Bishop da Cunha and regional bishops to lift the Sunday and Holy Day Mass dispensation Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, June 11, 2021
Bishop ordains new priest for Diocese of Fall River By Dave Jolivet Editor
davejolivet@anchornews.org
FALL RIVER — On what is always a joyous day in the diocese, last Saturday was a sun soaked day of celebration and thanks,
Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. anoints the hands of newly-ordained Father Peter R. Scheffer Jr. at the cathedral on June 5. (Photo by Deacon Alan Thadeu)
as Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., ordained Father Peter R. Scheffer Jr. The ordination, during the context of a Mass, was celebrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River on June 5, attended by family, friends, brother priests, religious, seminarians and deacons. In his homily, Bishop da Cunha told Father Scheffer, “As a priest, you are to follow Christ and to be like Christ; to do what Christ did; to walk the path He walked; proclaim the Gospel, forgive sins and celebrate His mysteries. “This local Church of Fall River needs you. She needs your faith, your prayers, your service, your fidelity and generosity. She needs all of you, unconditionally.” The bishop reminded Father Scheffer that as of now, his time is no longer his own, but that it must be shared with the Church and the people he is called to serve. “Remember that you are being ordained not for yourself, not for honor and
As of press time, The Anchor has been informed that Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., and the regional Catholic bishops have together decided to inform the Catholic faithful that the dispensation of the Sunday and Holy Day Mass obligation will be lifted on Father’s Day, June 19-20. The bishops saw Father’s Day weekend as an appropriate time to encourage Catholic faithful, especially families, to return to the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist, the
center of every Catholic life. The obligation does not apply to those who are ill, recently exposed to COVID-19 or other communicable illnesses, those confined to their homes or other facilities for various reasons, and those who are not able to be vaccinated for specific reasons. Upon official release of the Bishops’ statement, it will be posted on The Anchor website at anchornews.org and the diocesan website, fallriverdiocese.org.
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Annual appeal continues; diocesan seminarians aided by area faithful
FALL RIVER — The 80th Annual Catholic Appeal “Time to Gather, Time to Heal, Time to Love” has raised $2.8 million to date, with less than three weeks remaining in the annual campaign, which ends on Wednesday, June 30. There is still time to make a gift or pledge in support of the many agencies and apostolates that carry out the work of the Church throughout the Diocese of Fall River, assisting tens of thousands each year. Gifts to the Appeal directly support the formation of our devoted seminarians as they prepare for lives as future priests, as well as the work of the Diocesan Office of Vocations, led by Father Kevin A. Cook, director of Vocations, and Father Jack M. Schrader, assistant director of Vocations. In a recent testimonial about his work in the Office of Vocations, Father Schrader 8 Turn to page 15
During the COVID-19 pandemic, seminarians deacons William O’Donnell (left) and Matthew Laird continued their studies remotely and joined the community of Holy Family in East Taunton
Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., helps plant in the Laudato Si’ Garden on the grounds of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River, following his blessing it. Story June 11, 2021 † Thadeu) 1 on page two. (Photo by Deacon Alan
Cathedral garden providing food for the body and mind By Dave Jolivet Editor
davejolivet@anchornews.org
FALL RIVER — The bad news is that many folks in prior generations and some still around today couldn’t give a hoot about abusing the ultra-sensitive environment, and the consequences of those actions; frankly because there was money to be made. This doesn’t bode well for the following generations who have to live with those repercussions. The good news is that the younger generation is working with older comrades who do care about this big blue marble. And changes are being made. Baby steps at first, that will ultimately blossom into a cleaner, healthy, happier planet for every age, race, and social background. And some of those baby steps are being taken at the
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mother church of the Fall River Diocese. The parishioners and friends of St. Mary’s Cathedral, and the sister parishes that make up the Catholic Community of Central Fall River, recently built and initiated planting vegetables in a series of 20 garden boxes on the cathedral grounds. Work commenced during the final week of the Year of Laudato Si’, announced by the Vatican in May 2020, the fifth year of the encyclical. In 2015, Pope Francis introduced his well-known encyclical, Laudato Si’ (On Care For Our Common home). In it, the pontiff expressed hope that all around the world would work together to care for and sustain the planet and aid brothers and sisters in need. “The Laudato Si’ Community Garden was created in response to a number
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of things,” Father Thomas Washburn, cathedral rector and pastor of Good Shepherd and St. Stanislaus parishes in Fall River, told The Anchor. “First, Pope Francis’ important encyclical of the same name got us thinking about ways that we could embrace these environmental themes more concretely. Here in the heart of the inner city, a community garden seemed like the right thing. We actually began planning the garden in 2019 for a 2020 start. That obviously got pushed off by the pandemic.” It’s not just the three Catholic Collaborative parishes that are leaving a mark with their collective green thumbs, but Father Washburn chose to embrace every parish that once was part of the now collaborative, parishes that are not now in existence. “The boxes are all
A view from the choir loft of the Laudato Si’ Garden on the grounds of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River. named with all of the saints that are connected to our collaborative: St. Mary, St. Stanislaus, Good Shepherd, St. Patrick, Our Lady of the Angels, Blessed Sacrament, Holy Rosary, Holy Cross, St. Louis, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Matthew, Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Aparecida, Our Lady of Czestochowa, as well as a few others — St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Isidore, St. Frei Galvao,” said Father Washburn. Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., himself a gardener, planted his own box — Our Lady of Apare-
cida, the patroness of the bishop’s home, Brazil. Equally important are the smaller green thumbs of the students at St. Stanislaus School in Fall River. “The school is already involved in our Brown Bag Sunday — the first Sunday of every month we have brown grocery bags out in all of our churches,” added Father Washburn. “The bags have listed on the side of them the items we need at the Outreach Center. Parishioners take a bag and return it the following week 8 Turn to page four
Father Peter Scheffer Jr. ordained as priest for diocese continued from page one
privilege, but to place yourself at the service of God and His Church. “God did not call you because you are perfect or can be perfect, but He called you because He saw in your heart, in your mind, in your soul, enough generosity to make you His servant and to shepherd His people. Be an Apostle in a world that is hungry for His compassion.” The bishop advised that Father Scheffer will have a successful priestly life if he continues to believe that it was God Who called him and Who will sustain him. A New Jersey native, Father Scheffer, 60, moved to the Fall River Diocese following a career in the
military and diplomatic service, and shortly after entered Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, to study for the priesthood. For his first Mass, he returned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Seekonk, where he has served as a deacon for the past year, to celebrate all of the parish’s weekend Masses. Father Scheffer is the son of Peter and Joan Scheffer of Brewster. With his two sisters, he grew up in Clifton, N.J. He attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating from there and the U.S. Army Ranger School in 1983.
† Diocese of Fall River † OFFICIAL Appointments
He earned a master’s degree from Boston College in administration and curriculum development. Father Scheffer is a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and participated in other operational contingency missions aimed at peace keeping and providing humanitarian assistance in different parts of the world. He also served on the faculty at West Point and in its Admissions Office. Following his retirement from the military as a lieutenant colonel in 2006 he served as a U.S. Diplomatic Peace Treaty Inspector in the Middle East and then as an assistant professor of Strategic and Operational Studies at the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. He moved to Cape Cod in 2016 upon leaving the
college and became a member of St. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth. While in the seminary on summer breaks, he assisted at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in New Bedford and also attended the Institute of Priestly Formation in Omaha. “I look forward to being able to somehow bring others nearer to God in whatever way He sees fit — whether it’s through the
Sacraments or by virtue of my simple presence — that is my hope — that people can see me merely as a ‘bridge to Him’,” he said recently. Father Scheffer will serve as a parochial vicar of the Catholic Community of Falmouth, encompassing St. Patrick Parish in Falmouth, St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in North Falmouth and St. Anthony Parish in East Falmouth.
