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Abortion advocates seek to rebuff current buffer' zones

By GAIL BESSE " CORRESPONDENT

ANCHOR

HYANNIS - Deacon Vinnie Walsh and others' quietly pray outside the Camp Street medical office where Laura Smith of Sandwich and her unborn child recently died during an abortion.

In Boston, Eleanor McCullen makes eye contact with a young woman about to enter a Planned Parenthood clinic. "Good moining," she says gently. "ClI;Jl I do anything to help you? We can talk a little if you want ...."

McCullen and Deacon Walsh are two people whose feet follow their faith. They step outside their own comfort zone to counselor pray for women in crisis pregnancies.

They bear no resemblance to the contrived stereotype of loud, intimidating "protestors" - that negative image abortion advocates have per-

petuated .to push an "expanded buffer zone" bill.

Deacon Walsh, of Holy Trinity Parish in West Harwich, and others meet each Wednesday morning.

They simply pray the rosary and Divine Office on the Camp Street sidewalk near the Women Medical Center.

McCullen, a grandmother from St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Newton, gives eight hours of her time each week to prayerful sidewalk counseling. "We're the last voice they'll hear," she said of the women entering the clinic. "We really try to be Jesus to them."

Many of the abortion-minded women won't look up, and most go through with it anyway. But a small percentage stop; they were tom about the decision and really hoped someone would be there to help.

Tum to page 18 - Buffer

SOUND AND LIGHT SPECTACULAR - Nearly 1,100 people, including Bishop George W. Coleman, attended the October 21 performance of Mozartls I;\equiem at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Bedford. A 75-member choir, featuring the Chatham Chorale and St. Anthony's Parish Choir, joined voices with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra,conducted,byDr. David McKenzie. (Photo ':. , ,

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Ministry ofMothers Sharing sweeping Fall River Diocese MOMS founder Sister Paula Hagen OS8,. will meet delegates from 11 interested parishes.

By DEACON JAMES N. DUNBAR NORTH DARTMOUTH The women-helping-women Ministry of Mothers Sharing or MOMS as it is called, will take a giant step across the Fall River Diocese in coming weeks as a reported 11 parishes launch the empowering peer ministry.

"We already have a few parishes with MOMS in place, but on November 15 at our Family Life Center here in North Dartmouth we will host Sister Paula Hagen of the Sisters of St. Benedict for an information sessio~," reported Scottie Foley, who with her husband Jerry directs the diocesan Family Ministry Program.

"On that day from 1 to 4:30 p.m., Sister Hagen, who founded

the parish-centered ministry in 1992 in Minnesota, will meet with a delegate, a staff person and two moms from at least 11 parishes, Tum to page 18 - MOMS

SISTER PAULA HAGEN OSB

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Faith Formation Office offers u~it~d front in G~spel mission ,,'

By DAVE JOLIVET, EDITOR FALL RIVER - The cast of Disney's "High School Musical," shared a recipe for success "We're all in this together." As far as the staff of the diocesan Faith Formation Office is concerned, those are words to live by - teach by - and evangelize by. Claire M. McManus is t~e director of the newly-reorganized office established by Bishop George W. Coleman in 2006. McManus oversees three diocesan ministries that were at one time separate: the Office of Religious Education, with Mercy Sister Frances Thomas, assistant director; the Office ofYouth & Young Adult Ministry, with Crystal-Lynn Medeiros, assistant director; and the Office of Adult Evangelization and Spirituality, with Deacon Bruce Bonneau" assistant director.

"The offices may be distinct, but we are all ministries working together with the same mission," McManus told The Anchor in a recent interview. "The mission is to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the faithful of the diocese."

Structured as it is now, the

Faith Formation Office branches work with and for each other educating and evangelizing children, youth and young adults through catechesis, teaching the faith; preaching and spread;ing the Gos-

pel message; and ,strengthening the spirit through liturgy and prayer.

"With the three offices working so closely together, we are Tum to page 14 - Formation,

UNITED THEY STAND - The diocesan Faith Fonnation team is guided by, from left, Deacon Bruce Bonneau, assistant director of Adult Faith Formation and Spirituality; Claire M. McManus, director of Faith Formation; fItIercy Sister Frances Thomas, assistant director of Formation and C~techesis; and Crystal-Lynn Medeiros, assistant director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. (Photo by Dave Jolivet)

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2, 2007

NOVEMBER

Parishioners who model Christ are most effective teachers~ says pope VATICAN CITY (CNS) Clergy, lay catechists and parishioners who model their lives according to Christ represent the most effective tools for teaching the word of God, Pope Benedict XVI said.

"Whoever teaches the faith cannot risk appearing like'a sort ofclown who just performs a role for one's job," the pope said at a recent weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

The catechist should not go through the motions, but "must be like the beloved disciple who rests his head on the heart ofhis Master" to hear and learn how to think, speak and act, he said.

Continuing a series of audience talks about early Church theologians, Pope Benedict focused his remarks on St. Ambrose, a fourth-century bishop of Milan, Italy, and a doctor of the Church.

St. Ambrose would prepare his catechumens by going over the moral teachings of sacred Scripture ''until they were following in the footsteps of divine laws," the pope said.

Reading sacred writings is crucial for learning ''the art of living well," which is ''living in conformity with divine revelation," he said.

St. Ambrose was a model catechist, he said, as his teaching was inseparable from how he prayed and lived.

The way he and his parishioners "prayed and sang close knit like one single body" amazed a young St. Augustine, a professor of rhetoric in Milan still searching for the truth, he said. , In fact, seeing the word of God being concretely lived by its believers marked the turning point which finally convinced ~t. Augustine to convert to ChristianitY and be baptized by St. Ambrose, tbe pope said.

He said St. Augustine learned from St. Ambro~ the importance of reading and listening closely to the word of God so tllat it is lived.

This is especially important for clergy, ~ns and catechists so that none of them will become "an empty preacher of the word of God outwardly, who is not a listener to it inwardly," th~ pope said, citing a quote

by St. AugUstine in the Second Vatican Counc~'s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, "Dei Verbum" This in~ard listening and attentive reading of Scripture can be done through the practice of "lectio divina," a form of prayerful meditation on the word of Gqd which St. Ambrose introduced to ·the West, said the pope.

This prayerful reading will lead the reader to tru).y absom the word ofGod into his or her own heart and bring one to Christ, h~ said.

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RESPECTFUL GREETING - Pope Benedict XVI greets Central African Republic President Francois Bozize on his arrival for their recent private audience at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Chris Helgren, Reuters)

'Google-generation'seminarians minister with MySpace and more

By CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE VATICAN CITY -An ocean away from family and friends, some U.S. seminarians at the Pontifical North American College in Rome are bridging the divide with online communities and digital means of communication such as Skype, inI stant messaging, Facebook, MySpace and more.

But while it may have begun as simple emails and Web log, or blog, entries meant to keep loved ones in touch, their notes from Rome to home have blossomed into a whole new way these students preparing for the priesthood can share their spiritual journey with the rest of the world.

"It's a great witness when we share our stories, our experiences in (the) seminary" that include "our hopes, our joys, our fears, our anxieties about" the journey toward the priesthood, said Johnny Bums, 27, of Milwaukee.

Burns, Jacob Bertrand of San Diego and Michael Bruno of BrookIyn, N.Y., took a break from their busy schedules as second-year theology students to speak with Catholic News Service about how some seminarians from today's so-called "Google generation" are helping other people find God and the Church through the Internet.

"There's a lot of junk on the Internet and we have to fix it," said Bertrand, 23, who seems the savviest ofthe group with a blog, accounts on two social networking sites on the Web - MySpace and Facebookand plans for broadcasting practice homilies on YouTube, a video-sharing Website.

Well-formed Catholics and Church leaders have a golden opportunity to move into the World Wide Web like any new mission territory and point people to the truth and to

Christ, the seminarians said.

Bruno, 22, said one of the things he loves most about the networking power of Facebook is "I put down I am a Mets fan, that I follow Notre Dame football" as well as his favorite books and movies. Other young people may be drawn to his profile because they have a shared interest in the New York Mets baseball team or because they went to the same high school, but then they see that he .is also a seminarian studying for the priesthood in Rome.

Very few people actually know a seminarian, and meeting one online and discovering he has many of the same interests as other young people can wipe away some preconceived notions about the kind ofperson who is drawn to a priestly or religious vocation, the three men said.

Being a presence in these online communities almost acts as a sort of accidental advertising for the Catholic Church.

On the one hand, some people may be drawn to vent their frustrations or anger about the Church, but Bums said, "on the flip side it's also easier for a young man or young woman who's considering a vocation to the priestly or religious life to send a quick question or two or even enter into a relationship of

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counseling with a priest or a seminarian who can give some advice on the discernment process."

"We are ministering to these people in many ways, both in sharing our stories, in helping them along their way answering their questions, and providing them another avenue for their own personal faith exploration," the Milwaukee denizen said.

Bruno said often he is asked by curious online visitors what led to his decision to become a priest.

He tells them it wasn't something "abnormal like a lightning bolt coming down and throwing you on the floor" or a loud voice calling your name. The reasons, he said, were rooted in the people who raised, loved and taught him throughout life. ''The vocation ~o be a priest is one that is nourished first in the family, but also in all your relationships, your friends, teachers and parish priests," he said.

"So many people have the idea that the life of a priest is a lonely life, that it is without relationships.

Well, that couldn't be farther from the truth," Bruno said. "We're also sent back to families and friends to minister to them, to be a comfort, to be a .guide, to be a priest to them."

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

Vol. 51, No. 42 Memixlr: Catholic Press Association, Catholic News Service

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!i'ublished weekly except for two weeks in the summer and the week after !

Christmas by theCatholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, 'IVatl River. MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 - FAX 508-675-7048, email: theancho(@anchomews.org. Subscription price by mail, postpaid $14.00 per year.

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 Roger J. Landry fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org EDITOR David B. Jolivet daveJolivet@anchornews.org NEWS EDITOR Deacon James N. Dunbar jlmdunbar@anchornews.org FJEPORTER Matt McDonald mattmcdonald@anchomews.org REPORTER Brian Kennedy brlankennedy@anchornews.org qFFlCE MANAGER Mary Chase marychase@anchornews.org Send Leiters to the Editor to: fatherrogerlandry@anchomews.org PoStMASTeRS send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box. 7, Fall River. MA 02722.

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THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH

In Naples, pope urges people to trust God will hear their prayers

By CINDY. WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE NAPLES, Italy - Under gray skies and a cold rain, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged people to stand firm in their hope that God will hear their prayers for justice and peace.

Arriving to celebrate Mass October 21 in Naples' historic Piazza del Plebiscito, Pope Benedict stopped to embrace Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury and other leaders of Christian churches.

The religious leaders were in Naples for an October 21-23 interreligious meeting sponsored by the Rome-based Sant' Egidio Community. After the Mass, they were joined by representatives of the Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and other religions for a meeting and lunch with the pope: Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Williams and Ezzedine Ibrahim, a Muslim scholar from the United Arab Emirates, were among the nine guests at the pope's table.

Ibrahim was one of 138 Muslim leaders and scholars who signed an earlier letter to the pope and other Christian leaders proposing a dialogue based on the shared beliefs

that there is only one God, that God loves the people he created and that he calls believers to love others.

Archbishop Williams told Catholic News Service that one of the topics discussed at lunch was his suggestion that Christian leaders together compose an official response to the Muslim scholars.

He said the pope and the Rev. Samuel Kobia, a Methodist minister and secretary-general of the World Council of Churches, reacted positively to the suggestion and "now it's a question of ·trying to connect the dots" with their interreligious dialogue experts drafting a text.

Before the lunch, Pope Benedict told the religious leaders, "We are all called to work for peace and to make a concrete commitment to promoting reconciliation among peoples."

He said the interreligious meetings Pope John Paul II convoked in Assisi, Italy, in 1986 and 2002 to pray for peace were animated by a spirit of opposition to violence and of a strict refusal to allow faith to be used as a pretext for violence.

"Before a world lacerated by. conflicts, where some even try to justify violence in the name of God, it is important to reaffirm that reli-

gions must never be vehicles of hatred and that evil and violence can never be justified by invoking God's name," he said.

On a more local level, Pope Benedict used the morning Mass to speak openly about Naples' persistent problems with poverty, violence, organized crime, crumbling infrastructure and unemployment.

He told the people that "at first glance" tht: Gospel message about the need to pray without ceasing could appear irrelevant in the face of so many real problems and even violent deaths as members of the Camorra crime organization settle scores with each other.

But, the pope insisted, "the force that, in silence and without fuss, changes the world and transforms it into the kingdom of God, is faith - and the expression of faith is prayer."

Pope Benedict said it is obvious that sometimes it seems prayers are not" being answered, but people must have faith that if they persevere in prayer, God will intervene with justice.

However, he said, "God cannot change things without our conversion, and our real conversion begins with the cry of the spirit that begs

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for forgiveness and salvation."

To pray is not to ask God to do everything, he said, and it is not to withdraw from the world and wait until things improve.

Christian prayer, he said, "is the strength of hope, the maximum elC.pression of faith in the power of God who is love and will not abandon us."

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AS OF NOVEMBER 23 Saturday - Sunday 2:00-8:00 p.m.

Traditional ,Anglicans ask for full communion with Church DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) - Parishioners from three Church of Ireland parishes have joined traditional Anglicans from 12 other countries in requesting that the Catholic Church receive them into full communion.

If approved by the Vatican, the move would allow 400,000 traditional Anglicans worldwide to be admitted into the Catholic Church.

The decision to petition for the move "seeking full, corporate, sacramental union" was made during an early October plenary meeting of the Traditional Anglican Communion, the umbrella organization for traditional Anglicans, in Portsmouth, England. The move, requested in a letter to the Vatican, would see the entire parish communities received into the Catholic Church.

It is extremely rare for entire Anglican communities to seek corporate communion with the Catholic Church whereby every member of the parish becomes Catholic and the parish effectively becomes part of the Catholic Church.

At the Vatican, officials would not comment on the letter, although they confirmed the doctrinal congregation had received it.

While the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity is the Vatican's lead office for official unity talks with the Anglican Communion, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the' Faith deals with the situation of former Anglican priests who want to become Catholic priests and with groups of former Anglicans who want to become Catholics together. The situation of individual Anglicans wanting to become Roman Catholics is considered a matter of conscience and not pri- . marily an issue in the ecumenical dialogue.

Pope Benedict XVI and top Vatican officials

have expressed their hope that the Anglican Communion would find a structure able to keep Anglicans united while strengthening the faith and doctrinal heritage they share with the Roman Catholic Church in order to continue moving Roman Catholics and Anglicans toward full unity.

The Traditional Anglican Communion describes itself as a worldwide association of orthodox Anglican churches, working to maintain the faith and resist the secularization of the church.

The traditional rite of the Church of Ireland (Anglican) emerged in 1991 after the House of Bishops ofthe Church ofIreland decided to start ordaining women. Traditionalist Anglicans decried the move as a "defiance of both Scripture and tradition."

A spokesman for the traditional rite declined to comment further, insisting that a decision had been made "not to give interviews at this stage."

Besides Ireland, the parishes are located in Africa, North America, Asia and Australia.

After the Episcopal Church in the United States decided in 1976 to ordain women to the priesthood, sOlpe former Episcopalian priests and laity sought full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

The Vatican established a special "pastoral provision" to oversee the movement in the United States of former Episcopalian clergy wanting to minister as priests in the Roman Catholic Church.

The provision also set up guidelines for "Anglican use" Ca~olic parishes, allowing former Episcopalian parishes to retain some of their Anglican liturgical and spiritual traditions.

INTER<CESSORY PRAYER GROUP Nov. 8 7:15 p.m. Chapel of Reconciliation

PAX CHRISTI MEETING i7:15 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 20 i:

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MASS FOR THE UNBORN 4:QO p.m. Mass Saturday, Nov. 24 I:

PRAYER GROUP & DISCUSSION Nov. 8 & 15 7:15 in Church with Dr. Ryan Welter I.

BffiLE STUDY - The Gospel o'S!. John Part 2 Presenter Rev. Donald Paradis, M.S. Saturday mornings until Nov. 17 11 :00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Chapel of Reconciliation

DAY OF RECOLLECTION "Experiencing the Living Christ through Mary" Sat., Nov. 10 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Anna Rae-Kelly In the Monastery

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Bishops to vote on catechetical documents: curriculum, chastity

By CAROL ZIMMERMANN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON - The U.S. Catholic bishops will vote on two catechetical documents when they meet in Baltimore November 12-15.

The proposed documents include a framework for high school religion classes and guidelines for catechetical instruction in human sexuality for elementary and high school students.

Both documents were prepared by the Committee on Catechesis of the U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops, chaired by Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl.

