t leanc 0 VOL. 37, NO. 35
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Friday, September 10, 1993
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
FALL RIVER, MASS.
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In Lithuania
Pope advises winners, losers
SISTER MARY LOU Simcoe, left, of the Fall River province ofthe Sisters ofthe Holy Union, is the only American among newly elected general councilors of her community, Others, from left, Holy Union superior general Sister Pauline Cowie and councilor Sister Mary Harrington, both of the community's Anglo-Hibernian province; Sister Benoit Marie Caton of the French province,
Sister Simcoe to Rome Holy Union Sister Mary Lou Simcoe went to Southampton, England, last month to videotape proceedings at her community's collegial assemhly, a once-everysix-years event. :;he came home to Fall River as one of four sisters and the only Ar3erican elected to the international sisterhood's general council. Her election means that she will spend the next ~ix years in Rome, where she and her fellow councilors will assist Eoly Union Superior General Sisler Pauline Cowie in administrati')n of the worldwide order. H,)ly Union sisters work in Anglo-Hibernian, French, Belgian and Argentinean provinces, the Fall F.iver and Groton provinces in the United States and the region of Cameroon in West Central Africa. "I can drive a car with a stick shift," mused S ster Mary Lou, in considering her move, "but I guess
I'll have to brush up on Italian, French and Latin." The Holy Union residence on laniculum Hill in the Eternal City is only a 20-minute walk from St. Peter's Basilica in the heart of Vatican City, she noted happily. Her upcoming stint in Rome, however, will not be the only time she has spent abroad. F,or several years, beginning in 1987, she taught at Jangwani Secondary School for girls in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Earlier she had taught English at Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River, and she leaves for Rome in mid-October from her present position as a campus minister at Bristol Community College, also in Fall River. She entered religious life in 1959 from Our Lady of Fatima parish, Swansea. "I'm still the only vocation they've ever had," she said regretfully.
Boston auxiliary bishop appointed to Baton Rouge WASHINGTON (CNS) - Pope John Paul II ha; appointed Auxiliary Bishop Al:'red C. Hughes of Boston as bishop of Baton Rouge, La., succeeding Bishop Stanley J. Ott, who died last November. Born in Boston Dec. 2, 1932, he attended St. John's Seminary, Brighton, and the Gregorian University in Rone, where he was ordainedapries~in 1957. He earned a doctorate in ascetical theology from the Gregorian University in 1961. . Following a ~/ear as an associate pastor he returned to St. John's Seminary as a hculty member. He was a professor in the college and theologate divis ions and also served as spiritual director. He was the semin~ry's rector at the time of his elevation to the episcopate Sept. 14, 1981.
Bishop Hughes has served as chairman of the U.S. bishops'. Committee on Doctrine and is Turn to Page 13
BISHOP ALFRED HUGHES
VILNIUS, Lithuania (CNS) During Pope John Paul II's first trip to the former Soviet Union, he offered advice to Cold War winners and losers. The pope asked the winners to be forgiving and warned them that the end of one set of problems brings the start of new ones. He appealed to the losers to adapt to the changed social reality through "sincere conversion and, if necessary, expiation." He expressed joy at being able to make his Sept. 4-10 trip to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, at "an epoch-making turning point" as the three nations undergo transition to democracy. Repeatedly, he warned that the switch to democracy is not easy and needs Christian moral principles and social values to smooth the way. The pope said that decades of atheistic education will make the church's role difficult, since people "may have lost - at least temporarily - their appreciation of religion." The framework of the pope's advice was quickly established during his Sept. 4-8 stay in heavily Catholic Lithuania, the only republic of the former Soviet Union where Catholicism is the historically predominant religion. "There must be neither winners nor losers, but rather men and women who need to be helped to leave error behind," he told Lithuanian priests and religious Sept. 4. He made symbolic visits to sites associated with religious and political persecution during the decades of communist rule, visiting Anta-
kalnis Cemetery in the capital of Vilnius to pray at the tombs of 18 people killed by Soviets in 1991 during the nation's independence fight. While praising them as :'martyrs of Lithuania," the pope said he was also praying for the dead under the "tombstones without crosses," a reference to communist leaders also buried in the cemetery. During a Sept. 5 Mass at Vingis Park in Vilnius., a site of major rallies during pro-independence days, the pope a ppealed for peace between Lithuania and Russia, the largest republic to emerge from the former Soviet Union. In a Sept. 6 meeting with the Lithuanian hierarchy, he warned of a "practical materialism which attacks the very roots of religious experience." The pope also encouraged contacts with international Catholic lay mov(:ments so that branches can be established to develop programs for youths, adults and families. He celebrated Mass Sept. 7 on the Hill of Crosses in northern Lithuania, a centuries-old pilgrimage site where Catholics erected crosses by night to replace those torn down by communists during the day. The hill is a mound about 35 feet I
wide and 350 feet long, standing on the site of a 14th-century fortress. A winding path leads up the hill, cutting through thousands of tightly packed wooden and steel crosses, ranging in size from several inches to larger than life. Because on he crowding, many people now just dangle rosaries on someones else's cross. Several times communist authorities ordered the crosses torn down. They destroyed at least 5,000 between 1961 and 1975, only to see new crosses appear. The pope's Mass homily noted that the phenomenon occurred during a time when "innocents were condemned" and when "a terrible system marked by totalitarian violence raged, a system which trampled down and humiliated man." The site is a fitting place to remember Lithuanian church figures imprisoned, sent to concentration camps, deported and condemned to death, he said. Before the Mass, the pope viewed some of the crosses, including a large wooden cross planted shortly after the assassination attempt against him on May 13, 1981. The English inscription reads: Turn to Page 13
Anniversary Mass for Cardinal •
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The 10th anniversary of the death of Cardinal Humberto S. Medeiros will be marked at a Mass to be celebrated at 4 p.m. tomorrow at St, M~ry's Cathedral by Bishop Sean O'Malley. Priests of the diocese are in~ited to concelebtate and the faithful are urged to attend the liturgy commemorating the Azorean immigrant youth who served as priest and pastor in the Fall River diocese from the time of his ordination in 1946 until his 1966 appointment as bishop of the diocese of Brownsville, Texas. After four years in Brownsville, the future cardinal was appointed archbishop of Boston and in 1973 was named to the College of Cardinals by Pope Paul VI. Following cardiac surgery, he suffered a massive heart attack and died Sept. 17,1983.
PILGRIMS PRAY before 1671 icon of Mother of God in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania. The city was the site of several . events during the pope's trip to the Baltics, which ends today. (eNS/ KNA photo)
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30 years after
The Anchor Friday, Sept. 10, 1993
"Prayer ~age" lists parishioners in need St. Louis de France parish, Swansea, publishes a monthly "Prayer Page" listing names of parishioners or their relatives in need of prayer due to illness or other circumstances. The list. distributed the first weekend of each month, includes persons' full names or initials and in some cases addresses to which parishioners may send notes of support. Names for the list may be submitted by mail or placed in the collection basket at any weekend Mass. Those listed are remembered throughout the month in daily prayer and at the parish's monthly rosary.
Yes to abstinence OMAHA, Neb. (CNS) - Can adolescents be taught abstinence? Yes, says Jo Ann Gasper, executive director of the National Association for Abstinence Education. "Abstinence education is the next generation," she said. "It moves beyond risk reduction and it follows on what has been done in the past because it involves risk elimination." Speaking at a recent International Humanae Vitae Conference in Omaha, Mrs. Gasper described abstinence education as values-based, family-centered and age-appropriate. S he said it provides not only information but training and refusal and avoidance skills and also helps develop selfconfidence and self-control.
St. Anne's Hospital gratefully' acknowledges contributions that we have received to the Remembrance Fund during August, 1993. Through the remembrance and honor of these lives, St. Anne's can continue its'Caring With Excellence.'
ST. ANNE'S HOSPITAL REMEMBRANCE FUND Elizabeth Caron Aston Baron Bird Henri Cardin Dawn Carreiro Donald Corr Florentine Couturier
Dan Driscoll Antone Franco Lois Kershaw Gerard N. LaVigne CarmindaMcEachem
Antone F. Mello ErnestMethot Albert Nadeau Joseph Raymond Ouellette Raymond D. Ouellette, Sr. Frank Pacheco Raymond Parise Antone Rebello Joseph C. Saulino Joseph Silvia Jean Strzepek John Tacovelli JohnJ. Tierney,Jr. GustVerros
Harold West
We are grateful to those who thought. fully named St. Anne's Hospital's Remem¡ bra nee Fu nd.
The church
~nd
civil rights
WASHINGTON (eNS) in efforts like her Rosa and RayThirty years after the Rev. Martin mond Parks Institute for SelfLuther King's "I Have a Dream" Development. It is based in Despeech at the Aug. 28, 1963, March troit, where she has lived since on Washington, the Catholic 1957. Church is groping for a firm role in "There has been some progress the new and much more broadly (since the 1963 march), because based civil rights movement. many more [blacks] hold political Catholics were strongly repre- office and can get registered to sented in the 1960s civil rights vote, and some positions are opencommunity. Priests' collars and ing up to those who are qualified," nuns' habits were visible at the she said in a telephone interview 1963 march, which drew nearly a after her return to Detroit from quarter of a million people. They the 1993 Washington march. were also present at other desegre"But too many young people are gation battle points of the 1960s not staying in school and are not South. motivated to get these positions," But the 30th anniversary march Mrs. Parks added. Through the on the theme "Jobs, Justice and institute, she said, "we are trying Peace" had' little official Catholic to train and inspire and motivate involvement and brought out just them to a spiritual awareness for 75,000 people to march on behalf succeeding in life." of dozens of issues that included Some local churches and church the North American Free Trade members have been helping the Agreement, AIDS, federal drug institute in that task, she said. "We sentencing laws, the disabled and need all the help that we can get." soldiers missing after the Vietnam Ernst of the National Catholic War. Conference for Interracial Justice Auxiliary Bishop Leonard J. said the new frontier for civil rights Olivier of Washington addressed activity should be that of institu• ,W .J1 the gathering as a representative of tional change. >,p"tjl'.' W¡,. tit:'" '71{\1-:/ H the Washington archdiocese, but "While much of the public sen,., , t 1i i.,'Jlilil . .en the U.S. Catholic Conference had timent is more open [to civil rights v i (/. ' no formal participation. The Na- concerns], the institutions continue PARTICIPANTS IN 30th anniversary celebration of tional Catholic Conference for to operate largely as they did in the 1963 civil rights March on Washington gather at Reflecting Interracial Justice is the only Cath- past," he said. Among those instiolic member of the executive com- tutions, he counts the Catholic Pool in nation's capital. Story at right. (eNS/ Reuters photo) mittee of the Leadership Confer- Church. ence on Civil Rights, which sponVarious projects initiated by the sored the march. interracial justice conference are Issues in the 1993 march in- working to make the church "more cluded "everything but Sumo' inclusive institutionally" in its wrestling," said Jerome B. Ernst, employment practices, purchasing executive director of the Catholic and banking policies and liturgical VATIC AN CITY (CNS) that "they have helped to create interracial justice conference. and cultural expression, Ernst said. Families have a right to be prothe very broken society on which "There's a lack of focus, and as a "Less than I percent of church tected from the broadcast of sad isthey report - because people result the core issue of interracial purchasing goes to minority ventic, pornographic or insulting absorb from the media permissive justice is not getting the attention dors," he said. "And that is such a material into their homes, Archbi- and sometimes even antisocial it needs." crucial area. It's the small busishop John P. Foley said. Although the Catholic Church nesses that offer the kind of emattitudes." At the same time, the family has continued its historical sup- ployment we need" to improve the Archbishop Foley said people as the cornerstone of a healthy port of the civil rights community, black community, he said. identify with characters in films society - deserves to be portrayed Ernst said the church's poor and television dramas, and if these "that's become harder to do as it in a positive light in the mass characters behave immorally it can lost its focus," Ernst added. record in hiring minorities and its media, the archbishop said. legitimize such behavior to view- "There's too much in th~ little red failure to use its purchasing to aid Archbishop Foley, president of ers. He said he was not suggesting wagon for it to pull much." them is "not by design or intent." the Pontifical Council for Social Ronald G. Jackson, a former "There is tremendous good will censorship, but responsibility and Communications, spoke at a recent official of the Urban League who and good intentions" toward the self-control by media programmers. Vatican-sponsored meeting on now works in the USCe's Depart- civil rights cause, he said. "But the The archbishop also pointed out "The Communications Media and ment of Social Development and bishops have also taught that good that advertising can be seductive. the Rights of the Family." World Peace, says the church "has habits lead to good acts. And the clearly been positioned against any habit of inclusion has not yet taken He said families have an obvious At its best, it .makes useful products known; at its worst, it can acts that discriminate against place in the Catholic Church." right "not to be assaulted at home create false material needs, appeal .minorities" and "is still supportive by materials which could upset to base motives and cause probof issues that will assist minorities family life or undermine family lems in family life. he said. suggestto be protected from discriminavalues." This includes pornoging that "the first successful adverLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (CNS)tion." raphy, sadistic violence and matetisement resulted in expulsion from But in the current era on the Despite Vatican criticism that V.S. rial that debases sex and women's the garden of Eden." national level, "there isn't any Catholic marriage tribunals grant dignity. he said. Archbishop Foley said church pressing civil rights issue" to rally too many annulments. statistics Nor should broadcasters, as show the number is leveling off or experts should be aware that we around, Jackson said. guests in homes, offend their live in "a sea of media sounds and "hosts" with material that insults Although it also monitors the decreasing, according to a Little Rock canon lawyer. This year's images, and it is through this sea 'religious convictions or ethnic impact of federal legislation and that parents must navigate their identity. he said. Supreme Court decisions on the report on annulments by the Canon families safely to the shore of eterMoreover, "the right to a posicivil rights movement, the church's Law Society of America shows nallife." tive image of the family" in modmain role in fighting discrimina- that 38,980 annulment decisions ern media is also important, the tion these days is through its com- - both affirmative and negative archbishop said. He pointed out munity service programs and - were made by V.S. marriage that family values are not encour- Beatification pending schools in the inner city - the tribunals, said Msgr. Royce Thomas, former head of the Little VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The aged and supported if parents. for "kind of hands-on, results-oriented Rock diocesan marriage tribunal Vatican cleared the way for the example, are made to appear as activity that one can measure," the and a past board member of the beatification of Sister Mary Macirrelevant or belittled in programs, USCC official said. Killop, an Australian nun who "Is is too much to ask that the A recent example of that kind of Canon Law Society. Ten years was once excommunicated. and media not promote or glamorize activity, he added, was in Los ago, an incomplete report listed divorce, premarital and extramar~ found her religious order disbandAngeles, where at the urging of 39,022 decisions, without informed for a time. Pope John Paul II ital sexual activity or homosexual Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the ation from 13 dioceses. approved a miracle attributed to activity?" he said. church is playing a key role in 11111111/1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111IIII1111 Sister MacKillop's intercession in That doesn't mean every family efforts at revitalization and recon- THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020). Second early July, the last step needed should be portrayed as ideal. but ciliation after the city's racial vio- Class Postage Paid at Fall River. Mass. before she could be declared that the'mes of "broken' families. Published weekly except the week of July4 lence in the summer of 1992. blessed. No date was set for the promiscuous behavior or deviant Rosa Parks, the black woman and tne week after Christmas at 8R7 Highland Avenue. Fall River. Mass, 02720 by beatification, which is a major step lifestyles" be treated in a way that whose refusal to give up her seat the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall toward sainthood. Sister MacKil-' on a bus to a white man prompted seeks solutions for problems and River. Subscription price by mail. postpaid lop, born in 1842, spent her life support for those trying to reconthe Montgomery, Ala., bus boy- $11.00 per year. Postmasters send address teaching children in the Australian . cott in 1955, sees a crucial role for struct their lives. he said. changes to The Anchor. P,O, Box 7. Fall bush country. River, MA 02722. He said the media should realize churches and community groups
