05.15.15

Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , May 15, 2015

Former parish gets new life helping the homeless

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

Twenty-six boys and girls recently received their First Holy Communion at St. Mary’s Church, New Bedford. First Communicant Arianna Camara crowned the Blessed Virgin Mary during Mass.

NEW BEDFORD — Where there was once a place that sermonized the Good News to feed, clothe and house souls in need, there is now a place practicing what once was preached as the former rectory of St. Hedwig’s Parish in New Bedford has been transformed into Grace House, a transitional housing program for single, homeless women, while the former church is currently under construction to become

the new location of the Sister Rose House, a shelter for homeless men, and the soup kitchen run by the Catholic Social Services.

When Ed Allard, project manager for Community Action for Better Housing, decided to purchase St. Hedwig’s Church as the new location for the Sister Rose House, he walked through the rectory and he immediately saw the potential for a second project.

It was in great shape, said Allard, though moderate reno-

vations would be needed, and he reached out to the city of New Bedford, which provided all the funding through the city of New Bedford’s Office Housing and Community Development, ultimately giving $278,505 in federal HOME funds for the endeavor.

“The city really stepped up,” said Allard. “We explained to them what we had in mind for the property — to create a transitional housing program for homeless, single adult Turn to page 15

Area conference seeks ‘robust understanding’ of Pope Francis

By Christine M. Williams Anchor Correspondent

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. — Pope Francis’ style and leadership have been popular topics since his election more than two years ago. On the eve of his first papal visit to the United States, those topics are receiving even greater attention from Americans and will be addressed at a conference held at the Portsmouth Abbey in Rhode Island June 19-21.

Christopher Fisher, executive director of the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture, said he hopes the conference will provide deeper insight into

Pope Francis’ message, something that is often reduced to sound bites in our modern era.

“We want to contribute a robust understanding of the papacy to American public discourse,” he said.

This fall, Pope Francis will visit the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, speak at the United Nations and address a joint session of Congress.

The Portsmouth Institute, formed in 2009, is sponsored by the Benedictine monastery in Portsmouth, R.I. The institute seeks to promote Catholic thought on theology, politics, Turn to page 14

It’s simple, functional and for the 10 women living at Grace House in New Bedford, the former rectory at St. Hedwig’s Church, it’s home, said Ed Allard, project manager for Community Action for Better Housing. “We put a great deal of effort into providing quality of life,” he said. (Photo by Becky Aubut)

Bishop holds candid Q & A session with students visiting cathedral

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., answered candid questions posed by some of the 400 Catholic school students from around the diocese during a Q & A session just prior to the annual Mass celebration for eighth-graders held at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River last week. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

FALL RIVER — Since his installation as the eighth bishop of Fall River in September, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., has made a concerted effort to go out and visit many of the faithful who comprise the parishes, schools and apostolates within the diocese now under his pastoral care.

So when it came time last week for the annual rite of passage for middle school students about to enter high school — a traditional tour of and Mass celebration at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River for all eighth-graders about to graduate from dioc-

esan schools — it was an ideal opportunity for him to continue that personal, one-on-one interaction that everyone has come to expect.

It seemed more than appropriate that the eighth bishop of the diocese would be standing before a cathedral filled with eighth-grade Catholic school students and engaged in a candid question-and-answer session that ranged from topics like how God can allow evil to exist in the world to naming his favorite soccer team.

“Today we come together in this beautiful cathedral to celebrate Mass, to pray together, and to spend some time together,” the bishop said by way

of introduction. “I’m so happy to meet all of you, and we have a little time for conversation before Mass and I’m happy to entertain some questions.”

Since not all of the 400plus students present on May 7 would be continuing on at a Catholic high school next year, one of the first questions was what advice he would give to those attending public school.

“That’s a good question,” the bishop said. “First of all, I think the best advice I can give to you — or anyone in that situation — is to take with you all that you’ve learned in Catholic school; all the values that you’ve learned about your faith, about Turn to page 18

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May 15, 2015 News From the Vatican Want to help families? Evangelize them, pope says

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — Recently speaking to the bishops from the Republic of the Congo, Pope Francis encouraged them in their ministry to families, urging the need for evangelization of peoples and cultures alongside inculturation.

Mentioning the importance of forming the laity for their apostolate in the socio-political sphere, Pope Francis said that “family pastoral ministry is an integral part of this accompaniment.”

“The reluctance of the faithful to embark on Christian Marriage reveals the need for profound evangelization, which involves not only the inculturation of faith, but also the evangelization of local traditions and culture.”

He thanked the bishops for their contributions to the Synod on the Family, adding that they will not fail to benefit from better adapting pastoral care of families to their local reality.

The Congolese bishops were in Rome for their ad limina visit, which occurs every five years.

Pope Francis noted the elevation in the Republic of the Congo of one diocese in 2011, and the creation of two new

dioceses in 2013, as evidence of “the vitality of the Catholic Church in your country, and of the zeal with which its pastors engage in the work of evangelization,” better serving Catholics as well as reaching out to those who have not yet heard the Gospel.

The pope urged the bishops to keep the living conditions and sanctification of their priests at the heart of their concerns, saying, “continuing formation is indispensable, that they can always better serve the people of God and give them Spiritual accompaniment as is fitting, notably through dignified Liturgical celebrations and through homilies which nourish the faith of believers.”

Turning to the flourishing priestly and religious vocations in the country — 45 percent of Congolese are Catholic — Pope Francis praised the bishops’ apostolic zeal, adding that “the immense pastoral needs of the local Church require rigorous discernment, so that the people of God are able to count on zealous pastors who edify the faithful through their testimony of life, especially in relation to celibacy and the Spirit of evangelical poverty.”

The pope then turned to the economic challenges facing some Congolese dioceses: the Republic of the Congo had in 2014 an adjusted per capita GDP of $5,100.

“Some dioceses have great difficulties because of the lack of material and financial resources locally available. I am aware of the magnitude of the problems and the worries related to this situation in the heart of a pastor. Therefore, I encourage you to resolutely engage your dioceses in embarking on the path of autonomy, a gradual takeover of control and solidarity between the particular churches in your country, following a tradition that dates back to the first Christian communities,” Pope Francis said.

“In this respect, you must be careful to ensure that economic aid to your particular churches in support of your specific mission does not limit your freedom as pastors or obstruct the freedom of the Church, which must have a free hand to proclaim the Gospel with credibility.”

With respect to mutual aid and solidarity among local churches, Pope Francis encouraged the Congolese to look to fellow Africans before seeking

help from outside their continent: these values “must also be reflected in the promotion of the missionary Spirit first within Africa,” he said.

Speaking of the Church’s role in the Republic of the Congo’s public sphere, Pope Francis said ecclesial communion should be manifested in “the exercise of the prophetic dimension of your pastoral charge. It is important that you can, with one voice, use strong words inspired by the Gospel to guide and enlighten your fellow citizens in every aspect of community life, in difficult moments for the nation or when the circumstances require it.”

Such cohesion “not only will allow you always to defend the common good and also the good of the Church in any circumstance,” he advised, “but will also support your efforts in facing the many pastoral challenges, including the proliferation of sects.”

A “profound evangelization” is another key challenge identified by the pope, which he said “necessarily supposes special attention to the concrete conditions of life for the populations; that is, ultimately, to the development of the human person.”

He noted the importance of the Church’s commitment in the Republic of the Congo to education, healthcare, and refugees.

“As pastors, continue to ensure that your social ministry is increasingly carried out in the Spirit of the Gospel and perceived as a work of evangelization, and not as the action of a non-governmental organization,” Pope Francis admonished.

Related to this, he noted the continuing wounds rooted in the country’s 1997-1999 civil war, saying that “the Church, strong in the Gospel of Jesus, has received the mission of building new fraternity anchored in forgiveness and solidarity. You, pastors, continue to be models and prophets in this sense!”

Pope Francis concluded his address by noting with gratitude the recently-opened Divine Mercy shrine in Louvakou, in the Diocese of Dolisie: “I welcome it, and I hope that this sanctuary truly becomes a place where the people of God come to strengthen their faith, particularly during the upcoming extraordinary jubilee of Mercy, as well as other pastoral initiatives you undertake.”

pray for the girls, was given to their parents on Mother’s Day as a sign that Jesus is now taking care of their daughters in Heaven.

Charlotte and Wesley, aged eight and six, as well as their grandparents Don Pyle, 56, and Sandra Pyle, 63, when a fire destroyed the Pyle’s large, waterfront home

tion and burns after a faulty electrical outlet ignited materials inside the largest room of the Pyle’s 16,000-square-foot home, including a 15-foot Christmas tree.

fant son that was at home with them the night of the fire. Lexi had been preparing to make her First Communion this spring.

For Pope Francis to stop and pray for the girls and their family was a concrete sign of the emphasis he often places on mercy, Father Qureshi said.

“One of the things about Pope Francis has been that he is a pope who speaks about mercy all the time,” he noted, saying that even amid life’s tragedies we can be assured that “God is reaching out in mercy toward us.”

Father Qureshi expressed his belief that God reaches out “through people, and today He did that through the Holy Father, who reminded us of God’s mercy and His love for all of His children.”

In reference to the statue of Jesus and the children that Francis blessed, the priest noted that it is made from olive wood, like many works that come from the Holy Land.

“Jesus, our Lord, was a carpenter Himself, so I found this statue of Jesus embracing the children, and I thought this would be an appropriate gift for the parents who lost their children,” he said.

Pope Francis blesses image of children killed in Maryland fire

Rome, Italy (CNA/EWTN News) — After reading a letter while visiting Rome’s seminary for U.S. candidates for the priesthood detailing the death of two young girls in a house fire, Pope Francis blessed their picture and a small statue to be given to their parents.

“The Holy Father read the story about what happened and he was very moved by it. He prayed for the family and for the girls, and in fact he even put his hand on their picture as a sign of his affection for them,” Father Aaron Qureshi recently told CNA. Father Qureshi was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington D.C. after studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He is the one who wrote the letter at the request of a friend who is close to the family of the deceased.

The priest, who was present for Pope Francis’ recent visit to the seminary where he celebrated Mass in honor of Blessed Junipero Serra, also purchased a statue of Jesus embracing two children while on a trip to the Holy Land, which will be given to the girls’ parents.

The statue, which was blessed by the pope when he stopped to

A statue of Jesus with children at the Pontifical North American College. (Daniel Ibanez/CNA Photo)

Lexi and Katie Boone, aged eight and seven, passed away January 19, along with their cousins

in Annapolis, Md. Medical reports indicate that the six died from smoke inhala-

Lexi and Katie are survived by their parents, Randy, 38, and Stacey, 34, who also have an in-

May 15, 2015

The International Church

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Vatican recognizes martyrdoms of lay catechist, missionary in communist Laos

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, greats a young displaced Iraqi recently in Irbil, Iraq. (CNS photo/John E. Kozar, CNEWA)

Cardinal visits northern Iraq to convey pope’s concern for displaced

IRBIL, Iraq (CNS) — The head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Eastern Churches visited Iraq to convey Pope Francis’ blessing and concern for Church officials and the displaced living and working in difficult circumstances.

In Dohuk, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri hugged children and comforted adults who expressed only one wish: to go back home. Pope Francis’ envoy left a few pictures of the pontiff that children held proudly, with large smiles. The displaced slept up to 20 per room, with baggage and cardboard boxes marking the space for each family. Carpets on the floor and an ever-running television were the only comforts for 60 families that share a few gas stoves and even fewer toilets.

At a Mass outside of a Syriac Catholic church in Irbil, Cardinal Sandri recently told Iraqis who had fled from Islamic State militants that their “hearts and lives had signs of the violence, persecution and dissemination that forced many to abandon their house in the plain of Ninevah, in Mosul, in Bakhdida (Qaraqosh) and in other villages, to find a safe shelter.”

The Mass’ main celebrant was

by Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III Younan, but Cardinal Sandri preached. In his homily, he spoke of the massacre of Assyrians by the Ottoman Empire a century ago.

“We remain speechless,” he said, “before this violence and aggression, but mostly because the human heart seems to have learned nothing from the dramas that shook the 20th century and that continue today while shedding more innocent blood with a destructive blindness.

“Your pastors, the pope and the Universal Church fear a general exodus from lands that have been

Christian for 2,000 years,” he said.

Before going to Irbil, Cardinal Sandri spent three days in Baghdad, where he met with Iraq’s president and prime minister. Iraq without Christians would not be Iraq anymore, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told him, echoing Pope Francis’ recurring declarations about the Middle East.

President Fuad Masum told the cardinal he hoped the pope would visit as soon as the situation will allow it.

In Irbil, Cardinal Sandri met with about 10 members of ROACO, a coalition of funding agencies coordinated by the Congregation for Eastern Churches.

Among them were the heads of French and German agencies as well as Aid to the Church in Need, the Holy Childhood Association and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association. During the two days prior to that meeting, members of ROACO visited many camps with displaced people, trying to evaluate their needs.

Msgr. John Kozar, head of Catholic Near East Welfare Association, told Catholic News Service that water is the “single most important reality” and is always in short supply.

“Even in the midst of extreme poverty and the complete lack of privacy and personal or family space, the refugees were so loving, welcoming and filled with gratitude and hope,” he said. “Some who had no kitchen or running water humbled us by offering us tea.”