The 80-page document on high school religion curriculum sets the framework for material that should be covered in high school religion classes in Catholic high schools, parish 'religious education or youth ministIy ~ grams and for home-schooled Catholic teen-agers. The format includes core topics covering six semesters and five elective topics.

It is meant not only as .a guide for them but also as a resource for diocesan education offices and Catholic high schools as they develop curriculum guidelines or evaluate religious textbooks for possible use.

The core curriculum, outlined in the document, includes a format for teaching about who Jesus is, how he is revealed in Scripture, his mission and how the Church continues it, encounters with Jesus in the sacraments and how to follow the example of Jesus in modem life.

The document is called ''Doctrinal Elements ofa Curriculum Framework for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age." The elective courses outlined in the document, meant to be taken during the junior and senior years, are titled "Sacred Scripture:' "History of

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the Catholic Church:' "Living as a Disciple of Jesus Christ in Society:' "Responding to the Call of Jesus Christ" and ''Ecumenical and Interfaith Issues."

The document's introduction points out that the "primary purpose and goal of all catechetical instruction is to help others to learn about Jesus Christ and his teaching in order to come to know him and to be transformed by him."

The catechetical framework not only lays out the doctrinal content that * should be covered for high school students, but, as the introduction states, it is "also designed to help those same young people to develop the necessary skills to answer or address the real questions in life and in their Catholic faith" through its question and answer section.

The other educational document to be presented to the bishops this fall is a 21-page set of guidelines on catechetical instruction on human sexuality for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. This document has been worked on since 2003 in response to catechetical publishers who have been seeking guidance and direction on this topic.

A draft version of the document, "Catechetical Formation in Chaste Living: Guidelines for Curriculum and Publication Design:' was sent to the bishops for review this spring.

Its introduction states that the guidelines should not only help publishers, but parents, catechists and teachers "in their respective roles in this crucial and delicate task."

The. document was prompted by guidelines established in the "Catechism of the Catholic Church:' the General Directory for Catechesis and the National Directory for Catechesis which stress formation in Catholic faith and morals as virtues for chaste living.

The document is in two parts. The first focuses on the Church's teaching that should be included as components in teaching about human sexuality, beginning with the scriptural account of human beings being created in God's own image and created for love.

It also includes references to chastity from the "Catechism" and cites sections of the catechism that focus on "serious offenses against chastity" such as pornography, the contraceptive mentality and practice, premari. tal and extramarital sex, cohabitation, sexual abuse, homosexual activity and same-sex unions.

The second part points out the specific roles of pastors, parents, teachers and catechists, and publishers in training young people to follow ChUrch teaching on sexuality.

Both documents will go through two sets of votes during the bishops' meeting. These will require approval by two-thirds of the USCCB membership.

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WILDFIRE CASUALTY - The computer lab at Our Lady of Malibu Church was destroyed in the October 21 wildfire in Malibu. Calif. Other buildings at the parish and school were saved but suffered smoke and water damage. (CNS photo/Suzanne Ricci, courtesy of Our Lady of Malibu School)

Indian reservation's church is victim of California wildfires SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A Catholic church on an Indian reservation was one of the casualties of the ongoing wildfires that haye hit Southern California.

St. Bartholomew Church, a mission church on the Rincon Reservation, and several homes on the reservation were destroyed in one of the fires, according to Bo Mazzetti, a councilman for the Luiseno tribe on the reservation.

As of October 23, more than 900,000 people had been evacuated from their homes, and an estimated 1,500 houses had been lost to the flames.

Fourteen different wildfires affecting nearly 330,000 acres have hit separate parts of Southern California stretching along the coast from Val Verde to San Diego and into northernmost Mexico as well as some inland areas. Only two fires covering a total of 979 acres had been completely contained, according to the National Interagency Fire Center's Website.

The Santa Ana winds that had been feeding the flames were believed to have peaked October 23, although dry and windy conditions were expected to continue. Temperatures, which had reached highs in the high 80s and low 90s in many parts of the fire-stricken areas, were also expected to cool somewhat.

President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in Southern California and ordered federal officials to help local officials bring aid to the region.

Massetti told the San Diego Union-Tribune daily newspaper the loss of St. Bartholmew Church was a spiritual blow to the tribe. ''That's something we've all attended, that church. It's devastating to see that:' Mazzetti said.

The St. Bartholomew Church property is owned by the Luiseno tribe, not by the Diocese of San Diego, although a deacon or priest from a nearby parish regularly min-

isters to reservatio~ residents. The minister to those taking refuge same is true of two other mission there. . The Diocese of San Diego shut churches on reservations close to the Rincon Reservation, both of down its chancery building Octowhich were feared destroyed in the ber 23, but reopened the next day, albeit at about 60 percent strength blazes.

A representative of Catholic as employees were tending to fireMutual, the San Diego Diocese's related situations in their homes. insurance company, said October The Catholic-run University of .24 no harm had come to any Church San Diego announced it was canceling classes for the remainder of properties owned by the diocese.

A message left on the answer- the week. ing machine at San Rafael Church "Dining services staff and stuin the city's Rancho Bernardo area dent volunteers have provided dessaid: "Due to the fires in San Di- perately needed food and supplies ego, San Rafael Parish offices and "to evacuees at Qua\comm Stapremises have been evacuated un- dium," said the university's presitil further notice. All scheduled ac- dent, Mary Long.

At Loyola Marymount Univertivities for this week have been canceled. Thank you." sity in Los Angeles, it was business "Catholic Charities is providing nearly as usual. ''The closest fire to the campus support to the community and our staff affected by the wildfires with is over 20 miles away in Malibu, hot meals, staffing and technical and all of the other fires are much resources to those located at farther away. None of the active Qualcomm Stadium:' a football sta- fires pose any risk to the campus," dium in San Diego doubling as a the sch901's Website reported.

St. Patrick Church in Carlsbad, shelter, said Catholic Charities USA spokeswoman Shelly Boryszewicz in the San Diego Diocese, opened in a statement. Priests were being its doors as a shelter, saying it could recruited to go to the stadium and accommodate up to 200 people.

SURREAL IMAGE - The Southern California wildfires are shown in this NASA satellite image. (CNS photolNASA, MODIS Rapid Response)

NOVEMBER

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4; THE CHURCH IN THE U.S. $

2, 2007

Religion as a factor in 2008 presid~ntial race

By NANCY FRAZIER O'BRIEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON - In contrast to the 2000 and 2004 presidential election cycles, when some saw Republican candidates as too cozy with religious leaders and too willing to bring their faith into the public sphere, this year's GOP candidates for president have been relatively quiet on the topic of religion.

The Democratic presidential candidates, on the other hand, have lost the reticence of recent years and are talking openly about their faith experiences and how that would affect their political decisions.

But the Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, a Baptist minister who is president of the Interfaith Alliance, isn't any happier with the Democrats now than he was with the Republicans then.

"We're electing a commander in chief, not a pastor in chief," he said at an October 10 panel discussion with Diana Eck, director of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and Amy Caiazza, study director for democracy and society programs at the Institute for Women's Policy Research in Washington.

The panelists were critical of several recent developments in the faith and politics arena, including: - an October 7 talk by Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois at Redemption World Outreach Center in Greenville, S.C., in which he said "God's spirit is traveling with us and he wants us to do the right thing" and asked the congregation to "pray that I c,an be an instrument of God"; - a recent statement by Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona that the United States was created as "a Christian nation" under the Constitution; - Moderator Tim Russert's request during the Democratic debate at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire in late September for each candidate to name his or her favorite Bible verse;

Not one candidate said the question had no place in a deb;lte about the leadership of the country for the next four years, Eck said. The candidates "are not running to be president of all Christians, but to be president of all Americans," she added.

didates!whose bids for the presidency are considered long shots. In response to the Bible verse question, Rep. Dennis Kudinich of Ohio named the prayer of St. Francis; New Mexicd Gov. Bill Richardson the Sermon on the Mount; Sen. dlristopher Dodd of Connecticut the parable of the good Slamaritan; and Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware "Christlis warning of the Pharisees."

The latest poll on religion and politics by the Pew Forum'on!iReligion & Public Life found that nearly seven in 10 Americans think it is important for a president to have strong feligious beliefs and 58 percent think it is proper for jou~nalists to ask candidates about their religious beliefs.

Forty-six percent of respondents to the Pew survey said former liMassachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, was veh religious. President George W. Bush was second, at 1143 percent.

But the two candidates considered the front - runners for the~r parties' nomination - former New York Mayor Rudy qiuliani, a Republican, and Clinton - were judged the least religious, with 14 percent and 16 percent, re. III . h l' . spectlv~ y, saymg t ey were very re IgIOUS. Rev.!! Gaddy said the best response on the question of candidAtes and faith came from the nation's first C~tho­ lic pre~lident, John F. Kennedy, in a televised September 1960 speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial AssoII

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Religious Candidates?

Only small percentages of Americans s~id they consider the top presidential candidates to be "very religious."

46% 43%

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Kenhedy described his belief "in an America where the " separation of church and state is absolute - where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be

For the record, Obama named the Sermon on the Mount, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York said the golden rule and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina said, "What you do unto the least of those, you do unto me."

The Dartmouth debate also included four Catholic can~

Catholib) how to act and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote."

"Th~re are too many issues facing the nation for candidates t6 spend time discussing how they pray or what their biggest:i sin is," Rev. Gaddy added.

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, The Anchor $

6

The martyrdom of ordinary life They were all killed in hatred of the Catholic faith during the Spanish Civil War, which terrorized Spain from 1936-1939. In the span offour years of anti-Catholic frenzy, leftist republicans hunted down and executed nearly 7,000 priests, 13 bishops, 283 nuns and thousands of lay people. Hundreds ofchurches and monasteries were attacked, desecrated and burned to the ground.

After the October 28 ceremony, Pope Benedict, in his ."Angelus " address, stressed the meaning of the event for Catholics throughout the world.

"Adding such a great number of martyrs to the list of beatified persons shows that the supreme witness of giving blood is not an exception reserved only to some individuals, but a realistic possibility for all Christian people. It includes men and women of different ages, vocations and social conditions, who pay. with their lives in fidelity to Christ and his Church."

No matter our state of life, all Christians need to face the possibility to follow Christ faithfully we may need to trace his bloody footsteps along the way of the Cross. To suffer is not exceptional; not to suffer is.

"Remember the word that I said to you," Jesus said during the Last Supper, "'the servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you" (In 15:20). He added that, just like they were about to do to him, "they will arrest you and persecute you, hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to give witness" (Lk 21:13). Truth incarnate told us not to be afraid of those who 'could kill the body but not kill the soul (Mt 10:28), but rather to rejoice when persecuted, "(or your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Mt 5:12).

Benedict says that the Christian orientation toward martyrdom begins in baptism, when we enter into Christ's death so ~ to enter into his life (cf. Rom 6:3-4). But whether or not we are called to shed our blood for the faith, we are all called to two things: to be willing at least to pay the supreme sacrifice out of love for Christ who paid it for us; and to be willing to suffer and sacrifice ourselves daily out offaithful love for Christ and others.

The Spanish martyrs' example, the pope states, illustrates both aspects of.this two-fold baptismal reality. First, it "gives witness to the fact that baptism commits Christians to participate boldly iA the spread of the Kingdom of God, cooperating if necessary wi~. $«. ~ac;:rifice of one's own life." But it also highlights another type of martyrdom. "Certainly not everyone is called to a bloody martyrdom. There is also an unbloody 'martyrdom,' which is no less significant. It is the silent and heroic testimony of many Christians who live the Gospel without compromise, fulfilling their duty and dedicating themselves generously in service to the poor."

This unbloody martynjom, to "live the Gospel without compromise," is one of the most urgent tasks for Christians today in Massachusetts and elsewhere. We live in a culture in which many expect everything, except their own desires, to be up for compromise. Workers in non-essential , industries are asked to compromise their fidelity to God and work rather than worship God on Sundays. Those who aspire to public office are often asked to check parts of their faith at the door of the party offices and adopt immoral planks of the party platform. Public school teachers are frequently expected to keep the deepest part of their personality hidden in school, because anti-religious politically-correct administrators think that the mere witness of faith may harm students., Emergency room personnel and most pharmacists in Massachusetts ary·mandated to suppress their compassion for the most innocent and vulnerable human beings and to give out abortifacient pills to women who may be pregnant. Justices of the peace are forced to sell out both their faith and'reason and celebrate pseudo-marriages of people of the same sex if they wish to continue to celebrate genuine marriages ofa man and a woman. There are many more examples to choose from, but the point is clear. We are living in an age in which many in our culture think the only "good Catholic" is one who "reasonably" allows popular opinion to trump the law of God, to compromise their faith lest they get in the way of the immoral aims of those in power.

That's why Pope Benedict says that the "martyrdom of ordinary life" is a "particularly important witness in the secularized societies of our time." Christians need to show that when given choice between God and work, between God and an unjust law, between God and unfair demands from family members, even between God's will and their own, Christians will serve God. This witness of uncompromising fidelity, even in the face of persecution, threats, or death, is wha. moves others to conversion. This is the "peaceful battle oflove," the pope says, "that all Chris, tians have to fight tirelessly."

Tens of thousands of Spanish Catholics fought that good fight of faithfullove until the end. May they intercede for us here in thi!! diocese, so , that we might courageously live out that "martyrdom of ordinary life" to which Christ and his earthly vicar call us.

a

NOVEMBER

2, 2007

the living word I

CATHOLIC PARISHIONER JEAN WESOLOWSKI PRAYS AFTER ATTENDING TO GRAVESITES OF RELATIVES AT RESURRECTION CEMETERY IN JUSTICE, ILL. ALL SOULS DAY, THE COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED, IS OBSERVED TODAY. (CNS PHOTO/KAREN CALLOWAY, CATHOucNEWWORW) "AFfER TIDS

I

HAD A VISION OF A

GREAT MULTITUDE, WHICH NO ONE COULD COUNT, FROM EVERY NATION, RACE, PEOPLE AND TONGUE. THEY STOOD BEFORE TIlE THRONE AND BEFORE TIlE LAMB, WEARING WHITE ROBES AND HOLDING PALM BRANCHES IN

THEIR HANDS. THEY

CRIED OUT IN A

woo VOICE:

'SALVATION COMES FROM OUR

Goo,

WHO IS SEATED ON TIlE THRONE, AND FROM TIlE

LAMB'" (REv 7:9·10).

God's'response to scandal After every scandal in the history of ~e Church, God has raised Ip great saints to bring his Church back to holiness. These saiDts are the ones who show the true face ofthe Church after others have disfigured it.

After the infamous scandals that led to the Protestant reformation, God raised up many of the greatest saints in the history of the Church: Teresa of Avila, the foundress of the Discalced Carmelites; Ignatius of Loyola, the founder ofthe Jesuits and so many herbic Jesuits with him; Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and co-founder of the Sisters of the Visitation; Philip Neri, the founder of the OratorianS; as well as scores of saintly women and men who planted seeds that continue to bear fruit to this day.

On November 4, wecelebrate the feast of perhaps the greatest counter-reformation saint of them all: Charles Borromeo. His

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reforming the liturgy and sacred music.

Once his uncle died and Pius V was elected, he begged for the opportunity to be able to go to Milan, where he had been appointed administrator years before. He knew it was in a terriblestate ofdisarray. In many villages, the people were debauched and their priests were worse. He had been governing the enormous diocese by vicars and trying to reform it with the help of the Jesuits, but he knew that his personal presence was needed. The new pope, who hated to lose him, gave him permission. He was ordained a priest and a bishop and arrived in Milan in 1566.

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pastors and bishops but for the Church as a whole in responding appropriately to scandals.

- At the age of 22, after the death of his parents, his uncle, Pope Pius Iv, named him a cardinal, even though he was not yet in holy orders, and brought him to Rome. Despite his youth, he was given enormous responsibility in the day-to-day operations of the Vatican. Since he was a member ofthe Medici Family, the famous mercantile family that built renaissance florence, he had enormous administrative abilities, but his management skills were surpassed by his zeal and piety.

When his uncle decided to reconvene and successfully finish the Council of Trent, which had broken up in disagreements twice before, he entrusted its preparation and governance to Charles, even though he was not yet 25. Under his leadership, he brought the oft contentious prelates to agreement and the Council passed its most important dogmatic anddisciplinary decrees. After the Council, he tried to make its teachings intelligible and effective by overseeing the composition of the Catechism, and

LanCf;Y

The first thing he did was to hold a plenary council with the bishops, priests, and faithful of the region in order to ensure that the reforms of the Council of Trent were implemented. They focused first on the discipline and training of the clergy, and the duty priests had to celebrate the Mass and other sacraments faithfully and to teach the faith by word and example.

This was easier said than done.

