09.29.95

t eanc 0 VOL. 39, NO. 38

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Friday, September 29, 1995

FALL RIVER, MASS.

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

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511 Per Year

Weekend conferences held for Catholic school and CCD teachers

by Dave Jolivet The Diocesan Department of Education sponsored two conferences for diocesan teachers last weekend: on Friday at Bishop Connolly HighSchool, Fall River, for Catholic school teachers and. on Saturday at Bishop Sta.ng High School, North Dartmouth, for religious education teachers. Both conferences were well attended.

Catholic Education Convention A Catholic education can provide a student with many things, but most important is its spiritual dimension. That was among messages from Bishop O'Malley during his homily at the opening Mass for the education convention.

He told teachers, administrators and other workers in the diocesan Catholic schools that "We're here because we believe in Catholic education. Everyone here has made sacrifices. financial and otherwise, to teach and work in the Catholic school system, but the sacrifices make sense only when we know the sense of mission, and that is to build up the body of Christ. It's fitting to begin with Mass. to gather eNS/photo around the table of the Teacher, THIS IS the annual Respect Life Month issue of the the Master."

The bishop stressed that the Anchor. Beginning on page 7, stories and photos will center on teachers, administrators and workthe Gospel of Life as developed in the papal encyclical "Evan- ers are the most important resource gelium Vitae." Thl~y will replace our usual weekly features, all of Catholic schools. "You can show of which will return next week. Above, the Holy Father is a new generation of disciples what true happiness is; love, hope, peace shown blessing a baby girl in an Angolan hospital. and holiness. It's important that we be Catholic Christian disciples," he said.

Rev. Richard W. Beaulieu, director of the Diocesan Department of Education, said the convention is an opportunity to support Catholic daily since April," said architect school staff members. "It's an affir. by Christine Vieira mation forthe teachers. We like to Tom Palanza, "and we finished up About 40 people gathered Sepgive them as much support as we about the end of August." His tember 21, the feast ofSt. Mathieu, detailed architectural drawings of can. As Bishop O'Malley stated, for the blessing of the new St. each of the three floors and before 'It's a mission more than ajob,''' he Mathieu's Residence for Women and after photographs of the resi- said. in Fall River.

At the close of the Mass, both dence evidenced the work needed Arlene McNamee, LCSW,direcBishop O'Malley and Father Beauto make the badly vandalized tor of the Diocesan Department of lieu honored Grace Taylor for 45 building habitable.

Catholic Social Services, welcomed years of service as secretary for the Its first six residents are expected members of diocesan agencies, the Education department. Ms. Tayto move in tomorrow. St. Mathieu's media, and former St. Mathieu lor, who is retiring at the end ofthe will house 18 residents and an onparishioners to the three-story site manager. Each resident will year, received a standing ovation. brick building, onCl: a convent for The keynote speaker was Sister have her own furnished bedroom. the Sisters of St. Joseph de Puy There are shower-equipped bath- Remigia Kushner, C.S.J., Ph.D., who taught at the former St. rooms on each floor, and a spa- of Baden, PA. She has been an Mathieu school. The school closed cious community dining room, kit- elementary and secondary school and the sisters left in 1973. teacher, an administrator' and a chen and living room.

"We hope to use St. Mathieu's district superintendent of Catholic "It really looks like home," said residence as a visible sign to the Paulette McKay,. among volun- schools in Bronx, NY. Since 1990 community," she said, "that there teers who literally made the house she has been on the fulltime faculty is safe, affordable housing availaof Manhattan College, Riverdale, shine. "It feels very comfortable." ble for women in need."

The wome.n at St. Mathieu's will NY. She has recently published a book on Catholic school teachers Amid the cheery sounds of chil-. have had an initial screening at St. dren on recess at .nearby St. and their ministry.

Francis Residence, another dioceSister Kushner spoke on "The Michael's School, Bishop Sean san facility for women, also located O'Malley expressed appreciation in Fall River, and will be persons Seven Habits 'of Highly Effective to those who worked to renovate who for one rea$on or another Teachers," basing her address on the house~ have had trouble finding adequate the theories of a successful proThose in attendance toured the and affordable housing. Father gram developed by Steven R. Covey. She told her audience, all building, viewing the results of its Turn to Page Two of them had reservoirs of talent remodeling. "We have been here

--------:--------------------1 Former Fall River convent now 'Vvomen's reside'nce

and strengths to offer children and developing the seven habits can help them use their abilities to best advantage.

Enumerating the steps, she said the first was to be proactive, meaning act, don't react. The second step calls for teachers to keep in mind the goal of giving students a quality ed ucation based on Catholic principles. The third is keeping first things first. Sister Kushner noted how easy it is to lose valuable teaching time for various reasons and said that it was important to plan each school day.

The fourth step she listed was that of seeking a winl win situation, an atmosphere in which both the student and teacher benefit.

She pointed out that if the same game plan is used, the same results will occur, but changing the ap· . proach can change the outcome.

She also indicated that teachers can choose their perceptions of young people, therefore they should emphasize the positive. Step five asks teachers to seek to understand the student before seeking to be understood themselves and step six is to synergize, let youngsters be a part of the learning process by doing things themselves.

Sister Kushner concluded her presentation with the seventh habit, "sharpening the saw," by which she meant that teachers should take care of themselves mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally, thereby giving their students the best possible education experience.

Religious Education Convention The theme of this year's religious education convention was ':Imagine God's Mercy." Several Turn to Page Three

Parish collections will aid struggling Marilyn victims The painful recovery process in the wake of Hurricane Marilyn has begun for residents of the V.S. Virgin Islands. Bishop Sean O'Malley has requested a special collection at all Masses in the diocese this weekend to ease some of the difficulties in the diocese of St. Thomas, which he headed from 1984 to 1992.

More than a week after the storm devastated the area, the island of St. Thomas was still without power, phones or water.

Barbara Gilliard-Payne, director of Catholic Social Services on the islands said Bishop Elliott G. Thomas has requested her to ask V.S. Catholics for continued pray-

ers and has expressed gratitude for funds thus far contributed to help hurricane victims recover and rebuild.

Most parishes on St. Thomas and the neighboring island of St. Croix suffered damage ranging from blown-off roofs or windows to complete destruction.

Ms. Gilliard-Payne cited generators as an immediate need. Without power, water cannot be pumped from cisterns, making sanitation a major obstacle to reopening shelters, schools and other facilities. She also noted that at present people must stand in line for hours and pay $10 for just a bag of ice.

EVERY LITTLE bit helps. Donations for hurricane victims fill a basket at last week's Catholi.c teachers' conference.

Bishop O'Malley has requested a special collection at all parish Masses this weekend. (Jolivet photo)

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2 THEANCHOR'-·Dioc~~~·of·Fall'Ri·ver~\F~i.:;s~'~t: 29, 1995' Sr. 'John of Cross CHRISTIAN ApOSTOLIC, TRUE HOLY ONE LOVING INFALLIBLE CHARITABLE

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She was an alumna of Dominican Academy and thereafter attended Providence College, St. Michael's College, Colchester, VT, and Catholic University, Washington, DC. During her active career she taught at Dominican Academy and St. Anne's School, Fall River, at St. Francis Xavier School, Acushnet, and at St. Peter's School, Plattsburgh, NY. A sister, Stella Petit of Fall River, survives her, as do several nieces and nephews.

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ST. ANNE'S SCHOOL

The Mass of Christian Burial was offered Sept. 26 at Dominican Academy, Fall River, for Sister John of the Cross, OP, 87, who died Sept. 23. A Fall River native, she was the daughter of the late Alphonse and the late Salfrid (Rock) Gagnon.

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BISHOP SEAN O'MALLEY and Catholic Social Services director Arlene A. McNamee at dedication service for St. Mathieu's Residence. (Vieira photo)

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Activists seek clean air, water In t,he face of congressio nal attempts to roll back a genera'lion of environmental standards, more than one million citizens have signed petitions in the last six months asserting their right to a cle<ln and healthy environment.

The gathering of the signatures on an Environmental Bill of Rights was announced on the steps of the Federal Building in New Bedford by leaders of the petition drive, including MASSPIRG, the Sierra Club, and a coalition of other organizations.