During a meeting with the displaced in Ankawa, one man told the agency heads: “The only thing we want is to go back home.”

Then a girl named Tamara, 12, told them with a radiant face: “ISIS took everything, but we still have our faith in Jesus Christ, and they will never take it.”

Last summer, in the face of ad-

vancing members of the Islamic State group, more than 100,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes on the plain of Ninevah to reach Irbil and other places in Iraqi Kurdistan. Prefabricated buildings have now replaced the tents hurriedly installed last year.

Some displaced people have sometimes been received in improvised lodging, often sharing a few square meters.

Schools, kindergartens and clinics were progressively set up, and life was reorganized in the camps, including on a Spiritual level. Displaced with the faithful, priests have continued to Spiritually nourish their communities, just like many Iraqi Dominican Sisters, especially in welcome centers.

Despite Iraq’s and the Kurd autonomous government’s support, and despite international solidarity through aid agencies, housing conditions remain difficult. Besides insufficient water, the electrical network is unstable and, this summer, temperatures could climb up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cardinal Sandri told the bishops in Irbil that he was impressed with “the heroic dedication of the many priests who are truly good pastors, who do not flee and who stay beside their flock; I have been moved by the profound communion that precedes any theological discussion — although the latter is necessary — and any other form of ecumenical agreement, when priests of different Christian churches wish well to each other and, along with the lay people, organize aid activities for displaced persons, or guide educational paths in schools and parishes. It is also good to see the collaboration that the various agencies of the ROACO have offered in the planning and implementation phases for the good of all of you.”

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — During a recent private audience, Pope Francis advanced the causes of canonization of 12 potential saints, two of whom were martyred by communist revolutionaries in Laos in 1960.

The audience with Cardinal Angelo Amato also formally approved the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra — which had already been scheduled for September 23.

The two martyrs recognized were the Servants of God Mario Borzaga and Paul Thoj Xyooj, who were killed in hatred of the faith in April 1960.

Born in Italy in 1932, Father Borzaga joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate at the age of 20, and was ordained a priest at 25. In 1957 he was sent as one of the first Italian missionaries to the Oblate mission in Laos, where the Pathet Lao, communist revolutionaries backed by North Vietnam, had begun a civil war four years earlier.

Father Borzaga spent the first year of his missionary life studying the Lao language. His diary, “To be a Happy Man,” describes the difficulty of the mission, which was aggravated by the Pathet Lao. After visiting the Christian community in the Hmong village of Kiucatiàm in 1958, where he met with families and cared for the sick. Another group of Hmong from Pha Xoua asked him to visit their own village in 1960.

He set out April 25 on a three-day mountain trek for the village, where he was to spend two weeks. He was joined by Paul Thoj Xyooj, a young lay catechist. The two vanished after a day of working with the sick and were never found, despite various searches.

Testimonies gathered since

their disappearance confirm that the two were killed by the Pathet Lao. The Pathet Lao defeated the royalist forces in 1975, and Laos has been a communist state ever since. Foreign missionaries were expelled or fled that year, and now fewer than two percent of Laotians are Christian.

Pope Francis and Cardinal Amato also recognized three miracles.

Two were attributed to the intercession of blesseds: Blessed Vincenzo Grossi, an Italian priest and founder of the Institute of the Daughters of the Oratory, and Blessed Maria of the Immaculate Conception, Spanish superior general of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross. With the approval of the miracles, a date now can be set their canonizations.

A third miracle was also approved for Venerable Giacomo Abbondo, an Italian diocesan priest who lived 1720-1788. A date can now be set for his beatification.

Francis also acknowledged the heroic virtue of seven Servants of God. Three were laypersons: Juliette Colbert de Falletti di Barolo, a widow who went on to found the Daughters of Jesus the Good Shepherd; and Sergio and Domenica Bernardini, a married couple and parents who died in 1966 and 1971, respectively.

The other Servants of God whose heroic virtues were recognized were Jacinto Vera y Duran, Bishop of Montevideo from 1859 to 1881; Antonio Antic, a Croatian priest of the Order of Friars Minor; Maria Brigida Postorino, Italian foundress of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate; and Maria Rafaela Jesus Hostia, a Spanish professed nun of the Order of Capuchin Poor Clares.

The Church in the U.S.

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May 15, 2015

Faith Formation program focuses on social justice ahead of papal trip

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — As Catholics and nonCatholics alike prepare for Pope Francis’ visit to the United States in September, the pontiff ’s message of greater solidarity with poor people is resonating with a wide-ranging group of faith-based social justice advocates.

Almost 300 representatives of parishes and organizations from 50 dioceses across the United States aligned with the PICO National Network recently gathered at St. Joseph’s University to launch a yearlong effort of Faith Formation and social action on poverty to take advantage of the momentum building around the papal trip.

The Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States is partnering with the PICO National Network, a coalition of faith-based advocacy organizations, in the effort.

Event organizers cited the pope’s apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”) and its searing critique of social and economic injustices as motivation for the initiative.

Joseph Fleming, executive director of PICO New Jersey, said the yearlong Faith Formation project was developed because “Catholic parishioners

are hungering to connect peace and justice.”

Catholic organizations make up one-third of PICO’s 1.2 million members nationally, making them a prime audience for the effort, he added.

United Interfaith Action of Southeastern Massachusetts, to which belong a number of Catholic, Protestant and Jewish communities in New Bedford and Fall River, is a member of PICO. PICO initially stood for “Pacific Institute of Community Organizations.”

It changed its name to PICO National Network in 2004.

While specific programs will be developed locally, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, president of Caritas Internationalis and one of the pope’s advisers on the Council of Cardinals, provided those gathered with a Gospel-based explanation of why it is important to engage with and advocate on behalf of poor people.

Cardinal Rodriguez urged the gathering to continue pressing policymakers to assure that the rights and lives of poor people are not ignored.

Many in the packed conference room cheered the cardinal’s comments on the theme, “Year of Encounter: Confronting the Economy of Exclu-

sion.”

“There is money to rescue the banks but no money to rescue the poor. This is unjust!” he told the faith-based advocates, which included clergy and women religious. “People who have lost their homes (to foreclosure) were victims of an unjust system. Foreclosure is a crime against the poor.

“The poor person is the victim of entrepreneurs (who give) work but without paying a minimum wage. They are thieves!” Cardinal Rodriguez said.

The economy, he explained, “is a system that is ill from the inside and needs healing” because it “is centered in money and markets, not the human person.”

He identified the problem of economic inequality as stemming from the root of the Biblical question that Cain, after murdering his brother Abel, put to God, which Cardinal Rodriguez called “the terrible syndrome of Cain.”

“Am I the guardian of my brother? Yes!” the cardinal said, implying that everyone is the guardian of one’s brother and sister.

The failure to recognize another person as a child of God equal in rights and to whom respect is due, and focusing

only on oneself, leads to injustice, Cardinal Rodriguez suggested.

Where there is no justice, there is no peace, he said, pointing to the eruptions of violence in the United States over the killings of poor black men by police in the last year, most recently in Baltimore.

Only when people recognize the equality of one another, “that we have the same rights, we will have respect for each other and love each other,” he said.

The cardinal challenged the social justice advocated to get to know poor people.

In the Holy Year of Mercy that Pope Francis has pro-

claimed beginning in Advent, the cardinal urged his listeners to “take your heart to suffering people. How the Year of Mercy will be bearing fruit is to convert to the suffering of concrete people.”

He also encouraged the participants to work to convince politicians not to seek their own self-interest but the greater common good for society.

“Be united in forming communities of faith and take concrete actions,” he told the attendees. “We are community.

You as organic communities are working for the common good. Do not be tired. Never become discouraged.”

D.C. Cardinal Wuerl honors fallen police officers

Washington D.C., (CNA/EWTN News) — Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington recently called for gratitude to be given to the law enforcement officials who are protecting the order of communities nationwide.

“Enormous gratitude” is owed to police such as the late Officer Brian Moore of the New York Police Department, the cardinal said in his homily. “By all accounts he [Moore] was killed simply because he was a police officer.”

Moore was fatally shot behind the wheel of his cruiser on May 3, after he noticed a suspect was acting suspiciously and asked him if he had a firearm.

Such officers “are willing to stand between us and all the violence that Jesus spoke about when He said that the world can never give us real, true, meaningful peace if it does not first come from the heart that beats in tune with God’s command, love the Lord your God and one another.”

The cardinal’s remarks came in his homily at the Blue Mass for law enforcement officers nationwide, celebrated at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., shortly before National Police Week.

Hundreds of local, state, and municipal police officers, firefighters, and first responders attended the Mass.

The Blue Mass dates back to 1934, though it was not celebrated annually until 1994 for all law enforcement officials. In 2014, 117 officers were killed in the United States, and 1,466

died in the line of duty in the last 10 years, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

The violence and conflict throughout the world only underline the need for law enforcement to keep the peace, Cardinal Wuerl added.

“It is for this reason that this Blue Mass is so important,” he said. “The very fact that the message of love of God and love of neighbor can be proclaimed here in this Church and in faith communities across this country is because you are prepared to see that we are free.”

The Mass came a week after violent riots in Baltimore, Md. over the death there of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.

Gray died a week after coming into police custody, and six police officers face charges, pressed by the state’s attorney for Baltimore.

Outrage over the incident sparked a national debate over police brutality and policing tactics. Almost 100 police officers were injured in Baltimore riots that ensued.

Cardinal Wuerl insisted that “death, violence, hatred are not the answer and never have been.”

The officers killed in the line of duty were working for a more just world, he added.

“The lives of those we remember today were given in the greatest of all causes, to allow God’s love to work in all of us to build a truly good and just society, a world truly reflective of that command, love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself.”

The Church in the U.S. Cardinal calls Catholics, Jews to continue building unity through God

May 15, 2015

NEW YORK (CNS) — Catholics and Jews risk losing their hard-won interfaith amity if they take ecumenism for granted and fail to pass it along to a new generation of seminarians and laity, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York said in an address at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

The cardinal recently spoke about 50 years of substantive interactions that began with “Nostra Aetate” (“In Our Time”), the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on relations with non-Christian religions promulgated by Blessed Paul VI in 1965.

He told the audience at the annual John Paul II Center Lecture for Interreligious Understanding that St. John Paul II realized the dream of Nostra Aetate by trusting the Jewish community enough to invite it to become an ally in “the number one priority of his pontificate, to recover the primacy of the Spiritual.”

The late pope believed, Cardinal Dolan said, “the most mortal toxin affecting the human project was the denial of God’s sovereignty, even His existence.” St. John Paul believed the Jews were the Church’s most natural ally and shared his sense of urgency, he said.

As a young man in Poland, Karol Wojtyla, the future pope, “lost everything by the time he was in his early 20s,” and mourned the wartime disappearance of friends and the enforced absence of God from the country’s public expression, Cardinal Dolan explained. Catholics and Jews survived the World War II and postwar communism by relying on the wisdom of the psalms, specifically, “Only in God is my soul at rest,” he

said.

“John Paul II saw today’s children of Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, David and the prophets as essential to recovery of the primacy of the Divine in a world drugged to forget its Lord,” the cardinal said.

St. John Paul’s first visit to Poland after he became pope, the cardinal added.

Nostra Aetate inspired St. John Paul, Cardinal Dolan said, not just to tolerate Jews or have theological discussions with them, but to invite a “providential and urgent

ers, Nostra Aetate and the seminary continue to demand that “religious voices in service of interreligious respect have a responsibility to be as loud and persistent as those that seek to drown out this commitment with bombs or bullets.”

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York is kissed by Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City, after Cardinal Dolan gave the annual John Paul II Center Lecture for Interreligious Understanding at the seminary recently. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

“Nostra Aetate tells us that all of us comprise a single community and have a single origin” and share a single goal, which is a union with God, he said.

Catholics and Jews have in common, he continued, an understanding of the dignity of the human person, the sanctity of every human life, an allegiance to God’s law, a solidarity and a mutual world view. “Human dignity in life is enhanced, not shackled, when we proclaim, ‘We want God,’” as crowds did during

partnership flowing from a mutual faith, love and Biblical roots, where Jews become like their prophets of old and Catholics like the Twelve Apostles, calling the world away from the worship of false gods, false idols, into the arms of the one true, eternal God Who persistently and passionately loves us.”

In remarks to the audience, Arnold M. Eisen, Jewish Theological Seminary chancellor, said at a time when some use religion as a justification for killing oth-

Citing 20th-century Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Eisen said Jews and Christians need one another to face the challenges and expectations of a living God. Such good relations between Catholics and Jews would not have been possible before the release of Nostra Aetate, Cardinal Dolan said, yet most Catholics do not remember that time.

He said bishops and others worry that seminarians, for example, raised in a climate where “ecumenism and inter-

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faith cooperation was taken for granted,” may think “you don’t have to work at it because it’s just there and it’s going to stay.”

“But we all know the hard way. If it’s not something you constantly work at and constantly remind yourself of, it will quickly dissipate.”

A strong effort to maintain good relations is “particularly incumbent on Catholics and Jews in the United States, because we live in a laboratory of ecumenical and interfaith amity. We really take it for granted and we know it works,” Cardinal Dolan said.

