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VOL. 38, NO. 21
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Friday, May 27,1994
FALL RIVER, MASS.
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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$11 Per Year
Cardinal Law sees Catholi.c identity as catechism's key WASHINGTON (CNS) - Boston's Cardinal Bernard F. Law speaks earnestly about basics offaith and life when he gets talking about the reasons for the new "Catechism of the Catholic Church." The English translation of the catechism was approved by the Vatican this spring and will be published in the United States and Canada June 22. "I think we have a major challenge as a community offaith," the cardinal said at a pre-pub,lication press briefing in Washington.
"We need to back off and take stock of who we are, what we believe in, what we believe the dignity of the human person means, what the human person is, what
our relationship to God is, what it means to be part of a civil society, what it means to be part of a world of nations." Cardinal Law - who originated the idea of a universal catechism at the 1985 World Synod of Bishops and who oversaw the drafting of its translation into English - said the catechism alone is not going to solve all the problems offaith and life. "We're not going to just go through life with this book and nothing else," he said, "but it will help people come to a better understanding of their faith. "I would hope that it would be widely used by the faithful," he said. He called the catechism "a complete but succinct exposition of the faith" and a needed tool for "proclaiming in all its integrity the Gospel of Jesus Christ." The U.S. edition of the catechism, copublished by the U.S. Catholic Conference and 15 other publishers around the country, numbers 816 pages. Its initial press run of 566,250 copies reflects the high level of popular interest it has engendered. Since the catechism first appeared in French in late 1992, more than 3 million copies have been sold in French and other languages, said Father John E. Pollard, USCC coordinator for the implementation of the catechism. Msgr. Francis J. Maniscalco, director of USCC Office for Media Relations, who was also at the press briefing, said, "One reason for the hunger for this was the need for an expression of faith that is on the adult level after so many years of having material that's basically developed for younger people."
The briefing in Washington marked the opening phase of a national effort by the church, to be conducted mainly through diocesan media offices, to get information about the catechism out to the American public. Msgr. Maniscalco said his office has supplied those offices with extensive background materials on the catechism and was encouraging them to hold press briefings with local media across the country. Cardinal Law said it would be a mistake to view the catechism as a weapon in ideological battles among Catholics. "It transcends ideological categories. It attempts to reflect accurately the faith ofthe church, and it does so." When asked how the U.S. bishops feel about developing a national catechism based on the new "Catechism of the Catholic Church," Cardinal Law said he did not know how other bishops feel because they have not discussed the idea as a conference. But he added that he found fairly strong support for that idea at a recent meeting of national catecheticalleaders and publishers which he attended. "I would think that for the moment it's premature for us to consider a national catechism, because I think we need to appropriate this and I think this needs to be a service to catechetical publishers," he said. "Then, once we've done that, I think we're going to be in a better position to move toward a national catechism ifthat's indicated." When he was asked how he hoped Catholics would approach the new catechism, he summarized his answer in two words: "In faith."
Catholic Charities Appeal stands at $1,996,877
MEXICAN VILLAGERS travel towards shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Some traveling hundreds of miles, groups come to the shrine on the 12th day of every mQnth, commemorating year-round the official Guadalupe feast ,on Dec. 12. (eNS/ KNA photo)
As of May 23, reports from parishes and Special Gift donations brought the total of the 1994 Catholic Charities Appeal to $1,996,877.00: Collectors for the Special Gifts and parish phases of the Appeal are asked to complete their calls as soon as possible and bring their reports to their headquarters or parishes. The parish phase of the Appeal closed on May 25 but Appeal books will remain open until 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 8 and reports received by this time will be credited to the 1994 Appeal. To assure such credit, reports from May 31 on should be brought in person to Appeal headquarters at 344 Highland Ave., Fall River. Rev. Daniel L. Freitas, Diocesan Director of the Appeal said, "We hope that each of our 112 parishes will surpass its 1993 total."
The following parishes have already met that goal: St. There~a of the Child Jesus, Attleboro; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Seekonk; Our Lady of the Isle, Nantucket; O.L. of Assumption, Osterville; St. Pius X, S. Yarmouth; St. Augustine, Vineyard Haven; St. Joseph, Woods Hole. St. Mary's Cathedral, Blessed Sacrament, Holy Cross, St. Anne, St. Anthony of Padua, St. William, Fall River; St. Patrick, St. Thomas More, Somerset; Our Lady of Grace, Westport; St. Anne, St. John the Baptist, New Bedford; St. Joseph, St. Mary, Fairhaven; St. Mary, So. Dartmouth; Holy Rosary, Immaculate Conception, St. Anthony, St. Jacques, Taunton; Holy Cross, So. Easton. Catholic Charities listings continue on page 11.