06 19 15

Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

F riday , June 19, 2015

Newly-appointed associate vocations director reflects on task at hand

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

FALL RIVER — It was just two weeks before the one-year anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood that Father Christopher M. Peschel got the call from Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., asking him to take on the role of associate vocations director for the diocese.

“I thought I was moving at first,” Father Peschel recently told The Anchor, thinking he’d be transferred from his current pastoral assignment as parochial vicar at St. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth. “But he called to ask if I would be willing to take on the role of associate vocations director and I was happy to do it.”

Although he viewed the bishop’s offer as a great honor, Father Peschel soon realized he now had

to set aside more time in his busy schedule to devote to the task at hand.

“I had to sit back and think where I was going to find the time to do this,” he said. “(The bishop) thankfully was able to work it out so I would no longer have to serve as chaplain for Cape Cod Hospital, which would give me more time to devote to vocations. This is obviously work that’s in addition to my assignment at St. Pius X Parish, and I realize as much as it is an honor, it’s going to be a lot of work going forward. But I think God will provide the time.”

Already a sitting member on the newly-formed Diocesan Vocations Board and someone with an obvious passion for the priesthood, Father Peschel seemed the Turn to page 18

Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C., President of Holy Cross Family Ministries, holds a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament as children, adults, clergy, and the Knights of Columbus pray the Rosary at the grave site of Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., the “Rosary Priest,” at the Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers Cemetery on the grounds of Stonehill College in North Easton. Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha was among those there marking the 23rd anniversary of Father Peyton’s death. (Photo courtesy of HCFM)

Two new task forces created to study diocesan parishes and schools

By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor

FALL RIVER — When Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., became the pastoral shepherd of the Diocese of Fall River last September,

he embarked on a mission to meet diocesan faithful and get to know the diocese’s current strengths and weaknesses.

In a whirlwind first halfyear in the diocese Bishop da Cunha has made a conscious

effort to meet with students, diocesan workers, lay faithful, and his brother priests and other religious groups and individuals to acclimate himself to the everyday existence of

quoted a sympathy card during his eulogy for his late sister, Sister Patricia Harrington. “I am here in faith with you to thank the Lord for the gift that my sister was to all of us. She was a part of every family because of

the gift of herself. She put herself available to everybody so she became a part of every family.”

“It was absolutely beautiful,” said Cindy Dion-DeTrolio, director of Marketing and Publi-

Turn to page 15

Family, friends and students say goodbye to beloved Sister Pat

By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff The trio now spearheading the Vocations Office for the Fall River Diocese includes, from left, Father Christopher M. Peschel, associate director of Vocations and Seminarians; Sister Paulina Hurtado, O.P., Episcopal Representative for Religious and associate director of Vocations; and Father Kevin A. Cook, director of Vocations and Seminarians. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)

ATTLEBORO — “‘Say not with sadness that she is no more, but say with thankfulness that she was,’” said Father Brian Harrington, holding back tears as he

Turn to page 14

Fall River Diocesan Pro-Life Boot Camp gears up for fifth annual session pecially when one thinks about who leads that battle. But for NORTH EASTON — the last four years a group of Soldiers may be born with the courageous, dedicated Pro-Life courage to stand up for what soldiers have expended countthey believe and to fight for it, less hours preparing themselves but the skills needed must be and subsequently others to defend the right to life from conhoned and nurtured.

That’s the reason every sol- ception to natural death.

Hosted by the Fall River dier who defends this country Diocese’s Pro-Life Apostolate/ has to experience boot camp — Project Rachel, the fifth annual where the person receives baPro-Life Boot Camp will be sic training and the discipline to face adversity head on with held on the campus of Stonehill College in North Easton courage and conviction.

The fight against the culture from July 17-19.

Facilitated by Pro-Life of death is not an easy one, esBy Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor

“veterans” 25-year-old Jocelyn Trindade and 21-year-old Cassandra Borges, the boot camp is offered to young people of high school age who will experience a weekend where they have the opportunity to deepen their faith and relationship with Christ and then go out and help transform a culture that has derailed from the moral tracks of life.

“The next generation of ProLife leaders is rising up, and young people themselves are leading the way,” said diocesan Turn to page 18

The annual Fall River Diocesan Pro-Life Boot Camp is a weekend of prayer, reflection, camaraderie and fun for high-school aged youths who are interested in helping overcome the culture of death prevalent in society today. (Photo from boot camp’s Facebook page)

2

News From the Vatican

June 19, 2015

Pope: Playing nurse all night, working all day, families are heroic

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The hidden heroes of this world are those family members who still go to work and get the job done after staying up all night tending to a sick loved one, Pope Francis said.

In fact, the family “has always been the closest ‘hospital.’

And still today in many parts of the world, a (real) hospital is a privilege for a few, and it’s often far away,” he said at a recent weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

As part of a series of talks about the family and problems they face, the pope looked at illness — a sign of the human frailty that spans from infancy to old age “when those aches and pains start coming,” he said.

Often it is more difficult to see a loved one suffer than to deal with one’s own ailments, he said, because “it is love that makes us feel” the suffering and anxiousness of others even more.

In fact, “how many times do we see at work — we’ve all seen it — a man or a woman whose face looks tired, they act tired” and when asked what’s wrong, they explain how they got little sleep after tending to a loved one who was ill, he said, straying from his prepared text.

But despite all that, they go on with their day, the pope said.

“These things are heroic.

This is the heroism of families; this is the hidden heroism that is done when someone is sick and is done with tenderness and courage,” he said to applause.

The Gospel is filled with accounts of Jesus encountering and healing the sick, he said.

“He presents Himself publicly as Someone Who fights against illness and Who has come to heal humankind from every ill — illness of the Spirit and illness of the body,” the pope said.

“It’s truly moving,” he said, to see how so many people would bring those who were ailing to Jesus.

“If I think about today’s big cities, I have to wonder, where are the doors where the sick, hoping to be healed, can be brought?” like the doorway in the Gospel according to Mark where a whole town would gather waiting for Jesus.

“Jesus never denied them care. He never walked by them,

He never turned His face away,” and He never wasted time, the pope said.

He even put healing before the law, when He healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath.

“The doctors of the law reproached Jesus because He healed on a Saturday. He did good on Saturday. But Jesus’ love was to give health, to do good and this always takes first place,” he said.

Jesus gave His disciples the power to heal the sick and be near them. However, they got caught up in a blame game when they wondered whose fault it was that a man was born blind — was it caused by the man’s sin or his parents?

But Jesus corrected them, saying neither had sinned and He cured the man.

“Here is God’s glory! Here is the Church’s task! Help the sick and not get lost in gossip.

Always help, console, alleviate, be close to the sick,” the pope said.

Jesus also healed those who did not belong to the people of Israel, like the pagan Canaanite whose child was possessed.

Jesus tested her by saying He was only sent to tend to the lost sheep of Israel and asked whether it was right for Him to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.

But “we all know that mothers fight for their children,” the pope said, and the woman fought for her child, telling Jesus to “at least look at me as a dog,” and let some scraps fall from the table.

This proved the woman was of great faith, and her daughter was healed.

The pope asked people to teach their children to be empathetic and caring toward people who are ill or suffering so they aren’t “numb” and insensitive to their plight, but know how to approach them and experience human limitations.

He urged people and parishes to pray for people who are ill and their families, and to offer concrete assistance and care.

“This Christian closeness, from family to family, is a real treasure for the parish, a treasure of wisdom that helps families in difficult moments and helps people understand the Kingdom of God better than lots of speeches. They are caresses from God.”

Ukrainians recently attended one of Pope Francis’ general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. The sign in Italian says, “Holy Father, Pray for Ukraine.” Ukrainians were calling attention to their country as Pope Francis met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Pope pushes Putin to work for peace in eastern Ukraine

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vatican recently, the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine was the principal topic of their conversation and was a concern for many others as well.

Putin arrived at the Vatican more than an hour late, beating the 45-minute tardiness he chalked up in November 2013, the last time he visited the pope.

Pope Francis and Putin spoke privately, aided by interpreters, for 50 minutes before the Russian president introduced the members of his entourage, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“The meeting was dedicated principally to the conflict in Ukraine and to the situation in the Middle East,” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

“The Holy Father affirmed the need for a commitment to a sincere and serious effort to reach peace and there was agreement on the importance of restoring a climate of dialogue” and on adhering to the promises made in the cease-fire agreement, Father Lombardi said.

The “serious humanitarian situation” in eastern Ukraine also was discussed, the spokesman said, as was the need to assure humanitarian workers have access to the region.

Dozens of Ukrainians attended the pope’s general audience earlier in the morning, waving blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags and holding up a sign saying, “Holy Father, Pray for Ukraine.”

In March 2014, Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine and about a month later fighting began along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia. Although Putin denied

it, there were widespread reports that Russia not only was supporting separatists in the region, but that Russian troops had crossed into Ukraine.

Hostilities reportedly have eased since an internationally mediated cease-fire agreement was signed in mid-February, but the fighting has not stopped.

A report June 1 from the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said, “Between mid-April 2014 and May 30, 2015, at least 6,417 people, including at least 626 women and girls, have been documented as killed and 15,962 as wounded in the conflict zone of eastern Ukraine.

This is a conservative estimate and the actual numbers could be considerably higher.”

Father Lombardi said the pope and Putin also spoke about the continuing crises in the Middle East, particularly in Syria and Iraq, and the need for the international community to find ways to promote peace and protect “all components of society, including religious minorities, especially Christians.”

Exchanging gifts, Putin gave Pope Francis a cushion embroidered with gold thread; the design was of Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which Putin explained had been “destroyed in the Soviet era,” but has been rebuilt.

Pope Francis gave Putin a medallion of the “‘Angel of Peace,’ who,” he said, “defeats all wars and speaks of solidarity among peoples.”

The pope also gave the Russian president a copy of the apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), which the pope said, “has many religious, human, geo-political and social reflections.”

Ukrainian Catholic Major

Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych told reporters he had written to Pope Francis ahead of the meeting, asking him to “be the voice of the Ukrainian people, its children, all the Catholic believers in Ukraine who suffer.”

Until now “no one — neither diplomacy nor the systems of international security nor the leaders of this world — have been able to stop the war,” he said. “We are hopeful that the pope can do what has been impossible.”

Ken Hackett, U.S. ambassador the Holy See, was asked about the U.S. government’s view of the meeting.

“We would like to see the Vatican continue to express its concern particularly about what’s happening in the Ukraine,” the ambassador told reporters at his residence.

“Maybe this is an opportunity where the Holy Father privately could raise concerns.”

“We think they could say something more about concern for territorial integrity, those types of issues,” the ambassador said. “It does seem that Russia is supporting the insurgents and does seem that there are Russian troops inside Ukraine.”

For the first time since 1998, the leaders of the world’s most industrialized countries — the so-called G-7 — held a summit in June 2014 and excluded the Russian president, citing the invasion of Crimea. They renewed their exclusion of Putin this year when the G-7 leaders met June 7-8 in Germany.

“This is a very serious situation and I believe that the G-7 has pretty well decided that they are going to continue the sanctions because we have not seen the adherence to the Minsk agreements” for a ceasefire, Hackett said.

The International Church Priest in Jordan ministering to refugees finds he’s living with saints

June 19, 2015

MARKA, Jordan (CNS) — Hearing a beloved voice, a little boy hurriedly hobbled down the pale stone steps of the church hall to greet the priest with a tender hug.

Father Khalil Jaar chuckled when he saw the sandy-haired child, Misho, playing dress-up by wearing one of his mother’s brown high-heeled boots on his right foot while sporting his father’s black plastic sandal on the other.

Misho and his parents are among the 600 Iraqi and Syrian refugee families Father Jaar has been serving with the love of Christ and practical help such as food, housing and educational assistance in this eastern suburb of Amman, the Jordanian capital, where those fleeing conflict in neighboring lands have found shelter.

For Father Jaar, the daily experience of his church hosting a dozen Iraqi Christian families — about 60 people — who fled Islamic State attacks last August, has deeply affected his own Spiritual journey.

This Arab priest finds his own life has been forever changed by aiding the refugees.

“They have become my family,” he said. “I am living with saints. They left everything for the Lord,” he said of the Iraqi Christians who were forced out of their ancestral homelands of the past 16 centuries by Islamic State brutality and now shelter in his parish, Our Lady Mother of the Church.

“I am so happy. We are like a real family,” said the soft-spoken, energetic diocesan priest, who himself experienced early life as a Palestinian refugee.

Father Jaar recounted a recent visit by his bishop from Jerusalem to illustrate his point.

“The bishop looked at my office and told me, ‘This is strange.

There are no pictures of saints on the walls,’” he told Catholic News Service.

Father Jaar told him, “I have a picture of my mother who died last year.”

“Yes, but you need ...,” the bishop started to say, until the priest interjected.

“No, I don’t need pictures because I am living with saints,” he responded.

“These people left everything in the world — houses, cars, factories, money — just to remain Christian. What do you call these kinds of people? Saints. So I don’t need images as long as I am living with such people,” Father Jaar said.

“I tell them: Thank you for what you have given to me.”

Sharing meals together, starting an informal school for the refugees and seeing them take up income-generating projects has transformed the priest’s life and challenged his own Spiritual walk.

“As a priest, I live like an aristocratic. My food is ready, my house is clean. If I need something, I go to my bishop or Church. These people almost have nothing and they are always happy,” he said.

“They gave me a very basic lesson to feel and to live with the other. And to always say, ‘Thank you, God!’ They are better than so many people who have so much more.”

Recognizing the priest’s work, Pope Francis commissioned him to travel in the spring to Co-

Fadi, a 12-year-old Iraqi Christian refugee boy, paints religious icons in Jordan to help generate income for his family displaced by Islamic State attacks. (CNS photo/Dale Gavlak)

lombia, Mexico and San Diego to share stories of the plight of Christians caught in the crosshairs of Mideast conflicts and Islamist extremists with a call to stand beside them and provide help in their hour of need.

