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Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , May 22, 2015

Stang student pens winning speech from Jesus’ perspective

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

NEW BEDFORD — It’s become something of a familiar cliché or catch phrase when someone wants to make you think about the consequences of your actions.

What would Jesus do?

Sometimes abbreviated in today’s text-obsessed shorthand as simply “WWJD,” it recently provided a bit of inspiration for a senior at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth to write an essay that earned him the top prize in a scholarship contest.

“A lot of people ask: ‘What would Jesus do?’ While brainstorming ideas for this essay all I could think about was ‘WWJS’ or ‘What would Jesus say?’” Nicholas Andrews recently told The Anchor. “It wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

However, I thought about my favorite parable that Jesus told — about the sower and the seed. I took this well-known parable and focused my whole essay around it and I really made that the center

of Jesus’ speech.”

The speech that Andrews is referring to is a valedictorian address; only instead of being delivered by himself or a classmate, it would have to be written from Christ’s unique perspective.

“The essay had to be at least 500 words and had to be written from the point of view of Jesus Christ,” Andrews said. “The back story behind the essay is that Jesus is graduating high school and He is the valedictorian of His graduating class, the Class of 2015.

I had to make and deliver His speech while trying to make it as real as possible — like Jesus was actually doing the talking.”

An active parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in New Bedford, Andrews first became aware of the annual essay contest when he read about it in the weekly bulletin.

“I thought a great way to bring the parish together would be to have an essay scholarship dinner,” explained Father Kevin HarTurn to page 15

Pictured are some of the students at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Attleboro who recently celebrated their First Communion.

Stonehill College students, faculty and friends filled the Easton campus’ Chapel of Mary last month as Holy Cross Father Timothy Mouton celebrated his first Mass at the chapel after his ordination in April at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Father Tim is Stonehill’s athletic chaplain, assistant baseball coach, and a campus minister. (Photo courtesy of Stonehill College)

Newly-ordained Father Tim Mouton, C.S.C., is right at home on Stonehill campus

By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor

ercise where in the dark Texas night in the country, someone EASTON — It was a with a flashlight shining on Confirmation retreat exercise. their face would ask us a quesOne in which Tim Mouton, tion, then point each of us in a junior in high school in his the direction we were to go hometown of Houston, Texas, next.” The questions ranged was steered through a path from “Why are you here?” to that stunningly for him, led “Whom do you serve?” to the darkness of hell.

“I was eventually lead to “While on the retreat, I someone on a podium with was really getting into it,” extremely bright lights all newly-ordained Holy Cross around him,” Father MouFather Timothy Mouton told ton continued. “I was being The Anchor. “I knew God, but judged and was directed to I was getting to know Him another room. I entered it better. It was on a night ex- and it was complete darkness.

I was sent to hell.

“Then we were all brought to Eucharistic Adoration and for the first time in my life, it made sense to me — that Jesus was in the Eucharist.

“I came off the weekend with a ‘retreat high.’ God became a bigger part of my life.

I relied on my faith.’”

Father Mouton is still living that “retreat high,” having completed his formation and training with the Congregation of Holy Cross and was ordained a priest of that order Turn to page 18

Bishop Feehan students prepare for their next step

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff

ATTLEBORO — Students come and students go at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, but it’s what those students do during his or her four years at the school that will help define who they will become after graduation.

Eighteen-year-old senior Emily Horan is set to graduate in a few weeks and attend Emmanuel College in Boston, while 15-year-old freshman Kevin Baker is just beginning

his time at the high school; and the common thread between the two isn’t just Bishop Feehan High School, it’s their personal journeys that involve more than just a long list of accomplishments.

“When I was really little I remember being with my grandfather a lot at his parish, which was St. Elizabeth’s in North Falmouth,” said Baker, “and he was one of the people who brought me into being active [in the Church].

I remember him showing me what to do, how to set up for Mass and stuff like that. My

parents were a big influence because at preschool age, I remember going to Mass every Sunday, which we still do now.”

Baker started altar-serving at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Attleboro in the fourth grade, and he found it to be a great way “to be able to help in that way during the Mass and having the close connection to Christ during the Mass is a huge part of ” his faith, said Baker. “I feel that if I wasn’t an altar server, I may not have been as active Turn to page 14

At Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, 18-year-old senior Emily Horan is on her way out while 15-year-old freshman Kevin Baker is just getting started, but both students have made their mark at the Catholic high school, in their respective parishes and at other organizations though volunteer work. Horan will be studying at Emmanuel College in Boston while Baker is discerning a call to become a priest. (Photo by Becky Aubut)

News From the Vatican

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May 22, 2015

Vatican-Palestine accord supports ‘two-state’ solution

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Vatican and Palestinian representatives have finalized the text of a formal agreement recognizing freedom of religion in the “State of Palestine” and outlining the rights and obligations of the Catholic Church, its agencies and its personnel in the territory.

Without fanfare, the Vatican has been referring to the “State of Palestine” at least since January 2013. The “Annuario Pontificio,” the Vatican’s official yearbook, lists a diplomatic relationship with the “State of Palestine.”

The Vatican, which praised the United Nations’ recognition of Palestinian sovereignty in 2012, said recently that the bilateral commission working on the agreement had finalized the text.

“The agreement will be submitted to the respective authorities for approval” and a formal signing ceremony should be held soon, the statement said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Pope Francis on May 16, the day before attending a canonization Mass at the Vatican for two new Palestinian saints.

Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, the Vatican undersecretary for relations with states and head of the Vatican delegation at the negotiations, said the Vatican wanted the agreement to “promote the life and activity of the Catholic Church and its recognition on a juridical level.”

The text of the agreement will not be released until it receives top-level approval.

However, Msgr. Camilleri described the general contents to L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.

The agreement, he said, expresses hope for an end to Palestinian-Israeli tensions and supports the existence of two separate, independent nations living side-by-side in security

and peace.

The chapter on “freedom of religion and conscience,” he said, is “very elaborate and detailed.”

Other chapters deal with “various aspects of the life and activity of the Church in the Palestinian territories: its freedom of action, its personnel and jurisdiction, its personal status, houses of worship, social and charitable activity (and) means of social communication. Finally, a chapter is dedicated to financial and property questions.”

Asked if the agreement could be a model for agreements with other Muslim-majority countries, Msgr. Camilleri said every bilateral treaty deals with the specific situation of the countries involved.

“In this case, because it deals with the presence of the Church in the land where Christianity was born, the agreement has a unique value and significance,” he said.

At the same time, though, he said the agreement’s recognition of the Church and of religious freedom “could be followed by other countries, including those with a Muslim majority, and demonstrate that such recognition is not incompatible with the fact that the majority of the country’s population belongs to another religion.”

The monsignor said he hoped the agreement would help Palestinians reach the point of seeing “established and recognized an independent, sovereign and democratic State of Palestine that lives in peace and security with Israel and its neighbors.”

The Vatican, he said, also wants to encourage “the international community, especially the parties most directly interested, in undertaking more decisive action to contribute to reaching a lasting peace and the hoped-for solution of two states.”

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

Grazia, a girl with Down syndrome, hugs Pope Francis at a recent general audience. (Photo by Daniel Ibanez/CNA)

When was the last time you said ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry?’ pope asks

Vatican City (CNA/ EWTN News) — In a recent general audience Pope Francis focused on the concrete challenges families face in daily life, and said that simply remembering to be grateful and to apologize can go a long way in avoiding conflict.

“Dear brothers and sisters, today’s catechesis is the opening of the door to a series of reflections on family life, real life, daily life,” the pope told pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square.

“Above this door are written three words that we have already used other times: May I, thank you, and I’m sorry. They are words linked to good manners, (and) in their genuine sense of respect and desire for good, (they are) far away from any hypocrisy and duplicity,” he said.

Francis’ address was a continuation of his ongoing catechesis on the family, which he began at the end of last year as part of the lead-up to the World Day of Families in September, as well as October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family.

Although the words “May I,” “thank you” and “I’m sorry” can be hard to say or put into practice, their absence “can cause cracks in the foundation of the family, which can lead to its collapse,” the pope said.

However, if families make a habit of including the phrases in their daily lives as a sign of love for one another rather than just a formal expression of good manners, they can strengthen a happy family life, he continued.

The words “May I” are a reminder that we should be “delicate, respectful and patient with others,” he said. Even if we feel like we have the right to some-

thing, “when we speak to our spouse or family member with kindness we create space for a true Spirit of marital and familial common life.”

Kindness helps to renew trust and respect, and reveals the love we have for others, the pope noted, saying that we should always imitate Jesus, Who stands at the door of our hearts and knocks, waiting for us to open it to Him. He then turned to the second word, noting that to say “thank you” can seem like a contradiction in a distrustful society, which tends to view this attitude as weakness.

Despite this perception, it is through an “education in gratitude” that that social justice and the dignity of persons are upheld, he said.

Gratitude Francis continued, “is a virtue that for believers is born from the same heart of their faith (it) is also the language of God, to Whom above all we must express our gratitude.”

Pope Francis then turned to the words “I’m sorry,” or “Forgive me,” and said that without these words, hurt feelings can develop in relationships and weaken life as a family.

“But when we ask forgiveness, we show our desire to restore what was lost — respect, honesty, love — and healing between family members is made possible,” he said, noting how the Our Father prayer teaches us that to accept our mistakes and to commit to correcting them is the first step of healing.

The pope then spoke directly to spouses, telling them that if they ever fight or have an argument, they should never end the day without reconciling and

making peace with each other.

Francis concluded his address by praying that families would be a sign of God’s love and mercy in the middle of the world. He asked that the words “May I,” “Thank you,” and “I’m sorry” would always remain “in our hearts, in our homes and in our communities.”

After concluding his speech, the pope greeted pilgrims present from various countries around the world, including Spain, Mexico, Honduras, Argentina, England, Sweden, Taiwan, Cameroon and the United States.

He also noted how the day marked the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared to three shepherd children — Lucia Santos and Francisco and Jacinta Marto — May 13, 1917.

Since the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the children was approved in 1930, a Sanctuary has been built at the site of her appearance, where millions continue to flock every year to pray and ask for Mary’s intercession.

St. John Paul II nearly died after being shot by Mehmet Ali Agca on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima in 1981. He credited her for saving his life, and maintained a strong devotion to her until his death in 2005.

In his audience, Pope Francis told youth to learn how to cultivate their devotion to Mary by praying the Rosary daily, and asked that all those who are ill would “feel the presence of Mary in the hour of the cross.”

He spoke to newlyweds present, and encouraged them as husbands and wives to pray to Mary so that “love and mutual respect will never be lacking in your homes.”

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May 22, 2015

Iraqi Christians have lost everything — except their faith, nun tells Congress

Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — Having lost their homes, their heritage and their sense of dignity, Iraqi Christians victimized by the Islamic State feel abandoned by earthly powers, but their faith in God has only grown, an Iraqi nun recently told members of Congress.

The faith of homeless Iraqi Christians is “increasing more and more,” Sister Diana Momeka, O.P., told the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Many of the displaced lived in devastating conditions — families taking shelter in containers, parents without jobs and children without an education.

But Sister Diana insisted the Spirit of the people has not been broken by the adversity.

“It’s making us stronger,” she said.

“We were displaced, yet we feel that the hand of God is still with us. In the midst of this darkness, this suffering, we see that God is holding us,” she explained, adding that it is a “gift of the Holy Spirit” to be able to stay and have faith through hardship.

Sister Diana was part of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, originally from Mosul in Northern Iraq. Islamist militants bombed their convent in 2009, and after the prioress sought protection from the local government and found none, Sister Diana and the community moved to Qaraqosh.

The ISIS onslaught caught up to them last summer. As the Islamic State swept through parts of Iraq and Syria, establishing a strict caliphate, more than

120,000 Iraqis were displaced on the Nineveh Plain, faced with the decision to convert to Islam, stay and pay a jizya tax to ISIS, or leave immediately.

The religious community

ecrated churches, shrines, and other Sacred sites, she said.

“We lost everything that today, every Christian that’s living in the region of Kurdistan, we feel we don’t have dignity

Sister Diana Momeka, a member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena in Mosul, Iraq, testifies alongside others at a recent hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington titled “Ancient Communities Under Attack: ISIS’s War on Religious Minorities.” Also pictured are Jacqueline Isaac, vice president of Roads of Success in Los Angeles; Hind Kabawat, director of Interfaith Peacebuilding Center for World Religious, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University in Virginia; and Katharyn Hanson, a fellow in the Penn Cultural Heritage Center at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

moved again, this time to Kurdistan. “We were driven out of our homes in a couple of hours,” the nun described, “without any warning.”

Almost no Christians are left in Mosul, Sister Diana said, except for about 100 Christian hostages of ISIS. Slated to testify before a congressional committee as part of an Iraqi delegation, Sister Diana’s application for a visa was initially denied by the local U.S. Consulate because of her status as an internally-displaced person.

Amid mounting pressure, she was later able to enter the United States and testified before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs

Appellate court reverses Oak Ridge Plowshares sabotage conviction

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) — A divided 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the sabotage convictions of three Plowshares protesters, one of them a nun in her mid-80s, remanding the case to a lower court.

The three-judge panel upheld one conviction against the trio on a charge of depredation of property. Judges Raymond J. Kethledge and Jeffrey J. Helmick voted to overturn the convictions.

