05.17.19

Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, May 17, 2019

Kindergarten students at St. Joseph School in Fairhaven recently celebrated the month of May and Mother’s Day by crowing Mary, our Blessed Mother.

(Photo courtesy of Tracy Travers)

May 17, 2019 †

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Priests, seminarians in Vatican III to perform jazz in East Taunton which everyone knew.

Thus began the first iteration of Vatican III — or a Vatican Trio, if you will.

“Later that semester, we played a little gig in the common room at the seminary with that lineup: Pat on guitar, Larry and myself on electric bass,” Father Gill said.

It wouldn’t take long for

Above, members of the jazz-funk fusion group Vatican III include, from left, Father Patrick Fiorillo, drums; Father Matthew Gill, bass; Larry Valliere, guitar; and Matthew Laird, saxophone. The band will be performing at Holy Family Parish in East Taunton on Friday, May 24 at 7 p.m.

By Kenneth J. Souza Editor

kensouza@anchornews.org

EAST TAUNTON — St. Francis once prayed, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

About five years ago, a group of young seminarians decided to take up literal instruments to form a jazz ensemble known as Vatican III. Despite its name, the fourmember group — Father Patrick Fiorillo on drums, Father Matthew Gill on bass, seminarian Larry Valliere on guitar, and seminarian Matthew Laird on saxophone — is not an ecumenical council, nor is it sanctioned by the Holy See. It’s just a group of musicians with a vocation, sharing their God-given talents with people who appreciate the gift of music.

Vatican III will be sharing that gift during a special benefit performance at Holy Family Church in East Taunton on Friday, May 24 at 7 p.m.

According to Father Matthew Gill, parochial vicar at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville and Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Osterville, he remembers first getting together with Father Fiorillo in the summer of 2013.

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“We were both seminarians at St. John’s, and I brought my bass over to his house and we played — just bass and drums and it was neat,” Father Gill recently told The Anchor. “I don’t think we were intending to play in a band at the time, we were just happy to dust off the instruments from our college years.”

Later that fall, Father Gill said he once again teamed up for another jam session — this time with newly-enrolled Larry Valliere — at the Brighton seminary.

“I knew Larry (also) played electric bass, and I asked him one evening if he wanted to play,” Father Gill said. “We were playing a few tunes, and Father Fiorillo happened to walk by and came into the room.”

“I heard the sound of a 12bar blues jam coming out of the one of the rooms,” Father Fiorillo told The Anchor. “I peeked in, and there were Larry and Matt, jamming on the bass. And then I noticed an extra acoustic guitar sitting on the cabinet, so I picked it up and started adding chords.”

When that impromptu jam finished, Father Fiorillo suggested a Herbie Hancock tune entitled “Watermelon Man,”

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Father Fiorillo to invite his bandmates over to his parent’s house, where he kept his beloved drum kit.

“Drums have always been my main instrument,” Father Fiorillo said. “But they had never left my parents’ basement since I entered the seminary.”

“When Father Fiorillo

brought his drums to the seminary to play, we called ourselves ‘The Feastdays,’” Father Gill recalled. “We would ask brother seminarians to play with us as special guests.

We had seminarians playing trumpet, clarinet, keyboards, trombone, and even sing with us, too.”

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Little Caesars’ Love Kitchen rolls into New Bedford to dish out slices of goodness to Sister Rose House residents

By Dave Jolivet

JolivetDB@comcast.net

NEW BEDFORD — The story behind the Little Caesars pizza chain is quite fascinating. It began as a family-owned, single store in Detroit in 1959. Since then, it has become one of the top five pizza chains in the world with shops in 24 countries and territories across the globe, and in all 50 U.S. States.

A unique quality of the “Pizza, Pizza” business is that after all these years, and the advent of a plethora of pizza delivery chains, Little Caesars continues to be carry-out only.

The chain has also been considered in the industry as one of the best value pizza restaurants in the county. The sum of all these parts has made the chain very successful over the last 50 years.

But success isn’t the only goal of the chain. Little Caesars has made it a mission to help those in need for decades now, starting, in 1985, the Little Caesars Love Kitchen, a big-rig pizza kitchen on wheels that travels the country to serve those in need, thanks to the corporation and the franchise owners and employees.

The Little Caesars Love Kitchen rolled into New Bedford on Monday, May 13 and parked itself at the Sister Rose House, part of the Diocese of Fall River’s Catholic Social Services since 2010. The emergency shelter for men, staffed 24 hours a day, offers men in need supportive services like job skills training, budgeting information, and access

The Little Caesars’ Love Kitchen truck sits in the Sister Rose House parking lot in New Bedford. On May 13 the truck arrived to serve men at the shelter, part of a nationwide service the worldwide corporation has been involved with since 1985. (Photo by Dave Jolivet) to mental health and other services, with the goal of helping its clients gain long-term sustainability while helping them out of their homelessness situations.

“This is just an amazing thing to happen to us,” Sister Rose House program manager Ray Duarte told The Anchor. “Out of the many places that serve people in need, Little Caesars chose us. I’m thrilled.”

The Love Kitchen was searching for a facility that serves a certain amount of people on average, and the Sister Rose House fit the bill perfectly. “We average about 75 to 115, but occasionally (we’re) up to 200,” said Duarte.

It was a CSS employee who has only been employed for two months who had a hand in getting

the Love Kitchen to Sister Rose House. Liz Gonzalez has been working at the Donovan House in New Bedford, another program offered by Catholic Social Services, which is a sober transitional housing facility, serving up to 12 women and their children. Gonzalez also has been working for Little Caesars for several years.

“The company asked my supervisor if there were any places in New Bedford serving individuals and we both mentioned the Sister Rose House,” Gonzalez told The Anchor as she was helping to serve pizza to the guests in the house’s downstairs hall. “Little Caesars is a great company that cares about its employees and people in need, and so does CSS. So this was a perfect match. It feels good to be helping people who need it.”

Duarte said the truck was originally scheduled to come in April, but mechanical issues delayed it for a month. “But we did have a chance to spread the word via newspapers and through the New

Bedford Homeless Service Provider Network,” he said. “Word travels fast and we have received many positive emails leading up to this.”

Since its inception in 1985, the Love Kitchen has served more than three million people in need and has been a presence at large disasters in the U.S. providing relief to thousands of victims and rescue workers such as the aftermaths of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Sandy, the World Trade Center terrorist attacks in 2001 and the 2018 wildfires in California.

The Anchor had the opportunity to speak with the driver of the big orange rig, Jeff O’Meara from Detroit, Mich. “This is such a wonderful thing that Little Caesars does,” he said. “The corporation has two Love Kitchen trucks, one handling the eastern part of the country, and the other the west. I’ve been doing this for six years now. My brother was in corporate and I told him that if ever an opening became available to let me know, and here I am. It’s incredible for a large company to give back to the community. Words can’t describe what it means to help out so many people in need. I can’t imagine doing anything but this.

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Vatican III to perform May 24 concert in East Taunton continued from page two

Since the notion of having two bass players only seemed to work for the fictional band Spinal Tap, Vatican III wisely opted to have Valliere transition to guitar, thus creating the jazz-funk trio with guitar, bass and drums.

“Since Matt is an accomplished bass player, I switched to playing the guitar and the band was born,” Valliere told The Anchor. “We had several guest artists over the next few years and one of our guests, Matt Laird on saxophone, was so fantastic that he became a permanent member of the band.”

“I remember hearing about a guy from the Fall River Diocese entering the seminary who played tenor sax,” Father Fiorillo said. “After one show in the common room, which was secretly meant to audition Matt, we decided to officially bring him on board, and we’ve been playing together ever since.”

Laird fondly remembered joining the band shortly after entering the seminary in 2015.

“The band had already been together, and when I heard about the group during my first month, it sounded right up my alley and I knew I had to reach out,” he told The Anchor. “I played a few shows with the group and ultimately was accepted as the fourth member. It was a great way to quickly establish friendships and to get involved in the communal life of the seminary.”

While it’s not often that you’ll see a priest or seminarian playing something other than “Ave Maria” on a church organ, the members of Vatican III have influences that are decidedly more secular and contemporary.

“I love listening to Earth, Wind and Fire; Tower of Power; Miles Davis; and Victor Wooten,” said Father Gill, who began playing bass in eighth grade when his parents 4

bought him the instrument for Christmas. “I played in the marching band and jazz band at Bishop Feehan High School. In college, I played in two jazz bands and an electric bass ensemble.”

Valliere, a native of St. Stanislaus Parish in Fall River, started taking electric bass lessons when he was 14 and played in several rock bands over the years, including a Weezer cover band called The Blue Album.

“I picked up the guitar around the same time, but I taught myself by buying guitar magazines, learning the different voicings for the chords, following the tabs, and playing along to the songs,” he said, citing Trey Anastasio of the rock band Phish and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead among his influences.

“As a bass player by trade, my mind is always thinking about the rhythm,” Valliere added. “I play guitar more like a bass player, hitting the root note on the one beat. A big influence for me would be James Brown. He wanted every instrument in his band to be played like a drum, and I am of the same mindset.”

Speaking of drums, Father Fiorillo was just 10 years old when he picked up the sticks.

“I always identified primarily as a rock drummer, but also played jazz continuously through middle school, high school, and college,” he said.

