Diocese of Fall River
The Anchor
F riday , September 3, 2010
Diocese celebrates Blessed Mother Teresa’s 100th birthday By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff
Adding that all those present that day were blessed with her presence, Bishop Coleman said: “We are also blessed on this day, for today is the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birth and it marks the beginning of
a year during which we will be given the opportunity to reflect on her life and on its meaning to us and the world. NEW BEDFORD — Although the nave of St. LawToday we give thanks to God for her.” rence Martyr Church wasn’t as packed as it was during Sister Maria Perrine, one of the five Missionary Sisher historic visit to New Bedford in back in ters of Charity currently living and minis1995, an estimated 200 people turned out tering in the diocese, opened the Mass by last week to celebrate the 100th birthday sharing how Blessed Mother Teresa has of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the impacted her life and those of her fellow beloved foundress of the Missionaries of nuns. Charity. “Each one of us is here today because of While the late religious only spent a Blessed Mother Teresa,” Sister Perrine said. brief time in New Bedford 15 years ago, “Today, as we gather to celebrate the 100th her spirit was alive and well during the reanniversary of the birth of our beloved cent Mass and celebration through the presMother and the beginning of her centennial ence of her Sisters still working and living year, we raise our hearts and prayers to God in the city and the many people who vividly in grateful thanks for the gift of her life — remembered her historic visit as if it were a life that served as a constant reminder of yesterday. Christ’s light in the world.” Bishop George W. Coleman, who celMother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha ebrated last week’s anniversary Mass, reBojaxhiu on Aug. 26, 1910 in Albania. She called in his homily how excitement grew later took the name Teresa after St. Therese in the days leading up to Blessed Mother of Lisieux, the co-patron saint of missionarTeresa’s arrival on June 14, 1995. ies. When she turned 18, she left her home “It was unlike anything that has ever to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionhappened in our diocese,” Bishop Coleman ary. That work brought her to India in 1929, said. “A high school student commented: MAKE A WISH — Bishop George W. Coleman and Sisters from the Missionar- where she devoted her life to helping the ‘Famous people like her don’t come to New ies of Charity blow out the candles on two birthday cakes inside the auditorium “poorest of the poor” in Calcutta. Bedford.’ And even though rain accompa- of Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford during a special celebration In 1950 she founded the Missionaries of nied her visit, people were saying: ‘Today, last week commemorating the 100th birthday of Blessed Mother Teresa of Charity, an order dedicated to helping the the rain is holy water.’” Calcutta. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza) Turn to page 18
Abortionist goes on trial for manslaughter By Christine M. Williams Anchor Correspondent HYANNIS — The first trial of a Massachusetts abortionist who killed a woman as a result of the procedure is scheduled for September 13. Three years to the day of Laura Hope Smith’s death, Rapin Osathanond will face a charge of manslaughter. The trial is expected to take two to four weeks. Smith, 22, of Sandwich, was reportedly 13 weeks pregnant when she entered the Hyannis abortion clinic on Sept. 13, 2007. She died of cardiac arrest while under anesthesia. “Laura died because she didn’t have oxygen. All she needed was
air,” her mother, Eileen Smith, told The Anchor. “It was Propofol, a drug that should only be given out in a hospital setting and only by an anesthesiologist. And the patient should be monitored the whole time. Not only was Laura not monitored, there wasn’t even monitoring equipment there.” Neither Osathanond nor his staff member, who had no medical training, noticed Smith had died until after the abortion was completed, she said. The medical board suspended Osathanond’s license in February 2008, and the only abortion clinic Turn to page 18
CALLING ALL SAINTS — Sherri Swainamer, principal of the new All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford, welcomed more than 270 students on the first day of classes Monday morning. The newlydesigned parochial school uniforms had not yet been delivered in time for the start of classes, so Swainamer allowed students to dress down for the first week of school. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)
Diocesan schools well prepared for 2010-11 academic year
By Dave Jolivet, Editor
FALL RIVER — Several new diocesan school administrators, the first graduating class for an area high school, the opening of a new school, and the major upgrade of another, highlight the
upcoming academic year for the Diocese of Fall River’s Education Center. Superintendent of Schools Dr. George A. Milot told The Anchor that everything is in motion and “this will be an exciting year in Catholic schools
across the diocese. The schools are doing well, enrollment appears to be brisk and we’re pleased to announce that no schools will experience any cuts in sports or extracurricular acTurn to page 13
News From the Vatican
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September 3, 2010
Pope prays for ‘happy conclusion’ for Chilean miners Vatican City (CNA/EWTN News) — Remembering the 32 Chileans and one Bolivian trapped for nearly a month in a copper mine in northern Chile, the Holy Father prayed on Sunday for the intercession of the patron saint of miners for their safe extraction. The 33 miners have been stuck underground since the shaft collapsed on August 5, enclosing them nearly 2,300 feet underground. First contact with them was made 17 days after the accident cut them off from the world above. Since August 22, they have been receiving vital supplies, including air and water, and communicating through what has been called an “umbilical cord,” a six-inch wide supply channel from the surface. In his Spanish-language greeting after the Angelus, the Holy Father remembered them “with particular affection,” commending them and their relatives to the intercession of St. Lawrence. He assured his “spiritual closeness” and continued prayers that they “maintain serenity in the hope for a happy conclusion to the work
being carried out for their rescue.” On August 27, the 33 miners requested that statues and religious pictures be sent down to them as they wait to be rescued, reported CNN. Chilean officials say the rescue could take months but that they hope to reach the miners by Christmas. A small passageway has already been put in place so messages and supplies can be sent to the miners. Although a crucifix has already been sent down, the miners are continuing to request more statues of Mary and the saints — as well as a Chilean flag to construct a makeshift chapel. “The miners want to set up a section of the chamber they are in as a shrine,” Chilean’s Minister of Health, Jaime Manalich told CNN. This week, President Sebastian Pinera spoke with the miners by phone and then placed a statue of St. Lawrence, the patron of miners, in the presidential palace together with 32 Chilean flags and one Bolivian flag to represent each of the miners trapped.
holding out hope — A member of the media looks at a computer screen with the image of a note sent by one of the 33 miners trapped in a deep underground copper and gold mine near Santiago, Chile, August 23. The note reads, “We are fine in the refuge, the 33 of us.” (CNS photo/Ivan Alvarado, Reuters)
Vatican daily warns of attempt to break parent-child bond ROME (Zenit.org) — It seems a contradiction, but the International Year of Youth that the United Nations began this month is becoming a forum to promote abortion. The Vatican’s semi-official daily, L’Osservatore Romano, made this observation, pointing the finger at international organizations including the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA). “On UNFPA’s webpage are several U.N. initiatives oriented to the promotion of universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, language that, as is known, makes reference to contraception and abortion, as well as to the promotion of brazen sexual education,” the Vatican newspaper explains. “Distressing as well,” the paper adds, is the fact that “in the provisional documents published before the preparatory conference that is being held in Leon, Mexico, from
August 23-27, no mention is made of the Convention for the Rights of Children.” “This document is certainly not perfect, but it stresses the basic rights and duties of parents to educate and raise their children,” the article notes. Meanwhile in the draft statement of the preparatory conference, no mention is made of the terms “child” and “parents.” The Vatican daily characterized this report as manifesting a “radical conception of youthful autonomy, which seeks to break all bonds between parents and children.” “To strike the heart of the family does not help young people,” the article affirmed. In opposition to this trend, L’Osservatore Romano suggested taking into account the Magna Carta of Values, presented at the United Nations on August 13 by the World Youth Parliament.
concrete evidence — A machine used to move concrete is seen in the main entrance of the Vatican Library in this undated photo released by the library. After being closed for three years for major renovations, the library will reopen to scholars September 20. (CNS photo/courtesy of Vatican Library)
Pope Benedict exhorts world to follow St. Augustine in not fearing the truth Castel Gandolfo, Italy (CNA/EWTN News) — Addressing all people on their “walk” on Earth, the Holy Father called for a continued search for the “profound truth,” after the example of St. Augustine. Referring to the example of this Church Father, he said that no one should be afraid to encounter the truth, which could “find us, get hold of us and change our lives.” Pope Benedict addressed around 3,500 people between those gathered in the outer square and those in the inner courtyard of the Pontifical Villa at Castel Gandolfo for a recent general audience. He spoke of the importance of the saints being “travel companions” for all people on their earthly pilgrimage, saying that “everyone should have a saint that is familiar to them, to feel their proximity with prayer and intercession, but also to imitate them.” The saints can be of great help as guides to loving the Lord and aiding human and Christian growth, the pope said, pointing out his own personal links to SS. Joseph and Benedict. He explained that he has also had the “great gift of closely knowing” St. Augustine through study and prayer. Referring to this fifth-century saint as “a good ‘travel companion’” in his ministry and life, the pope said that St. Augustine’s “restless and constant search for truth” is “still current in our age when it seems like relativism is paradoxically the ‘truth’ that must guide thoughts, choices and behaviors.” Pointing out the lack of superficiality in the saint’s life,
Benedict XVI explained that he did not seek “pseudo-truths incapable of giving lasting peace to the heart,” but rather, he looked for “that truth that gives meaning to existence and is ‘the shelter’ in which the heart finds serenity and joy.” While St. Augustine’s route was a difficult one, the pope recalled, an important element of his life was that “he never stopped, he was never contented with that which gave him just a glimmer of light. “He knew how to look into the intimacy of himself and he realized ... that that truth, that God that he sought with his strength was more intimate to him than himself, he was always beside him, he had never abandoned him, he was waiting to be able to enter in a definitive way in his life.” Augustine understood that he did not find the truth, but it was “the very truth, that is God, that sought and found him,” the Holy Father specified. Reaching the core his mes-
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sage, Pope Benedict said, “often we prefer to live just a passing moment, deceiving ourselves that it brings lasting happiness; we prefer to live — because it seems easier — with superficiality, without thinking; indeed, we are scared to seek the truth or maybe we are scared that the truth might find us, get hold of us and change our lives, as happened for St. Augustine. “Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to say to everyone, also to those who are in a moment of difficulty on their walk of faith, or also to those who participate little in the life of the Church or to those who live ‘as if God didn’t exist,’ not to be afraid of the truth, not to ever interrupt the walk towards it, not to ever cease searching for the profound truth about themselves and about the things with ‘the interior eye’ of the heart.” Concluding his address, he said, “God will not fail to give the light to show and the heat to make the heart feel that he loves us and that he desires to be loved.” OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 54, No. 33
Member: Catholic Press Association, Catholic News Service
Published weekly except for two weeks in the summer and the week after Christmas by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 — FAX 508-675-7048, email: theanchor@anchornews.org. Subscription price by mail, postpaid $20.00 per year, for U.S. addresses. Send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA, call or use email address
PUBLISHER - Most Reverend George W. Coleman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Roger J. Landry fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchornews.org OFFICE MANAGER Mary Chase marychase@anchornews.org ADVERTISING Wayne R. Powers waynepowers@anchornews.org REPORTER Kenneth J. Souza kensouza@anchornews.org Send Letters to the Editor to: fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org PoStmaSters send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722. THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.
September 3, 2010
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The International Church
Knock at door led to Cuban priest’s 15 years of work with AIDS patients By Tracey Eaton Catholic News Service HAVANA — A young man knocked on the door of the Catholic parish and asked for soap. “I don’t think someone as young and strong as you should be knocking on anyone’s door asking for soap,” the priest replied. “You should work and buy the soap with your wages.” The man explained why he was so desperate: “I have AIDS and I cannot get a job so easily.” “I didn’t know anything about AIDS — nothing,” the priest recalled. “It was a word without much meaning.” But after the stranger told him there were other young Cubans with the disease, Msgr. Fernando de la Vega invited them into the church. Fifteen years later, Msgr. de la Vega is considered one of Cuba’s foremost advocates for HIV and AIDS patients. He has fed and counseled thousands of patients at his Havana church, Our Lady of Montserrat. Msgr. de la Vega is an “altruistic, humble servant of God and mankind,” said Dr. Byron Barksdale, a Nebraska pathologist who has directed the nonprofit, U.S.-based Cuba AIDS Project since 1998. The project has supported the priest’s work. Msgr. de la Vega said the young man who knocked on his door in 1995 was named Regino and died of AIDS several years ago. The support group the priest began at the time still meets weekly at the parish. The priest said neighbors and some parishioners criticized him at first for helping the AIDS patients. “They didn’t understand. They told me that AIDS was God’s punishment and I had no right to interfere. I summoned the courage and told them that in Christ’s time, the lepers were ... discriminated against,” he said. “But Christ did heal some of them and helped everyone who asked for help.” The priest said he wanted to follow that example and try to help people infected with HIV. Early on, he said, he concentrated on trying to boost patients’ self-esteem and ensuring that they did not suffer discrimination or feel inferior to anyone else. He said he also tried to not to let politics or even religion interfere with his work. “Religion and politics are two things that divide people,” he said. “What I wanted was to unite people, not divide.”
