08 28 15

Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , August 28, 2015

Fall River diocesan schools: Far from just the old ‘3 Rs’

By Dave Jolivet Editor davejolivet@anchornews.org

vastly changed.

The Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fall River are very much part of the cutting edge academic world.

“We are elated about the school year

ahead,” Dr. Michael S. Griffin, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Fall River told The Anchor. “We FALL RIVER — There was a time have been working toward the highwhen back-to-school preparations for est levels of academic opportunities teachers and students focused on the 3 for our youngRs; reading, ’risters, all while tin’ and ’rithmatguiding them ic. And in the in the faith and case of parochial in the teachings schools, the 4 of the Catholic Rs, — the addiChurch.” tion of religion.

Most diocesan But 15 years schools opened into the 21st this week, but century, school faculties, staffs curricula and Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro offered its first-ever “Shamrock Leadership Institute,” earlier this summer. It’s a preparing for derivative of the diocesan Christian Leadership Institute, which helps teach young men and women leadership skills to be and administraTurn to page 18 the new year has used in the Church and society at large.

Keeping children SAFE in the diocese

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff beckyaubut@anchornews.org

Father Craig A. Pregana, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at St. James Church in New Bedford, speaks to folks gathered at St. Julie Billiart Parish in North Dartmouth for a recent meeting of parish vocations committees. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

Parish representatives attend vocations planning meeting

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff kensouza@anchornews.org

NORTH DARTMOUTH — For the second time in as many months, a strategic planning meeting was held to guide representatives who are preparing to serve on their respective

parish vocation committees. An initial meeting was held July 30 at St. Julie Billiart Parish in North Dartmouth and the follow-up convened at the same location on August 20.

According to Sister Paulina Hurtado, O.P., associate director of vocaTurn to page 15

NEW BEDFORD — Parishes and schools will soon be opening up their doors to welcome in students coming off summer break and for Debora Berg, coordinator of the Office for Child Protection of the Diocese of Fall River, this time of year signals an uptick in registrations for the Safe Environment program.

Held every Tuesday night, the free program helps educate directors of Religious Education and volunteers on abuse prevention and how to report abuse, as well as offering a series of videos to be used to educate students.

“It is a sensitive topic,” said Berg, “and what’s interesting is, I get feedback from the directors of Religious Education that there is some pushback from the parents asking, ‘Why is the Church teaching this?’ It’s a struggle for everybody; it takes away time from the basic Faith Formation to do Safe Environment. The answer, especially on this side of the country,

should be pretty obvious: because we never want children to be at risk, like they were a long time ago, and the Church is taking significant steps to fix that.

“I think the biggest issue that people struggle with is that [they think] Safe Environment is sex ed.

101; there is nothing about it that is sex education. What we’re teaching children from first grade up is that your body is precious; it’s a gift from God, and it belongs to you. You have the right to say no if someone touches you or does something to you in a way you don’t like, and that’s important for kids to know nowadays.”

Berg has 28 years of child welfare experience and is constantly reading up on the latest techniques to help make the Safe Environment program a wealth of knowledge for those taking part in getting certified. This year the Abuse Prevention Training Manual and diocesan Code of Conduct have been updated, helping make the guidelines more user-friendly; any diocesan employee Turn to page 14

2

August 28, 2015 News From the Vatican Ideals worth sacrificing for: Pope to challenge U.S. Congress, U.N.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Along with having a winning smile and a warm embrace, Pope Francis is known for challenging people.

He does it regularly at morning Mass — particularly calling out hypocrisy and gossip — and does not spare even his closest aides in the Roman Curia, so it is unlikely his speeches to the U.S. Congress and the U.N. General Assembly will let his audiences leave without a suggested examination of conscience.

His speeches to Congress and to the United Nations in late September will be less pastoral than his homilies, obviously, and more about policy. They will be crafted carefully with the assistance of the Vatican secretariat of state.

The themes will reflect the priorities of Pope Francis, not as an individual, but as head of the Universal Catholic Church.

With the exception of a few classic, colorful Pope Francis analogies — an infusion of Pope Francis’ personality — the speeches are expected to be similar in style and tone to those his predecessors delivered at the United Nations.

Like his predecessors, Pope Francis will praise the founding ideals of the United States and the United Nations; the challenges will come when he urges the leaders of both to live up to those ideals and to do so consistently.

At the center of both speeches will be a call to work for the common good — not just the interests of their campaign supporters or even of all their constituents — with a vision that recognizes, as the pope repeatedly says, that there is only one human family and that people have a shared responsibility for others and the world.

A global problem, one he addressed last November at the European Parliament and Council

of Europe, is an approach to human rights that is disconnected from responsibilities and from an individual’s connection to the wider community.

“Unless the rights of each individual are harmoniously ordered to the greater good,” he said, “those rights will end up being considered limitless and consequently will become a source of conflicts and violence.”

The pope recognizes how tough a politician’s job is. In his apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel,” he wrote that “politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good.”

In the exhortation, Pope Francis strongly defended the right of believers to bring their faith to bear on the social, economic and political issues of the day.

“No one can demand that religion should be relegated to the inner sanctum of personal life, without influence on societal and national life, without concern for the soundness of civil institutions, without a right to offer an opinion on events affecting society,” he wrote. “Who would claim to lock up in a church and silence the message of St. Francis of Assisi or Blessed Teresa of Calcutta?”

Authentic faith, the pope wrote, “always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better than we found it.”

For Pope Francis, making the world a better place is not a catchy line from a pop song. It is about rolling up one’s sleeves and feeding the hungry, welcoming the immigrant, rescuing the victims of human trafficking, reducing the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming and ensuring jobs for young adults.

Making the world a better

place, he often says, means putting the needs of real people above the desire for maximum profits. A healthy economy and lively businesses are essential, but they must grow along with the entire population.

In his encyclical, “Laudato Si’,” the pope recognized the dilemma facing politicians who know that short-term sacrifices — and re-election risks — are needed for long-term gains in safeguarding the environment. “But if they are courageous, they will attest to their God-given dignity and leave behind a testimony of selfless responsibility,” he wrote.

Courage also is needed to overcome what the pope has described as “the globalization of indifference,” “the economy of exclusion” and the “throwaway culture,” which are the main forces he sees at play behind hunger, poverty, abortion, discrimination, immigration, war, environmental devastation and a host of other global problems.

While every person of good will should join the fight, Pope Francis sees the United Nations as a global institution whose very purpose is to pay attention to and assist those most in need, most under threat and most often excluded from the benefits of economic development.

His visit coincides with a scheduled vote on the sustainable development goals, a list of 17 major commitments that the world’s nations and U.N. agencies will be asked to pursue until 2030, beginning with concrete steps to end extreme poverty everywhere.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva, noted that the Catholic Church shares and concretely works around the globe to end poverty and inequality and promote solidarity, but it cannot support the inclusion in the development goals of “reproductive health” when it means access to abortion.

The text of the goals seems to present abortion as “a right that should be guaranteed to all,” he recently told the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire. “It’s as if by eliminating people there would be fewer problems.”

Pope Francis may repeat what he told members of the European Parliament about promoting — even unconsciously — the human rights only of those who are useful producers and consumers. “As is so tragically apparent,” he said, “whenever a human life no longer proves useful for that machine, it is discarded with few

qualms, as in the case of the sick, of the terminally-ill, the elderly who are abandoned and uncared for, and children who are killed in the womb.”

Even on the question of climate change and preparations for the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris at the end of the year, the pope’s challenge to the United Nations will come back to his conviction that too many people and nations have made money their god and selfinterest their only criterion for

judgment.

“International negotiations (on climate change) cannot make significant progress due to positions taken by countries which place their national interests above the global common good,” the pope wrote in his environmental encyclical. “We believers cannot fail to ask God for a positive outcome to the present discussions, so that future generations will not have to suffer the effects of our ill-advised delays.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Work is an important expression of human dignity and of caring for one’s family, but today there is a “dangerous tendency” to consider a worker’s family obligations as an obstacle to productivity and profit, Pope Francis said.

“But let’s ask ourselves: What productivity? And for whom?” he said at a recent weekly general audience as he continued a long series of audience talks about the family and family life.

“Work, in its thousand forms, beginning with housework, is about caring for the common good,” providing for one’s family and cooperating with God in creating goods and services that are useful to others, the pope said.

To say someone is a “hard worker,” he said, is a compliment, just as saying someone “lives off ” of another is a put down. St. Paul, in 2 Thessalonians, tells Christians that if they do not work, they should not eat. “It’s a great recipe for losing weight, eh?” the pope said.

“Work — and I repeat, in all its forms — is human. It expresses the dignity of being created in the image of God, which is why it can be said that work is Sacred,” Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered in the Vatican audience hall.

Work is so important for individual identity, for the ability it gives people to support their families and for its contribution to the community that creating and organizing employment is a huge “human and social responsibility, which cannot be left in the hands of a few or pushed off onto a divinized market,” the pope said.

“To cause the loss of jobs is to cause great social damage,” he said.

“It makes me sad when I see there are no jobs, when there are people without work who cannot find a job and who do not have the dignity of being able to

bring bread home,” he said. “And I rejoice when I see governments making great efforts to promote employment, to find jobs and to try to make sure everyone has work.”

Work is part of the normal rhythm of life for individuals and for families, he said. It must alternate with times of rest or celebration and, especially, time for prayer.

Balance is important, Pope Francis said, for protecting individuals, their families, society and the environment.

Attitudes toward work that consider the family an obstacle to productivity, he said, also tend to see the workforce as something “to assemble, use or dispose of ” only according to how much money it makes.

The family is “the proving ground” of labor policies, he said.

“When the organization of work takes the family hostage or blocks its progress, then we can be certain society has begun working against itself.”

Christian families, the pope said, have a mission to remind the world of the fundamental principles of God’s Creation and God’s plan: “the identity and bond between man and woman; the generation of children; work that tames and makes the world habitable.”

“The loss of these fundamentals is a very serious matter and in our common home there are already too many cracks,” Pope Francis said.

“The beauty of the earth and the dignity of work were made to go together,” he said. But when the family, the earth or labor are “hostage to the logic of profit,” then everything is poisoned and the poorest families suffer most.

“The task isn’t easy. Sometimes it seems that families are like David facing Goliath, but we know how that story ended!”

Pope Francis said.

Balanced life includes time for family, work, prayer, pope says

The International Church Malaysia’s response to refugees, migrants studied during USCCB trip

August 28, 2015

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Exploitation and discrimination abound among refugees from Myanmar’s ethnic minority communities who have landed in Malaysia, a five-member contingent from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops learned.

The extent of the struggles facing the Rohingya people, Muslims who have been denied recognition by the Myanmar government, and other ethnic minorities was disappointing to experience, said Kristyn Peck, associate director of children’s services for Migration and Refugee Services at the USCCB. Hundreds of refugees from Myanmar’s ethnic minority communities flood Malaysia each month in the hope of a better life, only to find themselves being exploited, ignored or trafficked for sex and labor. Many have left Myanmar because their pleas for basic rights have been ignored by longtime military rulers as well as by recently-elected civilian leaders.

Some Rohingya have fled only to be trapped aboard boats at sea as countries have refused them entry.

The delegation also met refugees from war-torn Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, all of whom are vulnerable to poverty, extortion and trafficking.

The contingent, including two bishops who chair USCCB committees, heard from immigrants, their advocates and Catholic and nongovernmental social service providers who described how non-Malay newcomers are often mistreated. In some cases, they are confronted on the street by police seeking bribes equal to about $12.50 under the threat of detention.

“The people who are fleeing Myanmar are so vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking while they’re seeking refugee status.

That process of seeking protection takes years and years,” Peck said.

However, gaining refugee status does not guarantee that refugees are protected because Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees and they remain vulnerable until they leave the country,” Peck explained.

The USCCB delegation is considering recommending in a future report that the Malaysian government provide work permits, that more countries accept refugees and those nations accepting them boost quotas, she said.

“It is shocking. What I think is so upsetting to me we are familiar with these issues. We’re

familiar with the suffering experienced by and how vulnerable immigrant and refugees are,” Peck told Catholic News Service in an interview from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, two weeks into a tour of four Southeast Asia nations that recently ended.

At a shelter outside of Kuala Lumpur — which Peck declined to identify because of the threat that traffickers would track them down — the contingent watched

Despite the difficulties facing refugees, the State Department upgraded Malaysia’s status on human trafficking from Tier 3, the lowest level, to the Tier 2 Watch List in its 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report.

Under the rankings, Tier 3 countries are considered those not adhering to standards under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and are not taking steps to do so. Tier 2 Watch List countries do

eign workers in the country.

Sarah Sewall, undersecretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights at the State Department, said at a briefing when the report was recently released the upgrade reflects Malaysia’s efforts to reform its response to trafficking.

She cited reforming victim protection services, adopting a pilot project to allow a limited number of trafficking victims to leave

3

“We also remain concerned with the restrictions on victims detained in government facilities and in adequate efforts to address pervasive passport retention by employers,” she said. “The TIP Report documents these concerns and will continue to work over the course of the next year with the government to impress upon them and support their efforts for change.”

In Congress and elsewhere, talk has emerged that the upgrade came to allow Malaysia to fully participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal being negotiated among the U.S. and Asian countries.

Sewall declined to address the issue, saying that the State Department assessed Malaysia’s status only as it pertained under the 15-year-old Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Malaysia was the third stop on the USCCB contingent’s agenda.

They also visited Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia, exploring the status of minority communities, refugees, unaccompanied migrating children and people Refugees from Myanmar’s ethnic minority communities wait for access to the U.N. Refugee Agency building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, recently. Exploitation and discrimination abound among refugees being trafficked for sex or labor from Myanmar’s ethnic minority communities who have landed in Malaysia, a five-member contingent throughout the region.

