09.21.12

The Anchor Diocese of Fall River

F riday , September 21, 2012

Discreet followers of Church teachings

Fall 40 Days for Life vigil set to begin September 26

EASTON — They are mothers, sisters and daughters who have helped numerous charities and organizations for decades, including the Boy and Girl Scouts, March of Dimes, Catholic Charities and more. They have collected canned goods for food pantries, donated items for Birthright and My Brother’s Keeper, even raising money for a local fire department to purchase night-vision goggles and a police department to purchase bulletproof vests. They do all of this without fanfare or asking for recognition, even as their numbers have begun to dwindle through the years.

“As few of us that we are,” said Maureen Papineau of Immaculate Conception Parish in Easton, “one of the best kept secrets is the Turn to page 18

ATTLEBORO — Faithful Catholics from around the diocese will once again join groups in cities across the nation during a peaceful 40 Days for Life vigil beginning September 26.

For the ninth time since its inception in the fall of 2008, participants will assemble outside the only remaining abortion clinic operating within the Fall River Diocese — Four Women, Inc. on Emory Street in Attleboro, located just steps from the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette — to peacefully pray for an end to abortion.

As he prepared to organize this latest vigil, coordinator Steve Marcotte said he’s been blessed to have constant support from everyone within the Fall River Diocese.

“I can’t overstate how incred-

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

‘Choose Life’ license plates exceed goal

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

FALL RIVER — Having exceeded the goal to get 3,000 Choose Life license plates on vehicles throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Merry Nordeen, president and founder of the non-profit Choose Life, Inc. effort, breathed a well-deserved sigh of relief this past week.

As of press time, 3,054 Choose Life license plates had been purchased and picked up at Registry of Motor Vehicle branches throughout the state.

“I feel relieved,” Nordeen told The Anchor. “I’ve run the gamut of emotions. The first phone call I made was to my husband, the second call was to the bond owner to let him know that his money would be released.”

The Choose Life plate was first issued in Massachusetts in July 2010 after a seven-year effort.

Nordeen was inspired to bring the plates to the Commonwealth after hearing about their introduction in Turn to page 18

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

family matters — Some of the residents of the Cardinal Medeiros Residence for retired priests in Fall River, share what living at the facility is like. All of the 16 residents continue to actively minister to the faithful of the Diocese of Fall River by celebrating Masses, through hospital and prison ministries, retreat work and teaching. From left: Fathers Richard R. Gendreau, Jose A. dos Santos, James R. McLellan, and Paul E. Canuel. (Photo by Dave Jolivet)

Retired diocesan priests continue to play large role in serving the faithful

By Dave Jolivet, Editor

FALL RIVER — If someone were to ask, “How many retired priests call the Cardinal Medeiros Residence home?” the correct answer would be “None,” because every one of the 16 men who live there are far from retired. “Like I told my parishioners, ‘I’m not retiring, I’m going to a new assignment,’” said Msgr. Barry W. Wall, who has been living at the residence for four years.

The same can be said for all the priests there. Each of the men remains very active in ministry across the Diocese of Fall River. “We’re busy,” Father Albert J. Ryan, a 10-year resident, told The Anchor. “But in

the right place — the sacramental side.” Combined, the residents have hundreds of years of priestly service, and they continue to make very valuable contributions to the faithful of the diocese. “We’re seasoned troops,” added Father Ryan. “We’ve done everything and anything a priest could do. We have so much experience, in different fields.”

Built on the Bishop Connolly High School campus in Fall River, the former living quarters of the Jesuit community that used to staff the school, Cardinal Medeiros Residence was opened in October of 1996. Since then, it’s been the happy home for Turn to page 15

CUT A YELLOW RIBBON — From left, former pastor Father Richard M. Roy; Bishop George W. Coleman; Sister Mary Jane Holden, C.P., principal; Dr. Michael S. Griffin, diocesan school superintendent; and pastor Father Richard D. Wilson cut the ribbon on the new expansion to St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro. The ceremony was preceded by a Mass celebrated by Bishop Coleman at St. John the Evangelist Church. Story on page 14. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

ibly supportive Bishop George W. Coleman has been, along with people like Marian Desrosiers and Jean Arsenault of the diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate,” Marcotte said. “Everyone in the diocese from Bishop Coleman on has been incredibly supportive. Without their effort, we wouldn’t even be a shadow of what we are now.”

Noting that many parishes sponsor bus trips to the Attleboro site, Marcotte also expressed great joy at the ongoing level of participation from lay people in the diocese during the Turn to page 12

News From the Holy See

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September 21, 2012

At youth celebration, pope tells Christians: Stay and make peace

BKERKE, Lebanon (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI urged young Christians in the Middle East not to flee violence and economic insecurity through emigration, but to draw strength from their faith and make peace in their troubled region.

The pope spoke to some 20,000 young people from several Middle Eastern countries gathered outside the residence of the Maronite patriarch in Bkerke in a celebration that included fireworks, spotlights, singing and prayer.

The crowd began to form hours before Pope Benedict arrived in the popemobile a little after 6 p.m.

After passing through the metal detector and the gates of Bkerke, visitors were greeted by Scouts who gave them an olive branch to wave to welcome the pope and a knapsack containing water, snacks, an Arabic Bible and the new edition of the youth catechism — “YouCat,” a gift from Pope Benedict.

A giant Rosary fashioned from yellow and blue balloons hovered over the crowd, its colors blending in with the cloudless sky and Mediterranean Sea below the hillside.

Pope Benedict asked young Christians, whose population is diminishing across the Middle East, not to abandon their homelands.

“Not even unemployment and uncertainty should lead you to taste the bitter sweetness of emigration, which involves an uprooting and a separation for the sake of an uncertain future,” he said. “You are meant to be protagonists of your country’s future and to take your place in society and in the Church.”

Warning against escapism, the pope urged his listeners not to “take refuge in parallel worlds like those, for example, of the various narcotics or the bleak world of pornography.”

He acknowledged that online social networks are interesting, but said they “can quite easily lead to addiction and confusion between the real and the virtual.” He called money a “tyrannical idol which blinds to the point of stifling the person at the heart.”

Offering encouragement, the pope invoked the inspiration of the first Christians, inhabitants of the Middle East who “lived in troubled

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times and their faith was the source of their courage and their witness.”

“Courageously resist everything opposed to life: abortion, violence, rejection of and contempt for others, injustice and war,” Pope Benedict said. “In this way you will spread peace all around you.”

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, in his welcoming speech, told the pope, “These youths suffer from social, political and economic crises that negatively affect their faith and cause some of them to lose the real meaning of their Christian identity.”

Two youths spoke to the pope, basing their remarks on input from young Christian from all over the region.

The Middle East’s young Christians, they said, “yearn for peace and dream of a future without wars, a future where we will play an active role, where we work with our brothers, the young people of different religions to build a civilization of love ... homelands where human rights and freedom are respected, where each one’s dignity is protected.”

“We are looking for a culture of peace,” they said, calling for the condemnation of violence. “We want to be living bridges, mediators of dialogue and cooperation.”

The crowd cheered when the pope said he did not forget the Syrian people, stressing that he is always praying for them and that he is glad there were some Syrian people at the gathering.

Syria’s civil war has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of refugees since March 2011.

“The pope is saddened by your sufferings and your grief,” he said, his first public reference to the Syrian conflict since he arrived in Lebanon. “It is time for Muslims and Christians to come together so as to put an end to violence and war.”

Pope Benedict also offered a word of thanks to the Muslims in attendance, urging them to work with Christians to build up the region.

“Muslims and Christians, Islam and Christianity, can live side by side without hatred, with respect for the beliefs of each person, so as to build together a free and humane society,” the pope said.

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 56, No. 36

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peace in the middle east — Young people hold up a sign that reads “We love Jesus” as they gather for an outdoor Mass with Pope Benedict XVI on the waterfront in Beirut September 16. (CNS photo/Mohamed Azakir, Reuters)

Pope urges interfaith dialogue in Mideast, defends religious freedom

BEIRUT (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI signed a major document calling on Catholics in the Middle East to engage in dialogue with Orthodox, Jewish and Muslim neighbors, but also to affirm and defend their right to live freely in the region where Christianity was born.

In a ceremony at the Melkite Catholic Basilica of St. Paul in Harissa, Pope Benedict signed the 90page document of his reflections on the 2010 special Synod of Bishops, which was dedicated to Christians in the Middle East. He formally presented the document September 16 at an outdoor Mass in Beirut.

A section dedicated to interreligious dialogue encouraged Christians to “esteem” the region’s dominant religion, Islam, lamenting that “both sides have used doctrinal differences as a pretext for justifying, in the name of religion, acts of intolerance, discrimination, marginalization and even of persecution.”

Yet in a reflection of the precarious position of Christians in most of the region today, where they frequently experience negative legal and social discrimination, the pope called for Arab societies to “move beyond tolerance to religious freedom.”

The “pinnacle of all other freedoms,” religious freedom is a “sacred and inalienable right,” which includes the “freedom to choose the religion which one judges to be true and to manifest one’s beliefs in public,” the pope wrote.

It is a civil crime in some Muslim countries for Muslims to convert to another faith and, in Saudi Arabia, Catholic priests have been arrested for celebrating Mass, even in private.

The papal document, called an apostolic exhortation, denounced “religious fundamentalism” as the opposite extreme of the secularization that Pope Benedict has often criticized in the context of contemporary Western society.

Fundamentalism, which “afflicts all religious communities,” thrives on “economic and political instability, a readiness on the part of some to manipulate others, and

a defective understanding of religion,” the pope wrote. “It wants to gain power, at times violently, over individual consciences, and over religion itself, for political reasons.”

Many Christians in the Middle East have expressed growing alarm at the rise of Islamist extremism, especially since the so-called Arab Spring democracy movement has toppled or threatened secular regimes that guaranteed religious minorities the freedom to practice their faith.

Earlier in the day, the pope told reporters accompanying him on the plane from Rome that the Arab Spring represented positive aspirations for democracy and liberty and hence a “renewed Arab identity.”

But he warned against the danger of forgetting that “human liberty is always a shared reality,” and consequently failing to protect the rights of Christian minorities in Muslim countries.

The apostolic exhortation criticized another aspect of social reality in the Middle East by denouncing the “wide variety of forms of discrimination” against women in the region.

“In recognition of their innate inclination to love and protect human life, and paying tribute to their specific contribution to education, health care, humanitarian work and the apostolic life,” Pope Benedict wrote, “I believe that women should play, and be allowed to play, a greater part in public and ecclesial life.”

In his speech at the document’s signing, Pope Benedict observed that September 14 was the feast of the Exaltation of Holy Cross, a celebration associated with the Emperor Constantine the Great, who in the year 313 granted religious freedom in the Roman Empire and was later baptized.

The pope urged Christians in the Middle East to “act concretely ... in a way like that of the Emperor Constantine, who could bear witness and bring Christians forth from discrimination to enable them openly and freely to live their faith in Christ crucified, dead and risen

for the salvation of all.”

While the pope signed the document in an atmosphere of interreligious harmony, with Orthodox, Muslim and Druze leaders in the attendance at the basilica, the same day brought an outburst of religiously inspired violence to Lebanon.

During a protest against the American-made anti-Muslim film that prompted demonstrations in Libya, Egypt and Yemen earlier in the week, a group attempted to storm a Lebanese government building in the northern city of Tripoli. The resulting clashes left one person dead and 25 wounded, local media reported. According to Voice of Lebanon radio, Lebanese army troops were deployed to Tripoli to prevent further violence.

Mohammad Samak, the Muslim secretary-general of Lebanon’s Christian-Muslim Committee for Dialogue, told Catholic News Service that the violence had nothing to do with the pope’s visit.

“All Muslim leaders and Muslim organizations — political and religious — they are all welcoming the Holy Father and welcoming his visit,” Samak said. “I hope his visit will give more credibility to what we have affirmed as the message of Lebanon — a country of conviviality between Christians and Muslims who are living peacefully and in harmony together for hundreds of years now.”

Bishop Joseph Mouawad, vicar of Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarchate, told CNS that the apostolic exhortation represents “a road map for Christians of the Middle East to live their renewal at all levels, especially at the level of communion.”

The exhortation will also be a call to dialogue, he said, especially between Christians and Muslims.

Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk, Iraq, said now Church leaders in each Mideast country must “work on how to translate the exhortation into real life in our communities and also in our Muslim and Christian relationships.”

September 21, 2012

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The International Church U.K. lawyers say Christians may have to choose between faith and job

distancing themselves — Demonstrators hold signs during a recent rally in Benghazi, Libya, to condemn the killers of J. Christopher Stevens, U.S. ambassador to Libya, and the attack on the U.S. Consulate in the city. Religious leaders from across the spectrum were quick to condemn the hate message of an anti-Islam film and the violent attack on the consulate it supposedly provoked September 11 in which the Stevens, three other Americans and several Libyan soldiers were killed.

(CNS photo/Esam Al-Fetori, Reuters)

Vatican firmly condemns U.S. deaths, disrespect against religions

Washington D.C. (CNS and CNA/ EWTN News) — Catholic leaders and scholars have denounced the violence that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Libya, as well as ongoing clashes throughout the Middle East.

“The very serious attack organized against the United States diplomatic mission in Libya,” a Vatican statement said, “calls for the firmest possible condemnation on the part of the Holy See.” “Nothing, in fact, can justify the activity of terrorist organizations and homicidal violence,” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

The statement came after an earlier Vatican communique decrying disrespect toward all religions and deploring all violence as unacceptable.

“Profound respect for the beliefs, texts, outstanding figures and symbols of the various religions are an essential precondition for the peaceful coexistence of peoples,” Father Lombardi said in a statement.

“The serious consequences of unjustified offense and provocations against the sensibilities of Muslim believers are once again evident in these days, as we see the reactions they arouse, sometimes with tragic results, which in turn nourish tension and hatred, unleashing unacceptable violence,” said the written statement, which was also translated into Arabic.

The Vatican said that statement was a response to a growing sense of anger and unrest erupting in parts of the Middle East in reaction to the trailer of a U.S.-made amateur film mocking the prophet Mohammed.

Though the trailer had been released online in July, it grabbed Arab media attention only after its recent translation into Arabic.

However, according to the Associated Press, a senior Libyan official has said that militants in that country may have used the film as a cover for a planned terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate.

Unlike the other protests in the region, the crowd in Libya was heavily armed, reportedly using machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to carry out the attack. Protests have

now been reported in some 20 countries.

While some of these protests were primarily peaceful, others quickly turned violent in Middle Eastern nations including Yemen, Sudan, Tunisia and Egypt.

Dr. Thomas Farr, who served as the first director of the U.S. State Department’s office of international religious freedom, said that the problem underlying the violence is “the view, widely accepted among Muslims abroad, that anyone who offends Islam must be punished, either by the state or private actors.”

Farr, who directs the Religious Freedom Project at the Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, spoke at an international religious freedom symposium.

“No one should insult the sacred beliefs of another,” he said. “It is an assault on human dignity and respect for others.”

Farr stressed that is “in the vital interests of the United States” that these Middle Eastern nations “overcome violent religious extremism and achieve stable democracies and economic development.”

