02.24.23

Diocese to offer Eucharistic Nights and Relic tour

Bishop Edgar M. Da Cunha, S.D.V., recently gathered with the Religious of the Diocese to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life which the Church celebrates every year in February, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The day started with camaraderie, prayer and reflection led by Father Stephen Coffey, a Benedictine Monk who lives at the Monastery of the Risen Christ, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Mass was followed by lunch during which Bishop da Cunha, honored Sister Roberta O’Connell of the Congregation of the Faithful Companions of Jesus for her 35 years of Service in the Diocese of Fall River at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and at Charlton Hospital in Fall River.

Return of Women’s and Men’s Conference is just weeks away

EASTON — The Diocese of Fall River Women and Men’s Conference is returning this Lent as an in-person gathering after a two-year absence because of the pandemic.

With a full program of inspiring talks, worship, music, and much more, the Conference offers Catholics an opportunity for spiritual enrichment and renewal as part of their Lenten journey towards Easter.

The 2023 Women and Men’s Conference will take place on Saturday, March 11, at the Ames Sports Complex on the grounds

of Stonehill College in Easton, beginning at 10 a.m.

“I am so pleased that our Women and Men’s Conference will once again be an in-person event after two years,” said Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V.

“I am looking forward to gathering with parishioners from across the diocese for what I know will be a fruitful and rewarding day. Our Conference theme of ‘Receive Jesus. Worship Jesus.’ echoes the National Eucharistic Revival now underway across the country and is de -

8 Turn to page three

NEW BEDFORD — This

Lent, there will be a series of Eucharistic Nights in the Diocese of Fall River to coincide with the National Eucharistic Revival.

During these nights, the relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. Manuel Garcia, accompanied by National Eucharistic Preacher Father Roger Landry, will tour the diocese. Each night will include Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, the opportunity to venerate the relics, and a talk given by Father Landry.

“It’s such a great blessing that we will have the relics of St. Manuel Gonzalez Garcia and Blessed Carlo Acutis with us in the diocese,” Father Landry told The Anchor . “They are both tremendous witnesses to the life-changing reality of Jesus in the Eucharist with powerful and timely messages for us all. I’m looking forward to having a chance to stoke love for them as I accom -

pany their relics throughout the diocese.”

Additionally, a Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit will be present for viewing.

Catholics throughout the diocese are invited and encouraged to attend to unite in prayer during that week, asking the Eucharistic Lord to renew our diocese.

The following is a schedule of the nights, which are free and open to the public:

Monday, March 13 at 6 p.m. — St. Anthony Church, 167 East Falmouth Highway, East Falmouth, 02536;

Tuesday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. — Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 121 Mount Pleasant Street, New Bedford, 02740;

Wednesday, March 15 at 6 p.m. — Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, 327 Second Street, Fall River, 02721.

Saint Vincent’s Services announces the

addition of Katie Dawkins as the Director of Donor Relations & Fundraising

FALL RIVER — Kristen Dutra, LMHC, Chief Executive Officer for Saint Vincent’s Services, recently announced the hire of Katie Dawkins as the Director of Donor Relations & Fundraising. Dawkins will join the Operations Leadership Team, which oversees the comprehensive multi-service child-welfare agency, which provides a diverse array of clinical, residential, and community-based services to nearly 1,000 youth and families annually throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.

Dawkins’ prior experience consists of more than five years of nonprofit fundraising experience in youth development in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Specializations include planning and executing

large-scale events, collaborating with community partners, and annual fundraising. Previously in Massachusetts, she served as the Director of Annual Giving & Events at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South and volunteered as the Assistant Bulletin Editor of the Taunton Rotary Club.

“Saint Vincent’s is very pleased to be adding an individual with the skills and experience needed to enhance our operations and meet the goals for growth and community impact,” said Dutra. “As the Director of Donor Relations & Fundraising, Katie will lead, develop and build

relationships with individuals and organizations to help with philanthropic support. We fully expect

Care Network continuum of service delivery. Saint Vincent’s plans to expand therapeutic and behavioral services to meet clients’ diverse health challenges. A new round of strategic planning will commence in the coming months and include external consultation. Plans include expanding community-based services to complement current programs and fill a gap in childcare services in the Fall River community.

and currently resides in Cranston, Rhode Island, with her husband. She will be reaching out to partners soon.

Established in 1885 as an orphanage, Saint Vincent’s is now a multi-service, behavioral health, child- and family-serving organization with offices in Fall River.

Katie will be an asset in the years to come.”

In 2021 Saint Vincent’s Services received notification from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) that they were awarded 11 contracts within their Congregate

“I am thrilled to join Saint Vincent’s. I look forward to helping the agency enhance their partnerships and bring forward new possibilities and opportunities for collaboration,” said Dawkins. Dawkins received her undergraduate degree in Marketing from Rhode Island College

Staff provides direct care, in-home, and community-based services, outpatient behavioral health, school-based services, residential and group living support, diversion and community stabilization, and life skills training for older adolescents.

For nearly 140 years, Saint Vincent’s has been providing Treatment, Care and Transformation. For more information, visit www. SaintVincentsServices. org. Dawkins can be contacted at 508-2353228 or kdawkins@ saintvincentsservices.org.

Women’s and Men’s conference return is weeks away continued from page one

signed to help rekindle and deepen devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.”

Bishop da Cunha will be celebrant and homilist of a 4 p.m. Mass to conclude the program.

