t eanc 0 VOL. 31, NO. 18
•
Friday, May 1, 1987
FALL RIVER, MASS.
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
•
58 Per Year
A "collection"
FROM LEFT, Appeal director Msgr. Gomes, honorary chairman Bishop Cronin and lay chairman George L. Agostini with wife Mary.
At Catholic Charities kickoff
"I've always liked to help" By Joseph Motta Horace Costa of Sacred Heart parish, Taunton, has volunteered as a collector for the Catholic Charities Appeal for 10 or 15 years now. He's one of 20,150 volunteer solicitors who will collect from over 115,000 diocesan homes between noon and 3 p.m. on Sunday, when the 46th Appeal's parish phase gets underway. And he was among the hundreds of priests, clergy and laity attending the CCA kickoff meeting, held April 22 at Fall River's Bishop Connolly High School. Costa, who coordinated his parish's drive with Miss Virginia Wade, is happy to be participating in the work that will benefit many thousands through apostolates of charity, mercy, education, social service and health care. The Tauntonian is proud dad to Father David A. Costa, parochial vicar at Somerset's St. Thomas More parish. He said that his collecting for the CCA began as a "way of helping out" while his son attended Catholic schools. His friend and fellow,parishioner,
Joseph Roderick, has collected for about 10 years. "I feel good," said Roderick, while waiting for the kickoff to begin. "I've always liked to help people." Costa and Roderick listened as diocesan vicar general Msgr. Luiz G. Mendonca opened the meeting by praying that all persons residing in the diocese would be as eager to help their brothers and sisters as the people at the kickoff.
TV Mass Most Rev. Daniel A. Cronin, STD, Bishop of Fall River, will celebrate this week's television Mass in St. Vincent's Home chapel, Fall River. The Mass will be celebrated for the intentions of the 46th annual Catholic Charities Appeal and will be aired at 10:30 a.m. Sunday on WLNE-TV, Channel6.
Msgr. Anthony M. (Jomes, Appeal diocesan director, told the crowd that "hard work, sacrifice, unity and togetherness" have made previous CCA collections successful and could do it again.
VATICAN CITY (NC) - The working document for the October synod on the laity, prepared by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, considers the responses by local churches to the 1985 lineamenta for the synod, but says it is not a "summary" of those responses. Instead, the document describes itself as a "kind of collection, resulting from an analysis of the reflections, experiences, suggestions and proposals" received by the synod secretariat. The 70-page text, released at the Vatican April 28, is divided into three main sections: The first describes society's situation, seen from a perspective offaith; the second is a doctrinal analysis of the nature of the vocation and mission of the laity; the third outlines real-life situations in which the laity are called on to fulfill their vocation. Part I praises the dominant trend toward full political and cultural participation by individuals in modern societies as an expression of "an increased personal responsibility for the common good." It says that there is a need to denounce totalitarian systems and show solidarity with people who suffer under such governments, as well as include the poor and the outcast in political life.
Part 2 examines the nature of the "vocation" of all lay people "to become saints in all their conduct" - and their "mission" of transforming the world, which depends on individual talents and circumstances. "The mission ofthe laity receives its specific character by their immediate involvement in worldly affairs," it says, and continues: "The mission of authoritatively preaching the faith in the world is entrusted to ordained ministers, while the laity have the 'mission of bearing witness to the faith." Part 3 elaborates on the need for faith to inspire every realm of daily living and lists "some attitudes essential to a Christian conscience": sharing and solidarity, forthrightness and realism, and seeing sin as the root of every division. It places a special emphasis on dialogue, saying lay people should work together with other Christians and people of good will, but "without ideological compromises.", It stresses Catholic education and continuing formation for laity, as well as the need for frequent participation in the sacraments, as the basis for lay people's relationship with the world.
The energetic priest introduced "the heart and soul of our people and the Appeal," Bishop Daniel A. Cronin. The bishop, in his 17th year as honorary Appeal chairman, told his listeners that he was grateful for the work they had done for past collections and for what they would do this year. "There is much work to be done for a successful Appeal this year," Bishop Cronin said. "I know 1can count on the zealous efforts of priests, religious and faithful laity as with dedicated labors and tireless prayer we go forward once again to make our Christian love translate into support for the many apostolates sponsored by our diocese." George L. Agostini of St. Mary's parish, Seekonk, this year's Appeal Turn to Page Seven
MA Y is for Mary. This 32-foot stainless steel statue of Our Lady of Peace is secured on a permanent foundation at Our Lady of Peace parish, Santa Clara, Calif. Created by sculptor Charles Parks, the statue was displayed in Philadelphia and Chicago before being trucked to its final home. (NC photo)