To achieve this, he said, the U.S. must more effectively support Muslims within these countries who understand the critical importance of religious freedom for their nation’s future success and realize “that Islam can be defended without violence.”

The deaths of the Americans in Libya had already been reported by the time the Vatican released its first statement, but the circumstances and motives behind the attack were still unclear, Father Lombardi told reporters that day.

The Vatican chose to first address “the waves of agitation spreading in the Muslim world in reaction to the offenses against their religious sensibilities,” Father Lombardi told Catholic News Service.

“However, the seriousness of the attack against the U.S. representatives in Libya — its organized and pre-planned nature — be came clearer during the day. Therefore, it appeared correct (to issue) a specific strong condemnation of organized terrorism,” he told CNS.

Strasbourg, France (CNA/ EWTN News) — Attorneys representing the United Kingdom said last week that Christians might have to forfeit their jobs if they wish to express their faith in the workplace.

“Employees are free to resign if they find their employment incompatible with their religious beliefs,” government lawyer James Eadie said.

“They can obtain alternative employment in which they can reflect their religion as they wish.”

His comments were made at a recent hearing in Strasbourg before the European Court of Human Rights, involving four cases of British Christians who claim to have suffered faith-based discrimination at their places of employment.

The plaintiffs assert that existing U.K. law insufficiently protects their rights to freedom of religion and freedom from discrimination at work.

Two were kept from wearing crosses, Nadia Eweida, an employee of British Airways, and Shirley Chaplin, a longtime nurse.

The remaining two are Lilian Ladele, who lost her job with a London borough government for refusing to conduct civil partnerships, and Gary McFarlane, a therapist who was fired for saying he was unable to give sex therapy to homosexual couples.

According to the Daily Mail, Eadie claimed there is “a difference between the

professional sphere where your religious beliefs conflict with other interests and the private sphere.”

“Everyone has the right to express their beliefs, including the right to display religious symbols, but not an absolute right or a right without limits,” he added.

“That does not mean that in their professional sphere anyone can manifest their religious belief in any way they choose.”

The lawyers maintained that because the wearing of a cross is a not a “scriptural requirement” of Christianity, employers are not obliged to allow it, also noting that the government believes same-sex couples have a right to equal access to public services.

However, leaders of the Catholic Church and the Church of England have expressed concern that Christianity is unwelcome in the public sphere in Britain.

Prime Minister David Cameron had told the House of Commons in July that the right to wear crosses at work was “an absolutely vital freedom.”

All four plaintiffs brought their cases before the U.K. Employment Tribunal, which dismissed their claims. Their lawsuit before the court is based on the articles of the European Convention on Human Rights which concern freedom of religion and prohibition of discrimination.

The court’s deliberations are held in private, and the ruling will likely be made in a few months, reported the Daily Mail.

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College students put their faith into action

Providence, R.I. (CNA) — While most college students were enjoying the final days of summer with family and friends, a group of Providence College students arrived early on campus to put their faith into action.

The 26 new students and seven student coordinators participated in Faith Works, a pilot program developed to increase service opportunities available to incoming freshmen and to augment the number of Faith Formation programs available to the college’s students.

The energetic students served at diocesan sites such as Emmanuel House, the St. Martin de Porres Center, and the Office of Life and Family and Office of Immigration and Refugee Services.

As students learn more about the relationship between the college, diocese and the community, the program allows them to establish connections with Catholic agencies that offer numerous opportunities for service.

Troy Valdevia, a recent graduate of St. Raphael Academy, Pawtucket, R.I. and parishioner of Holy Spirit Parish, Central Falls, R.I. said he was amazed to learn about the large number of volunteer opportunities that exist in the diocese. He hopes to volunteer with the Gabriel Project, helping to collect supplies for families of newborns.

“I live here and didn’t know about the programs that are offered at my very doorstep and that I could take part in,” said Valdevia, who will live on campus during his freshman year to better experience college life.

“This has been a real eyeopener,” he continued, adding that while attending St. Raphael Academy, he volunteered at the Rejoice in Hope Center in Cranston, R.I. and assisted with several student retreats.

For Gabrielle Barbera of

The Church in the U.S.

Montrose, N.Y., the program allowed her to continue an interest in public service, and provided a “feeling of being more connected” with her peers and the community.

“I am starting off with a good group of people,” said Barbera, as she took a break from painting at the diocesan emergency overnight shelter.

The honors biology major said that one of the reasons she chose to attend Providence College was the school’s strong emphasis on community service and spiritual growth.

Adam Comeaux, an engineering student from Columbia, Md., said he volunteered for Faith Works because of the good experiences he had performing community service with his parish youth group. He served in a community soup kitchen and helped renovate several homes being repaired by Habitat for Humanity in Delaware.

“I really enjoy it, I like the interaction with other people,” Comeaux added.

According to Richard Lumley, campus minister, one goal of the five-day immersion program is to create opportunities for students to engage in community service at the beginning of their Providence College experience, thus forging positive relationships with their peers, the community and the diocese.

“This is their first college experience,” Lumley emphasized.

“It’s been great to connect with the Diocese of Providence.”

“The program encourages them to be leaders,” Lumley added, noting that the students also toured the facilities at the Adult Correctional Institute to learn about chaplaincy services and also took a walking tour of Smith Hill, where they learned about the neighborhood’s ethnic diversity and cultural history.

attack victims — The remains of Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya, are taken off a transport aircraft during a ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington recently. U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans died after gunmen attacked the U.S. Consulate and a safe house refuge in Benghazi September 11. (CNS photo/Jason Reed, Reuters)

September 21, 2012

space talk — Astronaut Buzz Aldrin chats with Annie Glenn, wife of astronaut John Glenn, right, before a tribute to U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong during a recent service at the National Cathedral in Washington. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died August 25. (CNS photo/Gary Cameron, Reuters)

Cardinal Wuerl calls religion the ‘conscience’ of democracy

Washington D.C. (CNA/ society.

Americans have long underEWTN News) — Since Amer“With religious faith comes a stood that religious liberty is ica’s founding, its people have way of living, a set of standards an inherent part of being huunderstood the importance of for moral and civil behavior,” he man, not a privilege granted by religion as the conscience of the explained, adding that these ex- the state, he observed, while culture and necessary for a so- pectations are “woven into the at the same time recognizing ciety to flourish, said Cardinal very fabric of our societal life.” that the various faith traditions Donald W. Wuerl of Washing“‘You shall not kill’ is not serve the interests of the state ton, D.C. simply a legal convention of by teaching their respective From the earliest days of our any particular political persua- followers to live peacefully and country’s history, religion has sion, but rather a moral impera- respectfully. been understood It is fair to say as playing a “vital that in a democe may have quibbled over expresrole” in public life racy, “Church and sions of faith. We may have even state are home of the and a clear “part of the very fabric of been hostile to one another’s faith,” he said. same people,” he our nation,” the car- “But we never argued that faith doesn’t be- explained, because dinal explained. long as the foundation for our understand- the laws come from “We may have the people, who are quibbled over ex- ing of how we relate to one another and our formed by the moral pressions of faith. obligations to one another.” convictions of their We may have even respective faith trabeen hostile to one ditions. another’s faith,” he said. “But tive rooted in our human nature, Today, however, this “eswe never argued that faith proclaimed by our religious her- sential quality” of faith is often doesn’t belong as the foundation itage and intrinsic to the identity pushed aside, Cardinal Wuerl for our understanding of how of all of us as a people,” he said. warned. we relate to one another and our Cardinal Wuerl pointed to When religion is confined to obligations to one another.” numerous examples of early the private sphere and traditionCardinal Wuerl recently de- political speeches, sermons and al moral teaching is silenced in livered the keynote address at documents that acknowledge re- the public square, faith cannot the Catholic Perspectives on ligion’s role in a successful de- play its vital role in the political Religious Liberty symposium at mocracy. process, he said.

Georgetown University.

Importantly, he noted, those This is dangerous for the The event was hosted by who heard and read these early culture, he cautioned, because the Maryland Catholic Bishops statements were not shocked America still needs religion to Conference and the Religious by them because “religion as a be “the conscience of society.”

Freedom Project of Georgetown presupposition for the political Therefore, the cardinal said, University’s Berkley Center for prosperity of our infant republic the fight for religious freedom Religion, Peace, and World Af- was simply accepted.” is not self-centered, but rather fairs.

“The natural moral law was aimed at the common good of The cardinal explained that the primary lens through which the nation. religious faith has always been Americans perceived the basis “Our religious beliefs stand, “deeply embedded” in Ameri- of their legal system,” he ex- as they have from the very becan culture. plained. ginning, ready to serve our While the work of religious Therefore, religious liberty country, our culture, our society, schools, hospitals and social was viewed as a critical free- shedding the light of God’s wisministries are important, he dom, intimately connected to dom into the heart of the great said, these “tangible human political liberty and leading to American experiment of reliservices” are not the only con- a fruitful discussion over policy gious pluralism and liberty,” he tributions that religion offers to decisions, he said. said.

“W

The Church in the U.S. Cardinal urges seminarians to rely on authentic Catholic teaching

September 21, 2012

WASHINGTON (CNS) — In a letter to seminarians of the Archdiocese of Washington, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl encouraged them to rely on authentic Catholic teaching in their preparation for the priesthood, so that they will be able to share the truth of the Church’s teachings with the people they will one day serve.

He urged them to look to the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” as a sure guide on what the Church teaches.

“Your need to be well grounded in authentic Catholic teaching is important, first for your own participation in the great, living teaching tradition of the Church,” the cardinal said in his recent letter to the archdiocese’s 74 seminarians.

“One reason why you are required to take so many courses in Catholic teaching, history and philosophy is so that you are not only aware of the immense gift of the great Catholic tradition, but that you are also well prepared to access it, understand it, appropriate it and share it,” he added.

The cardinal titled his letter “Faith Seeking Understanding in the Life of the Seminarian.”

He said that as priests, they

will be ministering to people in a materialistic, secular world who, in their worldly culture and by alternative voices claiming to be Catholic, have been taught things that are counter to Church teaching, especially in the area of sexual morality.

The cardinal noted that Pope Benedict XVI has warned of college and university theology teachers who have presented “teachings that were never accepted as part of Christ’s Gospel,” as new teachings “in the ‘spirit’” of the Second Vatican Council, and those theologians’ false teachings have been amplified in the secular mass media. Cardinal Wuerl likewise reminded students that “if you have a doubt that one or another teaching that you read or receive does not comport with the Catholic faith, you can turn to the ‘Cathechism of the Catholic Church.’”

In his letter, Cardinal Wuerl noted how Christ taught His disciples to teach the Good News, and after Jesus’ resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they continued that ministry, “even at the cost of their very lives, and appointed others to continue, in turn, their own ministry of preaching the

Word after they had gone.”

The cardinal said the successors to the Apostles, the bishops, guided by the Holy Spirit, have for more than 20 centuries passed on the truth of the Catholic faith, “making sure that it is presented clearly, and applying it to the problems and needs of every age.”

Discussing the Church’s teaching authority, Cardinal Wuerl noted, “The Magisterium, the Church’s teaching office, does not assert that in its proclamation of the faith, it has exhausted every development, nuance or application of the faith in the circumstances of our day. But the Church does define that the authoritative teachers of the faith will not lead us into error and away from Christ. No one else can rightfully make that claim.”

The cardinal warned that “there are some theological writers who present teachings contrary to that of the Church’s Magisterium, but who justify their writings on the grounds that it is the pope and the bishops who do not understand the nature of theology.”

He noted that Pope Benedict XVI, recognized as “a superlative theologian of our age,” and the world’s bishops in communion

Denver Auxiliary Bishop James Conley moved to Nebraska

LINCOLN, Nebraska, (CNS & Zenit.org) — The Vatican announced recently that Auxiliary Bishop James Conley of Denver, Colo., was named the bishop of Lincoln.

Bishop Conley, 57, succeeds Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, 77, who retired for reasons of age.

Bishop Conley noted in an interview with the Denver Catholic Register, the archdiocesan newspaper that Denver and Lincoln share a rich harvest of priestly vocations.

“Both dioceses are known for their fidelity and their love for Holy Mother Church,” the bishop said.

“The other big similarity is the fact that both the Archdiocese of Denver and the Diocese of Lincoln have experienced a tremendous increase in vocations to the priesthood. In Lincoln we have 44 seminarians studying for the priesthood in a diocese of just over 90,000 Catholics — that’s tremendous.

Lincoln always has among the highest number of seminarians per Catholic population in the country and Denver has that same distinction. They are both enjoying a rich harvest of vocations.”

The Lincoln Diocese has a Catholic population of 96,625 (the Diocese of Fall River has a Catholic population of 325,000). Lincoln has 134 parishes, which are served by 150 diocesan priests (120 of whom are active in the diocese, while seven are outside the diocese and 23 are retired). Ten religious priests, as

well as three priests from other dioceses, serve in the Lincoln Diocese.

One-hundred-and-forty-one religious Sisters serve in the diocese, but only three permanent deacons.

This lack of permanent deacons is due to the diocese not having a program for it during Bishop Bruskewitz’s time as bishop, nor during the reign of his predecessor.

The Lincoln Diocese welcomes “as our new spiritual shepherd, such a distinguished and accomplished prelate,” Bishop Bruskewitz said in a statement. “Collectively, we thank Almighty God for this precious and important gift which He has bestowed on us through the ministry of Christ’s vicar.”

Bishop Conley said he was “honored and humbled” by the appointment.

“There is nothing more important for a bishop than the care of souls,” he told the Denver Catholic Register. “God has called me to be the shepherd of souls in the Diocese of Lincoln. I know I need to rely on His grace for this great responsibility.”

“Bishop Conley is a man of deep prayer, keen intellect, warm heart and fervent commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila said. “He has become well-known for his commitment to the unborn, his enthusiasm for young people, and especially for the devotion with which he celebrates the most holy Eucharist.”

James Douglas Conley was born March 19, 1955, in Kansas City, Mo. Conley is of Wea Indian descent. He is the son of Betty and the late Carl Conley. He has one younger sister, Susan.

Raised a Presbyterian, Conley became a Catholic at age 20, during his junior year in college. He graduated in 1977 from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in English literature.

After college, Conley worked on a farm in north central Kansas and traveled to Europe. In 1980, he entered the seminary for the Wichita, Kan., and completed his studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. On May 18, 1985, he was ordained a priest for the Wichita Diocese. He served as an associate pastor and director of the Respect Life Office. He returned to Rome in 1989, where he earned a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical Lateran University’s Accademia Alfonsiana in 1991.

Returning to Wichita, he was appointed pastor at the Newman Center on the campus of Wichita State University.

For 10 years, starting in 1996, he served at the Vatican as an official in the Congregation for Bishops.

In 2006, he returned to Wichita to be a pastor and two years later was named an auxiliary bishop for Denver, at that time headed by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.

with him understand the nature of theology, and they have the responsibility to “declare what is and what is not in conformity with the faith of the Church.”

Cardinal Wuerl told the seminarians that as they progress through the academic year, studying liberal arts, philosophy, Scripture and theology, they need to be “mindful that there is only one faith. There are not several creeds, nor are there multiple moralities from which you can choose.”

