03.10.06

'thea VOL. 50, NO. 10 • Friday, March 10, 2006

Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year

FALL RIVER, MASS.

Diocesan schools take Lent to heart

By MIKE GORDON ANCHOR STAFF

I

FALL RIVER - Catholic schools throughout the diocese have many activities planned during Lent that are helping students and staff members prepare for Easter. The Anchor spoke with school principals and staff to find out what Lenten activities were scheduled.

At Taunton Catholic Middle School, students have constructed a five-by -II-foot portrait ofJesus that is displayed in the gymnasium and serves as a backdrop for Mass.

It was made up of hundreds of smaller four-by-six-inch colored

drawings of Jesus that students made in Valerie Russell's art class.

"It's unbelievable,~:' said Principal Margaret Menear; "It's really quite a project."

She said that a Mass was celebrated on Ash Wednesday and activities were planned for each week of Lent.

One endeavor is the Heifer Project in which students collect money to purchase beasts of burden for Third-World· countries.

They are also holding a prayer service centered on St. Francis of Assisi and dedicating a week to the Stations of the Cr()Ss. Tum to page 12 - Schools

BISHOP GEORGE W. Coleman stands with some of the people who affixed their name to the Book of the Elect at the Rite of Election ceremony at S1. Mary's Cathedral on Sunday.

For the Elect, the ceremony brought them one step Closer to becoming full members of the Catholic Church. (Photo by Eric Rodrigues)

Mass.· Bishops seek exemption to exclude same-sex couples in granting adoptions By

SONNY WHITE, Connor Linde, Zachary Turner and Brendan Walsh stand before a'l 11-foot image of Christ made up of smaller pictures of Jesus, made by students at Taunton Catholic Middle School.

Pastors lnviite 'faJthfuJ to come togettH~r a~ famUy

By MIKE GORDON ANCHOR STAFF

FALL RIVER - At Our Lady of Fatima Parish in New Bedford parochial administrator Father John C. Ozug says he enjoys Lent because it encourages parishioners to come together as "a Catholic family." He and other pastors across the diocese are

planning many activities throughow: Lent.

Here is a sampling of what is going on.

At Our Lady of Fatima, they are making the Rice Bowl collection and participating in the city-wide Lenten Mission at St. Mary's Church, 106 Illinois Tum to page 12 - Family

DEACON JAMES

N.

DUNBAR

infringe on the free exercise of of Catholics, our dioceses collecBOSTON - The four Catho- religion, and the governor said is tively over the last century have lie bishops in Massacl1usetts plan willing to meet with the bishops created institutions of education, to seek permission from the state to see if some solution can be health care and social service, to exclude same-sex couples as reached, and I believe the bish- which are designed to contribute adoptive parents, according to a ops would welcome such a meet- to the common good of the citistatement from the bishops re- ing," said Saunders. zens of this state. We purposely leased by the Massachusetts The statement, signedby Car- direct our institutions to educate Catholic Council. the young, care for the sick Edward F. Saunders Jr., and serve the poor of the executive director of the "You have the 2003 document Commonwealth. It is our reMCC, which is the public from the Vatican that Catholic So- ligious and moral obligation policy voice of the four bish- cial Service agencies cannot place t? colla.borate ~s ~ull~ as.posops, told The Anchor that the . . .

Sible With public InstitutIOns, exemption is from current c~lIdren through ado/?tlon servIces other religious communities adoption regulations that the WIth same-sex mamagffJ couples, and citizens of good will to bishops said, "violate the te- and you have the Commonwealth enhance the social welfare of nets of our faith." of Massachusetts licensing require- all the citizens of the ComThe decision follows sev- ments _'_ containing ariti-discrimi- mon~ealth. yve have tried to eral months of discussions nation language _ among which is do thiS consl~t~ntly for over .. a century and It IS our firm deamong the four bishops, he sexual of/entatIOn, and the two are sire to continue in this work said.

"The bishops have de- just running into one anotf1er."- Ed- of the Gospel. cided they want to continue ward F. Saunders Jr., executive di"We recognize that our the good work of adoption rector. MCC. . service takes place in the conthat Catholic Charities has ' text of a broader civil combeen in for more than 100 munity where laws and poli'years and are seeking some relief dinal-designate Sean P. O'Malley, cies change over time. It is necesfrom the state to continue that archbishop of Boston; Bishop sary, therefore, for us to guaranbusiness and not be in violation Robert J. McManus of Worcester, tee both the provision of our eduof state regulations," Saunders ex- Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell of cation, health care and social serplained.

Springfield, and Bishop George vices and the Catholic identity of He noted that Massachusetts W. Coleman of Fall River, fol- our institutions. The latter responGov. Mitt ~omney has stated in lows: sibiIity means that our educathe news media that he respects "As the four diocesan bishops tional, health care and social serfreedom of religion, "and that is of Massachusetts, we are pastors vices must be rooted in the founreally what the question is all oflocal churches across the Com- dation of Catholic moral and soabout," he added. monwealth. While our principal cial teaching even as we offer the ':The state is not supposed to responsibilities are pastoral care Tum to page 11 - Adoption

Friday, March 10, 2006

Attleboro group to establish library at Guaimacan mission ATTLEBORO - A group of people from the Attleboro area will be traveling to Honduras to establish a library at the Diocese of Fall River's Guaimaca mission. At the request of Father Craig A. Pregana, a priest serving at th'e mission, Tricia Svendsen, who is a teacher-librarian in the North Attleboro schools, and a group of 12 others are gathering books and library supplies to take with them.

The library will bring a source of books to the poverty stricken area where literacy rates are as low as 25 percent. In addition to promoting literacy, the library will provide information on many subjects, including geography, history, science, language and spirituality. All library materials will be in Spanish.

In preparation for the trip, individuals are involved in selecting titles by reading reviews ofbooks. It is important not only to select books written in Spanish, but they also should be culturally appropriate. Some books will be purchased in Honduras since it is also important to support indigenous authors and booksellers.

Most in the group traveling to Honduras do not speak Spanish.

Locally, they are being given help

from the Bishop Feehan High School Spanish Honor Society which has offered to help with translations of some of the materials needed by the library. Items such as a procedural manual will need to be in Spanish so that local Hondurans will be able to process books and continue to run the library once it is established.

The library mission group is involved in raising funds for the purchase of books and materials to process them. Items such as circulation cards, book pockets, a card catalog and book bins need to be brought to set up the library in Honduras.

The group is happy to offer people in the diocese the opportunity to sponsor a book or make a cash donation to the project. Anyone interested in donating to the library may mail a check made out to St. John the Evangelist Church, One St. John's Place, Attleboro, MA 02703.

Please indicate that it is for the Honduran mission library. To sponsor a particular book, call Tricia Svendsen at 508-222-8916.

Other donations to support the Guaimacan mission can be sent to Msgr. John 1. Oliveira, Propagation of the Faith Office, St. Mary's Rectory, 106 Illinois Street, New Bedford, MA 02745.

Policy studies expert to examine Catholic stance on war and peace WORCESTER - Gerard F. Powers, coordinator of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network and director of policy studies at University of Notre Dame's Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, will give a talk "Catholics and Peacebuilding" March 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross.

The event is sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross. The lecture is free and open to the public. Powers will examine the state of Catholic teach--, ing on war and peace as it relates to terrorism, globalization and the wars

in Afghanistan and Iraq. He will give particular attention to peace building initiatives in areas struggling with political, ethnic and religious conflicts.

He has been an adjunct faculty member at the National Law Center of George Washington University and the Oblate School of Theology.

His recent articles have examined the ethics of the use of force in Iraq, nuclear weapons, humanitarian intervention, and economic sanctions.

He has also written on the role of religion in the conflicts in Northern Ireland and BosniaHerzegovina.

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PARISHIONERS OF St. Jacques Parish, Taunton, are still shaken by the death of their beloved pastor, Father Thomas E. Morrissey, center, shown with the parish Youth Choir this past December. (Photo courtesy of Holy Union Sister Irene Brochu)

Taunton pastor remembered as a 'beloved man of many questions' By

DEACON JAMES

N.

DUNBAR

TAUNTON - Parishioners, priest colleagues and those who regularly came in contact with Father Thomas E. Morrissey, who for 17 years had been pastor of St. Jacques Parish, say they are still shaken by his sudden death at age 70 on February 20.

"He's very much missed but we have a very good staff team and everybody is carrying out their pariSh duties as best they can," reported Deacon Philip Bedard, who is assigned to St. Jacques. "It was quite a shock to us, because while he had some serious illnesses in the past, he had more recently been feeling fine."

While the former pastor "sometimes had mannerisms that came across as gruff and had a lot of questions that to some might have seemed prying, it was his way of coming to know people and things, Deacon Bedard said.

"But we came to realize he had a heart of gold beneath that exterior."

After his assignment to St. Jacques in 1988, at the request of . Bishop Daniel A. Cronin, Father Morrissey undertook the renovation of parish buildings. It was estimated he saved the parish $35,000 because he supervised the projects himself. He raised monies for the renovations within eight years.

Holy Union Sister Irene Brochu, who had served as Father Morrissey's secretary for all of his tenure at the parish, described him as "a good man and a good priest.

But everyone knew he was a question box. No matter what the topic, he always had to ask why.

We had so many good times.

Sometimes he would say, 'You're going to stay and have lunch with me.' We are missing him."

She said because he always remembered people's birthdays, it

was fitting that we always gathered to celebrate his birthday and more recently the 45th anniversary of his ordination as a priest on February 2."

Father David Stopyra, OFM Conv., pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Taunton, said Father Morrissey, "was a fine priest, a good friend and a good neighbor.

We always called each other by our last names. He'd call and say, 'Stopyra, how about covering for me?' and I would say, 'Morrissey I'll do it for you ... I'm putting this notice on my refrigerator right now.'"

But there would always be another call a few hours later, Father Stopyra said. "He'd call and ask again if I would be filling in for him. I'd say, 'Morrissey, of course I will. I'm putting this note on my mirror in the bathroom.'

"He was a very solicitous man," Father Stopyra said. "He wanted to make sure his parishioners were taken care of. While he sometimes had what seemed like a gruff exterior, it hid a beautiful person, a beautiful heart. I considered him a very holy priest ... who had plans for the Whittenton area and for the future. I will miss him."

He added, "I have some very funny stories about him too, but I will keep those for my own memories."

Deacon Bedard, whose added duties have kept him busy, reported that the parish "has received wonderful help from retired priests Fathers Ralph Tetrault and George F. Almeida," who reside at the Cardinal Medeiros Residence in Fall River.

When Father Morrissey became temporarily incapacitated for more than a month with breathing problems and needed to rely' on oxygen from a portable tank he carried, the two retirees assisted by celebrating weekend Masses.

"But recently, his health had improved and things were looking up," said Deacon Bedard.

He said he and others had recently came across a video from a parish cabaret held in 1991, when Father Morrissey had been pastor for only a few years.

"The video shows him dressed up in a clown costume and singing. It was hilarious, and showed another side of the man," the deacon said. "And he would sometimes ask what my wife was cooking and invite himself to dinner.

He did that with other people too and we all loved it. He was an only child and other than parishioners had no family."

On February 20, when Father Morrissey didn't show up to celebrate the 8 a.m., Mass, one of the staffers went to the rectory and found him in an easy chair with the television still on, but was unable to wake him.

"My wife Alice, who is a licensed pr~ctical nurse, found a weak pulse and called EMTS who transported Father Morrissey to Morton Hospital," the deacon said. He was anointed by Father Stopyra and later pronounced dead."

Deacon Bedard assisted at the funeral Mass, celebrated by Bishop George W. Coleman. It was attended not only by clergy and laity from across the diocese, but also by officials and representative of municipal, county and state governments.

Many came from other parishes where Father Morrissey, a native of Fall River, had served since ordination. He had ministered at the former St. Mathieu's and St. Jean Baptiste parishes and Notre Dame Parish, all in Fall River, as well as the former Sacred Heart Parish in New Bedford.

Father Almeida, who gave the Turn to page 12 - Pastor

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Friday, March 10, 2006

Fairhaven native celebrates 75 year~ as Maryknoll Sister II

MARYKNOLL, N.Y. - Sister Rita Marie Regah is one of two Maryknoll Sistets who will celebrate 75 years as l Maryknoll Sisters in the Residential Care chapel here on March 12. They will be joined by three 'Sisters who have been Maryknoll !!Missioners for 70 years.

Marie E. Regan Jas born on May 22, 1907, in Fail-haven, the daughter of Mary McFarlane and William Regan. She had an,older brother Joseph who joined Maryknoll before Marne. He later . became bishop of the new Dio, cese of Tagum, Mindanao, Philippine Islands. Marie attended St. Joseph's Grammar S"chool and then Sacred Heart A<;,ademy for one year, and graduated from Fairhaven High SchoQl in 1924.

Afterwards she studiCfd for two years at Chandler S,ecretarial School, Boston, and then worked five years as a secretafy for C.C. Buchard & Co., Boston.

She entered the MarYknoll Sisters on July 2, 1931; and pronounced her First Vows on January 6, 1934, receiving the religious name of Sister Rita Marie, and her Final Vows on January 6, 1937, in Hong Kong. In 1934 she received her first mission assignment to China and went to the Diocese of Kaying where she foII

READY TO hear the message offered 5,200 attendees at the March 4, Boston Catholic Men's Club Conference at the New Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, are, left, Father George E. Harrison, parochial administrator of Holy Name Parish in Fall River, and parishioner Ed Hodkinson. Seated behind them are Louis Ledoux and Henry Dion from Fall River, who traveled with the parish contingent for the show of faith event. (Photo courtesy of David Pacheco)

'Spirited' Catholic men's, women's conferences 'draw an amazing 8,500 By

DEACON JAMES

N.

