Child protection, healing, reform is primary focus for Fall River Diocese FALL RIVER — In January 2002, the Boston Globe began publishing a series of Spotlight articles that would lead to a firestorm of revelations of clergy abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston, throughout our U.S. Catholic Church, and ultimately our world. The two decades that followed have been painful for all Catholics — lay, religious and clergy alike — as more allegations, investigations, lawsuits, and grand jury reports continue to unfold. Yet these revelations give us only
a small understanding of the depth of pain and suffering endured by survivors. Just as Jesus drove out the moneychangers who defiled the temple, the Church is undergoing a necessary cleansing. Has any good emerged? Is there reason for hope? What has changed? In the coming months The Anchor will publish a series of articles that seek to honor the experience of survivors and highlight the ongoing efforts in child protection, healing, and reform 8 Turn to page 11
Local Synod news - Page nine
Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, January 21, 2022
Diocesan schools have much to celebrate this Catholic Schools Week FALL RIVER — The topic of education continues to be highlighted in the media as the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced and changed every aspect of life. Despite all schools offering in-person learning for the 202122 school year, many families continue to choose to send their children to a Catholic school for many reasons. Celebrate Catholic Schools Week provides a platform for Catholic schools to communicate their uniqueness and encourage new families to discover the “Catholic school difference” first hand. For many students attending one of the 15 Catholic elementary schools or four Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Fall River, this year may be their first exposure to the unique qualities of Catholic education that cannot be found in any secular educational experience. Enrollment in the Diocese of Fall River Catholic elementary schools has increased nearly three percent compared to last school year; and
most Catholic elementary schools have a wait list. Celebrate Catholic Schools Week focuses on the many aspects of Catholic education valued by families for decades: a robust and balanced academic curriculum that integrates faith, culture and life; the value of serving others; as well as preparing students to be productive citizens and future leaders. Each day presents a different theme in order to highlight the many facets that are touched by a Catholic education. The 2022 themes for the week are: • Celebrating your parish; • Celebrating your community; • Celebrating Catholic school students; • Celebrating your nation; • Celebrating vocations; • Celebrating faculty, staff and volunteers; • Celebrating families. “Celebrate Catholic School Week 8 Turn to page three
Newly-instituted diocesan secretariat hit the ground running By Dave Jolivet Editor
davejolivet@anchornews.org
FALL RIVER —On July 1, 2021, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., established the diocesan Secretariat for the New Evangelization whose mission is to assist parishes, schools, college campuses in providing area Catholics
of all ages with the tools needed for the Church’s New Evangelization. A few months later, Bishop da Cunha released his fourth pastoral letter since coming to the diocese, “Journeying Together: With Jesus on the Path of Faith & Hope.” The bish-
op’s latest letter provided steps for diocesan faithful to become sources of
invitational witness to the faith, and the Sacramental life and vocations to which
each individual is called. upon them. The new ministry Selected to captain the involved the restructuring new ship was David Carof the Office of valho, the former diocesan Faith Formation, Senior Director for Youth, Campus MinisYoung Adult and Family try and Pro-Life Life Ministries. Carvalho is Apostolate. The now the Secretary for the Secretariat was to New Evangelization. not only continue the fine “The mission of the work of these important Church to proclaim Christ ministries, but expand 8 Turn to page 13 January 21, 2022 † 1
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Much to celebrate during CSW 2022 continued from page one
is a wonderful opportunity for all families to learn more about Catholic education and why it has been a valued educational asset for decades,” indicated Daniel S. Roy, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Fall River. “We cannot express enough how committed and faith-filled our team of Catholic school leaders, educators and staff have been throughout these challenging years. The pandemic has interrupted many aspects of education, but our schools always rise to the occasion of ensuring that students remain the focus of our efforts.” According to Kellie Kickham, principal of St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro, “The theme of ‘Celebrate Catholic Schools Week’ is perfect for this moment in time. We continue to have an increase in inquiries and enrollment from
many families whose priority is to provide an education with academic rigor along with Faith Formation, morality, and a sense of true community. For the families who have enrolled, they are amazed with the overall Catholic school experience and express that they never realized that there was such a difference in values students receive from a Catholic education.” Affordability is the main worry for many new families as they engage in learning more about the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fall River. “The cost of tuition is of great concern to many families,” said Christina Duggan, Vice President of Operations for the Catholic Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. “Each of our elementary schools encourages families to apply to the Foundation to Ad8 Continued on page eight
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Eugenics, forced sterilization, and protecting the mentally-challenged
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lthough most Americans today are unaware of it, the United States has a sad and extensive history of forced sterilizations, especially within the past century. In 1907, Indiana legalized forced sterilizations of white men who were “mentally deficient,” diseased, or otherwise disabled. More than 30 other states subsequently followed suit, and the practice quickly expanded to both men and women. In 1927, the Virginia law allowing the sterilization of patients in mental institutions was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Buck v. Bell. In the decision, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes made his now infamous proclamation that “three generations of imbeciles are enough,” referring to Carrie Buck, her mother and daughter. Carrie was committed to a state mental institution as a “feeble minded woman,” and the Virginia law allowed for her forced sterilization, allegedly for the “health of the patient and the welfare