Popular interpretations of Church teaching, even by groups claiming to be Catholic, can actually be proposing “something altogether different than Catholic faith and morals,” the cardinal warned the seminarians.

“When, for example, you read that this or that theologian has proposed an understanding of God, the Church or the Sacraments that clearly runs counter to what the pope and bishops teach, or when you are presented with the idea that morality, particularly sexual morality, is simply a matter of personal choice, and that the idea of an objective moral norm of right

5

and wrong is no longer applicable today, know that you need to turn to a sure source reference for true Catholic teaching,” said Cardinal Wuerl.

Those alternative teachings, often referred to as “Catholic lite,” should be checked for authenticity, recommended the cardinal.

He warned about groups that label their positions with the name “Catholic,” but actually go against Church teaching, as they claim that people can be good Catholics even if they “support ideas that are greatly popular in the secular world such as abortion, sterilization, same-sex marriage and all types of sexual activity outside of marriage.”

Cardinal Wuerl encouraged the seminarians to confront the culture and spirit of these times by following Jesus’ call to holiness.

“In an ever increasingly secular and materialistic culture, those who live by the Spirit are called to set an example that will bear testimony to the goodness of Christ and His way of life in an age that seems so uncomfortable with the things of the Spirit,” he wrote.

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6

The Anchor How are we to fight?

Back in 2005 Catherine and Michael Pakaluk wrote an op-ed piece for the National Catholic Register (not the Reporter) entitled “Effects of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Still Being Felt.” The article was not about the lasting effects of the radiation which remained in those cities after the “events of August 1945” (if we are to write in the euphemistic way in which September 11 is often mentioned). Instead, the Pakaluks looked at the moral aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the United States, the country which bombed those two cities.

A few weeks after the Pakaluks wrote, the Register ran an editorial which stated, “We at the Register were startled by the number of angry letters — a few of them canceling subscriptions — that we received in response to Catherine and Michael Pakaluks’ column calling America’s use of the atomic bomb 60 years ago ‘Our National Sin.’” The editors then reminded their readers (mostly Americans) of the condemnations of Popes Paul VI and John Paul II and that the “U.S. military today champions the principle that we must do everything possible to spare civilian lives in wartime. Our country is a pioneer in the creation of accurate weapons technology that has greatly reduced the threat to civilians. So, if our military no longer advocates, nor practices, the Hiroshima doctrine, isn’t it time for Catholic Americans to own up to the evils in our past, and learn from them?”

In this issue of The Anchor we have a report about the progress which has been made in the canonization process for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. He gave a series of talks entitled “What Now America?” In one of them he posed a question: “When, I wonder, did we in America ever get into this idea that freedom means having no boundaries and no limits?

I think it began on the sixth of August 1945 at 8:15 a.m. when we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Somehow or other, from that day on in our American life, we say we want no limits and no boundaries.”

That was the after-effect of Hiroshima and Nagasaki about which the Pakaluks wrote.

Michael’s first wife, Ruth, who died of cancer in 1998, was the founder of Massachusetts Citizens for Life. Having worked with her and with his current wife in the Pro-Life movement, he was intrigued by something Blessed Teresa of Calcutta had to say about the connection between abortion and nuclear war.

She said, “The fruit of abortion is nuclear war.” The Pakaluks then asked, “But could the reverse be true also, that we see the fruits of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the mentality of abortion and the culture of death? There is, after all, a chilling similarity between the bad arguments for dropping the bombs and the misguided attempts to justify abortion as a ‘necessary evil.’ It seems reasonable to assert that America is in fact suffering from an unacknowledged sin — one that will continue to fester, undermining our moral idealism, until we bring it out into the open, acknowledge it as the war crime it was, and do penance and reparation.”

This coming Wednesday, September 26, 40 Days for Life will begin again, praying to God for a greater respect for human life in our country and around the world. We here at The Anchor bring up the Pakaluks’ article so as to remind our readers (and ourselves) of the necessity of doing an examination of conscience, asking how are we contributing (even unwittingly) to either a culture of life or a culture of death.

As we read on the pages of this edition about violence in the Middle East, about violence in the womb, about threats to religious liberty at home and abroad, a common denominator in these situations is a lack of understanding of what respect for oneself and for others is. Ultimately, to have that respect is to look into someone’s eyes with love as Jesus did, as Dave Jolivet suggests on page 10.

If the people involved (from militants to people in a demonstration to people in positions of power in the world’s capitals) in the situations of violence in the Middle East; if the mothers, fathers, doctors, clinic workers, politicians and voters responsible for the plague of abortion could actually look into the eyes of the children whose lives they threaten; if the people who would like to take away religious liberty (in this country and other Western countries from a secularist approach, in some other countries from a fundamentalist approach) could see the sincerity in the eyes of the believers whose freedom they threaten, then maybe there would be a lot less of these evils.

How are we to “fight” this? First of all, we always go back to Christ’s prayer from the Cross: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” We cannot judge ultimately why people do what they do. We can pray for them to change and we can try to illuminate them to understand our point of view.

We need to “fight” quickly, since the issues mentioned above will soon be the object of votes in our November election. In Massachusetts we also have the referendum on physician-assisted suicide. We can look to the argument the Pakaluks made above about how we so often in this country look for “the easy way” to handle a “problem,” even if that problem is a person. The Church is not urging people with fatal illnesses to go out of their way to experience suffering. We are a big advocate and provider of palliative care (the usage of medicines and other means to ease suffering), but we are against the direct taking of a human life, in whatever stage of life.

We need to “fight” using love. As Claire McManus says on the page facing this one, we Catholics need to reach out in love to our neighbor, sharing with them the joy which comes from our love relationship with Christ. Maybe we need to first tap more into that love relationship via prayer, meditating upon Jesus’ great love for us. As Father Landry reports to the right of this column, even praying the Sign of the Cross can be a powerful reminder of how much we are loved.

Many works of fiction speak about how ineffective fighting evil with evil is — apparently these authors are aware of a truth which comes from God, even if they do not consciously acknowledge God’s existence. We ask God to help us love our “enemies,” realizing that they are not really our enemies, but our brothers and sisters in the Lord. May our witness of love during these crucial 40 days bring many hearts to Him, so that we may be able to save many lives, in this world and in the world to come. May the after-effects of Hiroshima and Nagasaki begin to dissipate, with the help of the love of God.

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September 21, 2012

The summit of our faith

hen I was in Lourdes earlier this the Trinity Whose name she would invoke, month, I went early in the morning while opening herself up to the infinite to pray at the Grotto where Mary appeared graces Christ gained for us on the Cross to St. Bernadette in 1858. I had with me a bi- and at the same time committing herself to ography of St. Bernadette and was preparing embrace her daily Cross and follow Christ as to meditate once again on the content of the a new Simon of Cyrene. apparitions and try to appropriate the lessons.

Among the various things on my iPad I was planning to ponder what I normally that I had downloaded to pray at the grotto ponder on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes were the homilies given by the popes at each February 11: the significance of Mary’s Lourdes. When I began to read Pope Benepraying the Rosary with Bernadette; her dict’s 2008 homily for the 150th anniversary having Bernadette wash her face in what of the apparitions, I noticed that he spent seemed only to be mud, but turned out to be most of his time focused on the same conthe miraculous healing spring; her insistence nection between Mary, Bernadette and the on the need for Penance; her request for a Sign of the Cross that the Holy Spirit had Church to be built; her self-revelation as the inspired in me earlier that morning.

Immaculate Conception; and her promise “At Lourdes, in the school of Mary,” to Bernadette to make her happy in the next Pope Benedict said, “pilgrims learn to conlife, not in this one. sider the Cross in their own lives in the light But when I began to re-read Bernadette’s of the glorious cross of Christ. In appearing account of the first apparition, I noticed to Bernadette, the first gesture of Mary was something I had always passed over as an precisely the Sign of the Cross, in silence insignificant detail. Bernadette recounted, and without words. And Bernadette imitated “I wanted to make the Sign of the Cross, her in making also the Sign of the Cross with but I couldn’t. a trembling My hand fell. hand. Thus, the Then I became Virgin gave a afraid because first initiation I couldn’t do into the essence it. The Vision of Christianity: made the Sign the Sign of the

By Father of the Cross Cross is the Roger J. Landry and I tried summit of our again to make faith, and in it myself and making it with then I could. And as soon as I had made it, I an attentive heart, we enter into the fullness became calm.” of the mystery of our salvation.”

Bernadette had been prevented from Most Catholics, I believe, treat the Sign making the Sign of the Cross until she had of the Cross as a gesture to open and close a seen the Blessed Mother make it. On subsetime of prayer, but Pope Benedict was stressquent appearances, Bernadette would make ing that we learn in Lourdes it’s much more the Sign of the Cross together with Mary and than that: it itself is a prayer and one that has tried to imitate precisely how Mary made it the capability to bring us into the fullness of with profound reverence and recollection. our relationship with God if we pray it well.

After the apparitions, when Bernadette was That insight triggered in me a memory subjected to the endless line of interviews of a great Vietnamese professor I had during from people seeking to get her to divulge my one year at the Angelicum in Rome, all that Mary had revealed to her, she would Father Joseph Phan Tan Thanh. In all the often be reticent about many of the details. classes there, we would start class with a She would readily respond, however, when prayer, but normally we would either invoke her interrogators asked her to show them the Holy Spirit, say a vocal prayer like the how Our Lady demonstrated to make the Our Father or Hail Mary, or the professor Sign of the Cross. would offer a spontaneous prayer based on When she became a Sister of Charity of what we would be studying that day. We Nevers, Bernadette continued to make the would, of course, begin and end the prayer Sign of the Cross as Mary had taught her. It with the Sign of the Cross. But the only often brought other Sisters, accustomed to prayer I really remember 17 years later is making the Sign of the Cross routinely and the one Father Phan Tan Thanh would make without much thought, to conversion. to start and end classes. He would close his “The way in which she made the Sign of eyes and very slowly make the Sign of the the Cross indicated that she was full of the Cross in a broad gesture that must have been Spirit of faith,” Sister Vincent Garros said very similar to St. Bernadette. The first time after Bernadette’s death. “She couldn’t stand he did it, my fellow students and I thought to see others make it poorly. One day, when I he “forgot” the prayer. Then we realized not had made it very negligently, she asked me if only was the Sign of the Cross his prayer, but I had hurt my arm or was in a hurry.” our whole class was likewise supposed to be A young novice, Sister Emilienne Dobua prayer. oué, recalled that Bernadette once politely As we prepare for the Year of Faith, there indicated to her that she made the Sign of the will be lots of events, programs, educational Cross poorly. “You should pay attention to materials, pilgrimages and more to help it,” Bernadette encouraged her, “for makus live it well. All of these will be good ing the Cross well is important.” To another and useful. But when Mary appeared in to Sister who asked what she needed to do to Bernadette to help her and through her others go to Heaven, Bernadette without hesitation to grow in faith, this model of the Church’s said, “Make the Sign of the Cross well. That faith started by helping Bernadette learn how in itself is already a great deal.” to pray the Sign of the Cross well. For the Bernadette sought to make the Sign of rest of her life, Bernadette taught this lesson the Cross as she had witnessed the Blessed to others until she made her last devout Sign Mother make it: slowly, in a sweeping gesof the Cross just before she breathed her last. ture, raising her right hand so that her fingers Making the Sign of the Cross with faith, touched to the very top of her forehead, then love and reverence might be a great place for lowering her hands to touch her waist, and all of us to start the Year of Faith as well. then slowly touching the extreme of her left Father Landry is Pastor of St. Bernashoulder followed by her right. She did so dette Parish in Fall River. entrusting herself to the Three Persons of

Putting Into the Deep

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The Anchor

September 21, 2012

All evangelization is local

very year at this time parishes throughout the diocese launch their catechetical programs. The books have been ordered, the supply closets filled, and families have received their letters informing them of their child’s teacher, the schedule for the year, and important meetings that can’t be missed. This mundane march through the opening of the year is so familiar that it goes unnoticed; that is until we start looking around our churches and wonder where are these families?

Time and again we place blame on parents for just dropping off their children to the Religious Education classes and not being part of the sacramental life of the parish. When a practice is so widespread we must begin to examine the big picture, and not fall back on easy answers. A key principle of business is that a system is perfectly designed for the results it achieves. Have we honestly examined our system for delivering Faith Formation to see if it is producing these results?

We know that there is something wrong with the way we are forming young people in the faith. From the farthest reaches of the Vatican to our local ordinaries there is a collective cry of “Do something!” Yet, nobody

really wants to examine the sysprograms. The catechists’ role tem that we have in place. The in the process is to be echoers of national theme for Catechetical faith: their faith, their moment of Sunday this year is “Catechists finding God within. We evangeand Teachers as Agents of the lize when we tell our stories of New Evangelization.” Once falling in love with God. We beagain we are placing all of our come the matchmakers between eggs in the teacherstudent model basket, but this time we are telling our catechists that they should transmit sound doctrine, be warm and engaging, and also, make sure

By Claire McManus they bring about a conversion to faith in each of their students … and you have 24 contact hours to get this done.

God and God’s beloved.

You don’t need a degree from Evangelization should the Harvard Business School to never be viewed as the means see the flaws in this system. by which we put more people Catechesis and evangelizain the pews. This is a contration are all too often viewed as diction. The Church exists to interchangeable parts. In reality, evangelize; evangelization does evangelization is the experience not exist to serve the Church. of waking up and finding God Every ministry and all activities in your heart. Sometimes it hapdone by the Church, local and pens during a catechetical mouniversal, must serve the mission ment, but not because some reof evangelization. Our trouble ally profound doctrine has blown lies in the tendency to think only us away. Expecting a catechetiuniversally and to forget about cal program to evangelize is like the local. What Tip O’Neill said falling in love through an online about politics applies here: All dating website just by reading evangelization is local. We need the beloved’s biography! It is not send anyone off on a mission God Who initiates the encounter, to some foreign land in order to not us, and definitely not our spread the Word of God; all we

need to do is to go down into our parish centers and grab hold of those parents by sharing with them our own stories of falling in love with God. This past June we gathered catechetical leaders from across the diocese and together we learned how to do the most basic form of evangelization; we told our stories. What made this unique is that we trained to become missionaries to those parents who have been dropping off their children and then running off to do something that is more compelling than sharing time with God. Rather than waste time with the details of what color shoes their child should wear for First Holy Communion, our parent meetings will be moments in which we tell parents how important they are in the lives of their children, and therefore how critical their role is in forming faith in their homes.

We may have done this before, but this time we will make it personal. The parents will hear that salvation is local, and that if it happened for me it can happen for you.

Salvation is a tricky thing. It has been described as liberation from everything that oppresses

humanity, but this is ambiguous and way too generic to grab hold of our hearts. The genius of Jesus’ message of salvation is that what oppresses me is different from what oppresses you.

When we share with others that our faith in Jesus Christ freed us from the oppression of anxiety, fear, sin, addiction, abandonment, grief … then we open up the possibility that evangelization can happen. By breaking down our reserve we allow Jesus’ message of mercy and forgiveness to enter into their softened hearts through us.

The “dropping off” parents are no different in the eyes of God than the faithful.

