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.)