10.28.22

Audit confirms diocese compliant with bishops’ charter

FALL RIVER —The Di ocese of Fall River has been found to be in compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the com prehensive set of proce dures adopted by the U.S. bishops in 2002 to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy.

The finding is the result of an onsite audit con ducted in the diocese from July 19-21, 2022, by the independent firm Stone bridge Business Partners of Rochester, N.Y. The audit covered the period of July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2022.

In a letter to Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., StoneBridge Partners stated, “The conclusions reached as to the compli ance of your diocese are

based upon inquiry, ob servation, and the review of specifically requested documentation furnished to StoneBridge Business Partners during the course of this audit. Thank you for your cooperation during this process.”

Bishop da Cunha said he was “very pleased with the result of the audit and grateful to all who work each day in our diocese, in our parishes, schools, institutions and programs to help create a safe envi ronment. We must always be vigilant and proactive in our efforts to ensure the protection of our youth.”

To ensure accountabil ity to its full implementa tion, the Charter requires annual audits of dioceses around the nation by an outside independent entity

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Area faithful carry a statue of the Blessed Mother in a procession out of St. Mary’s Cathedral following the annual diocesan Mass and March for Peace on October 10. (Photo by Deacon Alan Thadeu)

New diocesan Catholic cemeteries website to serve as information hub

FALL RIVER — The Diocesan Catholic Ceme teries Office has launched a website to serve as an online resource for infor mation and guidance on Catholic burial options at the 12 cemeteries it over sees and maintains in three cities in the Diocese of Fall River.

Diocesan Catholic Cemeteries Director David J. Raposa Jr. explained that the site was “developed to be a means of education and communication” and

that it is “a great place to start” for anyone with ques tions.

The site features sec tions on burial options including traditional burial, cremation burial and mausoleum entombment; pre-planning; and cemetery locations. The locations section provides an individ ual page for each cemetery with specifics on burial options, space availability, local contact information and photos.

In addition, the web

site has a calendar of the Remembrance Masses sponsored monthly in three locations by Dioce san Catholic Cemeteries and an online contact form through which a visitor to the site can schedule a consultation session for additional information.

“We hear many of the same questions from folks who contact us,” said Raposa. “Questions like, ‘Is there space left at the cemetery where my family

A Reig-ny Catholic Youth Day: Reflections on a spirited event

By Oscar Rivera Jr. Director of Diocesan Youth Ministry oriveira@dioc-fr.org

EAST FREETOWN —

A week prior to October 1, I found myself staring at my phone singing “Rain, rain go away, come again

another day,” to God as a playful prayer, but an inter nally serious request, as I saw reports of rain coming on the day that our outdoor event was scheduled. That song, however, was trans formed to a song of praise on that day.

Catholic Youth Day not only changed location to be on the mainland, but it also changed the time of year. Traditionally hosted at Martha’s Vineyard or somewhere on the Cape, this year’s Catholic

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Area parishes thank priests for their service

NORTH DIGHTON

— The parishes of St. Nicholas of Myra in North Dighton and Annunciation of the Lord in Taunton came together to honor the priests who share in shep herding the two parishes.

The Knights of Columbus Council #14947, St. Nich olas of Myra and Council #82 from Annunciation

of the Lord, along with the Women’s Guild from both parishes, invited all parishioners to a coffee social following the 10:30 a.m. Mass on October 9 at St. Nicholas of Myra Parish Center, to thank Father David Destin Jr., Parochial Administrator, and Father Daniel Nunes, Parochial Vicar.

Diocesan cemeteries website to serve as information hub continued from page one

is buried?’ or ‘can cremains be buried at a Catholic cemetery?’ are common among them. We’ve made this site available to pro vide answers to these types of questions along with other important informa tion to help people as they

plan for their own burial or for that of family members and loved ones.”

The website may be accessed at fallrivercatholiccemeteries. org. For those who are looking for contact information for a parish

cemetery, the Diocesan Catholic Cemeteries’ website also includes a link to the cemeteries page on the Fall River Diocesan website, fallriverdiocese.org, where that information is available.

Screen shot of the new diocesan Catholic Cemeteries website fallrivercatholiccemeteries.org.

From left, Manuel Avila, Father David Destin, Father Daniel Nunes, Steve Parmegiani, Brian Brown and Mike LaPlante chat during a recent coffee social thanking the priests for their service at St. Nicholas of Myra Parish in North Dighton and Annunciation of the Lord Parish in Taunton.

Diocesan Youth Day special guest Chika Anyanwu shares fellowship with youth who attended the recent event in East Freetown.

Audit confirms diocese compliant with bishops’ charter continued from page one

to assess compliance. These usually consist of data col lection and review except every third year when an onsite visit is conducted for a more in-depth audit.

“Two auditors from StoneBridge visited the diocese for three days supported by an additional auditor who conducted remote interviews,” said Carolyn Shipp, who is Di rector of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance for the Diocese of Fall River.

“They interviewed a broad range of diocesan staff who play a role in implementation of the

Dallas Charter including our bishop, chancellor, general counsel, the direc tor of Communications, Ministerial Review Board Members and myself.”

The auditors also vis ited four parishes and two schools to assess compli ance to the Charter at the “field” level.

In preparation for the onsite visit, staff of the Safe Environment Office pro vided to StoneBridge more than 100 documents from the 2019-2022 audit period that “support our adherence to the articles of the Dallas Charter,” explained Shipp.

Bishop da Cunha ex pressed his appreciation to Shipp and the Safe Envi ronment Office staff who were principally responsi ble for the audit prepara tion and coordination.

The letter of acknowledgment of compliancy from StoneBridge Business Partners is available at the diocesan website at fallriverdiocese.org.

Information on the policies and protocols in place in the Diocese of Fall River for the protection of the faithful is available on the Safe Environment webpage on the diocesan website.

St. Vincent’s continues Thanksgiving tradition of feeding the hungry

FALL RIVER — The leaves are turning, the crisp cool air has re turned and preparations for the St. Vincent’s Ser vices’ “Feeding Families at Thanksgiving” food drive are in full swing.

The ministry is thank ful for the continued sup port of the children and youth in its care. Because of the generosity of dioce san faithful, it was able to provide more than 1,500 Thanksgivings Day meals over the past decade.

