09.17.93

t leanc 0 VOL. 37, NO. 36

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Friday, September 17, 1993

FALL RIVER, MASS.

FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MA~SACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS Southeastern Massachusetts'Largest Weekly

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Pope welcomes f-LO-Israel accord

Photo by Frank Fennell/Dublin

TAOISEACH ALBERT REYNOLDS

First for both ~aoiseach, b i s h o p

By Pat McGowan "For all Irish ~Jeople, the search for peace in our own island is our greatest challenge," declared Ireland's taoiseach (prime minister) at ceremonies Tuesday night at Sto.nehill College, North Easton.

"I continue to believe the only way forward lies in a new accommodation between both traditions in Ireland and bel ween Britain and Ireland," continued Taoise~ch Albert Re)'nolds. " For that reason, the Irish government will do all in our power to restart the talks process that adjourned towards the end' of last year," he said.

Reynolds was at Stonehill for the opening of the college's Archive of Irish Government Official Publications, the mm.t comprehensive such collection in the United States, beginning with documents dating from 1922, when the Irish Free State was establi ,hed as a British dominion, through 1937, when Ireland became a sovereign state, and to the present.

Commenting 011 the international scene, Reynolds said"As a member of the European Community, Ireland is today wl)rking with our partners and with the wider international community in seeking new signposts and mapping a new way forward in the cO',duct of international relations. False certainties arising in recent decades from military capability or ideological rivalry or alliance politics have now given way to new challenges and fresh horizons.

"Foreign policy today is truly

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CASTE L GANDOLFO, Italy "It is the beginning of a difficult (CNS) - Pope John Paul II of- path, along which there will cerfered a prayer of thanks for the tainly be problems: This is the price of peace between peoples historic accord between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organi- and also the price of peace among zation, saying it marked the begin- hearts," he said.

The pope prayed that those rening of "a concrete and constructive" peace process in the region. sponsible for the negotiations be While recognizing that future protected and strengthened, and difficulties are likely between the added: "May God inspire trust two sides, the pope encouraged all among those who are still doubtful people - including those who are and who, having experienced so still "doubtful" about the agree- much disappointment and fear, ment - to give peace a chance to believe peace and justice are still develop. far away."

The pope commented at a SunThe pope ended his remarks day blessing Sept. 12 at his summer with a brief ref'erence to Jerusaresidence in Castel Gandolfo. Israel lem, whose,status was not covered and the PLO announced Sept. 9 by the Israeli-PLO agreement but that they would end decades of will be left to later negotiations.

"With these sentiments of hope, mutual hostility and recognize each other, paving the way toward lim- my thoughts cannot help turning to Jerusalem, city of the Lord and ited Palestinian self-rule.

The pope described the latest ' the crossroads of peace and broth~ steps as "historic signals of the erhood for the Holy Land, for the desire for peace" in a land long whole region and for all those who torn by conflict. live there," he said.

"We thank the Lord for having The pope has said he wants to inspired courageous leaders to visit the Holy City, but Vatican overcome mistrust, fear and serious officials have made clear that such objective problems, and to begin a trip could not take place before a - finally -, a concrete and con- peace agreement. On Sept. 13, structive process for the good of Vatican spokesman Joaquin Natheir peoples and the region," the varro-Valls saidthere was "nothing true" in a report that the Vatican pope said.

and Israel were trying to arrange a papal visit for Christmas Eve of this year.

The spokesman said it was likely that the pope would eventually make the trip to the Holy Land, but said there was "no direct connection" between such a visit and the Israeli-IPLO accord.

The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, said the PLOIsraeli agreement was "a great step forward on a road that should lead toward peace."

The commentary cautioned that a "long and difficult" process of negotiation still lies ahead, but said this first concrete achievement was an "exceptional" event.

Other Vatican sources una'nimously described the PLO-Israeli mutual recognition agreement as a crucial and positive step. They said that by improving overall peace prospects, it could also favor the work of the Vatican-Israeli commission that is studying bilateral problems with a view toward diplomatic relations.

Another Vatican source emphasized that the Holy See "wants the negotiations to continue in order to resolve all the existing problems. This is an important point."

Stonehilll~~~~~~~~~~.~~~~~_T~ur~nt~oP~q~el~3~~

global. A century ago, for example, starvation and violence in Somalia would scarely have been noted in world capitals. The tragedies of Yugoslavia and Somalia bear powerful testimony to the continuing need for a cohesive international response to regional tensions and disputes and to strengthening the United Nation!; role in the areas of preventive diplomacy, peace-keeping and peace-building. Inevitably, international institutions, especially the United Nations, will be required to playa more active and important role in global management.

"A central challenge facing the international community is to develop a new and coherent agenda for justice and development around the world. This will require new and broader strategies in relation to the environment and development and to the international financial and economic systems. It will require more rapid and substantial progress on disarmament and arms control.

"The paramount and absolute importance of human rights must, in all circumstances, be vigorously asserted by the international community. The poet Archibald MacLeish has written that 'the cause of human liberty is now the one great revolutionary cause.' Man's inhumanity to man has, no doubt, been a constant in human history, but in recent decades we have, beginning with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, come to accept that violations of human Turn to Page 13

Good Shepherd Sisters celebrate 150 years in 1U nited States The following account of the establishment of the Sisters of the Good Shephllrd in the United States is by Sister Mary Eileen Foley, RGS. In the Fall River diocese a Good Shepherd Sister is a pastoral minister at St. Luke's Hospital, New Bedford, and contemplative members of the community this year opened a convent in Harwichport. Editor

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It was the mid-19th century when five frightened young French girls were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, retching with seasickness and terrified by the hurricane that threatened to overwhelm their small boat and plunge them into the crashing waves.

One hundred and fifty years later, history describes them as five courageous missionaries sent to the New World by St. Mary Euphrasia, foundress of the Good Shepherd community, to offer help to exploited women, trapped by the shaky economy of the times and in danger of losing both virtue and life in the "land of opportunity."

It was at the initiative of one of the first bishops in the United States, French missionary Benedict Joseph Flaget, that the sisters traveled to Louisville, KY, to serve poor immigrant women, many from Germany and Ireland, who were easy prey for the unscrupulous.

The wharf on the Ohio River at Louisville bustlt:d not only with commerce but. with vice of all kinds in an unsavory atmosphere of drunkenness, gambling, and immorality.

"There are no less than 1,500 to 2,000 unfortunatt: females in Louisville, a city of nearly 30,000 inhabitants," Bishop Flaget had written

to his friend in France, then Mother M. Euphrasia Pelletier, who seven years before had obtained permission from Pope Gregory XVI to carry her zeal beyond Europe to victimized women in every country throughout the globe.

Today the Sisters of the Good Shepherd serve in 64 countries Turn to Page 13

PARTICIIPATING IN first Mass at Harwichport convent of contemplative Sisters of Good Shepherd are from left, Sisters Rose Virginie Behrend, Cecilia Dooley, Jean Brown and Elizabeth Correia with Father James Stewart, OFM Cap., Mass celebrant.

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2 THE ANCHOR -

Diocese of Fall River -

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Fri., Sept. 17, 1993

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LUNCH BREAK: Romanian orphans have lunch at the Children's Farm established by the Austrian Catholic charity, Caritas, to help Bucharest's street children. The homeless children have been taken to the farm as part of an effort to return them to society. (CNS/ Reuters photo)

Caritas runs farm to help Romanian street kids ARICESTI, Romania(CNS)"No Day is Normal Here" says a poster on the door. Another written in German says "Schritt fur Schritt" - "Step by Step."

The posters evoke two essential qualities - good humor ~nd patience - needed at the ChIldren's Farm in Aricesti, 40 miles north of Bucharest.

At Children's Farm, the Austrian branch of the Catholic aid group Caritas is showing Romania how the country could put a smile back on the faces of thousands of homeless, ragged, filthy and drug-addicted street children.

Through activities that range from milking cows to tilling a field, operating a lathe or building a house and a chapel, the children are learning how to live useful lives.

"These children were rejected by their communities, and we want to bring them back into society, give them self-confidence and a sense of usefulness," volunteer Tobias Jaklin, an architect from Berlin,

told the British news agency Reuters.

Since 1991 Caritas has established five houses for street children in Bucharest.

Almost 100 children live in these houses in small "family units," where they are taught how to live, study and work after breaking from the life of begging, solvent sniffing, stealing and prostitution on the streets.

Last year Caritas began to create the farm on private land that once belonged to a communist-era state farm.

Some 25 children, ages 7-17, were brought in as its founding residents..

"There's a big demand for the farm among the Bucharest street children. They all want to come here," said teacher Barbara Kerschner, an Austrian.

In the farm's dining room, 17 rules have been pinned to a board, including a reminder to sleep in pajamas, a custom evidently forgotten on the streets.

Catechist enrichment programs planned In addition to a religious ed ucation conference set for Sept. 25 at Bishop Stang High School, North Dartmouth, a number of enrichment programs are planned in coming months for catechists and directors of religious ed ucation.

They include Religious Education Month programs, all 2 to 4 p.m., as follows: -Oct. 31 at Our lady of Victory Church, Centerville, with Sister Rita Pelletier, pastoral minister at St. Mary's Church, New Bedford; -Nov. 7, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Seekonk, with Rev. Richard Delisle, MS, of LaSalette Shrine, Attleboro; -Nov. 14, St. John Neumann Church, East Freetown, with Rev. Thomas McElroy, SS.Cc., pastor ofSt. Francis Xavier parish, Acushnet; -Nov. 21, St. John of God Church, Somerset, with Rev. Robert S. Kaszynski, pastor of St. Stanislaus parish, Fall River.

Programs for DREs are: -"Come to the Water," 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 14, White's Restaurant, Westport (speaker to be announced); I

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-Day of Reflection in Thanksgiving with Irene Murphy, Dec. 10, Cathedral Camp, East Freetown (time to be announced); -"Creative Ideas for Liturgy" with Sister Muriel Lebeau, SS.Cc., principal of St. Joseph's School, Fairhaven, 9:30 a.m. to noon Jan. 27 at the school.

Catecheticalleadership programs are: -"Theological Reflections of the Sacraments" with Rev. Robert A. Oliveira, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 19, St. Julie Billiart parish, North Dartmouth; -"Curriculum," with Sister Mary Duffy, SSJ, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. May 12, St. Mary's parish, Seekonk. . Also upcoming are a multicul" tural workshop Nov. 6 at Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River; a symposium on domestic violence March 24 at Stonehill College, North.Easton; and a DRE Convocation June 12-15 at Cathedral Camp.

F or information on all programs, contact the Diocesan Department of Education, 423 Highland Ave., Fall River 02720; 678-2828.

Diocesan priests will begin Emmaus program in October

P"rostate cancer screenings free at St. Anne's

Priests of the diocese will particFor the fourth year, Saint Anne's ipate in the Emmaus program, Hospital, Fall River, will offer free which will begin with an introduc- , prostate cancer screenings to men tory convocation Oct. 25 to 27 at age 50 and older during a national the Tara Hyannis Hotel.

Prostate Cancer Awareness CamThe convocation will be followed paign to run Sept. 20 to 30. by four retreat weeks, two to take The hospital expects to test place at LaSalette Center for hundreds of men during the threeChristian Living, Attleboro, and day screening drive, said Richard two at Cathedral Camp, East FreeHellwig, M.D., chief of medical town. oncology. "Early detection and The third part of the Emmaus treatment are readily available and program consists of attendance in offer the best chance of survival self-selected groups at six monthly against this deadly disease," he meetings following whichever readded. treat week is chosen.

The screenings will be provided Program organizers explain that by appointment on a first come, "Emmaus means the conversion of eNS photo first serve basis from 5 to 8 p. m. disciples. It signifies disciples walkMonday, Sept. 20, Wednesday, BISHOP BALKE ing from the darkness of confusion Sept. 22 and Thursday, Sept. 23. and disappointment into the light The American Cancer Society of a renewed ministry. Meeting estimates that 35,000 men will die Jesus on the road ended in a n'ew from prostate cancer in 1993 and sense of mission. notes that the disease is the second "Emmaus means allowing the leading cause of male cancer deaths. risen Lord to break the breads of Although it predominantly strikes Word and Eucharist for the disciCROOKSTON, Minn. (CNS) men 70 and older, about 20 perples. Through the Emmaus pro- Bishop Victor H. Balke of Crookof patients are 65 and younger. cent cess brothers find their way to the ston, a war-tax resister in the VietEarly symptoms of prostate Lord and to one another. The nam era, has announced that he cancer are often undetectable. risen Lord ignites the flame of the will become an abortion-tax resisSymptoms which may appear later zeal of discipleship. ter if the V.S. government moves include difficulty or inability to "It is impossible to preprogram ahead with plans to subsidize urinate, frequent urination, weak a faith experience. The Emmaus abortions with federal funds. or interrupted urine flow, pain or method, however:is meant to create He urged others who oppose burning sensation upon urination a framework and atmosphere where abortion in conscience to do the or ejaculation, and pressure of such an encouter can be nurtured. same. blood or discharge in the urine or Through prayer, priestly fraternity, ''I'm one of those Americans semen.

Persistent pain in the lower retreat and small group opportunwho 'oppose government coercion back, hips or upper thighs can also ities, the diocese of Fall River will of taxpayer funds' for such a heisignal the condition. enter into a prayerful dialogue of nous purpose; I don't want public Preliminary screening for prosrenewal and spirilual growth." money subsidizing abortion," he tate cancer includes two tests which The three-part program will be wrote in his Aug. 19 column in his take approximately one minute concluded in October 1994 with a biweekly diocesan newspaper, Our each to perform. They are a digital final convocation, at which particNorthland Diocese. rectal examination (DRE) and a ipants will have the opportunity "I will not, therefore, voluntarprostate specific antigen (PSA) "to identify priorities, assess reily pay taxes to this government if blood test. sources and goals and initiate an it uses tax money to subsidize The Prostate Cancer Ed ucation action plan for further growth as a abortions," he added.

Council, the American Cancer presbyterate. " Bishop" Balke, 62, has been Society and the American V rologbishop of Crookston since 1976. ical Association recommend that During the Vietnam War in theall men between 50 and 70 years late 1960s and early '70s he was a old be tested annually. However, teacher and then rector of Immacmen who are part of population ulate Conception Diocesan Semi- groups with high rates of cancer, nary in Springfield, Ill. primarily men with a family hisPITTSBV RG H (CNS) - Father "Once before, for a period of . tory of prostate cancer and AfriRaymond Vtz, like a good father, years, I refused to pay taxes voluncan-Americans, should begin made daily visits while his youngtarily to the government," he wrote. annual tests at age 40. est charge was at Magee-Women's "This was during the Vietnam War, For an appointment or addiHospital. which I determined was an unjust tional information, persons may Father Vtz found a newborn and immoral war - a war in call the H udner Oncology Center baby boy Sunday, Aug. 22 at the which I would have participated at St. Anne's Hospital. 675-5688. doorstep of his rectory at St. had I voluntarily paid taxes.

The hospital is located at South Susanna Church in Penn Hills, "The government got my tax Main and Middle Streets, Fall Pa. V ntil the child was placed in money, but it had to come and get River. pre-adoptive foster care, he took a it out of my checking account," he personal interest in him.

"I thought I'd be a good substi- added, referring to Internal Revenue Service practices of attaching tute father," Father Vtz said.

HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - A wages and assets for unpaid taxes.

The priest told the Pittsburgh new organization called Catholics He quoted Thoreau's co~me~t Catholic, diocesan newspaper, that in Media will honor Catholics in that the wounding of conscIence IS the 8-pound, 8-ounce boy is "doing the entertainment industry with a form of bloodshed, in which the very well, thanks be to God." the first-ever Catholics in Media wound "bleeds to an everlasting It was 6: 10 a.m. Aug. 22 when Awards. Amongawardsto be given death."

Father Vtz left his rectory, headare a production award honoring "Thoreau refused to pay a poll ing for the church to prepare for movies and TV shows "of artistry tax because he was opposed to Mass. He saw the child immediateand integrity," and an individual slavery," the bishop wrote. "I will ly. achievement a ward honoring liferefuse to pay income tax because The baby was wrapped in clotime contributions that "affirm the I'm opposed to something worse thing covering his lower body, but highest ethical standards of the than slavery: the killing of unborn because the morning was brisk, Judeo-Christian tradition." infants." the baby was cold. Father Vtz got ~'If the pro-choice faction of the a blanket and towel to cover him Senate succeeds or if the presiand quickly called Penn H ills police dent's health care plan, soon to be and paramedics. proposed, is so passed that it for"We had about five minutes ces you and me to pay for aboralone together before the police tions, I hope there's a widespread At 5 p.m. Oct. 24 at St. Mary's arrived," he said. "It was very refusal to cooperate," he wrote.

