09.06.19

First-class relics of St. Anthony of Padua are venerated during the first stop of a diocesan tour at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River on August 26.

(Photo courtesy of Deacon Alan Thadeu) September 6, 2019 â€

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Bishop Feehan High School students learn impact of volunteerism during mission trip to San Diego

By Tricia Svendsen

psvendsen@bishopfeehan.com

ATTLEBORO — Five Bishop Feehan High School students witnessed the impact of volunteerism on their recent service trip to San Diego. The students — Abby Hallagan, Brianna Matte, Amelia Mignacca, Laura Smith and Mia Zona — signed on to a Young Neighbors in Action mission trip through the Campus Ministry Department at Bishop Feehan.

YNIA is a summer service experience for teams of youth and adults. Sponsored by the Center for Ministry Development, a national, non-profit agency, YNIA brings a strong, Catholic perspective to the work of assisting people in need.

These diocesan students were among a group of 70 teens hailing from Oregon, California, New York and Massachusetts, who traveled to St. Charles Catholic Church Retreat Center in San Diego. This was to be an opportunity to encounter Christ in service, in prayer and Eucharist, and in people.

The six-day trip found the youth assisting organizations that count on volunteers to accomplish their work. The Feehan students worked from nine to three each day with two food banks that were run by Catholic Charities, where they packed canned goods and other staples, counted out and packaged produce, met with individuals in need of support, and registered visitors to the food bank.

Other groups of students 2

were assigned work at different locations: at a refugee center, clearing trails in a park and painting at a preschool.

Working with the individuals in need and the agencies that provide service was an eye-opener for the Feehan students.

Participants learned about the work that Catholic Charities does in assisting people who are struggling with poverty and homelessness. Even though they didn’t get to see most of the families that benefited from the food (since much of the work is done behind the scenes), the volunteers interacted with a number of those who came for assistance. One challenge encountered was the language barrier with some patrons speaking only Spanish.

Student-volunteer Abby said she could see Christ in the people volunteering alongside them, as well as in the people she was serving. Volunteers included

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senior citizens, intellectually-disabled adults and Latter Day Saints. Abby was particularly touched when an older man who was receiving his food expressed his gratitude saying, “God bless all of you. Thank you.”

Mia found the dedication of the facility managers inspiring. In both food distribution centers there was only one paid staff person and many volunteers. These managers demonstrated exceptional skill in scheduling and supervising volunteers as well as serving the individuals who came for food and/or referrals. They exhibited a compassionate and joyful attitude in their work, and their welcoming demeanor was contagious.

The themes of the YNIA week were “You are the Light of the World” and “You are the Salt of the Earth” (Mt 5:13-16). Participants learned that just like salt and light, which have properties to affect things around them, they,

too, can deliberately seek to affect the lives of others, as they show them the unconditional love of Christ.

Amelia reported that the YNIA experience taught her that being the salt of the earth means everyone “has the ability to make another person’s day better, whether we see the impact or not.”

At the Retreat Center, each day before they traveled to their worksites, and again in the evening, students took turns leading a prayer service. An adult Liturgist advised small groups of students who planned the services which included Bible readings, prayer, reflections and song. The youth were also responsible for cooking and serving meals for the other YNIA participants under the direction of an adult leader. The Feehan students enthusiastically took on these tasks and led services with song and prayer culled from their high school experience. The camaraderie

they experienced with other participants was a key element of the trip. Here they were among others who shared their values, and as Brianna said, “They were not afraid to sing loudly and open up about their faith.”

Two Masses and some adoration time were meaningful parts of the YNIA experience. Students joined with their peers at St. Charles Church to worship and reflect on God’s role in their lives, their relationships with the people they met and the meaning of their presence in San Diego.

Laura found adoration in the dark, candlelit church to be Spiritually transforming.

She says “From that night on I could see God working through the people around me.” Encountering Christ in the Eucharist and in adoration helped all participants understand their role in being aware of the needs of others, their obligation to serve and their responsibility to return home with a heart eager to share.

Amelia and Mia reflected that they were humbled by this mission experience, with one of the deepest Spiritual encounters being an evening prayer service held on the beach. In Amelia’s words, “After an evening swim in the warm, clear Pacific Ocean, under a beautiful pink and golden sunset, I sat on the beach with my peers, feeling very connected to Christ. We were singing and laughing with people we had just met, and it felt like we were truly brought together by Christ.”

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‘40 Days for Life’ fall campaign begins September 25 ATTLEBORO — The 23rd consecutive 40 Days for Life campaign in the Fall River Diocese will launch on September 25 in Attleboro at Four Women Clinic, 150 Emory Street.

The clinic is the only operating abortion center in the diocese.

“We are looking forward to seeing all of our faithful supporters who have joined us in witness and prayer as we begin our 12th year of activity,” said Ron Larose, coordinator for the local campaign since its inception. “We are also looking for new volunteers to join us in this most important work. Please take the time to sign up for a vigil time on our website at www.40daysforlife. com/attleboro.”

To coincide with the 40 Days for Life, there are several Pro-Life activities taking place in and around the diocese.

A National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children will take place on Saturday, September 14 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Memorial to the Unborn in St. Mary’s Cemetery on Towne Street in North Attleboro.

On that day, Pro-Life Americans throughout the country will gather at the gravesites of aborted babies and other memorial sites dedicated in their honor for this seventh annual event.

Solemn vigils will be held at these sites to commemorate the more than 60 million children who

have lost their lives to legal abortion since 1973, and to remind our society of the humanity of these precious unborn children.

For more information, contact Kathy Hill at 508397-7280 or email kathyfinnhill@yahoo.com.

A Powerful Pro-Life Prayer Launch will be held on Sunday, September 22 at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 547 Washington Street in Norwood, beginning with a 4 p.m.

Mass with Father Michael McNamara, followed by speaker Terry Beatley at 5 p.m.

Beatley is the author of “What if We’ve Been Wrong?” — a fascinating account of her interviews with Bernard Nathanson, the so-called “Abortion King” and founder of NARAL, on his deathbed.

Come and learn the inside story of how the abortion industry deceived American women into accepting abortion over the years.

There is no charge for this event and all are welcome. For more information, email annie40days@ gmail.com or call 781769-5398.

The local Attleboro 40 Days for Life will kickoff with a Prayer Service

on Saturday, September 28 beginning at 7:30 a.m. in Angell Park (across the street from the Four Women Clinic), followed by an 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 71 Linden Street.

The Abundant Hope Pregnancy Resource Center of Attleboro will also be hosting its 11th annual “Celebrate Life Fundraising Dinner” on Thursday, September 26 at Lake Pearl Luciano’s in Wrentham.

Funds raised will allow them to provide counseling, pregnancy tests and ultrasound imaging for those in an unplanned pregnancy. They also offer parenting classes, community referrals, postabortive healing Bible studies, diapers, wipes and baby gear for families in need. All services are free and confidential.

The center serves southeastern Massachusetts, northern Rhode Island, Cape Cod and the Islands. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.ahprc. org, or call 508-4550425.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who have most generously supported us in the past and continue to do so,” Larose said. “God bless you for all you do on behalf of the unborn.”

For more information on 40 Days for Life, visit www.40daysforlife.com/ attleboro or email Ron at 40dflattleboro@comcast. net.

David Flanagan named new principal of Holy Name School

ing this team to ensure we FALL RIVER — David Flanagan has been appointed provide the best educational and Spiritual experience for the new principal of Holy our students and families.”

Name School, effective July “Catholic education is the 1. This announcement was foundation of faith in the made by Father Jay MadChurch of the dock, pastor future,” said of Holy Name Father MadParish in Fall dock. “I am River. This apvery confipointment also dent that Mr. received the Flanagan will approval of the be an excepFall River Ditional leader ocesan School to ensure our Superintenschool is strondent, Stephen ger and more A. Perla. vibrant than D avid Flanagan Flanagan ever.” replaces Dr. Stephen Perla added: “DaPatricia Wardell who retired vid’s tenure as an education after having been principal administrator demonstrates for the past 14 years. very strong leadership skills Most recently, Flanagan and we are blessed to add his was the assistant principal talent to the growing group at Bishop Hendricken High of new school leaders in the School in Warwick, R.I. for Diocese of Fall River.”

14 years, where he oversaw Flanagan received his academics, personnel, and bachelor and master degrees the international student in political science, education program recruiting students from China, Korea, and other and history from Providence College. He resides in Hope parts of Asia.

Valley, R.I., where he and Previously, Flanagan Barbara, his wife of 31 years, taught at Mount St. Charles have four children and are Academy in Woonsocket, active members of the St. R.I. and was an adjunct Rose of Lima Parish in Warprofessor of History at wick, R.I. Providence College’s School Holy Name School strives of Continuing Education. to produce confident, comPrior to moving into educapetent, and caring individuals tion, Flanagan practiced law who can work cooperatively, for a few years, after getting show respect for one another his law degree from Suffolk and who demonstrate an unUniversity Law School. derstanding and appreciation “I am so thrilled with the opportunity to bring my sec- of Catholic values.

