09.19.86-1

FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS

t eanc 0 VOL. 30, NO. 37

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Friday, Sept. 19, 1986

FALL RIVER, MASS.

Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly

MOST REVEREND JAMES lOUIS CONNOllY Fourth·B/shop 01 Fall RI"er

1951 - 1970

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$8 Per Year

2 THE ANCHOR -

Diocese of Fall River -

Fri., Sept. 19, 1986

Bishop Cronin's statement 'on the death of Bishop Connolly It is with a heavy heart indeed that I announce the death of our beloved Bishop James L. Connolly, retired Bishop of Fall River.

The dedication of Bishop Connolly to the life and mission of the Church spanned more than 60 years of priesthood, 41 of which were spent in the episcopacy. It may rightly be said of him that he truly loved the Church.

That love was lived in faithfulness to Christ and in tender concern for the flock entrusted to his pastoral care. The fruits of his priestly labors, evident in countless ways throughout the diocese, will long cause his memory to be held in benediction by all who knew and loved him. He truly was "a great priest who in his days pleased God." While we mourn his passing, we are confident that he will now receive blessings and compassion from the Lord God, his Savior, for this is the reward of those who seek the Lord and serve him with all their heart. This our beloved Bishop Connolly did valiantly throughout his priestly life.

I urge all the faithful of the diocese to unite in prayer for the eternal repose of his soul. May he rest in the peace of Christ.

Bishop of Fall River

IN 1962, Bishop Connolly greeted His Beatitude Paul Peter Meouchi, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, during a visit to the Fall River diocese, where from 1922 to 1925 the patriarch was pastor of Our Lady of Purgatory Church, New Bedford.

Requiescat In Pace

PRIESTS AND PARISHIONERS

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHUIICH NORTH EASTON

"Behold, a great priest" He was a people's bishop.

He didn't mind a bit when exceptional youngsters at Fall River's Nazareth Hall School adorned his lapel with peanut butter and jelly.

He invited a reporter, plus her mischievous three-year-old daughter, to share lunch at his episcopal residence.

He was given to wandering into Leary Press, where The Anchor is printed to chat with workers and. "see how things were done," said veteran printer Carl Gagnon. "He'd come once or twice a year and meet all of us," Gagnon recalled.

When in 1985 Bishop Connolly High School students on a walkathon passed his retirement quarters at the Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River and several girls broke ranks to give him a spontaneous hug, he chuckled that he thought it "a grand idea" that his namesake school, formerly for boys only, had turned coed.

Last Friday Bishop James L. Connolly, 91, entered eternity. He had been a priest for over 60 years and a bishop for 41 of those years.

"He truly was 'a great priest' who in his days pleased God," said Bishop Daniel A. Cronin, his successor, in a formal statement.

Less formally, Bishop Cronin expressed his personal grief at a press conference last Monday. Noting that he visited Bishop Connolly only hours before his death, he said that the prelate, although weakened, recognized him.

"I blessed him," recounted Bishop Cronin, "and he feebly made the Sign of the Cross too. I returned

home and at 6:30 p.m. received the call that he had died."

Bishop Cronin said he enjoyed a close relationship with his predecessor, whom he visited regularly.

"He always greeted me with 'Y ou look elegant and you're doing a good job,' " said the bishop.

Looking back over Bishop Connolly's term of office, Bishop Cronin noted that it spanned the "enthusiastic Catholicism" of the postwar years, which saw constr~ction .of 33 churches in the Fall River dIOcese, in addition to four regional high schools, 14 elementary sch~ols and 15 parish religious education centers.

The spiritual development within the Church that followed the Second Vatican Council was carefully guided on the diocesan level

by Bishop Connolly, said Bishop Cronin.

He mentioned as particular strengths steps taken to bring diocesan practice into conformity with new liturgical guidelines, formation offered seminarians and initiatives towards ecumenism.

Saying that Bishop Connolly belonged "to the generation of bishops that expected to die in office" as had their predecessors, Bishop Cronin said that although he found the transition difficult, he retired "with nobility and grace," submitting his resignation to Pope Paul VI in 1969, upon reaching his 75th birthday and actually retiring Oct. 30, 1970.

In retirement, Bishop Connolly continued to accept assignments within the diocese as long as his health permitted. The appointment of his former chancellor, the then Bishop Humberto S. Medeiros to the see of Brownsville, Texas, brought him great happiness, as did Bishop Medeiros' accession t.o the see of Boston in 1970 and his creation as cardinal in 1973.

On the latter occasion, Bishop Connolly was one of those flying on the plane to Rome for the ceremonies of elevation to the Sacred' College. In 1983, when Cardinal Medeiros died, the bishop, already in frail health, was present for his interment in St. Patrick's cemetery, Fall River.

Poignantly, Bishop Connolly was buried Sept. 17, the date of Cardinal ~edeiros' death in 1983. And Bishop Cronin noted that his own 18th anniversary ofepiscopal ordination came the day of Bishop Connolly's death.

"I had mentioned it to him when I visited him an.d although he could not speak clearly, it was obvious that he understood," said the bishop.

"My respect for him grew and grew," said Bishop Cronin.

mourns

Fall River Native Bishop Connolly was born in Fall River November 15, 1894, the son of the late Francis and Agnes McBridge Connolly. At the age of three days he was baptized in St. Patrick's Church by Rev. J.F. Haney. His godparents were Patrick Corrigan and Helen Mannion. He grew up with two sisters and four brothers, all now deceased. One,

THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Sept. 19, 19863 Bernard, joined him in the priesthood, serving as a Sulpician and a professor at St. Charles Seminary, Catonsville, Md., until his death in 1932.

The future bishop graduated from St. Patrick's School in 1909 and from B.M.C. Durfee High School in 1913. He entered St. Charles Seminary, Catonsville, and continued his studies at the Sulpician Seminary in Washington. He was ordained Dec. 21, 1923 by Bishop Feehan in St. Mary's Cathedral, where he himself was to ordain so many priests in future years.

His first assignment was as a summer assistant at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Wellfleet, then he returned to Washington and from there went to Louvain University, Belgium, where from 1924 to 1928 he fulfilled the requirements for a doctoral degree in historical science, which he received summa cum laude.

The young priest's dissertation was a study of John Gerson, 15th century chancellor of the University of Paris. Some 400 pages long, it was the first such study in English of the famous reformer and mystic.