Bishop da Cunha congratulates Father Peter R. Scheffer Jr. following his ordination on June 5. (Photo by John E. Kearns Jr.)
His Excellency, the Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D., Bishop of Fall River, has made the following appointment: Reverend Peter R. Scheffer, Jr., Parochial Vicar of the Catholic Community of Falmouth (St. Patrick in Falmouth, St. Elizabeth Seton in No. Falmouth and St. Anthony in E. Falmouth) Effective: June 12, 2021
† Diocese of Fall River † OFFICIAL Appointments
His Excellency, the Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., Bishop of Fall River, has accepted the nomination of the Reverend Peter A. Jarret, C.S.C., Provincial Vicar of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, and has made the following appointment: Reverend John M. Santone, C.S.C., Parochial Vicar at Holy Cross Parish in Easton Effective: July 1, 2021 June 11, 2021 †
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The Trinity and the human heart
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his column will explore the mystery of the Trinity from the perspective of how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are revealed through the call to and response from the human heart. In a way, it is reflecting deeply upon the nature of the Divine based upon Its revelation through observable human behaviors. There will be times where we are called to imitate the Divine. Other times, glimpses of the Divine will radiate from the actions of others. Goodness, had the sixth-grade boy just said that childish, hurtful comment? The recipient was on the verge of tears. I said, “Enough. This isn’t….” Privately, he shared she was an “icky girl.” Our chat was brief. He had a choice to make. Option #1 was to share (with her) three special things about her. Option #2 was loss of recess followed by my calling his mom. He feared the discipline. His voice cracked as he said, “Why three good? I only said one bad.” God the Father introduced throughout the Old Testament is revealed as the one God Who is Cre-
ator, ruler, and Almighty. There is an overall theme of a warrior God Who both protects His people and Who exerts judgments. In Exodus, the Red Sea is parted for the Israelites, but then flowed back destroying those Egyptians (Ex 14: 21-31). The Ninevites repented of sin in fear of the consequences of God’s wrath (Jon 3: 1-10). The first call to the heart is a reminder of the devastating consequences of sin. I shared with the student how my two brothers and I passed through that icky brother/sister phase. We didn’t stop teasing because of punishment. We realized we were family who loved and took care of one another. A part of love is choosing not to hurt those we love. All humans are God’s children. That makes us all brothers and sisters. Why three observations? Make a fist (in anger) to point an index finger at someone. How many fingers point to me? That is where three came from. In addition, the abundance
supplies an opportunity to look more closely into the heart of the other person. Knowing he was a sixth-grader and this was new, that day I gifted him one positive observation as example. I also whispered
to him a hint for a second observation. My heart was happy when he did find his own insightful third observation. When looking at his classmate, he had looked past the irritating superficial to the heart of the person within. Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity. Jesus entered our world to bring the gift of Salvation to sinful man. Jesus freely gave His life in expiation for our sins. Jesus’ parables refine the relational aspects of God the Father. God the Father is provider and shepherd. John the Baptists’ imagery regarding the harvesting of the wheat to
the barns with the burning of the chaff is a stark, visual reminder of Judgment Day and the consequences of sin (Mt 3:12). Yet, judgment is to be left to a loving God the Son Who alone knows the human heart. The Greatest Commandment (Mt 22: 36-40) reveals the essence of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We have a God the Father Who abounds in love. We are called to love (not fear) God the Father. We are also called to love one another with unconditional, agape love. When that sixth-grader issued his own kind comment, I knew he had decided to explore the challenge to follow God out of love. He chose to reach out to connect in kindness. About a week later, both students were again working together. Sensing tension, I turned towards their group. His body language revealed deep frustration. Then, he suddenly relaxed. He said something kind and gentle to her. Immediately, he turned towards me. His face had this amazing smile.
That radiated joy demonstrated he had felt and responded to the call of the Holy Spirit. The “Catechism” talks about the Holy Spirit as spirated (breathed from the Father and the Son). One can think of the Holy Spirit as the communication arm of the Trinity. The gentle whisper is recognized by the human heart. The question asked? Given this opportunity in front of me and knowing our place as children of God, who do I choose to be in relationship to the other? The student had grown to enjoy choosing to live within and be a conduit of God’s love. The Trinity is the one God Who is the Alpha and the Omega (Rev 21: 6) reaching out to touch the human heart so it can experience and share in God’s love for all humanity. As St. John says, “Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 Jn 4:7-8). Anchor columnist Dr. Helen J. Flavin, Ph.D., is a Catholic scientist, educator and writer.
measuring four feet by 10 feet, and six smaller ones, four feet by four feet. The corn, potatoes and other items are planted along the edges of the garden. “The students are learning to take care of our area,” added Mahoney. “They are also learning about planting, tending, picking the food, and also about what makes up a healthy diet. “Come next school year, the students will begin planting seedlings for au-
tumn and winter vegetables and then replanting them at the Laudato Si’ Garden. All of the harvest will go to the Pope Francis Outreach Center located at Good Shepherd Church on Stafford Road in Fall River. “The students are very excited about this project and excited to learn new things about planting and harvesting, and more importantly, about helping others.” “Over the course of the
Fall River students, parishioners planting the seeds of hope continued from page two
with the items listed. The school kids decorate our bags and prepare the lists.” “As an educator, I think this is an awesome idea,” Beth Mahoney, principal of St. Stanislaus School, told The Anchor. “It’s a wholesome way to educate the children to take care of the Earth and the needs of people within the collaborative and the Church. “This affords us the ability to show the students why they learn about sci4
ence, math, and even writing, since they’ll be writing about their garden experiences. And it’s all done within the call to action in the faith. Our school motto is ‘Faith in Action.’” “The garden seemed like a great opportunity to involve the students further,” Father Washburn told The Anchor. “The kids are planting seedlings at the school that they grow on their class window sill until they are ready to plant. This gives
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us a chance to teach them about planting, the environment, healthy eating, and food insecurity and our common responsibility to reach out to our sisters and brothers in need.” Currently, planted in the 20 garden boxes are lettuce, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, thyme, oregano, green beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peppers, zucchini, broccoli, squash, and more. There are 14 large boxes
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fter lectures as well as in dinner conversations I often get asked what I think is the biggest challenge — or need or crisis — facing the Church in the United States. “Faith” is always an appropriate answer to that query: since God is always faithful, what we need is to trust in Him, bank on His promises, receive well the help He gives, and respond wholeheartedly. After Jesus gave a parable about persevering prayer or faith-inaction, He asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8). It’s an open question. The Church in every age, like the first Apostles, must beg, “Lord, increase our faith!” (Lk 17:5), since every problem the Church faces requires faith to unleash Divine remedy. Over the last several years, however, when prompted about what the Church in our country needs most, I have been responding, “Courage!” While there is no doubt a widespread crisis of faith, I think a more urgent issue is that, among those with faith, there’s a softness and timidity before the challenges and crosses we face. When, for example, Jews face anti-Semitism and Muslims confront Islamophobia, they respond vigorously and marshal the public to get involved, whereas Catholics largely let bigots get away with it. Anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice because Catholics tolerate it. We permit it not because we’re “turning the other cheek” — by which Jesus instructed us not to play the victim but rather to defend our dignity without vengeance! — but because we often don’t have the resolve to stand united against the cultural bullies. The lack of courage happens not just in terms religious freedom concerns,
