11 01 13

Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , November 1, 2013

Several diocesan youths make headlines locally and abroad Four Bishop Feehan students react quickly at serious car accident scene

By Jason Abdow, Feehan Student Special to The Anchor

Editor’s note: On October 15, four Bishop Feehan High School student members of the cross country team witnessed a serious car accident. They immediately sprang into action, helping the occupants of an overturned vehicle out of peril.

Many local news outlets covered the story. One of the students involved agreed

to provide The Anchor with a first-hand account of the events of that day.

Feehan president, Christopher Servant, told The Anchor, “The spontaneous response to the accident victims by these four students is a testament to them as individuals. It was inspiring to see the boys’ willingness to help without hesitation.

Their actions reflect courage and compasTurn to page 13

Bishop Feehan students and cross country teammates, from left, Michael Wojtyna, Spencer Marcotte, Sean Legg, and Jason Abdow, recently reacted quickly and decisively to a serious car accident, assisting injured occupants out from an overturned vehicle.

This year’s Faith Formation convention focuses on Vatican II

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

FALL RIVER — On November 16 the annual Faith Formation Ministry Convention will focus on this year’s convention theme “Vatican II: Our Hope and Joy” with a redesign of its schedule and by bringing in speakers offering an array of workshops and general sessions on various topics.

“The convention theme is Vatican II and we chose this as a way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the council, which was the focus of the Year of Faith,” explained Claire McManus, direc-

tor of the Office of Faith Formation for the Fall River Diocese. “The Year of Faith asked that we focus on the documents of Vatican II and the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’ that was promulgated after.

Throughout the year there have been various efforts on promoting both of those and giving people an understanding of Vatican II. It’s the 50th anniversary of Vatican II and we looked at this and said let’s focus on Vatican II and with the Year of Faith concluding on November 30, the feast of Christ the King, Advent brings in a new Turn to page 12

PC student, Rehoboth native has close encounter with Pope Francis

By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor

REHOBOTH — When Joseph Day was a young altar-server at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Seekonk, the idea of him swapping caps with the Successor of St. Peter never crossed through the lad’s mind. Such thoughts never occurred

to him when he became a member of the parish youth group, or when he helped lead parish Confirmation retreats and gave witness talks at them.

Day, now a sophomore at Providence College, majoring in history, is part of a study-abroad program called Providence College in Rome, Turn to page 14

The front façade of Santo Christo Church on Columbia Street in Fall River is currently hidden beneath draped tarps hiding the scaffolding needed to begin the first part of a major five-phase restoration project to repair the historic Portuguese landmark.

(Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

Santo Christo Church begins five-phase restoration project

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

Pope Francis gives back a zucchetto to Providence College student Joseph Day at a recent general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

FALL RIVER — While the year 1892 is most frequently associated with the notorious crimes attributed to Fall River’s infamous Lizzie Borden, it was also the year another historic event qui-

etly took place — the founding of the city’s first Portuguese parish just a scant few blocks from where Miss Borden is alleged to have committed parricide.

The newly-established Santo Christo Parish was appropriately named in Turn to page 18

2

News From the Vatican

November 1, 2013

Mary is model of faith, charity, union with Christ, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Seeing Mary as a model of faith teaches Christians that total dedication to Jesus does not take them away from real life, because faith is lived through the chores and cares of everyday existence, Pope Francis said.

Mary lived her faith “in the simplicity of the thousand daily tasks and concerns every mother has, like preparing food, clothing, caring for the home,” he said at a recent weekly general audience.

With more than 85,000 people gathered inside and outside St. Peter’s Square for the audience, Pope Francis continued his series of audience talks about the Church by focusing on the Second Vatican Council’s assertion that Mary is “the model of the Church in the order of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ.”

Many people, he said, believe that because Mary was so special to God and was chosen to bear His Son, she can’t really be a model for their faith. But the pope said Mary’s “normal, daily existence was precisely where the unique and profound dialogue between her and God took place.”

The first step in emulating Mary, the pope said, is to know that God “wants always and only the best for us.”

Pope Francis said Mary is also a model of charity or love for Christians. When, for example, she went to visit her pregnant cousin Elizabeth,

she did not just bring material help or gifts; she brought Jesus.

The Church and each of its members must bring Jesus to others, he said. “The Church is not a business or a humanitarian agency or an NGO (nongovernmental organization), but is sent to bring Christ and His Gospel to all.”

“This is the central point of the Church: to bring Jesus,” the pope said. “A Church that doesn’t bring Jesus is a dead Church. It must bring Jesus and it must bring the charity, the love of Jesus and strength of Jesus.”

Pope Francis asked those at the audience to think about what kind of love they have for others and how that reflects their faith and their obligation to share with others the love of Jesus.

“What is the love we share with others? Is it the love of Jesus that shares, forgives and accompanies? Or is it a diluted love, you know, like when you dilute wine so much it tastes like water? Is our love like that?” he asked, adding whether such a diluted love seeks the good of the other, or only of oneself.

“In your parishes do you love one another like brothers and sisters?” he asked the crowd. “Or do you judge each other?”

Finally, the pope said, Mary is a model of total dedication to Jesus, which she lived by raising Him, accompanying Him and finally standing at the foot of His cross as He offered His life for the Salvation of all.

“Do we remember Jesus only when something goes wrong and we’re in need?” the pope asked. “Or is our relationship with Him something constant, a profound friendship, even when it means following Him on the way of the cross?”

Pope Francis greets the crowd as he arrives to lead a recent general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Pope Francis warns faithful not to be ‘rosewater Christians’

Rome, Italy (CNA/ that this is a path to sanctifi- to help others.”

Noting that there are some EWTN News) — In a recent cation if we do not “get used” Christians who live their faith to living in that state. daily homily, Pope Francis foHe cautioned that if a at “half-speed” Pope Francis cused on the fact that we have been “re-created” in Christ, person has the attitude that emphasized to those present urging those in attendance to “‘I believe in Jesus Christ, that “We are holy, justified, take their faith seriously, rath- but I live the way I want to,’ sanctified by the Blood of oh, no, that will not sanctify, Christ: Take this sanctificaer than committing halfway.

“People do not take it seri- that is wrong! It is a contra- tion and carry it forward!”

For those who have the atously! Lukewarm Christians: diction! titude of “a little touch here “If, however, you say, ‘But, yes, yes, but, no, no.’

Neither here nor there — as ‘I, even I am a sinner, I am and there, of Christian paint, a little ‘paint catour mothers said, ‘rosewater Christians’ n order to take the faith seriously, echesis,’” he stressed “inside there is — no!” the pope stated that we must car- that no true conversion.”

The Holy Father “There is no such offered his reflec- ry out “simple” works of righteousness, tions to those present noting that the f irst act should always conviction as that of for a daily Mass in be to “worship God. God is always f irst! St. Paul: ‘Everything the St. Martha guest- And then do what Jesus advises us to I gave up and I consider garbage, that I house of the Vatican. help others.” may gain Christ and “We have been be found in Him.’” re-made in Christ,” This, he stated, urged the pope at the beginning of his homily, weak,’ and if you go always to “was Paul’s passion and that “What Christ has done in us the Lord and say: ‘But, Lord, is the passion of a Christian,” is a re-creation: the Blood of You have the strength, give urging that we must detach me faith! You can make me ourselves from everything Christ has re-created.”

“If before the whole of clean,’ (and if ) you let your- that distracts us or takes us our life: our body, our soul, self be healed in the Sacra- away from Jesus.

“You can do it!” encouraged our habits, were on the road ment of Reconciliation — of sin, iniquity; after this re- yes, even our imperfections the pope, “as did St. Paul and creation we must make the are used along the way of also many Christians.”

The pontiff concluded his effort to walk on the path of sanctification.” reflections by urging that the Christians, urged the ponrighteousness, sanctification, tiff, have been created “anew” question posed for us today holiness.”

Pope Francis then reflected by the Blood of Christ, and is whether or not we want on how our parents made an are on the path of righteous- to “live our Christianity seact of faith for us at the mo- ness, but “we must take it se- riously, if we want to pursue this re-creation.” ment of our Baptism, stress- riously!”

He invited all those in atIn order to take the faith ing that it is our responsibility to make this faith our own, seriously, the pope stat- tendance to ask for the interand that to live as Christians ed that we must carry out cession of St. Paul, that we “is to bring forth this faith in “simple” works of righteous- may obtain the gift of grace ness, noting that the first act needed in order to live our Christ.”

Emphasizing the fact that should always be to “worship Christian faith seriously, and “to believe that we truly have we are often weak and that God.” “God is always first! And been sanctified by the Blood we commit sins through our imperfections, the pope urged then do what Jesus advises us of Jesus Christ.”

I

The International Church Mission work is about sharing God’s love, Spanish priest says

November 1, 2013

Madrid, Spain (CNA/ EWTN News) — A priest who has spent 50 years ministering in the east African nation of Burundi has emphasized that the primary focus of the missions is to help spread God’s love, rather than caring for merely material needs.

“It’s not about building homes or hospitals, but about teaching how to interpret life from the dimension of God’s love,” Father Germán Ancanada, a member of the Missionaries of Africa, recently told CNA. Father Ancanada is 76 and a native of Palencia, in northern Spain. While in seminary in Palencia, he learned of the Missionaries of Africa, also known as the White Fathers, (for the color of their habit). The order was founded in 1868 by the Archbishop of Algiers.

The order’s commitment to priestly fraternity was a draw for Father Ancanada. “They said that they lived in communities of at least three members, and I knew that I wanted to live in community.”

He said he has spent 50 years in Burundi, one of the world’s poorest countries, because “when you go to be a mis-

sionary, you take on the destiny of the people.”

“It is more important that people become aware of the beauty of love than that we build bridges or roads that could be destroyed by hatred later,” he explained. “We need to raise (that) awareness.”

Burundi is bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its adjusted per capita income in 2012 was only $625, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Most of its population is Hutu, though there is a sizable Tutsi minority.

Father Ancanada noted that nationality of missionaries is changing, saying that “up to now, Africans were considered the receivers of the missions, but now they are beginning to be the transmitters.”

In the case of the Missionaries of Africa, the congregation has 1,500 members and 450 seminarians. Of these, 95 percent come from Africa.

“We need to erase the idea that the only thing Spain has to offer African countries is money. We know very well that the faith has diminished greatly.

But there are people who truly believe, and that faith has made them happy and it is the same faith that can also bring happiness to Africans.”

“Perhaps Africa does not have the same material means as other continents, but maybe that is not as necessary as we thought. But we can create a more authentic vision by sharing the faith,” he said.

“As the pope says, I need to have ‘the smell of the sheep,’ and in my case, the smell of African sheep. For this reason, if you are with them, you have to suffer with them.”

During his half-century spent in Burundi, Father Ancanada has witnessed a 12-year civil war, as well as the mass killings of Hutus and Tutsis.

The civil war, which lasted from 1993 to 2005, was the worst violence, he said. Many areas were left devastated, and therefore his archbishop charged him with rebuilding an area where 67,000 homes had been destroyed.

“During that period,” Father Ancanada recalled, “a reporter got me condemned to death for publishing that I had said that all members of the military are thieves and corrupt, which is

something I never said.”

The Spanish ambassador then asked him to leave the country because of the tensions created by the article. “The ambassador told the superior of the White Fathers to take me out of Burundi, because I would be the next victim.”

“When this happened, my bishop told me: ‘You are not in any more danger than anyone else. If you are unsafe, then I am unsafe as well.’”

“In fact, that archbishop was killed soon after. When I visit his tomb it is like visiting the tomb of a hero, because he had qualities and a commitment that was far superior to mine.”

“The mission is very interesting and it makes you very

3

happy, but you always need to convert, because we always do foolish and dumb things.”

He added that suffering is a necessary part of mission work.

“A missionary that does not have crosses is not authentic.

Precisely because of this, it is normal to suffer with (the people), it is a sign of authenticity, it is natural to demonstrate the vision of the Gospel in my life.”

“The missionary should be a source of unity and communion in the places in which he lives,” Father Ancanada concluded.

“For this reason, in areas affected by wars, the way the faith teaches us to respect and live together in peace is a formidable solution for participating in the healing of that area.”

Cardinal Rai seeks Qatar’s help finding kidnapped Syrian clerics

BEIRUT (CNS) — As part of an official visit to Doha, Qatar, Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, appealed for help gaining the release of two kidnapped Syrian bishops and three priests.

Maronite Archbishop Paul Sayah, patriarchal vicar, told Catholic News Service in a recent email from Qatar that the kidnapping of the two bishops and the three priests had been on the agenda with the three officials Cardinal Rai had already met: Qatar’s prime minister, the minister of culture and the emir.

Archbishop Sayah, who was traveling with the cardinal, said the officials “all promised to do their utmost to find out who their kidnappers are and their whereabouts, and help, in any way possible, to secure their release.”

Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna of Aleppo and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo were kidnapped April 22 in northern Syria while on a humanitarian mission. Several priests also have been kidnapped this year.

Archbishop Sayah told CNS he found it “very strange and utterly unacceptable that no one has been able to locate the bishops and the priests after all this time, knowing that each one of the rebel factions is financed and presumably directed by one country or another.”

