07.23.21

Sunday is first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

By Dave Jolivet Editor

Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, July 23, 2021

Eightieth Annual Catholic Appeal closes with outstanding total of $4.6M

FALL RIVER—The 80th Catholic Appeal, “Time to Gather, Time to Heal, Time to Love,” has closed with results representing the annual campaign’s best year since 2017. In the wake of an extraordinarily challenging time, more than 18,000 individual donors — a 12.5 percent increase over last year — contributed $4.6 million in gifts and pledges to sustain the Appeal’s longstanding mission of serving those in greatest need. Thanks to this boost in participation, the 80th annual Catholic Appeal surpassed its $4 million goal by 15 percent.

The 2021 Catholic Appeal of the Fall River Diocese took place as the world began to emerge

from the extraordinary challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: a time when the demand for basic needs skyrocketed and the services of many diocesan ministries and programs became more necessary than ever before.

“I am grateful to everyone who supported

the good works of our diocese through the Catholic Appeal,” said Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. “Together, we have weathered the storm of a lifetime; and together, we are living our faith by ensuring all our brothers and sisters have a place to turn and receive the assistance they may need. While we are not fully recovered from the toll the virus took on us, this year’s Appeal is a sign of hope that we will ultimately emerge stronger.

Our Savior has provided us with a sure foundation as we read in the Gospel of Matthew, ‘And the 8 Turn to page nine

davejolivet@anchornews.org

FALL RIVER — Pope Francis has designated this Sunday, July 25 as World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The Holy Father’s message for the first such day in the Catholic Church is themed, “I am with you always,” (Mt 28:20).

In a letter to dioceses across the world, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, said, “We have chosen to give pride of place to the local celebration of this [Day], so as to ensure that its joyous message reaches every grandparent and elderly person effectively, even the most isolated. With this in mind, it would be especially meaningful if, as the [Day] approaches, the message that was announced today — ‘I am with you always’ (cf. Mt. 28:20) — could be delivered by every grandchild to their own grandparents, and by young people to the lonely elderly members of their communities.

“Additionally, it would be appropriate for every parish to dedicate one of their Sunday Masses to grandparents and the elderly on Sunday 25 July, as the memorial of Saints Joachim and Ann, grandparents of July 25, 2021 Jesus, approaches.”

The pope, himself 84 years old, has a clear message for grandparents and elderly folks around the world, “I want to tell you that you are needed in order to help build, in fraternity and social friendship, the world of tomorrow; the world in which we, together with our children and grandchildren, will live once the storm [pandemic] has subsided.

“Among the pillars that support this new edifice, there are three that you, better than anyone else, can help to set up. Those three pillars are dreams, memory and prayer. The Lord’s closeness will grant to all, even the frailest among us, the strength needed to embark on a new journey along the path of dreams, memory and prayer.”

The pope tells grandparents and elderly that their dreams of justice, peace and solidarity can make it possible for “our young people to have new visions; in this way, together, we can build the future.”

With regards to memory, the pope says they are intertwined with dreams. “I think of the painful memory of 8 Turn page three Julyto23, 2021 †

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St. Anne Shrine to host celebration for feast of Saints Anne and Joachim

By Dave Jolivet Editor

davejolivet@anchornews.org

FALL RIVER — St. Anne Shrine in Fall River will celebrate for the 149th time, the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, grandparents of Jesus, on July 26. The feast day Mass, Benediction, prayers and Eucharistic procession is the culmination of an annual Novena that began July 17 and ends Sunday, July 25 Through the hard work and dedication of the St. Anne Shrine Preservation Society, the tradition that began in the Fall River shrine a century-and-a-half ago continues to celebrate the life and ministry of Good St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This year, the Novena and feast fall on the same weekend that Pope Francis designated as the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

The St. Anne celebration consists of nine days of

prayer, Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, Novena devotions, and the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

On July 25, the Novena continues in the Shrine, located in the lower level of St. Anne Church, 818 Middle Street in Fall River, at 6 p.m. with the Rosary and Confessions; a Mass celebrated

by Father Andre Feain at 6:30 p.m., F.I.; followed by a Spiritual talk by Father Feain and Novena devotions at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, July 24, Father André Patenaude, M.S., from La Salette Shrine in Attleboro, and a Fall River native, will celebrate a Mass in French at 11:30 a.m.

At 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 25, World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, a healing service will be offered by Shrine chaplain, Father Edward A. Murphy. At 6 p.m. that evening, Father Feain will conclude the Novena and open the feast of St. Anne

and St. Joachim.

On July 26, the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim, the Shrine will open at 8 a.m. and remain open all day for personal and private devotions. Formal devotions will take place at 2 and 3 p.m., followed

by Vespers at 4 p.m.

The Solemn Mass for the feast of St. Anne and St. Joachim will be celebrated by Bishop Edgar A. da Cunha, S.D.V. at 6 p.m.

Following the Mass, the celebration will conclude with Benediction and a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and relics of St. Anne.

“As a sign of special favor, the Holy See’s Apostolic Penitentiary has granted a Plenary Indulgence for the entire month of July under the usual conditions (visit to the Shrine, Sacramental Confession, worthy reception of the Eucharist, prayers for the Holy Father’s intentions) to pilgrims to the Shrine,” Bryan Boyle, O.P., Shrine Sacristan,

The statue of St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus, and the Blessed Virgin Mary in St. Anne Shrine in Fall River. told The Anchor.

All area faithful are invited and encouraged to attend any or all of the Novena/celebration events, following in the footsteps of countless others who have taken part for nearly 150 years.

For more information, contact St. Anne Shrine at 508-678-1510, email info@st-annes-shrine. org, visit their website at: https://www.st-annesshrine.org, or stop by the Shrine gift shop during posted business hours.

Dominican Sister Tulia Giraldo celebrates 70th anniversary of religious profession

Dominican Sister Tulia Giraldo, who recently celebrated 70 years of religious life, meditates at the Mary Grotto at the Sister’s home in Dighton.

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DIGHTON — Dominican Sister of the Presentation, Sister Tulia Giraldo, celebrated the 70th anniversary of her religious profession on July 10, with a Eucharistic Liturgy in the Chapel of the Dominican Sisters in Dighton.

At 96, Sister Tulia is the eldest Sister in the United States Vice-Province of the Dominican Sisters.

Sister Tulia was born in Medellin, Colombia.

When she was in school, she was inspired to join the Congregation. She said that there was one Sister in particular who was pious,

respectful and dignified.

She thought, “I’d like to be like her.” And so, she entered the Congregation.

Sister Tulia served and ministered in Colombia, in Puerto Rico for nine years and at the Marian Manor in Taunton for 14 years. In 1985, Sister was missioned to the Community in Brownsville, Texas where she served for 32 years.

She served at St. Joseph Parish where she comforted the sick, especially the homebound and those in Nursing Homes. She also brought the Eucharist to those who could no longer

attend Mass at the Parish.

Sister Tulia also ministered to the poor and marginalized. She went all over Brownsville on foot.

Sister Tulia couldn’t go anywhere without running into someone she knew.

In 2017, Sister Tulia returned to Dighton to be with the community there.

Her ministry is one of prayer for the needs of the world and the Church.

Her fellow Sisters and friends offer their gratitude to Sister Tulia for her life of faithful service to the Church wherever the Lord called her.

Sunday, July 25 is World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly continued from page one

war, and its importance for helping the young to learn the value of peace. Those among you who experienced the suffering of war must pass on this message.

Keeping memory alive is a true mission for every elderly person: keeping memory alive and sharing it with others.”

Of his own grandparents, Pope Francis said, “I also think of my own grandparents, and those among you who had to emigrate and know how hard it is to leave everything behind, as so many people continue to do today, in hope of a future. Some of those people may even now be at our side, caring for us.

These kinds of memory can help to build a more humane and welcoming world.

Without memory, however,

we will never be able to build; without a foundation, we can never build a house.

Never. And the foundation of life is memory.”

The pope quoted his predecessor, Pope Benedict, who said that the prayer of the elderly can protect our world, helping it, in fact, better than “the frenetic activity of many others.”

