Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, July 22, 2022
Diocesan Quo Vadis retreat offers time for reflection, fun EAST FREETOWN — Where are you going? Tradition tells that St. Peter asked Jesus this question on the outskirts of Rome. We know where Jesus
went in response to His Father’s will. Where are you going? The Lord in His love has a great and wonderful plan for 8 Turn to page eight
An exhibit of Eucharistic Miracles, created by teenage Blessed Carlo Acutis, will be shown at St. Anthony of Padua Church August 4-7.
New Bedford church to host Blessed teen’s Eucharistic Miracle Exhibit By Dave Jolivet Editor
davejolivet@anchornews.org
Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., met for a discussion with young men attending the annual Quo Vadis retreat in East Freetown, July 11, hosted by the diocesan Vocations Office. ((Diocesan Vocations Office photo)
NEW BEDFORD — Combining a deep passion and respect for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist with the recent launching of the USCCB’s Eucharistic Revival in this country, Juan and Charlotte Galli, parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in New Bedford, are hosting a unique, informative and reverent display of Eucharistic Miracles from around the world. The event, to be held in the
church hall, will take place from August 4 through August 7. “This exhibit is a collection of panels each displaying the story of a Eucharistic Miracle that occurred in all parts of the world,” Juan told The Anchor. “The 170-panel exhibit is the creation of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a young man born in London in 1991 who soon after moved to Milan with his parents, who was very tech savvy and had a passion for God and the Catholic faith, especially with re8 Turn to page two
Twenty-fifth annual FACE Cape Summer Gala is August 4 OSTERVILLE — The Foundation to Advance Catholic Education (FACE) raises money for scholarships to assist with the costs of a Catholic education. It works very closely with every Catholic school in the Diocese of Fall River to help make a Catholic education a reality. FACE is excited for the 25th Anniversary FACE Summer Gala on Cape Cod to be held on Thursday, August 4, at the Wianno Club in Osterville. Marilyn
and Richard Colman, parishioners of Our Lady of Assumption Parish in Osterville, will serve as co-chairs for this spectacular evening. During the event, the Al Makkay Sr. Award in recognition of outstanding contributions by an educator or staff member in the Catholic schools of Cape Cod will be presented to an honored recipient at the event. Guests will participate in the Exclusive Gift Raffle, Live Auc8 Turn to page eight
July 22, 2022 †
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New Bedford church to host Eucharistic Miracle exhibit continued from page one
gards to the Holy Eucharist.” The display provides images and information about Eucharistic Miracles from 19 countries. Juan, a permanent adorer of the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady’s Chapel in New Bedford, found a flyer about the exhibit there and he and Charlotte were moved to bring it to their home parish. “We had witnessed ourselves displays of certain Eucharistic Miracles in Buenos Aires and Lanciano, Italy during various pilgrimages,” said Juan. “All of the miracles in the exhibit have been approved by the Church.” Blessed Carlo combined his love for God and his computer wizardry to create a website containing all of the Church-approved Eucharistic Miracles from around the world. According to a CNA feature, Blessed Carlo told people
on his site, “The more often we receive the Eucharist, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven.” Not just a talented programmer, the teen, like most his age, was a gamer as well. According to the CNA article, he loved playing video games. “His console of choice was a Playstation, or possibly a PS2, which was released in 2000, when Carlo was nine. We know he only allowed himself to play games for an hour a week, as a penance and a spiritual discipline, but he wanted to play much more.” In his teens, Blessed Carlo contracted fulminant leukemia and died at the tender age of 15 in 2006, leaving behind a legacy in his short life; one of a great love, respect and reverence for Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, and the lives of
A Eucharistic Miracle exhibit similar to this will take place at St. Anthony of Padua Church from August 4 through August 7. 2
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the saints. When he died, per his request, he was buried in Assisi, Italy, “because of his love for St. Francis of Assisi.” Blessed Carlo’s cause for canonization began in 2013; was designated Venerable in 2018; and was named Blessed in October of 2020. “This is such an important exhibit for people to witness,” Charlotte told The Anchor. “Especially for young people. Today’s young people cannot connect faith and science, but the fact that the Eucharistic Miracles were tested by medical physicians and the blood and flesh were determined to be human can be an important fact for people, young and older, to be open to the scientific evidence of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.” “The miracles that were tested by scientists show that the hosts and wine that were transformed into flesh and blood are actually human tissue,” added Juan. “The blood is always type AB-positive, the same that was discovered on the Shroud of Turin. And the DNA was human. They even found living white blood cells in hosts hundreds of years old, and white blood cells die about one year after death. “There will be a book available at the exhibit by Dr. Franco Serafini, ‘A Cardiologist Examines Jesus: The Stunning Science Behind Eucharistic Miracles.’ On the Sophia Institute website, which published Serafini’s book, it says, “In this astounding book, prominent cardiologist and author Dr. Franco Serafini walks us through the extensive medical and scientific research into five Eucharistic 8 Turn to page three
