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VOL. 50, NO. 11 • Friday, March 17,2006
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FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year
Father Bento R. Fraga to mark 50 years as a priest By MIKE GORDON
been my ple~sure to serve in those communities." TAUNTON - Reflecting on Father Fraga, 75, was ordained his 50 years as a priest in the Fall to the priesthood March 17, 1956 River diocese, Father Bento R. by Bishop James L. Connolly in Fraga described his priesthood as St. Mary's Cathedral, Fall River. "a joyful experiA Taunton native, ence." he served for 13 Many people years following his will add to that joy ordination as a pathis Sunday when rochial vicar at St. John of God Parhe marks thatjubilee at a 3 p.m. ish, Somerset. He Mass at St. is currently in resiAnthony's dence at St. Church. Anthony's Parish Bishop George where he assists W. Coleman will with Masses and be principal celhears confessions. ebrant at the Mass Son of the late and will be joined Antonio C. and the by many late Eteluina concelebrants. A (Bertao), Father reception will fol- FATHER BENTO R. FRAGA Fraga was part of . a large family, low at St. Anthony growing up with seven brothers Church hall. "I've had so many good years and four sisters. One of his sisat so many great parishes," said ters, the late Sister Mary Fraga, Father Fraga when asked to pick RSD, also answered the call of a a memorable moment. "I've truly vocation. enjoyed ministering at them. It's Turn to page three - Anniversary ANCHOR STAFF
New cardinal to celebrate Mass at Cathedral on April 18 FALL RIVER - On April 18, newly-named Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap., will celebrate Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral at 3 p.m. Faithful from across the diocese are invited to attend this special Mass. Those who wish to offer the new cardinal congratulations may do so at a reception that will take place at White's of Westport following the Mass.
OLDER STUDENTS FROM Holy Trinity School, West Harwich, and St. Pius X School, South Yarmouth, who will form the new St. Pius X Middle School, met for the first time and enjoyed lively conversation, lunch, and an ice cream buffet. Additional get-togethers for these students are planned, as both schools move toward an exciting time in the life of all Cape Cod Catholic school families.
Many opportunities await Cape students in newly-created middle school program By DAVE JOLIVET, EDITOR
FALL RIVER - With a clear vision of providing an ideal academic and social environment for middle-school aged children in the Harwich-Dennis-Yarmouth area of Cape Cod, diocesan Superintendent of Schools George Milot recently announced the creation of grades six, seven and eight at St. Pius X School in South Yarmouth beginning in September of this year. Students scheduled to enter those grades at Holy Trinity
School, West Harwich, will attend St. Pius X School in the fall. "Our goal is to provide all students with the best possible Catholic education," said Milot in an interview with The Anchor. "Creating double grades in sixth, seventh, and eighth,grades, allows us to offer diffeientiallearning for students whO! are becoming more mature and are nearing their high school yeats." Milot said the plan isn't about just transferring studynts. "We're
creating a new middle-school system at St. Pius X that will provide students with better educational opportunities to prepare them as best we can to attend the new Pope John Paul II High School that will open in Hyannis in September of 2007." There was mixed reaction when the plan was first announced to parents of students attending Holy Trinity School. "Change is very difficult," said Turn to page /3 - Program
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Diocesan youth experience joy and hope at Mission Honduras By NICOLE AND PETER BRATTON
FIFTEEN TEEN-AGERS from Cape Cod recently spent nine days helping out at Mission Honduras, sponsored by Christ the King Parish, Mashpee. (Photo courtesy of Nicole and Peter Bratton)
This past February, 15 teens and 10 adults from the Diocese of Fall River had the extraordinary experience of being short-term missionaries at Mission Honduras in the Comayagua region ofHonduras, Central America. Sponsored by Christ the King Parish in Mashpee and including two parishioners from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Falmouth, the group has returned to the diocese eager to share with other teens what they learned during their nine-day trip. In hopes of inspiring other youth groups to consider mission trips, two siblings members ofthe group, Nicole and Peter Bratton, have written about their missionary experience for The Anchor. Nicole is a sophomore, and Peter is a freshman at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth.
Peter Bratton on the Corporal Works of Mercy: During our group's time in Honduras, we per-
form~d a variety of jobs for the mission. In the mornings we did everything from digging ditches and· making curtains to picking up garbage and sorting supplies. Sorting the supplies was a fulltime job; we brought nearly 2,500 pounds of books, pharmaceuticals, pencils, and paper donated by our parishes. It took more than three days of unpacking before we got all the supplies to where they were needed. Around the volunteer house, which is where we stayed, we cleaned window screens and picked up trash. At the mission's high school, we dug the foundation for a new wall. At the Center for Abandoned Women (locally referred to as the Mother's Project), we repaired doors and installed screens. Every afternoon we did a different activity with the kids from the Mother's Project. On Saturday, we played baseball and soccer with them. On Sunday, we organized a field day for them Turn to page /6 - Experience