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Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, September 3, 2021

Diocese to hold special collection to support relief efforts in Haiti

FALL RIVER — Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., has authorized a special collection in the Fall River Diocese to support the people of Haiti and recovery efforts in the

at Masses in a forthcoming weekend and to inform parishioners about this opportunity to offer financial support for this critical cause.

The Fall River Diocese

The recent calamities in Haiti “only compound the challenges already facing our Haitian brothers Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. went to Notre Dame University for the August 29 and sisters who have long endured economic and ordination of five men as Transitional Deacons for the Congregation of Holy Cross. political instability,” the bishop noted. “It is clear Related story on page seven. (Photo courtesy of Congregation of Holy Cross) that they need our help.”

Caribbean country following the massive August 14 earthquake and the tropical storm that battered the island only a few days later.

Pastors and administrators of diocesan parishes have been asked to schedule this special collection to be taken up

will forward the proceeds of this special collection to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Emergency Disaster Fund. This fund will support pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church in Haiti as well as the efforts of Cath8 Turn to page 12

The Diocese of Fall River Catholic schools have implemented a mask mandate as doors open for the 2021-2022 school year. Story on page three.

New diocesan ministry adds key members to staff

By John E. Kearns Jr.

Diocesan Director of Communications

FALL RIVER — The Fall River Diocesan Secretariat for the New Evangelization has announced the recent hirings of two persons to lead efforts in two key areas, joining existing staff who transitioned into the Secretariat earlier this summer.

Deacon Christopher Paul is now serving as the Director of Adult and Child Discipleship and Oscar A. Rivera Jr. is Director of Youth Ministry.

The Secretariat for the New Evangelization was established July 1 by Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., with the restructuring of the Office of Faith Formation, Campus Ministry, and the Pro-Life Apostolate into one consolidated ministerial and administrative department. The Secretariat will continue the ministry and service offered in these

areas while also exploring opportunities to expand evangelization efforts and will oversee the work needed on the diocesan level for the upcoming Vatican Synod and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Eucharistic Revival Project. David Carvalho, formerly the diocesan Senior Director for Youth, Young Adult and Family Life Ministries, is now the Secretary for the New Evangelization.

As the new Director of Adult and Child Discipleship, Deacon Paul will continue the work of Deacon Bruce Bonneau, who retired earlier this year, and lead and support adult formation, adult Confirmation, and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults or RCIA. The expanded position will now also involve identifying and implementing models to engage parents and families in faith formation.

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Bishop sends letter to priests about vaccine exemptions — Page two1 September 3, 2021 †

Letter to priests on religious exemptions from vaccine mandates Editor’s note: Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., issued the following letter to priests of the Fall River Diocese on Aug. 25, 2021 in response to questions on letters of support for a religious exemption from COVID-19 vaccines.

August 25, 2021 Dear Father, Through several public documents and statements, the Church has made it clear that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is consistent with Catholic faith and can be done in good conscience. Last December the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued its conclusion on the matter, stating, “…it is morally acceptable to receive COVID vaccines.” That finding was echoed in a March statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released as vaccine use was becoming widespread in this country.

Moreover, in considering the vaccines from a moral perspective, the Church also points out the obligation to consider one’s responsibility to the needs of the others

and to the overall common good in a time of pandemic.

Pope Francis said in January, “I believe that morally everyone must take the vaccine. It is the moral choice because it is about your life but also the lives of others,” and he shared that belief again in a video released last week.

The USCCB March statement concludes with this: “Receiving one of the COVID vaccines ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of the community.”

Personally, I have always encouraged those who are able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to do so. It is a morally acceptable and responsible way to help protect oneself as well as those around us. It is my hope that the FDA’s

decision this week to grant to full approval to one of the vaccines will move those still hesitant to taking the vaccine.

Considering all this, and taking into account the fact that the virus is still very active in our country and in the world, the Diocese of Fall River will not be granting religious exemptions to receiving a vaccine against COVID-19.

To do so would be contrary to the Church’s guidance on COVID-19 vaccination and our expressed collective responsibility to protect and ensure the health of all in our communities.

For these reasons, all of our priests ministering in the Diocese should follow this same policy and decline requests from parishioners to validate a request for vaccine exemption based on religious grounds.

Under Massachusetts law

individuals are free to exercise discretion on getting the vaccine based on medical or other personal reasons, but it is important that Church teaching not be cited inaccurately as the reason for their decision. This is a personal decision that should not be dependent upon an attestation by a member of the clergy.

If you are asked to provide an attestation for religious exemption, I encourage you to use this opportunity to advise the person on the Church’s teaching on vaccines in general, and the COVID vaccines in particular.

I ask that we all continue to pray for healing for those who suffer from the virus as well as for those who care for them, and to ask for God’s peace for those who have died from it.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D. Bishop of Fall River

Collaboration to fund cutting-edge reading program for elementary schools LAKEVILLE — Kerry Peroni, president of The S.E.A.L. Foundation, is pleased to announce that Analog Devices Foundation, BayCoast Bank, The Carney Family Charitable Foundation, The Catholic Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts, and the Diocese of Fall River have joined together to provide funding for Lexia Core5 software to be integrated into seven area elementary schools. The funding will also include a Lexia -trained teacher to be on-site at each school to support teachers, examine student data, and provide guidance on how to help

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students learn to love reading. The S.E.A.L. Foundation’s goal is to increase overall reading levels by the end of the first year using the Lexia Core5 Supplemental Reading Program.

Designed for students of all abilities from Pre-K to grade five, Core5 is a research-proven, technology-based program that accelerates the development of fundamental reading skills by providing explicit, systematic instruction through

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personalized learning paths in phonemic awareness, phonics, structural analysis, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

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Throughout the academic year, individual progress is tracked for each student, in addition to providing supplemental materials to boost reading skills or selfpaced enrichment units for those on grade level

or above. The progress of students will be charted for a three-year period beginning this academic year.

School leaders, teachers and parents can realize literacy improvements through real-time charts that track what each student has mastered, skills they are working on, and which fundamentals require reinforcement.

The seven schools from the Diocese of Fall River involved in this three-year initiative are: Espirito San-

to Parochial School, Holy Name School, Holy Trinity School, St. Michael School, and St. Stanislaus School, all located in Fall River. In New Bedford, All Saints Catholic School and Holy Family-Holy Name School will also participate.

Deacon Peter Schutzler, principal of Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford commented, “The integration of the Core5 technology into our school is a game-changer when it comes to our ability to identify individual student progress in reading. This tool is unique in that it

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Diocese of Fall River Catholic schools to implement mask mandate FALL RIVER — With the recent increase in COVID-19 cases specifically in children, the Diocese of Fall River Catholic Schools Office has issued guidelines to school leaders of the 19 Catholic schools requiring masks to be worn while indoors for all vaccinated and unvaccinated staff and students ages five and above. Masks will not be necessary outdoors and may be removed while eating indoors. In accordance with state and federal mandates, all students and staff will be required to wear masks on school buses and in school health offices. As the school year, this policy will be in place through October 1, 2021, and will be reevaluated through the coming weeks.