To St. Paul Together with two other Fall River priests, Father Connolly was next assigned to the Archdiocese of St. Paul, Minn., at the request of its archbishop. The trio was dubbed "the three Wise Men from the East." One became Archbishop of St. Paul, the late Most Rev. William O. Brady; one is pastor of a St. Paul church, Msgr.

Francis J. Gilligan; and in 1945 Father Connolly was named Titular Bishop of Mylasa and coadjutor,

with the right of succession, of the Fall River diocese.

Prior to his episcopal appointment, Father Connolly had taught at St. Paul's major seminary, also serving as rector of both the minor and major seminaries of the aschdiocese. He was also instrumental in bringing the Rose Hawthorne Lathrop Dominican Sisters to St. Paul to found a cancer hospital.

Bishop Connolly's consecration took place in St. Paul on May 24, 1945, with Archbishop John Gregory Murray the presiding prelate.

His chaplains were Rev: Russell J. McVinney, the late Bishop of Providence, and Rev. James J. Gerrard, who was to become Fall River's auxiliary bishop.

Sacred Heart Pastor A solemn pontifical Mass in St. Mary's Cathedral on June 7, 1945 welcomed the new bishop to his diocese. Archbishop Murray preached and Cardinal Spellman, then an archbishop, headed the visiting prelates.

Bishop Connolly served as pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Fall River, in addition to his duties as coadjutor until the sudden death of his predecessor, Bishop James E. Cassidy, on May 17, 1951, brought him to the position of Ordinary.

Care for the aged and exceptional -comes first to mind when one reviews the episcopate of Bishop Connolly, but hardly less important is the chain of high schools that he erected throughout the diocese.

Beginning with Bishop Stang High in North Dartmouth, and continuing with Bishop Feehan, Attleboro; Coyle and Cassidy, Taunton; and Turn to Page Six

Ihe loss 0/

SAINT MARY'S CATHEDRAL •

Fall River Very Rev. 8arry W. Wall, Rector

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4 THE ANCHOR -

Diocese of Fall River -

Fri., Sept. 19, 1986

the moorina-, Memories of the Heart It seems as if he has always been with us. His death has been an occasion of remembrance and of realization that too often in life we fail to reflect on each other.

Often it is death that is the catalyst of memory.

And memory is so important. At a certain time in life we are in fact the sum of our memories.

So many people try to suppress, or we might say, Valiumate, their minds into oblivion. What they do, in fact, is destroy themselves. Truly to live, we must cherish and nurture our memories.

The return of Bishop Connolly to the good Lord has been an occasion for such memories for all whose lives he touched. For 19 years he led the diocese as its shepherd and priest through turbulent days. He began his days as our bishop in the midst of the Korean War. The Indochinese turmoil proved far more than a mere storm cloud, while events in the Middle East blew asunder any hope of a United Nations settlement.

Kerouac was on the road and the theatre of the absurd was much in vogue.

Bishop Connolly's days as our bishop encompassed an unprecedented economic boom. Civil Rights, the Great Society and the feminist movement took root. Andy Warhol was king of pop art and Hair was the in musical.

The bishop was. keenly aware of history's lessons and knew well the Church did not exist in a vacuum but had to cope and face the realities of the times with a vision and hope born of faith.

During his episcopacy the U.S. church was in transition from a relatively stable and long-established way of life and action to a new order of things as the pontificate of Pope John XXIII brought with it the opening of the Second Vatican Council. .

Bishop Connolly's love of the Church and her history would not allow him to miss a session of the Council nor fail to implement its directives in the diocese. His ability to grasp the importance of this moment in the pilgrim journey of the Church allowed him to bring to the diocese a sensible as well as a dynamic application of the Council's insights.

Because of this he recognized' need, whether seen in the elderly, the exceptional child or the terminally ill. And as an intellectually gifted man he saw that education was the best means of fulfilling the church's mission to teach as Jesus did.

He did not merely build schools. He infused those schools with the love of learning and the pursuit of excellence to the end that the Church could be truly present in a world immersed in a revolution of spirit and mind. His practical approach to life brought solace to those dubious and fearful of change.

All of this, of course, was possible because he was not merely an ordained bishop but, more important, a believing man. His life as priest, student, professor and bishop was a total and constant witness of faith. It was a faith made evident not by bombast or theatrics, even though he enjoyed a good show; rather, it was a spirit that heartened those around him.

Bishop Connolly acted according to his beliefs. His gargantuan accomplishments in mortar and stone but reflected his mighty mind and soul. • Finally, it would be inconceivable to ignore his dedication to the media. His belief that the Church is well served by communications is evident in his establishment of this newspaper.

His love and regard for The Anchor were not mere tokenism; neither was his television outreach to shut-ins. For his many gifts to our diocese may we always prove our gratitude by our faithfulness and devotion to the Church he loved. The Editor

FATHER GREENE

FATHER COSTA

FATHER GOMES

Pastors, parochial vicar nanled by bishop Bishop Daniel A. Cronin has announced appointment of two pastors and a parochial vicar, effective Wednesday, Sept. 24.

Rev. James F. Greene, pastor of Sacred Heart parish, Oak Bluffs, will be pastor of St. James parish, New Bedford; and Rev. John A. Gomes, parochial vicar at St. John of God parish, Somerset, will become pastor at Oak Bluffs.

Succeeding to Father Gomes' position will be Father Joseph M. Costa, now chaplain at St. Vincent's Home, Fall River.

Father Greene Father Greene, born in 1933 in Fall River, is the son of the late Frank B. and Anne (Reardon) Greene. He graduated from St. Joseph's School, Fall River, and Case High School; Swansea.

He prepared for the priesthood' at St. Philip Neri, Cardinal O'Con- . nell and St. John seminaries; all in the Boston archdiocese. After his ordination Feb. 2, 1961, by Bishop James L. Connolly, he served three years as parochial vicar at St. Joseph's parish, Taunton, before entering the U.S. Air Force, where he was a chaplain for nine years.

Returning to the diocese in 1973, he was parochial vicar at St. Francis Xavier parish, Hyannis, and St. Dominic, Swansea, until he was named to the Oak Bluffs parish in 1979.