Judge Danny J. Boggs dissented from the majority decision.

Sister Megan Rice, a member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus from Washington, Michael Walli, also from Washington, and Greg Boertje-Obed from Duluth, Minn. — the men were Army veterans — were convicted

Committee regarding “ISIS’s war on religious minorities.”

“I am but one, small person — a victim myself of ISIS and all of its brutality,” Sister Diana stated in written testimony be-

in 2013 of the sabotage and depredation of property counts, and were sentenced in February 2014 to 35 months on each count, to be served concurrently.

All three were freed from prison late May 15 after defense attorneys in the case, filed documents with the court calling for the Plowshares activists’ immediate release. The court agreed after federal prosecutors did not object. The decision returns the case to U.S. District Court in Knoxville. Bill Quigley, a defense attorney in the case said July 8 has been set as a tentative resentencing date.

Federal prosecutors had 14 days from the original decision to decide whether to file an appeal of the circuit court’s decision.

fore the committee.

“Coming here has been difficult for me — as a religious Sister I am not comfortable with the media and so much attention,” she admitted. “But I am here and I am here to ask you, to implore you for the sake of our common humanity to help us.”

The Christians in Northern Iraq lost “most everything” when ISIS destroyed and des-

anymore. When you lose your home, you lose everything you have. You lose your heritage, your culture.”

When monasteries that have existed for centuries have been destroyed, it is a sign that “your history is gone, you are nothing anymore,” the Iraqi nun explained.

Children are growing up without proper education

and whole families’ lives have “changed tremendously,” she said. “We’re abandoned, that’s how we feel.”

The local and regional authorities have been of little help to the displaced, Sister Diana said in her testimony, calling their reaction to the crisis “at best modest and slow.” The Kurdish government allowed Christian refugees to enter its borders but did not offer any more significant aid.

The Church in Kurdistan has been a big help to Christians, though, providing food, shelter, and other support, she noted.

Ultimately, the displaced want to return home and not to be re-settled elsewhere, witnesses at the hearing insisted.

“There are many who say ‘Why don’t the Christians just leave Iraq and move to another country and be done with it?’”

Sister Diana stated in her testimony. “Why should we leave our country? What have we done?”

“The Christians of Iraq are the first people of the land,” she said. “While our ancestors experienced all kinds of persecution, they stayed in their land, building a culture that has served humanity for the ages.”

“We want nothing more than to go back to our lives; we want nothing more than to go home.”

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The Church in the U.S.

May 22, 2015

Pope names two priests as auxiliary bishops of Brooklyn Diocese

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Pope Francis has appointed two priests of the Diocese of Brooklyn — Father James Massa, 54, and Father Canon Witold Mroziewski, 49 — as auxiliary bishops of that diocese. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, made the announcement public recently in Washington, D.C. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, will ordain the new bishops at a Mass to be celebrated at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on July 20.

“These two men represent the very best of the diocese.

One is a parish priest who at heart is a missionary pouring himself out for others. The other is a teacher but in fact very much a father to the young men of our diocese and beyond who are studying to be priests,” said Bishop DiMarzio. “[They] are men of faith who daily communicate the great joy of the Gospel. Each has taken on incredibly challenging tasks and not simply excelled but did so in a way that has demonstrated outstanding leadership and personal holiness.”

Father James Massa was born in Jersey City, N.J. He attended Boston College and graduated with a bachelor’s in theology and history in 1982.

In 1985, he earned a master’s of Divinity degree from Yale University, and in 1997, a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Fordham University, where he wrote his dissertation under the late Cardinal Avery Dulles.

Father Massa was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn on Oct. 25, 1986. He served as a parochial vicar, a college chaplain and in a number of positions at seminaries and universities as an associate professor of theology. In 2005, he was appointed the executive director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue.

In 2008, he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and a Member of the Joint Working Group between the Holy See and the World Council of Churches.

Father Massa returned to the Diocese of Brooklyn in 2011 and coordinated the merger of the Theologates for the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Rockville Cen-

tre and the Diocese of Brooklyn. Since 2014, he has served as the moderator of the curia in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“I receive this news of my appointment with gratitude to the Holy Father, who exemplifies in all he does ‘the joy of the Gospel,’” said Bishop-elect Massa. “Aware of my own inadequacies and fears, I place all my confidence in Jesus, Whose love never fails us on the journey of faith.”

Father Canon Witold Mroziewski was born on March 25, 1966. He earned a masters in theology from the Catholic University in Lublin, Poland, in 1991. He returned to Poland, and earned a masters (2001) and doctorates (2003) in canon law.

Father Mroziewski was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of Lomza on June 29, 1991. He served as a parochial vicar in the parish of Kadzidlo.

In 1992, he was sent for pastoral service in Brooklyn to minister to Polish expatriates.

He served as Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of CzestochowaSt. Casmir (1993-2000) and served as pastor of this parish from (2000-2013). He now serves as pastor of Holy Cross Parish. He also serves at the diocesan tribunal.

Reacting to the news, Bishop-elect Mroziewski said, “At that time, I was shocked to the point of not saying anything.

Soon, it came to my senses and my conscience what grace and honor I had received. First of all, I give my humble thanks to His Holiness Pope Francis for selecting me and including me in the College of Bishops.

My gratitude goes out to our diocesan bishop, Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, for his trust in me, and his great example of dedication to apostolic service. Thank you to all the bishops of our diocese, to our wonderful priests, religious and laity for their warm welcome given to me more than 20 years ago when I came to continue my pastoral duties as a priest. Because of their constant openness, sincere collaboration, Spiritual support and great gift of fraternity, this place became my home. I would like to offer everything I received from God with my service to Bishop DiMarzio and to all my brothers and sisters in Brooklyn and Queens as well as the Universal Church.”

Kevin O’Conner holds a sign outside St. James Church in Seaford, N.Y., before the recent funeral Mass for slain New York City police officer Brian Moore, the fifth member of the NYPD to die in the line of duty since December. (CNS photo/Mike Segar, Reuters)

U.S. House overcomes initial setback to pass 20-week abortion ban

Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — Two years after abortionist Kermit Gosnell was convicted of committing three first-degree murders at his abortion clinic, the House recently passed a bill that effectively bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

“This bill is about protecting pain-capable babies and their mothers from the tragedy of lateterm abortion-on-demand,” Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), the bill’s sponsor, stated to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol building.

“It is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue,” he added. “This is a test of our own humanity and who we are as human family.”

The bill bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy except in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother, “excluding psychological or emotional conditions.”

For an abortion to be obtained in cases of rape or incest, the offense must be reported to the proper authorities when a minor seeks an abortion.

This clause ensures the “safety of the child that’s pregnant,” explained Mallory Quigley of the Pro-Life Susan B. Anthony List.

The bill helps not only children but women as well, said one of the leading co-sponsors, Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.). “It provides that the mother must get medical attention, medical care, or counseling to help them with this very difficult decision,” she told CNA. The mother must receive all proper information from the physician about the age of her child, the law, and the fact that if the child is born alive from a botched abortion procedure it would receive all the normal medical care any child would re-

ceive. A second physician must be present at any late-term abortion procedure to ensure medical care for the child.

The bill passed by a margin of 242-184, largely along party lines. Four Republicans voted against it, and four Democrats supported it.

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) announced that he would “welcome debate” on the legislation in the Senate. “There are seven countries that allow ondemand abortions at 20-weeks and I don’t believe the U.S. should be in that club,” he tweeted after the bill’s passage.

Many Christian and Pro-Life groups supported the bill’s passage, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

An earlier version of the bill was planned for passage on January 22, the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, but in an 11th-hour turn a group of GOP congresswomen balked at supporting the bill over its rape exception, claiming the legislation would tarnish the party’s image among youth and women voters.

Actually, risks from abortions noticeably increase after 20 weeks of pregnancy, supporters claimed, saying that threats to the well-being of the mother go up as well.

Technology has allowed for a much clearer view of the viability of the Pro-Life argument, the bill’s supporters insisted, noting that science is clear that by 20 weeks a baby feels pain. The state has a necessary interested in protecting both woman and child, they added.

“Every life deserves the opportunity to reach its full potential,” Rep. Cathy McMorrisRodgers stated on the House floor before the vote. The con-

gresswoman has a son with Down syndrome and has been a Pro-Life advocate for children receiving negative pre-natal diagnoses, who suffer from significantly higher rates of abortion than other unborn children.

These unborn children are the most defenseless in society and must be protected, insisted Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.) in an impassioned speech on the House floor.

“What do we stand for in this institution — what do we stand for in America — if we do not stand up for the most defenseless and voiceless among us?” he asked on the House floor.

The bill has far-reaching implications for the 2016 presidential election, the Susan B. Anthony List said, noting that 14 Republican presidential candidates have publicly supported the legislation, providing ProLifers an opportunity to “go on offense.”

Supporters said 60 percent of Americans support such a bill.

Members of Congress announced that the bill would be voted on the anniversary of Gosnell’s conviction. The abortionist’s clinic was described as a “house of horrors” by former employees.

Worker testimonies included stories of babies surviving abortion attempts having their spines cut, mothers drugged and dead babies flushed down toilets.

The babies could obviously feel pain, Pro-Lifers said, and so can unborn babies at 20 weeks of age — that is “beyond question,” Franks stated.

The White House had announced its intention to veto the previous bill in January, and is expected to veto this legislation if it passes the Senate.

May 22, 2015

The Church in the U.S.

Rescue workers search for victims in the wreckage of a derailed Amtrak train in Philadelphia May 12. At least eight people died and eight others were in critical condition as a result of the crash, a doctor from Temple University Hospital said the morning of May 13. (CNS photo/Bryan Woolston, Reuters)

Wail of sirens calls priest, religious to train crash site to offer help

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — The wailing of sirens called Father Tom Higgins from his parish rectory and Sisters Linda Lukiewski and Julie Sertsch from their convent to the scene of the Amtrak train derailment the evening of May 12.

At about 9:30 p.m., the TV news reported the wreck of Amtrak’s Northeast Regional Train 188, which started in Washington and was headed for New York City. Aboard were 238 passengers and five crew members.

The crash left at least eight people dead and injured more than 200 others, with at least eight in critical condition. Most of the injured were treated at nearby hospitals and released.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter described the crash scene to reporters as “an absolute, disastrous mess. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”

The train’s engine and two of the cars were left standing upright. Three other cars fell on their sides, and a sixth car was flipped over almost on its roof.

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived by early morning May 13 to lead an investigation into the cause of the accident. AP reported that information retrieved from the train’s data recorder indicated the train was going 106 mph in an 80-mph zone before it entered a sharp curve, where the top speed allowed is 50 mph.

It has since come to light that a projectile may have hit the train’s windshield just prior to the crash.

The FBI is investigating the possibility.

The immediate area where the train derailed is also the junction

where trains headed to southern New Jersey are switched to other tracks.

“That’s only two blocks from here,” Sister Linda exclaimed when she heard the location, near St. Joan of Arc Convent in Philadelphia’s Harrogate area. She and Sister Julie, both Sisters of St. Joseph, hurried over to get as close as they could and try to help in any way.

Meanwhile, Father Higgins, also mystified by the persistent sirens, heard the same news report, and realizing he was now the closest priest to the scene he decided to drive over.

Pastor at Holy Innocents Parish in the Juniata Park section of Philadelphia, the priest could only drive halfway to the crash site before hitting roadblocks, so he walked the rest of the way.

It was chaotic when he arrived as close as he was permitted. A police officer directed him to a spot where some passengers whose injuries did not require im-

mediate transportation to a hospital were to be placed on buses to be taken to a triage point, in this case the nearby Webster Public School.

Father Higgins went to the school and found Sisters Linda and Julie were already there, assisting as best they could.

He was able to talk to some of the families and comfort them.

“I spoke to a family from Singapore here on vacation; there were two daughters, a brother and sister-in-law. The parents had already been sent to Einstein Hospital. The rest were OK except one of the girls had badly injured her leg. They put her in a wheelchair and the family went to another hospital.

“I didn’t have to give anyone the Sacrament of the Sick or last rites. No one there was that critical, thank God,” he told CatholicPhilly.com, the news website of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Sisters Linda and Julie had ar-

rived just as the Red Cross and paramedics were setting up.

“We brought them water, cookies and coffee,” Sister Linda said.

Those people who did not have injuries sufficient to require further treatment were free to go, and while Amtrak would eventually provide transportation to their destination it was not immediately forthcoming because the railroad was shut down.

Sister Julie offered to drive a group of five people to Trenton, N.J., where they hoped they could continue the rest of their journey. When they arrived in Trenton, there were no trains running north from there either. Although three of the people either had cars or family to pick them up, a young married couple who were headed for New Brunswick, N.J., had no means to get there.

Without hesitation Sister Julie drove them to New Brunswick before returning to her convent for a scheduled 7 a.m. departure on a planned trip to Vermont.

For all three — Father Tom, Sister Linda and Sister Julie — there wasn’t a need to put their lives at risk although they would have done so.

“We didn’t do anything spectacular,” Sister Linda said. “We just tried to do what we could and it was no more than as Christians

5 we should do.”

In a statement issued the morning after the crash, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput urged prayers for all affected by the train derailment.

“I urge all people of goodwill to join me in extending prayerful condolences to those mourning the sudden loss of a loved one and in asking the Lord to bring healing to all those suffering physical and emotional anguish in the wake of this incident,” he said.