He said Pope Benedict XVI in particular insisted that the letter and spirit of Nostra Aetate be included in catechetical materials for lay people and seminary studies.

Cardinal Dolan also said Pope Francis is eager to learn about Americans during his upcoming visit but is a “little nervous” because he has never been to the U.S. and is “very shy about not knowing conversational English.”

He said a substantive interreligious meeting will be a high point of the pope’s time in New York, and that the pope told him and Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican’s permanent representative to the United Nations, such a visit would be an essential element of his trip.

The lecture was sponsored by the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, the Russell Berrie Foundation and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

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May 15, 2015

Anchor Editorial

Reflections from the St. Pius X ceremony

Back on May 5 (“Cinco de Mayo”) hundreds of people gathered at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River, not to break a piñata and see what sweets fell out, but to celebrate how God has been pouring out blessings in the lives of many young people from across our diocese.

On page 10 of this edition of The Anchor you can see photos and read the list of recipients of the Pope St. Pius X Medal, which is bestowed by the bishop upon teen-agers nominated by their pastors for putting their faith into action.

Bishop Edgar da Cunha, S.D.V., began his homily by quoting the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” In it, the narrator is setting the scene for the story of the Old Testament patriarch, Joseph, who was rejected by his brothers, in part because of his dreams. The narrator says, “Some folks dream of the wonders they’ll do, before their time on this planet is through. But all that I say can be told another way, in the story of a boy [ Joseph] whose dream came true, and it could be you.”

The bishop then asked the recipients to think about what “dreams and hopes you have for yourself ? For the Church? For the world?” He then reminded them, “You are here not because you are very smart and have good grades, but because you have put into practice the gifts you received. When you were born, God gave you many natural gifts. When you were baptized, He gave you the gifts of faith.”

Bishop da Cunha referred to a study which found that the Amish (the “Pennsylvania Dutch”) are the happiest people in the country and he noted that they are known for three things: “cooperation,” “sacrifice,” and “self-denial.” The bishop asked everyone to remember that recipe, as well as “five simple rules for happiness,” which come from an unknown author. They are: “1. Free your heart from hatred; 2. Free your mind from worries; 3. Live simply; 4. Give more; 5. Expect less.” The bishop connected these to St. Paul’s admonition that we run the race of life “so as to win” (1 Cor 9) and Jesus’ invitation that we “remain in [His] love” ( Jn 15:9).

Sydney Morin, a parishioner of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in New Bedford, said, “It is hard in this day and age to be a leader in the Catholic faith. Many people in the secular world do not want us to talk about what we believe in and will not listen. As teen-agers we have to make time for Christ and not let others pull us away from serving Him.” Martin spoke highly of various prayer experiences and said that “as a result of the retreats I attended, I got more involved in it and I also went on the Pro-Life March in Washington D.C. I was amazed at the large number of people who attended the march. If more people stand up for what we believe in we could make a huge difference in this world. That’s why I do what I do. When I believe strongly in something I stand up for it and I believe strongly in my faith. I know that I’m not going to be making a difference if I never attend Mass, volunteer to be on team for retreats, or help those second-graders [that she teaches in the Faith Formation program]. If people see me treating others with kindness and helping others in Jesus’ name then they might want to do the same. If I do the opposite though, I’m not going to be making a difference or bringing people to

God.” Martin spoke out for being a cheerful volunteer: “If we look like we do not want to be somewhere, people will notice. But if we have passion for what we do, people will also notice that. Our love for Christ will show in what we do and say.”

The other youth speaker, Nolan Kearney from St. Bernadette’s Parish in Fall River, admitted that he had not always been a willing helper: “Like Simon of Cyrene, I was often pressed into service whether I liked it or not (when your mom works in Religious Ed, there is no escape). It was a given that Mass trumped all activities and any time an extra hand was needed, mine was quickly offered, sometimes before I even knew about it.”

Like Martin, Kearney also spoke about how growing in prayer helped change him inside and out. “I realized it was now up to me to own my faith and get to work on becoming the saint we are all called to be. Last summer, I spent a week at the Quo Vadis camp [the program for teens considering a priestly vocation] and came home with a clearer vision of God’s plan for me and, more importantly, the will to carry it out. These combined experiences have brought me closer to Jesus and set me solidly on the right path. I went from being a do-er, volunteering for numerous activities and putting in my community service hours at school, to being someone who works to live my Catholic faith daily even when it is difficult and means sacrifice.”

Martin urged her fellow honorees, “Every single one of you receiving this award has shown Christ’s love to others with passion. Never stop doing so. Continue to spread the Good News of Christ to everyone around you. We have to take this responsibility and show God’s love to others.”

Kearney quoted St. John Paul II, who said, “It is Jesus Who stirs in you. The refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”

Echoing the bishop and Martin (although they prepared their talks separately), Kearney said that the honorees had “opened ourselves to the call of Jesus and are making the Fall River Diocese a more human and more fraternal place.”

Kearney called on his fellow “Catholic role models” to “transform the world, refus[ing] to allow ourselves to be ground down by secular mediocrity, and stand firm with the Church on our Catholic ideals and teachings, even though modern society attempts to undermine and usurp its deep truth.”

Kearney made reference to St. Pius X, in whose name the teens were being honored, and mentioned the modernist movement that pope fought: “Our generation faces the very same problems of a culture that continues to try to make us waver in our beliefs. Current issues of our times: abortion, gay marriage, consumerism, and ongoing efforts to secularize our government and society, force us to stand more firmly on our beliefs, instead of tolerating and appeasing, as popular culture hopes we will.”

The young people have offered us a challenge, together with Bishop da Cunha’s advice. Like them, let us take this all to prayer and then do God’s Will.

Pope Francis’ Regina Caeli message of May 10 Dear brothers and sisters, good day!

Today’s Gospel — John, chapter 15 — brings us back to the upper room, where we hear the new Commandment of Jesus. And He said: “This is My Commandment: love one another as I have loved you” (v. 12).

And, thinking about the now imminent sacrifice of the cross, adds: “There is no greater love than to give one’s life for one’s friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you” (vv.1314).

These words, spoken at the Last Supper, sum up the whole OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

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message of Jesus; indeed, it summarized everything He had done: Jesus gave His life for His friends; friends who had not understood Him and that at the crucial moment had abandoned, betrayed and denied Him. This tells us that He loves us while we’re not deserving of His love: Jesus loves us so much!

Thus, Jesus shows us the way to follow, the path of love. His Commandment is not a simple precept, which always remains as something abstract or foreign to life. The Commandment of Christ is new, because He first has done it, has given it flesh, and so the law of love is written once and for all in the heart of man (cfr. Jer 31:33). And it is how written? It is written with the fire of the Holy Spirit. And with this same Spirit that Jesus gives us, we can also walk down this road!

It is a concrete path, a path that

leads us out of ourselves to go towards others. Jesus has shown us that the love of God through love of neighbor. Both go together.

The pages of the Gospel are filled with this love, adults and children, educated and ignorant, rich and poor, righteous and sinners have been welcomed to the heart of Christ.

Therefore, this Word of God calls us to love one another, even if we do not always understand each other or are not always in agreement. But that is where Christian love is. A love that is also evident if there are differences of opinion or character, but love is bigger than these differences! This is the love that Jesus has taught us. It is a new love because it has been renewed by Jesus and His Spirit. It is a love redeemed, freed from selfishness.

A love that gives joy to our hearts, as Jesus says: “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and

your joy may be complete” (v.11).

It is precisely the love of Christ, the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts, which makes everyday miracles in the Church and in the world. There are many small and large gestures that obey the Lord’s Commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (cf. Jn 15:12).

Small gestures of everyday gestures of closeness to an old man, a child, a sick person, a single person with problems, the homeless, the unemployed, the immigrant, the refugee. Thanks to the power of this Word of Christ each of us may be near the brother and sister we encounter. Gestures of closeness, proximity. In these gestures the love that Christ has taught us is manifested.

In this may our Blessed Mother help us, so that in the daily life of each of us the love of God and love of neighbor are always united.

May 15, 2015

T

he month of May, which is traditionally dedicated to Mary, is a fitting time to look at Marian practices in a plan of life designed to help us unite our entire day and life to God. Last week we examined the greatest of all Marian devotions, the Rosary. We’ve already looked at the Angelus and the Regina Caeli. Today we can turn to one of the simplest, popularized anew

by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

The prayer is known by its first word in Latin —“Memorare” for “Remember” — and helps us to focus with great filial trust on Mary’s loving intercession: “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,” we pray, “that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me!”

The prayer goes back, in a much more extended form, to at least the early 1500s. Later that century, St. Francis de Sales tells us that he repeatedly prayed a simplified and truncated form of it during a severe Spiritual crisis in his youth.

It was a prison chaplain, Father Claude Bernard, who universalized it in the early 1600s. He had been near death as a young man and, having been taught this prayer by his father, recited it and was healed. Eventually he grasped that in gratitude and charity he should teach it

Visit the Diocese of Fall River website at fallriverdiocese.org The site includes links to parishes, diocesan offices and national sites.

Anchor Columnist The Memorare to, and pray it for, the crimisolidarity and I anticipate nals he was serving on death on some days I’ve been the row. He began to see drarecipient of all of that Marmatic conversions and so he ian recourse. Out of that began to share it with other tradition, I’ve begun to pray a prisoners as well. Eventually Memorare as well for my famhe printed an astonishing ily member or friend most in 200,000 copies of it in varineed that day as well as for ous languages and started to the parishioner Mary knows distribute it. It quickly spread is most in distress. around the world and became so popular that Blessed Pope Putting Into Pius IX attached a special indulgence to the Deep it and included it in a Vatican-approved colBy Father lection of prayers (the Roger J. Landry Raccolta) in 1846.

The Memorare is my preferred prayer whenever a need comes up Blessed Mother Teresa for which people ask me to used to pray the Memorare pray with urgency. When I constantly. She also turned to get the news, for example, it in what she termed an “Exthat someone has just been in press Novena,” something she a car accident, or is about to taught to her Missionaries of go in for emergency surgery, Charity and they conveyed to or can’t be found, or is about me. Whenever a huge need to die, it’s the prayer to which came up, like a child dying, or I turn. I recite it immediately a Sister needing a visa immewhenever anyone asks me to diately, or a cease fire having pray with them or for a loved to be declared in a war zone one in need. I pray it whenin which she was caring for ever I have a pastoral need the wounded, instead of nine that cannot be solved with days of prayer — the tradihuman means. I have also tional Novena, which would prayed it on those thankfully take too long — she would infrequent occasions when devoutly pray 10 consecutive I’ve been pulled over for driv- Memorares on the spot, the ing too fast, asking Mary to first nine for the Novena, and fill the state trooper’s heart the 10th confidently to thank with mercy. And she’s never Our Lady for having successleft me unaided! fully interceded for the favor In one association of to be received. priests to which I belong, we I’ve been with the Mishave the tradition of praysionaries of Charity as they’ve ing an extra Memorare each prayed such Express Novenas day for the member most in successfully for torrential need that day of prayers. I’ve downpours to cease so that always loved that Spiritual kids could come to a summer

program, for donors to arrive with food when more poor people than expected showed up hungry, and for permission to be granted when unheard of exceptions were being requested.

Many others have been turning to the Memorare in preserving prayer for big intentions.

The leader of Relevant Radio, Father Rocky Hoffman has started a Memorare Meter at the network for the end to abortion in America. As of the beginning of this week, listeners had prayed 2.71 million Memorares.

Likewise President Steve Minnis of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. has started a Memorare Army, in which the students, faculty, alumni and others commit themselves to pray together in union when important needs arise. Right now, for example, the army has 3,000 members of the Church militant who have committed to praying 1,000 Memorares each for religious freedom in our country. That’s three million Memorares. Many more Spiritual soldiers are being enlisted.

Kansas City Archbishop

7 Joseph Naumann wrote a column that back in 2010, when he was heading to Benedictine College to bless its new Marian Grotto, the forecast was for uninterrupted downpours. As he was driving through pounding rain to the campus, the Archbishop called President Minnis to ask to get the Memorare Army praying for good weather. The president rallied the troops — and there was sunshine for the dedication. An air traffic controller afterward said that the severe storm had steadily progressed across Kansas, only to stall inexplicably outside of Atchison for five hours.

Memorares work.

A typical plan of life normally features at least one Memorare a day, but as inevitable needs arise more can be prayed. As we run in recourse to Mary, like children to their loving mother, we do so with the trust that she never ceases to hear and answer us, taking our petition with a strong maternal recommendation to the Word Incarnate. Such filial confidence is part of any Catholic’s plan of life.

Anchor columnist Father Landry can be contacted at fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.

8

W

hat are the qualifications to be an Apostle? In our first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c26), St. Peter decides to select someone to replace Judas among the Apostles. To have accompanied the Apostles during Jesus’ ministry from the time of His Baptism by John to His Resurrection: this is the one criterion that Peter mentions in determining who would take the place of Judas among the 12. This number was significant because with the Church there would arise a new Israel — with its 12 tribes — a new people of God founded on the New Covenant for which Jesus offered His Body and poured out His Blood. The Twelve Apostles were to be the foundation of this new reality that we now know

May 15, 2015

What makes an Apostle?

as the Catholic Church.

Father that we find in The lot fell to Matthias, the Gospels of Matthew who was then numbered and Luke. In any case, among the 12.

