t ean VOL. 36, NO. 10
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Friday, March 6,1992
FALL RIVER DIOCE~AN NEWSPAPER FOR' SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS
CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
F ALL RIVER, MASS.
St. Jean pioneers Quest program Kathlee'n Barboza, principal of S1. Jean Baptiste School, Fall River, spoke to Boston area educators yesterday at a Cambridge conference on the Lions Clubs International Quest program for substance abuse prevention and youth development. Iemented the Mrs. Barboza ' Imp Lions-Quest Skills fo,r Adolescence (grades 6-8) and Skills for Growing (grades K-5) programs at St. Jean's when she became principal in 1990. The school is the first, public or private, in the area of the Fall River diocese to become certified in Quest. Mrs. Barboza calls Quest "the most dynamic program of its kind. It·s a real feather in our cap to be considered a model school." Turn to Page Nine
KATHLEEN BARBOZA
$11 Per Year
Uproot hidden sins this Lent, says homilist
It's Invite-a-Friend Month in Fall River Catholic, Protestant and Jewish congregations in the Greater Fall River area have joined forces with a national media campaign to invite new members to join them for worship. Named the Invite-AFriend program, the project was developed by Religion in American Life, a nonprofit, interfaith research and public information organization. Catholic parishes sending pastors, parochial vicars or other representatives to a recent organizational meeting at Holy Name School, Fall River, were St. John of God and St. Thomas More in Somerset and Holy Name, St. Anthony of Padua. Our Lady of Angels and SS, Peter and Paul in Fall River. Those parishes and participating Protestant and Jewish congregations are encouraging members to invite unaffiliated friends, neighbors and family members to attend religious services at any time during March. For Catholics the program is especially meaningful during this year, the quincentennial anniversary of the bringing of Christianity to the Americas and the occasion for bishops' conferences in all countries in the continents of North and South America to call for evangelization and renewal efforts, Turn to Page Nine
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ALREADY MAKING PLANS for the 1992 Catholil: Charities Appeal are, seated from left, Rev. Maurice O. Gauvin, Immaculate Conception parish, New Bedford; assistant area director; Rev. Gerald T. Shovelton, Holy Trinity, We!:t Harwich, and Rev. Stephen A. Fernandes, Christ the King, Mashpee, Cape and Islands area director and assistant; and Rev. Daniel L. Freitas, St. John of God, Somerset, Fall River area and diocesan Appeal director. Standing, from left, Rev. William L. Boffa, Mt. Carmel, Seekonk, and Rev. Paul A. Caron, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, Taunton area din:ctor and assistant; Rev. Richard L. Chretien, Our Lady of Grace, Westport, New Bedford area director; Rev. John F. Andrews, St. Bernard, Assonet, Fall River area assistant; Rev. Ralph D. Tetrault, St. Mary, North Attleboro, Attleboro area assistant; Rev. John P. Cronin, St. Joseph, North Dighton, Taunton area assistant. Not pictured is Rev. John J. Steakem, Attleboro area director.