Other keynote presenters at the conference will be Mari Pablo and Fall River diocesan priest, Father Roger Landry.

Pablo has traveled the U.S. and Latin America speaking on the beauty of the Catholic faith and challenging her audiences to build a deeper relationship with Christ. She is a frequent presenter at events such as the annual Steubenville Youth Conferences, the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC), and Life Teen and is also known

from her presentations in numerous Ascension Presents videos on faith formation.

Father Landry has

he is among 50 priests across the country serving as a National Eucharistic Preacher at the designation of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“Men’s and Women’s conferences are always powerful times of conversion and spiritual growth,”

life and hope to be an instrument by which He can help others experience a little of the renewal that the Eucharistic Revival is bringing to the Church in the U.S.”

English, Portuguese and Spanish, Adoration, Reconciliation, prayer, lunch, and vendor exhibits.

worked outside the diocese for the past eight years, first as part of the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations and now as the Catholic chaplain at Columbia University in New York. Concurrently,

† Diocese of fall RiveR † official appointments

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D., Bishop of Fall River, has made the following appointment:

Reverend Daniel M. Nunes, from Parochial Vicar of Annunciation of the Lord Parish in Taunton and St. Nicholas of Myra Parish in North Dighton, to Parochial Administrator of Holy Trinity Parish in West Harwich

Effective: February 13, 2023

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D., Bishop of Fall River, has accepted the request to retire of:

Reverend Marc P. Tremblay, Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in West Harwich

Effective: February 13, 2023

Father Landry told The Anchor . “It’s very fitting that the Conference is taking place in the heart of Lent, which is a time we get back to the fundamentals of the faith, and allow God to press a reset button on our Christian life. I’m excited to have God do that in my

Women and Men’s Conference Planning Committee chairperson Beth Mahoney described the day’s speakers as “engaging” and well able to lead participants to a deeper understanding of the importance of the Eucharist in their lives.

After two years of C OVID restrictions, she said, “There couldn’t be a better theme than that of Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist.”

The Conference program will include breakout sessions offered in

In addition, the relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis and St. Manuel Garcia will be present for veneration by attendees and the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit created by Blessed Carlo before his untimely death in 2006 at the age of 15 will be available for viewing.

Registration for the conference is required. The deadline is March 6. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available. For more information, including registration and cost, visit fallriverdiocese.org or pick up a flyer at any parish in the diocese.

LA Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell shot and killed

LOS ANGELES (CNA) — Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, a popular priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for many years known for his work ministering to immigrants, the poor, and victims of gun violence in South LA, was shot and killed February 18, authorities said.

The shooting happened around 1 p.m. local time inside a home in the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, television station KABC reported.

Deputies found O’Connell, 69, suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso, KCAL News reported. He

was pronounced dead at the scene.

Earlier Saturday, Archbishop José Gomez released a statement announcing that O’Connell, an Irish native who had worked in the Los Angeles area for the past 45 years, had died unexpectedly.

“I am very sad this afternoon to report that our beloved Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell has passed away unexpectedly,” Gomez said in the statement, Angelus News reported.

“It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness,” the archbishop said.

Born in County Cork, Ireland in 1953, O’Connell studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained to serve

in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979, according to Angelus News. After ordination, he served as associate pastor in several parishes and as pastor at St. Frances X. Cabrini, Ascension, St. Eugene and St. Michael’s parishes — all in South L.A. Pope Francis named O’Connell a bishop in 2015.

O’Connell also was active helping immigrants in the area as chairman of the interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force, Angelus News reported.

Gomez called O’Connell “a man of deep prayer who had a great love for Our Blessed Mother.”

“He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected,” the archbishop said.

“He was also a good friend, and I will miss him greatly,” Gomez, added. He asked for prayers for the bishop and his family in Ireland.

On February 20, a suspect was arrested and publicly identified in the murder investigation.

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Sheriff Robert Luna announced during a press conference that charges would be brought against a Hispanic male, 65-yearold Carlos Medina, the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper. He added that Medina has “previously done work at the bishop’s residence.”

In detectives’ search for the killer, Luna said that on the evening of February 19 they were tipped off about a person of interest in the city of Torrance, which is about a 45-minute drive southwest from Hacienda Heights, where O’Connell was found dead.

Detectives had identified the person of interest as Medina that evening after the tipster told them that Medina was exhibiting “strange” and “irrational” behavior and had “made comments about the bishop owing him money.”

Police had also discovered video evidence of a “dark-colored, compact SUV” that had pulled into the bishop’s driveway, stayed for a short time, and then left, the sheriff said.

Medina drove a similar type of

vehicle, Luna said.

On the morning of February 20 at about 2 a.m. local time, sheriff’s deputies arrived at Medina’s home after being tipped off that he arrived at his residence.

With a warrant in hand for his arrest, sheriff’s deputies called for Medina to surrender, but he refused to come out of his residence.

The sheriff department’s Special Enforcement Bureau personnel arrived at the scene with an amended warrant to search Medina’s home and arrest him. Medina exited his home and surrendered to authorities at about 8:15 a.m. local time, “without further incident,” Luna said.

Neither Medina nor his wife had worked at the bishop’s residence the day of the murder, Luna said. Medina’s wife is being interviewed by detectives and she has been fully cooperative, according to the sheriff.

