Diocese of Fall River
The Anchor
F riday , August 12, 2011
Mission chapels welcome spike in Mass attendance By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff
CAPE COD — As locals and transients alike flock to vacation hot-spots along the idyllic shores of Cape Cod during the summer months, parishes notice a sharp increase in Mass attendance at their smaller and often more remote mission chapels. According to Father Thomas Washburn, O.F.M., pastor of St. Margaret’s Parish in Buzzards Bay, weekly Mass attendance at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in nearby Onset more than quadruples during the summer. “We have one Mass a week on Sunday at 9 a.m.,” Father Washburn said. “Having just completed our July count, we have about 250 to 275 people attending that Mass during the summer time. This is a huge increase, as we only see about 50 to 60 people at that same Mass through the winter.” Over at St. Anthony’s Chapel on Gault Road in West Wareham, the mission of St. Patrick’s Parish
in Wareham regularly draws capacity crowds to the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass. Even despite rainy weather last Sunday, standing-room-only attendees were huddled at the front entrance. “This is pretty typical during the summer,” said Father John M. Sullivan, pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish, who celebrated the 9 a.m. Mass. “If it gets too crowded, we sometimes have to set up benches outside. We can only seat 128 people inside the chapel.” Even with a Saturday Vigil Mass and three Masses on Sunday morning at the parish’s main church on High Street, Father Sullivan said the mission chapel serves an important need year-round. “We generally have a pretty full chapel for the 9 a.m. Mass, even during the winter months,” Father Sullivan said. “We also have a 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday at the chapel which draws a slightly smaller congregation.” While an influx of vacationers Turn to page 14
gospel of love — Father Roger J. Landry presented “The Good News About Human Love In the Divine Plan: Blessed Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body,” to a full house at the Holy Family Parish Center in East Taunton last Saturday. (Photo by Becky Aubut)
Faithful attend conference on Church’s teachings on love and marriage By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff
TAUNTON — The Holy Family Parish Center in East Taunton hosted Catholics from across the diocese for a day-long conference by Father Roger J. Landry entitled “The Good News about Human Love in the Divine Plan: Blessed John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.” Broken down into eight sections, the six-hour con-
ference saw Father Landry take attendees back to the beginning of the original unity of man and woman, touch on contemporary issues facing couples today, and use Christ’s teachings to help parlay the Church’s message regarding the sanctity of marriage. “Love is so often misunderstood in our culture,” said Father Landry. “If we misunderstand what love is, we misunderstand who God is,” because God is Turn to page 18
St. Mary’s parishioners live faith through Social Concerns Committee By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff
STANDING ROOM ONLY — The faithful spill out onto the front steps of St. Anthony’s Chapel in West Wareham last weekend as Father John J. Sullivan celebrates Mass. The mission chapel of St. Patrick’s Parish in Wareham regularly hosts large congregations during the summer that sometimes requires benches to be set up outside. (Photo by Kenneth J. Souza)
SOUTH DARTMOUTH — Even though he was already active in various outreach efforts through his local community and parish, it wasn’t until Ken Sylvia helped get the Social Concerns Committee kick-started at St. Mary’s Parish in South Dartmouth that he realized he was seeking to live out Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. “It’s something that brings tears to my eyes and helps me each and every day, knowing that I’m being Christ’s hands, feet and body,” Sylvia said. “I think that’s what we’re all called to do.” Now approaching its fifth anniversary, the Social Concerns Committee at St. Mary’s Parish was formed at the suggestion of the parish’s parochial vicar, Father Francis J. Moy, S.J., who had been instrumental in getting similar groups started at two previous parishes where he was assigned.
“In both places I managed to get social concerns really rolling,” Father Moy said. “At a parish in Connecticut, we served some inner-city (families) in New York. But each of the committees has since grown and both
are still going strong.” Like many parishes, St. Mary’s already had a St. Vincent de Paul Society in place to help the poor and needy within their ranks, but as Father Moy exTurn to page 18
REACHING OUT — Members of the Social Concerns Committee at St. Mary’s Parish in South Dartmouth recently sponsored a summer cookout for families in need at Fort Taber State Park in New Bedford. The committee has been growing at the parish for the past four years. (Photo by Father Francis J. Moy, S.J.)
News From the Vatican
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August 12, 2011
Summer novels are fine, but pick up the Bible, too, pope says
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) — While there’s nothing wrong with a bit of light reading in the summer, reading a book or two of the Bible also can be a relaxing — as well as enlightening — vacation activity, Pope Benedict XVI said. “Naturally, many of the books of literature we pick up during vacation are for a diversion, and this is normal,” he said recently as he held his weekly general audience in the town square at Castel Gandolfo. With some 4,500 visitors and pilgrims present for the audience, the gathering was too large to be held in the courtyard of the pope’s summer villa. The human need to relax is something to be thankful for, the pope said, because “it tells us that we were not made only to work, but also to think, reflect or simply to follow, with our mind and heart, a story we can identify with or even lose ourselves in and so find ourselves enriched.” Pope Benedict said, “The Bible is a little library born over the course of a millennium,” and some of the books inside are very
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short. They would be a great place to start for someone who has never read an entire book of the Bible. The short ones the pope suggested were Tobit, “an account which contains a very elevated sense of family and marriage,” Esther “in which the Jewish queen — with faith and prayer — saves her people from extermination,” or Ruth, the story of “a foreigner who knows God and experiences His providence.” The three books, he said, “can be read in less than an hour.” Longer, “true masterpieces,” he said, include the Book of Job, “which faces the great problem of the suffering of the innocent; Ecclesiastes, which is striking for the disturbing modernity with which it discusses the meaning of life and of the world; and the Song of Songs, a stupendous symbolic poem of human love.” The pope said that by reading the Bible, and not just novels, “moments of relaxation can become not only moments of cultural enrichment, but also nourishment for the spirit that increases knowledge of God and dialogue with Him in prayer.” OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 55, No. 30
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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
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papal time keeper — Solar noon is marked as a shaft of light crosses the meridian at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and Martyrs near the Termini railway station in Rome. The meridian, commissioned by 18th-century Pope Clement XI, was built to make highly accurate celestial observations. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
High Noon: How the sun and moon guided prayer times and liturgy
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Hidden among the paving stones of St. Peter’s Square there is a simple clock and calendar. All you need is a sunny day. The 83-foot stone obelisk in the middle of the square acts as a sundial that can accurately indicate midday and the two solstices thanks to a granite meridian and marble markers embedded in the square. Pope Benedict XVI proudly pointed out the hidden timepiece during an Angelus address he gave on the winter solstice a few years ago. “The great obelisk casts its shadow in a line that runs along the paving stones toward the fountain beneath this window and in these days, the shadow is at its longest of the year,” he told pilgrims from the window of his library. In fact, at noon on December 21, the obelisk’s shadow falls on the marble disk furthest from the obelisk’s base, while at noon on June 21 — the summer solstice — the tip of the shadow will fall just a few yards from the obelisk. In between are five other disks marking when the sun enters into which sign of the zodiac. A long, thin granite strip running from the obelisk toward the pope’s window and through one of the fountains acts as the meridian: a line that indicates when the sun has reached true or solar noon and is at its highest point in the sky. The pope, in his solstice soliloquy, reminded people that the Church has always been keenly interested in astronomy to help guide and establish fundamental liturgical days and the times of prayer such as the Angelus, which is recited in the morning, at noon and in the evening. While sunrise and sunset are easy to figure out, sundials could accurately tell midday, he said. Even when early mechanical clocks were introduced, they were a luxury item for a few and not al-
ways accurate, so using the sun to mark true noon was an important backup. In the 18th-century, Pope Clement XI decided to create an official reference point for telling time in Rome. He commissioned astronomer Francesco Bianchini to build a meridian inside the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and Martyrs, which was restored by Michelangelo. The basilica’s elaborate meridian was meant to do much more than mark midday; it was built to make highly accurate celestial observations and solve complex astronomical problems, said a U.S. historian of science. John Heilbron, emeritus professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley, told Catholic News Service that St. Mary of the Angels “could do things you couldn’t do with telescopes at the time” like find out precise information about the inclination of the Earth’s axis. Heilbron, who wrote “The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories,” said the basilica’s meridian was also used “to establish a very good value for the length of the year.” Pope Clement wanted to verify the accuracy of the Gregorian reform of the calendar and its calculation of Easter, which had still not been widely accepted among the Protestant churches at the time. The real problem for the Church was “how to compute the moons which are essential for the determination of Easter,” said Jesuit Father Juan Casanovas, a solar astronomer and historian of astronomy. The Council of Nicea tackled the problem in 325 and interpreted the Mosaic rule by defining Easter to be observed on the Sunday that followed the first full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. However, there were still complicated tables involved in calculating Easter because the Julian
calendar used at the time was no longer in sync with the seasons. The Gregorian reform got rid of 10 days to bring the vernal equinox back to the traditional date of March 21, Father Casanovas told CNS. However, the Orthodox Church did not accept the pope’s authority nor his calendar. Still today the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar for religious functions, resulting in the Eastern date for Easter usually falling later than the Western date though occasionally the dates coincide. While Pope Gregory XIII’s reform of the calendar in 1582 was not perfect, it is still easy, practical and almost universally accepted in civil society today, Father Casanovas said. Calendars will never be perfect because “a calendar deals with whole days, not fragments of hours, seconds and thousandths of a second so you have to be ready to add one day or remove a day from the calendar now and then,” he said. Having a leap year has been successful but “it’s not enough. There is still a little error and after centuries it accumulates,” he said. The calendar is expected to gain a day by the year 4500. There have been many proposals to get the world synced to one perpetual calendar, but perfection and accuracy would come at a price. For example, a seven-day week doesn’t work well mathematically, the astronomer said, because “if you divide the number of days in a year by seven, there is one day left and with a leap year there are two days left.” But no one wants to meddle with the seven-day week, he said. The Hebrew, Muslim and Gregorian calendars — even though they are radically different — are all based on a seven-day week as reflected in Genesis’ account of the number of days of creation.
August 12, 2011
The International Church
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Knights called to foster Christian unity, carry out new evangelization
severe drought — A woman walks past carcasses of cattle in the drought-stricken Eladow area in Wajir, northeastern Kenya, recently. The drought, the worst in decades, has affected about 12 million people across the Horn of Africa. (CNS photo/Stringer via Reuters)
Growing influx of refugees poses challenge for giant Kenyan camp
DADAAB, Kenya (CNS) — It took 32 days for Fatima Mohammed to make it from her droughtracked farm in Somalia to the relative safety of a sprawling refugee settlement in northeastern Kenya. There were days, she recalled, when her children were so thirsty that they could not walk and the men in her family would ferry them ahead, returning to carry two more children in their arms. Fatima Mohammed told Catholic News Service that her family had lived through drought before, but that support from aid agencies helped them survive until the rains returned. “This time, al-Shabaab won’t let them in,” she said, referring to the Islamist group that controls portions of Somalia. “So when our animals started dying, our only choice was to stay and die ourselves, or else start walking for Kenya.” They trekked across the desolate stretch of African bush, all 11 members of the family, often walking with other families in large groups to dissuade attacks from wild animals and bandits. They arrived in Dadaab at the end of May. As the world has watched, in recent weeks the three camps that make up the Dadaab refugee complex have swollen to barely manageable proportions. Originally designed for 90,000 refugees when it opened two decades ago, the complex today hosts upward of 390,000 refugees, plus at least 60,000 people who have fled Somalia but are not yet officially registered with camp managers. United Nations officials say 1,300 newcomers arrive every day. The rapid growth — and the dramatic media attention — has brought an influx of new agencies looking for ways to augment
the work of the almost two dozen nongovernmental organizations already here. Among the newcomers is Catholic Relief Services, which sent an assessment team to Dadaab in July. CRS sponsors programs in other parts of Kenya but it doesn’t work in Dadaab. The agency’s executive vice president for overseas operations, Sean Callahan, said that while CRS is looking at ways to support the work of others, it’s unlikely to get directly involved. “We want to come here and assist, but we also recognize this is one of those intractable situations,” Callahan said. “If you get into the camps, you may never get out. Our priority is helping people become self-sustainable, and this doesn’t look like one of those situations. So we’re listening and trying to figure out how best we can contribute.” The need for assistance is clear, however. “Most people here seem to have no strategy to go back, so the Kenyan government is in tight bind. The international community has to step up and help them,” Callahan said. According to the camp manager, Anne Wangari, Dadaab’s long-term residents have helped fill the gaps that emerged with the new influx, despite cultural differences. “Refugees have been coming here since time immemorial, but the new refugees are different than the old refugees, who have been living under Kenyan law for 20 years. They know the usefulness of queuing and a bit of patience. But queuing and courtesy are foreign to the new arrivals, who want to go to the food distributions with a weapon,” said Wangari, a former Sister of Loretto who now works for the ACT Alliance, a network of Protes-
tant aid agencies. “When the newcomers arrive hungry, the refugee community has gone out of its way to receive them and give them supplies, food and clothes,” she explained. “This has happened in all the camps. When the United Nations stopped giving biscuits, the old refugees went to the shops and bought biscuits. They let the new arrivals settle on their small plots. The sense of sharing among the Somalis, and among the Muslims, is great.” Callahan said he would prefer to respond at the source of the refugee flow, within Somalia, but security concerns make that impossible. “We’ve been in and out of Somalia over the years. We consult with Bishop (Giorgio) Bertin (apostolic administrator of Mogadishu) on how we should act and what we should do, and through him we are funding some projects addressing hunger there. He has advised us to be very cautious about going into Somalia, and currently, given the U.S. position on it, we can’t,” he said. The U.S. government designates the Islamist group al-Shabaab, which controls a large portion of Somalia, to be a terrorist group, and thus prohibits U.S. organizations from working in areas it controls. Callahan admitted that the idea of intervening in Somalia is “huge and complicated,” but must be addressed. “If people are ready to risk their lives and cross the border, at times with a dead baby on their back, we’re doing something wrong as an international community. We have to step up and start evaluating where we intervene as an international community in order to protect people’s rights to life and dignity,” he said.
