VOL. 35, NO. 40
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Friday, October 5, 1990
F ALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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$11 Per Year
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DOMINICAN SISTERS of Fall River and Ossining and Newburgh, NY, celebrate the beginning of their collaborative ministry in a ceremony at the Dominican motherhouse in Newburgh, left picture; right, the Fall River delegates to the .historic assembly of the three communities.
Ii.. Sisters here study collaboration with NY nuns 1t
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The nearly 100-year-old Congregation ofthe Dominicans of St. Catherine of Siena, the only community founded in the Fall River diocese, has entered planning sessions with Dominican sisters in Ossining and Newburgh, N.Y. in the hope of developing collaboration among the three communities. Twenty-seven members of the Fall River congregation met in August with the Dominicans of Ossining and Newburgh to begin a
process of reexamining and renewing religious life in the hope of bringing about a new means of living and working together. The New York communities have been involved in such collaborative efforts since 1981. At the August meeting, held at the motherhouse of the Newburgh community, the first order of business of the assembly of289 women was the formal acceptance of the
Fall River congregation into the collaborative process. Sister Elizabeth Menard, Fall River prioress, said, "The enthusiastic welcome of my congregation by the assembly was an overwhelming affirmation which culminates a search which began in 1974 with the first thoughts of seeking more formal ways to collaborate with other congregations: This is an exciting experience." For the Ossining and Newburgh
congregation, the assembly offered a more grassroots interaction and commitment to the process which has already seen the formation of joint leadership ventures. Sister Monica McGloin, president ofthe Ossining Dominicans, said, "The dynamic of three congregations gives a new surge of energy that generates new possibilities." The women at the assembly affirmed a joint planning process that establishes a coordinating
committee composed of members of the three congregations under direction of Sister Lorelle Elcock of Newburgh. Task forces have been set up in the areas of the frail elderly, new membership, property facilities and fiscal concerns in order to collect data and make recommendations. This phase of planning will continue until 1993. The members of the assembly also agreed to begin a process of Turn to Page 13
Bishops condemn 650 attend catechists' parley condom campaign By Marcie Hickey
More than 650 catechists attended the annual diocesan ReligThe four bishops of Massachusetts have joined to condemn ious Education Convention last a tax-funded advertising campaign sponsored by the com- Saturday at Bishop Stang High monwealth to encourage use of condoms as a means of avoid- School, North Dartmouth. Themed "Forming Communities ing sexually transmitted disease. Their statement follows: of Compassion," the convention The Office of Human Sersetts, and six more are infectoffered 40 workshops in three sesed every day." We share the vices of the Commonwealth sions for CCD and Catholic eleconcern of the state authoristates that "there are an estimentary school teachers. mated 30,000 people already ties about this alarming fact The day opened with a liturgy TUrn to Page 13 HIV-infected in Massachucelebrated by Bishop Daniel A. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~""!'Il. Cronin. In his homily, the bishop cited two objectives for catechetical evangelization: "to make disciples of all nations" and "to teach everything our Lord Jesus aske<! us to . teach." The first, he said, is the mission of all baptized Christians, but "what may not be so obvious is that we are engaged in that mission of evangelization in the CCD classroom," where catechists can bring students "to come to know the person of Jesus, appreciate what he did, and enter communion and union with him." Secondly, Bishop Cronin continued, catechists must "teach all that Jesus commanded" with compassion. "The life of Jesus was one long teaching session," said the bishop. "He taught by word and by example. He was the humble servant who had compassion, who allowed his outstretched arms to be nailed to the cross for our salvation." Biship Cronin encouraged his
listeners to build compassionate communities within their own parishes using "the person of the compassionate Christ as the model." Following the liturgy, keynote speaker Sister Marie Augusta Neal, SND, took to the podium on a. stage looking suspiciously like a classroom. A blackboard displaying a world map at her left, the Emmanuel . College sociology professor said' she could not resist giving a "quiz" consisting of a dozen thoughtprovoking questions linking compassion with social justice. Sister Neal asked her audience to consider "How many people are there in your community?"; "What is different about this map from. the one in your grammar school classroom?" and "Are there too many people in the world?" In regard to the first question, Sister Neal challenged her listeners, "How many of you answered five billion? Should not all of the world community be taken into consideration when forming com. munities of compassion?" She pointed out that the map on the stage represented the countries of the world by population and did not have the United States looming large in the center where Americans are accustomed to seeing it. Sister Neal asked participants to consider inner city infant mortality rates, the plight of immigrants, the homeless, Third World debt, and assumptions behind Citi-
zens for Limited Taxation (CLT) and reduction of the capital gains tax. "We read about boat people leaving home because there's nothing for them where they are. We think, 'There isn't enough room Turn to Page 14