11.20.09

Diocese of Fall River

The Anchor

F riday , November 20, 2009

Bishop to present Marian Medal awards

Taunton parish council reaches out to Hispanics

By Dave Jolivet, Editor

TAUNTON — The Hispanic Community in the Silver City, like in many other areas of the Fall River Diocese, is growing by leaps and bounds. With that growth come joys and tribulations.

The Hispanic Parish Council at St. Mary’s Parish in that city has taken a proactive approach to ease some of those tribulations.

The council met several months ago to brainstorm ideas to help those most in need in their spiritual community.

The brainchild of those meetings is the recently-opened Hispanic Resource Center located in the Dolan Center across from St. Mary’s Church on Broadway.

“The idea for the center came from what is currently happening all around the country, the hard times,” said Carlos Wharton, coordinator of the resource center. “As part of our Hispanic Apostolate, we decided there was a need to do something to alleviate peoples’ concerns and needs,” he told The Anchor. “We put our heads together and this is the result.”

Wharton also mentioned, “We went one step beyond that. This center is available for the whole community, not just the Hispanic Community.”

The resource center is staffed by volunteers whose main goal is not to provide financial or material help, but rather to direct those in need to the proper agencies and to help them through what can be some very difficult and confusing processes.

“Many of our volunteers have worked with Catholic Social Services and other human service organizations,” said Wharton.

“They know the proper help resources, and as importantly, they Turn to page 18

By Deacon James N. Dunbar

THERE FOR EACH OTHER — Members of the Catholic Cancer Support Group at Our Lady of Victory Parish, Centerville, gathered for a recent meeting. The faith-based group meets on the second Tuesday of every month and begins each session with Mass and anointing of the sick before moving to the parish center for a speaker, reflection and social hour. (Photo courtesy of John Lees)

FALL RIVER — For William Ashworth of St. Lawrence Martyr Parish in New Bedford, receiving the Marian Medal awarded by the Fall River Diocese is “humbling to say the least.”

Retired for nine years as a driver for UPS, Ashworth’s ongoing service to his parish involves regularly helping custodian Sam Murphy in caring for Holy Family-Holy Name School, the rectory, assisting in the food pantry, the Boy Scouts, playing St. Nicholas at Christmas, and performing a myriad of duties in what he called “being a Jack of all trades but a master of none.”

Ashworth was busy installing a handrail in the entrance way to the food pantry when contacted on his

Cape-based Cancer Support Group attracts faithful seeking comfort

By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

CENTERVILLE — As a longtime cancer survivor, Msgr.

John F. Moore knows firsthand the many obstacles associated with the disease.

One of the biggest problems people face when first being diagnosed, he said, is they tend to withdraw from others, leading to an increasing sense of isolation.

“We’re here to try to get them out from behind the locked door,” the now-retired priest said of the Catholic Cancer Support Group he started eight years ago while pastor at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in North Falmouth.

“One of my parishioner’s family members developed brain cancer and we got together as a support system,” Msgr. Moore said. “We developed a very

good speakers program. A lot of people over the eight years have passed, but we hope that they did so with a smile on their face.”

Inspired by Msgr. Moore’s lead, a similar Catholic Cancer Support Group was recently formed at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Centerville under the guidance of parishioner Joe Gill and pastor Father Mark Hession.

“Msgr. Moore, as you know, started a support group in North Falmouth and when he retired and came here to help out, he talked with Father Hession about starting a group here,” said John Lees, a cancer survivor and member of the Our Lady of Victory Cancer Support Group committee.

“I was happy to know about Msgr. Moore’s work in other parishes,” Father Hession said, “so I saw this as an opportunity to fill a pastoral mission and one of our parishioners, Joe Gill, agreed to help. We gathered a formational group together comprised of nurses, educators and other cancer survivors.”

While there are similar cancer support groups in the diocese and, more specifically, in the Cape Cod area — most notably those sponsored through lo-

cal hospitals — the parish-based group focuses on providing spiritual support and healing.

“The basic idea is that it’s faith-based and it’s Catholic and we’re serving the central area of Cape Cod,” said group leader Joe Gill. “We meet monthly and we begin each session with Mass and then anointing of the sick, followed by a speaker, sharing and social hour.”

Gill said after three initial meetings they’ve averaged 65 attendees per session, with about one-third who have come from outside the parish, which suggests other area parishes might want to consider starting their own group.

“Based on the numbers we’ve seen, there’s a real need for this type of group on other parts of the Cape,” he said. “We’d like to reach out more to other parishes and help them start their own group. I call it franchising.

We’ve already had people come to our meetings from other parishes.”

For committee member and cancer survivor John Lees, his involvement with the group was inevitable. After being diagnosed with prostate cancer in Turn to page 18

cell phone by The Anchor.

“There are many things to do in an active parish and I’m fortunate and happy to be part of it,” he said.

His wife Karen, who fielded the first call from The Anchor, said she was “in tears when I learned Bill was among the recipients for this wonderful award. It is a humbling experience. Bill has spent many years assisting at the church, the rectory and the school, and he loves every minute of it,” she reported.

Bill Ashworth will be among 87 at the 41st annual award ceremony to receive the medal given for devotion and service to the Church from Bishop George W. Coleman on November 22 during a 3 p.m. prayer service at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

The tradition of recognizing laymen and laywomen for his or her outstanding volunteer efforts to the local Church was established

by Bishop James L. Connolly, and Turn to page 14

2

News From the Vatican

November 20, 2009

Reconcilable differences: The Church reaches out to modern arts

VATICAN CITY — Once made in heaven, the marriage between art and the Church has long been on the skids.

“We are a bit like estranged relatives; there has been a divorce,” said Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Much of contemporary art walked away from art’s traditional vocation of representing the intangible and the mysterious, as well as pointing the way toward the greater meaning of life and what is good and beautiful, he said during a recent Vatican press conference.

And the Church has spent the past century “very often contenting itself with imitating models from the past,” rarely asking itself whether there were religious “styles that could be an expression of modern times,” he added.

