FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
t ean VOL. 29, NO. 17
FALL RIVER, MASS., FRIDAY, APRIL 26; 1985
$8 Per Year
28 new cardinals
2 for United States
FATHER DOYLE
• Holocaust memorIes 'By NC News Service On April 11, 1945, the U.S. Army's 104th Timberwolf Division dispatched its medi cal battalion to deliver assis tance to a little camp about 60 miles southwest of Berlin. "We came ,upon a world of such horror and tragedy," said Dominican Father Ed ward Paul Doyle, the Catholic chaplain whose division lib erated Nordhausen, a subcamp of -the infamous Buchenw~ld. Father Doyle, 77, a native of St. Patrick's parish, Fall River, who ·is now chaplain at Summit Medical Center in ,Providence, was. interviewed in conjunction with 40th an niversary commemorations of the Hber-ation of the concen tration camps. Nationwide "Days of Re membrance" were held ~ast week, culminating in an April 21 "Evening of Remembrance" in Philadelphia bringing ,to gether Hberators and survi vors .of the camps. The events were sponsored by the U.S. Holocaust Mem orial Council, established by Congress in 1980 to coordinate Holocaust remembrance acti vities. There were about 1,000 sur vivorsat ,the Nordhausen camp, Father Doyle recalled. "But they were just barely alive." "After we took care of the 'living, we buried about 5,000 bodies on a hiH outside the tow~ all mutilated, beaten and starved skeletons . . .
"We went into town and rounded' up ablebodied men to come and help us bury them. They said they were unaware of the goings-on. at the death camp," Father Doyle said. The priest said that he him self had no idea what to ex pect before arriving at Nord hausen,. 'Many people blame God for allowing -the Holocaust to hap pen, Father Doyle said, but '~e sees it as a "tragic failure of man." "It isn't God who failed," he said, "it's man who failed." Every year Father Doyle at tends a reunion of the 104th 'Division, which always in cludes a memorial service for the thousands of persons div ision members buried at Nord hausen. The Dominican, ordained in 1939, is a graduate of Durfee High School, Fall River, and Prcfvidence College. He holds a master's degree from Cath olic University and a doctorate in pastoral theology from the Aquinas Institute. He has ,taught at six Cath olic coHeges, was director of the School of Catholic Studies at the University of Virginia ·Catholic Center 'and f~r one year held an appointment as a research fellow at Yale Uni versity School of Divinity. Now in semi-retirement, he' is available daily -to patients at the Providence medical center and frequently visits the Fall River diocese.
VATICAN CITY (NC) - Arch bishops John J. O'Connor of New York and Bernard F. Law of Bos : ton, were among 28 new car dinals from 19 countries named by Pope John Paul II during his April 24 general audience. Commenting on the appoint ments, Bishop Daniel A. Cronin made the following statement: I was delighted to learn this morning that His Holi ness, Pope John Paul n, has named several prelates to the Sacred College of Car dinals, among them two Americans, our beloved Archbishop Bernard F. Law of the Archdiocese of Bos ton and Archbshop John O'Connor of New York. We here in the Diocese of Fall River, clergy, religious and faithful laity, are es
. peelally joyful that the Arch bishop of Boston has been elevated. to the Cardinal ate. I have, of course, known and admired Cardinal Law for many years. Since his arrival here in New England to serve as Archbishop of Boston, he has won .the hearts of everyone in our Drea. His vigorous leadership has been an inspiration to us all. It is with heartfelt joy that I convey my con gratulations and good wishes to Cardinal Law and to all the clergy, religious and faithful of the Arch diocese of Boston. All of us here in the Province of Bos ton are proud that His Holi ness has so honored our ~etropolitan Arc~bishop.
I have transmitted a mess age of congratulations and prayerful good wishes to Cardinal Law and to Car dinal O'Connor. I invite all the faithful of the Diocese of Fall River to Doin with me on this joyful oecasion in a pledge of prayerful support and loyal affeellion for our beloved Holy Father and in good wishes to all the new Cardinals, esp1!cially our own friend and neighbor, Cardinal Law. The namings. which the pope said would be formalized in a May 25 consistory, raise the num ber of cardinals to 152, the high est ever. Of these 120 will be under 80 years of age and eligible to elect a pope. This is the maximum Turn to Page Two
Sisters come home
By Pat McGowan Indoors and outdoors, forsy thiaand daffodils set the tone last Sunday, a brilliant spring day which saw the blessing of the rebuilt Dighton provincial house of the Dominican Sisters of Charity of the Presentation. "The forsythia symbolizes a
whole new year and a recon· Oct. 11 , 1983, gas explosion structed home," said Bishop which heavily damaged the pro Daniel A. Cronin, who conducted vincial house and took the Hfe the blessing ceremony before a of Sister Marie Therese PeIletier, chapel crowded to the doors with who was working with Sister . Vimala. the sisters and their friends. Though that tragic day will Among those present was never be forgotten, Sunday was young Sister Vimala Vadakum padan, seriously injured in the Turn to Page Six
AT BLESSING of Dighton provincial house of the Dominicans of the Presentation, from left, Father Daniel L. Freitas; Sister Dorothy Ruggiero, OP, provincial superior; Bish op Daniel A. Cronin; Father Raymond Graham, SMM; Msgr. John J. Oliveira. (Rosa Photo) . ,