The contingent included Bishfrom the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops learned. (CNS photo/Olivia Harris, Reuters) op Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, a performance by a small group not comply with the act’s mini- government facilities for work, N.M., chairman of the Commitof child refugees, all unaccompa- mum standards “but are making consulting civil society in drafting tee on International Justice and nied by an adult. Peck said it was significant efforts to bring them- amendments to anti-trafficking Peace; Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio readily apparent they were trau- selves into compliance with those laws and increasing trafficking L. Elizondo of Seattle, chairman matized. Some had been forced standards.” investigations and prosecutions of the Committee on Migration; The report said that the major- from 2013-14 as positive steps. to beg on the street; others had Kevin Appleby, director of migrabeen forced to work for little or ity of people who are trafficked in Despite the increased prosecu- tion and refugee policy for the no pay while being mistreated by Malaysia are among the two mil- tions, the number of convictions USCCB; and Matthew Wilch, lion documented and more than declined, which, Sewall said, was refugee policy adviser for the traffickers.

“We were advised they were two million undocumented for- cause for concern. bishops. not in a place to talk about their experience,” Peck said.

In other meetings, including with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and Kuala Lumpur Archbishop Julian Leow Beng Kim and his staff, the USCCB representatives learned that detention “is not a great place.”

Peck said the group heard how the detention facilities are crowded, often mixing men, women and children, and toilet facilities are few.

Despite several requests, the group was unable to meet with Malaysian government officials to hear their point of view, Peck said.

“It would have been nice to have their perspective,” she told CNS. Those reports will include one to the USCCB at its annual fall assembly in November. The findings also will be shared in meetings on Capitol Hill and with the Department of State when the status of Southeast Asia refugees is discussed.

4

August 28, 2015 The Church in the U.S. Is Planned Parenthood ‘aborting’ babies after birth?

Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — Warning: this article contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

A new video in an investigative series on Planned Parenthood shows a former technician saying that she had once been traumatized by the experience of gathering tissue from an aborted baby whose heart was still beating.

Holly O’Donnell, former technician for the biotech company StemExpress, LLC, said that after the intact delivery of “the most gestated fetus and closest thing to a baby that I’ve seen,” a clinic worker called for her to come over and see something “kind of cool.”

“She just taps the heart, and it starts beating,” O’Donnell said in the video released by the Center for Medical Progress.

“I’m sitting here and I’m looking at this fetus, and its heart is beating, and I don’t know what to think,” she said.

“I don’t know if that constitutes it’s technically dead, or it’s alive.”

After seeing the fetus, O’Donnell said she was handed scissors “to cut down the middle of the face” in order to obtain brain tissue for medical research. “I can’t even describe what that feels like,” she said.

Dr. Ben Van Handel of Novogenix Laboratories, LLC,

“I literally have had women said in the video that “there law, infants born alive or those are times when after the pro- who survive botched abortion come in, and they’ll go in the cedure [abortion] is done, that attempts must be granted the O.R. and they’re back out in the heart actually is still beat- same protection and treatment three minutes,” she said, addthat any other newborn baby is ing that “the fetus was already ing.” in the vaginal canal whenever The accusation that Planned entitled to under federal law.

Daleiden, discussing fully we put her [the mother] in the Parenthood has been harvesting organs of babies born be- intact fetuses and tissue pro- stirrups, it just fell out.”

Larton also described how fore an abortion procedure is curement on CNN recently, “they induce fetal demise part of an ongoing legal controversy between the ’m sitting here and I’m at about 18 to 20 weeks,” abortion giant and citizen looking at this fetus, and but when asked if the babies were administered journalist group Center its heart is beating, and I don’t digoxin she replied “no, for Medical Progress.

In July, StemExpress know what to think,” she said. no, no, no, no.”

In addition, O’Donnell sought an injunction to “I don’t know if that constiblock the release of a tutes it’s technically dead, or it’s said she had witnessed correspondence between video “where their lead- alive.” a doctor and worker that ership admitted that they a “fully-intact fetus” had sometimes get fully intact been procured and they fetuses shipped to their laboratory from the abortion said that any feticide or fatal “were sending it straight to clinics they work with,” said drug like digoxin that is ad- the lab.”

In a previous video released David Daleiden, project lead ministered before an abortion for Center for Medical Prog- procedure would adversely by the Center for Medical ress, in a July 31 interview disrupt the tissue extraction Progress, one Planned Parentprocess since it “poisons” the hood doctor said that mothers with CNN. “That could be prima facie fetal tissue. Thus harvesters sometimes give birth before an evidence of born alive infants,” who obtain a “fully-intact” abortion can be performed. baby from an abortion did so “Sometimes, if we get, if he said.

While the temporary re- from an abortion procedure someone delivers before we straining order was initially performed after a live birth, he get to see them for a procedure, then we are intact, but granted, a California judge claimed.

The August 19 video claims that’s not what we go for. later stated that it was unlikely that a preliminary injunc- evidence of “fully-intact” ba- We try for that to not haption would be granted. Stem- bies delivered to harvesters. pen,” Dr. Savita Ginde, vice Express severed its ties with Perrin Larton, a procurement president and medical direcPlanned Parenthood last week. manager for a company called tor of Planned Parenthood of According to the Born- Advanced Bioscience Re- the Rocky Mountains, said in Alive Infants Protection Act sources, described in the video an undercover video released of 2002, a baby “born alive” how women would sometimes July 30, of providing tissue is one who “breathes or has give birth before an abortion procurement companies with a beating heart.” Under the procedure could be performed. “intact” body parts of aborted

“I

babies.

CNA reached out to Planned Parenthood for comment on the August 19 video, but did not receive a response.

O’Donnell said that the experience of seeing and dissecting a developed fetus with a beating heart shook her. After transferring the baby’s brain and body for research transport and disposal, she said “that was the moment I knew I couldn’t work for the company anymore.”

She said that she held the fetus afterwards in her hands.

“It’s pretty hard knowing you’re the only person who’s ever going to hold that baby,” she reflected.

The August 19 video is the seventh released by the Center for Medical Progress. Previous undercover videos show Planned Parenthood and medical procurement officials discussing the collection and transfer of body parts from aborted fetuses, compensation and itemization of the parts, and possible alteration of abortion procedures to obtain more intact specimens.

The videos have sparked investigation and calls for the removal of funding from Planned Parenthood from congressional and state legislators and officials. The organization receives more than $500 million a year from the federal government.

One court OKs stay for Little Sisters; another says no to religious agencies

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Two federal appeals courts recently acted in cases related to the contraceptive mandate for employee health insurance.

One court said the Little Sisters of the Poor and fellow plaintiffs need not comply with its July ruling against them while the Sisters appeal to the Supreme Court. The second court ruled against Michigan and Tennessee Catholic Charities agencies, Aquinas College and other Church-run institutions, saying that their religious rights are not substantially burdened by a process created by the federal government for opting out of providing contraceptive coverage due to religious objections.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that while the Little Sisters of the Poor and fellow plaintiffs appeal its July ruling

against them, they need not comply with the mandate to provide contraceptive coverage or follow procedures to hand off that responsibility to others.

The 10th Circuit had ruled July 14 that the Little Sisters are not substantially burdened by the process set out by the Department of Health and Human Services by which they can avoid requirements to provide contraceptive coverage to employees as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. The Cincinnati-based 6th Circuit recently became the seventh federal appeals court to rule against nonprofit religious organizations that argued that the contraceptive mandate and the opt-out system violate their religious rights. No appeals courts have ruled otherwise.

All of the circuit court decisions have come since the

Supreme Court’s June 2014 ruling that the owners of the Hobby Lobby craft store chain and similarly situated, closely held, for-profit companies are entitled to be exempt from the contraceptive requirement. The appeals courts ruled in light of the Hobby Lobby decision, finding that unlike the for-profit organizations, the nonprofits had a viable alternative in what HHS calls an accommodation for them and that it does not infringe on their religious rights.

The 6th Circuit consolidated challenges to the law by the Michigan Catholic Conference; Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich.; the Diocese of Nashville, Catholic Charities of Tennessee; Camp Marymount of Fairview, Tenn.; Mary, Queen of Angels, an assisted living center in Nashville; St. Mary Villa,

a Nashville child development center; and the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia and Aquinas College, both of Nashville.

The court had previously declined to grant the organizations injunctions to block enforcement of the contraceptive provision. In its 24page opinion reconsidering the cases in light of Hobby Lobby, the 6th Circuit said the two dioceses and the Sisters of St. Cecilia are exempt from the requirement under HHS rules. The other organizations’ religious objections can be accommodated within the HHS accommodation process, it said.

The 100-word order of the 10th Circuit granted the stay requested by the Little Sisters, Southern Nazarene University and Reaching Souls International, pending the Supreme Court’s consideration of their petitions for

appeal. The Supreme Court is not expected to announce the outcome of petitions for certiorari, as requests for the court to accept cases on appeal are called, until close to the start of its new term in early October.

The religious nonprofit organizations in the cases do not meet the HHS re quirements for an exemption granted to institutions such as churches and dioceses that are primarily involved in inculcating the faith and primarily serve and employ people of the same faith.

Under the accommodation, such organizations can file a form with HHS or send a letter simply saying they intend not to provide the coverage. At that point, other systems kick in for providing employees with contraceptive insurance, with no further effort or cost to the religious employers.

August 28, 2015

The Church in the U.S.

ing ear.

Lock pointed to studies showing much higher rates of anxiety, mood disorders, substance abuse and suicide attempts among people with same-sex attraction, even in countries such as the Netherlands that are generally accepting of homosexuality.

“We need to listen to their experiences and not get hung up on perceptions, but hear their heart,” he said.

He emphasized that when it comes to parents, friends and even doctors counseling those with same-sex attraction, one size doesn’t fit all, and a person’s Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto offers Communion to a conference participant recently at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Mich., during the opening Mass of a three-day conference exploring the Catholic individual experiences can vary Church’s ministry to those living with same-sex attraction. The international conference featured more widely.

Lock, a Catholic and a Courthan 30 speakers and was co-sponsored by Courage and the Archdiocese of Detroit. (CNS photo/Mike Stechschulte, The Michigan Catholic) age board member, said he often sees patients with unwanted same-sex attraction, but that groups such as Courage “are not reparative therapy.”

“I want to make this point very, very clear: The purpose of PLYMOUTH, Mich. attention was at its highest over not,” similar to blindness.

Courage is to help individuals He added same-sex attracted (CNS) — Almost everyone the issue of same-sex attraction with same-sex attraction live knows someone who experi- in the Church, “one voice was individuals must “rely on the the virtue of chastity,” he said. ences same-sex attraction, and missing: the voice of the person objective truth of who we are” “The purpose of Courage is not faithful Catholics are often at a for whom same-sex attractions as male and female created by to change people’s sexual attracloss for how to engage a friend are a lived reality and who also God, and not be pressured into tions.” or loved one who declares he believes that what the Church accepting labels that ultimately Father Check echoed that or she is gay, said speakers at a teaches on the matter of homo- undermine the full truth of the point, saying Courage is ultithree-day international confer- sexuality is true and ultimately human person. mately about helping lead peoDuring the conference, Massence at the Inn at St. John’s in leads to peace.” ple to toward God through a Plymouth.

One of those voices, Dan es were celebrated by Detroit discovery of a deeper personal Nearly 400 people attended Mattson, a Midwestern man Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, value. the recent conference, “Love who speaks often in Catholic Toronto Cardinal Thomas ColRobin Beck, an author from One Another as I Have Loved media about his struggles with lins and Detroit Auxiliary BishLivonia, said while compassion You: Accompanying Our Broth- same-sex attraction and eventu- op Michael J. Byrnes.

Participants also were invited ers and Sisters with Same-Sex al re-conversion to the Church, Attraction,” designed for clergy, acknowledged the biggest ques- to view and discuss films, inpastoral staff and others who tion he’s had to face is why God cluding “The Desire of the Evminister or teach on the topic of allowed him to feel attracted to erlasting Hills” and “The Third Way,” that tell the stories of same-sex attraction. other men.

“We want to do the right After years of struggling to struggle, redemption and selfthing. We want to speak the reconcile his faith and desires, discovery of those seeking to live truth in love,” said Janet Smith, Mattson said, his “world was the Catholic Church’s teaching professor of moral theology at turned upside down” when he on homosexuality.

Also made available was a Sacred Heart Major Seminary realized his same-sex attraction in Detroit and the conference’s could instead be viewed as a book by Ignatius Press, “Livchief organizer. “We want to be cross to help him achieve sanc- ing the Truth in Love,” which features essays from each of the loving, and we want to be truth- tity. ful. How do we do that?”

“This has become my cen- conference speakers. The book Talks seeking to answer that tral conviction about why God will be sent to bishops travelquestion were given by a wide allows men and women to live ing to Rome for the Synod of range of experts, from Catholic with confusion about sexual- Bishops this fall, and a second moral theologians to psycholo- ity: To be seen correctly, same- volume is in the works.

Many speakers acknowledged gists, doctors and pastors. sex attraction must always be Courage International, an viewed through the lens of the “Catechism of the Catholic apostolate that supports those suffering,” Mattson told those Church’s” teaching that feelings with same-sex attraction in liv- gathered from 78 dioceses in 34 of same-sex attraction in theming a lifestyle of chastity, was co- states and six countries. “It must selves are not sinful, and that host of the conference with the be viewed as connected with the people with same-sex attraction must be treated with compasArchdiocese of Detroit and Our cross of Christ.”

Sunday Visitor.

Mattson denounced the idea sion and sensitivity.