In an effort to “renew friendship and dialogue between the Church and artists and to spark new opportunities for collaboration,” he said, Pope Benedict XVI will be meeting more than 250 artists from around the world tomorrow inside one of the world’s most stunning artistic treasures: the Sistine Chapel.

The Church’s attempts to heal this rift with the world of modern arts span back to Pope Paul VI, who said the troubled relationship between the Church and artists was based on misunderstandings and past restrictions on expression that had been removed.

Pope Paul loved art and saw an urgent need to encourage contemporary artists to reclaim their spiritual mission.

He held a landmark meeting with artists in the Sistine Chapel in 1964 and told them they were precious to the Church for their “preaching and rendering accessible and comprehensible — or better still, moving — the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of the ineffable, of God.” The pope set up a collection of paintings, sculptures and graphic art to show how modern culture could still convey religious concepts. He inaugurated the Vatican’s Collection of Modern Religious

Art in 1973, which contains works

by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky and Edvard Munch.

Pope John Paul II, an accomplished actor, poet and playwright long before becoming a priest, eagerly continued Pope Paul’s rapprochement. He met with countless stars from the entertainment industry, and reminded them of their responsibility to be positive role models, “capable of inspiring trust, optimism and hope.”

In the decades of Pope John Paul’s pontificate, it was not unusual to see all sorts of popular art forms employed. In 2004, for example, Polish break dancers spun on their heads on the marble floors of the Vatican’s sumptuous Clementine Hall to the pope’s apparent delight while music blared from a boombox.

While Pope Benedict XVI is an avid pianist and has spoken numerous times about the importance of beauty and art, he tends to shy away from raucous encounters.

In fact, the pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, wrote in 1998 that he had been skeptical of the idea of Pope John Paul sharing the stage in 1997 with a group of rock and pop stars that included Bob Dylan.

While it is not clear who made the decision, the Vatican discontinued its annual Christmas concert under Pope Benedict’s watch after a 13-year run.

Instead Pope Benedict eagerly attends many of the classical concerts held in his honor.

He will even be featured on a new CD singing and reciting Marian hymns and prayers. The CD, called “Alma Mater,” will be released worldwide November 30.

Pope Benedict has said art needs to help people see that authentic truth, beauty and goodness are always intertwined and needs to allow “the beauty of the love of God” to shine through.

The human spirit longs for authentic — not superficial and fleeting — beauty that is “in full harmony with the truth and goodness,” he has said.

I’M OVER HERE! — A parent holds up a child during Pope Benedict XVI’s weekly general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican recently. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Vatican-sponsored meeting airs chances of extraterrestrial life

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Dozens of scientists gathered at a Vaticansponsored meeting to fit together emerging pieces of a puzzle still waiting to be solved: whether there is life on other planets.

If finding extraterrestrial life is like “a detective chase, a crime to be solved, we’re getting very close to the answer,” said Chris Impey, head of the Steward Observatory and the University of Arizona’s department of astronomy in Tucson, Ariz.

Impey was one of 30 high-level scientists attending a recent study week on astrobiology sponsored by the Vatican Observatory and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

He and others spoke at a Vatican press conference November 10.

The astronomer said it is widely believed that life needs three basic ingredients: carbon-based material, energy provided by stars, and water, “which is one of the most common molecules in the universe.”

“These three elements have already been found in a lot of places in galaxies,” he said.

“The universe, if it’s like a table, the table is set for dinner. Everything is there, all the ingredients are there” to welcome and support life, Impey added.

Until 1995, no one knew whether there were planets circling some of the billions of stars in the universe.

Advancements in planet detection have since led scientists to discover more than 400 planets outside of the solar system and dozens more are found each year, he said.

Jonathan Lunine, professor of planetary science and physics at the University of Arizona, said three or four worlds within the solar system also have conditions where life may be found.

More research into how the Earth and earthly life evolved is helpful in understanding what habitable worlds may look like, he said.

One key mystery that lacks a complete scientific explanation is why it took so long — one billion to two billion years — for complex cells to appear and then another one billion to two billion years for complex animal life to emerge, Lunine said.

Discoveries of life in very inhospitable conditions on Earth, such as rock-eating microbes living deep beneath the ocean floor, show that different life forms may exist on other worlds, said Jesuit Father Jose Funes, head of the Vatican Observatory.

Athena Coustenis, a planetary scientist at the Paris-Meudon Observatory in France, said astronomers once thought almost all of the satellites circling Saturn “were dead icy worlds.”

But space missions there have shown all of Saturn’s major moons are actually “wonderful active worlds,” she said, with one, called Enceladus, “spitting out its guts with water, liquid water, water vapor, organics and ammonia in these huge plumes extending more than 250 miles into space.”

Father Funes said that even

The Anchor

though the study week looked exclusively at scientific evidence and theories, it was “very important that the Church is involved in this type of research” looking at life in the cosmos.

He quoted Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president of the commission governing Vatican City, as telling participants that “truth from research cannot make us afraid; what is to be feared is error.”

Science opens up the human mind to new knowledge and contributes toward the fulfillment of humankind, the cardinal said, according to Father Funes.

When asked whether God would have to be incarnated elsewhere if there were intelligent life on another planet, Father Funes recalled the parable of the lost sheep.

God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ was a singular and “unique event not only in human history but in the history of the universe and the cosmos,” he said.

The existence of evil and original sin on Earth meant God, the good shepherd, had to leave behind his entire flock to go get his one lost sheep, he said.

“Humanity would be this lost sheep and in order to find this lost sheep (God) became man in Jesus,” Father Funes said.

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 53, No. 44

Member: Catholic Press Association, Catholic News Service

Published weekly except for two weeks in the summer and the week after Christmas by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, MA 02720, Telephone 508-675-7151 — FAX 508-675-7048, email: theanchor@anchornews.org.

Subscription price by mail, postpaid $14.00 per year.

Send address changes to P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA, call or use email address

PUBLISHER - Most Reverend George W. Coleman EXECUTIVE EDITOR Father Roger J. Landry fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org EDITOR David B. Jolivet davejolivet@anchornews.org NEWS EDITOR Deacon James N. Dunbar jimdunbar@anchornews.org OFFICE MANAGER Mary Chase m arychase@anchornews.org ADVERTISING Wayne R. Powers waynepowers@anchornews.org REPORTER Kenneth J. Souza kensouza@anchornews.org Send Letters to the Editor to: fatherrogerlandry@anchornews.org

POSTMASTERS send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.

THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020) Periodical Postage Paid at Fall River, Mass.

The International Church Pope John Paul’s legacy still touches people, cardinal says

November 20, 2009

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

ROME — Pope John Paul II “has remained in people’s hearts,” said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

“The light of his teaching and example was not extinguished with his death,” the cardinal said during a conference to present a new book on the late pope’s legacy.

Msgr. Slawomir Oder, postulator of Pope John Paul’s sainthood cause, also spoke at the conference November 4 at the parish of Rome’s Polish community.

Asked about a date for the beatification of the pope, who died in 2005, Msgr. Oder said the Congregation for Saints’ Causes is studying the case and he could not guess when they will finish.

“I can tell you that we are

following all of the procedures foreseen for these cases. Everything is moving at a natural rhythm. I understand many people want this to happen sooner, but as Pope Benedict told us: ‘Do it quickly, but do it well.’

And this is what we are doing,” Msgr. Oder said.

Rome’s mayor, Gianni Alemanno, told reporters in late October that he expects the beatification to take place in Rome in 2010, and he said the city government would work with the Vatican to facilitate the visit of a massive group of people expected to come for the ceremony.

Asked if Alemanno knew something concrete, Msgr. Oder said, “I think he was expressing the desire we all have in our hearts.”

“It’s difficult to make any prediction at this point, but one can always express a desire.

3

Obviously the desire is that the beatification would take place soon. If this desire is accompanied by prayer, perhaps it will be fulfilled,” Msgr. Oder said.

The conference marked the launch of a new book about Pope John Paul’s lasting impact on the Church and the world.

Written by Gian Franco Svidercoschi, the book is titled “Un Papa che non Muore: L’Eredita di Giovanni Paolo II” (literally, “A Pope who Does Not Die: The Legacy of John Paul II”) and is available in Italian and in Polish.

Cardinal Re, who served Pope John Paul in the Vatican Secretariat of State and then at the Congregation for Bishops, called the late pope “a great man, a great pope and a great saint.”

He said the two hallmarks of the late pope’s ministry were “faithfulness to the Gospel and

faithfulness to the Second Vatican Council.”

While Pope John Paul “influenced the course of historic events,” he did so not as a politician or a diplomat, but as a man of faith and deep prayer who worked tirelessly to “let God into this world.”

For example, he said, the Polish-born pope’s opposition to communism was not based on politics, but on the fact that the ideology denied people’s religious freedom and even resorted to violence to keep any mention of God out of public life.

“He is a pope who does not die because his faith, his prayer life and his courage in the face of suffering continue to speak to the heart of every man and woman,” Cardinal Re said.

Msgr. Oder said Pope John Paul was a living example of the Second Vatican Council’s teach-

ing that God calls everyone to holiness.

“His whole life was lived as an act of gratitude to Christ, from whom he received everything,” the monsignor said.

Part of Msgr. Oder’s work for Pope John Paul’s sainthood cause involved interviewing hundreds of people who had known him.

“There was one statement repeated almost as if it were a refrain: ‘He looked at me in a special way,’” the monsignor said.

The witnesses repeatedly said the way the pope looked at them made them feel loved and appreciated, but also made them feel like they could be better and they could do more, he said.

“He was a mystic who was able to live in the presence of God and to perceive God’s presence in the world and in the people he met,” Msgr. Oder said.

ture,” he said.

“If (the pope) deals with other groups as creatively and as warmly and pastorally as he has dealt with us, he is the pope of (Christian) unity,” Archbishop Hepworth said.

The primate described the personal ordinariate structure established in the apostolic constitution — which offers the jurisdiction of a diocese without being tied to a geographical area — as “radical.”

“It’s a modern church structure that the rest of the church in fact will have to consider,” he said. It also paves the way for other groups to come into communion corporately.

The two issues likely to draw the most media attention in the document are the provisions for married priests and for married former Anglican bishops to potentially serve in

the new structure.

The norm is clerical celibacy, he said, but there is a provision for married men to be ordained on a case-by-case basis approved by the Holy See, Archbishop Hepworth said.

“It will be done according to the norms developed by the ordinariate and the bishops’ conferences and submitted to

the Holy See for approval,” he said.

“Without married priesthood into the future, it would be very difficult at this stage to sustain the Anglican ordinariate into the future,” he added. “We Anglicans going into communion with the Holy See are going to have to deepen our understanding of the celibate priesthood.”

Primate hopes for quick action from Traditional Anglican Communion

By Deborah Gyapong Catholic News Service

OTTAWA — The primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion said he hopes churches take action to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church before Easter.

Archbishop John Hepworth said he reacted “with overwhelming joy” to the apostolic constitution published November 9 establishing the structure for Anglicans to be in full communion with the Catholic Church.

The archbishop described the constitution as “generous at every turn” in its description of the Anglican heritage, its dogmatic provisions and its pastoral language.

“We’ve been asked to show the rich heritage to the whole Church, not just to ourselves,” he said in an interview from Australia.

The Traditional Anglican Communion includes Anglican churches that have left the much larger Anglican Communion over the ordination of women and sexually active homosexuals as priests. The Traditional Anglican Communion is among the largest group of Anglicans likely to embrace the Vatican’s action to welcome them into full communion with the Church.

Archbishop Hepworth expects a positive response from Traditional Anglican Communion member churches around the world. Already, the United Kingdom’s Traditional Anglican Communion synod voted to accept the document prior to

its publication. He said he has heard from churches around the world, describing their comments as “powerful messages that ‘we want it and we want it as soon as we can get it.’”

Archbishop Hepworth has delivered a timetable to Traditional Anglican Communion bishops involving a series of regional and national synods starting early in 2010.

“I want all the votes in by Lent,” Archbishop Hepworth said. “Then I’m hoping in fact our bishops can meet in Rome after Easter and present the ‘yes’ votes and take advice on what to do next.”