In 2022 St. Vincent’s Services hopes to con

tinue the tradition of supplying more than 100 families with a Thanks giving Day basket that will include all the non-perishable foods that one would serve during a Thanksgiving meal. Below is a list of the items they are hoping to secure this year. Donations will be collected at St. Vin cent’s at 2425 Highland Avenue, Fall River, until Friday, November 18. For more information please contact the Saint Vincent’s Development Office at 508-679-8511.

On October 11, the Church celebrated the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.

The Second Vatican Council was summoned, St. John XXIII said during his opening remarks, in order to guard and teach more effectively the sacred deposit of the Christian faith in response to the “great problem” perennially confronting the world: to recognize Jesus Christ as the “center of history and of life” and choose to believe in Him, follow Him and be with Him.

The fathers of Vatican II actualized that mission in the Council’s teaching on the Holy Eucharist. They repeatedly declared that Jesus in the Eucharist is the source and summit, root and center of the life of Christians and of the Church. Because the Eu charist is Jesus Christ, the choice to believe in and fol low Him is made concrete in a Eucharistic life.

For that reason, to mark the Council’s 60th anniversary, I was privi leged to celebrate a Mass in midtown Manhattan with the participants in the Napa Institute’s Principled En trepreneurship Conference and hundreds of New York faithful and then to take Jesus out into the streets for an extraordinary Eucharis tic procession through the afternoon rush hour to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

I was given that hon or because I’m one of the national Eucharistic preachers appointed by the U.S. bishops for the three-year Eucharistic Re vival of the Church in the United States, summoned to stimulate greater Eu charistic knowledge, faith, amazement, love, life and mission.

Taking Christ out to the streets

There are various im portant parts of the Reviv al. One is to help all Cath olics better understand and live the Mass. Another is greater Eucharistic disciple ship, shown in a particular way by spending time with Jesus in Eucharistic prayer and adoration. A third is Eucharistic charity, as we imitate Jesus in giving our body and blood, our time, money and talents, out of love for those Jesus loves. And a fourth is a more ardent Eu charistic apostolate, in which we infec tiously share our Eucharistic faith with others.

Eucharistic processions are an important part of that Eucharistic apostolate, because through them we give bold and unambiguous testimony that we know that what we are carrying in the monstrance is not a piece of bread, but the Liv ing Bread come down from Heaven, who has given us His Body and Blood for the life of the world (Jn 6:51).

In Eucharistic proces sions, we take Jesus Christ out into the world He redeemed. By our joyful witness, devout prayers, and enthusiastic singing, we proclaim Him to be re ally, truly and substantially among us. And we invite others to join us in follow ing Him who is the Way.

The world today needs Jesus Christ just as much as ever and as Catholics we cannot abashedly or selfish ly keep the treasure of our Eucharistic Lord within our Churches and tabernacles. The love of Christ, and the love of others, compels us to bring Him out and share Him.

And so that’s what others and I did on Octo ber 11. We took Jesus out

to what St. John Paul II famously called the “capi tal of the world.” We ac companied Him, just like the apostles, the disciples and huge crowds used to accompany Him as He journeyed to preach, teach, heal, forgive, feed and save.

We began the proces sion with about 500 people who had packed into Sa cred Heart of Jesus Parish for Mass and another 100 who were waiting for us

processing in front of me as well as on the crowds.

I saw those who fell to their knees in devotion, those who took out tissues or handkerchiefs to wipe their eyes, the many who took out their cellphones to record what they didn’t want to forget, and the mothers who were point ing toward the monstrance and explaining to their children Who was passing by. I also saw the many who went on with business as usu al as well as those who peacefully but impatiently waited for the lengthy and slow-moving singing procession to pass so that they could cross.

The Eucharistic Jesus encountered them all. And many of those He met de cided to join the procession and, like the crowds on Palm Sunday proclaiming “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” to accompany Him to “Ameri ca’s Parish Church.”

outside. By the time we had arrived at St. Patrick’s an hour later, the procession had swelled to about 1,000.

Assisted by several members of the NYPD on motorcycles stopping traffic at the various inter sections, we headed east on 51st Street, took a right on 9th Avenue, and then prayerfully processed up the center of 50th to St. Patrick’s. Along the way we passed Broadway theaters, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center and tens of thousands of people in the New York rush hour who stopped on the side walks and intersections to observe what was taking place.

For much of the pro cession, I had an incredible vantage point, carrying the monstrance holding the Eucharist a couple of inches before my face. The consecrated Host was a little smaller that the monstrance’s central glass windows, and so around the edges of the Host I was able to look “through the Eucharist” upon those

I saw, in short, the modern equivalent of the ancient crowds who would encounter Christ as He tra versed the ancient roads of Jerusalem, Jericho, Galilee and Judea. In those tight ly packed middle eastern multitudes, some would reach out to Jesus with faith, like the woman with a hemorrhage for 12 years, or Zacchaeus who climbed a tree to see Him, or the blind men who would cry out from the side of the road, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

As we processed, be sides the faithful, the Good Shepherd in the monstrance passed many of His lost sheep. The Master passed those who were curious, questioning and seeking. The Divine Physician passed several who were sick in body, mind or soul. The One who was so poor that He didn’t have a place to lay His head passed the poor and homeless in need of His mercy and ours. The Light of the World passed some who didn’t want to see either Him or us.

At St. Patrick’s, after a period of quiet adoration, a visibly moved Cardinal Timothy Dolan thanked us in a brief fervorino for the Eucharistic faith and love that inspired us to take Jesus to the streets. He said what we did reminded him of the faithful who accom panied Jesus on the way of the cross, as well as the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, who with hearts burning, recognized Je sus in the Breaking of the Bread.

After Cardinal Dolan raised Jesus in the Mon strance to bless us and the Host was placed in the tabernacle of Our Lady’s Chapel, the magnificent organ of St. Patrick’s led us all in singing Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.” It was a fitting liturgical exclama tion point for the type of praise and thanks we had sought to give to Jesus for the gift of Himself in the Eucharist.

The Second Vatican Council sought to renew the Church’s faith and help us more effectively take that faith out into the world. What we did on the Council’s 60th anniversary was a fitting image of the pilgrimage of the Church through time, which is in fact a Eucharistic proces sion destined to finish not at the resplendent St. Pat rick’s, but in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Father Landry is Interim Executive Editor. fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.

RepaiRing the Relationship between pRiests and bishops Editorial

On October 19, the results of the National Survey of Catholic Priests were released by The Catholic Project and the Department of Sociology the Catholic University of America.

