09.05.08

Diocese of Fall River

The Anchor

F riday , September 5, 2008

‘40 Days for Life’ campaign uses prayer, outreach to end abortion Fall River Diocese to join upcoming Pro-Life initiative

By Deacon James N. Dunbar

FALL RIVER — In the Bible, the number 40 is especially significant: Noah was on the ark for 40 days. Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days.

In a contemporary Pro-Life effort, the number also has significance: A simultaneous, nationwide, ecumenical campaign “40 days for Life” aims to end abortion through prayer,

fasting, outreach and peaceful vigils at abortion clinics.

From September 24 to November 2, the Fall River Diocese will be among 173 national campaigns at abortion clinics in 45 states, two Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico for the largest Pro-Life mobilization in history.

The local campaign is comprised of three components, fervent prayer and fasting — in

which people of faith in the area are asked to join in; standing for life through a 40-day peaceful public witness outside the Four Women Abortion Clinic at 150 Emory Street in Attleboro near the National Shrine of our Lady of La Salette; and through community outreach take a positive, upbeat, Pro-Life message throughout the community through media efforts, church Turn to page 19

FRIEND OF MOTHER TERESA — Father William Petrie, SS.CC., provincial of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Fairhaven, extends his open hands which Blessed Mother Teresa once told him was a tell-tale sign he was destined to work with leprosy patients, inside the chapel which was also inspired by her words. Father Petrie recently reflected on his years working with Mother Teresa on the 11th anniversary of her death. (Photo

by Kenneth J. Souza).

Mother Teresa’s personal priest lauds her sense of ‘powerlessness’

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

FAIRHAVEN — An infectious sense of joy and peace overcomes Father William Petrie, SS.CC., provincial of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, as he fondly recalls his years working alongside Blessed Mother Teresa. He had the honor and privilege of first meeting the great religious woman and humanitarian back in 1973 and subsequently became her close friend and spiritual advisor for 22 years before her death on September 5, 1997 — 11 years ago today.

“Mother’s presence was a

powerful, grace-filled radiant peace that seemed to empower and impact others,” Father Petrie said. “She was such in union with Christ that she radiated. And she had it almost from the beginning.

This wasn’t a one-time thing, I’m talking about 25 years. It was all a life of faith until the day she died. She always preached joyfulness. She said you can’t go to the poor unless you smile and you radiate joy. That’s what made her a powerful, faith-filled person.”

Having been inspired by Blessed Damien of Molokai to enter the congregation, Father Turn to page 11

MOTHER AND CHILDREN — Diocesan faithful pray the rosary with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe out side Four Women Abortion Center on Emery Street in Attleboro last weekend. The image is making its second tour of the diocese this month. Story on page seven. (Photo by Michael Pare)

MCFL Walk for Life helps make a big difference in difficult times

By Gail Besse Anchor Correspondent

BOSTON — Alyssa smiled and stroked her baby’s dark hair. “I can’t imagine life without him, but I know he wouldn’t be here now if I hadn’t gotten help,” she said.

She looked around at the cozy living room and recalled how different life had been months before when she had arrived at Friends of the Unborn crisis pregnancy center and sheltering home in Quincy.

“My parents had told me to leave if I didn’t have an abor-

tion. My boyfriend took off,” she said. “I was sick all the time, and so scared and alone. I felt desperate.”

But Friends Director Marilyn Birnie took her in, as she had more than 1,800 young women since she first opened her home to one girl on September 11, 1984. “Often girls only choose abortion because they think they have no other option,” she said.

But like Alyssa, they do. She received shelter, food, medical care, guidance, compassion and friendship. “I feel happy again, and hopeful that my son and I

will make a home together,” she said. “I thank God for leading us to people who really cared.”

As a Christian-based organization, Friends is totally supported by donations. It’s one of 47 Massachusetts groups that will benefit from the October 5 Respect Life Walk to Aid Mothers and Children, an annual fund-raiser held by Massachusetts Citizens for Life (MCFL).

“Every group helps real women, real children,” said Helen Cross, MCFL Walk chairman.

“Being pregnant is the tip of Turn to page 18

News From the Vatican

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September 5, 2008

St. Paul preached to all due to fascination of Gospel, says pope

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — St. Paul’s missionary travels, his writings and his perseverance despite suffering demonstrate the strength of his conviction that all people need the salvation of Christ, Pope Benedict XVI said.

During his Aug. 27 weekly general audience, the pope dedicated his main talk to the biography and travels of St. Paul as part of the celebration of the 2,000th anniversary of the apostle’s birth.

Pope Benedict returned to the Vatican by helicopter from his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo to share his reflections with the estimated 8,000 people in the Vatican audience hall before returning to the summer villa south of Rome.

The pope told the crowd that the fact that St. Paul was born a Jew, was raised speaking Greek and held Roman citizenship placed him on “the border of three different cultures, and perhaps this is why he was open” to proclaiming the Gospel to pagans as well as fellow Jews.

“We see in him a commitment that can be explained only

The Anchor

by a soul truly fascinated by the light of the Gospel, in love with Christ and having a deep conviction that it is necessary to give the world the light of Christ, to proclaim the Gospel to all,” Pope Benedict said.

In St. Paul, he said, “we see the greatness, the beauty or, rather, the necessity of the Gospel for all of us.”

Pope Benedict prayed “that our hearts, too, would be touched by Christ’s words so that we, too, can give the light of the Gospel, of the truth, to the world that is thirsting for it.”

The pope said St. Paul’s speech at the Areopagus in Athens, Greece, reported in Chapter 17 of the Acts of the Apostles, was a model for demonstrating how the Gospel message responds to the yearnings and aspirations of all people.

The apostle helped “the Greeks understand that this God of the Christians and the Jews was not a God foreign to their culture, but is the ‘unknown God’ they had been expecting and the true response to the deepest questions of their culture,” the pope said.

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 52, No. 33

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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.

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PUBLISHER - Most Reverend George W. Coleman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Roger J. Landry fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchornews.org NEWS EDITOR Deacon James N. Dunbar jimdunbar@anchornews.org OFFICE MANAGER Mary Chase marychase@anchornews.org ADVERTISING Wayne Powers waynepowers@anchornews.org REPORTER Michael Pare michaelpare@anchornews.org REPORTER Kenneth J. Souza k ensouza@anchornews.org Send Letters to the Editor to: fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org POSTMASTERS send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.

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WORDS FOR LIFE — Margaret Mashini reads the Bible in St. Michael the Archangel Church in Woodstock, Ga. Pope Benedict XVI will host a Synod of Bishops at the Vatican in October to help draw more Catholics to read the Bible. (CNS photo/Michael Alexander)

A challenge for Pope Benedict: Leading people to read the Bible

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Benedict XVI chose the Bible as the topic for this fall’s Synod of Bishops, he turned the Church’s attention to an area he has long considered crucial and in need of revitalization.

The pope’s concern touches several levels. For one thing, despite an upsurge in biblical interest after the Second Vatican Council, only a minority of Catholics read the Bible regularly. The pope views the lack of scriptural formation as part of a wider crisis of catechetics in the Church.

At a more academic level, the pope sees a danger in modern biblical interpretation that he believes diminishes the meaning of Scripture and erodes the bond between Bible and Church.

In particular, he has warned that various modern-day methods of interpreting the Bible are too limiting; for instance, some scholars read Scripture as if they are seeking to break a code and pluck out answers one by one.

Instead, Pope Benedict believes the Bible must be seen as

a whole and as the word of God, in which everything relates to everything else and offers the possibility of a spiritual journey, rather than being seen as a textbook on divine matters.

So in convoking some 250 bishops for the October 5-26 synod, the pope did not intend to host a forum for scriptural analysis.

His primary interest is pastoral, and a main challenge is to lead more Catholics to the Bible.

As he told synod planners earlier this year, reading, interpreting and living the words of Scripture are fundamental to the faith life of Christians. Without that, the Church’s great works in the modern age — including evangelization and ecumenism — are bound to stall, he said.

Nor does the pope believe that scriptural expertise comes before the simple experience of reading the Bible. As a cardinal, he once said that the Bible belongs to the people, not the scholars.

And while specialists are needed, he said, “the real and essential meaning of the Bible is something the simple believer can grasp just as well.”

That’s something the pope has been promoting as universal pastor since his election in 2005. The very first words of his pontificate were a quote from Scripture — a greeting from the First Letter of Peter — and his talks and sermons over the last three and a half years have included some 3,000 references to scriptural passages.

The pope once said the Bible would be one of two books he would take with him if marooned on an island (the other was St. Augustine’s “Confessions.”) His own familiarity with Scripture is evident in the way he cites passages even in off-the-cuff remarks.

His written works seem to breathe Scripture. His first encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est” (“God Is

Love”), was typical. It began with a citation from the First Letter of John and on practically every page drew from the Old and New Testaments, often making connections between the two. In his discussion of unjustified suffering, for example, he begins with a lesson from the Book of Job, then weaves in several Gospel passages.

One of Pope Benedict’s primary convictions is that the New Testament offers the key to understanding the Old Testament and that, as a whole, the Bible necessarily leads to Christ.

But he believes this traditional Christological approach has been threatened by some modern schools of interpretation that would limit the meaning of any biblical book to the author’s historical context.

By presuming that Old Testament writers could not have intended to refer in advance to Christ and the New Testament faith, he warned, this new line of biblical study would “sound the death knell” for the Christian understanding of Old TestamentNew Testament unity.

In a foreword to his 2007 book, “Jesus of Nazareth,” the pope said the books of Scripture involve three interacting subjects: the individual author, the church and God. “The people of God — the Church — is the living subject of Scripture; it is in the Church that the words of the Bible are always in the present,” he wrote.

The pope has noted the Bible’s ability to inspire individuals and impact their day-to-day decisions.

But he has also cautioned against reading the Bible for easy answers, which would “turn Scripture into an oracle.”

What’s important, he once said, is to “read the Bible regularly, to let it keep us company and guide us.”

September 5, 2008

The International Church

Mexican Supreme Court OKs capital’s passing abortion law

By David Agren Catholic News Service

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican Supreme Court has ruled that the Mexico City Assembly has the authority to pass legislation legalizing abortion, but has not ruled on the constitutionality of the current law.

In a 10-to-one vote, the court decided August 26 that the capital city’s government can establish its own health regulations

— and thus pass a law concerning abortion. The decision went against arguments by the federal attorney general’s office and the National Human Rights Commission.

Despite the setback for the groups challenging the constitutionality of the Mexico City law, which permits abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, Armando Martinez Gomez, president of the College

of Catholic Lawyers of Mexico, told Catholic News Service, “The debate has barely begun” since the high court has yet to rule on whether or not the fetus has legal rights.

At least eight justices must vote against the law passed by the Mexico City Assembly in April 2007 for it to be annulled.

In the rest of the country, abortion is a state-level matter. Most of the country’s 31 states allow

The following morning, he said, the Hindu family moved the priest and nun to an adjacent vacant house and locked it to give the impression that no one was inside.

However, the Hindu mobs overheard the priest speaking on his cell phone, broke into the room and dragged him and the nun outside.

“They began our crucifixion parade,” said Father Chellen.

The gang of about 50 armed Hindus “beat us up and led us like culprits along the road” to the burned pastoral center.

“There they tore my shirt and started pulling off the clothes of the nun. When I protested, they beat me hard with iron rods. Later, they took the sister inside (and) raped her while they went on kicking and teasing me, forcing (me) to say vulgar words,” said the priest who has cuts, bruises and swollen tissue all over his body and stitches on his face.

“Later both of us, half-naked, were taken to the street, and they ordered me to have sex with the nun in public, saying nuns and priests do it. As I refused, they went on beating me and dragged us to the nearby government office. Sadly, a dozen policemen were watching all this,” he said.

Angry at his plea to the police for help, the mob beat the

bleeding priest again.

Later, a government official and members of the mob took the priest and the nun to the police station, where Father Chellen said he was kicked in the face.

“The four-hour ordeal ended when a senior police officer arrived in the evening,” said Father Chellen.

The priest said one of the most hurtful things about the incident was that some local Hindus whom he knew were watching the events and ignored his requests for help.

Later, the priest and nun were taken to a nearby police camp, he said.

“They were very kind to us, gave us clothes and slippers,” said Father Chellen.

The priest and the nun were taken for medical tests. That afternoon they were sent by bus to Bhubaneswar.

Father Chellen said he was admitted to the hospital August 27, while the traumatized nun was taken to a convent. He said the plans called for him to be moved to Mumbai for treatment.

Asked about the how the nun coped with the trauma, Father Chellen said: “We had no option and were simply following their commands. We resisted as much as we could. This is like being tortured for Christ.”

Priest describes mob ordeal ‘like being tortured for Christ’

BANGALORE, India (CNS) — Father Thomas Chellen, undergoing treatment at a Catholic hospital in Bhubaneswar, India, said he was grateful to be alive after a Hindu mob nearly set him on fire.

“They had poured kerosene on my head, and one held a matchbox in his hands to light the fire. But thanks to divine providence, in the end, they did not do that. Otherwise, I would not have been there to tell this horror,” the 55-yearold priest, director of the pastoral center at Konjamendi in the Indian state of Orissa, told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview from his hospital bed August 28.

Following the Aug. 23 murder of a Hindu leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, by Maoist extremists, Father Chellen said Hindu mobs started attacking Christian centers in Kandhamal, the district where the slain leader was based.

When a Hindu mob of 500 people broke into the pastoral center around noon August 24, Father Chellen said he fled through the backyard with another priest and a nun.

“It was heartbreaking for us to watch from a distance the entire complex go up in smoke,” said Father Chellen, who had supervised the construction of the center that opened in 2001 and could accommodate 200 people.

“They vandalized everything and set it on fire. It has been reduced to ashes,” he added.

As the three watched from a distance, some other priests told them to flee.

“We fled to the jungles and came in the night to take shelter in the house of a Hindu friend and spent the night there,” Father Chellen said, adding that the second priest left them to join other priests.

abortion under limited circumstances such as rape, incest or risk to the mother’s health.