So, Msgr. de la Vega said, even today when the support group meets, he asks people to focus on the disease, not religion or politics. “He never preaches. He never tries to shove religion down anyone’s throat,” said Costa “Gus” Mavraganis, program travel director for the Cuba AIDS Project. “The man has been a truly inspirational person to me. I love that man.” Msgr. de la Vega said he also avoids judging patients, many of whom are gay. In 2008, Cuban officials reported that 10,454 people in the country were HIV-positive; 68 percent were homosexual or bisexual men. The priest said he does not ask about anyone’s sexual preference. “If you have homosexual leanings, be it gay or lesbian, it’s a very personal issue and we don’t question it. We do ask that when we meet, that you show up as the sex you were born with even if you don’t like it. So if you’re a man, don’t get dressed up or painted up and call yourself a woman. If your name is John, it’s John, not Juana. But after you leave here, you can do what you want.” The monsignor also encourages abstinence. He tells gays and bisexuals to avoid sex rather than worrying about getting a disease or using a condom, but he does supply condoms to people who insist on having sex. This does not violate the Church’s teaching on the immorality of the use of contraceptives in marriage, but is rather a means to mitigate the evil effects of those already determined to sin. His supporters say the priest has helped clear up misconceptions about AIDS in Cuba. Some people used to think they could get AIDS by sitting in the same chair or drinking from the same glass as an AIDS patient, he said, adding, “They thought AIDS was acquired by osmosis.” But there are no longer such mistaken ideas about the disease in Cuba, he said. Barksdale said Msgr. de la Vega has “destigmatized HIV/ AIDS among his parishioners, the Cuban Catholic Church as well as the immediate community.” But obstacles remain, Barksdale said, including “a chronic lack of funds. And sometimes the government of Cuba and the Catholic Church outside Cuba misunderstand what he does with the HIV/AIDS group.” Msgr. de la Vega was born
into an affluent family and could have left the island decades ago. Instead, he stayed and became a priest in June 1975. “My father was in the Baptist Church and my mother was a Catholic,” he said. “My mother had thought of becoming a nun. My father crossed her path and they fell in love. My mother never became a nun. They married and had two children. “From the time we were little until I was at least 16 or 17, the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches were bitter enemies. So on Sunday morning, my parents took us to Mass and we heard horrors about Protestants. At night, we went to the Baptist worship and heard horrors about the Catholic Church.” The priest said he became a Catholic and his younger brother became a Baptist, “which made our family very special. Mother and the eldest son were Catholic and father and younger son were Baptist.” He said his brother eventually “abandoned the Baptist Church and became a communist, which was unfortunate in the sense that he declared himself to be an atheist.” “That reaffirmed my conviction to fight a little bit more to defend God, starting with my own family, and here I am 35 years later,” he said.
haven in havana — People are seen in late July outside Our Lady of Montserrat Church in Havana. Msgr. Fernando de la Vega, a priest at the church, is considered one of Cuba’s foremost advocates for HIV and AIDS patients and has fed and counseled thousands of patients at his parish. (CNS photo/Tracey Eaton) graduate degree programs
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September 3, 2010 The Church in the U.S. Ruling on embryonic stem-cell funding Priests, politicians, Pro-Life advocates headline San Diego conference called ‘victory for common sense’
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By Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON — Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo praised a federal judge’s recent ruling that temporarily stopped federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, but the U.S. Department of Justice said it would appeal the decision. The cardinal, who heads the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and chairs the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called the August 23 decision by Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia “a victory for common sense and sound medical ethics.” “It also vindicates the bishops’ reading” of the Dickey-Wicker amendment, approved by Congress since 1996, which prevents federal funding of research in which human embryos are harmed or destroyed, Cardinal DiNardo said in an August 25 statement. In congressional testimony in 1999, the bishops’ conference argued that “a mere bookkeeping distinction between funds used to destroy the embryo and funds used to work with the resultant cells is not sufficient” to comply with the amendment. In his 15-page ruling granting a temporary injunction, Lamberth said Drs. James L. Sherley and Theresa Deisher, both adult stemcell researchers, had standing to challenge the Obama administration’s guidelines on stem-cell funding because they faced the possibility of losing funding from the National Institutes of Health when NIH funding for embryonic stemcell research was expanded. The lawsuit had originally been filed on behalf of the two doctors; Nightlight Christian Adoptions, an adoption and counseling agency
that facilitates international, domestic and embryo adoptions; embryos themselves; two couples; and the Christian Medical Association. Lamberth ruled in 2009 that none of the plaintiffs had legal standing, but an appeals court overruled him only in the case of the two doctors. The August 23 ruling said the researchers’ attorneys had shown that the Dickey-Wicker amendment “demonstrates that “the unambiguous intent of Congress is to prohibit the expenditure of federal funds on ‘research in which a human embryos or embryos are destroyed.’” “By allowing federal funding of ESC research, the guidelines are in violation of the Dickey-Wicker amendment,” Lamberth wrote. He also ruled that “the guidelines threaten the very livelihood of plaintiffs Sherley and Deisher” because their “injury of increased competition ... is actual and imminent.” Supporters of the Obama administration’s guidelines for funding embryonic stem-cell research have argued that no embryos will be created and destroyed for the research since only already existing embryos created for in vitro fertilization and later discarded would be used. In a conference call with media August 24, Francis S. Collins, NIH director, said the Lamberth ruling “pours sand into that engine of discovery” at a time “when we were really gaining momentum” with embryonic stem-cell research. “This decision has the potential to do serious damage to one of the most promising areas of biomedical research,” he said. But Cardinal DiNardo said he hoped the decision would “encourage our government to renew and expand its commitment to ethi-
cally sound avenues of stem-cell research.” “A task of good government is to use its funding power to direct resources where they will best serve and respect human life, not to find new ways to evade this responsibility,” he said. Steven H. Aden, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, co-counsel in the lawsuit, said the decision “is simply enforcing an existing law passed by Congress that prevents Americans from paying another penny for needless research on human embryos.” “Experimentation on embryonic stem cells isn’t even necessary because adult stem-cell research has been enormously successful,” he added. “In economic times like we are in now, it doesn’t make sense for the federal government to use precious taxpayer dollars for this illegal and unethical purpose.” The Catholic Church strongly supports adult stem-cell research but opposes any research that involves the destruction of human embryos. Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, said in an August 23 statement that “the Obama administration has attempted to skirt the law by arguing that they are only funding research after the embryos are destroyed.” “Today’s sensible ruling reconfirms what we already knew, that administration policy is in violation of the law,” she added. But Dr. Irving L. Weissman, director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, told The New York Times that the decision would be “devastating to the hopes of researchers and patients who have been waiting so long for the promise of stem-cell therapies.”
SAN DIEGO (CNS) — A lineup of high-profile presenters, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, headlined the first Mother of Life Conference. About 1,800 people attended the conference held August 14 at San Diego State University’s Viejas Arena and sponsored by the San Diego chapter of the Knights of Columbus. In a speech presented with his wife, Callista, Gingrich criticized the secularization of American society, which he said is occurring despite the opposition of a majority of Americans. “We believe that each individual is endowed by our creator with the right to life,” he said, “and that no government can stand in the way of our pursuit of freedom and full human dignity.” In their presentation, the Gingriches made several references to their new documentary, “Nine Days That Changed the World,” which was screened immediately after their presentation. The film reflects on the significance of Pope John Paul II’s historic pilgrimage to his native Poland in 1979. His nine-day visit is believed by many to have played a pivotal role in the fall of Soviet communism. The former House speaker, who recently became a Catholic, drew parallels between secular elites in contemporary America and the atheistic, communist government that once controlled Poland. “Our elites fail to recognize the irony that our own courts are as fully anti-religious as any institution in the Polish dictatorship,” he said, “and our elite culture is as frightened of Christ and the cross as any secular group in past radical regimes.” Other conference speakers included Jesuit Father Mitch Pacwa, founder of Ignatius Productions and a popular host on the EWTN television and radio network; Lila Rose, president of Live Action, a nonprofit organization that uses “new media” to expose the corruption of the abortion industry; Leslie Brunolli, who serves as San Diego regional coordinator for the Silent No More Awareness campaign; and Father Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International. Father Pacwa spoke about the destructive legacy of three U.S. Supreme Court decisions — Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Roe v. Wade (1973) — calling each “an attack on human dignity, a moving away from our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.” The first two decisions denied the full human dignity of AfricanAmericans, while the third created a constitutional right to abort
unborn children. Because God created human beings in his image and likeness, Father Pacwa said, “(human) dignity is not something that the state can give, nor can the state take it away.” As he concluded his presentation, he noted that Catholicism has the most adherents of any faith in the United States, making Catholics well-positioned “to call our nation back to its founding principles.” Rose, a 22-year-old Pro-Life activist, discussed the results of her hidden-camera exposés of corruption at Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the country. Presenting herself as an underage girl impregnated by an older male, she has documented clinic employees encouraging her to lie about her age. Rose’s videos, which can be seen at www.liveaction.org, have received national attention. As a result of the videos, certain Planned Parenthood affiliates have been investigated and have lost their taxpayer subsidies. “Together, we can face the death that is around us and build this culture of life,” Rose said. Through working together, “we are going to reach our goal of creating a country where every life is protected by love and by law, where every unborn child is seen with dignity and with respect.” Brunolli, flanked by other postabortive women, told the story of her own abortion and the decades of pain that followed. “I stand here today with my sisters in Christ, who also made the choice to have an abortion,” she said. “We thought that our choice would be a solution to our immediate problems. But we have suffered spiritually, physically and emotionally because of our choice.” Father Euteneuer, who delivered a presentation of his own, also celebrated the closing Mass. He devoted his homily to the conference’s namesake. He said Christians “impoverish their Christianity” when they fail to recognize the Blessed Mother’s importance. “My friends, don’t ever underestimate the power of Mary to help you in your lives and in your work as Christians,” he said. “You have many souls to touch, and Mary’s there to be with you.” Plans are already under way to bring the conference back for a second year, said Kamal Alsawaf, president of the San Diego chapter of the Knights of Columbus. Organizers are discussing the possibility of a more diverse lineup of speakers, which might include non-Catholic Christians as well as African-American and Hispanic Catholic presenters.
September 3, 2010
The Church in the U.S. Catholic commentators weigh in on Glenn Beck ‘Restore Honor’ rally and Tea Parties
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The ‘Restoring Honor Rally’ drew large crowds to the National Mall Washington D.C. (CNA) — A well-attended Saturday rally in Washington, D.C. which linked U.S. patriotism and religiosity has sparked comparisons to a religious revival. Two Catholic commentators have offered different views of the rally’s possible effects while discussing the place of religion and social issues in the Tea Party movement. Early estimates of rally attendance ranged from the tens of thousands to 500,000. Speaking at the rally, Glenn Beck claimed that the United States had “wandered in the darkness” of divisive politics, “but America today begins turning back to God.” He said the religious leaders in attendance disagreed on religion and politics. However, “what they do agree on is that God is the answer.” Alveda King, niece of civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., told the rally that America still suffers from racism. She called for prayer in the public square and in public schools. A pastoral associate of Priests for Life, she also alluded to her opposition to abortion. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin spoke to the massive rally about her son’s military service and said people should remember the perpetrators of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The rally helped raise funds for a group which assists military veterans and their families. Beck gave out three awards with the respective themes of faith, hope and charity. One awardee was St. Louis Cardinals
Day celebration. And its end rally and related issues in a baseball star Albert Pujols. The rally’s date coincided goal was to rally people to stay Saturday phone interview with with the 47th Anniversary of and be more engaged in poli- Mark Stricherz, author of the Martin Luther King’s “I Have tics, but to not get lost in it, as book “Why the Democrats are Beck put it. There was a clear Blue” about the place of Catha Dream” speech. Rev. Al Sharpton and sev- balancing of the importance of olics in the post-1968 Demoeral other African-American politics while never ever losing cratic Party. Stricherz, who did not comleaders held a competing rally sight of our real citizenship.” Lopez said that the rally ment on the rally itself, quesbefore an audience of thousands at a Washington-area recognized “real threats” to tioned the characterization of high school. According to VOA the United States’ freedom and Tea Party-related movements News, some of the competing sustainability which are “fruits as religious revivals. “It’s not led by religious rally speakers criticized the of messes of our personal lives leaders, its particichosen date of the rally and accused Beck opez said that the rally recognized pants don’t say they’re of race-baiting. “real threats” to the United States’ religious. None of its tactics are claimed to A former Cathofreedom and sustainability which are be religious,” he comlic, Beck is a convert to Mormonism. First “fruits of messes of our personal lives mented. The present-day Things magazine’s and decisions and of bad policy.” It did web editor Joe Carter this without being “explicitly partisan or action is not comparable to the civil recently criticized the political,” she claimed. rights movement, he commentator for exalso contended. pressing indifference “The civil rights movement toward same-sex “marriage” and decisions and of bad poland towards a federal court’s icy.” It did this without being was the gold standard of sooverturning of California’s “explicitly partisan or politi- cial movements. Its marchers prayed for their enemies and marriage-defining Proposition cal,” she claimed. Seeing “prudence and hu- sought equal justice.” 8. In contrast, Stricherz sugTwo Catholic commenta- mility” at the rally, she thought tors took different views of the the event was “realistically gested, Beck’s political moverally and the Tea Party move- positive” in acknowledging ment has been “the bronze stanment, which some associate political and religious differ- dard” of social movements. “Supporters exhibit disapences while seeking a “unified with Beck. proval and jeer at their enemies, Kathryn Jean Lopez, edi- focus.” She thought Beck’s focus and seek the end of runaway tor of the conservative website National Review Online, com- on foundational issues should spending and domestic debt. “They just want to tame mented on the rally in a Satur- be encouraged without putting federal domestic spending and him “on a pedestal.” day email to CNA. CNA also discussed the don’t want to pay higher taxes “God and Caesar were very much appropriately represented on the National Mall on Saturday at that ‘Restoring Honor’ rally,” she commented. In her view, much of the rally had a good focus: “challenging people to be good, to seek the good, sacrifice for the good, and pray for the good.” “It was a bit of a mix of religious revival, country-music concert, and Independence
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through the health care bill. Sometimes federal intervention is godly, and sometimes it is not.” Beck’s invocation of the U.S. founding fathers is “a little more complicated question,” Stricherz told CNA, saying the push for American independence from Britain incorporated elements of religion “but it certainly wasn’t a religious movement per se.” “There is an argument that the founders were linked to the first great awakening, but the founders’ appeals were much different than Martin Luther King, whose appeals were explicitly religious and spiritual. Asked about the possible political consequences of the rally and related movements, Stricherz responded: “There’s no question that Tea Party supporters will vote disproportionately in the fall midterm elections, but whether those Tea Party supporters are voting out of religious convictions is doubtful. There’s some evidence, based on the statements of Tea Party supporters, that they don’t care about social issues. They care about economics.” While economic issues also can incorporate religious appeals, he told CNA, these appeals are “not as strong.”