The National Survey, the largest study of Catholic priests in America in more than 50 years, is an ambitious attempt to assess the state of the priesthood in the United States as the Church marks the 20th anniversary of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

Conducted by Gallup between February and June this year, the Survey sought to interview 10,000 of the 35,000 Catholic priests in the country; 3,516 priests from 191 dioceses and eparchies responded. The authors likewise engaged the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) to survey, between October 2021 and February this year, all of the archbishops and bishops who head the 195 U.S. dioceses and eparchies, obtaining responses from 131 of them. So the results are quite significant, involving the input of more than 10 percent of the priests and 67 percent of bishops in the country.

The National Survey was interested specifically in assessing how the abuse crisis, and the Church’s institutional response to it, have affected priests’ overall well-being and impacted their relationship with their bishops.

The responses showed that despite 77 percent of priests being characterized as “flourishing” according to the categories of the novel (2017) Harvard Flourishing Measure, there are some major concerns. 45 percent of priests report at least one symptom of ministry burnout, and nine percent show severe burnout, characterized by chronic emotional and physical exhaustion and high levels of stress. The burnout is particularly acute among young priests.

The biggest concerns, however, involve the toll the response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis has been having on priests’ sense of vulnerability and their trust in their bishops.

When the U.S. bishops convened in Dallas in 2002 to draft the Charter and its accompanying Norms, they did so hurriedly and under enormous pressure from the press, lawsuits and furious faithful. They got most of the big stuff right in terms of holding offenders accountable, responding quickly to allegations, cooperating with civil authorities, committing to the healing and reconcilia tion of victims, and ensuring that the priesthood — and parish staffs and volunteer teams — were no place for those who would harm the young.

The priests in the National Survey overall were highly supportive and appreciative of these efforts, with 90 percent of priests saying that their dioceses have a strong culture of child safety and protection and nearly two-thirds saying that the zero-tolerance policy for abuse of minors has demonstrated the Church’s commitment to the young and helped regain trust.

But the priests surveyed gave stark testimony to the harms that have come from what the bishops in Dallas left out of balance.

The most noteworthy damage is that priests now feel extraordinarily vulnerable to false accusations. 82 percent of priests stated that they regularly fear being falsely accused of sexual abuse. Compounding their fear is the concern of many that if they are falsely accused, they would be treated as guilty until proven innocent and left without support. 64 percent of diocesan priests think that they would not be provided with sufficient resources by their diocese and 49 percent think they would not be supported by their bishop.

In most dioceses, when a priest is accused, he loses his home, his job, his good name all within hours. He is removed immediately from his rectory and parish assignment, prevented from public ministry for the length of what is often an inexcusably glacial investigation, and required to dress like a layman. A press release is published in which the priest’s reputation is injured if not ruined. He needs to exhaust his meager savings or beg and borrow money to hire a lawyer. Most excruciatingly, he has to linger for months or years under suspicion of being a sadistic pervert as well as a hypocrite to the faith for which he has given his life.

Some dioceses have sought to remedy various aspects of the obvious injustices involved, like

changing the criterion from “credible” — which in practice has meant only that the charge was not patently impossible — to “substantiated,” but even the latter is insufficient, sometimes meaning only that there’s “some” evidence seeming to support the accusation. The definitions and their applica tions remain arbitrary, the evaluation processes remain hidden, and for those reasons the decisions, regardless of their outcome, remain shrouded in questions. Priests fear that things other than justice and due process would be involved in the decisions of ecclesiastical review boards, like the diocese’s reputation for zero tolerance, and all of the concerns (including financial) that flow from the dio cese’s having such a reputation. This would be true especially in situations in which a clear sense of what did or did not happen cannot be definitively established.

The second associated lacuna in Dallas was the bishops’ failure to hold themselves accountable to the Charter and Norms. During their deliberations, they decided to change the word “cleric,” which would have included bishops, to “priests and deacons,” in order to exempt themselves from what they were mandating for others, a clear violation of the Golden Rule. Pope Francis’ 2019 apos tolic letter Vos Estis addressed some of the disparities, but not all.

Investigations of bishops accused of the sexual abuse of minors seldom involve the draconian measures experienced by priests. Most (rightly) remain in office as the accusations are investigat ed, even if they voluntarily curtail their functions. They maintain their residences. They continue to dress as clergy. Press releases and all other aspects of the process insist on the presumption of innocence. The investigations are relatively expeditious. If their innocence is established, the press, helped by the diocesan communications department, normally gets the news out broadly.

The double-standard of treatment between bishops and priests has profoundly impacted their relationship. 51 percent of priests say that they don’t have confidence in their own diocesan bishop and 76 percent don’t have confidence in the U.S. bishops in general. There are doubtless several factors involved in those numbers, but it is logical that priests who do not believe that their bishops would support them if they were falsely accused of sexually abusing children would hold them in high confidence.

The frayed relationship between bishops and priests was seen in the massive disparity between how priests regard their bishops and bishops think they’re regarded. The Survey showed that where as 73 percent of bishops view priests as their brothers, only 28 percent of priests say that the bishops treat them that way. Similar discrepancies happen relative to bishops’ behaving toward priests as spiritual fathers (70 to 28), co-workers (73 to 32), and servants (68 to 34). Priests regard their bishops mainly as administrators or CEOs who treat them as employees (55 percent), while only 44 percent of bishops identify as such.

The biggest disconnect, however, between the way bishops view themselves versus the way their priests regard them is over whether bishops can be counted on to help one of their priests who is struggling. 90 percent of bishops stated that they would be there for such a priest, but only 36 percent of priests thought their bishop would.

It is nothing short of shocking that 30 percent of bishops don’t look at themselves as spiritual fathers to their priests, 27 percent as their brothers, or 27 percent as their co-workers. It’s more stag gering that 10 percent of bishops admit they would not be there for priests who needed help.

It’s time, however, for the 90 percent who say they would be there for their priests to digest this survey and recognize that the vast majority of their spiritual sons, brothers and co-workers are indeed struggling and need their help. And among the help they need is a prudent and just revision of the obvious deficiencies in the Dallas Charter and Norms, so that priests no longer have to live under the threat of the cataclysmic consequences of a false accusation.

That way they can begin to live anew in right relationship to the bishops to whom they have promised respect and obedience until death and whom the Church theologically wants them to regard as faithful spiritual fathers, brothers, collaborators and shepherds.