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of society.” The Supreme Court’s decision featuring Justice Holmes’ histrionic flair served to catalyze the thentrendy push for eugenics, the idea that preventing unfit individuals from reproducing served the public welfare. The flawed notion behind eugenics was that many social ills, including crime, poverty, and mental deficiency, were not due to environmental factors, but largely to genetic or hereditary defects. Vulnerable, institutionalized populations like the mentally ill, the disabled, and the incarcerated were thus among the first targets of state-sponsored sterilization programs. The Virginia law remained on the books for a half century until it was finally repealed in 1974. All told, close to 60,000 Americans were rendered permanently infertile by these state-sponsored programs. Historians have noted that Nazi Germany likely modeled its forced sterilization programs on the American eugenics programs of the 1930s. The law under which Hitler sterilized countless German citizens contains much of the same language found in the 1924 Virginia steriliza-
† January 21, 2022
tion Act, which provided for the sexual sterilization of any state hospital inmate who was “insane, idiotic, imbecile, feeble-minded or epileptic, and by the laws of heredity … the probable potential parent of socially inadequate offspring likewise afflicted.” The jarring tagline offered by Justice Holmes highlighted a biased, even
disdainful attitude toward mentally ill persons and their ability to procreate. Few today would not be revolted by such strident branding of whole classes of individuals and families. Few would similarly countenance forcible state-sanctioned sterilizations, as still happens today, to near universal condemnation, in certain dictatorial regimes bent on population control. Direct sterilizations violate human dignity. A physician’s decision to recommend or participate in the surgical mutilation of a healthy and properly functioning system of the body for the purposes of impeding fertility runs counter to the authentic healing mission of the medical profession. At its core, medicine should be about fixing damaged systems of the body rather than damaging healthy systems. Whenever we face situations where family mem-
bers with severe mental illness or other disabilities may not be suited to the responsibilities and demands of having children and parenting, and hence ought not to get married, the solution should never be direct sterilization but tailored care that addresses their specific mental health situation and respects their human sexual nature by ordering it along a path of chastity. This implies that caretakers for the seriously mentally ill in institutional settings should assure that residents are not given opportunities to engage in sexual encounters with others, that they be safeguarded from access to sexually-explicit media and Internet pornography, that they be instructed on the importance of chastity to the extent possible with their mental disability, and that residential settings be appropriately segregated as single-sex facilities. In other words, caretakers for the seriously mentally-challenged have a duty to protect them as they would protect, for example, young people or children. Although the bodies of mentally-challenged residents may have matured sexually, some still function intellectually at or near the level of a child. Living in an institutional care facility is meant to offer protection from the chaos of the outside world where they would clearly be vulnerable and largely defenseless. Sometimes it is argued that due to their well-documented risk to be victims of
sexual assault, individuals who are mentally-challenged, especially in institutional settings, should be forcefully sterilized “for their own good,” whether temporarily through chemical sterilization (like contraception), or permanently through surgical sterilization. It doesn’t require much reflection, however, to see that if it were to become generally known that residents were taking contraceptives or had been sterilized, this would only “lower the threshold” for those who might wish to engage in predatory sexual activities to the detriment of their mentally-challenged victims. The real aim should be to prevent sexual assaults, not to prevent the obvious consequences that might follow from such assaults, like pregnancy. Addressing inadequate oversight by caretakers and eliminating the “institutional chaos” that allows sexual activity to occur with or among residents needs to be the focus. Individual responsibility and accountability are paramount. Loving and caring for our family members with serious disabilities demands no less. Anchor columnist Father Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, and serves as the director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www. ncbcenter.org and www. fathertad.com.
Editorial Love, not presumption
In the New Bedford Standard-Times on January 13 there was an editorial cartoon entitled “Full House,” with a halo over the “u,” and with the tagline, “Starring Betty White, Sidney Poitier & Bob Saget” and it depicted the three actors lining up before St. Peter at the gate of Heaven. It was a syndicated cartoon, from a national news service. On the plus side, it assumes that there is an afterlife. On the negative side, it presumes that people who have good reputations are just ushered immediately into Heaven, with no need to pray for God’s mercy upon their souls. On Dec. 18, 2015 Pope Francis preached about presumption, when inaugurating a holy door of mercy at the Caritas Hostel on Via Marsala in Rome. He said, “When Jesus preaches life to us He tells us how we will be judged. He will not say to you, ‘come with Me because you made so many fine offerings to the Church, you are a benefactor of the Church, come, come to Heaven.’ No. The entrance to Heaven is not bought with money. He will not say: ‘you are very important. You have studied so much and received so many honors. Come to Heaven.’ No. Honors do not open the doors to Heaven. What will Jesus say to open the doors of Heaven to us? ‘I was hungry and you gave Me to eat; I was homeless and you gave Me a home; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me’ (cf. Mt 25:35-36). Jesus exists in humility.” The pope in this homily explained how we experience God in our world through charity, God’s and then ours. “God comes to save us. He finds no better way to do so than to walk with us, living our life, and at the moment of choosing the way to live His life, He didn’t choose a great city of a great empire; He did not choose a princess or a countess for His Mother, an important person; He didn’t choose a luxurious palace. It seems as if everything was intentionally done in near obscurity. Mary was a girl of 16 or 17, no older, in a faraway village on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, and certainly no one knew of that village. Joseph was a youth who loved her and wanted to marry her. He was a carpenter who earned his daily bread. All in simplicity, all in obscurity. And even the rejection — because they were betrothed, and in such a small village, you know how gossip is, it spreads. Joseph realized that she was pregnant, but he was a just man. Everything was hidden despite the calumny and gossip. The angel explained the mystery to Joseph: ‘the Child that your bride bears is the work of God, the work of the Holy Spirit.’ When Joseph awoke from his sleep he did what the Angel of the Lord had commanded him, and he went to her and married her (cf. Mt 1:18-25). All was hidden, all was humble. The great cities of the world knew nothing about it. This OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 66, No. 2