While Archbishop Hepworth wants to move fast, he said the structure outlined in the apostolic constitution does not require anyone to rush headlong into it. “There’s no deadline; it’s available way into the fu-

My Father’s House P.O. Box 22, 39 North Moodus Rd. Moodus, CT 06469 . 860-873-1581 Website: www.myfathershouse.com Email: sbsheldon@sbcglobal.net

SUN. DEC. 20 - Mark your calendar to celebrate FR. BILL’S MASS at 1:30PM 50TH ANNIVERSARY of his Ordination with My Father’s House staff and friends. What a special way to start your Christmas week. Mass followed by refreshments. Further details will be available on the website in the future. * EVERY 1ST SUNDAY Catholic 12-STEP Healing Program with Fr. Bill (after the 1:30 Mass) & his team. Each Meeting will include teaching, 3:00-4:30 PM sharing & prayers for Healing; open to everyone (not just AA).

WEEKLY HOLY SPIRIT BREAKFAST with Mass * EVERY THURSDAY at 11:30 and continuing the study of St. Paul with the 10:00 AM - 2 PM encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI includes lunch. * EVERY 1ST MONTHLY DISCIPLESHIP/PATRICIAN THURSDAY Meeting - MEN & WOMEN. Why not join us this 7:00-9:00 PM month? * EVERY 2ND ST. MONICA’S PRAYER GROUP to pray for our THURSDAY children, family, and loved ones before the 7:30-8:30 PM Blessed Sacrament. * EVERY 3RD HEALING MASS with Fr. Bill McCarthy and THURSDAY team, see our Website for exact date and 6:30 PM further details. * EVERY 4TH PRAYER CENACLE with OUR LADY, QUEEN OF TUESDAY the HOME — using the book of Our Lady’s Message 7:00 PM of Mercy to the World.

Check out our website at www.myfathershouse.com for upcoming Parish Missions

Call us to have your family reunion here. Lodging & meals available.

November 20, 2009 The Church in the U.S. Masses worldwide to recall Archbishop Sheen’s life, promote sainthood

4

By Carmel Tintle Catholic News Service

PATERSON, N.J. — A worldwide celebration of Masses December 9 will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the death of famed author, lecturer and television evangelizer Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, as well as promote his cause for canonization.

Two women from the Paterson Diocese launched the program: Lo Anne Mayer, a parishioner of Christ the King Church in New Vernon, and La Verne Washburne, a parishioner of Corpus Christi Church in Chatham Township.

Mayer, who is a board member of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation in Peoria, Ill., and president of its advisory council, credits her friend Washburne with conceiving the worldwide Mass idea.

Washburne said it just struck her after hearing the foundation advise that Rome would like to witness an outpouring of support for Archbishop Sheen “from a lot of people!”

“The Mass is our greatest prayer,” she said, “and I can’t think of a better way to dramatize his worthiness for saint-

hood than big turnouts of people around the globe attending Mass in his memory, all on the same day. That’s public support on a grand scale; hopefully, it will impress Rome.”

She discussed the proposal with Mayer and together they organized a strategy.

The basic approach has been to encourage friends and acquaintances to request commemorative Masses be celebrated for Archbishop Sheen December 9 and then to pass on the idea to others.

“We are amazed at how quickly knowledge of the program spread throughout the U.S. and abroad via word of mouth,” Washburne said.

The initial step, however, was for Mayer to sound out the folks at the foundation. Without hesitation, they approved of the proposal and volunteered to reach out to their own worldwide connections.

Among them was the Sheen Foundation’s counterpart in Perth, Australia. Now, thanks to a time zone advantage, the first of the memorial Masses will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Perth.

Washburne made a quick phone call to a grandson, Tom House, who teaches English in a private school in Tokyo. She explained her idea — and its potential — and urged him to have a Mass scheduled in Archbishop Sheen’s memory and ask others to do the same.

“He agreed, and he cheered me on,” she said.

The two women next phoned the 35 members of the Sheen Foundation’s advisory council.

They, in turn, began calling their contacts.

One was Vivian Sherwood of Montecito, Calif., the 82-yearold retired publicist of TV comedian Milton Berle. She became a Catholic because of Archbishop Sheen.

Sherwood estimates that she lined up “about 25 clergymen” to celebrate a memorial Mass, including Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna and Trappist Abbot Thomas Keating, founder of the “centering prayer” movement.

Another advisory council member, Rosemarie Hollinger Costello of Edmond, Okla., pitched the idea to Msgr. Frank Pugliese, vicar general of the

U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, urging him to enlist U.S. military chaplains around the world in the program. “Consider it done,” he told her.

Among others Mayer called to help set up Masses was her son, who also resides in Tokyo.

He applauded the idea.

Next, she reserved the 7 a.m.

Mass December 9 at her parish church and called a couple of priests to spread the word: Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, a Missionaries of Charity priest who is postulator for the cause of Blessed Mother Teresa; and Msgr. John E. Kozar, national director of the pontifical missionary societies in the United States.

According to Mayer, the Sheen Foundation’s advisory council has tried to book Masses in every city and country associated with Archbishop Sheen’s life and Masses have been scheduled in 35 countries on six continents.

“We’re really proud of our own country’s participation,” she said, adding that Masses will be celebrated in all 50 states “with the biggest ceremony scheduled at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City.”

Regarding the archbishop’s

sainthood cause, Sara Worrell, a spokeswoman at the Sheen Foundation, said 22 volumes of sworn testimony regarding the archbishop’s personal holiness and his writings were being consolidated into one volume, known as the “positio,” for the Vatican Congregation for Saints’ Causes.

It is expected to be completed by June.

Then, she said, a panel of doctors, priests and theologians will look into the authenticity of two alleged miracles attributed to the archbishop’s intercession. One verified miracle is needed for Archbishop Sheen to be beatified; a second one must be verified for him to be canonized.

Mayer noted that, throughout Church history, centuries often passed before some worthy candidates were declared saints.

“We pray it doesn’t happen in this case,” she said. “La Verne and I are anxious to make a trip to Rome and, let’s face it, we’re a couple of grandmothers, so youth hardly weighs in our favor.”