"Congress is out oftouch on the environment," . said Robin Eiseman, MASSPIRG campaign organizer. "Our petition and numerous polls show that Americans want strong protection for clean air, clean water, and scenic places."

Organizers launched the Environmental Bill of Rights campaign in March, gathering over 61,000 signatures in Massachusetts and 1,050,000 nationwide.

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Council of Catholic Women recently held a shower for t:he new residence at St. Jacques parish hall in Taunton. Gifts included kitchen items and linens. '" miss my church," said a former St. Mathieu parishioner of the church which was closed in 1989 and torn down one year later, "but this is just great."

Continued from Page One Joseph Costa, head of the diocesan' Secretariat of ·Community Service and executive director of St. Vincent's Special Education Facility in Fall River, explained that St. Mathieu's will give women a safe place to live and afford them access to programs available to assist them.

"Sometimes there are drugs or alcohol involved," he said, "so we try to provide programs that can get them back on their feet. In other caSeS, it's just a matter of providing education, job training, or simply teaching effective ways to manage a budget. The service is individualized and residents may stay as long as they need to."

Susan Desrosiers was among the main coordinators of the St. Mathieu project. "It wasn't until yesterday that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief," she said of the project that has taken months to come to fruition. "It really is exciting to see it nearly completed and looking so beautiful."

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In a story on the naming of Fall River native Father Leo Polselli, CSC, as head of the Family Rosary prayer ministry and Family Th,~ater Productions that' appeared in the Anchor for Sept. 22, Barbara Domingu~ and Debbie Polselli were inaccurately listed as Father Polselli's sisters. They are his nieces. His sisters are Mrs. Anne Lucciola and Mrs. Rita Ciolfi, bo'th of Holy Rosary parish in Fall River.

The Anchor regrets the error.

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THE ANCHOR (USPS-S4S-020). Second Class Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.

Published weekly except the week of July 4 and the week after Christmas at 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River. Mass. 02720 by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River. Subscription price by mail, postpaid $11.00 per year. Postmasters send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7. Fall River, MA 02722.

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GRACE TAYLOR was cited by Rev. Richard W. Beaulieu and Bishop O'Malley at the Catholic teachers cpnference for 45 years of service as secretary to the Diocesan Department of Education. (10livet photo)

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Continued from Page One hundred diocesan CCD teachers met at Bishop Stang for workshops, fellowship and the opportunity to purchase religious education texts, materials and various other wares displayed by several retail companies.

The day began with Mass, followed by three workshop sessions offering a wide variety of topics relavant to spreading the mercy of God. The Mass, attended by an overflow congregation, was celebrated at St. Julie Billiart Church next to the high schoCiI by Msgr.

John J. Oliveira, diocesan secretary for Education and Ev~ngeli­ zation. He told the Massgoers that many CCD students lack support from their families. "Y ou will provide some of that support. I pray for a successful year filled with grace for each of you," he said.

Guest homilist was Rev. Michael L. Steele, former director of reli-' gious ed ucation for Catholic schools in the archdiocese of Boston and currently pastor of St. Joseph parish, Wakefield. Saying that he was the product of 12 years of CCD, Father Steele said that a great deal of his faith came from the CCD program. .

"All here have felt love deeply, otherwise you wouldn't be here and you wish to share the mystery of that love with the students," he said. "You bring children c1oserto God each time you set foot in class and this may be the only time during the week they an: exposed to God," he added.

The priest admitted that teaching CCD can be very frustrating.

"When times get tough, think back to who first touchf~d you with God's love. This will help you get through the frustrations," he said.

Following the Mass were three 50-minute periods. Participants could choose from some 15 topics, among which were"Creative Activities," "It's a Nice Idea ... But Tell Me How!," and "Cn:ating Sacred Space for Young People."

In a workshop on youth violence, Hernando Herrera.ofYouth Apostles, a seminarian in the Fall River diocese, discussed the causes and effects of youth violence and invited his listeners to share ideas on how to curb violence or deal with it when it does occur.

"We've become ;nore desensitized to violence. EVI~n our humor can be at someone's expense; it

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may hurt them and we don't even know it. We have to change within ourselves and then a ripple effect can take place." said Herrera.

In another session Peg Hannigan, health coordinator for the Harwich school system, offered tips on how to see things with a child's eyes. "Our priorities and the priorities of a child are completely different, but that shouldn't diminish the child's concerns. They are very real and very important to them, and to understand and reach the child you have to realize [that J," said Mrs. Hannigan.

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Caregivers Support Group· For caregivers ofpersons with HIV disease and AIDS. • Tuesday, October 10 • 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Family and Friends Support Group· • Monday, October 16 • 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Clemence Hall, Room #128 Pre-registration is required.

Contact Office of AIDS Ministry, (508) 674-5600, Ext. 2295.

Diabetes Education And Support Group· • Monday, October 16 • 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Nannery Conference Room "The Gift Of Life," presented by Ginnie Teed, BA, Hospital Development Coordinator, New England Organ Bank.

Pre-registration is required.

For more information, contact Maria Cabrales, RN, (508) 674- 5600, Ext. 2390.

Prostate Psycho-Educational Support Group· For men who are on or recently have completed radiation treatment for prostate cancer.

• Tuesdays, October 3,17, & 31 • 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

• Clemence Hall, Room #128 Cancer Education Series Ageneral education series.

• Wednesdays, October 4, 11, 18, &25 • 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

• Nannery Conference Room For more information, contact Fred Barbosa, L1CSW, (508) 674-5600, Ext. 2270.

Breast Cancer Support Group· Therapeutic support group for women with non-metastic breast cancer disease.

• Tuesday, October 10 & 24 • 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Clemence Hall, Room #128 Pre-registration is required. For more information contact Ann Mitchell, L1CSW, (508) 674-5600, Ext. 2270.

ESL Our English as aSecond Language program has openings for intermediate level English speaking adult students.

For further information or to enroll, contact the Community and Social Work Services Dept., (508) 674-5600, Ext. 2270.

Health Fairs As part of our community outreach programs, the Communicate: Health mobile mammography van will be at the following locations from .12:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m. on: • Wednesday, October 4, Mansfield High School Mansfield, MA • Wednesday, October 11, East Bridgewater High School East Bridgewater, MA • Thursday, October 12, Freetown Elementary School Freetown, MA For more information, or to make an appointment, call 1-800-71-WOMEN.

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'All support groups are free and open to the public.

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4 niE ANCHOR -

Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Sept. 29, 1995

themoorin~

. the living word

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Churches and Politics The Fathers of Vatican II put it this way in their document on the church in the Modern World: "I t is of supreme importance, especially in a pluralistic society, to work out a proper vision of the relationship between the political community and the Church, and to distinguish clearly between the activities of Christians as citizens guided by the dictates of a Christian conscience and 'their activities in the name of the Church."

The distinction made at the Council seemed to be the distinction made by the Christian Coalition at its recent meeting in Washington. Many, however, felt that members ignored the principle of separation of church and state; a mind-set reminiscent of the witch-hunting programs of the American Civil Liberties Union. Such a mentality fails to see that the political community and the Church, although independent of each other, are both dedicated to the general welfare, although with differing approaches.

The churches of this country should have the freedom to · preach their faith,' to' proclaim their teachings about society and to make moral judgments, even in matters relating to politics. .

Today, when the fundamental rights of ' people are being · denied by the body politic we need voices to speak out for those rights as we are faced with issues that have taken on political overtones. Abortion, euthanasia, violence, and abuse of all kinds are but a few of the problems that have been the subject of political debate. If one has a conscience, he Or she must admit that these are ma.tters of ethics and morality' that transcend the purely temporal order. This was the stand of the Christian Coalition. .

In modern society, people are more and more subject to a variety of pressures and may sometimes run the risk of being · prevented from following their consciences. At the same time, it should be recognized that many, under the pretext of freedom, seem inclined to rejectall authority and make light of tQe principle of accountability for one'sactions:-·.. ·· ., Among issues that surfaced again and again at the meeting were those of the necessity of respect for the moral order and of encouraging people to form their own judgments in the light of truth. .