Daily Readings † October 29 — November 11 Sat. Oct. 29, Phil 1:18b-26; Ps 42:2-3,5cdef; Lk 14:1,7-11. Sun. Oct. 30, Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Wis 11:22—12:2; Ps 145:12,8-11,13-14; 2 Thes 1:11—2:2; Lk 19:1-10. Mon. Oct. 31, Phil 2:1-4; Ps 131:1bcde,2-3; Lk 14:12-14. Tue. Nov. 1, All Saints Day, Rv 7:2-4,9-14; Ps 24:1bc-4b,5-6; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12a. Wed. Nov. 2, All Souls Day, Wis 3:1-9; Ps 23:1-6; Rom 5:5-11 or Rom 6:3-9; Jn 6:37-40. Thu. Nov. 3, Phil 3:3-8a; Ps 105:2-7; Lk 15:1-10. Fri. Nov. 4, Phil 3:17—4:1; Ps 122:15; Lk 16:1-8. Sat. Nov. 5, Phil 4:10-19; Ps 112:1b-2,5-6,8a,9; Lk 16:9-15. Sun. Nov. 6, Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2 Mc 7:1-2,9-14; Ps 17:1,56,8, 15; 2 Thes 2:16—3:5; Lk 20:27-38 or 20:27,34-38. Mon. Nov. 7, Ti 1:1-9; Ps 24:1b-4b,5-6; Lk 17:1-6. Tue. Nov. 8, Ti 2:1-8,11-14; Ps 37:34,18,23,27,29; Lk 17:7-10. Wed. Nov. 9, Ez 47:1-2,8-9,12; Ps 46:2-3,5-6,89; 1 Cor 3:9c-11,16-17; Jn 2:13-22. Thu. Nov. 10, Phlm 7-20; Ps 146:7-10; Lk 17:20-25. Fri. Nov. 11, 2 Jn 4-9; Ps 119:1-2,10-11,17-18; Lk 17:26-37.

Reflections on a Reign-y Day

continued from page two Youth Day was held at the historic Cathedral Camp and designed to be a kickoff for faith formation, youth ministry, and Confir mation.

It was not what the teens were expecting. They came in seeing ban ners of Catholic imagery, stage, lights, and music. The whole vibe, however, including the song selec tions, seemed to confuse the teens coming in. Their heads bobbed and bewil dered looks spoke volumes. Their body language went from a sleep to “Hold up… this is Catholic Youth Day. Let’s go!”

Bishop da Cunha opened up the day with words of welcome and prayer, and the worship leader Lizzie Cotru pi-Pfunder, who has led for numerous 4th Watch es, missions, retreats and the diocese’s first annual Parish Leader Convo cation, led the teens in some music and games. She soon introduced the youth to the theme song for the day, “Way Maker,” by Leeland. Shortly after that introduction, special guest Chika Anyanwu took the stage. She traveled from Pittsburgh, Penn., by way of California, to share the Good News with the young church. Chika broke bread with numer ous groups and spent time with our parish volunteers and youth ministers. Chika commented after the event, “The Diocese of Fall River Youth [Day] was amazing! There was something for everyone: from games and activities, acoustic and rap music, Holy Mass and Ado ration, and even an exhibit of Eucharistic miracles!”

There truly was some thing for everyone in atten dance, and it showed that the diocese sees the cultural mosaic of our deaneries. Chika added, “What made it even more memorable for me were the amazing teens and youth ministry volunteers from all across the diocese. Fall River is blessed to be comprised of many cultures and ethnic ities and it was fun to sit in on small groups and lunch conversations to talk about what unites us as a family of faith.”

Isabella, a Confirmation candidate of St. John Neu mann Parish in East Free town, said, “I really enjoyed the rap concert and Oscar (Rivera) was tremendously funny. I liked meeting new people and spending the day with my friends. “The inspirational speakers were great and I loved the gam ing bus!”

Xander, a young pa

rishioner from St. Francis Xavier, Acushnet said, “It was a great experience. My friends were there but it was also cool to see a lot of other kids. The music was awesome and the talks were great and also really funny. I liked being able to spend the day with the bishop and go to Adora tion.”

Their statements demonstrate the impor

tance of community and reveal the desire that young parishioners have to be in community with their local group, but also be a part of something greater: the Catholic Church universal.

Father Jack Schrader of St. John Neumann Parish said, “Catholic Youth Day in Freetown was spectacu lar. The youth participants were into it. The live music and talks inspired us. We

were all built up by the joy ful message of Christ and impressed by the quality encounter.”

We plan to recapture this day with two more events called Twenty96. Twenty96 will be a con densed Catholic Youth Day event hosted at one of our parishes. The first-ever Twenty96 will be hosted at St. John of God, Somerset

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Oscar Rivera Jr., left, the diocesan director of Youth Ministry, leads a rap session with many of the area youth who attended the recent Diocesan Youth Day in East Freetown.

St. Anne’s Shrine to hold Life in the Spirit program

FALL RIVER — An swering the Holy Father’s call for a greater realization of the fruits of the Spirit, St. Anne Shrine of Fall River will be presenting the Life in the Spirit enrichment program, beginning on Tuesday, November 8, at 6:30 p.m. each week.

The Life in the Spir it program is designed as a tool for active evangelization, a personal faith formation experience, and an introduction to life lived in the power and pres ence of the Holy Spirit.

This seven-week series of in-depth sessions will help participants real ize the fire, breath, gifts, fruits, and the charisms of the Holy Spirit. Although Catholics receive life in the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, there is a pressing need in this day and age to fan this spark of life into flames.

The activities in the program will invite us to

gather and prepare for a very personal “Pentecost”: a revitalization of the Spirit’s presence in our lives.

In His great discourse at the Last Supper, Jesus made a promise to His disciples that: “I will ask the Father and He will give you anoth er helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive (the Spirit), be cause it cannot see Him or know Him. But you know Him, because He remains with you and is in you” (Jn 14:16-17).

The program begins November 8 and runs through December 20, weekly on Tuesday night at 6:30 through 8 p.m.

All are welcome, reg istration will take place on the first night, free of charge; texts and study ma terials will be provided.

For more information, please contact the Shrine office at 508-678-1510, or website at https://www.stannes-shrine.org

Reflections on a Reign-y Day: Annual Diocesan Youth Day continued from page seven

and open to all eighth to twelfth graders.

At the close of Catho lic Youth Day, Bishop da Cunha told a story in his homily of a village that was ravaged by a drought, and the pastor told all the peo ple in the village that they were to dedicate an hour of prayer and to bring objects of faith for inspiration. Many came with crosses, Bibles, and Rosaries, but one kid brought an umbrel la. This kid was prepared for God to answer their prayers and brought the one object that was a testa ment of his childlike faith. Bishop da Cunha told the young church, “The world can be better because there are people who believe, who want to do better. So don’t wait.