Holy Name School has ondary school experiences to openings in most grades for this wonderful school comthe 2019-2020 school year. munity,” Flanagan said. “Dr. Please visit and see what Wardell has done a tremendous job with this school and great things are happening at Holy Name School.

I truly look forward to leadSeptember 6, 2019 †

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Sacred Hearts Retreat Center in Wareham is closed WAREHAM — A longtime fixture in the Fall River Diocese, the Sacred Hearts Retreat Center, located at 226 Great Neck Road in Wareham, was closed this summer after 76 years of ministry.

In a recent newsletter mailing sent out from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts - United States Province entitled “In Thanksgiving for the Past,” the closure of the site where many diocesan retreats, including Quo Vadis Days, was made known.

The closure was celebrated with a final Mass on June 28 — appropriately enough, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “‘Celebrating’ closure may seem a strange juxtaposition of words, but a celebration it was — even if bittersweet,” the newsletter reported. “The community who gathered for the Eucharist was a mix of Wareham neighbors, parishioners from our (Sacred Hearts) parishes, people who have made and given retreats (there) over the years and, of course,

our (Sacred Hearts) Brothers and Sisters.”

The 118-acre Sacred Hearts Retreat and Spirituality Center property was located on Widow’s Cove, part of Buzzards Bay, at the very tip of the west end of the Cape Cod Canal. A peaceful locale, fitting for a retreat or Spiritual experience, a casual walk along the wooded paths or down to the waterfront by the boathouse would reveal a variety of trees and wildlife. In fact, 95 acres of the sprawling property was delegated as open space and can never be developed.

In 1943, the Congregation of Sacred Hearts bought the land as a seminary. It operated as a seminary until the 1960s, when it became a novitiate for incoming members of the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts. In the 1980s, the property then became a retreat center and has continued to operate as one ever since.

Owned and maintained by the Sacred Hearts congregation, the retreat

Sacred Hearts Retreat Center’s Manor House facility was a haven of contemplation and prayer for people who wished to reflect upon their lives through prayer, solitude, Spiritual direction and education.

The central three-story Manor House, which would accommodate up to 52 people, also contained a library, parlor, conference room, chapel, gift shop, and dining facilities.

Also located on the grounds was a Youth Facility with 41 bunks and nine beds, with a capacity for another 50. This space had its own recreation room, meeting hall, kitchen and eating area, chapel as well as a cottage for youth retreat staff.

Fall River DCCW to hold season opening meeting September 21 FALL RIVER — The Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will hold its first meeting of the season on Saturday, September 21 at St. Stanislaus Church, 36 Rockland Street in Fall River.

The day will begin with coffee and refreshments at 1 p.m., followed by the 4

meeting beginning at 2:30 p.m.

The topic of this year’s inaugural meeting will be a report from the DCCW president Beth Mahoney on

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the National Council of Catholic Women Convention held late last month in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, please call Lynette at 508-6747036; Terry at 508993-5085; Beth at 508-821-6201; Roberta at 508-7435448; or Rebecca at 508-761-4638.

“There is so much to be thankful for — the many lives touched by the love of Jesus’ heart over the 76 years, during which Wareham has been both a house of formation and a retreat center,” the newsletter added. “There were so many people to be thanked, not least, those who came to Wareham at important or rather

ordinary moments on their Spiritual journeys, the neighbors and friends who have supported the ministry there for so many years, and all the (Sacred Hearts) who have served there.”

One of the longtime directors at the Sacred Hearts Retreat Center was Father Stanley J. Kolasa, SS.CC., who died in 2016.

“Special thanks goes to Sister Claire Bouchard, SS.CC., who served there for 12 years and who, since Father Kolasa’s death, has been the director. More than a director, Sister Claire has been the heart and soul of Wareham these last years.

Her ministry has been a perfect example of SisterBrother collaboration.”

The St. Anne’s Shrine Preservation Society is sponsoring a Holy Spirit-themed Charismatic Mass on Thursday, September 19, 2019 at 6:30 PM. Father Edward Murphy will preside at this Mass.

Patriots’ Matthew Slater to speak at FACE Fall Scholarship Dinner

WESTPORT — The Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fall River serve almost 7,000 students in 20 schools.

Students are challenged to achieve their highest potential, and are called to grow in faith and academic excellence. They are future leaders and the core of our community.

Each year, the Foundation to Advance Catholic Education’s Fall Scholarship Dinner brings the community together to raise much needed scholarship funds for Catholic school children in need.

Co-chairs John Feitelberg, president of HUB International, and Janna Lafrance of Lafrance Hospitality invite all to the 25th Annual FACE Fall Dinner which will be held on Tuesday, October 1 at White’s of

dous leadership and unwavering support of the Catholic schools.

The featured guest speaker at this year’s event will be Matthew Slater, three-time NFL world champion and special teams captain for the New England Patriots.

Matthew Slater All proceeds from Westport. this event go directly It has been announced to student scholarships that Roger Sullivan, across the diocese. chairman of the Diocese Businesses and of Fall River’s Central individuals are asked Catholic Schools Board, to consider becoming will receive the Timothy J. a sponsor and helping Cotter Award this year in make a difference for recognition of his tremen- hundreds of students and families in need. So many young lives will be changed for the better with your support!

For more information about FACE or this year’s milestone scholarship dinner, please visit www.face-dfr.org or call 508-617-5306.

ACTS worship night to be held in Fairhaven

FAIRHAVEN — A worship night with Brett St. Gelais will be held on Friday, October 18 from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Joseph Church, 74 Spring Street in Fairhaven.

The evening will include a talk on “Forgiveness and Unconditional Love” by St. Gelais, a longtime youth and young adult minister who’s been part of the Life Teen Catholic Youth Ministry for 15 years.

St. Gelais has also been a parish coordinator for EDGE, Life Teen’s middle school youth ministry program, and has been involved in LIFT Ministries, a dynamic Boston-based praise and worship event, since it began in 2006.

Over the past decade, St. Gelais has developed a love and passion for delivering the Word of God. He has been blessed to speak to thousands of Catholics each year and share the unconditional love of Jesus.

The evening will also include an opportunity for

Adoration and Reconciliation. All are welcome to attend and a freewill offering would be appreciated.

St. Joseph Parish and neighboring St. Mary Parish, both in Fairhaven, participate in the ACTS program.

ACTS is an acronym for Adoration, Community, Theology and Service. The goal of an ACTS retreat is to strengthen people’s faith, to renew people Spiritually and to build lasting friendships.

Laymen present the ACTS retreat and clergy provide support and oversight.

These retreats are parishbased evangelization tools which offer parishioners an opportunity to encounter the love of Jesus Christ.

ACTS retreats are given by parishioners for parishioners, and in this way, serve to build Christian community at a parish.

The October 18 worship night is jointly sponsored by the St. Joseph and St. Mary parishes’ ACTS Core Leadership Team.

September 6, 2019 †

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Editorial Humanae Vitae today

With the annual mailings from insurance companies to their beneficiaries (although that term can be debated, given the vast sums of money that the supposed beneficiaries have to pay to these companies in premium and co-pays), the issue of contraception returns to one’s mind. The Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as Obamacare) forced all insurance policies to cover contraception, regardless of the deeply-held beliefs of many Americans that these practices are immoral — and their wish that their insurance premiums (and tax money) not go to “services” which contravene the loving will of our Divine Creator.

Last year the independent Catholic news website Crux had an article observing the half centennial of St. Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, which reaffirmed the Church’s opposition to artificial contraception. In “At 50, fans say you can debate ruling in ‘Humanae Vitae,’ but not its relevance” correspondent Ines San Martin interviewed a number of people who spoke about the amazing insight with the pope had back in the turbulent year of 1968.

San Martin wrote, “[A] half-century later, supporters say that whatever else the encyclical is today, ‘irrelevant’ isn’t really it. Italian Msgr. Gilfredo Marengo, for instance, said that Humanae Vitae actually was adept at reading the signs of the times when it appeared. ‘At the time in which Humanae Vitae was published, the process of decolonization in many parts of the world was coming to an end,’ he said.

‘Birth control policies supported by many international agencies, such as distribution of condoms and legalization of abortion, were a worrying sign of willingness of many people to intervene and influence many new countries, especially in the developing world.’ “‘In this sense,’ Marengo said, ‘those policies can be read as a form of ideological colonization.’ (That phrase is especially associated with Pope Francis, who’s denounced ‘ideological colonization’ on multiple occasions, meaning Western nations and NGOs exerting pressure on poorer societies to adopt a liberal sexual ethic as a condition of humanitarian aid.)” (the parenthesis is from San Martin’s article).

San Martin also quoted Pascoal Carvalho, a doctor from India and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. “Some foreign aid to countries of the developing world was linked with promoting contraception and abortion, all part of a reproductive health program for women,” he said. Carvalho added that HV pointed out this pernicious attitude and motivated some Catholics and others of good will to be proactive in helping families.