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The Anchor Eucharistic faith and eucharistic miracles
Over the past several weeks, we have received a half-dozen phone calls, emails and letters about the paid advertisement that we have been running by Love and Mercy Publications, found this week on page 13. The advertisement, which also runs in national and diocesan Catholics newspapers across the country, is entitled “The Truth of the Eucharist Revealed,” features bullet points about “flesh and blood in bleeding consecrated host,” “human DNA present,” “heart muscle present,” and “white blood cells present” and seeks to persuade readers to “see and hear the story unfold” by ordering a DVD entitled “Science Tests Faith,” which is said to give a “powerful factbased base for belief in the real presence in the Eucharist.” One of those who contacted us said that he found the advertisement “alarming and shocking,” adding that it “seems to promote fanaticism and to negate faith in the Eucharist.” Another suggested that by appearing in a diocesan newspaper, the ad will “mislead people into thinking that statements such as these represent Church teaching.” A third avowed that he had “never heard something so ridiculous in [his] whole life.” It’s a safe bet that if a group of unconnected readers from various age groups and parts of the diocese had questions about the advertisement, there would be other readers with similar questions who haven’t contacted us. Therefore it would be good to explain what the advertisement is about, why we chose to accept it, and what lessons all Catholics can learn from it. The advertisement promotes a video, based on a 1999 Fox TV documentary entitled “Signs from God — Science Tests Faith,” that discusses various scientific tests that have been done on some ancient and modern eucharistic miracles. Eucharistic miracles are nothing new or uncommon. A recent Vatican International Exhibition entitled “Eucharistic Miracles of the World” featured panels on 140 of the more well-known of them that have occurred through history. Perhaps the most famous one of all happened in Lanciano, Italy, in the eighth century. After a Basilian priest said the words of consecration, the host changed into a piece of visible flesh and the precious Blood in the chalice coagulated into five globules of different shapes and sizes. The priests of the region immediately preserved the miracle in a reliquary. In 1970, Pope Paul VI permitted tests to be conducted by Dr. Odoardo Linoli, Professor of Anatomy and Pathological Histology, Chemistry and Clinical Microscopy in Arezzo, assisted by Professor Ruggero Bertelli of the University of Siena. The host and the globules were analyzed with microscopes and other instruments that would not destroy the specimens. The doctors concluded that the flesh and the blood were both human, that flesh came from the muscular tissue of the heart, and that the flesh and the blood globules were of blood type AB (the same as the blood found on the Shroud of Turin). Scientists say that the fact that blood types were only discovered in 1900 and the blood was AB — present in only four percent of people — makes the possibility of fraud at any point statistically very unlikely. The blood had proteins found in the same normal proportions as found in fresh normal blood — even after 13 centuries of exposure to atmospheric and biological elements. Pope John Paul II devoutly visited Lanciano as a cardinal and as pope wrote in 2004 of the “two eucharistic miracles” (the host and the precious Blood) that make Lanciano the “destination of many pilgrimages from Italy and the whole world.” Another eucharistic miracle happened in Bolsena, Italy in 1263. A priest from Prague returning from a pilgrimage to Rome stopped at a church to celebrate Sunday Mass for the pilgrims with whom he was journeying. When he got to the part of the Mass called the fraction, when the priest, at the words of the Lamb of God breaks the priest’s host into two parts, the host began to bleed, with blood flowing over the corporal and down the altar. The corporal was quickly brought to Pope Urban IV, who was in the Papal City of Orvieto a short-distance away, and the corporal and altar were eventually enshrined in the protected Church of Orvieto. It was this miracle that led Pope Urban to establish the feast of Corpus Christi the following year, which the Church has celebrated ever since. It seems that one of the reasons why some readers may have had questions about the advertisement is because they are unaware of eucharistic miracles like those of Lanciano or Bolsena-Orvieto. When one reader called to express his concerns, he was asked whether he was aware of the history of Corpus Christi and the eucharistic miracle that led to its establishment. He responded that he has been attending Mass weekly for nearly 70 years, had never missed the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord — even, he added, when it used to be celebrated on a Thursday — but not once had he ever heard his parish priest mention any eucharistic miracle in a Corpus Christi homily. A Catholic’s faith in the Eucharist is not based on eucharistic miracles, but it can be confirmed and strengthened by eucharistic miracles. Catholic faith in the Eucharist comes essentially from Christ’s own words and actions. In the sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, Jesus told his listeners to “work for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you,” and then specifies that he is the “living bread that has come down from heaven” and that the “bread that I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” He stressed that “my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink” and that unless we “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” we will have no life within us. He would make sense of those words a year later when, during the Last Supper, he would take Passover meal elements of bread and wine and totally change them into his Body and Blood and give himself to his Apostles to consume under those appearances. Jesus’ eucharistic words and actions constitute the fundamental grounds for Catholic faith in his real presence. At the same time, however, Jesus demonstrated time and again that he confirmed the truth of his words by miracles. Before he gave his discourse on how he is the Bread of Life, he worked the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. To demonstrate that he had the power on earth to forgive sins, he healed a man of his paralysis. When his critics were antagonizing him in the temple area, he replied, “Even if you do not believe me, believe the works” (Jn 10:25, 38). Faith is ultimately a belief in something on the basis of a trust in someone testifying. We believe in what Jesus says because we believe in him. But one way Jesus used to help others grow in trust of him was through the miracles done in his Father’s name, which powerfully demonstrated his trustworthiness. Eucharistic miracles do not have to be believed by Catholics. The Church teaches that they are to be evaluated like private revelations are, not on the basis of Catholic faith but on the principles of common sense as to whether something is more likely of supernatural or natural agency. At the same time, the Church has clearly shown that it believes eucharistic miracles possible, by establishing feasts and erecting shrines, conducting scientific tests and having experts from all fields study them and publish their findings that the events cannot be explained by natural terms. Such miracles, while not establishing faith in the Eucharist, can buttress eucharistic faith and amazement, by taking off the veil of the regular miracle of transubstantiation and giving a tangible reminder that what seems to be bread and wine is in fact Jesus’ Body and Blood. This is why we and many other Catholic newspapers have accepted the advertisement by Love and Mercy Publications. For those who would like to learn more about eucharistic miracles, they might order the video, read Joan Carroll Cruz’ book “Eucharistic Miracles,” or view the panels of the Vatican exhibition “Eucharistic Miracles of the World” at http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/a3.html.
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September 3, 2010
Before and after Mass
priest friend of mine from ansort of like stretching before we exercise. other diocese was lamenting to We do this by first reminding ourselves me recently about how frustrating it is for that we are in the presence of God. It is him when he is celebrating the holy Mass then important for us to clear our mind and people are coming in late or leaving of those things that serve only to distract early. His main concern was not so much us, and ask our Lord for the grace to his being distracted while trying to lead remain focused and attentive throughout the congregation in worship but that it the Mass, so that we may be spiritually communicates to him that people are not nourished and thus strengthened to face taking the Mass all that seriously. Illuslife’s challenges with courage and trust trating his frustration, he asked, “Would in God. Many folks find it helpful to look they show up to the doctor’s office late?” at the readings before Mass as a way to “Would they leave a movie early?” help them focus, but also that they can Now this may seem like an obvious listen more attentively when God’s word question, but when does the Mass begin? is proclaimed during the Mass. When does it end? One could take a The same is equally true at the end rather simple look at the Mass and come of Mass. Throughout the history of the to the conclusion that the Mass begins Church, up until a more recent time, it when the opening hymn is sung or with was widely understood and practiced that the Sign of the Cross. And just as clearly after the priest processed out, everyone it appears to be over when the priest or would kneel down and say a “prayer of deacon says, “The Mass is ended, go in thanksgiving,” expressing one’s gratitude the peace of Christ” or when the closto God for the great gift that we have just ing hymn is finished. In a strict sense, received in the Eucharist, in a parallel this is true, but in another sense there is manner to the way in which one would much more come into to the Mass, church before especially if Mass and Putting Into we are trying kneel down the Deep to do more and pray in than fulfill an preparation obligation. for Mass. By Father Is it a matAll of this Jay Mello ter of “putting is similar to into the deep” being invited and embracing all that our Lord wants to to someone’s house for dinner and showgive us at each celebration of the Mass ing up late or leaving without saying or is it merely settling for “skimming the thank you. At each celebration of the surface” and going through the routine Mass our Lord allows us sacramentally motions of the ritual? to be brought back to the first celebraWhen we gather in our parish tion of the Mass on Holy Thursday and churches each Sunday, we all come to the foot of the cross on Calvary. At with many things on our hearts and each Mass, he gives us the greatest gift, minds. We have many legitimate conhis own Body and Blood, the bread cerns and anxieties that are constantly come down from heaven. Spending a running through us, especially when few minutes after Mass in a quiet act of we are seated silently in church. Often thanksgiving is not only a polite action; these “other things” can distract us it is also the proper response to what from “praying” the Mass. or whom we have just received — God Certainly our Lord does not want us to himself. separate the things of our lives from him; It can be a bit discouraging and someon the contrary, he wants us to invite him times even distracting when someone into those areas of our lives that need comes in late to Mass or leaves before him most — our worries and anxieties, it has ended either right after receiving our joys and our hopes. But at Mass, he holy Communion or before the priest wants us to give him our full attention. has processed out. There are certainly ocHe wants us to be fed by his saving word casions when Mass may go a bit longer that we hear in sacred Scripture and to than normal and one needs to exit more be fed by our worthy reception of the quickly then normal, but these should the Eucharist. rare exceptions and not the norm. How do we do both? How do we To “get the most out of the Mass” we bring all of the things of our individual need to look at how much we are putting lives before our Lord and place them at into it, at how much we are willing to “put the foot of his cross and at the same time into the deep.” Arriving early to prepare enter into the Mass and worship God our hearts and minds spiritually, to read freed from all anxieties? over the readings before Mass or recite It all goes back to my original point other devotional prayers as well as prayers of when the Mass starts and ends. If we of thanksgiving afterward are essential are properly and worthily to enter into parts of the eucharistic celebration. the sacred mysteries of our faith we need Preparing ourselves before Mass to provide some time of preparation and and reflecting silently afterward are reflection. How do we expect to do this indispensable elements of growing in if we are rushing into Mass 30 seconds our relationship with the Lord and our before it starts, or even worse, after it has appreciation and participation at the holy already started? Mass. We need time to prepare ourselves Father Mello is a parochial vicar at spiritually for what we are about to do, St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth.
September 3, 2010
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cenes from Hurricane Katrina which devastated some Gulf Coast states for years to come, were on many news stations this week. They showed just how a catastrophe can bring out the best in human beings ... and bring out the worst. There were images of people helping people ... rescues from roof tops, neighbors offering safe havens to victims, and the streams of dollars and supplies flowing in from all over the U.S. and world. There were also the nightmarish illustrations of looting, murder, rape, people literally dying in the streets and in their wheelchairs, and mankind reaching its lowest point. Most of us in the Diocese of Fall River have never experienced the wallop of a Hurricane Katrina, and the havoc it wreaked materially, physically and emotionally. I write this as Hurricane Earl is deciding where it wants to test the mettle of humankind. By the time this column hits your mailbox, Earl will be history ... either as a bothersome wind storm that tracked east of little old Nantucket, causing minimal damage; or as a direct hit on most of the diocese as a category 2 cyclone. I’m hoping for the former. As exciting as hurricane footage may appear on the Weather Channel, we can easily change the channel and the effects are gone. Not so with a direct hit. I like my electricity ... being able to go to the fridge and pull out a cold drink or a midnight snack; watching the Red Sox fade further into the sunset; hopping on the computer and catching up on emails and deleting chain letters; and flicking a switch to make an early morning trip to the bathroom without stepping on Igor. A couple of hours with a weather system like Earl can bring all that to a screeching halt. And that could be for days. How inconvenient would it be when our cell phones, lap tops, iPods run out of juice ... and we can’t yet recharge them? I like having fresh water to drink, bathe and cook with. How easy is it for us to just stroll up to the faucet and with the flick of a wrist produce a gush of agua until another flick ceases the flow. In the wink of Earl’s eye, all that can come to a screeching halt. Bottled water can only go so far, and Iggy can drink like a camel.
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The Anchor
Here’s hoping you get to read this on time All of the above are mere annoyances. A direct hit by a hurricane, and we’re overdue for one, will produce far greater effects than simple annoyances. With so many miles of coastline in our diocese and two small, heavily-populated islands, the consequences could be quite dire. At press time, most of the computer models take Earl east of Nantucket, and that’s good news. Should Earl decide to take a more westerly route as he
passes by southeastern Massachusetts, you could be reading this column well after September 3, if at all.
My View From the Stands By Dave Jolivet Should mean old Earl make a direct hit, or if one is lurking on the horizon, it is my hope and prayer that we’ll
be running stories in future Anchors about how the storm has brought out the best in the people of the Diocese of Fall River. But frankly, I don’t worry much about that. This diocese has a great reputation for taking care of its brothers and sisters in the world-wide family of God. We’ve been there for victims of earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. We’ve taken a Honduran Mission under our protective wings, and we’ve consistently
supported diocesan ministries and the needy through the Catholic Charities Appeal. More than likely, Earl will end up just a big old wind bag out in the Atlantic, but such a close encounter makes one pause and think about the “what ifs?”. Should our area absorb the full effects this weekend, I have no doubt that folks in other parts of the country will not view images of people here at their worst, in the worst of times. At least not those in the faith community family of the Diocese of Fall River.
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reat crowds were following Jesus. He taught them of the good Samaritan, how to pray to the Father, to have courage under persecution, to repent, to forgive, and to love. Yet in the Gospel today we hear that we must hate our father and mother, our sister and brother, our spouses and even our own life, in order to follow our Lord. At first glance this teaching seems to be in direct conflict with the two great Commandments of loving God with all of our heart, soul and mind and our neighbor as ourselves. But the word hate had a different meaning than it does today. The traveling teacher was reminding us that in order to love God and others appropriately we must love God first and love others as God loves them.
