effect that encountering Catholics living out their faith has had on secular persons.

Alvare’s third means for enacting the link between poverty and the New Evangelization was the example of religious “working and living in ways that provoke conversations” about Christ. She gave the example of Sister Cristina Scuccia, the Ursuline nun who recently won “The Voice Italy,” who led her coach J-Ax to say that “the light in her eyes makes me especially curious.”

The final means suggested by Alvare was the use of religious symbols such as the crucifix and religious garb; and choices of

venue, citing the recent Mass for migrants said on the U.S.-Mexico border, and the importance of the Internet and social media.

Concerns Alvare raised around the adoption of these measures included the potential for reluctance, and a lack of trust: “will we run afoul of laws, will we lose government funding, will we be less respected” by charities with which we partner, and organizations involved in accreditation and evaluation?

She also noted concerns including the audience of the Church’s charity becoming less involved with organized religion; practical difficulties of material destitution, sacrifice of social status and lack of free time, along with a preoccupation of the state, interest groups, and cultural institutions with “sexual expression divorced from children” as a “necessary condition for health” and well-being.

However, Alvare said, the fact “that the world’s wisdom on the imperative of sexual expression is on a collision course with Pope Francis’ wisdom on the necessity and content of our charity, provides us the opportunity to transcend the ignoring or misunderstanding of our anthropology.”

She also noted the measures allow the unpredictable, unruly freedom of God’s Word to be unleashed; the potential for the conversion of those performing works of charity; and she expected that with time it will become evident to legislators the “integrated religious nature of our institutions.”

Following her presentation, she responded to the questions of some of the bishops, noting that it will likely become increasingly difficult to partner with the state in offering charitable services, but saying that in response to this, the Church should lobby legislators and regulators, and demonstrate that such partnerships are for the common good and have grassroots support.

Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit asked in what ways the bishops themselves are called to convert, or what they are to let go of, according to Alvare’s vision, and she responded that foremost is the “power of personal interaction.”

Even though it seems like there is no time to devote to this, she urged its importance and how she has seen that there are “things nobody can substitute for but a priest or a Sister.”

“It’s very difficult to give time, but I don’t see any solution but personal interaction. The Gospel has to be communicated in a love relationship, and that takes some personal time.”

Bishop James Wall of Gal-

lup, itself a poor, mission diocese, spoke to CNA following Alvare’s talk, saying the type of poverty which most struck him during her discussion was moral poverty.

“And in the Scriptures we see that the answer or the solution, the remedy to that; we see that in the woman at the well, as she encounters Jesus Christ, her life is changed — she goes away and becomes a powerful evangelizer.

So I would say, as we look at the whole aspect of moral poverty, the remedy or the answer is always Christ.”

Bishop Wall went on to say that he particularly liked Alvare’s discussion “about the language or images to engage our society, and two things came to mind: the renewed interest in C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, through the “Chronicles (of Narnia)” and through “The Lord of the Rings”; and the other is, what I would hope would be a renewed interest in Flannery O’Connor and her writings, because in all three of those, they’re drawing people in, and inviting them through beauty; beauty and Liturgy, which provide for an opportunity to encounter Christ.”

Bishops embrace Popes Francis, Benedict in voting document

New Orleans, La. (CNA/EWTN News) — The updated voting guide issued by the U.S. bishops will maintain Church teaching as explained by Popes Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, said leading bishops at a recent gathering.

“Pope Benedict, in his encyclical entitled ‘God Is Love’ showed how the proclamation of the Gospel and the celebration of the Sacraments leads seamlessly to the service that the Church provides to the poor and the vulnerable and the common good,” Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore explained.

He added that Pope Francis has also emphasized this in his papacy, and “that perspective might be more amply reflected in any sort of revision that might be done.”

“Pope Francis, with characteristic simplicity, said that all the Church asks is for the freedom to proclaim the Gospel in its entirety. And I think that summarizes very nicely what Pope Benedict was also teaching us,” he noted.

The archbishop addressed “Faithful Citizenship,” a teaching document introduced in 2007 to help the faithful form their consciences to vote. The U.S. bishops voted unanimously at their meeting to draft a “limited revision” of the document and a new intro-

ductory note.

“Faithful Citizenship” begins by listing acts that are “inherently wrong and evil” and can never be justified by a public official, and then covers prudential matters, explained Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Houston, the vice president of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference. “People must use their prudence to vote. But you can help form their consciences in something like ‘Faithful Citizenship’,” he stated.

The drafted update will leave the document “essentially the same,” but will include edits and a cover note to reflect developments in the Church since it was authored, notably Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” and encyclicals by Pope Benedict, he said.

The Church’s response to poverty is “one level” where Pope Francis’ insight and reflections will be important for the edits, Cardinal DiNardo noted, also adding that “you want to take into account Pope Benedict’s ‘Caritas in Veritate,’ which deals with some of the same things about poverty and the economy.”

He also explained that this additional focus on poverty will not replace the issue of abortion, saying, “Our very significant commitment always will be to human personal life. It’s non-negotiable.”

June 20, 2014

The Church in the U.S. World Meeting of Families shows man’s destiny is love, official says

A man plays “Amazing Grace” on the banks of the Mississippi River in New Orleans recently. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops held their annual spring meeting in the “Crescent City.” (CNS photo/ Bob Roller)

Priest killed, another injured at downtown Phoenix church

PHOENIX (CNS) — An attack at a downtown Phoenix church left one priest dead and another critically wounded.

Father Kenneth Walker, 29, died of a gunshot wound in the June 11 attack, while Father Joseph Terra, 56, survived the attack and was hospitalized in critical but stable condition, Sgt. Steve Martos of the Phoenix Police Department said.

Both priests are members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.

The order of priests is dedicated to celebrating the Mass in the extraordinary form, commonly known as the Tridentine rite.

The attack stunned the church in Phoenix, where the diocese issued a statement asking for prayers for both men, the religious community, their families and the parish.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix, who was attending the annual spring meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in New Orleans, offered a prayer as the bishops began the day’s agenda June 12.

The bishop said Father Walker was ordained a year ago.

Martos said police received a 911 call at about 9 p.m. from Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy) Mission reporting a burglary. Responding officers found the two priests severely wounded and immediately called for an ambulance.

Father Walker was pronounced dead at the hospital, Martos said.

He described Father Terra’s injuries as severe and said that it appeared he was beaten by intruders.

“The call came in as a burglary, but we’re not sure burglary was,

in fact, the motive,” Martos told Catholic News Service.

The priests were found in the parish rectory, which is connected to the church. Television images showed that the rectory’s windows were protected by iron bars.

A 2003 Mazda Tribute was reported missing from church property and was discovered about two hours after the incident several blocks from the parish, the police spokesman added. Investigators planned to comb the vehicle for evidence.

“The Associated Press reported that the older priest, Father Terra, “went to investigate noises in [the] church courtyard,” where he “was attacked by an ex-convict wielding a piece of iron before the priest fled and got a gun from his bedroom.

The injured priest wasn’t able to fire the weapon because his finger was injured, and police reports show 54-year-old suspect Gary Michael Moran wrestled it away from him.”The younger priest, Father Walker, came to help Father Terra and was then shot.

NBC News reported police arrested Moran, whom they described as a “career criminal” and a “violent felony offender,” recently released from prison. In terms of why he attacked the rectory, NBC reported that Phoenix Police Chief Daniel Garcia said, “We believe the motive is a crime of opportunity.”

Parishioner Joseph Bright of Mesa said parishioners were praying for the repose of Father Walker’s soul and for healing for Father Terra. They are “very good and holy priests” and “very kind to the people here” at the parish and in the neighborhood, he said.

New Orleans, La. (CNA/EWTN News) — The president of the Pontifical Council for the Family urged the U.S. bishops to help share the message that the 2015 World Meeting of Families is intended to show that man is made for love.

“Please believe, and preach to your flocks, that it is most surely in the family that we see that our destiny is not loneliness but rather love, mutually sustaining and fruitful,” Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia urged the bishops of the U.S., who were gathered for their Spring General Assembly in New Orleans.

“The Gospel is always the only answer to the crying need, all over the world, for love. The Gospel of Jesus, and of the family, must overcome the loneliness that excludes real love and that is suffocating humanity today.”

Archbishop Paglia’s address concerned the upcoming World Meeting of Families, which is to be held Sept. 22-27, 2015 in Philadelphia.

The Vatican official was introduced by Philadelphia’s shepherd, Archbishop Charles Chaput, who asked that the bishops encourage families to attend the event, and who noted that “its cost will easily run into the tens of millions of dollars.”

He added that while “obviously a papal visit is never official until the Holy See confirms it we do have good reasons to believe that Pope Francis will take part in the meeting, and we are planning to welcome him wholeheartedly.”

The meeting “comes at a time when the Church in the U.S. urgently needs an opportunity for joy and renewal. It is also a time of great confusion about the nature of Marriage and family,” he said, noting that its goal is to “offer the beauty of Catholic teaching about Marriage and the family with confidence and a spirit of invitation to every person of good will.”

Archbishop Paglia, whose pontifical council organizes the World Meeting of Families, then spoke, saying that it will be an “important element of the family synod process,” noting that there is a link among the crises in faith, families, and society.

He said the crisis in families is “above all cultural,” and based on the tendency to value the individual above all else: “the individual prevails over society and the rights of the individual prevail over those of the family.”

The archbishop lamented that

throughout the developed world, “laws reflect the primacy of the individual over the family. In this context, it is easy to understand how the family, as it has been understood for thousands of years, is ignored or is, worse yet, vilified and persecuted.”

The crisis in families has led to a society in which there are fewer families, and more people who choose to live alone or to live in unions without any commitments.

“In addition, people today are convinced that they can ‘be family’ in all sorts of different ways.

Any type of ‘living together’ can be called a family as long as there is ‘love.’ With that approach, the family is not rejected, it is simply grouped among various other ways of living, with forms of relationship that might seem compatible with the family as the Church understands it but that in reality demolish the family piece by piece.”

Despite all this, he emphasized, “the family will always be the most important resource for society no other form of living can create the positive relationships that are found in the family. No other form of relationship has such societal potentialities, or such economic potential.”

“Nowhere else can humans fully learn and experience the solidarity that family ties provide and the mercy without which the other virtues lose much of their meaning.”

The family is an “indispensable resource for society,” he said, quoting the first century B.C. Roman philosopher Cicero, who called the family “the foundation of the city and, as it were, the seed-bed of the commonwealth.”

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“The family is at the heart of human development.”

Archbishop Paglia looked forward to the 2015 ordinary synod on the family, voicing hope that it “will bring forth a new spring for families, and their joyous witness can overcome the individualism that is poisoning our lives. The synod’s real document will not be words, it will be witness, and we must invite to that witness all in the world who see in Marriage, and in the family it produces, the perfection of our humanity and of society.”

The World Meeting of Families, which will take place shortly before the ordinary synod, “has to be a great celebration for families from all over the world,” he emphasized. “We must show that it is possible, and beautiful, to create joyful and solid families, starting with families in America, Hispanic families in particular.”

He noted that Latino Catholic families are a model for the rest of the Church in the U.S., but added that their risk of falling away from the Church “is significant.”

“My brother bishops, as you welcome these new sisters and brothers in Christ, remember that only the joy of the Gospel, the Gospel of the family, will protect the Catholicism of this vital part of the Church in America.”

He added that “I also want our meeting to include — with their leaders — Eastern Catholic and Orthodox families, and all communities of Christians–evangelical, Protestant and unaffiliated–as well as families from the world’s other religions, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and nonreligious families of good will. My brother bishops, please make this happen!”

6 ‘

June 20, 2014

Anchor Editorial

Fortnight for Freedom 2014

Tomorrow (Saturday) begins the Fortnight for Freedom, a two-week period of prayer leading up to Independence Day, during which the bishops of the United States (USCCB) invite us to pray for, make sacrifices for, and grow in our understanding of the gifts of life, Marriage and religious freedom. The Fortnight for Freedom’s original impetus was the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate that employers, including religious employers (with a small exception of employees of church buildings, but not including the employees of other religious agencies), must provide contraceptive (including abortifacient drugs) services and sterilization operations to employees covered through the health insurance policies required by the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as “Obamacare”). The bishops also complain that the federal government has seen fit to be the arbiter of “which religious institutions are ‘religious enough’ to merit protection of their religious liberty.”

The website of the USCCB lists other threats to religious liberty in our country at this time, besides the HHS mandate: — “Catholic foster care and adoption services. Boston, San Francisco, the District of Columbia, and the State of Illinois have driven local Catholic Charities out of the business of providing adoption or foster care services — by revoking their licenses, by ending their government contracts, or both — because those charities refused to place children with same-sex couples or unmarried opposite-sex couples who cohabit.