San Martin also quoted Pia de Solenni, Chancellor of the Diocese of Orange, who said about HV, “The document is about real love. Recent allegations of sex abuse involving Cardinal [Theodore] McCarrick and other Church leaders show exactly what happens when we don’t live chastity according to our state in life.” She said (before Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote on this topic recently) that sexual abuse, inside and outside of the Church, “are a pretty good indication of what happens when the teaching is ignored. We mock love and use people.”

De Solenni added, “Without contraception, there’s no need for abortion. Abortion exists because we have bought into a contraceptive mentality which sees unborn human life as an object that is a burden and shouldn’t exist.”

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 63, No. 18

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† September 6, 2019

Echoing the chancellor, a graduate student at Catholic University, Jeanne Marie Hathway, said, “Ultimately, contraception and abortion are band-aid measures a society adopts so it doesn’t have to make serious improvements in its treatment of women.” Hathway told San Martin that she supports Natural Family Planning (NFP), which includes “fertility awareness-based methods of family planning” that “offer women a different way of being in their bodies — one, she said, which calls men to recognize and respect the intricacy of life.”

Hathway also spoke against a common cultural belief: “The idea that abortion or contraception (or both) are necessary for human flourishing — more specifically, female flourishing — comes from the fractured worldview that life is a balancing act between things we want and things that happen to us. Sex is ‘something we want,’ and children are ‘something that happen to us.’”

Archbishop Christian Lepine of Montrael was also quoted by San Martin regarding HV and its understanding of “the consequences that contraception has had in people’s lives.” He said that St. John Paul II’s theology of the body built upon what his predecessor taught in HV. “More and more people see in this theology of the body a vocation to love and to the other, the mutual gift they are to each other, as well as to the communion of the couple and the fruitfulness of love,” he said.

Like the teachings on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, only a minority of American Catholics accept the teachings of HV. Hathway explained that the problem isn’t that people reject HV after having read it — instead they’ve never understood the teaching in the first place. “Our society tells us that contraception is a necessary small piece of connecting the bigger pieces in life — career and romantic relationship, freedom and adventure, fulfillment and stability.” However, she added that HV is a “blueprint,” bringing these disparate parts together. “Human beings are created for relationship with God. The family is the school of relationship, and the root of the family is the friendship between a man and a woman. Paul VI recognized contraception as part of the fracture, not the glue, of human life.”

There is a powerful documentary in theatres right now, “One Child Nation,” made by a Chinese-American immigrant, Nanfu Wang, about the one-child policy which ruled Communist China from 1979 to 2015, when it was replaced by the two-child policy. Both policies were (and are) enforced through mandatory sterilizations and abortions. The movie is heartrending. One of the most moving segments is the regret and anguish that a midwife has for the thousands of children whom she aborted (while many of the other people in the movie just said, “we had no choice”). However, the filmmaker, showing that she has been indoctrinated into American anti-life attitudes, says towards the end of the movie that the Communists in China (forcing abortion on women) and American Pro-Life activists (trying to limit abortion) are similar because “both are about taking away control of women’s bodies.” In saying this, she is both contradicting her own documentary (she proved in the movie that the Communists’ motivation had to do with their belief in Malthusian economic models, nothing to do with female sexuality) and making assumptions about Pro-Lifers just based on the popular culture’s condemnation of us.

May our relationship with Christ, Who gave up everything out of love for us, guide our relationships with each other, especially those within Marriage.

Daily Readings † September 7 - September 20 Sat. Sept. 7, Col 1:21-23; Ps 54:3-4, 6, 8; Lk 6:1-5. Sun. Sept. 8, Wis 9:1318b; Ps 90:3-6, 12-17; Phlm 9-10, 12-17; Lk 14:25-33. Mon. Sept. 9, Col 1:24 - 2:3; Ps 62:6-7, 9; Lk 6:6-11. Tue. Sept. 10, Col 2:6-15; Ps 145:1b-2, 8-11; Lk 6:12-19. Wed. Sept. 11, Col 3:1-11; Ps 145:2-3, 10-13b; Lk 6:20-26. Thu. Sept.

12, Col 3:12-17; Ps 150:1b-6; Lk 6:27-38. Fri. Sept. 13, 1 Tm 1:1-2, 12-14; Ps 16:1b-2a, 5, 7-8, 11; Lk 6:39-42.

Sat. Sept. 14, Nm 21:4b-9; Ps 78:1b-2, 34-38; Phil 2:6-11; Jn 3:13-17. Sun. Sept. 15, Ex 32:7-11, 13-14; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19; 1 Tm 1:12-17; Lk 15:1-32 or 15:1-10. Mon. Sept. 16, 1 Tm 2:1-8; Ps 28:2, 7-9; Lk 7:1-10. Tue. Sept. 17, 1 Tm 3:1-13; Ps 101:1b-3b, 5-6; Lk 7:11-17. Wed. Sept. 18, 1 Tm 3;14-16; Ps 111:1-6; Lk 7:31-35. Thu. Sept. 19, 1 Tm 4:12-16; Ps 111:7-10; Lk 7:36-50. Fri. Sept. 20, 1 Tm 6:2c-12; Ps 49:6-10, 17-20; Lk 8:1-3.

T

oday, September 6, I have the privilege to offer Mass for the 10,000th time as a priest. It’s a great source of thanksgiving for me.

Sometimes people are surprised when other priests or I mention exactly how many Masses we have celebrated — as if, on the positive side, we might have the world’s greatest memory, or, on the negative side, we might be neurotically obsessed about details.

But there’s a practical reason we know. When priests are ordained, most of us get a book to record the Masses people ask us to pray for their intentions.

One part of the book has the Mass requests to which we’ve committed and the other records the Masses we’ve actually fulfilled. This is so if we die suddenly, another priest, finding the book, can celebrate the Masses we were not able to, fulfilling our duty to those who gave the stipends.

There’s a Spiritual reason, however, why this is a good practice. Priests are called to celebrate each Mass as if it were their first, their last and their only. Each Mass is meant to be cherished, because in each we engage in what our faith teaches us is the most important event that happens that day in the world, when the Son of God miraculously becomes incarnate on the altar.

Such an approach toward Jesus’ self-giving in the Eucharist is not just for priests. When I prepare young people for their first Holy Communion, I emphasize that the most important aspect of the experience is not the “First” but the “Communion.” I tell them that the “second” is just as important, as is every subsequent Communion. Once in a while one of them will come to me some time later and say something moving like, “Father, today is my 100th

Knowing what we are doing Holy Communion!” Such a comment reveals the type of eagerness and appreciation for the Gift and the Giver that all believers should have when approaching Holy Communion. Whether or not they keep track, it shows how precious each Mass is.

The recent Pew Research Center study about U.S. Catholics demonstrated that we have much work to do to ensure that priests and faithful have this awareness and appreciation. Only 50 percent of U.S. Catholics said they knew the Church’s teaching that after the consecration, the bread and wine are totally changed into Jesus’ Body and Blood. Even among that 50 percent of those who were aware of the Church’s teaching, a third said that they still regarded the Eucharist as a symbol, leaving only 31 percent who actually believe the Church’s teaching that the Eucharist actually is Jesus.

In my last column, I reflected on where, I think, this grave crisis in Eucharistic faith originated and on 10 practices I believe would help us know, love and live this faith better. Everything begins, however, with knowing clearly what we profess to be doing during Mass.

At his ordination, a priest kneels before the bishop who says, as he places a paten and chalice in the baby priest’s hands, “Accept from the holy people of God the gifts to be offered to Him. Know what you are doing and imitate the mystery you celebrate.” It is key for priests to recognize the supernaturally profound reality of what they are doing in the celebration of the Mass and to help the people of God recognize it too.

The Pew Research Center’s study shows that we cannot take knowledge for granted.

Without this basic knowledge, we cannot imitate the

mystery of the Mass and “do this” in Jesus’ memory.

Without it we won’t grasp Who it is we receive and how He wishes in the Holy Eucharist to transform us and through us the world.

Therefore, now is the time for bishops, priests, deacons, catechists, parents, godparents, writers and all those with the responsibility to pass on the faith to articulate with clarity and conviction the Church’s Eucharistic faith.

We do not have to reinvent the wheel. The “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” in paragraphs 1374-80, presents succinctly what we believe about the Eucharist. It underlines, “In the most blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood, together with the Soul and Divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained. This presence is called ‘real’ ... because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes Himself wholly and entirely present.” The Eucharist is not a symbol, but truly Jesus.

The Catechism defines transubstantiation — a term that many of the Catholics surveyed couldn’t define — as the “conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood. It has always been the conviction of the Church ... that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the Body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine

into the substance of His Blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.” This term was first used in the 12th century by the future Pope Alexander III to describe how after the consecration, the whole substance of the bread and wine are changed into Jesus while the appearances of bread and wine — their size, extent, weight, shape, color, taste, smell — are preserved miraculously by God. “The Eucharistic presence of Christ,” it continues, “endures as long as the Eucharistic [appearances] subsist,” and for that reason it is fitting that we adore and love Him, bring Him to the sick and pray before Him in the Tabernacle.