Pope Francis expanded on this thought, saying, “There is something beautiful here.

Your [grandparents’ and the elderly’s] prayer is a very precious resource: a deep breath that the Church and the world urgently need.

Especially in these difficult times for our human family, as we continue to sail in the same boat across the stormy sea of the pandemic, your intercession for the world and for the Church

PRAYER FOR THE FIRST WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY I thank You, Lord, for the comfort of Your presence: even in times of loneliness, You are my hope and my confidence, You have been my rock and my fortress since my youth!

I thank You for having given me a family and for having blessed me with a long life.

I thank You for moments of joy and difficulty, for the dreams that have already come true in my life and for those that are still ahead of me.

I thank You for this time of renewed fruitfulness to which You call me.

Increase, O Lord, my faith, make me a channel of Your peace, teach me to embrace those who suffer more than me, to never stop dreaming and to tell of Your wonders to new generations.

Protect and guide Pope Francis and the Church, that the light of the Gospel might reach the ends of the earth. Send Your Spirit, O Lord, to renew the world, that the storm of the pandemic might be calmed, the poor consoled and wars ended.

Sustain me in weakness and help me to live life to the full in each moment that You give me, in the certainty that You are with me every day, even until the end of the age.

Amen.

has great value: it inspires in everyone the serene trust that we will soon come to shore.”

The pope concluded his message to grandparents and the elderly referencing Blessed Charles de Foucauld, a hermit who lived in Algeria, who said he had a deep desire to feel himself “a brother to all.”

The pope concluded his message, “The story of his life shows how it is possible, even in the solitude of one’ s own desert, to intercede for the poor of the whole world and to become, in truth, a universal brother or sister.

“I ask the Lord that, also through his example, all of us may open our hearts in sensitivity to the sufferings of the poor and intercede for their needs. May each of us learn to repeat to all, and especially to the young, the words of consolation we have heard spoken to us today: ‘I am with you always.’

Keep moving forward! May the Lord grant you His blessing.”

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life produced a list of recommendations for Catholic faithful to help grandparents and the elderly celebrate this special day.

That list appears in this edition of The Anchor on this page.

How Catholic faithful can help others celebrate World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly • The first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated in circumstances in which it will still not be possible in many countries for the elderly to physically attend Mass.

• In order for the message of closeness and consolation to reach everyone on this World Day — even those who are most isolated — we ask people to visit their grandparents and the elderly living alone in their community and to give them the Holy Father’s message (at Vatican.com).

• A visit is a tangible sign of a Church of outreach. At a time of social distancing because of the pandemic, a visit shows that there is a way of being close to older people while still observing safety measures.

• A visit is a personal choice to arise and go in haste to others (cf. Lk 1:39), just as Mary did when she visited her elderly cousin Elizabeth.

• A visit is an opportunity for a grandchild to say to his or her grandparent and for a young person to say to an elderly person they are visiting, “I am with you always”.

• A visit can be an opportunity to bring a gift, such as a flower, and to read the World Day prayer (available on this page) together.

— A visit can also be an occasion to offer the elderly, especially those who have not left their homes for a long time, an opportunity to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist.

• A visit to an older person living alone is one of the ways of obtaining a Plenary Indulgence granted on the occasion of this World Day. • In places where health emergency measures still make it impossible to visit in person, love can use imagination to find ways of reaching lonely elderly people by phone and social media.

• The World Day message can be shared by posting pictures of visits on social media with the hashtag #IamWithYouAlways.

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Bible translations

o you own a bible?

Have you ever shopped for one? Have you noticed how many different varieties there are? What’s the difference? Does it even matter? How does one choose?

First of all, I am not a Bible scholar. This will be a high level overview. Hopefully this presentation will help you choose a Bible or help direct you to an appropriate online resource that can help you pray and study.

While there are so many experts in the field of Bible translations, even the experts have varying opinions and often disagree. Of particular concern is that there are some experts who have a doctrinal agenda.

They push a particular translation that aligns with their religious beliefs.

Catholic and Protestant religions each have distinct views on the meaning and the authority of the Bible.

The Protestant Reformation was inspired by the writings of Martin Luther. The Reformation caused a split from the Catholic Church.

Luther wrote that the Bible is the central source of religious authority and that Salvation is achieved through faith alone and not by good deeds. Luther also wrote that the Bible is the “Sola Scriptura,” He said

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the Word of God is all you need. Only Scripture.

While Catholics treasure the Holy Scripture, we do not base our beliefs on the Bible alone. Along with the Bible we embrace the traditions and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholics and Protestants have a different view on the nature of the church. The word catholic means universal. The Catholic Church teaches that Christ’s Church “subsists” in the Catholic Church, although there are elements of Christ’s Church in other churches (the Eastern Orthodox) and ecclesial communities (the Protestant churches).

Protestant churches are often also called “Evangelical,” meaning ”according to the Gospel.” They do not make up one universal Church. There are thousands of different Protestant denominations around the world.

Protestant Bibles have 66 books. Catholic Bibles have 73 books. The Catholic Old Testament has everything the Protestant and Jewish Old Testament does, with the addition of the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch,

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1st and 2nd Maccabees, extra chapters in Daniel, and extra verses in Esther.

Jews and Protestants think of those extra books as “apocryphal.” That means they view them as stories with doubtful authenticity but widely circulated and thought to be true. Catholics believe

these Old Testament books are part of the canon of Scripture and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

When Protestants scholars were asked, “Why did you remove those books from the Bible?” they replied, “We didn’t remove them. They were never in there.” Clever answer!

Don’t be confused with a Google search that returns the statement that the King James Version (KJV) is the most accurate Bible translation in the world.

It is only one of the many best-known translations.

Formal equivalence vs.

Dynamic Equivalence — A Matter of Style Two styles of Bible translations are prominent.

Formal Equivalence is a

word-for-word translation.

It favors a literal translation to a modern language.

This can be very difficult to accomplish because the grammar of the original language often does not have a direct conversion to the modern language.

While it can be more accurate, it can also make it more difficult to read.

Dynamic Equivalence is a thought-forthought translation.

It favors a more natural rendering of the text in the modern language by not insisting on conformance to the grammar of the original language. It makes for easier reading.

There are many computer programs and websites that allow you to study the various Bible translations side-by-side. However, you won’t find the NABRE Catholic version in these programs or online.

That’s because the New American Bible Revised Edition is not in the public domain and is copyrighted.

The copyright secures the integrity of the text so that individuals may not introduce changes without permission. The licensing fees help to provide funds for Scripture scholarship and other educational needs.

So many study sites and programs do not want to bear the cost of including the NABRE in their work among the translations that are freely available for reprinting. The NABRE is freely available on the U.S. bishop’s website for personal use. Links are provided later.

Here is a list of the various translation styles.

Word-for-Word Translations (Formal Equivalence) KJV — King James Version. A Protestant version commissioned by King James.

NKJV — A modern language update of KJV. ASV — American Standard Version. A revised KJV. Revised in 1901.

NASB — New American Standard Bible.

Thought to be one of the most literal translations.

Thought-for-Thought Translation (Dynamic Equivalence) NIV — New International Version. Considered accurate and smooth reading.

Paraphrase Translation GNT — Good News Translation.

TLB — The Living Bible.

Worship Translations RSV — Revised Standard Version.

NRSV — New Revised Standard Version. Gender neutral language. Formal Equivalence.

NAB — New American Bible. Moderate use of Dynamic Equivalence.

NABRE — New American Bible Revised Edition.

This is the translation used at Mass in the United States.

Private Prayer and Study Translations The following translations are approved by the U.S. bishops to be used by Catholics for private prayer and study.

Books of the New Testament, Alba House; Contemporary English Version — New Testament, 8 Turn to page 14

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Imitating Ignatius as he imitated Francis and Dominic

he most memorable Christmas present I’ve received was not from Santa during my infancy or sneakers, sports equipment or gadgets from my folks during my adolescence. It was the four-volume “Butler’s Lives of the Saints” my parents got me for Christmas when I was a college freshman that I read nightly for about five years and still have with me at my bedside.