He said the effect of the kidnappings “has contributed to making the Christians of Syria in particular feel all the more vulnerable, and consequently more inclined to leave if they can.”

Cardinal Rai traveled to Qatar for a three-day official visit at the invitation of Qatar’s emir, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Before leaving the airport in Beirut, Cardinal Rai thanked Qatar for its role in the release of nine Shiite Lebanese and their families, kidnapped by rebel groups in May 2012 while on their way from Iran to Lebanon via Turkey and Syria.

The pilgrims were freed October 19 as part of a deal that also involved the release of two Turkish Airlines pilots, who were kidnapped in August in

Beirut, and dozens of Syrian women detainees.

“I will also call for liberating all those who are unjustly detained, wherever they may be, because this thing is against human rights and human dignity, and I hope all officials in Qatar will play a positive role after our meetings there,” the patriarch added.

Alan Seaman walks through the remains of his home that was recently destroyed by a bush fire in the Blue Mountains suburb of Winmalee, Australia. Australian authorities have declared a state of emergency for New South Wales as 2,000 firefighters battle the region’s worst bush fires in more than 40 years. (CNS photo/David Gray, Reuters)

November 1, 2013 The Church in the U.S. Biotechnology must consider ethics, compassion, says Cardinal Turkson

4

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNS) — He came to engage in conversations about hunger.

Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, came to Des Moines for the World Food Prize. He talked with scientists, researchers, policymakers and students.

He also made time to talk with those who have concerns about genetically modified food and family farms.

To both groups, he brought the same message: They must engage in conversation and dialogue.

Cardinal Turkson delivered the keynote address at the recent World Food Prize’s Borlaug Dialogue luncheon, which drew more than 900 people from more than 60 countries to Des Moines. Research must be done with ethics and a clear long-term vision that respects human dignity and strives for the common good, he said.

Praising Norman Borlaug, who founded the World Food Prize, Cardinal Turkson said the scientist left a rich legacy.

The dialogue launched a yearlong centennial observance of Borlaug’s birth. An American agronomist, humanitarian and Nobel laureate, he has been called “agriculture’s greatest spokesperson.”

Recently, there have been vocal concerns about a number of issues related to agriculture research and production to feed the world’s hungry.

Cardinal Turkson visited a group with such concerns, Occupy World Food Prize, and encouraged them to have conversation and dialogue with the people with whom they have differences.

He was warmly received at both presentations, receiving standing ovations from both groups.

“The Church promotes listening, dialogue, patience, respect for the other, sincerity and even willingness to review one’s own opinion,” Cardinal Turkson said at the Borlaug Dialogue. “The Church encourages, orients and enriches discussion and debate.”

This is particularly important when there are differing opinions, he said.

During his keynote address, Cardinal Turkson said he had never before received so much mail regarding one event as he had for the World Food Prize’s Borlaug Dialogue, which influenced his decision to attend.

Cardinal Turkson expressed support for biotechnology when it is married to ethics, compassion, morality and prudence.

“In Catholic thought, ‘nature’ is neither Sacred nor Divine, neither to be feared or to be revered and left untouched,” he said. “Rather, it is a gift offered by the Creator to the human community to be entrusted to the intelligence and moral responsibility of men and women. Therefore it is legitimate for humans with the correct attitude to intervene in nature and make modifications.”

Agricultural practices that respect human dignity and the common good would include environmental monitoring, regulations, universal access and transparency to consumers, he said, citing the Second Vatican Council document “Gaudium et Spes,” the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.

“It is hazardous — and ultimately absurd, indeed sinful — to employ biotechnology without the guidance of deeply responsible ethics,” he said.

He also warned of the consequences of denying the most impoverished segments of the population access to the technology.

“Fair ways must be found to share the fruits of research and ensure that developing countries have access to natural resources and to innovations,” Cardinal Turkson said. “Otherwise, whole populations can be discriminated against, exploit-

ed and deprived of what they rightly should have a share in.”

He concluded the Borlaug Dialogue with a call for conversation.

Cardinal Turkson said: “All sides of the controversy are using many of the same key phrases such as ‘overcoming hunger’ and ‘sustainable agriculture,’ thus it will only be by mutual and respectful listening, by a genuine desire to learn from the other, indeed from all the stakeholders, that the better and truly enduring sustainable solutions will be found.”

He participated in an interfaith prayer service to end world hunger during his visit to Des Moines.

The Rev. David Beckmann, president of Christian citizens’ anti-hunger lobby Bread for the World, said at the prayer service that progress has been made to end world hunger and work should continue.

“This is holy work,” he said.

Rev. Beckmann is a 2010 laureate of the World Food Prize.

The purpose of the Borlaug Dialogue is to have open discussions about feeding hungry people now and feeding the nine billion people expected to populate this world by 2050.

The soaring growth in population presents challenges — a need to double the world’s current food supply with little increase in farmable land. In-

creasingly volatile weather patterns further add to the uncertainties.

“We are facing the single greatest challenge in all human history,” said Ambassador Ken Quinn, executive director of the World Food Prize Foundation. “Can we sustainably feed nine billion people who will be on our planet in the year 2050?

We have to do this basically on the land that’s available now for farming, because the other option is that we cut down the forests and rainforests and try to grow food there.”

While in Des Moines, Cardinal Turkson also met with the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, presented the Cardinal Newman Lecture at Drake University and met with Iceland’s President Olafur Grimsson. He attended the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony and dinner at the Iowa State Capitol.

This year’s laureates are three distinguished scientists — Marc Van Montagu of Belgium and Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert T. Fraley of the United States — recognized for their contributions to agricultural biotechnology. Their research has made it possible for farmers to grow crops with improved yields, resistance to insects and disease, and the ability to tolerate extreme variations in climate.

Cardinal Adam J. Maida, retired archbishop of Detroit, blesses a mosaic of Blessed John Paul II during its dedication in the Chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. (CNS photo/Matthew Barrick)

November 1, 2013

The Church in the U.S.

Eva Gonzalez, Hispanic ministry director for the Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky., listens during a breakout session at a recent regional encuentro for Hispanic ministry leaders in St. Augustine, Fla. About 150 participants attended the event, representing 16 dioceses and 17 nationalities from throughout the Southeast. (CNS photo/Tom Tracy)

Growing Hispanic presence in U.S. Church seen as blessing and challenge

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (CNS) — The fact that Spanish-speaking and Latino Catholics are fast becoming a major segment — already about onethird — of the Catholic population in the U.S. wasn’t lost on a range of Catholic Hispanic leadership gathered for a recent regional encounter.

“This growth is a blessing, but also it comes with a lot of challenges: We need to find a way to integrate the Hispanic community in fullness into the life of the Church in the United States,” said Gustavo Valdez, a director of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Charleston, S.C., which encompasses the entire state of South Carolina.

“We see the problem that the Hispanic community is growing in its own way and the Anglo community is trying to maintain parishes in the U.S., but we may not have that communion of communities, and sometimes we are trying to assimilate each other,” Valdez said.

Valdez was among more than 150 leaders in Hispanic ministry who met in St. Augustine to share their pastoral and communications strategies — including many social media and Internetbased tools — and to take up the challenge to help step up the pace and effectiveness of Hispanic Church leadership across the country.

The event was the 17th Southeast regional encuentro for Hispanic ministry hosted by the Miami-based SEPI — Southeast Pastoral Institute, or Instituto Pastoral del Sureste.

“We are universal and that means we have to work in a way that we can live together as a Christian community, as a

Catholic community and accept each other as God’s gift; we compliment and enrich each other and only when we are together can we help the Church to grow,” said Valdez, reflecting on the issue of integrating Anglo and Latino U.S. Catholics.

He made the comments in an interview with The Florida Catholic, the newspaper of the Miami Archdiocese and other Florida dioceses.

The Southeast Pastoral Institute was created by the U.S. bishops to help nurture ministry initiatives and educational programming in support of Hispanic Church life in nine U.S. states.

After an opening outdoor Mass celebrated by St. Augustine Bishop Felipe J. Estevez and Orlando Bishop John G. Noonan at the historic Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, where historians believe Spanish explorers celebrated the first Mass on what later became the continental U.S. Participants also heard from a range of speakers that included Mar Munoz-Visoso, executive director of the Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“We have a sizable group of leaders here all committed to the New Evangelization and we had very good discussions that they need to grow and be ministers for the entire Church in the different ministries, Religious Education, Liturgy offices and to promote vocations to the Church,” Munoz-Visoso told The Florida Catholic.

She asked participants to go home and do an inventory of what kind of knowledge, atti-

tudes and skills they need to be “good agents of the New Evangelization and to be good missionary disciples.”

“Because a poorly educated leadership is a poor leadership, we need to prepare ourselves to be servants in the Church; we need to form and educate ourselves with a lot of prayer, training, certification programs and also to identify among ourselves who can make a good leader in our Latino communities and more broadly,” Munoz-Visoso said.

Munoz-Visoso, who is a native of Spain and a past assistant director of media relations at USCCB, said the Southeast Latino communities in Florida especially are already accustomed to a very diverse Hispanic Catholic presence.

She said other states, such as the Carolinas, that are not historically Catholic areas have been undergoing a kind of “Catholicization” in large part because of the growing presence of Latino immigrants.

Cristina LeBlanc, director of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Lafayette, La., which saw a steep increase the number of Central American workers following Hurricane Katrina as well as South Americans displaced by social unrest in places such as Venezuela, said something as simple as text messaging on mobile phones has helped connect the Church to Catholic Latinos.

“We have had a much larger challenge to reach out and be able keep people united in our faith because as we well know there are other religions present,” LeBlanc said. “We have a diversity of cultures within the

5

Hispanic community but SEPI trains us to reach out to those different communities with different levels of education, for example.”

Eva Gonzalez, Hispanic ministry director for the Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky., said the event was her first experience with a Southeast Pastoral Institute encuentro and that she was exchanging information with colleagues from neighboring states and dioceses.

“We are sharing and that helps to empower our faith by working in collaboration to accomplish greater things,” Gonzalez said, adding that strong quinceanera preparation retreats and Marriage preparation in Spanish are part of the local pastoral plan for Hispanics.

Gonzalez said the University of Notre Dame’s forthcoming

implementation of affordable distance learning and Religious Education programing in Spanish will help foster Hispanic leadership preparedness of catechesis.

On hand to talk about the pilot Spanish-language launch of Notre Dame’s Satellite Theological Education Program, or STEP, for ministry formation was Esther Terry, coordinator of what is being called Camino at the Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame.

“We have a number of professors who care about Hispanic ministry and pastoral theology and the idea is have an impact on the Church at large and at the parish level by working with catechist formation, schools — a total of seven new courses specially created in Spanish,” Terry said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CNS) — Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See joined Oblate Father Thomas B. Curran, president of Jesuit-run Rockhurst University in Kansas City recently, in laying a wreath at a plaque on campus that pays tribute to the more than 150 Jesuits who died at the hands of the Nazis. “It is an honor for us to be here together to pay our respect to all the Jesuits who perished in the Holocaust, who sacrificed their lives to save Jews,” said Ambassador Zion Evrony. “This is a very unique opportunity to pay our respects on behalf of Israel.”

The 55-by-28-inch bronze plaque, dedicated in April 2007, bears the names of 152 Jesuits, who are grouped into three categories: those who were killed, those who died in captivity or as

a result of prison conditions, and those who died in concentration camps. The plaque was a gift of the late Eliot Berkley, a university regent, and his wife, Marcia.

The lists were compiled by Jesuit Father Vincent Lapomarda, associate professor of history at the College of the Holy Cross, a Jesuit school in Worcester.

“This plaque, the memory of Dr. Berkley and the memory of all those who perished in the Shoah is a reminder that in life and in death, we belong to God,” Father Curran said. “This is the first time the Israeli ambassador to the Vatican has paid a visit to the U.S. and to come to a Jesuit university during a time when we have a Jesuit pope further strengthens our friendship,” the priest said. “This plaque is a reflection of our friendship that has endured.”

Ambassador, priest pay tribute to Jesuits who perished in Holocaust

6

November 1, 2013

Anchor Editorial

The month of the dead

This week’s edition of The Anchor must seem like it was underwritten by the souls in purgatory, given the columns mentioning praying for them by Father Landry (page seven), Msgr. Oliveira and Rose Mary Saraiva (both on page nine), Dave Jolivet (page 11), and Deacon Frank Lucca (page 17).

As these columnists mention, making offerings for the souls in purgatory is something which will help them and something which will ultimately help ourselves when the hour of our death comes (since we will have saints in Heaven who will be grateful to us, who will intercede on our behalf ).

Since Pope Francis was only elected this past spring, he has not yet preached an All Souls’ homily as Holy Father. However, he has mentioned praying for souls since his election. For example, on July 14 he recalled those killed in a massacre in the Ukraine in World War II and said, “I entrust the victims’ souls to God’s mercy.” The pope was not presumptuous about their eternal Salvation, having been dead 70 years. Since God and the souls in purgatory (and Heaven and hell) are outside of time and space, whatever we are doing for them now can help them, no matter when they died.