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Archbishop lists obligations of media to families
Unfair criticism
THE ANCHOR -
Largest-ever faith purley in C'hicago
They believe in God
CHICAGO (CNS) - An opening ceremony ma -ked by colorful dress, colorful language and colorful ritual signaled the start of the Parliament of the World's Religions Aug. 28 in Chicago. A Catholic cardinal dressed in red sat next to a Buddhist monk wearing orange. Blessings were offered in a var,ety of tongues. Types of headdre,s included nuns' habits, yarmulke,e, turbans, veils and an elaborate Egyptian headpiece. Some 6,000 religious leaders and faithful represellting 125 faiths came from around the world for CARDINAL Joseph L. Bernardin addresses opening sesthe parliament, \"hich commemosion of Parliament of World Religions, held in Chicago. The rates the first World Parliament of nine-day parley drew 6000 representatives of 125 faiths. (CNS Religions held a century ago in photo) Chicago. Organiz,:rs called the 1993 event "the greatest gathering of "It actuali y intensifies and - You shall not lie," or" Always religious and sp ritual leaders in deepens an attitude ... that women 'speak and behave truthfully." history." are second-class citizens - that - "You shall not commit sexAfter an almost hourlong prowomen in their biological differimmorality," or "Respect and ual cession of reli~;ious leaders·ences are not different and equal accompanied by the chanting of love one another." but different and subordinate," The global ethic is not meant to Drepung Loselin g monks, baroque Ms. Alvare said. organ music anc traditional cere- create a uniform religion or to Abortion as a form of populawater down a tradition's specific monial music by Native Amerition control makes an inconsistent cans - no fewe: than II invoca- moral teachings," Father Kung human rights argument by trying tions were offe 'ed by represen- said. "That's why I never speak to achieve human dignity for one tatives of Buddhism, Islam, Ju- about unity of religion, I talk group by sacrificing another, Ms. daism, Christiar ity, Sikhism, Ba- about peace among the religions. Alvare said. That would be enough." haism and Hind Jism. Chicago Cardinal Joseph L. Archbishop Francesco Gioia of Yet despite t:le evident diverthe"Pontifical Council for Interresity, the speake's at the opening Bernardin called the global ethic ligious Dialogue repeated Church ceremony maintained a common document "a wonderful framework commitment to dialogue with other theme - that the world's religions in which to continue discussions should work tog:ther to help solve on further issues." It was later. faith groups in his talk. approved by 250 religious leaders The church, he said, "has a high the problems of the planet. at the conference. regard for the manner of life and Among Cath Jlic speakers was The cardinai addressed the parconduct, the precepts and doctrines, Father Hans KUlig, the main author liament on euthanasia, expanding which, although differing in many of "A Declaration of Global Ethic," . upon his theology of a consistent ways from [its] own teaching, which he described as "a minimal, ethic of life. nevertheless often reflect a ray of fundamental cor sensus concerning In the consistent ethic, Chri~ that truth which enlightens all." binding values; universal standards tians cannot be selective about The Dalai Lama concluded the and moral funda mental attitudes." life-threatening or even "Iifeconference with a call to continue Its four ancic:nt principles are diminishing" issues like racism, its spirit of religious harmony. derived from di~'ferent versions of sexism and child abuse, he declared. "Nice words are easy. Implethe Golden Rule that exists in all· Helen Alvare, the U.S. bishops' mentation is much more difficult," religions, Father Kung said. They chief spokeswoman on life issues, the exiled spiritual and temporal are: said the use of abortion as a soluleader of Tibet said Sept. 4 in Chi- "You shall :lOt kill," or"Have tion to the world's population cago's Grant Park. "When you respect for allliJ"e." problems has serious and dangerreturn to your places, keep the - "Y ou shzll not steal," or ous implications, especially for" spirit we have experienced the last women. "Live honestly <.nd fairly." few days in your mind," he added. But to some extent, pluralism did not take root at the conference. First, the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Chicago pulled out, citing the presence of groups that did not believe in God. Then several Jewish groups withdrew in protest over participation of the Rev. Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam, whom they accused of being anti-Semitic: But conference participants said harmony outweighed discord. "That [the withdrawals] was a minor, minor part of the whole thing," said Mary Helen Moore, a member of St. Ambrose parish in Chicago. "We were the family of God." During his talk, the Dalai Lama, who occasionally asked an onstage interpreter for help with his English, drew laughter for his impish sense of humor. Referring to overpopulation, but yet upholding that all life is precious, he said, "Precious" life - too many now." REV. ANTONIO Jacinto de Medeiros, at center of pic"The best [soluti.on] is more nuns ture between altar boys during August street procession, is the and more monks," he said.
Friends Indeed "In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends."--John Churton Collins
Fri., Sept. 10, 19933
lalsh speCialty
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - An overwhelming majority of Albanian university students believe in God and oppose religious discrimination, Vatican Radio reported. The report was based on a survey conducted at the University of Tirana and Shkoder. The survey is heartening in a country which in 1967 a Communist government declared Albania the world's first atheistic state, said Vatican Radio. The survey showed that 70 percent of the students believe in God and 84 percent oppose religious discrimination.
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pastor of St. Michael the Archangel parish, mother church of Vila Franca do Campo in Sao Miguel, Azores. He was a guest of honor at' the annual feast of Senhor Born Jesus da Pedra in New Bedford, which also included a solemn Mass, feasting, music and d::.ncing. (Adalino Cabral photo)
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Some School Issues As we struggle to keep our Catholic schools functioning, it is imperative that we continually keep our ideals to the forefront. This is admittedly difficult. So often the Church must cope not only with the obvious onslaughts of secular society but also with internal vicissitudes. The American mind-set seems to be that parochial schools are un-American. This attitude, constantly evidenced in the weekly New York Times column of Albert Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has successfully driven an even deeper wedge between church and state than that which previously existed. This lack of even token recognition by the state deeply affects Catholic schools, especially in the area of finances. In a country where the dollar is revered as a god, it's extremely hard to meet constantly escalating demands in the area of wages and benefits. Indeed, it is becoming more and more obvious that the parish school as it now exists will become a thing of the past. In this recession economy, fewer and fewer parents can afford non-public education. The result is that schools which should be catholic in every sense ofthe word become elitist enclaves, made more so by the crime and drug problems that plague much of public education. Parents who can possibly afford it will remove their children from such an atmosphere, thus using Catholic education not for it~ values but for its greater safety. We may increase our enrollment in this way, but can we really rejoice that our schools are becoming a haven for the affluent and the fearful? From an in-house viewpoint, there are many reasons why Catholic schools are in a precarious position, partially because although management skills are not usually taught in the seminary, priests in charge of schools (or of other departments of parish life) must discharge responsibilities for which persons with similar assignments in the secular world are highly trained. Parenthetically, some sociologists feel that one reason for the lack of vocations to the priesthood is that many diocesan priests have little time to pursue the ministries of teaching, . preaching and healing for which they were ordained. This fact does not escape the notice of young men considering the priestly life. The above considerations aside, in some Catholic institutions of learning, it is difficult to find Catholicism. Schools themselves are often at loggerheads: diocesan versus parochial; religious versus lay are issues few have managed to rise above. Often 'everything is made to look good on the superficial level, but beneath the surface divisions are allowed to exist with no attempts at reconciliation. Such unresolved and unaddressed internal difficulties all too often lead to the closing of schools, a situation which should be seen as far more than embarrassing. It is imperative that those in the Church family charged with the implementation of Catholic education return to the reflections of the Fathers of Vatican II and realize anew that an important function of our schools is to develop within themselves a unified community motivated by a Gospel-inspired spirit of charity. We can no longer afford inconsistent and too often subjective policies. We must strive to strengthen our schools with the aim of developing a truly Catholic sense of unity and holiness. The Editor
the OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Published weekly by The Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River 887 Highland Avenue P.O. BOX 7 Fall River, MA 02720 Fall River, MA 02722 Telephone 508-675-7151 FAX (508) 675-7048 Send address changes to P.O. Box 7 or call telephone nUlT\ber above
PUBLISHER Most Rev. Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., PhD.
EDITOR Rev. John F. Moore
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GENERAL MANAGER Rosemary Dussault LEARY PRESS - FALL RIVER
eNsl Reulers photo
ROSA PARKS, NOW 80, CREDITED WITH SPARKING THE' CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN 1955 WHEN SHE REFUSED TO MOVE TO THE BACK OF A BUS IN MONTGOMERY, ALA., IS HELPED DOWN THE STEPS OF THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL LAST MONTH AS SHE PARTICIPATED IN OBSERV ANCE OF THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING'S "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH AND MARCH ON WASHINGTON
"Whoever perseveres to the end . . will... be
sav.~d." .' .
Matt. 10:22 , ,. .
Theologians differ on twins' separation WASHINGTON (CNS) - Amid the U.S. debate over costs limits on health care comes the difficult case of Amy and Angela Lakeberg, Siamese twins separated by surgeons Aug. 20. The twins, daughters of Kenneth and Reitha Lakeberg of Wheatfield, Ind., were born June 29 at Loyola University Medical Center in suburban Chicago. Joined from navel to chest, they shared a single heart. In early August Loyola's doctors recommended allowing the twins to die naturally. But Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, with the world's leading team of experts in surgical separation of Siamese twins, offered to operate. In its five previous attempts to separate twins who shared a single heart with the aim of saving one twin, no child had survived beyond three and a half months, so the operating was clearly experimental and high-risk. But the twins' parents found even the ,slimmest hope of saving one child preferable to the certainty of both dying. Amy died on the operating table, as expected, as doctors reconstructed the shared heart and gave it to Angela. In the week that followed, Angela's condition was described as critical but stable, but hospital officials offered no longterm prognosis. Theologians questioned by CNS found no major ethical dilemma in the decision to let Amy die in surgery. Citing the classical moral principle of double effect, they said in such an extreme case it is permissible for doctors to try to
save one child even if they cannot prevent the other's death. Where theologians disagreed, reflecting the national debate, was on the acceptability of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for an operation that held small hope for long-term success. "In the U.S. medical system we love to act as if there are no limits, as if miracles occur every day, as if the fact of death should be excluded [from decision-making],ft said Dominican Father Kevin D. O'Rourke, director of the Center for Health Care Ethics of St. Louis University's Health Sciences Center. But it's wrong to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for an experimental procedure "when there's no sign of effectiveness," he said. "The idea that money is not a factor [in such decisions] is not part of the Catholic moral tradition." But Msgr. Russell Smith, education director of the Pope John XXIII Medical-Moral Research and Education Center in Braintree, Mass., took a different tack. Loyola's decision against surgery morally acceptable, he said. But so was the Philadelphia hospital's decision to go ahead, because some of the benefit/ risk rules change if you're a research institution on the cutting edge of an experimental field. If the moral issue is the prudent, effective use of limited health care resources, the "dramatic, unique situation" of the Lakeberg twins is not the best place to begin, according toMsgr. Smith. "It's been suggested that 10 percent of our health care costs are due to fraud."
Jesuit Father James Keenan, ethics professor at Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., also questioned the focus on the Lakeberg twins in the national debate over health care costs. "From what I've seen, these people were unisured," he said. "If they were privately insured, would we be raising this question?" Dominican Father Benedict Ashley, professor at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis described the Lakeberg case as one in which the decision whether to operate or not could legitimately go either way. He said his instinct, however, would be to side with theologians who considered the operation unjustified because of its high cost and low chance of benefit. "In general, I tend to think medicine tries these days to do things that are extremely costly [for their likely benefit]. A footnote: The theologians who questioned the family's decision also expressed concern for Angela and her parents, and their disagreement on the ethical questions should not be considered lack of compassion. One is reminded of Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice, who reigned briefly in 1978 as Pope John Paul I. Shortly before his election an Italian magazine interviewed him on the birth of Louise Brown, the world's first test-tube baby. He reaffirmed church teaching that artificial insemination is not licit, but said the parents should not be condemned if they acted in good faith, and he extended his "most cordial good wishes to the baby."
Same' 1truths . in botll Testanrlents
'Pulitzer' Prize winnE~r says faith essential to hi.s job
Sirach 27:30-28:7 Romans 14:7-9 MatthelV 18:21-35 Before 1970, we Catholics had no reading from the Hebrew Scriptures (the "Old Testament") in our regular Sunday liturgies. Few worshipers noticed. Most of us bdieved that except for the classic "Bible History" stories of Abraham, Moses, and Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego, there was no need to know a lot about that part of Scripture. After all, Jesw. had founded the new religion. A nd the story of that founding and the details of the new faith he ta light were outlined quite well in th ~ part of the Scripture we did hea: every Sunday: the "New Testament." In those days our "Liturgy of the Word" was very predictable. The first reae ing so frequently came from one of Paul's letters that even when we used something different we stil called it "the Epistle" (the Latin word for letter). There was no Sf cond read ing. After reciting the "Gradual," the priest immediately proclaimed the Gospel. And by repeating the same readings ever:, year, we quickly got ourselves into a 1,400 year rut. For all practical (and teaching) purposes, we 1hought most of the Bible contained only quaint kids' stories, or predicitions of Jesus and his mini!;try. It was almost impossible to hear passages from the Hebrew Scriptures without looking for '.he ways in which Jesus and his Church had "topped them." We s'mply presumed all the really important stuff was in the Christian Scriptures. There was a reason for our biblical anemia. We had forgotten Jesus' plan: not to found a church as we know it today, but to reform Judaism - a reform based on the very Scriptur~s we were ignoring! Fortunately, the combination of today's first and third readings demonstrates the source of the Lord's teachings. He found his basic concepts in the Hebrew Scriptures ard reinforced them in his own ministry. Sirach and Jesus teach the same truths. Both believe the road to God winds through God's creatures. In this case, we show we're open to receiving God's forgiveness only if we forgive others. "Forgive your neighbor's injus-
Dail~1 Readings Sept. 1:1: 1 Tm 2:1-8; Ps 28:2,7-9; I.k 7:1-10 Sept. 14: Nm21:4-9; Ps 78:1-2,34..38; PhiI2:6-11; In 3:13-17 Sept. 15: Heb 5:7-9; Ps 31:2-6,15·16,20; In 19:2527 or lk 2:33-35 Sept. 16: 1Tm4:12-16; Ps 111:7-10;lk 7:36-50 Sept. 17: 1 Tm 6:2-12; Ps 49:6-10,17-20; lk 8:1-3 Sept. 18: 1Tm6:13-16; Ps 100:2-5; Lk 8:4-15 Sept. L9: Is 55:6-9; Ps 145:2-3,~-9,17-18; Phil 1:2024,27; M't 20:1-16.