Superintendent Daniel S. Roy commented, “We believe that requiring everyone aged five and over to wear a mask while in-

doors is the most prudent thing to do for the safety of our school communities. We are very aware that this is a fluid situation and we will continue to monitor relevant data and make changes if and when the circumstances dictate.

We gained a lot from our year of in-person learning during the 2020-21 school year that will continue to benefit our schools this academic year. Most important is the need for a strong partnership between families and the school community to ensure the safety of students, families, and school staff.”

“The pandemic continues to challenge how we do things every day, and while we are optimistic about the school year ahead, we still need to be mindful that it is not over,” indicated Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. “Our schools provided wonderful places of

in-person education all of last year and we are blessed to have so many committed leaders, faculty and staff who have focused on the well-being of students during this historic event.”

All Catholic schools are expected to be fully open five days a week with no remote learning option. In the event that circumstances dictate a move to remote learning, diocesan Catholic schools will be fully pre-

pared to continue offering the high caliber of Catholic education expected by families.

For more information about the Catholic Schools Alliance, please go to www. catholicschoolsalliance.org/.

The Catholic Schools Alliance comprises administrators, teachers, staff, parents and clergy joined in partnership to educate the children of the Diocese of Fall River in Catholic

faith and values.

Diocesan schools have a demanding educational culture that helps students from across the academic spectrum reach their God-given potential. With an emphasis on service and respect for the dignity of every person, they prepare students to meet the challenges of today’s diverse world and become meaningful contributors to society.

† Diocese of Fall River † OFFICIAL Appointments

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D., Bishop of Fall River, has made the following appointments: Reverend Sudhir C. Nayak, ss.cc. Pastor in solidum (Moderator) of St. Mary, Our Lady of Fatima and St. Joseph-St. Therese Parishes in New Bedford, to Pastor in solidum (Moderator) of Saint Gabriel the Archangel Parish in New Bedford.

Reverend John Raposo, Pastor in solidum of St. Mary, Our Lady of Fatima and St. Joseph-St. Therese Parishes in New Bedford, to Pastor in solidum of Saint Gabriel the Archangel Parish in New Bedford.

Effective: October 11, 2021 September 3, 2021 †

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here’s a new book that’s just been published about the Vatican’s diplomats, their history and current engagements. It’s called, “God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy and American’s Armageddon,” and it’s written by a longtime friend of mine, Victor Gaetan. It’s a fascinating read, well written, widely sourced, with more than a hundred pages of endnotes. It is also a sympathetic view of the Church’s involvement in world diplomacy, with particular emphasis on recent hot-spots. I recommend it most highly.

If Americans have a flaw as a people, it’s that we’re generally ignorant of other places in the world. I know I am. “I’ll do anything for Latin America, as long as I don’t have to read about it.” This is a problematic attitude, of course, because willy nilly we find ourselves in a position as world superpower, with enormous influence

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Tracking God ̕ s diplomats around the world.

American foreign policy, starting with the stereotypical Ugly American tourist, has often been afflicted by blinders and cultural insensitivity. As a nation of immigrants, we should really know better. To put it mildly, our recent wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq have not been notable successes, as the popes at the time warned.

This book can help educate our ignorance on world affairs.

The Church, of course, is not directly involved in structuring the earthly city. Our Divine founder said, “My Kingdom is not of this world,” and also to “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s,” thus expounding a certain degree of separation of Church and state. Nevertheless, the Church does have a

† September 3, 2021

leavening influence on the culture and society in which Catholic churchmen and lay people all live and move. The Church has great experience of wrestling with fallen humanity

the credit, and these often selfless, talented and virtuous diplomats are more interested in results than in publicity. By their fruits you shall know them.

And so Victor Gaetan leads us through Cuba, the Middle East, Kenya, Colombia and China to illustrate in detail how the Church tries to better the lot of human beings living in and has a wealth of wisoftentimes difficult if not dom in Holy Scripture, excruciating conditions natural law and Church under sometimes deplorsocial teaching that can able leadership. As Pope help create just conditions Pius XI said in a speech for lasting peace. in 1929, “When there is This book documents question of saving souls, or how the Catholic Church preventing greater harm to through its diplomatic souls, we feel the courage corps has been engaged to treat with the devil in in recent decades in the person.” Hating the sin but world’s trouble spots to en- loving the sinner leads the courage dialogue, forgive- Church to engage with all ness, and mutual charity, to save as many as possioften with positive results. ble.

It’s amazing how much Gaetan gives us a good you can do if you very interesting overdon’t worry about who gets view and history of the popes’ engagement with the world since the beginning — including the times of the martyrs (still happening, unfortunately), the legalization under Constantine, the barbarian invasions, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformations, the French

Revolution, Napoleon, the industrial revolution, and the totalitarianisms and world wars of the 20th century. In the process, he gives us a masterful list of diplomatic rules of thumb.

Obviously, the Church as an institution is not infallible when it comes to practical judgments of a diplomatic or political character, things like the recent private treaty with China over the appointment of Catholic bishops.

Mistakes have been and to a certain extent will always be made in this area, as arguably happened when the Church made a concordat with Nazi Germany in 1933, or when St. Pius V excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I. It is nevertheless salutary to consider the overall force for good that the Church has exercised on the international and local stages in recent decades, and how Pope Francis is trying to follow Christ’s example and the themes of his illustrious predecessors in the papacy.

Time will tell how faithful and successful he has been. Let us pray that he is.

Anchor columnist Dwight Duncan is a professor at UMass School of Law Dartmouth. He holds degrees in civil and canon law.

The great danger of a misguided charity and false compassion

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he push to substitute “gender identity” or “gender expression” for biological sex has enormous ramifications in terms of law, education, economy, health, medicine, safety, sports, language and culture, as well as in terms of basic anthropology, human dignity, human rights, Marriage and family, motherhood and fatherhood, and the cause of women, men, and especially children.

For that reason, Pope Francis, has repeatedly, courageously and emphatically spoken out. He has done so not just out of love for the truth, but consistent with his pastoral prioritization for those on the peripheries of existence, especially those who bear the difficult cross of feeling trapped in the biological reality of a body discordant with their psychological self-identification.

While emphatically encouraging Catholics and all people of good will to support, welcome, accompany and love all those whose gender identity does not match their biological sex, to affirm their human dignity and defend their fundamental human rights to be free of violence and unjust discrimination, Pope Francis has simultaneously been very clear about the dangers to those with gender dysphoria and to all of society from gender ideology.

In his 2016 exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the pope wrote that, by denying the “difference and reciprocity in nature of a man and a woman” and promoting a “personal identity and emotional intimacy radically separated from the biological difference between male and female,” gender ideology ultimately makes human identity “the choice of the individual” and undermines the “anthropological basis for the family.”

It is “one thing to be understanding of human weakness and the complexities of life,” he continued, “and another to accept ideologies that attempt to sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality.” We must, he emphasized, “protect our

humanity, and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created.”

Our sex, just like our genes, race, age, and other natural characteristics are objective givens, not subjective choices.

In his 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Sì’, Pope Francis wrote at length on why the protection of our humanity is at stake.