“Believe in God even when He’s silent. If you pray for rain, do you bring an umbrella?”

I was trying to avoid bringing umbrellas, but the rain that came did fulfill a spiritual drought in many of the participants’ hearts: the drought of the faithful

community.

They communed with one another via conversa tions, games, laughter or the food provided by the Knights of Columbus of St. Anthony of the Desert. They received the Body of Christ in the Breaking of Bread, and ultimately com muned with Jesus Christ through the Sacred Liturgy and Adoration.

The night ended with the 200 youth from our dio

cese at Catholic Youth Day singing from their hearts, as it rained outside: “You are way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness. My God, that is who you are!”

It may have rained on my parade and ruined my earthly plan of utilizing the grounds of our historic Cathedral Camp, but Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist reigned in their hearts, and ruined Satan’s plans instead.

The friendly skies

The long-anticipated day has arrived. You step inside the checkin area and put your bag into the screening machine, then you pick it up on the other side and proceed to check-in. You skip the boarding pass kiosk as the waiting line is short at the moment. You get in line and wait and wait and wait. There seems to be some issue with those checking in at the three desks in front of you. Finally, you are called forward by a nice young attendant who provides you with your boarding pass. At security, you are told you can leave your shoes

on but you should remove your pants’ belt. You do so at the risk of dropping your pants in front of a horde of people. You see, you’ve lost a few pounds and an inch at the waist. You set off the alarm and get frisked — complements of the metal in your shoes. Now in the clear, you shake off the embarrass ment and board the plane ready to fly “the friendly skies of United.”

Many hours later, with your derriere worse for the wear, so to speak, you alight from a third plane and are greet

ed by a welcoming brother and sister-in-law. You are happy to leave the “friend ly” skies.

That was my itinerary on the first weekend of

September as I journeyed to my homeland for a visit with my family after an ab sence of three years. That morning I enjoyed a full Irish breakfast in the com pany of my brother, John ny, and my sister-in-law, Helen, in The Hob, a small restaurant in my home town of Mountbellew. This was the first of many treats I enjoyed while at home in County Galway. There was a time in previous years that would have found me in the fields with my

father, Pake, and brother, Frank, saving hay or bring ing hay into the farmyard shed but the lateness of the season and the advent of more modern machinery meant that this particular work had already been completed. So I contented myself with sleeping in as late as 9 a.m. and visiting family and friends in the course of the day.

During my previous visit in 2019, I celebrated the marriage of my neph ew, Jarlath, to his bride, Amanda. This time around I got to baptize their sec ond child, Molly Elizabeth. What a joy! This time also I got to share in baby-sitting duties for nephew Shane’s three-year-old son, Tadgh, and two-year-old daugh ter, Robin. I fondly named them “Little Tornadoes.” They are two of a growing number of three-year-old

and two-year-old children in the family circle. As a family, we are certainly obeying the Biblical direc tive to “increase and mul tiply.”

As retiring quarterback Brett Favre once said, “All good things must come to an end.” So did my time in the green pastures of Coun ty Galway. On September 21, I boarded a plane bound for Heathrow Airport, the first leg of my long flight to Honolulu. Remind me not to do that again! After checking in my bag three times and going through security three times, I final ly touched down in Aloha Land. While the skies had been friendly to the planes, the planes had not been entirely friendly to my body parts. I was happy to be on terra firma again.

Aloha

Anchor columnist, Father Killilea is pastor of St. Francis Church in Kalaupapa, Hawaii.

Student members of Bishop Stang High School’s National Honor Society recently held their annual Rock-a-Thon to help community food pantries ease local families’ food insecurity. Students alternately rocked in rocking chairs and weighed and received food donations throughout October 14 and 15. By the end of the drive, they had collected a total of 10,130 pounds of food, which was distributed to local pantries, including the Shepherd’s Food Pantry in Acushnet, Solanus Casey in New Bedford, St. Anthony’s Church in New Bedford and St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Wareham.

Diocese of Fall River Catholic schools hires data analyst

FALL RIVER — Af ter an extensive search process, the Diocese of Fall River and Catholic Schools Office announced that Diana Iglesias had been appointed to the newly-created position of Data Analyst. The main focus of this role is to develop a central data hub to be used in each of the diocese’s 19 Catholic schools’ cycle for con tinuous improvement.

Advances in technology make gathering data much easier, thus, the facilitat ing the opportunity to make strategic decisions based on real analytics. Across the country, the investment and use of data analytics by Catholic edu

cation leadership is con sidered very cutting edge; thus, the Diocese of Fall River is pleased to be on the forefront of this trend.

Iglesias recently grad uated with the very first cohort of students in the Providence College Mas ter of Science in Business Analytics program. An integral aspect of this rigorous Master’s program is to provide solutions to real life challenges faced by organizations, such as Citi Bank and QuickBase. The ability for these orga nizations to visualize their data directly contributed to their decision-making process and confidence in those decisions.

Superintendent Dan

iel S. Roy indicated, “The Catholic Schools Office has worked to centralize

to commit to this work. We are grateful to have Diana on our team. She has hit the ground run ning with organizing en rollment and demographic data that previously had been under-utilized. She will focus on the expan sion and improvement of each school’s vitali ty dashboard to ensure that school leaders are equipped with data when setting goals and strategic direction.”

greatly prepared me to understand how data can be interpreted, as well as how to be creative in the presentation of data.

“What I love most about this field is that data can be used to tell a story and I am very excited to help each Catholic school uncover a story they pre viously never realized with the use of visualizations to create insightful dash boards.”

data in order to assist schools in making sense of it for the sake of contin uous improvement plan ning. As educators, we can always get better at getting better, and we owe it to our students and families

“I am excited to be gin my career as the new Data Analyst at the Catholic Schools Office, after completing the first Master of Science pro gram at Providence Col lege,” said Iglesias. “It has

Iglesias lives in Crans ton, R.I. and is a member of the St. Charles Parish located in Providence, R.I. For more informa tion about The Catholic Schools Alliance go to www.RediscoverCatholic Schools.org.

My Brother’s Keeper in Easton and Dartmouth to host new Toy Drive November 5

EASTON/DART

MOUTH — On Saturday, November 5, from 10 a.m. to noon, My Brother’s Keep er will be hosting a Christ mas Toy Drive to collect new, unwrapped toys for local families in need.