Reading the inspiring stories of the great heroes and heroines of the faith each night helped me to discover more clearly my vocation not just to the priesthood but to Christian holiness, to purify and recalibrate my ambitions and to commit to the means to achieve them.

When people approach me asking for recommendations for good Spiritual reading, I often suggest titles to help them grow in prayer and in the integration of their relationship with God into daily life. I always encourage them, however, “every other book,” to read the life of a saint, because hagiography is easier to read and irresistibly attracts and inspires us toward greater contemplation, unity of life and generosity.

The most famous example of the impact reading the lives of the saints can have occurred 500 years ago this year. A 30-year-old Basque soldier had his right leg shattered and left calf torn off by a cannonball during the May 20, 1521 Battle of Pamplona. Spiritually, however, the projectile was shot straight from Damascus. Iñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola’s stoutheartedness on the battlefield was magnified when his leg needed to be reset multiple times and a large protruding bone spur needed to be sawed off, to which he consented without anesthesia or complaint.

To pass the time in what would turn out to be a ninemonth convalescence at his family’s castle, the only option for him — centuries before modern media — was reading. He tried without avail to get his hands on the epic tales of chivalry and romance common to the epoch. The only volumes to be found were a life of Christ and a book on the lives of the saints. In desperation he began to read them — and not only were his heart and the direction of his life changed, but also the history of the Church and the world.

López was pierced by his own shallowness compared to the saints’ substance and roused by the courage of the martyrs in fighting the good fight on the battlefield that mattered most. In contrast to his vain pursuit of earthly honors, their seeking and seizing the most lasting and valuable treasure captivated him. After reading about Francis of Assisi and Dominic of Guzman, two 13th-century mendicants who extravagantly gave up so much of what the world treasured in order to obtain a much more valuable fortune, and who formed religious families to help the whole world rediscover true riches, he asked one of the most important questions in history: “These men were of the same frame as I. Why, then, should I not do what they have done?”

Led by their example and many graces, the one we now know as St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, made the commitment to serve the true King and to sacrifice everything to extend His Kingdom. His transformation was arduous. Once

he had recovered enough to journey, he traveled to Montserrat, where he laid down his sword before the famous statue of Our Lady, exchanged his expensive clothes for sackcloth, spent 11 months praying in a cave in Manresa, and journeyed to the Holy Land where he intended to defend the holy places and the true faith before the Franciscan superior sent him home lest because of his zealous provocations he be killed.

To be of use to God, he discerned he needed an education. With great humility he went literally to grammar

school with young boys in order to learn Latin, before heading to the Universities of Alcala, Salamanca and Paris. There his roommates were the future Saints Francis Xavier and Peter Favre and God through him set in motion the plan for the founding of the Society of Jesus.

As we mark the quinquecentenary of his conversion, seeing what God accomplished in his life, it’s important for us to raise the same question God inspired him to ask after reading the lives of Francis and Dominic. Ignatius, after all, is of the same frame as we, with virtues, vices and 46 chromosomes. Without the help of cannonballs and orthopedic surgeons, why can’t we do, why shouldn’t we do, what he has done?

This summons to saintly imitation does not mean that God is calling us to be Jesuits or found worldwide religious orders, just as the

light God gave Ignatius did not mean God was asking him to replicate all the particular choices and deeds of Saints Francis and Dominic.

But it does mean that God is indeed calling us to respond to His grace as of conversion and holiness just like the intrepid Basque did.

The Jesuits began on May 20 an “Ignatian Year” dedicated to the 500th anniversary of his conversion and, next March 12, the 400th anniversary of his canonization. It will conclude on his feast day next July 31. But as we celebrate a week from Saturday his birth into eternal life, we can take advantage of this extended year of grace to ponder his life and try to imitate in our life what’s imitable in his.

We can, first, imitate his prioritization of prayer as well as some of its content. His time in the cave of Manresa led to his Spiritual classic, “The Spiritual Exercises,” a guide for meditation, for discernment, and for retreats. His own prayers have formed countless souls. In his renowned “Suscipe,” for example, we learn how to treasure God more than His gifts: “Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will, all I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is Yours; do with it what You will. Give me only Your love and your grace. That is enough for me.”

Second, we can learn from him how conversion is not so much turning away from sin and vanity but turning toward and with God. Above the place in the Loyola Castle where he read the lives of the saints, it says, not “Here, he converted,” but rather, “Here he gave

himself to God.” Third, we can emulate his courage and zeal to share the faith, something that contagiously led his Spiritual sons to found so many educational institutions and to become missionaries, like the North American Martyrs close to home.

Fourth, we can imitate the great warmth of his friendship, one example of which were the more than 7,000 letters he wrote, especially to the Jesuits who even soon after the founding of the Society of Jesus headed toward the ends of the then-known earth.

Finally, we can model our lives on his love for Christ and for Christ’s vicar on earth, which led him and the Jesuits to make a fourth vow — beyond poverty, chastity and obedience — of special obedience to the pope in regard to the missions. Ignatius lived through some of the most notorious papacies in Church history, the ugliness of which helped trigger the Protestant Reformation, but he, with special trust in Christ and the Holy Spirit, promised special submission. That’s a model not just for his Spiritual sons but for every Catholic in every age.

In each of these five ways, we can imitate the generosity of Ignatius’ response to God, a dedication for which he incessantly himself prayed with words he left us that we can make our own: “Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve You as You deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do Your will.”

Anchor columnist Father Roger Landry can be contacted at fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.

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Editorial Martha, Mary and Lazarus Back in February the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments issued a decree changing July 29th on the Church’s calendar from being the Memorial of Saint Martha to being the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus.

Robert Cardinal Sarah, the prefect of the Congregation at that time, began the decree with a familial touch. “In the household of Bethany the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that He loved them. Martha generously offered Him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to His words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the One who humiliated death.”

Martha and Mary first appear in the gospels in Luke 10:38-42, when Jesus visited their home. Martha complained to Jesus about Mary not helping her with the domestic tasks, but then Jesus praised Mary for choosing “the better part” (i.e., listening to Him). We do not hear in the gospels how Martha immediately reacted to that seeming rebuke, but it seems very plausible that she took Jesus’ words to heart, since when her brother Lazarus had died, she makes a confession about Jesus (that He is the Son of God) which she could have only made with the help of the Holy Spirit. In other words, while remaining in some ways the “Martha Stewart” of her day, she also had become a very prayerful woman, too.

Cardinal Sarah explained why only Saint Martha has been honored liturgically on July 29 up until now. “The traditional uncertainty of the Latin Church about the identity of Mary - the Magdalene to whom Christ appeared after His resurrection, the sister of Martha, the sinner whose sins the Lord had forgiven - which resulted in the inclusion of Martha alone on 29 July in the Roman Calendar, has been resolved in recent studies and times, as attested by the current Roman Martyrology, which also commemorates Mary and Lazarus on that day. Moreover, in some particular calendars the three siblings are already celebrated together.”

The cardinal then wrote about the holy father’s approval of this change. “Therefore, the Supreme Pontiff Pope Francis, considering the important evangelical witness they offered in welcoming the Lord Jesus into their home, in listening to Him attentively, in believing that He is the resurrection and the life, and accepting the proposal of this Dicastery, has decreed that 29 July be designated in the General Roman Calendar as the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus.”

In other words, the decree points out that we should be trying to imitate how these siblings welcomed Jesus by the ways in which we can welcome Him into our lives (both directly, in prayer, and indirectly, in our neighbor); how these siblings were like sponges, absorbing everything Jesus was saying to them; and how they entrusted themselves to Jesus, as the point of reference for their lives and their deaths.

The account of Jesus bringing Lazarus back from the dead, after being beseeched

by Martha and Mary (John 11:1-44), is well known. It even used to be part of common parlance in English to refer to someone as “being like Lazarus” when he or she came back from seeming oblivion. Besides seeing Martha’s spiritual growth in that story, we also observe that this change does not mean that her entire personality was obliterated OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 65, No. 15

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by her heeding Jesus’ earlier hint that she should be more like Mary and truly listen to Him. She is still practical, as when she warned Jesus, after He ordered the stone covering from Lazarus’ grave to be removed, “Surely, Lord, there will be a stench” (Jn 11:39).