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is how God is among us.” We are called to pray for the souls of all the dead, be they famous, infamous, or totally unknown (we also hope that other people will do us the same favor when we die). Probably some people we have never heard of are amongst the most important people in Heaven. Getting back to the symbolism of the holy door, Pope Francis preached, “Jesus’ love is great, so today in the opening of this Holy Door I would like the Holy Spirit to open the heart of all the people of Rome, to make them see what is the way of Salvation. There is no luxury, it is not the way of great riches, it is not the way of power. It is the way of humility. The poorest, the sick, the imprisoned. But Jesus says more: if the greatest sinners repent, they will go before us to Heaven. They have the key. Those who give alms and those who let themselves be embraced by the Lord’s mercy.” This is a hopeful message, if we would just embrace it! The Holy Father said that we should ask for two things. “First: that the Lord open the door of our heart, of everyone. We are all in need. We are all sinners. We all need to hear the Lord’s word and need the Lord’s Word to come. Second: that the Lord make us understand that the way of presumption, the way of wealth, the way of vanity, the way of pride are not the way to Salvation. May the Lord make us understand that His fatherly caress, His mercy, His forgiveness is when we approach those who suffer, those discarded by society: Jesus is there. May this door, which is the Door of Charity, the door where so many, so many of the rejected are assisted, make us understand that it will also be good for every one of us, every person of Rome, every Roman to feel discarded, and feel the need of God’s help. Today let us pray for Rome, for all the inhabitants of Rome, for each one, beginning with me, that the Lord may give us the grace to feel rejected because we are unworthy. He alone gives us mercy and grace. And to receive this grace we must approach those who have been discarded, the poor, those in great need, because we will all be judged on how we draw close to them. In the opening of this door may the Lord give that grace to the whole of Rome, to every inhabitant of Rome in order to go forward in the embrace of Mercy, where the Father supports the wounded Son, but the Father is the One Who is wounded: God is wounded by love, and this is why He can save us all. May the Lord give us this grace.” Although the pope was speaking about Rome, his words are true to every place on earth. Let us join in Christ’s humility, in His rejection, and so then love all those who feel rejected, so that they might know we are Christians (and might know Christ!) by our love.
Daily Readings † January 29 - February 11
Sat. Jan. 29, 2 Sm 12:1-7a,10-17; Ps 51:12-17; Mk 4:35-41. Sun. Jan. 30, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jer 1:4-5,17-19; Ps 71: 1-6,15-17; 1 Cor 12:31—13:13 or 13:4-13; Lk 4:21-30. Mon. Jan. 31, 2 Sm 15:13-14,30; 16:5-13; Ps 3:2-7; Mk 5:1-20. Tue. Feb. 1, 2 Sm 18:9-10,14b,24-25a,30—19:3; Ps 86:1-6; Mk 5:21-43. Wed. Feb. 2, Mal 3:1-4; Ps 24:7-10; Heb 2:14-18; Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32. Thu. Feb. 3, 1 Kgs 2:1-4,10-12; (Ps) 1 Chr 29:10-11b,11d-12; Mk 6:7-13. Fri. Feb. 4, Sir 47:2-11; Ps 18:31,47,50-51; Mk 6:14-29. Sat. Feb. 5, 1 Kgs 3:4-13; Ps 119:9-14; Mk 6:30-34. Sun. Feb. 6, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Is 6:1-2a,3-8; Ps 138:1-5,7-8; 1 Cor 15:1-11 or 15:3-8,11; Lk 5:1-11. Mon. Feb. 7, 1 Kgs 8:1-7,9-13; Ps 132:6-7,8-10; Mk 6:53-56. Tue. Feb. 8, 1 Kgs 8:22-23,27-30; Ps 84:3-5,10-11; Mk 7:1-13. Wed. Feb. 9, 1 Kgs 10:1-10; Ps 37:5-6,30-31,39-40; Mk 7:14-23. Thu. Feb. 10, 1 Kgs 11:4-13; Ps 106:3-4,3537,40; Mk 7:24-30. Fri. Feb. 11, 1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19; Ps 81:10-11b,12-15; Mk 7:31-37. January 21, 2022 †
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An occasion for reparation and rectification
s we mark the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the toxic avalanche of revelations about decades of clergy sexual abuse of minors in Boston and beyond, the two headlines are clear. The first is the unfathomable scope of what had happened and remained hidden prior to that apocalypse: tens of thousands of victims, thousands of clerical molesters, hundreds of bishops and senior chancery officials who had covered up the abuse and transferred the abusers, and the entrenched culture of corruption that enabled all of it. Prior to 2002, Catholics in the U.S. were familiar with the notorious cases of Father Gilbert Gauthe who admitted to molesting 37 boys in the Diocese of Lafayette, La., and Father James Porter who pleaded guilty to abusing 28 children in the Diocese of Fall River, but these were, most thought, isolated priestly psychopaths. They were, instead, just the tip of the satanic iceberg. I will never forget sitting in the rectory kitchen on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2002, reading the Boston Globe Spotlight Team’s first report of its investigations of clergy sexual abuse in the Boston Archdiocese. I couldn’t finish breakfast. I could barely breathe. The numbers. The names and faces of accused priests, including several I knew and some who had been assigned to my home parish. The questions. The volcano of emotions. The prayers for guidance as I headed to Church to celebrate Sunday Mass and to receive honest questions for which I knew I would have no satisfactory answers. A few weeks later, I would preach a homily trying to make sense of it all from within the perspective of faith. I emailed it to a handful of friends, who forwarded it to others, until eventually I received it back several dozen times from strangers, it was printed in hundreds of newspapers and magazines, and translated into seven 6