Father Gomes Father Gomes is a native of Madeira, Portugal, where he was born in 1942, the son of Cisaltina

September 21 Rev. George Pager, Founder, 1882, Sacred Heart, New Bedford Rev. George Jowdy, Pastor, 1938, Our Lady of Purgatory, New Bedford September 24 Rev. Joseph E. C. Bourque, Pastor, 1955, Blessed Sacrament, Fall River September 26 Rev. John J. Donahue, Assistant, 1944, St. William, Fall River 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111, THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020). Second Class Postage Paid at Fall River. Mass.

Published weekly except the week of July 4 and the week after Christmas at 410 Highland Avenue, Fall River, Mass. 02720 by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River. Subscription price by mail, postpaid $8.00 per year. Postmasters send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.

(Freitas) Gomes and the late Alexander G. Gomes. At age 5 he came to the United States, attending Mt. Carmel grammar school and Holy Family High School in New Bedford.

After studies at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield, Conn., and St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, he was ordained by Bishop Connolly May 3,1969.

He was parochial vicar at Our Lady of Lourdes parish, Taunton, and St. Anthony of Padua, Fall River, then was engaged in pastoral ministry at Charlton Memorial Hospital, Fall River, from 1977 until 1984, when he was assigned to his present post.

Bishop's Ball meeting set A planning meeting for the 32nd annual Bishop's Charity Ball will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at White's restaurant, North West,: port.

The ball, which benefits diocesan summer camps for underprivileged children and other charitable apostolates, will be held Friday, Jan. 16, and will be cosponsored by the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

At Sunday's meeting, committees will be appointed and ball decorations will be discussed.

The committees will meet again at I p.m. Jan. II at Lincoln Park Ballroom, North Dartmouth, where they will decorate the ballroom.

While in Taunton Father Gomes was briefly assistant area CYO director, then from 1970 to 1974 was director of the youth program. He has been at St. John of God since 1984.

Father Costa A Fall River native, Father Costa was born in 1951. He is the son of Maria (Carvalho) Costa and Joseph P. Costa. He graduated from Espirito Santo School, Fall River, and !Bishop Stang High School, North Dartmouth, before preparing for priestly ordination at St. Thomas and St. John's seminaries.

Ordained May 14,1977, by Bishop Cronin, he was parochial vicar at Our Lady of Health parish, Fall River, serving while there as chaplain to the Fall River juvenile ,:ourt; and at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish, Seekonk, where he served from 1980 until he was named chaplain at St. Vincent's Home in 1984.

Father Costa is also president of the diocesan priests' council.

NOTICE Most of our regular features will not appear in this special memorial issue of The Anchor, nor will they appear lin the Sept. 26 issue, which 'Will be dedicated to the iml[Jortant subject of health care.

All will resume in the issue of Oct. 3.

Dioc,~se of

Fall River

OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Reverend Daniel A. Cronin, Bishop of Fall River, announces the following appointments: Reverend James F. Greene from Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Oak Bluffs, to Pastor of Saint James Parish, New Bedford.

Reverend John A. Gomes from Parochial Vicar at Saint John of God Parish in Somerset, to Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Oak Bluffs.

Reverend Joseph M. Costa from Chaplain, Saint Vincent's Home in Fall River, to Parochial Vicar of Saint John of God Parish in Somerset.

Effective Wednesday, September 24, 1986

WE LOSS

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NOTRE DAME de LOURDES PARISH FALL RIVER REV. ERNEST E. BLAIS, PASTOR

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ary degrees from colleges, induction into the Fourth Degree of the Knights of Columbus, a citation and prize for a sermon from the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, Pa., reception into the Third Order of St. Francis and affiliation with the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor.

The Anchor Friday, Sept. 19, 1986

Behold Continued from Page Three Bishop Connolly, Fall River, they serve over 3000 students.

Order of Christ

Many Oreanizations Organizations of every type served the faithful of the diocese under Bishop Connolly's leadership. Spanning all age groups was the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, which assumed new importance in a day when parochial schools found it more and more difficult to continue their traditional task of providing a complete education for Catholic children.

Foreseeing the growing need for CCD, the bishop in May 1968 authorized the opening of a diocesan CCD Center.

In 1953 women of the diocese .were united in the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, which holds annual conventions and frequent district-wide meetings.

Together with the St. Vincent de Paul Society of the Diocese, the DCCW sponsors the Bishop's Ball, which has come to be the main event of the winter social season in southeastern Massachusetts. Each year the event raises a significant sum of money for diocesan charities.

Also serving youth is the Catholic Youth Organization, which sponsors a varied program of social, spiritual, cultural and athletic activities.

Special events throughout the years of Bishop Connolly's episcopate were many. In 1952 came a four-day obset"vance of the tOOth

ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL altar boys surround Bishop Connolly prior to annual Mass for deceased diocesan clergy on Nov. 10, 1970, the day the bishop announced his retirement. anniversary ofthe start of construction of St. Mary's Cathedral.

Among six monsignori created at this time was Msgr. James J. Gerrard, whom Bishop Connolly was to consecrate as his auxiliary in 1959.

In 1954 came the golden jubilee observance of the founding of the Fall River Diocese by St. Pius X. By happy coincidence, the year also saw the canonization of Pius.

Personal Honors Numerous decorations, awards

and distinctions came to Bishop Connolly during his years ofleading the Fall River diocese.

They include his reception of the insignia of a Grand Official of the Order of Christ from the Portuguese government, various honor-

All are distinguished awards, particularly the Order of Christ, conferred June 20, 1957, before 1,000 people who crowded to capacity Lincoln Park ballroom in North Dartmouth. The order was I~resented by Dr. Luis Esteves FerIllandes, Portuguese Ambassador to the United States.

A Grand Official of the Order is the highest rank given to nonroyalty or non-heads of state.

The Order was presented to Bishop Connolly in recognition of his care for Portuguese immigrants and forthose of Portuguese descent in the diocese.

At the time of the presentation :Bishop Connolly was the only bishop in the country to possess this high decoration.

In accepting it, the bishop recallc:d the history of the Order of Christ and the role the Order played in the golden age of Portuguese l:xpansion.

Bishop Connolly praised the record of Portuguese expansion as fairer and more glorious in its treatment of persons than that of ilny other nation. The spiritual values represented by the Cross of Christ have always influenced and still guide Portugal's development, the Bishop said.