DUNBAR

BOSTON - The Boston Catholic Men's Conference on March 4 and its counterpart Women's Conference a day earIier were billed as an energetic show of faith at an unforgettable spiritual encounter.

"They were all of that and more," reported a tired but happy .

Scot Landry, coordinator and cofounder of the BCMC, who also directed the hastily-planned Women's Conference in this its first-year gathering. ''To have 8,500 Catholics come together on the weekend from the Boston Archdiocese and from surrounding dioceses, was an awesome sign of hope when we look to the future of the Church," he acknowledged.

"It was wonderful, with 3,300 women in the new Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on the Friday night which greatly exceeded our expectation after selling 2,250 tickets prior," said

Scot .Landry, brother of Father Roger Landry, executive director of The Anchor.

"We thoughtthat if we had 500 women it would be a great door attendance, because we had only 30 days to plan for them," he told The Anchor.

"But we had 1,000 women sign up at the door. At 3,300 attendees

it meant indeed that the largest Catholic women's conference in the country was in Boston in 2006."

But more than the numbers, "the energy on Friday night was incredibly palpable and motivating, not only to the organizing team, but to all of the speakers Tum to page 13 - Spirit

II

'(This Lent, I want to do more.

Lwant to give them my hands and my heart.

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OFFICIAL

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His Excellency, the Most Reverend George W. Coleman, Bishop of Fall River, has announced the following appointment: Rev. David Stopyra, OFM Conv. to Parochial Administrator, St. Jacques Parish in Taunton, while remaining Pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Taunton.

FALL RIVER - Bishop George W. Coleman has granted Catholics in the Fall River diocese a dispensation from the Lenten rule of abstaining from meat on Friday, March 17, which is the feast of St. Patrick of Ireland.

The Diocese of Providence, R.I., and the Archdiocese ofBoston have also granted the same dispensation.

In granting the permission to eat meat that day, Fall River diocesan officials urged Catholics to carry out some other suitable form of self-denial in accordance with the spirit of the Lenten season.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION PARISH OF 1300 FAMILIES AND GROWING, SEEKS AN ENERGETIC AND ENTHUSIASTIC FULL TIME DIRECTOR OF ITS RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM INCLUDING ITS SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION, BEGINNING JULY 1ST. PRESENTLY THERE ARE 700 STUDENTS ENROLLED FOR GRADES 1-10.

QUALIFICATIONS INCLUDE: A PRACTICING CATHOLIC WITH EXPERIENCE OF 4-5 YEARS TEACHING; STRONG ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS; SOME EXPERIENCE AS A IDIRECTOR AND A DEGREE IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES IS PREFERRED; SHOULD BE COMMITTED TO THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH OF THE PARISH COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE AND ABLE TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN TEACHERS. SALARY AND BENEFITS ARE COMMENSURATE WITH EXPERIENCE AND GUIDELINES OFFERED BY THE FALL RIVER DIOCESE. PLEASE SEND RESUMES TO REV. THOMAS C. LOPES, ~ 93 MAIN ST., NORTH EASTON, MA 02356.

II

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Effective March 1, 2006

Director of Religious Education

These are the words of Father Gilbert Sales, a missiotulry from the Philippines, who holds out to the street chililren of Mongolia 'iI.the hope of our Lord's Re~,urrection.

Daily, he travels deep undergro~d, to the sewer that'I many of these little ones call home, bringing food, clothing L and the knowledge that even in their "Good Friday" existence, Jesus has not abandone<i them and He loves them. Father Sales alsollcares for these children above ground at a Chur¥-run center. 'Ii' This Lent, will you pray for and offer financial help through the Propagation of the Faith to support the priests, Religious and lay catechfsts in the Missions as they serve among the suffering poor no matter the "Good Friday" "

Diocese of Fall River

Dispensation from abstinence granted for St. Patrick's Day

cused on catechetics. She lived with the people in the area, teaching the doctrine while learning their customs. From 1964 until 1951 she was Superior of all the Maryknoll Sisters missioned to the Diocese of Kaying. After being under house arrest, she was among the Maryknollers who had to leave China when the Communists took over.

In 1951 she went to Maryknoll, N. Y., where she served in Congregational Services emphasizing speaking in parishes and schools as there was a great interest in China. She went to Taiwan in 1953 where she again became active in catechetics. Sister Rita Marie also attended Coady Institute in Nova Scotia, Canada. Her work after that was primarily in Pastoral Work, teaching English in two parishes, and being in charge of the Adult Education program in Taiwan.

She returned to Maryknoll, N.Y., in 1971 where she studied at Roger's College and earned a Bachelor's in Community ServiCe in 1973, and also served again in Congregational Services. After 1973 she returned to Toufen, Taiwan, where she worked for 21 years.

Sister returned to Maryknoll, N.Y., in 1995 and in recent years has resided in Residential Care.

circumstances.

--------The Society ----------:------------------------------~for THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH ,..A 'Pontifical Mission Society •

Aun: Column

R~v. ~sgr. John J. Oliveira. V.E. 1061H,lnOis St.. New Bedford. MA 02745

ANCH.03/IO/06

Enclosed is JIY Lenten gift for the Missions. ..

0$40. , , $1 for each day of Lent

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0$100 Name

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0 $10

0 Other $

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Addn'Ss

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State,

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www.worldtnissions-catholicchurch.org "

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Friday. March 10, 2006

T HE LANDING Obeying God rather than men There's a dramatic scene in the Acts ofthe Apostles when the Twelve, after having been miraculously freed from the public prison, are brought back before the Sanhedrin. There they are castigated for having disobeyed strict orders forbidding them to teach about Jesus. In response to their threats, Peter and the Apostles stood up and gave a principle with no expiration date: "We must obey God above any human authority" (Acts 5:29).

The four successors of the Apostles in Massachusetts, in union with the successor of St. Peter, have stepped forward to proclaim the same principle with respect to a 1993 state law that forces all adoption agencies to provide children to same-sex couples. Catholic adoption agencies, like Catholic Social Services in the Diocese of Fall River and Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Boston, cannot do so without violating the explicit teaching of the Church.

That teaching was summarized in 2003 in a document ofthe Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, led by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The document, entitled "Considerations regarding proposals to give legislative recognition to unions between homosexual persons," begins by stating two principles. The first is that "moral conscience requires that, in every occasion, Christians give witness to the whole moral truth." The second refers to how this witness to the whole moral truth needs to be given in the context of same-sex unions: "In those situations where homosexual unions have been legally recognized or have been given the legal status and rights belonging to marriage, clear and emphatic opposition is a duty."

The future Pope Benedict XVI then followed those principles in presenting the clear and emphatic opposition of the Church to same-sex adoptions: "As experience has shown, the absence ofsexual complementarity in these unions creates obstacles in the normal development of children who would be placed in the care of such persons. They would be deprived of the experience ofeither fatherhood or motherhood. Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such unions would actually mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to :place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development. This is gravely immoral and in open contradiction to the principle, recognized also in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, that the best interests ofthe child, as the weaker and more vulnerable party, are to be the paramount consideration in every case."

While the language is certainly strong, the essential principle is what Pope Benedict articulated in his recent encyclical "God is Love." Love ofneighbor involves concern notjust for another's material well-being, but also his or her moral and spiritual well-being. While a same-sex couple may generously and compassionately care for an adopted child's physical and emotional needs, the formational impact of the home relationship will negatively influence the child's moral and spiritual growth. Recent research bears witness to some of this influence. A 2005 study by University of Southern California professors Judith Stacey and Timothy Biblarz showed, among other things, that children raised by same-sex couples were more likely to experiment with same-sex relationships and be more sexually promiscuous than those brought up by heterosexual couples. Catholic adoption professionals cannot in good conscience ignore such realities.

The Massachusetts bishops are seeking an exemption to the 1993 law so that Catholic social service agencies in our Commonwealth can continue adoption work without having to place children in same-sex homes. Catholic agencies have long been praised for their professionalism and competence by adoption experts, and they already carry a sizeable percentage of the Commonwealth's adoption case load - especially in terms of the children considered most difficult to place. If an exemption is not granted and Church agencies need to pull out of adoptions altogether, it would be a tremendous injury to the common good, and especially to children waiting to be adopted.

An exemption would not mean that same-sex couples would no longer be able to adopt children; they would just have to go to non-Catholic agencies.

Because of the Church's opposition to same-sex unions, very few same-sex couples elect to approach Catholic agencies for adoption help as it is. So while denying an exemption would have little practical relevance for samesex couples, it would have dramatic consequences for the vast majority of other couples who come to the Catholic Church for adoption assistance. The bjggest impact of all would be on the multitude of ~hildren placed each year

by Catholic agencies, who would have to wait considerably longer to find a stable home.

In their interest, above all, the exemption should be granted.

the anchots>

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

Published weekly except for two weeks in July and the week after Christmas by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fan Riller, MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 - FAX 508-675-7048, E-mail: theanchor@anchomews.org. Subscription price bY mail, postpaid $14.00 per year. send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA, call or use E-mail address Member: Catholic Press Assodation. New El1gJand Pre" As""'iation, Catholic News Service

PUBLISHER路 Bishop George W. Coleman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Roger J. Landry fatherrogerlandry@anchomews.org EDITOR David B. Jollvet davejollvet@anchornews.org NEWS EDITOR Deacon James N. Dunbar Jimdunbar@anchornews.org Michael Gordon mikegordon@anchomews.org REPORTER OFFICE MANAGER Mary Chase marychase@anchornews.org send Letters to the Editor to: theanchor@anchomews.org

POSTMASTERS send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River. MA 02722.

THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-Q20) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.

the living word MATIHEW LEGGEE SIGNS THE BOOK OF THE ELECT AT THE RITE OF ELECTION CEREMONY AT ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL LAST SUNDAY. LEGGEE, WHO WILL BECOME A PARISHIONER OF ST. MARY'S PARISH IN MANSFIELD, AND DOZENS OF OTHER FROM ACROSS THE DIOCESE, TOOK ONE STEP CLOSER TO BECOMING FULL MEMBERS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. (PHOTO BY ERIC RODRIGUES)

"Now YOU ARE CHRIST'S BODY, AND INDIVIDUALLY MEMBERS OF IT" CORINITHIANS

Living the paschal mystery willing, take this cup away from During these days of Lent, one of the traditional disciplines me; still, not my will but yours be done" (Lk 22:42). We live the we focus on as a Church is prayer. We challenge ourselves paschal mystery in our prayer by bringing our will into line with to deepen our prayer, as a way God's will, and by entrusting of purifying our lives and our lives to God's plan, as gaining a more intimate contact and relationship with God. In mysterious as that may be.

Even if we spend our prayer our prayer, we learn to imitate Christ by handing our lives over to God, and so prayer is another way in which we can live the paschal mystery that we prepare to celebrate during Lent.

By Father David As the paschal A. Pignato mystery began, Our Lord gave us an important lesson in pleading for someone else in prayer during his agony in the need, our prayer still forces us garden. As the darkness of his suffering crept in, and the to live the paschal mystery, by climax of his saving mission pouring out our hearts for others, as Christ did on the neared, Jesus had to accept his cross. When we plead with God Father's will for his life, which for someone in need, we make included his death on the cross, even though he naturally wanted an oblation of ourselves, which to live. Jesus had to surrender to in some way imitates what Christ did on the cross. When God's overall plan and trust that we invest ourselves in deep it was better than what he prayer for others, we make an wanted with his human will. act of self-sacrifice, an act that Through the paschal mystery of his suffering, death and emulates the offering of self that Christ made for each of us.

Resurrection, Jesus handed his life over to his Father for our Another reason why prayer salvation, and he made this offers us a chance to live the surrender of his life first in his paschal mystery is that it requires perseverance and agonizing prayer in the garden.

The words of Christ's prayer hum}lity, two of the virtues that Chri'st demonstrated in his signal to us how to live the suffering. In his new and first paschal mystery in our own prayer: "Father, if you are encyclical, our Holy Father,

Putting Into the Deep

(1

12:27).

Part Two

Pope Benedict XVI, has reminded us that our perseverance in prayer must be sustained by hope, which requires patience and humility, in order to accept God's mystery and trust him even at times of darkness, when it may seem that God remains silent and does not answer our prayers (Deus Caritas Est, 39). By persevering in our prayer, we start to make present in our ow,n lives what Christ did in the paschal mystery, by his own perseverance for the sake of others.

It's in our prayer that we can learn to surrender to God's will for the world and for our lives, and it's in our prayer that we can learn to hand our lives over to God, as Christ did, beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane, and later the next day, on the cross.

But this kind of prayer takes time. In fact, it takes quality time, time to concentrate on God and meditate on his example for us. This kind of prayer takes time, because it requires a real investment of ourselves.

During Lent, as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the paschal mystery at Easter, we can live the paschal mystery in the depths of our prayer. It is there, out in the deep in prayer, where God will teach us to imitate his Son, by surrendering to his holy will.

