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the VOL. 50, NO. 17 • Friday, April 28, 2006
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year
Eucharistic adoration, sacrifice part of 'God's battle plan' to restore meaning of marriage By DAVE JOLIVET,
EDITOR
NEW BEDFORD - Recalling Jehoshaphat's great victory over three enemy armies in 2 Chronicles 20, by turning to prayer and fasting, Institute of the Incarnate Word Father Samuel Leonard suggested the same approach to uphold traditional family values in the Commonwealth. "By turning to God with prayer and fasting, the army of Judah didn't even have to raise a weapon," said Father Leonard, pastor of St. Kilian's Parish in New Bedord. 'The Lord rewarded their faith by having the other armies. destroy themselves." "Father Leonard said that God's battle plan is for us to stand firm with prayer and sacrifice," said Jane Wilcox, a parishioner of St. Bernard's Parish in Assonet, and a legislative liaison with Catholic Citizenship. Based on that sound advice, Wilcox and Bea Martins, regional coordinator for Catholic Citizenship, have enlisted the forces of diocesan parishes to schedule time for eucharistic adoration, prayer and sacrifice, to invoke God's assistance in changing hearts of state legislators who seek to change the definition of marriage to something other than that between one man and one woman in an upcoming Constitutional Convention. "Father Leonard told us that the post card campaigns and other works were good, but that we needed to do more," Wilcox told The Anchor. "When it comes to upholding traditional family values, we also have to consider heavily the spiritual di-
mension," said Father Leonard in a recent interview. "Our of ourselves." good works must be backed up with disciplined prayer Part of the spiritual dimension of '~od's battle plan," and sacrifice such as fasting. The Lord honors humbling will be praying for elected officials. "At St. Kilian's we will pray for each legislator by name," said Father Leonard. "God does not tamper with free will. But in his infinite mercy, he gives grace to people, and they choose to yield to his will." To date, nearly 25 diocesan parishes have scheduled time for eucharistic adoration and prayer. Most of the parishes have opted for May 5, encorporating it into First Friday devotions. "First Fridays of the month have alI. ways been a special day for prayer in honor of the Sacred f Heart of Jesus," added Father Leonard. , St.Dominic's Parish in Swansea is one of the parishes taking part on May 5. Eucharistic adoration will begin following the 8 a.m. Mass and conclude with Benediction at 6:30 p.m. "Our parish has always had a very active Pro-Life apostolate," said pastor Father Joseph F. Viveiros. "It's crucial to concentrate on all Pro-Life issues from the cradle to the grave, and upholding traditional marriage and protecting the family is a Pro-Life I issue." Father Joseph Mauritzen, pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Woods HO~,e, has also scheduled adoration and prayer time on May ~. "Marriage is the foundation of this country," he told The Anchor. "And an attack on marriage is A LISTING of parishes, dates and times for an attack on this country. Prayer and fasting is the way eucharistic adoration and prayer for the protec- we're going to get this country back on track." . tion of marriage appears on page 12. Tum to page J2 - Adoration
Diocese completes year of intense vocation~ recruiting By
TWO ADULTS were baptized and three were welcomed into full communion with the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil at this beautiful Easter font at Sacred Heart Church in North Attleboro.
DEACON JAMES
N.
DUNBAR
FALL RIVER - A holy hour at St. Mary's Cathedral on May 7 at 3 p.m., will conclude what has been a busy year promoting vocations to the priesthood in the diocese in a campaign called Operation: Planting Seeds. The hour of prayer coincides with the Sunday heralded as the 43rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, said Father Edward E. Correia, director of the Diocesan Office of Vocations since August 2005. "It's our final celebration of this campaign, and is cosponsored by the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and the Vocations Office," Father Correia said. Bishop George W. Coleman will preside at the holy hour. "The whole idea of the vocations campaign began at our seminarian's convocation last year when we discussed how we could foster more vocations to the priesthood," the director recalled. "From that we began a program, short in time, but very intense, to focus specifically on priestly vocations, because this was in connection with pastoral planning which was advancing at that time." Operation: Planting Seeds officially began in
~b05
July following the ordination to the priesthood of Father Karl C. Bissinger. At the invitation of Bishop Coleman, Father Bissinger began a whirlwind diocesan tour of 10 parishes in 10 weeks, speaking at weekend Masses about his call to become a priest, and inviting young men and their families to consider such a vocation a future option. The 30-year-old priest recounted his growing up in St. Joseph's Parish in Fall River, the influence of his parents, a parish priest and a religious Sister had on his spirituality. Following college and service in the U.S. Navy.he picked up on an ongoing discernment and entered the seminary. He related his unique and interesting vocation story from July through September to congregations at parishes in all five deaneries. When schools opened for the fall semester, Father Bissinger "cont(nued his mission, visiting mostly all of our Catholic elementary and high schools, some 18 in all," Father Correia noted. "He would talk and answer all of their questions." Following that assignment, Father Bissinger reTum to page 12 - Seeds