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WHEN SOMEONE IS ILL •.• CALL A PRIEST: The new Rite of the Anointing of the Sick permits all types of options to bring the consolation of Christ ·to the sick or injured. Left, in an emergency situation, Rev. John R. Foister, Fall River Fire Dept. Chaplain, administers the Sacrament to a trapped victim before extrication can begin, assisted by Kenneth Rex,
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Fall River, Mass., Thursday, March 7, 1974 PRICE lOc Vol. 18, No. 10 @ 1974 The Anchor $5.00 per year
Pope Asks Liturgy Liven Up Lent VATICAN CITY (NC)--Gath· that are not popUlar with modolics should liven up Lent with ern man," he continued. intelligent use of the liturgy, Turning to the actual con· Pope Paul told thousands at a ferral of ashes, the traditional general audience at the Vatican . act for many Christians on the first day of Lent, the Pope said Ash Wednesday. The Pope also urged Chris- that ashes are really a sign of tians to wear their Lenten ashes hope. with optimism because, although "Convince yourselves of the they remind man of death, the sincerity of .the Church in thought of eternal life should be preaching penance," he said. a cause of joy. "The Church speaks of death The liturgy of the Church, the with this immediate correction Pope said, is like a beautiful on this desperate concept of our music composition, composed of true destiny: life in Christ will many parts. be victorious." "The liturgy," he said, "rises At this point the Pope's voice not only like an incomparable rose with enthusiasm and he rework of art for its val'iely of peated that life will be a victory. At the conclusion of the audithemes divine and human, but offers ... to the faithful the pas- ence the Pope greeted in English sibility'of participating in a members of the Consortium Permarvelous and complex celebra- fectai Caritatis, an organization tion. of women Religious largely from Use the liturgy intelligently, the United States meeting in the Pope added, to avoid the Rome. "routine sameness and monot· The ·Pope said he recalled that ony" of spiritual expression.. Pope Pius XII often praised "the Lent is difficult, it is a time value and importance of Reliof penance and fasting, a time gious life and, in particular, the of prolonged prayers and re- beneficial results that accrue to. course to the sacrament of Pen- the whole Church in America ance, he said. through the persevering dedica"Lent is an act of humility, of tion and humble service of thouconversion and contrition, things sands of Sisters."
Capt. John Kenyon and Richard Soares of Rescue 1. Right, Rev. Edmund J. Fitzgerald, Chaplain of St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River, brings the Sacrament in a more ideal situation to·Mrs. Agnes Heffernan, assisted by Miss Susan Booth, R.N., Sister Rita Marie, staff member of the Pastoral Department' and Sister Elaine Heffernan, a member of the family.
Anointing of Sick Is Christ Present To the III, Injured By Very Rev. Thomas J. Harrington, J.C.L. Simply to page through the Gospels is to encounter repeated instances of the special ministry . which Our Divine Savior exercised in behalf of the sick. Just as was foretold in. the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament, Our Lord brought sight to the blind, strength and vigor to those whose limbs were crippled and useless; He cured the sick, He raised the dead. In short, He showed a remarkable love and concern for those who were afflicted by illness and disease. He responded to their faith with great affection and very frequently with a miraculous restoration to full health. We know that the sick flocked to Him and found consolation. When they themselves were too weak to aproach Our Lord, frequently they relied upon friends, neighbors and relatives to bring them to Him. The Church which Our Divine Savior established has continued His healing ministry to the sick. Unceasingl~, the Church has commended to God's mercy and
Elementary Schools Registration Catholic elementary schools of the Diocese will hold regis. tration again this coming weekend, March 9 and 10, for pupils entering kindergarten and first grade as well as for transfer students into other grades. Parents should check with the school of their choice for times of registration since Mass schedules affect registration hours.
love those who suffer from disease. Throughout the long centuries which have intervened since Our Lord ascended to His hea'venly glory, the Church which' He founded has exhorted those who are suffering from the pain and anxiety of physical affliction to associate their trials and sufferings with the Passion and Death of Christ, to participate in His redemptive work. Sickness, therefore, is not in any sense a punishment for sin, nor is it the capricious result of misfortune. Rather, it can often be. the occasion for meriting
many graces and spiritual blessings. On a moral level, many reflections of Christ's own love and concern for the sick have emerged in the history of the Church, especially in the devotion to the magnificent' apostolate of care for the sick. Here, today, in the Diocese of Fall River, institutions for the care of the elderly, the Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River, the Madonna Manor in North Attleboro, the Marian Manor in Taunton, the Sacred Heart Home in New Bedford, and Our Lady's Turn to Page Eight
Catholic-Lutheran Scholars See Papacy as No Barrier In a statement entitled "Ministry and the Church Universal: Different Attitudes Toward Papal Primacy," a joint commission of U. S. Roman Catholic and Lutheran theologians have concluded that papal primacy - a major issue in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century -need no longer be a "barrier to reconciliation" of their churches. Among the most significant agreements in the "Common Statement" where the scholars foresee the day of the Catholic and Lutheran Churches being part of a "larger communion," autonomous but linked by common recognition of the Pope as a visible symbol of their underlying unity, were: -"Christ wills for his church a unity which is not only spiritual but must be manifest in the world. -"Promotion of this unity is incumbent on all believers, espe~
cially those who are engaged in the ministry of word and sacrament. The greater the responsibility to seek the unity of all Christians. -"A special responsibility for this may be entrusted to one individual minister, under the gospel. -"Such a responsibility for the universal church cannot be ruled out on the basis of biblical evidence. -"The Bishop of Rome, whom Roman Catholics regard as en· trusted by the will of Christ with this responsibility, and who has exercised his ministry in forms that have changed signifi. vantly over the centuries, can in the future function in ways which are better adapted to meet both the universal and regional need of the church in the complex environment of modern times," "We do not wish to understate Turn to Page Four