More information about Archbishop Sheen’s sainthood cause is available on the foundation’s website, www.archbishopsheencause.org/foundation.html.

November 20, 2009

The Church in the U.S.

Cardinal George: Time to move beyond clergy scandals

BALTIMORE, Maryland, (Zenit.org) — The U.S. bishops’ conference president is urging his fellow prelates to move beyond the clergy abuse scandals of the past, and look to build unity within the Church.

Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, affirmed this in his presidential address in Baltimore, where the conference’s annual fall general assembly began on Monday.

He highlighted the necessary role of priests, who together with bishops exercise authority in Christ’s name over the people.

Without priests, he pointed out, the people would be left only to the authority of the civil and secular government.

“Without ordained priests,” the cardinal continued, “counseling passes into the hands of the therapists,” many of whom carry out their work “without consideration of the action of God’s grace.”

He affirmed that “without ordained priests, the Church would be deprived of the Eucharist.”

Thus, the prelate affirmed, in

this Year for Priests, we as bishops are called to reflect on our relationship with priests, and to “unite with them around Christ.”

As bishops, he continued, we “must look for ways to strengthen Church unity,” with “relations not of control, but of love.”

The prelate underlined the conference’s commitment to look for ways for all Catholics to remain in communion.

In particular, Cardinal George affirmed that the bishops are looking to strengthen relations with universities and the media.

It is important to have “pastoral concern for ecclesial unity,” he stated.

Some would keep us in the past, the prelate said, or imprisoned in the sexual abuse scandals in recent years. Yet, at this moment, the “clerical ranks have been purged, priests and bishops,” he pointed out, and great lengths have been taken to protect children.

Thus, we cannot allow these things of the past to destroy current relations within the Church, the cardinal said.

The conference president spoke on behalf of the other prelates, affirming that they “look forward to the dialogues” in which they plan to “clarify the conditions necessary for us to be truly Catholic.”

He emphasized the necessary role of the bishops, to stand for the truth and to clarify its application.

In this country, the cardinal affirmed, we have tried to be leaven in the debate about health care, not by proposing specific means, but by being a moral voice.

We speak to the lawmakers, he said, stating that in any health care policy, everyone should be cared for and no one should be killed.

Cardinal George affirmed: “Questions that are moral before they become political, remain moral questions after they become political.”

Thus, in these days of the general assembly, which ran through Thursday, the conference president affirmed: “We gather to seek [God’s] will for ourselves, our priests and our people. With his authority, we govern.”

WASHINGTON D.C. (CNA) — White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod has suggested that President Obama will intervene to alter the Stupak Amendment in health care legislation, claiming that it changes the “status quo” on abortion. A leader of a Pro-Life Democratic group told CNA in response that the Stupak Amendment is itself the status quo.

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Axelrod said that President Obama does not think the health care bill should “change the status quo as it relates to the issue of abortion.”

“This shouldn’t be a debate about abortion. And he’s going to work with the Senate and the House to try and ensure that at the end of the day, the status quo is not changed,” he continued.

Axelrod said that the issue “can and will” be worked out before the bill reaches his desk.

Last week President Obama told ABC News that his “simple principle” is that the legislation is “a health care bill, not an abortion bill.”

“And we’re not looking to change what is the principle that has been in place for a very long time, which is federal dollars are not used to subsidize abortions.

And I want to make sure that the provision that emerges meets that test — that we are not in some way sneaking in funding for abortions, but on the other hand that we’re not restricting women’s insurance choices,” he continued.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News Sun-

day that Americans do not want any taxpayer money going toward abortion.

“I think it would be very difficult to pass a bill that, in effect, either directly or indirectly provided tax money to pay for abortions,” he said, predicting there would be many amendments to the bill overall.

In a Monday interview, CNA spoke with Democrats for Life President Kristen Day about the future of the Stupak Amendment’s restrictions on abortion funding.

“Judging from the president’s comments over the weekend, it looks like he has some interest in trying to move this forward,” she told CNA. “Some intervention from the president will be helpful as we try to negotiate with Congress on the Senate side.”

She reported that Pro-Life Democrat Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska has already said he does not want any funding of abortion.

“Senator Casey has said the same thing,” Day added.

She told CNA that Senator Carper, a Delaware Democrat, had voted for language similar to the Stupak Amendment in committee.

“The general sense of the American public is that they don’t want public funding for abortions.

The Stupak Amendment says that.

So hopefully the Senate will find some way to put similar language in there.”

Neutralizing the issue of abortion, Day said, would be “a positive way to move forward with health care reform.”

Asked how the Stupak Amend-

ment would fare in talks to reconcile Senate and House versions of health care legislation, she commented: “In an ideal world the Stupak Amendment would be adopted in the Senate. If it’s not, I think it will be very difficult to remove this language from the bill unless there is an agreement worked out ahead of time. Because there are strong coalitions on each side that either do or don’t want public funding for abortions.”

The House spoke “very clearly” by passing the Stupak Amendment, she continued, predicting that its removal “wouldn’t sit comfortably” with the 64 Democrats who voted for it.

It will be a “very difficult road” to find a way to keep Stupak’s language in the legislation, Day said, “but I think that’s what we’re going to have to do.”

Asked to respond to David Axelrod’s claims that the Stupak Amendment changes the status quo on abortion, Day told CNA the problem all along has been “a disagreement about what the status quo is.”

Had abortion restrictions passed in the Senate Finance Committee, Day noted, “We could have resolved this months ago.”

“We think the status quo is the Stupak Amendment, with no public funding of abortion. I think the amendment was written in a way that was very consistent with the Hyde Amendment language. And I think that the language should stay.”

Health care abortion debate centers on whether Stupak Amendment is ‘status quo’

5

U.S. bishops renew resolve on health care reform

BALTIMORE, Maryland, (Zenit.org) — As the U.S. bishops closed the first session of their fall general assembly on Monday, the president introduced an item not on the agenda, but “critical”: the country’s health care reform.

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, underlined the health care debate as “one of the most critical issues” of the country and the conference.

He read a statement and asked for the approval of the conference in order to release it on behalf of all.