The Catechism then turns from the “that” of the Eucharist to the “why.”

“It is highly fitting,” it says, “that Christ should have wanted to remain present to His Church in this unique way. Since Christ was about to take His departure from His own in His visible form, He wanted to give us His Sacramental presence, the memorial of the love with which He loved us ‘to the end,’ even to the giving of His life. In His Eucharistic presence He remains mysteriously in our midst ... under signs that express and communicate this love.”

What Jesus ultimately wants is an encounter: “Jesus,” it emphasizes, “awaits us in this Sacrament of love.”

In teaching about Jesus’ Real Presence, I have always found it helpful to ponder His words in Capernaum (Jn 6:22-69). There He identified Himself as the “Real Manna” and the “Bread of Life” and underlined, “My Flesh is true food and My Blood is true drink: Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood remains in Me and I in him.” Many disciples

— not strangers, but those who already believed in Him — responded, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?,” and many of them left. They were probably disgusted, thinking that Jesus was speaking like a cannibal. Jesus then turned to His closest followers, the Apostles, and asked whether they too would leave. Peter spoke up and gave the fundamental principle of Eucharistic faith: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that You are the Holy One of God.” He had no better idea of how Jesus would give His Flesh and Blood to consume than the departing disciples did, but because he believed in Jesus, he believed in what He said. The Church’s Eucharistic faith is based directly on our trust in Jesus.

Jesus’ words about how we would eat His Flesh and drink His Blood would finally make better sense a year later, when during the Last Supper, Jesus would take bread and wine, change it into His Body and Blood, and say, “Take and eat,” “Take and drink.” He kept the appearances of bread and wine, it seems, so that we would not be nauseated eating something that looked like human body parts rather than reminiscent of normal food. They knew, however, that He Who had changed water into wine in Cana was certainly capable of changing wine into blood.

They would then become ministers of that miracle.

Today, September 6, I have the awesome privilege of being Christ’s instrument to bring about that wondrous transubstantiation for the 10,000th time — and I continue to strive to know what I’m doing and imitate what I’m celebrating.

Anchor columnist Father Roger Landry can be contacted at fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.

September 6, 2019 †

7

“E

Mentors

very day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46).

We have come a very long way in the two millennia since the Church was formed. It seems that the further we moved from the simple witness of a disciple to programmed catechetical gatherings, the more difficult it has become to evangelize.

Every year at this time desperate coordinators of our Religious Education programs search for people who can serve as catechists, and resort to the “any warm body will do” solution. This has become a crisis in some parishes to the extent that they have opted to do away with an organized program in favor of giving the parents the responsibility to teach the faith at home.

Somewhere through the centuries since Jesus appeared on the road to Emmaus and the Apostles set up communities of the faithful an important element of evangelization has been lost.

Faith is not taught, but witnessed. Catechesis has become tantamount to meting out doctrine, not the echoing of faith that the term conveys. Every pope of the second millennium has been exhorting us to focus on evangelization at every chance we get.

8

Pope St. John Paul II stated in Catechesi Tradendae that “the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy with Jesus Christ: only He can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity.”

Pope Benedict wrote in Deus Caritas Est, “Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”

Pope Francis has exhorted us to begin with the simple proclamation that Jesus loves us and died for our sins, but lives with us today because of the Resurrection.

If we think this is going to be conveyed to this generation by handing a book to someone and ask them to “teach religion,” then we will have the results that have plagued us for decades.

St. Oscar Romero made this clear in a homily he delivered a few years before his martyrdom. “Christianity is not a collection of truths to be believed, rules to be followed or prohibitions. Seen that way, it puts us off. Christianity is a person who loved me immensely, who demands and asks for my love. Christianity is Christ.”

Note the use of the words “me” and “my.” Christianity is not something that happens to someone else, it is my story and yours.

The challenge for us is not having enough cat-

† September 6, 2019

echists, but finding people who are willing to witness their faith. We need to raise up a cadre of mentors who will journey with us as we grow in faith.

When the young adults gathered for the Synod on Youth in 2018 they com-

plained that there were not enough adult mentors to help guide them on their Spiritual journey. The use of the term “mentor” was interesting, since they intentionally left out words like catechist or teacher. Their insight into the characteristics of such role models is helpful as we look for people who will serve the role.

The youth want people who are faithful Chris-

tians who engage with the Church and the world.

Mentors are people “who constantly seek holiness; someone who is a confidant without judging.” This desire to be heard without being judged came out loud and strong. Many felt that they were not given the freedom to travel their Spiritual journey because too many adults expected a standard of perfection that was difficult to achieve.

The youth asked for mentors who “acknowledge their own humanity,” recognizing that they are human beings who make mistakes: “not perfect people but forgiven sinners.”

We all know people who are natural evangelizers.

These are the people who exhibit joy and unabashedly offer to pray for us when we are in need. They are the faithful parents who make sure their kids’ friends are

taken care of. They are the friends who arrange to drive the sick to doctor appointments and chemotherapy. They are the visitors to the sick, the cooks at the feasts and volunteers in the shelters. They may not have the time or talent to teach a group of children from a religion curriculum, but they might be willing to give a witness talk.

We may need to restructure our Faith Formation programs so that they are less “schools of religion” and more like support groups.

They can be inter-generational or age-appropriate, but all people in the parish need to hear the Good News as witnessed by you.

As St. Peter tells us, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you a reason for your hope.”

Anchor columnist Claire McManus is the director of the Diocesan Office of Faith Formation.

Holy Cross Family Ministries’ Museum of Family Prayer opens Sept. 15 Tour reservations now being accepted online

By Dave Jolivet

JolivetDB@comcast.net

NORTH EASTON — “The Rosary reaches the coal miner, the taxi driver, the housewife, all the lonely people in their sorrows and fears.

It embodies the Good News that Jesus loves you because you are His brother or sister.”

This quote from the Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., speaks volumes of the great importance for Catholic faithful to pray — and not only pray, but pray as a family.

The famed “Rosary Priest,”

whose works and actions are currently being studied in his sainthood cause was the man who so eloquently spoke, “The family that prays together, stays together.” This quote has been butchered through the years by those seeking to garner a laugh or look clever in a presentation, so the danger lies in the fact that it may have lost its punch with faithful Christians.

So, it bears repeating, slowly: “The family that prays together, stays together.” Father Peyton, during his time and mission on earth dedicated his life to reaching out to families,

families all over the world, teaching them that prayer is key for families to fight against a culture of evil and death that noticeably increases with each passing year. Father Peyton also said, “A world at prayer is a world at peace.”

Oh, how that peace is needed today in the world, with mass shootings becoming more commonplace and political, civil and military unrest are the order of the day, and with thousands upon thousands of families seeking a better existence crammed into refugee camps and holdings.

These seemingly hopeless situations do have resolutions, and one of the most important and one in which everyone can become a part is prayer.

It is with Father Peyton’s mission of family prayer in mind that Holy Cross Family Ministries, 518 Washington Street in North Easton, will open its Museum of Family Prayer on Sunday, September 15. Tours of the newly-created museum will take place every 15 minutes from noon to 1 p.m.

At 2 p.m., Fall River Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will celebrate a family Mass and blessing, followed by a dedication of the museum.

Since a large crowd of faithful is expected to attend, Holy Cross Family Ministries is accepting RSVP invitations for tour times on September 15 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

It should be stressed that space is limited and reserving a tour time is highly recommended. Those who wish to to reserve a time should visit www.hcfm.org, click on the “Museum of Family Prayer” menu option, then click on the “Register For Grand Opening” icon.

The user will be taken a screen where they can provide their name, address, email and what events they will be attending, then they can select a tour time. The tours will last approximately 20 minutes and can accommodate 20 people per session.

The tours are free, and the spots are expected to fill quickly.

The Museum of Family Prayer, inspired by the life and mission of the Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., will be blessed by Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., on September 15. Reservations are now being accepted for tours that day online at www.hcfm.org.

(Photo by Dave Jolivet) Should all the tours be booked for September 15, faithful are encouraged to visit the museum from Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. Admission is always free.

“In today’s world, prayer is needed now more than ever,” said Holy Cross Father Willie Raymond, HCFM president. “We continue Father Peyton’s legacy promoting the power of prayer. We hope the museum’s multimedia experience speaks to those who are looking for inspiration, exploration and connections.”

“The museum is a unique experience for families to put down their individual devices and have a joint digital experience — an experience of prayer no less,” Elizabeth Ponte, director of IT and the Museum Project Leader, told The Anchor earlier.

“We know families love interactive experiences and we know the benefits for families to pray together.

The museum provides both. Not only that, families will discover the inspiring story of Father Peyton’s life. We hope families will join us for an immersive journey of prayer.”

For more information about the museum and to make a tour reservation; or for more information on the sainthood cause of Father Peyton, visit hcfm.org.