Cathedral, Fall River, Bishop Sean 'moving to feel totally responsible He warned that when the IRS O'Malley will celebrate a Mass of for him." forces payment from tax resisters, Thanksgiving for diocesan couples Police and paramedics clamped they "will end up paying more observing 25th, 50th or other sigthe baby's still-attached umbilical because of penalties and interest." nificant wedding anniversaries in cord.

1993. For information contact your "This is a small price to pay for An investigation into the baby's saving one's conscience," he said. identity was continuing. parish priest.

Bishop won't put his money where his mouth is

Priest finds baby at rectory door

New awards

Anniversaries to be marked

THE ANCHOR- Diocese of Fall River -

POPE JOHN PAUL IIgreets a Lithuanian girl in native dress as she presents him with flowers. (eNS/ Reuters photo)

Popfe's Baltic trip a teaching TALLINN, Estonia (CNS) Pope John Paul I::'s first visit to the former Soviet Union was a wide-ranging teacbng mission in places where the church had been shaclded for decad,:s.

Taking advantage of the new intellectual freedom in the Baltic nations. the pope went to former Marxist academic centers and preached Catholic sociaf doctrine as the wave of the future.

On windy. ofter: rain-drenched fields. he praised Catholic perseverance under persecution and said this strong faith mllst be an important ingredient i 1 the region's future.

His speeches alsl) ranged across some of the major social and economic challenges f.icing the newly freed republics.

Noting the per:.ecution of all Christian churches under communism. the pope said that the shared suffering should stimulate ecumenism and joint efforts in rebuilding society.

The Sept. 4-10 papal trip was to the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. All were part of the Soviet Union for 50 years.

Throughout the weeklong visit, t he pope stressed t he need to look ahead. The task mow is to find the strength to create new societies, he said.

The pope summarized his over~ all message Sept. 10 as he left Riga, Latvia, for the Estonian cap. ital of Tallinn.

"It serves little purpose to limit oneself to perpetua ting the memories of a time when darkness fell," he said at the Riga ,lirport farewell, ceremony. "The h,:>ur of material and moral reconstruction'~ is at ' hand.

"What is good is not always comfortable," he !aid. "Its practice requires courage,· generosity, even renunciation."

Earlier in the tri:>, the pope said. that "it .is not difficult to see the hand of God" in the fall of Soviet communism. But he urged that forgiveness and reconciliation rather than revenBe should be the attitude toward the former communist masters.

The pope prayed that the Baltic 'countries would U!1dergo a peaceful transition to a new society and that a smooth transformation would help unit,: Eastern and Western Europe.

A peaceful change requires unselfish 'economi; aid from the

~ission

Catholics and Luthera.ns account for about 20 perct:nt each 9f Latvia's 2.7-million population. The other main religion is Orthodoxy.

At an ecumenical service in Tallinn, the pope said huma'nity is "before a veritable crossroads of civilization" that can lead to decadence or progress.

This should stimulate Christian unity because "when sanctity and the word of the Lord triumphed over human shortcomings. the world has known moments of grace." he said.

"Crises and moments of doubt arose instead when Christian unfaithfulness darkened the integrity of the Gospel," he added.

There are 3,000 Catholics in Estonia.

In Tallinn. the pope reiterated his defense of the legal rights of ethnic Russians living in the Baltics. Granting them citizenship is highly controversial.

Of Estonia's 1.6 million inhabitants. 600,000 are ethnic Russians.

A key issue is whether proficiency in the Estonian language should be required for citizenship.

In a message to Estonian· culturalleaders. the pope paid tribute

West and peaceful relations with values," he said Sept. 8 in a Luthe-' ·ran church in Riga.

Russia, the pope said.

Russia, the biggest and most powerful nation emerging from the ex-Soviet Union, is involved in a series of political and economic to disputes with the tiny Baltic countries.

Ifyou or a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, "We want to enter into a period of respect toward each other, the you can take comfort from the fact that the best ' big toward the small. All must be cancer care is available right here. respected," Pope John Paul said. speaking spontaneously at the end And we don't mean right here in the of his Sept. 10 afternoon Mass in Tallinn.

Northeast. Vie don't mean right here in Earlier, the pope warned Baltic Boston. leaders to be prudent in their acceptance of capitalism and demWe mean right here in ocracy.

Fall River.

Despite their strong points. the two systems have defects which Over the past have caused moral. political and social havoc. he said. fifteen years, Saint In Riga. he urged academics to Anne's Hospital has turn their "scholarly curiosity" to Catholic social thought as the been consistently criteria for judging capitalism.

"Catholic social doctrine is not setting the standard a surrogate for capitalism," he said for cancer care Sept. 9.

"Marxism's kernel oftruth" was in a community its insights into the defects of the capitalist system. he added. hospital. The But he said the purpose of church . high esteem in thought "is not to draw up a system but to indicate the impassable which we're held limits" of economics and politics.

The church is not critical of the is reflected in\ our "market economy" in itself, but professional "has always distanced herselffrom capitalist ideology, holding it afFuiationswith responsible for grave social injus-' tices," Pope John Paul said. places like the Capitalism must be, "circumDcma-Farber and the scribed with a strong juridical framework which places it at the Harvard Medical service· of human freedom," he School Joint Center for· said.

A similar papal criticism of· Radiation Therapy. democracy was preached to Lithuanian academics' on Sept. 5.

Our team'approach .

The p.ope criticized "unsound is One of the things that makes democraCies'~ which become "a system of rules irisufficientlyrooted cancer treatment at Saint Anne's in those values, which are undeniable." special. Radiation and medical oncol()gists,.· .

He cited democracies which "do radiologists: pathologists surgeons all. meet not adequately protect unborn . . . and .. . human life:~ regularly to make sure each patient is receiving the In traditionally Lutheran Lat-· via and Estonia, the pope stressed

Fri., Sept. 17, 19933

to multiethnic societies "where acceptance and respect for the language and culture of diverse social groups is an essential condition for an orde'red, peaceful coexistence."

Several days earlier. he.told foreign diplomats in Vilnius, Lithuania. thar the Vatican "recognizes the aspirations of citizens of R ussian origin who ask to be able to enjoy their human rights in their country of residence."

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4 THE ANCHOR -

Diocese of Fall River -

Fri., Sept. 17, 1993

the moorin9..-,

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Recession, Refugees and Revolution

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Just a year or so ago everyone thought that the new Europe would be the force of the future. United by. the Common Market, it seemed as if the continent would be a model for the Western world.

But, as'the adage states, "Man proposes, God disposes." The European dream is splintered, if not shattered. The dark clouds that have so often hovered over the area in the past century are back. What the future holds will apparently be far less than the dreams of the many who hoped for an effective Common Market guiding a united Europe. The old devils, somehow overlooked by the experts, are back with a terrifying vengeance. And as with Europe, so with the rest of the world.

Everyone is eventually affected by the terrors of recession, refugees and revolution.

The first of the evils that are taking a choke hold on Europe is of course the wars of nationalism based on the hell of religious and ethnic intolerance. Noone knows what to do with what is left of Yugoslavia. What is happening is that the same forces that brought about the first and second World Wars are once more onthe prowl.

America must not think of the present suicidal woes of Bosnia as remote and removed happenings. Such hates have a way of affecting the political policies of all nations. For this reason, the Western world and the United Nations are caught' up in a horrendous dilemma. It's a true damned if you do and damned if you don't situation.

War breeds refugees. Resentment of them is at an alltime high in Europe and is growing in this country. Turks, Arabs and Africans are the central targets in European cities and towns. Nations are now sealing their borders and once more the deportation boxcars are being readied.

Can concentration camps again be near at hand? The socalled ethnic cleansing of Serbians sounds a warning.

Adding to'this volatile mix is the present recession in Europe eNS/Reuters photo that is threatening the very concept of the Common Market.

"In your old age, I shall be the same; when your The recent devaluation of the French franc evidences Eurohair is grey, I shall still support you~" Is. 46:4 pean monetary instability. As a natural consequence, the ranks of European unemployed are swelling. Joblessness inevitably leads to illegal immigration, a factor which in turn poses a real threat to our own economy.

When these and many other difficulties in the former com- .By Father Kevin J. Harrington I do not know of a single educa- sion set. Every study indicates that munist empire ~re taken into account, the outlook is dire.

Ten years ago the Reagan ad- tor who expressed shock at the heavy viewers usually put a lot less Eastern and Western Europe as we now know then will be 路 ministration's Department of Edu- Department of Education report effort into school work, have poorer thrown into complete disarray if breakdown of nations into cation published "A Nation at that 90 million Americans, nearly reading skills, and have fewer hobRisk," a document on the' shorthalf the adult populati'on, lacked bies and activi'ties. Nature seeks to ethnic enclaves continues. Countries that now seem stable comings of our nation's schools. the language and mathematical fill a vacuum and television is one could quickly be thrown off balance by huge numbers of This month the Clinton adminisabilities to write a business letter of the worst-things that could fill refugees. 路 tration's Department of Education or to figure out a bus schedule. it! released a study that revealed no If such a process should continue, NATO and like alliances Despite 10 years of effort to reform Television not only deprives would become obsolete. The alternative is anarchy, long the change in the percentage of the our schools, they have proven young people of time needed to adult population defined as illiterwoefully inadequate to meet the cancer of Europe. improve their skills, it also exposes ate. This latest study, however, demands of an ever more complex We cannot let such a situation once again cripple Europe. In went beyond past studies by testthem gratuitously to negative values workplace. regarding sex and violence. By age the past, when that continent has experienced difficulties, ing the abilities of 26,000 AmeriIn my opinion, neither our 18, according to the National Coahistory has shown that we have tended to pull up the draw- cans over age 15 in handling practi- schools nor our employers Cl;re the lition on Television Violence, the cal matters. bridge and retreat into isolationism. ~ primary culprits in failing to pro- average American will have witThe test results indicated that 40 vide our ad ult population with the Not today. New weapons and new communications systems to 44 percent of Americans are skills neces~ary to be productive nessed 200,000 acts of violence, make it impossible to hide from reality. It is time for new unable to calculate the' total of a and to enjoy a promising future. including 40,000 murders. The visions and new solutions. To achieve them, we will have to purchase, determine the difference Without doubt the schools and desensitizing effect of endless vioin price between two items, locate workplaces share some blame, but lent acts is the most destructive make often difficult decisions concerning the major issues a particular intersection on a street I can point to other underlying aspect of television's assault on confronting us. reality. The brutal fact is that if we

An education wake-up call

The Editor

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 02722-0007 Telephone 508-675-7151 FAX (508) 675-7048 Send address changes to P.O. Box 7 or call telephone number above

EDITOR Rev. John F. Moore

GENERAL MANAGER Rosemary Dussault

-J1J1;.1tlv Leary Press-Fall~R,ver .

map or enter background information on a simple form. Tests can diagnose literacy levels but they cannot determine the cause for such a poor performace by so many Americans. Some point to the number offoreign-born people presently living in America. However, a quick glance at the names 路 of the top 10 students in the Boston public school system indicates a great number of these immigrant students possess strong motivation and innate abilities that enable them to rise to the top.

Not surprisingly, those who performed lowest on the-test were those who earn the least amount of money. As we enter a period of global economic competition, the battle bet~een the "haves" and the "have nots" will only widen.

causes that have wreaked havoc upon our society at large.

First and foremost is the breakdown in the American family.

Without strong parental support, children will not learn. Too many children are learning only how to survive a bad childhood, not how to become responsible adults. Most studies indicate that parents' influence is slight and mostly restricted to the primary level. \ Another major reason ouryoungsters do not learn the basic skills to thrive in our world is television.

No people in the world watches as much television as do Americans.

By the time most American children graduate from high school they will have spent more than 15,000 hours in front of a televi-

don't face our problems our problems have an uncanny way of coming around and facing us.

Clearly, there is no panacea for our nation's educational crisis. This study can be a wake-up call for everyone to assume more personal responsibility or we can simply close our eyes and pretend it is only a passing nightmare.

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Priest battling leukellnia accepts God's will

Reall vs. app~lrent

truttl Isaiah 55:6-9 Philippiam, 1:20-24,27 MattheVi 20:1-16 Those who follow the Lord eventually learn to live with contradictions. The)' look at persons and circumstances from angles' which others ign.)re; angles so different and disturbing tha.t most of us refuse even to go down the road on which they're located.

Danish physici >t Niels Bohr once observed that th'~re are two kinds· of truth: apparent and real.

An apparent tluth is a statement whose opposite ~ tatement is false.

For instance, "Today is Friday." If so, it certainly is :l't Tuesday.

But a real truth is a statement . whose opposite statement is also true. For instance, Deutero-Isaiah's assertion in today's first reading: ..... He [Yahweh) is near!" It's immediately contradicted by Yahweh's reminder, "As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my \\ ays above your ways ... !" Thoug h contradictory, both statements are correct.

Prophets con:;tantly deal with real truths when they proclaim the Lord's message. ;"hey cannot make simple statements about God, then smugly walk awc.y. There's always something more to say, something new to add.

In this well-known passage, Deutero-Isaiah forc~s his people to look at specific aspects of Yahweh's real persc,nality. Rejecting catechism defini':ions, the prophet falls back upon actual experience to describe sorr.eone who defies simplistic chara.;terizations. Go<;l is so complicated that we can only deal with him/ her correctly by emplpying contradictions. (Like "him/ her!") What else can we expect from a pl:rson who claims, ..... M Y ·thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways ..."

But following God is not only a matter of finding the proper ideas and wOFds to describe God's unique personality. it also involves learning to accept and imitate the actions prompted by those thoughts - thoughts so ·,eyond our own.

Matthew's comrrunity often found it hard to do thi:;.

As Jews, they had followed Yahweh for cen·:uries. They were especially callee, guided to the Holy Land, delivered from Egypt, organized as a people, exiled in

DAilY RIEADINGS Sept. 20: Ezr 1:1-6; Ps 126:1-6; Lk 8:16-18 Sept. 21: Eph4:1-7.11-13; Ps 19:2-5; Mt 9:9-13 Sept. 22: Ezr 9:5-9; Tb 13:2-4.6-8; Lk 9:1~6 Sept. 23: Hg 1:1-8; Ps 149:1-6,9; Lk 9:7-9 Sept. 24: Hg 1:15-2:9; Ps 43:1-4; Lk 9:18-22 Sept. 25: ZE'C 2:5-9,14-15; Jer 31:10-13; Lk 9:43-45 Sept. 26: Ez 18:25-28; Ps 125:4-9; Phil 2:1-11; Mt 21:28-32

By FATHER ROGER

KARBAN '.

Babylon, and, finally brought back to Israel. Their history was the ,sacred stage on which the Lord had operated for 2,000 years.

Yet now as Christians, they discovered that non-Jews were being given the same privileges that they had worked centuries to acquire.

Gentiles were being admitted to full church membership without first having to become Jews. Such a policy was illogical. Just as illogical as "the owner of an estate" who would hire workers for his vineyard at different hours of the day, yet still pay each worker the same wages.

It's no accident that this parable is found only in Matthew's gospel.

This is the only gospel composed specifically for Jewish-Christians, a community which had great problems with this course of action.

Jesus gives the reason tor God's obviously contradictor·y behavior by have the vineyard owner ask, "Am I not free to do as I please?"

The only "injustice" present is our insistence that our preconceived notions of how the Lord should act must take precedence over the way the Lord actually does act.

We humans simply do not know how to deal with a completely generou~ being. Instead of destoying our notions of God, we prefer to destroy God. We take away God's freedom to be God. But the problems of apparent truth~ versus real truths also carries over into our own personality and behavior. Paul reflects on this in today's second reading, sharing his dilemma with his community in Philippi. "Christ will be exalted through me," he writes, "whether I live or die... and I do not know which to prefer." Both states have advantages: "I long to be freed from this life and to be with Christ, for that is the far better thing; yet it is more urgent that I remain alive for your sakes."