The pope has also repeatedly prayed for the souls of the immigrants who have been killed trying to get to the Italian island of Lampedusa, for people killed in the civil war in Syria and for other people who died tragically. As Father Landry writes, it would make no sense to pray for them if they were already in Heaven (since they would have no need of our prayers), nor if they were in hell (since our prayers would be able to do nothing for them).

When we go by a cemetery or even take a walk in one getting some needed exercise, we can offer prayers for the souls of the people buried there. When someone famous dies whom we admired, we can pray for their soul, knowing that that might mean a more close relationship with them when we die.

When someone dies of whom we were not fond, we also should pray for them (we are supposed to love our neighbors as ourselves), asking God to have mercy upon them and asking God to help us grow in our love for them. As George Weigel says on page eight, we should be praying for our persecutors,

as well as for our fellow Christians who are being persecuted.

In 1992 the International Theological Commission wrote about purgatory in a document entitled, “Some Current Questions in Eschatology”: “The Church’s faith in such a state [purgatory] was already implicitly expressed in the prayers for the dead, and the catacombs have most ancient testimonies of this, all of which find their basic foundation in the witness of Second Maccabees 12:46.

In such prayers it is presupposed that the departed can be helped on the way of purification by the prayers of the faithful. The theology of that state began to develop in the third century in the case of those who had been restored to peace with the Church without having made the full Penance before death.”

In the Old Testament passage mentioned in the previous paragraph, Judas Maccabeus had a collection taken up to have sacrifices offered in the temple for the repose of the souls of Jewish soldiers who had died in battle. After their deaths, pagan good-luck charms (which obviously did not work) were found under their uniforms. Judas Maccabeus did not presume that their souls were lost, even though they had not been entirely faithful to God. He trusted in God’s mercy (which would not ultimately open the “door” to Paradise until Good Friday in 33 A.D., but, again, since God is outside of time, “it was a holy and pious thought” [2 Macc 12:45]).

A priest of our diocese noted in one difficult November that we can cling to so many things in this life, but only Christ remains. Purgatory serves to purify us of those attachments to things which are not of Christ, to help us fully enter into a 100 percent union of love with God and with the saints in Heaven. It allows us to grow into that love relationship, thanks to acts of love done for us by concerned people on earth and by the saints in Heaven. The former do so imperfectly, the latter do so knowing the great gift which they are helping to bestow (which ultimately God is bestowing).

“May the souls in purgatory have prayers so that they may be hastened to the beatific vision. Continue to repeat with the choirs of angels and saints the eternal alleluia to the august Trinity” (Blessed John XXIII, 1962).

Pope Francis’ weekly Angelus address and prayer Here is the text of the address given by Pope Francis before the recitation of the Angelus at the conclusion of the Mass for the Pilgrimage of the Families of the World for the Year of Faith: “Before concluding this celebration, I would like to greet all the pilgrims, especially you, dear families, who have come from many countries. I thank you from my heart!

“I offer a cordial greeting to the bishops and faithful from Equatorial Guinea, who have come here on the occasion of the agreement

with the Holy See. May the Immaculate Virgin protect your beloved nation and obtain for you, to progress along the path of concord and justice.

“Now we will pray the Angelus. With this prayer we invoke the protection of Mary, our mother, for the families of the world, in a particular way for those who live in very difficult circumstances. Mary, Queen of the Family, pray for us! Let us say together: Mary, Queen of the Family, pray for us! Mary, Queen of the Family, pray for us!

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

www.anchornews.org

Vol. 57, No. 42

Member: Catholic Press Association, Catholic News Service Published weekly except for two weeks in the summer and the week after Christmas by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 — FAX 508-675-7048, email: theanchor@anchornews.org.

Subscription price by mail, postpaid $20.00 per year, for U.S. addresses.

Send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA, call or use email address

PUBLISHER - Most Reverend George W. Coleman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Richard D. Wilson fatherwilson@anchornews.org EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchornews.org OFFICE MANAGER Mary Chase marychase@anchornews.org ADVERTISING Wayne R. Powers waynepowers@anchornews.org REPORTER Kenneth J. Souza k ensouza@anchornews.org REPORTER Rebecca Aubut beckyaubut@anchornews.org Send Letters to the Editor to: fatherwilson@anchornews.org

PoStmaSters send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.

THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.

Mary, Queen of the Family, pray for us!”

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy Word.

Hail Mary...

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary...

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Pope Francis reacts to children as he addresses pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican recently. He addressed an estimated 100,000 people taking part in a Year of Faith celebration of family life. (CNS photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters)

November 1, 2013

A

fter Constantine gave word that he was going to bury the Vatican necropolis to build the first Basilica to St. Peter around 320, pagan families began moving their dead out, so that they could continue their practice of having refrigeria (picnics) with their deceased loved ones.

At the same time, Christians formed a procession in the opposite direction moving their loved ones in.

The reason why was shown in an inscription a Christian left in the mausoleum of Valerius Herma that I used to ponder with pilgrims during my years as a guide to the Vatican excavations.

“Petrus, rogat Christus, pro sanctis hominibus chrestianis [ad] corpus tuum sepultis,” someone wrote with charcoal in flawed Latin. “Peter, pray to Christ for the holy Christian men and women buried near your body.”

Discovered during the excavations that began in 1939, the inscription confirmed not only that Christians were bringing their dead in to inter them as close as possible to St. Peter, but that they believed that prayers for the dead were so important that they would even place their loved ones in what would become an inaccessible subterranean burial ground in order best to assure those prayers.

The important thing to notice about the inscription is not the hope for “geographical

Anchor Columnist A love that never dies

nepotism,” as if St. Peter would ours. take the command to “love To pray for the dead is not your neighbor” so seriously as just a spiritual work of mercy to give special predilection to but a sweet response of love. those whose tombs abutted his.

Tomorrow we celebrate It’s rather the evidence of the the Commemoration of the perennial Christian practice of Faithful Departed, popularly praying for the dead. known as All Souls’ Day, when There is no reason to pray Catholics convene to pray for for loved ones, I would tell the our deceased loved ones and for pilgrims, if we think that they are already in Heaven. Likewise the Putting Into early Christians never the Deep believed that there would be a furlough from hell. If they were

By Father praying for the dead Roger J. Landry and making such an effort to ask St. Peter to do the same, it was because all who have died. they believed that there was a We come together to pray good chance their loved ones for them because, except for were neither in Heaven nor a Baptized baby who died in in hell but in a place where infancy or a canonized saint, prayers were needed. we simply don’t know the state It would take a few centuries of our loved ones after death. for the word “purgatory” (place Jesus told us emphatically of cleansing) to develop, but not to judge, and this means long before the word came into not only not to condemn to vogue, the practice of praying hell someone we thought was for the dead and the underlyevil but also not to place in ing belief in its importance was Heaven someone we thought very much practiced by faithful good, for only God sees the Christians. heart.

Praying for deceased loved As so on All Souls’ Day and ones is just as important today throughout the month of Noas it was in the early Church. vember, we pray for those who The same love that led the early lived, to our eyes, a good and Roman Catholics to bury their holy life, who cared for Christ loved ones as close as possible in the hungry and poor, who to Peter should lead all of us died with the Sacraments. We to draw as close as possible to also pray for those who lived, Christ on the altar to pray for by human impressions, a life

far from God, His Sacraments and Commandments, and who may have died in objectively sinful circumstances. We pray for them all, entrusting them to God’s mercy, knowing that in the communion of saints, our prayers and good deeds can in fact help them.

On All Souls’ Day we pray for them in the most powerful way any human being can: at Mass, entering into Christ’s prayer from the upper room and the cross that made Salvation possible.

While we explicitly pray for the dead in every Eucharistic Prayer, on All Souls’ Day and throughout November we’re called to pray this memento with special preparation, recollection and devotion.

I’m always moved by the devotion of some Catholics to this work of mercy and love of praying for deceased family members and friends, themselves and others. Many Catholics regularly have Masses said for deceased loved ones, and some Catholics routinely have Masses offered for forgotten souls in purgatory. Last week I received word that a recentlydeceased parishioner left as the first item in his will money to have 200 Masses said for him and his deceased wife — a profoundly humble, Catholic and wise act.

But I’ve also seen what

7 I think can only be called a growing spiritual negligence on the part of many other Catholics. Perhaps because they mistakenly presume — contrary to Christ’s Words in the Gospel and the teaching of the Church — that everyone who dies automatically goes to a “better place,” they seem never to pray for loved ones.

They sometimes don’t even have funerals for them, not to mention have month’s mind or other Masses offered. They’re nowhere to be found — either at church or at a cemetery — on All Souls’ Day. The way a Catholic lives the month of November often shows the vitality of the person’s faith and love.

Pope Emeritus Benedict wrote in 2007, “The belief that love can reach into the afterlife, that reciprocal giving and receiving is possible, in which our affection for one another continues beyond the limits of death — this has been a fundamental conviction of Christianity throughout the ages and it remains a source of comfort today.”

All Souls’ Day is an occasion on which all Catholics are able to put into practice that “fundamental conviction” with a love that not even death can destroy.

Anchor columnist Father Landry is pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River. His email address is fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.

Catholic college mourns death of alumna slain at her school

WORCESTER (CNS) — Assumption College recently held a noon prayer service in the school’s Chapel of the Holy Spirit to remember Colleen Ritzer, a 2011 graduate found dead early in the morning October 23.

Assumptionist Father Dennis Gallagher, the college’s vice president for mission, said the time of quiet, prayerful reflection also was an occasion to pray for her family and the alleged killer, Philip Chism, a 14-yearold student at Danvers High School, about 25 miles north of Boston, where Ritzer taught math.

Ritzer’s body was found in the woods behind the high school.

Philip was charged as an adult and arraigned October 23 in nearby Salem on a murder charge and ordered held without bail.

Prosecutors said he beat Ritzer to death. Police said Philip used a box cutter in the slaying.

Authorities said the teen

knew the 24-year-old teacher from school, but they provided few details about the killing or a possible motive, according to a Boston Globe report. The newspaper said the cause of death had not been conclusively established.

People quoted by Associated Press or the Boston Globe spoke of Ritzer as well-liked and respected, a mentor to students, passionate about her job, close to family members. Philip was described as a quiet, pleasant top scorer on the school’s junior varsity soccer team, who recently moved to Massachusetts from Tennessee.

“The Assumption College campus community mourns the tragic death of Colleen Elizabeth Ritzer, a 2011 alumna who graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in psychology with a concentration in secondary education,” Assumption College President Francesco Cesareo

said in a recent statement. “Colleen worked as a math teacher at Danvers High School and will be missed by all those who knew her.”

The community of Assumption College, which is in the Worcester Diocese, “will keep Colleen’s family members in its thoughts and prayers during this time of great sorrow and loss,” said Cesareo. “We pray that God will give them strength and comfort during these difficult days and commend Colleen to God’s loving presence.”

Ritzer was reported missing when she didn’t return home from work October 22, and blood found in school bathroom helped lead investigators to her body, AP reported.

Philip, who had not attended his soccer team’s dinner October 22, was found walking along U.S. Route 1 at about 12:30 a.m. the following morning. He was arrested based on statements he

made and corroborating evidence at several scenes.

The judge denied the request of Philip’s attorney, Denise Regan, to have the proceedings closed and her client allowed to stay hidden because of his age, according to AP. The teen’s next court appearance was scheduled for November 22.

“The Department of Math-

ematics and Computer Science deeply regrets the untimely passing of Colleen Ritzer,” Assumption professor Joseph Alfano, a former head of the department told AP. “She was a talented student in math and education, a cheerful presence in and out of class, and a promising young alumna of Assumption College.

We will miss her.”

WESTPORT — The Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will next meet November 23 at St. George’s Parish, Highland Avenue in Westport.

The DCCW local International Concerns committee will present a slide show of Pope Francis’ recent visit to Brazil.

The presenter will be Tiffany Silva, who attended the event.

Coffee and pastries will be

served at 9 a.m. with the meeting beginning at 9:30 a.m.

The DCCW is pleased to announce that Father Michael Racine, pastor of St. Bernard’s Parish in Assonet, is its new spiritual advisor.

All are welcome to the meeting to meet and greet Father Racine and make new friends and renew old friendships.

For information, call 508672-6900.

DCCW to meet November 23 featuring slide show of Pope Francis’ Brazil visit

8 y mother had decided to call me Suzanne beM fore I was born, then I was born

a boy on Easter Sunday. My mother then was going to call me Pascal. Then, thankfully, she chose Marc Paul. My mother had a strange habit of keeping our names secret to herself until we were born. To think that I could have been a living example of the Johnny Cash song, “A Boy Named Sue.” Our name, given us by our parents, becomes so much a part of our identity. In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we hear that God has called us each one by name. An individual’s name had even deeper significance in the Middle Eastern culture of Jesus’ day. To know someone’s name and to speak it out loud was almost a Sacred thing. Remember the tradition in the Jewish community, that out of reverence, one refrains from speaking the name of God aloud. A name was extremely important to these people and to know a person’s name was to know him or her. We still do the same when we speak the name of a deceased family member in remembrance or whisper tenderly the name of one who is loved. Just to say the name is almost to make them present.