“I can trace much of my style to drummers like Neil Peart, John Bonham, Mike Portnoy, and Vinnie Appice. For jazz, I studied a lot of Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams.”

Laird has been playing tenor saxophone since high school and remembered his grandfather introducing him to jazz when he was young.

“I quickly developed a great appreciation for the musical style and especially for the saxophone, becoming deter-

† May 17, 2019

mined to play it myself,” he said. “It has been a part of my life ever since.”

His influences include Dexter Gordon, Richard Elliot, and Kim Waters. But he cited his greatest inspiration as Jay Beckenstein of Spyro Gyra.

“During my first year at the seminary, Father Gill and I had the opportunity to see the band play live,” he said. “After the show I was able to meet the members and had them all autograph a CD. It was a night I will never forget.”

Vatican III’s style or genre might best be described as a jazz-funk fusion.

“We play some swing tunes and quite a bit of funk,” Valliere said. “We have also ventured into music from Motown, the 70s, and new age.”

“I always have to remind Larry that this is not a punkrock band,” Father Fiorillo joked. “We might jam on a rock tune occasionally, but we’ve pretty much kept to jazz.

Our repertoire includes some hard bop standards, funk, and fusion.”

“We play a lot of funk music,” Father Gill agreed. “And sometimes it can turn into a bit of rock or fusion. We’ve also had a seminarian rap with us before.”

“The band has never been afraid to occasionally venture into other musical styles,” Laird added. “But our second most popular style to perform after jazz is definitely funk.

We always have at least one or two funk pieces at each show.

Another fun thing we do is perform jazz covers of popular pop or rock songs, which is great for those who may be new to jazz.”

Having now performed for audiences who might not expect two priests and a couple of seminarians to be performing jazz, rock and funk tunes, Father Fiorillo said he hopes people will look beyond the novelty of “a group of priests performing in a jazz-funk quartet.”

“I’ve had many parishioners over the years at various performances tell me that they saw another side of me, or that they never would have pictured me doing this,” said Father Fiorillo, who currently serves as parochial vicar at St. Paul’s Parish in Cambridge.

“So it’s great for parishioners to see us doing something we’re passionate about, but that’s not directly related to Church activities.”

For Laird, who is currently serving his pastoral year at Holy Family Parish in East Taunton, the band serves as a great reminder that “priests and seminarians are normal people too.”

“We have hobbies and enjoy having some good, clean fun,” he said. “Parishioners from different churches around the diocese have enjoyed getting to know some of the priests and seminarians of the diocese, and the concerts have been great for communitybuilding efforts.”

“In the seminary we were reminded that it’s important to have time for fraternity, and to foster healthy hobbies, so the band has really been a blessing in that regard,” Father Gill agreed. “We have time to play, but we also take time to get dinner together before or after a rehearsal. It’s also enjoyable to share the music with parishioners.”

As for the May 24 show, Valliere said the audience can expect to see “two priests and two seminarians who love playing music, having the best time.”

“They will hear songs

by Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie, an original song by Father Gill, and much more,” he added.

“It will be a fun evening for all,” said Laird. “The night will include some funky jazz standards as well as some original pieces, camaraderie, laughs, and some wholesome food and drink.”

“If you know jazz, you’ll appreciate the set list,” Father Fiorillo said. “If you don’t know jazz, this will be a great introduction and you won’t be disappointed. I believe jazz is one of those types of music that everyone can appreciate.”

Father Gill said they’ve all been rehearsing individually and together for the concert and he’s hoping for a good turnout.

“We played just down the road at St. Ann’s in Raynham last year, where I was assigned as a deacon, and people were very kind to come out,” he said. “Also, three out of the four of us have been assigned to Holy Family Parish at some point or another, so it will be nice to play for some familiar faces.”

Tickets for the Vatican III show are just $5 and will be available at the door.

Annual diocesan Catholic Charities Appeal, ‘See All the People,’ off to a strong start

FALL RIVER — The 78th Annual Catholic Charities Appeal is off to a strong start with a tremendous show of support throughout the Diocese of Fall River. As of press time, the Appeal had surpassed the $1.3 million mark, just two weeks into the annual campaign.

Each year, the Appeal invites parishioners of the diocese and community supporters to bear witness to the good works that all make possible, together, through their generous support. This year’s theme, “See All the People,” taken from a well-known nursery rhyme, is symbolic of the countless people who have benefitted from the agencies and apostolates of the Fall River Diocese committed to serving

anyone in need, regardless of race, creed, nationality, gender, or economic status.

This year people have the opportunity to see a series of videos that focus on specific ministries receiving much-needed support

through gifts to the Appeal.

The series begins this week with a video dedicated to Pastoral Care of the Sick.

The video (screenshot above) features Deacon Tony Cipriano of Morton Hospital in Taunton.

A dedicated webpage telling Deacon Tony’s story, along with statistics for Pastoral Care of the Sick across the diocese and the video, can be viewed online via the Appeal website: www. catholicfoundationsema. org/tony.

The Appeal website also includes a summary of how philanthropic dollars raised

through the Appeal have been distributed across the various ministries it supports, and a video message from Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. The website is updated regularly, so please visit it for more Appeal news and highlights in the weeks ahead.

Contributions to the Catholic Charities Appeal may be made either through a one-time donation or through monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual pledges. Donations may be mailed to the Catholic Charities Appeal office, 450 Highland Avenue, Fall River, Mass. 02720; or online at givefrdiocese.org/ cca19; or dropped off at any parish in the diocese.

Please contact the Catholic Charities Appeal office at 508-675-1311 with any questions.

May 17, 2019 †

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Editorial Being Good Shepherds Last Sunday (May 12) was “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The Fourth Sunday of Easter always carries that distinction, due to the readings’ focus on Christ being the Good Shepherd. It was also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, as we ask the Divine “Harvest Master” to send workers out into His vineyard.

Even back in Jesus’ day “the harvest [was] abundant, but the laborers are few” (Lk 10:2), so Jesus directed us to pray to Our Heavenly Father for help in bringing in the harvest of souls.

The previous day (Saturday, May 11), Bishop Edgar da Cunha ordained Steven Booth to the transitional diaconate (please see photos on page 10). God willing, he will be ordained a priest next year. In his homily, the bishop reminded Booth, “Your yes is not to honor and privilege, but to serve the Lord and the Church and all of God’s people. It is not a burden. As Psalm 100 proclaimed, ‘Serve the Lord with gladness.’”

Last week our bishop gathered with almost all of the priests serving in the Fall River Diocese for a study day at Stonehill College. At it, Bishop da Cunha addressed the priests and said, “Thank you to each of you for the work that you do, being the good shepherd in so many ways.”

In particular, the bishop thanked the many priests who accepted transfers to new assignments next month. He quoted one of them, who said to the bishop, “I am going to say yes, because I ... don’t want to be a stumbling block to the diocese.” The bishop noted that every priest said yes to his new posting.

The bishop quoted from a letter to the editor of the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle, written by parishioner Mike Murphy, who was responding to some folks who were criticizing the transfers and other pastoral planning efforts. Murphy wrote, “The Roman Catholic Church is far more than a parish or a town.” After reading that line, our bishop added, “The Roman Catholic Church is greater than Bishop da Cunha, or Father Frederici, or Father Wilson or any of us.”

Writing about what is going on throughout the diocese, Murphy mentioned, “Under the umbrella ‘Rebuilding In Faith and Hope,’ Bishop Edgar da Cunha has been reshaping the structure of parishes to meet the needs of the faithful, the clergy and staff that serve them. He specifically has shared that he is seeking to make the best use of clerical and lay talent. He has held ‘listening sessions’ throughout the diocese and is currently overseeing the work of seven diocesan commissions involving more than 300 laypeople and priests to deal with everything from communications and finances to youth and evangelization.”

Commenting on Murphy’s letter, our bishop said, “It is very inspiring when the laypeople tell us these things. I am so grateful to so many of the laity responding to these efforts. Sometimes they are ahead of us [clergy].”

“We stand together to do God’s work. It’s not about me, it’s about Christ,” Bishop da Cunha said at Stonehill.

The priests and bishop were gathered at Stonehill to hear the reflections of Bishop Christopher Coyne of Burlington, Vt., who gave a multimedia presentation on “Preaching the Word of God.” Bishop Coyne told everyone that the goal of preaching “is to form intentional disciples,” and he reminded them that that must “begin with ourselves.”

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 63, No. 10

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Bishop Coyne began with an overview of the challenges facing preachers today: tremendous demands upon priests (in terms of giving coverage at the same time to multiple parishes, hospitals, etc.); diverse, multicultural parishes; “older graying communities, loss of youth;” and the “digital culture.”

The Vermont bishop said that we’re not just losing the youth, we’re also losing people between the ages of 50 and 59. He said that the scandals are part of the reason, but not the only one. Many people say about Mass, “We don’t get anything out of it.”

Looking at younger generations, Bishop Coyne told the priests to not fall into the tendency of thinking of millennials as “junior yuppies.” He said that statistically there are also poor white millennials, as well as African-American and Latino millennials. As such, a “one size fits all” approach to ministering to millennials will be ineffective.

Bishop Coyne also mentioned “Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics,” a 2017 book from St. Mary’s Press of Minnesota. Among the sad information the bishop culled from that book was that the sixth grade was when many young people stopped believing in God and that 90 percent of the young people in the study said that “nothing” would ever bring them back to the Catholic Church.