The Christian Coalition, which is comprised of members of many churches, including the Catholic Church, feels that the right to religious freedom includes the right of religious groups to demonstrate the special values of their teachings.

Those who would reject and disband such groups as the Christian Coalition would do well to reflect that the right of people to hold meetings and establish educational, cultural and social organizations is rooted both in the social nature of the human person and in the nature of religion. Denial of the right of groups such as the Christian Coalition to exist is a denial of civil liberties" There can be little doubt that the upcoming national elections will occasion wide-ranging debate, verbiage and partisanship. It is to be hoped that issues will be debated in such a way that social responsibility 'will be honored and not dispar· aged. This will admittedly be difficult in a country that seems to be polarizing, where trustworthy voices seem lost and the strident voices of the far right and left prevail; but we will lose much if we lose our moral and:ethical accountability.

The Editor.

the

"OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Published weekly by The Catho.licPress of the Diocese of Fall River 887 Highland Avenue P.O. BOX 7 Fall River. MA 02722-0007 Fall River, MA 02720 Telephone 508-675-7151 'FAX (508) 675-7048 Send address changes to P.O. Box 7 or call telephone number above

. EDITOR Rev. John F. Moore

GENERAL MANAGER Rosemary Dussault

ClfII8» LEARV PRESS -

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FALL RIVE~

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THE'BEAUTIFUL STATUE OF MOTHER AND CHILD AT THE SHRINE OF MARY, MOTHER OF LIFE, AT ST. PIUS X CHURCH, SOUTH YARMOUTH

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." Luke 1:28 -~-,----""""""",,---------.--~-------"":'-

Story Theology aids in "leap of faith"

By Father Kevin J. Harrington

Some of the best advice that I ever received was from one of my seminary professors who asked me ' to write to him every year for the latest' reading list in theology. His theory was that most priests stopped reading when they left the seminary and within a few years became out of touch with ongoing developments in the field.

His farewell words were short but' memorable: "Remember, there's more to read than the TV Guide!"

If I had to put my finger on the major development in theology during the 20 years that I have been out of the seminary, it would' be a movement known as "story theology," which calls to our attention the centrality o("story" in both the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) and the New Testament (Christian Scriptures)..

Looking at both sets of Scriptures provides an outline on a grand scale beginning wth paradise and paradise lost (Genesis). continuing with God's redeemi~g activities in Israel and through Jesus and concluding with paradise restored (Revelation).

Story theology has provided a necessary corrective to a tendency in theology toward conceptualization. I remember reading, while in

the seminary, about efforts by The stories were transmitted and theologians to arrive at a' core experienced in a variety oJ ways: belief or what was referred to more visually, in images of Christian enigmatically as a minimal ker- art, especially in the stained-glass ygma. I n the interest of ecumen- windows of the churches of the ism the attempt was made to reduce Middle Agesand afterward; musidogmas to a minimum so that eve- cally, in hymns and popuhr balryone could find common ground. lads; verbally, in sermons; a.nd ritBut such attempts can rob our tra- ually, in worship and in thl~ great dition of its wealth of wisdom and festivals and feast days of the year. undermine continuity.

A better understanding of story Professor Richard Rubenstein, theology helps us to understand a Jewish theologian, in his mas- what we mean in professing our terpiece entitled" After Auschwitz" faith. Belief goes beyond a mental (Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill assent to an abstract concept to a Company Inc., 1966), wrote: "Jews much deeper level. It i.s refreshing are free to accept or reject all or to be reminded that ·the verb part of the Torah as individuals. . "believe" in both Greek and' Latin Freedom carries with it the respon- did not originally mean belie'ving a sibility that each generation make set of doctrines or teachings but to its own commitments in the light "give one's heart to," of its insights, while leaving the Rev, Nicholas Ayo, C.S.c., in inherited corpus of tradition intact his book "Creed as Sym~pt" (Uni. versity of Notre Dame Press, Notre for subsequent generations."

It is both humbling and el.llightDame, Indiana, 1989) wrote: "To ening' to acknowledge that to a believe is thus to be-love, just as to large extent the Bible has its orig- betroth is to be-truth one's promins in story and story telling and to ises, One of the Old English verrealize that these stories were trans- sions of the creed begins with 'I mitted by narrators long before true in God': I put my tn:lth in they became the texts we have God; I trust in God. These meantoday. Indeed Scripture was expe- ings are related in etymology as rienced as stories for most of the well as theology."

The "leap of faith" occurs when centuries of the Jewish and Christian traditions prior to the inven- the stories of God we have been tion of the printing press a mere told bring meaning to our own story!

500 years ago.

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Materialism foe of trule happiness Readings: Amos fj:I,4-7 1 Timothy 6:11-16 Luke 16:19-31 This Sunday's readings continue last week's warnings about the impossibility of serving God and money by exposing how those who accumulate wealt.h and luxury become indifferent to God. As we reject decadent materialism, let us embrace the path of true happiness offered by our responsorial psalm: "Happy the one who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry" (Ps 146:7). . Amos' warning to the idle rich details the excesses of their lives.

They recline on "beds of ivory," eat rich diets of lamb and stall-fed calves in a country traditionally poor in meat, enjoy lavish musical entertainment, drink "wine from bowls," and "anoint themselves with the best oils," All this luxury serves to dull their cOlllsciences so that "they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!" Fittingly, the pampered wealthy "s.hall be the first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with."

The reading from I Timothy is preceded and follow(:d by warnings against false teachers "who value religion only as, a means of personal gain" (see I Tim 6:6-10, 17-19). Instead of pursuing transient wealth, the Pauline author exhorts Timothy to "seek after integrity, piety, faith, love, steadfastness, and a gentle spirit": virtues of "everlasting life" to which Christians are called by their baptism. The model for fulfilling one's baptismal commitment is Jesus himself"who in bearing witness made his no bit: profession before Pontius Pilate." As Timothy strives "to keep God's command without blame or reproach until our Lord Jesus Christ shall appear," he should remember that God will bring this appearance to pass and that he alone is the immortal ruler of the universe.

Jesus' parable contrasts the status of "a rich man" and "a beggar named Lazarus who lay at his gate" in this life and t.he next. In this world the rich man "dressed in purple and linen and feasted splendidly every day," while Lazarus "was covered with sores" that were "licked by dogs" and "longed to eat the scraps that fell from the rich man's table,"

Daily Readings Oct. 2: Ex 23:20-23; Ps 91:1-6,10-11; Mt 18:1-5,10 Oct. 3: lec 8:20-23; Ps 87:1-7; lk 9:51-56 Oct. 4: Neh 2:1-8; Ps 137:1-6; lk 9:51-56 Oct. 5: Neh 8:1-4a,5-6,7b12; Ps 19:8-11; lk 10:1-12 Oct. 6: Bar 1: 15-22; Ps 79:1-5,8-9; lk 10:13-16 Oct. 7: Bar 4:5-12,27-29; Ps 69:33-37; lk 10:17-24 Oct. 8: Hb 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Ps 95:1-2,6-9; 2 1m 1:6-8,1314; lk 17:5-10

By DR. PATRICK; V. REID At death, their fates are reversed, Lazarus is "carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham," but the rich man is sent to "the abode of the dead where he was in torment," The point of the parable comes in the concluding dialogue between the rich man and Abraham, when the man learns the reason for his punishment. At firs,t, he thinks

that he, as a son of Abraham and acquaintance of Lazarus (see Lk 3:8-9), can remedy his situation.

He asks: "Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to refresh my tongue, for I am tortured in these flames."

Abraham's answer not only points out the reversal of the fates of the two men, but also the irreversible "great abyss" 'which separates those once near to one other in this life: "My child ... rememberthat you were well off in your lifetime, while Lazarus was in misery. Now he has found consolation here, but you have found torment. And that is not all. Bet.ween you and us there is fixed a great abyss, so that those who might wish to cross from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross from your side to us,"

If there was to have been any interaction between the rich man and Lazarus, it would have had to have taken place in their earthly lives, when the rich man could have cared for the needy beggar who "lay at his gate."

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The rich man then asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers, but Abraham insists that they have the warnings of Moses and the prophets, as found, for example, in our first reading

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from Amos.lfhis brothers will not listen to the teachings of Moses and the prophets, even Jesus' resurrection from the dead will not convince them (see Lk 3:7-14; 16:16-17; 24:25-45).