Jesus wants His disciples It is also mentioned in to be united especially in this passage that in this their love for one another upper room there were some 120 persons including Homily of the Week the Blessed Virgin Seventh Sunday Mary. Apparently, of Lent completing the apostolic college was

By Deacon an important matPhilip E. Bedard ter because, immediately following that, there occurred the (see Jn 13:35). Just as the events of Pentecost and Father and Son are united the arrival of the Holy by a love that is the Holy Spirit!

Spirit, so too must we, In the Gospel passage, as followers of Jesus, be ( Jn 17:11b-19), we disunited by that same love. cover other qualities that This is not an easy task make a good Apostle. In and so Jesus wants us to His “Priestly Prayer,” Jekeep working at it and sus prays for His disciples that is why He also prays to His Father. Basically, that we persevere through He prays for four things: difficult moments of life. unity, perseverance, joy Then He prays that and holiness. This prayer the disciples attain joy. is very much like the Our “That they may share My

joy completely”(v. 13).

This is not the joy that the world gives but one that is based on our uniting ourselves with Jesus in His sufferings and death. That was the moment of Jesus’ glory when He was lifted up on the cross and when He lifted all persons to Himself (see Jn 12:32). If we take the time to offer our pains and sorrows our difficulties and heartaches to the Lord we can experience this greatest of joy. So it was that so many of the early Christian martyrs would sing joyful hymns on their way to execution because they were imitating Christ in His death on the cross.

The holiness that Jesus prayed for is not a sterile kind of pietistic attitude.

It is one that is found

again in an expression of love but one that is purified of the taint of sin, of egoism, and smugness.

We have trials in this life and we have temptations, Jesus prays that we will not fall prey to the evil one despite these difficulties in life.

The ultimate goal of this prayer is reflected in the First Letter of John, a small selection of which is our second reading (1 Jn 4:11-16). “God is love and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16).

Finally, as Jesus prayed for His disciples, let us also pray for one another that we all may be one in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Deacon Bedard is a chaplain at Morton Hospital and assigned to St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Taunton.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. May 16, Acts 18:23-28; Ps 47:2-3,8-10; Jn 16:23b-28. Sun. May 17, Seventh Sunday of Easter, Acts 1:15-17,20a,20c-26; Ps 103:1-2,11-12,19-20; 1 Jn 4:11-16; Jn 17:11b-19. Mon. May 18, Acts 19:1-8; Ps 68:2-5d,6-7b; Jn 16:29-33. Tues. May 19, Acts 20:17-27; Ps 68:1011,20-21; Jn 17:1-11a. Wed. May 20, Acts 20:28-38; Ps 68:29-30,33-36b; Jn 17:11b-19. Thurs. May 21, Acts 22:30,23:6-11; Ps 16:1-2a,5,7-11; Jn 17:20-26.

Fri. May 22, Acts 25:13b-21; Ps 103:1-2,11-12,19-20b; Jn 21:15-19.

E

xcept for publications like the beloved Anchor, readers can no longer find much good news on the pages or e-screens. And that includes the sports pages — a place where, as a lad, I would escape into a fantasy world filled with heroes and feats of incredible athleticism.

I would be a regular at my pépère’s house, where after he and my uncle finished the Boston Record-American sports pages, I would get my fix of scores, stats, and features of my favorite and not-so-favorite players.

There were no stories of contract disputes, no reports of spousal abuse, and no murder accusations. It was just sports, plain and simple.

Back then I was naive and innocent, and also, the press didn’t regularly dig up the dirt on a player’s life while not on the field, outside the arena, away from the court, and removed from the ice.

The only cheating I heard about was the occasional “spit-

I don’t want to play anymore indicating fair or foul. ball” or corked bat in baseball; In hoops it was whether a and the over-curved ice hockey ticky-tacky “foul” was indeed a stick or the holes cut into the foul or not. palms of hockey gloves so In street hockey we didn’t players could hold an opponent care how exaggerated a stick without being detected. I can’t recall anything really egregious was curved. The only offense happening in basketball or football.

During my innocent days, my friends and I would play every sport we could. And while I didn’t hang

By Dave Jolivet around with a bunch of angels, nor was I one myself, cheating wasn’t on our list of was a whack on the fingers things to do to each other. leaving one with purple digits The biggest controversies for days, but not enough to that arose in our all-day stick prevent us from hitting the ball games were whether the pavement the next day.

Pensy Pinky had chalk on it In our tackle football games from the last pitch thrown, at South (Kennedy) Park in meaning it was a strike, or Fall River, there wasn’t much did the pitcher inadvertently of anything to argue about, “forget” to rub the ball before except maybe whether somefiring it to the chalk-ladened strike zone on the school wall; one was out of bounds or not, but that was tough to enforce or did the ball fly into the since the playing field dimenneighbor’s yard to the left or sions were pretty much the size right of the clothes-line pole

My View From the Stands

of the park.

And in ice hockey, the major dispute was who was going to retrieve the puck after it was shot wide of the net and skidded a mile down-pond.

We had no instant replay; no suspensions; no appeals; no fines. Just fun, and an occasional brief physical difference of opinion, which was quickly dispelled after a wellplaced sock in the eye. After that, it was friends as usual.

Any sports fan knows what came down this week. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for four games, the team was fined $1 million and lost a draft pick in each of the next two drafts — for the crime of allegedly or “probably” deflating footballs to gain an unfair advantage against their opponents.

I would love to believe that TB12 didn’t do it. I would love to believe that the team knew

nothing about it. I would love to believe that the Patriots never illegally filmed other teams’ practices. I would love to believe that athletes didn’t take steroids. I would love to believe that players don’t beat their wives or girlfriends.

I would love to believe that players don’t get involved in murderous deeds.

I would love to go back to my pépère’s house, pick up the Boston Record-American and read nothing but sports.

That just ain’t going to happen anymore.

I would love to relive those innocent days of stick ball, backyard hoops, park football, and street and pond hockey. But my body tells me “that ain’t going to happen either!”

I’m tired of all the sports garbage. It was once a place where people could escape the lunacy of real life, but no longer. And that’s pretty deflating.

I’m tired of it all. I don’t want play anymore. davejolivet@anchornews.org.

May 15, 2015

Thursday 14 May 2015 — Homeport: Falmouth HarborAscension Day t this time of year, dear readers, clergy of all denominations find themselves constantly called upon to “say a few words” at banquets, award presentations, and year-end gatherings of every sort. Usually this includes some oratorical device to first get people’s attention (after you check that the microphone is working). It can take many years to collect appropriate comments for such occasions. What’s a young priest to do? My young associate, Father Peter John, alerted me to this troubling situation. In the service of priests and deacons everywhere, I have gathered this collection of hilarious all-occasion jokes priests can tell (and anyone else who dares to take the risk).

— One Saturday afternoon, the old pastor tripped and fell down the steps. He was rushed to the hospital.

Shortly thereafter, at Mass, the curate announced, “My dear people, you may have noticed the ambulance at the rectory. Unfortunately, our pastor fell and whacked his head. Not to worry, though.

A

“M

atrimony is an older word for Marriage — but it remains quite recognizable today.

Merriam-Webster [still] defines it as “the joining together of a man and woman as husband and wife.” Looking into the history of the word, we learn that it originated in Middle-English in the 14th century, and the Latin root is matrimonium, from matr-, mater, meaning “mother.” Fancy that — Marriage was ordered towards children.

Accordingly, Marriage is supposed to provide a stable environment where children can thrive, and that begins with the promises that the mother and father make to each other. Such stability greatly diminishes the normal anxieties of every life, caused by a combination of growing, changing, learning, and losing. Having reliable points of reference in a shifting world is critical to

Anchor Columnists Jokes priests can tell: A definitive anthology The emergency room doctor woman — and her name is Mary.’” So the next Sunday, X-rayed the pastor’s brain the curate went to the pulpit and found nothing at all.” and announced, “My dear — One day, an old monpeople, the pastor informs signor was driving carefully me that he is in love with down the road when he was pulled over by a state trooper. “Father,” said the troopThe Ship’s Log er, “you’re driving Reflections of a too slowly. You’re Parish Priest creating a traffic hazard.” “Nonsense,

By Father Tim young man,” said the Goldrick monsignor. “I obey all traffic laws scrupulously. Look, right a beautiful woman — but there. The sign clearly says for the life of me I just can’t the speed limit is 24 miles per hour.” “Ah, Father, that’s remember her name at the moment.” not the speed limit. That’s — The pope was on the route number.” “Oh,” ana whirlwind visit to the swered the monsignor, “that explains why I got such dirty United States. He was on his way to the United Nations looks on Route 195.” but his driver was unfamil— A young curate was iar with the streets of New having difficulty keeping people’s attention during his York. Frustrated, the pope said to the driver, “We’ll homily. He asked the pasnever get there at this rate. tor for advice. “Begin your Look, let me drive. You get sermon with a statement in the back seat. So the two that will get people’s attention and take it from there,” exchange places and the suggested the pastor. “What pope drove like a bat out of Heaven through the city. kind of statement?” asked Well, don’t you know, the the rookie priest. “Well, if I limousine got pulled over was going to preach on the for speeding. The officer was Blessed Mother, I might confused by the situation begin with ‘My dear people, I am in love with a beautiful and radioed his commanding

officer for instructions. “I’ve pulled over some bigwig in a limousine. What to do?”

“Well,” asked the lieutenant, “who is this VIP?” “Don’t know,” came the answer, “but he must be very important. The pope himself is his chauffeur.”

— Did you hear the one about the $100 bill and the $1 bill? One night, they found themselves next to each other in a bank vault. The $1 bill asked the $100 bill, “So, what have you been up to?”

The $100 bill answered “My life has been fabulous — casinos, luxury cruises, five star hotels, Broadway shows.

And what about you?” The $1 bill answered, “It’s always the same – church, church, church.”

— A priest, a minster, and a rabbi met for lunch. In the course of the conversation, they discovered that they all had problems with bats in their respective houses of worship. They decided they were going to have a prayer contest to see who could drive out the bats. One week later, they again met for lunch. “I recited an ancient Hebrew prayer to drive out

Marriage and motherhood

them — perhaps a few steps a child’s well-being. further along in the journey Another element that — but struggling just like children count on is honthey are to avoid temptation esty — and knowing forthand to choose the good. rightly how they fit into the Marriage is designed to world and who is a part of their family. Certainly, every family is a kaleidoscope of personalities with a wide variety of pursuits, but a child finds great comfort in knowing who

By Genevieve Kineke he is in relation to those around him.

He also needs to make mothers of women — know his Spiritual heritage Spiritual and physical. If the — Who God is and what latter is impossible, the former God asks of him. Unfortunately, we often neglect such certainly is not. It’s essential.

St. Augustine reminds us that truths, and being distracted by worldly pursuits we forget Mary conceived Jesus by faith before she conceived Him in what really satisfies. the Flesh — thus He was in If we were honest with her heart before He was in our children, we would her womb. By the same token, give them the stability of women of faith can embrace God, and the truth about many Spiritual children how they are to respond to — those who would benHis grace. We would admit efit greatly by their maternal that we are pilgrims beside

The Feminine Genius

solicitude, beginning quietly with prayer.

What does a woman do with her Spiritual motherhood? She offers stability and honesty. In her pilgrimage to God, she is called to be a rock of refuge for others — a solid source of comfort, attuned to the anxiety and suffering of those around her.

She doesn’t need to know the particulars, but if others do entrust her with the details, she will know that the first crisis described to her often isn’t the real problem. It’s usually a symptom of something else, something deeper.

Grounded in honesty, using tact, discretion, and patience, a woman who follows God’s lead can mother a soul to the truth — whatever truth is lacking as the cause of the crisis. Peace is the tranquility of order, and

9 bats. It didn’t work,” reported the rabbi. The minister said, “Well, I gave a long and dramatic prayer to exorcise the bats. That didn’t work either.” “I got rid of my bats,” the priest announced smugly. “How did you do that?” asked the other two clergymen in astonishment.

“Simple,” said the priest. “I just confirmed them. Now I’ll never see them in church again.”

— Stop me if you know this one. The bishop heard that one of his priests had taken up skydiving and called him on the carpet.

“Father, have you any idea how dangerous skydiving is?

Why would you ever take up skydiving?” “Well, bishop,” answered the priest. “I feel so close to Heaven up there.”

“Father, you may feel close to Heaven,” retorted the bishop, “but you’re definitely headed in the wrong direction!”

As my housemate Father Frank Wallace (FXW ) always says, “I wonder how anyone can get by in the priesthood these days without a sense of humor.”

All joking aside, he should know. He’s in his 94th year.

Anchor columnist Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth.

truth breeds its own calm. A Spiritual mother knows this.

Finally, she will be a bridge to the Father, because every child needs a father. Women who have been healed — often walking through the flames of their own purification — know that fatherhood is essential to the well-being of children.

Many fine men work diligently, collaborating to build those secure homes founded on honesty, but unfortunately, some have lost the thread.

Some neglect the fact that they stand as icons of God, but it’s never too late. “I will restore the years the locusts have eaten,” God promised ( Jl 2:25). For those who missed out, please God let them find a Spiritual mother with an open heart — and a father ready to help.