Friday, March 10, 2(106

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No tubes for me When discussions about end of to make a correct judgment as to the means by studying the type of life treatments come up,people treatment to be used, its degree of will often say something like this: "I don't want to be a burden to complexity or risk, its cost and the anyone. No tubes for me. I just possibilities of using it, and want to go quickly and peacecomparing these elements with the result that can be expected, fully;~eople are attracted by technology and what it offers taking into account the state of the sick person and his or her when they are sick, but they also have fears about it when they are physical and moral resources.

Thus ordinary treatments will in a weakened or vulnerable state. offer a reasonable hope of benefit They imagine becoming trapped 路in a situation where they aren't allowed to die but are held in a kind of suspended animation by machines. They also worry that their pain may not be managed well.

Sometimes they may feel

By Father Tad pressure from family Pacholczyk members that they shouldn't "stick around" too long. These kinds of fears and to the patient, are not excessively concerns, however, need to be costly and are not unduly burdenscrutinized carefully, because they some. Taking antibiotics to fight can prompt us to act rashly and an infection would generally be think unclearly when it comes to an ordinary treatment, since it making concrete treatment would be effectiv~ in combating decisions. the infection, would not be unduly In making end of life deciburdensome or expensive, and sions, the important question is would be a low-risk procedure.

In order to decide whether a whether a proposed treatment is treatment is ordinary, we must likely to be ordinary or extraordinary. Ordinary treatments are also look at the particulars of the required as part of our duty to patient's condition, and not take care of our health. Extraordimerely focus on the treatment, the nary treatments, on the other medical device, or the medicine hand, are optional. The process of itself. So if a person were imminently dying from cancer, weighing whether a treatment is ordinary or extraordinary was with but a few hours of life concisely summarized back in remaining, and the physician discovered that he had an infec1980 in a passage from the tion in his lungs, the use of Vatican's "Declaration on Euthanasia" : antibiotic medications would generally be extraordinary and In any case, it will be possible

optional in these circumstances, since their use would be largely ineffective to the patient's real-life situation.

Weighing and determining whether a treatment is ordinary or extraordinary is not always a simple and straightforward task. It often requires some struggle and searching. I recall once helping a woman whose 82-year-old mother was in a nursing home with .

Alzheimer's. We spoke by phone every few weeks as the condition of her mother would change. .1 She would ask, "Do I . have to put mom into an ambulance and take her to the hospital every time something goes wrong? It causes such stress and anxiety at her age." One time when her mother got a urinary tract infection, she ended up sending her to the hospital for treatment. After some discussion, it had become clear that making that ambulance trip would mean providing a bridge to healing for her mother, bringing her to another plateau in her condition, and hence would be ordinary treatment. When the urinary tract infection came back again a few months later, she had her taken to the hospital a second time. But after several more months passed, her mother's condition suddenly deteriorated further. She had several small strokes, in addition to a serious bowel obstruction and kidney problems. I remember how at a certain moment during one of our phone conversations, as we were reviewing her

r------------r--=--:::---,.., Making Sense Out of lBioethics

51 mother's condition, itllbecame clear to both of us that we had crossed a line into new territory.

We saw that it was befoming an extraordinary intervention to put her elderly and demented mother into the ambulance again and try . to treat her more recent and more serious maladies. Whenever we would discuss her mother's health on the phone, she would " say, "I want Jesus to take hefllat the time he chooses, and I want to be a II good daughter to my mom up to the end." It was becon:Jing clear that her mother was in fact reaching the end of th~ line, and further interventions would no longer be obligatory, that Jesus . was indeed ready to take her. She felt able to let her go a~ the proper moment. The whole process of figuring out when her mother had reached the point where further interventions and hospital visits were extraordinary had been . nested in a lot of prayer, consultation and struggle on th~ part of . her daughter. Precisely" because of that prayer and effort, As the end approached, she knew she had taken the appropriate steps along the way and had no regrets after her mother passed on. !

At the end of our own lives, each of us should have"the liberty of spirit to be a "burden" to our loved ones and our family. That's what love means. Wheh each of us was born, we were a "burden'? to our parents for many;I years. Our . parents and grandparents should feel no pressure abqut 'Iiquick exits." They should know that their family and friendS will be there for them, loving tpem and journeying with them into the .

View From the Stands

glory.

Morality plays and movies are now anything but.

The only difference between our culture and the ancient Greeks and Romans is that they didn't have the added luxury of television revenue and marketing. Imagine going to a kiosk at the Coliseum and purchasing a "Lions" or "Christians" T-shirt, or picking up the latest gladiator bobble-head.

The Greeks and Romans had a good thing gone bad through greed, lust, elixirs, and decadence. Today their civilization is nothing more than a history lesson - a lesson that doesn't seem to be heeded.

"Mr. Peabody, what were Fenway Park, the Super Dome and the Hollywood Bowl?"

"Sherman my boy, those were playgrounds for millionaires to perform before other millionaires."

"What happened to them?

They're covered with grass and ivy."

"The performers couldn't perform any more. They ran out of people who cared."

Comments are welcome at davejolivet@anchornews.org.

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Our next stop: The great American ruins "Okay, Mr. Peabody, what date union is taking on team owners to shall I set the in the Way Back suck up a larger piece of an Machine?" already ginormous pie.

"Sherman, my boy, set if for Exhibiting the same greed and the year 2501. We're going to visit selfishness, the National Football the great American ruins."

League is following in the "Don't you mean the Greek and Roman ruins Mr. Peabody?" ft~y . "No, Sherman. That's ancient history. The American ruins are all the rage now."

The way things are

By Dave Jolivet going, future generations of Bullwinkle watchers could find such an episode of "Peabody's Improbfootsteps of the National Hockey able History."

League, the National Basketball Does it seem so far fetched Association, and Major League that America's great sports and Baseball, in eschewing the fans entertainment cathedrals could who support the games. The little some day become oversized people are getting smaller. flowerpots, home to packs of Take a look at the red carpet stray cats? entrance of entertainment's Did the advanced minds of the biggest stars at the Oscars. Actors Greeks and Romans ever envision and actresses are adorned and their arenas and amphitheaters attired in jewelry and clothing covered with flora, simple worth more than the Gross gravestones of a once vibrant and National Product of many Third creative past?

World countries - the beautiful . Isn't that the way American people living the charmed lives. civilization is heading?

Musicians, including middleLet's look at some of the facts. aged rock stars and beyond now In what has become a seemingly charge an arthritic arm and a leg annual right of passage, a players to perform as a shell of their past

mystery of death. Our parents and grandparents should never feel constrained to decline ordinary treatments. When tubes will serve as an ordinary bridge to healing for them, they shouldn't feel pressured to declare: "no tubes for me." Tubes can sometimes be required as part of our duty to take care of the health and life which we have received as a gift from God. Each of us would like to have an easy, peaceful death. Each of us is entitled to good health care and pain management as we die.

But giving in to an undue fear and concern about tubes, suffering, and pain can cause us to fail to appreciate the graces that come at the end of life. Above all we must be willing to accept, to surrender and to tum ourselves over to the Lord's plan, knowing that he will grace us in our final days and hours through any sufferings we may have to endure before our journey comes to its'completion in him.

Father Pacholc~k earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest ofthe Diocese ofFall River, and serves as the Director ofEducation at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org

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PRACTICE THE DEVOTION OF THE FIRST SATURDAYS, AS REQUESTED BY OUR LADY OF FATIMA "

On December 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared to Sister Lucia (seer of Fatima) arid spoke these words: "Announce in my name that I promise to assist at the hour ofdeath with the graces necessary for the salv~tion oftheir souls, all those who on the first Saturday 6f five consecutive months shall: I. Go to confession; ,2. Receive Holy Communion; 3. Recite the Rosary (5 decades),' and 4. Keep me company for IS minutes while meditating on the IS 'Pysteries ofthe Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."

In a spirit of reparation, the above conditions are each to be preceded by the words: "In reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

Confessions may be made during 8 days before or after the first Saturday, and Holy Communion may be received at either the morning :or evening Mass on the first Saturday.

II

Friday, March 10, 2006

The glory of the eucharistic Lord Peter, James and John were present in the life of Jesus at so many important moments.

They accompanied him on his missionary journey of teaching, preaching and healing.

They were present when he restored the sick to new life, when he healed sinful people of their burdens.

When Jesus did these miraculous things, he showed his glory to the people he saved. His glory was made known in their midst and his power was revealed.

To prepare them for the passion, Jesus now reveals his glory to the disciples. He leads them up a mountain, a symbol of spiritual fulfillment, to reveal his glory to them. His face changed, his clothes become dazzling white and the voice of the Father was heard from the heavens:. "This is my beloved son: Listen to him."

with us always until the end of The disciples must have been The disciples left that time. These moments help us in awe as they sawall these mountain and walked on to to continue climbing the things happening before them.

Jerusalem to see their Lord and mountain. savior embrace the cross as he And; at the same time, they Jesus appeared to those suffered and died for each one must have said "This is truly disciples in such a powerful of us. Because of the transfiguthe Christ, the Son of God." ration, their lives were The transfiguration changed. Although they of Jesus is truly weren't perfect and extraordinary. But, Homily of the Week how much more didn't have it all extraordinary is it for together, they had a Second Sunday ~ ..~. " ' ••. us, when the Lord glimpse that Christ of Lent reveals his glory in who was transfigured before them, would, our daily lives. Our

By Father spiritual journey, indeed, rise from the Scott A. Ciosek from baptism to dead in the glory of the resurrection. eternal life, is a If we truly under"climb up the mountain." It is way to strengthen their faith. stand the purpose of Lent, we a journey that fulfills us and They, like us, were weak and brings us eternal happiness, realize that it is about much had many questions and but also a journey of challenge more than giving things up or preoccupations. So very often and struggle at times. How even doing extra things. These in our lives, when we are faced extraordinary is it for us when things are part of Lent but are with sinfulness, despair, a lack the Lord's face shines in our not the meaning of Lent. Lent of faith, we long to see the lives revealing his mercy, his is about seeking the face of the Lord's glory shining forth in forgiveness, his friendship, his Lord. Lent is about experiencour lives ever more deeply. inner-peace, his promise to be ing the glory and power of the

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Lord. Lent is about allowing Christ in so that our lives, like the disciples, may be changed forever.

The transfiguration was a powerful event. But, something much more powerful happens on the altars in our parishes week after week. We take bread and wine, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, another transfiguration takes place. The glory of the Lord shines: Bread and wine are transformed and changed into his very presence. We, like Peter, James and John, stand in awe and like Peter proclaim "Jesus, it is good that we are here." The Lord appears in our midst, in our presence, to strengthen our own faith as we continue our journey to the cross.

Father Ciosek is parochial vicar at St. Michael Parish, Fall River.

Love and adoption The word "discriminate" don't love them, but to love pretend not to be deprived. has been used in reference to someone is to want what is Those who have placed unjust discrimination for so best for them. What is best for children with same-sex long that people seem to have every child is to have a couples justify their decisions forgotten that sometimes there mommy and daddy. If a child by claiming that no one else are just and prudent reasons cannot for whatever tragic would take these children. If reason be raised in the home of the children have problems for favoring one person over his or her biological another. mommy and daddy, Those in charge of placing .children with adoptive or then everyone involved foster families are not suphas .a duty to try to posed to hand children over to provide a replacement anyone who applies. Agencies - a substitute mother have a solemn duty to disand father. criminate - to distinguish, in The needs of

By Dale O'Leary the best interests of the child, children should always between those families where trump the desires of the child has the best chance to . adults. When the child have all his or her needs met acquired by a same-sex couple which make placement diffiand those families which are in . asks "Why don't I have a cult, then these are the very some way deficient and daddy (or mommy)?", the children that need the bes~ therefore not the best possible couple will find it hard to possible placement, not one placement for a child. admit that they have purposely that is inarguably second best.

A couple made up of two deprived the child they love to Not all children given to samemen or two women is by serve their own desires. sex couples are "hard-toChildren available for definition deficient - it lacks place." There are numerous an adult of both sexes. This is reports of agencies giving adoption or in foster care not a small or inconsequential have already suffered a children who could easily be thing. There is overwhelming major loss. They have a right placed with father/mother evidence that early and ongoto the best possible placecouples to same-sex couples. ing interaction with an adult of ment not one that is permaDr. George Rekers has each sex fosters healthy nently and intentionally carefully reviewed a massive deficient. emotional and social developbody of research which ment in children.

Children placed for adopdemonstrates the ways in Children want a daddy and tion often wonder "Why did which children in foster care a mommy. Children raised by my mother give me up? Why are at high risk and need the same-sex couples often did my father not want me?" best possible placement, and express a desire for a daddy or Won't a child placed with a how placement with a samesame-sex couple also wonder sex couple "uniquely endana mommy. Insisting that "Why was I deprived of a schools teach "family divergers foster children by exposing them to a substantial level mommy or daddy? Why did sity" will not solve the problem. Reading·"Heather has two my real parents let this hapof harmful stresses that are Mommi·es" or some other propen?" The same-sex couple over and above usual stress in gay children's book is not a heterosexual foster homes" will rationalize their behavior substitute for a daddy. The (www.narth.comldocs/ and the child will soon learn child knows that something is RationaleBasisFinal0405.pdf that such questions are unaclacking. #Search=' george ceptable. The couple will It is not that same-sex %20rekers%20arkansas' ). pretend they haven't hurt their couples who acquire children child and the child will have to Most of Dr. Rekers' findings

Truth and Compassion

also apply to children available for adoption who are deemed hard-to-place. When biological parents choose a Catholic agency, they are making a decision about what they want for their child. Those who run Catholic adoption agencies or Catholic foster care programs have a sacred duty to the children and their parents to make the best placement possible in human and spiritual terms.