Bishop Coyne told the priests not to give up in the face of this dismal information, but instead to see how they can respond to the “digital culture” in which almost everyone is immersed now. “Everything is influenced by it, therefore we need to market [Catholicism] according to it.”

The digital culture is one of “rapid decision making” (Bishop Coyne noted how people demand “instant response” to their text messages or emails), with very short attention spans. An effective Catholic preacher today needs to be responsive to this, using images and quick turns of focus during a homily so as to keep the congregation engaged with the message.

Bishop Coyne recalled good advice he had received in seminary preaching classes. “If you (the preacher) can’t remember your point, how can they (the congregation) remember it?” He quoted Father Jack Sullivan, a New Testament professor at St. John Seminary, who said that a preacher should ask himself, “Who was the hero of that homily?” If the hero wasn’t God, then there is a problem.

Bishop da Cunha asked Steven Booth rhetorically in his homily: “What is God’s plan for you? First, your own sanctification. Then the sanctification of all the people you are called to serve.”

This is what a good shepherd does. Just as a shepherd of sheep equips himself with dogs and his staff to help guide the sheep into green pastures, so today’s shepherds of souls are called to use the resources that exist today to help lead people into Christ’s pasture. As we buried a good shepherd, Father John Driscoll, this week, a man who used the printed word (founding The Anchor) and his oratorical talents to bring people to Christ, we are mindful that his personal example of prayer and sacrifice were also a powerful shepherd’s staff, as he guided people to The Lord. Please pray for all of our shepherds to be successful in God’s eyes.

Daily Readings † May 18 - May 31 Sat. May 18, Acts 13:44-52; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 14:7-14. Sun. May 19, Fifth Sunday of Easter, Acts 14:21-27; Ps 145:8-13; Rv 21:1-5a; Jn 13:31-33a,34-35. Mon. May 20, Acts 14:5-18; Ps 115:1-4, 15-16; Jn 14:21-26. Tues. May 21, Acts 14:19-28; Ps 145:1013ab,21; Jn 14:27-31a. Wed. May 22, Acts 15:1-6; Ps 122:1-5; Jn 15:1-8. Thurs. May 23, Acts 15:7-21; Ps 96:1-3,10; Jn 15:9-11. Fri. May 24, Acts 15:22-31; Ps 57:8-10,12; Jn 15:12-17.

Sat. May 25, Acts 16:1-10; Ps 100:1b-3,5; Jn 15:18-21. Sun. May 26, Sixth Sunday of Easter, Acts 15:1-2,22-29; Ps 67:2-3,5-6,8; Rv 21:10-14,22-23; Jn 14:23-29. Mon. May 27, Acts 16:11-15; Ps 149:1b-6a,9b; Jn 15:26—16:4a. Tues. May 28, Acts 16:2234; Ps 138:1-2ab,2cde-3,7c-8; Jn 16:5-11. Wed. May 29, Acts 17:15,22—18:1; Ps 148:1-2,11-14; Jn 16:12-15. Thurs. May 30, Acts 18:1-8; Ps 98:1-3ab,3cd-4; Jn 16:1620. Fri. May 31, Zep 3:14-18a or Rom 12:9-16; Is 12:2-3,4bcd,5-6; Lk 1:39-56.

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A new assault on the Sacramental Seal of Confession

resently all 50 states and the District of Columbia have statutes protecting and upholding the Sacramental Seal of Confession or, more generally, the inviolable confidentiality of some form of clergy-faithful communication.

There have been attempts to challenge it, like in 1996 when Oregon prison officials surreptitiously recorded inmate Conan Wayne Hale’s confession to Father Timothy Mockaitis and sought unsuccessfully to use it in court, or when in 2008 Rebecca Mayeux sued Father Jeffrey Bayhi and the Diocese of Baton Rouge for Bayhi’s allegedly not reporting to authorities what Mayeux says she had said to him in Confession in 2008.

Ultimately both attempts failed.

Now there are new efforts to undermine the absolute secrecy of priest-penitent communications under the mistaken idea that it will help in the fight against the abuse of children or teens.

We saw this last year in Australia where the territories of Tasmania, South Australia, and the Australian Capital passed legislation to force priests to break the Seal of Confession when someone confesses to them the sexual abuse of a minor.

We are now seeing it in California, where state Senator Jerry Hill has introduced a bill (SB 360) that would remove priestpenitent communications from the list of exemptions under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, in effect requiring priests to break the Sacramental Seal of Confession and file an abuse report should he find out in the confessional that a child is suffering some form of abuse. Priests in California, like 45 other groups of professionals, are already required to report abuse allegations if they become aware of them outside of the confessional. Now, if they fail to disclose what they heard in the confessional, they would be liable to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both.

The reason Senator Hill has given for introducing the bill is rhetorically powerful. It is about, he said, “the safety and

protection of children. Individuals who harm children or are suspected of harming children must be reported so a timely investigation of law enforcement can occur. The law should apply equally to all professionals ... with no exceptions period.

The exemption for clergy only protects the abuser and places children at further risk.”

Either one is on the side of children, he implies, or the side of abusers; the protection of children must trump any and all other concerns. The Church’s opposition and resistance to this egregious violation of religious freedom shows, some calumniously allege, that it is more concerned about its “rituals” than abused kids.

It’s noteworthy that Senator Hill is not going after, for example, the attorney-client privilege in his desire to advance child safety and protection, a failure that, some might argue, “only protects the abuser and places children at further risk.” It’s not just because such an attempt would face obvious Constitutional challenges from every defense lawyer in the country.

It’s because everyone acknowledges that as important as protecting children is, there is another important principle and set of rights involved: a recognition that in attacking attorney-client privilege for one noble cause — like the protection of children — the privilege in every circumstance would be undermined in such a way that a person’s ability to a fair trial might be severely compromised. Few politicians, even those who sincerely want to do everything possible to protect children, would subvert their own right to a fair trial.

I make this point because it puts into a relief an important part of the religious freedom aspect of what Senator Hill is trying to do. Attacks on the Sacramental Seal of Confession never come from those who regularly avail themselves of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. If politicians were frequent recipients of the Sacrament, I don’t

think they would be pushing for legislation to force priests to reveal the contents of any Confession, since TMZ and the National Enquirer would probably be willing to build a few posh basilicas in order to get priests to divulge the dirt that politicians and other public figures have confessed. Just like attorney-client privilege, the Sacred inviolability of the seal protects all who come, and only those who would never see a need for the service would take it for granted. The Sacramental secrecy allows everyone to

be able to approach for Spiritual help, including victims looking for healing or abusers with guilty consciences seeking forgiveness.

At a practical level, in the case of those who have suffered abuse, no confessor would simply send them on the way with pious platitudes, especially children. A priest would try to assist them to get help to deal with the trauma, to stop the abuse if it is ongoing, or to bring the perpetrator to justice. After building a rapport of trust, most would say, “After Confession, would you be willing to repeat these things to me outside of the confessional so that I could help you even more?”

This is routine, for all types of situations where a penitent needs help, and most take the priest up on the offer. If the penitent is not willing despite the priest’s attempts, then the priest has recourse to prayer, hoping that the seeds of encouragement and advice given will bear fruit and the person will eventually seek help. But in such a situation, it’s clear that the reason why the person would have come to the priest even to talk about it was because the person knew that the priest could never talk about it with anyone else.

Remove the protection of the seal and such conversations, which could be decisive first

steps, might never occur.

In the case of abusers, if they knew that priests would be de facto state informants legally obliged to betray their confidence and pass on their crimes to police at the risk of fines or imprisonment, do you think they would even go near a confessional? Child abusers are notoriously secretive. If one approaches a priest to deal with the guilt of what he or she has done, that’s an opportunity for priests to help the person get help and do reparation, including turning oneself in, as priests seek to do whenever serious criminals come to Confession.

It’s ludicrous to think confessors would give them three Our Fathers as a penance and send them on their way. Sometimes Confession might be one of the few chances to try to stop the abuser before others are hurt.

Remove the seal and these conversations will never happen.

Moreover, there’s the practical consideration that Confessions are often anonymous, not only behind screens but also with penitents coming to priests in parishes or shrines who do not know them. In such circumstances, would a priest be expected, as soon as someone mentions some form of abuse suffered or committed, to say to the intentionally anonymous penitent, “What is your full name and address?” and start to fill out a child abuse report, or somehow to restrain the unknown penitent until child protective services or the police arrive?

The last practical consideration is the most important: priests simply won’t break the seal, even at the threat of imprisonment or fines. They won’t break it, not just because they would be automatically excommunicated for doing so, but because they realize that it would totally undermine one of the two Sacraments that they uniquely are able to offer. By his ordination, a priest has made the commitment never to reveal what anyone says to him in the Sacrament of Penance, even to save his own life or the life

of another, to defend himself against a false accusation, or to avert a public disaster. The Sacramental seal is something that makes even the most humanly inadequate, faint-hearted, easily intimidated, conflict adverse and pusillanimous priest ready for heroism. Priests have made this commitment to facilitate others’ approach without fear to the Lamb of God to receive His mercy. Several priests, like St. John Nepomuk (d. 1393), St. Mateo Correa (d. 1927), Blessed Felipe Císcar Puig (d. 1936) and Blessed Fernando Olmedo (d.