DENVER (CNS) — The archbishop of Quebec told members of the Knights of Columbus gathered in Denver for their convention he hoped they would be transformed, just as the first disciples had been transformed at the Transfiguration. “The Gospel reminds us that ‘Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain ... and He was transfigured before them,’” said Archbishop Gerald Cyprian Lacroix, quoting from the Gospel of St. Matthew. “This year the Lord has led us up a high mountain to the Mile High City for a very special experience; hopefully a transfigurating experience,” he said. Archbishop Lacroix, who also is the primate of Canada, was one of three speakers at the Knights’ States Dinner. The others were Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iniguez of Guadalajara, Mexico, and U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, who is prefect of the Apostolic Signature, the Vatican’s supreme tribunal. In his remarks, Cardinal Sandoval encouraged Knights to familiarize themselves with “Ecclesia in America,” Blessed John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation on the 1997 Synod of Bishops for America. “The letter ... is a document that sheds light on the reality of our America,” he said. “It proposes solutions based on the Scriptures and sets lofty and noble goals for our apostolic work.” Of the ideas discussed in the document, he said the most prominent is unity. “Blessed John Paul II possessed a deep intuition about the continent’s unity, a unity that serves as
both a point of departure and a goal for our pastoral actions,” he said. “Between Catholics and members of other Christian faiths, we make up the majority of the inhabitants of the hemisphere. “Our common problems, which are many and serious, must be confronted based on our identity and faith in Christ,” he said. Cardinal Burke, a “brother Knight” for 36 years, delivered the keynote address, in which he spoke on the life and witness of Blessed John Paul and the significance of carrying out the new evangelization the late pontiff promoted. “Before the daunting challenge of living the Catholic faith in a totally secularized society, he (Pope John Paul) called the whole Church to the work of the new evangelization — to the work of teaching, celebrating and living our Catholic faith with the engagement and energy of the first Christians and of the first missionaries to our nations,” he said. Cardinal Burke explained that teaching the truth of conscience must be one of the Church’s priorities in today’s society. “In a culture bombarded with the noises and false images of secularization,” he said, “the Church, out of love of all our brothers and sisters, that is for the sake of the common good, must make the voice of conscience ‘audible and intelligible once more for people.’” He also addressed evangelization through participation in public life. The cardinal urged the members of the Knights to remain steadfast in their witness “even in the face of indifference and hostility.”
August 12, 2011 The Church in the U.S. Across political spectrum, HHS action draws religious liberty protests
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WASHINGTON (CNS) — When it comes to issues of religious freedom, Bill Donohue thinks the Obama administration has put religious employers between a rock and a hard place. Commenting on the Department of Health and Human Services’ August 1 announcement that contraceptives and sterilization will be among the mandated preventive services for women under the new health reform law, the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights recalled that as a presidential candidate, Barack Obama said faith-based programs that receive government aid should not be allowed to hire only members of their own faith. “If you get a federal grant, you can’t use that grant money
to proselytize to the people you help and you can’t discriminate against them — or against the people you hire — on the basis of their religion,” Obama said in a July 1, 2008, speech in Zanesville, Ohio. Now, HHS is proposing that only religious employers meeting four criteria would be exempt from providing contraceptives and female sterilization through their health plans. Those requirements are that the organization “(1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a nonprofit organization” under specific sections of the Internal Revenue Code.
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“In other words, the Obama administration is playing Catch-22 with religious employers,” Donohue said. “If they are too religious, Catholic social service agencies risk losing federal funds, but if Catholic hospitals are not sufficiently religious, they cannot be exempt from carrying health insurance policies that transgress their religious tenets.” The announcement of the narrow “religious exemption” proposed by HHS — and subject to a 60-day comment period — has drawn strong criticism not only from those known to oppose Obama and his health reform law. Stephen S. Schneck, director of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, said in a commentary published by National Catholic Reporter newspaper before the August 1 announcement that he had supported Obama’s nomination of then-Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to head HHS, even though she took a “pro-choice stance on abortion.” “Those of us who supported Sebelius’ nomination argued forcefully that she should not be penalized because her conscience reached different conclusions on contentious issues from those reached by the leaders of the Catholic Church,” Schneck wrote. “But it would be a tragic irony if, in adopting the new rules, Sebelius declined to afford to Catholic Church organizations the same conscience rights we invoked when defending her nomination,” he added. “Those of us
who joined ‘Catholics for Sebelius’ did not do so to see our conscience rights eviscerated.” Sister Carol Keehan also found fault with the conscience protections in the HHS guidelines. “The language is not broad enough to protect our Catholic health providers,” said the president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, who was a key supporter of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Sister Carol, a member of the Daughters of Charity, said her organization would submit written comments to HHS “and will continue our dialogue with government officials on the essential need for adequate conscience protections.” Writing in the August 1 issue of America magazine, Catholic University President John Garvey recalled U.S. President George Washington’s letter to a group of Quakers in 1789, in which he wrote, “In my opinion the conscientious scruples of all men should be treated with great delicacy and tenderness: and it is my wish and desire that the laws may always be as extensively accommodated to them, as a due regard for the protection and essential interests of the nation may justify and permit.” “I think it is a point of pride for Americans that, even with the differences we have had recently over many issues of health care, we adhere so carefully to Washington’s promise of conscientious accommodation,” Garvey said. But, he added, “I worry that this distinguished record of liberal toleration might soon come to an end.”
Garvey urged HHS to “consider our historical commitment to religious liberty in deciding what kinds of services to mandate” under the new health reform law. “The administration promised that Americans who like their current health care coverage could keep it after we enacted the new reform,” Garvey noted. “Employers, employees and issuers who have moral and religious objections to sterilization, contraception and abortion are now free to have health care coverage that excludes these practices. It would break both old and new promises to deprive them of that liberty.” Mercy Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said on the USCCB media blog that the HHS regulation “conveniently ignores the underlying principle of Catholic charitable actions: We help people because we are Catholic, not because our clients are.” “There’s no need to show your baptismal certificate in the hospital emergency room, the parish food pantry or the diocesan drug rehab program,” she wrote. “Or any place else the Church offers help, either.” Sister Walsh said it makes no sense for Catholic Charities agencies to “use money that would be better spent on feeding the poor to underwrite services that violate Church teachings.” “Whatever you think of artificial birth control, HHS’ command that everyone, including churches, must pay for it exalts ideology over conscience and common sense,” she said.
August 12, 2011
The Church in the U.S.
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Memorial Mass for nuncio will be celebrated next month at national shrine
no stopping them — Wilfrid Macena, an amputee who is a member of the Tarantulas soccer team in Haiti, speaks alongside his teammates during a press conference at the Knights of Columbus 129th annual convention in Denver recently. Macena is a technician in the Knights-sponsored Prosthetic and Orthotic Laboratory for University of Miami’s Project Medishare in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Members of the soccer squad of adult amputees displayed their skills for convention-goers. Jointly with Project Medishare, the Knights will sponsor the team in an East Coast tour this fall. (CNS photo/courtesy Knights of Columbus)
No lack of resources available to prepare Catholics for new missal
WASHINGTON (CNS) — As Catholics look toward November 27, when the new edition of the Roman Missal goes into use in the United States, there is no lack of resources to help them prepare for the new sound and feel of the liturgy. Dozens of books and brochures have been published or are in the works, along with many DVDS and audiotapes aimed at specific audiences — from priests to teens to elementary school students. But how can average Catholics know what the best resources are for their particular circumstances? Father Richard Hilgartner, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat on Divine Worship, advises people to look to their pastors, diocesan worship offices or Catholic bookstores for recommendations. “Anything will ultimately be helpful in some way,” he told Catholic News Service. “But some materials are more targeted at different age groups and audiences.” Some of the resources are designed to work best in an adult religious education or smallgroup faith formation program. Ascension Press, for example, has released “A Biblical Walk Through the Mass,” a five-part DVD series, book and workbook, along with a 20-page “Guide to the New Translation of the Mass,” which includes a pull-out reference card detailing the new responses by the people at various parts of the Mass. “Perhaps more than any other time in recent history, people’s attention will be focused on the Mass,” said Catholic theologian Edward Sri, who wrote “A Bib-
lical Walk Through the Mass” and the briefer guide. “This is an excellent opportunity for catechesis and faith formation.” “The Essential Guide to Catholic Prayer and the Mass,” written by Catholic columnist Mary DeTurris Poust and published by Alpha Books, has a similar goal. In addition to describing the upcoming Mass changes, it “offers devoted Catholics a way to explore prayer styles never been considered, and non-Catholics or Catholics on the edge a look into a world that can seem mysterious and intimidating,” according to a news release about the book. Among other new books aimed primarily at adult Catholics are: “Understanding the Mass: 100 Questions, 100 Answers,” written by Mike Aquilina, executive vice president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and published by Servant Books; “The Mass in Scripture” by Catholic biblical scholar Stephen J. Binz and published by Our Sunday Visitor; and “Mass Revision: How the Liturgy Is Changing and What It Means for You” by Catholic author Jimmy Akin and published by Catholic Answers. That does not mean there aren’t ample resources available for other ages. Life Teen, the Arizona-based national program for Catholic teen-agers, recently introduced “Word for Word,” a book and DVD designed to update high school students, middle schoolers and their parents about the coming changes. For younger children, Liturgy Training Publications has published “What’s New About the Mass” by Maureen Kelly for third- to seventh-graders with
an accompanying handbook for teachers and catechists. Liguori Publications has a four-page brochure called “Going to Mass with Roman Missal” by Father Joe Weiss, explaining the upcoming changes in simple language. Seven publishers — Catholic Book Publishing Corporation in Totowa, N.J.; Liturgical Press in Collegeville, Minn.; Liturgy Training Publications in Chicago; Magnificat in Yonkers, N.Y.; Midwest Theological Forum in Woodridge, Ill.; USCCB Communications in Washington; and World Library Publications in Franklin Park, Ill. — have been authorized to print the new missal, with completion expected by October 1. Many of them also are offering preparatory materials on the missal through special websites. The bishops’ divine worship secretariat also has a variety of resources available at www.usccb.org/romanmissal. Each publisher has a slightly different emphasis, however, Father Hilgartner said. Liturgy Training Publications and Liturgical Press are focusing on catechetical resources and resources for priests, he said, while Magnificat has an emphasis on personal devotional material and World Library Publications has a special interest in hymnals and other musical aids for worship. But because the USCCB is also a publisher, in order to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, the divine worship secretariat is making no recommendations for specific resources on the missal. “Just check the publishers you usually check with,” Father Hilgartner said. “Most of them have stepped up.”
WASHINGTON (CNS) — A memorial Mass for Archbishop Pietro Sambi, who died July 27, will be celebrated September 14 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will be the main celebrant of the noon Mass, according to an announcement by the USCCB. The 73-year-old Italian archbishop, apostolic nuncio to the United States since February 2006, died at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore from complications related to lung surgery three weeks earlier. In Washington, the memorial Mass will be on the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross and will coincide with the fall meeting of the USCCB Administrative Committee. Bishops from around the country will concelebrate, including Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington. Msgr. Jean-Francois Lantheaume, charge d’affaires at the apostolic nunciature, also will be a concelebrant. Archbishop Dolan said the Mass for Archbishop Sambi will be an opportunity to express “gratitude for his priestly example and timeless service to the Holy Father and to the Church.” The Mass also will be an op-
portunity for the diplomatic corps to pay its respects to Archbishop Sambi. As Vatican ambassador to the United States, he was a member of the corps. In a separate statement, Msgr. Walter Rossi, the shrine’s rector, said the late archbishop was a familiar face at the national shrine, serving as the celebrant and homilist for Christmas, Easter and other Church feast days. He said the shrine is honored to be the site of the memorial Mass because “in many respects the national shrine serves as the nuncio’s cathedral.” Archbishop Sambi was “everything you would want in a bishop and priest,” Msgr. Rossi said. “He was kind, gentle, tough when he had to be, a deeply spiritual man, a well-educated man, the consummate diplomat and a priest with ... a great sense of care and responsibility for the people.” “I consider myself blessed to call Archbishop Sambi a friend and although he is no longer physically present with us, I am confident that together with the Church in the United States, I have a friend in heaven,” Msgr. Rossi said. “As Archbishop Sambi carefully watched over the Church in the United States during the past five years, I trust he will continue to watch over us and intercede before God on our behalf,” the priest added.
