09.08.06

theanc VOL. 50, NO. 34

FALL RIVER, MASS.

• Friday, September 8, 2006

Two 'hardy' parishes taking EEE virus, spraying, in stride

By DEACON JAMES N.

DUNBAR

ACUSHNET - Pastors at parishes in Acushnet and East Freetown framed with thick tree cover and near lakes, marshes and ponds that cater to a density of mosquitoes - and the lwking Eastern equine encephalitis they can carry - report their parishioners are facing the situation in a sensible manner. ''We're a hardy lot of people out here, yet taking all the sensible precautions at the same time;' said FatherJohn Ozug, pastor ofOurLady ofFatimaParish in northem New Bedford, which is near Sassaquin Pond. "It hasn't affected the parish. But we are very cautious."

In East Freetown, at St. John Neumann Parish, pastor Father Richard E. Degagne, told The Anchor, ''We going about our business, enjoying the outdoors and usual recreational activity

at Long Pond and Cathedral Camp while taking steps to wear repellents and proper clothing afterdark."

He added, 'The people here are used to the situation and seem to be more concerned about the aerial spraying than they are about the virus

itself."

The DPH has come under fire by southeastern Massachusetts residents and politicians for not conducting aerial spraying earlier than August 9 when 159,000 acres in Bristol and Plymouth counties were sprayed with the pesticide Anvil. The chemical kills mosquitoes on contact.

There have been subsequent sprayings on August 22, 23, and 24 in hopes of covering 425,000 dense growth areas across Bristol, PlyTurn to page 19-5praying

""'" ....... _UNWELCOME VISITOR -This female mosquito can carry a host of diseases including the EEE and West Nile viruses. (Photo provided by Howstuffworks.com from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

Meteorologist John Ghiorse to emcee St. Mary's Fund Fall Dinner

By JOHN E. KEARNS JR. DIRECTOR OF CoMMUNICATlONS

WESTPORT - Veteran TV meteorologist John Ghiorse will serve as master ofceremonies for the St. Mary's Education Fund Fall Dinner on Thursday, September 28,2006 at White's of

Westport.

The dinner is held each year to support needbased scholarships made available through the St. Mary's Education Fund to students attending Catholic elementary and middle schools in the Fall River diocese.

On tap as speaker for this year's St. Mary's Fund Fall Dinner is NBC newsmanTunRussert, host of the netwOlk's Meet the Press program and its chiefpolitical commentator.

The evening begins with a 5:30 reception and will include, in addition to reflections by the guest speaker, a video snapshot of Catholic schools, student entertainment, and a deli-

cious multi-course meal.

Ghiorse is a fixture of area television news, providing weather reports to viewers in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island since 1968. His trademark Ghiorse Factor - his weather outlook for the day on a numerical scale from one to 10- is an often relied upon guide for many when making plans for outdoor activity and travel.

He currently forecasts the weather for Providence'sNBCChanneIIONewsat5:30p.m. and II p.m; He and his family are parishioners ofSt. Gregory the Great Parish in Warwick, RI., where they reside. Before moving to Rhode Island, they were active members of parishes in the Fall Riverdiocese, belonging at different times to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Mary's in Seekonk, where they formerly lived.

Turn to page 19 - Emcee

REMEMBRANCES OF A FATEFUL DAY - A headstone in the HolyCross Cemetery in Easton, commemorates the death of Congregation of Holy Cross Father Francis E. Grogan, left inset. Father Grogan was aboard United Flight 175, the second airliner to crash into the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11,2001, right inset. Ashes from Ground Zero are buried at Father Grogan's headstone in Easton. (AnchortJolivet photo, Father Grogan photo by John and Mary Kinnaine, World Trade Center photo by CNS)

Fifth anniversary of 9/11 marked by prayers, Masses, memorials Holy Cross.Father Grogan, a passenger on one skyjacked jetliner, among those remembered.

By

DEACON JAMES

N.

DUNBAR

EASTON - For most of us, the memories of watching in horror the death and destruction waged by suicidal terrorists who crashed hijacked commercial jetliners into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in Manhattan on Sept. II, 2001 ,have dimmed after five years.

At the time it seemed the skyscrapers were falling on us. We were still reeling when another passenger jet was crashed by the terrorists into the Pentagon. And we wondered whether there were unheralded heroes aboard still another airliner that suddenly plunged into the ground near Pittsburgh killing all aboard before it could strike the White House.

Death seemed to be everywhere. Hun-

dreds of people died trying to escape from the flaming, imploding towers as they crumbled to earth. Among them were police and firefighters - as well as Father Mychal Judge, a New York Fire Department chaplain serving at the scene.

At first the reported 2,500 or more victims were faceless strangers ... until we realized they were aboard flights that originated at Logan Airport in Boston; that they were being identified as our neighbors in our southeastern Massachusetts communities who worshiped along side us in our parish churches in the Fall River diocese; and that one of them was 76-year-old Holy Cross Father Francis E. Grogan from Dartmouth.

Turn to page 14 - Memorials

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NEWs FRoM:THE VATICAN

Friday, September 8, 2006

Pentling residents are excited about Pope Benedict's return PENTLING, Gennany (CNS)Residents of the village of Pentling, where Pope Benedict XVI stilI owns a home, are excited that their favorite son is returning September 13, and some will even be at the airport when he arrives in Munich September 9.

"We are going to send a delegation of20 people to welcome the pope at the airport when he first touches down in Bavaria," Pentling Mayor Albert Rummel told Catholic News Service. To greet him, we will bring a banner that has been designed by the local kindergarten, which he himself has christened."

In mid-August, Rummel was in Italy to meet with the pope and said the Gennan pontiff is still very attached to his Bavarian roots.

"He asked me about people he knew, how everyone is, and after his house," Rummel said. "He also stated how very much he was looking forward to visiting us in Pentling and seemed very much at ease speaking Bavarian dialect with us."

Rummel said he thought the pope would try to find a chance to greet his Pentling friends when he visits the village, just outside Regensburg.

"Knowing the pope as I do, ifthere is any chance for him to speak to 'his' people, then he certainly will," the .mayor said. "But we will leave him in peace and not force an encounter, because to us he is one of our inhabitants, and we want to grant him the right to his privacy as much as possible. He is just one of us, coming home again."

Margarete Richardi, one of the pope's closest friends, is also excited about his visit.

"We are also going out to the airport to welcome him," she told CNS. "My husband will be there, and my two daughters, Anne and Bettina, with their husbands. He married them both, and also baptized two ofAnne's four children," who will also be there.

In April, the Richardis visited Pope Benedict in Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome. Richardi said their friend was "very happy to see us."

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"He was just like we have always known him, very nice and kind, although there is now a very special air around him," she said. "This he always had, but it has intensified. As always, he was very thoughtful."

She said accompanying them, at the pope's invitation, were some family friends who have a disabled son named Benedict. The child's condition prevented him from traveling to Italy.

"The pope had laughed heartily when (the parents) told him that Benedict, whenever he hears his name mentioned in Mass, gets very excited because he thinks it is for him personally, not for the pope of the same name," Richardi said.

Whether the Richardis will get a chance for some private time with the pope during this visit remains uncertain. Richardi said they invited Pope Benedict for dinner September 13, "but, for now, we still do not know whether security regulations will allow for this to happen. It would be very nice but, ifnot, then we will definitely see him again in October this year, when we will be in Rome for a week."

Gerhard Klier, the former mayor of Pentling, has known the pope for 36 years. ''When I visited him last September, he told others in perfect Bavarian dialect, 'This is Gerhard Klier who, for the past 2Q-plus years, had been standing back-to-back with me on All Saints Day whenever we visited the graves of our families,''' Klier told CNS. The pope's family grave, where his parents and sister are buried, is directly opposite that of the Kliers at the Ziegetzdorf Cemetery, just outside Pentling. The pope is scheduled to visit the cemetery.

Klier said he thinks Pope Benedict will be delighted to hear the Bavarian dialect again.

"That is what struck me about our meeting," he said, "how happy the pope was to converse in Bavarian again. He loves the dialect of his home state."

PAPAL PASTRIES - Baker Roswitha Leukert places miter-shaped pastries and bread in her shop window in Marktl am Inn, Germany, August 30. Pope Benedict XVI will visit his birthplace of Marktl am Inn September 11. (CNS photo/Michaela Rehle, Reuters)

HOME AGAIN - The Bavarian village of Marktl am Inn, where Pope Benedict XVI was born, is seen August 30. From September 9 to 14, the 79-year-old pontiff will return to his Bavarian roots, stopping in Marktl am Inn; in Altotting where he used to pray at a local shrine; in Regensburg where he taught and in Munich where he was a bishop. (CNS photo/Michaela Rehle, Reuters)

Pope says visit to Germany to be personal, ·chance to thank people

By JOHN THAVIS CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE' VATICAN CITY Pope Benedict XVI's September pilgrimage to southern Gennany features 14 liturgies or religious encoUnters and only three public secular events.

That fact alone says a lot about the pope's homecoming visit and about his entire papacy-to date.

From September 9 to 14, the 79year-old pontiff will return to his Bavarian roots, stopping in Marktl am Inn where he was born; in Altotting where he used to pray at a local shrine; in Regensburg where he taught and in Munich where he was a bishop.

Along the way, he will preside over a string of public Masses, prayer services, processions and blessings. The visit is predominantly personal and religious, and the pope explained why in a recent interview with Gennan TV and radio.

"I want to see again the places where I grew up, the people who touched and shaped my life. I want to thank these people," the pope said.

Naturally, the pope added, he also wants to express a message that goes beyond his native state of Bavaria.

But when asked what the themes or issues would be, the pope said he hadn't really chosen any - it would be the liturgy that would suggest them.

"The basic theme is that we have to rediscover God, not just any God, but the God that has a human face, because when we see Jesus Christ we see God," he said.

Starting from that awareness, he said, people find a way to meet each other in the family, among generations and among cultures. The path to peaceful coexistence in today's world is essential, he said, but "we won't find it if we don't receive light from above."

In the same interview, the pope said he wanted to correct a wide-

spread public opinion that Christianity is "a collection of prohibitions."

The faith is above all a positive spiritual invitation, and that's the point he wants to get across, he said.

From his own words, then, it would appear the pope is going not to chastise his native culture but to awaken it.

There's no doubt in the pope's mind that Germany, like most of Western Europe, suffers from a form of"drastic secularization" that tends to exclude God. But rather than rail against this trend, the pope seems ready to explore it sympathetically, often from the point of view of the average person.

As he told the German journalists, "Finding God inside this world has become more difficult."

Typically, Pope Benedict believes that his numerous liturgies in Bavaria are the most eloquent and forceful way to get his "message" across.

Throughout his 17 months as pope, he has laid considerably more emphasis on the fundamentals of the faith and the importance of liturgical celebrations than on in-depth examination of social and political issues.

That is by design, too. The pope is convinced that Christianity as a force in the world begins with personal participation in Mass and a

theanch~

personal encounter with Christ.

In the recent interview, he said he hopes the German liturgies will help show that "believing is beautiful," that the Church community possesses a transcendental strength, and that behind their belief lies something important.

The pope said one thing he hopes to communicate to young people in his homeland is that, despite the modem emphasis on personal freedom, they should not be afraid to make lifelong commitments like marriage or the priesthood.

In his one major encounter with the secular world, the pope will address academics at the University of Regensburg, where he once taught theology.

The pontiff will hold private talks with political leaders, and in arrival and departure ceremonies will have a chance to address national issues.

Pope Benedict has given no indication that during his visit he will tackle contentious internal Church issues like women's ordination, priestly celibacy and the admission of divorced and remarried Catholic to the sacraments. All were posed as challenges in a recent open letter to the pope by the lay group We Are Church, which originated in Austria and is popular in Germany.

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER

Published weekly except for two weeks in the summer and the week after Christmas by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720, Telephone 508·675-7151 - FAX 508·675·7048, E-mail: theanchor@anchomews,org. Subscription price by mail, postpaid $14.00 per year.

Send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA, call or use E-mail address Member: catholic Press Association, New England Press Association, catholic News Service PUBUSHER - Most Reverend George W. Coleman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Roger J. Landry fatherrogerlandry@enchomews.org E;DITOR David B. Jollvel davejollvel@anchornews.org NEWS EDITOR Deacon James N. Dunbar jlmdunbar@anchornews.org REPORTER Michael Gordon mlkegordon@anchomews.org OFFICE MANAGER MaryChase marychase@anchornews.org

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THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH

Friday, September 8, ?006

Canadian alliance files brief in Ontario's 'thre~-parents case' OITAWA (CNS) ---,TheAlliance for Marriage and Family has filed a brief in the so-called '1prree-parents case;' saying jts membef groups have a common cause to.prot1ct the "traditional family unit in Carladian society I: and law."

The case., scheduled to be heard by the Ontario Court ofAppeal September 25-26 in Toronto, involves a lesbian couple raising a child conceived by artificial insemination. Both want to be considered the legal mother of the child. The biological father is also actively involved in the child's life. The

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Alliance opposes the change on the basis the law has always recognized two parents for a child.

The jUdge who heard the original application rejected the claim that the partner should also be declared the mother ofthe child. "If achildcan have three parents, why not four or six or a dozen?" he wrote. "What about all the adults in a commune or a religious organization or sect? Quite apart from social policy implications, the potential to create or exacerbate custody and access litigation should not be ignored."

National Shrine of Our Lady of 'La Salette Ii

PRAYING FOR THEIR PRESIDENT - A photograph of Cuban President Fidel Castro hangs on the wall of a church as people pray for his recovery in Havana recently. (CNS photo/Enrique De La Osa, Reuters)

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947 Park Street - Attleboro, MA 02703

Church can play positiv.e role in post-Castro Cuba, says expert

By AGOSTlNO BONO CATHOUC

News

SERVICE

WASIDNGTON - The Catholic Church can playapositive role in Cuba during any transition period after the death of ailing President Fidel Castro, said a foreign policy expert on Cuba.

The Church can provide a "safe space" for Cubans to worlc during any transition period, said Julia Sweig, director ofLatin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author ofthe 2002 book, "Inside the Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro and the Urban Underground."

The Church "is an institution that is respected by the people in Cuba," . she said during an recent telephone news conference organized by the Council on Foreign Relations, anonpartisan think tank baSed in NewYork.

The Cuban and U.S. bishops could also fonn a bridge between the Cuban exile community in the United States and the Cubans inside the island nation, she said.

Sweig added, however, that the ''ups and downs" in the relations between the communist government and the Cuban bishops since the 1998 Cuban visit by Pope John Paul IT probably have weakened the role that the Church could play.

Before the papal trip,' the Cuban and U.S. bishops and Castro all saw a positive role for the Church in promot-

ing a peaceful post-Castro Cuba, she said.

'There has been a lot of tension since the pope's visit," she added.

Although the government"opened up" its hold \In the Church, "the Church wanted more space than the government wanted to give," said Sweig. The Vatican wanted a greater ' Church influence in Cuban life, she .added.

Cuban Church officials have said that-the Church's uneven relations with. the government have often been tied to how tightly the government is holding the reins on the entire society.

When the government temporarily relaxes economic and political control of society, things loosen for the Church, but they tighten again once the government reasserts control over society, they said.

Sweig was commenting on the future of Cuba after Castro, who turned 80 August 13. On July 31, after undergoing' surgery because ofintestinal bleeding, Castro temporarily' ceded power to his younger brother, Raul Castro, head of the Cuban army'and intelligence service.

The power shift interrupted 47 years ofcontinuous rule. Fidel Castro came to power on the Caribbean island Jan. 1, 1959, at 32 years of age after leading a successful guerrilla rebellion against dictator Fulgencio

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Batista.

Castro's turning over of authority has sparked much speculation in the United States on 'the political future of Cuba and the possibilities of improved relations with the U.S., which formorethat40yearshashadaneconomic embargo against the nation.

Sweig said the U.S. government"is not seen as a positive player" in the current situation and has no influence inside Cuba. This is because its policy of trying to internationally isolate the Castro government is seen as a failure, she said.

TheU.S.has"amisconception"that the revolutionary movements that occurred in communist-ruled Eastern Europe before the fall of the Sovietbloc can be reproduced in Cuba, Sweig said "You can't take the East European model to Cuba," she said.

Dissident movements inside Cuba are fragmented and weak, she said The mov~ments are penetrated by Cuban intelligence, and any dissident who "gets suCked into arelationship with the U.S." loses credibility, she said Castro still maintains a "folkloric, rock-star status" among Latin American leftists because he ''waves·the antiimperialistic banner" and has been resilient in power despite hostile U.S. governments, she said.

"He has survived nine U.S. presidents," said Sweig.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 1:00 - 6:00 p.m.

6:30 P.M. MASS Presider &Homilist - Father Richard Landry, M.S. I i Church La SALETTE LITANY 7:30 p.m. Lttany in Honor of Our Lady ofLa Salette I!

SAl1URDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 2:qo p.m. La Salette Living Rosary Around Rosary Pond In event of rain - Shrine Church 4:30 P.M. MASS Presider &. Homilist - Father Richard Landry, M.S. Shrine Church Music Fr. Pat, M.S.

SUNDAXSEPTEMBER17 12:10 P.M. MASS - Presider & Homilist I' Rev. Richard Landry, M.S. i , Music Fr. Pat, M.S. I~ Shrine Church

~ PILGRIMAG~ MASS .·2:00 p.m. Outdoor Chapel In event of rain - Church Bishop, Ali,x Verrier of Haiti - Presider & Homilist MULTI,ETHNIC EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION WITH ROSARY Immediately after Haitian Mass .,

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 160th Anniversary of Mary's Apparition II at La Salette, France I

EXPOSffi@N OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT -I: 1:00·6:00 P.M. " 6:30 P.M. MASS iRev. Pedro ChiIigandu, M.S~ Angolan La Salette Presider & Homilist

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Friday, September 8, 20061'

THE CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES

"Voting is a moral act,' Kansas bishops say, in teaching letter MERRIAM, Kan. (CNS) - Kansas bishops are urging Catholics in , their state not only to realize their right . and duty to vote, but to ~ infonned voters who base their decisions on moral principles.