People are invited to join them for the Christmas Toy Drive and help bring the joy of Christmas to 3,000-plus local families in need. They can bring un wrapped gifts to one of the two facilities and volunteers will gladly assist them with their donations.

This toy drive will support the organization’s local Christmas Assis tance Program. Since 1990, My Brother’s Keeper has brought joy to kids and removed stress from par ents who could not provide presents for their children at Christmas.

This past December, My Brother’s Keeper de

livered personally-selected gifts to 3,053 families — more than 13,000 children and adults — living in 95 communities from the North Shore down to Fall River and Cape Cod.

Many Christmas assis tance programs only serve children under age 13, but in keeping with its mission, My Brother’s Keeper serves the whole family — chil dren, teens, and parents too.

In addition to their presents, each family also receives a $50 supermarket gift card to help provide a special Christmas meal.

Demand for assistance in the community remains very strong so the Christ mas Toy Collection Drive will help My Brother’s Keeper provide as much assistance to families as possible.

Another way to support the Christmas Assistance Program is by making a

financial donation online. My Brother’s Keeper sup plements Christmas dona tions by purchasing toys when necessary. Visit www. mybrotherskeeper.org for details. My Brother’s Keeper is a 501c3 nonprofit orga nization, does not receive any local, state or federal funding, and relies on pri vate donations to serve the community.

The Christmas Toy Drive needs donations of all types of toys:

Scooters or Skateboards; Legos ;Video Games (PS4 & XBOX One); LOL Surprise Dolls; Superhero Action Figures; Perfume Gift Sets; Anything Boston Sports Teams (Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins); Dolls and Accessories; Jewelry Making Kits, Science Kits (especially Slime kits); Drawing Sup plies; Infant Toys; Board Games & Card Games; Books; Arts & Crafts Kits;

Coloring Books (for adults and children).

The two sites are: My Brother’s Keeper Easton Building, 534 Washington Street, Easton, Mass. 02356; and My Brother’s Keeper Dartmouth Building, 1015 Reed Road, Dartmouth, Mass., 02747.

Contact: Jennifer Murphy, My Brother’s Keeper, Event Coordinator and Development Associate, Easton; 508297-9050; jmurphy@ mybrotherskeeper.org

To donate or learn more about My Brother’s Keeper,

visit www.MyBrother sKeeper.org or call 508–238–7512 (Easton) / 774305-4577 (Dartmouth).

If you live in a commu nity served by My Brother’s Keeper and need assistance, please call the Easton Help line at 508-238-4416 or the Dartmouth Helpline at 774-305-4590.

T he

If you have read my columns in the past, you know that we have a school-wide theme that helps to guide us for the school year. In the 20202021 school year, we chose “Rejoice in Hope,” be cause we foolishly thought things would go back to normal. In order to not

hur C h and Y ou T h & Y oung a dulT s

Give thanks in all things

be fooled the next year, we chose “Be the Light,” reminding us that even when things seem diffi cult and dark, we still are called to bring the light of Christ to others. Finally, seeing the light at the end

of the tunnel, this year we chose, “Give thanks in all

things,” from 1Thessoloni ans 5:17.

It is easy to give thanks when life is going well. It is easy to be thankful for good friends, a good job, a loving family, a win ning season, and good grades. It is not so easy to be thankful when our friend betrays us, our job is stressful, our family is fighting, our team is just out of playoffs, and we failed a chemistry test. It’s difficult when we are told to keep six feet apart, or activities we love are can celed, or we can not see our loved ones for extend periods of time.

In St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, he specifically writes to “give thanks in all circumstanc es for this is God’s will for you.” In ALL things. Well that stinks. I do not want

to give thanks when I lose a loved one. I do not want to give thanks when we have natural disasters or sickness or unemployment. St. Paul, however, makes it clear. This is God’s will for us. We obviously do not want to be thankful for evil, but we can be thankful despite evil.

Why should we be thankful for ALL things? Because all good things come from God. So may be the only good thing that has happened today is that we woke up, or that our coffee was able to be drunk while it was still hot (or the ice had not melted yet). Being grateful in all situations helps us to remember the importance of the little things in life. Being a truly grateful person can help us to be resilient. It reminds us that while this situation may be awful, there is still goodness all around us.

Pastor and author, Daniel Brown, in this book “Dirty Christians: How to serve God in a Messy World,” wrote,

“Thankfully, we have a God who does not quit being God when the situ ation is bad.” He is loving us when we do not know how to love ourselves. He is carrying us when we can not find the strength to walk. He is cheering us on when we can not pump ourselves up. This is something for which we should be grateful.

God has been so good to us but sometimes, in the middle of the storm, it is hard to be able see His goodness. But that is ex actly when we need to be grateful the most. I once saw a post on social media that said, “If you woke up tomorrow with only what you thanked God for last night, what would you have?” It is His will for us to give thanks, let us pray that we have the strength to fulfill His will.

Anchor columnist Amanda Tarantelli has been a campus minister at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth since 2005. She is married, a die-hard sports fan, and resides in Cranston, R.I. She can be reached at atarantelli@bishopstang. org.

Feehan’s Distinguished Service Award given to Donna Lamontagne

ATTLEBORO, MA

— Attleboro resident and internationally recognized attorney Donna Lamon tagne received Bishop Feehan High School’s Dis tinguished Service Award at the school’s annual Pres ident’s Leadership Society reception on September 22.

The award honors a supporter of the school who has demonstrated

outstanding dedication, generosity, and leadership in the Feehan community.

“Donna has set a new standard for volun teer leadership at Bishop Feehan,” school president Tim Sullivan ’87 said. “She is a tireless advocate for our school and a won derful friend and trusted presence for me and our leadership team.”

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, October 30 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in New Bedford

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel

Sunday, November 6 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Immaculate Conception Church in New Bedford

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6

Sunday, October 30 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Freddie Babiczuk, Pastor of St. Anthony, St. Jude the Apostle and St. Mary Parishes in Taunton.

Lamontagne’s service to Feehan is highlighted by her steady leadership as the school transitioned its governance model over the last two years. In July, 2021, Feehan shifted to a locally-managed, financial ly independent Catholic high school managed by a local Board of Trustees.

Joe Kurtzer, chair of Feehan’s Board of Trustees, said Lamontagne’s strong

working relationships with leadership in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River were essential to the creation of the new Feehan corporation.