In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks: July 23 Rev. Patrick F. Doyle, Founder, SS. Peter & Paul, Fall River, 1893 Rev. George B. McNamee, Founder, Holy Name, Fall River, 1938 Rev. Roger J. Levesque, Founding Pastor of St. Joseph-St. Therese, New Bedford, 2018 July 25 Rev. Michael J. Cooke, Pastor, St. Patrick, Fall River, 1913 Rev. Raymond R. Mahoney, SS.CC., Former Pastor, Our Lady of Assumption, New Bedford, 1984 Rev. Luciano J. Pereira, Retired, Former Pastor, St. Michael, Fall River, 2019 July 26 Rev. Msgr. Alfred J.E. Bonneau, P.R., Retired Pastor, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Fall River, 1974 July 27 Rev. Damien Veary, SS.CC., Former Pastor, St. Anthony, Mattapoisett, 1981 Permanent Deacon James Meloni, 2011 Rev. Eugene V. LaPlante, A.A., 2019 July 29 Rev. Mathias McCabe, Retired Pastor, Sacred Heart, Fall River, 1913 Rev. Charles P. Trainor, S.S., St. Edward Seminary, Seattle, Wash., 1947 July 30 Rev. Francis Kiernan, Pastor, Sandwich, New Bedford, Wareham, 1838 July 31 Rev. Daniel Hearne, Pastor, St. Mary, Taunton, 1865 Rev. Hugh J. Munro, Chaplain, Marian Manor, Taunton, 2003 Rev. Fernand A. Cassista, M.S., 2014 Aug. 1 Rev. Marc H. Bergeron, Pastor, Our Lady of Fatima, New Bedford, 2014 Rev. William M. Costello, Retired, Former Pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Seekonk, 2018 Aug. 5 Rev. Martin J. Fox, Founder, St. Paul, Taunton, 1917, Rev. Thomas A. Kelly, Pastor, SS. Peter & Paul, Fall River, 1934 Permanent Deacon Robert W. Pelland, 2016
† 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 appointments: Reverend Jeremy Sabugo, ss.cc., Spiritual Moderator of the New Bedford Chapter of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society at St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in New Bedford, while remaining as Priest in Residence at St. Mary Parish in Fairhaven Effective: June 21, 2022
Catholic Social Services seeks volunteers for newly-formed Mental Health Ministry
FALL RIVER — As one reads the headlines and is stunned by current events, one is reminded of how critical overall wellbeing is, and the importance of safeguarding and maintaining mental health. The Fall River Diocese’s Catholic Social Services is eager to partner with the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers (catholicmhm.org), which has provided CSS with a
grant to establish a mental health ministry in the diocese. This ministry’s main purpose is spiritual accompaniment: to accompany those with mental health issues, as well as their loved ones and caregivers, reminding them that they are not alone. Through this ministry, parish communities can support those with mental health issues, along with their families and caregiv-
Eucharistic Miracle exhibit in New Bedford continued from page two
miracles, unveiling the stunning testimonies of hematologists, oncologists, neurologists, geneticists, molecular biologists, and more who all concluded the same thing: the five Eucharistic miracles are undeniably authentic. “In surprising and fascinating ways, each of these miracles relates to the others: all reveal heart muscle tissue, many reveal a heart that was experiencing extreme suffering, and some reveal a heart still enduring tissue trauma.” Charlotte and Juan feel a great importance in having the exhibit at their parish, especially at the beginning of the Eucharistic Revival. “The whole reason we’re doing this is because of the dreadful statistics about Catholics and their belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist,” Charlotte told The Anchor. “It is so important that we don’t lose this belief. We all have work to do to bring back Catholics who once believed but no longer do and those who don’t know about the real presence. Especially our young people. There are many who don’t know about the many Eucharistic
Miracles approved by the Church. This is a beautiful way for them to learn. God has given us a great gift and we must help people realize it and revere it.” “The exhibit will be in English and Spanish, there is no fee, and Pastor, Father Mariano O. Varelo, IVE, said that Eucharistic Adoration will take place during each day of the event,” said Juan. The hours are: Thursday, Aug. 4 and Friday, Aug. 5 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday, August 6 and Sunday, August 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be Adoration on the normal schedule of the parish. For more information on Blessed Carlo visit miracolieucaristici.org or carloacutis.com and choose the language you prefer. The New Bedford exhibit is based our of Boston. The diocese created its own version that it offers free of charge to parishes. Ours will be at Holy Family, East Taunton the week of September 19. Contact 508-658-9088 or www. fallriverfaithformation. org for information or to schedule an exhibit.
ers, in various ways such as: • Establishing prayer groups that meet and pray for those impacted by mental health issues; • Offering dedicated Masses; • Celebrating feast days of the patron saints — St. Dymphna and St. John of God; • Establishing support groups for individuals and families; • Hosting educational events. As part of the roll out plan and pilot, Catholic Social Services will begin spreading the word via bulletin announcements, parish meetings, and social media blasts. In order to ensure the success of this ministry, CSS is seeking the help of volunteers who are willing to be trained to accompany others and provide a welcoming environment that recognizes the one suffering as a child of God, and doesn’t reduce the person to an illness or label. One of the biggest road
blocks that many who suffer with any type of mental health problem is the stigma placed on them and their situation. In many cases, it is not malicious or intentional, but rather a misinformed and often myth-laden understanding of mental health and illness. Pope Francis said it is necessary to take action to “overcome the stigma that mental illness is often tainted with” (ANSA en Vatican, June 25, 2021). The Mental Health Ministry is a step toward that goal. Its purpose is to invite, support and provide acceptance to those who may feel isolated and alone. Whatever the situation, be it physical health problems, relationship issues, or mental health concerns, people will be met with the awareness that we are all children of God, and are deserving of compassion, understanding, and love. One of the main components of the ministry is to prepare volunteers to serve as mental health ministers.
Mental health ministers are not professionals, they do not advise, provide treatment options, or offer any clinical solutions. Rather, they simply provide a safe, welcoming environment in which individuals are made to feel as if they belong. They help individuals, families and caregivers break away from the stigma that isolates them. As CSS rolls out this ministry, it has created a dedicated website: www.catholicmhm.org/ fallriver, where one can find resources, materials and other pertinent information about mental health and wellbeing. CSS will reach out to parishes to recruit volunteers for various roles in the ministry, and it will strive to educate and inform, so that it can reduce the stigma that shrouds mental health and mental health issues. To become a part of this exciting new venture, please call Catholic Social Services at: 508674-4681.
