FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSmS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS.
t eanc 0 VOL. 30, NO.1 0
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FALL RIVER; MASS., FRIDAY, MARCH7, 1986
Diocese· welcomes Cardinal Law By Pat McGowan (More pictures pages 8 and 9) The family of the Fall River diocese gathered last Sunday at St. Mary's Cathedral to welcome Boston Cardinal Bernard Law as principal celebrant of a majestic and joyous Eucharistic liturgy. Concelebrants were Bishop· Daniel ·A. Cronin and some 125 - priests of the diocese. At its close the cardinal turned to the bishop and said "Now I understand better why you say you have the best diocese in the country." Turning back to the congregation, he added, "And he does say it, even when ·you're not here!" The informal comments characterized the warmth of the occasion, as some 1,200 representatives of the 115 diocesan parishes and all diocesan ·organizations and apostolates crowded the cathedral for the first official pastoral visitation of Cardinal Law to any diocese in his province. The province comprises the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. ' The tone of the event was set as the cardinal entered the brilliantly lit and flower-decked cathedral to spontaneous applause, pausing to bless a baby held up by a proud young couple and to shake outstretched hands. Welcomed by Bishop Cronin before the liturgy began, Cardinal Law recalled his previous visits to Fall River to pray at the grave of Cardinal Humberto Medeiros, his predecessor. He noted his delight a~ seeing members of the Medeiros family in the cathedral congregation.
In his homily, the cardinal, recalling the ancient saying, "Where the bishop is, there is the church," said that in the Fall River diocese, "Where Bishop Cronin is, there is the church." He explained that the bishop's influence is extended across the diocese through the work of priests and deacons. But the work of the church is also to be done "in and through" all the faithful, he continued, "not in isolated moments, but in our work every moment of our lives." Discussing the scripture readings of the Mass, Cardinal Law noted that "a funny thing happened on the way to Jerusalem"to the Isrelites who turned aside from God to idolize the golden calf. Idolatry, he said, "is failing to .give God his place." To experience change in one's life, he said, one must look to God with hope and love. Again quoting scripture, he concluded, "Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of sa·lvation." The cardinal, Bishop Cronin and many priests and permanent deacons distributed holy communion to those in attendance, with the cardinal unexpectedly going to the choir area of the cathedral to bring the host to two persons in wheelchairs. For nearly an hour after the liturgy, Cardinal Law and Bishop Cronin stood in the rear of the cathedral greeting members ofthe congregation', including students at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, brought by their chaplain, Msgr. Norman J. Ferris, pastor of St. Turn to Page Six o
.Easter Vigil
In night, not light
Cardinal Law and Bishop Cronin
Gaudette photo
Times ad saddened cardinal At a press conference preceding last Sunday's Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, Cardinal Bernard Law was besieged by questions concerning a full-page ad placed in last Sunday's New York Times by the Committee for Concerned Catholics. The ad, signed by over 900 persons, declared solidarity with Catholics "who face reprisals "from the· church for dissenting on abortion or similar controversial issues. . The "reprisals" referred to church action against some of 97 signers of an earlier ad in The New York Times about Catholic views on abortion. Church officiaJs objected to the earlier ad, which appeared on Oct. 7, 1984, because it claimed that, although popes and bishops have condemned direct abortion in all instances, that is not the only "legitimate Catholic position" on the matter. Among signers of last Sunday's ."
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ad was Mary Ann Sorrentino, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island, whose excommunication due to her association with the organization was announced last January on the eve of. the 13th anniversary of the proabortion decision of the Supreme Court. Saying that he felt~'deep sadness"at the ad because'" work out of a vision that sees Jesus as incarnating the love of God" and "am saddened when that vision is not shared within the church," Cardinal Law did not directly address the case of Mrs. Sorrentino, on which reporters sought his opinion. He noted that as a resident of the Providence diocese, she does not come within jurisdiction ofthe Boston Province of the U.S Catholic Church, and that he was not versed in all details of her situation. On continued questioning, he not.~d that in this or any such m~t-·
ter, "the critical issue is the teaching of the church." He added that it is a "great glory of the cpu~ch that it is on the cutting edge of human rights issues." Pressed further as to his own policy with regard to excommunication, the cardinal gave the media what amounted to a mini-lesson in canon law, pointing out that ·culpabiIity in .any particular case depended on "the degree of knowledge and goodwill" of the parties concerned. Signers of the new. Times· ad included 804 people from the United States and Puerto Rico and 138 from foreign countries, mainly Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru. According to The Times, at least five priests and 40 nuns were among the signers. The ad included clip-out coupons for readers to sign and mail to key church officials. Turn to Page Six