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ST. ANNE, FR Memorial Mass for Father Foister Sept. 30 at II :30 a.m. in the upper church. All welcome.

ST. MARY, N. ATTLEBORO Healing service and Mass with Father William Babbitt, Oct. I, 2:30 p.m. All welcome.

Adoration of Blessed Sacrament in chapel Oct. 6·immediately follow~ ing the 7 a.m. Mass, ending prior to 9 a.m. Mass the following morning.

This month is dedicated to respect for life, and prayer for the unborn, those in danger of abortion and their mothers. Evening prayer Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 8 a.m. Information: Joan Provost, tel. 699-2430.

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STONEHILL COLLEGE, NORTH EASTON Michael Farris, professor of organ at the Eastman School of Music, will perform in concert at the Chapel of Mary, Oct. 3, 8 p,m. Admission free and open to the public. Handicapped accessible. Information: tel. 2301487. . FALL RIVER FIRST FRIDAY CLUB The club begins its 48th year on Oct. 6 with Mass celebrated at 6 p.m. at St. Anthony of the Desert Church followed by a meal. Mass celebrant and dinner speaker will be Father John Ozug. The club, which honors the Sacred Heart through observance of the nine First Fridays, is open to all area men. Information: Paul Dumais, tel. 673-7675.

ST. THERESA'S CHAPEL, SAGAMORE An afternoon of recollection for women Oct. 9. Confessions from . 2:30 to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. by a priest of Opus Dei. All area women welcome.

LaSALETTE SHRINE, N. ATTLEBORO Choose Life weekend series continues Sept. 30 through Oct. I. The topic of abuse will be discussed in the homily at 4:30 Mass Sept. 30.

Program repeated Oct. 1 at 12: 10 p.m. Mass and at a 2 p.m. talk in the theatre. Father Joe Gosselin is the homilist.

Coffee House resumes Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m. in cafeteria. Featured performers are the Christian band Brethren. All invited to 4:30 p.m.

Mass before the performance. Information for both events: tel.

222-5410.

ST. VINCENT dePAUL, ATTLEBORO AREA Meeting 7 p.m. Oct. 2 at Mt. Carmel Church, Seekonk.

LEGION OF MARY A living rosary will be held at St. Joseph's Church, New Bedford, on· Oct. I at 3 p.m. The speaker will be Father Michael Racine. All are invited. Information: Father Barry Wall, tel. 758-3719 or Father Matthew Sullivan, tel. 993-2332.

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ST. PIUS X CHURCH, SO. YARMOUTH Study of the Old Testament Book of Isaiah begins Oct. 4 in religious education building. Information or registration: Jean Kelly, tel. 3940709.

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Letten are welcome but the editor reserves the right to condense. or edIt, If . deemed necessary. All letterll must be typed, sIgned and Include a hOine or business address (only the city name Is used In 'print). Letten do not nec_rlly reOect the editorial views of the Anchor.

S cholarship

~r;ity

Dear Editor: Much has been written recently about resurrecting the moniker of The Scholarship City for inclusion in Fall River's seal. To understand why, we need to look back on the city's history.

In 1958, Dr. Irving Fradkin established this country's first grass. roots scholarship program in Fall River. Originally begun with $1,000 raised at a scholarship dinner, :'Dollars for Scholars" officially established the Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America.

From its humble beginn::ng CS F of America, also called the Fall River Plan, has grown to become the largest scholarship organization of its kind in the world with - 750 chapters in 39 states: 1n the 35 years of its existence, half a million students have received almost $300 million in scholarships from this organization supported by business, industry and individual dona. tions. Not a penny for ttl is program has come from tax dollars.

This innovative program sh'ould be celebrated in Fall River; and what better way to do that than to include it on the city seal, Fall River's calling card to the world.

It has been suggested that the present inscription, "We'll Try," with its negative connotation of lack of confidence be replaced by "The Scholarship City," a statement we could all be proud of, demonstrating the city's co:>mmitment to education and'community pride. In addition, busine:ss and industry may be more inclined to locate in a city dedicated to educational excellence and committed . to its most valuable asset, it!'> young people.

On October 2nd, the City Council Ordinance Committee will vote on this change and community members are urged to voice their support for it.

Daniel J. Burns Fall River

.[~ Sept. 30 1963, Rev. John J. Griffin, Pastor, St. Paul, Taunton 1993, Rev. George Taraska, OFM Conv., Parochial Vicar, Holy Rosary, Taunton Oct. 2 1961, Rev. Joseph E. Sutula, Pastor, St. Casimir, New Bl:dford Oct. 3 1991, Rev. Msgr. Arthur G. Considine, Retired Pastor, St. Mary, South Dartmouth Oct. 6 1916, Rev. Stephen B. Magill, Assistant, 1mmaculate Conception, North Easton 1987, Rev. Roland Brodeur, Uniondale, New York

Encyclical theme for Respect Life Month "Evangelium Vitae," the Gospel of Life" is the theme for the 1995 Respect Life program. Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 1, will begin the annual observance.

On March 25, 1995, the feast of the Annunciation, Pope John Paul II signed the eleventh encyclical of his pontificate, "Evangelum Vitae." It is the single most authoritative pronouncement from the Holy See on the inviolability of human life. Its condemnation of murder, abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment are stated in terms of exceptional doctrinal force and unmista'kable truth..

The Respect Life Program, now 23 years old, began when the bishops of the United States saw a need to bring church teaching on the value and dignity ofhuman life to the attention of the Catholic community and the wider public.

Launched on the first Sunday of October, 1972, the Respect Life program has continually striven to combine prayer, pastorat services, advocacy and public education.

Nearly all the 190 Catholic dioceses in the United States are involved in the program, which today extends year-round.

A n1.essage of hope to the world

By J. Augustine Di Noia, OP

In remarks af1tcr the pub, lication of "Evangelium Vitae," the Holy Father called the encyclical I I a message of hope" counter, ing modern threats to human life and inviting all to "pro, teet, defend, and love life, which is a daily miracle of God's tenderness." He said

that "the scenarios of death, which unfortunately do not cease to involve defenseless populations, remind us that sin continues to devastate human existence."

Examining today's moral climate, one may find little cause for hope but against this gloomy backdrop, the encyclical unveils a glorious

vision of humanity as God sees us, creatures made resplendent by his inexpress, ible love. Human beings have been given a sublime dig, nity based on the intimate bond which unites each of us to our Creator. What is more, God shares with us his power to create human life!

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA prison chaplain Father George Quickie" exemplifies respect for life as he brings the sacraments to prisoners. (Nowitz photo) 'f -

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CHURCH OF THE HOlX NAME_--.

FALL RIVER With the gift of human life comes the solemn responsibility to care for, protect, and defend every human life, to love one another even as God loves us.

THE PARISH COMMUNITY AND VERY REV: FRANCIS L. MAHONEY, Pastor

Capital p1inish'menfharm~sall involved says Sister Helen Prejean KANSASClTY, Mo. (CNS)As the guards strapped convicted murderer Patrick Sonnier into the electric chair, he looked at the one person who did not want him to die - Sister of St. Joseph Helen Prejean.

He said, '''1 love you." Moments later he was dead.

Sister Prejean has befriended several death row inmates in Louisiana, and her book, "Dead Man Walking," about the death penalty, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. She recently addressed students at Avila College, which is run by her communiry, about the effects of capital punishment for all involved in the process.

Sister Prejean befriended Sonnier in 1982 when Chava Colon from the Prison Coalition in Louisiana asked her if she wanted to become a pen pal to a death row inmate. After saying' yes, Colon wrote the name of the inmate on an. envelope.

"I didn't know that that little name written on that envelope was going to be a passport into the strangest country I'd ever been in in my life," Sister Prejean said.

Patrick Sonnier and his brother Eddie were convicted of murdering a teen-age couple in 1977.

Eddie received a life sen'tence. Patrick was executed in 1984.

After exchanging several letters, Sister Prejean visited Patrick' Sonnier.

"He was just so happy that someone had found him," she said.

"When he met love, he responded to it and he diea with it."