Visiting the school of courage but also in terms of the call to defend the truth and share the faith. Many Catholics are cowed before the elites who are forcing their values revolution on everyone else. Rather than witnessing to Christ and the faith, many Catholics, to echo Cardinal O’Malley’s quip, seem to have entered a witness protection program. Inside the Church we see a similar faint-heartedness with regard to confronting all types of conspicuous problems: clergy who violate their Sacred promises and live a double life, parishes and schools that no longer come close to paying their bills, Catholic politicians who betray God and their faith to win elections, faithful who require fraternal correction with regard to practices that everyone knows are immoral. So many faithful and clergy are conflict averse and excessively afraid to confront what must be tackled. As a result the problems worsen. Cowardice is antithetical to Christian faith and life. The most common phrase in Sacred Scripture is “Be not afraid!” It appears 104 times in the Old Testament, 44 times in the New. Against our fears, God insistently tells us to take courage. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us not to be afraid of His call (Lk 5:10), of drowning at sea (Mt 8:26), of wars and insurrections (Lk 21:9), of the death of loved ones (Lk 8:50), of those who can only kill the body but can’t harm the soul (Mt 10:28), or of what will happen to Him in His Passion (Jn 14:1). To believe in Him, to trust in His accompaniment, to have faith in His victory over suffering and death, He suggests, is to be filled with courage. We see that fortitude, a gift of the Holy Spirit, in the Apostles after Pen-
tecost, when they boldly announce the Gospel even when the same members of the Sanhedrin who had Jesus crucified were trying to intimidate them. They continued unafraid, trusting that since even savage execution couldn’t keep Jesus in the tomb, they had nothing to fear. The Church in every age is meant to be at a Spiritual level what a marine boot camp is meant to do militarily: to train people to persevere courageously. But where can Catholics go to grow in courage? Where can we learn how to remain faithful de-
spite our fears? Who can be our soul’s drill instructors? I think there’s no better place in the United States to be formed in courage than the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, N.Y., a short distance from Albany. It is the site of the martyrdom of Saints Isaac Jogues, Rene Goupil and Jean de Lalande and the birthplace of St. Kateri Tekakwitha. If one can’t help becoming more Marian visiting Guadalupe, Lourdes and Fatima or more Eucharistic at Lanciano or Orvieto, one also can’t help growing in holy audacity in Auriesville. I have recently been spending a lot of time there, praying, traversing the Sacred spots fertilized by their blood, leading pilgrimages of young adults from New York City to ponder the faith and love that made them dauntless until the end, and celebrating Masses in the unique 6,800seat church on the grounds — called the “Colosseum” after the Flavian Amphitheater
in Rome where so many early Christian martyrs proved that they had more valor than the greatest gladiators. The Shrine is truly one of the great treasures in U.S. Catholicism, but also one of our country’s most underutilized Spiritual resource. If we’re going to have a rebirth of Catholic courage, I think the school of the North American Martyrs and the Lily of the Mohawks is going to play a major role. It’s impossible to get to know Saints Isaac, Rene, Jean and Kateri and not be fortified by their fortitude. St. Isaac Jogues’ life is one of the greatest examples of courage and apostolic ardor in the Church’s annals. During his first Missionary journey (1636-1644) to Quebec and Ontario as a Jesuit missionary, he, along with lay missionary (and eventually Jesuit brother) Rene Goupil, was captured by the Mohawks, dragged hundreds of miles to Auriesville, and brutally tortured. Goupil was soon tomahawked to death for blessing a Mohawk boy. Jogues, however, survived and after a couple of years was rescued through the help of the Dutch. He returned to France, where, because his missionary letters had made him famous, he was treated as a hero. His thumbs and index fingers had been bitten off by captors to prevent him from using guns, but it also meant, by the rubrics of the time, he couldn’t hold the Host in the celebration of the Mass, leading to his going 17 months without receiving the Eucharist and 20 months without celebrating Mass. Pope Urban VIII, however, gave him an exemption, saying that it would be inappropriate for a loving martyr for Christ not to drink Christ’s blood. Despite his mangled hands and other injuries, he courageously returned to
the Missions, and even more courageously returned to Auriesville in 1646, with Jesuit lay brother Jean Lalande, aware that it might eventually mean their death. Out of love for God and those who had tortured him, they took the risk — and were tomahawked to death in October 1646. But their death was not in vain. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians. Ten years after their martyrdom, St. Kateri Tekakwitha was born in the village. When she was 20, she asked the new wave of Jesuits who had come to her village, for instruction in prayer and Baptism. Normally candidates for Baptism needed to wait two years, to test their faith to ensure they would keep it despite the many hardships it might bring, including martyrdom. After one month, however, her faith was recognized as strong and mature enough to endure. Her sufferings on account of her Baptism — from her uncle, from her fellow residents, even from the children — would become so acute that the Jesuits, to save her life, arranged for her escape to their mission south of Montreal, where she would spend the next and last three years of her life dedicated to prayer and to charity even in the most brutal wintry conditions. She is a simple, approachable, contagious example of the courage that loves God with all one’s mind, heart, soul and strength, without counting the costs. A pilgrimage to Auriesville — to the place of St. Kateri’s humble birth and Saints Isaac’s, Rene’s and Jean’s glorious birth into eternity — will help you breathe the air of audacity and fill you with the courage needed to remain faithful on the pilgrimage of life. Anchor columnist Father Roger Landry can be contacted at fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.
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Editorial Religious freedom week The bishops of the United States invite us to observe Religious Freedom Week from June 22 to 29, which is from the memorial of the martyrs Saints John Fisher and Thomas More to the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. All four of these saints were killed by governments (England and the Roman Empire) which denied Catholics freedom of religion. At the bishops website, https://www.usccb.org/committees/religious-liberty/ religious-freedom-week, suggestions are given for each day of the week. On Tuesday, June 22 the focus is on adoption and foster care. The bishop ask that we “Pray that children waiting to be placed in a loving home and the caregivers who serve those children will find strength and support from the Church… In places like Massachusetts… service providers with a proven record of excellence in recruiting and assisting foster families have already been forced to shut down because they do not place children with same-sex couples… Philadelphia Catholic Social Services has taken their struggle to continue to foster children to the Supreme Court. Intolerance for religious organizations has real consequences.” The Church is not asking that the state ban adoption by same-sex couples, just that it not force the Church to facilitate such adoptions. The bishops ask that we contact our members of Congress and urge them to pass the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act, which “prevents faith-based child welfare service providers from being targeted by government discrimination.” The second day, June 23, the focus is on “Catholic Social Service during the pandemic.” The bishops ask that we “pray that God would continue to grant Catholic institutions the wisdom and courage to serve a world suffering the effects of the COVID pandemic… Catholic Charities U.S.A. has provided personal protective equipment, organized food donations, and started the Francis Fund for Eviction Protection.” On the USCCB web page for June 23 you can click on to links about those programs. The action step for that day is that you get involved in your local Catholic Charities — which you can do by contributing to the annual Catholic Appeal (before this month ends!) and checking out Catholic Social Services’ website. Thursday, June 24 is the birthday of St. John the Baptist, who was killed for not supporting the adultery of Herod and Herodias. The bishops ask that we “pray that the dignity of all people will be respected in our country… That means we need to honor every person’s right to gainful and decent employment free of unjust discrimination or harassment, and to the basic goods that they need to live and thrive. The Equality Act purports to protect people experiencing same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria from discrimination in these and other areas. But at the core of the Equality Act is the codification of the new ideology of ‘gender’ in federal law, dismissing sexual difference and falsely presenting ‘gender’ as only a social construct. As Pope Francis has reflected, ‘It is one thing to be understanding of human weakness and the complexities of life, and another to accept ideologies that attempt to sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality.’ By requiring all Americans to speak and act as if there is no meaningful distinction between the sexes and as if gender has no connection to the body, the Equality Act legally and socially harms Americans in serious ways and injures the common good. The Equality Act discriminates against people of faith and, by including a potential abortion mandate, threatens unborn life. Tell your elected officials to oppose it!” Friday, June 25 the focus is on vandalism against the Church. “Pray that Christian witness in the face of attacks on our churches will convert hearts to faith in Jesus Christ… There have been at least 61 attacks so far, and that number continues OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 65, No. 12
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to grow. The precise reasons for these attacks are often unknown. In some cases, they are tied to anger at perceived injustices from the past. Other cases may involve mental illness … The recent vandalism of churches and their Sacred art gives us the opportunity to bear witness to our hope in the Lord Whose beauty is revealed on the cross. The USCCB Beauty Heals initiative invites us to learn about works of devotional art significant to local churches and how they inspire Catholics to live beautifully. Learn more at usccb.org/BeautyHeals.” Saturday, June 26 the bishops ask us to pray for Catholics in Nicaragua. “When peaceful protests began in April 2018, the government’s brutal response left at least 19 dead and over 100 missing.… In one case, paramilitaries laid siege for 15 hours to a church where priests, students, and media had taken refuge. Bishop Silvio Jose Baez of Managua and other clergy were assaulted while trying to shield protesters. With death threats mounting against him for speaking out in support of human rights, Bishop Baez was recalled to Rome for his safety... Catholic Relief Services began working in Nicaragua in 1964. Support CRS’s agricultural, emergency relief, health, and youth job training programs to help save lives.” Sunday, June 27 the bishops ask that we “pray that governments would respect the consciences of all people who care for the sick and vulnerable... [A]ctivists have sought to undermine the Church’s mission by forcing Catholic hospitals to perform procedures that destroy human life and undermine human flourishing, such as sterilization, gender reassignment surgery, and even abortion… A nurse in Vermont was forced to choose between her job and her faith when she was told by her employer that she had to participate in an abortion… The Conscience Protection Act would address deficiencies that block effective enforcement of existing laws, most notably by establishing a private right of action allowing victims of discrimination to defend their own rights in court.” The bishops ask that we lobby in favor of this proposed law. Monday, June 28, the memorial of St. Irenaeus, who was martyred by the Roman Empire, we are to “Pray for Christians in Iraq, and that people of all faiths in the land of Abraham may live in peace… In Baghdad, the Holy Father celebrated Mass in the Syro-Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation, the site of a horrific attack by extremists in 2010 who killed two priests and took 150 of the faithful hostage, leaving dozens of worshipers and police dead… Pope Francis said, ‘We must work to ensure that the Christian presence in these lands continue to be what it has always been: a sign of peace, process, development and reconciliation….’ You can join these efforts by donating to the Knights of Columbus Persecuted Christian fund. Support our brothers and sisters in the Middle East today!” On the final day of the week, we are to “Pray that Christians will have the courage to speak the truth with kindness and clarity, even in the face of adversity…. One of the promises of our country is that many voices, even voices expressing minority views, have a right to express themselves. Is that promise being fulfilled?... A Catholic news outlet had its Twitter account suspended for noting that a government official who claims to be a transgender woman is a biological male… On the feast day of two of our boldest preachers of the gospel, Saints Peter and Paul, who faced intense hostility, let us resolve to have the courage to speak the truth with grace. And let us pray that the Lord will give us the prudence to be creative and compassionate in our witness… Connect with the USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty. Text FREEDOM to 84576 and Sign up for First Freedom News, the Committee’s monthly newsletter.”
Daily Readings † June 19 - July 2
Sat. June 19, 2 Cor 12:1-10; Ps 34:8-13; Mt 6:24-34. Sun. June 20, Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jb 38:1,8-11; Ps 107:23-26,28-31; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41. Mon. June 21, Gn 12:1-9; Ps 33:12-13,18-20,22; Mt 7:1-5. Tue. June 22, Gn 13:2,5-18; Ps 15:2-4b,5; Mt 7:6,12-14. Wed. June 23, Gn 15:1-12,17-18; Ps 105:1-4,6-9; Mt 7:1520. Thu. June 24, The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Vigil, Jer 1:4-10; Ps 71:1-4a,56b,15ab,17; 1 Pt 1:8-12; Lk 1:5-17. Day, Is 49:1-6; Ps 139:1b-3,13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Lk 1:57-66,80. Fri. June 25, Gn 17:1,9-10,15-22; Ps 128:1-5; Mt 8:1-4. Sat. June 26, Gn 18:1-15; (Ps) Lk 1:46-50,53-55; Mt 8:5-17. Sun. June 27, Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13; 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15; Mk 5:21-43 or Mk 5:21-24,35b-43. Mon. June 28, Gn 18:16-33; Ps 103:1b-4,8-11; Mt 8:18-22. Tue. June 29, Saints Peter and Paul, Vigil: Acts 3:1-10; Ps 19:2-5; Gal 1:11-20; Jn 21:15-19. Day: Acts 12:1-11; Ps 34:2-9; 2 Tm 4:6-8,17-18; Mt 16:13-19. Wed. June 30, Gn 21:5,8-20a; Ps 34:7-8,10-13; Mt 8: 28-34. Thu. July 1, Gn 22:1b-19; Ps 115:16,8-9; Mt 9:1-8. Fri. July 2, Gn 23:1-4,19; 24:1-8.62-67; Ps 106:1b-5; Mt 9:9-13.
A great day for persons with disabilities dawns By Dennis Polselli
the communion of saints or blesseds could we look to as On April 13, 2021, Pope persons with disabilities? I contacted the National Francis signed a declaraCatholic Office for Persons tion naming Blessed Marwith Disabilities and the garet of Castello a saint. She will be officially canon- then-executive director, Mary Jane Owen — herself ized on Sept. 19, 2021. totally blind, in a wheelIn the Apr. 11, 2011 chair and hearing impaired edition of The Anchor, I — who encouraged me introduced the readers to to get a book called ‘The Blessed Margaret of CasLife of Blessed Margaret of tello. In that edition I wrote: Costello,’ by Father William “One of the things I enjoyed R. Bonniwell, O.P. I got the book on audiotape and the most in my 25-andlistened to it, loving it so a-half years working as much that I got it in Braille Disability Services Coordinator at Framingham State to keep. And I began my deUniversity, was my off-cam- votion to Blessed Margaret.” A brief review of Marpus work with the Archdiocese of Boston, volunteering garet’s life is in order here. Blessed Margaret was in and with the Office for born in Metola, Italy in Persons with Disabilities. 1288. Her parents were a I joined a number of colpowerful political dynasty; leagues with a variety of Pareicio was the captain of disabilities besides my own total blindness to go around the People and Commander of the Army while his different parishes conductwife Amelia, well we’re not ing disability awareness sure what she did for intraining. complete records were kept “In 1998, during the 20th anniversary year of the then. They were hoping for bishops’ Pastoral Statement a boy to keep the power going in the family but, on Persons with Disabilities, I wondered who among much to their surprise, the Special to The Anchor
baby born turned out to be a girl and not only that, she was hunched-back, dwarfed, twisted and in the words of her biographers, “ugly.” Later, it was discovered that she was totally blind. Her parents started the reports that she was very sick and not scheduled to last long and they kept her out of sight. But Margaret, at the age of six, learned the layout of the castle where they resided. She was not allowed to go near the parents’ residence.