September 3, 2010
The Anchor
The traveling teacher
There is a path that demands every walk of life. From those self-sacrifice which asks us who gave their all to save to give of ourselves as he did; others on the battlefield, to to put others first in our lives those who give their all at the as he did; to be willing to lay kitchen table by serving their down our life for others as he family, neighbors and comdid for the love of his Father. These are decisions to love. Hard to do, if we Homily of the Week do not know in our Twenty-third Sunday heart that there is in Ordinary Time a better place than where we are. That By Deacon special place, the Fred G. LaPiana III pearl of great price, is the Kingdom of Heaven. Our Lord munity every day. When we reminds us that in order to get put God and neighbor first, there we need to put God first, we fulfill the two great Comclosely followed by others. mandments of love, and begin We know this to be true. to understand the wisdom of In our society we look up to creation. people who have lived their In the New Testament readlives in service of others or in ing, St. Paul writes of a slave, sacrifice for others. We call Onesimus, who belonged to them heroes. They come from
Philemon. Paul immediately recognizes Onesimus as a brother in Christ and implores Philemon to receive his slave as a brother in his household. Paul understood that everyone is a child of God. He implored Philemon to accept Onesimus as a partner in the faith, as he would accept Paul himself. Paul put Onesimus first and asked Philemon to do the same. This was an act of love not common in the time Paul was writing. In Philemon’s life, Onesimus went from being a possession to a brother. Philemon made a decision to love, and see Onesimus through the eyes of Christ, the wisdom of creation. The decision to love does not come easy. Love is of
heaven. As Solomon’s prayer asks in the Old Testament reading, if we have difficulty understanding the things of earth, how can we possibly understand the things of heaven? Who can search them out? The traveling teacher reminds us in the Gospel today that the way of understanding is not found in our possessions, but in our love for God and neighbor. Love expressed through self-sacrifice and service to each other as children of God, is the way Jesus taught us. Something to celebrate. Perhaps we should set aside a day to reflect and celebrate the labor of love. Oh yeah … Happy Labor Day. Deacon LaPiana serves at Good Shepherd Parish on Martha’s Vineyard.
Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Sept. 4, 1 Cor 4:6b-15; Ps 145:17-21; Lk 6:1-5. Sun. Sept. 5, Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Wis 9:13-18b; Ps 90:3-6,12-17; Phlm 9-10,12-17; Lk 14:25-33. Mon. Sept. 6, 1 Cor 5:1-8; Ps 5:5-7,12; Lk 6:6-11. Tues. Sept. 7, 1 Cor 6:1-11; Ps 149:1b6a,9b; Lk 6:12-19. Wed. Sept. 8, The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30; Ps 13:6a-c; Mt 1:1-16,18-23 or 1:18-23. Thur. Sept. 9, 1 Cor 8:1b-7,11-13; Ps 139:1b-3,1314b,23-24; Lk 6:27-38. Fri. Sept. 10, 1 Cor 9:16-19,22b-27; Ps 84:3-6,12; Lk 6:39-42.
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ope Benedict XVI’s pastoral visit to Great Britain later this month will unfold along a pilgrim’s path metaphorically strewn with landmines. Headline-grabbing new atheists like Richard Dawkins, along with their allies in the international plaintiff’s bar, may try to have the pontiff arrested as an enabler of child abuse. More subtly, but just as falsely, homosexual activists and their allies will portray John Henry Newman, whom the pope will beatify, as the patron saint of gay liberation. No challenge facing Benedict in Britain,
When compromise trumps apostolic tradition
however, will be greater than underway in other member the challenge of re-framing the communities of the worldwide Anglican-Catholic ecumeniAnglican Communion). As I cal dialogue, which is on the discovered when researching verge of de facto extinction. the biography of Pope John The death of that oncePaul II, a theological Rubicon promising dialogue would seems to have been crossed in have been unimaginable 40 years ago. Then, in the aftermath of Vatican II, it seemed possible that Canterbury and Rome might be reconciled, with full By George Weigel ecclesiastical communion restored. That great hope began to run aground in the mid-1980s, a 1984-86 exchange of letters among Dr. Robert Runcie, the when the Church of England Anglican primate; Cardinal Jofaced the question of whether hannes Willebrands, the presiit could call women to holy dent of the Pontifical Council orders (a practice already for Promoting Christian Unity; and the pope. John Paul and Willebrands made quite clear to Runcie that the bright hope of ecclesial reconciliation would be severely damaged were the Church of England to engage in a practice that the Catholic Church (and the Orthodox churches) believed was unauthorized by apostolic tradition, and in fact contradicted that tradition. While admirably candid, Dr. Runcie’s attempt to explain why the Church of England believed it could proceed to the ordination of women demonstrated that Anglicanism and Catholicism were living in two distinct universes of discourse, one
The Catholic Difference
theological, the other sociological. For Runcie advanced no theological arguments as to why apostolic tradition could be understood to authorize the innovation he and many of his Anglican colleagues proposed; rather, he cited the expanding roles of women in society as the crucial issue. Sociological trends, Runcie’s letter implied, trumped apostolic tradition — which was not, of course, something the Catholic Church could accept. The same issue recently re-emerged in the Church of England’s debate over the ordination of women as bishops. Dr. Rowan Williams, the current Anglican primate, and his colleague in York, Dr. John Sentamu, proposed a compromise in which the Church of England would ordain women to its episcopate, but parishes unable to accept this innovation would be allowed to invite a male bishop to preside over those rituals for which a bishop’s presence is required. This compromise was rejected by the General Synod of the Church of England, leading the London Telegraph to deplore editorially the loss of the Anglican “ tradition of compromise that has preserved the Church for more than 400 years.” The Telegraph’s sense of what has “preserved the
Church for more than 400 years” is misplaced, I fear. Elements of sanctity, intelligence, and beauty have been nurtured in the Anglican Communion for more than four centuries by the work of the Holy Spirit, who distributes gifts freely, and not only within the confines of the Catholic Church. Thus there have been great Anglican theologians and noble Anglican martyrs in the Anglican Communion, which has also given the world a splendid patrimony of liturgical music and a powerful example of the majesty of the English language as a vehicle of worship. None of this has had much, if anything, to with a “tradition of compromise.” The sad truth of the matter is that the “tradition of compromise” is what is destroying the Anglican Communion. For that “tradition” has come to mean that the apostolic tradition of the Church — the essential constitution bequeathed to the Church by Christ, which can be discerned in the Scriptures and which was articulated in the creeds — has ceased to have any normative claim within Anglicanism. Thus an ecclesiological rule-of-thumb: when anything goes, the first thing to go is apostolic tradition. George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
September 3, 2010
Summer visitors Wednesday 31 August 2010 needs to be said. — on the shores of the SegWhat is the premier interregansett — Hurricane Carol national summer destination hits southeastern Massachusetts for priests? This may come as in 1954, one of the most damag- a surprise to you, dear readers, ing storms in area history. but it’s not Rome. It’s Dighton. opular destinations in the United States include Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Reflections of a Florida’s Disney World. Parish Priest Families on vacation often head for the By Father Tim Grand Canyon. Couples Goldrick looking for something romantic choose Italy, Aruba, or Acapulco. I can prove it. In our own diocese, there’s First I received a phone call Cape Cod. Residents on the from Portugal. It was Father Cape often look frazzled this Valter Emanuel Dias Resende time of year. They excuse their of Calhetas e Pico da Pedra discombobulated appearance on the Island of Saint Miwith just four words — “I have chael, in the Diocese of Angra, summer visitors.” Nothing more Azores. Father explained that
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9
The Anchor
The Ship’s Log
‘Got creed?’
aving been raised Desiderata. With everything without a creed in at my fingertips these days, I childhood, I was always on wanted to revisit the message the lookout for something to see where it originated and suitable. Most people feel if I still remembered it accuthe need for some rule or rately. A quick Google search a personal philosophy, and brought up the long familiar such creeds are to be found words, which did indeed hold in various places — on the up well over the years, and schoolyard, in books, from yet I don’t think they alone admired friends, or delivered could have sustained me in stereo via the mass media. through the worst of times. By God’s grace, my first was found in a shop that sold psychedelic posters and the requisite black lights. (Have I adequately dated By Genevieve Kineke myself?) This neon orange beauty began, “Go placidly amidst the A benevolent deity — like noise and the haste, and a sweet old grandpa — has its remember what peace there comforts, but as our place in may be in silence.” history seems poised to take I’d like to think I discovus through some tricky twists ered it before it hit the AM and turns, we need a God that airwaves as a pop oddity, is more than an affirming bear but I’m not sure. I loved hug. Desiderata made some the tranquility — it spoke demands — pressing for paof kindness, integrity and a mission that I could wrap my tience with others and remembering the right of each to expre-teen arms around — and ist — but it was a vague ethic it remained a focal point without a why or wherefore. in my room for years (alAt a certain point, one needs a though its garish color never more compelling reason to act matched a thing). well, to hold fast. Upon leaving home for With unemployment riscollege, I found a more ing, businesses uncertain, perfect creed by joining the families increasingly chalCatholic Church — which lenged by hostile influences, allowed my late teen rebela fierce election cycle well lion to plant me squarely in underway and the Judeothe embrace of an ageless Christian foundations ditruth that was more than just minishing as an influence on kind, but rooted in divine the legislatures and courts, charity. it might be a good time to Recent events have called revisit our own creed and to mind that poster, called
The Feminine Genius
he was planning on traveling to Dighton and requested my permission to perform a family baptism. Sure. Come on down. You’re always welcome here. Then I received a letter from the Stigmatine Mission Office. They had this year been assigned to Dighton by Msgr. John Oliveira of the Fall River Diocesan Mission Cooperative Plan. Would I kindly welcome a priest from their province in Thailand? Sure. Come on down. You’re always welcome here. Then I got an email from China. It was from the professor of international law, the John Courtney Murray Chair, at Loyola University in Chicago. He was returning to the United
remind ourselves of why we hold to it. Do we believe that a natural law undergirds creation and is written on the human heart? Do we believe that God revealed his will over the centuries and ultimately visited his people? Do we believe that the law of love ought to give direction to all our actions and will be the measure of our lives? Before knowing God, I could look to the poster for direction and encouragement, as it spelled out, “Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings” — and I tried. But now the Lord is my shield, and he guides my footsteps, even should those dark imaginings turn to real valleys of death. I could have found a lot worse to guide me through the early years, but I have found much better since then. I can “keep peace in my soul” because Jesus was truth enfleshed, he sacrificed himself for me on Calvary, and is concretely found in holy Communion and every neighbor. Beyond simply being a “child of the universe,” each soul is his beloved treasure, and that should sustain anyone through the coming trials. Mrs. Kineke is the author of “The Authentic Catholic Woman” (Servant Books) and associate editor of woman.catholicexchange.com.
States from a lecture tour and intended to take a brief respite. Could he celebrate Sunday Mass at St. Nicholas Church? Sure, come on down. You’re always welcome here. Wouldn’t you know? They all showed up on the same day. I’ve come, therefore, to the conclusion that the summer destination of choice for priests is Dighton. Father Robert Araujo was born and raised in Dighton. He grew up to become a lawyer. He did a stint in the Navy. After military service, Bob went to work for the federal government in Washington. He then entered the private sector as a lawyer for some multinational oil company or other. I forget the name, but I remember that it’s just two initials. I think the first letter is “B.” Twelve years later, Bob entered the seminary for the Society of Jesus. He was ordained a Jesuit priest. He lectures worldwide on the subject of international law, and has often been consulted by the United Nations and the Vatican. My old friend Bob took the Sunday 8 a.m. Mass in Dighton. Father Araujo presided, but the homilist was Father Charles Dolan. Charlie was raised in East Boston. As a young man, he worked at the Chandler Couture Company in Boston and did a stint in the Navy during World War II. He entered the seminary of the Stigmatine Order when I was only three years old. Charlie has spent more than 50 years (and still counting) in Thailand. Charlie took the 4 p.m. Vigil Mass for me and stayed overnight at the rectory. Fortunately, Charlie is a dog person and didn’t mind the resident greyhounds. This left me with only the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. Father Resende showed up to concel-
ebrate. Walter was ordained for the Diocese of Angra, Azores, in 2003. He is a young man. On the day he was ordained, I had already been a priest for 31 years. Walter is a pastor of two parishes and a mission. Between parish Masses, weddings, funerals and the convent, he can celebrate up to eight Masses on a weekend. Deanery-wide, he oversees the religious formation of some 2,500 students. In his spare time, Walter plays the guitar and mandolin. He has several pet cats. Cats? Oh please. Well, I suppose nobody’s perfect. I could have seized the opportunity of having so many priests in Dighton and spent the weekend lounging on a tropical beach in Tahiti. On second thought, no. It was a weekend I wouldn’t have missed for the world. We Catholics (with an upper case “C”) are catholic (with a lower case “c”). Priests worldwide are brothers to each other. There are 408,024 of us at last count. Although only a small percentage of us have met personally, we share in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Father Araujo hurried off to his family. I invited him to come to my rectory later in the week. I promised to microwave supper for him and we could visit. I gave Father Resende my cell phone number so that we might get together while he was in town. In the rectory backyard, saying goodbye to Father Dolan, I was taken aback when this venerable holy man asked for my blessing. My blessing? I asked for his blessing in return. I’ve never before been blessed in Thai. Priesthood — it’s a beautiful thing. Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Nicholas of Myra Parish in North Dighton.
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Third annual Friends of the Poor Walk is September 25 in Fall River
seems like only yesterday — On August 15, the former Jesus Mary Academy Class of 1950 gathered for its 60th reunion at Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Fall River for a Mass celebrated by Msgr. Thomas Harrington. Following the Mass all enjoyed a delicious buffet at the home of Claire Melanson-Levesque. The attendees, some of whom came as far away as Colorado and New Hampshire are shown above. Front, from left: Marthe Picard-Ratcliffe, Pauline Goffinet-Ellis, Pauline Gamache-Milot, June Roberts, Jacqueline Champagne-Holden, Barbara Ferland-Flanagan, Claire Morissette, Jacqueline Durand-Romanowicz, Charleen Levasseur-Pappas, and Marcelle Jolivet-Gadbois. Back: Sister of the Presentation of Mary Cecile Gamache, Yvonne Rondeau-Berube, Jeannine Pelletier-Scanlon, Florence Rioux-Brodeur, Doris Bemier-Pineau, Religious of Jesus and Mary Sister Gertrude Lavoie, and Claire Melanson-Levesque. (Photo by Dave Jolivet)
FALL RIVER — The third annual Friends of the Poor Walk to help neighbors in need will take place September 25. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m, with the walk starting at 10 a.m. at Kennedy Park, on the corner of South Main Street at Bradford Avenue. For nearly two centuries, the poor and needy of the world have found a friend in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. This year, the Society will hold its third annual nationwide Friends of the Poor Walk to celebrate its years of service to the poor, and to encourage kindhearted Americans all across the country to become Friends of the Poor as well. Pledges made on behalf of registered walkers in the greater Fall River area will benefit those most in need in the local area. The Fall River District of the St. Vincent de Paul Society encourages all to participate in the walk locally — as walkers, pledgers, volunteers, or all three. To register as a walker, to pledge support for a walker, or for more information, go to www. svdpfriendsofthepoorwalk.org. To volunteer, call Lou Yokell at 508642-3440. Last year’s funds were used to support five area soup kitchens and 10 food pantries. The Society pro-
vided aid to individuals and families with help in meeting financial emergencies and also met an urgent need for mattresses and bedding for more than 75 clients. The Friends of the Poor Walk is a fun way for members of the community to become a friend of the poor, to get others to join in the spirit of giving, and to show the poor in our community that we really do care about them. All are encouraged to come out, walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, and become a friend of the poor. The largest lay Catholic charitable organization in the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded in 1833 by a French college student named Frederic Ozanam, so that he and his schoolmates could put their faith into action through service to the poor. Known and loved for its thrift stores and food pantries and the personal visits of its members to the homes of the poor, the Society today has more than 690,000 members operating in 142 countries. The Society’s U.S. members donated nearly eight million hours of their personal time in 2009, aiding more than 14 million of their neighbors in distress and offering services valued at nearly $573 million.
