FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSEnS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
VOL. 28, NO. 11
FALL RIVER, MASS., FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 1984
Diocesans attend • • canonIZatIon VATICAN CITY (NC) - Last Sunday Pope John Paul II canon ized Paola Frassinetti, the 19th century foundress of a religious community active in the FaJI River diocese. The new saint, foundress of the Sisters of St. Dorothy, was canonized in ceremonies which included a concelebrated papal Mass. Those in attendance in cluded many Dorotheans and friends of the community from this diocese. St. Paola led a life that af firmed the identity and dignity of wonten, which the church has always protected and sustained for the moral betterment of so ciety and for the coming of the reign of Christ," the pope said during his homily. He concelebrated the Mass with several bishops, including Brazilian Archbishop Helder Camara of Olinda-Recife and Bishop Louis Gelineau of Provi dence, R.I. The Sillters of St. Dorothy have more than 2,000 members working ·iil 12 nations, including Brazil and the United States. Villa Fatima, Taunton, is the community's U.S. provincial house and the sisters staff Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School, New Bedford. A:mong pilgrims who attended the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica was a 53-year-old Italian wom an, Maria Maccarone, who had been bedridden for 13 'years by crippling arthritis. In 1981 Mrs. Maccarone recovered suddenly and completely after six months of daily prayer to Paola Fras sinetti. . After the Mass, during his noon Sunday Angelus address to 10,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, the pope again noted the contribution of St. Paola. "With this solemn recognition, the church not only intends to honor the heroic virtue of this fearless daughter;" he said, "but also her inspiring work destined to the promotion of woman in a Christian manner." In 1~4 the new saint founded' the Sisters of St. Dorothy dedi cated to the education of girls. The cpmmunity received papal approval In 18E!3. Paola Frasslnetti was born in Genoa, Italy, on March 3, 1809. She w{ls superior general of her comm4nityuntil her death on June 11, 1882.
$8 Per Year
1984 Appeal '· At St. Patrick's I erset, tomorrow's
Church, Som St. Patrick's Day will be super-special. With liturgy and feasting, parishioners will celebrate 100 years of com munity. Bishop, Daniel A. Cronin will celebrate a 4 p.m. Mass of thanksgiving to be followed by a banquet in St. Patrick's recently built parish center. At the banquet, copies of an up-to-the-minute illustrated par ish history will be available. It has been compiled by Betty No vacek, assisted by Joseph Tins ley and Delores Sousa and draw ing on a 1940s history for early material. The historical sketch of St. Patrick's that follows is drawn partly from the new: ~cord and partly from a, 1963 Anchor arti cle by Marion Unsworth. Parish History Just as much of the town 6f . Somerset today is composed of former Fall Riverites, the begin~ II nings of its- Catholic Church his I tory also stem from the city across the Taunton River. In the mid-19th century Cath olics began to move into Somer set from the Bridgewaters to work in the recently established iron nail industry. For several years they attended Mass at St. JO'hn the Baptist Church in Fall River, situated on the site of the present Cathedral. When a new parish, Sacred Heart, was formed from the original church, Somerset. Cath olics became part of that pansh, and services were held for' them at Old Central Hall' on Main Street in Somerset.' . In 1873 the Somerset mission was again transferred, this time to the jurisdiction of St. Joseph's parish, but by this time the Catholic population in Somerset was large enough to warrant a church of its own and in that same year St., Patrick's Church, Somerset, was dedicated. (....... ...:y.