— “State immigration laws. Several states have recently passed laws that forbid what they deem as ‘harboring’ of undocumented immigrants — and what the Church deems Christian charity and pastoral care to these immigrants.

— “Discrimination against small church congregations. New York City adopted a policy that barred the Bronx Household of Faith and other churches from renting public schools on weekends for worship services, even though non-religious groups could rent the same schools for many other uses. Litigation in this case continues.

— “Discrimination against Catholic humanitarian services. After years of excellent performance by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) in administering contract services for victims of human trafficking, the federal government changed its contract specifications to require MRS to provide or refer for contraceptive and abortion services in violation of Catholic teaching.

— “Christian students on campus. In its over-100-year history, the University of California Hastings College of Law has denied student organization status to only one group, the Christian Legal Society, because it required its leaders to be Christian and to abstain from sexual activity outside of Marriage.”

The USCCB website gives a series of reflections which they suggest could be used by us during the Fortnight. They divided up the Vatican II document, Dignitatis Humanae (the Declaration on Religious Liberty), into 14 parts, plus commentary. This can be found at http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/fortnight-forfreedom/fortnight-for-freedom-reflections.cfm. According to the USCCB, “the theme of this year’s fortnight will focus on the freedom to serve the poor and vulnerable in accord with human dignity and the Church’s teaching.” The Catholic Church (and

other religions) risk being forced out of being able to provide these services due to intrusive governmental policies.

Last December 7 Pope Francis spoke to members of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute. Among other things, he said, “The Church’s social doctrine, with its integral vision of man as a personal and social being, is your ‘compass.’ There you will find an especially significant fruit of the long journey of the people of God in modern and contemporary history: the defense of religious liberty, of life at every stage, of the right to work and to decent work, of family, of education.”

A few weeks earlier he had written in Evangelii Gaudium #255 that religious freedom is “a fundamental human right. This includes ‘the freedom to choose the religion which one judges to be true and to manifest one’s beliefs in public’ (quoting Pope Benedict). A healthy pluralism, one which genuinely respects differences and values them as such, does not entail privatizing religions in an attempt to reduce them to the quiet obscurity of the individual’s conscience or to relegate them to the enclosed precincts of churches, synagogues or mosques. This would represent, in effect, a new form of discrimination and authoritarianism. The respect due to the agnostic or non-believing minority should not be arbitrarily imposed in a way that silences the convictions of the believing majority or ignores the wealth of religious traditions. In the long run, this would feed resentment rather than tolerance and peace.”

The present culture in the United States is tending toward what Pope Francis mentioned above — trying to limit our religious freedom to just be a freedom to worship, a freedom which would not be exercised outside of a “temple” building.

On the feast (Dec. 26, 2013) of St. Stephen, the first martyr, the Holy Father said, “today we pray especially for the Christians who are discriminated against on account of the witness they bear to Christ and to the Gospel. Let us remain close to these brothers and sisters who, like St. Stephen, are unjustly accused and made the objects of various kinds of violence. Unfortunately, I am sure they are more numerous today than in the early days of the Church. There are so many! This occurs especially where religious freedom is still not guaranteed or fully realized. However, it also happens in countries and areas where on paper freedom and human rights are protected, but where in fact believers, and especially Christians, face restrictions and discrimination. I would like to ask you to take a moment in silence to pray for these brothers and sisters and let us entrust them to Our Lady. This comes as no surprise to a Christian, for Jesus foretold it as a propitious occasion to bear witness. Still, on a civil level, injustice must be denounced and eliminated.”

The pope distinguished between suffering violence for the faith and suffering discrimination for it, but he said that both injustices need to be shown for what they are and eradicated. The Fortnight for Freedom offers us a spiritual exercise to train our souls for this battle, one which we will not win with arms, but with the Holy Spirit as our guide, leading us in our demonstrations, our voting, and our bearing witness in the public square (including at work or school, when we need to do so). May the saints whom we celebrate during this two weeks, SS. John the Baptist, Peter and Paul, who gave their lives for the faith, help us to be strong in the Lord.

Pope Francis’ Angelus address of June 15 Dear brothers and sisters, hello!

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, which presents for our contemplation and adoration the Divine life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: a life of communion and perfect love, origin and goal of the whole universe and every creature, God. In the Trinity we also recognize a model of the Church in which we are called

to love each other as Jesus loved us. Love is the concrete sign that manifests faith in God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Love is distinctive of the Christian, as Jesus told us: “From this everyone will know that you are My disciples” ( Jn 13:15). It is a contradiction to think of Christians who hate. It is a contradiction! And the devil always tries to make us hate because he is always sowing the discord of hate; he does not OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

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know love, God is love!

We are all called to witness to and proclaim the message that “God is love,” that God is not distant and unconcerned with our human affairs. He is near, He is always at our side, He journey’s with us to share our joys and sorrows, our hopes and our toils. He loves us so greatly and to such a point that He became Man, He came into the world not to judge it but that the world might be saved through Jesus (cf. Jn 3:16).

This is God’s love in Jesus, this love that is so hard to understand but that we sense when we draw near to Jesus. And He always forgives us, He always waits for us, He loves us very much. And the love of Jesus that we feel is the love of God. The Holy Spirit, gift of the Risen Jesus, communicates the Divine life to us and thus He draws us into the dynamism of the Trinity, which is a dynamism of love, communion, mutual service, sharing. A person who loves others for the joy itself of loving is a reflection of the Trinity. A par-

ish in which people want what is best for each other and spiritual and material goods are shared is a reflection of the Trinity.

True love is without limits but it knows how to limit itself to encounter the other, to respect the other’s freedom. We go to Mass every Sunday and celebrate the Eucharist together and the Eucharist is like the “burning bush” in which the Trinity humbly dwells and communicates itself; because of this the Church placed the feast of “Corpus Domini” after that of the Trinity.

Thursday, following the Roman tradition, we celebrate the Holy Mass at St. John Lateran and then we will process with the Most Blessed Sacrament. I invite Romans and pilgrims to participate to express our desire to be a people “gathered in the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (St. Cyprian). I will expect all of you on Thursday at 7 p.m. for the Mass and procession of “Corpus Christi.”

May the Virgin Mary, perfect creature of the Trinity help us to

make our whole life, in the little gestures and most important choices, a hymn of praise to God, who is Love.

Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father again addressed those gathered in the piazza in front of St. Peter’s.

Dear brothers and sisters, I have been following with great concern the events of the past several days in Iraq. I invite all of you to join in my prayer for the dear Iraqi nation, above all for the victims and those who grievously suffer from the growing violence, especially for the many persons — among whom there are many Christians — who have had to leave their homes. I would like to see security and peace for the whole country and a future of reconciliation and justice in which all Iraqis, regardless of their religious affiliation, can build up their homeland together, making it a model of coexistence.

Let us all together pray to Our Lady for the Iraqi people.

Hail Mary ....

Anchor Columnist O what a wondrous reality!

June 20, 2014

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ven in an institution with as rich a history as the Catholic Church, it’s still rare that we have the chance to celebrate a 750th anniversary. That, however, is our joy this Sunday as we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi for the 750th time.

Pope Urban IV instituted the feast in 1264 in response to two factors.

He had previously served as the Archdeacon of the Diocese of Liège, Belgium, where St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon for 20 years received mystical visions in which Jesus pleaded for the institution of a feast celebrating His Body and Blood. In 1246, Liège Bishop Robert de Thorete, with the help of his archdeacon, inaugurated a local Eucharistic feast in his diocese.

In 1263, two years after Urban IV had been elected pope, something happened that led him to extend the feast of the Lord’s Body and Blood to the Universal Church.

In Bolsena, a town located just a few miles from the well-protected papal city of Orvieto where Urban was living, a priest named Peter from Prague celebrated Mass for a caravan of pilgrims returning from Rome. As he split the Sacred Host during the Lamb of God, the Host began to bleed profusely

over the corporal. Word was This year’s 750th anniversent to the pope, who sent a sary of the first feast of Corlocal bishop to investigate. pus Christi in the Universal The bloodstained corporal Church is an opportunity for was soon brought to Orvieto all of us to thank God for where it quickly became an that gift with special gratiobject of pilgrimage, wonder tude and devotion. and devotion.

On May 31, on a day off Pope Urban IV underwhile leading a pilgrimage in stood this event as a sign that Rome, I traveled to Orvieto the Lord wanted the routine with Jack Shrader, a seminarEucharistic miracle that ian from our diocese studywas the basis of the extraordinary Eucharistic miracle to be Putting Into celebrated. He asked the Deep St. Thomas Aquinas, who was living in Orvieto at the time,

By Father to compose a special Roger J. Landry office of Liturgical hymns and prayers for the feast of Corpus Christi and even solicing at the North American ited him to help write the College, so that I could pre1264 Papal Bull Transiturus pare better for this feast. In that decreed this feast for the between train rides through entire Latin Rite. the Italian countryside and Pope Urban in Transiturus two nice Italian meals, we noted that on Holy Thursday, spent several hours praythe day on which Jesus ining in the exquisite Orvieto stituted the Eucharist, many Cathedral that enshrines the other things are pondered bloodstained corporal. besides Jesus’ Eucharistic For my meditation, I ponself-gift, from His command dered the five great hymns to wash others’ feet, to the St. Thomas Aquinas had institution of the priesthood, written for the feast threeto the inauguration of His quarters of a millennium Passion, death and Resurrec- ago: the Sequence before tion. Corpus Christi was to the Gospel that Catholic be an occasion in which the parishes will sing this SunChurch would concentrate day, Lauda Sion Salvatorem; on and celebrate the world’s the hymn for the Office of greatest daily gift.

Readings Sacris Solemnis,

which contains the famous Panis Angelicus; the chant for Morning Prayer, Verbum Supernum Prodiens, which concludes with the Adoration hymn O Salutaris Hostia; the canticle for Vespers, Pange Lingua Gloriosi, which finishes with the Benediction hymn Tantum Ergo Sacramentum; and the beautiful hymn for Eucharistic adoration Adoro Te Devote.

I’ve sung these hymns many times publicly and privately but I’ve never taken the chance to pray them all as a unit. In my time in the “Chapel of the Miracle,” however, I entered into the deep Eucharistic faith and theology of St. Thomas Aquinas, whom St. John Paul II called an “impassioned poet of Christ in the Eucharist” and Pope Benedict XVI said had an “exquisitely Eucharistic soul” that produced the “most beautiful hymns that the Liturgy of the Church sings.”

Among all of St. Thomas’ lyrical Eucharistic wisdom, the phrase that moves me the most is from the Panis Angelicus, when he writes, “O Res mirabilis, manducat Dominum, pauper servus et humilis”: “O what a wondrous reality: a poor and humble servant eats [his] Lord.”

We would need far more than 750 years to ponder the love of the Lord in becoming so poor and humble so that we poor and humble servants could live off of Him! To mark this feast in the special way it deserves, we don’t have to make a pilgrimage to Italian cathedrals or ponder Latin hymns. It’s a great day to show our appreciation and awe publicly through Corpus Christi processions like the one led by the Franciscan Friars in New Bedford. It’s also a fitting time to ponder the ways we could make Jesus in the Eucharist the “source and summit” of our life, through, for example, making a commitment each week to pray an hour of Eucharistic adoration and as often as possible to come to Mass during the week to “eat the Lord” we so desperately need.

“Quantum potes, tantum aude,” St. Thomas sang in the Lauda Sion Sequence: “Dare to do as much as you possibly can!” This year’s special celebration of Corpus Christ is a summons boldly to do all that is within our power to celebrate the wondrous reality of Christ’s Eucharistic love.

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

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — For everyone who has any kind of authority over others, the one sin “at your fingertips” is the sin of corruption, Pope Francis said.

And “the martyrs of corruption” — those who end up paying the price for the politicians, financiers and Church officials who abuse their power — are the poor and the marginalized, he said during a recent morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.

The pope’s homily was based on the day’s reading from the First Book of Kings (21:1-16) in which King Ahab of Samaria felt entitled to a neighboring vineyard owned

by Naboth, who refused to sell his property to the king. The king nonchalantly took possession of the land after his wife, Queen Jezebel, had Naboth killed in order to give the

king what he wanted.

“This story repeats itself continuously” throughout history, the pope said, by people who possess “material power, political power or spiritual power.”

The daily news is filled with accounts of politicians or business owners who are on trial after “magically getting rich,” he said, according to a report by Vatican Radio.

“There’s too much talk about a priest who got too rich and neglected his pastoral duties in order to take care of his power,” he added.

“Corrupt politicians, corrupt businessmen, and corrupt Church leaders — they’re everywhere,” he said.