September 6, 2019 †

9

Cape Cod ‘Taste and See’ benefit for poor set for October 4 is that when the stock market goes down 10 percent, it dominates the headlines,” Father Perry said. “But, let a homeless person die in the street, and it goes unnoticed. This is the reality we seek to work against through events like ‘Taste and See.’” For information about tickets or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kelley at

508-775-5744, ext. 113, or visit www.olvparish. org/tasteandsee.

Anchor readers are invited to help by giving the cost of one or more shelter bed-nights by sending their donation of $50 per night to Kelley at: Our Lady of Victory Parish, 230 South Main Street, Centerville, Mass. 02632.

Cape Fish and Lobster, above, a proud sponsor of the annual “Taste and See Cape Cod” benefit since 2002, will once again be serving up its popular raw bar at this year’s fund-raiser on Friday, October 4.

CENTERVILLE — Often regarded as the most popular saint in Christian history, St. Francis of Assisi is perhaps best known for his deeds of charity, including emptying his father’s cloth warehouse to help his beloved poor.

That is why it is such a happy coincidence that this year’s “Taste and See” fund-raiser to provide shelter and sustenance to Cape Cod’s aging homeless population will be held on his feast day — Friday, October 4.

Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., is once again joining mid-Cape church and civic leaders in assisting Our Lady of Victory and Our Lady of the Assumption parishes as they seek to 10

raise $100,000 for this year’s challenge.

“Because winter is such a hard time for the people we help,” said Father John J. Perry, pastor of both parishes, “people living in automobiles, or ‘sofa surfing’ from relative to friend, shelter availability has become an even more valuable commodity. Our goal this year is to make sure that everyone who needs a warm, safe place to go this coming winter, will have it.”

Some of the Cape’s finest restaurants have come forward to help by donating and serving tasting menus at Oyster Harbors Club on Friday, October 4.

A raw bar, wine tastings, auctions, live music and the oppor-

† September 6, 2019

tunity to socialize with neighbors and members of the business community complete the celebratory aspect of the evening.

A featured aspect of the event is the “Give a Bed” auction which has raised more than $44,000 in past years, or about 40 percent of the total evening’s gross.

Shelter providers have calculated that the cost of a bed for a night, the care and comfort of one person for a onenight stay, is approximately $50. The people in attendance are asked to bid whatever number of nights they can. Last year this item alone provided funds for nearly 800 bed-nights on Cape Cod. “Perhaps the harshest scandal of our age

www.anchornews.org

Feehan mission trip to San Diego continued from page two

Chaperones Alan Svendsen, vice principal of student life, and Tricia Svendsen, part-time librarian at Bishop Feehan, were amazed by the vigor with which the Feehan students fulfilled their assignments at the food banks. They saw the teens work efficiently and determinedly in their

increased compassion for the homeless and those living in poverty. Laura found tasks, expressing great comgreat happiness in serving passion for those they served. and found the week a lifeTheir reverence and openness changing experience. All the to all that was asked of them Feehan students said they throughout the trip was key would recommend the YNIA to this being a Spiritual and experience to their peers, and meaningful experience. all have returned with plans The teens were impacted to seek local opportunities to in many ways by their week serve those in need here in of service. Abby said she has the diocese.

September 6, 2019 â€

11

Newly titled and re-branded Diocesan Directory 2020 in production, will begin shipping in October FALL RIVER — As the Fall River Diocese continues to make great strides towards fulfilling Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha’s “Rebuilding in Faith and Hope” initiative, there have been some wholesale changes in parishes and diocesan offices. That’s why this year’s all-new, fully-revised edition of the diocesan directory is going to be an important resource for the local Church.

Published annually by The Anchor, the new publication has been re-branded and retitled Diocesan Directory 2020 to not only reflect the milestone year ahead, but also to suggest a new, clearer vision for the Fall River Diocese. To that end, Bishop da Cunha’s “Rebuilding in Faith and Hope” logo has been added to the volume.

Given all the changes this year, the publication date — which previously shipped in August — was also pushed back to October to provide ample time to collect and include the latest information and staffing changes in parishes, apostolates and schools throughout the diocese.

“It’s certainly been a challenge this year,” said Anchor editor and directory coordinator Kenneth J. Souza. “We had to find a way to present the information for the many parish collaboratives and groupings while maintaining their individual location and Mass times.”

Souza said they decided to keep each church site and location on a single 12

page and then brand them each with a logo for its umbrella collaborative.

“Since each site has its own address and set of Mass times, we thought that would be the best approach,” Souza said.

“So the four churches in the Catholic Community of Central Fall River, for example, will be presented on individual pages, even though many of the staff names and contact information will be identical.”

As an aid in locating these parish groupings, the directory will also be adding an index of the various collaboratives for the first time.

The new Diocesan Directory 2020 features a cover with a stylized photograph of an underwater scene looking up towards the shining sunlight above.

“We wanted something that looked very different from past editions and that defined what’s happening in the Fall River Diocese,” Souza said. “There’s a certain sense of cleansing — the waters of Baptism, if you will — in having to rebuild our local Church.

And we’re all looking towards the Light so that we can resurface anew.”

The water motif is also appropriate given the Fall River moniker of the diocese, and there are similar design elements incorporated throughout Diocesan Directory 2020.

Slated to being shipping the first week of October, the newly-revised and fully updated directory has consistently been the

† September 6, 2019

go-to reference guide for turn, deserve your considinformation for diocesan all the parishes, offices and offices, personnel, areration. apostolates within the Fall chives, priests’ residences, “We think everyone River Diocese and this will be impressed with this councils and apostolates year it’s going to be invalu- ranging from The Anchor new directory and we’re able to those working in to Catholic Social Services working hard to make it a and worshipping in the and its many offices, camgreat reference guide for diocese. the entire diocese,” Souza pus ministry, Chancery, Souza said pre-orders said. “I like to think of it Faith Formation, insurfor the new volume have as an owner’s manual for a ance, legal, communicabeen brisk, which is not new Fall River Diocese, retions, Scouting, shelters, surprising with all the new vocations and much more. built in faith and hope, to information contained borrow Bishop da Cunha’s As always, the support within. of dedicated advertisers is phrase.”

“Even with the technoTo pre-order a copy pivotal to the directory’s logical advancements of of the all-new Diocesan annual success and in cell phones and computoffsetting the costs to print Directory 2020, please ers, there’s still a comfort send a check for $30 each the full-color, glossy pubin having a quick desk lication. As such, it also (includes shipping) to The reference like Diocesan Anchor, 887 Highland serves as a guide to loyal Directory 2020 handy,” sponsors who support the Avenue, Fall River, Mass.

Souza said. “And websites 02720. diocese’s mission and, in and Google searches don’t always get you the right CTION! U D O R P contact person for a parNOW IN ticular office or location.”

As in past years, the directory will include all of the latest parish data, including Mass times, staff listings, and contact information. It also provides listings of all diocesan priests, the various Religious Communities working in the diocese, along with a complete listing of active and retired deacons living in the diocese, whether they are assigned to a given parish or not.

And in this computerand smartphone-savvy era, information such as individual parish and collaborative websites along with staff email addresses for key diocesan administrative personnel have been woven into the directory’s contact listings.

Limited press run!

The directory also provides important contact Directories will ship in early October

DIOCESAN DIRECTORY

2020

Available to pre-order online at

www.anchornews.org or by sending a check for $30 per copy (includes shipping) to:

The Anchor 887 Highland Avenue Fall River, Mass. 02720

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, September 8 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Michael Racine, pastor of Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Lawrence Martyr, and St. Francis of Assisi parishes in New Bedford

Sunday, September 15 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Msgr. Stephen J. Avila, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Falmouth, St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in North Falmouth, and St. Anthony Parish in East Falmouth

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, September 8 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from St. Anthony Church in Taunton

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass

on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, September 15 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in Providence, R.I.

Our Readers Respond A ‘Screwtape’ Letter You may have heard that a stage adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ masterpiece “The Screwtape Letters” recently came to Boston. I was unable to attend, but recently I intercepted this communication from hell: “My Dear Wormwood, “In order to draw your quarry in, you must be patient in your application.

Catholic Education today holds marvelous promise.

First have those in charge think that they and not Him are the arbitrators of what will and not be taught.

Once you’ve established that, convince them that the Church, what’s best of it, isn’t really Truth from Him Who can neither be deceived nor be deceived, but rather a private school

system. A safe place.

“Attendance bringing earthly rewards. Make money necessary to receive an education in the faith, and they will come to think that money therefore is then necessary for eternal life. It all dovetails nicely with materialism and contraception. It will take time, but slowly the dissent (make sure you use that word and not the word heresy to that dammed Encyclical that blazes in eternity like a flag stuck in the sand), will cause the loss of nuns and a cost increase where truly only those with few children (HV) will be able to attend.

“Don’t let them realize that expensive private schools are juxtaposition to

Executive Editor This has been difficult for me to write, since I am called by Christ to love my neighbor as myself. I do truly pray for Mr. Sharples (by name to God) more than for most of the people for whom I have served as a priest (no offense to all of you former and current parishioners), because I know how unhappy he is with me and with priests for our failure to teach everything the Church teaches. I agonize about what he is thinking and what my response should be.