The statement, dated November 17, thanked those congress members who voted against including the federal funding of abortion in the health care reform plan of the House of Representatives.

Cardinal George clarified that the conference is not approving specific means to be employed in the proposed health care policy, but rather is emphasizing principles such as universal access and the right to life of every human person.

He underlined the conference’s commitment to work now to persuade the senate to follow similar principles, to also exclude abortion funding from their reform proposal.

Health care is “about human beings,” the prelate said, and hence it has “serious moral consequences.”

In a press conference after the session, Bishop William

Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the bishops’ Domestic Justice Committee, affirmed the conference’s desire to emphasize “principles, not politics.”

The prelate, who has been overseeing the conference’s health care efforts, said of the House of Representative’s decision, “We have a sense of a job well done by staff who have made a principled stand.”

The bishops do not do politics, he said, but “we’re in a world of politics,” so we had to deal with those who have the responsibility to make the laws.

The bishop underlined the conference’s desire to look for a “principled position” that will continue a law to prevent the use of taxpayer money for abortion.

“Killing a child in the womb is not health care,” he stated.

There were members of congress who agreed with the Church on these ideals, he noted, and “we were able to work with them.”

Bishop Murphy underlined the conference’s continued commitment to this effort: “We are pleased to have come this far, but we know that we have a road ahead of us.”

It is a “different situation in the Senate,” he noted, underlining the need to see who is “committed to the same ideals that we are.”

The prelate stated that U.S. President Barack Obama “made it clear” that he was committed to remain “abortion neutral.”

6

The Anchor Catholic in practice and not just in name

After the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, we argued that among the lessons needing to be learned from the history of the Church’s interaction with “pro-choice” Catholic politicians on Capitol Hill is that an education-alone approach has proven a total failure. The eloquent and clear teaching documents from the popes, the bishops’ conference and many individual bishops about the dignity of human life, the evil of abortion, and the duties of Catholic politicians with respect to human life have seemed to have had no impact on “pro-choice” Catholic politicians. Not only has there not been one “success story” over the past three decades of a “pro-choice” Catholic politician’s becoming Pro-Life, but rather, many of them have just grown bolder, with several Catholics in Congress having become the most radical proponents of abortion on Capitol Hill.

We argued in September that since history tells us that “pro-choice” Catholic politicians cannot be depended on to apply papal and episcopal teaching statements to themselves in conscience, a new strategy is needed. We proposed that the Church consider anew the type of one-on-one instruction that Jesus describes in the Gospel (Mt 18:15-18), traditionally called fraternal correction, in which individual “pro-choice” Catholic politicians would be helped to see that the teaching of the Church on the dignity of human life, the evil of abortion, and the duties of Catholic politicians affords no exceptions in their case. Such correction would be aimed at helping them to recognize that if they truly wish to be and call themselves a faithful Catholic, then they can no longer support the destruction of innocent human life in the womb.

An example of what this fraternal correction looks like is presently ongoing in the state of Rhode Island. It is notable — considering that Senator Kennedy, through his enormous influence and stature, was in many ways the progenitor of scores of other “pro-choice” Catholic politicians — that the recipient of this correction is Senator Kennedy’s son, Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI).

Congressman Kennedy’s position on abortion can be viewed as the confused fruit of the scandalous incoherence of his father’s generation with regard to the faith and the sanctity of human life. Since that scandal was inadequately addressed and corrected, the confusion in the second generation is much greater than in the first. That’s why the efforts of Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin to remedy that confusion are relevant not merely to Congressman Kennedy, but to the whole Church.

The Congressman’s problems began at the end of October when, during an interview on health care reform, he charged, “The Catholic Church is doing nothing but fanning the flames of dissent and discord by taking the position that it will oppose the health-care reform bill under consideration in Congress unless it is amended to explicitly prohibit funding of abortion.” In case that were not sufficiently hyperbolic — accusing the Church of “causing dissent” from the health care pseudo-gospel rather than noting his own dissent from the teaching of the Gospel of Life — he continued by echoing his father’s claim that changing the health care structure rather than stopping the killing of innocent human beings is the most important social injustice issue facing us. “I can’t understand for the life of me,” he said, “how the Catholic Church could be against the biggest social justice issue of our time, where the very dignity of the human person is being respected by the fact that we’re caring and giving health care to the human person.’” He accuses the Church, not himself, of being hypocrites: “You mean to tell me the Catholic Church is going to be denying those people life saving health care? I thought they were Pro-Life.”

Bishop Tobin was quick to respond, in the straight-talking style for which he is becoming wellknown. He called Kennedy’s statement about the Church’s position “irresponsible and ignorant of the facts,” pronounced him a “disappointment to the Catholic Church and to the citizens of the State of Rhode Island” and prayed that he “will find a way to provide more effective and morally responsible leadership.” Tobin later wrote the Congressman to schedule a meeting to discuss Kennedy’s position on abortion. After a meeting was set up for last week, it was cancelled, reportedly because Bishop Tobin refused to accept Congressman Kennedy’s demand that the meeting be kept private. Such a request on the Congressman’s part was unreasonable because the purpose of the meeting was not for the Congressman to go to confession or receive confidential spiritual direction, but to remedy his erroneous public statements and scandalous public track record on abortion, both of which require a public response.

After the meeting was canceled, Kennedy wrote a public letter to the bishop that asserted, among other things, “The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” That claim solicited a response from Bishop Tobin, in which he focused on what it really means to be a Catholic, not just in name but in practice. Because he hoped that his words “might be instructive to other Catholics, including those in prominent positions of leadership,” he released the letter publicly.

The bishop of Providence began by responding to Kennedy’s statement that his disagreement with some aspects of the Catholic faith does not make him less Catholic. “That sentence certainly caught my attention,” Bishop Tobin said, “and deserves a public response, lest it go unchallenged and lead others to believe that it’s true.”