September 3, 2010
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Gulf Coast slowly rebuilds five years after Hurricane Katrina By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Five years after the devastating effects of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, rebuilding efforts are still very much a work in progress. Many, but not all, Gulf Coast residents have returned and although many homes and buildings have been rebuilt, more still needs to be done. Amid the ongoing recovery, many exasperated locals say they just want to move on, especially as the nation remembers the five-year anniversaries of Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast August 29, and Hurricane Rita, which made landfall in Texas and Louisiana September 24. Moving past the collective grief and frustration of Katrina is the impetus behind an ecumenical service at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Parish in Chalmette, La., August 28 dubbed “a funeral for Katrina.” The church is located in the largest city in St. Bernard’s Parish, a civil entity just east of New Orleans that was almost entirely flooded from the breached levees and has yet to completely recover. According to U.S. Census Bureau reports, the region is only half as populated as it was before the storm. New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond and other religious and community leaders directed the service where participants were invited to write their feelings on strips of paper and toss them into a casket. After the service, the casket was loaded into a horse-drawn vehicle and a high school jazz band led the funeral procession to the local cemetery to place the coffin in a newly-built Katrina memorial vault. A parish bulletin announcement of the event said: “It is time to move on with our lives and put Katrina to final rest. Many of us have already moved on, and the community is experiencing renewal and much growth.” A big part of moving on depends on the help people received and continue to get after the largest natural disaster in U.S. history. Catholic Charities USA outlined the broad extent of its outreach in a new report “Katrina & Rita: Five Years Later.” The report notes that the national organization raised $163 million for hurricane relief. Of these funds, $116 million went to Louisiana, $23 million to Mississippi and $13 million to Texas. Five other jurisdictions — Florida, District of Columbia, Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee — received more than $1 million for their assistance to evacuees. In the five years since Katrina, Catholic Charities New Orleans alone distributed $55 million in direct financial assistance to those in need, provided 335,000 nights of shelter, gutted and rebuilt 3,200 homes, distributed 250 million pounds of food and provided counseling for 900,000 people. Since Katrina, the organization has increased its efforts on preparing for future disasters. “Now we’ve got a plan for whatever comes our way,” said Carol Spruell, communications coordinator for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has told reporters that his office is similarly better prepared for a major disaster after being severely criticized five years ago for a perceived slow response. In the days before Katrina’s fifth anniversary, U.S. government officials announced more than $25 million in aid for newly-approved Gulf Coast rebuilding projects, which includes $11 million to the state of Louisiana to help rebuild the student center at Xavier University in New Orleans — the country’s only historically black Catholic university. Xavier University was virtually underwater after Katrina. When floodwaters subsided, they left behind layers of mildew and mold along with damaged books, furniture, carpeting and a buckled hardwood gym floor. The storm also destroyed buildings and ripped off roofs. Since then, the university has focused on getting back on track. This fall semester it opens a new wing at its College of Pharmacy and starts construction on a chapel in honor of the university’s founder, St. Katharine Drexel. It is also starting work on a new student center and other campus building renovations.
President Barack Obama spoke at the school August 29. Members of his Cabinet and other administration officials made several stops in New Orleans and at least one stop in Mississippi to mark the storm’s anniversary and emphasize recovery and restoration efforts. Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, planned similar visits to local Catholic Charities agencies. Sarah Comiskey McDonald, director of communications for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, told Catholic News Service that FEMA had given the archdiocese about $61.9 million by the end of 2009 for rebuilding, repairs and alternate projects. The archdiocese anticipates receiving another $108.1 million for ongoing repairs and upgrades. Although Mississippi has received less attention than New Orleans, the state’s coast was devastated when the hurricane hit and some areas are still struggling to recover. In the Diocese of Biloxi, schools and churches damaged from wind and severe flooding are slowly being repaired. In some cases destroyed or damaged schools have merged and some churches will not be rebuilt. When Katrina hit Mississippi, the sign outside Our Lady of the Gulf Church in Bay St. Louis read: “Sometimes, you have to lose everything in order to do anything.” The irony of the message is not lost on the pastor, Father Michael Tracey. In the August 20 edition of the Gulf Pine Catholic, diocesan newspaper of Biloxi, the priest said
the electronic parish sign will reflect the same message this August 29. “This time,” he said, “rather than being providential or prophetic, it may be a sign of realistic hope, lessons learned and providential care.”
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September 3, 2010
Susan Boyle’s chance to sing for pope is ‘greatest dream come true’ Glasgow, United Kingdom (CNA/EWTN News) — Susan Boyle said in an interview that she is “honored and humbled” for the invitation to sing for the pope in her homeland of Scotland next month. The performances she will make during the pope’s visit are “her greatest dream come true.” Boyle entered the world music scene in 2009 when she appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent,” a program in which contestants vie for the opportunity to perform for members of the British Monarchy. She blew the judges away with her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables” and, although she didn’t win the contest, she became world-famous. Her album, fittingly called “I Dreamed a Dream,” was the world’s bestselling album of 2009. In a television interview with the Scottish bishops’ communications office which aired last week, she revealed that she will be singing the song that made her internationally famous, as well as “How Great Thou Art,” before the pope’s Mass at Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park on September 16. Then, after joining an 800-mem-
ber choir to sing the hymns at Mass, she will send Pope Benedict XVI off to the airport with a farewell song. “To be able to sing for the pope is a great honor and something I’ve always dreamed of,” she said, adding, “it’s indescribable.” “I think the 16th of September will stand out in my memory as something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to sing for his Holiness and I can’t really put into words my happiness, that this wish has come true at last.” Boyle, who prays the rosary daily, explained that her faith is the “backbone” of her life. Of singing at Bellahouston Park, she said, “I am humbled and honored by this invitation and I hope I can do my best.” An estimated 100,000 people will be in attendance for the occasion. The president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, was “delighted” at Boyle’s inclusion in the program. “I think it is wonderful that she will have this once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said, “and as her bishop I am hugely proud of her.”
diamond in the rough — Susan Boyle belts out a song on the British hit TV show “Britain’s Got Talent.” Boyle’s singing received jaw-dropping reaction from the show’s judges and the audience. (CNS photo/courtesy of ITV)
exorcise time — Ashley Bell, front, Patrick Fabian, left, Louis Herthum and Caleb Landry Jones star in a scene from the movie “The Last Exorcism.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Lionsgate)
CNS Movie Capsules NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by Catholic News Service. “The Last Exorcism” (Lionsgate) Middling fright fest about an evangelical minister and selfconfessed charlatan (Patrick Fabian) who brings a film crew (led by Iris Bahr) along to document his final faked exorcism. But he gets more than he bargained for when the Louisiana farm girl (Ashley Bell) whose father (Louis Herthum) summoned him shows signs of genuine possession. While the gore factor is kept comparatively low in director Daniel Stamm’s gothic outing — which toys cleverly with the modern presumption that all phenomena can be explained scientifically — the preacher’s corrosive cynicism and the occult atmosphere by which he unexpectedly finds himself surrounded make this inappropriate for all but well-grounded and judicious adult viewers. Complex treatment of religion, sacrilegious activity, some gruesome images, at least two uses of profanity, brief sexual talk, and references to incest and homosexuality. The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — par-
ents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. “Piranha 3D” (Dimension) In this schlocky horror flick, ultra-decadent spring-break festivities on an Arizona lake turn deadly after seismic activity unleashes prehistoric fish with an appetite for slatternly coeds and the otherwise ethically challenged. The local sheriff (Elisabeth Shue) must try to save her teenage son (Steven R. McQueen) and his two younger siblings (Sage Ryan and Brooklynn Proulx). The predatory fish have nothing on director Alexandre Aja’s voyeuristic camera, which takes as much prurient delight in watching gyrating bodies in
party mode as it does in showing them get shredded and dismembered. Intense graphic violence, including a decapitation, numerous severed torsos, and other mutilated and dismembered bodies and body parts; full frontal female nudity; much groping and kissing, some of it same-sex; frequent profane, rough and crude language; repeated scenes of underage drinking; and an instance of drug use. The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, September 5 at 11:00 a.m. Celebrant is Msgr. Gerard P. O’Connor, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Acushnet
Diocesan schools ready for new year continued from page one
tivities.” In a time when secular schools are slashing activities, this is indeed good news. This week saw the opening of the new All Saints Catholic Elementary School in New Bedford. Classes will be held in the former St. Mary’s School on Illinois Street in the Whaling City. The new learning institution succeeds two Catholic elementary schools that were situated slightly more than one mile apart in the city’s north end — St. Joseph-St. Therese and St. Mary’s schools. At the helm of All Saints Catholic School is Principal Sherri Swainamer. “Enrollment has been very good to date,” said Milot referring to the new school. “As of now we have 272 children enrolled in grades kindergarten through eight.” Across the bridges in Hyannis, Pope John Paul II High School will celebrate a landmark year with the school’s very first graduating class. “We started out with 30 students that first session four years ago, and this year’s freshman class is twice the size of that first year,” said Milot. “With the addition of a very full sports and extracurricular schedule, people on Cape Cod are realizing that JPII is a great place to send their children.” At Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth, plans to gut and remodel the former Family Life Center attached to the school will provide state-of-the art learning facilities, as well as to expand the school’s physical area. “There’s no question the improvements at Stang will help an already healthy enrollment,” added Milot. Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro is at or near capacity, and there has been a very optimistic resurgence at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River. “All in all, we’re faring better than other New England dioceses,” said Milot. In addition to Swainamer at All Saints Catholic School, other new administrators include: E. Christopher Myron, principal of Bishop Connolly; Alan Svendsen, assistant principal of Student Life at Bishop Feehan; Peter Shaughnessy, principal, and Kathleen Ruginis, assistant principal of Academics at Bishop Stang; Robert Gay, principal, and Kathleen St. Laurent, assistant principal of Academics at Coyle and Cassidy; and Corinne Merritt, principal at Taunton Catholic Middle School. Academically, Milot said, “All of our schools are right in line with Massachusetts state standards as well as the na-
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September 3, 2010
tional standards. And as far as Faith Formation is concerned, we will have diocesan-wide professional days and we’ll be working with the diocesan Faith Formation Office. We will discuss the roots of our faith with a ‘Foundations of Faith’ course to ensure that all teachers are on the same page.” Dr. Donna Boyle, assistant superintendant for Curriculum, told The Anchor that she is delighted that all diocesan schools are in full compliance with guidelines established by the Unites States Council of Catholic Bishops. In 2007 the USCCB approved the document, “Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework for the Development of Catechetical Materials for Young People of High School Age.” “Schools in the Diocese of Fall River have been in full compliance with these guidelines since their inception,” said Boyle. “In fact, each year we’ve improved and enhanced our programs. “In our high school Religious Education programs, we ensure the students not only know what the Church teaches, but also why.” The core curriculum of the USCCB includes: The Revelation of Jesus in Scripture; Who is Jesus Christ?; The Mission of Jesus Christ; Jesus’ Mission Continues in the Church; Sacraments as Privileged Encounters with Christ; and Life in Jesus Christ. One of the key elements in the bishops’ curriculum is bioethics and two years ago the diocese sent Kathy St. Laurent, then the science department chairman at Coyle and Cassidy, to a bioethics certification program led by Fall River diocesan priest, Father Tad Pacholczyk through the National Catholic Bioethics Center. “Since then, each of the five high schools has at least one person certified in bioethics,” said Boyle. “This will be our first year with a certified individual in each school.” Boyle also mentioned that the diocese is sending at least one teacher to The Certificate Program in Catholic Social Teaching presented by The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. “Our goal is to have that person or persons come back and train others in the high schools as well,” said Boyle. “The whole purpose of Catholic education is evangelization and lifelong education of its members,” added Boyle. “As we grow, we need to be continually educated in the faith to follow his will. God left us his Church. The Church teachings are our GPS in life.”
Area parents to be alerted to possible changes to Mass. sex-ed legislation By Dave Jolivet, Editor FALL RIVER — Pope John Paul II perhaps saw the handwriting on the wall when he said, “The right of parents to choose an education in conformity with their religious faith must be absolutely guaranteed.” In what appears to be an increasingly typical move by Massachusetts’ legislators, those rights are in serious jeopardy. The Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a series of curriculum frameworks for use in public school districts. Included in these frameworks are: How to get an abortion without parental knowledge (grades nine-12); How to get contraceptives (by the end of grade eight); “Behaviors” for pregnancy prevention (by the end of grade eight); and acceptance of premarital sex (by the end of grade 12). Currently in the Commonwealth, according to Mass. General Law Chapter 71, Section 32a, “Parents have a right to review all sex education materials and opt their children out of ‘sex education.’” Recent legislative attempts have been made in the Commonwealth to make the frameworks a core curriculum subject, making implementation mandatory in all school districts (H 3434, 2009). “Should the new legislation pass, parents of children in Massachusetts public schools will not have the option to opt their child out,” said Claire McManus, director of the diocesan Faith Formation Office. “Parents have a right to know what their children are being taught in school.” To keep parents informed and aware, the Massachusetts bishops along with MCC and Mass.