When deputies and paramedics arrived at O’Connell’s residence at the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue, Hacienda Heights, on February 18, they discovered him with “at least” one gunshot wound to his upper body while in his bedroom, Luna said.

Luna said there was no evidence of a “forced entry” or “burglary” and added that no firearm was found at the scene.

Two firearms “and other evidence” possibly incriminating Medina were found at his residence in Torrance during his arrest at approximately 8:15 a.m. on February 20, the sheriff said.

Those firearms will be examined and tested in a crime lab to determine if they were used in the murder.

Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell of Los Angeles at A Mass Aug. 31, 2018. (CNA)

Keeping an open heart while navigating the Valley of the Shadow of Death

Long before they understand the meaning of the prayer, adolescents internalize that Psalm 23 is comforting to adults under duress. They know that by His cross and Resurrection, Jesus has set us free from the bondage of sin and death. In the epic battle of good versus evil, good has and always will ultimately triumph. “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me (Ps 23:4). Evil is something foreign to ourselves, our family, and our friends. The God of Psalm 23 is a courageous and omnipotent God who uses that rod to directly crush or clear away evil from one’s path.

The sting of experiencing deep injustice takes such a heart by surprise. How could God allow this happen to me? Gradually, the realization that evil not only exists, but can apparently thrive, threatens to ice over the human heart. Each of us must wrestle with the question, “How will I choose to live in a world where evil can flourish?”

I remember a conversation I had with a senior. His anger had somewhat abated. He shared that his friend had deeply hurt him. He said, “I will never forgive him.” He was shocked to hear me say that granting or withholding forgiveness was his choice.

We were seated below my framed picture puzzle of Jesus’ parables. I asked the senior to consider the Prodigal Son parable (Lk 15:

11-32). On one level, the parable spoke of a sinner’s conversion. He returned to the loving arms of God the Father. That embrace symbolized the paradise of heaven. Yet the mystery of the parable also spoke to us about life on earth.

If we have lived long enough, we have had life experiences of being the one who hurt others (prodigal son), and the one hurt by unkindness (brother and/or father). The senior said, “The only thing dumber than the father’s stupid smile is the look on the other brother’s face.” Interestingly, although the human mind is invested in the view that strength is in revenge, there is something within that initiates the journey to find a different and better answer.

The artist had portrayed the prodigal son with the swine and then his home coming. I shared that I thought the artist had left out a key image. Namely, the day-today continuance of life after the son’s disrespect and departure. The brother remained trapped. He stewed in anger, unforgivingness, and hate. However, the father awoke each day in hope.

The father lived his life within the reality that reconciliation is relational. Reconciliation exists only when all participants seek it.

DCCW meeting is March 19

FALL RIVER — The Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, will be meeting on Sunday, March 19, at Holy Trinity Church, 951 Stafford Road, Fall River, at 1 p.m.

Guest Speaker, Larry Quintal, Director at Silva Funeral Home,

Taunton, will share his experiences with his duties at the Home.

The Recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, will follow. Light refreshments will be served. Storm date, will be held the following Sunday.

Paul Boese said, “Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” Forgiveness allowed the father to continue to live in hope — even if the son never returned.

Each day, living in hope, the father’s face radiated that smile of unconditional love and joy. As Emily Dickinson says, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.” Strength is certainly found in battling injustice, but strength is also found in peacefully continuing one’s journey regardless of the world’s imperfections.

I told the senior that I believe Jesus gave us the parable for reflection because in deciding our call on forgiveness, we decide who we wish to be. The senior’s gut reaction to the image of the other brother was his immediate response to God’s gentle whisper. Forgiveness would heal his own heart a very long time before it might even possibly touch the friend who had hurt him.

Prayerfully reflecting upon the times we have hurt, or have been hurt, brings our image of God into sharper focus. The courageous God of Psalm 23 is a loving God who stands with one even as one endures the aftermath of someone’s evil actions. The God of Psalm 23 is a kind and gentle God who gives one that hand after evil has knocked one flat out. The God of Psalm 23 is a provident God who initiates that fresh start.

I remember my friend Sister Claire telling me, “They intended to hurt. They meant their actions for evil. But God can write straight with crooked lines. God can use those very same actions to bring forth good. Like waiting and watching for the good that will blossom.” The God of Psalm 23 uses even the most painful of life’s experiences to sculpt our being. Remember that the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23 has both a rod and a staff. Living in hope ensures a spirit ready to explore where the Shepherd’s staff guides. The open heart allows one to fully experience and share the joy of living within God’s unconditional love each and every step of the journey.

Anchor columnist Dr. Helen J. Flavin, Ph.D., is a Catholic scientist, educator and writer.

Slandering and Spying on traditional CatholiCS

On February 8, former FBI special agent turned federal whistle-blower Kyle Seraphin published online a Jan. 23, 2023 internal memorandum by the FBI’s Richmond Field Office in which it advocated spying on Catholics who attend the traditional Latin Mass. It did so under the slanderous assertion that such communities were infiltrated and prone to manipulation by proponents of “anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and white supremacist ideology.”

Entitled, “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities,” and approved for release by the FBI Richmond Chief Division Counsel, the office’s top lawyer, the eight-page memorandum advocates recruiting those who attend these Masses to serve as surreptitious spies or overt informants against their so-called “extremist” fellow Catholics. It also urges the Bureau to monitor traditional Latin Mass websites and online social media posts.