The recent statement, "Moral Principles for Catholic Voters," was released by the Kansas Catholic Conference and "intended for educational pwposes only." In the statement, the state's four bishops ,said they did not "intend to 'endorse or oppose any par~ ticular candidate, political party or political action committee" but hoped to show "how our Catholic faith and human reason shapes our thinking, choosing and acting in daily life."

The statement not only urges catholics to vote on the national, state and local level as their right and duty, ,but it explores the duty to fonn and follow one's conscience "not simply on the basis of self-interest, party affiliation, or the personal charisma of any ind,ividual."

A choice of one person over another for public office, they said, "can significantly affect many lives, espe, cially the lives of the most vulnerable

persons in society."

The bishops also said they recognized the dilemma voters often face and stressed that since Catholics have a moral obligation to vote "deciding not to vote at all is not ordinarily an acceptable solution to this dilemma" They said that "when there is no choice of a candidate that avoids supporting intrinsically evil actions, especially elective abortion," Catholics should yote in a way that allows the "least harm to innocent human life and dignity."

They also said Catholics would not be acting immorally if they voted for a candidate who is "nottotally acceptable in order to defeat one who poses an even greater threat to human life and dignity."

Above all, the bishops stressed the need for Catholics to base their voting decisions on "a nonnegotiable principle" of the fundamental respect for the dignity of every human person from the moment of conception to natural death. ''We should vote in such a way as to allow the least harm to innocent human life and dignity," they added.

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MEETING OF THE MINDS - Jesuit FatherJohn Langan, left, Maryann Cusimano Love and Franciscan Father Louis V. lasiello participate in a round-table discussion on terrorism and just-war issues recently at Georgetown University in Washington. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Just-war thinkers address postwar obligations at round table 'talks

By JERRY FILTEAU CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON - The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have sparked new discussion among just-war theorists about the postwar obligations of those who invade a country to topple a hostile or dangerous government.

Paralleling the traditional justwar categories of "ius ad bellum;' or the moral conditions for going to war, and "ius in bello:' or moral conduct in war, the theorists TRAGIC ENDING - The cockpit wreckage of Camair flight 5191 have labeled the question of postlies at the crash site in Lexington, Ky., August 29. (CNSphoto/ war responsibilities "ius post John ?ommers II, Reuters) bellum."

Those responsibilities are difficult and complex and should . serve as a caution against , warfare as a way to deal with dangerous AL$XANDRiA, Va (CNS) - A According to experts, the commuter states, said three Washington-area retired iCatholic Charities executive, jet involved. a CRJ-l00, needs at least experts convened by Catholic Arnold:Andrews, was among the 49 5,000 feet to get offthe ground with a News Service August 21 to dis. cuss just-war issues in the five .people who died August 27 in a com- full load of 50 passengers. muterjetcrash in Lexington, Ky., said Of the 47 passengers and three years since the terrorist attacks of Catholic Charities USA president Fa- crew members aboard the Atlanta- Sept. 11, 2001. boundflight, only the co-pilot survived . ther ~ Snyder.

Maryann Cusimano Love, a "Arnold was a true leader in the the crash. professor of politics at The CathoBishop Robert N. Lynch ofSt Pe- lic University of America and an Catholi~ Charities movement. His commiqrient to people who are poor ~burg saidAndrews"devotedhis life expert on terrorism and ethics in andvultierable was an inescapablepart to the poor, the marginalized. the eld- international relations, said that in ofwho he was and was evident in even erly, the disenfranchised. thehomeless, . light of the difficulties in Iraq and the brietest conversation with him," the migrant, the unwed mother and her Afghanistan the discussion of Father s',:tyder said. child." postwar responsibilities is clearly Andtews, 64, retired last year as "He was a man whose life reflected one of the "growing edges" in executive director of Catholic Chari- the love ofChrist for the most vulner- current developments in the justties of die Diocese of St Petersburg, able in our midst," Bishop Lynch said. war tradition.

F1a Froth 1999 to 2005 he was amemAlso on the panel were Jesuit Father Snyder said Andrews ''was berofthe national organization's board a friend and mentor to many people Father John Langan, longtime .

I of trustees. within our netwotk',' professor of Catholic social The 4arly Sunday morning crash ''His dedication and wisdom were thought at Georgetown University occurred at Lexington's Blue Grass respected by all of us," he said. "OUr and a specialist in the just-war traAirport when Comair Flight 5191 sadness at iosing such a great friend is dition, and Franciscan Father mistakeqIy tried to take offfrom Run- only tempered by th~ knowledge that Louis V. Iasiello, president of way 26, 3,5QO-foot general aviation he is in a place where the suffering Washington Theological Union runway, instead of Runway 22, the that he worked so tirelessly to ease who served as a U.S. Navy chap7,Ooo-foQt strip it was supposed to use. does not exist" lain for more than 20 years before

Former Catholic Charities head, among jet crash victims

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he recently retired, with the rank , of rear admiral, as chief of Navy chaplains. \ "Post-bellum's a tricky business," Father Iasiello said. "War termin~tion is a tricky business. ... There are few constants you can rely on in a post-bellum phase....

There's no calculus for what to expect or how to handle it."

Regarding Iraq he said, "I think one of the things that we will need to look at in the future is why was there such a lack of emphasis on the post-bellum phase of this particular war."

"Father Iasiello's point about needing to pay more attention to postwar scenarios and 'ius post bellum' applies exactly to Afghanistan (as well) because Afghanistan is falling apart," Cusimano Love said. "We're seeing increased violence this sum, mer, the worst since the initial war. So we haven't gotten it right there."

"I would think you could make a very serious argument that we should have invested much more heavily in Afghanistan and not .touched Iraq at all," Father Langan said. He said Afghanistan successfully resisted takeover attempts by the British in the 19th century and the Russians near the end of the 20th - "and we should have known that simply capturing Kabul (Afghanistan's capital) and establishing a government doesn't mean the game is won."

After the defeat of Saddam Hussein's forces in Iraq, Cusimano Love said, there were several "preventable mistakes" that severely undercut the country's postwar secur,ity and safety needs and the prospects for

reconstruction.

She said these included "the deactivation process, basically shutting down the existi,ng security structures there, throwing out low-level Baathist Party members (along) w.ith war criminals, and doing other things that really emascula~ed Iraqi society's ability to respond, themselves - not engaging ;with civil society."

"We undertook to transform a society that we didn't understand very well," Father Langan said.

"This would be something like going back to performing surgery before thF days of X-rays - I want to just cut it up and see what's in~ide there. And nobody today wou!Jd regard that as acceptable. We're doing surgery on a patient wHo has not signed a consent form, iand withou't anesthesia.

This is a messy business."

"The pdmary responsibility of someone who goes in and wages war is to provide stability and security for t~e post-bellum period," Father Iasiello said. "That's a given. It's ~n international law. So stability, security, and then to attain some *ort of level of quality of life that affords people hope for the future. And I think that one of the things that people need to do is to keep going back and saying" have we attained what we set out to do? This is what I think it means wheti we talk about creating a just and lasting peace."

To achie~e and sustain a longterm U.S. strategy there, he said, there is need to return to "bipartisanship in foreign policy - and a bipartisaq.ship that's based on shared objectives, not on fear of being pilloried at the next election," Father Langan added.

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Friday, september 8, 2006

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Terrorism thre~t both fostered, eased by religion-themed actions WASHINGTON (CNS) - Reli- , nism toward the United States and its gious leaders trying to be a moderat- allies. ing force against terrorism since the Immediately after the devastating Sept. 11,2001 terrorist attacks have September 11 attacks, when it behad less appareilt success than those came apparent that Islamic extremwho use religion to mobilize extrem- ists connected with the terrorist group ists in support of terrorism. al-Qaida were responsible, Christian, Along with other factors, the suc- Muslim and Jewish leaders called for cess ofreligious ideologues in recruit- greater religious understanding. They ing followers has made the risk of emphasized that terrorists who say terrorist attacks greater today than five they act in the name of Islam do not years ago, said people ranging from represent true Islam or the beliefs of the head of the Arab American Insti- the vast majority of Muslims. tute to the director of policy studies President George W. Bush helped ,at Notre Dame's Joan B. Kroc Insti- ease some of the tension directed at tute for International Peace Studies.

Muslims after the attacks by promptly Despite official and unofficial ef- stressing that Islam and all Muslims forts at greater religious tolerance, were not to blame for terrorism, said other experts said, assorted U.S. ac- James Zogby, founder and president tions and policies, from the war in of the Arab American Institute in Iraq to a confusing tangle of immi- Washington. But then actions taken gration laws and restrictions add to by the' Bush administration in the an environment that fosters antago- United States and abroad undermined

that good will, he said.

He cited U.S. policies including the special registration program for Middle Eastem and South Asian men soon after September 11, the invasion of Iraq, the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the lengthy imprisonment without charges of hundreds of people at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Steve .colecchi, director of the Office of International Justice and Peace for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the Church's position has always been that terrorism cannot be fought primarily with military means. "It requires addressing tile circumstances that make people desperate and that terrorists exploit," he said.

"The threat ofterrorism is real and needs to be confronted," Colecchi have to be careful. If said. "But

we Diocese cancels nun's speech over anti-Bus~ newspaper ad endorsement

DULUTH, Minn. (CNS) inanAugust21lettertosomeCathoDuluth Bishop Dennis M. Schnurr lics in the diocese Bishop Schnurr canceled the appearance of Sister said that, ~'upon reviewing the adverHelen Prejean at a diocesan educa- tisement, I find that I share their contion dinner after the death penalty cerns." activist signed an advertisement callDiocesan communications direcing for a campaign to "drive out the tor Kyle Eller said the inflarrlmatory Bush regime." nature of the campaign - and espeThe diocese decided to combine cially its partisan component, target- , two annual dinners into a single event ing a particular civic leader:- made October i in Duluth to accomlnodate Sister Prejean's appearance at a diSister Prejean, theSisterofSt.Joseph ocesan event inappropriate. who has written two books about the Eller said the Church can be and death penalty. The first, "Dead Man is involved with political issues from Walking," was made into an Acad- a religious perspective, which is why emy Award-winning movie, an op- Sister Prejean was invited to speak era and a stage play. She was expected on the death penalty in the first place, to draw a large crowd.

But he said aligning with or opposBut Bishop Schnurr canceled her ing a particular candidate or party is appearanceafterlaypeopleandclergy more problematic for a featured in the diocese brought to his atten- speaker at it Church-sponsored event.

Sister Prejean could not be tion a full-page NeW York Times advertisement that Sister Prejean ini- reached for comment. However, her tially endorsed, along with a host of Website posted a clarification about her participation in the campaign, activists and celebrities.

The August 3 ad was sponsored asking that her name be withdrawn by an organization calledWorld Can't and noting that her reasons for parWait. It called forAmericans to "drive ticipating were not related to abcirout the Bush regime:' for a list ofrea- tion, but to the president's positions sons including "the murderous and on the war in Ir~q, torture, irnprisutterly illegitimate war in Iraq" and onment, the death penalty and govpolicies such as support of torturing ernment fiscal policies she believes prisoners, jailing people without harm the poor. As of August 28, her charges and "moving to (Ieny women name no longer appeared on the here, and allover the world, the right www.worldcantwait.org Web page to birth control and abortion." version of the advertisement.

Her clarification said the ad adIt also argued that the govemment "is moving each day closer to a the- dresses one issue "that I cannot enocracy, where a narrow and hateful dorse, which if I had seen the final brand of Christian fundamentalism ~ version of the ad, would have led me will rule" and that it "suppresses the to withhold my signature. The statescience that doesn~t fit its, religious, ment reads: 'Your government is political and economic agenda." moving to deny women here and all The ad went on to say that "people over the world the right to birth control and abortion.' The life issues inlook at all this and think of Hitler and they are right to do so," and that volved in the beginning of life are ' President George W. Bush's "regime exceedingly complex. My stance on is setting out to radically remake so- abortion is a matter of public record. ciety very quickly, in a fascist way." I stand morally opposed to killing: The Associated Press reported that war, executions, killing ofthe old and

. di scnrnmate It . co u un er. we ,re m mine the credibility of the nation."

Gerard F. Powers, director of policy studies at the Kroc Irrstitute I for International Peace StUdies at I the University of Notre Dame in 'I Indiana, said "Most people recognize that ifthe problem is extremism- whether within Islam or Christianity - then the ~olution •. :r has to come from within." The U.S. government could make clibges in Its approache~ to global problems . that might dampen the infll,lence of extremists, he said. ' . "I don't think there's a jrecognition of the role U.S. policiek play in making it easy for terrorists to recruit support," Powers said. ''The U.S. is •

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focused on trying to change perceptions of the U.S., but they don't see that the policies themselves add to the problem."

And such policies as long-standing U.S. support for Israel antagonize people who see the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in "us v. them" terms, said Powers.

Colecchi concurred that U.S. policy toward Israel adds to the perception problems. Easing the tensions between Israel and Palestine would go a long way toward "reducing the rhetoric terrorists use to recruit followers," he- said. "Despite our best efforts, the IsraelicPalestinian conflict is being manipulated by terrorists."

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demented, the killing of children, unborn and born.

While welcoming the clarification, diocesan officials said it still does not clarify the issue of contraception, and that the campaign's intense partisanship alorie raised red flags.

In canceling the event, Bishop Schnurr sent Sister Prejean an honorarium _with a request that it be donated to her Moratorium Campaign against the death penalty.

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Friday, September 8, 20061

. Overcoming evil with good' The most fitting way to mark the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is to act on the lessons that infamous day has taught us. • The first lesson is that evil - real evil, with all its ugliness and destruction, despite relativist disavowals - exists. There's no other adequate way to describe the long-plotted murder of thousands of inno,cent people in order to instill fear in millions of others. And this evil still exists. As we learned last month in London, there are real villains in the world who continue to scheme how most effectively to massacre innocent multitudes to advance their agenda - and who account it an honor to give their lives in order to take the lives of others.

The second lesson is that there is a false and perve~ set of religious ideas fostering these wicked actions. The terrorists' particular take on Islam needs to be condemned and confronted by all those who believe in God - and in a particular way by Muslim leaders and faithful who declare that it is not "true Islam." Every religion with any seed of God's influence over the course of history has acknowledged certain principles that God has written into the heart of all his human creatures. One of these is that the killing of innocents is always wrong.

Another is that we cannot do evil so' that good may come of it. The terrorists, on religious principle, violate each of these universally-recognized moral tenets, and have formed madrassas across Iran, Pakistan and elsewhere to inculcate these aberrant religious ideas among new generations of even morally-blinder warriors.

The third lesson is that these terrorists are intent upon killing those who do not convert to this religious perversion. We werereminded of this twice in recent days. The first came in the forced conversion of Fox News' Steve Centanni and Olaf WIig in Gaza City, who; after being kidnapped and held captive for 13 days, were given the choice by their terrorist captors publicly to convert to Islam or to perish. They chose - or feigned - the former, record,ed a conversion video, and were set free. The second reminder came ill the message last week by Adam Gadahn, the 28 year-oldAmerican who has ~ome what seems to be the English spokesman for Al-Qaeda. After he denounced Christianity as a "hollow shell of a religion, whose followers cling to an empty faith," he then called on Christian Americans to convert to Islam, reminding them ominously that "time is running out, 'so make the choice before it's too late." , 'The response to this terrible evil is the fourth and perhaps most important lesson of9/11. Evil can be met and overcome only by good (Rom 12:21). And if the bad guys are willing to risk it all, the good guys need to be willing to sacrifice everything as well. We saw so much of this good and this sacrifice five years ago. We beheld it in the heroism that led men on a plane to risk their lives to save others on the ground. We witnessed it in the valor that induced hundreds of firemen and policemen to run into the 1\vin Towers when tens of thousands were running ot,lt. We have seen it in the gallaritry of young soldiers and intelligence officers who have traveled far from home to enter foreign caves, tunnels, booby-trapped streets and other perils to try to catch the terrorists.

But we need to see more of it still:This heroic virtue also needs to be shown by ordinary citizens in the perseverance and patience it will . take to outlast the terrorist's obdurate maleficence. It needs to be manifested in the courage of men and women, boys and girls to go about their ordinary business despite terrorist threats. And it needs to be visible in a real commitment to overcome evil by good.

In this latter undertaking,' Christian Americans can learn a great deal from the early martyrs. For 250 years, Christians lived under the constant threat of death for their faith. The Roman magistrates who had far more power than the terrorists do today would arrest them and give them the chance to convert to paganism' by burning incense to sculptured pagan deities. The choice was stark:: they needed to forsake Christianity, embrace paganism, or die. As they forgave and prayed . for their persecutors, they stared down both their torturers and death itself,refused to feign a conversion, and by ~eir example of joyful fidelity to the end gradually brought about the conversion of the Roman empire. Their willingness to die, rather than their capitulation, was what brought an end to the threat.

They were capable ofstanding strong before their tOrturers because they were used to remaining absolutely firm before a far greater terrorist - whom we might call "the father or"terrorists" the one whom Jesus said could harm not only the body but the soul (Mt 10:28). Their ,fidelity in fighting the evil coming from the evil one strengthened them in the face ofother evil. The more they were united to Christ, the 'less they were afraid. The holier they became, the more hero~c they became.

