Transgender groups .'seek change in law
.Displaced students receive warm welcome
By GAIL BESSE ANCHOR CORRESPONDENT
By MATT McDONALD ANCHOR STAFF
BOSTON - Heterosexual cross-dressers, homosex,ual transvestites and "transsexuals" - people un, dergoing so-called "sex change" operations - will be given specially protected legal status if a bill pending on Beacon,Hill becomes law. The bill would add a new category to existing hate crimes and non-discrimination statutes: "gender identity or expression," w~ich the bill defines as "a gen-, der-related identity, appearance, expression, or behavior of an individual, regardless of the individual's as" signed sex at birth." If this seems far-fetched, consider that in 2005 a judge in Brockton ruled that a junior high school boy must be permitted to attend classes while wearing girls' clothing. Television viewers are being gradually desensitized to the issue by discussions about "sex change" operations on mainstream talk shows like Oprah Winfrey and Larry King. And the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine recently highlighted two feature stories heavily sympathetic to "transgenderism." Massac~usetts currently outlaws discrimination based on racial, religious, ethnic, handicap, and "gender or sexual orientation" prejudice. Under the proposed HI722, the new category would be added to the existing hate crime statute, as well as to non-discrimination laws on employment, housing,
NEW BEDFORD - The closing of her parish school last June hit Donna Horrocks hard. liorrocks, her mother, her sister, her nephew, her cousins, ifnd her two sons were graduates of Our Lady ofMount Carrhel in New Bedford, and now she had to move her six-year-old daughter, Faith, who had become attached to it tlu;ough preschool and kindergarten. "We were devastated. It was 60 years. Everyone in our farni~y had gone there," she said. But so far the welcome Horrocks and her daughter have II rece~ved at their new school has made a hard reality easier. "St. Joseph-St. Therese has been just incredible. I had a good feeling about them the first time we walked through the 400r," Horrocks said in an interview last week. "I didn't think we'd find another home, and we did." S,t. Joseph-St. Therese is one of six Catholic prelQndergarten-through eighth-grade schools in the New Bedford area that has received students from the two parish schools that closed, Our Lady ofMount Carmel and St. Anthony of Padua. Like many Catholic schools in the country, St.Anthony's and Mount Carmel fell victim to dwindling enrollment and increasing costs. IJ:l interviews last week, which was the first week ofthe new;,school year, administrators said they are determined to keep the memory and mission of the former schools present.
Tum to page 18 - Transgender
THE ART OF BEING A STUDENT - Morgan Laliberte, a PreK student from Espirito Santo School in Fall River, shows off her artwork during her first day of class. (More first-week photos on pages 16-17)
Tum to page 16 - Welcome
Diocesan archives: A little seen treasure chest of memorabilia By DEACON JAMES
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DUNBAR
FALL RIVER - It's a place where few are allowed to trod, the sancta sanctorum where the history of the Fall River Diocese lives mainly in a vintage collection ofrecords, photographs, paintings, forgotten correspondence between popes and bishops and priests, as well as their speeches and homilies. But there are some "museum pieces" that include miters, crosiers, pectoral crosses and rings, autographed photos, and many interesting trinkets of yesteryear's local Church. "Here's a black top hat worn by Bishop William Stang, our first bishop," said archivist Father Barry W. Wall, after a cordial greeting and interview last week. He made it clear that there was no awesome tome with hundreds of coveted autographs of distinguished vi~itors i needed to sign.
As a matter of fact, few people are invited into the banal brick building located near the chancery in the city's Highlands. 'The archives are not so much a museum for visiting, as they are a collection of enduring value that is a constant and current service to the diocese carrying out its ordinary affairs," Father Wall explained. If a deed or document of the past is needed by the diocese or sought by Bishop George W. Coleman or the chancery and parishes, "we usually can come up what is needed," Father Wall noted. And while the historic artifacts must be retained, "at the same time archivists are cautioned to create a 'finding system' rather than a filing or 'keeping system' because there usually is not sufficient space to keep every. thing," he added. Tum to page 10 - Treasure
BOOKISH BAILIWICK - Well-worn tomes recording more than a century of goings on in the Fall River Diocese surround diocesan archivist Fathe~ Barry W. Wall. (Anchor photo)
New Bedford benefactor endows Appeal with $4M NEW BEDFORD - Longtime New Bedford businessman and bene~ factor, Paul A. Duchaine, who died last, year, has remembered the Catholic CharitiesAppeal ofthe Fall River Diocese with a very special gift: a $4 million endowment fund to provide annual support.
It is the largest bequest to the Appeal in its 66-year histoto/, according to diocesan officials. Duchaine led his family's business, Sunbeam Bread/My Bread Baking Company, as president for 34 years before retiring in 1995. The company was a fixture for generations in the II
city's North End. He made provisions for the Paul A. Duchaine Charitable Endowment Fund to be created upon his death and for its accrued interest earnings to be transmitted each year to the Catholic Charities Appeal on the final day of Tum to page 18 - Endowment
$ NEWS FROM THE VATICAN $
SEPTEMBER
7, 2007
Pope condemns arson attacks, says people must care for creation By CAROl GLATZ NEWS SERVICE
S1. Gregory, the fourth-century bishop and doctor of the church. The pope told the estimated VATICAN CITY - God gave people the duty to take care of the 12,000 people gathered in S1. earth, but they "often abuse creation Peter's Square that S1. Gregory unand do not exercise" their respon- derlined how God molded human sibility to be stewards of nature, nature to be suitable for carrying out the responsibility of safeguarding Pope Benedict XVI said. Citing the teaching of S1. Gre- creation. But in order to "truly exercise" gory ofNyssa at his Aug. 29 weekly general audience, the pope con- this responsibility as stewards of demned as criminal the suspected nature, S1. Gregory said humanity arson attacks that h!ive hit parts of must cleanse itself of sin and be "penetrated by God and live in Europe. Highlighting his concern for the God's light," the pope noted. Life must not be wasted going recent "serious calamities" offlooding in Asia and "disastrous fires in after pointless or fruitless things, Greece, Italy and other European but rather should be spent searchnations; the pope said it was im- ing for the divine light that helps possible "to not be troubled by the humanity discern what is "truly useirresponsible behavior ofthose who ful," good and true, he said. ''This supreme good is found in put people's safety at risk and destroy the environmental heritage- Christianity," which makes it posa precious asset for all of human- sible for people "to imitate God, divine nature," he added. ity." He said S1. Gregory showed how '1 join those who rightly stigmatize such acts (as) criminal and in- people are degraded by sin and ''the vite everyone to pray for the vic- impurities deposited in (one's) heart." . tims of these tragedies," he said. But by purifying one's heart and Greece was the hardest hit by wildfires that began Aug. 24 and striving for holiness, people can killed at least 64 people. The gov- wash away those impurities "and ernment suspects many of this rediscover in ourselves God's light" year's blazes were started by arson- . shining in all its divine beauty, he ists because the number of major said. He said only if God is present in forest fires throughout Greece more one's life can mankind reach its than doubled from last year. Pope Benedict returned briefly ''true greatness." Humanity's purpose, he added, to the Vatican from his papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo for the is ''to contemplate God. Only in this weekly audience and talked about will (humanity) find its reward." CATHOLIC
JoyfiJIPraise
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GodandCol1l1try Sgt.
Dan Clark "TIJe Singi11g Trooper" and Mary Colarusso
Sunday, September 9,2007 at 3:00 p.m. S1. Anthony ofPadua Qmrch 1359 AmsImdA\~ Nmo BeMard, Mas5aChusetlS
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NO PENTHOUSE SUITE - For the first time in a decade, visitors can explore prison cells in the 1,900-year-old Castel Sant'Angelo that once housed common criminals as well as Rome'S. errant elite. The cells are all below ground level and are dank and dark. (CNS/courtesy of Ferdlnando Mezzelani, Marlconet)
Castel Sant'Angelo: Home for fleeing popes and common criminals By CAROL GLATZ CATHOUC
NEWS SERVICE
VATICAN CITY -For the first time in a decade, summer tourists could make their way down steep stone steps deep into the dark, dank interior of a papal fortress and crawl into prison cells that housed countless common criminals as well as Rome's errant elite. The 1,900-year-old Castel Sant' Angelo, which stands near the Tiber River, was built as a mausoleum for the Emperor Hadrian, then was converted into a fortress by medieval popes. At times, the turreted castle served as a refuge for beleaguered and besieged pontiffs and as a highsecurity prison. While not wanting to justify the Church's past practice of imprisonment, torture and sometimes executions, one Vatican expert said it was important to remember that at the time ''the papal state was a territorial state, so you had to take care of thieves and murderers who are put into prisons like in every state." The Vatican Museums' Arnold Nesselrath, director of the Byzantine, medieval and modem collections, told Catholic News Service that, while the Church's large temporal jurisdiction "was probably wrong at every time of history, (its penal practice) was consistent with what was going on in other countries." Starting in the fourth century, the Church wielded temporal power over shifting territories known as the Papal States across parts of modem-day Italy. "Being a territorial state there were political problems, also. There were people who plotted against the pope:' Nesselrath said, and that "puts into difficulty a territorial sovereign."
The pontiffs not only had foreign powers bent on invasion and rival Roman emperors to contend with, but infighting among powerful Roman families vying for control of the papacy was such a threat that the Roman Curia moved for safety to Avignon, France, in the early
The number of political prisoners in papal jails swelled during Italy's Risorgimento in the 19th century when revolutionaries fought for the unification of Italy. Nardi said the number of prisoners varied constantly but that one document recorded 681 detainees in BOOs. 1828. . When the papacy moved back to A fonner Castel Sant' Angelo Rome in the late 14th century, the inmate, the famed 16th-century pope still "had to re-establish his Florentine artist, Benvenuto role, which was of course against Cellini, wrote an autobiography the barons who did what they describing the conditions he faced liked," Nesselrath said. Internal di- while in solitary confinement visions within the Church worsened there. Jailed on charges of murder, during the Reformation and Cellini called his cell "a gloomy Counter-Refonnation, thus broad- dungeon below the level of a garening the list of enemies of the den, which swam with water and Church who risked imprisonment. was full of big spiders and many Prisons were scattered through- venomous wonns." out the papal territories, but the one Others, like members of Rome's in Castel Sant' Angelo was unique. . important Cenci family, died at the Sometimes prisoners and the hands of papal executioners in the pope w~re holed up in the same for- square in front of Castel tress, especially d,uring the merce- Sant'Angelo. ~~'~y invasiqp of King Charles In 1969, Pope Paul VI fonnally V in 1527 that led. to the sack of banned the use of the death penalty Rome. in Vatican City State, although no Several times during a period of one had been executed under the "sede vacante" - when one pope authority of the Vatican's temporal had died and another had not yet governance since 1870, when the been elected - large numbers of Papal States dissolved after Rome inmates were transferred from other and the surrounding territories were prisons to Castel Sant' Angelo. annexed to a unified Italy.
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$ The Anchor
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 51, No. 34
Member: Catholic Press Association. Catholic News ScIVice
Published weekly except for two weeks in the summer and the week after Christmas by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of FaR River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 - FAX 508-675-704a, email: theanchor@anchomews.org. Subscription price by mail, pos1paid $14.00 per year. i Send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA, call or use email address ! PUBUSHER - Most Reverend George W. Coleman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Roger J. Landry falherrogertand@anchomews.org , EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejollvet@anchornewa.org I NEWS EDITOR Deacon James N. Dunbar jirndunbar@anchomews.org ! REPORTER Matt McDonald mattmcdonald@anchomews.org OFFICE MANAGER MaryChase marychase@anchornewa.org ! Send 1.ett.el's to the Editor to: falherrogatandr@anchornews.org [ POS1MASTERS send address changes to The Anclu", p.o. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722. • THE ANOIOR (USPS-54~)Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass. -_....__. _ . _ - - - - - _----_ ----_ _._--
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Bishop, others welcome fresh probe into slain priest's death By FRANCIS NJUGUNA
ing," he said. The nearly four-year inquest into the death NAIROBI, Kenya - The family and of Father Kaiser ended August 1 with the friends of Mill Hill Father John Kaiser wbl- ruling that his death was not suicide, but corned the Kenyan government's order for murder. The presiding magistrate recomfresh investigations into the death of the U~S. mended new investigations. missionary, whose body was found in Kenya The inquest had been requested by the in August, 2000. Kenyan bishops' conference, the family of " Marking the seventh anniversary of FaFather Kaiser and his congregation, all of ther Kaiser's death, Bishop Peter Kairo I! of whom rejected the FBI conclusion that the Nakuru, head of the Kenyan bishops' justice priest committed suicide. and peace commission, said the attordey Father Kaiser, who often spoke out general's August 22 order "is yet another step against government abuses, was found dead, toward the right direction." I with bullet wounds to his head, along a high"This will be yet another golden 0ppoI1u- way southwest of Nairobi. The first police nity for us to come out and assist in discov- officers on the scene thought he had been ering the killer of our brother, Father Kai- murdered, but in 2001 the FBI ruled his HARD TIMES - Cousins Rosalvina Guzman and Cecilia Guzman embrace amid ser," he said, addfessing Catholics, human death a suicide, and the Kenyan government the rubble of their homes in the village of Los Aquijes, outside lea, Peru, August 24. " 'rights activists, bishops and nuns gathered to agreed. (CNS photolWalter Hupiu) commemorate the priest's death. The Kenyan bishops' conference alBishop Kairo expressed hope that one day most immediately dismissed the FBI rethe truth will prevail and the murderer be Ite_ sults and questioned why it considered the vealed. He appealed to people to volunteer information of only the government paany information that they may have when Ute thologist, and not that of the three addiAt the service in lea, Cardinal Bertone con- investigation begins. PISCO, Peru (CNS) - A subdued crowd of tional doctors it had sent to the scene to Father Anthony Chantry, Mill Hill supe- collect evidence. .several hundred residents and rescue woders veyed a greeting from the pope "especially to gathered in the main plaza of Pisco to pray with the children" and gave Bishop Guido Brena rior general, said the courage with which Father Kaiser, a native of Perham, Minn., a top Vatican official who had come to remem- Lopez of lea a $200,000 check for relief ef- Father Kaiser fought for justice, his indopti- who was 67 at the time of his death, had forts. In both cities, he presented rosaries sent table spirit of service and his firm resolve to worked in Kenya for 36 years. His advocacy ber victims of the mid-August earthquake. do what was right brought his life to a vio- for human rights led to his expulsion from Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary by the pontiff. of state, conveyed "greetings, solidarity and .• the country in 1999, but the government reThe service in lea was held outside the shrine lent end. "And the finest way we can remember him voked its decision after an outcry in the blessings" from Pope BenedictXVI to worship- that normally houses the image of the Lord of pers in Pisco, as well as a crowd of more than Luren, the site of a popular religious devotion. is for all of us to commit ourselves to play Kenyan media and appeals from the country's 5,000 people at an earlier prayer service Au- The church was heavily damaged in the earth- our part in seeking the truth behind his ~l- bishops., quake when part of the bell tower fell through gust 24 in lea, about 42 miles south of Pisco. The mood was more subdued in Pisco, the the roof. Come andjoin lJS in our Anniversary The image - a dark-skinned crucified city closest to the epicenter ofthe quake, than it Celebrating the AnnualSolemn liturgicalreast To Honor was in lea. More than 300 ofthe more than 500 Christ, with Mary kneeling by his side and Mary II quake victims died in Pisco - at least 100 of Magdalene embracing the foot of the crossthem when the roofofSt. Clement Church col- was unscathed in the disaster and was carried Of ~I Mankind lapsed during a memorial Mass for a parishio- in procession to the site of the prayer service ner who had died a month earlier. August 24. Whoever The The cardinal urged residents not to give up During the service, the cardinal said the fact hope and to remember that God is present even that the image was undamaged was a reminder has more . in the midst of tragedy. that "the Lord has not abandoned us. He is here seen you After the service, Cardinal Bertone waded among you. The Lord wants to remain with you through the thick adobe dust on the site of the and accompany you." ME honor church and led prayers for those who had died In Pisco, several hundred residents, rescue Me, has and for their families. He then viewed the re- wmXers, firefighters, civil defense wmXers, docthe seen mains ofcollapsed buildings near the plaza and tors and nurses gathered in the plaza. survisited a shelter housing about 700 people left . rounded by emergency shelter tents and porthe more homeless by the quake, where he was greeted table toilets. The makeshift altar at the foot of a FATHER I will by a crowd of children. . statue ofSouth American liberator Jose de San bless Peruvian officials say the magnitude 8 quake Martin held a crucifix rescued from a damaged that hit southern Peru August 15 left tens of church and was flanked by a colonial-style John 14:9 you. thousands homeless and seriously injured at , statue of Christ that was also undamaged by least 1,200 people. the quake. CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
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GOD THE FATHER
Diocese of Fall River
"OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Reverend George W. Coleman, Bishop of Fall River, has announced the following appointments: Reverend Karl C. Bissinger, Diocesan Director of Vocations and Seminarians. Reverend Kevin A. Cook, Associate Diocesan Director of Vocations and Seminarians. .