The memorandum distinguishes between those who simply love and attend the traditional Latin Mass from those it labels “Radical Traditionalist Catholics,” who it declares are “typically characterized by the rejection of the Second Vatican Council” and advocate “more extremist ideological beliefs and violent rhetoric.” It presents no evidence at all, however, of violent rhetoric, extremist beliefs, or hostile behavior. It specifies the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter as well as the schismatic Society of St. Pius X as points of outreach and infiltration.

As soon as the memorandum became public, the FBI disavowed it, saying that it “does not meet the exacting standards of the FBI” and averring that the bureau “will never conduct investigative activities or open an investigation based solely on First Amendment protected activity.” It also stated it had retracted the memorandum and would investigate why it was issued.

Unsatisfied with what they considered mere damage control by the FBI, twenty Republican state Attorneys General, led by Jason Miyares of Virginia, sent a letter on February 10 to FBI Director Christopher Wray and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding a stop to “anti-Catholic bigotry” and “treating Catholics as potential terrorists because of their beliefs.” The AGs called for the FBI to “produce publicly all materials” related to the origin of the memorandum as well as to state “whether the FBI has begun infiltrating houses of worship in conflict with the FBI’s internal guidelines.” Since 2010, FBI policy prevents its agents from spying on Americans in places of worship, which had been done in mosques after the September 11 terrorist attacks. In a press conference, Miyares said that “spying on Catholics” is “an absurd use of federal law-enforcement and counterintelligence resources.”

Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout on February 13 said the leaked memo “should be troubling and offensive to all communities of faith as well as all Americans.” He condemned its contents as a “threat to religious liberty” and called on legislators to “ensure that such offenses against the constitutionally protected free exercise of religion do not occur again.” He insisted, “A preference for traditional forms of worship and holding closely to the Church’s teachings on marriage, family, human sexuality, and the dignity of the human person does not equate with

extremism,” and affirmed that “racism, religious bigotry, violence, and discrimination have no place in our Church or teachings.”

In an interview, Seraphin, the FBI whistle-blower, expressed concern that this memo was a “gateway” into what some believe is “fringe Catholicism” in order eventually to treat all Catholics as suspect and “declare them to be actual criminals in our country or potential terrorists.” He highlighted the focus in the report on “hostility toward abortion rights advocates” as well as the attempt to link opposition to abortion or to the “LGBTQ” political agenda as tantamount to white supremacist racism and violent extremism.

That’s part of what makes this document, he suggested, not just an attack on Latin Mass-going Catholics but potentially on all who uphold Catholic moral teaching and all Christians who uphold Biblical morality. As a February 15 Wall Street Journal editorial argued, the report suggests “that religiously inspired support of traditional marriage or Pro-Life views amounts to a rising domestic terror threat.”

All of the critics of the report were united in condemning the “open” — in contrast to clandestine — sources on which the memorandum was based, especially a report produced by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which over the last several years has sought to brand groups that oppose abortion, the “LGBTQ” agenda, and those inclusion of biological males in female sports as “hate groups.” The SPLC rejects “religious liberty” as a “guise” for anti-gay hatred and has sought to label “Radical Traditional Catholics” as “the largest group of serious antisemites in America” who condemned their “extremely conservative social ideals with respect to women.”

Yet, despite the FBI’s distancing itself from the SPLC over the last decade for its unsubstantiated, broad brush calumnies against those who oppose its agenda, the January 23 memorandum reprinted in its entirely, without qualification, the SPLC’s list of “Radical Traditional Catholicism Hate Groups.”

The FBI intelligence report cited only three other sources, two related articles from the online magazine Salon that attempt to argue that Catholics and racists are trying to forge a political movement as well as an Atlantic article on the link between gun culture and the rosary, all of which were panned as ludicrous at their publication.

What are the lessons to be learned?

One is to be vigilant as to how certain anti-Catholic groups are trying to label the Church as a hateful and violent organization for its fidelity to Christ’s teachings and are trying to influence government agencies to use their enormous powers to advance an agenda of marginalization of the Church or worse.

The second is to beware of the way the process normally begins, by slandering a “fringe” group that opponents think won’t find much support — in this case, “Radical Traditional Catholics” (RTCs) — to establish precedents for expanding the surveillance. There was a concerted attempt to marginalize the “RTCs.” The

8 Turn to page 10

Daily Readings † February 25 - March 10

Sat. Feb. 25, Is 58:9b-14; Ps 86:1-6; Lk 5:27-32. Sun. Feb. 26, First Sunday of Lent, Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Ps 51:3-6,12-13,17; Rom 5:12-19 or 5:12,17-19; Mt 4:1-11. Mon. Feb. 27, Lv 19:1-2,11-18; Ps 19:8-10,15; Mt 25:31-46. Tue. Feb. 28, Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-7,16-19; Mt 6:7-15. Wed. Mar. 1, Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4,12-13,18-19; Lk 11:29-32. Thu. Mar. 2, Est

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

FatheR RiChaRd d. Wilson INTERIM EXECUTIVE EDITOR FatheR RogeR J. landRy - fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org

EDITOR; PRODUCTION MGR. david B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchornews.org

ADVERTISING Wayne R. PoWeRs waynepowers@anchornews.org

Anchor, PO Box 318, Congers, N.Y. 10920. THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.