The present crisis, too, is a crisis of saints. While the terrorists have their training camps, we, too, have ours, in the day-to-day choices we. make to acknowledge that evil, exists and in the fight we wage against capitulating to it. The deeper this training, in each of us and in all of us, the stronger we will.be in responding to the evil of terrorism and the quicker and more successful we will be in overcoming it.

the living word PEOPLE THROW LEITERS INTO THE WELL OF WISHES AT ST. ROSE CHURCH IN

LIMA,

PERU, DURING CELEBRATIONS AUGUST

30. ST. ROSE OF

LIMA IS THE PATRONESS OF SOUTH AMERICA AND THE PHILIPPINES AND WAS THE FIRST SAINT CANONIZED IN THE AMERICAS. (CNS PHOTO/MARIANA BAZO, REUTERS)

"TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART" PROVERBS

3:5.

Charity moved by faith "Those who work for the Church's charitable organizations must be distinguished by the fact that they do not merely meet the needs of the moment, but they dedicate themselves to others with heartfelt concern,enabling them to experience the richness of their humanity." (Deus Caritas Est, No. 31a) These are the words of Pope Benedict XVI, from his first encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est," and they describe well the kind of Christian charity I witnessed during a recent visit to a mission parish in Ukraine.

In the Holy Father's theological reflection on the love of God, he describes the role that love must play in our charitable endeavors. He reminds us that the command to love our neighbor is part of the explicit teachings of Christ (cf. Lk 10: 25-37; Mt 25: 31-46) and is.inscribed by the creator in our very nature, but it is more than a mere command; it is also a response to the gift of love . that God first makes to us and a consequence deriving from our faith, which becomes active through love. (See Nos. 15, 17 and 31) When Pope Benedict addresses specifically the practice of love by the Church, he reminds us that it' is our love for Christ that motivates our love for others and he emphasizes that "this love does not simply offer people material help, but refreshment and care for their souls, something which often is even more necessary than ~a.t~rial support." (No. 28b)

Thus, those who direct the Church's charitable activity "must Qe persons moved by Christ's love, persons whose hearts Christ has conquered with his love, awakening within them a love of neighbor." (No. 33) During my recent visit to Ukraine, I was able to see this genuine love of neighbor blossoming in the Catholic Church, which is thriving once again, after

years of persecution. In fact, one of the most visible signs of the new life in the Ukrainian Catholic Church is the many charitable activities that are being carried out with real love, as a result of real faith.

In one mountain village, I visited a newly established nursing home run by the Church.

Out of an abandoned communist government building, purchased and renovated by the local bishop, a group of religious Sisters have made a beautiful and comfortable home for poor, elderly residents, who would otherwise most certainly die alone in remote huts in the mountains. I could see in the residents I met a dignity that had been restored by the faithfilled care they received.

In another town, I visited a shelter and orphanage, run by another group of religious Sisters.

Among the residents I met there was a woman who explained that she was grateful for the shelter and care she received, but she was even more grateful for the spiritual conversion she experienced, as ~ result of the faithfilled attention and example of the Sisters.

And then there was the little boy, about a year old, who ran right into my anns and pointed to , the door. As I cringed in sorrow at the thought of having to leave him there, I was consoled in knowing that his life will be immeasurably better, due to the care and faith he will receive from those young, joyful and loving brides of Christ.

These Sisters know that they are not social workers.

They know that the care they must give is much more than material help - it is also real love, the love of Christ, which offers refreshment for souls who thereby experience the richness of their humanity.

The newly gained freedom of the Church in Ukraine has allowed this type of charity to flourish again, as a visible sign of Christ present in the Church. It is a charity moved by faith, and it provides much more than immediate, temporary needs. It offers the kind of love that makes a soul feel its worth, a love that restores hope, a love that produces effects that last forever.

Father Pignato is chaplain at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth and is secretary to Bishop George If. Coleman.

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Friday, September 8, 2006

Guilt-tree pluripotent stemeells?

"Much ado about nothing" could describe the recent hype and flurry of news reports about an "ethical" way to get stern cells out of a human embryo without banning that embryo. Scien-

young humans would end up being di- for research, not for purposes of treatrectly subjugated and violated in labo- ing that specific embryo-patient for a ratory settings, in order to mine their known medical condition. The embryo desirable cells and parts. . is insteademployedas a starting source The quest for "guilt-free sterncells" for harvestable raw materials, in a ges-

·tistshaveproposedpullingoff ..~~-------~r--:::=::--.,....ture that reduces young huone of the eight cells of an . .::il-a' mans to commodities or maearly embryo in order to cre- i ~ense nipulable products. ate sterncells, while allowing \ i.", /;'//!OU~~f 2) Embryonic humans

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Petri dishes. The only fitting home for human embryos is in the warmth and shelter of is certainly agood one, butthe so-called their mother's womb, not in the open "embryo biopsy" approach to generat- lights ofthe laboratory where they can ing embryonic stern cells fails to de- be prodded, invaded and violated. liver. More importantly, othernew tech3) In order to get the single cell that niques which rely either on de-differ- is removed out of the embryo to turn entiation or on the use of germ cells into asterncell, scientists have to "coat" offer genuinely novel ways to get stern' it with a layer of human embryonic cells without any ethical objections at stern cells (taken from another, previall. ously destroyed, humanembryo). Thus, The"embryobiopsy"approachfails the procedure still relies on the prior to deliver because of at least four seri- destruction of young humans. ous moral objections: .

4) The extracted single cell may it1)A non~therapeutic intervention is self be totipotent, that is to say, it may performedonahumanembryo.Atleast be a new human being, now able to 10percent ofits body mass is removed grow into an adult on its own. Early "-c.,

On first hearing, the proposal sounds attractive to many. Scientists from a small biotechcompany calledAdvancedCell Technology publiShed a paper in the jomnalNature inAugust, 2CXX>, describing the technique. They implied that they had done the procedure and that the embryos they used for biopsy had survived.

Following public scrutiny of their claims, however, it carne to light that none of the 16 embryos they operated on actually ended up swviving. Irnportautly, even if the experiment had wOtked, andeven ifall the embryos had swvived, the approach would still sputter and stall in ethical terms because

Please don't take my Pluto away Bill Nye, the Science Guy, I am not. I don't know the difference between a proton and a: neutron; a molecule and an atom; a meteor and a meteorite; and an amoeba and a paramecium.

As a student I was always fascinated with the subject, . but I was never a science whiz. I wasn't as bad as the subject of the old joke that "in science class, all I took up was space." Yet it's the topic of space itself prompting me to express my disappointment and shock with the world-wide demotion of good old Pluto from the rank of planet.

Heavens no. Pluto will always be a planet in my book. A Solar System with only eight planets is like the Red Sox playing every game without a second-baseman.

I'd like to invoke the five-second rule here if I may.

Most parents know the five-second rule - if a food item falls on the ground and is collected up within five seconds, it's still OK to eat. Unless of course you have a dog, then the object is gone in two seconds and the point is mute. Well, I say if a celestial orb has been determined to be a planet for more than 50 years, it shall always remain a planet.

Poor Pluto has always had an inferiority complex. It was the last one discovered in 1930, so it lived with the "baby of the family," syndrome. And it is the smallest of the nine-member orb family, most likely the last one chosen in any planet pick-up games. Finally, it's the only planet that occasion3ny changes position with regards to distance from the sun. At times it's the farthest away, and at times it sneaks inside Neptune's orbit bumping it to the ninth-farthest.

For some of these very reasons, the science world has stripped Pluto of its planet rank. Why now?

I'm not alone in my thinking. A recent CNN.com poll revealed that 63 percent of those who responded felt the demotion 'of Pluto was not right. But the poll disclaimer was quickto point out that itwas not a "scientific poll." .

What a surprise..

What is this going to mean to our poor elementary school students1 Will they be marked "incorrect" if they respond "nine;' to the question of how many planets are in the Solar Systel11? Will there be a grace period like -

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banks provide at the beginning of new year when we older folk continue to write in the previous year on our personal checks? Will one of my all-time favorite Disney characters, Pluto, be renamed Rover as he was called when first introduced in 1930? And what about NASA's New Horizons spacecraft launched this past January trekking to the only unvisited planet in the Solar System? Will it slam on the brakes and make aU-tum back horne?

Let the scientific world call it what it will. To me and thousands of others, Pluto will always be a full-fledged planet, a beloved Disney dog, and the second-baseman of our Solar System.

embryos are so flexible iliat occasionally when a cell breaks off from them, an identical twin can form. While this can certainly occuratthe two- and fourcell stage of the embryo, it may even be possible at the eight-cell stage, though there is ongoing debate about this question.

Aofifth problem could also be mentioned, namely, that the remaining seven cells ofthe embryo may not necessarily grow to produce a perfectly healthy baby as is commonly assumed.

Manybabies have been born after a pr0cedure called pre-implan¥on genetic diagnosis (PGD), where asingle cell is removed from the embryb for genetic testing. When testing inditates that the embryo is not affected by a genetic disease, it can be implanted iJito its mother to grow. What remain~ unclear is whether babies born after PGD testing are really as healthy as thOF born with. out PGD testing. Long-tertn follow-up studies have not been cahied out on these PGD children, so it Certainly premature at this time t o . thatremoving one ofthe eight cells of an embryo has no future effects on that individual.

Canpluripotentsterncells (the most highly flexible variety), be obtained from sources other than human embryos, and without crossing any moral lines?Absolutely. There are anexpanding numberofways to derive such cells.

For example, in March of 2006, German scientists published a paper in the journal Nature describing a new way to derive pluripotent stern cells.

They removed special cell$called germ cells from the testicles of mice, and transmuted them into pluripotent stern II cells. Shortly afterwards, a biotechcompany in California calIe9 PrirneCell Therapeutics reported the same results in humans. No embryos ~ere required at any point in the process; Another example: In August of 2066, scientists fromJapanpublished~tsinthejoUr­ nal Cell indicating that py adding a .combination of four diff~rent protein factors to adult mouse cells, they could

change themintopluripotentsterncells.

This kind of direct conversion of adult cells into embryonic-type cells is called dedifferentiation or reprogramming, and is a very promising direction for future research. These kinds of novel approaches do not depend upon the destruction of young hwnans.

Another important source for obtaining pluripotent stern cells would be from certain mature body tissues including the bone marrow and the umbilical cord. Normally, stern cells from bone marrow and umbilical cord are notpluripotent, but multipotent (somewhat restri~ in their possibilities for differentiation). However a growing number ofresearchers are finding that there may be a rare subpopulation of genuinely pluripotentcells that are also present in these adult sources. That is to say, stern cells as flexible as the ones that corne from embryos may be naturally present at very low levels in bone marrow and umbilical cord, or at least may be derivable from such sources.

All of us are embryos who have grown up. Such embryos should not be destroyed, exploited or otherWise strip-mined for scientific purposes. We canall supportthose forms ofstern-cell research, including pluripotent sterncell research, which do not depend on such degrading practices against the youngest members of our species. Remarkable scientific progress is being made every day in developing alternative, ethically acceptable approaches to pluripotent stern-cell research. The argument that we must offer up young humans on the altar of scientific sacrifice, while always objectionable in moral terms, is becoming continually less tenable in medical terms as well.

Rev. Tat!eusz Pachok~k, PhD. earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest ofthe Diocese ofFall River, and serves as the DirectorofEducationatThe NationoJ Catho1icBioethksCenterinPhi/adel- . phia. See www.ncbcenter.org

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God the Father Chiidren'sApostolate of Greater New England cordially. invite~y'ou .,' to the Solemn Feast of the Eternal Father

REV. FR. JOHN GRAY MAIN CELEBRANT AND HOMILIST

SlJNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2006

SACRED HEART CHURCH 160 SEABURY STREET· FALL RIVER· MA· 02720 12:30 PM 1 :00 PM

DEVOTIONS TO THE FATHER HOLY MAss FOLLOWED BY PROCESSION AND BENEDICTION

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Reception to follow with special entertainment.

II Thi~ God

the Father Devotion is a monthly Eucharistic Celebration which is held evefJI second Sun~ay of the month at Sacred Heart Church.

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PLEASE COME AND JOIN US FOR THIS SPECIAL EVENT.

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FOR~IMORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

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May we hear and speak in the name of Jesus The sacrament of baptism is rich in symbolism. A cross is traced on the infants' forehead and anointed with the oils of catechumens an<i chrism. They are washed clean of sin in the waters of baptism; they are clothed in a white garment and presented with the light of Christ. Beyond our own baptisms we have all witnessed this ceremony of God's children many times. As priests and deacons we welcome and officiate many times in the course of a year and each one remains special in our hearts and memories.

All of these symbols are indeed important and a reminder of the presence of Christ coming into a little child's life for the first time. but there.is one part of the baptism rite that presents a very special challenge for the infants and the

families. and that is to make sure that the child always hears and speaks the message of Christ. At the concluding point of a baptism ceremony the deacon or priest traces the sign of the cross on the ears and the lips of the infant and speaks these words: "May he soon touch your ears to receive his word. and your mouth to proclaim his faith. to the praise and glory of God the Father" (The Rite of Baptism for Children). It is this part of the ceremony that we are given the opportunity to recall the divine gifts of God that are to remain in our lives forever: to hear and to speak in the name of Jesus every day of our lives here on earth.

So often we fail to appreciate our ability to walk and to

talk. to hear and to feel. As a The deaf man in today's When we read this passage of Gospel could not hear God's Scripture. does it help us hospital chaplain there is not l!day that goes by that I do not appreciate our abilities to speak words and had difficulty hear "maybe God is giving me expressing himself in words but freely and to hear the good things a wake-up call." One day we experienced the great compasof life? The next time you attend . a baptism. pray for the infant and are healthy and the next. the sion of both ~e people who _ _ _ _ _......_ brought him to Jesus and the family of the baptized. that the compassion that they will allow the infant to Jesus had for him in always hear and speak God's love. That love begins in the return. Jesus did not Christian home by word and walk away from him. example. Maybe there is an but instead took him off individual in your life who needs by himself away from to hear and speak freely the the crowd and with his finger in his ears and Good News and has not been spit touching his tongue allowed to. This can occur not he looks up to heaven and with a because of an impediment but same individual is developing a maybe they are just waiting for groan cries out. "Ephphatha," whole new lifestyle and is reminded of the many gifts and the right person to come to them meaning "be opened." He was and say, "be opened." cured and now could hear and abilities that life has.

Father Racine is chaplain at Today's Gospel is not only a was free to speak clearly. Those wake-up call to the mute manto who were present rejoiced St. Luke's Hospital in New whole-heartedly at what they Bedford and resides at Our appreciate his many abilities. witnessed because they believed but also to those who witnessed Lady of Guadalupe Parish at this great healing of Jesus and in what Jesus was teaching and St. James Church in New doing.

Bedford. to each and every one of us.

Upcoming DailyReadings: Sat. Sept 9.1 Cor4:6b-15; Ps 145:17-21; Lk 6:1-5; Sun. Sept 10.1\venty-third Sunday in ordinary time. Is 35:4-7a; Ps 146:7-10; Jas 2:1-5; Mk 7:31-37; Mon. Sept 11.

1 Cor 5:1-8; Ps 5:5-6.7.12; Lk6:6-11; Tues. Sept 12.1 Cor 6:1-11; Ps 149:1-6,9; Lk 6:12-19; Wed. Sept 13.1 Cor 7:25-31; Ps 45:11-12,14-17; Lk 6:20-26; Thurs. Sept 14, The Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Nm 21:4b-9; Ps 78:1-2,34-38; Phil 2:6-11; In 3:13-17; Fri. Sept 15.1 Cor 9: 16-19.22b-27; Ps 84:3-6,8.12; In 19:25-27 or Lk 2:33-35

Zinedine Zidane vs. Jackie Robinson Having a decided preference for sports which recognize that God gave us opposable thumbs for . a reason. I tried to ignore the first phase of this past summer's World Cup. As luck would have it. though. I spent most of the elimination round in Europe. where absorption into the quadrennial madness that besets most of the globe is unavoidable. unless you lock yourself up in the deepest cell of the strictest Carthusian monastery you can firid - and then outfit yourself with Bose noise-reduction earphones. So I .watched the World Cup final in . Cracow with my students in the

Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society who hailed from nine different European countries and. with virtuai uniformity. cheered for Italy over France - which might tell President Chimc ... something. And I witnessed. live

and in color. the Head-Butt Shown 'Round the World. when Zinedine Zidane. the French captain. took offense at comments by Italy's Marco Materazzi and got ejected from overtime by sendingMaterazzi to the ground with a sharp application of French cranium to Italian sternum.

A few days later•.

Bernard-Henri Levy. the French philosopher and political provocateur. took to the op-ed pages of the Wall Street·· Journal with a faux-Homeric encomium to Zidane as "a man more admired th!ID the pope. the Dalai Lama, and Nelson Mandela put together," a "man of providence. a savior who was sought out. like Achilles·in his tent of grudge and rage. because he was believed to be the only one who

ITALY 2006

could avert his countrymen's fated decline."

Why. then. did the brilliant Zidane. the finest soccer player of his generation. melt down at the crucial moment? "The only .

'explanation," according to Levy• "is that there was in this man a kind of recoil. an ultimate inner revolt. against the living parabola, the stupid statue. the beatified monument" into which he had been transformed by his brilliant performance in the 2006 World Cup. This was. Homer-Levy continued. "the man's insurrection against the saint. A refusal of the halo that had been put on his head

and that he then. quite logically. pulverized with a head-butt. as though saying. 'I am a living being not a fetish; a man of flesh and blood and passion. not-this idiotic hologram. this guru ... which soccer-mania was turning me into...• To which the only sensible reply is a French noun that begins with "m" and ends with "e" and rhymes with "scared."