“Acceptance of our bodies … is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift, … whereas thinking that we enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over creation. Learning to accept our body, to care for it and to respect its fullest meaning, is an essential element of any genuine human ecology. Moreover, valuing one’s own body in its femininity or masculinity is necessary if I am going to be able to recognize myself in an encounter with someone who is different.”

He described the consequences of questioning the complementarity between man and woman further in a 2015 general audience. “The differences between man and woman are not for opposition or subordination, but for communion and generation,” he said. Rather than leading to a more free and just society, gender ideology in fact hinders communion and generation between men and women.

It’s a “step backwards,” he underlined, “a problem, not a solution.”

When the natural, complementary duality of man and woman is called into question, the very notion of being — what it means to be human — is undermined. The body becomes no longer a defining element of humanity. The person becomes reduced to spirit and will and the human person almost becomes an abstraction until one discerns what nature one is or selects which

of the four, or 58, or 64, or 100 possible genders or more one wants to be.

Pope Francis is particularly concerned about gender ideology being taught to children, so that boys and girls are encouraged to question, at the earliest ages of existence, whether they are a boy or girl and told that gender is something one can choose.

That’s one of the reasons why the Vatican’s Congregation on Catholic Education published a lengthy document in 2019 entitled, “Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theo-

ry in Education,” to give clear principles to Catholic educational institutions throughout the world and equip parents and educators in non-Catholic institutions with arguments as to why gender ideology not only exacerbates the confusion of children who might be experiencing gender dysphoria but confuses all children, undermining basic common sense and their security in knowing their nature and identity.

Pope Francis has also expressed boldly pushed back against culture pressure, what he terms “ideological colonization,” being placed on individuals, families, schools, churches, cultures and countries, who resist this redefinition of what it means to be a human person.

Gender ideologists want to permit no discussion, debate, or divergent opinion, first shaming as “bigoted” and then “cancelling” those who oppose their radical ideas and their implementation. Parents who seek to get their children psychological help to address the underlying issues causing the gender confusion are, in some

places, treated as child abusers.

Various governmental institutions and professional societies have sought to ban mental health professionals from even offering such care, despite the well-documented harm that comes from the malpractice of giving young children puberty blockers, then cross sex hormones, and finally gender reassignment surgery.

That’s why Pope Francis’ moral leadership and clarity on this issue is so important.

It’s also why his courage must literally encourage others in the Church to follow him in speaking out and working to oppose gender ideology and trying to help those with gender confusion get the true help they need.

One prelate who has certainly risen to occasion is Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Va., who on August 12 published a pastoral letter, “A Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology,” which is probably the finest articulation of the Church’s pastoral approach to gender ideology written anywhere until now.

Bishop Burbidge provides the principles of Catholic teaching to guide the faithful how to respond to the “tremendous upheavals” provoked by gender ideology and the challenge it presents to all members of the Church by its “view of the human person contrary to the truth.” He shows how gender ideology denies three essential principles of anthropology obvious to human reason: the human person is created with a body and soul; male or female; and ordered in complementarity toward Marriage.

“These truths about the human person, accessible to natural reason, attain an extraordinary dignity and calling in the Christian view of the world,” he writes. “The body is not a limitation or confinement but one with the soul in the life of grace and glory to which the human person is

called.”

He then discusses gender dysphoria, underlining that “the experience of this interior conflict is not sinful in itself but must be understood as a disorder reflecting the broader disharmony caused by original sin,” while clarifying that “the claim to ‘be transgender’ or the desire to seek ‘transition’ rests on a mistaken view of the human person, rejects the body as a gift from God, and leads to grave harm. To affirm someone in an identity at odds with biological sex … is to mislead that person.”

Only what is true, he writes, can be genuinely pastoral, and we must be aware of the “great danger of a misguided charity and false compassion,” which not only “does not resolve a person’s struggles, but also can in fact exacerbate them.”

Later he forthrightly discusses the question of higher rates of suicide among those struggling with gender dysphoria, what pronouns and names to use in referring to them, and how to care for, love and value them. He gives advice to parents. And he movingly speaks to those who believe themselves to be transgender, reminding them of “God’s unrelenting love” and urging them to “be on guard against simplistic solutions that promise relief from your struggles by the change of name, pronouns, or even the appearance of your body.”

He sketches for them the “difficult but more promising path to joy and peace,” provides links for further help and assures them that “the Church is here to assist and accompany you on this journey.”

In response to the great danger of a misguided charity and false compassion to those with gender dysphoria, the pastoral letter models truth in charity and authentic mercy. It deserves not just to be read, but studied and shared.

Anchor columnist Father Roger Landry can be contacted at fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.

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Editorial Laboring for the Lord

“Don’t wear white after Labor Day.” The Voice of America’s “Learning English” website explains that this tradition developed because white clothing used to be lighter (in weight, not just in color) than other clothes and so was worn more in the summer. This practical custom became a fashion norm amongst the wealthy and thus a dictum was born. The VOA then offers this advice: “You may want to be careful about wearing white to an American-style Labor Day barbecue. The trouble is not fashion — it is ketchup. If it spills, the popular red tomato sauce can ruin a nice set of clothes.”

Last Sunday we heard Jesus warn us in the Gospel (Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) against putting human traditions ahead of following the Commandments of God. St. Gregory the Great, whom the Church honors today (Friday), as we enter Labor Day weekend, often challenged his fellow Christians (as well as himself) to truly observe Christ’s Commandments, instead of just the traditions which they enjoyed following.

Speaking about the harvest of souls that Christ wishes to bring into Heaven, St. Gregory preached, “We can speak only with a heavy heart of so few laborers for such a great harvest, for although there are many to hear the Good News, there are only a few to preach it. Look about you and see how full the world is of priests, yet in God’s harvest a laborer is rarely to be found; for although we have accepted the priestly office, we do not fulfill its demands.”

This harsh judgment which this sainted pope had about the clergy he did not spare from himself. “Lest what I claim should seem unjust to anyone, I accuse myself of the very same thing, although I fall into it unwillingly.” He then described how the distraction of so many demands of his “job” caused him to not do the more important things — prayer, admonishing sinners to repent, growing in virtue himself, etc.

“We are set to guard the vineyards, but do not guard our own, for we get involved in irrelevant pursuits and neglect the performance of our ministry,” this great saint admitted. He saw OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 65, No. 18

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that his distraction from the Spiritual life, to handle the temporal needs of the Church, then could lead to distractions which were not even about those needs, but just useless things (or even sins).

Christ warned us about human traditions because He knew that they could derail us from giving our all to loving God with our whole being and to loving our neighbor as ourselves. Even doing things which are morally neutral, but which are taking us away from what God wants us to do, can be the beginning of a path away from God. Given that St. Gregory died in 604 AD, we can see that this is not a new problem. His time was not “the good old days.” A few centuries beforehand, St. Augustine complained about such nostalgia. “You may think past ages were good, but it is only because you were not living in them,” he wrote.

