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VOL. 46, NO.20
• Friday, May 17,2002
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year
Bishop to ordain·17 permanent deacons NEW BEDFORD - Seventeen men who have been in pastoral formation for five years, will be ordained permanent deacons , for the Fall River diocese by Bishop Sean P. O'Malley; OFM Cap., tomorrow at 11 a.m. in St. Anthony of Padua Church here. Msgr. John F. Moore, director of the diocesan deacon program, will present the candidates upon their call by the bishop to the sac-
rament of holy orders during the Mass. All of the men except one are married and they represent a cross segment of every area of the diocese - including Martha's Vineyard this year. They are the sixth class of deacons to be ordained in the diocese and along with 60 fellow dl:;acons since the first class in 1980 are ' Turn to page 13 - Deacons
Meet our new deac.ons Pages eight and nine
Long-running Abuse Prevention Training • • wraps up spnng sessions By
DAVE JOLIVET
EDITOR
ATTLEBORO - Just this spring season alone, nearly 2,500 individuals who work with chil- , dren in the Diocese of Fall River have attended Abuse Prevention Training sessions. The concept isn't new, in fact the sessions have been mandatory for nine years, having first been instituted here by Bishop Sean O~Malley, OFM Cap., in 1994, at which time he established a Sexual Abuse Review'Board and an Abuse Prevention Unit within the diocese. , AU of the sessions, since their inception, have been conducted by Susan Desrosiers, director of the diocesan Abuse Prevention Unit, through the Catholic Social
,Services office in Fall River. The training is for all people, paid or volunteer, who work with children in any way within the Fall River diocese. "The training explains to those individuals the scope and prevalence of child abuse, the laws, the types of abuse, and the responsibilities of people working with children," said Desrosiers. "Additionally, the sessions inform those attending of ways to protect themselves from being falsely accused as vohinteers." , Since 1994; the training sessions have been held in the spring and faU seasons. "We try to have at least one session per season in each of the five deaneries in the Turn to page 16 - Prevention
Bishop O'Malley issues Pentecostal message FALL RIVER - Inviting Catholics in the Fall River diocese to embrace the mission Christ has entrusted to them and to pray for the Holy Spirit's grace of unity and healing are paramount themes in a Pentecostal message from Bishop t . Sean 'P. O'Malley, OF~ Cap. . The following is the text of the bishop's letter: . Dearly Beloved in Chris~, Pentecost is' the feast of the birthday of the: Church. After the Ascension of ,Our Lord, Our Blessed Mother, St. Peter, and the other disciples gathered in the Cenacle and· spent nine days in intense prayer. It was the first novena. The ninth day was Pentecost Sunday. The Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised was poured into the hearts'of His disciples. Suddenly, they overcame their fears and confusion and went forth on their mission to announce the Good News. As a'result of their witnessing, 3,000 people asked to be baptized. Each year throughout.our own diocese, this season isa time of baptisms, confirmations and first 'Communions, spiritual events that are so important to our Catholic families and the community of faith. , This year Pentecost comes at a time of crisis that has deeply touched every Catholic ,who loves the Churcb;Like so many generations of Catholics in times of crisis and tragedy, we feel the need to turn to God in p~ayer asking for the grace of healing, of reconciliation, of unity:'We pray like those first disciples "in the company, of Mary." ; Her faittl and fidelity help to sustain our prayer. We ask God for the healing of the :: wounds inflicted on the Body of Christ by the betrayal of trust, by broken vows; by the evil of sexual abuse of our children and young people. We pray for the individuals and their families 'who have been directly affected by these critrles and whose suffering is long,:,term. We want them to know hoW truly sorry ttle entire Church community . feels for what they have suffered. Our hope is that" our 'sorrow and our prayers will ! help bring God's healing power into their lives. Many of our faithful Catholics have been scandalized by this evil: Pri,ests feel tainted ; and compromised by the .sins of a few, and our seminarians' vocations are sorely ; tested. ' , '
A NUN claps in jubilation du'ring· Mass recently at the Church of St. Catherine adjoining the Church of the Nativity, 'in Bethlehem" where public services were celebrated for the first time in more than a month. Related story on page 12. (CNS photo by Debbie Hill)
We area community that cries Qutfor the grace of healing. In the face of so much" anger and hurt, we pray for the grace of reconciliation. At each Mass we say the words of Jesus in the Our Father; we ask for God's forgivene'ssand then pledge' Continued on page 13