Sport grips us precisely because of its Homeric qualities: sport tests character as well as skill. Sport loses its profound human meaning. however. when its moral texture gets warped. Ted Williams. the Red Sox Hall of Famer. was the American Achilles precisely because he was flawed and illtempered and vulgar and great. and no one made excuses for his vulgarities and crankiness: they were recognized. and criticized. for what they were. even as we

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applauded the man who was quite possibly the greatest hitter ever. the patriot who sacrificed five years of his career to the service of his country. Pity Zidane. then. for being put onto Levy's psychiatricexistentialist couch. where bad sportsmanship is analyzed into an exercise in noble self-assertion. and a great but flawed athlete is rescued from disgrace in order to become ... what? A paladin of "authenticity"? .

It's unlikely that we'lI ever know 'with certainty what Marco Materazzi said to Zinedine Zidane - but it doesn··t matter. finally.

Fifty-nine years ago. in the course of breaking baseball's color line.

Jackie Robinson heard racial slurs and death threats throughout a 154-game season - and kept his mouth shut and his fists to himself.

The man who arguably did more for civil rights in America than any other African-American. with the sole exception of Martin Luther King Jr.• didn't take a Louisville Slugger to the heads of Ben Chapman. Alvin Dark. or other racist taunters. He played the game fiercely and proudly. and conquered by winning. not by whining.

Bad sportsmanship is bad sportsmanship. period. If we try to explain it away. the nobility of sport is· lost and we're left with psychobabble tarted up as the mock-heroics.of the "self."

George Weigel is a senior fellow ofthe Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, lIJ.C.

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Friday, September 8, 2006

Counting sheep Monday 4 September 2006 Port-O-Call: Diocesan Headquarters - Labor Day I count sheep, but not to fall , asleep. Quite the opposite. Priests do another kind of "sheep counting." We keep track of the "sheep" of the Lord's flock. In the Church, it's important to know who belongs to your flock.

Not long ago, this was accomplished by "The Annual Parish Census." The pastor gave each curate a list of streets and off they went. Back then, there were no locked doors.

A "gated community" meant a

jail. The idea was not only to update census infonnation, but also to listen to what people might have on their minds or in

their hearts. The priest would inquire if new families had moved into the neighborhood and might they be Catholic?

Occasionally a collection was

involved.

I never won the trophy for speediness in home visitation.

Ask Father Louis Boivin, a fonner pastor of mine. I spent way too much time chatting and eating whatever food they set before me, as Jesus clearly advises (Luke 10:7).

Even BC, before computers, most parishes kept records efficiently.

This often revolved around the "Easter Duty." During Lent, parishioners received a blank card to be completed and returned before Trinity Sunday.

In some parishes, you returned

Directions for life and death with my son. The short the experience with my son I was in the middle of a life version of what had happened led me to believe that it is and death crisis, and I had no was that my son's appendix important that we learn some idea where to turn. I,.iterally, I had burst about 10 days . of the basic. Catholic moral didn't know where to turn as I earlier and a severe abdominal directions concerning end-ofidled at a red light completely infection had begun to brew in life issues before we are in the disorientated, somewhere in his little body. Two surgeries, emotional situation of having the middle of the godforsaken, 15 days in the hospital, and a to use them. We are so blessed concrete jungle known as year later. my son is absoas Catholics to belong to a Boston. Tears pooled on two lutely fine. Thanks be to God.. /····Church that does not leave us pieces of paper in my lap; a map to Children's ,..,~r---_-~'!'\!l"!~"""""'--:~-"'~ on our own, but leads us by the hand with Hospital and direcsound medical directions to Massachusetts tions that are based in General Hospital (MGH). both holy Scripture .

Earlier that mornand modern science. ing, my seven.yearHere's the thing old son had been trusting ourselves to whisked up to Boston make good decisions from Falmouth by emotional stress ~~thatthere will After my first,pahi<Hrld ambulance. I thought he had drive through BostQn, 1 been sent to Children's, and I a.~tnorning traffic became proficient at getting had said so to some good n":It could and out of the city.llearned friends who immediately ~tbutthe odds are not J when to stay in theright..hand ? mottr fav~r" if we will take drove over to our house with a lane of traffic and when to computer map showing me n()w i61'earn Some basic move to the left-hand lane; l;,~.c how to get there. As I aplie directions for end-oflearned to leave the Cape 'at6'i:· life issues. we will be less proached the city, however, I a.m. if I wanted to beat rush"J' +lik~ly to ask for, accept, or realized that the written hour and arrive in time to talk follow faulty directions from directions from Falmouth to the doctors during their well-intended. but misinHospital said my son had been morning rounds. I learned not sent to MGH, not to formed sources like I did with to drink a 36-oz. cup of coffee geographical directions. Plus, Children's. So there I sat with we will be more proficient in . on the drive up and hope to a tear-smeared map to the make it to the hospital without wrong place. smudged applying the directions when haVing an emergency of my directions to the right place, needed, giving us what we own. If I had only laiown all will really want, which is as and not a clue as to where I this before I was under such was in relation to either one. much time as possible with emotional stress. Of course, I My emotional condition 'our loved ones. Excellent had no reason to think in was not helped by the fact that informationahout many endI had been awake for nearly advance that my son's aPRe~:. . ,oHife issues can easily be 48 hours, nor that our emerdix would burst. andthere"foie 4pfounchHhe/'Jn Support of no reason to prepare'forit;. gency room marathon had "on' oftbe Massa~ ahead of time. We, howeVer,. come on the heels of a aiholie all have this te}llliQ.i:iSC()J)&;' ite distressing church event· and tion called "life.. ' org]. an exhausting two-week visit : ..... '" .·,,'-.'">,-:7'-',<:'or,photogfrom extended family. Deall have every'~ anticipate involv spair, fatigue, and fear !!Jother. ....•/''"'" .. raise deathS of som¢ of wrapped around my thoughts ones, not to mentioDfo like sweaty fingers. as I tried death. t1:i? in vain to figure out what to I know, that's nota COlDdo when the light turned forting turn to my story. but green. All I wanted was to be

9 the updated infonnation in a potential problems? Is the place receptacle near the altar rail; in clean? Hospitable? Safe? It's all others, there was a slot in the part of his job. "confessional box." Returned The deans chair the monthly cards were compared to the meetings of priests held in the five membership list. Believe it or areas of the diocese. The purpose not, some of those old cards are of the deanery meeting is to still around. update priests and to provide a A telephone call comes into forum for discussion. Sometimes the rectory. "Hello, this is the several deanery parishes will dean.'When can I come over?" decide to work together on a project - a Lenten mission, an It's time once again for the dean's annual visit. Requested by Advent penance service, or a the bishop, this is an official lecture series, perhaps. visitation. The dean's visit is In our diocese, the deans sit more than a head count. There is on the Presbyteral Council, the a head count, though. It takes bishop's preeminent consultative place annually in November. The . body, meeting quartedy. Deans results are sent to the Chancery are also available to the priests of Office. This fall, you may hear the deanery for consultation and the click of the usher'~ hand-held advice on pastoral or personal matters. counter as you enter the church.

The five deaneries in the The purpose of the parish visit Diocese of Fall River are Greater of the dean is to get a handle on Fall River, New Bedfotd, what's going on or not going on.

Taunton, Attleboro, and Cape The data are studied. It indicates Cod and the Islands. Earlier in the vitality of the parish. The diocesan history, Nanfucket and infonnation is proving most .

Martha's Vineyard were considhelpful these days to everyone: involved in the process of ':. ered a sixth deanery. This may even still be on the books, but it's pastoral planning. not used in practice.

In the 1970s, a temporary Here, the five deans are photography studio was set up on appointed by the bishop, after the second floor of the old consultation with his priests. chancery building. Pastors were Deans may use the ecclesiastical requested to bring their sacramentitle "Very Reverend" during their tal books for microfilming.

Duplicate copies were made. tenn of office. They also use the These are now safely archived in letters V.F. (Vicar Farane) following their names. A vicar is three places, Nantucket, Martha's one authorized to act in place of Vineyard, and Fall River, in case another il) certain circumstances. the original records were to be Farane (Latin: "foreign") refers to lost in some catastrophe. Maybe it's time for another Kodak a geographical location outside moment for parish sacramental the See City or place of episcopal registers? What if we used 21st residency as in: the hinterlands, the outbal;k, beyond the pale. century technology and moved During the visitation, the dean into a Web-based infonnation or his representative asks storage system? Cyberspace is questions and inspects parish safe from tsunamis. sacramental registers. "How Not only are you counted, but many baptisms did you have this you count. year? How many first CommunFather Goldrick is pastor of ions, confinnations, weddings St. Bernard Parish, Assonet. and funerals?" Each entry is Comments are welcome at marked visum (Latin: "Seen").

StBernardAssonet@aol.com.

Each page is signed by the dean.

Previous columns are at "Are these records kept in a www.StBernardAssonet.org. locked, fire-proof safe? How many individual parishioners?

Montie Plumbing How many households? May I & Heating Co. have a copy of last Sunday's Over 35 Years bulletin? May I have a copy of of Satisfied Services the minutes of your last Pastoral Reg. Master Plumber 7023 Council meeting?" The dean's JOSEPH RAPOSA, JR. eyes are constantly roving. Is the 432 JEFFERSON STREET parish plant well maintained?

FALL RIVER 508-675-7496 Are there any signs of existing or

Prayer to lOur Mother

~fGood

Success

. Soul ofMary. sanctlfY me, Body ofMarY,.pUrifyme, Heart of Mary. inflame me. SOlTOWOfMary, comfort me, 'Iears.ofMary, console me, 0 Sweet Mary. ~ear melWiththr ~gn . nme, Through thy holy steps. gutcteme, to thy Divme. e~ Pardon for my sins achieve for me, Devotion to your hoI Love for God anctlnY fellow man..~tme,Penni . ••.. .•. .' (1)e separated from thee. In the hour olm},'! dead1"C9tnfort me,from Iny'enemies. defend me, With the S¥eld ofthy POly name, pro~me,Wrththy mantle. cover me, In the fatal mstantof my agony. assist me,.From dying in sin, free me. Into the ~ ofJesus, de~ve~ me, To the etemalmansiop, bring me, So that.

With the angels and samts I can praise thee forever and ever. Amen.

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Friday, September 8, 20061

- Fall River woman sowing seeds of faith

By MIKE GORDON

monthly Youth Mass. Members of the group plan the music, play the instruments, do the readings FALL RIVER - City native Debbie Jezak and bring up the gifts. "It's wonderful," said Jezak. finds happiness in working with young people and "I love seeing them grown in their faith. It's an opportunity I wish I had at a young age." has been doing it full-time for 16 years.

"It keeps me spiritually fit," said Jezak. "I can't During the year, the youth group members vote give what I don't have and praying with these on activities. This year some of those included the young people enlivens my own faith. I am "Proud to be Catholic Music Festival," held in strengthened by working with them."

Framingham at the Marist House. They perform a Jezak is the director of confirmation and youth Living Stations of the Cross each year and also ministry in the combined parish programs at Good sponsor a child in Africa. They also do fund-raisShepherd and Holy Trinity parishes in Fall River. ers and service projects to'help others. One of their "When I first started as a catechist it just seemed most recent trips was a Church Night, sponsored by the Providence to fit me," said =--.=~~----:c----.,...-,--=-----",-_--".,..-=c",....,..."..--,_~_~ ANCHOR STAFF

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!%;ed~::il~~~i "'''''':''~'i''~lfi~LW3'-::C(· ~~h~~:~i;:; of greater interest in ,.ij ~·:5:{:4.i·:~f::i~:; ,:",,:/--.~,... ~-'.: .~~;. include welcoming guest speakers and their faith. That's rewarding. I love ' visiting the sick. that."

"It's important The first year for young people to have good role she started, Jezak was working at models and see how both parishes four God wants them to days a week, but live," said Jezak. eventually the One of the things programs were she does with the merged. There are youth group is clip newspaper articles approximately 125 eighth- and ninththat feature heroic people and share grade students in the confirmation ;. their reactions. programs and 25 in Jezak has found the youth group. in her many years The youth group of service to youth meets at 6:30 Monthat many of them day nights. still desire to have Debbie and her an active role after husband Thomas turning 18 and that are members of L..- J is why she's helped Good Shepherd A MODEL ROLE MODEL - Debbie Jezak has been develop a young Parish and were sharing her faith with family and area youth for many adult group that married in 1979. years. (Anchon'Gordon photo) meets on Mondays They have two in a different room. adult children ages 20 and 23. Her daughter is in Sometimes they enjoy activities together, but the her last year of college at Villanova and her son is older group will typically focus on a theme like studying music at Bridgewater State College. college life, missions, or prayer, according to Jezak said one of the things that keeps her in- Jezak. Some of the members have stayed on with terested in working with youth people is the en- the youth group as advisors. thusiasm they have. "They are such seekers of "Both groups are very active and I enjoy seetruth," she said. "It's great to be with them be- ing them stay involved," said Jezak. "It's imporcause of that and their positive outlook on life. tant to find a place to fit in as they get older and They are hopeful and have their futures in front there is a place for everyone." of them. Even when they face problems, they have She reflected on the intercessory prayer both a positive attitude." ., groups utilize at the closing of their meetings. "I The youth group is v~ry active and has had a :believe that prayer is the most important aspect of busy summer. They participated in the . our meeting. When the time arrives they quiet right Steubenville East retreat at the National Shrine of down and are ready for business. They are very Our Lady of La Salettein Attleboro. They took a open with one another praying for friends and trip to Canobie Lake Amusement Park, went on a families and the needs of the Church. I relish seecamping trip and'have,been planning and partiei- ing them pray."

'Jezak was a team member for the Christian pating in a youth Mass once a month.

"She has a great dedication to youth and is very Leadership Institute held at Cathedral Camp earwell organized," said Father Freddie Babiczuk, lier this year. That has led to her involvement as a pastor at Good Shepherd Parish. "She does a ter- member of the planning committee for the fall riflc job in both programs and she provides a good youth convention. The veteran of CLI was excited balance between spiritual and social activities. I'm to see the participants from that take an active role thankful to have her." in the convention. She is also on the planning comJezak holds a bachelor degree from UMass- mittee for the annual Religious Education ConDartmouth. Following graduation she worked as vention. a permanent substitute teacher at a local middle When not working with youth, Jezak enjoys school before taking time off to raise her family. taking hikes and other outdoor activities. She also At her home parish, she is also an extraordinary participates in Bible studies and has attended sevminister of holy Communion and sings in the choir. eral at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La When asked about the importance of youth Salette. ministry programs, Jezak could not say enough.

"I've been blessed with a good family and in 'It's important to get them involved with the doing this work," said Jezak. I really enjoy it."

The Anchor encourages readers to nomiChurch because it gives them a good experience and good memories," said Jezak. "The young· nate others for the Person ofthe Week - who people feel like they belong and it gives them a and why? Submit nominations at our E-mail good foundation for life. We need to create more address: theanchor@anchornews.org, or write opportunities for young people at church." to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA One way they are doing that is through the 02722.

.Visitations from God There are times when we may her with words of assurance, "You're going to be fine, experience a visitation from God. In large ways, and in small, grandma, don't worry."

My brother and I left her then.

God makes himself known to us.

About an hour later the nurse Sometimes in prayer, sometimes in a dream, often in the birth of a came oulwith jubilant news.

"Your grandmother pulled the child, or even in an act of respirator out of her mouth. kindness by a complete stranger.

She's breathing f!ne, and we There are also visitations that think that she's going to be may seem even more profound. okay."

They are unexpected and She was a brave and often inexplicable.

I I'll never be able to forget one fearless woman, my grandmother. She had grown up in such visitation. My sister called, Switzerland, and had often told saying "Grandma's had a heart the story of falling down a steep attack. It's serious. The doctor is mountain, sustaining serious saying that she may only have a five percent chance of surviving." lacerations to her head, bleeding profusely. Walking down the I was heartbroken. She was mountain with her very worried my dearly beloved 90-year-old grandmother and I was 300 miles brother, she comforted him, "I'm OK." Once home, her parents away in Southern California. poured whiskey on her wounds How could she die without my and wrapped them with a towel. being able to say goodbye?

"I'm leaving right now," I told my sister.

"God," I prayed, "please I·, let her stay alive " , v c', B~' Greta MacKouJ until I get there."

I boarded a plane in Los No doctor, medications or Angeles bound for Oakland, rosary in my hand. As I made the stitches....

I would love to have seen the two-hour drive from the Oakland Airport to the hospital, there was nurse's notes. " Admitted: Ninety-year old female. Heart no cell phone conversation to attack. Critical condition, on a give me assurance of her respirator Patient resting condition. It was 1994 - precomfortably Patient pulled cell phone days for me. Prayer the respirator out of her was the only comfort. mouth.... Miracle in 34B." As I walked through the We'll never know what hospital doors, my heart started happened that day. Was it my to race. Had I made it in time? grandmother's faith, the prayers My family greeted me and yes, of her family, or simply God's she was still alive. mercy?

I walked quickly into her God, in his infinite love, had room for the short visit that I made his visitation.. was allowed. She was on a Today, September 8 is our respirator, not able to speak, but blessed Mother's birthday. She is when she saw me her eyes the one who experienced the looked happy and just this most important visitation of all: moment was such a great the message that she would comfort for me. "Thank you, become the Mother of God. My God, for your mercy," I thought. grandmother's name was also I went into the waiting room and visited with my family. More Mary, and she loved our Blessed Mother, praying the rosary and more family members were everyday. She died peacefully in arriving continuously.

