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Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

Friday, October 6, 2017

St. Michael’s Church in Fall River hosted a Blue Mass for those employed in the public safety field, such as police offiers, first responders, firefighters, etc., to pray for their safety and to thank God for their service to others.

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Diocesan faithful invited to Fatima anniversary event at Bishop Connolly High School on October 13

By Dave Jolivet Anchor Editor davejolivet@anchornews.org

FALL RIVER — The newly-acquired statue of Our Lady of Fatima that will welcome guests to Bishop Connolly High School on October 13, the 100th anniversary of the Blessed Mother’s final apparition to three Portuguese shepherd children, is, as school principal E. Christopher Myron told The Anchor, “an image of Our Lady who is not just the mother of God, but the mother of us all.”

“She looks beautiful,” Myron continued about the Italian-made figure. “Her face has a slight smile, a gentle smile, as she looks on us with

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The Anchor - October 6, 2017

loving care. She resonates innocence, and exudes her love for us as a gentle protector, letting us know not to be afraid, even in these trying times.”

The image of Our Lady of Fatima, which will become a permanent fixture on the Bishop Connolly grounds, will be revealed, dedicated and blessed by Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., during the October 13 centennial event.

The bishop has extended a warm invitation to all faithful in the diocese to come to Bishop Connolly High School, 373 Elsbree Street in Fall River, for the celebration beginning at 1 p.m.

The afternoon will begin with

exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the school auditorium.

Throughout the afternoon Confessions will be heard in the gym; the Rosary will be recited at the statue; and a looping documentary about Our Lady of Fatima will be shown in the Bay Coast Atrium at the school.

The idea of a diocesan-wide celebration of the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s final appearance at Fatima was spawned from Myron’s desire for a statue of Our Lady of Fatima to be a permanent sight on the Connolly grounds.

“In March 2017 Chris Myron asked me to join him and others who had been praying about a statue of Our Lady for Bishop Connolly High School,” said Marian Desrosiers, director of the diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate. “After praying for several months and looking extensively online for a statue, I decided to call Chris in June and tell him I had not seen anything that struck me. I prayed one last time and asked Our Lady to just please give me an idea of what she wanted. It was then a strong thought came to me: Fatima — Oct. 13, 2017.”

From there a committee was created, including Myron and Desrosiers, Beth Mahoney, John E. Kearns Jr. and Deacon Alan Thadeu, to plan the event.

“From that day forward a beautiful plan, set forth by Our Lady, has evolved into a diocesan-wide event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the final apparition of our Blessed Mother in Fatima, Portugal,” Desrosiers told The Anchor. “It seemed very clear from the beginning, like any mother, Our Lady wanted to share this day with all of us, ‘her children.’”

“The statue will be very appealing, especially to young people,” said Myron. “Her countenance will resonate with them, and they will be attracted to the love and gentleness she portrays. And the statue will not only appeal to the young, but all of us, God’s children.

“We are so fortunate to have a bishop who embraces and loves Mary, that this event was able to come about. His happiness about doing this

is so extraordinary. Wow. That just doesn’t happen everywhere. We are so fortunate.

“Our Lady is calling us all together — to celebrate Mass, to pray the Rosary, to utilize the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for Benediction and for blessings.”

Our Lady of Fatima’s final apparition to the three children was the culmination of her efforts to use the three visionaries to help change the hardened hearts of the world and for the conversion of sinners.

Our Sunday Visitor wrote of that day in 1917: “The most dramatic of the apparitions, some 55,000 people gathered on a rainy day near Cova da Iria in Fatima and witnessed the ‘miracle of the sun.’ Some 20,000 other people witnessed the miracle from as far away as 25 miles. The sun started spinning and grew larger. It looked like it was going to fall on the earth. People fell to their knees in fear. The people then noticed that their clothes were completely dry even though they had been standing in the rain for some time. Even unbelievers and skeptics witnessed the phenomenon. The secular newspaper, O Século, had a front page story on ‘How the sun danced at midday in Fatima.’

“While the people were looking at the miracle of the sun, the three children saw a sequence of apparitions.

St. Joseph was seen with the Christ Child, and they appeared to bless the world. The Blessed Mother was seen robed in white with a blue mantel; then she appeared as Our Lady of Sorrows and then as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Lady revealed her identity to the children as ‘Our Lady of the Rosary.’ She asked them to pray the Rosary every day and to have a chapel built at Cova da Iria, the site of the apparitions.”

Desrosiers told The Anchor, “Bishop da Cunha was extremely receptive and excited about this day and also encouraged the development of educational packets for our youth.

“This is a great evangelizing moment and an opportunity to come together and pray, especially the Rosary, for peace in our homes, our nation and our world.”

Cathedral to host Red Mass October 14; five to receive St. Thomas More Award

attorney, Michael J. Princi of Hyannis; as distinguished court employee, FALL RIVER — Bish- Patricia Lunny, Office op Edgar M. da Cunha, of the Clerk Magistrate, S.D.V., will celebrate the Third District Court, annual Red Mass in the New Bedford; as distinFall River Diocese at 4 guished recipient of the p.m., October 14, in St. ecuMary’s Cathedral, Fall menical River. award, A long-standing tradiMiriam tion in the Church, the Babin, Red Mass is celebrated Aseach year in the diocese sistant to invoke God’s guidance Judicial and strength on those Case who work to promote Man- Patricia A. Lunny justice ager, in the Bristol legal County Probate Court; system. and as distinguished Judgrecipient of the Joseph es, atP. Harrington Founder’s torneys Award, Judge Joseph I. and Macy, retired First Justice, others Nantucket District Court. working The Red Mass is so Miriam H. Babin named because of the in the justice color of the vestments system throughout South- worn eastern Massachusetts, durCape Cod and the Islands ing the are invited to attend.

Liturgy, At the conclusion of which the Mass, in keeping with is the a tradition unique to the Mass Fall River Diocese, Bishof the op da Cunha will presHoly ent the St. Thomas More Spirit, Michael J. Princi Award to members of the Who area will legal be invoked upon those comin attendance. Its roots munity date back to 13th-century in recEurope, and it is widely ognicelebrated in dioceses tion of throughout the U.S. dediThe St. Thomas More cated Awards are named for St. Judge Paul C. service.

Thomas More, a 16thDawley Secentury English layman lected and lawyer martyred for for the honors this year opposition to the divorce are, as distinguished jurist, of King Henry VIII and Judge Paul Dawley, Chief for refusing to renounce Justice, Massachusetts papal authority.

District Court DepartAward recipients were ment; as distinguished nominated for the recog-

By John E. Kearns Jr. Director of diocesan Office of Communications

nition by the Red Mass planning committee of judges, attorneys, court personnel and priests from across the diocese, headed by New Bedford attorney Michael J. Harrington.

Dawley became Chief Justice of the state’s District Court Department in September 2013. It is the largest of the seven departments within the Massachusetts Trial Judge Joseph I. Court Macy with 158 judges and 62 courts throughout the Commonwealth.

He was appointed to the bench in 2001 and then appointed as Administrative Justice for Region Two (comprising three counties) in 2004.

He has served as First Justice of the Brockton

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Catholic Woman’s Club celebrates 100th anniversary NEW BEDFORD — On September 17, the members of the New Bedford Catholic Woman’s Club opened their 100th year with a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Lawrence Martyr Church with Father Robert Powell celebrating. This was followed by a special luncheon at the Wamsutta Club where President Lynne Kuczewski greeted all and then read letters and words of congratulations from Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, OFM, Cap.; Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin; Bishop Emeritus George W. Coleman; Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V.; and Father John Sullivan, now of Holy Redeemer Parish in Chatham and a former club moderator.

The club’s current moderator, Father Philip R. Hamel of St. JosephSt. Therese Parish in New Bedford, extended greetings of congratula-

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tions and inspiration and gave the blessing before all enjoyed the food and the company of so many members — old and new — and friends who came to celebrate with the club.

Entertainment was provided via a great performance of old and new songs beautifully presented by Taylor Cormier, a local entertainer.

A poster of all members and their date of entry into the club was displayed, with Mrs. Daniel F. Dwyer (Annette) topping the list, having joined on Sept. 25, 1947.

In 1918, World War I had just ended. Catholic women were still considered outsiders in social life. Along with work, men had their clubs, but women had limited social outlets and were expected to stay at home and be homemakers. At night radio, Victrolas, and family games were the only forms of entertainment.

There was a real need for women to develop outside

The Anchor - October 6, 2017

interests.

So in June 1918, at the request of Katherine H. Edwards, chairman of the St. Lawrence Red Cross, a group of approximately 30 women met for the purpose of forming a Catholic club for literary and social advancement.

It was voted unanimously to take the name “Catholic Woman’s Club,” and by the name Catholic, the club would rightfully come under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of the Fall River Diocese.

In September of that year, they elected their first president, Carolyn B. Manning, and Bishop Daniel F. Feehan appointed Msgr. Hugh J. Smyth, then-pastor of St. Lawrence Martyr Church in New Bedford, as the club’s first moderator.

Invitations were issued to all Catholic women in New Bedford and vicinity to attend a meeting in March of 1919 for the purpose of increasing membership. Charter membership closed as of the first annual meeting on May 15, 1919, and overall membership jumped from 30 to 250 members in just two years from 1918 to 1920.

During these early years, the club formed many committees — hospitality, ushers, ways and means, publicity and a service organization, which made bandages for and contributed monetarily to the Rose Hawthorne Lathrop Home in Fall River until it closed in 2002, to name a few. In 1922 a Scholarship Fund was established, which, in 1929, was renamed the Student Loan Fund and remained so until 1955 when it reverted to its

The Catholic Women’s Club recently celebrated its 100th anniversary with a Mass at St. Lawrence Martyr Church in New Bedford, followed by a reception at the Wamsutta Club.

original title. This fund is no longer in existence, but the club recently voted to disperse money to the five Catholic schools in the area. During this centennial year, members agreed they would start this distribution in the amount of $2,000 per year to the schools for a period of three years; so $6,000 total would be awarded to each school and student recipients would be determined by their individual principal and teachers.

In 1942, the Diocese of Fall River purchased the Sarah Delano Home at the corner of County and Madison streets in New Bedford for use as a clubhouse. With a permanent home, a new dimension was brought to the organization and a great deal of planning and effort went into furnishing the house. Mary A. Galligan, a past president and an interior decorator, accompanied then-moderator Msgr. John F. McKeon to purchase many choice furnishings at the auction of the Colonel Green Estate in South Dartmouth.

In 1974, because of the condition of the club-

house and because of financial decisions, the diocese found it necessary to dispose of the building and thus end an era. An auction was held on the premises, and the proceeds were placed into a Building Fund.

Since that time club meetings have been held at various venues: The Days Inn on Hathaway Road, the Century House in Acushnet and for many years now at the Wamsutta Club. The club still maintains many charitable causes, including the Catholic Charities Appeal, the Missionaries of Charity, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, the Sister Rose House (formerly Market Ministries), Birthright, the Council of Women’s Organizations Project and a needy family chosen by PACE at Christmas.

The New Bedford Catholic Woman’s Club membership, which at one point numbered more than 700 ladies, has witnessed nine popes, 18 presidents, seven bishops, 11 amendments to the Constitution, and the addition of two new states.

Over the years, the club Turn to page 20

New Bedford native to be ordained Franciscan Friar by bishop

NEW BEDFORD — While he generally presides over the ordination of diocesan priests within the confines of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders onto a New Bedford native in his hometown.

Friar Terrance (Karl Michael) Chartier will be ordained a priest

by Bishop da Cunha on Saturday, October 21 at 10 a.m. inside Our Lady’s Chapel in downtown New Bedford.