One day, on her way to chapel, she was discovered and this presented a crisis. So her parents had her locked away in prison near a small church at the age of six, where she spent 10 years. One day the parents heard of a miracle worker whose shrine was in a town called Citta de Castello so they took Margaret there in hopes that her sight would be restored and her other disabilities would be cured. When they weren’t they abandoned her in the
shrine and returned to the castle. Margaret had to learn how to beg. The beggar community took her in, taught her the trade. And later, residents took her in to their homes until they no longer had the means to support her at which point, other residents took over. Eventually, she joined a convent and challenged the nuns to abide by their rules, she was expelled and for a while; the city reviled her as a hypocrite, even 8 Turn to page nine
Blessed Margaret of Castello from “Catherine of Siena and Four Dominican Female Blessed” by Andrea di Bartolo, Sailko, CC BY 3.0. June 11, 2021 †
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CLI turns 30; to hold reunion celebration June 26 By Amanda Tarantelli Special to The Anchor
Hey CLI! Happy Anniversary! Thirty years old?? You look so young! Technically this year would be the 31st anniversary of CLI but since 2020 does not count in the aging process, we will say that we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of CLI. If you have not heard about CLI, it stands for Christian Leadership Institute. It is a week-long program offered for high school age youth of the diocese. During this week the young people work in community to build up and refine their leadership skills. They will go to workshops on subjects like communication, group dynamics and consensus seeking. They will use the skills they learn each day to plan a part of the day. At the end of
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the week, they will use everything they have learned to plan a larger event. Over the 30 years it has been events that they do at their parishes, the Diocesan Youth Convention, and most recently, the Diocesan Youth Day. But we do not just put the young people to work! Every day they have a block of free time where they can swim in the lake, play sports, or take a nap if needed. And every evening we have social time planned by one of the groups when the whole community comes together to have fun. I, myself, am not a CLI grad (I did graduate from YCLI in the Diocese of Providence though) but I have been on team for 11 of the last 13 CLIs. I am now an assistant director for the program, however the first one I was supposed to be
a director for was last year so we know how that went! Being a part of the team I have been blessed to see the fruits of this program. As the Campus Minister at Bishop Stang, I have sent students every year because I know how impactful this program is! I have seen the bonds that have formed over the years between the candidates and the lifelong friendships that have continued. I have met some of my closest friends from being on team together. There is something different about friendships that are built in Christ. They take on a whole new meaning. As we celebrate our 30th plus one anniversary, we felt it was about time to get everyone back together. Since the strength of the CLI program is community, what better way to celebrate the program than to bring the community back together! This June 26 we will be having a CLI reunion from the past 30 years! It will be held at Cathe-
dral Camp to add to the nostalgia of bringing everyone back together. We will start with Mass at 6 p.m. so we ask that people arrive around 5:30 p.m. so we can check everyone in before Mass. After Mass we will have dinner and fellowship that will include fire pits (weather permitting). We are hoping this will be a great opportunity to remember the great experiences that CLI provided and a chance to connect with old friends. If you are a CLI grad or would like to attend to learn more about it, please contact David Carvalho to let him know you are attending by emailing him at dcarvalho@ dioc-fr.org. If you are a grad and have some pictures from your CLI experience, please email them to me at atarantelli@bishopstang. com. Hope to see so many grads at the reunion and please pray for the continued success of CLI!
A great day for persons with disabilities dawns continued from page seven
Margaret performed miracles; she was unable to say no to anyone’s requests. She was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1609.
On Sept. 19, 2021, 701 years after the residents of Citta de Castello declared her a saint, People Francis will officially canonize her
as a saint. The declaration was signed on Apr.13, 2021, the feast day of Blessed Margaret. Margaret joins the Communion of
Saints and we rejoice and are glad. Dennis Polselli is an Anchor online reader and lives in Fall River.
making fun of her disabilities. Eventually, Margaret joined the third order Dominicans where she visited the sick and the imprisoned, ministering to their needs. Even in life, Margaret was mastering theology and performing miracles, such as putting out a house fire where she was staying with her cloak. She died on April 13, 1320, the second Sunday after Easter. Remember the demonstration at St. Pope John Paul II’s funeral, people chanting that “he is a saint”? Well, when Margaret was about to be buried in the Community Cloister, the people blocked the procession and ordered that Margaret be taken and buried in the church for she is a saint. A couple brought with them a child with curvature of the spine and unable to speak. They brought the child next to Margaret, and Margaret raised her hand and cured the child who began to walk and cry out, “I’ve been healed by Margaret.”
To advertise in The Anchor, contact Wayne Powers at 508-675-7151 or waynepowers@ anchornews.org June 11, 2021 †
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Catholic elementary schools compete at Olympiad in Fall River
Students from Espirito Santo School in Fall River took home the trophy at the recent inaugural Science Olympiad for Catholic elementary schools, grades one through four. The event took place at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River.
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FALL RIVER — On May 27, 48 students from four Catholic elementary schools descended upon Bishop Connolly High School for the first annual Science Olympiad. Many arrived with siblings and other family members who were able to take advantage of the beautiful campus and enjoy the late spring weather. Students in grades 1- 4 from All Saints Catholic School and Holy Family Holy Name School — both in New Bedford — as well as students from Espirito Santo School and Holy Name School of Fall River paired up to tackle two challenges per grade. Eight Bishop Connolly High School students were responsible for assisting competitors as they navigated events and then judged the performance of each team. The following were the challenges for each grade level: Grade 1 A-Weigh We Go — Using a simple balance, students estimated relative mass, determined the actual mass, and rank ordered by mass a variety of objects. Monster Match — Given a set of 30 Monster Cards, students were challenged to pick out pairs and triplets of monsters with one or more common characteristics. Given a list of characteristics, students were asked to determine how many of the monsters exhibited all of the characteristics listed. Grade 2 Science Detectives — Students were asked to list the properties of materials and to find objects that matched a list of physical properties. In addition, students were challenged to make a diaper for a Baby Alive doll. Given a bag of materials commonly found in the home, students tested the materials and selected those that were most appropriate for the purpose of making an absorbent and waterproof diaper. Grasp-a-Graph — Students prepared and analyzed data in bar, line, and pie graph formats. They also demonstrated their understanding of cartesian coordinates by identify-
ing objects found as specific coordinates on a cartesian plane. Grade 3 Ready, Set, Go! — Students designed and built race cars that were propelled down a track by magnetic forces. Students were challenged to incorporate magnets into their car design and into a handheld device that could push or pull their race car without actually touching it. Making and Using a Key — As an introductory activity, students used a taxonomic key to identify flavors of Bertie Bott’s jelly beans. Given 10 alien cards, they were then challenged to create their own dichotomous key and use it to identify an unknown alien. Finally, they used a traditional dichotomous key to identify leaves commonly found in Massachusetts. Grade 4 Candy Safe — Students were presented with a candy safe — a small box filled with candy. Given an assortment of batteries, wires, lights, and buzzers, students were tasked with designing an electric circuit to signal when their candy safe has been breached. Students were required to draw circuit diagrams using traditional circuit symbols. Write It/ Do It — In this communication event, students were challenged to describe how to put together a structure in detail, using only words. Once completed, their partners were given the building instructions and a bag of parts and were charged with putting an exact copy of the original structure together. Judges used scoring rubrics that reflected how well students answered questions or met the building challenges presented to them. Judges awarded gold Olympic-style medals to the winning pair in each event. Teams were given points for a first-, second-, or third-place finish in each event, and these points were used to determine the winning school. This year, Espirito Santo took home the Olympiad trophy!
Bishop Confirms twenty-nine adults FALL RIVER — On May 20, 29 adults from 19 parishes gathered at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption for the conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., received and accepted the candidates’ expressed desire to complete their initiation in the Catholic Church with reception of the Sacrament. In his homily, Bishop da Cunha thanked the candidates for their perseverance in seeking to become fully initiated through Confirmation, despite all the challenges they faced in the previous months due to the pandemic. Yet,
Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., speaks to a group of 29 adults who were Confirmed at a recent Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River.
he asked the candidates, despite what they think might have brought them to the cathedral that night: how would their lives be different because they were Confirmed? The bishop reminded candidates that at Pentecost, while the Apostles were afraid, once they received the Holy Spirit, they were never the same again. “That moment the Holy Spirit came”, he said, “everything changed, and their lives were never the same again, and the world was never the same again. And that is why we are here. That is why we have this Church. That is why we have the Sacraments. That is why we have everything about our faith. Because the Holy Spirit came.” Bishop da Cunha challenged the candidates to own the baptismal promises that they renewed, to turn to the examples of the Apostles, and to be open to how the Holy Spirit may be asking them to change. In this way, he explained, we, too, can be witnesses to the ends of the earth, in the same way that it was promised by Jesus to the disciples. He concluded, stating: “Tonight, you are given that Spirit and that power so that you can go and make a difference in the world.