Anchor columnist Mrs. Kineke is the author of “ The Authentic Catholic Woman.”

She blogs at feminine-genius. typepad.com.

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May 15, 2015

2015 St. Pius X Youth Award Winners

Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., is pictured with some of the 61 young people from the Diocese of Fall River who were recently honored for their service to their parishes and the diocese with the St. Pius X Youth Award at a ceremony at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River. (Photo by John E. Kearns Jr.)

FALL RIVER — Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., presented the Pope St. Pius X Youth Award to 61 young persons from parishes throughout the Fall River Diocese in the context of a prayer service May 5 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River.

The annual award, named for the pontiff who created the Fall River Diocese in 1904 and presented for the first time in 2001, recognizes teens who serve their parish community with selflessness, commitment and dedication.

The recipients were: Attleboro Deanery Nathan J. Ledoux, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Seekonk; Sean J. Legg, Sacred Heart Parish, North Attleboro; Brandon J. McKearney, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Attleboro; Brianna M. Shea, St. Mary Parish, Mansfield; Adrian Sokolowski, St. Mary Parish, Norton; Teagan F. Sweet, St. Mark Parish, Attleboro Falls; Skye M. Welter, St. Mary Parish, North Attleboro; and Eric F. Wuesthoff, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Attleboro.

Cape Cod Deanery Kevin Agostinelli, Christ the King Parish, Mashpee; Rachel Boissoneault, Our Lady of Victory Parish, Centerville; Anthony Camerlingo, St. Pius X Parish, South Yarmouth; Samantha Carlowicz, St. Margaret Parish, Buzzards Bay; Anthony Catanzaro, Our Lady of the Cape Parish, Brewster; Nicole M. Collucci, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Hyannis;

Helena Connell, St. Anthony Parish, East Falmouth; Natalie Cuccia, St. Joan of Arc Parish, Orleans; Carly L. Donovan, Holy Redeemer Parish, Chatham; Nora J. Harrington, St. Mary-Our Lady of the Isle Parish, Nantucket; Shauna K. Joseph, Corpus Christi Parish, East Sandwich; Eilir Milsted, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Pocasset; Morgan Oats, St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, North Falmouth; and Genny Paige, Holy Trinity Parish, West Harwich.

Fall River Deanery Michael Allahua, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Swansea; Katelyn M. Banalewicz, St. Stanislaus Parish, Fall River; Taylor N. Botelho, Santo Christo Parish, Fall River; Danny M. Couto, St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Fall River; Matthew Diniz, Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Fall River; Silas C. Duquette, St. John the Baptist Parish, Westport; Tiffani L. Ferguson, St. Bernard Parish, Assonet; Drew R. Gagnon, St. Louis de France Parish, Swansea; Eric P. Ganczarski, Holy Trinity Parish, Fall River; Allison E. Jacome, St. Dominic Parish, Swansea; Nolan Kearney, St. Bernadette Parish, Fall River; Nathan Martins, St. Michael Parish, Fall River; Zachary Mello, St. Joseph Parish, Fall River; Jeffrey Pires, St. Anne Parish, Fall River; Caleb J. Raposo, St. George Parish, Westport; Brianna K. Rosario, Good Shepherd Parish, Fall River; and Darius Souza, Holy

Name Parish, Fall River.

New Bedford Deanery Austin Borges, St. Joseph Parish, Fairhaven; Joshua Correia, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Acushnet; Taylor Crisostomo, St. Mary Parish, South Dartmouth; Grant Crowell, St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, New Bedford; Courtney E. Dupuis, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, New Bedford; Stephanie E. Garcia, St. Julie Billiart Parish, North Dartmouth; Zachary Garde, St. Mary Parish, Fairhaven; Melissa J. Giannelli, St. Patrick Parish, Wareham; Luke D. Gioiosa, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, New Bedford; Sophie Hryzan, St. John Neumann Parish, East Freetown; Victor Maldonado, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, New Bedford; Sydney K. Morin, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, New Bedford; Megan E. Pereira, Immaculate Conception Parish, New Bedford; and Stacy Teixeira, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, New Bedford.

Taunton Deanery Stephanie R. Berry, Immaculate Conception Parish, North Easton; Joseph K. deMello, St. Anthony Parish, Taunton; Megan Freitas, St. Nicholas of Myra Parish, North Dighton; Alexis Hamel, Holy Cross Parish, South Easton; Alice S. Lynch, Holy Family Parish, East Taunton; Casandra Oldfield, St. Ann Parish, Raynham; Robert J. Scaramuccia, St. Mary Parish, Taunton; and Gabrielle R. Sousa, Annunciation of the Lord Parish, Taunton.

Two recipients of the 2015 St. Pius X Youth Awards shared reflections on what the award meant to them and other thoughts during the ceremony at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River. They were, top photo, Sydney K. Morin from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in New Bedford; and bottom photo, Nolan Kearney from St. Bernadette’s Parish in Fall River. (John E. Kearns Jr. photos)

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May 15, 2015

Vatican unveils logo, prayer, details of Holy Year of Mercy VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Holy Year of Mercy will be an opportunity to encourage Christians to meet people’s “real needs” with concrete assistance, to experience a “true pilgrimage” on foot, and to send “missionaries of mercy” throughout the world to forgive even the most serious of sins, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

The yearlong extraordinary jubilee also will include several individual jubilee days, such as for the Roman Curia, catechists, teen-agers and prisoners, said the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, the office organizing events for the Holy Year of Mercy.

During a recent news conference at the Vatican, Archbishop Fisichella unveiled the official prayer, logo, calendar of events and other details of the special Holy Year, which will be celebrated from Dec. 8, 2015, until Nov. 20, 2016.

The motto, “Merciful Like the Father,” he said, “serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father Who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure.”

Pope Francis announced in March his intention to proclaim a holy year as a way for the Church to “make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy.”

One way the pope wants to show “the Church’s maternal solicitude” is to send out “missionaries of mercy” — that is, specially selected priests who have been granted “the authority to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See,” the pope wrote in “Misericordiae Vultus,” (“The Face of Mercy”), the document officially proclaiming the Holy Year.

Archbishop Fisichella said the priests will be chosen on the basis of their ability to preach well, especially on the theme of mercy, and be “good confessors,” meaning they are able to express God’s love and do not make the confessional, as Pope Francis says, like “a torture chamber.”

The priests will also have to “be patient” and have “an understanding of human fragility,” the archbishop said.

Bishops can recommend to the council priests from their own dioceses to serve as missionaries of mercy, he said, and priests themselves can submit their request to serve, he said.

When a priest volunteers, however, the council will confer with his bishop to make sure he would be “suitable for this ministry” and has the bishop’s approval to

serve temporarily as a missionary of mercy, he said.

The archbishop emphasized the importance of living the Holy Year as “a true pilgrimage” with the proper elements of prayer and sacrifice.

“We will ask pilgrims to make a journey on foot, preparing themselves to pass through the Holy Door in a Spirit of faith and devotion,” he said.

More than a dozen individual jubilee celebrations will be scheduled in 2016, such as a jubilee for consecrated men and women February 2 to close the Year of Consecrated Life; a jubilee for the Roman Curia February 22; a jubilee for those devoted to the Spirituality of Divine Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday April 3; and separate jubilees for teen-agers; for deacons; priests; the sick and dis-

abled; and catechists.

A jubilee for “workers and volunteers of mercy” will be celebrated on Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata’s feast day September 5 and a jubilee for prisoners will be celebrated November 6.

Archbishop Fisichella said the pope wants the jubilee for inmates to be celebrated not only in prisons, but also with him in St. Peter’s Basilica. He said the council is discussing the possibility with government authorities and is not yet sure if it can be done.

The Vatican is asking bishops and priests around the world to conduct “similar symbolic gestures of communion with Pope Francis” and his vision of reaching out to those on the margins.

“As a concrete sign of the pope’s charitable love,” he said, “effective measures will be taken to meet real needs in the world that will express mercy through tangible assistance.”

At the news conference, the council distributed copies in several languages of the Holy Year prayer and logo, which features Jesus — the Good Shepherd — taking “upon His shoulders the lost soul, demonstrating that it is the love of Christ that brings to completion the mystery of His Incarnation culminating in redemption,” the archbishop said.

The image, created by Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik, also shows one of Jesus’ eyes merged with the man’s to show how “Christ sees with the eyes of Adam, and Adam with the eyes of Christ.”

The council has joined with the United Bible Societies to distribute to pilgrims one million free copies of the Gospel of Mark; the texts will be available in seven languages.

The Jubilee of Mercy has an official website in seven languages at www.im.va; a Twitter handle @Jubilee_va; a Facebook page; and accounts on Instagram, Flickr and Google+.

The official prayer in English is at: http://www.im.va/ content/gdm/en/preghiera.html.

The prayer in Spanish is at: http://www.im.va/content/ gdm/es/preghiera.html.

To advertise in The Anchor, contact Wayne Powers at 508-675-7151 or Email waynepowers@ anchornews.org

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May 15, 2015

‘Little Boy’ filmmaker to audiences: Don’t let critics tell you what to think Hollywood, Calif.

(CNA) — Following a string of negative reviews for his latest film, “Little Boy,” awardwinning director and screenwriter Alejandro Monteverde said audiences should see the movie and draw their own conclusions about the film.

While the movie has won the overwhelming approval of audiences, it has drawn criticism from reviewers. “‘Little Boy’ is a victim of labeling. It was labeled as a faith-based film and it is not a faith-based film. It is a film for everybody,” Monteverde recently told CNA. While his award-winning 2006 film, “Bella,” went largely unnoticed by the mainstream media, “Little Boy” gained the attention — and contempt — of some film critics, who described it as a “Sunday-school lesson” that would appeal only to “faithbased” audiences.

“Of course, of anything, when somebody says something offensive, in the beginning it hurts,” Monteverde admitted, “Then you have to ask, ‘where is this coming from?’”

For the director, the special hatred that many reviewers seem to have for his latest work comes from it being labeled a “faith-based Christian film.” This mischaracterization influenced critics before they even saw the film and that showed up in the “offensive” way they reviewed the movie, he said.

“The way the movie was presented to the critics might have influenced them in the wrong way and they came with everything in a very vicious attack.”

On the popular movie review site, Rotten Tomatoes, “Little Boy” received an average score of 89 percent from audiences, 17 percent from industry film critics, and 10 percent from “top critics.”

“I think we broke the record,” Monteverde said of the rating discrepancy, “it’s the first time there was such a large gap; we’re talking al-

most 80 points.”

Of course, critics should be able to voice their opinions “if they really understand what an artist goes through to make a movie or to make a painting,” he said, but in this case it seems that they are simply telling people what to think.

“It’s just very dangerous when one person tells everybody, ‘You will feel this way,’” he said.

Audiences should see the film before making up their minds about it, otherwise they are letting those in positions of power dictate their opinions, he continued.

“We need to allow people to read their own hearts, (and for) critics to say, ‘No, this is my point of view, you should see it and see if you agree with me,’” he said.

Monteverde invited audiences to see the film and form their own opinion.

“I would even dare to say that if they don’t like it, to call me and I will actually personally pay their ticket back,” he said. “I have screened the movie to thousands and thousands of people and it’s a movie for the audience.”

The film follows the Spiritual journey of the town runt, Pepper Busbee / Little Boy ( Jakob Salvati), while his dad — and only friend (Michael Rapaport) — is fighting in the Pacific during WWII. After seeing his favorite magician Ben Eagle (Ben Chaplin) perform, Pepper is led to believe that he has magical powers that can do anything if he just believes strongly enough.

After he and his brother, London (David Henrie), are caught terrorizing the town outcast, Mr. Hashimoto (Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa), for being Japanese, his mother (Emily Watson) sends him to the parish priest, Father Oliver (Tom Wilkinson), who redirects his enthusiasm for magic to growing his faith in God by serving others and befriending Mr. Hashimoto.

“Little Boy” is now in select theaters nationwide.

Carey Mulligan and Tom Sturridge star in a scene from the movie “’Far From the Madding Crowd.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Fox Searchlight)

CNS Movie Capsules NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“The D Train” (IFC) Presumably intended as a droll comedy about the pursuit of fame and the vagaries of sexual experimentation, writers and co-directors Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul’s film amounts instead to a consistently cynical, intermittently depraved exercise in strained humor. They use the occasion of a high school reunion to draw a hackneyed contrast between the seemingly dull lot of one

of their main characters ( Jack Black), the event’s organizer, and the indulgent lifestyle of the other ( James Marsden), an actor whose quasi-celebrity makes him the evening’s main draw. Among those suffering the consequences of the amoral performer’s influence over his former classmate are the Everyman’s supportive wife (Kathryn Hahn) and 14-yearold son (Russell Posner).

Strong sexual content — including a semigraphic scene of marital lovemaking, off screen homosexual adultery, fleeting rear nudity and explicit references to aberrant acts — drug use, pervasive rough language.