C:12,14-16, 23-25; Ps 138:1-3,7c-8; Mt 7:7-12. Fri. Mar. 3, Ez 18:21-28; Ps 130:1-8; Mt 5:20-26. Sat. Mar. 4, Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:1-2,4-5,7-8; Mt 5:43-48. Sun. Mar. 5, Second Sunday of Lent, Gn 12:1-4a; Ps 33:4-5,18-20,22; 2 Tm 1: 8b-10; Mt 17:1-9. Mon. Mar. 6, Dn 9:4b-10; Ps 79:8-9,11,13; Lk 6:36-38. Tue. Mar. 7, Is 1:10,16-20; Ps 50:8-9,16bc-17,21,23; Mt 23:1-12. Wed. Mar. 8, Jer 18:18-20; Ps 31:5-6,14-16; Mt 20:17-28. Thu. Mar. 9, Jer 17:5-10; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 16:19-31. Fri. March 10, Gn 37:3-4,12-13a,17b-28a; Ps 105:16-21; Mt 21:33-43,45-46.

Our readers respond

Words for thought

Is it OK to be super-impressed with two Anchor contributors? Yes, Rick Swenton and Peter Shaughnessy did it to me — inspiration to the nth degree.

Shaughnessy’s refection on his mother’s influence on his life and that of others was truly a great love letter to her in heaven. His mother’s example of allowing Jesus to become our Lord, Savior and best friend is the key to a life joyfully lived. A true witness of living the centrality of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. His mother referred to herself as a “preservative,” wanting to preserve all that was right and good in the Catholic tradition. I am a copycat, and sure hope to become a preservative!

Swenton gave us a few practical thoughts on how to move in the direction of preservatism. In giving up something for Lent, keep in mind that no matter what we decide to give up, it is trivial compared to giving up one’s own life so another may live, as Jesus did for us. Think more deeply than just giving up items like chocolate. Think about giving up things that dim the light of our God-given being, things like greed, anger, intolerance. Talk to God, and listen for an answer, for guidance in these thoughts. Silence is a must to be able to hear His voice. And in listening, we will be doing as God asked of us when He said, “This is my beloved Son (Jesus), listen to Him. In these ways, we will be doing the Will of God. Preservatism.

Daryl Gonyon Fall River

It has been said, though not written, that on Feb. 8, 1944 Patrick and Mary (Fallon) Killilea found me at the end of a rainbow. Subsequently I grew up on my family’s small farm in North East Galway. I attended Killian National School and played Gaelic football for my parish of Newbridge. After finishing primary school, I attended St. Joseph’s College secondary school and played rugby and Gaelic football for my school. I got quite a kick out of both.

During the Easter vacation of my senior year, a Sacred Hearts priest from

Professed and counting

my home parish came by my home and convinced me to enter the novitiate of the Sacred Hearts in Cootehill, County Cavan.

A year later, on August 22 of 1963, I took first vows as a Brother of the Sacred Hearts. Then on Sept. 13, 1963 my fellow novices and I boarded a British Overseas airplane bound for Boston’s Logan Airport. The next morning we arrived at Queen of Peace seminary at the base of Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, N.H., where we stud -

ied and shoveled snow for the next six years. During those six years I did not get to speak with my parents or any of my family

Aer Lingus jet and shortly thereafter were ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1969, the Feast of Pentecost.

gave his life for the unfortunate victims of this dread disease.

since my family, as of yet, did not have a phone. So my American cousins were my contact with the outside world. After completing six years of philosophy and theology, my Irish classmates and I flew home to Ireland on an

Most of my priestly ministry was spent in Southeastern Massachusetts in parish life in the Diocese of Fall River. I did spend a year in an allboys school overlooking Galway Bay and three years in our mission in the Bahamas where it is said, “Everything is better in the Bahamas.” Some of us are still trying to figure that out!

Then on June 29, 2012 I landed in Kalaupapa, the Hansen’s Disease settlement where St. Damien

Even as the notorious Russian balloon hovered over the central USA, my thoughts “ hovered” over my years in religious life. I thank the Lord for calling me to membership and ministry as a Brother of the Sacred Hearts.

I am not usually given to flowery words or expressions. So I simply thank the Lord for calling me to religious life and I thank all those who have enabled me to live my life happily as a Brother of the Sacred Hearts.

Aloha

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

Eucharistic Revival Events 2023

MostAnchor subscribers likely received a letter from the diocese recently, explaining the need for this wonderful publication to begin a monthly run beginning in April.

There is no question for the need to transition to a monthly, and frankly, that trend is happening in newspapers across the country with secular and Catholic editions.

It does sadden me to a degree that the news media is trending toward a digital world, but as the late, great ex-Beatle George Harrison sang, “All things must pass.”

But I’d like to take this opportunity to share just what the word printed on paper means to me, not just as an Anchor staffer, but as a person.

The printed word started with the children’s books read to me at first and then read on my own once my little mind learned the fine art of deciphering words.

I was a book worm. One of the first books I borrowed from the Fall River Public Library was a book about Martians; an illustrated, delightful story. I read it to the moon (or Mars) and back! I think the borrower register at the back of the book must have had my library card on it for 90 percent of the times it was borrowed.

I can’t for the life of me remember what the book was, but if it ever creeps back into my memory, I’ll search for it on the Internet (digital media — go figure).

Later in life I became engulfed in the awesome Ray Bradbury’s “ The Martian Chronicles.”