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The Anchor The trampling of conscience
On August 1, Kathleen Sebelius, appointed by President Obama to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced that beginning a year from now all new private insurance plans must provide free “preventive care” for women, which includes not just mammograms, blood pressure checks, breastfeeding support, domestic violence counseling, diabetes and STD testing and counseling, but also free access to sterilization and all contraceptives (including clearly abortifacient ones) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The new federal regulations are part of the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act promoted and signed by President Obama, who had previously assured wary religious groups that the act would protect conscience rights. As an indication that the Obama administration recognized that they were breaking that promise and compelling employers and employees with religious objections to offering or paying higher premiums to fund others’ free access to contraception and abortion-causing pills, the HHS offered certain non-profit religious organizations whose purpose is the “inculcation of religious values” and which primarily employs and serves those who share its religious tenets an opportunity to apply for an exemption. But this conscious clause was so narrowly worded that most Catholic institutions — like hospitals, universities, schools, and social service programs — would not qualify because they do not serve exclusively or primarily Catholics but those who are qualified or in need. There are several grave issues in the new regulations. The first is that HHS is trying to pretend that surgical sterilization, contraception and chemically-induced abortions are “preventive care” that enhance the health of women. This concept treats pregnancy as a pathological condition and a child in the womb as a virus or tumor that should be prevented or eliminated if prevention fails. Some have tried to argue that sterilizations, contraception, and abortifacients (like the FDA-approved “ella” which can abort a baby several weeks after conception) are “preventive” in the sense that they can prevent surgical abortions, but abortion is not a disease condition either, but a totally optional, and tragic decision made by a woman and a paid abortionist. Rather than preventing a disease, moreover, contraception and abortions in many circumstances actually contribute to causing many of the health complications that the morally unobjectionable parts of the new “preventive” regulations for women seek to combat. To focus just on contraception, multiple recent studies have demonstrated that contraceptive use may increase the risk of heart attacks, blood clots, high blood pressure, strokes and sexually-transmitted diseases like Chlamydia and HIV. The “Physicians Desk Reference” warns contraception users of “serious and possibly life-threatening side effects,” including chest pain, coughing up blood, blood clots in the lung, leg, and eyes, heart attacks, severe headaches and vomiting, vision and speech problems, breast cancer or fibrocystic disease, liver tumors, depression, jaundice, fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite. One of the reasons why contraception is mostly only by prescription is precisely because of these risks. For this reason, it is simply a scientific contradiction, not to mention a lie, to call contraception, sterilization and abortifacient pills “preventive” medicine. Even more alarming, the new regulations trample on the freedom of conscience — both the freedom and the conscience — of employers or those in private health plans who have objections to having to provide and pay for others to access this pseudo-preventive counterfeit care. Currently, employers, insurance companies and those who are privately self-insured are totally free under federal law to offer, purchase and negotiate health coverage that excludes things like sterilization and contraception that they find immoral. Up until the Obama administration and the PPACA, the federal government had a longstanding commitment to respect and protect the conscience rights of all citizens and to allow health care institutions, religious employers and enrollees to participate fully in health programs without violating their convictions. The Obama administration is now taking away that freedom — and seeing what the reaction will be. The conscience clause offered by HHS is a clear admission that the administration anticipated some objections. But the exemption pathway is basically lip service rather than a real remedy to the concern. If the administration truly respected the rights of conscience then it would allow any organization or individual with conscientious objections to receive a waiver. To offer just a few people or organizations with moral objections a remedy is, basically, an admission that it is hoping to be able to get a pass on trampling on the moral convictions of most individual citizens while trying to mollify a few larger non-profit objectors. But if that were the plan, it has certainly backfired because the exemption is so narrow that not only does it exclude individual citizens, but most nonprofit religious agencies, like the Catholic Church, which have social outreach to those who are not of their particular religion. As Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of Media Relations for the U.S. Bishops Conference, wrote in a feisty op-ed, “In a tacit acknowledgement that this violates the Constitution’s cherished respect for religious liberty, HHS provides an exemption for religious employers — but with a catch. The church agency can only claim exemption if it primarily serves people of its own faith. It also must meet other requirements, such as employing mostly people of its own faith. This means HHS is setting itself up to determine what constitutes church ministry and who Jesus meant when He referred to serving ‘the least of My brethren.’ Catholic hospitals, charities and educational institutions provide about $30 billion worth of service annually in this country. No one presents a baptismal certificate at the emergency room. The hungry do not recite the Creed to get groceries at the food pantry. Students can pursue learning at The Catholic University of America, Villanova or any other Catholic college without passing a catechism admissions test. The commitment to serve those in need, the sick, the hungry, the uneducated, is intrinsic to Catholicism. No federal rule (except now HHS’) says the Church must limit its service to Catholics if it is to be true to its teaching. HHS doesn’t get the parable of the Good Samaritan, who helped the stranger simply because he was in need. Look at the numbers. Catholic hospitals admit about 5.6 million people annually. That’s one out of every six persons seeking hospital care in the United States. Catholic Charities serves more than nine million people annually. Catholic colleges and universities teach 850,000 students annually. Among those served are Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics and members of any other religious or irreligious group you can name. For the time being HHS has given itself wiggle room, saying that the public in the next two months can suggest an ‘alternative’ definition of a ‘religious employer.’ That’s good because health care reform ought to increase access to basic care, not push religious groups to either violate their principles or abandon service to those in need, whatever their religious beliefs.” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the USCCB Committee on ProLife Activities, is calling the attention of Catholics and all interested citizens to do far more than simply try to get the HHS to change its definition, but to tackle what he calls “a major deficiency in PPACA,” namely that “it lacks a conscience clause to prevent the act itself from being used to suppress the rights and freedoms of those who may have moral or religious objections to specific procedures.” He wrote to members of Congress asking them the address this “serious flaw regarding lack of conscience rights” by supporting the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179), introduced by Representatives Dan Boren (D-Okla.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.). “This legislation,” he said, “would change no current state or federal mandate for health coverage, but simply prevent any new mandates under PPACA – such as [HHS’] ‘preventive services for women’ — from being used to disregard the freedom of conscience that Americans now enjoy.” Readers are urged to call their U.S. Representatives and persuade them to protect our legitimate rights of conscience by supporting this bill. They’re also asked to contact Dr. Mary Wakefield, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (womensguidelines@hrsa.gov or 301-443-2216) and urge the government to eliminate sterilizations, contraception and abortifacient pills from female “preventive care.”
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August 12, 2011
‘Habemus Papam’
the Church. n the late afternoon of April 19, After studying philosophy and theol2005, the white smoke began to rise ogy from 1946 to 1951 at Freising and the from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel University of Munich, he was ordained a and the bells of the Basilica began to toll. Those present and those around the world priest on June 29, 1951, the solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul. He just celebrated the were witnessing something that hadn’t 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination. taken place since October of 1978 — the During the homily of that celebration, announcement of a new pope. the pope concluded by saying, “Above About an hour after the smoke began all, it is a time of thanksgiving: thanks to to rise, signifying that the cardinals had the Lord for the friendship that He has elected a successor to St. Peter, one of bestowed upon me and that He wishes to the cardinals came to the central balcony bestow upon us all. Thanks to the people of the Basilica and said, “Annuntio vobis who have formed and accompanied me. gaudium magnum: habemus papam” (“I And all this includes the prayer that the announce to you great joy: we have a pope”). The cardinal then proclaimed that Lord will one day welcome us in His the cardinals had elected Joseph Ratzinger goodness and invite us to contemplate His joy.” who chose the name, Benedict XVI. In 1953 he obtained his doctorate The new pope’s reputation was well in theology and began teaching at the known, but perhaps not always for the university level, which was his passion. right reasons. As I mentioned in last He taught dogmatic and fundamental week’s article, there was a strong bias theology at Freising, Bonn, Munster and against him for his unwavering fidelity to Tubingen. In 1969, he was named the the teachings of the Church. There were, Chair of dogand still are, matic theology many who and history of would like Putting Into dogma at the the Church to University of abandon her the Deep Regensburg, doctrines and where he traditions for a was also vice more “progresBy Father president. sive Church.” Jay Mello People Joseph began to beRatzinger has strongly held and taught that we become a come more of aware of his great theological mind at the Second Vatican Council better and stronger Church by embracing those things that make us Catholic, not by where he made notable contributions as expert theologian and theological advisor trying to change them. to Joseph Cardinal Frings, Archbishop Pope Benedict XVI is a man who of Cologne. During the turbulent times clearly loves Christ and the Church very following the Vatican Council, Ratzinger much and he has dedicated his life to teamed up in 1972 with theologians Hans studying, teaching and writing about the Urs von Balthasar and Henri de Lubac sacred mysteries that we profess belief in to begin the theological journal “Comeach Sunday. He is a man with a depth munio”. of knowledge and tremendous ability to On March 25, 1977, Pope Paul VI articulate the faith in ways similar to that of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. named him Archbishop of Munich and Pope Benedict XVI is truly a remark- Freising. He chose as his episcopal motto: “Co-workers of the truth.” He himself exable man and a worthy successor of plained why: “On the one hand I saw it as St. Peter, but there is so much that he the relation between my previous task as accomplished before becoming pope professor and my new mission. In spite of at the age of 78 that often goes unnodifferent approaches, what was involved, ticed. In this week’s article, therefore, I and continued to be so, was following the would like to highlight some of Joseph truth and being at its service. On the other Ratzinger’s life and work before being hand I chose that motto because in today’s elected pope. world the theme of truth is omitted almost Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was born in entirely, as something too great for man, Germany on April 16, 1927 (Holy Saturand yet everything collapses if truth is day) and was baptized the same day. He was the third and youngest child of Joseph missing.” John Pul II named him Prefect of the Ratzinger Sr. and Maria Ratzinger. His Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith father was a police officer and his mother worked as a cook. His older brother Georg and President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and of the International is also a priest. His sister, Maria died in Theological Commission on Nov. 25, 1991. 1981. Among his greatest contributions His childhood, spent in a small town not far from Salzburg, was not particularly to the Church in this capacity was the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” easy. He credited his faith and the education that he received at home for preparing a compendium of the teachings of the Church. him for the harsh experiences of those Joseph Ratzinger has served the years during which the Nazis took over Germany and maintained a hostile attitude Church as a priest, a theologian, a professor, an author and a bishop. toward Catholics. He remembers one ocThroughout his life, he has allowed the casion in which some Nazi soldiers beat Lord to use him to be an instrument to up the parish priest before the celebration teach the faith. He has fulfilled this task of Mass. with fidelity and tremendous clarity. Let It was precisely during that complex situation that he discovered the beauty and us thank the Lord for the great contributions that he has made to the Church in truth of faith in Christ; fundamental for this was his family’s attitude, who always the modern world. Father Mello is a parochial vicar at gave a clear witness of goodness and hope, rooted in a convinced attachment to St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth.
August 12, 2011
7
The Anchor
What to do with old ceramic or glass vessels
Q: May a celebrant at Mass use a glass chalice when consecrating the wine? Q: We recently purchased new chalices and a paten for our chapel to comply with the instruction that sacred vessels must be made of metal. My question is: What can we legitimately do with the old vessels, which are gold-plated ceramic? Is it appropriate to put them to ordinary use, for instance in festive meals? Or do we need to destroy them somehow? — M.H., Gaithersburg, Md. A: From the historical point of view, glass chalices were known in antiquity up to about the time of St. Gregory the Great (died 604), although most Christians preferred gold and silver vessels, even in time of persecution. Number 328 of the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal states clearly: “Sacred vessels are to be made from precious metal.” Liturgical law, however, allows the bishops’ conference to propose other esteemed materials for use in sacred vessels. The U.S. bishops have allowed for the use of other solid materials “that, according to the common estimation
A
Catholic physician once related to me a powerful story about one of his patients, who had just received a diagnosis of advanced, metastatic cancer and had a relatively short time left to live. The patient mentioned to the doctor that he was Catholic but had drifted away from the Church and no longer practiced. A short time after sharing the diagnosis, the doctor returned to the man’s hospital room together with a priest, asking whether he would like to talk with him. The man became upset and threw them both out of the room, saying to his doctor, “Don’t ever do that again!” Over the next few weeks as his condition worsened, the doctor worked tirelessly with the patient, addressing his medical and pain management needs. He became closer to him each day, and spoke with him about a range of topics. A relationship of trust began to grow and develop. When the patient’s condition took a sharp turn for the worse, the physician knew the end was approaching. Once again he came to the door of the patient’s room accompanied by a priest
unsuitable material for use in each region, are precious, as a chalice, all doubt was for example, ebony or other removed in 2004 with the hard woods,” but, “provided publication of the Instruction that such materials are suited to sacred use and do not easily “Redemptionis Sacramentum,” which said, in number 117: break or deteriorate.” “The Bishops’ Conferences So, can a priest celebrate have the faculty to decide with a glass chalice? The above-mentioned norms didn’t allow for a crystal clear response as they do not specify very much at all. Glass is not widely regarded as a By Father precious material; it Edward McNamara generally seems more like a household product. Some cut crystals, howwhether it is appropriate, once ever, especially if artistically their decisions have been and uniquely fashioned with given the recognitio by the liturgical motifs, might pass Apostolic See, for sacred vesthe quality test. It is certainly not porous and does not easily sels to be made of other solid materials as well. It is strictly deteriorate. But most glass is required, however, that such easily breakable. A rule of materials be truly noble in the thumb in deciding if a matecommon estimation within a rial is suitably strong for use given region, so that honor as a chalice could be called will be given to the Lord by the “clumsy server test.” their use, and all risk of diWhat happens if a server hits minishing the doctrine of the the rim of the chalice with a cruet? If the result is splinters, real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species in the eyes then the material should go to of the faithful will be avoided. the rejection pile. Reprobated, therefore, is While on the basis of these any practice of using for the considerations I would say celebration of Mass common that in most cases glass is
Liturgical Q&A
vessels, or others lacking in quality, or devoid of all artistic merit or which are mere containers, as also other vessels made from glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily. This norm is to be applied even as regards to metals and other materials that easily rust or deteriorate.” Therefore, I do not think that there are any longer any exceptions that would allow for glass chalices. Regarding what to do with unusable chalices and other sacred vessels, canon law states the following in Canon 1171: “Sacred objects, which are designated for divine worship by dedication or blessing, are to be treated reverently and are not to be employed for profane or inappropriate use even if they are owned by private persons.” Indeed the profanation of a sacred object is a punishable crime under Canon 1376. It is possible that vessels no longer considered suitable for liturgical use due to a legal prescription have “ipso facto” lost their blessing and thus their sacred character. In some cases a sacred
Bringing Christ to the clinic and stood there for a moment. situation where His healing The patient caught the doctor’s graces were needed, where even eye, and with a glimmer in his the priest alone probably could own, said rather cryptically, not have succeeded. “Oh, what the heck, he probably A few months ago, a physiknows me better than you do, so cian in Florida told me a similar send him in here.” story from his own experiThe priest didn’t come out of ence. A young man who had the room for over an hour. The man ended up going to Confession and receiving the last Sacraments. Ninety minutes after the priest departed, the man By Father Tad passed on to the Lord. Pacholczyk It might seem bold that the physician brought the priest to the room initially without first been found unconscious from inquiring whether the patient a suspected drug overdose was had wanted a visit from the admitted to the ICU. He was not priest. Yet it was clearly out of brain dead, but his neurologic concern for the patient’s spiriexam was poor, and death was tual needs that he “erred” on imminent. His parents and sister the side of taking that risk. That were at the hospital that Sunday same personal concern, bolmorning when it looked like he stered by a stronger relationship would die in the next hour or with the patient, led him to try so. The physician explained the a second time, making it possituation and then asked if they sible for the man to receive the had any spiritual needs he could Sacraments and make his peace help them with. The father and with God. The physician’s bold- mother indicated they were both ness and unflagging concern for Catholic, but they had never had his patient played an important the children baptized, saying, role in bringing Christ into a “I thought they should make
Making Sense Out of Bioethics
their own decision.” The doctor inquired if they would like their son to be baptized. They nodded yes, even though their daughter didn’t agree. The doctor placed a call to the hospital’s spiritual services but couldn’t reach anyone. He tried calling two local parishes but the priests were saying Mass. Finally he called a retired housebound priest he knew and asked him how to proceed. The priest instructed the physician to baptize the patient conditionally. When the physician returned, the father spontaneously restated that he would like his son baptized. With the nurse and the parents at bedside, the physician took some tap water into his hand and poured it over the patient’s forehead while saying, “I baptize you conditionally in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The patient died within the hour. The physician later commented: “Hopefully the patient was disposed to receive the Sacrament. I believe his
object that has lost its sacred character may be reduced to convenient profane uses. But this would be inappropriate in the case of a chalice or ciboria, which are among the most sacred objects of all. Certainly it would be incorrect to use the chalices for festive meals or any other similar use. Some ceramic vessels may be genuine works of art. In such cases, if they cannot be converted to another convenient liturgical use they could be conserved in an ecclesiastical museum alongside other valuable sacred objects no longer used in the liturgy. If, on the other hand, they are devoid of artistic merit, then, having first consulted with the local bishop to assure their de-consecration, they may be destroyed and buried in the ground in the manner suggested by the bishop himself. Father Edward McNamara is a Legionary of Christ and professor of Liturgy at Regina Apostolorum University in Rome. His column appears weekly at zenit.org. Send questions to liturgy@zenit. org. Put the word “Liturgy” in the subject field. Text should include initials, city and state.