Citizens for Life, have prepared a brochure that will be sent to parents of all children in diocesan Religious Education programs, in every grade, and to parents of all children in diocesan schools. In a letter to parents, Bishop George W. Coleman says the bishops “have agreed to distribute a brochure,” that will “help you to be aware of the controversial areas of the health curriculum.” He also says, “With respect to the controversial topic of sexuality education, we maintain it is parents who have the crucial and irreplaceable role in their children’s moral development generally and in particular in the delicate area of human sexuality.” “We are sending these brochures to get the word out, and to give parents information on how to contact their legislators to prevent
this legislation,” said McManus. The brochure explains, “As public schools assume more responsibility for sexuality education, they must exercise care that they neither take over the rightful role of parents, nor contradict parents’ religious values.” Bishop Coleman assures parents, “The health curriculum will not be implemented in our Catholic schools or Religious Education programs.” Parents are urged to review the frameworks at www.doe.mass.edu/ frameworks/health/1999/1099.doc and view the pages on “Reproduction/Sexuality on pages 31-32. There are also reports that there are several pending bills with different wording that could enact this legislation. For more information, visit MCC at www.mcccathconf.org.
The Catholic Response
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German bishops OK new guidelines for handling sex abuse claims By Jonathan Luxmoore Catholic News Service OXFORD, England — Germany’s Catholic bishops have approved new guidelines for handling claims of sex abuse by Church personnel to facilitate cooperation with law enforcement bodies. The guidelines, in preparation since February, were approved by the bishops’ permanent council at a meeting in Wurzburg. A statement from the German bishops’ conference said Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier, who was appointed in February as the church’s point-man for abuse claims, were to present the guidelines at a news conference August 31. The new guidelines will replace 2002 guidelines and are expected to be expanded to include all Church personnel, not just clergy. In an August 26 telephone interview with Catholic News Service, Ludwig Ring-Eifel, editor-in-chief of the German Catholic news agency KNA, said the likely extension of the guidelines to teachers at Catholic schools and other lay Church employees would help “bring greater security” to children in Church institutions. “They may well help the emergence of a more positive image of the Church,” he said. “But it will take at least five years to repair the damage done by recent scandals, during which time the media could dig up new abuse cases.” Since January, when abuse claims were made against staff at a Jesuit-run college in Berlin, many German dioceses and religious orders have faced accusations of abuse by priests.
In February, the bishops’ conference opened a hotline offering advice, therapy and contacts for victims. In May, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Walter Mixa of Augsburg after claims he beat children at a Church-run orphanage before he was a bishop. In June, a German prosecutor said he was investigating accusations against the president of the German bishops’ conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Frieburg. The accuser said the prelate had been an accessory to the abuse of children in the 1960s and had allowed an abusive priest to return to his diocese in 1987. The archdiocese rejected the allegations, accusing the media of sensationalism. “Public interest in this issue has fallen sharply, so the Church will get fewer headlines about the new guidelines than it did for past abuse cases,” said Ring-Eifel. The number of Catholics leaving the German Church by giving up paying the traditional church tax doubled in the first six months of 2010, according to Church data, with the highest departures reported in western and southern parts of the country. “But there are signs Church membership is not dropping as sharply as it did a few months ago, and that Mass attendance has even increased in some areas, with many Catholics wanting to know what their priests and bishops think about the situation,” said Ring-Eifel. “As more abuse cases come to light outside the Church, furthermore, people seem to be forming a more balanced judgment and not just seeing this as a Church problem.”
Our Lady’s Monthly Message From Medjugorje August 25, 2010 Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina
“Dear children! With great joy, also today, I desire to call you anew: pray, pray, pray. May this time be a time of personal prayer for you. During the day, find a place where you will pray joyfully in a recollected way. “Thank you for having responded to my call.” Spiritual Life Center of Marian Community One Marian Way Medway, MA 02053 • Tel. 508-533-5377 Paid advertisement
September 3, 2010
Book examines stories behind secular news reporting on abuse crisis WASHINGTON (CNS) — Greg Erlandson decided to write a book on the clergy sex abuse crisis because the secular media kept raising questions about Pope Benedict XVI’s handling of cases in their coverage of a new wave of clergy sex abuse in dioceses around the world. For him, there was a “genuine curiosity about what’s going on. ... It wasn’t just a bishop in this diocese or a bishop in that diocese, but now it was about the pope and his credibility,” said Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Co. in Huntington, Ind. “As I dug into it, I felt there was a big chunk of the story that wasn’t being reported and part of it was not getting the perspective” it deserved, he said. Erlandson and Matthew Bunson co-wrote “Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal,” published by Our Sunday Visitor. The authors review the pope’s work as a priest and theologian, his years heading the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, and the “pivotal and personal role” he has played in the Church’s response to the abuse scandal. They highlight the cases of some of the most notorious U.S. priest-abusers and cover the international scope of the scandal. They report on the pope’s efforts “to help, heal and reconcile with those who have been hurt” through concrete measures, including his private meetings with victims, and spiritual ones, such as prayer and penance. When a series of reports in The New York Times and other media criticized the pope for
alleged inaction on sex abuse cases, Vatican authorities emphasized that it was the pope who, as Cardinal Ratzinger, pushed for harsher measures against abusers and made it easier for the Church to defrock them. News reports on Germany’s unfolding abuse crisis implied that the pope, when he was archbishop of Munich, had allowed an abusing priest to be reassigned to ministry. Then-Archbishop Ratzinger allowed the priest, from a neighboring diocese, to come to Munich for treatment. But another church official reassigned him without the future pope’s knowledge, archdiocesan and Vatican officials confirmed. For Erlandson, the tipping point was media coverage that wrongly tried to link Pope Benedict to the mishandling of the case of a Wisconsin priest-abuser who victimized scores of deaf students in his care decades ago. He wanted to know the truth about the case, and as he got deeper into the story, he saw that “it isn’t that the journalists are all wrong, it isn’t that they have made up the story out of whole cloth, but they were not giving the full context,” he said. “When we’re reading the stories from earlier this year, it’s easy to think that nothing had changed” in how the Church deals with abuse, he said. The Milwaukee case, involving abuse perpetrated from the ’50s to the ’70s, “was getting front-page treatment and was linked to Benedict,” he added. The pope was accused of refusing to laicize the Milwaukee priest, but Vatican officials said by the time they became aware of the case, the priest was elderly and sick. He died before a Church
This week in
trial could be carried out. “You lose a sense of perspective and attribute to the current Church what was in the past,” he continued. “Just under a third of all bishops in Dallas have retired or moved on — there’s enormous changeover that has taken place. ... Anger directed at the bishops, while completely understandable, is tarnishing the current bishops who have learned a lot from their mistakes.” In Dallas in 2002, the bishops adopted the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” and its mandates for an annual audit and survey and also adopted the “Essential Norms” to assure that all dioceses adhere to the charter. As a result, Erlandson said, 96 percent of all students in Catholic schools have gone through a child safety program, church workers are being vetted and new standards are in place for accepting seminarians. “The church’s zero-tolerance policy is in force in ways not obvious in a lot of other institutions,” he said. But ongoing efforts by the Catholic Church to address clergy sex abuse are “getting very little play” in the secular media, he said. “The really grave damage being done is that in the popular imagination the Catholic Church is synonymous with pedophilia; to lazy journalists that’s a stereotype — the repercussions are far-reaching and long-range,” Erlandson said. He and Bunson have “tried to be fair and complete” about the clergy abuse crisis in their book, he said, but defending the Church’s progress in addressing the scandal “is not a popular opinion.”
Diocesan history
50 years ago — Nearly 500 students entered the doors of the new Mount St. Mary’s Academy in Fall River. Staffed by the Sisters of Mercy, the newly-expanded location included a larger cafeteria, bigger classrooms, and a 700-person capacity auditorium.
10 years ago — St. Louis de France Parish in Swansea celebrated its patronal feast by blessing three new shrines — the Memorial Tree Prayer Corner, the Children’s Prayer Room, and the newly-constructed outdoor ProLife Roadside Cross Shrine.
25 years ago — Father James Ferry, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in New Bedford, participated in a pilot program at the Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon. The program was sponsored by the Portuguese Cultural Foundation of Providence, R.I.
One year ago — Japanese priests of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary celebrated Masses to mark the 60th anniversary of the congregation’s province in Japan. The congregation was first invited to minister in the Fall River Diocese by Bishop William Stang and maintains a house in Fairhaven to this day.
September 3, 2010
Virginia couple works to bring people’s vocations dreams to fruition B y Adeshina Emmanuel C atholic News Service WASHINGTON, D.C. — People who choose to enter the religious life often say God called them to their vocation. But student debt sometimes stops them from answering the call. Religious orders are reluctant to accept candidates who have substantial debt. That means many people are faced with the possibility that their dreams might be put on hold. Corey Huber and his wife, Katherine, operate the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations, a public charity based in northern Virginia that helps aspiring religious faced with deferring their dreams in the face of debt. Originally established as a private foundation after Corey Huber retired from America Online, where he had worked as a programmer, the fund issued more than 30 grants between 2004 and 2006. In August 2006, the Hubers morphed the fund into a public charity to increase its granting capacity. Currently, the fund has 62 active grants at an annual cost of about $120,500. But the Hubers said more donations are needed to make more vocation dreams come true. “People really need to back off from all the ‘gee, what a stupid thing to do’ and ‘maybe you shouldn’t have done that,’” Huber said about some people’s views about grant ap-
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The Anchor
plicants who have accumulated huge debt. “We shouldn’t view it as something to complain about; we should view it as, ‘This is a way we can help God get this person into religious life.’” In 2008, one grant recipient, Brother Robert Brajkovich, made his first vows with the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius in Chicago. But before making those vows, he had to address $60,000 in student debt accumulated from undergraduate and graduate study at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. The prospects of delaying his dream for several years was daunting, especially in a “culture that is so torn by materialism and unwavering doubt,” Brother Brajkovich said. “It seems like it couldn’t help but to tear an individual, perhaps from pursuing, persevering and entering religious life.” Sister Brigid Ancilla was swimming in $35,000 of student debt in 2006 when she decided to join the Sisters of Life in New York. She was told she couldn’t enter a life of poverty while saddled with debt. Reducing the debt might have taken years, and like Brother Brajkovich, she feared the delay could be costly. “I don’t know where I would have gone, but I suspect it’s possible I wouldn’t have entered anywhere. It would have taken me years to (pay off my debt),” she said. “We live in a
world that hardly recognizes the religious sphere so it’s very easy to be worn down.” “We live in a world of great distraction,” said Dominican Father Andrew-Carl Wisdom, director of the Society of Vocational Support for his order’s Chicago-based Province of St. Albert the Great. He said he has to turn away 40 percent to 50 percent of applicants who express interest in the order because of debt. He describes giving the bad news as “a sobering moment.” “What you don’t want to happen is for that to grind them down so that they lose the zeal to take (a vocation) on,” said Father Wisdom, who estimated that as many as 20 percent of applicants who are turned away because of debt give up on religious life completely. Huber said that when he tells someone about this problem, “they go — ‘oh, yeah. That’d be a real problem.’” “But they wouldn’t have ever thought of that on their own,” he said. “That’s the case with almost everybody we’ve encountered; you have to bring the problem to their attention.” To be eligible for a grant, applicants must be discerning or have already discerned that God has called them to a consecrated life of service to him and to the Church. The institute they want to serve must also have a policy preventing
individuals with student debt from completing their formation. Secular and lay institutes are not covered by the grant program. The Hubers said they are working hard to raise the funds to sustain their efforts and help more people. “The best-case scenario is that we can help everyone who comes to us,” said Katherine Huber. “That would be
the very best thing that could possibly happen — not to have to say no anymore.” “Our current immediate goal is to get more donors,” Corey Huber said. “With more donors, we can give more grants.” More detailed grant eligibility criteria, donor information and other information about the fund is available at http://fundforvocations.org.
‘The Ultimate Pilgrimage’ The Holy Land Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus March 28 - April 6, 2011
Spiritual Director: Rev. Craig A. Pregana $2,879* p/p from Boston call All Star Travel: 508-245-4783 or for brochure: www.allstartours.com
2010 Diocesan Catholic Directory begins shipping FALL RIVER — The new and updated 2010-2011 Catholic Directory for the Diocese of Fall River has arrived from the printer and will be shipping this week. This annual information resource, published by The Anchor under the auspices of the Anchor Publishing Company, has gone through some changes in recent years that have made it a hot item, resulting in the first-ever sell-out of the entire press run last year. As a result, additional copies were added to the initial printing of this year’s 164-page edition in the hope of meeting the increased demand. The colorful cover of the 2010-2011 directory features a striking stained-glass image of
Jesus at the wedding at Cana taken from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in New Bedford. “I’m very pleased with the finished product this year,” said Kenneth J. Souza, staff reporter for The Anchor and coordinator of the directory for the past three years. “A lot of time and effort go into making sure each edition of the directory is as up-to-date as possible.” Those who have already preordered the directory should expect to receive it shortly, while others are urged to place their orders as soon as possible to avoid missing out. Once all existing orders are shipped, the remaining copies will be sold on a firstcome, first-served basis. To order the newly-revised
2010-2011 Catholic Directory for the Diocese of Fall River, send a check or money order for $18 per copy (shipping and handling included) made payable to “Anchor Publishing” to: The Anchor Publishing Company, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, Mass. 02722. You can also order the directory online using a major credit or debit card at www.anchornews. org. Limited copies of the directory will also be available to purchase at the following locations: La Salette Shrine Gift Shop in Attleboro; Sullivan’s Catholic Store in Hyannis; Tally’s Church Supplies and Religious Gifts in Cranston, R.I.; and Stella Maris Catholic Store in Smithfield and Wakefield, R.I.
Rev. Msgr. John J. Oliveira, V.E. 106 Illinois St., New Bedford, MA 02745 ANCH. 09/03/10
Youth Pages
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September 3, 2010
Connecticut kicks-off first Catholic Music Festival Celebrate Catholic music in New England Moodus, Conn. — The first New England Regional Catholic Music Festival, featuring more than 10 groups and entertainers from throughout the area, will be held September 17-19 at My Father’s House Retreat Center. Performers include: recording artist John Polce from Rhode Island; Catholic Rap artist Oscar Rivera from Connecticut; eXAUDIO, a Christian rock band from Connecticut; Grammy-nomi-
nated singer-songwriter Marty Rotella from New Jersey; Voces de los Andres, a Hispanic Christian music group from Rhode Island; Mark J.K. Matteiss and his band from New Jersey; and Connecticut Catholic music artists Christina La Rosa, Cheryl Rozint, and Alex Kubic. “It’s exciting to bring the first Catholic Music Festival to Connecticut and host performers from throughout New England,” said Keith Lombardo, organizer for the
festival that is sponsored by The Catholic Dinner Club. “We are expecting a tremendous response from people of all faiths and ages who are welcome to join us for this ground-breaking festival of Catholic music in New England.” The weekend includes music, prayer, reconciliation, Mass, food, religious crafters and raffles. The festival benefits My Father’s House Retreat Center and The Catholic Dinner Club.