“And we have to tell the truth: Corruption is precisely the sin that is at your fingertips. We are all tempted by corruption. It is a sin that is close at hand” and easy to

succumb to, he said, “because when one has authority, one feels powerful, one feels almost like God.” The corrupt live a life enveloped in a sense of security, with a sense of “well-being, money, and then power, vanity and pride,” he said.

But “who pays the price” of such a life of corruption? the pope asked. “The poor pay it.”

“Those who pay are the hospitals without medicines, the sick who get no care, children without an education. They are the modern day Naboth, who pay for the corruption of the big guys.

“And who pays for the corruption of a priest? Children pay, those who don’t know how to make the sign of the cross, who don’t know the “Catechism,” who aren’t taken care of. The sick who are never visited pay, the prison-

ers who get no spiritual attention pay,” he said.

“The poor pay. Corruption is paid for by the poor, the materially poor, the spiritually poor.”

Pope Francis said service is the only antidote to a life of corruption or the temptation of corruption.

Humbly serving others is

the only way out, he said, because “corruption comes from pride, from arrogance, and service makes you humble.”

The pope offered the morning’s Mass for all victims of corruption and those who pay the price with their lives, “these martyrs of political corruption, economic corruption and ecclesiastical corruption.”

Pope: Corruption is easiest ‘sin at fingertips’ of anyone with power

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June 20, 2014

Food for the journey

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his Sunday we celebrate Corpus Christi, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. In the year 1263, a priest from Prague was traveling to Rome to make a pilgrimage.

He was having doubts about his vocation and wanted to ask God for help in strengthening his faith. He stopped in Bolsena, about 70 miles north of Rome. While celebrating Mass there, as he raised the Host during the consecration, the bread turned into Flesh and began to bleed. Drops of Blood fell onto the corporal, a small white cloth on the altar. The following year, Pope Urban IV instituted the feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus, the feast

of Corpus Christi, which main reasons Jesus gave we celebrate this Sunus this Sacrament. Jesus day. The pope asked St. promised to be with us Thomas Aquinas to write until the end of time (Mt two hymns for the feast.

28:20). In the Eucharist They are called Tantum we receive a visible sign Ergo and O Salutaris. The bloodstained corporal Homily of the Week may be seen in the Coprus Christi Basilica of OrviSunday eto which is north of Rome. This was

By Deacon truly a EucharisDel Malloy tic miracle. There have been other Eucharistic miraof Him being present cles that were recognized to us and us being presby the Church. ent to Him. As Jesus To have a better said, “Those who eat understanding of the My Flesh and drink My Eucharist we must ask Blood remain in Me, and why Jesus gave us this I in them.” The second Sacrament in the first reason is that He said place. From John’s Gosthat He came that we pel, which we read this may have life and have it week, we can find two to the full ( Jn 10:10). In

the Eucharist He provides a visible means of communicating this life to us so that we can be fully alive in this world and in the next. As Jesus said, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life in you. Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

The Eucharist is true food and drink but very different from other food and drink that we might take. The words of Christ which St. Augustine heard in prayer will help us understand that.

“You will not change Me into yourself as you would food of your flesh; but you will be changed into Me.”As humans we need to eat and drink to sustain our bodies in a human way. As we receive the Eucharist transforms us into the Body of Christ.

As we approach the Eucharist today and every day, may we be filled with great anticipation and love. May we receive this precious gift, knowing that we do not deserve it, but that is offered to us because of the great love that God has for each and every one of us.

Deacon Malloy currently serves at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Attleboro.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. June 21, 2 Chr 24:17-25; Ps 89:4-5,29-34; Mt 6:24-34. Sun. June 22, Corpus Christi Sunday, Dt 8:2-3,14b-16a; Ps 147:12-15,19-20; 1 Cor 10:16-17; Jn 6:51-58. Mon. June 23, 2 Kgs 17:5-8,13-15a,18; Ps 60:3-4,12-13; Mt 7:1-5. Tues. June 24, Is 49:1-6; Ps 139:1b-3,13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Lk 1:57-66,80. Wed. June 25, 2 Kgs 22:8-13;23:1-3; Ps 119:33-37,40; Mt 7:15-20. Thurs. June 26, 2 Kgs 24:8-17; Ps 79:1b-5,8-9; Mt 7:21-29.

Fri. June 27, Dt 7:6-11; Ps 103:1-4,6-8,10; 1 Jn 4:7-16; Mt 11:25-30.

Archbishop Cordileone counters March for Marriage critics

San Francisco (CNA/EWTN News) — San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has rejected California politicians’ criticism of the March for Marriage, stressing his duty to teach “the truth about Marriage” even when it may not be popular.

The June 19 March for Marriage in Washington, D.C., is “not anti-anyone or anti-anything,” Archbishop Cordileone said in a recent letter to political leaders, religious leaders, and leaders of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) activist groups.

“Rather, it is a pro-Marriage march,” the archbishop continued. The march “affirms the great good of bringing the two halves of humanity together so that a man and a woman may bond with each other and with any children who come from their union.”

Archbishop Cordileone, who heads the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, said that if the event intended to “single out a group of individuals and target them for hatred, I most

He rejected violence certainly would not be there.” firmed respect for “the inThe archbishop’s letter trinsic human dignity of all against persons with samecomes in response to a re- people.” He said that some of sex attraction, while also cent letter signed by Lt. Gov. the critics’ comments about noting the violent attack on Gavin Newsom, San Fran- March for Marriage sponsors March for Marriage sponsor cisco Mayor Ed Lee, several are “based on misinterpreta- the Family Research Counother leaders in the California tion” or are “simply factually cil. In August 2012, a gunman who was also an LGBT and San Francisco govern- incorrect.” community center ments, several disvolunteer targetsenting Catholic imply for taking a stand for Mar- ed the advocacy groups, and several riage as it has been understood in ev- group, shooting LGBT advocacy groups.

Several ery human society for millennia, people have and wounding a non-Catholic cler- lost their jobs, lost their livelihoods, and have security guard begy also signed the suffered other types of retribution, including fore being wrestled to the ground. letter. physical violence,” the archbishop said.

Archbishop Their letter Cordileone said he asked the Cathois willing to meet lic archbishop to “reconsider his participation” He said he and the march’s with his critics “not only to in the march. They claimed critics have a “common dis- dialogue, but simply so that that march organizers like dain for harsh and hateful we can get to know each oththe National Organization rhetoric,” but pointed out er.”

“Please do not make judgfor Marriage and the Family that supporters of Marriage Research Council are “some as a union of one man and ments based on stereotypes, of the nation’s most virulent- one woman have also faced media images and comments ly anti-LGBT organizations this rhetoric and even harsh taken out of context. Rather, get to know us first as fellow and leaders.” action.

Archbishop Cordileone “Simply for taking a stand human beings.”

“It is the personal encounnoted Pope Francis’ April 11 for Marriage as it has been comments to the Interna- understood in every human ter that changes the vision tional Catholic Child Bureau, society for millennia, people of the other and softens the in which the pope said, “We have lost their jobs, lost their heart. In the end, love is the must reaffirm the right of livelihoods, and have suffered answer, and this can happen children to grow up in a fam- other types of retribution, even between people with ily with a father and mother.” including physical violence,” such deep disagreements,” he stated.

The archbishop also af- the archbishop said.

“S

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.), a selfidentified Catholic from San Francisco, in a separate letter criticized the archbishop’s participation in the March for Marriage. She claimed that the march is “venom masquerading as virtue,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Thomas Peters, a writer for CatholicVote.org and former communications director for the National Organization for Marriage, responded to Speaker Pelosi and other critics of the archbishop. “(I)t is a milestone for dozens of politicians to tell an American archbishop that he is so wrong about his own faith that he is morally at fault when he acts in the public square in accordance with his conscience,” Peters wrote at CatholicVote.org.

Peters called on Catholics and others to support the March for Marriage by attending in person or showing support for the event through social media. He also suggested praying for the archbishop, writing letters of support to him, and showing support for him on social media.

June 20, 2014

20 June 2014 — Blasé Auto Dealership — National Productivity Day t was going to be a long wait. I needed something to do. I opened the glove compartment of the car and dug out the owner’s manual. Most men don’t read owner’s manuals. We want to figure things out on our own.

It’s a “guy thing.”

I didn’t even have to take the manual from the envelope. Printed on the flap was my inspiration for today’s column. In big bold blue letters was the “mission statement” of the auto manufacturer (which happened to be Ford Motor Company.)

Let me hasten to add, dear readers, that I am not now nor have I ever been an agent or representative of the Ford Motor Company or any of its franchises or subsidiaries.

The statement read: “Our mission is to continuously exceed the expectations of our customers and sales associates. Our goal is to be the benchmark for excellence in every respect of our business. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional service and value. Our promise is to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect; to

I

R

obert Reilly has written an important new book on same-sex attraction, called “Making Gay Okay” (Ignatius Press) which has had a curious reaction: crickets. This isn’t because the liberal media doesn’t want to draw attention to it, but because conservatives are deeply uncomfortable with its conclusion. After profiling the rapid expansion of legal and judicial support for the homosexual lifestyle as a healthy alternative to the previously heterosexual norm, Reilly makes the solid claim that those who are steeped in sin have lost the aptitude to distinguish right from wrong. This includes not only those encumbered with same-sex attraction, but all persons who have carved out ways of living that accommodate vice. Having turned away from the channels of grace, which would at least remind them of what God has revealed as good,

Anchor Columnists Mission statement promote personal and pronot convinced. Why does fessional growth; to foster Ford manufacture cars in the teamwork and sales associate first place? Is it not to make involvement; and to demand money for the company? the highest ethical standards No, no, Ford assures me. from ourselves. Our commit- The company has a higher ment to this mission makes calling — a vocation, if you our company a place where please. They’re invested in me. people want to work and do business.”

I’m sure Ford The Ship’s Log spent a whole bunch Reflections of a of money developing Parish Priest this mission statement, so I might as

By Father Tim well see what I might Goldrick glean from it.

Everyone knows Ford makes cars.

They believe in exceeding my Whoop-de-do; lots of comexpectations. They’d love to panies make cars. Just besurprise me. They want me to cause Ford makes cars doesn’t feel good driving around in inspire me to rush out and a Ford. They long to proget one. Ford says it provides vide me with the car of my service and value. Big deal; I dreams. expect service and value.

I don’t dream about cars, Then the statement moves dear readers. I just want a beyond the boring fact that car with four tires and a Ford makes cars to how functioning engine. “Ah,” Ford makes cars. Accordsays Ford, “but you do have a ing to Ford, they encourage dream. We at Ford share that trust and respect. They foster dream with you. You really teamwork and involvement. need a Ford, don’t you?”

They maintain high ethical Simon Sinek, ethnograstandards. They foster person- pher, adjunct of the Rand al and professional growth.

Corporation, and author of These “hows” result in the “Start with Why,” says it’s car I want, they conclude. never about what we do, how I’m vaguely interested, but we do it, and then why we

do it in that order. Turn it around. Begin instead with why we do what we do. He calls this “the world’s simplest idea.” People consider the “what” and the “how” with their intellect, but they invest their hearts in the “why.” According to him, the importance of “why” is actually reflected in the physical structure of the human brain.

The outer brain deals with the rational.

The inner brain deals with intuition and feelings.

This applies to a parish “mission statement.” Our parish finance councils and parish pastoral councils, it seems to me, spend way too much time and energy on what we do and how we do it. Much more important is why we do what we do.

Faith is more than a syllogism. Faith is a matter of the heart. If we keep the flame of faith alive in our hearts, it will attract those with similar faith; heart to heart.

Our faith will also attract those who are searching for a Church family to call their own. It’s a matter of being on fire with faith. People

9 who share the same faith are called Church. Faith is the bond of unity.

It’s difficult (if not impossible) to transfer the strategy of a mission statement from the corporate world to the Church. The model doesn’t fit very well. The Church is not a business. The Church is the Body of Christ. Priests are not professionals. Priests are servant-leaders.

The surface of Church is what we do. The next layer is how we do it. These things change. The third layer is why we do it. Answers will vary. Go deeper. There’s a still center, a core. The core is a “Who.” The core of the Church is the Person of Jesus Christ. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of all ministries.

You know me, dear readers.

I get my inspirations from the most unlikely places. This I found on the envelope of my car’s operating manual.

Maybe someday I will actually read the manual, though it’s unlikely.

Well, don’t you know, I now drive a shiny-new Ford.

But I don’t own it. It’s a lease.