After awhile, I walked out of her sleep at the age of 95, a blessing I believe she may have the waiting room and sat on the received due to her faith and bench just outside. It was a quiet place just next to the doors devotion to Mary. Visitations from God. Some are large. Some of the ICU and a good place to are small. Some we may not be pray. able to explain. . My brother arrived and we The next one may be just decided to go in together to see around the comer. our grandmother. We both took Greta MacKoul is the author one of her hands and began to and illustrator of "The Ocean pray. We were there for about 15 Flowers, A Parable of Love" and minutes, but the nurse was numerous articles.

Greta and surprisingly cheerful and kind her husband George, with their and did not ask us to leave. At ofChrist children are members one point my grandmother tried the King Parish in Mashpee. to speak, and I tried to comfort

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Stained-glass windows help artists, viewers connect with their faith READSBORO, Vt. (eNS) - It's I, not always easy for artist Debora Coombs to step back and look at her work, especially if she i~ working on a 25-foot-high drawing that she is going to translate into a stained-glass cathedral window. So she works in sections, and sometim~s she gets a look at the bi~ picture from a loft above her studIO. .II The British-born staiIied-glass artist works in a studio thJt's about 20 I' feet by 30 feet, a former garage her husband converted for &er work after they moved to the iuraJ. area of I' Readsboro about 10 yellI'S ago. She . was commissioned to create more than 1,000 feet ofstained-glass art for St. Mary Cathedral in Pbrtland, Ore. She spent three and ;,a half years working on the 16 windows depicting the sacraments and the saints and blesseds of the AmJricas.

The Ii stained glass was fapricated at Cummings Studios in NbrthAdams, Mass., with Coombs ekecuting all glass painting and artwbrk.

Coombs, 49, is deliberate about each color of glass she chooses, about each stroke she paints on the glass because she is not only creating a picture out of glaSs and paint, she is transforming the I'atmosphere inside the building I:where her stained-glass creation will be placed.

Stained glass is a complex medium, one that is difficult to work I with successfully because of the technical and practical requirements.

The heavy glass has tOllbe securely supported, for instance, and the transparency has to be just right.

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PRAYERFUL HANDS - Bishop Allen H. Vigneron of Oakland, Calif., prays as novice Derrick Elkins uses sign language dUring a ceremony at St. Albert's Priory in Oakland recently. Bishop Vigneron celebrated the profession of first vows for five members of the new Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate. (CNS photo/Greg Tarczynski)

New order, primarily deaf men, will minister to deaf Catholics BvlJsADAHM

Dominican order designed specifically for the deaf candidates and apostolate.

HONOLULU - FatherThomas Father Coughlin approached the Coughlin's lifelong dream to start bishops and vicars general of seva religious community where sign eral different dioceses seeking aulanguage is the primary means of thorization to form a religious comexpression at both the eucharistic munity, but they all turned him table and the dinner table is finally away. becoming a reality.

The reaction, he said, was typiDeaf since birth, Father cal. Many viewed priests who are Coughlin has founded the new ordeaf as a people who need special der, the Dominican Missionaries for accommodations and treatment the DeafApostolate. in other words, a "problem."

The priest of the Diocese But to Father Coughlin, of Honolulu was one of five men who made their first pr0"Necessity is the mother ofinven- deaf priests are a solution, fession of vows as Domini- tion, n he told the Hawaii Catholic particularly since only a small can Missionaries for the Deaf Herald, newspaper of the Honolulu fraction of deaf Catholics go Apostolate recently at St. diocese, in an interview by E-mail. to Masses that aren't transAlbert's Priory in Oakland, lated for them.

"I saw how badly we need a religious In 2002, then-Archbishop Calif. community ofdeafpriests andbroth- William J. Levada of San "Necessity is the mother of invention," he told the ers dedicated to a deeper spiritual Francisco heard Father Hawaii Catholic Herald, life and the deaf apostolate in the Coughlin's story and invited newspaper of the Honolulu language of signs and the deaf cul- him to his archdiocese to minister at St. Benedict Parish. diocese, in an interview by E- . ture milieu. n mail. "I saw how badly we There, Father Coughlin established the Dominican Misneed a religious community of deaf priests and brothers dedi- Peter and Paul Parish in Honolulu sionaries for the Deaf Apostolate, cated to a deeper spiritual life and where he celebrated the Mass in an offshoot of Oakland's Dominithe deaf apostolate in the language sign language and created a minis- can community, to "preach the Gosof signs and the deaf culture mi- try to the deaf. An interpreted Mass pel to deaf people in sign language for the deaf continues there today. lieu." and to give opportunities for deaf In a 1987 interview with the men to study for the priesthood in The five men pronounced their vows before Oakland's Bishop Hawaii Catholic Herald, the priest their native language, which is sign Allen H. Vigneron, who formally expressed his determination to start language."

"I have accepted this challenge recognized the new community in an order of priests who are deaf for 2004. Father Coughlin will remain the deaf. At the time, few if any along with its pain and sorrow bea diocesan priest until he make his seminaries and religious orders cause I have come to realize that this final vows in a few years. The other welcomed deaf candidates. is the kind of road that God has He left Hawaii in the early 1990s placed me on," the priest said. four men are in various stages of "I am only an instrument of his preparation for the priesthood, and to follow his dream. In 1993 in the religious community also has Denver he joined the Dominicans. divine plan," he said. Paraphrasing Although he remained a Domini- Trappist Father Thomas Merton, he two novices.

Creating this order has been a can for only a year, he was encour- added, "I do not know where the challenge for the determined priest, aged by the head of the Dominican road goes or what lies ahead, but I who has been making his case be- order to form a new branch in the ask for God's grace to go on."

CATHOUC NEWS SERVICE

fore bishops and cardinals for nearly three decades.

Father Coughlin was ordained in the Trinitarian order in 1977 and he came to Honolulu 10 years later at the invitation of then-Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario of Honolulu, who was perhaps the only bishop in the United States at the time skilled in American Sign Language.

The bishop, who died in 2003, welcomed Father Coughlin into the diocese and assigned him to SS.

But it's the medium Coombs favors. '1 love it. It's a beautiful medium to work in, if challenging:' she said.

Her research on the sacraments, saints and blesseds to be depicted in glass had a profound effect on the mother of two teen-agers who was raised Anglican in England.

Wmdows for the cathedral are a visual means of bringing together the different peoples and cultures that make up the country. Those depicted include St. Peter Claver, St. John Neumann. St. Rose of Lima, BlessedDamiende Veuster, Blessed Junipero Sena and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.

In her quest to learn about Blessed Kateri, Coombs attended two Native American conferences where she asked participants for advice. '1 had so much invisible support," she told The Vermont Catholic Tribune, newspaper of the Diocese of Burlington. ''People were praying from all over."

But it was an elderly Sioux man who gave her the profound advice that had a deep impact on her life: ''You pray." ''In my ignorance, I said, 'How?'" Coombs recaIled. ''He said to pray the Indian way. You give thanks."

From that day on she woke up every day and gave thanks for everything she had: her husband, children, hands, eyes, intelligence, 0pportunities, sunshine. ''If you spend time thanking God for what you have, the thankfulness vastly outweighs the difficulties," she said.

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St. ~y of Padua Church ~ , ~ ~NiIlw8aiI'unf.~

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Friday, September 8, 2006

'Da Vinci Code' author 'sued HOLYOKE, Mass. (CNS) -:- tween 'The Vatican Boys" and 'The Claiming that Dan Brown, author of Da Vmci Code" were first brought the lucrative fictional novel 'The Da to his attention at book signings by Vmci Code:' plagiarized his book, readers who noticed that the story in 'TheVatican Boys:' Catholic author Brown's book looked "an awful lot" Jack Dunn has filed a $400 million like the story in his book. Intrigued, lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in he finally sat down last January to Springfield. read ~The Da Vmci Code" and imDunn, a Holyoke native, named mediately saw the connection.

Brown; Random House, Brown's "I was shocked that someone publisher; Columbia Pictures; Imag- would so closely copy a book and .me Entertainment; Sony Releasing; then try and disguise it by putting in and Sony Pictures, producer of the what I call all the fluff around the screen version of the book, in the book, by creating scenes, by just lawsuit moving characters around a little bit, Dunn said extensive portions of or changing the scene," said Dunn, his book aP1'ear in Brown's book and who claims there are "virtually hunthat there are many similarities in the dreds" of similarities between both text, the characters and plot points books. of'The DaVmci Code" that closely Dunn, working with scholars and parallel the characters and plotpoints other experts, has nearly 40 pages in 'The Vatican Boys." offlow charts to identify specific inDunn's historical novel was writ- stances of the copying of terms and ten and copyrighted in 1997, while phrases as well as the introduction 'The Da Vmci Code" was released ofthe characters in the plots and the in 2003. scenes in the book.

In a press release, Dunn said he Earlier this year the writers ofthe had alerted Random House and Sony .1982 nonfiction book "Holy Blood, Pictures April 26 that he "felt there Holy Grail" sued Brown in London were problems with the content of for plagiarizing their "bloodline" both books and possible copyright theory, which claims that Jesus marinfringement" He received a letter ried Mary Magdalene, fathered a from Random House saying it had child and produced a royal bloodreceived his complaint, but did not line and that eVil forces within the get a response from Sony.

Catholic Church protected these seIn the last five months, Dunn has crets for centuries. The London lawreceived~'several oral and written suit ultimately failed because oflack credible preliminary reports from lit- of sufficient evidence. erary and/or linguistic experts con''If you (take) out everything that firming that substantial similarities he took from my story to get to the in many constituent elements" be- bloodline theory, there's nothing left tween the two books are present"and ofhis book. He needs everything that would be readily apparent to reason- he took from 'The Vatican Boys' in able lay readers of both books," ac- orderto get to the bloodline:' includcording to the lawsuit ing the historical information and ''The Vatican Boys" is about characters, Dunn said Church conuption and delves into Like many Catholics who call the world ofinternational money, the 'The DaVmci Code" blasphemous, Opus Dei personal prelature, and the Dunn feels Brown must be chalShroud of Turin. lenged and ultimately discredited "I thought there were certain because fiction passed off as history problems in Christian organizations undermines Christianity. in general, and I just wanted to point "As a Catholic, as a Christian, I'm out exactly what they were. And the very offended by what Dan Brown reason being is that it's all fixable," has done. I'm twice as offended since said Dunn on why he wrote his book. he used my story to do it," he said "I He spent four years researching and think all of us have the responsibilwriting the novel, traveling to Europe ity right now to take very seriousOy) and Jerusalem. whatDan Brown is doing in promotDunn told The Catholic Ob- ing this bloodline theory and work server, newspaper ofthe Diocese of together to show other information Springfield, that the similarities be- which refutes his allegations."

'Faith and DOl,1bt at Ground Zero' on PBS NEWYORK-The powerful yet emotionally draining ''Frontline'' pr0gram ''Faith and Doubt at Ground 'hmJ" examines the question ofspirituality and evil in the aftermath ofthe honific attacks of Sept. 11, 200 1.

The program, to be rerun Monday, September 11, 10 p.m.-midnight EDT on PBS (check local listings), explores the challenges confronted by believers and nonbelievers as they try to cope with the difficult questions of good and evil, God's power in the face of malevo-

lence and the potential for darkness within religion itself.

The program grapples with the questions of religion and faith through the reflections of a variety ofpeople from survivors to the widow of a firefighter; from priests and rabbis to security guards and opera divas; from Christians and Jews to Buddhists, Muslims and atheists, Those interviewed speak with an unexpected candor about the challenges the horrible acts of September 11 have placed on their faith.

A ~OG AN.D ~ER BOY - Jonathan Mason and a collie appear in the movie "Lassie." For a brief review of thiS film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Roadside/Samuel Goldwyn)

lt~' ~'(()vii(e ICaIIV~Ulllle~ NEW YORK (CNS) - The following are capsule reviews.of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting ofthe U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. ''Beerfest'' (Warner Bros.)

Mindless and crude comedy about two brothers (Erik Stolhanske and Paul Soter) who, together with some beerguzzling friends (Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme and Jay Chandrasekhar, . who also directs) travel to Germany to compete in an underground beerdrinking Olympics against a German team consisting of a rival branch of their family. The title says it all, as the insufferably adolescent plot is just a pole for the foulmouthed frat-house humor which is vulgar, unfunny and irresponsible. Pervasive crass and sexual humor, lewd sight gags and innuendo, much reckless drinking, a couple of racy sex scenes with partial nudity, as well as some unrelated partial nudity, comic violence, some irreverent humor, a suicide, drug content, excessive rough and crude language and some profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is 0 - morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R - restricted. Under 17 requires accompa-

Movies Online Can't remember how a recent film was classified by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops? Want to know whether to let the kids go see it? You can look up film reviews on the Catholic News Service Website.

Visit catholicnews.com and click on "Movies," under the "News Item" menu.

tionable, are offset by a redemptive nying parent or adult guardian. ''Hollywoodland'' (FocuS) ending. Pervasive rough and crude lanDark speculative story about the guage and profanity, some strong viomysterious death ofGeorge Reeves (a . lence, a couple ofracy sexual encounconvincing Ben Affleck), the actor ters, one with shadowy nudity, adulwho played Superman on TV in the tery, an attempted suicide, risque cos1950s, as a fictional private eye tuming and choreography and some (Adrien Brody) tries to detennine racial epithets. The USCCB Office for whether the death was indeed suicide; FIlm & Broadcasting classification is .or murder at the hands ofhis opportu- L - limited adult audience, films nistic starlet girlfriend (Robin1\mney), whose problematic content many or by a studio executive with mob con- adults would find troubling. The Monections (Bob Hoskins) married to his tion Picture Association of America paramour (Diane Lane). Director rating is R - restricted. Under 17 reAllen Coulter's film (from Paul quires accompanying parent or adult Bernbaum's fanciful script) will be of guardian. ''Lassie'' (Roadside/Samuel interest to fans of the "Superman" seGoldwyn) ries and those intrigued by Hollywood Handsome adaptation of Eric lore, but there are no conclusive answers, and the anachronistic expletives Knight's original novel, ''Lassie Come (the f-word and s-word were not used Home," about an impoverished Yorkso commonly in the 1940s and '50s), shire mining family (Samantha and overdone sleazy milieu will be a Morton, John Lynch and Jonathan turnoffto many. Strong sexual themes, Mason) in World War n that relucnongraphic sexual encounters includ- tantly sells its beloved dog to a rich ing adultery, pervasive rough and nobleman (peter O'Toole) who takes crude language and profanity, some the dog to Scotland where the collie discreet violence with blood and par- escapes and attempts the impossibly tial shadowy nudity. The USCCB Of- long trek back home. Writer-director fice for Film & Broadcasting classifi- Charles Stwridge has assembled a fine, cation is L -limited adult audience, mostly English cast, including Edward films whose problematic contentmany Fox, Kelly MacDonald and Jemma adults would find troubling. The Mo- Redgrave, and two appealing youngtion Picture Association of America sters, Mason and Hester Odgers. The rating is R - restricted. Under 17 re- sCenic vistas are breathtaking and the quires accompanying parent or guard- story appealing, making this fine family viewing, though discerning adults ian. may be bothered by a disjointed nar''Idlewild'' (Universal) Prohibition-era musical drama set rative, some plot turns that defy cremostly in a Georgja speak~y about dulity; and an awkwardness in both a timidpianoplayer(Andre Benjamin) script and direction that places it sevwho falls for the club's gIamorous diva eral notches below the classic 1943 (PaulaPatton) andhis childhoodfriend MGM version. A brief sequence of (Antwan A. Patton), a brash bootleg- Lassie being beaten \:Vith a belt, a ger, who, when not cheating with nongraphic scene where the miners showgirls on his long-suffering wife urinate to throw some hunting dogs (Malinda Williams), is dodging the off the scent of an escaping fox, some bullets of an ambitious gangster mildly crass language, some mild vio(Terrence Howard). Director Bryan lence and the death of a dog. The Barber injects his period piece with a USCCB Office for Film & Broadcastcontemporary hip-hop vibe, resulting ing classification is A-I - general in a bold, brassy film brimming with patronage. The Motion Picture Assovisual pizzazz andjazzy musical num- ciation of America rating is PG bers but short on story. The film's ob- parental guidance suggested. Some scenity-laden dialogue. gratuitous material may not be suitable for chilraunchiness and brutality, while objec- dren.

IFrid~y,

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September 8, 2006

the anch~ news briefs Katrina could help resolve social problems, archbishop says at Mass NEW ORLEANS - The immense hwnan suffering caused by Hunicane Katrina should spur survivors in South Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast not only to rebuild vigorously but also to improve the social problems it exposed, the archbishop of New Orleans said at a Mass commemorating the solemn first anniversary of the storm. Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes spoke recently in a packed St Louis Cathedral before a congregation that included President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura. ''We ask not why God has allowed this disaster, but how does God want us to respond?" Archhishop Hughes said, cal1ing to mind the words of St Paul that "all things wolk for good for those who love God." He said, ''There can be no glory without the cross. All aftliction is intended to both purify us of what is evil and free us for greater good" .

Jerusalem church leaders reject Christian Zionism JERUSALEM (CWNews.com) - Four of Jerusalem's most prominent Christian leaders have issued a public statement condemning Christian Zionism. In their strongly worded statement, the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders describe Christian Zionism as "a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism, and militarism." That outlook, they charge, is "detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel." Latin-rite Catholic Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem joined with the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Swerios Malki Mourad; Episcopalian Bishop Riah Abu elAssai; and Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan in signing the statement.