Rt. Rev. Msgr. John A. Silvia, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church, New Bedford, was toastmaster. Francis J. Carreiro, a Som-

f/f/I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live; and everyone that liveth and believeth in me shall not die forever. " JOHN II: 25-26

PRIESTS AND PARISHIONERS

OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL CHURCH

BISHOP JAMES L. CONNOLLY

NEW BEDFORD

Rest In Peace

REV. MSGR. LUIZ G. MENDONCA, V.G.

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Behold, a great priest cneUOWD official, represented the laity; Rt. Rev. Mssr. Antonio P.

Vieira. paltor of Me. Carmel Churcb. New Bedford. extended felicitatioa. of the priests of the dioce.e and Governor Foster Fur-

(:010 tbO!lc oitbe CommODwcaJth.

bavingalrcady been bestowed upon Francis Cardinal Spellman, Arch~ bishop of New York, and Richard Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston.

Very Rev. Celsus' Wheeler,

1954, at uercian in SKred Heart School auditorium in fail River.

The clan was named in Bishop Connolly's honor. Included in it was President John F. Kennedy, then U.S. SenatoT. a summer resi-

O.P.M.; ProviDcilI of 1m New

dent of Hyaonlsport.

State Muter John W. McDcvitt of Cabot Province conferred ihe K of C degree.

The dioces.aD leader was tbe fourth member oftbes..te's Catbin~ome.-June'8. 1959. otic hierarchy so honored. PreFatherWbeelcrsatd, "This honor vious Fourth Degree classel were _Honor is bestowed only on those whose dedicated to Cardinal Cushing, the most Rev. Bishop John J. Ataoenturies-oldccremonyBish- love, benefactions and appreciation of things Fraq,ciscan are Wrigbt of Worcester and the Most op C:;:::onnolly ~as rca:ived into the Third Order of St'~'Ilo.eilat 0111 well known to us. We honor Bis1(cbt;. <':'Rc:Y.,lJilihop Christopher J. Wei· Lady's Chapel,. New. Bedfqr$l.,ip ConDollyas a great chOJcbm:p-': ,. dolt OfS,pringt'ield. and (or hisJccomplishmeats wi~ Freldo.... Mect.1 January 1958.

With him, 104 men received the out number for GOd in word and practice."

In February, 1954, Bishop ContraditioD&l. Franciscati scapular and Spedal Privllelu nolly was cited by the Freedoms cord from Rev_ Vitorian Reisch~ Foundation of Valley Forge, Pa., man, O.F.M., Commissary ProTheaffdiation made Bishop Con-· for his sermon, "The Devil Walks;' vincial of the Third Order for the nolly a Franciscan by adoption., delivered in St. Mary's Cathedral Province of the Most Holy Name giving him the right to use .the on June 3,1953, at the firsl pontif. of Jesus. initials O.F.M. after his name. ical night Mass celebrated in the The homilist was Rev. Anth(loy By virtue of his affiliatioD with Fail River diocese. Bishop ConO'Driscoll. O.P.M .• Guardian of the First Order of St. francis, noily received a cash award and St. Francis Friary. Brookline, and Bishop Connolly participated in the George Washington Honor director of retreats at St. Francis the merits ofthe whole Franciscan Medal ata regional ceremony later Retreat Lodge at Sharon. He con- Order and had the ri8ht to wear that winter. gratulated Bishop Connolly for the habit of the Friars, to enter and The object of the Foundation's givin,; bis flock a beautiful and live in Franciscan friaries anywhere annual awards is to honor citizens bumble example in becoming a on earth, and the right to celebrate for outstanding efforts to improve member oftbefamily of St. Francis the Masses and offices approved public understanding and appre. of Assisi. by the Holy See for the Franciscans. ciation of the basic constitutional In August. 1959, the Franciscans During the ceremonies Bishop rights and freedoms inherent in again honored the diocesan Ordin- Connolly was presented the habit. tbe American way of life. ary by affiliating him to the Francis- sandals and Seraphic breviary of Bishop Connolly, in his prizecan Order of Frian Minor at sol- the Franciscans. winning sermon, warned oftbreats emn ceremonies at Our Lady's Fourth Decree KDlehl against which no amount of arms Chapel..

Bishop Connolly was the third' Bishop Connolly was inducted can prevail.

He stresse4 the need to "take up member ofthe American hierarchy into the Fourth Degree of the to become so afftliated-the honor _ Knights of ColumbUi on May 30, Turn to Page Eleven Ambusador Fernanda said the decision of the president of PortupI to present the decoration to Bitbop Connolly was prompted by his decp interest in the Portu· pie members ofhis diocese.

THE,ANCHOR ~- Diocese of Fa" River ~ Fri.• Sept. 19. 1986

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YortProvince,mulandconferred' the official document in the name of Most Rev. Augustine Sepinski, O.F.M., Minister General of the Order, who granted the affiliation

May God Rest His Noble Soul ST. ANNE'S PARISH COMMUNITY FALL RIVER·

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IN 1958 Bishop Connolly is affiiiated with the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor in ceremonies at Our Lady's Chapel.

New Bedford.

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ETERNAL REST GRANT UNTO HIM 0 LORD -'~:.,;;

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DURING A 1965 tour of Air Force bases abroad, where he administered the sacrament of confirmation to service personnel and their families, Bishop Connolly is pictured with adult candidates in Spangdahlem, Germany.

MAYHE REST IN PEACE

May Bishop Connolly ,, # 楼

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Share The Eternal Joy of The Lord .,IN 1961, Bishop Connolly, on aisle seat in third pew at right eenter._nends Mass opening a session of Vatican Council II. (Appetiti photo)

1894 - 1986 CORPUS CHRISTI CHURCH SANDWICH ,,,

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ST. THERESA'S CHAPEL SAGAMORE A RARE 路PHOTO (undated) of Bishop Connolly with Bishop JamCI E. Cassidy. ",ht. third bishop of Fall River.

BISHOP CONNOLLY smile. as he prepares to enter St. Peter's Basilica durio. a session of V~ticaa,Cou,Aci:llL., _".