Born in New Bedford on June 16, 1978 to Nancy L. Chartier and Carl Corras, Friar Terrance was baptized at St. Julie Billiart Church in North Dartmouth and was raised by his grandparents, Philip E. and Winifred M. Chartier. He

grew up on County Street in the gious life, he spent five months as city and was a parishioner at St. a Jesuit novice in 2003 in upstate Lawrence Martyr Church. At New York near Le Monye College. the age of 13, he and He was “called out his family moved to of the Jesuits by Our Fairhaven.

Lady,” as he said, and Friar Terrance in 2007 he entered the graduated from Holy Franciscan Friars of Family-Holy Name the Immaculate after School in 1992, Bishgetting the know the op Stang High School order and its memin 1996, and Northbers at their chapel eastern University in in downtown New Boston in 2002, where Bedford. he studied architecture Friar Terrance and worked in the spent time in formaFriar Terrance Chartier tion to the Francisarchitectural field in the Boston area during can way of life again and after his schooling for a numin upstate New York near Syraber of years. cuse and in Connecticut. In 2009 After discerning a call to relihe was sent to Italy to pursue studies for the priesthood. He

U.S. bishops ask faithful to pray for migrants and refugees from October 7-13

completed his theological studies in Rome in June of 2017, graduating from the Salesian Pontifical University.

Friar Terrance took his name as the male version of St. Teresa of the Little Flower, his favorite saint.

When asked why he decided to be a religious and a priest after having studied and trained to be an architect, Friar Terrance simply responded: “Heaven only knows.

It’s as much of a mystery to me as it is to anyone else.”

The priestly ordination of Friar Terrance J.M. Chartier to the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate by Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will take place on Saturday, October 21 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady Chapel’s, 600 Pleasant Street, New Bedford.

FALL RIVER — On September 27, Pope Francis launched a global campaign to support migrants and refugees around the world. In collaboration with the annual celebration of Respect Life Month in October, the bishops in the U.S. are asking Catholics around the country to help kick off the campaign by taking part in a week of prayer and action for migrants and refugees from October 7-13. The USCCB encourages faithful to pray the following prayer found on its website: A Prayer for the Global Migration Campaign Adonai, Lord and Master, many are the journeys Your people have taken: Abraham’s journey led from fear to understanding; Moses’ journey led from bondage to liberty; the disciples’ journey led from death to new life.

Even today, Your people journey — immigrants and refugees, pilgrims and nomads, searching for hope, searching for opportunity, searching for peace, searching for You. Lord, I know that I, too, am called to journey. Yet too many times, I have heard Your call, and my feet have remained unmoved.

Continue to call me beyond my comfort and into encounter. And when I meet a companion on the road, may we find You in each other’s embrace. Let us share the journey.

Amen.

Free-will offering to be taken at Masses October 7-8 for Hurricane Maria victims

FALL RIVER — Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V. has recommended to diocesan pastors that they facilitate an opportunity for parishioners to donate to the victims of Hurricane Maria that inflicted catastrophic damage to Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands.

The free-will offering will be taken up at Masses on October 7 and 8 and will be directed to Catholic Charities U.S.A. for distribution to the affected areas.

“With gratitude in our hearts for the blessings we have and a sincere sympathy for all those who are undergoing the trials associated with recovery, let us focus our prayers for them and for effective efforts to provide them with relief,” the bishop wrote.

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Anchor Editorial

Turning resolutely towards Jerusalem

This Tuesday at daily Mass we heard St. Luke (9:51) recount to us how “When the days for [ Jesus’] being taken up were fulfilled, He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.”

The past two week’s news has been filled with horrific tragedies: the degradation of Puerto Rico and the neighboring islands, where people are now living without electricity (and often without running water); the massacre in Las Vegas at a country music festival; the September 24 attack at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Nashville (where one parishioner was killed and several others injured); the mayhem in Spain’s Catalonia region as the central government resorted to violence as it attempted to stop an independence referendum; the stabbing murders of two women at the Marseilles, France train station this past Sunday (the same station at which last month four Boston College students were attacked with acid); the continuing murderous expulsion of the Moslem Rohingya minority from Myanmar (Burma); the thousands dead in Massachusetts from the opioid epidemic over the past few years, etc.

Into this morass, Our Lord resolutely determines to walk with us and calls upon us to accompany Him (Himself in our prayers and Him in the form of the suffering people we are all called to serve).

God did not will that any of these evil actions happen. People used their freewill in evil ways. Jesus came to help us stop doing this, so as to truly be free.

Pope Francis, in his homily on Tuesday, noted that the Apostles did not follow Jesus (until after Pentecost) in His determination to take up the cross. “At times the disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying or did not want to understand because they were afraid; other times they hid the truth or they were distracted by other things; or — as we can read in today’s Gospel: they searched for an alibi so as not to think about what was awaiting the Lord,” the pope said.

In our days we often act like these disciples. We avoid the cross, we make excuses for doing so, we fudge the truth so that our lives can be “easier” (in the long run, we’re making our lives harder, by not embracing the truth, which will set us free, as Jesus said [ Jn 8:32]).

To overcome this sinful inclination, the pontiff urged us, “Take some time today — five, 10, 15 minutes — either before the crucifix or with your imagination, to ‘see’ Jesus walking determinately towards Jerusalem and ask for the grace to have the courage to follow Him closely.”

Last Sunday, at that church in Nashville which had been attacked a week earlier, the minister, Joey Spann (who was one of the people shot the previous Sunday), said, “We’ve been celebrating for a week. It sounds odd, but we’re in celebration mode.” According to the Tennessean newspaper, the congregation was celebrating Melanie Crow because she died for her Christian faith. “This is our day of celebrating anyway. This is the Lord’s Day. We couldn’t handle this without the Prince of Peace. Just couldn’t.”

Bishop Joseph Pepe of Las Vegas wrote to his flock the day after the OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER www.anchornews.org

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The Anchor - October 6, 2017

shooting massacre, offering a message of hope: “Our hearts go out to everyone. We are praying for those who have been injured, those who have lost their lives, for the medical personnel and first responders who, with bravery and self-sacrifice have helped so many. We are also very heartened by the stories of all who helped each other in this time of crisis. As the Gospel reminds us, we are called to be modern-day Good Samaritans. We continue to pray for all in Las Vegas and around the world whose lives are shattered by the events of daily violence.” He then invited everyone to an interfaith prayer service that night (Monday) and he “invite[d] our sisters and brothers around the world to join us in prayer for healing and for an end to violence.”

Most of the tragedies previously enumerated can have some political solutions — prayer alone is not enough, but action without prayer will often lead to the wrong “solutions.” We need to pray for God’s guidance, we need to pray for the strength needed to love our enemies (whomever we might think “they” are), we need to pray for our own conversion, so that we can follow Christ to the “Jerusalems” of our day, to accept the “Golgotha” that might be in store for us (sometimes we’re cast in the role of Christ on the cross, sometimes we’re called to be like the Blessed Mother, Mary Magdalene, John the Evangelist and the women at the foot of the cross, giving support to someone else on their cross).

Pope Francis announced on September 27 that he would like the entire Church to participate in an international effort he called “Share the Journey,” in which he would like us to realize that we are called to accompany immigrants on their journey, not viewing them as foreigners, but rather as brothers and sisters. The bishops of the United States have asked us to dovetail this initiative with our annual October observance of Respect Life Month by having a week of prayer and study on the topic of immigration October 7 to 13. During that time period here in the Diocese of Fall River we have the annual Peace Procession and Mass.

The procession steps off from in front of St. Anne’s Church (818 Middle Street, Fall River) on Monday, October 9 (Columbus Day) at 6 p.m. and accompanies a statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the walk to the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, 327 Second Street, Fall River, where Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., will lead us in Mass.

Bishop da Cunha has asked that we participate in the Peace Procession and Mass this year as part of the “Share the Journey” campaign. The procession itself is a good symbol of the immigrants’ journey to the United States and of the Christian’s journey through life towards Heaven (on both journeys, Mary and Jesus always accompany us).

At the end of George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” Porgy turns resolutely to go to New York, to free Bess from a life of sin and drug abuse.

The opera implies that he could very well die there, but, like Christ, he will not abandon his beloved. May Christ help us to have that same resolution to accompany our beloved neighbors in need.

Daily Readings October 7 – October 20

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Oct. 7, Bar 4:5-12,27-29; Ps 69:33-37; Lk 10:17-24. Sun. Oct. 8, Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Is 5:1-7; Ps 80:9,12-16,19-20; Phil 4:6-9; Mt 21:33-43. Mon. Oct. 9, Jon 1:1—2:2,11; (Ps) Jon 2:2-5,8; Lk 10:25-37. Tues. Oct. 10, Jon 3:1-10; Ps 130:1-4,7-8; Lk 10:38-42. Wed. Oct. 11, Jon 4:1-11; Ps 86:3-6,9-10; Lk 11:1-4. Thurs. Oct. 12, Mal 3:13-20b; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 11:5-13. Fri. Oct. 13, Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2; Ps 9:2-3,6,8-9,16; Lk 11:15-26.

Sat. Oct. 14, Jl 4:12-21; Ps 97:1-2,5-6,11-12; Lk 11:27-28. Sun. Oct. 15, Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Is 25:6-10a; Ps 23:1-6; Phil 4:1214,19-20; Mt 22:1-14 or 22:1-10. Mon. Oct. 16, Rom 1:1-7; Ps 98:1-4; Lk 11:29-32. Tues. Oct. 17, Rom 1:16-25; Ps 19:2-5; Lk 11:37-41. Wed. Oct. 18, 2 Tm 4:10-17b; Ps 145:10-13,17-18; Lk 10:1-9. Thurs. Oct. 19, Rom 3:21-30; Ps 130:1-6; Lk 11:47-54. Fri. Oct. 20, Rom 4:1-8; Ps 32:1-2,5,11; Lk 12:1-7.

T

he beatification of Father Stanley Rother on September 23 in Oklahoma City, at which I was privileged to be present, was unforgettably moving.

I feel a little like SS. Peter and John in the Acts of the Apostles when they said, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). So I would like to share with you some impressions.

It was a celebration of the Church at its best, with the Church on earth joining the Church triumphant. The Cox Convention Center was bursting at the seams: 14,000 fit within it, 2,300 jammed into an overflow room, several thousand filled an overflow area around the upper deck, and another 5,000 were not able to be accommodated at all. The Liturgical music, with various choirs, was extraordinary in terms of its beauty as well as in its participation and must have set records in Liturgical decibels and in chills down faithfuls’ spines. Catholics from various backgrounds and ethic groups — including Guatemalan indigenous, Latinos, Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean — all blended into one body, joining 52 bishops, 288 priests, 137 deacons, 199 religious and Father Rother’s younger brother and sister to praise God. The joy of Pentecost was redolent.

Prior to Mass there was a 20-minute video shown on the life of Father Rother (ROW-ther) that with camera artistry and commentary brought everyone to Okarche, where he was born, baptized, grew up and farmed; to Santiago Atitlàn, Guatemala, nestled on a lake between volcanoes, where he ministered for 13 years; and into the room where in 1981 he was martyred, where his blood continues to stain the wall and a bullet hole still

Following the brave shepherd all the way

parents and family, containpierces the floor, but where ing the diamond from his now a Tabernacle has been mother’s wedding ring, and placed with Blessed Sacraused throughout his priestment helping everyone to hood. I thought of all those learn Whose love Blessed Stanley imitated there to the parents — including my own — who have sacrificed full.