Their hearts are restless, as St. Augustine witnessed, and are ultimately seeking rest in God. Their journeys are unique, and their salvation is their own. Catechists, we have been charged with the responsibility of being agents of evangelization. We can begin by forgiving the parents for not having recognized that God is in their hearts. We then must spend some time remembering the moment we fell in love with God, and then stretch out of our comfort zone and tell our story.

Claire McManus is the director of the Diocesan Office of Faith Formation.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — To the enthusiastic reception of an audience of John Carroll Society members recently, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan traced the historic origins of U.S. religious freedom in light of a current battle with the government over those rights.

Saying that he wanted to “restore the luster” on “this first and most cherished freedom,” Cardinal Dolan, who also is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was afraid “that the promotion and protection of religious liberty is becoming caricatured as some narrow, hyper-defensive, farright, self-serving cause.”

Rather, he said, “freedom of religion has been the driving force of almost every enlightened, unshackling, noble cause in American history.”

This year, the U.S. bishops have waged a campaign to draw attention to what they describe as “religious liberty under attack” through a variety of governmental policies and societal trends.

Chief among the issues they have cited is a mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services that employers provide insurance coverage for

contraceptives, including some that can induce an abortion, and sterilization. The USCCB and other religious organizations say an exemption to the mandate for religious employers that consider such services morally objectionable is too narrow.

Other concerns highlighted by the USCCB’s summer “Fortnight for Freedom” events included court rulings and policies — such as allowing adoption by same-sex couples — that have pushed Catholic institutions out of adoption, foster care and refugee services. They also cited threats abroad, including attacks on churches in Iraq, Nigeria and Kenya.

Cardinal Dolan, who holds a doctorate in American Church history, said a historical perspective can help explain that the defense of religious freedom “is not some evangelical Christian polemic, or wily strategy of discredited Catholic bishops, but the quintessential American cause, the first line in the defense of and protection of human rights.”

Speaking in Washington to a standing-room-only audience at a 450-seat theater in the Newseum, Cardinal Dolan noted that

peace movements, citing them as campaigns whose leaders were acting out of religious convictions.

Among secular leaders who recognized the importance of religious freedom, Cardinal Dolan quoted Thomas Jefferson: “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God?” and Alexis de Tocqueville: “Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot. Religion ... is more needed in democratic republics than in any others.”

In nearby Maryland, Cardinal Dolan said, Catholic leaders were an important part of the founding of the nation, including John Carroll, the first bishop of Baltimore and founder of Georgetown University, and his cousin, Charles, the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Maryland was itself established as a place of religious diversity and freedom and was the only colony with “a notable Catholic population,” and one which “provided the laboratory” for religious freedom, he said.

“Your ancestors here were shrewd,” he said. “They did not want any favored status for either their beloved Catholic faith or any other religion. Nor did they want their faith, however normative in their own life, to have any institutional input in the colonial government. Mainly, they just wanted to be left alone.

Left alone ... to practice their faith, and follow their properly formed consciences in the public square.”

The cardinal spent little time describing the current specific concerns, making note only of a trend toward secularism overwhelming religious voices in the public square and the “direct intrusion of the government into the very definition of a church’s minister, ministries, message and meaning.”

He said the “wide ecumenical and interreligious outrage over the HHS mandate is not about its coverage of chemical contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs — in spite of the welloiled mantra from our opponents — but upon the raw presumption of a bureau of the federal government to define a church’s minister, ministry, message, and meaning.”

The Great Commission

Cardinal Dolan traces historic role of religious freedom in U.S. religious freedom has always been understood in the United States as one of the fundamental freedoms, “spheres of free thought and action essential to individual liberty and a civil society.” A 74-foot marble display outside the entrance of the Newseum, a museum of news, enshrines the five freedoms of the First Amendment: religion, press, speech, assembly and petition.

In pressing for religious rights, Cardinal Dolan said: “We citizens of any and all faiths, or none at all, are not just paranoid and self-serving in defending what we hoard as ‘ours,’ but we are, in fact, protecting America.

We act not as sectarians, but as responsible citizens. We act on behalf of the truth about the human person.”

His audience, members of the John Carroll Society, a Catholic lay organization composed largely of legal professionals, applauded enthusiastically, giving standing ovations before and after Cardinal Dolan spoke.

He ran through a list of historic events, from the American Revolution through the abolition, temperance, civil rights and

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September 21, 2012

The Anchor

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n this week’s Scripture readings, Moses wishes for God’s gifts to be distributed as widely as possible. Moses is not concerned that his own prestige may be lost, he is hoping more of his people will receive God’s gift. We see James addressing those who have an abundance of material goods, warning them not to value wealth over human beings. James condemns those who tread on the poor. It is one thing to have wealth but it is what one does with his wealth that matters.

The Bible speaks on social justice. It does not condemn wealth but insists on wealth’s responsibility to the poor. Jesus warns His closest disciples about complaining who is the best when they see others who do not belong to their group driving out demons. Jesus’ reply is swift, “Do not prevent them. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in My name who can at the same time speak ill of Me.” How little they have comprehended over these last few years. They may be called disciples, however, they still have much to learn. Last week they were arguing over which of them was the greatest. They truly believe they are the top dogs. They feel they are the only ones who can do Jesus’ works.

Where has Jesus’ teachings gone regarding picking up your cross, serving the people, and being the least? They continually

Coming together to do God’s work

question Jesus just as much as Wednesday and Sunday. We also we do. We have a lot in common provide six weekend retreats a with these men. We have been year; three for the men and three subjected to similar weaknesses. for the women.

Like us, they have the same Chaplain Dave has always human tendencies to think about been very helpful in assisting their own needs and desires more us to put these retreats together. than the needs of others.

Being the chaplain at the Barnstable House of Homily of the Week Correction is a wonderful ministry and I work with Twenty-fifth Sunday different faiths. Chapin Ordinary Time lain Robbins is a Baptist minister and is a fullBy Deacon time chaplain at the jail.

Daniel M. Donovan We do not criticize other faiths but strive to bring the Word of God to those incarcerated men and women. We Again, it’s these other groups come as one leading those lost coming together, not apart, to do sheep who want to come to Christ God’s work. The Good News to find His unconditional love. is for all of us. Jesus is always The Catholic prison ministry ready to welcome us back, no is called Residents Encounter matter where we have been or Christ. REC was started by Deawhat our circumstances are. Jesus con Dick Murphy and Deacon has broken the bond of sin and Joe Stanley. The volunteers of death so we are all called to share REC are the team members. in the gifts of His Spirit.

The team consists roughly of 50 St. Paul writes about the fruits Catholic men and women from of the Spirit, “But the Spirit prothe Cape Cod area. Most of the duces love, joy, peace, patience, team has been together more kindness, goodness, faithfulness, than 15 years. The jail ministry humility, and self control. There is not about the volunteers, it’s is no law against such things as about a group of people workthese” (Gal 5:22-23). These fruits ing together, bringing different are those wonderful characterisgifts and answering God’s call to tics that grow in us as God works use these gifts in the jail minisin our lives. We do our best to try. We hold meetings in jail on bring these same gifts to those Monday and Tuesday nights. We in jail. have Communion services every I believe there are many

roads by which Christ carries us to Heaven. People can get to the same destination by starting out in a different spot. Our REC follows a similar retreat called Cursillo, a short course in Christianity. We share our Catholic faith with these men and women residents. We show how the Sacraments have helped us grow in Christ. However, we respect their faiths at the same time. We do our best so that no one leaves the jail without somewhere to go. Finding halfway homes for the residents is difficult, but with God’s help it gets done. We also hope and pray that they will never come back to this institution. This, however, is not always the case.

Many of the men and women need a breakthrough. They are stuck, or trapped in a destructive pattern of addiction or abuse, and many are inclined to abuse others. They have hearts hardened and turned away from God. They have hit rock bottom. They need a radical change; a change that comes from Christ. Most will receive this breakthrough in finding Christ’s unconditional love and forgiveness through Reconciliation, which is available during the REC weekend.

An important part of our weekend retreat is to have priests hear Confessions on Saturday

mornings and celebrate Sunday Mass.

In Mark 9 we hear the harvest is abundant and the laborers are few. I don’t know where the jail ministry and other ministries would be without the laborers; Christians all pulling together.

The devil would surely like to take over all these jails. He may believe that this is his club and his membership, but we as REC members refer to the jail as the Barnstable House of Christ. No matter what you may feel about the Catholic Church, it has been a leader in social justice, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, consoling those who mourn, and visiting the prisoners.

Like many other churches on Cape Cod, St. Patrick’s in Wareham along with the neighboring churches meet the needs of the community by coming together to feed the hungry and to give shelter to the homeless.

Christians coming together to make a difference in others’ lives.

There have been many saints in the past who have been involved in these ministries, having heard the call of God, and acted.

I pray like Moses did, that the Lord might bestow His Spirit on all. What will you do with your gifts? God bless.

Deacon Donovan serves at St. Patrick’s Parish in Wareham and as chaplain at the Barnstable House of Correction.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Sept. 22, 1 Cor 15:33-37,42-49; Ps 50:10-14; Lk 8:4-15. Sun. Sept. 23, Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Wis 2:12,17-20; Ps 54:3-4,5,6-8; Jas 3:16—4:3; Mk 9:30-37. Mon. Sept. 24, Prv 3:27-34; Ps 15:2-5; Lk 8:16-18. Tues. Sept. 25, Prv 21:1-6,10-13; Ps 119:1,27,30,3435,44; Lk 8:19-21. Wed. Sept. 26, Prv 30:5-9; Ps 119:29,72,89,101,104,163; Lk 9:1-6. Thurs. Sept. 27, Eccl 1:2-11; Ps 90:3-6,12-14,17; Lk 9:7-9. Fri. Sept. 28, Eccl 3:1-11; Ps 144:1b,2abc,3-4; Lk 9:18-22.

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Religious freedom vs. aggressive secularism

ome years ago, the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor coined the term “exclusivist secularism” to describe a disturbing phenomenon in western societies: the determination of some intellectuals, activists, and politicians to scour public life of transcendent religious and moral reference points in the name of “tolerance” and “inclusion.” Taylor’s “exclusivist secularism” is not the benign “secularity” — the separation of religious and political institutions in a modern society — that Pope Benedict XVI has praised for helping Catholicism develop its understanding of the right relationship between Church and state. No, by referring to “exclusivist secularism,” Charles Taylor was raising a warning flag about an aggressive and hegemonic cast of mind that seeks to drive out of the public square any consideration of what God or the moral law might require of a just society.

Aggressive secularism was once thought to be a primarily European malady. Then it

migrated to Canada. Now it has demands, that the state respect become a serious problem in the sanctuary of conscience, so American public life. Catholics that the Church’s people are not can do something about that, if required by law by do things the they understand what the Church Church teaches are immoral. asks of “the world.”

The Church also asks any The Catholic Church asks society to consider the possibility — and, if circumstances require, the Church demands — two things of any political community and any society.

The Church asks for free space to be itself: to

By George Weigel evangelize, to celebrate the Sacraments, and to do the works of education, charity, mercy and justice, of its need for redemption. The without undue interference from “world” sometimes doesn’t take government. The Church freely kindly to this suggestion, as the concedes that the state can tell history of the martyrs reminds the Church to do some things: to us. But overt persecution isn’t the obey the local sanitary laws in only way the “world” resists the church kitchens hosting pancake Church’s proposal. Societies can breakfasts, for example. But the affect a bland indifference to the Church refuses to concede to truths taught by biblical religion. the state the authority to tell the Cultures can mock the moral Church what to think and preach, truths taught by God’s revelation or how to order its ministerial life to the people of Israel and God’s and serve the needy. Moreover, self-revelation in His Son, Jesus the Church asks, and if necessary Christ. Educational systems can

The Catholic Difference

inculcate an ethos of nihilism and hedonism, teaching that the only moral absolute is that there are no moral absolutes.

On both of these fronts — the political-legal front, and the social-cultural front — the Catholic Church is under assault in the United States today. Over the past four years, the federal government has made unprecedented efforts to erode religious freedom.

The gravest assault was the “contraceptive mandate” issued earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: an offense to conscientious Catholic employers who believe what the Church believes about the morality of human love and the ethics of the right to life, and a frontal attack on the institutional integrity of the Church. For with the HHS mandate, the federal government seeks nothing less than to turn the Catholic Church’s charitable and medical facilities into state agencies that facilitate

practices the Catholic Church believes are gravely evil.

Rather than truckle to such coercion, Catholic bishops across the country have made clear that they will, if necessary, close the Catholic medical facilities for which they are responsible — a drastic action that would seriously imperil health services to the poor. But it doesn’t have to come to that. Aggressive, hegemonic secularism need not have the last word in the United States.

In this election cycle, Americans can issue a ringing call for religious freedom in full. U.S. Catholics can, and must, demand of all candidates an unambiguous commitment to the Church’s institutional freedom, and to the freedom of the Church’s people to follow the dictates of conscience as shaped by the moral truths the Church guards and teaches. Self-respect requires nothing less.

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

September 21, 2012

And the beat goes on

Friday 21 September 2012 — to put all this down on paper. It’s at home in Falmouth Village — complicated.

101 days remaining in the year I begin by opening the file ost of the summer visidrawer to check on the marriage tors have gone home and preparation sessions needing to the daily routine of those of us be scheduled. There are already who live year-round on Cape Cod 34 weddings proposed for 2013. has begun to change. The window air conditioning units have been removed and stored in the barn. It Reflections of a takes much less time to Parish Priest drive to wherever in town

By Father Tim you might be headed.

Most shops and restauGoldrick rants are still operating on summer schedules, but at least some of them will be Recently, I’ve had as many as closing right after the Columbus four brides telephone the church Day weekend. I sit down in the office in a single day to begin relative quiet of my study to try to making arrangements. During get a handle on what the schedule the “off-season,” one of us parish of routine parish activities might priests (there are two of us) will include during the “off-season.” need to meet with each of the I need an overview to glance at couples. I’ve noticed there’s often during the course of any given an unusual amount of paperwork day, but it’s taking me weeks just involved in preparing for some

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The Ship’s Log

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of these weddings; for example, when one of the parties lives in a foreign country. It happens more often than I would have expected.

This week there were two different weddings being arranged longdistance from Dubai. Due to the time zones involved, it has proven most convenient to communicate (at least initially) by email. Young people these days think nothing of working in some far-off land. When I was younger, it was an adventure to drive from New Bedford to Fall River.

Next I turn to the matter of Baptisms. What might the coming year look like in this regard? Rare is the Sunday when there are no Baptisms and it’s not unusual to have half a dozen. So far this year, there have been more than 70 Baptisms. More are set for the near future. Unlike Marriages, folks do not schedule Baptisms 12

Time to change my prayer

s I embark on my final semester at college, it’s amazing to think of what a truly incredible ride it has been. After high school and much deliberation as to where I would spend the next chapter of my educational career, the choice was made and for the past three-anda-half years Stonehill College has been the campus with which I have had a love-hate relationship.

As a person who likes to think she handles transitions better than she actually does and who has only just recently come to accept that perhaps she is more terrible at it than she would like to admit, my freshman year mirrored that of high school — it was rocky and thus resulted in being a signature away from transferring out of state. Clearly, that move did not happen and today, as I reflect back on all I’ve been blessed with, I am grateful for that.