“Pope Francis is very concerned about our situation,” the priest said. “As Christians, this is our moment to be witnesses for love, respect and to accept each other,” the priest said.

“It’s a privilege to be here and assist these people. We are living in a very crucial moment in history. Either you go for the good or for the bad. The key is to resist the bad and not to respond in the same way. But to be witnesses of love and reconciliation,” Father Jaar explained.

Father Jaar was able to register 60 Iraqi refugee children in the Jordanian school system last year, but felt that he needed to establish an informal school to teach 320 Iraqi refugee children on the church grounds. The Jordanian government said their late arrival last September after escaping Islamic State oppression meant missing the academic year and Father Jaar did not want them to lose out on their another year of schooling.

He is now working to have the school program certified by the Jordanian and Iraqi ministries of education for the coming academic year.

Father Jaar also has encouraged refugees to take up incomegeneration projects. He shops for colorful beads and string in Amman’s bazaar; the refugees transform them into delicate bracelets, some adorned with silver plastic crosses for women, and friendship bracelets sporting the colors of Jordan’s national flag of red, white, black and green. A popular summertime flea market in the capital has given them a free table to sell their goods.

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old Iraqi Christian boy named Fadi has shown a talent far beyond his years for painting religious icons.

Father Jaar said the boy’s family is now living from what he sells.

But the biggest concern facing Father Jaar is providing food for the refugees and having funds to pay apartment rents.

“The challenge now is to provide food for them daily because the money they had when they came from Iraq is almost finished,” he said.

Father Jaar has organized a coupon system so families can purchase food, rather than organize a food distribution program.

“It’s better for the children

to see their father pay using the coupons rather than having the priest deliver food. This preserves the dignity of the father,” the priest said.

The Church is giving coupons worth $70 per month to 100 refugee families as well as providing dinners four times a week for 150 refugees.

Funds for the program have come from local parishioners and $56,000 from the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need. Caritas Internationalis provides medical aid. But more help is needed as the crisis deepens in Iraq and Syria with no end is in sight.

Working with the refugees has opened up opportunities for God’s miracles to happen, in Fa-

3

ther Jaar’s view.

“A Jordanian man came yesterday and said, ‘Father, I sold my house. We are going to live in London. Could you accept this gift for the refugees?’ the priest said.

“It was $1,400. The exact amount we need to pay the refugees’ rent,” Father Jaar said with a smile.

“When I am in a difficult situation, I say, ‘Lord, please take care of Your children. They are Your children, not mine. I am the administrator for You.’” To make a donation to help, send it to Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, P.O. Box 220384, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11222, or go online to www. churchinneed.org.

The Church in the U.S.

4

June 19, 2015

Pope accepts resignations of St. Paul archbishop, auxiliary

St. Paul (CNA/EWTN News) — Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the archbishop and an auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, less than two weeks after the archdiocese was charged with mishandling sexual abuse cases.

However, Archbishop John C. Nienstedt says although he is stepping down, his conscience is clear with regard to the protection of minors and vulnerable adults from sexual abuse.

“My leadership has unfortunately drawn attention away from the good works of His Church and those who perform them,” said Archbishop Nienstedt in a recent statement on the archdiocese website, explaining his reasons for stepping down.

The prelate explained that he submitted his resignation to allow the archdiocese to have “a new beginning amidst the many challenges we face.”

The Holy See issued a recent statement announcing that the resignations of Archbishop Nienstedt and auxiliary bishop Lee A. Piché had been accepted.

On June 5, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was charged with six counts of failing to protect minors, specifically with regard to the actions of the now-former priest Curtis Wehmeyer, who is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for sexually abusing two minors and possession of child pornography.

In March, Pope Francis issued a decree to permanently bar Wehmeyer from exercising priestly ministry and from presenting himself as a priest.

Despite the charges facing the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Nienstedt

maintained that he and others worked to prevent sexual abuse.

“I leave with a clear conscience knowing that my team and I have put in place solid protocols to ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable adults,” he writes.

Archbishop Nienstedt served as the leading prelate of the “Twin Cities” archdiocese for seven years.

“The Catholic Church is not our Church, but Christ’s Church, and we are merely stewards for a time,” he said.

In order to temporarily fill the vacant position of archbishop, the pope has appointed Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda as apostolic administrator.

Echoing the words of Archbishop Nienstedt in a statement, Archbishop Hebda, who until now had served as coadjunctor archbishop of Newark, N.J., reiterated that the Church belongs to Christ.

“Our loving God frequently finds ways to remind us that even those who exercise leadership in the Church do so as laborers and not as the Master Builder: the Church is not ours but Christ’s,” he said.

Archbishop Hebda also cited the upcoming Year of Mercy as he embarks on his new position in the archdiocese.

“I look forward to getting to know this local Church and experiencing in a new context the marvelous ways in which the Lord works through His people to make His grace and healing presence known and felt, even in the most challenging of times,” he said.

Bishop Piché also issued a statement on the website of the archdiocese.

“The people of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis need healing and hope. I was getting in the way of that, and so I had to resign,” he said.

“I submitted my resignation willingly, after consultation with others in and outside the archdiocese.”

Young people hold Pro-Life signs during the March for Life in Washington, D.C., this past January. (Photo by Addie Mena/CNA)

Abortion rates are dropping — and it could be thanks to millennials

Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) — Abortion rates have declined by 12 percent nationwide since 2010, and Pro-Life groups say changing attitudes among the younger generation could be the cause.

“We’re seeing the attitudes shift,” said Kristan Hawkins, president of the group Students for Life of America, which conducts Pro-Life outreach on college campuses. “People are talking about abortion differently.”

Abortions rates have declined in almost every state since 2010, with only two states seeing significant increases since then, according to a survey by the Associated Press.

The biggest declines took place in Hawaii — a 30 percent decrease — and New Mexico, Rhode Island, Nevada, and Connecticut, all with more than a 20 percent drop.

The declines occurred in states that recently passed ProLife laws restricting abortion and in states that did not, the AP noted. This is evidence of a “comprehensive trend,” said Chuck Donovan, president of

the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of the ProLife Susan B. Anthony List.

Although many factors — including increased practice of abstinence, a change in the use of contraceptives, and more state Pro-Life laws — are probably behind the shift in numbers, the “bottom explanation is a shift in public opinion,” Donovan told CNA. “More children are being born and probably raised in families with a Pro-Life disposition,” he said.

Other Pro-Life groups shared this assessment. Students for Life of America told CNA that college students increasingly think an unborn baby should receive “human rights” during the first trimester of pregnancy, if not at conception.

This conclusion was drawn from the group’s “Human Rights Tour,” which asked students on 27 different college campuses when an unborn baby should have human rights, placing pictures before them of different stages of human development.

Advances in technology like the ultrasound machine shows that life is present even in the womb, Hawkins noted, and the youth are taking notice.

“College students — the first generation that has been able to see in great detail what life in the womb looks like — can easily see that the preborn child is a human being and deserves every right to life as anyone else,” Hawkins stated.

“Abortion takes away that life and this generation knows it.”

The group Secular Pro-Life

credited “multiple factors” behind the falling abortion numbers, but emphasized that the “biggest change” of recent years “is the ascendance of Pro-Life millennials.”

“The abortion industry has historically relied on women in their 20s as its primary customer base. That base is shrinking as more and more young people acknowledge the science of preborn human life,” said Kelsey Hazzard, president of Secular Pro-Life and a selfidentified member of the millennial generation.

“Increasingly, we view abortion as a human rights violation rather than a religious issue,” she said.

The recent decline in abortions is a part of a larger, longer trend going back to 1980, Donovan said, a decline in abortions that “accelerated” in the early 1990s.

And the trend is also reflected in an increasing number of mothers who carry their baby to term in an “unintended” pregnancy, rather than opting for abortion.

The rate of abortions from “unintended pregnancies” dropped significantly from 1994 to 2008 from more than 50 percent to around 40 percent, Donovan said citing data from the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research group.

He believes that this trend continued past 2008 if the “overall trend lines” are read correctly, that abortions in almost all states dropped from 2008 to 2011.

“Women are changing their minds about keeping their babies,” he said.

5 The Church in the U.S. Archbishop: Church must take action to help end racism, promote justice

June 19, 2015

ST. LOUIS (CNS) — The U.S. bishops join with other religious leaders and civic leaders “in pledging to work for healing and reconciliation” after a series of racial conflicts “that have taken place around our beloved country,” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky. The archbishop, who is the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, made the comments as he opened the recent bishops’ spring general assembly in St. Louis with a statement on race relations.

In the statement, approved by the bishops, he highlighted that the spring meeting was taking place so close to Ferguson and that the bishops’ November general assembly will be in Baltimore — two places roiled in past months by protests, violence in the streets and looting following the deaths of two young African-Americans after confrontations with white police officers.

Archbishop Kurtz said efforts to address current racial tensions “must address root causes of the conflicts.”

He suggested concrete ways the Catholic community can work to end racism and promote justice for all people, includ-

ing making “a sincere effort” to encounter people of different racial backgrounds and being “truly welcoming” in parishes and neighborhoods of families of different racial and religious backgrounds. People also should get to know their community’s law enforcement officers, he said.

He noted that in the Archdiocese of St. Louis in 1947, Cardinal Joseph Ritter integrated Catholic schools, well before a unanimous Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 that state segregation of black schoolchildren was unconstitutional.

Cardinal Ritter’s action “shows the Catholic Church can be at the forefront of promoting justice in racial tensions. It is time for us to do it again,” Archbishop Kurtz said.

“We mourn those tragic events in which African-Americans and others have lost their lives in altercations with law enforcement officials,” Archbishop Kurtz said. “These deaths have led to peaceful demonstrations, as well as violent conflicts in the streets of our cities. In every instance, our prayer for every community is that of our Lord in St. John’s Gospel, ‘That they all may

be one.’”

Last August, the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black, by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who is white, gave rise to weeks of protests, violence in the streets, and looting and vandalism of Ferguson businesses. A grand jury decided to not indict Wilson.

More recently, West Baltimore was rocked by hours of rioting and looting the night of April 27-28 in response to the case of Freddie Gray. He died April 19, a week after he was seriously injured while in police custody. A grand jury indicted six police officers on a variety of charges; one officer was charged with several counts, including second-degree depraved-heart murder.

“Sadly, there is all too often an alienation of communities from those sworn to protect them,” Archbishop Kurtz said in his statement. “I respect the sacrifices made by police officers throughout the nation, who in their daily work are placed in harm’s way.

“Let us pray that they suffer no harm as they carry out their duties, and that they always be

light climate change as “a moral issue,” pointing out that the poor suffer the most from consequences of improper care of the environment, even though “they have contributed least to climate change.”

He noted that Pope Francis is not speaking out as a scientist or a politician on the issue but as a shepherd.

The archbishop also noted that the U.S. bishops “aren’t novices” on this topic either, since they issued a statement on the environment in 1991 and a climate change statement in 2001.

He said for the past two years, the pope has been “challenging us to resist the throwaway culture and build a culture of solidarity an encounter. He will surely continue to ask the world to abandon practices that casually discard people and the gifts of the earth.”

We can’t “opt out” of conversation on caring for the environment, he told the bishops.

The encyclical is titled “‘Laudato Si’: On the Care of Our Common Home,” which translates “praised be,” the first words of St. Francis’ “Canticle of the

Creatures.”

Bishop Cantu said it also would have international implications, particularly regarding solidarity with the world’s poor.

He told reporters during an afternoon news conference that the pope’s encyclical should not be compared to “hints from Heloise” but will have strong weight for Catholics to pay attention to and follow. It will “require prayerful attentiveness,” he added.

To that end, the USCCB will be providing homily hints, bulletin inserts and other materials for Catholic schools and parishes.

The encyclical, Bishop Cantu said, will “call all of us to a wider vision, a global vision, to the globalization of solidarity.

He will help us lead our people to a greater appreciation of the link between the welfare of their families and wise national global policies.”

“His teaching could help us rise above parochial interests and embrace what is in everyone’s best interests, the common good of the human family,” he added.

Bishops urged to help Catholics understand pope’s new encyclical

ST. LOUIS (CNS) — A week before yesterday’s release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on human ecology and the environment, the U.S. bishops were urged to help Catholics hear and understand it.

Pope Francis will challenge the assumptions of “the left and the right” with the document, said Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, N.M., chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.

He made the comments at the bishops’ spring general assembly in St. Louis.

Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski pointed out that even though Bishop Cantu had not been given advance copies of the encyclical, which has generated a fair amount of comment even before its June 18 release, Church officials have a pretty good sense of what it will be about based on Scripture passages, papal teachings and previous words of Pope Francis.

Archbishop Wenski, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, said the document will very likely high-

guided in good and right action as they serve.”

Across the country, he continued, “a violent, sorrowful history of racial injustice, accompanied by a lack of educational, employment and housing opportunities, has destroyed communities and broken down families, especially those who live in distressed urban communities.

“Confronted by these realities, the familiar words of Blessed Pope Paul VI still resonate and continue to call us to action in our day: ‘If you want peace, work for justice.’”

Archbishop Kurtz highlighted the presence the Catholic Church historically has had in such communities in the areas of education, health care and charities.

“Positive efforts are being made in collaboration with ecumenical and interfaith groups in communities where confrontations between individual citizens and law enforcement have taken place,” he said. “Pope Francis calls each of us to work for a culture of encounter and has encouraged all people of good faith to reach out to those in their community and be truly welcoming of all.

“Let the rich cultural diversity of our local communities be woven together in charity, hospitality and service to one another, to join us together as sisters and brothers,” he said.

He recalled the U.S. bishops’ 1979 pastoral letter on racism, titled “Brothers and Sisters to Us,” which “named racial prejudice as a grave sin that denies the truth and meaning of the Incarnation of the Word of God in Jesus Christ.

