VOL. 31, NO. 13
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Friday, March 27, 1987
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
FALL RIVER, MASS.
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$8 Per Year
New encyclical .honors Mary
MOlla photo
ST. JAMES-St. John School principal Mary E. Mello, with, from left, students Joseph Nereu, Kristy Brocklehurst and Margaret Goulart, holding letters from their "adop.ted" priests.
Give a little love, get a lot back 'By Joseph Motta
school- for quite a while, Miss Mello noted. Father Stephen A. Fernandes is Letters still continue to arrive at impressed with the students at students' homes. New Bedford's St. James-St. John Many priests, Father Fernandes School, where he is director. And he's impressed with the love his .said, took the opportunity to encourage their young friends to be brother_priests have shown them. open to vocations, and many urged To celebrate Catholic Schools them to be "good boys and girls." Week earlier this year, the entire Second and third letters have student body of 242 participated arrived in a few cases, since some in an "Adopt-a-Priest" program, of the children replied to their the idea of a friend of Miss Mary thank-you letters. Many letters E. Mello, principal at St. Jamesasked about the child's neighborSt. John. hood; a good number of the priests According to Father Fernandes, are New Bedford natives or have also parochial vicar'at St. James served in that city. church, students randomly selected Several priests printed notes to names of active arid retired dioce- younger children, aware that they'd san and order priests (since there be perused by eyes new to reading. are more priests than students, "It was nice," fifth-grader Joe some chose two names) and began Nereu said of the response from to_pray for them, "every "day at "his" priest. "He told me about the school, and hopefulty at home." things that he did and wrote thank Then, Father Fernandes said, you for the letter." Joe said he had he thought it would be good if the informed his priest that he was a priests knew they were being prayed St. James altar boy. for. So he asked each student to "The whole thing is very posiwrite to his or her priest about it. tive," said Miss Mello. "I think.it Before the letters were mailed, meant a lot when the priests wrote they were blessed by_ Father Fer- back and told the children that nandes at a school prayer service. their prayers are so powerful." "We sent the letters out," Father Excerpts from a sampling of the Fernandes said, "never expecting priests' letters follow: the response that we got." Dear Kelly: I've been a priest Over 100 of the "adopted" clergy now for seven months and U'm] sent their prayer pals a thank-you still very new, so 1 will need your letter. Many wrote personal notes prayers. and enclosed small gifts. Dear Erin: You're lucky to be able to go to a Catholic school, "I got a letter from my priest," was the catchphrase around the and God bless your parents for the
sacrifices they make to send you there. Be h,appy and holy and God love you. 1 do. Dear Andrew: Thank you very much for praying for me. Priests need to be remembered. 1like your name; my middle name is Andrew also. Dear Tara: 1 work with sick people, even boys and girls your age who are in the hospital and can't go out and play and be in their own homes like you can. 1 need your prayers, Tara. Dear Kristy: 1 have a Siamese kitten named Smokey. He is six months old and is very friendly. Do you have any pets at your house? Dear Stephen: Things have been going so well for me during the past few weeks that 1 just knew that someone special had to have been .praying for me. Dear Joseph: 1 started as an altar boy also, so maybe some day God will call you to priesthood. It is a happy life leading others to Christ. Dear Stephanie: What a most pleasant surprise from a good kindergarten girl!!! I. wouldn't exchange it for a million dollar Valentine. Remember, Stephanie, dear Stephanie, that he who shares in the ministry of a priest will also share in his reward. Dear Matthew: 1 am afraid we couldn't be close friends if you are a Mets fan, after what they did to the Red Sox. Just kidding.
VAT1CAN CITY (NC) - In an encyclical dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, Pope John Paul II described Mary's life as an image of obedience and freedom, a model of "femininity with dignity" and an inspiration to Christian unity. The 114-page document, titled "Redemptoris Mater" (Mother of the Redeemer), said Mary, as the "first to believe," is a guide for the church and a "point of reference" for all humanity. The encyclical emphasized Mary as the "common mother" of Catholics and Orthodox Christians and took particular note of Mary's place among Christians living in various parts of the Soviet Union. It also stressed the value of Marian devotions. The encyclical, the pope's sixth, was issued at the Vatican March 25, the feast of the Annunciation. It was written in preparation for the special Marian year called by the pope, to begin June 7, and reflected the pope's longstanding devo!ion to Mary. Much of the papal letter is an extended spiritual reflection on Mary's "pilgrimage of faith,"from
the Annunciation to the Crucifixion to her assumption into heaven. Her "obedience of faith" shown from the Annunciation onward, was "heroic," it said. Mary continues to accompany the church's journey, the document said, which" in our own time is marked by the sign of ecumenism." The encyclical acknowledged some "discrepancies of doctrine" between the Catholic and Protestant churches about Mary's role in salvation, but asked whether all Christians could "look to her as our common mother, who prays for the unity of God's family." One of the areas of disagreement between Catholics and Protestants has been Mary's role as "mediatrix,"an interceder for mankind. The encyclical describes Mary's mediation as an important part of her "maternal care," but said it in no way diminishes the unique mediation of Christ. Among Eastern churches, which have faced "frequent persecution, even to the point of bloodshed," Turn to Page Eight
Latin trip may test papal mettle VAT1CAN CITY (NC) - Pope John Paul II is preparing 52 speeches for his March 3 I-April 12 South American trip. ' But his actions and the symbolic meaning given to them are more likely to be remembered than his formal words in the countries he visits. The pope may strongly denounce human rights abuses, but Chileans are more likely to remember whether he greeted the country's military president, Gen. Augusto Pinochet, with a bear hug - a typical. gesture among Latin men signifying close friendship. The pope is to visit Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. The meanings read into the pope's actions will likely be highly subjective and often contradictory, depending on the special interests of the person interpreting the symbol. Latin societies have a strong tradition of using symbols to convey meaning and Catholic symbols are especially important to political, civic and partisan groups. Being tied to a Catholic symbol
implies church support and the moral and social acceptance that this brings in societies where almost the entire population professes Catholicism. The pope's trip will severely test his ability to communicate beyond the spoken word, especially in the politically turbulent societies of Argentina and Chile where the pope will spend most of his time and whose governments hope his visits will help unite their people behind state remedies for serious problems. Human rights is the main issue fueling division in each nation, but there the similarity between the two ends. Argentina has an elected civilian government trying to heal national wounds after almost eight years of bloody military rule. Chile has a 13-year-old military government constantly criticized for its human rights record and running into stiff domestic opposition over its constitutional plans for keeping control at least through 1997. Turn to Page Six
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