07.21.95

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t eanco VOL. 39, NO. 28

Friday, July 21,1995

F ALL RIVER, MASS..

FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER "F.OR . . .S.OUTHEAST ·i. . . MASSACHUSETTS . H,CAPEiCOD & THE ISLANDS I

Southeastern Massachusetts'Largest Weekly

.-----In This

., ATTIRED IN bridal white, Beth Lee stands with Bishop Sean O'Malley following the Ritual for Consecration of Virgins at St. Mary's Cathedral, Fall River. (Dunne photo)

A first for the diocese

Beth Lee one of only 23 in nation to. enter the Order of Virgins B)' Pat McGowan With Catholic News Service report

The rare and moving Ritual for the Consecration of Virgins took place July .I in St. Mary's Cathe~ dral, Fall River, as Beth Lee, a native ofSt. Thomas More parish, Somerset, became one of only 23 women in the nation to enter the Order of Virgins. Last month in Rome, Pope John Paul II marked the 25th anniversary of the ren,ewal of the ancient rite that fell into disuse in the church in the years preceding the Second Vatican Council. Speaking at an international meeting of consecrated virgins, the pope said they are called to join

their lives completely to Christ's by loving him and by loving others as he did. Consecrated virgins are women who take vows of chastity under the direction of a bishop but do not join rel'igious orders. The pope told the women gathered in Rome they can fulfill themselves and their feminine identity through their consecration. "Just as with the woman who follows tht: way of marriage, the consecrated virgin is able to live and express a spousal love: With such a love she becomes in the church a gift for God, for Christ the redeemer and for every brother and sister," the pope said.

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Wheelchair Doesn't Stop lO·Y~ar·Old

Sll Per Year

Chairperson of St. Anne's is honored

Fall River Dominicans merge with two other commullities In a public ceremony to take place tomorrow in East Windsor, CT, three congregations of Dominican women: the Dominican Sisters ofSt. Catherine of Siena of FalI River; the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Newburgh, NY; and the Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor of Ossining, NY, wilI celebrate the foundation of the Dominican Sisters of Hope which took place yesterday at the opening of the new community's first general chapter or formal assembly. Surrounding the Founding Day activities, the new congregation will hold the chapter meeting at Mont Marie, Holyoke, through July 26, with time out for tomorrow's ceremony. During the meeting, the sisters will review their first constitutions, deliberate on local organizational structures, and discuss ways of implementing their threefold focus on the poor and marginalized, women, and the earth. The week wil.l culminate in election of the congregation's first leadership team. The Dominican Sisters of Hope number some 350 members from 21 states and 35 dioceses. Ministries focus on various aspects of education and health care. Three Centers of Hope will be maintained at the community's current facilities, with administrative offices located in Ossining. Collaboration of the three Dominican groups began in 1981 when the Newburgh and Ossining sisters began discussions of sharing an infirmary and establishing one formation team for both congregations. At an assembly in August 1990, the Fall Rivt:r congregation was formally accepted into - the process, and plans began for forming a totally new congregation. The time-consuming process has involved input from alI members of the three congregations and has required great commitment from the many sisters who have served on various committees planning ways of sharing personnel, resources, talents and skills: Reasons for the union include the calLof the church to a revitalTurn to Page Nine

Lots to Eat at Blessing of Fleet • Pag~"l1

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Wedded to Christ and his church, the pope said, consecrated virgins are called to "share his style of a life - marked by humility and meekness - of love and mercy, service and joyful availability, of untiring zeal for the glory of the Father and the salvation of humankind." Consecrated virgins are a "visible sign of the virginity of the church, an instrument of her fruitfulness and a witness of her fidelity to Christ," he said. They are called to be the "working hand of the generosity of the local church, the voice of her prayer, the expression of her mercy, the

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Sister Joanna Fernandes, O.P., chairperson of Saint Anne's Hospital, Fall River, has received one of the first Caritas Christi Medals awarded by the Caritas Christi Health Care System, a leading New England health care provider sponsored by the Boston archdiocese. The medals are presented to individuals who exemplify "Caritas Christi," meaning the love or charity of Christ, and have made outstanding contributions to the field of Catholic health care. In conferring the honor on Sister Joanna, Michael F. Collins, M.D., Caritas Christi president, said, "In our business, most of us would do well to reflect more often on the mission of Catholic health care. If, as most of us believe, that mission includes caring for society's most destitute, Sister Joanna Fernandes lives it." A Taunton native and a graduate of Saint Anne's Hospital School of Nursing, Sister Joanna is a member of the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation, who founded Saint Anne's Hospital in 1906. She is chairperson of the hospital's board of trustees and provincial superior of her community, a post to which she has been twice elected. Several years ago, with AIDS devastating ever-increasing numbers in Southeastern Massachusetts, Sister Joanna decided to reach out to patients who were also homeless. She wanted to establish a home where the spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical needs of such patients could be met with love, dignity and respect. Undaunted by regulatory hurdles and roadblocks and the enormous costs of such a project and supported by her formidable faith, prayer and unwavering persistence, Sister Joanna realized her vision last September when Bishop Sean O'Malley dedicated Hope House, a 10-person residence for persons living with AIDS. "By her words, her example and her deeds, Sister Joanna has shown all of us what it means to follow the healing ministry of Christ," Collins declared. Saint Anne's Hospital offers a wide range of medical and surgical services to southern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island residents and is known especially for its Turn to Page I I

- - - - - - - -...... ~~~t 4nne's Otters

Sa.t~:SI .~rPr~ram


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07.21.95 by The Anchor - Issuu