Timothy Lock, a licensed Father Paul Check, Courage’s of the “closet” as “a trap conpsychologist from executive director, said when structed by the father of lies” to clinical it comes to explaining and de- obscure the truth about man’s Brookfield, Conn., said it’s “strikfending the Church’s teaching identity and dignity. Mattson ing” how many of his patients on same-sex attraction, “our best said homosexuality is not rightly had been treated with disrespect ambassadors are our members.” seen as “a different form of God- and insensitivity throughout Father Check said in the run- given sexual orientation,” but their lives, and stressed that the up to the 2014 Synod of Bish- “rather an absence of that which condition of same-sex attraction ops on the Family, when secular should be present in man, but is is difficult and deserves a listen-

International Courage conference draws participants from 78 dioceses

5 and understanding is critical, sticking to the Biblical language is key to avoiding a too-permissive attitude toward sexual behavior on the other hand. Beck, who lived in same-sex relationships for 35 years before finding healing through the Church, said she never questioned her relationships because she thought “the Bible wasn’t really describing a loving, committed, monogamous relationship.”

However, it wasn’t until she faced the Scriptural language of Romans 1 head-on that, “for the first time in decades, I took the Word of God at face value,” she said.

It wasn’t just Scripture’s prohibitions that affected her, though, but ultimately its message of mercy, Beck said.

“The Bible not only gives a no-nonsense pronouncement of the critical condition this sin puts a person in,” Beck said, “but it gives a message of hope to those trapped in and coming out of it. When we remove ourselves from Scriptural indictments, do we not also remove ourselves from its power to heal and restore?”

Because Jesus offers such grace, Father Check said, the Church “must with equal voice extend her hand in truth and charity to the people who need her maternal compassion, insight and help in a personal way.”

6

August 28, 2015

Anchor Editorial

Planned Parenthood videos

The website LifeNews.com headlined an article this Monday “Media Ignore Planned Parenthood Selling Aborted Babies, Promote New ‘Abortion Comedy’ Movie.” This rather succinctly (and sadly) describes how our secular world values human life. As Deacon Bob Craig notes on page eight, it is easy for the media to get worked up about the killing of one lion (not that we support the killing of Cecil here at The Anchor, but it did seem like a welcome distraction for many people away from the reality of what is going on with human babies at Planned Parenthood), than to give any attention to how human life is devalued in our society.

The movie in question is “Grandma,” which stars Lily Tomlin as a grandmother who hits up her old friends for money to pay for her granddaughter’s abortion (i.e., to kill her great-grandchild). Shows like “Good Morning America,” “Charlie Rose” and “The Tonight Show” have celebrated this art house movie (one hopes that it does not get a wide release), while scant attention is given to the surreptitiously filmed movies about the horrors going on at Planned Parenthood (and when it is given, the secular media feels the need to explain why Planned Parenthood is supposedly indispensable for modern society).

On July 29 the archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, OFM Cap., called upon the United States Congress to defund Planned Parenthood (something which the Congress has still not done). He said, “Pope Francis has called abortion the product of a ‘widespread mentality of profit, the throwaway culture, which has today enslaved the hearts and minds of so many.’ The recent news stories concerning Planned Parenthood direct our attention to two larger issues involving many institutions in our society. The first is abortion itself: a direct attack on human life in its most vulnerable condition. The second is the now standard practice of obtaining fetal organs and tissues through abortion. Both actions fail to respect the humanity and dignity of human life. This fact should be the center of attention in the present public controversy.”

His last sentence reflected the fact that much of the news media and the political establishment have instead (when discussing this issue at all) tried to make the focus the secretive nature of the filming of the interviews or the supposed threat to “choice” that exists, thanks to the release of these videos.

With compassion, Cardinal O’Malley issued the following invitation: “If the Planned Parenthood news coverage has caused anyone to experience revived trauma from their own involvement in abortion, be assured that any and all persons will be welcomed with compassion and assistance through the Church’s post-abortion healing ministry, Project Rachel. If you or someone you know would like confidential, nonjudgmental help, please visit www. projectrachel.com.”

Project Rachel is also active in the Diocese of Fall River. Marian Desrosiers, who directs its work, as well as our diocesan Pro-Life office, testified at the Massachusetts State House in 2009 about Project Rachel, saying that it “is a national/international organization offering private and confidential services to women or men hurting because of a past abortion experience.

Women who may have had an abortion, others who may have manipulated, encouraged, or helped someone to obtain one, and family members affected by the decision or even a professional involved as an abortion advocate or provider contact us. After more then 12 years of listening to hundreds and hundreds of women who have suffered deeply and profoundly because of their abortion experience, I felt compelled to testify today on their behalf.”

“Repeatedly, they have asked me, to help get the truth out. Their hope is to help prevent other women from having to experience the post-abortion agony that has haunted them for so many years. In order to live with their so-called ‘choice,’ a ‘protective’ wall of denial is established delaying their ability to deal with the truth and profound effects of the experience. Society tells them it was their ‘choice’ and does not allow them an outlet to express deep feelings of guilt, grief, confusion, or anger which all lead to a sense of alienation and isolation. The average amount of time that will pass, before they contact our office, is seven to 12 years. Some women will call sooner, and some call 40 to 50 years after the abortion. The process can be most difficult, but once the initial call is placed, a major hurdle is taken down and they begin their journey to find hope, reconciliation and healing.”

One hopes that the attention given to Planned Parenthood this summer will make more and more people think twice about supporting them (either directly or politically) and instead see what they can do to truly help women (and their children) with crisis pregnancies.

Pope Francis’ Angelus of August 23 Today is the conclusion of the readings from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St. John, with the discourse on the “Bread of Life,” proclaimed

by Jesus on the day after the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. At the end of that discourse, the great enthusiasm of the day before faded, because Jesus had said He was the Bread come down from Heaven, and that He would give His Flesh as food and His Blood as drink, clearly alluding to the sacrifice of His very life. These words provoked disappointment in the people,

who considered them unworthy of the Messiah, not “winning.” That’s how some saw Jesus: as a Messiah who ought to speak and act in such a way that His mission would be successful, immediately! But they erred precisely in this: in manner of understanding the mission of the Messiah! Even the disciples failed to accept that language, that disturbing language of the Master.

And today’s passage refers to their discomfort: “This saying is hard,” they said, “Who can accept it?” ( Jn 6:60).

In reality, they understood OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

www.anchornews.org

Vol. 59, No. 32

Member: Catholic Press Association, Catholic News Service Published weekly except for two weeks in the summer and the week after Christmas by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 — FAX 508-675-7048, email: theanchor@anchornews.org.

Subscription price by mail, postpaid $20.00 per year, for U.S. addresses.

Send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA, call or use email address

PUBLISHER - Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Richard D. Wilson fatherwilson@anchornews.org EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchornews.org OFFICE MANAGER Mary Chase marychase@anchornews.org ADVERTISING Wayne R. Powers waynepowers@anchornews.org REPORTER Kenneth J. Souza k ensouza@anchornews.org REPORTER Rebecca Aubut beckyaubut@anchornews.org Send Letters to the Editor to: fatherwilson@anchornews.org

PoStmaSters send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.

THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.

well the discourse of Jesus — so well that they did not want to hear it, because it is a discourse that undermines their mindset. The Words of Jesus always discomfort us; discomfort us, for example, with regard to the Spirit of the world, of worldliness. But Jesus offers the key to overcome the difficulty; a key made of three elements.

First, His Divine origin: He is come down from Heaven and will rise up “to where He was before” (v. 62). Second: His words can only be understood through the action of the Holy Spirit, He “Who gives life” (v. 63). It is precisely the Holy Spirit that makes us understand Jesus well. Third: the true cause of misunderstanding of His words is lack of faith: “Among you there are some who do not believe” (v.

64), Jesus says. In fact, from that point, “many of His disciples turned back” (v. 66). In the face of these defections, Jesus does not take back or soften His words, in fact, He forces us to make a clear choice — either to remain with Him or to separate ourselves from Him — and He says to the

Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” (v. 67).

At this point Peter makes his confession of faith in the name of the other Apostles: “Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life” (v. 68). He does not say “where shall we go?” but “to whom shall we go?” The fundamental problem is not leaving and abandoning the work that has been undertaken, but rather “to whom” to go.

From that question of Peter, we understand that faithfulness to God is a question of faithfulness to a person, with whom we are joined in order to walk together along the same road. All that we have in the world does not satisfy our hunger for the infinite.

We need Jesus, to remain with Him, to nourish ourselves at His table, on His Words of eternal life! To believe in Jesus means making Him the center, the meaning of our life. Christ is not an accessory element: He is the “Living Bread,” the indispensable nourishment.

Attaching ourselves to Him, in a true relationship of faith and love, does not mean being chained, but [rather] pro-

foundly free, always on a journey.

Each one of us can ask himself, right now, “Who is Jesus for me? Is He a name? an idea? Is He simply a person from history? Or is He really the person Who loves me, Who gave His life for me and walks with me?” Who is Jesus for you? Do you remain with Jesus? Do you seek to know Him in His Word? Do you read the Gospel everyday, a passage from the Gospel in order to know Jesus? Do you carry the little Gospel in your pocket, in your bag, in order to read it everywhere? Because the more we are with Him the more the desire to remain with Him grows. Now I kindly ask you, let us take a moment of silence, and each one of us, in silence, in his or her heart, ask yourself the question: “Who is Jesus for me?” In silence, everyone answer in his or her heart. “Who is Jesus for me?”

May the Virgin Mary help us always “to go” to Jesus in order to experience the freedom that He offers us, and that allows us to purify our choices from worldly incrustations and fear.

August 28, 2015

W

e come to the penultimate article in this 32-part series on the plan of life.

Next week I’ll give a synthesis of what we’ve looked at over the course of the past eight months, but today I want to focus on what should be a fruit of living all parts of the plan of life as well as a specific component in its own right of any Christian game-plan toward holiness: Christian joy and cheerfulness.

Christian joy is, first, a gift and consequence of living a plan of life well. The plan of life is meant to facilitate a continual encounter with God through prayer, the Sacraments and charity, from the time of the Heroic Moment and Morning Offering at the beginning of the day to our General Examination at day’s end. And when we maintain a vivid awareness of the presence of God accompanying us, loving us, and strengthening us, it’s hard not to be joyful.

But at the same time, we have to work at being joyful.

Joy is a fruit of various good habits, which are themselves the consequence of repeated good thoughts and deeds.

If we regularly ponder the reality that God madly loves us, abides within us when we’re in the state of grace, providentially cares for us better than the greatest earthly father cares for his children, seeks to draw good even out of the evil we suffer

Anchor Columnist Christian joy and cheerfulness

or do, and always listens to us counting our blessings, looking always in prayer, we will radiat the bright side, finding the ate a cheerfulness whether it’s good in others and in situations, sunny or raining, whether we’re surrounding ourselves with joyful experiencing worldly successes or and good people, beginning with struggles. immersing ourselves in God — On the other hand, if we are largely within our control. wallow in self-pity, give into Pope Francis has been complaining, nurse our envies, urgently and persistently calling indulge our worries, or begin to all Catholics to live with this live as if we can find lasting happiness in anyone or anything other than God, Putting Into we will never be satisfied and, although we may the Deep experience ephemeral pleasures, we’ll never reBy Father ally be happy.

Roger J. Landry That’s why, in addition to Christian joy, which is fundamentally a gift of God beyond our direct control Christian cheerfulness.

(Gal 5:22), it’s good to talk about In his exhortation “The Joy of Christian cheerfulness, which is the Gospel,” he described how a general approach to life that many Catholics by their behavior consciously focuses on how life basically make the Good News is fundamentally good and how seem like a lie because their our blessings always far outnum- conduct announces more a “bad ber our difficulties. news of great gloom” rather than It’s in this sense that St. the “Good News of great joy.”

Paul can command us, “Rejoice They live, Pope Francis says, as always! For this is the Will of if they’re perpetually returning God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 from a funeral, as if life is a long Thess 5:16). Such a statement Lent with no Easter. would be absurd if the Apostle On the other hand, when were commanding us to “feel” Christians’ lives as a whole begin joyful, because we’re never in to glow with joy, the joy that complete control of our emocomes from a profound recogtions. But he can command us nition that Jesus has Risen the to “rejoice always,” because the dead triumphing over everything types of behavior that lead to that could keep us down, those joy — thanking God and others, in the world who are seeking

happiness down various roads that will never lead there will begin busting down our church doors trying to find the source of joy overflowing from Christian lives.

Pope Francis says that to grow in joy, we must regularly contemplate and enter into Jesus’ joy.

Often Christians don’t look at Jesus the way He really was: the most joy-filled Person Who ever lived, Someone Who said He came into the world “so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be brought to perfection” ( Jn 15:11). We don’t picture Jesus smiling.

We don’t focus deeply enough on how He says His Kingdom is like the joy of the sower at harvest time, the joy of the man who finds a hidden treasure, the shepherd who finds his lost sheep, the mom who has just given birth, the dad who welcomes home his wayward son, or the invited guests at a wedding reception.

We don’t ponder His natural joys at the goodness of Creation, exulting in the birds of Heaven and the lilies of the field. We don’t share His jubilation at the loving hospitality of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, the conversion of Zacchaeus, the faith of the Canaanite woman and Centurion, the simple receptivity of little children.

We don’t think enough about

7 the secret of His joy — His deep awareness of His being loved by the Father — and follow Him more deeply into the joy-filled mystery of Divine filiation, that we are not orphans but muchloved adopted children of the King of Kings!

Christian cheerfulness, Pope Francis says, “drinks from the wellspring of [ Jesus’] brimming heart.” Like Jesus, a Christian ought to emit Spiritual sunshine, not dark clouds. We should radiate a zest for life, not suck the life out of a room. Salvation history is meant to be a “great stream of joy,” one in which we drink and bathe and invite others to join us.

“A Church without joy is unthinkable,” Pope Francis said forthrightly in a 2013 homily.

“Jesus has desired that His bride, the Church, be joyful.”

And if Jesus can’t make His bride happy, then how will others ever think that He can make them happy?

That’s why it’s so important, as a fruit of all the parts of a plan of life and a particular component in it, for us to receive and do all it takes to become cheerful, radiant followers, friends and emissaries of the joy-filled Savior Who came to lead us to perfect happiness in this world and forever.

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

Hundreds of Planned Parenthood protests held nationwide, four in Mass.

