VOL. 30, NO. 22
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Friday, May 30, 1986
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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58 P!!r Year
"President is out of touch"
Reagan refuted WASHINGTON (NC)Church antihunger officials have rejected President Reagan's suggestion May 21 that Americans go hungry because they are ignorant of food programs and available assistance. Reagan told a group of ,students, "I don't believe there is anyone going hungry in America simply by reason of denial or lack of ability to feed them." Reagan said a reason for hunger is "people not knowing -where or how to get this help. Where there is hunger. .. you have to determine that that is probably because of a lack of knowledge on the part of the people as to what things are available." Officials at the U.S. Catholic Conference, Catholic Charities USA and Network, a Washington-based Catholic social justice lobby, disagreed with Reagan and criticized his administration for cutting funds to some of the federal programs designed to help the hungry. "It's quite obvious the president is out of touch with his own programs, and that's one of the great tragedies Qf the Reagan administration," said Mathew Ahmann, associate director of governmental relations at Catholic Charities USA. "I really don't think he knows what's going on."
Authorities unaware of conditions "ought to be acutely embarrassed," but Reagan seems to lack the knowledge even to be embarrassed, Ahmann added. ' "Certainly I would think the evidence doesn't back him up at all," said Walt Grazer, staff spe- . cialist with the USCC Office of Domestic Social Development. Grazer said there are some 30 million poor people in the United States but only 19 million receive food stamps, a figure he said was short by several million of those' who should be eligible. In addition, the Women, Infants and Children special nutrition program only serves one-third of those eligible and federal budget cuts under Reagan have attacked the school lunch and, breakfast programs that feed poor children, Grazer said. Sister of St. Joseph Catherine Pinkerton, a lobbyist for Network, termed it "unconscionable to call it ignorance on the part of people" that makes them go hungry. The administration's priorities "have placed the needs ofthe poor in greatest jeopardy probably in recent history," she said. "It's irresponsible to make that kind of claim - that people are ignorant of opportunities" she said, adding that the opportunities "just aren't there."
NC photo
Hungry in America: Sharecroppers' Children
"I have my love of God t()'offer"
Tomorrow's priests discuss their vocations By Joseph Motta
"I've always wanted to be a priest, ever since I was five or six years old." So says Rev. Mr. Maurice O. Gauvin Jr., one offive young m'en to be ordained to the diocesan priesthood tomorrow in ceremoniesat St Mary's Cathedral, Fall RiVer. Gauvin and his classmates recently spoke with The Ancpor about their vocations and hopes for the future. The 26-year-old said that his prime influences have been his family and the priests whQ have served inllis home parish, St. ~Hz", abeth, Fall River.
The 1986 ordinandi range in age from 25to 30. The youllgest, ~ev. Mr. David M. Andrade, a Taun· ton native, says almost everyone in his life bas beell"very supportive" of his decision for the priesthood. When asked about the current lack of religious yocatio he spoke with hope of the new"realization among laity of their call to particiP!!tt~ in +~e Ch~M<ih th~~ugh vi~ue oftheirbaptisnL' . Although "a priest is called to
ns,
lead,"h~'$aid,t9-~posi(iYere$I~~;»se
of the lay community to Plltish ll~d diof~san .n~eds he com.pens~te fOfltllecler~ysh .... ')'~I Rev. Mr. F~~die Ba,bl zuJ(.Jr.,
another Tauntonian, thinks the lack of vocations is due to ~he fact that "priesthood has somehow lost its clearcut idelltity. , "The role ofthe priest was clearly defined 25 yellrs ago," he said. "Now it's unclear, or perceived as unclear." '; According to Rev. Mr. Timothy P. Reis, who served his diaconal ~~ar at~t. Th.?mas ~ore p~.tish, Somerset, "there are vilcatiofis out there, but people are afraid to ..realizet.hem." </~ The New Bedford >native sadly ce notes God takes second )i1l-$ . l~{:apet~olle . . its ftjust tie l'Ii~t" of avocatiQ.., he
said, others sbould encourage him lived life is the best life and a firm or 'her to reflect upon it. belief that the Church really has Rev. Mr. ThomasA. Freohette, something to offer." a native of St. Francis Xavier parGauvin: "A challenge to bring ish, Hyannis, thinks the priest's Christ into their lives and to awaken role is "to serve the people well by them to the. fact that they're not; drawing them into good worship only individuals but that their and a good relationship witp God." actions affect a lot of people." The men were asl¢ed what they' Reis: "I have my love of God to thought they could offer those to offer them. Hopefully, by the way whom they wiU minister. I live. and carry myself, I'm letting) Frechette:'''The Willingness to God work through me...' i say 'yes' to God and to sincerely Where do these young men think' try tOllelp o.thers dQ!hat, t.o.o." ,·they'llbe in 2S years,? Andrade: i'To try (0 be as caring "Hopefully happy, doillg my as I Clln." priestly duties in a parish s-ome-
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<> Turrilo Pagt Six
More U.8. Catholics, fewer priests and nuns WILMETTE, Ill. (NC) - The number of, U.S. Catholics grew last year, but there were fewer priests, nuns and brothers to serve them, according to data released May 28 in the 1986 Official Catholic Directory. The directory's total estimated U.S. Catholic population as of
Jan. I, 1986, was 52,654,908, up 368,865 from the previous year. The number of priests, however, declined by 134, to 57,183. There were 113,658 nuns, 1,843 fewer than the year before. The number of brothers dropped by 115, to 7,429. The number of permanent dea-
cons grew to 7,204, up 358 from nation's 19,313 parishes had no the previous year. resident pastor. This represented a Indicative of a growing priest 12.5 percent increase over the preshortage in the country, one out of vious year's 1,051 parishes without 16 Catholic parishes is now with- resident pastors, and a 20 percent out a resident pastor, up from one increase over the 983 of two years in 20 only two years ago and one in ago. 26 a decade ago. The official Catholic Directory, As 1986 began, 1,183 of the an annual publication of P.J.
Kenedy and Sons of Wilmette, lists diocesan offices, parishes, religious houses, other Catholic institutions and'their chief officials in all the dioceses and archdioceses ofthe United States. Kenedy moved its editorial offices from New York to the Chicago suburbs in 1982. Turn to Page Six