“I’m delighted to honor Donna’s deep commitment to and powerful impact on Feehan over the last several years,” Kurtzer said. “Not only has she been a lead er for our school, she has been a friend and mentor to me personally, too.”

Lamontagne’s service to Feehan began in 2016 when she joined the Pres ident’s Advisory Coun cil (which later became the President’s Advisory Board). She was appointed chair of that group in 2019 and held the position for two years before becoming the first chair of the Board of Trustees when it was established in 2021.

Lamontagne also served as a co-chair for Bishop Feehan’s ambitious Dar ing to Believe strategic plan. The plan served as an important step toward the school’s ongoing $13 million Daring to Believe

capital campaign, which in cludes the now-under-con struction Innovation and Performing Arts Center on the south side of campus.

Although Lamontagne stepped down from her chair role in June, 2022, she continues to serve the Feehan trustees in an emeritus role. She also remains a member of the Central Catholic School Board for the Diocese of Fall River.

Outside of her ser vice to Catholic schools, Lamontagne is a founding partner of Lamontagne, Spaulding & Hayes, LLP, a firm with offices in Wellesley, Mass., and Cranston, R.I., that spe cializes in civil litigation and insurance defense. She has held several lead ership roles within the International Association of Defense Counsel.

Lamontagne and her husband Tom Patriarca are the parents of three Feehan graduates: twins Annie and Cayce from the Class of 2019, and Mary from the Class of 2020.

Sunday, November 6 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Kevin A. Cook, Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Seekonk

Donna Lamontagne is the latest recipient of Bishop Feehan’s Distinguished Service Award.

FALL RIVER — Adelino Medeiros Brilhante, 85, of Fall River, passed away on October 14 at Charlton Memorial Hospital.

For 56 years, he was the be loved husband of Maria Con ceição (Costa) Brilhante. Born in Ponta Garça, São Miguel, Açores, he was the son of the late Anto nio Medeiros Brilhante and Ana Diolinda de Sousa. Prior to retire ment, Adelino worked as a fab ricator for many years at Amcast Foundry, now known as Advanced Cast Productions.

He was a long-time parishio ner of St. Michael’s Church in Fall River. He enjoyed being outdoors,

Adelino Medeiros Brilhante, father of Father Jason Brilhante

working in his vegetable garden, pruning his grapevine, making wine, and spending time with his family.

He was loved and cherished by many people in cluding his children Louis Brilhante and his wife Elisa of Saunderstown, R.I.; Connie Rybacki and her husband Eric of Newport, R.I.; Ana Brilhante of Fall River, Paul Brilhante of Fall River and Father Jason Brilhante of Fall River; siblings Maria Elisa Brilhante, Maria

Joana Brilhante, as well as the late Elvira Medeiros Brilhante, Jóse Medeiros Brilhante, Humberta Medeiros Brilhante, Antonio Medeiros Brilhante, and João Gabriel Brilhante; grand children Alexander Echevarria, Destinie Brilhante, Rayra Coelho and Isabel Brilhante; along with many nieces, nephews and

other family members.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Critical Care, Palliative, and Hospice staff at Charlton Memo rial Hospital. They would also like to thank all their family, friends and neighbors for all of their love, support and prayers.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Michael’s Church in Fall River on October 19. In terment in St. Patrick’s Cemetery followed.

In Your Prayers

Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks:

Oct. 30

Msgr. Robert L. Stanton, Retired Pastor, St. Paul, Taunton, 1992

Rev. Denis Sughrue, C.S.C., Director of Postulancy, Holy Cross Novitiate, North Dartmouth, 2002 Rev. Conrad Salach, OFM., Conv., 2021

TAUNTON — Fred Babiczuk, Sr., died on October 17 at Morton Hospital after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Cindy Babiczuk (Da Cruz), and his three children, Father Fred Babiczuk, Ted Babiczuk, and An nmarie Brock.

Mr. Babiczuk was born in Taunton on Aug. 9, 1932. His parents were Anna and Michael Babiczuk.

He was raised in the Taunton School system, and after grad uation entered the U.S. Marine Corps where he served as an airplane mechanic on the USS Saipan during the Korean Conflict.

He was married on November 29, 1958, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Taunton. He was a letter carrier for 34 years for the Taunton Post Office. Except for this time in the service, he lived his entire life in Taunton.

A Memorial Mass will be held on October 29, at 11 a.m. in St. Anthony’s Church located at 126 School Street in Taunton, followed by a reception at St. Anthony’s Hall. Priests and deacons may vest in the Sacristy..

A burial will be held on Octo ber 31, at 9 a.m. at St. Joseph Cem etery located at 475 East Britannia Street in Taunton.

Nov. 1

Rev. William H. McNamara, Retired Pastor, St. Mary, Mansfield, 1924 Rev. Louis N. Blanchet, Assistant, St. Jean Baptiste, Fall River, 1927

Rt. Rev. Msgr. John F. Ferraz, Pastor, St. Michael, Fall River, 1944

Rt. Rev. Msgr. George F. Cain, Pastor, St. Mathieu, Fall River, 1953

Rev. William F. Gartland, C.S.C. Stonehill College, North Easton, 1988

Rev. John F. Sullivan, SS.CC., Retired Pastor, Holy Trinity, West Harwich, 1994 Rev. Manuel T. Faria, 1999

Nov. 2

A memento for the repose of the souls of our bishops, priests and permanent dea cons not on this list

Rev. Joseph S. Fortin, Founder, St. Jean Baptiste, Fall River, 1923 Rev. Michael V. McDonough, Chaplain, St. Mary’s Home, New Bedford, 1933 Rev. William E. Farland, Pastor, St. Joseph, Taunton, 1987 Rev. John F. Andrews, 2021

Nov. 3

Rev. Jose M. Bettencourt e Avila, Retired Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New Bedford, 1988

Nov. 4

Rev. Edmond Tremblay, 1985 Rev. Willibrord Willemen, SS.CC., 1987 Rev. Deacon James M. O’Gara, 1990

Nov. 5

Rev. Daniel A. Gamache, Retired Pastor, St. Joseph, New Bedford, 1998

Nov. 6

Rev. Patrick S. McGee, Founder, St. Mary, Hebronville, 1933

Rev. Joseph Oliveira, Retired, Former Pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes, Taunton, 1999

Nov. 7

Rev. J. Edmond Tremblay, Retired Chaplain, Sacred Heart Home, New Bedford, 1985

Nov. 8

Rev. Pacifique L. Emond, OFM, Retreat Master, Writer, Montreal, Canada, 1984 Rev. Deacon Donald Joslin, 2012

Nov. 10

Rev. Msgr. Henry T. Munroe, P.A., Retired, Former Pastor, Our Lady of Victory, Centerville, 2017

Nov. 11

Rev. A. Gomez da Silva Neves, Pastor, St. John the Baptist, New Bedford, 1910

Rev. Richard Sullivan, C.S.C., President, Stonehill College, Easton, 2005

Fred Babiczuk Sr., father of Father Fred Babiczuk

Over the last three years, I have had more than a hand ful of good people suggest I get a rescue dog because of my affinity for canines. But as I’ve said, also more than a handful of times, I can’t do it. Not because I don’t want to bring an abused or mistreated or ignored pooch into my home. It’s simply that I cannot bear the pain of losing another dog — the pain I felt and still feel after losing Igor.