“Unfortunately, the words of that letter still ring true: ‘Racism is an evil which endures in our society and in our Church,’” Archbishop Kurtz said.

In the document, the bishops “called for decisive action

to eradicate racism from society and considerable progress has been made since 1979. However, more must be done.”

He added, “Let us again call upon our Catholic people to pray frequently in their homes and in their churches for the cause of peace and racial reconciliation.”

He offered five concrete ways for Catholics to commit to ending racism and promoting “peace justice and respect for all”: — “Pray for peace and healing among all people.”

— “Study the Word of God and the social teaching of the Church in order to gain a deeper appreciation of the dignity of all persons.”

— “Make a sincere effort to encounter more fully people of different racial backgrounds with whom we live, work and minister.”

— “Pursue ways in which Catholic parishes and neighborhoods can be truly welcoming of families of different racial and religious backgrounds.”

— “Get to know our local law enforcement officers. Let them know of our support and gratitude. And encourage young people to respect all legitimate authority.”

Archbishop Kurtz noted that racial tension in the U.S. is not new.

“It is the most recent manifestation of a relationship as old as the history of our nation, one marred by the tragedy of human slavery. Promoting peace and reconciliation is the only way forward,” he said.

“And we must constantly strive to achieve these goals, trusting in the Lord to lead and guide us, accompanied by His merciful love. May He help all of us to recognize the dignity inherent in every human being, for God said, ‘Let Us make human beings in Our image, after Our likeness.’”

6

June 19, 2015

Anchor Editorial

Still time to give to the CCA

We have a little more than a week before the end of the Catholic Charities Appeal for this year (it ends on June 30). To those who have already made their pledge or donation to the Appeal, thank you for your generosity.

St. Gregory of Nyssa reminds us of our responsibility to help the poor.

“Do not despise them, those who lie idle, as if for this reason they were worth nothing. Consider who they are and you will discover wherein lies their dignity: they represent the Person of the Savior. And this is how it is: for in His goodness the Lord gives them His Own Person so that through it, those who are hard of heart and enemies of the poor may be moved to compassion.”

The Old Testament predictions of the Messiah’s coming predicted that He would change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh (Ez 36:26). St. Gregory said that when we are truly charitable from the heart, then that transformation is occurring. “Be generous with these brothers and sisters, victims of misfortune. Give to the hungry from what you deprive your own stomach.”

The saint reminds us that what we are giving does not really belong to us.

“Do not think that everything belongs to you! There must also be a share for the poor, God’s friends. In fact, the truth is that everything comes from God, the Universal Father, and that we are brothers and sisters and belong to the same lineage.”

If you have not already made a donation to the Appeal, please do so before the June 30 deadline. You can do so either through your parish or directly to the Appeal’s headquarters (P.O. Box 1470, Fall River, Mass. 02722; phone: 508-675-1311; fax: 508-676-6591, online: www.frdioc-catholiccharities.org).

Bishop Edgar da Cunha, S.D.V., challenges us: “The Catholic Charities Appeal should not be seen as a burden to any of us, but rather an opportunity to give thanks, to share our gifts with one another and to serve each other.”

He said that we should speak about the Appeal to other people and “tell them to find grace and joy in sharing their resources with the less fortunate, with those who are struggling to feed their families, find shelter, have a job and security for their future.”

Forty-seven percent of the Appeal goes towards social services and child care. This includes the work of the Church on the diocesan level to give direct services to the homeless or those in danger of becoming homeless, to other people in financial need, and the work of the Church in child protection.

Throughout the diocese there are a variety of large and small homes run by Catholic Social Services, taking care of people in various situations — and enabling them to grow in their care for themselves. Your generosity helps that

to happen.

Twenty-four percent of the funds from the Appeal go to pastoral endeavors. This includes the work of the diocese in promoting the Pro-Life message and bringing healing to people via Project Rachel; the Catholic campus ministries at the colleges across the diocese; the programs to support families, especially in preparation for Marriage; and the weekly television Mass on Channel 6 (Sundays at 11 a.m.).

The apostolate to the sick received 18 percent of the Appeal funds. This helps to ensure that when in the hospital Catholic patients will be visited and offered the Sacraments of Holy Communion, Anointing of the Sick, and Reconciliation. Speaking to the bishops of Malawi in 2014, Pope Francis said, “The service which the Church offers to the sick, through pastoral care, prayer, clinics and Hospices, must always find its source and model in Christ, Who loved us and gave Himself up for us (cf. Gal 2:20). Indeed, how else could we be followers of the Lord if we did not personally engage in ministry to the sick, the poor, the dying and the destitute? Our faith in Christ, born of having recognized our own need for Him Who has come to heal our wounds, to enrich us, to give us life, to nourish us, ‘is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s most neglected members’ (Evangelii Gaudium, 186). I thank you for being close to those who are ill and all the suffering, offering them the loving presence of their Shepherd.”

Thanks to your generosity, the sick do have this loving presence there in their moment of need.

The remaining 11 percent of the Appeal funds go to the educational endeavors of the Church on the diocesan level (this is not funding parish schools or parish Religious Education programs, but helps to coordinate the needed collaboration across the length of the diocese and to guide the parish ministry of education according to Church teachings, so that it might be more and more effective).

In writing to the laity and clergy of the diocese, Bishop da Cunha said, “My hope and fervent prayer is that your work on behalf of the 2015 Catholic Charities Appeal will help us realize our great potential to give witness to Christ’s promise that He will not abandon us.”

Our generosity helps us to witness to that by making available the money necessary to allow the Church to be present to people in need in the above listed ways. May God help us to be cheerful givers, knowing that our generosity will bring consolation and hope to someone else.

Pope Francis’ Angelus message of June 14 Dear brothers and sisters, good day!

The Gospel today has two very short parables: that of the seed that sprouts and grows by itself, and that of the mustard seed (cf. Mk 4: 2634). Through these images from the rural world, Jesus presents the efficacy of the Word of God and the demands of His Kingdom, showing the reasons for our hope and our commitment in history.

In the first parable the focus is on the fact that the seed sown in the

earth, takes root and grows by itself, it does not matter whether the farmer is asleep or keeping watch.

He is confident in the power inside the seed itself and in the fertility of the soil. In the language of the Gospel, the seed is a symbol of the Word of God, whose fertility is recalled in this parable. As the humble seed grows in the ground, so the Word, through the power of God, grows in the heart of the listener. God has entrusted His Word to our land, that is, to each of us in our concrete OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

www.anchornews.org

Vol. 59, No. 24

Member: Catholic Press Association, Catholic News Service Published weekly except for two weeks in the summer and the week after Christmas by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 — FAX 508-675-7048, email: theanchor@anchornews.org.

Subscription price by mail, postpaid $20.00 per year, for U.S. addresses.

Send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA, call or use email address

PUBLISHER - Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Richard D. Wilson fatherwilson@anchornews.org EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchornews.org OFFICE MANAGER Mary Chase marychase@anchornews.org ADVERTISING Wayne R. Powers waynepowers@anchornews.org REPORTER Kenneth J. Souza k ensouza@anchornews.org REPORTER Rebecca Aubut beckyaubut@anchornews.org Send Letters to the Editor to: fatherwilson@anchornews.org

PoStmaSters send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.

THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.

humanity. We can be confident, because the Word of God is a creative word, destined to become “the full grain in the ear” (v. 28). This Word, if successful, certainly bears fruit, because God Himself makes it take root and mature in ways that we can not always verify ourselves, and in a way that we do not know (cf. v.

27). All this tells us that it is God, God always Who makes grow His Kingdom — thus we pray that “Thy Kingdom come” — it is He Who makes it grow, man is His humble collaborator, contemplating and rejoicing of God’s creative action and waiting patiently for the fruits.

The Word of God grows, gives life. And here I would like to remind you once again the importance of having the Gospel, the Bible, at your fingertips — carrying the Gospel in the little bag [or] in your pocket — and to nourish ourselves every day with this living Word of God, read every day a passage of the Gospel, a passage from the Bible. Never forget this, please.

Because this is the force that makes sprout in us the life of the Kingdom of God. The second parable uses the image of the mustard seed. Despite being the smallest of all seeds, it is

full of life and grows up to be “the largest of all garden plants” (Mk 4:32). And so is the Kingdom of God: a reality humanly small and seemingly insignificant. To become a part of it you have to be poor in heart; not trusting in one’s own capabilities, but in the power of God’s love; not acting to be important in the eyes of the world, but precious in the sight of God, Who prefers the simple and humble. When we live like this, the power of Christ bursts through us and transforms what is small and modest into a reality that leavens the whole mass of the world and of history.

From these two parables there is an important lesson: the Kingdom of God requires our cooperation, but above all the initiative and gift of the Lord. Our feeble work, seemingly small, given the complexity of the problems of the world, when included with that of God, is not afraid of difficulties. The victory of the Lord is certain: His love will make sprout and grow every seed of goodness on earth. This opens us to trust and hope, despite the tragedies, injustices and suffering that we encounter. The seed of goodness and of peace sprouts and develops, because the merciful love

of God makes it mature.

May the Blessed Virgin, who welcomed as “fertile land” the seed of God’s Word, sustain us in this hope that never disappoints.

(After the Angelus): Today is the World Day of Blood Donors, millions of people contributing, so silently, to help our brothers in need. To all donors I express appreciation and invite especially young people to follow their example.

I greet the group that remembers all missing persons and I assure them of my prayers. How truly close are they to all the workers who defend integrally the right to work, which is a right to dignity!

As it was announced, this Thursday an encyclical letter on the care of creation will be published. I invite all to accompany this event with a renewed attention to environmental degradation, but also to work to improve their own territories. This encyclical is addressed to all: let us pray that all may receive its message and grow in responsibility towards the common house that God has entrusted to us at all.

I wish you all a good Sunday.

And please, do not forget to pray for me. Good lunch and goodbye!

Anchor Columnist Living on God’s every Word

June 19, 2015

I

t would be hard to believe that one could become a competent doctor or nurse without expert familiarity with human anatomy, a good lawyer or a judge without mastering law, or a great athlete or referee without grasping a sport’s rule book.

Similarly it would be shocking that one could become an excellent English teacher without knowing literature and grammar, a skilled engineer without mastering math and physics, or a talented tour guide without grasping the history and geography of places to be visited.

By analogy, how likely is it then, that one could become a good Christian without a profound comprehension of Sacred Scripture?

St. Jerome, the great Father of the Church who translated the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin, the common language of his fourthcentury contemporaries, famously stressed, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

To know Christ, we need to know Sacred Scripture: what He said and did, what was foretold about Him, how the Church and the Apostles put His Words into practice.

How can we know the WordMade-Flesh unless we know the words He incarnated, fulfilled and proclaimed?

That’s why the Second Vatican Council stated that

the Church “forcefully and tiny copy of the Gospels with specifically exhorts all the them and read a part of it Christian faithful to learn the every day. surpassing knowledge of Jesus “Do you read a passage Christ by frequent reading of from the Gospel every day?” the Scriptures” (Dei Verbum he asked the crowds pres25). ent for his Sunday Angelus If we don’t know Sacred one day. “It is important!,” he Scripture, it’s frankly a stretch exclaimed. “It’s a good thing to say we really know Jesus. to have a small book of the And if we don’t know Jesus well, it’s obviously difficult to be Putting Into His faithful follower and ardent apostle. the Deep That’s why, in this series pondering

By Father the various essential Roger J. Landry aspects of a Catholic plan of life, we need to highlight the essential pillar of familiarity Gospels, a small one, to carry with Sacred Scripture. around with us, in the pocket, It’s a scandal that so few in the purse, and to read a Catholics truly know Sacred small passage from it at any Scripture. In an extensive hour of the day.” As volun2010 Religious Knowledge teers passed out copies of the Survey by the Pew Forum Gospel in St. Peter’s Square, on Religion and Public Life, he said, “Take it, carry it with only 42 percent of Ameriyou and read it every day. It’s can Catholics could name Jesus Himself Who speaks Genesis as the first book of to you in the Gospel. It’s the the Bible, 33 percent the Word of Jesus, this is the four Gospels, and 54 percent Word of Jesus.”

Bethlehem as Jesus’ native There can’t be a missionary place. Those results paled transformation of the Church in comparison to Protes— something he’s trying to tants’, Jews’ and even atheists’ catalyze — unless Catholics knowledge of the same Bibli- know Sacred Scripture well cal facts. enough to live it and share it Pope Francis is actively with others. There can’t be a trying to get Catholics to missionary metamorphosis become more familiar with unless Catholics really know the treasure trove of God’s Christ.

Word. Repeatedly he has apSeven years ago, I had a pealed to Catholics to carry a big conversion after meeting

a Cleveland priest at Green Airport in Providence. Seeing each other in the security lane, we decided to grab lunch. When the cashier at Sbarro’s asked if there would be one bill or two, I said one and gave my credit card.

Father Bob replied, “Sirach says we should go dutch!”

I quickly retorted, “The Last Supper wasn’t dutch and Jesus calls us to love as He loves!” When we got to the table, however, with a certain amazed intrigue I asked whether he was making up the quotation from Sirach. “Not at all,” he said, as he pulled out a very worn Bible where Sirach said not to be ashamed to “share the expenses of a business or journey” (Sir 42:3).

I asked him how he got to know Sacred Scripture so well.

He said he had made a promise the day of his ordination to read the entire Bible once a year and that he had been faithful to that promise. “After 24 years,” he said with a smile, “You get know what Sirach says about restaurant bills!”

He told me that it takes only 12-15 minutes a day to read the whole Bible each year. Since that encounter, I’ve been following his good example with the help of the Logos app on my iPad that splits up all of the passages for me. There are many other similar programs and little

7 booklets that break down the passages of Sacred Scripture intelligently to make reading the entire Bible in a given span of time easier.