WIlEN:
SEPTEMBER 9, 2007 - SUNDAY
12:00 noon
TIME:
HEART
SACRED CHURCH 160 SEABUR1 ST. FALL RIVER, MA 02nO CELEBRANT: REV'. FR. GEORGE ALMEIDA This event includes devotion to God the Father, Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Benediction lit Outdoor Procession with the participation of St. Anthony's Band from Fall River and the Azorean Holy Ghost Brotherhood of New Bedford Followed bYRefre~hment: POT LUCKlII It's FREE. Offertory collections - All given to sacred Heart Church WHERE:
Directions: From the North of Fall Blur: Take Rte 245. Take Exit 5/US·6 onto Eastem Ave/President Ave. Continue on N. Eastern Ave. Tum Right on Bedford 51. Tum Right on seabury 51. Sacred tieart Church Is on your Left. From the South of Fall Blyt:r: Take Rte 24N. Take Exit 4 onto l-19SW. Take Exit 7·6/US·81 5 onto Plymouth Ave becomes 13"' St. Tum left on Bedford St. Tum Right on SeabUry St. Sacred Heart Church is on your Left
September 2007 SPONSORS:
Reverend David C. Frederici, Diocesan Chaplain for Catholic Scouting. Sister Catherine Donovan, R.S.M., Episcopal Representative for Religious. EfI'ectiv~ Wednesday,
September 12,2007
OffIcers and Members of ICapatlran sa Massachusetts (KASAMA)
OffIcers and Members of DANCE PHJUPPJNES
For more Information, please call: Bob llt Linda Ravenscroft at tel. no (508) 679-2116 God the Father's Children Apostolate of Greater New England
Fall River, MA 02720
"'MISSIONARJE UNITAS IN CHRISTO AD PATREM"
!I Via del Onema, 16/1-00040 Anzlo-Falache (ROME) Tel. no. 06·98-73-405
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SEPTEMBER
7, 2007
Gallup Catholic student brings smiles to kids with birth defects By MELISSA NICHOLSON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE GALLUP, N.M. - Bringing a smile to someone's face is not as easy as it may seem, especially when that face is defonned from a birth defect. Gallup Catholic High School senior Blair Kezele has worked hard since her sophomore year to bring smiles to faces through Operation Smile, an organization that works to help correct facial deformities in children worldwide. "My little cousin had bilateral cleft palate," said Kezele, 17, of why she decided to become involved in the organization. Clefts occur in one in 700 newborns and in more males than females. A cleft results when the usual joining of the lip and palate does not occur during early pregnancy and an infant is born with an opening in the lip or palate. Operation Smile is a nonprofit organization that works to repair childhood facial deformities, as well as advocate for health care for children and families by building public and private partnerships. Kezele's hard work in raising funds for 150 surgeries in the past year, as well as building awareness of Operation Smile, earned her a trip to Ireland. She attended the recent, 15th Annual Operation Smile International Student Leadership Coruerence held at the University of Limerick. ''We wanted to send her to Ireland, but it was too expensive," said Emily Kezele, her mother. Operation Smile later offered to pay for Kezele's airfare in recognition of her hard work. ''We wanted_her to come and participate," said Wade Hooton, Operation Smile's director of student prO'" grams. ''We decided to cover that for her because of her effort on our behalf." Hooton said Kezele's involve-
ment mKey Club, a community ser. vice organization, introduced students to Operation Smile. "Because of Blair and her efforts, hundreds if not thousands of students were introduced to Operatioq Smile," said Hooton. "She's really been a leader in that regard, in getting students aware and involved in Operation Smile." Operation Smile has more than 450 student associations and Kezele said there were more than 450 students at the conference. Kezele said her most memorable experience during the conference was seeing a young girl's dream to work with orphans in Africa come true, after the organization helped raise about $3,000 to make it possible. ''It's pretty cool seeing someone's dream come true," she said. Kezele said she works to promote Operation Smile by approaching people with letters and working with other states' organizations, including Arizona's, among other activities. She is looking forward to working with Cibola High School and Bosque Prep School in Albuquerque in the near future to raise money for Operation Smile. "Operation Smile trains you for a mission and you help the doctors who are doing the surgeries," ,she said. She said missions are established throughout the world, including Bolivia, Ethiopia and Brazil, to name a few countries. At Gallup Catholic, Kezele is involved with volleyball, softball and cheerleading. Her future plans include going to college on the East Coast and starting a Smile Club. ''We're real proud ofher," said her mother. Kezele noted that her father, Floyd, is also proud of her and was the person who originally got her hooked on Operation Smile.
GOING MILES TO BRING SOME SMILES - Blair Kezele takes a break on top of Ireland's Bunratty Castle during the 15th annual Operation Smile International Student Leadership Conference, held at the University of Limerick. Kezele, a senior at Gallup Catholic High School in New Mexico, has worked hard since her sophomore year with Operation Smile, an organization that works to help correct facial deformities in children worldwide. (CNS photo/courtesy of Blair Kezele)
CRUISE CO";lTROL - Anthony Rezza: corporate chef for Catholic Health Services of Long Island, prepares a pineapple carpacclo appetizer under the watchful eye of consulting chef Jean-Marie Zimmermann in the kitchen of St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, N.V. Zimmermann, executive chef for the Queen Mary II ocean liner, has helped upgrade the patient menus at St. Catherine's, Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, N.Y., and Our Lady of Consolation Nursing and Rehabilitative Care Center in West Islip, N.Y. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz, Long (sland Catholic)
Cruise-ship chef helps Catholic health system with five-star food By PETE SHEEHAN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
recipes for a large number of people." ''The common goal is good food. WEST ISLIP, N.Y. - When On the Queen Mary II, there are 13 James Harden, president of Cathodifferent restaurants," he said. "We lic Health Services of Long Island, have a large number of passengers sailed on the Queen Mary II ocean who do not want to pay a lot of liner, he asked to meet Chef Jeanmoney and we have restaurants that Marie Zimmennann, hoping to get are very economical." a recipe. There are differences in planHarden marveled at the ship's ning meals for health care facilities. ability to serve more than 15,000 "We have to make adjustments for meals a day that were tasty and satindividual patients, but providing isfying, recalled Zimmennann, exhealthy food is part of the ecutive chef for the Cunard work," Zimmermann said. cruise lines. "'If you get it "First of all, we start with the in- "The dieticians sometimes right,' he asked me, 'why don't we get it right?''' gredients, " the chef noted. Whether have to straighten me out," but Zimmermann said he on cruise ships or in hospitals, he he has found the dietary staff would have to see the prepa- insists on fresh ingredients and will and the kitchen workers very ration facilities. So last year, not compromise on ,quality. For ex- open. between cruises, Catholic ample" ,!lit costs' as much to use "First of all, we start with Health Services brought packaged potato mix as it does to , the ingredients," the chef noted. Whether on cruise Zimmennann to Long Island use fresh potatoes," he said. ships or in hospitals, he insists to tour the Catholic hospitals on fresh ingredients and will and nursing homes, inspect the kitchens and work with the staff. goes back to check on thek not compromise on quality. For exZimmennann's goal is to help progress. Now working at Our Lady ample, "it costs as much to use the staff prepare meals to delight the of Consolation, he will work with packaged potato mix as it does to tongue as well as nourish the body. other CHS facilities on subsequent use fresh potatoes," he said. "We have found out that since Patients are being served seared visits. Zimmermann sees no reason Chef Zimmennann has started, the salmon, beef bourguignon and boneless leg oflamb. "We also have why hospitals and nursing homes costs have gone down," said Joseph cannot offer patients and residents Loiacono, an official with Catholic a variety of soups," the chef said. "My mother is a resident here, meals they can enjoy. "It takes as Health Services. "At first it costs and she is so excited," said Gina much trouble and costs as much to more, but in the long run it goes Irwin, director of community rela- make something bad as it does to down." "When you buy packaged tions at Our Lady of Consolation make something good," he said. food, you're paying for the laHe found his experience superNursing and Rehabilitative Care bor," said Anthony Rezza, corpoCenter in West Islip. '''And they de- vising meals on a cruise liner aprate chef for the health system. serve good meals. This is their plies well to working for Catholic "With fresh ingredients, you can Health Services. "We have many home. Their food shouldn't taste use the leftovers to make other recipes that have worked well over institutional." Born in Alsace-Lorraine in time to draw from, and these are dishes." France, Zimmennann won numerous culinary honors during years of cooking in restaurant and cruiseship kitchens. He is working on a book on cruise cuisine. For about a year, Zimmennann has been serving a visiting consultant, coming a few times a year for several weeks. He set up menus and trained kitchen staff at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre and St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown but also
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ReligiQus Sister chosen most powerf~l figure in health care By CATHOLIC
NEWS SERVICE "
ON THE BEAM - This is a view of construction on the Rebuild Center in early August in New Orleans. The new center for the homeless and poor, which was dedicated August 26, cost about $1 million and was funded largely through grants and contributions, will provide lunch, health screenings, showers, bathrooms, a laundry room, a large meeting room and 10 offices where clients can discuss their individual problems with the staff and volunteers. (CNS photo/Frank J. Methe, Clarion Herald)
Katrina's havoc is catalyst for new center serving New Orleans poor By PETER FINNEY JR. CATHOLIC·NEWS SERVICE NEW ORLEANS - Presentation Sister Vera Butler knows all about Christianity in the trenches. With the help of colleagues and friends many years ago, she established a "Feed Jesus" program for the homeless and working poor out of a basement food pantry at St. Joseph Church in New Orleans. The lunch program developedjust a few steps from the city's sprawling medical complex, the New Orleans business district and the Superdome, but in reality the pantry was the other side of the world. Then came Hurricane Katrina, which while hurting everyone in some way wreaked special devastation on the poor people Sister Vera loved and cared for. Katrina's destruction two years ago became the catalyst that made Sister Vera's longtime dream a reality. The Rebuild Center, a collaborative effort ofthe Presentation Sisters, the Vmcentians, St. Joseph Church, the Jesuits, Immaculate Conception Church and the Hispanic Apostolate of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, was dedicated August 26. The new center, which cost about $1 million and was funded largely through grants and contributions from the partners, will provide lunch, health screenings, showers, bathrooms, a laundry room, a large meeting room and 10 offices where clients can discuss their individual problems with the staff and volunteers. "This Rebuild Center would never have come about without Katrina;' Sister Vera said. ''Things , will never be the same again, but I think things can be better." , For most of the last year, as the Rebuild Center began sprouting from about 50 parking spaces to the
l~ft of the church, Sister Vera and four other Presentation sisters have worked out of small trailers, with no air conditioning, to care for the physical, emotional and legal needs of the homeless and working poor. The center will offer the pro-bono services of local attorneys who can provide identification documents and legal help. Among the growing problems Sister Vera has seen recently has been the failure by contractors to pay Hispanic workers what they had been promised. "They are coming to us right now because they haven't been paid," Sister Vera said. "Our lawyers have guided them in the right direction and told them what they need to do. At least they know what their rights are. The Hispanic Apostolate also can provide immigration assistance., Hopefully they will find this a welcoming place where they can get the information they need in order to be legalized." ," " . ,., The current\facility - two' trailers - serves 'about 800 people a month who come looking for some kind of social services. Another 2,000 people a month come for the lunch. Sister Vera expects those numbers to grow now that the new facility - an attractive wood structure with an atrium and benches designed by the urban planning division of Mercy Detroit Universityhas opened. "I think it will grow because when we first came back after Katrina and started going door to , door in the neighborhood, we found people looking for us;' Sister Vera said. "We have as a priority assisting people in the neighborhood and helping them with gutting and now with some of the renovation. I think once we are up and running, we are going to be inundated with requests." Vmcentian Father Perry Henry,
pastor of St. Joseph, said the unintended consequence of Katrina was to mobilize the partners to collaborate on making the new facility a reality. He also likes the idea of serving the homeless while expanding services to neighborhood residents. The Rebuild Center will replace the Father Harry Tompson Center, a daytime respite for the homeless and poor next to Immaculate Conception Church that was badly damaged by Katrina's floodwaters.
WASHINGTON..,.... More powerful than bodybuilder-turned-governor Arnold SchwaFZenegger? It's true if you're Sister Carol Keehan. !I The issue isn't about who can lift the greatest weight in the gym. It's about who's got more muscle in the health care arena. Sister Carol, a Daughter of Charity who is president and CEO of the Catholic Health As!sociation, the I trade group for Cat1}olic hospitals, finished first in th~ sixth annual reader poll conduct~d by Modern Healthcare magazine of the 100 most powerful people in health care. Schwarzenegger; the governor of California, finished third. Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor, was 'second. Sister Carol topped all comers, including presidents, presidential candidates, congre~sional movers and shakers, federal officials, hospital executives, ed~cators and public policy vanguard,~ in the survey, which was publish~d August 27. She was ranked ~6th in the 2006 survey. Sister Carol had just assumed the CHA presidency the previous November. In profiling Sister Carol, the magazine said shel "has somehow managed to connect with all the disparate interest groups without alienating any of them." But being the ';most powerful
doesn't get you everything. "Quite frankly, I think we won't have health care reform worthy of this country until the American people demand it," Sister Carol told the magazine. "I'm not sure that anyone person or association has enough power to move our health care system to where it needs to be for the good of this nation," she added. "Until we have that critical mass of American people saying 'We want it,' loud enough and dominant enough, we won't have the coordinated responsiveness from the powers that need to come together to build a health system worthy of this nation." Sister Carol, 63, has been a member of the Daughters of Charity for 43 years. She is the first woman to have ever topped the Modem Healthcare list, as well as the first former bedside niJrse and the first former hospital CEO to make it to Number One. Over the past year, the CHA, under her leadership, has stumped for renewal of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, lobbied for greater access to health c.are for all, and advocated for the continued tax-exempt status of hospitals. Prior to assuming the CHA presidency, Sister Carol had chaired the board of Sacred Heart Health System in Pensacola, Fla. She had also headed Providence Hospital in Washington for 15 years.