At one point in the video, to give their sons chalices for the ordination in order a parishioner from Santiago to contain Christ’s Precious Atitlàn was describing Father Rother’s assassination in the Tz’utujil Putting Into dialect and — 36 years later — began to the Deep weep with uncontrollable filial love for his

By Father slain Spiritual father, Roger J. Landry and the editors just let him sob for about Blood at the altar. Little 10 seconds, as everyone in the Cox Convention Center would any anticipate that such an offering might be not only learned the inexused to embrace Christ’s tinguishable devotion his Blood when their son would Spiritual sons and daughbe raised to the altars! ters have for him but wept The tapestry of the new together with him before our Blessed revealed as soon as tears would soon be turned the formula of beatification into joy. was read beautifully wove When Pope Francis’ aptogether various elements of ostolic letter of beatification his life. He was dressed in a was read in Latin by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of cassock and surplice with a multi-color stole, a sartorial the Congregation of Saints, synthesis showing that he I couldn’t help be filled was a priest both traditional with the wonder of Divine and modern. In his right irony: that a man who was dismissed from seminary be- hand he held a copy of the New Testament in Tz’utujil cause his Latin was so poor that he had helped translate was now being proclaimed a Blessed in the language he and by which in some way couldn’t master! Pope Francis’ he continues to preach the words “missionarius secundum Word of God. The tapestry featured plants and flowers cor Christi,” a “missionary native to Oklahoma and to according to Christ’s heart,” were particularly apposite of Guatemala, a sign that his the new Blessed, whose heart life flourished in both places. was removed and remains in And in the four corners were the place of his missionary work in Santiago Atitlàn.

Cardinal Amato mentioned in his homily that the day of his martyrdom, Father Stanley was scheduled to go to the hospital to give blood for a parishioner who needed an operation. Little did he expect how he would become a blood donor that day!

The chalice used for the beatification was the one given by Father Rother’s

different places in which the seed of the Word of God had grown in him: Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Okarche where he was baptized; Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., where he was formed; Our Lady’s Cathedral in Oklahoma City where he was ordained; and St. James the Apostle Church in Santiago Atitlàn, where he passed on to others the fruit of the seeds God had planted.

In the video before the Mass, it was mentioned that in the 400 years prior to Father Rother’s arrival, the parish of Santiago Atitlàn had not produced a single priestly vocation. In the 36 years since, there have been 15 priests ordained from the parish and presently seven seminarians. This is an extraordinary commentary on the Gospel for the beatification — that if the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will bear great fruit ( Jn 12:24) — and doubtless a witness to the compelling example of the priesthood given by Blessed Stanley.

Father Rother’s most famous words, repeated to those who tried to talk him out of returning to Guatemala after his name appeared on the death list, were, “The shepherd cannot run; my people need me.” Mercenaries flee the wolves; shepherds, rather, are willing to give

their lives to protect their sheep ( Jn 10:11-15). That’s why the Collect for his beatification Mass, which will be used on his feast day July 28, was so appropriate, because it linked his priestly life to the One Who had entrusted him with His Guatemalan flock: “O God Who gave Your priest Blessed Stanley the heart of a pastor and the fidelity of a martyr, grant, through his intercession, that the humble flock may reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before.”

At the end of the Mass, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City told those present that there’s “more work to do,” a recognition that the goal was not a beatification in the Sooner State but a canonization in Rome, for which there’s a need for a fresh miracle. The archbishop likes to say, as a holy salesman for devotion to Father Rother, “If you need a miracle, he needs a miracle!”

I’d encourage everyone to join in that work, by turning to God through the intercession of our new American beatus, not just for miracles needed for ourselves or loved ones, but so that we might follow him to where he rejoices with the brave Shepherd in the eternal fold.

Anchor columnist Father Landry can be contacted at fatherlandry@ catholicpreaching.com.

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Cardinal John Henry Newman and our times

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fter the intolerance, bigotry and hatred on the part of xenophobic groups at the recent demonstrations in Charlottesville we must turn to the lives of the saints who teach us that it is possible to overcome such egregious behavior. The life of John Henry Newman, although under very different circumstances, offers us some lessons on respect and Christian charity. An Anglican convert to Catholicism, he spent the second half of his life in Birmingham, England, where many Irish immigrants settled.

Who was Cardinal Newman? In the United States some who have heard of Newman think he is St. John Newman, the German-born fourth bishop of Philadelphia whose last name was actually Neumann. In fact, Cardinal Newman was an Englishman (1801-1890), who studied and taught at Oxford University, where he converted from Anglicanism to the Roman Catholic Church on Oct. 9, 1845.

Before his conversion he

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had to overcome some biases tions, and acted not only with civility but charity, against Catholics, which he remembered by all after his later criticized in one of his death. At the same time, he books, “Present Difficulties cared for fellow Catholics in of Catholics in England,” dealing with such anti-Cath- Birmingham from among olic bigotry. He showed how the poor working-class immigrant Irish families. people can grow up with His relationship with these falsehoods and stereotypes concerning others. The same persons coming from a very happens today not only in matters of religion but of culture Guest and politics. It is easy Columnist to regard others who are different as infeBy Father rior or as enemies.

Juan R. Vélez Once he became a Catholic he had to learn to understand and dialogue with his former different social and cultural Anglican co-religionists who background is a lesson for all in respect and Christian often attacked him or sevcharity. ered relationships with him.

Newman was an educaTo the credit of both sides, tor at heart and the quinthowever, his friendships with essential university man.

Anglicans revived many He is fittingly the one for years later. whom the Newman Centers Newman explained that personal contact with people throughout U.S. colleges and universities are named. The of different backgrounds is often the best way to remove first such center was opened at the University of Pennprejudices. He pointed out sylvania in the 1890s. After to the priests and brothstudying and teaching at ers with whom he lived in Oxford University he started Birmingham that, although the Catholic University of they might be objects of Ireland in response to the discrimination in London, request of the Irish bishops. their neighbors in BirmingDuring his years as first ham would see who they rector of this university he truly were by their genuine delivered lectures on univerChristian lives. sity education which later Newman himself set became the famous “Idea of an example of respect and a University,” and he develpatience with persons of oped a system of small coldifferent religious conviclege houses for the students and other practical means for “making men” out of them. When he resigned as rector of the university and returned to Birmingham, where he was the head of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, he began a school for boys that continues to this day.

My recently released book, “Holiness in a Secular Age, the Witness of Cardinal Newman” (Scepter Publish-

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ers, 2017), explains in various chapters what Newman thought a university education, as well as the grammar school education preceding it, should be. In his time when Catholic education was relegated to priests and religious communities, Newman stressed the importance of laypersons being involved in the teaching and administration of a university, as well as the involvement of parents in the primary school education of their children.

In the same book, I present Newman’s teaching on holiness. Upon hearing the term “holiness,” we often think of the few men and women who are the canonized saints. Newman explains that holiness is a life of prayer and virtue, above all of charity, to which men and women in all walks of life should aspire. This is a teaching more familiar to us today following the preaching of St. Josemaría Escrivá, and later, the promulgations of the Second Vatican Council; but many years earlier Newman helped the faithful see that the Holy Spirit carries out this work in the believer, especially through the Sacraments.

“Holiness in a Secular Age, the Witness of Cardinal Newman” presents us with the Church’s teaching on the Bible, the development of doctrine, and the moral life as expounded

by Newman. Without a proper understanding of God’s Word, the Church’s mission to teach doctrine and discern its growth over the centuries, and how the moral conscience works, Christians are left with a superficial and relativistic way of practicing religion.

There are people who might

say, “my conscience tells me so,” to excuse some wrongful behavior, or “your truth is as good as mine” to forego further study of the faith and to avoid controversy. Newman would tell the laity that they must know and defend their faith.

Through this book I relate how Newman also helps the reader to understand why the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth. In a world in which there are so many religions and Christian denominations, people are often apt to think that all religions are basically the same or have minor differences only. Newman shows us that the respect and tolerance of others does not remove people’s obligation to seek religious truth.

Cardinal Newman speaks to our times, to materialism and the concomitant loss of faith, to moral relativism and a mistaken version of ecumenism. In the long tradition of the Church’s saints he invites us to holiness of life, characterized by respect and charity for all regardless of race or creed. The reading of a good biography of this modern-day saint and some of his works, especially his sermons, will revitalize and deepen the faith of many.

College students in particular will benefit from the teaching of Cardinal Newman as they face the challenges of university life, and intolerance and prejudice in society.

Father Juan R. Vélez, a priest of the prelature of Opus Dei, residing in Chicago, is author of “Passion for Truth, the Life of John Henry Newman” (TAN/St. Benedict, 2011) and “Holiness in a Secular Age, the Witness of Cardinal Newman” (Scepter Publishers, 2017). He had served previously as a priest in Massachusetts.

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n the first half of the 20th century, the theory of eugenics brought visions of Utopia, and realities of horror here and abroad. A workable definition of eugenics could be given as “good genes for social change.” With criminals, people of extremely low I.Q., and others deemed to be unfit for contributing to the gene pool of the United States being sterilized with legal approval, the practice was eagerly picked up and expanded by Nazi Germany.

The Nazis sterilized about 350,000 German citizens before the expansion of their working definition of eugenics was made more effective by replacing sterilization with euthanasia, or mercy deaths as they were called. These mercy deaths started with the inmates of a hospital for mentally-deficient children, the Bethel. The program expanded rapidly to include all whom the government regarded as undesirables — the insane, gypsies, gays, Jews, etc.

This would make the realization of a pure Aryan master race possible within the lifetime of that generation of leaders. (Please Google “Der Fuehrer’s Face” for the satirical Donald Duck film about the master race, or just Spike Jones’ rendition of the song.)

Well, we know what happened in the Third Reich; any and every person who was deemed undesirable lost the protection of law, and the power of the state grew and grew, in an insatiable desire to be an even greater nation and

Nazi idealism, slavery and ME euthanasia was not feasible people after the ravages of to implement the desire for World War I, which greatly eugenics. Margaret Sanger weakened the protection offered by morality. This made it saw another way which possible for even some decent was a type of self-imposed sterilization, and thus she people to actively collaborate in the culture of death for the undesirables, as long as they didn’t Guest have to be responsible for judging the rules Columnist which determined

By Father who were the undeMartin L. Buote sirables. Frequently, those who were to be judged undesirable promoted contraceptives were demonized and dehuas a way to get rid of the manized before being elimiundesirable gene pool (See, nated from the gene pool.

Back in the United States, www.blackgenocide.org/ sanger.html). legal forced sterilizations The situation we have in were ended in all states before the United States is now the third quarter of the 20th century. However, more than quite different from the idealism which attempted to two centuries of slavery had left us with a large portion of justify the Nazi horrors. All those who have lived long the general population that enough to get a name have was never fully assimilated. the protection of law and The Dred Scott decision of morality. Those who have not our Supreme Court in 1857 determined that slaves had no lived so long have no prolegal rights and were property. tection of law, and only the protection of badly-eroded Thus they had no protection national morality. The Suwhatsoever from the law, and whatever moral protection they had depended on the goodwill of their owner.

When, after the bloodbath of the Civil War, and the actions of the president and Congress (not the Supreme Court) they were truly emancipated, many of their fellow citizens considered them to be the “white man’s burden”: they were undesirables!

Because of the rule of law which is the code of our society, the way of the Nazis,

preme Court declared slaves to be the property of their masters in the 19th century, and declared the unborn to be the property of the women whose wombs housed them in the 20th century.