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WE JOIN WITH THE DIOCESE IN EXPRESSING SORROW AT THE lOSS OF A G REAT SPIRIT UAll EADE R, L==:===:=--------====:==~ May He Rest In Peace

MOST REV. JAMES L. CONNOllY

THE PRIESTS AND PARISHIONERS ST. PIUS THE TENTH SOUTH YARMOUTH REV. MSGR. HENRY T. MUNROE, V.E.

sa THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Sept. 19, 1986 followed by a gala banquet. In October of the same year Bishop Connolly announced his retirement.

In Retirement In retirement, he was assigned a titular see by Pope Paul VI, becoming titular bishop of Tribuzabeto, once a diocese in the western part of the dependency of Constantine the Great. Today the former dio~se would be located in Algeria.

33 Churches

AT PROCESSION into St. Mary's Cathedral 011 May 17, 1970, preceding Mass commemorating his 25th year as a bishop, Bishop Connolly is preceded by then Bishop Humberto S. Medeiros (left), whom he consecrated in 1966 and Bishop James J. Gerrard, whom he consecrated in 1959.

Behold, a great priest Continued from Page Seven the sword of the spirit, the sword of truth, of loyalty and of faith, and enter into battle against the spirit of evil that is abroad.

"For some of us, freedoms began to vanish when we were subjected to brain-washing by some little professor with a cause, who, in the name of academic freedom pre. sumed to clear our minds of our heritage of religious and social convictions," the bishop declared.

Honorary Degrees On June I, 1954, Bishop Connolly received the honorary degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology from Providence College. He was the speaker at college commencement exercises.

He was awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Boston College, Stonehill College, Holy Cross College and St. Michael's College.

At St. Michael's he said, "I wonder how much confusion in the world is traceable to the assembly line system of the large college where the student has scant contact with the teacher who sits in exalted splendor?

"I wonder if much of the cynicism of our day is not traceable to

the skeptical attitude of the professors who found it easier to impress the young minds with their capabilities by questioning and disputing ideals rather than developing them?"

In Forefront During Bishop Connolly's episcopate the Fall River diocese was in the forefront of implementing changes in policy and liturgical observances brought about by the Second Vatican Council. It was the first to introduce evening Masses and Saturday fulfillment of the Sunday obligation, and in 1961 the first evening ordinations in New England took place in St. Mary's Cathedral.

In 1964 a Diocesan Commission for Christian Unity was established, and in 1966 the first Diocesan School Board was named. A Priests' Senate, also formed in 1966, had as its responsibility consideration of "the pastoral duty of priests, the priestly ministry, priestly preparation and appropriate renewal of the religious life."

On August IS, 1968, the bishop promulgated a revised set of ProSynodal Statutes or diocesan laws, governing Church life. His purpose was "to update Diocesan sta-

In the course of his 19 years as fourth bishop of Fall River, Most Rev. James L. Connolly had the unique privilege of planning and seeing built 33 churches.

They are St. Anthony, Taunton; St. Mary, 'New Bedford; St. Jacques, Taunton; Our Lady of the Annunciation, Dennisport; Our Lady of Purgatory, New Bedford.

St. Pius X, So. Yarmouth (two churches); Immaculate Con~ption, Taunton; Our Lady of Grace, No. Westport; St. Mary, So. Dartmouth; Our Lady's Chapel, New Bedford.

St. Theresa, So. Attleboro; Our Lady of Victory, Centerville; Our Lady of the Assumption, New Bedford; St. Mary, No. Seekonk; Our Lady of Fatima, Swansea.

St. William, Fall River; St. Ann, Raynham; Espirito Santo, Fall River; St. Anthony of Padua, Fall River; Holy Ghost, Attleboro.

St. Mark, Attleboro; St. Mary, Mansfield; St. Casimir, New Bedford; Holy Cross, No. Easton; Mt. Carmel, Seekonk.

Holy Trinity, West Harwich; St. Hedwig, New Bedford; St. Mary, Fairhaven; Queen of Martyrs, Mashpee; St Julie, No. Dartmouth.

St. Augustine, Vineyard Haven; St. Thomas More, Somerset.

In addition, he supervised additions to churches in Hyannis, Buzzards Bay, East Falmouth, Ocean Grove, Chatham, Bass River, Dennisport and Eastham.

IS Centers Parish and CCD centers built under the bishop's direction numbered IS. These are: St. William, Fall River; St. Mary, Mansfield; Immaculate Conception, No. Easton; St. Mary, No. Seekonk; St. Francis Xavier, Hyannis. .

St. Joseph, Dighton; St. Mary, Norton; St. Mary, So. Dartmouth; St. Margaret, Buzzards Bay; St. Theresa, So. Attleboro.

Mt. Carmel, Seekonk; Immaculate Conception, Fall River; St. Patrick, Falmouth; St. Joan of Are, Orleans; Our Lady of Fatima, New Bedford. .

tutes as a means of implementing the decrees and directives of Vatican II and of providing clear guidelines for uniform pastoral practice in ministering to the spiritual needs of the people of God in the Dio~~~ Among important changes introduced by the statutes was the granting of faculties to priests from other parts of New England while in the Fall River diocese. Other IS Parishes regulations govern marriage and funeral services and the celebraBishop Connolly also established tion of Mass.

15 parishes: Recognizing the "unsung conSt. Mary, New Bedford; St. Anthtributions" of many to the work of ony, Mattapoisett; Our Lady of the Fall River Diocese, Bishop . Grace, No. Westport; St. Pius X, Connolly in 1967 introduced the 'So. Yarmouth; Holy Redeemer, Marian Medal award, since pres- Chatham. ented to hundreds of laity and reliSt. Augustine, Vineyard Haven; gious who have notably served the Our Lady of Victory, Centerville; people of God. Our Lady of Fatima, Swansea; St. A high point in the prelate's Ann, Raynham; Our Lady of the years as bishop came in 1967 when Cape, Brewster. he welcomed the most Rev. Luigi Holy Cross, No. Easton; Our Raimondi, the Apostolic Delegate Lady of Fatima, New Bedford; St. in the United States, to the diocese Elizabeth, Edgartown; St. Julie, upon the occasion of the dedica- No. Dartmouth. tion of Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River.

On Sunday, May 24, 1970 the GOD'S ANCHOR HOLD' accomplishments and memories of 25 years as a Bishop culminated at .... .. ..... ..... a Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral,

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Mass homily Following is the text of the homily preached by Very Rev. Barry W. Wall, cathedral rector and pastor of St. Mary's Cathedral parish, at Tuesday's memorial Mass for Bishop Connolly, at which Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston was principal celebrant.