This is something every Catholic who takes the faith seriously can and ought to do. The average American Catholic spends 42 hours a week watching television or surfing the web. Wouldn’t it be a beautiful thing if each of us would spend 12 minutes a day getting to know the Lord through Sacred Scripture?

“A Christian’s first task,” Pope Francis reminded parishioners at a Roman parish, “is to listen to the Word of God, to listen to Jesus, because He speaks to us and saves us with His Word.” He’s encouraging us to fulfill our first duty as believers.

Jesus told us that we don’t live on bread alone “but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4).

To live well a plan of life geared toward growing in union with Christ, Christ and His earthly vicar want us to have a regular daily diet of Sacred Scripture, so that we might prayerfully draw nourishment from every nutritious Word. That’s a secret to Spiritual health in this world — and to be ready and hungry for the celestial banquet that will know no end.

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

Parents transmit Church teaching on Marriage by example, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Children need to see their parents kiss each other, compliment each other and resolve arguments peacefully, Pope Francis said.

“Dear parents, your children need to discover by watching you that it is beautiful to love another,” the pope told parents participating in the annual pastoral conference of the Diocese of Rome.

Parents with their children preparing for First Communion and Confirmation, catechists, and priests joined the pope for a recent evening meeting in St. Peter’s Square. The event marked the beginning of the diocesan conference, which focused this year on transmitting the faith.

As the pope entered the square, he pointed to two boys wearing yellow shirts and invited

them to climb into the popemobile to help him greet the crowd.

Although he had a prepared text, he made long impromptu additions to his speech, including recounting the story of a little boy who told the pope he had seen his parents kiss. It is a “beautiful witness,” the pope said.

Children watch their parents carefully, the pope said. “They watch a lot and when they see that dad and mom love each other, the children grow in that climate of love, happiness and security.”

And they suffer when they see “dad and mom every single day screaming at each other, insulting each other, maybe even hitting each other,” he said. “Dad and mom, when you fall into these sins, do think about the fact that the first victims are your children, your own flesh?”

A man and a woman who love

one another and decide to marry and start a family, the pope said, have the exulted vocation of being similar to the triune God: loving one another in their differences and creating new life.

“Being parents is based on the diversity of being male and female, as the Bible reminds us,” he said. “This is the first and most basic, constitutive difference in the human being.”

Pope Francis insisted parents must attentively counter the “ideological colonization” of their children, including when they are told by teachers or informed in their school books that differences between male and female are unimportant or are invented social conventions.

Marriage, he said, is a call “to love one another with their differences” and to help the other become “more a man and more a woman. This is the artisanal

work of Marriage and the family each day: helping one another grow, thinking of the other, the husband of his wife and the wife of her husband. This is communion.”

In a world where people often are afraid of differences, Christian couples need to show first their children and then their societies that differences are a source of enrichment because it “becomes complementarity, but also reciprocity.”

Growing up, children need to see what it means to be a man or a woman and to have proof that their parents’ differences are something positive, Pope Francis said.

“We men learn to recognize, through the women we meet in our life, the extraordinary beauty that women bear. And women make the same journey (of discovery), learning from men that

man is different and has his way of feeling, understanding and living,” the pope said.

Pope Francis also told the families gathered for the evening meeting that when they experience real difficulty, they have an obligation to their children to seek help and support.

And if they get to the point where “separation seems inevitable,” he said, “know that the Church holds you in its heart and that your educating role does not end: you are and will always be dad and mom.”

Even if couples are unable to live together, the pope said, they must find a way to work together harmoniously.

“Please, do not use your children as hostages!” he said. “Never, ever speak ill of the other to your children! Never! They are the first victims of this battle between you.”

8

T

he story has it that a single mother who was steadfast in her faith in Jesus Christ prayed diligently for years in the hopes that she would eventually be able to afford a home in which to raise her children. Through many blessings and prayers the day came when she finally moved her family into its new home.

After the first night in the new home she arose early in the morning while her children slept and walked out onto the front porch for a moment of silent prayer.

As she weighed her immediate surroundings, the gifts and the blessings she had received and especially her love of God, she looked up to Heaven and said aloud; “Praise the Lord.” There was an atheist living next door and when he heard this he stepped onto his porch, looked up to, well, the sky I guess, and yelled out “There is no Lord.” And so it went for some considerable time thereafter; each morning

June 19, 2015

Keep the faith

the lady offering her prayer of and paid for these groceries praise to our Lord and each out of my own money to prove morning the atheist offering to you that there is no Lord.” his rebuttal of disgust.

Without batting an eye and in Eventually the woman fell the greatest and most steadfast on hard times. One morning act of resilience witnessed by she stepped onto her porch, the atheist in his many months looked up to Heaven and said; “Praise the Lord.” She went on, Homily of the Week “Dear Lord, my family Twelfth Sunday is hungry, I need grocerin Ordinary Time ies to feed my family; please Lord, if You

By Deacon could, I so badly need Brendan Brides groceries.” The atheist, upon hearing this, yelled out; “There is no Lord. of antagonism, the woman You’ll get no groceries because defiantly raised her eyes to there is no Lord.”

Heaven and said, “Praise the The next morning the womLord, not only did He give me an, as usual, stepped onto her groceries, He made the devil porch and right there before pay for them!” her eyes were five of the fullest For many of us the proverbags of groceries you’ve ever bial “atheist next door” is there seen. She looked up to Heaven each day waiting to challenge and said: “Praise the Lord, He our faith. Satan, disguised as a gave me groceries.” Suddenly, person or a place or a thing, is the atheist jumped out from always ready to sow the seed behind the bushes and said, of doubt and watch it blossom.

“There is no Lord, I bought And the greatest fertilizer for

these seeds of doubt is fear. Just as we saw in this week’s Gospel, when the Apostles witnessed the enormous waves that surrounded them, their own tumultuous sea of doubt began to stir within them. They doubted Jesus and misconstrued His confidence as ambivalence when they asked, “Teacher do You not care that we are perishing?”

Recently, Pope Francis described faith as “not something decorative or for show.” The Holy Father went on to say: “To have faith means to put Christ truly in the center of our lives.” This Christ-centered life takes us on a continuous journey, perhaps not as harrowing and as scary a journey as the Apostles had in the Gospel. But despite the difficulties, the struggles, the joys, the exhilaration experienced along the way — it is a journey that will come to an end for every one of us. It is through our faith in Jesus Christ today

that we prepare ourselves for the final, eternal destination that awaits us at the end of this event-filled journey.

Just like the mother in the story, we, as faithful Christians, are challenged to see the presence of Christ throughout our lives. Through daily prayer and continued participation in the Eucharist we can build an unfaltering faith in Jesus — a faith that can withstand life’s most difficult challenges.

Jesus asked His disciples; “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” This week let us put our struggles, our fears and our doubts in true context knowing that we are always in the presence of a loving caring God, One Who will guide us through the difficult seas of life. Let us put our faith in Jesus Christ, confident that some day we will be united with Him in Heaven.

Deacon Brides currently ministers at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pocasset.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. June 20, 2 Cor 12:1-10; Ps 34:8-13; Mt 6:24-34. Sun. June 21, Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jb 38:1,8-11; Ps 107:2326,28-31; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41. Mon. June 22, Gn 12:1-9; Ps 33:12-13,18-20,22; Mt 7:1-5. Tues. June 23, Gn 13:2,5-18; Ps 15:2-4b,5; Mt 7:6,12-14.

Wed. June 24, Is 49:1-6; Ps 139:1b-3,13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Lk 1:57-66,80. Thurs. June 25, Gn 16:1-12,15-16 or 16:6b-12, 15-16; Ps 106:1b-5; Mt 7:21-29.

Fri. June 26, Gn 17:1,9-10,15-22; Ps 128:1-5; Mt 8:1-4.

“A

ll things therefore are charged with love, are charged with God and if we knew how to touch them give off sparks and take fire, yield drops and flow, ring and tell of Him.” These beautiful words from Gerard Manley Hopkins summarize the challenge of forming our families into a Domestic Church. The Second Vatican Council resurrected the concept of the Domestic Church when it recognized the critical importance of the family in handing on the faith. “In what might be regarded as the Domestic Church, the parents are to be the first preachers of the faith for their children by word and example,” (Lumen Gentium 11). Families, however, have a difficult time recognizing how much their lives are “charged with God.” In the past several years the Church in the United States has been trying every means possible to cultivate an atmosphere of faith within our families. The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry has dedicated its mission to building strong Catholic families. They have identified

The ministry of family Sometimes we make the four truths that families must mistake of viewing a famemphasize in order to nurture ily’s schedule of activities as a faith: “Family life is Sacred; measure of its holiness. Sanctity family activity is holy; families are an evangelizing community; is not achieved by performing Sacred acts, but by making the and families have a unique acts we do Sacred. Going to ministry.” work every day is not inherFamily life is Sacred. Gone are the days when Ozzie and Harriet with their perfect home and two children represented the ideal model of family. We all know that even in the 1950s most families

By Claire McManus did not look like that television sitcom. To be Sacred a family ently Sacred, but if our work does not need be the image of perfection, but needs to imitate is motivated by our desire to provide for our family, it then the image of God, Who is love becomes a Sacred act. St. John and mercy. When a brother Paul II told families, “In and leaves in anger, bringing years through the events, problems, of emptiness to his mother’s difficulties and circumstances heart, it is difficult to welcome of everyday life, God comes to the prodigal son back into the fold. As Mark Twain said, “For- them.” At the end of each day, when “good night” and “I love giveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that you” are exchanged, God’s love permeates the home and brings has crushed it.” The imperfect Sacred closure to the day’s ocfamily is Sacred when, despite cupation. the pain, it resolves conflict Families are an evangelizwith forgiveness. ing community. So much of Family activity is holy.

The Great Commission

our attention is drawn to families who are on the margins of the Church, while we overlook the families that are sitting right in front of us. Rather than complain about families who drop off their children for Religious Education but never come to Mass, we might ask the parents in the pews why they do go. Something motivates them to get up early on a Sunday, get their little ones dressed and out the door in time for Mass.

This does not go unnoticed by their peers, for these families are known to be “Church” people. They don’t have to stand on a street corner proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ for their lives are already spreading the Word.

They may not have learned to intentionally share their faith, but they are on a path that will readily lead them to be heralds to the world.

Families have a unique ministry. In every generation there are families that have cared for an elderly parent, an abandoned grandchild, a trou-

bled teen, a pregnant daughter, a child with disabilities, an addicted relative. A family cultivates a Spirit of mercy by doing what comes natural. It is not some grand theological virtue that motivates a family to do the hard work of mercy; it is the power of love that brings forth this response. The family is more than the primary cell in society; it is the cradle of mercy.

The greatest challenge to the Church is not bringing God to the family, but revealing the God that already is there. Theologians call this “naming grace.” Pope Francis placed the responsibility of naming grace on the shoulders of those who preach the Word of God: “We need but think of some ordinary human experience such as a joyful reunion, a moment of disappointment, the fear of being alone, compassion at the suffering of others, uncertainty about the future, concern for a loved one, and so forth” (Evangelii gaudium, 155). All things are charged with God, and the greatest gift we can give to our families is to help them release the spark.

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

June 19, 2015

Saturday 13 June 2015 — Whitehall, London — Trooping the Colour (the Queen’s official birthday) er Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was actually born on April 21, but who frets about such details?

Royalty is entitled to more than one birthday, if it so desires. Call it a “perk.” And what better way to celebrate Her Majesty’s official birthday if not by the music and pageantry of a ceremonial salute from Her Majesty’s Household Division? It’s so very British.

An acquaintance of mine, Patricia Bolton, was born and raised in Britain. During World War II, she personally experienced the bombing of London. Pat had many stories to share on how the British dealt with such “inconveniences.”

I think of the famous poster now undergoing a bit of a revival, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” It was one of a series of three morale-boosting posters designed in 1939 by the British government’s Ministry of Information and printed

by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. The first two designs were posted throughout Great Britain at the outbreak of the

H

I

live in a two-horse family with three riders. So, often I’m the odd man out. Which seems appropriate since I’m the only man of the house, including my pooch Igor.

With that being expressed, I often take the bus, something I truly don’t mind at all.

The Anchor office is on the bus line and my drop-off point is slightly more than one-half mile from home. It is much easier going home than heading to work.

That half-mile stretch is mostly down-hill going home, and consequently up-hill catching the public chariot to work. I’d much rather stroll downhill than plod through an ascent. You get the picture.

But a few times a week, I am allotted a vehicle to get to and from work. This morning was one of those occasions.

And that gave me the opportunity to be reminded of how the little things in life can make one’s day.

Anchor Columnists Keep calm and carry on through the parking lot, past war. The third design was held the nearest church door, and back, intended to be distribenter the door farthest from uted in the event of the imher car. She sat in her usual minent collapse of the British pew, farthest from the Sanctugovernment. Since this never ary (which, by the way, has no happened, “Keep Calm and view of the altar). After Mass, Carry On” was never released. she complained that she had Unused stockpiles of the third poster were discarded after the to walk the entire length of war. A forgotten trove of 15 posters, however, recently surfaced on the The Ship’s Log “Antiques Roadshow” Reflections of a television program. I Parish Priest am not making this up.

I must get one of

By Father Tim these posters for my Goldrick office. I think “Keep Calm and Carry On” the church aisle — all 130 feet would be a fitting slogan for a of it — to receive Holy Comparish priest these days. munion. I said to myself, “Keep In any given parish, there calm and carry on.” can be an undercurrent of One summer’s day, a man grumbling and complaining. complained that it was too There can also be a general cold in church. I asked him sense of personal entitlement, where he was sitting during with little regard for the Mass. He answered, “Where I common good. I think of the mantra, “I want it and I want it always sit — in front of the air now.” Sometimes it seems that conditioning unit.” Keep calm and carry on. whatever you do, you just can’t A child missed the First win. A seasoned pastor must Penance ceremony. The par“keep calm and carry on.” ent was instructed to bring One cold winter’s day, I watched a woman park her car the child to the regularlyscheduled Confessions. The as far away from the church child never showed up — three building as possible. She then weeks in a row. The parent proceed to walk all the way

explained, “I couldn’t find a priest.” The priest was in the confessional. The parent had no idea where the Penance Room was located. Keep calm and carry on.