The three siblings from Bethany appear once more in the Bible in the next chapter of John’s Gospel, when Jesus returns to their home. It is noted that “Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with Him” (Jn 12:2).

Now that supposed confusion between Mary of Bethany and Mary of Magdala occurs. In John 12:3, it says, “Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” After Judas criticized her (in reality, not because he cared for the poor, but because he would have liked to have gotten his hands on the money Mary spent on the oil), Jesus defended her, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of My burial” (Jn 12:7).

John noted, “The large crowd of the Jews found out that He was there and came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus, too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him” (Jn 12:9-11). This seems to us like a dumb thing to do, but how many of our sins would look dumb to the members of the Sanhedrin, since we have been entrusted with so much more revelation from God, and yet continue sinning.

Pope Francis spoke about this odd desire of the chief priests in a homily on April 6, 2020. He described it as part of “the process of temptation: the initial seduction, the illusion, then it grows… it spreads and one justifies oneself… It never stops.

Therefore it was not enough to put Jesus to death; now Lazarus too, as he was a living witness.”

Commenting on the scene before hatred of Lazarus was mentioned, Pope Francis said, “Mary performs this contemplative gesture. Martha was serving, as in the other passage, and Mary opens the door to contemplation. And Judas thinks about money, and thinks about the poor,” not with love for them, but as a pretext for getting money for himself. The pope then warned his listeners about stealing out of the hands of the poor.

We do that and many other sins when we don’t trust that God will provide for us, so we think we need to grab what we can (as Adam and Eve did). Going back to when Lazarus was dead, Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11: 25-26).

“It is a question that Jesus addresses to each one of us,” Pope Benedict said on March 9, 2008, “a question that certainly rises above us,… it asks us to entrust ourselves to Him as He entrusted Himself to the Father. Martha’s response is exemplary: ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, He who is coming into the world’ (Jn 11: 27).”

Let us ask Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus to pray that we can imitate their intimate love of Our Lord, too.

Daily Readings † July 31 - August 13

Sat. July 31, Lv 25:1,8-17; Ps 67:2-3,5,7-8; Mt 14:1-12. Sun. Aug. 1, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Ex 16:2-4,12-15; Ps 78:3-4,23-25,54; Eph 4:17,20-24; Jn 6:24-35. Mon. Aug. 2, Nm 11:4b-15; Ps 81:12-17; Mt 14:13-21. Tue. Aug. 3, Nm 12:1-13; Ps 51:1,3-7,12-13; Mt 14:22-36 or Mt 15:1-2,10-14. Wed. Aug. 4, Nm 13:1-2,25—14:1,26-29a,34-35; Ps 106:6-7b,13-14,21-23; Mt 15:21-28. Thu. Aug. 5, Nm 20:1-13; Ps 95:1-2,6-9; Mt 16:13-23. Fri. Aug. 6, Dn 7:9-10,13-14; Ps 97:1-2,56,9; 2 Pt 1:16-19; Mk 9:2-10.

Sat. Aug. 7, Dt 6:4-13; Ps 18:2-4,47,51; Mt 17:14-20. Sun. Aug. 8, Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 1 Kgs 19:4-8; Ps 34:2-9; Eph 4:30—5:2; Jn 6:41-51.

Mon. Aug. 9, Dt 10:12-22; Ps 147:12-15,19-20; Mt 17:22-27. Tue. Aug. 10, 2 Cor 9:6-10; Ps 112:1-2,5-9; Jn 12:24-26. Wed. Aug. 11, Dt 34:1-12; Ps 66:1-3a,5, 8,1617; Mt 18:15-20. Thu. Aug. 12, Jos 3:7-10a,11,13-17; Ps 114:1-6; Mt 18:21—19:1.

Fri. Aug. 13, Jos 24:1-13; Ps 136:1-3,16-18,21-22,24; Mt 19:3-12.

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Not on bread alone

ust this morning I received an email from a friend on one of our family islands, asking me whether I would be writing an article this week for the newspapers. I responded that I felt uninspired to do so at this time and that the dry weather might be at fault, drying up my thought process. Furthermore, my brain might need some rain moisture. Well, no rain has fallen so far this morning, yet here I am penning this.

You are probably familiar with the phrase “Not on bread alone does one live.” Now to my way of thinking that is based on Jesus’ words in Matthew’s Gospel, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The phrase, “Not on bread alone” is a rather common expression meaning that we humans need more than material things to really live. However, it is sometimes used to justify

a need for luxuries beyond the simple ordinary things like bread.

Depending on where one is coming from, one may consider this normal or may feel it is crummy.

Here in Kalaupapa, many of us have become much more appreciative of bread since Love’s Bakery shut down a number of months ago. Our store, run by the Board of Health, has not had any bread available on the shelves for us for three months-plus. Recently, someone suggested to me that I do a “Damien” and protest to the Board of Health. Now I guess I could have marched on City Hall, clad in a traditional Hawaiian warrior’s garb (loin cloth), complete with the compulsory mask.

However, I figured that our good Bishop Larry would have frowned on that. So instead, I wrote a letter to the Board of health doctor and asked Meli to read it at a recent zoom meeting. I requested that the Board of Health do something about this situation and in effect — to stop loafing.

Meanwhile, our good Sister of the Sacred Hearts, Sister Dolores,

and Secular Branch member, Laura, began shipping me some English Muffins. (Though I’m Irish, I do give the English a lot of credit, now and then.) Getting back to the “Not on bread alone” theme, we do have lots of other foods in our store including Spam, baked beans and tuna fish. For this we thank the Lord. None of us are actually wasting away. At the same time, as Meli says, “It is rather difficult to make a sandwich without bread.”

So, bring it on. Aloha.

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

Work has commenced on the 2022 Diocesan Directory scheduled to be published this October.

There are a limited number of 2020 editions still available. The books contain some outdated information, but much of it is accurate. We are offering this book for $15 (includes shipping). Mail to: The Anchor 887 Highland Avenue Fall River, Mass. 02720 July 23, 2021 †

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How big is a barley loaf?

esus feeds a multitude of people from five barley loaves and two fish (Jn 6:1-15). By the time one is a middle-aged Catholic, one has heard and/or read this Gospel hundreds of times. Even as a young adult, my mind summarized the key takeaways then wondered about other details. The feast of Passover was near.

Jesus broke bread. Jesus shared the fragments with all present. This was a physical event of feeding human bodies. This event prefaced the Spiritual nourishment Jesus initiated at the Last Supper.

That Spiritual nourishment is what we receive as the Sacrament of the Eucharist. There is an interesting symbolism with the 12 remaining baskets of broken bread within the hands of the 12 disciples.

Let’s get one irksome question out of the way.

Why does the Gospel say fed 5,000 men? What about the women? I have read many scholarly discussions including one presenting the idea of the men in one area and the women in another. Frankly, there were and still are women

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shepherds. Rachel was a shepherd (Gen 29:6,9).

Jesus’ gift of the Eucharist was a gift for all of mankind. That day Jesus would have fed all who were present. The understanding of Jesus’ miracle requires one appreciate just how far that food had stretched. Really, whatever number simply represents a large population of humanity.

For any Gospel story or parable, there will be a historical meaning placing Jesus’ words and actions in the context of His ministry. There also will be a call to imagine how these words speak to me today as an invitation to follow Jesus by acting within the world in which I live. Jesus calls each of us to examine and understand the Gospel at both levels.

Jesus asks the disciples what they are to do to address the food needs. Philip despairs at the overwhelming nature of the challenge. Money alone could not handle it.

Andrew digs a tad deeper on an individual level.

One kid has five loaves

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and two fish, but what is that in comparison to the population size? The stage is now set for the disciples to experience and understand the miracle. Part of the lesson is about a loving

and providential God. Yet, another part of the lesson is that one is called to look deeply at the challenge as well as available resources.

Only after that analysis is complete does one prayerfully converse with our provident God regarding participating in a resolution.

