(
e
• . '.
'.- --',",",,"'--
-_. - -
•
t
fAllRNER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER . fOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS
, ~ COO &THE ISLANDS
'
f,
VOL. 45, NO. 39 • Friday, October 12, 2001
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year
Bishop celebrates Mass· for peace as U.S. strikes begin The following is the homily delivered by Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM Cap., at the Peace Mass that included a procession held Monday night at St. Anne's Church, Fall Rive·r: "Needless to say, this year's Peace Mass takes on a new meaning. The false sense of security occasioned by the demise of the 'Cold War' was shattered onSeptember II as a terrorist attack in New York, Washington, and Pittsburgh left thousands of innocent civilians dead. We now know that our· peace and personal security are very precarious. Innocent people· going to work, traveling on planes, walking down . the street are suddenly in mortal dan_. ger at the hands of people who hate so much that they are prepared to sacrifice their own lives in order. to perpetrate their crimes against people they have never met. This national tragedy has sparked a generous outpouring on the part of our people to help the victims' families. We have seen firefighters and rescue workers risk their lives 'in the attempt to save others. The terrorists who were determined to weaken us have actually strengthened us. We feel our need for God and for one another. We have rediscovered our 'connectedness' and our determination to be a people, a community that stands together. Today we stand to-
gether in faith and prayer in this annual Peace Procession and Mass. I thank all of you for your presence here today. The story of Jonah is so rich in meaning for us. Jonah has received a message from God. The message is directed at the powerful people of
the great city ofNineveh. God wants to send Jonah to condemn their wickedness. Jonah knows that people often kill or blame the messenger for bad news, and so instead of doing what God asks of him, he flees. He thinks that he can hide from God. He takes a ship from the Port
of Joppa on its way to Tarshish; but Jonah soon discovers that you cannot hide from God. A violent storm besets the ship. Jonah confesses to the sailors that he is the cause oftheir misfortune and tells them to cast him into the sea. The Lord has a whale swallow him and carry him to the
BISHOP SEAN O'Malley, OFM Cap., and hundreds of others process behind a statue of Our Lady of Fatima during the 15th annual Peace Procession and Mass in Fall River. (Photo by John E. Kearns Jr.)
51. Mary's Education Fund Fall Dinner set for October 25 By JOHN E. KEARNS JR. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
WESTPORT Dr. Jean F, MacCormack, who was formally installed as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth two weeks ago, will be the featured speaker at this year's annual St. Mary's Education Fund Fall Dinner. The dinner will be held October 25 at White's ofWestport, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. reception. The dinner and program follow at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds from the evening support the St. Mary's Education Fund, which provides need-based financial scholarships to students at Catholic elementary and middle schools in the Fall River diocese. As chancellor, MacCormack oversees
the overall operation of UMassDartmouth, the only university in Southeastern Massachusetts which comprises five academic colleges and a School of Marine Science and Technology and has an enrollment ofapproximately 7,000 students. John G. Hodgson Jr., who is chairing the Fall DinnerCommittee, said he is grateful that MacCormack accepted the invitation to speak. ''As the leader of this region's university, Dr. MacCormack has a strong grasp of the challenges, both educational and economic, that we face in our communities;' he said. "Her observations will be most welcome, I am sure, by a group gath. ered with the purpose of supporting the Tum to page 13 - Dinner
Dr. Jean F. MacCormack
shore. When Jonah finally does preach to the Ninevites - they reform their lives and their great city is saved. . Like Jonah, we too have received a mission to make disciples of all nations, to announce the good news of His Gospel, and to denounce sin and injustice. Oftentimes, we are like the reluctant prophet of today's first lesson. We, too, fear being the messengers of bad news, of being ridiculed, of being persecuted; yet our message can save the 'City of Nineveh' and help them turn their hearts to the Lord. The message of the Scriptures is that love is stronger than death. The Lord has taught us that the law and the prophets can be summed up in one word: love. Love of God, love of self, love of neighbor, and even love of our enemy is what our religion is about. It is· important for us to refocus on this, the central point of Jesus' teaching. We are all still in pain, shock, and disbelieffrom the events ofSeptember 11. The whole world witnessed the monumental act of hatred that resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent persons from 80 countries working in the World Trade Center or traveling on those ill-fated flights, or working at their desks in Washington. Tum to page 13 - Peace
MCC pamphlet to advise of parent's rights BOSTON .:- For the past few years, Catholic parents have been seeking assistance in understanding the issue of sex education in public schools. In response, the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, the Church's public policy office in the Commonwealth, is releasing a guide to parents in Massachusetts to educate them of their rights as parents. Entitled ''Who will teach your children about life and love ... and what will they say?" the pamphlet reminds parents that they have both the opportunity and duty to be teaching their children about responsible sexual activity in the context ofloving relationships and that they have the right under Massachusetts state law to know what is contained in their public school cm:ricula on the subject. In their letter to parishes, the bishops of Massachusetts noted that in the Commonwealth ''the establishment of the Comprehensive Health Frameworks has Tum to page 13 - MCC