“Let us also pray for all of the first responders, emergency personnel, and medical professionals who have been working to assist those affected by the derailment,” he added. “May God bless and protect them.”

Vice President Joe Biden said in a statement: “Our thoughts are with every person who is grieving right now from this terrible tragedy. As a nation, we pray for the victims and their families.”

“Amtrak is like a second family to me, as it is for so many other passengers,” he said. “For my entire career, I’ve made the trip from Wilmington (Delaware) to Washington and back. I’ve come to know the conductors, engineers, and other regulars — men and women riding home to kiss their kids goodnight — as we passed the flickering lights of each neighborhood along the way.”

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May 22, 2015

Anchor Editorial

Memorial Day 2015

This coming Monday is Memorial Day, a holiday that has its roots during the Civil War, when people gathered to decorate the graves of the war dead. According to the Internet, May 30 was selected as the date for this observance, since flowers would be in bloom. The holiday was later moved to be on the last Monday in May. President Lyndon Johnson, in his 1966 proclamation for the holiday, noted, “The Congress has requested the president to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period during each such day when the people of the United States might unite in such supplication.”

That year the president designated the hour of 11 a.m. as the time that Americans should pray together. Whenever we choose to do so, it is a good thing to remind ourselves of our duty to pray for peace with our brothers and sisters around the world.

Memorial Day also has become like a spring version of All Souls Day, a day in which people visit cemeteries and pray for the souls of any dead friends and relatives.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, in a 2002 statement, advocated for the holiday to return to May 30. “Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.” The nonchalance to which the VFW was referring was our habit of viewing Memorial Day as just the beginning of summer (especially for Cape Cod, in our diocese), as opposed to being a time to remember and pray.

When recent popes have used the term “Memorial Day,” they do so mainly in reference to the Jewish feast of Passover or to a day in remembrance of the Holocaust during World War II. On Holy Thursday 2000, St. John Paul II preached, “The blood of the lamb won for the sons and daughters of Israel liberation from the slavery of Egypt, under the leadership of Moses. The remembrance of so extraordinary an event became a festive occasion for the people, who thanked the Lord for freedom regained, a Divine gift and an enduringly relevant human task: ‘This day will be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord’” (Ex 12:14).

Later that year, on October 4, the Holy Father explained the term “memorial,” showing its Christian significance. He began by saying that “prominent among the many aspects of the Eucharist is that of ‘memorial,’ which is related to a Biblical theme of primary importance. We read, for example, in the Book of Exodus: ‘God remembered His covenant with Abraham and Jacob’ (Ex 2: 24). In Deuteronomy, however, it says: ‘You shall remember what the Lord your God did’ (7: 18). In the Bible, the remembrance of God and the remembrance of man are interwoven and form a fundamental element in the life of God’s people. However, this is not the mere commemoration of a past that is no more, but a zikkarôn, that is, a ‘memorial,’ It ‘is not merely the recollection of past events, but the proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God for men. In the Liturgical celebration of these events, they become in a certain way present and real’ (CCC, n. 1363). The memorial recalls the bond of an unfailing covenant: ‘The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us’” (Ps 115: 12).

What St. John Paul shares with us here is something much deeper than planting a few flowers at a cemetery. He reminds us that a true “memorial” by a Christian brings us into the mystery of Christ’s sacrificial love for us, the love which can bring our deceased loved ones into Heavenly peace.

Like he did on Holy Thursday, the Polish pontiff recalled the Passover. “In the Old Testament, the ‘memorial’ par excellence of God’s works in history was the Passover Liturgy of the Exodus: every time the people of Israel celebrated the Passover, God effectively offered them the gifts of freedom and Salvation. In the Passover rite, therefore, the two remembrances converge: the Divine and the human, that is, saving grace and grateful faith. ‘This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord.’ By virtue of this event, as a Jewish philosopher said, Israel will always be ‘a community based on remembrance’” (Martin Buber).

Then we get to something we Catholics always celebrate: “The interweaving of God’s remembrance with that of man is also at the center of the Eucharist, which is the ‘memorial’ par excellence of the Christian Passover. For ‘anamnesis,’ i.e., the act of remembrance, is the heart of the celebration: Christ’s sacrifice, a unique event done ephapax, that is, ‘once for all’ (Heb 7: 27; 9: 12, 26; 10: 12), extends its saving presence in the time and space of human history. This is expressed in the last command, which Luke and Paul record in the account of the Last Supper: ‘This is My Body Which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me. This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me’ (1 Cor 11: 24-25; cf. Lk 22: 19). The past of the ‘Body given for us’ on the Cross is presented alive today and, as Paul declares, opens onto the future of the final redemption: ‘As often as you eat this Bread and drink the Cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes’ (1 Cor 11: 26). The Eucharist is thus the memorial of Christ’s death, but it is also the presence of His sacrifice and the anticipation of His glorious coming. In the Eucharist this remembrance is alive and at work in a special way.”

St. John Paul towards the end of that October address explained what “an effective remembrance” is. He said that it has a dual reality: “one that is interior and leads to an understanding of the Word of God, and a Sacramental one, which takes place in the Eucharist.” “‘To remember’ is therefore ‘to bring back to the heart’ in memory and affection, but it is also to celebrate a presence. ‘Only the Eucharist, the true memorial of Christ’s Paschal Mystery, is capable of keeping alive in us the memory of His love.’” Without the Eucharist, the pope warned, “‘without the Divine efficacy of this continual and very sweet incentive, without the penetrating power of this look of her Bridegroom fixed on her, [it would be easy] to fall into forgetfulness, insensitivity and unfaithfulness’ (apostolic letter Patres Ecclesiae, III: Ench. Vat., 7, 33). In the Eucharist Christians nurture the hope of the definitive encounter with their Lord.”

Let us put down our hotdogs and hamburgers for a while this weekend and spend some time with Jesus in the Eucharist, offering it for our loved ones and for all the dead, so that they might have a definitive encounter with God’s mercy.

Pope Francis’ Regina Caeli message of May 17 Dear brothers and sisters, good day!

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

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

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

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

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

It is a concrete path, a path that

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

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

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

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

your joy may be complete” (v.11).

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

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

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

May 22, 2015

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Anchor Columnist Being guided by the Holy Spirit

any times we can conceptualize the pursuit of holiness as fundamentally our work, but it’s really God’s work with which we should freely and fully cooperate.

That’s why as we examine the component parts of a plan of life, the purpose of which is to help us to grow in holiness, it’s essential that we focus on the work of sanctification God is trying to accomplish in us and the extent to which we’re collaborating.

This work of Sanctification, St. Paul tells us, is carried out by the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:16) Whom we invoke in the Rite of Confirmation as our “Advocate and Guide.” This Sunday’s celebration of Pentecost and the miraculous metamorphosis the Holy Spirit worked in the lives of the first members of the Church, changing them from apostates to Apostles, from chickens to shepherds, is a fitting opportunity for us to ponder whether the Holy Spirit is truly the “Guide” of our day-to-day life.

Jesus described how important the Holy Spirit is during the Last Supper when He said, “I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.

For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.

But if I go, I will send Him to you” ( Jn 16:7). Jesus was basically saying that if we had to choose between Him and the Holy Spirit, we should choose the latter: that’s how

important he says the Holy a card-carrying member of Spirit is! The great joy is that the Charismatic Renewal to we obviously don’t have to allow the Holy Spirit to bechoose between the two, but come that teacher and guide. it’s key for us to grasp that If we wish to understand if we take Jesus seriously, we the faith, if we wish to live it, need to take the Holy Spirit if we wish to pass it on, we at least just as seriously. must allow ourselves to be The unfortunate reality is, led by the Holy Spirit, even however, that the Holy Spirit if we, like the young Father remains the “great unknown” in the lives of so many. When St. Putting Into Paul came to Ephesus and met some disthe Deep ciples, he asked, “Did you receive the Holy

By Father Spirit when you beRoger J. Landry came believers?” They responded, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts Joseph Ratzinger, might be 19:1-3). beginning later in life. For In 2008, Pope Benedict us, the “great unknown” must commented, “The Holy become the “great known,” Spirit has been in some ways the Teacher, the Leader, the the neglected Person of the Consoler, the Advocate. “The Blessed Trinity,” and conHoly Spirit is the highest gift fessed that it was only as a of God to mankind,” Pope young priest teaching theolBenedict stressed. ogy that he began not only As Catholics, how should to recognize the importance we be seeking to grow in our that the Holy Spirit should docility to this highest gift of play in his life as a priest and God, allowing Him to carry professor but that he came out His work of sanctificato know Him intimately. He tion? emphasized, “It is not enough The first is in our prayer. to know the Spirit; we must St. Paul tells us, “The Spirit welcome Him as the Guide helps us in our weakness; of our souls, as the ‘Teacher for we do not know how to of the interior life’ Who inpray as we ought, but the troduces us to the Mystery of Spirit Himself intercedes the Trinity, because He alone for us with sighs too deep can open us up to faith and for words” (Rom 8:26). The allow us to live it each day to Holy Spirit teaches us how the full.” to pray. He does this not And we don’t have to be principally by putting words

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Bishops must have “ecclesial sensitivity,” being bold in denouncing cultural trends that offend human dignity, but also trusting their lay faithful to fulfill their vocations in the world, Pope Francis said.

“Ecclesial sensitivity” involves taking on “Christ’s attitudes of humility, compassion, mercy, concreteness and wisdom,” the pope, who is Bishop of Rome, recently told the other bishops of Italy, opening their annual general assembly at the Vatican.

Part of “ecclesial sensitivity” is “reinforcing the indispensable role of the laity willing to take on the responsibilities that belong to them,” he said. “In reality, lay

people who have an authentic Christian formation do not need a ‘bishop-pilot’ or a ‘monsignor-pilot’ or clerical input to assume their respon-

Be joyful shepherds, trust your laity, be concrete, pope tells bishops

Pope Francis laughing outside of St. Peter’s Basilica during an recent general audience. (CNA photo by Petrik Bohumil)

sibilities at every level from the political to the social, from the economic to the legislative. Instead, they need a ‘bishop-pastor.’”

During their meeting, the bishops discussed how their faithful have received Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” and look at ways to implement its teaching.

Pope Francis told them, “At this moment of history when we often are surrounded by discouraging news, by local and international situations that make us experience affliction and tribulation — in this framework that truly is not comforting — our vocation as Christians and as bishops is to go against the tide.”

in our minds and mouths to say, but changing who we are as we pray, helping us to be conscious of our reality as beloved sons and daughters able confidently to cry out “Abba, Father!” “Daddy!” (Gal 4:6).

Do we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our prayer?

The second is in our daily Christian living, which is meant to be a “life according to the Spirit,” seeking the things of the Spirit and putting to death the things of the flesh (Rom 8:5).

Life according to the Spirit is authentic Christian Spirituality; someone who lives indulgently is not genuinely “Spiritual,” but rather carnal.

To be Spiritual means to follow the Spirit’s guidance throughout the day, seeking to live by His wisdom, knowledge, understanding, prudence, courage, reverence and awe (Is 11:2) and consciously allowing Him to guide us and the choices we make. Living by the Spirit means recognizing that each of us has been given a “manifestation of the Spirit” for the common good and using those gifts for God and others (1 Cor 12:7). It also means allowing and accepting that the Holy Spirit will occasionally prevent our doing even good things to guide us in other directions (Acts 16:6-7). Do we allow the Holy Spirit to guide the nitty gritty of daily life?

Third, we need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work to make us witnesses of

7 the faith. The Holy Spirit was sent upon the first members of the Church as tongues of fire so that they could proclaim the Gospel with ardent love (Acts 2:3). Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit He would send would teach us all things, lead us to all truth, and remind us of everything He had taught us, precisely so that we could give this witness, assuring us that the Holy Spirit would provide the words under trial ( Jn 14:26; Mk 13:11). Our sanctification involves our cooperation in the Spirit’s work of helping us to complete Jesus’ mission of the Salvation of the world. Do we give evidence of tongues and hearts of fire?

St. Paul implored the Thessalonians “Do not quench the Spirit!” (1 Thess 5:19) and begged the Ephesians “Do not grieve the Spirit of God!” (Eph 4:30).

How much we grieve the Holy Spirit when we limit the work He’s trying to accomplish in us, when we treat Him as an unknown or merely a theological component, as something other than God’s greatest gift.

The celebration of Pentecost is an occasion for us to resolve to please the Holy Spirit by giving Him full reign. That’s the essence of the Christian life. Docility to the Holy Spirit is what underlies all parts of the program of sanctification that we call the plan of life.

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

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on’t we all enjoy to some degree that which is exciting, like fireworks or lightning storms?

The Church’s first Pentecost happened in a similar way. This week’s reading tells us that during this spectacular and exhilarating event, the Apostles and the other Christians were gathered “in one place together.”

We don’t know exactly where.

I may have been the same large room where Jesus and the Apostles gathered to have the Last Supper.

While they were gathered and praying, a sudden thunderous noise like a strong wind came from the sky. Flames appeared, and started floating through the air until they came to rest on each person. They immediately started speaking in other languages. Outside, a crowd of Jews had gathered with visitors from other nations who were in Jerusalem for the festival and each one heard the Christians explaining the Gospel in their own language. This was a dramatic and spectacular display of the power of God. It would have made any believer

May 22, 2015

What makes an Apostle?

or non-believer fall on their she was filled with the Holy knees to pray and glorify God. Spirit, right from the time of Let us ask ourselves: do we her conception. Her fiat was a find ourselves looking for specquiet “yes” in her heart at the tacular displays of God’s power, Annunciation. She was the like the displays demonstrated mother who gave birth to Jesus, at the first Pentecost, for proof the Head of the Church, in that the Holy Spirit is alive and at work within us and in the Church?