I pray for him at most Masses and I ask God to help me to love him and serve him (as I should everyone, working to help people on the road to Salvation).

having children. Let those with three children require a ‘scholarship.’ CCD, as they call it, is still operating on an eighth-grade education in a time when everyone’s going to college. Cause the majority to leave the Church as they leave childish things, and cause the minority with an education to be puffed up by higher income.

“Homosexual scandals in the priesthood, my how they do love teen-age boys and opulent things, will do the rest. Above all let no one actually believe in He Who can neither deceive nor be deceived.

“Your affectionate Uncle Screwtape.”

— David Sharples Attleboro

replies

That is not to say that Mr. Sharples doesn’t have any valid points (I even alluded to that in one of my “Truman” responses). It is true that some Catholic educators have not believed in the truths of the faith. It is true that the failure to accept Humanae Vitae has gotten us where we are today.

However, I do not accept his notion that Catholic schools exist to promote contraception (because of the expense of the tuition). I know that we have been working more and more over the years to help families send their children to our schools, by keeping tuition lower in our diocese than in neighboring dioceses and by having all sorts

...

of scholarship programs.

I know that Catholic educators work to help their students imitate Christ’s humility and not have a “puffed up” attitude.

Mr. Sharples is also correct about the corrosive effect of the unchastity of the clergy. I refer to that in this edition’s Editorial (which I did not write in response to this letter).

I write my responses not just for the benefit of the letter-writer (although sometimes I’ve had a back-andforth via email with some of them, which has become friendly, such as with the men who wrote to defend President Truman), but also to try to clarify things for the readers of The Anchor.

September 6, 2019 †

13

You are the company you keep?

I

honestly have best friends in the world!

I know you are reading this thinking, “No, I have the best friends,” but we will have to agree to disagree.

We are well-aware that we are not a normal group of 30-somethings.

I know that most people in their 30s do not see their friends every week.

We have a group of eight of us that see each other at least once per week.

We also text in our group message pretty much every day. Four of those friends I have known for more than 20 years.

I also have a few friends that I met in Kindergarten, friends from middle school and high school, friends from my days in CYO, from volleyball and, of course, friends from ministry and Bishop Stang.

I do not write this to make it sound like I am bragging about all the friends that I have. I write this to emphasize that I have friends from a variety of areas in my life.

Some of my friends were raised Catholic and have since left the faith.

Some of my friends are Catholic and attend Mass on the major holidays only. Some of my friends were raised in a different faith or no faith at all.

Some of my friends attend Mass every week.

Some of my friends are priests (OK, honestly a good chunk of my friends are priests). Some of my Catholic friends share the same beliefs as me and 14

some do not. Some of my friends are Republicans, some Democrats, some Independent, and some — like my husband — just registered to vote for the first time.

Why am I writing all this? I heard a statement on K-Love recently that really resonated with me. The radio personality said, “If all your friends are just like you, then you are doing it wrong.”

It was such a different statement than what I had heard before. We have heard so many times growing up, “You are the friends you keep.” But this quote was saying something different. And in a world of growing political divisiveness, I found that it was a great reminder of who we are all called to be.

Scripture tells us much about friendship. In Proverbs it states, “A friend loves at all times” (Prov 17:17). Again in Proverbs we read, “Iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” (Prov 27:17).

And of course, Jesus tells us, “There is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for a friend” (Jn 15:13). Nowhere in the Bible does it say, “Find a person who voted like you and call them a friend” or “Friends are people who believe the exact same things.”

To be a friend is to love, to encourage, to sacrifice. As I type this, one of my best friends just

† September 6, 2019

offered to run an errand for me, even though she is waiting to hear from a doctor on her time to be induced! That is what it means to be a friend.

Just before His Ascension into Heaven, Jesus left us with these

words: “Go out to all the world preaching the Good News; baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We are called to preach the

Good News to the whole world. How easy is it to be Christian when everyone around you is a Christian?

Christ did choose 12 devout Jews to be His disciples. He did not only preach to people who already got it. If we only surround ourselves with people who are just like us, we are doing it wrong. We need to be able to share our faith to all people.

I do not read the Bible to my friends when we hang out, however they know what I believe and have asked me questions about why I believe what I believe and often ask me

to pray for situations and people in their lives.

It’s great to have that support from the people who share our beliefs.

That’s what gives us the energy and fuel to keep going.

Surround yourself with all types of people, but preach Christ to the whole world.

Anchor columnist Amanda Tarantelli has been a campus minister at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth since 2005. She is married, a die-hard sports fan, and resides in Cranston, R.I. She can be reached at atarantelli@bishopstang. org.

Sister Muriel Ann Lebeau, SS.CC., a Sister of the Sacred Hearts, recently celebrated her golden anniversary as a religious with a jubilee Mass at St. Joseph Church in Fairhaven. Sister Muriel graduated from Sacred Hearts Academy in Fairhaven and entered the novitiate in 1961. She has been in education for 54 years, including 19 years as principal of St. Joseph School in Fairhaven. She is now a Kindergarten teacher and campus minister at Holy Family-Holy Name School in New Bedford.

Above, two former classmates and best friends, Sister Dolores Pavao and Sister Muriel, are pictured before the jubilee Mass.

(Photo courtesy of Margaret McCormick)

F ocus

on

C hurch Y outh

Above, St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro opened its doors last week for the new academic year for its first- through eighth-grade students. The principal of the school, Charlotte Lourenco, far left, welcomed students and introduced them all to the new pastor and director of the school, Father Rodney Thibault, far right. Father Thibault gave a warm welcome to them and they all prayed together.

(Photo courtesy of Veronica Welch)

Father Thomas Washburn, O.F.M., above, rector at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Fall River and pastor of the Catholic Community of Central Fall River, blesses students and backpacks as they prepare for a new school year during the parish’s Youth Mass on Sunday, August 25.

(Photo courtesy of Deacon Alan Thadeu) September 6, 2019 â€

15

‘Sitting on the Dock of the Bay’

“S

itting in the mornin’ sun, I’ll be sittin’ when the evenin’ comes, watching the ships roll in and then I watch ’em roll away again. I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay watching the tide roll away.”

As I write these lines, these lyrics composed and sung by Otis Redding in the ’60s and brought to prominence again by street singer Roger Ridley, there comes to mind, when I reflect on life here in Kalaupapa, the annual “delivery” day for our settlement. No, I’m not referring to baby delivery but rather to goods delivery at our dock on Barge Day. At about 6 a.m. on August 17 it first appeared on the horizon. Slowly, guided by two tugs, it eased its way through the bay into the inner harbor until it came to a stop next to the dock.

By 8 a.m. it had settled into place and by 9 a.m. was ready to unload its precious cargo. Young Brothers’ Barge had made its annual summer crossing to Kalaupapa.

Meantime our state and National Park workers, wearing safety vests and helmets, lined up in the vicinity of the dock ready to go into action like members of a relay team. Then there were the “watchers.”

We stood or sat within the safety of the walled church grounds ready to take in the action like children waiting for Christmas morning. I myself had a special interest in this year’s unloading as I had been informed by Bill, our Sacred Hearts finance man, that I had a new vehicle 16

coming in to replace my 20-year-old Paddy Wagon.

So I watched intensely and somewhat patiently.

Now the frenetic activity began as front-end loaders began to unload smaller items and packages. Some vehicles were driven off,

followed by the fuel tankers containing our gasoline supply for the coming year.

Finally, the big shipping containers were taken off and then I could see it, tan in color, perched atop a container. I held my breath as it seemed to wobble on its high perch while being carried across the bridge onto the dock. It then was lowered to ground level.

My new wagon had arrived safely, thank the Lord and Young Brothers.

Barge day in Kalaupapa today is perhaps less of a

spectacle than it has been in the past, but it still draws considerable interest and of course is very important, actually vital, to our community. While most of our food comes in by plane in the course of each week of the year, Barge Day is the only day of the year when gasoline, vehicles and heavy equipment reach our shore. It is also the day when we are relieved of old vehicles, worn out equipment and used household appliances which tend to pile up in the course of the year.

Sitting on the dock of the bay, it is quiet now as I watch the tide roll away, but one year from now we will sit in the morning sun watching the barge roll in and watch it in the evening as it rolls away again.

Aloha.

Anchor columnist Father Patrick Killilea, SS.CC., is pastor of St. Francis Parish in Kalaupapa, Hawaii.

The Anchor is always pleased to run news and photos about diocesan youth.