She told the students that on death row "you get a million signals a day that your life is disposable' human waste. You hear the guards taking bets on who's 'going to fry' next and you're confined in a 6-foot by 8-and-a-half-foot cell, 23 out of 24 hours a day."

Although she knew the grisly details of the murders Patrick Sonnier and his brother committed, she didn't feel he, nor anyone else for that matter, deserved the death penalty.

"There was goodness in him," she said.

Sister Prejean and Sonnier became good friends during the two years they knew each other. As Sonnier's execution date came nearer, the two discussed whether Sister Prejean should be present.

Patrick didn't want her there.

"There's no way you're going to die alone," she told him. "Pat, I'll be there. You look at my face and I'll be the face of Christ for you."

"He taught me a lot about dying," Sister Prejean added. "I hope I die one millionth as well as he died." .

Sister Prejean is convinced from her own experience that the death penalty affects those who have to carry it out. She recalled going to the death row office of Maj. Kendall Cody before Sonnier was executed.

"I walked in, looked at him and knew I was looking into the eyes of a troubled man. He said, 'I'm not going to be able to keep doing this ..

I've been through five of these.' " Cody not only supervised Louisian's death row, he was also on di.e '

"strap team" where each team member is responsible for strapping a . particular part of a convict's body to the electric chair. Afterward, ,Cody had to gather up the dead convict's personal belongings and give them to the family.

"I'm going to have to quit this job," he told Sister Prejean. "I go home after路these executions and I just sit in my chair the rest of the night. I don't eat. I can't sleep. All I can do is think about what I have done because I have just helped kill . a defenseless man."

Cody did quit his job but six months later died of a heart attack.

Sister Prejean said she believes the stress he was under on death row was a contributing factor.

On the day Sonnier was executed, a guard pulled Sister Prejean aside and said, "Siste.r, I really don't want to do this. It's my job.

You know what I mean? I don't want to do this.'"

Sister Prejean also recounted how the lO-year-old brother of convicted murderer Robert Willie walked out of the Louisiana death house the day Willie was to be executed. Tears were streaming down his face because he knew he would never see his brother alive again.

"Is it any less a killing, is it any less a death, is it any less a loss simply because the state is doing the killing?" Sister Prejean asked the Avila students. ' And the death penalty is given more often to poor people, she said, because they don't have money to pay the best lawyers to defend them. Patrick Sonnier's lawyer

CNS/Hab1lo, photo

SISTER OF ST. JOSEPH HELEN PREJEAN visited him just twice to prepare Sister Prejean hopes that both his defense, each time for 30 min- .. her book and her speeches arc,und utes. The second time was the the country will show the human morning his trial started. . side of the people who are being Often, she added, in murder executed. cases where. poor minorities are "It's easy to kill statistics," she victims, the death penalty is not said. "It's not ~asy to kill human sought for the murderer. beings." . ~

Cherishing each life asa gift that is precious.

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Rose Lapointe, 84, a resident of Catholic Memorial Home, and Cassandra Oliveira, 5, made fast friends duringthe StaffBaby Afternoon program held at the Memorial Home.

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(;apital punishntent: we can live without it The following article was submitted to the Anchor Iby Michael Ross, a death row irunate in a Connecticut prison.

ffWitnesses routine.. ly report that, when the switch is thrown, the condemned j>rison.. er cringes, leap,s, and fights the straps with amazing strengl~h. The hands turn red, then white, and the cords of the neck stand out like steel bands. The prisoner's limbs, fin.. gers, toes, and face are severely contorted. ffThe force of the electrical current is so powerful that the pri.. soner's eyeballs some" times pop out and rest on his cheeks. Tile pris.. oner often defecates, urinates, and ~lIomits blood and drool. uThe body turns bright red as its tl~per.. ature rises, and the prisoner's flesh swells and his skin st1'etches to the point of break.. ing. Sometimes the prisoner catch.es on fire, particularly ifhe

perspires excessively." ffW itnesses hear a loud and sustained sound like bacon fry .. ing and the sick.ly sweet smell of burn.. ing flesh permeates the chamber. This smell of frying hu,man flesh in the immediate neigh.. borhood of the chair is sometimes bad enough to nauseate th~ press representatives who are present."

-Former U.S. Su.. preme Court Justice William]. Brennan I

In today's society, the execution process is far removed from most individual citizens. We may, or may not, be aware of the criminal acts that put an individual on death row - and even then only through sensationalized press accounts - but very few of us know of the human being whom society has' condemned to death. And even fewer of us have witnessed, or will ever witness, an actual executibn. They are carried out in the middle of the night, in the dark, away from us all, to hide what they really are - a barbaric punishment symbolic of our less civilized past. The public is kept as far away as possible from the whole process to keep them from seeing that human beings real flesh and blood, real people

-are being put to death. This deliberate dehumanization of the whole process makes it easier for us to distance ourselves from capital punishment and to accept it as "something Government does," which in turn allows us to avoid individual responsibility for the consequences of such actions. That is the only way that any state or government can continue with executions without the public's demanding their eradication.

There are acceptable alternatives to capital punishment that are more in line with the values of our supposedly enlightened and humanistic society. The state is supposed to be the pillar of our ideals, and its institutions should emulate the best values of our society. Are not the greatest of these values our compassion, our concern for human rights, and our capacity for mercy?

By continuing to conduct executions, aren't we undermining the very foundations of our greatness?

As Zimbabwe poet Chenjeral Hove wrote: "The death penalty is abominable, as abominable as the crime itself. Our state must be based on love, not hatred and victimization.

Our penal code must be based on rehabilitation rather than annihilation." For no legal order can sustain itself unless it reflects an underlying moral order of society.

There are suitable alternatives.

Individuals who are a danger to society must be removed from society. Society has the right to protect itself- there is no disputing that. If rehabilitation is not possible or is not a consideration, then that removal must be made permanent. But that removal need not

take the form of the death penalty.

Those who favor the abolition of the death penalty do not advocate releasing convicted murderers into society. The choice is not between the death penalty and unconditional release, but between the death penalty and meaningful life sentences. Life without the possibility of parole, or natural life sentences, meet the necessary requirements ofsociety without being brutal or barbaric.

Feelings of retribution, vengeance, blood atonement, and the like are difficult to suppress. Perhaps some individuals "deserve" to be executed. But in the light of such suitable alternatives as natural life sentences, is society in general paying too high a price when it executes its own citizens?

The late U.S. Supreme Court Justic'e Thurgood Marshall once wrote: "I cannot agree that the American people have been so hardened, so embittered that they want to take the life of one who performs even the basest criminal act knowing that the execution is nothing more than bloodlust."

It is time for us to acknowledge the death penalty for what it really is - barbaric savegery, pure and simple. By rejecting the simple solutions that compromise our values and undermine the fundamental principles of our society, we maintain the greatness of our country. For it is certainly true that by giving in to our basest emotions we lower ourselves to the level of the very persons that we wish to execute.

What can we do to help change the system? There are several organ-

izations working diligently to prevent the reinstatement of the death penalty in those states without capital punishment, and working to abolish the death penalty in those states with operational capital punishment laws. They need your help and support. Please, contact one or more of the follOWing state and national organizations:

Massachusetts Citizens Against the Death Penalty (c/o Silver, Glate & Good; 89 Broad Street 14th Floor; Boston, MA 02110 Telephone 617-3381040) Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty (P.O. Box #7376; Worcester, MA 01605-0376; Telephone 508-757-6387) Amnesty International USANortheast Region (58 Day Street; Somersville, MA 02144 Telephone 617-623-0202) Catholics Against Capital Punishment (P.O. Box #3125; Arlington, V A 22203 Telephone 703522-5014) National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (918 "F" St, NW Suite 601; Washington, DC 20004 Telephone 202347-2411) Murder Victims' Families For reconciliation (P.O. Box #208; Atlantic, VA 23303 Telephone 804-824-0948) Author's note: I am a condemned man on Connecticut's death row. I have been on death row since 1987 for serial murder. I am currently under a stay of execution pending completion of the appeals process.

