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VOL. 33, NO. 12 _. Friday, March 24,1989
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER ~OR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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511 Per Year
Easter 1989 "Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth . and man is reconciled with God!" These joyful words from the Easter Proclamation, the Exultet, echo in churches throughout the world at the Easter vigil. The Easter season reminds us in word and sacrament of the great events ofthe Paschal mystery. The Lord Jesus, now risen from the dead, fills us with the hope of victory. His conquest of sin and death is our victory. Through our baptism, we have all been buried together with Christ that we might also share in his Resurrection. The power of the cross has ransomed us from the darkness of sin and brought us into his kingdom of light. At the beginning of the Lenten season, I had occasion to write to you about our need for penance and reconciliation. It is my hope that all of us have used these forty days of penance and self-denial to see the darkness of sin in our own lives and in the world around us. For it is only when we recognize the darkness that we can understand the great gift of Christ, "that morning star, who came back from the dead, and shed his peaceful light on all mankind" (from the Exultet). It is our duty, and our great joy, as Christian men and women to reflect that light in our families, our homes and Turn to Page Two
Sheila Brunner
Donald MacKenzie
Martha Nichols
Sheila, Don and Marti Story and photos by Joe Motta
YEARS ago, when her friends spoke about religion, Marti Nichols would "sort of clam up, because I didn't want anyone to know that I didn't know what they were talking about." She's come a long, long way. Tomorrow, Holy Saturday, Martha "Marti" Nichols will take her place among the dozens of individuals making or furthering commitments to the Catholic Church during Easter liturgies at parishes all over the Fall River diocese. Marti, Don MacKenzie and Sheila Brunner are three of the folks saying "yes" to Jesus' Good News after formation through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Their stories, we think, are representative of the many beautiful journeys which have been taken by those who will be seen at churches this weekend. Sheila
"I have found that sitting in a place where you have never sat before can be inspiring. "- Dodie Smith,from "I Capture the Castle" "When I was a teenager," says Sheila Brunner, "I. had friends who were Catholic, but I had no understanding of what it [the Catholic Church] was all about." The 23-year-old, a night shift supervisor at a fast food chain outlet, will be baptized, receive her first communion and be confirmed at Sacred Heart parish, New Bedford. Sheila, a native of Virginia, is married to Norman Brunner. The couple moved to New Bedford from Vermont over two years ago. Sheila was never baptized. "My
mother's side of the family is Methodist," she explained. "They did not go to church." "Then I met Tony [her husband's nickname] and he went to church. I started going with him after we were married. I thought it was important that we go to church together. "I had a better understanding of the Catholic faith by talking to him and attending the Masses." The Brunners had a son, Bryan Anthony, in May, 1986. "I just realized that there really was a God up there," Sheila said. "I had this little precious miracle in my arms." Bryan was baptized a Catholic at a church in Vermont. His mother, meanwhile, was spending more and more time "questioning" ifthe Catholic Church "really was for me." Seven months ago, daughter Shelby joined the Brunner clan. Precious Miracle number two was baptized at Sacred Heart parish on the same day her parents, who were married in a civil ceremony, had their union blessed by the church. Sheila soon found herself talking to Sacred Heart pastor Father Clement E. Dufour about religious instruction. "My mother-in-law," Sheila said, "is very Catholic. She said some-
thing very funny, that I shouldn't do it for Tony or for the kids, that I should do it for myself. "It was something I wanted to do for myself. The family had a part in it, but it was something I felt I needed." Sheila began as a catechumen in January. Her husband, she laughed, "has been making sure I study. It's been hard to study with the kids. They always need ~omething." Rosanne Gongola, a Sacred Heart parishioner who works with Sheila, was asked by her to represent parish sponsorship of her decision at parish RCIA ceremonies. Sheila's baptism and confirmation sponsor will be Nathalie Brunner, her mother-in-law. Training for the big day has been a challenge with many payoffs, Sheila said. She found Luke's Gospel, for example, a real eye-opener. "It has everything in it!" she said. "The way Luke explains his experience with God just touches me in a way I never thought I could be touched." Father Dufour notes that he sees the catechumen as very mature and very dedicated. "She's faithful to Mass on Sunday," he said, adding that her eagerness to begin her studies was quite impressive. Turn to Page Six .