“It’s not very clear how they (the justices) are going to vote,” said Ilan Semo Gorman, a political historian at the Jesuit-run Iberoamerican University in Mexico City. However, he added, “the majority of the court is conservative.”

Two days before the court ruling, the Mexican bishops’ conference aired a prime-time message showing Bishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Texcoco, president of the conference.

“The right to life and absolute respect for it should be the base of our democracy,” Bishop Aguiar said.

“As citizens, we’re confident that the judges will fulfill their work responsibly,” he added.

“We hope that their decision is oriented toward justice, the law, the truth and the common good.”

The leftist Democratic Revolution Party, which promoted the abortion law in Mexico City, promised to file a complaint against the bishops.

“The Interior Secretariat should not permit the transmission of messages ... that clearly violate the principle of separating church and state,” said Maricela Contreras Julian, a

3 Democratic Revolution Party congresswoman. She added that the Church should not inject religious arguments into the discussion, “nor try to pressure the Supreme Court judges with televised messages.”

No date has been given for when the Supreme Court might hand down its final decision.

Small protests were held with supporters of both sides of the issues taking to the streets of central Mexico City. ProVida, a right-to-life group, placed more than 12,000 crosses around the landmark Angel de la Independencia monument to signify the number of legal abortions in Mexico over the past 14 months.

Mexico City pollster Jorge Buendia said coverage of the Supreme Court debate and abortion protests would most likely be overshadowed by other big news, including plans for a massive anti-crime march..

“The (abortion opponents) have had very bad luck,” said Buendia, director of the Mexico City polling firm Buendia y Laredo. “All of the media attention is concentrated on the subject of security.”

He added that the majority of Mexicans oppose abortion, although the rate of acceptance is higher in the national capital.

The Church in the U.S.

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September 5, 2008

Pro-Life challenge to abortion buffer zone statute is rejected

BOSTON — A court challenge from Pro-Life advocates to a new buffer zone that limits the free speech rights of protestors and sidewalk counselors, has been rejected by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro.

Attorneys with the Pro-Life, Alliance Defense Fund filed suit in January in the court’s Boston Division in the case of McCullen v. Coakley challenging the 35-foot “buffer” zone around abortion centers contending it is an unconstitutional infringement on First Amendment rights.

In essence, they contend the law eliminates free speech rights within the zone by restricting Pro-Life advocates from sharing their message with people entering, and should not be penalized

for expressing their beliefs. They said that in some instances only a foot of public sidewalk space makes conversation nearly impossible.

In his late August opinion, Judge Tauro said he disagreed with lead Counsel Michael DePrimo’s contention that “Pro-Life advocates shouldn’t be penalized for expressing their beliefs” and ruled the buffers zone statute is “content-neutral and validly regulates the time, place and manner of expressive activity,” and at the same time leaves open alternative channels for communication.

A Boston Globe editorial in May also contended the buffers zone too limiting, and the Act was also opposed by the ACLU of Massachusetts.

Catholics hope to gain from greater demand for religious items, info

SOMERSET, N.J. (CNS) — The time is ripe for Catholics to overtake Protestants in terms of book sales and outreach, especially through the Internet and electronic media, according to the director of the Catholic Marketing Network.

“We have a great opportunity to creatively reach out to

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Catholics,” said Alan Napleton, president of the network, which recently held its 13th annual convention at the Garden State Events Center in Somerset. The number of individuals with independent Catholic and Christian book stores is dropping nationwide, he said. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for religious items and information.

“There’s always some type of religious book on The New York Times best-seller list,” he noted.

The question is how will the demand for spiritual books and religious goods be met? “I’m very optimistic,” Napleton said. “We, as Catholics, have been behind the curve for 30 years, but we have a great chance to catch up” and perhaps leapfrog ahead.

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FEELING BETRAYED — A man identified only as Javier breaks down while speaking at the Southeastern Conference of Catholic AIDS Ministers in Norcross, Ga., recently. The man said he has been ostracized and discriminated against by fellow parishioners and people he thought were his friends since he revealed he has HIV. (CNS photo/Michael Alexander, Georgia Bulletin)

Catholic schools urged to incorporate AIDS education in their curriculum

By Andrew Nelson and Stephen O’Kane Catholic News Service

NORCROSS, Ga. — Education still remains the strongest prevention method in the fight against AIDS and the learning must also take place in Catholic schools, a Miami Catholic educator told those attending the Southeastern Conference of Catholic AIDS Ministers near Atlanta.

The HIV/AIDS education program Ainhoa Tollinche established at St. Brendan’s Catholic High School in Miami eight years ago came about when four students approached the theology teacher about starting an extracurricular AIDS ministry group, she said during the August 11-15 conference.

The program begins in freshman year and extends through senior year. The curriculum covers the history of the disease, transmission, prevention, statistics, treatment options, myths and realities, activities that range from prayer to role playing, and discussions on responsible decision-making and the moral and emotional repercussions of premarital sex, she said.

In addition to reaching students, Tollinche also travels to Church communities to give her basic freshman presentation to help raise awareness among those who know little or nothing about the disease.

Tollinche told the crowd that she is sharing this information so others can use it. The best place

to get information and strategies on how to help spread the awareness message is “right here” with all the AIDS ministers from throughout the country, she said.

“Anybody here can do this work,” she said. “All it really takes is a desire to serve and love.”

Statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer show that black and Latino communities face an HIV/AIDS crisis in numbers that mirror the early years of the disease. Leaders at the conference said they must reshape prevention and education programs with new techniques for different cultures.

In 2007 the National Black Catholic Congress adopted a new teaching curriculum on HIV and AIDS, which is currently being used in the archdioceses of Baltimore and Washington, and it is up for consideration as a national model.

Martha Carter-Bailey, director of the Office of African-Ancestry Ministry and Evangelization in the Diocese of Raleigh, N.C., said the program recognizes many young people are living in single-family homes or being raised with grandparents. It urges adults to talk to young people about the disease.

“It’s important that we teach our students about HIV/AIDS in our (Catholic) schools,” she said.

“Where else would you want it talked about?”

Leaders at the conference said the Catholic Church should be a

leader in education by including HIV studies in the science classroom, as well as lessons about society’s response to the disease in theology studies, she said.

According to the CDC, black Americans in 2005 accounted for close to 50 percent of the estimated 37,331 new HIV or AIDS diagnoses in the U.S., and nearly 70 percent of Georgians living with the disease are black.

AIDS was the fourth-leading cause of death for Latino men and women ages 35 to 44 in 2005, according to the CDC. They account for 18 percent of the new diagnoses of HIV or AIDS reported to the Atlanta-based federal agency.

Irene Miranda, director of the Atlanta archdiocesan HIV/AIDS ministry office, said the services developed in the 1980s during the early years of the disease have to be revised for new groups of people. She said it doesn’t do any good if an AIDS ministry in a parish cannot communicate with Latinos on sensitive sex-related issues.

Another challenge is developing new methods for parents to talk to their children about prevention.

Tollinche said Latino parents she encounters also set different standards for their children, where the girls are expected to remain chaste and boys are encouraged to have sex.

“The message is completely different,” she said. “What they are doing is contributing to spreading the disease.”

The Church in the U.S.

September 5, 2008

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Bishops say Pelosi misrepresented abortion teaching in TV interview B y Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON — The chairmen of the U.S. bishops’ Pro-Life and doctrine committees criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying she “misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church on abortion” in a nationally televised interview August 24.

Pelosi, D-Calif., who is Catholic, said in an appearance that day on NBC’s “Meet

the Press” that Church leaders for centuries had not been able to agree on when life begins.

An August 25 statement by Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia and Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., said the Church since the first century “has affirmed the moral evil of every abortion.”

“The teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable,” the statement said. “Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either

STAGES OF LIFE — Anti-abortion demonstrators hold signs near the site of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Nearly two dozen members of a group that calls itself Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust joined the protest. (CNS photo/Jim Myers, Colorado Catholic Herald)

as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.”

Cardinal Rigali heads the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, while Bishop Lori chairs the USCCB Committee on Doctrine.

The statement recalled how in the Middle Ages “uninformed and inadequate theories” about the development of a child in a mother’s womb led some theologians to suggest that human life capable of receiving an immortal soul may not exist until a few weeks into pregnancy.

“While in canon law these theories led to a distinction in penalties between very early and later abortions, the Church’s moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any stage of development,” the Church leaders said.

However, they added, scientists discovered more than 150 years ago that a new human life begins with the union of sperm and egg, making such a biological theory obsolete.

“In keeping with this modern understanding, the Church teaches that from the time of conception (fertilization), each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with the respect for the fundamental right to life,” Car-

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dinal Rigali and Bishop Lori concluded.

The USCCB response came after Pelosi told interviewer Tom Brokaw “we don’t know” when life begins.

“The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose,” she said.

Citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v.

Wade, Pelosi said specific considerations must be undertaken during each trimester of a child’s development before an abortion can be performed.

“This isn’t about abortion on demand. It’s about careful, careful consideration of all factors ... that a woman has to make with her doctor and her God,” she told Brokaw. “And so I don’t think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins. As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this.”

She also said her goal is to make abortion safe and rare while reducing the number of abortions nationwide.

Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington said that while he respected the right of public officials to address public policy issues “the interpretation of Catholic faith has

rightfully been entrusted to the Catholic bishops.”

Quoting from the “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, the archbishop noted that the Church has maintained its teaching on the “moral evil of every procured abortion” since the first century.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput and Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley of Denver, where the Democratic National Convention is taking place, called Pelosi a “gifted public servant” but questioned her knowledge of Catholic teaching.

The bishops called the “right to choose” an alibi that contradicts Christian and Catholic belief.

Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York said he was shocked to learn of Pelosi’s comments, saying that her view on theologians and their positions on abortion was “not only misinformed” but “utterly incredible in this day and age.”

He said evidence of the development of human life can be detected at an early age thanks to modern technology, and photographs and video have proven “the living realities within their pregnant mothers.”

6

The Anchor A just pay grade for our leaders

One lie generally leads to others. Unless one admits the first falsity, that person usually needs to tell other fabrications to buttress the initial one. Few are the parents, teachers, priests, police officers, judges, and eligible singles who have not experienced this web of ever-growing mendacity first-hand.

In the month of August, we witnessed it among Democratic leaders on the subject of abortion.

It began at the August 16 Saddleback Church’s “Civil Forum on the Presidency,” when Pastor Rick Warren asked Sen. Barack Obama, “At what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?” The Illinois senator hastily and clumsily shifted the question to when human life begins.

Then he stated, infamously, “Whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity ... is above my pay grade.”

Such an obfuscation quickly became a political liability. Most Americans would think few questions — particularly elemental ones — are beyond Sen. Obama’s intellectual capacities.

From a scientific perspective, the question of when life begins is not above the “pay grade” of high school biology students, who learn “with specificity” that human life begins at the moment of the fertilization of the ovum by the sperm. From a Christian theological point of view, to which Sen. Obama says he ascribes, the question of life’s beginnings has never been above the heads of ordinary Christians. While there have been debates throughout the centuries about the timing of human ensoulment, there has been commonsensical unanimity that the growing child in the womb is human, alive and deserving of protection. Despite his lame attempt at false humility, Sen. Obama’s past actions in defense of partial birth abortion in the Illinois Legislature demonstrate that his pretended ignorance did not stop him from speaking and voting in favor of killing half-delivered babies. His low pay grade was increased handsomely by the pro-abortion lobby as a result.

On August 24, when Tom Brokaw asked Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a prochoice Catholic, on “Meet the Press” if she would be able to help Sen. Obama answer the question of when life begins, the Congresswoman just dug a deeper hole with a litany of untruths.

“I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the Church have not been able to make that definition. St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know. The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose. … And so I don’t think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins. As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this.”

It’s impossible to say to say whether the intelligent Speaker, a proud graduate of Catholic schooling in Baltimore, was intending to deceive the viewers or was simply so ignorant of Catholic Church teaching and elemental biology as not to know how erroneous her statements were, but the response from many Catholic Church leaders, even some who are among the most reticent when it comes to correcting pro-choice politicians, was swift, strong and unprecedented.

Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali and Bridgeport Bishop William Lori said on behalf of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference that Speaker Pelosi had totally misstated the Church’s position on when life begins. “The Church has always taught that human life deserves respect from its very beginning and that procured abortion is a grave moral evil. In the Middle Ages, uninformed and inadequate theories about embryology led some theologians to speculate that specifically human life capable of receiving an immortal soul may not exist until a few weeks into pregnancy.

While in canon law these theories led to a distinction in penalties between very early and later abortions, the Church’s moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any stage of development. These mistaken biological theories became obsolete more than 150 years ago when scientists discovered that a new human individual comes into being from the union of sperm and egg at fertilization. In keeping with this modern understanding, the Church has long taught that from the time of conception (fertilization), each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with respect for the fundamental right to life.”

Cardinal Egan of New York said that Speaker Pelosi’s ignorance of the Church’s teaching on human life was “utterly incredible,” and implied that her biological incomprehension of the beginnings of human life makes her — and presumably those who hold similar positions, like Sen. Obama — unfit to serve in a civilized country.

“Like many other citizens of this nation,” he wrote in a powerful public statement, “I was shocked to learn that the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America would make the kind of statements that were made to Mr. Tom Brokaw…. What the Speaker had to say about theologians and their positions regarding abortion was not only misinformed; it was also, and especially, utterly incredible in this day and age. We are blessed in the 21st century with crystal-clear photographs and action films of the living realities within their pregnant mothers. No one with the slightest measure of integrity or honor could fail to know what these marvelous beings manifestly, clearly, and obviously are, as they smile and wave into the world outside the womb. In simplest terms, they are human beings with an inalienable right to live, a right that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is bound to defend at all costs for the most basic of ethical reasons. They are not parts of their mothers, and what they are depends not at all upon the opinions of theologians of any faith. Anyone who dares to defend that they may be legitimately killed because another human being ‘chooses’ to do so or for any other equally ridiculous reason should not be providing leadership in a civilized democracy worthy of the name.”

It is clear from these episcopal statements that the Church does not believe that the question of the beginning of human life and the moral consequences flowing from that awareness are above any intelligent person’s pay grade, especially a Catholic’s. Those public servants who think it is, the bishops imply, are not worthy of the nation’s employ.

