t eanc G VOL. 42, NO.4. F'riday, January 23, 1998
FALL RIVER, MASS.
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASS~CHUSEnS GAPE COD & THE ISLANOS Southeastern Massachuset,ts' Largest Weekly
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Bishop O'Malley will join pope in Cuba •
He will fly with other U. S. clergy to join the Holy Father as the pontiff brings the Gospel message and says Mass for a nation fighting religious persecution. By JAMES N. DUNBAR
FALL RIVER-When Pope John Paul II visits Cuba this week in hopes of revitalizing the Catholic Church and encouraging Catholics to practice their faith, Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., will be there among the U,S. clergy showing strong support during the pastoral visit. The bishop will take a special chartered, direct flight to the island nation where the communist government under President Fidel
Castro has not only been in power since' 1959, but has repressed religious practice for decades. Because of the United States government's longstanding economic embargo of Cuba, there are no direct flights into that nation from the United States, "But in light of the Holy Father's visit, the State Department is granting us permission to fly directly from Boston to Havana," Bishop O'Malley said in an interview with The Anchor. "I suspect the Boston flight I will be on will have approximately 100," the bishop said. There will be three flights from the U.S., one from Boston, one from New York and another from Miami, Fla. The Miami flight will be going only for the Holy Father's Mass in Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion which will be on Sunday, Jan. 25. Those taking the New York flight will be going for the longest time, the entire length of
Catholic Social Services lDeets today's needs •
The agency identifies people's basic concerns and develops programs to address them. By JAMES N. DUNBAR
FALL RIVER -- Arlene McNamee proudly boasts that her staff "cuts the best deals in town." As executive director of Catholic Social Services for the Diocese of Fall River, NcNamee says that when one is dealing with people's basic problems such as hunger, housing, medical care, violence and
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substance abuse the task is to do what can be done best, for the most people and in the most efficient way. , It demands expansion of services and vision too. As the CEO of a $1.3 million service operation, it means "getting the most bang out of the buck," McNamee said with a smile. To meet the needs, the nonprofit agency sponsored by the Diocese of Fall River and supported by thousands of individuals and corporations who contribute to Catholic Charities, has developed into a respected team of social workers, therapists, community organizers, educators, medical and legal consultants and volunteers. The mission, says McNamee, is to put Gospel values into action. Those targeted also include the terminally ill and other hurting and vulnerable people who have nowhere else to turn. In a recent interview McNamee talked about the variety of programs that turn no one away regardless of race, creed, nationality,
ARLENE MCNAMEE
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the pope's visit, Jan. 21 through 25. get from one tip of Cuba to the "Our flight will leave Friday, other.We will be traveling back to Jan. 23, which is already after the Havana for the Holy Father's final papal visit has started, but since a Mass on Sunday morning. Our number of us need to be in Wash- group will return home to the ington for the Pro-life March the United States on Monday." day prior, the Boston flight will bt: goi ng just the weekend. It will include Cardinal Bernard F. Law, other bishops and myself, and we will travel on Saturday to Santiago de Cuba, where the Holy Father will say Mass," said Bishop O'Malley. Also on the flight will be Father Mark Serna, headmaster of Portsmouth Priory in Portsmouth, R.I., and Bishop Robert E. Mulvee of Providence. B i s· hop BISHOP SEAN O'MALLEY, OFM CAP. O'Malley said Bishop O'Malley said he was· that Cuba is a very large i'sland, which few people re'alize. "It is going to Cuba at the invitation of about 1,000 miles long, and it is like Cardinal Jaime Ortega. "I am gogoing from New York to Miami to ing in response to his invitation as
the Archbishop of Havana. I have known him for many years, " said Bishop O'Malley, who had been coadjutor bishop of St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands, before coming to the Fall River Diocese. The bishop said he made a visit to Cuba 10 years ago, "in an attempt to get permission for more priests to enter that country. Certainly the situation of the Church in Cuba since the revolution has been very difficult. The practice of religion is very strictly controlled. We see the Holy Father's visit as a great opportunity to evangelize, to openly invite people to embrace the faith once again. And indeed, thousands of people are returning to the church in Cuba. When I was there 10 years ago, it was very difficult for young people to practice their religion. The government discouraged anyone who was under seven years of age from going to Mass. In the last few months the Cuban government for the first time has allowed catechetical materials and Bibles to be brought into the country. It certainly is a moment of grace and opportunity to reach the entire population." Cuba currently has a population of II million, of whom 41.5 percent, or 4.5 million, are reportedly Tum 10 page five-Cuba and related story on page three
Catholic schools restore faith in education By MIKE GORDON ANCHOR STAFF
FALL RIVER-Catholic schools are the hidden jewel of education, according to James McNamee, Superintendent of Schools for the Fall River Diocese. "Parents who have children in our high schools say, 'If I had known how great it was I would have sent my kids to a Catholic elementary school,'" and there's a reason for that said McNamee. "Kids get a great education, and religious values," at Catholic schools and parents value that combination. What parents may not know is that it may begin to get tougher to get their kids entered into Catholic schools because enrollment is up here in the dioct:se as well as across the nation, prompting some schools to start using waiting lists. Beginning this Sunday (Jan. 25) the nation will begin its celebration of Catholic Education Week, an annual tradition since 1974. The week is a joint project of the National Catholic Educational Association and the U.S. Catholic Conference. This year's theme is "Catholic Schools: Restoring Faith in Educa-
tion," and schools throughout the diocese will be holding special events and liturgies all week in observance. "It's a wonderful time for the community to see the uniqueness of what we have and what we treasure," said McNamee. That uniqueness lies in an education which prepares students for a Christian life with a Catholic values system. Kids take that value system home with them when they leave the classroom each day and that's important to parents. Kids don't receive those Catholic values at public schools and that motivates parents to seek out this valued alternative. But sending kids to Catholic schools is notjust about religion and the values they learn, said ,<'
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McNamee. "It's also about curriculum, ~ducation and discipline," and according to McNamee "a big factor has become safety and our schools are a safe environment for kids to be in:" Catholic Education Week also serves as a chance for schools to recruit new students and provides a stage to communicate needs and accomplishments to legislators and the community at large. Such positive impact builds support and may eventually help groups such as Massachusetts' Parents Alliance for Catholic Education (PACE) develop and promote legislation like the voucher system currently in place in Oregon. That state~s government is providing upto $2000 to enable children Tum to page 8 - Schools ,'., •. '
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DidqEn~~ joips postcard icampaign
FALL.I3IVE~'v Bisti()p Sean P. O'Malley is iasking members of every parish tq{participate in a postcard campaign this weekend in a ma~sive IORPying effort. directed at the U.S. Senate to override President Clin~on's veto of the partial-birth abortion ban. Whilea vetq~proof majority is assured in th~ U.S. House of RepTum/() page 16 - Postcards
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