The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

“Ex Machina” (Universal) Crass misogyny overwhelms any thoughtful considerations on the rapid development of artificial intelligence that this

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, May 17, 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father David C. Frederici, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pocasset and diocesan director of Campus Ministry and chaplain at UMass Dartmouth and Bristol Community College.

sometimes witty tale of a mad scientist (Oscar Isaac), his assistant (Domhnall Gleeson) and his buxom, skimpily clad creation (Alicia Vikander) might have to offer. Writerdirector Alex Garland apparently presumes that a big naked finale doesn’t count as gratuitous if all the women on display are robots. Strong sexual content, including numerous images of full nudity, some knife violence, a few uses of profanity, much rough language. The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

“Far from the Madding Crowd” (Fox) Thomas Hardy’s 1874 novel about romantic entanglements in the English countryside returns to the big screen in this fourth film adaptation, directed by Thomas Vinterberg.

After unexpectedly inheriting a farm and a fortune, an independent-minded woman (Carey Mulligan) is determined to achieve success in a world run by men. She’s pursued by three suitors: a kindly shepherd (Matthias Schoenaerts), a lonely bachelor (Michael Sheen), and a caddish army sergeant (Tom Sturridge). A top-rank cast, lush cinematography, and high drama combine into a treat that’s suitable for teens as well as grownups, with a lesson in true love and commitment thrown in for good measure.

Brief violence, some sensuality, a single disturbing image.

The Catholic News Service classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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May 15, 2015

M

What is VSED and why should it matter to us?

ore than 20 years ago, Dr. David Eddy, writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, described how his mother, though not suffering from a terminal illness, chose to end her life through VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking). She was “very independent, very self-sufficient, and very content.” When she began to be afflicted by various ailments, including rectal prolapse, she talked with her physician-son about “how she could end her life gracefully.”

When she asked him, “Can I stop eating?” he told

drink can be packaged as a her that if it was really her noble and well-intentioned intention to end her life, way to avoid intense pain and she could also stop drinking since, “without water, no one, suffering, but VSED ultimately represents a flawed not even the healthiest, can live more than a few days.” After a family bash celebrating Making Sense her 85th birthday, Out of she “relished her last piece of chocolate, Bioethics and then stopped

By Father Tad eating and drinking.”

Pacholczyk She died of dehydration six days later, with her son arrangchoice. It subtly draws us ing for pain medications to into the mistake of treating be administered during her the objective good of our final days and hours. life as if it were an evil to be Choosing not to eat or

The Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Women recently held its annual convention with a Mass celebrated by Spiritual advisor Father Michael Racine at St. Lawrence Martyr Church in New Bedford. A buffet followed at the Wamsutta Club in New Bedford where guest speaker Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., addressed the 75 in attendance, and installed new officers. Virginia Wade, province director, who represents the Fall River, New Hampshire and Maine dioceses, welcomed guests from New Hampshire.

Top photo, from left: Father Thomas E. Costa, pastor of Annunciation of the Lord Parish in Taunton, Father Racine, treasurer Marguerite Ronan, president Mary Mitchell, the bishop, and president-elect Fran Brezinski. Bottom photo, from left: the bishop with newly-installed officers: Laura Cousineau, treasurer; Beth Mahoney, president-elect; Beatrice Pereira, vice president; Fran Brezinski, president; Helen Stager, recording secretary; and Father Racine. (Photos by Maddy Lavoie)

quelled or extinguished. We have a moral duty to preserve and protect our life, and to use ordinary means of doing so. Suicide, even by starvation and dehydration, is still suicide and is never morally acceptable.

For some critically-ill patients, continued attempts to ingest food and liquids may cause significant complications, including severe nausea, vomiting, or complex problems with elimination. Such patients may find themselves effectively incapable of eating or drinking. This is not VSED, but a direct manifestation of their advanced disease state, and does not raise any of the ethical concerns associated with VSED. As disease or severe illness advances, and a patient draws near to death, various bodily systems may begin to fail, and a natural decrease in appetite can occur. This is also different from a voluntary decision to stop eating and drinking — VSED refers specifically to a conscious, elective decision on the part of a patient not to eat or drink when eating and drinking would be anticipated to provide benefit to them without undue burdens.

As people are dying, the real evil that often needs to be quelled or extinguished is pain, and severe pain is properly addressed by nonsuicidal means, that is to say, through effective pain management and palliative care strategies.

Dr. M. Scott Peck in his book “Denial of the Soul,” argues that the “failure to treat pain is medical malpractice [and] one of the worst crimes in medicine today.” We live in an age that possesses a remarkable arsenal of methods and pharmaceuticals to address physical pain, depression and death-related anxiety, leaving little excuse for individuals to fear undergoing agonizing and pain-racked deaths.

Some have sought to suggest that patients who choose VSED may feel less pain because the nervous system becomes dulled and the body may end up releasing chemicals which provide

natural analgesia or pain relief: “What my patients have told me over the last 25 years is that when they stop eating and drinking, there’s nothing unpleasant about it — in fact, it can be quite blissful and euphoric,” said Dr. Perry G. Fine, vice president of medical affairs at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in Arlington, Va. “It’s a very smooth, graceful and elegant way to go.”

Such claims, however, remain highly controversial and strain credulity.

Dehydration and starvation constitute a form of assault against the integrity of the body and the whole organism, and if the body reacts by releasing chemicals, this is a form of “shock” response to an escalating traumatic situation. As noted for Eddy’s mother, pain medications were required to control the significant suffering and discomfort that would otherwise have ensued from her dehydration/starvation.

Even those who promote VSED advocate uniformly for concurrent pain control.

In fact, Helga Kuhse, a wellknown advocate of assisted suicide, once argued that when people see how painful a death by starvation and dehydration really is, then, “in the patient’s best interest,” they will soon come to accept active euthanasia through, for example, a lethal injection. Indeed, VSED is frequently promoted by right to die advocates as one method among others to carry out suicide or euthanasia.

By its nature, VSED appears to be defined by the intent to cause death by forgoing the most basic requirements to conserve human life. Intentionally engaging in such damaging and self-destructive behaviors, by foisting dehydration and starvation onto our mortal frames so as to shutter our earthly existence, can never represent an ordered kind of human choice.

Father Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, and serves as the director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org.

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May 15, 2015

Area conference seeks ‘robust understanding’ of Pope Francis continued from page one

economics and culture. This will be their sixth summer conference, entitled “Like a Shepherd He Will Tend His Flock: Understanding the Francis Papacy.”

It will include a Mass and adoration as well as talks on the pope’s Argentinian heritage and his relationship with the West.

The keynote speaker will be Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Boston and close advisor to the Holy Father. Cardinal O’Malley is one of eight members of the pope’s cabinet, and the only member from North America.

In a “60 Minutes” interview which aired November 16 last year, the cardinal said Pope Francis’ unique style has had an “extraordinary impact” on the Catholic Church. He added that

the Holy Father is a “great listener” who has performed above the cardinal’s high expectations.

Fisher said the cardinal’s insights give “unparalleled access” to the inner thinking of the pope.

“I would certainly say there’s a natural brotherhood between Cardinal O’Malley and Pope Francis — the Jesuit, Franciscan pope,” he added. “I really think they’re cut from the same cloth in terms of their humility and their service to the Church.”

Additional speakers include New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, director of Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Thought and Public Policy John Carr, National Review editor-at-large Kathryn

Jean Lopez and a dozen others.

Other local speakers include Father Roger Landry, a Fall River priest currently working for the Holy See’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations; Boston College professor Ali Banuazizi; and Timothy Sherratt, professor at Gordon College, an Evangelical institution in Wenham.

Father Landry covered the papal conclave that elected Pope Francis for EWTN and has written extensively about the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). He said the keys of Francis’ pontificate are mission, mercy and joy.

“Pope Francis says that God’s greatest joy is sharing with us His mercy, and He wants us to experience that joy more fully by sharing that mercy with others, through our charity, through our sharing with them the life-saving, liberating truths of the Gospel, by our bringing them to the Sacraments where they can encounter the God of mercy,” he said.

Father Landry added that Pope Francis has been practicing what he preaches by showing his joy among the crowds and embracing those whom the world rejects.

“He has called all pastors to have the smell of the sheep, and he not only draws near to take on the odor of the simple people of God, but to transform the aroma with the fragrance of Christ. In doing this, he has been trying to model for the Church the missionary metamorphosis that he is seeking to bring in all Catholics and Catholic institutions,” he said.

In an effort to make the summer conference accessible to a wider audience, for the first time this year the Portsmouth Institute will be offering a discount for group registration.

Groups and individuals who wish to attend can register at portsmouthinstitute.org.

Iraqi nun’s visa denial raises questions for U.S. State Department

Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — Sister Diana Momenka, a Catholic nun from Iraq, intended to visit the U.S. to talk about the persecution of religious minorities in her country — until the local U.S. consulate denied her visa application.

Now the Department of State is facing questions about whether that action has interfered with efforts to help persecuted Christians and other minorities.

“Sister Diana represents tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians, forced to convert or die or flee their homes. She’ll tell us the truth about what’s happening,” U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) told CNA. “Like thousands of other Christians in the region, Sister Diana is a victim of ISIS,” Collins said in a recent letter to Secretary of State John Kerry. “She has devoted her life to helping other victims and advocating for them.”

Collins, a member of Congress’Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, is investigating the rejection of her visa application.

He said the State Department’s actions indicate that it does not believe sharing her story with policymakers and others “merited even the consideration of her application.”

“Rather, it appears the State Department has chosen to continue to largely ignore the persecution of Christians at the hands of ISIS,” he charged. “I find that unacceptable.”

Sister Diana, a Dominican Sister of St. Catherine of Siena, intended to take part in an Iraqi delegation planning to travel to Washington. She was to meet with the Senate and House foreign relations committees, the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and several NGOs, according to Nina Shea, writing at a National Review blog.

Her visit had the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (DCalif.) and was supported by two groups involved in international

human rights.

On April 28, the U.S. consulate in Erbil told the nun that her visa application had been rejected.

Sister Diana told Shea that a consular officer said that the visa was denied because she was an internally displaced person.

Displaced persons are considered at risk of overstaying their visas or otherwise seeking to remain in the U.S. However, this status is not always a barrier: according to Shea, a delegation of internally displaced Iraqi Yazidis received visas in October to travel to the U.S. to speak.

Sister Diana had been a teacher at St. Ephrem Seminary in Bakhdida until the Islamic State invaded the city in August 2014.

The caliphate forced Christians to flee if they would not convert to Islam or pay the jizya, a tax on non-Muslims.

Like tens of thousands of other Christians, Sister Diana has fled to Iraqi Kurdistan for her safety.

She has been teaching at the Babel College of Philosophy and Theology in Erbil.

She was the only Christian in her delegation, which also included members of the Yazidi and Turkmen Shia religious groups.

Sister Diana’s visa application was the only one rejected.

A State Department spokesman told CNA the department cannot discuss individual visa applications due to privacy concerns.

Shea said at National Review that “as an articulate, Englishspeaking Iraqi Christian, who is not only personally a victim of ISIS but also an aid worker with a broad perspective on the suffering of the Christian community there, Sister Diana would make an exceptional witness.”

CNA sought comment from Sister Diana, but she was unable to respond by deadline.

Collins said Sister Diana did not appear to be at high risk of remaining in the U.S. beyond her visa period. His letter noted her previous travels to the U.S. and asked why the state department would bar a persecuted Catholic nun from coming to the U.S. to speak about her experiences and to advocate for religious freedom.

Collins told CNA that his job on the Lantos Human Rights Commission is to focus on issues of religious persecution and religious freedom that he believes the U.S. administration “refuses to recognize.”

“Islamic radicalism is real, and so is its conquest of religious minorities in the Middle East and Africa,” he said, charging that Kerry and President Obama are failing to talk about the persecution of Iraqi Christians.

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May 15, 2015

In the background sits the former St. Hedwig’s Church, currently under construction to become the new location for the Sister Rose House, while the rectory has already become Grace House, a transitional home for homeless women. Tom Palanza, a general contractor for the project, tapped into his masonry trade and donated his services to provide the marker that sits on the corner. (Photo by Becky Aubut)

Former parish gets new life helping the homeless continued from page one

women. The idea of transitional housing is just that, to transition them into a stable setting and give them the support that they need to move on to permanent, affordable housing.”

Grace House was 100 percent funded by the city, said Allard, adding “we owe a debt of gratitude to Pat Sullivan [director] of the Office of Housing and Community Development and his staff.”

Though there were a few hiccups, like replacing the furnace, “there weren’t a lot of improvements to be made because the building was in such good shape,” said Allard.

Walking through the twostory building, each room gleamed with new paint, carpet or hardwood floors and furnishings. On the first floor, the kitchen may be slightly outdated, said Allard, but it is functional and leads into a dining room and living room.

An enclosed breezeway is connected off the living room, and the attached garage is spacious enough to store maintenance equipment. The first floor also hosts a full bathroom, the administrative offices and a bedroom and private bathroom for a house manager.

The second floor has six bedrooms, and two bathrooms; originally it held one bathroom, said Allard, but they opened up the space to provide two. Each bedroom holds two beds and is simply furnished.

Along with being home to the washer and dryer, the base-

ment of the former rectory is still being transformed into its full potential as a classroomtype space to provide training for the women.

“We put a great deal of effort into providing quality of life,” said Allard of the choices behind the construction. “We feel that if we give someone a place where they feel safe, respected, and is clean and affordable, then that is reciprocal.”

Women were lined up through agencies, so “we had people ready to move in,” said Allard when Grace House opened more than two months ago. The ages of the 10 women currently living at the transitional home range from 18 years old to women into their 50s and each resident is expected to follow house rules and are responsible for the upkeep of the home.