July 22, 2022 †
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FACE runners to take part in 50th annual Falmouth Road Race FALMOUTH — The Foundation to Advance Catholic Education (FACE) is excited to be part of the 50th Anniversary Falmouth Road Race Number for Non-Profits. FACE provides critical scholarship support to children in need of financial assistance to attend Catholic schools of the Diocese of Fall River. FACE is encouraging those throughout the Fall River Diocese to support some of the runners who are participating in the Road Race to raise funds for scholarships. Here are some of the runners’ personal testimony. Jim Bouchard I will be running the 2022 Falmouth Road Race in support of FACE. This is a great cause that provides financial assistance to families in need to allow them to send their children to Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fall River. I am excited to be participating in this event in support of FACE who has such a positive impact in the diocese. Thank you for your help to raise money as I participate in the 2022 ASICS Falmouth Road Race on August 21. Sarah Drenzek This year I am running for a great organization: FACE. I went to Catholic school growing up and am grateful for an opportunity to give back and support Catholic education here on the Cape. Thank you for supporting me on this run around beautiful Woods Hole and Falmouth and also supporting parochial 4
schools. Kelly Gomez I am a physics teacher at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro and am passionate about providing a Catholic education for all those students who want a Catholic education. It is important to provide for all those who want to be part of our community, not just those who can afford to be part of our community. I ran in high school but did not return to the sport until about five years ago. This is my first Falmouth Road Race and I am looking forward to participating in the 50th anniversary run. Joe Harrington I support FACE because as a former member of the scholarship allocation committee I was able to see how many families rely on its support. It’s important that we do whatever we can to ensure that all families, including those in difficult situations are able to access a Catholic education. Brian Healy My father had a career in the United States Air Force, and it just so happened that while growing up, I lived on the Upper Cape for several years. The Falmouth Road Race was in its infancy back in the 1970s and ’80s and the event was really becoming popular. I wasn’t a runner
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back then, but you didn’t have to be a runner to realize that there was something very special happening with this race. Fast forward to today, I’ve been on a quest to get into better shape after being cooped up during the COVID pandemic. I’ve taken up running and I happened to be reading The Anchor, and I learned that FACE had some open charity entries for this year’s race. And the rest is almost history! I consider it a blessing to be able to run in the 50th Falmouth Road Race. I am honored to be helping to defray the cost of a Catholic education by raising funds to support FACE. And, I’d be even more honored, if you could help, too! David Laird Please join me in raising money for the Foundation to Advance Catholic Education. I will be running in the 2022 Falmouth Road Race as a member of the FACE team. All three of my kids went through Catholic schools, so I truly understand the financial weight that one takes on making that commitment. For my wife and me, it was worth every penny! It is my hope through your financial support that we are able to offer that opportunity of a Catholic education to other families. I have run in three Falmouth Road Races and have completed four Cape
Cod Marathons. Jane Robin I am excited and honored to be part of this initiative as Team Captain for FACE and to participate in the At-Home edition seven-mile challenge with my daughter, Cassandra, FACE volunteer, with your support! Looking back over the years, I feel blessed to work with remarkable committee members and colleagues who are committed to fundraising efforts for our students through FACE. I have witnessed the outpouring support over the past 19 years at the Diocese of Fall River. My hope is that I may count on your support again as we venture to raise critical scholarship aid for our students in need. As you know the need is greater than ever for families wishing for their child to attend a Catholic school in our diocese. I am grateful for your heartwarming and loyal encouragement and to see the impact that has been made for students across the diocese. I appreciate your continued support and prayers for TEAM FACE! Dan Roy I have been committed to Catholic education as a teacher and a leader for over 20 years and firmly believe that FACE provides young people opportunities to grow in deeper awareness of God’s love
and their God-given talents and to become leaders in service to their community. Kara Russell (on left in photo) St. John Bosco said “Without confidence & love there, can be no true education.” My heart has lived in Catholic education for a very long time. God’s plan is not always clearly revealed, but he put this stepping stone in my path and I look forward to doing what I can to help the Foundation to Advance Catholic Education in the Fall River diocese in the running of this year’s Falmouth Road Race. Grace and I will be hitting the pavement together, so keep us in your prayers! Hopefully this journey will send Grace off with just the right amount of confidence and love. Sara Seals (white dress in photo) I’m so excited to be running in the 50th Anniversary Falmouth Road Race with Team FACE! I am the Chorus teacher at Bishop Feehan High School and I love what I do each and every day. My students are truly some of the best I have ever worked with and I couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere else. I am also an avid runner and am thrilled to be running my third Falmouth Road Race and my second one 8 Turn to page 11
St. John Vianney’s pastoral plan for Eucharistic Revival
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s Catholics in the United States enter more deeply into the threeyear Eucharistic Revival inaugurated by the American bishops last month on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, there are many lessons and much hope to be gained by successful Eucharistic renewals that have taken place in Church history. One of the most important was led by the patron saint of parish priests, St. John Vianney, in his parish of Ars, France, in the 19th century. When St. John Vianney arrived at St. Sixtus Church in 1818, most of the 230 residents of the village assembled the first Sunday after his arrival to learn the identity of their new shepherd. Few presented themselves for Holy Communion at Mass; the following week, few presented themselves at Mass at all. As Spring came, songs of praise for God on the Lord’s Day were regularly routed by the cacophony of anvils, carts and workers in the fields, and revelry in the taverns. The lack of love for God, and almost total lack of awareness of the gift of God in the Holy Eucharist, flummoxed Vianney. As a young boy during the bloodiest years of the French Revolution, he used to travel furtively with his parents in the middle of night to isolated barns for clandestine Masses with hunted priests as volunteer sentinels kept vigil. The penalty for getting caught, for clergy, host and attendees alike, was the guillotine. Nevertheless, the Vianney family, the heroic fugitive clergy, and the rest of the faithful all deemed attending Mass, worshipping the Son of God made man in the Eucharist, and receiving Him, important enough to die for. That those in Ars, after the atrocities of the terror had passed, would not use their freedom to give God thanks and praise on the Lord’s Day was a pastoral crisis St. John Vianney could not duck.