Your Eminence, Your Excellency, Bishop Cronin, Bishop Riley, Bishop Mulcahy, brother priests, deacons, members of religious communities, faculty and students of Bishop Connolly High School and faithful family and friends of the Most Reverend James Louis Connolly: we come together today to commend to the Lord the much beloved fourth bishop of Fan River.

We are honored to be joined by Cardinal Law and it is inevitable that the presence of the Archbishop of Boston in our midst should evoke the memory of Cardinal Humberto Medeiros who was such a close collaborator in the sacred ministry with Bishop Connolly, from whom he received episcopcal ordination in this sanctuary 20 years ago.

It is probably not quite so well known that Bishop Connolly was closely associated with Cardinal Cushing and was very supportive of the cardinal in the final years of his life when he experienced much suffering and painful illness.

Faith-filled Christians face death with a mixture of sadness and joy, gratitude and hope, and that is there today.

While we are saddened by the death of Bishop Connolly, we find hope in the Lord's promise of eternal life and we offer grateful praise to the Lord for the many blessings he bestowed on Bishop Connolly in this life and for the blessings that so many have received through the bishop's life and ministry.

We need not recount the accomplishments of Bishop Connolly's 19 years as Bishop of Fall River; we need only say that in spite of the fact that he served during a time of great expansion for the Church, his achievements were prodigious.

Not the least of them was the establishment of our diocesan high schools. The most recent one is named for him and the entire student body is here today to pay tribute to the founder of Bishop Connolly High School.

We need not dwell on his biography or personal honors but we should recall his abiding love and concern for his family, for Jennie, his sister-in-law, his nieces and their families, his special affec- . tion for his priest brother, Bernard, long deceased.

We should mention his absolute loyalty to Bishop Cassidy in life and in death, and the special relationship that he enjoyed with his two confreres who went to Minnesota with him over 60 years ago to teach in the St. Paul Seminary, the late Archbishop Brady and Msgr.

Francis Gilligan.

The bishop received a doctorate in history from the University of Louvain in Belgium and received membership in the Order of Christ, conferred by the government of Portugal. We need go no further Tum to Page Thirteen

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IN MEMORIAM

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"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.

From henceforth now,

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saith the Spirit, they are to have rest from their labors, but the deeds they did in life go with them now."

APOC. 14:13

ST. JOAN OF ARC PARISH

CHURCH OF THE VISITATION

ORLEANS

NORTH EASTlfAM

The Anchor Friday, Sept. 19, 1986

Mass homily Continued From Page Eleven but should rather reflect for a few moments on his faithfulness in shepherding the people of God entrusted to him.

The bishop lived the Christian life for 91 years, 63 as a priest, 41 as a bishop. Although he was a scholar by inclination and a teacher by training, he loved the pastoral ministry. He would speak somewhat wistfully of his six years as pastor ofSacred Heart parish while he was coadjutor bishop and of the priests with whom he lived, the school children, Holy Union Sisters, and parish organizations.

He wrote in his history of the diocese: "It was a glorious experience and a difficult change for me to make when Bishop Cassidy died. " He made the change trusting in the Lord and in retirement he could again write: "I became bishop in my own city, a serious change but a welcome one nonetheless.

Nothing like looking after old neigh bors and friends."

Looking after old neighbors and friends didn't mean just the folks he knew in St. Patrick's parish or those with whom he went to Durfee High School. He looked after the sick at St. Anne's Hospital and the Rose Hawthorne Home, the exceptional children, needy kids at St. Vincent de Paul Camp and St. Vincent's Home, the elderly in the homes he greatly expanded, the seminarians to whom he had dedicated so much of his priestly ministry, the young people who were . taught the truths of the faith in schools and CCD centers.

We could go on and on Guilds of the Blind and the Deaf, the DCCW and the Serra Club.

All the while he carried on with characteristic common sense founded on deep faith.

There is a Latin saying, "Lex orandi, lex credendi,"which means "One prays according to one's beliefs."

Invariably, when he was called upon to offer prayer at the conclusion of an exercise, a gathering, a graduation it would be a prayer of St. Patrick or the Prayer of St. Francis/ Both prayers are very personal and recognize a personal relationship with Christ: "Christ with me - before me, after me, within me" and "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace."

Both prayers express the desire to spread the presence of Christ, to be the Lord's instrument: "Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me. Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me. Christ in the eye that sees me, in every ear that hears me" and "Where there is hatred, let me sow love; injury, pardon; doubt, faith; despair, hope; darkness, light; sadness, joy.

And then there was his devotion to Mary. His episcopal motto, "Auspice Maria," proclaimed he was placing himself and his ministry under the protection of Mary.

He explained that he found it on the cornerstone of St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore and when he went to Belgium to study found it was the motto of Cardinal Mercier.

It summed up, he said, his personal, family, and priestly ideals.

He took great comfort in the fact that one third of the churches in the diocese are dedicated to Mary under one or another of her various titles.

We pray today that Mary our Mother, under whose protection he placed himself in this life, may

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Bishop Feehan was followed by Bishop Cassidy, who had been his . auxiliary. A strict teetotaler, at his consecration banquet, the new bishop drank the traditional toast to the Holy Father in ginger ale.

Among Bishop Cassidy's accomplishments was a broadening of the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the establishment and encouragement of homes for the aged in FaIl River, Fairhaven and New Bedford. The work for the aged was continued by Bishop Connolly with the opening of homes in Taunton and Attleboro.

Both the homes for the aged and the four diocesan schools for the mentally retarded are beneficiaries of what has become "the most colorful and successful social event in our diocesan district,"the annual Bishop's Ball, a highlight of the winter season.

"All residents in our homes for the aged have, these past IO years, assurance that they will be cared for to the end," writes the bishop, explaining that each home has facilities for the chronically ill.

Many Ordinations In a final section of his booklet, . DURI~G A BREAK in 19~2 proceedin~s of the Second Vatican Council Bishop Connolly Bishop Connolly notes he has been enJoys meetmg members ofthe fIrst commUnIon class at the cathedral church ofViterbo Italy. privileged to ordain 230 priests, 130 for the diocese and 100 for The cathedral rector is at right. ' religious communities.