1936) were executed for protecting it.

Few Catholics appreciate adequately not only this willingness of a priest to die to protect what they confide but also the fact that he routinely protects the secrets they whisper to God throughout his life into eternity.

Non-Catholics and those who don’t make use of the Sacrament of Penance would understandably appreciate this willingness even less.

Because of the priests’ inviolable adherence to the seal, however, bills like SB 260 are purely symbolic virtue signaling on the part of politicians and a way for a state to try to assert that the laws of God and the Church must be subject to the laws of the land. Over time, however, they could easily be used as a means to damage the Church, by prosecuting faithful priests as criminals for protecting whatever any penitent tells him, and by giving the faithful a reason not to frequent the Sacrament, under the hysteria that priests might somehow share what they say with third parties.

God always seeks to bring good out of evil. Two of the goods that we can pray God will bring out of the new phase of assaults on sacramental seal are, first, that people will grow in greater awareness and esteem for Confession and priests’ absolute willingness to suffer and die to offer it and to protect what people confess; and, second, knowing that heroic willingness, come to receive it more frequently and fruitfully.

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

May 17, 2019 †

7

T

(Roman?) Catholic — Part Six

he fourth installment of this series mentioned that Christian monasticism hails from the Coptics, with St. Anthony of the Desert as the founding father. He lived from the middle of the third century to the middle of the fourth.

Two hundred years later, another monk, St. Benedict, started a monastic movement in Europe which preserved European civilization at the time of the barbarian invasions. Because the Benedictine monasteries were centers or havens of learning and agriculture, St. Benedict has rightly been called “the Father of Western Europe,” “the Patriarch of Labor,” and “the Father of Peace.”

Midway in time between these two great monks, another Spiritual giant was gathering like-minded men for a monastery in Syria on the banks of the Orontes River. St. Maron died in the first half of the fifth century, just about halfway between St. Anthony and St. Benedict.

The monastery had around 300 individual hermitages associated with it. By the middle of the next century, the monastery was administering many parishes in Syria and Phoenicia.

Although St. Maron was Syrian, his disciple, Abraham of Cyrus, sought to convert the non-Christians of Lebanon to the Spirituality of his master. Today, the Church of St. Maron, the “Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch,” is almost entirely Lebanese, approximately three-andone-half million strong, with about half living in Lebanon and the rest centered in enclaves around the world.

At the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, three continents join: Europe, Asia, and Africa. While this is conducive to trade routes, 8

it has also been conducive to routes for armies and generals of ambitious kings and emperors. Lebanon has been trampled by Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Druze, Ottomans and others. It is no wonder that many Lebanese have fled to a diaspora.

In the United States, Lebanese immigration has had three phases. The first two phases, 1850-1920 and 1940-1990, saw mostly Christian immigrants, but now Lebanese immigrants are mostly Moslem.

While these families settled in many clusters across our country, not a few found home right here in this part of Massachusetts.

To care for the Maronite Catholics, Pope Paul IV gave them a bishop (eparch) in 1966. In 1971, a full diocesan structure was established as Eparchy of St. Maron of Detroit. This eparchy was transferred to Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1977, and in 1994 it was divided with the new Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon for the western part of the country with the cathedral located in Los Angeles, Calif.

When the Maronite Church gained organization and bishops in this country, Father Norman Ferris (a priest of the Roman Rite

† May 17, 2019

Diocese of Fall River and biritual because of his Lebanese heritage) became a Maronite priest, subject to the Maronite Rite. We have one other Roman Rite priest of Fall River at present who is biritual, Father Herbert Nichols. He is not Lebanese, but he loves their Liturgy and people so much that he obtained permission to regularly celebrate in both rites.

There are two Maronite parishes in the territory of the Roman Rite Diocese of Fall River: St. Anthony of the Desert in Fall River and Our Lady of Purgatory in New Bedford. Any Roman Rite Catholic is welcome to attend their services and fulfill Sunday obligation and receive the Eucharist. They are Catholic!

St. Anthony of the Desert Church is located at 300 Eastern Avenue, Fall River.

If you Google “St. Anthony of the Desert, Fall River” you can find much information about the parish and the Mass schedule.

Our Lady of Purgatory is located at 11 Franklin Street,

New Bedford. As with the Fall River parish, you can gain much information about the parish and the services if you Google the name.

Great joy came to the parish of Our Lady of Purgatory in New Bedford when one of their boys who grew up in New Bedford was ordained for the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn on Feb. 11, 1983. His name is Michael Thomas. Subsequently he became chorbishop on Dec. 12, 2005. He is now the vicar general of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn and the pastor of Heart of Jesus Maronite Catholic Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In the Roman Rite, the three Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist — are separated by several years for young people, but are celebrated together for adult converts to Christianity. In many eastern churches they are celebrated together for adults and infants. The Maronites celebrate Baptism and Confirmation (Chrismatization) together for infants and postpone Eucharist until the same age as Roman Rite children.

For several generations, the Maronites in this country have followed the Ro-

man Rite practice of celibate clergy. They are now returning to the tradition of ordaining to the priesthood married deacons who are mature and stable in their married lives and who are able to move with their family to wherever the bishop needs them.

Many people are fans of the TV drama “Blue Bloods,” but do not realize that some of the buildings that are regularly seen on the show are not police buildings, but the office buildings of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn.

Another connection of Maronites to the U.S. entertainment scene is found in the career of Amos Muzyad Yahkoobb Kairouz (19121991). If that name does not ring a bell, perhaps you knew him better as the star of “Make Room for Daddy” (1953-1964) and the founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His stage name was Danny Thomas.

The other Western Syrian Rites, Antiochian and Malankar, do not have a presence in our immediate neighborhood, so I shall move on to a brief examination of the North Syrian, or Cappadocian Rites, and in particular the Byzantine Rites.

Father Martin L. Buote is a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese and a frequent contributor to The Anchor.

H

ero! We all have heroes.

Well at least some of us do. So it is no surprise that in his most recent reflection, one of our Sacred Hearts men in California, Father John Roche, told how from his youthful days onward he had a devotion to St. Damien and marveled at his life and ministry.

Later in life John himself joined the very same Congregation of the Sacred Hearts and some time after ordination went to minister to the victims of Hansen’s Disease in our mission in India. He had been so inspired

by Damien that he wished to fol-

Salute to a hero

low his example.

In order to better minister to the patients there he soon found a teacher to help him with the local language. This lady had been a teacher and now was a leprosy patient herself.

During one teaching session she offered him some of the food she was eating.

He was absolutely taken by surprise at her offer and somehow he made up an excuse not to accept her offer.

That night was a terrible night for John. He tossed and turned while thinking about what he had done that day and how he must have affected the generous spirit of his teacher. He also thought about Damien, and how Damien would have responded to a similar offer and how in fact he had responded to so many patients during his 16 years in Kalawao and Kalaupapa.

Father John there and then determined that this would not happen again because he was not in India as a tourist but rather as a healer who would follow the example of St. Damien in imitation of Jesus Christ Himself. St. Damien was his hero.

Today here in Kalaupapa we do a lot of kissing and hugging of our beloved patients. Indeed, not too long after I arrived here in 2012, Boogie dubbed me the “kissing priest.” Let me tell you I’ve been called a lot worse. LOL! Meli has told me that I didn’t have to kiss her so much. Perhaps I need to use a different mouthwash! Of course it was very different here when St. Damien arrived on this peninsula on May 10, 1873. He knew that this was not the time or place to be aloof, to separate himself from his people.

From the moment of his arrival he knew that he must be one with his people if he was to gain their trust and have them put their faith in him as their friend and pastor. That is probably why, from the moment he arrived, he slept under the pandanus tree rather than in the shelter of the little church nearby which had preceded him by one year. From the start, St. Damien was in solidarity with his people.

Above, a statue of St. Damien of Molokai on the grounds of the Sacred Hearts Retreat Center in Wareham, is decorated to celebrate his 2009 canonization.

(Anchor file photo) St. Damien built their houses and enlarged their church. He bandaged their sores and after they had passed to the next life, he laid their bodies to rest in the nearby cemetery. He played with the children, put his strong arms around them in protection and wiped the tears from their cheeks. He shared his food with them and shared their food. He wielded a big stick to correct the wrongdoers and was gentle with the weak and the suffering. Then he joined them in their suffering.

It is now 146 years since St. Damien set foot on this rocky and barren peninsula. The prevailing winds still blow from the northeast and the Pali still towers above us, but the years since then have brought lush growth to this peninsula replacing its utter barren face of former times.

It is like that new life which St. Damien brought to this land and forever changed it. We salute you, St. Damien!

Aloha.

Anchor columnist Father Patrick Killilea, SS.CC., is pastor of St. Francis Parish in Kalaupapa, Hawaii.

May 17, 2019 †

9

Above and right, seminarian Steven A. Booth was ordained a transitional deacon by Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., during a Mass on Saturday, May 11 in his home parish of St. Francis Xavier in Acushnet. As a deacon, Booth will now be able to assist the priest at Mass and be an ordinary minister of the Eucharist, proclaim the Gospel and preach, baptize, and minister at other services. Booth, 26, grew up in Dartmouth and is the son of Harry and Mary Ann Booth of that town.

He is a graduate of Bristol County Agricultural High School.