Homily of the Week In this week’s Gospel Pentecost — after the ResurrecSunday tion — Jesus, quietly and subtly, breathed the

By Deacon Holy Spirit on the Eduardo Borges Apostles without the need for great display.

Consider the way the Holy Bethlehem. Scripture also tells Spirit works in the Sacraments. us that Mary was present in the The graces of the Sacraments upper room, waiting with the administered are not detected Apostles for the coming of the by the senses. In the Eucharist, Holy Spirit. Most likely she bread and wine are transformed was there with the Apostles so into the Body and Blood, Soul that she could serve them. She and Divinity of our Lord Jesus, probably comforted them with while the appearance of bread her perfect maternal love and and wine still remain. This is the encouraged them to be patient way in which God most often and to persist in prayer. Mary operates, hidden in the truth was that faithful and concerned of the mystery. He invites us to mother who cooperated with see these mysteries with eyes of the Holy Spirit so that she faith. could give birth to the MystiLet us look at Mary. She alcal Body of her Son Jesus; the ways acted in full faith because Church.

For most of us it is not easy to recognize and respond to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit, just like Mary. It demands first, submission of our will to the will of God. Jesus says in the Gospel: “Whoever loves Me will keep My Word.”

Beyond keeping God’s Word, Mary nurtured the Incarnate Word of God in her womb for nine months in silence.

We should not look for fireworks filled with glamour and color to affirm our faith. Rather, we should imitate the way in which Mary loved and served her Son. She never complained, nor did she ever demand anything.

Everything she did was for the glory and the will of God. How do we keep Jesus’ Word and know what is God’s will in our time? The Holy Spirit quietly reveals God’s will to us in two ways.

First, He inspires and guides the teaching of the Church which is under the leadership of the Successor of Peter in union with the successors of the Apostles and the bishops of the

Church. We also have the Bible and the Commandments, the “Catechism,” the lives of the saints and ongoing updates on the current state of the Universal Church through the pope’s encyclicals.

Second, Jesus has given His Church the powerful tools of the Sacraments. We need to receive them regularly so the Holy Spirit can mold us to the image of the perfect Man, Jesus. It is in this way that He works closely in and with us through life’s experiences and struggles. He inspires us with His seven gifts and helps us with His Wisdom to make wise decisions that will bring true happiness.

This weekend, as we prepare to celebrate the feast of Pentecost, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen us with a renewed Spirit of zeal for what comes from above, faith, hope and charity. May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with the consuming fire of His love and give us joy and peace.

Deacon Borges ministers at Immaculate Conception and St. Anthony’s parishes in New Bedford.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. May 23, Acts 28:16-20,30-31; Ps 11:4-5,7; Jn 21:20-25. Sun. May 24, Pentecost Sunday, Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104:1,24,2930,31,34; 1 Cor 12:3b-7,12-13 or Gal 5:16-25; Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 15:26-27,16:12-15. Mon. May 25, Sir 17:20-24; Ps 32:1-2,5-7; Mk 10:17-21. Tues. May 26, Sir 35:1-12; Ps 50:5-8,14,23; Mk 10:28-31. Wed. May 27, Sir 36:1,4-5a,10-17; Ps 79:8-9,11,13; Mk 10:32-45. Thurs. May 28, Sir 42:15-25; Ps 33:2-9; Mk 10:46-52. Fri. May 29, Sir 44:1,9-13; Ps 149:1b-6a,9b; Mk 11:11-26.

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he stepped off the plane with a broad smile on her lovely face and gave me a big squeeze as I welcomed her. “The Miracle Girl,” Audrey Toguchi, who credits the intercession of Father Damien with her miraculous cure from cancer, had come to Kalaupapa to join us in celebrating St. Damien’s feast day.

Shortly thereafter we climbed aboard my paddy wagon and rode out to St. Philomena in Kalawao to celebrate Mass in honor of St. Damien in the church he himself built. Led in song by the St. John’s choir, we had a beautiful celebration. Since I was the homilist on this occasion, I now offer my homily to you in lieu of further details.

Franciscus “Frans” de Veuster was a small farmer of modest means in the village of Tremeloo, Belgium. He was a Catholic and a church-goer, at least part time.

Ann Catherine Woulters was a devout Catholic, a fiery mother, intimately involved in her religion and in bringing up her children in the faith. Then one day they met at the bridge below

Damien: Gentle shepherd, fierce defender that he now had permission to the town and it was love at first stay on Molokai to continue the sight. Of their subsequent union in Marriage there would be born work he had already begun as gentle shepherd and defender eight children, the seventh of of his flock. We ourselves can whom would be a boy named only try to imagine his thoughts Joseph.

Joseph grew up doing many as he pondered the magnitude of these words from the pen of of the things that other younghis religious superior and the sters were involved in, including occasional mischief and daredevil stuff, but he was also different in some ways. As a young boy he often went off into the fields to play

By Father with the lambs and to Patrick Killilea, SS.CC. spend time with their shepherds. So it is not surprising that he came to be known as the Little weight of this letter on his broad Shepherd. Perhaps this was a shoulders. On the one hand he foreshadowing of his priestly pastorship as the gentle shepherd must have felt elated that he had been granted his wish to stay and the fierce defender of his for the rest of his life and on the flock. other hand he had to have felt “You may stay as long as some degree of trepidation when your devotion dictates.” We now flash forward to that day and that considering the awesome task he was now undertaking. moment when Joseph Damien Damien remained unde Veuster read these words in daunted in the face of the a letter from his Sacred Hearts religious superior informing him obstacles that he knew he must

Moon Over Molokai

face. That faith which had been nurtured at the feet of his beloved parents, a faith that he himself had nurtured even in childhood, would now empower him to take on all the obstacles and all the roadblocks he encountered with a fierce courage and a determination to match.

When I came here to Kalaupapa in the summer of 2006 to fill in for Father Joseph Hendriks, I was not too happy at first that I had to sleep in the church hall because the rectory floor was being tiled. Then I thought of Damien and I felt ashamed of myself, ashamed when I pictured Damien sleeping under a pandanus tree for several weeks when he first arrived in the company of ants, roaches, centipedes, cats, dogs and other creatures. I do not know if mongoose had made it to Kalawao at that time. Damien could have slept in the little chapel here but he chose to sleep under that tree in solidarity with all of the unfortunate patients in

a similar situation. Many books on Damien’s life mention this fact but perhaps do not emphasize enough the impact of this action by Damien on his suffering people. While his words brought comfort to the sick and the dying, his actions spoke much louder of the love in his heart for them.

In all things, as has been written, those afflicted with the terrible disease of leprosy came first for Damien. This was clear from how he treated them and fought for them. As Brother Dutton wrote, “He was a headstrong man, vehement and excitable in regard to matters that did not seem right to him and sometimes he said and did things that he afterwards regretted, but he always had a true desire to do right.” Damien was a human being, quick to smile and of pleasant disposition, a man of warm and tender heart. For Damien, Jesus was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Like Damien, may Jesus’ Way always be our way. Amen.

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

May 22, 2015

Friday 22 May 2015 — Homeport: Falmouth Harbor — Pentecost weekend wise pastor like myself makes every effort to maintain balance among the members of his parish advisory committees. This includes an eclectic mix of men and women, old and young, blue-collar and white-collar. Varying points of view result in a well-rounded discussion. There are drawbacks, though, in the area of language.

It may come as a surprise to you, dear readers, but these various parish demographics speak entirely different languages. If one is unacquainted with modern parlance, it can be difficult for a well-intentioned pastor to understand what in the world a committee member is even talking about.

I recommend you download a translation app onto your smartphone. At church meetings, discreetly keep your phone handy in case of a total communication breakdown. Google, for example, stands ready and willing to translate into English approximately 90 foreign languages — including (very helpfully) Kazakh, Tajik, Malagasy, Sesotho, Sinhala, and Uzbek. The device should only be a last resort, however, since a computer-generated translation can miss the nuances of language.

You may end up unintentionally

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looked at my students’ faces.

It was prayer time at the start of class. My question had been met with silence. Their nonverbal communication revealed a spectrum ranging from polite interest through boredom. Quite frankly, one sleep-deprived senior yawned. It was one of those moments educators fear. One’s best laid plans have fallen by the wayside. One is left standing alone before a group of capricious adolescents. I tried to rephrase my question to make it more relevant to their world. I said, “You are in college. Your roommate says, ‘Hey you are Catholic. What is this Holy Spirit stuff? Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit in your life?’” In the ensuing silence, I finally realized that perhaps they were afraid to look inside to find an answer that they had not been directly taught.

Even we adults sometimes fall back into such uncertainty.

We just wish for someone to tell us what the “real” answer is.

When we imagine Pentecost, we can catch ourselves yearning for the certitude those Apostles felt when they felt those driv-

Anchor Columnists Talking the talk saying something quite offensive. the United States Postal Service In such a case, fisticuffs can break or even tidying up one’s desk. It means being innovative – a trait out in your church board meetrarely found in corporate boarding. Fisticuffs are (mostly) to be rooms. avoided.

— “Game plan” — This has The young people on your church councils will purposely speak a language unfamiliar to The Ship’s Log you, but they’re not the Reflections of a only ones. Adult men Parish Priest and women drawn from the business commuBy Father Tim nity will also have their Goldrick unique way of speaking.

These movers and shakers use corporate-speak. little to do with sporting events.

This is a lingo often heard in It means corporate strategy. parish meetings, but even more Master plans are notably absent often in diocesan boardrooms. at board meetings.

A working knowledge of the — “No-brainer” — This one is buzzwords and catchphrases of not only obvious in meaning but corporate-speak is an essential also appropriately applied to the tool for any pastor who wants to person using it. succeed. Here, for your profes— “Multitasking” — As sional advancement, are some English translations of corporate- in walking and chewing gum simultaneously. Studies show that speak. multitasking is less effective than — “On the same page” — It just means to be in agreement, remaining focused.

— “Sharpen the pencil” — but that would be too pedantic to Referencing a primitive writing use at a business meeting. implement, it means financial — “Think outside the box” cuts.

— Box? What box? I don’t see a — “Feet to the fire” — The box. Do you see a box and, more unexpected imposition of physiimportantly, am I in it? Don’t be confused. It means using another cal violence, usually preceded by interrogation. According to perspective.

Monty Python, nobody expected — “Pushing the envelope” the Inquisition either. Not cov— This has nothing to do with

ered by corporate insurance.

— “Brainstorming” — This does not mean some cerebral medical event. It means raising possibilities for future discussion.

In order to brainstorm, one must first have a brain. Not to be confused with “break-out sessions.”

— “Fast-track” — This has nothing to do with greyhound racing, much to the relief of Transit and Justin. It means skipping to the front of the line, as in the archaic usage: “He’s on the fast-track to becoming monsignor.”

— “On track” — This track discourages breakneck speed.

Glacial speed will do. The slow track is by far the most popular in corporation-type meetings.

Unfortunately, this is often further delayed by frequently going off track entirely. This is another reason corporate meetings are often train wrecks, but that’s another story.

— “Team leader” — Although this phrase might appropriately be used at the Iditarod to identify the alpha Husky, in business, it refers to the group-nominated head of a task force. If all members of the team are equal, how can one be the head? Don’t ask.

— “There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’” — No, there isn’t, but there’s both

‘You’re in my heart, you’re in my soul’

ing winds and saw the tongues fortitude, knowledge, piety, and of fire. We think that if only we fear of the Lord. In this article, had such striking signs today, life I’d like to focus attention on would be so much easier. fortitude, fear of the Lord, and This analysis ignores the concounsel. text and the true gift of PenteFortitude gives us the strength cost. To find these, we must look to follow through on actions. deeper. The Apostles were huddled together in fear.

As it was a fear for their Wrestling with God lives, their apprehension Holding on for was a bit deeper than that His blessing of an educator whose lesson plan has failed, but the question in all those hearts

By Dr. Helen J. Flavin is the same: “What do I do now Lord?” Though it was delivered with spectacular When we become aware that imagery, God’s true answer to we have done something that the Apostles was revealed in the we did not think we could do, courage and strength they found we have pinpointed the Holy in order to go forth to serve the Spirit active in our life. This was Lord. This began with their bold the approach I took with those proclamations where each person high school kids. I asked them to present heard them speaking in imagine some time where they his native tongue. had found the courage to stand The Gifts of the Holy up for something or someone.

Spirit nourish the soul. They As they smiled and remembered help ensure our life is aligned their actions, I asked them to with God’s Will and that we are remember how they felt in doing always guided by God’s love. The it. I reminded them that this was Gifts of the Holy Spirit include: what it felt like when the Holy wisdom, understanding, counsel, Spirit was active in one’s life.

Fear of the Lord is really a bit of a misnomer for the gift.