For Jesus to call out to Zac-

November 1, 2013

‘A priest named Sue’

chaeus by name in this week’s name and the rich man remains Gospel story points to a special forever anonymous. It reflects encounter that is about to the Gospel message of a world take place. In fact, Zacchaeus’ turned upside down where the name is used three times in this nameless rich and powerful are Gospel. Jesus knew Zacchaeus’ sent away empty-handed and name beforehand. Jesus knew the lowly and forgotten ones are Zacchaeus. The name Zaclifted up in dignity and called chaeus means pure and righteous one and he was hardly so. He was Homily of the Week a despised tax collector. We know none Thirty-first Sunday of the other people in Ordinary Time present (except the townspeople who were

By Father grumbling about Jesus Marc P. Tremblay staying with a sinner), nor are the Apostles or disciples even mentioned. Only Zacchaeus has a by name as sons and daughters name here. If you read between of Abraham and Sarah. This the lines, we might think that is a world transformed by the Jesus came to Jericho explicitly Good News message of Jesus. to meet up with Zacchaeus.

Everyone gets invited, everyone Jesus looks up at him through gets to come. that distance caused by the tree Luke tells us at the end of Zacchaeus had climbed. It was this week’s Gospel lesson why a symbolic distance that tells us people such as Zacchaeus have about the distance between him names and not the “important” and the rest of the community people, i.e. the religious elite of Jericho. Jesus looks at him in and the power people of Jesus’ the tree and calls out, “Today I society don’t. Jesus says, as He must stay at your house.” repeats so often in the Gospels, This is consistent with what that He has come to “save and Luke seems to do in other placseek what was lost.” In Jesus’ es. A few weeks ago, we listened world view, the sinners and to Jesus speak the parable about the excluded, the poor and the the rich man and Lazarus. sick and those who are living Only Lazarus is spoken of by on the margins of society, even

a traitorous tax collector like Zacchaeus, are sought after and welcomed. This was a great scandal to the people who saw Jesus and heard His message. It is the scandal of the Christian message. The poor, the sick, the sinner and other riffraff are going to be included in the Kingdom.

The message is that wholeness and healing cannot come to God’s people until all the descendants of Abraham and Sarah have Salvation come to their house. This is why Jesus invites Himself to Zacchaeus house.

Jesus looks for the one who is most in need and the “sinner” is overwhelmed by Jesus’ act of compassion. Zacchaeus’ first reaction to Jesus’ self-invitation is absolute joy. And so as Jesus has done, so we as His disciples, must also do and so help transform the sadness of our time into the joy of Zacchaeus. We can only learn how to do this by observing the heart of the Master Who does not flinch at going to places where many of us would never think of going.

What we can take away from this wonderful story is more about the example of Jesus Who actively goes out of His way to seek out and stay

with those who are rejected, neglected and excluded in His society. No less for us in the 21st century as His disciples.

How many poor, rejected and excluded ones do we still have in our midst? The list would be too long to include here.

In recent months we have witnessed a man demonstrate in public ways what Jesus was doing so long ago when He encountered Zacchaeus. Pope Francis, from the visit to the prison to wash women inmates’ feet during Holy Week and the multitude of public encounters that have been reported and photographed, is mirroring the Jesus Who comes to welcome the lost, forgotten and excluded.

Among his first words to us on his first few moments as pope, he asked that we walk together as a Church in brotherhood.

As we consider the encounter of Jesus and Zacchaeus this weekend, we cannot avoid the invitation it is for us as Church and disciples to call out to the multitude of people like Zacchaeus “by name.” To go to them and be with them as bearers of the message of Good News and peace that welcomes all to come along on the journey of faith together.

Father Tremblay is pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Norton and has been a priest for 33 years.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day, Wis 3:1-9; Ps 23:1-6; Rom 5:5-11; Jn 6:37-40 or 1011-1016. Sun. Nov. 3, Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, Wis 11:22-12:2; Ps 145:1-2,8-11,13-14; 2 Thes 1:11-2:2; Lk 19:1-10. Mon. Nov. 4, Rom 11:29-36; Ps 69:30-31,33-34; Lk 14:12-14. Tues.

Nov. 5, Rom 12:5-16b; Ps 131:1-3; Lk 14:15-24. Wed. Nov. 6, Rom 13:8-10; Ps 112:1-2,4-5,9; Lk 14:25-33. Thurs. Nov. 7, Rom 14:7-12; Ps 27:1,4,13-14; Lk 15:1-10. Fri. Nov. 8, Rom 15:14-21; Ps 98:1-4; Lk 16:1-8.

ach issue of the admirable ecumenical journal, E Touchstone, includes a department

called “The Suffering Church.”

It’s a title that Catholics of a certain age associate with purgatory; in Touchstone’s vocabulary, however, “the Church suffering” is the Church being purified here and now by persecution. It’s a useful reminder of a hard fact.

For that hard fact too rarely impinges on the Christian selfawareness, much less the Christian conscience, of the Church Comfortable, the Church Lax, or the Church of Nice — even though the historical commission created by John Paul II in preparation for the Great Jubilee of 2000 made clear that Christians today live in the greatest tribulation-time in Christian history. Indeed, that historical commission suggested that more Christians were killed for fidelity to Christ in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries of Christian history combined.

As I’ve noted in this space before, “martyrdom” is not just a matter of Richard Burton and Jean

The Church persecuted

captive in his home, in order Simmons turning their backs on to compel their conversion (or Jay Robinson’s madcap Caligula reversion) to Islam. while Michael Rennie/St. Peter As these micro-dramas are looks on benignly, in the clasbeing played out, Christians live sic Hollywood romance, “The Robe”; “martyrdom” is going on around us, all the time.

Thus a single page of a recent issue of Touchstone noted that some 1,200 Protestants are being imprisoned in shipping

By George Weigel containers in Eritrean desert camps where “torture is routine”; that in daily fear for their lives in Syria Mostafa Bordbar, a 27-year-old and Egypt, two imploding societChristian convert, was arrested and charged with “illegal gather- ies where the majority Muslim factions and sects can seem to ing and participating in a house agree on one thing only: it’s open church” in Iran (a sobering season on Christians. Within two reminder to those bears of little decades, perhaps less, Christianbrain who discern a new “modity may well have ceased to be eration” in Tehran these days); a living ecclesial reality in many that Kazakh Christians, many of the places where Christianof them converts from Islam, are ity was born, not to mention the “encouraged,” by the arrest and imprisonment of their pastors, to cities where sub-apostolic and refrain from evangelism; and that patristic Christianity developed; the sole exception to this pattern a Muslim leader in central Nithroughout the Middle East and geria regularly abducts Christian girls and women and holds them North Africa is Israel.

The Catholic Difference

Thus Tom Holland, a popular historian and author of “The Forge of Christendom” (an intriguing book exploring the ways the late first millennium’s expectation of an imminent End Time shaped the West’s triumph in the second millennium), said recently at a London press briefing that “in terms of the sheer scale of the hatreds and sectarian rivalries” afoot in the Middle East today, “we are witnessing something on the scale of horror of the European 30 Years War.” At that same conference, my old friend and colleague Nina Shea, director of the Hudson Institute’s Religious Freedom Center in Washington, raised some pointed questions about western media ignorance — or worse — about this persecution.

Shea noted that a fourth-century Coptic church dedicated to Our Lady was recently destroyed in Egypt, even though it was on a shortlist to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage

Site. The church was 200 years older than the UNESCO-listed Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, whose destruction by the Taliban in 2001 was widely reported and universally condemned; yet the mainstream media treated this grotesque act of anti-Christian religious and cultural vandalism in Egypt as a non-event.

So what is to be done? Support those non-governmental agencies that work to sustain the pastoral life of Christianity in its historic birthplace. Demand that U.S. diplomacy take religious freedom in the Middle East more seriously. And make the cause of these and other persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ a regular part of Liturgical prayer, remembering the Church Persecuted in the General Intercessions at every Mass and praying publicly for the conversion of the persecutors.

Yes, their conversion.

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

November 1, 2013

T

he hardy mums are now wilting in the morning frost. The leaves fall from the trees in greater abundance and the barren limbs become more numerous. The soil begins to harden and the signs of the summer are stored with the hope of basking in the sun once again.

These scenes transpiring around us are harbingers of the months ahead. The change from daylight savings time is one of the final signs of the approaching winter months. Nature is preparing for its rejuvenation in the silence of winter while external signs manifest death and dying.

It is in this context that we begin the month of November. In our area of the world it feels like November.

The Catholic Church singles out November to be the month of prayer for and in commemoration of the souls in purgatory.

October ends with the celebration of Halloween. This name originates with the combination of hallowed and eve. This is the evening before the celebration of the hallowed — the saints. All saints eve — all hallowed eve — Halloween.

W

here has the summer gone? It seems the year has flown by, we are now in November looking ahead and beginning to think of all we need to accomplish for the upcoming holidays. Yet, we begin November remembering and praying for all our departed loved ones, the saints and everyone throughout the vast planet who has died.

Collectively giving thanks for their lives, and how directly and/ or indirectly, they have had an effect on our lives.

The key word is giving thanks.

How appropriate that we hail in the month of November with a sense of gratitude for all those who have come before us, who have lived among us, and who have in their little way, made a significant difference in our lives and that of our world. Grateful for all we have gained from their existence, from their values, and from the way they chose to live.

Actually the whole month is about being grateful, we remember those who have served our great country, and protected people around the globe. Who have sacrificed themselves and their lives for the sake of countless others, ensuring that freedom prevails and justice is found.

As we close out the month, we gather as family around the

Anchor Columnists Pray for the souls in purgatory In the Church’s calendar the pray on that day and, in a special month begins with the remem- way, throughout the month for brance of all the saints. We have those souls who are in purgatory.

The Catholic “Catechism” many saints we remember during the year. Some saints are more defines purgatory as: “A state of popular than others. We easily final purification after death and remember the dates of St. Pat- before entrance into Heaven for rick — March 17, St. Joseph — those who died in God’s friendMarch 19, St. Francis of Assisi — October 4. Next year will add St. John Living Paul II and St. John the the XXII among those remembered. Other saints Faith are not so easily recalled,

By Msgr. but they do exist in the John J. Oliveira calendar of the Church’s year.

November 1 remembers all ship, but were only imperfectly those who are saints who are not purified; a final cleansing of huremembered on any particular man imperfection before one day. It recalls those who are not is able to enter into the joy of Heaven.” publicly proclaimed as saints.

I recall reading a book whose The Catholic Church believes that anyone who gets to Heaven title now escapes me. I do recall is a saint. So on the first day of however the frightening scenario November we commemorate all of a cemetery and a bell. Without those who have reached Heav- the sure methods for discerning en. Our relatives and friends are death in the early ages, they would surely numbered among them. tie, so the book relates, a string to the finger of the deceased and run This is their feast.

The day following All Saints the string up through the earth to Day is November 2 and it is the the top. If the person was alive feast of the souls in purgatory. We they could move their finger and

ring the bell. Someone would hear the bell and disinter them.

In a sense the souls of the dead are ringing their bells for our attention. They want to remind us they await our prayers to assist in purifying them for the final entrance into the presence of God. The Catholic “Catechism” tell us (#1032): “From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.” When I was ordained a priest 46 years ago, my first assignment was St. John of God in Somerset.

The pastor, Msgr. Leal Furtado, had a painting in the hallway of the rectory. It showed a priest celebrating Mass (in black vestments — back to the people — as it was then) and around the altar were the souls in purgatory awaiting redemption. In this one painting the custom and practice of praying for the dead was explained.

During Mass on Sunday and on weekdays often the inten-

A thankful heart

dining room table, or join with others to provide meals for the homeless, and give thanks for all the blessings we received throughout the year, big or small.

The holiday itself could not be more aptly named: Thanksgiving.

A celebration that began from the gratefulness of a pioneer people, the welcome they received by the native people, and how together they forged a community that worked against the odds.

Historically and globally there are special days set aside for being thankful and appreciative of all that we have received. Scan the pages of the Bible and you see countless celebrations giving thanks to God for all that He has given His people. From bringing them out of slavery, for bountiful harvests, so many more accounts of gatherings in appreciation for all that they have been given.

But should our gratitude be encapsulated into one day, one month? No, it should be a part of our everyday lives, every fiber of our being. Melody Beattie says it best: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can

turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

Gratitude brings us into a

In the Palm of His Hands

By Rose Mary Saraiva closer relationship with God, by living our lives full of gratitude we recognize the goodness of God and His abundant mercy and love. But it is not enough to be grateful; we in turn need to share our blessings with others. It is not enough to just give thanks; we must live out our thankfulness. We are gifts to each other, bringing an abundance of talents, skills, and abilities, which together can affect the lives of so many. Think of those people in your families, neighborhoods, churches and communities who come together, who choose to give of themselves so that others can have a little more.