Many priests and monasteries resisted these reforms and turned a deaf ear to their need for deep conversion. For this reason, he traveled from place to place in his diocese and held local synods, to make sure the reforms were not ignored. With wayward priests, he first dealt as a tender father, seeking to persuade them to change their way of life. If they refused, with great courage and firmness, he showed them the door and replaced them with worthy clergy who could teach and exemplify Christian faith and morals. It is a sign of how corrupt many of the clergy were that a group of them conspired to try to assassinate him. One mom:

ing, when he was kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament in his chapel, a priest sneaked up from behind and shot him in the back. God miraculously prevented the bullet from penetrating his tattered cassock.

At the same time as he was reforming his priests, he built three seminaries to ensure future priests would receive not only solid formation but clear supervision and evaluation to guarantee that they were holy men capable Of sanctifying rather than harming their people.

Once he had reformed his shepherds, he sought to reform his flock.

He did this first by becoming the first bishop to institute Sunday Schools in his diocese and requiring his priests to teach catechism on Sundays and Holy Days.

Among his flock were many corrupt civil leaders. He met with them individually and called them to conversion, since he knew the power of their example. When they refused to convert in private, he went public and denounced their scandalous behavior for what it was. Despite their threats, he did not back down. Charity did not allow him to back down: their and others' salvation was dependent on it.

This love for others and their true good, in this world and in the next, was his greatest characteristic. His self-sacrifice knew no bounds. He gave away most of his possessions and income to the poor. He barely heated his residence so that money would be present to heat the poor.

After a great famine, with his own hand, he fed 3,000 people each day for three monthS. When the plague struck the region, and most ofthe civil leaders had fled, he with priests and religious cared for all those who remained. For two years, he arranged food for 70,000 people a day, exhausting all his resources to help them.

He worked himself to a glorious death at the age of 46, an icon of God's master plan for the reform of the Church after scandal..

Father Landry is pastor of St. Anthony's Parish in New Bedford.

NOVEMBER

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2, 2007

The Anchor

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Tripped by the evidence marriage rallies had been similarly Sometimes the good guy wins.

On Oct. 22, 2007, a Worcester jury disrupted, moved to Loy's side and acquitted Larry Cirignano of asked her to leave. Police monitoring the rally were standing at criminal charges stemming from the back of the crowd, showing no much disputed events at a marindication of interceding. riage rally held in front of the Worcester city hall last year.

At the time the criminal complaint was filed, Larry was the executive director of the Boston-based lay group Catholic Citizenship, an ally on public policy issues for the Catholic What happened next became bishops. Larry was accused, the source of great contention. A wrongly, of pushing a counterreporter for the Worcester Teledemonstrator to the ground, ~d gram covering the rally, Richard causing her to bang her head on Nangle, wrote in an article the next the sidewalk. day that Larry "ran into the crowd, For those who dare to defend grabbed [Loy] by both shoulders" traditional marriage and other and "then pushed her to the politically incorrect values in ground, her head slamming against Massachusetts, the case of the concrete sidewalk."

Commonwealth v. Cirignano Loy curled into the fetal serves as both warning and position, then got up and began encouragement.

What are the undisputed facts? . crying ''That's what hate does, At the December 2006 rally, that's what hate does." Larry granted a permit by the city, Sarah admitted that he used one arm to Loy, a member of the local chapter lightly direct Loy away from the podium, but denied that he pushed of the American Civil Liberties Union and gay marriage supporter, her or otherwise caused her to fall.

Nangle later told Know-Thyemerged from the crowd and stood Neighbor.org, a group supporting with a protest sign in front of the gay marriage, that he purposely ground level podium, thus interfering with the speakers. abandoned the journalistic rule of referring to the reported incident Larry, trained in crowd control, as "alleged" since he was, in the and aware that other traditional

complaint and the negative in the same-sex marriage debate. commentary increased..

The mother and daughter testified that Loy had attempted to At the October trial before a words of Know-Thy-Neighbor, a different judge, Gilleran was able move by them, and tripped over . direct witness and "first rethe daughter's foot as a result. It to get the civil rights complaint sponder.'~ Nangle further claimed was only when nearby allies told thrown out. He convinced the trial that "I have never seen anything so Loy not to get up that she curled judge that an earlier free speech diSgUsting." up and began crying out. The two decision of the U.S. Supreme Loy filed criminal charges for witnesses said that Larry was notCourt applied. The ruling recogassault and battery and later any where around when this nized that the org~rs of South added a civil rights comhappened. The photos and videos Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade, plaint, arguing that Larry verified the location of these by virtue of getting a permit, had denied her constitutional their own free speech rights and witnesses. right of free speech.

At closing arguments, the thus could prevent activists from Then the indignant drum district attorney abandoned any crashing the parade to,express began to beat as the internet their support for gay causes. reference to Loy's fall and asked and presses hummed with Thus Loy did not have a civil the jury to find that Larry commitcondemnation. One ted a crime simply by moving Loy right to crash the marri4ge rally, and headline screamed "Cathoover the objections of the district away from the podium. Gilleran lics Don't Care Who They Bash on responded that any touching attorney, the WorcesterJudge ~ed This Issue!" Another blogger in Larry's favor. This ~as a huge involved in guiding Loy back to argued that the upcoming trial last. victory but it was not the crowd was reasonable under would present "one of the many After a jury was selected, the the circumstances since the opportunities to inform the district attorney called!' several organizers of the rally had a permit extreme right wing sorts that they witnessesto the stand. i, All to assemble and Loy had no right • I can't count on getting away with to interfere. To the shock of all testified that they saw Loy pushed stifling others, much less physito the ground by LarrY. Except for those who had Larry convicted cally attacking them." Even before proven guilty, the jury Nangle, the witnesses admitted Boston commentator John Keller decided in Larry's favor. that they were part of the countertook up knife and fork, roasting The'worrisome part of this story demonstration. On cross-examinaLarry in a chapter entitled "What tion, Gilleran showed photographs is the degree to which supporters of Hate Does" in his new book ''The same-sex marriage appeared and video of the crowd, and asked Bluest State." . willing to tar and feather an why the witnesses, including Larry resigned from Catholic opponent of their view, regardless Nangle, could not be seen near the Citizeriship. The Worcester district of the evidence. The encouraging spot where Loy landed. The attotney decided to prosecute and part is that the system ofjustice, witnesses began to hedge, claimdocketed the case with the title of consistent with its promise, did ing that they were hidden behind Commonwealth v. Cirignano. signs. One witness contended that actually prevail in_th.!§ c~. Thank _ Larry gratefully accepted the offer God the attacks on Larry were his elbow could be seen nearby. of Boston Attofl,ley ~ Gilleran tripped by the evidence.

Then Gilleran summoned his to defend him without fee. They There are people who are trying own witnesses. Many, of them lost a preliminary round when a .were participants in the rally and to paint supporters of traditional judge approved Loy's civil rights marriage as haters, and we will supporters of traditional marriage, need the system to work to but not all. Larry testified that he preserve what little opportunity we used a method to mov~ Loy that did not involve the use of his have remaining to influence public she was shushed, so as to not policy, now that same-sex marhands, but only the usb of his awaken the neighbors. "What?" riage is in force in Massachusetts. forearm placed lightly::I, at her back seemed to be her expression most To that end, Larry Cirignano, with to guide her away. Other wit. di sputed that h I! grabbed of the time. the assistance of Mike Gilleran, nesses y At a time when she would have Loy and .pushed her. I deserve our congratulations for not normally been dreaming of giving in.

Gilleran then brought to the chasing squirrels and chomping Daniel Avila is the associate stand a mother and tetin-aged on pizza crusts, she would daughter who had come to city directorfor Policy & Research of twist her head while hall that day for other reasons, and' the Massachusetts Catholic watching her master Conference. . were not involved with either side dance across the living room floor, following a Children's booklet by Red Sox home run. Then Jackie Almeida when she wanted to join 'From the Crib to the Cross' in, I ~old her it wasn't A Diorama of the Life of Christ play time. "What?"

A 5x7 soft cover booklet At least the poor pooch printed on glossy paper. Great got to enjoy a post-game Christmas gift for a child trip outside at one in the morning. I of 3 to 8 years old. hope she .didn't get used to that one.

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JOHN'S SHOE STORE But, the Red Sox are world 295 Rhode Island Avenue Contad: Jackie @ 508·6769668 champs again, and it's time to Fall River, MA , 02724 Emoil: jaekoata@verizon.net return to the status quo. 'i It's time to hibernate. Igor too.

Excuse us as we load up on the MUSIC DIRECTOR' things that will sustain us on our St. Julie Billiar;t Parish in North Dartmouth is seeking a long winter's nap: pizza, burgers, full-time Music Director. Organ, Vocal and Choir .

Doritos and Butterfingers. . Directing Skills Needed.

Please respect the "Do not To apply, submit ~ resume to the Parish Office by November disturb" sign posted out front. We 12 or email Fat~erMathiasatgregorymath@gmail.com have some sleep to catch up on, Ii St. Julie Billlart Parish' and dreams of World Series glory !'

494 Slocum Road to absorb.

North Dartmouth, MA 02747 Just be sure wake us up in time Phone ~08-993-2351 FAX 508-993-2437 for the NFL playoffs in January.

thb I,

Now I can hibernate "Now you can hibernate dad."

Those word uttered by my 12year-old Emilie shortly after the smoke cleared in the early morning hours of October 29· sum up best what the past month has been for'me and untold others across Red Sox Nation.

- When Jonathan Papelbon's horsehide meteor nestled cozily into Jason Varitek's mitt at 12:05 a.m., it marked the beginning of a return to normalcy for thousands, maybe millions, of bleary-eyed zombies.

The Red Sox are once again world champs, and I no longer have to sit at my desk and stare at the monitor oddly resembling a meerkat, after squeezing in a few hours sleep earlier that morning.

No longer will names like Yorvit Torrealba, Kazuo Matsui and Matt Holliday conjure up images of evil villains like Boris Badenoff, Snidt:ly Whiplash and Mortimer Mouse.

No longer will few fleeting hoUrs of sleep each night be haunted by a dozen different versions of the strike zone.

This whole process seemed so much easier way back in 2004,

when I was still in my 40s. But now, it's a return to normalcy and not just for humans.

When the 25 goggled boys of s.ummer swept the Colorado Rockies last week, my cattle dog! border collie; Igor, panted a giant

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~PTHSHOE

FOR ALL DAY WALKING COMFORT

sigh of relief as well. Iggy is a very intelligent canine, but she couldn't possibly have known what to make of the past four weeks. To get a se.nse of her perspective, I had to put on her fur and walk a mile in her paws.

Almost on a nightly basis, she had to endure a roller coaster of emotions. At a time when she would normally be curled up in her dog bed for the night, she had to endure spontaneous blood curdling screams of "yes," and "no," erupting from the alpha dog.

Then, when she tried to join in with a volley of barks and yelps,

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Where will we find God this week?

Today the Gospel tells us a story about a little man named Zacchaeus who was a tax collector by profession.

Zacchaeus was so excited about the coming of Jesus to his region that he climbs a tree in order to get a good look at Jesus. Not much different than any sports event or celebrity appearance, there must have been the push of the crowd and a real sense of excitement. The people were probably pushing each other to get the best view, little children would be lifted up on the shoulders of their parents and everything that could be used to give a better view would be used.

There must have been a sense of excitement in the air.

The one particular item about today's Gospel that I

would like to focus upon, or that we should reflect about, is the fact that Zacchaeus went out to see Jesus, and then when they encountered it was Jesus who went to meet him; he even went to his home to eat.

Most religion books used for adult Catholic instruction begin with the idea that God desires to reveal himself to us and we as human beings have a desire, a natural curiosity to want to know and seek out God. God showing himself to us is what has traditionally been referred to as revelation, God's revealing himself to us.

The tax collectors of Zacchaeus' time were allowed to keep a percentage

of whatever tax revenue they were able to gather. The public hated the tax collectors because they often used force and coercion to get tax money, and since many were

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....';.

John J. Perry motivated by greed, many were corrupt as well.

Zacchaeus went looking for God and he found him.

The result was that salvation came to his home. Zacchaeus on his part then made every effort to change what was wrong in his life and to make

up for the harm the he had done in the past. The Gospel tells us that he promised to give to the poor and to repay four times over anything that he had extorted as a tax collector. Zacchaeus went looking for God and he found him. As a result his life was made different, not only for the moment but forever.

As a people of faith we also look for God and in many ways. We like Zacchaeus have found him. Maybe our finding of the Lord was not in the same way but we have found the Lord in the Eucharist that we celebrate this Sunday, in the other sacraments, in the people we attend church with, in the words of the

Scriptures, in one another, and more vaguely in the gifts and treasures of nature to mention a few.

You notice that Zacchaeus didn't just stumble upon Jesus; he went out looking for him. Once he found him he then changed his life, he was never the same afterwards. How will we look and how will we attempt to find God in the upcoming week?

As we recognize his presence in our midst, then how will that recognition make us better and holier people?

These are truly challenging questions, and they demand that we respond to God's call to conversion to greater holiness.

Father Perry is the pastor ofSt. Jude the Apostle Parish in Taunton.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Nov 03, Rom 11:1-2a,11-12.25-29; Ps 94:12-13a,14-15,17-18; Lk 14:1,7-11. Sun. Nov 04 Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Wis 11:2212:2; Ps 145:1-2,9-11,13-14; 2 Thes 1:11-2:2; Lk 19:1-10. Mon. Nov 05, Rom 11:29-36; Ps 69:30-31,33-34,36-37; Lk 14:12-14. Toe. Nov 06, Rom 12:5-16b; Ps 131:1-3; Lk 14:1524. Wed. Nov 07, Rom 13:8-10; Ps 112:1-2,4-5,9; Lk 14:25-33. Thu. Nov 08, Rom 14:7-12; Ps 27:1,4,13-14; Lk 15:1-10. Fri. Nov 09, Ez 47:1-2,8-9,12; Ps 46:2-3,5-6,8-91; Cor 3:9c-11,16-17; In 2:13-22.

China's one-child self-destruction A real piece of work: back in the day, that's what we'd have called my friend Nicholas Eberstadt. By his own confession, Nick left Harvard a convinced Maoist - only to find, during his early graduate work at the London School of Economics, that he couldn't out-argue British development economist Peter Bauer. So unlike others who will remain nameless, Nick figured out that being left does mean having to say you're sorry (and wrong), when the evidence overwhelmingly points in a different direction. So he abandoned the intellectual fever swamps of "Marxist analysis," got very serious indeed, and has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the world's most creative students of demography.

And one of the bravest. For in September, Eberstadt became

possibly the first man ever to criticize China's One-Child Policy in China, before an audience consisting of Chinese government officials and a predominantly Chinese World Economic Forum audience.

Eberstadt first noted the humanpotential costs of the One-Child Policy.

Reminding his audience that perhaps the most familiar face of China in America today is Houston Rockets center Yao Ming{an only child, and the son of two basketball stars), Eberstadt asked his hosts: "Without a One-Child Policy, how many other stars might the Yao family have produced?

That particular possibility has been lost - and we will never

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know how much further potential for China has been lost, thanks to involuntary birth control."

The One-Child Policy's proponents argue that China has experienced enormous economic

growth under One-Child. That's true, Eberstadt conceded; but "development" is more than economics. Consider the many parents who might have wanted more than one child and yet were compelled to "forswear the children they wished to have."

For those parents, economic growth is a poor substitute for their hearts' deeper longings. Or, as Eberstadt put it, economic growth that doesn't "meet the most basic of human needs and

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desires is low quality growth."

Then there are the about-tocome-due economic fiscal costs of the One-Child Policy.

Thanks to 15 years of belowreplacement-level birth rates, China's working age population is about to start declining - and will continue to decline "more or less indefinitely." How will an increasingly over-50 population maintain the economic dynamism that the rest of the world has come to expect from China? Moreover, because of the One-Child Policy and its skewing effects on the overall Chinese population, "China's age profile will be 'graying' in the decades ahead at a pace almost never before seen in human history."

Today, China is young; by 2030, China will be "grayer" than the United States.

In 20 years, on current trends, the "normal" Chinese family will be "4-2-1:" four grandparents, two parents, one grandchild."

"Brother," "sister," "aunt," "uncle," and "cousin" will be abstract terms. What will this do to a society in which family bonds are a crucial component of social capital? And what about the d~mographic ramifications of sex-selection abortions under the One-Child Policy? That odious

practice has created a situation in which, 20 years out, there will tens of millions of unmarried Chinese young men with no marriage prospects - because the wives they might have married were aborted. That's a vast human and social problem.

It's also a huge international security problem, for that many unmarriageable young men means, historically, an army of marauders.