Christian Zionism, they observe, places an undue emphasis on a particular interpretation of the Book of Revelation, producing "an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today." "We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message oflove, justice and reconciliation," the signatories announce. They argue that Christian Zionists have encouraged the Israeli government to pursue unjust policies that "undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world." "We affirm that Israelis and Palestinians are capable of living together within peace, justice and security," the Christian leaders say. "We call upon all people to reject the narrow worldview of Christian Zionism and other ideologies that privilege one people at the expense of others Future pastors get down to business at workshops on management skills WILMINGTON, Del. - Chris Hanley owned his own cleaning and landscaping business in Maine for five years, and he managed a greenhouse in North Plainfield, NJ., for about a year. He described his managerial style as ''brash.'' ''When I was in business, I hired workers. As iong as they got the job done, I didn't care" about their personalities, said Hanley, a third-year seminarian for the Diocese ofWJ1mington, studying at St Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore. That approach will not work in his next administrative job - pastor of a Catholic parish - Hanley learned this summer at a series of workshops on financial and human-resource management in parishes today. The wotkshops were designed to help future priests understand the challenges today's pastor faces in management and administration, according to St Mary's, where the sessions were held. Hanley said he learned that a good staff was integral to the success ofa parish and viewing employees merely as workers won't serve him well when he takes over his own parish.

Susan B. Anthony birthplace purchased by Pro-Life feminist ADAMS,Mass.-AmemberofanationaiPro-Lifeorganizationhaspurchased the birthplace of Susan B. Anthony in Adams, oot the future of the two-story house remains uncertain Carol Oossed, a resident ofRochester, N.Y., recently bought the house at auction for $164,000. Anthony was born in the home on East Road in 1820. Crossed is a board member of Feminists for Life of New York, a chapter of Feminists for Life 'of America. While Feminists for Life will ~~theho~thePro-~feministorganizationwillmanage~carew

the birthplace. A team of women historians and scholars is being assembled to determine the best use for the dwelling, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Feminists for~, based in Alexandria, Va., features Anthony prominently on its Website ~ in its literature. Unlike many later feminists,· Anthony strongly opposed abortion, calling it "child mUIder.". .

HezboDah leads the way in rebuilding Lebanon, says CRS worker WASHINGTON - The Shiite Muslim organization Hezbollah is leading the way in rebuilding Lebanon, said a Catholic Church aid wolker. ''Hezbollah is out in front of everybody in its efforts to assist. Hezbollah started handing out pilesofcash," $10,000-$12,000for a year's worth ofrent, andhas given smaller amounts for houses that need repairing, said Mark: Schnellbaecher, Catholic Relief Services' regional director for the Mid~e East and Europe. During the 34-day war between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants, Hezbollah was providing assistance to displaced Lebanese, he said. And before the displaced retwned home, Hezbollah was on the streets bulldozing debris off the roads, he told Catholic News Service in anAug. 30 telephone interview from Beirut, Lebanon. catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops' international development and reliefagency, has been working with its partner, Caritas Lebanon, to assist the 90 percent of the displaced who retwned home immediately after the UN.-brokered cease-fire that took effect August 14.

TRYING TO RETURN TO NORMALCY - A Lebanese woman dusts a mannequin in front of her shop that was damaged during the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, recently. (eNS photo/Sharif Karim, Reuters)

Maronite Catholic says Hezbollah set weapons near Christian towns SAFED, Israel (CNS) - A slipped into Israel because he felt he rael, now they think 'Who is Israel?'"

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud . Maronite Catholic who fled to Israel . was not getting proper medical treatwas appointed president by Syria in after the recent cease-fire said ment Hezbollah forces had cached weapAl-Raai declined to give details of 1987. Under the Lebanese Constituons in the valleys all around his vil- how he made it the few miles from his tion, the presidency is reserved for a lage in southern Lebanon. village to the border, except to say that Maronite Catholic. Under a Syrian- • ''We were always afraid, and dur- he alone wheeled himselfover the bor- orchestrated constitutiomil amending the war we were even more afund, der. He sent word to his family through ment in 2004, Lahoud's term was exbut we had no one to tum to," said MaroniteArchbishop Chucral1ah-Nabil tended until September 2007.

Assad aI-Raai, 42, a resident of the Rage of1Yre, Lebanon.

"There are mistakes in war, and village of Dibbel, Lebanon, near the The former soldier said if the war Israel made mistakes, but Hezbollah had not broken out in July, it wo~d put us in this sitru¢on and our (lebaborder with Israel. ''We are not with Hezbollah and have occurred later. nese) government allowed it ... and "Both sides were waiting for it," he who paid the price?The civilians," said not (with) Israel. Hezbollah put their weapons around our village, next to said, adding that Israel had watched a civilian, Abu Raad.

"Israel has bunkers for its civilians us, and Israel bombed from wherever for six years as Hezbollah amassed the (weapons were fired) and we were weapons and entrenched itself in and told them not to leave the buninside there. We kept ourdisiance from southern Lebanon. "But what good kers. What did Hezbollah do? Nothdoes a war do if Hezpollah IS still ing.'~ She said the main goal for the Hezbollah," he said Al-Raai said the Shiite Muslim there? If there had been no war, they southern Lebanese Christians in Israel militia· Hezbollahspecifically used would have been more afraid of Is- is peace between the two countries.

Christian villages as shields, believing Israel would not bomb them, he added.

Al-Raai said Israeli soldiers took overpart ofDibbel during the war and confirmed that Israeli planes dropped warnings for the villagers to leave the area before beginning the·bombing.

CQ~lIc Worship Pol Q NEW Gen8rQtlon Most residents of the eight Chris'I tian Lebanese villages in the area fled :Join us for our first series to Beirut and the north and are still too afraid to return, he said Beforethe war, there were about 1,500 residents in Dibbel, aI-Raai said, and when he left Whet I. uFj'? UFT Is on owesome night of Praise & Worship, 0 only about 300 remained. dlollenglng speaker, ond Eudlorlstlc Adorotlon. ''In 10 years there will be no ChrisWho I. It for? YOUI UFT Is designed for teenagers. young adults. tians in South Lebanon," he predicted. odults ond.. fomllles. It Is for everyone who wishes to hove 0 personal encounter with Christ.

Al-Raai spoke to Catholic News Service from his hospital bed in When I. It? ~FT will toke ploce once 0 month on 0 Tuesday night.

Safed's Ziv Hospital, where he went The next UFT Is on for treatment related to his disability.

S~ptember 12th 7.9pm He was injured and became a parapleUpw1IIing Dates: gic in 1988, during his service in the iI Southern Lebanese Army; an IsraeliOctober 17th - November 21 st -December 19th backed Christian militia that dissolved when Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.

In late August, when the IsraeliHezbollah cease-fire was being enforced, aI-Raai and about 20 other Christians from southern Lebanon

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Friday, September 8, 2006

Memorials Father Grogan, who had assisted at St. Stanislaus Parish in Fall River, Holy Family Parish in East Taunton; as well as St. Patrick's and St. Thomas More parishes, both in Somerset, is remembered by the several congregations as a friend and beloved priest "with a wonderful sense of humor."

The immediate litany of the dead who were passengers aboard the airliners included:

Continued from page one nounced Masses and ecumenical services to not just pray for the dead, but for the common good of our country. In subsequent weeks we attended memorial Masses for those from local faith communities stretching from Taunton to Cape Cod, whose remains are memorialized at Ground Zero where the Twin Towers once stood.

In memory of those who died in the 2001 events, prayers,

Massacre of themnocents (Q.1'1:-i'f""" The sky-high giants came crashing down , . 'r i Tower One - Tower Two- We criedinhorror t~is C(1f!~t beirue,; While evil laughed andfixed his crown.

Today our nation grieves anew as it returns, Again to view this sad and holy place.

We pray in silence - it has God's Grace.

Unsung heroes and volunteers, police andflremen withoutpeers,' From far and near in many ranks, we owe them all our boundlesst~.

Time, and time, and time again numberless, courageous and selfless.men Saving the trappedfrom being doomed, they themselves becomeemomhed.

The world around us mourned and wept. .We who live on owe them great debt Their suffering and sacrifice we can neverrepay Bravery and honor rode high that day.

We must strive mightily to right this wrong, } Prove love ofcountry is as true and as strotlg,,'l);, Evil will one day be buried in hel/.

The world will then ring every Liberty Be//.

MildredAllen, Age 97 St. Patrick's Parish, Falmouth Council olCathoUe Women Member ~,'1

a

- Peter E. Gay, 54, of Tewksbury, vice president and general manager of the Raytheon Company's Andover plant. The son of Atty. Peter B. Gay of Taunton, a member of St. Joseph's Parish there, he was married and the father of three children; - Bertha Perkins, 53, of Our -Lady of Lourdes Parish in Wellfleet, who was en route to California to visit her actor son, .Anthony Perkins; - Lynn Catherine Goodchild, 25, a member of St. Mark's Parish in Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro; - Nealie Casey, wife of Michael Casey, whose parents are Dr.'and Mrs. Mary~ane Casey of St. Mary's Parish in Taunton.

- Kenneth Waldie, brother of Grace McCroaty, a teacher of Religious Education for the Island Parishes on Martha's Vineyard; - Dianne' Snyder, 42, of Westport and Connecticut, a flight attendant whose son Leland Snyder was a freshman at Bishop.

Stang High School in North Dartmouth.

And there were more, whose identities were withheld at the request of family or allegedly because they were members of the active military.

We moved from terror to prayer, attending quickly an-

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Masses and at least one monument to one of the victims are' currently planned across the diocese.

On Monday, September 11, the anniversary date itself, Congregation of Holy Cross priests will .gather as family for their weekly community Mass and dinner as they customarily do every Monday night during the academic year at Stonehill College, run by the Congregation.

But this first Mass and intimate dinner of the school year will be in memory of Father Grogan, who was among 60 passengers on United Airlines flight 175 out of out Logan, the second of two jets that crashed into the towers. He was en route to visit. his sister, Anne Brown, in Ramona, California at the time.

On September 10, at Bailey's Park (Memorial Park) near the Duck Pond in Taunton, a memorial will be dedicated to' Peter A. Gay at 10 a.m., followed by a reception at the ~olumbian Cultural Center, his brother Atty. David Gay of Bourne, told The Anchor.

Gay was among 87 passengers aboard American Airljnes flight 11 which was the first jet crashed into one ofthe twin towers shortly before 8 a.m., ,on Sept. 11,2001.

"It will be a very simple gran. ite memorial on the reworked base __

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of a WWI soldier, the statue of North Easton," reported Father completed his summer assignment there, he has recently rewhich is now located on Taunton Polselli.

Green," Atty. David Gay exThe gravesite i~ amorig those . turned to theological studies at plained. "The memorial will be of Holy Cross priests and Broth- Franciscan University in topped by an eagle aptly memo- ers, mimy of whom were mission- . Steubenville, Ohio.

Father Richard E. Degagne, in rializing the events of 9/11. it is aries whose remains are elsein part dedicated to my brother as where. one of several topical homilies by It is the same cemetery in local pastors printed by The Anwell as to all who died at that time.

Hopefully it will be a positive re- which Father Peyton, known as chor following the attacks, noted minder Jor all time, honoring all "the Rosary Priest," and whose' that "We will be asking (ourthose brave people." . cause for sainthood is in process, selves) the same question for many years to come: 'Where were Msgr. Thomas J. Harrington is also buried.

Father Lackenmier, the newly- . you ... on Tuesday morning, will preside at t~e ceremonies.

The anniversary will also be appointed religious superior for Sept. 11, 2001?'" observed in several area parishes. the Holy Cross community in To the oft-quoted question The 8 a.m., Mass ,at Holy Fam- Easton, will be the principal cel- posed in times of disaster, Where ily Parish in Taunton will be in ebrant ofthe 5 p.m., private Mass were you, God?" Father Degagne reminded us: "God has not abanmemory of Father Grogan, re- in the chapel for Father Grogan. . "I remember I was on Cape doned us. On judgement day we ported pastor Father Jay T. Maddock, who came to know him Cod when 9/11 happened," he told will not be asking God the quesThe Anchor. "Father Grogan was tion, 'Where were you?' No, on well.

This week, The Anchor talked just finishing up a term as reli- that day the positio~ will be rewith Holy Cross Fathers James gious superior in Dartmouth and versed. At that moment God will Lackenmier and Leo Polselli, who was on his way to Valatie, N.Y., be asking us: 'Where were you?'" to become chaplain to Holy Cross One of the landmark ~quotes knew Father Grogan.

Father Polselli, chaplain at Brothers in a retirement commu- that sum up the 9/11 tragedy Holy Cross Ministries in North nity there.:..... after avisitto his sis- comes from, Tim Russert, a .Easton, said his first memory of ter in Los Angeles to celebrate her faithful summer parishioner of Father Grogan was as an associ- birthday."

St. Mary/Our Lady of the Isles Heremembers Father Grogan, Parish on Nantucket, and head ate pastor at Sacred Heart. Parish a native of Pittsfield, as one of the. of NBC's Washington Bureau. in Bennington, Vt. ."I know he had worked earlier first priests he met in 1956 when' He said: "We are forever in Family Rosary and Family The- he came to Stonehill College as a changed as a people and a naater in California and Madrid, seminarian en route to the priest- tion. We can never be the same people again." .Spain, for Father Patrick Peyton. 'hood.

"Father Grogan But I met him when he served for 10 or 12 years with pastor Father had been ordained Joe.Quinn in Bennington," Father for only a year and was serving as the Polselli said.

"We knew him as Father Frank registrar of the coland he was very active in charis- lege and had taken matic renewal. This impacted his on new duties as personality and his soft-spoken, director of the poskind relationship with people. He tulants. He was an was very prayerful and yet very extraordinary man, outgoing and very available to warm and outgopeople. I also served with him on ing ... had a wonthe novitiate staff also in derful singing voice. He had Bennington."

When Father Grogan com- served two years pleted his assignment as assistant as an enlisted man at Holy Cross Parish in Easton, in the U.S. Navy in and in 1997 moved to North the 1940s before Dartmouth in his semi-retirement entering the semias the religious superior; he nary in 1948. He helped out on a consistent and had a rich backoften extended basis at several ground," Father parishes, including several Lackenmier commonths at St. Stanislaus Parish in mented.

Father Grogan Fall River.

"People there got to know him went on to do high well and he also helped out at a school work for parish in Taunton and became.en- many years, and amored of the people there," Fa- parish work, ."and ther Polselli noted. "He epito- was a wonderful mized kindness, always had a priest and person. smile, and was wonderful human So we will be remembering him in bei~g."

Like so many others who died a very special way in Manhattan, there are no re- at our private Mass and dinner." mains of the priest.

Among many "But at a special ceremony at Ground Zero where the towers who became fast stood, ashes were gathered and 'friends with Father presented in urns to those who Grogan was Semiparticipated. Some of those ashes narian Gregory were subsequently placed beneath Bettencourt, who a headstone to Father Grogan in hails from Holy our community cemetery for Holy Family Parish in Cross Fathers and Brothers in Taunton. Having :;

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the anchcN(S)

Friday, September 8, 2006

Priesis recall being caught up in events of Sept. 11, 2001 WASlllNGTON(CNS)-Withfiveyearsbehindthem, or to ~eir nearby hotels, instead they worked their way some of the priests who were called to help people cope around to the medical triage area, where people who were after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have looked back injured were being treated until they could be shuttled to on the role they played at the Pentagon, around the World hospitals.

Trade Center site and in Mason City, Iowa ''They ran out of ambulances," he remembered. ''They Whether in the thick of things in the damaged Penta- were loading people into the backs of vans." gon bl}ilding or huridreds of miles away in Iowa, this samHe ended up spending much of the day ministering to pling of recollections from priests who found themselves people around the Pentagon and helping the medical percalled to unusual duty five years ago gives a perspective on ' sonnel when possible. They were so busy it was sometime how chaplains and parish priests found themselves respond- in the afternoon before he heard that the World Trade Cen- . ing: ter towers had cOllapsed midmorning. Finally around 4:30 Father Robert J. Romano, deputy chiefofchaplains for p.m., "when there was nothing else we could do:' he said SURVIVAL AT SEA - Mexican fisherman Lucio Rendon, centhe New York Police Department, was celebrating a' fu- ,that he went around to the damaged side of the Pentagon ter, accompanied by his parents, Noemi Becerra and Lucio neral Mass at his parish, the Shrine Church ofSt. Bernadette and saw where the plane had hit.

Rendon Sr., looks out on a packed church after arriving in his in Brooklyn, on the morning of September 11. By the time With most air traffic grounded for several more days, hometown of San Bias, Mexico, August 25. Rendon, who was the fwieral ended, word had come about two planes crash- he and the other chaplains were unable to return too their one of three Mekican men who spent months lost and drifting ing into the World Trade Center as well as into the Penta- homes. Instead, they staffed a crisis counseling center set across· the Pacific Ocean in a flimsy fishing boat, arrived home gon and a field in Pennsylvania up nearby by the Defense Department. Amid a group of to a hero's welcqme. (CNS photolTomas Bravo, Reuters) In a reCollection written about that day, Father Romano similarly ranked chaplains, Father Schueller was placed in .,...-_ _...,' charge of the project by virtue told of heading to two different Manhattan hospitals, e x - o fthe date he attained the rank peeting to minister to the inof colonel. jured, only to find no patients The chaplains and counsePIERRE, S.D.- (CNS) - South cerating violent offenders for life." had been brought there from lors found themselves aiding a A 1984 South Dakota law calls the trade center. steady stream of people, many Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds issued a· Instead he went to the site of whose family members or reprieve August 2911 in what would for a combination of two drugs to where the twin towers had fiiends were missing at the Pen- have been the state's first execution be used in lethal injections. The current standard in other' states is a stood just a few hours earlier. .tagon. The experience at the in 59 years.