The history of abortion in our country has been a chronicle of lies and dissimulations, from exaggerated tales of illegal abortion deaths, to the intentional dehumanization of the developing fetus, to the “health of the mother” exceptions so broad as to allow any reason, to the feigned ignorance of the fundamental human questions at the center of the debate, to many legislators’ pretending like they are personally opposed to abortion while promoting it publicly and enthusiastically at every turn. This episode is yet one other episode in that long, sad history.

But there was one statement of shocking, unguarded candor in Speaker Pelosi’s “Meet the Press” interview that exposed the great lie underneath her and Sen. Obama’s supposed ignorance about when life begins. “The point is,” she said, that the question of the beginning of human life “shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose.” In other words, even if everyone — from legislators, to courts, to citizens — were totally convinced that the child were human from the first moment of conception, women should still have the “right” to choose to kill them. It’s not a question, therefore, of when life begins, because whenever it begins, Pelosi believes that women should have the legal power to put them to death for any reason, even when they are halfdelivered. The supposed ignorance about the beginning of human life is ultimately just a cagy political diversion to beguile people about politicians’ true character.

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September 5, 2008

The world’s most precious and promising ingredient

ach morning, as I scan the news on the motivates her to “walk the walk” even in trying internet, I copy certain articles into digi- circumstances. Even those who say that they are tal folders on my computer, to serve as the raw pro-choice, however, will hopefully grow to admaterial for future editorials or, if they involve mire her as a woman who chose the better path, people who live the faith heroically, for this “Put- who opted to embrace and welcome a handiting Into the Deep” series. For every article that capped son rather than let a doctor destroy him. gets written, there are approximately 10 folders of As many are now learning, during a routine information that never make it: there are simply checkup last December, when Gov. Palin was far more news stories and courageous individuals four month’s pregnant, her doctor informed her that can be written about from a Catholic angle on that the child she was carrying would likely have any given Friday.

DS. Since she was 43 when she conceived, she For nearly three years, I have been adding to knew there was a slightly elevated chance of DS a folder I entitled “Down Syndrome.” I began since the older the ova are, the greater the odds the folder in November 2005, when I read a dis- that there can be a genetic abnormality. Still, the turbing Washington Post story describing medi- diagnosis floored her. “I’ve never had problems cal “advances” that allowed pregnant women to with my other pregnancies,” she said, “so I was screen their developing babies at 11 weeks to de- shocked.” termine with 95-percent accuracy whether their She added that it took some time to adjust to the children have Down Syndrome. As the article news and that initially she was “confused” and sad. described, the reason for the screening was not “It took a while to open up the book that the docto allow an in utero therapeutic intervention to tor gave me about children with Down Syndrome, help the child — as can be done, for example, for and a while to log on to the Website and start readthose with spina bifida. It was to give mothers the ing facts about the situation,” she added. But she opportunity to eliminate the Down Syndrome by and her husband, Todd, never considered aborteliminating their ing their baby, son or daughter as 92 percent of through a “safer couples of simiand less traumatlar circumstances ic” first-trimester do. “Every innoabortion, much cent life has wonearlier than what derful potential,” previous tests perthe governor said.

By Father mitted.

Todd added, “We Over the past shouldn’t be askRoger J. Landry 34 months, I’ve ing, ‘Why us?’ pasted more than We should be 100 articles into saying, ‘Well, why not us?’” the folder. Many of them detail the rapid disapThey were able to keep the pregnancy quiet pearance of children with DS, not because of a until March, probably out of a legitimate conmedical miracle but because of selective abortion: cern that a pregnant governor would become the one large scientific study showed that 92 percent story and divert attention from many of her policy of parents who receive the news that their child initiatives. When they announced that she was has DS choose to abort their child. This trend pregnant, they prudently continued to keep the has obviously alarmed those families with DS diagnosis to themselves. The noteworthy element members, as services for those with a third 21st was that she was pregnant and looking forward to chromosome are being winnowed due to smaller the birth, not that she was pregnant with a child numbers and decreased demand. One 2007 article who likely had DS, as if such a child were differdetailed the tremendously tragic story of 38-year- ent in kind. When Trig Paxon Van Palin was born old woman in Milan, Italy, pregnant with fraternal a month premature on April 18, they still did not twins. When she received the diagnosis that one mention that he was born with Down Syndrome, of her two sons had DS, she decided selectively to keeping again the focus that he was just as loved abort that child. The abortionist, however, killed — and implicitly had the same full human dignity his brother instead. Rather than repenting of the — as the first family’s other four children. decision that led to the death of the first son, the It was only three days after his birth that they mother went through with terminating the second announced that Trig had Down Syndrome. In a son’s life and then sued the doctor. public statement, Gov. Palin said, “Trig is beautiThe last entries in the folder were from a se- ful and already adored by us. We knew through ries of articles in April about the birth of a DS early testing he would face special challenges, and child to the sitting governor of Alaska and about we feel privileged that God would entrust us with the beautiful statements she made a few days af- this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered ter his birth. Because she was a public figure, we our lives. We have faith that every baby is created printed a newsbrief in April with rudimentary for good purpose and has potential to make this details, but I was hoping, eventually, to have a world a better place. We are truly blessed.” chance to bring her heroic witness to love and In an interview with the Associated Press, she life to the eyes of Catholic readers in the Diocese said about Trig, “I’m looking at him right now of Fall River. Sen. John McCain beat me to the and I see perfection. Yeah, he has an extra chropunch. mosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is By choosing Gov. Sarah Palin to be his run- normal and what is perfect?” In the midst of a culning mate, Sen. McCain has brought the story of ture so prone to abort children for any and every her authentically feminine maternal love to the at- genetic “abnormality” and “imperfection,” Palin tention of every citizen in the country. It obviously looked at her son with the eyes of God, with the remains to be seen what Americans at large will eyes of love. think about her capacity to be U.S. vice president She sent an email to friends and relatives writas they compare her and McCain’s strengths and ten from the perspective of God the Father and weaknesses against those of Senators Obama and signed, “Trig’s Creator, Your Heavenly Father.” In Biden. But just as almost everyone admires Mc- it, ‘God’ wrote, “Many people will express symCain for his heroism as a prisoner of war; Biden pathy, but you don’t want or need that, because for his valor after the death of his wife and daugh- Trig will be a joy. You will have to trust me on this. ter in 1972 and in commuting home to Delaware Children are the most precious and promising ineach night to care for his two surviving sons ever gredient in this mixed-up world you live in down since; and Obama for his dauntlessly overcoming there on Earth. Trig is no different, except he has so many obstacles to become, in meteoric fash- one extra chromosome.” ion, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Our world, in many ways, is “mixed-up,” so party; so everyone should be able to look at Gov. lost that we are aborting away our future in a euSarah Palin and conclude that this is a woman genic “search and destroy” pursuit of a false “perwith values we should all profoundly esteem. fection.” Our country urgently needs those who Pro-Lifers are obviously thrilled that Gov. see and prioritize the “most precious and promisPalin is a true Feminist for Life, someone whose ing ingredient” of our future. position on abortion comes not through focus Our country needs people like Gov. Sarah Pagroups or political calculus but a conviction that lin.

Putting Into the Deep

St. Paul on prayer

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e often think of St. Paul omnipotent, yet personal, living as the Apostle to the God, who is actively involved Gentiles, the great Missionary of in the working out of his will the Ancient Church, and the pre- on earth, and who responds to eminent letter writer of the New prayer.

Testament. He was also a man of Not surprisingly, St. Paul’s deep prayer. His Christian career spiritual life has deep roots in the began with a three-day period of Old Testament. One could say prayer after his conversion (cf. Acts 9:11). His Living the life also ended in prayer.

According to tradition, Pauline Year Paul prayed as he suffered martyrdom.

By Father St. Paul takes prayer Karl C. Bissinger seriously. Very often, Paul exhorts the churches he founded to “persevere in prayer, being watchful in it he continues the Biblical style with thanksgiving” (Col 4:2). To of prayer with which he grew the Ephesians, he writes, “With up. Like Our Lord, Paul most all prayer and supplication, pray certainly recited the Psalms. at every opportunity in the Spirit. Sometimes, he prays like one To that end, be watchful with all of the prophets. Biblical scholperseverance and supplication ars can even detect clear links for all the holy ones” (Eph 6:18). between Paul’s prayer language A whole way of praying even and the teaching of Jesus. developed in the Eastern Church For the most part, however, as an attempt to put the Apostle’s St. Paul’s prayer consists of command “Pray without ceasthanksgiving, praise, and suppliing” (1Th 5:17) into practice. cation. Thanksgiving represents In the Epistles, one finds refthe most frequent type of prayer erences, allusions, and reports of we find in his writings. We could the Apostle’s prayer. He writes call it the heart of Paul’s prayer. that he prays “always, constantVery often he introduces his letly” (Rom 1:10), “night and day” ters with memorable formulas.

(1Th 3:10), “unceasingly” (Col For example, “I give thanks to 1:9). Through prayer, St. Paul my God at every remembrance forms a relationship with the of you, praying always with joy

in my every prayer for all of you” (Phil 1:3-4).

Furthermore, St. Paul drew great power from prayer. In fact, prayer supported all his missionary work and formed a central part of it. He relied on earnest, ongoing, and vigorous prayer — his own prayer, that of his fellow workers, and that of the communities he established. Paul’s prayer is essential to his understanding of evangelization. In this way, we could say that his prayer is “apostolic.” He prays for a successful mission.

Then, with pastoral concern for his flock, he intercedes and offers petitions for them. In return, he also expects prayer on the part of those who have accepted the Gospel from him.

Nevertheless, St. Paul understands the struggle of prayer (cf. Rom 15:30; 2Cor 12:8-9).

The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” teaches us that “prayer is a battle” (CCC 2725), and many of us have experienced this personally. The Apostle helps us see that praying does not entail wrestling with God or struggling against him. On the contrary, prayer constitutes a struggle to know God’s will and to put it into practice. If anything, prayer involves a struggle with

Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe leaving impression on followers

By Michael Pare Anchor Staff

ATTLEBORO — A replica of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that is traveling throughout the diocese and is on display for prayer and veneration is leaving the kind of impression on faithful followers that organizers of the tour expected.

Beatrice Martins, Catholic Citizenship’s associate field director for the Fall River Diocese, said the tour provides “an opportunity for Our Lady to touch hearts.”

And touch hearts, she has.

“We visited two nursing homes and the residents were just so grateful,” said Martins.

“She touches hearts and souls.

They were able to bring their hopes and concerns to her.”

On August 30, Martins joined about two dozen others in praying before the image outside of the Four Women Abortion Center on Emery Street in Attleboro.

The Pro-Life Movement has a special interest in Our Lady of Guadalupe. Historians and theologians contend the belt worn by

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September 5, 2008

the Virgin Mother as pictured in the image is a sign or declaration of her pregnancy as theotokos, meaning “God bearer” or “Mother of God,” as declared by the Council of Ephesus 431.

The miraculous image of the Virgin Mary, showing her as the pregnant Mother of God, is an exact replica of the painting that appeared inside the peasant cloak of Juan Diego, a Christian Aztec in Mexico on Dec. 12, 1532.

Through the intercession of Our Lady, the Aztec’s practice of human sacrifices was brought to an end, and millions of conversions to Christianity were witnessed in the ensuing years.

The original image can be seen in the Basilica to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and where it has been on display for nearly 500 years, visited by locals and pilgrims from across the world.

The tour throughout the Fall River Diocese is being cosponsored by Catholic Citizenship and the diocese’s Pro-Life Apostolate.

Martins said that throughout

the tour, she has seen the image touch deeply those who reach out to her.

“It helps to regenerate people’s faith in a world where so many things are questioned,” she said.

Martins hoped that the presence of the faithful followers and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe would have a particular impact on those entering the Four Women Abortion Center.

“We have pregnancy help centers in the diocese … they can help these women to seek alternatives,” she said.

Jean Arsenault, assistant director of the diocese’s Pro-Life Apostolate, said that she and others feel a real connection to the image.

“She is our Mother,” said Arsenault. “She is using us as a vehicle to do her work.”

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is scheduled to return to the Four Women Abortion Center in Attleboro on September 6 from 7:30-9:30 a.m.

A complete schedule of the locations for the image appears on page 18.

oneself, a rebellion against the world, against all that is at odds with God’s will, against all that prevents the unfolding of his loving plan for humanity. In other words, to pray means to do battle against evil.

To many of us, prayer means simply talking with God. Sometimes, not feeling the need of words, we remember that prayer also includes raising one’s mind and heart to God. St. Paul instructs us that prayer is part of the Christian mystery. As we do in the liturgy, Paul directs his prayer to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit within the baptized prays for us. To the Romans, the Apostle writes “The Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought,

but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings” (Rom 8:26). He also reminds his readers, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. […] You received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’” (cf. Rom 8:14-15).

Finally, St. Paul’s prayer does not stay focused on the present only. Instead, he looks toward the end times and prays in eager waiting for Christ’s return in glory. So, following the Apostle’s example during this Pauline Year, we can join him in hopeful longing and pray along with him, “Marana tha!” (cf. 1Cor 16:22) — “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Father Bissinger is vocation director of the Diocese of Fall River and secretary to Bishop George W. Coleman.

The Fragrance of Heliotrope: The Presence of Cecelia By Richard J. Ward

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— Maria Sanguinetti, Mass.

"A sensitive, deeply felt, revealing and masterfully written account of a happy and warm relationship of two people who cared deeply for each other."

— Peter de Janosi, N.Y.