“Residents of Grace House will receive individual, as well as group counseling, on a wide range of critical areas such as educational, economic, financial management and personal support,” said Allard. “Each tenant will be individually assessed to determine her primary needs and an action plan will be created that will serve

as the guidepost in bringing stability into her life and assisting with obtaining permanent, affordable housing.”

Angieleigh Robinson, a member of Catholic Social Services direct care who has been on staff at Grace House since it opened, said that having transitional housing for women is “very beneficial to build confidence here, to get back on their feet so that they can be successful on their own and not have to depend on someone. A lot of the women come because they stay with someone, and then get kicked out; they’re in a relationship and it’s a bad relationship.

They deal with abuse. Here it’s safe. We can do things for them that, maybe, they think is impossible in the way they’re viewing it.”

The feedback she’s received from the women has been positive, said Robinson, and the women are not just working on themselves but building up a sense of community: “They’re just grateful and happy that it’s

such a nice place to stay to get back on their feet. They feel very blessed. They feel it’s great to have a safe place to come home to, to take a shower and eat every day.”

On the same property, construction is still in its early stages next door at the church as it is being transformed into what Allard perceives will be a “model shelter” for 26 homeless adult males.

“We’re going to have on-site job training programs, two of them. We have a kitchen here and we’re going to upgrade it, relocate the soup kitchen that CSS operates, and then bring in a job training program onsite that’s going to train guests to receive their food handler’s certification. That’s going to come through the operation of the soup kitchen,” said Allard, who added there will also be a personal care attendant training program so that residents can become PCA certified, and the men and women will be allowed to use the on-site training programs.

“This project will not only allow for the continued operation of a vital resource for the city’s homeless,” said Allard, “but do so in a much more enhanced and expanded manner.”

The men’s shelter will be handicap accessible with a lift being installed that will go down to the basement and first floor, which will host 26 beds in cubicles and office space. In the rear of the building will be bathrooms and showers, and the basement will be the kitchen and program area.

Allard recognized another boon when he looked at the property — the large parking lot; where most people saw only gray cement, he saw green.

“We’re going to install a community garden,” he said.

“We’re going to put in eight raised beds — vegetables, herbs and all that kinds of stuff — and we’re going to incorporate the produce into the kitchen.

It’s going to be maintained by

the guests here. They’re going to learn where food comes from, how it’s processed and consumed, and appreciate the hard work that goes into it.”

The community garden will also be open to the neighbors of the shelter: “The idea is to have four for the guests and four for the community,” said Allard. “What we see in that is the ability to link together the guests and the neighbors, so that the neighbors’ fears, skepticism and doubts about these people can be broken down, and the guests, who may have the sense that nobody cares for them or trust them.”

There will also be a courtyard linking the transitional home and shelter where the residents can enjoy the outdoors in a more private setting.

The total development construction cost for the Sister Rose House was more than $1.8 million dollars with financing coming from the city of New Bedford’s Community Development Block Grant, the state housing program’s Housing Initiative Fund, private donations and Allard offered special thanks and appreciation to BayCoast Bank, which holds the mortgage on the property.

Allard said that the shelter should be completed by October and wants to have an official ribbon-cutting ceremony that will highlight not just the hard work put into transforming the property, but put the spotlight on how the property will now transform individuals.

“I think it helps to eliminate homelessness because in order to eliminate homelessness, you need many factors,” said Allard. “One is to bring stability to their lives, another one is to provide supportive services, another is to provide transitional housing and then permanent housing. A starting point for all that is to provide the best shelter that we can.

You have to start somewhere.

There is homelessness so why not provide the best possible shelter as a starting point?”

16

Youth Pages

May 15, 2015

Students in the drama club from St. James-St. John School in New Bedford recently performed the play “Shrek Jr.”

Students recently received their First Communion at St. Joseph Church in Fall River. From left: Mason, Carson, Carmella, Maya, Zackary, David, and Jada.

St. Michael School in Fall River recently held its Junior National Honor Society Induction Ceremony.

Students from St. Margaret School in Buzzards Bay take advantage of new technology in one of their classes.

Eighth-grader Moravia Botelho-Diaz from St. Stanislaus School in Fall River crowns the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the annual May Crowning service. With her are Father Andrew Johnson and eighth-graders Jason Rajani and Benjamin Walz. In keeping with the school’s tradition of Slavic spirituality, the student body sang the Częstochowa hymn “Maryjo Królowa Polski” (“Mary, Queen of Poland”).

Third-grade students at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro recently conducted a science, math, engineering, technology project on the weathering of rocks. The students observed how the weathering of rocks can occur by the process of abrasion in water. They had to log the collected data into a spreadsheet, display it on a line chart, evaluate their findings and brainstorm to improve the experimentation process.

As is tradition at St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro, the two second-grade classes celebrated Cinco de Mayo with tacos and sombreros. The students have been learning about Mexico for the last few weeks, and they celebrated with a taco feast, Mexican music and stories and with wearing their handmade sombreros.

Fifth-graders enjoy an eBook with a kindergartner as part of the library program at St. Mary’s School in Mansfield.

May 15, 2015

E

very day we are faced with fears. How we deal with these fears depends on our attitude and our faith.

From the very beginning God created fear as a healthy emotion. This is the gift we call “fear of the Lord” or “wonder and awe.” In other words, having respect for God and all that He created.

However, Satan perverts this fear. Satan will use any means to defeat us. He will whisper words of low self-esteem or high self-esteem. He will try to weigh us down with guilt or dull our consciences.

He will try to move us to lash out in anger or convince us to keep our emotions bottled

Youth Pages Healthy fears

up. He will try any strategy fears we experience today. to keep us from using our Most of us look at fear as an minds for God’s glory and anxiety caused by the presence convince us to make selfish choices opposed to God’s plans. And as a result, we will find ourselves hurting others and being separated from God. So, how

By Ozzie Pacheco do we deal with these unhealthy fears?

First of all we need to know that these unhealthy of danger. Look at it this way: fears blind us to the truth. The F.E.A.R. — False Evidence antidotes to this fear are trust Appearing Real. Doesn’t that and faith. When God created sound like Satan perverting Adam and Eve, He gave them what ought to be a healthy fear as a healthy emotion. emotion?

Then sin entered the world Unhealthy fears consume us and with it the unhealthy and in some cases paralyze us.

There is a parable about a man The Anchor is always pleased to run who wakes up in the middle of the night to find a poisonnews and photos about our diocesan youth. If ous snake next to his leg at the foot of the bed. He lies awake schools, parish Religious Education programs, all night, frozen in terror, praying that the snake won’t or home-schoolers bite him. As dawn breaks and light begins to shine into his have newsworthy room he realizes that it’s not a snake at all. It’s a belt he stories and photos forgot to put away the night before. Once he knows this they would like truth, the snake disappears, the memory of the night is to share with our reframed, the fear is gone and is filled with relief. Until he readers, send them he was able to see things as they really are, his imagination got to: the better of him. “The Lord schools@anchornews. is my light and my Salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord org is my life’s refuge; of whom

Be Not Afraid

17

should I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1).

Unhealthy fear causes our problems to appear greater than they really are.

It makes us look at the molehill as if it were a mountain. It appears overwhelming and consumes our every ounce of energy.

It compels us into a world of fantasy for the simple reason of getting us to ignore reality.

Each of us is aware of our own strengths and weaknesses. Don’t pretend that your problems don’t exist.

There is no peace in having this kind of attitude. Don’t let fear imprison you. Rather, let faith liberate you. “The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. It is the storm within which endangers him, not the storm without” (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

Fear of the Lord is knowing God: this is the beginning of knowledge. When fear disheartens you, faith in God will encourage you. When fear

sickens you, faith in God will heal you. When fear makes you useless, faith in God makes you hopeful.

An unhealthy fear is when you are worried, scared and shaken by what you face. This is fear without trust in God. A healthy fear is having such a deep respect for the power of God that you become aware of His presence and your total dependence on Him. And because of this awareness we can change the unhealthy F.E.A.R into a healthy one: Feeling Excited And Ready. Having this healthy fear will help us to see things as they are, enjoy the blessings when interacting with others, be of service to God and motivate us to love God. “Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My victorious right hand” (Is 41:10).

God bless!

Anchor columnist Ozzie Pacheco is Faith Formation director at Santo Christo Parish, Fall River.

Seventh-grade students at St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet recently received certificates of merit after having taken the 2015 National Latin Exam. Pictured with their Latin teacher Msgr. Gerard O’Connor are, from left: Jillian Dacosta, Brendan Sullivan, Aaron Wilkinson and Thomas Marcotte (Outstanding Achievement Ribbon).

The United Regional Chamber of Commerce recently recognized Bishop Feehan High School’s top 10 students as well as an “Unsung Hero” as part of their United Regional Chamber’s Spotlight on Education Breakfast 2015. The top 10 students from the Attleboro school were included in the Alice W. Agnew Top Ten Recognition Breakfast with students from schools within 16 area communities. The students are: Emma Clerx, Katherine Franklin, Sean Gibney, Emily Golden, Lauren Hart, Kathryn LaBelle, Julia Morris, Alexis O’Brien, Jennifer O’Brien, and Madeline Teixeira. The “Unsung Hero” was senior Noah Powers (inset) who was chosen for his “willingness to go above and beyond to help other students, his contribution to the school’s community without holding a leadership position, and his ability to quietly encourage and develop accord among all students.” The students are pictured with vice principal of academics Ann Perry and principal Sean Kane.

Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth recently held a celebration where students wore shirts of the schools they will be attending next year, as part of the decision deadline for seniors. From left: Marc Rice, Mary Carroll, Gladys Xiang, Vicky Cardozo, Theresa Gallagher, and Evan Winterhalter.

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May 15, 2015

Bishop holds candid Q & A session with students at cathedral continued from page one

God, about yourself and keep them in your heart and mind and treasure them.”

Acknowledging that the environment in a public school will be decidedly different than what they’ve been used to in a Catholic elementary and middle school setting, Bishop da Cunha admitted it would be a challenge.

“But I would say do not allow yourself to be influenced by possible negative sources that you may encounter, and stay close to your values, to your faith and to your family,” he said. “Talk to your parents — if there’s anything you hear that might be bothersome to you, go back home and share it. And going to church and praying should be part of your life, even though you can’t do that in a public school, you can do it in your home and in your parish.”

Another student wanted to know how someone knows if they are being called to become a priest or maybe take up another vocation.

“It would be nice if we were able to get an email or a text message from God saying: ‘Joe, I want you to become a priest,’”

Bishop da Cunha responded, getting the first of several laughs during the session. “I think that would make things a lot easier. But God doesn’t use email, He doesn’t have a cell phone, He doesn’t text, but He knows how to communicate with us. He communicates with us through prayer, through Scripture — He speaks to us through the Bible, He speaks to us through people, He speaks to us through events in our lives.”

The bishop noted it could be something as simple as seeing the example of another priest celebrating the Sacraments, or someone making a suggestion.

“If you feel that calling, that desire, then you pray about it and you ask God to help you and guide you and to nourish that feeling,” he said. “The most important thing in life is to discover what God is calling you to do — what is your vocation?

Because when you discover and follow that calling, you will be happy.”

For Bishop da Cunha, that realization came to him when he was 17 years old.

“By that time I pretty much knew I was going to become a

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priest,” he said.

It was probably around this same time that the young Edgar da Cunha also developed a passion for soccer and, as if on cue, a student wanted him to name his favorite soccer team.

“Well, I’m from Bahia, Brazil, so my favorite soccer team is Bahia from my home state — which, by the way, just became the state champions this past Sunday,” he proudly answered.

“It’s funny, because my second favorite soccer team in Brazil is Santos, which is where Pelé used to play, and they also just won the state championship this past Sunday. My two teams both won on Sunday, so I was very happy Sunday night.”

When asked what his biggest responsibility was as Bishop of Fall River, the bishop said there are many duties associated with the job.

“My main mission is to proclaim God’s message to all the people in the Diocese of Fall River,” he said. “Then to help the priests in the diocese to lead people in their faith, to nourish their faith, to challenge them when they need to be challenged, to support them when they need to be supported, and to lead all of us together closer to God, closer to Jesus — that’s my mission. There are other things I have to do to run the day-to-day operations of the diocese — helping with finances and pastoral planning and the assignment of priests. But my ultimate goal is to bring people closer to God.” One of the more deeply theological questions was raised when a student asked how God could allow evil to exist the world.

“That’s a good question and it could take three hours to answer,” the bishop said. “But the short answer is, God made us all with free will — that’s the way He created us and the way He established the world.

Many of us have chosen to do good — and I hope all of us here today have chosen to do good. But then there are others who decide to do what they want, and there are people who decide to do evil things.”

Bishop da Cunha said the battle between good and evil has been ongoing since the beginning of mankind and that is why it is important for us, as followers of Christ, to continue to do good so that “evil doesn’t overcome us and take control.”