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By FATHER ROGER KARBAN tice," Sirach commands; "then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven." "My heavenly Father will treat, you in exactly the same way [as you treat others], Jesus warns, "unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." Sirach conveys his message in straight prose statements; Jesus uses a thought-provoking parable. But both open fire on a problem facing all God's followers: how do visible people relate with an invisible being? We're constantly tempted to set up systems of worship, packages of rubrics and batches of regulations, thinking that by mastering them we're properly connecting with God: Yet, as Paul reminds us in our second reading, we humans really can't master anything, not even life and death. Scripture's unchanging proclamation is that no system, package or batch can ever replace a relationship. Paul sees this relationship as a commitment to Jesus. "While we live," he writes, "we are responsible to the Lord, and when we die we die as his servants. Both in life and in death we are the Lord's." A basic conversion is demanded of all who try to give themselves over to God; Jewish or Christian, Buddhist or Moslem. Because it's always easier to relate to an organization than to the Lord, we constantly need to adjust our priorities. We are to search for God in people, not in institutions. There's no "new" or "old" here. Centuries before Christianity, Sirach called his community to reform. ;'Think of the commandments," he proclaimed, "hate not your neighbor; think of the Most High's covenant, and overlook faults." At the beginning of our era, Jesus insisted on the same conversion in his community. "Should you not have dealt mercifully with your fellow servant," his amazed king asks, "as I dealt with you?" There's only one thing to do: we must join the long line of "God followers" - people who continually need to refocus their beliefs. Our entire faith tradition demands it.
The Anchor Friday, Sept. 10, 1993
role and your job in perspective, and help you recognize the power you have to help or hurt people. You can't write falsehoods, you have to strive for the truth and intellectual honesty."
DETROIT (CNS) - The Wall of community," says Ingrassia, Street Journal's Detroit bureau himself the product of nine years chief figures it would have been of Catholic education before colnice to meet his company's top lege. brass during a special once-in-a'His family belongs to St. Paul Ingrassia says he's naturally lifetime meeting in New York. on the Lake parish in Grosse Pointe proud of his series on G M, but one But the bureau chief, Pulitzer Farms. front-page story produced by his Prize winner Paul Ingrassia, had "I think the great thing about bureau is especially dear to his more important things to do, even . Catholic education, aside from the heart. if it meant standing up the Dow obvious ethical and moral instruc"I didn't write it but I'm really Jones & Co. board of directors. tion, is that nobody teaches EngSo he left the meeting to catch a lish, or Latin, like them.- Where proud of a story about Dr. Ian flight home so he wouldn't miss else do you get English and Latin? Jackson at Providence Hospital Parents' Night at his kids' Catholic It really teaches you how to write. [in suburban Southfield], who is school, University of Detroit Jesuit The public schools, at least in my really the world's foremost facial High School and Academy. time, had far better science and lab surgeon." "I told Peter Kahn [Dow Jones' equipment, but we had nuns and Ingrassia's son Charlie has had chairman] that I had the meeting brothers who taught us English several rounds of reconstructive with the U of D parents, and he and Latin. surgery under Jackson's direction was very understanding.... He has to correct deformities stemming "I'm really proud that my son is a 4-year-old daugh~er, so he knew from radiation therapy for cancer taking his third year of Latin," what I was talking about," Ingras- Ingrassia said. when he was 2 years old. Ingrassia sia told The Michigan Catholic, wrote a sidebar to go with the An unabashed defender of tra- Jackson story. Detroit archdiocesan newspaper. "That's what I like about this ditional values, he says he finds his Shutting Out God company," the lanky journalist faith essential to his field of jour"When you say a situation or a said. "Thf:y preach family values nalism. "There's no substitute in my line person is hopeless, you are slamon the editorial page and really of work for sound Judeo-Christian ming the door in the face of live it with their employees." Ingrassia and his deputy bureau values. They help you keep your God."-The Rev. Charles L. Allen chief, Joseph White, won the Pulitzer for a nine-part series about management turmoil at General Motors Corp. during 1992. The DENMlARK'S Pharmacy REGIST;:~:~~OMN~CISTS stories chronicled the boardroom Invalid Equipment For Rent or sale intrigue that led to resignation of G M CEO Robert Stemple. Surgical Garments - Bird· IPPB Machines - Jobst The award - a certificate and ~O . Hollister - Crutches - Elastic Stockings $3,000 in cash - is to journalism Surgical & Ouhopedic Appliances what the Oscar is to acting. And yes, the quarterly Parents~ t:~,~\ . Trusses - Oxygen - Oxygen Masks, Tents & ~ . • _ Regulators -Approved For Medicare Night at U of D Jesuit lived up to its billing: "It was a great meeting. .., : " 24 HOUR OXYGEN SERVICE We just sort of talked about the 8' '" 24 HOUR EMERGENCY PRESCRIPTION SERVICE school and what our mission is," Ingrassia said. ~ j..'2;~~o 673 Main St, Dennisport - 398-2219 Paul and Susan Ingrassia's three 550 McArthur Blvd., Ate. 28, Pocasset - 563-2203 sons - Adam, 16, and twins Charlie and Danny, 13 - attend 30 Main St, Orleans, - 255-0132 the school, which Ingrassia says :/:" 509 Kempton St., New Bedford - 9~92 provides more to his family than (PARAMOUNT PHARMACy) just an education. "Catholic schools provide a sense
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Our Lady of Perpetu,al Help Church 235 North Front Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts
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Sunday, September 19, 1993 12 Noon to .7:00 p.m. Parish Hall - North Front St. FEATURING: Hand Crafts. White Elephant Table. Christmas Crafts Chinese Auction. Children's Corner. Plants Fresh Vegetables. Baked Goods
Special Entertainment during the hours of the Festival. POLISH MUSIC POLISH-AMERICAN KITCHEN.
AIiHomemadeFood Pierogi, Kielbasa, "Golabki" (Stuffed Cabbage), Cabbage Soup and many more Polish Delicacies. ,~ Hot Dogs, Hamburgers. Take Out Orders Available
Prayer of So/ace May Christ support us all the day long, till the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over and our work is done. Then in his mercy may he give us a safe lodging and holy rest and peace at the last. AmenJohn Cardinal Newman
5
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One Mile lFrom Interstate 195
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From Fall River, Taunton and West:
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Ample Parking Available
On Interstate 195 get offat Exit 16 (Washburn Stree:). At Stop sign make an immediate right. At traffic lights take a left on Coggeshall Street Second street cn Right make a right hand turn on N:>rth Front Street. The Church and Parish Hall are fifty feet from the corner. . From Fairhaven, Wareham and East: On Interstate 195 get offat Exit 17 (Coggeshall Street) After Traffic lights continue for two blocks Second Street on Right make a right hand turn on North Front Street. The Church and the Parish Hall are fifty feet from the corner.
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The Anchor Friday, Sept. 10, 1993
By DOLORES CURRAN
Little Jamie loves visIting his grandparents bu.t h~'s feeling confused. His grandfather who used to talk and play with him can't talk anymore. He just sits in his big chair: Grandma wipes his nose and feeds him. Jamie is bewildered. "What's the matter with Grandpa?" he asks his mother. "He had a stroke," she replies. "What's that?" "It's something old people get . sometimes. They get a hurt inside
their head and then they can't talk or move." "When the hurt gets better, will he talk again?" asks Jamie. "We don't know. Maybe he will and maybe he won't, but we know . he can hear you and loves to have you talk to him, even if he c.an't answer. Do you think you can do that?" Young children are often upset by aging and illness in elderly loved ones. Being egocentric they can react with personal guilt, "What did I do wrong to make Grandpa like this?" or can assign guilt to the elderly ill, "What did he do wrong to get this way?" In a culture of fitness, the idea that aging and illness are natural is increasingly rejected. One of our tasks as parents is to help children see aging and death as a natural process, not a tragedy,
norm, our children are going to experience the late years of aging and death more frequently than their parents or grandparents did. As late as the 1920s, by the time the youngest child was out of the nest, one parent had already died: Today, it isn't unusual to find children with seven or eight grandparents, all of whom are likely to sicken and die before the child does. If we don't teach aging, illness and death as part of life, how can we prepare children to handlethese as adults? We need to give them information and empathy during trying times, to encourage children to ask questions and express their fears. \[ Grandma is confused with an illness involving mental function, we can explain that on a child's
level and say, "She still loves you. She just sometimes forgets who you are. I know that hurts but she's not doing it on purpose. Are you afraid that being around her might make you the same way?" This opens up the opportunity for the child to share his or her ~an. , Grief therapists feel that children should not be forced to visit ill loved ones but encouraged to do so. It takes some children longer than others to face the reality of deteriorating health in a loved one. One therapist suggests that parents bring children along to the hospital or nursing home while they visit but allow them to wander the halls until they are ready to visit. This helps them to become comfortable with the atmosphere and eventually they overcome their fear of seeing Grandpa again .
The origin' of the A'postles'Creed
By FATHER JOHN J. DIETZEN Q. A long time ago you published a column stating that the Apostles' Creed did not come from the apostles themselves. I recently saw an article in a Maryfaithful newsletter which contradicts your statement. It says, on the authority of St. Ambrose, that the 12 apostles met together one time and formed their creed, each apostle contributing one of the 12 articles of faith it contains.
Can you explain? (New York) A. Someone writes to me every once in awhile about this. It seems to be a legend without foundation, but which dies hard. There is no evidence whatsoever to support that theory of the formation of what we call the Apostles' Creed. In fact, everything we do know about it contradicts this assumption.
of belief dates only from the early 500s, or perhaps from the latter part of the fifth century (late 400s). Around that time, and for centuries after, the story about personal and cooperative formation of the creed by the apostles themselves was popular in the Western church, for no particular reason other than it sounded logical.
The various doctrinal elements we proclaim in this particular creed are found, as we would expect, in very early expressions of faith, first of all in the New Testament itself.
Historical evidence gradually proved, however, that the story is without foundation. The first known Christian writing containing the creed as we have it seems to be a work of Caesarius of Aries, who died in the year 542.
As far as we can tell, however, the present form with its 12 articles
It seems certain, incidentally, that the actual source of the Apos-
ties' Creed is one with' which we are all familiar, the promises or statements of faith made at baptism. These formulas of faith apparently were first used in the liturgy of the sacraments of initiation. Only gradually, over several centuries, did they become the independent credal prayer we have today. In this form, of course, they go back very far, long before even the creed of the Council of Nicaea (Nicene Creed) in 325. As just one of many examples, we have the text for the interrogation of candidates for baptism according to the" Apostolic Tradi-
tion" of St. H ippolytus around the year 217. One finds there nearly all the elements of belief we repeat in baptism vows today, vows which reflect the long tradition of our faith and which echo nearly word for word the language of the Apostles' Creed. A free brochure outlining marriage regulations in the Catholic Church and explaining the promises in an interfaith marriage is available by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to Father John Dietzen, Holy Trinity Church, 704 N. Main St., Bloomington, III. 61701. Questions for this column should, be sent to the same address.
Responding to the inner city
By Dr. JAMES &
according to Dr. Sandra Fox, director of the Good Grief Program at Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston. Addressing the issue openly and honestly is far better than shielding children, who are aware that something is going on but aren't sure what it is and whose fault it is. Some parents protect their children from visiting confused or ill grandparents because of possible traumatic fallout. But children have radar that doesn't stop. They sense that something's terribly amiss why, suddenly, can't they see Grandpa anymore? - but th~y don't know what's happened. Children are far more frightened by lack of information than truth and can fantasize horrible scenarios. In an age where 125 Americans reach age 100 weekly and where the four-generation family is the
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MARY KENNY Dear Dr. Kenny: Watching television, I am amazed at how badly our inner cities have deteriorated. I think the Los Angeles riots could have happened in any city. Cities are dangerous places, run by gangs of teenagers with guns. Don't you think we need a return to family values, insisting that these values be taught in school as well as in the home? How else can we stop this violence?
1 don't dare go near the inner city for fear of being mugged or worse. What can I do to help improve things? (California) Inner-city violence is a complex issue. To change the pattern you have to intervene in many areas or systems, not just by stating the way we think things should be. Some of the "systems" in the inner city that require intervention include employment (lack of job opportunities, lack of skills training), housing (homelessness, rundown living areas, slum landlords), family (lack of parenting skills), education (poor learning environment, truancy), safety (lack of adequate police protection, the
availability of weaponry, drugs) and poverty. A friend of mine who teaches in inner-city Chicago tells me that many kids from age lOon up carry handguns. He said they want to defend themselves from other kids .. What a jungle! Death, obviously, is no stranger to these children. They have come to accept violence as a way of life. I have no answer to the overall problem of crime and violence in the inner city. I do have a few ideas, however, on places to start. -Verbal messages about how things ought to be are ineffective. Saying doesn't make it so. Let's stop the speechmaking and propose some real changes.
-We must have no preconditions. To expect inner-city youth to behave like "us" before we start to work with them is absurd. -Start with the gangs and their structure. However hostile and violent they may appear, they do have some control over the neighborhoods. As with nations, you begin by working with the "government" in place, whether you agree with it or not. -Provide incentives from the "outside." To motivate change, a "payoff' of some sort is necessary. Gangs will change when they see a better and "more profitable" way. Financial incentives are not the only "payoff."
-Ban handguns entirely. It's time to say the obvious. Stop the carnage. Handguns are not sporting equipment. As for their use in defending oneself, their presence in the hands'of either criminals or victims only make violence more likely. Inner-city violence is destroying our families. It may be the most dangerous problem facing our nation today. We need to do more than apply band-aids or make feelgood speeches. Reader questions on family living and child care to be answered in print are invited by The Kennys; 219 W. Harrison; Rensselaer, Ind. 47978.