If schools, parish Religious Education programs or home-schoolers have newsworthy stories and photos they would like to share with our readers, please email them to: schools@ anchornews.org

† September 6, 2019

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks:

Sept. 7 Very Rev. James E. McMahon, V. F. Pastor , Sacred Heart, Oak Bluffs, 1966 Rev. Raymond Pelletier, M.S., LaSalette Shrine, North Attleboro, 1984 Sept. 8 Rev. Thomas Sheehan, Founder, Holy Trinity, Harwich Center, 1868 Sept. 10 Rev. Hugo Dylla, Pastor, St. Stanislaus, Fall River, 1966 Rt. Rev. Felix S. Childs, Retired Pastor, Sacred Heart, Fall River, 1969 Sept. 11 Rev. Joachim Shults, SS.CC., Our Lady of Assumption, New Bedford, 1987 Rev. Cyril Augustyn, OFM Conv., Pastor, Holy Rosary, Taunton, 1997 Rev. Francis E. Grogan, CSC, Superior, Holy Cross Residence, North Dartmouth, 2001 Sept. 12 Rev. John J. Galvin, STD, Assistant, SS. Peter and Paul, Fall River, 1962 Most Rev. James L. Connolly, Sc.HD, Fourth Bishop of Fall River, 1951-1970, 1986 Rev. John R. Folster, Pastor, St. Louis de France, Swansea, 1995 Sept. 13 Rev. Charles A.J. Donovan, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1949 Rev. Isadore Kowalski, OFM Conv., Our Lady’s Haven, Fairhaven, 2003 Sept. 14 Rev. Stanislaus J. Ryczek, USA Retired Chaplain, Former Pastor Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Bedford, 1982 Sept. 15 Rev. Henry J. Mussely, Pastor, St. Jean Baptiste, Fall River, 1934 Rev. Brendan McNally, S.J., Holy Cross College, Worcester, 1958 Rev. John J. Casey, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1969 Sept. 16 Rt. Rev. Msgr. Jean A. Prevost, P.A., P.R., Pastor, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Fall River, 1925 Sept. 17 Rev. Thomas F. McNulty, Pastor, St. Kilian, New Bedford, 1954 Cardinal Humberto Sousa Medeiros , Archbishop of Boston, 1970-83, Pastor of St. Michael, Fall River 1960-1966, 1983 Rev. Felix Lesnek, SS.CC., Former Associate Pastor, St. Joseph, Fairhaven, 1991 Sept. 18 Rev. Luke Golla, SS.CC., Seminary of Sacred Heart, Wareham, 1945 Rt. Rev. Msgr. Edmund J. Ward, Retired Pastor, St. Patrick, Fall River, 1964 Sept. 19 Rev. Henry E.S. Henniss, Pastor, St. Mary, New Bedford, 1859 Msgr. Arthur W. Tansey, Retired Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Fall River, 1985 Rev. John J. Yorco, SS.CC., Former Pastor, St. Boniface, New Bedford, 2010

S

eptember is already here, many of our children have returned or are returning to school. For many, this is a time excitement, wonder, and new beginnings, yet for some, there is fear, apprehension, and uncertainty.

Yet both of these groups ask similar questions — “Will I make new friends? Will others like me? Will I fit in?

Can I keep up in class?”

The list of questions and insecurities can go on and on.

Yet the biggest question of all is, “Will I be accepted and welcomed?” St. Paul speaks to this very question in this Sunday’s reading. He, Paul, is sending a young disciple back home — once a slave — now he is asking that Onesimus be accepted as an equal. Yet Paul does not want this to be a “forced” acceptance for his sake alone, but rather a voluntary and

To advertise in The Anchor, contact Wayne Powers at 508-675-7151 or waynepowers@ anchornews.org

Welcome! open-armed acceptance, a genuine welcome. He is asking his follower, Philemon to receive Onesimus as one would receive a returning family member — as one of his own.

Like Philemon, it is ultimately up to each and every one of us to choose to see others as brothers and sisters in Christ. To look beyond the visual appearance to see with Spiritual and loving eyes — to see with our hearts rather than our minds. We have all encountered people whose appearance, status, or history leaves us questioning whether or not they are worth our time and effort.

Yet if we listen to the words of St. Paul, are we not choosing to decide someone’s worth and welcome based on what or who they are or have been. We all have had

our moments of regret, done some “stupid” things, or even chosen paths that may not have brought us to our brightest hour — most of us have a least one skeleton in our closets.

Would anyone of us want to be judged on our past, rather than

dicted and seeing someone’s loved one, gazing upon the wrinkled face of an elder, recognizing the wisdom in all their years, and welcoming the immigrant who is simply seeking a chance at a better life. Ultimately, learning to recognize the Christ within every single person we encounter.

To see others as Christ would see them and to look at them as if looking through the our potential? I am sure eyes of Christ, we may the answer would be a all be amazed at what resounding “no.” you see. You may find So why do we allow the gentle spirit hiding this to continue? Why behind the harsh exteare children bullied? rior, the frighten child Why are adults ostraveiled behind the false cized within their combravado, the lonely soul munities? Why are those who appears aloof for who suffer seen only as fear of being hurt again. a product of their choic- We may come to see the es rather than the perbeauty of the person son within? Why do we despite their appearnot welcome those who ance. We may learn that are different? If we are they were not always true followers of Christ, “this way,” that life may choosing to be His dishave been harsh and ciples, then we must let unforgiving — and their go of all that binds us — current façade is simwhich includes our own ply a means to protect biases and insecurities. themselves from further If we truly believe in the harm or hurt. teachings of Christ and A prime example of accept them, why is this this protective nature such a struggle for so can be seen in the movie many of us?

“Home Alone 2,” where Jesus tells us, “Love a homeless woman your neighbor as you living in Central Park love yourself.” How comes across as a frightcan we accomplish this ening individual. It is simple Commandment? when Kevin befriends We must by seeing the her that we learn she homeless person as a was not always this way, brother or sister, looking but chose this life as a into the eyes of the admeans of keeping oth-

ers away and not letting anyone get “too close” again for fear of being hurt. We also see in the first “Home Alone” how an elderly neighbor’s solitude leads to many misconceptions about who he is and his past.

It is only when Kevin speaks with him that he realized he is only a lonely old man who wishes life was different, not someone to be feared.

It all comes down to our own choices and conviction — are we willing to accept others as brothers and sisters?

Can we choose to see beyond the trappings of this world, allowing ourselves to get to know the person in front of us?

We must keep in mind that the “slave” will remain a “slave” (which in today’s world can take on many masters), whose true freedom only comes from being seen and fully accepted as an equal, as “a brother or sister.”

Remembering that if we regard ourselves as followers of Christ, then we will welcome all in the same way that we would welcome Christ — hopefully, with open arms.

Anchor columnist Rose Mary Saraiva is a member of Holy Trinity Parish in Fall River and works for the diocesan Office of Faith Formation.

Email her at rsaraiva@dfrcs.com.

September 6, 2019 †

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Around the Diocese There will be a Healing Mass at St. Andrew the Apostle Church, 19 Kilmer Avenue in Taunton, on Thursday, September 12. The Holy Rosary begins at 6 p.m. and will include the Sacrament of Confession. Holy Mass will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will include praying over people individually and conclude with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

A Retreat for Deacons’ Wives entitled “Growing in the Fruits of the Spirit” will be presented by Father Flavio Gillio and Dottie Levesque at the La Salette Retreat Center, 947 Park Street in Attleboro from Friday, September 13 through Sunday, September 15. Walking through the Fruits of the Spirit enumerated by St. Paul in Galatians 5:22-23, the retreat will examine what each fruit means through a close reading of selected Biblical texts. The retreat starts on Friday, September 13 at 7 p.m. (registration begins at 6:30 p.m.) and the retreat ends on Sunday after lunch. Suggested donation is $225 per person. Visit www.lasaletteretreatcenter.com or call 508-222-8530 for more information.

A Family Healing Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, September 15 at 2 p.m. at St. Joseph Chapel near the Father Peyton Center, 500 Washington Street in North Easton. Many families carry heavy burdens and wounds in their hearts. The celebration will include Adoration, Reconciliation, Mass and enriching music to help you and your family discover prayerful peace together. This event is free and is handicapaccessible. For more information, call Family Rosary at 508-238-4095, ext. 2038.

Those curious about becoming a lay Carmelite are invited to join members of St. John of the Cross Lay Carmelite Community for a “Come and See Day” on Sunday, September 15. The meeting will be held in classroom A of Christ The King Parish Center in Mashpee at 11:30 a.m. They will begin by praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and a presentation on being a Lay Carmelite will follow. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Pam at 508-6818299.

The Council of Catholic Women of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Westport, 569 Sanford Road, will hold a huge indoor yard sale on September 21-22, both days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch will be available on Saturday with the kitchen open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shop, have lunch, and go home with treasures. There is ample parking space.

For more information call the parish office at 508-674-6271 Tuesday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

All Attleboro-area Catholic men are invited to participate in a deanery-wide Men’s Group called “That Man Is You!,” which is happening on Saturday mornings starting September 21 at St. John’s Parish Center in Attleboro. There is no charge to participate. There will be breakfast starting at 6:30 a.m. and a program which consists of prayer, video and small group discussion between 7 and 8 a.m. For more information and to sign up visit: http://tiny.cc/TMIYAttleboro.

The 12th annual Walk for the Poor sponsored by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Fall River district will be held at Bishop Connolly High School, 373 Elsbree Street in Fall River, on Saturday, September 28.