Disagreement with the hierarchy on some issues does make someone less of a Catholic, Bishop Tobin clarified, because “when someone rejects the teachings of the Church, especially on a grave matter, a life-and-death issue like abortion, it certainly does diminish their ecclesial communion, their unity with the Church.” After quoting Canon Law, the “Catechism,” and a Vatican document on Catholics in political life to emphasize that Catholics are called to live in accord with, and not prescind from, the social and moral teaching of the Church,” he continued, “There’s lots of canonical and theological verbiage there, Congressman, but what it means is that if you don’t accept the teachings of the Church your communion with the Church is flawed, or in your own words, makes you ‘less of a Catholic.’”

Since “being a Catholic has to mean something,” Bishop Tobin said that it minimally signifies “that you’re part of a faith community that possesses a clearly defined authority and doctrine, obligations and expectations. It means that you believe and accept the teachings of the Church, especially on essential matters of faith and morals; that you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish; that you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly; that you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially.” After calling on Congressman Kennedy to affirm that he lives by these “basic requirements,” he adds that if he doesn’t follow them, “What is it exactly that makes you a Catholic? Your baptism as an infant? Your family ties? Your cultural heritage?,” with the implication being that there clearly is a difference between a Catholic who lives according to his baptismal promises and one who doesn’t. The latter is, to use the Congressman’s expression, “less of a Catholic.”

Bishop Tobin noted that Congressman Kennedy’s “rejection of the Church’s teaching on abortion” is not a light matter, but a “deliberate and obstinate act of the will, a conscious decision you’ve reaffirmed on many occasions” that is “unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the Church.” Support for abortion, in other words, does make one less of a Catholic.

He concluded his letter by inviting Congressman Kennedy, “as your bishop and brother in Christ, to enter into a sincere process of discernment, conversion and repentance,” offering his help to that end and reminding him that “it’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church, redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic ‘profile in courage,’ especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children.”

Let us pray that Congressman Kennedy, and many other pro-choice Catholic politicians, respond to this instruction and invitation by valuing their Catholic faith more than they do the abortion lobby.

November 20, 2009

The balm of the soul

Last week, we began to look at how St. John people form true contrition out of love for God Vianney, once he got his parishioners to return is so important to help people experience the full to the sacrament of penance, sought to help power of the sacrament of reconciliation. them get more out of it. His strategy was to help St. John Vianney realized this and worked so them improve in each of the three classic areas hard, in the pulpit and in the confessional, to help of preparation for a good confession: to examine people achieve this sorrow. their conscience more thoroughly and deeply, to On one occasion a penitent was confesshave increased sorrow for the sins committed, ing his sins matter-of-factly without sorrow. and to form a stronger resolve and better game The Curé of Ars began to weep on his side of plan to avoid those sins in the future. After hav- the confessional. The penitent was startled and ing covered his catechesis on the examination asked him, as any of us might, “Father, why are of conscience last week, today we turn to what you crying?” St. John Vianney responded, with he and the Church have always described as the words that soon became famous, “I am crying most important part of preparation. because you are not.”

That last sentence is intended to be someHe would often break down in the confeswhat provocative, because many people — both sional over the sins that people were confesstoday and at the time of the Curé of Ars — think ing. His tears routinely became contagious as that the most important element in preparing for penitents discovered what the proper interior a good confession is the examination of con- response should be for what they had done. Witscience. The examination is, after all, what most nessing this priest’s weeping over their sins often Catholics spend the majority of their time on be- was enough to bring them to profound repenfore coming to confession. While it is certainly tance, and it was a common sight to see people good that people spend time doing a quality sobbing from sorrow and joy as they left the examination of conscience, there is something saint’s confessional. more important, quantitatively and qualitatively: On other occasions, St. John Vianney would contrition. point to the confessional crucifix — indicating “It is necessary to spend more time ask- the price Jesus had paid for the sins the penitent ing for contriwas confessing tion than making at that moment the examination — and begin of conscience,” to weep. Most St. John Vianney penitents soon used to preach joined him. To unambiguously one man who to his people. He had only what

By Father counseled them Church tradition Roger J. Landry to spend a great called “imperdeal of time fect contrition” in prayer asking — the “contriGod to grant them true sorrow for their sins. tion of fear” of eternal damnation and the other He knew, first, that it was sorrow that would consequences of sin — he replied in a way that help turn their confession into a real occasion brought him quickly to “perfect contrition,” of conversion. He also recognized that it was which is a sorrow based on love for God. “Save contrition that would transform the experience your poor soul,” Vianney said with infinite tenof confession from a dry accounting of one’s derness. “What a pity to lose a soul that has cost transgressions into an opening for profound rec- our Lord so much. What harm has he done to onciliation with a merciful Father against whom you that you would treat him in this way?” one has sinned and to whom one says “sorry” in Many penitents attested that even when they the sacrament. were confessing their sins with sorrow and tears, Pope John Paul II, in the 1984 Apostolic each of their admissions would provoke from Exhortation “Reconciliation and Penance,” him a profound and seemingly uncontrollable the most extensive treatment in the history of sigh or groan. He taught them indelible lessons the magisterium on the sacrament of penance, of the horror a son or daughter should have for called contrition the “essential act of penance on sin against his or her all-loving Father. Once a the part of the penitent.” He defined it as “a clear young priest who had come to the patron saint of and decisive rejection of the sin committed, to- priests for confession left not only with his sins gether with a resolution not to commit it again, absolved but with a much deeper realization of out of the love that one has for God and that the sorrow that should characterize both penitent is reborn with repentance.” He went on to say and confessor. He stated, many years later, “Evthat contrition is the “beginning and the heart of ery one of my accusations provoked on his part conversion, of that evangelical metanoia [total an exclamation of faith, commiseration and horrevolution in one’s way of thinking] that brings ror for the smallest sin. ‘What a pity,’ he would the person back to God like the Prodigal Son re- say, over and over again. I was particularly struck turning to his Father.” by the accent of tenderness with which he utJohn Paul II particularly wished to empha- tered the words. That simple ‘What a pity!’ in size how true contrition brings about the “radi- all its beauty showed what damage sin had done cal change of life” called conversion. He said to my soul.” that traditionally people regard the conversion St. John Vianney would say that contrition to which true contrition leads as a “mortifica- not only should precede a good confession but tion” in which we try to eradicate the roots of also follow it, since true contrition will lead to sin from life. Jesus used the image of cutting off acts of penance, reparation, and the firm purpose our limbs and plucking out our eyes if they’re of amendment necessary for a radical change in leading to sin. The pope said that there’s an life. Using a domestic analogy, he taught, “You aspect of this “death” involved, but he stressed see a house that is all filthy. It is the same with that “contrition and conversion are even more a your soul. After the examination, even after condrawing near to the holiness of God, a rediscov- fession, it is necessary to have contrition to wash ery of one’s true identity that has been upset and it.” The tears of contrition become like a second disturbed by sin, a liberation in the very depth baptismal path washing the dirt of the soul, even of self and thus a regaining of lost joy, the joy the most embedded, away. of being saved.” Contrition and conversion is The contrition St. John Vianney had for sins meant, in other words, to bring us true joy, the extended also to his own. He often confided that joy that comes from experiencing anew the full his one great aspiration was to retire to a mondepth of the merciful love of God. This is the astery where he could “weep over his sins” and reason why St. John Vianney would call contri- “poor life.” That genuine sorrow out of love for tion, “the balm of the soul.”