Echoing Pope John Paul II in the encyclical Centesimus Annus, Nick Eberstadt closed on a humanistic note: "In the final analysis, the wealth of nations in the modem world is not to be found in mines, or forests, or deposits of natural resources.

The true wealth of modem countries resides in their people - in human resources. China's people are not a curse - they are a blessing." Thus China's success in "abolishing poverty and attaining mass affluence in the decades and generations ahead" may well depend on a decision

by China's rulers to reverse course and to trust their own people, with respect to the size of their families.

Nick Eberstadfreports that his reception was "cool." Which is bad news, not for Dr. Eberstadt, but for China.

George Weigel is a senior fellow ofthe Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

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NOVEMBER

$

2, 2007

The Anchor ,

A good Scout Saturday 20 October 2007 - At home on Three Mile River-Art Buchwald's 82nd birthday As a young seminarian, I worked with a Scout troop meeting in a local Episcopal Church. I wasn't Episcopalian and neither had I ever been a Scout.

Nevertheless, I served as assistant Scout master in Her Majesty's Royal Scouts. The troop was located in Canada. You should see me in a dorky "Smokey the Bear" hat.

Michael Cordeiro recently approached me. He had noticed some spiffing-up going on. He said he wanted to be part of the action.

He also mentioned his teen-age son Mike needed service hours for Scout merit badge requirements.

Was there anything young Mike could do? I never say no to a volunteer. The lad helped our facilities manager, Jim MacDonald, paint the parish center

lobby. Dad came along for moral support and found himself with a paintbrush in hand as well. The men worked until nearly midnight.

Thirteen-year-old Michael reluctantly went home to bed.

Another night, I peeked in at the

weekly Scout troop meeting. There was Mike being ceremoniously presented with his badge. I felt proud to have helped in some way.

The parish has been in a frenzy of preparations since word was received that Bishop w. George Coleman would be corning here to celebrate the Saturday Vigil Mass and conduct the ~ Ceremony of Installation of a New Pastor, yours truly.

I've been here since July, but it's never too late to celebrate.

Father Richard ''Paul Revere" Furlong received with excitement the news of the bishop's impending visit. He galloped through town crying, ''The bishop is coming! The bishop is coming!" At least he didn't hang a lantern or two in my

In pursuit of contentment I've noticed something really unusual. No matter what checkout line I choose at the grocery store, the other ones always move faster. Always.

The same thing happens when I drive up to Boston. No matter what lane of traffic I'm in, it's always the one that stalls out.

The minute I change lanes, traffic in the new lane comes to a grinding halt, and cars that were behind me in the previous lane go whizzing by.

I really started to wonder about this phenomenon last summer, however, when we were bodysurfing at Horseneck Beach. No matter where we stationed ourselves along the shoreline, the highest waves were always just a little out of our reach, never where we were patiently waiting for a ride..

Cont~ntment: it's one of those virtues that, like fast check-out lines, moving traffic lanes, and cresting waves, is at least a little bit elusive. Living, as we do, in a market economy, this somewhat elusive nature of contentment is exploited by advertisers in order to coerce us to buy, buy, buy so that we will be happy, happy, happy. In the context of this commercial way of life, contentment is often paired with complacency, lack of ambition, or just plain laziness. The effect of this is that even when we are pursuing non-material, .good, and godly ambitions - things like finding a spouse, getting a job, or saving enough money to go on a mission trip - we often feel caught in the slow line, stalled

off from work.

As I try to follow God's plan for my life I am learning that one of the secrets to contentment lies in the virtue of trust; the kind of trust that is laid out in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Within this paradigm of trust, contentment and ambition are not at odds, but can ~-_~_!"If"-"'::::iiiiii:::-"'~walk hand-in-hand.

Here is how. With God and some trusted advisors, we make an honest inventory of our good ambitions and prayerfully set a course of action to pursue God's plans for us.

Then, we wake up every pure, then we need to reject the morning ready to do our part, idea that to be content in them but do not lie awake all night is to be complaceilt, lacking in worrying about the outcome. ambition, or lazy - iUs We persistently trust that, even actually just the opposite. if we can't see how or why, Contentment is a powerful God will use any and all embrace of the present moment. setbacks and sidetracks to Contentment is an empowering accomplish his plans in us. choice to live in the here and Finally, and because we trust the now, which, when lived God more than we trust ourrightly, pre~ents us from selves, we remain willing to running around like chickens hand over our plans in exchange with our heads cut off. for his at every fork in the road.

Most of our struggles with Although living this way is contentment don't really much easier said than done, happen in grocery lines, traffic Jeremiah 29:11 sustains us on lanes, or at the beach. Most the journey, "'For I know the come from genuine conflicts plans I have for you,' declares like I mentioned before of the LORD, 'plans to prosper wanting to get married, but harm you, plans you and not to never seeming to meet the right to give you hope and a future.'" guy or gal; being married and Heidi is an author, photogfeeling God's call to have rapher, and full-time mother. children, but not being able to She and her husband raise conceive; or hoping to finish a theirfive children in Falmouth. college degree or'to purchase a homegrownfaith@gmail.com. home, but being repeatedly laid

out, or never quite in the right place at the right time. We fall into the trap of being discontent not just with what we have, but also with who we are, and where we are in life.

To be blessed by God, of course, our ambitions need to be more than just commercially, financially, or otherwise selfishly motivated, which is contrary to every advertising message out there. But if our dreams for the future are indeed

9 steeple.

Upon hearing the announcement, the parishioners all came together. Bob Harrison offered a large carpet remnant. I never say no to a gift. The carpet went in the lobby of the parish center. Bob did the installation without charge.

The addition of a few light fixtures and a couple of pieces of knock-down furniture (marked down at an off-price outlet and assembled by yours truly), the lobby looked terrific. Champagne taste; beer budget. ''This looks like the lobby of a Sheraton Hotel;' the bishop later marked.

When the bishop arrived, I waved his driver, Father Dave Pignato, to park on the grass. A verse popped into my head: "Bishop in the grass. Alas, alas!"

Sorry, Gertrude Stein "Four Saints in Three Acts 1929." The bishop entered the rectory and plopped down to rest a bit in that old leather rocker with the stuffing hanging out. Then he vested for Mass.

The bell pealed. The choir the Community Covenant Church Choir of West Bridgewater, under the direction of Charles Dillingham - began to sing. My Aunt Edna had approached Charlie when he was a high school student.

She observed that he seemed to have musical talent. My aunt was . the music director at Trinity Methodist Church in New Bedford.

Charlie took lessons from her. He is now a school music teacher and minister of music. Leave it to Aunt Edna. Aunty had said the same thing to me, but eventually gave up on my case.

Following Mass, the bishop went immediately to the parish center to greet parishioners. ''Tim;' he said, "I don't remember the lobby looking like this the last time

I was here." "It didn't, bishop;' I responded. "In fact, it didn't look like this yesterday. Don't lean on the paint, Your Excellency. It's still wet."

The Women's Council and the men of the Holy Name Society, coordinated by Ed Kelly, worked jointly on the reception. It was a potluck supper. I remarked at Mass the weekend before that if we came up short on food, we could always send out for pizza. "Horrors," gasped the parishioners. "Serving the bishop pizza for supper is unthinkable." Consequently, we had enough food to serve the combined City of Taunton with the towns of Berkley and Rehoboth, and sections of Fall River - and not just lasagna and Swedish meatballs, either, but the favorite dishes of the best cooks.

I called first dibs on leftovers.

When it comes to food, parishioners here have somehow concluded that I am a human vacuum cleaner.

Go figure. They presumed I would eat the leftovers myself, but not so.

Every morsel we didn't eat went to the Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen in Fall River.

The bishop laughed a lot that night. We all did. Seems to me we need to seize every opportunity to relax and enjoy each other's company.

For being such a "good Scout," the troop presented Bishop Coleman with a cap emblazoned with the emblem for Troop 3, North Dighton. The bishop donned the cap, remarking to Father Jay Maddock, dean of Taunton: ''This is a very nice hat, Father." Well, wear it in good health, bishop, and come back real soon, 'ya hear?

Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Norlh Dighton.

A REAL TROOPER - Bishop George W. Coleman wears a cap presented as a gift by the Boy Scout Troop 3 from St. Joseph's Parish in North Dighton. (Photo by Don Emond)

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The Anchor

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NOVF.MEER

2, 2007

It's always been family first for Fall River woman

By MATT McDoNALD ANCHOR STAFF

FALL RIVER- There'samoment at the 9 a.m. daily. Mass at The Landmark assisted living facility when all eyes go to Gennaine Dube.

It's right after the responsorial psalm and right before the Gospel, when the 88-year-old woman in a clear voice leads the congregation in singing the Alleluia, the Hebrew expression of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

"They look to see if I'm there, you know?" Dube said in an interview at her apartment last week. .When present, she leads the chant. . Dube's version of choice is known as "The Strife Is Over," popularly sung on Easter Sunday, that climbs the musical scale to a crescendo.For Dube it's more than check.ing off an item on a liturgical list.

"It's something lifting, to me.

It seems like God is appearing, to me," Dube said. "That's the time God resurrected. I feel like that every time I sing it."

The thought seemed to lift her, too. "My chest is starting to squeak," she said. "Better oil it."

She was born in 1919 in Fall River to Joseph and Marie-Anne Dufault, the fifth of 10 children and the oldest girl.

Her father, who worked in cot-

ton mills in Fall River, had immi- they didn't have much themselves. grated to tJ;le city from St Ours, She also remembers how the Quebec as l!- boy around 1900. Her sibling~ pulled together. mother was born in Fall River to "We'were a big family, but we French-Canadian parents.' French used to get along, brothers and siswas the language spoken in the ters; helping each other out," she Dufault home.

Dube remembers as a girl asking her mother how to do certain household chores even though her mother felt she was too young. The, practice would .......---come in handy.

In Dec~mber 1932, a week before Christmas, Germaine's mother died during a gallbladder operation. Gennaine was 13, and as the oldest girl she immediately took over responsibility for running the household.

The nextI spring she fin- , ished seventh grade at the Notre Dame Parish school, ':lever to return.

"At 13 I wasn't ready to take care of a house and children. But I went

through," Dube said. "God was helping me, I know. God was helping me."

She remembers receiving in· those years touching and encouraging letters from one of her aunts in Canada who was a member of the Grey Nuns of Quebec.

Whenever she hears younger relatives talking about how tough things are today for children, she reminds them that things were pretty tough for her family when she was growing up. Keeping a relationship with God is how to endure hard times, she says.

"It's a circle that goes around. We all have to go through it. I say, 'If you've got your faith, nothing is going to stop you,''' Dube said.

During World War IT, six of her seven brothers were drafted into the U.S. Anny.

"They left, and they never , -i , came back until after the through it. I had ~ good ANCHOR PERSON OF THE WEEK _ war," Dube said. "And I thank the Lord that they all m?ther and,. father, Dube Germaine Dube. (Photo by M,att McDonald) said. came back safe and sound."

Dube lost her adolescence to , She remembers neighbors in the said. working-class French-Canadian At the center was a trust in God. her family; she didn't date or even neighborhood she lived in near "I was brought up to believe, look for a boyfriend into her early Notre Damb Parish trying to help not to forget. Have faith and cour- 20s.' "I felt at the tithe 'it -was still the Dufault family, even though age, and God will see you my duty to look after the house, keep things together," she said.

Around the early 1940s one of her sisters was seeing a guy and fixed Gennaine up with the guy's brother, even though Germaine wasn't much interested in the idea.

The man, Wilfred Dube, eventually suggested they go out once a week, which seemed too often for Gennaine. Still, they developed a routine of going to a movie and then going out to eat a chow mein 0

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After about a year-and-a-half ' they were engaged, arid married June 6, 1945. (Her sist~r, Annette, and Wilfred's brother, Annand,· also eventually married.)

The Dube brothers operated a radio repair business they had started in the 1930s. Eventually adding television repair, the brothers stayed in business for 47 years.

Wilfred Dube, who died at the end of 2000, was devout, Gennaine said, insisting on going to Sunday Mass in his later years even when he wasn't feeling well.

In the mid-1960s Germaine went to work for a company that made braids, shoelaces, and elastic products.

Wilfred and Gennaine had two daughters. One is a Jesus Mary nun who lives in Arlington. The other married and had two sons and a daughter before her husband contracted cancer of the pancreas and died in 1984 at age 38.

Germaine was getting ready, to retire and she spent much of her time helping her widowed daughter with the three children in nearby Dartmouth. .

Now one of her grandsons lives in Berkley, where he and his wife have a boy nine months old.

Gennaine's ambition is to see her great-grandson walk. : "I'm 88 years old. I'm hoping to love another two years, and then I'll say, 'O.K., God, come'and get me'," she said.

"When I'm ready to go .. ~ I'll sing the 'Alleluia' in heaven."

The Anchor encourages readers to nominate othersfor the Person ofthe Week - who and why?

Submit nominations to: theanchor@anchornews.org, or write to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.

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SPECIAL DELIVERY - John Broadbent, a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Alexandria, Va., and Mark Strattner look at "The Madonna of ~he Carnation" by Bernardino Luini at the National Gallery of Art in Washington October 25. That day at the gallery the U.S. Postal Service unveiled the 2007 Christmas stamp, which features. Luini's artwork. The theme of each traditional U.S. Christmas stamp issued since 1978 has been the Madonna and Child. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

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NOVEMBER 2) 2007

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The Anchor ,

Family Ministry to support marriage with full slate ofenrichment programs FALL RIVER - Supporting couples at all stages oftheir married life cycle is the aim of a variety of programs to be offered over the next several months by the Office of Family Ministry in the Fall River Diocese.

According to Family Ministry staff, this focus on married life in the diocese builds upon efforts by the Catholic Church at national and state levels to promote matriage and to provide resources to strengthen it.

Scottie Foley, who along GETTING IN THE SPIRIT - Faithful from around the diocese gathered I,ast week at St. Jude the with her husband Jerry co-di- ,: Apostle Church to kickoff a six-week Life in the Spirit seminar sponsored by the Diocesan Service ,rects programs in diocesan Committee. (Photos by Brian Kennedy) Family Ministry, explained that the U.S. Catholic Bishops' . Conference has hiunched a - helpful, user-friendly Website, : www.foryourmarriage.org, with resources, tips and inforBy BRIAN KENNEDY and growing. more," noting the success of a , mation to support and en'coorANCHOR STAFF "I felt like a minority," Leite prayer group of St. Anne's Shrine age married couples and those TAUNTON - Parishioners said, citing what she felt was the a few years ago. She said '.'the Holy planning to be married. The from the Fall Riverand Providence inadequacy of her local faith com- Spirit will never be unemployed," Website is one part of a multidioceses gathered in the basement munity compared to parish com- noting "God loves it when we try year National Pastoral In~tiaof St. Jude the Apostle Church Oc- munities in other areas. That feel- to make ourselves better, working tive for Marriage begun by the tober 25 to jumpstart their faith' ing, she said, drove her: to try and through the Holy Spirit." nation's bishops in 2005. ' life.

Following the talks the particibreathe new life into the faith comShe also noted that in recent pants broke into groups of six-toCatholics from the Fall River months representatives from Diocese's five deaneries as well as eight and began discussions. They the state's four Catholic dio~ were urged to think about God's I from Cranston. R.I., attended the ceses have been assisting the initial meeting in a six-week, Life love and to talk about what they Massachusetts Catholic Conin the Spirit Seminar sponsored by would like to see happen in their ference with the development the Diocesan Service Committee. area after they leave the seminar. of a marriage initiative entitled ·Father Edward A. Murphy, The groups discussed such is"The Future Depends on chaplain at Morton Hospital and in sues as how precious we are in Love." residence at St. Jude the Apostle .

Gqd's eyes and how he loves us; "The Church teaches that the gifts and fruits of the Spirit and Parish in Taunton, with seminar marriage is a lifelong vocation, chairman Mary Leite cohosted it. what they were; their relationship and identifying ways to help to God and, their desire to find The sessions will continue on sustain married couples has beThursdays until December 13 ~ore personal ways of praying; come a priority,". said Scottie except All Saints Day and Thankstheir various motivations for Foley. "With that end in mind, giving - from 7 to 8: 15 p.m. prayer; developing a closer relawe want to enhance and hightionship with God; defending their Eleanor Lagace of St. Joseph's light what we are able to offer Parish in North Dighton, was the faith more knowlec:lgably;.and in our dioce'se." :.' I .' _:principal speaker. Her talk cenreaching out to the youth commu~ . '" :The. scqedule ,for the.restof' . nity in their area.' .". ' tered on God's love for us.. 'this year and the first part of Leite concluded by urging the "It was difficult for me ~d make' 2008 includes seminars, work-, decisions after my husband died,'" participants to "stay hUngry for the shops, retreats and celebrasaid Lagace: "Before, I always had Holy Spirit. Don't stay stuck where tions. While most are geared my parents or my husband to help you are in the renewal. Ask for toward couples, some are me. But after his death I felt alone." more and keep asking for more of planned to assist parish leadthe Holy Spirit in your life."