Catholic agencies should, therefore, place children with adults who believe in and are practicing the Catholic faith.

The idea that a Catholic agency - or for that matter a Protestant or Jewish agency - not be allowed to consider the faith and practice of the adults seeking children is absurd.

A person who is in a sexual relationship with a person of the same-sex is not living in accordance with the faith. It isn't just that people with same-sex attraction don't accept the Church's teaching that marriage should be between one man and one woman. There is ample evidence that they reject n9merous Catholic teachings, including the call to chastity before marriage, fidelity in marriage, the permanence of the marriage bond, and the right to life from conception.

This has a direct effect on their children's attitudes toward sexuality. Studies show that children raised by same-sex

couples are more likely to become sexually active earlier and more likely to experiment with same-sex relationships.

The bishops are only trying to fulfill their duty to the children.

Remember how those pushing for the redefinition of marriage assured us that the change would not affect the Church. Now we can see that they lied.

Dale O'Leary is an internationally recognized lecturer and author of "The Gender Agenda: Redefining Equality." She regularly lectures in Massachusetts in support of the Church's teachings on the gift of human sexuality.

Daily Readings March 11 Dt 26: 1619; Ps 119:1-2,45,7-8 March 12 Gn22:1-2,9a,1013,15-18; Ps 116:10,15-19; Rom 8:31b-34; Mk 9:2-10 March 13 On 9:4b-10; Ps 79:8-9,11-13; Lk 6:36-38 March 14 Is 1:10,16-20; Ps 50:8-9,16bc17,2123; Mt23:112 March 15 Jer 18:18-20; Ps 31:5-6,14-16; Mt 20:17-28 March 16 Jer 17:5-10; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 16:1931 March 17 Gn 37:3-4,1213a,17b-28; Ps 105:16-21; Mt 21 :33-43,45-46

Friday, March 10, :Z006

7

Groovy never goes out of style 5 March 2006 - First Sunday of Lent - Homeport I'm sitting here reading old copies of The Anchor. One article from 1969 says that some parish in Minnesota began a "Young Americans Mass."

Nobody knew the lyrics of the "folk songs" then being cranked out, so the words of the hymn-ofthe-week were projected on the sanctuary wall.

This made national news.

Here's another clipping (Anchor 13 November 2005): Survey finds 90 percent of Catholic teens wouldn't call religion extremely important in their daily life. Sixty percent never attend Mass. Forty percent have never attended religious education classes. This is not good. What can be done?

One area church has installed gigantic plasma screens, a stateof-the-art sound system, and strobe lights. The piece de resistance is a mirrored disco

ball. I'm not making this up.

Will the groovy disco ball attract young worshippers like moths to a light bulb? I doubt it.

Consider the ecumenical monastic community at Taize, France. Taize uses no high-tech gimmicks, yet attracts many

thousands of young people from all over the world. What does Taize have? It has heart-felt prayer, deep silence and good music.

Many churches regularly involve parish teens as readers, servers, greeters, ushers, collectors, and special ministers of the Eucharist. Some have children's homilies or Family Masses. Occasionally a particu-

lar group of young people is invited to "host" a Sunday Mass. Seems to me the goal is to welcome young people into Sunday parish worship. Kids need to grow comfortable with adult worship. Mature spirituality is learned by exposure.

Here's some scuttlebutt about several churches in our diocese that have kicked Sunday Mass up a notch. In the words of Msgr. Steve Avila, "This is not your ~ father's Folk Mass."

Youth Masses at St. John Neumann are held monthly. Not just teens, but entire families participate.

It's a service of praise and worship. It's informal, but not casual. It's high-energy but prayerful. There's a contemporary Christian choral group.

Instruments might include guitar, piano, synthesizer, trumpet, drum, saxophone, violin, and even Celtic stringed instruments.

Not that East Freetown youth

Mission endurance, I mean Honduras began to have an inkling of the I spent the February school transformations that God would vacation living out of a carry-on . be doing in our midst. In his bag, taking cold showers, homily; Father Cook urged us to digging ditches, killing scorpiunderstand that as Catholic ons and centipedes, and chapermissionaries our primary oning 15 teen-agers. Sound like purpose was not merely to bring a nightmare? It wasn't. It was a humanitarian aid. It was to be little taste of heaven on earth Christ. It was to show love and called Mission Honduras, and I had the extreme privilege of serving in this mission with our church youth group.

Sponsored by Christ the King Parish in Mashpee, our group was ,By Heidi Bratton made up of 15 teens and 10 adults. As a group we spent eight months prior concern by reaching out to the to the trip trying to understand needy in their place of need. and prepare for our journey, but Being a missionary, according to all we could really do was pray, Father Emil, was less about plan, and pack, and then pack, outwardly changing the world plan, and pray some more. In than about allowing love to our time of preparation the transform the inner world of our parishioners of Christ the King, souls. and those of St. Elizabeth Seton With Father Emil's words as a Parish in Falmouth, overcompass we finally gathered our whelmed us with their generous bags and headed south. Somesupport. Trip costs for the kids where between our 3 a.m. deparwere defrayed by participation ture and our 2 a.m. retum nine in multiple parish fund-raisers. days later, we were in fact transMore than 2,500 pounds of formed as individuals and as a medical and school supplies group. What brought about those were donated for us to bring for transformations is hard to put into the schools, orphanages, clinics, words, but where we began our and housing projects that make trip with name tags, hellos, and up Mission Honduras. As final handshakes, we retumed with plans were laid and suitcases nicknames, kolas!, and hugs. packed, we were feeling During our time in Honduras, successful and proud of all we I watched shy teens come out of would be bringing to the needy, themselves and embrace but we were still unsure what shoeless Honduran toddlers. I exactly what this experience breathed in hot, Honduran dust was going to be like. as we labored to dig a foundaIt wasn't until a week before tion trench for part of the our departure, when the founder mission's high school comof Mission Honduras, Father pound. I heard laughter and joy Emil Cook, came to Christ the spilling out of simple, cinderKing to celebrate Mass, that we

Home Grown Faith

block homes in the Center for Abandoned Women and Children - homes completely devoid of modem conveniences like hot running water, washing machines, telephones, and microwaves. I savored fried tortillas and spicy refried beans as our group gathered nightly in the volunteer house for physical and spiritual nourishment. Among our teens I witnessed creativity, cooperation, openness, humility, and a willingness to do even the hardest of jobs without complaining. I beheld love in action. I saw the next generation of Catholics alive and breathing, and I was filled with a sense of great hope for our Church.

While on our mission trip I was given a glimpse of frontierstyle faith, and it was refreshingly pared down and simple. It was about love of Christ and of neighbor. The experience honed my vision for what I still need to teach my own kids about the Catholic faith, and left me hungry to share that vision with other families. Over the next several weeks, I'd like to explore the importance of our being a missionary Church, one that is alive and kicking, proactive and growing. I promise not to share too many more "Survivor" stories about killing scorpions or chaperoning teenagers. In truth, however, it is much easier to live with both than you might expect when you first meet them.

Heidi is an author, photographer, andfull-time mother.

She and her husband raise their five children and grow their faith in Falmouth.

I

worship is manic. Mass doesn't parish Mass with a special begin until time has been spent outreach to students in grades in quiet recollection. six through 12. Following the Things don't slow down in Mass there is a formation the summer, either. St. John session (open to all) in the Neumann, St. John The Baptist parish hall. Deacon Mike Guy coordinates the program.

(New Bedford) and St. Michael St. Mary Church, Mansfield, (Fall River) jointly sponsor has a music group called "Spirit "Praise Night on the Pond" at of Life" consisting of some 20 Cathedral Camp. I St. Michael Church also young people. Elaine Saulnier is the music director. Teens also sponsors a huge annual youth Mass for the Deanery of Fall have occasion to actively River, reports Father Scott participate in worship through the leadership of Youth Minister Ciosek. Music groups come Jeff Cahill. "Jeff really has a from throughout the diocese. handle on youth worship and Following Mass, the streets are cordoned off for a neighborhood youth ministry. He's fantastic," says Father Tom Costa. "And block party. Some 500 young we have a children's folk group, people attended last summer. St Michael Church also has a too," adds Father George Bellenoit. "Karen regular weekly Sunday Mass at Guardabascio and Dee which young people serve as vocalists and instru'mentalist.

Taratino have been directing it St. John the Baptist Church in for 15 years."

Here in the Village, our New Bedford features a youth pastoral council gives high choir every Sunday, backed by priority to outreach to young guitar, violin, and drum. Rui Moniz coordinates the music. families, children, and youth but Father Moe Gauvin says all the expensive liturgy components children in the Religious are beyond our resources. We do hold occasional youth prayer Education program, attend once services. The next will be on a month as a group, but the Holy Thursday. It will include Mass attracts families as well.

On Martha's Vineyard, contemporary music, Scripture, intercessory prayer, and Power Michele Roberts is the pastoral assistant and youth 'minister. The Point images flashed on the walls of the church. Meanwhile, parish uses the Life Teen Program every Sunday of the in an adjacent eucharistic year. It involves liturgy, "Life chapel, other folks will be . quietly praying the rosary.

Night" formation s~ssions, and extensive follow-up by a youth Seems to me there are minister. The instrumentation many valid styles of prayer might include guitar, piano, and worship. The more variety violin, drum, and flute. The Life provided in a parish, the Teen materials cost l, about $500 a better. But please, no liturgiyear and include lesson plans, cal disco balls. Dude, groovy isn't cool. liturgy suggestions, CDs and . Father Goldrick is pastor of videos. Training, though, can be expensive, advises Father Mike St. Bernard Parish, Assonet.

Nagle. ' .

Comments are welcome at St. Mary Church, Fairhaven, StBernardAssonet@aoLcom. has a Sunday evening "Family!

Previous columns are at Youth Mass" every month. It's a www.StBernardAssonet.org.

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Please send cover letter and resume to: Search Committee, Blessed Kateri, 126 South Meadow Rd., Plymouth, MA 02360, fax to 508-747-0616, or E-mail: office@blessedkaterLcom.

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The fallacy of boredom

A self-starter who kicks into gear for his God and Church

By MIKE GORDON

When Dorion attended the Pro-Life March earlier this year, it was his first time in the capital, but Bishop Feehan Senior Dan Dorion is a guy who not his last as he would like to attend next year as a doesn't need to be asked to help. He just gets things chaperone. done and he does it with a big smile. .

"It was an awesome experience to attend the When his school made plans to join others at March for Life," said Dorion. "It was great to be the March for Life in Washington D.C. Dorion was there with so many people who also think that life happy to visit is precious." He said that the pilgrimage .. ..;:-.: .. strengthened his i Iected perm is-~""'--·,:;·.<.·,;>-::~:'_n1.'f :;'~.t"'.~. !'. ·."ft.·.· .. ':O.~?-;-'-.(78 view about the 1 sion slips and ~ '- ("""<>9<:; i. ":'7<,):~~ y·....:9~~'!J,~~;:---:?· ",' Pro-Life move~ . . ..-)_ ,~-,,,-~ ,""t"'./": ~..,.(~:.,.f:;.~., ..- .... ;.-5E?',;..,~ _ :"': __ i._ .---...) ment and since .6:~. A"l'''' /. ""':' ,~~J;,~""..,::>~ J . . ' , . " . '. . ~. $I his return he has cause he knew it ~.~:t~7j{2fi.;~~;<;'tJ~f:"t~~J" -t~'-: ~. ~'~~j;, ,;' ~~-f' . i~ ~ shared the expewould be an exrience with perience others would friends and family. never forget.

"No human life should 'The Pro-Life cause is be taken away," said something I strongly beDorion. "I think that socilieve in and I knew if I got ety will listen to teen-agers other people to go it would and they can make a great impact them and bring impact if they get inthem closer to God," he volved." said.

Dorion lives in Dorion is a senior ofPawtucket and is the son ficer for the school's camof Daniel and Kathy pus ministry program, Dorion. He is a member of having been involved St. Mary's Parish in since his freshman year.

Seekonk and the youth "It's been a way to build group at Holy Ghost new friendships and build Church, Attleboro. He's a stronger relationship given several talks to his with God," he said. peers about the imporHis teachers have notance of personal prayer ticed the impact he's had. and said the spiritual asCarla Tirrell, director of pect of being involved in the school's campus minsuch groups is a positive. istry program said when"It impacts my life ever 'she needs an extra greatly," declared Dorion.

DAN DORION IS A SENIOR AT helping hand, she can "We're always praying toBISHOP FEEHAN HIGH SCHOOL count on Dorion. gether and we have ado"He helped make a big difference for the Pro- ration in the school chapel. It's a nice feeling to Life March and he's very passionate about how he have a good relationship with God." feels about God," she said.

Dorion also keeps busy helping with food colTirrell has seen Dorion blossom over his four lections for area soup kitchens, attending the yearly years at Bishop Feehan and said he's been a key Steubenville East conferences, and being part of component in many of the groups activities. the Liturgy Committee at school. He is also part of "He's a great student leader," said Tirrell. "He the set crew at school and a member ofthe football teaches a Bible study group with other students once team. a week and he helped run our peer ministry retreat.

"His heart is in the right place and God is at its He's done a great job getting others involved and center," said Tirrell. "He's a great help." we'll miss him when he graduates."

