03.05.81

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SERVING ••• SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS

t eanc 0 FALL RIVER; MASS., THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1981

Vol. 25, No.1 0

20c, $6 Per Year

'Most complicated' trip is completed By Nancy Frazier NC News service ',.

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IN ONE OF THE l\'l[OST moving moments of his Far East trip, Pope John Paul II greets survivors of the Nagasaki atomic bomb at Hill of Mercy Home in Nagasaki.

Encircled by. caregivers "You matter because you are you. You matter to the last moment of your life and we will do all we can not only to help you to die peacefully, but also to live until you die." That philosophy of Dr. Ckely Saunders, an Anglican pioneer in care of the dying and founder of St. Christopher's HospiCE! in London, directs Hospice Outreach of greater Fall River, established a year ago to SE!rve terminally ill cancer patients and their families. So successful has the program been that it is now in need, of more volunteers, said Rev. Jones B. Shannon, of Westport, a retired Episcopalian priest and president of the Hospice Outreach board of trustees. In medieval times, officials explained, a hospice was a stopping place for weary pilgrims. Today it designates a philosophy of care for the dying, a waY' of supporting a patient and his or her family during the last mor.lths of earthly pilgrimage. The movement, begun in England in 1967 by Dr. Saund,ers, has over 50 programs in that country, offering both in-patient and home care. It has sp1'lead quickly in the, United States, where over 100 hospices h.ave been or~anized and where hOlme care is emphasized. Hospi,ce Outreach seeks to help pl\tients and families experienCE! closeness and loving care by providing support lind

coordinating community services making home care possible. Pain and discomfort are relieved, emotional and spiritual help are offered and normal family life is encouraged. The nonprofit hospice services are based on a team approach involving the volunteer efforts of doctors, nurses, social workers, clergy and lay persons. "It is as if the patient is encircled by loving caregivers," said one person.

'You matter because you are you. You matter to the last moment of your life and we will do all we can, not only to help you to die peacefully, but also to live until you die.' Goals of the Fall River program include around the clock staff availability, home visits by a hospice nurse, 'physician-directed pain and symptom control, spirituilI care and bereavement followup for family members. Visits by professional and lay volunteers may offer the patient and family emotional support, companionship, transportation and, if needed, help in arranging

for such matters as financial and legal assistance. "Home care volunteers must b? sensitive, caring persons who are well adjusted in their own lives," said Rev. Shannon. Candidates are asked to complete an orlentation program which includes exploration of personal attitudes toward death, improvement of listening skills and practical means if supporting patients and families. The hospice program presently serves Fall River, Westport, Somerset, Swansea and the Rhode Island communities of Tiverton, Little Compton and Portsmouth. Six-week orientation programs for one evening weekiy will begin in Fall River and Little Compton the middle of this month. Prospective volunteers may call the hospice office at Clemence Hall of St. Annes Hospital, Fall R i v e r, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. any weekday. The number is· 673-1589. In Little Compton the number is (617) 635-2381. TempletOD Prize In 'London, meanwhile, it has been announced that Dr. Saunders, now 63, is the winner of the 1981 Templeton Foundation Award for, Progress in Religion. The award was established in 1973 by John Marks Templeton, a 'Presbyterian layman, financial consultant and analyst. Turn to Page Six

During an in-flight press conference on the final leg of Pope John Paul U's 12-day visit to Asia a reporter asked him if the trip would make the Philippines more democratic and Japan more Christian. "I don't know. I'm not a prophet," the pope said with a smile. "Maybe it will turn out to be just the opposite." , Another reporter asked how he enjoyed his job after twoand-a-half years as pope. "What can I say? It is my vocation," he replied. "It is sometimes difficult, but it's not so difficult with the help of the Lord." When asked if he would like to visit Moscow, the pope said: "Why not?" But he added that he could do so only if conditions were right, and currently they are not. He called Russia "a center of great Christian tradition." The pope called his just concluded Far East trip more complicated than any of his previous eight voyages as pope because of the "great social and cultural

differences" between Japan and the Philippines. He also indicated a desire to establish Vatican-ehina relations, suggesting that political considerations should not be an obstacle because "the Vatican is not like a state" in the usual political meaning of the term. In that connection, the Vatican "will study the question" of breaking diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli said after meeting in Hong Kong with Chinese Bishop Dominic Tang. The 66-year-old cardinal, papal secretary of state, met with the bishop Feb. 28. The meeting prompted speculation that Bishop Tang, apostolic administrator of Guangzhou (Canton), China, would be assigned to negotiate the normalization of the Vatican's diplomatic relations with China. After the pope landed at Rome's Fiumicino Airport, he offered a special prayer for peace, saying his visits in Japan to the atom-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki "left a particularly deep impression' on my soul." Turn to Page Three

Bill asks tuition credit WASHINGTON (NC) ' - A Father Coleman and Sister comprehensive tuition tax credit Laurita Hand, PBVM, superinten"ill has been introduced in the dent of diocesan schools, were Senate by Sen. Robert Pack- among state and diocesan tuiwood (R-Ore.) and Sen. Daniel tion tax relief coordinators atPatrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.) tending a meeting on the subject The bill, the Tuition Tax Re- in Boston called by United States lief Act of 1981, would provide Catholic Conference representaa maximum of $500 credit for tives. up to 50 percent of tuition for Father Coleman said that it non-public elementary and sec- was agreed that diocesan actiondary school students and for vity would be coordinated college and vocational school through school principals and he students. Co-sponsoring the bill, urged' parents to be alert for along with Packwood and Moyni- bulletins from their children's han, is Sen. William Roth (R- schools and to cooperate in sugDel.) 'gested activities in support of At a press conference, Pack- the tax credit bill. wood said the Reagan adminisSister Laurita commented: "In tration supports the measure. a pluralistic society, healthy Commenting on the bill, competition helps to keep things Father George W. Coleman, di- alive. Tuition tax relief would ocesan director of education, allow this healthy competition said "It is a hopeful sign that to extend to greater numbers. the new administration in Wash- Both private and public schools ington is in favor of tax relief need such competition to prefor parents of our Catholic child- vent either from becoming comren. However, this does not placent." mean we can allow our efforts Saying he had spoken with to slacken. Parents and other President Reagan aml budget diconcerned persons will have to rector David, Stoc}pnan that support the bill's passage through morning, Packwood ~ommented, letters and personal messages to "We gave them a choice - 'Do senators and representatives." Turn to Page Six


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