He comments approvingly on the background and activities of his successor, Bishop Daniel A. Cronin, and closes with the perBy Pat McGowan immigrants, had to walk to Bos- hospital in the diocese. He also' sonal reflection: "So ends the hisThe following story appeared in ton, Providence, Newport or Fall made the diocese the second in the tory of the diocese for the present.

River for Mass before churches United States to insist upon the It has always been characterized The Anchor on March IS, 1973. were built in their area. teaching of catechism in all par- by strong faith, zeal for the house What ~oes a bishop do in retireishes.

Upon the bishop's death, of God, and concern for neighbor Not the First ment? If he's Most Rev. James L. however, notes Bishop Connolly, to the end of making this earth a For a long time it was thought Connolly, former Bishop of Fall the embryo CCD languished, not better place to live in."

River, he writes an anecdotal his- that Fall River was the first dioto be revived until 1933, and then tory of his diocese. Just issued is cese erected by Pope Pius X, but only for a brief period.

Bishop Connolly has ascertained "The Diocese of Fall River," 61 In 1954, though, its time had pages of loving description and that a Canadian diocese took come and there are today, writes precedence, and he makes note of .discussion of the portion of the the bishop, some 70,000 children Lord's vineyard tilled for 25 years the fact in his booklet. He speaks enrolled in CCD classes throughof the first diocesan shepherd,

by Bishop Connolly. out the diocese.

As the holder of 11 doctorate in Bishop Stang, with admiration.

Kennedy Gift history, the bishop goes back to "Sensitive to the presence of so beginnings, even for what he refers many of Portuguese extraction, he The bishop relates that while in to as "a memoir that I just sat promised that he would speak their Palm Beach, Fla. in 1952, he was down and wrote." He begins his .Ianguage within the year. And he invited to play golf with Ambasbooklet, which is dedicated to Aux- did. The matter of communication sador Joseph P. Kennedy, a sumiliary Bishop James J. Gerrard, with Franco-Americans was easmer member of the Fall River dioalso retired, with a sketch of early ier. He had the facility already." cese. While playing, he was told by explorers of the area, starting with John F. Kennedy of his plans to On at least one occasion, howMiguel Cortorreal, believed by ever, Bishop Stang must have been run for the U.S. Senate. scholars to have sailed in the taken aback. He asked a frank "What do you think of my Dighton area in 1511.

French-Canadian how he felt about chances?" queried the young man.

Tracing the forebears of the the new bishop. Not knowing to "Easy," responded the bishop. ethnic groups represented in the whom he was speaking, the man "All you have to do is court the Fall River diocese today, the bishop responded candidly, "They played French-Canadians, they traditionlists Irish, French Canadians, Eng- us a dirty trick. They sent us a aIly are Republicans." lish, Italians, Poles, Lebanese, Cape German. It should have been Msgr.

This he did, recalled the bishop, Verdeans, Germans and Portu- Prevost!" "and became a 'shoo-in.' " guese, for all of whom national Among important accomplishSome time later, relates the parishes were established. He notes ments of Fall River's first bishop booklet, Ambassador Kennedy rethat early 19th century Irish Catho- was the founding of St. Anne's quested the bishop to contact him. lics on Cape Cod, among the first Hospital, still the only Catholic When the prelate did so, Kennedy came straight to the point.

"I'd like to do something for the guide ~im to the presence of her familiar style - was he not very diocese," he said.

Son, the Eternal High Priest. like the prophet Nathaniel?

The result of the conversation I can picture Bishop Connolly sitting under a fig tree with Na- was the Kennedy Center in New Finally, may I share some words thaniel. He would probably have Bedford, enjoyed annually by hunwritten on the occasion of Bishop the Bible or one of Samuel Eliot dreds of youngsters and adults.

Connolly's retirement and Bishop Morrison's works and maybe a Cronin's appointment as his sucSchool System cribbage board would be handy. cessor. They are from a Boston Bishop Connolly devotes a secIf Christ approached, he would Pilot editorial and a more inspired tion to the diocesan school system, jump up and proclaim "You are portrait of Bishop Connolly could with emphasis on its high schools, the Son of God, you are the King hardly be written: "Through all then turns to the administration of of Israel!" these years his fatherly ways, his Bishop Feehan, who served the And I would like to think Christ easy manner, his open heart have would salute him as a true Israelite diocese for 27 years. He notes that all been part Of the familiar style the "Benevolent Bishop" founded of the new dispensation in whom through which he endeared himthree orphanages and that 36 new there is no guile, for there was self to his preists and people, at parishes were erected during his nothing false in him.

BISHOP Connolly with a home and indeed far beyond it." term of office, "all with churches May he now truly see the angels at one of the schools of friend constructed of wood, and much-His fatherly ways - his easy of God ascending and descending the Fall River diocese. too small." manner - his open heart - his on the Son of Man.

A bishop's history of his diocese

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"He Went About Doing Good. " Acts 10:38

SACRED HEART PARISH FAMILY NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS -It

The Anchor Friday, Sept. 19, 1986

Talking about God The following story appeared in The Anchor on March 1, 1973 "We talked about God." That was how Cardinal-elect Medeiros spent his first few days with Cardinal Cushing, which were the last days of the Boston prelate's life.

Bishop James L. Connolly, retired Ordinary of the Fall River diocese, recalls the statement as typical of the cardinal-elect's attitude toward life.

"I had asked him if he used his time with Cardinal Cushing to familiarize himself with the enormous task of heading the Boston archdiocese, and that was his reply," said the bishop.

"This simple man probably did more for Cardinal Cushing at the end of his life than anyone else could have done," added Bishop Connolly.

He spoke as one of cardinalelect's closest friends in the priesthood, having known him since his ordination in 1946.

When Bishop Connolly succeeded the late Bishop Cassidy in 1951, among his first actions was the appointment of Father Medeiros as his personal secretary, assistant chancellor and Vicar for Religious.

Why did he choose him? ,"Y ou couldn't miss him," was his laconic response. Among Father Medeiros' duties was the delivering of a monthly spiritual conference to the sisters of the diocese. These homilies, given over a period of four years, are still remembered, said Bishop Connolly, who soon named him secretary vice-chancellor, then chancellor of the diocese.

In 1958 Father Medeiros became Monsignor Medeiros and two years later he was appointed pastor of his home parish, St. Michael, Fall River. He became a familiar sight to neighbors as he was driven between his parish and his office in the chancery building.