Augustine listed various challenges humanity had faced from the beginning of time. “From the time of that first Adam to the time of his descendants today, man’s lot has been labor and sweat, thorns and thistles. Just think what these past ages were like! Is there any one of us who does not shutter to hear or read about them? Far from justifying complaints about our own time, they teach us how much for which we have to be thankful.”

If you think that Americans complain a lot right now, this isn’t something new. Twenty-seven years ago Robert Hughes wrote a bestseller, “Culture of Complaint, A Passionate Look into the Ailing Heart of America.” So, in some ways it is a “tradition” to complain in our society.

But as St. James told us last Sunday, we need to be part of the solution, instead of just being part of the problem, we need to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only.”

As we take a break from working this weekend, let us take some of this free time to pray and see how we can make all of our labors, be they paid, volunteer, or around the home, be oriented to doing God’s will and not just some human traditions.

Daily Readings † September 11 - September 24

Sat. Sept. 11, 1 Tm 1:15-17; Ps 113:1b-7; Lk 6: 43-49. Sun. Sept. 12, Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Is 50:4c-9a; Ps 116:1-6,8-9; Jas 2:14-18; Mk 8:27-35. Mon. Sept. 13, 1 Tm 2:1-8; Ps 28:2,7-9; Lk 7:1-10. Tue. Sept.

14, Nm 21:4b-9; Ps 78:1b-2,34-38; Phil 2:6-11; Jn 3:13-17. Wed. Sept. 15, 1 Tm 3:14-16; Ps 111:1-6; Jn 19:25-27 or Lk 2:33-35. Thu. Sept. 16, 1 Tm 4:1216; Ps 111:7-10; Lk 7:36-50. Fri. Sept. 17, 1 Tm 6:2c-12; Ps 49:6-10,17-20; Lk 8:1-3.

Sat. Sept. 18, 1 Tm 6:13-16; Ps 100:1b-5; Lk 8:4-15. Sun. Sept. 19, Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Wis 2:12,17-20; Ps 54:3-4,5-8; Jas 3:16— 4:3; Mk 9:30-37. Mon. Sept. 20, Ezr 1:1-6; Ps 126:1b-6; Lk 8:16-18. Tue. Sept. 21, Eph 4:1-7,11-13; Ps 19:2-5; Mt 9:9-13. Wed. Sept. 22, Ezr 9:5-9; (Ps) Tb 13:2-4,7-8; Lk 9:1-6. Thu. Sept. 23, Hg 1:1-8; Ps 149:1b-6a,9b; Lk 9:7-9. Fri. Sept. 24, Hg 2:1-9; Ps 43:1-4; Lk 9:18-22.

Five men celebrate final profession of vows for the Congregation of Holy Cross at Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart NOTRE DAME, Ind. — With joy and thanksgiving, the Congregation of Holy Cross celebrated the final profession of vows of five men at 2 p.m. Saturday, August 28, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame.

Fall River Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., ordained the five as Transitional Deacons the following day at a ceremony at the Moreau Seminary Chapel on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Ind. Rev. William M. Lies, C.S.C., provincial superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United State Province of Priests and Brothers, presided at the Mass and received the vows of Mr. Cameron Cortens, C.S.C.; Mr. Drew Clary, C.S.C.; and Mr. Gabriel Griggs, C.S.C. He also received the vows of Mr. Shohag Gabil, C.S.C., and Mr. Tias Gomes, C.S.C., both of whom are from the Sacred Heart of Jesus Province in Bangladesh.

The five men professed perpetual vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience according to the Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross. For the past several years, they have been in a period of temporary vows, which they renewed annually. On August 28, they committed their lives and work to the communal life and ministry of Holy Cross.

They were ordained to the Order of the Deacon on Sunday, August 29, in the Moreau Seminary Chapel by the Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

A San Antonio, Texas native, Drew Clary is the oldest of four children of Pamela and Richard Clary, of Castroville, Texas. He graduated with a B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Notre Dame in 2009. He earned a master’s in education through the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) in 2011. He entered formation with the Congregation of Holy Cross in 2015 and earned his Master of Divinity in 2021.

Born in Syracuse, New York, Cameron Cortens is the oldest of four children of Caroline and Andrew Cortens, of Boise, Idaho.

He graduated with a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 2013 where he also received his Master of Divinity in 2021.

During his first year of formation (2014-15), Cortens assisted with First Communion preparation at St. Adalbert Parish in South Bend. As a novice (2015-16), he provided spiritual care at Penrose Hospital and at Namasté Alzheimer Center, ministered to the homeless at Marian House, and offered various Sunday ministries at Sacred Heart Parish.

Cortens was a life-skills counselor for Stone Soup Community (South Bend, Indiana) in 2016-17, and a service learning experience instructor at Holy Cross College (Notre Dame, Indiana) during 2017-18.

In 2018-19, Cortens served at La Parroquia Nuestra Madre Santísima de la Luz (Nuevo León, Mexico) and worked for Catholic Peace Fellowship (South Bend, Indiana) during 2019-20. He served as an assistant rector at Keough Hall (University of Notre Dame) from 2020-2021.

Cortens will spend his diaconate year in anticipation of priestly ordination at Holy Redeemer Parish (Portland, Oregon).

Gabriel Griggs grew up in South Bend, Indiana, and is the oldest of three children of Ann and Gladden Griggs. After receiving his B.A. in liberal studies and applied mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in 2014, Griggs began graduate work in statistics at Purdue University. He received his Master of Divinity from Notre Dame in 2021.

Shohag Gabil and Tias Gomes traveled from Sacred Heart of Jesus Province in Bangladesh to Notre Dame, Indiana, in 2017, when they began work on their Master of Divinity at the University of Notre Dame. Each was awarded the degree in 2021.

Shohag Gabil is the youngest of 11 children born to Lucy Gabil and Kamini Dikhar in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh. After arriving at Moreau Seminary, he taught Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at St. Pius X Catholic School (Granger, Indiana). From 2018-19 he taught children’s Liturgy of the Word at Holy Cross Parish (South Bend, In-

diana). During his final year of formation, Gabil returned to teaching Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tias Gomes is the second of two children of Dipali and Bijoy Gomes.

He graduated from Notre Dame College (Dhaka) in 2009, completed graduate studies there in 2013, and professed his first vows in 2014. In 2015-16, Gomes taught at Notre Dame College and then taught moral and religious education for 11th and 12th-grade students at Asad Gate Christian Boy’s Hostel. After arriving in South Bend, he served at Logan Industries and spent

2018-19 teaching Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at St. Matthew’s Cathedral. Other ministry-learning experiences have included Sanctuary at Holy Cross, and serving as a chaplain at St. Joseph Health System, working closely with longterm rehabilitation patients. During his last year of formation, Gomes worked at the St. Augustine Soup Kitchen (St. Augustine Parish, South Bend, Indiana), where he assisted in preparing food, welcoming guests, and distributing food to the poor and homeless, while also engaging with people with disabilities at the Art Studio.

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7

Why does the new instituted ministry of catechist matter to you?

H

ow could I forget Ms. Mary Walsh, my third-grade teacher, who, I am confident, suffered a martyrdom not only trying patiently to teach me math, but also to convince me that I was not a bad math student?