What about ME? I do not mean the person who goes by the name Rev. Martin Buote, for the term person is a legal term. I mean My Entity, that being with a certain unique set of chromosomes and genes and a particular life history whom I call ME. ME has had some changes over the years. The number of teeth and the distribution and color of hair have changed, but the entity is still ME. I can look at infant pictures and look in a mirror and see quite different images, but I know both are ME. At the moment of birth, I was still attached to my placenta, but the entity was ME. The moment before birth, I was in a different environment, but that entity had the same

chromosomes and genes and shared a shortened part of my life history, so the entity was ME. In the months which preceded birth, there were many changes in appearance and development, but the entity was still ME. Over 80 years of age, young adult, teen, child, infant, fetus, embryo, zygote, every step of the way, that entity was ME. ME was never simply an “it.”

This is true for everyone who can look into a mirror and say, “Me.” And it is also true for every entity which does not yet have the organs, voice and ability to say, “Me.” My existence goes back to a time when ME had the protection of law and morality. An act of a court can take away legal protection, but it can never make abortion moral. We lose much as a people when we lose the concept of God’s concern, and each individual’s concern for every ME that comes into existence in our world.

Father Buote is a retired priest of the Fall River Diocese.

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The shepherd who died for his flock

ather Stanley Francis Rother (19281981), a diocesan priest from Oklahoma murdered doing mission work in Guatemala, was recently beatified as a martyr in Oklahoma City. He is the first American-born male to be raised to the altars in the Catholic Church.

(There have been several American-born females, like Saints Kateri Tekakwitha, Elizabeth Ann Seton, and Katharine Drexel). Pope Francis, who had previously approved the decree of martyrdom, said during a recent Sunday Angelus address that Father Rother was “killed in hatred of the faith for his works of evangelization and human development in favor of the poorest in Guatemala.”

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For 13 years Padre the rural poor, largely inA’Plas, as he was called by digenous, were deprived of the Tz’utujil Indians, had a share in the political and worked selflessly at a mis- financial powers that be, sion in Santiago Atitlan, and some were in open or a remote village, where clandestine rebellion. The he served as pastor, learn- international background ing their languages (even was the Cold War, in translating the New Testa- which the great fear was ment into their native of communist infiltration tongue), administering of liberation movements. the Sacraments, building Parishioners of Father a farmers’ co-op, a school, and a hospital, and the first Judge Catholic radio station.

For The problem Yourself was that GuateBy Dwight Duncan mala was in the midst of a civil war. The reigning oligarchy, backed by the military and paraRother began to disapmilitary organizations, was pear when the military struggling to maintain its occupied his town, includhold on a country where ing one of his catechists.

Rumors began to circulate that the pastor was himself on a death list.

There are a couple of books about Blessed Stanley Rother’s story that are well worth reading: Henry Nouwen’s 1985 book, “Love in a Fearful Land: A Guatemalan Story,” revised and reissued in 2006

by Orbis Books for the 25th anniversary of Father Rother’s murder; and Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda’s more comprehensive 2015, “The Shepherd Who

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Didn’t Run,” published by Our Sunday Visitor.

The picture that emerges of Blessed Stanley Rother is of a strong, understated and simple priest who could draw on his farming upbringing to be a handyman when needed. Like St. Joseph, he watched over the Church family entrusted to him. He refused to desert his flock because of being in personal danger, preferring to share in the danger that his flock was in. In writing to a newly-ordained priest back home the month before his death, he advised: “‘Service’ has to be our motto.

I have heard that a group of priests in Oklahoma are expecting to be served, rather than to serve. That is one accusation I don’t want.

Pray for me.”

He had failed out of seminary because of his difficulty learning Latin, only to be given a second chance at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., at the urging of his parish priest and the local bishop.

His academic difficulties in seminary are like the poor academic record of Capuchin Solanus Casey, the next American to be

beatified this coming November in Detroit.

He was shot and killed by three masked gunmen who entered the room where he was sleeping during the night on July 28, 1981. He had told others that, if they came for him, he did not want to be taken from his rectory, and that they would have to kill him right there. He would thus avoid becoming one of the desparecidos, those who were kidnapped and disappeared, without family and friends knowing what had happened to them. No, his bloodstained room and his lifeless corpse would attest to his martyrdom and his love for his people.

The room where he was killed was subsequently turned into a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament reserved. It is a place of silence and prayer.

And, in the parish mission at Santiago his heart is venerated by the thousands of locals who loved Padre A’plas and were so loved by him that he gave his life for them.

Anchor columnist Dwight Duncan is a professor at UMass School of Law Dartmouth. He holds degrees in civil and canon law.

Friday 6 October 2017 — Homeport: Falmouth Harbor — Columbus Day Weekend h, sad Columbus Day. This summer resort town now enters a kind of drought, not caused by a lack of rain but by a lack of young adults. Even those born and raised on the Cape, once they attain a certain age, head over the bridge and get on with their lives. I read in the local newspaper that the town considered providing more affordable apartments for young adults in the hope that more would stay in Falmouth.

Of course, even with affordable housing, young people won’t remain here unless they have adequate year-round employment.

Still, it’s nice to see young men and women at Mass on a summer weekend, though you know they’re only visiting. Very early in the season, after colleges let out, there are always groups of students renting vacation cottages before the rates go up. At that time of year, I see them at Betsy’s Diner, where the motto is “eat heavy,” and the food is inexpensive. Groups of six or eight college boys will sit at tables pushed together. They order heaping plates of meat and potatoes. The same applies to groups of young women, who seem to prefer salads.

There are many young adults in Falmouth during high season. They have summer jobs in the hospitality industry. They also tend to come from other countries, having obtained seasonal work permits from the U.S. government. They give

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Odd jobs

the town a certain interand supermodel, also national flavor. worked in produce — at Maybe one day one of a fresh fruit emporium. them will be a president She wore a banana cosor a prime minister in tume to attract customers their country of origin.

— shades of Josephine Maybe one day a justice Baker and her exotic of a supreme court somewhere in the world will remem- The Ship’s Log Reflections of a ber with fondness once waiting tables Parish Priest at the Flying

By Father Tim Bridge Restaurant.

Goldrick After all, Brad Pitt, the awardwinning actor and pro“banana dance.” ducer, worked at a grilled Father John Perry chicken place called El once worked delivering Pollo Loco (The Crazy food trays to patients Chicken). Dwayne Wade, at the former Truesdale the National Basketball Hospital in Fall River.

Association superstar, Some years back, if you filled orders at Kentucky stopped at the creamery Fried Chicken. Superin Somerset, your ice star Lady Gaga waited cream treat may well have on tables in New York. been prepared by none Queen Latifah — rapper, other than now Bishop actress, model, and talk Emeritus George Coleshow host — worked at a man. I am not making Burger King. Entertainer this up.

Madonna preferred a job Some who are current at Dunkin’ Donuts. stars of stage and screen Some of our local took odd jobs that would Church personalities eventually relate to their also had summer jobs future careers. Quentin related to food. Young Tarantino, the actor and Tom Harrington worked director, worked in theat Sunbeam Bakery in ater (but as an usher).

New Bedford, where Actor Nicolas Cage also he was known to break worked in theatre — sellinto a rousing chorus of ing snacks in the lobby.

“Volaré” to liven things Warren Beatty, too, up. In 1958, “Volaré” won had a theater job — as “Song of the Year” at the in-house extermithe first ever Grammy nator. Country singer Awards. Father FredGarth Brooks worked die Babiczuk worked at in Nashville, but not at the Jack-in-the-Box in the Grand Ole Opry. He Taunton. Father Gerry worked in a store selling Hebert had a restaurant cowboy boots. Ozzy Osjob as well — out back bourne, the “godfather of washing pots and pans. heavy metal” music, once Father Arnie Medeiros’ worked in a slaughter job involved garden prohouse. This explains a lot. duce. He picked pecks of The same holds true peppers (Whether or not in the priesthood. Father they were ever pickled, I Dan Lacroix worked as know not). a parish secretary and Megan Fox, the actress Msgr. Steve Avila as a

church organist. Now they’re both church pastors.

Some big stars of entertainment first worked in sales. Gene Simmons of the rock band Kiss peddled newspapers. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld and actor Johnny Depp were telemarketer (It was a job). Rapper, entrepreneur, and fashion designer Kayne West sold clothing at a Gap store.

Well, we have Father Jason Brilliant — he had a job in the men’s clothing department. Father Ray Cambra had a clothing-related job, too, one might say. He worked at a laundry.

Rapper Jay-Z peddled

illegal drugs. At least Father Dick Chretien’s seasonal job was above board.

He worked at Pleasant Drug in Fall River.

As for me, dear readers, my first summer job was in quality control at a ring binder factory in New Bedford. I got paid to open and close (twice) every binder coming off the production line. Once I had mastered ring binders, I advanced to opening and closing suitcases in a luggage manufacturing plant. The sound of a click still drives me up the wall.

You just never know who got their start in life doing what odd job.

Anchor columnist Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth.

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Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in New Bedford recently held a retreat day at the Sacred Hearts Retreat Center in Wareham. This day of renewal was made possible through the ministry of the Home Missions Grant. The Spiritual director was Deacon Eduardo Pacheco for the parishioners whose primary language is Portuguese. The retreat consisted of reflections on the place of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s holy people; time for quiet meditation; adoration and a closing Communion service. Those who attended, 45 in number, were fed and challenged by the Holy Spirit to continue to grow into the Body of Christ as missionary disciples.

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Twenty-third annual Fall Scholarship Dinner is October 26 at White’s

WESTPORT — The diocesan Foundation to Advance Catholic Education will host the 23rd annual Fall Scholarship Dinner at White’s of Westport on the evening of October 26, Proceeds from this event provide need-based scholarships for children attending the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Fall River.

FACE is proud to present Mark K. Shriver, author of “Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis.” Shriver will share what he learned on that journey and discuss how Pope Francis’s message of faith, love, humility, and mercy is relevant in today’s world.

Shriver is senior vice president of U.S. Programs & Advocacy at Save the Children and president of Save the Children Action Network.

Shriver joined Save the Children in 2003 and developed the agency’s domestic early childhood education, literacy and health programs, which focus on underserved rural communities. He also created Save the Children’s domestic emergencies programs to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children before, during and after disaster strikes. In 2016, Save the Children’s programs benefitted more than 317,000 children across the country.

An advocate for children throughout his career, Shriver led a national coalition that convinced Congress to create the National Commission on Children and Disasters. He was appointed to the commission by Senator Harry Reid of Nevada; he was elected chairman by his fellow commissioners and

served in that role for the life of the commission (20082011).

In 2013, Shriver created Save the Children’s political advocacy arm, Save the Children Action Network.

SCAN seeks to build bipartisan solutions and generate voter support for policies that ensure that every child has an equal opportunity to succeed.

With a grassroots network of more than 200,000 supporters across all 50 states, SCAN is working to ensure that every child in the U.S. has access to highquality early childhood education and to end preventable

maternal and child deaths worldwide.

Shriver was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1994 to 2002. He was the first chairman of the Joint Committee on Children, Youth and Families, and was appointed chairman of the Children and Youth Subcommittee of Maryland’s House Ways

and Means Committee. He was repeatedly recognized as Outstanding Legislator of the Year by prominent advocacy and civic organizations.

In 1988, Shriver founded the innovative Choice Program, which serves delinquent and at-risk youth through intensive, community-based counseling. He subsequently created The

Choice Jobs Program, Inc., which trains, places and supports former Choice clients in jobs, as well as The Choice Middle Schools Program, a model for keeping at-risk middle school children in school.

For more information or tickets, contact the Office of Development at 508-6751311 or visit face-dfr.org.

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DCCW to host immigration forum on October 21

NEW BEDFORD — The Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will host a series of speakers at the Wamsutta Club, 427 County Street in New Bedford on October 21.

The event is titled, “Immigration and Its Impact,” and will feature three presentations on the topic.

The DCCW wishes to make known these impor-

tant issues affecting the lives of so many.