(Photos by Janine Hammarquist) 10

†May 17, 2019

Taunton parishioners assist Scout with Eagle project, help make parish history come alive

By Dave Jolivet

JolivetDB@comcast.net

TAUNTON — When the majestic eagle takes flight, it soars so high above the terrain, it can see for miles and miles. Yet no matter how lofty or far it flies it always finds its way back home.

For one Boy Scout in Troop 22, near the end of a 10-year journey to becoming a distinguished Eagle Scout, he took flight on a project that would engage his fellow parishioners at Annunciation of the Lord Parish in Taunton, and together they found their way back home — its historical home, thanks to a well-planned and executed parish timeline endeavor.

Alexander Barbour, currently finishing his sophomore year at Coyle and Cassidy High School in Taunton, had completed six of the seven stages needed to become an Eagle Scout, including earning 21 Merit Badges. The last on his list was a service project to benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts.

Since Barbour was a life-long member of Annunciation of the Lord Parish and was active as an altar server, it was a natural fit that he prepare a project to benefit one of the places he loves most — his parish and its members.

It was decided that Barbour would create a parish timeline. “At first it was going to be relatively small in the church hall, but there were so many people who had pictures and stories to share about the parish’s long history that it grew to become four four-foot-by-six-foot shadow boxes,” he said.

Located in Taunton’s Weir Village, Annunciation of the Lord Parish formed in 2000 after the former Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Lourdes churches merged, thereby adding to and continuing the lengthy histories of both parishes.

“He loves his parish and is a faithful kid,” said pastor Father Thomas Costa. “He took on a huge task with faith, prayer and love. Family is a part of parish life and families wanted to share what they had. It’s important to remember our history.”

One of those who became active in the Scout’s project was the parish “historian” Phil Cronan, who has been there for more than 70 years.

“I go back a long time here,” Cronan told The Anchor. “My grandads were married here, and through the years I’ve talked with many priests about the rich history here. I was ecstatic that Alex chose this as a project.

“He came to me for some assis-

Eagle Scout Alex Barbour, second from left, stands before one of the four four-foot-by-six-foot shadow boxes that contain a pictorial history of Annunciation of the Lord Parish in Taunton, part of a project he led to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. With him, from left, are pastor Father Thomas Costa, parish historian Phil Cronan, Alex’s father Pierre Barbour, and his mom Brenda Barbour. (Photo by Dave Jolivet) tance and I told him, ‘You’ve come to the right person.’ The project was originally slated to be smaller in nature, but the more Alex got into it, the larger it became. He became instilled with a great interest once the project started to take legs.”

Not only did Cronan supply many of the photos, but more importantly, he explained what they were in the context of the parish history. It would have been one thing to have montages of photos of the Annunciation of the Lord history, but it comes to life when those photos tell not only the story in the picture, but the stories behind the pictures.

And the more Barbour worked on the project, the more help he got from the parish community, receiving photographs from Father Costa, Our Lady of Lourdes School,

Cronan, and parish families who were proud to share their piece of the history of the parish.

When he began more than six months ago, Barbour didn’t envision the finished project quite the way it ended up. What began as a small, but exciting road to the rank of Eagle Scout, ended up as a very impressive and informative entire wall in the church hall.

After months of collecting photos, interviewing people, building the shadow boxes and arranging the chronological timeline, the final step towards Barbour’s quest for the rank of Eagle Scout culminated with a reveal of “The History of the Parish,” at a New England Ham and Bean Buffet in the church hall, that also doubled as a surprise birthday party for its resident historian, Cronan.

“Alex wanted to make the project so people could see it,” added Father Costa. “Everybody has loved it and was impressed by the work he put into this. It came out really well, and it is so encouraging that it was a collaborative effort from many parish8 Turn to page 13 May 17, 2019 †

11

Hero to hero

W

hen Father Patrick Killilea was in the Fall River Diocese, I always enjoyed conversing with him; absorbing his joyful demeanor and quick wit. I once had the pleasure of serving on an Emmaus Retreat team with him.

When he was assigned to the Island of Molokai, fortunately he agreed to write a column for The Anchor. Again, I have always enjoyed his wit and heart. And with the move to Hawaii, he became affectionately know to me during Anchor staff meetings as “Father Ukulele.”

In this Anchor edition, Father Ukulele wrote about one of his heroes, St. Damien; a man who should be high on the hero list of every Christian and person of good will. Whenever our beloved priest in Hawaii writes of St. Damien or of St. Marianne Cope, I can’t help but think of my dear old dad, Larry.

As I have often mentioned in my column, Larry was one of my greatest heroes for just about everything he did in his 96 years on earth. I find it appropriate that I can make a connect with Father Killilea’s hero and mine.

Again, as I have often mentioned in columns, Larry enlisted in the

United States Navy shortly after the deadly attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. Despite the fact that they didn’t have a uniform to fit the height-challenged Jolivet (a French-Canadian trait that has carried on for a couple more generations now, much to my children’s dismay), he was quickly brought through basic training and sent out to the South Pacific aboard a Navy destroyer. At such a horrendous time, the country and the world needed as many able bodies as possible, no matter how large or small.

In his final years, when his mind and body were failing him, Larry shared the many troubling stories of war he endured aboard that vessel.

Not until his later years did he share any of them.

As he told them, I would look into his blue eyes and see he was back aboard that ship in the South Pacific.

There was one tale he would often repeat. One that stuck with him, and

Above and right: The Hispanic Community at St. Mary-Our Lady of Isle Parish on Nantucket portrayed the Living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. It was an incredible, very moving depiction of Jesus’ ordeal with the Roman authorities, from the time of His sentencing until His Body was taken off the cross and brought into the tomb.

(Photos courtesy of Father John Kelleher) 12

† May 17, 2019

has since adhered itself to my memory. Occasionally the ship he served on would travel north from Japanese territories to Hawaii to restock and for a brief respite from the horrors and anxieties of war. But the trips north weren’t totally without stress.

The Island of Molokai was still home to hundreds of Hansen’s Disease or leprosy patients who were ostracized from the rest of the world.

These folks and the people who cared for them endured great suffering from not only the disease and its ravaging effects, but also from being shunned by an entire planet.

If that weren’t enough, the U.S. military would use parts of the island for war exercises. In Larry’s case, the ship on which he sailed would use part of Molokai for target practice.

The five-inch guns would take aim at the tiny island. They weren’t firing where there was a human presence, but there is no doubt that the inhabitants of Molokai could hear and see

the shells blasting into the terrain.

Surely these people who already had more than their share of misfortune were terrified by the sights and sounds. Who knows if they even knew if the shells raining from the sky were friend or foe?

Larry knew very well who the island’s inhabitants were, and his heart bled for the people there and what they lived with every day of their lives. And his heart was broken for the fact that war ships were peppering their home with weapons of destruction and fear.

When the war ended four years later, Larry came home and made a point to regularly donate to the people on Molokai; a tradition he carried on for the rest of his life. When he was admitted to Catholic Memorial Home, I would look through his mail at my mom’s house and he was still receiving mailings from Molokai for assistance. That, too, left a great impression on me.

St. Damien just missed being a part of the ugliness of World War II, having died in 1940, but I’m sure Father Ukulele’s hero was smiling down on my hero as he kept the “misfits” of the world in his heart always. jolivetdb@comcast.net

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, May 19 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Freddie Babiczuk, pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Taunton

Sunday, May 26 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Andrew Johnson, parochial vicar of Corpus Christi Parish in East Sandwich

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, May 19 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Santo Christo Church in Fall River

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, May 26 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Espirito Santo Church in Fall River

Taunton parishioners assist Scout with Eagle Project continued from page 11

ioners. It helped to bring people together.”

The timeline won’t remain etched in stone though. Plans are to rotate different photos in the shadow boxes to enhance the historical aspect and keep it fresh and relative to more parishioners. Also the parish is looking forward to a significant anniversary, and the timeline is just the catalyst to propel the momentum. “God-willing, we will be celebrating our 150th anniversary,” Father Costa said.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my son,” said Barbour’s dad, Pierre Barbour, who became a Scout Master when Alex joined a decade ago.

“Scouting helps young people by setting good examples and and also having his mom, Brenda, and me behind him.

When he first started Scouting he was a shy little kid.

Scouting helps bring kids out of that shyness by providing a comfortable environment where they are encouraged and taught how to do things right and treat people right.”

The young Barbour told The Anchor that it was his mom who encouraged him to give Scouting a look.

“When I was at Our Lady of Lourdes School my mom said I should try it,” he said.

“I knew Scouting instills good values and that was important to Pierre and me as parents,” Brenda told The Anchor. “Good values are taught at home but Scouting reenforces them. Once he started he truly enjoyed it.”

Barbour attained the rank of Eagle Scout on April 23.

Looking back at his labor

of love, Barbour told The Anchor, “It’s a great accomplishment for me to have come this far. This was a project with a great time requirement. I feel a lot of pressure is now taken off.”

But with 10 years of Scouting on his resume, Barbour isn’t one who will just sit back and relax now. He aspires to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and hopes to become a mechanical engineer for the U.S. Marine Corps.

The way Alex Barbour has taken flight time and time again during his 10 years of Scouting, he has gained an eagle’s eye perspective of hard work, determination, and respect, so it should come as no surprise if he achieves the latest goals he has set for himself.