Or my music teacher, Ms. Cindy Hall, who tried valiantly, and in vain, to convince me to play the trumpet rather than the baritone (a small tuba that was bigger than I was at the time), and yet supported my decision and patiently sat with me

8

year after year, helping me with us, shaped us, to improve as a musician? formed us and informed us, and helped to make us Then there was Mr. Robthe people we are today. ert Stackman, my sophomore Humanities teacher, If this is true for teachwhose creative and engaging presentations and personal stories about history and literature Deacon inspired me to Chris Paul become a teacher myself.

Most of us probably have a Ms. ers of subjects like math, Walsh, a Ms. Hall, or a history and science, how Mr. Stackman of our own: much more is this true for teachers who have walked the men and women who have instructed us in the faith?

In his May 2021 apostolic letter, Antiquum Ministerium, Pope Francis raised the ministry of catechist (one who teaches the Catholic faith) to the dignity and stature of the instituted ministries of lector and acolyte. In doing so, he was building not only on a solid foundation of both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, he was acknowledging the power of an experience common to nearly everyone who has enjoyed the blessing of an education: teachers have a tremendous impact on our lives.

According to the pope, the instituted catechist is a special vocation, one that differs from a person teaching the faith in a parish in that this catechist is chosen by, and at disposal of, the local bishop, who is the chief catechist of his diocese. In this letter, the Holy Father

† September 3, 2021

Guest Column

asserts that the ministry of catechist is one of service that demands Spiritual maturity, adequate formation, and expertise in creatively transmitting the faith in various stages, beginning with the initial proclamation of the Gospel (often referred to as the kerygma or core message of Salvation in Jesus Christ).

While these qualities and qualifications are of course an essential part of the ministry of the instituted catechist, for me the most compelling line of this letter was the observation (n. 6) of the qualities of the catechist.

Among these, the Holy Father cited that “every catechist must be a witness to the faith… a companion and pedagogue (or teacher), who teaches for the Church.”

In my experience, the most influential teachers were those who cared not only about communicating their subject, but who also cared about me as a person: men and women who showed compassion, patience, joy, and love, not only for their subject, but also for their craft and, most of all, for their students. They have a personal interest in the success of those they teach.

I believe that this is what the Holy Father is driving at in his description of the good catechist. Catechists are most

effective when they are not simply communicating facts about the faith, but are also witnessing to Jesus Christ (Who is Himself the source and content of all catechesis), not only by their words, but also by the manner in which they live. Good catechists accompany those under their care as companions on the journey, like Ms. Walsh, Ms. Hall, and Mr. Stackman did for me in my formative years.

It truly is as Pope St. Paul VI famously wrote in his 1975 apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (n. 41).

This may be the most important by-product of the pope’s apostolic exhortation, which was issued motu proprio (”Church speak” for “of his own accord” rather than in collaboration with, or at the prompting of, other leaders in the Church). Namely, that as the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council stipulated in Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, “all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity” (n. 40). While some in the Church are called to teach, and some are called by their bishop to the instituted ministry of 8 Continued on page nine

Guest column — Deacon Chris Paul continued from page eight

catechist, every baptized person is called to preach the Gospel in word and by the witness of their lives. And, in the modern world, witness is often the most effective way not only to teach others about Jesus Christ but to introduce them to Him personally.

The pope’s decision to elevate the ministry of catechist underscores the need for every baptized person to embrace the universal call to holiness, the fullness of life in Christ, and the missionary nature of the Church.

If nothing else, this motu proprio is a reminder for all Catholics everywhere that, “the Church exists

to evangelize” (Pope St. Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 14). All of us are called to share in this ministry. While most of us have had a Ms. Walsh, Ms. Hall, or Mr. Stackman in our lives, all of us are called to be those best of teachers for all of the people the Lord places in our path: accompanying them; ministering to them patiently with joy and with love; and leading them into deeper knowledge of, and relationship with, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Deacon Paul is the Director of Adult and Child Discipleship for the diocesan Secretariat for the New Evangelization.

Matt Maher to highlight upcoming annual FACE Fall Scholarship Dinner

WESTPORT — Matt Maher, a wellknown inspirational speaker and performer, will be featured at the annual FACE Fall Scholarship Dinner at White’s of Westport on November 3.

The Foundation to Advance Catholic Education (FACE), celebrating 30 years, sponsors the annual fund-raising event which has helped make Catholic education a reality by providing scholarships to stu-

dents and families in need throughout the Diocese of Fall River.

More details on the dinner will be released and appear in future Anchors.

FACE assures that it adheres to COVID guidelines, thus making sure everyone is safe.

To learn more about Maher, visit www.mattmahermusic.com. For more about FACE, visit www.face-dfr.org.

www.anchornews.org

September 3, 2021 †

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Bishop’s Blog — Region I bishops gather for retreat Editor’s note: In a recent blog, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., shared thoughts about the recent Region I bishops retreat .

To keep up with the Bishop’s Blog as they ap-

pear, visit fallriverdiocese. org and click on “Read the Bishop’s Blog.”

Once a year, usually in August, the bishops of the New England area go on retreat together. Typically,

it is held at the Franciscan House in Kennebunk, Maine. After missing a year due to the pandemic, we were all looking forward to spending time last week in prayer and reflection. In

The Region I bishops recently gathered for a retreat at Franciscan Guest House in Kennebunk, Maine. Bishop da Cunha is second from left of Cardinal O’Malley, in green.

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fact, the attendance was one of our best, with 18 bishops participating. We enjoyed the rest, the nice weather, and we all experienced an overall wonderful week.

Our retreat days consisted of morning prayer and Mass, with different bishops taking turns presiding over both. The Retreat Master always preaches in that morning Mass. This year our retreat was led

by Bishop Paul Loverde, Bishop Emeritus from the Diocese of Arlington in Va. A conference was held mid-morning, followed by time for prayer and reflection. Later in the day, we’d gather again for evening prayer and another conference at 7 p.m. This would be followed by night prayer with the remainder of the evening to ourselves to pray and rest.

During our downtime, we could spend time in personal reflection, visit the chapel or take a walk. We converted one of the extra rooms in our building into a Blessed Sacrament Chapel, as the facility’s chapel was located in a separate building. This room was perfect for personal prayer and time with the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration, an important element of any retreat.

We all live very busy lives, and taking time to step aside from our worries and daily responsibilities to pause to reconnect with God, others, and ourselves is very important. To recharge our Spiritual “battery” physically and Spiritually with the nourishment and rest a retreat can give. It keeps us nourished for the long journey, strengthened for another year. Bishops, priests, and deacons are required by canonical law to go on retreat each year; however, if possible, everyone should try to take

advantage of some type of retreat. Retreats are a little different than a vacation, where we not only rest and recharge our bodies, but we make time to strengthen our Spiritual life and grow closer to Christ.

There are three kinds of retreats: A silent retreat is often made on one’s own, using the quiet time to read and reflect on Scripture and even perhaps some Spiritual reading.

A directed retreat consists of meeting with the person assigned as your Spiritual director for the retreat. You meet with them one-on-one each day, then spend time reflecting on that conversation and again, spending time in prayer, the Scriptures, Adoration, and other Spiritual practices.