parents were comforted by their decision, and rightfully so. They had probably just requested the most important event in their son’s existence.” Some Catholic health care workers may take a largely hands-off approach when it comes to addressing the spiritual needs of their patients. The physician or nurse may feel such spiritual concerns are not really their purview or concern. Yet close collaboration between Catholic medical professionals and clergy is critical to effectively address the needs of patients approaching death. Even when a priest may not be available, physicians and nurses often will have opportunities to serve as unique conduits of God’s grace, if they are willing to be courageous, take some risks, and bring Christ into the clinic. Father Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, and serves as the director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www. ncbcenter.org
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ast weekend the Sox beat the Yanks two games in a row staying in first place and electrifying New England. This weekend we have something much better — two superstar women of faith: a faith-filled Canaanite mother in Sunday’s Gospel and Mary, the mother of Jesus, honored Monday on the Solemnity of her Assumption. St. Matthew’s Gospel this Sunday presents a mother seeking the help of Christ. She happens to be a Syro-Phoenician, an outsider, one whom a Jew would rather not even speak to let alone help. Despite the social awkwardness, she approaches
August 12, 2011
The Anchor
A tale of two women of faith
Jesus because she knows the triumphal day in which He is the only one who our spiritual mother entered can heal her daughter. And into Heaven, into eternity. you know the rest of the At the end of her days, our story: ‘“O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for Homily of the Week you as you wish.’ And the woman’s Twentieth Sunday daughter was healed in Ordinary Time from that hour.” Her By Father great love and faith Michael A. Ciryak draw her to Jesus and He does the rest. Monday we celebrate sinless, Virgin Mary was the greatest woman of “assumed” or “drawn up” faith, our mother Mary. body and soul into the presAlthough because it falls ence of God by the power on a Monday attendance is of her Son. not obligatory this year, it Throughout her life Mary gives us a chance to attend exudes faithfulness! From and celebrate exclusively the moment of her sinless out of love as we remember conception in her womb to
the angel’s greeting, from her magnificat proclaiming the greatness of God in her song and dance of joy to the death and Resurrection of her Son and Lord, her entire being is a witness of faithfulness! Filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit, Mary’s faithfulness leads others to Christ. From the wedding feast at Cana to her most recent apparitions, Mary always points to her Son, echoing her words at Cana, “Do whatever He tells you.” As her faith-filled example leads us to Christ, He, in turn, presents us to the Father.
Needless to say, both of our women of faith are awesome moms. They love their children enough to bring them to Christ. The pagan woman’s daughter is sick and in need of His healing. Mary presents us, her children, to her son Jesus with unwavering trust. What a great example to parents and godparents who promise to be the first and best of teachers in the ways of our faith in love, word, and example! May the witness of these two women of faith electrify our faith in the One who loves us! May God give you His peace! Father Ciryak is pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Swansea.
Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. August 13, Jos 24:14-29; Ps 16:1-2,5,7-8,11; Mt 19:13-15. Sun. August 14, Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Is 56:1,6-7; Ps 67:2-3,56,8; Rom 11:13-15,29-32; Mt 15:21-28. Mon. August 15, Feast of the Assumption, Rv 11:19a;12:1-6a,10ab; Ps 45:10bc,11-12ab,16; 1 Cor 15:20-27; Lk 1:39-56. Tues. August 16, Jgs 6:11-24a; Ps 85:9,11-14; Mt 19:23-30. Wed. August 17, Jgs 9:6-15; Ps 21:2-7; Mt 20:1-16. Thu. August 18, Jgs 11:29-39a; Ps 40:5,7-10; Mt 22:1-14. Fri. August 19, Ru 1:1,3-6,14b-16,22; Ps 146:5-10; Mt 22:34-40.
W
orld Youth Day 2011, to be held in Madrid from August 16-21, will be an important moment in Pope Benedict XVI’s campaign to remind Europe of its Christian roots and to call Europe to a nobler understanding of democracy. As the Holy Father demonstrated in an address in Zagreb, Croatia, in early June, the two parts of that campaign — the recovery of Christian roots and the deepening of 21st-century Europe’s idea of democracy — go together. In remarks to Croatia’s religious, political, business and cultural leaders in Zagreb’s National Theater, the pope refined into six digestible propositions the case he has been making about religionand-society ever since his election to the papacy in 2005: 1. Religious conviction is
Benedict XVI on Europe’s future
calling modernity to open its not something outside sowindows and doors to a world ciety; it is part of society’s of transcendent truth and love: inner core: “Religion is not “…the great achievements of a separate area marked off the modern age — the recognifrom society … [but] a natural element within society, constantly recalling the vertical dimension: attentive listening to God as the condition for seeking the common By George Weigel good, for seeking justice and reconciliation in the truth.” 2. The human element in re- tion and guarantee of freedom ligion is imperfect and flawed; of conscience, of human rights, of the freedom of science and there is no shame in admitting hence of a free society — this, for reason can help refine should be confirmed and develreligious passion: “Religions oped while keeping reason and need always to be purified freedom open to their tranaccording to their true essence scendent foundation, so as to in order to correspond to their ensure that these achievements true mission.” are not undone.… The quality 3. Ancient religions should welcome the political achieve- of social and civil life and the quality of democracy depend ments of modernity while
The Catholic Difference
in large measure on this critical point — conscience, on the way it is understood and the way it is informed.” 4. “Conscience” is not a matter of determining what I want to do and then doing it; “conscience” is my search for truths that can be known to be true and then binding myself to those truths, which stand in judgment on me and on society: “If, in keeping with the prevailing modern idea, conscience is reduced to the subjective field to which religion and morality have been banished, then the crisis of the West has no remedy and Europe is destined to collapse upon itself. If, on the other hand, conscience is rediscovered as the place in which to listen to truth and good, the place of responsibility before God and before fellow human beings — other words, the bulwark against all forms of tyranny — then there is hope for the future.” 5. Europe detached from its Christian roots will wither and die, for, in the name of a desiccated secularism, it will have cut itself off from one of the sources of its cultural vitality: “I am grateful to [those who remind us] of the Christian roots
of many of the cultural and academic institutions of this country, as indeed all over the European continent. We need to be reminded of these origins, not least for the sake of historical truth, and it is important that we understand these roots properly, so that they can feed the present day, too.” 6. The Church does not seek a direct role in politics; the Church forms the people who can shape the culture that makes democratic selfgovernance work: “It is by forming consciences that the Church makes her most specific and valuable contribution to society. It is a contribution that begins in the family and is strongly reinforced in the parish, where … [we] learn to deepen [our] knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, the ‘great codex’ of European culture.…” These six points, while obviously contested, are also considered, well, obvious by many, many Americans. That’s not the case in Europe, where Benedict XVI’s social doctrine is regarded as wildly counter-cultural — even as it offers Europe what may be its last chance. I hope someone is listening. George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
August 12, 2011
Rookie priests
Sunday 7 August 2001 — at Georgetown University. There New Haven, Conn. — Knights of were approximately 480 men Columbus Family Week begins ordained to the priesthood in (held annually in celebration of the United States this spring. the importance of the family). ou know me, dear readers; I love statistics. I was Reflections of a delighted to come across Parish Priest a recent survey commissioned by the Secretariat By Father Tim of Clergy, Consecrated Goldrick Life, and Vocations; a division of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. I found it on The men tended to be younger, the Internet. The study was on as has been the case for the past the priestly ordination class of five years. The average age of 2011. The survey was conducted more than half of them was by the Center for Applied Rebetween 25 and 34 years. Here search in the Apostolate, based are some highlights:
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The Anchor
The Ship’s Log
— Nearly one in 10 men ordained this year was a convert to the Catholic Faith. — Four out of five of the men reported that both of their parents were Catholic and one-third of the total number of ordained also had a family member who was a priest or religious. — Almost none of those ordained was an only child, with some 25 percent reporting that they were one of five or more siblings. — Seventy-one percent had been an altar server. — Sixty-six percent said that they had been encouraged in
Our Baked Apple holiday
of the first on the trip south. The find that vacations are best ride home was a bit more tricky. appreciated a few weeks We hit the Big Apple in the after the fact — when you wish middle of the heatwave that you were on holiday again. roasted most of the country. The When on holiday (that sounds Big Apple was more like the just so darn British ... I love Baked Apple, but fun noneit), one can’t truly absorb the theless. Here are a few of the experience, especially when you highlights. are the one in charge of all the After checking into our hotel, logistics. we shook off our fear of heights When one returns home from and headed straight to the Top of holiday (see above), one is too the Rock (Rockefeller Center). exhausted from planning and The view was better than that of having a good time. That, and trying to figure out how everything you planned went askew. It’s when one returns to the everyday work and home routines that one appreciates the By Dave Jolivet journey that sped by more quickly than the A-train through midtown the Empire State Building and Manhattan. far less crowded. One would This is when one sits back think at 70 stories up, the climate and views all the digital photos would be a bit cooler. Not so. It one shot during that whirlwind was high and hot, in a cool way. spot of summer. The Jolivets did Despite 90-degree temthat last night. peratures, Times Square was When The Anchor presses rewall-to-wall people. This was cently went silent for two weeks, our guest’s first time in NYC and Denise and I took Emilie and she was bug-eyed at all she saw a classmate to enjoy the sights and heard. She loved it. We had and sounds of the Big Apple for dinner at my favorite eatery in several days. the world, the Hard Rock Café, Whoever said that holidays and called it a day. are meant for rest and relaxation On day two, we headed for never planned a four-day trip to Hoboken, N.J. to visit the bakery NYC. I’m not sure if I was more of TV’s Cake Boss. That was a anxious about everything going three “Tube” (British slang) trip. as planned on my itinerary, or No matter how much I map out keeping track of two teen-age the “Underground,” I still end up girls in New York City. To make messing up. The irony is other a long story short (not what tourists seem to single me out as columnists usually do), the girls someone who knows what he’s were no problem ... the itinerary doing, and ask me for directions. had a mind of its own. They’re probably home in some The train ride from Proviother country now telling their dence to Penn Station went as friends how an American sent planned. Even though the seats them on a wild goose chase. weren’t reserved, we got to sit That’s if they made it home at together since our stop was one
My View From the Stands
all. My intentions were good. I got to meet Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro while at his bakery. We chomped down some great pastries and headed back to the city. Thanks to me, we ended up overshooting Manhattan and ended up in Queens. After making our way back under the East River, we were “home” again. Day three was the easiest, logistically speaking. Very little mapping involved. A trip to the NHL store and to a five-story clothing emporium for young people, then to a Broadway show. We saw “RAIN on Broadway.” It was a trip back in time with my beloved Beatles. For two-plus hours I was transported back to Liverpool, England for a decade-long journey with the Fab Four (this explains my earlier propensity for Brit phrases). Not only were we taken on a Magical Mystery Tour, but I had the satisfaction of witnessing John, Paul, George and Ringo charming another teen-age girl, (not Emilie — she was already a big Beatles nut) nearly 50 years later. The following day was back to reality. Our guest and I made it safely on board the train back to Providence, only to see Denise and Emilie trying to make their way through the throng of people outside our car. After waving frantically through the window, we caught their attention and were reunited. There were very few seats available, so we plopped down together at a table in the dining car and headed north. It wasn’t until last night that I realized how much fun I had on holiday in the Baked Apple. I can’t wait for two weeks after our next one.