How about the couple who scheduled their wedding and went through all the normal church preparations.

A few minutes before the wedding, the groom popped into the Sacristy. “Father, we’ve decided to postpone our wedding.” OK then.

They rescheduled the wedding. A second time they postponed their wedding, this time the day before. A third time they rescheduled their wedding.

Eventually, they cancelled the wedding — a week before. Just as well, I suspect. Keep calm and carry on.

There was a church that had a single restroom, located in the Sacristy. All the kids knew where it was and would make several trips during Mass because, as they convinced their parents, they “had to go.”

During one particular Mass, a crowd of kids that “just had to go” gathered in the Sacristy.

After much rowdy laughter, a water fight broke out. The

9 priest celebrant could see and hear the whole thing from the altar. What to do? Keep calm and carry on.

The hospital phoned one day.

“Father, we have a patient who is actively dying.” “OK,” said the priest, “you’re saying the patient needs the Anointing of the Sick right now?” “Oh, no,” responded the caller. “The patient is Protestant and we wouldn’t want to upset the family, now, would we? We phoned the Protestant minister, but she said she was too busy to come over. So we called you instead.” Keep calm and carry on.

We Catholics (along with other Christians) are under attack from within and without. These are definitely not the good old days. We are constantly being bashed by the media worldwide. Our civil and religious rights are routinely called into question, even in democratic countries.

Anti-Catholic bigotry is making a strong comeback. The list of martyrs for the faith is growing rapidly. What to do?

Keep calm and carry on.

I definitely need one of these posters.

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

Saving the bacon hope we make it on time. He There’s a young man in hoped so too. my neighborhood who rides We both saw that the the bus pretty much every day. He works at a restaurant chariot was still there and in a nearby town, and public transportation is his lifeblood.

I learned this by talking to him on the bus.

This morning,

By Dave Jolivet I left for work at nearly 6:30 a.m. I made the turn to I stepped on the gas to drive up the hill, which make sure it wouldn’t leave is much easier when you without its usual cargo. have a couple of hundred The young man looked at horsepower doing the work me as we were still hauling for you. up the hill and he said, Anyway, at the bottom of the hill, I saw the young man “Thanks man. You saved my bacon today.” making haste to catch the I think I saved others’ bus — a bus that leaves at bacon today as well, since 6:30 a.m. the man would more than I glanced at the clock likely be serving the delicacy and the digital green display to “the usuals” at his place of screamed “6:29!” There was employment. no way, despite his youth, It wasn’t a big thing, but this guy was going to catch after I dropped him off, I that bus. felt pretty good, and it’s a I pulled over and told feeling that’s stayed with me him to hop in, telling him I

My View From the Stands

through the day. Something as little as my stopping to give someone a half-mile ride wasn’t so little to the young man.

I’ve missed my share of buses in my lifetime — from high school up to the present.

I’ve seen the black smoke plume from more than one bus exhaust pipe as I stood there, with shoulders drooped, heart racing, and sweat beading on my forehead.

A mere 30 seconds more and I wouldn’t have been inhaling diesel exhaust

instead of just being exhausted.

If you’ve never missed a bus, or a plane, or any kind of designated ride, count your blessings. It’s a very frustrating feeling.

So I appreciate having saved my neighbor from that annoyance more, because I’ve been there.

And I’ve been on the other side of “little gestures,” and I know they’re not so little to me.

It doesn’t take much to make someone’s day, and when you do, it can make you feel great — like eating a plateful of crispy bacon. davejolivet@anchornews.org.

Visit us online at www.anchornews.org

10

June 19, 2015

Congratulations to all our diocesan

Bishop Feehan High School - Attleboro

Bishop Connolly High School Fall River

June 19, 2015

11

high school graduates — Best wishes

St. John Paul II High School Hyannis

Pacheco Studios

Bishop Stang High School - N. Dartmouth

Coyle & Cassidy High School - Taunton

12

June 19, 2015

Our readers respond Love is the message Your editorial, “Reactions to the Irish Vote” in the May 29 Anchor prompts me, from my seat in the pew, to send along my thoughts.

You fault Kevin Cullen in the Boston Globe for his suggestion that Ireland would have been better off if Christianity had not replaced Irish paganism.

You reason that “we would not have the respect for women, for children, for human rights that Christianity ushered in.”

Was it respect for women when the Church started investigating the nuns beginning in 2009, an investigation lasting till 2015? Nuns educated thousands in Catholic schools. Nuns cared for the sick in hospitals of this country from its beginnings.

In 2009, nuns focused too much on social justice. Their “prayer life was disordered.”

In 2012, their “serious doctrinal problems and their radical feminist themes were incompatible with Catholic faith.”

That’s respect for women?

Were children respected?

Have you forgotten thousands and thousands of children abused by priests and bishops refusing to accept responsibility for moving abusers around all over the world?

When is the Church investigating priests and bishops?

Cardinal Law, Cardinal Mahony, Cardinal Burke and “radical feminists,” Bishop Finn, Cardinal Dolan and cemetery funds in Milwaukee, Chilean Bishop Barros, and Father Marcial Maciel and the Legionnaires?

Our children read the papers and are scandalized.

Who paid millions and millions of dollars to settle abuse cases?

It was us, the people in the pews. That’s respect for children?

Does the Church respect human rights?

Jesus said, “Love God and love your neighbor.” The Declaration of Independence says, “All men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights.”

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says to homosexuals, “We love you, but you’re born with sexual attractions. Seek self-mastery!

“Your behavior when it passes ‘attraction’ is intrinsically evil.

“We recognize you are seen as objects of scorn, hatred, and violence.”

How Christian is this message to homosexuals?

Christians all over the world are crucified for this message.

You agree that the Church definitely needs to do a reality check, as suggested by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

Margery Eagan, in CRUX this week has the same suggestion.

“For decades now, the Catholic hierarchy has declared unworthy those of us who are female, di-

vorced, divorced and re-married, or users of dastardly birth control.

“Those of us who are gay, no matter what Ireland just voted, can forget about embrace.”

Our young people are leaving this Church because of bad example they’ve seen in Church leaders in this country and in the Vatican. Newspapers tell stories of financial scandals and Church politics. They read the U.N. condemnation of Church handling of abuse cases.

Our young people did want to pray, to attend Mass with friends and family, and to sense celebration in Jesus’ message.

You agree that “the Church’s teaching, if it isn’t expressed in terms of love, then it’s got it wrong.”

“Love?” It’s not a word or an order “do this,” or a threat “or else!”

It’s action. Jesus healed a blind man, cured a leper, and stopped a storm, scaring fishermen. He fed thousands with a few fish. He washed the feet of friends.

He cured a blind man, and He hammered nails.

We love when we listen, when we share stories, when we wipe tears, and cheer smiles. We love when we respect others’ opinions, and take out neighbors’ trash.

We love when we thank God for health and a rainbow, when we sing together and dance, when we’re joyful and clap our hands, read stories to young ones, and fly kites and untangle knots. We love when we visit the lonely, push wheelchairs, and help with crutches.

Love is the message. Joy is what Jesus wants us to feel, so does Pope Francis!

It’s hard not to give up.

The Holy Spirit inspires all of us in the Church, the hierarchy and the people in the pews!

Mary Worden Mattapoisett We have no tools I have encountered no shortage of essays, and homilies, as regards the proper Catholic response to the terrorist who decided to bomb the United States and her citizens last year, taking the lives of three people, one of them a child, and injuring hundreds of others.

Yet the average Massachusetts Catholic does not lack the tools for making a decision on this matter. I’ll tell you what we average Catholics need: practical recommendations on how to handle the everyday problem of raising children in a very troubling — growing ever more troubling — anti-Christian world.

One need only look across the water to Ireland to see what the lack of serious Catholic education creates. Obviously many factors were in play there but it is, at the very least, a condemnation of and rebellion against the Church.

I dare say many sitting in the pews of our Catholic churches agree with the Irish outcome. And

what or who would lead them to think otherwise? (And if it is confusing for us adults imagine how much more confusing it is for our children.) The current Catholic message, murky at best, a message that was taken for granted a generation ago, is further watered down and confounded by the trance-like effects of Hollywood and television shows.

Put yourself in my place, when my ninth-grader tells me that she was shouted down and called a bigot and a homophobe for defending natural Marriage. By supposed friends, no less. She felt awkward if not outright threatened.

If someone cannot help me to help my teen-ager then something is wrong. There seems no language to discuss these things.

None of us wants to see our children called names for not supporting gay lifestyles, gay marriages, and a gay family institution. But that is what is happening in our public schools and, sorry to say, in our Catholic schools too. This is the bent arrow in the average Catholic’s arsenal. We have no language to respond, no tools.

It seems to be beyond us and beyond our Church leaders. As much as I bend my ear I don’t hear it. I never hear it in church — I don’t even hear it from the Vatican. And if I don’t get support I do not know how to support my daughter. If she gets no support from me, or the Church, what will indeed happen to her children and the next generation?

If you glance at Ireland I think you will know.

Janie Sharp Falmouth Executive Editor responds: I am responding to the previous two letters at the same time. Although they come at the issues from rather opposite points of view, they also do have some commonalities.

First off, I must disclose that Mary Worden is an old friend from when I served in New Bedford. That does not mean that I am in agreement with her letter, but I think the readers should know that (and that she sent me friendly personal greetings along with her letter). I don’t recall ever meeting Janie Sharp.

Mary and Janie at some points in their letters seem to conflate “the Church” into the hierarchy of it (Mary complaining about abuses done by it, Janie complaining about its complicity with the culture), and yet at other points in their letters they acknowledge that the laity are also the Church.

Janie complains that the teachings of the Church have not been pronounced enough and that that is why Ireland voted in favor of same-sex marriage, while Mary complains that the teachings of the Church have been pronounced too much, causing hurt in people with same-sex attractions. In other words, Janie is saying that it is a shame that people don’t know the

teachings, while Mary is saying that it is a shame that these teachings are known.

Janie seems annoyed about the Church’s intervention regarding the death penalty for the marathon bomber. It is true that the statements against the death penalty are not as high up on the hierarchy of truths as the teachings on homosexuality. That is not a reason to not proclaim them (which were also taught by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI during their papacies).

“The Vatican” has not been silent about same-sex marriage. Pope Francis has spoken out repeatedly about it (especially in his weekly general audiences). However, because what he says does not fit the common perception of him as being liberal, these statements have been pretty much ignored (except for by a few observers, both pro- and anti-Pope Francis. The Rev. Irene Monroe, featured weekly WGBH radio, is one who complains nearly every week about him not being sufficiently progressive).

In terms of Mary’s response to my saying that without Catholicism Ireland (or the world) would not have respect for women, children and human rights, where she displays attacks on those rights: first of all, in my editorial I did note the difference between Catholicism during the “theocratic” period of the 20th century (when many of the abuses she mentioned occurred), as opposed to how it was lived out before the British conquest or during British oppression.

The Church (laity and hierarchy) is often more true to Christ’s Will for it when it is in a minority position and/or oppressed.

The abuses of 20th-century Catholicism (or Middle Ages Catholicism or of any other time period) are not the whole story of the Catholic Church. If it were, neither you nor I would want to be a member of it. What I was trying to say in response to Kevin Cullen was that, overall, it has been a blessing that Christianity overtook paganism (with its deplorable treatment of women, children and all people, all the time. Because the Church ultimately comes from Christ, that is why we, first laity and then hierarchy, recognized how evil the abuse crisis is. Paganism could not come to that type of self-critique, because it lacked the Holy Spirit to show it Divine law. At best the pagans could find some of natural law). If that were not so, then neither he nor the people Mary mentions would have ever joined the Church.

Obviously, at the moment, Mary and Janie would be at an impasse regarding the Church’s teachings on same-sex attractions. Mary views them as full of hate, while Janie reports that her daughter was called a “bigot” for proclaiming those teachings.

Mary mentions other teachings of the Church regarding sexual morality. Although she is criticizing those teachings, in a backwards way she is reminding us that all of these teachings are tied together

(and I, with Pope Francis, would say that that is a good thing).

In his August 2013 interview with a Jesuit journalist, Pope Francis addressed (in some ways) the concerns of Mary and Janie.

“We need to proclaim the Gospel on every street corner, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and healing, even with our preaching, every kind of disease and wound.

In Buenos Aires I used to receive letters from homosexual persons who are ‘socially wounded’ because they tell me that they feel like the Church has always condemned them. But the Church does not want to do this. During the return flight from Rio de Janeiro I said that if a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge. By saying this, I said what the ‘Catechism’ says.

A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: When God looks at a gay person, does He endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person. Here we enter into the mystery of the human being. In life, God accompanies persons, and we must accompany them, starting from their situation. It is necessary to accompany them with mercy. When that happens, the Holy Spirit inspires the priest to say the right thing. This is also the great benefit of Confession as a Sacrament: evaluating case-by-case and discerning what is the best thing to do for a person who seeks God and grace. The confessional is not a torture chamber, but the place in which the Lord’s mercy motivates us to do better.”

The pope reaffirmed there and in many other instances the Church’s teaching that sexual relations should only be shared by an opposite-sex couple, united in Marriage before God and open to life. However, he also acknowledged the hurt that people have received when this teaching is not done with charity and truly pastoral accompaniment (by clergy and laity).

The Church’s teachings on sexual morality, as I stated above, are higher up the hierarchy of truths than the death penalty, but even higher than them are the teachings about Christ’s Incarnation, crucifixion and Resurrection. Pope Francis begins with those central teachings because if we can’t accept them (not just intellectually, but actually have them move our hearts), then our hearts cannot be moved by other teachings of the Church.