Scheduled to speak are Helena Hughes, executive director of Immigration Assistance; Attorney Schuyler Pisha from the Diocese of Fall River’s Catholic Social Services; and Father Richard D. Wilson, rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River, involved with the diocesan

Hispanic Apostolate.

Doors will open at 8:15 a.m., with breakfast served at 9 a.m. The event will conclude at noon.

For tickets or information contact: Attleboro — 508761-4638; Cape Cod — 508-743-5448; Fall River — 508-674-7036; New Bedford — 508-995-1604; and Taunton — 508-8248395.

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 October 8, 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father James M. Fitzpatrick, parochial vicar at St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River.

October 15, 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Daniel W. Lacroix, pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in New Bedford.

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Getting to know our diocesan Catholic schools This continues a series of articles about the Catholic schools that make up the Diocese of Fall River. This edition focuses on schools in the Fall River Deanery. The next edition will cover the Taunton and Attleboro deaneries.

Student learning at Bishop Connolly enriched by $1.4 million in campus upgrades Lab upgrades that immerse students in collegelevel biotech and environmental science research;

a tech-savvy Academic Achievement Center featuring laptop bays; desktop computer stations and

interactive panel technology to expand digital learning resources for students; extra-wide lockers

that hold backpacks, duffel bags and sports gear; and a redesigned campus center featuring a cafe, lounge

seating and booths perfect for connecting with friends, are some of the upgrades that greeted students at Bishop Connolly High School this year.

When students arrived for the start of classes this fall, they discovered bright, bold changes designed to energize learning and campus life at the Fall River college preparatory Catholic high school.

Thanks to $1.4 million in support from alumni, parents, friends and community business leaders, BCHS has made extensive improvements to its building and grounds, enhanced academic programming, and increased tuition aid resources to enable greater Continued on page 24

Espirito Santo School: ‘To Truth, Through Love’ My name is Alyssa St. Laurent and I’m an eighthgrader at Espirito Santo School. I have been enrolled at Espirito Santo School since kindergarten and I feel I understand this school better than some of my peers. Sometimes, growing up in the same school can make you blind to the small details, but recently I went in depth about what I love about my school and what makes it unique.

As soon as I walk through the doors of Espirito Santo, I’m greeted by the staff, with their smiling faces, which makes me immediately feel welcome.

Throughout the day, they guide me through academic challenges, no matter what the subject may be. They always take me and everyone

else into consideration, and work with us individually to help our every academic need. They know our likes and dislikes, how we behave, and how to help us, just like a family.

They put us on the right path and prepare us for what’s to come as they

watch us grow throughout the years.

We grow in a religious environment and are given various ways to learn.

Espirito Santo is an environment where we learn through the experience of our faith. We are as familiar Continued on page 19

St. Michael School: Building a foundation for the future Education is the greatest investment that a parent can make for their child, and here at St. Michael School, that investment will provide the foundation for a lifetime — a lifetime of faith, of life-long learning, and the success that every parent wants for their child.

St. Michael School is a Catholic faith and academic community serving the students and families of St. Michael’s Parish and families in the greater Fall River area.

We are proud of the ethnic diversity of our students and commit ourselves to being a welcoming community.

Through recent diocesan efforts, we were happy to welcome many new students through the “Hope and Opportunity” program, offering financial assistance to lowincome families. St. Michael’s is committed to providing Catholic education to every family that desires it for their children, and we work hard

to provide the financial assistance for those who might need it.

Our school is founded on our Catholic faith tradition.

We believe, teach and live the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Holy Catholic Church, demonstrating our faith in action through devotion and service to others. It is our aim to form the hearts and minds of each of our students!

The Catholic faith is not only taught but also practiced in the students’ daily lives. The school community begins and ends each day with prayer and attends Holy Mass each week. Additionally, the students are also taught the traditions and devotions of the Catholic Church, having the opportunity to regularly attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and learn devotions such as the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross.

Academic excellence is Continued on page 19

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Getting to know our diocesan Catholic schools Holy Trinity School: Preparing students for a productive role in a global society

St. Stanislaus School: ‘Troubadours of the Faith: A Chant Catechism’ The theme of our school year at St. Stanislaus School is “Troubadours of the Faith: A Chant Catechism.” We are striving to help one another grow in our call to be heralds of the Gospel wherever we find ourselves, bringing the love of Christ to a world that has often lost sight of it.

But we have to know the faith before we can share it, hence the chant catechism.

Father Andrew Johnson, pastor and director, has put together a book of chants in Latin, English and Polish to review the fundamental teachings of our faith. We are learning to sing them as we gather in church each morning for prayer. As the students master each chant, we will record it and post it on our website and Facebook page for visitors to enter into prayer with us.

To carry out the theme, we are entering into a schoolwide study of the medieval period. Our reason for choosing this period is best expressed in Dr. Andrew Jones’ description of the time in his book, “Before Church and State,” “as a world in which 16

the material and the Spiritual were totally dependent on each other and penetrated one another at every level.”

This is and has always been the Catholic world view: everything in the material world has the potential to be used by God as a channel for His presence and grace.

Our responsibility to hand on this heritage to our children has never been more urgent. They are growing up in a divided world and are encouraged by society to live shallowly and to compartmentalize their lives. There can be no unity in society without an internal personal unity that allows us to live in the presence of God even as we go about the business of our daily lives.

So this year, we will continue in the Catholic liberal arts tradition, framing our studies with the deepest desire of the human heart: the quest to encounter the Lord Jesus, Who is goodness, beauty, and truth in Person.

We will be learning by heart such things as classic poetry and historical selec-

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Continued on page 19

“Holy Trinity School aims to instill a lifelong desire for learning, to recognize diversity that will prepare each child for a productive role in a global society.”

This portion of the school’s mission statement is alive and well! Holy Trinity School has continued to make a difference in the students’ lives by providing them with 21st-century skills with the latest technology. In the past year, the school has added a cart of 30 iPads, 45 new Kindles, 26 Chromebooks and a 3D printer. This is in addition to Smart Board Technology in every classroom and 30 Microsoft tablets. Our stu-

dents were able to use these devices this past summer in our first-ever STEM Camp. We had a total of 75 students who took part in a four-week camp. The students had an amazing time

For nearly 60 years Holy Name School has made a difference in the lives of students through providing an education of academic excellence rooted in Catholic values. Discover the difference that dedication generates — the dedication of the school’s director, the school’s staff and faculty, and the school’s parents.

The growth and development of our students, from

pre-kindergarten through grade eight, results from Catholic and family values that are woven into the fabric which is Holy Name School.

A new educational dimension to parish life began in the late 1950s with an appeal letter to parishioners from Pastor Msgr.

William H. Harrington announcing the ambitious goal of creating Holy Name

and we are already planning for next summer!

Holy Trinity School is also very excited about the “special education program” that is continuing to grow.

Continued on page 17

Holy Name School — Academic excellence rooted in Catholic values established in 1959

School, whose primary focus would be offering students the opportunity to grow in their awareness of their Catholic faith and to develop a relationship with God Who created them.

The cornerstone of Holy Name School was blessed in 1959 and construction of the projected eightclassroom structure was underway by September of that same year. The school was designed by the prestigious, church-oriented, architectural firm of Maginnis, Walsh & Kennedy of Boston.

Holy Name School’s very first faculty members were nuns from the Sisters of the Holy Union of the Sacred Hearts, better known today as the Holy Union Sisters.

They established the strong, Catholic foundation that continues to be an emContinued on page 23

For and About Our Church Youth

Third-grade students at Holy Name School in Fall River recently introduced themselves to one another by designing an “All about me” poster.

Students of pre-school, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten at Espirito Santo School in Fall River enjoyed a beautiful day at the new playground at Father Travassos Park.

Fifth-graders at St. James-St. John School in New Bedford recently enjoyed the first day of school.

Holy Trinity School continued from page 16

We have two special education teachers and a part-time reading specialist on staff.

We are able to service students with IEP’s.

In addition to the special education program Holy Trinity School has an enrichment program. The enrichment teacher works with students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. This is for the students who need challenges greater than what the regular curriculum offers. The students are the top five or six students in each grade. They are working on STEM, literary circles, etc. This program has made an incredible difference for these students.

Holy Trinity School has been blessed with

many donations over the past two years. This is what has made it possible for the school to continue to grow with technology and staff.

The children deserve the best!

The school’s enrollment is 273 students in grades pre-k through eighth grade. Our open house is being held on Jan. 28, 2018, from noon to 2 p.m. Presently we have no openings in grades pre-K, Kindergarten and first grade. The rest of the school has very limited openings. You can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter. The administration holds tours throughout the year.

Feel free to contact the school if you are interested.

Advance Air and Heat Company of East Freetown generously donated a “Buddy Bench” to St. Joseph School in Fairhaven for its playground. The buddy bench is a simple idea to eliminate loneliness and foster friendship on the playground. From left: Tracy Travers, director of Advancement; Father Stephen Banjare, pastor; Faith Piazza, principal; student Luke Dennen; and kindergarten teacher Teresa Ronhock.

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For and About Our Church Youth

The Bishop Stang High School National Honor Society recently held its annual food drive. Nearly 6,000 pounds of food was collected and delivered to local food pantries, including St. Anthony’s Church in New Bedford, St. Vincent de Paul in Wareham, Shepherd’s Food Pantry in Acushnet, and Solanus Casey Catholic Social Services in New Bedford. Pictured are members of the freshman class who assisted in loading the trucks.

St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro celebrated International Peace Day with its annual Pinwheels for Peace. The school’s art teacher, Shawn Sweet, has been having the students make pinwheels in art class as an art installation to celebrate this day for the past 10 years.

The students make their own pinwheels with a message about peace. The tradition of Pinwheels for Peace was started by two art teachers in Florida in 2005. It is a tradition celebrated around the world by millions of students.

At right is a photo of some of the fourth-grade students around the pinwheels hung along the fence.

St. Francis Xavier School in Acushnet was excited to unveil to students this fall the transformation of their computer lab space into a STEM Learning Lab. The addition of new floors, tech carts, Chromebooks, mobile tables, and a 70-inch touchscreen monitor allow the space to adapt more fluidly to the varied ways students explore and ultimately learn today in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Pictured are fourth-graders captivated at various technology learning stations in the space.

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The Anchor - October 6, 2017

Espirito Santo School

St. Michael School

with technology as were are with textbooks, as the school continues to provide the resources to help us succeed in a changing world. Also, we are given the opportunity to volunteer, in partnership with the Church and with outside community agencies as a form of community service.

The students are raised with the golden rule that they treat others how they want to be treated and learn how to settle disputes (not that there really are any) in a Christian way. The classes are just the right size, where the school has a big family, but everyone knows everyone else. Even some students from other grade levels build friendly relationships, who have either met in the halls or in an extracurricular activity. This makes Espirito Santo feel like a family. The extracurricular activities include a school choir, yearbook club, homework club, knitting club, Catholic futsal league and CYO basketball teams for boys and girls, where everyone who participates is taught the fundamentals of teamwork and sportsmanship. This is just a small list of activities that our school offers, and it only continues to grow.

We often go to Masses held at our parish, where Father Gauvin speaks and interacts with us, as we do with him. Masses we attend during the school year are served by altar servers from our school and planned by various classes. Students are part of the Liturgy by lectoring, presenting the gifts, and leading the school in prayerful song. It’s an interesting experience to be able to participate in such a close and up-front way. Every year, our parish holds a feast where we all can volunteer and go to for fun. Everyone

what we strive for at St. Michael’s and our faculty is working hard to raise standards higher to achieve even more.

Our faculty and staff are committed to providing quality education to each student.

Our smaller class sizes enable our teachers to spend more time with each student.