Available through book stores, Amazon.com & other internet sources

St. Anthony Shrine (Downtown Crossing)

100 Arch Street Boston, MA 02110

Tel. 617-542-6440 Website: http://www.StAnthonyShrine.org/ppio 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of St. Pio’s entrance into eternal life (1968-2008) and also the 90th anniversary of when the stigmata appeared on his body (1918-2008) Let us celebrate his life!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Program: (Second floor chapel) 11:00 a.m. - Chaplet of Divine Mercy International Rosary 12:00 Noon - Holy Mass

The following will also be offered: Sacrament of Anointing . Veneration of Relics A Surprise Testimonial . Video of St. Pio’s Life Prayer books will be distributed . Reading of a Healing Light Refreshments First Floor Chapel The following services are available throughout the day: 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation 12:30 p.m. thru 3:30 p.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 3:30 p.m. Benediction Handicapped Accessible

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hen Pope Benedict published his first encyclical “God is Love,” some thought that the pope picked an easy topic, one which would not be too controversial or demanding. But as those who read the encyclical realized, what the Holy Father wrote was not something light; it was something that made you think and pray about an essential aspect of the faith which we so often treat in a light way, and yet is at the core of the mystery of God and being children of God. As a whole, we tend to speak of love in a vague way and at times distort the meaning of love as the Trinity has revealed it. We speak of how God loves us, but forget that this love of God demands a response of sacrificial love in return. We toss the word “love” around in relationships, but at times this is a selfish love (how the other makes me feel good), rather

September 5, 2008

Loving others enough to correct them

than a real love of seeking the not easy, and today God teaches good of the other, and willing us of a hard but essential way to sacrifice oneself so that good how love must be lived. may come forth.

In the Scriptures this weekLove is at the core of being end, Christ and the prophet a disciple of Christ (to love Ezekiel speak of the dynamic of one another as Christ has loved love where you and I have the us), and it is a great mystery which we must constantly ask our Lord Homily of the Week to teach us how to live.

Twenty-third Sunday St. Paul reminds us that of Ordinary Time “love does no evil to one’s neighbor.” Yet to

By Father love is not only not to Kevin A. Cook do evil to someone, but one must be seeking the good of the other, with our obligation to speak out when motive being driven by the love someone has done something of God. Love is to seek the sinful, “to dissuade the wicked sanctification of another. Love from his way.” God warns us is seeking the salvation of other that if we do not speak, that souls (along with ours). We though “the wicked shall die seem to forget this fundamental from his guilt, I will hold you reality that we were redeemed responsible for his death.”

by God’s unmerited love, which But if we do speak, even if he can never be taken lightly. You refuses to turn from his way and I have an obligation to help and die from his guilt, “you others know this love. Love is shall save yourself.” This does

not mean that we are to go around correcting everyone, but it does mean that out of love of another’s soul, we are called at times to make, or receive, a fraternal correction.

Thankfully Our Lord and his Church help us to understand how to do this lovingly. First, we should bring the concern of the other to your prayer, and examine whether it is our place to say something. Is this someone I know? Is what they have done of a grave nature or something small and a one-time thing? Is it something small yet being done habitually? Is it something of a serious nature and therefore must be dealt with? Are my motives pure, wanting to help that person to grow closer to God and his Church? When making a correction, you should always do it privately (and only if necessary with another person to support

your point), and always with a tone of love and humility, never in a time of argument.

You should always try to bring the concern up in person, but if doing it in writing is the only way, you must be very attentive to what you write (if not written clearly, then it can be misinterpreted and only makes matters worse). If it is something that causes great public scandal, you can address it with the person even if you do not know them well, but make sure you address them in a way to which they can respond (not writing anonymous letters which are signs of lack of charity and cowardice).

Love is called to be lived in many ways, so let us ask Our Lord for the grace to courageously live out whatever he asks of us.

Father Cook is assistant director of diocesan Vocations and Seminarians as well as chaplain to Coyle-Cassidy High School and Morton Hospital in Taunton.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Sept. 6, 1Cor 4:6b-15; Ps 145:17-21; Lk 6:1-5; Sun. Sept. 7, Twenty-Third in Ordinary Time, Ez 33:7-9; Ps 95:1-2,6-9; Rom 13:8-10; Mt. 18:15-20; Mon. Sept. 8, Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30; Ps 13:6abc; Mt 1:1-16, 18-23; Tues. Sept. 9, 1Cor 6:1-11; Ps 149:1b-6a, 9b;Lk 6:12-19; Wed. Sept. 10,1Cor 7:25-31; Ps 45:1112,14-17; Lk 6:20-26;; Thu. Sept. 11, 1Cor 8: 1b-7, 11-13; Ps 139:1b-3,13-14b, 23-24; Lk 6:27-38; Fri. Sept. 12, 1Cor 9:16-19,22b-27; Ps 84:3-6,8,12; Lk 6:39-42.

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How ‘alt.’ lost the Kingdom — and why it matters

ack in the day, before the parish repertoire was expanded to accommodate the hymn sandwich (the “opening hymn” and “closing hymn”), the “offertory hymn,” and the almost-never-sung-by-parishioners “Communion hymn,” Catholics in the U.S. didn’t know a lot of hymns. Everyone knew “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name:” disfigured by those baroque trills (“In-fih-ih-neh-ett thy vast do-oh-main”) that aren’t in the score, but the American Catholic fight song, nonetheless. Then there were the Marian

standards, of which the treacly tered the Church’s identity and confections (“Bring Flowers of unity in the Eucharist. It remindthe Fairest, Bring Flowers of ed Catholics of the ecumenithe Rarest”) were more prevacal imperative. It closed with lent than the noble classics (“O an image of the Supper of the Sanctissima”).

And there was “Lord, Who at Thy First Eucharist,” which I may have learned for my first holy Communion in 1958, but which was

By George Weigel certainly a standard long before then. In an era of theologically thin hymntexts, it was a eucharistic hymn Lamb, in the Kingdom where chock-full of theology. It centhe redeemed live in the unity of trinitarian light and love.

It’s a fine hymn. And it’s now been wrecked by that great wreckovator, “alt.” You say you’ve never heard of “alt.”? Go to the bottom of any page in the hymn section of your worship aide, and there you will find the ubiquitous “alt.,” a protean character who seems to have rewritten virtually the entire repertoire. “Alt.” did a particularly egregious job on “Lord, Who at Thy First Eucharist.”

Here’s the original last verse: So, Lord, at length when sacraments shall cease May we be one with all Thy Church above, One with Thy saints in one unbroken peace, One with Thy saints in one unbounded love; More blessed still, in peace

The Catholic Difference

and love to be One with the Trinity in unity.

“Alt.,” who breaks out into hives whenever he encounters “Thy,” was not content to wreckovate that into Eliza Doolittle English.

No, “alt.” had to flatten the theology as well as the vocabulary. Thus the wreckovated hymn now limps to the finish-line with a slavish repetition of previous verses: “O may we all one bread, one body be/Through this blest sacrament of unity.”

What happened to the Kingdom-to-come? Or to the life of the blessed who live within the really Real Presence of the Most Holy Trinity? They’ve been jettisoned in favor of togetherness. This kind of gelding is not without consequences, and the consequences aren’t only literary; the deeper consequences are theological and liturgical. Lex cantandi, lex credendi, lex orandi — what we sing affects what we believe and how we pray.

As the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the celebration of the Eucharist here-and-now is our privileged participation in the liturgy of angels and saints that goes on constantly around the Throne of Grace. In the Eucharist, we experience the unity of

the Church in this world, true; even more importantly, we experience our unity with what we used to call the “Church Triumphant.” The Eucharist doesn’t simply focus our attention on us, and on now. The Eucharist, rightly understood, points us toward our fuller communion with the redeemed of the Lamb, in the time-beyond-time that is God’s time, trinitarian time. To diminish this Kingdom-sense is to diminish an essential element of the Eucharist.

As I’ve argued in this space before, losing a sense of the Kingdom-to-come is one key factor in our post-Vatican II liturgical languors. If the reformed liturgy has failed to do what two generations of liturgical reformers expected it to do — equip the People of God for a new evangelical Pentecost in the world — that may have something to do with too intense a focus in our prayer and song on us, and on now.

The answer? Catechetical preaching on the Kingdomdimension of the liturgy is essential. And might I suggest the proper authorities consigning hymnals defaced by the archwreckovator, “alt.,” to the parish dumpster?

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Rolling on the rivers

Friday 5 September 2008 These two parish churches — At home in the Dightons — recognize the need to consoliBlessed Teresa of Calcutta Day date in order to move forward. or more than a year now, Our communities must now dear readers, I have been sojourn to a new place as a new paddling my canoe up and community of faith. We are down the Segregansett and Three Mile rivers in the Town of Dighton.

I had first to reconReflections of a noiter the area. Having Parish Priest assessed the situation, I then needed to plot the

By Father Tim flagship’s future course; Goldrick then gather parishioners together for the historic voyage. We are now onboard soon to become pilgrims in this and ready to set sail. This is a Pilgrim Church of ours. Leavetale of two churches becomtaking has been the mark of a ing one. These are the best of life of faith since our Hebrew times; these are the worst of ancestors first left Egypt for the times (my apologies are due to Promised Land. As pilgrims, Charles Dickens. Sorry, Charwe can take with us only the lie.) objects we can carry in our

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The Ship’s Log

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arms. In our hearts, however, we hold memories of human and holy moments shared together. We remember family, friends and neighbors who have been part of that living tapestry we call community.

We remember with laughter and with tears. Our memories are the real treasures and we take them all with us, each and every one.

Leave-taking touches the deepest recesses of the human heart.

Powerful emotions of sadness must be expressed. If not, they will consume our fledgling community before it has a chance to come into its own.

But if grief is expressed in a healthy way, we will eventu-

Everybody loves Paul

of his Son, that he might be ince the inception of the firstborn among many the Pauline Year which brothers.” was announced by Pope Here St. Paul clarifies Benedict XVI, and which began on June 28, 2008, there that although Jesus was the Son of God, we are called have been many informato share in his work, and be tive and inspirational articles part of a family in Christ. featured in The Anchor And in the second chapter newspaper, and in parishes of 1 Corinthians, we learn, there have been classes and “In the same way no one discussions as well as mesknows the thoughts of God sages from the pulpit about except the Spirit of God. We St. Paul, to help us apprecihave not received the spirit ate and understand this great of the world but the Spirit Apostle. Whether we are a priest or a layperson, a Sister or a theologian, a deacon or a Brother, or even if one is newly converted to Christ, St. Paul’s words can be understood, transforming

By Greta MacKoul and redemptive. For his message is one of timeless compassion, who is from God, that we inspiration and wisdom, and may understand what God could it be that it seems that has freely given us. This is everybody loves St. Paul. what we speak, not in words We may be inspired by taught us by human wisdom his words and also by the but in words taught by the example of his life, for Spirit, expressing spiritual St. Paul in many ways is a truths in spiritual words.” great example of hope as we It is quite evident that St. reflect upon our own journey Paul was given the gift of of faith. the Holy Spirit in a proThis year the pope has found and lasting way as he called for attention to be became the voice of Christ given to the letters of St. to those he spoke to, to Paul. Chosen here are some people through the ages as passages that I would like to well as to us today. But it reflect upon. wasn’t always like this for In the eighth chapter of St. Paul. Before his converRomans, we read, “We know sion, he was working against that in all things God works God. Again, the life of St. for the good of those who Paul can be a great inspiralove him, who have been tion and example of hope to called according to his pureveryone, that no matter who pose. For those God forewe are, we can always give knew he also predestined to our lives to Christ and serve be conformed to the likeness

Our Journey of Faith

him, and God may knock on our door in many different ways.

For when Paul’s life changed, it was not about Saul’s “re-inventing himself.”

But rather, it was an “extreme makeover,” spiritual edition. God’s love and compassion and the gift of his Spirit changed Saul forever, and Paul would never be the same.

What I love about St. Paul is that when we read his letters it is as though 2,000 years have vanished away. It does not matter that we do not live in Corinth, or Ephesus, or Thessalonica. He gets our attention, he reaches out to us, and in St. Paul we sense sincere love and caring, that somehow he continues to care for us.

All we have to do to receive his teachings is to believe. Then the power of his words shared 2,000 years ago is unlocked, the Holy Spirit is present, and the person of Jesus Christ is once again more fully understood.

St. Paul endured many trials and he made many sacrifices to fulfill his mission as a messenger for Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that we too must make our commitment, make our sacrifices and in our own way be a missionary serving Christ in the Kingdom of God here and now.

Greta and her husband George, with their children are members of Christ the King Parish in Mashpee.

ally overcome our sadness and be free to move on. This is not to say we will forget. We can never forget. There will always be a hole in our hearts for what we left behind.

Life-passages must be marked with solemn ritual.

Rites of passage are a basic need of the human heart and always have been. To this end, scores of parishioners from both churches have been working feverishly in marathon meetings in order to design the appropriate rituals.

I believe the Holy Spirit was present among them as they worked. I believe this because the results of their work are inspirational.

The keystone of the rituals of leave-taking will be the final Masses in both churches.

These two Masses will happen at either end of town on the same day. They will be coordinated in timing so that we can all eventually come together at one time and in one place on that day. The Masses will be concelebrated in both churches.

The music will be the finest we are able to provide. Everyone’s participation will be welcome, with a special emphasis on the youngsters and the elders among us. At the end of the final Masses, the lights will be extinguished and the altar stripped. Each parishioner will be invited to venerate the altar with a holy kiss. Significant sacred objects will be carried out by parishioners in procession: the relics contained in the altar stones, the crucifixes, the statues of our patron saints, the Holy Water, the sacred vessels, the tabernacle key, the candlesticks and lamps, the liturgical books, the repository for the Eucharist, the Holy Oils, the vestments, the hand bells, and even a pipe from the organ.

One designated parishioner will

close and lock the doors. Consummata est. It is completed. It is finished. These are the worst of times.

After both church buildings are ceremoniously closed, all will proceed, carrying our treasures, to a room prepared to receive them. This will be a “Hall of Memories” in the Pastoral Life Center in North Dighton. There the objects will be displayed for one week and available for public viewing.

The exhibit of ritual objects and archival photographs from St. Peter Church and St. Joseph Church will be called “The Hidden Treasures of Dighton: Sacred Objects of the Catholic Faith Community.” Those items inscribed as memorials will be highlighted.

The “Week to Remember” will include daily prayer, sharing of memories, storytelling, interactive presentations, media presentations, and lectures by experts in local Church history.

The Blessed Sacrament will be available for private prayer in a temporary eucharistic chapel.