languages. That viral sermon placed me, without asking, in the heart of the Church’s response, as hundreds of victims began to call me from all over and I listened for hours, with a pierced heart and tears, to what they had endured, trying finally to give them the priestly hearing that many had been denied and others had been too afraid to seek. As a young confessor, I was not unused to hearing about evil things that people, mainly out of weakness, occasionally commit. Learning about the torture some victims had endured, and the malice and mendacity with which they had been met by some Church officials, was like a second seminary experience, preparing me for a priesthood that I knew would be far different than I had imagined, and filling me with a righteous indignation against what they suffered that has never waned. There’s a temptation, especially with things that cause us shame, to try to put them behind us, to turn the page, to change the channel. That temptation is Himalayan with regard to the clergy sex abuse scandals. But just like the Germans have to wrestle with the difficult, indeed sickening, history of the rise of Hitler, the dehumanization of the Jews and their industrialized annihilation by one of the world’s most advanced and educated societies, so the Church must confront and never forget that while we were experiencing before our eyes the fulfillment of Christ’s parable of the mustard seed — with the foundation and building up of so many Catholics parishes, schools, universities, chanceries and other institutions, and even the election of the first Catholic president — something truly sinister was taking place in those same institutions, in the seed-beds (seminaries) and among the sowers. That’s the first headline
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of the 20th anniversary, as it should be at the 50th, hundredth and every anniversary. The second is far more hopeful. It’s that the evils exposed in 2002 have proven to be reserved, for the most part, to well prior to 2002. The seminary reforms of St. John Paul II in the early 1990s, the rigorous measures taken by the U.S. bishops in Dallas in 2002, the sanitizing spotlight of the media, the civil lawsuits that have cost the Church billions in
assets and more in reputation, the “special attention” given by district attorneys and attorney generals, the clamoring for accountability from lay groups, faithful, and reform-minded clergy, the prayers of the saints on earth and in Heaven, and the scourging and merciful grace of God have all played a role. It’s safe to say that since 2002, the cancer of the sexual abuse of minors in the Church in the U.S. has been in remission. New cases have been extremely rare. While it’s hyperbole to say that Church institutions are now the “safest places in the world for kids,” it is demonstrably true to say that in Catholic parishes, schools and programs — because of all of the now standard background checks, anti-abuse training, recognition of grooming techniques, mandatory reporting mechanisms and more — are indeed safe places for children and teens, as they must remain. That’s the second headline. While the 20th anniversary is certainly not a cause for celebration, it is an occasion for gratitude and redoubled commitment: protecting kids, caring for victims, and reforming the Church in
the virtues opposed to the sinful and criminal vices that brought the Church to one of the lowest points in its history. Twenty years into the rebuilding process, it’s also time to address its by now obvious imperfections. When the U.S. bishops convened in Dallas in 2002 to draft their Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and its accompanying Norms, they did so under panic and pressure from the press, lawsuits and furious faithful. They got most of the big stuff right in terms of holding offenders accountable, responding quickly to allegations, cooperating with civil authorities, committing to the healing and reconciliation of victims, and ensuring that the priesthood — and parish staffs and volunteer teams more broadly — was no place for those who would harm the young. But it has become evident that in the atmosphere of hasty duress, some things were left out of balance. It’s time for the Church to rectify these shortcomings. One was the bishops’ failure to hold themselves accountable to the Charter and Norms, something that has thankfully been remedied by Pope Francis’ 2019 apostolic letter Vos Estis, precipitated by the scandalous disclosures about abuse committed by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The biggest problem regards justice toward accused priests, to ensure they don’t become scapegoated victims of false accusations. The original understanding of the undefined term “credible” allegations was absurdly low: it meant that the charge was not patently “impossible,” that the priest wasn’t already dead when the abuse took place and that the allegation involved a who, what, when and where. If the priest had a rock-solid alibi and sterling character with youth, if the accuser had a reputation
for chronic dishonesty, if the details were incoherent and contradictory, it really didn’t matter. The priest was removed for the length of an inexcusably glacial investigation, a press release published, the presumption of innocence given lip service and his reputation effectively ruined. Bishops have been reluctant to veer from what they committed to in Dallas, lest they seem soft on child sexual abuse, but as every child in first-grade catechesis knows, two wrongs don’t make a right. Some bishops and review boards have tried to invent an undefined term “substantiated” to get beyond the concerns with the word “credible,” but after too many false accusations, now is the time to ensure that the procedures are fair toward both accuser and accused and rightly foster a swift and just outcome. The classic principle of the Golden Rule would seem to apply: Bishops would do well to treat their priests, Church employees, and volunteers by the same principles by which not only they would want to be treated but actually, sanely and equitably, are. It’s also time courageously to address the real causes of crisis, the most prominent of which was a widespread culture of episcopal tolerance toward priestly sexual sins with adults within even an wider tolerance among the faithful toward the vices of the sexual revolution. If the clergy aren’t held accountable to keeping the Ten Commandments, then no one should be surprised if the forces of hell lead them to transgress further boundaries and commit sins that cry out to Heaven. This 20th anniversary is a time for reparation and continued conversion in which the Church builds on what we’ve gotten right and corrects what still needs to be rectified. Anchor columnist Father Roger Landry can be contacted at fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.