Dorion is thankful for the Tirrell's influence and In addition to the Bible study group which meets his youth group leader Pedro Teixeira, both of whom during a free period each week, Dorion also orga- have strengthened his faith. As for future plans, nized the speakers for the peer ministry retreat and Dorion hopes to attend college and study youth minhelped collect toys for the needy last Christmas. istry. He's got a good foundation to build on.

"As a board member I help set up and run reThe Anchor encourages readers to nominate treats and other functions at school," said Dorion. othersforthe Person ofthe Week - who and why?

"I'm one of 15 officers and we teach peer ministry Submit nominations at our E-mail address: classes, doing lessons on self-esteem and how to theanchor@anchornews.org, or write to The Anbuild a better relationship with Jesus." chor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722..

ANCHOR STAFF

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Friday, March 10, 2006

In the October 7, 2005 issue game or Nintendo. There are no remotes in the pews, or of The Anchor, the editorial on comfy pillows or popcorn. It is "The truly Christian life" not meant to be entertaining, brought out many important contrary to what some might points regarding the Year of believe. Even if the priest the Eucharist, and the "Euchaspeaks "too slowly" or "is hard ristic amazement" spoken of to understand" or you "don't

by Pope John Paul II, in which find the homily inspiring," the every Catholic disciple and Mass is not meant to be parish could grow. Surely, the watched or critiqued.

Year of the Eucharist brought That is not why we are much growth in adoration of there. the Eucharist both for indiNo, the price of admission viduals and communities. in order to experience the gift Yet sadly we may someof the Mass is very clear: faith. times hear these words: "The Prayerfulness. We must bring Mass is so boring, I really our faith in Jesus Christ and don't want to go." We may our adoration to Mass on have heard these words from people we know, from students Sunday and participate, in order to receive the special we have taught, from family members, maybe from our own grace that the Eucharistic celebration offers. voice.

If you are someone who Something "boring" is truly believes in the Eucharist, defined as that which is dull or tiresome. _f:~'o It's truly j \ unbelievable I ,'.

1'" -c,\ .. \ that the I t ::;c/c) Eucharistic celebration can be spoken /'

By Greta MacKoul of in these • words. But it • I . is.

I believe one who is "truly amazed," if that there is a deeper, more fundamental problem here than you receive true joy from attending the liturgy, if it boredom and that would be a speaks to your heart and brings lack of belief. Yes, I believe grace to your life, then you that it is near impossible for belief and boredom to co-exist. have a gift to share with others. When at Mass, show Let's play this out with a your belief by participating in little dialogue. all of the responses. Sing with "I really believe in Jesus a joyful heart, no matter what Christ. I believe that he gave your degree of vocal talent. Be us his word and the holy present to the miracle of the Eucharist. I believe that he is Eucharist and let there be a present at Mass and that the smile in your countenance. bread and wine become his Because your presence may be Body and Blood. And if I am the reason why the person next receiving, I believe that the , to you returns next Week. It grace of the holy Eucharist is may be your prayers and your truly a gift, nothing short of a joy that keep the seat next to miracle. But the Mass is so you from being empty. boring; I think I'll stay away. I My daughter Marysa, who think I'll stay in bed, or go out recently received her first to breakfast or go shopping, or Communion, had this to say I'll get there late and leave about why it is good to receive early. I really do believe, but the Eucharist; "Your soul gets the Mass is just so boring. I don't get anything Ol!t of going hungry."

Possibly it is this hunger to Mass." and the experience of being Doesn't really work, does fed by our Lord, which it? increases our faith and belief, Especially during the and we find that there is no Lenten season, shouldn't we room for boredom. Rather, we reflect and address this situabecome thankful and tion for what it is? Instead of "amazed" at what our Lord the words being spoken, "The Jesus gives to us at each Mass is boring," shouldn't the Eucharistic celebration, and words actually be, "My faith all that he has done. and prayer life are not that Greta MacKoul is the strong. I do not get anything author and illustrator of "The out of the Mass because I do Ocean Flowers, A Parable of not believe strongly that Jesus Love" and numerous articles. is present and many other Greta and her husband things distract me."

George, with their children Otherwise how could one Maxwell and Marysa, are stay away? members of Christ the King The Mass is not a television Parish in Mashpee. program. Nor is it a computer

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Our Journey of Faith

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Friday, March 10, 2006

u.s. first lady meets children at Missionaries of Charity home

By ANTO AKKARA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

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WOMEN JOIN a protest against abortion on Main Street in Buffalo, N.Y., in this file photo.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected attempts to use racketeering laws against abortion clinic protesters. (CNS photo)

In third round, Supreme Court rules for clinic protest rights

By PATRICIA ZAPOR CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court's eight to zero decision rejecting attempts to use racketeering laws against abortion clinic protesters was hailed by one of the successful petitioners as a victory for free speech.

It was the third time the high court had ruled in the case, which dates back to 1986 when the National Organization for'Women attempted to use racketeering laws in class-action lawsuits against abortion clinic protesters.

The recent ruling reversed the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' interpretation of the Supreme Court's 2003 ruling in the case.

The lower court had found that the Supreme Court's decision for Joseph Scheidler and Operation Rescue neglected to deal with four out of 121 instances in which a jury had found abortion protesters violated laws that prohibit acts or threats of violence to person or property.

Scheidler, who heads the ProLife Action League, said in a

statement that he is "mystified that I had to go to the trouble and expense of appearing before the Supreme Court three times. The court was right when t~ey ruled in 2003, but the National Organi. zation for Women refused to acknowledge defeat."

In the latest decision, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote that to violate the Hobbs Act - a 55-yearold law prohibiting extortion -'physical violence or threats of violence must be related to extortion.

In the 2003 ruling, the Supreme Court had found that the protests did not constitute extortion under the Hobbs Act because they did not involve attempts to obtain property. The court also said there was no basis for claims under the 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. A nationwide injunction against the protesters has been in place since 1998, after a Chicago jury said demonstrators broke the racketeering law by interfering with clinic operations, menacing doctors, assaulting patients and damaging clinic property.

South Dakota Legislature bans nearly all abortions PIERRE, S.D. (CNS) - By adopting legislation that would prohibit alI intentional abortions except those to save a mother's life, the South Dakota Legislature moved toward a direct chalIenge ofthe U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

If signed into law it would become the most sweeping ban on abortion adopted in any state since 1973. The South Dakota House of Representative passed the bilI recently by a vote of 50-18. The Senate had approved it earlier, by

a vote of 23-12, after slightly amending an earlier version adopted by the House.

The bill, called the Women's Health and Human Life Protection Act, specifically exempts women from any criminal conviction or penalty for obtaining an abortion. But it says that anyone who performs an abortion except to save a mother's life commits a Class 5 felony, which is punishable by a fine up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison.

When the case was remanded to the 7th Circuit, that court said the Supreme Court had not been asked to consider the four instances in which there had been instances or threats of physical violence unrelated to extortion and ordered a District Court to consider whether those might be violations of the Hobbs Act. Again the case came to the Supreme Court, and Breyer wrote that "physical violence unrelated to robbery or extortion falls outside the scope ofthe Hobbs Act." Justice Samuel Alito Jr. did not participate in the recent ruling.

The latest consideration of the case had drawn the attention of a wide assortment of activist organizations, ranging from People for th~ Ethical Treatment of Animals to Pax Christi USA, which argued that if the Hobbs Act was allowed to be applied to social protests the financial costs could bankrupt protesters and effectively stifle such civil actions.

In his statement, Scheidler said, "The Supreme Court seems to take the First Amendment more seriously than the (circuit courts) do."

Operation Rescue president Troy Newman said after 20 years his organization was pleased to "see this case put behind us once and for all."

In a statement, Newman said, "This is a victory not only for ProLifers, who can now exercise their First Amendment rights to speak out about abortion without fear of a RICO suit, but it is also a victory for the women and babies who are entering our nation's abortion milIS' who now wilI have greater access to more information and practical assistance that can help them spare the lives of their pre-born children."

NEW DELHI - Amid tight security, U.S. first lady Laura Bush visited a Missionaries of Charity home for handicapped children in the Indian capital.

"The first lady was extremely pleased with her visit," Peter Watkins, spokesman for Laura Bush, told Catholic News Service March 2.

Watkins said that after visiting the sick children at Jeevan Jyothi (Flame of Life), the first lady told the nuns she was irhpressed by "how you have changed the lives of these children."

"I thank you for loving these children," he quoted her as saying.

The first lady accompanied President George W;Bush on his first visit to India, whyre he signed a nuclear energy agreement with India. If Congress supports the agreement, the United States would share its nuclear intelligence and fuel with the country.

Jeevan Jyothi is home to 82 disabled orphan children, ages two-16. They were picked up from hospitals, railway stations and streets, said Sister Teresa

Paul, who heads the eight-member staff of nuns.

Many of the children have extreme disabilities and are in beds or wheelchairs, the nun told CNS, so the home has an additional two dozen women who assist the nuns in caring for the children.

Three of the children sang songs to Bush during her 20minute visit; afterward, she caressed some of the residents and visited their rooms.

Sister Teresa Paul said the children were "very happy" about the first lady's coming to visit them, though she said she had a "tough time" explaining who the first lady was.

The first lady's visit to the home included a large security contingent of U.S. and Indian personnel, who cleared the entire neighborhood before the visit and stationed gunmen on top of the two-story building. A helicopter hovered near the home, which is sandwiched between an open sewage canal and a sprawling slum.

"This was the highest security I have witnessed here," said Satish Nair, a Hindu who has been working at the home for eight years.

u.s. FIRST LADY Laura Bush thanks a young disabled Indian girl at the Jeevan Jyoti (Flame of Life) Home for Disabled Children in New Delhi March 2. The home is run by the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and cares for children with physical and mental disabilities. (CNS photo/David Guttenfelder, Pool via Reuters)

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Friday, March 10, 2006

DVD/video review NEW YORK (CNS) - The following are capsule reviews of this week's DVD and video releases from the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Theatrical movies on video have a USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification and Motion Picture Association of America rating. These classifications refer only to the theatrical version of the films below, and do not take into account DVD relea<;es' extra content. ''Lady and the Tramp: 50th Anniversary Edition" (2006) Walt Disney's classic animated feature from 1955 about a cute cocker spaniel in a Victorian family who loses her place in the couple's affections with the birth of their first child but who is reinstated through the efforts ofa freedom-loving mongrel. The cast oflovable dog characters and some delightful' songs by Peggy Lee still appeal to audiences of every age. Eye-popping restoration ofsound and picture on this twodisc set, which offers the film in true full-screen (as opposed to pan & scan) and widescreen editions. (The film was begun in standard ratio, but Disney decided路 it should be in Cinemascope when that format proved so popular, and set his artists drawing additional material to fill the elongated screen image.) The bounteous extras - which far outclass the movie's heralded release on laserdisc several years ago - include a comprehensive "making of' documentary; promotional excerpts from Disney's 1950s-era TV series, including an up-close look at Lee's multifaceted contributions; a fascinating early (1943) storyboard concept for the story; two deleted scenes in story reel form, including Tramp's description ofhow it would be if pets were the masters, an alternate versimI ofthe arrival-of-baby sequence with an extra verse to "La La Lu"; trailers; production art; and games and activities for the kids. French and Spanish soundtracks, including songs, make for fascinating comparison. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-Igeneral patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G - general audiences. All ages admitted. (Buena Vista)

''Pride & Prejudice" (2005)

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Fine new version of Jane Austen's evergreen classic concerning the five unmarried Bennet girls whose mother (Brenda Blethyn) is strenuously determined to marry them off in 18th-century England, and the crossed-signals romance between Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and the wealthy Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), whose apparent dislike for each other - because of his arrogance and herjudgmental attitude - masks a profound attraction. Director Joe Wright makes the settings more realistically rough-hewn than usual, but even so the film is visually stunning and its top-flight supporting players - ' Donald Sutherland, Judi Dench, Penelope Wilton and Tom Hollander among them - make this highly recommendable for all ages. Bonus fea-

tures on the anamorphic widescreen DVD are a bit slim. In addition to the usual director's commentary, the single disc contains several standard "making-of' featurettes, including "Behind the Scenes at the Ball" and ''HBO First Look: Pride & Prejudice, a Classic in the Making," which are mostly uninformative. More enlightening is a short historical documentary on the life of Austen ~ the daughter of a clergyman who wrote the novel at the tender age of 21 exploring why her books still resonate with modem readers and her influence on contemporary romance stories. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I - general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG - parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. (Universal)

''Walk the Line" (2005) Superior biopic about country singer Johnny Cash (a mesmerizing Joaquin Phoenix, who does his own singing). It traces the singer's childhood, marred by the accidental death of his older brother, and his father's subsequent coldness, through an unfulfilling first marriage, and his budding romance with singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon, who matches her co-star in the singing and acting departments), drug dependency, and ultimate survival. Director James Mangold deftly balances the personal drama with plenty of good music, making for first-rate entertainment, though the touching romance between the married Cash and Carter - despite cautious treatment by scriptwriter Gill Dennis is naggingly problematic from a basic moral, as well as Catholic, perspective. Some rough and crude language, ethnic slurs, scenes ofdomestic violence, drug and alcohol use, and an extramarital relationship. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (Fox)

''Yours, Mine & Ours" (2005) Inferior remake of the 1968 Henry Fonda-Lucille Ball charmer about a widowed naval officer (Dennis Quaid) with eight children, and a free-spirited widow (Rene Russo) with 10, who marry years after being high school sweethearts, and the comic complications that arise from merging the families. Despite a heart-tugging ending, director Raja Gosnell relies on too much unrealistic slapstick and though Quaid gives an accomplished performance, Russo is bland. Some mild innuendo.