There’ll also be light refreshments served (you know me and food).

In a word, “The Week to Remember” will be a seven-day wake. We will experience all the thoughts and feelings that normally take place at a wake — including finding consolation in our faith that the Lord is with us always.

These are the best of times.

“The Week to Remember” will lead to the joyful celebration of the birth of a brand-new church. We will together set sail into a future of hope.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Captain speaking. Last call.

All aboard who’s coming aboard.

Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in North Dighton and St. Peter’s Parish in Dighton.

Take out 401-272-3618 or 401-621-3618 or 401-621-9190

10

F

The Anchor

The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree

or me, there’s one surefire way to detect the end of summer and the advent of autumn.

It’s not the dip in temperature, because I truly think this September will be warmer than August, when we were short-changed with fall-like conditions.

It’s not the sun dipping lower into the southern horizon, making early morning and late after-

My View From the Stands

By Dave Jolivet noon driving more of a challenge than it usually is. Depending on the time of day, driving east or west mesmerizes me like the opening credits of Rod Serling’s classic “Twilight Zone,” series.

And it’s not even the minutes of daylight swiped away each day.

No siree. The sure sign of the change of season is when I take good old Igor out to do her thing.

In the summer, it’s a treat to walk bare-foot in the cool grass while Iggy sniffs out every blade, tree bark and bush in the yard.

But now, the bare-foot journey turns treacherous. The lawn is newly strewn with acorns. The

tiny nuts may seem harmless, but when stepped on, they may as well be thumb tacks.

What was once a nice stroll in the yard is now something reminiscent of an interpretive dance class. I hop, skip, moan, groan and boogie my way wherever Igor chooses to lead me.

I don’t understand how my pooch is unaffected with twice as many feet as me. She roams undaunted by the tiny weapons.

And it isn’t only the feet feeling the effects. There is also the threat of being conked in the head by the projectiles, as squirrels chuckle from their tree-top perches.

Why don’t I wear shoes, you may ask? I think it’s because of a reluctance to let summer go. But it’s time. I’m just one painful acorn injury away from building Igor a doggie litter box.

Once again, the acorns emerge victorious. They mark the end of summer and remind us of the cold, ice and snow just a few months away.

But that’s OK. Not only do acorn-induced bruises on my feet announce fall, they also herald in football season.

September 5, 2008

Nantucket man spreads faith in own, unassuming way do — the Christian thing to do, after all.

Father Canuel said that he has long been impressed

by Gallagher’s level of faith and devoNANTUCKET — Father Paul E. Canuel, pastion. tor at St. Mary Our Lady of the Isle, describes “He’s here every morning for our Rosary Gordon Gallagher as “an example of someone Mass,” said Father Canuel. “His faith is not who lives out his faith every day.” Father Canusomething he just puts on like a Sunday suit.” el should know. The pastor sees his 87-year-old And his pastor is almost as impressed with parishioner just about every day.

Gallagher’s still sharp mechanical skills.

Gallagher helps out wherever and whenever “He’ll tackle any project,” said Father Canuel. something needs to be done at St. Mary’s.

“He’s taken apart a sports car.”

According to Father Canuel, Gallagher will Father Canuel is referring to a red TR3 from tackle any project. He serves as a sacristan, an the 1950s, which Gallagher painstakingly reextraordinary minister of holy Communion, and stored.

Lately, he has focused on repairing old a faithful member of weekly Bible study. And all clocks.

Islanders with projects have a tendency of this, he does, without ever looking to draw atto find him, it seems. tention to himself.

Anne Connors, of Wellesley, said that it can “He has a quiet, unassuming way of going be sometimes difficult to get her father off the about and letting his faith be his guide,” said Faisland.

He certainly isn’t going to miss anything ther Canuel. “Every day, he lives out his role as going on at St. Mary’s. a Christian.”

He simply would never His commitment shirk his responsibilito doing for others ties there. stretches outside of But it comforts parish life. While he Connors to know how is always willing to close her father is to give a neighbor a ride the Nantucket parish to church, he is also and the people that available to drive them make up its congregato doctor’s appointtion. She describes St. ment or some other Mary’s as the “perdestination. fect parish.” Because Gallagher is a humit’s the only Catholic ble man. In fact, asking church on Nantucket, him to talk about himsaid Connors, it fosters self can be like pullhealthy discussions ing teeth. But maybe amongst its members. that’s appropriate. Af“It’s the only game ter all, Gallagher was a in town,” said Connors. dentist for 40 years in “You either voice your Binghampton, N.Y. concerns or reevaluate He first visited ANCHOR PERSON OF THE WEEK — GorNantucket in 1936. His don Gallagher. (Photo courtesy of Anne Con- your thinking. They give many platforms mother’s ancestors, nors) for that. It forces you said Gallagher, were to live your faith. It’s “Nantucket people.” wonderful.”

His great-great grandfather was a whaler.

For her father, it has been an invaluable veIt was all those years ago that he found St. hicle for his faith. So much of his life is centered Mary’s. His parents were people of faith and on St. Mary’s. that is how they would raise their four children.

“He loves his Church, the island, and his cat Young Gordon became an altar server. Father Leo,” said Connors.

Griffin was the pastor, remembers Gallagher.

Thinking back, Connors is not surprised by Gallagher’s faith deepened — his committhe depth of her father’s faith. His Catholicism is ment to the Church gaining strength with each so deeply rooted, way back to reading from the passing year. His mother had her children read Bible at night as a boy. a chapter from the New Testament every night “He was always committed to understanding before bed. So Gallagher learned the Bible. He the Gospel,” she said. thinks back and realizes how truly beneficial Gallagher cherishes his children: Anne; Jothose lessons were for him. seph; Charles; Vincent; and 11 grandchildren.

Gallagher moved to Nantucket in 1995. His Charles R. Gallagher is a Jesuit in England, a wife, Juliette, passed away in 1992. St. Mary’s year away from being ordained. He has written was there for him. a book, “Vatican Secret Diplomacy.” Asked if And he has been there for St. Mary’s. he’d like that mentioned in this article, Gallagher Gallagher became friendly with a man who beams with pride. was fulfilling many duties in the parish. When “That’d be great,” he said. that man could not take care of all of the chores, So does Gallagher have advice for others on Gallagher stepped in to help. how to best live a life of faith?

“Somebody had to do it … and I didn’t mind,” “The Catholic Church was founded by Christ,” said Gallagher. he said.

“I do not have any doubts about that …

In truth, he liked his expanded responsibiliI wish everyone was in the Catholic Church. It’s ties. They brought him even closer to his parish, important to spread the faith in any way.” to God, really. They still do.

To nominate a Person of the Week, send “I’m kind of on the inside,” he said. an email message to FatherRogerLandry@ As for helping others, Gallagher doesn’t see anything so special in that. It’s the right thing to AnchorNews.org.

By Michael Pare Anchor Staff

NEVER FORGOTTEN — A Missionaries of Charity nun lights candles near an image of Blessed Mother Teresa during evening prayer in Agartala, the capital of India’s northeastern state of Tripura.

(CNS photo/Jayanta Dey, Reuters)

Mother Teresa lauded her sense of ‘powerlessness’ Continued from page one

Petrie expressed a desire early on to follow in his patron’s footsteps and work with leprosy patients.

But since the government of Molokai had taken over administering to the lepers and his order was now only providing a chaplaincy on the Hawaiian island, he began searching for another way to fulfill his calling.

After his ordination in 1965, Father Petrie was assigned to minister to Our Lady of Assumption Parish in New Bedford, but his desire to work with lepers remained. After reading about Mother Teresa’s work with leprosy patients in a magazine article that same year, he decided to offer his help.

“I wrote her and never got an answer,” Father Petrie said.

“Since this wasn’t congregation work, I had to raise my own travel expenses, so we put on some dances and benefits and raised $1,000. The plane ticket was only $800, so I sent the extra $200 to Mother Teresa and told her once again that I had permission to go for three months to India. Again, no answer. I arrived in Calcutta on July 9, 1973 and no one was there to meet me. So I thought I was going to be doing my own thing.”

But somehow God would intervene and inspire Father Petrie to keep pursuing Mother Teresa’s mission. “I took a taxi from the airport to a little lodge in the center of town and we passed through this mass of humanity,” he said. “During that journey I saw a group of leprosy patients huddled together and I knew there was work to be done here.

The following morning I called up the Missionaries of Charity and I said: ‘My name is Father Petrie and I’d like to speak to Mother Teresa. I came to volunteer for the leprosy ward.’ She said: ‘This is Mother Teresa,

11

The Anchor

September 5, 2008

come right over.’ So she didn’t take you seriously until you were right in front of her. She had no recall of my letters.”

Father Petrie noted how Mother Teresa’s own love and devotion to Blessed Father Damien would only help cement their bond. “He was one of her favorites,” Father Petrie said. “Even back then she was saying: ‘When is he going to be canonized?’”

During his first three-month visit to Calcutta, Father Petrie explained how Mother Teresa had recently built a mission called Shanti Nagar, which means “City of Peace,” and it was located some 40 miles from the nearest city and parish church. Home to 10 of her Missionaries of Charity Sisters, the facility also housed 250 patients, 75 children, but lacked a priest.

“Mother Teresa believed that impeded the work of her Sisters,” Father Petrie said. “So she asked if I would go there, just for the summer, and she never thought I would last. I was an American and at that time they had no running water, no television, no bus system … it was real rural. I felt like I was entering the world for the first time. Without distractions, you see the world in a different perspective.”

Upon returning after his first venture to India, Father Petrie felt compelled to immediately go back, but his provincial suggested he wait and see if his desire remained as strong after a year. Indeed, it did, and with his order’s blessing he returned for what would become a 22-year stint on July 29, 1975 — the feast of SS. Peter and Paul.

“I got such a big welcome on my return and Mother Teresa asked if I was willing to go back to Shanti Nagar and I said I’d love to go back,” Father Petrie said. “She said, ‘You’ll

never know what your presence meant. We notice a difference when a priest is involved in our lives through the sacraments.’

From then on I provided regular confessions, a conference every week, Mass everyday, and was available for spiritual direction and also helped with the parish church 40 miles away.”

Father Petrie ultimately became Mother Teresa’s spiritual director and often would travel the world with her as she attempted to bring her missionary work to communist countries such as North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma and China.

“Mother asked me to accompany her sometimes when we went to a communist country where there were no convents or rectories, because we’d have Mass privately,” Father Petrie said. “That experience made me a global missionary. I thought I would spend my life in a leprosy colony, but that was just to prepare me for what was to come.

When you’re with Mother Teresa, it’s a global mission.”

It was during these important meetings with dignitaries and diplomats that Father Petrie first began to notice what made Mother Teresa such a compelling and charismatic figure.

“I once told Mother Teresa: ‘I know your secret of success.

I said it is your powerlessness,’”

Father Petrie said. “She asked me what does that mean? I told her, think of Mary standing on Calvary. There was nothing she could do, there’s nothing recorded in Scripture. She was just present as her son was suffering this great redemptive act and no one shared more in that mystery than the person of Mary.

I told her when there’s a famine, an earthquake, a war, or masses of poor children … you just go and stand there and something happens. She said: ‘That’s how it works.’”

While Father Petrie may have had unique insight into Mother Teresa’s success, she also had a similar ability to see God working through him. Father Petrie’s sisters, Ann and Jeanette, followed Mother Teresa over the course of five years to document her work in the 1986 film “Mother Teresa.” They were once told

by Mother Teresa how their brother was destined to work with lepers.

“She once told my sisters: ‘You know, your brother is meant for the leprosy work. Anyone

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. (CNS file photo)

who works with leprosy patients uses gestures and their hands are always closed. But your brother’s hands are always open. He’s always receptive and open.’ I never realized that,” Father Petrie said.

It was also during the premiere of his sisters’ documentary at the United Nations that Father Petrie witnessed another amazing example of how Mother Teresa could effect change simply by being present.

“The documentary was de-

buted for all the world leaders at the United Nations,” Father Petrie said. “Now a prayer has never been said in the assembly hall of the United Nations and for the premiere they handed out cards with the Prayer of Saint Francis.

Mother Teresa came in and said ‘please stand and pray with me.’

Those were the type of miracles where she touched people’s lives.”

After screening the film, Father Petrie said the secretary general of the United Nations eschewed his prepared speech and simply told Mother Teresa: “You are the United Nations.”

Indeed, the global mission work of Mother Teresa which began with about 800 Sisters in some 20 countries had expanded to an estimated 124 countries and more than 3,000 Sisters at the time of her death in 1997. Today, there are over 4,000 Missionaries of Charity Sisters in more than 130 countries doing Mother Teresa’s work. “The congregation continues to grow,” Father Petrie said. “Even without the visibility of Mother Teresa, her spirit continues to inspire.”

One sticking point for Mother Teresa was how to bring her charitable work to communist China.

This led to one of his most vivid memories of traveling with her in 1978.

“We went to meet with the highest members of the communist party in China and they said: ‘Mother, we have some questions for you,’” Father Petrie said. “I was there with my sister Ann, so the first thing they wanted to know was, ‘Who are these two people?’ I think they thought I was a CIA agent.

Mother Teresa said, ‘These are my personal friends.’ They asked her why she wanted to come to China. And she said: ‘to quench the thirst of Jesus, by serving the poorest of the poor in China.’

They asked how she was going to do this. She said: ‘I’m going to do this for Jesus through Mary.’

They asked how she was going to fund her mission work. She said: ‘I’m going depend on divine province through the power of the Holy Spirit.’ This was all done through translators. Finally they said: ‘Mother, we don’t understand one word you’re saying.

The meeting is over.’

Turn to page 12

12 Continued from page 11 “We went back to where were staying and as she was kneeling at her bed, Mother turned to me and asked: ‘Father, what should we do?’ I said, ‘Mother I am not going to say a word because the Holy Spirit is working through you.’ She prayed a little bit more and then wrote a note to Deng Pufang, the handicapped son of Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, who invited her to come to China. He came over the following day in his wheelchair and he said: ‘Mother, China needs you.

I was in hospital to hospital with no care, no proper medication, no love … I have an organization working with the handicapped and your Sisters can bring change in their lives and it would be uplifting.’”

