thean Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year Southe.astern . I
FALL RIVER, MASS.
VOL. 50, NO. 20 • Friday, May 19, 2006
Reaching out to area's immigrants: CSS' legal office is hard at work By DEACON JAMES N.
DUNBAR
FALL RIVER - With Congress debating the most sweeping overhaul of U.S. Immigration Law in two decades, the best advice that can be given today's immigrants is "to stay infonned," says Atty. Ondine Galvez Sniffen. As coordinator of the Immigration, Legal, Education and Advocacy Project of Fall River's Catholic Social Services, Sniffen says she's hopeful that whatever the U.S. Senate and House come CA'''OUC _
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lions of illegal immigrants already in this country, "will allow useful programs that open a path to citizenship for them,"· she said last week. ILEAP is one of the many programs that receive funding from the Catholic Charities Appeal currently underway in the Fall River diocese. Although ILEAP has become the legal outreach to hundreds of cases a year involving area immigrants, the potential clients are a reported 60,000 immigrants that have found a home in communities within the region ofthe diocese, many ofwhich have become members of parish faith communities. And while most are legal immigrants, there are many illegals who also seek out assistance, Sniffen said. "I think a large percentage of the immigrants in our area are here illegally, because we have so many of them call us for consultation and advice."· "When illegals come in to ask
what we can do for them, we assess their cases. I tell them of the risks involved; that they can be picked up and placed in a detention facility. I frankly have to tell most of them, 'There's not really much we can do,'" she told The Anchor. "My advice to them if they are in this country illegally and choose on their own to stay, is to keep infonned of what's happening in Washington. We can't work outside the law." While there is a guest-workerprogram being worked on in the Sen__ cD ate, it is
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more favorable to undocumented workers than legislation passed by the House in December, she noted. Also in the mix are worries that any kind of guest worker program for the illegals will make it even harder for legal immigrants to get through the bureaucracy. Sniffen, who is married with young daughters and resides in Providence, R. I., has been with ILEAP for eight "busy" years. She is a 1997 graduate of Boston University School of Law. ''We provide direct legal services to immigrants who have legal issues. We also provide community outreach by way of education when there are new developments in immigration law and design workshops to educate the community about changes in the law and how it will impact thelp," she said. "We're receiving many calls Turn to page 19 - Immigrants
THIS eNS artwork features caricatures of director Ron Howard, author Dan Brown and actor Tom Hanks. The movie "The Da Vinci Code," released today, is based on Brown's novel that contends Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and fathered a child and also portrays Opus Dei as a secretive Church cult that is plotting to take over the Church. In this edition, The Anchor will rum several op-eds and informative stories Catholics need to debunk the untruths. about Christ and his Church. (CNS illustration/ Lucas Turnbloom, The Southern Cross)
Local author g'oes beyond debunking 'The Da Vinci Code' By MIKE GORDON ANCHOR STAFF
FALL RIVER - After Dominican Father John Vidmar read "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown, he started to think it was anti-Catholic. He felt that Catholic teaching and the history.of the Church were being misrepresented. When he got a call from Paulist Press asking him ifhe wanted to write a book about it he didn't hesitate. That book is entitled, "101 Questions and An-
swers on The Da Vinci Code and the Catholic Tradition," and it's not just another in a long series of works by numerous authors to denounce the claims of Brown. It goes beyond that and gives readers a look into the rich history of the Church and Catholic tradition. "After reading 'The Da Vinci Code,' I realized it was anti-Catholic," said Father Vidmar who also stated he felt the book was an important one for Turn to page 12 -Author I,
Msgr. John'J. Smith preparesjor the next phase oj his priesthood By DAVE JOLIVET,
EDITOR
across the Diocese of Fall River in a wide range SOUTH YARMOUTH - After spending just of capacities. Included in Msgr. Smith's long list of assigna few moments with Msgr. John 1. Smith, pastor of St. Pius X Parish, one doesn't get the impres- ments were serving as the diocese's longest runsion that he's on the verge of retirement, nor that ning vocations director, from 1965 to 1997, and ministering in some of the diocese's largest parhe's ready for that step. "I've been a priest for 47 years," he told The ishes. "My priesthood duties have been challenging Anchor, "and I've been blessed and have lived a but not difficult," said Msgr. Smith looking back very happy priesthood." The New Bedford native was ordained a priest over the past five decades. "Through the years, for the Diocese of Fall River by Bishop James L. I've never lost my enthusiasm for parish minisConnolly in St. Mary's Cathedral on April 25, try." . Young John Smith was one of nine children born 1959. The young ordinand was one of 16 men who to the late Ambrose Smith and the late Nora (Sparentered the priesthood at the cathedral that day. He celebrated his first solemn Mass the next row) Smith. His sister Mary Nora Smith is a Religious Sister of Mercy. day at St. Lawrence Church in New Bedford. As a boy, he attended Holy Family grammar Since that joyous day, Msgr. Smith has faithfully and diligently served God and Catholics Turn to page 18 - Monsignor
"I'M READY t9 open the door in the next phase of my priesthood," said Msgr. John J. Smith, during a recent Anchorvisit to the rectory at S1. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth, where he has been pastor since 1989. (Anchor/Jolivet photo)
. the ancholS1
Friday. May 19, 2006
.j NEWS FROM THE VATICAN - - - - - - - - - -
Loving marriage of man, woman can benefit all society, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS)-Only total, self-giving love based on marriage between a man and woman can fonn a solid enough foundation for building communities and can benefit all ofsociety, said Pope Benedict XVI. There is a "special urgency" today to avoid confusing marriage with "other types of union based on a \yeak love," he said in an address to participants attending an international congress on the family. "Only the rock of total and indissoluble love between a man and a woman is capable of being the base for the building of a society that can be a home for all people," he said in his text. In a recent audience in the Vatican, the pope met with families and other participants attending an international congress celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family. The May 11-13 congress was titled "Loving Human Love: The Heritage ofJohn Paul II on Marriage and the Family." Pope John Paul founded the institute in 1981, the same year he created the Pontifical Coun-
cil for the Family. Pope Benedict said his predecessor saw the need to continue studies and promote Church teaching on . marriage, life and the family in order to tackle "the difficult moments that followed the publication of that prophetic and always timely encyclical" by Pope Paul VI, "Humanae \itae. " Pope Benedict said in his encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est" ("God Is Love"), that he sought to illustrate how God is showing his people the way to love others. The image of there being one, monotheistic God "corresponds to monogamous marriage," he said. "Marriage based on an exclusive and definitive love" for another person mirrors God's relationship with his people and vice versa: ''The way ofloving God becomes the measure ofhuman love," the pope said, quotA PALESTINIAN woman receives food supplies donated by the Israeli Islamic movement ing from his encyclical. in the West Bank city of Jenin. A Vatican source said that the Holy See viewed favorably Marriage represents the union of efforts by some countries to devise a temporary international fund to deliver money to Pallife and love and becomes an "auestinians, bypassing Hamas. (eNS photo/Abed Omar Qusini, Reuters) thentic good for society." Authentic love between a man and a woman in marriage becomes "a light that guides one's life to fullness, generating a society that humankind can live in," he said.
Vatican weighs in on U.S. reaction toward Iranian, Palestinian issues
Pope, meeting with Venezuela's president, expresses concern VATICAN CITY (CNS) Pope Benedict XVI expressed his concern over the nature of reforms under way in Venezuela, specifically concerning abortion, religious instruction in public schools and the independence of Catholic media outlets. During a private audience in the Vatican with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the pope underlined some ofthe Vatican's concerns during their 35-minute, closed-door encounter and in a letter he handed the president at the end of their talk. One issue the pope mentioned was the importance of "the protection of life from its beginning," said a written statement released by papal spokesman Joaquin NavarroValls. While the country's educational reforms include giving wider access to public education, especially to the poor by building more schools and eliminating entrance fees, the
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pope said he was worried about moves to eliminate religious instruction from the curriculum. He also said he hoped the country's Catholic University of Santa Rosa could always hold on to its Catholic identity. The Vatican statement said the pope ''underline,d the need for independence for Catholic mass media" and that he reaffirmed "the Holy See's freedom to nominate bishops." Chavez told the pope that he would take into account the Holy Father's concerns and assured him of his intention to "overcome tensions concerning people's legitimate rights," the Vatican statement said. Church officials have accused the government of trying to restrict democracy, and they supported the 2002 military-led coup against the president. Chavez has denounced Church leaders as being elitist.
OFFICIAL*NEWSPAPER OF THE . DIOCESE OF ,FAilL RIVER
Published :"eekly except for two weeks in July andthe w~ek atter Christm~?by% the Catholic Press of the ,Diocese of Fall River,887 Highlalfd Avenue,Fall River, . MA 02720, Telephone 508·675·7151 - FAX50 75-7046, E-mail: theanchor@anchornews.org. Subscription price bY mail. $14.00, per year. Send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA,call or use E-mail address Member: Catholic Pre$~ Ass®iation, New EnglartdPresS"<'\ssoc1'lllion,Calhaile NeW'Scrvlce . PUBLISHER· Most Reverend George W. Coleman. . .,. EXECUTIVEEDITOR Father RogerJ. Lancrry ~ry@JnchotneWs"org EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchotnews.org NEWS EDITOR ' Deacon James N.Dlinbatllmdtlnbar@inchorne\Vjj;org,tt REPORTER Michael Gordon mlkegordon@anc:homews.org OFFICE MANAGER Mary Cl1ase mary~l!ase@anc"9tnew ••org t . Send Letters to the Editor to: theanchor@anchomews.org PO~ sendaddJ:'ess charlges tQ 'The Anchbr';P.O. Box 7;:!Fl\l.J RlVet.·~ ot'722. THE ANCHOR (USPS-545.Q20) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River. Mass.
By JOHN THAVIS CATHOLIC NE~S SERVICE ,
VATICAN CITY - Two topics looming large in the world arena - the Hamas-led Palestinian government and Iran's nuclear program - are drawing close attention these days from the Vatican's foreign policy experts. On the Palestinian situation, the Vatican believes Hamas should be pressed to moderate its positions, but it opposes the U.S. and European strategy of cutting off foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority. On Iran, the Vatican has encouraged the Iranian government to cooperate more fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure that its nuclear program is peaceful. At the same time, Vatican officials believe military intervention aimed at forcing Iran's hand would be disastrous. Vatican sources spoke to Catholic News Service in early May, following a series of quiet diplomatic meetings on Middle Eastern developments. On May 9, Kurt Volker, a U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, briefed the Vatican's No.2 foreign policy official, Msgr. Pietro Parolin, on these and other issues. Meeting with reporters afterward, Volker underlined areas of U.S.Vatican agreement, including opposition to terrorism. Part of the reason for the U.S. and European cutoff of funds to the Palestinian government, Volker said, is to "ensure that we are not condoning or supporting terrorism in any way." .
The United States is using the funding freeze to pressure Hamas to renounce violence, to recognize Israel's right to exist and to accept previously negotiated peace agreements. . Vatican sources said the Holy See shares those three goals but completely disagrees that an economic boycott should be used to achieve them. "Cutting off funds may strangle Hamas, but it also is strangling the Palestinian population. This is not the way to proceed," one source said. He said the Vatican viewed favorably efforts by some countr:ies to devise a temporary international fund to deliver humanitarian funds to Palestinians, bypassing Hamas. The Vatican also believes that it may take time for Hamas to moderate its policies, and that this should not be viewed as an absolute precondition to dialogue. At present, the sources said, the Vatican continues to deal with the Palestinian Authority through the office of President Mahmoud Abbas, a member of the less-militant Fatah Party. The Holy See has not sought direct contact with Hamas but would not exclude it should Hamas want to open talks, the sources said. The Vatican believes this more flexible approach to Hamas might help encourage moderate voices inside the organization. After all, the sources pointed out, for years the Palestine Liberation Organization refused to accept Israel's right to exist, but eventually became a dialogue partner with Israel.
Economic disruption as a political tactic does not find favor at the Vatican. In the Vatican's view, even if the strategy causes the Hamas-led government to collapse, the long-tenn consequences would be more resentment and radicalization of the Palestinian population. Iran's nuclear program which Iran says is solely for civilian uses - poses a whole different set of challenges, and the Church is only marginally involved. But the Vatican has had occasion to convey its positions to both U.S. and Iranian diplomats in recent weeks. When Volker visited Rome, he said he assured the Vatican that the United States was pursuing a diplomatic approach to curbing Iran's nuclear program. The Vatican has explained its position to Iranian officials on more than one occasion. Iran has a large embassy to the Holy See and appears to take a great interest in pronouncements by Pope Benedict XVI and others at the Vatican. In his Easter message "urbi et orbi" (to the city of Rome and the world), the pope reportedly pleased the Iranian di plomats when he said that problems linked to nuclear power require "an honorable solution ... for all parties, through serious and honest negotiations." The pope also strongly defended Israel's "just right to exist in peace." Some felt that was directed at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."
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Friday, May 19, 2006
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THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH Just solutions can defeat terrorism, archbishop tells U.N. assembly I
FATHER ROMAN, a Pauline monk who resides at the Jasna Gora Monastery .in Czestochowa, Poland, reads from the Book of the Votive Offering in the sacristy. The monC!stery, which houses the famous icon of the Black Madonna, is one of the world's most popular Marian shrines, attracting more than 4.5 million people each year. (CNS photo/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier) .
Jasna Gora: Poland's Marian shrine is 'heart ofthe Church' In the 1980s, despite commuWARSAW, Poland (CNS)When Pope Benedict XVI arrives nist-imposed obstacl~s, pilgrimat the Marian shrine of Jasna Gora ages increased fourfold, underlinMay 26, he will be stepping in the ing Jasna Gora's role as a place footsteps of his Polish predeces- where religious devotion and nasor and generations ofCatholic pil- tional survival were fused. grims. Today, visitors can stand on the Visitors to Jasna Gora ("Bright battlements overlooking Holy VtrMountain") are reminded of Pope .gin Avenue, which cuts through John Paul II's words when he first Czestochowa, and feel the wind returned to communist-ruled Po- drifting up from the coal mines of land in 1979: "So many times we Silesia. Warsaw, the Polish capicame here to this holy place ... to tal, lies 150 miles to the north. The listen to the beating of the heart of undulating-countryside around is . the Church and of that of the moth- dotted with ancient castles. Jasna Gora's ornate library, erland in the heart of the mother." Twenty-seven years later, much treasury and armory contain artihas changed in the surrounding . facts deposited by pilgrims, as well textile city of Czestochowa, but as weapons captured from invadeach year Poland's national sanc" ers and insignia ddnated by royal tuarystill draws an endless stream patrons. They also house gifts from Of Christians, young and old, concentration camp survivors and healthy and infirm, rich and poor. testimonials from visiting heads of Jasna Gora has been attracting state, from the 15th-century King pilgrims for six centuries. For Wladyslaw Jagiello to former PolPoles, it's a place rich in symbol- ish President Lech Walesa. The high-vaulted baroque baism and national memory. Most Poles assoclate Jasna Gora with . silica was rebuilt after a fire in personal experiences - from 1690, and most adjacent buildings World Youth Day.in 1991 with date from the same period; they Pope John Paul, when 1.4 million include the Knights Hall, once a . youths converged there, to the' meeting place fot Poland's Senate. mournful days in April 2005, when In the Chapel of Our Lady, the .300,000 gathered there during the Black Madonna hangs above the pope's death and funeral. altar, surrounded by thousands of In 1384, Ladislaus of Opole, a pennants.. According to legend, St Luke prince of the Jag.iellonian dynasty, built a special chapel to house the painted the icon on a plank from . Black Madonna, entrusting the Christ's family home at Nazareth. painting to monks from Hungary's The two scars on Mary's face were Pauline order. Records of large pil- cut by Hussite' swords 550 years grimages date from 1627, when ago. The picture i~ so revered that townsfolk rrom Gliwice came to it is kept veiled in silver and is thank Mary for saving their town shown only at fixed hours. from the Danish army. Last year, more than 4.5 million But the monastery's intricate for- people visited the hilltop monastifications also m~de it an impor- tery. More than one-third' of the tant defense bastion. Jasna Gora . visitors were on organized pilgrimwithstood attacks by Hussite ma- . ages, and 166,000 arrived on foot. rauders and Swedish armies and Pilgrims came from Poland and 74 even survived explosive charges left other countries; the largest continby retreating Germans in' 1944. gent was from the United States.
UNITED NATIONS (CNS)- far outstrip the cost of a major iniJust solutions to polttical, social tiative now to strengthen public and economic problems frustrating health systems' capacity to cope young immigrants worldwide '''can with such a terrible eventuality." On weapons, he said, "it must rob terrorists of the oxygen of hatred" and thwart efforts to "recruit be the COIlUl1Dn goal of states to the impressionable," the Vatican's secure, and wherever possible representative to thell United Na- eliminate, nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological weapons tions said recently. :, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, and implement effective domestic the permanent represeptative ofthe and export controls on dual-use Holy See to the international body, materials related to weaptms of spoke before the Geqeral Assem- mass destruction." Archbishop Migliore also spoke bly during its'informa1consultations before the U.N. Economic and on a counterterrorism, strategy. ''The political, social and eco- Social Council's Commission on nomic exclusion of immigrant Sustainable Development, saying communities stokes the frustration that recent progress appears modof young people an.d has led to est "when placed beside a soberbreakdowns in order in some ing global picture." There is particular need for places; but the dem~d for a just solution to these questions remains changes in energy ¡systems world" . a legitimate one," tHe archbishop wide, he said, since "current approaches are causing serious harm said. . "By resolving such questions to human health, the earth's cliswiftly and justly, na;tions can rob mate and ecological systems on terrorists of the oxygen of hatred which all life depends, and because and of grievances, ~eal or imag- access to clean, reliable energy ined, by which they attempt to le- services is a vital prerequisite for gitimize their evil deJds and recruit alleviating poverty." the impressionable,'; he added. The archbishDP also expressed Archbishop Migliore also en- concern about potential water couraged U.N. efforts to address shortages, food insecurity and the' bioterrorism and arms buildup effects of climate change. and to "incorporate a cultural and "Even if greenhouse gas emisreligious component in its global sions were to be stabilized at present levels - an unlikely eventuality as I strategy." "When religion'sltrue nature is things stand - the global warming rightly understood and lived out, trend and sea-level rise would conit caD. become part 6f the solution tinue for hundreds of years, due to rather than the problem," he said. the atmospheric lifetime of some The Vatican nuncio called greenhouse gases and the long time bioterrorism "a grav~ but serio\lsly scales on which the deep ocean adunderaddressed threat" and said justs to climate change," Arch"the cost of doing ,pothing could bishop Migliore said: I'
More than two million Communion hosts were dispensed during 58,000 Masses at Jasna Gora's various altars, while more than 676,000 request and thanksgiving cards were left before its fabled Black Madonna icon~ according to monastery data for 2005. Each year, at least a third of Poland's 9,000 Catholic parishes' organizy a pilgrimage to the shrine.. The high point comes each summer during the August 15 feast of the Assumption and August 26 feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa, when more than 100,000. pilgrims traditionally arrive at the shrine on foot.
