01.27.84

Page 1

t eanc 0 VOL. 28, NO.4

Pro-life

fO.rce,s, .

continue

FALL RIVER DIOC~SAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS

FALL RIVER, MASS., FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1984

Bishop Law for Boston

By NC News Service

Pope John Paul II has named Bishop Bernard F. Law of Springfield-Cape Girar­ deau, Mo., the new archbishop of Boston. The new archbishop said his installation in Boston is planned for March 23. It wiU be preceded by a vesper service for clergy the evening of March 22. At a press conference in Springfield, Mo., he said that while his new responsibility will be primarily toward Boston's Catholics, "I will be looking forward to working with the leadtlrs of other Chris­ tian communities, Jewish religious leaders and public officials of the Boston area, as to­ gether we serve the common good."

Pro-lifers across America ob­ served the 11 th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision which eliminated abortion re­ strictions by taking to church, podium, government hall and street the weekend of Jan. 21-22 to continue the fight to protect the unborn. From California to New York, from Detroit to Galveston and Houston, pro-lifers engaged in rallies, speeches, marches and prayers against abortion. Many of the events were interdenom­ inational, with Catholics and Protestants alike denouncing abortion and urging its eradica­ tion. . Last Monday in Washington a crowd estimated at 50,000 people gathered at the Ellipse for the 11 th annual March for Life commemorating the 1973 Supreme Court decision striking down state anti-abortion .JaWS. President Reagan waved from the south balcony of the White House at the marchers after pro­ life leaders during a meeting earlier in the day had urged him to offer a greeting. "It's taken me three years to get this done for us," said Nellie J. Gray, leader of the annual march, who in previous years has asked Reagan to speak to the crowd. She said she understood that security reasons prevented the president from addressing the group before it began marching. The march marking the Jan. 22, 1973, decision of the Su­ preme Court legalizing abortion was held a day late this year so marchers. could lobby their senators and representatives while Congress was in session. Miss Gray said the meeting with Reagan was not just a pic­ ture-taking session as it had been in the previous three years. "We pressed our message hard. We came in to do business at the White House,'" she said. Paul Brown, director of Life Amendment Political Action Committee, said pressure is on politici~ns because in 1984 "the pro-life vote will be bigger and better." Erma Clardy Craven, National Tum to Page Twelve

Bishop Daniel A. Cronin, upon learning of the appointment, forwarded the following message to the new archbishop: Please accept this sincere expression of my personal congratulations on the hap­ py occasion of your ap­ pointment by Pope John Paul II as Archbishop of BostOD. Be assured of my prayerful support and that of the clergy, religious and laity of the diocese of Fall River. Ad multos annosl Bishop Cronin also issued the following statement: We all here in the diocese of Fall River welcome the new archbishop of BOston. We are mindful of the won­ derful episcopal ministry of the late Cardinal Medeiros, formerly of this city and this diocese" who contributed so much by hJs leadership and salntly apostolic endeavors to the spiritual life of the Archdiocese of BOstOD and the community at large. The new archbishop, young, talented and vigor­ Ne Photo ous, will bring to the weighty responsibUity of, his impor­ BISHOP BERNARD F. LAW tant office the same dedi­ cated zeal that character­ Girardeau, with 52,000 Cath­ deau Diocese: whose Catholics ized Cardinal Medeiros' love olics, to head the 1.9 million make up only one 20th of the for the poor, the disadvan­ Catholics of the Boston Arch­ area's total population, he is taged and the alieJt.ated. diocese on Jan. 24. He suceeds known as a pastorally direct May the manifold ~ccom.. Cardinal Humberto S. Medeiros, man' who frequently visits par­ plislun1mts of hJs predeces­ 'who died Sept. 17. ishes and gets involved in parish sors be an encouragement Archbishop Law, 52, has re­ life. Before administering con­ he for Archbishop Law ceived national attention in the firmation, for example, he often labors to make the message past three years as director of led retreats for the candidates. of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the ecumenically delicate U.S. As a priest in the Diocese of known and loved in thJs area program for admitting into the Natchez·Jackson (now simply of the Lord's vineyard. The priesthood married ·Episcopal simply Jackson), Miss., the new People of God of the Diocese priests who convert to Catholi­ Boston archbishop was editor of Fall River follow him cism. with our prayers. As bishop of the diocesan newspaper from of the diocese, I pledge ·Before he became bishop of 1963-68 and diocesan vicar gen-' Springfield-Cape Girardeau in eneral 1971-73. every measure of affection and support to Archbishop 1973, he had been executive di­ The son of a career Air Force Law as the new Metropoli­ rector of the Bishops' Commit­ officer, the late Col. Bernard A. tee for Ecumenical and Inter­ tan of the Province of 'Bos­ ·Law, Bernard Francis Law was ·religious Affairs from 1968-71, born in Torreon, Mexico, on Nov. ton. 'and as a bishop he chaired the 4, 1931. He traveled widely as An Ecumenist Boston's new archbishop is a BCEIA in the late 1970s. a child, attending elementary Harvard graduate known na­ He is also a member of the schools .In New York, Florida, tionally for his ecumenical ac­ Vatican's Secretariat for Chris­ Georgia, and Barranquilla, C0 7 tivity and in his Missouri dio­ tian Unity and served from 1976­ lombia. cese for his pastoral directness. 81 as a consultor to the secre­ He graduated from Charlotte Pope John Paul II promoted tariat's Commission for Reli­ Amalie High School in St. Archbishop Law from the small gious Relations with Judaism. Thomas, Virgin Islands. diocese of. Springfield-Cape In the Springfield-Cape Girar­ Tum to Page Two

struggle

as

$8 Per Year

Parent

power

fuels

schools

With the theme "Catholic Schools: -Beacon 011 Hope," Cath­ olic Schools Week will be ob­ served nationally Jan. 29 through Feb. 4. The theme, said Father George W. Coleman, diocesan director of education, "is a reminder of the meeting of bishops in 1884 which mandated the increase and professional updating of our Catholic schools to shine as beacons of hope in a world" fraught with despair. At a time when the public sector negates the very existence of our God, how much more necessary is the Beacon of Hope! ·~Sch.ools throughout the di­ cese," said the director, "will be celebrating with commissioning Teacher Appreciation days, role reversals, playlets, poster and essay contests, store advertise­ ments and countless other crea­ tive ways to aler~ people to the tremendous impact of Catholic education on the parish at large. "Parents, such a vital part of our educational family, will be especia.))y honored during these days, as will ani volunteers in our school system. "Catholic schools are daily conscious of their unique role in presenting Christ to the world, but Catholic Schools Week is a time to renew, to refresh, to re­ present ourselves and our mess­ age to all," conoluded Father Coleman. Parent 1P0wer . As the director noted, parents are a vital part of the educa­ tional family. Every principal in the diocese has stories of dedi­ cated mothers and fathers whose efforts often make the difference between financial success and failure for the schools, attended by their children. Uncounted are the bingos, suppers, dances, ,bazaars and other fundraisers sponsored by parent groups to close the gap between tuitions and the actual cost per pupil of a Catholic edu-_ cation. Catholic Schools Week is a good time to salute these behiild-the-scenes workers on both grammar and high school levels. With 24 grammar schools and a middle school in the diocese, it is hard to single out one for attention, but all count heavily Tum to Page Eight


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.