His pastoral strategy to get his people to return to the Lord is a model of practical wisdom that can guide the Church today. It involved four essential steps. The first was to help his people recover a sense of importance of sanctifying the Lord’s Day. From the earliest days of the Church, Sunday has been treated as a “little Easter” and if people don’t recognize the importance of celebrating Easter, or prioritize other activities over it, they do not really grasp the basics of the Christian faith. The Curé of Ars, both in the pulpit with those who came and in walks throughout the village for those who didn’t, would stress the importance of Sunday as a divine gift to help us become who we’re supposed to be. “The sabbath was made for man,” Vianney said, repeating Jesus’ words. “Man is not only a work horse, but is also a spirit created in the image of God! He has not only material needs and basic appetites but needs of the soul and appetites of the heart. He lives not only by bread, but by prayer, faith, adoration and love.” He didn’t hesitate to use fire and brimstone when necessary or to go out before Mass to find people in the fields. One farmer tried to hide himself behind one of his carts. Vianney reminded him, “My friend, you seem very much surprised to find me here, but the good God sees you at all times.” Eventually his persevering efforts worked, and the majority of the villager returned to Sunday Mass. That allowed the real work of forming them to live Eucharistic lives to begin. The second step was to teach them what the Mass really is. “Attending Mass is the greatest action we can do,” he repeated, until they grasped the truth of those words. “All the good works taken together do not equal the sacrifice
of the Mass, because they are the works of men and the holy Mass is the work of God. The martyr is nothing in comparison, because martyrdom is the sacrifice that man makes to God of his life; the Mass is the sacrifice that God makes for man of His body and blood.” He helped them to recognize that in the sacrifice of the Mass, we enter into Christ’s sacrifice from the Upper Room and Calvary that made salvation possible, and
that in the consecration, bread and wine are totally changed into Jesus Christ, really, truly, and substantially present under sacramental appearances. “The tongue of the priest, and a piece of bread, makes God!,” he said. “That’s more than creating the world!” Once he had restored a sense of holy awe at what happens in the Mass, he was able to pass to a third stage: to help them grow in practical appreciation of the Lord’s real presence in the Eucharist. “He is there!,” Vianney would often preach amidst tears, reminding his people that God himself was among them on the altar and in the tabernacle. “If we had one favor to ask of Our Lord, we would never have thought … to ask God
for His own Son, … to have His Son die for us, to give us His body to eat, His blood to drink. But what man couldn’t say or conceive, what he never would have dared desire, God in His love has said, conceived and acted on.” By his own reverence in the celebration of the Mass and his own example of prayer before the tabernacle, he helped them to see that Jesus in the Eucharist “awaits us night and day,” “waiting for us to go to Him to say our needs and to receive Him,” accommodating “himself to our weakness: if He appeared in glory before us, we would never have dared approach.” He urged them to make more time for prayerful adoration of the Lord’s wondrous selfgift, visiting Him often as we would a beloved friend. The last step was to help them make truly holy Communions. His 31 years of famous 12-18 hour days hearing confessions was all to help his parishioners — and those coming from all over France — to be able to receive Jesus with clean souls. At the time in France, people seldom received. He tried to help his people prepare inwardly to receive Jesus worthily not just every Sunday, but as frequently as possible, even every day. He described the power of Jesus in the Eucharist to make them holy. “Next to this sacrament, we are like someone who dies of thirst
next to a river, just needing to bend down the head to drink, or like a poor man next to a treasure chest, when all that is needed is to stretch out the hand.” The Eucharist, he stressed, is the Living Water welling to eternal life and the world’s greatest treasure, and he reminded his people that if they communicated more often and with greater love, “they would be saints.” He passed on to them his own astonishment for what happens in Holy Communion: “God gives Himself to you! He makes Himself one with you!,” saying that if they really understood their happiness, they “would not be able to live” but “would die of love.” And so he urged his people, “Come to Communion, come to Jesus, come to live off Him, in order to live for Him.” After years of patient work and prayer for the conversion of his people, St. John Vianney eventually rejoiced that every morning the 7 a.m. Mass was packed with Catholics receiving the Lord as the source, summit, root, center and treasure of their life. Pilgrims to Ars soon began to be amazed not just with the saintly Curé of Ars but with Ars’ holy Catholics. The simple, straightforward paradigm for Eucharistic revitalization of the patron saint of parish priest — whose feast day the Church is about to celebrate on August 4 — has no expiration date. Father Landry is Interim Executive Editor. fatherlandry@catholicpreaching.com.