Work continues on the 2022 Diocesan Directory scheduled to be published later this month.
We will notify readers, in The Anchor, when the new books will be available for ordering.
January 21, 2022 †
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Much to celebrate during CSW 2022 continued from page three
vance Catholic Education (FACE) which helps reduce the cost of tuition by providing scholarships. For this school year, about 900 students have received a needs-based award, which in many cases has reduced tuition by 30-50 percent; and for many schools, this can result in a monthly tuition payment of $300 or less. Awards are determined by a family’s financial circumstances at the time of application. FACE scholarships help reduce
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the tuition cost and make a Catholic school education more attainable and, in the end, families realize that a Catholic education is well worth the investment. Families are encouraged to apply early for the best chance of receiving an award as funds are limited.” Other concerns that have been expressed by interested families are special education services for their child. The Diocese of Fall River has made great improvements in special
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education by partnering with the S.E.A.L. Foundation, who oversees the special education professionals in each partnering school. In addition to the very high quality special education services, the smaller class sizes of Catholic schools lend itself to a more personalized education focusing on each student’s specific needs. More than 90 percent of the Diocese of Fall River Catholic schools provide some sort of accommodations for students who learn differently.
While Catholic schools across the country have weathered many challenges over the past few decades, there is no doubt that Catholic schools are still a valued and necessary in today’s educational landscape. Whether a family’s interest in Catholic education is due to the rigorous academics, or for the formation of the whole child, Catholic schools continue to provide students and families with a faith-filled community that lives the teachings of Jesus Christ every day. For more information about the Catholic Schools Alliance, please go to https://www. catholicschoolsalliance.
org/we-have-a-place-foryou/. The Catholic Schools Alliance comprises administrators, teachers, staff, parents and clergy joined in partnership to educate the children of the Diocese of Fall River in Catholic faith and values. Our schools have a demanding educational culture that helps students from across the academic spectrum reach their God-given potential. With an emphasis on service and respect for the dignity of every person, we prepare students to meet the challenges of today’s diverse world and become meaningful contributors to society.
Local Synod activity — Communion, participation and mission (Second in a series about the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops) FALL RIVER — The synodal process does not lend itself to a single descriptive sentence or catch phrase. The Global Synod themes of communion, participation and mission, however, give helpful insight. What is most important is that as
many people as possible — those in the Church, those outside, the active and inactive — are heard from and listened to. Communion calls all — laity, consecrated and ordained — together to conversations that lead to conversion to Christ and a commitment to more actively work together in Christ’s mission. Participation involves Father Thomas Washburn of the Catholic Community of Central River shared a quick history of synods and the process of gathering the thoughts of all participants in a presentation at the November Formation Day for Parish Ambassadors. speaking and listening to one another. It means recognizing that everyone has something to say about Church and deserves to be heard. Mission points to mov-
ing forward with a common purpose based on the experience of communion and participation. This involves reaching beyond ourselves to evangelize. How this is achieved in
each local community and diocese may be different. “The Spirit will lead you,” says Pope Francis. “Do not be afraid to enter dialogue; it is the dialogue of Salva8 Turn to page 14
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Diocesan announcements and events Catholic Guild for the Blind The Catholic Guild for the Blind is hosting a Rosary and Social Hour via Conference Call. The Rosary and social hour will be offered twice monthly on the first Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. and on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. All are invited to join the Guild, as they come together to pray for those in need and for a renewed sense of purpose. To join either of the calls dial 1-774-462-3143 and enter
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the Pin Number 8916. (Please Note: You may wish to save this number and pin, as it will remain the same for all future calls and programs offered by the Guild.) If you have any questions or need information about the Catholic Guild for the Blind, call Cynthia Stead at 508-7716771 or Martha Reed at 508674-4681. Bereavement Support The Bereavement Support Group of the Diocese of Fall River continues to offer online
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support groups and hopes to begin offering live sessions in the spring. These online virtual programs are being offered through Catholic Social Services on Tuesdays. The links to register for either of the one-hour sessions are as follow: 4:30 p.m. — https://bit.ly/SupportGroup4 or 7 p.m. — https://bit.ly/ SupportGroup7. In addition to the online sessions, one-on-one sessions are also offered via phone. For more information, contact Rose Mary Saraiva at 508-674-4681 Ext. 1111 or 774-253-4097, or by email at rsaraiva@cssdioc. org. Cape Cod Parishes
Volunteers wanted! St. Joseph Shelter in Hyannis (a Catholic Social Services site) is in need of volunteers to help clean, sort, and organize various areas at the shelter. If interested in helping out or want more information, contact Rose Mary Saraiva at 508-6744681 Ext. 1111. Wedding Anniversary Celebration Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will celebrate the annual special Mass of Thanksgiving for couples observing significant anniversaries (including first year) during 2022 on February 13 from 3 to 4 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River.