Of the 5,000 men was it really only one boy who had provisions? Or, was it that the heart of the child was the only one that responded in faith? I suspect the child’s heart trusted the call of the Holy Spirit.

That child’s example speaks volumes to us today as individuals and as a country.

Theodore Roosevelt said,

“It is not what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we use it.” The Holy Spirit calls each of us to share with all from the gifts we have received.

Just how big was a barley loaf?

In my research, I found that in Jesus’ day barley loaves were a food for the poor.

Ah, the poor boy handing over the loaves is akin to the poor woman giving all she had with her gift of two coins (Mk 12:41-44).

Interestingly, barley loaves are healthful, with today’s loaves often baked the size of a pita bread.

Jesus’ message is of course broader than the bare necessities of life. It is more a call to analyze a need, then begin to respond by sharing from what we have. At some point in the process, a provident God will ensure what we gave will help achieve its intended effect.

Today I am remembering a brother and a younger sister two years apart in age.

Both had identical reports for a similarly named, but

grade-level differentiated assignment. Standing outside the principal’s office, I gently tapped a file folder. I told the boy that his purported report contained the data given to his sister’s class. There came a time in life to either choose to own up to one’s mistake or to choose being proven a liar. Once trust was gone, it was something one would only earn back over a long period of time by essentially proving one’s words were true. Again, he said the report was his. We joined his parents in the principal’s office. The principal gently began the investigation discussion. The student replied, “I plagiarized the report.”

I still marvel at both the outcome and speed of that seed sprouting. Participating in something beyond what one could reasonably expect is what it means to dwell in the mystery of one of God’s miracles. The crowd misunderstood. But, we humbly follow Jesus’ example of asking God the Father what is next.

Anchor columnist Dr. Helen J. Flavin, Ph.D., is a Catholic scientist, educator and writer.

By Susan Mazzarella

Director, Diocesan Cathloli Social Services

NEW BEDFORD — Things take root in the most unlikely places. In the south end of New Bedford, in the parking lot of the Sister Rose Homeless Shelter, rows of raised beds are lovingly nurtured and cultivated with the hope of producing a robust harvest of vegetables.

The master gardener is Robin Muise. In winter, she dedicates her time and talents organizing volunteers to work at Catholic Social Services’ overflow shelter

Shawn, a neighbor of the Sister Rose Shelter in New Bedford, brings home some of the plants from the garden there. during the cold and inclement weather. In spring, summer, and fall, she oversees the planting, growing, and harvesting of the garden.

“This year there will be a bounty of tomatoes,” said Muise as she prepared plants in individual pots to give to neighbors. “Last year we had cherry tomatoes and people were eating them right off the vine. We are grateful to our neighbors who support the work of the shelter, so we are giving back.

“Over the past three seasons, this garden project gave away about 150 plants.

Last year, we also began to

Planting the seeds of hope

give away the produce to patrons of the Soup Kitchen and to the Sisters of Charity.”

Raymond Duarte, shelter manager, stated that, “approximately 600 pounds of harvest were shared with the community, and were also integrated into the meals at the Catholic Social Services’ shelters and the on-site Soup Kitchen.” Prior to entering human services, Ray studied agriculture. He started the Sister Rose Shelter Garden in 2016, with one raised bed, to “teach the community and our shelters the importance of sustainability.”

Just as the garden has grown, so has the number of gardeners. Duarte said that sometimes the shelter guests help weed and tend the garden. Muise has recruited some “amazing volunteers”, including Ann and Bob Marklin from St. Anthony’s Parish in Mattapoisett, and her own husband Peter. Muise stated, “Volunteer Debi Taft is the beast of weeding! She can weed faster than anyone I’ve seen, right down to those big long roots.”

The amount of community support has also flourished since the garden began. Bristol Community College’s Sustainable Agriculture program donated all the seedlings, and volunteer students from the Groundwork Southcoast Green Team come to help weed.

Round the Bend Farm in Dartmouth and their expert herbalist Benoit Azagoh-Kouadio provide information on keeping the garden organic, and help with the composting and the planting.

In addition, Muise applied for a community mini-grant from the United Way of Greater New Bedford and was given $1,400.

This money allowed for the purchase of many of the plants and the scale.

The funds also were used

to created posters for the Soup Kitchen and flyers in different languages about nutrition.

Muise stresses the importance of “establishing connection with the earth and watching things grow strong and healthy.”

Duarte believes that gardening “nourishes the body and feeds the soul to grow to our true human potential.”

This parallels what the staff and volunteers try to do at the shelter for people whose lives have been “uprooted” by homelessness: connect with them, ground them, and give them resources that nurture and support to promote sustainability and self-sufficiency.

As Muise’s sign at the garden reads: “Planting a seed is believing in tomorrow.” It is about new beginnings. It is about growth. It is about hope.

Above, Robin Muise, a staff member at Sister Rose Homeless Shelter in New Bedford, tends to the garden there. Below, volunteer Debi Taft, the “beast of weeding,” applies her skills to the garden.

80th annual Catholic Appeal raises $4.6M continued from page one

rains blew and beat on the house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.’”

On a parish level, 59 of the 78 parishes in the diocese — 76 percent of all parishes — surpassed their 2020 fundraising total. “The generosity of our seasonal and yearround parishioners here on Nantucket continues to astound me, and this year’s Diocesan Catholic Appeal is the most recent example of that,” said Father John Kelleher, pastor of St. Mary’s-Our Lady of the Isle in Nantucket. “It’s extremely gratifying for all of us to know that the donations raised for the Appeal will make a positive difference in the lives of so many people. May God

bless everyone who donated to the Appeal, and all who will be assisted by it!”

“The funds raised through this year’s Appeal will help as we recover from the significant financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the struggles of the past year-and-a-half, it was so inspiring to see our pastors, parishioners, and friends step forward in such a strong show of support,” said Miriam Finn Sherman, chief executive officer of the Catholic Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. “The Catholic Foundation teamed with all our parishes to ensure the Appeal’s message, which is so incredibly important,

reached people wherever they were: whether at home, in the pews, reading The Anchor, or on their phones and computers.”

The need for support of the many agencies, ministries, and programs of the Diocese of Fall River, and the demand for them, remains strong.

The Catholic Foundation encourages the faithful to show their support of our brothers and sisters in need throughout the year.

Donations can be made online at any time at givefrdiocese.org/2021 or mailed to the Catholic Appeal office at 450 Highland Avenue, Fall River, Mass., 02720. They may also continue to be dropped off at any parish in the diocese.

July 23, 2021 †

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The Chaste Heart of St. Joseph

he Chaste Heart of St. Joseph is a reference to the purity and holiness of the person of St. Joseph. Just as we honor Our Blessed Lord, by our devotion to His Most Sacred Heart and we honor Our Lady by our consecration to her Immaculate Heart, St. Joseph is the just and virtuous man privileged by God to be the virginal spouse and protector of the Virgin Mary and the Guardian of the Redeemer.

We see the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph in his loving devotion to the Blessed Vir-

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gin and his great humility, recognizing his lowliness to be the protector of the King and Queen of Heaven and Earth. Their chaste virginal love for each other is the model of all married love. Just as the call to consecrated virginity is higher than Marriage, so too, their virginal Marriage was of the highest state, an eschatological sign of Heaven to which all hope to arrive. As Our Lord answered those who questioned whose

† July 23, 2021

husband the man who took many wives would belong, He answered, “For in the Resurrection they shall neither marry nor be married;

but shall be as the angels of God in Heaven” (Mt 22:30).

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph exempli-

fy the epitome of Divine charity and all the virtues of which the chastity, purity, self-denial, sacrifice and joy lived for the glory of God and our Salvation was their daily walk. The Chaste Heart of St. Joseph calls us to follow in this way according to our state in life.

One can say that no human being was more perfectly consecrated to Mary than St. Joseph and therefore in this sense we should also “Go to Joseph” to learn how to obtain, to find, to guard and even to restore the lost virtue of chastity.