July 22, 2022 †
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Editorial
Defending and supporting pregnancy help centers
Since the leak of what became the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in May, pregnancy help centers — crisis pregnancy centers that help pregnant women with free medical care, ultrasounds, counseling, personal support, maternal and job training, adoption referrals, and sometimes even free room and board — have come under two forms of attack. The first has been violence from domestic terrorist groups and pro-abortion vigilantes, as several across the country have been firebombed, had windows shattered, plastered with graffiti from groups like Jane’s Revenge and Ruth Sent Us, and otherwise vandalized. Jane’s Revenge has claimed responsibility for various arson attacks, threatening if pregnancy help centers did not close voluntarily, it would be “open season” on them, threatening measures worse than those that can be “easily cleaned up as fire and graffiti.” They’ve left menacing messages on various centers: “If abortion isn’t safe, then you aren’t either.” The second attack has been verbal assaults from abortion promoters like Senators Elizabeth Warren (D- Massachusetts), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), who have accused them of deception and torture and introduced federal legislation to try to empower the Federal Trade Commission to regulate and levy draconian fines against them. “In Massachusetts right now,” Senator Warren said earlier in July to a Boston television station, “those crisis pregnancy centers that are there to fool people who are looking for pregnancy termination help outnumber true abortion clinics by three to one. We need to shut them down here in Massachusetts and we need to shut them down all around the country.” She added, “You should not be able to torture a pregnant person like that,” loathe to use the word woman but not to insult Pro-Lifers, women and men. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey joined the seemingly coordinated effort, tweeting out a danger alert on July 6, stating, “Beware of crisis pregnancy centers that try to prevent people from accessing abortion care,” complete with a scary “Warning!” meme emphasizing the point. According to 2019 data from the Charlotte Lozier Institute surveying 2,132 Pregnancy Help Centers nationwide, these centers served close to two million people with free services and material assistance valued at more than $266 million. Altogether they offered 967,251 free consultations, 486,213 free ultrasounds, and 731,884 free pregnancy tests. 291,230 clients attended free parenting and prenatal education classes and 21,698 attended free after abortion support and recovery sessions. 810 centers offer free STD testing, 563 free STD treatment onsite and 305 free abortion pill reversal treatment. Nearly every location offered free material assistance like diapers, baby clothing, car seats and strollers. They’re staffed by 14,977 paid employees (25 percent of whom are licensed doctors and nurses) and 53,855 volunteers (12 percent licensed doctors and nurses). Though not included in the Lozier Institute data, many also offer free job training and referrals, help with their medical appointments throughout pregnancy, and even, when needed, access to shelters where they can stay during pregnancy and for the first several months after their baby is born. So why are they being attacked? Jane’s Revenge says it’s because pregnancy help centers “impersonate healthcare providers in order to harm the vulnerable.” Senator Warren has said because they try to “fool” people with lies, “misleading statements related to the provision of abortion services,” “disinformation,” and because they somehow “torture” “pregnant persons.” Attorney General Healey said it was because they “prevent people from accessing abortion care.”
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 66, No. 15
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Published biweekly except for one week in autumn by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, Mass. 02720, Tel. 508-675-7151; FAX 508-675-7048; email: davejolivet@anchornews.org. To subscribe to The Anchor online visit www.fallriverdiocese.org;subscribe Subscription price by mail, prepaid $29.00 per year for U.S. addresses. Please send address changes to The Anchor, PO Box 318, Congers, NY 10920, call or use email address.
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What are they talking about? They claim pregnancy help centers’ billboards, Internet ads, and telephone book entries saying things like, “Pregnant? Need Help?” or “Considering abortion? Need help?” are misleading, because, we can assume, they believe the only help a pregnant woman, including one thinking about ending the life of the baby boy or girl growing within her, needs is the bloody end provided by Planned Parenthood. They also complain that some pregnancy help centers use the similar color schemes to Planned Parenthood, leading some women, they say, to think that pregnancy help centers are franchises of the nation’s largest abortion provider, as if the baby colors that Planned Parenthood uses to mask its baby destruction chambers should not be used by centers that actually cherish babies and want to help them come safely to birth and life. Similarly they are outraged that when pregnant women go to most pregnancy help centers, they receive ultrasounds, which show that what is growing within is not an infection, a wart, a clump of cells, or baby orangutan, but a human being, their own flesh and blood, at the same stage of existence they themselves once were in their own mom’s womb. Studies show that 90 percent of moms who see the sonogram of their child choose life. If women are thinking about abortion, they also normally receive information about the health consequences of abortion, from the psychological trauma many women experience after abortion, to scientific studies about the link of abortion and breast cancer and other health consequences, truths that the abortion industry tries to pretend don’t exist or are fabrications, much like the abortion industry tries to pretend that what abortions are is healthcare rather than the ruthless, deliberate destruction of a human life. The real reason why pregnancy help centers are so opposed by abortion zealots is because they expose the lies and disinformation of the abortion industry. One of the most common mendacities is that Pro-Lifers only care about the baby in the womb, not the mother, and stop caring once the baby is born. Pregnancy help centers — which obviously will become even more needed after Dobbs, when thanks be to God it will be more difficult for women in many locations to make the choice to end the life of their developing baby boy or girl — show the many ways that Pro-Lifers love both mom and baby not only during pregnancy but long after, especially women in financial difficulty, or who have suffered rape, incest, human trafficking, abandonment by boyfriends and family members and other horrors. Another reason why many are opposed to pregnancy help centers is because some people think abortion is not only a good choice for individual women but, like the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, has a good eugenic outcome for society in eliminating those children that are socially unwanted. The success of pregnancy help centers, of the ultrasounds they offer, of the Good Samaritan care they give for both mother and child, all lead to more “undesirable” babies being born and fewer pregnancies ending in death. Therefore some, with fanatical zeal, believe that abortion is simply a good thing — good for our “planet,” for our cities, for our economies, for “pregnant persons,” and even for the victims. And they can’t stand the existence of institutions that recognize that abortion is the greatest human rights abuse of our day and are trying to work to save and help both vulnerable mothers and endangered children. That’s why it’s necessary for us, in the wake of Dobbs and in response to the physical, verbal, and governmental threats and attacks they are undergoing, to defend pregnancy help centers, support them, expand them, volunteer at them, and help vulnerable women find them and have recourse to their free, life-saving, compassionate and long-term care and concern.