The face of charity knows no bounds of time By ANTOINETTE BOSCO
Are books my passion? Consider one I found this summer. Driving through a small town in New England, I stopped at a used book sale. . I bought it book of poetry by Adelaide Procter, a 19th century Englishwoman who, after converting to Catholicism at 27, spent the rest of her life working to help the less fortunate. S he died in 1864 at the age of 39. What caught my eye was the
introduction written by famed English author Charles Dickens. A friend of the young poet and her family, he describes her as a truly caring and outgoing person. Dickens tells how Miss Procter devoted herself tirelessly to charitable works. "N ow it was the visitation ofthe sick that had possession of her," Dickens writes. "Now it was the sheltering of the houseless .... Now it was the wider employment of her own sex in the general business of life:" "Perfectly unselfish, swift to sympathize and eager to relieve. she wrought at such designs with a flushed earnestness that disregarded season, weather. time of day or night, food, rest," wrote Dickens of this remarkable woman.
a beggar and an outcast upon the Some of her poetry could have "A nd to his zealous, charity and face of the earth, watch over this been written for today. since it has unwearied efforts are due the founRefuge for the poor and the desoa universal timeliness, like the one dation and success of the Provilate. and obtain from the charity she called "Homeless." ,dence Row Night Refuge for Homeof ;t,he faithful the aid which it so She appears to have been con- less Women and Children, the first sordy needs...." sumed with empathy for those. Catholic Refuge in England or Ireparticularly women and children. land ... ," Miss Procter wrote. To have acquired a book like who had no shelter in England in this and meet such an extraordithe mid 1800s, describing them as Miss Procter. who raised funds nary person is reason enough to "utterly forlorn and helpless, either for this work, praised the Sisters of justify my passion for books. wandering about all night, or Mercy who cared for the "rarely Thanks to our belief in the Comcrouching under a miserable arch- less than 60 persons" who were munion of Saints, we can nieet way." admitted to the shelter each night. remarkable people of other times "It is a marvel that we could and other places, not as strangers The devoted Miss Procter wrote: sleep in peace in our warm, combut as ancestors, ever-linked to us fortable homes with this horror at "May the Mother who wandered as I found Adelaide Procter to homeless through inhospitable our very door," Miss Proctor wrote. be. In an article dated May 1862, Bethlehem, and the Saint who was she tells how in the autumn of After Worse 1860, a Catholic priest named Father Gilbert opened a night "More marriages might survive times the better comes after the refuge in his parish. if the partners realized that some- worse."-Doug Larson
The Anchor Friday, Sept. 10, 1993
7
Texas bishop helps Mexican doctor aid African refugees
Global warfare The following letter was sent to the Boston Globe Magazine. A copy was sent to The Anchor. Editor Dear Editor: Never have I read a more bigoted, insensitive and egregiously unfair example of Catholic-bashing than in the feature by Linda Matchan in the Boston Globe Magazine on 29 August 1993. Former priest James Porter has admitted to crimes against children that disgust the moral community and scandalize the Catholic Church. That fact, however, does not justify Linda Matchan's gross exaggerations, gratuitous slurs and just plain chea p shots directed against other priests and even nuns who played no part in that sordid affair. Ms. Matchan implies a presumption of perversion on the part of "legions of prieHs" and she caricatures nuns as "antagonistic," "threatening" a'1d unsympathetic. It's called group character assassination. Harvard historian Arthur Schlesinger Sr. has ob;erved that "prejudice against the Catholic Church is the deepest bia, in the history of the American p~ople." This bias is alive and f1ouri:;hing at the Globe, where hardly a week goes by without some scri')bler coming out from under a rock and spewing more venom. Contrast the sensational frontpage coverage that would be given any new accusation of clerical wrongdoing with the current kidglove. back-pages handling of the
SI:pt.l1 1987, Rev. Joachim Shults, SS.Ce., Our Lidy of Assumption, New Bedford Sllpt.12 1962, Rev. JohnJ. Galvin, Assistant, SS. Pet~r and Paul, Fall River 1986, Most Rev. James L. Connolly, Fourth Bishop of Fall River 1951-1970 Sept. 13 1949, Rev. Charles A.J. Donovan, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North E.,ston Sept. 14 1982, Rev. Stanislaus J. Ryczek, Retired, Lauderhills, Florida Sept. 15 1934, Rev. Henry J. Mussely, Pastor, St. Jean Baptiste, Fall River 1958, Rev. Brendan McNally, S.J., Holy Cross College, Worcester 1969, Rev. John J. Casey, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton ~;ept. 16 1925, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Jean A. Prevost, P.A., P.R., Pastor, Notre Dame, Fall River !iept. 17 1954, Rev. Thomas F. McNulty, Pastor, St. K'lian, New Bedford 1983, Hurrberto Cardinal Medeiros of the Boston Archdiocese 1970-1983 1991, Rev. Felix Lesnek, SS.Ce., Former Associate Pastor, St. Joseph, Fairhaven
accusations of child abuse by Michael Jackson. I may turn the other cheek to your insults but be assured that I'll never turn the pages of another Globe. Walter J. Eno Buzzards Bay
EWTN defended Dear Editor: I enjoyed your "Denver Reflections" (Anchor, Aug. 20) except for your comments on EWTN. The impression was that EWTN is over-conservative and over-pious. Many of us here in New Bedford would disagree with your views. As a matter of fact, we have had a campaign here to try to restore the prime time to EWTN that was removed due to FCC regulations. EWTN is a blessing to the church. We are assured of good Catholic teaching. People throughout the country call in to say how they have been blessed by this network. Many people have returned to the church just from viewing it. Many callers speak of the confusion in their parishes. EWTN is providing a much needed service. Let's give it the credit it deserves. Alice Macedo New Bedford Dear Editor: After reading your editorial of Aug. 20 in the Anchor, I must strongly object to your critique of Mother Angelica's coverage of our pope's visit to Denver. You seem to ridicule Mother Angelica's "subjective comments... but that could be expected considering EWTN's rather conservative bent." While I have never heard Mother Angelica (I don't have cable). 1 wish there were more priests and religious with a "conservative bent" instead of the liberal wishy-washy theology and liturgical experimentation we are so often confronted with. It is somehow not in vogue to be conservative and orthodox. Maria K. Hill South Dartmouth
The wrong thing Dear Editor: In the "Screwtape Letters" the older devil advises the younger devil, "Always have them focusing on the wrong thing. Keep them distracted. If there is a flood have them reaching for the fire hose." This has been successful in many areas of the Church in our country. Theyf are debating about statues and communion rails and almost a whole generation of youth are growing up religious illiterates. A survey showed that the majority ofteens cannot even name the Ten Commandments. e.S. Lewis said, "We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst." William Bennett wrote, "We scoff at self-discipline and we are shocked that we have two million hard-core drug addicts." Father Rawley Myers Colorado Springs. CO
"Felt they met me" Dear Editor: I would just like to reiterate my
WHERE YOU'LL FIND HIM: Michel Labens at the organ in 51. Anthony's Church, New Bedford.
Words of appreciation for a dedicated o~~~anist Dear Editor: I am one of many former organ and piano students of Michel Labens. for over 40 years organist and choirmaster of SI. Anthony's Church. New Bedford. There he plays a large. four-manual pipe organ with approximately 4.000 individual pipes of varying sizes and shapes, ranging from 32 feet in height all the way down to the size of a small pencil! Completely blind in one eye since birth. and with limited vision in the oth(:r, Labens. 71, has not only a thorough knowledge of music theory and practi~e. but has' also given many organ and piano recitals of the most challengingly difficult music of composers ranging from Bach, Beethoven and Brahms to Mozart. Chopin. and Gordon Young. Labens is also a master of the art of improvisation. composing at an instrument without any prior preparation. A few years ago I attended a confirmation ceremony at SI. Anthony's. Before it began. Labens was playing a difficult Bach fugue and lost his place in the score. This would have been a fiasco for many musicians but not so Michel Labens. He simply utilized his God-given talents and improvised a composition based on the fugue that was so majestic. with both feet playing toe and heel on the long pedal-notes synchronously and hands playing the manual keys, that it almost humbled the great master! Should anyone. especially parishioners and former students, be in St. Anthony's Church when Labens is playing the organ, please make an effort to meet and congratulate him. May God bless Michel Labens 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
appreciation for the piece on me about my upcoming JIV [Jesuit International Volunteer] work in Peru. [Anchor. July 23, 1993) I was so touched by it and received many wonderful comments about how well you put it together. As well. I have received quite a few donations because of it from Anchor readers whom I've never met but "felt they met me in the article." No words can express how moved I was from some of the notes. Again I thank you! Diane Lynch Mansfield
on his 40th anniversary as organist at St. Anthony's with the best of health and happiness. Normand R. Ostiguy New Bedford
AUSTIN. Texas(CNS) - Diminutive Mapy Gaspar Rosas. 32. looks like a eollege'student ready for an afternoon of shopping. But she's a medical doctor preparing to aid Sudanese and Somalian refugees who are pouring into Uganda. She is no stranger to poverty. She has spent the last four years working 'With the indigenous people of Guatemala who are caught in fighting between guerrillas and the army. Her work with- the poor is the fulfillment of a dream that Austin Bishop John E. McCarthy helped her realize. she said. A native of Puebla. Mexico. she met the bishop at the University of Texas Catholic Student Center in Austin while she was studying English at the university. The young physician's work with refugees in Uganda will use her medical skills in new ways. she said. "You learn about these diseases in medical schooL and never expect to see them - now I'll get to see them."
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Bell tower, Mary Garden treasures of St. Joseph's, Woods Hole By Jane A. McLaughlin In the Louvre in Paris a famed Millet painting portrays a man and woman pausing, heads bowed. during their work in the field. The title "The Angelus." indicates that they are praying in response to the ringing 9f the bells of the distant church spire. So too the bell tower on Millfield Street along the Eel Pond shore in Woods Hole chimes that same call to devotion. proclaiming the Incarnation at 7 a. m.. noon, and 6 p.m. The tower and the distinctive adjacent flower garden, both open to the public, were the gifts of Frances Crane Lillie to St. Joseph's Church. Frances Crane. from a wealthy Chicago family, first came to Woods Hole in 1894 for the embryology course at the Marine Biological Laboratory (M BL). There she became acquainted with her future husband, Frank R. Lillie, who was teaching the course and who latcr became president and director of the M BL. They spent summers in Woods Hole from then until his death in 1947 and hers in 1958. Following her conversion to Catholicism in the early 1920s. Mrs. Lillie presented her Chicago church and her Woods Hole church, St. Joseph. with gifts of religous architecture and art, especially contemporary art, in which she had a deep interest. Two principal goals of religious art are to turn hearts and minds toward the spiritual and to depict the beauty of hea venly ideals. These apparently were also Mrs. Lillie's aims. for she called the bell tower a reminder to "the scientists who study at the Marine Biological Laboratory across the inlet that there is another and valid aspect of life," thereby expressing her view that science alone cannot answer all the questions that trouble the mind. . As well as for religious inspiration, Mrs. Lillie enjoyed art for art's sake and supported religious artists. The tower was built in 1929 on land parcels given to St. Joseph's in 1913 and 1918 by the heirs of Joseph Story Fay in appreciation of their Irish Catholic employees. Prior to construction of the tower, this strip of land, about 190 by 25 feet, had sloped from road to
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MARY GARDEN as restored in 1982. (Fred E. Lux photo) pond. When plans were made to utilize it, a granite block sea wall was built and the lot made level with the road. The tall medieval-style structure is of rough-cut pink granite blocks, some from old West Falmouth foundations and some probably from quarries. The granite block foundation extends 25 feet below ground. The belfry roof. and that of the small room or oratory at the base of the tower, are of red clay tiles. The interior walls of the oratory are of plaster. originally painted light pink. The simple furnishings in the room, rather like a monastery cell. include a bookcase, table. stool. rustic armchair, and medieval-style writing desk. The three windows, facing north, are deeply set and have elaborately painted interior borders. The two bronze tower bells, cast in England. are named for two 19th century Catholic pioneers in the life sciences'. The one named after Gregor Mendel. the scientistmonk whose work with peas laid the foundation for genetics, bears the message, "I will teach you of life and of life eternal." The other. named after Louis Pasteur. the father of bacteriology. is inscribed, "Thanks be to God." The bells are stationary, with electrically controlled hammers striking their exterior. The pattern of ringing reflects the words of the devotion that are divided into three short verses with responses. The bells were sponsored by Mrs. Charles R. Crane of Juniper
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A CLOSEUP of the Angelus Bell Tower (from a circa 1930 postcard published by H.A. Daniels).
Point. Woods Hole, and Mrs. George C. Lillie of Falmouth Heights, sisters-in-law of Mrs. Lillie; sculptor, Alfeo Faggi, of Woodstock. N. Y.; and Lincoln Clark, a Chicago attorney. Faggi, an It!ilian-born artist, created the bronze door to the tower. This consists of six panels depicting scenes from the life ofSt. Joseph. Faggi had originally gone to Chicago when he came to the United States from Florence, Italy, in 1913. He concentrated on bas reliefs and on design. In this country he married concert pianist Beatrice Butler. About the time the tower was built. the Faggis spent some summers in Woods Hole. along with their son, John, then a teenager. His first large commission for Mrs. Lillie was a Pieta. dated 1916, for the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle in Chicago where it is a war memorial. Another commission. also a Pieta, dated 1916. was a bronze relief. in memory of the Lillies' baby daughter who died iil Woods Hole in 1909. This is located on private property in Woods H ole. overlooking Buzzards Bay. Numerous public collections hold examples of Alfeo Faggi's work. Faggi also sculptured heads of a number of poets. including one in 1919 of Irish-American, Padniic Colum. who was to become a beloved member of the Woods Hole summer community. On the roof of the or.atory at the base of the tower is a cross, and on the interior walls are small. irregular sized Stations of the Cross, all by Faggi. Padraic Colum wrote "The Way of the Cross." fourteen verses to accompany the Stations. Artistic appreciation notes for Faggi's Stations were prepared by Ellen Gates Starr of Chicago, a cofounder of H ull House with Jane Addams. Hull House. a Chicago settlement house. served neighborhood poor and became a center for social reform activities. M iss Starr was a friend of the Lillie family and godmother to one of the Lillie daughters. The Pieta played a large role in Faggi's work as evidenced in a portion of M iss Starr's notes on the Thirteenth Station in which the M other holds her lifeless Son: ..... what the Christian sculptor has here felt, to the exclusion of other thoughts and feelings, is the universal motherhood of Christ's Mother. The Mother of the world. She is conceived of as sorrowing infinitely for her own Son, and sharing in the sorrow of all motherhood. Arid so she seems larger than human to symbolize that great-
ness of the world's sorrow and hers." The bells first rang from the tower at 5:45 Chritmas morning 1929. but it was not until July 31. 1930, that the dedication and consecration of the tower and bells took place. Then Auxiliary Bishop James E. Cassidy later Bishop of Fall River from 1934-51. accompanied by the pastor of St. Joseph's Church, the Rev. Thomas F. Kennedy, and several priests from neighboring parishes. accepted the gift for the parish, blessed the bells. and dedicated the tower in honor of St. Joseph. Music for the dedication, some of it in Russian,. was by a choir from the MBL directed by Prof. Ivan Gorokhoff. Following the ceremony, Fances Lillie wrote of the bells: "nothing more beautiful could be said of them than what Mr. Alfeo Faggi, said, 'Have you not observed the contrast between the solemn warning of the bells of the sea in the dark night and the bright morning when the Angelus bells ring out the great message that God Himself has come to our rescue?'" The oratory of the tower, open to visitors in the summer, also has a collection of religious and philosophical books that visitors may borrow with the stipulation that they return them by season's end. Mrs. Lillie"encouraged contemporary art. preferably local. in the decoration of our churches, our public buildings and our homes." Her 1936 "Examples of Religious Art," includes an essay by Jacques Maritain and illustrations of works by artists she helped. The bell tower and flower and herb garden are important features of the IIO-year history of St. Joseph's Church, whose parish boundaries originally included Nantucket and much of lower Cape Cod. As the Catholic population increased, new churches were built: In 1976 when the most recent of these, St. Elizabeth Seton, was built in North Falmouth, a stained glass window depicting St. Joseph's Church and the Angelus Bell Tower was included. To complement the bell tower and the message of the bells, the unique flower garden, commonly called the Mary Garden, was developed on the tower grounds in 1932 and serves as a setting for a sculpture of the Virgin Mary. Mrs. Lillie commissioned a statue by V. M. S. Hannell that resulted in "The Virgin" as the central figure for the garden. It is concrete and is shaped so as to slow weathering, although weathered it is now.