These are individuals who are recognized for their gentleness

and kindness; for their ability to forgive others; who can find the joy even in the midst of their sorrows; someone who can be relied on to represent fortitude and strength; who is not afraid to stand up for what is right. These people live all around us, and have chosen to live their lives with a sense of gratitude, choosing to live their lives to the fullest.

All around this beautiful world we live in, so many people have shared their thankfulness with others, from Blessed Mother Teresa who shared God’s mercies; Oscar Romero, who sought justice, and countless others too numerous to list, who shared their gifts for the sake of others. In 1 Pt 4:8-10, we are reminded to love each other constantly; be hospitable to one another without complaining; and to serve others with the gifts we have received.

This is a time to give thanks, to look back on our year, and recognize the blessings we have so generously received. With this, we are all challenged to go out from our homes into our communities and share these very blessings with others. Just like a smile that once shared with an-

9 tion is for a deceased person.

We should ask ourselves how often we remember the dead.

As a minimum we should pray for them during November. We should offer Masses for them annually, especially our deceased family members.

Tradition tells us that if your prayers are the prayers that bring a soul to Heaven, you will always have a special intercessor in Heaven.

There is a saying among priests that states: “There is nothing deader than a dead priest.” I will be sure to leave in my will an amount of money for Masses to be offered for the eternal repose of my soul. Have you seen to it that Masses will be offered for you? If you do not do it, will there be someone to do it for you? Do you offer Masses now for your deceased loved ones?

Let us use the month of November to pray for the souls in purgatory.

Anchor columnist Msgr.

Oliveira is pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in New Bedford and director of the diocesan Propagation of the Faith Office and the Permanent Diaconate Office.

other refuses to remain hidden, so too, should are blessings be.

So as Sister Melannie Svoboda so eloquently asks in “Give Us This Day”: “What gifts am I especially grateful for this year: health, family, education, ample food, a certain talent, my faith?

Then ask: How can I share these particular gifts in loving service of others?”

May you continue to be blessed and be a blessing to everyone with whom you meet!

And may we always look at life with a thankful heart.

Anchor columnist Rose Mary Saraiva lives in Fall River and is a parishioner of St. Michael’s Parish, and she is the Events Coordinator and Bereavement Ministry for the diocesan Office of Faith Formation. She is married with three children and two grandchildren. rmsaraiva@dfrcec.com.

Correction In last week’s Anchor it was incorrectly reported that Father Rodney Thibault was at one time a parochial administrator at St. Julie Billiart Parish in North Dartmouth. It should have read a parochial administrator at St. John Neumann Parish in East Freetown. The Anchor regrets the error.

10

November 1, 2013

Ohio bishop tapped to lead Archdiocese of Hartford

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, Ohio to lead the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn., following the retirement of the diocese’s previous archbishop.

“With joy we welcome the news that Our Holy Father Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Leonard P. Blair of the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio, to be the new Archbishop of Hartford,” outgoing Archbishop

Henry J. Mansell said.

Bishop Blair, 64, will be replacing the 76-year-old Archbishop Mansell who has headed the Hartford Archdiocese since 2003 until his recent application for resignation, having passed the age of retirement.

Born in Detroit in 1949, Bishop Blair was ordained to the priesthood in 1976 following the completion of his studies at the Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, as well as the North American College and

the Gregorian University in Rome.

He holds numerous degrees, including a bachelor’s degree in history, a bachelor of Sacred theology, a licentiate in theology with a specialization in patristics and the history of theology, as well as a doctorate in theology.

In 2003, Bishop Blair was appointed by Blessed Pope John Paul II to lead the Diocese of Toledo, and has held the position for the last 10 years until his October 29 appointment to Hartford.

Previous assignments of the bishop include his positions as ecumenical officer for the Archdiocese of Detroit, dean of studies and assistant professor of theology at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary College, and service in the Papal Secretariat of State Office in Vatican City.

Other job assignments of Bishop Blair have included his role as the administrative secretary to the Archbishop of Detroit, vicar general and chancellor of the Archdiocese of Detroit, instructor in Church history and patristics at St. John’s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth, and archivist for the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Bishop Blair’s installation as the Archbishop of Hartford will take place on December 16 at the local Cathedral of St. Joseph.

11

November 1, 2013

A player from a team of priests and seminarians returns a ball during a recent cricket training session at the Maria Mater Ecclesiae’s Catholic College in Rome. A competitive cricket series will kick off in mid-November and be similar to the Clericus Cup soccer tournament, which involves teams of priests and seminarians studying in Rome. (CNS photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters)

A time for prayer and a time for joy

T

hroughout this week’s Anchor are references to November being a special time in the Church to remember our beloved dead, and to pray for the souls in purgatory, especially those with no one to pray for them.

I learned that at a very tender age when I was a pup at St. Anne’s School

My View From the Stands

By Dave Jolivet in Fall River in the 1960s.

Since then, I have made an effort to pray for the souls in purgatory, specifically the “lonely souls.”

But I have to be honest and say that even though I love the fall, November has kind of depressed me because of all the references to death. Maybe it’s just me, maybe not.

It was 50 years ago this November 22 that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in a presidential motorcade in Dallas,Texas. I remember coming home from St. Anne’s school, walking in “ranks,” as we always did with our student patrol officer. It was in this gaggle of students when the news of JFK’s death broke.

It scared the Dickens out of me. As a young first-grader, I thought the world was ending, especially when I saw the reactions of many adults, and the coverage on the big old black and white set, particularly the reaction of Walter Cronkite, who was like a TV grandfather.

November is also the month my youngest son, David Joseph was born, a happy event; but also the month he died, just three days later. And the little guy died 25 years to the day that Denise’s

dad died.

I like November, but for me it has always been tainted with sadness. Don’t get me wrong, I know the great importance of praying for our deceased relatives, friends and lonely souls. It’s what God wants from us.

But harkening to the old adage, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone,” I think November is a great time to contemplate the good things we do have — in particular the people we love.

I think November is a great time to make that connect with the Almighty and thank Him for the people in my life who are still here. And it’s a good time to let them know they mean a great deal to me.

November always will be a time for grateful remembrance of those gone before us, and for raising up prayers on their behalf. But November will also be for me a time to know what I have, appreciate it before it’s gone, and to thank God for it.

I don’t have to mention any names here in print. They know who they are. I love you all. And saying this warms my heart and the month of November just a little bit.

Anchor columnist Dave Jolivet can be reached at davejolivet@anchornews.org.

12

November 1, 2013

Convention to focus on Vatican II continued from page one

year Liturgically.”

The title is also a play on words: the “hope and joy” is pulled from “Guadium et Spes” (“Joy and Hope”), one of the four apostolic constitutions resulting from the Second Vatican Council, and Father Anthony Ciorra will be elaborating on that title when he presents “Surprised by the Spirit: Vatican II, 50 Years Later.”

“Father Anthony Ciorra is going to break open the document on the laity in addition to explaining “Guadium et Spes.” He is an expert on the formation of the laity,” said McManus.

Father Ciorra had been in the Fall River Diocese in 2010 when the Faith Formation Office ran a program for “Spirituality of Leadership” with the Pastoral Planning office; “We brought him in because I had heard him speak when I went for training as a diocesan director,” said McManus. “He is an absolutely terrific speaker.”

There is a redesign of the traditional day-long convention schedule this year. Along with offering workshops, three general sessions will be offered, and repeated twice during the day so a person will not have to choose sessions.

The general sessions “are not just for leaders,” explained Deacon Bruce Bonneau, assistant diocesan director of Adult Evangelization and Spirituality.

The general sessions are not as comprehensive as the workshops and offer a broader base of ideas; “They’re less specific,” said Deacon Bonneau. “For instance, if you have someone from a parish council who would like to hear more about Vatican II from one perspective, or a deacon who is in ministry, he might be listening for something else. Anybody in different ministries will have different perspectives.”

Professor Celia Sirois will be presenting “Hearing and Doing the Word” as one of the general sessions. Sirois is “brilliant and has

a laid-back style,” said McManus.

“She is just an expert on Scripture and Jewish-Christian relations.”

Sister Maureen Sullivan, who has “a great passion for Vatican II and is a great presenter,” said Deacon Bonneau, is the third presenter of the general sessions, offering a session focused on “‘Lumen Gentium’: A Vision for the Church of the 21st Century.”

Like last year, there will be no keynote speaker during lunch, but thanks to the redesign of the schedule, “each person doing a general session could be a keynote,” said McManus.

As opposed to the generalized sessions, workshops during the convention will offer a more succinct presentation of topics like, “Working with Children with Special-Needs Behavioral Strategies for the Classroom,” a two-part presentation from Erin McLoughlin that will provide educators with an introduction to methods to understanding the challenging behavior of specialneeds students in the classroom.

McLoughlin was a presenter at last year’s convention, and McManus brought her back, allowing McLoughlin to expand her presentation into two parts “because it was such a needed topic, working with children with special needs; she’s going to repeat the workshop she did last year, and then expand on it during her second session,” explained McManus.

Jean Revil will present “Discussing the Difficult Topics of Adolescent Catechesis” by drawing on her years of teaching at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth and sharing with catechists the way to teach the truth in love regarding a variety of topics, and where the values of society and the Church seem to be in direct conflict. John Collins was brought back to once again bring his creative flair to “Here I am Lord, Please Help!” by offering a workshop to help catechists Turn to page 18

Celluloid Heaven: How popes took Church, Gospel to the big screen VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI joined Twitter in 2012 and Pope Francis appeared on Instagram the following year, media watchers may have thought they were witnessing a Vatican revolution. In both cases, however, the pontiffs were merely following in a long tradition.

The Catholic Church has a history of taking on major technological innovations that promote mass communication, such as the printing press in the 15th century and radio and television in the 20th. In fact, one of the very first motion picture films ever made was an 1896 reel of Pope Leo XIII. The brief black-and-white silent movie shows the elderly bespectacled pope sitting with guards and attendants at his side, adjusting his skullcap and blessing the camera.

In another scene, the pope gets off a horse-drawn carriage and walks slowly with his cane to a bench, where he takes off his sun hat, adjusts his glasses and again blesses the camera with long, liquid movements of his frail hand.

It was a blessing, not just to the world, but perhaps also to the birth of this new means of mass communication, said Claudia Di Giovanni, manager of the Vatican Film Library, whose rich collection includes the film of Pope Leo. Di Giovanni said one of the most media-friendly popes in history was Pope Pius XII, who endorsed and made extensive use of radio, television and cinema.

Pope Pius was the first pontiff to star and act in a film, she said, when he let film crews into the Vatican for eight months to capture a sort of “day in the life” of a pope.

The film, “Pastor Angelicus” of 1942, was a great success all over Europe, she said, showing the pope to a public who otherwise would never have been able to see him.

Pope Pius did the film, Di Giovanni said, as a way “to be near the world,” especially those affected by the stillraging World War II. “It was a way of showing that the pope wasn’t a person who was closed up inside the Vatican but was a point of reference for everyone who looked to him for hope.”

The next pope, Blessed John XXIII, established the Vatican Film Library in 1959 — the same year he announced the Second Vatican Council — to collect and conserve films about the life of the Church and the history of the papacy.

But the more than 8,000 films in its collections also include commercial releases, such as the 2001-2003 “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. A copy of “Schindler’s List” (1993) was a personal gift from its director, Steven Spielberg.

Some of the library’s rarest gems came from a collection amassed by a Jesuit identified only as Father Joye in the early 1900s. The priest taught high school history in Switzerland and used contemporary films to bring his lessons to life.

He tried to censor racy or indelicate scenes by shouting to divert the kids’ attention or by standing in front of the projector, but still got in trouble with the school principal and was kicked out of the school, Di Giovanni said.

The Joye collection includes the first film ever made about St. Francis, filmed in Assisi in 1911, and the sole remaining copy of a 1911 dramatization of Dante’s

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, November 3, 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Msgr. John A. Perry, a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese, living at the Cardinal Medeiros Residence in Fall River.

“Inferno.” The latter features pioneering special effects, such as emulsion smeared to produce what looks like fire raining on writhing sinners.

Di Giovanni said early movies were often based on religious themes because they were stories people knew and could follow more easily given the lack of dialogue in silent films.

The film library also operates a small movie theater housed in a former chapel, with marble inlay floors and a high double-vaulted ceiling, and an entrance flanked by two carved stone holy-water fonts in lieu of ticket booth and concessions stand.

The theater doesn’t see much action these days, but it used to host exclusive screenings and world premiers with actors, filmmakers and popes when then-Archbishop John P. Foley was head of the Vatican’s communications council, from 1984 to 2007.

Blessed John Paul II, who had been an actor and playwright before becoming pontiff, relished contact with other actors. Cardinal Foley, an American who died in 2011, arranged to show the pope at least one or two films a year, including the celluloid version of two plays he wrote, “The Jeweler’s Shop” starring Burt Lancaster, and “Brother of Our God” by Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi.

The late pope also saw “Gandhi” at the Vatican theater before he went to India, and “Life is Beautiful” starring Roberto Benigni.

