Four men to be ordained as priests for Diocese of Fall River June 4 Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, May 27, 2022
Families helping families: Appeal assists Pro-Life efforts FALL RIVER—The end of May marks the halfway point of the 81st Catholic Appeal of the Diocese of Fall River and as of press time, the annual campaign has raised $2.1 million. The Appeal is nearly halfway to its $4.8 million goal to support the agencies, programs, and ministries of the diocese. One of the largest
diocesan pastoral ministries funded by gifts to the Catholic Appeal is the Office of the Secretariat for the New Evangelization (formerly the Office of Faith Formation). Contributions to the Appeal help the Office of the Secretariat serve parishes, schools, and college campuses by equipping Catholics of 8 Turn to page seven
By Dave Jolivet Editor
davejolivet@anchornews.org
FALL RIVER — June 4 will be a day the Fall River Diocese hasn’t seen in 20 years. On that day, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., is scheduled to ordain four men to become priests for the Fall River Diocese. It is the largest ordination in the diocese in two decades. “I’m encouraged that this is the largest ordination class that we have in 20 years,” Bishop da Cunha told The Anchor earlier, “adding that the number of men in formation to become permanent deacons is very good as well. I hope that’s a trend that will continue, but it’s going to take a lot of work to continue building our vocation efforts. We can’t be complacent about the need to promote vocations, because the need for priests still is very great.”The four men, all of whom
attended St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, are: Deacons Matthew F. Laird, William O’Donnell III, Gregory Quenneville, and Laurent M. Valliere. Deacon Matthew
Francis Laird Deacon Matt is 29 years old and is the son of David and Kathleen Laird. The Lairds live in Sandwich. Deacon Matt has 8 Turn to page three
Deacon Matthew F. Laird
Deacon William O’Donnell III
Deacon Gregory Quenneville
Deacon Laurent M. Valliere
Four diocesan seminarians ordained transitional deacons By Dave Jolivet Editor
davejolivet@anchornews.org
FALL RIVER — Unusually warm temperatures and humid conditions greeted hundreds of faithful to St. Mary’s Cathedral on May 21 to witness Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. ordain four men as transitional deacons, bringing them one step closer to the priesthood for the Diocese of Fall River. That milestone is scheduled to occur sometime in 2023. This marks the second year in a row that the bishop has ordained four new transitional deacons, the
last being in May of 2022. Those same four men will
be ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral
on June 4 by Bishop da Cunha.
The four men ordained last Saturday, all entering Fourth Year Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J., are: Brian Connors, John Garabedian, Christopher Hughes, and Thiago Menezes Santos. In his homily at the ordination, Bishop da Cunha thanked the ordinandi and their families for having said “Yes” to the Lord. He told the men, “You are here because God called you to life, life called you to serve, service calls you, and you said here I am.”
Bishop da Cunha prays during the May 21 diaconal ordination at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River. Kneeling are the four new transitional deacons of the Diocese of Fall River: (LR) Rev. Deacon Brian Connors, Rev. Deacon John Garabedian, Rev. Deacon Christopher Hughes, and Rev. Deacon Thiago Menezes Santos. (Photo by John E. Kearns Jr.) 8 †Turn to page 10 May 27, 2022
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