After facing the reality that Stonehill was a fine academic establishment that provided me with amazing faculty, boundless volunteer and career opportunities, and friendships that were worth the patience to develop, I returned for my sophomore year with the knowledge that while I may not be in love with college, the supposed “best four years of your life,” there were things that I did love. After the last year, I was invigorated by the new feeling that I was capable of conquering any challenge that presented itself. I was truly enjoying pursuing my sociology

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major, I was being engaged and recognized by my professors, and maintained my dream of studying abroad the following year. And I loved prospects.

Fast forward to junior year.

My fall semester was ahead of me and I spent it abroad, in the enchanting Perugia, nestled in the foothills of the Italian countryside. While my original intention was to stay for the

Radiate Your Faith

By Renee Bernier entire academic year, this queen of transitions came to the conclusion that staying for a semester was already a major accomplishment that needed to be recognized as such. Thus, after many nights spent kneeling at the feet of Mary in the city’s Duomo and alongside feelings of bittersweet happiness, longings for home, and exuberance over a newfound confidence that I cannot help but attribute to almost four months in a foreign country, I made my decision to return home for the spring semester.

Since then I have been commuting to school, continually striving to find a balance between work, school, homework, family life, and time for me. Wait a minute. Something is missing from that litany. My faith. If anything, this emphasizes the message I so often share with Confirmation stu-

dents and the youth that I have the opportunity to work with through several youth ministry initiatives: We get so wrapped up in our lives, so overwhelmed by what we “have to do” and so distracted by curve balls that get thrown into our routine that we sometimes fail to realize we’ve forgotten the very piece of our lives that makes it all bearable.

That piece is Christ.

Without Him, without His example to follow, where would we be to begin with? He dealt with the most strife, faced the most ridicule, and ultimately made the greatest sacrifice. It is in the moments that I pass the chapel at school, that I glimpse my Rosary in my purse, or that I glance down at one of the rings I wear on my finger that I am reminded that I have let too much time pass. It is then that I stop and change my prayer from asking to thanking, for that is exactly what we need to do.

We must make the effort to recognize that our time is precious, our lives are to be treasured, and that if we don’t find Christ in the daily grind we will lose ourselves.

Renee lives in Swansea and is a senior at Stonehill College in Easton. She is involved with youth ministry at St. Patrick’s Parish in Wareham.

Beginning this week, Renee will be a monthly contributor, writing from the perspective of a young Catholic woman in a busy world. The Anchor welcomes her aboard.

months in advance. I’m still trying to figure out how to arrange some sort of parenting session beforehand.

What will the weekend Mass schedule look like during the “off-season?” I ask myself. It’s customarily cut in half. The parish goes from eight weekend Masses to four, once Columbus Day has passed. Mondays through Fridays there are still two daily Masses.

Funeral Masses can only be scheduled a few days before they take place. Since January, we have celebrated more than 30 Masses of Christian Burial. Then there are the funeral home services.

The parish also oversees an active cemetery.

There is no advance notice given for the emergency administration of the Sacrament of the Sick. We have to be prepared to drop everything and go at a moment’s notice. Since January, there have been 45 such calls.

It’s somewhat convenient that one of the largest nursing homes in town is located next to the rectory — but it’s not the only one we cover. Mass is celebrated monthly in all four nursing homes and Holy Communion is brought weekly by our deacon and extraordinary ministers. In addition, a weekly Communion service conducted by another of our deacons is held at two assisted living facilities. Our part-time coverage of the local hospital usually results in about a dozen administrations of the Sacrament of the Sick per week.

Now, I’m back to the routines that can be anticipated. Twelvestep groups use the parish facilities for six meetings per week. Religious Formation classes are back in session after the summer hiatus.

There will be several public concerts. There’s a weekly exercise class for seniors and two weekly Bible studies. The communal recitation of the Rosary takes place every day (some days twice) and exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is held on First Fridays. A novena to Our Lady is held each Monday. Then there’s the English as a Second Language Program on Wednesdays. Hearing Confessions will take a solid hour a week.

I must also be sure to include in the “off season” monthly schedule the family-centered Mass, the youth Mass, the Carmelite spirituality group, the blood pressure clinic, and the coffee and doughnut gatherings after Sunday Masses.

People ask, “Isn’t the Cape as dead as a doornail after Columbus Day?” I smile. In the parish, it looks as if there’ll be no such thing as an “off season.” When you come right down to it, nobody in parish ministry really knows what the next day will bring.

Some things just can’t be scheduled.

I think I’ll just put the parish schedule project away for now and have a nice hot cup of chamomile tea before turning in.

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

Revised and updated ...

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September 21, 2012

The eyes have it

notice it all the time with my a sense of whether the person is actually pooch, Igor. I can look into her big interested in what I’m saying. I think I brown eyes and know exactly what she’s can get a read as to whether someone is feeling and probably what she’s thinking. happy, sad, excited, or just plain apaShe runs through a gamut of emothetic. tions. Being quite neurotic, anxiety is one Reading another’s eyes can bring of those sentiments; particularly during comfort, and can also bring fear. Anger, thunderstorms and fireworks. She gives hatred and disinterest are the scarime that, “Dad, move the couch so I can est messages the eyes can send. These nestle behind it” look, and it’s a done are emotions that cannot be hidden or deal. masked.

I always know when a UPS or delivA prime example of this is unfoldery person is coming up the street. The ing every day — in high definition and hair just behind her noggin stands up like surround sound. Watch the news and porcupine quills and her eyes squint. All observe the hatred and anger in the eyes preparations for her eruption of barks and snarls.

Then there are the times, and these are the most common, when her cocoa-colored peepers are filled with love and mischief.

She’s developed a routine over the past nine years, that when one

By Dave Jolivet of her humans — Denise, Emilie or me — comes home, she runs to snatch a shoe or reading glasses or something else to hold for ransom, of the protesters in the Middle East. knowing she’ll get a cookie in exchange.

Some of those people hate us with a pasShe runs to her “spot” with her hostage sion they can’t contain. That is very, very secured in her paws and gives those “See scary. what I have for you” eyes, until she gets Closer to home, watch the eyes of her treat. politicians in the avalanche of TV ads.

And of course there are the eyes that In so many of them, I don’t see eyes that say, “I love you guys. I love living here.

I trust; eyes that have compassion; eyes I love that you are my pets.” The eyes that care; eyes that are truthful; eyes that don’t lie.

I like.

I was leafing through a nature book I hear one thing and read another in the other day and I noticed all of the animany of their eyes. To be quite frank, mals, bears, wolves, eagles, foxes, lions, there aren’t many of them that I would and on and on, all speak volumes with like for a pet. their eyes. A mother grizzly with her cubs There’s an old adage that says, “The has a look, as does a bald eagle swooping eyes are the windows to the soul.” If down on its prey. They too, run the full that’s the case, there are some pretty gamut of emotions, and with they too, the nasty souls out there. eyes don’t lie. I wish I could have them I often wonder what it would be like all as pets. to stare into the eyes of Jesus. I have a And the most complex of all the painting of Him in my office, with eyes animals, man, has the same qualities. The that would melt you. I would love to eyes speak volumes. listen to Him as I peer into His eyes. I beWhenever I speak with people, I allieve it would feel so good ... except for ways look them squarely one thing. What would He see in mine as in the eyes — for a few He peers back? reasons. First of all, it’s They come in all colors and shapes the right thing to do. It and sizes. Every one of them has the shows that you’re listen- ability to be quite beautiful ... or quite ing to them; giving them ugly. They’re directly wired to the soul. attention. Secondly, I Therefore the soul dictates their appearlike to “read” them. As ance. The eyes don’t lie. with Igor, I gain from This year, I’m going to stare our potheir peepers a sense of litical candidates squarely in the eyes. I’ll what they’re thinking listen, but I’ll watch. I think I’ll give my and what they’re feeling. vote to those who I’d take home to be my I can fairly quickly get pet. Igor would approve.

My View From the Stands

September 21, 2012

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making a point — The Respect Life Committee of Corpus Christi Parish in East Sandwich recently completed a series of four summer “standouts” at various locations throughout the town.

Focusing on the defense of Religious Freedom, as advocated by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, the groups assembled at large intersections, the Town Transfer Station, and other locales on Route 6A. “The response of passing motorists was widely positive and two young women took photos of the group, saying they were ‘awed to see us standing out like that because we cannot do such a thing at home in Canada,’” said committee member Pat Stebbins.

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September 21, 2012

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Fall 40 Days for Life vigil set to begin continued from page one

two annual 40 Days for Life vigils — one held during Lent and the other in the fall.

“As we continue on, it’s just been a constant and steady effort,” he said. “The blessings have been great and it never ceases to amaze me how each campaign has borne such fruit and brought together new groups of people. We’ve been able to touch a lot of lives through the pregnancy center that we have now in Attleboro. It seems like it’s really coming together and we’re getting a lot of attention locally. It’s been a constant and steady campaign so far.”

In recent years, Marcotte said he’s been greatly encouraged by the participation of youth from the Pro-Life Boot Camp held for the past two summers at Stonehill College. During both sessions, the group traveled en masse to pray outside Four Women, Inc. “It’s always encouraging to see young people involved,” he said.

With the 40th anniversary of the passage of Roe v. Wade fast approaching in January 2013 and the annual Walk for Life event planned in Washington, D.C. to coincide with it, Marcotte said this latest 40 Days for Life vigil is of particular importance to keep the Pro-Life message front and center.

“Not only do we have the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade in January, but also the presidential election on November 6 — just two days after the vigil ends,” Marcotte said. “I remember four years ago our vigil coincided with the last presidential election as well.”

Although he declined to get political, Marcotte stressed the importance of voicing support for life and how the peaceful, prayerful vigil is one of the best ways to express that belief.

“I’m always encouraged to see people there,” he said.

“There’s strength in numbers.”

Those wishing to come and

pray during the 40 Days for Life vigil are encouraged to assemble on the public grounds of Angel Park, located at 150 Emory Street just across the street from Four Women, Inc. in Attleboro, everyday between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., beginning September 26.

“I think we’ve really abandoned the need for people to sign up for certain hours,” Marcotte said. “We just found that people come out without having to sign up or notify us. And there are many organizations that help fill in the calendar.”

According to the campaign website, the most critical days are Thursday afternoons from 1 to 6 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

While he understands “not every hour can be filled,” Marcotte said he’s confident someone will be there praying during the bulk of the 40-day effort.

“Stay as long as you can stay; whether it’s for 10 minutes or two hours,” he said.

The largest and longest coordinated Pro-Life mobilization in history, the nationwide 40 Days for Life campaign includes prayer and fasting, community outreach and participation in peaceful vigils at sites throughout the country like the one in Attleboro.

Since its inception, 40 Days for Life has generated measurable life-saving results in more than 130 cities where it has been implemented. Some locations have reported as much as a 28 percent decrease in local abortion numbers and hundreds of new people getting involved in local life-saving ministry efforts.

The 40 Days for Life vigil in Attleboro will run through November 4.

For more information about the Attleboro 40 Days for Life campaign, visit www.40daysforlife.com/ attleboro, email 40dflattleboro@ comcast.net, or call Steve Marcotte at 508-406-1211.

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, September 23, 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Paul E. Canuel, a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese who resides at the Cardinal Medeiros Residence in Fall River.

restless no more — Franco Nero portrays St. Augustine as an old man in a scene from the movie “Restless Heart.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/’Maximus Group)

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

“The Cold Light of Day” (Summit) Sluggishly unfolding action adventure in which an ordinary businessman (Henry Cavill) unexpectedly finds himself caught up in the world of espionage after his family is kidnapped during a vacation in Spain and he learns that his father (Bruce Willis), whom he believed to be a cultural attache, is in fact a CIA agent. As he tries to meet the kidnappers’ demands, and avoid falling into the clutches of one of dad’s colleagues (Sigourney Weaver), who may or may not be a traitor, he’s joined on the lam by a Madrid office worker (Veronica Echegui) whose family connections have gotten her mixed up with the warring operatives as well.

Amid the mayhem of frantic gun duels and hectic car chases, director Mabrouk El Mechri fails to provide viewers with much reason to care. Considerable violence, some of it harsh and gory, adult themes, several instances of profanity, at least one use of the F-word, and occasional crude and crass language.

The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“The Master” (Weinstein) Literate but sterile drama in which a beleaguered, alcoholic World War II veteran (Joaquin

Phoenix) becomes a drifter after being demobilized, then crosses paths with a charismatic cult leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman). He becomes a favored follower of the would-be prophet, but his inner demons keep their relationship tumultuous. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson embellishes his meticulously crafted period piece with striking visuals, and draws intense performances from his leads. But neither the tormented vet nor the clever peddler of crackpot ideas makes a particularly sympathetic figure, so that following them eventually becomes wearing. More fundamentally, a degraded view of human sexuality and excessive explicitness in its portrayal make these proceedings, however artistically impressive in some respects, unsuitable for all. Strong sexual content, including graphic nonmarital sexual activity, full nudity and masturbation, references to incest and venereal disease, some scatological humor, at least one use of profanity, frequent rough and occasional crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

“Restless Heart” (Ignatius Press) This biographical profile of St. Augustine of Hippo (Alessandro Preziosi in youth, Franco Nero as the older man) manages to inspire while steering clear of sentimentality. Beginning in 430, the last year of Augustine’s life, as he faces the Vandals’ invasion of his North African diocese, the narrative then goes back in time to guide viewers through the great Church father’s moving conversion story. Director Christian Duguay’s 127-minute-long film is arduous at times. Yet, as it covers Augustine’s search for the meaning of truth and his eventual embrace of Catholic Christianity, the picture gives plenty of breathing room to the philosophical arguments with which he wrestled. It also highlights the influence exerted on him by his holy mother St. Monica (Monica Guerritore) and by his philosophical adversary — but future friend — St. Ambrose (Andrea Giordana), the bishop of Milan. The result is a well-produced, colorful piece of cinema that communicates uplifting messages. Some violence and a cohabitation theme. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

September 21, 2012

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World needs Archbishop Sheen’s example of faith, virtue, says homilist

PEORIA, Ill. (CNS) — Calling Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen “the model of virtue our world needs today,” friends and family of the famed media evangelist and author gathered recently to give thanks for Pope Benedict XVI’s recent decree of “venerable” for him, advancing his sainthood cause.

The congregation also prayed for “an even greater celebration to come.”

Peoria Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, who formally opened the diocese’s inquiry into the cause a decade ago, was the principal celebrant of a Mass of thanksgiving that drew an overflow crowd to St. Mary’s Cathedral in Peoria.

Among the concelebrants was Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark, N.J., who, as Peoria’s bishop in the 1990s, was among the effort’s early supporters.

“Today, as we give thanks for the gift of this great man, let us double our commitment to pray for the success of the cause and that we, like Archbishop Fulton Sheen, will courageously continue to spread the message of the Gospel of Christ throughout the world,” said Bishop Jenky.

On June 28, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed the heroic virtues of Archbishop Sheen and declared him venerable. If one of three documented, alleged miraculous healings through his intercession is approved, Archbishop Sheen could become the first American-born bishop to be beatified.