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

Recovering our reason Truth be told, this is not they are no longer free to a strategy that is politically choose it. viable — not after decades It seems to be this charge of values clarification in the of “deadening the conclassroom, secular humanscience” that has caused ism in the public square, and even the most conservathe utter rejection of natutive publications to ignore ral law as a force in human the book, because in order events. The subtle lies of the to grapple with his thesis, one would have to step away from the usual political discourse — which speaks of rights and diversity — and to reintroduce the

By Genevieve Kineke “archaic” language of sin and evil. Very few are comfortable 1960s have grown into an with this sort of discussion, because the wider culture has avalanche of subjectivism, making rational discussion accepted the premise that almost futile. Almost futile all religions are equal (or at — for Christianity knows all least that the sincerity of about mustard seeds. the believer is an important We must revisit Aquinas component) and to single and his explanation of how out sin as a factor would mean that there is an under- original sin darkens the intellect, weakens the will, and lying truth that would have disorders the passions. The to be promoted and defendfour cardinal virtues — prued as well.

The Feminine Genius

dence, justice, fortitude, and temperance — are each impacted by our fall from grace — undermined by ignorance, malice, weakness, and concupiscence — but it doesn’t end there. “Accordingly these are the four wounds inflicted on the whole of human nature as a result of our first parent’s sin. But since the inclination to the good of virtue is diminished in each individual on account of actual sin, as was explained above, these four wounds are also the result of other sins, in so far as, through sin, the reason is obscured, especially in practical matters, the will hardened to evil, good actions become more difficult and concupiscence more impetuous.”

Most of us assume we are free, but have we really taken stock of whether we are living in accord with God’s design? Have we stopped to

consider whether the opinions we hold are founded in Truth or colored by our fallen inclinations? Have we looked at the Church’s reason for teaching as she does, especially as it relates to our particular struggles, and could we defend those teachings from those who attack them?

Whether or not we can influence legislation at this point is debatable, but we are each called to holiness regardless. The wisdom we have to offer those in our small circles is contingent on our willingness to tame our concupiscence and submit our lives to the timeless truths offered by Holy Mother Church. That submission may just create the essential spark, or plant the mustard seed of reason.

Anchor columnist Mrs. Kineke is the author of “ The Authentic Catholic Woman.”

She blogs at feminine-genius. typepad.com.

10

June 20, 2014

New York Archdiocese receives three new auxiliary bishops

New York City (CNA/ EWTN News) — Pope Francis recently appointed three auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of New York, including one priest

who ministered at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The bishops-designate are Msgr. John Jenik and Fathers

John O’Hara and Peter Byrne.

Bishop-designate Jenik was born in Manhattan on March 7, 1944. He attended Cathedral College and earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. He attended Puerto Rico’s University of Ponce to learn more about the Spanish language and Hispanic culture.

He holds a master’s degree in education from Fordham University, the U.S. bishops’ conference reports.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1970 and became parochial vicar of the Bronx parish of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1994. He has worked to provide housing for the poor, to combat crime, corruption, drugs and prostitution.

Bishop-designate Jenik was named a monsignor in 1995.

He helped the archdiocese regionalize its Catholic schools. He has served as vicar for the Northwest Bronx since 2006. He is presently

pastor of Our Lady of Refuge Parish.

Bishop-designate O’Hara was born in Jersey City, N.J., on Feb. 7, 1946. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University and worked in journalism and broadcasting from 1967 to 1980 before entering St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. Ordained to the priesthood in 1984, he served as parochial vicar at several New York City-area parishes before becoming pastor of St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus Parish on Staten Island. He became the New York archdiocese’s vicar for planning in 2013 and directs the archdiocese’s Strategic Pastoral Planning Office.

Bishop-designate Byrne was born July 24, 1951 in Manhattan.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and also attended St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1984. He has served as a pastor of the Staten Island parishes of Immaculate

Conception and St. John the Baptist. He became pastor of the Church of St. Elizabeth in New York City in 2013.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the bishop-designate worked for many weeks ministering to bereaved families at the morgue at the World Trade Center site, the New York Archdiocese said.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York noted that bishopsdesignate Jenik and Byrne have lived and served primarily in Hispanic parishes.

“They will be especially attentive, I know, to the needs of this ever-growing community,” he said.

Cardinal Dolan said the auxiliary bishops and the bishops-designate will aid him in serving the pastoral, educational and charitable needs of “our vast archdiocese.”

The bishops-designate will be ordained on August 4 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

11

June 20, 2014

A

fter reading Father Landry’s column this week (page seven) and Deacon Del’s homily (page eight), I learned that this Sunday will be the 750th anniversary of the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ.

Not being ordained, or a theologian, or much more than a dad, husband, son and friend, there’s nothing I can say that can even come close to the magnitude of Christ’s coming to us each Mass in the Eucharist. But I would like to give my opinion, for what it’s worth.

This is part of a talk I gave on a YES! weekend in April, at which I was asked to share what I thought about the Holy Eucharist.

Teen-agers were the target audience, but I feel that the simplicity of the talk is similar to the style of our wonderful Pope Francis — something everyone can understand.

This talk was given within the context of the Mass, just after Communion, and I must say that I choked up more than a few times talking about our Savior’s ultimate sacrifice for you and me. In part, the talk was: “My job here is not an easy one. I’m asked to explain the Holy Eucharist. I’m asked to explain a mystery that millions of non-Catholic Christians can’t understand or refuse to believe. I’m asked to explain the greatest sacrifice mankind has ever seen. Piece of cake, right?

“Let’s get past the basics first. We all know Holy Communion. It’s the bread turned into the Body of Christ and the wine turned into His Blood, and we all file up to the front of the church and we’re given a Host, at which time we return to our seats, pray a bit, and wait for Mass to end.

“As trivial as that sounds, that’s the way far too many Catholics treat this most Sacred mystery.

“Most of us know how the mystery started. Jesus began His mission to save mankind when He was born on Christmas day. He grew in age and wisdom and faith, from a boy into a man. At age 30 His ministry began full-tilt.

“He brought a radical message to the people

The Eucharist — Here comes the Son

around Him. Not one of war us healthy. Not-so-healthy foods wear away at us. Alcoand revenge and selfishness. hol and drugs eat away at us.

He brought a message of “Jesus’ Body and Blood love. Love God, love each can do nothing, nothing, other, and love yourself. If nothing, but good for us — you truly do that, you can’t physically, emotionally and help but to be one of His spiritually. And it’s there for followers. us every single day at Mass.

“The message had mixed “When the priest raises reactions. Some followed, some didn’t. And those who saw this new message of love as a threat to them plotted against Him … to the point of having Him put to

By Dave Jolivet death. But this is why He came in the first place, to save us from sin, the host of bread during the from Satan, from evil. Only by sacrificing Himself, could consecration and says, ‘Do this in memory of Me,’ it this be achieved. is at that instant the Host “Jesus Christ suffered one becomes our Lord — living of the most painful, horrendous deaths anyone could and concrete. Whenever that happens at Mass, I can’t help imagine. The Romans were but bow my head in grativery good at that. In His tude, humility, shame, and position on the cross, Jesus hope, and most of all love. I suffered and struggled for cannot go through the conevery breath He drew, and secration without bowing my to do that, He had to pull head, and I never will. The up on His arms and push up same thing happens when with His feet, all of which the wine is raised and transhad large spikes nailed into formed. That is my Lord and them. It was sheer agony for my God coming down to each breath He drew. And me — to you — to everyone the way he was positioned there. on the cross, He struggled “I look at you Father Jeff for every breath he drew.

[Cabral] in awe to know that The few words He spoke on your hands are instruments the cross had to have caused in bringing Jesus’ glorified excruciating pain. Jesus died because of exhaustion, loss of Body to me. I cannot imagine what you must feel at blood, wounds all over His body, and unbearable pain — that moment. I look at you, pain that started the evening I look at your hands, right now, and say ‘wow. WOW!’ before His inhumane cruci“How are we supposed to fixion. Then, there were the believe this? It does sound a three hours nailed to a tree.

All for you and me.

“He suffered that death, once and for all. But giving His Body and Blood just once wasn’t enough. He provides that for us every time we go to Mass without the pain of the crucifixion any longer.

“The Host is not a cookie.

It is not a wafer, it is His Body given for us again. The wine is not wine, it is His Blood given for us again.

Why? Because it gives us strength, courage, and what we need to overcome the many obstacles that evil sends our way on a daily basis.

“Think about it, whatever we put into our bodies, ultimately has an effect on our bodies. Healthy foods keep

My View From the Stands

bit far-fetched that the bread and wine turn into the actual Body and Blood of the greatest Man Who ever lived.

The bread and wine doesn’t change in appearance, doesn’t change in smell, doesn’t change in feel. But nothing could be further from the truth.

“I ask again, how are we supposed to believe this? Let me ask you this: How hard is it to believe that a baby forms in a woman’s womb, and a heart starts beating out of nothing. That heart can continue to beat, on its own, for up to 100 or more years.

How? What makes that heart keep beating. I wished my car ran as reliably!

“Let me ask you this, how can we live on planet earth, a planet that is spinning at 1,000 m.p.h. without us getting thrown into space. Not only that, but while we’re spinning at 1,000 miles per hour, we are rotating around the sun at 67,000 m.p.h. How do we stay where we are?

“If you’ve ever been to Disney or any theme park, most of us hold on for dear life when on a roller coaster, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to how fast we’re spinning and rotating right now.

“How? “God, that’s how. With God all things are possible.

“We believe this happens because He said so. Before He was put to death for you and me, He told us, unless you eat My Body and drink

My Blood, you will not have eternal life.”

The song I used for my talk was George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun.” Here comes the sun Here comes the sun And I say, it’s all right Little darling It’s been a long cold lonely winter Little darling It feels like years since it’s been here Little darling The smile’s returning to the faces Little darling It seems like years since it’s been here Little darling I feel that ice is slowly melting Little darling It seems like years since it’s been clear Here comes the sun Here comes the sun And I say, it’s all right It’s all right I concluded the talk: “Every time you go Mass it happens.

“Here comes the Son. “The Son Who can end a long, cold lonely winter.

“The Son Who can return the smiles to our faces.

“The Son Who can thaw the icy cold of our hearts and souls.

“The Son of God. “Every time we go to Communion, here comes the Son. “And do you know what I say?

“It’s ALL RIGHT!” Dave Jolivet can be contacted at davejolivet@ anchornews.org.

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June 20, 2014

Rome church restoration boosted by unique 3D scanner Rome, Italy (CNA/EWTN News) — Assisting in restoration and reconstruction for artists and architects alike, 3D scanner technology has recently been used to create unique point cloud models of churches and frescoes in Rome.

“The technology of the laser scanner offers great advantages for the technician and the engineer that uses it, especially in terms of the time invested,” said Rome-based architect Danilo Prosperi.

“The time it takes to create a model with the 3D laser scanner is drastically reduced in comparison to the technologies that are conventionally used.”

Laser scanning has been hailed not only for saving time, but for offering an effective way of approaching ecclesiastic edifices and church decorations such as frescos that photography alone cannot provide.

“Photography is obviously a two-dimensional image, therefore it does not provide information about the dimensionality of the photographed object,” Prosperi told CNA. “The laser scanner, instead can obtain, through its photography of reality, a faithful, three dimensional model on the computer.”

“This copy of reality can be used in many different ways and with multiple applications. It produces along with bi-dimensional information, planes, sections and prospects of buildings as well as the analysis of fractured surfaces, the analysis of deformation of surfaces and the three dimensional reconstruction of the edifice in question.”

A masters program titled “Architecture, Sacred Art and Liturgy” at the European University of Rome specializes in this 3D scan-

ning of ecclesiastical surfaces.

But this is not the only innovative approach to architecture in the masters program. The professors want to help the students to deepen their understanding of architecture itself.

“The master puts a specific emphasis on the field of ecclesiastical patrimony, through a new approach. It tries to look at the beauty of architecture through the eyes of the ancient architects,” Prosperi explains.

“The unity of wisdom of antiquity, the ‘Quadrivium,’ which is geometry, arithmetic, music and astronomy, are offered to our students as instruments in order for them to discover the beauty of architecture. All are taken together as a unity.”

Multiple projects have already been completed, such as models of excavations of ancient towns and city squares, monumental edifices, castles, ancient walls and churches. Among them, the splendid Rococo church S. Maria Maddalena right next to the Pantheon in the heart of Rome.

“In this church of the Maddalena we have worked in the main naves, as well as in the Rococo-sacristy for restoration purposes in the past year,” he said.

The 3D model of the church helps to single out cracks not visible through conventional methods. “It was necessary to make a new set of 3D models in order to analyze the fracturing of a wall that was restored already a couple of years back.”

“From the analysis of the deformation of the frescoed wall it was possible to see that there was a four centimeter change and deformation. A new restoration was therefore initiated to fix the problem.”

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, June 22, 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Bishop Louis E. Gelineau, Retired Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, R.I.

Astrid rides her faithful dragon in a scene from the movie “How to Train Your Dragon 2.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/DreamWorks Animation)

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

“Edge of Tomorrow” (Warner Bros.)

