FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER
t eanc 0 VOL. 25, NO. 36
FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSEnS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
FALL RIVER, MASS., THURSDAY; SEPTEMBER 3; 1981
20c, $6 Per Year
Largest such gathering • In history of the U.S. HARTFORD, Conn. (NC) While Catholics have kept the faith, "the problem is that we have kept it to ourselves," Archbishop John Whealon of Hartford told more than 5,000 Catholic evangelizers in Hartford Aug. 21·23 at the East Coast 1981 lay Celebration of Evangelization. The gathering, the third of three evangelization conferences held across the country in Augist, was described as "definitely the largest gathering of ~ay evangelizers in· the history of the United States" by Paulist Father Alvin A. Illig, director of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Evangelization. In addition to the 5,000 who attended general sessions and more than 150 workshops on practical methods of evange::ization, an additional 3,000 came to the closing Mass at the Hartford Coliseum. Congress participants included many from the Fall River diocese
and &mong speakers were Father The archbishop said the im~ Jose A. F. dos Santos and Father mediate target of Catholic evanTimothy Goldrick, both of New gelizers should be the 15 milBedford. lion inactive Catholics in the Father Dos Santos, conducting United States, followed by 80 a workshop on "Charismatic Fire million unchurched Americans. Giving the keynote address in Portuguese Life" in the Portuguese language, was assisted by was Consolata Father Anthony Mrs. Debora Brum and Mrs. Bellagamba, director of the U.S. Lourdes Aurelio, members of Mission Council, who called St. 'John the Baptist charismatic evangelization "a very precious prayer group in New Bedford. word." The workshop included discussion of the Catholic charis"Many countries in the world matic renewal, Life in the Spirit simply don't allow evangelizaseminars, prayer meeting tech- tion," said Father Bellagamba, niques and parish development noting that in those countries through social and spiritual out- lay people "are the only missreach. ionaries and evangelizers we Father Goldrick explained the have." He urged worldwide evangelsuccessful "We Care/We Share" evangelization program he or- ization in signs and symbols ganized last year in the Fall relevant to the culture of individRiver diocese. ual nations, and he stressed the Archbishop Whealon, in the importance of lay ministries. conference's opening addri'!l'~:!'IM~,""-~H""e also called for a worlddefined an evangelizer as "one wide redistribution of priests and who proclaims enthusiastically, envisioned the eventual ordina'Jesus Christ means everything tion of married people as a posto me . . . and this is too good sible way of meeting the needs to keep to myself." Tum to Page Eight
Latin policy questioned WASHINGTON (NC) _. A new State Department briE!fing on Central America has shown that church leaders and the Reagan administration continu,e to have "very significant differences" on U.S. policy there" according to Bishop Thomas Kelly. Bishop Kelly, general s.~cre tary of the U.S. Catholic COlllference, said the Aug. 26 brillfing for religious leaders by top State Department officials was "useful." But he added that nothing we heard at the briefing changes our conviction" that no outside military aid should go to either side of El Salvador's civil war. The briefing took place the same day that the State Department announced it was sending four more military helicopters to ·El Salvador to counter a new surge of guerrilla activity.
In a statement on the briefing released Aug. 28 Bishop Kelly said, "It is clear to me that this kind of exchange is useful, but it is also clear that it illustrates very significant differences of perception and policy between the U.S. government's present approach in Central America and much of what we at the USCC hear and know from the church in that troubled reo gion." He said the USCC position on El Salvador would continue to be based on two themes: - That military assistance "from any source" either to the government or to the guerrillas "is not a useful contribution to resolving the civil war." - That a political solution is needed, including "a thorough process of dialogue and negotiation designed to give the elect-
oral system a true legitimacy in the minds of the Salvadoran people." Bishop Kelly said Bishop Arturo Rivera Damas, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of San Salvador "has consistently insisted on these two themes." He added, "The USCC will continue to advocate these ideas with the administration and the Congress." Bishop Kelly said the briefing was conducted by James L. Buckley, undersecretary of state for security assistance; Thomas O. Enders, assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs, and Ambassador Vernon Walters, special assistant to Secretary of State Alexander Haig. Attending the briefing were Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox leaders, he said.
MOTHER ST. IGNATIUS, RJM
Beatification Oct. 4 Four sisters from the Religious graduates of Notre Dame School I;)f Jesus and Mary convent in and the former Jesus-Mary Fall River have been chosen by . Academy are invited. Heroic Life lot to attend the beatification of Mother St. Ignatius, born Mother St. Ignatius, their community's foundress, in Rome on Claudine Thevenet in Lyons, Sunday, Oct. 4. France, on March 20, 1774, grew They are Sisters Irene Beaure- up amid the turmoil of the gard, Annette Vanasse, Michelle French Revolution. At the age of Authier and Pauline Joyal. Addi- 20 she witnessed the execution tionally Sister Irene Rheaume, of her two brothers by revolunow in Hyattsville, Md., a Fall tionary soldiers. Turning from her own loss, River native, and Sister Eugenia she was deeply moved by the Belcourt, now in England, the longtime principal of Notre lot of surviving victims of the Dame School, Fall River, will at- revolution. Feeling that their greatest mistend the ceremony. "So Fall River will be well fortune was their ignorance of represented," concluded Sister God, due to the conditions of Eileen Reid, superior of the local the time, she took the earliest opportunity to gather about her convent. She said that Fall River ob- a group of young women who servance of the event will con- wished to serve the poor. First sist of a special Eucharistic litur- known as the Pious Association gy at 9 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, in of the Sacred Heart, the memNotre Dame Church. Bishop Dan· bers gave catechetical instruciel A. Cronin will be principal tion, distributed alms, visited celebrant and the Mass will be hospitals and sought employfollowed by a reception at the ment for young girls. From this beginning the ConJesus-Mary Convent to which friends of the community and Tum to Page Eight