Pope Francis is an avowed film lover, whose favorites include the 1987 Danish film “Babette’s Feast” and the works of Italian director Federico Fellini, particularly “La Strada,” which the pope has said he feels a connection to because of its implicit references to St. Francis of Assisi.

Unfortunately, the future pope said, he never had time to go to the movies when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires. And clearly his busy schedule as pope means his chances of taking in a matinee are slim.

With the screening room just 50 yards from his residence and a treasury of films at his disposal, Di Giovanni says she is hopeful that Pope Francis will be among the theater’s coming attractions.

13

November 1, 2013

Four Bishop Feehan students react quickly at accident scene continued from page one

sion, and they have brought great honor to themselves and Bishop Feehan, and for that we are most proud.”

The following is Jason Abdow’s report: It was October 15 when Jason Abdow, 16; Sean Legg, 15; Spencer Marcotte, 14; and Michael Wojtyna, 16; students at Bishop Feehan High School and members of the school’s cross country team, were running on North Main Street in Attleboro after winning a meet. While the four students were jogging on the sidewalk there was a horrific three-car collision that resulted in one of the vehicles flipping over and hitting the side of the road mere feet away from the students.

Fortunately for the couple who was stuck in the car, the four students responded immediately by calling for help and assisting them out of the vehicle. Fast forward a bit to today. The couple in the car had minor injuries, scratches, and bruises, but will be completely fine and the four Bishop Feehan students are being praised by their community.

As one of the students who helped out on the scene of the accident I can say that this has been quite a shocking experience. First, the initial accident itself is something I don’t think I will soon forget. I remember running on the sidewalk and hearing a loud crashing noise. I initially assumed that it was a car getting rear ended, but then I heard another crashing sound and another. The crashes were getting louder so I knew I was close. I instinctively ran off the sidewalk and onto the lawn to my left in order to stay away from any potential shrapnel.

Before I could even think of what to do I heard Sean yelling to call 911 and the three of us ran back and started doing the same. It was then that I saw the scene for the first time. There was a maroon Nissan Pathfinder flipped over very close to us, as well as two other cars that had large dents in them in the other lane. As the car alarms were going off Sean ran right to the car in order to help the occupants out. I was too scared to go to the car at first because I didn’t know the condition of the occupants. I instead ran down the street making sure people were aware of the accident. By the time I got back to the car they had already gotten the passenger out and they were getting driver out. They took the driver and they carried him out to the lawn that I had run onto just a few minutes prior.

The couple appeared to be in shock and the man had injured his neck, but besides that there were no other clear injuries. The four of us agreed to wait until police and an ambulance had come to the scene since we were witnesses to the accident. Once they had arrived, I decided to leave my friends at the scene and run back to tell my coach what had happened.

I ran down Dewey Avenue in what felt like a few seconds in order to get back to my school.

I got to my coach and told him that his runners were fine but would not be back until they were questioned by the police. He was relieved that we were all safe and that we acted in the way we did.

He told me to try to inform the three students’ mothers what had happened and that their children were safe.

I informed them that their children were completely safe but had witnessed a car accident and had to be questioned by police. They were very nervous but happy to know that their children were going to be fine. After this I waited for an officer to arrive at the school to question me. He asked me basic questions about what had happened and I told him everything I could.

The Sun Chronicle [Attleboro daily newspaper] had written a story about us that day, so when the four of us went into school we were already getting attention from teachers and students.

I tried not to talk about the situation at all because I felt I was just doing what any other person would do. It was hard to keep quiet about, because soon we were getting interviewed by channels 5, 6, 7 and 12.

Soon it seemed like the thing everyone was talking to me about. I was constantly reminded by my teachers and peers that what I did was very noble and I should have some pride in myself. Our school principal, Dr. George Milot, even publicly gave me our school’s signature Pride Pin and shook my hand as well as calling our names and having us stand up at our homecoming rally that Friday.

Now that it has been a while since the accident I have had so much to look back and reflect on. People keep asking me how I felt at the scene. It was so much to comprehend; all I could think about doing was getting help for the people in the car. It wasn’t until I had finally stopped running around that I began to realize how scary the whole situation was.

I started to appreciate how

grateful I should be since my friends and I were not hurt at all, and the couple in the car only received minor wounds. To be honest, the night after the accident was very difficult for me. I was very shaken up by what had happened and I wasn’t able to feel somewhat normal again until the following day. People also ask me about the attention my friends and I have gotten because of what we did. I would say that I’m not focused on the individual attention we’ve been getting.

My hope is that people will see us on the news or in the newspaper and think about the need to help others. If I knew that what I did inspired someone to become a better person that would make me happier than all the attention I could get.

After all, I still believe that we were just in the right place at the right time. Anybody is capable of doing what the four of us did and I’d like to think most people would have reacted to the situation in the same way.

I just thank God that nobody was seriously hurt in the accident and that everyone will make a full recovery.

St. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth recently celebrated Pastor Appreciation Day, acknowledging the hard work and compassion exhibited by its pastor of seven years Father George C. Bellenoit, right, pictured with Father Jason Brilhante, a parochial vicar at the parish. Many parishioners signed an appreciation book, and two bouquets of flowers with a balloon in each reading “Thank You,” flanked the altar.

14

November 1, 2013

Seekonk parishioner, PC student has close encounter with pope continued from page one

where students attend classes at the Villa Ferretti and significant sites in and near the Eternal City, including the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Catacombs of San Callisto.

Recently the group attended a weekly general audience with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square. That’s when Day’s journey led him to offer Pope Francis the gift of a new zucchetto (the skull cap worn by the Holy Father), who shortly after re-gifted it back to Day, this time with a special blessing and a warm smile.

“I first learned of the zucchetto tradition this summer,” Day told The Anchor. “I didn’t think it was likely that I’d be able to have that encounter.

But perhaps it was the Holy Spirit Who prompted me to hope that maybe with this pope, it just might happen.

“It definitely amazes me.

I can see Divine Providence at work. I wouldn’t even have know about the zucchetto tradition if I hadn’t happened to stumble upon it this summer by ‘chance.’ That was the beginning of the ‘Godincidences.’”

Day and his fellow students chipped in and purchased one of the caps and placed inside it a not-so-subtle hot pink sticky note saying, “Providence College Loves Papa Francesco,” along with the signatures of Day and his companions.

Day took the zucchetto along to the general audience hoping (but not expecting) to have the opportunity to interact with Pope Francis.

A fortunate set of circumstances placed Day and his PC troop in the right place at the right time, and he was able to offer the cap to the

The Anchor would make the perfect gift this Christmas for a loved one or a friend.

It’s a gift that gives back all year long. Give one this year.

One-year subscription — $20 Name: Address: City:

State:

Zip:

if given as a gift, the card should read: From: Street:

City/State:

Parish to receive credit: Enclose check or money order and mail to: The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722 This Message Sponsored by the Following Business Concern in the Diocese of Fall River Gilbert C. Oliveira Insurance Agency

Holy Father.

“We wanted our papa to know how much we, as a community, love him,” Day added.

“We feel a special connection to him because of his encounter with Dominic Gondreau, the disabled son of our theology professor at PC, Dr. Gondreau. That embrace and Pope Francis’ whole ministry have kindled within us as individuals and as a community a deep and personal love for our papa.”

Day’s mother, Elizabeth Day told The Anchor, “I have a flood of emotions about Joe’s blessed moment meeting Papa Francesco. It was the thing he wanted to do most during his semester abroad.

He had been to the Holy Father’s prayer vigil for peace in Syria and several other papal audiences, but had never gotten this close to have the opportunity to hand the Holy Father the zucchetto.

“When I read Joe’s message about what had transpired I was, of course, in tears.

Tears of joy and thanksgiving!

What an incredible blessing to have such an experience when you are young and wondering what God’s will is for you! I know he will be forever changed! He read a book about the Holy Father before he left for Rome at the end of August and spoke often of how much he loved Papa Francesco, so I know this meeting had a profound impact on him.”

On the Providence College Rome blog (blogs.providence. edu/rome) Day wrote: “It is a tradition in the Church that some pilgrims bring a white zucchetto (skull cap) to present to the pope at his audiences. The pope either exchanges zucchetti or places the pilgrim’s on his head for a moment before returning it. I had heard of this custom shortly before leaving for Rome and have had the opportunity to see it performed several times. It used to be the case that the pope would only exchange zucchetti in private audiences. Swaps during general audiences weren’t all that common under Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Blessed John Paul II, probably in part due to the use of an enclosed, bullet-proof popemobile which was used after the assassination attempt on John Paul II. Pope Francis does not use the bulletproof popemobile, making him more accessible to the crowds.

Providence College student and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Seekonk, parishioner Joe Day holds the zucchetto and the note he handed to Pope Francis at a recent general audience. The pope said, “It’s too big,” tried on the cap, said a prayer, and returned it to Day for the keepsake of a lifetime. (Photo courtesy of the Providence College in Rome blog site.)

Because of this I mentioned to some other PC students my idea of getting a zucchetto for Papa Francesco. On Wednesday morning we arrived at St. Peter’s at 6 a.m. and waited in line until the square opened at 7:30. We had scoped out some prime real estate in the front right section of seating by the central pathway leading from the obelisk to the steps of the basilica.

What we didn’t know was that the Swiss Guards were going to line that pathway with those in wheelchairs. This acted to our advantage. Around 9:50 Pope Francis entered the square and drove around it, kissing babies, smiling, and waving.

Near the end, he came down the pathway in front of us. We were all ecstatic with the excitement of being so close to our papa.

We all leaned over the barricade as he slowing (because of the wheelchairs) as he drove towards us. To be honest, I can’t really remember what happened next. It was all such a blur f illed with so much emotion, so much joy. But according to what everyone else remembers this is what happened. I stood on my chair reaching as far as I could with the zucchetto as I yelled, ‘Papa, papa!’ As he approached us he signaled for the driver to stop. Smiling at us he reached out, taking the zucchetto from me and brushing my hand. Still smiling he looked down at it and the note we had placed in it, which read ‘Providence College Loves Papa Francesco’ with our names signed beneath it. Looking up at us he said, ‘Providence College’ and then, always smiling, measured our zucchetto and his. With his characteristic simplicity, he said in Italian, ‘It’s too big.’

He then placed the zucchetto

on his head for a moment, closed his eyes and said a prayer before handing it back to us with a smile and wave! Words cannot describe what it was like to be so close to the successor of St. Peter, to touch his hand, to have him speak to me, to have him take and wear that zucchetto for a moment before returning it as a gift, blessed for us. My hands didn’t stop shaking for hours! I spent the rest of the audience in a dazed state of joy, cradling the zucchetto in my lap. It was a blessing and a gift, a grace that will remain with me always: my moment with the pope!”

The meeting with Pope Francis was certainly a highlight of Day’s experiences in Rome. But there are others. “There is honestly nothing that can beat studying in Rome for a Catholic,” he told The Anchor. “Gorgeous churches are around every corner. Priests and nuns are everywhere. I am blessed to live less than a 10-minute walk from St. Peter’s Square.

It doesn’t get much better than that, living in the same neighborhood as the Successor of St. Peter. I can go and visit the bones of SS. Peter and Paul and innumerable other martyrs. I even got to altar serve at a Mass in St. Peter’s.”

Day will be in Rome until mid-December to return to his regular studies in Providence.

“I’m not sure about what I’ll do when I graduate from Providence College,” he said. “I’m still trying to discern what the Lord is calling me to, but I would like to pursue a graduate degree and possibly teach at either the high school or collegiate level.”

15

November 1, 2013

Holy Cross Father David Marcham, vice postulator for the sainthood cause of Servant of God Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton recently celebrated Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Attleboro and then gave a presentation on Father Peyton.

A modern day saint for families: Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton Father Con Haggerty, CSC visited him in the hospital and lovingly chalATTLEBORO — What do saints lenged him to pray without ceasing have to teach us in the modern day? St. stating that, “Mary will be what you beVincent de Paul Parish welcomed Father lieve 50 percent or 100 percent.” With David Marcham, CSC, from Holy Cross nowhere else to turn, young Peyton Family Ministries in North Easton, re- gave himself completely to the Blessed cently to answer this question. Father Mother’s care and experienced a miMarcham, vice postulator for the saint- raculous cure. On June 15, 1941, he and hood cause of Servant of God Father his brother Thomas were ordained. He Patrick Peyton, CSC, celebrated Mass dedicated his priesthood to the Blessed at the parish and then gave a presenta- Mother and offered his ministry as an tion in the church hall about the life and act of gratitude for his life and his voministry of Father Peyton, as well as his cation. Through prayer and sacrifice, his ministry to promote the Rosary led ongoing cause for canonization.

People often ask Father Marcham to the development of the world-wide why the Catholic Church has saints Holy Cross Family Ministries.

Today, HCFM reaches into 17 counand he simply replies, “Because we need them.” The lives of saints outline tries promoting Father Peyton’s mesa path to Heaven, provide hope to the sage of family Rosary and world peace despairing, direction to the lost, and through presentations, radio shows, spiritual friendship during good times Hollywood-produced DVD’s and spiritual retreats. Also at HCFM, the Father and bad.