By Christine M. Williams Anchor Correspondent cmwilliams@ intheserviceoftruth.com

BOSTON — “We have been silent too long,” Father Michael McNamara told the more than 300 people praying and protesting outside the Planned Parenthood on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston.

On August 22, more than 330 protests were held at Planned Parenthood locations across the country in a call to defund the organization that provides 30 percent of the nation’s abortions. Four of those protests took place in Massachusetts cities — Boston, Fitchburg, Springfield and Worcester.

The protests were sparked by a series of undercover videos, released by the Center for Medical Progress, that show high-level PP employees pricing fetal organs; the selling of human body parts is a federal crime. PP officials at the na-

tional level have denied illegal activity, saying that the employees were merely discussing the “reasonable payments” for the “transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control or storage of human fetal tissue” allowed by federal law.

“We’ve been lied to,” continued Father McNamara of Servants of Christ Ministries in Scituate. “Enough is enough.”

He urged the crowd to spend more time in prayer, fasting and acts of charity for the sake of the unborn. He prayed for abortion-minded women as well as PP employees and escorts. Then, he invited all to raise their hands and pray over the PP building.

In a statement, Tricia Wajda, director of Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, said, “These protests are designed to shame the patients who seek basic health care services from Planned Parenthood and to in-

timidate the health care professionals who work here. Women should be able to get health care without fear of violence, harassment or intimidation.”

Other speakers at the protest included executive director

of the Catholic Action League C.J. Doyle, president of Operation Rescue William Cotter and state Rep. James Lyons (R-Andover). All condemned the actions of PP employees and called for taxpayer funds

to be redirected toward healthcare clinics that do not provide abortions. A federal bill with that aim was defeated in the United States Senate on August 4. Local Pro-Lifers plan to Turn to page 15

Christian faithful protest Planned Parenthood in Boston recently, on a day when more than 330 such protests took place in cities across the United States. (Photo by Christine M. Williams)

8

“I

t’s always been like this”; “We’ve always done it that way”; “This is the way things are done here.” We’ve all heard people say these things at one point or another, and truth be told these words can be uttered in some of the meanest, coldest, condescending, and uninviting tones that can be imagined. People may use those phrases to shrug off new ideas or keep fresh blood out of a “country club-like” atmosphere. Our parishes are not immune to this.

Our own ways of thinking are sometimes given over to a mentality of complacent thinking, or maintenance, that squashes the initiative of anyone who tries to challenge, shake up, or evoke change.

This Pharisaical way of thinking is the very thing Jesus goes after in this

August 28, 2015

We’ve always done it that way

week’s Gospel. What do it can be a moment for you think is meant when pause. Always? Really?

He utters, “You disregard In the Catholic Church, God’s Commandment, but “always” is quite a long cling to human tradition.” time. Always spans back As our mentality, our way thousands of years, not of thinking, and our way of praying, becomes less oriented Homily of the Week to God and more Twenty-second Sunday oriented towards in Ordinary Time human tradition, we fall into that same

By Father Christopher trap. We become less M. Peschel and less concerned with the things of Heaven and more and more concerned with merely a generation or two. the things of earth. As our Always is employed as an concerns become more all-encompassing word, not horizontal in focus, and the an exclusionary one as some verticality of our faith and seek to use it. Always takes worship gets neglected, it into account a faith tradican be easy to find ourtion with a rich and deep selves in need of the mercihistory of following the ful admonishment of Our Commandments of God, Lord in Mark’s Gospel. not the “traditions” of men When people say, “We’ve and women who are created always done it that way,” on a whim. As St. Cyprian

reminded the Church as early as the third century, “Tradition without truth is simply error grown old.”

The first reading, from Deuteronomy, outlines for us that the commands, precepts, statutes, and decrees that we live by are the ones that come from God. They are unchanging and cannot be added to or subtracted from.

Thus when Our Lord chastises that the Commands of God have been ignored for human tradition, it is a reprimand to even those who have dedicated their entire lives to those Commands of God, perhaps even under false pretenses, that the eternal Commands of God were equivalent to the traditions which come and go with the passing of generations.

“We’ve always done it that way.” Always? No! For the last 35 or 40 years?

Perhaps. Does that make it bad? Not necessarily, but it does mean that we can’t create equivalence where there is none to be had?

Our pope has told us to be surprised by the “freshness of the Spirit.” A mentality of, “We’ve always done it that way,” certainly leaves no room for that freshness.

Perhaps this weekend’s readings call us to look more closely at the Commands of God Himself, not the human traditions that have been created around us, and to examine those insidious notions of the “we’ve always done it that way” approach to life.

Father Peschel is a parochial vicar at St. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth and assistant diocesan director of Vocations.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Aug. 29, 1 Thes 4:9-11; Ps 98:1,7-9; Mk 6:17-29. Sun. Aug. 30, Twenty-Second Sunday In Ordinary Time, Dt 4:1-2,68; Ps 15:2-5; Jas 1:17-18,21b-22,27; Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23. Mon. Aug. 31, 1 Thes 4:13-18; Ps 96:1,3-5,11-13; Lk 4:16-30. Tues. Sept. 1, 1 Thes 5:1-6,9-11; Ps 27:1,4,13-14; Lk 4:31-37. Wed. Sept. 2, Col 1:1-8; Ps 52:10-11; Lk 4:38-44. Thurs. Sept. 3, Col 1:9-14; Ps 98:2-6; Lk 5:1-11. Fri. Sept. 4, Col 1:15-20; Ps 100:1b-5; Lk 5:33-39.

T

his is the time of year when so many of us are traveling around to one vacation destination or another. This summer my family had two very important experiences of worship that I thought I might share with you.

Our first trip was to beautiful Cape May, N.J. While there, we attended daily Mass at a chapel connected to one of the larger parishes in town. It was a small chapel with a capacity of not much more than 100 people. However, the true novelty was not so much how filled the pews were at 7 a.m. on a weekday, but more on the vociferous participation of those in attendance. To be honest, it startled me at first and I was certainly wide awake for the remainder of this early morning celebration after the first “And with your Spirit.”

The sound of confident responses persisted throughout the Mass. It truly gave you the sense that

Obedience to God leads to peace

these folks were not in the from those who were being least bit ambivalent as to robbed from the opporwhat was being represented tunity to life outside their to them on the altar. Modmother’s womb? Again, the eled in the way they replied answer was simple, the mesin prayer, was their belief sage was true. that what Christ is saying through the Gospel is completely Homily of the Week true.

Twenty-second Sunday We also traveled in Ordinary Time to my home state of Maine. It was

By Deacon very nostalgic for Robert Craig me to be attending Mass in a small country church; a church The real truth is what the where some of the people, topics of this week’s readincluding the priest, had ings. In the Gospel, Jesus to travel 30 miles or more is challenged by the proto be there. Everyone was fessed faithful of His day, extending warm greetings who are calling attention to to one another. It most the seemingly disobedient likely would be the only behavior of His disciples. time their paths would These accusers are using cross during the week. the authority of man-made The celebrant’s message rules to critique the actions in the homily was clear of Christ’s followers. and simple. He asked us There are many manto think what was more made rules and norms that important to be outraged are imposed by society about: unlawful big-game today. These legislated hunting, or the harvestmoral shams can position us ing of human body parts in conflict with the world

around us. In our attempt to grow in faith obedience, we may find ourselves on the outside looking into the arena of political correctness. Truths that are written on the hearts of every man are challenged and compromised. These realities are rendered counter-cultural in the eyes of many outside our Church and even more sadly, by many within our Church.

The readings this week combine to give us guidance in how to approach this in three ways. First, we are told that God’s law is meant to lead us to life and joy, not to death and sadness; through the law we find Salvation in Christ.

Secondly, we are reminded that true law, natural law is provided by God, manifested in Creation, and we are guided by the Commandments on how to adhere to this law.

Finally, the Greatest

Commandment: love of God and love of neighbor, is expressed in terms of relating personal holiness to the care of our fellow man. This holiness is not a contrived display of external cosmetics, but the manifestation of sincerity of heart, internal peace, and the knowledge, belief, and acceptance of God’s sovereignty.

This summer, my family was afforded two very important examples of worship. First, we should be confident in the completeness of our faith and the teachings of our Church.

Second, we can never shy away from the truth, even if it is the source of a difficult conversation.

Obedience and peace was the motto of Pope St. John XXIII. It teaches us that through obedience to God’s Commandments, His Will, His inspirations, we can find the road to true interior peace.

Deacon Craig ministers at Holy Family Parish in East Taunton.

August 28, 2015

28 August 2015 — Homeport: Falmouth Harbor — Feast of St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church his column is brought to you today by the word “hagiology.” Hagiology (the study of hagiographies) can be fun. A hagiography, dear readers, is an account of a saint’s life.

It includes biography, legends, miracles and (if applicable) a description of martyrdom. Hagiographies are sometimes read aloud at monastic meals.

Customarily, monks sit silently at meals. At the refectory table, you just can’t shout out, “Got milk?” Consequently, many communities have developed a kind of in-house sign language.

You point to whatever you need and signal. Want the milk pitcher passed down? First point, then make like you’re milking a cow. Want the butter? Point and pretend you’re slathering a slice of imaginary bread. This proves once again that there’s always a way to skirt the rules.

Once, I was on retreat at a very strict monastery. I eagerly learned the community’s table signs, but then suddenly lost my appetite. The problem wasn’t the food but the readings.

A monk stood at a lectern and read aloud while we were eating in silence. He was reading

T

A

ugust is coming to an end and September is waiting just around the corner.

With this transition, we hail in a time of harvest, a time to collect the rewards of all our hard work.

As a child I remember the fragrant scents from the grape vines, and the juicy pears just waiting to be picked and enjoyed. And of course the potatoes were loads of fun to gather, because as a child I loved digging and playing in the dirt, as do many children.

But all this bounty came with many months of hard work. From preparing the soil, to planting the seeds, watering and weeding, and the daily care to ensure that nothing was harming the new seedlings. The established vines and trees were pruned and cleared of any shoots that would lessen the yield of fruit. Each year the harvest would produce enough vegetables and fruit to take us through the winter months, with more than enough to share with family and friends.

We are all called to be sowers, care-takers and workers in the vineyard. We, as faith-filled individuals, are asked to help

Anchor Columnists Footloose around with a gang of snooty from a hagiography. Unfortuyoung men who considered nately for me, it happened to be the feast of St. Isaac Jogues and themselves better than everyone else, bragged about his sexual the North American Martyrs. conquests (real or imagined), The reading described in grisly stole things as a prank, joined detail the terrible tortures these one pagan cult after another, poor souls were made to endure frequented prostitutes, cobefore they finally gave up the habitated with various women ghost. Being a gentleman, I will “without the benefit of Marspare you the particulars, dear readers.

Hagiology can be a very effective appetite The Ship’s Log suppressant. This is one Reflections of a of the main reasons you Parish Priest seldom see an overweight monk.

By Father Tim Today being the feast Goldrick of St. Augustine, I was reading his hagiography riage,” fathered an illegitimate in the classic four-volume work child, and even became engaged

by Butler, “The Lives of the to be married to an 11-yearSaints.” Fortunately, St. Augusold heiress (in those days, girls tine is a doctor of the Church became eligible for marriage at and not a martyr. At any rate, it the age of 12 years). Talk about struck me that before Augusfootloose. Anyway, skipping a tine settled down (at about the bunch of stuff, he was eventually age of 30 in an age when the ordained Bishop of Hippo. average lifespan was 40 years) The hagiography of St. Auhe led a footloose life. One has gustine naturally led me to the to wonder if Augustine took a vow of instability. If so, he kept it question, “Are people today, like very well. Unfortunately, it drove St. Augustine in his day, footloose?” Let’s look at the statistics. his poor elderly mother, St. The average worker (for one Monica, to distraction.

Augustine Aurelius was born reason or another) stays at a job only 4.6 years, according to the into wealth and privilege, sent to private boarding school, hung Bureau of Labor. That sure looks

like “footloose” to me.

What about the commitment of Marriage? Surprisingly, the annual divorce rate for the total population of the United States is 3.4 percent. The trends indicate that fewer Americans are getting divorced. Why? It’s because fewer young people are getting married.

The annual number of Marriages in the United States has dropped from 8.2 percent of the total population in the year 2000 to 6.8 percent in 2012. These figures are the most recent available from the Center for Disease Control. I’m sure the 2015 figures will show a continued drop in the number of Marriages. As to why the government office for disease control is tasked with tracking Marriage and divorce rates, I have no idea.

That’s the government for you.

Nevertheless, the government statistics clearly indicate that fewer Americans are marrying in the first place. That sure sounds like “footloose” to me.

What about what we in the Church call “domicile” or “quasidomicile”? It used to be that an individual was born, lived, died, and was buried in the same parish. Those days are gone.

9 In Canon Law, a domicile requires a five-year residence or intention of residence. A quasi-domicile requires a threemonth residence or the intention thereof. A person living in a place for less than three months is legally considered a transient.

Again using information provided by the U. S. Census Bureau, out of our total population, 40,093,000 people moved.

That’s an overall percentage of 14.19 percent annually. Of these 40-plus-million Americans who changed residence, 7,628,000 moved to a different state and 1,269,000 actually moved to another country. The highest concentration of people who change residences, by the way, is those in their 20s and 30s (almost 18 percent).

There are no government statistics on how many of this multitude of movers were parishioners moving from one geographical parish to another. My estimate would be 99.9 percent.

Like everyone else, parishioners are footloose.

What’s a poor pastor to do? I pray to Augustine, patron saint of the footloose.