This intriguing sci-fi action epic, set against the background of a devastating worldwide invasion by murderous aliens, finds a combat-averse Army officer (Tom Cruise) paying for his confrontation with a powerful superior (Brendan Gleeson) by being summarily reduced to the ranks and placed in the front line of a D-Day-like attack designed to liberate continental Europe from its extraterrestrial occupiers.

Though the vast operation quickly becomes a rout, the unwilling warrior’s seemingly fatal encounter with the enemy results, not in death, but in his being caught up in a time warp within which he’s forced to live out the day preceding the doomed assault over and over again. He eventually makes contact with a skilled Special Forces operative (Emily Blunt) whose earlier experience of the same phenomenon enabled her to achieve a high-profile but temporary victory over the intruders, and together they try to use the anomaly to reverse humanity’s fading fortunes. Despite repeated scenes of battlefield chaos, director Doug Liman’s satisfying 3-D adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s teen-targeted novel “All You Need Is Kill” mostly shields viewers from gore, while the leads are too distracted by their military mission to express their mutual attraction in any but the most restrained of ways. Only some salty barracks talk bars a youthful au-

dience. Pervasive action violence with minimal blood, a couple of uses of profanity, about a halfdozen crude and twice as many crass terms, a bit of sexual humor.

The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“The Fault in Our Stars” (Fox) Lush adaptation of John Green’s novel about two teen cancer patients (Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort) who meet at an Episcopal Church-sponsored support group in Indianapolis (led

by Mike Birbiglia). They bond over a novel that also concerns the disease and, accompanied by her mother (Laura Dern), travel to Amsterdam to seek out its author (Willem Dafoe). But the scribe turns out to be an abusive drunk.

The remainder of director Josh Boone’s drama — which, through Woodley’s performance, presents its audience with an appealingly literate and sensible teen heroine — is a rumination on the harsh reality of dying in which religious faith gets only oblique mentions.

Though sexuality and language put his film on the adult side of the ledger, it may be acceptable for the most mature adolescents.

Implied premarital sexual activity, fleeting crude and crass language.

The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“How to Train Your Dragon 2” (Fox) This animated adventure makes excellent use of 3-D technology as it charts the efforts of a 20-year-old Viking (voice of Jay Baruchel) to defeat a warmongering villain (voice of Djimon Hounsou) who has turned all the dragons domesticated since the end of the original film against mankind. If the lad succeeds, he may finally prove to himself that

he’s worthy of being his father’s (voice of Gerard Butler) heir as the chief of his island community.

Writer-director Dean DeBlois oversees the creation of outstanding visuals but more time could have been spent on the script, which — saddled with promoting an ecologically correct agenda — contains clumsy dialogue that seems to elevate dragons above human beings. Several scenes with mildly scary fantasy action, one instance of potty language, a single demeaning epithet. The Catholic News Service classification is A-I — general patronage.

The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

“Obvious Child” (A24) The culture of death gets its own romantic comedy with this story of a vulgar-minded standup comedian ( Jenny Slate) whose drunken encounter with an aspiring business executive ( Jake Lacy) she first met a few hours earlier leads to an unplanned pregnancy — and to an abortion mill. Writer-director Gillian Robespierre’s deplorable film treats the taking of innocent human life as something between an unpleasant necessity — on the order of having your wisdom teeth removed — and a rite of passage. Worse still, the dialogue includes jokes on the subject, and the unlikely couple at the center of the action is shown deepening their initially casual bond partly by colluding in the liquidation of their unborn child.

Baneful propaganda with a message utterly opposed to biblical values. A benign view of abortion, a debased approach to human sexuality, nongraphic nonmarital sexual activity, partial nudity, much sexual and scatological humor, a few uses of profanity, frequent rough and crude language.

The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive.

The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

13

June 20, 2014

Clearing the air around marijuana use

A

June 2014 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, written by researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of Health, points out that marijuana is not the harmless drug that many imagine. Rather, it is associated with “substantial adverse effects, some of which have been determined with a high level of confidence.”

These negative outcomes include the risk of addiction, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, an elevated incidence of fatal and non-fatal motor vehicle accidents, and diminished lifetime achievement and school performance in cases of longterm use, especially beginning in adolescence. We can add that the decision to use a drug recreationally for the purposes of dissociating ourselves from reality through induced euphoria raises significant moral concerns, and, like all unethical human choices, can be expected to correlate with significant adverse ramifications.

Part of the unethical character of drug abuse flows from the fact that we are treating something good, namely our personal, conscious experience as if it were an evil to be avoided.

Recreational drug users seek to escape or otherwise suppress

their lived conscious experience, mind, detachment from reality, “getting stoned,” etc. and instead pursue chemicallyWhenever we look at alcoaltered states of mind, or drughol, marijuana, or other more induced pseudo-experiences. powerful drugs, additional morAny time we act in such a way al concerns arise due to the risk that we treat something objecof addiction, which threatens tively good as if it were an evil authentic freedom and constiby acting directly against it, we act in a disordered and immoral manner.

Making Sense The decision to pursue inebriation and Out of drunkenness, similarly, Bioethics is a choice directed

By Father Tad against the good of Pacholczyk our human conscious experience that raises serious moral concerns. tutes a serious form of human The responsible enjoyment of bondage. Alcohol, of course, alcohol, meanwhile, presupposes a significant risk of addicposes that a moderate use of tion for some people, and the the fruit of the vine can aid us in the pursuit of certain aspects responsible use of alcohol may become nearly impossible for of friendship and interaction them, necessitating complete by stimulating conversation abstinence to maintain their with others, and by diminishfreedom. Marijuana, despite ing the hesitations that people some contentious debates about may have when they interact the matter, similarly has a sigwith each other. The modernificant addictive potential, as ate use of alcohol also appears noted in the NEJM article: to offer positive physiological “Approximately nine percent effects on health. The notion of those who experiment with of the “responsible enjoyment marijuana will become adof marijuana and other minddicted. The number goes up to altering drugs,” meanwhile, is about one in six among those a dubious concept, given that who start using marijuana as the more powerful and varied teenagers and to 25 to 50 perneurological effects of these substances readily take us across cent among those who smoke marijuana daily. According a line into alternate states of

to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 2.7 million people 12 years of age and older met the DSM-IV criteria for dependence on marijuana, and 5.1 million people met the criteria for dependence on any illicit drug (8.6 million met the criteria for dependence on alcohol). Indeed, early and regular marijuana use predicts an increased risk of marijuana addiction, which in turn predicts an increased risk of the use of other illicit drugs.”

The NEJM article also notes that adults who smoke marijuana regularly during adolescence have decreased neural connectivity (abnormal brain development and fewer fibers) in specific brain regions.

Although some experts have disputed a cause-effect relationship for this phenomenon, studies of brain development in animals strongly suggest a causal effect. The authors surmise that the effects of marijuana on brain development may help to explain the association between frequent marijuana use among adolescents and significant declines in IQ, as well as poor academic performance and an increased risk of dropping out of school. These deleterious effects speak to us of the funda-

mentally unethical character of inhaling, injecting or otherwise ingesting harmful chemical substances into our bodies.

The litany of marijuana’s adverse health effects raises major doubts about the wisdom of promoting its legalization for recreational purposes. The authors note that the health effects of a drug (whether legal or illegal) are related to its “availability and social acceptability.” They conclude, “In this respect, legal drugs (alcohol and tobacco) offer a sobering perspective, accounting for the greatest burden of disease associated with drugs not because they are more dangerous than illegal drugs but because their legal status allows for more widespread exposure,” leading to more abuse and more harmful effects. It’s critical for us to acknowledge these negative effects rather than seeking, like drug addicts, to dissociate ourselves from this reality.

Anchor columnist Father Pacholczyk, earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, and serves as the director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org.

Pope announces canonizations, advances sainthood causes

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis formally announced six men and women would be made saints November 23, the feast of Christ the King. He made the announcement during a morning “ordinary public consistory,” a meeting of cardinals and promoters of the sainthood causes that formally ends the sainthood process.

The same day, he advanced the sainthood causes of eight men and women, including Mother Magdalen Taylor — an Anglican convert and British foundress of a religious order.

After signing the decrees in April recognizing the miracles needed for their canonizations, the pope announced before cardinals gathered that the new saints would be: — Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the Indian founder of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, a Syro-Malabar Catholic order.

— Euphrasia Eluvathin-

gal, an Indian Carmelite sister and member of the SyroMalabar Catholic Church.

— Nicholas of Longobardi, an Italian friar of the Minim order.

— Giovanni Antonio Farina, an Italian bishop of Vicenza and the founder of the Teaching Sisters of St. Dorothy.

— Ludovico of Casoria, an Italian Franciscan priest who founded the Grey Franciscan Friars of Charity and the Grey Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth.

— Amato Ronconi, a 13th-century Italian lay Franciscan and founder of a hospice for the poor, which is now a home for the elderly in Rimini, Italy.

After the morning consistory, the pope then met privately with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes.

The pope signed decrees recognizing the miracles needed for the future beatifi-

cations of: — Louis-Edouard Cestac, a French priest who founded the Congregation of the Servants of Mary.

— Irene Stefani, an Italian member of the Consolata Missionary Sisters, who assisted the wounded in Kenya and Tanzania during World War I. She died in Kenya in 1930.

The pope also recognized the heroic virtues of: — Mother Magdalen Taylor, then Frances Taylor, who

volunteered to join Florence Nightingale in helping wounded soldiers in Turkey during the Crimean War. An Anglican, she joined the Catholic Church while serving in the Crimea and later founded the Poor Servants of the Mother of God. She died in 1900.

— Uberto Mori, an Italian engineer, professor and businessman, who also started a local television station for evangelizing. He died in 1989.

— Maria Giuseppa Scandola, a member of the Comboni Missionary Sisters, who died in what is now South Sudan in 1903.

— Luigi Savare, an Italian priest who worked with young people and died in 1949.

— Eugenio Reffo, an Italian priest and co-founder of the Congregation of St. Joseph. He died in 1925.

— Itala Mela, an Italian laywoman and Benedictine Oblate who died in 1957.

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June 20, 2014

Pope’s World Mission Day message: Humanity needs Christ

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — The Vatican has released Pope Francis’ message for World Mission Day, which focuses on the continuing need for all Christians to proclaim the Gospel with joy to the many who have not heard of Christ’s saving work.

“Humanity greatly needs to lay hold of the Salvation brought by Christ. His disciples are those who allow themselves to be seized ever more by the love of Jesus and marked by the first of passion for the Kingdom of God and the proclamation of the joy of the Gospel,” wrote Pope Francis in his message for the 88th World Mission Day, which will take place on October 19.

“All the Lord’s disciples are called to nurture the joy of evangelization,” he stressed in the text, which was recently released.

Although the bishops as pastors are “primarily responsible for this proclamation,” there is “a growing awareness of the identity and mission of the lay faithful in the Church, as well as a recognition that they are called to take an increasingly important role in the spread of the Gospel,” he said.

He added that “consequently, they need to be given a suitable training for the sake of an effective apostolic activity.”

Christians must pray and work to make the Church “a welcoming home, a mother for all peoples and the source of rebirth for our world.”

He acknowledged that many parts of the world “are experiencing a dearth of vocations to the priesthood and the conse-

crated life” — a problem often caused by the “absence of contagious apostolic fervor.”

The joy of the Gospel arises from an “encounter with Christ and from sharing with the poor.” Those communities who lack such joy also lack vocations.

Yet, “wherever there is joy, enthusiasm and a desire to bring Christ to others, genuine vocations arise.”

“Let us not be robbed of the joy of evangelization!” he urged.

“I invite you to immerse yourself in the joy of the Gospel and nurture a love that can light up your vocation and your mission.”

Pope Francis also reflected on various Gospel passages and figures who represent the joy of evangelization.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus speaks to His disciples, urging them to “share His joy, different and greater than anything they had previously experienced.”

The disciples were initially “filled with joy, excited about their power to set people free from demons.” Yet Jesus cautioned them “to rejoice not so much for the power they had received, but for the love they had received ‘because your names are written in Heaven.’”

Jesus’ own “deep joy” comes from His immense love for the Father, Who reveals the mysteries of the Kingdom to “the childlike,” he said. These “little ones” are the “humble, the simple, the poor, the marginalized, those without voice, those weary and burdened. We readily think of Mary, Joseph, the fishermen of Galilee and the disciples whom Jesus called as

This week in 50 years ago — Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River marked its silver jubilee with a Mass celebrated by Bishop James L. Connolly for the home’s residents.

25 years ago — Bishop Daniel A. Cronin blessed and dedicated the new Damien Wing retirement/infirmary residence established in Fairhaven for aged or infirm priests and brothers who have served in the East Coast Province of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

He went preaching.”