Recently, we were happy to announce the addition of literacy and math coaches to assist each student reach their academic potential.

We have recently purchased additional Chromebooks so that students have access to the most up-to-date technology. Our students continue to benefit from the advancements in technology, which will surely give them the foundation they need in the future.

continued from page 15

looks forward to the Christmas play as the eighth grade reenacts various events around the time Jesus Christ was born. This year, it will be my class who can help educate the younger ones in the best way possible. Stations of the Cross, which are led by the seventh-grade class, is a fantastic experience. The Stations of the Cross are my personal favorite because of the intensity and the concept that Jesus gave up the most to give us more in our lives. Everything we know and do is made possible by all the dedicated teachers.

The teachers help us coordinate ourselves with our studies and the plays, each and every one of the classes taking part; singing, acting, reading, and narrating.

This truly allows us to live out our mission statement, helping us grow morally, Spiritually and intellectually, in this caring, Christian environment.

Everyone who grows within the Espirito Santo School environment is taught three major lessons: mercy, humility, and kindness/respect for everyone.

From the youngest to the oldest, everyone is taught the value of kindness and respect.

Good behavior is praised and everyone learns quickly that it is fun to help others rather than make them unhappy.

The Espirito Santo School faculty is a big part of every child’s life, my life, and each other’s. I can’t imagine ever going to another school, but I know it’s inevitable. I’m going to make the best of my last school year with the best people I know, and travel down the best path that the teachers took the time to pave for me. I will cherish all of the memories I have built here, and thank you to everyone who made those memories great.

continued from page 15

This year, we were happy to announce that we were extending our pre-school program, creating a class for three-year-olds. Limited space is available in this new program.

In addition to the Spiritual and academic formation of our students, we also strive to help them develop other skills and talents. Our students participate in CYO basketball and futsal, drama club, student government, as well as classes in health, music, art and physical education.

The sense of community has always been a hallmark of our parish and school and remains one of its greatest assets to this day. Our school community is truly a family! Follow us on Facebook (St. Michael’s Church and School) or on Instagram

(saint_michael_school) to see for yourself how wonderful a community we have at St. Michael’s.

The hard work of our community and our friendships with local organizations and businesses has enabled us to construct a playground for our students. We are blessed to have such a supportive parish family that supports the mission of our school and works hard to ensure its success.

Please consider scheduling a visit to St. Michael’s School, and see for yourself what a great investment it would be for your child to be educated here. For more information, please visit our school website, www.smsfr.org, or contact our principal, Pamela Leary at pleary@smsfr.dfrcs.org or at 508-678-0266.

students are helping us create a house program for grades six through eight.

The goal of the St. Stan’s House System is to provide an opportunity for students and faculty to interact across grade levels.

Through this interaction, we will work to build a united middle school community and create a climate where students strive for excellence.

Each house is under the patronage of a saint. The saints have been carefully chosen to reflect the Spiritual heritage of St. Stanislaus School: St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), St. Maximilian Kolbe, Pope St. John Paul II, and St. Lucy. The houses will lead the student body in various activities throughout the year.

Our newest service club, the Children of Mary, and our new Robotics Training Team join our existing activities of CYFL futsal, CYO basketball, Spanish club, choir,

drama club, engineering club, girl’s Gregorian chant schola, instrumental music lessons, robotics competition team, The Linden Tree Literary and Arts Magazine, track team, Taekwondo and yearbook club as opportunities for students to further explore and develop interests and talents.

Professional development for the faculty will focus on the study and implementation of the Catholic Curriculum Standards developed by the Cardinal Newman Society.

Faculty teams will create learning progressions that will provide a portrait of expectations for student growth and development.

It is our prayer that through this year’s study we will all grow stronger in our knowledge, our integrity, and our faith so that we can go, in the words of St. Joan of Arc, “In the name of God, forward boldly!” to proclaim Christ Who loves us and sustains us.

St. Stanislaus School continued from page 16

tions, making them our own continual sources of inspiration. In literature, children will be guided through a deep analysis of classic works, from rhymes and folktales in the lower grades to Shakespeare in the upper grades, fostering a lively exchange in literature circles and seminars. Our history studies will explore stories of heroes and common folks and a comparison of medieval times with our own. Science explorations will emphasize hands-on inquiry and experimentation. Our fine arts program includes an installation of student-made acrylic panels in a stainedglass style and a medieval presentation from storyteller Diane Edgecomb. In our Academic Explorations program for our advanced students, we will explore medieval society through a focus on cathedrals and castles. Our culminating activity for the year will be a Medieval Faire.

Our middle school

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Five to be recognized at Red Mass at cathedral October 14 continued from page three

District Court, chairman of the Probation Committee, and as a Justice of the Civil Appellate Division.

Previously, Dawley worked for the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, becoming Deputy First Assistant District Attorney there and receiving, in 2000, Prosecutor of the Year Award from the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association.

For the past 10 years, he has been an adjunct faculty member at Stonehill College.

Dawley holds degrees from Tufts University and Suffolk University Law School.

Married, he and his wife, Maura, have three children.

Princi has practiced law for more than 40 years.

Now a senior partner in the law firm of Wynn and Wynn, he is based at its Hyannis office and concentrates in complex civil litigation, personal injury, business and general litigation, and transactional law.

Since 1983, he has served as outside counsel to the Housing Assistance Corporation of Cape Cod, devoting numerous pro bono hours to support affordable housing and shelter for the homeless. He has for the past 25 years organized a holiday gift basket party for the agency’s clients living in shelters.

Princi has been active in his community over the years including service as a member of the Barnstable School Committee and as a board member of the Cape Cod YMCA and the Cotuit Center for the Arts.

For the past 12 years, 20

he has been among sponsors of “Taste and See,” a major fund-raiser for the homeless sponsored by Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Osterville, and Our Lady of Victory Parish, Centerville, where he is a parishioner and longtime lector.

A member of several professional associations, he has served on numerous boards and committees of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys.

He is a graduate of Bowdoin College in Maine and Northeastern University School of Law. Following service in the United States Navy, which included a tour in Vietnam, he transferred to the Massachusetts Air National Guard where he was Staff Judge Advocate and senior legal counsel.

He and his wife, Area, have a family of six children and 11 grandchildren.

Lunny is manager of the Office of Clerk Magistrate for the Third District Court in New Bedford, and as such, she supervises a staff of 25, coordinating work assignments, training, and the development and implementation of office policies and procedures.

She has worked for the District Court for 27 years, beginning as a procedure clerk then working her way up to case coordinator and supervisor of the criminal clerk’s office before her promotion to her current post.

She has received the Trial Court Excellence Award for her service.

Lunny attended Kinyon Campbell Business School and Southeastern

The Anchor - October 6, 2017

Massachusetts University, UMass-Dartmouth.

A resident of New Bedford, she is married to Steven Lunny, and they are the parents of a daughter and son and grandparents of two.

Lunny is a parishioner of St. Julie Billiart Parish in North Dartmouth.

Babin has served for 16 years in the Bristol County Probate Court as Assistant Judicial Case Manager, where she is responsible for the court session, pleadings, filings, and management of the judge’s case load.

She began her legal career in 1978 as an associate with a sole practitioner. She then became an assistant district attorney in the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office for six years before beginning her own practice in New Bedford, concentrating in civil and criminal litigation and probate and family matters. She joined the Bristol County Probate and Family Court in 2000 as a Family Law Facilitator, assisting indigent litigants with legal services providers and community agencies for assistance.

Her longtime commitment to ensuring that the indigent have access to legal services is reflected in her years of service to entities established for that purpose. She was a director for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation; director for South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc., and chairman of the former Southeastern Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation.

Throughout the years, she has served several professional associations:

as director and president of the Bristol County Bar Association; as president of the Bristol County Bar Advocates; and as a regional delegate in the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Babin holds degrees from Barnard College of Columbia University, New York, and the Boston University School of Law. She is a member of Temple Beth El in Fall River and Temple Emmanu-El in Providence.

Macy was the Presiding Justice for the Nantucket District Court from 2006 until his retirement in 2013 after which he was a Recall Justice for two years. Appointed to the bench in 1998, he served predominantly in the Trial Courts of Bristol County as well as in Nantucket.

A resident of Fall River, he was in private law practice there for many years and served as legal counsel for the Fall River and Swansea School

Committees, Citizens for Citizens, and the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority.

He currently serves as corporation counsel for the City of Fall River.

Active in the community, he is or has been a trustee or member of the board of many institutions, among them the Fall River YMCA, the Fall River Deaconess Home and Citizens Scholarship Foundation.

He is a parishioner of Holy Name Parish in Fall River.

Macy is a graduate of Brown University and Boston University School of Law, and a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in Vietnam.

He and his wife Paula are the parents of a son and daughter.

All are welcome at the Red Mass. A reception and dinner will follow for which a ticket is required. For information, please contact Atty.

Harrington at 508-9945900.

Catholic Woman’s Club turns 100 continued from page four

has provided the opportunity for women to meet, to listen to stimulating lectures, to enjoy pleasant programs, to hold fundraisers to provide monies in support of its charities, and to form strong and lasting friendships.

The theme throughout the 100th anniversary celebration was “Then and Now,” with the luncheon featuring “retro” hors d’oeuvres and a “modern” dessert. Flowers at the head table followed the same old-to-new format with one being a Gatsby-era arrangement and the other an up-to-date display. At the conclusion of the day these flowers were taken to local

nursing homes where some members currently reside — Our Lady’s Haven in Fairhaven and the Sacred Heart Home in New Bedford.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful day of reminiscing and looking forward, hopefully to many more years of enjoyment and charity.

The club’s current roster of officers includes: Lynne Kuczewski, president; Mary Elizabeth Griffin, first vice president; Delia Silva, second vice president; Mary Mitchell, recording secretary; Leonora Carreiro, corresponding secretary; and Helen Stager, treasurer.

Father Thomas Halkovic, C.S.C.

EASTON — Father Thomas Halkovic, C.S.C., 73, longtime Stonehill Campus minister, died September 9.

He was born July 1, 1944 in Bridgeport, Conn., to Joseph A. and Anna Vargo Halkovic. Father Halkovic was received into the Congregation of the Holy Cross on July 15, 1963 and entered the Novitiate of the Eastern Province of Holy Cross Fathers and professed First Vows at North Dartmouth on July 16, 1964.

He made his Final Profession of Vows on April 1, 1970 and was ordained to the priesthood on April 3, 1971.

At the heart of Stonehill College’s pastoral outreach, Father Halkovic, who retired earlier this year, oversaw retreat and Sacramental programs for Campus Ministry. He was a polished homilist, who also organized and presided over many Liturgies and over the years he officiated at many alumni weddings in the Chapel of Mary and at many off-campus locations.

An educator in the faith, Father Halkovic devoted his life to serving the community with compassion and a deep sense of Spirituality, and he always worked to make God known, loved and served. “He went about his ministry with understatement and integrity, and we will miss his presence, wisdom and friendship,” said Stonehill President, Father John Denning, C.S.C. Before he joined Campus Ministry in 1994, Father Halkovic served as residence hall director from 1989-1990 and then

as the college’s director of Student Activities from 1990 to 1994. In addition to his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stonehill College, Father Halkovic held a master of theology degree from the University of Notre Dame and a graduate studies certificate in counseling from Fairfield University.

Prior to coming to Stonehill, Father Halkovic taught religion at St. Joseph High School in South Bend, Ind. from 1970-1972 and at Notre Dame High School in Fairfield, Conn. from 1972-1974. He was guidance counselor and teacher at Holy Cross High School, Danbury, Conn., from 1974-1978. He then worked at Immaculate High School in Danbury, Conn., as a guidance counselor from 1978 to 1982 and as a director of guidance from 1982 to 1989.