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THE CHURCH IN ·THE UNITED STATES
Cardinal McCarrick resigns; . Bishop Wuerl succeeds him
ETHAN FALLEUR, a sixth-grader at St. Bonifate School .in Fort Smith, Ark., gives a demonstration for first lady Laura Bush recently of how he enters prescription drug benefit in~ formation on the Medicare Website for local senior citizens who are enrolling in· Medicare Part D. (eNS photofTara Little, Arkansas Catholic)
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WASHINGTON (CNS)- Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick Tuesday and named Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh to succeed him as archbishop ofWashington. The pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop Joseph L. Imesch of Joliet, III., and appointed Bishop 1. Peter Sartain of Little Rock, Ark., as his successor. The changes were announced in Washington by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apo~tolic nuncio to the United States. Cardinal McCanick has headed the Archdiocese ofWashington since 2001 and previously served as archbishop of Newark and bishop of Metuchen, both in New Jersey, and as an auxiliary bishop in the New York Archdiocese. As canon law requires of .all bishops, the cardinal submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict when he turned 75 July 7. But he announced at a September meeting with archdiocesan priests that the pope had asked him to stay on.
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he became secretary to New York's ·Cardinal Terence Cooke. He was named an auxiliary bishop of-New York in 1977, the first bishop of the newly fonned Diocese of Metuchen in 1981 and archbishop of Newark . in 1986. He was named to the College of Cardinals less than three weeks after his installation as head of the Washington Archdiocese, becoming the fourth archbishop of Washington in a row to be appointed a cardinal. Donald William Wuerl, bom Nov. 12, 1940, in Pittsburgh, received seminary training in Ohio, Washington and Rome before his Dec. 17, I Q66, ordination in Rome. He eam~d graduate degrees from Catholic University and two pontifical universities in Rome - Gregorian University and the University of St. Thomas. He worked at the Vatican, 196979, returning to Pittsburgh after Cardinal Wright's death to serve as vice rector and then rector of St. Paul's College Seminary. In 1982 he was appointed executive secretary to Bishop John A. Marshall of Burlington, Vt., for a papally mandated study of U.S. seminaries being conducted by Bishop Marshall. Named an auxiliary bishop for ·Seattle on Dec. 3, 1985, he was ordained to the episcopacy by Pope John Paul II on Jan._ 6, 1986. Following a two-year Vatican investigation of Seattle Archbishop Raymond G. Hunthausen, the Vatican directed the archbishop in, September 1986 to delegate to Bishop Wuerl final decision-making ·authority over several aspects of Church life. He was given complete authority over liturgy, the archdiocesan Church court, seminarians and priestly fonnation, laicized priests and moral issues of health care and ministry to homosexuals. Archbishop Hunthausen's authority was restored in May 1987. Bishop Wuer! was name~ the 11th bishoR of Pittsburgh and installed . there on Feb. 12, 1988.
Sirius, New York Archdiocese to launch Catholic radio channel
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One ofCardinal McCanick's first activities in retirement occurs Sunday, when he will be the commencement speaker at Stonehill College's 55th commencement at 10 a.m., on the college quadrangle in North Easton, Mass. He will address approximately 550 graduates. Cardinal McCat:rick will receive an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree. Archbishop Wuerl, 65, has been bishop of Pittsburgh since 1988 and is well known for his nationally syn~ dicated television program, 'The Teaching of Christ," and his bestselling adult catechism of the same name. His most recent book, 'The Catholic Way," was published by Doubleday in 2001. Appointed an auxiliary bishop of Seattle in 1985, he also served as a seminary rector for five years and worked at the Vatican for 10 years u\1der Cardinal John J. Wright, a fonner bishop of Pittsburgh who headed the Congregation for the Clergy. In his new post, Archbishop Wuerl will be spiritual leader of a Catholic population estimated at 579,000 in a total population of 2.6 million. The Pittsburgh diocese has some 800,000 Catholics in a total population of more than 1.9 million. His installation as archbishop of Washington is scheduled for June 22. Born July 7, 1930, in New York, Theodore Edgar McCanick studied for the priesthood at the New York archdiocesan seminary and was ordained a priest on May 31, 1958. After ordination he was assigned to The Catholic University of America in Washington, where he earned'a master's degree in social sciences and a doctorate in sociology while serving first as an assistant chaplain and later dean of students and director of development. From 1965 to 1969 he was president of the Catholic University of Puerto Rico. Heretumed to New York in 1969 as archdiocesan associate secretary for education, and the following year
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NEW YORK (CNS) - Beginning this fall, the new Catholic Channel on Sirius SateUite Radio will air nationally seven days a week, 24 .hours a day, featuring Catholic-oriented talk shows, music program-' ming and live daily Masses from St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. The new channel is to be operated jointly by the New York Archdiocese and Sirius. Programming also will j.nc1ude , franciscan' <Ouest Jhom;e human interest and inspirational stories, shows offering counseling i, Alittle taste'of Heaven on Earth i 26 Beach Avenue' Kennebunkport, Maine and guidance and educational programs, as well as "regular and pre: (207) 9674865 viously una¥ailable content from g i WWW.1rancisc.an ues. t.h.Ou. s.e.com ..... / IlitJillfil ~;"~'-" ... ~.~ the Vatican," the New York-based
Sirius said in a news release. Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York, who Sirius said would be a "prominent contributor" to the new channel, called it "a splendid opportunity for the Church." Mel Karmazin, CEO of Sirius, said the company's partnership with the New York Archdiocese "is a significant step forward in our·... mission to provide our listeners with the finest and most distinctive Christian programming on radio'-" Other religious-themed programming on Sirius includes EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network, at channel 160.
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Friday, May 19, 2006
the anch~ news briefs Theologian urges Hispanics to be more involved in ecumenism SAN JOSE, Calif. - Hispanic Catholics and Protestants should engage in more ecumenical sharing, collaboration and witness, Jesuit Father Thomas P. Rausch told a national gathering of Catholic ecumenicalleaders recently. Father Rausch, a theology professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, spoke at a luncheon of the National Association of Diocesan Ecumenical Directors, held in conjunction with the National Workshop on Christian Unity in San Jose. Over the past 40 years "the ecumenical climate has changed forever" in the U.S. Catholic Church's relations with most Orthodox and Protestant churches, Father Rausch said. But among Hispanic Catholics and Hispanic Protestants, he said, "in spite of some recent initiatives, the old hostilities are still strong.... Tltis is particularly regrettable, given the rapid growth of the Hispanic community in the U.S. and the high level of Hispanics who continue to practice their Christian faith." Jobs improve quality of life for center's workers SUPERIOR, Wis. - Roy Breezee, Maxine Greely and Erin Smet are among 130 developmentally disabled adults who have a better life because of the Challenge Center, a nonprofit agency developed by the Superior diocesan Catholic Charities Bureau. Smet helps grow and harvest tomatoes at Bay Produce, the center's 1.5-acre greenhouse complex that produces tomatoes year-round. Breezee inspects the tomatoes for damage as he packs them for shipment. Greely - whose 33 years at Challenge Center make her one of its most senior employees - used to work in the greenhouses until her arthritis made it too hard to stay on her feet all day. Now she assembles pneumatic couplings. Challenge Center also has commercial contracts for such things as groundskeeper services, janitorial work and the shredding of confidential papers. Catholic Charities began developing the employment opportunities in 1969 as part of a broader program to meet the needs of Douglas County's developmentally disabled adults. The Challenge Center program also includes residential facilities and therapeutic, work, recreational and social services. Pope tells ambassador young people can help renew Europe VATICAN CITY - If European young people are encourag~d and supported, they can help renew Europe with their idealism and spiritual values, Pope Benedict XVI told Bulgaria's new ambassador to the Vatican. UnfOltunately, the pope said, young people often have difficulty finding their place "in our societies too exclusively centered on consuming material goods and on the individualistic search for wellbeing." Pope Benedict welcomed the new ambassador, Valentin Vassilev Bozhilov, during a recent audience. He told the ambassador that young people need support in keeping their spiritual and moral values strong both for their own development and so that they can contribute to building a more just society and a better world. The pope asked Bulgarians, for the good ofEurope, to hold tight to their spiritual and cultural values as their country prepares to enter the European Union in 2007. Youth who fights autism turns basketball phenom GREECE, NY - The story line was already compelling enough: Autistic team manager makes varsity basketball debut in final bome game of senior year. Crowd goes wild as he checks in. But Jason McElwain's coach upped the ante, asking God to let the young man come away with one basket. What happened next, according to Coach Jim Johnson, "was divine intervention." McElwain scored not one, but seven baskets - including six three-pointers - in Greece-Athena High School's 79-43 win over Spencerport February 15. He led all scorers with 20 points, even though he dido't enter the game until midway through the fourth quarter. The shocking performance, as well as the wild postgame celebration in which fans and players engulfed him, has been replayed on media outlets everywhere. The video can still be accessed on Internet news sites by typing "Jason McElwain" into a search engine. Virginia student takes second place in national competition FALLS CHURCH, Va. - For Willie Johnson, an eighth-grader at St. James School in Falls Church, the word "interstitial" meant the difference between first and second place in the Reader s Digest National Word Power Challenge. Willie has competed in the Word Power Challenge since fifth grade and made it to the state level the past three years. This year, he won the state competition and represented VIrginia in the national competition held in late April in Orlando, Aa. Willie was excited when he first made it to the top 10 in the national competition, then into the top five. The word that finally stumped him was "interstitial," an adjective referring to the space between things. That word was the space between the $25,000 first prize and Willie's $15,000 second prize. The competition tests vocabulary as the students pick from four multiplechoice answers. Besides knowing the definitions, they must understand synonyms and antonyms and otberconcepts. Aftereach question is asked, the student has 15 seconds to respond.
FILOMENA DeANDRADE displays the Catholic Memorial Home Employee of the Quarter Award she received during a recent ceremony. In addition to the award, she was given a reserved parking space and a cash award. From left: Lorraine Stone, nursing supervisor; Sherrie Grime, nurse; DeAndrade; Mary Hoxie, nursing supervisor; and Thomas Healy, administrator.
Pro-Life official sees signs of hope in latest polls WASHINGTON (CNS) - For the first time since the Harris Poll began measuring support for the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that removed most state restrictions on abortion, fewer than half of all Americans said they favor Roe v. Wade. Even though the Harris question erroneously stated that Roe v. Wade legalized abortion only in the 'first three months of pregnancy, only 49 percent said they supported the law and 47 percent said they opposed it. With a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points, the responses were almost equal. In earlier years, support for Roe v. Wade in the Harris surveys had ranged from 52 percent to 65 percent. Deirdre McQuade, director of planning and information in the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for ProLife Activities, said the Harris Poll released May 4 concurs with other recent surveys in showing that "public opinion has moved progressively away from supporting unqualified access to abortion." 'This is a real sign of hope for both women and their unborn children," she said in a statement. McQuade noted that an April survey by the polling company found that 54 percent of respondents support abortion only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother and another 21 percent backed it only in the first three months of pregnancy. Those opinions are "a far cry from the abortion license established by Roe v. Wade, which allows abortion for virtually any reason throughout the nine months of pregnancy," she said. "We expect that Americans will continue to trend Pro-Life as they learn more about abortion and its impact on women, men and society."
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Pent~cost Celebration Thursday, June 1st St. Anthony's Church 12.6 School St Taunton "
Gathering at 6:30 p.m. Holy Mass at 7:00 in English Celebran~: Father
Edward A. Murphy
Music Ministry led by: Father Henry S. Arruda
Bring your P,rayer Group Banners & Stands. This evening is sponsored by the Diocesan Service Committee. For more info or "directions, call Mary Leite at 508-822-2219
LAKESIDE FAMILY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
MAY 26-29 ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH
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CATHEDRAL CAMP-E. FREETOW
NON-$TOP I?A , . . AfILY FUN!·
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T HE LANDING The Catholic fatwa
It should be obvious from the amount of pages dedicated in this edition to "The Da Vinci Code" that we do not think that ignoring it is prudent. The world in which Catholics are called to be salt, light and leaven has not ignored it, as more than 40 million copies of the book from which the movie has been adapted have been sold world-wide. Nor will the world likely disregard any film with Ron Howard as director and Tom Hanks as lead actor. But even if the popularity of the book and the film were minimal, the Church has learned some valuable lessons in recent decades about why it is not wise to try to stay "above the fray" and ignore mendacious fictional works. One case in point is the 1963 play "The Deputy" by Rolf Hochhuth, which invented the tale that Pope Pius XII did nothing to help the Jews during World War II. Contemporary critics panned the play, but most in the Church thought that Hochhuth's calumnies were not worthy of a strong response. After all, everyone at the time - from Jewish and world leaders, to humanitarian agencies, to the international press, to survivors - had long praised Pius XII for his many diplomatic and personal achievements in saving thousands of Jews from certain death. But Hochhuth had planted some weeds and the weeds were not pulled up. Over the course of time, they took over the garden, as his easily disprovallies became the commonly-accepted version of what happened. Too many were either too gullible or too lazy to examine the facts. With ''The Da Vinci Co<ie," the stakes are higher and the darnel more noxious. Through the mouthpiece of character Leigh Teabing, Dan Brown reveals a "secret" known by certain enlightened historical figures but suppressed by the Church: that Jesus Christ was not divine, that he was married to Mary Magdalene who herself was the Holy Grail in whom Jesus deposited his precious Blood, and that their children became medieval French kings. He portrays Jesus as an ancient hippie, who violated his own call to self-denial and to being "eunuchs for the kingdom ofheaven," and who instead opted to preach and live free love and new age spirituality. But Brown doesn't stop there. He attacks Christ's body, the Church, as well. The history of the Church, Brown asserts, is just a big power grab. ''The early church literally stole Jesus from his original followers," Teabing alleges, "hijacking his human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it to expand their own power." Lies against Christ and the Church he founded are nothing new. Jesus himself was framed by slander and some of the Jewish leaders bribed the Roman guards to lie about his resurrection. The Church, likewise, has weathered calumnies across the ages and will weather these. But Catholic disciples cannot overlook the fact that these defamations are becoming more frequent and that more people, even Catholics,'are proving susceptible to believing them. From the "Code" to the "Gospel of Judas" to the Diane Sawyer special on "Pope Joan," many after the clergy sexual abuse scandals seem prone to believe that Church leaders are capable ofconspiring to hide almost anything. That's why, out of love for Christ, for the truth and for others, the Church must respond forcefully to Brown's lies. One positive sideeffect of ''The Da Vinci Code" is that people are now raising questions about Jesus and the Church everywhere - at work, in school, in Church adult education programs, at cocktail parties. Faithful Catholics must be prepared to seize the moment, answer their queries and catechize. For most of us, that will require some homework. Thankfully, in addition to this edition, there are many new books and Websites dedicated to presenting the evidence against Dan Brown's fabrications. Catholics are urged to study and assimilate their contents. The Catholic fatwa against this modem Salman Rushdie must be to present the truth boldly in love. Should a Catholic attend the movie? Some of the faithful obviously need to see it for apostolic reasons, to be able to respond to the questions others will ask about the film. It has been suggested that Catholics who wish to go for this reason refrain from attending on the first weekend, in order to dampen the initial hype associated with a huge debut. Others have recommended, if it is possible to do so in a familiar cinema, to try to buy a ticket for another movie starting at the same time and use it to enter, so that one's money would not go into the pockets of those who are trying to profit from blasphemy. For people to attend in other circumstances would seem to show a lack of love for the Lord. Very few of us would ever pay money to see a movie - no matter how famous the actors or gripping the storyline - if the essential background was the lie that our heroic mother was . an adulteress or a whore and that our brothers and sisters were a bunch of power-hungry deceivers. We love our mothers and siblings too much for that. We should love our Lord even more.
Friday, May 19, 2006
the living word
A MARBLE PLAQUE,
13, MARKS THE SPOT OF THE 13, 1981. THE SHOOTING TOOK
PLACED IN ST. PETER'S SQUARE MAY
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST POPE JOHN PAUL PLACE ON THE FEAST OF
OUR LADY OF FATIMA,
II MAY
AND THE LATE POPE ALWAYS CREDITED
MARY WITH SAVING HIS LIFE. (eNS PHOToIMAX ROSSI, REUTERS)
"BUT THE LORD IS FAITHFUL, AND HE WILL STRENGTHEN AND PROTECT YOU FROM THE EVIL ONE" (2 THESSALONIANS 3:3).