The pope noted that Jesus’ prayer of thanksgiving describes “the Father’s saving and benevolent plan for humanity.

It was this Divine graciousness that made Jesus rejoice, for the Father willed to love people with the same love that He has for His Son.” Moreover, this love is Trinitarian, he continued. “The Father is the source of joy. The Son is its manifestation, and the Holy Spirit its giver.”

Like Mary and the disciples, “why shouldn’t we, too, enter this flood of joy?”

“World Mission Day is also an occasion to rekindle the desire and the moral obligation to take joyful part in the mission ad gentes,” emphasized Pope Francis.

One means of participation in the joy of evangelization includes financial support for missionary activity, he explained.

“A monetary contribution on the part of individuals is the sign of a self-offering, first to the Lord and then to others; in this way a material offering can become a means for the evangelization of humanity built on love.”

The pope concluded his message with a call to be faithful in the joy that Jesus offers.

“I urge each of you to recall, as if you were making an interior pilgrimage, that ‘first love’ with which the Lord Jesus Christ warmed your heart, not for the sake of nostalgia but in order to persevere in joy. The Lord’s disciples persevere in joy when they sense His presence, do His will and share with others their faith, hope and evangelical charity.”

Diocesan history

10 years ago — The world-famous French Choir Boys (Petits Chanteurs du Comte de Flandre) exhibited their musical talents for the second time in the Diocese of Fall River during a concert at Sacred Heart Church on Linden Street in Fall River.

One year ago — Fifteen men preparing for ordination to the permanent diaconate made the Profession of Faith and took the Oath of Fidelity at St. Mary’s Church in New Bedford in preparation for ordination as deacons of the Fall River Diocese.

Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, catches a cricket ball while meeting members of the Vatican cricket club at the Vatican recently. Behind Archbishop Welby is Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, head of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy. At left is Father Ruwan Tharaka, 26, of Sri Lanka. (CNS photo/Chris Warde-Jones)

Knights of Columbus report record donations in 2013

New Haven, Conn.

(CNA/EWTN News) — Catholic fraternal organization the Knights of Columbus set new records in donations and volunteer hours in 2013, continuing its long-standing service programs and responding to several natural disasters.

“Whether with funds or service, and whether quietly helping someone overcome a personal tragedy or assisting in the aftermath of a widely known humanitarian disaster, the outpouring of charity by our members produces meaningful results, especially by helping to bring peace of mind to those who find themselves in incredibly difficult situations,” Knights of Columbus head Carl Anderson said recently.

The order gave more than $170 million in donations and its members worked more than 70.5 million volunteer hours last year, the Knights of Columbus said, citing its annual survey.

“Charity has been at the heart of the Knights’ mission for the past 132 years,” Anderson said.

He noted the Knights of Columbus’ response to the two “enormous” natural disasters in the Philippines: the October 2013 Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.

The order provided aid in the aftermath of tornadoes in Oklahoma, floods in Canada’s Alberta province, and the fac-

tory explosion in the small Texas town of West. It also provided assistance to victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

“The year also saw the Knights continue their support for the victims of Superstorm Sandy, and for the people of Newtown, Conn., as they recovered from the school shooting that took the lives of 26 residents, most of whom were young children,” Anderson said.

The organization’s regular initiatives include support for the intellectually disabled, programs to provide food and winter coats to poor families, and blood drives. It helps support Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics and the American Wheelchair Mission.

The order’s reported volunteer hours increased by more than 421,000 over its 2012 total.

In the last 10 years the organization had donated almost $1.5 billion to charity and contributed 683 million volunteer hours.

The Knights of Columbus has more than 1.8 million members in North America, Central America, the Philippines, the Caribbean and Europe. It was founded in 1882 in New Haven, Conn., by Venerable Servant of God Michael J. McGivney, a parish priest who sought to help widows and orphans while aiding Catholic families and conducting acts of charity.

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June 20, 2014

Bishops focus on religious liberty, election document, upcoming synod

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) — During their June 11-13 spring general assembly in New Orleans, the nation’s Catholic bishops voted to extend their Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty and to approve work on a limited revision of their quadrennial document aimed at guiding Catholics in election decisions.

They also were urged to promote and support Catholic families by paying close attention to the upcoming synod on the family at the Vatican and to promote the World Meeting of Families next year in Philadelphia.

The bishops heard about the progress made and the work that still needs to be done on efforts to protect children from sexual abuse. They received a report about their aid to typhoon victims in the Philippines and were advised about the work being done to make sure Religious Educational materials conform to the “Catechism of the Catholic Church.”

The public sessions of the meetings took place June 11 and the morning of June 12 before the bishops went into executive session.

“It is always a great joy for us to be together,” Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, told the bishops at the start of their meeting. There is “unity and strength from the Holy Spirit when you gather as one Church,” he added.

The nuncio emphasized the need to be in solidarity not only with each other but also with Catholic leaders and the faith community in the Iraqi city of Mosul, where Christians were among the hundreds of thousands of people who began fleeing June 9 after Islamist forces took over much of the city.

“We join with them in solidarity and hope that the international community will not remain insensitive” to the attacks, he said.

Prior to the vote on a threeyear extension of the Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, its chairman, compared the body’s work to the “humble beginnings of the ProLife movement.”

The ad hoc committee was formed in 2011 and the “need for its sustained work is at least as great as when it started,” he told the bishops.

Several bishops said they appreciated the materials the committee provided them and their

dioceses and felt the work was important.

Another item the bishops unanimously approved was a limited revision of the 2007 statement “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” and the draft of a new introductory note for it. The revision and draft will be presented for a vote by the U.S. bishops at their annual fall assembly in November.

The document has been issued before every presidential election for almost four decades.

A note in the current intro-

September in Philadelphia.

Read at the meeting by Archbishop Kurtz, the letter said the pope’s presence would “add significance” to the gathering and “deepen the bonds of affection” many Catholics feel for the Holy Father.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said the Philadelphia gathering was a key factor in promoting family life, which he said is currently in crisis.

“The family today is living out

responses remain confidential, one trend they indicate is Catholics’ eagerness to respond to questions about family life; many have expressed a desire to hear more clear explanation of Church teaching about Marriage and families.

He also said many parents indicated that they are “at a loss” for how to transmit the faith to their children and they also face challenges from today’s economy, busy schedules and from living in a culture that they’ve described as being “hostile” to

Sister Mary Angela Highfield of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, center, and other Sisters listen during a session at the recent annual spring meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in New Orleans. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

duction, revised in 2011, clarifies that the document is “does not offer a voters’ guide, scorecard of issues or direction on how to vote,” but instead “applies Catholic moral principles to a range of important issues and warns against misguided appeals to ‘conscience’ to ignore fundamental moral claims, to reduce Catholic moral concerns to one or two matters, or to justify choices simply to advance partisan, ideological or personal interests.”

The bishops also voted to permit the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations to seek a renewed recognitio, or approval, from the Vatican for the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States. Vatican approval to the text would be for another five-year term.

The bishops, by applause, showed their support of a letter to be from Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to Pope Francis, inviting him to attend the World Meeting of Families next

a paradox,” he told the bishops.

“On the one hand, great value is given to the bonds of family, everywhere in the world” but he also noted that today’s families are weakened and often “lose their way.”

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput told the U.S. bishops the 2015 gathering “comes at a time when the Church in the United States urgently needs an opportunity for joy and renewal. It’s also a time of great confusion about the nature of Marriage and the family.”

“Our goal is to exclude no one from the excitement of this meeting. Our goal is to offer the beauty of Catholic teaching about Marriage and the family with confidence and a spirit of invitation to every person of good will,” he said. “That’s the heart of our theme: ‘Love is our mission; the family fully alive.’”

Archbishop Kurtz spoke about the upcoming extraordinary synod on the family at the Vatican, noting that it will take its cue from responses given in surveys of Catholic families worldwide. He said while the

their faith.

The synod will bring together presidents of bishops’ conferences, the heads of Eastern Catholic churches and the heads of Vatican offices to discuss “pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelization.”

In his presentation, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, noted that the redefinition of Marriage is not only occurring at the state level but federally.

He urged the bishops to move forward recalling the words of Pope Francis: “Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists, but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled commitment.”

A report by the bishops’ national advisory council called the bishops effort to defend Marriage “an urgent priority.”

The report emphasized an agreement with issues on the bishops’ agenda for the spring meeting and also urged the bishops to develop materials to help dioceses address “how it cares for

those in pain” and alienated from the Church.

The group asked the bishops to consider more diocesan programs to help men to get more involved in the Church.

A report by the National Review Board, which monitors dioceses’ performance in dealing with sexually abusive priests and creating a safe environment for children, said progress has been made but much work still needs to be done.

In a report on the work of the Subcommittee on the Catechism, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of Hartford, Conn., and chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, noted how the bishops’ subcommittee reviews 25,000 pages of Religious Education materials a year to determine if they conform with the “Catechism.”

He said that just as the bishops developed high school catechetical materials they should now focus similar efforts on a curriculum format for primary grades.

The bishops were also told how the $21 million in aid relief from U.S. Catholics to Catholic Relief Service helped with immediate and long-term aid and reconstruction of churches in the Philippines after last year’s Typhoon Haiyan.

At the opening Mass at St. Louis Cathedral, Archbishop Kurtz urged his fellow bishops to encourage Catholics, society at large and each other. He also thanked New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond for the “truly warm New Orleans welcome.”

The bishops heard from Helen Alvare, law professor at George Mason University Law School in Arlington, Va., who spoke about the link between New Evangelization and poverty; and Brad Wilcox, associate professor of sociology and director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, spoke about Marriage and the economy.

Alvare urged bishops to continually bring Jesus to those they minister to and to act as He did, making time for people and having personal interaction with them.

Wilcox, citing numerous studies, spoke of the erosion of Marriage in society and its negative impact on children. He urged the bishops to articulate with Catholics the benefits of an “intact Marriage” but also to “stand in solidarity with couples in crisis.”

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Youth Pages

Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford recently held its annual Religion Bee for the students in kindergarten. Each student received a special medal for their participation; the winning team also received trophies. The bee is a culminating activity of their Sadlier Religion Program. Sister Muriel Ann Lebeau, SS.CC., is their Religion teacher and was the moderator for this fun event.

Fifth-grade students and pre-kindergartners at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Taunton pose with the flowers they planted in front of the school.

The Holy Name School Class of 2014 prepared and cleared out a circular area, cultivated the soil, planted grasses and flowers and mulched around the flagpole to beautify the area and leave a legacy to Holy Name School in their honor. Traditionally the eighth-grade class at the Fall River School is responsible for raising and lowering the flag every day so it was appropriate for them to dedicate this area. A short ceremony was held during which the students were reminded that the flag evokes patriotism and pride and is a reminder of the many sacrifices made for the freedoms we enjoy today. The ceremony was concluded with the Pledge of Allegiance.

June 20, 2014

Students in grade eight from St. James-St. John School in Attleboro recently held a car wash to help defray the costs of graduation

The St. Mary-Sacred Heart School Class of 2014 recently graduated at Sacred Heart Church in North Attleboro. The graduates and their families and friends, as well as the faculty and staff of SMSH, wished the class much success on its next adventure of high school. This year marked the 90th anniversary of the opening of Sacred Heart School in 1923 by the Holy Union Sisters and the 41st commencement of the consolidated St. Mary-Sacred Heart School. Immediately following the Mass and ceremony, the seventh-grade class prepared a reception for the graduates and their families held in the Sacred Heart Church Hall with the theme of “Super Heroes.”

St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro recently put on its eighth annual cabaret production. This year’s theme was an original one-act version of “Peter Pan.” There were 15 performances which included more than 80 students, five parents, two teachers, two priests and three alumni. Director Sue Fortin, music teacher at St. John’s, was assisted by Kathy Harum. More than 35 volunteers, ranging from costume coordinators to the actual band, to the stage crew, helped make the show possible. Guests were treated to coffee and pastries as they enjoyed the show. Pictured are Bella Simoneau as Wendy with her “brothers,” John (Seamus Sutula) and Michael (Zachary Castro) as they discover they’re going to Neverland with Tinker Bell (Victoria Rego) and Peter Pan (Athan Dafulas).

Youth Pages School’s out!

June 20, 2014

A

s I write this, I am preparing my students for finals. Finals are stressful but rewarding. One of the great rewards of finals is summer vacation. I know that students believe that no one is more excited or more ready for vacation then they are, but I can assure you that teachers are pretty ready and excited as well.

According to Webster’s dictionary, a vacation is “a time of respite from something.” As the school year ends, we prepare for two months of respite from homework, tests, studying, note-taking and alarm clocks.

When we go on vacation, we look forward to leaving everything behind that we were doing and just relax. We hope to leave our everyday lives behind and not even think about all that we will need to do when we return from vacation.