And lastly, the retreat that I was on is called a preached retreat, where a guest speaker gives several presentations during the retreat time.

You may even find combinations of these retreats offered that interest you.

Each has its own characteristics, and I have been blessed to participate in all three, enjoying them all equally.

When I was in seminary, I did the St. Ignatius retreat, spending three weeks with my fellow seminarians on a combination silent/directed retreat. For six days, we would speak only to our Spiritual director; then, on Sundays, we could break the fast from silence. During the silent period of the retreat, we spoke only to our Spiritual director — no phone, no radio, no television, just conversations between you and God. It was a very valuable experience, one that even all these years later, I have never forgotten and still treasure.

I

n 1996 when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic flame on international television, the issue of sports-induced brain damage was raised to new prominence. One of the greatest boxers in history, his evident frailty and overt Parkinson’s tremors led many to question the sport of boxing and its future. Since then, countless other athletes, not only from the world of boxing, but from football, hockey, mixed martial arts, soccer and beyond, have shared tragic stories of debilitating sports-related concussions.

Although many sports involve the risk of unintentional injuries, boxing for many raises the issue to an entirely different level.

Indeed, it is important for us to inquire about the intended purpose or goal of boxing.

Literature describing the ancient practice of the sport of boxing makes it clear that Greek athletes sometimes suffered permanent injuries or even died during tournaments.

During Roman gladiatorial boxing events, they basically fought to the death. Any sporting activity where the declared goal would be to kill one’s opponent would, of course, automatically raise serious moral objections.

Modern boxing has no such goal, though certain elements of bodily harm and violence continue to characterize the sport, with an average of 10 boxing deaths occurring each year since 1900. Among the more serious forms of harm that can occur

The moral analysis of boxing from competitive boxing is physical damage to the brain. From January 1960 to August 2011, for example, 488 boxing-related deaths were reported, with approximately 65 percent of those deaths involving grave neurological damage.

If the goal of a professional boxing match is “just” to knock out the opponent to gain victory, the purpose of the competition itself still raises moral concerns, because participants are striving to inflict potentially serious harm to their opponent’s brain by causing a concussion, a type of traumatic brain injury.

Suffering a concussion can result in a panoply of symptoms and problems, including fuzzy thinking, painful vision, harmful reactions to light, difficulties with memory and learning, and loss of the ability to focus. Sometimes repetitive brain trauma can result in progressive neurodegenerative disease with significant symptoms arising years later, including dementia.

Our ability to recognize and understand traumatic brain injury is continuing to improve with time.

Several proteins, released by nerve cells when they are damaged following a concussion, can often be detected as “fluid biomarkers” either in the blood or in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Testing for the presence of these proteins can aid in identifying and confirming even mild traumatic brain injuries that may not be

interests are protected.

One element of responsible gamesmanship in today’s sporting events involves the development and use of appropriate gear to protect athletes from accidental harm.

Another involves the establishment of rigorous penalties for players and teams that intentionally seek to cause harm to their opponents during competitions and options generally remain tournaments. limited, and tend to include For the sport of boxing, the need for extended time however, such measures to allow the neurological reveal a contradiction. If impairment to heal.

Young athletes can be so one were to completely protect a boxer, for examdesperate to compete, nevple, with appropriate body ertheless, that they will say padding to avoid injury, the they are fine after suffering sport would lose much of an injury even when they its energy and appeal, since are not, and seek to return to the competitive event. A causing injury is central to the process of engagement. second insult to the brain, If one were to be penalized without allowing for full healing of the first, can sig- for intentionally seeking to harm the other boxer, nificantly increase the risk as may be done for other for prolonged symptoms. sports like hockey, again, Considering the intensity of competitive pressure, boxing would become eviscerated of much of its core. particularly among young There are obvious people who may have a meritorious considerations limited ability to consider to boxing, like the intense the consequences of their training, personal discipline, actions and the potential and resilience involved, all future effects of injuries, the question arises whether of which are clearly valid on their own terms. St. Paul there isn’t a broader moral obligation in the community to “save players from themselves” and for those around them to refrain from applying undue pressure to perform on young athletes. Regrettably, undue pressure to participate sometimes arises from parents and coaches, and outside mediators are sometimes needed to assure that young people’s best obvious on first assessment.

Neurologists, of course, are among the first to emphasize that a concussion represents a serious medical condition. Treatment

even uses the analogy of boxing to describe the way we should exercise heroic discipline in the Christian life (1 Cor 9:25-27 ).

But while there are various elements that can attract us to the sport, the violent goal of the engagement remains gravely problematic at a moral level. The sport of boxing not only risks serious impairment and even death, but poses many uncomfortable questions for us regarding our own appetites as spectators, and our willingness to allow for certain elements of brutality and even barbarism in the practice of sporting events.

Anchor columnist Father Pacholczyk, earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, and serves as the director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

See www.ncbcenter.org and www.fathertad.com.

September 3, 2021 †

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T he C hurch and Y outh & Y oung A dults Long-standing CYO program to move forward in 2021-22 FALL RIVER — With the retirement of Father Jay T. Maddock, a mainstay of the diocesan Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), it has been announced that the program will now be maintained by the newly-formed Diocese of Fall River Secretariat for the New Evangelization.

Overseeing the CYO ins and outs will be Oscar Rivera, the Secretariat’s

Director of Youth Ministry.

“We are excited to announce that we are moving forward with our CYO Basketball Program,” Rivera told The Anchor. “In 2019 we had close to 900 young people, between the ages of 10 and 16, take part in the program. It would be great for our diocese to see our youth in full force for 2021, and potentially exceed that 900 mark.”

Rivera told The Anchor that each league has scheduled information meetings within the next few months.

Information about each league is as follows: Fall River League: Tom Chippendale (League Coordinator); email: t.chippendale@yahoo.com Meeting: Thursday, September 9 at 6:30 p.m., at the Sullivan-McCarrick CYO Center, 403 Anawan

Collaboration to fund cutting-edge reading program continued from page two provides us the ability to view reading status by student, by class, or by school without ever having to stop teaching to give a test.

We know at every point in time the skills each student has mastered and those that need reinforcing.”

According to Brenda Gagnon, principal of Holy Trinity School of Fall River, “Research shows that solid reading skills are crucial to a student’s success

in school and career. Helping a student ‘make that critical shift from learning to read to reading to learn’ can make all the difference in how a child perceives reading and school in general. The doors of learning are opened wide when a child realizes the love of reading.”

Daniel S. Roy, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Fall River, added, “We

value our partnership with the S.E.A.L. Foundation and recognize the potential impact of Core5 . The implementation of this program into our schools ensures state-of-the-art tools are available to help our students thrive and succeed. We are so encouraged by the commitment of both organizations and how it benefits students

®

† September 3, 2021

Donald Morrison (League Coordinator) Morrison will be reaching out to Taunton area parishes within the next few weeks. Those interested in sponsoring a team at your parish, email Rivera at orivera@dioc-fr.org.

“We look forward to seeing your parish represented on the basketball courts this year,” said Rivera.

and families who want the small, family environment of a Catholic school for their child who may have learning differences or challenges.”