The dictatorship of relativism It was a tenn that raised some eyebrows and even made some think that the one who used it would face opposition for it. It was during the homily at Mass, prior to the opening of the conclave to elect a successor to Pope John Paul the Great, that then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger warned that the world is building a "dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires" (Mass Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice, April 18,2(05). The following day, when Cardinal Ratzinger emerged from the conclave as Pope Benedict XVI, his controversial phrase gained added attention. What the new Holy Father was referring to is the current tendency in democmtic societies to disregard, ignore and deny the truth, and to punish those who insist on and are faithful to the truth. This new fonn of dictatorship occurs when society imposes as the official public policy the theory of relativism, the belief that there is no such thing as a fixed, objective truth, but mther only subjective beliefs that are subject to change overtime. Immediately following the use of this term, some commentators suggested that it would surely eliminate Cardinal Ratzinger as a candidate for the papacy, since it was considered a sign of his provocative and unyielding nature. Many others thought that it was an exaggemted claim, sounding a false alarm, and an unfair description of the new age of tolerance. But here in Massachusetts, we are seeing the accuracy of our new Holy Father's description of the
current political and cultural reality. What the Holy Father described is coming to pass. Last week, it was reported in a secular newspaper that the chief of the rescue squad in the town of Truro was not reappointed to the board of fire engineers, after being accused of bias by one of the town's selectmen, simply because he signed a
petition in support of the constitutional amendment defining marriage as what it is - a union of a man and a woman. In effect, he was punished by the civil authorities for taking a stand in the name of truth. This is a perfect example, even if only a small one, of the dictatorship of relativism, and it is a sign of worse things possibly to come. When Cardinal Ratzinger warned of this new fonn of dictatorship, he was merely repeating the warning frequently made by Pope John Paul II throughout the years of his long pontificate. In 1991, John Paul II noted, ''Nowadays, there is a tendency to claim that agnosticism and skeptical relativism are the philosophy and the basic attitude which correspond to democmtic fonns of political life. Those who are convinced that they know the truth and finnly adhere to it are considered unreliable from a democratic point of view, since they do not accept that truth is determined by the majority, or that
it is subject to variation according to different political trends" (Centesimus Annus, 46). In a later encyclical, Pope John Paul II again observed that much of modem culture is characterized by ethical relativism, according to which an objective truth shared by all is considered unattainable (Evangelium Vitae, 69-70). Such a theory, the Holy Father insisted, is simply insufficient as a moral basis for a democracy, which is a moral political system only if it embodies and promotes objectively moral goals. "It must be observed," wrote the Holy Father, ''that if there is no ultimate truth to guide and protect political activity, then ideas and convictions can easily be manipulated for reasons of power. As history demonstrates, a democracy without values easily turns into open or thinly disguised totalitarianism" (CenJesimus Annus, 46). The idea that our democmcy is becoming a dictatorship may stiLI sound far-fetched to many, but not to those who have already been punished by local authorities for defending the truth. The dictatorship of relativism requires that citizens remain neutral on moral issues and refrain from believing or teaching that certain actions are moral or immoral or that certain beliefs are true or false. This, however, is something that we Christians simply cannot do, as we are required by our faith to believe and defend the truth. It is our task to help our society rediscover those objective moral values, ''values which no individual, no majority and no state can ever create, modify or destroy, but must only acknowledge, respect and promote" (Evangelium VItae, 71).
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Friday, May 19, 2006
71
Teachers: Special people, special roles Our parish of St. Rose of Lima includes more than 25 aldeas, or villages, and each has a patronal feast day. The community in Cerro Bonito (the name means "pretty hill") celebrates the feast of the Holy Cross on the third of May and a group of us from Guaimaca make the hour-and-ahalf trip to the aldea for the feast Mass. After the Mass we are offered a meal of rice and chicken with tortillas. A young teacher, Melissa, sat at the table with us. She is one of two teachers at the school in Cerro Bonito where there are approximately 65 children in grades one through six. In Melissa's class there are 35 children. When asked what is the most difficult part of her job, she' pauses to think for a moment and responds, "trying to teach the children who are at different levels of learning." She explained that while one method may work for a few children, the same method is not helpful for others. Her challenge is to find a method of teaching that works for each of the' children. Her students come with different abilities, including some with learning disabilities,
however each of them is part of . challenges of trying to make the lessons comprehensible for their her class. She said that she . wants to be able to reach all the路 students. They get to know each student and the way that the children and help them learn student learns best. These . their lessons well. dedicated teachers realize that As she talks about her they are making a difference experience as a teacher, she can because they can see the more quickly describ~ the progress. Although the chalrewards that she has found: the lenges.are great, the rewards are exponentially greater. We all remember the teacher who toof- th~ extra time and patience to help us learn, who gave us the affirmation to continue on, who spent unseen time preparing lessons that gave us the foundation for later learning. knowledge that she is helping The similarities between the children to learn, the ability home and Honduras are remarkto touch their lives, and the able. Although the living reality of making a difference. conditions are worlds apart, the This is readily evident during life and ministry of teaching are the sign of peace at the feast Mass. Melissa walks over to her . the same.. Teachers making a little students who are with their difference; developing young minds to create a better society. parents and offers them the sign Melissa was at the community of peace. The children are widecelebration of the Holy Cross in eyed as their teacher shakes Cerro Bonito as just another their hand or gives them a hug. member of the community. Then they look at their mother However, in the hearts and minds with a big smile, feeling special of her students, she is so much because the teacher greeted more. She is "the teacher," who them personally. selflessly gives so that others So many of the teachers back might have a better life. home do the same kind of work. www.HonduranMission.org They experience the same
,
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MELISSA, above left, teaches 35 children in grades one through six at a school in Cerro Bonito, Honduras. Her students are of all ages and have different learning abilities and developmental stages.
Th'egospel' Qf Forrest and Opie '''Aunt Bee, Aunt Bee! Pa, pal Come a runnin', we got something to tell you!" "Opie Taylor, you get and your friend get back there, wipe your feet and close the door this instant!" "Yes m'am~" "Son, what's all the commo~ tion about here?" "Pa, me and my friend Forrest here, you remember Forrest from the next town over, we just pulled off the best prank yet, it's . going to be so funny." "Hmmm, son, is this prank going to hurt anyone?" "No pa, you know that everyone in the world loves me and good old Forrest. We're just a couple of friendly, trustworthy loving country boys. We've become bosom buddies. "And that's part of the prank, pa. It helps us fool alot of people. We'll make 'em sleepless in Seattle, all the way to the streets 'of Philadelphia." "Opie, you're making me a little nervous with all this prank talk. You better tell us more." "Okay, Aunt Bee. Remember how a couple of years ago, you got me that neat motion picture camera for Christmas? Well, me and Forrest have made one of those feature motion pictures based on a book we read." "So far that doesn't seem harmful, or prankish for that matter."
"It's not, Aunt Bee. You see, the book is about that painting by a man called Leon Vincent or .something like that." "Do you mean Leonardo da Vinci, son?" "Yeah pa, that's the. guy. Well anyway, this guy Dan Brown, or Charlie Brown, or something like that said tIi.e picture of the 'Last
Supper' has some kind ofsecret code in it." "Opie, do mean the painting we have hanging in our sitting . room?" . "Yes'm Aunt Bee." "Opie, what possible code could there be in that wonderful painting of Our Lord and his Apostles?" "Oh Aunt Bee, the book is full of mystery and suspense and secrets and stuff like that. It's great!" "Son, I wish you'd get to the point of this prank, I've gouo pick up Deputy Fife soon." "Okay, pa. Well since it's my motion picture camera, I'm the director and because everyone loves good old Forrest Gump so much, he's the star."
'!Go on, son, get to tDe prank part." . . ''Well, in the motion picture, Forrest, I mean Robert Langdon, searches for the real meaning behind the code in the painting. He finds out that there's a secret Catholic group called Opie Day or something like that is covering up the real facts of Jesus' life. "And, get this, that Jesus was really married to Mary Mag-something, and they had kids.! "Pa, was does Aunt Bee look so funny?" "Son, I think Aunt Bee was just called home to the Lord." "Why pa? Why did . .she have to go now?" ''Well son, I guess it was just her time. And maybe you helped her along by telling her a story that went against everything she believed about Jesus." "Pa, do you think our little prank about Jesus in Mr. Brown's book can actually hurt people?" "Look what it did toAunt Bee son. There are some people out there who will believe anything they see on the motion picture screen, son." "Pa, do you think me and . Forrest did something bad here? Do you think this will put an end to my happy days?'" . ''Well, the only thing I can tell you is that stupid is as stupid does, boys. Stupid is as stupid does." Comments are welcome at davejolivet@anchornews.org.
. III.
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II SUNDAY - The Maestro's Men FOR THE KIDS", Extreme Inflatable Obstacle Course!!
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Friday, May 19, 2006
Godis love For more than 40 years my family belonged to the parish of S1. Elizabeth of Portugal, <> which, until it was closed six years ago, was located on Tucker Street in Fall River. For , those who may remember, our church was small in size but beautiful in its simplicity. During my teen-age years a simple banner hung on the , ambo that read "God Is Love." I often would look to those words and remember that the true person of faith is the person who accepts God's love and brings that love to others. In the second reading of today's Mass, we read from the first letter of St. John, "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.", As Christians we are faced. with the challenge of being loved by God and of loving one another. The love of which St. John speaks is a love that finds its, origins in the love that God has for each one of us. The daily challenge that God's
from the Acts of the Apostles, love presents to us is to show "In truth I see that God shows forth his love to others. no partiality. Rather, in every At times it is difficult to natiQn whoever fears God and accept God's love. The reason acts uprightly is acceptable to is because we often do not find him." , ourselves to be lovable. We ask Once Vie accept God's love questions like: "Why should God love me?" ';'1," .C,' ;;:'-c.~/ziF2_ "I am not a perfect ,",omily of the Week person, so why should I expect God to care for, Sixth .sunday meT' o~ Etaster Thes,e questions come into our minds ~~. ;';~tf:0r an'd hearts because we Maurice O. Gauvin know our own faults and failures, our in our lives, we then must try shortcomin~s and sins. Thereour very best to show that love fore, we feel in a sense to others. This is an even unworthy of God's love. greater challenge. We are Worthy or not, we are loved by human beings and our capacity God. God has told us ~o by to love is diminished by our sending into the world Jesus human emotions. It's easy to his only son, who died for our show love to the neighbor that sins and rose from the dead so is caring, understanding and that we may have eternal life. generous, but it's hard to be Each and every one of us' is by loving towards the guy next that fact worthy Of the dignity door who plays his CD player of God's sons and daughters. at full blast at 2 a.m. in the That is why St. Peter was able summer with the windows to say in today's first reading
, open, or to the lady that always God, their Father. At times he takes your parking place. was very curt and to the point But whether the person when speaking with the next-door is soft and cuddly Scribes and Pharisees. Parents like a bunny rabbit or prickly do not stop loving their child like a porcupine, we are still when he or she does wrong, required by God to love them. . but rather out of love try to . When Jesus came correct and guide the child among us as a man, he along the path of life. didn't love only those Sometimes being a person of who loved him in love also calls us to speak out return, but rather he against the many injustices that showed forth the love are carried out against the poor ,of his Father to all and socially marginalized. people. Our capacity Christian love can and does take to love should never many forms. At times love can be diminished by be calming and healing, at other whether or not a times, challenging and COITecperson treats us with love. A tive, and yet at others, life giving true Christian loves all people. and supportive. No matter the Sometimes, however, that form that love takes on, it is the love needs to be tempered with fruit of God's love for us. justice and polite correction. True Christian love is meant When we read the pages of the to bear fruit and the fruit of love Old Testament, we see how . is love: love of God and love of often God admonished the one another. Jesus is the vine of people of Israel, although he God's love, we are the branches. never stopped being their God. Let us bear fruit in the name of In the Gospels Jesus often Christ Jesus our Lord. corrected the crowds that he Father Gauvin is pastor of spoke to with love so as to St. John the Baptist Parish in help them to come closer to New Bedford. '
,Parents~ rights wrong that in Massachusetts Parents' in Lexington; demand that public schools refrain from becoming advomen can marry men? Does she " Massachusetts complained to cates for controversial political say that Susie's mother is school officials about the proagendas. In areas where there wrong and God doesn't care homosexual reading material who you marry as long as you are strong differences of given to their elementary opinion, the school should are in love? Does she accuse school children. School offiSusie's mother of intolerance, present both sides fairly or cials refused to remove the avoid the subject entirely. Since homophobia, or bigotry? material or notify the parents elementary school children can No matter what the teacher' before such material was hardly be expected to presented. The parents felt they understand the ramificahad no option but to take their tions of this issue, the case to court. At issue was a book for subject should be avoided. second-grade students in which Parents have every a prince disdains the available right to demand that princesses and 'instead chooses children not be lied to. instead to "marry" a prince. Princes can't marry The picture book ends with a By Dale O'Leary princes. Courts and prince-to-prince kiss. I legislatures may grant Massachusetts law protects licenses. Justices of parents' right to be informed peace and clergy may perform 'chooses to do at this point it is about sex education and to going to be wrong., The topic ceremonies. Same-sex couples exempt their children from ' may exchange vows, but that should never have been introprograms they deem inapprodoesn't make them married. .duced. The school should not priate. In this case, however, Two men or two women cannot have taken it upon itself to school officials insist that this complete the unique act that enter what is clearly an explois not sex education but toler. makes a marriage. " sive political and religious ance training required by the The 'prince book will inevita- issue.' Schools should not be Massa@Piusetts's court-ordered bly creatt< a hostile environment places where captive audiences change in the definition of 'marriage. ' for some children. Consider the of vulnerable children are propagandized by special The parents are more than - following scenario: the teacher interest groups. justified in their concerns. Fairy reads the prince book in class. IUs true that, parents have stories are far more important Susie goes home and tells her allowed a great deal of mommy that princes can marry influences on children than propaganda to masquerade as princes. Mommy doesn't want classes on human biol0gy. to go into the biological details ' education, but that is no Stories shape' our view of the excuse. Somewhere a line bas world. The advocates for the and so she offers' a theological to be drawn. While the prince redefinition of marriage know response, "God says that men ,marry women, not other men." book is overt propaganda, the this. They are constantly reading material in most Susie goes back to school and complaining that they live in a elementary schools has tells the teacher and the rest or heterosexist world where the class that princes can't already been passed through stories of princes marrying marry princes because God an ideological filter. Any princesses enforce "gender doesn't like it and the teacher is positive recognition of innate stereotypes." They want to change the stories/ because they faced with a dilemma. Does she sex ditferences has been believe that this will change the let the comment pass?'I~oes she screened out. Children are presented with a unisex world. world. try to silent Susie? Doesshe tell the class that Susie is Of course, all the unisex Parents have a right to
Truth and Compassion
books in the world aren't going to convince a healthy , little boy that there are no differences between boys and girls. All this brain washing will accomplish is to make him feel guilty for noticing the differences. Some may ask: What harm can the prince book do? The answer is: a great deal. During elementary school, boys and girls are supposed to go through a latency period during which they focus on developing same-sex frjendships. Exposing boys oJ this age to pictures of boys kissing will create confusion. A second-grader may worry "If I really like my buddies and don't like girls, am I gay?" Some boys may conclude they are when they aren't. Most will become nervous about enjoying healthy friendships with other boys and tease any boy who does. An important development stage will thereby be sabotaged. For decades Catholic parents made great sacrifices to send their children to parochial schools because they wanted to assure that they received a Catholic education. As overt anti-Catholicism in society decreased, many parents felt comfortable about sending their children to public schools. If the public schools become instruments of a political agenda ,or worse explicitly ridicule Church teachings, .' parents may have to rethink this decision. It is interesting that
some Baptists and Evangelicals are taking a hard look at the ways in which public education is propagandizing for the gay agenda. ' It is sad that parents must fight for their inalienable right to control the education of their children in the courts and that kindergarten classrooms have become the battleground of the culture wars. '
Dale O'Leary is an internationally recognized lecturer and author of "The Gender Agenda: Redefining Equality." She regularly lectures in ' ' Massachusetts in support of the Church's teachings on the gift of human sexuality.
Daily, Readings' May 20 May21
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May 22 May 23 May 24
May 25
May 26
Acts 16:1-10; Ps 100:2,3,5; In 15:18-21 Acts 10:2526,34-35,44-48; Ps 98:1-4; 1 In 4:7-10; In 15:917 Acts 16:11-15; Ps 149:1-6a,9b; In 15:26-16:4a Acts 16:22-34; Ps 138:1-3,7c-8; In 16:5-11 Acts 17:15,2218:1; Ps 148:12,11-14;Jn 16:12-15 Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3,6-9; Eph 1:17-23 or Eph 4:1-13 or 4:17,11-13; Mk 16:15-20 Acts 18:9-18; Ps 47:2-7; In 16:2023a
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Comings and goings Saturday 13 May 2006 Homeport - First appearance of Our Lady ofFatima (1917)The Captain S 34th anniversary ofpriesthood ordination Every year when the crocuses bloom, so does scuttlebutt of clergy transfers. The crocuses have come and gone. It's lilac time. Soon an official box anriouncing clergy transfers will appear in The Anchor. A lot of thought, work, discussion and prayer will have gone into it. Some priests will breath a sigh of relief; others will prepare to set sail. People are curious as to how clergy transfers come about. After more than three decades in the priesthood, I have stories. I am not making any of this up. At the time of my very first priestly assignment, I was advised to "put down roots." The pastor assigned me to take a door-to-door census in the northern boundary of the parish. He said people in that neck of the
woods were unclear as to which parish they belonged. It would be helpful to visit them. Off I went. Three months later, I received a phone call. The diocesan personnel situation had changed.