Vinol M. S. Hannell was born in Negaunee, Michigan in 1896. When World War I broke out he enlisted in the U.S. Navy medical corps where he lost an eye in a laboratory accident. Works by this artist, exhibited at the Art Insitute of Chicago between 1923 and 1938. were all paintings, some watercolors. He exhibited with a group of Chicago modernists called "The Ten." Images of his St. Joseph and St. Francis wood carvings are included in Mrs. Lillie's "Examples of Religious Art." The only works by Hannell listed in reference publications about artists are a mural he did for the Illinoi's Women's Athletic Club of Chicago and the sculpture "The Virgin" in the Woods Hole Mary Garden. The statue possibly was made from the mold of a wood carving. As a setting for the Madonna, a cross-shaped "Garden of Our Lady" was laid out to the east of the tower and edged with pink granite curbing. A boxwood hedge had already been planted along the street side. Mrs. Lillie had traveled abroad extensively and, while in England, learned from monastery gardens about old English names of flowers, names associated with Mary. She was attrated to the spirit behind such a practice. In Chicago, she had Winifred Jelliffe Emerson, who was then preparing a manuscript about religious symbolism in plants, research early names of plants to find records for those with religious and Mary names. Some examples of these Mary names for flowers, along with the usual common names, are Eyesof-Mary or forget-me-not, The Virgin's Tears or Virginia spiderwort. Madonna Lily, St. Mary's Tree or rosemary, Herb of the Madonna or ground ivy, and The Dear Mother's Love or wild thyme. The Mary names may derive from the flow and color of a multiblossomed plant as Our Lady's Mantle or morning glory, or the shape and cluster of the flowers as Our Lady's Glove or foxglove or thefragrance of the plant, as Mary's Mint or spearmint. Landscape architect Dorothea K. Harrison of Boston, daughter of M BL scientist Ross Granville Turn to Page Nine
FRANCES Crane Lillie (1869-1958), donor of the bell tower and Mary Garden. (Photo courtesy W H H C)
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Treasures of St. Joseph's, Woods Hole Continued from Page Eight Harrison, was cl)mmissioned in 1933 to work on '.he garden planning for what Mrs. Lillie called "Our Lady in Her Garden." Plantings were made from the Lillie list and in early years the species composition was altered depending on how well a given plant fit into the plan and thrived there. The last s Jch garden plan was in 1937. Miss Harrison also designed a gate for the gardfn "to let the people look in and )et keep the dogs out." The inscription on the gate reads "Please enter and close the gate." After the destructive hurricanes of '38. '44 and '54 and because of the difficulties 0" obtaining materials during the second World War, the plan was simplified and plantings kept in the Mary colors, blue and white. The Joxwood was replaced by yew. Mrs. Lillie continued to sponsor the care of the garden and tower and in 1949 established a trust fund at a Chicago bank to help perpetuate that care. Wheeler, with the help of his long time nurseryman Joseph Dias, continued the care of the garden until age intervened. From 1961 until 1982. other members of the Lillie extended family supervisl:d the care of the property. In 1982 when ~;t. Joseph's Church celebrated its 100th anniversary and the 50th garden, parishioners undertook to restore it to the 1937 plan to reflect \1 rs. Lillie's intention more fully. Since then the restored garden hCis been maintained by parish volu nteers. The traditional·information box has been reinstalled providing the plan of the garden and the names of the flowers. Plant labels can be found in the garden beds as well. Additional plantings on the tower plot in recent years include a Joseph Garden west of the tower and, totheeast )fthe Mary Garden, a plot of a vari ~ty of flowers. most having religiol.s names. In 1949. John S. Stokes, Jr. of Philadelphia. who had read an
article about the tower and garden, was inspired to visit the Woods H ole site. Moved by the idea of a garden of plants named for Mary, he and a colleague, after receiving Mrs. Lillie's blessing, formed a nonprofit organization, "Mary's Gardens." in 1951. This organization offered free information and, for a time, seeds, to encourage the cultivation of similar gardens. Over the years, "Mary's Gardens" received about 30.000 requests for information. The "Mary's Gardens" organization also searched for additional significant names of plants. This research, combined with names from Mrs. Emerson's unpublished manuscript. appeared in an article by Stokes in Queen of the M issions magazine in 1955. No records exist of the number of Mary gardens at churches, schools, or shrines or in home plots, but it is known that during the past decade requests for information have been received locally from widely scattered places on the map: from Chatham to North Falmouth, from Maine to California and Hawaii, from Michigan to Florida, and from Canada, Ireland and Australia. During this same recent period such gardens are known to have been developed at the major Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland; St. Mary's Church in Annapolis, Maryland; Our Lady's Church in Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia; and in East Falmouth a wild Mary Garden has been introduced on a home plot. These gardens were inspired through knowledge of the one at Woods Hole. Insofar as is known the Woods Hole garden is the first public Mary Garden in this country. The garden has been a place of peace and repose for many over the past 60 years. One report gives a measure of this. A Jewish professor who escaped from Hitler's Germany just before the war said: ..... from the windows of the lab where I worked, I saw this garden. That night, I came to find it. Every summer ever since when I have come to work here. I have taken a room nearby so that 1 can come
and sit here for a while each evening." Mrs. Lillie enjoyed sitting in the garden reading and refecting on selections from the bell tower library; welcoming visitors, including the bishop of Fall River. and explaining the flower n1\mes and the Angelus tower to those who were unfamiliar with the background; and. as her daughter quoted her as saying, "So that [the) Father and I can look across the pond at each other." The tower is open daily from late spring until late fall and visitors are welcome to sign the guest book and vil~w the oratory with its medieval-like atmosphere. The garden is open year-round and there are lawn chairs out in the summer. In recent years visitors from six continents have signed the book, as has a great-granddaughter of Mrs .. Lillie. Frances C. Lillie's gift touches townspeople, scientists, travelers to Woods Hole. Knowledge of it reaches far corners of the world. The gift has many facets, each with a beauty of its own and each com~ plementing the others: the Angelus bells, the tower. the bronze St. Joseph door. the Stations of the Cross the verses and notes, "The Virgin," the flowers. the peace...
The A nchor expresses gratitude to Jane A. McLaughlin and to Spritsail, A Journal of the History ofFalmouth and Vicinity, in which the above article and photos appeared in the summer of 1992. >
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THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 10, 1993
Reviewing your life can be rewarding By Dr. James and Mary Kenny Dear Dr. Kenny: My parents are elderly, and they have some marvelous and funny stories to tell about growing up. I think they like to talk about their childhood and teen years. I have heard about "life reviews" and putting personal histories together in an organized fashion. How do we get started putting their past together? - New Jersey A life review can be a worthwhile and enjoyable project for all concerned. The senior years can be a good time to review one's life and put it in perspective. The integration seniors discover may, in fact, help them find new meaning. Erik Erikson named the major task of the senior years as "integration," and a life review is useful toward this end. The traditional way to approach a life review is to give your parents , a tape recorder and an outline of common developmental milestones. (If you wish an outline. I would be pleased to mail you one if you send a self-addressed stamped envelope.) Encourage your parents to dictate stories from their past when they are in the mood. They aren't likely to do it without repeated reminders, so keep after them. Have the tapes transcribed and reorganize the material in chrono-
logical or thematic fashion. Make copies for all the following generations. Family reunions are another form of life review. V se the occasion of a birthday or anniversary to invite the friends and relatives. Have each person tell a story from the past about your parents. V se a camcorder to record the stories from the party. Or use a camcorder instead of a tape recorder to record your parents telling their life story. Another way to use a camcorder is to make visits to places from the past and record the visits on video. Returning to the place where they were born, the neighborhood where grew up, the high school they attended, etc., can all be an occasion for interesting reminiscences. Taking out life treasures, articles and artifacts from the past and telling about them is a good type of life review. What a wonderful opportunity for your parents to pass some ofthese valued personal items on, each with a story. When seeking in"formation, encourage free narration. If at all possible, don't ask questions. Instead, make statements like "tell me about" or "tell me more" and never interrupt a good story. A life review is a fine idea, with benefits for all concerned. I hope you do it.
News from Councils on Aging Dennis Friends of Dennis Senior Citizens annual meeting 2 p.m. Sept. 13, Dennis Senior Center. Mystery writer Paul Kemprecos of Orleans will speak at Jacob Sears Library, East Dennis, 2:30 p.m. Sept. 22. At 3 p. m. Sept. 26 the library will host the Dennis Historical Society annual meeting with guest speaker columnist Lil Phillips. An exhibit of hooked rugs will be presented at the Dennis Senior Center 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 18; information: 385-8233. Alzheimer's/Memory Loss Study The Gerontology Research V nit at Massachusetts General H ospital seeks families with two or more living blood relatives with memory problems for a study of Alzheimer's Disease. An evaluation of memory problems will be provided if one has not been done previously. Information: Karena Strella, Dr. Marily Albert's office, (617) 726-5571. Perkins School for Blind Perkins School for Blind outreach service to elders now has a Hyannis office. Services are offered to persons over 60 who wish to learn new things and new ways to do activities with little or no vision. Information: Beth Traubert, 7712101. Hospice of Cape Cod A training program will be offered for persons volunteering to help the terminally ill and their families. Application deadline is Sept. 13. 1nformation: Cynthia Hickey, 362-1103. Dighton Exercise classes begin 9: 15 a.m. Sept. 13 and will continue Mondays and Wednesdays thereafter. Men's pancake breakfast 8:30 a.m. Sept. 15; registration requested
by Sept. 13. Charlton Memorial Hospital Health Van will provide free health screenings 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 29; appointment requested. Chatham "Memories: How to Write the Story of Your Life," a May and June workshop led by Barbara Rader Punch, is scheduled to be repeated this fall; sign-ups are being accepted at the COA, 945-5190. Eight spring participants produced a collection of stories about their early years that is now available at the COA.
Consumer issues are topic The Massachusetts Association of Older Americans, Attorney General Scott Harshbarger and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston will sponsor the consumer awareness conference "Know Your Rights: Protection for Older Consumers" 8:30 a.m. to I p.m. Sept. 21 in the auditorium of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, 600 Atlantic Ave., Boston. Topics will be how to make informed buying decisions, the Massachusetts Consumer Complaint Network, recent scams, and medical costs and insurance. Admission is free and written materials, coffee, tea and pastry will be provided. For information and registration contact Sheila Martin, (617) 727-2200.
Media anti-Catholicism Sometimes, when I look back on my half century in American journalism, I get to wondering how myoId time religion has survived. I grew up, like most of you, believing in the power of the press, learning later that television had taken over as the major influence on our lives. And I have wrestled often with the anti-religion bias of these major media. A Los Angeles Times study a couple of years ago documented the pro-abortion mind-set of major V.S. newspapers - an expose that shocked almost nobody. Research by S. Robert Lichter recently showed that top V.S. news media are biased frequently against the Catholic Church. Media prejudice against old time religion in general and Catholicism in particular is not new. Sin, sex and scandal have always made news, and when religious figures are involved, you'll find the story on page one. Since Vatican II, however, a new kind of attack has begun: from within. Get a Church leader to speak out against celibacy, for abortion, against the pope, or for women or married priests, and prime time is almost certain. Most of these clerical burrs in the saddle of the V.S. Church claim to speak in the "spirit of Vatican II" as if that meeting of a quarter century ago had wiped out 1,900 years of Church teaching. One of these loose cannons of American theology, seen often on
talk shows as well as some Catholic papers, has now discovered a plot to "bring back that old-time religion" by some Catholics "who have never really been transformed by the Council." Guess who these Catholics are. They're the ones "who still cling to a Catholicism of miraculous medals, of devils and fallen angels, of Marian sightings, of papal commands, of unquestioned obedience, of deferential women and sexual repression." With infallible theologians like this, why worry about prejudice in the public media? A plague on both their houses, I say. Biased media and liberated theologians are singing the same song, and they feed off each other. The wilder their attacks on the Church the more attention in the media these critics get - and the higher go their lecture fees. A current talk show darling announced in a recent Catholic press column that he had discovered the "secret agenda" of those promoting an exorcism on ABC TV's "20/20." Their objective: "Catholic restorationism." That's "turning back the eccleisiastical clock to the 1950s, before Pope John XXIII came on the scene." These "old-time- religion" Catholics, he explains, want to restore the days when women "knew their place," Catholics obeyed, and "there was never any question that the Catholic Church was the one, true Church with all the answers to all the important ques-
By BERNARD
CASSERLY
tions about life, both here and hereafter. He then divides these "secret agenda" Catholics from their betters. They're the ones who have had the "benefit of a college or university education (including up-to-date courses in theology and Sacred Scripture)." Presumably taught by him. The faith of these superior Catholics has nothing to do, he says, "with weeping statues, spinning suns, Marian apparitions or alleged exorcisms." I spare you more of his efforts to separate the sheep from the goats in the American Church. I don't know whether I am a sheep or a goat, but I surely am a restorationist. My agenda is not secret, God knows. I'd like to restore the days when Catholic schools were crowded, seminaries and novitiates filled, and churches packed on Sunday. That may take a while. I see no signs the public media are going to improve the way they deal with religion. In the meantime, let us pray that the borers from within - and I mean boring - will soon lose their novelty, their followers, and then their lecture fees.
A matter ofattitude By Clifton J. Wood Director, Dennis Council on Aging One of our members brought me a news clipping showing a road sign which had the image of a person walking and the words on the sign read: "Slow Senior Citizen." Now this image which the sign depicts has two possible interpretations. It can mean a person who is not able to move quickly, or it can mean a person who does not think fast. All in all, the sign gives us a negative image of senior citizens. However, as in all situations, there are two sides to the issue. This sign could conjure up the positive side of life as a senior citizen. I am sure the state installed this sign to protect the safety of seniors liv- . ing in the area and meant it to be helpful. Recently I saw a gentleman with a tee shirt which read something like: "Gone - tension, Welcome - pension." I am not sure of the exact wording, but evidently the man had just retired. What I am saying is that we have choices at certain times in our lives. When we retire, we have the choice of slowing down our life style. Following many years of hard work filled with tension, fatigue, and many problems, we retire, and at last we can take life at our own pace choosing to get involved when and where we want to do so. Thus the sign can mean that we are taking life at our own pace and at a slower pace than when we were younger. I feel that those who give senior cititzens a hard time about taking life easier are jealous and wish they could trade places with us. A person anonymously wrote: "It's not how old we are, but how we are old." - The Cranberry Scoop. newsletter of Dennis Council on Aging
A BOSNIAN woman prays for peace during a recent Mass celebrated at Sarajevo's Catholic Cathedral by Archbishop Francesco Monterisi, the new Vatican ambassador to Bosnia. (CNS/ Reuters photo)
Violence said caused by whites VATICAN CITY (CNS) Much of the violence between rival black political groups in South Africa is being fomented by "extreme rightist whites" who are trying to prevent the development of a multiracial state, said an Italian priest-journalist after returning from South Africa. "The violence
is truly an ideological violence" by people opposed to political transformation, Comboni Father Efrem Tresoldi said in a Vatican Radio interview. Some white groups "do not want the majority blacks to have the chance to participate directly in South Africa's political life," he said.