Probably in the middle of all the problems and tensions of modern Christianity, most of us long for a simpler faith - a faith in which God is clearly defined and morality always comes in black and white decrees. Yet such a simple faith is just an apparent faith. It's certainly not the real faith which 'the Sacred Authors experienced.

LAFAYETTE, La. (CNS) April 15, income tax deadline, is a date few forget. Father Thomas M ontelaro will never forget it either, but for a different reason.

"My initial reaction was shock, disbelief, denial," recalled the 46year-old pric:st in an interview with the Acadiana Catholic, diocesan paper of Lafayette. "I remember thinking ovc:r and over, 'This can't be true; I don't feel that sick.'''

Now he's facing a bone-marrow transplant with marrow donated by his sister. The disease, he says, he's come to accept "as God's will, as his asking this of me."

Before the transplant he will undergo a seven-day course of chemotherapy to destroy all his bone marrow and with it the cancer cells. After a day of rest doctors will do the transplant. "It's almost like a creation story," the priest noted.

Last January, Father Montelaro, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Leroy, felt run down and thought he had the flu .

But the feeling didn't go away, and a blood test revealed an abnormally high white blood cell count.

Doctors diagnosed the cause as leukemia. " ... So they put me in the hospital and immediately began administering medication to reduce the white cell count. It took four days to get it down," the priest said.

He then had three options for further treatment: - Continue with medication he was receiving and live maybe three to four more years.

- Begin treatments with a drug called Interferon. Administered in eight one-month cycles, it would cause flu-like symptoms and could put the leukemia in remission. But' there are no guarantees.

- Undergo a bone-marrow transplant, which doctors told him could have complications. For example, marrow from the donor might not "take," or his body

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Father M ontelaro's suffering will include lo~ing his hair, becoming extremely weak, and experiencing bouts of intense nausea and vomiting. He'll also be vulnerable to infection. H is doctors have given him an 85 percent chance of survival.

Deep faith and trust in God are sustaining the priest as well as the love, prayers and support of family and friends.

Lafayette Bishop Harry J. Flynn gave him a relic of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton that Father Montelaro plans to keep with him.during his ordeal.

The priest has asked for prayers, but has not asked for a miracle.

"I accept this [leukemia) as God's will, as his asking this of me," he said softly. "I am joining myself with the lord in his suffering, holding onto his cross, meditating on his pain and suffering. His deepest prayer was 'Your will be done, not mine.'''

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Queen of Ireland Holy Mary if thou wilt, hear thy sUI~pliant; I put myself under the shelter of thy shield. When falling in the slippery path, thou art my smooth supporting staff.

There is no hound in fleetness or in chase, north wind or rapid rivE:r, as quick as the mother of CJtrist to the bed of death, to those who are entitled to her kindly protection. Amen.

National Shrine chapel prayer

SaJJivan)s Est. 1962

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Warning issued OGDENSBURG, N.Y. (eNS) - The diocese of Ogdensburg warns that an organization called the Fatima Research Institute, based in the diocese, has no affiliation with or endorsement by the Catholic Church. The institute in Rouses Point, N.Y., has been offering by mail a."Sacred Medal of the Virgin of Fatima" and requesting a $25 donation after a 30-day trial period. "The statemen'ts made in the offer are not worthy of belief," said Msgr. David W. Stinebrickner, vicar general, in a statement on behalf of the Ogdensburg Diocese...

could reject the transplant. In either case he would die.

Agonizing bve:r his decision, Fa. ther M ontelaro spent days in prayer at his parents' home.

"The strugglc: within me was tremendous," he recalled. "But acceptance finally came clearly in prayer, at the point of decision.

And at that moment, I experienced a tremendous amount of peace, as though a great burden had been 'Iifted, and I saw with clarity what had to be done, what road to travel. I would have a transplant."

H is parents, three brothers and two sisters were tested as possible donors, and his 47-year-old sister Frances Fruge was a perfect {Ilat~h.

While Mrs. Fruge is fully aware of the discomfort and pain that lie ahead for her, she considers it a grace and a gift.

"I gave birth to three children," she said. "N ow I'm able to give new life to my brother. It's a good feeling; it's a blessing."

POLISH -. AMERICAN KITCHEN . Pierogi, Kielbasa, "Golabki" (Stuffed Cabbage) Cabbage Soup and many more Polish Delicacies.

Hot Dogs, Hamburgers Ample Parking Available • One Mile From Interstate 195 from fall River, Tauntoo and West: On Interstale·195 get off at Exit 161Washburn Streel).

At Stop SIgn make an immediate right. At traffic: lighls take .a left on Coggeshall Street. Second St""" On Right make a right hand turn on North Fronl Street.

The Church and Parish Hall are fifty feet from the corner.

Wrom Fairhawn, Wareham and East: On Interstate·195 gel off al Exil171Coggeshail SI<eetJ Alter Traffic lights continue for two blocks. Second ~,treet on Right make a right hand turn on North Front ~,treet. The Church and the Parish Hall are fifty feet f.·om the corner.

6

Coping with a family tragedy

The Anchor Friday, Sept. 17, 1993

"Last week. the bodies of John and Nancy Bosco were found shot to death in their Ferndale home.

By An intruder apparently intent only on death cut the phone lines and electrici.ty, then crept into the BosANTOINETTE co's house through a basement window, climbed stairs to the masBOSCO ter bedroom and shot John and Nancy Bosco to death."

All too often when we read a story that begins this way, the vicThe headline of an Aug. 25 editims come across as statistics - . torial in the Bigfork Eagle, the two people murdered. weekly paper of a small town in John and Nancy were no statisnorthwest Montana, literally screamed out the warning. "Era of tics. They were my son and daughter-in-Iaw. .

Unlocked Doors Ending."

I got the news almost a week The editorial began. "M urder in Bigfork. A grim reminder that as earlier, Aug. 19, and that day I remote and quiet as Bigfork seems, . learned the definition of"torment." real-world. big-time problems can.

I've had to accept death in recent - and have - reached into our years - my father. my sister-inlaw, my son Peter. Death from backyards.

almost any cause, even from an John had two children before he accident, can somehow be dealt married Nancy - now living with with rationally. But if the death is their mother. They will never see caused by murder, there is a col- John again. I pray that my darling lapse in the heart and soul that grandchildren's faces will glow again one day. cannot be described.

Will mine? Perhaps, if the murFor murder is the entrance of the worst evil imaginable into your derer is caught. Definitely, when I home, into all the safe places of remember the 41 years I was blessed to have this son. He was a man your life, forever shattering any illusion you might have had that· who lived by truth, would give the good can protect you from evil. 'shirt off his back for another and was a staunch fighter for the indiSatan is real, and never again vidual rights of people. could you ever for an instant question his power.

John had been involved in a custody suit for his children for six.

I spend much. of my days in years in Boulder. ·Colo., and he prayer that the person or persons responsible for this horrible crime .won their custody for two years.

But he received a blow in April of murdering two beautiful people when.a court ordered the children will be found and brought to jusreturned to their mother. tice. Meanwhile, I remember John and Nancy, and try to deal with Despite his own setbacks, John the pain of losing them. was always concerned about the

happiness of all children. I am looking at a letter he wrote that was published in the Boulder Daily Camera about the time he was running for the Boulder Valley School Board. It tells how he ·Ioved and believed in children's rights.

"Our society has become a harsh environment for the young, and that we c'an change.... Learn to accept first, not criticize, those you don't understand. Cultivate an appreciation for the unusual among us, and become able to love them.

Their needs are the same as yours and mine. God bless us."

I will remember the great love John and Nancy had for each , other and for his children. I beg the prayers of all my readers, for my children, but mostly for my grandchildren.

Enduring lessons from physical therapy By DOLORES CURRAN

On Friday, the orthopedist removed my plaster cast, put me into an iron-braced splint. and said, "I want you to start physical therapy on Monday."

I stared at him aghast. "But I can't even bend my knee." I said.

Helaughed. "You will Monday."

It was my first experience in physical therapy but as difficult and painful as it was, I've come to regard it as one of the greatest blessings in medicine. The first thing I noted was the youthfulness of both the staff and patients. most

By FATHER JOHNJ. DIETZEN

Q. A priest in our parish told us in a recent bulletin that when Mass stipends are given to the family at the funeral, they should be given to the pastor of the deceased so he can arrange to have Masses offered for him or her.

He said, "Masses benefit the soul of the deceased by asking God to shorten his stay in purgetory (pastor's spelling)."

Mass stipends, he added, are

By

MARY "KENNY, . Dear Dr. Kenny: I've read your columns about discipline of children and I'm disgusted with your liberal approach. You tell parents to stay positive. 111 bet you never raised any kids of your own. If you had, you'd know that kids won't behave unless parents take firm charge. Punish them when they're wrong. Withdraw privileges. Mis-

of whom were there for sports injuries. Knees. I discovered, are a major. staple in the physical therapy business. . I was assigned to a caring and talented young man named Tim. He removed my splint and asked me, "What are your goals?" I had never been asked that in any medical office before.

"I want to go to Ireland in four weeks," I replied. "I want to be able to endurelthe long flight and' to walk the hills of Donegal without a limp."

"Okay." he said. "Let's measure' .your knee bend." He pulled out something that looked like a device to sail by in the moonlight' and measured tl)e· bend on my good knee. "140 degrees." he said. Then' he measured my right knee. "45

degrees. Let's aim for a 130 degree bend in four weeks."

was lifting ten pounds 40 times daily.

I smiled indulgently, knowing that was impossible because I could barely.bend my fractured knee.

But I soon learned the difference between the therapist and patient. other than one inflicts pain and the other endures it. The therapist knows what the patient can do and the patient doesn't. As a patient. I tried to protect my knee while the therapist realized that movement, while causing initial pain, is the treatment for doing away with pain.

On each visit. I had my knee bend measured and it crept up rapidly. I reported my progress as proudly as a child who has garnered a gold star in kindergarten. ''I'm up to 70 degrees," I would boast to my husband.

I was surprised to discover that I could. indeed, bend the knee a littie and do straight leg lifts. As soon as I could lift the leg without pain. Tim added a pound weight to the ankle. This recurred until I

Posted on the wallin front of the bike was a humorous line of "The Ten Nevers in Physical Therapy." Here they are: l. Never say you can't, because you'l do it anyway. 2. Never say, "It's easy,"

The scariest day was when Tim put me on the bike. I was sure the incision would break wide open.

He just smiled. At first, I just rocked the pedal back and forth but then came the big day when I pedaled the whole arc. Sheer joy.

because we'l just make it hard. 3.

Never say, "I want to go home," because you'l just stay longer. 4.

Never lose count because you'l start at one again. 5. Never complain because we never listen. 6.

Never argue because you'l never win. 7. Never scream or cry because it only encourages us. 8. Never look like you're enjoying it because we'l put a stop to it. 9. Never hold your breath because if you pass . out and die, we have to fill out the paper work. 10. Never lie or cheat because we know the truth and you'l live to regret it.

I did most of the above and the staff ignored me, thank God, because I did reach my 130 degree bend, did endure the flight, and . did w~lk the Donegal hills without a limp. Thank God fonhe misery of physical therapy.

Proper distribution of Mass stipends not to be distributed at the discretion of the family, and "one wonders how many souls are suffering in purgetory because their families have kept the stipends instead of giving them to the church."

This is news to our. family. I. have favorite monasteries and missions that will offer the Masses, and the donations are used for the education of priests or for the needy. , Could you please inform us of the proper procedure. (Minnesota) A. At least two points need to be corrected in your priest's remarks.

Especially during and after the Middle Ages. there arose graphic, often lurid, folk images about purgatory as a sort of minihell, the main difference being that it is temporary.

The official teaching of the church is not, however, and never has been, that purgatori involves time of any sort, in our sense of that word.

Purgatory is described in Catholic doctrine as a "state" or condition of purification, or purifying fire. after death.

The new Catholic catechism. for example. is careful not to go beyond that traditional terminology. (See especially Nos. 1031 and 1472.)

It could, in fact. possibly all take place in an "instant" in that first terrifying vision of the unveiled holiness and majesty and beauty of God. This is. of course, nothing to be surprised at if we think about it.

What does "time" mean, if any-

thing. on the other side of death?

We have no idea thus we have no basis for. speaking of Mass'es to "shorten our stay in purgatory."

they should, in honoring memorial gifts from friends d.esignated as Mass offerings. .

Christianity has an ancient and consoling tradition concerning the value and importance of prayer, including Masses. for those who have died.

Those prayers, however, rise to a God who knows no past or future. For him, all "time." from beginning to end. is· one present moment.

Our belief in immortality means that, in some mysterious way, all who have passed through death share in that timeless existence.

Second. in my experience families of Catholics who have died regularly exercise extreme care, as

It is not required, however. that all such offerings be given to the local parish priest. The common practice of distributing them among priests who are relatives or fri·ends. religious communities or parishes of other family members is perfectlyappropriate.

A free brochure answering questions Catholics ask about receiving the holy Eucharist 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.

Punishment .is not the same as discipline behavior must be followed by pain. . How else can kids learn? (Louisiana) '.

I'm glad that you realize that the object of discipline is for children to learn. The strategy is to motivate them to do what parents. school and society believe to be right.

Threats and punishment are poor' motivators. They do not work very well. If they did, advertisers would use threats to get us to buy their products. Have you ever heard or seen a punitive ad?

In fact, the word "discipline" means learning. It does not mean punishment. A disciple is someone who learns from you.

Why, then, are parents so ready to punish? Perhaps because that is the way they have been raised.

Perhaps because they' are angry with their children for misbehaving. Perhaps because punishment sometimes does work as a short- . term deterrent.

There is a myth about discipline: that you can't be nice to bad kids because if you are they will either, (a) take that as a reward for being bad. or (b) assume you a're a wimp and that they can get away with anything.

So the puni'shing parent gives orders. makes threats and ends up with spanking. grounding and

threats of no phone, no birthday party. no Christmas, no Easter,no lunch. The only measure is: Does it work? Good discipline is not something that sounds good on paper. Good discipline works.

Being punitive may convey the wrong message. ·1 nstead of the child learning that certain behaviors are wrong, the child may come to feel that he himself is bad. Bad kids continue to behave badly and the cycle 'continues.

You can be nice to bad kids. It depends on what you are being nice to them for. Following up any desirable behavior with a small

"thank-you" reward is a muchused strategy to change behavior.

Other non-punitive types of discipline include good parental example. separating combatants, time out, going and getting a child who won't come. and making discipline a game.

We have raised 12 children, and I learned the hard way that punishment is one of the least effective ways to change and control behavior.

Reader questions on family living and child care to be answered in print are invited by The. Kennys; 219 W. Harrison; Rensselaer, Indiana 47978.

The Anchor Friday, September 17, 1993

Msgr. Annunziato Dear Editor: The eventsJf this past week have promptec me to write this letter. I experienced the passing of a very humble, pious and wonderful priest - Msgr. Annunziato who was loved by everyone who truly knew him. I also witnessed the ordination to priesthood and diaconate of two young men, which brought to mind the alpha and the omega (the beginning and the end).

I want to thank God for these wonderful priests and religious.

We must pray daily for our priests, bishops and especially for our pope.

We expect so much from them that we sometimes forget they are human, too. l1.'s very important that we let therr know that we love them and appreciate them and we thank God for 'them.

And if we heu of a priest who is not living up tc his holy vows, we must pray for h: m. It should be the thousands of good, holy, pious priests that we accentuate, not the few who have done wrong. St. Luke 6:37: "Do not judge, and you shall not be jujged; do not condemn and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you shall be forgiven." St. .I ohn 8:7: "Let he , who is without sin among you, cast the first stone."

Joan Provost North Attleboro Dear Editor: The Sept. 3, 'Jbituary for Msgr.

Armando Annunziato brings to mind a memorable priest and an exciting period in the life of. the Church. The IS50s and 1960s saw laymen and ~omen integrating their lives with that of the Church at every level. It was the time of Vatican II and we were invited to take seriously the call to be the "Church in the world." Father Armando helped us to listen to that calling and helped us to respond.