Rounds said thellstate's law out- three-drug combination, which is "As we got closer, the dust counseling center "was just lining protocols for execution by le- what the South Dakota prison sysin the air blocked out the sun:' wrenching," he said. he wrote. "The sound was "I think of some aspect of thal injection was outdated. The stay tem had intended to use on Page later muffled-because of the mathat day every day," Father of execution for 24hear-old Elijah . on the day of the reprieve.

Bishop Blase 1. Cupich of Rapid terial that was in the air. The Schueller said. "For a long Page lasts until after July 1,2007.

Rounds, a Republican, is a Catho- City had appealed to Rounds to comsight and the lack of sound Iewhile after it happenect,'normal minded ineofthe words ofthe parts of life just seemed like lic who describes himself as Pro- mute the sentences of Page and Life. He had said!iearlier that he Briley Piper, 25, who also awaits Passion: 'Darlmess covered the nonsense by comparison." whole world.'''

Father Schueller, a priest of would not intervene to stop Page's execution for the 2000 murder of Chester Allen Poage. during a robHe wrote about his experithe Archdiocese of Dubuque, execution.

Bishop Samue,'\ J. Aquila of bery at the Spearfish man's home. ence that day at the request of 'Iowa, retired in January 2003 Bishop Aquila said the Church's after 26 years in the Air Force. Fargo, N.D., apostolic administrator Msgr. Edward Burns, who heads the Secretariat for VocaHe now works part time as a of Sioux Falls, S.D.; said he was high standard against the death penand hoped it alty "does not change in cases where tions and Priestly Formation at chaplain in Cedar Rapids, Iowa grateful for the stty I, the U.S. Conference ofCathcr DEVASTATION IN D.C. - The damaged area Msgr. Joseph J. Slepicka would "allow time for an even fuller the convicted party does not contest lic Bishops. of the Pentagon, where a hijacked commercial dro to M C' I discussion about the appropriateness execution." plane slammed into the bUilding, on Sept. 11, ve ason Ity, owa, on of the death penaltY in South Da"Violence will not be curbed if Once at the site, Father 2001 (CNS h t IL '0 .

R ) the morning of September 11 Romano said. he soon learned . p 00 arry oWning, eute~s for an alumni breakfast at Holy kota." we react to it with another form of In a statement after the reprieve violence," he said, and use of the that hundreds ofpolice officers and firefighters were feared 'Family School, where he had kindergarten with Tom was issued, he said, "The Catholic death penalty "diminishes respect dead and that a fire department chaplain, Franciscan Fa- Burnett. The two had remained fiiends through high school ~aches that tile death penalty for all hurnan life." faith ther Mychal Judge, had been killed. He later learned that a and college and Msgr. Slepicka had joined the Burnettfamif ever, ju~tified. The legal is rarely, seminary classmate, several former altar boys and his god- ily through Yeats of baptisms, marriages, family gather~ in the United States is casystem son were among the dead. ings and hunting and fishing expeditions.

NATIONAL pable ofprotecting ~ociety by incarBy the time, he reached his own home 10 miles away, Working in a family center set up at police headquar-

,Bishop is grateful for S.D. governor's stay of execution

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ters, Father Romano spent the days to come ministering ~o families and police officers. He began celebrating Mass at headq~rs every day. After starting with just a handful of families who waited for news in the building auditcr riu.m. he expanded, celebrating Mass each Sunday and holy day at ground zero. . ''The numbers grew," he wrote. ''Faith was on the rise.

Mass was brief; it had to be to accommodate the ~e , shift that was finishing and the one that was about to start. ... We started with a handful of cops and by the last day I had to say Mass outside on the corner of Murray Street and Greenwich Street. I never thought I'd celebrate Mass in the middle of the streets of lower Manhattan."

Father LaVerne Schueller, then an Air Force colonel, was attending a meeting of corrimand-Ievel chaplains at the Pentagon Sept. 11, 200 1.' ' Normally stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Father Schueller was in a conference room within the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the building. At first unaware of anything more than a thud sound, the group of chaplains and their executive officers was soon told to evacuate.. Father Schueller told Catholic News Service in phone interview.

Th9!1gb.t.b~ c<baplm)YC;<~J9l<l.lP~y~sb.9!1lcl gQ b,ome,

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the message light on his answering machine was blinking, he said in a reminiscence he wrote at the request of Msgr.

Burns.

'-'I ~ad had a call from the Burnett family in Bloomington, Minn.," he wrote. "Call as soon as you get home:' the message asked.

When he returned the call, one of Burnett's daughters, Mary Mariare~ said to him, "Monsignor, Tommy's in trouble. He's on a hijacked airplane;United Flight 93, and we don't know what has happened to it yet, so please pray."

He learned that Burnett had made ~veral calls to his wife from the airplane that ultimately crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to take control of the cockpit InApril2002, Msgr. Slepicka visited the crash site north ' of Shanksville, Fa, with the Burnett family. ''This was probably the most difficult moment I experienced." he said. A day earlier, the family had gone to New Jersey to listen to recordings from Flight 93 's datarecorder, and had heard Burnett shouting orders to others on the plane as they tried to take control from the hijackers. ''We met Tommy's family and together we cried, we prayed;' he said. "I offered Mass forTommy and the other passengers on Flight 93 from the hill overlooking the site."

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Friday, September 8, 20061

7:

FOOTBALL FEVER - Bishop Stang head coach Tim McCarthy gets ready to run his football players through a drill during a recent practice. They and other fair sports programs got into full swing in preparation for the opening of school.

Below, lineman get set to practice their rushing technique. (Anchor/Gordon photos)

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TIME TRAVELERS - Kindergarten teacher Mary Beth Barkan at St. John the Evangelist School, Attleboro, shows her students their class calendar on their first day back to school. They will check it daily to track the school days and upcoming adventures.

IN THE SWING ' - Members of the Glee Club at Bishop Feehan High School, Attleboro, perform at a recent event at Christina's in Foxboro. More than 120 students representing the school's jazz band, jazz combo and choir participated. It showcased selections of jazz from today and the 1940s and 50s.

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GOOD GUYS - The band Us Guys, representing Christ the King Parish, Mashpee, performs during its recent Christian Jam Fest. The event brought together young talents from the parishes of St. Elizabeth Seton in North Falmouth and Corpus Christi in East Sandwich and a Christian a capella group from Drew University. At right, all the evenings performers gather for a rendition of the song "Awesome God."

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Affirming your dignitYilin your own eyes

By CHARLIE MARTIN -

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

DO I MAKE YOU PROUD? tually won "American Idol v." Critics [' II never be the one to who were less than wooed by his voice raise my hand were won over by his ~ffervescent That was not me, and now that's personality. It will be interesting to who I am watch how Hicks CSlntinues to develop " Because ofyou ['m standing tall ' his recently found star po}ver.

My heart is full ofendless gratitude His current CD-single is "Do I You were the one, the one to guide MakeYou Proud?"This stiidio version me through of his Idol clincher sound!; even more Now I can see and I believe soulful and polished. ",I It's only the beginning As the title suggests, ~e song foRefrain: cuses on what we do that,lmakes othThis is what we dream about ers proud of us. Yet, eveJ;1 more sigBut the only question with me now is nificant is what you do or how you act Do I make you proud? that affirms your dignity and worth in Stronger than [' ve ever been now your own eyes. It is eas~: to imagine Never be afraid ofstanding out Hicks' rendition becoming a standard Do I make you proud? at graduations or other types of cerI guess [' ve learned to ,emonies that honor achievements. question is to grow Sure, receiving recogpition from That you still have faith is • others brings a sense ofwell-being and all I need to know satisfaction. Yet, no one's'recognition [' ve learned to love my is more lasting than our own. selfisH part ofme An inner sense of wo$ first arises And[' ve learned to walk more than 'by remembering yourorigin.You were I believed ' called into life by God. possess Everybody needs to rise up the image and likeness df your CreEverybody need to be loved, ator. Consequently, bearing this forto be loved ever imprint ofGod makes you good!

This is what we dream about ; A quick check of the s¢lling shows, But the only question with me now is : that "good" is "God" with!an extended Do I make you, do I make proud? ! "0." How could you not be "good" if This is what we dream about : you are always connected to God? But the only-question with me now is' Of course, we do notijalways live i · Ul!' .

D o lmake you, dol up to t sh connectIon. ne sometJ.mes make you proud? act in ways that do notreflectourgoodSung by Taylor'Hicks ness. But returning to who we really Copyright 2006 by RCA • are is possible at any mOIVent We can Taylor Hicks generated lots ofen-{ admit the wrong done, seek forgive, th';1Siasm as he performed and even- ! ness and begin again. !

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BANDING TOGETHER - Senior mellophone player Reginald Alexander, left, works with first-year marching band member Jeremy Slack during practice in New Orleans recently, St. Augustine School's Marching 100, a nationally recognized band, was back sharpening its routine this summer. (eNS photo/Michael Alexander,

G,eorgia Bulletin)

Balance your strengths Communication is everything.

Have you recently paid attention to the way you speak'with others? Your spoken word reveals more than just verbiage - it identifies who you are and your communication style. ' Knowing how you communicate best will help you to balance your strengths and weaknesses.

You achieve this balance not only by the way you speak, but also - and just as important - by the way you listen. In all that you do to make Christ known to others, you do it through the gift of communication.

In my services profession, how I communicate with my customers is . very important To understand their problems and resolve them, I need to put myself in their shoes and get 'inside their heads. Let me share with you what I have experienced and learned by going inside your, mind right now and help you to identify your communication style.

There are three communication styles: the sensitive communicator, the strong communicator and the

~lerant cominuni~. I'll compare each to a type of metal in the hope of helping you detennine which style best fits you.'

First, there is the "sensitive communicator." Let's Compare this one to mercwy - a heavy liquid at room temperature, dense, expandable and always 'moving and changing. Your defining characteristics tend to be talkative, enthusiastic, sensitive, forgetful, anxious , and impulsive. In a world riddled by confusion and-hate, you are a most-welcomed guest Your sensitivity in speaking with others makes you open-minded and non- . judgmental. You are very good with your tone of voice to reinforce your meaning. , Then there is the "strong communicator." This style would C9mpare to iron - a hard metal, strong and rigid.

You are outspoken, precise and efficient You'd make a great teacher.

On the other hand, you may also tend

Furthermore, God implanted abilities in our souls to make a positive contribution to our world. Your life is unique. As you discover your deepest interests and passions, you naturally are led to use these abilities to help others. Society may measure the worth of one's contribution in terms of status or reward, but God does not use those standards. When you live with positive concern for others, you are living according to God's will for your life.

Living in a f"t!ll and caring way is something to be proud of no matter how others see your life. This kind of pride has nothing to do with your ego but steins from the genuine satisfaction of being the spiritual person that God calls you to be. Live passionately according to this inner reality.

When you live by God's standards, life becomes easier. You see and feel that you have nothing to prove. At times, you may receive others' approval, and they may indeed say that they are "proud" of you. You can appreciate their regard for who you are, but something far more important is occurring. "You" feel good about who you are! No amount of approval by others outweighs such a feeling.

Keep discovering how to act so as to keep this inner sense of well-being growing. ' oYour comments are always welcome. Please write to me at: chmartin@swindiana.net or at 7125W 200S, Rockporl, IN 47635.'

an~ weakn~sses

to be impatient and compulsive. As strong communicator, your biggest strength is wicovering another person's emotional and intellectual needs. This is a great gift. Strong

,communicators tend to choose words and phrases that strengthen their relationship with others - this is their best skill.

The third style is called the ''tolerant communicator." It's comparable to copper - ducti.le, flexible and a good conductor. As a tolerant communicator, your greatest strength ~ that you are "always present." You're there when needed.

Being a tolerant communicator means that you are warm in your

: greetings and gracioUs in ~our

tion. h w~'t that ne~ther knew the love and sUpport that each had for the : and methodical, but not always other; it was the longing to hear each :-proactive, you would be considered a other's spolcen word. CommunicatiOn tolerant communicator.' Ii is everything. Knowing how you So, which coInrnunicacommunicate best can help you in tion style are you? Which is school, in your job and in that simple yoUf greatest strength? conversation that you have been Which is your "lost notable longing to have with your dad. weakness? Th~ is no Sometm)e ago I enrolled in a wrong answer here. It's all comrilunication course in the hope of about getting to know your identifying and relating more clearly strong points an<i weak. with my customer's needs. What I points and getting them to learned went far beyond my expectaworlc together. If you would tions - and my job. The course ' like to diScover your communication manual had this quotation by Gared style, send me E-mail at .

Spades: "WIlen you talk, you repeat SantoChristoFaith@comeast.net and .what you akeady know. When you • will forward you a questionnaire, listen, you often learn something." It with directions. The important lesson made all the'difference in my spoken to learn here is that we all have wOrd, and, changed the way I listen. I strengths and weaknesses.. Recognizknow it can do the same for you. lug them helps us to ba1aDce our lives. Communication is bi-directional: : A friend of mine onai told me that transmitting and receiving, speaking ~e had a great relationship with his and listening. Just like prayer. father. It wasn't until his father died, O:aie PaCheco is Faith Formahowever,that he reaIi.zed .that the tion director at Santo Christo relationship rarely involvlxl conversa- Parish, Fall River.

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18

Friday, SeptemberS, 20061

UQSe seminaries receive new Program of Priestly Formation WASHINGTON (CNS)-Anew Program of Priestly Fonnation has been issued for use in all U.S. Catholic seminaries.

It places more emphasis on the human fonnation ofseminarians, and especially on fonnation .for celibacy, than did the fourth edition of the program, which had been in effect since 1992.

The 98-page revised version ofthe program, the fifth edition, has been posted on the Website ofthe U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org.

The Program ofPriestly Formation has govemed seminary foimation in the United States since the bishops issued the first edition in 1971.

The new version, reflecting the bishops' recent reSponse to the scandal of clergy sexual abuse of minors, says explicitly fOT the first time that no seminary applicant is to be accepted ifhe has been involved in sexual abuse of minors.

It also inCOIporates strieter norms, adopted by the bishops in 1999, on evaluating an application for seminary admission from someone who previously left or was dismissed from a seminary or a formation program for religious life.

The bishops adopted the fifth edition ofthe program by a nearly unanimous vote, 231~3, at their June 2005 meeting in Chicago.

Last November Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, informed Bishop William S. Skylstad ofSpokane, Wash., USCCB president, that his congregation had studied'1he new edition and approved it for a period of five years. Bishop Skylstad's decree promulgating the document was dated August 4, the feast of St John Vianney.

In his letter Cardinal Grocholewski wrote, 'The text is most aj>propriate.

- Of special benefit, in fact, will be the' increasedrequirements forphilosophical studies to a minimum of30credits and the lengthening of the pre-theol~ ogy period to a minimum of two cal-

endar years:' Fifty years -ago most priesthood candidates entered the seminary in high school c;>r college and received the philosophical and other academic prerequisites for graduate theological studies in a college seminarY setting.

In the past two or three decades, however, more and more seminary applicants have come in with college degrees that included little or none of . those prerequisites.

Like the 1992 edition, the new program speaks of four dimensions of fonnation that seminarians must develop and integrate as they prepare to become priests: intellectual, pastoral, spiritual and human.

Those dimensions of fonnation were outlined by Pope John PatE IT in his 1992 apostolic exhortation, "Pastores Dabo Vobis" ("I Will Give You Shepherds"). Previous editions of the U.S. Program of Priestly Fonnation discussed the intellectual, pastoral and spiritual development ofpriesthood candidates but did not specifically address issues of human devel~ opment The fourth edition ofthe program, adopted only a few'months after the papal document, incorporated elements ofhuman development as well, butthe fifth editionenters into that area far more deeply.

When the bishops voted on the fifth edition, it was widely known that the Vatican was preparing to issue a statement on the question of whether homosexually oriented applicants should be accepted into the seminary or ordained to the priesthood.

For the first time the nonns make specific reference to conditions for the acceptance ofmarried applicants.

In the Latin Church this takes account ofcases in which the Vatican has permitted married fonner non-Catholic ministers who become Catholic to be ordained to the priesthood. In the Eastern Catholic churches it takes account of a partial relaxation of fonner rules that forbade married priests in areas where the -Latin Church is dominant.

INVOKING GUIDANCE FROM ABOVE - Franciscan Father Louis V. lasiello, righ~, the new president of Washington Theological Union, is pictured praying with Navy Special Forces in Fallujah, Iraq, in this undated photo. (CNS photo/courtesy Father lasiello)

.Chaplains help troops make decisions in moral no man's land of combat WASHINGTON (CNS) - In have to face real combat situations, to neutralize a threat to me, my unit an era when terrorists mingle said retired Rear Adm. Thomas and other civilians," said Father among civilians, U.S: troops often Connelly, a layman and vice chan- Reilly.

One of the scenarios used by must make split-second decisions cellor of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services.

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph W. in a moral no man's land, juggling These scenarios supplement Estabrook of the military archdiothe protection of innocent civilians military courses on the "law of cese during his"27 years as a Navy with the need for self-defense.

If a missile sails out of a hospi- . war" and the- "rules of engage- chaplain regards prisoners of war tal filled with innocent patients, do ment" which give guidance on the who are being marched from one place to another. you fire back? Do you shoot at a legal and tactical aspects of war.

The question posed is: If the The emphasis is on "what gunman using a child as a human shield after he starts firing at in- would you do and what should you path brings you to the edge of a minefield, do you send the prisonnocent civilians? When does the do," said Father Reilly. ers through the field first or aggressive interrogation of a do you safeguard their lives prisoner cross the line into torture?

