t eanc 0 VOL. 43, NO. 37 • Friday, September 24, 1999
FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year
New, Our Lady of Lourdes Church planned for Wellfleet ~ Parish boundary lines and
administration of mission churches will be modified. WELLFLEET - In response to growing communities of parishioners in the towns of the lower Cape Cod area year-round and in summer months, Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., has announced his intention to build a new church in Wellfleet for use by Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. The official" announcement was made to parishioners this past weekend at all Masses.
The new house of worship, along with some changes in parish boundaries in the lower Cape area, will provide better pastoral care for the faithful there and help the diocese meet the challenge of fewer available priests for parish ministry. In the lower Cape, the Fall River Diocese ministers to the faithful in three parishes: St. Peter the Apostle in Provincetown, Our Lady of Lourdes in Wellfleet and St. Joan ofArc in Orleans. The latter two parishes are also responsible for ministry at smaller mission churches established some years ago to offer
additional worship space. Information from the U.S. Census Bureau as well as from the Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod and the Cape Cod Commission, indicates an overall growth trend in these towns through 2013. Additionally, the summer population in these areas grows dramatically. In the late 1980s, the diocese purchased a 10-acre piece of property located on Route 6 in Wellfleet in projection of what Our Lady of Lourdes Parish might require for expansion. The parcel is approximately equidis-
tant from the town borders of Provincetown and Orleans. Following consultation with Msgr. Ronald A Tosti, director of the diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning, and the diocesan Priests Council, the bishop has decided that it is time to begin planning for a new church on that site which will provide better facilities and greater and easier access for both the residents and summer populations. In the overall plan for providing parish ministry to Catholics in the lower Cape, none Tum to page ~ 3- Wellfleet
Diocesan clergy hear update on '(n Support ofLife' plan By JAMES N. DUNBAR
GIVING WITNESS - Participating in a prayer service for the people of East Timor were, from left, The Rev. Edward R. Dufresne, executive minister of the Interchurch Council of Greater New Bedford; Father Marc H. Bergeron and Father Victor Vieira. (Anchor photo).
Hundreds pray for people and peace in East Timor ~
Ecumenical service at Sf. Mary's Cathedral on Tuesday night draws many from the Portuguese community. By JAMES N. DUNBAR
FALL RIVER - Even as United Nation peacekeeping forces enter the embattled, former Portuguese colony of East Timor, hundreds of people from across the diocese joined with Bishop Sean P. O'Malley and other clergy on Thesday night to pray and voice support for the island people in their quest for peace and justice. Bishop O'Malley and other speakers at the service at St. Mary's Cathedral spoke in English and Portuguese as they urged continued prayers for the suffering East Timorese.
Many attending were from Portuguese communities in the diocese, and the choir, led by Osvaldo Pacheco of the music ministry of Santo Christo Parish, also sang in English and Portuguese. . Besides Bishop O'Malley, other speakers included Father Victor Vieira, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish, East Providence, R.I., and Father Marc H. Bergeron, ecumenical officer for the Diocese of Fall River. The Rev. Edward R. Dufresne, executive minister of the Interchurch Council of Greater New Bedford, gave a reading, as did Maria Peixoto of St. Francis Xavier's. Deacon Eduardo Pacheco of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, New Bedford, proclaimed the Gospel. The service was organized by Father Tum to page 13- Service
NORTH DARTMOUTH - Concerned that Catholics don't understand nor have a realistic response to questions about care for the dying, the Massachusetts Catholic Conference is sending teams to dioceses across the state to talk with parish priests about their critical role as facilitators of the initiative in their own communities of faith. Maria Parker, project director of the In Support of Life plan, met with clergy from the Fall River Diocese last week at St. Julie Billiart Church and talked about the urgent concerns of people and the MCC's goal to educate all Catholics on the evils of physician-assisted suicide and the morality involved in end-of-life issues. Parker put it succinctly: "Many people argue that they should have the right to determine the time and manner of their death and advances in technology have given physicians the capability to extend life. "What is the initiative? It is a Catholic one, calling for comfort and hope for the dying and a response or alternative to the issue of physician-assisted suicide." "We as Church can help to provide patients with the physical, emotional and spiritual care necessary for people to face death and die in peace and with dignity so that physician-assisted suicide is not the preferred choice to a natural death." Parker said that pressure continues to grow in Massachusetts to transform assisted suicide from a crime to a personal right. Our culture, which supports the absolute right to self-determination, lends itself to the idea that physicians should be allowed to end a suffering or a dying patient's life if the patient requests it, said Parker. "They do not question what is being chosen or judge that the choice may be right or wrong," she said. "What matters is the right to choose is exercised." In 1997, a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide surfaced in the Bay State. When
polled on the issue, our own Catholics seemed to fare no better than the general population on the issue. So, with this bill serving as a catalyst, the four bishops of Massachusetts, include Bishop Sean P. O'Malley of the Fall River Diocese, realized the need for a response by the Church on the issue and requested the MCC to produce a strategic plan on end-of-life issues. '''The clergy in the Fall River Diocese were excited about getting the update on the ideas and the quality of the materials that were furnished them," said Parker. Also addressing the ·assembly was Father James O'Oonohoe ofCovenant Health System. The plan, called ''In Support of Life;' was inspired by the Holy Father's call to "Walk as children of light bringing about a transformation of Tum to page 13- Life
BishopO'~alleyto presentSt. Thomas More Awards 1
.
J
FALL RIVER - Bishop Sean P. O'Malleywill present five members of the justice system with St. Thomas More Medals at a'Mass Sunday in St. Mary's Cathedral at 3 p.m. ; The recipients are Attorneys David and Mary Alice Mctaughlirt of New Bedford, retired Juvenile Cou~ Judge Ronald D. Harper, retired Chief! Probation Officer Thomas M:McGovern and Superior Court Judge John M. XifaraS. . Jesuit Father Walter Burghardt of the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University will be the homilist at the Mass. I • At a dinner and reception to be held at White's on the Watuppa following the Mass, the keynote speaker will be University of Massachusetts President William M. Bulger.