In our age immorality and vice proliferate by immodesty, fornication, contraception, divorce, adultery and abortion; the loss of the innocence of children occurs quickly either by parental neglect, exposure to indecent programs, social media and a perverse sex education in schools that indoctrinates the iniquitous gender theory; we live in a culture of death that approaches or surpasses the likes of Corinth, Sodom or Rome in its declining years. There is also the scandal caused by Catholic politicians who obstinately persist in promoting legislation in violation of the most fundamental truths of the Divine law. Our Lady of Fatima showed the three children hell in the July apparition 104 years ago, and told St. Jacinta years after that many souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh.

As sinners, we must all turn to St. Joseph for help in the midst of a growing hedonistic culture that devalues the body to a degenerative state of immorality, immodesty

and sterility. In this time of diabolical disorientation, when good is called evil and evil is called good, we need the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph to reorient the Mystical Body of Christ to our immortal and unchanging God. We are exhorted, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching” (Heb13:8-9).

The Chaste Heart of St. Joseph is a protecting heart whose sole concern is Jesus, Mary and YOU. When we turn to St. Joseph and entrust ourselves to him in reverence and confidence, he takes it as his obligation to help us save our souls through silence, prayer and penance so that we can regain the innocence we have lost in this culture. He will help us grow in chastity and purity of heart and lead us to the true love of God and neighbor. As members of the Mystical Body of Christ we must remember our dignity because we are members of the Holy Family and commit to conforming ourselves to this reality. We should examine our conscience every evening in the presence of St. Joseph. As a loving father with a merciful heart, he knows the cost of our Salvation is the Precious Blood of Jesus poured out for us on the cross; he mourned all his life in anticipation of the Passion of Our Lord, from the first shedding of the blood of the Child Jesus during the circumcision and in His presentation in the Temple. Joseph and Mary knew that the Messiah, their Son, was the suffering servant of Isaiah and the suffering which awaited Him for our 8 Turn to page 13

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ne of my favorite memories growing up was when my grandfather would drop by our home for a surprise visit. I always loved seeing him, and the dollar and soda he would each give to me and my brother each wasn’t bad either. He’d sit and talk with us, occasionally fixing a toy or watching us play.

It was a gift having him in our lives, especially as our other grandparents had either passed away or lived in Portugal. It was a gift that I came to appreciate all the more when he passed while I was in high school; a gift that could never be replaced.

Grandparents serve an indispensable role in the lives of children. Not only do many grandparents serve as partial or full caregivers, but many may also serve as their grandchildren’s guardians. For my children, our parents play various roles in their lives, from playmates to caregivers while my wife and I work.

The relationship they have with our children has helped to create a support system that nurtures them physically, mentally, and Spiritually.

It is in part because of the integral role that grandparents play in the lives of their families that Pope Francis named the Sunday closest to the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

Jesus, in being the second person of the Trinity Incarnate, was subject to all things we humans are, including having grandparents. Tradition holds that Saints Joachim and Anne were Mary’s parents, while Matthew’s Gospel names Joseph’s father as Jacob (Mt 1:16). While we may not know for certain how long their lives overlapped with Jesus’, it is safe to assume that if they did, Jesus would have had a good deal of interaction with them, especially living in a first-century Jewish home. In becoming Incarnate and

The importance of grandparents living as part of a family, God sanctified the family, including grandparents.

This is to say that the role of grandparents is therefore not just a ceremonial role but a vocation; even an extension of the vocation to the married life. Lorene Duquin, author of “The Catholic Grandparents Handbook” (2018), shares a myriad of insights not only regarding the vocation of grandparents, but also on ways that grandparents can increase their impact within their grandchildren’s lives.

Quoting several grandparents, Duquin writes that the role of grandparents involves “loving, being loved, and having the time to really observe the uniqueness of each child. Grandparents have the wisdom of experience that parents are just in the process of gaining” and “part of [a grandparent’s] job is to help shed light on whatever is happening in the lives of your grandchildren” (19-20).

It is perhaps for these reasons that multigenerational households, that often include grandparents, are the most likely to report that they pray together (79 percent) and talk about God and faith (86 percent), surpassing nuclear families and single-parent households in these two categories (Barna, “Households of Faith” 66-67).

For parents, this only serves to underscore the importance of including our own parents in the lives of our children, especially as we try to raise them in the Catholic faith.

And for grandparents, never underestimate the importance you hold in your grandchildren’s lives, regardless of whether you

see them daily or live long distance. To this end, Duquin offers several suggestions for how grandparents can love, reach out to, and nurture their grandchildren’s lives. The following are three suggestions she provides regarding faith.

1.Teach grandchildren to pray There are no rules, Duquin points out, for teaching grandchildren how to pray. Each grandparent will find their own way. What is important is that they are taught how to pray.

This can mean sharing one’s own favorite devotion, prayer life, or taking grandchildren to Mass. Not only do these helping actions support parents in laying a foundation for faith, they also are bonding opportunities.

2. Sharing the faith Father James Mallon shares that starting the conversation with children or grandchildren about “external faith practices,” like going to church when they don’t want to, doesn’t necessarily work as an initial entry point.

Rather, he recommends that grandparents share about their own relationship with Jesus, their experience of prayer, and discuss faith as something deep. “Bring Jesus alive in how you live your faith,” Father Mallon explains.

“Often young people will come into the Church through RCIA, and even though they weren’t raised in the Church, the memory of their grandparents taking them to Mass or teaching them the Rosary or talking about prayer and the importance of faith in their lives is what inspired them” (Duquin, 75).

3. Family Traditions

Traditions tell us a great deal of who we are as individuals and as a people, and grandparents often have an important role in passing them on. These traditions provide us with stability in developing our identity and provide a sense of belonging.

“Children learn important lessons from family traditions — about personal values, social behaviors, and communication skills.

Even when families disagree at family gatherings, children learn valuable lessons about respecting others and dealing with conflict” (Duquin, 124).

While a child’s primary catechists in the faith are always their parents, grandparents will also always have a pivotal role to play in helping their grandchildren encounter and build a relationship with Christ. Especially when grandchildren or children don’t practice their faith or go to Mass, grandparents’ faithful and loving witness to the faith becomes all the more essential.

To this end, I invite all grandparents to avail themselves of the resources from the Catholic Grandparents Association (catholicgrandparentsassociation. org), who were a big impetus behind the Holy Father’s establishment of this day. Interested individuals can also contact them to learn how to form a local chapter to offer support and community among grandparents.

As we celebrate the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, may we pray for our own grandparents and better appreciate the importance of grandparents and the elderly in the lives of families and in the life of the Church.

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.

July 23, 2021 †

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T he C hurch

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s you may have read in The Anchor a few weeks ago, the diocese has started a new 40-hour Devotion to the Eucharist. On the second Thursday of every month, starting this month, there will be Adoration all across the diocese at different parishes. As I read about this, I loved that we were embarking on this new journey and it reminded me of the Scripture passage about the disciples on the Road to Emmaus.

About four years ago, I started going to Adoration once a week at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Seekonk.

Every year for our Freshman Retreat, the team does some sort of sacrifice and I thought I’d give an extra hour to Jesus. When I went into the chapel I saw that there were times that were needed to be filled and I so I signed up for one at 11

and

p.m. so it would continue to keep me coming. My plan was to stop going after the retreat but I quickly discovered how that one hour each week changed me.

In the Scripture passage of the Road to Emmaus, the two disciples are discussing how Jesus’ tomb was empty after the crucifixion. As they are talking, Jesus joins them but they do not recognize them. They tell Him all that has occurred and He shares Scripture with them.

It gets late and so they stop for the night and ask Jesus to stay with them. As they sit down to eat, Jesus blesses and breaks the bread and the Gospel tells us that their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus. The disciples said “Were not

Y outh & Y oung A dults

Heart burn our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Lk 24:32). This is essential for us as we grow in faith. We need to learn the teachings of the Church but we also

my heart is burning with the recognition of Christ in front of me but that would not be true. Some days it is all I can do to stay awake for that one hour (11 p.m. on a school night can be difficult). Some days I am tuned in, singing praise songs (only when there is no one else in the chapel with me — I would not do that to anyone but Jesus!) Some days, I have my Bible, a highlighter and my need to understand that journal and I am breaking our eyes and our mind into His Word. Regardless are not all that we need to of how my time is going understand our faith. The in Adoration, I am better disciples were angry with for having spent that hour themselves because they with Him. I cannot get to didn’t recognize Jesus with know Him better if I do their hearts. not spend time with Him. “Were not our hearts I cannot learn to imitate burning….” As I sit in front Him if I do not know how of Jesus each week I would He speaks, how He acts love to say that every hour, and how He loves.