I see the commercials asking folks to consider rescuing a dog. I see the awful state some of these crea tures of God are in — at the hands of so-called human beings. And each time I see such an ad, or see something on the Internet, my heart breaks for these animals.

My heart also breaks seeing com mercials of hungry children, home less people, those with addictions, folks who are ill and feel hopeless. And yes, my heart breaks for them as well. I wouldn’t be a human being if it didn’t. And I do what I can when I can financially, but truth be told, there I times when I could use a little

I am a rescue dog, God

help in the bank account, but that’s a column for another day.

But over the last several months I have been experiencing feelings of just what some of those rescue dogs are going through.

Without getting into needless de tails, the past few months have been a seemingly endless series of woes, disap pointments, anxiety, pain and hope lessness.

Knowing that we all experience times like these at some points in our lives, I truly feel like I am being bombarded. I’ve developed a snarky mantra lately — “If God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, He must think I’m Hercules.” I’m not proud of saying that, but it illustrates, to a small degree, the frus trations and disappointments often resulting in anger and resentment toward the one being that deserves it

least. Or I should say doesn’t deserve it at all — the Almighty Father. Yet, one of my poorest traits has been my lack of faith and trust — not just recently, but all my life. I had a good friend of mine, a priest, who once told me, “God doesn’t count the times you fall down, He counts the times you get back up.” If that’s the case, I am but a toddler still learning how to walk.

My lack of faith and trust comes through in my prayers, which are often lackluster at best.

The reason I feel more and more like a rescue dog is because I have been feeling more and more like I have been abandoned — by God and others.

This isn’t a column to confess my faults and failures, nor is it to gain the sympathies of those who have toler ated this column to this point.

No, what this column is, is a commercial, showing my weaknesses and my plea for God not to change the channel every time my commer cial comes on.

I want to be welcomed in by a Father with whom I’ve had a long relationship — sometimes rocky, sometimes warm. A relationship that I sever at times, and He pulls me back.

I just want God to see my com mercial, and rescue me — providing me with warmth, love and hope during these difficult times. So God, please know I don’t have to be house trained, I don’t eat all that much, and I don’t bite. I just need a chance.

I feel as though I’m going out on a limb with this piece, but I have never backed off from sharing my life with my reader friends over the last 20-plus years of this column. I’ve often found it cathartic to share.

So when y’all are in prayer, just mention there’s a pup out there who could use some rescuing — in more ways than one. I want that tail wag back again.

davejolivet@anchornews.org

Former Bristol County Sheriff’s Office employee named School Resource Officer

Editor’s note: A news brief of this announce ment, ran in the September 30 edition. This report provides more information.

FALL RIVER — After an extensive search process, the Diocese of Fall River and Catholic Schools Office have announced that Christine Leeman has been appointed to the newly created position of School Resource Officer. The current environment and chal lenges facing schools across the coun try necessitate a seasoned professional in criminal justice to oversee the safety and security of all 19 Catholic schools in the diocese. A key focus of this new role is to work closely with school leaders and other personnel to provide for a safe school environment. In addi tion, she will serve as a liaison between police departments and the Catholic schools.

Previously, as the Manager of Public Safety Education for the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, Christine Leeman was responsible for outreach to all schools in Bristol County, including public, Catholic, private, and charter schools, educating students and faculty on topics such as bullying, harassment, situational awareness, and the dan gers of social media.

Superintendent Daniel S. Roy said, “Christine Leeman comes to the diocese at a time of nation al concern with school safety. Her dedication to the safety of the community is evident through her direct connection between the local schools and law enforcement, including the launch of a successful bullying program for both students and families.”

“With my experience at the Bristol Country Sheriff’s Office, in addition to the training I’ve received as a Deputy Sheriff since 2016, I am well versed in de-escalation, crisis intervention, school safety, and the best practices in solving matters with confidentiality and compassion,” said Leeman.

“I also relate well with students and families to promote morals and values in a Catholic educational environment. This new role is perfectly aligned with my pas sion for student health and wellness in addition to my belief that students need to be well round ed spiritually and academically.”

Leeman is married to her husband of three years, and they have a one-year old daugh ter. They are members of St. Joseph’s Parish in Fairhaven.

North Dighton, Taunton parishes swear in new Knights’ officers

TAUNTON — The Knights of Columbus St. Nicholas of Myra Council #14947, and Annunciation of the Lord, Bishop Coyle Council #82, gathered jointly to conduct a swear ing in of the officers from both councils along with two new members. The ceremony took place at the Taunton Yacht Club in Dighton on September 18.

The Knights of Co lumbus North East Dis trict Deputies Nelson Matos and Dale Tommer conducted the swearing in of the officers. Pierre Barbour, Bruce Blunt, Joe Figueirido, Paul Botelho, and Peter Poloquin were sworn in for Council #82. Dave Lima, Frank Rapoza, Manuel Avila and Brian Brown were sworn in for

Council #14947. District Deputy Nelson Matos held up Our Lady’s Ro sary, which defines the Knights. He inducted and presented new members Joe Moitoso , sponsored by Joe Figueirido, and John Coelho, sponsored by Paul Botelho Council #82, each with a black beaded Rosary of Our Lady to be carried by them as a reminder of the Knights love for Mary and her protection.

Along with the of ficers, District Deputy Dale Tommer installed Father Daniel Nunes as the Knights of Columbus Chaplain for Councils #14947, and #82.

Father Nunes gave the final blessing to conclude the ceremony.

Officers for the The Knights of Columbus St. Nicholas of Myra Council #14947 in North Dighton and Annunciation of the Lord, Bishop Coyle Council #82, were sworn in at a recent ceremony in Taunton.