Daily Readings † July 23 — August 5
Sat. July 23, Jer 7:1-11; Ps 84:3-6a,8a,11; Mt 13:24-30. Sun. July 24, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Gn 18:20-32; Ps 138:1-3,6-8; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13. Mon. July 25, 2 Cor 4:7-15; Ps 126:1b-6; Mt 20:2028. Tue. July 26, Jer 14:17-22; Ps 79:8-9,11,13; Mt 13:36-43. Wed. July 27, Jer 15:10,16-21; Ps 59:2-4,10-11,17-18; Mt 13:44-46. Thu. July 28, Jer 18:1-6; Ps 146:1b-6b; Mt 13:47-53. Fri. July 29, Jer 26:1-9; Ps 69:5,8-10, 14; Jn 11:19-27 or Lk 10:38-42. Sat. July 30, Jer 26:11-16,24; Ps 69:15-16,30-31,33-34; Mt 14:1-12. Sun. July 31, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23; Ps 90:36,12-14,17; Col 3:1-5,9-11; Lk 12:13-21. Mon. Aug. 1, Jer 28:1-17; Ps 119:29,43,79-80,95,102; Mt 14:13-21. Tue. Aug. 2, Jer 30:1-2,12-15,1822; Ps 102:16-23,29; Mt 14:22-36 or Mt 15:1-2,10-14. Wed. Aug. 3, Jer 31:1-7; (Ps) Jer 31:10-12b,13; Mt 15:21-28. Thu. Aug. 4, Jer 31:31-34; Ps 51:12-15,18-19; Mt 16:13-23. Fri. Aug. 5, Na 2:1,3; 3:1-3,6-7; (Ps) Dt 32:35c-36b,39abcd,41; Mt 16:24-28.
A hand up to walk together in kindness
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s an adolescent, the tale of Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38-42) always puzzled me. We are called to be doers (and not just hearers) of the Word (Js 2:22). We are also called to love our neighbors as our self (Lk 10:25-37). Yet Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the better part. That is simply being in the presence of God. I was always a tad suspicious of Mary’s motives that day. How much of Mary’s sit and listen was the call of faith versus the call of letting someone else do the job? As an adult, I came to understand that Martha and Mary are characters perched at opposite ends of the listen/do human behavior spectrum. Also, the appropriate set point on that spectrum is apparently different for the variety of souls God has created. Some are more contemplative. Others are more faith in action. The episode itself serves as an invitation to reflect upon where we are upon the spectrum. Adjustments (if or when needed) can then follow. Shorn of sibling rivalry, I imagine Mary saying, “Enough Martha! Sit and be still for a few minutes. Listen.” Then, after a period of listening to Jesus, Martha reaches out to Mary to give her a hand up. Martha says, “Mary, it is time to go do. Let’s work together.” The big idea is that there first is a time to listen for God’s guidance, then a time to act within God’s guidance. Perhaps because my balance point is more towards the faith in action side of the spectrum, I always felt Martha got a raw deal in the Biblical tale. One day, however, I entered the cafeteria of a Catholic hospital. My friend had spent the night in the ER. By morning, she had been admitted. I was dead tired both from the lack of sleep and the stress of that evening in the ER. Coffee was needed. Beside the entryway was a prayer card for St. Martha. She is the patron saint of cooks. My prayer was simple.
“Thank You God. Thank you St. Martha for your example and for your prayers on behalf of those in need.” My prayerful reflections for this column had begun with a verse from a sympathy card. It read, “As some people journey through life, they leave footprints wherever they go — footprints of kindness and love, courage and compassion, humor and inspiration, joy and faith” (Hallmark, Mahogany cards). What do footprints of kindness and compassion look like? One’s footsteps carry one to the task yet may also serve as a guidepost for those who follow. As any forensics student will tell you, discernment of where another’s footprints lead first requires a patient analysis of the walker and the context. I imagine there is a wide variety to the size and shape of the footprints of courage and compassion. One student example was the time someone was spinning on the floor during passing time. I ended it by commenting that I could cross my legs and walk on my knees. To the students’ “Prove it!” chants, I replied I would show them after they all passed their biology tests to the 80 percent level. It took them a month to assist all to get there. Amazing to watch them all look out for one another. Footprints can have long shadows. They can even reach back to touch your own life. I remember a difficult time for me. I turned to the store checker’s cheery, “Hello Dr. Flavin.” He said, “I’m glad you left that ‘Teen Creed’ at Connolly. It is still there in your old classroom.” My room had given that plaque to me at Confirmation. The words guided one to think
about who one wished to be. That afternoon, my heart moved from feeling alone to being surrounded by God’s love and peace. Back to Martha and Mary, the endpoint of the tale is exceedingly important. Namely, the hospitality they showed to all. Martha and Mary probably did not stop to discuss the importance of xenophilia in their world. They simply followed their heart to help provide an environment where all were able to experience being still within the presence of God. Each of those participants that day were touched by Jesus’ words. Each par-
ticipant returned home a person ready to respond in compassion and kindness. I once heard the phrase, “Holy Fools,” to describe the saints. The juxtaposition of worldly view (fools) with God’s view (serving faithfully) is a reminder to each of us that each of our steps is a decision point. We make a choice of where we will walk and if or how we will make a difference in our world. At any time, we can change or even reverse course. Building upon another’s start, or carving out our own path, the choice is ours. Remain focused upon listening for God’s guidance and choose always to walk forth in kindness. Anchor columnist Dr. Helen J. Flavin, Ph.D., is a Catholic scientist, educator and writer.
The new and fully updated Diocesan Directory 2022 is NOW AVAILABLE! Only $30 per copy, including shipping
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Name: ________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________ City: ____________________________________ State: ________ Zip: _________________ Telephone: _______________________ Complete and return original form or photocopy to: The Anchor (Attention Directory) 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, Mass. 02720 July 22, 2022 †
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Diocesan Quo Vadis retreat offers time for reflection, fun continued from page one
some young men in the area of the Fall River Diocese: to be one of His priests. With that in mind, the diocesan Vocation Office annually presents a retreat for young men ages 14-19. The annual Quo Vadis retreat is a time of recreation, fellowship, prayer and discussion to help young men explore our Lord’s call. This year’s event took place on July 11 in East Freetown. Priests and seminarians of the diocese provide conferences, spiritual guidance and fraternity. Activities include prayer (Holy Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Liturgy of the Hours, Rosary, etc.). sports, games, discussions and talks.