Generosity is 1992 Appeal theme With the theme "Be as Generous as God Has Been to You." priest directors of the diocesan Catholic Charities Appeal met recently to plan the 1992 drive, Rev, Daniel L. Freitas, Appeal director. said all were optimistic that it will be possible to surpass the 1991 Appeal total of $2,291,186,30, an increase of $73,042.46 over the 1990 final figure. The Appeal will be the 51 st such fundraising drive mounted in the diocese and it is hoped that "with
the cooperation of priests. parishioners and thousands of friends in Southeastern Massachusetts." it will meet wit h a genenus response in order that the greater community needs occasioned by the present economic climate may be served. The Appeal's traditional kic:wff meeting will take place April 22 at
"Many may think 'we do a pretty good job in our lives - we don't go around helping loan companies to fail or murdering people,' but we all have certain weaknesses that may not be visible to others, such as jealousy or racism, and this season of Lent offers the opporhlnity of reconciliation to all of us." . That was the Ash Wednesday message of diocesan administrator Msgr. Henry T. Munroe. It was delivered at a crowded St. Mary's Cathedral where the congregation included many members of other parishes who were sacrificing their lunch hours to begin the season of Lent by attending Mass and receiving the traditional ashes, administered by priests or permanent deacons with the equally traditional admonition: "Turn away from sin and return to the Gospel" or ·"Remember, you are dust, and unto dust you will return." "Lent is a holy season for all who respond to the call of the church for reconciliation," said Msgr. Munroe. "This call is important to those with great sin in their lives, to those who need to reconcile with friends, families or neighbors. All such problems can be resolved with God's help and our own will-
Bishop Connolly High School auditorium in Fall River. Preceded by a 7 p. m. reception, it will begin at 8 p. m. Over 500 clergy. religious and laity are expected to hear a presentat ion on the Appeal by Msgr. HenryT. Munroe, diocesan administrator. The special gift phase of the Appeal will continue from April 20 to May 2 and the annual noon to 3 p.m. visitation of homes within the III diocesan parishes is scheduled for Sunday, May 3.
ingness," he said, adding that "this Lent can be grace-filled and a new beginning for each of us." Returning to the theme of hidden sins, Msgr. Munroe quoted the words of the prophet Joel: "Rend your hearts and not your garments," advising that the spirit of Lent should go beyond an "external facade" and prompt real interior change. ~ Even though its goal is "celebraCATHOLIC CHARITIES . In . teays h d fE aster, " Lent is tiOn 0 a serious time, stressed the admin1.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.I~t~to~andashes are a symbol of belief and of willingness to respond to God's call for change. . : : r . In that spirit, the ash-marked congregation scattered to begin Story and photos by Marcie Hickey four to be held annually in differ- no restrictions, the law of the land' the 40-day task of living Lent. "I was going to be a millionaire ent areas of the state. if Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme in 1984," Carol Everett asserted at About 200 MCFL members fl om Court decision legalizing abortion, Massachusetts Citizens for Life's southeastern Massachusetts chap- is overturned. first Life Education Conference ters and other interested persons Ms. Everett, who has authored held Feb. 29 in Westport. were in attendance, including "The Scarlet Lady: Confessions of She was going to make the Father Stephen Fernandes and rep- a Successful Abortionist" and promoney, she said, by "surrounding resentatives of the Diocesan Fro- duced a pro-life video, "The Light of Life," called abortion "Satan's Dallas, Texas, with abortion c1in- Life Apostolate, which he dire,:ts. ics." James Sullivan, executive direc- lie to destroy God's institution of tor of MCFL, coordinated the the family." At the time she operated two clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth event, which was introduced by The abortion industry, she said, MCFL president Theresa Hanley. "is the largest unregulated indus. th e coun t ry nex t t 0 I'IIega I area which were responsible for Pro-II'fe educatl'on I'S essentl'al, t ry In about 40,000 abortions a year. she said, to counter seducl ive drugs." "I was paid on straight commis- "anti-life rhetoric." In Texas, "veterinary clinics are "We have to be vigilant, we have regularly inspected by the health sion when I opened my own c1inics," she said, "but that wasn't to be aggressive," she said, refer- department; abortion clinics are enough. I wanted to be a millionring to Governor Weld's cunent not. I cringe when we break whales aire." abortion package - "a disa iter out of the ice and continue to kill Ms. Everett, WtlO has since be- for any baby in its mother's wor:lb" babies." come a Christian and a pro-life . - and the Freedom of Choice <\ct The speaker noted that "Today speaker and activist, was the key- 'being pushed on the nationallc:vel [Saturday) is the day the most noter at the conference. the first of to make abortion on demand, v'ith Turn to Page II MSGR. MUNROE
F ormer abort.·on.·4i••i:.t tells all
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