their vocation by a priest. — Two-thirds of the class of 2011 did not attend a specialized seminary college. They were far more likely to have attended a regular Catholic college before entering the seminary. They were also more likely to have attended a Catholic elementary and high school. — One-third of the ordination class was born outside the United States (surprisingly to me, most often in Asia or the Pacific Islands and less likely in a Hispanic/Latino nation). I compared the statistics to my own ordination class. First, I was ordained in the spring of my 27th year. Both of my parents were Catholics. There the similarity ends. The vast majority of the members of the class of 1972, myself included, were born in the U.S.A. There were many more of us in those days. Few of us were converts. It was not uncommon among my classmates to be an only child. I, on the other hand, was one of five siblings. I had no relatives who were priests or religious, although I come from a long line of ministers (my father was a convert). I didn’t sign up to be an altar server until my junior year of high school. Although I admired the priests in my parish, I didn’t have a close relationship with any of them. As for Catholic elementary and high school, I am a product of the public school system. I was assigned to a seminary college. As you begin, my newlyordained brothers, allow me to offer some advice to those entering the work-force from professionals who know about such things. I found it on the Internet. It matches my own experience. When I was a rookie priest, Msgr. Ron Tosti gave me some sound advice one day over lunch. He said, “Tim, ‘no’ is a valid word. It is found in any
dictionary. Learn to use it.” I’m still working on this. We priests often strive too hard to be “people-pleasers.” We tend to put too much stock in what others may think of us. You want to say “yes” to every request. You want to “fix it” for the other person, but you have your own needs as well. Do not neglect your own needs. Your worth is not based on what others think of you. Just be the best you can be in the circumstances in which you find yourself. Sure, it’s more blessed to give than to receive, but keep a balanced perspective. Don’t put yourself down and shrug it off when someone else does. Learn to accept a compliment graciously. This is sometimes very difficult for a priest. We can have a false idea of true humility. I once saw a statue showing a group of people standing in a circle whispering to each other. It was entitled, “The Gossips.” Some parishioners (and some priests as well) gossip. There’s even a wildly popular Vatican gossip website. Gossip is unhealthy for one’s emotional well-being. If you join the circle of gossips, people will distrust you. They will suspect you might gossip about them. Sure, the priesthood can get rough at times (doesn’t any walk of life?) but keep a positive attitude. Pessimism is a contagious disease. It saps the spirit and poisons a faith community. If you get hit upside the head, shake it off and keep on going. Avoid the “poor-me’s.” Learn to forgive. Holding a grudge can consume you, yet it has little effect on the person with whom you are angry. Welcome to the priesthood, ordination class of 2011. Ad multos annos. Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Nicholas of Myra Parish in North Dighton.
Shrine of The Little Flower of Jesus
JUBILEE CHURCH & SHRINE
18th Annual Feast Day Celebration First Shrine To St. Theresa In America
Sunday, August 21, 2011 Rain or Shine
10:30 AM ~ Prayers at Holy Stairs 11:15 AM ~ Stations of the Cross 12:00 PM ~ Lunch and Praise & Worship Concert 1:30 PM ~ Outdoor Living Rosary 2:45 PM ~ Procession with St. Theresa 3:00 PM ~ Chaplet of Divine Mercy Solemn Feast Mass - Main Celebrant: Father James T. Ruggieri (Pastor of St. Patrick Church, Providence, R.I.) Blessing with St. Theresa’s Relic ~ Continuous video showing of St. Theresa’s life ~
• Gift Shop • Food & Refreshments • Canopy - Covered benches at outdoor altar • Bus Groups welcome • Priests are invited to concelebrate the Feast Mass • Bring Chairs and umbrellas for the sun
For information please call (401) 568-0575 • (401) 568-8280 E-mail: shiirl@cox.net www.SaintTheresaShrine.com
Shrine is located at intersection of Rt. 102 and Rt. 7 in Nasonville (Burrillville), R.I. (near Wright’s Farm Restaurant)
10
The Anchor By Becky Aubut Anchor Staff
SEEKONK — A self proclaimed “classic cradle Catholic,” Seekonk native Paul Hodge is an illustration of someone who seeks to practice his faith not just in traditional prayer and worship, but by example in everyday life. Hodge grew up as part of St. Mary’s Parish in Seekonk, and one of his earliest memories of Church was a fascination with the Eucharist during Mass. “I remember the bells at the consecration, and I think even then I realized that was a special time; that something special was happening,” he said. The former altar server credits the experience of serving during Mass as a pivotal time in his life. “Looking back, I think a lot of seeds were planted and nourished,” said Hodge. “A lot of them fell on good soil.” His parents helped cultivate that soil. His father was a catechist, the family attended Mass on a weekly basis and both parents encouraged family prayer. “I remember as a youngster praying the Rosary, kneeling down and not facing the wall; my recollection was we were in a semi-circle with none of us looking at each other,” said Hodge. “I remember that, and that’s been something in the past few months I’ve taken back up.” Hodge attended public school up to eighth grade, went to Sacred Heart Academy in Rhode Island for two years, and then finished his schooling at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro. Within a few years after graduating from Providence College with a degree in social work, Hodge found himself working for a local state representative. Hodge never forgot his good Irish Catholic upbringing when it came to attending Mass. “I suspect there were times when I worshipped St. Mattress as opposed to St. Mary’s,” laughed Hodge, “but the importance of Church, the specialness of Church was still there.” Hodge married in 1978, and soon became the father of two boys. In 1983 Hodge went to work as a probation officer in the Fall River district court system. Life was good, said Hodge; his wife was working as a nurse and their boys were thriving — and yet, Hodge felt compelled to do more to live out his faith. They became foster parents, a calling they embraced for the next 10 years. “We had a total of five foster children over the years,”
Living by example
said Hodge. “From my perspective, they were all wonderful experiences. The tough part was when they had to go back.” Hodge is still in touch with one of those foster children, whom is now a married firefighter living in South Carolina. Even after sharing a heartbreaking story of an abrupt end to fostering a child after a judge decided to
Anchor Person of the Week — Paul Hodge. (Photo by Becky Aubut) return the child to its biological family during a court hearing date, Hodge said that “just being able to provide, albeit temporarily, some stability and some consistency in a loving environment” made fostering children worth
August 12, 2011 it.
“We realized how blessed and fortunate we were to have two healthy boys. We wanted to put our Pro-Life views out there in a different way. We are both Pro-Life people and wanted to demonstrate our Pro-Life views in what some may consider a non-traditional way,” said Hodge. “We weren’t participating in demonstrations at clinics, our activism took a different road.” That different road stemmed from his having a sister who was adopted and a brother-in-law who had learning disabilities. Having already two boys, the couple decided to adopt a girl with special needs. While still acting as foster parents, the couple registered through the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Agency. Soon Ashley came into their lives. Born premature, she weighed less than a pound at birth. She spent the first six months of her young life in an incubator where she sustained a series of strokes that left her with paralysis on the right side of her body. Profoundly deaf and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Hodge and his wife met Ashley when she was two years old. “She was transitioned to a foster home in Somerset where we met her,” recalled Hodge. “We knew what we were getting into, which was fine because that was part of what we were looking for. With Judy’s background as a nurse, we felt we could handle it.” Now 23 years old, Ashley is doing well. Hodge gives a tremendous amount of praise to the public services that got Ashley into early intervention. “We’ve been blessed with good teachers and caring individuals in academic settings,” said Hodge. “When she turned 22, she was out of the school system and now goes to a program called Cooperative Production in Dighton.” Hodge has been active in various ministries in his parish, including being a lector and an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. Most recently he was selected as one of four members from St. Mary’s Parish of Seekonk to be part of the Parish Founding Task Force. An additional four parishioners were chosen from St. Stephen’s Parish in Attleboro to create an eight-member group to help oversee the merging of the two parishes. “We were blessed to have two men who had a good working relationship,” he said of the two pastors of each respective parish who also helped ease the transition. “There was a bond between the two of them that filtered down to the members of the task force.” Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish of Seekonk celebrated its one-year anniversary this past Pentecost, and while there were the expected “growing pains,” Hodge said that each parish brought its own welcoming spirit to the merger. “An environment was created where we truly feel as one, that certainly was the goal,” said Hodge. “The nice part is you look around during a weekend Mass and you see faces you haven’t seen before.” As the president of the Attleboro district of St. Vincent de Paul Society, Hodge is in the preliminary stages of creating a fund-raising walk to help provide rental assistance for those living in the Attleboro area. Until then, the only walk he will be doing is down the aisle of his son’s wedding in the fall. “I’ve been blessed to have been mentored by a lot of good men, beginning with my father,” said Hodge, whose other son is already married and is the father to a little girl. “I know there is an expression that faith is caught and not taught. Hopefully I’ve given my sons a positive example and been a decent role model. I’ve come to the conclusion that God has been very good to me. I’ve lived a blessed life.” To submit a Person of the Week nominee, send an email with information to fatherrogerlandry@ anchornews.org
August 12, 2011
CORRECTION — Due to a captioning error in a file photo previously submitted to The Anchor, the Person of the Week pictured in the August 5 edition was incorrectly identified as Virginia “Ginny” Croak. That photo was Croak’s fellow parish nurse Pat Brophy. This photo is Virginia “Ginny” Croak.
Be sure to visit the Diocese of Fall River website at fallriverdiocese.org The site includes links to other diocesan and national sites, including The Anchor.
To advertise in The Anchor, contact Wayne Powers at 508-675-7151 or Email waynepowers@anchornews.org
The Anchor
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The Anchor
August 12, 2011
Vatican editor says media coverage of abuse promoted purification
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Media coverage of the clerical sex abuse scandal helped Catholics come to terms with the need to purify and renew the Church, although the coverage was not always fair, said the editor of the Vatican newspaper. Giovanni Maria Vian, editor of L’Osservatore Romano, said the paper’s 150th anniversary and, especially, the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to its offices July 5 were occasions to reflect on the role of the media in the modern age. He said the need for reflection is prompted not only by competition for readers’ attention from television and the Internet, but also by episodes such as the charges of telephone and computer hacking by employees of Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper, News of the World. Unethical actions and questionable reporting styles “can explain, in part, the disaffection of an increasingly large number of readers, who are disgusted or disillusioned,”
he said. Media reporting about the Catholic Church has increased significantly since the Second Vatican Council, Vian wrote, although there does not always seem to be a desire to understand the Church or find ways to accurately convey the meaning of any religion. “Along with the misunderstandings, there have been the waves of information — for example, about the abuse of minors committed by priest — that, while not benevolent and which sometimes degenerated into unjust or summary press campaigns, in fact have aided the always necessary process of purification and renewal of the Church, as Benedict XVI has recalled with exemplary courage,” Vian wrote. The responsibility of the media is enormous, he said. The Vatican newspaper, the Catholic press and all media not only must intensify and expand their efforts to inform, but they especially must help people understand what is truly important, he wrote.
Specializing in: Brand Name/ Foreign Auto Parts 1420 Fall River Avenue (Route 6) Seekonk, MA 02771
not monkeying around — A digitally created ape named Caesar and actor James Franco are pictured in a scene from the movie “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Fox)
CNS Movie Capsules NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by Catholic News Service. “The Change-Up” (Universal) This raunchy riff on the age-old switched identities premise has a diligent but beleaguered husband and dad (Jason Bateman) temporarily exchanging bodies with his commitment-phobic ne’er-do-well best friend (Ryan Reynolds). Since the single lothario’s lifestyle includes making soft-core porn and indulging his aberrant sexual tastes, while his amigo’s parenthood is marred by diaper disasters, David Dobkin’s puerile comedy amounts to little more than a tiresome attempt to expand the boundaries of bad taste. Graphic nonmarital sexual activity, masturbation, upper female and rear nudity, drug use, repulsive scatological humor, several uses of profanity, pervasive rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. “Crazy, Stupid, Love” (Warner Bros.) Multigenerational romantic comedy tracing the tangled loves of a long-married but recently separated suburbanite (Steve Carell), his dissatisfied wife (Julianne Moore), their 13-year-old son (Jonah Bobo) and the family’s 17-year-old babysitter (Analeigh Tipton) for whom the boy yearns, but whose heart belongs — secretly — to daddy. Also in the mix is the suave playboy (Ryan Gosling) who tries to teach the newly single nebbish the secrets
of successful womanizing before being smitten himself (by Emma Stone). As helmed by co-directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the proceedings eventually reach a conclusion that affirms genuine affection and marital fidelity over the apparent glamour of promiscuity. But the path to this mostly acceptable wrap-up is littered with sordid attempts to garner laughs from degraded behavior. Strong sexual content — including semigraphic adulterous activity, implied masturbation, and an amateur pornography theme — considerable sexual and brief irreverent humor, a couple of uses of profanity, a bit of rough and much crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (Fox) This iteration of the successful screen franchise based on the
science fiction of French novelist Pierre Boulle is a prequel set in modern-day San Francisco. James Franco plays a master geneticist who believes he’s found the cure for Alzheimer’s disease using primate test subjects. When the apes run amok, however, the project is canceled and the animals are put down. Yet one chimp survives, with ultimately disastrous consequences for mankind. While this is primarily a special effects-driven action film, as directed by Rupert Wyatt, it’s also a cautionary tale about human hubris and misguided science out to achieve a good end through morally unmoored means. As such, its real-life resonance is all too easy to recognize. Intense and bloody action violence, including animal attacks, gunplay, and moments of terror, implied premarital sexual activity. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, August 14, 11:00 a.m.