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

Preparing for the harvest plant the seeds that may one day planted and through our faithbear much fruit; keeping in mind fulness and love, they will take root. Often when we hear the that we may not always see the word vocations, the first thing fruit of our labors. We all know that comes to mind is priests and the parable of the sower, and we yes, we are in need of ordained know that our works may not men, but yet our modern day always fall on fertile soil, but our Church needs every form of task is to simply keep spreading vocation. The Church needs the Good News, trusting that some of what we sow, does indeed fall on good soil. Many of us are very familiar with the story of Johnny Chapman, better known as Johnny

By Rose Mary Appleseed, who traveled Saraiva this continent sowing seeds and planting apple trees, a more modern day example of the sower. By his religious community members of men and women, and lay minisactions he was able to help so many grow trees that would bear ters to take on the roles of caring for those in the community. bountiful harvests.

Vocations are varied, and so What do we have to offer? very needed. We need priests to What are we called to sow and shepherd the flocks, young womnurture? I recently attended a en who are willing to tend to the Vocations Committee meeting, sheep, lay ministers who will take and the message was very clear, we all have much work to do. We on the various rolls necessary all need to prepare the soil, plant within the Church; and married couples who bear witness to the the seeds and pray for a fruitful harvest. The Church is in need of love of Jesus for His bride the vocations and we are the workers Church. As we live our lives of faith, we must allow our actions sent out to ensure that seeds are

In the Palm of His Hands

to bear witness to what Jesus Christ is and can do in our lives.

It is not simply by our words that seeds take root, our actions serve as nourishment for those who hear the call.

In a world full of distractions and noise, our roles are to help those around us hear the call.

As in 1 Sam 3:3-10, we must become the Eli’s of this world recognizing that God is calling, instructing those individuals who hear His voice, to be still and when they hear the voice again to say, “Speak Lord, Your servant is listening.” It is also our responsibility to understand and know what a vocation truly is. As family, friends, and neighbors we are all asked to help tend to those seeds that will with time and prayer bear fruit.

It is by our actions, not our words that many a vocation is born. Many young men enter into the priesthood because of the prayers and deeds of their parents, namely their mothers.

Young women learn to see the face of God in their families and communities, when God is the

center of their lives. Young lovers choose to marry when those around them allow Christ to be the foundation for their own Marriages. For me as a wife, I can bear witness to the workings of God in my life and love for my husband. As a mother, I can mirror God’s love for His Son, by my willingness to put all else aside for the sake of my children.

And now as a grandmother, my grandsons are a reflection of God’s unconditional love. My life translates and is reflected in my chosen ministries.

We are challenged to live our lives out loud for the sake of the Kingdom, working the soil, tending the seedlings with the knowledge that God is the Harvester and we are His workers. It is with words, actions and conscientious living that we can bring others to God and to an openness to the stirrings within, producing a bountiful harvest.

Anchor columnist Rose Mary Saraiva lives in Fall River and is a parishioner of St. Michael’s Parish, and she is the Events Coordinator and Bereavement Ministry for the diocesan Office of Faith Formation. rsaraiva@dfrcs.com.

10

August 28, 2015

Popemobile shipped to U.S. ahead of pope’s arrival VATICAN CITY (CNS) — More than a month before Pope Francis was scheduled to arrive in the United States, his ride landed on U.S. shores.

“A Jeep Wrangler will be used as the popemobile in the U.S.A. (like the one used in Ecuador in July 2015),” the Vatican press office said in a recent statement.

Of course, an official said, there will be more than one.

Pope Francis will need a popemobile in Washington, New York and Philadelphia, and besides, “there is always a reserve” in case of malfunction.

The vehicle or vehicles, the Vatican said, have “already been given to the Secret Service” for safekeeping before the pope’s arrival. An air cargo company is used for sending the popemobile abroad before papal trips.

The Vatican’s popemobile

fleet has included vehicles from Mercedes, Toyota, Isuzu, Kia, Hyundai and Land Rover as well as Jeep. And in the Philippines in January, locals adapted their typical “jeepney” bus into a popemobile.

A popemobile, with either open sides or bullet-proof glass sides, gives the pope elevation as he rides through a crowd, making it easier for more people to see him.

Pope Francis greets the crowd from his popemobile, a Jeep Wrangler, as he arrives in Quito, Ecuador. The pontiff will use the same model during his visit to the United States in September. (CNS photo/Robert Puglla, EPA)

August 28, 2015

Visit us online at www.anchornews.org To subscribe to The Anchor, or give it as a gift, contact Mary Chase at 508-675-7151 or Email marychase@anchornews.org

11

12

August 28, 2015

Hilton hotels worldwide to remove on-demand porn

Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — International hotel and resort chain Hilton Worldwide has changed its policies to eliminate on-demand video pornography from its hotel rooms across the globe, according to an advocacy group.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation announced the reported decision, saying that it “is grateful to Hilton for its decision to no longer seek profits from hardcore pornography.”

“We want to publicly thank Hilton for its decision to create a safe and positive environment for all of its customers,” said Dawn Hawkins, the group’s executive director, in a recent statement.

“Hilton has taken a stand against sexual exploitation.

Pornography not only contributes to the demand for sex trafficking, which is a serious concern in hotels, but it also contributes to child exploitation, sexual violence, and lifelong porn addictions,” Hawkins continued.

The connection between pornography and sexual exploitation has gained increasing attention in recent years.

In 2012, Catholic law professor Robert P. George of Princeton teamed up with prominent Muslim intellectual Shaykh Hamza Yusuf in writing letters to the CEOs of major hotel chains ask-

ing them to consider removing hotel room pornography, noting its “degrading, dehumanizing” and objectifying nature.

Pornography policies in U.S. hotel chains vary. Omni Hotels and Resorts stopped selling pornography in 1998 because the CEO believed that it was wrong to sell it.

Marriot has said it is “phasing out” pornography sales, while the Hilton chain had previously defended its continued sales.

In 2013, Nordic Hotels — a major Scandinavian hotel chain — announced that it was eliminating pay-perview pornography channels from its 171 hotels.

“The porn industry contributes to trafficking, so I see it as a natural part of having a social responsibility to send out a clear signal that Nordic Hotels doesn’t support or condone this,” said Petter Stordalen, the owner of Nordic Hotels.

He said he decided to stop selling the material after he started to work with UNICEF’s campaign to help the child victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, who number more than 1.2 million annually, the British newspaper The Guardian reported.

CNA contacted Hilton Worldwide about the reported change in policy, but did not receive a response by deadline.

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, August 30 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Paul E. Canuel, a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese.

He resides at Cardinal Medeiros Residence for Priests in Fall River

Robert Sloan, right, stars in a scene from the movie “Sinister 2.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Gramercy Pictures)

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

“American Ultra” (Lionsgate) Excessive violence overwhelms the appeal of this action comedy in which a small-town slacker ( Jesse Eisenberg) discovers that he has been subjected to mental tampering as part of a CIA research program designed to turn ordinary citizens into highly skilled warriors. Although his memories of the experiment have been erased, he subconsciously retains the cutting-edge combat abilities it gave him. These gifts come in handy as the wouldbe comic book artist and his live-in girlfriend (Kristen Stewart) find themselves caught up in a deadly power struggle between a ruthless agency bureaucrat (Topher Grace) and the more humane operative (Connie Britton) who initiated the project that altered him. Though it amounts to the script’s single joke, the combination of lowkey wonderment and ninjalike dexterity with which the pot-loving protagonist reacts to his peculiar circumstances is good for a few laughs, while his determination to marry Stewart’s character adds some positive morality to his situa-

tion. But, as portrayed by director Nima Nourizadeh, the gory results of his campaign of self-defense — during which he deploys everything from the edge of a spoon to an iron-headed club hammer — are far too explicit.

Frequent graphic bloodletting, cohabitation, drug use, at least one instance of profanity, pervasive rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

“Hitman: Agent 47” (Fox) In this second film adaptation of the video game series “Hitman,” virtually everyone in the cast is hunting for the missing biologist (Ciaran Hinds) who genetically engineered the purebred assassin of the title (Rupert Friend).

The scientist’s estranged daughter (Hannah Ware) wants to reconnect with dad for personal reasons, the killer himself has a contract to fulfill, while two other pursuers (Zachary Quinto and Thomas Kretschmann) have reasons of their own for wanting to get their hands on the researcher.

Director Aleksander Bach tones down the sexuality that featured in 2007’s “Hitman,” and some of the dialogue feebly defends free will in the face immoral manipulation.

But philosophy is hardly the point;eliminating extras is the real agenda, and the means of death range from bullets and car crashes to conveniently placed airplane engines. Pervasive nasty violence with excessive gore, brief partial nudity, a couple of profanities, about a half-dozen uses each of rough and crude language.

The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

“Sinister 2” (Gramercy) Together with returning screenwriters Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, director Ciaran Foy reintroduces the malignant pagan deity (Nicholas King) who stalked his way through this franchise’s 2012 original. This time, the demon — who likes to lure children into killing their families in elaborately gruesome ways while he records the mayhem with a superannuated home movie camera — is preying on a would-be furniture restorer (Shannyn Sossamon) and her young twins (Robert and Dartanian Sloan). Aiding Mom and the kids is a minor character ( James Ransone) from the kickoff who’s been elevated to the status of hero for this go-round. With a violent dad (Lea Coco) hovering in the background, the filmmakers ill-advisedly try to give their bogeyman a quasi-moral justification for his freewheeling slaughter by hinting that at least some of his victims may have been abusive parents. A vengeance theme, frequent violence, much of it involving children, numerous disturbing images, considerable profanity and rough language.

The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling.

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

13

August 28, 2015

I

Butterflies, paisley shirts, and round-tipped shoes

t was about this time each year, when, as a lad, I know my days of marathon stick-ball games, three-on-three hoops games, “Risk” and “Hit the Beach” tournaments, chess games, all-day “Around the Ship Tag” aboard the U.S.S. Massachusetts, and just plain lazing around were nearly at an end.

Those nights coming in “when the street lights came on,” would become more like time for bed “when the street lights came on,” at least for a while, when in the dead of winter they came on at around 4:15 p.m.

Friends I saw every day dur- my listening that late would end (with the references to St. ing the summer months would Augustine by my colleagues once again become weekendFathers Tim and Dave in their friends if they went to a different school.

The girls for whom I developed a “neverending” crush while at the beach, would become a distant memory once that first math equaBy Dave Jolivet tion sat before me like a numeric Rubic’s cube.

The nights of being columns this week, I feel it’s able to listen to Ken Coleman, OK to reveal this iniquity).

Ned Martin and Mel Parnell All of the things that kept broadcast Red Sox games on a semi-mischievous young lad the left coast would end — at occupied during the dog days of least my parents’ knowledge of

This week in

My View From the Stands

Diocesan history

50 years ago — Bishop James L. Connolly announced the formation of a diocesan Commission for Christian Unity.

The commission, composed of members of clergy, religious and laity of the diocese, would study the Second Vatican Council’s “Decree on Ecumenism.”

10 years ago — Diocesan pilgrims returned to the United States after attending World Youth Day for nine days in Cologne, Germany. The sentiment of all was the same: the event had impacted their lives and their Catholic faith in a very positive way.

25 years ago — An estimated 300,000 people filled Kennedy Park in Fall River for the “Great Holy Ghost Feast of New England.” A Mass, celebrated at St. Anne’s Church, was followed by a miles-long procession that encircled several city blocks.

One year ago — Father Bernard Baris, M.S., who served as pastor of Our Lady of the Cape Parish in Brewster for more than 17 years, became the first full-time American director of the international shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in France.

summer were grinding to a halt.

It was back-to-school time.

Time for me to awaken with butterflies in my tummy. Why? I, to this day, don’t know. I would always get very nervous before the start of a new school year.

I attended St. Anne’s School in Fall River for nine years, and I loved the Sisters who taught there (99 percent of them anyway). So I can’t explain my goofy gut.

We were allowed to wear “civilian” clothes the first few days, and that meant I would get a new shirt to wear. I always dug getting a new plaid, or even better, a paisley shirt. Even today, most of my dress shirts are plaid. My wardrobe of paisley shirts today is non-existent. I’ll have to make a more conscious effort to amend that — but as usual, I digress.

New shoes were in order sometimes. I say sometimes because I rarely grew out of my things year after year. Aside from my waist size, I could probably still wear some high school stuff!

I was never a fan of my new shoes (sneakers yes, shoes no).

Some of the “cooler” boys wore shoes with pointed toes, ala Fonzie from “Happy Days.” My shoe tips were always rounded.

Round didn’t translate into cool.

After a while it didn’t matter.

The boys were all in our white shirts, blue pants and blue clip-on ties. The girls had blue jumpers and white blouses with a blue ribbon tie type thing around their necks. And there were also the little blue beanies — a far cry from the sandals, bathing suits, sunglasses and towels they wore but a few weeks earlier.

After about a week, the butterflies departed and I was able to settle in for a new school year. It was quite nice actually, being surrounded by friends; wonderful Dominican Sisters; our parish priest; hot, constantly cracking radiators; and traversing across creaking floors.

As a lad, summers were great, but all things considered, so was the school year.

Recently, thanks to Facebook, I went out to lunch with one of my childhood friends.

I hadn’t seen her in nearly 40 years. What was planned as an hour get-together, turned into a three-hour “remember when” session. It was as if the years stood still.

I miss those days.

To all you lads and lassies back in, or going back to school, enjoy it to the max. It will fly by.

Good luck to all of you embarking on a new journey; especially those with the butterflies in their tummies. davejolivet@anchornews.org.

14

August 28, 2015

Keeping children SAFE in the diocese continued from page one

and all volunteers who may have unmonitored access to children must get certified through the Safe Environment program.

Berg created a training program for DREs to get them comfortable talking to children about abuse, “but a lot of people said if you could just put in a video, that would be helpful,” said Berg, “so a couple of years ago I sourced a lot of videos with Claire McManus from the Faith Formation Office, reviewed them all and picked what we thought was right.”

The series of age-appropriate videos are shown every year during Faith Formation classes. Starting in the first grade and second grade, the “Play it Safe” video features puppets who are contestants on a game show, and uses a repetition format to

help youngsters remember four important points of the video: don’t go anywhere alone; don’t keep secrets; don’t go with strangers; and if someone you trust tells you a secret, tell another person you trust.