In terms of giving Janie’s daughter a vocabulary to use, I would suggest reading Pope Francis’ general audience speeches. It will not end all the criticism — as Cardinal Francis George used to say, the Church will be persecuted, but maybe that will help us be more like the Church we are supposed to be (as our brothers and sisters under ISIS or Communist oppression at the moment already know).

13

June 19, 2015

Hearing God’s call in Australia for service in Dartmouth

By Linda Andrade Rodrigues Anchor Correspondent

DARTMOUTH — Pope Francis proclaimed 2015 a Year of Consecrated Life, which began the First Sunday of Advent, the weekend of Nov. 29, 2014, and will end on Feb. 2, 2016, the World Day of Consecrated Life.

Pointing to the importance of the religious vocation, the Holy Father said that a “radical approach is required for all Christians, but religious persons are called upon to follow the Lord in a special way: They are men and women who can awaken the world. Consecrated life is prophecy. God asks us to fly the nest and to be sent to the frontiers of the world.

This is the most concrete way of imitating the Lord.”

Eleven-thousand miles away in Perth, Australia, a young woman receives a calling, reads a website about the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light, and after much prayer and discernment leaves family, friends and homeland behind to join a new community in Dartmouth.

“It’s a great joy to see the Maronite Servants growing,” said Mother Marla Marie Lucas, M.S.C.L. “Petra Nakhoul is a postulant and has taken the first step to become a consecrated religious in our community. God is the One Who calls. He puts that attraction in the heart of a young woman.”

Seven years ago Mother Marla returned to her roots and began the first Maronite religious congregation of women founded in the United States.

“After all these years of joyfully serving our Lord, God again knocked on the door of my heart — a call within a call,” she said. “I ask young women to discern a vocation to serve as Spiritual mothers

to God’s people as Maronite Servants of Christ the Light.”

Five years ago Sister Therese Maria Touma joined the new community, and another postulant, Natalie Salameh, entered the congregation last year.

ing in her teens.

“But I didn’t really pray about it, and for a long time I wasn’t ready,” she said. “In my mid-20s I could hear it more clearly, and I made the decision to give my life to my Lord and His people.”

journalist in the nation’s capital. Then something, Someone, changed everything. Jesus made it clear to me that my life was meant to be offered as a consecrated religious to serve His people. I was captivated

by His love and drawn deeply

Petra Nakhoul entered as a postulant of the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light in Dartmouth on the feast of the Most Holy Trinity on May 31. Mother Marla Marie welcomed Nakhoul at the closing of the Liturgy at the parish of Our Lady of Purgatory in New Bedford, and Father Jack Morrison, pastor, gave her a blessing. Nakhoul comes from Perth, Australia, and is the daughter of Sarkis and Georgette Nakhoul, With her are the community of the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light in Dartmouth, from left: Sister Therese Maria Touma, Postulants Natalie Salameh and Petra Nakhoul, and Mother Marla Marie Lucas. (Photo courtesy of Mother Marla Marie Lucas)

“We are very happy that Natalie and Petra are with us,” Mother Marla said. “What the Lord is doing — it’s a miracle.”

Born in Sydney, Australia, Nakhoul grew up with her five brothers, and the family attended St. Charbel’s Parish.

“My parents are devout Catholics,” she said. “We went to Liturgy every week and prayed the Rosary at home a lot as a family.”

Her parents, Sarkis and Georgette Nakhoul, had emigrated from Lebanon and practiced their faith with the large Maronite community in Sydney.

Nakhoul received her call-

Seeking a vocation, Nakhoul also needed to find a community.

“I wasn’t really sure whether I wanted to follow the Maronite or Roman Catholic rite, and I took a long time praying on that one,” she said.

Then she heard about a community of English-speaking Maronites in the U.S. “I looked at their website to check it out and found Mother Marla’s testimony,” she said.

“I recall vividly the moment I realized our Lord was calling me to be all for Him,” wrote Mother Marla. “It was 1982, and I had just graduated college and was going full speed ahead in my career plans as a

to let go, leave all things and to follow Him. The next year I entered a Roman Catholic congregation.”

Nakhoul sent off her first email to the American convent.

“They were Lebanese Sisters in an English-speaking country,” she said. “I could study in English rather than struggle with the (Arabic) language.”

Last year she spent four weeks during the winter and six weeks in summer with the Dartmouth community.

“This is where God wanted me,” she said.

Nakhoul entered as a postulant of the Maronite Ser-

vants of Christ the Light on May 31, the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, at Our Lady of Purgatory Parish in New Bedford. At the close of the Liturgy, Father Jack Morrison gave her a blessing.

Having the desire to live the Gospel in community, postulants are single Catholic women, between the ages of 22 and 40, who have actively participated within a Catholic parish for at least four years and have completed undergraduate studies.

Nakhoul spends her days in prayer and meditation, studying, and working in the convent or outside in the parishes.

“We are in silence sometimes, and we also get together to talk over our meal,” she said.

“Our mission is Religious Education, to visit the sick and home-bound, and work with families, teens and young adults,” added Mother Marla.

“In addition, we try to reach out to the wider community.

We help at St. Anthony’s Food Pantry in New Bedford, offering a half-hour Bible study for 35 to 40 people.”

The nuns also host retreats, as well as prayer and supper events, at the convent.

Nakhoul offered advice to women who are thinking about a vocation.

“Do not be afraid, and trust in the Lord,” she said. “Trust that He has your life, your happiness and peace in His hands. I’m very happy and so much at peace. I’m really looking forward to my time here and spending my life in the Lord’s service with my Sisters.”

Mother Marla encourages those with a calling to the priesthood or religious life to talk to a priest or nun about this adventurous life.

“A lot of people ignore the initial attraction, put it out of their minds or never get around to it,” she said. “Make some kind of contact, inquiring and learning more. If they take an active role following through in that desire, God will take them the rest of the way.”

In this year dedicated to consecrated religious life by Pope Francis, she also encourages everyone to pray for vocations.

For more information about the Maronite Servants of Christ the Light, visit maroniteservants.org or email maroniteservants@gmail.com.

14

June 19, 2015

Family, friends, students say goodbye to beloved Sister Pat continued from page one

cations at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, of Father Harrington’s eulogy. “He did it in a typical way with Irish humor and tears.”

Beloved at Bishop Feehan for her 45 years of service at the school, Sister Pat — as she was known — touched an untold number of lives through her work as a teacher, offering advice and support to those around her.

She belonged to the Sisters of Mercy, entering on Sept. 8, 1957 and was professed Aug. 16, 1965; she celebrated her 50th anniversary of becoming a nun in 2007.

“She was truly the kindest, most loving person most could ever meet,” said Dion-DeTrolio.

“She made you feel like you were the most special person for just being you. She made everyone who met her feel that way, all she had to do was look at you and smile and she would say something that you needed to hear — like an angel. She built you up.

She touched so many thousands of lives, and every one of them felt special to her. Heaven became an even brighter place. We all reflect a little bit of that light because we all became kinder people just from knowing her.

She was and always will be the rarest beauty.”

Dion-DeTrolio said it was Bishop Feehan’s honor to “roll out the green carpet” for the school’s “most beloved shamrock” and host the more than 3,400 people who came to attend what was originally a fourhour wake, but was extended to “more like a six-hour wake,” said Dion-DeTrolio. “But there was not one complaint about the

wait to get in. The Harrington Family could not have been more welcoming and genuinely interested in every single person who came through. They were just amazing.”

Father Harrington engaged with everyone “and he had maybe 20 seconds to talk to them, and he managed to say something relevant to them,” she said.

There were a lot of minireunions during the wake, and people posted pictures on social media, adding that Sister Pat would be happy that they had reconnected, said Dion-DeTrolio.

“It was not a somber atmosphere at all,” she said. “It was a very reflective, happy atmosphere and nostalgic atmosphere for a lot of people who hadn’t been back [to Bishop Feehan] since they had graduated.”

More than 1,000 people attended the funeral, and an additional 1,000 from five different countries watched it as the Attleboro cable company, who also broadcast it live on TV, streamed it online. Father Harrington’s eulogy was heartfelt and touching, and Dion-DeTrolio confessed she has watched it a few more times since the funeral.

“The Harrington Family is as warm and loving as she was, as anyone who knew her and listened to Father Brian’s eulogy could attest,” said Dion-DeTrolio. “His eulogy was everything anyone could have hoped for in honoring God’s joy and love reflected by her on to all of us, while at the same time he demonstrated his great personal love for his sister. It was a touching celebration of a jubilant life.”

Deacon Joe McGinley, theology teacher at Bishop Feehan, first met Sister Pat as a parent when his two daughters attended the high school. Deacon McGinley recalled when his youngest daughter attended a Red Sox game with Sister Pat as part of a school function and has a picture of Sister Pat surrounded by students, including his daughter, with everyone wearing a big

This portrait of Sister Patricia Harrington, RSM, was painted by artist Jean Monti, parent of two Bishop Feehan High School students. The painting hangs at the entrance of the school chapel.

smile on his or her face.

“I once read a quote from a teacher that I have never forgotten: ‘If I want my students to grow up to be nice people, then, in the classroom, I have to be the nicest person they have ever met,’” said Deacon McGinley.

“My impression, in talking with former students of Sister Pat, is that she was the nicest person they ever met, and I don’t think

she had to work at it — it was intrinsic to her. She had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the world to her. That is what she brought to Bishop Feehan — everyone who came in contact with her learned what unconditional love felt like.

“As a teacher, there have been times when, upon reflection, I realized that I could have handled a difficult situation that arose in the classroom in a better way — and I always find myself wondering, how Sister Pat would have handled that situation? Invariably, I realize that Sister would have shown more patience, more compassion, and more mercy. St. Augustine once said, ‘Love, then do what you will.’ In the end, I think that everything Sister Pat did flowed from love.”

Former Bishop Feehan student and current seminarian Matthew Gill said that Sister Pat was selfless in her contributions to the Bishop Feehan community, offering gentle encouragement.

“When she would speak to me I knew that she was giving me her complete attention and care in that moment,” said Gill.

“I saw Sister Pat a few times after graduation. A few months ago, Kevin Brawley, Larry Valliere and I went to see her in a rehabilitation center in Brighton. Although she was sick and growing weak, she still was joyful and full of life. Father Brian Harrington, her brother, and one of her sisters were there too. We were all joking and laughing and were just enjoying one another’s company. She said several times, ‘It’s been a good ride,’ and she seemed to be at peace. I think in order to have that peace and joy, one needs a close relationship

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, June 21, 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Edward J. Healey, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in West Harwich

with the Lord, and I think that also is a beautiful manifestation of holiness. After meeting and knowing Sister Pat, one walks away with a sense of peace and a knowledge of being loved by God through her, His chosen instrument.”

Along with her brother, Father Harrington, Sister Pat leaves behind two sisters, Sister Kathleen Harrington, RSM, of New Bedford and Sister Sheila Harrington, RSM, of Riverside; another brother, Kevin Harrington, Capt. FRFD (ret.) and his wife Joy, of Fall River; two nieces, five grandnieces and nephews, and many cousins. Sister Pat was interred at St. Mary’s Cemetery in New Bedford.

The Sister Pat Harrington Scholarship Fund was established years ago at Bishop Feehan, and donations can be made to the scholarship fund; 70 Holcott Drive, Attleboro, Mass.

02703.

Donations are also being accepted to the Sisters of Mercy, 15 Highland View Road, Cumberland, R.I., 02864.

A former student created a “Go Fund Me” page (www.

GoFundMe.com), selling “Sister Pat TShirts” (sic), which on the front shows the school’s shamrock symbol and states, “Say Yes to the Morning,” a positive message that Sister Pat used to say on a regular basis, while on the back the shirt has a heart and written is “Sister Pat.” One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the Sisters of Mercy; it has already raised its goal of $3,000 and it continues to rise.

To see Sister Pat’s funeral in its entirety, visit www.YouTube. com and search for “The Funeral of Sister Patricia Harrington.”

“She was the brightest light I have ever known on this earth,” said Dion-DeTrolio, and though the light may have dimmed, it hasn’t been extinguished as evidenced by the outpouring of grief, love and support from the Bishop Feehan community who turned out in droves after her passing.

“It just shows the breadth of people she managed to have an effect on,” said Dion-DeTrolio, “and whose influence stuck with them for so long. Even if they had only one or two memorable experiences with her, somehow her kindness — you were just infused with it, you took it to heart and you appreciated her for it. She was just one of those rare people; I’ve never met anyone like her and I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone like her.”

15

June 19, 2015

Bishop creates task forces to study diocesan parishes, schools continued from page one

the people whom he was sent to shepherd.

In an effort to learn where the greatest needs are and prepare a game plan to keep the diocese vibrant and on board with the New Evangelization of the Catholic Church, Bishop da Cunha announced the creation of two groups to assist in the endeavor.

In a recent letter to his brother priests, the bishop wrote, “From the beginning of my ministry among you, I have heard from many of you and from our deacons and laity, about the need of our diocese to embark on a serious pastoral planning. I’m glad to share with you the good news that I have already taken some steps in this direction.

“I have established two task forces to study and make recommendations for the future of our parishes and schools.”

The newly-established entities are the Task Force on Parishes, chaired by Father Leonard P. Hindsley, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Westport, and the Task Force on Schools co-chaired

by Father George C. Bellenoit, pastor of St. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth, and Kathleen Carney Larisa.

The forces are made up of priests, deacons and lay people selected by Bishop da Cunha based on consultations and recommendations with and from people around the diocese.

“I am grateful to the people who accepted to be on the task forces and invest their time and talents to help plan for the future of our diocese, especially our parishes and schools,” the bishop told The Anchor. “The members are very gifted and qualified people.

They bring a variety of talents and expertise to this work.”

