SERVING SOUTHEASTEItN MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & 'rHE ISLANDS
t eanc 0 VOL. 22, NO. 21
FALL RIVER, MASS., THURSDAY, 'JUNE 1, 1978
20c, $6 Per Year
Catholic Charities Appeal Shatters All Records
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JUNE AND JACKETS are busting out all over in Taunton, where Cheryl Smith and Kathleen Murphy proudly model new jackets just received by students at St.Mary's School.
Golden Jubilee Marked At St. Francis of Assisi Last Sunday, the parish community of St. Francis of Assisi in New Bedford celebrated the golden jubilee of its founding with a concelebrated Mass with Bishop Daniel A. Cronin as principal concelebrant and homilist. Rev. Ronald A. Tosti, parish administrator, welcomed the congregation. Vested concelebrants included Msgr. Joseph R. Pannoni, first resident pastor of the parish, Rev. Armando Annunziato, a former pastor, and Rev. Peter N. Graziano, chaplain at nearby St. Mary's Home. An entrance procession began at the rectory, a block from the church, and entered the sanctuary to the trumphal strains of Gounod's "Praise Ye the Father" sung by the parish choir under the direction of Anita Blestracci Belliveau. Edmond Machado of Fall River was trumpeter for the occasion. Lectors at the Mass were William Whelan and Michael DiGiacomo. Bishop Cronin, in his homily recalled the early foundations of the parish and its humble beginnings under the direction of Father Enrico Mezzatesta when the parish was a mission of Holy Rosary parish Fall River. The prelate noted with gratitude the presence of Msgr. Pannoni, who formed the parish a half century ago and was pres路 ent to celebrate that beginning. The bishop reminded all pres-
ent of the significance of the feast of Corpus Christi and related the parish's Jubilee Mass Turn to Page Eleven
what's inside Page readership survey repo.rt _.......................... 2 cape cod summer schedule 8路9 film listings 14
Most Reverend Daniel A. Cronin,Bishop of Fall River, announced today that the 1978 ,Catholic Charities Appeal of the Diocese of Fall River has attained an unprecedented, recordsetting amount, $1,111,699.47. In expressing profound gratitude to all who contributed to and collaborated with the Appeal, Bishop Cronin lauded the result as an "inspiring testimonial" to the faith of the residents of the entire diocese. In a prepared statement Bishop Cronin spoke of his consolation that, because of the extraordinary success of the Appeal, the multiplicity of apostolic programs conducted under diocesan auspices would continue and expand in the coming year. The Bishop praised and thanked all who assisted in the annual spring fundraising endeavor conducted by the diocese, singling out for special mention the Diocesan Director, Monsignor Anthony M. Gomes, and the 1978 Lay Chairman, Mr. Edward Machado of Somerset. Monsignor Gomes reported that the Appeal in 1978 had exceeded the prior year's total, itself a record-setting amount, by nearly $65,000. This represents the greatest dollar increment in the 36 year history of the Appeal, save the 1959 Appeal, nearly 20 years ago, when the "pledge" system of giving was first introduced. The Appeal Director noted that 100 parishes of the 113
existing within the Diocese had been listed on the "honor roll" by exceeding the individual total amounts recorded a year ago. Monsignor Gomes noted that this was a record-shattering number of successful parishes. Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in New Bedford, with returns of $31,982.40, was the leading parish. Holy Name parish of Fall River, reporting gifts of $30,199.10, came a close second. The third-leading parish was St. Pius X of South Yarmouth, where $26,888.02 was contributed.
:VIany parishes registered significant increments, however Corpus Christi parish of Sandwich emerged clearly as the le~.ding unit in this respect, with the final sum of $18,421.00 repreHenting an increase over the pr..or year's figures by nearly $3,800.
Father William Morris, pastor of Corpus Christi parish, attribut,~d the exceptional results to th~ diligent work of his parish committee members. We told the people about the Appeal, Father Morris noted, and they responded in a most generous manner.
Four Priests A.ssigned As Hospital Chaplains ,In connection with the assignment of four priests to fulltime ministry as Catholic chaplains in hospitals within the diocese, Father Edmund 'Fitzgerald, director of the diocesan Department of Pastoral Care for the Sick, has issued the following statement: Bishop Cronin's announcement is a further manifestation of the mission of Jesus to the church to be present in the ills and sufferings of each of its members. The ministries of Father William Costello at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro and Father Terrence Keenan at Cape
AT DEDICATION of new St. John of God church and parish center in Somerset, are, from left, Cardinal Humberto Medeiros; Msgr. James E. Gleason, retired former diocesan chancellor and a chaplain to Cardinal Medeiros; Father Daniel L. Freitas, pastor; Bishop Cronin; Msgr. John J. Oliveira, vice chancellor; unidentified altar boy; and Father Stephen B. Salvador, associate pastor.
Cod Hospital in Hyannis, are being started on a fulltime basis. After consultation with the administration of both of' these hospitals, the new chaplains will bE'gin to offer the service of cc,ntinuous pastoral care to Roman Catholic patients hospitalized in these institutions. The fulltime presence of a chaplain .gives a more continuous pastoral presence to the Turn to Page Thirteen
[)ay of Prayer '~o Begin Vigil
The Annual Day of Prayer for Vocations will be observed this weekend in all diocesan churches with a special Prayer of the F,lithful used at all Masses. ,But the observance will not stop there. The weekend will be the kickoff for a yearlong Vigil for Vocations, during which participants will pledge one day a rr.onth to special prayer for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Pledge cards explaining the program wili be distributed at weekend Masses. The prayer may take any form, including Mass, a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, a rosary, holy hour or spiritual reading. ' The diocesan program grew from a pilot project conducted lnst year on Cape Cod and coordinated by Father Timothy Goldrick. He said the Vigil for Vocations name came from Mrs. Richard Farley of St. Francis Xavier parish, Hyannis, and that t:1e program is a combination of methods used in various U.S. parishes and dioceses. Some 20,000 prayer pledge Turn to Page Eleven