During his homily, Father Marcham Peyton Guild prays for the canonizareminded those gathered that we are tion of Father Peyton who was buried at called “to love Judas as we love Jesus,” HCFM in North Easton after his death and this can be hard. Jesus on the cross in 1992.

In 2002, the Fall River Diocese is a sign of “giving all for all,” a challenge that can intimidate our human nature. opened the cause for canonization of As one looks at the lives of the saints, it Father Peyton; the investigation quickly can be seen that this type of sacrificial spread to 35 dioceses around the world. love becomes realizable, despite our hu- Hundreds of people who knew Father man limitations. Saints, ordinary people Peyton were asked 200 questions on from all walks of life, know Christ so in- theological and historical topics. In 2010, timately that their entire being longs to a 6,000-page document was shipped to “give all for all.” Father Peyton provided Rome for review. In 2012, the Vatican this example of grace working with hu- approved the document. Now it must be reduced to 1,000 pages. The next title in man nature.

Father Peyton is known as the “Ro- the process is “Venerable.” From there, sary Priest” and for his sayings, “The to receive the title “Blessed,” and then family that prays together stays togeth- “Saint,” two medical miracles need to be er,” and “A world at prayer is a world at attributed to his intercessory prayer.

Right now, two medical miracles are peace.” His vocational path, however, was not always certain. Born in Ireland under investigation to examine the posin 1909, his studies went no further than sible miraculous intercession of Father elementary school. In his 20s, he com- Peyton. In Uganda, a mother and son pleted his high school education in the both received a HIV diagnosis. They United States and entered college. Be- prayed to Father Peyton for intercessory fore long, doctors informed him that he healing. A negative result came back would die soon from tuberculosis. This at their next regularly scheduled test. sickness became a turning point for Medicine cannot explain this turn of events for the mother and son. An adyoung Peyton.

By Kathy Davis Special to The Anchor

ditional miracle is being reviewed in Albany. A man in his 60s entered the hospital with multiple organ failures. His family prayed to Father Peyton and they believe this prayer led to his miraculous cure. Both healings are being reviewed.

Throughout the presentation at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, audience members learned about Father Peyton’s life of integrity, his consistent pursuit of virtue and holiness and miracles attributed to his intercession with God. The presentation was especially significant for some attendees who personally remembered Father Peyton. They had attended his Rosary Crusades and heard him speak.

One person asked Father Marcham, “What was it about Father Peyton that drew others toward him in such numbers?’” Father Marcham gave two reasons. First, Father Peyton was “doing God’s Will in his vocation. Anytime we do His Will, we bring others along with us.” Secondly, his presence radiated kindness and integrity. He was someone really “alive for Christ” and gave his life to spread the Gospel message. He was an example of God’s grace coupled with human cooperation. That combination is magnetic.

Sylvia Seybert from Attleboro stated that visiting HCFM in Easton, “brought her family closer together and increased their faith, especially in the Blessed Mother.” What is especially important to Seybert about HCFM minis-

try is “the fun, family activities that help faith grow while connecting families with each other.” One couple she met at a HCFM retreat are now the godparents of her son. HCFM, described as a “house of prayer” by Father Marcham, continues to inspire many.

Father Riley Williams, parochial vicar at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, was so moved by his visit to HFCM that he plans to return with a group from the parish. He reflected that “A visit that connects us with the lives of the saints reminds us what we are about as believers: to someday get to Heaven.” The faithful of the Diocese of Fall River are blessed to have in their midst the mortal remains and lasting witness of Father Peyton, who truly did give his all for all.

On November 4, Holy Cross Family Ministries will host a mini-pilgrimage about Father Peyton’s sainthood cause.

All are invited to attend, meeting at the Father Peyton Center (518 Washington Street/Route 138, Easton) at 10 a.m. for prayers, a presentation on his life, Mass, and a visit to his grave. People should bring their own lunches. Beverages will be provided. The visit should be over by 1:30 or 2 p.m.

To learn more about HCFM, visit their websites www.familyrosary.org and www.fatherpeyton.org. To learn more about the parish that hosted the presentation on Father Peyton, visit www. stvincentattleboro.org.

16

Youth Pages

November 1, 2013

Odhran Lynch enjoys recess at St. Mary’s School in Mansfield.

Students from St. James-St. John School in New Bedford recently celebrated their 20th annual Walk-A-Thon, which raises funds for the school.

Kindergarten and first-grade students at Espirito Santo School in Fall River recently enjoyed some “mad science” lab work after school.

Third-grade students at Holy Name School in Fall River are using iPads to practice their math skills.

Students of St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro recently took part in their annual school Talent Show. Fifty-five students performed in 26 different acts, including dancing, singing, piano, guitar-playing, skits, acrobatics and karate. Music director Sue Fortin explained, “I enjoy doing this show because it is a way for our students to give to the larger community in a unique way. I am merely the coordinator of the talent show, the acts are solely up to them and all I do is give them a little guidance. It is encouraging to see their creativity and enthusiasm and to see them give of their time and talents each year.” A collection of three baskets of food was taken up for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Shown here are some of the performers at the grand finale.

November 1, 2013

I

’m not sure about you, but this is the time of year that I anticipate with excitement, and at the same time don’t look forward to at all. Of course, the anticipation centers mostly on the holidays, and family. What I don’t enjoy at all will take place next weekend when we “Fall back.” It’s the time of year we become more insular and insulated from others.

It’s dark and it gets cold and we tend to cocoon more. But it can also be a natural time of year to look back and to remember. Doesn’t fall have a natural connection to remembering? Perhaps we can take this more isolated time to look within and see where we’ve been this year and to plan where we might go in the future.

There are several days in the Christian calendar at

Youth Pages Looking forward takes some looking back

this time of year that help us to do that. All Souls’ Day marks the Christian calendar as a day that we remember the loved ones in our lives who have died. All Souls’ Day allows us to look back at those people. We also celebrate All Saints’ Day, a day we remember the saints of God. Each and every one of these people who have gone before us have had an influence on us and on our world.

It is a time of year to remember the people in our lives who have affected us. How did that person change us?

Did we help change someone else’s life? How have I been connected to others in my family and those outside of my immediate family? Did we accomplish all that we had

hoped to this year? Where has God been in my life this year?

So while physically we might think that this feels like an isolated time of year, spiritually, let’s use this time

Be Not Afraid

By Deacon Frank Lucca to remember that we are not an isolated people but a connected people. As Christians, we have a vertical connection and a horizontal connection.

I once heard this explanation of how Jesus’ cross can help us better understand this vertical and horizontal connection. If you look at the

The most recent group of Coyle and Cassidy High School students who volunteered at the school’s food pantry recently gathered for a group photo. The Coyle and Cassidy Food Pantry, which has been in existence for more than 25 years, serves more than 300 Taunton families every month. Current students, alumni, area residents and many students from other schools, team up to assist their fellow Tauntonians by distributing groceries, preparing coffee and treats at the CC Cafe, and helping people to their cars with their groceries.

cross, note the up and down post or beam that forms the vertical portion of the cross.

It points toward God, drawing a line between Heaven and earth, between God and man. This vertical beam of the cross reminds us of our need to be connected to God. The horizontal beam of the cross points out sideways in both directions, extending out to others. Jesus’ outstretched arms on the cross become for us the greatest example of One Who came to serve.

The vertical and horizontal link goes back to the law that God gave to the people of Israel centuries ago and that Jesus reminded people about centuries later: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind

17 and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.”

So this month, while cocooning, let’s remember those who have gone before and recall those connections we have had with each other.

Take the time to pray and plan for connections we are still to make in the future.

Sometimes you’ve got to look back before you can look forward.

Anchor columnist Deacon Frank Lucca is a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Fall River; a youth minister at St. Dominic’s Parish in Swansea; and a campus minister at UMass Dartmouth. He is married to his wife of 35 years, Kristine, and a father of two daughters and a sonin-law. Comments, ideas or suggestions? Please email him at StDominicYouthMinistry@ comcast.net.

Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River recently hosted two days of college fairs for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Nearly 100 colleges and universities were represented at this event. Students were able to speak with the representatives and gather information that will help them to decide where they would like to continue their education after graduation.

Bishop Feehan High School principal George Milot announced that 11 students have been named as Commended Students in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, was presented by the principal to the following scholastically talented seniors: front from left, Hannah Mullen, Emily Crawford, Nicole Steiner, Sean Lydon, and Elaney Marcotte. Back row: Principal George Milot, Francis Morley, Marissa Chura, Nathaniel Gallishaw, Kerry Desmond, vice principal academics Ann Perry, Austin Burlone, Ellen Mahoney, and President Chris Servant. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. These Commended Students place among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2014 competition by taking the 2012 Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

18

November 1, 2013 1971 in Angola and first came of pilgrims from as far away as to the Fall River Diocese in Canada every summer.

1975, said he remembered The pastor said he has two for their willingness to contrib- growing up with the original parishioners — one from Westute towards the restoration ef- Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres port, the other from Dartmouth fort during this “time of crisis.” statue in Ponta Delgada where — who faithfully attend Mass Of the estimated 2,700 fami- he was born. every week at Santo Christo “I was born near the convent, Church and they are already lies registered in the parish, he said about 1,900 remain “very near the Santo Cristo sanctuary planning fund-raisers for phase active” and he’s noticed that and I lived five minutes from the two of the renovations. even those who aren’t active shrine,” Father Oliveira said. “I “They said: ‘We are so haphave pledged to support the res- often attended the shrine with py, because Columbia Street my mom when I was a kid (and) without Santo Christo Church toration effort.

“We still have a very active I was an altar boy for the feast wouldn’t be the same. The parish and people have a devo- of Santo Cristo and I used to church is what (defines) Cotion to and attachment to this walk in the procession in front lumbia Street,’” he said. “I never church, so they want to give of the statue. It’s funny that God thought of that, but I think they whatever they can to help out,” would put me here as pastor of are right. This is the Portuguese Santo Christo Parish in Fall district.”

Father Oliveira said.

Upon successful comple- River years later.”

“I sometimes think we should Having maintained a close move the statue of Prince Hention of the first phase, Father Oliveira hopes work will begin connection and devotion to ry (a renowned navigator and shortly thereafter on phase two, Santo Christo his whole life, Portuguese hero) from Eastern which will include the restora- Father Oliveira expressed great Avenue to the Portas da Cidade tion of the parking lot side of joy at being able to restore the (Gates of the City),” he added, the property at an estimated 65-year-old building that is referring to the replica of the not only an historic landmark, famous entrance to the Azorean cost of $610,000.

Subsequent phases will in- but also the home to its own village of Ponta Delgada located clude the restoration of the Canal feast that still draws thousands a block from the church.

Street side of the building, priced at $666,988; restoration of the Convention to focus on Vatican II north (rear) side of the church, estimated to cost $320,000; and continued from page 12 the final phase to include repairs respond to the call to teach. in the brochure, said McMato the interior of the church, Last year, for the first time, nus: Sister Ana Maria Corona cleaning and protection against the Faith Formation Office cre- will no longer be presenting the infiltrations with a price tag of ated workshops at the conven- “Charismatic Movement and the about $269,000 attached. tion specifically designed around Catholic Church,” and Father Total cost for the remaining the Hispanic members of the Fall Pregana is looking for a replacefour phases is just under $1.86 River Diocese, and will be doing ment; but McManus said that million and Father Oliveira said it again this year.

Father German Correa will be work would only commence “We are just trying to include doing his presentation on “Famionce the full amount had been the seven Hispanic parishes as ly: Domestic Church” while Aida raised for each. part of the overall Faith Forma- Hidalgo, who hails from Rhode “Right now we are asking for tion of the diocese,” said McMa- Island, will be doing a workshop pledges of $1,000 per person, nus. “Their children are very much on “The Most Important Asor $2,000 per couple; but in the a part of our Faith Formation pects of Vatican II.” fourth and fifth phases, we’ll programs, and the adults are very All information regarding only be looking for maybe $650 active. In fact, Father [Craig] Pre- this year’s convention can (per person),” he said. gana has done retreats for fami- be found online at www.

Started as a mission of St. lies where more than 130 people FallRiverFaithFormation.org John the Baptist Parish in New will show up, and if you go to the and there is still plenty of time to Bedford and then known as Mass for the feast of Our Lady of register. The convention will held St. Anthony of Lisbon, Santo Guadalupe, the church is abso- at the Resort and Conference Christo Parish was renamed and lutely packed with young families. Center in Hyannis; doors open elevated to full parish status on So you look at this and you say, at 8 a.m., with Mass, celebrated June 26, 1892.

‘Here is the life of the Church in by Bishop George W. Coleman, “The original church was the diocese’ and we really want to beginning at 9 a.m. a Baptist temple that was de- give to them something from our “If an adult is coming for the stroyed by fire (and) the new office so that they’re not just run- first time and is not in a specific church was first built and opened ning parallel.” ministry, then I say they should in 1906,” Father Oliveira said.