Celebrant is Father Kevin A. Cook, pastor of Holy Family Parish in East Taunton, and associate director of the diocesan Vocations Office
August 12, 2011
13
The Anchor
Movement begins to repeal same-sex marriage in N.Y.
By Christine M. Williams Anchor Correspondent
BOSTON — On July 24, New York became the sixth state to currently offer marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On that day, nearly 10,000 New Yorkers marched through downtown Manhattan in support of traditional marriage. Rallies were also held in the state’s capital of Albany, Rochester and Buffalo. In a July 26 email to supporters, Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, called the turnout at the rallies “uplifting” but added that they were just the beginning. “In the days ahead, we will unveil monthly activities for supporters to keep up public pressure and build momentum as we head toward the 2012 election,” he said. NOM will oppose all candidates who do not support presenting voters with a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman in 2015. Those who lobbied for such a ballot measure in Massachusetts after the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage had the same rally cry: “Let the people vote.” Though supporters raised the most signatures in state history, Commonwealth legislators killed the measure before it reached the people. The death of the bill was made possible by 11 legislators
who switched their votes in the last hours. High-powered political figures, including Senator Ted Kennedy, pressured those legislators to vote the measure down. There were also rumors about bribes and political favors. That same scene played out in the New York legislature as elected representatives who ran on a pro-marriage platform voted the same-sex marriage legislation into law. Four Republican and three Democratic senators switched their votes. The same rumors about incentives are present. New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has publicly promised to help all of them get re-elected and other same-sex marriage advocates have already donated tens of thousands of dollars to their campaigns. “Lies and campaign cash. That’s how same-sex marriage was passed in New York, and New York voters have had enough,” Brown said. A poll released by NOM in late June found that 57 percent of New Yorkers believe “marriage should only be between a man and a woman,” while 32 percent disagree. Brown said that there is a nation-wide plan to create an America in which no party and no politician is willing to stand up for marriage. Many people, including Brown, have criticized the Republican leadership that
chose to allow the vote to happen even though they knew it would pass and that their own membership was 28-4 opposed. They say the move will benefit Democrats on Election Day. The only state senate Democrat to oppose the legislation, Senator Ruben Diaz, addressed the New York City rally. “The tragedy starts today in New York,” said Senator Diaz, a Pentecostal minister. “I voted against it because it’s wrong and it’s wrong and it’s wrong.” Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, said the bill represents an “abandonment of the common good.” “Making marriage law indifferent to the absence of either sex creates an institutional and cultural crisis with generational ramifications yet to be seen,” he wrote in a statement. “Marriage, the communion of husband and wife, is a unique reality that has no true parallel.” Brown added that when samesex marriage advocates claim to be akin to civil rights activists, it should come as no surprise to traditional marriage supporters when they are treated like bigots. Legalizing same-sex marriage has consequences. Already in Massachusetts, schools have addressed same-sex marriage with
kindergarteners, Catholic Charities of Boston ceased its adoption work because its religious beliefs precluded it from placing children with same-sex couples and people have been fired after voicing their support for marriage at work. Already, one New Yorker has lost her job because of samesex marriage. Laura Fotusky, a town clerk, resigned rather than sign marriage licenses of samesex couples. She said she had to choose between her job and God. “I believe that there is a higher law than the law of the land. It is the law of God in the Bible,” she wrote in her resignation letter. “The Bible clearly teaches that God created marriage between male and female as a divine gift that preserves families and cultures. Since I love and follow Him, I cannot put my signature on something that is against God.” Town clerks had been warned that refusing to sign same-sex couples’ marriage licenses would put them in violation of the law, which could result in jail time. “I want to ensure that our local officials appreciate that there will be ramifications in our county for exercising a personal, discriminatory belief,” Nassau’s district attorney Katherine Rice told the New York Times. What Rice refers to as a “discriminatory belief” has been
voted on by people in 31 states and every time the belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman has prevailed. In Maine and California, such votes followed the legalization of same-sex marriage. Though same-sex marriages are taking place in Iowa and Vermont, that too may be overturned by voters. In Maryland last month, Governor Martin J. O’Malley pledged to sponsor a same-sex marriage bill next year. Similar legislation was defeated in the legislature this year. Also in July, Rhode Island passed a civil unions bill that includes all the rights and benefits of marriage. On the national level, the United States Senate has taken a swipe at the Defense of Marriage Act, federal legislation passed in 1996 that defined marriage as the union between one man and one woman. Majority leader Harry Reid introduced a bill to repeal the law. President Barack Obama is in favor of the repeal and dropped the defense of DOMA earlier this year. The U.S. House, under the leadership of Speaker John Boehner, has taken up the fight. Boehner said at a July 11 press conference that DOMA passed with bipartisan support. “It is the law of the land and should remain the law of the land,” he added.
Revised and updated ...
2011-2012 Diocese of Fall River Catholic Directory ... shipping August 2011 Published by The Anchor Publishing Company P.O. Box 7, Fall River, Massachusetts 02722 Please ship _____ directories x $18 each, including shipping and handling. Total Enclosed $_____ NAME ____________________________________________ ADDRESS _________________________________________ CITY _____________________ STATE _______ ZIP _____ Please make checks payable to “Anchor Publishing” summer snowfall — Artificial snow falls outside the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome recently during the annual ceremony marking the tradition that Mary caused snow to fall on the spot in 358 to indicate that she wanted a church built. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
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14
The Anchor
Mission chapels see spike in Mass attendance in summer months continued from page one
is a contributing factor to the spike in summer Mass attendance, Father Sullivan said he sees a mix of new and familiar faces at the chapel and main church. “Here at St. Anthony’s Chapel there are a lot of transients, especially during the summer months,” he said. “But I do see a lot of familiar faces at both places — at St. Anthony’s and at St. Patrick’s.” Father Washburn agreed that he sees many regular parishioners among those attending St. Mary’s Church on Sunday mornings. “We have a good chunk of people who are all-summer residents, but there’s always also a good
scattering of people just down for a week or two,” Father Washburn said. “Overall, I think it’s a good mix of both.” With even more robust numbers at Our Lady of the Highway Chapel in South Yarmouth, Father George C. Bellenoit, pastor of St. Pius X Parish in South Yarmouth, attributes attendance to the fact that the chapel is only open Memorial Day through Labor Day. “We have an average of 1,150 people per weekend split up over the three weekend Masses at the chapel this summer,” Father Bellenoit said. “The average attendance of all the weekend Masses
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This week in
at the church this summer is 3,300. That compared with the average attendance at the church last November of 2,600 seems to indicate that there are many people in this part of Cape Cod attending weekend Masses at our church and chapel.” Compared with attendance figures from last winter, Father Bellenoit said there are about twice as many people attending Masses during the summer. “At the church and chapel combined in July we saw an average of 4,450 people per weekend as compared with the church average in November of 2,600 people,” he said. Like his fellow pastors, Father Daniel W. Lacroix of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis said Mass attendance at the parish’s Sacred Heart Chapel on Summer Street in Yarmouth Port swells during the summer as more people gravitate to Cape Cod. “I think there’s about a 25 percent increase from the year-round attendance during the summer,” Father Lacroix said. “Those who attend year-round are regular parishioners and the added or increased number in July and August are certainly seasonal residents or travelers.” Although the Sacred Heart Chapel is open year-round, Father Lacroix said attendance remains strongest during the summer months. “During the fall and spring numbers are at 70 percent capacity,” he said. “From December to March numbers are about 50 percent capacity, or a 40 percent decrease from July and November counts.” Despite the inclement weather last Sunday, Father Sullivan said he’s always pleased to see the chapel filled to capacity. “If this were a sunny Sunday morning, we’d have even more people gathering outside — for better or worse,” he said.
Diocesan history
50 years ago — Bishop James L. Connol10 years ago — For five days 16 seminarily officially dedicated and installed the cor- ans preparing to become priests and serve the nerstone of the new St. George’s Parochial Fall River Diocese convened for prayer and School located on Route 177 in Westport. reflection at the Sacred Heart Retreat Center in Wareham. 25 years ago — Contractors renovated the 130-foot bell tower at St. Lawrence One year ago — In honor of the 100th Martyr Church in New Bedford. According birthday of their foundress, Blessed Mother to Father John P. Driscoll, then-pastor at St. Teresa of Calcutta, the Missionary Sisters of Lawrence, the work also entailed repairs to Charity in New Bedford celebrated with a the roof and water-damaged sections of the special Mass at St. Lawrence Martyr Church tower, pointing and sandblasting metal parts followed by a screening of the film “Mother of the tower clocks. Erection of the scafTeresa: The Legacy” in the auditorium of folding alone took a full week before work Holy Family-Holy Name School along with began. an informal party with cake.
August 12, 2011
Knights will buy cultural center, establish shrine to late pope
DENVER (CNS) — Supreme Knight Carl Anderson announced August 2 that the Knights of Columbus will purchase the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington. The announcement came during the business session of the Knights’ 129th annual convention. Anderson, delivering his annual report, said that over the next year, the fraternal organization will build a shrine to Blessed John Paul and put up related exhibits on the property. “True to Pope John Paul II’s vision, and using the story of his life as inspiration, the shrine will be an opportunity to evangelize and spread the Good News of the Gospel through a new evangelization,” he said. The center, which went up for sale about 18 months ago, sits on 12 acres just steps from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and The Catholic University of America. It cost $75 million to build and the property has been valued at $37.7 million. The Knights bought the property for $22.7 million, according to a letter from Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron to priests and laypeople of the archdiocese. The letter, which is posted on the archdiocesan website, also said the sale should be finalized in 60 days. The center opened in 2001 with financial backing from the Detroit Archdiocese. Under the terms of the sale, the archdiocese will receive about $20 million, and Catholic University, which has a secured interest in the land, will receive $2.7 million. “Because of his tireless evangelization efforts, an entire generation of Catholics has become known as the ‘John Paul generation,’ and certainly we are honored to continue to spread his profound and powerful message of hope for our country, our continent and our world,” Anderson said in his remarks. The complex has been overseen by a foundation chaired by Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, who on the day of Anderson’s announcement issued a decree establishing the cultural center as an official archdiocesan shrine. Cardinal Wuerl said beatification of the late pope “has focused increased attention on the great gift that he is for the Church.” “Evident devotion to him prompted the decision to designate the facility being acquired by the Knights of Columbus as an archdiocesan shrine. This shrine will provide a focal point for increased devotion to Blessed John Paul II and an ongoing recognition of his legacy,” he added. Exhibits planned for the center will include displays on the life and legacy of Blessed John Paul and on the Catholic heritage of North America.
Cardinal Wuerl was attending the Knights’ convention and in remarks there said: “I can think of no more fitting way to venerate this extraordinary pope whom the Church has declared ‘Blessed’ and to honor and carry on his legacy than through this shrine.” The center experienced financial difficulties throughout its history as it never attracted the number of visitors it expected. In 2006, because of low attendance rates, it discontinued museum activities and focused on being a place of research on the pontiff. It has been open only by appointment. Archbishop Vigneron in his letter thanked the Knights for “stepping forward to make this transaction a reality.” He applauded the fraternal organization’s intention to “strengthen the vision of the center and continue the intended purpose for the building and land.” He noted the amount the archdiocese will receive from the sale is “notably less than the $54 million” it has invested in the center’s design, construction and maintenance, but nevertheless “the sale will enable us to recoup some of what we invested and will end archdiocesan outlays averaging $65,000 per month to maintain the building and grounds.” The proceeds “will help stabilize” archdiocesan finances, he added. Archbishop Vigneron said all of the offers from potential buyers were in the $20 million range, but the Knights “presented the best offer and terms of sale.” In an interview with the Catholic Standard, Washington’s archdiocesan newspaper, Cardinal Wuerl said that given Pope John Paul’s “great impact” on the Church, he hopes the new shrine dedicated to the pontiff at the center “will provide a focal point of new devotion” to him. He hopes, too, that it will help spread among Washington Catholics and all pilgrims “the great gift of the Church that Blessed John Paul II was and continues to be.” He added that with the Knights purchasing the center “with the specific view of enhancing the new evangelization of America — which was so much the (legacy) of John Paul II — I think we’ll see a resurgence, not only in devotion to Blessed John Paul II, but also in the vitality of the programs (offered there).” The Knights of Columbus worked closely with Pope John Paul throughout his papacy. For more than a century, the fraternal organization has been involved with Catholic institutions in Washington. To date, the Knights’ work includes major support for the national shrine, the U.S. bishops’ conference, Catholic University and the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, now located on the university’s campus.