Father Petrie said Mother Teresa thought she would never die until she accomplished the goal of bringing her missions into China.

Even when Hong Kong went back to China in July 1997, people saw that as a sign of change on the horizon. As her health began to fail that same year, Father Petrie recalled the last time he met with her before her death.

“On her feast day, August 22 — it was the old feast of the Immaculate Heart — I went to Calcutta to attend Mass,” Father Petrie said. “After Mass there was a little breakfast and I went over to greet Mother Teresa. She was in a wheelchair and looked frail. She thanked me for coming and we talked about making another trip soon. But before I left she grabbed my hand and said: ‘Don’t forget China.’ I said ‘No, I won’t.’ Ten days after that, she was dead. Then it dawned on me her last words were, ‘Don’t for-

The Anchor get China.’”

While she may not have lived to see that dream come true, Father Petrie maintains that her wish will continue through her order and it will one day come to fruition. “I think we’re close to it,” he said. “We thought it would have happened before the Olympics. But I think those who watched the Olympics saw a different China. They’re trying to open up a bit. It’s time for a dialogue and when it happens the Missionaries of Charity will be there.”

Like his own Blessed Damien of Molokai — the person who first inspired him to work with lepers and who was himself beloved by Mother Teresa — Father Petrie looks forward to the day when Mother Teresa is finally canonized.

“It will be Mother Teresa’s 100th anniversary in 2010 — that would be a wonderful time for her to be canonized because she’s a saint for our day,” Father Petrie said. “It was Damien who opened the door to my leprosy work … and led me to Mother Teresa. The miracles continue in our relationship. She’s been dead for 11 years, but she continues to inspire me.”

Offering a recent example, Father Petrie noted how when he first became provincial for the Congregational of the Sacred Hearts he felt compelled to convert the dining room into a chapel because of something Mother Teresa once said. “Mother Teresa used to say the chapel should always be the best room in the house,” he said. “We had a beautiful dining room here … but I decided to make it into the chapel as a memorial to Father Damien.”

September 5, 2008

AN EYEFUL — Jamie Bell stars in a scene from the movie “Mister Foe.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Magnolia)

CNS Movie Capsules

NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“Hamlet 2” (Focus Features) Comic free-for-all in which a quirky failed actor turned high school drama teacher (Steve Coogan) works with two favorite students (Skylar Astin and Phoebe Strole) and a gifted newcomer (Joseph Julian Soria) to mount the titular sequel — a cathartic extravaganza of his own creation — in an effort to halt the shutdown of his program, despite growing community controversy and the indifference of his caustic wife (Catherine Keener). Director and co-writer Andrew Fleming’s provocative, sometimes overreaching satire, which takes on everything from racial attitudes to child abuse to the gulf between Christian spirituality and celebrity culture, may strike many as wayward, but its underlying values are humane.

Fleeting frontal male and brief rear nudity, much sexual and some irreverent humor, frequent rough and crude language, a few uses of profanity, child molestation, adultery and

fertility themes, and drug references. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting 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.

“Mister Foe” (Magnolia) Offbeat but well-made and strangely affecting Scottish coming-of-age tale about a voyeuristic teen (an excellent Jamie Bell), deeply troubled after the drowning death of his mother, who leaves his father (Ciaran Hinds) and stepmother (Claire Forlaini), whom he suspects of poisoning his mother, and takes a kitchen job at an Edinburgh hotel where he falls for a personnel director (Sophia Myles) who is having an affair, as he discovers, with their married boss (Jamie Sives). Though there is ultimately forgiveness and redemption, many will be bothered by the aberrant elements of the highly improbable story — based on Peter Jinks’ novel — and director David Mackenzie’s film is best approached for its complex themes rather than its sometimes objectionable content. Some brief but strong sexual content, partial male and female nudity, adultery, nonmarital encounters, some rough language and profanity,

blunt sexual talk, suicide and violence including attempted murder. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting 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.

“Traitor” (Overture) Astute espionage thriller centered on a deeply religious, Sudanese-born Muslim American (Don Cheadle) who once served as a U.S. special operations officer in Afghanistan, but whom two FBI agents (Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough) now suspect of terrorism, in part because of his ties to a Yemeni jihadist (Said Taghmaoui). Writer-director Jeffrey Nachmanoff’s engaging study of conflicting loyalties and identities probes significant moral problems about the use of violence as its protagonist struggles to sort through his competing allegiances. Moderate action violence, one use of the F-word and some crude language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults.

The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned.

Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, September 7 at 11:00 a.m.

Scheduled celebrant is Father John M. Sullivan, pastor of St. Lawrence Martyr Parish in New Bedford

The Anchor

September 5, 2008

13

McCain selects Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as running mate

By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, selected by Sen. John McCain August 28 as his vice-presidential running mate, won the praise of Catholic leaders earlier this year for embracing the arrival of her fifth child, born with Down syndrome in April.

The Republican governor, who says she was baptized Catholic but has always attended nondenominational Christian churches, knew from early testing that her son Trig “would face special challenges,” according to a family statement, but she and her husband Todd felt “privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives.”

The family’s decision stands in contrast to statistics showing that more than 90 percent of women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome choose to abort the child.

Recent polls had indicated that if McCain picked a running mate who supported keeping abortion legal it would have cost him a significant number of votes.

Palin’s Pro-Life credentials received another test when the family disclosed September 1 that 17-year-old daughter Bristol, who is unmarried, was five months pregnant and planned to marry the father of her child.

Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, said that although the situation “is not the ideal Sarah Palin wished for her daughter ... the way we react to life’s challenges is the true testament to our character.”

“The Palin family is displaying courage and constancy,” Yoest added in a statement. “We join them in welcoming this new life.”

Although Palin, Alaska’s youngest and first woman governor, has been a strong supporter of Pro-Life issues, the 44-year-old governor’s name had not been widely mentioned on the list of potential vice-presidential candidates that included former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge.

Palin accepted her selection as McCain’s running mate during a rally in Dayton, Ohio, calling the role the

“privilege of a lifetime.”

McCain described her as someone with “grit, integrity and fierce devotion to the common good ... exactly what we need in Washington today.”

Palin, who took office in 2006, came to the governor’s job after a stint in local politics as the mayor and council member of the small town of Wasilla and as chairman of the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska’s oil and gas resources.

Although she has pushed for ethics reform and has a reputation for standing up to special-interest groups, Palin also described herself plainly as a “hockey mom.” She likes to fish and hunt and is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. In 1984 she was named Miss Wasilla and was a runner-up for Miss Alaska.

Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, Palin moved with her family to Alaska when she was an infant. She graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982 where she was a point guard and captain of the basketball team and earned the nickname “Sarah Barracuda” for her tough style.

She received a bachelor’s degree in communicationsjournalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Her husband is an oil production operator on Alaska’s North Slope. Their oldest son, Track, enlisted in the Army last year.

Palin introduced her husband, Bristol and three younger children — Willow, 14; Piper, seven; and Trig — at the Dayton rally.

After Trig’s birth, Anchorage Archbishop Roger L. Schwietz told the Catholic Anchor, the archdiocesan newspaper, that Palin’s “actions are a public witness to the fact that every child is a gift. This is what the proabortion people don’t want to admit to.”

Mercy Sister Kathleen O’Hara, who assists people with disabilities at the Joy Community of Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, likewise praised Palin’s decision, saying “people who had Down syndrome births were so thrilled.”

“It says a great deal for their deep and abiding faith that they knew they were going to have a hard road ahead and they were willing to do this,” she added.

VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visits U.S. Army Pvt. James Pattison at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, in this 2007 file photo. U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has chosen the Alaskan governor as his vice presidential running mate. (CNS photo/Pvt. Kenny Holston, U.S. Air Force handout via Reuters)

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September 5, 2008

IN PREPARATION FOR THE 4TH ANNUAL FEAST HONORING GOD THE FATHER, THERE WILL BE A 9-DAY NOVENA & HOLY MASS September 5th-September 13th, 2008 @ 5:30 PM ST. ANNE’S SHRINE (Lower Church) 818 MIDDLE STREET, FALL RIVER, MA

Daily Novena Prayer Leaders Sept. 5th Fri.

Sept. 6th Sat.

Sept. 7th Sun. Sept. 8th Mon. Sept. 9th Tues.

Sept. 10th Wed. Sept. 11th Thurs.

Sept. 12th Fri.

Sept. 13th Sat.

BIll and Fracel Solar & Family (Integrated Sources & Services, Inc.) Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Renato and Adela Ramirez & Family, (Lazaro Foundation) Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Prof. Alex and Julie Inonog & Family, Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Drs. Carlos and Nila Fernando & Family, Dr. Linda Owen & Family Lorie Barrus & Family (LB Productions), Dr. Linda Owen & Family Franciscan Tertiaries Handmaids of the Immaculate Amanda Kalb & Family, Antonio Mateo & Family (PAMAS, Inc.), Dr. Linda Owen & Family Eugene and Evita Florendo & Family (Ocampo Jewelers, Pinoy Groceries) Sto. Niño Prayer Group of Boston, Gloria Platon & Family, Dr. Linda Owen & Family Ruperto and Gloria De la Cruz & Family, Loyola Family, Daquil Family Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Engr. Deo, Rowena & Kristy Urgasan, (FIL-AM of Newport) Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate

Please note: Sept. 14th Sunday Solemn Feast Day Celebration: Holy Mass & Outdoor Procession @ 11:30 AM - SACRED HEART CHURCH, 160 Seabury St., Fall River, MA 02720 For more information: Please call Linda, God the Father’s Children Apostolate, @ 857-366-0850

Come and join us in celebrating our 4th Annual Solemn Liturgical Feast honoring GOD THE FATHER OF ALL MANKIND When: September 14, 2008, Time:11:30 a.m., Where: SACRED HEART CHURCH, 160 Seabury St. Fall River, MA 02720, Celebrant: Rev. Fr. Marc H. Bergeron This event includes devotion to God the Father, Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Benediction & Outdoor Procession with the participation of St. Cecila Band, Mordomos of Fall River Sport, & the Filipino Arts and Music Enemble of New York Followed by Refreshment. POT LUCK!!! It’s FREE. Offertory collections - All given to Sacred Heart Church Directions: From the North of Fall River: Take Rte. 24S, Take Exit 5/US-6 onto Eastern Ave/President Ave. Continue on North Eastern Ave. Turn Right on

Bedford St. Turn Right on Seabury St. - Sacred Heart Church is on your left.

From the South of Fall River: Take Rte. 24N, Take Exit 4 onto I-195W. Take Exit 7 - 6/US-81 S onto Plymouth Ave. becomes 13th St. Turn Left on

Bedford St. Turn Right on Seabury St. Sacred Heart Church is on your left.

September 2008 SPONSORS: Rommel & Elizabeth Arca and Family

Novena Prayers by: Rose Candaza, Pres. - KASAMA, Inc.

For more information, please call: Bob & Linda Ravenscroft at tel. no. 857-366-0850 God the Father’s Children Apostolate of Greater New England Fall River, MA 02720

“MISSIONARIE UNITAS IN CHRISTO AD PATREM” Via del Cinema, 16/1-00040 Anzio-Falache (ROME) Tel. no. 06-98-73-405

September 5, 2008

The Anchor

news briefs

Delaware bishops have been low-key with Biden’s Church involvement WASHINGTON (CNS) — There is little record of public discourse between vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden and the bishops of his home diocese in Delaware over the Democratic senator’s legislative position on abortion. Biden, a Catholic, was named August 23 as the running mate of Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois. Putting Biden on the Democratic ticket ensured the resurgence of many of the same questions and accusations that plagued Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts four years ago about a Catholic nominee whose voting record on abortion often conflicts with Catholic teaching. During the campaign in 2004, a handful of Catholic bishops — not including the heads of the dioceses where Kerry regularly attends Mass in Washington and Boston — issued statements saying they would refuse to give the senator Communion if he presented himself to them during Mass. Like Kerry’s record, Biden’s legislative history includes opposition to efforts to pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting abortion and to make it harder for minors to cross state lines to obtain an abortion. On other issues, however, Biden has voted in favor of limits on abortion, including voting for a ban on partial-birth abortion and against federal funding for abortions. He has said he accepts the Church teaching that life begins at conception. Until his nomination was announced, Biden’s relationship with the Catholic Church over such issues had only rarely made news.

CUA opens academic year with new expressions of Catholic identity WASHINGTON (CNS) — Tom Givliani eagerly participated in the academic year opening Mass at The Catholic University of America in Washington August 28, not because it’s the start of his senior year, but for how it unifies his faith and intellectual development. So, when Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl spoke about the university’s significant role teaching Church doctrine and its obligation to be in full communion with the Catholic Church, the 21-year-old engineering major from Coconut Creek, Fla., said the message was clear that he had a duty to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. It marked the first opening Mass at the 221-year-old pontifical university since Pope Benedict XVI met with U.S. Catholic educators on the campus last April and stressed that it was their responsibility to bring a Catholic identity to their schools. Catholic University officials have embraced the pope’s message with a new outward show of Catholic distinctiveness.

15

The Anchor

Today The Anchor prints the fourth in an eight-part series on marriage published by the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. The series is entitled “The Future Depends on Love” and examines from a fresh and contemporary perspective topics such as human love in the divine plan, the intrinsic and public goods of marriage, the gift of fertility, the sacrament of matrimony and more. For more information about the series and added resources, visit www.MassCatholicMarriage.org.

Informal atmosphere marks stays at papal villa, says longtime staffer

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John XXIII used to duck out incognito and visit surrounding towns. Pope John Paul II played hide-and-seek with employees’ children. And Pope Benedict XVI fills the evening air with notes from his piano.

It’s all part of the informal family atmosphere that reigns at the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo outside Rome, said Saverio Petrillo, director of the villa since 1986 and a staff member there for the last 50 years.

Each pope has had a different style, Petrillo told the Vatican

newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, in an interview published August 26.

Pope John Paul was the first to really use the villa as a second home. Especially in the early years, he hosted evening meetings with young people where the youths would light bonfires, sing songs and tell stories about their lives.