Bisho:p Fisher dead' at '47 LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Auxiliary Bishop Carl A. Fisher of Los Angeles died Sept. 2 from the cancer he had been battling since 1991. He was 47 and one of 11 active black bisho ps in the United States. "Although I am still the youngest bishop in California, death is not discouraging for me. My life has been full, and ': can hardly wait to be with my God ," Bishop Fisher told Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles s'lOrtly before he died. In a statement, Cardinal Mahoney said, "Bishop Fisher was richly blessed by his Gc,d with innumerable virtues and attributes. "As a person and as a bishop, his entire life radiated energy and excitement. Just being with him created a sense of enthusiasm and joy - a contagio'ls spirit of delight in being a discipk of Jesus Christ." Cardinal Mahony and members of Bishop Fisher's family were with him when t.e died. Born Nov. 24, 1945, in Pascagoula, Miss., the fourth of 12 children, Bishop Fisher was taught by Holy Ghost nuns at St. Peter the Apostle Sch,)ol in Pascagoula. He later said, "I never realized they were wUte until I left Mississippi." Bishop Fishe~ would eventually join the Josephites. He entered the' Josephite order in 1965 and was ordained June :!, 1973. During his !:eminary years he met the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and he "had a significant impact on my life and my vocation," Bishop Fisher recalled in a 1988 homily. "He [King] told me about how Catholic priests, religious and laity had been involved in the civil rights struggle from the beginning." Bishop Fisher served in parish assignments ill Washington and Baltimore until his appointment in late 1986 as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles. I nstalled in February 1987, he was the first black Catholic bishop to servl~ in the western United States. During his :nid-Atlantic assignments, the Baltimore Sun newspaper creditc:d his "exuberant, energetic" preaching style for attendance having "skyrocketed" at St. Franci~ Xavier Church, the oldest U.S. black Catholic parish. While som'~ people called him a "hot-dogger," Bishop Fisher said, "I prefer to call it preaching with enthusiasm." He added that he got his preachin!: style from his aunt, Wilma Mayfidd, a Baptist minister. He also developed a direct
evangelization program that became a national model, and won a $20,000 settlement on behalf of blacks barred from a Baltimore County swim club. And he found time to earn a master's degree in public relations from American University in Washington. "Jesus Christ was a great PR man," Bishop Fisher said. "He said let your works shine among men. Put your good works forth. That attracts people." In his first year as auxiliary bishop, Bishop Fisher spent one day a week teaching religion at a Catholic high school in the archdiocese; promoted vocations among black Catholic youth; and helped establish an annual African-American youth conference and the Altadena-Pasadena Black Catholic Association. He路 pursued an active lifestyle -six-mile runs, aerobics workouts and swims all before 8 a.m., followed by speaking engagements, and visits to hospitals, parishes and homes. That made all the more startling the announcement in May 1991 that Bishop Fisher had undergone colon cancer surgery. For months after the surgery, his cancer specialist reported he had undergone "a complete clinical remission," as rare as one in 1,000. The' bishop demonstrated his recovery during the Los Angeles riots of 1992, making repeated tours of what he called "the war zone," visiting and consoling affected parishioners. Before the surgery, though, his physician had warned him the cancer, despite "successful" surgery, might already have spread elsewhere. In September 1992, the doctor's fears were confirmed when extensive damage to the bishop's liver was found, requiring further surgery. Initially heseemed to recover but gradually his health worsened and last month he entered hospice care. But he found a bright side to his situation. Surgery, he said, taught him to alter his perfectionist personality and become a person who can "let go and let God lead me." "Full of great promise for the church Bishop Fisher's death at such an early age bewilders us all humanly speaking;" Cardinal Mahony said. "Surely his greatest gift to all of us over these years and months was in modeling how to endure suffering and how to offer our pains and sufferings for the good of others." Bishop Fisher is survived by his mother, five brothers, four sisters - one of them an Oblate Sister of Providence - and many nieces and nephews.
Native peoples topic
eNS pho."
BI~;HOP
FISHER
OTTAWA (CNS) - The Canadian bishops are preparing a "major intervention before the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples," said Archbishop Marcel Gervais, outgoing president. In his opening remarks to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops' plenary assembly, the archbishop also said the bishops were considering a statement on natural family planning. Archbishop Gervais, whose term as president of the conference was to end Aug. 31, said the brief would be presented in conjunction with a Nov. 8-9 consultation with historic mission churches: Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian and the United Church.
The Anchor . Friday, September 10, 199311
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New Orlando shrinE~ serves thousands of tourists ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS) When the newest attraction for visitors near Walt Disney World was dedicated last month the mood was festive but not commercial. About 3,000 people gathered for the dedication of Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine, which is just across Interstate Highway 4 from the Disney theme parks. The $7 million church, which seats 2,000 and can accommodate 1,000 more, is the new centerpiece of Catholic ministry to central Florida's visitors. It is intended to provide a spiritual oasis for the millions of tourists who yearly visit the Disney attractions, Sea World, Universal Studios, and other family entertainment features of the Orlando area. Bishop Norbert M. Dorsey of Orlando presided at the dedication rite, which more than a dozen bishops and scores of clergy attended. Father Joseph Harte, shrine director. said that when the church opened its doors for Masses last January, it immediately attracted 10,000 to 12,000 people a weekend - about double the number that had come to the previous temporary worship facilities. The shrine has daily Mass at 8 a.m. and weekend Masses at 6 p.m. Saturday and 7:30,9:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday. Father Harte said the shrine can be seen to the east from 1-4 -and is easily accessible from the interstate. Now that the new church is open, the former temporary church will be used for shrine offices, a gift shop, a museum and an evangelization center. The 17-acre property also features outdoor gardens with a rosary walk. Taking its cue from the entertainment industry surrounding it, the evangelization center will use a multimedia approach to provide visitors information about Christianity and the Catholic Church. "We have a marvelous oppor-
tunity for evangelization here," Father Harte said. He called the success of the shrine and its ministry to tourists an excellent example of postSecond Vatican Council lay involvement in the church. "The big thing we have going for us," he said, "is a great group oflay volunteers, a eorps of about 300 to 350 marvelous people." He said the volunteers do everything from ushering, singing, reading and distributing Communion at Mass to making weekly visits to about 25Q arf:a hotels to replenish supplies of informative pamphlets that tell visitors of the shrine, its Mass schedule and how to reach it. Father Harte began his ministry to tourists in 19,75, when with a Mass kit packed in a couple of suitcases and with the help of parishioners, he began celebrating weekend Masses for tourists at local hotels, beginning with just a few people in a small room but soon graduating to the use of large meeting rooms to accommodate the growing crowds. The 1981 now-retired Bishop Thomas J. Grady acted on Father Harte's proposal to build a permanent church for tourists and designated the project Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine. A temporary worship center was opened in 1986, and construction on the new shrine began in 1990.
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YOUNGSTERS HAVE soup at Casa of the Mother of God, a U.S. Catholic Health Association-sponsored home for Romanian orphans who were previously in a state hospital. Most ofthe children have treatable conditions, such as epilepsy and clubfoot. Similar homes in 152 countries are aided by the Holy Childhood Ass~ciation. (CNS/ Catholic Health Assn. photo)
Children helping children
Holy Childhood marks 150th birthday VATICAN CITY (CNS) - In 1843, the plight of abandoned Chinese babies inspired a French priest to organize a unique children's aid campaign, asking contributions of "a penny a month." Today, as it celebrates its 150th birthday, the Holy Childhood Association has come of age. Now a Vatican organization, it distributes $15 million annually toward schools, children's homes and other projects in 152 countries. All the money is still raised by young people, an eloquent example of children helping children. At a recent press conference, association officials presented these sobering facts: - Over the last decade, 1.5 million children have been disabled by bombings, mines, firearms and torture. - Some 12 million children have been forced out of their homes by war, and 5 million are growing up in refugee camps. - More than 100 million children are forced to work, often in inhuman labor conditions. - The scandal of sexual exploitation of children through prostitution and pornography has become a worldwide phenomenon,
often fed by "sex tours" offered by Western agencies. - In half of 100 developing countries, the percentage of children enrolled in primary schools is decreasing - an alarming development. "International opinion cannot ignore the unbearable conditions that afflict millions of children throughout the world," said Msgr. Henri Bodet, secretary-general of the Holy Childhood Association. "These are dramatic situa'tions affecting the physical, moral and religious life of young people, who are innocent victims of the irresponsibility or the perversity of human society," he said. Against this sea of problems, what can children do? That's where the spirit of Father Charles de Forbin-Janson comes in. He founded the association on the belief that the natural generosity of children would make them eager partners in a missionary aid program. Today, the association's young members continue to make small sacrifices and their own contributions. They sometimes choose a single country and try to learn about its people and their hard: ships. They are guided by thou-
Little-known Vatican mission seeks to influence U.N. GENEV A (CNS) - Away from the spotlight of United Nations headquarters in New York, the Vatican maintains a little-known mission in Geneva that carries the message of the church to important elements of the U. N. system. The Vatican has permanent observer status at the United Nations, and Archbishop Paul F. Tabet, a Maronite born in Lebanon and former nuncio in Nigeria, is currently permanent observer in Geneva. "We're not here to give anybody lessons," he said in an interview at the mission. "But we say what the church has taught us." "We try to elevate the debate. All the people here want to promote justice and peace, but sometimes they get caught in the swamp of politics." Formerly housed in Geneva
apartments, the mission 'now operates from a new residence in the adjacent village of Chambesy, an area that has some other missions, including that of the United States. Archbishop Tabet is aided by French priests Msgr. Christophe Pierre and Father Felix Hutin. U. N. agencies based in Geneva include the Commission on Human Rights, High Commissioner for Refugees, International Labor Organization, World Health Organization and some others of lesser immediate concern to the Vatican. The Vatican mission concentrates on humanitarian affairs, and particularly follows agencies and meetings on such topics as human rights and refugee questions. . Archbishop Tabet said he would like to see the U.S. church following U. N. activity in Geneva more closely.
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sands of volunteers who instill a simple message: that helping the needy is a basic duty of Christianity. The Holy Childhood Association began with established, richer churches helping missionary areas. But today there is a more equal exchange, and poorer countries like Sri Lanka, Colombia and Mexico have hundreds of thousands of association members. Msgr. Bodet said he participated years ago in a liturgical ceremony in a poverty-ridden area of central Africa, and a procession of ragclad children came up to offer him their coins. "At first I didn't want to take them, but they insisted: 'Take this and use it for children poorer than .us,''' he recalled. About 5 percent of the association's funding now comes from children in Third World countries, he said. . Sister Maria Teresa Crescini, who heads the Italian branch of the association, said the act of giving and sharing helps break the "shell of selfishness" many children have. It also initiates them into the missionary life of the church and opens their eyes to the wide varieties of people who make up the church. Children understand concrete gestures best, Sister Crescini said, and that's why the Italian Holy Childhood office has launched a boycott against "made in Thailand" toys. Children are told about a 12year-old Thai girl named Jade who was rounded up one morning with other young villagers and taken to a makeshift factory in a city where she works 12-14 hours a day assembling dolls, miniature trains and toy soldiers. In compensation her parents receive about $150 a year. Girls who manage to escape their taskmasters are often afraid to go back home and so turn to prostitution for survival. "We want the children to know where these toys come from and why they cost so little. We ask them to refuse to accept any toy made in Thailand," Sister Crescini said. In Brazil, the association has . denounced the killing and mutilation of children for human organs. It also has opened several houses for street children.
Fundamentalists contend that Peter was never appointed by Christ to be the head ofthe Church for the simple reason that the Church has only one head, one foundation: Jesus Christ. As for the papacy, it is an institution that arose out of third-century politics and has no connection with the' New Testament. It was designed to give the Catholic Church an authority it simply does not have. Such statements are incredible in the light of historical fact and of the Bible itself. In the Gospel we see that Jesus singled out Peter from the 12 Apostles and gave him a unique position of leadership and authority when he told him, "You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Then he added, "I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Save for the last clause, these words were spoken to Peter alone. (Mt 16: 18-19) I Fundamentalists have tried to explain away the meaning of Jesus' words and deny that he gave Peter any position of authority. They say, for example, that Jesus built his Church not on Peter but on the faith Peter professed when he said, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Mt 16:16) This faith is the solid rock on which the Church is founded. So they say. This argument is almost ludicrous and is no longer taken seriously by leading Protestant biblical scholars. If you read the text without any prejudice, the meaning is perfectly clear. Notice the parallel. Peter says to Jesus, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus responds, "You are Peter and upon this rock (solid foundation) I will build my church." Then Jesus said to Peter, "I will give you the keys ofthe kingdom." The keys are a symbol of authority, the authority of the master of the house. The authority of the royal chamberlain in Israel was like that of a prime minister in today's society. There may be a cabinet of several ministers, but only one prime minister, who is the chief spokesman for the government. So it was with Peter. He was given the "keys of the kingdom of heaven," that is, the supreme authority in the Church, an authority greater than that of the other Apostles. The preeminence of Peter is made very clear. First, in every Gospel list of the Apostles 'he is named first. In the Book of Acts, his leadership is evidenced time and again. In the first chapter, it is Peter who stands up in the midst of the Apostles and tells them they
should choose another Apostle to fill the vacancy left by Judas' death. They agree and si::lect Mathias. It is Peter who on the day of Pentecost preaches the first Christian sermon. He is the spokesman for the Church. In chapter 4 of Acts, his preeminence emerges further as he addresses the Sanhedrin. He is on trial, yet with selfassurance he actually puts the Sanhedrin on trial for crucifying Jesus. They are flabbergasted! Who does this fisherman think he is? He is the Christ-appointed viCar of the family of God. In Acts 10, Peter is the first to authorize and receive a Gentile into the Church: the centurion Cornelius. Peter justifies this move by a vision the Lord gave him. The Apostles submit. His word carries weight. Finally, in Acts 15, we have a small ecumenical council in Jerusalem. A huge debate was tearing the Church apart. After hearing the arguments pro and con, Peter took toe floor and told the Apostles how God had given his Holy Spirit to the Gentiles and purified their hearts by means of faith and baptism. Circumcision is not needed. That was the big issue. Peter has spoken. All agree. Now, has the office of Peter as head ofthe Church been passed on to successors? Jimmy Swaggart denies this. He affirms without blinking that for 300 years there was no pope. That's plain ignorance. Look up the story of the popes in any library and you will find the names of all the popes from St. Peter to our day. John Paul II is the 264th pope in an uninterrupted line of succession. He occupies the office and has the authority of Peter in the Church. Finally, a word about the much misunderstood "infallibility" ofthe pope. It does not mean that the pope cannot sin, as some think. Nor does it mean that he cannot make mistakes. He is infallible in very limited and well-defined circumstances: when he teaches officially on points of Catholic doctrine and morals, he is protected by the Holy Spirit from teaching anything false, contrary to God's revelation. We believe Jesus gave the Church that assurance when he said, "You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the forces of evil will not prevail against it." In conclusion, the Church has remained one, undivided and strong for more than 19 centuries because she has one head, Peter and his successors, the popes who have been at the helm, teaching in the name of Jesus with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
Heart Trouble "If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."-Bob Hope
The Anchor Friday, Sept. 10, 1993
Electronic'Scf'iptorium monks serve computer age NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CNS) -.:. In the Middle Ages, Catholic monks combined education, artistry and patience to produce books and documents, ccpied by hand in painstaking detail. In the 1990s. the same advanced education and dedication to detail have involved some of today's monks in the modern version of the same kind of work. copying sophisticated information into computer data bases. "We believe that the tools of work are as blessl:d as the vessels on the altar," Brother Benedict Simmonds of Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Va., ':old the Catholic Transcript, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn. "The hammer is as bIe-,sed as the computer. What w~ are doing is blessed." His community of Cistercian monks is one of three monasteries that contract thlOugh a Virginia company called :::Iectronic Scriptorium to compkte projects such as the conversion of 10,000 records from the card catalog of the Yale University Cross Campus Library in New Haven. The two other monasteries are in Kentucky and North Carolina. Ed Leonard, \\ ho founded Electronic Scriptorium in 1992, had become familiar with the monks of Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville during a localla nd dispute in the mid-1980s. For years the monastery's main source of revenue has been the sale of .homemade fruitcakes, and a computer system was donated in 1991 to automal e the mailing list. But during tt,e eight months a year when the computers weren't needed for the fruitcake business, the keyboards sat idle. Brother Simnonds, a former librarian, knew libraries around the country wer~ trying to convert card catalogs into electronic information, so with Leonard's capital and busine~:s expertise, Electronic Scriptorium was created to leap into the grJwing market. The venture is "an experiment economically" ':or the monastery, but the monks have a backlog of work arid are in demand, said the brother. The computer work is part of the monks' "OpJS manua," or work duties, which, along with contemplative prayer/spiritual readings and communa; worship, compose the basic structure of their daily lives. Because of t neir other responsibilities, meeting strict deadlines is tougher for the monks, who may only be able to work four hours a day. Electronic Scriptorium also employs a lay force of II to type what the monks can't get to when a job demands eight- or lO-hour days. So far most clients have been libraries, but ':he Holy Cross Abbey's largest j:>b to date has been the conversion of medical records from Johns Hopkins University. "The appea ling thing for us is that we assurr.ed the monks had a higher level of education and were somewhat fa.niliar with foreign languages," said Monty Montee, Yale's chief of catalogs and head of processing for Yale. "It would not be merely rote." The monks also have access to a huge data base, which includes the Library of Congress collection, against which to match Yale's information, added Montee, who
JEFFREY E. SULLIVAN
learned about Electronic Scriptorium through his friendship with Brother Simmonds. Despite the demand for the monks to process data, Leonard doesn't expect there will be a huge new market. For one thing, except through Electronic Scriptorium, the general public has no access to the monasteries. "A stranger cannot walk off the street and into the monastery and do business," Leonard said. "My business with them got started because I knew them on a nonbusiness level."