I was a regular in the basement floor of the Public Library, where the children’s books were housed. Those fond memories have remained a part of who I

It may be time to turn the page

was and became. I do recall that after I was married I went to my parents for a visit. While there my mother received a phone call — from the Public Library! It seems I had taken a book out nearly 10 years prior and never returned it. They graciously told my mom there would be no fine and if I could please return the book.

I sensed what the call was about, and when Millie hung up, she gave me the evil eye like only Millie could. She, as graciously as she could, repeated the phone conversation. I had to chuckle and she did too. I did have the book, and after a decade-long absence, the book made its way back home. I simply forgot.

I loved reading all types of books at St. Anne’s School — English, history, science. Everything except math. My nemesis. O — one of the big reasons I majored in English at university.

My affinity for newspapers began in the mid1960s. That’s when the sports bug had bitten me and gave me a chronic, often painful love of all sports Boston.

As a pup, I grew to enjoy the Boston Record-American, that later became the Boston Herald. I loved the tabloid size of the paper, and to me, it held the works of the greatest sports writers in the world. Better than the rival Boston Globe. My parents didn’t buy the Record-American, since neither was a sports fan. But my pépère lived

across the street from me and he and my dear Uncle Pete were huge sports fans and got the Record-American daily. I developed a routine as I grew in sports age and wisdom where I’d give pep and Uncle Pete time to digest the sports pages, then I would, when there was no school, head across the street. They knew why I was there and had

my daughter Emilie was at Diman High School, I had her laminate the whole double-truck and have it framed in my home. The only thing missing is Orr’s autograph, which I have, but not on that.

As time passed, I regained my passion for reading. I tried Kindle books, but it felt very alien swiping to the next page instead of turning an actual page. I quickly went back to hard copies.

the paper ready for me to sit with them, read and at times discuss.

They never threw the paper out without my having devoured it first. In fact, I still have tucked away in a box in the basement, several Record-Americans from the 1967 World Series when my beloved Red Sox fell one game short of edging out the St. Louis Cardinals for the pennant. And I still have a handful of Record-Americans from when the 1969-70 Boston Bruins didn’t fall short and did indeed win the Stanley Cup. One of those papers had a double-truck spread of the iconic photo taken by Record-American photographer Ray Lussier, of the greatest ice hockey player of all time, Bobby Orr, flying through the air after being tripped as he scored the cup-clinching goal. When

As fate would have it, I picked up a paper route when I was young to earn some spending money. My route was in the city’s south end with nothing but three-deckers. Not only did I have to climb and descend the stairs in the apartment buildings delivering the printed word, but nearly every house on the block had at least 10 stairs from the sidewalk to the yard. Not only was the written word strengthening my mind, but it was also giving me legs like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Through high school, my love for books and magazines increased. Pieces about Martians and sports became rock and roll and sports. I was a staffer for the Durfee High School newspaper, The Hilltopper, and was the sports editor in my senior year.

At university I was exposed to a treasure trove of great literature — with three favorites emerging: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe.

When I landed my job at The Anchor in 1995, my reading consisted mostly of the paper, so coming home to curl up with a good book taxed my already tired eyes.

During the pandemic, my passion for reading was resurrected. I found all the COVID news on TV tedious and down-right depressing. Books were my escape again. And just recently I discovered the Inspector Gamache series — a contemporary detective series set in my motherland Quebec. I am on book eight of 18. I started the series in mid-January of this year, and each book is 300-500 pages long. I should be done with the remaining 10 installments by mid-March. Many things have “passed” since the good old days. Television has gone from three stations and a couple of snowy UHF channels, where my love for the Boston Bruins was born, to hundreds of mostly useless, time-wasting productions.

Youngsters going outside to play has been replaced by video games and cell phones. And dinner shared around the table as a family was commandeered by the afore mentioned TV, videos and cell phones.

It appears as though the printed newspaper’s years are waning. Time to turn the page.

Most will adapt, and others will still find the printed word, but it will just be a bit tougher to find.

Thisfall I decided to go back to college to get a certificate in Thanatology. I thought one class a semester would not be that difficult. It turns out that it actually is that difficult. I have really enjoyed the classes though. This semester I have started Introduction to Grief Therapy. In this class we have started the course off by talking about the need for self care in order to take care of others. When it comes to grief therapy, we have to make sure we know and understand and work through our own grief so that we do not bring it into our work with others.

I believe the need for self care extends beyond just grief therapy, however. Self care is important in our faith life as well. When we are too tired, too run down,

Treat yourself

or too burned out, we often become too busy to make time for God. As Catholics, self care is an important part of our relationship with God. When things seem too out of control and nothing seems to be working, it usually means we need to step back and reset. Think about when your laptop, phone, and iPad are not working the way they should. You call for tech support and the first thing that they ask you is, “Did you try turning it off and restarting it?” So many times that is what our device needs. A simple restart. The same is true for us. Sometimes we just need to unplug and restart. Shut down and spend time with the One who created us.

We are so conditioned to think that taking time for ourselves is selfish. We live in a world that tells us that we need to be constantly

that everything kept going without me being glued to my email. I was not less of a teacher because I took a break when I was given one. And I came back from break feeling more refreshed than I had in a long time. That made me a better teacher.