Excellent anamorphic DVD print quality with commentary by Gosnell, and several featurettes including background on the conscious decision not to faithfully replicate the original film. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I - general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG - parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

(Paramount)

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KEKE PALMER, left, and Tyler Perry star in a scene from the movie "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion." For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Lions Gate)

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fCa.IP~UIII,e~ NEW YORK (CNS) - The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting ofthe U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Doogal" (Weinstein) Unobjectionable but bland computer animated story of dog and his unlikely friends - a rabbit, a snail, a cow and a train who set out on an adventurous journey to find three diamonds that will release the pooch's best friend from an icy imprisonment and prevent a villainous wizard from freezing the sun. Co-directors Jean Duval, Frank Passingham, and Dave Borthwick's originally British film has been re-voiced with a big-name American cast (including Whoopi Goldberg, Chevy Chase and William H. Macy), and there's a commendable message about "friendship being the best weapon," but toddlers - and even their indulgent parents may find this a tired retread of many other superior films. Some mild scenes of peril. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I - general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G - general audiences. All ages admitted.

"Joyeux Noel" ("Merry Christmas") (Sony Classics) Intensely moving World War I tale of soldiers - Scottish, French and German - who spontaneously agree to a cease-fire on the Western front on Christmas Eve as they hear carols wafting from the enemy's trenches, intermingle and bond on a humanistic level, to the eventual disdain of their superiors. Writer-director Christian Carion's film, inspired by true

events, is sensitively acted (by an international cast including Guillaume Canet, Daniel Bruhl and Benno Furmann) and conveys a powerful message about the senselessness of war, while there is an admirable religious underpinning in the character of a dedicated Anglican priest (Gary Lewis) who brings everyone together for a liturgy on that special night. Partially in English, partially subtitled. Battlefield violence with death, some profanity and crude language, discreet husband-wife bedroom scene. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

"16 Blocks" (Warner Bros.)

Far-fetched but surprisingly diverting New York story about world-weary alcoholic cop (a greatly transformed Bruce Willis) assigned to drive ajailed trial witness (a brilliant tum by Mos Def) to the courtroom 16 blocks away, only to find that corrupt cops are out to kill the witness before he exposes them, prompting an unlikely alliance between detective and criminal. Willis and Def are so believable, one readily overlooks the loopholes in director Richard Donner's formulaic thriller, while the corny but inspiring themes of breaking with the past, embracing new beginnings and sacrificing for others resonate. Violence and language quotients are refreshingly low for this sort offilm, and allow recommendation for older adolescents and up. Scattered rough and crude words, mild action violence, a couple of murders, shooting, alcoholic character and brief crime

scene gore. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III - adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 - parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

"Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion" (Lions Gate) Wacky but warm follow-up to the 2005 dramedy "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," which finds outrageous southern matriarch Madea (played in drag by Tyler Perry) helping one niece (Rochelle Aytes) escape her abusive live-in fiance (Blair Underwood); another niece (Lisa Arrindell Anderson) find love with a gentlemanly bus driver (Boris Kodjoe); and a wayward youth (Keke Palmer) turn her life around, all the while planning a family gathering. Once again written and directed by Perry, the sequel follows the original's lead, combining offthe-wall humor and serious story lines with strongly religious overtones, resulting in an heartfelt and agreeable affirmation of faith, family and forgiveness - highlighted by emotional speeches by Cicely Tyson and Maya Angelou about black dignity - that's easy to applaud, despite its messageheavy sentiment and intermittent vulgarities. Domestic abuse violence, brief drug references, scattered crude sexual and scatological humor, and some crass expressions. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-lII - adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 - parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Movies Online Can't remember how a recent film was classified by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops? Want to know whether to let the kids go see it? You can look film reviews up on the Catholic News Service Website.

Visit www.catholicnews.com and click on "Movies," under the "News Item" menu.

Boston College hosts panel on faith and public policy

By CHRISTINE WILLIAMS CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE BOSTON - Catholics debated the role faith should play in the life and work of Catholic politicians during a panel discussion held at Boston College's Silvio O. Conte Forum recently. In front of an audience of 6,000, the four panelists discussed iS,sues ranging from abortion to the tax on capital gains.

The event, titled "Catholic Politicians in the United States: Their Faith and Public Policy," was sponsored by the Jesuit university's Church in the 21 st Century Center.

Moderated by Tim Russert, managing editor and moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," the panel included: Democratic strategist James Carville; Washington Post columnist EJ. Dionne; Edward Gillespie, former Republican National Committee chairman; and' former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan, who is a contributing editor to The Wall Street Journal.

All are Catholics who say their Catholicism plays a major role in shaping who they are, thpugh Carville calls himself a moral relativist.

"Let's cut to the meat of the coconut," Carville said, responding to Russert's questioning whether a politician can be a

Catholic and a Democrat. "We're talking about abortion."

Carville said that most Catholics in the United States support abortion in all cases.

"The position of the Church outstanding is that abortion should be illegal in all cases with the exception of the life of the' mother, and maybe 10 percent of Catholics in the United States agree with it," he said. "Apparently well over half of the faithful believe that you can be a good Catholic and have a different opinion on abortion."

Carville said a Catholic seeking political office would fare better as a Democrat since many Church teachings, especially those about helping the poor, are more in line with that party.

Some want to portray the Democratic Party as the party of the "little guy," said Noonan. ''There is no guy who is littler than someone who might be aborted tomorrow."

"Since abortion has been legal in the United States, we've had roughly 40 million abortions.

That's presumably 40 million people who would be here if they hadn't been aborted. That's a heck of a lot of people," she added.

"This isn't just an issue you can get around and dance around. It's real. The Catholic Church is against abortion for real and seri-

ous reasons."

Gillespie countered Carville's claim that Catholics should feel more at home in the Democratic Party, noting he was a Democrat and changed parties in 1984, "like so many ethnic, Catholic Democrats did at that time."

"There was a sense of greater comfort that if you believed strongly in the right to life, if you believed strongly that marriage is the union between one man and one woman ... that is a more welcome view in the Republican Party," he said. .

"Someone who is pro-abortion rights is allowed to speak at the Republican convention.

You can't find anyone who is Pro-Life who was allowed to speak at the Democratic convention," he said.

Dionne said the U.S. bishops put too much focus on the issue of abortion. Catholics are divided on political issues with 40 percent voting consistently for Republicans and 40 percent consistently for Democrats, he said, with 20 percent of them being a key swing , vote.

"One ofthe troublesome things in the last election for a lot of Catholics of my sort is that the Church did not seem to be an equal opportunity guilt-producer," Dionne said.

Carville said the Church is out

Catholic Democrats assert 'primacy of conscience' over Church teaching WASHINGTON, D.C. (CWNews.com) - A group of Catholic members of the U.S. House of Representatives has issued a "Statement of Principles" in which they claim a "commitment to the basic principles at the heart of Catholic social teaching," but refuse to accept the Church's opposition to legal abortion.

The "Statement of Principles" was released on February 28, and signed by 55 of the 72 Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives. The group professes its commitment to carrying out Catholic social teaching in many ways: "reducing the rising rates of poverty; increasing access to education for all; pressing for increased access to health care; and taking seriously the decision to go to war."

The Democratic group goes on to acknowledge "the undesirability of abortion - we do not celebrate its ,practice." But the statement says that although they recognize the Church's teaching author-

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Friday, March 10, 2006

ity the lawmakers "believe also in the primacy of conscience." Acknowledging the "tension that comes with being in disagreement with the Church in some areas," the legislators leave it clear (if not explicitly stated) that they will not attempt to end legal abortion. . The "Statement of Principle" does not mention other controversial issues on which Democratic lawmakers have often clashed with Church teachings, such as euthanasia, embryonic research, and government recognition of same-sex unions.

The statement was issued from the office of Connecticut's Rep. Rosa DeLauro. Among those signing the statement were the following representatives from Massachusetts and Rhode Island: Michael Capuano, William Delahunt, Patrick Kennedy, James Langevin, Stephen Lynch, Edward Markey, James McGovern, Marty Meehan, and Richard Neal.

of touch with thb American people and what Jesus taught. The Bible teaches peopl!~ to love one another, not conde'Pn others, he said. He called the Church's positions against condom use and artificial birth control "ridiculous."

GiII~spie countered Carville by saying that the ChUrch does not Ii

condemn people; that just because many Catholics disagree with the Church's hierarchy on issues does not mean the Catholic Church will change its understanding of Jesus' teachings because of public opinion or poll numbers, he added.

Noonan said she felt the Church needs to do more to instruct the faithful.

TIM RUSSERT, "managing editor and moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," looks on as Peggy Noonan, a contributing editor to the Wall Street Journal and political author, speaks during a recent panel discussion at Boston College. The pre-· sentation, titled "Catholic Politicians in the United States: Their Faith and Public Policy," was sponsored by the college's Church in the 21 st Century Center. (CNS photo/Peter Smith, The Pilo~ Ii

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St. Anne's Prayer II

"Good St. Anne, Mother of Mary, and Grandmother pf Jesus, Intercede for me and my petitions. Amen."

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In honor

of Sister Lucia dos Santos,

sedr of Fatima, who died February 13,2005, age 97.

Lucia pray for us.

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Adoption services of these institutions to all in the Commonwealth.

"Presently, we face a serious pastoral problem in which our religious freedom is challenged. In its 2003 statement on same sex marriage, the Catholic Church, through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, declared its opposition to the adoption of children by same-sex couples. Existing Massachusetts regulations could require social service agencies to place children with same-

Continued from page one

sex couples. We have provided on this issue. We do this in the adoption services in the Common- hope that we will be able to conwealth for over 100 years. We do tinue focusing our attention on so out of rei igious and moral con- serving children in need of adopviction that we should act in sup- tion, and to do so in a way, which port of children in need and par- does not conflict with Catholic ents who seek to respond to those teaching and practice. We are ask. ing the Commonwealth to respect needs.

"Because of the Church's the Constitutional guarantee of reteaching, Catholic agencies may ligious freedom and allow the not provide adoptions to same- Catholic Church to continue servsex couples. Hence we intend to ing children in need of adoption seek relief from the regulatory re- without violating the tenets of our quirements of the Commonwealth faith."

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112 Schools

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"Students in each homeroom are doing a drawing of one of the Stations and they will be displayed in each class," said Menear. "I'm continually amazed at the spirituality of our students and staff. They embrace the activities that build up our Catholic faith and that's important."

A penance service will bring several Taunton priests to the school to hear confessions.

Linda Mattson, principal ofHoly Trinity Regional School, West Harwich, said they are "Reaching out to the community and those in need during Lent." They're doing so by focusing their efforts to help those in local nursing homes.

"The Beatitudes teach us to reach out to the lonely," said Mattson. Last year, students visited nursing homes and sang songs and this year are making Easter baskets for shut-ins, cards fornursing home patients and lunches forthe NOAH shelter.

"We cannot forget the shut-ins," said Mattson. "They are so happy and grateful for a card or visit and it has a tremendous impact on our students. They see the importance of helping others and how people need love. It makes a difference for everyone."

Students will also be holding a hunger banquet during Holy Week,

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Friday, March 10, 2006

Stations of the Cross and a "Secret Pal," activity.

"All these activities will connect our students with the community and help spread the message of Jesus," said Mattson.

In North Dartmouth, Bishop Stang High School students are encouraged to make a personal sacrifice and attend Mass in the chapel before school. Mass is celebrated Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 7:20 a.m.

According to President Theresa E. Dougall, the school offers penance services for each class on the Wednesdays in March. Students go' to St. Julie Billiart Church from 12:30 to 2 p.m. where priests from the diocese give instruction and are available for reconciliation.

'We are encouraging our students to fast and we're collecting food for the local food pantries," said Dougall. She added that students are asked to pray and to "never underestimate the power of prayer."

Students are participating in discussions about Lent and what it means in various classrooms. "It's a time when students are encouraged to give up something that drives them further from God, so that as they approach Easter they will find themselves closer to him," said Dougall.

Brenda Gagnon, principal of St. Joseph-St. Therese School in New Bedford said her students are making cards and writing letters to shutins during Lent. They will also be learning to take pride in their school by helping to clean up the hallways and cafeteria.

"Fifth-graders are doing a project Walking in Jesus' Footsteps," said Gagnon.

"They will complete assigned tasks within the school and they will hang up a footprint about the task for all to see."

Bishop Stang High School students have recently "adopted" students from St. Joseph-St. Therese and both schools are praying for each other during Lent. "We exchanged photos of our students and they are collecting funds to help us purchase new textbooks next year," said Gagnon. Students at the New Bedford school are sending cards and correspondence to their Feehan friends.

"It's fabulous that they are helping us out," declared Gagnon.

"We're very lucky and it's been good for our students. They see the big kids come in and that they care.

It shows were all connected."

Gagnon is hoping they will soon be able to celebrate Mass together and hold a field day in April.

Younger students at the school

are doing morning prayer and all students are participating in a change collection/food drive to benefit the parish food pantry.

"It has really impacted our students," said Gagnon. "It teaches them at a young age that we need to sacrifice for others. It's our job to help others and emulate Jesus.

Our students are doing that."