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Feminists support devotion to Mary SAN ANTONIO (CNS) Christian feminists seek to join feminist ideals with devotion to Mary, said a speaker at a San Antonio symposium on "Mary and the Challenges of the Feminist Movement." "When feminism began in the 1960s. it was an anti-reaction to traditional Judeo-Christian values," said Sidney Callahan, a psychology professor at Mercy College in New York. Feminists saw the Catholic Church as a repressive force against women and felt it held up Mary and her virginity at the cost of her sexuality, giving the impression that the ideal woman was subservient, according to Mrs. Callahan. But that view shows a misunderstandi ng of historical evidence. she said. adding that Mary's many titles reflect her as a real woman. "Mary was everyone," she said. Her role is being rethought by some feminists who note that Marian influences often have been at the forefront of change in the church, she said. In fact, various images of Mary specifically relate to feminist interests. Those include, she said, a new appreciation of motherhood, an emphasis on the shared wisdom and cooperation of women, interest in overcoming oppression, and valuing relationships and family, which all connect feminism to traditional Marian attributes, according to Mrs. Callahan. "Feminists can accept and appreciate all the beautiful Marian images," she said.
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Boston said of Bishop Hughes in a Continued from Page One statement, "I shaIl miss his wise now Ii member of the bishops' counsel, effective collaboration Administrative Committee and Administrative Board, their Wel- . and unfailing support. The.archdiocese has been served weIl by fare Emergency Relief Committee him." and an ad hoc committee on Bishop Hughes is scheduled to canonical determination on the be instaIled in Baton Rouge Nov. 4 age of confirmation. in ceremonies at St. Joseph's He was a member of the draftBsnld"l1 Since 1825 Cathedral. On Sept. 29 he will ing committee for the proposed MEMBER FDiCIDlFM pastoral letter of the U.S. bishops celebrate a farewell Mass at a BosEQUAl. HOUSING e LENDER ton church. on women's concerns. The amended final draft ultimately became a report issu(:d by the bishops' Executive' Committee. Bishop Hughes and another drafting committee member, Archbishop William C. Levada of Portland, Ore., were co-authors of a so-called "minority report" which had sought to amend the last draft of the statement in several areas. Officesat550FishRd., Tiverton During discussion of the proposed women's pastoral on the Heating Oil • Diesel Fuel _ _- I floor of the bishops' 1992 fall Gasoline Continued from Page One general m(:eting, the changing ap"0 Christ the King, protect the proach to the text's succeeding Automatic: Delivery pope. Lithuania on its knees prays." drafts on the subject of women's Budget Plans 0 0 0 Although communist rule has ordination became a major focus. Sales, Service & Installation of Oil Heating Systems ended. the cross-planting tradition From the floor, Bishop Hughes said, "The stakes do seem to be continues. Earlier this year, Valdas Vai- raised by the public statements vada, 23, and his 22-year-old girl- made by some members of our friend, Diana Stariova, planted a conference which not only expressed opposition to the text but cross. "We put up a small one." said also expressed public dissent from Vaivada, extending the entire the church's teaching on ordinalengths of his thumb and forefinger. tion." In a statement to the people of "We were celebrating our friend's the Baton Rouge diocese, the wedding, and it is an ancient cus- bishop said, "I ask you to receive tom to put up a cross as best this pilgrim from the north as your wishes for a good life," he said. brother in the Lord, committed to The papal visit to Lithuania was walk the journey of faith with followed by a stay in Latvia Sept. 8 you." and 9 and in Estonia today. At In a separate statement to Bospress time no reports were availa- ton Catholics, he said, "I am ble on his activities in those nations.. humbled by this expression of conCall Citizens-Union Savings Bank at 5086754316 fidence, pained by the realization Well-Bred that I wiIl no longer belong to the "Conscience is thoroughly well- church in Boston and excited by bred, and soon leaves off talking the invitation to shepherd another ,........... local church." to those who do not wish to hear Member FDIC/DIF LENDER Cardinal Bernard F. Law of it."-Samuel Butler
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THE ANCHOR-Diocese of FalI River-':'-Fri., S'ept. 10, 1993
By Charlie Martin
CAN'T HELP FALLING LOVE
By Linda L. ,Rome
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Every day, teenage girls and young women struggle with the question: What does it mean to be a woman in today's world? As the expected roles of men and women change, it becomes harder and . harder for teenage girls to know what is right and womanly behavior. How do you define a real woman? In fairly common usage, the idea of "a real man" conjures up images of a strong, silent type who can be depended upon in a crisis, who is cool-thinking, level-headed, unemotional. The female counterpart, "a real woman," evokes the image of a loving wife and mother who cares about the needs and desires of others before her own needs - someone who is giving, unselfish and uncomplaining. But do these stereotypes help us live the way God intended? Or do they blind us to our own talents and gifts, to true knowledge of our own natures,' as we try to develop as full persons? Is a real woman defined by the expression of her sexuality? Pop music star Madonna seems to say womanhood is in the way women look, how they flaunt their bodies and in the power their sexuality gives them in the minds or others. But too often it seems that this is the trap media images lay for teens, both boys and girls. Many boys learn to expect behavior from girls that is unrealistic and self-defeating. And girls feel pressured to look "sexy" as a way to prove their womanliness.
. But it's not the packaging: It's wbat's inside that counts. Here are some questions a young woman might ask herself to avoid stereotypes that may trip her up. - Does a "real" woman deny her skill in math or science because her boyfriend, brother or father is intimidated by her skill, or because her mother thinks those subjects are "for boys"? , - Does a "real" woman hide homemaking skills such as cooking and sewing because they are traditionally associated with women and they prevent her from "doing better" nowadays? - Is a "real", woman afraid to be competent and in charge because boys, and even her girlfriends, might make fun of her? - Does a "real" woman depend only on logic and reason, ignoring her gut-level response to Ii situation. Is she ashamed of her intuitive knowledge, which is not supposed to be' as valid as rational knowledge? If you are a young woman who answered no to these questions, you're beginning to understand the spiritual strength you need to be the woman you were really meant to be. . As you pray for guidance to develop that spiritual strength, look to the women around you, perhaps your,mother, someone in your church community or a neighbor you admire. .' Let the everyday witness of women you admire show you how to balance the complex demands of being a "real" woman in today's world.
St. John Evangelist
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Stephanie Meegan will present a workshop for parents, "Deflecting Peer Pressure: SociaISurvival Skills for Peer Relationships,"7:30 p,m, Sept. 14' at St. John the. Evangelist School, Attleboro, Program topics include: - strategies for introducing prosocial skills whicn help children become the type of person other,S enjoy befriending , - techniques for encouraging assertive body language in child- , ren's social interactions .~ approaches to peer problem solving - strategies for defusing des.tructive teasing so children can avoid the cycle of victimization - alternatives for coping with peer presslJre when the "just say _no" message is not practical Young people who have skill and confidence in their peer relationships are more resilient. As social competence grows, they are better able to cope with negative pe<;r pressure. Socially skilled children are more willing to base actions and choices on their own personal values. Most children want to stay out of trouble. but
they also want to keep friends, We need to teach them realistic ways of achieving both these constructive g~als. This program provides adults with the tools they need to help children become "peer pressure survivors." , Mrs. Meegan is the author of nationally acclaimed pro'grams on peer assertiveness, self-esteem, peer pressure, and the prevention of abuse and abduction. She is a featured speake'r for ed ucational conferences, colleges" social service organizations and health associations in both the United States and Canada. A teacher's workshop on this subject was offered Aug. 27 at St. John's so that parents and teachers can work t'ogether to deal with this problem.
Let's Party "Spring is nature's way of saying "Let's party''''-Robin Williams
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GOD'S ANCHOR HOLDS ~~~-~~~~~~~
Wise men say Only fools rush in But I can't help Falling in love with you Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? I can't help Falling in love with you As the river flows . Gently to the sea Darling so it goes Some things are meant to be Take my hand Take my whole life too For I can't help Falling in love with you I can't help Falling in love with you I can't help Falling in love with you I can't help Falling in love with you I can't help Falling in love with you Written by George David Weiss/Hugo Peretti/Luigo Creatore WHEN I SAY "The King," Clearly, I prefer the original to UB40's up-tempo version. who would you think of! If No matter what your musical' your answer is Elvis, then either preference, the song's message you are old enough to be parneeds to be tempered. When it enting teens or you are a young comes to love, ignoring the p,erson who ~nows the history advice of"wise men," - namely of rock. to slow down passion's inten.Either way, you will recogsity and infatuation's drive - is nize UB40's "Can't Help Falto find that love has evolved lingln Love" as a remake of the Elvis classic, ' into disappointment, and maybe a broken heart. , As I write this column, the Sure, the sense of falling in song sits atop the charts, provlove is a terrific feeling and ing that you don't have to be experience. However, it should near as good as the "King" to not be the principal reason why make money off his tradition.
,one invites another to "take my whole life too." Instead, get'to kno~ the person over a length of time, at least a year, and possibly longer. Find out'if there is more to the relationshi p than romantic feelings, sexual desire and frequent longing to be with the other individual. Think about your own goals and dreams. How will they fit into what the other person wants for his or her life? Observe what goes on when conflict occurs. If no conflict ever occurs between you, be even more wary. Ask yourself these questions: -Is there honest, yet respectful discussion, without judgment or blame on each of you? -Do you work together to resolve the conflict, building a consensus that both of you can , accept? -In exploring each other's spirituality; do each of you experience God's presence in your lives? - What priority is given to nurturing this relationship with God? -Do each of you enjoy involvement in your parish, or, if Catholicism is not shared, is there mutual respect for each other's church? None of these questions is meant to dampen the joy of romance. However, when making a decision about falling in love and making a permanent commitment, keep your head on straight, even as your heart fills with emotion. .Such ideas will never sell tapes and discs, but they do flow from the insight of wise men and women. Slow love down, allowing you to build the type of relationship that has a better chance to endure. , Your comments are welcomed by Charlie Martin, RR3, Box 182, Rockport, IN 47635.
Local student attends CU A biology course Julia K. Swyers a member ofSt. Mary's parish, Mansfield, and a senior at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, was one of28 scholarship recipients attending a recent weeklong science course at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. , Each summer, full-tuition scholarships are available at CU A for high school and college biology teachers and students interested in learning alternatives to testing with animals. The course in tissue culture and in vitro toxicity testing is sponsored by the university'S Center for Advanced Training in Cell and Molecular Biology. Participants learn they can conduct some experiments at the cellular level rather than use mice, rabbits and other animals. Tuition grants are made available through the New York-based American Fund for Alternatives to Animal Research.
LAB ASSIGNMENT: Julia Swyers, left, a senior at Bishop Feehan High' School, works with Ana Garcia of the eVA biology department during a weeklong science program at the university during the summer. (Catholic University of America photo) cytotoxins on cells and preparation of human chromosomes spreads. Explanatory videotapes' are available. Participating schools pay only shipping and handling fees.
For high school teachers and students who cannot attend short courses or wish to supplement intensive training, the CU A center offers CellServ. This program allows secondary school instrucFor information, write or call tors to introduce animal cell culRoland M. Nardone, director. ture to students without excessive Center for Advanced Training in costs of time and money. CU A Cell and Molecular Biology. The provides schools with kits that . Catholic University of America, cover topics such as the effects of Washington, D.C.;(202)319-6161.
Rock show debuts DENVER (CNS) - In a move designed to reach young radio audiences, the Catholic Communication Campaign is launching "New Rock & Talk," a half-hour radio program. featuring "alternative rock" music mixed with discussions of issues critical to the positive personal development of youth.
in our schools
ROAD AND ROOF renovations were on the summer agenda at Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River.
Bishop Connolly High School Bishop Connelly High School, thanks to some extremely generFall River, be!;an the 1993-94. ous gifts. We're very grateful for school year with a stable en- the support of people who see the rollment after having undergone value of this school in the comsome major improvements over munity," said L'Heureux. the summer months. Students reported for orienta"We're very optimistic and contion last week and classes began fident about the future," said Jim Sept. 7. L'Heureux, director of admissions. "This is an exciting year for us," "Our freshmen dass numbers are L'Heureux noted. "We have sucstrong and our facilities are in fancessfully completed our self-study tastic condition after some major for our 1O-year accreditation and renovations." Those includ,~d substantial re- we will receive a visiting committee from the New England Associsurfacing of the school's roadway ation of Schools and Colleges in system and rep:lirs to the school October." roof. Both wero: damaged in last Bishop Connolly High School winter's severe weather. "Our track h2.s been completely has been fully accredited by the resealed and our tennis courts have NEASC since it opened in the mid been totally re"urbished as well, 1960s.
St. lVlary-Sacred Heart School Enrollment at St. Mary-Sacred Heart School, North Attleboro, is at 229 this year, up from 220 last year, according 10 principal Alberta Goss. Mrs.Gos>and her staff were in school last week preparing for opening day Wednesday. "The large increase in enrollment speaks well of our dedicated teachers and fine program," 1.1rs. Goss said. New additions to the teaching stafft J1is year are Delaine Cummings, grade 3, and Mary Ellen Smith, grade 6. S MS H will continue its morning extended day program this i-i
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year with Sharon Hamilton supervising children from 7:30 a.m. until school opening at 9. September will be a busy month for SMSH students and teachers. School director Rev. Marcel Bouchard will celebrate an Opening of School Mass at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 13. Grade 5 will hear North Attleboro Police Sgt. Danny Coyle talk about drug awareness on Sept. 16. Parents will be able to see freshly painted downstairs classrooms and meet faculty at at:! open house Sept. 26. "We look forward to a busy and challenging year," Mrs. Goss said.
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illl SCHOOL START: S1. Mary-Sacred Heart School principal Alberta Goss gets help from seventh-grader Dominic Tedino as ~;he sorts materials for the new school year, which began Wednesday.