This gift allows one to humbly recognize one’s true place in God’s world. However, the fear of punishment is diminished as with reception of this gift fear is no longer needed as incentive for good behavior. With this gift, one simply chooses to do, or to avoid doing, something out of love for God. Akin to the Apostles, a person will exhibit one or more fruits of the Holy Spirit as manifestation of reception of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit are charity (love), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, patience under trial, mildness, faith, modesty, continence, and chastity. Through our expression of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, each of us seeks to work alongside Our Lord to call forth the potential within another person.

The gift of counsel provides that quiet whisper to one’s heart that suggests a direction

9 an “M” and an “E.” Don’t know about you, but it works for me (see “team leader” above).

— “Win/win situation” — This is how a corporation spins a humiliating loss in order to save face.

— “I hear what you’re saying” — This is always followed by “but.” It means that the person’s point of view is exceedingly simple and quite easily understood.

The caveat is that you disagree with such simplistic thinking and have a far better idea.

— “Guesstimate” — This is a combination of two words (called a portmanteau). It’s a rougher estimate than a rough estimate. It’s a ballpark figure that will probably be out of the ballpark.

— “Run it up the flag pole” — When I hear this being used, I find myself wishing the speaker would himself be run up a flag pole. I doubt anyone would salute.

— “Feedback” — All corporate meetings must end with feedback. Feedback always goes in one ear and out the other.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit miraculously reversed the effects of the Tower of Babel — but it sure is taking a long time to kick in. Know what I mean?

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

or action to take. Some people describe this gift as an intuitive feeling of what is right to do.

To develop and appreciate this gift, one must patiently discern what the Spirit is saying. In addition, this requires that one be willing to listen frequently and be able to live with following the Holy Spirit one decision at a time.

As we examine the early Church, we can sometimes confuse the record of events with individual journey. Jesus said, “I am sending you like lambs among wolves” (Lk 10:3). Counsel, fortitude, fear of the Lord and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit were as important then as they are to us now in day-to-day living of our mission.

With Pentecost, God has given mankind the Advocate.

We can each decide today is the day we will ask God to help us grow in any or all of the gifts of the Spirit. Before we even finish asking, God’s answer will flood our heart and soul.

Anchor columnist Helen Flavin is a Catholic scientist, educator and writer. biochemwz@hotmail.com.

10

May 22, 2015

Helping the poor is always worth the risk, pope tells Caritas

ROME (CNS) — The work of Catholic charities in the world sometimes may run into trouble, but it is always better than having Catholics shut up in their churches doing nothing, Pope Francis said.

After celebrating a recent Mass with representatives of national Caritas organizations from

around the world, the pope sent a video message to the opening session of the Caritas Internationalis general assembly. Being out on the streets can lead to accidents, he said, but being sealed up in a room can make one ill. “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a

Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security,” he said in the message to delegates from 165 national Catholic charities. “You are the engine of the Church that organizes love — caritas — for all believers to work together to respond through the corporal works of mercy,” the pope said. “You set

the pace for the Church to be in the world each day. You help others change the course of their own lives.”

The pope said that in today’s culture it often seems that even

human beings are considered “consumer goods,” things to be used and then tossed aside. Exploitation and oppression have been around forever, he said, but discarding others is “something new.”

11

May 22, 2015

Fall River Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., gave the Benediction at the recent Stonehill College commencement in Easton, and celebrated the Mass at the Baccalaureate. At left, students Austin Alfredson and Meghan Gotsell present the bishop with a Skylark’s soccer jersey. At right, Arlene McNamee, second from right, a Stonehill alumna and director of the diocesan Catholic Social Services, was awarded an honorary degree. Also pictured are, from left: provost Joe Favassa; president Father John Denning, C.S.C.; commencement speaker Ken Feinberg; honorary degree recipient Rev. Elizabeth “Liz” Walker; Bishop da Cunha; honorary degree recipient Dr. Robert Strecker; McNamee; and vice president for Mission, Father James Lies, C.S.C. (Photos courtesy of Stonehill College)

For Arab Christianity, new women saints give encouraging example Vatican City (CNA/EWTN News) — The Catholic Church’s recent celebration of the canonization of two new women saints from Palestine helps recognize both women’s important role in Arab culture and Arabs’ important role in Christianity.

“These two humble and simple women, consecrated women, give us also encouragement to pray for peace,” said Father Rifat Bader, general director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Amman, Jordan.

He was in Rome for the canonizations of SS. Mariam Baouardy and Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas.

St. Marie Alphonsine herself called for prayer of the Rosary “for peace and tranquility in our region,” Father Bader told CNA ahead of the event.

Pope Francis presided over the canonizations and Mass in St. Peter’s Square, before a congregation of tens of thousands of people.

The canonization of these two women saints, Father Bader said, is “a good example for all the citizens,” Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike. The canonizations show “that the woman can do positive and good things in her society.”

“It’s very important issue to talk about the mission, or the role, of women in our Arab countries,” Father Bader said, explaining that the role of a woman within society and within her own family is not always recognized for its importance.

“Now, when we talk about these two

examples, of saints, women, from the Holy Land, it gives encouragement for the woman to go ahead and to go forward.”

One of the new Palestinian saints, Sister Mariam Baouardy (1846-1878) was a mystic and stigmatic also known as Mary Jesus Crucified. She was a Palestinian and foundress of the Discalced Carmelites of Bethlehem. She and her family were members of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. She spent time in France and India before helping to found the Carmelite congregation in Bethlehem in 1875.

The other new Palestinian saint, Sister Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas (18431927), was a co-founder of the Congregation of the Rosary Sisters. Born in Palestine, she spent much of her life in Bethlehem and its area, where she helped the poor and established schools and orphanages.

Father Bader explained the joint identity of being Arab and Christian simultaneously.

“We have the possibility to be saints, even if we are Arabs,” he said. “It’s not something impossible.”

The region is not unknown for its saints.

“The Virgin Mary herself was living in the Holy Land,” Father Bader observed. Also from the region were all the companions of Jesus Christ, including St. Peter who was buried at the very basilica where the canonizations took place.

“Now we have these new saints of the modern time,” he said. “That’s why we are happy: that modernity cannot forbid a person to be a saint.”

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May 22, 2015

Family Theater Productions has released its newest faith-based short film: ‘Guardian Angels’ HOLLYWOOD, Calif.– Guardian Angels are always on the job — even when they are in school! In Family Theater Productions’ newest faithbased short film, two young Spirits are being taught how to help their earthly charges when they have to spring into action!

“Guardian Angels” is the story of a young boy who imagines he is being protected by angels following the death of his parents. The young Spirits go to school to learn how to help their earthly charges and encounter an evil force that must be stopped with God’s love and people working together. The drama contains themes relating to the Third Glorious Mystery of the Rosary, the Descent of the Holy Spirit.

In the film, a young boy uses his creative gifts to cope with being an orphan and in turn comforts others like himself. This is a delightful fantasy film for the whole family that speaks to the universal call of embracing hope, using our gifts for love and working together with others.

“Guardian Angels” stars several well-known actors: Miriam Margolyes, who appeared in the “Harry Potter” films as Professor Pomona Sprout; Bruce Spence, who was in “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Mad Max 2”; and Sonia Todd, who starred in “Shine.” The 25-minute DVD also features

young actors Joel Barker, Olivia Eastwood and Karl Beattie.

The film was directed by Peter Mether, one of Australia’s leading television commercial directors. He wrote the script with Kellie-Marie Thomas. “Guardian Angels” was produced in Australia by Treacle Lane Productions and licensed to Family Theater Productions, a part of the Holy Cross Family Ministries family based in Easton.

“This film is fun, something the whole family can watch together,” said Father David Guffey, C.S.C., National Director of Family Theater Productions. “‘Guardian Angels’ not only entertains but also opens up doors for faith-filled conversation about matters of faith.”

“Guardian Angels” is ideal for families looking to deepen their faith while exploring the Spiritual side of topical issues and how they relate to the life of Christ. It is part of a DVD series for teens, families and classrooms. Each drama is linked to a Mystery of the Rosary.

A trailer for the new film is available for viewing.

“Guardian Angels” is produced in English, dubbed in Spanish, and subtitled in French and Portuguese on one DVD and includes a multi-lingual study guide. It sells for $12.95, plus shipping and tax. It can be ordered online at www.

HCFMstore.org or by calling 800-299-7729.

EWTN named religious television station of the year Irondale, Ala. (CNA/ EWTN News) — For the third consecutive year, EWTN Global Catholic Network has been awarded the 2015 Gabriel Award for Religious Television Station of the Year — a prestigious honor which acknowledges the Network’s programming, community service, and production values.

“EWTN is the beacon of Catholic broadcast television. It is a consistent and true voice of the faith,” noted one of the Gabriel Award judges who participated in the annual competition sponsored by the Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals.

Another judge highlighted EWTN’s technical achievements, noting the high-quality imagery and on-screen graphics.

“As a viewer, you know the piece was promoting a Catho-

lic worldview, but never felt like you were being hit over the head with it. Very well done,” the judge said.

The Gabriel Awards recognize religious and secular multi-media productions in the United States and Canada, and honors participants within various categories such as documentaries, short features, news, radio, television, internet videos, and film.

EWTN, which celebrated its 34th anniversary this year, provides broadcast satellite television and radio services, along with other multi-media networks, available to more than 240 million households within 140 countries across the world.

EWTN will receive the Gabriel Award June 25 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo Hotel in Buffalo, N.Y.

Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara star in a scene from the movie “Hot Pursuit.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Warner Bros.)

CNS Movie Capsules NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by Catholic News Service.

“Hot Pursuit” (Warner Bros.)

Brittle comedy in which a high-strung police officer (Reese Witherspoon) is assigned to protect the volatile wife (Sofia Vergara) of a drug runner-turned-governmentwitness. But the gangster is gunned down in a plot involving corrupt cops (most prominently Michael Mosley and Matthew Del Negro), forcing the ill-suited pair to go on the run together. Director Anne Fletcher puts the duo through their predictable road-movie paces with mediocre results. Fleeting violence and gore, brief partial nudity, a drug theme, a mildly irreverent joke, some earthy humor including a scene of feigned homosexuality, at least one use each of profanity and rough language, occasional crude and crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” (Warner Bros) A brutal assault on all the

senses is the best way to describe this fourth film in a series, directed, co-produced, and co-written by George Miller. In a bleak, postapocalyptic future, a road warrior (Tom Hardy) joins forces with a hijacker (Charlize Theron) as they seek revenge on a tyrannical leader (Hugh Keays-Byrne) who controls two precious commodities, water and gasoline.

Along for the ride are the leader’s concubines, one of whom (Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley) is carrying his child. The chase is on, with a crazed soldier (Nicholas Hoult) leading an armada in

pursuit. Impressive cinematography and choreographed action are small consolations for two hours of gratuitous combat in which men have no qualms about beating women to a pulp — and vice versa. Relentless bloody violence, several disturbing images, and brief nudity.

The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling.

The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, May 24, 10:30 a.m.

(Please note this is a one-time only time change) Celebrant is Father Christopher M. Peschel, parochial vicar at St. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth and chaplain at Cape Cod Hospital.

13

May 22, 2015

D

Our diocesan youth: Precious sources for the Church

uring the months of spring our parishes blossom with adolescent youth. They spring forth from the recesses of their Religious Education programs and become the center of the parish Liturgical life.

Parishes make great preparation for this grand event when bishops come around to confirm the youth. Parents and grandparents beam with pride as they witness their children take the first step toward adulthood. Between this fleeting Liturgical moment and the time that they are sent forth into the world at their baccalaureate we must be careful not to allow these youth to slip away into the abyss.

In this diocese there are approximately 2,900 adolescent youth in parish Religious Education programs.

Many parishes report that they have a post-Confirmation youth ministry, and while the numbers vary, it is fair to say that about half the youth will take part in the life of the parish after they are confirmed.

On May 5 the diocese had the honor of gathering more than 60 high school youth and their families as they received the Pope Pius X Youth Award. This tells us

integrated into the adult life that more than 70 percent of the parish, but they do of our parishes welcome the need to be formed as disactive participation of adolescent youth in their various ciples. Forming youth into ministries. Since less than 40 disciples is critically imporpercent of the parishes report tant in a world that is blasé about faith and lacking moral having a formal youth ministry program, youth must be certitude.

In the book, “Forming finding their way in through some other door.

There are excellent youth programs in this diocese that evangelize, provide mentoring in faith, and allow them to explore their

By Claire McManus leadership potential.

These programs vary in their approach, but Intentional Disciples,” Sherry all have common elements.

Weddell describes the parThey gather the youth on ish as a “Kingdom workshop” a fairly regular basis, offer filled with tools for evanfood, fellowship and prayer.

Some programs are very well gelizing. Yet these tools are often geared toward adults organized and offer peer and miss the opportunity to leadership training, retreat engage youth at this critiexperiences, organize pilcal period of their formation grimages and other ways to when they are just beginning engage the youth in the life to assert their individuality of the Church. and are better able to form Many parishes are scared values and ideals. Some of away from youth ministry the tools lying around the because they feel that they parish would be excellent to do not have the resources build a culture of discipleship to build it. Parishes should among the youth. There are let themselves off of the also many tools offered by “program” hook. “Programs” the diocese that were created imply that there is structure, to assist and augment parish leadership, space, and that youth formation. Parishes dreaded word, money. Youth that are evangelization-cendo not need a program to be

The Great Commission

tric rather than program-centric have a greater opportunity to form youth disciples.