Then, Lagace said, she met a ership in their ministry to marwoman who helped her. ' Reactions to the first session ried and engaged persons: "She was powerhouse for LEADING OFF - Father Ed- were positive.

- Bishop George W. Cole. God. She helped me learn that.l ward A. Murphy opened the Life "I just needed a boost because m;m will celebrate the Diocwas not alone," Lagace, recalled. in the Spirit seminar in Taunton it's been a while, I'm so happy it's esan Anniversary Celebration . available," said Dorothy Cormier "Now I know I'm not alone be- with a Scripture reading. at St. Mary's Cathedral onSuncause God gives me wisdom. God of St. Joseph's in Taunton. day. This popular amlual Mass knows what each of us needs. We'll munity of the Fall River Diocese "Christmas is coming and I includes a renewal of marriage still have problems, but we're and surrounding areas. wanted to be close to the Holy vows for couples celebrating never alone."

Father Murphy, opened the Sp'irit for Christmas," Marilyn significant wedding ~niversa"Our faith is just a beginning, seminar with a prayer and a read- Martin of Holy Family in East ries, such as one~year, 25 it's ajourney, the Holy Spirit is our ing from the Acts of the Apostles. Taunton told The Anchor. years, 50 years and up. teacher, ourParaclete ... It's a be- He then asked the central question The next session ofthe semiOn November 15, ginning, it's a relationship, and it's of charismatic renewal, "What do nar is November 8. Registration Benedictine Sister Paula exciting," Lagace concluded. you think you want out of this?" is free and open to all, and inHagen will offer anintroducLeite told The Anchor that she He urged the group to be patient terested persons are urged to attion to MOMS or Ministry of had recently attended a national throughout the process and to per- tend as many sessions as posMothers Sharing, a popular conference with members of dif- severe in attending. sible. For more information and program she developed in Ariferent ethnic backgrounds, whose Leite told the group, "I hope it to register, call Mary Leite at zona that has since spread faith communities were vibrant will be what you expect it to be and 508-822-2219.

Life in the Spirit Semi~ar kick~ff .showcased the power of God's love

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throughout the country.

- On the weekend of November 17-18, couples are invited to a marriage enrichment seminar at Holy Rosary Parish Center in Taunton. Among topics to be covered are nurturing relationships, improving communication, marital danger signs and indicators of a failing marriage. Kari Colella, coordinator, of Marriage Ministries in the Boston Archdiocese, will leaq the two-part program.

- Longtime retreat director and family minister Dottie, Levesque will present an evening workshop "Down-sizing Marital Stress" on December 5 at the Diocesan Family Life Center in North Dartmouth.

- In February, the diocesan Family Ministry Office will provide pastors with materials for a parish-based celebration of World'Marriage Day. Observed annually on the second Sunday of February, World Marriage Day honors the lifelong commitJ!lent of husband and wife.

- Dr. James Healy, psychologist, author, and director of the Center for Family Ministry in the Joliet, Ill. diocese will lead area workshops on March 28-29, "Marriage & Ministry in 2008" is.the fir~t, planned for priests and deacons, and "How to Get Married and Stay Engaged" will follow on the next day for couples. .

- A marriage enrichment retreat themed "I Do ... Again" will be offered: April 11-13 at the National Shrine of Our Lady ofLaSalette in Attleboro. :.. -:... 'On' May 13, diocesan Family. M;iriistry director Father Gregory A. Mathias will lead an' evening presentation on the'late Pope John Paul II's teaching on the theology of the body.

The diocese has long, required that engaged couples planning to marry in' a church participate in the Marriage Preparation program.

"Marriage cannot be taken for granted," Scottie Foley said. "It's too essential to the well-being of families, children, society and the Church."

More information on the diocesan marriage enrichment programs is available at parishes or the Family Ministry Office' Website at www.familyfallriver.org Interested persons may also contact that office by telephone at 508-999-6420.

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DVD/video reviews I

NEW YORK (CNS) - The following are capsule reviews of new and recent DVD and video releases from the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Theatrical movies on video have a USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification and Motion Picture Association of America rating. These classifications refer only to the theatrical version of the films below, and do not take into account DVD releases'· extra content.

"The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones".(Volume One) (1992·93)

of the ~eries include lush international l'ocations, groundbreaking digital erfects for its time, and undeniably impressive talent in front of and behind the camera. Episodes were ditected by the likes of Mike Newell) David Hare, Terry Jones and Nicholas Roeg, and guest stars I . includeo Vanessa Redgrave, Max • I von Sydow, Catherine Zeta-Jones and D~niel Craig. Sean Patrick , Flanery. played the teen-age Indy.

The scripts are geared to a young aUdienc¢, of course, and the supplementarY historical material is intelligent and well executed, making this a wholesome, marvelously entertaining, and painlessly educational t~easure and the best sort of family :viewing. (Lucasfilm Ltd., CBS HOme Entertainment, & Paramount Home Entertainment)

Lavish packaging of the first of three volumes of the classy "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" series that ran on ABC 1992-1994. The series had young Indiana Jones interacting with some of the most fa"Int~ Great Silence" (2007) Poetically filmed documentary mous names in history.

Now in DVD form, the series is about a ¢arthusian monastery in the even more worthwhile. The 12 discs French~Alps, which follows the here include seven feature-length cloistered monks in their daily episodes (essentially two episodes mostly 'silent and solitary - roueach back-to-back) and a whopping tines. German filmmaker Philip 38 newly produced companion Groning's respectful no-frills apdocumentaries - and on the well- proach utilizes no narration or backproduced interactive bonus disc, a ground Imusic, but by combining historical overview, interactive altemat~ly a painterly formality and a verite intimacy, skillfully captures game and timeline.

In ''Travels With My Father," for the textures and rhythms of their instance, nine-year-oldIndy (Corey highly ~tructured existence, resultCarrier) runs away from home and .. ing in.~ rewarding.----;- and,..due to takes up with Leo Tolstoy, with the film,s austerity and nearly threewhom he engages in philosophical hour le~gth - somewhat demanddiscussion. The documentaries that ing cinematic and spiritual experisupplement this episode include ence. In:French and Latin. Subtitles. ''The Life of Leo Tolstoy," "Russian The animorphic two-disc DVD ofWriters and the States," "Aristotle fers a pristine image for appreciat- Creating Foundations" and "Phi- ing the beauties of the unusual film. losophy and Our Search for Mean- The sedond disc includes a wealth ing." of extris, including an hour comIn "The Perils of Cupid," Indy prised bf four additional scenes, I becomes infatuated with the daugh- includi~g a piece on the Chartreuse ter of Austria's Archduke Franz liqueur ;made there, 53 minutes of Ferdinand and, in the same episode, highlig~ts from the monks' nightly his mother falls under the romantic psalms,i lauds and matins, a guide spell of composer Giacomo to their' monasteries worldwide, a Puccini. The supplementary mate- shootink diary, a vid~o statement rial for that episode covers Puccini, from French Cardinal Paul opera, the archduke and Sigmund Poupard, president of the PontifiFreud. (And so it goes with the cal Cou'ncil for Culture at the VatiI other episodes that bring our hero can, andI more. The USCCB Office in contact with Winston Churchill, for Film & Broadcasting classificaThomas Edison, Theodore tion is A-I - general patronage.

Roosevelt, T.E. Lawrence, Pablo Not ratbd by the Motion Picture Picasso and many more.)

AssociJtion of America. (Zeitgeist The superior production values Video) I I

I

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Ch~nnel 6 I

i

Sunday, November 4 8;1: 11:00 a.m.

I Scheduled celebrant is Father Dariusz Kalinowski. a parochial vicar at St. Patrick's Parish in Wareh~

A SIDE OF BACON - Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden star in a scene from the movie "Rails & Ties." For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Warner Bros.)

lC~S ~'Ivvii,e lCallVSUlllles NEW YORK (CNS) - The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Dan in Real Life" (TouchstonelFocus) Steve Carrell shines as the widowed father of three girls who takes them to a family reunion at his par~ ents' rambling house in Rhode Island, and while there falls in love with an empathetic woman (Juliette Binoche) he meets in a bookstore, only to learn she's the girlfriend of his younger brother (Dane Cook).

Also on the plus side of director Peter Hedges' leisurely paced, likable but only mildly amusing film are the positive depiction of Carrell's large, loving family, and the almost total lack of objectionable elements.

But the basic setup seems contrived, the ostensible romance earthbound, and the formulaic script not terribly funny. Mild innuendo. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association ofAmerica rating is PG-13 - parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

"Jimmy Carter Man From Plains" (Participant) Thoughtful,.though unabashedly adulatory and overlong, documentary portrait of the 39th president as he takes a cross-country book tour to promote his controversial 2006 volume on the Israeli-Pales-

tinian conflict, with some reflections on his early life and presidential administration. Versatile director Jonathan Demme's film makes the most of its subject's genuine virtues while also examining the frenzy-prone contemporary media and the ongoing search for Middle East peace. Scenes of people \Vounded and killed in a bombing.

T/le USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-IT - adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG - parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

"Rails & Ties"

(Warner Bros.)

Intimate, moving drama in which a terminally ill woman (Marcia Gay Harden) and her emotionally repressed railroad engineer-husband (Kevin Bacon) find their failing relationship revived when they surreptitiously shelter a boy (Miles Heizer) whose mentally ill single mother (Bonnie Root) committed suicide by p~king in front ofthe husband's train. Director Alison Eastwood, in her first feature, balances a plot that tugs shamelessly at every heartstring with an understated approach that generally forestalls sentimentality.

Problematic religious elements, upper female nudity, tense accident scene, one use of the f-word, two crude words, one crass term and one use of profanity. Acceptable for older teens. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-m - adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 - parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

"Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour" (Freestyle) Cheaply made rip-off of the R.L. Stine "Goosebumps" formula of ghost stories for preteens. The plot

involves a plucky 17-year-old (newcomer Rissa Walters), who, visiting Pine Valley, Calif., tries to help an older boy (Brian Comrie, son of the directors-screenwriters) who is haunted by a ghost (Rusty Hanes) who has threatened to kill him on his 21st birthday because the boy's mother (Nicole Des Coteaux) accidentally killed his nephew (Ben Comrie). Incompetently written and directed by the husband and wife team John and Lisa Comrie, and clumsily acted, with only a couple of "hells," fleeting images of ghosts and some spooky music to preclude the youngest viewers.

The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I - general patronage. The Motion Picture Association ofAmerica rating is PG - parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

"Slipstream" (Strand Releasing) Visually daring but disorienting drama in which a writer (Anthony Hopkins) has a series of what may or may not be hallucinations peopled by the characters in the screenplay he's revising and by the actors and crew of the movie-within-a-movie (Stella Arroyave, Christian Slater, John Turturro, Michael Clarke Duncan, Camryn Manheim, Jeffrey Tambor, Gavin Grazer, Fionnula Flanagan and Christopher Lawford).

The film, Hopkins' writing and directing debut, is technically and philosophically intriguing, but fails to establish any emotional connection with the characters. Shooting and a car accident with blood; much rough, crude and crass language; an obscene gesture; and some innuendo. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A·m - adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

I

NOVEMBER

2, 2007

, The Anchor news briefs Pope calls for conscientious objection by pharmacists (CWNews.com) - Catholic pharmacists should not be involved in the distribution of drugs designed to cause abortion or euthanasia, Pope Benedict XVI said on October 29. In a short talk to members of the International Federation of Catholic Pharmacists, the Holy Father urged the group to be sensitive to "the ethical implications ofthe use ofparticular drugs." Specifically, the Pope said, ''we cannot anesthetize consciences as regards, for example, the effect of certain molecules that have the goal' of preventing the implantation of the embryo or shortening a person's life." Pharmacists should help the public to recognize the dignity of human life, and to recognize the proper role of medicine, the Pontiff continued. When laws allow for abortion and euthanasia, he continued, pharmacists should ''face the question ofconscientious objection:' rather than "collaborate directly or indirectly in supply products that have clearly immoral purposes." 'The biomedical sciences are at the serviCe ofman," the Pope said. He welcomed progress in biomedical research, but insisted that this progress should never come at the ettpense of individuals.

No human should be exploited as the subject for experimentation, he said, and "all attempts at cure or experimentation must be undertaken while bearing in mind the well-being of the person concerned, and not only the pursuit of scientific progress:' Lawyer: Debate over gay rights about more than same-sex marriage NEW YORK (CNS) - The debate over the rights of homosexuals will impact religious organizations far beyond the issue of samesex marriage, a lawyer specializing in church-state issues said. Marc D. Stem, general counsel for the American Jewish Congress, gave the closing talk at a daylong briefing in New York on the "iews of various religious traditions about homosexuality. "The granddaddy of all battles will be fought over tax exemptions," Stem said. He cited a case in which a religious organization that rented out its gazebo for weddings refused to rent it for a same-sex marriage and as a result had its property tax exemption suspended. The case remains under appeal, Stem said. "The question is, can you put a religious practice into effect in the face of a contrary statute?" he said. Different courts have come up with different answers, Stem added, and the question does not seem likely to be resolved soon.

"This is not an abstract debate on principles," Stem said.

Liturgists discuss tie between catechesis, participation in liturgy HARTFORD, Conn. (CNS) - Fai~ formation has been described as a continuous process that begins with religious education and continues for a lifetime, and is nourished by active and continued participation in the liturgy. The relationship between religious education, or catechesis, and oile's participation in liturgy was addressed during the late October national meeting of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions in Hartford. The last day was a liturgy day for the archdiocese. "Catechesis and liturgy unite for the systematic presentation of the faith. They both give a sense of meaning for Catholics and bring the faithful together," Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell said in his homily at the meeting's opening Mass. In an interview following Mass, Msgr. James P. Moroney, executive director of the Secretariat for the Liturgy at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said there is a sense that some Catholics struggle as they look for a center or link between religious education and liturgy. 'They think that catechesis and liturgy exist in isolation (from) each other when they don't," he told The Catholic Transcript, Hartford's archdiocesan newspaper.

French priest criticizes Church attitude toward Marian apparitions PARIS (CNS) - A French Mariology expert has criticized the Vatican and Church leaders for their dismissive attitude to Marian apparitions and urged greater sympathy for Catholic visionaries.

"Apparitions are not a subject given much credit at present they are seen very badly in the Church," said Father Rene Laurentin, an expert on Marian apparitions. "When the apparitions are historic ones, it's magnificent and the Virgin can be honored in her sanctuaries. But when she appears now, this appears very dangerous, and one can't touch it." In an October interview with I.Media, a French-language news agency, the 90-year-old theologian said alleged Marian visions provoked "all kinds of reaction in the Church," but were generally viewed negatively by Church authorities. He cited as an example alleged Marian apparitions that began in 1981 in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"The situation in Medjugorje is very confused because there are conversions every day, but the bishop is against it. And when Rome protects and cQvers the bishops, one can't say Rome is in favor of the apparitions," he said.

TheAnchor ~

Enough, already! \Vatican official says Templars book nothing new

By JOHN THAVIS CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY - It was billed as the Vatican's effort to "come clean" and reveal secret documents about the mysterious Knights Templar, the medieval crusading order that has inspired ancient legends and modem novels.

But after seeing exaggerated press reports for two weeks, Bishop Sergio Pagano apparently had had enough.

"I've read in the papers that this is about discoveries. In no way can one talk about discoveries - every one of these texts was already known," he said October 25.

You could almost feel the air going out of the balloon in the packed Vatican conference room, where journalists had assembled for the unveiling of a collector's edition of Vatican Secret Archives documents on the Templar order.

Since early October, international media had pumped the story, saying parchment records uncovered in the archives would exonerate and rehabilitate the Templars, erasing the charges of heresy that led to the order's dissolution in 1312. .

The idea was that the Vatican was finally divulging information it had long hidden - a notion that tied in vaguely with Dan Brown's novel, 'The Da Vinci Code," which gave the Templars a role in an ongoing Church conspiracy.

But Bishop Pagano, prefect of the Vatican archives, said the new Vatican book is "not a scoop, not something extraordinary, does not reveal or remove penalties that were in fact never imposed, or bring to light hidden things," he said.

The Vatican wasn't doing this to celebrate or rehabilitate the Knights Templar, qe said. The intent was simply to make scholarly material available in a format of high artis-

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tic quality, he said.

Many media reported that the elaborate collector's edition, titled "Processus Contra Templarios" I' ("The Trial Against theIITemplars"), would include a previbusly secret document called the Chinon parchment, supposedly discovered in 2001 after being misplaced in a Vatican archives drawer.