Salve Regina
THE ANCHOR--Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 10, 1993
Among faculty promotions announced by president Dr. Lucille McKillop, RSM, at Salve Regina As the -1993-94 school year beUniversity, Newport, RI, is the gins at Taunton's Coyle and Casappointment of Frederick Lupone sidy High School, eight new memof Sand wich to associate professor bers join the faculty, inCluding of information systems science. Rev. Gerald P. Barnwell, the new Chairman of the ISS department, school chaplain. Lupone holds a bachelor of science New teachers are John Baran, degree from LeMoyne College and Brenda Berard, Daniel Larkin, Sisand MBA from Boston College. ter Ellen McCarthy, Tracy MurAnthony P. Travisono of Jamesray, Brian Nichols and Sergio town, RI, director of the InternaRodrigues. tional Institute for Correctional Studies at Salve, has been invited Two new appointments have to present a paper entitled "Cor- been made to the school's acarections as a Profession" in War- demic board. Sister St. Paul Colsaw, Poland, Oct. 6 at a weeklong lard has been named chairperson symposium on corrections. Approxof the newly-establisheq computer imately 70 leaders in the correcscience department, and Dr. Mary tions field from around the world Pat Tranter has been chosen to will participate. head the science department. The Career Development CenThe student body will select its ter at Salve Regina has announced leaders next we,~k at assemblies, a partnership with the Newport voting for representatives to the County Chamber of Commerce newly-restructured leadership aswhich will expand the number of sembly and for class officers. businesses benefiting from the Speeches and elections are slated student interns. The services offers for Sept. 14 and 15. members of the Chamber of ComOther events on the September merce the opportunity to employ, calendar include orientation for on a paid or volunteer basis, uniparents of freshmen 6 to 9 p.m. versity students for eight to 10 Sept. 16; the first student dance of hours per week. the year 8 to II p.m. Sept. 25 and The university's internship program already encompasses over 100 sites in ;\lew England, with an additional 25 outside the region. For information. on the program contact Bernice Whitaker at (40 I) 847-6650 ext. 2913. Dr. Sergey Fedorenko, visiting CHICAGO (CNS) - The bus professor of international relations at the university, will offer a series parked behind an apartment comof9 a.m. to noon Saturday work- plex in a suburban.Chicago neighshops on "Doing Business in Rus- borhood won't transport its users sia" on a credit and noncredit anywhere but it will take them any place they want to go ~ through basis. Credits may be applied reading, that is. toward a master of arts degree in It's a "literacy bus" for Hispanic international relations at Salve. adults, who in turn will be expected The workshops are as follows: - Political/ social environment to help their children with their in Russia/Commonwealth of In- own reading. Directing the program will be dependent States; Sept. II, 18, 25 Sister of St. Joseph Marybeth Mcand Oct. 2. Dermott, who has spent 40 years -Economic/ legal environment teaching children to read. She will in R ussia/ CIS; Oct. 16,23,30 and bring the bookmobile-turned-c1assNov. 6. room into two Chicago-area neigh- Business options and opporborhoods with sizable Hispanic tunities in Russia/CIS; Nov. 20. populations. Many are recent imDec. 4, II and 18. migrants kept from job advanceDr. Fedorenko was previously a ment by their inability to read. senior research fellow at the U.S. Naval War College. From 1985 to 1990 he was a member of the advisory team which assisted former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in designing his revolution in Soviet domestic and foreign affairs. AUSTIN, Texas (CNS) - From For information on the workshop series contact the SRU grad- cathedrals to out-of-the-way misuate admissions office, (401) 847- sions, Paulist Father Bruce Nieli 6650. ext. 2908. . travels about 80 percent of his work time, with a Bible in one pocket of his black coat and a calendar in th,~ other. And that's how he likes it. As director of evangelization Recent box office hits for the Texas Catholic Conference, the only job of its kind in the coun1. The Fugitive, A-II (PG-13) try, Father Nieli most enjoys the 2. Needful Things, 0 (R) time he spends with the people 3. Hard Target, 0 (R) leading parish missions, celebrat4. The Man Without a Face, ing Mass, speaking and teaching. A-III (PG-13) "Evangelization is communicat5. The Secret Garden, A-I (G) ing the good news of Jesus Christ," 6. Jurassic Park, A-II (PG-13) he said. "It is helping people fall in 7. Rising Sun, 0 (R) love with Jesus Christ and embrace 8. In the Line of Fire, A-III (R) him in the Catholic Church. There 9. Free Willy, A-II (PG) is an evangelizing spirit in Texas 10. Sleepless in Seattle, A-III (PG) - no doubt about it." Since 1987, the year after Father Nieli became director of evangelization for both the Austin diocese and the'statewide conference, Texas has seen a s:.gnificant increase in the number of Catholic converts. "It seems to be the case that the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation Š 1993 eNS G,ao"cs
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Coyl,e-Cassidy High School the opening of school liturgy 9 a.m., Sept. 29. The 1993 sports season begins tomorrow as the Warrior football team plays in the Bristol-Plymouth Football Jamboree against the Craftsmen at 3 p.m. The C-C team opens their season at home on Sept. 18 against Dartmouth. The girls' soccer team travels to Old Rochester on Sept. 13 to begin their campaign, while their male counterparts host Bishop Feehan on Sept. 14. The volleyball teams take to the court for the first time on Sept. 14 in a non-conference match at North Attleboro. In cross country, the boys and girls host runners from Bishop Stang on Sept. 22. The Coyle and Cassidy Food Pantry, now in its second year of existence, is in need of donations. The school welcomes any help in meeting the needs of the more than 150 families the pantry assists at the end of each month. The pantry will next be open 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 25. To make a donation, contact the school at 823-6164.
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BookJmobile turns "literacy bus" to help Latinos read On the bus will be four tutors who will give instruction. Sister McDermott said she will also spend part of her time instructing preschool-age children of the adults being tutored. In addition, the adults will set up a cooperative childcare network for one another's children. Time spent babysitting qualifies as community service, making participants eligible for the SHARE food program, which provides food at reduced cost in exchange for -volunteer work. The literacy bus is a project of the Sisters of St. Joseph of .La Grange, who have run schools in the Chicago area since the early 1900s.
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of Adults) program implemented in Texas dioceses 10 years ago, has instilled in Catholics on a parish level a desire to incorporate into the parish," Father Nieli said. "Texas has literally centuries of lay involvement in evangelization," said Father Nieli. "Coming from central Mexico's devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the state has enjoyed a rich and total evangelization spearheaded by the Franciscan friars who crossed the Rio Grande." Father Nieli, who began his priestly ministry in New York City, has a simple answer for those who wonder how to evangelize in a state that covers more than 265,000 square miles. "I have seen in every parish and every diocese, a nucleus of people who take their Christianity seriously," he said. "When I see them, I see saints. They keep me going, they evangelize me, they energize me. Much of my work is simply to affirm them. They are not the majority, but they are the salt of the earth."
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THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 10, 1993
Iteering pOintl PUBLICITY CHAIRMEN are asked to submit news Items for this column to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, 02722. Name of city or town should be Included, as well as full dates of all actlv'Itles. Please send news of future rather than past events. Due to limited space and also because notices of strictly parish affairs normally . appear In a parish's own bulletin, we are forced to limit Items to events of general Interest. Also, we do not normally carry' notices of fundralslng activities, which may be advertised at our regular rates, obtainable from The Anchor business otllce, telephone (508) 675-7151. On Steering Points Items, FR Indicates Fall River; NB Indicates New Bedford..
TAUNTON CHURCH BOWLING LEAGUE Persons interested in restoring the league under direction of Morton Hospital chaplain Father David Landry will meet 4 p.m. Sept. 19, Taunton Ten Pin, Winthrop St.
ST. ST ANISLAUS, FR Help needed moving St. Stanislaus School from St. Patrick's School campus to new St. ~tanlslaus facility Sept. 29-30; information: Denita Tremblay, principal, 674-6771. CATHOLICWOMAN'SCLUB,FR The 83rd season will open 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at Holy Name School. Pearce St., with an open meeting to which all local Catholic women are invited. Entertainers will be the Gregorian Concert Choir of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Providence, conducted by Rev. Anthony Mancini. Philip Farone is pianist. LaSALETTE SHRINE, ATTLEBORO Franco-American Pride Day Sept. 12 with bilingual Frenchl English Mass 12: 10 p.m. celebrated by Father Albert Brindamour, St. James parish, Manville, RI. Deacon Bernard Theroux of St. Mary's parish, Bristol, RI, will be homilist and music will be led by Father Andre Patenaude of LaSalette. A two-hour music program will follow, featuring the French-Canadian music group "La Sauterie" from Coventry, RI; Acadian music and dance led by fiddler Victor Albert and Arcand Richard; and Haitian music. The Shrine theater will offer French films throughout the afternoon. Fall session Bible Study Group directed by Father Joseph Ross begins Sept. 15; classes 10to 11:45a.m. Wednesdays, Shrine cafeteria. Dr. Bary Fleet, M.Div. D.Min., psychology teacher at Bryant College, Smithfield, RI, will lead the workshop"U nderstanding Ourselves and Others" 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 25, cafeteria. Partic'ipants will learn to recognize self-defeating behaviors, identify personality types and learn specific behaviors路and exercises to make life more satisfying. Preregistration required by Sept. 20 .. 1nformation: 222-5410.
SECULAR FRANCISCANS, POCASSET St. Francis of Cape Fraternity meeting 6:45 p.m. Sept. 14, St. John Evangelist Church, Pocasset, beginni.ng with rosary and continuing. w.lth holy hour, business meeting, dIalogue and sharing. Information: K. Pond, 888-8644. CATHOLIC NURSES, CAPE Cape-Islands Chapter of Catholic Nurses will hold potluck supper 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15, St. Pius X Church Hall, S. Yarmouth. Participants asked to bring a salad, vegetable or dessert to share and a place setting. The ninth annual Catholic Nurses' Sunday will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Mass Sept. 19, St. Francis Xavier Church, Hyannis. All Catholic nurses, members and nonmembers, are invited. Coffee and donuts will be served after Mass in parish hall. Information: Dee Santos, 775-3371. SS. PETER AND PAUL, FR Cubl Boy Scout signup after Masses this weekend and next; Cub Scouts meet 7 p.m. Thursdays beginning Sept. 16 and Boy Scouts meet Monday evenings.
LOWER CAPE ULTREY A Deacon Don Biron will speak on the Cursillo movement 7:30 tonight at O. L. Cape Church, Brewster. ST. MARY, NORTON Pro-life meeting 7 p.m: Sept. 14, parish center, to discuss plans for Sept. 25 126 diaper drive and participation in Oct. 3 Respect Life Walk in Boston. Information: Paul and Pauline Griffin, 222-4996. CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES, ATTLEBORO "Hope for Healing," 12-week group for adults striving to understand and heal painful experiences in family history, will meet 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Sept. 28. Group size limited; confidentiality assured. Information: 226-4780. ST. MARY, N. ATTLEBORO Megan Cavanaugh is the recipient of a Women's Guild Rev. Cornelius J. Keliher scholarship to Bishop Feehan High School. O.L. VICTORY, CENTERVILLE Children's clothing, shoes and boots will'be collected until tomorrow in parish office for Lithuanian Children's Relief, Inc.
KINGSTON, Jamaica (CNS)Like any inner city priest, Father Richard Albert deals with the poverty, teenage pregnancy and thugs with guns that come with the territory. But Father Albert, a priest from the Bronx, N.Y., who works in. Kingston, carries a heavier burden than his U.S. counterparts. Those he ministers to must survive without welfare checks, Medicaid and other government assistance. Father Albert, 46, who was raised in a Jewish family, arrived in Jamaica 17 years ago and today runs three parishes. Robust and energetic, he has remained in the area as other priests have come and gone. During a recent morning Mass at St. Patrick's, as roosters crowed and dogs wandered in and out, a woman thanked God "for getting me through the long night." Her home has no doors, making it easy for thieves to steal what little she has. "Many of the people in church don't know what they'll eat at night," Father Albert told a reporter from The New World, news-
paper of the archdiocese of Chicago. "They spend the day looking for food." Father Albert is trying to brea\.<. the cycle of poverty by teaching job skills. The hallmark of his ministry is a social services complex, a row of wooden shops that rivals the main street in a Western movie. It includes a women's health clinic, a library, a day-care shelter for the elderly and sewing, woodworking and tailoring sections. A solar-powered oven bakes as many as ;0 loaves of bread each hour. "This is what we need in the Third World," said Father Albert, gesturing toward the complex. "If you want to sell drugs, go ahead. If you're a teenager and want to get pregnant, go ahead. If you want to commit violence, go ahead. But if you want a chance, if you want to help yourself, we'll help you." Father Albert's parishes also support a school, a home for lepers and abandoned elderly and a soup kitchen at a shantytown located at a city garbage dump. The neighborhood is made dangerous by thugs who answer to no one. Many Jamaicans, fearing for
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BAZAARS, SUPPERS, & OTHER PARISH DELIGHTS
CALL 675路 7151
ST. MARY, NB "Spes Christi-The Hope of Christ" cancer support group meeting 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21, parish center. Meetings are open to cancer sufferers, their relatives and friends. Each begins in chapel with Benediction followed by speaker and discussion in parish center. Junior Girl Scout registration (grades 4-6) 6 p. m. Sept. 16, St. Mary's School. Information: Marie Guy, 995-9547. VINCENTIANS, TAUNTON Taunton District Council Mass 7 p.m. Sept. 13, St. Paul's Church. Meeting will follow in church hall.
Bronx priest battles Jamaican poverty
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FOR INFORMATION ON ADVERTISING
O.L. CAPE, BREWSTER Scripture study of Acts of Apostles 7: 15 p.m. Mo!)t1ays Sept. 27Nov. 29; information or registra" tion: Deacon Frank Camacho 394-5023 after 6 p.m. ' ST. ANNE, FR Nearly 200 pledges have been received in the spiritual adoption of a baby program sponsored by the parish. Those participating pledge to pray daily for a baby at risk of abortion that the mother will give him or her the gift of life.
their lives, keep their distance from the area. But those who live there seek a good family life, he said. "People themselves are basically very good, kind, generous, warm and loving." "If I had a Bible study and stations of the cross every night, they'd be here every night," he said. "They really know what it means to depend on God." One woman at Mass, Barbara Wilson, is struggling to feed her four girls. But she said she is getting by. "God helps us when we are in need," said Ms. Wilson. Father Albert said it's almost impossible for the average Jamaican to live decently. Two percent ofthe people own 80 percent of the wealth. The average wage is 300 Jamaican dollars - one chicken costs 90 Jamaican dollars. Despite the hardships, collections at St. Patrick's are steady, said the priest. "Some people don't eat so they can give to the collection. You can't take away people's dignity," he said. Father Albert himself is part of the Jamaican political' scene. Before recent national elections, the priest, a well-known activist, was scheduled to address the nation on television. His parish was chosen as the site for rival political parties to sign an agreement pledging nonviolence during the elections. That visibility makes him a possible target. One night Father Albert was awakened by his watchdogs. He got out of bed to see government soldiers climbing over the parish walls after seeing two nearby men with M-16 rifles.
No bargain
"ST. FRANCIS: Troubadour of God's Peace," produced by the Catholic Communication Campaign, will air 2 to 3 p. m. Sept. 12 on ABC affiliates WCVB-TV ChannelS, Boston, and WPRI-TV Channel 12, Providence. Leonard Defilippis portrays St. Francis, who nearly 800 years ago taught the world about peace and goodwill. To prepare for the drama, actor and writer Defilippis spent two months living in a skid row hotel, where he met outcasts, or "the lepers" that Francis loved so dearly. The experience compelled Defilippis to -reexamine his own life.
MANASSAS, Va. (CNS)-"A free education, if not done well, isn't much of a bargain," a home schooling mother offour told participants in the National Catholic Home Education Convention. More than 800 people from 28 states attended the recent convention in Manassas, adding momentum to what seems to be a growing movement among Catholic parents. Kimberly Hahn, a convert to Catholicism and frequent speaker on Catholic family life, said that if parents delegate the responsibility for educating their children, "we have to do so very carefully."