Each grade has its own video: the ninth-grade video is not graphic, but shows a coach becoming too personal with his player and teaches students to recognize grooming techniques that predators use to ingratiate themselves with his or her victim.

“There are some videos that make people uncomfortable,” said Berg, “and a few that people don’t want to use because [they feel] they’re more explicit, but these are issues kids in our parishes are facing and they need to know.”

The videos act as a

Below are a few statements about child abuse; decide if they are true or false. The correct answers appear below: Ninety percent of child victims know their offender, with almost half of the offenders being the family member.

According to reported statistics, one in three girls are sexually abused by the age of 18.

According to reported statistics, 25 percent of all boys are sexually abused by the age of 18.

Under Massachusetts law, mandated reporters can be fined and even sentenced to prison time if they fail to report serious injury to a child or the death of a child.

Some physical and/or sexual injuries are not visible to the naked eye.

Predators who groom minors for sexual abuse typically use lures such as treats, gifts, special attention, trips and other privileges that the victims do not have in their everyday lives.

Technology such as cell phones, tablets and computers can be used for bullying, child solicitation, exploitation, kidnapping and other forms of abuse.

Predators who sexually abuse children may use threats to keep the minor from reporting the abuse.

Calling minors by pet names (honey, sweetie, etc.), over sharing personal information, dressing inappropriately and swearing in front of minors are examples of professional boundary violations.

Sexual abuse victims often feel guilt and shame over the abuse, causing them to resist reporting the incident(s).

Sexual gratification is often not a primary motivation for a rape offender; while some offenders do seek sexual gratification from the act; power, control and anger are more likely to be the primary motivators.

If you answered false to any of the statements, you are wrong; all the above statements are all true.

launching pad for discussions among the students, and while parents can optout of having their children participate, Berg said, “I would rather these kids get in an uncomfortable feeling in a safe classroom being led by a trained facilitator” than be caught in an uncomfortable experience outside of the classroom with no advice on how to handle it.

“Whatever it takes so that kids can get this. I would rather have kids process this scary stuff in a safe environment,” said Berg, adding why wait for kids to find out, and experience it for themselves?

It’s better to give them the tools to recognize grooming, to recognize when someone is touching you and that it’s OK to say something.

The videos and discussions are designed to be “very low-key,” said Berg.

“Our goal is never to traumatize a child, it’s to inform.

It’s to generate discussion in a safe environment for them to process and learn, and then to recognize so if, at any age, they’re in a situation that’s suddenly unsafe, they recognize it.”

Parents may feel that they would recognize if their child was being abused, but perpetrators go to great lengths to threaten their victims into keeping quiet.

“A story I always tell that shocks people is there was a little girl who was sexually abused by her stepfather, and I found out when I interviewed her — she was almost four and starting to talk — it took her probably 40 minutes of sobbing, stopping and collecting herself to get through her story,” said Berg.

“She had not only been horribly sexually violated, but the perpetrator had taken her baby kitten and broke its neck right in front of her and said, ‘If you tell anyone, I’ll do this to you, your mom and your sister.’”

Then there’s the perpetrator who threatened to kill himself if his victim told anyone, telling his victim it would be their fault if he did it; “And he did kill himself after I interviewed her and shared with the police what had happened,” said Berg, adding that the mother of the girl alerted him that the police were coming. “He

went out the next morning and took his own life somewhere where this girl could see the body on her way to school to try and impact her.”

These two examples may sound extreme but Berg had traveled extensively throughout the diocese to present the Safe Environment program, and has been approached by professionals after she has spoken, who shared their own stories of perpetrators doing horribly threatening things to keep victims silent.

There have been times when a child will watch the Safe Environment video, and disclose something to the DRE, said Berg, and there is a guide given to those running the lessons to help them to know how to respond. It shows that the program is working, said Berg.

Sometimes the program works too well, especially with younger kids, who are taught that even if a trusted adult tells you a secret, it’s OK to tell another trusted adult. Berg jokingly warns parents that their children may openly state that dad bought mom a necklace for her birthday, or tell other siblings they found out they’re going to Disney Land, but in the long run that’s a good thing: “I’d rather kids ruin a surprise than keep a horrible secret,” said Berg. “Eventually they’ll understand [the difference] but in the meantime, be grateful that your children are talking to you.”

Parishes and schools also follow guidelines set out by Berg to keep students safe while attending classes, and Berg helps field complaints from parents who feel some of the rules are an inconvenience; for example, coming into the building to pick

up your child after Faith Formation classes are done, rather than releasing the children into the parking lot to find his or her parent: “I had a parish call me near the end of last year who had a parent who was objecting having to come in and pick up their child. The poor DRE really struggled, and I said to have the parent call me and I will explain. It’s all about erring on the side of caution, and my point to the parent was [picking up the child in the building] was my instruction to the parishes. It’s the best practice; I don’t supervise them but I can tell them what is the safest practice.”

When the parent countered by saying they live in a safe community and nothing had every happened there, Berg stated, “You’re very blessed but you can’t count on that to always be the case. You can’t assume that because it’s always been that way in the past it will continue to be that way.”

It’s about educating the next generation, said Berg, so that child can recognize and be open to talking about abuse: “I’ve heard many adult survivors speak and say, ‘If only someone had told me back then that it wasn’t OK, or it was important for me to tell.’ So now our focus is on identifying a trusted adult and telling a trusted adult.”

She added, “We have to tell children what’s OK and what isn’t.”

To register for the free Safe Environment program, to read more on the diocesan Code of Conduct or to check out the comprehensive list of informative articles and resources Berg has listed on the website, go to www.cssdioc. org, look at the upper righthand corner of the homepage, and click on “Protecting God’s Children.”

Are you going to see the pope?

FALL RIVER — In late September, Pope Francis will be visiting the United States and making stops in New York City and Philadelphia.

If you are making plans to be there to see him, The Anchor would love to hear about your experience to include in our coverage of the event.

A member of The Anchor staff will be present in Philadelphia for the Holy Father’s

visit for the World Meeting of the Families, but that’s just one set of eyes making note of this historic trip.

Please send your story to BeckyAubut@anchornews. org. Please include your full name, your parish, phone number; why you decided to make the trip and what you experienced while you were there.

(Submissions may be edited for size and content.)

15

August 28, 2015

Parish representatives attend vocations planning meeting continued from page one

tions and episcopal representative for religious for the diocese, these meetings were open to all parishes looking to either establish or revive a vocation committee and were a direct response to Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V.’s formation of a 10-member Diocesan Vocations Board earlier this year.

“We’re doing all we can to get the word out right now,” Sister Hurtado told The Anchor just prior to the recent meeting. “We had a better turnout at the first meeting, but people are here and getting the message.”

Although the idea of a parish vocation committee is nothing new — it was, in fact, one of the directives that came out of the Second Vatican Council — increased concern over the dwindling number of those discerning a vocation to religious life and the looming prospect of a high number of retiring priests on the horizon has rekindled the effort within the Fall River Diocese.

“That’s part of what we’re doing tonight: looking more practically at what the parish vocations team is, and how important the role of the parish is in any kind of vocation discernment,” said Father Craig A. Pregana, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. James Church in New Bedford, and one of several presenters that evening. “The parish has an integral role in it — it’s not something that’s just between the person and God — it really is done through the parish community.”

If there was a theme for the evening, it more than likely keyed in on the fact that Catholics can no longer sit idly by and wait for those to be called, they are obligated to help open the line of communication.

According to “Future Full of Hope, A National Strategy for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life” that was issued by the USCCB Committee on Vocations in 1996: “As Catholics, in the past we have been spoiled by the number of men and women who have chosen to heed the call to religious life.

This trend has diminished.

Members of the Church today must recognize this reality and create an aware-

ness of the importance of encouraging God’s people to serve as priests, Brothers and deacons — even as laity — in full-time Church ministry.”

“In a parish community, it’s the parish that is the instrument through which people hear that call,” Father Pregana said. “It’s what we do day-in and day-out as a community, and it’s through that community that people — young folks, old folks — hear the call to ministry. Using the image of the Harvest Master found in Matthew’s Gospel, we can almost take those three points as directives: preparing the soil, planting the seed, and then reaping the harvest. And that’s what you and I are called to do in our home parishes.”

Father Pregana said we can all “prepare the soil” through our prayer and worship efforts at the parish.

“I think what our parishes can do in terms of a vocation team include simple things like holding a Holy Hour,” he said. “Other ways include the Rosary — groups praying the Rosary can now center it around vocations. We don’t have to invent something new, we just have to channel it towards vocations, asking God — the Harvest Master — to send more laborers.”

Father Pregana said parishes can plan to celebrate a special Mass for vocations, or start a monthly prayer calendar to help people pray for priests and seminarians during the month.

“These are all simple ways of making prayer part of preparing the soil,” he said. “You can’t plant seeds on soil that isn’t prepared; it won’t take.”

Father Pregana said a parish’s Religious Education or Faith Formation program is the primary way to “sow the seed,” but we can all provide some encouragement.

“They tell us that age seven and grade seven are the prime times to talk about vocations,” Father Pregana said. “Age seven — First Communion — and then grade seven when they’re getting ready to go out into high school, about to experience a lot of change in their life. Age seven and grade seven are times when you and I can reach out and plant the seed. When that happens, they will participate in prayer and church. And because

the soil has been prepared, it means that seed has a better chance of taking root.”

Something as simple as a vocations cross in the classroom can also have an impact, whereby a different student gets to take the cross home every week to pray for vocations. Even if the family doesn’t pray together for vocations, Father Pregana said it “brings the idea of vocation into the home.”

He also encouraged parishes to invite priests, seminarians, deacons and religious into their classrooms to “tell their story whenever they can” because “kids like to hear stories.”

When it comes time to “reap the harvest,” Father Pregana said that’s when parish leaders can play a pivotal role by inviting young people into ministry.

“You can do that right after First Communion — invite students to become altar servers,” he said. “Something so simple, but it brings them closer to that worship where the soil is being prepared.

After they receive Confirmation, you can also invite them to become readers at Mass.

What a great way to involve them! They can also become helpers with Religious Education: they can help the younger kids by teaching them songs and prayers. Getting them to do something is the beginning of service, and it’s also the beginning of a vocation.”

Echoing similar ideas and sentiments, Father Edward Correia, a retired priest of and former vocations director for the diocese, stressed how we are all called to promote vocations.

“In St. Paul’s letters, he presented an image to make us understand who we are: that of a body,” Father Correia said. “He explained that although every part of a body is unique and distinct and has a special function, they are all part of the same body. So throughout the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, we are the Body of Christ.”

As such, Father Correia emphasized how we’re all essential and how “every single person is called to perform a specific function in the Body of Christ.”

“Look at the couple that

lives the Sacrament of Marriage,” he said. “St. Paul said if you want to understand the love that Jesus has for His Body, the Church, look at the love that is being lived out between a husband and wife.

Nothing happens accidentally — it’s all God’s plan. We have all been chosen to be the members of Christ’s Body — not by accident, but because we have a special role.”

Those who likewise answer a calling to religious life have “fallen in love with the Lord Jesus” and want to devote their lives to Him and His Church.

“I once spoke to a Jesuit and he told me: ‘I love Jesus because He is the reason why I get up in the morning every day. For the love of Jesus,’” Father Correia said.

Father Correia also noted how it’s interesting that Pope Francis dedicated this year as a Year to Consecrated Life, which also coincides with the upcoming Synod on the Family and is about to dovetail

into the Year of Mercy.

“We can see why he did that, because those who live a consecrated life know what to say to those who are in family,” Father Correia said. “They know how to support those who are living the Sacrament of Marriage. It all comes together — priests, consecrated life and lay people will then enter the Year of Mercy.”

For Father Pregana, if you want the perfect example of Who to emulate when dealing with vocations, look no further than Jesus Himself.

“Jesus tells us to ‘Ask the Harvest Master to send more laborers,’ but then He calls the Twelve Apostles and names them, and He’s the One Who sends them out to do the work,” he said. “So it’s interesting — He’s been praying to (His Father), the Harvest Master, but He’s also doing the work Himself.

“And He’s doing it today in the Church: Christ is the One Who calls us.”

Hundreds of cities protest PP continued from page seven

start a referendum in September that would take state funds away from the local PP branch.

The Planned Parenthood on Commonwealth Avenue, a busy street, stands next to a grocery store and the west campus of Boston University.

At the protest, Boston Police officers cleared a throughway in the middle of the crowd so that pedestrians could continue to use the bustling sidewalk. People jogged through on their morning run. Several men came through, shouting insults and giving the finger to the men, women and children gathered there.

Those protesting stood on either side of the throughway — against the side of the building or near the street with the crowd extending into the row of parallel parking spaces. The protesters spent much of their time in prayer, reciting the Rosary before and after the event.

The PP was also open for business, and many women went inside, often escorted in by the clinic’s volunteers. Veteran sidewalk counselors called out to them, offering them assistance and urging them not to have an abortion. One woman, Barbara Bell, called out a warning, “You will never be the same.”

Karen Victoria, a member of Silent No More, an organization for post-abortive women,

spoke about her abortion in 1973. She was 17, pregnant and “drowned in shame.” Her mother drove her to the abortion clinic, and Victoria testified that the abortion shattered her life.

She carried the pain with her for more than 40 years, but said that a couple of years ago she attended a Project Rachel retreat and, “Jesus healed me.”

Rita Russo, head of the 40 Days for Life prayer campaign in Boston, said that it is barbaric for a mother to kill her own child. She said that through multiple sting operations, it has been proven that PP employees lie to women about fetal development and the abortion procedure. They fight legislation that would give women more information under the guise of helping women.

“Women are strong and can handle the truth,” Russo said.

“We do not empower women by killing their children.”