Because we receive these gifts of the Holy Spirit, but we do not just keep them just for ourselves. [They] are given to us, but not exclusively for us — what are you going to do with those gifts? What difference are they going to make in your life? And what difference are you going to make in this world now that you have been given these gifts, this power, this renewed faith, and this strength and courage from the Holy Spirit?” The Diocesan Office of Faith Formation, which is responsible for the Adult Confirmation program and preparation of many of the candidates, coordinated with the cathedral and the Bishop’s Office to make this important day a reality amidst the ongoing pandemic. Any Catholic who has not been Confirmed, or individual would like to receive the Sacraments of Baptism or Eucharist, is invited to contact their local parish church and inquire about celebrating the Sacraments.
Area garden feeding body and mind continued from page four
last year, we have greatly increased our outreach efforts in response to the needs of the pandemic,” said Father Washburn. “We began our Grab & Go meals in March 2020 which have now served over 60,000 hot meals (we serve every Wednesday and Friday). We’ve also increased our food pantry outreach. “One of the issues for people facing food insecurity is that the food typically available at a food pantry is canned, processed food. They have very little access to fresh produce. We’ve been blessed to be offering 200 boxes of fresh produce a week for almost a year through our partnership with the United Way
and the YMCA and other organizations, but as we begin to move out of the pandemic, those programs are coming to a close. We wanted to be able to continue to offer this fresh produce to those we serve at our Pope Francis Outreach Center.” On May 25, Bishop da Cunha celebrated at Mass at the cathedral and then went and blessed the gardens. Fifth- and sixth-graders from St. Stanislaus school were there for the event. “They were excited to be at the Mass and blessing and excited to get started,” added Mahoney. The garden has received a grant from the United Way of Greater Fall River to assist. Baby steps.
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T he C hurch
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Y outh & Y oung A dults
The Trinity: Love and mystery
he recently celebrated feast of the Holy Trinity is often accompanied by sermons that can be challenging to give and even harder to understand. Trinitarian theology can be daunting, but there is a simple way to understand what God has revealed to us about Who God is and who we are as well. Whenever God reveals something about Himself, something is also revealed about who we are as human beings. More than anything else, the meaning of God as Trinity is that God is love. God isn’t just loving, God is love. The classic formulation goes like this: Father loves and gives His life to the Son, the Son returns that love in total to the Father, and the Holy Spirit is the love between the two. Therefore, God is a relationship of love, a communion of persons,
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a family. And of course, we are made in that image of love. We are made for love, for communion and for family. Our lives make no sense apart from that. God made us so that we could share in His beautiful, wondrous and mysterious life of love. This simple understanding of God and ourselves is the basis for our approach to everything else. Our families, our communities and our society need to be based upon this fundamental truth that we are made in the image of a God Who is love. Yes, we have freedom as individuals. God did not create robots programmed to love and serve Him. And yet, that freedom was not given as an end in itself, but rather so that we might love
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God and others by giving ourselves away as Jesus did. All of Christ’s life was the revelation of this truth and there is no better way to understand the Trinity than by beholding Jesus
on the cross! Love is a freely chosen total giving of self. The meaning of this truth in our everyday lives can often seem a mystery to us. How am I actually called to love in this incredibly complex and rapidly changing world? I think that this is where the mystery of God’s Triune life is instructive for us. We can speak truly about God in our doctrines, and yet God’s
ways are also mysterious. St. Augustine, one of the intellectual giants of the Church, returned time and again to the inscrutable nature of God. God’s ways and movements can be hard to understand and interpret and we should therefore take caution before limiting or circumscribing the ways of God! Just as we are made in the image of love, we also share in the mystery of God. One of life’s temptations is to reduce the mystery of another person to a category or a label. Disability, race, class, gender, national origin, intelligence and religion are all ways to understand another person, but no one should be reduced to these categories. When we confront differences in another person that threatens
us, isn’t our tendency to reduce their mystery to make life easier for ourselves? By doing so we reduce their dignity as a person. Perhaps we even do this to ourselves! So God is love, but God is also a mystery. Just as we can speak truly about the nature of God, so, too, can we speak truly about a universal human nature and authentic diversity among God’s children. It is by humbly reflecting on the mystery of Triune God that we can come to discern how we are called to love in the midst of the mystery of unity and diversity in our world. The doctrine of the Trinity is the beginning and the end of how we can truly understand God, ourselves, and the mysteries of life. Anchor columnist Peter Shaughnessy is president/principal of Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth. He resides in Fairhaven with his wife, Anabela Vasconcelos Shaughnessy (Class of ’94), and their four children: Luke (Class of ’24), Emilia (Class of ’25), Dominic (Class of ’27) and Clare (Class of ’30).
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Handing down the faith at church
ow can parents pass their religion on to the next generation? Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk, sociology professors at the University of Notre Dame and John Jay College respectively, present the results of their study on this question in their 2021 book, “Handing Down the Faith.” As I began to peruse the book, I skipped ahead and read between sections to get a general feel for what they were presenting. One line jumped out at me. Quoting a Buddhist father, the book shares his belief that he should bring his son to temple “at the age of two, because that’s when they develop their friends, their friendships, their bonds. There are a lot of people that don’t bring their kids until they’re five or six, and
by then it’s harder” (185). Oh the “terrible twos” (which I was told, and can now confirm, are really the “terrible threes”). If you’ve taken your toddler(s) to church, you know that it can be the proverbial Russian roulette. Sometimes, they’re calm, collected, perhaps even paying attention. Other times — well, let’s just say I’m willing to bet that “come to Jesus” moments were first created by a tired parent of a toddler at church. Perhaps your child is fantastic at church. I sincerely commend you and keep doing what you’re doing (And please send me your tips). Mine —well — depends
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, June 13 at 11:00 a.m. Celebrant is Father David Pignato, Pastor of St. Julie Billiart Parish and Chaplain to Bishop Stang High School, both in North Dartmouth
Sunday, May June 20 at 11:00 a.m. Celebrant is Father Mark P. Tremblay, Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in West Harwich
on the day. Building routine, verbal preparation beforehand, having differentiated tasks to keep him focused are all things we have to be mindful of when taking my son to church.