Students will engage in several Lenten activities at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro including an interpretation of the Stations of the Cross. The principal, Sister of the Cross and Passion Mary Jane Holden, enjoyed it last year and many of the grades will participate.

"I was impressed by the imagination the students showed and how they correlated the Stations of the Cross with the issues of the world today," she said.

Fourth-graders did a traditional Stations ofthe Cross. The fifth-grade students had it set up like a school bus where each station was like going to a new seat where one would listen to a person's story. "One class did their Stations as seen through the eyes of Mary," said Sister Holden.

In Fall River's SS. Peter and Paul School, students attended Mass on Ash Wednesday and with faculty received a pin that "reminds us of

our goals as Catholics this Lent," said Principal Kathleen A. Burt.

The pin is a small purple heart which has the inscription, "Change their Heart," and according to Burt, they are focusing on activities that do just that.

"During L-ent, we're encouraging sacrifice, prayer and aIms-giving in each of our classrooms," said Burt. "All students are participating in the Stations of the Cross each Friday at 11:15 a.m. and we've invited parishioners to attend also."

Second-graders are planning a day for Jesus which will focus on the Eucharist and eighth-graders will be participating in a retreat day.

"That will be an opportunity for the older students to look at their spiritual journey and see what role Jesus plays in their lives and education," said Burt.

SS. Peter and Paul students have also adopted the Honduras mission, supporting it by various activities and collections. "We've collected school supplies, suitcases and money, and it keeps our students mindful to pray for them and support them."

Father Craig A. Pregana visited the school recently to thank them for their help and Burt said that really put it into perspective for her students.

each Friday morning at 11 :05 a.m. and three Masses every day at 7: 15 a.m., 11 :30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.," said Father Bergeron. The sacrament of reconciliation is available each day at 11 :30 a.m.

When asked what the season of Lent is like or what it can offer Catholics, Father Bergeron said he's been telling people "It's like a married couple who have been together for a while."

When they were courting they were very close and always sat close, but now years later they do not. Each is asking one another who moved. ''The Lord is always there wjth love for us and Lent is a time for us to move back next to him.

We must get involved back with the Church in a passionate way."

The parish also has a Rice Bowl collection and will be one of the host parishes for the Fall River city-wide mission. It will take place March 20-23 and is themed, "Receive the Embrace of Christ."

Guest homilist is Father Michael Najim, assistant vocations director for the Diocese of Providence, R.I. On March 20 the Fall River mission will be at St. Michael Parish; March 21 at SS. Peter and Paul Parish at Holy Cross Church; March 22 at St. Anne's Parish and on March 23 at Holy Rosary Parish. Mass will be celebrated each night at 7 p.m. Refreshments will follow.

The Catholic churches of Greater Taunton are sponsoring a Lenten Mission March 12-15 at St. Anthony's Church, 126 School Street. It will begin at 7 p.m. and will have Sister of St. Joseph of Cluny Eugenia Brady as guest

speaker. It is themed, "Speak, Lord, Your Servant is Listening."

The mission will include Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and confessions will be heard.

Refreshments will follow.

St. Joseph's Church in Attleboro has bilingual Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent at 7 p.m.

It also offers a Stations of the Cross for children on Fridays at 4:30 p.m.

Pastor Father Michael Carvill, FSCB, said they are also holding a Lenten meditation with music on March 28 from 7-9 p.m.

"Our choir loves doing that each year and it should be a beautiful moment," said Father Carvill. "We have several priests who will be available for confession and Scripture readings will be done intermingled with song."

In lieu of a Rice Bowl collection, the parish is collecting food items and donations for its food pantry. Father Carvill hopes the community can be "more con-

scious of those who are less fortunate," and said donations may be left at the door of the church.

"Lent is an opportunity for us to draw closer so we may gaze upon the great love of God," said Father Carvill. "God is pulling us towards something great and beautiful and we want to be worthy to approach that. We must live our lives in a way that's true because we are preparing for the celebration of the pascal mystery."

Several special events during Holy Week include a meditation on the last seven words ofChrist, held at 11 a.m. on Good Friday. It will include music.

Traditionally on Holy Saturday, the Spanish community of the parish holds a living Stations of the Cross at 10 a.m. at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette.

"It's a special thing for parishioners and a lot of work goes into that. We anticipate a big crowd for that," said Father Carvill. .

Continued from page one

Street.

The mission is scheduled for April 3-6, twice a day. Mass will be celebrated at noon and 7 p.m. at which Father Jason Jalbert, associate vocation director for the Diocese of Manchester, N.H., will preach on Being Passionate for Christ and His Church.

A musical prayer concert of the Way of The Cross will be held March 15 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary's Church for all the parishes of the deanery. It will feature a string quartet.

"I enjoy all the activities of Lent," said Father Ozug. "We are looking t9 get parishioners excited about them because we cannot neglect the spiritual aspect of our lives. We should pray more and exercise the spirit."

Parishioners at Our Lady of Fatima will also be doing the Stations of the Cross and attending Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on Fridays and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on Tuesdays.

"I was amazed at the attendance last year on some cold nights," said Father Ozug. "It's nice to see people coming out as part of our Catholic family."

There are many Lenten activities planned at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville. Each Sunday morning following the 10 a.m. Mass, pastor Father Mark R. Hession leads an open discussion, "Habits of the Soul: Learning to Live on Purpose." They center on the 40 daily meditations contained in a book by Linda Perrone Rooney.

A weekly discussion of Lenten topics of interest to senior citizens

is held Monday mornings until April 10 and is led by Father Patrick Tarrant.

They will also have Stations of the Cross on Friday nights at 7 p.m. led by various parish groups.

All these activities come out of the beliefthat "We can't do enough for ongoing enrichment of adult Catholics," said Father Hession.

"We strive to teach people and also facilitate prayer."

The parish will present a series of prayer experiences to enhance, enrich and renew people's prayer lives. On March 14, Lucinda Presnall will lead a discussion on Centering Prayer. Other topics include Ignation Prayer, Benedictine Prayer and Prayer in the Taize tradition.

An exploration of the four Gospel accounts ofJesus' passion, crucifixion and resurrection will be held on Tuesday mornings from 9:45-11 a.m. through April 11.

Father Hession said that series will be a good opportunity for faith sharing and participants will be able to explore how the passion of Christ leads to people taking up a cross in their own life.

"We have some wonderful programs and I'm very pleased with people's enthusiasm," said Father Hession. "We hope it will enrich their Lenten journey."

Father Marc H. Bergeron, pastor ofSt. Anne's Church, Fall River said the parish has a Bible Study class that meets every Tuesday after the 6:30 p.m. Mass. He encouraged all via the parish Website to use the season to study and meditate upon God's word.

"We have Stations of the Cross

Pastor

Continued from page two

homily at Father Morrissey's wake service, recalled how for the past 10 years they would go on retreat together monthly at Miramar Retreat House in Duxbury.

"He loved going there. I used to pick him up. He did much for the Church in his 45 years as priest. And he was wonderful to be with. He would ask many beautiful questions that would help us in our spiritual life. We were part of a support group. And he helped us with his own spiritual insights.

They were questions we could ponder over. I will miss him greatly."

Father Bento R. Fraga, a retired pastor in residence at St. Anthony's in Taunton, was a former dean of the Taunton Deanery. He called Father Morrissey "an exceptionally good man. He was unique and loud at times. But he always had the good of his parishioners in mind. It was amazing to know how much he did to make their parish life better."

Friday, March 10,

~:006

theanc~ II

couples retreat, is scheduled for March 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Brain Center. For more information call Peggy Patenaude at 508-548-9149.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

236-9083.

ATTLEBORO - Perpetual eucharistic Adoration is held at St. Joseph's Church, 208 South Main Street. Adorers are needed. For more information call 508-226-1115.

MISCELLANEOUS

FALL RIVER - The seminar, "Healing Wisdom: Discover Spirituality via the Arts, Music, Poetry, and Ministry," will be held March 25 from 8:30 a.m. to路 3 p.m. at Saint Anne's Hospital. It is sponsored by the Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Nurses. For more information call Betty Novacek at 508-6782373.

FALL RIVER - The Catholic parishes of Fall River will again host a city-wide Lenten Mission from March 20-23. The theme of the mission will be "Receive the Embrace of Christ": March 20, St. Michael

Spirit

Third annual Flower Show at Catholic Memorial Home starts March 15

In Your Prayers

,

SOCIAL EVENTS

CHATHAM - "Laugh and Smile Away the Winter Blues," will be presented tonight at 7 p.m. at the Chatham Bars Inn. It will include singer Sarah Burrill and a performance by Sister Anne Bryan Smollin, author of the book "Live, Laugh and Be Blessed." For more information call 508430-1692.

Continued from page three

who were there as well," he added.

Emma Mahoney and her路 daughter Pamela MahoneyNORTH DARTMOUTH Pacheco, were among 52 women Roland and Penny Hebert lost all their Prayer Line E-mail ad- from Holy Name Parish in Fall dresses during a recent com- River, who boarded a chartered puter upgrade. They would like bus on the Friday afternoon and to re-establish their group, which arrived at the Convention Center ATTLEBORO - The Way included many Cursillo contacts. at 6 p.m.

"It all was a wonderful experiof the Cross will be held on To be included in the prayer line ence."

Mrs. Mahoney said. "I had Friday evenings at 7 this send an E-mail to them at never heard Father Corapi speak . month at the National Shrine rolpenny37@verizon.net. before and he was inspiring and of Our Lady of La Salette. For more information call 508WESTBORO - The New En- uplifting; as well as the other 222-5410. gland Conference for Separated, speakers. It was so excellent that Divorced, Remarried and Wid- time passed by quickly. I enjoyed ATTLEBORO - A Lenten owed Support Group leaders will Mass with Cardinal-designate seminar will be presented by be held March 25 at St. Luke Par- Sean O'Malley, our former Dorothy Levesque at 7 p.m. on ish, 70 West Main Street. For bishop; but I never go to talk to Tuesday evenings during Lent at more information call Scottie him. We arrived home just before the La Salette Center for Chris- Foley of the Fall River Office of midnight. Would I do it again? tian Living. Each session will fo- Family Ministry at 508-999-6420. Absolutely. I enjoyed it."

For the Men's Conference that cus on what Jesus experienced began early Saturday morning, "it each day of his journey from RETREATS was unbelievable to have a facilPalm Sunday to Easter Sunday. ity as large as the Convention For more information call 508MASHPEE - "Time Out," a Center packed with 5,200 men who had driven from as far away as Ottawa, Canada to join with locals, mostly from the greater Boston area," Scot Landry added.

FALL RIVER - The theme of welcome residents, employees, Many had left home at 1 a.m., to Catholic Memorial Home's third families and visitors from.sur- . travel to the event.

To see the energy in the room annual Rower Show on March 15 rounding communities. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.rn. in the solarium Everything is new and once and the response they had to all is "A Cottage Garden." again filled with hope as people' of the speakers was incredibly All are invited to visit and en- enjoy budding trees and shoots of gratifying as an organizer, he re. joy a unique country cottage, a green sprouting forth. Spring has ported.

While he has not yet sent out view from the back porch, or the arrived a bit early at Catholic Meinteractive potting bench - and morial Home and they would like an official feedback survey, he many other garden displays aimed to share this wonderful display reports he has received 250 unsolicited E-mails the day immedi. with everyone. at lifting the spirits.

The solarium has been transFor additional information atelyfollowing the conferences.

"People tell us 'thank you'; but formed to celebrate this wonder- contact Mary Jean Storino, theraful time that nature gives us each peutic activities director at 508- they also say how awesome the conference was for them. Many year, and the staff is excited to 679-0011. said that throughout the last few decades they have not felt as proud to be a Catholic as they were at these conferences."

"That is incredibly touching to me and the rest of the organizers," Please pray for the following Landry said. "Because this is why priests during the coming weeks we do this; to try to help people get energized about their faith and &t\rch 16 then to take the energy created 1957, Rev. Francis J. Mal~riey. S.T.L., Pastor, St. Mary, North individually and collectively at the Attleboro \ \ /<) . conference and turn that into \ ------------~...--~..~.people doing new things to grow ~.....Mhh路1f in their faith and help others grow 2004, Rev. Henty RJ=reighton, SS.CC, Damien Residence in their faith." v/ \ \ Landry said his efforts would March\:t~ not have succeeded without the 1989, Rev. Robert D. Forand, C.P" West Hartford, Conn. enormous help of many people. \ \\ "We could not have done this Marc!ll19. \ without the support of 130 parish 1905, Rev. John J. McQuaide, Assistal\t, St. Mary, Taunton captains and 150 volunteers at the \ \ conferences. Logistically the conMarch 20 \) ferences flowed well," he said.

1951, Rev. Francis A. Mrozinski, Pastor, St. Hedwig, New Bedford There were small hitches, but

ATTLEBORO - A Lenter: Taize service will be held March 14 from 7-8 p.m. at St. Stephen's Church, 683 South Main Street.

It will include music, prayer, Scripture and quiet meditation.

For more information call 508222-0641.

Parish, Essex Street; March 21, SS. Peter & Paul Rarish at Holy Cross Church, Pulaski Street; March 22, St. A"nne Parish, South Main Street; and March 23, Holy Rosary Pl:lrish, Beattie Street. Mass will be celebrated each evening at "7 with a mission homily. Pastry and coffee will follow. All are most welcome. On March '23, the sacrament of reconciliation will be available from 6-6;45 p.m.

no large issues, all because of the commitment, passion and numbers of the volunteers."