I was being reassigned to the parish bordering on the north. I went into root shock. My new pastor told me that the people on the southern border were unclear as to which parish they belonged. My job was to visit them. People were surprised to see me knocking on their doors again. Another time I was visiting the chancery office to process some routine documents. "This wedding you are planning," said
the official, 'is on June 23. Does that date mean anything to you." "Well, yes! It's my birthday," I responded cheerfully. ''Tim, you haven't read your mail today. You won't be there on June 23. You have been reassigned." Ahhh! One Sunday morning, in another parish, I . walked into the sacristy to vest for Mass. "So, Father, where are you moving?" asked the lector. I hadn't the faintest idea what he meant. "A priest in a nearby parish announced to the people at Mass last night that he is moving here. So, where are you going?" I still hadn't the faintest idea what he was talking about. I found out three months later when I was transferred. Once I received a phone call from a pastor. ''Tim,'' he said, "I suppose I shouldn't mention this to you yet, but 1 am very pleased you are coming here as my new curate." I knew nothing about it, but pretended I did. I assured him
Creative memories and crazy moms "Did you see that, mom?!" squealed my seven-year-old daughter. "Did you? Did you?" "Yes, honey," came my distracted reply. I did not know for sure what "that" was, but I was hoping I had actually seen it. My daughter had recently begun playing the harp, and I was in the middle of taking some pictures to send to her grandparents. "Do you know what that's called?" she challenged. "Well, no," I confessed, "but maybe you could tell me." "It's an octave!" she said triumphantly. "Wait until I show my harp teacher. She is going to be really proud." Truthfully? I had not 'seen her stretch her growing fingers across eight harp strings and successfully play her first octave. I had been so engrossed in getting a picture that I hadn't even noticed if she was actually playing the instrument or not, and now I felt like a real heel. "I am really proud of you, too," I said, putting aside my camera and focusing my attention on my satisfied little girl. "Would you play that for me again?' The photo shoot with my junior harpist was not the first time I had fallen into the trap of valuing a photograph of an event over actually participating in the event. This particular trap is easy fOf me to fall into because I am the designated photographer for our family, and having attended a few heritagebuilding workshops, I have been inspired to be purposeful about
heritage building or creating and capturing our family's history as it happens. I have learned about scrapbooking, staging more spiritual birthday parties, sewing story quilts, conducting family devotions, tracing our family tree, even celebrating patron saints' days. Really fun and creative stuff. It has been my .
experience, however, that it is pretty easy to focus too much attention on the planning, performing, and preserving of these things and not enough on the people involved. Before we go crazy trying to . create and record a hectic season of spring and summer parties, weddings, first Communions, graduations, and more, we need to remember that it is not these highlights of family life, but rather the ordinary, loving exchanges between family members that make up the real and rich tapestry of a family's heritage. Using a little poetic license, I tweaked a scripture verse to remind me to focus as much on loving people and living in the moment as I do on planning events and record~ ing the moment. I Corinthians 13: 1-7,13 (recently and completely revised version): "If I speak in the tongues of photographers and scrap bookers, but have not love nor
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time to play with my children because - "Look, kid, can't you see I'm trying to get this photo album done?!" - I am only a resounding gong ora clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of making story quilts and can fathom all embroidery stitches, and all weights of cotton fabric, and if I have a tone of voice that can make kids sit still during weddings and family devotions, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all the energy I possess to volunteering and organizing the family reunion and surrender my body to late-night cupcake making, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy its neighbor's camcorder, it does not boast of finishing this year's scrapbook, it is not proud of knowing where each child's baptism candle is. . Love is not rude to those standing between my camera and the ballet stage, it is not easily angered over ruined birthday parties, and keeps no record of whose child did the ruining." The verses continue until they. naturally wrap up in verse 13 with "And now these three I still remain in need of before the party begins: not more balloons, a bigger hall, or a fancier dress, but faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love." Heidi is an author, photographer, and full-time mother. She and her husband raise their five children and grow their faith in Falmouth. Comments are welcome at homegrownfaith@yahoo.com.
that I, too, was pleased as punch. Within an hour, the phone rang again. It was yet another pastor. ''Tim, I suppose I shouldn't mention this yet, but tam very pleased you are coming here as my new curate." I said I was delighted, but I thought, "Don't count your chickens, Father." Potential clergy assignments are very fluid things. I was eventually reassigned - but to neither of the above parishes. Things are better these days.. There is no set term limit here in the Diocese of Fall River as in some other dioceses. It's whatever is seen as best for the individual, for the parish, and for the diocese. The bishop makes the final decision and usually personally contacts the priest involved, but a lot happens beforehand in the Personnel Board. This is a group of priests, elected and appointed, who advise the bishop in such matters. The vicar fo~ personnel is an ex officio member. We all know each other well - our strengths and weaknesses - and 'we know our parishes. Sometimes a bishop might approach a priest indirectly. "What would you think if you were asked to report to St. Suchand-Such parish?" At our' ordination, we parish priests promise obedience to our diocesan bishop and his successors, but we are free to express our opinions. No priest these days is blind-sided by a new assignment. When we read it in The Anchor, it's already old news. With the aging of the clergy, the paucity of vocations, and the
The Anchor took many photos at Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley's April 18 Mass and reception at White's of Westport. Those images are now available online. If you would like to see them, send The Anchor an E-mail at anchorimages@yahoo.com. We will send you an invitation to view the photos with the opportunity to purchase prints' through Kodak.
shifting growth of the Church, managing personnel becomes an ever more difficult task. Any bishop must attempt to balance the good of all concerned. It is a responsibility no bishop takes lightly. Can a priest express reservations on a proposed assigned? Of course ' - and a bishop will listen, too. I once expressed second thoughts to a bishop. The bishop heard me out, agreed, and the assignment was never made. The door swings both ways. I've also remarked to a bishop that I didn't think I was the right man for a particular assignment he was contemplating. He told me to pray about it. I did. It turned out to be a terrific assignment. It fit both priest and parishioners. Who would have guessed? The variable is the "Holy Spirit Factor." In the end, it really is the Holy Spirit who is calling the shots. I know this from personal experience. Trust me. Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Bernard Parish, Assonet. Comments are welcome at StBernardAssonet@aol.com. Previous columns are at www.StBernardAssonet.org.
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Market Ministries' Sister Rose helps men in need to rebalance their lives By MIKE GORDON,
ANCHOR STAFF
Sister Rose still organizes the Market Ministries NEW BEDFORD - Each day in the city 32 soup kitchen during the week and has a transitional homeless men can count on having a place to stay house in the city with eight beds for those ready to thanks to the continuing efforts of Mercy Sister make the next step. Sister said some of those men Rosellen Gallogy, executive director ofMarket Min- recently completed a career training course locally. istry, an emergency shelter for men. There are 27 interfaith communities participating in Although she is quick to acknowledge the many the ministry, serving meals at the soup kitchen. Dopeople who assist and support the ministry, it's easy nations to Market Ministries from churches, indito see that Sister Rose, as she's better known, is the vidual donors and community groups help purchase foundation that holds it all in place. most of the food although groups will sometimes "I enjoy helping other people and making a dif- bring homemade soups or meals. ference, but I don't do it alone. Everyone who gets ''We couldn'tdo it without them," said Sister Rose. involved beMarket Miniscomes part of the rc--=-~----"-~------:--~~-----.e====i'=Y-:~----;-"""'" tries also helps people in the community who are at risk of being without a home by helping Rose, what she c:.~j~\ '. \i:路~~c.trix ptits9~cif tlie~W~lt with rent or heat ~~~~~j~~~~~~J if:~ej~.~:'~J5-::;;~:~~拢i'.{' .">~>:.,,,., '. 'c~., "!, bills. she's enjoyed beThe 76-yearing part of that plan since ''''''''~.II!lOI!Iol-'1...l.II old religious came to New 1984 when the shelterfirst i Bedford with five other ---_ _1 opened. "lfeellike I'm do- Sisters of Mercy in 1968 ing what God wants me to to teach English as a secdo," she said with a wel'... ond language. She would coming smile. teach during the day and The Market Ministries spent her free time volunmeals program had teering at the shelter opened three years before, nights. Asked what keeps providing meals five days - - - . , i her going, Sister acknowla week from 11 a.m to edged the Sisters ofMercy 12:30 p.m. But greater and her love of Christ. New Bedford clergy, reli''We're struggling with our gious and community own needs, but they can't leaders knew they needed _ .....~ compare to the needs of to do more. For more than our guests," said Sister 20 years, guests struggling ! :~~liIlIl!!!!~ Rose. 'These are unmet with drug or alcohol needs." SISTER ROSE, executive director for abuse, job loss and other A native ofProvidence, circumstances have been Market Ministries, stands in front of what R.I., she grew up in an welcome to stay at the will be its new administrative office once Irish Catholic family and home while they try to re- renovations are complete. (Anchol1Gordon said her mother's gifts gain balance in their lives. photo) were all around her. "My Guests hilve a place to parents used to take in eldsleep, breakfast in the morning and supper at night. erly people to help them and I remember helping to Many have lunch at the soup kitchen and some vol- carry trays before I went to school. lowe a lot to my unteer: A staff of 13 assists Sister Rose at the shelter f~y." . and she has one paid staffer at the soup kitchen. She was one ofeight children and received a great ''We accept everyone here," said Sister Rose. deal of support growing up, from her five brothers "Men can come and stabilize their lives through a and two sisters. A graduate of St. Xavier Academy number ofservices. They are encouraged to save part High School in Providence, Sister Rose said it was of their income if they have a job and we help them an easy decision to join the Sisters ofMercy because look for housing or assist with jobs. We ask them she saw them every day as teachers at the school. what they want to achieve. Most everyone wants a Now, 58 years after she professed her final vows, place to live and to bring order to their lives." Sister Rose said the many years "have been a joy," 'Although the shelter has a 25-bed capacity, there and she feels ''blessed,'' to have experienced what . are several mattresses that can be used in emergen- she has. cies. Overflow guests are sent to the Mariner's Home Sister Rose recently received the "Extra Mile downtown, for which the shelter picks up the $10 Award," from the Massachusetts Housing and Sheltab. ter Alliance," and like them, hopes that states can When asked what the experience has brought her, one day help put and end to homelessness. Sister Rose said, "You learn to be more caring and In addition to all her duties, Sister Rose is also in compassionate, but ironically it's often the guests the process of opening up the home next to Market you're helping that are teaching you something." Ministries for administrative offices. ''We're hoping Sister Rose said that she often doesn't hear back to do staff training and make things easier for everyfrom guests if they make it, but it is a special mo- one," said Sister Rose. They also hope to get some ment for her when someone comes back and says new computers. Money for the project came in the thank you. 'That's what keeps you going," she said. form of a grant from the Department ofTransitional On the other side of the coin, Sister Rose said Assistance and Donations. She said if they can raise that the toughest part of her work is when a guest $20,000 they will have that amount matched by a passes away and has no family. She recailed visiting private donor. a veteran in the hospital who had been a guest at When she is not busy with Market Ministries, Market Ministries. He was not doing well and when Sister Rose spends time at the convent, attending asked who she should call the man replied, "Sister, daily Mass and rooting for the Boston sports teams. there is just you and me." . "I'm agreat fan," she declared. Not surprisingly, there Back in the kitchen of Market Ministries Sister are a lot of fans of Sister Rose too. Rose told The Anchor, "You welcome the stranger, For more information on Market Ministries and they have become your friend." call 508-997-3202.
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Friday, May 19, 2006
Choosing life - A Mother's Day story I met her at a park one day while our children were playing. She had two young children, a son and daughter, and was now five months pregnant with her third baby. I discovered that we路were members of the same Catholic Church, and also that she operated her own little daycare from her home. As our children were playing, we had the chance to talk about our children, and about faith and spirituality, and I realized that she was someone whom I could trust with my own children. About two weeks later I arranged to have her take care of my one-year old, as I had an appointment coming up that week. The day before the appointment, she called and ;. f . apologized ' C'. ay: Greta that she was not going to be able to take care of my daughter, as she had to go to the hospital for a special test; a high-density ultrasound. Her doctor had called with the news that a prior test had revealed that there may be a serious problem with her pregnancy. I 'assured my new friend that I would keep her in my prayers and that I would give her a call the next day. When I spoke with her she told me that the test results were not good. The ultrasound had revealed that there was a cyst on the baby's brain. Her doctor explained that the cyst could grow or it could just disappear. But he also cautioned that this kind of cyst is very often an indication of trisomy 18. If this was true, the baby may not grow to fullterm and would be stillborn, or in some cases, babies are born with severe genetic abnormalities. The doctor also explained that an amniocentesis could be done which would determine conclusively whether the baby was genetically normal, and that it was not too late to terminate the pregnancy. With this news, she and her husband prayed about what to do. Some family members suggested that it might be a good idea to have the amniocentesis, so that the couple could be relieved, or at least prepare themselves if the test results were not favorable. One thing was for certain; this couple knew that terminating the pregnancy was not an option for them. She said that once they decided not to have the amnio,
but rather, to put it in the Lord's hands, she felt at peace. She then began to call her friends to ask for prayers, which began a beautiful community "prayer chain." She explained that a prayer chain is when each person calls one or more people to ask for prayers for a particular cause. Many people in the community from many different church communities were asked to pray. She said that she would meet people in town that were praying for her baby that she had never met before. About six weeks later, a third ultrasound indicated that r-::~,
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there was no sign of a cyst. The doctor explained that there was a much better chance that the baby would be normal. He could not say definitely, however, that this would be true. The co'uple and the community continued to pray. This young mother praised and thanked God each time the baby would kick, each morning that the baby was still alive. She continued to embrace her baby with a thankful heart for each day that she had with her baby. About two months later, their son was born; healthy, happy and completely normal. We will never know with scientific certainty if the prayers of this couple and their community affected the birth of this baby, ()r changed an unhealthy child to a healthy one. What we do know is that this small child affected a couple and their community by strengthening faith, instilling a common hope and bringing a collective joy. Someday this young child may tell his story, of how his mother protected him, how his parents cared for him, and how the community loved him. And everyone who hears his story will be reminded of the gift that one small child can be. Greta MacKoul is the author and illustrator of "The Ocean Flower..., A Parable of Love" and numerous articles. Greta and her husband George, with their children are members of Christ the King Parish ill Mashpee.
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Friday, May 19, 2006
u.s. Vicars for Religious urge new look at how to meet ministry needs Bv
DEACON JAMES
N.
DUNBAR
serve the poor, and in doing that, what direcNORTH DARTMOUTH - Mercy Si~ter Elaine tion we need to go." Heffernan, the diocesan vicar to men and women The Rome conference talked about that as somereligious ministering in the Fall River diocese, says thing all orders need review. It took notice that the the recent U.S. National Conference of Vicars for visibility of religious now rests for some in the Religious in Rome called for a reassessment of how wearing of the habit and sustaining institutions of thousands of men and women religious country- service, and for others in ministerial presence and wide are responding to the call of faith-filled ser- commitment to the poor in direct service. vice: "Both are authentic expressions of the call of "Currently the invitation is to assess the state of the Gospel and our fidelity to our vowed commitconsecrated life in the United States, no longer from ment to serve the Church," she added. "Pope Paul the perspective of diminishment, but rather as a VI and Vatican II called all religious to return to call to deeper transformation and opportunities for their charisms and the spirit of their founders, to a new life," Sister Heffernan told The Anchor. restore and add the diversity of religious presence "We are indeed, being to the Church in service asked to let go of former to the Gospel." models and expressions of Asked whether she consecrate:llife that were thought religious Sisters structured for large numwould return to wearing bers and pre-determined the habit, Sister Heffernan needs and to respond to said, "I don't think so. the call of the Gospel in When we met in Rome, a new ways." third of the vicars were Currently, there are 14 women religious and only orders or congregations of one wore a habit." men religious, and two She said that in her hermits, ministering in the own congregation, "Our Fall River diocese. There founder never wanted the are also 27 orders or conSisters to wear a habit. gregations of women reliHistorically, it was the gious, and one consebishops who wanted and crated virgin, also at work urged the Sisters to be in in the diocese. habits. Our founder While there is a diverwanted us to dress in what sity of local congregations was common to their day, of Brothets or Sisters, the their era. Since Vatican II reality is that their memthat is what we now do." bers are flE:w. Facing fewer numbers "There are only 212 of religious in service and women religious and 131 today's need to better religious men in service in serve a widening faith our diocese, and many are community that includes aged or aging and retired," many poor, doesn't porSister Heffernan noted. tend that Sister One of 60 vicars for reHeffernan's responsibili~igious .that met in Rome MERCY SISTER Elaine Heffernan greets ties will become any 10 Aprd at the s a m e . , lighter. time as the consistory of Cardinal Sean ~. Malley, C?FM Cap., at "The image that gave 15 new cardinals _ Sis- the North Amencan College In Rome, fol- birth to the Bridge ter Heffernan said the lowing the March 24 consistory at St. Peter's Builder theme of the meetings with Cardinal Basilica. The Fall River diocese's represen- Conference is that of a Martinez Somalo, Cardi- tative to religious, Sister Heffernan was in wheel," she said. "The nal Prefect emeritus of the Rome to attend the National Conference of vicar is likened to the hub Congregation for Insti- Vicars for Religious. (Photo courtesy of Sis- of a wheel with many tutes of Consecrated Life ter Heffernan) spokes, holding many diand Societies of Apostolic verse entities in tension Life, "were very informative, very encouraging and and communion. The rim, or container for this we received great support." diversity is our common call as religious to serve . The theme for .the week of meetings was "Vic- the Gospel of Jesus Christ through lives of conars as Bridge Builders: The Invitation and the Chal- secrated and faith-filled service." lenge." While a 2004 survey of diocesan vicars high"Here in America we are not seeing the grow- lighted a readiness to explore new areas of ministry ing numbers of candidates to the religious life that with fewer numbers of workers, it also showed the some countries in Europe are now seeing, and the. need for vicars to provide the necessary challenge challenge for us is to look at how we serve and and strategic planning to include laity in the pastowho we need to serve," Sister Heffernan ex- ral plan of a diocese, Sister Heffernan reported. plained. As religious have moved from the more visible History might be revealing, she reflected. ministries in their institutions to some less visible She noted that when Mother Catherine ministries" and more direct service to the poor and McCauley founded the Sisters of Mercy in Ireland needy, vicars provide information, resources of in 1830; and when her order arrived in the United available opportunities to assist the religious. States in 1843 and when it came to New Bedford It also showed that religious are already doing in 1909 and opened a hospital, "it was always the the unpredictable: remaining in ministry and repoor that were the center of ministry." sponding to the needs of an area beyond retirement That service was always a key to the Sisters of years, often initiating ministries consistent with Mercy, she said, who, to the vows of poverty, chas- their age and giftedness. tity and obedience, add a fourth vow, "of service Finally, vicars are called to assist the immigrant to the poor, sick,and ignorant." congregations concerning new ministries and the "I think we (Sisters of Mercy) lost something of challenges of inculturation. the founding charism of ministering to the poor "As vicars, we encourage congregations and infor a while. We were founded to serve the poor. stitutes to be open to the new unchartered direcWe got involved in education, being teachers. I tion to which God might be leading them," Sister think we have to take a new look at how we Heffernan said.