The beatification ceremony also could be the first to take place in the United States, perhaps in Peoria. A second miracle must be confirmed for canoniza-

tion.

Archbishop Sheen was born in El Paso, Ill., and later became a priest for the Diocese of Peoria. He became a renowned theologian, orator, and Emmy-award winning radio and television host whose programs were welcomed into tens of millions of homes in the mid-20th century. The former bishop of Rochester, N.Y., and national director of the Propagation of the Faith died in 1979.

The opening procession for the Mass in Peoria included the carrying forward of 20 bound volumes of research outlining why Archbishop Sheen should be declared a saint. Known as the “positio,” the boxed sets were stacked in the cathedral sanctuary and presented to representative individuals and groups at the close of the Liturgy.

“I am truly grateful for the many of you who have traveled so far, have given so much, and have prayed so hard to see this day,” Msgr. Stanley Deptula said as the volumes were distributed

by Bishop Jenky. The priest is executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation.

“And I remind you that there is still greater work and more prayers to be had as we thank God and beg that God’s Church would soon declare Venerable Fulton Sheen to be Blessed Fulton Sheen,” continued Msgr.

Deptula. “Let us pray for that great day.”

In a spirited homily, Msgr.

Deptula said that after the pope’s declaration of Archbishop Sheen’s heroic virtues this summer, the press seemed most interested in talking about the al-

leged miraculous healings under investigation.

While they are “amazing, incredible stories,” the miracle that Msgr. Deptula preferred to talk about was the “miracle of God’s transformative love” in the life of Archbishop Sheen and in all who, like him, love Jesus Christ.

Archbishop Sheen’s zeal to preach the Gospel was rooted in his love for Christ and a promise he made on the day of his priestly ordination to spend one hour a day in eucharistic adoration, said Msgr. Deptula.

“Fulton Sheen could roar like a lion from the pulpit because he listened to the small, still voice of the merciful and just King of the universe,” said the priest.

“He really loved Jesus. And he knew that Jesus loved him. And he wanted to share that love with the world.”

“This is what we celebrate today,” he continued. “This is what our world needs.”

Among those attending the Mass, as well as weekend celebratory events at the Sheen Museum in the diocesan pastoral center, were dozens of Sheen relatives and others who knew him in life, benefactors of the cause and visiting clergy, including Father Andrew Apostoli, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal from New York, who is vice postulator.

“His cause is moving,” said Father Apostoli, who was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Sheen and frequently refers to him as “the kind of saint America needs today.” He said the large turnout for the Mass reflected that “they know we’re here for a saint-to-be.”

family tree — Anne Sheen-Gevas, Laura Sheen Hiserote and Lynn Sheen-McCaddon, grandnieces of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, view a picture of themselves playing basketball with the archbishop in the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Museum In Peoria, Ill. Hundreds recently gathered at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria for a Mass celebrating Pope Benedict XVI’s declaration that Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was “venerable.” (CNS photo/Karen Callaway, Catholic New World)

A large contingent came from Texas, which has formed its own chapter of the Sheen Foundation. Copies of the positio were presented to representatives of Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston as well as Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago to thank them for their support.

“Bishop Sheen would have loved it,” said Benedictine Sister Catherine Cleary of the Mass, which she said had energy, reverence and joy. Archbishop Sheen, a first cousin of Sister Catherine’s mother, also would have enjoyed the gathering of family whom he loved including “beautiful nieces and nephews who are following in his footsteps,” she said.

Seated in the assembly was the family of Travis and Bonnie Engstrom of Goodfield. The alleged miraculous healing of their third child, James Fulton, is now under study at the Vatican as the miracle needed for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification.

James Fulton, who turned two September 16, was without a pulse for the first hour after his birth following a routine pregnancy. His heart began beating as doctors were ready to call his time of death. Bonnie had asked Archbishop Sheen to watch over her pregnancy and had prayed to him as CPR was performed on her newborn son.

As James Fulton happily exchanged fist-bumps with wellwishers after the Mass, Bonnie said she spent part of the Liturgy nursing her newborn daughter, Teresa, and changing diapers.

Her husband called it “a very active parenting Mass.”

“I was living my vocation just as Fulton Sheen would want me to,” she told The Catholic Post, newspaper of the Peoria Diocese. “We’re celebrating with the entire Church today. It’s so exciting that he’s venerable!”

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September 21, 2012

Bishop Coleman blesses new school expansion

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

ATTLEBORO — A Mass and ribboncutting ceremony were held last weekend at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro to bless and dedicate the new $1 million addition to the school that includes three new classrooms, a new welcome center and reception area, new office space, a nurse’s station, an updated media center, and outdoor playground.

The expansion project, which broke ground in January 2011, is the first new construction since the school was built 56 years ago on the Hodges Street site and will better meet the needs of the more than 280 students currently enrolled from pre-kindergarten through grade eight at the Catholic school.

Funds for the project were raised through a capital campaign entitled “Expanding in Our Learning and Faith …

Investing in Our Children” and the expansion was made possible when property abutting the school went up for sale two years ago.

“The school’s new addition would not have been realized had it not been for the prayerful support and generosity of the parents and parishioners,” Bishop Coleman said during his homily. “May God continue to bless all those who made this project possible.”

Bishop Coleman also acknowledged the guidance and support of former pastor Father Richard M. Roy and current pastor Father Richard D. Wilson in bringing the project to fruition. Both priests concelebrated the Mass, along with parochial vicar Father Riley J. Williams and retired priest Father Philip A. Davignon, who was present as a teenager when the school was dedicated..

With a growing student population at

St. John the Evangelist School, Bishop Coleman praised the ongoing efforts of the school’s faculty and staff in teaching students the importance of God’s Word.

“St. John’s School has been blessed to have teachers who are committed to the Church’s mission of teaching young people,” Bishop Coleman said. “The school is a sign of the parish’s commitment to Catholic education. In addition, it is a mark of appreciation that only an education steeped in the teaching of Christ and His Church will enable students to peer into a reality not acknowledged by other forms of education.”

After cutting the ribbon to the new entrance under a covered pavilion area, Bishop Coleman toured the new facility and blessed the new classrooms and a remodeled second-floor chapel that was done in conjunction with the expansion.

In her remarks inside the school gym,

Sister Mary Jane Holden, C.P., principal, expressed her appreciation to all the parents and parishioners who helped raise the money to fund the addition.

“I would like to thank each and every one of you for the sacrifices that you have made to make this new addition a reality,” she said. “Thank you for your help and continued support for Catholic education. We truly have been blessed.”

Bishop Coleman, in turn, recalled a letter he once received from a student in one of the diocesan schools nearly a decade ago when he was first named Bishop of Fall River.

“You can imagine they were very interesting letters,” he said. “There was one letter from a boy in third grade, and he ended his letter by saying, ‘I hope you have lots of fun.’ Let me tell you, today is one of those occasions when I’ve had lots of fun.”

When he’s not behind home plate, umpire makes serving others a priority

BALTIMORE (CNS) — When major league baseball umpire Mark Wegner, a Catholic, is in Baltimore to work at an Orioles game, one way he likes to spend his spare time is by helping people in need.

“I have free time, and I try to use it productively, but nothing is more productive than, going to Mass, No. 1, but No. 2, coming to do some things like this,” said Wegner.

Dressed in an Under Armour T-shirt, baseball cap and a green apron, the umpire was working with other volunteers on a recent Friday at Our Daily Bread, a Catholic Charities of Baltimore program that serves meals to the city’s homeless. He and the others were preparing tables, mixing salads and filling plates for the lunch crowd.

Wegner, who wears uniform No. 47, got off the field at Camden Yards at 10:30 p.m. September 6, after the Orioles beat the New York Yankees 10-6, temporarily tying for first place in the race for the American League East crown.

At nine the next morning, he was part of Our Daily Bread’s 11,422nd day of uninterrupted food service.

Wegner, 40, tries to visit Our Daily Bread every time he is in town for Orioles games, once or twice a year, he said.

He first connected with the program 10 years ago, when it was located next to the Basilica of the Shrine of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, before it moved to a

different part of the city in 2007. After attending Mass at the basilica, he inquired at Catholic Charities for local volunteer opportunities. They sent him to Our Daily Bread.

Wegner was raised in St. Paul, Minn., where he attended Catholic schools and played baseball. After one semester at the University of Minnesota while umpiring Little League, he moved to Florida to attend the Brinkman-Froemming Umpire School in Cocoa.

He did well and spent seven years umpiring in the minor leagues before moving to the major leagues 14 years ago. He lives near Tampa with his wife, Michelle, and their four children, who range in age from one to 14.

Wegner’s job takes him on the road six months each year, with four weeks of vacation. Our Daily Bread is the only place Wegner regularly volunteers outside of Tampa during the baseball season, he said. He also gives time to UMPS CARE Charities, an outreach of the major league umpires, he said.

When he is home, Wegner is an active member of his parish, Nativity, in Brandon, Fla., where his kids also attend school.

Brandon is in the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

Wegner clearly loves umpiring, but his favorite job is being a dad, he said. He is quick to show off family photos and a video of his one-year-old son via his phone. He also is helping his kids develop hearts for

service and, in the off-season, often takes his oldest sons to serve meals to Tampa’s homeless men and women, he said.

“There’s a lot of different ways to show the love God is showing to us to other people, but when it comes down to the basic need to eat, there’s something really special here,” he said. “It is an awesome, awesome thing to be able to do this.”

When he serves homeless men and women, he looks at each person as a “child of God,” he said.

“To me, every time I come in here, I just think that it’s almost like I’m serving Jesus today,” he added. “Each person I meet, I try to be respectful to them, and try to show them that they’re human beings and that I care about them and I love them.”

As Wegner sees it, offering homeless

people love and respect, as Our Daily Bread does, is as important as offering food, he said.

Wegner’s Catholic faith motivates his desire to serve. About six years ago, Wegner started attending daily Mass regularly, and searches for churches while traveling with a mobile phone app.

Daily Mass “just ends up being something I feel like I need, kind of like a workout every day,” he said. “People use different things to find their peace, and that’s been it for me.”

Wegner’s oldest sons sometimes travel with him, and he is thinking, he said, of bringing his oldest to Our Daily Bread next year.

“He’d love to do this, and it’s a great city,” he said.

SAFE AT HOME — Major league baseball umpire Mark Wegner, right, joins fellow volunteer Steve Norris as they staff the food line at Our Daily Bread recently in Baltimore. Wegner, who was in town for the Orioles-Yankees series at Camden Yards, helps at the Catholic Charities’ soup kitchen whenever he is in Baltimore. (CNS photo/Bill McAllen, Catholic Review)

Retired diocesan priests are still vital source of ministry continued from page one

scores of retired diocesan priests.

“This place couldn’t be any better,” said Father Ryan. “We can come and go at our own pace.”

That pace can be quite hectic for the priests there at times. But never overburdening. The front door swings open and closed often during the course of the day as all of the residents continue their priestly ministries by celebrating Masses at parishes across the diocese, administering the Sacraments, attending retreats, and visiting the sick. “We’re completely free of all the administrative duties that come with being a parish priest,” said Father James R. McLellan, who has been there for five years.

“There are no worries.”

Father William Blottman is one of the most tenured residents there, having moved there in 2000. “The last 12 years here have been great,” he said. Father Blottman celebrates Mass in Nantucket and at the Dominican Sisters residence in Dighton, in addition to performing anointings at St. Anne’s Hospital two times a week.

Many of the residents cite the lack of administrative responsibilities as a lifted burden, allowing them to freely minister to the faithful. “We don’t really retire,” said Father Richard R. Gendreau, in his first year at the residence.

“We just don’t have the extra headaches of administration.”

One of Father Ryan’s priorities is celebrating Masses at The Landmark, a senior living community in Fall River, that is home to many retired religious Sisters.

“These are intelligent, well-educated, faithful women who deserve the best,” he said. “And we try to give it to them.” Many of the Cardinal Medeiros residents help out at The Landmark.

Father Gendreau said he missed the ministerial aspects of a parish priest when he first retired. “When I first moved here, I missed the weekend routines of preparing for the Liturgy and preparing a homily.” He appears to be in full swing again though. In addition to celebrating Masses at The Landmark, he also celebrates Masses at the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation residence, and at St. George’s Parish in Westport. “There is no day off,” he added. “I’m just on a different clock now.”

Father Ryan spends half the week in Fall River and the other half at his home in West Harwich where he assists in area parishes on Cape Cod. Father McLellan continues to assist at St. Louis de France and St. Dominic parishes in Swansea, as well as filling in wherever needed. “We’re asked not only to serve, but we are often included

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The Anchor

September 21, 2012

in parish life around the diocese,” he said. “We get invited to many events and celebrations. It helps keep us connected.”

Father Paul C. Canuel has been at the residence for two years, and still maintains his ties with the diocesan Spanish Apostolate, in addition to celebrating Masses at area parishes, including St. Anthony’s in Taunton and St. Mary’s in Norton. “Have chalice, will travel,” he quipped.

While maintaining his duties as diocesan archivist, Msgr. Wall celebrates a weekly Mass at Holy Rosary Church, St. Mary’s Cathedral and SS. Peter and Paul Parish at Holy Cross Church, all in Fall River. “And fulfilling other requests,” he added.

Father Jose A. dos Santos is a nine-year resident, and much of his time is devoted to hospital ministry, the diocesan Portuguese charismatic prayer groups, and celebrating Masses at St. Anthony’s and Annunciation of the Lord parishes in Taunton, as well as at the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation residence.

Msgr. John J. Smith has called Cardinal Medeiros home for five years. “When you retire, you go from a full parish schedule to no schedule at all,” he said. “You have to learn to supply yourself with creative and ministerial activities. You have to fill the gaps.”

Fill it he does by remaining active in parish activities at St. John Neumann Parish in East Freetown and St. Mary’s Parish in Norton.

“I prefer to stay with those two parishes because it gives me the chance to be more active in the parish life, rather than traveling all over to different parishes. I like that.”

He also gives retreats to the Sisters at The Landmark, is involved in prison ministry on Cape Cod and in North Dartmouth, and has led pilgrimages to Israel, Ireland, Greece and other countries, and will lead one to France next year.

Perhaps no one logs more area miles that Father Thomas C. Lopes. “I spent July and August traveling to Cuttyhunk,” he told The Anchor. “I would drive to New Bedford, board the 9 a.m. ferry to celebrate the 10:30 Mass there and return on the noon ferry.” He has also covered at Good Shepherd Parish on Martha’s Vineyard, and at his former parish, St. Mary-Our Lady of the Isle on Nantucket. “I’m the selfproclaimed Apostle of the islands of Southeastern Massachusetts coast,” he said. Cardinal Medeiros Residence has been Father Lopes’ port of call for the last four years.

As busy as the men are, it’s not all about active ministry for them.

Life at the Cardinal Medeiros

Residence is comfortable and relaxing.

A visitor to the residence will almost immediately sense “family” there.

“I’m from Portugal, and I have no family here,” said Father dos Santos. “But my brother priests here are very much my family.”

“Some priests don’t really have a place to go to when they retire,” said Father Gendreau.