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6 Revelations from Mother Teresa's prayer life The recent frenzy about the significance of Blessed Mother Teresa's dark night of the soul revealed far more than the inner workings of her interior life. It also revealed a profound bias in the secular media and exposed a serious internal issue for the Church. The mania began when Time magazine published a cover story review of "Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light," a newly released book of 40 letters Teresa of Calcutta wrote to her spiritual directors over the last 50 years of her life. The letters detail that for almost the entire time Mother Teresa carried out her divine mission of charity among the world's most abandoned, she herself had suffered what seemed to be a terrifying, total abandonment by the Lord in prayer. This experience, called by the 16th century great teacher of prayer St. John of the Cross the "dark night of the soul," is part of the advanced, but standard, spiritual itinerary on which God has led many of the great saints, famous and hidden. That Mother Teresa herself was chosen by God to undergo this experience for five decades is a deep confirmation, rather than a contradiction, of her profound sanctity. Mother Teresa herself recognized this, which is why in 1952 she asked her spiritual director to destroy the letters. If they were ever published, she feared, "people would think more of me" rather than less, and that was too much for her humility to allow. But thinking "more" of her was not the way those in the mainstream media framed the story. Beginning with Time's salaciously provocative title, "The Secret Life of Mother Teresa," other media outlets continued the tabloid treatment. Her letters were portrayed as evidence that she was not the saint we thought. Rather than seeking out those who could explain the stages of prayer on which God takes the saints, reporters and television producers opted for self-promoting atheists who accused her first of being a con-artist and then described her as an example not of faith and persevering prayer but of the futility of both. Father Andrew Greeley, in an August 29 column in the Chicago SunTimes, adroitly described the principal cause of the sensationalized and false coverage. The secular media's "paradigm for all things Catholic," he wrote, is "scandal" and therefore every story of interest on the Church must begin with that lead in mind. Mainstream news outlets are not interested in a story that begins, "Catholic experts on sanctity- said today that the revelation of the secret letters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta were sim-路 ply one more proof that she indeed was a saint and a very great saint at that." No, Greeley pointed out, it is a "much better 'grabber' to summon up an atheist to proclaim that the soon-to-be-saint was a hypocrite." The media coverage, however, also revealed a deeper issue for the Church than the jaundiced lens through which she is popularly portrayed: many practicing Catholics were so unaware of traditional spiritual theology that their faith was shaken by the media's gross mischaracterizations of the meaning of Mother Teresa's dark night. Pope John Paul II repeatedly stressed that Catholic parishes are meant to be "genuine schools of prayer," where the "art" of prayer is taught and learned. In his pastoral plan for the third Christian millennium (Novo Millennio Ineunte), he wrote, "It is essential that education in prayer should become in some way a key point of all pastoral planning." But in many parishes, that education has simply riot been the "key point" of parish life. Just as the gullibility of so many Catholics to the fabrications of "The Da Vinci Code" demonstrated deep deficiencies in the catechesis and apologetic training of Church faithful, so the number of Catholics who thought that Mother Teresa's dark night vitiated rather than confirmed her sanctity manifests just how much the Church needs to do in educating the faithful about prayer. Not every Catholic will journey through all seven rooms of the "interior castle" that St. Teresa ofAvila describes, but Catholics minimally should know about them. John Paul II noted that the ubiquitous demand for spirituality in spite of widespread secularization is a "sign of the times" to which the Church must respond. He specifically called on priests to be "masters of prayer" who convey to their parishioners how "prayer can progress, as a genuine dialogue of love, to the point of rendering the person wholly possessed by the divine beloved." This journey takes one through "painful purifications (like the dark night) ... to the ineffable joy experienced by the mystics as 'nuptial union.''' This education in prayer is meant not just for those in religious life, but for all the faithful. "It would be wrong," John Paul II stressed, "to think that ordinary Christians can be content with a shallow prayer life that is unable to fill their whole life. Especially in the face of the many trials to which today's world subjects faith, they would not only be mediocre Christians, but 'Christians at risk.' They would run the insidious risk of seeing their faith progressively undermined and would perhaps end up succumbing to the allure of 'substitutes,' accepting alternative religious proposals and even indulging in far-fetched superstitions." As Bishop Fulton 1. Sheen once said, there are no plateaus in the spiritual life; we are either going uphill or we are sliding down hill. If parishes are not schools that help the faithful progress in the art ofprayer, then the risk is notjust that the faithful will be able neither to identify nor experience the studia of spiritual progress; the danger is also that they may lose their faith altogether. Mother Teresa has long been viewed as a model of love for Christ in the "distressing disguise of the poor." The publication of her letters will help her to become, too, an example of love for Christ in the sometimes "distressing disguise" of the Eucharist in prayer. As we mark the 10th anniversary of her birth into eternal life, we ask her to intercede for the faithful of the diocese so that we may follow her in both.
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the living word THE LOOK OF LOVE -
MOTHER TERESA
FONDLES AN INFANT, ONE OF EIGHT NEWBORNS FOUND IN A CALCUITA ALLEY TRASH CAN, IN THIS
OCTOBER 1979 FILE PHOTO.
"WITH YOUR OWN HAND YOU HAVE DONE ALL THIS; YOU HAVE DONE GOOD TO ISRAEL, AND GOD IS PLEASED WITH WHAT YOU HAVE WROUGHT.
MAy
YOU BE BLESSED BY THE LORD ALMIGHTY FOREVER AND EVER! AND ALL THE PEOPLE ANSWERED
'AMEN'" (JDT. 15:10).
A saint of our times and for our times The impact that the saints in heaven are supposed to have on us still on the pilgrimage of life is concisely summarized in the Preface for Holy Men and Women which the priest prays at Mass: "In their lives on earth, you give us an example. In our communion with them, you give us their friendship. In their prayer for the Church, you give us strength and protection." Their example, friendship and intercession are meant to fill us with hope and "spur us on to victory, to share their prize of everlasting glory." The saints, in other words, are supposed to motivate and help us to become saints ourselves. The example of saints is meant to bring us to conversion as we see what is possible in a human being who says "yes" t~ God. When Augustine read the life of St. Anthony of the Desert, he turned to his friend Alipius and remarked that if someone who was so simple was capable of such love, goodness and wisdom, then they with all their learning should be capable of it, too. When the vain yet chivalrous Ignatius of Loyola read the lives of the saints while convalescing from a battle wound, he was pierced to the quick and asked why he could not do what Francis and Dominic did. After all, he reasoned, he was made of the same human stuff as they. While the saints of every century can have some type of impact on the faithful today, sometimes the temporal separation can be like asbestos preventing our being lit by the flame of their sanctity. We can reason that they lived in a time when holiness was easier, when life was not so complicated, when they did not have to face the obstacles that so
often for us become excuses. This wiggling process is much tougher to accomplish with a saint who lived during our lifetime, who confronted the major issues of our culture, who visited our cities and prayed alongside us in our churches - someone like Blessed Mother Teresa, who shows us not only what is possible today but what the Lord wants today. The best way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her birth into etemallife is to take seriously her example and seek to imitate it in our personal circumstances. While the Lord is not calling everyone to
souls. Mother Teresa is also an example of persevering faith. We now know that for five decades she struggled through the sense of total abandonment by God in prayer called the dark night of the soul. As hard as it was at first, she would come to see it as a privilege to unite herself ever more deeply in love to Christ in his abandonment on the Cross. ''I have come to love the darkness," she wrote in 1962, "for I believe now that it is a very small part of Jesus' darkness and pain on earth. Jesus can't go anymore through the agony, but he wants to go through it in me." With loving trust, total surrender and cheerfulness, she clung in faith to the Lord she could not sense. It was the most radical form of her poverty. "I have the joy of having nothing," she said, "not even the reality of the dress in blue-and-white saris, enter路 l'!esence of God [in the Euchareligious life, and live according to rist]." The hours she would spend the radi~al poverty of the Missiondaily without consolation in front aries ~t. tharity, the Lord does call of the Lord's eucharistic camouus to seek to emulate'her virtues, flage helped her even more especially her faith and love of the disinterestedly to spend hours Lord and of others. caring for him in the disguise of Mother Teresa was one who the poor. It was one continual act acted on the Lord's words that of loving faith. whatever we do to the least of his ''If I ever become a saint," she brothers and sisters we do to him once said, "I will surely be one of (Mt 25:40). She and the Missionar- 'darkness.''' Better put, she would ies of Charity the Lord had her be one for those in darkness. When found sought therefore to love Christ called her in 1946 to found Christ "as he has never been loved the Missionaries of Charity, he said, "Come, be my light." Like before" in the "distressing disguise" of the poorest of the Christ her light, she entered into poor. "God still loves the world," the darkness but the darkness did she said, "and he sends you and not overcome her (In 1:5). me to be his love and his compasHer light still brightly bums, as sion to the poor." All of us, in other a courageous guide and contagious words, are called to be missionarsummons for us. ies of charity. All of us are called Father Landry is pastor of St. Anthony ofPadua Parish in New to seek to quench the Lord's infinite thirst for love and for Bedford.
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With this ri.ng During the summer months diocesan parishes are visited by a missionary preacher who makes an appeal on behalf of a particular mission. This "Mission Cooperative" is organized through the Office of the Propagation of the Faith. Since the Diocese.of Fall River supports our Mission in Guaimaca, I had the pleasure of preaching in a few of the parishes this summer: St. Thomas More in Somerset, St. Mary in New Bedford; and St. Patrick in Falmouth. Although I did not have enough time to visit St. Mary in Mansfield or St. Mary in Nantucket, all the parishes were exceeding generous to the work our diocese is doing in Guaimaca, Honduras. Along with preaching for the Mission, there was one other task that I had to complete while I was home: look for wedding rings! The story unfolds like this. Before leaving Guaimaca for the U.S., a young couple from one of our poor villages met with me to complete the paperwork for their marriage which was to take place upon my return in August. In the
course of the conversation they mentioned that they had tried to purchase wedding bands for themselves but they couldn't afford the price. Digna and Jose live in one of the poor mountain villages and had saved almost the equivalent of $75 for the rings, which to them seemed to be more than enough for wedding rings.
They asked if I might be able to find some wedding rings in the U.S. for around that price. (Although I have never shopped for wedding rings, I couldn't imagine their costing so little.) In a conversation with Msgr. Oliveira at St. Mary's in New Bedford, while preaching in his parish, I mentioned the couple's situation. A few days later he called with the wonderful news that a parishioner, a jeweler, wanted to donate the wedding bands to the
Delcarmen a good year to collectively polish off a bottle of aftershave. For a good portion of August, the Sox had the look of a team without a
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mission. They aPpeared listless, . anemic at times.'The "Cowrn:;yUp" image'of 2004 was a distant memory. Throughout the month, the Evil Empire inched its way back into the American League East race. The senior Sox players needed a good . dose of Geritol. Enter our Little
loud applause when the couple exchanged a kiss. The wedding rings J..ere a focal point of the celebrationl not only for their beauty but for what they symbolized: the promise of never ending love and fidelity. In a II
couple. So I went to New Bedford and Msgr..Oliveira gave me the little white box containing the two simple gold bands. The rings were beautiful and I knew the couple would be ovetjoyed. When I returned to Guaimaca, the couple came to the rectory to see the rings. They were overwhelmed that someone would be so generous to them, without even knowing them. They asked me to keep the rings until the wedding so nothing would happen to them. When the day of the wedding arrived, a group of parishioners from Guaimaca including the choir and altar servers traveled with me to the village. There we found the little chapel decorated for the wedding and the couple waiting to receive us. During the ceremony they pronounced their vows and then came the moment to exchange rings. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the couple as they exchanged their new rings saying: ''Take this ring as' a sign of my love and fidelity, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." It was a solemn moment that moved everyone. However there were no tears, only
All the young dudes I sat there Labor Day' weekend rubbing my eyes, sensing they were a bit out of focus. Maybe my head was still spinning from the threegame series at Yankee Stadium, at which the Red Sox never showed. It couldn't still be the Little League World Series. That ended with a walk-off homerun in extra innings a few weeks back. "OK, I'll put on the glasses I refuse to admit I need;' I said to myself. Oh my, they're still there, and even more in focus. Even with spectacles balanced on my nose, it appeared as though every other player in the Red Sox dugout was 14 years old. On Friday night, one of those 14year-olds went out and no-hit the pesky Baltimore Orioles. The following day, another baby-faced young man was gliding around the centerfield grass making acrobatic catches and dazzling the crowd. At the plate, he launched his first-ever big league homer. To his right was yet another rug rat. The average age of the trio not quite 24 years old. Did Clay Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brandon Moss make a difference out there? Big time. It would take the trio, along with the seasoned veterans of 24-year-old Dustin Pedroia, 23-year-old John Lester, and 25-year-old Manny
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similar way, although the jeweler never met the young couple, his donation of the rings was a symbol of the connection between the Mission and the diocese: we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.
LIFETIME COMMITMENT - With wedding bands graciously donated by a New Bedford parishioner, Jose and Digna were married at a Mass celebrated by Father Craig A. Pregana recently in Guaimaca, Honduras.
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Leaguers. The newest Sox brought with them an enthusiasm and spark desperately needed by the Home Towne Team. They also seemed to remind the grizzled vets how the game is played. Ask any parent or grandparent what keeps them yoUng. From most you'll get the same response -kids. For months now, I've been trying to dismiss thoughts of 1978. All it took was a handful of kids who weren't even born when Bucky Dent harpooned Red Sox Nation. I'm feeling pretty good now. I no longer hear the bluesy refrains of B.B. King's, ''The Thrill is Gone." They were replaced last weekend, by Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes." Rock on young Sox.
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Christian detachment Iflast week's sacred Scripture drew our attention to the virtue of humility, surely today's readings focus our thoughts upon the Christian concept of detachment. In our second reading, St. Paul recounts an episode in his life where he gave up one of his beloved disciples so that he could be faithful to his promise of spreading the Gospel. St. Luke tells us of how Our Lord addressed the crowds with a message of detachment from the things of this world: family, friends, possessions, even one's own life! Jesus warns us also to plan ahead for the coming of the Kingdom. A life in Christ is not some haphazard series of events or a stab in the dark on our part. It needs to be planned and thought through by those who are serious about following him. To be attached to Christ we need to be detached from the things of this world. Not all of us are called to the great calling of
holy poverty like so many religious of the world, but at least we should aim for an attitude of indifference to the worldly goods that we have at our disposal. A good rule of thumb is to ask the question, "Do the things I own, the things I treasure, and the relationships I keep, lead me to greater holiness?" If the answer is "no," then we must consider ridding ourselves of them. The great preacher and convert, Msgr. Ronald Knox, had a lovely insight into poverty. ''There is a deep reason," he said, ''why the saints loved poverty - because they were following the Lord Jesus Christ. Being rich for our sakes he became poor; if he stripped himself, on earth, of all the glory and the privileges that belonged to a divine person, how much more so then must we become
like him so that we can share in his divinity." The "Catechism of the Catholic Church" tells us, ''The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the kingdom of Heaven" (2544). There is no doubt that
throughout our history, the pursuit of wealth and power has been the cause of many a lost soul. Our Lord himself warns us that "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Mt 6:21). If we put Christ first and foremost in all our desires and ambitions, then we can treat the material benefits we have in this
life as a means to holiness in our pursuit of the love of God and of neighbor. We should remember in humility that the things we have in this world - natural talents, possessions, wealth, influenceare all gifts from Almighty God and they are given so as to glorify him. If any of these cause us to sin or divide our hearts then we must renounce them. "Set your minds:' St. Paul tells us, "on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Col 3:2). We can easily make some adjustments to our habits with regard to our relationship with the material world by asking ourselves some questions: How does this possession help me view the things of heaven? How does this thing I am about to buy relate to the things above? Will this thing help me or another increase in sanctity? Will it
promote the mission of the Church? Will it help the poor in any way? Will it help me focus my life upon Jesus? In order for us to achieve that detachment which belongs to our Christian professiori, we must learn to see the true value of things. The wealth of our lives lies in the prayers of the Church offered to Almighty God, especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The riches that surround us are the poor and the needy. The comforts of this world are the sacraments, through which we receive grace. The only influence we need in this world is the ability to pray. The treasures of this time are the opportunities we have to do good works. The only position we should ever aspire to is a seat at the eternal banquet. Msgr. O'Connor is assigned to Our lAdy ofVu:tory Parish in Centerville.
Upcoming Dally Readings: Sat, Sept 8, Micah 5:1-4 or Rornans 8:28-30;Ps 13:6; Mt 1:1-6, 18-23. Sun, Sept 9, 1\venty-ThirdSunday in Ordinary Ttrne, WlS 9:13-18; Ps 90:3-6,1213, 14-17; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33. Mon, SeptlO, Co11:24-2:3; Ps 62: 6-7,9; Luke 6:6-11. Thes, Sept 11, Col 2:6-15; Ps 145: 1-2,8-11; Luke 6:12-19; Wed, Sept 12, Col 3:1-11; Ps 145:2-3, 10-13; Luke 6:20-26. Thurs, Sept 13, CoI3:12~17; Ps 150:h6; Luke 6:27-38. Fri, Sept 14, Num 21:4-9; Ps 78:1-2, 34-38; Phil 2:6-11; John 3:13-17.