It was built on a, lot donated guire came from Harwich to by the management of the serve at St. Patrick's and during Parker Mills, later the Mt. Hope his five years there he eliminated Works. . the parish debt, renovated the church interior and installed One more change occurred be new side altars, ceiling, stations fore St. Patrick's became a par ish, for in 1877 Somerset and of the f::ross, statues, and a Sy Warren were under the charge nan family memorial window. When Father McGuire was of Rev. Edward E. Nobert. to Immaculate Con transferred Father. Nobert s~rviced both communities, but: resIded in ception Church in Taunton in Somerset at 86 South St.Records 1915, Rev. James W. Conlin was .of the reception of sacraments appointed to the pastorate, but were begun and on February 4, ill health led to his death in 1877, the first baptism, of a baby 1918, at which time he was suc girl of a GaIlighan family, was ceeded by Father William Sulli recorded. Michael Buckley and van. Father Sullivan was to remain Mary L. Sullivan were the first couple whose marriage, on April for 12 years, during which time 19, 1877, was entered in the he initiated an annual clambake which became a favorite town records of the new church. social event, and made several Father Nobert continued in improvements in the church, in charge until 1883, when he went stalling new pews, steps and to Warren and Rev, James Mas tower. terson, a curate at Sacred Hearts It was in administration of his Church, Fall River, was n~med spiritual duties that Father Sui pastor of St. Patrick's. . livan was outstanding. Parish
An immediate need, of the par ioners still recall his untiring ef
ish was for a cemetery and forts during the 1918 influenza
Father Masterson saw to the epidemic. purchase, planning, 'and conse After Father Sullivan's death cration of St. Patrick's Cemetery, as well as to the purchase of land in 1930, the next pastor was for a future rectory. ~ A parish Father Thomas P. Doherty, whose accomplishments included choir also was formed. " rectory, church and cemetery In 1898, when Father Master improvements. son retired due to ill health, New Mission Rev. David F. Sheedy ",a,s named Somerset meanwhile was the second pastor in 'Somerset. Shortly thereafter the iron growing rapidly, and Father Doherty began work on construc works closed and 'many parish mission chapel, St. ioners ,left Somerset to. obtain tion of Thomas More. employment elsewhere. . Before it was completed, -During the 10 years of. his pas torate, Father Sheedy erected a Father Doherty was transferred, rectory on grounds adjacent to but his plans were completed by the church and organized a his succcessor, Rev. Felix Childs, Men's Catholic Club and a who became pastor at St. Pat Ladies' Aid. Sunday School rick's in 1938. Soon Rev. James classes were started and directed A. Drury was appointed to ·as:~. by Mrs. William Synan, first in sist Father Childs., Mrs. Depolt's home on Pratt On May 22 of 1938, St. Avenue and later at the Town Thomas More chapel was dedi· Hall. cated. Tum to Page Twelve In 1910, Rev. George F. Ma
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ST. PATRICK'S, SOMERSET
chairman is named: Atty. James H. Quirk ·Jr., a. member of St. Pius X pari~h, South Yarmouth, and of the Dio cesan Pastoral Council, is the 1984 diocesan lay chairman for the Catholic Charities Appeal. His appointment was an nounced today by Bishop Daniel A. Cronin, the Appeal's honor ary chairman. A:tty. Quirk, a Cape Cod na tive, graduated from Dennis Yarmouth Regional High School. After attending Swain School of Design he graduated from the University of Maryland and earned his law degree in 1975 at Suffolk University. He is a licensed practicing lawyer in the Corpmonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States Court, District of Massa chusetts. He has been admitted as attorney and counselor for the U.S. First District Court of Appeals and tlte U.S. Supreme Court. His affiliations include the Barnstable and Massachusetts ,bar associations and the Massa chusetts and American trial law-. yers associations. On the parish level he is ac tive in the' St. Pius X parish council and in the Holy Name Society. As a youth he was one of the first three altar boys to serve at St. 'Pius X and he has been a CCD teacher and a special minister of ,the eucharist. In the Cape Cod community he is chairman of the Yarmouth Youth and Recreational Com mission of the Cape Cod Region al Technical High School Com mittee. He was a former adjunct instructor at the Cape Cod cam· pus of Fisher Junior College. The 1984 Appeal chairman is married to the former Anne Ma rie O'Connell of Medford, a graduate of Anna Maria Col lege in Paxton who has taught in the Bourne and Barnstable school systems on Cape Cod. The ~ouple have three children. Atty. Quirk is the son of Atty. ' James H. Quirk and Joanne E. Quirk, also of South Yarmouth. His mother is a past president of the Diocesan Council of Cath· olic Women. The annual Appeal kickoff will be held at 8 p.m. Wednes day, April 25. at Bishop Con nolly High School auditorium, Fall River. Over 900 members of the clergy, religious and laity are expected to attend. Tum to Page Six