Sept. 18 1945, Rev. Luke Golla, SS.Ce., Seminary of Sacred Heart, Wareham 1964, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Edmund J. Ward, Pastor, St. Patrick, Fall River Sept. 19 1859, Rev. H,:nry, E.S. Henniss, Pastor, St. Mary, New Bedford 1985, Msgr. Arthur W. Tansey, Retired Pastor. Immaculate Conception, Fall R ,ver Sept. 20 1918, Rev. Simon A. O'Rourke, Chaplain, Unikd States Navy 1958, Rev. 0 ner Valois, Pastor, Sacred Heart, New Bedford Sept. 21 1882, Rev. George Pager, Founder, Sacnd Heart, New Bedford 1938, Rev. George Jowdy, Pastor, Our Lady of Purgatory, New Bedford 1988, Rev. William H. Crane, SM, Superior at National Shrine of Our Lady of Victories, Boston Sept, 24 1955, Rev. Joseph, E.e. Bourque, Pastor, Elessed Sacrament, Fall River

As the moderator of the Christian Family Movement in North Attleboro, he patiently waited while we circuitously discovered the responsibility and the beauty of consensus through study, decision and action. Never compromising in his beliefs, he,nevertheless was flexible enough to recognize that there were different paths to sanctity and different ways to be the leaven.

Those touched by the gentleness and the toughness of Father Armando could fill pages with their personal reflections on his humanity, energy and sensitivity. I, for one, will always remember his highpitched laugh that was never far from the surface.

He was a good man doing a hard, hard job with rare thanks.

We know now, a little late, that we . were graced by his presence and that we will miss him.

Edward McDonagh Cumberland, RI

AT LEFT, Father William L. Boffa celebrates last Mass

at St. Vincent de Paul Camps, Westport; staff and campers on last day of camps; above, the dreaded Coyote Woman's cave.

A gift from God Dear Editor: Have you ever thought of giving God a Christmas present? As our best friend and closest relative, He deserves to be at the top of our gift list.

If you would like to participate in the 8th Christmas Present for God, please say two Our Fathers a day, from now until Christmas, just to express love for God. It can be an individual gift, a family gift or a parish gift. It is a gift of love for a loving God. Please send your name and address and the date you began the prayers to: Christmas Present for God Lucille A. Zimnotch 60 Lancaster Rd. Apt. 32 Wethersfield, CT 06109

A n open letter Editor's nQte: The St. Vincent de Paul Camps will continue at the site of Cathedral Camp, East Freetown. No word on whether Coyote Woman will also make the move.

An open letter to all who have ever been associated with the St. Vincent de Paul Camps: As I write this letter, it's somewhere around 3 a.m. The last of the 12- and 13-year old campers have just fallen asleep in their tents on this late-July night/ early morning. Their giggling and silliness have turned into snores. The boys and their counselors have just spent a wonderful day at Fenway Park, some of them for the first time, seeing their Red Sox beat the Angels. ' We're about a half-mile inside the "Indian Altar" woods 'behind the camp. As I sit next to the campfire on this chilly morning, I can't help but think about the generations of boys who have slept out in the same location. And while thinking of these boys, I can't help but think of the counselors, many of whom are priests in our diocese now, who have served this camp so well.

These thoughts come to mind as I realize that this is the last overnight campers will have on this Westport campground. It's sort of

7

sad to know that this is the last summer for this camp to be held on this beautiful piece of property.

But it is comforting to know that this special ministry will continue at Cathedral Camp in East Freetown.

I have come to realize that this job is not just a summer job, but really a ministry. The faces of these boys when they saw Fenway Park for the first time is a sight I'll never forget. To hear the excitement in their laughter tonight as they pitched their tents, built a fire, swam and played ball will be something I'll treasure. For some of these guys; this is fun they don't get in their home environment because of their troubled lives.

To watch our Nazareth special campers play whiffle ball and croquet, and make something creative in art with their special and beautiful attitude towards life is also something precious.

As I look above me, I can't believe the number of stars I see tonight. I have never seen this many in my life. Maybe it's that we're away from the city lights.

Perhaps because it's a clear, chilly night; but I can't help but think that Almighty God is looking out over us while sending His blessings to us, and that His blessings are as numerous as the stars in the sky; blessings for a safe summer; blessings for our work; blessings upon our campers, some of whom need c:xtra because of their life situations.

To all who have ever worked or been campers here in Westport, please be assured that your good work has continued in our counselors and staff. We're taking good care of our friends. We remember you each time we induct another group of good campers into the Order of Cross and Arrow. Their names are inscribed in my book which holds your names from the early 1970s. And I still tell them about Coyote Woman and her cave.

Oops, I've got to go. A camper is awake and afraid of the dark. I've got to go reassure him that Coyote Woman is asleep for the night.

As the camp closes here in Westport on this holy ground, thanks be to God for His presence among us for so many years. It's sad to be leaving, but without change there cannot be growth.

With the grace of God, these campers will continue to be cared for as if they were our own brothers and sisters.

To close, I n:member the words to the camp song that seems to fit so well tonight. It's to the tune of "The Stars and Stripes Forever.

Three cheers for the Blue and the White For it's Camp St. Vincent forever.

The camp that's supreme over all.

Where the days arc never long.

The sun and the sports and the ocean will linger in memory forever.

So it's hip, hip, hooray for our camp!

The only camp, the best of all, is Camp St. Vincent's!"

Good night, Coyote Woman, Good night, my friends, my campers.

Bill Breen Chief Thundercloud Assistant Camps Director

It's poverty, stupid WASHINGTON (CNS) - The problem with the nation's welfare system is not the program, but the poverty that drives people into it, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Domestic Policy Committee and the head of Catholic Charities USA in recent testimony to a working group on Welfare Reform, .Family Support and Independence.

Baltimore Auxiliary Bishop John H. Ricard said, "Dealing with poverty is not a luxury to which our nation can attend when it finds the time and resources. Rather it is a moral imperative of the highest priority." Jesuit Father Fred Kammer said better bread lines and bigger shelters for the homeless "are no substitute for effective preventative social policy that strives to address the root causes of poverty and social injustice."

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Mrs., Miss New:'Jersey were classnlates in Catholic high school TRENTON, N.J. (CNS)- The statisticians would have a field day calculating the probabilities, but it's true: Both the current Miss New Jersey and Mrs. New Jersey not only went to the same Catholic high school. but at the same time.

Although they didn't know each other well at St. Rose High School, Belmar, N.J., they got acquainted by participating in school plays, said Mrs. New Jersey, 26-year-old Dorianne Hennessy.

Miss New Jersey, Michele Sexton, graduated in 1987 from St. Rose, while Mrs. Hennessy was a 1984 grad uate. M iss Sexton will compete in the Miss America pageant Sept. 18 in Atlantic City, N.J. In herfirst three months as Mrs. New Jersey, Mrs. Hennessy made more than 45 appearances for charity benefits, including a fund raiser for Catholic Charities of Hunterdon County, N.J. "My Catholic background taught me to give to others without expect-

ing any return," said Mrs. Hennessy, a member of St. Thomas More parish, Convent Station, N.J. ''I'll do as many charitable appearances as possible."

Her husband, Sean, is a cantor at St. Thomas More and his aunt is a rectory assistant there. Mrs. Hennessy once taught at Msgr.

Donovan High School. Toms River, N.J. Miss Sexton said herfamily was very important during her Miss New Jersey competition.

"Family teamwork made winning the title possible," she told the Monitor, Trenton's diocesan newspaper. "I could not have done it without my family."

A student at the Manhattan School of Music, Miss Sexton started a chapter of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Oisorders there.

"I had an eating disorder, but I was able to overcome it," she said.

"I started the chapter to help others discuss and overcome the me-

dia's idea of what constitutes attractiveness."

The media promote a false image of beauty to the public, Miss Sexton said. Physical fitness and good health are more important, she added.

"Attractiveness is not anyone particular body type," she said.

"It's about a healthy body. I feel 'attractiveness is each individual's personal best within their body type, whether it's petite or tall or average."

M iss Sexton said her religion and her Catholic education have sustained her through the stressful and nerve-wracking conditions of the competitions.

"I always grounded myself in spirituality, which I learned from my Catholic education," she said.

"It's often stressful and lonely backstage. I'm glad I know that God is always looking out for me."

While the Miss America pageant is a scholarship pageant, with physical fitness in a bathing suit

CNS photo

DORIANNE HENNESSY accounting for 15 percent of the score, the Mrs. USA pageant awards only gifts and has no bathing suit judging.

Mrs. USA is open to married contestants ages 26-56. "The contest stresses the family and physical fitness, not beauty," Mrs. Hennessy said. "I entered the Mrs.

CNS photo

MICHELE SEXTON New Jersey contest because I want to promote marriage and family values," she said. . Mrs. Hennessy finished out of the money in this year's Mrs. USA pageant. "Last year's Mrs. USA had 10 children," she said. "If that's not family values, I don't know what is."

Catholic former Miss America likes life as wife, mother WASHINGTON (CNS) - Kaye Lani Rae Rafko-Wilson, Miss America 1988. would rather be known just as Mrs. Rafko-Wilson 1993.

"Miss America was a fun year," she said of her reign. "It opened the door to a lot of things."

Now, though, "all my free time is spent with my husband and my baby." Chuck and 15-month-old Nicholas, said Mrs. Rafko-Wilson, a Catholic and the first registered nurse to become M iss America.

Not that she has bundles of free .time. Mrs. Rafko-Wilson helped open Hospice of Monroe. named for its location in her Michigan hometown, takes care of its public relations and visits patients when she can.

She is to be featured in an NBC special. "Miss America: Their Untold Stories,"airing Sept. 18,89 p.m. EDT. The show looks at 14 former Miss Americas and their lives then and now.

Life then was a nonstop whirl,

Mrs. Rafko- Wilson said in a telephone interview from her home in Petersburg, M icll .. where she now lives. "It was a big adjustment, a big change. It was something I didn't prepare for," she said.

"Right away, they put you on a pedestal, everywhere you go," she said. 'Y ou're recognized everywhere you go, even by kids 4 years of age."

In Monroe, 20,000 people from the town. population 23.000, turned out for a recent parade in which hers was the only vehiclc. At the parade, the city's auto dealers presented her with a check for $10,000 to help hcr start Hospice of Monroe.

The hospice serves 15-20 patients at any given time. '" visit patients if they req uest it, and I go to a lot of funerals, as you can imagine," she said.

Her faith plays a big part in her hospice work. Noting the activities of self-styled "suicide doctor" Jack Kevorkian, Mrs. Rafko-Wilson said, "It's a perfect opportunity for me to be able to share my views of what hospice is."

Hospice, she added, "provides a quality of life in being able to die with dignity. There's nothing dignified in ending your life" in the

way Kevorkian advocates, she said.

"God is more powerful" than the devil, Mrs. Rafko- Wilson said, but "he allows things to happen" because "we only realize the importance of loving and caring for one another in times of grief and tragedy, like the flood and the hurricane .... This is the time we have to do the most and the best we can for others."

Thanks to the Miss America title, 'she continues to get a lot of speaking engagements, primarily on nursing, hospice and Miss America, from all sorts of groups, although ''I'm getting tired of fighting with the airports and the airlines and the schedule juggling," she said.

Mrs. Rafko- Wilson is also an honorary committee member of the Catholic Campaign for America, appearing at fundrais'ing dinners in Philadelphia and Detroit.

In the meantime, she's studying to take placement tests in pursuit of her master's degree in nursing.

Which brings her around to where it all began for her. "The reason I competed [in Miss Americal was I needed money for scholarships," she said.

"I still have 25,000 bucks left to finish 'up my master's."

N ow a member of SI. Alphonsus parish in Deerfield, Mich., Mrs. Rafko-Wilson said she's helped out there on special occasions but hasn't done much on a year-round basis because the pace set during her Miss America reign "hasn't stopped at all."

A few things, though, are different. "I've changed my look," Mrs. Rafko-Wilson said. She noted how a Kaye Larii Rae Rafko fan was effusive in his apologies when he didn't recognize the former pageant queen.

And Mrs. Rafko-Wilson recently turned 30. She remembers thinking in high school that by age 30 she'd have her master's in nursing and be married with two children and working on a third.

But her husband, she said, told her to look at the other side of the coin: "In high school you never said you wanted to travel the world as Miss America."

On her birthday, Mrs. RafkoWilson said, "I spent three-and-ahalf hours at the beauty salon. 1 felt like I was M iss America again!"

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Attletloro Mass, honors Sisters of Mercy Some months ago Sisters of Mercy Enda Costello and Regina Coughlin were honored at a Mass of Thanksgiving lind reception at Sf. John'the Evangelist Church, Attleboro, for their many years of service to Bishol) Feehan High School, AttleboJrO, and to the people of surrouf,l~ing communi-' ties. What follows are excerpts from the homily of Father Edward J. Healey, chaplain at Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis, whose sister, Mrs. Rosemary Healey, organized the tribute to tile sisters, and comments from tile sisters themselves. Editor On June 20, 1993, Sister .Enda and Sister Regina were honored at a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. John the Evangelist Church. Rev. Edward J. Healey, Jr. was the homilist at the Mass and Sister Enda and Sister Regina spoke at the celebration als:>. Following are some excerpts from the homily interspersed with ~ ister Enda's and Sister Regina's thoughts.

* * * *

"How easy it is for many among us today to recall the presence of Regina (with cam.~ra in hand) and Enda (tranquilly in tow) at a graduation, a wedding, a jubilee, or an ordination, eVE r rejoicing with those who rejoice, lind perhaps it is even easier to ree all their caring and kindness at ~,ickbeds, wakes and funerals, wee()ing with those who weep. Indeecl there is ample evidence that the:ir faith has led them to look upon the needs of others as their own and to put their own needs aside in the process."

Father Healey

* *

~

*

"Before I begin I want to set the record straight. I a m not retiring. I have asked the Diocese of Fall River and my community for a year of personal renewal and growth. I thank the concelebrants present and especially Monsignor Daniel Hoye who:n I have known since he was ordained. To me he is a true priest. Father Ed, thank you for the beautiful he,mily. It touched me deeply."

Sister Regina

* * * *

'''The world is charged with the grandeur of God. ft willflame out like shining from shook foil. It gathers to a greatness like the ooze offoil Crushed....

Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. Even in the quiet corners of my life, my world has been charged . with the grandeur of God-His love which has always been thereguiding, enriching, comforting, sustaining-and y~s, often trying, on the down days. He blessed me with good parents, the world's best brother, generous uncles and aunts and great extend,~d families-of Mercy, the Coughlins,. the Kenneys, the Maynards, the Harringtons, ,the Healey5, the Pearsons and this whole wonderful community of friends."

Sister Enda

* *

~

*

"Now my purpllse today is not to embarrass Endll and Regina by canonizing them, for they would be the first ones to own their human frailties, yet when the Word of God is evident and alive in the lives of people in our midst, evi-' dent even in spite of their human imperfections, then we have a serious responsibility to take notice.

For to overlook genuine goodness, true self sacrifice and authentic Christian love willere it is so ob-

THE ANCHOR -

Diocese of Fall River -'--- Fri., Sept. 17, 19939

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FROM LEFT, Sister Regina Coughlin, Rosemary Healey, Sister Enda Costello. viously present would be nothing less' than to ignore the work of God's own Spirit in us and among us. So as we hear the Gospel today then we realize anew that Christ continues to send laborers into the harvest and sometimes they even come among us in pairs as did Enda and Regina - and eve.n complementing pairs at that." .

Father Healey

* '* * * "As I sat here I felt this is what church is all about, priests complementing sisters and priests and sisters complementing the people of God. This is where we are today. In the book, Jacob's Journey it states we live in the present and the future is on hold. Life is not always wonderful but full of wonder."

Sister Regina

* * * *

"Today God's grandeur, indeed, 'flames out like shining from shook foil' in this tremendous gathering of relatives,and.friends. My cup of thanks is overflowing for all the priests who are concelebrating our liturgy: to Monsignor Dan Hoye for letting us celebrate here at St. John's; to Father Ed Healey for the beautiful liturgy which he planned. Thanks to my entire Mercy community, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Holy Unions who live with me and share my life.

But there is one person who has spent herself completely to make this day happen: Rosemary Healey. Without her untiring devotion, amazing organization and devoted love, this day's rejoicing would not have been. She has organized a nearly infinite committee whose hidden work flames out like shining from shook foil and gathers to the greatness of this wonderful display of love. Thank you, Rosemary, and your silent army of workers."

Sister Enda

* * * *

"A month ago Sister Anne Aylward, a dear friend, died. This came to me in the mail this week and was found in Anne's bible.

'Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life, rather look to them as they arise, God whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will carry you in his arms. Do not fear what may happen tomorrow, the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and every day. He will either shield you from ~uffering, or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace ilnd put aside all anxious thought and imaginations."

-St. Francis de Sales Sister Regina

* * * *

"To the legion of former students and their families at Feehan and Bay View, to my fellow teachers and friends from England to Columbia University in New York to the Center for Learning in Cleveland, Ohio, I give thanks-for all that has been, for all that is. For all that is to be, I trust the Lord to take care of me. God bless you all."

Sister Enda -Reprinted by permission from Now News, newsletter of the Sisters of Mercy, Providence Community.

ST. JOHN

of her students taught her a life-lesson.

"When my students had to write letters to God," Kellie noted, "this girl wrote, 'Dear God, I have a lot of problems in my life...

Donal Ryan But because of you, I know 1 can get through it all. I love you God. Thanks for being there for me.' I won't ever forget the lesson that young girl taught me about faith." Donal left Belize with a faith, he said, he had made his own; "when I go home, I won't: be so inconspicuous about my faith."

The Society for THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH Reverend Monsignor John J. Oliveira, V.E. 410 Highland Avenue,. Post Office Box 2577 Fall 'River, MA 02722 "Attention: Column."

No. Hi1 ANCH. 9/17/93

Please remember The Society kJr the Propagation of the Faith when wrffing or changing your Will.

THE

BAPTIST CHURCH • WESTPORT

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MARTY HAUGEN IN CONCERT

* * * * " ...they have indeed given us ample evidence that even in the midst of our ordinary lives and their sometimes seemingly extraordinary problems, still the reign of God is close at hand for it is certainly present in the hearts and the lives of those who, like Regina and Enda, remain faith-filled and faithful, no matter the tone of the times, nor the difficulty of the circumstances about them.

So today then we cannot helpbut be saddened by the fact that as they move on now to explore new. possibilities of service these two sisters also move out of the day-today routines of school, hospital, and community here in the Attieboros where we have been so used to finding them.

But it is not our purpose today to anticipate their absence and to

T

his past summer, Kellie Farley and Donal Ryan, two New Yorkers, ended their service as lay mission volunteers in Belize, Central America. For Kellie, one of the poorest

mope about our loss. But rather it is our task to acknowledge and affirm their goodness, to show our gratitude to them for their long years offaith1ful serviceto Feehan High School and the surrounding community and to wish them well as they move on."

Father Healey

Friday, September 24 • 8 - 10 P.M. Tickets: $ 10.00 per person • Children $5.00

Mr. Haugen will present a WORKSHOP at 51. John's • Saturday, September 25 ~:OO A.M. - 2:45 P.M. • $25 per person (lunch inclUded) For tickets & more information call 1508) 636·2251 IDays) • 1508) 644-2077 lather times) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Registration Form - - - - - - - - - - - - Name _ Address

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..

..

.'-

10

THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 17, 1993

Can love conquer camping?

By Dan Morris

-

,

..

There was an article in the paper on couples surviving their first year of marriage. The thorny issues, it claimed, were money, communication, in-laws, sex, religion and chores.

"Hah," I thought, "it left out a lot of big ones - like cold feet, monopoly and camping, to mention a few."

Cold feet and monopoly are self-explanatory. Camping can be in a class by itself.

I don't mean to place undue criticism at the feet of my wife, but she did in fact lie tome about camping before we were married.

She said she likes to camp. I believed her. In those days you did not get a trial camping trip with your fiancee to see if you were camping compatible.

For beginners, she did not like my tent. First she claimed it didn't smell good. It smelled like moldy canvas seasoned with a hint of ripe sweat socks and the 1969 fish egg accident. In other words, perfect.

When she complained about the mosquito netting on the door being wedged in the canvas-flap zipper,

it was the giveaway. Any veteran camper knows tents are manufactured that way.

"You've never camped in your life before, have you?" I accused her.

"Yes, I have," she stammered. "I went with my aunt and uncle in their motor home tons of times."

I went slack jaw. I had married a motor-home camperette - a woman never tested by a night's slumber on fist-size jagged rocks, a woman who had never been able to say: "I spent eight hours in a soggy sleeping bag in a canvas puddle listening to the wind howl - and survived."

Truth is, however, we have compromised on camping. We bought a dull-smelling water resistant tent with a propane heater. We bought a propane camp stove. We bought a propane camp light. We bought a propane generator. We bought stock in a propane company.

And never once did I complain when her aunt and uncle invited us to go camping with them. lowed it to our marriage.

Couple develops newsletter for newly married PORTLAND, Maine (CNS)Steve and Kathy Beirne of Portland dream of the day when every couple married in the U.S. Catholic Church will receive a newsletter to help them through the first three years of marriage.

"Foundations, A Newsletter for Newly Married Couples" was developed by the Beirnes under the sponsorship of the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers. Steve Beirne is director of family life for 'the diocese of Portland.

The bimonthly newsletter will look at 18 topics - including sexuality, spirituality, careers, finances and communication - over a three-year span.

Each issue includes a general article on the topic, an article on

the spirituality of the topic discussed, a book review and a section for comments, questions and suggestions.

Last year, there were more than 336,000 Catholic weddings in the United States. Ideally, the Beirnes said, each newlywed couple would receive the newsletter for three years.

Mrs. Beirne, who does the writing and editing for Foundations, also works on publicity, fundraising and new subscriptions with her husband. They have been married , 26 years and have seven children.

For a sample copy of Foundations or for further information, contact Steve and Kathy Beirne at Foundations, P.O. Box 1632, Portland, Maine 04104-1632.

NEWSLETTER COUPLE: Kathy and Steve Beirne produce "Foundations, A Newsletter for Newly Married Couples." (CNS photo)'

'Supporting your caregiver spouse

Growing up spiritually healthy

By Monica and Bill Dodds If you are the spouse of an adult child who is taking care of an aging parent, it can seem as if no matter what you say or do it's the wrong thing.

You can find yourself suddenly an outsider.

You can feel tremendous frustration over your powerlessness: You cannot make everything all right; you cannot stop the pain your spouse feels. ' Here are a few points to consider, a few suggestions, that may make this time easier.

I. Remember that the relationship you have with your in-laws is not the same as the one your spouse has. This is simply human nature. No matter how close you may have become to your motheror father-in-law, you are not going through the same thing your spouse is experiencing.

So while you may feel the two of you are doing more than enough to help, your spouse may not feel that way at all.

2. Understand that every immediate family has its own little quirks - good or bad. Maybe Dad always has had a short fuse. Maybe Mom has never been able to relax if there was one speck of dust on one stick of furniture.

Maybe family members never talk to one another, they yell.

Maybe they never yell ... or talk.

Whatever those characteristics might be, they ca~ be intensified under the present stressful circumstances.

3. Don't take it personally when you are suddenly outside the loop, when no one really wants to hear your opinion because this is a "family" matter.

At the same time, you may very well be affected by the decisions being made by your spouse and the other siblings. It is not uncommon that several sons will decide what's best for Mom or Dad, but it is the daughters-in-law who end up providing almost all the care.

Then, too, the opposite may, occur. Your spouse's siblings are no help, and so it is up to your spouse and you to do everything.

4. Know that sometimes you will become the target for your spouse's emotions. The anger, the fear, the sadness, the frustration, the guilt. Again, try not to take it personally. Most likely it's not really meant for you but for something else: for a disease or medical' problem that threatens the life of your spouse's parent; for the pain.

5. Remember that while it may seem this situation has been going on forever and it will never end, it is temporary. It will end.

In the meantime, you may feel somewhat neglected but" your spouse is being pulled in many different directions: aging parent, you, the children, the job. This is a time when he or she especially needs your help and your understanding.

A spouse also needs to hear "you're doing a good job helping your parent but you can't do everything." It's hard to hear that.

It has to be said gently over and over again.

It can seem pretty obvious that your spouse has assumed a new role: caregiver to an aging parent.

What you need to remember is that during this time you have a new, special and vital role as well: taking care of the caregiver; consoling the caregiver; loving the caregiver.

By Father Eugene Hemrick How do parents who want their. children to grow up as spiritually ,Pealthy persons achieve this in a culture that often militates against their efforts?

It isn't easy. But it doesn't hurt when young people participate in parish life - in the Mass and other sacraments and in religious education, of course, but also in the community's life beyond that.

In other words, a .young person's introductionto the Christian life can benefit from participation in a variety of activities such as youth ,retreats, parish celebrations (fairs, picnics, etc.) and service programs. Volunteering as a lector, usher or altar server doesn't hurt either, nor does joining the choir or becoming a member of the youth group.

Most Catholic par,ents would love for their children to participate in such activities. But parents may be tempted to give up on that goal when they consider all the 路other activities competing for young people's time.

Before surrendering, however, let's consider some unforeseen results of youth participation in parish life.

In the article "Attitudes of American High School and College Students Toward Religious Professions," Joseph P. O'Neil of the Educational Testing Service at Princeton University says that "students who participate in religious activities also participate more frequently in community programs and most school-sponsored extracurricular activities", and "They are more likely to list humanities, social sciences, health sciences and education as desired college majors."

O'Neil points to studies showing that "students who participated in religious activities differed from those who did not participate in that, on average, their parents were better educated and had higher incomes; the students had SAT scores that were higher; they were more likely to have taken honors courses and they aspired to advanced degrees."

Other studies show that youth who take part in youth retreats tend to be more open with their parents in discussing their personal lives and in talking about spiritual' matters .

These findings reflect some healthy spiritual and social benefits. Your child, in all proba.bility, will be in good company in these activities. He or she will be "hanging around" with peers who think and act altruistically and who are oriented to getting a good education. Your child also may relate better to you on personal matters.

What if your parish does not offer many opportunities for youth, or the offerings are of poor quality? Then take the matter into your own hands! Start a committee that pushes for youth participation in the parish or that can initiate improvement of youth activities!

If your children show no inclination to get involved, gently coax them to experience just one activity.Explain that impressions can ' be deceptive and that wise people base their judgments on firsthand experiencc.

Who knows, your children might find friends and activities that they will truly enjoy. Better yet, they may come to appreciate the social or community dimension of Christianity.

A CATHOLIC University of America nursing professor discusses care of the elderly with a student. (Barrick/ Catholic University of America photo)

Caregivers need positive attitude Humor can be an important tool for people who care for elderly relatives, said Georgia Stevens, a researcher at The Catholic University of America's School of Nursing.

"Try to see the absurdity in difficult situations. This helps you lighten interactions, stay connected and get tasks done. Humor reduces anxiety and negative emotions, and helps you keep things in perspective," she said.

For example, Professor Stevens ,suggests that caregivers smile with elders and make them laugh. "Some adages or familiar sayings and fa,mily jokes help," she' said.

Professor Stevens, who is investigating ways humor helps professional caregivers dea'i with stress, has these tips for family caregivers: - Remember you're not alone.

85 percent of elders who need care receive it路 from a family member.

Support groups and seminars help caregivers share information: solutions and coping resources.

- Take care of yourself each day. Exercise, eat right, rest and turn regular activities into pleasurable experiences. For example, take a bubble bath instead of a shower.

- Remember your own and other family members' needs in addition to the elder's. Often, a caregiver accommodates the elder's needs first, the rest of the family's second, and him- or herself last.

- Use positive self-talk to de.crease negative emotions. If you feel guilty because you can't do everthing you wish to do, focus on what you do accomplish and tell yours~lf you've done a good job.

- Take time for friends and pleasurable activities.

- Try to be patient with yourself and others. Have realistic expectations of yourself, others and the situation.

- Remember that you're not responsible for everything. Get help from family and neighbors; use church, community and professional resources.

Research shows that the, average married couple has morl;: parents than children and spends more years caring for parents than for children, Professor Stevens said. ,The average caregiver is a 57-yearold woman caring for a mother or mother-in-law.

With a positive attitude, ,caregivers can enjoy rewards such as the opportunity to give something back to an elderly spouse or parent, the challenge and satisfaction of handling care-giving responsibilities, and the chance to enhance or increase family solidarity.

THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 17, 1993

European superior raps clergy views of women religious

Avoid

E~cological

11

disaster, says pope

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The beings. The pope's remarks were PRAGU E, Czech Republic values of science and faith can made in a message to a recent (CNS) - The president of Europe's work together to help humanity international group of scientists umbrella group for religious superavoid ecological disaster and bring meeting in Erice, Italy, to discuss iors says that many European clergy peace and freedom to all, Pope "planetary emergencies." harbor an obsol~te attitude toward John Paul II sajd. women religious.

Just as a del:ade ago scientists Bank Account Sister France Delcourt, presialerted the world to the threat of a "Friendship's like a bank dent of the Union of European "nuclear holocaust," the pope said, Conferences of Major Superiors, they can influence the world on the account. You can't keep drawing told European hishops meeting in need to protect the environment in on it without making deposits."

Prague that c:.ergy show "real a way that benefits al1 human -Anonymous ignorance" about the evolving role of women in modern society.

"In many European countries, "OUR COMPASSIONATE RESPONSE TO women religiols 'say the clergy's . THE CHALLENGE OF AIDS IN THE '90's" attitude toward them reveals a cul.

Presented by . tural time lag of many decades," said Sister Delcourt, a Franciscan Sr. Zita Fleming, Sister of the A tonement. "There Director of the Office ofAids Ministry exists a real ignorance of the entire for the Archdiocese of Boston evolution of the modern European woman and of the new relation. SUNDAY, SEPT. 19th,1993 â&#x20AC;˘ 3:00 P.M. ships between nen and w'omen in S1. Patrick's Parish civil society."

511 E. Main Street â&#x20AC;˘ Falmouth, Massachusetts She said church teaching on eNS photo women still had to be expressed in All Welcome SIST~R SOFIA AGABlTl practice in the church's internal functioning.

"Something important is at stake here, and it requires the collaboraSt. Stephen Priory tion of all men and women, lay, . Spiritual Life Center religious and c.ergy," Sister Delcourt told a meeting of the Council 20 Glen Street, Box 370 of Bishops' Conferences of Europe. crimes as murder, embezzlement WEST TRENTON, N.J.(CNS) Dover. MA 02030 She based her comments on a - Filippini Sister Sofia Agabiti and drug dealing. But she bristles Tel: .sm-78}0124 report drafted at an April meeting . blesses the day she was sent to when people question the time and of religious superiors. money spent on music and art for prison.

Day of Recollection for Seniors Sister Delcourt said it was a September 25 It's been six years since the "criminals."

"They are not criminals,but mistake to regard the structures of petite nun, barely 5. feet tall, first Talks, Eucharist and Dinner current religious life as "fixed and 3pm-7pm ventured behind bars at'Trenton . human beings who have made mistakes," Sister Agabiti said. "We permanent." ~;he added. that a State Prison to teach music and al1 make mistakes. Can we not "great purification'~ was needed in art to inmates. It is time, she said, Intensive Journal Workshop October 1 & 2 forgive as Christ forgave? Mary the image of European religious spent with no regrets.

Magdalen(: and [St.1 Augustine life.

"Every time I pass through the Day of Recollection for Eucharist Ministers October 3 "Some of us :an perhaps entermade many mistakes and now prison's l3-locked doors, I feel the tain a certain nostalgia for Ii prew~r grace of God," she said. "I enjoy . they are saints."

Gospel Day of Reflection October 7 Europe that exists no more," she every moment I spend there."

Her students feel Sister Agabiti 10 - 2 Bring Bible and lunch said. "What we believe to have is special. In a booklet they preHer first night of teaching music been successful in the past corres- to seven men was a rocky start.

Myers - Briggs Workshop pared about her classes, they called October 15 - 17 ponded to the needs of the world her "an angel who brings love and The men were depressed, she of that time. But our world is difsympathy:' "a giver of hope and recalled, but she broke the ice by ferent. The nel:ds and responses saying, "I love music. Singing life to lost souls" and "a ray oflight are now different." and hope.'" always cheers me up. How about a The Sept. 7-12 Prague meeting song?"

Sister Agabiti calls her talks to . was attended by more than 50 outside groups about her prison "The first song was 'Row, Row, delegates of religious {lrders from classes "being out on parole."