The S.E.A.L. Foundation’s mission is to create and fund educational and social opportunities in both non-public and public schools and camp settings for students who learn differently in order to ensure they maximize their

potential.

The S.E.A.L. Foundation funds special education services, staff development, advocacy support and technical assistance to a broad community of non-public and public schools and programs that share and honor learners. For more information about the S.E.A.L. Foundation, please go to www. thesealfoundation.org.

Bishop approves special collection for Haiti continued from page one olic Relief Services and/ or Catholic Charities USA, the relief agencies of the U.S. Catholic Church, as they and their local agencies respond to immediate emergency needs and aid in long-term rebuilding efforts there.

Parishioners who choose to support the collection should make their check payable to their parish and note “Haiti Relief ” in the memo section.

In a letter to priests on the collection, Bishop da Cunha referenced the grim news being reported

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Street, Fall River. Tel. 508672-9644; New Bedford League: Greg Parker (League Coordinator); email: gregparker4730@gmail. com Meeting: Wednesday, September 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Youth Center, 377 County Street, New Bedford. Tel. 508996-0536.

Taunton League:

on Haiti since the earthquake: the substantial loss of life, the destruction of homes and buildings, and the scarcity of food and adequate shelter in many areas.

The recent calamities in Haiti “only compound the challenges already facing our Haitian brothers and sisters who have long endured economic and political instability,” the bishop noted. “It is clear that they need our help.”

He also asked that parishes remember the Hai-

tian people in the intentions offered in the Prayers of the Faithful at Masses.

“Along with financial assistance, we must also focus our prayers for their healing and for lasting recovery in the weeks and months ahead,” he said.

Donations to the Haiti Relief collection may also be sent directly to the Fall River Diocese at 450 Highland Avenue, Fall River, Mass., 02720. Please mark “Haiti Relief ” on the check memo line as well as on the envelope.

New diocesan ministry adds key staff members continued from page one

Deacon Paul brings experience in ministry and education from both parish and classroom settings in New Hampshire and New York. Ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Manchester, N.H., in 2014, he has served at St. Peter Parish in Auburn, N.H., and Ste. Marie Parish

in Manchester, working in areas of adult formation, Baptism and Marriage preparation, men’s ministries, Bible studies, and the Catholics Come Home program. He also launched the first Theology on Tap program in the state of New Hampshire.

He has worked 16

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass

on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, September 5 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from St. Anthony of Padua Church in Fall River

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass

on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, September 12 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in New Bedford

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, September 5 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Thomas C. Lopes, a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese.

Sunday, September 12 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Richard M. Roy, a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese.

years in education at Catholic high schools in New Hampshire and New York, most recently teaching theology at Bishop Brady High School in Concord, N.H. for the past 10 years.

Deacon Paul received a master’s degree in teaching from Rivier University in Nashua, N.H., after earning his bachelor’s in history and secondary education from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. He is on track to finish a second master’s degree, this one in theology, next year from the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colo.

In his work as the new Director of Youth Ministry, Rivera will oversee all evangelization and outreach programs at the diocesan level for youth in grades six through 12 and will provide support, consultation, and resources to parish youth ministry programs.

A native New Englander, Rivera is re-locating back to this area for the new post after serving for the past nine years at St. Matthew Church in Virginia Beach, Va., first as a youth minister then becoming its director of Religious Education and Youth Ministry. There he led all middle and high school programs, trained catechists and youth ministers, directed preparation for Sacramental formation, developed and facilitated plans for digital formation programs for kindergarten through 12th grade, and created social media strategies to support continual formation on social media

platforms.

Rivera has led numerous retreats and presented at national and regional youth ministry conferences.

Prior to his work in Virginia, he was a youth minister at St. Joseph Church in Charlton, Mass., and was also a content creator and musician for digital and virtual evangelization projects.

He holds a master’s degree in theology from St. Leo University in Florida and a bachelor’s in history from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Deacon Paul and Rivera are joined by Irina DeLucca and Deborah LeDoux, previously the director and coordinator of the diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate, respectively.

Now serving as the director and coordinator of Family and Respect Life as part of the Secretariat, DeLucca and LeDoux will continue the important Pro-Life work in the diocese, including Project Rachel, the annual Pro-Life Mass, March for Life, Essay Contest, and Pro-Life Boot Camp. Additionally, they will help coordinate diocesan efforts in Marriage preparation, Marriage enrichment, natural family planning, and family life.

DeLucca began in the diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate several years ago and is now working toward completing her certification in Theology of the Body from the Theology of the Body Institute. LeDoux started with the apostolate in 2020 after serving as marketing development director for the Visitation House, a home for women in crisis pregnancies in

Worcester.

The formation of the Secretariat for the New Evangelization was first envisioned in the final report of the 2019 Diocesan Commission on Youth.

“The creation of the Secretariat by Bishop da Cunha shows both his dedication to evangelization and the diocese’s commitment to enact the recommendations made by the commissions,” Secretary Carvalho shared.

He explained that the new possibilities for collaboration between pastoral areas at the diocesan level, made possible by the Secretariat’s formation, come at a pivotal time as the Church looks to how it can better mobilize and reach those who have drifted away, both before and during the pandemic.

“Evangelization is a key part of the Church’s mission, encompassing all aspects of Church life,” said Carvalho. “Pope Francis reminds us, in Evangelii Gaudium, that evangelizing others is a responsibility of every Catholic. Throughout history, the Church has courageously gone out on mission. Now, more than ever, we must have the same courage as Catholics to do the same. To that end, our work as a Secretariat will be to serve parishes, equip Catholics, and promote the Gospel.”

The Secretariat for the New Evangelization will launch its new website by the end of September.

Until then, those interested in learning more about the Secretariat and how it can support parish work can email dcarvalho@dioc-fr. org.

September 3, 2021 †

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CSS announces ‘Give Back’ Fridays NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH — At Catholic Social Services, its mission is to serve, to change lives, and to make a difference.

Over the years, generous donors, like you, have given items to help families in need and bring smiles to children.

Catholic Social Services has been so graced with such displays of generosity, particularly during this COVID pandemic, that it

want to give back.

CSS partnered with the following parishes and will make items available to families with children of all ages in its Give Back Fridays. On the designated day, location, and time, CSS will have brand new toys and games for children of all ages, as well as new clothing and coats for infants and children from newborn and up. CSS seeks your help in spreading the

word — let family, friends and neighbors know.

Please note: if you are aware of a family or individual in need, they can call CSS at 508-674-4681.

The agency offers help with basic needs, housing issues, legal assistance, and much more.

For more information about donating items or volunteering at CSS, call Rose Mary at 508-6744681 Ext. 1111.

“Give Back” Friday schedule: Date September 10 September 17 September 24 October 1 October 8

Location Time St. Mary, 14 Park St., N. Attleborough 9-12 noon St. Anthony, 126 School St., Taunton 9-12 noon St. Lawrence, 565 County St., New Bedford 9-12 noon Good Shepherd, 1598 S. Main St., Fall River 12:30-3:30 p.m.