Our Readers Respond Legislators Yes, your legislators are waiting to hear from you.

I have asked our four legislators representing the Fall River area to stand up and all vote “No” on the proposed ROE Act legislation that would dramatically change current abortion law in Massachusetts.

One of the four has already committed to voting “No.” Another is thinking of voting “No,” stating they think the proposed changes just “go too far.”

Is removing parents from the right to stop their child from getting an abortion going too far? Is making it possible for a baby about to be born instead being killed

waiting to hear from you

in the mother’s womb going too far? Is allowing a child as young as age 12 to get an abortion without their parents’ consent or even being notified about the abortion going too far?

If you think that any of these situations is going too far, your legislator is waiting to hear from you.

They need your encouragement to stand up for what is right. Ask to speak with the legislator, or if not available, to phone you back. If you do not speak directly with your legislator, their receptionist, no matter how polite on the phone, will simply note your call as either for or against the legis-

lation. You need to make it clear that you are not just a number to be recorded, you are a supporter of the legislator doing the right thing and opposing the ROE Act because it just goes too far.

Senator Mike Rodrigues, office phone 617-722-1114; State Rep Carole Fiola, office phone 617-722-2430; State Rep Paul Schmid, office phone 617-722-2017; State Rep Alan Silvia, office phone 617-722-2230.

Thank you.

And when you talk with your legislator, do not be surprised if they say “thank you” for encouraging them.

— Daryl Gonyon Fall River

May 17, 2019 †

13

R.I. native appointed principal of Holy Family-Holy Name School

NEW BEDFORD — Joseph Branco, a current assistant principal and former teacher and technology specialist in the Chesapeake (Virginia) Public Schools system, will become the new principal at Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford, effective July 1.

His appointment was announced

by Fall River Diocesan Superintendent of Schools Stephen A. Perla.

Originally from Tiverton, R.I., Branco served in the United States Marine Corps for 22 years before beginning teaching at the elementary level in Chesapeake in 2002.

From the third- and later fourthgrade classroom, he then moved into educational technology within the system, working with teachers to incorporate technology into their daily instruction. In 2010, he was named an assistant principal, first at Southeastern Elementary then the George W. Carver Intermediate

Joseph Branco School, where he now serves. In his capacity as assistant principal he has had as areas of focus special education and the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program for students with cognitive disabilities.

In an introductory letter to parents of Holy Family-Holy Name stu-

Fall River Diocese to hold ‘meet the partners’ event for its new Academy EASTON — The Diocese of Fall River is introducing current and future students and their families to the new Academy’s initial academic and foundation partners. Opening in Fall 2019, the Academy will offer a curriculum that fosters critical and analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.

The event will take place on Tuesday, May 21 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. in Stonehill College’s McCarthy Auditorium in the May School of Arts and Sciences.

The evening will include the initial partners providing critical support to ensure the success of the Academy: the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Stonehill College, and Regis College.

In addition, the Academy is partnering with two foundations: The Carney Family Charitable Foundation and The SEAL Foundation, which provides specialized education for all learners.

The Academy, first announced in February, will initially serve Coyle and Cassidy School in Taunton and Bishop Connolly in 14

† May 17, 2019

Fall River in their home locations, said Superintendent Steve Perla.

The Stonehill College event is aimed at informing parents of the benefits the Academy will provide to students in the two initial affiliate schools: Coyle and Cassidy Middle and High Schools, and Bishop Connolly High School.

“As the Academy’s success builds, best practices and partnerships will be expanded to benefit the Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Fall River,” he said.

Partnerships with higher education, foundations, and corporations will help the Academy enrich its offerings in advanced science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities.

The innovative and effective instructional practices of the Academy will help prepare students to meet the educational and workforce needs of the 21st century in an intentionally Christ-centered atmosphere. It will offer support for faculty members to shift their instruction from traditional approaches to ones that emphasize personalized learning and projectbased instruction across the curriculum, Perla said.

dents, Branco said he is “humbled to have the opportunity to serve a school with such a rich Catholic education tradition!”

He explained his intention to continue the school’s “focus on Spiritual development, character education initiatives, the use of data to drive instruction, and to provide the consistent implementation of a rigorous core skills curriculum so that we continue to increase the achievement of all students.”

Superintendent Perla is excited to welcome Branco to the Holy FamilyHoly Name School community.

“Given (his) deep commitment to education and his extraordinary leadership abilities, we are confident that the school will continue to grow and provide a faith-filled and rigorous academic program for the children and families it serves,” Perla said.

Branco has also been very involved in Religious Education in and around the Chesapeake area, teaching various grade levels at two parishes and serving as a senior catechist in programs in the Richmond, Virginia, and Raleigh, N.C. dioceses.

He holds a master’s degree in Education from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., and an Educational Specialist degree in Leadership-Administration and Supervision from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, N.C. He is married and the father of three.

At Holy Family-Holy Name School, Branco will succeed interim principal Marianne McGlynn who will return to her previous assistant principal post.

F ocus

on

C hurch Y outh Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro recently recognized several world language students who attained national recognition for excellent performance on the 2019 National Spanish Examinations. Senior Megan McFarland scored first in the state in Level Six and junior Samir Kassem was first in Level Five Bilingual. Samir’s achievement is more distinctive because he also was the highest scorer in the U.S. in Level Five Bilingual. Both will be recognized at an awards ceremony at Regis College in late May attended by the Consul General of Spain. Pictured left, from left, are Vice Principal of Academics Anne Kennedy, Megan McFarland, Samir Kassem, Spanish teacher Joan Drobnis, and Principal Sean Kane.

(Photo courtesy of Gina Simoneau)

Below, Katie Carlisle, an eighth-grade student at Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford, recently heard the news that she had been chosen as the first place winner in the 2019 Bristol County Fire Safety Poster Contest. This is her second year winning first place honors.

(Photo courtesy of Margaret McCormick)

Bishop Stang High School senior and National Honor Society president Gage Ramsden recently raised funds in support of the Dartmouth Fire Department and presented a check in the amount of $1,000 in memory of fallen firefighter Christopher Roy. Fire Chief Richard Arruda, Captain Cory Pimental, and Assistant Chief Theodore Borges were on hand to receive the check from Ramsden and Donna McDougal. For his efforts in raising the money, Ramsden was awarded the Southeastern Region NHS Student of the Year at the State Leadership Conference at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester on April 3. Pictured above, from left, are Assistant Principal Kathy Ruginis, Assistant Principal for Academics and NHS Advisor McDougal, senior Gage Ramsden, Fire Chief Arruda, Captain Pimental, and Assistant Chief Borges. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Golden) May 17, 2019 â€

15

2019 Pope St. Pius X Youth Awards Young Catholics from parishes throughout the Fall River Diocese received the Pope St. Pius X Youth Award from Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., in the context of a prayer service on May 14 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. Nominated for the honor by their pastor, recipients are active in a variety of ministries and programs within their parishes. Some are lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, teachers in parish Religious Education programs; others are altar servers, leaders in youth groups, and members of retreat teams.

Award Recipient

Parish

City/Town

Thomas Canuel

Annunciation of the Lord

Taunton Pedro Navarro St. Mary’s Cathedral

Fall River Kevin Duarte Christ the King

Mashpee Max Cho Corpus Christi

East Sandwich Allyson Marie Holding Good Shepherd Fall River Madeline Peckham Holy Cross South Easton Joseph Robert O’Connor Holy Family East Taunton Christy Bogan Holy Name Fall River Luke Ryan Johnson Holy Trinity Fall River David Howell Holy Trinity West Harwich Caitlyn C. Joyce

Immaculate Conception North Easton Claricela Carranza Our Lady of Guadalupe New Bedford Elayna Rose Fernandes Our Lady of Mount Carmel New Bedford William Dalpe Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seekonk Mikayla Amado

Our Lady of the Assumption New Bedford Trever Blaze Our Lady of the Assumption Osterville Keiran Norton Our Lady of the Cape Brewster Veronica Cordeiro Furtado Immaculate Conception New Bedford Christopher Bresnahan Our Lady of Victory Centerville Grace Anne Brown Sacred Heart North Attleboro Nathan Alexander Botelho Santo Christo Fall River Martin Caron St. Andrew the Apostle Taunton Aidan Jude Goddu St. Anthony East Falmouth Miriam Cabral St. Anthony of Padua Fall River Eric Cardoza St. Anthony of Padua New Bedford Avery Gluchacki St. Bernard Assonet Samantha Landry St. Elizabeth Seton North Falmouth Catherine Anne Russo St. Francis Xavier Acushnet Caleb Martin St. George Westport Joshua Devlin St. Joan of Arc Orleans Austin Tyler Lopes St. John Neumann East Freetown Ryan Nicholas Affonso St. John of God Somerset Hanna M. August St. John the Baptist Westport Megan Connolly St. John the Evangelist Attleboro Athena Borges St. Joseph Fairhaven Nathaniel Klein

St. Joseph Fall River Taylor Marie Alves St. Julie Billiart North Dartmouth Jillian Fernandes St. Lawrence Martyr New Bedford Tory Rose Durand St. Louis de France Swansea Matthew Alexander Correia St. Mark Attleboro Falls Jennifer Elizabeth Dias St. Mary Fairhaven Jacob Miller Loncar St. Mary Mansfield Juliette Jane Welter St. Mary North Attleboro Richard Thomas Stanton St. Mary Norton Isaac Cowen St. Mary South Dartmouth Rosemarie Gurley St. Mary Taunton Michelle Elizabeth Gurley St. Mary Taunton Emmanuelle Marie Holmes St. Mary-Our Lady of the Isle Nantucket Zachary Rogers