“There’s a story of a child who once asked his grandfather about feeling like there were

Jillian Petrillo and Jake Bamford, juniors at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, recently explained some of the intricate carvings and woodwork surrounding the tabernacle inside the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River during the annual tour and Mass for eighth-grade Catholic school students from around the diocese. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

two wolves inside of him — a good one and a bad one,” the bishop added. “And he asked which one was going to win the fight? His grandfather said the one he feeds would win the fight. If we feed the evil that is in us, it’s going to win. If we only feed and nourish the good in us and in our world, then it will win.”

When a student asked how he found out he was going to become Bishop of Fall River, Bishop da Cunha confessed he was at the doctor’s office when the apostolic nuncio — the representative of Pope Francis here in the United States — first attempted to contact him on his cell phone.

“I remember it was June 24 — the feast of St. John the Baptist — and my cell phone rang and I couldn’t answer the call,” he said. “I walked out of the building and saw the (caller ID) said ‘Washington, D.C.,’ so I said to myself: ‘Uh-oh.’ I got to my car and called back. When I asked for the nuncio, the secretary said: ‘Oh, yes — he’s expecting your call.’ He came on the line and said: ‘Congratulations, the Holy Father has just appointed you Bishop of Fall River.’ I was frozen for a minute, then I said: ‘Where’s Fall River?’ I had never been to Fall River in my life!

I had heard about it, but I had never been here.

“So on July 2, I took a train from Newark, N.J. and arrived in Providence, R.I. and Bishop Coleman was waiting for me and that was the first time I ever saw Fall River. The next day we had a press conference and the rest is history. And I’m very happy to be here.”

The bishop had barely completed the story when a ringtone echoed throughout the

cathedral — aided, in part, by the wireless microphone he was wearing to amplify his responses.

“Oh, my cell phone just rang,” he said, eliciting laughter. “I hope it’s not the apostolic nuncio calling again!”

When asked about his daily routine, Bishop da Cunha said it differs from day to day, “and that’s a good thing because it’s never boring and it makes life interesting,” he said.

As Mass time approached, a student asked how Christians today should react when others around them deny the faith, which gave the bishop an opportunity to bring the discussion full circle while providing a parting bit of advice.

“As we all hear on the news today, Christians are often persecuted and killed because of their faith,” he said. “If some of you are going on to public schools, you are probably going to encounter some negative comments from people who are not practicing the faith. But that should not stop you from being truthful, from supporting the faith. Thanks be to God we live in a country where people are not killed for being a Christian as they are in other parts of the world. We are free here to practice our faith, even though there may be a lot of other negative influences — the media, peer pressure, and many other people who will try to influence you and draw you from the Catholic faith. My hope and prayer is that all of you here who are Catholics and practice your faith will not be influenced by these negative forces and stay faithful, remain close to God, and remain faithful to what you believe.”

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May 15, 2015

Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese Acushnet — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening prayer and Benediction is held Monday through Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the Adoration Chapel at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 71 Linden Street, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

ATTLEBORO — The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette holds Eucharistic Adoration in the Shrine Church every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. through November 17.

ATTLEBORO — There is a weekly Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at St. John the Evangelist Church on N. Main St. Brewster — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the La Salette Chapel in the lower level of Our Lady of the Cape Church, 468 Stony Brook Road, on First Fridays beginning at noon until 7:45 a.m. First Saturday, concluding with Benediction and concluding with Mass at 8 a.m. buzzards Bay — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, Monday through Saturday, from 6:30 to 8 a.m.; and every first Friday from noon to 8 a.m. on Saturday.

East Freetown — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. John Neumann Church every Monday (excluding legal holidays) 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Our Lady, Mother of All Nations Chapel. (The base of the bell tower).

EAST TAUNTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the chapel at Holy Family Parish Center, 438 Middleboro Avenue, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. On First Fridays, Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Holy Family Church, 370 Middleboro Avenue, from 8:30 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.

FAIRHAVEN — St. Mary’s Church, Main St., has Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Reconciliation, with Benediction at 11:30 a.m. Also, there is a First Friday Mass each month at 7 p.m., followed by a Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration. Refreshments follow.

Fall River — Espirito Santo Parish, 311 Alden Street, Fall River. Eucharistic Adoration on Mondays following the 8 a.m. Mass until Rosary and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Bernadette’s Church, 529 Eastern Ave., has continuous Eucharistic Adoration from 8 a.m. on Thursday until 8 a.m. on Saturday.

FALL RIVER — St. Anthony of the Desert Church, 300 North Eastern Avenue, has Eucharistic Adoration Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

FALL RIVER — Holy Name Church, 709 Hanover Street, has Eucharistic Adoration Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Our Lady of Grace Chapel.

FALL RIVER — Good Shepherd Parish has Eucharistic Adoration every Friday following the 8 a.m. Mass and concluding with 3 p.m. Benediction in the Daily Mass Chapel. A bilingual holy hour takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. Park behind the church and enter the back door of the connector between the church and the rectory.

Falmouth — St. Patrick’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration each First Friday, following the 9 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 4:30 p.m. The Rosary is recited Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

MANSFIELD — St. Mary’s Parish, 330 Pratt Street, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Benediction at 5:45 p.m.

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m. Mass every First Friday with special intentions for Respect Life, followed by 24 hours of Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel, concluding with Benediction Saturday morning followed immediately by an 8:30 Mass.

NEW BEDFORD — Eucharistic Adoration takes place 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 233 County Street, with night prayer and Benediction at 8:45 p.m., and Confessions offered during the evening. Please use the side entrance.

NEW BEDFORD — There is a daily holy hour from 5:15-6:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue. It includes Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Liturgy of the Hours, recitation of the Rosary, and the opportunity for Confession.

NEW BEDFORD — St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, 565 County Street, holds Eucharistic Adoration in the side chapel Fridays from 7:30-11:45 a.m. ending with a simple Benediction NORTH DARTMOUTH — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Julie Billiart Church, 494 Slocum Road, every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m., ending with Benediction.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available at this time.

NORTH DIGHTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Wednesday following 8:00 a.m. Mass and concludes with Benediction at 5 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration also takes place every First Friday at St. Nicholas of Myra Church, 499 Spring Street following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending with Benediction at 6 p.m. The Rosary is recited Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

NORTH EASTON — A Holy Hour for Families including Eucharistic Adoration is held every Friday from 3-4 p.m. at The Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington Street.

ORLEANS — St. Joan of Arc Parish, 61 Canal Road, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday starting after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending with Benediction at 11:45 a.m. The Sacrament of the Sick is also available immediately after the 8 a.m. Mass.

OSTERVILLE — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 76 Wianno Avenue on First Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

SEEKONK ­— Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish has perpetual Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day in the chapel at 984 Taunton Avenue. For information call 508-336-5549.

Taunton — Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Tuesday at St. Anthony Church, 126 School Street, following the 8 a.m. Mass with prayers including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for vocations, concluding at 6 p.m. with Chaplet of St. Anthony and Benediction. Recitation of the Rosary for peace is prayed Monday through Saturday at 7:30 a.m. prior to the 8 a.m. Mass.

Taunton — Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord, 31 First Street. Exposition begins following the 8 a.m. Mass. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, and Adoration will continue throughout the day. Confessions are heard from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Rosary and Benediction begin at 6:30 p.m.

WAREHAM — Eucharistic Adoration at St. Patrick’s Church begins each Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. and ends on Friday night at midnight. Adoration is held in our Adoration Chapel in the lower Parish Hall. ~ PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION ~ East Sandwich — The Corpus Christi Parish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 324 Quaker Meeting House Road, East Sandwich. Use the Chapel entrance on the side of the church.

NEW BEDFORD — Our Lady’s Chapel, 600 Pleasant Street, offers Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day. For information call 508-996-8274.

SEEKONK ­— Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish has perpetual Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day in the chapel at 984 Taunton Avenue. For information call 508-336-5549.

WEST HARWICH — Our Lady of Life Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Holy Trinity Parish, 246 Main Street (Rte. 28), holds perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. We are a regional chapel serving all of the surrounding parishes. All are invited to sign up to cover open hours. For open hours, or to sign up call 508-430-4716.

Vatican approves statutes for papal commission for protecting minors

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors received temporary approval of its first set of statutes. U.S. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, OFM Cap., of Boston — one of the pope’s top cardinal advisers and president of the pontifical commission — had recently submitted a draft of the statutes, which were approved “by mandate of the supreme pontiff ” by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.

The Vatican released a copy of the approved statutes May 8. Their approval is good for three years. The four-page document outlines the structure, nature, activity and goals of the commission, which Pope Francis established in December 2013. The commission, made up of 17 members in addition to the president and secretary, is “an autonomous institution” within the Holy See and serves as “an advisory body at the service of the Holy Father.”

Because “the protection of minors is of paramount importance,” the statutes said, the commission’s main purpose is to make recommendations to the pope on how best to promote “local responsibility in the particular churches for the protection of all minors and vulnerable adults.”

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks May 16 Rev. William McDonald, SS., St. Patrick, Falmouth, 1941 Rev. Msgr. J. Joseph Sullivan, P.R., Pastor, Sacred Heart Rev. Arthur dos Reis, Retired Pastor, Santo Christo, Fall River, 1981 May 17 Most Rev. James E. Cassidy, D.D., Third Bishop of Fall River, 1934-51 Rev. Albert Evans, SS.CC., 2003 May 19 Rev. Ambrose Lamarre, O.P., 1940 Rev. Thomas Trainor, Pastor, St. Louis, Fall River, 1941 Rev. Arthur C. Levesque, Pastor, Our Lady of Fatima, New Bedford, 1988 May 20 Rev. Antonio L. daSilva, Pastor, Our Lady of Health, Fall River, 1952 May 22 Rev. Daniel L. Freitas, Retired, Former Pastor, St. John of God, Somerset, 2012

Around the Diocese On May 17 at 3 p.m. the Parish Life Committee and Women’s Guild are hosting a Living Rosary at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 121 Mount Pleasant Street in New Bedford.

After the Rosary there will be a buffet served in the hall. To volunteer to serve as a “bead” in the Rosary or for more information about the buffet, call 508-992-3184.

All are invited to pray the new Culture of Life Chaplet on May 21 at 1 p.m. in the St. Jude’s Chapel of Christ the King Parish in Mashpee. Recitation is on ordinary Rosary beads and will include a brief meditation preceding each of the five decades.

A Healing Mass will be celebrated on May 21 at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford. The Mass will begin at 6:30 p.m. and includes Benediction and healing prayers. At 5:15 p.m. there will be a Holy Hour, which includes the Rosary. For more information call 508-993-1691 or visit www.saintanthonynewbedford.com.

St. John Neumann Parish in East Freetown invites all to its 31st Annual Lakeside Family Festival on Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25. The festival will be open on Friday, 6 to 11 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 11 p.m.; and Monday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free and there will be a huge Barn Sale all weekend, along with amusement rides, entertainment, a car show on Sunday (rain date: Monday), “Blessing of the Bikes” in memory of Butch Silva on Saturday (sign-ups at 11 a.m., rain date: Sunday), and a great selection of home-baked goods, assorted food booths, games of skill and raffles.

Take the Chace Road exit off Route 140. For more information visit www. sjnfreetown.org.

Our Lady of the Cape Parish will be hosting an Ecumenical Pentecostal Celebration on May 23 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the parish center, 468 Stony Brook Road, Brewster, to pray for persecuted Christians in the Middle East and around the world. Guest speaker will be Deacon Norman McEnaney of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Orleans. All are invited. For information contact Rainie at 914-907-9549 or Pat at 508-349-1641.

Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will join Holy Cross Family Ministries in celebrating the anniversary of its founder, Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, “the Rosary priest.” The event will be held on the Vigil of the Feast of Corpus Christi beginning at 4 p.m. on June 6 with Rosary at the Grotto at Stonehill College, followed by a Eucharistic Procession to Father Peyton’s grave and a continued procession to St. Joseph Chapel for Mass. A reception at The Father Peyton Center will conclude the day. In the event of rain, all activities will be held inside St. Joseph Chapel at 500 Washington Street in North Easton. For more information or to RSVP, call the Father Peyton Center at 508-238-4095, extension 2041 or visit www.FamilyRosary.org/ Events.

St. Vincent’s Home seventh annual Kick-Off to Summer Celebration, sponsored by Mechanics Cooperative Bank, will be held June 26 from 6 to 11 p.m. on the deck of the Battleship Massachusetts. Back by popular demand, the evening celebration overlooking Fall River’s waterfront is expected to draw more than 400 guests and will feature complimentary beer and wine, cash bar, gourmet dinner and dessert, dancing to the sounds of The Pulse of Boston, and silent and live auctions emceed by volunteer auctioneer, Ryan Nadeau. The evening will also feature gourmet food with specialty dishes prepared by local restaurants. Proceeds from the celebration will directly benefit the youth participating in St. Vincent’s Life Skills Program. Exclusive silent and live auctions will feature such items as destination packages to Block Island, Maine, Nantucket, New Hampshire, and The Four Seasons in Boston, as well as autographed sports memorabilia, golf outings, wine-tastings, jewelry and more. Sponsorships are available and tickets may be purchased by contacting Melissa Dick at 508-235-3228 for more information.

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May 15, 2015

Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V of Fall River meets with Father Timothy J. Goldrick, pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth, and Deacon Alan J. Thadeu, at a reception prior to the Knights of Columbus for the Jurisdiction of Massachusetts 2015 State Lantern Award ceremonies in Framingham. (Photo by Richard C. Zopatti Jr.)