The rain date will be October 6. All are invited to support and participate in this event to make it a grand success so that the poor and the needy of Fall River can benefit. For more information, please contact coordinator Victor Alves at vctr_alves@yahoo.com.

All are welcome to join an evening with the Diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate staff on Wednesday, October 16 at 7 p.m. at the Holy Family Parish Center, 438 Middleboro Avenue in East Taunton. Come meet the staff of the diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate, Irina DeLucca and Jean Arsenault. In this open forum, you can ask them anything you’ve ever wanted to know about the Pro-Life movement. In addition, they will be offering counsel on how to enagage in healthy discussions about the right to life with others. Refreshments will be served!

To submit an event for consideration in The Anchor’s “Around the Diocese” listing, please send the information by email to kensouza@anchornews.org.

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† September 6, 2019

Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese Acushnet — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening prayer and Benediction is held Monday through Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

ASSONET — St. Bernard’s Parish will have Eucharistic Adoration every Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the altar at the conclusion of 9 a.m. Mass and the church will be open all day, concluding with evening prayer and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette holds 6:30 p.m. Mass followed by the Chaplet of Divine Mercy Adoration at 7:15 p.m. every Wednesday evening.

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. John the Evangelist Church, North Main Street, Mondays and Wednesdays from 5-6:30 p.m.

Brewster — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Our Lady of the Cape Church, 468 Stony Brook Road, on First Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. buzzards Bay — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, every First Friday following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending at 5 p.m.

DARTMOUTH — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Mary’s Church, 783 Dartmouth Street, every First Monday of the month, following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending with evening prayers and Benediction at 5 p.m.

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 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, from 8:30 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.

FAIRHAVEN — St. Mary’s Church, Main St., has Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Reconciliation, with Benediction at 11:30 a.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Anthony of Padua Church, on the corner of Bedford and Sixteenth streets, has Eucharistic Adoration accompanied by music and prayer every first Wednesday of the month from 6-7 p.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Anthony of the Desert Church, 300 North Eastern Avenue, has Eucharistic Adoration Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:45 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursdays following the 8 a.m. Mass until Friday at 8 a.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 and concluding with 3 p.m. Benediction in the Daily Mass Chapel. A bilingual holy hour takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. Park behind the church and enter the back door of the connector between the church and the rectory.

FALL RIVER — St. Joseph’s Church has a Holy Hour every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m., with Benediction at 6:45 p.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Michael’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with Benediction at 5:30 p.m.

Falmouth — St. Patrick’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration each First Friday following the 7 a.m. Mass, with Benediction at 4:30 p.m.

HYANNIS — St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis, 347 South Street, Hyannis, has Eucharistic Adoration from noon to 3 p.m., daily Monday through Friday.

MANSFIELD — St. Mary’s Parish, 330 Pratt Street, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with Benediction at 5:30 p.m.

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m. Each First Friday Mass ends with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Adoration continues until Benediction at 5 p.m.

NEW BEDFORD — Eucharistic Adoration is held every Thursday, with Confessions, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. James Church. Please use the side entrance.

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.

NEW BEDFORD — St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, 565 County Street, holds Eucharistic Adoration in the side chapel Fridays from 7:30-11:45 a.m. ending with a simple Benediction NORTH DARTMOUTH — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Julie Billiart Church, 494 Slocum Road, every Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., ending with Benediction. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available at this time.

NORTH DIGHTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Wednesday following 8:00 a.m. Mass and concludes with Benediction at 4 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration also takes place every First Friday at St. Nicholas of Myra Church, 499 Spring Street following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending with Benediction at 4 p.m. The Rosary is recited Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

NORTH EASTON — A Holy Hour for Families including Eucharistic Adoration is held every Friday from 3-4 p.m. at The Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington Street.

NORTH EASTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Immaculate Conception Church Chapel on the first Wednesday of the month beginning after the 8:30 a.m. Mass, until 6:40 p.m. Those wishing to make a monthly commitment can sign up on the parish website at www.icceaston.org or call the parish office at 508-238-3232.

ORLEANS — St. Joan of Arc Parish, 61 Canal Road, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday starting after the 8 a.m.

Mass and ending with Benediction at 11:45 a.m. The Sacrament of the Sick is also available immediately after the 8 a.m.

Mass.

SEEKONK ­— Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish has perpetual 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.

Taunton — Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord, 31 First Street. Exposition begins following the 8 a.m. Mass until 9 a.m.

Taunton — The Chapel of St. Andrew the Apostle, 19 Kilmer Avenue, Taunton, will host Eucharistic Adoration Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Taunton — St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Taunton will host Eucharistic Adoration on Mondays following the 9 a.m. Mass and the St. Jude Novena, until 11:30, ending with Benediction. It will take place at Holy Rosary Chapel during the summer months.

WAREHAM — Eucharistic Adoration at St. Patrick’s Church takes place 9 a.m. Thursday through 7 p.m. Friday. Adoration is held in our Adoration Chapel in the lower Parish Hall.

† PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION † ATTLEBORO — Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 71 Linden Street in Attleboro.

East Sandwich — The Corpus Christi Parish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 324 Quaker Meeting House Road, East Sandwich. Use the Chapel entrance on the side of the church.

NEW BEDFORD — Our Lady’s Chapel, 600 Pleasant Street, offers Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day. For information call 508-996-8274.

SEEKONK ­— Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish has perpetual Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day in the chapel at 984 Taunton Avenue. For information call 508-336-5549.

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 are invited to sign up to cover open hours. For open hours, or to sign up call 508-430-4716.

T

his summer I had the opportunity to share with educators a film that starts with the few stars one can see in the city sky and ends with the spectacular night sky above Death Valley. If you have never seen this sight, go to www.nps.gov/deva/ learn/nature/lightscape. htm.

Students have often asked me “Are we alone in the universe?” With eager eyes they listened intently. However, they really were not interested in the science I shared about distances between stars, matter, star classifications, and the statistical probability regarding the number of planets that might be at the right temperature to harbor life-sustaining water.

What they really wanted to imagine and discuss was contact with the unknown.

Gently, I would ask them how we were to recognize such life forms on other planets as our brothers and sisters in Christ when we humans still struggled so hard with this recognition among our fellow men.

I believe recognition

The light in Death Valley of that common essence of the life infused into each of us by God is what lies behind Jesus’ words against choosing the place of honor at the table (Lk 14: 7-14).

The parable is a reminder that there is a place for each of us at God’s table.

It is an invitation to look deeper at each of those around us.

It is a call to view others with God’s (not society’s) eyes. The parable is a reminder that all those who set their value by downgrading others are in for a very rude awakening at God’s banquet.

At the Catholic high school, there were always a number of social justice programs running. With the idealism of youth, students had a great enthusiasm in general for assisting the downtrodden and the poor. The poor remained somewhere out there, far away. As a colleague said, “The challenge is getting them to realize the face of need is found in so many people in their own community.”

I have two examples to

share from my travels this summer. I had finished my work with educators and had entered a restaurant.

My cell pinged. A colleague and friend needed my help. Could I travel there tomorrow?

With my plans suddenly changed, any leftovers would have to be discard-

ed. This is the first time I handled things in this way. I asked the waitress if there were people in need who sometimes visited the restaurant. If so, was it possible to split my meal into two portions? She could share that second portion with someone.

She definitely looked at me with the “What planet are you from?” question lingering in her eyes. She started to answer in the negative, but then checked her response. She said she knew exactly what I meant. She had me apportion my meal. She took the extra to the back. Her

general attitude was that I was nice, but weird.

My check came. The waitress was so bubbly that she seemed a different person. She wanted to tell me something. Wondering what was up, I listened politely. She explained a friend of hers had just stopped by the restaurant.

Her friend was in tears. Without any warning, that friend had just lost her job that day. As part of supporting her friend, the waitress had passed my meal extras to her friend in need. She was explaining to me what a difference my small kindness had made to her and to her friend that day.

The second example had a sorrowful start to it.

It seems someone had injured or killed themselves in the hotel room then assigned to me. All the tiny nuances finally clicked the day I was to leave. I privately mentioned to the manager my suspicions as well as something that remained to be fixed. He said, “Other than that, was your stay OK?” A chill ran down my

spine. Praying for the person, the car service to the airport, the flight, and the sunny skies in the new city all failed to quell my fearful and negative mood.

The car service driver in the new city was talking to me. I complimented her honey bee earrings. The ride was long. We chatted the whole way. My mood broke. I realized she was a bright conduit of God’s love.

There was a wistful look in her eyes. She shared with me that she too had wished to study for a Ph.D., but a car accident had taken that away. Almost half a million dollars in surgeries later, she was only able to work parttime each day. As we gave each other a farewell hug, I realized each of us had brightened the other’s day.

The opportunity to discover new life isn’t just found in stars millions of miles away. It is found in the choices we make and in our exploring the lights of each of the stars God sends our way each day.

Anchor columnist Dr. Helen J. Flavin, Ph.D., is a Catholic scientist, educator and writer.

September 6, 2019 †

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† September 6, 2019