Preceding him in death are his parents, Joseph and Anna Halkovic. He is survived by a sister, Patricia Mensik (Bob) of St. Augustine, Fla.; a brother, Michael, of Bridgeport, Conn.; and a brother, Joseph, of Louisiana, along with several nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass was held at the Chapel of Mary at Stonehill College in Easton on September 19. Burial followed at the Holy Cross Community Cemetery at Stonehill College. Kane Funeral Home of Easton was in charge of the arrangements.

Gifts can be made in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross via United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Development, 500 Washington Street, North Easton, Mass., 023561299, or online at donate. holycrossusa.org.

Father Austin T. Nagle, SS.CC.

FAIRHAVEN — Father Austin T. Nagle, SS.CC., an ordained member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and MaryUnited States Province, passed away September 20 at Sacred Heart Nursing Home in New Bedford, where he had resided for the past several months.

Father Nagle, who celebrated his 89th birthday on August 2, was born to James and Anna (Brennan) Nagle in Cambridge in 1928. The third youngest in a family of 10 children, he is survived by his sister, Margaret Grealish, and his brother and sister-in-law, Joseph and Loretta Nagle, as well as nine nieces and 11 nephews. He was predeceased by his siblings, Rita, Thomas, John, Anna, Mary, Father James, a Maryknoll Missionary, and Francis.

Father Nagle had been a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts for more than 68 years, having entered the novitiate

in Fairhaven in 1948 at the age of 20. He professed his first vows on Sept. 14, 1949, and was ordained to the priesthood on Sept. 21, 1954 at Queen of Peace Seminary in Jaffrey, N.H. During his more than 50 years of ministry, Father Nagle has held positions ranging from assistant novice master and vocation director in Ireland, to teaching at Pomona Boys High School in California. He served in parishes throughout the southeastern Massachusetts area, including St. Joseph in Fairhaven, St. Anthony in Mattapoisett, St. Mary in North Fairhaven, Our Lady of Lourdes in Wellfleet, and St. Francis Xavier in Acushnet.

In 1979, Father Nagle transitioned from parish work to serving as chaplain

at veterans’ administration hospitals in the New England area, a ministry he continued for 20 years.

In 1981, he was appointed chaplain at Our Lady of Sorrows Convent and St. Joseph Manor Nursing Home in Brockton. Until his health forced him to retire, he also spent weekends as chaplain for the Veterans’ National Cemetery located in Bourne.

The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts and Father Nagle’s family extends sincere thanks to the staff at Damien Residence, Sacred Heart Skilled Nursing, and the Fairhaven Community Nurse and Hospice for the love and care given to Father Nagle.

A Funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Joseph’s Church in Fairhaven September 23 followed by burial in the Sacred Hearts Community Cemetery.

Donations may be made to the Sacred Hearts Community at Damien Residence in Fairhaven.

John B. Blottman, brother of Father William B. Blottman

NORTH ANDOVER — John B. Blottman Jr., 92, of North Andover, died September 22 at Ashland Farm.

He was born June 30, 1925 in New York City to the late John B. and Kathryn M. (Williams) Blottman.

He received a BSEE from the University of Illinois and also a MSEE from Northeastern University. He served as an officer with the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Navy Reserves. He was a technical engineer at General Electric and was also a research engineer at Tuft’s University.

Blottman was a member of the technical staff at RCA, a member of the technical and department staff and group leader at

MITRE Corporation. He was a long-term director and vice president of the North Cambridge Cooperative Bank.

He was a Massachusetts licensed professional engineer and real estate broker. Blottman volunteered at Austin Preparatory School and for the Boy Scouts of America.

In his spare time he enjoyed time on Cape Cod and later his home in Florida.

He was the widower of Joan F. (Griffin) Blottman who died in June of 2014.

He was also predeceased by

his sister, Sister Rosemary Blottman. He is survived by his sons, John B. Blottman, III of North Andover and Peter F. Blottman of Melbourne, Fla.; a daughter, Joan Koesterherm and her husband Peter of North Andover; his brother, Father William B. Blottman of Fall River, and sisters Joan Kenton of Attleboro; Ruth Chippendale of Palo Alto, Calif.; and Elizabeth McCormack of New Jersey; as well as many nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on September 27, at St. Michael’s Church, North Andover. Burial followed in Ridgewood Cemetery, North Andover.

The Anchor - October 6, 2017 21

Around the Diocese A Holy Hour, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions, will be held at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in New Bedford on Tuesday, October 10 beginning at 7 p.m. Please join them for a Holy Hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, recitation of the Rosary, and Divine Mercy Chaplet.

There will be a Healing Mass at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, 19 Kilmer Avenue in Taunton on Thursday, October 12. Holy Rosary begins at 6 p.m. and will include the Sacrament of Confession. Holy Mass will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will conclude with healing prayers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. All are welcome.

An American Red Cross Blood Drive, co-hosted by Marian Manor and Morton Hospital, will be held on October 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Margaret Stone Conference Room at Morton Hospital, 88 Washington Street in Taunton. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-733-2767 or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter “MortonHospital.”

St. Mary’s Parish in South Dartmouth will host an Octoberfest, sponsored by the St. Mary’s Ladies Guild on Saturday, October 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 50 crafters and vendors will be featured, along with food, raffles, pumpkins, mums, a book sale, children’s grab bags and more. All proceeds will benefit the Msgr. A.G. Considine Scholarship Fund. For more information, call 508-990-0638.

Holy Name Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 121 Mount Pleasant Street in New Bedford, will host its Annual Parish Bazaar on October 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring Taylor Cormier, a Sinatra-style singer, performing from 1 to 2 p.m. The event will offer a grand raffle, dine-out books, white elephant, Chinese auction, baked goods, foods-to-go, homemade fudge, jewelry, themed baskets, lottery tree raffle and more. The kitchen will be open all day, serving homemade French meat pie, chow mein sandwiches, caçoila sandwiches, linguica, pepper and onion sandwiches, kale soup and more.

The next Day of Silence With the Masters will take place on Saturday, October 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the grounds of St. John Neumann Parish, 157 Middleboro Road in East Freetown. This session will focus on St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The event is free and all are welcome. For more information, contact Karen Howard at klhoward@aol.com or 508-947-0193.

Our Lady of Fatima Church, 4256 Acushnet Avenue (corner of Tobey Street), in New Bedford, will host its Annual Harvest Fair sponsored by the Ladies Guild on Sunday, October 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the parish hall. Coffee and donuts, homemade food, baked goods and candy will be served. The fair will feature many talented crafters and vendors, books, jewelry, raffles of beautiful theme baskets, cash raffles, Chinese auction, kids game booth and more! Plenty of parking and admission is free. For more information, contact Lucy Pinto at 508-995-7351.

The Fall River Diocesan Council of Catholic Women will host a breakfast presentation entitled “Immigration and Its Impact” on Saturday, October 21 at the Wamsutta Club, 427 County Street in New Bedford. Speakers will include Helena Hughes, executive director of Immigration Assistance; Attorney Schuyler Pisha, Catholic Social Services; and Father Richard Wilson, rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral. Doors open at 8:15 a.m. and breakfast will be served at 9 a.m. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased by calling 508-761-4638 (Attleboro), 508-674-7036 (Fall River), 508-743-5448 (Cape Cod), 508-824-8395 (Taunton), or 508-995-1604 (New Bedford).

On Sunday, October 22, the Holy Name Parish Vocation Committee is hosting a luncheon at noon, at Holy Name School in Fall River, followed by “Speak to me God” (How Can I Listen?), presentations by Father Jason Brilhante and Sister Sabitha, O.P., who will share their journey and experiences to encourage us to know that, yes, God still speaks to each and every one of us today and, if we are listening, how He will reveal His plan and purpose for our life.

Admission is free. We need you to reserve your place for lunch by emailing hnvocations@hnsfr.org or by calling Donna at 774-6445878. Please reserve no later than Oct. 15

To submit an event for consideration in The Anchor’s “Around the Diocese” listing, send the information by email to kensouza@anchornews.org

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The Anchor - October 6, 2017

Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese Acushnet — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening prayer and Benediction is held Monday through Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

ASSONET — Beginning September 14, St. Bernard’s Parish will have Eucharistic Adoration every Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the altar at the conclusion of 9 a.m. Mass and the church will be open all day, concluding with evening prayer and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.

ATTLEBORO — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the Adoration Chapel at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 71 Linden Street, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

ATTLEBORO — The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette holds Eucharistic Adoration in the Shrine Church every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. through November 17.

ATTLEBORO — There is a weekly time of Eucharistic Adoration Wednesdays from 7-9 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church on North Main Street.

Brewster — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the La Salette Chapel in the lower level of Our Lady of the Cape Church, 468 Stony Brook Road, on First Fridays beginning at noon until 7:45 a.m. First Saturday, concluding with Benediction and concluding with Mass at 8 a.m. buzzards Bay — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, Monday through Saturday, from 6:30 to 8 a.m.; and every first Friday from noon to 8 a.m. on Saturday.

East Freetown — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. John Neumann Church every Monday (excluding legal holidays) 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Our Lady, Mother of All Nations Chapel. (The base of the bell tower).

EAST TAUNTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place in the chapel at Holy Family Parish Center, 438 Middleboro Avenue, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. On First Fridays, Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Holy Family Church, 370 Middleboro Avenue, from 8:30 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.

FAIRHAVEN — St. Mary’s Church, Main St., has Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Reconciliation, with Benediction at 11:30 a.m. Also, there is a First Friday Mass each month at 7 p.m., followed by a Holy Hour with Eucharistic Adoration. Refreshments follow.

FALL RIVER — St. Anthony of Padua Church, on the corner of Bedford and Sixteenth streets, has Eucharistic Adoration accompanied by music and prayer every first Wednesday of the month from 6-7 p.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Bernadette’s Church, 529 Eastern Ave., has continuous Eucharistic Adoration from 8 a.m. on Thursday until 8 a.m. on Saturday.

FALL RIVER — St. Anthony of the Desert Church, 300 North Eastern Avenue, has Eucharistic Adoration Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

FALL RIVER — Holy Name Church, 709 Hanover Street, has Eucharistic Adoration Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Our Lady of Grace Chapel.

FALL RIVER — Good Shepherd Parish has Eucharistic Adoration every Friday following the 8 a.m. Mass and concluding with 3 p.m. Benediction in the Daily Mass Chapel. A bilingual holy hour takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. Park behind the church and enter the back door of the connector between the church and the rectory.

FALL RIVER — St. Joseph’s Church has a Holy Hour every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m., with Benediction at 6:45 p.m.

FALL RIVER — St. Michael’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with Benediction at 5:30 p.m.

Falmouth — St. Patrick’s Church has Eucharistic Adoration each First Friday following the 7 a.m. Mass, with Benediction at 4:30 p.m.

HYANNIS — St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis, 347 South Street, Hyannis, has Eucharistic Adoration from noon to 3 p.m., daily Monday through Friday.

MANSFIELD — St. Mary’s Parish, 330 Pratt Street, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Benediction at 5:45 p.m.

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish, Route 151 and Job’s Fishing Road has 8:30 a.m. Mass every First Friday with special intentions for Respect Life, followed by 24 hours of Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel, concluding with Benediction Saturday morning followed immediately by an 8:30 Mass.

NEW BEDFORD — Eucharistic Adoration is held every Thursday, with Confessions, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. James Church. Please use the side entrance.

NEW BEDFORD — There is a daily holy hour from 5:15-6:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 1359 Acushnet Avenue. It includes Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Liturgy of the Hours, recitation of the Rosary, and the opportunity for Confession.