True compassion in the midst of tragedy As the floodwaters were rising in patients by providing them with a the days after Hurricane Katrina, the medically indicated dose of situation went from bad to worse at morphine. Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, past president of the American Academy Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans. When the electricity failed, of Forensic Sciences, was one of the flashlights became necessary to five experts brought in by the state carry out simple tasks. There was no of Louisiana to analyze the deaths. running water. Human sewage He described the situation this way: streamed through the hospital ''The complete hospital records, corridors. Many patients could not autopsy protocols and postmortem be evacuated, were crying out, and . toxicological analyses of the nine suffered greatly in the stifling heat. patients who died were thoroughly Much of the medical staff had reviewed by several highly experienced forensic patholoalready left. The few who remained gists, a toxicologist and began to think they might never be other medical experts. We rescued. The conditions were ''less than unequivocally concluded third world;' according to Dr. Anna that the cause of death in Maria Pou, who was accused of all these cases was acute administering lethal doses of combined drug toxicity and morphine and another sedative to that the manner of death was homicide." nine patients in the hospital. Many These same experts also who have learned of her actions concluded that the have called her a hero, believing she was motivated by true compassion. possibility of the deaths being due to a tragic medical mistake was Louisiana's Attorney General, however, after consulting with a statistically unlikely. ''Accidental panel of medical experts, concluded overdoses would need to have occurred nine times between 12 that she perpetrated a multiple homicide. noon and 3:30 p.m., all on one floor, to every patient who was left on the While the debate continues as to what Dr. Pou did or did not do, floor:' observed Dr. John Young, compassion and heroism should former president of the American never be confused with intentionally Academy of Forensic Sciences. overdosing patients or loved ones in After looking into the matter, order to end their lives. The act of however, a Louisiana grand jury directly taking innocent human life nevertheless chose not to indict Dr. is always incompatible with true Pou following a series of closedcompassion. door hearings. Upon further examination of the In looking at this case, it seems facts of the case, experts have that many have hesitated to call a suggested that Dr. Pou was not spade a spade. When I participated simply managing the pain of her in a radio interview recently on this
the proper sense of the term, means to take another's pain and suffering upon ourselves, onto our own shoulders, so that we suffer with them in some way. We seek to be present to them, and accompany them in their trials and tribulations as best as we are able. True compassion as the flood waters were rising would not mean pulling a massive dose out of the vial, looking the person in the face, in their weakness and fear, and thrusting a needle deep into ,....~--"""L_ their skin or into their IV tube to cause the light in their eyes to falter and go out That is not mercy or compassion. and to call it such is a lie. Mercy and compassion would rather seek to care for each patient in the face of difficulties, trying to move them to a higher floor if the waters were rising, to an "act of God," not man. By and if that were impossible for some looking at her patient's condition reason. then to sirattentively at their and the circumstances around her, bedside, holding their hand and she did what needed to be done, making them as comfortable as keeping her patients comfortable and easing their suffering. I pray that possible. True compassion would mean praying with them. perhaps if I were ever in their shoes, I would crying with them at times, but above have a doctor as conscientious and all remaining in solidarity with them compassionate as Dr. Pou:' as they prepare for what might be To understand the moral their last moments of life on earth. argument in this case, however, it is When natural disaster strikes, we important to grasp the distinction do not abandon those in our care, or between killing and allowing to die. ignore them. or betray them by lt is also important to understand the taking their lives in the name of a real meaning of the word Compasfalse and violent compassion. sion. Human beings are not like horses or "Compassion" has a Latin origin other animals, needing to be shot meaning ''to suffer together with when they break a leg or suffer a another." To be compassionate, in
topic, a number of listeners were aghast at what Dr. Pou had allegedly done. 1\vo people, however, called into the show to defend her, and I believe their comments were representative of how many people think about cases like this. "I commend Dr. PoU;' one of the callers said, ''for her courage and compassion towards those terminal patients who more than likely wouldn't "survive" the horrid conditions they were in anyway due
misfortune. 'The reason for this is that our pain and suffering have a redemptive purpose and a deeper meaning for each of us, as well as for those around us. Showing true compassion towards those who suffer ends up transforming both us and them in deep and ennobling ways. For doctors and health care workers who have been entrusted with powerful tools over life and death, this truth is central to their identity. More than two thousand years ago, the renowned physician Hippocrates stressed this when he said: Primum non nocere (F1I'St, do no harm). The truly compassionate doctor will strive to use his tools and medicines to attend to the medical needs of his patients, humbly recognizing that those tools may not be able to stave off death in every case. He may have to step aside as the shadow of death draws near and the mortal existence of the person he has been tending to comes to its natural close. Above all, the compassionate physician can never violate his inner being and identity by becoming one who directly kills others, especially those who, in their most needful and fragile moments, find themselves entrusted to his care. Father Pacho1aJk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoraJ work at Harvard. He is a priest ofthe Diocese ofFall River, and serves f!S the director ofeducation at The National Catholk Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. www.ncbcenter.org
SEPTEMBER
7, 2007
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Measure once, cut twice Kennebunkport, Maine, where Thursday 30 August 2007 At home on Three-Mile River- he and his wife Mary began the construction of their garrisonJust another day style home. Unfortunately the I was chatting with a neighbor early on a recent morning when he casually dropped a bombshell. He told me Reflections of a Three Mile River was eight miles long. ',"':1.:,.......,,'" There's a story there . YfEalh someplace. Who named Goldrick, an eight-mile river Three Mile River? natives were restless, as they Maybe it goes all the way back say, and the home was burned to Nicholas Moorey. He to the ground. Nicholas moved emigrated here from England in here, and here he died in 1730. 1675 and settled first in
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Is Nicholas the one who gave the name? Had he measured only once? How did he lose five miles of the river? Seems to me that in matters of some importance, one needs first to get the facts. Getting the facts is essential to any parish priest. I can't get a handle on this new assignment until I have the facts. The task of fact-finding is taking up much of my time these days. I am "reviewing the situation," as the character Fagan sings in the musical "Oliver."
Luminescent Evangelism, Part I Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, or evangelizing, is at the heart of our Catholic faith. One of my favorite guides on how to evangelize comes from the Gospel of Matthew: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." The very first thing this Scripture tells us is that there are people in our world who are walking in spiritual darkness. Because of this they spend a fair amount of life bumping into things that are hazardous to their earthly and eternal wellbeing. Secondly, we learn that evangelizing is fundamentally about our willingness to let our lives be steadfast, guiding lights to all humankind, but especially to those in our own homes. Unfortunately, it is family members who often present the biggest challenge to our attempts to share the Good News. Therefore, it is also important to note that evangelizing, according to this Scripture, is not about at least two things. First, it is not about micromanaging the lives of others so that they will stop bumping into hazards. Second, it is not about forcing others to see the light by pointing it in their face like a police officer might use a spotlight to search a vehicle at night. Evangelistic lights should be guiding and welcoming, more like front
porch lights and less like intimidating searchlights. There is an urban legend that has circulated through FAX machines and cyberspace for many years about a confrontation between an American naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland that reveals something about how to be a good guiding light.
The radio conversation is said to have gone like this: Americans: "Please divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid collision." Canadians: "Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision." . ,. Americans':~'''This the ~ jl captain of a ~lrS. Navy sli,ii>'. I say again, div~~t your coUr$e." Canadians: "No, I say' . again, you divert your course." Americans: "This is the nuclear aircraft supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class vessel with a length of 1,092 feet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers, and numerous support vessels. I demand that you change your course 15 degrees north. That's one-five degrees north, or counter measures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship." Canadians: "This is a lighthouse. Your calL" What a great story. It shows that even when we are doing something directly in line with
the teachings of Jesus, like keeping the light of our own faith lit and not hidden, we may expect to encounter those who want to argue about it. Just like the naval officer addressing the lighthouse, people who do not know the One from whom we derive our firm, spiritual stance will often assume that our moral or ethical positions are moving targets, something about which we can be swayed or that we will change based 011 circumstance, worldly reasoning, or bullying. Our Catholic faith, however, is not unchanging because of our own stubbornness. It is unchanging because we do not have the power to change Jesus, who is the Rock upon which our faith is built (1Corinthans 10:3-4). We must remember, however, to stand firm on the core tenets of our faith proclaimed in the Apostle's Creed, not on peripherals like what to wear to church, or what Father Soand-So preached last week, or else we may be continuously ensnared in tangential arguments that help no one. Taking our cues from the Gospel of Matthew and from the Canadian lighthouse keeper in this tale, we must both let our light shine and let others, even family members, change the courses of their lives, or not, based on the illumination they have received. Next time we'll explore the types of good deeds that would generate the kind of light that would cause others to praise our Father in heaven. Heidi is an author, photographer, andfuU-time mother. She and her husband raise their five chi1tlren in Falmouth. homegrownfaith@gmaiLcom.
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As a new school year gets underway, and with it the full complement of parish organizations, I'IIi gradually making the rounds of each parish group. I'm looking for the facts. My questions are simple: "What does this group do? What do you need to do what you do? What are your hopes and dreams for this organization?" I have already met with the catechists and with the Women's Council. I ~as inspired by their readiness to communicate and by the high level of enthusiasm I saw in both groups. The catechists and I need more time so I have booked a second gathering. Since the meeting is scheduled during supper. time, we will share a light meal together before we get down to business. The Women's Council said something that was music to my ears. They said: "Weare a sisterhood." How wonderful: A community of women who gather because they Jnjoy being together, helping each other through the rough spots in life, and reaching out not lionly to women but to the larger faith community. They also told me they'd like to work with the men's group. Ed Kelly, president of the men's Holy Name Society, happened to be at the meeting. The needs tqe women expressed are very manageable. The frosting on the cake is that the women provide tqe most delicious table of sweets and deserts following their meetings. They insisted I samplh everything and some thingJ more than once. Somebody had to do it. On my mission of factfinding, I also want to see through expert eyes. I have learned over the years, dear readers, the simple truth that I don't know everything. This doesn't meim I don't often pretend I do. I need to consult . those who know their respective fields better than I. I called upon women and men who have served or are
now serving in public school administration. I asked them to walk through the classrooms of this parish center and tell me what they saw. The group included: Don Cleary (superintendent of schools, retired); Heidi Driscoll (principal); Stan Koss (principal, retired); and Elise Dnbois (assistant principal). Where did I find such an august group? Why, they were sitting right in front of me in church. They're all members of this parish. Another group of professionals upon whom I called was the local Police Department. I wanted to see building security through their eyes. Not only did I get three helpful officers to answer my questions, but I even got the Chief of Police himself. Chief Bob MacDonald, by the way, is also a member of this parish community. What gifts are in every parish church, just waiting to be called forth. Having spoken to the police officers, I didn't want to slight the local Fire Department. Lt. Chris Ready, the Town Fire Safety Inspector, and I met for several hours. I asked him to give it to me straight. What did he see? He told me I had work to do. I went to work immediately. Plumbers, electricians, and commercial cleaners were on the property within a couple of hours,. Parishioner Pete Foley came to my door and asked what he could do to help. I told him what I needed done and he did it. The work was completed in a single workday. This proves once again that old adage: "All you have to do is ask." It's just another day in the life of a country priest. This is why your priest may not laugh uproariously if you jokingly make the comment: "So, Father, you say Mass on Sunday, but what do you do the rest of the week?" Don't even go there! Father Goldrid is pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in North Dighton.
Travel to Italy October 5-12 I October 15-23 February 16~'24, 2008 I April 19-27, 2008 May 15-27, 2008 I June l8-July 6, 2008
cost $2,290 ($2,990)
Rome * Venice * Tuscany * Florence (Milan * Uake Como * Amalfi Coast . Capri * Sorrento * Pompeii) Anthony Nachef, PhD (Theology)
508-340路9370 email: an@catholicteachings.org web: www.TourOfltaly.us
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The Anchor •
SWTF\UWR
7.2007
When it comes to Jesus, Swansea woman hopes children get the picture By MATT McDoNALD
Father Goldrick said he envisions the book as SWANSEA -A visit to the La Salette Shine a teaching tool for adults to read to small chilin Attleboro two years ago set Jackie Almeida dren, perhaps at home or in the early grades of Religious Education at a parish. on the path to becoming an author. "Children are visual. Show them the picture, Almeida, a Swansea resident, was taken by a huge three-dimensional display showing scenes use the words, and they'II sink in," Father from the life of Jesus in figurines and painted Goldrick said. He also said Almeida showed tenacity in finsettings. She went back to take photos with her Sony ishing the booklet. THEY GO WITH EVERYTHING - Green buskins or liturgical shoes "Jackie is single-minded," Father Goldrick worn by Bishop James L. Connolly were yesteryear's usual fare at DSC-V3 digital camera, hoping to create someliturgies during Ordinary Time. Similar shoes in white, red, purple said. "She just won't give up." thing her daughter could use to teach her grandand sometimes gold, were worn by prelates at pontifical ceremoAlmeida said there sons about Jesus. nies. (An.chorphoto) were times during the Eventually she. got last couple of years the idea to create a Continuedfrom page one when the project and booklet matching the its occasional technipictures wi th short While it is the file bastion of the sonnel matters that involved parishes; cal problems felt write-ups describing century-old diocese whose territory letters from chancellors to parishes overwhelming, but each scene based on since its founding in 1904 sweeps and clergy, and to the faithful; letters she said to herself, "I the Gospels. from Easton on the north, down to from Apostolic Delegates announccan't give up on God.' Fall River and out to New Bedford, ing who would be a new bishop, as The result is "From He doesn't give up on the Crib to the Cross: Cape Cod and the Islands, the ar- well as rulings from the Holy See on me. I've got to keep A Diorama of the Life chives aren't restrictive to the time a variety of issues pertinent to their going." of Christ," a 29-page span when the diocese was carved day. Almeida, 75, booklet on coated pa''For instance, Bishop Stang wrote from the vast Southeastern Massaworked as a seamper, with 21 color phoa manual of moral theology, another, chusetts territory. stress in a sewing Because immigrating Catholics ar- on Socialism and Christianity, and tos showing scenes shop and raised two rived in the late 16008 in the NewWorld translated a life of Martin Luther, from the display. A - that for some was what we know among many articles he authored. We children. sample booklet meanow as Cape Cod- the archives reach also have the bishop's letter written She grew up in Fall sures about five-andjust before his surgery in which he back deeper into local history. River, which is where one-quarter inches by Father Wall tapped the archives' had a premonition he would die from ' she met her husband, t about three-and-onerich resources to write "Bearing Fruit it, which he did." Norman W, Almeida, quarter inches. By Streams ofWaters" a comprehenThere are also copies of the many 77, who formerly An early run sold addresses and speeches given by sive history of the Diocese of Fall owned and operated out; a second printing Bishop James E. Cassidy, who durRiver, to help celebrate the diocese's Aim Attachments, a of 1,000 is expected to his episcopacy from 1934 to 1951 ing in 2004. centennial business that made be completed later this For him, the overall mission state- was a renowned and popular public and sold sewing mayear. ment of the archives is to "hand on speaker on a variety of key issues of chine attachments. The presentation is diocesan history and tradition - of the day including preparation of The couple belong similar to a children's the local Church - to current and coastal defenses for World War II, to St. Thomas More book, with colorful ilmany of which are in out-of-print future generations." Parish in Somerset. lustrations accompa''We have tons of historically in- pamphlet form. ANCHOR PERSON OF THE WEEK - Jackie When the printing nied by simple text. Almeida teresting papelWork ... of all kinds," , Of significant importance is the run of 1,000 is finOne example is the collection of deeds to every plot or he added. ished, the booklet will description of Mark The collection includes the per- parcel held by the Roman Catholic 10:13-16, where Jesus rebukes his disciples for be on sale for $6 at the National Shrine of Our sonal papers of the diocese's eight bishops ofthe diocese; blueprints and Lady of La Salette at 947 Park Street in Attletying to keep children away from him: bishops, "including letters and offi- architectural drawings of its build"The disciples got upset and tried to chase boro. Almeida is also trying to get Catholic , cial and private corresponde!1ce, de- ings, churches, schools and instituthem away. Jesus was not happy and said, 'No, schools and parishes to consider using the bookcrees, reports, pastoral letters and tions; and many construction plans' . homilies of some of the more elo- and proposed plans. let the children. come to me.' Then he hugged let. ,''We have many photographs of Almeida has high hopes for her work. quent preachers," Father Wall rethe children and prayed over them. Jesus loves people, piaces and things. We have a "What I would like to see' is the kids read it vealed. children." plethora of photos taken at the May ''We have writing~ generated by The photo on the same page shows figurines and it help them change this world around," she 11, 1982 fire that destroyed Notre the bishops, records of priests coun': of Jesus sitting with his arms around the shoul- said. "The way the world is, there's got to be a cils on a variety of business and perContinued on page 11 generation to change this world around, because ders of two children. While Almeida makes choices about how to it's getting worse, it's not getting any better." She is realistic about a time frame for change. frame Gospel stories for children, she doesn't "It may take a while, but planting a seed - I leave out the hard parts of the familiar story. The may not see it, but I don't care, as long as my narration and pictures show the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the questioning by great-grandchildren live in a better world than Caiaphas, the scourging at the pillar, and the cru- it is now," she said. .. By introducing children to the teachings and , cifixion. /"·~W person of Jesus early, she hopes they will folThe booklet ends with the resurrection. The original three-dimensional display, which low him: "Chances are they might live according to his ' takes up eight six-to-eight-foot tables, was created by Father Timothy Goldrick, pastor of St. word, and not the world's word, and how the Joseph's Church in North Dighton, and Father world is telling them how to live." The Anchor encourages readers to nominate othRaul Lagoa, pastor of St. John of God Church ersfor the Person ofthe Week - who and why? Subin Somerset. A FAMILIAR RING - Much kissed by faithful parishioners across Both helped Almeida edit the text. Her mit nominations to: theanchor@anchomews.org, or the Fall River Diocese were these gold episcopal rings worn by, nephew's wife and her daughter helped proofread. write to TheAnchor, P.O. Box 7, FallRiver, MA 02722. Bishop James E. Cassidy, Bishop James L. Connolly, and Auxiliary Bishop James J. Gerrard. (Anchor photo)
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STANDING ROOM ONLY -Awesome turnout of 1,300 men of the Holy Name Society attended the March 21, 1915Mass closing a retreat at Sacred Heart Church in Fall River. Clergy included, from left, Jesuit FatherJames A. McGivney, Father James Dolan, Father John W. McCarthy, the permanent rector; Father Thomas F. McNulty, and Father Charles A. Donovan. (Diocesan Archives photo) Continued from page 10 Dame Church in Fall River," the archivist reported. The files do not hold financiitJ. and insurance records, which are kept in their respective offices and agencies. One of the treasures Father Wall discovered during his eight years as archivist is a rolled-up 1836 drawing ofchurches and chiefbuildings in the City ofTaunton. "We had it preserved and mounted in a frame. There is also a fine, 185Q-em pastoral letter from St. Mary's in Taunton. " There are also some oil paintings, cherished yesteryear photographs of churches, pastors and congregations at Church groundbreaking and dedication ceremonies, first Communions, confirmations, ordinations, weddings, burials and processions. Among what are considered more museum pieces are several bishop's rings and pectoral crosses, and crosiers carried by Bishop Stang, his successor Bishop Daniel F. Feehan and his successor, Bishop. Cassidy.