The chaplains interviewed by by shooting ammunition into the field to destroy the But the dilemmas do not Catholic News Service said that mines? stop after an action is taken, there are no right- or wrong ways Legally and morally, prissaid Father Mark Reilly, a to answer a lot of the scenarios oners have rights, said Navy chaplain who served with the Marine Corps in and that many of these quick Bishop Estabrook, who Iraq from mid-December to battlefield decisions have to be taught chaplains how to made by youngsters in their late guide troops in handling mid-May. "Then the question be- teens and early 20s, leaving last- such scenario.s.

The chaplains intercomes: 'Did I do the right ing impressions. viewed by Catholic News thing?'" said Father Reilly, Service said that there are no a priest of the Diocese of The priest said he often goes on right or wrong ways to answer a Ogdensburg, N.Y., and currently a a "road show" to naval and marine lot of the scenarios and that many lieutenant in the Navy Reserve.

In combat zones like Afghani- bases to give joint presentations of these quick battlefield decisions have to be made by youngsters in stan and Iraq - which the Bush with a military lawyer.

Father Reilly uses the scenario their late teens and early 20s, leavadministration sees as key battlefields in the war against terrorism - of the missile launched from a hos- ing lasting impressions.

There are "many gray areas" in - such questions are daily life- pital.

Normally a hospital, as it making these decisions, said and-death issues as U.S. forces face insurgents dressed as civil- houses innocent civilians, would Bishop Estabrook.

The approach is to teach genhave protected status, he said. . ians.

"If the missile is a threat to you, eral principles and "hope when "The bad guys don't wear uniyour unit and other innocent civil- they go into battle they can keep fonns," said Father Reilly.

To help U.S. troops prepare for ians, then the protected status of their wits about them," he said.

"One of the unstated yet criti" these situations, military chaplains the hospital is compromised," he cally important missions of a chapdiscuss possible scenarios with en- said.

The moral principle of 路the lain is to help warriors retain their listed men and officers before they go into battle, providing moral and double effect would allow for at- humanity and deal with their vistacking the hospital to end the mis- ible and invisible wounds" once ethical guidelines.

The aim is that troops will have sile-firing because "I am not di- they have stopped fighting, Father thought: through these issues and rectly intending harm to the civil- lasiello wrote in a 2004 article in have had some training before they ians in the hospital but I'm trying the Naval War College Review. f

REMEMBERING KATRINA - President George W. Bush receives a blessing from retired Archbishop Francis B. Schulte during a Mass commemorating the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. (CNS photo/Jim Young, Reuters)

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Friday, September 8, 2006

Around the Diocese ~ .':1'-' ..

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IEucharistic Adoration ATTLEBORO - The perpetual adoration chapel at St. Joseph Church, 208 Main Street seeks volunteers for adoration in its air-conditioned chapel. Our Lady Queen of Peace Medjugorje Prayer Group meets Mondays at 7 p.m. For more information call 508-226-1115.

WEST HARWICH - The perpetual adoration chapel at Holy Trinity Church, Route 28, invites people to spend an hour or two in prayer.

This regional chapel of the mid-Cape area depends on the support of people. For more information call 508-432-4000.

IHealing Ma!~_ ..".

FALL RIVER -A healing Mass will be held September 14 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Anne's Church, 818 Middle Street. It will be preceded by rosary at 6 p.m. and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament will follow. For more information call 508-674-5651.

ILectureslPresentations ATTLEBORO - An hour-long Bible Study of Mark's Gospel will be presented by La Salette Father Donald Paradis tomorrow at II a.m. at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette. It will continue Saturday mornings until November 15. It will be held in the Reconciliation Chapel.

For more information call 508-2369068.

NEW BEDFORD - An organ recital, featurin:g renowne(i organist Philip Jones will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Parish.

WEST HARWICH - "The Exultation of the Holy Cross," presented

by Father Edward Healey, will be held September 14 at 7:30p.m. in the Holy Trinity Parish hall. The evening will include prayer, song and fellowship.

For more information call 508-3981139.

IMiscellaneous"?!"

FAIRHAVEN-OurLady'sHaven seeks volunteers to assist at the nursing facility in transporting resi- . dents to and from their rooms to" meals, activities and daily Mass.

People are needed during the week and on weekends. For more information call Manuel Benevides at 508999-4561.

FALL RIVER Bishop George W. Coleman will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for couples observing significant wedding anniversaries, including first year, October 22 at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption..

For more information contact your local parish.

NEW BEDFORD -A Eucharistic Rosary for World Peace will be held Sunday from 3-4 p.m. at Our Lady of Fatima Parish. It is sponsored by the Divine Mercy Cenacle, a group that meets for song, prayer and discussion on Scripture and the writings of St. Maria Faustina. For more information call 508-995-7351.

[Retreats

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EAST FREETOWN - The annual Scouting Retreat, themed "The Year of Duty to God,"will beheld September 29-0ctober I at Cathedral Camp, 157 Middleboro Road. It is open to Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts ages 10

and older of any religious faith. The deadline for registration is September 22. For more information call Father Stephen Salvador at 508-676-8463 or Mary Powers at 508-824-4452.

NORTH DARTMOUTH - A weekend retreat for men and women, sponsored by the Legion of Mary, will be held October 13-15 at the Family Life Center, 500 Slocum Road. The retreat master will be Father Sharbel Francis Mary Hayward, a Franciscan Friar from Our Lady's Chapel, New Bedford. For more information call 508-995-2354.

ISocial Events ACUSHNET - St. Francis Xavier Parish is sponsoring a golf tournament September 23 at the Acushnet River Valley Golf Course, 685 Main Street. It will begin at 7 a.IIi. with a shotgun start. For more information call Jackie Lang at 508-9474729.

ATTLEBORO FALLS - St. Mark's Parish, 105 Stanley Street, will hold its annual fair tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will include the American Legion Band from Canton, a variety of foods, face-painting and games for kids. For more information call 508-699-7566.

ATTLEBORO - The annual Catholic Family Pilgrimage Day will be held Sunday beginning with rosary at 11:30 a.m. at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette. A bi-lingual Mass will be celebrated at 12: 10 p.m. by Bishop Emeritus Louis E. 'Gelineau Of PrOvidellce', R.I. Formore information call 508-222-5410.

NORTH DARTMOUTH Septemberfest will be held September 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Julie Billiart Parish, 494 Slocum Road. The day will include a car show, children's games and the Colum Cille Pipes and Drums of Cape Cod. A Seafood Supper, for which tickets must be purchased in advance, will be held from 4-6 p.m. For more information call 508-993-2351.

ISupport Groups ATTLEBORO - The Women in Midlife Support Group, for those who are experiencing the challenges of midlife, will meet September 26 from 6-8 p.m. at the Catholic Social Services office, 10 Maple Street. It will continue to meet at that time on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. For more information call 508-226-4780.

BREWSTER - "Come Walk with Me," a six-session program for those who have experienced the death of a loved one, will begin tonight at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of the Cape Parish, 468 Stony Brook Road. It is sponsored by the Lazarus Ministry Group.

For more information call Eileen Miller at 508-896-4218.

NORTH DARTMOUTH - A diocesan divorced-separated support group will meet September II from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Family Life Center, 500 Slocum Road. It will include the video "Facing Your Loneliness."

Refreshments will be served. For more information call Bob Menard at 508-965-2919.

NORTH FALMOUTH - A Cancer support group will meet September 20 at 7 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish. For more information call 508-563-7770.

Spraying

Continued from page one

mouth and NOlfolk counties.

While that is thought effective, Kate Kilguss, executive director ofthe Taunton River Watershed Alliance, in an August 31 letter to the Providence Journal, voiced herconcerns about the long-tetm effects ofthe surnithrin, the synthetic chrysanthemum derivative sprayed over southeastern Massachusetts ''That hasn't seem to have bothered people here," reported Father Ozug. ''We could hear the planes low overhead when they did the spraying.

1 thought they were going to land in the parking lot. 1could smell the spray when 1 went outside."

"I think oUr people in the far North End and around Sassaquin Pond are very savvy about taking precautions, more so than people down the road ... in the city. We're close to East Freetown and Acushnet, where there have been cases of the virus - and we're in a lot of woods," Father Ozug explained.

Elllcee

"But we wear long sleeves at night .and use repellent," he added.

While no one in his parish has had any bouts with the mosquito-borne viruses, he said one of his parishioners had come down with Lyme disease.

The query by The Anchor comes following the death ofl!nine-year-old John Fontaine of Middleboro who contracted EEE. He was the state's third person to have contracted the virus this year.

The first confinned case, Sheila Oark, 52, ofLakeville, is hospitalized in critical condition. i The second, Derek Ashworth, 23, of Acushnet, was released from the hospital last week. ''At any given time, we are testing 20 to 50 people for Triple E, people who all have some symptoms consistent with it, but only one in 100 actually have it," said Alfred DeMaria, director of communicable diseases for the state Department ofPublic Health. "

Triple E virus is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites.

As of August 14, mosquitoes had tested positive for EEE in Raynham, Freetown, Easton, Bridgewater, Lakeville, Middleboro and Plympton.

Another potential killer spread by mosquitoes, West Nile VlfUS, has been locally detected in Easton and in Westport.

Communities in the high risk areas are planning on restricting outdoor activities. Freetown will close playing fields at 7 p.m., for safety. All school fields in the Lakeville!

Freetown district will close at 6 p.m., in September and Friday night football will be moved to Saturday during the day.

Symptoms of EEE include high fever, a stiff neck, headache, and lack of energy. Symptoms appear two to 10 days after infection and the virus can cause brain inflammation and swelling.

Updates on the spraying schedule can be obtained by calling the aerial spraying hotlineat 1-617-626-1732 or visiting the MassDPH Website.

Continued from page one

Ghiorse said he believes that the St. Mary's Education Fund is a very worthwhile endeavor and that he is always willing ''to add his name to a

good cause."

In this new school year the St. Mary's Education Fund will be assist, ing more than 700 students and their families with tuition costs at Catholic elementary and middle schools

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks September 12 Rev. John J. Galvin, STD, Assistant, SS. Peter and Paul, Fall River, 1962 Most Rev. James L. Connolly, DD, Fourth Bishop of Fall River, 195170, 1986 Rev. John R. Foister, Pastor, St. Louis de France, Swansea, 1995 September 13 Rev. Charles A.1. Donovan, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1949 Rev. Isadore Kowalski, OFM Conv., Our Lady's Haven, Fairhaven, 2003 September 14 Rev. Stanislaus J. Ryczek, USA Retired Chaplain, Fonner Pastor Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Bedford, 1982 September 15 Rev. Henry J. Mussely, Pastor, St. Jean Baptiste, Fall River, 1934 Rev. Brendan McNally, S.1., Holy Cross College, Worcester, 1958 Rev. John 1. Casey, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1969 September 16 Rt. Rev. Msgr. Jean A. Prevost, P.A., P.R., Pastor, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Fall River, 1952 September 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.; Fonner Associate Pastor, St. Joseph, Fairhaven, 1991 September 18 Rev. Luke Golla, SS.CC., Seminary of Sacred Heart, Wareham, 1945 Rt. Rev. Msgr. EdmundJ. Ward, 1964

throughout the Fall Riverdiocese. The average scholarship from the Fund this year exceeds $800. ''For many of these students, it's only because ofthe financial assistance provided by the St. Mary's Education Fund that they are able to attend a Catholic school," said Michael Donly, director of Development for the diocese, who oversees the Fund's disbursement process.

"It really becomes the determinant factor in their selection and sometimes their continuation at one of our schools," he added.

Donly noted that $e number of applicants seeking help from the St. Mary's Fund increases each year. For the current school year there were 1,100 students applying for aid, an increase of 136 over the last year.

He added that the total does not yet include emergency requests that will

come in from principals throughout the year in response to unforeseen circumstances in a student's life, such as a parent's death orjob loss, which can affect a family's ability to make tuition payments.

Fall Dinner Chairman Nicholas M Christ and volunteer lay committees in four regions of the Fall River diocese are inviting business, community and academic leaders, and individuals to sponsor a table or purchase a ticket to support the St. Mary's Education Fund and the children it helps.

Anyone interested in attending or in need of more information should contact the Diocesan Development Office at 508-675-1311 or any of the area chainnen: in the Attleboro area, William Adair; in the Fall River area, Nicholas Christ; in Greater New Bedford, James Kalife; and in the Taunton area, Harold Rose.

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Friday, september 8, 20061

At general chapter, Capuchins look at reviving order's European roots

By JOHN THAVIS CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

DAWN SHINES BRIGHTLY - Dawn Carvalho proudly displays a plaque she received upon being named Employee of the Quarter at Catholic Memorial Home, Fall River. She also received a cash award, recognition pin and reserved parking spot. From left: Erin lanuse, assistant administrator; Diane Santos, assistant director of nursing; Carvalho; and Thomas Healy, administrator.

Fmsr SATURDAYS, OUR LADY OF FATIMA

PRACOCE mE DEVOTION <F mE AS REQUESI'ED BY

On December 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared to Sister Lucia (seer of Fatima) and spoke these words: "Announce in my name that I promise to assist at tire hour of death with the grcwes necessary for tire salvation of their souls, all those who on the first Saturday of five consecutive months shall: 1. Go to confession; 2. Receive Holy Communion; 3. Recite the Rosary (5 decodes); and 4. Keep me company for 15 minutes while medilating on tire 15 mysteries ofthe Rosary, with the intention of nudcing reparation to me."

In a spirit of reparation, the above conditions are each to be preceded by the wonls: "In reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

ConfeRom may be made during 8 days before or after the first Saturday, and Holy Communion may be received at either the moming or evening ~ on the first Saturday.

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ROME -After years of substantial growth in Asia and Africa, Capuchin Franciscans are turning new at~ tention to reviving the order's Europeanroots.

More than 170 representatives of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin began a three-week general chapter in Rome August 27 to elect a new head of the order and set objectives for the next six years. The meeting brought togetherrepresentatives from the nearly 11,000 Capuchins working in 101 countries around the world.

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, the only Capuchin cardinal, celebrated the chapter's opening Mass. He said in a homily that the Capuchins of today must continue to be inspired by St. Francis' example of "love taken to the extreme."

The Capuchin vocation, Cardinal O'Malley said, is to be "on fire with love for Christ and zeal for souls, willing to take the last place, the worst job, the most dangerous position."

Canadian Father John Corriveau, who is leaving as Capuchin minister-general after 12 years, gave a lengthy report detailing the state of the order and suggesting future strategies.

In terms of numbers, Father Comveau's report had good news and bad news. Over the last 12 years, the Capuchin order has grown 44 percent in Asia and Oceania, 34 percent in Africa, 14 percent in Eastern Europe and five percent in Latin America.

These four areas now make up more than 55 percent of the order's professed friars, Father Corriveau said. They are also the regions where the friars' average age is youngest.

On the other hand, Capuchin numbers in Western Europe and North America are down about 20

percent over the same period.

Father Corriveau said the order wants to keep expanding in the developing world, particularly Asia, and is taking the first steps to building a presence in China and Vietnam. But he said the order needs to focus attention on the traditional areas that are suffering from nwnericalloss and advanced age.

In an intetview, Father Corriveau said finding ways to reinvigorate the order in Europe and North America was one ofthe main challenges ofthe chapter.

Already, he said, the Capuchins have tried different ways to promote new vocations, including what he called a \'no fault" one-year trial period for new members. At the same time, he said, the order does not want to extend initial formation for so long that people think the commitment to a religious life is open-ended.

One of the reasons for the fall in vocations in the West, Father Corriveau said, is that many people today feel they are not free unless they keep their options open.

"In religious life, too, there's a danger that one makes a commitment until a better offer comes along," he said.

In his sermon, Cardinal O'Malley said he thought that if the order deepens its commitment to the Franciscan ideals of prayer, austerity, poverty, fraternity and setvice to the Church, it will strengthen its own identity and attract new generations ofCapuchins.

Father Corriveau said a constant challenge was to take a new look at the Franciscan vision in the light of global developments.

For example, he said, Franciscan poverty has traditionally been lived as an individual, ascetic experience.

But now there is a new dimension. he said, which seeks to create a more

fraternal economy in the world Essentially, he said. it's an extension of St Francis' teachings into the real world. to promote an economy built on human relationships and not wealth.

In his report, FatherCorriveau said

the Capuchins were also discussing how to look at the Franciscan vision in the context of the "spirituality of communion" in the modem Church.

He said this has implications at every level, from local parishes to evangelization efforts around the world At the center of the FranciScan mission, he said. is contemplation that leads to witness. A witness, he said. is not simply a specialized insbuctor but someone who has lived the Gospel personally and intimately.

He said Capuchins would remain committed to various works in favor of peace, justice and ecology, but added that it was important for Capuchins to rediscover the spirit of personal prayer, balancing apostolic activity with time for reflection.

Father Corriveau highlighted one particular Capuchin project called the Damietta Initiative, which aims to build "dialogue cells" between Christians and Muslims across Africa.

Rathertban discussing theological or religious issues, the cells would be designed to address local practical problems and tensions, in order to promote nonviolent problem solving, he said Father Corriveau also briefly underlined the need for all Capuchins to remain true to their vow of chastity, an issue he raised at length at the last general chapter in 2000. He said there remained a lack ofclarity about this vow in some local areas. He urged vigilance and said one resource was a special report prepared by the order, "An Ethical Code for Vowed Chastity."

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CAPUCHIN CARDINAL - Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley delivers the homily at the opening Mass of the general chapter of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in Rome recently. At the three-week-Iong chapter, Capuchins will elect a new head of the order and set objectives for the next six years. The current minister-general, Canadian Father John Corriveau, is at left, and Peruvian Father Hugo Mejia Morales, secretary of the general chapter, is seen at right. (CNS photo/courtesy of the Capuchin order)

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