August 12, 2011
a friend in need — Patient Jack Trelor chats with Dominican Sister Catherine Marie at Rosary Hill Home, a Dominican-run facility in Hawthorne, N.Y., that provides palliative care to people with incurable cancer and in financial need. (CNS photo)
New York Dominican community lavishes care on the terminally ill
HAWTHORNE, N.Y. (CNS) — “If you have to be terminal, this is the place to come,” said Harriet Boyle, as the sun poured into her room through huge windows. Sitting in a bed with floral sheets and a patterned comforter, the grandmother with the carefully applied makeup put down her large-print book and described life at Rosary Hill Home, a free palliative care facility run by the Dominican Sisters Congregation of St. Rose of Lima in Hawthorne, north of New York City. “It’s the most unusual place I’ve ever been. You’re not conscious of people being ill here. We all have cancer and we’re all terminal, but it’s serene and there are lots of moments of fun and laughter,” she said. “The care is done with love and not for a paycheck. The women who care for you gave up their lives for this work and it’s their vocation,” Boyle said an interview with Catholic News Service. The caregivers also are known as the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. Their congregation was founded at the turn of the last century by Rose Hawthorne, a daughter of New England novelist Nathaniel, author of “The Scarlet Letter.” Mother Mary Alphonsa, as Rose Hawthorne was known, wanted to treat patients as family, “and put them up in our very best bedroom and give them comfort in what time
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they had left. In dressing their wounds, she was dressing the wounds of Our Lord,” according to Superior General Mother Mary Francis. Present-day Sisters still provide direct care for the residents, without charge, and do not accept government funds or insurance reimbursements. They do not have a development office. “It’s a modern day miracle,” Mother Mary Francis said. “Part of the whole charism is to trust in Divine Providence. We are not allowed by our constitutions to fund raise. Mother Alphonsa felt if she was doing God’s work, God would provide.” The reliance on divine providence extends to both human and material resources. At its peak, the congregation had some 125 active Sisters and now deploys 55 Sisters and novices in service to approximately 100 patients in Hawthorne, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Kisumu, Kenya, according to Mother Mary Francis. Retired Sisters help though a ministry of prayer and presence. “It has always been a small community, reliant on faith and trust,” she said. Similarly, it takes great faith to manage a modern health facility without asking anyone for money. Mother Mary Francis said most of the budget comes from bequests and regular donations, large and small. “We do the best we can
and trust the rest to the Lord,” Mother Mary Francis said. “We only take people who are unable to afford care, but we also don’t ask to see bank statements. If somebody slips in and they shouldn’t, God had a reason. Sometimes there are other kinds of poverty beyond financial,” she said. Mother Mary Francis said patients range in age from about 50 to 101 and the average stay is three to four months. The oldest patient has been a resident for more than 10 years. Sister Alma Marie, the congregation’s director of vocations, said some of the patients were formerly middle-class people who were impoverished by medical costs. The actual care has changed somewhat since the foundress’s time, but the guiding spirit has not. Sisters work in small teams and are responsible for the total care of two or three patients. Visitors are welcome until 9 p.m. and retired Sisters maintain an overnight vigil with residents who are near death. The Sisters live in a convent adjacent to the home and worship together four times a day in the Rosary Hill chapel. Daily Mass and prayers from the chapel are available in each room on a video feed. Sister Alma Marie said, “The residents can hear us pray. They feel our love for each other and for all of them. They may not
know it, but it is the love of God that animates our lives.” She said, “Many come here with the fear of dying, of being alone. When we care for them, we can see the transformation. We help them live the life that God has given them to the fullest. We celebrate life.” “This is a precious time with families,” said Mother Mary Francis. “Illness sometimes brings out the worst tensions in a family.” She said the Sisters witness reconciliation and acts of forgiveness and attribute them to the presence of God and the Blessed Mother. “He resides in our chapel and Our Lady walks the halls,” she said. At any given time, there are 30 to 35 patients at Rosary Hill, said Mother Mary Francis. “The smallness of it all enables us to provide homelike care. We try to maintain a family atmosphere, with flowered sheets, colored afghans, entertainment, holiday dinners. We encourage the patients to dress each day,” she said. A staff member’s gentle dog greets residents and visitors. Patients enjoy the nine-acre property and one man grows
fresh vegetables in a verdant garden near an expansive terrace that is used for cookouts. Christmas is an especially festive time at Rosary Hill. Each room has a decorated tree and a Nativity set. Local groups are eager to entertain the residents and provide gifts. But the intimacy of serving those who are close to death is displayed late on Christmas Eve, when all the visitors have left, the home is quiet and the lights are low, Mother Mary Francis said. “The Sisters process from the chapel, carrying lit candles. We go to each room and around each bed, singing carols. It’s just the patients and us. And then our Christmas begins.” Boyle, the patient from a fourth-generation family of parishioners at the oldest Catholic church on the Hudson River, said before she came to Rosary Hill, she was treated at a prominent facility in New York. “I always wanted to go home with my family when they visited. I don’t feel that way here. I’m already home and my family is content to see me here, because they know I’m happy,” she said.
Throwing an Anchor Heavenward — Sister Mary Veronica of the Cross of the cloistered Dominican Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Summit, New Jersey, is surprised by a fellow nun with a camera as she is reading a recent edition of The Anchor. The Dominican nuns are regular readers of The Anchor, which helps them to pray for the faithful of the diocese. (Photo by Sister Mary Catharine Perry, OP).
Youth Pages
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August 12, 2011
The time of their Life — Young adults who attended the first-ever diocesan Pro-Life Boot Camp gathered for a group photo on the grounds of Stonehill College in North Easton, where the event was held. (Photo by Ken Souza)
The Anchor is always pleased to run news and photos about our diocesan youth. If schools or parish Religious Education programs, have newsworthy stories and photos they would like to share with our readers, send them to: schools@anchornews.org
their view from the pew — First- and second-graders from St. Patrick’s Parish in Wareham recently received a guided tour of the church as part of a parish summer program.
Send us your summer youth program photos! We’d love to run them. schools@anchornews.org
putting their two cents in — Students at SS. Peter and Paul School’s Science Exploratorium held recently test the seaworthiness of clay boats they constructed by adding weight to their vessels, penny by penny. The free morning workshop gave students in pre-k through grade eight the chance to try their hands at a variety of fun science activities and experiments.
August 12, 2011
W
hen I was younger, I never said no to God, I just never said yes. That phrase is perhaps a perfect description and summary of my spiritual life through the age of 31. I would guess that this high level of spirituality is quite impressive to you and now you know why they asked me to write for The Anchor! Seriously though, those first 31 years were pretty basic faithwise. I did what I was supposed to do or, perhaps better stated, what I had to do. I surely didn’t go out of my way to live out my faith. Most often I did things because they looked good or they made me feel good. Hardly what a disciple of Christ is called to do or be. It wasn’t until my wife convinced me to go on a Cursillo retreat did my life change for what I now know is the better. That weekend was the catalyst that began to change what was a superficial relationship with God into something deeper and more meaningful. I remember that when I returned from that retreat weekend, I put up a small plaque in our room that stated, “Please be patient, God isn’t finished with
Youth Pages Follow Me
me yet.” Twenty-eight years In calling us, God asks us after that Cursillo weekend, I whether we are willing to help am still trying to become that Him reach others so that all disciple God wants me to be will be saved. Our calling is an or knows I can be. I thank God invitation from God not beevery day that He is still patient cause of any merit on our part with me and so is my wife! but just because He chose us So how do we become good Christian disciples? If we turn to the Bible, I think we will find the instructions. It is a simple demand. Only two words. Do you want to By Frank Lucca venture a guess what that phrase is before reading further? It’s “Follow Me.” out of love, because He wanted These two words contain in a us. Anyone who asks this quesnutshell what God wants of us, tion “Why was I called?” will and what we should regard as only get the answer God had an obligation we have towards already given to the chosen God in this life. The phrase people in the Old Testament: appears at least 20 times in the “I did not choose you because Gospels. So I think it is safe to you were more virtuous, more conclude that to be a Christian gifted, more suited. No, I chose disciple means to follow the you because I loved you.” This Lord. Period. Seems very clear means we are someone; we to me now. have a place in God’s plan; we There is no way to get to are important for God’s great know the Lord except by doing design for creation; we are partwhat He did, behaving as He ners; our lives count. did and taking His basic prinOf course it isn’t and it ciples of life and making them won’t be easy at times to hold our own. onto this divine dimension in
Be Not Afraid
17 our lives. Fortunately for us, God’s faithfulness prevails over all our failures and unfaithfulness. When God chooses someone He will stay with this person no matter how unfaithful the person may turn out to be. If something is obvious about God in the Bible it is His faithfulness to us and, in particular, to those whom He has called to help Him accomplish His purposes. If I refuse, God will not stop loving me but He might have to use others to reach me. Remember, it was my wife whom God first used, to reach me, so that I could say yes! Perhaps He is using me to reach you today as you read these words. So what is your response going to be? As you continue on your life’s journey, I hope that you will not wait 31 years to answer God’s call to true discipleship with not just words, but action! To sum things up, I’d like to share this simple prayer with you. My hope is that it will speak to you as it has spoken to me. Lord ... You asked for my hands that You might use them for Your
Miss Teen USA will use platform to promote girls’ self-esteem, modesty
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (CNS) — When Danielle that with God in your life, you will make the right choices Doty, Miss Texas Teen USA, arrived in the Bahamas to and you will always have someone with you,” Liz Doty compete in the Miss Teen USA pageant, she surrendered said. to God’s plan for her life, the Harlingen native said. Danielle Doty said that she feels a responsibility to “I let go and let God,” Doty told The Valley Catholic, make the most of this blessing that the Lord has bestowed newspaper of the Brownsville Diocese, in a telephone in- upon her. She feels called to help others, especially girls. terview from New York City. “I was there, I had prepared, “His putting this in front of me is giving me an open I had worked out, gotten in shape and from door to take full action,” Doty said. “It’s that point on, it was really in God’s hands. I not for me by any means.” knew He would do what was best.” “I’ve always said she is as pretty inDoty, a parishioner at St. Anthony side and she is outside,” said Father Tom Church in Harlingen, was crowned Miss Pincelli, who was pastor at St. Anthony Teen USA 2011 July 16 at the Atlantis ReChurch for 14 years and remains a family sort in the Bahamas. friend of the Dotys. “Beauty pageants can “As soon as they called my name, I be beauty pageants, but Danielle deserved think you just go on pause,” Doty said a to win on so many different levels simply couple of weeks after her win. “You don’t because of the fact that she has her act tohear anything, you’re not thinking of anygether.” thing. You’re just taking in the moment.” As Miss Teen USA, Doty will proAfter winning the Miss Teen USA mote several charitable alliances, intitle, Doty went from being a Harlingen cluding Best Buddies, which assists resident to living in New York City. Alpeople with intellectual disabilities; most as soon as she was crowned, she Sparrow Clubs USA, which assists chilwas whisked away for interviews and ap- the winner — Danielle dren in a medical crisis; Girl Talk, a pearances. During her reign as Miss Teen Doty is crowned Miss Teen student-to-student mentoring program USA, she will attend the New York Film USA 2011 by her predeces- for middle-and-high-school age girls; Academy and study broadcast journalism. sor, Kamie Crawford, at the Project Sunshine, which provides free “It’s absolutely fantastic,” she said. “I Atlantis Resort in the Ba- educational, recreational and programs am loving New York right now and hav- hamas July 16. Doty is a for children facing medical challenges parishioner at St. Anthony and their families; and DARE, or Drug ing a blast. I still can’t believe it.” Doty graduated from Harlingen High Church in Harlingen, Texas, Abuse Resistance Education, which School South in May, finishing in the in the Brownsville Diocese. teaches school children how to live drug (CNS photo/Darren Decker, top 10 of her class. She is the daughter and violence-free lives. courtesy Miss Teen USA) of Kevin and Liz Doty and has an older Doty also plans to expand the charibrother, Dylan, 22. table organization that she started called Doty was baptized, received her first Communion and Modest is Hottest, which teaches girls about self-respect was confirmed at St. Anthony Church. Her faith has given and self-esteem. her the courage to face many challenges throughout her “I want girls to know that people will like you and you life, said her mother. will have friends when you are comfortable in your own “We brought up both of our children with the belief skin,” she said.