RECIPIENTS OF:I the Our Lady of Good Counsel Awards share a moment with Bishop George W. Coleman at the annual Diocesan C6uncil of Catholic Women's convention. From left: Julianne Sullivan, District Five; Bishop Coleman; Rita Paskavitcle, District One; Adele Rose, District Three; Maureen Papineau, pCCW president. Below, organizers and guests of the conve~tion included: Adrienne Lemieux, chairman; Emma Andrade, co-chair; Maureen Papineau, president; Irene Sylvain) national treasurer; Pauline Frechette, Boston Province director and Dolores Ferro, first vice president. The day was ,hemed, "Welcome the Stranger Among Us," and was held at St. Anthony's Church, Taunton. !I
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Help Us Build a New Church to Honor Blessed Father Damlen DeVeuster, Hero of Molokal - Hero of Humanity "
Aloha from the Hawdilan Island of Molokal! In the 19th century a BeI~lan Sacred Heart priest. Father Damlen DeVeuster. selnessly served the Hansen's disease (leprosy) patients who had been exiled to Kalaupapa, a remote peninsula of MolokalJl HawaiI. For 16 years. Father Damlen lived with the patients. bandaging their wounds. building houses and coffins. bUryln~ the dead. and bringing the faith to the unchurched. Ultimately. Father Damlen became one with the patients. suc路 cumblng to Hansen's disease at al;le 49 and passing away during Holy Week 1889. Blessed Mother Teresa considered Father Damlen her role model In her work with the sick and abandoned patlents of CalcUtta. In 1995. Pope John Paul II declared Father Damlen. Blessed Damlen. ' We. the Molokal catholic Community. are entrusted with telling the Blessed Damlen story and leQacy of love. On Sundays. at S1. SOphia Church In Kaunakakai. the main town of Molokal. our parishioners and vlsltors stand outside the doors and sit on foldlnl:! chairs In the church carport. TIme. Weather. and termite Infestation have taken a toll onS1. SOphia Church. a modest woodenstruClure built In 1946. Our dream Is Slmple-to bUild a new church to replace S1. SOphia In the name of Blessed Damlen路Hero of Molokal. Hero of Humanity. i~ Join the Molokal Calhollc Community In celebrating Blessed Damlen Day on May 10. Help us honor Blessed Damlen by malUng a 111ft In his memory or In the memory of a loved one to the Blessed Damlen ,Church of Molokal Building Fund. Any gift that you make to,lthe Blessed Damlen BUilding Fund will be humbly appreciated. We look forward to the day When Blessed Damlen will be added to the canon of saints. We dedicate this building effort to him. and we commit to continUing the mission that he be~n here over 150 years aQo. Please Join us. 5end your tax deductible d~natlOn to: Blessed Damlen Building Fund Molokal catholic C~mmunlty. POBox 1948. Kaunakakai. HawaII 96748 Thank you for your generosity.
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For more Information see our webslte:www.blesseddamlenchurch.orq "
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Friday, May 19, 2006'
A far better bloodline In this installment in the fivetheaters. A recent movie that had our coin. part series, I return to Mary a tremendous effect on me, even Secondly, soon thereafter they greater than 'The Passion," was Magdalene. I offer some advice began to eat, "Jesus took bread, the movie version ofC.S. Lewis' to Catholics who might need a said the blessing, broke it, and 'The Lion, the Witch, and the spiritual recharging before and giving it to his disciples said, certainly after reading or viewing Wardrobe." Superbly acted, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' 'The Da Vinci Code"; and especially by the children, and Then he took a cup, gave thanks, strangely enough, I need to give steeped in symbolism (Asian the and gave it to them, saying, thanks to its author Dan Brown. lion as Christ) and Christian 'Drink from it, all of you, for this Thanks Dan Brown for parallels, this movie focuses on a is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of sparking my interest in Mary message that is anti-"Code" and many for the forgiveness of Magdalene and for motivating uplifting. C.S. Lewis wanted to sins'" (Matt 26:26-28). me to pay more attention to her and other women This is the institution of in the early Church. the Eucharist. I admit I was sidetracked by Some of those ladies, who served as deaconBrown. On the other esses, patrons, and heads hand, he brought to my of communities, were attention how easy it is to lose sight of what's most Phoebe, Prisca, Junia, important - the presand Lydia. The Gospel of Mark's "Longer Ending" ---------L_~:.Il. J_I ence of the Lord, his reads: "When he had Body and Blood. risen, early on the first day of the This brings me to a final build up and defend Christianity week, he appeared first to Mary thought about Jesus' supposed and tout its virtues. Brown wants Magdalene. She went and told to tear it down. bloodline he created with Mary his companions who were Magdalene. Consider the Speaking of tearing down, by focusing on the Last Supper and mourning and weeping. When following alternative to Brown's staring endlessly at Brown's they heard that he was alive and concoction of a fanciful blood"Mary" to see male or female, I line. I prefer to focus on the real had been seen by her, they did not believe." Jesus sent Mary to missed what's actually happening and everlasting "bloodline" the disciples to give witness to in the scene so beautifully created by Jesus that invigorates her faith in the risen Lord. The depicted by Leonardo's painting. and recharges our spiritual Church calls Mary the apostle to Leonardo captures the moment batteries every Sunday and, for the Apostles. - Now that's quite just after Jesus says, "Amen, some of us, each and every day. a distinction. amen, I say to you, one of you It's the Eucharist portrayed in will betray me." Then "the Leonardo's 'The Last Supper." Jesus appears first to Mary When we drink from the cup, we Magdalene - not to his disciples, disciples looked at one another, and the men did not believe. , at a loss as to whom he meant" drink his blood. We become part of the new and ever-lasting (John 13:21-22). They all seem There's a lesson to be leamed, so unnerved. Then, there in the men: we'd better keep pace with covenant. We are all part of his the women in our lives who painting, seated just to the side of "bloodline" - each and every the路beloved disciple, is Judas continue to provide excellent one of us. This is where our with his money bag in hand. focus must be. He's the universal examples of what it means to be caring and compassionate and how Betrayal. Judas can be so easy blood donor, the universal giver to deal with the bad as well as the to miss as we focus on the rest of who shed his blood for all of us. David E. Pierce is a 2007 good in our lives. For these women the scene. He has received payment in advance for betraying candidate for the permanent we must 'always be "risen," that is, we mus,t always be there for them, Jesus to the Romans. Let's not diaconate. He and his wife especially during the bad times that forget that when reading the Diane are members ofChrist inevitably befall us. "Code" or viewing the movie, we the King Parish, Mashpee where both are active in the risk becoming Judas if we accept Thanks Dan Brown for RCIA and RCIC programs. fiction as fact and we abandon prompting me to pay closer attention to other religion-based They have two sons, Michael Jesus at the suggestion of Brown and Jonathan. who fills his money bags with books and movies hitting the
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THE OA VINCI [ODE AND THE
CATHOLIC TRADITION NANCY DE flON AND
Author
JOHN V!DMAR,op Continued from page one
Catholics and people of all faiths. "I wanted to write a book that didn't just debunk the 'Code' as many have done, but I wanted focus on what do Catholics believe and the history of the Catholic Church." The book has been described as a guide for readers who want to leam not only what's wrong in 'The Da Vinci Code," but also what's right about the Catholic tradition. Vidmar recalled hearing many people ask if the stories about Mary Magdalene were true and if the Knights Templar were connected with the Free Masons. He wanted to get the facts out there. "Fiction can lead to people being misinformed," said Father Vidmar, recalling the 19th-century story "The Awful Disclosures ofMaria Monk, .. with fact, and ascribes much of the problem to wide- ghost-written by a several men inspread religious illiteracy. "I just took for granted, cluding William K. Hoyte, a staunch of course ... that people would see that this was fic- anti-Catholic. It told of abuse in a tion. Well, now I know that they don't. And they're Montreal nunnery and sold more taking the gospel of Dan Brown as the Gospel rather than 300,000 copies. than the authentic tradition we lived by for 2,000 Such works can also lead to violence. A similarbookby Rebecca Reed years." Echoing that sentiment, Richard B. Hays, a New led to the eventual destruction of the Testament scholar at Duke Divinity School, com- Ursuline Convent in Charlestown by ments that while "'The Da Vinci Code' may be of anti-Catholic rioters in 1834. interest as a kind of escapist entertainment ... it has A native of Cleveland, Father no value whatsoever as history or as theology." Vidrnarwasordainedapriestin 1980. The program explores the question of Jesus' di- He is currently the provincial archivinity, his relationship to Mary Magdalen~, gnosti- vist and associate professor of theolcism, the Roman emperor Constantine and his role ogy at Providence College in Proviin the Council of Nicaea, and the development of dence, R.I. He has been a frequent the New Testament canon. Robert Coleman, who lecturer at the Smithsonian in Washteaches art history at the University of Notre Dame ington, D.C. and assists at Masses at in Indiana, commences the debunking by discredit- St. Mark's Church, Attleboro. ing many of Brown's speculations about Leonardo Father Thomas L. Rita, pastor of da Vinci's "The Last Supper," which plays a key, St. Mark's, said he is looking forward to reading the book. ''Father role in the story. , In an interview that appears on Brown's own Vidmar is a very gifted teacher and Website, the author declares it is important to ques- Church historian. It's nice to see him tion the "accuracy of history." What "Jesus De- sharing that knowledge with others," coded" makes vividly clear is that perhaps Brown He co-authored the book with needs to follow his own admonition. Nancy De Hon, editor at Paulist
"Jesus Decoded," various dates, NBC NEW YORK (CNS) - Trailers, billboards and posters for Sony Pictures' "The Da Vinci Code" encourage viewers to "seek the truth." If it's the "truth" you're after, a good place to start is "Jesus Decoded," a clear-minded rebuttal of the spurious claims made in Dan Brown's thriller. The program is more educational than a semester's worth of classes by the novel's hero, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. Produced by NewsGroup Media for the U.S. bishops' Catholic Communication Campaign, the hourlong special will air on NBC affiliates starting the week of May 21 (check local listings for date and time). Filmed on location in Israel, Turkey and Italy, the program includes interviews with biblical scholars and art historians who also provide an authoritative antidote to all those pseudoscholarly books that allege to tell the "hidden" history of Christianity. But rather than a point-by-point rebuttal of the novel or its author, the special uses "The Da Vinci . Code" as a springboard to present authentic Catholic teaching about Jesus, the Church, holy Scripture and the origins of Christianity. While crediting 'The Da 'Vinci Code" as a "great page turner," Salesian Father Francis Moloney, emeritus professor of New Testament studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, voices concern over the danger of confusing fiction
", , , ,'csrraincd. careful, and inrdlii'cnr. . , ' No responsible reader of ')111' Code should miss this ,m,lly5;5."
Press. De Aon holds a doctorate in church history from Union Theological Seminary in New York and edited Father Vidmar's first book, 'The Catholic Church Through the Ages." It took Father Vidmar and De Aon about a year to write the book. "We wanted to get it out before the movie," he said. "I'm very pleased with the way it turned out and De Aon is a wonderful scholar. We sat down and figured out what parts each of us would work on. I took on the buildings, the Templars and the crusades she focused on women in Christianity." The 101 questions are divided in to various chapters including How History Gets Written, The New Testament, The 'Sacred Feminine' and Women in Christianity, Mary Magdalene, The Priory of Sion and Leonardo da Vinci amOllg others. In one such chapter, Father Vidmar addresses Churches and Chapels speaking about Brown's assertion that the Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland was built by the Knights Templar. Having lived in Scotland for three years, Father Vidmar recalled once being the only visitor to the chapel for weeks. Now because of the book, 100,000 people visited it last year despite the fact that the Knights had nothing to do with its construction. Other topics that Father Vidmar sheds light on include "The Last Supper" painting by da Vinci, Opus Dei, the Story of the Holy Grail, Devotion to Mary and the differences between historical fiction and historical romance. Father Vidmar's book is available at Bames and Noble; Amazon.com; at local Catholic bookstores; or visit www.paulistpress.com for more information.
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Cardinals ~ay 'The~a Vinci Code' shows contempt for Christianity : "
By CATHOLIC NEWS !SERVICE
SPANISH CARDINAL Julian Herranz, the Vatican's top canon law official, a member of Opus Dei, describes "The Da Vinci Code," as fantasy, "ridiculous" and totally 'ignorant of how the Church really works. (CNS photo/Kimimasa Mayama)
As film premiere of 'Da Vinci Code' arrives, Catholic leaders urge caution WASHINGTON'(CNS)----:- As "A broader challenge is an enterJ:oday's premiere of the ftlm adapta- tainment establishment that doesn't tion of 'The Da Vinci COde" neared, know very much about Catholicism, bishops and other Catholic leaders doesn't like what it thinks it knows, across the country were urging cau- doesn't want to learn any more, and tion and skepticism about it should can't leave Catholic faith,' practice the claims made in Dan Brown's. and imagery alone," the archbishop novel cross over into the movie. said. , Dioceses also have taken steps to In a letter to Catholics in his dioeducate Catholics on separating fact cese, Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli from fiction in the book. The novel of Wilmington, Del., said: "Many contends Jesus Christ was married have found 'The Da Vinci Code' to Mary Magdalene and fathered a entertaining. Others have found it child.and portrays Opus Dei as a se- offensive. Sadly, some have fQund . cretive Church cult that is plotting it believable. For them, tI1e'bookmay to take over the Church. inflame prejudice or precipitate a . "It is pure fiction and the novel is crisis of faith, because if one takes identified as such. Unfortunately, too 'The Da Vinci Code' at face value, many people believe the story. One one could conclude that everything review, printed on the back cover of the Church has taught about Christ a paperback edition, states: 'Read the . is a lie." The letter was published in a rebook and be enlightened,'" said Cardinal Justin Rigali ofPhiladelphia in cent issue of The Dialog, diocesan. a column published in the April 27 newspaper. issue of The Catholic Standard & "As the film debuts, it is likely Times, Philadelphia'sarchdiocesan that television and other media will .newspaper. be saturated with 'The Da Vinci But he said the debate over the Code's' claims. As is so often the novel and the release of the film of- ~case, our precious young people, the fers "a teaching moment for the future ofthe Church, are most vulChurch." nerable and potentially the most "It is astounding that many, un- scandalized by this kind of media fortunately, seek understanding of onslaught. But good people of any Jesus in novels rather than in the in- age and background can be confused . spired texts of Scripture. For it is in a case such as this," Bishop there, in the word of God, that we Saltarelli said. plunge into the depths of the my~-. He added, ''Neitherbook nor ftIm tery ofJesus. In the Gospels, we hear should cause you to be discouraged his voice, we see his face, we expe- or lose heart. In the Catholic Church, rience his· love, we understand the the glory of God has been and conpower of the paschal mystery," Car- tinues to be revealed fully and in truth dinal Rigali said. for Christ's faithful people." "Is 'The Da Vinci Code' antiThe Wilmington diocese has esCatholic? Well, sure it ·is. The book tablished a task force to counter "Da is at least as anti-Catholic as it is anti- Vinci" claims. Task force member Christian," said Archbishop George Kevin Ruth; chairman of classical H. Niederauer of San Francisco in a and modem languages at Tower Hill column published in the May 5 is- School in Wilmington, did his docsue of his archdiocesan newspaper, toral work at Rutgers University in Catholic San Francisco. late medieval and religious theater. In his column, Archbishop He expects he will talk about med,iNiederauer took apart several asser- evallinguistics and about art history, tions made in the novel. . especially Leonardoda Vmci's paint"'The Da Vinci Code' - the ingof'TheLastSupper"thatisfeabook and probably the film - pre- tured prominently in the book. The biggest problem with the· sents C.atholics with one set ofproblems, and those are best dealt with book, according to Ruth, is the by knowing the facts ofour Church's "F'!ct" page at the beginning that faith and its history," Archbishop stipulates essential plot points as true. Niederauer said. For instance, the so-called "Priory.
of Sion," which Brown says existed for centuries, was created in 1956 in ·France on forged documents. That's just one untrue "fact," Ruth said. A scholar's library that the character Sophie examines late in the novel includes titles of real books, Ruth noted, but their authors "are not recognized by secular scholars, they are so far out of what would be considered accurate historical scholarship." Ruth doesn't believe many Catholics have had their faith shaken by the book, b1Jt he thinks many will begin to "seriously question the motives of the Church." Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; said Catholics should consider a boycott ofthe film. Barbara Nicolosi, head of the Act One screenwriting program for Christians in Hollywood, has suggested an "othercott," seeing instead the animated movie "Over the Hedg~," which also premieres May
19. But they have to go upagainst a movie based on a book that has sold 40 million copies and starring Tom Hanks - the biggest box-offiCe star of all time with his movies collectively grossing more than $3.1 billion. Matt Pinto, president of Ascension Press in Media, Pa., which developed a ready-made parish program called the Da Vinci Outreach, has had almost 20,000 downloads of material from the program's Website. "Our goal is to reach 2,000 parishes nationwide," Pinto told The Catholic Standard & Times. "We're already working with 14 dioceses, including the archdioceses ofIndianapolis, St. Paul (and Minneapolis), St. Louis, and have had about 50 inquiries for speakers nationwide." While it is still a mystery as to how much of Brown's book will make it onto the screen, .thousands of Catholics and Christians in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston were ready to make their voices heard through protests at local theaters, and even boycottS of theaters ~ showing the movie.