God’s love. Start small. Five minutes a day just doing something for you that will lead you closer to our Lord and then build from there. Fast from the busyness of life that pulls us away from what is really important. And remember that an empty plate can not feed anyone.

going and doing. As we start this season of Lent, we look at Christ as our model. He went into the desert for 40 days. He unplugged. He shut down. He hit the restart button. American writer, Jack Kornfield, wrote “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”

Self care is not something that comes naturally to me. This past Christmas break, I turned off the notifications on my work email for the first time in my 18 years of teaching. I checked my email every few days so that it did not pile up when I returned from break, but I took a step back from the every moment connectivity to my email. What I learned at the end of the break was

This February break I am away with my girlfriends on a girls getaway. Once again, I turned off my email notifications. I need to step back, spend time with those that God has blessed me with, spend more time with Him, and come back refreshed and filled so that I can share His light with the school.

As we think about our Lenten fasting, prayers and almsgiving, think about fasting from the thoughts that tell us we must be doing and being at all times instead of just resting in

I pray that this Lenten journey will lead us all closer to Christ by remembering that Jesus reminded Martha that Mary had chosen the better part; sitting at the feet of the Lord rather than busying herself around the house. Self care is Godly care. It is taking care of the beautiful gift of ourselves that God gave us.

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

memo distinguishes between “good” and “bad” Catholics and then even between those who just love to attend the Latin Mass from the “RTCs,” whom they try to malign as opposed to the pope, Vatican II, nonwhites, women, gays and lesbians and all things wholesome. We need to be on guard against such demonization.

The third is to recognize the unintentional cooperation of some in the Church in this process of marginalization. Some Church leaders and faithful mistakenly equate love for the traditional Latin Mass as ipso facto opposition to Vatican II reforms and have recently attempted to marginalize them from parish bulletins, parish churches, as if they’re somehow a nefarious lot

when they’re actually as a group among the most faithful and resilient Catholics.

While there are certainly a few obnoxious “rad-trads” in local communities as well as on social media, their weapons remain just their hypercritical personal comments or caustic online screens; even if irksome, they’re not terrorists.

Hopefully this attack calumny against lovers of the traditional Latin Mass by the FBI will get those Catholics who oppose the Latin Mass and are trying to marginalize or eradicate it, to examine whether their lack of Christian love has amounted to a form of de facto hate speech that, as this episode manifests, can be exploited for ill.

Pope Francis calls priests and lay people to work together

VATICAN CITY —

The Church is a home that priests and laypeople need to care for together, Pope Francis said recently.

“It is time for pastors and laypeople to walk together, in every area of the Church’s life, in every part of the world,” he said in the Vatican’s New Synod Hall.

“The lay faithful are not ‘guests’ in the Church, they are at home, so they are called to take care of their own home,” he said. “The laity, and especially women, need to be more valued in their human and spiritual skills and gifts for the life of parishes and dioceses.”

Pope Francis’ speech was addressed to the participants in a February 16-18 conference on how pastors and laypeople can work together better for the mission of the Church.

“Together with pastors, they must bear Christian witness in secular environments: the world of work, culture, politics, art, social communication,” the pope said. “We could say: laypeople and pastors together in the Church, laypeople and pastors together in the world.”

Pope Francis went on to list some of the many ways laypeople can participate in the life of the Church: performing some forms of preaching; collaborating with priests in the formation of children, young adults, seminarians, and religious novices; spiritual directing, preparing engaged couples

for marriage, and accompanying married couples.

“They should always be consulted when preparing new pastoral initiatives at every level: local, national, and universal,” he said.

“This is why,” Pope Francis said, “pastors need to be trained from seminary days onward in

daily and ordinary collaboration with the laity, so that living communion becomes a natural way of acting for them, and not an extraordinary and occasional occurrence.”

“One of the worst things that happens in a pastor is to forget the people from whom he came, the lack of mem -

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel

Sunday, February 26 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in New Bedford

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel

Sunday, March 5 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in Providence

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6

Sunday, February 26 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Jeffrey Cabral, J.C.L., Pastor of Santo Christo Parish in Fall River, and diocesan Judicial Vicar.

Sunday, March 5 at 11:00 a.m.

ory,” he continued. “To him can be addressed that much-repeated word of the Bible, ‘Remember’; ‘remember from whence

you were taken, of the flock from which you were taken to return to serve it, remember your roots’” (cf. 2 Tim. 1).

In Your Prayers

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

Feb. 25

Rev. Leo J. Ferreira, V.G., Pastor, St. Mary, Brownsville, Texas, 1988

Rev. William T. Babbitt, Assistant, St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1998

Feb. 27

Rev. Philip Gillick, Founder, St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1874

Rev. Joseph N. Hamel, Founder, St. Theresa, New Bedford, 1956

Rev. John G. Carroll, Retired Pastor, St. Margaret, Buzzards Bay, 1995

Rev. Roland B. Boule, Retired Pastor, St. Anne, New Bedford, 2005

Feb. 29

Rev. Msgr. James Dolan, Retired Pastor, St. Mary, Taunton, 1980

March 1

Rev. James F. Masterson, Founder, St. Patrick, Somerset,1906, Rev. Msgr. P L. Damase Robert, P.R., Pastor, Notre Dame, Fall River, 1948

Rev. John McCarthy, C.S.C., Stonehill College, North Easton, 2003

Rev. William W. Norton, Retired Pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes Wellfleet, 2004

