diocese of fall river
teanc 0 VOL. 23, NO. 2
FALL RIVER, MASS., THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1979
'Serve One'Another' Theme of Annual Unity Week GRAYMOOR, N.Y. (NC)Church officials involved witli the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have selected a theme aimed at reversing what they say are current trends among some churches toward "neo-conservatism." The theme, "Serve One Another to the Glory of God," is based on the fourth chapter of St. Peter's first epistle, where Christians are told to reject their divisions and join in service as an expression of unity in Jesus Christ. This year's observance begins on Jan. 18. The theme was selected by the Graymoor Ecumenical Institute, Graymoor, N.Y., and the National Council of Churches' Faith and Order Commission. The week-long observance is
usee To Settle 7000 Monthly WASHINGTON (NC) - John E. McCarthy, .executive director of the Migration and Refugee Services of the U.S. Catholic Conference, has appealed to the American government to aid 5,000 Vietnamese' stranded aboard two ships and promised to provide help for 7,000 refugees a month. "We're offering the government - we'II do it tomorrow. I guarantee it. I've resettled a million people in my life," McCarthy said. "We have the homes Tum to Page Five
the successor to what was calIed the Chair of Unity Octave, begun in the United States by Father Paul Wattson, founder of the Atonemet Friars, in 1908. Atonement Father Charles LaFontaine, co-director of the ecumenical institute, said Vatican Council II brought about the change whereby "the solipsism (self-centeredness) of the past and the name of the observance itself have disappeared among Roman Catholics." Peter Day, ecumenical officer for the Episcopal Church noted similar changes in Protestants, who "are facing the fact that the divided folIowers of Christ are not speaking with the clear and urgent voice needed to calI the peoples of the world to live as neighbors with equal claim to the necessities of life and to work together toward a just and sustainable society." Atonemet Father Thaddeus Horgan, co-director of the ecumenical institute, said he sees the week of prayer as a chance for Christians to "come out of the closets of their .narcissism, fears and self-imposed guilt" to serve one another for the sake of God's plan for the world. From throughout the United States, members of the order, which entered the Catholic Church under the leadership of the former Episcopalian, Father Wattson, also commented on the week, which is observed by most of the world's Christian churches. Atonement Father Patrick J. Tum to Page Five
20c,. $6 Per Year
Latin Lands Ready To Welcome Pope
路FINAL PREPARATIONS are being made for Pope John Paul II's historic visit to Mexico later this month. (NC Photo)
To Mark Jubilee At Bishop's Ball The jubilee celebration of the FaII River diocese will. have its "coming-out party" tomorrow night as thousands gather at Lincoln Park BalIroom, North Dartmouth, for the 24th annual Bishop's Charity BalI. The midwinter social event will have the diocesan diamond jubilee as its theme, carried out in sparkling lights and seasonal colors. Traditional highlights of the evening will include presentation to the bishop of 34 young ladies from diocesan parishes and a 10 p.m. grand march. Music for dancing from 8 p.m. Tum to Page Three
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (NC) - President Antonio Guzman of the Dominican Republic said he expects Pope John Paul II to visit the country Jan. 25 on his way to Mexico and the assembly of Latin American bishops in Puebla. Cardinal Antonio Beras of Santo Domingo said the pope will say a Mass, his first in the New World, in the 1540 cathedral of Santa Maria, which contains the remains of Christopher Columbus. President Guzman said the pope's visit "in my opinion is perhaps the most important news in the history of this na: tion;" The one-day visit developed from the need for a stop-over by the papal flight to Mexico. When Pope John Paul confirmed that he would attend the Puebla assembly, Cardinal Beras extended a formal invitation to visit the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, although Mexico does not have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, authorities are preparing to greet Pope John Paul II with the protocol and security measures reserved for a head of state. Interior Minister Jesus Reves Heroles said that Pope John Paul "will be given alI the cour路 tesies alIowed by the constitution." Some 10,000 policemen and soldiers are being given special training as security guards for. the Palafox Seminary in Puebla, where the pope will stay and for
other possible sites of papal events. "The pope wants the greatest possible contact with the people," Archbishop Emesto Corrifo Ahumada of Mexico City told newsmen in announcing arrangements for an open air Mass at the huge Azteca Stadium which has a capacity of 110,000. The archbishop also said the Mass will be on Jan. 26, the first hint from church sources as to when the pope will arrive in Mexico. Organizers of the bishops' meeting are limiting attendance to some 218 bishop-delegates, along with their assistants, observers and the press. The pope is also scheduled to grant special audiences to groups Tum to Page Thirteen
Announce Changes For Seven Priests Bishop Daniel A. Cronin has announced seven changes a~ fecting assistants in diocesan parishes. All are effective Friday, Feb. 2. Father Jon-Paul GalIant, assistant at Our Lady of Grace Church, Westport, will be assistont at St. Mary's .Cathedral, Fall River. , Father Timothy J. Goldrick, assistant at St. Margaret's, Buzzards Bay, will be assistant at St. Lawrence, New Bedford. Father Arthur T. DeMello, asTum to Page Three
tomorrow - the bishop's ball