Pope John Paul would pay frequent visits to the families of the 50 or so employees who live and work on the villa grounds, accepting a cup of tea and chatting casually with them, Petrillo said.

16

September 5, 2008

CLI anniversary reunion celebration planned

I KNOW, I KNOW — New third-graders at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro are eager to answer questions the first day of the new school year.

FALL RIVER — Graduates and former team members of the Christian Leadership Institute or CLI in the Fall River Diocese are invited to a 20th anniversary reunion celebration to take place September 20, at Cathedral Camp on Middleboro Road in East Freetown.

It will begin with a noon Mass at St. John Neumann Church, located next door to the camp. Lunch and a variety of activities will follow, coming to a close at 5 p.m.

CLI is a week-long leadership training experience for high school youth. Its aim is to foster the potential of young men and women and to heighten their awareness of leadership in various ministerial roles and responsibilities not only in their individual parishes, but also in their high schools and communities.

Crystal-Lynn Medeiros, assistant diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry leader, estimates that nearly 800 young persons have completed CLI since the program was implemented in the Fall River Diocese in 1988.

Medeiros said this anniversary celebration is being sponsored to provide “an opportunity to reconnect with friends from CLI and to enjoy a day of faith, food, and fun.”

Graduates of the 2008 CLI are invited to arrive at 10 a.m. at Cathedral Camp for a reunion meeting geared specifically for them before joining the anniversary celebration at noon.

Those interested in attending the CLI 20th anniversary are asked to contact Medeiros by telephone at 508-678-2828 or email at cmedeiros@dfrcec.com.

ATTLEBORO — The bright lights of the theater will shine on several students from St. Joseph’s Parish. Fourteen young actors, ranging in ages 13 to 21 will perform a modern paraphrased rendition of the medieval morality play, “Everyman.”

The free event will take place September 13 in the church hall.

The young thespians are part of a group called the “St. Joe’s Players,” assembled for the first time last summer by Kathy Harum.

Harum was a professional actress for many years in New York City, and told The Anchor, “I now feel called to work with young people to explore beauty, truth and friendship through the mode of theater.”

She has been working with young people for nearly eight

years in various capacities. Last summer she started the St. Joe’s Players with seven actors who performed scenes from Shakespeare for the summer festival, and put on a Christmas production of a radio play version of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Assisting in the latest venture is Harum’s husband David, also a professional actor.

“It seems so radical to perform a theater piece about things that were accepted by the medieval Church as the air they breathed, and now these truths are so infrequently spoken of,” said Kathy Harum. “So far none of my actors has rolled their eyes about the content, so something must be working.”

For information about the performance, contact St. Joseph’s Rectory at 508-226-1115.

Attleboro parish troupe to perform modern morality play

GOOD TO BE BACK — Mrs. Duvall and Chris and July Millett smile as the boys start for home after the first day of class at St. Pius X School in South Yarmouth. Below, Mr. Corsi and Mrs. Laird await questions from the fourth-graders.

The Anchor is always pleased to run news and photos about our diocesan youth. If any schools or parish Religious Eduction programs has newsworthy stories and photos they would like to share with our readers, send them to: schools@anchornews.org

Youth Pages

September 5, 2008

A

s this issue of The Anchor goes to press, both the Democrats and Republicans will have officially chosen their candidates for president and vice president of the United States. One of the candidates is African-American, one is a woman, all four are Christians and two of the four are Catholic. It is likely the most diverse group of candidates ever fielded by the two parties in a national presidential election.

As I listened to the speeches at the conventions with their call for change, unity and service to others, I know my heart skipped a beat with the possibility that we might actually be able to achieve some of that in the future. Yet, no sooner does one candidate say something, that within an hour, another candidate blasts them as “out of touch” or says “they just don’t get it.” “He’s too old, she’s too young, he has too many houses, he’s all glitter with no substance.” We just can’t seem to get past building someone up

B y D eacon J ames N. D unbar

17

Let’s go out and make a difference!

without someone tearing them would live in) but I can’t help down. Why do we have to debut wonder what Jesus thinks stroy one person so that another about the way his “followers” will win? are representing him here on I think what bothers me the earth. most is that each of these candiWith these thoughts in mind, dates declares that they are Christians. I’m not in a position to know what is in their hearts but I, just as you, can hear their words and see their actions. And you know what? I’m

By Frank Lucca not always seeing or hearing what I would expect from someone who purports to be a follower my interest was piqued when I of Christ. Do you? Can you received an email from Amazon turn your Christianity on or off announcing the release of a new to suit the group you are speak- novel, “American Savior.” The ing to or the group you need to novel presents this intriguing attract and still be a follower of scenario: What if Jesus returned Christ? Can we pick and choose to earth and ran for president? which beliefs you accept and So wondering, “What would still be a Christian?

Jesus actually do in this case?”

I know that none of us is I purchased the book. perfect and none of us acts in The book is a light read and a Christ-like manner all of the somewhat entertaining and time (imagine if we did what amusing. However, it did chaltype of wonderful world we lenge me to look more deeply

Be Not Afraid

into my own beliefs and how we live and act in this country.

One reviewer writes, “It forces the reader to see that there are options and that perhaps more than options, possibilities.”

Another reviewer asks, “What would the country be like if we chose kindness over cruelty. Generosity over greed. Truth over lies.” Compelling stuff.

Imagine if Jesus did run from president. Could he even be elected? Can you imagine what the other candidates would do to try to discredit him?

Would he be embraced as someone who can bring about peace and love in a world torn by war and hate or would he be labeled a crackpot or out of touch? Well, a fictional satire won’t give us the answers, will it? It can only challenge us and indeed it did.

So as we move through the election process over these

Youth Rally, Mass to precede October 5, Respect Life Walk

BOSTON — Pro-Life young adults and teens from schools and parishes of the Fall River Diocese have been eager participants in the Massachusetts Citizens For Life’s annual Respect Life Walk fund-raiser here to benefit mothers and children for more than two decades.

But on this 22nd anniversary they will have an opportunity to join with hundreds of fellow young people prior to the 3.1-mile walk, at a youth rally beginning at 10 a.m., in the Cathedral of Holy Cross at 1400 Washington Street in Boston, followed by a Mass at 11:30 a.m.

“These first-time events were called by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who will be the principal celebrant at the Mass and homilist, and our young people traveling to Boston for the 2008 walk are excited about it,” reported Marian Desrosiers, director of the Pro-Life Apostolate for the Diocese of Fall River.

“This rally and Mass are similar to what the young people experience when they gather at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., as part of the annual January pilgrimage

to the March for Life in the capital,” she added.

The Boston walk, with this year’s theme “Helping Hands and Hearts” is sponsored and organized by the MCFL, founded in 1973, and the largest Pro-Life organization in Massachusetts.

The companion rally and Mass are under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Boston.

“We are asking and inviting youth groups from high schools and other schools and parishes to become involved in the rally and celebrate Mass as well as the pre-walk celebration at 1:30 p.m. at Boston Common and the walk that begins there at 2:30 p.m., on Respect Life Sunday,” said Desrosiers.

Following the Mass the local contingent, joined by thousands of Pro-Life groups from across Massachusetts, will proceed to Boston Common to begin the circular route that will end approximately two hours later at the Common’s bandstand near the corner of Tremont and Boylston streets.

Traditionally, schools and parishes sending groups to Boston’s Respect Life Walk join and coordinate in arranging their own transportation.

Monies for women and children are raised through the $5 registration fee for walkers aged 18 and older; and by sponsor monies raised by the walkers themselves.

Forty-seven Massachusetts Pro-Life organizations which are beneficiaries of the event include crisis pregnancy centers, counseling services, women’s shelters and educational programs.

Among them are such wellknown local organizations

such as A Women’s Concern, Birthright of Taunton, Project Rachel in Fall River, Birthright of New Bedford, South Attleboro and Taunton; as well as the diocese’s Pro-Life Apostolate.

For more information contact the MCFL office in Boston at 617-242-4199, extension 2; or visit its Website at www.masscitizensforlife. org.; or call the Fall River Diocese’s Pro-Life Apostolate at 508-997-2290.

next 60 days or so, what will you do to help move this country toward being a place that practices what we preach?

Even the youngest of you out there can get involved to try to make our country a better place. We are at war, people are losing their homes, and children still go to bed hungry. As one of the candidates said last week, “We are better than this.” Indeed we are. We and our leaders can no longer just talk the talk. We all need to walk that walk with Jesus at our side guiding us with his words and supporting us with his love. Now, let’s go out and make a difference.

Frank Lucca is a youth minister at St. Dominic’s Parish in Swansea. He is the chair and director of the YES! Retreat and director of the Christian Leadership Institute (CLI). He is a husband and a father of two young ladies.

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18

The Anchor

Schedule of local appearances of image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The following are the dates and times the image will be present in various churches and locations: September 5, Holy Family Church in East Taunton, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

September 6, Four Women Abortion Center in Attleboro, 7:30-9:30 a.m.

September 6, St. Jude’s Church in Taunton, 3-7 p.m.

September 7, Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Taunton, 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Masses.

September 8, St. Peter the Apostle Church in Provincetown, 7-9:30 a.m.

September 8, Our Lady of

ARE YOU MOVING? The Post Office charges The Anchor 70 cents for notification of a subscriber’s change of address.

Please help us reduce these expenses by notifying us immediately when you plan to move.

Send your new address, moving date, and a copy of your old mailing label to: The Anchor P.O. Box 7 Fall River, MA 02722 or email changes to theanchor@anchornews.org

Lourdes at Visitation Church in Eastham, noon-2 p.m.

September 9, Holy Redeemer Church in Chatham, 1-3 p.m.

September 9, St. Pius X Church in South Yarmouth, 4:30-7 p.m.

September 10, Holy Trinity Church in West Harwich, 8-10 a.m.

September 10, St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis, 11:30 a.m.- 4 p.m.

September 10, Our Lady of the Assumption in Osterville, 5-7:30 p.m.

September 11, St. Joseph’s Church in Woods Hole, 7:309:30 a.m.

September 11, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River, noon3 p.m. and 7-8 p.m.

September 5, 2008

Walk for Life makes a big difference in difficult times continued from page one

iceberg — there’s drug abuse, homelessness. Some women are told — abort or you lose everything. These groups offer food, education, hope; they offer life in the broadest sense.

They show the face of Christ to those in need.”

MCFL is the only beneficiary group devoted solely to ProLife education and legislation.

“Some wonderful groups have Pro-Life positions among their many concerns; other wonderful people do sidewalk counseling and many babies have been born because of their efforts,” said MCFL President Anne Fox. But there’s a need for political action as well as spiritual and material assistance, she added. Fox drew an analogy: “We’ve heard this issue justly compared to slavery, where the Supreme Court also classified a group of human beings as ‘less human.’ The Underground Railroad saved many slaves, but it took the abolition movement to get slavery outlawed and give legal recognition to all human beings. The abolitionists did this by keeping slavery ‘in people’s faces.’”

And raising public awareness takes money. “This isn’t just a rally,” Cross said. “It’s a major fund-raiser for these groups who rely on sponsorships raised by registered walkers.”

MCFL itself needs money, Fox acknowledged. “I’m a volunteer; most of us are. But we need professionals and technology to help us educate and activate others,” she said. “People

who were younger than 18 on Jan. 22, 1973 don’t remember when abortion was illegal.

They’re supportive of prayer breakfasts and they give money, but they aren’t activists. For them it’s like it was for people who lived under communism — they honestly don’t understand things can change. We must educate them to the fact that the law can be changed and that they can — and must — do it.”

This 22nd Walk is dedicated to the memory of pro-life benefactor Thomas J. Flatley. Speakers from five beneficiary groups will recount real success stories at the 1:30 p.m. opening assembly at the Boston Common’s Parkman Bandstand at Tremont and Boylston streets. Keynote speaker will be Joe Fitzgerald, Boston Herald columnist, sportswriter, and Red Auerbach biographer.

Prior to the 5-K Walk, the Archdiocese of Boston will hold a youth rally featuring music with Father Stan Fortuna at 10 a.m. at Cathedral Grammar School. At 11:30 a.m., Cardinal Sean O’Malley will celebrate a “Respect Life” Mass next door at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, after which the young people will enjoy a pizza lunch, then walk together to the Common.

“I hope to see all four high schools send a contingency to the youth rally and Mass, said Marian Desrosiers, director of the Fall River diocesan ProLife Apostolate, which is one of the beneficiary groups. Others within the diocese are Compas-

sion Ministries, the Birthright offices in Attleboro, Falmouth, New Bedford and Taunton, and Project Rachel, the Catholic post-abortion outreach ministry.

Getting “Laura’s Law” passed is one of MCFL’s legislative goals for the 2009-10 session. Technically called the Woman’s Right to Know Bill, this informed consent legislation will be reintroduced, this time with a local woman’s tragic story behind it.

Laura Hope Smith of Sandwich was the 22-year-old victim who, along with her unborn child, died during a legal abortion last September. The abortionist now faces a manslaughter charge in Barnstable County Superior Court.

Laura’s parents asked MCFL to rename the bill in Laura’s memory; her mother Eileen Smith will be honored at MCFL’s annual dinner September 17 at Lantana’s Restaurant in Randolph. Guest speaker will be Amherst College law professor Hadley Arkes, architect of the 2002 federal Born-Alive Infants’ Protection Act. He will explain how a package of legislation, such as the informed consent bill and others prohibiting sex-selection and coerced abortions, can further the cause for life.

Tickets at $50 each should be reserved by September 12.

Call MCFL at 617-242-4199 or go online at Masscitizensforlife. org to reserve dinner tickets or obtain Walk registration and sponsorship forms.

Area Pro-Life advocates to be recognized at MCFL dinner

FALL RIVER — Three members of the Fall River Diocese will be recognized at the September 17 Massachusetts Citizens for Life annual dinner for their Pro-Life work this past year.

Father Joseph Viveiros, pastor of St. Dominic Parish in Swansea, will receive the Pro-Life Community Award, which is given to a citizen who has given outstanding support to an MCFL chapter.