MOTHER ELIZABETH ANN BAYLEY SETON

A MOTHER'S LOVE FOR ALL LIFE

~;AINT ELIZABETH

SETON PARISH COMMUNITY NORTH FALMOUTH

REV. JOHN F. MOORE

DEACON PAUL K. ROMA

Pastor

Permanent Deacon

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Male and female God created them

By Anne Mercedes Maloney

goal of most delegates to the conWhen the United Nations chose ference, more than 200 of whom the International Year of the Famwere affiliated with the Internaily as its 1994 theme, it was thought tional Planned Parenthood Federaat first that the UN Conference on ' tion, was not to strengthen families Population and Development in as the fundamental unit of society Cairo would be a centerpiece of but to advance the anti-family pro-family initiatives. But as events agenda of western radical feminists. unfolded, it became clear that the That plan might have succeeded

CELEBRATE THE CHA.LLENGE to full participation of persons with disahilities in the church

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if the Holy See had not spoken up Church. Since both male and female to defend the rights of the family. are equal in personhood, either can For its efforts the Catholic Church serve as a paradigm for all human and Pope John Paul II were debeings. Women are called to model nounced by government officials themselves after Christ just as men and others as the enemy of women's are called to model themselves progress. after Mary.

In'the view of some people, the Here we see the Catholic Church's Church is the enemy because it view of woman: different from continues to oppose both abortion man, beautifully, passionately, comas an acceptable method of "family plementary to him, every bit as planning" and the widespread necessary in the order of creation government sponsorship of chemand possessed of much to teach ical and surgical contraception. How man about being human. This vision can women ever be empowered, of woman is a far cry from the they ask, as long as they can get caricature often presented by those pregnant and not get unpregnant? who would seek to misrepresent Church teaching.

The Women's Caucus at the UN Some would ignore the differConference included many western feminists, people who believe ence between men and women and with Simone de Beauvoir that construct bizarre "utopias" where"woman's misfortune is to have in technology will overcome these been biologically destined for the differencesj the Church, more revolutionary, more truly feminist than reproductio'n oflife." Western acathe most strident abortion rights demic feminism has proposed the ideal of androgyny, where nature activist, envisions a world in which and technology will ultimately be woman's distinctive character and potential are acknowledged and manipulated so that both men and valued as a model for all human. women will be able to conceive, beings. bea~ and nurse children with all It is disturbingly ironic that a this taking place in a world where UN meeting on women convened contraception and abortion are in Beijing, capital of one of the freely and readily available and the most repressive governments on n!Jclear family is obsolete. earth. China's oppressive policies But is the sexual difference of forced sterilization, contracepbetween men and women a bothertion, and abortion have led to some accident which should be large-scale female infanticide and overcome by technology? Or is it "sex-selection" abortion of female something far more profound? babies. Amnesty International has In the view of the Church, it is reported the detention and torture the latter. Sexuality is not like hair of Catholics in two Chinese vilcolor or other physical variations lages for having more than one which can be altered without doing harm to the self. Rather, it is child. The government campaign is intrinSIc to our personhood, to being waged under the slogan "Betwho we arej it suffuses our being ter more graves than more than one child." and is part of every action we take.

And a woman is a sexually differChina is not alone. In India, in ent being from a man, provinces so poor that there are no To focus on sexual difference is ,other medical facilities, there are ultrasound machines to determine not to forget what John Paul II has called the "original unity" of the sex of a child and abort her if women and men. The Pope insists she is a girl. Even in western nations, when abortion is done for sexthey are equal in the eyes of the

.'

selection purposes, overwhelmingly it is female children who are aborted.

It is clear that attitudes and agendas outside the Catholic Church are fostering a worldwide disregard for female lik The Church, in contrast, teaches every woman that she deserves th«: caring respect of all those around her, The Catholic Church has led the fight for women's education in both developed and underdeveloped countries. It is probably the largest provider of health services in the world, with more than 96,000 hospitals, clinics, dispensarie:;, orphanages and educational institutions which serve Catholics and nonCatholics alike.

The Church dema"nds a world which respects the intrinsic ;!ignity of women. Such dignity lie!; not in the fact that women can make themselves like men, but rather in the fact that they can celebrate their distinctively feminine natures.

Anne Mercedes Ma:toney, Ph.D., is associate profellsor of philosophy at the College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN.

• Mother Mary Mother of Jesus, shelter me under your mantle. Do not abandon me. AlII niy hope rests in you. Stay with me, Mother of J'l!SUS, ' throughout my life. Holy, Mother, I pray you helllr us.

May your faithful pE:ople sing praise to your n:llme.

Amen.'

-Sally Ta"are~

Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Nurses Catholic Nurses Answer the Church's 'Voice!

"Caring With Chrirt"

Rev. Mark Hession Moderator

We Respect Life

by Caring for the Young and the Old Sr. Rachel LaFrance, seQ President

SEAN AND LUISA are proof that the Catholic Church is pro..woman. Abandoned by parents and boy friend and pressured to have an abortion, Luisa turned to a shelter operated by Catholic laywomen whose support enabled~ her to keep her baby and earn a college degree. ,(DiFiore photo)

IN RECENT MONTHS a shrine to Mary, Mother of Life, was dedicated at St. Pius X parish, South Yarmouth (see picture on page 4); and a memorial to victims of abortion was erected at St. Anthony's parish, East Falmouth, the latter by Knights of Columbus Council 813 in Falmouth.

Pictures at left are of the South Yarmouth shrine signpost and Bishop Sean O'Malley at an August blessing ceremony. The project was made possible through contributions from the Knights of Columbus and parishioners and profits from parish events.

Above, those involved in the June dedication of the East Falmouth memorial "in loving memory of the innocent victims of abortion," which is visible to all passing along Route 28. The monument was blessed by Father Stephen A. Fernandes, director of the diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate, fourth from left. Others, from left, Joe Ferreira, Brad Smith, John Spillane, Julio Barrows, Grand KnightJohn Coppinger, Melvin Gonsalves,Joseph Haynes, Father Leonard M. Mullaney, pastor of St. Anthony's, Anthony Spagone and John Giorgio. (MacLone Studio photo) Knights of Columbus across the nation have taken erection of memorials to aborted babies as a special project. Among other memorials that have been erected in the diocese are ones in Holy Family parish, East Taunton, erected by Holy Family Council 11510 last June; in St. Ann's parish, Raynham, last January; and at Immaculate Conception parish cemetery, North Easton, in July 1994. The North Easton monument was the first in the diocese and the ceremony was ~ attended by state and local Knights of Columbus officials. "

He came that we might have LIFE and have it more abundantly ~PA °b'"A.

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What you can do for life The Anchor recei~ed a letter from Joanie Zak of Monument Beach on Cape Cod requesting that observe the Oct. 7 feast of Our Lady of the Rosary with special prayers for the pro-life movement. Excerpts from the letter follow. read~rs

Please join with Pope John Paul

n praying the Rosary on October 7

on EWTN (and hopefully other stations) or offer your rosary of the day for pro-life efforts. Arch-

bishop Fulton J. Sheen encouraged the spiritual adoption of an unborn child. Pray one of the following prayers daily: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love

CATHOLIC ACTION

. LEAGUE OF MASSACHUSETTS -

"AMERICA • • . DEFEND LIFE!" His Holiness, Pope John Paul II Denver, Colorado August 12,1993 85 BROWN AVENUE BOSTON, MASSACHUSmS 02131

TEL (617) 325·9901 FAX (617) 325-9902

you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn baby that I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion. . o Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, together with St. Michael, the Archangel and the heavenly army of angels, protect the unborn. Ask our Heavenly Father to forgive and convert those who advocate or practice abortion and to instill in them respect and reverence for all human life.

Give this world that peace and justice that can only come from following your Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Mayall parishes have a weekly Mass intention for the sanctity of life. We hope and pray that soon, by people praying the rosary everywhere, we may see an end to abortion. Remember, with God all things are possible.

In addition to prayer for the pro-life cause, and specifically for cases in which a woman is determined to have an abortion, one may engage -in many other activities, among them: .

- Volunteering at a pro-life center such as Birthright and, if possible, welcoming a mother-to-be who is experiencing difficulties with her own family to stay with you during her pregnancy; - Organizing a baby shower in your parish and donating items collected to a pro-life center; - Writing to politicians about pro-life issues-and telling them you will observe how they vote.