St. Francis Xavier, 347 South St., Hyannis 9-11:30 a.m.

East Freetown parish offers fall Taizé events EAST FREETOWN — St. John Neumann Parish wishes to invite all to two autumn Taizé events on its grounds; one on September 26 and the other on October 2.

Originating in France, during World War II, Taizé

is an ecumenical monastic style of prayer that includes music, simple chant, Scripture readings, periods of silence, a play on lights and an emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit.

The September 26 event is titled, ”Exult in the

Cross! — Love like that!”

It will take place at 7 p.m.

Masks are required.

On October 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. an Autumn Day of Silence is scheduled at the parish camp house and lakefront.

The day will focus on the last woman Doctor of the Church, St. Hildegard of Bingen; a theologian,

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks: Sept. 11 Rev. Joachim Shults, SS.CC., Our Lady of Assumption, New Bedford, 1987 Rev. Cyril Augustyn, OFM Conv., Pastor, Holy Rosary, Taunton, 1997 Rev. Francis E. Grogan, C.S.C., Superior, Holy Cross Residence, North Dartmouth, 2001 Rev. Martin Grena, Retired Missionary, 2004 Rev. Terence F. Keenan, Retired, Former Pastor, St. Mary, South Dartmouth, 2010 Sept. 12 Rev. John J. Galvin, STD, Assistant, SS. Peter and Paul, Fall River, 1962 Most Rev. James L. Connolly, Sc.H D, Fourth Bishop of Fall River, 1951-70, 1986 Rev. John R. Folster, Pastor, St. Louis de France, Swansea, 1995 Sept. 13 Rev. Antonio Felisbesto Diaz, 1866 Rev. Charles A.J. Donovan, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1949 Rev. Isadore Kowalski, OFM Conv., Our Lady’s Haven, Fairhaven, 2003 Sept. 14 Rev. Stanislaus J. Ryczek, USA Retired Chaplain, Former Pastor Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Bedford, 1982 Sept. 15 Rev. Henry J. Mussely, Pastor, St. Jean Baptiste, Fall River, 1934 Rev. Brendan McNally, S.J., Holy Cross College, Worcester, 1958 Rev. John J. Casey, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1969 Sept. 16 Rt. Rev. Msgr. Jean A. Prevost, P.A., P.R., Pastor, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Fall River, 1925 Sept. 17 Rev. Thomas F. McNulty, Pastor, St. Kilian, New Bedford, 1954 Cardinal Humberto Sousa Medeiros, Archbishop of Boston, 1970-83, Pastor of St. Michael, Fall River 1960 -1966, 1983 Rev. Felix Lesnek, SS.CC., Former Associate Pastor, St. Joseph, Fairhaven, 1991 Sept. 18 Rev. Luke Golla, SS.CC., Seminary of Sacred Heart, Wareham, 1945 Rt. Rev. Msgr. Edmund J. Ward, Retired, Former Pastor, St. Patrick, Fall River, 1964 Sept. 19 Rev. Henry E.S. Henniss, Pastor, St. Mary, New Bedford, 1859 Msgr. Arthur W. Tansey, Retired, Former Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Fall River, 1985 Rev. John J. Yorco, SS.CC., Former Pastor, St. Boniface, New Bedford, 2010 Sept. 20 Rev. Simon A. O’Rourke,USN Chaplain, 1918 Rev. Omer Valois, Retired Pastor, Sacred Heart, New Bedford, 1958 Rev. Austin T. Nagle, SS.CC., 2017

herbologist, mystic/visionary, philosopher, composer, and scientific historian.

St. John Neumann Parish is located at 157 Middleboro Road in East Freetown.

To R.S.V.P. to the day of silence, contact Karen Howard at klhoward@aol. com or call 508-947-0193.

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Sept. 21 Rev. George Pager, Founder, Sacred Heart, New Bedford, 1882 Rev. George Jowdy, Pastor, Our Lady of Purgatory, New Bedford, 1938 Rev. William H. Crane, SM, Superior at National Shrine of Our Lady of Victories, Boston, 1988 Rev. Vincent Burke, S.V.D., 2017 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 Note: Permanent Deacon Edward Hussey, who died on 6/30/20, was mistakenly omitted from this year’s Necrology. Please keep him in your prayers.

T

his week I turned 65. It feels like yesterday when I was a lad and saw people who were “old,” meaning over 50. Sixty-five was ancient.

Well, now that I’m here, it’s not ancient, I just feel ancient; creaky knees, a bad back, and skin checks every six months. But, I still have the mind-set of an 18-yearold. Rock on, baby.

Speaking of rocking on, I’d like to reference a couple of songs to assist me in my writing of this column.

Since turning 65, I have thought much about the past. I could quote Old Blue

Eyes and belt out, “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.”

I wish.

But that’s not the crux of my story. On Facebook, I have, comparatively, few friends when I see the hundreds and hundreds other folks have. But truth be told, I could have more, but those would be people with whom I have nothing in common and wouldn’t communicate with anyway. Friends are people with whom I share something.

In my life ...

I wish to quote John Lennon from The Beatles’ “In My Life.” “... I know I’ll never lose affection for people and things that went before. I

know I’ll often stop and think about them.

“With lovers and friends I still can recall. Some are dead and some are living. In

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my life I’ve loved them all.”

Lately, I have often stopped and thought about many people from my past.

As I mentioned, I do have Facebook friends, and I am so grateful that some of them go back to my high school days, and a handful from my youth.

But there are so many other people whose paths crossed mine along my journey thus far.

When I met people and ultimately considered them friends, they became close to my heart. Maybe it’s my lack of self-confidence, but I don’t think nearly as many considered me in that vein.

There are friends from St. Anne’s School in Fall River that I know nothing about anymore. Are they alive? Are they well? Are they successful? Do they have a family? I suspect I’ll never know. There are some whom I really care about.

And I also ask, do they think of me?

I have high school friends that shared some truly good times with me; trading vinyl (that’s record albums for the pre-old and -ancient group); going to

basketball and football games; attending concerts; going to dances; and just plain hanging out. And I have the same questions about them. Especially, do they think of me?

The same goes for my university years and my employment experiences as well.

Unfortunately, I do know some of those with whom I was very close, have indeed passed away, and some fighting one type of battle or another.

It saddens me. But there are others, particularly my Facebook friends who are assuredly alive and kicking and haven’t changed a bit.

For those, I am thankful.

In Disney’s Muppet version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” (both classics) Scrooge sings “Thankful Heart,” written by super song writer, Paul Williams. Scrooge sings, “Life is like a journey. Who knows when it ends? Yes, and if you need to know the measure of a man you simply count his friends.”

I don’t know what my “measure of a man” will be.

Looking back over the last half-century-plus, I truly don’t know what mark I’ve left on others’ lives.

Looking back I reminisce and wish the best for folks whom I often stop and think about. I truly hope some do the same with me.

No, I’m not ancient like little Dave used to think. I just think a lot more about the people who have been a part of my life. Of those who touched me in some way, I really have loved them all. davejolivet@anchornews. org

September 3, 2021 †

15

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† September 3, 2021