Bishop da Cunha and Father Jack Schrader, assistant Vocations Director for the diocese, shared lunch with young men attending the recent Quo Vadis retreat at St. John Neumann Parish in East Freetown. (Diocesan Vocation Office photo)
FACE Summer Gala is August 4 continued from page one
tion and Fund A Mission all while raising critical scholarship dollars for students in need. Hyannis Sound, an a cappella group will perform. To learn more, to purchase tickets, to become a sponsor or to donate, please visit www. FACEsummergala.org or scan the QR code at the end of this article with
your mobile device to go directly to the FACE Summer Gala page.
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or visit www.anchornews.org 8
† July 22, 2022
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God’s magnificent tapestry comes to life
ow, I don’t know where to start this column, so I’ll use a favorite method of operation of mine, song lyrics. In 1987, the group The Nylons released a song, “This Island Earth.” My pal Jonathan Edwards uses this song often in gigs of his I’ve attended. He masterfully performs it a cappella. The words on which I would like to concentrate are: “Well I know we can touch the stars one day. Kick up the dust on Mars one day, or trip the light of the Milky Way. We’ve got to find our way. If you’re lookin’ for a miracle open your eyes; there was one this morning just about sunrise. Dawn came breakin’ like a wave on the sea, and it’s there for you and me.” This island Earth is indeed filled with miracles; miracles that, while appearing tiny to some, provide inspiration and hope — hope that God has everything under control — despite what we hear and see daily from the “news” media. But I don’t think it stops there. Mankind can’t be so arrogant to think that we are the only ones God has created. And that was incredibly illustrated by the images released by NASA on July 11 from the mind-blowing Webb Telescope. I know I’m not alone on this. I was transfixed by what I saw — to the point where I cannot come up with the words to explain just how beautiful the images are. As I’ve mentioned in prior columns, since I was a tadpole I’ve been a space geek. I wrote to the NASA
astronauts in the 1960s for their autographs, and each one came through. With my dad, I watched on TV Neil Armstrong step on the moon 53 years ago this July 19. And I included my name along with Denise’s, Emilie’s and Igor’s on a microchip aboard the last two Mars missions. But what I saw last week was beyond my comprehension. If those images do not prove there is a great, powerful and loving God, nothing will. Nothing I have seen illustrates the vastness of God’s universe — a universe filled with myriad galaxies comprised of millions and billions of stars “held together” by gravitational forces. Our tiny Solar System is just a drop in the bucket of one such galaxy, the Milky Way. But beyond our minuscule spot in the universe there is so much going on. Three images from the Webb Telescope filled my mind and imagination. The “Cosmic Cliff ” of Carina Nebula appears to be a magnificent mountain range that is in fact a gaseous cavity. “Stephan’s Quintet” is an image of five galaxies in relatively close proximity, containing old stars and the birth of new ones. And the “Southern Ring Nebula” shows a star that over countless years has emitted rings of gases, creating a spectacular scene. The colors in each are stunningly beautiful. All of this exists hundreds and thousands of
light years from our little world. I have always been a believer in extraterrestrial life, and I do more so now than ever after seeing the
Webb images. A God that can create stars and gases and particles and stars that number more than the grains of sand on all the beaches on this island Earth, could surely create life forms as easily as we came along.
While I feel certain there is life out there, and not just microscopic, I don’t know if we will ever meet up in this lifetime. I do believe that Earth has experienced “Close Encounters” with extraterrestrials, but only God knows if we could handle face-to-face encounters. Perhaps that’s why it hasn’t happened — to the point where the public knows. It may be too mind-bending for us. But when all the smoke clears at the end of this time, and the beginning of forever, I hope to meet all of God’s children, from this galaxy and the mil-
lions of others God has masterfully fashioned. Plus, the beauty of the Webb Telescope mission is that 20 countries are involved with it. Overseen by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, the Webb was launched, fittingly enough, on Christmas Day 2021. From the birth of our Savior to the birth of a God’s-eye view of creation. The project first thought of and worked on in 1996 has brought us that much closer to the beloved angels we have heard on high. Believe it or not. I certainly do. davejolivet@anchornews. org
July 22, 2022 †
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T he C hurch
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’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting older, or some of today’s music artists have poor diction, but many times I can’t understand the lyrics of particular songs. In some cases that’s a gift, but in this case it was a source of family comedy. I once heard a song on the radio whose lyrics I just couldn’t make out. What I was hearing just didn’t make sense so it made me focus more on this particular song each time it came on because what I was actually hearing was so absurd. I couldn’t get the lyrics out of my mind and each time it came on, I was hoping someone else was in the car with me so that I could understand what was being sung. Of course I could have gone online but soon forgot to do so (another affliction of older age!). One day my daughter was visiting and was in the car
when the song came on, I belted out what I thought were the lyrics — “I don’t want to go to Maine … A – Achoo.” My daughter laughed hysterically, and said that the actual lyrics of the song were “ I don’t want to go to bed mad at you.” She said other things too, but none that I’ll report here (I think I heard the word “dork” in there somewhere). I’m writing this article on a cruise ship in Iceland on vacation. I mention this because, as I was walking through the ship yesterday, a singer in the centrum was singing a song that I had heard many times before, but the lyrics and the message were so clear this time that I couldn’t ignore them. There was a message in there somewhere and I was hearing
Day of Silence is July 30 in East Freetown A Day of Silence on St. Bonaventure will take place Saturday, July 30 in the new lower level of Neumann Hall just outside the new courtyard and the lakefront. For more information or to register, call 508-993-2351.