Child protection, healing, reform is primary in diocese continued from page one
at work in the Diocese of Fall River and across our country. One year ago, in January 2021, the Diocese of Fall River published a list of clergy who have ministered in the Diocese of Fall River who have been publicly and/ or credibly accused of child sexual abuse. The list and accompanying information can be found on our website: https://www. fallriverdiocese.org/ diocesan-response-to-the-
sexual-abuse-crisis/ The publication of this list and others like it throughout the country has been called for by survivors of clergy abuse for years as a necessary step toward transparency. The Diocese of Fall River publication represents the culmination of years of work that began with an external audit of clergy files and led to an exhaustive evaluation of the audit results. The diocese remains committed to up-
dating and maintaining the list if and when new information becomes available. If you or someone you love has been abused by someone representing the Church (priest, deacon, religious, employee or volunteer) we are here to listen and support you. You can report an incident of abuse by contacting local law enforcement directly and by contacting the Victim Assistance Coordinator at the Office of Safe Environment: 508-985-6508.
January 21, 2022 †
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T he C hurch
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Y outh & Y oung A dults
If you loved Him more
n preparing for my homily last weekend, I came across this story that I shared with the parish and thought might be a valuable message worth repeating here. It is a story of a young man who appeared to be a budding artist. Of all his works, he was most proud of his latest masterpiece he had just completed, a painting of the Last Supper. With great enthusiasm, he was anxious to show the piece to his friend and get his opinion. That friend was the writer Leo Tolstoy. The day finally came when the young artist was able to present his work to the famous writer. He unveiled his rendition of the Last Supper. Anxiously, he asked his friend, ”What do you think?” Tolstoy quietly studied the picture. He pondered every detail as the artist watched impatiently. The silence was
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finally broken as Tolstoy slowly pointed to the central figure. “You don’t really love Him,” he said quietly. The confused young man responded, “Why, that is the Lord Jesus Christ!” “I know,” said Tolstoy, “but if you loved Him more, you would have painted Him better.” While most of us are not budding artists, we are called to be budding servants of the Lord and this story points out that important lesson. What would someone looking at our life say to us Christians who claim to have Jesus at the center of our lives? Would they say, I can see that you love Him, or would they say, “If you loved Him more, you would serve Him better?” Our Christian faith
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in them God’s love present and moving outward from their hearts. I see in them evidence of their relationship with God governing their actions, character and values. Simply put, they walk the talk. They let out what so many have trapped inside. As Catholics we are not called to a “me-God” relationship alone. We are called to an apostolic life. We are called to serve do. It requires that we go out and serve others. We others. We are called to bring Christ to all others. have been challenged to I know that’s the type of live our lives in the way Christian I want to be that Jesus called us to and I work daily to stay live. How are we doing on that path. How about with that? What do our actions say about our love you? Now that the celebrafor the Lord? Do we give tion of Christmas is over, from our need or from the real work of Christour surplus? Do we do mas is just beginning. enough or just enough? Is our faith the center Howard Thurman (1899of who we are? I guess we 1981) an African-American author, philosopher, can only answer that for ourselves; but I know that theologian, educator, and civil rights leader sumI have met many people in my life that “love Him marizes for me this real lesson when he wrote, more.” I don’t mean that “When the song of they are radicals or conthe angels is stilled, when servatives or die-hards. the star in the sky is gone, I mean, rather, that I see requires more than prayer and worship. Christianity must become something real, tangible, something that pervades all that we are. It must become something we
when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.” Let’s take some time during these quiet months of winter, to examine the quality of our service and remember, “If we loved Him more, we would serve Him better.” Then, let’s get to work. Let’s look around and see where we can make a difference and then let’s serve Him better! Anchor columnist Frank Lucca is a deacon in the Diocese of Fall River assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Dartmouth, and a campus minister at UMass Dartmouth. He is married to his wife of 43 years, Kristine, and the father of two daughters and their husbands, and five grandsons. So blessed!
New diocesan Secretariat hit the ground running continued from page one
and the Gospel will never change,” Carvalho told The Anchor. “But the pandemic has caused us as a Church to reflect on what exactly are the best ways to go about doing that effectively. Bishop da Cunha’s forming of the Secretariat as a department within the chancery was
such a response; to better situate the support that the diocese offers to parishes in evangelization going forward.” Carvalho and the bishop have assembled an experienced and innovative team to lead each of the branches in the Secretariat. In the less than sev-
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, January 23 at 7 p.m. Broadcast from Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in Providence
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass
on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, January 30 at 7 p.m. Broadcast from St. Anthony Church in Taunton
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, January 23 at 11:00 a.m. Celebrant is Father Thomas C. Lopes, a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese
Sunday, January 30 at 11:00 a.m.