Quo Vadis Days retreat for young men is August 9-13

MEDWAY, Mass. — The Diocese of Fall River Vocation Office is again running Quo Vadis Days from August 9-13, at Betania II Retreat Center in Medway.

This retreat/ camp is a great time for boys ages

14-19 (those entering high school to those entering college) to seek to grow in their faith and fraternity, learning how to discern what is one of the most important things in their life: their vocation.

Throughout the week

A scene from a prior Quo Vadis Days Retreat 12

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there are times of prayer and sports, talks on living the faith and understanding the different vocations, Mass and Adoration, mountain hiking, and fraternity.

It is a great chance for them to build friendships with others their age who are living their faith, as well as to get to know the seminarians of the diocese.

If any young man is interested please fill out the Quo Vadis brochure in the church or email Father Kevin Cook, director of Vocations at frcook@ fallrivervocations.org for a brochure, or visit fallriverdiocese.org and click on Quo Vadis Days.

As we journey our own Roads to Emmaus, let us not just talk about Jesus, but rather talk with Jesus.

Let us open our hearts to see the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist so that learn to love the time we spend with Him, know that we are spending time with the one true Lord of all the world. As a Church, I am hopeful that this journey back to the Eucharist will help to reignite a love and passion for the grace He offers in the Sacraments. Let us use this time to let our hearts burn with a love for Him and for all His children.

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

St. John Paul II School staffer to receive Al Makkay Sr. Award HYANNIS — In 2017, the Foundation to Advance Catholic Education (FACE) established the Al Makkay Sr. Award, given in honor and memoriam for the life of service embodied by Makkay, to recognize outstanding contributions by a teacher or staff member in the Catholic Schools of Cape Cod. This year, the award will be presented to Margaret Keras at the annual Summer Gala in Falmouth.

Her career with the Diocese of Fall River began in 2004 when she joined the staff of the newly established St. Pius X School in South Yarmouth after a successful career in high tech and business consulting.

In 2013, she joined St. John Paul II School in Hyannis where she serves as the Business Manager.

She herself is a product of Catholic education, having attended St. Patrick High School in Watertown, Mass., where she grew up, and St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

Gathering for Hispanic Youth and Their Parents is at La Salette August 7 ATTLEBORO — A Gathering for Hispanic Youth and Their Parents will take place at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, 947 Park Street, Attleboro, on August 7 from 1 to 3 p.m.

This is a time to see each other again as a diocesan community, now that COVID-19 has subsided

a bit, although the need still remains to be careful and maintain protective measures. This event has the young people and their parents as the special guests.

It will be a celebration of the courage of confronting the difficulties of the past year and thanking God for the strength

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, July 25 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in New Bedford

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, August 1 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from St. Francis Xavier Church in East Providence

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, July 25 at 11:00 a.m.

and hope He continues to offer.

There are countless heroes around the world who served their communities and their families, and many others close to us who protected and cared

for us. Like all heroes they did not look for glory but acted in a generous manner, confronting adversity and leading the way to greater health, hope and peace.

There, those in atten-

dance will see the lives of young saints of our time who did similar deeds and who are models of joy and valor to all. The participants will pray and sing, thanking God for these heavenly helpers.

Annual St. Vincent’s Services Motorcycle Run is August 15 FALL RIVER — Tickets are now available for the Saint Vincent’s Services 16th Annual Motorcycle Run and Raffle on Sunday, August 15. Registration starts at 9 a.m. at Saint Vincent’s Services at 2425 Highland Avenue in Fall River. Every ticket purchased helps support children in need and the many programs and services available through Saint Vincent’s.

New this year the Motorcycle Run will end at the Fall River Elks Club on North Main Street where riders, passengers, and friends are invited to join in for the first Food Truck

Festival immediately following the 45-mile run.

Do ride a motorcycle and enjoy the open road?

Do you love the feeling of the sun on your shoulders, the wind in your face, and the feeling of knowing that you are helping children in need? Join the 16th Annual Motorcycle Run and Raffle and you can enjoy all of that and more!

More than 175 motorcycles and 300 guests are anticipated, making this bike run one of the largest in the area. This relaxed 45-mile bike run travels through the scenic back roads of Fall River, Assonet, Berkley, Lakeville, and

features wide open country roads and breathtaking lake views.

Guests are also encouraged to participate in our Bike Run Raffle for amazing prizes donated by area businesses that include beer, wine, gift baskets, sports memorabilia, gift certificates, and much more.

Unique trophies will also be awarded to the most exciting bikes, as judged by Saint Vincent’s youth, at the end of the event.

Tickets for this August’s Motorcycle Run and Raffle are available online at saintvincentsservices.org.

The chaste heart of St. Joseph continued from page 10

Celebrant is Father Christopher M. Peschel, Parochial Administrator, Our Lady of Grace Parish, and Co-Pastor of St. John the Baptist in Westport

Sunday, August 1 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Michael Racine, Pastor of the Whaling City Catholic Community in New Bedford

Salvation. This Salvation is not “won and done” as our Protestant brethren believe, thinking they are saved once and for all regardless of subsequent sins and betrayals of Our Lord, but rather we must apply the merits of the Redemption to our daily lives cooperating with Our Lord and our sorrowful mother in loving gratitude, joy and sacrifice, even as we work out our Salvation daily in “fear and trembling” that we may not be lost. God is merciful but that is never a license for us

to sin since we never know our final hour. Such presumption is foolhardy and we in humility must detach ourselves from this world as the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph did in his call by God to the duty of guarding Jesus and Mary, fleeing to Egypt to protect their lives from the persecution of Herod, to return when prompted by the angel after Herod’s death, to earn a decent living in honesty by the sweat of his brow to provide for the Holy Family The Chaste Heart of

St. Joseph is the heart of our Spiritual Guardian and intercessor before Jesus and Mary to preserve and protect us from a life of impurity and the road to hell which it leads. But we must invoke him, we must “Go to Joseph” in reverence and faith.

Small and her husband Bill have made their solemn profession as Third Order Franciscans of the Immaculate, through the Franciscans of the Immaculate in New Bedford.

July 23, 2021 †

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Bible translations continued from page four

First Edition, American Bible Society; Contemporary English Version — Book of Psalms, American Bible Society; Contemporary English Version — Book of Proverbs, American Bible Society; The Grail Psalter (Inclusive Language Version), G.I.A. Publications; New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE); New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, National Council of Churches; The Psalms, Alba House; The Psalms (New International Version) — St. Joseph Catholic Edition, Catholic Book Publishing Company; The Psalms — St. Joseph New Catholic Version, Catholic Book Publishing Company; Revised Psalms of the New American Bible (1991); So You May Believe, A Translation of the Four

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Gospels, Alba House; Good News Translation (Today’s English Version, Second Edition), American Bible Society; Translation for Early Youth, A Translation of the New Testament for Children, Contemporary English Version, American Bible Society.

You can find this information on the U.S. bishops’ website at https:// www.usccb.org/offices/ new-american-bible/ approved-translationsbible.

You may have heard about the Word On Fire Bible promoted by Bishop Robert Baron. This is actually a New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) translation with extensive commentary by the bishop and others. It is intended for new readers of the Bible.

Approved for Liturgical Use Since May 19, 2002, the New American Bible Revised Edition is the only

† July 23, 2021

English-language translation that may be used at Mass in the dioceses of the United States, except for the current Lectionary for Masses with Children which remains in use.

The United States Council of Catholic Bishops maintains a copy of the NABRE translation of the Bible in English and in Spanish on their website.

You can view this anytime for free.

This link will take you to a page organized by the Books of the Bible: https:// bible.usccb.org/bible.