Landry was quick to say that the "personal stories "of the attendees are way more important than anything I or any of my organizers could say. I hope you get some of the same quality oftestimony I have seen in the E-rriails, because they are quite poweJiful."

David A. Pacheco, whose wife and mother-in-law ~ttended the Women's ConfereT\ce, was the captain or team lea'per who arranged Holy Name Parish's men's contingent of 52 I including a few from other parishes - to travel to Boston.

"Father Corapi w'as spectacular, what a dynami'c speaker," Pacheco said.; :'Father Cantalamessa is very intelligent and articulate. Scott Hahn was phenomenal and Sean Forrest geared his talk to a young group of men. Everyone I spoke to said they were most inspired and glad they had made the effort. Mass with Bishop Sean was moving, as was his homily. We captains were asked to be collectors, at the Mass.

Afterwards, we captains were presented rosaries blessed by Pope Benedict. 路For Pacheco, it wa~ a long day.

"We were. back at the parish at midnight. But the well-planned conference, a show 'of faith by Catholic men together, was worth it."

Many other attendees had more to say: "The dominant theme of the Conference for me w,fls a calling for 'men to be men, '" said Bobby Lahard of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Acushnet.

"Each speaker delivered, in his own powerful, compelling style, a challenge to husbands, fathers and men of faith to walkl:the talk of Catholic doctrine, to love our spouses as Christ noves his Church, and to tea,ch o.ur children the undiluted truth of salvation.

What a refreshing reminder of our awesome privilege and responsibility as men of God lito live out the Word in our daily lives."

Steve Minniger, a deacon candidate for the Fall Ri~~r diocese, and a member qf Holy Redeemer Parish in Chatham, rated Fathers Cantalamessa and Cprapi, and scholar Scott Hahn, "world class!"

"Each had a terrific message that is much needed in bur culture - but more than the, speakers, there was a great sense I:

II

I

'I

I,

II

of fraternity of real men coming together to profess their faith in Christ, in the Church and in one another," Minniger said. "Truly we are a band of brothers, all 5,200 of the men who attended. I am very glad I got out of bed a little earlier than usual to drive up to Boston for the day. Can't wait 'til next year."

Seminarian Greg Bettencourt, a member of Holy Family Parish, East Taunton, said the conference "was a true inspiration.

It was a great witness to see so many men step forward and take accountability in their faith and the issues of our society today that test our faith. The speakers presented with great enthusiasm and were overwhelmed by the turn out of good, Catholic men. Father Corapi was the most energetic and frank speaker, and his energy and charisma left many of the men with a true sense of responsibility to stand up for the Church and her teachings."

Dan Boucher of St. George Parish in Westport came away saying that Father Corapi's message of "never surrender" was inspirational.

"Hearing him speak about the evil spirits and the devil and how we must fight against them and never surrender was just what I needed," said Boucher. "'Being a soldier for Christ!' I haven't heard words like this since I was confirmed back in grammar school.

The other challenge that I felt I needed to accept was to learn more about my faith by studying the Catholic Catechism. Being introduced to Father Corapi's words, attitude and materials was just what I needed to affirm my path on my journey to Jesus."

Boucher said that with the motivation and help from Father Corapi's materials, "I'm convinced that God will continue to pour his graces into our efforts to grow stronger in our faith and give us the courage to fight against the devil and all his lies."

Brian Fraga of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in New Bedford said he found the conference "a phenomenal experience. Great speakers, great Christian fellowship, it was an experience I will never forget. My favorite part was Scott Hahn's discussion of his conversion and his observations of the links between revelation and the Mass. And Father Corapi's "Spiritual Warfare" talks were quite motivating too."

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Friday, March 10, 2006

SEVEN BISHOP Feehan High School seniors were nominated for the Prudential Award . of Community Service this year for their role in various projects. From left, front: Steve Conroy, Meghan Cesarz, and Laura Stokes. Back: Megan Elias and Marie-Genevieve Babecki. Missing from photo: Chris Paine and Ashley Mogayzel.

COYLE AND Cassidy High School Senior Melissa Abreau receives congratulations and a certificate from Sister Mary Elizabeth Murphy and Principal Dr. Mary-Pat Tranter for service to the school community. Each marking period, teachers nominate students whom they feel have put forth their best effort.

RYAN VAILLANCOURT, a preschool student at Espirito Santo School in Fall River receives ashes on Ash Wednesday.

THESE BISHOP Stang High School students were recently named National Merit Commended Students, placing in the top five percent of more than one million students on the PSAT test. From left front: Taylor St..Pierre, Academic Principal Mary Ann Miskel, Megan Grandmont and Matthew Fealy. Back: Matthew Durand, Alexander Roan, Michael Quintin and Mark Sullivan.

FOURTH-GRADE teacher Doug Medeiros gets ready to "Kiss the Fish," at SS. Peter and Paul School, Fall River.

The event was part of a recent fund-raiser to benefit the Susan G. Kamen Breast Cancer Foundation. It was organized by students in the Service Club and National Junior Honor Society.

STUDENTS FROM Taunton Catholic Middle School enjoy ice cream at lunch during a recent "Mix-it Up Day." The project gave students the opportunity to sit with children they did not know. It was organized by school counselor Dan Thompson.

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Friday, March 10, 2006

_.~-_._;::.;;:--

~--"-"-

Tips for making new friends

By CHARLIE MARTIN - CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE mitten by Crow and Trott Does she do her best to be a friend, GOOD IS GOOD Sung by Sheryl Crow (c) 2005 by that is, making obvious gestures of Good is good, atUl bad is bad

AN ALTAR SERVER receives ashes from Bishop Thomas

J. Rodi at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Biloxi, Miss., March 1. The Biloxi bishop thanked those continuing to assist the diocese with recovery efforts six months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area. He said the disaster has taught people how much they need God. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

But.you don't know which one you had She put your books out on the sidewalk Now they're blowing aroutUl They won't help you when you're down Love s on your list ofthings to do To bring good luck back to you And if you think that everything s unfair Would you care if you're the last one statUling there?

Refrain: AtUl every time you hear the rolling thutUler You tum atUl run before the lightning strikes And does it ever make you stop atUl wonder If all your good times pass you by?

I don't hold no mystery But I can show you how to tum the key 'Cause aliI know is where I started So down-hearted And thats not where you want to be (Repeat refrain) When the day is done AtUl the world is sleeping AtUl the moon is on its way to shine When yourfrietUls are gone You thought were so worth keeping You feel you don't belong AtUl you don't know why (Repeat refrain twice) When the day is done AtUl the world is sleeping AtUl the moon is on its way to shine (shine) When yourfrietUls are gone You thought were so worth keeping You feel you don't belong.

Neither do I

A&M .

Sheryl Crow's music always has been a bit quirky and artsy. She often presents commentary oqcomplex, yet familiar, life situations. Her 2005 disc "Wildflower" continues,this style. Off the CD is her single release "Good Is Good."

The song's character"appears to be struggling with certain realities. She's met both good and bad in her life, but as she considers current situations she seems unsure "which one" she's had.

More certain is the void she feels.

Friends that she "thought were so worth keeping" are gone. Why they've abandoned her is not stated, but at this point she feels there is no group where .she belongs. .

It is always hurtful to feel abandoned. Perhaps she has made a mistake in taking her1TIends forgra)1ted or hasn't treated them well. Whatever the cause for their leaving her, she ,will need to start over and make new friends.

Of course, friends don ~t just appear.

Establishing new friendships will take effort on her part and perhaps some thought about why her pre,vious friends left her. This reflection could reveal changes in her behavior that need to be made.

For example, is she truly a giver?

Take action: A gifted response It's an awesome experience to see the talents that young people have these days. Little by little, these gifts of yours help to change your world. But do you respond to your talents fully? Or do you hide them because you're afraid or 'embarrassed to let others see the real gift that you are? In my December column I asked you to "come just as you are" before the Lord. Now, during this Lenten season, I ask all of you to go as you are and respond to the needs of others by using one of your most precious talents - the gift of responsibility.

"Yuck," you might say.

"Responsibility is a talent? No thanks. Too much work. I'll pass."

But wait a minute. Why does the mere mention of the word make you uncomfortable? Is it because you think of it as an obligation and it makes you accountable for your actions, and, in the end, if something goes wrong you are to blame? Fear not. Responsibility is nothing like that.

St. Paul tells us in Corinthians I, "When I was a child, I used to

talk like a child, think as a child, reason as a child. When I became an adult, I put aside my childish ways." Children don't fully understand the word responsibility. They haven't yet come to reason with it. But you are young adults. You are now able to reason and respond. Isn't that what happens at confrrmation? The sacrament helps you to change from the person who knows you have gifts to the person who knows what to do with those gifts. I know many of you are asked or told by your parents to baby-sit your younger brother or sister.

Many times it's an inconvenience and a great responsibility you would rather not undertake. But look at it this way. Would your parents ask somethil)g of you that they know you can't do or are incapable of doing? No, they would not. They ask because they have no doubt you can respond.

You are no longer a child. You can now reason as an adult,

respond as an adult and be accountable as an adult. In other words, there is no need for your parents to wake you up each morning to tell you to get up and get ready for school, or to get lip on Sunday morning and go to Mass. You are putting aside your

Be Not Afraid

By Osvaldo Pacheco childlike ways. Responsibility means that you can now do it on your own, but always comforted by the fact that God, your parents, or a trusting adult, are there for you.

Most often, your talents are recognized in school: academic awards, honor societies, sports, . clubs ... and the list goes on. Your response to these challenges is

understanding, support and caring toward others? Further, at lea~t some of the time, does she put her interests aside in order to participate in whatever her friends enjoy? Being a good friend is about being generous, being available and, most of all, being kind to others.

After she ha~ explored how to improve her response to others, she can seek opportunities to meet people. She might start with activities she enjoys.

This will bring her together with people who have something in common with her, and that leads to easier conversations.

One way to do this is to get involved in an organization that helps others. She might join her parish youth group or the Key Club at school. The goal in joining a service-oriented group is to interact with others as you work together to make a positive difference in the community. Often such altruistic endeavors lead to a lively bond among the group of helpers. She might discover that she has a whole new social group to hang out with.

All of this will take effort on her part. She's the one who must initiate contact or make inquiries. Most likely she will need to draw upon inner patience and persistence, plus a sure belief that she can create her life in new, more satisfying ways.

What she will discover eventually is that "good" really is" "good." Past mistakes can be overcome, and new avenues ofconnection with others are possible.

It's painful to lose friends, but no one is doomed to be alone. God will help you to re-create your life no matter what the past has been. .'

recognized because you have respond to the talents and gifts accomplished somethin1g and did that God has given you. To it well. That is an awesqme I respond is to share and not to feeling. Now, how abo.ut taking I keep to oneself. To 'respond is to your gifts to your community? Sf. light the way for others and not Matthew writes in his Gospel, hide in the darkness. To respond "Without cost you havereceived; is to serve God's people with care, without cost you are to give."'AlI compassion and love. So, this of your talents, which you Lent, rather than giving up take full responsibility for something, do something more. nurturing and slJaring, are Your actions will change the given to you and nothing world in their own small way, and is asked in return. So, will make you a better person in a without hesitation, will very big way. Be the hands, the you respond and give of feet, the voice and the heart of yoiIr time and talent?

Jesus. All to whom you give of Later on this "month, yourself will know that what you. the youth group from my do, you do in his name. parish is giving of their So, throughout this Lent, and time and talent to the beyond, take responsibility Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen in Fall seriously. It's a good thing. It's a River. They raised the necessary talent. It's God's gift to you. What funds to feed the many who are you do with it helps you to hungry, and in their own humble become your gift to God. Take way, will also be there to set table, action. serve and clean up. Talkabout God bless. taking action. What an awesome, Oizie Pm:heco is Faith gifted response.

Formation director at Santo Responsibility. What a Christo Parish in Fall River, wonderful word. It's your ability where he has been involved in and I know you have it, to youth ministry for 22 years.

..

116

Pray daily for vocations!

OPERAT~ON PlANT!NG SEEDS All are invited to a

Holy Hour for Vocations to the Priesthood MARCH

16 - 4 P.M. AT

1be.~

Martha's Vineyard parish hosts cook-off to benefit Life Teen MARTHA'S VINEYARD - Good Shepherd Parish recently hosted the first annual Lasagna Cook-off at St. Augustine's Church in Vineyard Haven. .

Eight contestants vied for the top prize of a kitchen':full of gourmet pots, pans and cooking implements. The winner, Andrea Desena, served a delightful, white seafood offering.

The remaining contestants, including SecondPlace Winner, Kathleen Howard, Third-Place Win-

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Friday, March 10, 2006

THE ST. JEAN the Baptist Council No. 42 of North Attleboro, recently completed a drive to support U.S. troops.

They made 50 patriotic pillows sending them, cards and 48 dozen cookies and brownies to men and women serving in Iraq. Pictured are Project Coordinator Christina Finn and Dan Lloyd, president of Catholic Family Life Insurance.

ner, Joe Capobianco, and Honorable Mention, Beth Mello, served variations of tomato-based, meat and vegetable lasagna.

The attendees, who filled the church basement to capacity, judged the contest. Michelle Roberts, pastoral assistant and youth minister, organized the event, along with a corps of high school students from the parish Life Teen Ministry. The proceeds of the Cook-off will be used for Life Teen trips to off-island functions.