The festival begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday evening with Mass and eucharistic adoration. On Saturday, the music starts at 10 a.m. and concludes with Mass at 4 p.m., with the festival continuing with dinner, eucharistic adoration and confession, followed by live music and refreshments. There is no charge for the Saturday night events. On Sunday, the music starts at 10 a.m. with the festival concluding with a 4 p.m. Mass. Overnight accommodations
are available at My Father’s House Retreat Center. For tickets and information visit www.myfathershouse.com, or cal1 860-873-1581. My Father’s House, a frequent advertiser in The Anchor, is a Catholic retreat center located on 65 acres near the Connecticut River in Moodus. The Catholic Dinner Club hosts events for young Catholic adults in Connecticut. For more information on the festival call 860-7473513.
ready for next year — The Annual Vacation Bible School at St. John the Evangelist in Pocasset was a great hit with kids and parents. A team of 20 teen-agers and adults worked with 46 youth from ages four to 10, presenting Bible stories, skits, crafts, games, and music. A closing program featured music by all the youth. Everyone is ready to sign up for next year. Youth Minister Marilyn Lariviere coordinated the event.
A
s you head back to school, and for those of you who have already begun classes, I’d like to share a true story with you about how you can make a difference in someone’s life, and your own, just by being you. Many years ago an elementary teacher named Mrs. Thompson stood in front of her fifth-grade class on the first day of school and told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn’t play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he always needed a bath. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a red pen, making bold X’s and then putting a big “F” at the top of his papers. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s past records and she put Teddy’s off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she
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Youth Pages
September 3, 2010
You can make a difference
was in for a surprise. Teddy’s the other presents. Some of the first-grade teacher wrote, “Ted- children started to laugh when dy is a bright child with a ready she found a rhinestone bracelet laugh. He does his work neatly with some of the stones missand has good manners. He is a ing, and a bottle that was onejoy to be around.” His secondquarter full of perfume. But she grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is stifled the children’s laughter an excellent student, well-liked when she exclaimed how pretty by his classmates, but he is the bracelet was, putting it on, troubled because his mother and dabbing some of the perhas a terminal illness and life fume on her wrist. at home must be a struggle.” Teddy Stoddard stayed His third-grade teacher wrote, “His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn’t show much interest and his home life will soon affect him By Ozzie Pacheco if steps aren’t taken.” Teddy’s fourth-grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show after school that day just long much interest in school. He enough to say, “Mrs. Thompdoesn’t have many friends.” son, today you smelled just like By now, Mrs. Thompson remy mom used to.” On that very alized the problem and she was day, she quit teaching reading, ashamed of herself. She felt and writing, and arithmetic. even worse when her students Instead, she began to teach brought her Christmas presents, children. Mrs. Thompson paid wrapped in beautiful ribbons particular attention to Teddy. As and bright paper, except for she worked with him, his mind Teddy’s. His present was clum- seemed to come alive. The sily wrapped in heavy, brown more she encouraged him, the paper that he got from a grofaster he responded. By the end cery bag. Mrs. Thompson took of the year, Teddy had become pains to open it in the middle of one of the smartest children in
Be Not Afraid
the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one her “teacher’s pets.” A year later, she found a note under her door from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his life. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he’d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his life. Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer — the letter was signed, Theodore
F. Stoddard, M.D. The story doesn’t end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he’d met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.” Mrs. Thompson whispered back, saying, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.” Ozzie Pacheco is Faith Formation director at Santo Christo Parish, Fall River.
Love for Mass, altar service animates 11-year-old Louisianan
By Beth Donze Catholic News Service
NEW ORLEANS — Dressed in red priest’s vestments, Ben de Boisblanc went through a preflight checklist for the Mass he was about to act out in his living room. “I got the candles, the cross and the bread,” shouted Ben, 11, before launching into a verbatim recitation of the entire Liturgy of the Eucharist behind a tiny, cloth-covered altar. The amazing reenactment, performed from memory, covered the preparation of the gifts, the lengthy eucharistic prayer and the consecration. After distributing Communion and wiping down his miniature chalice and paten, “Father Ben” dismissed his congregation with a final blessing — in Latin. Acquainted with Ben’s inhome celebrations for years, parents Charles and Susan de Boisblanc are thrilled that their son is now sharing his love for the church with others — as an altar server at St. Louis King of France Parish in Metairie, alongside older brothers Charles Jr., 15, and Joshua, 13. “When I first saw Ben serve, I think I cried through most of the Mass,” said Susan de Bois-
blanc, laughing that the only time her three altar servers clash is when they can’t decide who gets to ring the bells during the consecration. The family also includes a fourth son, nine-yearold John Paul. “Our kids have really been immersed in their faith. They’ve been at Mass every week of their lives since they were born,” de Boisblanc said. “At our house and my parents’ house, it’s just always been a part of our lives.” Ben, who was born with Kabuki syndrome — a rare congenital disorder that affects learning, speech and motor skills — has let nothing stand in the way of his dream of becoming an altar server. He got his wish last April at a Friday morning school Mass at St. Louis King of France. Ben, who had the day off from St. Michael Special School and was seated in the pews with his grandparents, was itching to assist in the lead-up to the liturgy, recalled Ben’s grandmother, Pat Martinez. “As soon as he saw Deacon Marty, Ben said, ‘I’m gonna go help set up.’ I said, ‘Ask (permission) first,’” said Martinez, who soon saw Ben placing the ciborium — the covered container that stores the consecrated hosts
— in its correct pre-Mass position on the sanctuary table. “Next thing I knew, Deacon Marty came to me and said, ‘We’re going to let Ben carry the cross,’” Martinez said. Expecting Ben to return to the pews after the procession, Martinez was thrilled to see Ben serve the entire Mass at the invitation of celebrant Father Bernie Terrebonne, pastor of St. Louis King of France. Ben has served Sunday Mass with his brothers ever since, usually the one celebrated at 9 a.m. “I like pouring the water on Father Bernie’s fingers before the gifts,” said Ben, naming his favorite altar duty. His most challenging task? Keeping the weighty processional cross steady for the long walks up and down the main aisle. Honing Ben’s remarkable memorization of the liturgy are EWTN’s weekday morning broadcasts of the Mass. On Sundays, Ben flips back and forth between the EWTN Mass and WLAE’s telecast of the Mass at St. Louis Cathedral, “because they both come on at 11,” said Susan de Boisblanc. “Periodically he’ll say, ‘Mom, how do you spell Benediction?’ Or we’ll pull up different Mass-
es on You Tube,” said de Boisblanc, a moral theology teacher at Jesuit High. “He’s just drawn to it. He probably knows more theology than some of the kids I teach.” On off days from St. Michael, Ben is an honorary student at St. Louis King of France, serving school Masses and visiting the office of Pamela Schott, school principal. “(Charles Jr. and Joshua) really take care of Ben when they’re on the altar — it’s a true sibling love,” Schott said. “They’ll have their hand on Ben’s shoulder to make sure he knows what to
do. They’re constantly watching Ben to make sure he doesn’t get in trouble, or fall, or get hurt.” Last September the school family prayed daily for Ben when his swine flu turned into pneumonia. Ben, who was placed in a medically-induced coma and spent two weeks at Children’s Hospital, almost didn’t make it. “When he was feeling a little bit better, Ben came to our school Mass one Friday and we presented him with our student of the month award,” Schott said. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the church.”
The Anchor is always pleased to run news and photos about our diocesan youth. If schools, parish Religious Education programs, or Vacation Bible Schools have newsworthy stories and photos they would like to share with our readers, send them to: schools@anchornews.org
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The Anchor
September 3, 2010
Abortionist goes on trial for manslaughter continued from page one
on the Cape closed. At the time of Osathanond’s indictment, 10 months after Laura’s death, Cape & Island’s District Attorney Michael O’Keefe said the abortionists actions were “willful, wanton and reckless.” A grand jury found that Osathanond tried to cover up the fact that he and his staff were uncertified in CPR. Eileen Smith has filed a separate wrongful death civil suit for unspecified punitive damages for gross negligence. No trial date has been set. A conviction in the criminal trial would be “justice for Laura,” she said. “I would like to see him go to jail,” she added. “I think it makes a loud statement about the kind of medicine he practiced. I’d like to say it’s rare, but I know from experience since Smith’s death, it’s more common than not.” Bea Martins, Catholic Citizenship’s representative from the Diocese of Fall River, said those who advocate for abortion talk about wanting to protect women but fight regulations tooth and nail.
“We have a lack of standards to ensure that there are appropriate safeguards,” she said. “It’s very sad that without these safeguards in place, a woman could lose her life.” Martins said she hopes Laura’s story will lead to the passage of the Women’s Right to Know bill, nicknamed Laura’s law, so that some good can come out of this “very sad situation.” Mark Crutcher, head of Life Dynamics, a Texas group whose motto is “Pro-Life: without compromise, without exception, without apology,” said it is “impossible” to know how many times this sad situation plays out in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control keep statistics, with an entire division dedicated to abortion surveillance, but those numbers are woefully inaccurate. In one year alone, his staff of three found 16 deaths as a result of abortion while the CDC found only two. “How could we find eight times as many with our tiny little resources, and no one is required
to report to us?” he asked. “We were finding exponentially more deaths than the CDC was listing. What’s going on at the CDC is a crime.” The CDC performs “hijinks” to make sure that abortions are not counted. In one case, Life Dynamics had an autopsy that found a Florida woman’s death was abortion-related. In that case, the abortionist had let his medical license lapse. The CDC ruled that he was not a licensed physician when he performed the abortion, making the procedure illegal. And since there is no category for illegal abortion, her death was counted as “complications of maternity.” Eileen Smith spoke with The Anchor at length about her daughter. Born in Honduras, Laura was given up for adoption to a couple in the United States. The adoption failed, and Eileen, who had provided foster care for teen-agers, was called. “I couldn’t stand the thought that someone was just disposing of a child,” she said. The fourand-a-half-year-old girl adjusted
well to her new home and was very grateful to any kindness shown to her. “We thought we were rescuing Laura, but Laura brought so much more to our family,” Eileen said. Laura grew up, graduated from Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School and worked as a hairdresser. When her family relocated to New Jersey, she chose to live with her aunt on the Cape. When her fiancé, whom she knew from high school, left with the military for Iraq, she spent the summer of 2007 with her parents. Five days after they dropped her off in Sandwich, Eileen received a hysterical phone call from the friend who had taken Laura to the abortion clinic. Looking back, Eileen sees that she saw clues that her daughter could have been pregnant, but at the time she was not able to connect the dots. “I noticed that she had put a little weight on, but I thought it was my home cooking. It wasn’t even on my radar screen that
she could possibly be pregnant,” she said. She thought raising her children in a Christ-centered home would mean that abortion would never be an option. She sees now that she was wrong. “Before Laura died, I didn’t even know we were Pro-Life. I didn’t think you could do anything,” she said. “Now I realize that it was people like me that keep abortion legal.” “The expression that evil abounds when good people do nothing pretty much says it all,” she added. Now, Eileen travels all over the country, speaking at pregnancy care center banquets, churches, schools and women’s groups — telling everyone Laura’s story. She receives calls from pregnancy center employees who tell her that Laura’s story convinced another woman not to have an abortion. Sometimes she gets pictures of the babies. “That’s a blessing,” she said. “God has brought some beauty from the ashes of her death.”
Petrie said. “There have been celebrations everywhere — it’s almost like a worldwide acknowledgement. I think it’s because of the simplicity of Mother Teresa’s work and the work that her Sisters are continuing to this day.” Father Petrie said in reflecting on the 100th anniversary of his friend’s birth, he was reminded of the passage from the Gospel of St. Mark: “You aren’t thinking the way God thinks” (Mk. 8:33). “Mother Teresa thought the way God thought,” he said. “To me, it wasn’t the natural perception of things, it was always the supernatural. I believe that was
one of those qualities that will make her a saint.” Father Marek Chmurski, pastor of St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, said in his closing remarks that although Blessed Mother Teresa only spent a brief time with her fellow nuns and the people of New Bedford back in 1995, “we still like to think of her as one of our parishioners.” “Her spirit and good work continues to live on here in New Bedford through her Sisters,” he added. After Mass, the celebration continued in the auditorium of Holy Family-Holy Name School with two large birthday cakes bearing candles that were blown out by Bishop Coleman with assistance from the Missionary Sisters of Charity. While those present enjoyed cake and refreshments, the film “Mother Teresa: The Legacy” was screened. Because Blessed Mother Teresa’s September 5 feast day falls this year on a Sunday, a Mass commemorating her feast day — the day of her death — will be held tomorrow at 10 a.m. at St. Lawrence Martyr Church to mark the occasion. As Blessed Mother Teresa’s centennial year commences, it’s clear that even now — 100 years after her birth, 60 years after she founded the Missionaries of Charity, and just 13 years after her death — her spirit and lasting legacy remain alive and well.
Diocese celebrates Mother Teresa’s 100th birthday continued from page one
poor, terminally sick and destitute. The Loreto habit she had worn previously was replaced with the now-familiar simple white cotton sari with bluestriped border. Today there are an estimated 5,000 nuns and 500
Revised and updated ...
brothers in the Missionaries of Charity ministering to 600 missions, schools and shelters in 120 countries. After her death on Sept. 5, 1997 the Vatican immediately began the cause for her eventual Order Ear Comple ly!!! Sellou te t La Year!!! st
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canonization and she was beatified by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 19, 2003. Among the priests who concelebrated the Mass of Thanksgiving last week with Bishop Coleman was Father William Petrie, SS.CC., provincial of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus of Mary, who had the honor and privilege of first meeting the great religious icon and humanitarian back in 1973 and subsequently became her close friend and spiritual advisor for 22 years. “In celebrating her birthday, it’s clear the legacy of Mother Teresa 100 years later continues,” Father
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The Anchor
September 3, 2010
South Dartmouth church to host Mass, healing service SOUTH DARTMOUTH — St. Mary’s Parish will host a Mass and healing service at the church, 783 Dartmouth Street, on September 29 at 6 p.m. Frank Kelly, a layman, will lead a healing service. He was raised the sixth of 12 children in a devout Irish Catholic family in Boston. In 1985, he miraculously survived what should have been a lethal dose of electricity. Frank’s life then took a dramatic turn and his early devotion to the sacraments, rosary and prayer expanded and increased. Now he travels throughout the country, sharing his life-changing experience and story, which is the subject of the book “Short Circuit to God.” His ministry, which is faithful to the Magisterium, consists of healing services, spiritual seminars, confirmation instruction classes, retreats and conferences.
