t eanc 0 FALL RIVER, MASS.
VOL. 43, NO.. 32 • Friday, August 20, 1999
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETIS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year
Mansfield parish following unique master plan of expansion ~
Sf. Mary's in Mansfield sets its sails for a new Education Center that will include an elementary school.
handle only 1,000. When combined with the parish center, to which it will be attached, the new Education Center will also meet other space needs for parish activities and ministries. "We have a
vibrant and extensive program of parish activities," Father Bellenoit explained. "Each of which needs a meeting place." To fund the Education Center and other related parish improvements, all estimated
By JAMES N. DUNBAR MANSFIELD - At a time when a parish school is considered by many as a luxury item, parishioners at St. Mary Parish in Mansfield are aggressively planning to build a $6 million Education Center which will be both a Catholic elementary school and a home for the religious education program. "We believe the construction of a new elementary school from the ground up is unprecedented in recent memory, said pastor Father George C. Bellenoit. "Other schools which were previously closed by many parishes may have reopened, but we ar~ not aware of any in the area, perhaps even throughout the whole of New England, which have started from scratch." St. Mary's, with slightly more than 3,000 registered families, is one of the Fall River Diocese's largest parishes. Mansfield, the community it serves, is also one of the fastest growing municipalities in the state. More than 2,000 children are currently enrolled in the parish's religious education program, and their number is increasing. The goal is for the new Center to be an elementary school for about 500 youths from kindergarten through grade eight; and as an enlarged home for the 2,000 in the religious education program - now housed in a 1987-built parish center designed to
EDUCATION CENTER - Architect's rendering shows the existing parish center at St. Mary's Mansfield on the left, with the proposed new Education Center to the right.
ESL Program graduates students; seeks volunteers ~
Coordinator says program gives students a sense of pride. By MIKE GORDON ANCHOR STAFF
FALL RIVER - Catholic Social Service's English as a Second Language Program (ESL), held it's first graduation ceremonies for more than 50 students this summer. Relatives and friends numbering well over 100 crowded into the former St. Mary School, on Second Street bringing graduates of the program flowers and balloons to mark their achievements. "It was like a family gathering and it was extremely successful," declared program coordinator Eva Cordeiro. "We're proud of them," she said and added that "the students should be very proud of their accomplishments. People who were illiterate when the program started, learned to read and write and have moved on to a beginner's level. They were very happy about their graduation," she said. Graduates at the school included several students who are on the intermediate level of English and many who strove to receive their United States citizenship. Grads each received a certificate I}:larking their achievement and a dinner followed the ceremonies. Dr. Odete Amarelo, a bilingual educator and literacy expert, Turn to page 13 - ESL
to cost $6 million, the parish has launched a major fund-raising campaign entitled "Building Our New Century of Faith." To date, approximately $2.2 million in cash and three-year pledges has been raised, reported Thomas E. Dwyer, chairman of the Parish Expansion and Planning Committee. The target goal of the fund-raising campaign is $2.5 million in order for the parish to be able to handle the subsequent annual debt service for the remaining cost of the construction, said Dwyer. "To be able to build a gymnasium as part of the project, as we hope to do, we need to reach a fund-raising level of $3.5 million or more," Father Bellenoit added. All contributions of any size toward the project, whether from within or outside the parish, are welcomed. "Anyone who supports Catholic education is strongly encouraged to support the project financially," Father Bellenoit said. "Surely, our society and our youth need today more than ever the strong values imparted by a Catholic Education. The new facility will be a wonderful, tangible symbol of the renaissance in Catholic education." The Parish Fund-raising Committee has developed a variety of memorial opportunities to recognize three-year pledges, and many have already been received. "We wanted to start (collecting) first at home and then branch out and we are currently looking at a handful of resource foundations," Dwyer noted. "And we are just beginning that phase." The parish began seriously considering the project about three years ago when former Turn /0 page 13 - Mansfield
Red Mass committee to honor five members of justice system ~
Mass and celebrations on September 26 will pay tribute to a judge, an official who has seNed the court, an ecumenical recipient and a husband andwife who are attorneys.
FALL RIVER - Although only in its third year, the annual Red Mass celebrations honoring members of the justice system for their dedicated service has already broken tradition by honoring five instead of four people. This year, instead of honoring only one attorney, the celebrations committee has decided to pay tribute to a married couple, Attorneys David and Mary Alice McLilughlin
of New Bedford. The tradit ion a I awards will also be given to ajudge, a court official and an ecumenical recipient. B e sides the Any. DAVID A. McLAUGHLIN Any. MARY ALICE McLAUGHLIN McLaughlins, those to receive the prestigious St. Tho- O'Malley, OFM Cap., on Sunday, mas More Medals at the Red Mass to Sept. 26 at 3 p.m., in St. Mary's Cabe celebrated by Bishop Sean P. Turn to page 13 - Red Mass