02.06.75

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The ANCHOR An Anchor of the Soul, Sure and Firm-St. Paul

Fall River, Mass. Thursday, Feb. 6, 1975 "I o. 6 © 1975 The Anchor PRICE 15c Vo I• 19, I'llill $5.00 per year

Lent

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On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the Holy Season of Lent will begin with the Blessing and Imposition of Ashes. For the following forty days, the Church liturgy will take on a penitential aspect that will culminate in the glorious celebration of Easter on March 30.

The Most Reverend Bishop hereby publishes the following Lenten Regulations 1975: 1. There are two days upon which both fast and abstinence are prescribed: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

2. On all Fridays of Lent, abstinence is prescribed.

Those wI-.·:J are twenty-one years of age, but not yet fiftynine years of age, are obliged to observe the law of fast. 3.

1975

4. All those who are fourteen years of age and older are obliged to observe the law of abstinence.

5. On the two days of fasting, those bound by the law are limited to a single full meal. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to one's needs, however together they should not equal another full meal. 6. On days of abstinence, tb3t is on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of the. Lenten Season, those bound by the law abstain from eating meat. 7. . No Catholic will hold him-

self or herself lightly excused' from the laws of fast and abstinence. Commenting upon the Turn to Page Four

Fr. Anatole Desmarais Dies Following Long Illness "Father Desmarais has met his last enemy - death - and now he lives in Christ! Thus we can rejoice during this funeral. A priest, full of raith, has trav-

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FATHER DESMARAIS

elled this life's pilgrimage ... it has not always been easy; he has not travelled alone ..." So, Rev. Andre P. Jussaume, pastor of St. James Parish, Taunton, described the ministry of Rev. Anatole F. Desmarais. Most Rev. Daniel A. Cronin, S.T.D., Bishop of Fall River, yesterday war> the chief celebrant of a funeral Mass for Rev. Anatole F.' Desmarais who died on Saturday at .the Catholic Memorial Home following a long illness. Many priests joined the Most Reverend Bishop in the cathedral ceremony; Rev. Andre P. Jussaume, Father Desmarais: . successor at St. James Parish, Taunton, was the homilist. Born in Fall River, Father Desmarais was the son of the late Felix and the late Helene (Daignault) Desmarais. Following his elementary education at Notre Dame Parish School in Fall River, he pursued his education to the priesthood at Assumption College, Worcester; St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore; Turn to Page Two

Catholic Schools. Support Church. and Community DAYTON (NC) Catholic Schools Week is a good time for telling the total community about the achievements of the schools and their contribution to the community's welfare. Robert R. Strange, executive director of the Dayton Catholic Education Foundation, made this comment on the eve of the annual observance. Acknowledging that "we h3ve received setbacks from court rulings reg~rding federal and state aid" to nonpublic schools, Strange declared: "Now it is time to go to our own communities and broaden the support of private dollars, which are taxdeductible, for our schools." "But we must a'sk," he added. "And what better time to begin asking than during the Catholic Schools Week?" Citing the recent enrollment declines in Catholic schools, Strange said that Catholic school administrators know that "the real question today is the extent to which Catholics are persuaded they can afford to support their schools without injustice to other demands on personal and family resources." When parents ask themselves

if they have enough money to send their children to a Catholic school, he said, administrators know that they are really asking, "What values do we attach to a Catholic school and how do those values relate to other important values for our children and ourselves?" Strange. referred to the recent study made by the National Opinion Research Center showing that an overwhelming number of Catholics (89 per cent) reject the idea that the Catholic school system is no longer needed. The accomplishments of the Catholic schools "have been a source of justifiable pride for the Church," Strange said. For both the Church and the community at large the Catholic school sys-

tern offers the benefits of valueoriented education and of "an alternative type of education in a society founded on the concepts of pluralism and free choice." Nevertheless, Catholic parents for years have tried in vain to obtain federal or state aid for their schools. "The schools of this (Cincinnati) archdiocese are enjoying the use of state funds for auxiliary services and materials," he acknowledged. "But the parents and others concerned about our schools are keenly aware that practically all the money required for the ordinary operations of their schools must come from private funds and that this situation is not likely to change substantially in the foreseeable future."

Catholic High Schools Registration and Pla~ement Exams

Sat., Feb. 8

Expert Speaks on Death and Dying Dr. Kubler-Ross Discusses Religion's Role ALBANY (NC>--:-In a far-ranging interview, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, internationally recognized expert on death and dying, spoke about her work, religion's role in aiding dying patients, wb3t families can do for the terminally ill, and funeral customs. Prior to a speech here, Dr. Ross, a Swiss-born psychiatrist now practicing in Chicago, talked with The Evangelist, newspaper of the Albany diocese. Asked about the family's role in aiding the dying patient, Dr. Ross asserted that the most important thing is for everyone to be honest and genuine, no matter how clumsy the manner. "If you come in and say, 'Oh, look at this lovely weather: the patient' picks up very quickly that you only want to talk about nice things:' she said. "If, on the other hand, you can admit that you don't know what to say or do, that you feel clumsy and uncomfortable, but that you want to help, the patient will usually help the family." Speaking in soft, accented tones, Dr. Ross, author of "On Death and Dying," considered by many to be the handbook for such work, said that children should be included "right from the beginning. We have a peculiar society in which children grow up in a deprived neighborhood-white, upper middle class, suburban. They have everything material, but don't know anything about life's hardships.

"They don't know anything about hunger; they don't know anything about old age because old people are shipped to nurs-

ing homes; they don't know what it's like to be dying because no one dies at home anyTurn to Page Three

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HELPING THE DYING: Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of "On Death and Dying," said in an interview with The Evangelist, Albany diocesan newspaper, that children should be allowed more contact with older people and the dying for their own growth and to help bring happiness when it is really needed. NC Photo.

ANCHOR SUBSCRIPTION FEBRUARY 8-9


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