ROME - Three Vatican cardinals have weighed in 0t:\ "The Da Vinci Code," saying ·the bestselling novel shows c(jntempt for Christianity and ignorance of the Catholic Church. Cardinal Francis ~rinze, who heads the Vatican's liturgy congregation, suggested ,that Christians might take leg;ll action to counter the disrespect shown by the book and the film version of the work. .The cardinals and others spoke in a documenII
Christ respected,". he said. Cardinal Arinze said those who "blaspheme Jesus Christ and get away with it are exploiting the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who insuIt us." "There are some other religions which, if you insult their founder, they will not just be talking. They will make it painfully clear to you," he said. The cardinal apparently was referring to widespread Muslim anger and demonstrations earlier . this year over
tary t~t1e.d "The' Cardinal Arinze said Western news- " Da Vmci Code: I " paper cartoons A Masterful De- those. who blaspheme that caricatured ception." The Jepus Christ and get away the prophet film was pro- with it are exploiting the Mohammed. duced by Rome Christian readiness to forIn the SpanRepor~s, an in" give and to love even those ish version. of ternatlOnal T V " . " the documen. news agency who Insult us. tary, Cardinal specializing in : . J u Ii a n Church affairs, and was being dis- Herranz, the Vati'can's top canon tributed in early May~, law official and a member of Cardinal Arinze said "The Da Opus Dei, recou.nted how he and Vinci Code" was loaded with mis- a fellow cardinal laughed paintakes that orient people against the fully at the novel's fictional deChurch and that "any film pro- piction of the machinations of duced on the basis of the book is the Vatican. already in error from the word It seemed like the account of a go." gangster meeting in Chicago, Car"Christians must Iinot just sit dinal Herranz said. He described back and say it is enough for us the novel as fantasy, "ridiculous" to forgive and forget. ... Some- and totally' ignorant of how the times it is our duty to do some- Church really works. thing practical," the cardinal In response, he said, the said., Church shouldi"nvite people to He said it was not his role to "use their heads" and discover· tell Christians what action to take, the truth about Christ and the . but that "some know;,Jegal means Church. Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, which can be taken in order to get the other person to respect tire head of the Vatican's sainthood Ii' congregation, said it was disturbrights of others." "This is one of the fundamen- ing that ".no respect is being tal human rights: that we should shown for the hundreds of milbe respected, our religious beliefs lions of people who believe in respected, and our founder Jesus Christ, the Church and the Gospels"." . "This is the result of an ignoMovies Olhine rant form of arrogance," he said. Can't remember how a reAustralian Cardinal George cent film was classified by the Pell of Sydney a1so was interU.S. Conference of Catholic viewed for the documentary. He Bishops? Wantpo know . called "The Da Vinci Code" "a whether to let the Kids go see load of nonsense" and said it was . it? You can look film reviews full of historical errors. up on the Catholic News SerHe said the worst thing about vice Website. the book was that it presented Visit catholicnews.com and some elements of the Church as click on "Movies,", under the criminals - and stupid crimi"News Item" mEilm~. nals, too. "
PRACTICE THE DEVOTION OF THE FIRST SATURDAYS, AS REQUESTED BY OUR LADY OF FATIMA.
On December 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared to Sister Lucia (seer of Fatima) and spoke these words: "Announce in my name that I promise to assist at the hour ofdeath with the graces necessary for the ~alvation oftheir souls, all those who on the first Saturday of five consecutive months shall: 1. Go to confession; 2. Receive Holy Communion; 3. Recite the Rosary (5 decades); and 4. Keep me company Jor 15 minutes while meditating on theilS mysteries ofthe Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me." In a spirit of reparation, the above conditions are each to be . preceded by the wQrds: "In reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary." Confessions may be made during 8 days before or after the first Saturday, and Holy Communion may be received at either the morning or evening Mass on the first Saturday.
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Theologian dissects 'The Da Vinci 'Code'; reveals errors,jabrications By DEACON JAMES N.
DUNBAR
.of Christian art." But,in reality he produces only one. FALL RIVER - It's not.often when a theologian Did Brown confuse Leonardo with Michelangelo? Fadoes a book review on "it successful best-seller novel ther O'Collins thinks so. He says Brown in an earlier that is the talk of the town. book confuses the Piazza Navona and the Trevi FounBut when Jesuit Father Gerald O'Collins finished tain. slicing neatly through Dan Brown's ''The Da Vinci Brown seems a dolt when it comes to history too. He Code," he summed it succinctly: "Brown adds no fresh mistakenly cites the Emperor Constantine with shifting evidence to previous discredited attempts to establish the day of weekly worship to Sundays; as well as conthat Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and fathered tending it was the Council of Nicea in 325 that declared one or more children by her. Brown does not unveil any Christ to be divine: when it fact it was St. John's Gosastonishing new truth. But he does unveil enormous gaps pel. in his (Brown's) own education and a willingness to PUtting his case for goddess worship, Brown "beendorse histon-callies and errors. What matters is creat- littles the Jewish roots ofChristianity ... as having been ing the most successful fiction for the market" he wrote taken from pagan mystery religions"; as well as introducil}g "some stunning falsehood about ritualistic sex in the January 2005 issue of Origins. Father O'Collins is well known to many Fall River in the Jerusalem temple," which Father O'Collins calls diocesan priests who studied at the Gregorian Univer- "sheer fabrication; there were no priestesses offering . sity in Rome. He is a Christologist and professor of sys- sacred sex in the temple." The priest takes Brown to task on "some similar fabtematic and fundamental theology there. What's odd is that while Father O'Co.\lins read rications about God" including the allegation that the Brown's book in 2005 and spoke of its many errors and Holy of Holies housed not only God but also "his powfailings in an address in Washington in erful female consort, Shekinah." January ofthat year to the John Carroll And Brown can't seelp to get right Society; and repeated the address at the how the ancient sacred name of Church of the Little Flower in Yahweh was derived. Bethesda, Md., it received little notice When it comes to the so-called in the secular news media. Priory of Sion, which is central to the Those who read the 2005 article in plot of Brown's novel, the author was Origins were among the few treated to duped - as were earlier authors - on such a delightful review putting the modem-day forgeries exposed and delight of truth on the most recent of ''the nounced in the .1990s, says Father O'Collins. But it seems, Brown doesn't· genre ofbooks which appear every few years promising to 'tell youwho Jesus care. A'nother example of historical fabreally was and how the official Church rications Brown endorses in his alleconcealed the real Jesus for 20 centugations that the Catholic Church burned °ries.'" at the stake five million women. What spices up the book, says FaMary Magdalene, . Rev. ther O'C;ollins in the Origins ~cle, is ROME (CNS)- ''The Da Vinci "Experts give instead the statistic of . THE HEAD of St.· Ma,ry Code" came in for resounding criti- Tomassone. said, comes across as the oft-used "hidden document" theme around 50,000·... of which 20 percen.t cism at a recent round-table discus- "one who knows how to heal the that launches the idea of a cover-up, Magdalene is depicted in a (of victims) were men ..." for three •sion at the Mariimum Pontifical heart of a wouridedcommunity." an alleged attempt by the Vatican to sketch by artist Leonardo da centuries of witch-hunts in Northern Theological Faculty il1'Rome. . The experts agreed, however, that suppress the "embarrassing document" Vinci. According to the"Gos- Europe. But it suits Brown to multiply pels, Mary Magdalene was a thatfigury by 100..." FatherO'Collins It was not a pick-it-apart session there is no scriptural evidence that about Jesus. by Church historians. Instead, four Jesus and Mary were lovers, which That Brown introduces another leading disciple of Jesus and pointed out. women spoke about Mary ilJ a key element in the plot of ''The "fact," a sexual relationship_ between used her resources to supInstead of unveiling the real Mary Magdalene and her distorted depic- Da Vinci Code." Even theincom- Jesus and Mary Magdalene amounts port him and the Apostles. Magdalene as an outstanding figure in tion in Dan Brown's book. plete references in the gnostic gos- to a bit of plagiarism from "Holy (eNS photo/Alinari, courtesy the resurrection stories and who stands The moderator ofthe discussion, pels about Jesus' special relationship Blood, Holy Grail," by Michael Art Resource) by the cross and is at the burial ofJesus, Brown "disguises and belittles her," Marinella Perroni, a New Testament with Mary Magdalene depict a Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lintheologian, said "The Da Vinci "spiritual intimacy," not a sexual re- coln, which appeared in 1982. asserts Father O'Collins. Code" joins a list ofbooks and other lationship, Rev. Tomassone said. "Brown's idea that the official Church ran a smear 'There were so many historical mistakes in 'Holy media treatments that exploit the figRigato d(jwnplayed the impact of Blood, Holy Grail' that I sugg~sted in an article that campaign against Mary Magdalene may go down well ure ofMary Magdalene. Perroni said ''The Da Vinci Code," saying it was Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln should publish an errata slip with some readers but is nonsense ... since the Church caution is always needed when deal- "third-rate literature" compared to in the shape of a companion volume," Father O'Collins blessed lovely old colleges that bear her name at the ing with scriptural figures, but for earlier treatments ofsimilar subjects, said humorously. University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, some reason people feel free to take like ''The LastTemptation ofChrist" He added, "I was hoping that they might sue me, as I encouraged the faithful to celebrate her feast on July 22, great liberties with Mary Magdalene. by Nikos Kazantzakis. would have cherished a day in court listing all their er- and built beautiful churches in her honor in Paris, Rome, and elsewhere." • Maria Luisa Rigato, a retired pro"Dan Brown with his 40 million rors."Q The priest added a personal reflection: "Back in the fessor of exegesis at the Pontifical copies is nothing compared to the Father O'Collins calls Brown's book, "... a murder Gregorian University, said she found billions of copies of the Bible. It's mystery, a religious' expose and a romance novel all in 1920s my mother was in Paris, went to the Madeleine Brown's bookentertaining fiction- something you consume and forget one. But when you compare 'The Da Vinci Code' with and prayed through the intercession of St. Mary but that it was clear to real scholars and will not affect the faith in the earlier works in the field, the only new item is Brown's Magdalene that she would have a son and that her son that Mary Magdalene was neither the . leas~" she said. claim aoout Leonardo's Last Supper ... that the figure would become a priest. I am the result of that prayer and 'wife nor the lover of Jesus. But Miriam Diez i Bosch, a to the right of Christ is not John the !Jeloved disciple, I am very grateful to Mary MagdaIene and my mother." The Catholic participants drew a Catholic journalist who lectures on but Mary Magdalene," Father 0' Collins asserted. One final note on Brown's fabrications. Citing Pr0sharp distinction between what is communications, said it was dis'The allegation, he said, is "She bore Jesus a child fessor Kleinberg of the history department at the Uniknown aoout Mary Magdalene from turbing that a book like ''The Da. and was the Holy Grail for his blood.'! versity ofTel Aviv, Father O'Collins says the claim that the approved Gospels and what has Vinci Code" was succeeding so Father 0' Collins fomid the book "a gripping read" the descendents of Jesus married into the Merovingian been circulated for centuries in the well. Similar books may follow, she because it is "a good piece ofescapism which produces royal dynasty are untrue. The claim is based on a seventh-century figure called so-called gnostic gospels, rejected by said. an intriguing cocktail that mixes religion, conspiracy, the Church long ago. Giselle de Razes. The good thing is that ''The Da sex, murder and mystery." But aWaldensian pastor, the Rev. Vinci Code" has given Catholics a "But Giselle de Razes never existed; she was invented But then with a scalpel of truth, Father O'Collins Letizia Tomassone, said she thought chance to explain themselves, she lays bare the frequent misuse as well as ignorance of in the 20th century," Kleinberg stated, and is quoted by the noncanonical gospels, although said. The bad part is that Catholics historical facts by Brown. Father O'Collins. they are clearly later manuscripts, dearly need to be better instructed The priest-re~iewer ends his paper on a humorous The fact that Leenardo, like ml?st Aorentine painters can be valid secondary sources of in their faith; lihe added. often painted handsome young men with smooth faces, note, offering afterthought by Professor Kleinberg, information. In some of these later She said the Church in particular almost feminine makes Brown's concept that it is Mary who 'says: .... .I feel sorry for the charming heroine gospels, she said, Mary Magdalene needs better catechesis and more Magdalene with Jesus in the Last Supper fresco "ex- Sophie Neveu in 'The Da Vinci Code.' Two wretched appears as the "mediator of the res- widely published scholarship on the tremelyeccentric," reports Professor Bruce Boucher of men spent many pages of the novel lecturing at her and . urrected Christ," which aligns with figure ofMary Magdalene - some- the Art Institute of Chicago. He is cited by Father bombarding her with what are often sheer fabrications. what the Gospel of St. John says' thing more profound than present- O'Collins to show just one of Brown's stunning igno- . I hope she changed her mind and never kept the rendezaoout her being the first witness of ing her as "the icon of the fallen rances in the field of art. vous with the so-called hero in Aorence. She deserved woman." the resurrection. Brown also refers to Leonardo's "enormous output a much better relationship than that." 0
In Rome, women discuss 'Oa Vinci Code' depiction of Mary Magdalene
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151 Opus Dei called 'complete opposite' of 'The da Vinci Code' portrayal By JERRY FILTEAU CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON JL- The impression of Opus Dei conveyed in Dan Brown's novel, "The Da Vinci Code," is "tIj'e complete opposite of what Opus Dei is about," said Brian Finnerty, U.S. spokesman for the international Catholic organizatio~. The book portrays Opus Dei as a secretive cuW within the Church plotting to t~ke over the Church and willing ,to kill those who stand in its way. One of the main characters in the book is a murderous albino Opus Dei monk named Silas. In fact Opus Dei,headed by a bishop, is a personal'prelature part of the hierarchical structure of the Church - and it has no monks. ' With the vast putllic attention given to the book over the past three years, and with the movie coming out, Opus Dei is using the occasion "to get!lthe word out about who we really are," Finnerty told Catholic News Service in a phone inteo/iew. He said one of the things the organization has done is provid~ a brief description of the reallOpus Dei for a new Website funded by the Catholic Communication Campaign, www.jesusd~coded.com. "Opus Dei" is Latin for "God's work," and~imembers often refer to it sitpply as "the Work." And what is the Work really about? "Coming closer to God and finding God in eyeryday life," Finnerty said. WHile the novel portrays it as being in opposition to the world, "Opus Dei is about seeing the world as a place of encounter with ChriSt," he said. Founded in Spain in 1928, Opus Dei now has more than 87,000 members it} more than 60 countries, including 3,000 in the United States, according to Finnerty. Members seek "to make their faith infuse all aspects of life, including their jobs;' Members are expected to attend daily Mass and to pray the rosary and engage in mental prayer, ,spiritual reading and meditation every day. About 70 percent of Opus Dei members are supernumeraries, those who are married or who plan to marry, I~ccording to Finnerty. The rest~ he said, commit themselves to lives of celibacy. Of those "lembers, about two-thirds live in Opus Dei centers and are call~d numeraries; the other third, called associates, live in their own homes. More than half the members around the world are women. Russell Shaw, i'a Washingtonbased Catholic journalist and former media spokesman for the National (now U.'S.) Conference of Catholic Bishops, told CNS he joined Opus Dei, in 1980 and it has helped him d~velop "a richer, II
"THE LAST SUPPER" emerged from centuries of dirt, decay and retouchings when the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece went back on display in Milan, Italy, in 1999 after a 22-year restoration. (eNS photo from Reuters)
'Da Vinci Code' lies could deliver more interest in faith, speaker says By ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO
Abraham really existed or the Exodus actually took place, said Rabbi Herbert Baumgard, rabbi CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Inemeritus of Temple Beth Am in stead of fearing or trashing "The Pinecrest. Da Vinci Code," people of faith "It is out there and it's all over should view it as a much-needed the place. The whole thing is bevaccine against ignorance, acing questioned and has to be concording to Thomas Ryan, chairsidered," said Rabbi Baumgard, man of the religious studies dewho has read the novel. partment at St. Thomas UniverThe Rev. Priscilla sity in Miami. Felisky Whitehead, associ"It is a novel that holds ate minister at the Church a mirror up to us - to silly "When there's something in the by the Sea in Bal Harbour, academics and people who misuse facts," Ryan told a popular culture going on, it's a great also read it, and described group of Protestant, opportunity to agree with it, disagree it as "fiction robed in ageold rumors." Her church is Catholic and Jewish leadwith it or talk about it," said Rabbi affiliated with the United ers gathered in late March for the monthly clergy dia- Edwin Goldberg, who hosted the Church of Christ. Members of her congrelogue sponsored by the clergy meeting at Temple Judea in National Conference for Coral Gables. "One thousand years gation have asked her Community and Justice. from no~ God willing, there will be questions about what is He said talking about people talking about the Bible. No true and what is false in "The Da Vinci Code," she the popular book - and upcoming movie - should one will be talking about Dan said. The problem is they do not want to take the "strengthen our congrega- Brown." time to do the research. tions to be able to deal with "They want me (to dig it what's out there" in tenils of religious ignorance and mis"I think the author puts in all out) for them." Like Ryan, however, she is conceptions. those mistakes to alert us" to the ''This is a vaccine," said Ryan, fact that it is a work of fiction, grateful to Brown for one thing: whose area of specialization is Ryan said. "It's a story of people "It's no longer inappropriate to medieval Church history. "This who use false evidence to sup- talk about Jesus at a cocktail articulates the silliness that's out port their claims. And don't we party." "When there's something in there. We could use it as a way meet those people every day? I of inoculating ourselves." think it's a story of humanity. I the popular culture going on, it's Ryan, who only recently read think Dan Brown is kind of a great opportunity to agree with the novel, said his personal reac- laughing at us. It mocks our gull- it, disagree with it or talk about it," said Rabbi Edwin Goldberg, tion to it was: "Thank you, Dan ibility." Brown.... I am grateful to (the Participants at the clergy who hosted the clergy meeting at novel) for driving me to learn meeting noted that the novel Temple Judea in Coral Gables. more about my faith. It raises might not have been as popular, "One thousand years from now, questions that I need to go and or raised such a polemic, in a less God willing, there will be people see. I'm a smarter person as a secular age. Many people today talking about the Bible. No one result of it." are seeking spiritual answers out- will be talking about Dan He described the novel as "a side mainstream religions, and Brown." Background information on brilliant moneymaker" with all the Catholic Church is not the the right ingredients: a murder, only one dealing with miscon- what is truth and what is fica mystery and a conspiracy. As ceptions and revisionist theories tion in "The Da Vinci Code" one character in the book ac- about the foundations of the is available on the Website www.jesusdecoded.com. sponknowledges, "Everyone loves a faith. conspiracy." Even more so, Some in Judaism, for ex- sored by the U.S. bishops' CathoRyan said, when "it incenses ample, are questioning whether lic Communication Campaign. CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
the faithful." Brown "wants us to think that this is nonfiction. And a lot of people have fallen for the bait," Ryan said. But "it's not nonfiction." He said that "on practically every page there is falsehood" and "outrageous claims that are completely unfactual."