Celebrant is Father Riley J. Williams, Pastor of Holy Name Parish in Fall River
en months the ministry has been in service to the diocese, it already has an impressive and inspiring track record when it comes to witnessing to the New Evangelization. “Ultimately, our focus has been on how we can directly support those we serve,” said Carvalho. “What obstacles or problems do they face and how can we help? While we still have a great deal to accomplish and have not yet helped every parish, it’s important that we always keep that question at the forefront of what we do.” Since July, on the road to continuing its mission, the Secretariat and its team have: — Provided retreats, training sessions, workshops, talks, and evenings of Eucharistic Adoration in 23 parishes and three diocesan schools; with more such sessions planned for 2022; — Consulted with 49 percent of the parishes in the diocese, addressing the needs and offering services in the evangelization process; — Picked up in midstream the Church’s Year of St. Joseph, which began in October of 2020 and ended in October 2021. During the five months since its inception, the Secretariat held several events related to the Year of St. Joseph, including three talks, two Holy Hours, two feast Masses, a Consecration to St. Joseph, and offered family and parish resources throughout the diocese; — Hosted four summer coaching groups, gathering nearly 200 parish leaders,
providing guidance in the areas of youth, adult and family formation; and technology; — Organized a Catholic Youth Day for 200 young faithful in the diocese on beautiful Martha’s Vineyard. This resurrected the tradition after a twoyear absence because of the COVID pandemic; — Launched a diocesan Pro-Life Conference in October through the Family & Respect Life branch of the Secretariat; — Launched and initiated Parish GPS (Gather. Prepare. Set.) sessions to assist parishes in conversation, understanding their mission area and a discipleship pathway; — Worked with the Revitalization Committee to host a Parish Ambassador Day in November of 2021 which attracted 130 ambassadors from 91 percent of diocesan parishes; — Worked with Campus Ministry and the Newman House in Dartmouth in launching Student Small Groups that included sessions such as Search and Walking With Purpose; — Launched Adventure 2021, free Advent resources for parishes and families to carry past Advent into the new year; — Worked with three parishes to bring ECHO to the diocese. ECHO is a
two-year graduate program through the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life. Post-graduate students commit two years of fulltime parish ministry while earning a master’s degree in Theology; — Launched The Peak, experiences of formation and worship for parish leaders, catechists and volunteers, as Part I of the Formation Suite, which will continue in 2022. The team also provided fall Adult Confirmation preparation and/or conferral for candidates from 24 parishes; — Provided Marriage Preparation and/or FOCCUS inventories for couples from 44 parishes; — Began the overseeing of the Catholic Youth Organization as part of Youth Ministry; and — Offers ongoing support through Project Rachel, post abortion counseling and healing. “As we continue to establish ourselves and our work, moving forward, we will continually have to find new ways to support those in the field as well as evangelizing families,” Carvalho told The Anchor. “If we as a Church can successfully evangelize families then we will see a tipping point to change the tide.”
To advertise in The Anchor, contact Wayne Powers at 508-675-7151 or waynepowers@ anchornews.org January 21, 2022 †
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Synod: Local activity — Communion, participation and mission continued from page nine
tion.” Parish Phase of Synod Begins The Fall River Diocese lost no time in embracing the concept of synodality. As Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., completed his pastoral letter, “Journeying Together,” last summer he committed to incorporate the synodal process as an important tool in the post-pandemic revitalization of parishes. The bishop named Father David Federici, Vicar of Pastoral Services, as the point person for ensuring the successful roll out of the Synod. A Revitalization Committee including members of the Diocesan Parish Council, priests and representatives from key diocesan departments had already been formed and the action began. In early November, “ambassadors” from nearly every parish gathered in Wareham, close to the geographic midpoint of the diocese, for an in-person formation day that linked revitalization and the synodal process. “It was somewhat like Baptism with a fire hose,” said Father Federici, “but, since that time, continued communication with these Parish Ambassadors is bringing it all together. Parish level teams have been organizing and the first ‘consultation sessions’ are being scheduled. Regular Zoom meetings of ambassadors and member of the diocesan team are being held.” Whether called assemblies, consultations, get-togethers or listening sessions, synodal meetings 14
In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks:
are anticipated at parishes throughout the diocese from now through April. Seeking to reach as many people from as many backgrounds and life situations as possible, the synodal process will extend into the community beyond the traditional church goers, but hearing from the faithful within the parishes is the most important first step. Parish Synod News • Parishioners of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Orleans celebrated an Opening Mass for the Parish phase of the Synod of Sunday, January 16. Evening, daytime and weekend consultation sessions for active and inactive parish members are being planned for February.
• The Catholic Community of Central Fall River is accepting registration for its Synod consultations on Saturday, February 12 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. • St. Ann’s Parish in Raynham sent a survey to the home of each parishioner and will hold three Saturday afternoon synodal sessions beginning January 29. • St. Andrew Parish in Taunton will have small group discussions addressing seven questions at a meeting on Saturday January 22. • St. Mary’s Parish in Fairhaven is training facilitators to lead discussion groups beginning in early February for which more than 25 parishioners have requested participation.