purpose. I gave them for a moment, then withdrew them for the work was hard. You asked for my mouth to speak out against injustice. I gave You a whisper that I might not be accused. You asked for my eyes to see the pain of poverty. I closed them for I did not want to see. You asked for my life that You might work through me. I gave a small part that I might not get too involved. Lord, forgive my calculated efforts to serve You only when it is convenient for me to do so, only in those places where it is safe to do so, and only with those who make it easy to do so. Lord, forgive me, renew me, send me out as a usable instrument that I might take seriously the call to follow You. (Seremane, “Bread of Tomorrow.”) Frank Lucca is a youth minister at St. Dominic’s Parish in Swansea. He is chairman and director of the YES! Retreat and director of the Christian Leadership Institute (CLI). He is a husband and a father of two daughters. He may be reached at stdominicyouthministry@ comcast.net
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Parishioners live faith through Social Concerns Committee continued from page one
plained, the purpose of a Social Concerns Committee is essentially to reach out to those in the greater community, regardless of their religious affiliation. “Social Concerns has a responsibility internally within the community where there is need,” Father Moy said. “We’re not a social agency, but we’ve had many social agencies referring people to us.” “Our motto is: make a friend, be a friend, and help a friend get closer to Christ,” Sylvia said. “But we don’t have any requirements that the people we help be Catholic. If we can plant a seed that will bring them to church or give them sound advice, so be it. We’re helping people now as far away as Marion and New Bedford.” The committee essentially began as an offshoot of the parish’s Giving Tree effort at Christmas and collected donated food items and grocery gift cards to provide meals for families during the Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holidays. “At Thanksgiving, we not only provide the families with a Thanksgiving dinner, we also collect enough food to take care of them for two weeks,” Father Moy said. “We provide all the fixings and we also ask for a gift certificate from Stop and Shop so we can go out and purchase other needed items,” Sylvia added. “The other stuff we add to the two-week provisions would be donated from the parish community.” The committee initially set a modest goal to help out 15 families that first year and soon found the need was much greater than they anticipated. “We went out looking to make contacts for those in need,” Sylvia said. “I went to the local school guidance counselors and
then we went to family shelters to get some names. When each school started to submit names, I asked them to keep it down to four or five. But they would also add a wish list of maybe another 15, so it grew quickly.” According to Sylvia, they now have a list of more than 80 families on their holiday meals list. In addition to the meals, the committee also provides gifts for children at Christmas and baskets for Easter. “We get the names of children and their ages for Christmas,” he said. “We ask what their sizes are, what their favorite color is, and what they’re interested in. Then we give each child under the age of 18 three gifts. We try to give them an educational gift, a practical gift, and then one toy. “At Christmas we collect and give out around 800 gifts. Then we have people come in to giftwrap everything and help deliver them. It gets a little complicated and it’s challenging to put it all together. For Easter, we bring each child an Easter basket. This past Easter we gave out 200 baskets.” Having been involved with two prior Social Concerns Committees, Father Moy wasn’t surprised with how quickly the effort snowballed. “Like love, social concerns grows,” Father Moy said. “Social Concerns is now the largest committee in our parish. We have about 50 active members.” And while he’s pleased with his parishioners’ ongoing generosity and willingness to participate in collecting food and toys for the needy, he said there is even more that happens behind the scenes. “Many people don’t know about what I call the hidden work that’s going on,” he said. “Often that’s not in the public domain,
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especially when you’re dealing with less-fortunate families. You can’t always publish this kind of stuff.” To that end, Father Moy said the parish sponsors an annual Healing Mass for the homebound and elderly and caps it off with a full, celebratory meal served in the parish hall. “We generally have that in September,” he said. “We also provide transportation for the annual meal, so if someone wants to come there’s no reason why they can’t attend,” Sylvia added. The Social Concerns Committee also sponsors fund-raisers to provide the opportunity for less fortunate youth to attend summer camp at Fort Taber in New Bedford. “We sent a dozen kids to camp for two weeks last year,” Sylvia said. “We sponsored some kids for two weeks, and others for the whole summer. We also sent some kids to Water Wizz in
August 12, 2011 Wareham last year.” Sylvia said he was particularly touched recently to be able to help a family that had fallen on hard times due to the slumping economy. Through a referral from Child and Family Services, he learned the family with a four-year-old was living at the Dartmouth Motor Inn. He initially went to them with some Stop and Shop gift cards to buy food and gas and later was able to help them find an affordable apartment. Although the mother finally got a job working as a nurse, the family’s car broke down and Sylvia then quickly organized a car pool of people from his committee to drive the mom to and from work everyday. “This is how we help people to help themselves,” he said. “We want to put them all in a better place so they can be the best dad they can be, or the best mom they can be, the best husband or wife. It’s not just about bringing food, it’s a ministry to help people who just need a little boost to
get them to the next level.” “We help people, but we don’t want to enable them,” Father Moy agreed. “We want to encourage them to get to that point where they’re self-sufficient.” Sylvia said he’s always believed that if people aren’t part of the solution, they’re automatically part of the problem — which is why he encourages everyone to get involved in some way. “I serve (Jesus) by serving those He places in my life,” Sylvia said. “So if someone calls for help, I guess that’s where I’m supposed to go.” Father Moy likewise feels blessed to be able to help so many people through this important ministry and he hopes others will heed Christ’s call from the Sermon on the Mount to reach out to the poor and hungry. “To me, one of the greatest prayers is a simple one: ‘God, whom are You going to send into my life today?’ And you just never know where that next request is coming from,” he said.
Faithful attend conference on love and marriage continued from page one
love. He went on to say, “John Paul II wanted to remedy two errors in the modern world that had to do with the body. One was to give the body too much significance, that we are our bodies and our bodies are hungry for pleasure and that all pleasure, therefore, is good. The second error is that our bodies are worthless; as if the body is like a car and once the car breaks down, we let it go. It believes that we are our souls and once the soul leaves the body, the body is done, just cremate it — it doesn’t matter. Pope John Paul II wanted to fix both of these problems. He would emphasize the human person is one body and soul.” For Mary Vasconcellos of Espirito Santo Parish in Fall River, the extended conference helped expand on a one-hour presentation that she attended at her parish when she asked Father Landry to come to speak the parish’s young adult group. “The interesting thing was when we presented it in the church, we had more of an older generation that attended; not too many of the young adults came,” she said. “We got a lot of good feedback from those who attended. It was just another side of love and marriage that you don’t really hear. Everybody thought it was a beautiful thing.” One of the topics not fully covered in the one-hour presentation was natural family planning, an issue that was more explained to her during the latest conference. She said she was able to learn more of how it works and how it’s part of
God’s plan. One topic that really touched her, she added, was when Father Landry spoke of embracing the ability to see Jesus in everyone you encounter and in yourself. “When you’re living in that way, you’re able to see life in a more full sense, and make sure that you are appreciated in love, not being used for love,” said Vasconcellos. “Loving them wholly, there is no selfish thing about it. You hear about love like that, but this was so much more in-depth.” Deacon candidate Paul Levesque of St. Bernard’s Parish in Assonet had also heard Father Landry speak during one of his diaconate classes and was interested in learning more on the Catholic perspective and the sanctity of marriage. “It’s very important to learn as much about this as we can,” said Levesque. “Once we are ordained and sent off to parishes, this is stuff we need to understand and can help teach it and bring it to people.” Lynne and John Dwyer read about the conference in a bulletin at their Holy Cross Parish in South Easton, and decided to attend together. “Personally, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you need to continue to learn, to continue to understand the teachings of the Church,” said Lynne. “I mean, it’s OK for them to sit there and say to do this and think like this, but you want to know the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ behind the concept of what the teachings are.” Lynne said she approached a
priest many years ago for advice of a personal nature, and had a negative experience during the conversation. “It was nothing about me as a person,” she said of that past experience. “Now priests are more understanding of the human dilemma. I think the message is still the same but I think the priests today are willing to listen to a situation. It allows you to think about how to approach a situation.” The mother of three grown children, Lynne’s oldest granddaughter is 16 years old, and while Lynne said she can remember what it was like when she was a teen-ager, the new challenges that teen-agers face today take it to an all new level — a concern that was echoed by her husband, John. “I came here to find out, when I talk to my grandchildren and tell them, ‘Don’t do this,’ and they say, ‘Why?’ I want to know why,” said John. “You can go on and say don’t do that because I said so; but because I said so, doesn’t cover it. He added, “[Our granddaughter] hasn’t been any problem but there are situations out there today. Everything is so casual and I’m offended by that because I’m oldschool type. I want to be able to let her know that there’s being used instead of being loved — there has to be some love in there. Lynne and I try to demonstrate love to our grandchildren all the time. We hug and we kiss in front of them, and our children too; this is very important to me, I don’t want something terrible happening to these kids. This is a way to present the argument.”
August 12, 2011
The Anchor
Various aid agencies accepting donations for African famine relief
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The following international aid agencies are working with partner agencies and local religious leaders in eastern Africa and are accepting donations for refugees affected by the re-
gion’s drought and famine. — Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ international relief and development agency, is accepting donations by phone at 800-736-3467; online at http://crs.org; or by
Around the Diocese 8/13
Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford will sponsor its fourth annual “Cool Jazz On a Hot Summer Night” concert to benefit the educational programs at the school. The event will take place tomorrow at the Wamsutta Club, 427 County Street, New Bedford. Charles Langford’s Quintet featuring special guest vocalist Lori Dow will be providing entertainment from 8 to 11 p.m. For tickets or more information, call Celia Fix or Jim Oliveira at 508-993-3547.
8/14
St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, 565 County Street, New Bedford, will sponsor its Polish International Festival on Sunday. The event will begin with Mass at 11 a.m. and the festival will run through 7 p.m. with an assortment of multicultural food, musicians, a kids’ area, raffles and silent auction. For more information call 508-525-0660.
8/20
Courage, a welcoming support group for Catholics wounded by same-sex attraction who gather to seek God’s wisdom, mercy and love will next meet on August 20 at 7 p.m. For location information call Father Richard Wilson at 508-992-9408.
8/21
The sixth annual Motorcycle Run to benefit St. Vincent’s Home, 2425 Highland Avenue, Fall River, will take place August 21 beginning at 9 a.m. The 50-mile bike run will travel through the scenic back roads of Freetown, Dartmouth and Fall River, ending back at St. Vincent’s Home for a cookout, raffle and silent auction. Trophies for favorite bike as judged by St. Vincent’s youth will be awarded. To register or for more information call 508-235-3228 or email melissad@stvincenthome.org
8/25
The diocesan Divorced and Separated Support Group will have an open meeting on August 25 beginning at 7 p.m. in the parish center of St. Julie Billiart Parish, 494 Slocum Road, North Dartmouth. There will be time reserved for all participants to speak and everyone is welcome. Parking is available to the left of St. Julie’s Church.
8/29
The Diocesan Health Facilities’ Fourth Annual Golf Classic will be held August 29 at LeBaron Hills Country Club in Lakeville. All proceeds will benefit the more than 900 individuals served in the skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers and community programs within the Fall River Diocese. For details on the various levels of participation available, call 508-679-8154. More information and printable registration forms are available online at www.dhfo.org.
9/8
The Lazarus Ministry of Our Lady of the Cape Parish in Brewster is offering a six-week bereavement support program called “Come Walk With Me” that begins September 8 and runs through October 13 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The program meets in the parish center and is designed for people who have experienced the loss of a loved one within the past year. Pre-registration is required and there is a nominal charge for materials. Please call 508-385-3252 or 508-385-8942 to register or for more information.
9/24
The Women’s Guild at Immaculate Conception Parish in Fall River will be sponsoring a Flea Market on September 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will be accepting clean items in good condition September 14 through September 23, which can be dropped off at the church hall on County Street. For more information call 508-674-8695 or email dotnic566@verizon.net
mail to CRS, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, Md. 21203-7090. — Caritas Internationalis is accepting donations at www. caritas.org — Jesuit Refugee Service is accepting donations by phone at 202-629-5948; online at www.jrsusa.org; or by mail to JRS, 1016 16th St., NW, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20036. — The Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States has established a special program named A Call for Solidarity with the Church in East Africa. Contributions may be directed to: Pontifical Mission Societies, East Africa Program, 70 W. 36th St., New York, N.Y. 10018. Credit card donations can be made at www.onefamilyinmission.org. — Doctors Without Borders is accepting donations by phone at 888-392-0392; online at www.doctorswithoutborders. org; or by mail to Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, Md. 21741. — International Committee of the Red Cross is accepting donations online at www.icrc. org/eng/ — Oxfam International is accepting donations online at www.oxfam.org/ — The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees is accepting donations online at www.unhcr.org
In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks Aug. 13 Rev. Edward J. Sheridan, Pastor, St. Mary, Taunton, 1896 Rt. Rev. Leonard J. Daley, Pastor, St. Francis Xavier, Hyannis, 1964 Rev. Gabriel Swol, OFM Conv., Former Associate Pastor, Holy Rosary, Taunton, 1991 Aug. 14 Rev. Raphael Marciniak, OFM Conv., Pastor, Holy Cross, Fall River, 1947 Rev. Conrad Lamb, OSB., Missionary in Guatemala, 1969 Aug. 15 Rev. Charles W. Cullen, Founder, Holy Family, East Taunton, 1926 Aug. 17 Rev. Cornelius O’Connor, Former Pastor, Holy Trinity, Harwich Center, 1882 Rev. Msgr. Maurice Souza, Retired Pastor, St. Anthony, East Falmouth, 1996 Aug. 18 Rev. Msgr. William H. Dolan, Retired Pastor, Holy Family, East Taunton, 1977
19 Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese
Acushnet — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays and Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays end with Evening Prayer and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.; Saturdays end with Benediction at 2:45 p.m. ATTLEBORO — St. Joseph Church holds eucharistic adoration in the Adoration Chapel located at the (south) side entrance at 208 South Main Street, Sunday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. 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 following the 11 a.m. Mass until 7:45 a.m. on the First Saturday, concluding with Benediction and Mass. buzzards Bay — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, every first Friday after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending the following day before the 8 a.m. Mass. 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 Sandwich — Eucharistic adoration takes place at the Corpus Christi Parish Adoration Chapel, 324 Quaker Meeting House Road, Monday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Also, 24-hour eucharistic adoration takes place on the First Friday of every month. 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, following the 8 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 8 p.m. FAIRHAVEN — St. Mary’s Church, Main St., has eucharistic adoration every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Chapel of Reconciliation, with Benediction at noon. 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 8:00 a.m. Mass until Rosary and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.
FALL RIVER — Notre Dame Church, 529 Eastern Ave., has eucharistic adoration on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the chapel. 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 until 6 p.m. in the Daily Mass Chapel. There is a bilingual Holy Hour in English and Portuguese from 5-6 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. HYANNIS — A Holy Hour with eucharistic adoration will take place each First Friday at St. Francis Xavier Church, 347 South Street, beginning immediately after the 12:10 p.m. Mass and ending with adoration at 4 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. 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. 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 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. OSTERVILLE — Eucharistic adoration takes place at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 76 Wianno Avenue on First Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and every Friday from noon to 5 p.m., with Benediction at 5 p.m. SEEKONK — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish has 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. WAREHAM — Adoration with opportunities for private and formal prayer is offered on the First Friday of each month from 8:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Church, High Street. The Prayer Schedule is as follows: 7:30 a.m. the Rosary; 8 a.m. Mass; 8:30 a.m. exposition and Morning Prayer; 12 p.m. the Angelus; 3 p.m. Divine Mercy Chaplet; 5:30 p.m. Evening Prayer; 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confession; 8 p.m. Benediction. 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 from other parishes are invited to sign up to cover open hours. For open hours, or to sign up call 508-430-4716. WOODS HOLE — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Joseph’s Church, 33 Millfield Street, year-round on weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No adoration on Sundays, Wednesdays, and holidays. For information call 508-274-5435.
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The Anchor
August 12, 2011
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a job well done — Catholic Memorial Home’s employee of the quarter was Andre Chaves, LPN, center, who works the three to 11 shift. With him is director of Nursing, Sherrie Grime, left, and administrator of the Fall River facility, Tom Healy.
