Bishops may ask Friday fast for peace
WASHINGTON (NC) Among changes in the new third draft of the U.S. bishops' pro posed pastoral letter on war and peace is one that, if accepted, could have an effect on every U.S. Catholic over 21. The bishops are proposing, as a tangible sign of penance for the cause of peace, to eommlt themselves to return to the tradi tion of Friday fast and abstin ence. If the body of bishops ap prove the move, they will urge U.S. Catholics to follow their example.
Additionally, Sunday, May I, the eve of the bishops' meeting to deliberate on the third draft, has been designated a day of prayer for U.S. Catholics by the administrative committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The 50·bishop committee also urged brother bishops to devote . a day of their choice before the meeting to prayer and fasting for a succcessful outcome to their deliberations. The third draft embodies con tinued condemnation of any
first use of nuclear weapons, along with a subtle shift away from support for the nuclear freeze. ' The draft, mailed to the bish ops just before Easter, includes much of the same material found in the second draft, which condemned several aspects of U.S. deterrence policy. But it expands or redevelops several sections, making the 178 page document considerably longer than the second draft it replaces. The new draft will be consid·
ered by the' nation's more than 300 bishops at a special meet~ ing in Chi<:ago May 2-3. Though approval of the document is by means certain, a majority of bishops said at their November general meeting that they sup ported the general thrust of the proposed pastoral. Because of that the third draft follows almost exactly the same outline as the second. It begins with religious perspectives on peace, moves into a discussion of war and peace in the modem world, follows with a section on
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE OSLANDS
t eanc 0 VOL. 27, NO. 14
proposals for the promotion of peace, and concludes with com mentary on the pastoral chal lenge facing the church. But there are several key dif· ferences between the second and third drafts: . - The implicit support that the second draft gave the nu clear freeze movement is down played in the third draft. Where as the second draft urged the immediate end to further devel opment, production and deploy ment of major new. nuclear Turn to Page Eleven
FALL RIVER, MASS., FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 1983
$8 Per Year
NCEA h,o!nors
Vaillancourt
Albert J. Vaillancourt, 37, a teacher at Notre Dame School, Fall River, for the past decade, was one of 12 elementary teach ers across the nation honored this week at the annual conven· tion of the National Catholic Educational Association. Vaillancourt, sixth grade home room moderator and a teacher of science, reading and religion at Notre Dume, received the Miriam Joseph Farrell Award for distinguished teach ing. He was chosen as New England recipient of the award by a screening committee of the NCEA. Other award winners repre sented other geographical areas of the nation. Selection criteria include at least 10 years of ser vice in Catholic elementary edu cation, possession of a clear and integrated philosophy of Cath olic education and being held in high regard by peers, students and parents. The late Sister Miriam Jo seph Farrell, PBVM, was execu tive secretary for the NCEA De partment of Elementary Schools. She died during her term of office. Vaillancourt was accompan ied to Washington by Sister Helene Dussault, RJM, Notre Dame principal, and by Father Normand Grenier, associate pastor and school director. Also in Washington was Den nis Payant, principal of St. Mary's School, New Bedford, and a Ipember of the elementary schools advisory board of the NCEA. Representing New Eng land R~gion I of the organiza tion, he processed Vaillancourt's
nomination as a Farrell Award winner. Many other representatives of diocesan sChools attended the meeeting, which closed yester day. The Department of Educa tion was represented by Sister Doreen Donegan, SUSC, direc tor of religious education; Rev. Marcel H. Bouchard, assistant director of religious education and director of continuing edu cation. for the clergy; Sister Pa tricia Halliday, SND, also an assistant director of religious education: and Sisters M. Laurita Hand, PBVM, and Ann Moore, CND, superintendent and assis tant superintendent of schools. Some 15,000 educators attend ed the three-day meeting which had as its theme "Catholic Edu . cation: The Choices and the Challenges." An innovative fea ture was a computer conference offering hands-on experience and explanations of classroom computer use. Also offered were a wide vari ety of sessions for teachers and coordinators of religious educa tion programs. Among convention speakers were author Father Henri Nou wen; Cardinal Joseph Bern ardin; newsman Frank Reynolds; author Abigail McCarthy; U.S. Catholic Conference peace and justice director Father Bryan Hehir; "intensive journal" de veloper Ira Progoff and educa tor Dr. Elinor Ford. Father N01llwen In his keynote address Father Nouwen set the spiritual tone for the NCEA meeting, calling intimacy. fecundity and ecstasy gifts and rights for all people Tum to Page Six
YOUNGSTERS AT St. Vincent's Home, Fall River, lay claim to some of a large shipment of toys donated to area children's 'agencies through the St. Vincent de Paul So ciety. With the boys are Father Daniel L. Freitas, diocesan Vincentian director; Raymond Pelletier, diocesan and regional disaster chairman; Joseph Gromada, president of the Fall River area Vincentian council. (Torchia Photo)
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
.Helping hurting people For the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 1983 is a special year and April is its most important month. The year marks the 150th birthday of the society, founded in Paris to aid the poor by Fred eric Ozanam, a young law stu dent; and the last Sunday of April will be observed across the nation as Ozanam Sunday, a time for Vincentians and their friends to pray for the beatifica tion and eventual canonization of Ozanam. In the Fall River diocese par ishes with St. Vincent de Paul . conferences have been asked to celebrate a special Mass on April 24 accompanied by an informa tional activity such as an open
house, a special speaker or a mond Pelletier and Arthur Gau communion breakfast or supper. thier. Further plans for the year will . Events to come later in the be made at the quarterly dioce· year are a national Vincentian san council meeting, to be held convention from Sept. 29 to Oct. Wednesday, April 27, at Sacred 2 in San Antol1lio, Texas. The Heart Church, Taunton. second day of the convention Internationally, April 24 will will be observed as a time for mark the close of a six·day St. penance and prayer, organizers Vincent de Paul Council meeting have announced. in Paris. The gathering will be The anniversary year will con· attended by Father Daniel L. clude Sunday, Dec. 4, when Freitas, Fall River diocesan di Vincentians will gathE:r for local rector for the Vincentians. He penitential programs. will head a delegation of seven Honoring their foullder, U.S. Vincentians from the diocese. society members have chosen As well as Father Freitas, "Ozanam: A Life WQrth Living they are Father Edward J. Again" as their anniversary Sharpe, Mr. and Mrs. Vito V. theme. An anniversary logo inGerardi, Gloria C. Costa, Ray Turn to Page Six