There are also a few chalices. in cities and towns, he said. There is a mre, autographed photo 'There isn't a lot Qf information of Pope Pius X, a personnel letter in baptismal certificates filed in from President Theodore Roosevelt people's parishes, and so they conto Bishop Cassidy prior to the latter tact us for clues as where to find becoming bishop; and another letter records ... frequently from former ,to Bishop Cassidy signed by Sister parishes that have closed, and someCatherine Drexel long before she was times we can help. Graduate students canonized. also call looking for old files. We can ''While we coopemte with many ,also be a disappointment sometimes." requests for records, usually by famiWhile he doesn't consider himself lies researching its genealogy, most a "packrat," Father Wall"says he is of the time we can do that by refer- reluctant to throw things away, alring them to the proper sources, though he admits, ''there are things mostly their parishes and staffs. that should be cleaned out from time Rarely do we open the door to visi- to time. We can't allow our archives tors;' Father Wall added. 'We wel- to become dumping grounds. There come requests, but they are best is always something to do, and there handled in writing. Answering calls are a lot of things in process." usually amounts to playing telephone It creates a tension, he said, nottag;' said the archivist who is also the ing that the going statistic is that 25 busy pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in percentofany office's material is not the city's East End. . pertinent to its function. National arBecause parish staffs can't do eX- chivists contend that only 37 percent haustive research, sometimes the di- of what they accumulate is kept ocesan records are helpful in point'What is difficult for most dioing to pertinent, existin~ civil recot;ds ceses - even like ours which is but a century old - is that the letters and records are handwritten, most before the em of the typewriter," and can be extensive in volume and take up much space in filing cabinets, Father Wall pointed out. "So we have to differentiate what is truly historical and worth keeping." While museums and archives have no corresponding formal filing guide such as the Dewey Decimal SysteJD still in vogue in many libraries, Father Wall says he follows an approach suggested by the Association ofCatholic DiocesanArchivists. In essence it consists of records groupings, breakdowns of collectibles, and various sub groupings. Asked whether as diocesan archivist.he is mreality the curator of a multi-million dollar collection, Father Wall answered: "I don't know. Money wise I don't think we've ever had it evaluated. But in regard to hisEASY TO ASSEMBLE - Looking new is this century-old gold crotory and tmdition, our archives 'are sier and its bright red carrying case. It is one of two that belonged to priceless." the diocese's first bishop, Bishop William Stang. (Anchor photo)
BISHOP'S LOG: FINAL ENTRY - Daily journal kept by Bishop Stang is open to his final entry, written in Fall River on Jan. 17, 1907. It reads: "Mass in chapel, left for Rochester, Minnesota." The bishop died there on February 2 follolJl/ing intestinal surgery. (Anchorphoto)
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DVD/video reviews NEW YORK (CNS) - The following are capsule reviews of new and recent DVD and video releases from the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Theatrical movies on video have a USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification and Motion Picture Association of America rating. ''Blades of Glory" (2007) Fitfully amusing buddy comedy about rival skating champions - a macho ladies' man (WJ11 Ferrell) and a former child prodigy (Jon Heder)banned from the world championships after fighting on the ice, who reluctantly become a team when they learn it's the only way they'll be allowed back to compete, while a jealous brother-sister act (WillAmett and Amy Poehler) attempt to sabotage the duo. Will Speck and Josh Gordon direct the sophomoric proceedings capably, the skating stunts are well handled, the leads are well paired, and there are apt satirical baIbs at the skating industry. The pervasive low humor and vulgarity preclude the younger viewers who would most appreciate the humor, even as predictable affirmations of friendship and good sportsmanship eventually prevail. Crude language, crass expressions, mild profanity, a couple ofbriefnongraphic sexual encounters, innuendo, comic violence and mayhem, including a decapitation, brief comic suggestion of incest and drug use. The USCCB Office for FJ1m & Broadcasting classification is A-ill -adults. The Motion PictureAssociation of America rating is PG-13 parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (paramount Home Video) ''Kickin' It Old SkooP' (2007) During a school dance contest in 1986, a five-year-old break dancer does a wrong move, ends up in acoma and, 20 years later, wakes up as a man (Jamie Kennedy) still thinking he is a child Harv Glazer directs with an in-
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consistent tone, going from sentimental to silly slapstick in a flash, and all the actors mug shamelessly, save for the dry wit of Michael Rosenbaum. Suggestive dancing, drinking, brief male rear nudity, a comic scene of cross-dressing, numerous scatological gags, a brief reference to Internet pornography, one use of the f-word, frequent crude and crass language, an instance of profanity and mild sexual banter. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-ill -adults. The Motion PictureAssociation of America rating is PG-13 parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (Fox Home Entertainment) '. ,j v 'JPatrick" (2004) This lavishly produced documentary tells the dramatic story of the Apostle of Ireland, who voluntarily returned to the remote nation where he had once been enslaved, in order to bring its people the Gospel message. Using the beauty ofthe Irish landscape as well as fascinating imagery drawn from Celtic art to illuminate the tale, the film traces St. Patrick's adventurous life, beginning with his privileged and religiously indifferent boyhood through his death. Despite some minor historical inaccuracies in its portrayal of fifth-century Christianity (e.g., St. Patrick neglects to bless himself while praying, and the sacrament of ordination omits the laying on of hands), and some controversial interpretations of Patrick's life and legacy (e.g., disputing the miracles attributed to him), filmmaker Pamela Mason Wagner's documentary is a strong and engaging effort to get behind the tired myths about St. Patrick and bring alive, for a contemporary audience, the far more interesting reality. The story is narrated by Liam Neeson, with Gabriel Byrne providing the voice of Patrick and author Frank McCourt, among others, offering perceptive commentary. The DVD includes brief interviews with Wagner and McCourt who speak of the hope offered the people by the gentle saint. (Faith & Values MedialVision Video)
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and children from Arkansas were slaughtered as their wagon train journeyed through Utah en route to California. Director and co-writer Chris Cain (with Carole Whang Schutter) purports that church leader Brigham Young gave the order and that Mormon extremists (Jon Voight plays a fictional elder here) incited the Indians to help IC~i ~t(()viie them annihilate the party as revenge for the killing of prophet lCaIIV~Ullle~ Joseph Smith. Much violence durNEW YORK (CNS) - The fol- ing the slaughter, shots of dead and lowing are capsule reviews of wounded, polygamy, brief sexual movies recently reviewed by the reference and fratricide. The Office forJilm & Broad<;asting of USCCB Office for Film & Broadthe U.S. Conference of Catholic casting classification is A-III Bishops. adults. The Motion Picture Asso"Balls of Fury" (Rogue) ciation of America rating is R Exhausting comedy about a restricted. Under 17 requires acwashed-up pingpong prodigy (Dan companying parent or adult guardFogler) who is asked by an FBI. ian. agent (George Lopez) to help catch "War" (Lionsgate) a mysterious crime lord (ChristoIn this brutal police thriller, an pher Walken). Along the way the FBI agent (Jason Statham) has his former champ turns to a blind hands full when the legendary aspingpong master (James Hong) to sassin (Jet Li) who murdered his regain his skills, falls in love with partner (Terry Chen) returns to San the master's daughter (Maggie Q) Francisco and sparks a war between and eventually must play in a tour- the absent ~eader of the Japanese nament with life-or-death stakes. Yakuza (Ryo Ishibashi), who is repFrequently crude and always pre- resented locally by his ruthless posterous, director and co-writer daughter (Devon Aoki), and the Ben Garant's film has some flashes very present commander of the of originality and gets in a few good Chinese Triads in the city (John satiric swipes, even as it revels in Lone). Philip G. Atwell's noisy, its own silliness. Much crude lan- overblown film offers some interguage, one instance of profanity, esting plot developments, but ultisuggestive gestures, gross and mately tries to substitute sound and scatological jokes, and mild gay- fury for genuine drama. Extensive themed humor. The USCCB Office violence with gore, torture and for Film & Broadcasting classifica- mutilation, rear and upper female tion is A-ill - adults (though it's nudity, frequent rough and crude acceptable for older adolescents). The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 - parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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language, and occasional profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is 0 morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R - restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
"3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate) Generally absorbing remake of the 1957 film, based on an Elmore Leonard story, about an impoverished 1880s rancher (Christian Bale) who, for $200, agrees to escort a notorious Bible-quoting bandit (Russell Crowe) to the train that will transport him to prison and justice before the outlaw's gang can rescue him. The narrative - diffuse at first - becomes more cohesive and gripping as director James Mangold's Western throwback builds to its climax, and the performances, including Ben Foster as the outlaw's wild-eyed henchman and Peter Fonda as a corrupt bounty hunter, are fine. There are also interesting moral issues at play, as the charming villain offers to bribe the rancher who's hoping for personal redemption, particularly in the eyes of his 14-year-old son (Logan Lerman) impressed by the criminal. Pervasive but not graphic violence and torture, killings, profanity, rough language, a grisly bullet removal, brief rear nudity and some light sexual talk. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-ill - adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R - restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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TABLE TENSION - Dan Fogler and Patton Oswalt star in a scene from the movie "Balls of Fury." For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Rogue)
Standard-style Western but with a provocative theme as the love story of a Mormon boy (Trent Ford) and pioneer girl (Tamara Hope) unfolds against a backdrop of the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, in which 120 men, women
Sunday, September 9 at 11:00 a.m. Scheduled celebrant is Father Richard R. Gendreau, pastor of St. Louis de France Parish in Swansea
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The Anchor , As I reflect on the actions of this brave selfless Brest this September I have to wonder if, indeed, I could fulfiU the calling to care for and serve my fellow man as Father Mychal Judge did. Do I as a Catholic havb the courage to confront the challenges that are handed to me :'at any given time in life and ttien deal with them, with the appr:opriate sacrifices? . For the Knights li of Columbus the philosophy hasil always been to confront the challenge and give to those in neJd, regardless of faith or backgro\;lnd.
Time and again, I have encountered those men who, just like Father Judge, are willing to give of themselves and of their time, and yet, expect nothing in return. As you go through life you may well encounter some of them. By their deeds will you know them. To some they are volunteers, to others they are givers, but to all they are Knights.
Brendan Brides is a member of Christ the King Parish in Mashpee and Lecturer for the Christ the King Knights of Columbus Council 13388.
,National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette
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". Friday. September 14 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Ii 1:00 - 6:00 p.m.
6:30 p.m. MASS
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ULTIMATE SACRIFICE - New York firefighters and rescue workers carry fatally injured fire chaplain Franciscan Father Mychal Judge from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, Sept. 11,2001. Father Judge was administering last rites to victims when he was caught in the building's collapse. (CNS file photo from Reuters)
La Salette Litany 7 :30 p.m. 9tany in Honor of Our Lady of La Salette
Knights of honor
Saturday, September 15 2:00 p.m. La Salette Living Rosary Around Rosary Pond In event of rain - Shrine Church
By BRENDAN BRIDES
Firefighters found Father two sisters make e.nds meet, ~e MASHPEE - The Knights of Judge's lifeless body beneath a shined shoes at Penn Station, ran Columbus is a charitable organi- smashed fire engine at Ground errands and did odd jobs before zation made up of Catholic men Zero and took him to St. Peter's eventually being called to his of all ages and walks of life. The Church on nearby Barclay Street. Franciscan vocation. Father underlying phqosophy of the They laid the friar in front of the Judge was ordained a priest in Knights is to follow in the teach- altar, covered him with a white 1961. Upon being appointed fire ings of Jesus by giving to and cloth and his priest's stole before chaplain in 1992 Father Judge caring for any of our fellow hu- placing his helmet and his proclaimed: "I always wanted to man beings who are in need. In chaplain's badge on his chest. be a priest or a firefighter. Now the Knights of Columbus, CathoWhen tragedy struck on Sep- I'm both." lic men are called upon to For many years Father serve. The following is a Judge developed a great reflection on what one Father Carroll recalls that without friendship with Stephen Knight was called to do. hesitation Father Judge quickly took McDonald, a New York poSix years ago this month off his Franciscan habit, changed lice officer who had been some of the most senseless into his chaplain's uniform and paralyzed from the neck tragedies in this country's down as a result of a gunhistory occurred in New headed for the door. That was the shot wound sustained in York City, Washington, last time the friar would see his . the line of duty. In the D.C., and a field in Penn- friend alive. years following the shootsylvania. Almost 3,000 ing, Father Judge became lives were taken in a cowardly tember 11, Father Brian Carroll extremely close to McDonald, and brutal act supposedly in the OFM, was heading up to Father his wife Pattie and their son name of God. Judge's room to inform him that Connor. 'Upon hearing of the Many other acts were con- a plane had just crashed into one priest's death McDonald said: ducted that day also in the name of the World Trade Center's tow- "He was my confessor, my spiriof God - all of them in the name ers. Father Carroll recalls that tual advisor and my best friend. of a loving God. Countless fire without hesitation Father Judge He was my idea of what priest fighters and police officers gave quickly took off his Franciscan should be and above all he was their lives in an attempt to pro- habit, changed into his a living examp'e of Jesus tect and save ~heir fellow man. .chaplain's uniform and headed Christ." In one particular case a for the door. That was the last Ironically, Father Judge was firefighter was killed by falling time the friar would see his the first confirmed fatality at debris from the collapse of the friend alive. ground zero, perhaps God's way second World Trade Center Born in Brooklyn, the son of of appointing a shepherd to guide Tower as he knelt beside a fel- Irish immigrants, Mychal" Judge the thousands that were to follow low firefighter while administer- watched his father suffer and into, we pray, a birth of eternal ing the sacrament of the Anoint- eventually die from a long ill- life. ing of the Sick. He was a ness. As a result of his father's Forty-five members of the firefighter and a Catholic priest: prolonged incapacitation, the Knights of Columbus gave their Father Mychal Judge OFM, chap- challenge o{supporting the fam- lives on that infamous day six lain to the New York Fire Depart- ily rested on young Mychal's years ago, among them, Father ment since September 1992. shoulders. To help his mother and Mychal Judge.