The first step in utilizing the tools in the Kingdom workshop is to begin with the ones that are most conducive to forming youth. Liturgical ministry and Religious Education already have a large presence of youth. Adolescent youth serve as lectors, altar servers and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.

Religious Education programs throughout the diocese welcome youth to serve as catechists and classroom aides. Parishes can give more intentional training for these ministries so that youth can make the connection between ministry and mission. Other ministries in the parish may have youth involved but might need to add some element of formation. Soup kitchens, food pantries, and choir have the potential to form disciples, but it will require the adults involved to view themselves as mentors.

The next step a parish must take is to gather the youth on an occasional basis for food, fellowship and prayer. This doesn’t require great resources or added

leadership. Parishes can then offer to the youth the opportunity to take part in the larger diocesan programs.

Christian Leadership Institute was created 28 years ago to form youth to serve as leaders in their parishes. The youth that they send come back willing to give back to the parishes everything they learned. There are retreat experiences in the diocese, like YES! and ECHO that are designed to form disciples.

There are retreats like Quo Vadis and “Called by Name” that help youth to explore and discern vocation. There is a Pro-Life Boot Camp that teaches youth the full meaning of the dignity of life.

Parishes that turn their ministries into tools for evangelization, and take advantage of all that is available for youth in the diocese, are well on their way to filling the gaping hole between Confirmation and graduation. That Liturgical moment in time when the parish confirms their youth will then become a launch into ministry rather than an exodus from the Church.

Anchor columnist Claire McManus is the director of the Diocesan Office of Faith Formation.

Want more religious vocations? Improve your family life, nun says

Rome, Italy (CNA/EWTN News) — As the Church brings the needs of the family to the forefront with the upcoming synod this fall, one Dominican Sister says it is no surprise that Pope Francis should also dedicate this year to the consecrated life.

“One nourishes the other,” explained Dominican Sister Maria Magdalene in an interview with CNA. “You don’t have vocations just materialize out of thin air.

They’re fed by good families.”

“I think it’s really beautiful that Pope Francis has called this Year for Consecrated Life,” said the Chicago, Ill. native, observing the year’s overlap with a period in which the Church is giving special attention to the family.

The Year for Consecrated Life began Nov. 30, 2015, and will conclude Feb. 2, 2016, the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

It coincides with two major Church events dedicated to the family: the World Meeting of Families this September, and the Synod on the Family in October,

which follows a synod on the same topic last year.

Having entered the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist 15 years ago, Sister Magdalene described the mystery of discovering one’s vocation as not unlike that of finding a spouse.

“Vocation is a mystery,” she said. For instance, when two people are getting married, one might ask: “Why that person?”

“It is kind of a falling in love.

You trust in the Lord, and you trust where He’s leading you.”

Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist was founded in 1997 by four members of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia — commonly known as the Nashville Dominicans. As of 2014, they have more than 100 members.

Sister Magdalene recounted her own story, explaining that while she had considered a vocation when she was young and growing up in a large Catholic family, she had drifted from the idea of religious life.

It was not until what she described as a “reconversion” after college, following a broken-off engagement, that she began to seriously consider the possibility of a vocation.

“I really just started falling in love with the Lord, and going to Eucharistic Adoration,” she said.

“The thought of religious life just kept coming back to me.”

Although she had not verbalized her thoughts about a vocation to anyone, her parents told her about a retreat with the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, during which she experienced a “moment of grace” in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

“I felt more attracted to this than I’d ever felt to anything else, and knew I was free to say yes to Him, or free not to,” she said. “But, if I was really going to be honest with myself, this was where my happiness was.”

She said she was particularly struck by one of the community’s mottos: “to contemplate and to give to others fruits of contemplation.”

Unlike simply job searching, Sister Magdalene explained, the discernment process is about a call, not comparing benefits.

She never had the desire to go visit numerous other convents to “discern what they had to offer,” she said. “It’s not a career. It’s a vocation.”

The charism of the order is in keeping with the Dominicans, founded by St. Dominic in the 13th century, as an “Order of Preachers.”

For the Michigan-based order, the central apostolate — which is education — flows from prayer, especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Eucharist is at the center of the Sisters’ lives, Sister Magdalene explained. “Dominicans are very at home in the Sanctuary.”

A teacher for the past nine years, the Dominican Sister was sent to study for one year in Rome at the Pontifical University of Thomas Aquinas, otherwise known as the Angelicum.

“Being in Rome here as a consecrated is just pure gift,” she said. “I can be here again in the

footsteps of the saints, and receive first-hand some of the experiences that will be given to us as consecrated.”

Asked whether this Year for Consecrated Life will inspire new appreciation for the religious life, the Sister observed that while religious vocation remains “a little on the hidden side,” the awareness is increasing.

She recounted an anecdote from when she was younger. A former roommate — who was not discerning at the time, but would later enter the religious life — once said: “If I were a man I would be a priest!”

“We saw around us good priests,” she explained, “but we didn’t really see Sisters as much.

It took going to my community to see a lot of Sisters all in one place.”

“If every parish is praying for vocations to the priesthood and to religious life, or doing hosting events, or doing things to foster this year of consecrated life, then you hope that yes, of course, that there will be more of an awareness.”

14

May 22, 2015

Bishop Feehan youth ready for the next step continued from page one

as I am now. I’m grateful for where I am now.”

Having been an altar server since the sixth grade, Horan said she also appreciated the close connection to the faith that serving provided, and said one of her highlights was serving during an Easter Vigil Mass and “seeing someone become completely initiated into the Church, and I thought that it was so cool to help out with that,” she said.

“I thought that was amazing.”

Altar-serving has helped her connect all the rituals “and even the way you do things, how it works and why you do it, and can help other people learn the same things,” and has been reinforced by the classes she has taken at Feehan, said Horan.

“As I’ve grown older and taken the theology classes, it just became a catalyst for understanding what I’m saying and what I believe.”

Her years at Bishop Feehan have been filled with notable moments, including receiving the Pope St. Pius X Award, being a member of the Poetry Club and Book Club, volunteering for numerous community services through the school, and earning varsity letters for fencing her junior and senior years that also include winning medals and championships for fencing, as well as becoming assistant captain for the fencing team.

As she readies herself for college in the fall, her decision to major in biology/ pre-med is the logical next step for someone who won the Sturdy Memorial Hospital Junior Volunteer award for putting in more than 100 volunteer hours.

Volunteering at the hospital had been a desire of hers “since I knew it was a thing, since I was four years

old,” said Horan. “A lot of my family have a medical background; I didn’t learn I had fingers and toes, I learned I had phalanges. I remember when my mom would be in the shower and I would sneak past her and watch ‘Trauma Life in the ER’ when I was six because I just thought it was so cool. She’d come out and I’d switch it back to PBS.” When her mother got a job in the ER, Horan would visit and wanted to help out. Her mother encouraged her to become a volunteer and as soon as Horan hit the required age of 13, she signed-up.

“I started out delivering water and flowers to patients, and would talk to them and see how their day was going, which I loved,” recalled Horan. “People who didn’t have visitors, I would let other people take different floors and I would sit with them for two hours and make their day. I loved it.”

When she became a receptionist at the front desk, Horan shared a story of a pregnant mother who was wheeled upstairs before her husband came out of the bathroom, and Horan set about helping the man find his wife: “We walked through the hospital and talked about how excited they were for the new baby. I got to be part of their birth story.”

Along with helping patients, Horan spent the last few years being a patient herself, and was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that will need to be monitored and treated for the rest of her life.

“I’ve been in and out of

hospitals starting in eighth grade,” she said, “and they didn’t figure out what it was until this year. They told me one time that I could be infertile; I was freaking out about it. Then they said it’s not even close to that, it’s a whole other thing. There were so many different diagnoses. I ended up getting a kidney stone because of the malnutrition. Now we’re trying to figure out the right treatment plan.”

When Baker entered Bishop Feehan, he was nervous but having gone to Catholic school his whole life, he brought his fellow classmates from St. John’s the Evangelist School in Attleboro with him.

“Everyone has been so nice,” said Baker. “I wanted to really come here to Feehan because if I had gone to public school I wouldn’t have had theology classes; it’s an important thing for me.”

Theology is an important thing for him because Baker is discerning a call to become a priest. At the end of sixth grade, Baker met Father Riley Williams, who had been assigned to St. John’s Parish as parochial vicar, and in whom Baker found a confidante.

“He’s also taught me a lot, and to have someone like that in my life has been a big deal,” said Baker, who credits Father Williams “for being a big person in my life and helped me get closer to my faith.”

Baker had been thinking about becoming a priest long before he met Father Williams, but once he met and opened up to him, Baker

This week in 50 years ago — Members of the parish organizations at Holy Trinity Parish in West Harwich bid a fond farewell to the Our Lady of Victory Sisters who had served the parish for more than 12 years.

25 years ago — Assistant coach Larry Shyatt of the Providence College men’s basketball team, and Quintin Burton, a team member and senior, spoke at the annual Fall River Area CYO basketball awards banquet held at McGovern’s Restaurant in the city.

found a willing ear in Father Williams, who shared with Baker his own path of discernment.

“I asked him about discernment and what the call was, and he answered me and would tell me about his own experiences and personal life and that just made me feel good to know that someone else went through this as well,” said Baker. “When he was my age, he would tell me stories or certain things that I could relate to, and those stood out to me.”

Last summer Baker was interviewed by Father Robert Reed of CatholicTV.com after Father Reed found out that Baker was discerning a call and thought having a young person on his show would help other young people also discerning their own call.

“For me, that was an incredible experience; I enjoyed it so much. I had the interview and I also did a commercial promo explaining what discernment is, and different ways you could get in touch with someone for help. Having that experience was moving and I was happy to be able to spread the message in that way,” said Baker, who offered advice to those discerning their own call to pray and celebrate the Sacraments. “A lot of people didn’t know I was thinking about it, so to have all these people know and are coming up to me now; I have a lot of new relationships.”

Baker also became the online technical support for his parish after designing and maintaining the parish’s website. He’s also a member of the parish’s youth group and evangelization committee. At Bishop Feehan, he’s a mem-

Diocesan history

10 years ago — Father Joseph Mauritzen, pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in Woods Hole, blessed the newly-renovated and newly-named parish center in honor of the late Father William W. Norton.

One year ago — A group of Cape Cod teens worked at a community garden near Wheeling, W.Va., during their “alternative spring break,” when they did numerous service projects for and with the poor in the area.

ber of the chorus and Liturgical chorus, does spring track, and participates every Friday in PAWS, a praise, adoration and worship program held in the school’s chapel.

Baker also made his first pilgrimage to the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. in January: “It was very moving for me,” said Baker. “I’ve always had a connection to [Pro-Life]. Just seeing all the people that went down there; the line for the march never ended.

Just to see some of the signs too. One sign said, ‘I regret my abortion,’ and that just moved me. It made me think about it more.”

It’s been almost a year since his grandfather passed away, and though one of his biggest supporters is gone, Baker will continue to explore what the right path will be for him by talking to Father Williams and Bishop Feehan staff, including the campus minister and theology teachers.

“In the next couple of years, I hope to continue what I’m doing now and hopefully that’s the call for me,” to become a priest, said Baker, and even if he doesn’t become a priest, he may become a teacher of theology or history, his “two favorite subjects,” but Baker said he’s ready for whatever God has planned; “Prayer every day and knowing that God is always here, and just always having that ground and solid rock in faith.”

Horan said she has appreciated all the community service opportunities Bishop Feehan has provided, from food drives and helping local families, to teachers teaching Catholic lessons that suddenly click, like the true meaning behind the “Our Father,” which was dissected during her sophomore year: “We went through each line, what did it mean, and I realized [then] that I was 15 years old and I really didn’t know what the words meant,” she said. “I just knew the words and I could recite them. Once you bring a meaning to it, it makes the entire process evolve for you.”

She said she will keep that process going after graduation, taking the Catholic foundation she built at Bishop Feehan and apply it to the ups-and-downs of life: “Someone is always watching you; you’re never alone,” she said.

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May 22, 2015

As violence spirals, Salvadorans look to Archbishop Romero as example

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (CNS) — If there’s a place in need of Salvation at this moment, it’s this country named after Jesus Christ. Even as it gets ready to mark one of the biggest events in its history — the May 23 beatification of slain archbishop Oscar Romero — El Salvador, which in Spanish means “the savior,” is in the midst of one of its most violent periods.

March marked one of the deadliest months in a decade, with 481 people murdered, an average of 16 homicides a day, many committed by violent and ubiquitous gangs, said officials from the National Civil Police.

Almost as an affront, gang leaders in April said they would provide some momentary respite from the violence as a “gift” to the Salvadoran martyr on the occasion of his beatification.

That means little to those like Lourdes Molina, a 40-something mother of three teen-age boys who lives each day in desperation and fear that her sons will be hurt or worse by the gangs that terrorize the six million who live in El Salvador. The violence is “unbearable,” she said. The only thing left to hang on to is the Divine intervention of Christ or the intercession of the soon-to-be Blessed Oscar Romero, she said.

Though the beatification brings an air of festivity in a country with little to celebrate, the long-term outlook for the future of young people in the country is dim, she said. No matter how much precaution she takes, vio-

lence will one day come knocking as it does for many Salvadorans, she fears.

