Diocese of Fall River
The Anchor
F riday , August 27, 2010
FDA approves abortion drug By Christine M. Williams Anchor Correspondent WORCESTER — A recently approved drug, billed as an emergency contraceptive, has Pro-Lifers up in arms because it can cause abortions. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the use of ellaOne on August 13. The drug is meant to prevent pregnancy when taken within five days of intercourse. Advocates say ellaOne is an improvement over current emergency contraceptives, such as the morning after pill. Because the window in which it can be taken is longer than for medications like Plan B, it has been termed the “week after pill.” Critics say ellaOne is much more closely related to the abortion drug RU486 than to Plan B. They add that women will be misled by the FDA’s mislabeling of the drug as an emergency contraceptive. In an article, Susan E. Wills,
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s assistant director for education and outreach, said ellaOne can end the life of an embryo already implanted in the womb. “EllaOne is a selected progesterone receptor modulator (SPRM). An SPRM blocks progesterone receptors and thereby starves a developing baby of this needed protein. According to the FDA, only one SPRM has been approved for drug use in the United States, and it is RU486 — a known producer of abortions for first-trimester pregnancies,” she said. The new drug is more lethal than emergency contraceptives precisely because it prevents a woman’s body from producing the progesterone necessary to support an embryo through the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, she said. “It is simply false and deceptive to promote EllaOne as Turn to page 18
BATTLE PLAN — Jocelyn Trindade, Cassandra Borges, and Marian Desrosiers, diocesan director of the Pro-Life Apostolate, are in the early stages of preparation for a Pro-Life “boot camp” for youth in the Diocese of Fall River next year. (Photo by Dave Jolivet)
Pro-Life youth movement planning future strategies to promote a ‘culture of life’ By Dave Jolivet, Editor
FALL RIVER — Twenty-year-old Jocelyn Trindade, and Cassandra Borges, 16, have just finished boot camp. They aren’t soldiers in the war on terrorism, but they’re preparing to face a foe just as deadly — the fight against the destruction of millions of hu-
man lives each year — abortion. Both young women have been very active in the Pro-Life movement for some time now, each recipients of the Diocese of Fall River’s Cardinal John O’Connor Youth Pro-Life Award. It’s their passion Turn to page 20
Diocese continues to support mission work through Propagation of the Faith Office By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff
KNIGHT DELIVERY — Representatives from the Massachusetts Knights of Columbus recently presented Bishop George W. Coleman with a $10,000 check to be used to provide clothing for those in need within the Fall River Diocese. The donation was apportioned from a $1 million nationwide fund-raising program earmarked for those areas with active food pantries and clothing drives. Pictured here presenting the check to Bishop Coleman are, from left, Bill Donovan, immediate past state deputy for the Knights of Columbus, and Joseph M. Donnelly, district deputy for the Massachusetts Knights of Columbus. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)
NEW BEDFORD — Nestled within a bank of rooms that once housed the upper grades of the former parochial school at St. Mary’s Parish is the diocesan Propagation of the Faith Office — a small but busy operation that handles everything from scheduling annual missionary visits to parishes to the oversight of an entire parish in Honduras that serves a population roughly the size of the City of New Bedford. For the past 33 years, Msgr. John J. Oliveira, pastor at St. Mary’s, has served as the office’s director, having taken over the reins from his immediate predecessor, the late Msgr. Raymond T. Considine, upon his retirement. “It’s all about making Christ known,” Msgr. Oliveira said. “We do that work sometimes by providing shelter and clean water, by providing care for those with AIDS, or by providing for agricultural stimulus, along with the sacra-
ments. As it’s been said, you can’t hear God’s word if your stomach is empty.” According to Msgr. Oliveira, the essential purpose of the Propagation of the Faith Office is to profess the Catholic faith to others,
domestically and abroad, and to evangelize people. “It’s a pontifical society that comes out of the Holy See,” Msgr. Oliveira said. “We take care of the World Mission Sunday collection Turn to page 18
MISSION CONTROL — Corinne Lebeau, administrative assistant, and Msgr. John J. Oliveira, P.A., director, examine the new poster for this year’s Mission Sunday collection in the diocesan Propagation of the Faith Office in New Bedford. Among the office’s many tasks is the coordination of visiting missionaries to parishes and the annual collection to benefit missionary work. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)