Row Your Boat,'" she told The 21 European countries. Sister Monitor, newspaper ofthe diocese "I start my talks by saying that I Delcourt said that the "hopes of of Trenton. "When their voices don't condone the crimes commitmany people" had been rekindled. blended in harmony, it was so. ted by the men," she said. "I try to since this was the first European beautiful that I cried." instil1 the audience with underbishops' meeting to include repreThe rest of that night went standing and forgiveness. RepentFriday, Sept. 17 - 7:15 PM sentatives of religious. smoothly, Sister Agabiti said; with ance and rehabilitation are possible. I have see them." the men offering renditions of"Oh PRA.YERVIGIL FOR VOCATIONS Even though she was "shocked" Susannah" and a musical version & when she first received the assignVatican saliS intervention of the Lord's Prayer. .J Today, there is a waiting list for ment from her provincial superior sometimes needed Sister Agabiti's classes. The group, to teach in prison; she hasn't missed which she calls her "senior men," one class in six years and she'll LA SALETTE TRIDUUM & FEASr VATICAN CITY (CNS) - 10.learns Broadway show tunes and continue "day by day" as long as RI~V. RICHARD DELISLE, M.S. ternational protection of war vicold-time favorites, sometimes in the prisoners want her. tims should not be limited to ma"Every time I go through the Friday, Sept. 17 - .6:30 p.m.

Italian, as she accompanies the terial and techr-ical assistance, but portals of the prison, I am truly men on a keyboard. The group in some cases may require direct happy to be there with my senior Saturday, Sept. 18 - 4:30 p.m. also performs as a chorus for the intervention, a "atican official said. men," she said. "They, rejuvenate True humanitarian action should prison's graduations. me."

"I go to prison as a teacher, not be aimed at relieving suffering and as a religious," said Sister Agabiti, SOLEMNITY OF THE FEAST resolving the root causes of con- a Trenton native who has taught in OF OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE . high schools and colleges. in the f1ict, said Archbishop Paul Tabet, Vatican representative to a recent United States and abroad.

MARYKNOLL, N.V. (CNS)Sunday, Sept. 19 - 3:00p~rit. conference on war victims held in Four' Maryknoll nuns expel1ed ."They are quick learners, have a Geneva. responsive attitude and a refined from Sudan last August are returnThe archbishop said conference' 'behavior. My life is enriched so ing to work with Sudanese refu- . participants se~med to agree that much from them, for they are gees along the border with Uganda. effectively protecting populations gifted educationally and spiritualOne of the: nuns, Sister Ruth Gre- .

'Saturqay,Sept~25 -10:00 -4:00 during wartime requires "not only Iy." . ble of Philadelphia, wil1 take over UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES a material anc, technical engageShe said her secret of teaching administration of the refugee proment, but the deployment of men the men is not to push them. gram of the diocese of Torit, &COTHERS and appropri",te means to face "I let them have the freedom to Sudan, including responsibility for A'WORKSHOP WITH eventual urgent situations." decide what they will learn," she logistics and supplies. Sisters Mary The archbishop did not refer to said."Their life is so structured, El1en Manz of Long Island and DR. BARY FLEET specific troubk spots. but church Qut in music and art, they decide Nancy Lyons, a Scottish native, officials have recently joined the the program." will establish a teacher-training $25.00 Donation - Theater debate over the effectivenes.s of She is not naive about her stucollege in Sudanese refugee camps international relief efforts in dents. She knows they are serving in 'Arda diocese in northern Somalia and the Balkans. long-term or life sentences for such Uganda.

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The Anchor

The powers Qf the' priest

12 Friday, September 17,1993

By Fath~r Pierre E. Lachance, OP

Mideast accords provide lesson to world

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) Recent agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization should be a lesson that dialogue is the only way to peace, said the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservature Romano.

The international community must make a renewed commitment to negotiations for peace and stability in Bosnia, Somalia and other parts of the world, said a commentary in the newspaper.

"If Palestinians and Israelis can dialogue around a peace table, it seems incredible - and, in the end, intolerable - that in the former Yugoslavia one still hears, almost exclusively, the sound of weapons," said the commentary

by Angelo Scelzo, one of the paper's top editors.

"While a flag of peace is being raised over lands recently trampled by hatred, banners of war continue to fly over territories once marked by tolerance and coexistence," the commentary said.

"Signs of peace in the Middle East, flashes of war in BosniaHerzegovina: These are the paradoxes placed before the conscience of the world and the responsibility of governments," Scelzo said.

The editor said that at the very' moment officials from Israel and the PLO were signing agreements on mutual recognition, news reached the world of "a terrible new slaughter" in Somalia.

The continuing gun battles in Somalia involving UN peacekeepers and Somalis loyal to warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid show the necessity of a "full and total involvement" of all sides in peace negotiations, the Vatican newspaper said.

"If the unthinkable happened" in the Middle East, it continued, then world leaders must make sure that success with negotiations is not limited to one tiny part of the globe.

"This ray of hope carries with it enough strength and fascination to signal the beginning of a new epoch - and not only for the tormented reality of the Middle East," Scelzo wrote.

A PRIEST IMPARTS ABSOLUTION (Finke photo)

Confession needs to be .part of life, says priest

By Teresa Coyle noted. Father Rosebrough has a Going to confession needs to be suggestion.

"Before you come in, talk to matter-of-fact, a part of life, according to Father Robert T. Rose- your spouse," Father Rosebrough said. "They'll help you. Now if you brough.

According to Father Rose- still don't get any [sins to confess], brough, a Missouri priest, reception talk to your children. They will really help you." ofthe sacrament of penance should Father Kavanaugh noted the be a way of life, not an event. common question, why not ask To make it accessible, Father God's forgiveness privately instead Rosebrough each year schedules a of telling sins to a priest? full day for penance at his parish, "That may sound good, but it Sacred Heart, in Valley Park, Mo. doesn't work," he said. "We know Since the Second Vatican Counit's very easy to say, 'Oh, I'm sorry, cil, understanding ofthe sacrament God," and not really experience has' developed to include greater the truth of what we've done." emphasis on the comrtlUnal aspects People find it hard to admit of sin. The centuries-old format, their egotistical actions,jealousies, even updated for modern times, vanities and ways of hurting others. still req uires the penitent to ex press The rite of reconciliation involves sorrow for sin, confess wrongdoing, an acknowledgment before the and' agree to make reparation Church "that I, too, need to. be through acts of penance 'before healed and reconciled and forreceiving absolution. given," Father Kavanaugh said. "!t's very powerful, but we The' priest in the sacrament of haven't quite come to terms with it penance represents Christ and the yet," said Father Rosebrough. The People of God, but it is not the sacrament is' less popular today priest who forgives the sin, Father than it was in the past, the priest Kavanaugh said. It's Christ, said, but he believes that as people's "through the ministry of a priest. faith experiences become more Father Rosebrough notes conintegrated with the rest of their cerns people have about guilt, lives, a hunger for reconciliation which some confuse with the feeling becomes unlocked. of shame.

Father Rosebrough and Jesuit Guilt has nothing to do with Father John Kavanaugh, who feelings, he said. "Either we're teaches philosophy at St. Louis responsible for things or we're University, both noted people's not."

T~ough concerns about penance.

Father Rosebrough noted that v ATICAN CITY (CNS) - The Father Kavanaugh noted the some occasions in people's lives Vatican's chief ecumenist said the sacrament is "an occasion of grace, lend themselves to the sacrament.

Catholic-Lutheran dialQgue in an occasion of being strengthened The "teachable moments" about Scandinavia is ready to tackle two in your faith." reconciliation tend to be the big of the most difficult theological How often one goes to confession moments in people's lives - births, questio,ps related to Christian depends on the individual, but the deaths or weddings, he said. The unity: r4i"istry and the meaning of sacrament should always be viewed reception of the sacrament then church. Cardinal Edward I. Cas- as part of a 'Catholic's ongoing becomes "the most powerful sidy, president of the Pontifical effort to recognize "one's broken- moment they've had in a long Council.Jor Promoting Christian ness" and to find ways to turn time."

Unity,~SiiUd in Sweden, "During. more directly and wholeheartedly "There's a wholeness inside us the las(·.$~ years of . dialogue, Lu- to God, he said. that's being yearned (or, and it's ~¥theran~;~nd Catholics have come The sacrament helps restore a not necessarily only spiritual," he so clos<;~ogether that we are able person who's gotten off the track said. It's also emotional and to decl~e, the final goal of our in his or her relationship with God physical. "We feel better about ecumeriteal endeavor as being or others, he added. ourselves in the wholeness of God's nothing less than full visible unity."

Father Kavanaugh receives the gift of forgiveness." sacrament once a month.

But what if going to receive the sacrament of penance makes a A reconciliation experience every person nervous or frightened? two or three months would show a "People do a lot of things they're willingness to work on relationfrightened of," Father Rosebrough ships, which provide the context for people's lives, Father Rose- said with a laugh. "They get married." brough said.

"If the reason to do something is Many adult Cathol.ics say they don't know what to say when they str~:lOg enough, you go through the go to. receive the sacrament, he fear," he said.

issues

According to Jimmy Swaggart nothing in the Word of God permits modern-day priests. There is only one priest: Jesus Christ, because he is the one Mediator between God and man. (I Tim 2:5) In point of fact, we must grant that nowhere in the New Testament is the word "priest" used except as applied to Jesus, and that only in the Letter to the Hebrews. So the question is legitimate: did Jesus institute the Catholic priesthood?

It is the official teaching of the Church that Jesus instituted the priesthood at the Last Supper when, after consecrating the bread and wine, he said to his Apostles: "Do this in memory of me." In all religions, a priest is first and above all a man who offers sacrifice to God in the name of the people.

In the days of the Apostles, there were three titles given to Church officials: apostles, bishops and presbyters or elders. All exercised .leadership in the church although their offices had not yet been clearly defined. The apostles were the chief leaders and among them Peter had unquestioned supremacy. They were also the first bishops of the church. The presbyters, from which our word "priest" derives, are often identified with bishops.

Peter even calls himself a "fellow elder," a presbyter (I Pt 5: I). But whatever their titles, they all shared in the powers and mission we associate today with the Catholic I?riesthood.

Eventually the church organization was refined and a clear distinction made between bishops and priests. We say today that bishops have the fullness ofthe priesthood.

They can do things simple priests cannot ordinarily do, such as ordain other priests and administer the sacrament of confirmation. (However, priests do have the power to confirm as extraordinary ministers when so delegated by the bishop.) Bishops also have authority to govern the church within their diocese.

It is clear the priesthood existed in the days of the apostles and was instituted by Christ himself at the Last Supper. The apostles were priests, the bishops were priests, and the presbyters and elders were priests serving under the bishop.

Even if they were not called priests, they had all powers of the priesthood and that was what really mattered.

To answer an objection: the Catholic priest is not another mediator; he only represents Christ, as a special member in his body, makin!j Christ's presence and saving actIOns visible to all.

As St. Augustine said: "When a priest baptizes, it is Christ who baptizes; when a priest forgives sins, it is Christ who forgives; when a priest consecrates the bread and wine at Mass, it is Christ wno speaks through him: "This is MY body, this is MY blood." The priest does not act on his own but in the name and person of Christ.

This is what Fundamentalists have great difficulty understanding.

The chief power of the priest is to consecrate the bread and wine and to offer the sacrifice of the Mass. His second most important power is to forgive sins in Jesus' name.

Father Ken Roberts told an interesting story about that on a radio talk show. He said that an Assembly of God minister told him that hewas usurping the power

of God by claiming to forgive sin.

"I asked him which gift of the Holy Spirit he had received. 'The gift of healing.' I asked him if he had ever used his gift. 'Yes. Last Sunday I had 12 healings during the evening service.'

"I then asked why he acted like God. 'I thought only God could do that,' I said. He said, 'You're right, Reverend. 'I didn't do it. God did it through my hands.' 'Good,' I answered. 'If God can heal bodies with your hands, then why can he not heal souls with the laying on <;>f mine?' " 'But my gift is in the Bible,' he answered. 'So 'is mine,' I retorted.

'SeeJ ohn 20:21: As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Then he breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men's sins they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.'"

When we read those words, how can we miss the point? Yet Protestants do. Scott Hahn remarks, "For some reason, Protestants often develop a kind of unconscious reading habit of skimming over and missing the meaning of verses that are blatantly Catholic."

What then is a priest? First and foremost a minister of the Eucharist and of the sacraments. He also preaches the Word of God to his flock. cares for his sheep, visits the sick, gives spiritual counseling and guidance, etc. II) a word, a priest is a spiritual father to his people.

This church cannot carryon her mission without the priest.

Religious establish international group against injustice T AGAYTAY CITY, Philippines (CNS) - An international group of men and women religious has established a global solidarity network for social action against injustice.

The group will be called the International Forum of Religious for Global Solidarity, a loose structure of six regional coordinators and an international coordinator. Its chief concerns will be care of the poor and of the earth.

Representatives of 28 orders, who met in Tagaytay City, said they hoped the new network can also contribute to the ongoing renewal of religious life and influence the synod of bishops that is to convene next year in Rome to discuss the consecrated life.

According to UCA News, an Asian church news agency, religious at the meeting identified five issues for global action: - Special efforts for the people of Africa, whose continent is being devastated.

- Celebrating 1998 as a biblical jubilee year, at which time all debts would be canceled for the countries of the Southern Hemisphere. .

- Changing the concept of aid to the Southern Hemisphere from the Northern so that it reflects restitution for the alleged plunder of 500 years of colonization.

- Stopping dumping of toxic wastes in the Third World.

- Examining a possible inter. national forum for religious formation directors.

It hopes to complement the axiom, "Think globally, act locally," with "Think locally, act .globally."

13

THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 17, 1993

Pop1e welcomes accord Continued from Page One "We all hope that some day it A Vatican diplomat echoed that can be announced that the probview: "This accord is an interest- lems have been overcome and ing, useful and positive step for- therefore diplomatic relations can ward. There is no doubt about be establis:led," he said. that. But other steps must still be taken - even if this represents a M CFL spreads message very important breaking of the Massachusetts Citizens for Life ice." is sponsoring three pro-life radio eNS/REUTERS photo He noted, for example, that the entire question of Jerusalem has spots which will run throughout CARDINAL ROGER Etchegaray, who heads the Pontifical Council for Justice and been left to later negotiations. September on WBOS, 92.9 FM. Peace seems t~ be enjoying China's National Games in Beijing. He IS the highest-ranking Israel's control over the entire city The radio campaign will be folVatican officia I to visit China since 1949. has never been accepted by Pales- lowed in October, Respect Life tinians. The religiQus aspects of Month, by pro-life billboards to the status of Jerusalem have been appear in prime locations througha main Vatican concern over the out the Commonwealth. The copy will read "A Child, Not a Choice" years.

Continued from Page One Droste Counseling Center in Quinin 1867. There Elizabeth Charlton, and will be accompanied by a picto the Vatican at Israel's liaison including EI Salvador, Vietnam, a Kentucky native from a promicy is the newest service to be the Israeli Embassy in Rome, Mi- ture of a mother and infant and the India, and nations on the continents nent family was named the first, staffed by Good Shepherd sisters riam Ziv, said she hoped the PLO- MCFL phone number. of Africa and South America. For and was known as Mother Mary and volunteers.

"We hope the messages moti, Israeli accord would indirectly help their work with the poor, some sis- Aloysius. The Sisters were estabThe Contemplative Sisters of vate those people who are uninaccelerate the work of the Vaticanters have already paid with their lished in Marlboro in 1964. the Good Shepherd, founded as a formed about our issue to think of which she is Israeli commission, lives. as in Peru on Sept. 27, 1990, In today's America, the sisters powerhouse of prayer for Good about it," said MCFL president a member. when Sister Maria Augustina Lo- once again find themselves few in· Shepherd ministries, support the Madeline McComish. "It is a "The talks wit h the Vatican have pez was taken from her class of number, yet challenged as always active works ofthe apostolic sisters. of Massachusetts Citizens priority had anything to do with the never children and pu',licly executed by to meet the needs of women and Recently in the Fall River diocese, for life that people learn the truth Palestinian issue or with other Shining Path guerrillas. families faced with problems such four sisters founded a new conissues of the Middle East. They about abortion, not only how it This month, not by rickety stage- as poverty, homelessness, AIDS, templative community in Harwichwere strictly bilateral issues we hurts and exploits women but that coach or steamboat, but by plane violence and street crime. Waves port. Sisters Cecilia, Rose Virginie, were negotiating," she said Sept. it truly does end the lifeof an and automobile, 5isters ofthe Good of immigrants greater than ever Jean and Elizabeth wear a modified unborn child."