Become involved Let us Hear From You! — What do you want to know about the Synod? — What is your parish doing? We’re listening @ synodnews@anchornews.org
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Jan. 29 Rev. Christiano J. Borges, Retired Pastor, St. John the Baptist, New Bedford, 1944 Rev. Albert J. Masse, Pastor, St. Joseph, Attleboro, 1950 Jan. 30 Rev. Peter A. Carlin, 1880 Rev. Raymond F.X. Cahill, S.J., Assistant, St. Francis Xavier, Hyannis, 1983 Rev. Sebastian Slesinski, O.F.M., Conv., 2006 Rev. Raul M. Lagoa, Pastor, St. John of God, Somerset, 2012 Jan. 31 Rev. Charles J. Burns, Pastor, St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1901 Rev. William F. Sullivan, Pastor, St. Patrick, Somerset, 1930 Rev. Manuel C. Terra, 1930 Rev. William J. Shovelton, Retired, Former Pastor, St. William, Fall River, 2015 Feb. 1 Rev. Msgr. Michael J. O’Reilly, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Taunton, 1948 Rev. Msgr. Patrick H. Hurley, V.F., Pastor, St. Joseph, Taunton, 1968 Rev. Anatole F. Desmarais, Pastor, St. Jacques, Taunton, 1975 Rev. Msgr. Gerard J. Chabot, Pastor, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, South Attleboro, 1983 Rev. William F. O’Connell, Pastor, Holy Name, New Bedford, 1995 Rev. Arthur T. DeMello, Retired Pastor, St. Elizabeth, Fall River, 2004 Rev. Albert J. Ryan, Retired, U.S. Air Force Chaplain, Former Pastor, St. Francis of Assisi, New Bedford, 2015 Feb. 2 Most Rev. William Stang, D.D., First Bishop of Fall River: 1904-07, 1907 Rev. Patrick F. McKenna, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Taunton, 1913 Rev. John L. McNamara, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Fall River, 1941 Rev. P. Roland Decosse, Pastor, St. Hyacinth, New Bedford, 1947 Rev. Daniel F. Morarty, Assistant, St. Brendan, Riverside, R.I., 1991 Feb. 3 Rev. Antonio O. Ponte, Pastor, Our Lady of Angels, Fall River, 1952 Feb. 4 Rev. Msgr. Hugh J. Smyth, P.R., Pastor, St. Lawrence, New Bedford. First Vicar General, Fall River, 1904-07. Administrator of Diocese, February-July 1907, 1921 Rev. Raymond Graham, S.M.M., 1988 Feb. 6 Most Rev. Frederick A. Donaghy, M.M, Bishop of Wuchow, 1988 Feb. 7 Rev. Arthur N. Robert, O.P., St. Anne Shrine, Fall River, 1991 Rev. Robert S. Kaszynski, 2014 Rev. José Antonio Ferreira dos Santos, Retired, Former Pastor, Our Lady of Health, 2017 Feb. 8 Rev. Raymond P. Monty, USAF Retired Chaplain, 1996 Feb. 9 Rev. Francis Tuite, 1916 Rev. Msgr. John J. Kelly, Pastor, SS. Peter & Paul, Fall River, 1963 Rev. Peter J. McKone, S.J., Bishop Connolly High School, Fall River, 1972 Rev. Vincent R. Dolbec, A.A., Assumption College, 1985 Feb. 10 Rev. Edward L. O’Brien, Pastor, St. Mary, Mansfield, 1966 Rev. Lucien A. Madore, Retired Chaplain, Mount St. Joseph School, Fall River, 1983 Feb. 11 Rev. John O’Connell, Founder, St. John Evangelist, Attleboro, 1910 Rev. John J. Sullivan, S.T.L., Retired Pastor, Holy Rosary, Fall River, 1961 Rev. William J. McMahon, Retired Pastor, St. Joan of Arc, Orleans, 1987 Rev. Christopher (Leo) King, SS.CC., 2013
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t’s firmly established in the Jolivet Family that my brother followed in my dad’s footsteps with skilled hands and a keen eye for detail. I have both hands and eyes, none of which are skilled. So I write. But hey, a taxed brain is just as exhausting as a full day of building, repairing and tearing down. That’s been my mantra for all my working life. But lately, brain clutter has taken over this “skilled” cerebrum. With a full plate at work and at home, sometimes the old mind gets a bit jumbled, and the results can range from embarrassing to comical. I prefer the comical. At the risk of opening the door for celui de mon frère’s ribbing and snickers, I'll share an example of brain clutter — at its best (or worst depending you one's
Life can be a real drain perspective). In the last few months Denise and I have experienced a wave of appliance deaths. While such losses don't come close to other losses we all experience, they are a pain in the neck — and the wallet. A few months back our clothes dryer spun its last. I ordered a new one but realized a week into the waiting process I ordered electric instead of gas. Having to cancel the first and order a second extended our wait another month. Thank goodness for good old fashioned indoor clothes racks. Next our over-the-oven microwave waved good-bye. You just don't realize how much you use the silly thing until it’s gone. With that now replaced, it was time for
my mind to go on the fritz. While preparing to take a shower recently, I noticed the tub wasn’t draining — at
all. I spent the next hour trying to plunge it, snake it, pouring boiling water into it, pouring natural enzyme drain cleaner in, all to no avail. Sometimes the brain thinks things it shouldn’t. This was such a time. I got into my car and headed for the place where folks wear orange bibs and assist the repair challenged like me. I don’t know what I was going to purchase —
likely a stick of dynamite at that point. While I did, Denise called her brother who himself is a master at repairs and building. He called me as I was on the way to the place where doers get more done. He suggested a few remedies for repairing the clogged tub. I knew mostly of which he was suggesting, and I hung up and was stricken with an epiphany. I pulled over to a safe space and called Denise and asked her to check if the tub plug was engaged. It was the only thing I hadn't done. I waited and she came back on the line and in the background I could hear the slurping of the drain as it emptied. I didn’t check the plug. I was very relieved and at the same time very humiliated.
I called my brother-in-law back and we both had a good laugh at my expense. Nothing new. Later that day as Denise and I were going over our day I told her that my dad Larry had to have been simply shaking his head. He probably still was, I added. Then we said that DJoe, our son, was saying to Larry, “That’s my dad,” with Larry responding, “I wouldn't say that too loud.” Then we brought Igor into the conversation, since my wife and I think she’s in Heaven with them. I’m sure Iggy told Larry and Djoe, “Yup, that's my alpha dog,” evoking laughter from the boys. “You wouldn’t believe some of the things he did in my 16 years with him,” to even more laughter and Iggy eagerly gave them an example, without being asked. “There was this time,” Iggy embellished, “when he grilled up some wonderful swordfish steaks, and as usual, he always slipped some chunks to me. I’m not sure who loved the fish more, him or me. Anyway, there was a mouth-watering slab left over and Alpha placed it on the kitchen table to cool before saving it for another feast. The equation of a swordfish loving pup and an unguarded slab of it within easy reach equals .... davejolivet@anchornews.org
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† January 21, 2022