This link will take you to a page organized by Daily Readings for Mass: https://bible.usccb.org/.

Where do we go from here?

There is no denying that the Word of God speaks to us through the many translations of the Holy Scripture. Even translations that are not approved by the Catholic Church can move us to a deeper understanding of our God. Since we are Catholics it makes sense to embrace an approved translation for several reasons. It aligns more completely with Church teaching. It provides a fullness of understanding and a thoughtful use of modern language to accurately convey meanings. Of special concern is that the NABRE edition is the translation used at Mass. With this in mind it makes sense that you consider a NABRE translation for your personal Bible. What you read, study and pray at home will be the same exact text you will hear proclaimed at Mass.

If you are a religion teacher, using the NABRE translation in your lessons is a powerful way to connect your lessons to the Liturgy of the Mass by using the exact same text in your class that will be proclaimed at Mass.

In general, all Bible translations are good.

Think of a Catholic approved translation as set apart from the fold and containing a special fullness and richness not found at the same level in

the others. Think of it as aligned to your Catholic identity.

Rick Swenton is a parishioner at St. Pius the Tenth Church in South Yarmouth and is a member of the choir and a cantor. He has a certificate in Lay Ministry from the Archdiocese of Hartford with a focus on Liturgy and Music. He is a published church music composer. He resides with his wife, Gail, in South Dennis.

In Your Prayers

Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks:

July 31 Rev. Daniel Hearne, Pastor, St. Mary, Taunton, 1865 Rev. Hugh J. Munro, Chaplain, Marian Manor, Taunton, 2003 Rev. Fernand A. Cassista, M.S., 2014 Aug. 1 Rev. Marc H. Bergeron, Pastor, Our Lady of Fatima, New Bedford, 2014 Rev. William M. Costello, Retired, Former Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Seekonk, 2018 Aug. 5 Rev. Martin J. Fox, Founder, St. Paul, Taunton, 1917, Rev. Thomas A. Kelly, Pastor, SS. Peter & Paul, Fall River, 1934 Permanent Deacon Robert W. Pelland, 2016 Aug. 6 Rev. Joseph P. Lyons, Pastor, St. Joseph, Fall River, 1961 Aug. 7 Rev. John F. Hogan, Pastor, St. Julie Billiart, North Dartmouth, 1986 Very Rev. Roger L. Gagne, V. F., Pastor, St. Mark, Attleboro Falls, 1987 Aug. 8 Rev. William Bric, Founder, St. Joseph, Fall River, 1880 Aug. 12 Rev. Victor O. Masse, M.S., Retired Pastor, St. Anthony, New Bedford, 1974 Rev. Msgr. John F. Moore, Retired, Catholic Memorial Home; Former Pastor, St. Elizabeth Seton, North Falmouth; Former Executive Editor of The Anchor; Former diocesan Director of the Permanent Diaconate Office, 2018 Aug. 13 Rev. Edward J. Sheridan, Pastor, St. Mary, Taunton, 1896 Rt. Rev. Leonard J. Daley, Pastor, St. Francis Xavier, Hyannis, 1964 Rev. Gabriel Swol, OFM Conv., Former Associate Pastor, Holy Rosary, Taunton, 1991

A

A long overdue pep (and mem) talk

s you can see on page one of this edition of The Anchor, Pope Francis has designated this Sunday (July 25) as the first World Day For Grandparents and the Elderly, and I’m delighted he opted to do so.

So many countries around the world view their elderly citizens and inhabitants with great reverence and respect. I fear the United States has fallen into a culture where grandparents, and the elderly population in general, are seen as more of a burden than a source of wisdom, knowledge, experience and life lessons for younger generations. Plain and simple, that’s sinful.

Of the four grandparents I had, I met three of them and knew two of them. What I wouldn’t give to have them alive and a part of my life right now. As my dad grew older and more fragile in body and mind, he shared so much wisdom with me. I will never be able to repay him for what he gave me in is final years (all his life for that matter), despite his failing mind and body.

Being primarily of French-Canadian descent (with a little German and First Nation/Native American sprinkled in according to Ancestry.com), I had two pépères and two mémères.

I love the fact that even today, grandmothers and grandfathers are referred to in their native languages, be it Portuguese, Polish, Hispanic, Canuck, et al.

My mémère Laura (Dudevoir) Jolivet was the only of my grandparents I never met. She was born in Fall River on Feb. 7, 1884. She died of tuberculosis at the young age of 33, on

March 18, 1927. My dad was only six years old at the time, yet in his final months and days he spoke of her often, thinking she was still alive.

He did tell me she was gentle, kind and had a sense of humor. I recently found in my dad’s things a prayer book of hers as a young girl, with her signature. I cherish that relic.

My pépère Loridas Jolivet was born in Rivière du Loup, Quebec, Canada on Jan. 27, 1887. After he came to the U.S., he eventually enlisted in the U.S. Navy during WWI. It was there he contracted the Spanish Flu and was considered a gonner by military doctors, but pep didn’t give in. He and mémère Laura had two children before she died, and it was a struggle for pépère Larry to raise two young children alone. From what my dad told me, he and his sister Connie were put in nearby orphanages for a while until my pépère remarried.

Life wasn’t easy for them, and my dad left school as a lad to work to help support the family.

Pépère Larry died on Dec. 7, 1960, when I was just four years old. I have very vague memories of him, and frankly, to this day, I’m jealous of my brother Paul, that he got to spend time with pépère Larry; going fishing and skating and boating. He has memories I wish I had.

My mom’s parents were the two I knew most, especially my pépère Er-

nest Vautrin. Pépère Ernie was a hardworking, fun-loving little man who thought the world of his plethora of grandchildren. He had nine children.

He and my mémère Alice (Simon) Vautrin owned a three-decker on Whipple Street in Fall River with a massive yard, needed of course for the herd of grandchildren. The yard included a humongous maple tree (yes, the one from which I fell and mangled my arm when I was 11), and plenty of space to run and play. They property was always a beehive of activity.

Pépère Ernie always had a garden in the backyard and always an old barrel in which he burned trash (and my fingers one day on a little white hot bottle from the ashes). He absolutely loved being outside with his mob.

He was pistol and never afraid of hard work, as a wall-paperer, painter, carpenter, whatever. I remember one winter my dad had to go up on pépère Ernie’s garage to get him because he was up there shoveling snow off the roof. Pépère was in his 80s.

We lived across the street from him, and as a lad, I would go to his house every morning to read the Boston Record-American sports page — after he had. He was a big Red Sox fan (my pépère Loridas was a Boston Braves fan).

As I grew into my mid to late teens, I saw him not nearly as much as

I should have, and I deeply regret that.

He died on Oct. 1, 1974, when I was 18. My mom told me that a few days before he died, my pep had a dream about me and a little dog (Igor?). That both warmed and broke my heart that I was on his mind, among his many grandchildren.

My mémère Alice seemed to some, and to us grandkids at times, to be a cantankerous woman. My most vivid memory of her is her constantly telling us to “close the gate,” every time we entered or left the yard. I chuckle just thinking about it.

But she was a sweetheart. I also remember her as a fun-loving woman who loved a party and a good time — and music. She played the piano with great spirit and joy. And when she wasn’t playing, we grandkids would grab a roll, plug it into the spool, pump the foot pedals and become instant piano players too.

When I was still a pup, mémère fell at home and broke her hip. That was in the 60s and she was in her 70s, and that was pretty much a death sentence for an aged person back then.

She spent the rest of her life in bed at home, always surrounded by her children and older grandchildren. Mémère Alice died on Oct. 8, 1968.

It has been bittersweet to write this column, but it has also made me love the four of them even more. I wish I could spend time with them now. I hope they’re proud of me.

Larry, Laura, Alice and Ernie, thank you — and please pray for me and my family, as I keep you in my prayers. I love you all. davejolivet@anchornews.org.

Pépère Loridas Jolivet

Mémère Laura (Dudevoir) Jolivet

Pépère Ernest Vautrin

Mémère Alice (Simon) Vautrin July 23, 2021 †

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† July 23, 2021