We do our best in the pew to keep him focused on the Mass and what is transpiring. We try to point things out as they happen, especially during the Consecration, and we bought children’s Mass books that help do the same if he needs something to hold on to. Sometimes he’s tuned in. Other times he couldn’t care less. Inevitably his inner clock will go off and he’ll need to get some wiggles out, and nothing helps better then walking in the Communion line with us. And, oh yeah, that’s not considering that one (or
both) of us are juggling our infant daughter, who I will say does better at church than my son half the time. When we leave church, sometimes my wife and I feel great. Other times, we feel like we just went 10 rounds with Muhammed Ali. So why keep doing this week after week? Why, do we bring our children to church at such a young age if it is exhausting? First, there’s nothing greater that we can do as Catholics then go to Mass. It is the source and summit of our lives, where we hear God’s Word and receive Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist. There’s just no substitute for that and we can’t live faithful, Catholic lives without the Mass. Second, my wife and I are thinking about the long game: showing our children that our Catholic faith is integral to who we are and to help our children see church as their second home, well beyond toddle-
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, June 13 at 7 p.m. Broadcast from St. Francis Xavier Church in East Providence
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass
on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, June 20 at 7 p.m. Broadcast from St. Anthony Church in Taunton
rdom. If you read Smith and Adamczyk’s book, all of chapter three is dedicated to why parents are the crucial players in handing down the faith. If we want our children to hopefully continue practicing the faith later on, we have to start modeling it for them in our own lives from the start. Now, someone may say: I get that we need to go to Mass, but isn’t it better to wait to take your young children to church? Perhaps by waiting, children can better understand what is going on? I will say, especially on the days when my wife and I feel like we just went 10 rounds at church, that I can empathize with this sentiment. But I would argue that by waiting to bring our children to church, we actually inhibit a child’s ability to understand what is going on long-term. Children are sponges and soak up a great deal early on in their development. Our role as parents to our children is to first help them experience the kerygma: the first encounter with or proclamation of the faith. Growing up going to church every Sunday, I came to see church first as a place I felt safe and secure in; a place where I could come to know this God Whom my parents spoke of, well before understanding the various parts of the Mass. But it took me actually going to church for that to happen. From there, I eventually came to appreciate the Mass for what it is. To this end, parishes 8 Turn to page 14
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In Your Prayers
Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks: June 18 Most Rev. William B. Tyler, First Bishop of Hartford, Founder of the Sandwich Mission, 1849 Rev. James M. Coffey, P.R., Pastor, St. Mary, Taunton, 1935 Rev. Declan Daly, SS.CC., Associate Pastor, St. Joseph, Fairhaven, 1984 Rev. Henri Laporte, O.P., Former Pastor, St. Anne, Fall River, 1992 June 19 Rev. Hormisdas Deslauriers, Founder, St. Anthony, New Bedford, 1916 June 20 Rt. Rev. Msgr. James Coyle, P.R., LL.D., Pastor, St. Mary, Taunton, 1931 June 21 Rev. Owen F. Clarke, Former Assistant, St. Mary, Fall River, 1918 Rev. Desire V. Delemarre, Pastor, Blessed Sacrament, Fall River, 1926 Rev. Francis D. Callahan, Pastor, St. Patrick, Wareham, 1948 Rev. George A. Meade, Chaplain, St. Mary’s Home, New Bedford, 1949 Rev. Clement Killgoar, SS.CC., Pastor, St. Anthony, Mattapoisett, 1964 Rev. David A. O’Brien, Retired Pastor, SS. Peter & Paul, Fall River, 1976 June 22 Rev. Alexander Zichello, Pastor, St. Francis of Assisi, New Bedford, 1977 Rev. Christopher Grannell, SS.CC., 1990 Rev. Richard A. Delisle, M.S., Former Superior, La Salette Shrine, Attleboro, 2016 June 23 Rev. Finbarr B. McAloon, SS.CC.,Retired Pastor, Holy Trinity, West Harwich, 1980 Rev. George Wichland, CSSR, St. Wenceslaus Church, Baltimore, Md., 1992 June 24 Rev. Bernard F. McCahill, Pastor, SS. Peter & Paul, Fall River, 1907 June 25 Rev. Msgr. Louis A. Marchand, Retired Pastor, St. Anthony, New Bedford,1941 Rev. Raymond J. Hamel, Chaplain, St. Joseph Orphanage, Fall River, 1960 June 26 Rev. William Moran, Former Pastor, St. Peter, Sandwich, 1891 Rev. Charles P. Gaboury, Former Pastor, Sacred Heart, New Bedford, 1931 Rev. Msgr. Albert Berube, Retried Pastor, St. Anthony, New Bedford, 1973 June 27 Rev. John Corry, Founder, St. Mary, Taunton; Founder, St. Mary, Fall River, 1863 Rev. Dario Raposo, Pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes, Taunton, 1933 Rev. Msgr. Thomas F. Walsh, Retired Pastor, St. John the Evangelist, Attleboro, 1980 Rev. Msgr. Bernard J. Fenton, USA Retired Chaplain, Retired Pastor, St. Joseph, North Dighton, 1984 Rev. George F. Almeida, Retired Pastor, Our Lady of Fatima, Swansea, 2012 June 28 Rev. Thomas C. Gunning, Assistant, St. Lawrence, New Bedford, 1947 Rev. Kenneth J. Delano, Former Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Fall River, 2017 June 30 Rev. Simon Pease, SS.CC., Administrator, Sacred Hearts, Fairhaven, 1952 Rev. Alphonse M. Reniere, O.P., Dominican Priory, Fall River, 1961 Rev. Msgr. Thomas J. Harrington, Retired Fire Chaplain, Fall River Fire Department, 2017 July 1 Rev. Fernando A. Veiga, CM, Vincentian Mission House, Fall River, 1993 Rev. David Stopyra, OFM, Conv., Retired Pastor, Our Lady of the Rosary, Taunton, 2018 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
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Handing down the faith at church continued from page 13
should look through the eyes of their families. What challenges may a family face in attending Mass with their children at your church? What are obstacles that would keep them from considering even walking through the doors with young children? How can your church speak to families’ needs, while respecting the Liturgy? When we make families feel welcome, they are more likely to continue worshiping with us. I have to give a sincere shout-out to all the Mass-goers we’ve met who didn’t make my wife and I feel judged, but rather gave us a smile, welcomed us, or encouraged us for bringing our kids to Mass, even when they didn’t behave. You are all the real MVPs! Going to church with your children also presents additional opportunities to help them understand what it means to be a part of Church. For instance, once Mass is done, regardless of how my son acted during Mass, I invite him to take a tour of the church with me. It doesn’t matter if it’s the same church as last week, we try to do this every week after Mass. We walk up to the altar together and I show him how to bow, and then how to genuflect to the Tabernacle. We then pray a prayer or two before the Blessed Sacrament. Sometimes it’s just me speaking, other times he chimes in. Then, we walk by some of the religious statuary that may be around the church. If there is a statue of Mary, we’ll stop and pray a Hail Mary. If there is a statue of
St. Joseph, we stop and ask for St. Joseph to pray for us. Sometimes, we just walk by and blow kisses to the images of our “holy brethren” in Heaven. This little routine after Mass has become essential to our time at church because I’ve found that it does two main things: 1. It gets my son up, moving and interacting with church. As Catholics, we believe in full, active participation at Mass. While my son my not have the focus yet to always participate throughout Mass, he can participate with the church space in his own way. This helps him learn how to pray, what reverence is, and the basic actions we do at church (like genuflecting or bowing). 2. It helps my son see church as his home, especially when sitting through Mass for him was particularly difficult that day. We never want him to leave church having hated being there. We want him to know that while we should always go to church, it’s especially on our worst days that we should be there the most. While not all days at church are “good days,” not taking him at all only guarantees that he’ll have no relationship with the Church. I will say, the pandemic has shown us that live-streaming and virtual platforms are great tools, which we should continue to use in the right ways. For instance, live-streamed Masses attracted individuals to tune into churches they perhaps would not have otherwise connected with. Our own diocesan TV
Mass has attracted countless viewers for years prior to the pandemic. “Virtual” has become the new church vestibule, so to speak. And virtual Masses continue to be a source of comfort for those who are at-risk, sick or homebound. Yet, the pandemic has also reminded us that “virtual” is simply not the same as being in-person. While our family benefited from live-stream Masses during the shutdown, even using it as a way to teach the Mass to our son as we watched it, we found that it really was not the same. This isn’t true just because the Sacraments have to be received in person (for instance, you can’t be Confirmed via zoom, receive absolution over the phone, or be mailed Communion). It’s also true because it can be challenging to immerse oneself in something when you’re not actually there. It is one thing to show my son a picture book about the Mass or watch Mass on TV. It is quite another to take him to Mass, to have him interact with the church, or to pray with him in the actual presence of the Blessed Sacrament. And so, my wife and I take our children to Mass, tantrums and all, so that our family may come to know the Lord and receive His grace to be family. After all, God uses all of this for His glory. Anchor columnist David Carvalho is the senior director for Faith Formation, Youth, Young Adult and Family Life Ministries for the Diocese of Fall River. Contact: dcarvalho@dioc-fr.org.