However, no matter if we are going cross country, on an international trip, or just your

run-of-the-mill “staycation,” we are called to keep our faith going. We can vacation from school, work, and chores but we cannot take a vacation from Church. We read it right in Scripture. In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear Christ say, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). He doesn’t tell us to find a hotel and call Him in seven to 10 days and tell Him all about it. He calls to us to vacation with Him, and with Him we will find the peace we are looking for.

While it should not be the sole “go-to” on all things religious, there are some great ways to use the Internet to stay connected on vacation. If you are going to be away on a Sunday, go to masstimes.org and it will give you the times for every Mass wherever you are staying. Also, there is a great free app called Laudate that has everything Catholic

you could need. You can find a variety of prayers, the readings for the day, Liturgy of the Hours, the Bible and even encyclicals.

Not only should our vacations be a chance to relax and stop working, but as Catholics, we can use this time to refresh and renew our faith.

Be Not Afraid

By Amanda Tarantelli Vacation is the perfect time to slow down and reconnect with Christ. It’s easy in the busyness of life to lose track of our prayer lives and just do a quick prayer of need for some special intention. Having time away from all hectic day-to-day events may just be the time we need to move our faith life to a newer, deeper level.

So whether we are going

17 on a cruise to Mexico, a road trip to Mississippi (which happens to be my plan this summer), or finding a blanket and lying in the backyard, let your vacation time stretch you to a new place with Christ.

Do not leave Him behind in your parish, at your house, or in your school. Bring Christ with you on your vacation. Visit His house in a new city, a new state or maybe even in a new country.

Don’t let your faith get cast aside along with your notebooks, your summer reading or your unfinished work. Give Him your burdens and He will give you rest.

As you prepare for your summer to begin, I leave you with this prayer I found. I pray that we all have a safe and blessed summer that helps us to grow closer to Christ.

Heavenly Father, You have mercifully allowed human beings to have periods

of rest and recuperation on our long journey through life.

This is my extended period of rest this year — my vacation from the usual cares of everyday life and my time to be renewed — physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Grant that this vacation will bring me a new awareness of the good things in life, increased knowledge of Your wondrously versatile creativity, delightful travel through fascinating places, and genuine leisure facilitating revitalization.

Let me be ever mindful of You and my true goals in life.

And bring me back to carry out my daily tasks with cheerfulness and goodwill, and to the best of my strength and ability.

Amen.

Anchor columnist Amanda Tarantelli has been a campus minister at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth since 2005. She is married, a die-hard sports fan, and resides in Cranston, R.I. She can be reached at atarantelli@ bishopstang.org.

Children’s summer reading: Books on saints, nature and more WASHINGTON (CNS) — The following books are suitable for summer reading: “Saint Magnus: The Last Viking” by Susan Peek. Catholic Vitality Publications (St. Marys, Kansas, 2014). 235 pp.

Royal bloodlines, brutal 10thcentury Viking battles and loyal brotherhood make “Saint Magnus” an unforgettable read. The book tells of the obscure regal saint, a just, gentle and holy heir to the throne of the Orkney Islands of what is now Scotland.

St. Magnus faces suffering and trial after trial seeking peace for his kingdom and forgiveness for his brother’s heart. His own forgiveness and devotion to God made Magnus a saint; this legendary story excellently told by author Susan Peek makes this story hard to put down. Ages 14 and up.

“Praying with My Fingers: An Easy Way to Talk with God.” Paraclete Press (Brewster, Massachusetts, 2014). 15 pp.

Young children use their fingers for everything: playing, acting out songs, counting and making messes. So it is quite natural for little ones to use their fingers to learn how to pray.

“Praying with My Fingers,” a pint-sized board book perfect for small hands, is inspired by and credited to Pope Francis when he was archbishop of Buenos

Aires. The prayer is a rhyme connecting each finger to people in a child’s life. Toddlers and parents will enjoy praying with this book together. Ages five and under.

“Two Little Birds” by Mary Newell DePalma. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2014). 34 pp.

“Two Little Birds” is about growing up and leaving the nest for adventure. Although there is danger on the journey, the circle of life eventually returns the birds back home. Based on the migratory experiences of orioles, the book’s beautiful illustrations, alliterations and predictive language make the story interesting and attainable for young listeners and beginning readers. Ages four-eight.

“Bird” by Crystal Chan. Atheneum Books for Young Readers (New York, 2014). 295 pp.

Twelve-year-old Jewel’s life has been defined by the silence and sadness surrounding her older brother’s tragic death. Born the day her brother died, Jewel’s birthdays are days of mourning, and joy is hard to find the other 364 days of the year. But Jewel is resilient and imaginative, and her persistent and creative spirit coupled with a new and mysterious friend eventually lead her family to a place of peace and understanding. Rich with

symbolism, “Bird” is a compelling and extraordinary read for adolescents. Upon finishing the book, readers will anticipate author Crystal Chang’s next book.

Ages eight-12.

“God Yahweh Allah. What Kids Want to Know: 100 Questions about Faith and Belief ” by Katia Mrowiec, Michel Kubler and Antoine Sfeir, illustrated by Olivier Andre, Gaetan Evrard, Stephane Girel and Philippe Poirier. Paulist Press (Mahwah, New Jersey, 2014). 192 pp.

“God Yahweh Allah” would be a welcome addition on the shelves of classrooms and homes.

Written by journalists, the book is a compilation of real questions and answers from children about the faith, tradition and practices of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The straightforward answers, rooted in the Torah, Bible and Quran, are accessible to elementary school students.

Although the book is intended for younger readers, adults will have quite a few ah-ha moments while reading this well-organized informational book. Ages eight and up.

“Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature” by Sarah C. Campbell, photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell. Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, Pennsylvania, 2014). 31 pp.

The freedom and fresh air of summertime gives children many opportunities for outdoor exploration. “Mysterious Patterns” will open up their eyes to the beauty and awe of nature in a whole new way. Manmade shapes are everywhere, but nature has its own set of often overlooked shapes.

Called fractals, they can be identified on flowers, plants, rivers and even mountain ranges. Read this book, take a walk, and discover an entirely new world that you never knew always existed.

Ages four and up.

“Hildegard’s Gift” by Megan Hoyt, illustrated by David Hill.

Paraclete Press. (Brewster, Massachusetts, 2014). 32 pp.

Once upon a time a young girl named Hildegard received an extraordinary and powerful gift: She could create magnificent pictures, words and songs.

However joyful to others, her brilliant talent challenged and exhausted Hildegard. But, with the help and encouragement of her friends at the abbey, Hildegard used her talent given by God for God. She also realized that every child has a special talent. Colorfully illustrated, “Hildegard’s Gift” is an enjoyable story for all children about this new saint and doctor of the Church, but especially those who might need a little boost in finding and appreciat-

ing their own gifts from God. Ages five-10.

“A Pond Full of Ink” by Annie M. G. Schmidt, illustrated

by Sieb Posthuma. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2014). 34 pp.

With its clever poetry and creative illustrations, “A Pond Full of Ink” will inspire imagination, laughter and wonder.

The silly poems tell short stories about quirky characters such as elderly otters and a family living in a tree. The poems will help instill in young readers a love of poetry and word play, and maybe get some creative juices flowing during the break from school.

Ages six and up.

“Breathe” by Scott Magoon.

Simon & Schuster for Young Readers (New York, 2014). 32 pp.

“Breathe” is a soothing bedtime story with beautiful, soft illustrations. The book follows the busy day of a young whale who explores, finds adventure and faces danger. But, as is necessary during an exciting day of exploration for a young child, the whale must take a break and breathe. Author and illustrator Scott Magoon’s use of alliterations and gentle cadence along with the sweet drawings will make this book a beloved treasure. Ages two-six.

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June 20, 2014

Two diocesan employees earn degrees from Theological Institute for New Evangelization continued from page one

and the Master of Theological Studies for the New Evangelization. The Institute also offers non-degree certificate programs, the Foundational Certificate and the Advanced Certificate.

Since 1999 the Master of Arts in Ministry degree program, under the direction of Dr. Aldona Lingertat, Ph.D., has graduated close to 100 students and has reached many more with its distinctive brand of whole-person formation for lay ecclesial ministry and evangelization in the parish.

After three years of study, Linehan expressed great joy at receiving her degree.

“The professors and community atmosphere of TINE along with the challenging academics and spirituality made going each week to class a true blessing,” she said.

TINE essentially consolidates and expands upon the programs that have been offered to men preparing for the priesthood at St. John’s Seminary for more than 125 years.

According to the seminary’s website: “The Theological Institute is a response by the semi-

nary to the increasingly urgent call from the Church, especially since Vatican II, for a more energetic evangelization of the parish and the world, exemplified in Pope Benedict’s recent establishment of a new Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization and in Cardinal Seán O’Malley’s vigorous focus on evangelization.”

While juggling his other responsibilities, Deacon Cote said he took two classes per semester and one during the summer over a three-year period to earn the degree.

“I enjoyed all the courses, but I was especially drawn toward those dealing directly with Scripture and moral theology,” he said. “Certainly my preaching has been better-informed as well as my instruction to Religious Education students and adults preparing to receive the Sacraments. The formation curriculum at TINE also heightened my awareness of pastoral concerns.”

Linehan echoed Deacon Cote’s appreciation for courses on Scripture and moral theology and also said she enjoyed learning more about canon law and the Sacraments.

“The lessons that I learned at TINE will greatly benefit my work as the director of Faith Formation at St. Mary’s Parish,” she said. “Along with learning the theology, each class provided skills and tools to handle different pastoral situations.

Our society is in need of the true joy of the Gospel, people who are armed with the truths of our faith and are not afraid to live them out. Each class I took provided another tool that I can use to bring people back to the true beauty of Catholicism.”

As she prepares to take on her new role as director of Faith Formation at St. Mary’s Parish, Linehan hopes to share what she’s learned at TINE with others.

“To have the knowledge is to have power,” she said. “We are confronted on a daily basis with people criticizing our beliefs and misunderstanding our Church. When people fully understand the reasons behind the different ‘controversial’ Church teachings, they are filled with the confidence to be able to defend it.

“The Church needs more

Catholics to be filled with the desire to learn and grow in their faith so we can live as Christ’s disciples out on the front lines bringing God’s love to the world. God created us to be those beacons of light in the world and to go out and speak the truth.”

“One can never learn enough,” Deacon Cote agreed.

“It’s a cliché, but it’s still true: the more you know, the more you realize that you don’t. God invites us to know Him better in any way we can. I would recommend TINE to anyone. In fact, if the opportunity presents itself to attend classes — as it did to me — consider it a personal invitation from above.

Certainly I would have nothing if He didn’t give it to me.”

Like Mary’s fiat, Linehan similarly urged those seeking to learn more about their faith to just say “yes.”

“Don’t question, just do it,” she said. “Drive up to Brighton, sit in on a class, and witness the level of spirituality, knowledge and community that is present within the TINE program firsthand. I entered the program as one of the youngest students

only knowing that God wanted me to work with young people. I would have never thought of all the blessings that came with attending TINE. The friendships, knowledge and depth in spirituality that I gained while I was there are immeasurable.”

“Surrender to the work involved as if it were God’s will to do so, and you may discover that it is,” Deacon Cote added. “This yields peace, gratitude, and a superb education as His gifts and the reward of your surrender.”

Just a few weeks from completing her three-year stint at TINE, Linehan said she already misses “having a place filled with community and theological discussions.”

“I truly encourage any person who has the desire to increase their faith or feel God calling them to a different path in life to say ‘yes,’” she said. “God has blessed us with TINE to give us the knowledge and confidence needed to be good evangelizers.”

For more information about the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John’s Seminary, visit www. tineboston.org.

seven days a week in East Sandwich at Corpus Christi Parish Perpetual Eucharistic Chapel, 324 Quaker Meeting House Road; in New Bedford at Our Lady’s Chapel, 600 Pleasant Street; in Seekonk at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, 984 Taunton Avenue; and in West Harwich at Our Lady of Life Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Holy Trinity Parish, 246 Main Street.

Twenty-eight parishes across the diocese also offer Eucharistic Adoration.

Observe our Marian feasts Marian piety is part of the roots of the Church, according to Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister in “The Liturgical Year — The Spriraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life.”

“It is not only part of the most ancient devotions in the Church; it has a continuing and present power,” she said.

This summer we will venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16; at the Dedication of St. Mary Major, August 5; on the Solemnity of the Assumption, August 15; at the Queenship of Mary, August 22; and on the feast of the Birth of Mary, September 8.

Pray the Rosary Participate in the fifth annual Global Rosary Relay for Priests on June 27, by praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary at the Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington Street, North Easton, beginning at 11:15 a.m.