“This residence is a nice alternative. You’re independent, yet in a very warm community with a great support system. I recently had a visit from a student who is attending college in Australia. He commented on the residence saying, ‘It looks like a college dorm for older men.’”

“One of the many fine benefits of living here is that many associations we made in the past were renewed here,” said Msgr.

Wall. “We’ve worked together at parishes and camps and ministries, and some went to school together. What goes around comes around.”

“I’ve enjoyed it here,” said Father Blottman. “God’s been good.

It’s a nice location and we have such good camaraderie. It’s been a joy.”

“After years of living alone, I was leery about coming here,” Father McLellan told The Anchor. “But there was nothing to worry about. You get as involved as you want to. We’ve started a tradition here of gathering for the evening news. It’s time well spent together. It’s so relaxing here in the presence of other priests.”

Msgr. Smith said, “The key word is home. Not retirement home, but family home. This place helps us face retirement in a mature and healthy way.

“One thing that has really struck me is that the past makeups of parishes didn’t allow the opportunity for priests to interact with other nationalities. I knew of other priests, but I didn’t know them up front. I never lived with them. Living here allowed me to meet and get to know some brother priests. It’s a healthy aspect of our priestly ministry.”

Father McLellan said that Father Jay T. Maddock, pastor of Holy Name Parish in Fall River, recently spent a couple of months there while rehabbing from kneereplacement surgery. “He told us when he left that he felt like he was with family. He said he’d be back.”

“Everything in the house works,” Father Ryan succinctly put it.

The band of brothers genuinely care for and about each other.

Recently the family lost a dear member when Father George F. Almeida died suddenly. “Oh, he’s

still around,” said Father Canuel.

“We enshrined one of his Curious George stuffed animals in the cafeteria. He’s still with us.”

While the residence may be tucked away on the beautiful high school grounds, it’s far from being removed from the outside world. “On Tuesdays we have active priests from around the diocese come share a meal with us,” said Father McLellan. That includes Chorbishop Joseph F. Kaddo, pastor of St. Anthony of the Desert Maronite Catholic Parish in Fall River, who told The Anchor he cherishes the time spent with the men there.

“The diocesan Presbyteral Council and the Fall River Deanery host meetings here as well,” said Father Canuel. “And of course we have our annual Super Bowl and Mardi Gras parties. So we get to see some of our active brother priests.”

The men are grateful for the lives they can lead at the Cardinal Medeiros Residence, but they are fully aware of those who make it possible. All the men interviewed were very quick to praise the staff that works at the home.

“There’s nothing you need here that the marvelous staff can’t take care of,” said Father Canuel.

“From cooking and cleaning to dietary needs. They find out what you like or don’t like and see to it. The staff is part of the family as well.”

“I was so overwhelmed when I got here,” said Father Gendreau.

“I expected to be comfortable, but not to be so welcomed by not only the men, but the staff. They are so very accommodating. They showed me the rooms and told

me to think about what I would need.”

Msgr. Wall said that he knows of no other diocese that has a residence like this. “The staff genuinely cares and that’s not by accident. Msgr. Jack Fitzgerald who does the hiring is very particular about who works here.”

“This is more than a job to them,” added Father Canuel. “It’s a ministry.”

Joann Flanagan, supervisor of the home, has been there since it opened in 1996. “It’s such a pleasure to work here,” she told The Anchor. “The men here have given so much of their lives to the people of this diocese. It’s good to be able to be here and give back, providing them a nice place to live. They’re a great bunch of guys. I feel very rewarded to be here.”

Flanagan said the staff shares those sentiments, from the housekeepers to the kitchen workers.

“They enjoy making people happy and they feel doubly blessed that they’re priests,” she added.

“It’s a good sense of community and we’re all family. And it’s always good to receive their special blessing each day. The staff and I go home happy every day.”

At weekend Masses on September 29 and 30, the Diocese of Fall River will have a collection for the Cardinal Medeiros Residence to support those who selflessly support the diocese.

“I would ask that people donate in thanksgiving to all the parish priests who entered into their lives providing help, comfort and assistance,” said Father Canuel.

“Do what you would do for your mother and father.”

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16

Youth Pages

touchdown — Students, faculty, and staff at Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford recently participated in the NFL Back to Football Friday Campaign. They were able to wear either their favorite football team’s jersey or a spirit uniform for the day, in exchange for a bag of non-perishable food items to be donated to the local food pantry.

As a school they were able to donate more than 50 boxes loaded with various food items.

notable anniversary — The morning sun was the backdrop for a gathering at St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro to honor the 9/11 anniversary. Father David Costa started with a few words on those who died, then the student body, faculty and staff all prayed together and said the Pledge of Allegiance.

fall ritual — Coyle and Cassidy High School in Taunton recently opened for another school year. Orientation activities were planned for new students while returning students got reacquainted with friends. Everyone was excited to learn about the school’s new iPad initiative and website.

in step — Bishop Feehan High School, Attleboro, theatre director Alden Harrison and 14 Bishop Feehan students from the Alden Harrison Dance Centre performed in Walt Disney World this summer. Their upbeat performances on Disney’s Downtown Water Stage included dance numbers to “Grease,” “Hairspray,” “Jersey Boys,” and “42nd Street.”

Back row from left: Brenden Fowler, Brendan Lynch, Jeff Vogel; 2nd row: Noah Bridgestock, Brittany Fowler, Ben Ingegneri, Jay Vita; and director Alden Harrison; front row: Kim Fowler, Gianna Trottier, Ashley Harrison, Meghan Hoell, Nicole Lambi, Samantha Vita, and Julianne Jeha.

September 21, 2012

up to par — Harbor One Credit Union is pleased to join St. Mary’s Catholic School in Mansfield as a major sponsor of the school’s upcoming golf tournament. A percentage of the funds raised from the tournament are dedicated to the growing technology program at St. Mary’s. From left: Denis Dunn, cochairman of the tournament; Maureen Wilkinson, vice president and director of Harbor One Credit Union; and Susan Caughey, SMCS technology coordinator. For information on participating in the tournament on October 1, visit the school website at www.stmarymansschool.org.

prayer and reflection — Students from St. James-St. John School in New Bedford began their morning on 9/11 with a prayer service and prayed for world peace.

September 21, 2012

T

rue love requires commitment. True love survives all adversity. True love knows how to seek forgiveness. True love knows how to reconcile.

True love lasts.

Over the summer I had the pleasure to witness and celebrate at the Marriages of two nieces and a nephew. How excited and happy they all were on their wedding day, smiling from ear to ear and eager to begin a new life together as husband and wife. As I witnessed this holy Sacrament and listened to their exchange of vows my heart prayed that this real love they were sharing with each other, in God’s presence, would grow stronger each and every day of their lives together. I prayed they would be committed to this love, no matter what, no matter the cost.

Are you planning for your upcoming marriage? Is God a part of your plan? If your answer is yes then you are headed in the right direction. This is the

Youth Pages True love lasts

path that is committed to loving and honorably with all women yourself, others and God. This until my wife came into my life. is the path to being a follower of This practice also helped me to Jesus Christ. This is the path that keep my life focused on Heaven. teaches you, “Love is patient, I did not want to act in any way love is kind. It is not jealous, that would be against the life I [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices

By Ozzie Pacheco with the truth” (1 Cor 13:4-6). Love is no matter what!

In the past I’ve shared with expected to live in eternity.” you some thoughts by Justin Your engagement is not only a Fatica, from his book, “Win It time to prepare for your wedAll.” Justin speaks about this ding day, but most importantly, a commitment to love: “The model time for you to get to know one of married love is one you should another. Do you help each other practice and emulate in your own grow closer to God? Can you talk relationships. When I gave my honestly and without reservation? life to Christ, one of the promises Can you work together? Do you I made to myself was that if I feel comfortable about how you were to get married in the future, make decisions together? Do you I promised to behave honestly have absolute trust in each other?

Be Not Afraid

17 Can you accept and appreciate each other’s family? How you answer these questions will show your loyalty to each other as friends and as husband and wife.

It isn’t easy. And it shouldn’t be. Remember maximum sacrifice? True love and commitment requires sacrifice from the both of you, especially when it comes to the gift of sex.

True love and commitment teaches you to practice chastity. This is the virtue that helps you control your sexual desires. Refraining from sex outside of marriage can be difficult, especially in today’s culture. But the rewards are great! That’s the promise of a holy Marriage; a Marriage made in Heaven! That’s a Marriage where each of you models the love of Christ for the Church. It is your commitment to practice your faith and to be rooted in faith. In doing so, you’ll discover

that the love you have for each other comes from the love God has for you.

Later this month, our bishop will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for couples observing a significant wedding anniversary.

My wife Susan and I participated in that celebration a couple of years ago to mark our 25th anniversary. It was wonderful to see so many couples celebrating this continued commitment to their love as husband and wife. I pray that you, and my newly-wedded nieces Jennifer and Leanne and nephew Justin, will celebrate many significant wedding anniversaries, from the first and until death.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” (1 Cor 13:7-8b).

God bless!

Ozzie Pacheco is Faith Formation director at Santo Christo Parish, Fall River.

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

providing hope and mercy — St. Vincent’s Home in Fall River has received a grant of $15,000 from the Northeast Mercy Ministry Fund Council of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Youth in St. Vincent’s Life Skills Program will directly benefit from the grant award through assistance with transitions to independent living and young adulthood, specific school-to-work experiences, and opportunities to learn the necessary skills to live independently as well as to complete their education.

St. Vincent’s youth participate in an assessment of interests to better identify strengths and weaknesses. They receive job coaching, career development and learn valuable employment skills at work-based learning sites throughout the community. Youth are encouraged to establish meaningful, sustained connections with supportive adults and community organizations which promote a successful transition. From left: Sisters of Mercy ministering at St. Vincent’s include Sisters Bernadetta Ryan, Catherine Donovan, and Elaine Marchand, in front of the Hope mosaic produced by the children and youth of St. Vincent’s.

18

The Anchor

Daughters of Isabella: Discreet followers of Church teachings continued from page one

Daughters of Isabella.”

Established in 1897, the Daughters of Isabella is often called a Women’s Guild or the female version of the Knights of Columbus. Though the Daughters are similar in structure, they have their own unique identity. Named after Queen Isabella of Spain, the Daughters of Isabella seeks to emulate the queen’s virtuous nature while promoting the welfare of communities and organizations through the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The Daughters is an international order open to all Catholic women 18 and over. According to Terry Lewis, member of St. Mary’s Parish in South Dartmouth and regent of the Hyacinth Circle of the Daughters in New Bedford, as of Apr. 30, 2012, there were 16,085 members in the U.S. and 22,776 members in Canada. There used to be a number of local circles, but there are now just two circles found in the Fall River Diocese.

“The motto of the Daughters is ‘Unity, friendship and charity,’” explained Lewis. “I have found it to be very rewarding in the work that we do.”

Already in her second year as regent of the Easton Circle, Papineau has been a member of the Daughters since 1978. She joined the Easton Circle when she moved to Easton and has found that, though the circle has remained active and supportive throughout the years, other circles’ members have been absorbed into the two remaining circles and the age of the current members tends to lean towards the older generation. A struggle for the two circles is to garner the interest of the younger

women, she said.

While age may be a factor, it certainly has not slowed the devotion shown during each fundraising activity. The members of the circles are “pretty active,” said Papineau.

“Whenever we do a fund-raiser, they donate generously to the bake sales,” said Papineau of the roughly 30 members of the Easton Circle. “When we have a shower for Birthright, they’re very generous for the new babies. When we do a household shower for My Brother’s Keeper, the people at My Brother’s Keeper are always overwhelmed. When you see the pile of gifts, it looks like there are more than 25 or 30 people involved.”

It is the same for 50 or so members of the Hyacinth Circle in New Bedford, said Lewis. The group visits nursing homes, supports seminarians and have women extremely active within their respective parishes; but the driving force behind the participation, said Lewis, is “to bring Christ into the world. We’re Catholics and we try to practice our faith not just in words, but also in deeds.”

For those who have worked closely with the circles, their time for recognition is now.

“They’re an organization that has done so much for the Church and has gone unrecognized for years,” said Father Stephen Salvador, pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Parish at Holy Cross Church in Fall River and moderator for the Daughters of Isabella. “That was always my biggest complaint and pet peeve.”

Father Salvador’s first assignment shortly after being ordained

‘Choose Life’ license plate reaches quota continued from page one

Florida 11 years ago. She started a corporation, secured non-profit status and began collecting registrations.

One of the requirements for specialty license plates in Massachusetts, however, is that they meet an initial quota of 3,000 plates within the first two years to cover the RMV’s cost of minting and distributing the plates. To that end, Nordeen had to post a $100,000 surety bond — which was provided through the generosity of an anonymous donor — in case license plate sales fell short of that goal.

Although they hadn’t met the quota by the July 1 deadline, they were close enough to allow the RMV to graciously extend the deadline.

Now that the goal has been met, however, the donor gets his $100,000 bond back and Choose Life, Inc. can now use the money they were keeping in reserve

to fund various Pro-Life efforts throughout the state.

“Now that the bond has been released, we have money readily available,” Nordeen said. “We’ll start issuing grants to the various centers — the pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes — to help with training and materials.”

In addition to pregnancy resource centers, other beneficiaries of funds raised from the Choose Life license plates include Massachusetts Citizens for Life and its Summer Academy for high school students, and Boston’s Walk to Aid Mothers and Children, held every October. As such, Nordeen encouraged everyone to consider purchasing a Choose Life license plate.

“We want the steady stream of funds to increase as much as possible,” she said. “I know the Cape and the Islands plate generates as much as $1 million a year. If we could raise anything close to that,

in 1974 was as chaplain to the St. Patrick’s Circle in Wareham.

“It was a real growth experience,” said Father Salvador. “They are such women of faith. They would support charities, seminarians’ education by helping with the expense, encourage vocations to religious life; they help the suppressed and needy. They’re an inspiration.”

The commitment to the circle and the devotion to the faith would often manifest itself at area parishes, said Father Salvador, because women would bring their works of charity, growth and friendship from the circle back to their parish to create a strong foundation of faith. As the years have passed, he has seen firsthand the struggles of the circles, watching as the numbers began to shrink as members passed away without younger members to replace them.

“A lot of them are old and have died off. My mother is 90 and she’s a member of the Daughters.

My aunt and her sister are a member of the Daughters; they go to meetings but my mother cannot because of her age,” said Father Salvador. “Quite a few [members] are struggling but still holding on because they are a group of deeply religious women.”

Slowly, though, the word is getting out about the Daughters, said Papineau. The Daughters have become more visible in the last few years due to their work at area parishes and various local festivities, she said, and some younger women are approaching members to inquire about joining.

“We now have about a half a dozen young women and each one has said they’re trying to get a cou-

that would be great. The centers are grateful for anything we can give them because it’s a struggle. As we increase the Choose Life plate numbers, we increase our help to them. It’s all worth the effort in the long run. If we save even one child, it’s worth it.”

The Choose Life plate, one of 18 Massachusetts specialty plates that benefit charities, features a mother cradling her infant and the words “Choose Life.” The cost of the plates is $80 every two years.