Father Hindsley explained that the Task Force on Parishes is “for establishing goals for the renewal of our parishes to help them move from ‘maintenance mode to mission mode.’

“We are working on establishing criteria to ascertain the health of each parish in the diocese. To accomplish that we will also be generating an assessment document that pastors and their parish teams can use to help them evaluate their situation and ascertain their needs. This process also has the goal of identifying

those parishes that are in need and recommending ways to help them so that the whole diocese will move forward on our task to evangelize.”

Father Hindsley told The Anchor that the task force has been meeting every other week to discuss each of the tasks set before them.

Father Bellenoit told The Anchor that the Task Force on Schools “will be looking at the concerns which the bishop presented to us, namely the importance of Catholic education for the formation of leaders for the future of the Church.

“The task force, which will meet monthly for nine to 12 months, has formed various committees to strengthen academics for students and development opportunities for educators; examine governance structures for the schools in the system; examine ways of ensuring financial sustainability; and ensure the charism of Catholic identity.”

The chairmen agreed that the people assembled to assist them were well-chosen and bring a great deal to the table.

“This task force was formulated by the bishop and me and comprises a wonderful group of faithful people who are dedicated to helping the parishes thrive,” Father Hindsley told The Anchor. “The meetings have been very productive and the rapport of the members is excellent.”

Father Bellenoit had similar sentiments about his team.

“The members of the task force are enthusiastic about and committed to the goals which the bishop has suggested to us. The members bring a diversity of experience and wisdom to the group,” he said.

“They are from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines, all committed to fostering and sustaining quality Catholic education now and into the future.”

Norma Colon is a member of the Task Force on Parishes.

She told The Anchor, “I belong to different parish councils, and I’m an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and a proclaimer of the Word.

I feel it is a call from God to share my experience with other parishes and strengthen one another. We’ve already learned a lot from each other.”

Corpus Christi parishio-

ner John Dellamorte is also a member of the Task Force on Parishes, and while he has a great deal of successful business experience, he told The Anchor that he feels, “The relevant experience I bring to this task force is my life experience as a husband and dad who raised my family Sacramentally, and my experience as an active parishioner. I also bring my prayer life, my love of God and His Church and a deep love of His holy mother.

“I love our Church. I see her as a fountain of goodness in our very troubled world. If there is any way I can help her spread the Good News, I am eager and honored to assist.

“It is my personal hope that the fruit of this task force will be the transformation of our parishes into places of encounter with the living God.” Carney Larisa brings a great deal of experience to the Task Force on Schools.

“My current role is executive director of the Carney Family Foundation and member of the New Bedford Funders Group,” she told The Anchor.

“My training is a licensed mental health counselor with clinical experience in private practice working with individuals and families, community based mental health advocating for the severely and persistently mentally ill population and commercial mental health care benefit management.”

She said she accepted the bishop’s invitation to join the task force “to ensure a healthy and excellent presence for Catholic schools in Greater New Bedford and the South Coast; participate with other like-minded and smart individuals to help meet the bishop’s goals and ultimately to support the new bishop’s forward thinking in strengthening our area’s Catholic schools.”

Also on the Task Force for Schools is Adam Krueckeberg; the associate dean for Finance and Administration for Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry, and he has been working with BC’s Roche Center for Catholic Education for the past five years. Prior to transitioning into education, Krueckeberg worked in the technology and finance sectors for 14 years, most recently as a vice president with Fidelity In-

vestments in Boston.

“Ever since getting involved with the Roche Center as a graduate student, I’ve felt that our Catholic schools are an extremely important part of the Church’s mission,” Krueckeberg told The Anchor. “They are places where the Church lives out its faith, evangelizing by serving some of the most critical (and underserved) needs in society.

I’m delighted that Bishop da Cunha feels the same way, and that he’s been able to bring together such a wonderful, diverse group of people to advise him on how to really enhance and strengthen this mission.”

Bishop da Cunha hopes that the two task forces can complete their work and make recommendations by the end of the year.

“It is my desire, my hope, and my commitment to do all we can together to keep our diocese, parishes, and schools viable and strong for years to come,” he said. “Obviously, this will require hard work, patience, collaboration, and perseverance.”

“Precisely because this task

is not easy work, I would like to ask for the prayers of our faithful, that these task forces will fulfill God’s plan,” added Dellamorte.

Making up the Task Force on Parishes, along with Father Hindsley, Colon, and Dellamorte are: Debora Brum; Father David A. Costa; Father Richard E. Degagne; Deacon Frank D. Fantasia; Father Peter J. Fournier; Kathleen Graziano; Margaret M. Keenan; Deacon Frank R. Lucca; Peter Marshall; Breda L. McCarthy; Richard Palanza; Kathleen St. Laurent; and Brian Wall.

Along with Father Bellenoit, Carney Larisa and Krueckeberg, the Task Force on Schools is comprised of: Matthew Bourque; Nicholas Christ; Father Thomas E. Costa; Brenda Gagnon; Dr. Michael S. Griffin; Father Mark R. Hession; Paul Kawa; Christopher Keavy; Dr. Jean F. McCormack; Kristen Melley; Janice Olson; Dr. Patricia Weitzel-O’Neill; Father Craig A. Pregana; Michael Reardon; Roger Sullivan; Dr. Stephen J. Sweeney; and Jeffrey Thielman.

Annual St. Mary’s Fund Summer Gala is July 10

MASHPEE — Among the many things to do on a Friday evening in July on Cape Cod is one special event that offers attendees an enjoyable evening out and an opportunity to support Catholic school students in the Fall River Diocese.

The 18th St. Mary’s Education Fund Summer Gala will take place July 10 at the Willowbend Country Club in Mashpee. Proceeds from the evening benefit the St. Mary’s Education Fund, which provides need-based scholarships to children attending Catholic schools on Cape Cod and throughout southeastern Massachusetts.

“We all know these are challenging times for us to keep the mission of offering Catholic education to our children,” wrote Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., in his letter of invitation to the Summer Gala, and he said the event “is an important opportunity for the people of the diocese to show their support for Catholic education.”

New Seabury residents Louis and Louise DiMeo are serving as co-chairmen

for this year’s gala and with their committee are planning an evening of delicious food, music and merriment.

Beginning with a 6 p.m. cocktail reception, the festivities will include a multicourse dinner, silent and live auctions with fantastic prizes, and entertainment by Frank Zarba Music of Boston.

Former WCVB-TV-Channel 5, Boston, anchor and reporter Natalie Jacobson will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Bishop da Cunha pointed out in his letter that through the St. Mary’s Education Fund the Fall River Diocese “has been able to provide scholarships to many children who, otherwise, would not have been able to attend a Catholic school.”

The St. Mary’s Education Fund has distributed more than $8.4 million to more than 9,000 students in need of financial assistance to attend a Catholic school in the Fall River Diocese.

For more details on the Fund’s Summer Gala, including ticket information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jane Robin at 508-759-3566.

16

Youth Pages

June 19, 2015

The entire student body from St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro, along with the teachers and aides, posed with their red noses on with Rep. Elizabeth Poirier for Red Nose Day. The school donated $1,000 to the Red Nose foundation which helps poverty-stricken children.

All Saints Catholic School (New Bedford) National Junior Honor Society students were excited to present a check to Kristina Flood and Norma Fredette to benefit Diapers & Things — a local group based at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish at St. James Church, assisting local families in need.

Students have hosted an ongoing school-wide collection for diapers and baby items since January and recently held a movie night at which they raised $439 to support this very special ministry.

Mason Mormile, a fifth-grader at Holy Name School in Fall River presented a very special program to his schoolmates. He competes and shows his rabbits in many competitions throughout the area. His classmates learned many new, interesting, and fun facts about rabbits. Mason is a member of Kits and Kids of Bristol County, a 4-H organization whose members raise and exhibit kits (baby rabbits) and kids (baby goats).

Pre-kindergarten students from Our Lady of Lourdes School in Taunton recently released their butterflies after completing their Life Cycle of a Butterfly unit.

The third-grade students from St. Joseph School in Fairhaven participated in a Living Wax Museum of famous people from Massachusetts as part of a biography project they were given.

As parents and students walked around they would press the “red button” drawn on the children’s hand to hear a short story of interesting facts of their character. Here Coby Yin portrays Paul Revere.

Eighth-grade students from St. James-St. John School in New Bedford recently enjoyed the end of year field trip to Canobie Lake Park.

The first-graders at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro recently learned abut Earth’s moon, specifically its phases. To assist in their learning, they made each phase using Oreo cookies. The cream represented how much sunlight is seen at each phase. According to their teacher, Mary Beth Barkan, “The kids thought the best part was when we finished off the project with a glass of milk to wash down the ‘moon.’” Shown here with their projects are Jacqueline Foster, Ciara Coyne, Raegan Bonneau.

June 19, 2015

F

ather Bob Oliveira is my new “go to guy” for funny quips and quotes and amusing stories. Without shame, but with great thanks to him, I am borrowing one of his comments for this week’s column. I asked permission to use it. He humbly responded, “Go ahead, I probably took it from someone else!”

Several weeks ago he was speaking to a group at a meeting I was attending. He asked them if they knew of St. Popeye. My head popped up as I heard the name of the saint. Did he really say St. Popeye? Popeye, the sailor man? Had this good priest fallen off his rocker? My goodness, he must have! What could he mean? I don’t remember Popeye being a saint, but I’m sure Father Bob couldn’t be wrong.

So I set out to do a little more digging on this so-called saint.

I remember Popeye with great affection during my childhood. Other characters in the series were Olive Oyl, his girlfriend, Bluto (sometimes known as Brutus), his nemesis and archrival for the love of Olive Oyl and of course Wimpy, the hamburger moocher, who constantly muttered his iconic phrase, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today!” But I digress.

I’m sure you all remember Popeye the sailor man. He first appeared in the comics in 1929, not that I could verify that personally as I’m not that old! Over the years he appeared in countless comic books and on TV. In 1980 Robin Williams even portrayed him in the movie “Popeye.” In fact, in 2002, TV Guide ranked Popeye No. 20 on its “50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time” list. I’m sure his cartoons are on TV even today. For those

Youth Pages I am who I am who have been to Universal Studios in Florida, there is a water ride called Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges.

I even hear from my friends at Sony Pictures that a new Popeye movie is still slated for development, so I’m actually ahead of my time in introducing him to you if you haven’t already met him.

Popeye had some words of great wisdom that all could benefit from.

By Deacon One, of course, Frank Lucca is to eat your spinach; but that is not the great one. And I especially disliked it when my parents would say, “If you want to grow strong like Popeye, you need to eat your spinach.” Yuck! He was also known to say, “That’s all I can stands, ’coz I can’t stands no more.”

That is a sentiment that I’m guessing most of us can relate to, but what made him St. Popeye to Father Bob and now to me, was his well-known phrase, “I am what I am and that’s all that I am,” or actually, “I Yam what I Yam and that’s all that I Yam.” Yes, now I get it!

I think what brought this to mind is all of the publicity lately surrounding those who have made decisions to be who they are not. You’ve surely read about them in the media. And many of us, in perhaps a much less drastic way, are trying or have tried to make ourselves out to be someone we are not. We play a role and act as others expected us to act. Sometimes we just want to be someone else, to have someone else’s life, to be anyone other than who we are. We seek peace. We

Be Not Afraid

17

seek love. We seek acceptance. And sometimes we’re willing to do anything to get it.

I challenge you today to think of the words of “St. Popeye,” the great philosopher, when you are challenged.

When you want to be someone you are not. Accept that “I am who I am and that’s all that I am.” Nothing more, nothing less. I am who God made me to be and God doesn’t make junk and He doesn’t make mistakes. We are who we are supposed to be. So don’t let that little voice inside tear you down.

A true saint, St. Paul, spoke on this very subject when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me.”

So let the grace of God work within you to transform you into the person He wants you to be.

Let’s be thankful that God, the

great “I AM” created us in His image and that He lives in us. Let’s be thankful that even though we are sometimes moody, selfish or a hundred other sinful or imperfect things, that despite all of that, God loves us. And God forgives us if we only ask. And let’s be thankful that I am who I am and you are who you are, that God has chosen us as His disciples, and He calls all of us, works in all of us, and works through all of us to accomplish His will.

The simplicity of “St. Popeye’s” statement is the reminder that there is hope for all of us to be our authentic selves. Be honest with yourself. Seek help from those you trust. Listen to that positive quiet voice inside. Be yourself. Be who God created you to be. And don’t forget to eat your spinach!

Frank 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 wife of 36 years, Kristine, and the father of two daughters and their husbands, and a fifteen-month-old grandson. Thanks Father Bob! Comments, ideas or suggestions? Please email him at DeaconFrankLucca@comcast.net.

The Anchor is always pleased to run news and photos about our diocesan youth. If schools, parish Religious Education programs, or homeschoolers have newsworthy stories and photos they would like to share with our readers, send them to: schools@anchornews.org

Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River recently awarded newly-established Rodgers Family Foundation Catholic Education Scholarships to four students from Catholic elementary schools in the Fall River Diocese who will be members of Connolly’s freshman class this fall. In attendance for the distribution of the 2015-2016 Rodgers scholarships were (left to right): Linda Borges, art teacher at St. Michael School and mother of Ethan Borges; Alexius Trahan, St. Michael School; Ethan Borges, St. Michael School; Benjamin Schnurr, Holy Name School; Holy Name School principal, Dr. Patricia Wardell; and Bishop Connolly principal, Christopher Myron. Not pictured is Rodgers Scholarship recipient Ashton O’Leary, St. Michael School.

Graduates of the Class of 1965 from Bishop Cassidy and Monsignor Coyle high schools were on hand at the Coyle and Cassidy High School (Taunton) Class of 2015 Baccalaureate Mass. They were awarded Golden Diplomas in honor of celebrating their 50th reunion year.