Liesse Lynch of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Attleboro said that everyone needs to know the evil that happens inside abortion clinics. She regularly prays outside the Four Women Health Services in Attleboro, the only abortion clinic in the Diocese of Fall River.

“It’s not normal to be killing babies and harvesting their organs,” she said. “This is not acceptable. It’s evil.”

16

T

August 28, 2015

On keeping soon-to-be St. Junipero Serra’s statue in the Capitol

he Franciscan friar and missionary who established the first missions in California, Blessed Junipero Serra, is going to be canonized by Pope Francis during his visit to Washington, D.C., next month on September 23. In deciding to canonize the founding father of California, Pope Francis has dispensed with the usual requirement of a miracle due to the intercession of the blessed-in-question, as he has done for other prominent missionaries like Peter Faber, one of the first Jesuits, and Marie of the Incarnation, the Ursuline nun who evangelized Canada.

This will be the first time a canonization of a saint has occurred in the United States, and it will also be the first time a Hispanic American has been canonized here.

Pope Francis will celebrate the Mass of Canonization, reportedly in Spanish, outdoors in the field between the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the Catholic University of America. As a native of Washington, D.C. who was present at the National Shrine when St. John Paul II visited in 1979, and when Pope Benedict visited

California Governor Jerry in 2008, I hope to be there Brown, however, told Cathofor the historic occasion. lic News Service last month Why in Washington and that “We’re going to keep not in California? Well, the his statue in Congress.” In pope’s first visit is taking him only to cities in the east: January, Brown said that “tragedy and good and evil to New York to address the United Nations; to Philadel- often inherit in the same situation. And that doesn’t phia for the World Meeting of Families; and to Washington, D.C. to address a joint session of Congress, among other events. The pope has also mentioned the fact that Blessed Junipero’s

By Dwight G. Duncan statue is in statuary hall as one of the two statues representing mean we won’t have our California (the other is of saints. It’s just that we have Ronald Reagan). to understand that saints, There has also been some like everybody else, are not controversy in California perfect.” about the propriety of canLast week, in an oponizing Junipero Serra. The ed in the New York Times, concern among some Native Americans and others is that Lawrence Downes urges an the colonization and conver- examination of conscience on the occasion of Father sion of the native peoples Serra’s canonization on the came at a heavy price: death for many of them because of treatment of Indians by the the spread of disease brought European colonizers. He then quotes from testimony by the Europeans, and a loss given in 1797 by Indians of their native culture and about their mistreatment. traditions. There has even Of course, Junipero Serra been an attempt by some died in 1784, so the testimoCalifornia legislators to ny is not necessarily probaremove Father Serra’s statue from the U.S. Capitol.

Judge For Yourself

tive on the conditions at the missions during Father Serra’s presidency.

In order to form a more balanced perspective on the merits of Blessed Juipero’s sainthood, one would do well to read the documentation and articles assembled by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at www.stjunipero. org, or the recent pamphlet written by Bill Donohue of the Catholic League of Religious and Civil Rights entitled, “The Noble Legacy of Father Serra,” available for download at http://www.catholicleague. org/wp-content/ uploads/2015/06/FatherSerra-copy.pdf.

As Donahue says, “Serra, who never flogged anyone (save himself as an expression of redemptive suffering), admitted there were some excesses, but he also stressed something that is hard for 21st-century Americans to understand: unlike flogging done by the authorities, when priests indulged the practice, it was done out of love, not hatred. ‘We, every one of us,’ Serra said,

‘came here for the single purpose of doing them [the Indians] good and for their eternal Salvation, and I feel sure that everyone knows that we love them.’”

Donohue also notes that when Mission San Diego was attacked and burned, “and one of [Father Serra’s] priest friends was killed, he didn’t give in to vengeance.

He wrote [the viceroy] imploring him not to execute the nine Indians who were being held in custody for the rebellion. He said, ‘Let [them] live so that [they] can be saved, for that is the purpose of our coming here and its sole justification.’”

Would that Andrew Jackson, who adorns our $20 bill, yet enforced the genocidal Trail of Tears, or for that matter the largely Anglo Forty-Niners who flocked to California when gold was discovered at Suttter’s Mill and now have a professional football team named after them, had been nearly as loving and merciful towards the native Americans they encountered.

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

Pope in the pews: Monsignor surprised to have Pope Francis at his Mass VATICAN CITY (CNS) — From the time he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis has said special prayers for catechists on the feast of St. Pius X, who wrote a catechism in 1908.

Pope Francis celebrated a private Mass in his residence very early on the recent feast day, but decided to pray for catechists at the tomb of St. Pius in St. Peter’s Basilica.

About 70 people were sit-

ting or kneeling at pews in front of the tomb waiting for a 7 a.m. Mass when the pope arrived, so he joined them, sitting in the front pew.

According to the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, a basilica employee hurried to the Sacristy where Msgr. Lucio Bonora, an official at the Vatican Secretariat of State, two other priests from his office and altar boys from Malta were beginning

their procession to the altar.

“The pope’s at the altar of St. Pius X!” the employee told the monsignor.

“What do I do? Turn back?” the monsignor asked. “No, no, go ahead,” the employee told him, according to L’Osservatore.

When the procession arrived at the altar, Msgr.

Bonora looked at the pope, who nodded as if to encourage him to begin the celebra-

tion, which he did.

Msgr. Bonora went down to the pope during the sign of peace and, for Communion, the pope stood in line with others from the small congregation, L’Osservatore said.

After Mass, outside the basilica, Pope Francis told the monsignor that he went to St. Pius’ tomb “to pray for all catechists, entrusting them to his protection as I did every year in Argentina.”

Msgr.

Bonora told L’Osservatore that Pope Francis and St. Pius X have a similar style, “a style of Church where everyone — pastors and faithful — are brothers and sisters. It’s the style and sensitivity of a man who was placed by the Lord at the service of the entire Church, but who wants to walk with all the faithful with simplicity, modesty and the example of the saints.”

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

Youth Page

August 28, 2015

T

He’s been there

his week we celebrated the university community and the memorial of one of community at large.

It is very appropriate that my favorite saints, St. Augustine. Augustine is a Doctor of these two days coincide with one another. Augustine’s the Church and his writings struggles with faith, searching have had great influence on for happiness, learning about scholarship throughout the centuries. What appeals to me himself and his place in the world are the same for these about this great saint is his journey of faith is a story that students. Many think they have it all figured out. Some could occur today as much as it did in the fourth century.

Augustine liked to have fun. Growing up he and his friends go into all kinds of

By Father mischief. In his late teens and early adult David C. Frederici years, he committed himself to the search even have the next 20 years of for pleasure, equating it with their lives planned out. It won’t happiness. It seemed though take long for cracks to begin to that he was always searching for more and grew more rest- form in those plans and eventually come crashing down. less. This search included the St. Augustine reminds us intellectual as well. Eventually, he crossed paths with Am- of the importance of discernment: learning more about brose and a whole new world who we are, Who God is, opened to him. He embraced Christianity, was baptized and where He is calling us to live life so that we may live the rest is history. the joy and peace we desire.

This year on the memoAugustine reminds us that rial of St. Augustine, a group everything is on the table. I of freshmen will be moving often joke with people that onto campus a couple days as a young man Augustine ahead of the usual freshman was not the guy you wanted move in. They will spend the weekend meeting upperclass- your daughter to date. Priestmen who serve as peer leaders hood and sainthood were in Catholic Campus Ministry. the furthest things from his mind. Certainly no one else They will learn from them in those early years thought some of the ways to make it a possibility. When Autheir adjustment to college gustine became serious in his life go a bit smoother. They search, when he listened in will be given the resources and advice on nurturing their prayer, discerned God’s call, a great conversion occurred; a faith in college and they will conversion that changed the be introduced to opportuniworld in so many ways. ties for service to others in

Be Not Afraid

St. Augustine, indeed all the saints, provide us with role models for growing in faith, for motivating us on our journey. They are so diverse a collection of human beings that there is a saint out there that we can all relate to.

Augustine’s example and story challenges us to learn from his experience. Yes, we will make mistakes, but he inspires us to involve God in our lives: not just Sunday Mass, but in all aspects of our lives, including decision-making.

As Christians we are so fortunate to have so many helps for this discernment. We are never alone. We have a community to celebrate our success with us; a community to encourage us and lift us up when we struggle with failure or doubt.

We have a community to help us see where God is in our lives and to help us discern God’s call.

At times in our lives what is most helpful is hearing from those who have been there before. We want to know that there is hope and things will work out for the better. St. Augustine is one who has been where many of us are or have been. He is a great example of the power that God’s graces can have in our lives if we allow them to.

Anchor columnist Father Frederici is pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pocasset and diocesan director of Campus Ministry and Chaplain at UMass Dartmouth and Bristol Community College.

17

Youngsters who attended the recent Vacation Bible School at Holy Name School in Fall River not only received food for the soul during the week-long camp, but happily filled their bellies as well.

Boy Scout troop to hold registration for upcoming season

EAST FREETOWN — Boy Scout Troop 333 recently announced registration for boys 11 through 17. The fouryear-old troop meets weekly at Cathedral Camp on the shores of Long Pond. Registration will be held between 9 and 10:30 a.m. on September 12 at Cathedral Camp, 157 Middleboro Road in East Freetown.

The troop is looking forward to an upcoming year in which plans call for camping nearly every month, skiing in New Hampshire, horseback riding, zip-lining and many other fun and adventure activities.

And with more than 130 Merit Badges — from Archery and Art to Welding and Wilderness Survival — Scouting is the ultimate form of learning by doing in an environment where Scouts can explore their interests and improve their skills while working toward

Scouting’s highest rank: Eagle.

By first imagining, then planning and performing service projects in their community, Boy Scouts learn the value of hard work as well as experience the thrill of seeing it pay off. Add in outdoor adventures, hiking and camping and Scouting gives boys all the experience they need to become men — opening their eyes to a world that’s bigger than they ever imagined might happen while paddling a quiet lake, bonding with new friends or rising to the challenge of leading a patrol to the edges of adventure.

Additional information about Troop 333 may be found at the Troop’s website www.

CCTroop333.com or by contacting the Scoutmaster at 508728-2684. To learn more about Scouting for all ages go to www.

BeAScout.org.

New students entering St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro, recently attended the annual new-student picnic. The picnic is hosted by the Family Student Alliance of St. Mary-Sacred Heart School, for the students who are new to the school to come and meet the other new students as well as teachers and staff. The teachers also in the photo are kindergarten B class teacher, Maria Stathakis; Principal Denise Peixoto; Denis Piette; and kindergarten A class teacher, Elizabeth Moura.

18

August 28, 2015

Diocesan schools; far from just the old 3 Rs continued from page one

tions have long been at work preparing for the new academic year.

In addition to upgrading some of the curricula and renovations of some facilities, the diocese has also added three new principals.

Jeanine Cambra is the new principal at Espirito Santo School in Fall River. “Jeanine is a fine asset to ES,” said Griffin. “She’s been a teacher and in administration for 14 years at the Montessori School in Westport, and was a reading specialist in the public school systems.”

At St. Mary’s School in Taunton, Elyse Sackal, a former teacher at St. MarySacred Heart School in North Attleboro, and a co-chairman of the English Language Arts committee, takes the helm.

St. Mary’s School in Mansfield welcomes Matt Bourque as principal. Bourque was a former teacher and assistant principal at All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford.

“We’re very pleased that Elyse and Matt are graduates of the Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers run at Providence College,” added Griffin.

According to its website, PACT is “a unique teacher education program that invites recent graduates to contribute two years of service to young people as teachers in Catholic schools in New England.

“PACT members teach classes in language arts, English literature, British and American literature, history, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, Spanish, religious studies, and other subject areas. They also coach sports teams, act as advisors to students, and are leaders of school retreats.”

“Each year four or so of our teachers attend the program,” Griffin told The Anchor. “In the last dozen years or so, more than 60 of our teachers have attended.”

Christopher Keavy, Head of School at St. John Paul II High School in Hyannis, was named to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Independent Schools Board of Trustees, which oversees accreditation of Catholic and other private schools in New England.

“We’re proud to say that the Diocese of Fall River

is the only diocese in New England, with the exception of Connecticut, that has every Catholic school accredited by NEASC,” added Griffin.

Another staff addition is Heidi Kuliga becoming the new assistant principal at All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford.

Griffin said the academic foundation of the diocesan school system is based on the STEM system — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The goal is to encourage students to gain an awareness, understanding and interest in these topics.

“These are topics that need to be strengthened in students across the country,” Griffin explained.

“Our teachers and principals are being trained by other teachers and principals experienced in STEM methodology,” he continued. “We bring together teachers at the same grade levels to maximize the success of using the STEM system.

“This year we had 40 teachers and principals who attended workshops facilitated by teachers and principals wellacclimated to the method.”

Griffin said the teachers and principals come away with the tools and materials necessary to implement the method right away in their curricula.

“STEM is geared toward thinking and reasoning,” Griffin said, “not just learning something without understanding it.”

The diocese is partnering with the UMass Dartmouth department of STEM and Teacher Development.

Equally important in the eyes of the diocesan Education Department, is the religious aspect to a student’s growth and development.

“We have a religion committee, comprised of priests and school faculty that is looking into revising religion standards for diocesan schools,” Griffin told The Anchor. “We’re looking particularly at grades pre-k through eight,” he added. “The high schools already follow a program approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The religion standards in the lower grades are geared to 21stcentury approaches; engaging the students in thinking about their faith; what the Church does and why, and understand-

ing the teachings and reflecting and deepening their faith.

“The committee meets regularly with the Education Department, and with Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V.” Griffin told The Anchor that some diocesan schools anticipate a growth in enrollment. “After a decline, it’s now coming back,” he said of some schools. “It’s great to see it growing back.”

Facility-wise, Coyle and Cassidy High School and Middle School in Taunton had a biology lab makeover, and Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro saw the construction of a Wellness Center with new locker rooms and exercise areas.