St. Michael Fall River Abigail Leanora Cabral St. Nicholas of Myra North Dighton Karissa Alfreres-Schoonmaker St. Patrick Falmouth Erik George Zine St. Patrick Wareham Killian Powell St. Pius X South Yarmouth Ashley Ann Banalewicz St. Stanislaus Fall River William Smith St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Attleboro Reaghan Cadorette St. Thomas More Somerset Bella De Pietro St. Vincent de Paul Attleboro 16

† May 17, 2019

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks

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 23 Rev. William F. Donahue, Assistant, St. Francis Xavier, Hyannis, 1944 Rev. Alfred J. Guenette, A.A., 1995 May 24 Rev. James F. Clark, Founder, St. James, New Bedford, 1907 Rev. Patrick Heran, SS.CC., Former Rector, Sacred Hearts Seminary, Fairhaven, 1985 May 25 Rev. Michael P. Kirby, Former Assistant St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1925 Rev. James V. Mendes, Pastor, Our Lady of Angels, Fall River, 1961 May 26 Chorbishop Norman J. Ferris, Retired Pastor, St. Anthony of the Desert, Fall River, 2006 May 28 Rev. Lionel A. Bourque, Former Chaplain, Cardinal Cushing Hospital, Brockton, 1982 May 30 Rev. Jordan Harpin, O.P., Dominican Priory, Fall River, 1929 Rev. Edmond J. Potvin, Pastor, St. Jean Baptiste, Fall River, 1937 Rev. James M. Quinn, Pastor, St. John the Evangelist, Attleboro, 1950 Rev. Robert T. Canuel, Assistant, St. Anne, Fall River, 1993 May 31 Rev. Vincent A. Wolski, OFM Conv., Pastor, Holy Cross, Fall River, 1964

T

his past week we held our Junior Retreat. It’s on being called to be a leader. As we prepare for our seniors to leave us (this is the hardest part of my job … loving them for four years and then letting them go), we prepare our juniors to become the leaders in the school.

We discussed with them the qualities that make up a leader and we spoke much about our call to be courageous.

This need to be courageous has been stuck in my head since that retreat and is something that I even felt with this week’s Gospel passage on the Good Shepherd.

As one of our leaders spoke about the fact that a good leader is humble and courageous, we had the students think about what they consider courage to be. They shared with the people around them a time when they needed to use courage.

I invited them to share with the whole class that experience if they were comfortable and a few of

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

Courage is ... them did. I was blown away by the moments of courage teen-agers face every single day. Sharing our moments of courage however, allows us to see that we are not really that different from one another. Though the experiences may be different, the need to stand up and face what holds us back is universal.

I now have a banner outside my office that the juniors created.

The words “Courage is …” are written on the banner and using post-it notes, the students shared with us what they believed courage to be.

Here are some of those responses: “having hope even when times are tough,” “the ability to speak out when no one else does,” “believing you’re worth it,” and, lastly, “courage is not doing the scariest trick or leading a group of friends. It is doing the unusual for the better, risking reputation.”

I have always struggled

going to Reconciliation to priests whom I consider a friend. It’s that whole not mixing business and pleasure thing. Recently, however, I found myself in a real need to receive the Sacrament. My only option at the time was to ask a friend who I

was out with if he had his stole on him. I went to Confession, on the spot, with a good friend of mine.

I was so nervous but the grace in that moment was so much more than I could have ever imagined. Instead of being uncomfortable around him

now, I feel like I am more myself, since he knows the worst of my heart.

It takes courage to present ourselves in the Sacrament and admit that we are not perfect. It takes courage to stand up to friends who are making poor choices and let them know that you love them but you do not support their decisions. It takes courage for some people who suffer from anxiety and/or depression just to get out of bed in the morning.

We all have situations in our life that take courage for us to do and for some it might be simple, everyday tasks and for others it might be jumping out of a plane.

Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we are given fortitude to help us to do

what God has called us to do. This enables us to live out a life of holiness and gives us the strength to be who God calls us to be.

Maya Angelou said, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”

Scripture constantly reminds us to not be afraid and that all things are possible with God. Let us courageously lead others to a God Who loves us beyond all measure.

Anchor columnist Amanda Tarantelli has been a campus minister at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth since 2005. She is married, a die-hard sports fan, and resides in Cranston, R.I. She can be reached at atarantelli@ bishopstang.org.

Little Caesars’ Love Kitchen rolls into New Bedford continued from page three

We meet a lot of people in need, and we meet a lot of grateful people who really appreciate what we’re doing.”

In a recent press release, Little Caesars’ president and CEO David Scrivano said, “We know that it’s important to reach out to the communities where we do business and help make a difference. It is very rewarding to work with local charities and organizations to make sure we give back … as much as we can.”

For a few hours the hulking orange semi gobbled up much of the Sister Rose House parking lot. And for a few hours, a group of local people gobbled up slices of Little Caesars pizza — for

Liz Gonzalez, right, helps her fellow local Little Caesars employees distribute pizza at the Sister Rose House in New Bedford. Gonzalez also works for the Fall River Diocese’s Catholic Social Services at the Donovan House, also in New Bedford. (Photo by Dave Jolivet) some a rare treat in an otherwise difficult situation.

And for those few hours, a major worldwide corporation got together with local folks who work for area

Little Caesars and social workers to make a difference in someone’s life. It’s what social justice and community service is all about.

May 17, 2019 †

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Around the Diocese All are welcome to a spring Day of Silence with the Masters on Saturday, May 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. John Neumann Church, 157 Middleboro Road in East Freetown.

Come spend some time in silence reflecting on the teachings of St. Josemaría Escrivá, whose teachings are especially relevant to those with full and busy lives who want to infuse a deep Spirituality into daily life as “contemplatives in the middle of the world.” For registration or more information, contact Karen Howard at 508-947-0193 or klhoward@aol.com.

The Cape and the Islands Suicide Awareness Walk will take place on Saturday, May 18 beginning at 10 a.m. from Eldredge Park in Orleans. In 2017 on Cape Cod and the Islands, there were 40 deaths by suicide. The suicide rate for youth is twice the state average, and the rate of death by suicide for adults is more than one-and-a-half times the state average. For more information or to register online, visit www.sharingkindness.org.

The Diocese of Fall River’s Vocation Office is once again offering young women, ages 13-18 the opportunity to get away on an overnight retreat to be held on the grounds of the Dominican Sisters Convent, 3012 Elm Street in Dighton. The annual Called By Name retreat themed “A Path to New Life” begins on Friday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m. and concludes on Saturday, May 25 at 5 p.m. Dominican Sister Paulina Hurtado, diocesan assistant director of Vocations, said that the retreat is a great chance for girls to get away from the everyday routines and find peace, quiet, friendship and fellowship with like-minded girls. The theme is take from Psalm 16:11, “You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in Your presence, the delights at Your right hand forever.” The weekend offers girls a path that can lead them to make friends, share faith, learn, explore, enjoy interactive activities, and worship and thank God. The cost for the overnight retreat is $15 at the door (cash only). A parental permission form is required. The RSVP date is May 20. To RSVP (and receive the permission form) contact Sister Hurtado at sr.paulina@dioc-fr.org or call 909-496-2022 or 508-675-1311.

St. John Neumann Church will host its 35th annual Lakeside Family Festival on Memorial Day Weekend, May 24 to May 27, with free admission on Friday from 6 to 11 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from noon to 11 p.m., and on Monday from noon to 5 p.m. There will be a huge Barn Sale all weekend, along with amusement rides, entertainment, a car show on Sunday (rain date is Monday), and a great selection of home-baked goods, assorted food booths, games of skill and a grand raffle. For more information, visit www.sjnfreetown.org/lakeside-family-festival. Take the Chace Road exit off Route 140.

United Interfaith Action of Southeastern Massachusetts will hold two Community Action Meetings on Wednesday, May 22 at 7 p.m. at Santo Christo Church Hall on Columbia Street in Fall River; and on Wednesday, May 29 at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Church Hall, 47 South Sixth Street in New Bedford. All are welcome! United Interfaith Action has been bringing faith communities together since 1997, to work on issues of social justice in the cities of the Southcoast. Members from area congregations in the Fall River/New Bedford areas selected the issues of education and public safety. The Community Action Meeting will include state legislators, and the cities’ mayors, chiefs of police, and representatives from the school departments. For more information, contact Sandra Carreiro (Fall River) at scarreiro.uia@mcan-pico.org; or Andrea Sheppard Lomba (New Bedford) at andrea.uia@mcan-pico.org.

To honor the memory and mission of Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., Holy Cross Family Ministries invites all for an annual Celebratory Mass and Special Blessing for Families on Sunday, June 9 at the St. Joseph Chapel, 500 Washington Street in North Easton from 2 to 3 p.m. with Bishop William A. Wack, C.S.C., from the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla. The event is free and handicap-accessible and is open to all.

For more information, call 508-238-4095.