The Chinon parchment details a 1308 investigation of :the Knights Templar ordered by PQpe Clement V. It is noteworthy because it shows that Pope Clement absolved the Knights of heresy and wanted at that point to reform the order rather than suppress it. , Bishop Pagano, h~wever, said the Chinon document ~as not a recent discovery. It wa~ "described perfectly" in a 1912 Vatican archives catalogue and was available to researchers - but researchers didn't notice until 2001, he said.

What seemed to bother Bishop I "U1 Pagano most was the hype. ne are still proudly convinced - and perhaps we are in a min6rity on this - that books should b~ published, read and studied, not 'presented.'

Today, books are presented and not even read afterward," he said.

Bishop Pagano's ~lunt words suggested a diverge~~e between scholarship ahd mark;~ting at the Vatican, an impression' that was re-

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inforced when the bishop stood up and left halfway through the press conference.

Scrinilim, the company that is publishing the new volume as part of a series of facsimile documents from the Vatican archives, sang a somewhat different tune. The reason people are attracted to these publications, it said, is that there is huge interest in "the legends, myths and pages of history" that are documented in the Vatican's files. The Archives holds too much to classify systematically, and this surfeit of texts and artifacts may yield "new treasures" in the future, it said.

Ferdinando Santoro, president of Scrinium, told Catholic News Service that some media had indeed overly hyped the Templars volume.

He acknowledged, however, that the publicity had helped sales of the book.

Based on the. evidence assembled, Vatican scholars say Pope Clement's suppression of the Knights Templar was dictated by a combination of political events and ecclesial pressures.

Pope Clement wanted to end abuses in the order and reorganize it, but eventually he bowed to the king's pressure and formally dissolved the Knights Templar, because he feared a schism of the Church in France.

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Formation

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unified to focus on assisting directors of Religiolls Education, pastors, youth ministers, deacons, the Rite of Christian Initiation For Adult candidates, and parishioners across the diocese with the task of living out the Gospel," said McManus. "Before the establishment of this office, the three ministries were working independently of each other. The unified model is based on the U.S. bishops' document, 'Renewing the' Vision,' responding to the new challenges facing the Church today."

One of the more challenging dynamics of working in the Fall River Diocese is the great diversity of its makeup - cultural, ethnic and economic differences.

"We are working to bring the same Gospel message to all, but it can't be done in the same way," added McManus. "Being Catholic doesn't mean being the same.

It means being universaL" She also added that evangelizing to diverse peoples shouldn't mean the faithful have to change their ways, it means finding a way to deliver the message in a way they, understand.

Sister Thomas has been the assistant director of Formation and Catechesis for three months. The Fall River native has worked in this diocese and dioceses in Maine and Rhode Island and the Archdiocese of Boston. The ministry of Formation and Catechesis is to offer support to directors of Religious Education and to catechists.

"At one time, Catholic schools were in abundance," Sister Thomas told The Anchor. "Through the years that has changed. Now many children, attending public schools are now in parish Religious Education programs.

"Right now, I'm starting to visit the parishes to get to know the DREs and catechists. And

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The Anchor $

Continued from page one

that's not done with a short visit. Youth Organization groups. "W~ I try to spend quality time with _ want people to realize that Youth these good people to get to know Ministry is about continuing the them, their goals, their concerns education and spiritual growth of and their suggestions. I want to young people in our parishes. know how this office can help Teen-agers and young adults tothem." day want to be more community Sister Thomas said she and oriented. They need guidance in those she visits will attemptto fig- areas the Church stresses: soCial ure out how to create a program justice, catechesis, prayer and that will work with all the differ- worship and advocacy. Our young ent work and lifestyle demands on people must be educated so they can take action in these areas."

DREs and their volunteer staffs.

"There is a strong desire for To achieve these goals, those catechists to grow in their own who lead the youth must be eduspirituality," she said. "The more cated. "The mission of the bishknowledgeable and spiritually ops' 'Renewing the Vision' is filled they become, the more they clear, but there are many who appreciate the connection with don't even know that document others like themselves. And the exists," said Medeiros. "We need easier it is to pass that on to their to show that Church goes beyond the building. We have to catstudents.1' McManus added that DREs echize not only the youth, but across the diocese "deserve a lot sometimes their parents and of credit. Since all of the cat- families as well." echists are volunteers, there is n() While the challenge of changguarantee that they will have a ing the perception of youth groups full staff the following year. But is still in the infancy stages, they recruit when necessary and Medeiros did acknowledge the keep the programs up and run- Christian Leadership Institute as ning for the 29,000 children in an example of the bishops' vision. diocesan Religious Education "CLI graduates witness to other programs." teens about their faith and the "The DREs and the catechists Church," said Medeiros. "They let do what they do because they love their peers know that it's cool to it," added Sister Thomas. ~'Their be a Catholic. It's cool to be acmission ignites them wit~ zeal. cepted for what you are."

They love their students. And we One plan in the works for the want to be there to help them."

Youth Mini~try Office is the TheCrystal-Lynn Medeiros told ology on Tap program. "Many The Anchor that one of the goals young adults don't go to church," of the Youth & Young Adult Min- Medeiros explained. "So, we have istry is to educate adults, DREs, to go where they are comfortable . Youth Ministers and pastors about to reach them, including restauthe importance of youth in ioday's rants and pubs. We want to show Church. "Youth are not the future them that their faith continues past of the Church," she said, "they are confirmation." the present." ; Deacon Bonneau noted that Medeiros said one of the big- "We can't assume that all adults gest challenges she faces is to know their faith. We, as the change people's perception of Church, need to evan.gelize and youth groups as purely soCial en- strengthen people's spirituality."

Deacon Bonneau told The Antities, much like the old Catholic

NOVEMBER

chor that his ministry targets for one reason or another, haven't RCIA candidates and instructors, yet heard or understood the Good the diocesan diaconate program News.· . arid adult formation. "There was All of the ministry directors a time when folks were active in agreed it doesn't make sense to these ministries across the dio- separate their efforts by age cese, but no one knew much about groups. That's why the collaboefforts outside their domain. We ration of the efforts of McManus, are opening up the lines of com- . Sister Thomas, Medeiros and munication," said Deacon Deacon Bonneau is critical. Last Bonneau. "We're making a con- weekend's Youth Convention, at nection with other events and pro- one time the sole responsibility of grams across the diocese. What the Youth Ministry Office, was the they are taught, when and how. result of the collective efforts and We are taking very seriously the ideas of the three offices and their fact that adult lay formation is vi- charges. As will be the Faith Fortal. If theknowledge and spiritu- mation Convention, themed "Enality is not there, then how can countering the Living Christ," they lead?" scheduled for November 10 at As 'an exampl~, Deacon Bishop Connolly High School in Bonneau cited that in many in- Fall River. stances adults minister to other "The Faith Formation Office is adult parishioners. "We must working at changing the way of make it known that there are re- thinking of past procedures," said sources out there, from the U.S. McManus. "Unity of efforts is key bishops for example, that can help to the success of our mission of their mission." He added that the evangelization." more in tuned adult Catholics are "Life is an ongoing converto Church teachings, the more ef- sion," added Deacon Bonneau. fective their evangelization efforts "The Faith Formation Office is will be. setting the stage to continue that Future plans for the Adult Faith conversion."

Formation ministry include an in"We're all here to encourage creased outreach to seniors and people to meet and get to know the elderly; reorganizing the adult our God better," said Sister Thoconfirmation structure; and retreat mas regardless of age, and spirituality days and prayer ethnicity, culture and economic services for various adult minis- status. tries.

For more information about While one of the office's ma- the programs offered by the Faith jor focuses is on educating the Formation Office ministries and educators, the long-term goal is to a schedule of upcoming events, support and guide those who teach call the office at 508-678-2828, to spread the Gospel message to. or visit the Website, at children, youth and adults who, fallriverfaithformation.org. r-~----~--------------,

DIOCESAN OFFICE OF FAITH FORMATION The following is a sample of some of the upcoming events sponsored by the Faith Formation Office:

Faith Formation Convention "Encountering the Living Christ, "with guest speaker Dr. Saundra Kennedy. November 10 beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River.

CATHOLIC Website: SOCIAL SERVICES cssdioc.org ATTLEBORO 10 MAPLE ST. 508-226-4780

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FALL RIVER NEW BEDFORD 1600 BAY ST. 238 BONNEY ST.' P.O. BOX M - So. STA. 508-997-7337 508-674-4681

TAUNTON 78 BROADWAY 508-824-3264

Advent Retreat Day, December 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cathedral Camp in East Freetown..

CAPE COD

Catechetical Leadership Formation II "Eucharistic Theology" Lenten Series. February 7, 14, 28' and March 6 from 7

261 SOUTH ST.

HYANNIS 508-771-6771

to 8:30 p.m. at Stonehill College in Easton.

Passport to Success Part I Training for OREs and Lead Catechists. February 23 at the Family Life Center in North Dartmouth. Time to be announced.

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Retreat Evenings with Father Richard Fragomenl, March 2-4 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary's Parish in Mansfield.

Leadership Day with Father Richard Fragomenl, March 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Mary's Parish in Mansfield. Snow date is March 5.

YES! 25 Retreat for Post-Confirmation High School Youth, March 7-9 at the Family Life Center in North Dartmouth.

. I..

For more information on any of these even(s call 508-678-

IL 2828, or visit the Website at fallriverfaithformation.org

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NOVEMBER

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2, 2007

The Anchor ~

Make no bones about it, our student athletes need proper care

By DAVE JOLIVET,

EDITOR

FALL RIVER - An astounding 17 percent of children and. young adults age 19 and younger in the U.S. are overweight. Childhood obesity can lead to health concerns such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type-two diabetes, breathing problems, sleep disorders and depression.

And many of these problems will carry over into adulthood.

Aside from a healthy diet, these weight problems can be kept in check with a routine dosage of exercise, particularly organized sports. With area schools back in session, hundreds of children and young adults in the Diocese of Fall River are burning calories and having fun on fields, courts and tracks across the region.

That's the good news. The bad news is that exercise and participating in sporting events often comes with price. Usually it's the common aches and pains of training and competition. But sometimes it's a bit more serious.

With so many of our children involved in high school, CYO, and intramural leagues in all sports, Dr. Amy Abbot of Saint Anne's Hospital in Fall River, shared with The Anchor some useful information and tips for athletes and their parents. An orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, Abbot treats many types of sports-re-

lated injuries, including surgery if necessary and the rehabilitation that folJows.

"Many ofthe injuries I see are things like sprained ankles and other minor ailments," said Abbot, noting that such conditions take little recovery time or treatment.

"But sometimes I see the more serious injuries, the ones that require surgery, such as severe shoulder separations and strained and tom anterior cruciate ligaments. These injuries require time and rehab to overcome. Sometimes they can even end a student's athletic career."

Serious injuries often occur through no one's fault. Despite adequate training and preparation, an athlete is at the wrong place at the wrong time. "A tom ACL leads to major reconstruction and a good six-months of post-op rehab," said Abbot.

"It's interesting that girl athletes seem to be more susceptible to that injury than boys. One school of thought is that it is because a girl's knee is narrower, and the space where the ligaments are is smaller.

The injury happens more frequently in sports where there is a great deal of stopping, planting and cutting, like basketball, football and soccer."

Shoulder separations happen most often in boys, particularly baseball players. "A severe shoul-

der separation can end a career," said Abbot. "Even if the injury can be treated and rehabbed, there's a very good chance of another such injury down the road."

While many injuries cannot be avoided, some sports damage can, said Abbot. "Young athletes need a diversity in their sports activities," she said. "It's fine to concentrate on one sport, but there needs to be other physical activities to work other muscles and joints. If a student opts to play baseball and plays spring baseball, summer baseball and then goes to Florida to play winter ball, then he's overdoing it. It's like taking a paperclip and bending it back and forth over and over again. Eventually, the clip will break. It's the same concept with muscles, ligaments and bones."

Abbot suggests young athletes not only train in their favorit~ sport, but also participate in aerobics, pilates and just plain funning, jumping and having fun.

"Playing in one or two leagues at one time is OK, but anything more than that can be harmful.

That can result in physical and psychological burnout for the athlete.

15

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Sometimes there's too rhuch emif phasis on performance' and not enough on enjoyment.

"Some athletes are pr~ssured to I perform so they can e~ a scholarship to college, or for 6ther reasons. But sports is also ideal for I having fun, doing thit;lgs with friends, leaming team ')\rork, respect, and a balance inI life school work, chores, sports, relaxation.": Many agree that today's student athletes are much more:aware of their bodies than in the past. "Student athletes today are fortunate because most of the coaches and trainers in high schools and other leagues are prepared and knowledgeable," said Abbot. ''They are aware of proper training techniques and taking care of:their athletes."

Unfortunately, Abbot has also seen the darker side of sports. "I have suspected steroid use in some of the patients I've seen," she told The Anchor. "There are signs abnormal changes in the body and skin. The percentage I've seen is low, but I always preach the dangers to my patients. Steroids can cause irreparable harm and it's not the way to do it." Abbot also said she occasionally sees the harmful practice of improper dieting. "It's not healthy for a young person to I:

concentrate on remaining at a certain weight by starving themselves.

Like steroid use, that practice can lead to dangerous side effects."

When asked when an athlete should have an ailment checked out by a doctor, Abbot said a good rule of thumb is if the pain lasts for more than two days, they should have it looked at. "Kids usually can tell if something is not right ... if a part of their body doesn't seem in the right position, or if they sense some instability in a joint." Better safe than sorry is a wise mantra.

Abbot knows and preaches the benefits of an active life style for our children and young adults even for those youngsters who would rather sit in front of a video game for hours. There are many children who simply don't enjoy sports, but to them Abbot suggests, "Find some physical activity you do like - and do it." As a physician, Dr. Abbot would rather not see a coach potato ailment like Ninetendo thumb.

"Our young people have their whole lives in front of them," said Abbot. "They, and their parents, and coaches should also be aware that their bodies are not yet fully developed." Physical activities for students are healthy for the body and the mind. But overkill can easily neutralize those benefits.

Deep down inside,you know you want expert orthopedic care.

PILGRIMAGE TO

"GUADALUPE, MEXICO" Spiritual Director: Fr. Joseph P. McDermott, Pastor Immaculate Conception Church 122 Canton Street, Stoughton, MA 02072

PROPOSED ITINERARY: Date: February 15-21, 2008 (7 days, 6 nights) Amount: $1,739.00 per person, Double Occupancy ($320.00 - Single Supplement) INCLUSIVE FEATURES: - Round trip air on Continental Airlines - Round trip transfers to hotel - quadalupe Shrine - Baggage handling - Pyramids & Museum - City of Puebla - 6 Nights accommodations @ Hotel Melia (5 Star) - Our Lady of Octolan Shrine - St. Juan Diego's Home - Hotel tax & the service charges - 6 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 6 Dinners - Floating Gardens - San Miguel de Milagro - All sight-seeing per itinerary by private bus with the service - City Tour of Mexico; Cathedral of English Speaking Guide - Folklore Shows (2) - Daily Mass attendance if possible - Mariachi Dinner Show

For further information you may contact Margaret Oliverio 781路762路2029 or 781-344路2073

The (enter for OrthopediCS and Sports Medicine: Shawn Mills, MD; Josep~ Noonan, MO; James leffers, MO; and Amy Abbot, MO.

When it comes to expert care of your bones. joints, ligaments. and muscles, look no farther than the Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.

The Center's orthopedic surgeons, Drs. Joseph Noonan, Amy Abbot and Shawn Mills, and orthopedic specialist Dr. James Leffers provide comprehensive orthopedic care for patients of all ages. Their bone and joint expertise includes acute care and surgical orthopedics of the leg, arm, shoulder and spine. Their skill also includes extensive training and experience in the area of sports medicine and evaluation and treatment of sports-related injuries and conditions.

The C!'!nter for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine utilizes qdvanced diagnostic and treatment technologies, including on-site digital X-ray provided by Saint Anne's Hospital. The staff provides 24-hour-a-day emergency room:'and surgical coverage at Saint Anne's and works closely. too, with Saint Anne's Rehabilitation Services to help get you back on your feet.

We a~ now accepting new patients and most major insurances are accepted, and we are conveniently located off 1-195. So, when it comes to comprehensive care Qf your bones. expert orthopedic care is just a phont call away.

For mbre information. call the Center for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at 508-235-5782.