The first $40 is the normal registry charge, and after the first year, the entire remaining $40 is used to fund alternatives to abortions.

To order a Choose Life license plate, visit your local Registry of Motor Vehicles branch or go online to www.mass.gov/rmv/express/ chooselife.htm. For information about the Choose Life effort, visit www.machoose-life.org or call 781224-0404.

September 21, 2012 ple of their friends to join,” said Papineau. “Hopefully in the next year or two, we’ll have a healthy nucleus of young members.”

It’s not a done deal, though, said Papineau, adding that, while it’s understandable that working women and mothers have a difficult time making the monthly meetings, the circles need those younger women to survive. This October will see the celebration of the 80th year for the Easton Circle while the Hyacinth Circle is celebrating its 95th year; Lewis said she hopes to see the circle make it to its 100th.

“We’re trying to get new members but it’s hard,” said Lewis. “I feel that we all have to try very hard to make this a better world, not only by prayer but also by action.”

The Easton Circle has tried to infuse some youthful fun into

its fund-raising activities. Next month the circle will be holding a “Pajama Party” where members will bring new adult pajamas to be donated to My Brother’s Keeper for its Christmas distribution. The circles are not just fund-raising machines, said Papineau, the members act as a great supportive way to connect with other women of faith.

“Every circle has done wonderful things in their communities. We’re not the type to put our picture in the paper and say, ‘Look at us; see what we’re doing.’ We’ve never done that,” said Papineau. “A lot of the way we support this is through prayer.

We’re Catholic women and that’s what we’re all about. We hope it continues because it definitely has a place in our community and in our Church.”

Around the Diocese 9/23

Bishop George W. Coleman will celebrate a special Mass of Thanksgiving for couples observing significant anniversaries (including the first year) during 2012. This celebration will take place Sunday at 3 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River. If you would like an invitation, please consult with your pastor.

9/24

Learn more about the Massachusetts Health Curriculum Frameworks by attending a presentation by Linda Thayer on September 24 at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph Parish, 208 South Main Street in Attleboro. Thayer taught science in the Boston Public Schools for more than 30 years and she is on the Pro-Life/Pro-Family Subcommittee of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. For more information visit www.macatholic.org.

9/26

Father Roger Landry will present a special night of education and action against Doctor-Prescribed Suicide in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on September 26 at St. Bernadette’s Parish in Fall River beginning at 7 p.m. in preparation for November ballot Question 2. The presentation is free and all are welcome.

9/26

All are invited to take part in the national 40 Days for Life effort from September 26 through November 4. In addition to 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion in America, please consider volunteering to pray outside of the abortion clinic, Four Women, 150 Emory Street in Attleboro, for one or more hours during the 40 days and spread the word to others about this important life-saving effort. For more information or to volunteer to help, contact 40DFLAttleboro@comcast.net or visit www.40daysforlife.com/Attleboro to register.

9/29

Good Shepherd Parish, 1598 South Main Street in Fall River will be holding its annual Harvest Festival Arts and Craft Fair from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on September 29 and 30 in the parish hall. The outdoor Pumpkin Patch will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., September 25 through September 30. There will be pumpkin-related activities for people of all ages, along with artisans and crafters, a Chinese auction, a country kitchen and much more. Fresh malassadas will be for sale on September 29 beginning at 7:30 a.m. and on Sunday there will be a breakfast from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. For more information call 508-678-7412 or visit www.gsfallriver.com.

9/29

The Cape and Islands Prayer Group Deanery will host a New Age Conference at Corpus Christi Parish Hall, East Sandwich, on September 29 and 30. Conference speakers Moira Noonan and Susan Brinkmann will compare Catholic teaching with New Age beliefs during Saturday’s sessions and on Sunday will consider the effect of avitar, wicca, vampires and the like on the faith of our youth. There is no charge for the conference. Lunch which will be provided on Saturday for those who pre-register. Saturday’s session runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. Sunday’s session runs from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information or to pre-register, call Pam at 508-759-2737 or Pat at 508-349-1641.

10/6

Father Stan Fortuna, CFR, will be at St. Lawrence Martyr Church in New Bedford on October 6 for a concert night of rapping, praise and jamming that will touch your heart and your spirit. Father Fortuna’s message is about “Youth spreading the Gospel.” He will be the main celebrant at the 4 p.m. Mass and his concert will begin at 7 p.m. An international artist, Father Fortuna is noted for his evangelical musical contributions of various genres, primarily Catholic-based jazz and hip hop. He has been a featured speaker at Franciscan University’s High School Age Youth Conferences and Youth 2000 events for several years and has appeared numerous times on EWTN’s “Life on the Rock.” Tickets for the concert will be available at the door. For more information, call 508-992-4251 or visit www.francescoproductions.com.

10/6

A Healing Mass and Blessing with St. André’s Bessette’s relic and anointing with St. Joseph Oil will be held at the Father Peyton Center on October 6 — French language and on Sunday, October 7 – in English, from 1-4 p.m. both days at 500 Washington Street in Easton. St. André’s relic will be available for blessings and veneration. The afternoon will include procession, Rosary prayer, anointing, blessing and Eucharist. For information call Holy Cross Family Ministries at 508-238-4095 or logon www.FamilyRosary.org/Events.

10/16

A retreat for men and women titled “Your Own Heart and Soul,” will be facilitated by internationally-known speaker/writer Paula D’Arcy on October 16-18 at the La Salette Retreat Center in Attleboro. For more information contact Peggy Patenaude at 508-548-9149 or timeoutretreats@comcast.net.

1/13

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Seekonk is sponsoring its 12th trip to the Honduran Mission. A group of 10-15 volunteers will travel to Guaimaca, Honduras from January 13-21, 2013. If you have ever wanted to share your time and talents with our brothers and sisters, contact Pam Potenza at pgp624@hotmail.com or 508-472-4242 for information. Doctors, nurses, dentists, carpenters are especially needed, but all are welcome.

September 21, 2012

Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese

Acushnet — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Monday and Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Evening prayer and Benediction is held Monday through Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

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

ATTLEBORO — St. Joseph Church holds eucharistic adoration in the Adoration Chapel located at the (south) side entrance at 208 South Main Street, Sunday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Brewster — Eucharistic adoration takes place in the La Salette Chapel in the lower level of Our Lady of the Cape Church, 468 Stony Brook Road, on First Fridays beginning at noon until 7:45 a.m. First Saturday, concluding with Benediction and concluding with Mass at 8 a.m. buzzards Bay — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, every first Friday after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending the following day before the 8 a.m.

Mass.

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

East Sandwich — The Corpus Christi Parish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 324 Quaker Meeting House Road, East Sandwich.

Use the Chapel entrance on the side of the church.

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

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

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

FALL RIVER — St. Bernadette’s Church, 529 Eastern Ave., has eucharistic adoration on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the chapel.

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

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

FALL RIVER — Good Shepherd Parish has eucharistic adoration every Friday following the 8 a.m. Mass until 6 p.m. in the Daily Mass Chapel. There is a bilingual Holy Hour in English and Portuguese from 5-6 p.m. Park behind the church and enter the back door of the connector between the church and the rectory.

Falmouth — St. Patrick’s Church has eucharistic adoration each First Friday, following the 9 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 4:30 p.m. The Rosary is recited Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

HYANNIS — A Holy Hour with eucharistic adoration will take place each First Friday at St. Francis Xavier Church, 347 South Street, beginning immediately after the 12:10 p.m. Mass and ending with adoration at 4 p.m.

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m. Mass every First Friday with special intentions for Respect Life, followed by 24 hours of eucharistic adoration in the Chapel, concluding with Benediction Saturday morning followed immediately by an 8:30 Mass.

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

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

NEW BEDFORD — St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, 565 County Street, holds eucharistic adoration in the side chapel every Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

NORTH DARTMOUTH — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Julie Billiart Church, 494 Slocum Road, every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m., ending with Benediction. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available at this time.

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

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

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

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

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

The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, and adoration will continue throughout the day.

Confessions are heard from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Rosary and Benediction begin at 6:30 p.m.

WAREHAM — Every First Friday, eucharistic adoration takes place from 8:30 a.m. through Benediction at 5:30 p.m. Morning prayer is prayed at 9; the Angelus at noon; the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; and Evening Prayer at 5 p.m.

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

WOODS HOLE — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Joseph’s Church, 33 Millfield Street, year-round on weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No adoration on Sundays, Wednesdays, and holidays. For information call 508-274-5435.

19

The Anchor Sister Catherine Mary O’Brien, OP

FALL RIVER — Sister Catherine Mary O’Brien, OP of the Dominican Sisters of Hope, died at Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River on May 24. She was 91 years of age. The daughter of the late Patrick H. and Julia C. Shea O’Brien, she was born April 27, 1921 in Fall River.

Sister Catherine Mary entered the novitiate of the Dominican Sisters of Fall River on Dec. 7, 1942, made her First Profession Aug. 15, 1945 and Final Profession Aug. 30, 1948. Sister Cath-

erine Mary earned her BA in English from the College of the Sacred Hearts in Fall River.

She taught elementary students and Religious Education classes at St. Anne’s School and Dominican Academy in Fall River, where she was librarian and French teacher. She was appointed mistress of novices in North Dartmouth in 1963.

She moved to Catholic Memorial Home in July of 2007. Sister Catherine Mary is predeceased by her parents, the late Patrick H.

and Julia C. Shea O’Brien and is survived by several cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Catholic Memorial Home on May 25. Interment was at Notre Dame Cemetery, Fall River.

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Boule Funeral Home in Fall River. Donations in Sister Catherine Mary’s memory can be made to The Dominican Sisters of Hope Development Office, 299 Highland Avenue, Ossining, N.Y. 10562-2327.

FALL RIVER — Sister Theresa Bisson, OP, 71, of the Dominican Sisters of Hope, died May 13.

She entered the novitiate of the Dominican Sisters of Fall River in 1959, making her First and Final Professions in 1962 and 1965 respectively. She earned her BA in elementary education from the College of the Sacred Hearts, Fall River, and her MA in adult education and Family Ministry from Regis University in Denver, Colo., continuing her education at Providence College, Bristol Community College and at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh.

Sister Theresa taught and was school librarian at St. Anne’s School, Fall River, and she taught at Dominican Academy, also in Fall River, was principal at St. Anne’s School from 1970-1983. She was also a pastoral minister at Holy Ghost Parish, Attleboro, and administrative assistant and pastoral practitioner for the Office of AIDS Ministry in the diocese of Fall River. Since 1998, Sister Theresa had been coordinator of personal/ pastoral services for the Sisters of Mercy of the Northeast, caring for elderly Sisters living in assisted living facilities in Bristol, R.I. and

Attleboro.

She leaves siblings, Rudy Bisson of Apison, Tenn.; Paul Bisson of Tiverton, R.I.; Helen and Robert Bisson, both of Fall River; nieces and nephews.

She was the daughter of the late Joseph and Maria (Campbell) Bisson; and the sister of the late Roland and Normand Bisson and Lorraine Poitras.

Her funeral Mass was celebrated May 19 at St. Anne’s Church in Fall River.

Donations may be made to Dominican Sisters of Hope, 299 Highland Ave., Ossining, N.Y., 10562.

BAY SHORE, N.Y. — Father Roger Mary, S.M.M. of the Montfort Missionary, Bay Shore, L.I. died on Aug. 16, 2012 at Maria Regina Residence in Brentwood, N.Y..

Father Charest was born in Fall River, where many family members reside.

Father Charest professed his first vows Aug. 22, 1936 and was ordained Feb. 28, 1942.

During 70 years of priesthood, Father Charest founded the Queen of All Hearts magazine which he edited since 1951.

He established the Queen of All Hearts Guild at Bay Shore which continues to function today. He was elected the second Provincial Superior of the United States in 1961, during which time he founded Montfort houses of study in St. Louis, Mo.; Pacific, Mo.; and Taunton.

A skilled preacher, he gave conferences on Devotion to Mary in 48 states in the United States. He organized more than

40 pilgrimages to Lourdes, France and led countless other trips to other Marian shrines, Rome and the Holy Land. A charter member of the Mariological Society of America, he attended annual meetings in Washington, D.C. In 1991 he had a personal meeting in Rome with Pope John Paul II. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Bay Shore, L.I. on August 20. Donations in Father Charest’s memory may be made to the Montfort Missions, 26 South Saxon Avenue, Bay Shore, N.Y. 11706.

Sister Theresa Bisson, OP

Father Roger Mary Charest, S.M.M.

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks Sept. 23 Rev. Antoine Charest, SM, Former Assistant St. Jean Baptiste, Fall River, 2001 Sept. 24 Rev. Joseph E.C. Bourque, Pastor, Blessed Sacrament, Fall River, 1955 Sept. 25 Rev. Robert J. Woodley, S.J. Missionary, Taunton, New Bedford, Fall River, 1857 Deacon Robert B. Raymond, 2007 Sept. 26 Rev. John J. Donahue, Assistant, St. William, Fall River, 1944 Rev. Flavius Gamache, SMM, Former Pastor, St. Peter, Dighton, 1996 Rev. John C. Martins, Former Pastor, St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Fall River, 2008 Rev. Clement E. Dufour, Retired, Former Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, New Bedford, 2009 Sept. 27 Rev. John W. Greene, S.J., Former Teacher at Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River, 1991

20

The Anchor

doctor in the house — Dr. Jerald W. Katz, an orthopedic surgeon from Coastal Orthopedics in Fall River, is now an orthopedic consultant at Catholic Memorial Home located at 2446 Highland Avenue in Fall River. Dr. Katz will be overseeing the home’s short-term rehab cases and will be working closely with the rehab department on the therapies they will provide to these residents. He will also be meeting with the rehab and nurse management staff on a monthly basis to review current cases.

To the left of Dr. Katz in the photo is home director Thomas Healy.

September 21, 2012

center staging — Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River is replacing the four levels of roofs on its tower, painting the gold cross and cupola, and also the white aluminum siding, columns and urns. (Photo by Dave Jolivet)

Ten Commandments are God’s recipe for a good life, Pope Benedict says

ROME (CNS) — The Ten Commandments are a gift from God to help people live a correct relationship with God and with others, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“God gave us the Commandments to educate us about true freedom and authentic love so that we could be truly happy,” he said in a video message played recently in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo.

The big public square in Italy’s capital was the site of the launch of “Ten Piazzas for the Ten Commandments,” a project of the Italian charismatic renewal movement, the Italian bishops’ conference and the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization.

The project — evenings of reflection, music and dance — will focus on a different Commandment in a different city each month.

Pope Benedict said people may ask what sense the Ten Commandments have today in cultures heavily marked by secularism and relativism.

The answer, he said, is that the Commandments are “a sign of the love of God the Father (and) His desire to teach us the correct discernment between good and evil, true and false, just and unjust.”

Those who ignore the precepts taught in the Ten Commandments not only move away from God, but they move away from lasting happiness, he said.

“Man left to himself, indifferent to God (and) proud of his absolute autonomy, ends up following the idols of selfishness, power (and) domination,” which in turn poison relationships with others, Pope Benedict said.

On the other hand, he said, “accepting the infinite love of God,” trusting Him and obeying the Ten Commandments “gives deep meaning to one’s life and opens a future of hope.”