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Sunday. September 16 12:10 p.m. MASS 'i
Presider & Homilist Rev. Pedro Chingandu, M.S. National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette I Attleboro, MA I Music Fr. Pat, M.S. Shrine Church II
Haitian Pilmmaae Mass 2:00 p.m. Outdoor Chapel In event of rain - Church A~liary Bishop Gury A. Sansaricq II Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. MULTI-ETHNIC EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION WIm ROSARY Irfunediately after Haitian Mass II
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Wednesday, September 19 l61st {\nniversary of Mary's Apparition . at La Salette, France I
EXPOSITION, OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT I,
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Vatican officials say newest book illustrates Motht!r Teresa's strength By JOHN THAVIS CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE,
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VATICAN CITY - Vatican officials said a new book detailing Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta's long "crisis offaith" illustrates her spiritual strength in the face of doubt. "This is a figure who had moments of uncertainty and discouragement, experiencing the classic dark night that God gives to chosen people in order to forge them on the road to holiness," said Spanish Cardinal Julian Herranz, a member of the Congregation for Saints' Causes. "These moments of crisis felt by great saints are normal and in line with the Church's tradition," Cardinal Herranz said. Even Christ experienced a similar spiritual trial in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, he said. Such moments of "weakness" are in fact "the proof of the greatness of faith of Blessed Mother Teresa and take nothing away from her holiness," he said. Cardinal Herranz, who spoke in an interview with the Rome newspaper La Repubblica, said the progress of Mother Teresa's sainthood cause would not be affected by the letters published in the book. Vatican and other Church officials were already familiar with the letters because many were first published in 2002, and in fact formed part of the documentation reviewed before she was beatified in 2003, six years after her death. The letters are being published in English in the upcoming book, "Mother Teresa: Come Be'My Light," edited by Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, a member of, the Missionaries of Charity order founded by Mother Teresa and the postulator of her sainthood cause. , Time magazine recently ran a cover story about the book under the title, "The Secret Life of Mother Teresa." In letters written .over several decades, she spoke of a lack of faith, a "terrible darkness within me" and a sense of being abandoned by Jesus. Sister Nirmala Joshi, head of the Missionaries of Charity, said the letters reveal that sainthood
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does not come easily, but they do not show a failure of faith. "Mother (Teresa) did not doubt God, she continued to love him. If you doubt someone, sooner or later you stop following him. But she continued right up to her death to love him and to put into practice her devotion," Sister Nirmala told La Repubblica. Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the papal household, told Vatican Radio that what distinguished Mother Teresa's '~ark night" was ,that"itappare\lll\l,~ ~continued throughout'het nfe'and was not a preparation for a new spiritual stage as with other saints. He said her inner suffering should not be seen as a denial of God, ho~ever. She knew God was there, but suffered because she could not feel him, he said. Noting that Mother Teresa would kneel before the Eucharist for hours at a time, Father Cantalamessa said it must have been a form of "martyrdom" not to feel Christ's presence. "For me, this makes the figure of Mother Teresa much bigger, not smaller," he said. Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice, who wrote a reflection on Mother Teresa's letters last year in the Vatican newspaper, said they reveal some important and beautiful things. "The first is that Mother Teresa is one of us, that she went through all the trials just as we do, no more and no less;" he said. Another important element in her letters is that Mother Teresa, when she no longer felt she could feel God's presence, asked him to reveal himself, he said. Joaquin Navarro-Valls,. the former Vatican spokes~an, said Mother' Teresa' sletters showed' that she experienced real spiritu'i! suffering. That is not surprising, he said, since she was notoriously "immune" to the banal and the superficial. "But all this is not the expression of a lack of faith, but rather of the normal - ' perhaps in this case heroic - sacrifice that people discover when they try to live a commitment and a choice coherently and completely," he said. Navarro-Valls said it would be wrong to conclude on the basis of these letters that Mother Teresa's trademark smile was fake or that her public persona was hypocritical. Instead, the letters illustrate that spiritual progress often must overcome obstacles that seem impassable, he said.
PRAYERFUL REMEMBRANCE - Missionaries of Charity nuns pray during a service in Calcutta, India, August 26, marking the 97th anniversary of Blessed Mother Teresa's birth. A new book, titled "Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light," will be released September 4, one day before the 10th anniversary of Mother Teresa's Sept. 5, 1997, death.
Nuns mark Mother Teresa's birth, pray for victims of twin blasts CALCUTTA, India (CNS) - The head of the Missionaries of Charity prayed for victims of the August 25 bomb expl~sions in Hyderabad, India, during this year's commemoration of the birth of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. "We need to pray that those responsible realize their wrongs. We should al'so ask pardon from God for those involved and pray for their repentance:' MotherTeresa's successor, Sister Nirmala Joshi, told reporters August 26, the 97th anniversary of the birth of the Missionaries of Charity founder. "We need to pray for the families lost, and we need to pray that God gives them comfort and courage." 1\vin blasts the previous day killed at least 42 people in Hyderabad. Some officials said they suspect Islamic terrorists were to blame, reported DCA News, an Asian church news agency. The explosions went off almost si-
multaneously in a restaurant and at an outdoor laser-show arena. Police reporiedIy defused 19 more bombs hidden in plastic bags at bus stops, cinemas, road junctions and pedestrian bridges across the city. Sister Nirmala attended an all-faith prayer program organized, by Calcutta's All India Minority Forum at Mother Teresa's tomb. The participants, representing various religions, condemned the bomb blasts. Sister Nirmala prayed for Mother Teresa's intercession for "peace for all souls killed in the conflict" and ''the light and grace of God" for the perpetrators of the crime to "realize what they have done." The tomb sits inside the congregation's Calcutta headquarters. Prayers, music, dance, exhibitions and special intercessions for Mother Teresa's sainthood cause marked the program.
Sukhnanda Singh Ahluwalia, who attended the program, recalled that the late Nobel Peace Prize laureate spoke "against terrorism, which has no religion" and added, ''No one can do what she has done for the world." Idris Ali, a Muslim, said Mother Teresa was ''for the poor and against killing and violence," and that all Indians should follow her teachings to respect life and share resources with the poor. The Archdiocese of Calcutta also marked the day with special prayer programs. The city was Mother Teresa's base; she began the congregation in Calcutta in 1950, after dedicating her life to the "service of the poorest of the poor." Retired Archbishop Henry D'Souza ofCalcutta, who was closely associated with Mother Teresa, said a Mass in her honor at St. Mary's Church, her former parish.
Author studied nun's writings, promoted her sainthood WASHINGlDN (CNS)-AnewbookaboutBlessed MotherTeresa ofCalcutta's writings on feeling abandoned by God created a flurry ofinterest and media speculation. Missionaries of Charity Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, author of "Mother Teresa: Come Be My Ligh!;' the book that has caused the recent buzz, told Catholic News Service in 2002 about her writings and her concerns about "mterior darkness" and spiritual emptiness. He said he was surprised about how much Mother Teresa accomplished despite feeling for years God had abandoned her. Father Kolodiejchuk examined the writings on which his book is based because he is the promoter of Mother Teresa's cause for sainthood. The Indian nun, founder of the Missionaries of Charity, was beatified in 2003. Several of the letters and diary entries were published in 2001 in the "Journal ofTheological Reflection" of the Jesuit-run Vidyajyoti School of Theology in New Delhi. In a letter to her spiritual director in a 1959-60 spiritual diary, Mother Teresa said, ''In my soul, I feel just the terrible pain of loss, of God not wanting me, of God not being God, of God not really existing." In another letter she wrote that she wanted to love God ''like he has not been loved," and yet she felt her love was not reciprocated.
In the context ofMother Teresa's life, the thoughts are not heresy, but signs ofholiness, Father Kolodiejchuk told CNS in 2002. Mother Teresa was convinced God existed and had a plan for her life, even if she did not feel his presence, the priest said. "Everyone wants to share, to talk about things, to be encouraged by others," he said, but Mother Teresa, "hurting on the inside, kept smiling, kept working, kept being joyful." At one point, a former archbishop of Calcutta, India, wanted to share some of her letters with the struggling founder of another religious congregation, Father Kolodiejchuk said. Mother Teresa begged him not to and asked that all her letters be destroyed. When asked if he worried that he was betraying her wishes by publicizing the information, Father' Kolodiejchuk told CNS, '1 think her perspective is very different now." While some people may be surprised or even shocked by Mother Teresa's spiritual struggles, he told CNS he hoped they would help people come to "afuller and deeper appreciation of holiness, which Mother Teresa lived in a way both simple and profound: She took what Jesus gave with a smile and stayed faithful even in the smallest things."
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, The Anchor news briefs Grudge may be motive for Philippine priest's death, parishioner says PINILI, Philippines - A parish priest shot dead with an assault rifle in the northern Philippines may have been killed over a "personal grudge" or during a robbery, a parishioner said. Parishioner Elisea Macalma told the Asian church news agency UCA News that after Father Florante Rigonan had left her family's house in Puritac, a village of Pinili town in Ilocos Norte province, she heard gunshots and called the police. Local police found the body of the 47-year-old priest lying on a road in the village. The pastor of St. Isidore Parish in Pinili was a family friend of the Macalma family. He had just celebrated an evening Mass at their house commemorating one month since the death of a relative. Provincial police investigator George Santos told reporters "unidentified gunmen" shot the priest while he walked to his van to return to his parish. He said the priest, whose body bore gunshot wounds in the head and elsewhere, died on the spot. Investigators recovered nine spent shells at the scene of the crime near Macalma's home. Chinese priest released from detention after 11 months HONG KONG (CNS) - Father Paul Jiang Surang, diocesan chancellor of the clandestine or underground Catholic community in Wenzhou, China, was released after being detained by Chinese authorities for 11 months. The 38-year-old priest had been kept in a small solitary cell in the Putaopeng Detention Center in Wenzhou, in China's Zhejiang province, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. Father Jiang ·and the diocese's vicar general, Father Peter Shao Zhumin, 46, were arrested together in Shenzhen, China, Sept. 25, 2006, shortly after they returned from a pilgrimage to Europe. Their belQngings, including notes and photographs taken when Pope Benedict XVI received them at the Vatican, were confiscated. In March, both priests were charged with "illegal exit." Father Jiang was sentenced to 11 months' imprisonment. Father Shao was sentenced to nine months, but was released on parole in May because of severe hearing and gallstone problems. Recently, he underwent an operation on his right ear, sources said.
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During visit to Austria, pope to strengthen f3;ith's impact By JOHN' THAVIS CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
back to a country where he frequently visited and vacationed before his election in 2005. After ar" riving in Vienna, the pope will begin his public program in the city's historic Am Hof Square. In keeping with the Marian focus of the visit, he will pray before the baroque Column of Our Lady that stands in the center of the square. Then the pope will go around the comer to stop at the Holocaust
Mariazell is Austria's most popular pilgrimage site, drawing VATICAN CITY - Pope about one million visitors each Benedict XVI makes his first payear. Especially during the era of pal visit to Austria, a three-day European communism, the sancmission to strengthen the faith and tuary was seen as a symbol of enits public impact in one of during faith by Christians Europe's traditionally Catholic throughout much of Central and countries. Eastern Europe - a point the The visit this weekend will fopope is expected to underline. cus on the 850th anniversary of In other encounters, the pope the Marian sanctuary at Mariazell, will presides over an evening which has long been a spiriprayer service Saturday with tual beacon for Central Eupriests and religious at rope. The highlight of the trip is the Mariazell,.an opportunity to In keeping with the papal Mass in Me.riaz.e,lJ Saturday, reflect on the steep decline theme of the visit, "Look to the feast marking ,the' birth of in vocations in' Austria and Christ," the pope is exthe rest of Europe. pected to emphasize Mary's Mary. Some 40,000 Catholics On Sunday, when the role as a gateway to faith in have reserved bU$ transportation pope celebrates Mass in Jesus and 2;S a model of the to the liturgy, which will be cel- Vienna's S1. Stephen's Caebrated in the square outside the thedral. Church as mother. ' The rest of the pope's shrine's basilica. Perhaps more than anyschedule is designed to thing, the. visit will allow spotlight the importance of Austrians to listen to a pope the Christian faith in Austrian his- memorial in "Vienna's who, as Cardinal Schonbom said, tory', the Church's recent signs of "Judenplatz," or Je~s Square, measures his words carefully. The parish vitality, and its presence in where he was expected to briefly pope's understated style probably social debates and works of char- greet Jewish leaders. :Most of the means his trip will be short on verity. country's approximately 200,000 bal fireworks but rich in faith lesAmong Austrian Church lead- Jews left Austria after it was an- sons, the cardinal said. ers, the hope is that the papal visit nexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, In the pope's view, confrontwill mark a new and positive and many of those who remained ing secularization in Austria or chapter after a troubled period. were killed in Nazi death camps. elsewhere requires a double stratOver the last 10 years the number The highlight of the trip is the egy: helping Catholics to rein" Septemof Austrian Catholics declined by papal Mass in Mariaze.ll force their own faith and invitsix percent, partly as a result of a ber 8, the feast marking the birth ing them to make it count in soseminary sex scandal and a of Mary. Some 40,000 Catholics ciety. bishop's resignation, as well as have reserved bus tra~,sportation new tensions between lay Catho- to the liturgy, which ~ill be cellics and the hierarchy. ebrated in the square outside the Cardinal Christoph Schonborn shrine's basilica. of Vienna said the Austrian Mariazell, nestled in an AusChurch today is turning the cor- trian mountain valley, dates to ner. 1157, when a Benedictine monk FOR ALLDAY "In this sense, Pope Benedict arrived to care for lo~al ChrisWALKING COMFORT is coming to encourage us and to tians. He carried with him a strengthen us in the faith," the car- wooden statue of Mary, which is JOHN'S SHOE STORE dinal said. . preserved in the sanctuary',s 295 Rhode Island Avenue The trip, the pope's seventh chapel and venerated ~s miracuFall River, MA 02724 foreign journey, will take him lous by many of the faithful. "
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"For our opening faculty meeting, we talked The school has purchased statues of St.'Anabout ministering to these new families, because thony and Our Lady of Mount Carmel "that are I think there's a healing that has to take place going to be blessed and become part ofour com-' with these closings:' said Brenda Gagnon, prin- munity" at a special 9:30 a.m. Mass at St. cipal of St. Joseph-St. Therese School, one of Lawrence Martyr Church, September 7, said the four pre-K-8 Catholic schools that remain in New principal, Cecilia Felix. Bedford. "We want the kids to feel part of the family, For Gagnon, that means making sure that especially the older kids, because I find that's parents of incoming students feel like full citi- the most difficult:' Felix said. "But they're dozens of their new school right away. ing fine." ''It's bringing parents in and making them feel While the students have an adjustment, so do part of us, bringing their ideas to the table, not teachers, many of whom spent>many years at just 'everything from the old is gone, let's bring one of the closed schools. in the new,'" said Gagnon, whose school's enHoly Family-Holy Name hosted a prayer serrollment of 176 includes 17 students from the vice August 24 for all the teachers in the New closed schools. Bedford area Catholic schools, including some Gagnon has tried to incorporate parents from who have gone to work at the remaining schools the closed schools in the parents group at St. Jo- from the ones that closed. seph-St. Therese, including inviting Horrocksin~~, .. Atl~~ervice the school officials made speJune to take part in fund-raising. cial mention of Our Lady ofMount Carmel and When it became clearthat Our Lady ofMount St. Anthony of Padua, alluding to the national Carmel School would close last spring, Gagnon theme-of Catholic schools this year, which is invited Faith Horrocks to spend a day at St. Jo- "Light the Way." seph-St. Therese. That paid dividends the first ''We took a moment of silence to remember day of school August 27, when a little girl came in thanksgiving them lighting the way all these over to Horrocks and said she remembered her years in New Bedford:' said Sue Massoud, camfrom that day in the spring. pus minister and computer technology coordiHorrocks said her daughter was crushed at nator at Holy Family-Holy Name. the original news ofthe closure ofMount Carmel, Afterwards, emotional teachers from the especially that she wouldn't be able to have the closed schools came up and thanked her, includveteran teacher who had taught her older broth- ing at least one who was in tears. ers. But through the first week of school, at least, "Basically, they were touched that we just Horrocks has fit into her new surroundings. didn't forget them," Massoud said. " ... I'mjust 'They really made it very easy for her. She glad that we reached them, and they felt welloves it," Horrocks said. come." While the school year is still young, adminDarlease Monteiro has experienced two asistrators at the remaining Catholic schools in the pects of the transition, as a teacher and a> parent. area say the transition for new students seems to She taught for the last four years at St. Anbe going smoothly. thony of Padua School while her children were At St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet, going there as students. which has received about 10 students from St. The closing of the school hurt, but she said Anthony ofPadua School in New Bedford, Prin- she has been impressed by how educators at the cipal Donald A. Pelletier had the new kids stand remaining Catholic schools in the area have tried up during the start-of-the-year prayer service so to make things easier. they could be formally welcomed. Her children, Victoria, nine, a fifth-grader, In an interview on the second day of school and Gregory, eight, a third-grader, attended a last week, Pelletier said he'd gotten some posi- two-week summer program at their new school, tive feedback. Holy Family-Holy Name, where teachers and ''For th~ most part some of the families that administrators incorporated them into school life. came yesterday, said the kids were lookin~ forOn the first day of school, student ambassaward to the change," Pelletier said. dors were assigned to bring new students to their He said eighth-graders who came to St. classrooms so they wouldn't feel disoriented. Monteiro has kept in touch with some of Francis Xavier from St. Anthony of Padua will have the option of getting a St. Anthony's di- her former students at S!. Anthony's and their ploma when they graduate next June. parents; Who report that the transition is going Holy-Family-Holy Name School in New well. . Bedford. which has received 23 students from ''It was a tough situation, and it could have Mount Carmel and 11 from St. Anthony's, is been a lot worse:' Monteiro said. 'The schools making a concerted effort to embrace not only in New Bedford and the diocese pulled together the new students but their old schools. and showed what true Christian family is like."
