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VOL. SO, NO. 18 • Friday, May 5, 2006
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FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year
Bishop urges vo1ters to speak out on lTIarriage alTIendlTIent April 25, 2006
DR. KARINA Ferrari Barahona from Guaimaca, Honduras, shown on the grounds of the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation in Dighton, is visiting the Fall River diocese reviewing advances in modern medicine at Saint Anne's Hospital. (Anchor photo)
Guaimaca Mission physician learning methodologies at Saint Anne's Hospital >
Dr. Karina Ferrari Barahona hopes to upgrade pediatrics at the parish clinic ofthe Fall River diocese's Mission in Honduras.
By DEACON JAMES N.
DUNBAR
FALL RIVER - Treating an average 40 patients a day suffering a variety of illnesses common to a rural native population in one ofthe poorest regions of the world is not what most young physicians have in mind for their practice. Then again, Dr. Karina Ferrari Barahona is not like most young doctors of medicine, and she has personal reasons for staying where she is. "I am a native Guaimacan. I grew up there and know how difficult, how poor life there is, and how tremendous are people's needs. I realized how important it is for me not to go someplace else but to say there and as much as possible meet those people's health needs," she told The Anchor this week. Dr. Barahona will spend the next six months reviewing advances in several areas of modem medicine - including pediatrics - at Saint Anne's Hospital in Fall River, while in residence at the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation's Provincial House on Elm Street in Dighton. Because her father was a successful agricultural farmer and her mother a teacher, Karina was able
to attend the local elementary school in Guaimaca and high school in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. She studied medicine for eight years at the Universidad Autonoma de Honduras, a public university, and received her medical degree in 2002. She then worked for six months for an organization called HURTS of Honduras, until joining the parish medical mission three years ago. Sitting in a sunny parlor in the Provincial House on Thursday was indeed a different world from the hectic pace of a mission physician. The often shy, always smiling, 33-year-old, Spanish-speaking physician says she now will fmd time to better her English language skills. Often during the interview she called on the expertise of Dominican Sister Marina Carrascal, who speaks Spanish and English, to help her get her message across. Sister Carrascal teaches at Bishop McVinney Institute in Providence, R.I., and is vacationing in Dighton. The physician's usual daily routine finds her spending long hours in the medical clinic at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Guaimaca, where, from early morning until evening, people arrive, and sign the waiting list. Many have walked long distances, some carrying their sick children to town to seek healing and receive preTum to page 19 - Physician
Dear Friends in Christ, Along with the other Roman Catholic Bishops in the Commonwealth, I join with VoteOnMarriage.org, Catholic Citizenship and a broad spectrum of other religious and secular groups that favor the people's right to debate and vote on the definition of marriage. In the coming weeks, the Massachusetts State Legislature must take up a proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union between one man and one woman. The amendment, H. 4617, responds to the 2003 Supreme Judicial Court ruling that created a right to same-sex marriage in our state constitution. Last fall over 123,000 signatures from citizens supporting the amendment were accepted by the Secretary of State, the most ever certified in any ballot campaign in Massachusetts. Those who helped circulate the petitions and added their names to this historic effort deserve our deepest gratitude. This achievement was tremendous. The
work, however, is far from over. Now is the critical time to contact your legislators directly to urge them to ptit the new marriage amendment on the November ballot in 2008. Two legislative votes tnust take place, the first this year, and the second in 2007 or early 2008, to bring the amendment to the people. The debate on H. 4617 could begin as early as May 10th when ajoint session of the! House and Senate is scheduled. Fifty out of the combined group of 200 state senators and repr~sentatives must vote to move the amendment forward. Our elected officials at the State House in Boston must hear from Catholics and other concerned citizens as s90n as possible. I encourage you to contact your state senator' and state representative through personal visits, phone calls apd E-mails. Directions are available at VoteOnMarriage.org. The message is simple and to the point: "Let the people vote!" There are important reasons for backing the amendment. It reaffirms the teaching of Jesus
and the consensus in our nation that recognizes marriage as the union between one man and one woman. It reinforces the sociological data concluding that every child does best when cared for by both a father and a mother married to each other. It protects religiousinstitutions from being compelled to recognize samesex marriages. It prevents a fundamental institution from being reshaped by judges. There are those, of course, who disagree with these concerns. The opportunity to debate, however, should not be kept from the people. Our position is that the people should be allowed to weigh the arguments and to decide. This is all that our legislators are being asked to do. Please make your voices heard today by urging your legislators to let the people vote on marriage! Sincerely yours in the Lord,
~4td~ +George W. Coleman Bishop of Fall River
With high hopes Catholic Charities opens 2006 Appeal FALL RIVER - If the usual preliminary indi- fribnds and neighbors whom we do not know or cators of success in the annual Catholic Charities see, but who are looking to one or more of the agenAppeal are to be believed, there is reason to be cies funded by Catholic Charities to lessen their optimistic as the diocese begins its 65th year con- suffering. Last year the Appeal-funded agencies ducting the springtime campaign. ministered to more than 100,000 individuals from "We are hopeful that what we across the diocese, which covers all of have seen in these preliminary southeastern Massachusetts, Cape stages will bear fruit as the ApCod and the Islands." peal begins May 7, Appeal SunBecause the Catholic Charities day," said Michael J. Donly, Appeal maintains a "life-line" of director of Development for the services for the thousands who diocese. tum to the diocese during their time Donly said preliminary indiof need, "How could you consider cators such as the spirit expressed undertaking such a huge endeavor at area parish chairperson meetwithout the confidence that you had ings across the diocese in March, such wonderful support from those the number of pastors requesting you are so dependent upon: diocesan speakers from the various agencies to parishioners?" Donly asked. speak to their parishioners regarding the Last year's Appeal reached a new work of CCA's-funded agencies, and the great "benchmark" by realizing a total of turnout at three regional Appeal "kickoffs," cer- $4,072,724.06. This was the first time the Appeal tainly bodes well for the spirit of those most re- had ever eclipsed the $4 million level. That 70 persponsible for the success of this all important di- cent of the parishes exceeded their previous year's ocesan venture. total was crucial and again showed the significance "The strength of the Appeal is that it is 'parish of; the "parish base" as the driving force behind based,'" said Donly. "All 95 parishes see it as the the Appeal's success. work not only of their Church, but also their parDiocesan-wide, more than 40,000 parishioners ish, to do whatever they can to lessen the suffering . donated to the 2005 Appeal. "This is certainly a of the most vulnerable among us." sign they were ¡confident their donations were beHe noted that "Frequently those in need are Tum to page 19 - Appeal