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VOL; 46, NO. 37
• Friday, October 4, 2002
FALL RIVER, MASS.
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Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year
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RESPECT LIFE ISSUE 2002 Faithful to march in Boston, Washington By MIKE GORDoN ANCHOR STAFF
, .Marian,~Siers. assistant director of the Apostolate will , : .be'attending wIth the diocesan group and bringing her family NORfH DARfMOUTH - Hundreds of diocesan ,pil-: along. Sne Said diai; the Respect Life Walk and March for Life grims will join with those in Boston this weekend at the ,an- ''inspir:ethe gremer Community to respect human life." nual Respect Life Walk for Mothers.and cqildren. They will ., They are expecl:;ing the number of people attending to ingather in the Boston Common at I'p.m. for· registration and a crease fron;i laSt year and many ofthose walkers will be young talk by Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap. people un~ the age of 25 and families with children. Both The approximate 9O-minute walk will kick off at 2 p.m. agreed that it is important for young people to attend these and Father Stephen A. Fernandes, director of the diocesan events so they can take up the torch of the Pro-Life movePro-Life Apostolate, says thi~ event and the annual Pro-Life ment ', March in Washington, D.C. are important ones because "the',''The qilibeT of young people who attend isgreat," said cause for which we come together is one of goodness ~d ", Desrosiers. ''They bring the sacredness of life back into the holiness." , .: clJ1ture. ~y encourage one another to get involved with the
Speakers announced for Pro-Life convention
RES PEe T I
. PRO G RAM
Celebrating . Lie
By DAVE JOUVET EOOOR
NORfH DARfMOUTH - A father who knows first-hand the bitter taste of man's inhumanity to man will be the keynote speaker at the annual Pro-Life Convention to be held October 19 at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River. Bud Welch, who lost his 23-yearold daughter Julie in the bomb blast that destroyed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995, will share his story of sorrow, anger and conversion. Several other noted authors and speakers will also be on hand. Julie Welch was an honors graduate from Marquette University and was a Spanish interpreter for the Social Security Administration on that fateful day. The pain of Julie's death was nearly unbearable for Welch and he became consumed with a desire for revenge, calling for an immediate execution of convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh. Over time, Welch experienced a change of heart, and has since campaigned against the death penalty. Welch will discuss a conversation he had with McVeigh's father, and how he eventually saw the futility in his thirst for revenge. Through the years, Welch has appeared on television programs such.as ''Good Morning America," "Bill Moyers:' ''The Today Show:' Tum to page 12 - Convention
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Pro:-Life movement They inspire others." Father Fernandes said he derives strength from young peoples involvement stating that "it's a source of optimism for me." The walk in Boston benefits many Pro-Life agencies including the Pro-Life Apostolate here through walker sponsorship and donations. It is a safe, quiet walk in honor ofall life at all stages of development, sponsored· by the Massachusetts Citizen's for Life and attracts many families and older Americans who Father Fernandes says "understand how precious life is." The children in high school today are a generation that grew up not knowing the protection ofhuman life in the womb Tum to page 12 - Walk
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Bishop responds to DA's comments By DEACON JAMES N. DUNBAR FALL RIVER - Allegations by Bristol County District Attorney Paul F. Walsh Jr., that the Fall River diocese was slow and uncooperative in handing overcases ofpriests accused of sexual abuse, were quickly rejected and answered by the diocese and Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap. The comments by Walsh came September 26 when Father Donald Bowen, a former Fall River diocesan priest now living in Bolivia, was reportedly indicted by a Bristol County Grand Jury on sexual abuse charges that allegedly occurred 30 years ago when the priest served at St. Mary's Parish in Norton. Walsh, releasing a list of 21 accused priests, said that if he had known about the case he might have acted sooner. But in a statement released by the diocese last week in the wake of Walsh's statement, it was disclosed that not only has the Fall River diocese "cooperated fully with the District Attorney and his office to ensure the safety and protection ofchildren in our parishes and diocesan settings;' but "in March ofthis year:' Bishop O'Malley "took the' initiative in offering to the District Attorney the names of priests against whom allegations ofsexual misconduct had been made. Although som~ ofthese allegations were mad~'iP. recent years, they all referred to S¢xuat , misconduct which occurred 25 to 50 Tum to page /3 - Response
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