ALL TOGETHER NOW - The Bishop Connolly High School Class of 2011 gathered for a group photo after its recent retreat day at the Fall River School.
COOL TO BE IN SCHOOL - First-grader Darina Grace Souza, center, from Holy Name School, Fall River, shares her excitement with Nathan Sousa while classmates Rebecca Diaz and Sean Busse look on. (Photo by Dale Souza)
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NEW FRIENDS - New students at Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford, including those from the former St. Anthony's and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel schools, gathered for a group photo. The statues of St. Anthony and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel will be blessed and become part of the school community. (Photo by Matt McDonald)
OFF AND RUNNING - Students at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro were welcomed back on August 28. The children started their day with their morning prayer and Pledge of Allegiance. After time to get reacquainted, the new kindergarten students settled in and began their studies for the new year.
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Keeping love alivet:hough miles apart ,
DRAWING UP A PLAN - Sydney Arsenault, a PreSchool student from Espirito Santo School in Fall River shows how happy she is to be at school.
THE STARTING TEAM - The faculty, staff and students of Coyle and Cassidy High School, Taunton, began the 2007-08 year with some new faces at the helm. From left: Seniors Joe Tutino and Brianna Medeiros; and new chaplain, Father Kevin Cook; President Dr. Mary-Pat Tranter; and Principal Paul Cartier.
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HEY THERE DELILAH What's it like in New York City I'm a thousand miles away But girl tonight you look so pretty Yes you do Times Square can't shine as bright as you I swear it's true Hey there Delilah Don't you worry about the distance I'm right there ifyou get lonely Give this song another listen Close your eyes Listen to my voice it's my disguise I'm by your side Refrain: Oh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me Oh it's what you do to me What you do to me Hey there Delilah , I know times are getting hard Butjust believe me girl Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar We'll have it good We'll have the life we knew we would My word is good Hey there Delilah I got so much left to say If every simple song I wlVte to you WouL1 take your breath away I'd write it all Ev-m more in love with me you'dfall We'd have it all (Repeat refrain.) A thousand miles seems pretty far But they've got planes and trains and cars I'd walk to you ifI had no other way 011 rfriends would all makefunofus And we'll just laugh along because we know
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That none ofthem hqve felt this way Delilah I can promise you That by the time l1(e get through The world will never ever be the,isame And you 're t~ blame Hey there Delilah I You be good and don't you miss me Two more years and"you 'll be done withschqol And I'll be making history like I do You know it's all bt!cause ofyou We can do whatever we want to Hey there Delilah lfere's to you This one's fqr you (Repeat re.tliain.) Sung by Plain White,rs Copyright 2007 by H,~Uywood Records ',II ' The Plain WilttlTis werehdt' exactly a garage bandIthat only a few Chicago-area fan~ recognized. But neither were they'!anywhere near a known name iriII today's pop/ rock. Then something unusual that happened, perhaps sOlbething I every local band drearps about. Their single "Hey There Delilah" on began moving up rapidly I Billboard's Top 100, and in fact, as I write this column, thby currently hold the No. 3 spot. "" What caused this sJdden rise to 'I success? It's not exactly clear, especially since several commentators think their recent c±:D ''Every Second Counts" is not 'as innovative as their earlier work. df course, signing with a major rJ:ord label had to help. Perhaps their success Delilah" relates to how, "Hey There I speaks to anyone who has tried to conduct a long-distance!: romance, and that's a lot of us! ' Sometimes the end Of August brings a dilemma for sUmmer romances. Yet it is clear what the guy in the song wants with his
girlfriend Delilah. Even though her going away to school makes "a thousand miles seem pretty far," he's not about to let this distance erode their connection. He seeks to keep their romance alive because, "Oh, it's what you do to me." Can they do it, keep a love alive even though it will be "two more , years" before she is "done with school?" Possibly, but a shift in attitude and expectations will be needed along with ongoing communication. In a world of cell phones, e-mail, text and instant messaging, how to communicate can be addressed. They also need to understand that an enduring conneCtion is built upon frequent and in-person contact. Most likely, this will not be available. Thus, their,relationship is likely to change. It would be honest and loving for both of them to agree that they will work at keeping their relationship going, but they also must accept that each of them should be open to what life brings to them. This includes other people. Given this perspective on freedom, each will be empowered to develop into the person that God calls him or her to be. If that includes continuing their romantic connection, then it will be even stronger, for it will be forged in a freedom independent of any type of excessive neediness or control. I would suggest one other way that the couple can cOntinue to deepen their connection. They should pray for each other. Doing so is to practice love, and no matter how their relationship unfolds, loving others is what God invites us to do. ' chmartin@swindiana.net
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No more teachers, no more books ... oh wait, isn't that the mantra that starts the beginning of the summer? This week children, teens, and college students return to their schools adorned with the latest fashions, ah, the benefits of school uniforms, and the hottest gadgets and gizmos. They are wired and wireless, hi-fi'd and wi-fi'd, plugged-in and blue-toothed, networked and connected. We attend school with more hardware than NASA's Mission Control, all in the hopes of staying connected and readily accessible. We don't have enough fingers to keep on all of the pulses that demand so much time and attention. That is of course if we can even find the pulse of anything through all the hardware. The craziness of trying to fit in or having the "next best thing" puts a strain on our relationship with Jesus. So how can we ensure that we stay connected and our minutes with him will roll over? Where can
we find our grounding switch? Bible is our guide to help us netherworld shall not p~vail As we sprint from class to class establish a better and clearer against it. I will give y0'1 the keys to or from one extracurricular activity connection, It'sthe redial button the kingdom of heaven"ll (Matthew' to the next, we have to keep our , God presses to continually call us to, 1.6J8-19a). %a,t an ho~or grounding. When a dancer spins, him no ma':ter the path we chose for : :~~towed upOItPeter, who became she or he must keep.their eyes our first pope, to be givep. the keys our lives. Tuming to and praying grounded on something so they the Scripture will strengthen our "to ~e kingdom..He mus~ have been . a man of tremeQdous faith don't lose their balance and topple over. The same in order for Jesus to trust principle applies to us. Our him so. But what do we grounding is our faith know about Peter? At the which in turn prevents us first sight of a challenge, a threat to himself; he denies from toppling over. But there is a disconJesus. He lies about his nect somewhere along the relationship with the one who appointed him a rock; line. 'not once, not twice, but We are so concerned with having the most up-to-date connection to him. What we three times. Despite his betrayal, computers, cell phones, gaming discover in Scripture is that no Jesus still loves him; depends on systems,software etc., in our quest matter how many times his chosen min and the other disciples to to never let anYthing pass us by, that prophets or disciples denied him, continue his mission. He accepted God always welcomed and in actuality, we let the most Peter's love and penance.'IFor when we call upon him, he never sends accepted their calls of devotion and important thing drop ... our faith those calls to voice mail. I, deepening £l·th. and connection to Jesus. Take St. Peter for example. Jesus We can always stay in touch This year, many of us will face said to him, "You are rock and unexpected challenges that may not with Jesus through the Scriptures have been part of the original plan: upon this rock I will build my and we don't even have to wait for free nights and weekends. The ' church, and the gates of the Glitches and failures are a'ipart of I,
life. We cannot fear them. We cannot CTRL, ALT, Delete them. All we can do is take the time to power down from the busyness and chaos of our lives and have that mobile to mobile time with him in prayer, in conversation, in Mass, or in reading Scripture. These challenges may seem daunting at times and we may feel like we're roaming aimlessly through the desert. Yet, it's those times that can yield the strongest connections to God. For we realize that no matter how many times we send him to voice mail and say ''we'll get to him later;' he always has each one of us on speed dial. If only we would answer the call and listen. Can you hear him now? Good.
Crystal is the asst. directorfor Youth'& Young Adult Ministry for the diocese and youth ministry coordinator for St. Lawrence Martyr Parish in New Bedford. You 'can contact her at cmedeiros@dfrcec.com.
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CSS to present estate workshops WAREHAM - Catholic Social Services and The Medicaid and Estate Planning StrategiesLaw Frrm will ' present a workshop on ''LivingTrusts: Protecting the Benefits ofPerson with Disabilities while Estate Planning." It will take place on September 13 at S1. Patrick's Church Hall in Wareham from 9-11 am. Future workshops are planned for Hyannis, Taunton, and an evening session in Fall River. Dates and times will be announced. The workshops are designed for . persons with disabilities, their guardians, caretakers, and professionals in the disability field Topics include Estate Planning around persons with disabilities and how to design an estate that won't affect the benefits of sur-
viving members of families who are disabled. Other topics will be included. Atty. Dan Suprenant will present the workshops, answer questions and book appointments. The workshops last an hour-and-a-half. While it is not required to register and walk-ins are welcome, registration will help determine the size of the groups. To register, contact Matthew Dansereau, coordinator for the Office for Persons With Disabilities, Catholic Social Services at 508-997-7337 or email mdimsereau@cssdioc.org. The facilities are handicapped accessible, and light refreshments wiU be served. AU workshops'arefrettQfch{uge.
Endowment die fund-raising campaign. . For this year's Appeal, which closed at the end of June, the endowmentyielded an initial giftof$I05,OOO for the sixth months of its existence. "We are deeply grateful to Mr. Duchaine for his most generouS bequest to ourCatholic CharitiesAppeal, and we remember him in ourprayers;' said Bishop George W. Coleman. ,The bishop recalled Duchaine as a loyal supporter ofnumerous diocesan
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projects and entities, particularly Bishop Stang High School in Dartmouth and the Charities Appeal. "I am sure that Paul was very pleased in knowing his endowment would provide the diocese with additional funds so that theAppeal can extend its outreach to those in need," said Bishop Coleman. The bishop expressed his thanks on behalfofthe diocese to Paul's widow, Jeannine, his son David, and the other members of the Duchaine Family for theirhelp with the establishment ofthe endowment fund. . While at first reluctant to have any formal announcement regarding the fund, the Duchaine family reconsidered that decision. His son David recently explained that his father was never one to seek publicity for any of his charitable acts. Yet his survivors thought it right the community know .that at his direction a portion of his . financial holdings was endowed to the
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Catholic CharitiesAppeal where it can provide continuing support to local works that benefit others, particularly the needy. They also hope it might encourage others to remember the Appeal in their estate planning. Proceeds from the Catholic Charities Appeal provide the financial resources for the numerous programs, services and agencies sponsored by the diocese throughout southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod. Duchaine generously contributed each year, and his endowment gift was not his only exceptional measure of support. Shortly before his death, to remember his deceased brother, Maurice, Duchain~ established a fund with sufficient capital to provide a $50,000 annual donation to theAppeal for several years. In describing his father, David called him "a true man of faith" who was a supporter of many Catholic endeavors. ''He did a lot for many Catholic organizations; he thought it was the right thing to do;' he said. "Most of it was done behind the scenes, some of it not known to even us at the time;' he said. Along with the Appeal, he was a strong supporterofBishop Stang High School, where among other contributions he endowed a scholarship program in his family's name to provide tuition assistance to financially-needy students and paid for the building of tennis courts on the school grounds. Paul Duchaine was afaithful member of St. Anthony Parish in Mattapoisett for many years and was a generous benefactor there as well. Forhisdedication to his parish, he was awarded the Marian Medal by the diocese in 1995. Upon his passing, he bequeathed S1. Anthony's, where his wife Jeannine and area family still attend, the gift ofa stained glass window, which is now being installed in the wall behind the altar. Along with son David, he had four other children: Joseph, Linda, Nina, and Paula
The Anchor ,
SEPTEMBER
Transgender credit, labor union membership, public accommodations and public education. The Waltham-based parents' rights group Mass Resistance (www.massresistance.org) has alerted the legislature of the "very serious dangers" inherent in the bill. "Employers will have no right to refuse jobs to cross-dressers or employees undergoing sex changes (of special concern in schools and churches)," its letter warned. "Demands will surely come for medical benefits covering sex-change 'transitions.' School children will be allowed, i.e., encouraged, to identify as 'transgender' and cross dress. Public and private buildings will be forced to allow 'transgenders' to use the restrooms meant for the opposite sex, or provide special facilities." The bill would also require that "people of diverse gender identities or expressions" be represented on the 21-member advisory board of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. It would add bisexual and transgender categories to the current Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. The IS-page long bill was filed on behalf of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. According to their own literature, the transgender cause is also being pushed by other well organized groups: Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network that organizes "gay-straight alliances" in schools, and Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders. GLAD was behind the Goodrich Decision, the court ruling that opened the door to redefining marriage in Massachusetts, and is now challenging the IRS's decision to
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deny a tax deduction for "sex reas- disorder activists and sexual revolutionaries is part of their larger signment surgery." agenda - namely the destabilization 23 legislative coThe bill has ofthe categories of sex and gender;' sponsors and is assigned to the JuO'Leary said. "Of course, we diciary Committee. The transgender group's Website should be kind to people with selists all 17 committee members and vere psychological problems. But urges "Massachusetts trans folk and there is nothing kind about denying them real help, or using them allies" to visit each personally. . A Transgender Lobbying Day as pawns in the culture wars." HI722 does not define "sexual took place in May at the State House, and on July 30, the Cam- orientation," which is already in bridge City Council passed a reso- Massachusetts statutes but not defined. "People think it just means lution endorsing the bill. Lobbyists for homosexual and . same-sex attraction," said Brian transgender causes want the Camenker, director of Mass ResisAmerican Psychiatric Association tance. "No. As defined in the medito declassify transexualism and cal community, it can include transvestism as mental disorders, necrophilia and all kinds of horrible according to the California-based stuff." In fact, his group is sponsorTraditional Values Coalition ing another bill, S928, which (www.traditionalvalues.org.) Its brochure "A Gender Identity would remove the undefined term Disorder Goes Mainstream," ex- "sexual orientation" from state plains: "In reality, no person can ac- laws, as its ambiguity could protually change into a different sex. tect dangerous behaviors and even Maleness and femaleness are in the include prostitution, incest and DNA and are unchangeable. A man polygamy. Massachusetts Catholic Conferwho has his sex organ removed and takes hormones to grow breasts is ence Director Edward F. Saunders still genetically male - a mutilated Jr. said the MCC would address the transgender bill when and if a hearman, not a woman. 'These are deeply troubled in- ing is held. One theory is that homosexual dividuals who need professional help, not societal approval or affir- activists want Massachusetts to mation." . maintain a low national profile temDale O'Leary, author of ''The porarily so as not to hurt the DemoGender Agenda," agrees. In an ar- cratic Party in the 2008 elections, ticle published by National Asso- according to those who worked for ciation for Research and Therapy the defeated marriage protection of Homosexuality, she wrote: "Pa- amendment. There is no easy way for the pubtients who suffer from the belief that they are men trapped in the lic to know very far in advance what bodies of women, or women legislation will be up for debate. trapped in the bodies of men, need However, the General Court's Website does show when public hearreal help. 'The promotion of 'sex changes' ings will be held within the next day and the normalizing of severe gen- or two. "State House Hearings" are der identity disorders by radical listed under "Miscellaneous" at feminists, pro-same-sex attraction www.mass.govllegis.