Remember to thank pro-life legislators for their efforts; - Asking your pastor to include pro-life material in the parish bul- . letin and to urge parishioners to spread the pro-life message; - And once again; praying, praying, praying!

eNS/Reuten

A WOMAN PRAYS THE ROSARY

A Pro.. Life Rosary JOYFUL MYSTERIES THE ANNUNCIATION As Mary accepted with faith her unexpected pregnancy and trusted God to work things out, may all women accept the life within them and put their trust in God.

THE VISIT ATION As Mary and Elizabeth minis. tered to each other and shared their joy together, may we serve pregnant mothers who are in need.

THE BIRTH OF CHRIST .

Jesus'lbirth brought great joy to His mother and Joseph, as well as to the shepherds who visited Him. May we show a great love and respect for all children.

THE PRESENTATION

SAINTS PETER AND PAUL PARISH Respect Life Month Observances' '.

October 1, 9:30 a.m. Mass Blessing of Walkers for Respect Life! Walk October 7-8 First Month Report fo"r Adopt-A-Baby Program October 16, 11:00 a.m..Mass Dedication of Memorial Book for Children who Died Before. Birth Throug~ Miscarriage, Abortion or Stillbirth

Mary and Joseph presented the Child Jesus in the temple in accordance with the prescriptions of Jewish law. May we never fail to observe the moral prescriptions of Christ's Church in our lives.

FINDING JESUS

IN THE TEMPLE Mary and Joseph were distressed when they could not find Jesus.

May those. who have lost or never found Christ open their hearts to Him.

SORROWFUL MYSTERIES THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN

October 28 Attendance at Diocesan Pro-Life Convention

Our Lord's agony wasso grear in the garden His sweat turned to drops of blood. May each woman who agonizes whether to choose life or death for her unborn child have the courage and strength to pray "Thy will be done" and choose life.

"God does /lot love us because we are valuable: we are valuable because God loves us Fulton J. Sheen

THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR

October 22, 2:00 p.m.

"Embracing the Mystery" AIDS Service

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Saints Peter and Paul Church . ,

Corner oj Dover and Snell Stteets Fall River

As Christ was scourged, His skin was' torn and he suffered agonizing pain. May we all recognize how terrible sin is, especially the sin of abortion.

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cross, He was near exhaustion, yet He went on, giving totally of Himself. May He help us to C01:ltinue our pro-life efforts, no mattc:r how tired or discouraged we may be.

THE CRUCIFIXION From the cross Christ said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not whatthey do." Although He gave His life, Jesus bore no malice. May we work without malice seeking only to change hearts.

GLORIOUS .MYSTERIES THE RESURRECTION On that glorious Easter morning, life triumphed over deai:h and love overcame evil. So it will always be. Jesus came that we might have life, and have it more abunc:antly.

May we remember our hope is in the Resurrection.

THE ASCENSION His work done, Our Lord r,eturned to the Father, saying you shall be witnesses unto me even to the uttermost part of the earth."

So many considering abortion are hurt, scared and near despair. May we lead them to Thee, 0 God.

THE COMINd OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Through the Holy Spirit, Christ lives in us and we are His apostles for life. May the Spirit guide us as we pray for the unborn, pregnant mothers, and for the softeni:ng of hearts of abortionists and their supporters.

THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY Mary, the ever-Virgin Modler of God, was assumed body and soul into Heaven because of her great purity. May she pray to her Son that we all live lives of purity and chastity.

THE CORONATION OF MARY

As Queen of Heaven, Mary is the mother of us all. We ask that she beg for us the grace to have a mother's love for each prel~nant CARRYING woman seeking an abortion. and OF THE CROSS that each woman may come to By:-the time Je$uscat;(!~Q.:His<~J<nowJesus. <'r ,..

PATRONESS THIS EIGHT-WEEK-OLD embryo is undeniably human. Science teCltches that her life began at fertilization.

(Nilsson photo from UA Child Is Born," Dell, Publishing)

When human life begins: a Catholic perspective ethicist, Professor Ronald Green, The question of how to treat entitled "Toward a Copernican Revhuman life in its e:arliest stages olution in Our Thinking About requires contributions from both Life's Beginning and Life's End." Green begins by ~cknowledging faith and science. l}le conversation between the two has not always that it is hard to deny personhood been smooth. Today some people, to the unborn child based on his or with justification, still point to the her cognitive functions or lack of mistreatment of Galileo in this brain development - because by that standard, "it seems to be true regard.

But the 17th-century Galileo con- that if the fetus is not a person, neither is the newbo,rn or the young troversy need never have happened because the resources for outlining infant." He: ultimately concludes a more productive relationship be- that there is no objective basis for tween religion and science were calling anyone a person and that part of our Catholic tradition long which human beings deserve that status is to be determined'by popubefore his time. .

Unfortunately, for centuries sci- lar vote in any given society.

That is why Green speaks of a entific understanding of the beginning of life was inadequate. The revolution in thinking about life's most widely accepted account in beginning and life's end. We can the Middle. Ages was derived from redefine some members of the speAristotle who. thou!~ht an embryo cies as not yet bein~ persons, some could not have a human soul until older and weaker members as no longer being persons, and some some weeks into pregnancy.

During the period when this severely handicapped people in the account was thought to be true, the middle as "never were" persons, if church still taught that abortion at we need to use them to advance any stage was gravely wrong - one our own more worthy lives. was still turning against the good of Copernicus, as well as his colnew life and destroying a being league Galileo, tried to show us with a purpose and destiny who that we an: not the center of the was in process ofbecoming a human' universe. The NIH now says that being. But in church law a distinc- we (at least those of us who can tion was recognized between the argue and vote) are the center of abortion of an "unformed" and a the universe. We will decide who "formed" fetus, with only the lat- lives and who dies, who is a person ter seen as having the full gravity of and who is disposable research a homicide. In the 19th century the material, based on nothing more discovery of the ovum, as well as exalted than our own desires of the discoveries in genetics, undermined moment. the scientific assumptions behind Ironically, the NIH panel, in trythis approach and now we know ing to come up w;ith an ironclad that fertilization produces a new, argument as to why the embryo is unprecedented being with his or not a person, 'has found it necesher own built-in potential for fursary to argue that nobody else is ther development. either. The entire concept of inherWhen'people deny that life be- ent human dignity had to be set gins at fertilization, they are usually aside. From a religious viewpoint saying: "Yes, this is a living human one can go further: the panel's being, but some human beings are claim that human whim is the final not persons with a right to life. arbiter of who h~s fundamental Such rights are based on the pos- human rights is correct if and only session of certain human abilities ifthere is no God. We can all thank and characteristics that embryos God that the panel's theory is not don't have." correct.

And this is, in fact, the kind of Richard M. Doerflinger is asclaim made by the: NIH Human Embryo Research Panel. The panel sociate director for policy dereferred interested persons to an velopment in the NCCB Secreaccount published by its own chief tariat for Pro-Life Activities.

by Richard M. Doerflinger

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FALL RIVER DIOCESAN COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN

UPHOLDS THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

'HOSPITAL

AND NURSING HOME CHAPLAINS

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PASTORAL CARE OF THE SICK PROGRAM

Pastoral care ofthe sick brings Christs life to people who are hospitalized, living in nursirzg homes or homebound.

Serving men and women in the following hospitaland nursing home ~ Snudy Memorial Hospital, Attleboro Tobey Hospital, Wareham Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis Rehabilitation Hospital ofthe Cape Ch.'lrIton Memorial Hospital, and Islands, Sandwich Fall River .

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Diocesan Deparunent of Pastoral Care to the Sick Rev. George BeJlenoi~ Director Sr. Shirley Agnew, RS.M., Assistant Dinuor 306 South St., Somerset, MA 02726-5617 508-672-1523 F.Ix 508-646-3726

Real choices 'stu~iedinyea'rlongproject

by Susan E. Wills Since the late 1960s, slogans like "freedom of choice" and "a woman's right to control her own body" have been a hallmark of the public' abortion debate in America and have been important weapons in the pro-abortion arsenal. But several recent studies have shown

that for many pregnant women "choice" may be more myth than reality because they are frequently under such extreme pressure to abort that "freedom of choice" is an illusion.