"He has a license," confided the Bishop, "but I think he only drove enough to convince the examiner BISHOP CONNOLLY at 1964 Christmas party for the children closest to his heart that he could. I'd hate to be in a car with him at the whee!!"

-those at the three Nazareth Hall schools for exceptional youngsters. (Fontaine photo) Monsignor Medeiros was aghast at the news of his appointment as bishop of Brownsville. Texas, said Bishop Connolly. "'I can'tdo this,' he told me. But soon he . Following are excerpts from 1,194 square miles of Bristol, Barn- to modern idiom in appropriate realized that going to Browns~ille stable, Dukes and Nantucket context; serious and thoughtful, was God's will for him and;his atti- a 1970 interview with Bishop Counties, and the towns of Mar- yet interjecting humor without tude became 'Here I am, take l1)e.' 路Connolly by New Bedford ion, tV1attapoisett and Wareham warning; imaginative, yet practical.

With his immigrant background ,Sunday Standard Times writin Plymouth County.

Worked in Cotton Mills he felt very much at home with the er Everett S. Allen. They are In part, the fact that he humIn his youth, he worked in cotMexican-Americans of Brownsmed, despite weather that did not ton mills, in an oil refinery and had ville," continued the Bishop, "and reprinted by permission. encourage it (and unquestionably, It is characteristic that the bishop thoughts of becoming an engineer. he won their respect by his hanof ever-present proba number Those who have known him that dling of a farm dispute that was in hummed as he entered the redlems), may be attributed to a senslong suggest he would have made a progress when he came to the dio- brick chancery - very likely someible, but indomitable optimism. good one. cese. Under pressure, that man ~s thing from an oratorio, for he likes Additionally, it may have arisen them - despite the bleak chilli-, One suspects this is so; he is a terrific." from preoccupation, for the bishop ness of the gray Spring day. man of tireless strength, unshakaOne of Factors The bishop is Most Rev. James is a man of the mind; essentially an ble determination, and dedication, The Bishop opined that the Car- L. Connolly, D.O." bishop of the , educator by training,and inclina- and undoubtedly would have been dinal -elect's handling of the Fall River diocese, and the spirit- tion, he moves incessantly ti"om . outstanding at whatever he chose Brownsville labor dispute was one ual leader of more than 300,000 idea to idea, with both versatility to do. . of the factors leading to his choice Roman Catholics residing in the and certainty.

Bishop Connolly is 75, although in 1970 as archbishop of Boston.

Student's Eagerness " he does not look it or act it. He In Boston, noted Bishop ConHe converses with a student's presents an appearance of fitness nolly, the cardinal-elect has con- "When he was in Fall River, he'd eagerness for exchange of thought. and total composure. Seated at his tinued his identification with the spend hours listening to people's French is his "second language," desk, he smoked an occasional poor. "His pastoral on 'Man's Cittroubles. He's still the same." but he also is fluent in German and cigarette, but he is not sure he ies and God's Poor,' issued last Bishop Connolly left for Rome can "get along" in Spanish and wanted to resume smoking after a year, was a wonderful piece of yesterday with Cardinal-elect Me- Italian. seven-year lapse. He looked at the work." deiros. "He was my 'peritus' or He is a man of several facets cigarette in his hand and said, "I The Bishop said that an outofficial theologian at Vatican II," melded in a manner to place at thought it might be relaxing and I standing characteristic of the cardinhe said. "Then he came with me. ease a broad variety of people: asked the doctor wbether I should al-elect is his willingness to listen.

Now I'm going with him."

Scholarly and articulate, yet given smoke. He said, 'At your age, what

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does it matter?' " And the bishop smiled a small smile.

The specific reason for this interview, which lasted one and a half hours, and covered a couple of dozen subjects, a half-dozen countries and events of several centuries, is that Bishop Connolly is observing his 25th y,ear as bishop.

Essentially, he was asked for his observation on matters of principal concern to the church and to those for whom he has provided spiritual guidance for a quartercentury.

Poll Induces Skepticism A recent Louis Harris poll, commissioned by the New England Catholic Education Center, found that, "Seven in 10 ofthe total public of the Fall River diocese feel that the attitude of people toward religion has changed a lot" in recent years.

The study concluded that the sense of change arises out of the feeling that "the young are beginning to question and not taking things for granted, the people are beginning to think for themselves and rely less on the church," and that the churches themselves have changed because of ecumenism, revised laws, rituals, and stands on social issues.

Of these conclusions, Bishop Connolly remarked, "I think the thing is exaggerated. The report was a disappointment in that, in a sense, it pushed the panic button.

The tougher it is, the better I like it. I'm not a brave guy, but I accept the fact that these are changing times, that we are dealing with situations that will not be corrected overnight. Some people want everything to happen now, right now.

Aware of Needs "I walked into a pretty good heritage here. I succeeded a wonderful man [Bishop Cassidy], whose major concerns were the aging and the poor, and Bishop [Daniel F.] Feehan before him, who created the youth organizations.

"We are, and have been aware , of people's needs. This study reminds me of the young priest out of Boston who came to New Bedford and said there was no preoccupation with poverty. The Standard-Times took him up on it, editorially. Actually we have people working with the poor.

"Catholic charitable institutions give a pretty good account of themselves. And I am personally distressed by such things as rents ranging from $20 to $40 a week in places that have no toilets. To say that such things exist elsewhen:~ too, isn't much of l;\n argument for allowing it. To say that we have 'no preoccupa,tion' with such matters ignores the facts." .

Of the "chan'ging church" referred to in the polls; Bishop Connolly said, "The Vatican Council [The bishop participated in the Ecumenical Council in Rome in 1963 and 1964] was essentially in behalf of the layman, determined to bring the liturgy to an expression that would bring in the congregation, that would enable wider participation in the workings of the church of men, women and children.

"The congregational singing and response to the Mass are highly effective and have secured a very articulate response from the congregation. This was not exactly foreseen. The first year [of the Turn To Page Twenty.Two

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f'f'The Lord loved him and adorned him: He clothed him with a robe ofglory and crowned him at the Gates of Paradise. " ECf:~lus.

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BISHOP CONNOLLY LAYING CORNERSTONE ST. MARY'S SCHOOL IN 1963

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St. Mary's Parish Family New Bedford