NEW BEDFORD — St. Lawrence Martyr Parish, 565 County Street, holds Eucharistic Adoration in the side chapel Fridays from 7:30-11:45 a.m. ending with a simple Benediction NORTH DARTMOUTH — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at St. Julie Billiart Church, 494 Slocum Road, every Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., ending with Benediction. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available at this time.

NORTH DIGHTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Wednesday following 8:00 a.m. Mass and concludes with Benediction at 5 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration also takes place every First Friday at St. Nicholas of Myra Church, 499 Spring Street following the 8 a.m. Mass, ending with Benediction at 6 p.m. The Rosary is recited Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

NORTH EASTON — A Holy Hour for Families including Eucharistic Adoration is held every Friday from 3-4 p.m. at The Father Peyton Center, 518 Washington Street.

NORTH EASTON — Eucharistic Adoration takes place at Immaculate Conception Church Chapel on the first Wednesday of the month beginning after the 8:30 a.m. Mass, until 6:40 p.m. Those wishing to make a monthly commitment can sign up on the parish website at www.icceaston.org or call the parish office at 508-238-3232.

ORLEANS — St. Joan of Arc Parish, 61 Canal Road, has Eucharistic Adoration every First Friday starting after the 8 a.m.

Mass and ending with Benediction at 11:45 a.m. The Sacrament of the Sick is also available immediately after the 8 a.m. Mass.

SEEKONK ­— Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish has perpetual Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day in the chapel at 984 Taunton Avenue. For information call 508-336-5549.

Taunton — Eucharistic Adoration takes place every Tuesday at St. Anthony Church, 126 School Street, following the 8 a.m. Mass with prayers including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for vocations, concluding at 6 p.m. with Chaplet of St. Anthony and Benediction. Recitation of the Rosary for peace is prayed Monday through Saturday at 7:30 a.m. prior to the 8 a.m. Mass.

Taunton — Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord, 31 First Street. Exposition begins following the 8 a.m. Mass. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, and Adoration will continue throughout the day. Confessions are heard from 4:15 to 4:45 p.m. Rosary and Benediction begin at 5 p.m.

WAREHAM — Eucharistic Adoration at St. Patrick’s Church takes place 9 a.m. Thursday through 7 p.m. Friday. Adoration is held in our Adoration Chapel in the lower Parish Hall. ~ PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC ADORATION ~

East Sandwich — The Corpus Christi Parish Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 324 Quaker Meeting House Road, East Sandwich. Use the Chapel entrance on the side of the church.

NEW BEDFORD — Our Lady’s Chapel, 600 Pleasant Street, offers Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day. For information call 508-996-8274.

SEEKONK ­— Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish has perpetual Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, 24 hours a day in the chapel at 984 Taunton Avenue. For information call 508-336-5549.

WEST HARWICH — Our Lady of Life Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Holy Trinity Parish, 246 Main Street (Rte. 28), holds perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. We are a regional chapel serving all of the surrounding parishes.

All are invited to sign up to cover open hours. For open hours, or to sign up call 508-430-4716.

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phasis and is at the core of all academic instruction at Holy Name School.

Since August of 2005, all students at Holy Name School have had the opportunity to participate in the weekly celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, opportunities for Confession, and monthly prayers and Adoration on the First Fridays.

Holy Name School: (1) provides a Catholic education within an atmosphere of academic excellence, while providing Catholic values, it challenges its students to do their best, to nurture their gifts and talents, and to develop curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking; (2) strives to produce confident, competent, and caring individuals who can work cooperatively, show respect for one another, and who demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of Catholic values; (3) creates an environment which affords many opportunities for children to accept one another as members of the Body of Christ, where learning experiences are greatly enriched by the uniqueness and giftedness of each individual. These experiences should always be true and genuine reflection of the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church to which the school is dedicated.

We acknowledge that the support and cooperation of parents and members of the Holy Name Parish family are essential to the life and growth of our school. We are all united in a common goal to provide for the religious, intellectual, physical, and social development of each child.

Holy Name is a vibrant school offering an array

of interesting and special programs which include: weekly in-school Masses; computer lab with 30 stations; iPad cart with 30 iPads for classroom use; Chromebook cart with 28 Chromebooks for the use of our middle school students, Web-based IXL math and English language arts programs; physical education classes; “Music in the Morning” program; middle school science fair; art, music, computer, Spanish classes pre-kindergarten through grade eight; instru-

year accreditation in 2013.

Its third accreditation experience will be in 2023. mental program — grades In summary, rooted in four through eight in violin, traditional Catholic eduviola, and cello; cultural cation and supplemented and educational field trips; with many opportunities co-ed classes from prekindergarten through grade to have fun, Holy Name School is best described eight, full- and part-time as a place that exudes a pre-kindergarten; before warm, caring, loving famand after school extended ily atmosphere where there care; hot lunches available is a feeling of familiarity daily; and so much more.

Holy Name School is ac- and comfort for students and parents. The more you credited by the New England Association of Schools know about Holy Name School, the more you will and Colleges. Its first understand the benefits accreditation was issued in 2003; Holy Name School was awarded a second 10-

of our approach and our dedication to quality education and to our students. If you wish to read information that is updated weekly and sent to parents, or to see pictures of everyday classroom and school happenings, please check our website www.hnsfr.org and our Facebook page — Holy Name School Fall River.

Please free to call us (508674-9131) for a visit to see for yourself what a difference academic excellence rooted in Catholic Values makes.

In Your Prayers Please Please pray pray for for these these priests priests during during the the coming coming weeks weeks

Oct. 7 Rev. Caesar Phares, Pastor, St. Anthony of the Desert, Fall River, 1951 Rev. Msgr. Arthur G. Dupuis, Retired Pastor, St. Louis de France, Swansea, 1975 Rev. Andrew Jahn, SS.CC., Sacred Hearts Seminary, Wareham, 1988 Rev. Roger P. Nolette, 2006

Oct. 8

Oct. 9 Rev. Paul J. Dalbec, M.S., La Salette Shrine, Attleboro, 2000 Oct. 10 Rev. James C.J. Ryan, Assistant, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1918 Rev. Boniface Jones, SS.CC., Chaplain, Sacred Heart Home, New Bedford, 1987 Rev. Joseph A. Martineau, Retired Pastor, St. Theresa, New Bedford, 1990 Oct. 11 Rev. James A. Downey, Pastor, Holy Ghost, Attleboro, 1952 Oct. 12 Rev. Felician Plichta, OFM Conv., Parochial Vicar, Corpus Christi, East Sandwich, Former Pastor Holy Cross, Fall River, 1999 Permanent Deacon Chester O. Cook, 2016 Oct. 13 Rev. David I. Walsh, M.M., Maryknoll Missioner, 1999 Rev. James J. Doyle, C.S.C., Holy Cross Residence, North Dartmouth, 2002 Rev. J. Marc Hebert, C.S.C., 2006 Oct. 14 Rev. Dennis M. Lowney, Assistant, Sacred Heart, Taunton, 1918 Rev. Msgr. Edward B. Booth, Retired Pastor, St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1972 Rev. Frederick G. Furey, SS.CC. Former Pastor, Our Lady of Assumption, New Bedford, 1999 Rev. Andre P. Jussaume, Pastor, St. Louis de France, Swansea, 2003 Oct. 15 Rev. Msgr. Raymond T. Considine, PA, Retired Pastor, St. William, Fall River, 1996 Oct. 16 Rev. Raymond M. Drouin, O.P., Former Pastor, St. Anne, Fall River, 1987 Oct. 17 Rev. Gerald E. Lachance, M.Afr., 1984 Oct. 19 Rev. Manuel A. Silvia, Pastor, Santo Christo, Fall River, 1928 Rev. John Aquinas Powers, O.P., Falmouth native, Chaplain, U.S. Marines, served in parishes in Massachusetts, 2010

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Bishop Connolly High School continued from page 15

numbers of students to receive a Connolly education.

“Bishop Connolly’s students are at the heart of these wonderful accomplishments,” said Christopher Myron, Bishop Connolly principal and president. “Our entire community has embraced the challenge to ‘reach higher’ and ensure that a Connolly education of the highest caliber is extended to each and every student who walks through our doors.”

In September, Bishop Connolly reached its $1.4 million Advancement Initiative goal earmarked for campus upgrades and additional tuition aid to help more students and families seeking a Connolly education. Additional projects completed this spring and summer include: new

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roadways, curbing and sidewalks; new theatre lighting, carpeting and apron stage; redesign of the Sports and Theatre entrance for improved accessibility; and renovation of Connolly’s newly-named Paul Hamel ’71 Academic Achievement Center as a multipurpose learning/event space for school and community groups.

To better meet students’ diverse interests and college goals, Bishop Connolly expanded its academic, athletic and arts programming this year, adding A.P. Physics, swimming, band and a Stagecraft for Theatrical Productions course. Connolly also has been awarded a $10,000 grant from The Carney Family Charitable Foundation to implement an Environmental Studies

The Anchor - October 6, 2017

program this fall that will advance college-preparatory STEM education through hands-on learning outdoors on the Connolly campus.

BCHS is one of only two schools in the Fall River Diocese selected to receive funding through the inaugural round of the Foundation’s School Solutions Seed Fund.

“Our new Environmental Studies program will allow students to enhance their creativity and expand their problem-solving skills in math and science in a living laboratory setting,” said Myron.

Connolly has developed the new STEM curriculum through an educational partnership with Bridgewater State University’s Center for the Advancement of STEM Education, which provides STEM equipment and outreach to participating schools. CASE’s Watershed Access Lab will provide Connolly faculty and students with access to a free lending lab featuring more than $50,000 worth of state-of-the-art watershed assessment and water quality testing equipment typically used at the college level or in environmental science fields. Connolly’s 72-acre rural campus includes streams, woods and wetlands ideal for environmental testing and analysis.

Grant funding also will be used to build a greenhouse-style laboratory on school grounds to facilitate on-site instruction and extended lab studies in Con-

nolly’s biology, chemistry and environmental science courses.

Another BCHS science course — Biotechnology and Microbiology — has grown from an educational partnership with Amgen, one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies.

The Amgen Biotech Experience provides Bishop Connolly with no-cost, research-grade lab equipment and teaching materials that students traditionally will not encounter until college. Expanding upon the ABE’s core curriculum, Connolly’s yearlong Biotechnology and Microbiology course explores the field of microbiology in depth, emphasizing scientific techniques that build students’ competency in a laboratory setting. Connolly’s advanced curriculum has been designed to put BCHS students well ahead of the curve in developing real-world skills that are in growing demand in today’s environmental science, biotechnology, medicine and health care industries.

For more than 50 years, Bishop Connolly has embraced its mission to prepare students to pursue their college and career goals with skill and confidence. Connolly has a 100 percent college acceptance rate, with recent graduates accepted to highly competitive colleges and universities including Brown, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Fordham, Johns Hopkins and Rensselaer.

For Clement Ojo ’16, Bishop Connolly’s academic rigor helped him develop the tenacity that the study of medicine will demand.

Starting at Connolly as an eighth-grade Learning Environment Accelerates Potential student, Ojo is now an accomplished undergrad at Johns Hopkins University, where he is obtaining a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Currently on the dean’s list, Ojo has been invited to join the National Society of Collegiate Scholars at JHU, an honor extended to less than 10 percent of its students annually.

“Being able to adapt to different situations— whether that be personal or academic — quickly and to think critically are some of the skills I picked up at Connolly,” said Ojo. “In retrospect, Connolly provided the groundwork to prepare me to meet the challenges of college.”

To advertise in The Anchor, contact Wayne Powers at 508-675-7151 or Email waynepowers@ anchornews.org