t eanc 0 VOL. 24, NO. 24
SERVING . . . SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
FALL RIVER, MASS., THURSDAY; JUNf 12; 1980
St. Anne's
One vote was the decider
threatened St. Anne's Hospital, Fall River,' the only provider of pediatric in-patient hospital services in the Greater Fall River area, stands to be seriously affected by regulations proposed by the Massachusetts Rate Setting Commission. The regulations, to be promulgated July 1 unless withdrawn, will adversely affect all hospitals in the commonwealth, but especially thos'e, such as St. Anne's, . that have no endowment funds upon which to draw. . The proposed regulations would substantially change criteria now governing hospital budgets and charge structures. The effect would be to require hospitals to absorb continuous annual underpayments by federal Medicare and state Medicaid programs, thus forcing them into permanent positions of operating loss. Many hospitals, including St. Anne's, serve patients awaiting nursing home beds. Reimbursement for such patients would be pegged to nursing home路 rates, although hospital costs are far . higher, due to services that must be available, even if not needed Turn to Page Six
20c, $6 Per Year
BALTIMORE (NC) A recommendation supporting abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment and homosexual F~ghts took the spotlight at the White House Conference on Families, but Catholic observers found that 55 of 60 resolutions had something positive to say about family life.
The combination abortionERA-homosexual rights measure passed by one vote at the meeting June 7 after a conservative group walke~ out. About 670 delegates from 19 states met in Baltimore June 5-7 for the first of three nationallevel conferences. Recommendations from the Baltimore, Minneapolis and Los Angeles conferences will go to a national task force in the fall. 'During the second day of the conference about 40 to 50 members of the Pro-Family Coalition . walked out of the meeting. The NEWLY ORDAINED Deacon Benjamin Nogueira gets an early Father's Day:kiss group supports a traditional from daughter Marcie, 9. Ordination story, other pictures on pp. -8-9. definition of family .and opposes . abortion, homosexual marriages and government involvement in , family life. Connie Marshner, a Pro-Fam~ ily Coalition leader, termed the White House Conference on NOTRE DAME, Ind. (NC) front - embraced old friends, ered busload. Families a fraud and accused the ,"The cost of gasoline kept conference of having a "hidden The spirit was both joyous and . sang, prayed and listened to serioQs at the recent 1980 Na- talks on ways to strengthen -the people from going," said Nancy agenda" that prevented discusstional Conference on the Charis- quality of nuclear family life Collard of Westport, whose hus- . ion of parental rights and was band, James, is a member of the iniqlical to traditional views of matic Renewal in the Catholic and the family of God. Church, held on the University Father Edmund J. Sylvia, diocesan coordinating commit- the family. of Notre Dame campus. CSC, of New Bedford was tee for charismatic activities. Noting that the vote on the Diocesan churches and shrines "God is a family," Redemptor- controversial abortion-ERA-hoMore than 11,000 men, women among those attending the conwill participate in a worldwide ist Father路 Thomas Forrest saidvigil of prayer to be held and children - some wearing ference, but diocesan numbers during the opening general ses- mosexual rights recommendablue T shirts with the conferwere down from previous years tion, number 49, was 292 to 291, throughout to~orrow night for sion. Father Donald Conroy said, "it the intentions of world peace, ence theme, "God, make us your when area charismatics turned Tum to Page Ten could have gone in our favor if especially in the Middle East; family" emblazoned across the out for the event by the chartthe Pro-,Family delegation hadn't the release of the American hoswalked out." He is the U.S. tages in Iran; and the consecraCatholic Conference family life tion of Russia to the Immaculate representative. Heart of Mary. Another observer, Mrs. DonAt most locations, the vigil ald LeFils, president of the Nawill begin at 7 p.m. tomorrow tional Council of Catholic Wom- . and close at 7 a.m. Saturday, and en, agreed that the walkout was individuals or groups will be poorly timed. welcome to participate in all 'or part of it. Conference chairman Jim Guy' Tucker said, "Their (the Pro Many of the observances will. Family Coalition) decision to be under sponsorship of the Blue. leave is directly responsible for Army of Our Lady of Fatima. the passage of that issue." Ann Lavasseur, diocesan presiNational health care, S}>ecial dent of the organization, noted tax credits and income payments that for the first time in history for taking care of an elderly perthe feasts of the Sacred Heart son in the home, abolition of the of Jesus and the Immaculate income tax's "marriage penalty," Heart of Mary will come tochild care programs and vari.gether on the dates of June 13 able working hours were called and 14, with the Sacred Heart for. feast fal~ing on the same day as BISHOP DANIEL A. CRONIN blesses the site- for a new church building for the the second vision of Fatima and The idea of requiring stateSeekonk-Rehoboth parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, assisted by Rev. Thomas C. May- ments a vision which took place 12 of all proposed federal years later in Spain to Lucia, hew, pastor, (left) and an unidentified server. The new church will accomodate 600 per- programs to determine their路 imsons, 400 more than the existing structure. In the past 20 years Mt. Carmel has grown pact on- families was widely enone of the children of Fatima. from 650 to 1700 families, necessitating the expansion. (Torchia Photo) dorsed. Turn to Page Eieven
World vigil
tomorrow
'Make us your" family' theme