If there was someone who knew about violence on the denizens of this country, it was Archbishop Romero. He, too, was a victim. He was fatally shot March 24, 1980, as he celebrated Mass.

present state: a designation as one of the most dangerous countries in the world, and in line to pass neighboring Honduras as the most dangerous place on earth that is not in an official war.

Father Oscar Rodriguez, a Salvadoran Franciscan who serves in the Holy Land but who was in

sion Sunday, at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Soyapango, outside of San Salvador, invoked Archbishop Romero in helping the country move forward.

There’s nothing left but to follow the Gospel, to fight for truth, transparency, an end to corruption, extortion and killings, all the

was assassinated, Father Verzeletti said.

“But we can’t be fearful or the devil will creep in,” he added. “The devil manifests itself in the form of injustice, impunity and corruption.”

He called on Salvadorans to live with fortitude even in the midst of what seems like a hopeless situation.

“Being Christians doesn’t mean we’ll sit around like Galileans, with our arms crossed looking at the sky,” he said. “Being Christian is to act against the reality of this violence, of these killings, of this evil, of all these many things that prevent us from living with dignity in our society.”

That is what Archbishop Romero and Christ called for, he said. It’s no accident that the beatification takes places between Ascension Sunday and the feast of the Holy Trinity, or Pentecost, he said. And just as Jesus ascendThousands of people wearing white participate in the March For Life, Peace and Justice to protest ed into Heaven, “I firmly believe against violence in El Salvador in late March in San Salvador. March marked one of the deadliest months that Oscar Romero ascended into in a decade with 481 people murdered, an average of 16 homicides a day, much of it committed by vioHeaven and he, too, is seated at lent and ubiquitous gangs, said officials from the National Civil Police. (CNS photo/Rodrigo Sura, EPA) the right hand of the Father, as a son of God, of the Father we proArchbishop Romero was one El Salvador during the conflict, things that God calls on people to claim here today.” of the more than 70,000 Salva- compares the situation of the na- reject, he said. No one knew this In the face of troubles and dorans killed during the country’s tion’s rampant violence to a can- better than Archbishop Romero, worries, Father Verzeletti continarmed conflict that lasted from cer that began long ago and went who, like Christ, was assassinated, ued, “keep that beautiful image 1979 until 1992. He pleaded with without intervention. he said. in mind this week, of Romero soldiers, often quoting the Gospel, Had it been treated early, per“Oscar Romero, a martyr, was martyred for his love of the poor, to stop killing innocent civilians. haps it would not have spread, he hated for his faith, as one who for those who work for the KingEven after the conflict came said. But lack of action by previ- loved the poor. He proclaimed the dom of God, for the persecuted, to an end, a series of factors — ous government administrations Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the maligned, and don’t let that weapons left over from the war, have made it difficult to remove and those who proclaim it are demon of injustice and impunity an influx of gang members, and this social “cancer,” he said. hated in this world, persecuted, creep in, work for a new world. As narcotrafficking — over time Scalibrinian Father Mauro maligned,” which happened to Christians we always are seeking have contributed to the country’s Verzeletti, preaching on Ascen- Archbishop Romero even after he new life.”

Student pens winning speech from Jesus’ perspective continued from page one

rington, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. “The pastoral council agreed. We had our first one in 2003, when the parish celebrated its 75th anniversary. Since then it has become an annual event thanks to the parishioners’ support through suppers and other fund-raisers and not through parish revenues.”

Father Harrington said the annual essay contest is open to all juniors and seniors in the parish who intend to further their education beyond high school and the topic changes from year to year.

“The rules are simple: write a 500-word or more essay,” he said.

“I find three unbiased (disinterested) judges to help determine the winner. The winners are invited — for some are afraid of public speaking — to read their essays at Masses, if they wish.”

Andrews had no qualms about reading his award-winning entry during a recent Saturday vigil Mass at his parish.

“I am deeply humbled to address you here today at our high school graduation,” Andrews’ essay begins. “Some of you may know Me as Jesus. Some call Me the Son of God. Others say I am the Messiah. Some refuse to know Me and some even condemn Me. I stand before everyone not only to commemorate your great achievements in the classroom, but also to commend you on your faith in Me.” He then goes on to cite the parable of the sower and the seed from Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel, drawing some interesting parallels to the contemporary experience of graduating from high school.

“Each and every one of you are a seed that lands on this path, the path of life,” he wrote. “Over the course of the years have you embraced your talents, and truly shown your peers what you can do? Or were you consumed by the changing world around you, like the seeds eaten by the birds?

Did you make a vow to follow your passion but ended up leaving it because it was too much of a challenge, like the seeds in the shallow soil? Have you chosen genuine friends and decided to take the right path in life, or did you follow the crowd and become like the seeds that were choked by the thorns?”

“I thought the connection from the Gospel about the seeds to his address was phenomenally insightful,” Father Harrington said.

“The most challenging part of writing this essay was trying to think and put myself into the mindset of Jesus,” Andrews admitted. “It took me a while to do so, but in the end I think I did a good job.”

As a senior about to graduate from Bishop Stang on May 31, Andrews credited his overall high school experience and, in particular, his theology teacher, Philip Martin, with being a major influence on his own faith life.

“His class is one that I have always enjoyed,” Andrews said. “He teaches us all there is to know about the Catholic faith. Learning and having theology almost every day has definitely influenced the essay because without the small, close-knit and faith-centered community Bishop Stang has to offer, I wouldn’t have had examples of what it truly means to be Catholic and ‘Christ-like.’”

Andrews remembered sitting in church waiting for Mass to begin on the day he found out he had won the essay contest.

“Father Harrington, before beginning the Mass, announced to the congregation that I had won the essay contest and that I would receive the parish scholarship! I was ecstatic and surprised and I couldn’t get rid of the smile on my face,” he said.

Andrews will be heading to Providence College in the fall, where he plans to use the scholarship award to cover the cost of books and other expenses.

“At Providence College I will be in the honors program and I plan on majoring in biology while studying on the pre-med track in the hopes of becoming a doctor,” he said. “I also plan on doing a minor in theology while studying at PC.” For Father Harrington, there’s an additional point of pride in being able to award the scholarship to a deserving parishioner like Andrews.

“Nick will be off to my alma mater Providence College and the alma mater of my two older brothers, Edmund and Barry, now of blessed memory,” he said.

Father Harrington added that the essay contest has been a great tool to keep teen-agers “connected to Church after high school,” and that the very first recipient of the annual scholarship is now 30 years old and remains active in the parish.

“Little did I know that our diamond jubilee would pay off in diamonds,” he said.

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Youth Pages

May 22, 2015

St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro recently staged its ninth annual Cabaret production. This year’s theme had the audience immersed in the magic of Broadway in the 1920s. The first act included musical numbers, comedy, dance and a live band with 19 performances from students, parents, faculty, priests and alumni. The second act was an expanded version of the musical play “Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway” by Shubert Fendrich, music and lyrics by George M. Cohan, as revised by Kathy Harum. Director Sue Fortin, music teacher at St. John’s, was assisted by Harum who helped with direction of show, choreography and the creative process. More than 35 volunteers, ranging from costume coordinators to the actual band to the stage crew, helped make the show possible. Guests were treated to coffee and pastries as they enjoyed the show. Pictured here is the lead cast in the show’s rousing finale.

Eighth-grade students at St. James-St. John School in New Bedford recently raised money for the senior class’ end-of-year dance by having a benefit car wash.

Prekindergarten at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Taunton enjoyed spending time with their mothers, grandmothers, aunts and their teachers at their Mother’s Day tea party.

Sixth-graders at St. Michael’s School in Fall River recently participated in a mock Roman Senate to learn about the government system of the Roman Republic. Students proposed and voted on a series of student-generated laws for the classroom.

In honor of the Month of Mary, the statue of Our Blessed Mother was recently crowned by a first-grade student at Holy Name School in Fall River during the school’s weekly Mass. Father Jay Maddock, pastor, John Pietruszka, and another first-grader are also shown here after the May crowning.

The students at Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford recently celebrated St. Damien Day with Hawaiian festivities. Pictured on the left is Cameron Levesque as St. Damien and on the right is Elena Monteiro as Queen Liliuokalani. Both students are in kindergarten.

May 22, 2015

O

ver the last several weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in two “momentous” vents with our young people. One event was the commencement of our students at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where I have the privilege of serving as a campus minister. The other event was the Pope St. Pius X Youth Award held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River.

What connects these two events for me is the fact that both events came about because a series of “moments” led up to that particular point in time.

At the commencement, young people, who have worked so hard to achieve that moment of graduation, were challenged by the speakers to take some time to live for the moments and to live lives for others in service.

In the Pope St. Pius X Youth Award event, younger listeners had already accepted such a challenge.

At the commencement ceremony, which I attended, I was thinking that during their time at UMass Dartmouth, a series of moments led them to that particular point in time. In fact, I’m sure each of those students spent much of their lifetime looking to the future. In grammar school, they looked forward to high school. In high school, they worked to get into the right college. Finally in college, they are working to get that right job.

I think, perhaps, sometimes we spend so much time planning for the future that we miss the here and now. And my hope is that they will now take the time to enjoy the here and now.

To those of you graduat-

Youth Pages Make those moments count ing, I encourage you to not get too caught up in the trivial things that won’t matter in the long run, just ensure that you embrace the things of larger importance no matter what your passion is, and what you choose to do when you walk away with your degree in hand. Know that you can be affecting others in every moment you experience. So use your skills, your passions, your education and your character to continue to be men and women for others.

According to the Jesuits, “Men and Women for Others” means that we must be at each other’s service in an act of integrating faith and justice, and this service ought to be done in joy and love.”

On May 5, 61 young people from parishes throughout the diocese were recognized with the Pope St. Pius X Youth Award for service to their parish community. It struck me during the ceremony that, while these young people certainly are planning and working toward a future, that they had also seized the moments, the here and nows, to be of service to others. In the lives of these young people, they too, had a series of moments that led them to this point in their lives. In the case of these outstanding young adults, they had already taken the time and accepted the challenge to be young men and women for others.

In today’s society, where we are all driven to succeed and in many cases try to plan out the perfect life, we often learn that sometimes we lose track of what

is important. If we don’t take the time to live in the moment, the here and now, I believe we risk the chance that we will miss what God is calling us to do. It is in these quiet moments that

Be Not Afraid

By Deacon Frank Lucca He so often speaks to us. If we don’t take the time to live in the moment, we may just miss that call.

My hope is that in our high schools and colleges and through our Catholic campus ministries, students are being challenged to seek answers to the “bigger questions that arise” for them. Not so much what to do in life — a career, job, profession — but about who they are: the deeper meaning of how they uniquely fit into the world, society, community, indeed, questions about the purpose for their lives. The phrase, which I believe is worth contemplating by all of us, is “Who am I; whose am I; what am I called to be?”

Several years ago I read a book by Rabbi Sherre Hirsch.

I must admit I was first drawn by the title, “We Plan, God Laughs.” I understand the title comes from an old Yiddish proverb. She writes that at every stage of life we make plans, setting out where we want to go and imagining what we will be like when we have “arrived.”

But things have a way of turning out not quite as we hoped or ex-

pected. She argues that too often our plans are limited to ones we think up at bedtime, or are devised by our parents, or by what looks good on a résumé. She challenges the reader to reflect on who we are now and who we want to be — a plan that is alive, organic, and in sync with God. Hirsch teaches the importance of letting go and recognizing that even the most ordinary life “is extraordinary in the eyes of God.” She doesn’t promise that life will turn out as we plan, but shows that “with hope, faith, and belief, we can change our lives for the better and make a positive difference in the lives of others.”

As I have so often written or spoken about, in my younger days, I was so caught up in the future and what was the next best thing, that I know I missed what God was calling me to be many, many times. It wasn’t until my wife Kris “made” me start living for the moments that I finally slowed down enough to hear what God was asking of me.

It is for that reason that I so admire the young Pope St. Pius X Youth Award recipients and those UMass Dartmouth graduates, especially our Catho-

17

lic students, who have accepted the call to be there for others at such a young age. At the commencement ceremony, I was blown away to learn that UMass Dartmouth has been recognized as one of the top 20 campuses nationwide in community service. UMass system president Robert Caret congratulated our students at UMass Dartmouth, who have given of themselves with more than 200,000 hours of community service to the community! Go Corsairs!

Congratulations to all of our graduates and Pope St Pius X Award recipients. Continue to make every day a momentous event — living in the here and now — listening for God’s voice and living active faithful lives. Remember these words of Mother Teresa, “Unless a life is lived for others, it is not worthwhile.” Now get out there and make those moments count!

Anchor columnist Deacon Lucca is a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Fall River, a youth minister at St. Dominic’s Parish in Swansea, and a campus minister at UMass Dartmouth.

He is married to his Kristine, and the father of two daughters and their husbands, and a grandson.

DeaconFrankLucca@comcast. net.

The children, youth and staff of St. Vincent’s Home in Fall River recently celebrated Children’s Memorial Flag Day with a flag-raising ceremony, calling for the immediate cessation of violence against children and youth in America. Displaying the flag are from left: Sister Elaine Marchand, RSM, and St. Vincent’s director of Human Resources, Karen Hayes.

Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth has again has been recognized by the National Association of Student Councils as a 2015 NASC National Gold Council of Excellence. Bishop Stang Student Council students’ success in earning this award is a testament to student council as an integral part of the school and its educational mission. Lindsey Madeira, second row, center, won the Unsung Hero award.