This was a principal finding of a Real Choices project undertaken by the National Women's Coali-

RESPECT

Our Catholic thinking on LIFE: It is indeed' our 11}ost precious gift , from God, a sharing of His own life.

Thus it must be protected at any cost and certainly before birth, si1J.ce we cannot know the exact time at which life begins.

OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS FALL RIVER

tion for Life (NWCL). The yearlong study was based on data from an extensive survey of Crisis Preg- , nancy Centers (CPCs) and listening groups around the country working with women who had abortions. Its purpose was to better identify factors which impel a , woman to seek an abortion.

The study found that the archetypal liberated woman, who conceives and aborts children with efficiency and minimal disruption to her work or social life, is a fiction both cruel and fantastic.

Instead, the study found real people who at the most vulnerable moment in their lives were denied the support they needed.

One of the interesting aspects of the study was the contrast between the reasons cited by CPC clients for considering an abortion and those given by women who had actually had an abortion. Accord, ing to surveys of CPC directors, clients expressed mostly practical problems as reasons for contemplating abortion. Yet among P9stabortion women participating in the listening groups, practical concerns were considered in hindsight as minor. Their emotional needs overwhelmed other considerations.

In fact, 38.2 percent of participants cited pressure from husbanq or boyfriend and 20.5 percent named pressure from parents as the primary reason for choosing , .abortion. If the father of the child, or the woman's parents, or even a close friend, had fully supported a life-giving alternative to abortion, these women believe they would have chosen life for their child.

The Real Choic~s project's findings on the issue of external coercion are supported by a survey directed to members of Women Exploited by Abortion (WEBA) and reported by Donald Reardon in "Aborted Women: Silent No' More." More than 85 percent of the women surveyed reported that

UIt is the right of every pregnant woman to give birth. the right of every child to be born."

prior to the abortion they had hoped to bear children at some time in their lives.

Despite a pregnancy occurring at an undesirable time, 59 percent of women gave strong consideration, and 13 percent gave moderate consideration, to having the baby. Most telling was that more than 84 percent said they "would have been very willing to keep the child 'under better circumstances.' Less than 2 percent indicated that they would 'not have kept the child under any circumstances. " According to Reardon, nearly 55 percent of respondents felt they had been very much "forcep" to abort by others; approximately 73 percent indicated that they did not feel in control of their own lives when making their abortion decisions.

With the number of abortions annually surpassing 1.5 million, we cannot claim that we are doing the most effective job possible to discourage abortion. What can pro-life Catholics do? The survey findings suggest five areas ofimprovement: 1. Reaching more women at risk of abortion. Since only a small fraction of women at risk for abortion call or visit CPCs, other means must be considered. A large, compassionately worded ad in the Yellow Pages under "Abortion Alternatives" and similar inexpensive ads in free neighborhood newspapers will catch the attention of many women considering abortion.

Well-trained hotline staff can give comfort over the telephone and encourage women to visit a center.

Hotline callers should be offered a free informational kit such as one issued by Kathy DiFiore of the Several Sources Foundations, Ramsey, N.J., so they can make an informed choice. For many women, receipt of the highly persuasive kit has been all that was required to

strengthen their resolve to bring their baby to birth.

Women who have not se,~n an Abortion Alternative ad may be found outside abortion clinic!:. The WEBA study found that women continue to be highly ambivalent about abortion even after entering the clinic. A sympathetic, wellinformed counselor near the dinic may be just the "option" these women desperately seek.

2. Teaching them about their unborn child and their obligation to him or her. Kathy DiFiore has found that a coun.selor should stress that both the, pregnant woman and her bab" are loved by God, whose lov~ and compassion are boundless.

3. Giving women the .~mo颅 tional support and practical tools to resist pressures to abort. The' natural desire of the moth,~r to support her child ~ust be strengthened by affirming her mat~rnal instincts so that she can with:;tand those who pressure her to abort.

4. Providing women with true friendship and solutions to pregnancy-related prob.lems until they can function independently or are aided by others. To succeed as a single p:uent without support from her family, a woman is going to need some help.

5. Helping women to reshape their lives through prayer and God's grace; Do these goals sound unrealistic? Perhaps we've been too timid in our efforts. Not all of these programs can be p'ut in :place overnight, but with the gem:rous support of private institutionll and individuals, the talents and love of volunteers, and God's blessing,local programs can flourish.

Susan E. Wills is assistant director for program development at the NCCB Secret~lriat for Pro-Life Activities.

.and

IRTHRIGHT An Emergency Preg'!sncy Service

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SUPPOSE HE'D BEEN ABORTED?

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.

Euthanasia and the way of true mercy "People are not afraid of death; they are afraid of dying," Antoinette van Wendel told a television audience. "Now they know that you reaUy can dif: nicely."

She was commenting on her husband's death by lethal injection, which was broadcast throughout the Netherlands Qn the 1994 documentary "Death on Request."

Mrs. van Wendel lives in a country where doctors can kill patients whom they judge to have incurable suffering. According to the Dutch government, doctors often do not even wait for a patient's request before they administer a lethal dose.

This desire to "die nicely" fuels the drive for a similar policy in the United States.

Firmly opposed to this kind of "nice" death is the vision of life and death offered by the Christian tradition. Our tradition knows that wrongdoing, not suffering, is the greatest of evils.

In his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II contrasts the false mercy of euthanasia with "the way oflove and true mercy" which does not neglect relief from pain.

The Holy Father prais1es those who endure pain and unite their sufferings with those of the Lord Jesus, but at the same time ht reaffirms the church's acceptance of narcotics to manage dying patients' suffering.

Here are two true stories: Anita's Story: Anita saw her brother Michael die at age 15 after a 9-month battle with leukemia.

The same illness latf:r befeU her, but she recovered. "Unlike him, I am alive and healthy today - and questioning whether doctors should be able to accommodate seriously

ill patients who wish to die," Anita writes.

"Having cancer wasn't fun. At times it was sheer hell. But family and friends held my hands while I was wracked with nausea, lifted me when I was tQO weak to stand, and buoyed my spirits with love and concern. .

"Was my quality of life diminished? PhysicaUy, yes. EmotionaUy, no way. I don't know that I've ever felt more loved. At my weakest and most vulnerable, that love let me hold on to my dignity.

Larry's story: When Larry was 15, he and his mother moved into his grandparents' house to help his frail grandmother care for his dying grandfather, an angry, unaffeetionate man who seemed to have been permanently scarred by the Great Depression. But in the final year of

his illness, a transformation occurred. As Larry teUs it: "When he. had been bedfast for three months, he began talking to me as I fed him - really talking to me. He told me he regretted the harsh way he'd lived his life and warned me not t.} do the same. For the first time in my life, Papa told me he loved me."

"My grandparents taught me that life is not predictable and it is not exclusively our own. No one could have predicted the transformation that came over my grandfather or the healing it brought my family.

On account of this surprise, I am deeply suspicious of the readymade solution of euthanasia."

The "quick fix" of euthanasia cannot begin to address the real needs of dying patients: care and compassion, a sense of purpose, -"~"

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THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 29, 1995 the knowledge that one is loved.

People confronting death need these things even more urgently than the

15

rest of us, as the trivialities of life faU away and the great quesitons of life become unavoidable.

Let Us Respect the Wonderful Gift of Life What is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visitest him?

Thou hast made him a little less than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honor and hast set him over the works of thy hands.

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o Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in all the earth!

Ps. 8:5-6,10

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ST. MARY'S PARISH FAMILY

FAITHFUL FOR LIFE - a husband and wife share a quiet moment on her 96th birthday.

FAIRHAVEN

All you who thirst come to the waters... Isaiah 55:1

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"The Gospel Of Life is at' the heart of Jesus' message .... It

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"Life:, The Right Choice"

. FOR MORE DETAILS, CALL OR WRITE

.

.PRO-LIFE APOSTOLATE • DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER 500 SLOCUM ROAD •. NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA 02747-2930

(508) 997-2290 REV. STEPHEN A. FERNANDES, Diocesan Director

•

MRS. MARIAN DESROSIERS, Assistant To The Directolr