The ANCHOR An Anchor oj Ihe Soul, Sure and Flrm-St. Paul
Fall River, Mass., Thursday, May 8, 1975 PRICE 15c Vo I. 19, 0. 19 漏 1975 The Anchor $5.DD lie, 'II'
First CCA Returns ,
Total $310,350.30 The first returns from the 113 parishes and the special gift donations received to date make the total of $310,350.30 in the Appeal. Edward F. Kennedy of Taunton, this year's Appeal lay chairman, is encouraged with the' initial parish reports. He said: "It indicates a most favorable and generous response by the people in the parishes to Bishop Cronin's plea for support of the apostolates of charity, mercy, education, social service and other apostolic endeavors of the diocese." Parish Honor Roll Parishes which surpass their
1-974 final totals will be recorded on the Honor Roll of 1975. Of the 113 parishes in the diocese, 94 parishes exceeded the previous year's (1973) final totals 'in the 1974 Appeal. Rev. Msgr. Anthony M. Gomes, diocesan director of the Appeal, said: "Last year's Honor Roll of 94 parishes was the highest in the history of the Appeal, now in its 34th year. We are anticipating that every parish will be enrolled in this year's parish Appeal Honor Roll. We are aiming for one hundred per cent Honor Roll113 parishes exceeding their 1974 Turn to Page Two
S!ster Eleanor McNally Returns from Saigon Very tired, but otherwise in good physical condition, Sister Eleanor McNally, S.U.S.C., is at her parents' Swansea home recovering from the ordeal of living through the last days of Saigon, a period which she describes as one of utter chaos and confusion. The Holy Union Sister, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bartholomew McNally of Swansea and a native of Sacred Heart parish, Fall River, was in the Vietnamese capi-. talon a year's assignment with Catholic Relief Services. Her
SISTER ELEANOR McNALLY
work involved supervision of an orphans' program serving 125 orphanages in South Vietnam. "But the work was squeezed out of. existence as refugees were relocated from one area to another," she said. At the end of her service she was coordinating general refugee operations for Catholic Relief Services, 'hIring one seven-day period helping to provide food, clothing and ot.her necessities for 170,000 people. Then came the fall of the city and Sister Eleanor herself became a refugee. "YQU take on the characteristics of a prisoner of war in a couple of hours," she said wryly, recalling her six days in a receiving camp on Guam, . where she and two other people were the only single American women among 5,000 Vietnamese and families of American c;ervicemen. "In no time there was' a grapevine and rumors spread like wildfire." Sister Eleanor said that sl)e would have been processed through the camp very quickly, had she not sponsored three Vietnamese employes of Catholic Relief Services, aiding them to come to the United States. "I had a man and two women with me, and we took the man to Saigon airport in the trunk of our car, so he wouldn't be de路 tained for questioning," she reo lated.. Turn to Page Ten
BISHOP CONGRATULATES NEW DCCW PRESIDENT: Most Rev. Daniel A. Cronin, S.T.D., offers his felicitations to Mrs. Michael J. McMahon of Fall River on her election as president of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women in the presence of Mrs. James Leith, left, of New Bedford, first vice- president, and Mrs. Richard Paulson, second left, Taunton, outgoing president.
Bishop Regrets Senate Role Of Kennedy on Amendment Most Reverend Daniel A. Cronin, S.T.D., Bishop of Fall River, has released the text of a letter sent to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Senior Senator of Massachusetts, in which he laments the leadership role the senator took in the defeat of an anti-abortion amendment during a recent 路senatorial debate. The text of the letter is as follows: May 2, 1975 Honorable Edward M. Kennedy Senator United States Senate Washington, District of Columbi.l Dear Senator Kennedy, . I write in regard to your position concerning the Bartlett Amendment attached to Senate Bill 66. I regret sincerely that you opposed the amendment which would have prevented the spending of government funds for pay. ment for abortions. 'Furthermore, I am constrained to deplore the leadership role which you assumed in the Senate debate. It seems quite impossible for me to interpret your role in this instance as anything other than a weakening of your personal conviction, which you have stated to be, and which I trust might still remain, that abortion is wrong. You know, Senator Kennedy, that as Bishop of the Diocese of Fall River and a moral leader in this community, I can not remai:l siient about this vital issue of the defense of innocent and unborn human life. You also know that the Diocese of Fall River encompasses a large part of southeastern Massachusetts. I would be less than true to my duty as Bishop were I to mislead, by my silence, anyone into thinking that
I agree with the stance tal.,en in this question by you. I know that you are not alone in the Senate. But you did assume the leadership role in this matter and I must lament that fact. In order that the priests of the one hundred thirteen parishes un-
der my jurisdiction may know where I stand in this question, I am sending a copy of this letter to them. Yours faithfully in Christ, Daniel A. Cronin Bishop of Fall River
Women Issue Resolution In Reaction to Kennedy The Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, meeting in Taunton for their annual convention, expressed its "chagrin and dismay that Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, heretofore having represented himself as a champion of human Jife, tragically and deplorably assumed a position of positive advocacy for the advancement of abortion by vigorously opposing the 'Bartlett AmeQdment'." The diocesan women heard a detailed explanation of the full impact of the amendment and then expressed themselves in a long and clear resolution. Following is the talk present路 ed Saturday at the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Convention in Taunton by Gertrude K. (Mrs. James A., Jr.) O'Brien, Chairman of the Family Affairs Commission: . I stand before you this morning to present a Resolution for your approval. In order for you .to fully understand the nature of this Resolve it is important that you are made aware of the background on this Constitutional Amendment to Protect the Unborn recently defeated by the Congress of the United States. We 'should all be aware that in 1973, there weJ.'e 270,000 'abor-
tions estimated to cost between $150 and $200 each. Let me emphasize 270,000 abortions at a grand total of between 40 and 50 million dollars paid for by federally funded money. We should also be aware that this figure of 270,000 abortions represents 28 per cent of all abortions performed in this country. These figures are Turn to Page Six
Ordination Bishop Cronin cordiadly invites the clergy, Religious and laity of the Diocese to participate in the priestly ordination in St. Mary's Cathedral, FaIl River, on Saturday morning, M.ay 10, at 11 o'clock of Rev. Mr. William L. Boffa, Rev. Mr. Kevin J. Harrington, Rev. Mr. Arnold R. Medeiros, Rev. Mr. Bruce M. Neylon and Rev. Mr. Richard M. Roy. . Priests wishing to concelebrate with Bishop Cronin are asked to bring -'amke, alb, cincture and stole. All priests present are invited to take part in the laying on of hands in the ordination rite. They are to be vested in casock and surplice or Mass vestments.