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!:

Center for Orthopedics and ~ports Medicine "

191 Bedford Street, 4th floor, Fall River, M:A 02720,508路235.5782 I!

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YOUTH PAGES

16

NOVEMBER

2, 2007

Mansfield students awed by Living Rosary participation

By FELLY WHEELER SPECIAL TO THE ANCHOR

LIVING THEIR FAITH - Emily Turner, right, and other members of Holy Cross College's Students for Life Club set up a Cemetery of the Innocents display on campus while the October 24 teen pregnancy forum went on. The Worcester college was criticized for allowing Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro Choice to present workshops at the event. Each of the 360 crosses represents 10 unborn children killed by abortion per day in America. (Courtesy Students for Life of America)

MANSFIELD - While many children equate October with the excitement of trick-or-treating and costumes, the students at St. Mary's Primary School in Taunton took the month to remember our Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, and honor her Son Jesus Christ.

On October 23, students from grades one through five participated in a Living Rosary, a tradition at St. Mary's. Several students from each grade level were chosen to represent a bead in the rosary. Together with the rest of the student body, faculty, and family members, the entire rosary was recited with each child leading in the prayers.

Throughout history, Mary has appeared in visions to many, most notably to children at Lourdes and LaSalette. So, it seems fitting that it is the voices of children that echoed through the auditorium ofSt. Mary's

School, meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries.

Fourth-grader Michael Hourihan said, "I was so excited and nervous because I've always wanted to be a part of it." Assistant Principal Sandra Parker told those attending that during times of trouble in the world the collective voices of those in prayer may be heard and it can, as fourthgrader Kendra DeNobrega stated, "bring hope and peace."

Students cited reasons for this occasion. Fifth-graderTyler Suarez said, "We do this to get the school to pray together because October is the month for Mary:' Andrew Cote, a first-grader, stated that the rosary is "another way to talk to God." Perhaps the most heartfelt comment came from Raymond Tolosko.

The fourth-grader said, "Mary is special to me because she didn't say 'no' to God." Classmate Nichole Gouveia agreed and added, "She didn't know what God wanted, but she did it anyway." .

Bishop Connolly grads named AP Scholars FALL RIVER - Bishop Connolly High School graduates Lauren Watts and Will Herem have been namedAP Scholars with honor, and Samantha D'Amico was named an AP Scholar, by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional'achievement oii~ the college-level Advanced Placement Program AP Exams.

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams.

Nearly 18 percent of the more than 14 million high school students in more than 16,000 secondary schools worldwide who took theAP Exams performed

at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.

AP Scholars with distinction receive an average grady. orat l~ast 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of three路or higher on fouf or mbre' bf these exams..

The designation of state AP Scholar is granted to the one male and one female student in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia with grades of three or higher on the greatest number of AP Exams (at least three exams), and then the highest average grade (at least 3.5) on all AP Exams taken.

Bishop Connolly High School offers AP courses in English, Calculus, European history, U.S. history, 2D design, drawing, and biology.

PLEASING THE BLESSED MOTHER - Students from St. Mary's School in Mansfield recently shared in the praying of a Living Rosary.

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TURNING BAD INTO GOOD - Father Marek Tuptynski, pastor of St. Patrick's Parish in Somerset, visited Carol Sypko's Campus Ministry class at Coyle & Cassidy High School in Taunton to . thank the students for their generous donations to help defray the cost of repairing the damage done when the church was violated by teen-agers last month. The juniors were dismayed that the PUMPKIN PATCH KIDS - The two kindergarten classes at St. church had been defiled and wanted to assist the parish by contributing more than $200 to repair Mary's~Sacred Heart School in Attleboro recently e!"joyed a trip to the damages.

Ward's Berry Farm in Sharon for a hayride.

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YOUTH PAGES

Coming home Recently, many of our local high schools celebrated Homecoming Weekend. Homecoming is often a cross between a Super Bowl game and the Spring Formal. Teens and their families root for their high school football team one evening and usually attend a dance the next.

But this year's homecoming weekend was honored in a different way by several young members of our diocese.

While most teens were in the stands Friday night cheering their offensive line as they marched to a first down, more than 20 teens were at the Diocesan Office for Youth and Adult Ministry. These remarkable and dedicated teens were ironing out last minute details for the High School Youth Convention. Planning for the convention began in June when these teens gathered for the annual Christian Leadership . Institute program which is sponsored by the office.

These teens have chosen to

serve the Lord in the hopes of sharing their enthusiasm for the faith with their peers. So although they weren't at their football stadiums cheering on their teams, the CLI grads formed their own team and were truly at home in their faith and leadership to the young people of our Church.

These faith-filled teens are true testaments to what it means to live life as a disciple of Jesus. For a teen to give up a Friday night sometimes, it's actually \>. more like most of the time, we are faced with a decision that forces us to choose between God and what is popular.

As I write this article, I am reminded of the refrain from Chris Daughtry's song "Home."

Well I'm going home, Back to the place where I belong, .

And where your love has always been enough for me.

I'm not running from.

No, I think you got me all wrong.

I don't regret this life I chose for me.

But these places and these faces are getting old, So I'm going home.

Well I'm going home.

B "Af~~, ',,-d'. 1t " ,/ /

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'I'y Crystal \Med~iros \

OVER YOU Now that.it's all said and done I can't believe you were the one To build me up and tear me down Like an old abandoned house What you said when you left Just left me cold and out of breath I fell too far, was in way too deep Guess I let you get the best ofme Refrain: Well I never saw it coming I should've started running A long, long time ago And I never thought I'd doubt you I'm better offwithout you More than you, more than you know I'm slowly getting closure I guess it's really over I'mfinally getting better And now I'm picking up the pieces I'm spending all ofthese years Putting my heart back together 'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through I got over you You took a hammer to these walls Dragged the memories down the hall Packed your bags and walked away There was nothing I could say And when you slammed the front door shut A lot ofothers opened up So did my eyes so I could see That you never were the best for me (Repeat refrain.)

Well, I never saw it coming I should've started running A long, long time ago

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

And I never thought I'd doubt you I'm better offwithout you More than you, more than you know (Repeat refrain.)

Sung by Chris Daughtry Copyright 2006 by RCA Chris Daughtry has gone from American Idol wannabe to pop megastar. His success points to this fact: Respond to the opportunities that God sets before you and see what unfolds from there. "OverYou" is the latest hit off his debut, selftitled disc.

The song is similar to John Mayer's "Dreaming With a Broken Heart." Both songs are about the disappointment of a lost relationship.

However, the songs differ significantly in emotional tone. "OverYou" presents more of the anger that can rapidly emerge after being dumped.

He says that "I never saw it coming." He then admits "I should've started running a long, long time ago." Apparently, there were signs that his partner was not trustworthy or not a good choice for him.

Perhaps he pushl';d these feelings aside because he did not want to recognize what was surfacing from within himself. He may have wanted the relationship to work out more than he wanted to know the truth.

But ignoring such emotional warnings is a sure way to invite suffering.

What could he have done differently? What does it take to receive messages our inner self might present about a relationship or any significant aspect of life?

Admittedly, listening to what is flowing from within is not easy.

Since we have many fee1ings and thoughts flowing through our heads, we need a process of discernment to discover what is true. This begins by pausing and taking time for quiet.

Try to identify what feelings seem especially strong and persistent.

If you are in a relationship but you never quite feel happy with what is occurring between you and your dating partner, then you are not at peace. This is something worth noticing.

Ignoring this message is the path to the same outcome as in the song.

What have you been trying to overlook because you did not want to "rock the boat"? Is there a conflict or issue affecting you even though you are trying to avoid it?

Don't try to fool yourself that the other person's attitude or behavior doesn't matter. Your lack of pellce about the relationship is telling you the truth.

Sometimes, the only way to return to peace is to stop dating the person. Never trade your inner sense of peace for the chance to be in a relationship. In time you'll rediscover the consistent good feeling of being at peace with yourself.

Your messages from within are feedback about what you are learning. Take time to listen. Ask God to be your guide as you discern what is truly significant and valuable.

Your comments are always welcome. Please write to me at: chmartin@swindiana.net or at 7125W 200S, Rockport, IN 47635.

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now, not tomorrow, n.ext month, next year, or 20 years from now. Church is where they belong and where th~y should feel at home. i: As they discover and encounter Jesus in their lives, teens should always feel at home in their parishes. Adults should not shiug them off because th1ey are teen-agers but should embrace them because of it. They sh6uld be encouraged take their place at Massside-byside with their older counterparts. I~ The teens who do embrace their faith often times do'so at the cost of chastisement amongst their peers. This is their cross to bear.I:Yet they do not regret it. Should not adults in turn become Simon to them and help them to carry that burden? Faith-filled teens who meet, love, and live the Mission of Christ, th~nk you Coyle-Cassidy Campus Minis-

tJ:

II

In growing in our relationship with Christ and in our service to him, we truly are coming home to him. Teens, as proven day after day by our CLI graduates, peer leaders, campus ministry teams, team captains, etc., are where they belong .. , in the arms of Jesus Christ. They belong to the' Church right here and right

Listening to what is flowing from within

By CHARLIE MARTIN -

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try for inspiring that phrase, should be supported and commended not relegated into the stereotypical "they're-justteen-agers" category. They are searching for a home in Christ, let's help them build it now so that they can add to it in the future.

Oh, and in case you're wondering how the teens managed the Youth Convention this past Sunday, they far surpassed Tom Brady's touch down passes and Mike Lowell's batting average. The CLt graduates were models of Christian discipleship and managed the convention better than we could have imagined.

And if you happened to miss it ... there's always next year.

Crystal is the assistant director for Youth & Young Adult Ministry for the diocese and youth ministry coordinator for St. Lawrence Martyr Parish in New Bedford.

You can contact her at cmedeiros@dfrcec.com.

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' l,IThe

school and Religious Education news. Send photos and copy for consideration to: Schools@anchomews.org

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BISHOP STANG Teaching Values For A Lifetime

Thursday November 8, 2007 7:00 PM I u.s. Deparlment of Education NatIonal Blue Ribbon School of Excellence

500 SLOCUM ROAD NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA 02747 508-996-5602 VVWW.BISHOPSTANG.COM

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~ The Anchor

MOMS

Continued from page one

who will carry what they learned back to their parishes and get the ministry started," Scottie Foley explained.

"We invite anyone interested to attend," she added.

MOMS is a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Paul's Monastery in St. Paul, Minn.

It was co-created by Sister Hagen, Vickie LoPiccolo and Patricia Hoyt based on the theology of "Called and Gifted." Since 1992, the ministry has reached more than 500,000 women and their families in more than 100 dioceses. More than 3",000 parishes have purchased the initial Beginner's Kit. The parishes showing interest in initiating MOMS include: St. Anthony's in East Falmouth, Holy Trinity in Fall River, St. Mary's in New Bedford, Holy Trinity in East Harwich, St. Mary's in South Dartmouth, Our Lady of Victory 路in Centerville, Holy Family in East Taunton, St. Patrick's in Wareham, St. Julie Billiart in North Dartmouth, St. Mary's in Norton, and St. Francis Xavier in Acushnet.

Mercy Sister Shirley Agnew will also be participating with Sister Hagen at the November IS session.

Sister Agnew in 2002 was at the heart of the local beginning of MOMS, establishing it at Christ the King Parish in Mashpee where she was parish liaison. "We did it with the wonderful support of then-pastor, Msgr. Ronald A. Tosti," she recalled.

"It will be the second time Sister Hagen visits our diocese to help

spread this truly peer ministry among women," Sister Agnew noted. "She came at our invitation in 2003 even as we carried and offered the ministry to Orleans and to the Island parishes."

"The essence of MOMS is the personal and spiritual growth of women who devote their time to the spiritual and physical upbringing of their children, live stressful lives, with many demands on their time and energy, and who need a place to receive personal and spiritual nurturing," Sister Agnew stated.

"The ministry creates in women an awareness of the inner sacred self while at the same time teaching them new ways to inspire, encourage and affirm each other," ~he added. 'Through the process of personal and spiritual growth, women have the opportunity to clarify their values, claim their own giftedness and bring these strengths to their family relationship and to the Christian community."

She said "the nugget" is that it brings many things such as healing, self-respect and self-esteem, relationship skills, friendship and an enhanced spiritual life.

"Watching it happen I back off and let the full force of the mutual support from woman to woman take effect," Sister Agnew rel!lted.

A team of trained local mothers facilitates the eight-week parishbased peer ministry using the book "MOMS: A Personal Journey." The basic requirements are that one make a路 cQmmitment to the study period, have the ability to keep con-

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fidentiality, have a desire to grow by sharing, and the ability to support other mothers in their personal growth.

As part ofSister Hagen's visit, she will follow the information session with a retreat for MOMS participants at St. Anthony's Parish in East Falmouth on November 16 and 17.

"I'm absolutely thrilled and look

forward to visiting Cape Cod again but I'm not ready to settle down there yet," Sister Hagen told The Anchor in a telephone chat.

"I don't think a farm girl from Minnesota can easily settle on the Cape. But if my recent visit to Boston was any indication, it might be fun," she added.

Sister Hagen related that the Boston ArcQdiocese put her up in a

Buffer

NOVEMBER

2,2007

At St. Anthony's, Father convent with nuns mostly in their 80s. "They were a riot, they never Leonard M. Mullaney, the pastor, missed a beat. They told me that the described MOMS "as a big bonus Minnesota 1\vins were playing the for us. It has prompted several of Red Sox and if the Twins won, I our younger women to become would find my suitcase on the front more active in the parish and it inporch." creases a sense of community. They She reported that MOMS Bos- are fuJI 'force in their support of so ton regional coordinator Colette many of our events in the approxi\ Crowley was already on the Cape mately two years they have been "working this ministry. Having here," he reported. traveled extensively I want to witFather Mullaney also noted that ness again the region's culture and "our MOMS has also drawn women how its faith survives ... and talk to from other area parishes such as St. Rita's in Marion." the people."

Besides Christ the King Parish, At St. Pius X, pastor Father MOMS is currently active in St. George C. Bellenoit, said the Anthony's in Mattapoisett, St. John MOMS group, firmly established in the Evangelist in Attleboro, and St. 2007 with a second unit underway Pius X in South Yarmouth, Sister this fall, "is an important ministry.

The enthusiasm of all the particiAgnew reported.

Msgr. Daniel F. Hoye, who wit- pants makes this ministry vibrant. nessed the growth of MOMS when A second session is planned for the he was pastor at St. John the Evan- spring of 2008. Hopefully, it will gelist Parish in Attleboro and cur- . contin~e to grow and these women rendy as pastor at Christ the King, will become a more visible part of spoke of its value. the community of faith that is St. "It is a great opportunity for Pius X." women to grow in the faith life and For more information or to regsupport each other because it ister contact Jerry or Scottie Foley crosses all ages, and is not just re- at the diocesan Office of Family stricted to physical mothers, but all Ministry, 500 Slocum Road, North women. It is a real partnership af- Dartmouth, MA 02747.2930; by fecting all women and a blessing for telephone at 508-999-6420; or at any parish." its Website: familyfaliriver.org.

Continued from page one

McCullen said that every time a . child is saved it's dramatic, no matter how quiet the circumstances, but one event sticks in her memory.

She saw a man sitting on the curb near the Commonwealth Avenue clinic. He looked troubled, so she approached and offered to talk.

"The man started crying," McCullen said. "He called his wife on his cell phone. She was inside the clinic, already 'in the back' ready for the abortion. She actually answered her phone.

"He said, 'Stop. I shouldn't have brought you here, honey. I just met Eleanor and she's going to help us.

Please come out.'"

McCullen paused. "Their son Michael is three now," she said.

"You don't usually find out what happened, because people don't want to be reminded of what they almost did. But at the time some will say, 'Thank you so much. I was frightened and dido't know what to do. Thank you.'''

An expanded "buffer zone" will put more space between the compassionate presence of these "antiabortion demonstrators," as some mistakenly label them, and the women who need help.

"It will definitely impede us as that last voice they'll hear," McCullen said. "But I'll continue my work. God will help us persevere."

In essence, the bill would create a legal fence extending 35 feet from the edge of a clinic's property line.

Clinic workers and clients could

enter the shielded bubble zone; ProLifers just praying or offering help could not.

The bill- S1353 called "An Act Relative to Public Safety" quickly passed the state Senate October 23 on a voice vote and headed for the House, where passage was expected. Gov. Deval Patrick vowed to sign it.

If it becomes law, this will nearly double the area from which Pro-Lifers are restricted, giving Massachusetts abortionists the second strongest "buffer zone" in the country. Since 2000, the law has given clinics a "floating buffer zone" of 18 feet, but a counselor could come within six feet if consent was given by the woman entering the clinic.

Massachusetts Citizens for Life Director Marie Sturgis urged voters to contact their state representatives to oppose the bill.

"It's unfair," she said. "We're talking about a life-changing choice, and the people who could give a woman material to help her in that decision-making process are prohibited from doing it."

Even the American Civil Liberties Union, usually no friend to Pro-Life causes, opposed the bill.