18

June 19, 2015

Assistant vocations director reflects on task at hand continued from page one

ideal choice to assist vocations director Father Kevin A. Cook and Sister Paulina Hurtado, O.P., episcopal representative for religious and fellow associate vocations director, in addressing what Father Peschel rightly referred to as a “vocations crisis” on the diocesan level.

“It’s no secret that we have a vocations crisis in the Church,” Father Peschel said. “I think it was in one of Father Tim Goldrick’s recent columns (in The Anchor) where he talked about how in the next five years, 17 priests will be retiring and will be replaced, at best, by four new ones (being ordained). We will start to feel that numbers crunch in this diocese a year from now, when the first of these big classes starts to retire and we realize that next year we don’t have a single ordination. I think it’s been a backburner issue for a while, but the reality is next year we’re going to realize that there will likely be several parishes sharing priests.”

Stressing that fostering vocations to the priesthood is “important for the future of this diocese,” Father Peschel is eager to try new and innovative things that seem to have been successful in other dioceses.

“I’m hoping we can determine how best we can go about recruiting more young men and bringing an awareness of vocations to each of the parishes, schools and places in the diocese,” he said.

“There are many places that the young men are who can become potential priests. I guess best practices are good because we don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. If it’s working in another diocese and we haven’t tried it yet here, why not?”

In addition to ideas he’s currently brainstorming with members of the Diocesan Vocations Board, Father Peschel has suggested perhaps making the diocesan ordination day a solemnity, so extraordinary Liturgies such as weddings or funerals would not be celebrated in parishes, thereby freeing up priests and parishioners to attend the ordination.

“I think in some dioceses it has been instituted by the bishop,” Father Peschel said. “Every priest gets an invitation to attend an ordination. But the idea if the day was set aside for the bishop to be able to declare that day a solemnity in the diocese, there wouldn’t be funerals or weddings that day, and it would be setting that entire day aside and asking for everyone to gather at the cathedral for the ordination.”

Father Peschel also thinks parishes that have never sent a single young man to the seminary should be held accountable — much in the same way that parishes are commended for raising money for the annual Catholic Charities Appeal.

“I remember one parish councilor commented something to the effect that if we didn’t have a priest who lived here, we’d almost feel like we had been abandoned,” Father Peschel said. “And I said: well, hold on. How many seminarians has this parish sent to the bishop? And if you haven’t sent any, then who is abandoning who?”

Father Peschel pointed to the annual Quo Vadis Days retreat program that the diocesan Vocations Office has sponsored for the past five years as an idea that worked well in other dioceses and was successfully adopted here. This five-day discernment retreat for young men ages 14 to 18 is designed to provide guidance and support in determining what God is calling them to do in life.

Having been involved with Quo Vadis since its inception in the Fall River Diocese, Father Peschel said it has really started to bear fruit with several young men now studying at various levels in the seminary.

“Quo Vadis gets great coverage and a poster about it is sent every year to each parish,” he said. “It’s been well-promoted in the high schools and at the very least it’s giving the guys who are coming a sense that they’re not the only guy between the age of 14 and 18 who is thinking about becoming a priest.”

For Father Peschel, Quo Vadis provided an important sense of camaraderie and brotherhood that carried him through his seminary years.

“Guys who are seriously considering the priesthood can feel like they are the only one in the world,” he said. “And bringing people together like Quo Vadis does helps to build friendships.

I know there’s one kid at one of our high schools who has been on several Quo Vadis Days and he was excited to be getting other guys from his high school to come this year. So, if it builds that kind of excitement in one guy; I mean, as much as Father Cook or I could talk about it or as many pamphlets as we could hand out, nothing can beat the experience of a kid who’s actually been on it recommending it to one of his peers.”

This year’s Quo Vadis Days will

be held July 6-10 at Betania II Marian Retreat Center in Medway.

Noting that attendance has steadily increased each year, Father Peschel expects to have as many as 40 young men on this year’s excursion.

“We’ll accept applications right up until the week before and the place that we go to has a huge capacity — well over 100,” he said. “We’re not looking at it being that big, but I don’t think a number like 40 is out of the question this year. I think the first year we started we had like 25 and we’ve added about five more each year. Last year we had 35 and we’re hoping for 40 this year — that would be a good number to work with.”

As in past years, all of the current seminarians will be involved in Quo Vadis Days, including Deacon Jack Schrader, who will be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop da Cunha on July 11.

“The Quo Vadis retreat will end on Friday and he’ll be ordained the very next day, on Saturday, so I’m praying the man can get some rest,” Father Peschel said.

“We’re hoping to be able to invite those 40 guys from Quo Vadis (to the ordination). Even if we only get 20 of them who will be able to come on Saturday, for them to witness an ordination is very powerful.”

Referring to an ordination as a “moving Liturgy” and “one of the greatest Masses the Church celebrates,” Father Peschel said having so many attend his own ordination a year ago was very edifying.

“There were priests in this diocese that I didn’t even know who came just because I was being ordained into this fraternity, so to speak, of guys who have come for years before me,” he said. “To me, that’s a sign of a witness to the guy being ordained but also to everyone there to support and welcome our new brother.”

Looking back on his own first year as a priest, Father Peschel said celebrating the Sacraments has always been the one thing that brings him the most joy.

“The reality of it is prior to June 7 of last year, I couldn’t celebrate Mass, I could only attend,” he said. “And it’s a beautiful, humbling privilege to be able to stand at that altar, celebrate Mass and preach the Word of God. The Sacraments are at the root of any joys I’ve experienced in my first year of priesthood.

“I can’t put it into words, but it’s a humbling experience to

know that God chose me, God wanted me. Out of everyone in the world, he chose me to be the instrument of His grace, to bring that gift of Heaven to the world.

That, beyond anything else, has

been the greatest source of joy for me.”

Those interested in more information about Quo Vadis Days 2015 should contact their parish priest or visit www.qvdays.org.

Pro-Life Boot Camp readies for fifth session continued from page one

Pro-Life Apostolate director Marian Desrosiers. “Join us and be part of the ‘New Evangelization.’ Protect, cherish and defend all human life.”

It’s a weekend filled with prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, reflection, camaraderie and fun.

Trindade and Borges have been involved with the boot camp since its inception in 2011. The pair has been involved with Desrosiers and assistant director of the Pro-Life Apostolate, Jean Arsenault, for many years.

Trindade is a UMass Dartmouth graduate and works as a YWkids program director for the YWCA in Southeastern Mass., and Borges graduated from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. Both have extolled the benefits of the boot camps and have seen many former campers return to the program as junior staff team members.

Several former attendees shared some experiences with The Anchor.

Grace Valley, who is currently studying at Framingham State University said, “Pro-Life Boot Camp was an experience that I wouldn’t change for the world. It was a weekend filled with fun, new friends, and most importantly, a shared ideal and love of God. I was lucky enough to attend the first-ever version of the camp. I learned so much about myself, about what it is to be Pro-Life, and about my faith, and was supported by the amazing staff and my fellow campers. It was truly an amazing experience that I will hold dear to me for life.”

“Pro-Life Boot Camp is a great time to show and live out your faith with people who share and help you to grow in your faith,” said Joshua Correia of Bishop Stang High School.

“I enjoyed being able to live out my faith with others who do the same. We helped each other grow in our faith and be stronger Catholics and be more Pro-Life! We were trained so that we were always ready to help the Pro-Life movement in whichever way we can!”

Several former campers who came back to volunteer as junior staff explained why they felt the need to be there for

their younger peers.

“I got the privilege of attending Pro-Life Boot Camp as a camper and as a part of the junior staff. Both times that I participated in the camp, I had a great experience that I can look back on with great memories. This weekend at Stonehill College is filled with great opportunities to enrich your faith and meet other young people who share your same beliefs and views. From this experience I have made many longtime friends and learned a lot about the Pro-Life movement,” said Caroline Gaughan, Johnson & Wales University, former camper and junior staff member.

“Pro-Life Boot Camp was a great experience! I learned a lot and made many new friends. I enjoyed it so much as a camper that I came back to help out as a junior staff member so that I could ensure a great experience for the campers,” said Hector Gonzalez, Stonehill College, former camper and junior staff member.

“For campers and staff members, Pro-Life Boot Camp is one of the most effective ways to foster the culture of life. In an immersive and dynamic way, it engages the mind and heart through activity, discussion, and prayer, and its success each year ultimately comes from the fact that it has Christ as its center,” said Nicole O Leary, University of Notre Dame, former camper and current junior staff member.

“Pro-Life Boot Camp showed me that being Pro-Life isn’t just a belief, it is a joyful way of life. At camp, we learned about life issues, but also had a blast in the process! From this experience, I gained a community of friends and an awareness of what it means to be Pro-Life every day,” said Eileen Corkery, Boston College, former camper and junior staff member.

The weekend runs from Friday morning, July 17 until Sunday afternoon, July 19.

For more information about the Pro-Life Boot Camp, or for a registration form, contact the diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate at pla@plrachel.com or call 508675-1311; or visit the Fall River Diocese Pro-Life Boot Camp on Facebook.

19

June 19, 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.

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks June 20 Rt. Rev. Msgr. James Coyle, P.R., LL.D., Pastor, St. Mary, Taunton, 1931 June 21 Rev. Owen F. Clarke, Former Assistant, St. Mary, Fall River, 1918 Rev. Desire V. Delemarre, Pastor, Blessed Sacrament, Fall River, 1926 Rev. George A. Meade, Chaplain, St. Mary’s Home, New Bedford, 1949 Rev. Francis D. Callahan, Pastor, St. Patrick, Wareham, 1948 Rev. Clement Killgoar, SS.CC., Pastor, St. Anthony, Mattapoisett, 1964 Rev. David A. O’Brien, Retired Pastor, SS. Peter & Paul, Fall River, 1976 June 22 Rev. Alexander Zichello, Pastor, St. Francis of Assisi, New Bedford, 1977 June 23 Rev. Finbarr B. McAloon, SS.CC.,Retired Pastor, Holy Trinity, West Harwich, 1980 Rev. George Wichland, CSSR, St. Wenceslaus Church, Baltimore, Md., 1992 June 24 Rev. Bernard F. McCahill, Pastor, SS. Peter & Paul, Fall River, 1907 June 25 Rev. Msgr. Louis A. Marchand, Retired Pastor, St. Anthony, New Bedford, 1941 Rev. Raymond J. Hamel, Chaplain, St. Joseph Orphanage, Fall River, 1960 June 26 Rev. William Moran, Former Pastor, St. Peter, Sandwich, 1891 Rev. Charles P. Gaboury, Former Pastor, Sacred Heart, New Bedford, 1931 Rev. Msgr. Albert Berube, Retried Pastor, St. Anthony, New Bedford, 1973

Around the Diocese

St. Vincent 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 508-235-3228.

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.

A support group to help people cope with the loss of a loved one will meet on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Catholic Education Center, 423 Highland Avenue in Fall River from July 14 through August 25. For more information about these sessions, call 508-678-2828, extension 27, or email rsaraiva@dfrcs.org. The group will also meet from September 23 through November 4 beginning at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday at St. Mary’s Parish, 783 Dartmouth Street in Dartmouth. For more information, call 508-992-7505 or email beni@stmarysdartmouth.org.

The newly-installed pipe organ in the loft of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River is to be celebrated with a Dedication Recital on July 26 at 4 p.m., with David Carrier as guest organist. All are welcome to attend.

Pipes from the instruments at the former Sacred Heart and St. Louis churches form the core of the new instrument. Fund raising continues and donations in any amount will be recognized in the recital program and on the parish website. Donations may be sent to: St. Mary’s Cathedral Pipe Organ Fund, 327 Second Street, Fall River, Mass. 02721. For more information about the organ, visit www.cathedralfallriver.com.

The Diocesan Marriage Preparation Program is looking for married couples who would like to enrich their Marriage while helping engaged couples prepare for their lifetime together. There is also a Re-Marriage Prep Program for couples entering their second Marriages. If you are interested in sharing the joys and challenges of married life, please contact your pastor or the Diocesan Office of Faith Formation at 508-6782828 or email cmcmanus@dfrcs.org.

Retrouvaille is a Christian Peer Ministry sponsored by the Catholic Church for married couples who are experiencing difficulties in their Marriage. If you are considering separation or divorce, Retrouvaille can help! The next Retrouvaille Marriage renewal weekend will be held September 11-13. To register for the weekend or for more information, call 1-800-470-2230 or visit www.helpourmarriage.com.

20

June 19, 2015

Vatican exhibit to open during World Meeting of Families, papal visit

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — Works of art including paintings, sculptures and rare artifacts from the Vatican will be on display just in time for the World Meeting of Families and the visit of Pope Francis to Philadelphia this September. More than 200

works of art, 40 percent of which have never been shown publicly anywhere, are part of the “Vatican Splendors” exhibit opening September 19 at Philadelphia’s venerable Franklin Institute and running through February 2016.

Officials with the families

meeting and the institute announced the arrival of the exhibit during a recent news conference.

Philadelphia is the only east coast destination for the exhibit in a two-city North American tour. The second city has not yet been announced. “We are go-

ing to make Philadelphia shine its brightest in September,” said Donna Crilley Farrell, executive director of the World Meeting of Families. “Vatican Splendors” will be “a showstopper for visitors and Catholics in our region,” she said.

“This is a beautiful opportunity that will connect them.”The nearly 10,000-square-foot exhibit, organized into 11 different galleries, will consist of significant objects collected by Vatican Museums over the span of 2,000 years.

The exhibit includes objects

from the ancient St. Peter’s Basilica and tools used in the construction of the 16th-century basilica and the Sistine Chapel; artwork

by Michelangelo; historical maps, signed documents and a bas-relief sculpture; works by Baroque masters such as Bernini and Guercino; intricately embroidered silk Liturgical vestments; uniforms of the papal Swiss Guard; artwork that dates to the first century; and bone fragments of SS. Peter and Paul as well as relics discovered at their tombs.