10.

Shepherd from five provinces in before include new minorities that white habit and a black veil. Cape Massachusetts Citizens for Life "But of course the improved the United States and two in reach out for understanding and residents may have seen them at is the largest pro-life organization atmosphere could very much imCanada will gather in Louisville help just as cuts in funding almost Mass at Holy Trinity Church in prove the (Vatican-Israeli) talks," in the state with 60 chapters from Sept. 24 to 26 for a great force a triage approach to the Harwich or grocery shopping at she said. She noted that whenever throughout Massachusetts. It is an celebration of their humble begin- situation. one or another supermarket on the Israel has brought up prospects affiliate of the National Right to nings. They will recall that once Cape. They may also see them The sisters who will converge on diplomatic relations, the Vati- Life Committee. for they were pove,·ty-stricken stranwalking on the beach, appreCiating M CFL may be reached at Louisville are engaged in a variety can has cited the continuing probgers in a foreign land (only one of its contemplative atmosphere.

Schrafft Center, 529 Main St., of services, from traditional residenlems of the Middle East, including the five original sisters spoke The Harwichport sisters do various Boston 02129-11 0 I, or at telephone tial treatment centers to ministries the situation of the Palestinians.

English) in a stil.-struggling nation kinds of art work and distribute (617)242-4199. in prisons, hospitals, schools, homeCardinal Bernard Law of Boswhere their Cath olicity and nationaltar breads to area parishes. But. less shelters, half-way houses, ton said the accord was a "cause ality were held wspect, and where since their major apostolate is counseling centers and homes for for rejoicing on the part of all men they were in rel'.! danger from the prayer, they are most often in the battered women and unwed mothand women who value peace."

"Know Nothinp" of the era. chapel of their residence on Bank DUBLIN, lreland(CNS)- Uners, to name a few. They will visit "We can only applaud the COUTThe young missionaries rememStreet, praying for the world, for age of the Isradi government and employment in Ireland has reached bered Mother Euphrasia in Angers, the site of their first house in North the work of the Good Shepherd America in Louisville, and will the leadership of the PLO in tak- a "subversive level," said Archbian admirable combination offearlessSisters, and for the intentions of shop Desmond Connell of Dublin. tour Maryhurst, a modern treating this historic step," he said. ness and motherly solicitude. The all who ask their prayers.

He said that in some Dublin parfor teen-age girls with ment facility Vatican spokesman Navarrosame courageol.S woman who sent As Harwichport residents they ishes, 80 percent of the people are Valls, commenting on Vaticanthese young Fr,~nch girls into the , problems. feel a special bond with their unemployed. "No Christian can Israeli talks Sept. 13, said the unknown followed their every move Throughout the year Good Shep- neighbors as they ask God's blessing negotiations were "moving ahead" contemplate such a statistic with with her loving tears, prayers and herd missions will also hold their on the town and on the Fall River indifference," he said, adding that in regular meetings. The talks are compassionate letters. She encourown sesquicentennial celebrations. diocese, their new home. the most recent official figures mainly geared toward solving aged them to be brave, to value,the In Massachusetts, which is part of Sister Elizabeth of the Harwichshowed that the number unemproblems related to the status of beauty of their mission to the Unithe New York province, sisters port convent will attend the celeployed in the Dublin area rose by 4 the church, its institutions and its ted States, and to welcome with minister in social services, parishes, bration in Louisville, as will Sister percent, almost twice 'the national and Israeliproperties in Israel open arms, without discrimination, hospitals, nursing homes, educa- Dorothy Moore, a pastoral care average, in the past year. administered territories, he said. the women whc needed their care. tional programs, elderly housing minister at St. Luke's Hospital, Although the sisters' work began and pastoral counseling. Maria New Bedford. with immigrants, the presenting need of the times, Mother Euphrasia also expressed concern for Native Americans, as well as for to Continued from Page One her beloved black children, of With regard to the United States, whom she often dreamed as stretch- rights anywhere are the responsisaid Father MacPhaidin, "one of bility of all of us. We must coning out their hands to her for help. your priorities has been the creaThe community also opened its tinue to build and enforce interna- ,tion of the Economic Advisory FOR CANCER VICTIMS AND THEIR LOVED ONES doors to women whose health was tional law in this area and ensure Board, which is dedicated to harEvery ThursdaY • 9:30 A.M. ruined by factory labor or slum that this framework becomes a livnessing the goodwill that exists ing reality that offers a true shield life. within corporate. Irish America ST. LOUIS CHURCH In the process of returning to of protection to the oppressed and toward Ireland."

420 Bradford Avenue • Fall River their roots, today's sisters will visit those who endure the hand of In informal comments followthe Cathedral of the Assumption tyranny." ing the official ceremonies, Reyin Louisville where Bishop Flaget nolds pledged that his government For both Reynolds and Bishop is buried. And when the sisters and would continue to provide official Sean O'Malley, also a guest of their lay associates, companions, documents to the new Stonehonor, it was the first visit to and friends cele',rate Eucharist and hill archive. He then declaed the Stonehill College, the only Catholic enjoy a festiv(: repast, they will facility officially open. college in the Fall River diocese. recall that on the day the pioneers The archive, made possible of 1843 took possession of their Father Bartley MacPhaidin, through a grant from Anheusernew house, and for several days CSC, Stonehill president, took the Busch, Inc., and the support of the opportunity to confer an honorary corporation's executive vice-presiafterwards, their meals were provided by the wives of Captain Lee, Doctor of Laws degree on Rey- dent, Michael J. Roarty, will be a steamboat navigator, and of a nolds. In his citation he noted the accessible to scholars. It was ashistorian, the Honorable Benjamin taoiseach's political and business sembled by Stonehill faculty memPre-approved financing is available for new auto loans.

J. Webb. LL.D. accomplishments, including his pos- bers Richard B. Finnegan and Transfer your payment from a Citizens-Union checking or The young ,isters' first Mass, itions as minister at various times James L. Wiles with assistance savings account and reduce your rate by .25%. offered in their new house on Sept. of the offices of Posts and Tele- from many persons in Ireland.

8, 1843, by Bishop Flaget, took graphs, Finance, Industry and Com- They included Donal Nevin of the place at an al':ar consisting of a merce before his election as head Irish Congress of Trade Unions NI(N' white muslin-covered board sup- . of the Irish government. AS'a bus- and librarians at University Col........~~ ported by two barrels. inessman, Reynolds has been in- lege Dublin, University College Call 508·678·7641 As the sisters became established volved in entertainment, meat pro- Cork, University College Galway and fanned ou: from Louisville, a cessing, manufacturing and seafood and Trinity College, as well as sevMemberFOIC/DIr i.i\Oiii foundation w~.s made in Boston export businesses. eral gover~lment officials.

Good Shepherd Sisters

80 percent jobless

'Taoiseach, bishop meet

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14

THE ANCHOR--:-Dioces~of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 17, 1993

By Charlie Martin

I DON'T WANNA FIGHT

By Christopher Carstens

glad to come back. It was路a scary time in their lives.

And here sits Robert at our kitchen table. smiling one of the most gentle. warm smiles I've ever encountered. He's so happy with his life, and the path that he's on. that his peacefulness spills out and infects everybody in the room.

I ask. cautiously, about how his mom and dad are doing. not quite sure what to expect. I didn't want to bring up uncomfortable issues.

He smiles again, broadly and tells me of his recent lengthy visits at home. He expresses real gratitude for how well he and his parents have come to understand each other. "I really understand what they were going through while I was a teenager. I made it pretty tough on them," he said.

A few minutes later his mom is on the phone. Yes. she tells me. they have really found peace with each other. All the love she felt for him when he was little boy rang through in her voice. The tension. the edge in her tone, that was so evi,dent a few years back was now completely gone.

And what is the point of telling Life moved ahead at' fast-for- , this story? It is this: things can get better. even with your parents. ward. We moved. first to' Iowa. then to California. while the even if it seems impossible.

Many teenagers have intensely Masons stayed in New England.

Our phone calls became less fre- difficult relationships with their quent, and finally communication parents, and the anger and bitterness can seem an impassable barground down to the annual Christrier. "We will always be angry." mas letter. both parent and child tell themWe visited them briefly a few selves. "We will never be happy years back. One of my clearest with each other again." memories of that visit was how Seeing Robert reminded me that angry Robert was. He had built those dire predictions are hardly walls that effectively closed his ever true. Even when the battles MOST WOlJLD call her the parents out of his life. H is shaved between parents and teens are bitundisputed queen of rock head. rock band tee shirts and ter and painful, love has a remarwho else but Tina Turner! Out loud. angry metal music shouted kable way of repairing itself. Somethis summer is the film about out a hostility that,they couldn't times it takes a while, and even a her life, "What's Love Got to penetrate. few years of living apart. But when Do With It." We talked with his parents a few it happens. it's a beautiful day. times after that and heard news of (Your comments are welcome. ment by the teachers, and I think the increa'sing tension they felt Please address: Dr. Christopher 'this makes all the difference to with Robert. Firially.abruptlyafter Carstens, c/o Catholic News Ser- kids." high school: he.left home. His par-路 , vice, 3211 Fourth St. N .E., WashMs. McGinty, the ninth of 10 ents' weren't sUre if -he'd ever be , ington, D.C. 20017.) children of .John and Alma McGinty of Resurrection of Our Lord parish inPolladelphia,attended 'the pa~ish grade school and 'St. Hubert's Catholic High School for , Girls, where she was valed}ctorian. ' After graduating from St. JoPHILADELPHIA '(CNS) .~ led as separate' matters." Ms,'Mc- seph's University in 'Philadelphia, where she majored in chemistry Philadelphia native Kathleen A. Ginty said" , " Since 1990 she had been princi- . and was the top student in the McGinty said her Catholic education played a significant role inher pal environmental ~dviser to'Vice department. she got her law degree President Al G'ore, then a senator' from Columbia University in New rise to an appointment at age 30as a deputy assistant to the president. ' tfrom Tennessee.

York. " , "My Catholic education was treShe said her task in the White President Clinton established the' House is to help identify and deal White Hou!!e..Office on Environ-, mendously, valuable to me," Ms.; McGinty told The Catholic Stanwith the environmental dimension mental Policy in January, with her as its' first director, after abolish-' ' ~ard and Times,'Philadelphia arch- in domestic and foreign policy priorities. , ing the previous administration's diocesan newSpaper.

"I think it's a wonderfultesta-, When the adininistration proCouncil on Environmental Quality. ment to the church," she added. posed its economic package to "The important thing we are try- "The education that's provided cerCongress. Ms. McGinty was heaving to demonstrate in having estab- tainly doesn't stop at the textbook. ily involved in crafting the energy lished this office .. , is that envi- Incredibly important to me was tax proposal. ronmental considerations aren't. the personal touch.... There was a "We are just dangerously reliant and therefore should not be, handreal han.ds-on, fulltime commiton imported oil and we really need

Every now and then, God reminds you that things have a way of turning out better than you thought they would.

When I gpt home yesterday, our two children were sitting at the table with a thin-bearded young man. maybe 21 years old. I felt a bit anxious. not sure what to expect.

He was a stranger. nobody I'd ever seen before.

He stood and smiled. offering me his hand. "Hello. I'm Robert Mason." And a flood of memories came back in an instant.

More than 20 years ago. when my wife and I were students in New England. David and Julie Mason were our best friends. We rented canoes together. took vacations together. and when it was time to start having children. we did that together as well.

Robert was their son. He was born about a year before our first daughter. I n those years. babies were the absolute center of our lives. Robert. as a I-year-old. even taught our daughter to walk during a Christmas visit to Vermont.

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Clinton environment aide , credits' Cath.olic educatio路n

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There's a pale moon in the sky Can you make your wishes known Like the light in your eyes The one that I built my dreams upon It's not there any longer Something happened somewhere And we both know why But me I'm getting stronger But we must stop pretending I can't live this life \ I don't care who's wrong or right I don't really wanna fight no more Too much talking, baby Let us sleep on it tonight I don't really wanna fight no more Because it's time for letting go I hear them whispering It simply doesn't bother me Can't you see that I don't care路 Are you looking right through me It seems to me that lately You look at me the wrong way And I start to cry Could it be that maybe This crazy situation Is the reason why o baby don't you know That I don't want to hurt no more Don't care now who's to blame I don't really want to fight no more Because it's time for letting go Hanging onto the past It only stands in our way We have to hope That our Im'e will last But we just proved wrong I don't want to hurt no more But baby don't you know I don't want to hurt no more Too much talking babe Let's sleep on it tonight I don't wanna really fight no more Because it's time for letting go I don't wanna hurt no more Written by Steve DuBerry / Lulu/Billy Lawrie. Sung by Tina Turner (c) 1993 by Touchstone Pictures. Under exclusive license to EMI Records Ltd. From the soundtrack is Ms. Turner's new chart hit "I Don't Wanna Fight." Regardless of how the song fits into the movie. the song's message can be, applied to any relationship. for to do something to begin to break away from this trend we are on right now of ever-increasing con~ sumption of 'imported oil," she said. "Close to 50 percent of our trade deficit comes from our importationof oiL" To 'meet the environmentalthreat '

how we deal with conflict determines whether love will endure.

The woman in the song realizes that the relationship has changed. She 'recog'nizes that "the light in your eyes, the one that I built my dreams upon." is not there any longer.

Life together has become so tense that her man just has to "look at me the wrong way and I start to cry." At this point all she knows. is that she doesn't want to fight or hurt anymore.

Clearly. she is right. Ongoing conflict and useless bickering destroy relationships. If a couple doesn't learn how to walk away from such negative experiences. their love will be swallowed up in a sea of anger. hurt and frustration.

This doesn't mean that conflict should be avoided. Rather. what couples need is a constructive approach for facing and solving problems.

This begins by admitting the problem. Don't sugarcoat differences and conflicts. Instead. name what is going on and ask.

How can we work together to change this situation?

Such dialogue is only possible when each person's anger has cooled off. Most times this can be accomplished by taking time away from the immediate situation. and then later discussing what has occurred. Each person sho,uld do something that makes himself or herself feel better before addressing the painful problem between them.

The song mentions an important practical suggestion: "Let's sleep on it tonight." It is more helpful to take time away from a problem than to attempt to talk it over when one or both people are emotionally worn out.

Making such a choice helps to safeguard a relationship. We are much more vulnerable to verbally attacking someone we love when we are frustrated and tired.

Handling conflict constructively is a learning process. There are occasions when we need to back off from the immediate circumstances. Givel1 patience and a return to clear thinking, problems and conflicts need not destroy love.

Your comments are welcomed by Charlie Martin, RR 3, Box 182, Rockport, IN 47635.

of carbon dioxide emissions. she said, the United States needs "a strategy that begins to move us toward using renewa'ble energy Isuch as) solar energy and alternative fuels - ethanol and methanol." ',Clean water was another maj"oI: , environmental concern in the economic package.

"There are a lot of cities that are struggling to provide safe drinking water for their citizens and communities," Ms. McGinty said.

She said she brings her religious forrpation to her job in the way she approaches colleagues and tasks. ' . Shereiies on it, she'said, to keep in mind "the real urgency of relat- ' , iilg in an empathetic way to other individuals; to recognize in others the spirit, the goodness."

"That'~ true in any waik of life."

Ms. McGinty added, "but I see it v~ry strongly here. as I'm' in a policy-making role, to have all my actions guided by a very strong sense of obligation to community j eNS photo and to others and trying to do as best I can,'" KATHLEEN A. McGINTY'

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Coyle-Cassidy

inl our schools

James Rusconi, science teacher at Coyle-Cassidy High School, Taunton, was honored this week at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. His name was submitted by a former CC student, now attending Randolph-Macon, as the teacher "who was had the grea\ j test impact on her college life to pursue her present concentration of studies."

Rusconi was at the college in Virginia on Monday and Tuesday to receive the recognition and a $1,000 award.

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Coyle and Cassidy will be led on the playing fields this fall by an outstanding group of captains.

Seniors Chris Pabst of East Taunton, Rich Lenn~n of Middleboro and Jason Alger of Brock. ton will be tri-captains of the football team.