Though only a dozen partici- take part in each one of the gen“They started building the up- pants attended the Hispanic por- eral sessions,” McManus advised. per church in the 1930s — but tions of the workshops during the “We set it up so they don’t have to the project was stopped twice, 2012 convention, McManus said pick and choose.” once because of the depression the feedback that the Hispanic She added, “If you’re looking to and again because of World War element of the convention wasn’t understand Vatican II, especially II. It was finished and finally promoted enough spurred her of- given that Pope Francis is really blessed and dedicated in 1948.” fice into action. trying to promote what the origiIf all goes well, Father Olivei“This year we’ve gotten the nal spirit of Vatican II is about, ra hopes the five-phase restora- brochures out early and Father this is such a good opportunity to tion project can be completed Pregana is promoting this,” said understand it. The speakers that

by June of 2017 in time to cel- McManus, of Father Pregana’s we have offer a very balanced view ebrate the 125th anniversary of role as diocesan director of the of the council and of the Church. the founding of the parish.

Hispanic Apostolate.

I think this would be great for any Father Oliveira, an Azorean There is a slight change in adult, not just people in ministry; native who was ordained in the Hispanic workshops listed they would enjoy it.”

Santo Christo Church begins five-phase restoration process continued from page one

honor of the Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (Holy Christ of Miracles) statue enshrined on the island of St. Michael in the Azores which draws devotees from around the world to an annual feast in its honor in Ponta Delgada to this day.

The growing number of Portuguese in the city — many of whom immigrated from the Azores — would have been familiar with the so-called “Ecce Homo” (Behold the Man) statue of Christ. This iconic depiction of Jesus in the moments after He was beaten, tortured and appeared in judgment before Pontius Pilate remains a pivotal focal point of devotion for Azorean Catholics.

The descendants of those same devoted Azorean Catholics are now doing all they can to restore and renovate what is described as “the Mother Church of the Portuguese parishes in the Fall River area” on the cover of its parish directory.

Father Gastão A. Oliveira, pastor of Santo Christo Parish since 1995, recently announced that Bishop George W. Coleman had given his approval for renovations to begin on the historic church located on the corner of Columbia and Canal streets in the city’s Portuguese cultural district.

“It was good news,” Father Oliveira said of the bishop’s announcement. “It will be a fivephase (restoration) project. I sent a letter to all the parishioners explaining the phases.”

Like its namesake, the damaged and weather-beaten structure now lies dormant behind a shroud awaiting resurrection.

During this first of the five phases most of the work will be done on the front exterior façade facing Columbia Street.

The work will entail the removal and replacement of broken bricks, masonry repair, repairs to the roof and gutters on the bell tower, repairs to the stainedglass windows and frames, and installation of new lighting. Estimated cost of this first phase is $540,000.

“This phase is the most significant in terms of repair, because of the height of the (bell) tower,” explained Deacon Tom Palanza, architectural consultant for the Fall River Diocese. “We’ll be looking to replace about 8,000 bricks within the tower. Depending on the weather, I expect the phase will be completed by the end of the summer in 2014.”

Cracks in the bell tower and

damage to supporting bricks beneath were created when lightning struck during a severe winter storm, according to Father Oliveira.

“It was during the winter of 1995,” he said. “We had a terrible storm and lightning struck the tower and it sustained a lot of damage.”

Father Oliveira said his parishioners have committed to pay for the repairs during a yearlong fund-raising campaign.

“The bishop asked that we begin the project with cash (in hand), and that’s understandable,” Father Oliveira said. “This is an expensive project. We already raised the money for the first phase and on October 1 we began a fund-raising effort for the second phase, which will continue until Mar. 31, 2014.”

Noting that parishioners were “very happy” with the news, Father Oliveira said some had feared the project might never proceed and the church would ultimately be closed.

“I told them many times that I never said that,” he said. “I always tell my parishioners that I would be the first to tell them if that happened.”

The genesis for the project can be traced to more than four years ago when Father Oliveira first met with the parish council to discuss the necessary repairs.

A year later, Father Oliveira met with diocesan officials, including Bishop Coleman, to seek guidance.

“We didn’t have any plans at the time, but we needed to do something,” Father Oliveira said. “Of course, it’s not easy to raise this kind of money … and times are hard.”

Although fund-raising efforts stalled in the years since, Father Oliveira said they were finally able to reach their goal to begin phase one earlier this year and he proudly made the announcement during the televised Portuguese TV Mass that he celebrated on July 20.

“I generally don’t make any parish announcements because the TV Mass is for everybody, but I apologized and said I needed to make a parish announcement,” he said. “That’s when I told them I had received a letter from our bishop approving the (restoration) project. Everyone began to clap; they were very enthusiastic.”

Father Oliveira said he’s thankful for not only having a robust number of active families registered in the parish, but also

19

November 1, 2013

Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese Acushnet — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Monday and Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Evening prayer and Benediction is held Monday through Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel at Holy Ghost Church, 71 Linden Street, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

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

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

Mass.

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

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

Use the Chapel entrance on the side of the church.

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

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

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

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

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

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

FALL RIVER — Good Shepherd Parish has Eucharistic Adoration every Friday following the 8 a.m. Mass and concluding with 3 p.m. Benediction in the Daily Mass Chapel. A bilingual holy hour takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. Park behind the church and enter the back door of the connector between the church and the rectory.

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

MANSFIELD — St. Mary’s Parish, 330 Pratt Street, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Benediction at 5:45 p.m.

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m.

Mass every First Friday with special intentions for Respect Life, followed by 24 hours of Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel, concluding with Benediction Saturday morning followed immediately by an 8:30 Mass.

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

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

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

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

NORTH DIGHTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Wednesday following 8:00 a.m. Mass and concludes with Benediction at 5 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration also takes place every First Friday at St. Nicholas of Myra Church, 499 Spring Street following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending with Benediction at 6 p.m. The Rosary is recited Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

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

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

Taunton — Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Tuesday at St. Anthony Church, 126 School Street, following the 8 a.m. Mass with prayers including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for vocations, concluding at 6 p.m. with Chaplet of St. Anthony and Benediction.

Recitation of the Rosary for peace is prayed Monday through Saturday at 7:30 a.m. prior to the 8 a.m. Mass.

Taunton — Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord, 31 First Street. Expostition begins following the 8 a.m. Mass. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, and Adoration will continue throughout the day. Confessions are heard from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Rosary and Benediction begin at 6:30 p.m.

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

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

Dr. Scott Hahn to speak at Mansfield parish November 6

MANSFIELD — Noted Believe,” and “Rome Sweet soring Hahn’s talks as the concluding event in its Year of Biblical scholar and author Home.”

Dr. Scott Hahn, who speaks St. Mary’s Parish is spon- Faith observance. nationally and internationally on a variety of topics related to Scripture and the Catholic faith, will offer two talks at St. Nicholas of Myra Church, 499 Spring Street in North Dighton will St. Mary’s Parish, 330 Pratt hold its annual Holiday Craft Fair on November 2 from 9 a.m. to Street, in Mansfield on No2 p.m. The fair will feature many talented crafters, as well as a bake table, food from the kitchen, and the parish’s famous rollvember 6. up table.

At 5:30 p.m., he will speak on “Lord, Have Mercy: The St. John Neumann Parish’s Women’s Guild will hold its annual Healing Power of Confession” Christmas Bazaar in the parish hall, 157 Middleboro Road in East Freetown, on November 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The one-day bazaar and at 7:30 p.m. on “Consumwill feature a wide variety of booths, including assorted gift basket raffles, moning the Word: The New Tesey raffles, home-baked goods, baked beans, a Chinese auction, lottery raffle tament, the Eucharist and the tickets, antiques and collectibles. Admission is free.

New Evangelization.”

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 235 North Front Street in New Bedford, will All are welcome to attend host its Spirit of Christmas Fair on November 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. featureither or both sessions. Regising crafts, gifts, children’s corner, baked goods and the parish’s famous Polish tration is not required. A freekitchen. will offering will be taken up.

Good Shepherd Parish, 1598 South Main Street in Fall River, will be hosting a Day Hahn is currently a profesWith Mary on November 2 beginning at 7:50 a.m. There will be a Mass in honor sor of Theology and Scripof Our Lady celebrated by Father Andrew Johnson at 10 a.m. There will also be ture at Franciscan University Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, silent adoration and Rosary. Confessions of Steubenville, where he has will be available throughout the day. For a complete schedule or more information, visit www.gsfallriver.com or call the parish office at 508-678-7412. taught since 1990, and is the founder and director of the St. Our Lady of Fatima Church in New Bedford is having its annual Harvest Fair on Paul Center for Biblical TheNovember 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ma’s Donuts and coffee will be served as ology. well as kale soup; clam chowder; chow mein; shepherd’s pie; chouriço, peppers and onions; caçoila; hot dog and beans; stuffed quahogs and more. The fair will In 2005, he was appointed also have crafts, baked goods, candy, kid’s games, raffles and more. as the Pope Benedict XVI Chair of Biblical Theology An Open House for prospective students of Bishop Connolly High School, 373 and Liturgical Proclamation Elsbree Street in Fall River, will be held November 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. All prospective students and their families are encouraged to attend this informative at St. Vincent Seminary in event. The Placement Test will be held December 7 at 8 a.m. For more informaLatrobe, Pa. tion call 508-676-1071.

He is the author of a number of books including “The Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish will host its Holiday Fair on November 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and November 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the church hall Lamb’s Supper,” “Reasons to

Around the Diocese

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks Nov. 2 A memento for the repose of the souls of our bishops, priests and permanent deacons 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 Nov. 3 Rev. Jose M. Bettencourt e Avila, Retired Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New Bedford, 1988 Nov. 4 Permanent 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 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

on Coyle Drive, off Route 152 in Seekonk. Many raffles including an LG HDTV, Apple iPad, along with scratch tickets, Split the Pot, and the famous “Baskets Galore.” There will also be home-baked goods including fudge, candy and meat pies. Louise’s Cafe will be open both days.

The Women’s Guild of Corpus Christi Parish will present its Gifts Galore and More, a holiday shopping event, on November 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parish hall, 324 Quaker Meeting House Road in East Sandwich. The event will feature handmade crafts, gift baskets, and delicious baked goods. The Guild Café will be open for coffee in the morning and a delicious lunch menu will be available during the event.

St. Mary’s Parish, 106 Illinois Street in New Bedford, will host its Holiday Fair on November 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on November 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring a full kitchen, crafts, bake table, white elephant table, Chinese auction, and much more. For more information, call 508-942-5031.

20

November 1, 2013

Elections, Marriage and Confirmation texts among bishops’ agenda items

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Elections for a new president and vice president, a discussion and vote on a Spanishlanguage book of prayers at Mass, and a proposal to develop a statement on pornography

are among the items awaiting the U.S. bishops when they gather in Baltimore for their annual fall assembly.

At their November 11-14 meeting at the Baltimore Waterfront Marriott Hotel, the

bishops also will hear a status report on their strategic/pastoral plan and vote on the final translations from the International Committee on English in the Liturgy on Liturgical practices regarding Marriage and Confirmation.

As is customary, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, will address the assembly.

The bishops will elect the next president and vice president to lead the USCCB for the next three years from a slate of 10 candidates. Their term begins at the close of the meeting.

The candidates are: Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans; Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia; Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Spokane, Wash.; Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston; Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles; Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., current USCCB vice president; Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore; Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati; Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit; and

Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami.

Under USCCB bylaws, a president will be elected from the full slate. The vice president will be chosen from the remaining nine candidates. If a candidate does not receive more than half of the votes cast on the first ballot, a second ballot will be cast. If a third round of voting is necessary, the ballot will include the names of the top two vote-getters from the second ballot.

The bishops will vote on accepting the “Misal Romano” from Mexico as the base text for the Spanish-language missal used in U.S. parishes. The bishops’ conference of Mexico received approval from the Vatican, or “recognitio,” to use the text earlier this year. The U.S. version of the Missal would be available by the end of 2014 or early 2015 under current USCCB plans.

Several adaptations in the Missal also will be voted on by the bishops.

Other Liturgical changes on which the bishops were expected to vote govern the celebration of Marriage and Confirmation.

If adopted by the bishops, the order of celebrating Marriage will be sent to the Vatican for “recognitio.” A second vote

on four adaptations to the order also is planned.

The order of Confirmation that will be considered is a retranslation from ICEL and would bring the order into accordance with the norms of “Liturgiam Authenticam” (“The Authentic Liturgy”), the 2001 document on Liturgical translations from the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

The bishops also will vote for chairmen-elect of the committees on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, Child and Youth Protection, Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Evangelization and Catechesis, and International Justice and Peace. They serve as chairmen-elect for one year then begin a three-year term as chairmen of their respective committees in November 2014.

A new chairman will be elected to head the Committee on Catholic Education and will begin his term at the conclusion of the meeting. He will succeed Bishop Joseph P. McFadden of Harrisburg, Pa., who died May 2.

A vote on new members of the boards of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. and Catholic Relief Services also is on the agenda.

An American flag sits on a gravestone topped by an angel figure at Allouez Catholic Cemetery in Allouez, Wis. All Souls’ Day, a day to remember all of the faithful departed, is November 2. (CNS photo/ Sam Lucero, The Compass)