In support of priests worldwide, Holy Cross Family Ministries will join 84 shrines in 46 countries around the world in the 24hour period to pray the Rosary.

Go on retreat La Salette Retreat and Conference Center will host Preached and Silent Retreats from July 11 through July 17.

The Preached Retreat will provide time and space for the participants as they walk silently with the Lord. The theme is assimilating reconciliation — becoming one with self, with others, and most especially with our God of love. There also will be a focus on the message of Our Lady of La Salette. Presentations, prayer, personal reflection and daily Eucharist will be part of each day’s schedule.

The six-day Silent Retreat is open to adults choosing to meet daily with a director for the purpose of sharing God’s movement experienced in life and

prayer. Participants spend each day in a personally designed schedule of personal prayer and reflection focused primarily on Scripture.

On August 1-3, Holy Cross Family Ministries is also offering a Weekend Retreat for Families: “Pray, Play and Spend Time Together,” a weekend to totally dedicate time with the family and with God. Enjoy a candle-light procession, beautiful Liturgies, enriching presentations on prayer, fun recreational activities and more.

Housing and meals are provided. For more info on the Notre Dame Summer Retreat visit www.FamilyRosary.org/Events or call 800-299-7729.

Take time for reflection Father Matt Malone, S.J., editor-in-chief of “America” magazine, will discuss “The First Year of Pope Francis,” kicking off the Summer Catholic Reflections Series at Christ the King Parish, The Commons, Mashpee, on June 26 at 7 p.m.

The 2014 series is also sponsored by Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Osterville and St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth.

Seek the Sacred this summer continued from page one

Mother draws faithful from all over the world.

Delve into wisdom writings Spend a Sacred hour reading on a quiet beach or in your own backyard.

Pope Francis is the first pontiff from the Jesuit order, and his manner of plain speaking, modest lifestyle and emphasis on education are all informed by the Jesuit experience. To learn more about the Society of Jesus, read “The Jesuit Guide To Almost Everything — A Spirituality of Real Life” by Father James Martin, S.J. “We all feel that restlessness, the nagging feeling that there must be something more to life than our day-to-day existence,” said Father Martin. “The longing is a sign of the longing of the human heart for God. It is one of the most profound ways that God has of calling us. In the echoes of our restlessness, we hear God’s voice.”

Catholic author Matthew Kelly offers his thoughts on how to lead a life filled with passion and purpose in “The Rhythm of Life.”

“Simplify your life and you will find the inner peace that the poets and saints of every

age have coveted more than any possession,” Kelly said.

A devout Catholic, J.R.R. Tolkien shared his faith and worldview in his fantasy stories “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” In “The Christian World of The Hobbit,” author Devin Brown examines the Christian dimension of Tolkien’s first book.

“Tolkien’s Christian understanding of the nature of the world was fundamental to his thinking and to his major fiction,” said Tolkien biographer Charles Mosley. “Neither propaganda nor allegory, at its root lies the Christian model of a world loved into being by a Creator, whose creatures have the free will to turn away from the harmony of that love to seek their own will and desires, rather than seeking to give themselves in love to others.”

Come let us adore Him Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta was once asked, “What will convert America and save the world?” “My answer is prayer,” the saint said. “Come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the holy hours of prayer.”

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration takes place 24 hours a day,

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June 20, 2014

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

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the 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.

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.

Could Pope Francis go to China?

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis visits South Korea, August 14-18, he will take part in Asian Youth Day with delegates from some 30 countries, preside over the beatification of 124 Korean martyrs and meet with President Park Geun-hye.

South Korea is one of Asia’s major economies, with a small but growing Catholic Church. It is also half of a divided peninsula, where nuclear-armed communist North Korea presents an ongoing threat. All of these factors promise to make the pope’s visit important and newsworthy.

Informed observers are speculating that the pope might add another destination to his first Asian trip — one that would mark the voyage as truly historic. Adding a stopover in the People’s Republic of China — with which the Vatican has not had diplomatic relations for more than 60 years — would represent an extraordinary variation in the careful planning typical of papal travel.

But Pope Francis has proven willing to improvise audaciously in the most diplomatically sensitive situations, as when he stopped to pray at the Israelibuilt security barrier in the West Bank during his late-May visit to the Holy Land. Spending a mere half-day in Beijing, which sits on the flight path from Seoul to Rome, the pope could easily visit the city’s Catholic cathedral and the nearby tomb of his Jesuit confrere Matteo Ricci, the 16thcentury missionary to China whose cause for sainthood was reopened in 2010.

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks June 28 Rev. Thomas C. Gunning, Assistant, St. Lawrence, New Bedford, 1947 June 30 Rev. Simon Pease, SS.CC., Administrator, Sacred Hearts, Fairhaven, 1952 Rev. Alphonse M. Reniere, O.P., Dominican Priory, Fall River, 1961 July 1 Rev. Fernando A. Veiga, CM, Vincentian Mission House, Fall River, 1993 July 2 Rev. Gerard A. Boisvert, Assistant, St. Anthony, New Bedford, 1967 Rev. Maurice H. Lamontagne, Retired Pastor, Our Lady of Grace, Westport, 1996 Rev. James T. Donohue, C.S.C., 2006 July 3 Rev. Thomas P. Doherty, Pastor, St. Kilian, New Bedford, 1942 July 4 Rev. James A. Coyle, S.T.L., Pastor, Holy Name, Fall River, 1955 Rev. Pierre E. Lachance, O.P., Rector, St. Anne Shrine, Fall River, 2006

Around the Diocese The Fall River area Bereavement Group of the Fall River Diocese will meet on June 24 at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph Parish, 1335 North Main Street in Fall River. For more information, contact Rose Mary Saraiva at the Office of Faith Formation at 508-678-2828, extension 27, or email rmsaraiva@dfrcec.com.

Father Matt Malone, S.J., editor-in-chief of America magazine, will kickoff the Summer Catholic Reflections Series at Christ the King Parish in Mashpee on June 26. Father Malone will discuss “The First Year of Pope Francis” beginning at 7 p.m. The 2014 series is sponsored by Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Osterville, St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth, and Christ the King Parish in Mashpee. Visit www.christthekingparish.com for directions or more information.

Global Rosary Relay for Priests: Celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart with the faithful gathered at more than 60 shrines around the world praying the Rosary for our priests on June 27. Holy Cross Family Ministries in North Easton, and our mission offices, will join with people gathered at more than 60 shrines around the world to pray the Rosary to support our priests. Let us come together and pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary and unite with others as we encircle the world in prayer. Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington Street, North Easton, at 11:15 am, June 27. www.FamilyRosary.org/Events or call 508238-4095 or 800-299-7729.

The 36th annual Summer Fair to benefit Our Lady of the Cape Parish, 468 Stony Brook Road in Brewster, will be held June 28 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the parish center. New this year: bountiful baskets and fun activities for children.

Browse through jewelry, attic treasures, collectibles, crafts, books, toys, art work, tools and more. There will also be a cash raffle and silent auction, delicious baked goods, café snacks, outdoor barbecue and ice cream treats.

The annual Portuguese Feast of Santo Christo will be held at Santo Christo Parish, 185 Canal Street in Fall River, on June 29-30. The feast will begin at 6 p.m. on June 29 with Mass celebrated in the church, followed by a procession and feast on the church grounds until 11 p.m. On June 30 Masses will be celebrated at 9 and 11 a.m., with a procession stepping off at 4 p.m., followed by the feast until 10 p.m. including music, games, and plenty of Portuguese food including malassadas, chouriço, caçoila and favas. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time for parking to view the procession, as Columbia Street in front of the church will be closed off.

Massachusetts Citizens for Life is sponsoring the Respect Life Walk to Aid Mothers and Children. The annual walk-a-thon to raise funds to support mothers and children in crisis situations is scheduled for June 29 at 2:30 p.m. from the Boston Common. The Greater Fall River MCFL Chapter is sponsoring a bus to bring local walkers to the Boston Common. No need to worry about parking or the Boston traffic. Round trip fare is only $5 for adults, $2 for 18 and under. Children five and under are free. The central pick-up location is at Good Shepherd Parish on South Main Street in Fall River. Departure time will be at 12:30 p.m.

There will be a second pick-up at the Taunton Galleria Park and Ride at approximately 12:45 p.m. To reserve seats or for more information call Bea Martins at 508-678-3351 by June 25.

A special celebration of the profession of Father Flavio Gillo and other La Salette seminarians will be held during the 12:10 p.m. Mass on July 27 at La Salette Shrine, 947 Park Street in Attleboro, in the shrine church. Together, let us invoke Our Lady and the Holy Spirit to bless and enrich their lives in her service in “Making Her Message Known” throughout the world. Thank you for your esteemed presence and prayers.

Weekend Retreat for Families on August 1-3: “Pray, Play and Spend Time Together”: Your family is so busy all year long. Sometime it isn’t even possible to have a meal together. Here’s a weekend to totally dedicate your time to each other and to God. Enjoy a candle-light procession, beautiful Liturgies, enriching presentations on prayer, fun recreational activities and more — all while your housing and meals are provided! For more info on the Notre Dame Summer Retreat presented by Holy Cross Family Ministries visit www.FamilyRosary. org/Events or call 800-299-7729. The family that prays together stays together.

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June 20, 2014

Church rediscovers its role as mother by welcoming, loving, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — “I like to dream of a Church that lives the compassion of Jesus,” Pope Francis told more than 7,000 priests, religious, catechists and parish council members from the Diocese of Rome.

If every parish embodies the virtues of compassion, tenderness, patience and welcoming, the Catholic Church will be the

mother she claims to be and will continue to generate numerous children, the pope said recently, opening the Rome diocese’s annual convention.

In a 35-minute talk, most of which was off the cuff, Pope Francis responded to the concerns expressed by a pastor and two catechists about the difficulties of keeping families active in parish life and, conse-

quently, in transmitting the faith to children and young people.

Father Gianpiero Palmieri, pastor of the parish of San Frumenzio, told Pope Francis that in the Diocese of Rome programs for preparing children for First Communion are still popular, but half of the children do not go on to prepare for Confirmation.

Pope Francis told convention participants that before joining them for the evening session, he stopped for coffee in the kitchen of the guesthouse where he lives.

The cook was still there and the pope asked him how long it would take him to get home; the man responded that his commute was about an hour and a half.

“An hour and a half to go home to his children, his wife,” the pope said.

Pope Francis said he knows that many parents get up early, take their children to school, go to work — sometimes places of “tension and conflict” — and often get home immediately before or even after their children have gone to bed.

In such situations, he said, it is natural for parents to feel like they have “a crushing weight” on their shoulders and they wonder, “Is this living?”

If parents are so overburdened and dissatisfied, he said, how can they help their children discover the meaning of their lives and “the direction to take so that their lives are beautiful and they are happy to get up each morning?”

With everyone in a family running in different directions, the pope said, young people are left without guidance, without someone to trust, without “ideals that warm their hearts” and without hope.

“This is a society of orphans,” he said.

When people don’t experience uncondi-

tional love and acceptance from their parents, from other family members, at school or in their parish, the pope said, “it will be much more difficult to understand God’s grace, that grace that cannot be bought or sold, that is a gift of God.” Yet, Pope Francis said, Jesus promised His disciples He would not leave them orphans. Even if modern society seems to tell people “you don’t matter, you’re disposable,” God will never say that and neither can the Church.

“The great challenge of the Church today is to become mother,” he said. “If the Church is not a mother — I know it is bad to say this, but she becomes an ‘old maid,’” and cannot bring forth children.

The Church does not become a mother by going door-to-door and offering to sign people up as if it were “an association called the Catholic Church,” he said. Rather, the Church is a mother when she does what mothers do: offer love, tenderness, a caring gaze, almost endless patience, a welcome and compassion.

“Our Mother Church seems to be a bit old, not to speak of a ‘grandmother’ Church, but aging. We must rejuvenate her,” he said, and “not by taking her to a plastic surgeon.”

The Church does not need cosmetic surgery, the pope said, but it needs the energy and joy that come from being a mother, seeing her children gather at home and welcoming their friends as well.

Pope Francis urged all parish workers to be warm and welcoming, to listen to people before asking them to fill out registration forms or pay stipends for different services.

The Church, he said, must have “a heart without limits, but not just a heart: also a certain gaze, the sweetness of Jesus’ gaze, which often is more eloquent than many words.”

The pope also thanked parish priests, who dedicate every waking moment — and often miss out on a full night’s sleep — to minister to the people in their care.

“It is easier to be a bishop than to be pastor” of a parish, he said.

“We bishops always have the possibility of distancing ourselves, of hiding behind (the title) ‘Your Excellency,’” while parish priests are in the thick of things with someone phoning, knocking on the door or cornering him to complain about others in the parish.”