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deeper, more meaningful relationship with God." He said that even when he first became aware of Opus Dei, perhaps 15 years or so before he joined, he was attracted to its concept of a lay vocation, of seeing one's work in the secular world as a form of service to God. As an Opus Dei member, "I try to do that, I try to cultivate that intention underlying the work that I do. But"it's difficult. It's not 100 percent (successful)," he said. Catherine Hickey of Larchmont, N.Y., called Opus Dei "a wonderful thing in my life." Now 71, she said she learned of Opus Dei in her late 30s when her oldest boy got involved in a club run by some of its members. "I was very impressed with the young people. I loved their joy and their spirit of giving," she said. As a busy mother of seven, she said Opus Dei's message that lay people could be "contemplatives in the midst of the world" was a new idea to her. She joined at the age of 39. For the past 15 years Hickey has worked at the Rosedale Center of the South Bronx Educational Foundation, begun by local Opus Dei members and others to improve the education of girls in the South Bronx, one of New York City's poorest areas. Staff and volunteers mentor and tutor the inner-city gradeschool and high-school girls oneon-one after school and teach classes on Saturdays and in special summer programs, she said. The foundation runs a similar program for boys nearby at the Crotona Center. Opus Dei's Midtown Educational Foundation in Chicago runs similar programs for disadvantaged boys and girls there. Father John Wauck, an American Opus Dei priest who teaches at Opus Dei's Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, has a personal Weblog, known as a blog, on Opus Dei and "The Da Vinci Code." He predicts the cilice and whip will be what moviegoers vividly remember about Opus Dei when they leave the theater. The cilice (pronounced SILis), which is a belt or chain with sharp points, and the whip are used by numeraries for bodily mortifications. The priest says Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, founder of the Missionaries of Charity, also used the whip, known as "the discipline," but "everyone knows that's not what the Sisters of Charity are all about. And it's not what Opus Dei's about either." In contrast to the "heavy knotted rope" that the monk character named Silas uses in the book, Turn to page 18 - Opus Dei
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Friday, May 19, 2006
Coyle announces math tournament winner TAUNTON - The Coyle and Cassidy High School Math Department just completed its annual Krypto Tournament crowning Christopher DeGirolamo the school champion. To achieve this distinction DeGirolamo had to defeat the four finalists over a two-day period. Krypto is a math challenge that
uses a deck of 52 cards that range in number from one to 25. The challenge of Krypto is to apply the four fundamental arithmetic operations to the first five cards in order to produce the value displayed on the sixth card. There is a series of points assigned to each winning round.
THE KINDERGARTEN class of Holy Trinity Regional School, West Harwich, recently stepped back in time with local historian, Ruth Weisberger. She guided them along the walking trail of the Taylor-Bray Farm in Yarmouthport. On the field trip, students learned that farming was the way of life for people who settled on Cape Cod during the colonial period.
THESE STUDENTS excelled in the annual Krypto Math Tournament at Coyle and Cassidy High School, Taunton. From left: semi-finalist Felicia Albanys-Colbert of Brockton, semi-finalist Shayna Duff of Bridgewater, champion Christopher DeGirolamo of Brockton, semi-finalist Blake Brailsford of Bridgewater and semi-finalist Claudia Thomas of Raynham.
THESE BISHOP Feehan High School, Attleboro, students recently won various awards at the school's annual science fair. From left, front: Allison Steiner, Sarah Travis, Meghan Troy, Cary Kaczowka, Scott McGuire, Quinn Lancor, Rachel Forbes, and Emma Killion. Back row: Ross Pini, Bryan Webb, Kerry Fitzpatrick, William Warren, Meghan Moran, Emma Creedon, Ben Laliberte, Denis McGovern, Dan Sholes, Mike Parry and Rachael Riendeau.
STUDENTS AT St. John the Evangelist School, Attleboro, display artwork they created and will donate to various area locations including the Life Care Center of America and the Larson Senior Center. Front from left: Caroline Fortin and Paige Morel. Middle: Madison Tager, Eileen Cronin and Meaghan Luongo. Back: Brynna Harum, Jenna DiGiantomasso, Siri Devlin and Brett Chatfield. THE FRESHMAN basketball team at Bishop Feehan High School completed a perfect 18-0 season. They averaged 65 points per game and held their opponents to just 45 ppg. From left front: Tyler Foster, Matt Bickford, Ryan Lee, William Dunn, Matt Boulter, Bryan Webb and coach Jeff Messier. Back: Michael Mathieu, Parker Skaff, Phillip Lisonbee, Patrick Beksha, Owen Lynch and Brian Gallagher.
Remember to send The Anchor your first Communion and May crowning pictures. We'd love to share them with the diocesan faithful. Send to theanchor@anchornews.org; or The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Don't compare yourself to others By CHARLIE
CANADIAN SINGER Jeremy Gabriel meets Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican May 11. (eNS photolL'Osservatore Romano)
Quebec lad sings for pope VATICAN CITY (CNS) When bishops from Quebec met with Pope Benedict XVI, the center of attention was a nine-year-old boy and his song of praise to God. "I was very nervous. My heart was beating very fast," he told reporters after the audience. "But once I started singing, it was OK." Jeremy, who was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a ge-
netic disease causing facial disfiguration and deafness, has become a well-known singer in Quebec after various surgeries allQwed him to hear. Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec saitl Jeremy sang beautifully, clearly and with great" precision. "Everyone was very moved;" the cardinal said. "He was a bit nervous, but it was perfect."
GIRL NEXT DOOR Small town homecoming queen She s the star in this scene There's no way to _ deny she s lovely Perfect skin, perfect hair Perfumed hearts everywhere Tell myselfthat inside she s ugly Maybe I'm just jealous I can't help but hate her Secretly I wonder if my boyfriend wants to date her Refrain: She s the prom queen, I'm in the marching band She is a cheerleader, I'm sittin '. in the stands She gets the top bunk, fm sleepin ' on the floor She's Miss Anierica, and I'm just the girl next door Senior class president She must be heaven-sent She was never the last one standing . A backseat debutante Everything that you want Never too harsh or too demanding Maybe I'll admit it I'm a little bitter Everybody loves her, !.Jut I just wanna hit her -(Repeat re.lrain) I don't know why I'mfeelin' sorry for myself . I spend all my time wishin ' that I was someone else Sung by Saving Jane (c) 2005 by Madacy Records "Saving Jane" is a new name to me, but their single "Girl Next Door" is getting consistent airplay on pop/rock stations. The group fonned while lead vocalist Marti Dodson was a student
MARTIN -
CATHdLlC NEWS SERVICE
at Ohio State in Columbus. Since the song is an anthem of common high school struggles, the videp was shot at Calabasas High School riear L.A. In the song, a girl compares herself to a classmate who seemSlO have the perfect teen Iif~. The classmate is "the prom queen" while the song's character is only "in the marching band." The "perfect" one is a "cheerleader" the singer watches as ''I'm sitting in the stands." The singer says, "She's Miss
America, and I'm"just .the girl.next door." . This assessment leaves her "feeling sorry for myself' andspending "all my time wishing that I was someone else." Also, she realizes, that "maybe I'm just jealous" and "a little bitter." What she experiences is very human. Most ofus have felt the way she feels at times. Such emotions are more prevalent when we fall ihto the temptation ofevaluating our worth by comparing ourselves to others. Sure, you might wish that you had the talents, looks or abil~ties of someone else. However, when you spend more time "feeling sorry" for yourself than appreciating who you are, you lose your perspective qn the person
God made you to be. A life of personal satisfaction and meaning comes from discovering your true passions and deeper interests. If you focus on what you lack rather than on your opportunities, the likelihood grows that you will feel unhappy and even bitter like the girl in the song. Fortunately, where we focus our mental and emotional attention is a choice. God made life into an endless set of opportunities. What we cannot attain is far less significant than what remains possible. The girl in the song could overcome her painful feelings by-evaluating what she truly enjoys in her life. Adventures, challenges and opportunities are inviting her to expand how she lives: She needs·to discover her untapped capabilities. Further, she needs to consider how she can be more helpful to others. Part of God's purpose for us is to live in ways that help others feel better about their lives. One ofthe best ways to follow this inner sense of purpose is to 'donate time to acts of service. Many high schools have service organizations, and most parish youth groups offer projects that respond to needs in the community. Getting involved in such projects will change your feelings from depression about what you lack to a sense of empowerment about what you can give. Eventually, we all learn that comparing ourselves to others has no positive benefit. And actually, being 'just the girl (or boy) next door" is quite amazing. Give up comparisons, and take on your life! Send comments to: 7125W 200S, Rockpor~ IN 47635 or chmartin@swindiana.net.
'Let no one look ~own on you because you are young' Despite this full schedule, there is New Testament. As Paul continued One of the great privileges that I will further your own salvation and have is working in the diocese in still time for relaxationandrecrehis ministry in other towns, he that of the people who listen to you" various youth programs that are near ation on the grounds of the diocesan . (l Tim 4:12-16). supported Timothy through letters. and dear to my heart. One program retreat facility, Cathedral Camp in During CLl, the tearn shares with 'Here is part of Paul's message sent to that specifically is important to me East Freetown. Timothy, a message that is also sent the candidates a number of Bible not only helps young people develop Many young people may feel that to us. .stories in whicJ:1 a young.person is their faith, but also leaves them with they are not ready for called to a role ofleadervery important life skills. The leadership. After all, they ship. Here are a few Christian Leadership Institute (CLI) are too young to be an ex'amples of whatthey've helps young people develop their influence in their environsaid in the past. Remember natural and supernatural selves. ments, are they not? David (of David and Nothing could be further CLI seeks to foster the leadership Goliath fame)? Imagine potential of young men and women ' from the truth. Young David's fear all he came " • .;:."r--::--and to heighten 'each young person's people have such an face to face with this strong awareT)ess of leadership and opportunity to shape and and powerful ~arrior, By Fran~ Lucca ministerial roles and responsibilities influence their work, school' \) . \ armed only with a slingshot in the parish and high school and and chUrch communities. and five stone~. Yet, God work settings. CLl daily sessions CLl seeks to give young people the "Let no one look down upon you responded by giving David courage focus on the art of leadership, .because you are young, out be an skills to help them accomplish that. and strength. David slew Goliath, communication skills, leadership One of my favorite Bible example to all in speech and and saved God's people from certain styles, group dynamics and planning behavior, in love, faithfulness and passages we use on CLl is the one in death at the handS of the Philistines. skills. Other sessions explore various which we hear about Paul's joumeys purity. Devote your attention to the There was Esther, a young woman, aspectS of Catholic Christian from town to town sharing the public reading of the scriptures, to who became King XerJ(es' queen, discipleship, and how that is message of Christ with everyone. teaching and to prayer. Do not called by God to plead Ito the king to embodied through prayer and liturgy, Before he left each town, however, neglect the spiritual gifts you save the Israelites from death at the moral decision making, sacramental he always left behind a new teacher, . possess, wmch was given to you hands of Haman. And there was living and service. CLl participants someone whom he had enabled as a through the laying on of hands by the Jeremiah, called to rerrJ'ind the are challenged to use their skills and minister, an elder who was respected elders as a body. Make these matters Israelites of God's faithfulness to talents in planning sessions for as a leader in the community. But in the most important things in your them at the very time of their specific portions of the daily life, so that your progress m'ay be one town, he could not find such'an unfaithfulness to God. , program: moming wakeup,'moming .. elder, so he called a young man seen by all. Keep strong in them, Many other young tren and and night prayer, meal blessings, named Timothy. This young Timothy with a close watch on yourself and women were called by God to share dltily liturgy and evening socials. your teaching, for by doing so you .became-the first youth leader of th~ the special message. APiong these
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was a young woman named Mary. Called to bear God's own son and bring him into this world. And of course there was Jesus himself: an ordinary Jewish boy who studied and worked and played. He grew in the awareness that he too, was to spread God's message that we are good and .we are created to love God and one another. All are living examples of what youth can accomplish with God's help. Is there any doubt that all young people can be called to be leaders? The 15 adult leaders that conduct the CLl experience believe that each and every young person can develop the skills that are necessary to make a difference in this world. I would encourage all of you, whether a young person, or an adult, to take a look at CLl. The next CLl will be held June 23-28 at Cathedral Camp. For more infQnnation, please visit www.fallriveryouthministry.org/ c1i.htm. Nearly 800 young people have lived the CLl experience. I hope to meet some of you this summer at CLI 2006. You are being called to leadership. Respond. E-mail Frank Lucca 3t StDominicY~@oo:mrns1.!rul1
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Friday, May 19, 2006
Opus Dei
Monsignor
completion ofthe magnificent St. Pius X School next door to the church grounds in South Father Wauck said the whip used search firm, said that as a student and high schools inNew Bedfo.rd, twice a year, just to make sure Yarmouth. "The parishioners by Opus Dei numeraries is "small at Northwestern University he and later received a bachelor of ,things were going well for them. were absolutely behind this and light enough to carry in a was invited to participate in ac- arts degree from Providence Col- And, I would visit the Catholic project all the way," he related. high schools in the diocese every "So many people wholeheartedly closed fist." tivities at the nearby Opus Dei lege. ' From there, Msgr. Smith at- year to spread the word about vo- supported us financially and in Linda Ruf of Chicago, ,an center. "There was nothing high' other ways. ,Principal 'Patricia Opus Dei member for more than pressure about it," he said, and tended St. Philip Neri Seminary cations." Msgr. Smith said it's different Marmen has done a remarkable 20 years, has led parish informa- he didn't become interested un- School in Boston, and St. Mary's today in that many men are re- job focusing on providing a qualtion sessions around the Midwest til a couple of years later, after Seminary in Baltimore. Following his 1959 ordination sponding to the call at an older ity-Catholic-based education. Her and appeared on television to dis- the center moved closer to camto the priesthood, Msgr. Smith age, after college and beyond. experience in Catholic education cuss the errors in "The Da Vinci pus. . He described himself as "a earned a master's of education "We need to pray fervently for has really paid off here. I'm so Code" ---.: not just errors about , pleased the school is such a suc- . Opus Dei, but about Christianity product of the '60s" who went to degree from Bridgewater State vocations," he added. itself, where author Brown con- public school and to parish Reli- College. Msgr. Smith also served at St. cess, and this coming year, we're "I think the thing I remember James Parish in,New Bedford, St. becoming a grammar school and structs an elaborate two-millen- gious Education classes that nium conspiracy theory that chal-' didn't get much beyond "how most fondly about first becoming John the Evangelist Parish in . middle school." When asked what changes he's a priest was.the spirit of camara- Attleboro, and arrived as pastor 'lenges fundamental Christian be- Jesus loves us." "One of the first things Opus derie among other priests," said at St. Pius X Parish in South seen in the Church over the past liefs. "I was astou.nded that women Dei helped me with was a theol- . Msgr. Smith. "The friendships Yarmouth in-1989 until his retire- 50 or so years, Msgr. Smith confidently responded, "I've seen the ' were having faith crises over ogy class, where I learned so, were very obvious and appreci- , ment this July. In November of 1987, Pope people who make up the Church much more about my faith,", he ated, especially by a young priest. this," she told CNS. "No matter where I was as- John Paul II named then Father mature so much in the faith." Of the criticisms of Opus Dei said. Noting the recent difficulties Lachenauer said as an Opus signed I was always warmly ac- . Smith a papal Prelate of Honor, that the noyel uses to fashion a picture of a secretive sect within Dei member he finds his faith cepted by the other priests in the with the title of Reverend Monsi- facing the Church regarding the the Church, she said, "Opus Dei, "woven into every aspect of life," household. Younger priests could gnor. Bishop Daniel A. Cronin misconduct of a small number of I'm sure, has made some mis- from his work environment to his count on the support and experi- presented the papal diploma to priests~ Msgr. Smith added, "l'ye Msgr. Smith at an Advent vespers witnessed the strength and d~vo takes in the past with individu- relationships with family and ence from the older priests. "You could go into any rectory service at St. Mary's Cathedral on tion of the faith of fuany Cathoals, and we should learn from friends. lics that is beyond measure." He said·he has invited "many, in the diocese and feel right at November 29 that·year. some of those possib'le misHearkening back to his days as In addition to serving in sevtakes." many friends to participate" in home." , She said a recent book titled retre.ats, talks, parenting seminars Young Father Smith's first di- eral very large parishes, Msgr. vocations director, Msgr. Smith "Opus Qei" by John L. Allen Jr., and other activities sponsored by ocesan assignment was' at St. Smith also tackled with relish a had some advice for young men an American journalist and au- Opus Dei because he thinks they Patrick's Parish in Wareham, number of appointments other contemplating a priestly vocation. "When going through your decithor who covers the Vatican, will benefit from those experi- where he spent eight years. It was ilian his vocations assignment. He was director of C.C.D. for sion process, decide slowly, seri"does a pretty gQod job of say- ences. He said he has invited during that. time when Bishop ing what some of Opus Dei's some people to consider joining Connolly appointed him diocesan the New Bedford Area; was chap- ously, and prayerfully," he said. problems are and what some of Opus Dei, but to his knowledge director of Vocations, a position lain at V-Mass Dartmouth; served "It is very important for you to as an episcopal vicar of the realize that we live each day by its strengths are;" giving voice to none have joined, although sev- he held until 1997. the critics but also reporting the eral friends have become "coop"Things were a bit different Attleboro, Taunton, Cape Cod grace and joy." Msgr. Smith was also quick to organization's response to those erators" - nonmembers who back then," said Msgr. Smith re- and the Islands vicariates; was a support Opus Dei financially or ferring to recruiting- potential member of the priests' council; note that he greatly admires those criticisms. Some critics claim Opus Dei volunteer their time for some of vocations. "There weren't as was an advocate for the diocesan who are seriously considering many cultural' problems back Tribunal; was a delegate for the such an important choice. recruits people aggressively and its projects. After nearly 50 years of minIn its fourth design in the past then blocking the call to a voca- bishop for seminarians; was chapexcessively controls the lives of members, but Shaw and Hickey decade, Opus Dei has launched tion. The family was a very im- lain of the New Bedford Serra istry and service, it's difficult to described their decisions to join a new version of its Website at portant factor in the vocation Club; and served as a juvenile imagine Msgr. Smith kicking back and watching the sun set - and as a free choice without pressure www'.opusdei.org. process, and it's not that preva- court chaplain for eight years. Regardless of a consistently . that's the furthest thing from his The Website, which was vis- lent today. from members. Hickey said that "In the earlier days, I had the full slate of assignments, Msgr. mind. , . while her children were involved ited by more than three million "I'm going to live in Fairhaven, in the 9rganization's clubs they people in 2005, offers informa- assistance of eight other priests Smith told The Anchor that, "I've tion about Opus Dei' as well as and eight religious Sisters to help. ~lways been at peace with the and I'd really like to continue my were never asked to join. education and reading," he said. "I Bruce Lachenauer, 4@, of news about the Catholic Church 'We would visit local seminarians priesthood." One of the taught as a priest and would like to Irvine, Calif., a father of five and, and the pope. It is now available crown jewels of continue along those lines also." ' a partner in a large executive in 22 languages. And Msgr. Smith was sure to his tenure at St. Pius X Parish make clear, "I definitely want St. Anne's Prayer was overseeing to k,eep up with parish ministry the planning and as well." "Good St. Anne, Mother of Mary, and October 17-26, 2006 Continued from page 15
Grandmother of Jesus, Intercede for me and my petitions. Amen."