The King’s College London Choir is returning to the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, 327 Second Street in Fall River, on Friday, June 21 for a 7:30 p.m. concert. A reception will follow and tickets will be available at the door.

To submit an event for consideration in The Anchor’s “Around the Diocese” listing, please send the information by email to kensouza@anchornews.org.

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† May 17, 2019

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.

ASSONET — St. Bernard’s Parish will have Eucharistic Adoration every Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the altar at the conclusion of 9 a.m. Mass and the church will be open all day, concluding with evening prayer and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette holds 6:30 p.m. Mass followed by the Chaplet of Divine Mercy Adoration at 7:15 p.m. every Wednesday evening.

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. John the Evangelist Church, North Main Street, Mondays and Wednesdays from 5-6:30 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the St. Joseph’s Adoration Chapel at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 71 Linden Street, Sunday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. to 12 a.m., and Saturday 12 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Brewster — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Our Lady of the Cape Church, 468 Stony Brook Road, on First Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. buzzards Bay — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, every First Friday following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending at 5 p.m.

DARTMOUTH — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Mary’s Church, 783 Dartmouth Street, every First Monday of the month, following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending with evening prayers and Benediction at 5 p.m.

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 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Reconciliation, with Benediction at 11:30 a.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Anthony of Padua Church, on the corner of Bedford and Sixteenth streets, has Eucharistic Adoration accompanied by music and prayer every first Wednesday of the month from 6-7 p.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Anthony of the Desert Church, 300 North Eastern Avenue, has Eucharistic Adoration Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:45 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursdays following the 8 a.m. Mass until Friday at 8 a.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.

FALL RIVER — St. Joseph’s Church has a Holy Hour every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m., with Benediction at 6:45 p.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Michael’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with Benediction at 5:30 p.m.

Falmouth — St. Patrick’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration each First Friday following the 7 a.m. Mass, with Benediction at 4:30 p.m.

HYANNIS — St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis, 347 South Street, Hyannis, has Eucharistic Adoration from noon to 3 p.m., daily Monday through Friday.

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

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m. Each First Friday Mass ends with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Adoration continues until Benediction at 5 p.m.

NEW BEDFORD — Eucharistic Adoration is held every Thursday, with Confessions, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. James Church. 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 5:30 to 6:30 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 4 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 4 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.

NORTH EASTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Immaculate Conception Church Chapel on the first Wednesday of the month beginning after the 8:30 a.m. Mass, until 6:40 p.m. Those wishing to make a monthly commitment can sign up on the parish website at www.icceaston.org or call the parish office at 508-238-3232.

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.

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 until 9 a.m.

Taunton — The Chapel of St. Andrew the Apostle, 19 Kilmer Avenue, Taunton, will host Eucharistic Adoration Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Taunton — St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Taunton will host Eucharistic Adoration on Mondays following the 9 a.m. Mass and the St. Jude Novena, until 11:30, ending with Benediction. It will take place at Holy Rosary Chapel during the summer months.

WAREHAM — Eucharistic Adoration at St. Patrick’s Church takes place 9 a.m. Thursday through 7 p.m. Friday. 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.

† O bituaries † Father John P. Driscoll, co-founding assistant general manager of The Anchor FALL RIVER — Father John P. Driscoll, 94, of Fall River passed away Monday, May 6 at Catholic

Memorial Home.

The son of John W. and Julia V. (Curley) Driscoll, he was born in Fall River on the Fourth of July 1924 and was delighted to say the country celebrated his birthday.

He attended SS. Peter and Paul School, Msgr. Coyle High School, the College of the Holy Cross, and St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, Md. He was ordained May 31, 1947 by the Most Rev. James E. Cassidy at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, Fall River and retired from active ministry at the age of 77 in June 2001 after serving his final assignment as pastor of St. Lawrence Martyr

Church in New Bedford for 29 years.

His first assignment was as a curate at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Osterville, June 1947. His other assignments included: parochial vicar at St. Lawrence Martyr in New Bedford, December 1950; secretary and assistant chancellor to Bishop James L. Connolly, April 1954; parochial vicar at SS. Peter and Paul Church, Fall River, December 1956; administrator of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Swansea, October 1969; pastor at St. Lawrence Martyr in New Bedford, October 1972; and pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, New Bedford, while remaining pastor at St. Lawrence, New Bedford, June 1991.

Father Driscoll, along with Msgr. Daniel Shalloo, was cofounder of The Anchor, and was its editorial writer and assistant general manager for 19 years.

His other assignments in-

cluded being the first president of the Diocesan Priests Council; chairman of the Personnel Board; a member of the Board of Diocesan Consultors and Divine Worship Commission; dean of the New Bedford Deanery for many years; director of the St. Mary’s Education Fund; trustee of St. Mary’s Home of New Bedford, Our Lady’s Haven of Fairhaven, and Bishop Stang High School of Dartmouth; and moderator of the New Bedford Catholic Woman’s Club.

As Spiritual Director of the Missionaries of Charity, he gave a talk every Thursday for nine years to the Sisters, and one of the highlights of his life was meeting the order’s founder, St. Teresa of Calcutta, when she came to visit in New Bedford.

Father Driscoll was also a

close, personal friend of the late Cardinal Humberto Sousa Medeiros, accompanying him to Rome in March of 1973 when Cardinal Medeiros was created Cardinal Priest of Santa Susanna.

In 2000, Father Driscoll was named “Person of the Year” by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for his many accomplishments and for being a “priest dedicated to a life of service to God, our Father.”

In an interview with The Anchor on the 70th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, Father Driscoll noted: “It’s just a matter of living. I’ve done a few things, but everyday has been a highlight of my priesthood.”

Father Driscoll was the brother of the late Lillian (Driscoll) O’Boyle and the late Jean

(Driscoll) Bentley. He is survived by nephews, John O’Boyle of Enterprise, Ala.; Charles O’Boyle of New Orleans, La.; and Brian Bentley and wife Karen of Fall River; and nieces Jeanne O’Boyle of New Orleans, La.; Marilyn B. Rigby of Westport, and Jo Ann Bentley of Fall River; seven grandnieces and grandnephews; and seven greatgrandnieces.

He also leaves many longtime friends, including James Colbert of New Bedford.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated May 14 at St. Lawrence Martyr Church in New Bedford, with burial following in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Fall River.

Memorial gifts may be made to St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, 110 Summer Street, New Bedford, Mass. 02740.

Brother Marcel Valmore Sylvestre, F.I.C., former school principal SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Brother Marcel Valmore Sylvestre, 90, died on May 4 at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough after a year of gradual diminishment.

He was born July 20, 1928 in Biddeford, Maine, the son of Romeo and Florida (Mailhot) Sylvestre. He attended local Catholic schools before entering the Brother’s formation center in Alfred, Maine at the age of 12 and participated in the 1944-1945 novitiate session. Final Profession took place on July 1, 1970.

A graduate of La Mannais College (Alfred ’52) he did graduate work at Catholic University (D.C. ’61) and earned a Ph.D. in sociology at Ohio State (’75.)

His professional career as a high school religious teaching Brother was spent in Brothers’ Institutions in Fall River (1951-1958, 1960-1961 as principal); Plattsburgh, N.Y. (1958-1960); and Detroit, Mich. (1961-1966.) His association with Walsh University (then College) began in 1966, first as a professor of sociology and then as Aca-

demic Dean (1975-1980.) He was highly respected for his classroom excellence, fine administrative skills and diligent work habits.

At the congregation’s General Chapter in 1982 he was elected first assistant to the superior general, headquartered in Rome, assigned responsibility for English-speaking regions. He developed a great attachment to the mission regions of the congregation in Africa and especially to Haiti, where in 1999 he helped the local bishops established Univ. de Notre Dame d’Haiti.

In 1995 the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life appointed him for three years “Religious Assistant for the American Federation of the Sisters of the Precious Blood” with members in Maine, New Hampshire, and New York.

In August 1999, he began six years of service as project officer for Terre Sans Frontieres, based in La Prairie, Q.C., with special responsibility for projects in Haiti, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

Brother Marcel was predeceased by his brothers Paul

and George Sylvestre and his sister Anita (Gosselin) Tousignant and her step-son Paul T. He is survived by many nephews and nieces: Paul Sylvestre, Jr. and Marc S., of North Carolina; Marcel Denis Gosselin of Arundel, Maine; Claire G. of Boston; Normand G. of Jim Thorpe, Penn.; Lucy G. Vincent of Bishop, Calif.; Janet G. Lambert of Biddeford, Maine; Carol T. Abbott of Arundel, Maine; Joan (Sylvestre) Eckman, Angela S. and Suzanne S., all of Albuquerque, N.M.: George S. Jr. and Patti S. of California; along with spouses and two more generations beyond the abovenamed family members.

He will be greatly missed by his conference who are most grateful for Brother’s contributions to the U.S. Province and to the entire congregation.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on May 10 in the Brothers’ Our Lady Chapel in Alfred. Interment followed in the nearby Brothers’ cemetery.

Donations can be made in his memory to the Walsh University Scholarship Fund, 2020 E. Maple Street, North Canton, Ohio 44720.

May 17, 2019 †

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A subscription to The Anchor would make a wonderful gift for a loved one, a friend, or yourself. It’s a publication that provides a Spiritual uplift and keeps Catholics connected to our Church — locally and beyond.

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† May 17, 2019