On the volleyball court, seniors Julie Amber of Middleboro and Laurie Poyant of New Bedford will lead the Lady Warriors in action.

Senior Theresa Arpin of Middleboro, ~Iong with sophomores Rachel Rothman of Raynham and Patricia Murphy of East Taunton, head the girls' cross country team while senior Sean Flaherty of Raynham will captain the boy Warrior harriers.

In girls' soccer, seniors Kelly Osburn and Amy Latour lead the Lady Warrior booters. For the boys' soccer team, seniors Jamie Frazier and Joe Falconeiri, both of Middleboro, and Fran Curran of Norton have been named captains.

The cheerleaders have senior Kerie Melo of Raynham and junior Kellie Cambra of Berkley to champion the Warrior spirit.

No miracles·

DA HAPPENINGS: Bishop Connolly High School graduates, from left, Marianne Rego, Kristen Roussel and Sandy Soden;trom have assumed teaching positions at Dominican Academy, Fall River. Below, eighth grade teacher Colleen Sykes dresses Jenny Carvalho, Nicole Mecucci and Lindsay Kaminski for a western-themed event. (Gaudette photos)

J)ominican Academy For the new school year at Dominican Academy, Fall River, classrooms have been reassigned to create a junior high division for grades 6, 7 and 8 and to bring kindergarten through grade 3 closer· together. Grades 4 and 5 will team teach some subj<:cts: Three graduates of- Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River, are on the DA staff: Marianne Rego, '87, tead es grade 4; newcomer this year Kristen Roussel, '87, teaches first grade; and Sandy Soderstrom, '86, teaches grade 2.

A western-themed assembly was held Sept. 7"with students donning

bandannas and other western garb.

The afternoon was topped off with a performance of "Achy Breaky Heart" by Brandi Rodrigues, Melanie Cabral, Sherri Moniz and Michelle Moreira.

Bishop. Connolly Yearbook moderator Jim L'Heureux has announced that the 1993 editions of OPUS, the Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River, yearbook, have arrived. Prepaid copie's may be picked up at the main office; a limited number of extra copies are availabfe.

Charit:r unites city, rural dwellers TOLEDO, Ohio (CNS) - The . variety oj activities benefiting area diocese of Toledo's Rural Life soup kitchens, including a seed Ministry has pUI together a ~ideo project, a steer project and a gleandocumentary and handbook desing project. cribing Project Elfm Hands, which A separate project for elemenunites rural and urban people in tary school children helps them working to feed the hungry. understand the food system from The ecumenical project combines agricultural concerns and visiting elements of education, advocacy a farm to baking bread for the and spirituality. It consists of a needy and touring a grocery store.

TRENTON, N.J. (CNS)-After a year's investigation of alleged Marian visits at a central New Jersey home, Bishop John C. Reiss of Trenton has declared that "there is no evidence of anything truly miraculous" occurring. He urged Catholics who have been visiting the site to continue prayer and spiritual renewal but to gather "in places and circumstances which do not jeopardize the good order, safety and welfare of our fellow citizens."

Tens of thousands or' pilgrims have flocked to the home of Joseph Januszkiewicz of Marlboro since June 1992 when he claimed Mary had begun to appear to him regularly in his backyard.

THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 17, 1993

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Sister hopes to reverse "lethal" black trends NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS)Nearly 100 religious communities across the country have responded to a "call to arms" from a black Nashville nun who is launching a project to "halt and then reverse some of the lethal trends" among U.S. black communities.

School Sister of St. Francis Sandra O. Smithson has started Project Reflect, which grew out of black Catholics urging the church to develop pastoral programs to help save the black community from decline.

"We are trying to establish a national movement to address systemic problems in the black community," said Sister Smithson, executive director of Project Reflect, who has raised more than $50,000 from religious communities to fund a fi ve-year pilot program in Nashville.

The project has three components - communication, education and economic development - that organizers plan to use to tackle some of black America's most daunting problems and, ultimately, strike a blow at the heart of racism.

"We are not creating something for blacks because they are black, but because they are at the bottom of society's heap," said Sister Smithson, pastoral associate at St. Vincent dePaul parish, Nashville, in an interview with The Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Nashville diocese.

An author, journalist, scholar, educator and former administrator of many of her order's institutions, Sister Smithson said many gains of the U.S. civil rights movement "proved to be too little, too late, too superficially grounded, and they opened the door for progress for too few."

The past 20 years have swept away most civil rights gains, she added, because of the loss of affirmative action programs and others designed to create a black middle class, ti',e one group that could prompt a nd sustain growth of the black community.

The result is a community beset by hardcore unemployment, the highest school dropout rate in history, the proliferation of gangs, escalating teen pregnancies, the spread of AIDS to epidemic proportions and homicide rates rising so steadily that murder is the lead-

ing cause of death among young blacks.

"The community'is also besieged by a resurgence of violent hate groups, a hostile justice system, an organized crime [network] which targets it for the sale of minddestroying drugs," Sister Smithson said.

Religious orders, which "have always done an incredible, wonderfuljob in educating minorities," now want to find a new way to help the black community, she said. Projects include: • Reflect, an ecumenical journal that will be a forum for black writers and leaders to help forge a sense of "personal and communal direction."

• Project Reflect Educational Programs, or PREP, offering supplementary and weekend educational programs designed to offset the "negative impact of prejudicial inner-city public schooling" and the closing of Catholic schools.

• Businesses Responsible for the Economic Advancement of the Disadvantaged, or BREAD, a cooperative of entrepreneurs working to promote growth of black-owned businesses. Successful business owners would "tithe" a percentage of their profits to a pool that would fund new ventures and develop new markets.

Through the programs, organizers said, Project Reflect hopes to combat: black Americans' faulty self-image and communal image; their lack of economic resources; their high dropout rate caused by inadequate fundamental education; and their"escalating abandonment of Judeo-Christian ethics as a moral norm."

Sister Smithson proposes to launch a pilot PREP program in Nashville next year. Organization of the BREAD cooperative is already under way. After the pilot programs arc up and running, her goal is to raise $1 million to take them to the national level.

Project Reflect is designed so that local groups can establish and maintain the PREP and BREAD programs. Sister Smithson said such localization avoids cumbersom national bureaucracies.

"If somcthing is not done," she warns, "the black community might self-destruct before it realizes it's destructing, and it might take much of society with it."

•

Muvies Recent box office hits 1. The Fugitive. A·II (PG-13) 2. The Man Without a Face.

A-III (PG-13) 3. Hard Targel. 0 (R) 4. Jurassic F-ark, A-II (PG-13) 5. Fortress, no classification (R) 6. Needful Things, 0 (R) 7. The Socret Garden, A-I (G) .

8. In the Line 01 Fire, A-III (R) 9. Rising Sun, OCR) 10. (tie) Free Willy, A-II (PG) 10. (tie) Sleepless in Seattle, A-III (PG)

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HOME IIJASE: Adoption of daugcter Dacia from the' Ukraine by Kristine Tomnitz (right) prompted Kristine's mother, Karen Henschell, to begin travel service to the. former Soviet republic. (CNS photo)

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1993 eNS Gllphics

., 16

THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 17,1993

Iteering pOint, PUBLICITY CHAIRMEN are askad 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 activities. 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 office, telephone (508) 875-7151.

On Steering Points Items, FRlndlcates Fall River; NB Indicates New Bedford. _

ST. MARY, NORTON Divorced/ separated group will attend program on annulments with Father Jay Maddock 7 p.m. Sept.

20, LaSalette retreat house, Attleboro; carpooling from parish parking lot 6:30 p. m. The group will hold regular monthly meeting Sept. 16.

Information: 285-3647.

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HOLY GHOST, ATTLEBORO Nursing home Masses: Oakhurst 1:30 p.m. today, Maple Terrace 11:30 a.m. Sept. 20.

O.L. CAPE, BREWSTER Organist Walter Strony will perform a concert 7 p.m. Sept. 25.

Annual Mass for sacrament of the sick II :30 a.m. Sept. 26; blessing will also be given at the end of Mass for those not experiencing a chronic illness but who seek healing.

ST. JOSEPH, TAUNTON Calix group for those in recovery from addictive diseases will hold monthly meeting6:30 p.m. Sept. 19, parish center; agenda includes plans for a picnic and cookout at the Bird Sanctuary Sept. 26.

CATHOLIC ALUMNI CLUB Catholic singles club social gathering 6 p.m. ~ept. 19 in community room at Silver City Galleria Mall; dinner will follow. Meetings continue third Sundays at the mall.

Information: 824-8379.

HOSPICE OUTREACH, FR Office volunteers needed for bereavement program, 2 to 3 hours per week. Information: Rita Good, 6731589.

K. OF c., FALMOUTH FalmOUth Council 813 Knights of Columbus installation of officers 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. Adopt-a-Highway cleanup program (two-mile stretch) 9:30 a.m. Sept. 25.

ST. MARY, N. ATTLEBORO Parishioners will have the opportunity this weekend to sign up for "spiritual adoption" program to pray for unborn babies in danger of abortion.

ST. STANISLAUS, FR Sunday evening prayer will resume 5 p.m. Oct. 3.

ST. PATRICK, FR Signups will be taken at all Masses this weekend for the Respect Life Walk to be held Oct. 3 in Boston; information: Betty Murray, 678-5866.

Charlie's Oil Co., Inc. • Prompt 24 Hour Service • Automatic Deliveries • Call In Deliveries • Budget Terms Available • Free EstImates You Never Had Service Until You Tried Charlie's We're located at . ..

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WIDOWED SUPPORT A new support group for the newly widowed (up to one year) will begin meeting 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at Sacred Hearts Convent, 47 Prospect Place, next to Charlton Memorial Hospital. FR. Information: Sister Ruth Curry, Office of Family Ministry, 999-6420.

LaSALETTE CENTER, ATTLEBORO Joan Borysenko, PhD, and Elizabeth A. Lawrence, MA, will conduct the healing retreat" A Gathering of Women" Oct. 1-3. Dr. Borysenko is a Harvard-trained medical scientist and psychologist and author of Fire in the Soul. Ms. Lawrence holds a master's in pastoral counseling and is certified in Mari-EI healing of memories. She owns and operates The Inner Connection, which provides retreats and workshops; in private practice she provides counseling, imaging, centering prayer.

Father Robert S. Kaszynski, pastor of St. Stanislaus Church, FR, will lead the weekend retreat "Prayer, I Am the Way," Oct. 8-10.

"Clery Misconduct: Sexual Abuse in the Ministerial Relationship" Oct. 25-26. Workshop presenters Sister Elaine Shaw, OP, and Patricia liberty, a Baptist clergywomen, will use materials produced by the Center for Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence in Seattle, WA. Through lecture and small and large group work, participants will gain information, insight and skills to recognize and deal with practical and ethical problems of sexual abuse of the laity.

Information: 222-8530.

O.L. ASSUMPTION, OSTERVILLE I nstallation of pastor Father Thomas Rita 10:30 a.m. Mass Sept.

26; refreshments follow.

O.L. VICTORY, CENTERVILLE For information on bus transportation to the Respect Life Walk Oct. 3 in Boston, contact parish pro-life representative Eileen Burton, 4284294.

SACRED HEART, N. ATTLEBORO Reservations for bus transportation, leaving N. Attleboro H.S. lot, to the Respect Life Walk in Boston Oct. 3. may be made by calling 3847232 by Sept. 29.

SS. PETER AND PAUL, FR 1928 to 1979 school alumni reunion Oct. 9.

LaSalette celebrates feast this weekend LaSalette Shrine. Attleboro, will _mark the 147th anniversary of Mary's apparition at LaSalette in the French Alps with a triduum beginning tonight.

Father Richard Delisle. MS. will be principal celebrant and homilist for triduum Masses 6:30 tonight and 4:30 p.m. tomorrow and for an outdoor feast day Mass 3 p.m.

Sunday. The latter-will be the only Sunday Mass at the Shrine and no confessions will be heard that afternoon so that the entire LaSaleHe community can share in the celebration.

Music for the feast day Mass will be provided by the St. Francis Xavier parish choir of East Providence, directed by John Travers.

On Sept. 19. 1846. the Blessed Mother appeared to two children near the village of LaSalette, France. Her message focused on. the need for reconciliation and her discourse ended with the words, "Make this known to all my peopie." In response, over 900 M issionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette preach the message of reconciliation in 20 countries throughout the world.

All are invited to the triduum and feast day celebration. For information call LaSalette Shrine at 222-5410.

ST. JOAN of ARC, ORLEANS Deacon Don Biron will present video series on the ~'Gifts ofthe Holy Spirit" 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Sept. 21. Vincentian food collection for Lower Cape Outreach Food Pantries Sept. 19.

ST. WILLIAM, FR Retirement party for Father William Shovelton following II :30 a.m.

Mass Sunday.

HOLY CROSS, FR Polish Business and Professional Club of Greater FR will kick off Polish Heritage Month (October) with concelebrated Mass of Thanksgiving 5 p.m. Sept. 25; homilist will be Rev. Richard Hincken, pastor of Blessed Virgin Polish National Church, FR. Dinner-dance, at which two scholarships will be awarded, will follow at Polish National Home.

Public is welcome.

PAX CHRISTI, CAPE COD Pax Christi ofCape Cod will meet 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20, Our Lady of Victory parish, Centerville, with topic "Cool Heads and Angry Hearts," a discussiQn of nonviolence. All welcome.

ST.STEPHEN,ATTLEBORO Farewell open house for former pastor Father Dick Gendreau I to 4 p.m. Sunday, church hall. Buses to the Respect Life Walk Oct. 3 in Boston will leave North Attleboro High School lot at noon and return about 5 p.m. Sign up in church this weekend or call 222-6699 or 222-0641.

HOLY NAME All women welcome to open meeting and tea of Women's Guild at 2 p.m. Sept. 26 in parish school.

ST. LOUIS de FRANCE, SWANSEA Holy'hours resume 7:30 tonight.

Church supports AFDC The following testimony was presented Tuesday at the Boston State House to the legislative subcommittee on welfare reform by Atty. Gerald D'Avolio, executive director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. Editor

that everyone who can work, should work.

What we now need are new approaches to welfare - not "workfare" but "family fair" policies that offer poor families real opportunities to leave poverty and dependency behind, policies that do not discourage marriage I appreciate the opportunity to and earnings, policies that do not appear before you today to speak simply cut off health care, houson behalf of the Conference on the ing, child care and other essential issue of welfare reform. help as families leave welfare for No one can deny that our welwork and education. fare system needs reform. As a Catholic people, our faith calls us Our number one priority should to protect the poor, the vulnera- be to create real opportunities for ble, and the oppressed. We are meaningful work so that families particularly concerned that chil- can live in dignity, contribute to dren be afforded a fair chance at our economy and build our local life. It is a sad commentary on our communities.

The Department of Public Welsociety that here in Massachusetts one of every four children under fare, in partnership with communfive is a beneficiary of Aid to Fam- ity-based voluntary agencies. alilies with Dependent Children ready has some viable models in place; for example, the Mass Jobs (AFDC).

Our community of faith has a program. In these and other prolong and continued involvement gram settings, most of the people with children and families through we work with have no desire to the Church's social ministry. It is remain on welfare any longer than not only our values that we bring they have to. Most really want to proudly to this concern, but also work. They want futures for themour broad experience and exper- selves and their children, just like tise in caring for children and their anyone else. families.

To help get them from where The entire welfare system ob- they are to where they want to be, viously needs reform. However, they need to continue to receive until that reform takes place, the basic AFDC subsistence; they need needy in our midst must receive health care, access to child care, effective care. Therefore, while- and most of all education and acknowledging the many negative training that prepare them for the dimensions of AFDC, the Cathoworld of work. lic Church wants to see the posiIn this case, economic and social tive dimensions preserved. needs coincide: the need of our Catholic social teaching is pro- economy for an educated and highwork, pro-family. and pro-child. ly trained workforce, and the need It strongly advocates changes in of the human being for the dignity the welfare system that assist and self-sufficiency that are afforded by gainful employment recipients, wherever possible, to come together in a "family fair" become self-sufficient through welfare reform policy. gainful employment. We believe

U.S. BISHOPS on the Committee for Pro-Life Activities have urged the German makers of the abortion pill RU-486 not to market it in the United States. (CNS/ KNA photo)