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† July 22, 2022
Y outh & Y oung A dults The climb
and
it. The song is “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. Okay stop laughing. You hear a lot of old songs sung on cruise ships! Yes, the lyrics came across clear as a bell! Each
word struck me, especially in light of the recent tragedies in the world in the last few weeks. The shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo have been on my mind! And today as I sit here in my cabin, I heard about a small two-year-old that lost his two parents in the Chicago shooting!! At times like these we wonder why? We struggle to understand. We search for meaning. Do we turn to God? In the song “The Climb” we hear, “Every step I’m taking, every move I make feels lost with no direction. My faith is shaking.” I think that this
captures how we may feel sometimes, especially in light of the unexplainable tragedies we encounter with a possible anthem for faithful people when she sings, “The struggles I’m facing, the chances I’m taking, sometimes might knock me down. “But no, I’m not breaking!” and “And I, I got to be strong. Just keep pushing on. ’Cause there’s always gonna be another mountain. I’m always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be a uphill battle. Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.” And therein lies the message. It’s all what life is. It’s the climb. As Christian people we were never promised a flat easy walkthrough life. We know that life has its ups and downs. Life is full of challenges and mountains that won’t move sometimes. Terrible things happen in this world. But, as Christian
people, we have the One to turn to. The One who lived this very life. The One who faced the mountains, the uphill battles, the struggles of being human. The One who invites us each and every day, when we come to a blocked path or a mountain we can’t see the way around, that we just climb it. Jesus gave us the very path to climb. Yup, sometimes it may be a steep path. Other times it may be rocky. Sometimes the path may be obscured so as to block our way. But He promised to always be there standing by our side through it all. And He left us the Church to help guide us along the way. It is with this very faith that we get through it all. The climb takes us where we are ultimately meant to go. You can’t get to the top unless you make the climb. And with the support of each other and with a strong faith in our God, we will get there. Step-by-step. Inchby-inch. No turning back. No shortcuts. No quitting. “Keep on moving, keep climbing. Keep the faith, baby. It’s all about, it’s all about the climb.” Anchor columnist Deacon Frank Lucca is assigned to St. Mary’s Parish in Dartmouth, and campus minister at UMass Dartmouth. He is married to his wife of nearly 44 years, Kristine, and the father of two daughters, and the grandfather of five (with #6 on the way).
Statement of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference in opposition to House Bill 4954 and Senate Bill 2996 A fundamental teaching of the Catholic faith is that an unborn child is a human person with the inalienable right to life and that this life must be protected from conception to birth. It is in this light that the Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts have always strongly opposed abortion and all
legislative efforts to expand the practice. It is the reason we oppose House Bill 4954 and Senate Bill 2996. Particular attention must be drawn to a provision (Section 10) in House Bill 4954. If adopted, late term abortions would become widely available, further expand-
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, July 24 at 7 p.m. Broadcast from St. Francis Xavier Church in East Providence
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass
on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, July 31 at 7 p.m. Broadcast from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in New Bedford
ing an already deeply troubling section of Massachusetts law. Specifically, by adding the word “severe” into existing law, abortions would be allowed based upon any physician’s own determination of what condition qualifies as “severe.” This undefined terminology further erodes the protection of life by creating the possibility of abortions at any time in a woman’s pregnancy. On behalf of the four Roman Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Catholic Conference urges the legislature and Governor Baker not to advance these bills into law.
FACE to take part in Falmouth race continued from page four
with Team FACE. I will be participating in the Virtual “At-Home” edition of the FRR but will be cheering on my teammates in spirit on August 21. Please consider making a donation to this important cause, which allows any student who wants to attend a Catholic school to do so, regardless of their financial situation. Thank you. Tim Vaughan Having attended Catholic school from first grade through law school, I’m a big believer in the value of a Catholic education. I’m supporting FACE to help make that same
gift available to those less fortunate. Looking forward to running my third Falmouth Road Race. Please use the link or scan the QR Code to support our team members. https://www.face-dfr. org/asics-2022-falmouthroad-race
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, July 24 at 11:00 a.m.
Celebrant is Father Jason Brilhante, Pastor of St. John of God Parish in Somerset
Sunday, July 31 at 11:00 a.m.
Celebrant is Father Richard M. Roy, a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese
July 22, 2022 †
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Lisa Serak named principal of St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleborough NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH — After an extensive search process, Father Rodney Thibault, pastor of Transfiguration of the Lord parish and Director of St. Mary-Sacred Heart School, has announced that Lisa Serak has been appointed the next principal of St. Mary-Sacred Heart School. Serak is a lifelong Catholic educator who has previously taught at Bishop Feehan High School, St. Mary Academy-Bay View, and
most recently, has been the middle school ELA teacher at St. Mary Sacred-Heart School for the past 15 years. This appointment is effective immediately. In addition, Mrs. Serak has been a product of Catholic education from elementary school through her undergraduate program at Salve Regina University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and History. Serak has two master’s degrees in Secondary Education and History and in Educational Leadership from Rhode Island
College and Bridgewater State University respectively. Serak has been nominated for multiple national teacher awards, such as the Disney American Teacher Award, as well as the Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers Award. In 1992, she received the Bishop Feehan Distinguished Alumni Award. Diocesan Superintendent of Schools, Daniel S. Roy, said, “The success of our Catholic schools depends on the commitment of our educators and leaders. Lisa’s story in Catholic education is compelling, and her vocation to leading St. Mary-Sacred Heart School positions the school very well for the future.” According to Father Thibault, “It is such a pleasure to announce Lisa’s appointment to this very important role as her extensive educational leadership and experience will guide St. Mary-Sacred Heart School well into the future.” “It is an exciting time to be in Catholic education leadership as the landscape for schools has changed dramatically in the past two years,” said Serak. “While there are many choices of schools, only Catholic schools educate the whole person — spiritually, academically, and socially — with Jesus as our model. I am humbled to lead this gem of a school and look forward to my new role in this vibrant community of faith and learning.” Serak and her husband, Ron, have three daughters, Livia, Emme and Brooke. They are members of the Transfiguration of the Lord Parish in North Attleborough.
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† July 22, 2022
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