Bishop Connolly High School (Fall River) recognized the academic achievements of its students at its recent World Language Honor Society induction ceremony and National Honor Society induction ceremony. Principal Christopher Myron congratulates Gillian Jacome after her induction into the French National Honor Society.

18

May 22, 2015

Pope gives coaches game plan for building team spirit, ethical players

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Coaches need to show integrity, fairness, patience, joy and kindness, especially toward those who are struggling, Pope Francis said.

Like any good educator, a good coach or trainer is extremely important in helping kids develop into mature, wellbalanced and well-rounded adults, he said.

Instilled with solid values and Christian faith, athletes can help prevent sports from becoming distorted by “pressure from many increasingly intrusive interests, especially economic,” he said in recentlyreleased message.

The pope’s message was presented to participants at an international seminar on the role of coaches and trainers as educators of human and Christian values. The seminar at the Vatican was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Laity’s Church and sport office.

Good teachers and coaches are vital for children and young adults because they are at a “delicate stage in life” as their personalities are developing and they are looking for role models and approval from others, the pope wrote.

It’s a stage in life when “the danger of getting lost by following bad examples and seeking false happiness is more real,” he wrote.

Therefore, coaches, like

teachers, have a great responsibility because they often “have the privilege of spending many hours each week with young people and have a great influence on them,” he wrote.

But their influence depends more on “who they are as people and how they live than on what they say,” the pope wrote.

“How important it is then a coach be an example of integrity, consistency, correct judgment, impartiality, but also joy for life, patience, ability (to show) esteem and kindness toward everyone and especially those most disadvantaged.”

Being a person of faith is just as important, he said, because being able to raise people’s eyes up to God helps put victories and losses into better perspective.

“Faith gives us that gaze of kindness toward others and it makes us overcome the temptation of a rivalry that’s too heated and aggressive; it makes us understand the dignity of every person, even those less gifted and at a disadvantage,” he said.

Coaches can do much to help make sports an occasion for solidarity and inclusion by giving those usually left out a chance to play and socialize.

For this reason, Pope Francis said, resources and time must be invested in educating coaches and trainers so that they can be “authentic witnesses of life and lived faith.”

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Newly-ordained priest is right at home on Stonehill College campus continued from page one

at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. — right in the middle of Pope Francis’ declared Year of Consecrated Life.

The road from Houston didn’t end in South Bend for Father Mouton. Instead, it brought him to the picturesque, peaceful campus of Stonehill College in Easton.

Prior to his priestly ordination, Father Tim had come to Easton as part of his diaconate assignment, where he worked with the good folks at My Brother’s Keeper, bordering the Stonehill campus.

Then-Deacon Tim learned more about the college. “The people and volunteers at My Brothers Keeper were incredible people, and I loved the Stonehill environment,” he said. “I love it out here.”

Father Tim told The Anchor that his heart was set on becoming a parish priest, but his Easton experiences changed all that.

“I saw the community at My Brothers Keeper and I saw the students, and not being that much older than they, I could relate to what they were going through in this phase of their lives. I saw myself in campus ministry here.”

The Holy Cross community saw that as well, and after his ordination in April, he was returned to the Easton campus where he serves as athletic chaplain, assistant coach on the Skylark’s baseball team, and a campus minister.

“I live in the dorms and I can interact with the students on their level,” Father Tim told The Anchor. “It’s cool to be here and to be a witness to the faith to them.”

Father Tim said that it’s important for a priest to be able to be seen as a human being. “Just before entering college, I felt a calling from God to become a priest,” he said. “My uncle was a Holy Cross Father and he invited me to visit Notre Dame’s seminary program before my freshman year.

“Aside from a kid from Texas being in South Bend, Ind. in January, it was a great visit. I saw there young men just like myself. Normal people who were learning about themselves and about their relationship with God. I didn’t see ‘pious nerds’ like we thought seminarians were

when we were in high school.”

Father Tim did make the decision to attend seminary at Notre Dame. “In my freshman year, I found such a peaceful life,” he added.

“I learned a ton. It changed the culture of who I was. My faith grew, as did my relationship with God. I learned a lot about myself.

“I also learned that seminaries are for good men, not good priests. Some of the guys who were in seminary with me left for various reasons. I had one good friend who recently contacted me

Holy Cross Father Tim Mouton displays a card to the congregation gathered at Stonehill College’s Chapel of Mary. The card was created by his sister’s grade-school students in honor of his recent ordination. The cover reads, “Tim is priest,” and the inside sentiment said, “good god! (sic).” (Photo courtesy of Stonehill College)

and told me that his seminary formation made him a better husband and father. What you learn and experience in seminary makes you a better anything.”

If it weren’t for the priestly garb he wears on campus, one would never know he’s not a student. In a biography of Father Tim on the Stonehill website it states, “Being in his 20s, he has the obvious connections of being in the same generation as the college students he serves. He wants to inspire them, but they also inspire him.”

“Every day I see something that encourages me that these students are going to make the world a better place,” Father Tim wrote on the website. “The potential of these young people to be good, loving people is tremendous.

It’s incredibly humbling to be able to see people who are so

passionate about what they love, to see them working hard to turn those passions into realities.”

Father Tim hopes to share his Spirituality and witness to the Lord to athletes, students, coaches and faculty in the little things.

“I think there are a lot of vocations here on campus, and I want to make vocations awareness available to the students,” he said. “I want God to be the heart of the college.”

Father Tim’s impact on the college is already quite strong.

A contingent of students made the trek out to Notre Dame to attend his ordination. “They were as excited as I was,” he told The Anchor.

“They loved being there and it was cool to have them there.

It meant a lot to me, and they were pumped.”

Father Tim celebrated his first Mass on campus in the dorms, and then at a filled Chapel of Mary on campus.

“The support from the Stonehill College community has been phenomenal,” he added.

When asked how it felt to be just a five-minute walk from his office to the grave site of Servant of God Holy Cross Father Patrick Peyton, Father Tim was succinct in his reply — “Awesome.”

And despite living in the middle of Patriots Nation, Father Tim’s allegiance to his Houston Texans remains as true as his devotion to God. “It’s going to be great having Vince Wilfork [a beloved New England Patriot for the last seven years who was released by New England and signed with the Texans] alongside J.J. Watt this season,” he told The Anchor with a wry smile.

It was witnessing a bunch of “normal guys” in formation for the priesthood that led a young man from Houston, Texas to pursue a priestly vocation in South Bend, Ind. And it’s a “normal guy” one can find in the middle of student life on the campus of Stonehill College who is bearing witness to today’s students of the love that God has for all His children. Just what Father Tim hoped to do.

For more information about Stonehill College, visit stonehill. edu; and for information on the Congregation of Holy Cross, visit www. holycrosscongregation.org.

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May 22, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available at this time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

U.S. will fall in love with Pope Francis when he visits, says speaker

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CNS) — America will fall in love with Pope Francis when he visits in September. That is the prediction of Austen Ivereigh, author of “The Great Reformer, Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope,” who was the main speaker at the Brooklyn Diocese’s recent celebration of World Communications Day.The daylong conference at the Brooklyn Marriott centered on the upcoming visit by the pontiff. Ivereigh received the diocese’s St. Francis de Sales Distinguished Communicator Award.

The conference was organized by the DeSales Media Group, the parent company of The Tablet and NET-TV, the diocese’s newspaper and television station. “I think he’s going to give an incredibly robust speech to Congress,” said Ivereigh. “It’s going to be absolutely fascinating. He’s going to tell the politicians — connect with ordinary people, serve the common good, serve the most vulnerable in society. To the U.N., he’ll be talking about climate control and that will be very powerful. He will have different message for the various audiences.” After arriving in Washington September 23, Pope Francis is scheduled to address a joint meeting of Congress September 24, making him the first pope to do so.

His U.S. trip includes a September 25 address to the U.N. General Assembly. He will be in Philadelphia September 26 and 27 for the World Meeting of Families.

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks May 23 Rev. William F. Donahue, Assistant, St. Francis Xavier, Hyannis, 1944 Rev. Alfred J. Guenette, A.A., 1995 May 24 Rev. James F. Clark, Founder, St. James, New Bedford, 1907 Rev. Patrick Heran, SS.CC., Former Rector, Sacred Hearts Seminary, Fairhaven, 1985 May 25 Rev. Michael P. Kirby, Former Assistant St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1925 Rev. James V. Mendes, Pastor, Our Lady of Angels, Fall River, 1961 May 26 Rev. Thomas F. Murray, Assistant, St. Patrick, Falmouth and St. Francis Xavier, Hyannis, 2012 May 28 Rev. Lionel A. Bourque, Former Chaplain, Cardinal Cushing Hospital, Brockton, 1982

Around the Diocese

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

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

The next Monthly Adult Bereavement Support Group session will meet on May 27 from 6 to 7 p.m. All are welcome — Catholics and nonCatholics alike. To register or for more information, call Clifton Hospice Services at 508-675-7583.

A support group to help people cope with the loss of a loved one will meet on Fridays at 10 a.m. through June 5 and again from July 10 through August 20 at Catholic Social Services, 1600 Bay Street in Fall River. Facilitator Phyllis Habib, MSW, LCSW, will lead the group. All are welcome and there is no fee to participate. For more information or to register, call 508-678-2828, extension 27 or email rsaraiva@dfrcs.org.

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

A Taizé Prayer Service will be held on June 7 at 7 p.m. at St. John Neumann Parish in East Freetown, followed by an outdoor reception at 8 p.m. with refreshments. All are welcome. For more information, call 508-763-2240.

St. Vincent’s Home’s seventh annual Kick-Off to Summer Celebration will be held June 26 from 6 to 11 p.m. on the deck of the Battleship Massachusetts. The evening celebration overlooking Fall River’s waterfront is expected to draw more than 400 guests and will feature complimentary beer and wine, cash bar, gourmet dinner and dessert, dancing to the sounds of The Pulse of Boston, and silent and live auctions emceed by volunteer auctioneer, Ryan Nadeau. The evening will also feature gourmet food with specialty dishes prepared by local restaurants. Proceeds will directly benefit youth participating in St. Vincent’s Life Skills Program. For tickets or more information contact Melissa Dick at 508235-3228.

Our Lady of the Cape Parish, Stony Brook Road in Brewster, will host its 37th annual Summer Fair on June 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. This “Whale of a Fair” is a fund-raiser with proceeds earmarked for local charities, college scholarships and the church’s sister parish in Dessalines, Haiti. New this year: the Brewster Fire Department will give children tours of a fire engine with lessons on fire safety. Specialty-themed baskets will be on sale as well as antiques and collectibles, handmade crafts, jewelry, books, tools, children’s toys, and more.

Make it a family day with the silent auction, face painting for kids, a barbecue, ice cream treats, home-baked goods, a variety of raffles, and hourly door prizes.

20

May 22, 2015

I

Another Blues man gone

traveled in “the land of the usually write my column free.” on Tuesday mornings, the How many back doors did day The Anchor goes to press. they have to enter? How many That way my topic can be as black-only hotels did they current as possible, or because have to sleep in? How many I couldn’t think of any topic by restaurants were they turned then. away from? How many dollars But I’m writing this on Friday morning, one week prior to were roB.B.ed from them by evil agents and record company the day this issue comes out.

I woke up this morning and, executives?

Yet night after night, year as is my routine, I jumped on after year, these men brought Facebook to see what was new white people the Blues, and in the social media world. they loved it.

The news socked me right B.B. King and men like him between the eyes: “Blues legend B.B. King passed away at age 89.”

Seemingly every other week, one of my music

By Dave Jolivet heroes dies, but this one, like only a few othdidn’t only play the Blues, they ers in the past, brought tears to lived them, and they shared my eyes. their incredible talents across I loved B.B. King. I loved his music. I loved his persona. I the color barriers, passing on their soul to artists like Stevie loved his strength. And I loved Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, his passion for the Blues.

Johnny Winter, Joe Bonamassa, I will never, ever know the pains that B.B. experienced, be- Jack White and John Mayer.

I saw B.B. in concert when ing born on a cotton plantation in Mississippi in the 1920s. His he was mobile and quick. Then I saw B.B. last July in Webster; parents were share croppers, and he was ultimately raised by a man who had to be physically led to the stage, and who seemhis grandmother. ingly was nowhere near as lucid Arguably, all of the conand sharp as he once was. temporary music of my It saddened me, but it gave generation and younger, has Emilie and Danny the chance been influenced by the great black Blues players. Men such to see the legend just months before his passing. as Robert Johnson, T-Bone Jimmie Vaughan, the brother Walker, Elmore James, Muddy of the late, great Stevie Ray Waters, Albert and Freddie wrote a song about the passing King (no relations), and more of many great Blues guitarrecently Jimi Hendrix and ists, including his brother: “Six Buddy Guy, brought millions Strings Down.” The chorus is of people, in the U.S. and perfect for how I, and thouacross the pond in England sands of B.B. King fans feel this where rock and roll exploded morning, “Heaven done called in the 60s, the heart and soul another Blues-stringer back of music: the Blues. home.”

Each of these men had to Rest in peace B.B., far from put up with shameful racist the hatred and racism you rose white people wherever they above. The music world has the Blues today, and what better tribute is there than that? davejolivet@anchornews.org.

My View From the Stands

B.B. King’s beloved “Lucille,” and an empty chair in Webster last summer. (Photo by Dave Jolivet)