March 2

Rev. Antoine Berube, Pastor, St. Joseph, Attleboro, 1936

Rev. James J. Brady, Retired Pastor, St. Kilian, New Bedford, 1941

Rev. Tarcisius Dreesen, SS.CC., Sacred Hearts Monastery, Fairhaven, 1952

Rev. Alphonse E. Gauthier, Pastor, Sacred Heart, New Bedford, 1962

Rev. J. Omer Lussier, Pastor, Sacred Heart, North Attleboro, 1970

March 3

Rt. Rev. Msgr. Timothy P. Sweeney, LL.D., Pastor, Holy Name, New Bedford, 1960

March 5

Rev. James McGuire. Pastor, St. Mary, New Bedford, 1850

Rev. Deacon Manuel H. Camara, 1995

Rev. James A. McCarthy, 2007

March 6

Rev. Joseph F. McDonough, Former Pastor, Sacred Heart, Taunton, 1906

Rev. John W. Quirk, Founder, St. Joseph, Taunton, 1932

Rev. Bernard P. Connolly, S.S., St. Charles College, Maryland, 1932

Rev. Antoine Lanoue, O.P., 1996

Rev. Jerome Lawyer, C.S.C., 2006

March 7

Rev. Arthur P.J. Gagnon, Pastor, Holy Rosary, New Bedford, 1958

March 8

Permanent Deacon Victor, Haddad, 2014

March 9

Rev. Msgr. Henry J. Noon, V.G., Pastor, St. James, New Bedford; Vicar General, 1934-47, 1947

Celebrant is Father Riley J. Williams, Pastor of Holy Name Parish in Fall River.

Please support the TV Mass

Donate online at www.GiveCentral. org;FRTVMass

Or mail your check payable to: Diocese of Fall River — TV Mass, 450 Highland Ave. Fall River, MA 02720

St. Anne Shrine announces 2023 schedule of events

FALL RIVER — St. Anne Shrine, with the generous permission of Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., has set its preliminary schedule of events in the Shrine for 2023. These include regularly scheduled Masses, Novenas, special events, and cultural activities all meant to support the ongoing evangelization efforts of the diocese. Additional devotions and events will be announced as they are scheduled, and all are invited to participate. All events will take place in the Shrine.

2023 Schedule of Events:

Thursday March 16, 6 p.m.

— Healing Mass celebrated by Shrine Chaplain Father Edward Murphy.

Sunday April 9-16 — Divine Mercy Novena, with concluding Mass on April 16, the Feast of Divine Mercy, at 2 p.m.

Thursday April 20, 6 p.m.

— Healing Mass celebrated by Shrine Chaplain Father Edward Murphy.

Thursday May 18, 6 p.m.

— Healing Mass celebrated by Shrine Chaplain Father Edward Murphy (There will be no Healing Masses in June, July, or August)

Sunday June 11 — Time TBD: Corpus Christi Procession starting at Cathedral and

ending at St. Anne Shrine.

Sunday July 2, 3 p.m. — Mass of Thanksgiving for Anniversary of the Dedication of Upper Church.

Monday July 17-25, 6:30 p.m. — 151st Annual Novena of St. Anne with daily Mass, Confessions, and Devotions celebrated by the Fathers of Mercy.

Wednesday July 26, 6:30 p.m. — Solemn Mass for the Feast of Saints Anne and Joachim with procession of relics.

July date and time TBD — Francophone Society Mass celebrated by Father Paul Canuel.

Sunday September 17, 2023 — God the Father Celebration and Pilgrimage, Mass time TBD

Thursday September 21, 6 p.m. — Healing Mass celebrated by Shrine Chaplain Father Edward Murphy.

Thursday October 19, 6 p.m.: — Healing Mass celebrated by Shrine Chaplain Father Edward Murphy.

Thursday October 19-27, 2023 6:30 p.m. — Annual Novena to St. Jude Thaddeus

Saturday October 28, 12 p.m. — Mass for the Feast of St. Jude Thaddeus.

Friday November 3, 6:30 p.m. — Mass for the living and deceased benefactors of St. Anne Shrine.

Thursday November 16, 6

p.m. — Healing Mass celebrated by Shrine Chaplain Father Edward Murphy.

November date and time TBD — Francophone Society Mass celebrated by Father Paul Canuel

Thursday November 30-December 8, 6:30 p.m. — Solemn Novena of the Immaculate Conception

Sunday December 17, 3 p.m. — Gaudete Sunday Service of Lessons and Carols.

Thursday December 21, 6 p.m. — Healing Mass celebrated by Shrine Chaplain Father Edward Murphy

Any changes will be published on the website in advance of the dates listed; all devotions and Masses are live streamed on the Shrine Facebook presence and available on the Shrine website.

In addition, the Shrine has received permission from Bishop Cunha to make available the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a weekly basis at a convenient time for our visitors and guests. When the times and availability of priests to offer this Sacrament are finalized, they will be published in The Anchor and on the Shrine website.

St. Anne Shrine of Fall River, a national historic landmark, is located on South Main Street

in Fall River and is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Under the care of the St. Anne Shrine Preservation Society, whose solemn mission is to restore and renew this fixture of the spiritual life in the Diocese of Fall River, they offer a place of peaceful contemplation and devotional activities meant to draw people into an ever closer relationship with Our Lord as well as support our ongoing efforts to renew this magnificent church for generations to come.

For more information, please visit our website at https://www.st-annes-shrine. org, contact the Shrine office at (508) 678-1510, or email info@ st-annes-shrine.org