'Hail Marys for Peace' now on the Web Bv DAVE JOUVET, EDfTOR SWANSEA - The August 3 Anchor reported on a prayer initiative called ''Hail Marys for Peace," an inspiration of Diocesan Council of Catholic Women President Claudette Armstrong. The idea was to solicit a commitment of at least one Hail Mary per day for 10 months, from as many faithful as possible. In mid-August, Armstrong and fellow DCCW members Vrrginia Wade and Gina Desmarais delivered information and a grid to keep track ofthe commitments to each of the parishes in the diocese. And now, people can pledge their daily Hail Marys on the Internet by visiting the Website: HailMarysforPeace.com. The site provides a brief explanation of the prayer drive, and the opportunity to make a prayer pledge. The Website will keep track of the pledges and from where they originate. "Even though it's still early, the response has been very good;' Armstrong told The Anchor last week. "I've even received a couple of phone calls from folks outside the diocese who wanted a grid to start the drive
where they live." Armstrong also told The Anchor that the Province director for New England wanted information to send to other DCCW provinces across the country. ''This program is a wonderful idea," said Father Philip A. Davignon, pastor ofOur Lady of the Assumption Parish and moderator of the Cape Cod DCCW. He added that information about the drive appears in his weekly bulletin and he has announced it from the pulpit for several weeks. Father Richard R. Gendreau, pastor of S1. Louis de France Parish in Swansea, of which Armstrong is a member, said his parishioners have been very supportive. '''The faithful see this as a creative way of imploring God for peace through Mary," he said. "It's a powerful tool and it also allows the elderly and shut-ins an opportunity to help. And we're making it a part of our Religious Education program." For more infonnation about the "Hail Marys for Peace" program, caU Claudette Annstrong at 508672-1658, or visit the Website at HailMarysforPeace.com.
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["MisceUaneous ATTLEBORO - The 90th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions will be observed October 13, from 7:50 a.m., to 3:30 p.m., at the National Shrine of Our Lady of LaSalette. There will be a DVD presentation, rosary, conference, procession, crowning, Benediction, opportunity for confession, and a Mass at 12:10 p.m. Bring a bag lunch. For information call Maggie Sweeney at 508-428-4527. CENTERVILLE - A Divine Mercy Holy Hour will be held September 12 at 6 p.m., in Our Lady of Victory Church, 230 South Main Street. FALL RIVER - Cub Scout Pack 15 is holding an open house September 12 at Notre Dame Church Hall at 6:30 p.m. This meeting is designed for families to leam more about the pack's program and provide the opportunity to register as a member. Cub Scouting is available to boys that are in grades one to five. For more information contact Cubmaster Kristin Rousell at 508-324-4651. NEW BEDFORD - On September 14, at 5:15 p.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Parish there will be Mass celebrated in Latin according to the 1962 Missal promulgated by John XXIII. Mass will be preceded by a holy hour at 4:15 and followed by confessions. All are invited. TAUNTON - St. Jude the Apostle Parish's Adult Choir is looking for new members. No auditions necessary. All you need is a love of singing and praising God, the ability to match pitch and the time to commit to Monday evening rehearsals (7:30-9:30p.m.) and Sunday moming Mass (10:15 a.m.). First rehearsal is September 10 in the choir loft. For more information, call Frank Wilhelm at 508-678-9649.
IPro-Life Activities BREWSTER - Pro-Ufe educator Linda Thayer will deliver the first annual Respect Life Lecture September 16 at 3 p.m. in the parish center of Our Lady of the Cape Church, 486 Stony Brook Road. Sponsored by the parish Respect Life Ministry, this event is free. Refreshments will be served. REGIONAL - Mass. Citizens for Ufe is sponsoring the annual Respect Life Walk to Aid Mothers and Children October 7 at 1 p.m. beginning at the Boston Commons. The Greater Fall River MCFL Chapter is sponsoring a bus to bring participants to the event. There will be one pickup location at Immaculate Conception Church in Fall River at 11 :45 a.m. and another at the Taunton Galleria at noon. For reservations or for more information, call Dot Nicolau at 508-6748695 or Baa Martins at 508-678-3351 by October 3.
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Sister Eva Boudreau SUSC; educator and parish minister FALL RIVER - Holy Union Sister Eva Boudreau, 86, also known as Sister Jeanne Michael, died August 27 in the Catholic Memorial Home after a brief illness. A native of Somerville, she was the daughter of the late Leo and Mary Jane (Doiron) Boudreau. Sister Eva was a graduate of Our Lady of Pity High School in Cambridge. She entered the Holy Union Sisters in Fall River on Aug. 22, 1951 and professed her vows on Aug. 22, 1953. She received a bachelor of arts degree from the College of the Sacred Hearts in Fall River. Her early teaching assignments were in elementary schools in Portsmouth, R.I., Mt. Ephraim and
Swedesboro, N.J., and Elizabeth City, N.C. She also served as principal and superior in North Carolina and New Jersey. She moved to Baltimore in 1972 where she taught and served as librari an and SISTER EVA BOUDREAU SUSC teacher assistant in several parish and regional schools. She retired from St. William of York School in Baltimore in 2003. In 2005 she moved to Fall River and volunteered at St. Michael School until illness prevented her from cono. " .t11'.h'
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tinuing. Sister Eva resided at the Catholic Memorial Home for a brief period prior to her death. Besides her Holy Union Sisters she leaves a brother, Leonard Boudreau; sisters Mary and Rita Landry, Therese Briand, Sister Loretta Boudreau SUSC; and nieces and nephews. She was also the sister of the late Sister Sara Boudreau SUSC, Evangeline Venedam, Beatrice Mahon,ey and Thomas and Leo Boudreau. Her funeral Mass was celebrated August 29 in the chapel at the Catholic Memorial Home. Burial was in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Fall River.
Jean D. Bentley; sistefi'O'fFatherJohn P. Driscoll FALL RIVER - Mrs. Jean D. (OTisco II) Bentley, 85, wife of the later fonner Fall River Fire U. James S. Bentley, and sister of Father John P. Driscoll, a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese and fonner pastor of St. Lawrence Parish in New Bedford, diedAugust 28 in Charlton Memorial Hospital after a brief illness. Born in Fall River, the daughter of the late John W. Driscoll and the late Julia V. (Curley) Driscoll, she was a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Fall River, its Women's Guild and the Catholic
Women's Guild. Before retiring in 1980, she was the administrative secretary for the Children's Stevens Home in Swansea for 17 years. She was a 1938 graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall JEAN.D. BENTLEY River and was vice president of her class. Besides her priest brother, she
leaves a son, Brian S. Bentley of Westport, assistant superintendentdirector/principalof Diman Regional Vocational High School in Fall River; two daughters, Marilyn B. Rigby of Westport and Fort Myers, Fla., and JoAnn Bentley; six grandchildren; two great grandchildren; and nieces and nephews. She was also the sister of the late Lillian O'Boyle. Her funeral Mass was celebrated August 31 in Immaculate Conception Church. Burial was in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Fall River.
Ruth ·T~ Smith; sister of a priest and religious Brother
DIGHTON - St. Peter's Parish is holding an All Season Craft Fair October 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Father Allen Center, 207 Main Street. Alight breakfast, and kale soup and sandwiches will be available. Children's activities include face-painting, making designer hats and roll ups. AChinese Auction and bake sale are also slated. To obtain a table, contact Maureen Dutra at 508-669-6418. For other ,information call Teri Carpenter at 508669-5086. MANSFIELD - St. Mary's Parish, 130 Pratt Street, will be celebrating its 25th Septemberfest September 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be entertainment for old and young. Also included will be food, games, prizes, pony/train rides, the St. Mary's Attic, crafts, baked goods, raffles and silent auctions. NORTH DARTMOUTH - St. Julie Billiart Parish will hold its annual Seafood Supper September 15 from 4 to 6 p.m., and its Septemberfest on September 16 from 12-5 p.m. Advance tickets are necessary for the supper. For more information call 508-993-2351.
TIVERTON, R.I. - Mrs. Ruth T. Smith, 92, wife of the late Lynwood E.B. Smith, died August 28 at home. She was the sister of the late Father Leo T. Sullivan, who served in the Fall River Diocese, and
. Jt;LXQt.1t pray'~I'~. Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks
Sept. 10 Rev. Hug(J' Dylla, Pastor, St. Stanislaus, Fall Riv.::r, 1966 Rt. Rev. Felix S. Childs, Retired Pastor, Sacred Heart, Fall River, 1969
Sept.lt
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Rev. Joachim Shults, SS.Ce., 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, retired, 2004
Sept. 12 Rev. John J. Galvin, STD, Assistant, SS. Peter and Paul, Fall River, 1962 Most Rev. James L. Connolly, Fourth Bishop of Fall River, 1951-70, 1986 Rev. John R. Foister, 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 1. Ryczek, USA Retired Chaplain, Former Pastor Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Bedford, 1982
Sept. IS Rev. Henry 1. Mussely; Pastor, St. Jean Baptiste, Fall River, 1934 Rev. Brendan McNally, S.J., Holy Cross College, Worcester, 1958 Rev. John J. Casey, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1969
Sept. 16 Rt. Rev. Msgr. Jean A. Prevost, P.A., P.R., Pastor, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Fall River, 1925
the late Brother Daniel Sullivan OFM. Born in Fall River, the daughter of the late John and Julia (Dri sco II) Sullivan, she had resided in Fall River before. moving to Tiverton in 19511. She and her "late husRUTH T. SMITH band had been active members of the Knights of Columbus Father Boehr Council . .r , . 4753 in Tiverton. . She was A 1934 graduate of itM.C. Durfee High School in Fall
River, Mass., and was a member of the Sakonnet Club of TIverton, the TIverton Senior Citizens Club, and the TIverton Senior Center. For many years she was a dental assistant for her brother-in-law, Dr. W. Arthur Leary. She leaves several nieces and nephews, among whom is Congregation of Holy Cross Brother Francis Leary ofFJushing, N.¥. She was also the sister ofthe late Henry Sullivan, Ethel Leary, and Kathleen McGrath. Her funeral Mass was celebrated August 30 in Holy Ghost Church in Tiverton. Intennent was in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Fall River, Mass.
Sister M. Charlotte Winn RSM; was educator and administrator CUMBERLAND, R.I. - Mercy Sister M. Charlotte Winn, 87, a retired teacher, principal and administrator in Catholic schools in the Fall River Diocese, died August 26 at Mount St. Rita Health Center here. Born Mildred Winn in Providence, R.I., to the late Thqmas and Margaret (Maher) Winn, she entered the Sisters of MercY"on Sept. 8, 1937 and professed her vows on Aug. 16, 1943. She served in schools in Providence, Cumberland and Riverside, all in Rhode Island; and al'so at St. Louis and St. Patrick schools in the Fall River Diocese, before,retiring "
in 1995 and residing at Mount St. Rita Health Center. In addition to her Mercy family, she leaves nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Joseph, John and Thomas Winn, Marjorie Hewes and Helen Doyle. Her funeral Mass was celSISTER M. CHARLOTTE WINN ebrated August RSM 29 in Mount St. Rita Chapel in Cumberland. Burial was in Resurrection Cemetery there.
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The Anchor
Future of St. Theresa Mission aired at Corpus Christi Parish'
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SANDWICH - Parishioners of Corpus Christi Parish, its pastoral council, and the Fall River Diocese are mulling the future of the parish's St. Theresa Mission in the Sagamore section of Bourne. The dialogue is part of a diocesewide planning process initiated by Bi路 :"~) George W. Coleman in.2005. Clergy, parishioners and professional planners are engaged in finding ways to maintain and enhance the mission of the Church in a time of fewer priests, fewer vocations, and a slump in Mass attendance. At a meeting August 22, at the. mission, approximately 40 parishioners heard from pastor Father Maleel H. Bouchard and Douglas Ru':' igues, a consultant working with the Diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning. Father Bouchard said planning must be viewed in the context of the gO'1d stewardship of "resources and sustainability" and compared Mass attendance at the church and the mission.
Although there are currently two priests serving the parish, there may not be one available in the future to serve the mission, and consideration should be given to reducing the latter's Mass schedule, keeping it open only in the summer, and/or closing it, Father Bouchard said. Currently only six ofthe 17 missions in the diocese are open year-round. Bishop Coleman, in an update, said that when planning process discussions shifted from collaboration to structures and building, it created endless rumors of parish closures and in some cases "a defensive posture that focused on parishes surviving rather than thriving." "The mission of the Church is truly what is most important," Bishop Coleman said. "In order to discuss howto utilize church buildings and other structures, we must first reflect upon and share a common understanding of mission." There are no finalized plans and discussions about St. Theresa's will resume in December.
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FRIENDLY GREETING - Following Father Francis L. Mahoney's Month's Mind Mass at Holy Name Church in Fall River, a reception was held at Holy Name School. Pastor, Father George E. Harrison unveiled Father Mahoney's picture which now hangs in the foyer at the 850 Pearce Street entrance. In attendanc~ were several members of Father Mahoney's family.
Immigration issues the focus of USCCB Labor Day statement Bv' MARK PATTISON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
draw on the best in us if we are ever going to move forward as a whole, healthy society and nation," the bishop said, calling for "reality, civility, morality and consistency" as the starting points for a new discussion on immigration. Bishop DiMarzio said, "There are some two million undocumented people among us, most of whom are workers. Our economy and communities depend on them.
effective immigration reform." Immigration issues should not be used for "partisan advantage, a ratings WASHINGTON - Immigration issues, including the "failed boost or a fund-raising tactic," Bishop DiMarzio said. "We have to guard immigration debate" that preceded路 _ Congress' unsuccessful vote to against policy disputes that encourage or excuse ethnic hostility or discrimichange U.S. immigration policy, nation. We have seen the use of dewere highlighted in the U.S. bishmeaning stereotypes, appeals to the ops' annual Labor Day statement. in us, and one-sided advocacy worst "This vital national immigration pretending to be journalism." discussion polarized our people, Bishop DiMarzio said, "Human paralyzed the Congress and failed dignity is a gift from God, not a our nation," said Bishop be earned. Fundamenstatus to Nicholas DiMarzio of Brook"The immigration status quo is untal rights to work, decent wages, lyn, N.Y., chairman of the acceptable and unsustainable. The safe working conditions, to have bishops' domestic policy 'system'is broken. We need far- a voice in decisions, and the committee, in the statement. "After this debate, we are a . reaching and comprehensive re- freedom to choose to join a society more divided, a form, " he added. '7here is no fence union do not depend on where people more confused and a long enough or high enough that can you were born or when you wall out the human and economic came to our nation." nation unable to move forIn calling for nationwide ward on one ofthe most seri- forces that drive immigration." reform, Bishop DiMarzio ous and complicated issues They bus our dishes, pick our veg- said, "Immigration policy should we face as a nation." Although members of Congress etables, clean our offices and not depend on where in the United could not work together on immi- homes, and care for our children States you work or live. A patchgration policy, some low-wage among other jobs." These, he work of conflicting policies, puniworkers were able to work together added, were some of the "inescap- tive measures and local disputes cannot fix a broken federal system." to carve out a better life for them- able facts" about immigration. Bishop DiMarzio praised the "The immigration status quo is selves, one of the "signs of hope" pointed to by Bishop DiMarzio in unacceptable and unsustainable. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, 'system' is broken. We need far- an organization of Florida tomato his statement. Dated September 3, the state- reaching and comprehensive re- pickers that received funding from ment, "Labor Day 2007: A Time to form," he added. "There is no fence the Catholic Campaign for Human Remember; A Time to Recommit," long enough or high enough that can Development, for their "years of Bishop DiMarzio was Critical of the wall out the human and economic hard work" in reaching agreements with McDonald's and Yum ! Brands immigration policy debate. "In my . forces that drive immigration." He added, "Immigration reform - owners of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, view, sometimes anger trumped, wisdom, myths overwhelmed facts' cannot start or stop at our borders.. KFC and other fast-food chainsand slogans replaced solutioJ;ls," he U.S. policy must help overcome the to get higher pay for their work and said. "We have to restart the discus- pervasive poverty and deprivation, a new code of conduct in the fields. ''This small but impressive sign of sion, to re-engage the hard issues, the violence and oppression that . to search for practical and realistic push people to leave their own hope is worth celebrating. It offers a lands. Policies on debt and devel- call to all of us to stand with vulnersolutions," he added. "This debate brought out some opment, foreign aid and global able workers who deserve our support of the worst in us. Now we need to trade are essential elements of any and solidarity;' Bishop DiMarzio said.