Other particular changes and/or additions at diocesan schools include: — The introduction of a new “Leadership Studies and Practicum,” course at St. JPII High School, that involves the examination of leadership theories, practice and strategies, from Jesus of Nazareth to contemporary leadership paradigms.

— The world languages program at Coyle and Cassidy High School and Middle School, where all seventhgrade students will now have the opportunity to have a full year of a world language, giving them exposure to French, Portuguese, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. All eighthgrade students will complete their first year of a high school language.

— Bishop Feehan High School is offering four years of Mandarin Chinese; and is continuing to offer a course in American Sign Language Study, which it has for the last seven years. The Attleboro school also offered its first “Shamrock Leadership Institute,” earlier this summer.

It’s a derivative of the diocesan Christian Leadership Institute, which helps train young men and women leadership skills to be used in the Church and society at large.

— Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth, in response to Pope Francis’ declaration of a Year of Mercy, has designated its school year: “Be witnesses to God’s mercy.” Bonnie Harlow, the cellist from the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, will provide direct instruction to the school’s string instrument

students. At the last commencement exercise, Bishop da Cunha blessed a “Vocations Crucifix,” that Stang families will use throughout the year to pray for vocations in the Diocese of Fall River. Each week the crucifix will go to the home of a Stang family, and each day at the school, students, faculty and staff will recite a prayer for vocations.

— St. Margaret’s School in Buzzards Bay is continuing to expand its STEM activities with new learning experiences, like the space-balloon launch project completed late last school year by the fifth-graders there. Students released balloons configured with a payload box with a GPS, two cameras and a heat pack, so the instruments wouldn’t freeze in the upper atmosphere.

— Holy Name School in Fall River is continuing its association with the Lloyd Center for the Environment in South Dartmouth; new after-school activities; and continuation of the Bullying Prevention Teams.

— Holy Trinity School in Fall River has added classroom aids in every grade.

— Espirito Santo School in Fall River is adding technology integration classes where every teacher will work to integrate technology into lessons with visits to the computer lab.

Also new is the availability of Portuguese classes for students in kindergarten through eight.

— St. Stanislaus School in Fall River is adding the usage of Chrome Books, moving the students out of the lab and integrating technology right in the classroom. The school will

also mark its 110th anniversary during this academic year.

— Celebrating 85 years is St. Michael School in Fall River, with a very active parish participation that’s been ongoing for many years. Many of the current students’ parents are St. Michael’s graduates.

— All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford is also going the Chrome Book route to allow for greater use of Google Apps for Education. Textbooks with online components for students in grades five and six in language arts and social studies, and students in grades five-eight in science, will now be offered.

— St. James-St. John School in New Bedford is offering a new pre-school program to promote school readiness in a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment. Children will be taught Christian values as well as interpersonal skills, mathematics and literacy skills in age-appropriate ways.

— Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford is holding a “Holy Olympics,” playing off its 2015-16 theme, “Training to be Champions of Christ.”

— St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro has adopted a new science series for students in grades six-eight. The lower grades will adopt the series in the future. The school added new science tables and stools. And most teachers will have new iPads with an interactive projector with Apple TV for mirroring the iPads in the classroom.

So much for the old 3Rs, rote learning methods.

Students from St. Margaret Regional School in Buzzards Bay hold the balloon, parachute, mascot and other equipment that traveled to near-space and back, as part of a recent experiment, utilizing the science, technology, engineering and mathematics method now used in Fall River diocesan schools.

19

August 28, 2015

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

ASSONET — Beginning September 14, St. Bernard’s Parish will have Eucharistic Adoration every Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the altar at the conclusion of 9 a.m. Mass and the church will be open all day, concluding with evening prayer and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the Adoration Chapel at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 71 Linden Street, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

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

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

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

EAST TAUNTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the chapel at Holy Family Parish Center, 438 Middleboro Avenue, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. On First Fridays, Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Holy Family Church, 370 Middleboro Avenue, from 8:30 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.

FAIRHAVEN — St. Mary’s Church, Main St., has Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Reconciliation, with Benediction at 11:30 a.m. Also, there is a First Friday Mass each month at 7 p.m., followed by a Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration. Refreshments follow.

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

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

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

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

FALL RIVER — Good Shepherd Parish has Eucharistic Adoration every Friday following the 8 a.m. Mass and concluding with 3 p.m. Benediction in the Daily Mass Chapel.

A bilingual holy hour takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. Park behind the church and enter the back door of the connector between the church and the rectory.

Falmouth — For July and August St. Patrick’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. to noon Benediction at St. Thomas Chapel, Falmouth Heights.

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

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m.

Mass every First Friday with special intentions for Respect Life, followed by 24 hours of Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel, concluding with Benediction Saturday morning followed immediately by an 8:30 Mass.

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

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

NEW BEDFORD — St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, 565 County Street, holds Eucharistic Adoration in the side chapel Fridays from 7:30-11:45 a.m. ending with a simple Benediction NORTH DARTMOUTH — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Julie Billiart Church, 494 Slocum Road, every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m., ending with Benediction.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available at this time.

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

NORTH EASTON — A Holy Hour for Families including Eucharistic Adoration is held every Friday from 3-4 p.m. at The Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington Street.

ORLEANS — St. Joan of Arc Parish, 61 Canal Road, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday starting after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending with Benediction at 11:45 a.m.

The Sacrament of the Sick is also available immediately after the 8 a.m. Mass.

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

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

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

Taunton — Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord, 31 First Street. Exposition begins following the 8 a.m.

Mass. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, and Adoration will continue throughout the day. Confessions are heard from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Rosary and Benediction begin at 6:30 p.m.

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

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

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

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

Islamic State destroys ancient Catholic monastery in Syria

Homs, Syria, (CNA/ EWTN News) — Reports recently surfaced that Islamic State militants have bulldozed Mar Elian Monastery, an ancient structure located just outside a Syrian town captured by the group earlier this month.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, recently said that the Islamic State had destroyed the monastery using bulldozers. Photos of the destruction were soon released online by the militant Sunni Islamist group.

Mar Elian monastery, which was founded before the year 500, is located just outside Al Quaryatayn, which is some 60 miles southeast of Homs. The monastery also provided refuge to hundreds of Syrians displaced from Al Quaryatayn, and partnered with Muslim donors to provide for their needs.

The town was captured by the Islamic State August 6, and between 160 and 230 Christians and Muslims were abducted from the town.

Many of the Christians who were in Al Quaryatayn when it fell to the Islamic State had fled there from Aleppo. Around 30 Christians were able to escape the town for Homs after it was captured.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Islamic State has transported 110 of the captives from Al Quaryatayn to its de facto capital, Ar Raqqah.

In May, two members of Mar

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks Aug. 29 Rev. Joseph DeVillandre, D.D., Founder, Sacred Heart, North Attleboro, 1921 Msgr. William H. Harrington, Retired Pastor, Holy Name, Fall River, 1975 Aug. 30 Rev. Frederick Meyers, SS.CC., Former Pastor, Our Lady of the Assumption, New Bedford, 2008 Permanent Deacon Paul G. Metilly, 2013 Aug. 31 Msgr. Armando A. Annunziato, Pastor, St. Mary, Mansfield, 1993 Rev. Thomas M. Landry, O.P., Former Pastor, St. Anne, Fall River, 1996 Sept. 1 Rev. Jorge J. de Sousa, Pastor, St. Elizabeth, Fall River, 1985 Rev. James F. Lyons, 2008 Sept. 3 Rev. Thomas J. McGee, D.D., Pastor, Sacred Heart, Taunton, 1912 Sept. 4 Rev. Joseph P. Tallon, Pastor, St. Mary, New Bedford, 1864 Rev. John J. Maguire, Founder, St. Peter the Apostle, Provincetown, 1894

Elian’s community had been abducted: Father Jacques Mourad and Deacon Boutros Hanna. Father Mourad was prior of Mar Elian, and was pastor of a parish in Al Quaryatayn, where he served as an active mediator between the Syrian army and rebel forces.

The Islamic State has persecuted all non-Sunni persons in its territory — Christians, Ya-

zidis, and even Shia Muslims. It destroys any non-Sunni religious sites, which are regarded as pagan. In addition to churches, it has destroyed Shia mosques and shrines, and the sites of ancient, pre-Islamic cities.

The militant group overran the ancient city of Palmyra in May, and have since destroyed statues and other artifacts there.

Around the Diocese St. Joseph’s Parish, 1335 North Main Street in Fall River, will host an indoor parish yard sale Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine. The offerings will include desks, chairs, miscellaneous new and used items, crafts and more. All are welcome — please spread the word. There will be free coffee with purchase of baked goods and $3 lunches served. Please note that this is a cash and carry event.

The Catholic Woman’s Club of St. Mary’s Parish in Mansfield will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a Mass on September 10 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church 330 Pratt Street, followed by installation of officers, a meeting, and a light supper in the Rose Garden.

St. Mark’s Parish, 105 Stanley Street in Attleboro Falls, will celebrate its annual fair on September 12 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. The day will include a variety of activities, music and food, including DJ Nate Adams. Food offerings will include hot dogs and hamburgers, doughboys, chowder and clam cakes, meatball grinders, pizza, and pastries and ice cream sundaes. There will also be arts and crafts, baked goods, religious articles for sale, and a raffle table with prizes totaling more than $1,750. Come and join in this traditional “end of summer” ritual.

A Healing Mass and Blessing with St. André’s Relic and Anointing with St. Joseph Oil will be held at St. Joseph Chapel, 500 Washington Street, at Holy Cross Family Ministries in North Easton on September 13 with Rosary at 1:30 p.m. and Mass at 2 p.m. All are welcome to join either or both. St. André was known as the “Miracle Man of Montrèal” for his intercession in healing thousands of the faithful at the St. Joseph Oratory in Montreal. More than two million people visit his shrine each year. St. André’s relic will be available for blessing and veneration. For more information call Holy Cross Family Ministries at 508-238-4095, extension 2027 or visit www.familyrosary.org/events.

The Lazarus Ministry of Our Lady of the Cape Parish in Brewster is offering a six-week bereavement support program called “Come Walk With Me” that will begin September 10 and run through October 15 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The program meets for six weeks at the parish center and is designed for people who have experienced the loss of a loved one within the past year. Pre-registration is required and there is a $10 charge for materials. For more information, contact Happy Whitman at 508-385-3252, Mary Morley at 508-385-8942 or Joan Merz at 508-385-9265.

On Columbus Day weekend, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish will host its annual holly fair at 2282 Route 6 in Wellfleet. The event will take place on October 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., then again on October 11 beginning after the 10:30 a.m. Mass. The fair will offer beautiful themed baskets, a quilt raffle, books, teacup raffle, homemade items, toys, ornaments, baked goods, wreaths, silent auction, White Elephant table, jewelry, cookies and much more! Photos with Santa will be taken on October 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Food offerings will include hot dogs, stuffed quahogs, sausage and peppers, clam chowder, chili and more.

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish in Seekonk will host its annual holiday fair on November 13 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on November 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the church hall on Coyle Drive (off Route 152) in Seekonk. The event will feature super raffles including an Apple gift card, HDTV, scratch tickets, “Kim’s Special Raffles,” and the famous “Baskets Galore.” There will also be jewelry, hand-knit items, Christmas gifts, adult and kids instant wins, toys, home-baked goods, fudge, and much more. Louise’s Cafe will be serving goodies all day.

20

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

August 28, 2015

T

A stitch in time

his morning, as I looked at the at times to tent and treat our structures chasuble (the outer vestment in order to stop their devastation before worn while celebrating Mass) draped the building collapses. Such is what was over a nearby chair and awaiting some done with our movie house, Pasqual stitches to reattach a tab, I was remind- Hall, before it was restored and rededied of a few frantic moments I expericated a few years ago. So also the pool enced not too long ago. My bags were hall was reroofed and painted last year packed and I was set to leave my house before it deteriorated beyond repair. A for the airport on my way to visiting stitch in time saves nine. my family in Ireland when, to my utter Currently the area in the vicinity horror, I realized that I was getting a of the new Baldwin Home which is cool breeze in the seat of my pants. adjacent to the mule corral is being You see the stitching had let go in cleaned up and landscaped. It had been the seam and used as a dumpI was in grave ing site in the danger of furpast and visited ther exposure. frequently by For a moment rats and wild I thought of pigs. Now it is

By Father hastily threadbeing restored Patrick Killilea, SS.CC. ing a needle to its original and doing a pristine beauty quick fix. Then luckily I remembered before further deterioration can set in that I had other dress pants in my or destroy it. closet and so I quickly got into them. It Restoration and preservation are was too late for a “stitch in time.” I had very much a part of our lives here in to catch my plane.

Kalaupapa. We begin by keeping alive Now when we hear the phrase “A the memory of our saints, Damien and stitch in time saves nine,” the natuMarianne, as well as all those who have ral tendency may be to ask, “Saves gone before us over the course of 150 nine what?” Of course in the literal years. We do so with the restoration sense of the phrase it means sewing and preservation of our historic builda small tear now, rather than having ings and sites. We do so with patience, to do more stitching later when the love and reverence. We do so because tear has become catastrophic. So a we know that a stitch in time saves timely effort will prevent more work nine. later. That is one reason why I feed If you would like to coordinate a my cats now rather than later, when pilgrimage to Kalaupapa or to the island they might threaten to tear down my of Molokai, please contact Margaret door and then I have to call on the Uiagalelei, Development director of the carpenter.

Sacred Hearts Congregation at 808So it is here in our Kalaupapa settle- 292-8172 or email development@sscc. ment. Those little creatures of God, org. called termites, are very active in the Anchor columnist Father Killilea is settlement. They love to chew on our pastor of St. Francis Parish in Kalauwooden walls which makes it necessary papa, Hawaii.

Moon Over Molokai

Visit the newlydesigned Diocese of Fall River website at fallriverdiocese.org The site includes links to parishes, diocesan offices and national sites.