At a public hearing in May, spokesman Christopher Ott called it a restriction on freedom of expression.

"It's overly broad, because it would ban even silent protest, as well as efforts to respectfully distribute information on either side of

the issue," he said.

C. J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, charged that the main beneficiaries of the law will be abortionists "whose incomes will be assured by isolating their patients from any influence which may discourage them from going through with the procedure."

Reps. Elizabeth Poirier of North Attleboro and Jeffrey Perry of Sandwich oppose the bill, which Perry called a restriction of constitutionally protected First Amendment freedoms.

"The bill will cut down the number of babies we can save," said Bill Cotter of Operation Rescue Boston.

"Last year we had 80 tum-arounds; that's out of 10,000 at the two clinics we go to."

The OR Boston volunteers pray and counsel outside Planned Parenthood and Women's Heath Services in Brookline. About 24,000 abortions per year are performed yearly throughout Massachusetts, according to the state Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.

"Personal contact is usually the deciding factor," said Cotter, who's been sidewalk counseling for 23 years. ''Today abortion isn't liked, but it's accepted. Some people really think they have no other choice.

When you offer them another choice, a small percentage will take it."

To ask your representative to vote against the tlexpanded buffer zone" bill, call 617路722路2000.

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Around the Diocese ~ ~:I""

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NORTH DARTMOUTH - St. Julie Billiart Church hosts a Bible study twice a week, organized by the parish's Adult Faith Formation Office. The lectionary-based Bible study takes place 10 a.m. Tuesdays in the parish conference room at 494 Slocum Road, with a repeat session at 7 p.m.

Wednesdays.

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EAST TAUNTON - Holy Family Parish at 370 Middleboro Avenue in East Taunton will host eucharistic adoration today from after the 8:30 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 8 p.m.

~ealing s~;;j;; ATTLEBORO - Healing Services are offered at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette: a Hispanic Healing Service Sunday at 2:30 p.m. with Father Pedro Chingandu; an English Healing Service with Mass on November 11 at 2 p.m. with Father Andre Patenaude.

BREWSTER - Our Lady of the Cape Parish at 468 Stony Brook Road will host a Mass with healing service by Father Richard Lavoie on November7.

[Outreach _ __

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ATTLEBORO - The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette at 947 Park Street is running its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Non-perishable food items can be left in the box in the church's Hall of Memories until November 18. The food will be distributed to the Council of Churches food bank and the La Salette Shrine Soup Kitchen.

FAIRHAVEN - Missionaries of La Salette Father Andre Patenaude will perform at St. Mary's Church at 41 Harding Road at 7 p.m. on November 10. Refreshments will be served in the church hall following the concert, and all proceeds will benefit the residents of Our Lady's Haven Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitative Care.

rMiscellaneous

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ATTLEBORO - Extreme East, an evangelization program for high school students will host Professor Bob Rice from Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio as its keynote speaker tonight from 7-10 in the main church of the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. . ATTLEBORO - A prayer group and discussion with Dr. Ryan Welker will be held November 8 and 15 in the reconciliation chapel of National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette at 947 Park Street.

CHATHAM - A Tridentine Mass is celebrated 1 p.m. every Sunday at Our Lady of Grace Chapel on Route 137 in Chatham.

EAST SANDWICH - The Women's Guild of Corpus Christi Parish, 324 Quaker Meeting House Road, will hold its annual Christmas Fair on November 10 from 9 a.m. to 2. p.m. It will feature handmade crafts, knit and crochet items, gift baskets, holiday decor, white elephant items and new gifts, a luncheon and baked goods table.

EAST TAUNTON - Thlil Holy Family Parish annual Fall Festival takes place November 10 at the parish hall on Middleboro Avenue from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The kitchen will feature homemade soups and other items. There will be a visit and pictures with Santa, cookie decorating, face painting, games for the kids, and a raffle table, including an autographed Curt Schilling baseball. Contact Jean Grady at 508-824¡2416 for information.

FALL RIVER - Sisters M. Wendy and M. Grace of the Sisters of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus will present the message of Divine Mercy at 7 p.m. Sunday at Holy Name Church, 709 Hanover Street. .

FALL RIVER - The Portuguese TV Program "Good News for Life (Boa Nova da Vida)" will present a program "What is the role of Mary in the mystery of Christ and his Church" on the Portuguese Channel, November 7 and 21 at 9:30 p.m.

MANSFIELD - St. Mary's Catholic School at 330 Pratt Street will be holding its third annual Holiday Shopping Extravaganza November 15 from 710 p.m. The event will be held in the gymnasium. For information contact Karen at cglaropoulos@comcast.net.

NEW BEDFORD - Our Lady of Fatima Parish at 4256 Acushnet Avenue will hold its Harvest Fair Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

NEW BEDFORD - St. Mary's Parish at 106 Illinois Street will hold its Holiday Fair November 10 and 11.

WEST HARWICH - Holy Trinity Church at 246 Main Street will hold its annual Harvest Bazaar November 10 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

WESTPORT - The annual St. Mary's Education Fund dinner will be held November 8 at White's of Westport to raise funds for needbased scholarships for Catholic schools. Reception begins at 5:30 p.m. and dinner with host speaker Dan Shaughnessy begins at 6:30

p.m.

Support Groups NEW BEDFORD - The next meeting of Courage, a group for people struggling with same sex attraction will be held tomorrow from 7-8 p.m. at the rectory of St. James' Church at 233 County Street. For more information, call Father Richard Wilson at 508-992-9408.

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Father Joseph E. Mullen SJ; was former director at Connolly High FALL RIVER - Word has been received here of the September 21 death of Society of Jesus Father Joseph E. Mullen, 88, at the Campion Center in Weston.

Father Mullen had served as the director of development at Bishop Connolly High School here in 1974 and 1975.

A native of .South Boston, Father Mullen was ordained a Jesuit priest on June 17, 1950. An alumnus of Boston College, he taught mathematics, physics and religion

there as well as at Boston College High School, Xavier High School in New Hampshire, Marquette University, Wheeling College and the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester.

He also served in several capacities, including dean, director of admissions and development, educational counseling, and as a retreat master and chaplain at many schools and colleges.

Father Mullen ministered to his Jesuit community as treasurer in

1961 and 1962.

In later years he was a missionary in Montego Bay and Falmouth in Jamaica; was a pastor in Maine and California; and in retirement at Campion Center since 2004, prayed for his Society and for the Church.

He is survived by members of the Society of Jesus; and nieces and nephews.

His funeral Mass was celebrated at the Campion Center and interment was in the Jesuit Cemetery there.

Foundation says its Pro-Life ads having effect on female audience WASHINGTON (CNS) - Unless you're watching daytime talk shows or soap operas, late-night or late-late-night television or some of the most basic cable channels, you might not have seen cOnuilercials with a Pro-Life message sponsored by the Vitae Caring Foundation.

The foundation buys commercial time from local stations in selected U.S. cities for just short periods of time. But the impact of their ads on their intended audience - women who may be facing a troubled pregnancy - has been measurable in both the upsurge in calls made to local crisis pregnancy centers and the . decline in the number of abortions performed in those areas.

The ads, in both English and Spanish, are generally shot with a soft focus and feature a woman who remarks about the gift of life she received and is able to pass on, or some fact about abortion designed to make the female viewer think about that fact's ramification in her own life.

They include an 800-number for a pregnancy resource center.

Moral theologian Pia Solenni, who has been working since early 2006 with the Atlanta-based foundation on its TV ad campaign, said she had seen the ads before she started collaborating on them.

"Ijust loved the ads. They weren't shock-jock ads. They weren't graphic

or in-your-face type ads. They were just very engaging ads," Solenni told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview from Philadelphia.

"I knew they put a lot of money into the research that generated the ads," Solenni said, adding, "I think nonprofits should be encouraged to spend their money as carefully as possible."

One ad shows a woman firefighter at the scene of a blaze, noting how her mother saved her life when she could have had an abortion, and now she is able to save others' lives in her job.

That ad, Solenni said, "is a little 'It's aWonderfulLife"'thatraisesthequestion of "what would life had been like if you-had never: been.born? For a. firefighter,(thequestionis)whowould have been there to save that child?"

Because ofthe research conducted prior to the commercials' production, "these ads really resonate with the feelings these women are having.

They call the 800 number and they get connected with a pregnancy resource center," Solenni said. "One caller said, 'I felt just like the woman in that ad.'"

Thomas Grenchik, executive director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, can vouch for the ad campaign's effectiveness.

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Light a virtual candle at

In Your Prayers

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Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks

Nov.S 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.S Rev. Pacifique L. Emond, OFM, Retreat Master, Writer, Montreal, Canada, 1984 Nov. 11 Rev. A. Gomez da Silva Neves, Pastor, St. John the Baptist, New Bedford, 1910 Rev. Richard Sullivan, C.S.c., President, Stonehill College, Easton, 2005

Years ago, when Grenchik was the director of the Pro-Life office in the Archdiocese of Washington, the Vitae Caring Foundation an ad targeted African-American women who thought they might be pregnant.

When it aired during the daytime soaps, "it flowed right in with the story line of the soap opera they were watching," Grenchik said.

Solenni told CNS that oftentimes "someone else sees the ads and they call and get the information and they pass it on" to a pregnant woman they know.

Solenni expressed amazement at "the long staying power of the ads.

People were writing down the num_her when they saw it - the adand calling six weeks after the (ad) campaign finished."

For someone to "keep track ofthat piece of paper" weeks later, she said, shows "a kind of stick-to-itiveness" that "anybody who's behind this product would love."

She added the "overwhelmingly positive response" to the ads "really reinforces the fact that women who have abortions feel they' have no choice. Most women don't even know they have options, resources within their own communities. They say we have more pregnancy resource centers now than abortion clinics."

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The Anchor

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Resurrection Sisters remember service in Fall River Diocese

By DEACON JAMES N.

......

DUNBAR

.CASTLETON, N.Y. -As they prepared for the beatification of their founder Mother Celine Chludzinska Borzecka on October 27, the Eastern Province of the Sisters of the Resurrection based in' Castleton-on-Hudson sent word how they are sharing their joy and thanksgiving with the people of the Diocese of Fall River.

Resurrection Sister Valerie told The Anchor that although the Sisters are no longer serving in the Fall River Diocese, they are still connected "through our grateful prayer and our fond memories."

She said the Sisters will also continue to place the diocese in the intercession ofMother Celine and ''hoped you watched the Beatification pro.: ceedings live from St. John Lateran Basilica" in Rome, Italy, on EWTN. The Resurrection Sisiers administered and taught. at St. Savior Nursery in New Bedford; catechized in the Religious Education program at the former St. Hedwig's in New Bedford; took care of church linens in some New Bedford parishes; and served as sacristans for the Franciscans' weekly TV Mass. Their presence and spirit enriched our diocese for more than 20 years. In addition, they conducted a summer catechetical program in West Dennis, a few years ago.

The Eastern Province has a dual reason for celebration - they are celebrating Mother Celine's Beati-

fication as well as 100 years of witness and service in the eastern part , of the United States. A Mass of Thanksgiving for both the Beatification of Mother Celine and the centenary of service, will be celebrated by Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard on December I, at S1.

Mary's Parish, in Schenectady, N.Y. .

Cel~ne Rosalie Leonarda.

Chludiinska was born in Antowil, Poland in 1833 to well-to-do, faithfilled parents. She married a prosperous man and they had four chil- , dren. two died in infancy and; daughters Celine and Hedwig survived. After the death of her husband, Celine, then 40, answered the call to religious life and along with daughter Hedwig founded the Sisters of the Resurrection in 1891.

Mother Celine died in 1906. Her cause for beatification began in 1944, and in 1981 she was declared Venerable. The miracle, which qualified her for Beatification, was the curlf of a head trauma by her great-great grandson, Andew Mercherzynski-Wiktor.

Currently, the Sisters serve on five continents - in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Adelaide and Melbourne, Australia; London, England; Montreal, Canada; the United States with a Province in Chicago, and the other in Castleton; N.Y.; twp Provinces in Warsaw and Poznan, Poland; the Motherhouse in Rome; Italy; and the most recent, in Tanzania, Africa.

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Advertise your fall event, 'or locate one for the family Find entertainment and get your ads noticed in

t

The Anchor'

Email:, ~ theanchor@anchornews.org ~ or call 508.67,5.7151 .

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C. OLIVEIRA INS~RANCE AGENCY

ANSWERING A CALL - Deacon Ronnie Floyd, right, received the Book of the Gospels from Cardinal-elect John Foley during his October 4 diaconal ordination at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

.In the shadow of two domes Realizing a vocation to the priesthood

By DEACON RONNIE P. FLOYD ROME -: As I sat at my desk on the fifth floor of the Senate Office building, looking out at the dome of the U.S. Capital, agonizing over a de-' cision that I needed to make, I never imagined that just a year-and-a-haIf later I would be moving into the shadow of another dome, this one a little older and alittle more significant.

I had been working for the U.S. Senate for a little over a year at the time, and my whole life was exactly where I thought I wanted it to be. I still did not feel, however, like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing with my life. It was my fourth year in college and I had been a paid staff member of the Senate Budget Committee under two successive chahmen. I had made many friends and good contacts in Washington, and I had even been offered a new job and a big raise upon graduation. Having imagined a career in public service since high school, I was right where I wanted to be - and yet I got the feeling it wasn't where I needed to be.

During college I began to practice and explore my Catholic faith much more fully. In my sophomore year I started going to a prayer group for college men and started to pray, seriously, about what God wanted me to do with my life.

What I heard in prayer disturbed me. In my family priesthood was a vocation that we were all encouraged to consider, and I gave it some thought, but I had long ago set my mind on having a family and a career in public service and politics. That's notto say that the call was never there. As a small boy I had played "Mass" complete with candles, bread, and wine. When' .I was older, though, I made up my mind that I would serve God in a different way.

When I started listening to God anew in college, I was surprised to feel a call to the priesthood again. At first I decided to defer the call, opting to 00-

ish my degree first, to work a little, and maybe to go to law school. The longer I prayed over what to do next, however, the more I was sure that my path was leading in a different direction.

Today the thought of becoming a priest seems sort of radical. Giving this option a chance is quite scary. I remember the first hurdle I had to overcome was admitting to myselfthat this is something that I may be called to.

From an early age people dream about what the rest of their life will be like and this dream informs their identity.

Therefore discovering a calling to the priesthood or religious life - which demands a total commitment-when one has never seriously considered the priesthood before can be traumatic because it forces a person to re-conceive his or her future life and very identity.

A vocation is the way that God wants to make us both happy and holy . - it is about God's plan for us, not about our plan for ourselves. It was only in college that I had the courage to ask the question, ''What does God want?" and to admit that maybe I had another vocation than the one I had been planning on. Strangely enough, when I did this, for the first time in my life I felt a deep sense of peace.

Admitting the possibility of a vocation, though, did not make it a done . deal. I began to go to Mass daily, to pray the psalms (the Liturgy of the Hours) daily, and to speak with a priest about entering seminary. The~ are all necessary steps in discernment But the more I became aware of my calling, the more afraid I became of actually acting on it.

'I knew that I needed to do some. thing about this call, but I didn't know 'what to do. I thought that if I entered seminary right away, I wouldn't laSt a year; either they would realize that I wasn't good enough or I would leave on my own. It also seemed like such a huge risk to leave everything behind

to take achance on a vocation ofwhich I was still unsure. What I discovered though was that I couldn't dismiss what I thought was the voice ofGod. I also realized that outside of seminary Icould not move forward with discernment.

Entering seminary was, indeed, a big risk for me, but no more of a risk than the early disciples and Apostles took when they left their boats and nets, money tables, and fields to follow Jesus.

I walked through the doors of the seminary four years ago, and during that first year I found the peace and consolation that confirmed for me that the priesthood is the vocation that God is calling me to. A year later my bishop invited me to transfer to Rome, to the Pontifical North American College, right in the shadow ofthe dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

It's amazing how God's providence works. For years I thought I was destined to work under the dome of the Capitol BUilding in Washington, and yet God brought me full circle to a new vocation and a different dome, where just last month I was ordained a Deacon and began a new life totally dedicated to God. If you sense acall to the Priesthood ofJesus Christ or know someone who should consider this vocation, make the bold first step of contacting the Vocations Office. The first phone call is always the most difficult. I know it was for me. But don't worry: the Vocations Office will not sign you up on the spot, but instead will help you continue your own discernment. Taking those first steps of admitting the possibility that you have a vocation and contacting a priest to help you pray through it may be the beginning ofthe most radical change in your life - and launch you on the path to happiness in this life and, God willing, in eternity.

Diocesan Office of Vocations: 508-675-1311, ext. 109. Website: fallrivervocations.org