The Anchor Diocese of Fall River
F riday , July 16, 2010
Government expands definition of family By Christine M. Williams Anchor Correspondent BOSTON — In a continuing effort to chip away at the uniqueness of the natural family, President Barack Obama’s administration has interpreted federal law to allow homosexual partners the right to take time off work to care for their partner’s children. In June, the U.S. Department of Labor clarified the definition of son and daughter in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), saying in a statement that employees who care for a child should receive parental rights to family leave “regardless of the legal or biological relationship.” The Labor Department hailed the news as “a win for all families no matter what they look like.” “This action is a victory for many non-traditional families, including families in the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender community, who often in the past have been denied leave to care for their loved ones,” the statement said. The Family and Medical Leave Act, signed into law in 1993, allows full-time employees of companies that hire 50 or more workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period to care for loved ones or themselves. They are also allowed to take time off for the adoption or birth of a child. Family advocates said the clarification was another step taken to equate same-sex relationships with traditional marriage. Peter S. Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., told The Anchor that homosexual activists want a same-sex couple to be treated exactly the same as a married mother and father. Turn to page 18
VOCATION FOR VACATION — Father Karl Bissinger, vocations director for the Fall River Diocese, addresses a group of 22 young men from across the diocese who attended the first-ever Quo Vadis retreat held at the Sacred Hearts Retreat Center in Wareham last week. The purpose of the week-long retreat was to help teen-age boys discern God’s will for their lives and to share in prayer and fellowship. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)
Diocesan youth embark on first-ever Quo Vadis Days By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff WAREHAM — While many families were traveling to summer vacation hot spots last week, a group of 22 teen-age boys from across the Fall River Diocese descended upon the scenic Sacred Hearts Retreat Youth Center in Wareham to participate in the first-ever diocesan Quo Vadis Days retreat.
The five-day program, held July 5-9, was an inaugural effort by the diocesan Vocation Office to help young men discern their vocation in life and perhaps answer a special calling to serve God as priests. “It’s basically geared to help them think about some of the practical things involved with vocations,” said Father Kevin A. Cook, associate director of Vocations Turn to page 18
Cape Cod Baseball League: More than ‘Where the stars of tomorrow shine tonight’ By Dave Jolivet, Editor
directory assistance — The new 2010-11 Diocese of Fall River Catholic Directory will soon be available. Story on page 12.
HYANNIS — It’s considered by many baseball gurus as one of the premier amateur baseball leagues in the country. The Cape Cod Baseball League, an entity consisting of 10 teams strewn across the Cape, can trace its roots all the way back to 1885. There is a flyer in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown advertising a game between Sandwich and Barnstable at 3 p.m. on July 4, 1885. Since its inception, the CCBL has produced nearly 800 players who went on to play Major League Baseball in some capacity. Some of these “stars” became supernovas that went on to or are still in the middle of, illustrious careers on the diamond. Others didn’t burn quite as brightly, but still left a mark on the national game, on their former CCBL squad, and on themselves. Some of the notables to make it from east of the Sagamore and Bourne bridges to MLB ballparks include Red Sox standouts Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Varitek, Nomar Garciaparra, and Mo Vaughn. CCBL alums playing outside the friendly Fenway confines are many: Frank Thomas, Joe Girardi, Mark Teixeira, Evan Longoria, Eric Hinske, Barry Zito, and Tim Lincecum. Incredibly, according to the CCBL website, one in seven MLB players were on a CCBL team, and in 2009, 217 were on Major League rosters. The league motto is “Where the stars of tomorrow shine tonight.”
There is no question the league is one of the sport’s brightest stars, but there is much more to the organization than just the horsehide. Turn to page 15
making his pitch — Matteo D’Angelo, from Bologna, Italy, and attending Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. delivers a pitch for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in a recent Cape Cod League Baseball Game in Cotuit against the Kettleers. (Photo by Dave Jolivet)