An MCFL release called Father Viveiros “an exemplary herald” on preaching about the dignity of life. He ensures that Pro-Life and pro-family materials are published in the church bulletin and reinforces these messages in either a homily or an announcement. He incorporates meaningful prayers for life at daily Mass as part of the Prayers of the Faithful, and his parish holds ProLife fund-raisers and a special drive to benefit Haitian children.

Father Viveiros has served as a Fall River diocesan parish priest and chaplain for the deaf for 34 years, and as director of persons with disabilities for more than 20 years.

Lloyd McDonald of Harwich will receive the Chapter Service Award. McDonald has been active

in Pro-Life work for 35 years. He is on the MCFL Board of Directors and a “driving force” in the Cape Cod Chapter. He established an MCFL office in Dennis, started the Roses for Life Fund-raising Drive in many Cape parishes, and organizes buses for the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Pat Fox will receive the Chapter Service Award for her work with the Greater Fall River Chapter.

She has served as chapter secretary for 10 years, supported the chapter’s numerous educational and fund-raising projects, and ensured that the chapter enters a float yearly in the Fall River Celebrates America annual parade. She is also active in the Pro-Life committee and serves as a parish representative at St. Dominic’s in Swansea for Catholic Citizenship.

Amherst College Professor Hadley Arkes will be the keynote speaker at the dinner, which will be held at Lantana’s Restaurant in Randolph.

MCFL’s mission is to promote education and legislation to protect life from fertilization to natural death.

Tickets at $50 each may be reserved through September 12 by calling 617-242-4199 or going online at Masscitizensforlife.org.

September 5, 2008

Around the Diocese Eucharistic Masses Adoration: MASSES IN THE FALL RIVER DIOCESE — Vacationers and travelers can find Mass schedules on the diocese’s Website www.fallriverdiocese.org. For Masses across the nation visit www.masstimes.org.

Eucharistic Adoration ACUSHNET — Beginning September 8, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament resumes at St. Joseph-St. Therese Church, 51 Duncan Street, Mondays following the 8:30 a.m., Mass until 1:30 p.m. For more information call 508-9952354.

EAST TAUNTON — Eucharistic adoration takes place every First Friday at Holy Family Church, 370 Middleboro Avenue, following the 8:30 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 8 p.m. All are invited.

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.

NEW BEDFORD — There is a daily holy hour from 5:15-6:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday at St. Anthony of Padua Church. It includes adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Liturgy of the Hours and recitation of the rosary.

NORTH EASTON — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will take place at the Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington St., on September 15 in commemoration of the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, Patroness of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. Adoration will begin at 9 a.m. with rosary prayer and conclude with a Mass at noon. Following Mass, an individual blessing will be imposed with an authentic relic of Blessed Father Moreau, founder of the Congregation.

TAUNTON — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord Church, 31 First Street, immediately following the 8 a.m., Mass and continues throughout the day. Confessions are heard from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., and the day concludes with recitation of the rosary and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.

TAUNTON — Eucharistic adoration takes place every Tuesday at St. Anthony Church, 126 School St., 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’s 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.

WEST HARWICH — Our Lady of Life Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Holy Trinity Parish, 246 Main Street, holds perpetual eucharistic adoration. For open hours or to sign up for an hour call 508-432-4716.

Miscellaneous Miscellaneous: ATTLEBORO FALLS — St. Mark’s Parish will hold its annual fair tomorrow, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the parish grounds, 105 Stanley Street. There will be many activities, music, entertainment and food.

BUZZARDS BAY — A Cape Cod Canal Cruise for Life, to benefit Birthright of Falmouth, will take place September 14 from 4:30 to 7 p.m., leaving from the Onset Town Pier aboard the Viking. Please call 508-477-9854 for information or to reserve tickets.

CHATHAM — A Tridentine Mass is celebrated 11:30 a.m. every Sunday at Our Lady of Grace Chapel on Route 137.

FALL RIVER — “Person-to-Person: A Mother Theresa Project” will be presented at St. Mary’s Cathedral at Sunday at 2 p.m. Created and performed

by Christin Jezak with original music by Nate Jezak and lyrics by Mother Theresa, this play was presented at the World Youth Festival in Australia. All are invited.

HYANNIS — The Cape Cod Family Life Alliance will sponsor a “stand-out” on September 13 in Hyannis from 1 to 3 p.m. It will gather on Route 132 in Hyannis on the sidewalk in front of the Cape Cod Mall, holding signs reading: “VOTE PRO-LIFE!” and praying the rosary. A peaceful reminder to all of the importance of this issue in this election. For details call Pat at 508-833-8432.

NEW BEDFORD — Life in the Spirit seminar will be held at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish center tonight from 7 to 9 p.m., and tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. For information, call 508-995-6711.

NEW BEDFORD — The Daughters of Isabella will hold its monthly meeting and a potluck supper September 9, 6 p.m., at the Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 121 Mt. Pleasant Street. Members are reminded to bring a dinner food or dessert.

NEW BEDFORD — A Day With Mary will take place at Our Lady’s Chapel, 600 Pleasant Street, tomorrow from 9 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. The event is a day of instruction, devotion and intercession based on the message given at Fatima in 1917. Included will be a Fatima video presentation, procession of Our Lady, prayers, Mass, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, meditations, an act of consecration, Benediction, and enrollment in the Brown Scapular and conferment of Miraculous Medal. For information call 508-996-8274.

PROVINCETOWN — “Quiet Encounter,” a day of reflection for persons living with HIV/AIDS, as well as their caregivers, families and friends, will be held September 17, 10 a.m., to 3 p.m., in St. Peter the Apostle Church, 11 Prince Street. To register call 508-674-5600 ext. 2295.

Pro-Life ATTLEBORO — Concerned faithful are needed to pray the rosary outside Four Women, Inc., an abortion clinic at 150 Emory Street, Thursdays from 3-4 p.m., or 4-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30-8:30 a.m. For information call 508238-5743.

19

The Anchor Campaign uses prayer, outreach to end abortion continued from page one

liturgies, petition drives and public visibility.

“Bishop George W. Coleman and our Pro-Life Apostolate strongly support this ecumenical project consisting of 40 days of prayer and fast — and during the daytime hours, a peaceful presence outside Attleboro’s Four Women Abortion Clinic,” reported Marian Desrosiers, director of the diocese’s Pro-Life Apostolate.

“Although we are not the sponsors of this nationwide, ecumenical effort, our Pro-Life Apostolate invites all of you to join in and be a peaceful witness at the abortion clinic,” she added.

“As you know, a presence will be needed there for 40 days. We encourage parish groups to volunteer to cover a whole day — from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., — or even a half day. We think this is the only abortion clinic still operating within our diocese and we need to do our part by praying and helping to educate our communities, once again, that abortion hurts all of us, and to remind medical personnel and others that abortion is wrong and that the death of a child can never be seen as a

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks

Sept. 8 Rev. Thomas Sheehan, Founder, Holy Trinity, Harwich Center, 1868 Sept. 10 Rev. Hugo Dylla, Pastor, St. Stanislaus, Fall River, 1966 Rt. Rev. Felix S. Childs, Retired Pastor, Sacred Heart, Fall River, 1969 Sept. 11 Rev. Joachim Shults, SS.CC., Our Lady of Assumption, New Bedford, 1987 Rev. Cyril Augustyn, OFM Conv., Pastor, Holy Rosary, Taunton, 1997 Rev. Francis E. Grogan, CSC, Superior, Holy Cross Residence, North Dartmouth, 2001 Rev. Martin Grena, 2004 Sept. 12 Rev. John J. Galvin, STD, Assistant, SS. Peter and Paul, Fall River, 1962 Most Rev. James L. Connolly, DD, Fourth Bishop of Fall River, 1951-70, 1986 Rev. John R. Folster, Pastor, St. Louis de France, Swansea, 1995 Sept. 13 Rev. Charles A.J. Donovan, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1949 Rev. Isadore Kowalski, OFM Conv., Our Lady’s Haven, Fairhaven, 2003 Sept. 14 Rev. Stanislaus J. Ryczek, USA Retired Chaplain, Former Pastor Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Bedford, 1982

solution.”

She added, “We need to be there — to speak for the unborn who cannot speak of themselves and for the women who need our unconditional love and help, so don’t be afraid to join us.”

Desrosiers suggested that anyone wanting to volunteer can get more information and sign-up online at the Website www.40daysforlife.com/ attleboro; or by calling Steve Marcotte at 508-406-1211, or contacting him online at 40dflattleboro@comcast.net.

Marcotte, a member of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Seekonk, and Ron Larose, director of the Pro-Life Ministry at the parish, have been deeply involved in the 40 Days for Life campaign for several months.

“I was at the adoration chapel at La Salette when I read a blurb about the campaign and I deeply felt I had to become involved,” said Marcotte, who is a firefighter in Attleboro, and aware of the abortion clinic there.

“I think the Holy Spirit is moving us in different directions and blessing us in this,” he added candidly. “After contacting people in the Providence Diocese I also called Marian Desrosiers, who was greatly supportive and asked me to gather information about Catholic dioceses across the nation

that have become involved, and how they received the support of their bishops and the local Church.”

Teaming with Larose, Marcotte opened Websites and collected the data.

The first campaign took place in 2004 in College Station, Texas. In 2007 the effort went nationwide, with campaigns in 89 cities in 33 states. David Bereit, currently the national campaign director, provides participants with a 39-minute video to promote and explain.

It features participants in the 2007 campaign in Fargo, N.D. led by Bishop Samuel J. Aquila who joined with Pro-Lifers to pray at Fargo’s only abortion clinic.

This year, Bishop Aquila will lead a eucharistic procession from the cathedral through the streets of downtown Fargo to the abortion clinic.

“At this point we have 25 responses from interested groups not only in Catholic parishes but from Protestant Churches and other faith communities as well,” Marcotte told The Anchor last week.

“They have already adopted a day to spend prayerfully outside the Attleboro clinic,” he said. “I’m sure that when publicity on this diocese’s campaign gets out, we’ll have many more involved.”

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20

The Anchor

September 5, 2008

Anglican-use Catholics chant Evensong in Woods Hole

By Deacon James N. Dunbar

WOODS HOLE —When former laypeople and clergy of the Episcopal Church sang Evensong in “Anglican Use” liturgy in St. Joseph’s Church in Woods Hole recently, it came under a provision approved by the Second Vatican Council little known by most Catholics.

“The Pastoral Provision is a generous arrangements by the Holy See for those former Episcopalians — and priests — who wishing to enter into full communion with the Church — to retain the positive elements of their Anglican worship rites using the 2003

‘Book of Divine Worship’ drawing from the 1928 and 1979 versions of the ‘Book of Common Prayer’ as well as the English translation of the Roman Missal,” said C. David Burt, a former Episcopal priest who was ordained in 1969.

“I’m a Catholic layman at the current time — and this beautiful Evensong service and Benediction held August 17, was the first of what we hope might be at least a quarterly event,” Burt told The Anchor.

Evensong is the Anglican version of Evening Prayer or vespers recited and sung in many Catho-

lic churches in the late afternoon or early evening. It is one of five parts of daily prayer interspersed throughout the day that comprise the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours mandatory for ordained clergy, and prayed by members of religious communities as well as many lay people.

A Falmouth resident, Burt is secretary of the Anglican Use Society, which promotes the solidarity with Catholic-minded Anglicans and encourages and supports Anglican converts to the Catholic Church. It also includes members of the Episcopalian Church as associate members while they discern their conversion.

Since the Oxford Movement in England, the Catholic Church has received a trickle of converts from Anglicanism, including great lights such as Cardinal John Henry Newman, apologist Msgr. Ronald Knox and poet G.K. Chesterton.

Current day problems in the Anglican communion including the ordination of women and homosexually-active bishops have transformed what once was a trickle of converts to Catholicism to the potential of a steady flow.

Since 1980, nearly 100 married Episcopalian clergymen have been ordained to the Catholic priesthood in the United States, and some entire Episcopal congregations have entered into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining their “Anglican” rite of worship.

Burt is also an active member of the Congregation of St. Athanasius in Boston, comprised of Anglican converts to Catholicism.

The congregation was begun

by Father Richard Bradford, former rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Ashmont, who, along with most of his parishioners, was received into the Catholic Church in 1998. He is currently a priest and parochial vicar in the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

“Father Bradford is an assistant at the Convent Chapel of St. Theresa of Avila in West Roxbury, where he celebrates Masses, but also continues as head of the Congregation of St. Athanasius that meets there,” Burt reported.

Father Bradford presided and gave the homily at the August

Evensong on the Cape.

Joining him were the Rev. Thomas E. Adams, an Episcopal priest residing in Falmouth; the Rev. Michael Rennier, rector of the Anglican Church of the Resurrection in Brewster; and Father Andrew Johnson, parochial vicar at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis.

Members of the schola of the Congregation of St. Athanasius led the Anglican plainchant of evensong psalms and canticle, antiphons, Magnificat, and hymns, organized by Burt.

Father Joseph Mauritzen, pastor of St. Joseph’s, presided at Benediction.

Parishioners of St. Joseph’s provided a reception in the Mary Garden overlooking the harbor.

Stonehill College to host panel discussion

EASTON — Crossroads Cultural Center and the Catholic lay movement Communion and Liberation will present “The Common Good: A True Criteria for Judgment,” a panel discussion exploring the true meaning of the “common good” and how it is related to a human position and true judgment on any and all issues during this elections season September 18. The panelists will include Peter Kreeft, Philosophy professor at Boston College; Elizabeth Poirier, state representative for the 14th Briston District; and Marco Bardazzi, a journalist and correspondent for the ANSA News Agency.

“The Common Good: A True Criteria for Judgment” will take place at 7 p.m. in the Martin Au-

ditorium at Stonehill College, 320 Washington Street, Easton. Refreshments will be served after the presentation. Admission is free.

Crossroads Cultural Center was established in New York in 2004 as an initiative of four members of Communion and Liberation. It currently operates in New York and Washington, and has recently begun to schedule events in Massachusetts. In the spirit of St. Paul, Crossroads attempts to “Test everything, and retain what is good,” in accordance with the true Catholic position of openness with a desire to explore all that is true and good in all expressions of human life.

For more information, contact Robert Sampson at 508995.6235.

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