t eanc VOL. 40, NO. 11 •
Friday, March 22, 1996
DIO.CS.S ......•.~.il~NE, WSP.APER;; EAST MAS~CHUSErrS, &'THEISlANDS . . . "I
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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513 Per Year
"The prayers of Fall River came with us" By Christine Vie~ra Mills Anchor St"ff On Friday, March 15, Brittany DeGagne's doctors Were watching . her hour by hour, sa41y convinc~d
AIDS Mi~istry • recelv:es S25K grant The Fall River Diocesan Office of AIDS Ministry has received a $25,000 Faith in Action grant to establish an Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers Program to benefit families of patients l with H IV/ .' AIDS. The grant is from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest private philan: thropy devoted exclusively to improving health and' health care through grant-gi.ving. Its Faith in Action component w~s established two years ago to provide start-up funds for qualifying p'rojects sponsored by tax-exempt social service agencies and health ,care providers. Recipients must obtain matching funds locally in Qrder to continue projects in the (uture. "Those sufferi ng from H IV/ AIDS experience physical and mental debilitation, and the result is tremendous demands on family and loved ones," said, Dr. Krysten Winter-Green, director of the Office of AIDS Ministry. "This Faith in Action grant will enable us to begin creating a network of vol unteers from a variety Qf denominations to help respond to the needs of HIV/AIDS persons in their communities." The Interfaith Vol,unteer Caregivers Program wili encompass southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands, geographic region severely impaqted by H IV/ AIDS. The Office of AIDS Ministry has begun contacting various denominations to determine their interest in participatipg in the new program. Dr. Winter-Green projects that some 20,congregations will be involved initially, each desigl1ating two families to recruit others in their congregation and to serve as a referral source for members who might he in need of services. Volunteers, who will be professionally trained about H IV, will become companionS to infected and affected familieS. Adults and youth will visit, offer friendship and spiritual and emotional support, perhaps prepare a favorite meal and support human service programs. They willialso provide short-term respite for primary caregivers of patients. , Dr. Winter-Green plans to engage a fulltime program director to manage day-to-daYidevelopment
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!Fiftn Swufag of Lent
Index Church & WOlrld 12 5 Daily Readin£ls Editorial 4 Necrology 8 Our Rock & Riole.. 15 Saluting Seniors .. 10 Steering Points 16 Youth News 14
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that she wouldn't make it to see the next. The 10-YI:ar-old member of St. Patrick's parish, Fall River, was born with biliary atresia, a degenerative liver condition and desperately needed a new liver to survive. Two weeks ago, a donor was found and the young Dominican Academy student underwent the transplant operation. Her mother, Cynthia Rego, was at her side at Pittsburgh Children's Hospital. Unfortunately, the liver developed many complica.tions and was rendered unusable. She was slipping away and her family felt helpless. "We left it to God," said Brian Beausoleil, Brittany's uncle, "and He answered our prayers." Brittany's family decided to call on the Fall River community for prayers. They hoped to gather a few friends to offer prayer and comfort. What they got was nothing short of amazing. "It was a miracle," Beausoleil said. "There were literally hundreds of people there. The power in that church was ·unbelievable." He spoke of a candlelight Mass and prayer service held at St. PatrIck's Church, Fall River, on March 15. Many gathered: relatives, friends, acquaintances, even people who had only heard about it on the news. All wanted to do something for the little girl who dreams of being a nun. The 200 to 300 people in attendance prayed to Brittany'S patron, St. Theresa, and to St. Patrick as well as reciting rosaries with many indivi(Juals leading prayer. Father Horace Travassos offered Mass for her amid pictures of her and her family. The moving service left few dry eyes, Beausoleil said, because "something happened that night." On March 16, Beausoleil and his sister-in-law, Sheila, flew to Pittsburgh expecting the worst but brought with them "the power of the Holy Spirit."
"We didn't know what to expect," he said, "but we felt that something good was going to happen. The prayers of Fall River came with us." That night, Brittany was still doing poorly so the family arranged to pray the rosary in her hospital room. As they did, her doctor entered with a consent form, stating that a suitable donor had been found. "We just started hugging each other and crying," Beausoleil said. Brittany went into surgery March
17 at 7:30 a.m. and came out of the operating room 10 hours later. She will need to undergo further operations to remove infected tissue from her old liver but is beginning a recovery period. Though still unable to speak, she is responding to her family and opening the many cards and gifts she . has received. "She will be at Pittsburgh Children's Hospifal for the next 10 weeks to recover," her overjoyed uncle said, "but she looks so beautiful. We are so thankfuL"
FATHER HORACE Travassos accepts the chalice from Brittany DeGagne's brother Shane, accompanied by her uncle Brian Beausoleil and cousins Brett (rear) and Colby Beausoleil, at the Mass at St. Patrick's Church, Fall River; below, family pictures. (Studio 0 photos)