• FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS VOL. 40, NO. 44 •
Friday, November 15, 1996
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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BISHOP SEAN O'MALLEY is surrounded by happy children as he visits St. John the Evangelist School, Attleboro. The school and parish are the first to have completed a two-year self-study as part of ~ diocesan pilot project. (T.O. Brown photo) .
St. J <)hn Evangelist, Attle])oro,first to finish self-study "Bishop Sean, do you want to be Pope?" That· was one of the questions posed by the children of S1. John the Evangelist parish in Attleboro duringa seven hour visit conducted by the bishop and the local dean, Very Reverend Peter Granziano, on October 28. The visit was the culmination of a two-year self-study the parish underwent as part of a diocesan pilot project. At the request of Bishop Sean, two parishes in each of the five deaneries were invited to engage in a self-examination of current parish life in order' to develop parish priorities for the next five years. S1. John's was one ofthose which accepted the bishop's invitation and the first to complete the process. Bishop Sean met with the school children and, later the same day, he visited students in the religious education program. At both 8essions the children asked t1"!e bishop questions in a type of "town meeting" ror'inat~ In addition to the bishop's papal ambitions(he has none), the child-
ren wanted to kno:w his thoughts studied by the Visitation Commit- ish be a community familiar with and responsive to the Church's on a wide variety of issues ranging tee. The bishop returned. to the par- teaching on social justice. from women's ordInation to what ish on Nov. 2. to celebrate the 4:00 he did for fun! Under the first priority, being a The bishop and dean met indi- p.m. vigil Mass. During his homily vidually with all fU,ll and part-time he affirmed the two priorities pro- welcoming community, S1. John's parish staff and with the coordina- posed by thf: committee: first. that identified three objectives: to conS1. John's commits itself to being it struct a parish Hospitality and <> tors of various p~rish ministries. In .these private meetings the two vibrant, welcoming Christian com- Administration Center; to reach visitors were able to become more munity; and second, that the par- out to young adults; and to reach familiar with day to day life at St. John's. They spent two hours with the 20-member Visitation Committee that worked on the self-study. The WASHINGTON(CNS)-GetThe Sacramentary - the book committee is a combination of the ting down to business at what may of Mass prayers and instructions parish's two principal advisory be their last meeting as the National used at the presider's chair and at committees, the Pastoral and Finan- Conference of Catholic Bishops the altar - must be submitted to cial Councils. and the U.S. Catholic Conference, Rome for final approval. . The self-study started with input the U.S. bishops approved a plan The 76-page document on young from all parishioners. They com- for young adult ministry and elected adult ministry, titled "Sons and Daughters of the Light: A Paspleted a comprehensive survey a new treasurer Nov. 12. developed bya Catholic research Before spending the afternoon toral Plan for Ministry with Young firm from Washington, DC. The behind closed doors in executive Adults," was approved on a voice parishioners were asked over sixty session, the bishops also approved vote. questions ranging from the quality a IO-point statement of economic Developed by the bishops' Com,of the homilies to whether or not a .justice principles and voted on the mittee on the Laity after national parish 'center should be built. eighth anel final segment of the . and diocesan consultations with The survey results were shared general Sac=ramentary as proposed young adults, it is designed to with all the parishioners and be- for use throughout the English- addressspiritualand pastoral issues came part of the ·.documentation speaking ,world.. ,.:, , . y.oung, adults' face as. they enter
out to inactive or under-involved Catholics. The second priority, to address social justice issues, will be addressed by the parish engaging in a plan of action developed by the U.S. Catholic Bishops in their 1993 statement, Communities of Salt and Light. Turn to Page Seven
Bishops plan and elect at conference new stages in education, work, independence, family relationships and their place in society. Bishop Tod D. Brown of Boise, Idaho, chairman of the bishops' Committee on the Laity, called the plan "an affirmation of young adults and their gifts." The new NCCB-USCC treasurer is Bishop Robert J. Banks of Green Bay, Wis., who was chosen in a 137-111 vote over Bistiop Daniel 'F. Walsh of Las Vegas, Nev. The bishops also elected more than a dozen new committee chairmen or chairmen-elect Nov. 12. Turn to Page Two