In honor of Sister Lucia dos Santos, seer ofFatima, who died February 13,2005·, age 97. Lucia pray for us:
Continued from page one
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Spiritual Director Fr. Tim Reis of St. Joseph and St. Paul Parishes, Taunton October 10 - 18, 2006 $2199 per person, dou~le occupancy Limited spaces! Reservations accepted on a first come, first serve basis upon receipt of a $300 . deposit (or $450 with trip cancellation insurance) which is due no later than .June 1st! For more information and/or a registration form, call Eliesa at Carmel Tours (978-977-3062) or Fr. Tim (508-824-S~3S).
Friday, May 19, 2~06
Young confirmation recipients eagerly contribute to Appeal cause EUCHARISTIC ADORATION WEST HARWICH - The celebrate life committee of Holy Trinity and Holy Redeemer parishes are sponsoring a holy hour May 28 at 1:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Parish, Route 28. It will include rosary, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and a presentation on defending marriage. HEALING MASSES ATTLEBORO - A healing service in Portuguese will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette. It will be led by La Salette Father Manuel Pereira. A healing service in English will be held May 25 at 6:30 p.m. led by La Salette Father Andre Patenaude. For more information call 508-222-5410. LECTURESIPRESENTATIONS BREWSTER - The Lazarus Ministry Group of Our Lady of the Cape Parish will conduct the bereavement program, "Come Walk With Me," tonight, May 26 and June 2 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Parish Center. For more information call Happy Whitman at 508385-3252.
MISCELLANEOUS ATTLEBORO - A Mass and procession in honor of the Holy Spirit .will. be held June 1.1 Cit 10 a.m. at Holy Ghost Church, 71 Linden Street. Traditional free Sopas will be served in the church hall following Mass. Procession will begin from 41 <::hestnut Street.
Hearts Fathers across from the church. Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Refreshments will be served before the cere~ony. FALL RIVER - Catholic Social Services seeks Portuguesespeaking volunteers to work with elders in a group setting once a week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a local parish. For information call Juraci Capataz at 508-674-4681. PROVIDENCE - NBC Channel 10, Providence, will re-air the April 18 Mass of Thanksgiving for Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap., May 21 from 11 :30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
SOCIAL EVENTS MANSFIELD - The Concert Choir of St. Mary's Parish, under the direction of Elaine M. Saulnier, will present its annual spring concert Saturday at 7:30 p.m. It is themed "Songs We Love to Remember," and will feature selections from Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael. For more information call 508-339-2981. SUPPORT GROUPS NEW BEDFORD - Courage, a group for people dealing with same-sex attractions while trying to live chaste lives will meet May 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at St. James Church. The group is faithful to .Church teachings on human sexuality and meetings include prayer and sharing. For more information call Father Richard Wilson at 508-9929408.
EAST TAUNTON - Holy Family Cursillo Community is hosting a Taunton Area Ultreya May 25 following the 6:30 p.m. holy day Mass. FAIRHAVEN - The Legion of Mary Praesidium of St. Joseph's Parish will sponsor a crowning ceremony May 21 at 1:30 p.m. It will take place at the statue of Our Lady on the grounds of the Sacred
ORLEANS - A diocesan Divorced-Separated Support Group will meet Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Joan of Arc Parish Center, 61 Canal Road. A video presentation will focus on remaining faith-filled despite loss and heartaches. Widowed persons are also welcome. For more information call Father Richard Roy at 508-255-0170.
In Your Prayers .please pray for the following priests during the coming weeks
\May \ 23 .
1944, Rev. William F. DOf\ahue, Assista!J.t,~St. Francis Xavier,
,\ ~,,'..)-
Hyannis
1995, Rev. Alfred J. GueneU6,'A.A-:-// .--' \ ~~--~\ \
\../ /
May, 2~
1907, Rev. James F. Clark, Fouf\d~r, St. James, New Bedford 1985, Rev. Patrick Heran, SS.CO, Former Rector, Sacred Hearts
\ \.
Seminary, Fairhaven May
25\\
1925, Rev. Michael P. Kirby, Former :Assistant St. Mary, North
Attleboro \\ 1961, Rev. James V. Mendes, Pastor, Our Lady of Angels, Fall River May 28 1982, Rev. Lionel A. Bourque, Former Chaplain, Cardinal Cushing
Hospital, Brockton.
.
FALL RIVER - As parishes received contributions from generous donors during the first week of the Appeal, there were not only positive signs for the 2006 Catholic Charities Appeal but for future Appeals as well. Frequently, in the past, parishes have encouraged members of their confmnation classes to perform some task(s) or sponsor an event to raise funds for the needy. In numerous instances they have then asked the confmnation candidates to select a group or institution to which these funds should be directed. It has become traditional in many parishes that these funds are directed to the yearly springtime Catholic Charities Appeal. One such parish, St. Anthony's in Taunton, presented a check to Bishop George W. Coleman when he visited their parish for the purpose of confmning its candidates. In her presentation of the gift to the bishop, Alyssa Camara, a member of the confmnation class, stated the intent ofher fellow classmates: "As confmned Catholics, we have now accepted the responsibility to be witnesses to Jesus Christ. We are called now to actively participate in our faith. One of the ways we can become more active members of the Church is to assist those who are in need. Please accept this donation in the name of our class, for this year's diocesan Catholic Charities Appeal.". ''We are so dependent upon the adult members of our parish communities to support our endeavors, whether it be financially or by way of involvement, we fail to remember sometimes that there better be someone to take their place in the future for the well-being of each
parish and the work of the Church as well," said Mike Donly, diocesan director of Development. ''These young people are our future. It's good to see they are developing in such a way as to put the words of St. James into action; 'Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.' These young people are the very lifeline of the Church of the future. Only if they continue to heed the words of St. James will we as a diocese and Church be able to continue offering the services and ministries we do to the thousands who come to us in their time of need. Stories like this make us have great
Top Five Parishes by Deanery as of 05112/06 I'
Attleboro: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Seekonk St. Mark, Attleboro Falls St. Mary, Mansfield St. Mary, North Attleboro Sacred Heart, North Attleboro
$ 37,103.00 18,455.00 6,290.00 5,925.00 3,370.00
Cape Cod: ., St. Pius Tenth, South Yarmouth Our Lady of Victory, Centerville Our Lady of the Cape, Brewster Christ the King, Mashpee Our Lady of the Assumption, Osterville
$ 64,614.23 32,160.00 32,039.00 28,339.00 22,280.00
Fall River: Holy Name, Fall River St. Joseph, Fall River Espirito Santo, Fall River St. Stanislaus, Fall River St. Anne, Fall River
$ 17,470.00 15,825.00 14,353.00 13,110.00 . 11,252.00
New Bedford: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New Bedford St. Patrick, Wareham Immaculate Conception, New Bedford St. John Neumann, East Freetown St. Joseph, Fairhaven, Taunton: Annunciation of the Lord, Taunton Holy Family, East Taunton St. Anthony, Taunton St. Paul, Taunton Immaculate Conception, North Easton
IlDlDigrants about immigration law, and in regards to the protests by migrant groups. We set up informational workshops as needed. In the months ofApril and into May we offered two workshops on the Cape, each of which had 400 or more people in attendance," she reported. One of the workshops was sought by Brazilians "who felt they were being targeted by police in those communities and had questions. So we invited police to come in and talk on the issues and provide answers." Currently Sniffen is planning a workshop that involves material on how to obtain driver's licenses, and the Massachusetts Department of Motor Vehicles will be invited to answer pertinent questions. Although CSS also runs English as a Second Language classes, it does not involve her office, she said. While CSS may assist with aspects of refugee resettlement "we are not the fIrst point ofcontact," she added. One of the principal efforts of ILEAP is to obtain green cards, which ironically are now white, for immigrants. They authorize the holder and their fainilies to live and work in the United States.
hope for the future, not only for the Appeal but for the Church as well." The Annual Catholic Charities Appeal is the only time the diocese asks it parishioners and friends to come together to fund the charitable works of the Diocese. Donations to the Appeal can be sentto the Catholic Charities Appeal Office, P.O. Box 1470, Fall River, Mass. 02722; dropped off at any parish in the Diocese ofFall River; or made on the Appeal Website: www.frdioc-catholiccharities.org Forinformation visit the Website orcontactthe AppealOffice at508675-1311
$ 27,780.00 21,754.00 17,256.00 12,130.00 12,071.00
$ 13,416.00 12,114.00 10,025.00 9,981.00 9,205.00
Continued/rom page one
"On any given day we have 200 There are other complications, active cases we're working on," she said. "For instance we handle asylum Sniffen reported. , Most of the green cards are for cases that have to go to trial. We have immigrants who have married a mother and four children from American citizens or other perma- New Guinea seeking political asynent residents, she explained. lum here. Even one case going to trial "In Fall River we have an influx takes up a great deal of time." of people from the Central AmeriBecause she is the only attorney can countries that include Hondu- in \LEAP, "we have obtained some rans, Guatemalans, and Brazilians. funding for another attorney to start, In New Bedford there is a large Gua- hopefully in September," said temalan community, and some Cape Sniffen. "It will open us up to taking Verdeans and now Mayans too. And more cases." Another of her office's responsion Cape Code there is a very large community of Brazilians. On bilities is to advise in domestic vioMartha's Vineyard we have a large lence cases, Sniffen reported. population ofSalvadorims," she said. "Immigrant victims of such vio'These are the people we serve." lence have certain forms of relief As to the green cards, ''Eitheryou under the U.S. Immigration Law," are eligible or you are not," she said. she said. "Catholic Social Services "For instance, if people are here on as an agency has counseling services. a tourist visa and it runs out, and then When they identify someone who is marry a U.S. citizen, they come in in a situation that might fit into our and ask, how can I become legal? I program in respect to immigration suggest we start the paperwork. But legalities, they will refer them to us." if it is someone who entered from She said other CSS agencies are Mexico and was undetected by im- involved daily in helping immigrants migration and has made their way with health, housing and other basic to Fall River and wants a work per- needs. mit, Ihave to him or her there is noth"It is a holistic approach, and we ing for them right now. But..we're . are just one cog in the Catholic Sokeeping our eyes on Congress." cial Serv.ices framework," she said.
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Friday, May 19, 2006
':r
Students encouraged to attend play about heroic Irena Sendler Bv MIKE GORDON
roes' Remembrance in Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, you can see all rescuers memorialized. People put their NEW BEDFORD - The heroic story of95-year- own lives at risk to help others. It was a horrible old Polish Catholic Irena Sendler, who helped save time in history." Sendler's story was not that well known up until 2,500 Jewish and Polish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust, will be brought to light a few years ago when some high school students in on May 21 at the Tifereth Is- ...-., Union, Kansas brought it to rael Synagogue when the more prominence. Having been assigned to do a history play "Life in a Jar," is performed. lesson, they stumbled upon Sendler was a social her name in a magazine and worker in Poland during investigated it. Moved by her World War II and risked her story, the students eventually life to save countless chilcreated a play about her redren. They were smuggled in markable story. boxes or through underThe students, now collegeaged, have met Sendler twice ground passageways eventually being placed in foster and have been performing the . homes, orphanages and safe play ever since. They preplaces. sented it last year in Warsaw, According to Wil Herrup, . Poland. Sendler, 95, today reexecutive director ofthe Jewsides in a nursing home in Poish Federation ofGreater New land. Bedford, Jewish families ap"It's a very poignant proproached her to save their gram and it can provide children from the Nazis. young people with a very Sendler gave each child a meaningful learning experiChristian or Polish name to ence," said Herrup. Father protect them and then buried IRENA SENDLER FROM THE Bergeron agreed and said she MILKEN FAMILV WEBSITE. was a "beautiful witness (of ajar in her yard with that name faith). It's important to keep and their Jewish name in hopes that they would someday be reunited with their the memory alive." The Jewish Federation heard about the play parents. "She saved 2,500 children that way," said Herrup. through a national conference one of its committee "It's a story of heroics. It's a very unique story of members attended and Herrup is glad they did. "It teaches us to see the bright light ofone candle someone who was there at the right time and stood despite the darkness that may surround us," Herrup up for what is right." The presentation was organized by the Holocaust declared. "It's an important story that we should pass Education Committee of the Jewish Federation in on and it reminds us of the saying in Jewish tradiconjunction with the Center for Jewish CulturelHillel tion that whoever saves one life, saves the entire at UMass-Dartmouth. It is being held on the annual world." The play is free to all and open to the public. Shows Yom HaShoah Observance or Holocaust Rememwill be held at the Synagogue, located at 145 Brownell brance Day. Father Marc H. Bergeron, pastor of St. Anne Avenue, Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. A brief reChurch, Fall River, will be attending the performance membrance service will precede the second showing and said he is looking forward to it. "It's marvelous at 6:30 p.m. at the Holocaust Monument in Buttonwhat she did and we're very proud of all our rescu- wood Park. Youth groups are welcome. For more iners. If you go to The Holocaust Martyrs' and He- formation call the Federation at 508-997-7471. ANCHOR STAFF
STUDENTS FROM S1. Joseph-S1. Therese School, New Bedford, place flowers around the Blessed Mother during their Crowning of Mary Ceremony. The children will be bringing in fresh flowers throughout the month of May and praying the rosary to honor the Virgin Mary. (Photo submitted by Gina Raffa)
Cape parish to host 'Da Vinci Code' talk EAST SANDWICH - Corpus Christi Parish, 324 Quaker Meetinghouse Road will host a thought-provoking talk on 'The Da Vinci Code - Discussing the Movie with Family and Neighbors," by G. Thomas Ryan, a consultant on church architecture, art, liturgy and education. The event will take place at the
Parish Center Saturday at 9:40 a.m He has been speaking about the book since its publication, drawing on extensive studies on early Christianity, especially the formation ofthe scriptural canOn and the fate ofliterature such as the gospel of Judas. All are invited and there is no charge. Call 508-833-8432 for info.
\ 1 Year $14.00 -
Foreign $25.00
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Enclose check or money order and mail to: The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722 This Message Sponsored by the Following Business Concern In the Diocese of Fall River GILBERT C. OLIVEIRA INSURANCE AGENCY
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EIGHTH-GRADE STUDENTS at Espirito Santo School, Fall River, crowned a statue in honor of Our Lady. From left: Vanessa Lindo, Gary Novo and Tiffany De Sousa as Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta.
