AN ANCHC)R O~ THE SOUL, SURE AND IFIRM -HEB. 6:19
t eanc 0FALL RIVER, MASS., THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1977
VOL. 21, NO. 16
1St, $5 Per Year
NCEA Speaker Urges Parents Institute Class Adion Suit SAN FRANCISCO (NC) - A Mexican-American woman who has been named to a high-ranking post in the Carter Administration drew applause from Catholic educators by suggesting a class action suit on behalf of
parents who pay taxes but send their children to Catholic and other private schools. "We've been intimidated by separation of church and state," Graciela Olivarez, director of the Community Services Administra-
To Decide CHD Fate
DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS
At Bishops' Parley
BISHOP'S OFFICE
April 21, 1977 Dearly beloved in Christ, With this anniversary edition, The Anchor, our diocesan weekly newspaper, observes twenty years of continued service to the apostolate of the Catholic Press. It gives me great pleasure, as Bishop of Fall River, to offer well deserved words of congratulations on this most auspicious occasion. I am sure that I speak for the people of God throughout the Diocese when I publicly acknowledge that The Anchor has indeed made an invaluable contribution over the past two decades toward advancing the mission of the Church in this portion of the Lord's vineyard. These have been years of growth and renewal for the Church. However, we realize full well that these also have been times of upset, confusion and perplexity for some Catholics. Providentially, our diocesan newspaper has, since the year nineteen hundred and fifty-seven, serVed as "an anchor sure and firm" as regards Catholic doctrine and teaching. It has been a clear and forthright voice of the Church. We have been most fortunate, and we should be deeply grateful. Yet, if The Anchor is to be that effective instrument of the apostolate, it must make its way into the homes of all our people. I take this occasion to strongly urge pastors to strive for complete family coverage - The Anchor in every Catholic home in the Diocese. I ask the enthusiastic cooperation of clergy in this regard. I likewise urge families of the Diocese to receive and read The Anchor, for this can only lead to a more mature understanding of the Faith and a clearer judgment of world events from a truly Catholic standpoint. I also encourage those entrusted with religious education to employ The Anchor in their classes for it is without doubt a most up-to-date supplement to religion texts and teaching aids. The Anchor has accomplished much good for the Diocese over the past twenty years. I am confident that it will continue this devoted service in the years ahead. However, it is all the more incumbent upon us all - clergy and faithful alike - to promote and support this voice of the Catholic Press in our midst. Faithfully yours in Christ,
Bishop of Fall River
WASHINGTON (NC) - The U.S. bishops will consider a preliminary response to last year's Call to Action conference along with a broad selection of other topics at their spring meeting in Chicago May 3-5. The gathering will also consider creating a staff secretariat for the Committee on the Laity, the future of the Campaign for Human Development and proposed statements on American Indians and on human rights in Eastern Europe. More than 250 bishops from throughout the country are expected to take part in the meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and U.S. Catholic Conference at the Palmer House. A decision on the future of the Campaign for Human Development (CHD) is necessary since the original goal of $50 million has been reached. Funds from the collection go to self-help projects intended to
Anchor Readers Had Box Seat At History For 20 years, Anchor readers have had a box seat for one of the most exciting periods in Church history: an era that has seen three Popes, the windowopening Vatican Council II, the first worldwide synod of bishops ever held, and papal pronouncements that have made headlines around the world. In this nation, there have been the first-ever visit of a reigning Pope, the Eucharistic Congress, and the Detroit "Call to Action" meeting that is still generating sparks; while the Fall River diocese has seen two decades of growth, first under Bishop James L. Connolly, with the devoted assistance of Bishop James J. Gerrard, and now under Bishop Daniel L. Cronin. Turn to· Page Seven
combat the causes of poverty as well as to educational efforts on the poverty problem.The Ad Hoc Committee for the CHD will strongly endorse continuance af the campaign "as an effective manifestation of our Church's concern for an identification with the poor people." The statement on American Indians is the work of the USCC Committee on Social Development and World Peace headed by Bishop Joseph A. McNicholas of Springfield, III. It seeks an evaluation of the Church's ministry in to American Indians, and urges that liturgical forms, educational programs and other services be adapted to reflect the needs and cultural identity of the Indian peoples. It also encourages cooperation with Indians in their struggle to achieve social justice within American society. The statement on human rights in Eastern Europe, also the pro· duct of the Social Development and World Peace committee, de· plores the denial of the right to religious liberty in "the countries spanning the region from Poland in the north to Bulgaria in the south." The bishops will also discuss whether or not to ask Vatican permission for Communion in the hand. The discussion, reque!ited by the NCCB Committee on the Liturgy, chaired by Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco, will take place in executive session.
tiOll, told a general session of the 74th annual convention of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). Ms. Olivarez, the first woman graduate of the University of Notre Dame law school, spoke after Holy Cross Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, Notre Dame's president, received the NCEA's C. Albert Koob Award, its high· est award, named for its former president. "Father Hesburgh would be proud of me," she said, "if my major legal contribution were to bring a class action on behalf of parents who paid taxes and sent children· to private schoo!." Ms. Olivarez, who has been New Mexico state planning officer, said: "I've come to the conclusion that private schools in general and Catholic schools in particular are not a luxury but . Turn to Page Five
~rill
Coordinate PClstoral Care O'f Sick, Aged
His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bishop, has announced the appointment of the Rev. Edmund J. Fitzgerald as Diocesan Coordinator for the Pastoral Care of the Sick. The appointment was effective as of April 14.
Father Fitzgerald, a native of the city of Taunton, is the son of the late Dr. Edmund J. Fitzgernld and Eunice (Drum) Fitz· gernld. He attended Coyle High Sch,:>ol, Taunton, Boston College and St. John's Seminary, Brighton. Father Fitzgerald was Ordained in 1968, he was for six years associate pastor of Holy Name Parish, Fall River. He has obt~lined a Master's Degree in Turn to Page Three
Our New Look To celebrate our 20th year, we have redesigned our masthead and editorial, News Briefs and Know Your Faith pages. Our artists are David and Susan Wygant of Assonet, young graduates of the Paier School of Art, Hampton, Conn., who came to this area after four years in New York City. where they specialized in package design.
FATIIER FITZGERALD