In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks Sept. 7 Very Rev. James E. McMahon, V.F. Pastor, Sacred Heart, Oak Bluffs, 1966, Rev. Raymond Pelletier, M.S., La Salette Shrine, North Attleboro, 1984
Around the Diocese 9/9
The Martin Institute at Stonehill College, 320 Washington Street, North Easton, will welcome Thomas Pogge, a German Philosopher who currently teaches at Yale University, on September 9 at 4 p.m. He will be speaking on “The Other Side of Globalization,” arguing that rich countries, their corporations, and citizens are violating the human rights of the global poor if they do things, that for the sake of minor gains, foreseeably aggravate severe poverty and disease. For information, visit stonehill.edu/mi_events.xml
9/9
The Lazarus Ministry of Our Lady of the Cape Parish in Brewster is offering a six-week bereavement support program called “Come Walk With Me” that begins September 9 and runs through October 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The program meets at the parish center and is designed for people who have experienced the loss of a loved one within the past year. Pre-registration is required. Contact Happy Whitman at 508-385-3252 or Eileen Birch at 508-394-0616 for additional information.
9/11
St. Mark’s Parish, 105 Stanley Street, Attleboro Falls, will host its annual fair on September 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will include a variety of activities, food and music along with raffles and prizes. For more information call 508-699-7566.
9/13
Theology on Tap, a discussion series to help single and married young adults in their 20s and 30s learn more about and grow in the Catholic faith, will take place on September 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Sam Diego’s Restaurant, Route 132 in Hyannis, and again on September 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Olive Garden, Route 140 in Taunton. Dr. Ernest Collamatti will present “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” on both nights. For more information call Crystal Medeiros at 508-678-2828.
9/15
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will take place in the chapel of the Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington Street, Easton, on September 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, beginning with the rosary at 9 a.m. Mass follows at noon. The public is invited to participate and to sign-up for a half-hour period of prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. For information call Holy Cross Family Ministries at 508-238-4095.
9/16 9/16
The diocesan Divorced and Separated Support Group will screen a video on “Surviving Divorce” by John Bradshaw on September 16 at 7 p.m. at St. Julie Billiart Parish, 494 Slocum Road, North Dartmouth. The video shows the pitfalls to avoid on the road to recovery while giving the tools needed to survive divorce. A discussion will follow and all are welcome.
9/17
An Italian Harvest celebration, Vendemmia Italiana, will be held at Holy Cross Parish Center in Easton on September 17 from 7 p.m. to midnight. There will be dinner and dancing, featuring the band Cosmos, a silent auction and a raffle. Proceeds benefit the parish. For more information call John Ventresco at 508-238-4413.
9/18
Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 121 Mount Pleasant Street, New Bedford, is having a Meat and Seafood Raffle on September 18 beginning at 5 p.m. with supper and the raffle scheduled for 7 p.m. in the parish center. For more information call 508-992-3184.
9/19
The Legion of Mary will have a Day of Recollection on September 19 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Cathedral Camp Retreat Center, East Freetown. The day is open to members and non-members and will include a talk by Father Joseph Medio, formerly of New Bedford now serving the Archdiocese of Boston. For reservations call 508-995-2354.
9/20
St. Louis de France Parish, 56 Buffington Street, Swansea, will host Fall Scripture Study on the Gospel of Matthew every Monday, September 20 through November 15, with an optional film session on November 22. Sessions begin at 7:15 p.m. in St. Louis de France School, second floor. For information contact Charles Demers at forums8799@mypacks.net or 508-264-5823. To register contact Nancy Toolin at the parish office, 508-674-1103.
Sept. 8 Rev. Thomas Sheehan, Founder, Holy Trinity, Harwich Center, 1868
9/24
Sept. 10 Rev. Hugo Dylla, Pastor, St. Stanislaus, Fall River, 1966 Rt. Rev. Felix S. Childs, Retired Pastor, Sacred Heart, Fall River, 1969
9/25
Sept. 11 Rev. Joachim Shults, SS.CC., Our Lady of Assumption, New Bedford, 1987 Rev. Cyril Augustyn, OFM Conv., Pastor, Holy Rosary, Taunton, 1997 Rev. Francis E. Grogan, CSC, Superior, Holy Cross Residence, North Dartmouth, 2001 Rev. Martin Grena, Retired Missionary, 2004 Sept. 12 Rev. John J. Galvin, STD, Assistant, SS. Peter and Paul, Fall River, 1962 Most Rev. James L. Connolly, Sc.H D, Fourth Bishop of Fall River, 1951-70, 1986 Rev. John R. Folster, Pastor, St. Louis de France, Swansea, 1995
A Healing Mass will be celebrated at St. Anne’s Parish, Fall River, on September 16 at 6:30 p.m. Rosary will be prayed at 6 p.m. with Benediction and healing prayers after Mass.
St. Bernard’s Parish, 30 South Main Street in Assonet, will host its Harvest Festival beginning with an outdoor middle school dance on September 24 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The festival grounds will be open September 25 and 26 beginning at 11 a.m. both days, with a Pumpkin Fun Run slated for September 26 at 1:30 p.m. For more details visit www.igroops.com/igroops/stb or call 508-644-5585. The St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Margaret’s/St. Mary’s Parishes, Buzzards Bay and Onset, will sponsor its second annual Canal Walk on September 25 (rain date: October 2). Registration is from 8:15 - 8:45 a.m. in front of St. Margaret’s Church, 141 Main Street, Buzzards Bay. The walk begins at 9 a.m. starting at the train depot and is one mile. For more information call 508-291-1791.
19 Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese Acushnet — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Mondays and Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays end with Evening Prayer and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.; Saturdays end with Benediction at 2:45 p.m. ATTLEBORO — St. Joseph Church holds eucharistic adoration in the Adoration Chapel located at the (south) side entrance at 208 South Main Street, Sunday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to midnight, with overnight adoration on Friday and Saturday only. Brewster — Eucharistic adoration takes place in the La Salette Chapel in the lower level of Our Lady of the Cape Church, 468 Stony Brook Road, on First Fridays following the 11 a.m. Mass until 7:45 a.m. on the First Saturday of the month, concluding with Benediction and Mass. Buzzards Bay — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, every first Friday after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending the following day before the 8 a.m. Mass. East Freetown — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. John Neumann Church every Monday (excluding legal holidays) 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Our Lady, Mother of All Nations Chapel. (The base of the bell tower). EAST TAUNTON — Eucharistic adoration takes place First Fridays at Holy Family Church, 370 Middleboro Avenue, following the 8:30 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 8 p.m. FAIRHAVEN — St. Mary’s Church, Main St., has eucharistic adoration every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Chapel of Reconciliation, with Benediction at noon. Also, there is a First Friday Mass each month at 7 p.m., followed by a Holy Hour with eucharistic adoration. Refreshments follow. FALL RIVER — St. Anthony of the Desert Church, 300 North Eastern Avenue, has eucharistic adoration Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on the first Sunday of the month from noon to 4 p.m. FALL RIVER — Holy Name Church, 709 Hanover Street, has eucharistic adoration Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Our Lady of Grace Chapel. FALL RIVER — Good Shepherd Parish has eucharistic adoration every Friday following the 8 a.m. Mass until 6 p.m. in the Daily Mass Chapel. There is a bilingual Holy Hour in English and Portuguese from 5-6 p.m. Park behind the church and enter the back door of the connector between the church and the rectory. HYANNIS — A Holy Hour with eucharistic adoration will take place each First Friday at St. Francis Xavier Church, 21 Cross Street, beginning at 4 p.m. MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m. Mass every First Friday with special intentions for Respect Life, followed by 24 hours of eucharistic adoration in the Chapel, concluding with Benediction Saturday morning followed immediately by an 8:30 Mass. NEW BEDFORD — Eucharistic adoration takes place 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 233 County Street, with night prayer and Benediction at 8:45 p.m., and confessions offered during the evening. NEW BEDFORD — There is a daily holy hour from 5:15-6:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue. It includes adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Liturgy of the Hours, recitation of the rosary, and the opportunity for confession. SEEKONK — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish has eucharistic adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day in the chapel at 984 Taunton Avenue. For information call 508336-5549. NORTH DIGHTON — Eucharistic adoration takes place every First Friday at St. Nicholas of Myra Church, 499 Spring Street following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending with Benediction at 6 p.m. The rosary is recited Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8 a.m. OSTERVILLE — Eucharistic adoration takes place at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 76 Wianno Avenue on First Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and every Friday from noon to 5 p.m., with Benediction at 5 p.m. Taunton — Eucharistic adoration takes place every Tuesday at St. Anthony Church, 126 School Street, following the 8 a.m. Mass with prayers including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for vocations, concluding at 6 p.m. with Chaplet of St. Anthony and Benediction. Recitation of the rosary for peace is prayed Monday through Saturday at 7:30 a.m. prior to the 8 a.m. Mass. WAREHAM — Adoration with opportunities for private and formal prayer is offered on the First Friday of each month from 8:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Church, High Street. The Prayer Schedule is as follows: 7:30 a.m. the rosary; 8 a.m. Mass; 8:30 a.m. exposition and Morning Prayer; 12 p.m. the Angelus; 3 p.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet; 5:30 p.m. Evening Prayer; 7 p.m. sacrament of confession; 8 p.m. Benediction. WEST HARWICH — Our Lady of Life Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Holy Trinity Parish, 246 Main Street (Rte. 28), holds perpetual eucharistic adoration. We are a regional chapel serving all of the surrounding parishes. All from other parishes are invited to sign up to cover open hours. For open hours, or to sign up call 508-430-4716. WOODS HOLE — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Joseph’s Church, 33 Millfield Street, year-round on weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No adoration on Sundays, Wednesdays, and holidays. For information call 508-274-5435.
20
The Anchor
September 3, 2010
Mexican Catholics pray for 72 migrants found massacred on ranch
The altar of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Wellfleet. (Photo courtesy of the parish website.)
Building of America Network honors Our Lady of Lourdes Church and Parish Center Special to The Anchor Wellfleet — In March of 2009, members of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish received a wonderful new church and parish center to call home. Not only does the new 21,000-square-foot facility provide a larger place of worship for members, it also affords the many summer visitors to the Cape Cod town an appropriately-sized, beautifully designed church, said Father John F. Andrews, pastor. From hundreds of submitted projects, only the best have been
selected as Building of America award winners. The award honors the country’s most innovative, unique and challenging projects — projects that are particularly noteworthy and/or that give back to their respective communities. The Our Lady of Lourdes Church and Parish Center project was one of those so honored. Inside, the church features a unique arrangement, according to Andrews and David C. Driscoll, president of Carr Enterprises, Ltd., the project’s general contractor. “A relatively large
worship space of 500 seats has been made to feel intimate as the semi-circular seating design brings churchgoers in to a wonderfully close proximity to the altar and sanctuary,” said Andrews. Furthermore, the duct work was installed under the concrete floor slab so it can cool and heat occupants directly, and not be in the high, decorative ceiling. “The new church is aesthetically pleasing, functional, handicapped accessible and better serves the parish community than the previous church,” said Father Andrews.
MEXICO CITY (CNS) — Catholics in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas offered prayers for the 72 undocumented migrants from Central and South America whose bodies were discovered August 24 in what was possibly the largest mass slaying since the country began cracking down on drug cartels and organized crime. Father Alan Camargo, spokesman for the Diocese of Matamoros, said four priests in the municipality of San Fernando, where members of the Mexican navy discovered the bodies on a ranch, were offering pastoral support to local residents. The residents, he added, were gathering in private homes to pray. A secretary who answered the phone at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in San Fernando told Catholic News Service a Mass for the victims was celebrated August 26. An undocumented migrant from Ecuador, who survived the massacre on a ranch near San Fernando and alerted a navy patrol, said the killings took place August 24, the newspaper Reforma reported. He said the migrants — who were from Ecuador, Brazil, El Salvador and Honduras and included 14 women — were kidnapped and executed after being unable to pay extortion demands and declining to join forces with a drug cartel formed by rogue soldiers known as Los Zetas. The massacre once again highlighted the enormous risks run by undocumented migrants transiting the country in desperate attempts to
reach the United States. Human rights groups and Catholics working with migrants condemned the massacre and the Mexican government’s failure to prevent such a tragedy. They said it showed the paradox of the Mexican government’s posture on immigration matters: The country vigorously fights for the rights of its own migrants residing in the United States but often fails to curb the abuse and exploitation of undocumented Central and South Americans in its own territory. “Due to the frequent testimonies of migrants victimized by kidnapping, that for the past two-and-a-half years various civil society organizations have been documenting, we can affirm that this massacre ... is not an isolated event,” the Mexican bishops’ migrant ministry and seven Catholic migrant and human rights groups said in a statement distributed August 25 by the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Human Rights Center in Mexico City. “Until this date, the response of the federal government has offered about the subject has been limited to a report sent to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in which it tries to deny the scale of the tragedy,” the statement said. A report from the National Human Rights Commission, which depended heavily on information from Catholic-run organizations and migrant shelters, found more than 9,750 undocumented migrants had been kidnapped over a six-month period between September 2008 and February 2009. Los Zetas is suspected in the San Fernando massacre and is known to recruit undocumented Central Americans through coercion. The cartel is notorious for its use of gratuitous violence and moonlighting in criminal activities not linked to drug running, such as extortion, kidnapping migrants and piracy. San Fernando, approximately 85 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border at Brownsville, Tex., has been beset with organized crime violence as two cartels — the Gulf Cartel and its former armed wing, Los Zetas — stage a turf war in Tamaulipas over a lucrative smuggling corridor.