FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHVSETIS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
t eanco VOL. 25, NO. 41
20c, $6 Per Year
FALL RIVER, MASS., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1981
Bishop deplores killing When asked his reaction to the assassination of President Anwar Sadat, Most Reverend Daniel A. Cronin, Bishop of Fall River, expressed. sympathy for the people of Egypt and for the family of the slain leader. The Bishop noted that President Sadat had been a courageous leader, working tirelessly for peace in the Middle East and in the world. "His untimely death underscores once again the sad truth that the problems of the world cannot be resolved through recourse to violence," the Bishop stated. "In this year, when violence
has touched so many of our leaders, this most recent tragic incident must be the o~casion for world leaders to initiate serious efforts to bring peace. The current senseless buildup of conventional and nuclear weapons is fraught with the very real peril that a worldwide conflagration can burst forth. "I join with our beloved Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, himself the victim of a savage attack earlier this year, in the most urgent plea that mankind begin at once to foster peace, to pray for peace, to abandon vio-
Marian Mass The annual Columbus Day candlelight procession and Mass honoring Mary in the month of the rosary will be held Monday evening. Participants are asked to meet at 5:30 p.m. at St. Mary's Cathedral, Fall River, where they will organize for the candlelight walk to Kennedy Park. There Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Daniel A. Cronin. During the procession hymns will be sung and the rosary will be recited. Each parish unit will sing and pray independently in the language of its choice. Ban-
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lence as a way of life. "The attention of the world is focused today upon the tragedy affecting President Sadat, a man devoted to the cause of peace. However, monumental acts of violence such as attacks upon notable personages, are similar in nature to the countless wanton acts of violence which affront common citizens and which seem to be so very much a part of the fabric of society today. The cause of justice and peace must, these days, be very much' in our minds, our hearts and above all in our prayers."
Monday
ners, flags and other insignia may be carried. Priests are invited to concelebrate the Kennedy Park Mass, each providing his own alb and stole. Vesting will take place at St. Louis Church on Bradford Avenue, bordering the park. Each priest is also asked to bring a ciborium containing sufficient altarbreads for his parish delegation. Communion will be distributed in various sections of the park rather than by participants approaching the altar. It is noted that those receiving holy communion at an earlier
Mass on Monday will be permitted to receive again at the park Mass. The handicapped should proceed directly to the park, officials said. An area close to the altar will be reserved for their use and that of attendants. The use of charter buses is recommended, even by Fall River parishes. Bus parking will be provided in the perimeter roadway on the east and south sides of the park. Those using private cars should leave them as near the park as possible.
Life respected here¡
JOINING CHIUSTENDOM in marking the 800th anniversary of the birth of St. Francis of Assisi, diocesan Franciscans held the traditional Transitus service at St. Mary's Cathedral, including distribution of l;>lessed bread (top picture). Blessing of Animals ceremonies, also a Franciscan tradition, included ecumenical service in Swansea, where Donna Guay's dog was among canine participants.
For the second year the Fall River diocese marked Respect Life Sunday at a Mass honoring couples married 25, 50 or more years. Celebrated by Bishop Daniel A. Cronin last Sunday at St. Mary's Cathedral, the liturgy was attended by some 150 couples, their families and friends. Each couple received a commemorative scroll from Bishop Cronin. Three diamond, 38 golden and 96 silver anniversaries were recognized at the ceremony, said Father Ronald A. Tosti, diocesan director of family life min-
istry. Nationally, the Respect Life program, which continues throughout October, is marking its 10th anniversary. It traces its origins to efforts in the late 1960s to liberalize state abortion laws. Viewing such attempts as potentially the beginning of an assault on life at all ages, the U.S. bishops developed Respect Life as a means of combating increased violence against the unborn, the aged and the handicapped. Program goals are:
to proclaim the sanctity and value of human life as a gift from God and the foundation of human rights; to oppose and ultimately do away with that which destroys or endangers human life, with particular concern for such worldwide evils as war and violence, abortion and euthanasia; - to correct those situations that diminish life itself or that limit the appropriate enjoyment of life; - to support and encourage the development of that which Turn to Page Six