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said, “We accompany men in their journey towards the priesthood. We meet with them before seminary starts as they are beginning to wonder, ‘Is God calling me?’ We help them through their application process, and we remain with them during their years of formation.” At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person classrooms shifted to remote learning and our seminarians took up residence at parishes in the diocese. This included Matthew Laird and William O’Donnell III. Now members of the transitional diaconate, Deacon Laird and Deacon O’Donnell joined the community of Holy Family in East Taunton while continuing their studies as part of the St. John’s Seminary Ordination Class of 2022. Originally from Sandwich, Deacon Laird is the son of David and Kathleen Laird. His home parish is Christ the King in Mashpee. He is a 2011 graduate of St. John Paul II High School in Hyannis and a 2015 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology. Deacon O’Donnell grew up in Harwich. The son of Patty and the late William O’Donnel Jr., he is a parishioner of Holy Trinity Parish in West Harwich. He graduated from Harwich High School in 1996 and received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Stonehill College in Easton in 2000. The Catholic Foundation team sat down with Laird and O’Donnell to learn more about the experiences and perspectives that led to their discernment, their work at seminary, and their plans for the future as they prepare to
become priests. The following are excerpts from that conversation. Tell us a little about when you first heard the calling to the priesthood. Laird: I first heard the call in high school, but it was really when I attended college and met others who were having similar experiences, a vocation to the priesthood became a real option for me. O’Donnell: When I first got the call, I was working in the restaurant industry on the Cape. I felt there was something more for my life. I took courses at the Theological Institute in Boston and I prayed about it. The most important thing, when you sense you are being called, is prayer. Bring it before the Lord; get the answer. Accept the answer. The calling can be a subtle message — like the story of Elijah in the Book of Kings, in the cave in silence. Who were some of your biggest influences growing up? O’Donnell: There was plenty of faith activity in my family growing up. I did ECHO in high school and was also active in Campus Ministry. My biggest influence was Father Tom Frechette; I spoke with him the most about getting the call. He helped me remain focused and I often found myself asking, how does he know exactly what I need to hear, when I needed to hear it? Sometimes, others see what you aren’t seeing. Laird: I went to Catholic school growing up; at St. Francis Xavier Prep in Hyannis, and John Paul II High School, the priests I met were my biggest role
models. Father Frechette was a big influence on me, too, like he was for Bill. Also my pastor growing up, Msgr. Hoye, served as my Spiritual director. I could always share my ideas with him. What lessons have you learned in the seminary that have most resonated with you? Laird: Formation at seminary engages the whole person: human, intellectual, Spiritual, and pastoral. Prayer life flows over
and into the classroom. In addition to our studies, we have assignments that bring us into the community and cover all aspects of our lives as Catholics. I have gone into the hospital, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Boston University Catholic Center. O’Donnell: Seminary is prayer. It is not just academic. You engage in the development of a healthy prayer life. If you’re not praying, you’re just going through the motions: taking classes, nothing else. Prayer is so central to your formation. What aspect of priesthood are you looking forward to the most? O’Donnell: I look forward to administering the Sacraments, and I look forward to the people. The Church’s treasure is its people: those who come to Mass, volunteer, and are always there for you.
Laird: I am looking forward to administering the Sacraments too, and to being there for such important parts of people’s lives in a unique way. I look forward to being available for people to talk, to pray together, and to be there when people come seeking help. What hobbies do you enjoy outside your studies and your work at parishes and in the community? Laird: Music is a hobby of mine. I am part of a jazz group called Vatican III, we all met in the seminary. The group consists of me on saxophone, Father Matthew Gill on bass guitar, Larry Valliere on guitar, and Father Patrick Fiorillo of the Archdiocese of Boston on drums. O’Donnell: I enjoy cycling, and also boating with my family and fishing. Any final words of advice for someone who is considering a vocation to the priesthood? O’Donnell: Prayer. It all starts there. We are always praying for the Lord to send more workers into the vineyard. The men who are out there discerning are the future of our Church. By reaching out to these men, you can build a strong future. We need our priests: to baptize, to anoint, to hear Confessions, and to keep parishes vibrant. Laird: Don’t be afraid to make use of the resources around you. Behind every seminarian is a large support group; our vocation is the fruit of many people. We need people to affirm our calling. Also, come up to the seminary for a visit. Spend the day. Give it a try! On May 22, Laird and O’Donnell were ordained to the transitional diaconate at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall
River. Along with Gregory Quenneville and Laurent Valliere, they have begun the final leg of their journey toward ordination to the priesthood next year. It was an especially joyful occasion as this was the largest group to be ordained together in the diocese in 20 years. “We have reason to be thankful to God for His generosity, to be thankful to these men for saying ‘yes,’ and to celebrate that they are on their way to serving God as priests and serving us, His Church,” said Father Schrader. Currently, 14 seminarians from the Diocese of Fall River are at different stages of formation as they prepare for the priesthood. Your gift to the Catholic Appeal helps ensure all of them receive the foundation they need to realize their calling and do God’s work in our parishes, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, missions and other diocesan offices and special ministries. This year you can watch a series of “Ministry Moments” videos featuring individuals reflecting on good works supported by the Catholic Appeal. The series, which includes Father Schrader talking about the Office of Vocations, can be found on the Catholic Foundation’s website: www. catholicfoundationsema. org/ministry-moments. Contributions to the Catholic Appeal may be made as a one-time donation or through monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual pledges. Donations may be mailed directly to the Catholic Foundation Office, 450 Highland Avenue, Fall River, Mass., 02720, made online at www. givefrdiocese.org/2021, or dropped off at any parish in the diocese. Please contact the Catholic Foundation Office at 508-675-1311 with any questions.
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I
I guess we originally met at the intersection of ...
have a fascination with my family history, particularly the Jolivet side. In my research, I find that in France it’s not too uncommon a surname, and even a bit in Canada. But in the U.S., not so much. Denise is a Belanger. That’s pretty common in all of the aforementioned regions. I mean there have been a more than an handful of Belangers who have played in Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. The Jolivets? None smacking around the horsehide. But golly, not even a single Jolivet played in the NHL? In Canada, in the more than 100-year old league? Really? Despite these disappointing findings, I still enjoy researching my ancestors. We do have
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wine-makers and actors and musicians. I still want a hockey player. On my ancestry search website, I find that my blood lines are 95 percent from France, then on to Eastern Canada, specifically Quebec. I also have three percent German/Swiss and two percent indigenous North American. Digging deeper into my routes I actually found a few streets named after Jolivets in France; Paris, Tours, and a couple of others. But it’s the Rue Jolivet (Jolivet Street or Avenue). The peculiar thing about that avenue is that it is intersected by Rue Bellanger (it wasn’t uncommon for French immigrants to drop a letter from their names
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coming to North America. I thought that was the
greatest thing — the intersection of Jolivet and
Belanger streets. On New Year’s Eve of this year, Denise and I will mark the 45th anniversary of our having met, but from what I detected, the Jolivets and Bel(l)angers met a long time before that — at a quaint intersection in a rustic town 241 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of Paris; nestled
between Rivière (River) Loire and Rivière Le Cher. I guess Denise and I were just destined to meet, guided by an small intersection. I just wish it had been in France, instead of buying cigarettes (bad habit, long since discarded by both of us) on Pleasant Street in Fall River on the way to a New Year’s Eve party. The fates were kind, but not meeting in Europe kind. davejolivet@anchornews.org.
The intersection of Jolivet and Bellanger avenues in Tours, France. (Google Maps)