God was something he couldn’t help passing on John Paul II worried that “the majority of to all those who heard him speak about the merpeople in our time are no longer capable of ex- cy of God and all those who received it through periencing” that balm because they are no lon- his ministry in the confessional. ger sufficiently motivated by the love of God to Next time we will focus on what St. John Viexperience true sorrow, and without that sorrow, anney taught must flow from genuine contrition: they won’t be able to have the type of conver- a firm purpose of amendment. sion that draws them anew into the depth of Father Landry is pastor of St. Anthony’s God’s holiness. This is the reason why helping Parish in New Bedford.

Putting Into the Deep

November 20, 2009

I

am happy to be writing this article on May 11, the 47th anniversary of my ordination. It doesn’t seem possible that nearly five decades have passed since Bishop Connolly placed his hands on the head of this faith-filled, 25-year-old brown-haired, 150-pound man who began this journey. And what a journey it has been.

John F. Kennedy had just been elected — I attended his inauguration. The Second Vatican Council was becoming a reality and hope filled the air as well as my mind and heart.

They were wonderful times for the Church and for priests.

I began as “curate” at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Osterville where I had the opportunity to bring about the changes of the Council.

It wasn’t easy. The pastor wanted no part of change.

My first weekend, I went to the front of the church before and after each Mass to greet the people. The pastor was furious and said, “We don’t do that.” I was in turmoil but con-

T

he word “cursillo” means “little course,” and it’s the name for the intensive, four-day experience designed to deepen Christian faith that is given several times a year at the Retreat House of the Congregation of Holy Cross Fathers in North Easton.

I had seen ads for the Cursillo experience in the weekly bulletin at my parish, St. Patrick’s in Falmouth, and I began asking friends if they had ever done the program. Four or five people in our Saturday morning Bible study class had gone, most many years ago, and every one of them reported how wonderful the experience had been for them.

I admit I was a little bit nervous about what I was getting into, but I filled out the application and sent in the fee, which is about 100 dollars and certainly not bad for three days’ meals and lodging.

My Cursillo — number 311 — took place in October. I reported on Thursday evening at about 7 p.m., along with 35 other men from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. We were each assigned to one of the dorm rooms, a few of us with roommates, before gathering for introductions, opening lectures, and Mass in the Chapel. We then studied, prayed, ate — be prepared to eat well — talked and sang together for three 15-

7

The Anchor

The reason why priests have a job

to this day with a hopeful attivinced that what I was doing tude of the priesthood as a life was essential to ministry. of service to others and with a The next weekend, I remulti-dimensional definition peated my action. The silence of the Church. was deafening at the rectory.

Beyond Religious EducaThe third week, I went tion, our bishops afforded me out and discovered I was not opportunities for leadership as alone. The pastor was by my the director of the diocese’s side and did the same for the 75th jubilee, of the Office of rest of his active ministry.

Family Ministry and the OfChange didn’t come easily but it came. What a joy at last to celebrate Year For Priests Mass in English, to Vocational Reflection encourage participation in the Liturgy and to empower the laity

By Msgr. to ministry of all sorts.

Ronald A. Tosti The Church was alive and exciting, with churches filled and fice of Pastoral Planning — a the faithful being served by job that garnered me the title priests and by each other. of “Msgr. Kevorkian.”

I had the good fortune to Throughout all of this, I be sent to Fordham University had a pastoral assignment as for graduate studies, which well. Obviously, the work that brought my theological trainwas given to me in the founding up to date. My renewed ing of a new parish in Masheducation brought me to pee and overseeing the builddiocesan leadership in Religious Education and, although ing of a considerable plant was a special part of my life short-lived because of adminas a pastor, which has always istrative changes, carried me

been my true love.

All of this was done in a climate of faith, not secularism as today. I pray that those who are following me will have the courage to bring about change by using the wonderful teachings of the Second Vatican Council to accept people where they are at and not where they might want them to be; to leap forth from clerical rigidity to acceptance and joy; to step forward from elitist partitions into the mainstream of the “little people of God,” who look to us for kindness, understanding, and, yes, love.

When I was a youngster working in my father’s store, he taught me that the customer was not an interruption but the reason why I had a job. I have tried to use that same purposeful philosophy in my 47 years of active ministry, welcoming the people of God with a positive attitude and a smile. I have loved every minute of it

The little course that changes lives

“Leadership,” “A Life in Christ,” hour days, without once leaving and “The Christian Community the Retreat House and without televisions or newspapers or cell in Action” — just to name a few. phones, basically cut off from our regular worlds.

My Cursillo was presented by a “team” of clergy and laymen led

by Father Joe Callahan, who taught us from the Gospels and talked to David Ament us about how one lives a good Christian life.

The emphasis was on Catholic faith, but a dozen of the Each day also included Mass in the Chapel, a good-hearted men were either non-Catholics attempt at a lot of group singing, or non-practicing Catholics. and some special moments for We were broken down into four prayer. I don’t want to give away “tables” of nine men each — all the secrets of the Cursillo mine was the table of St. Paul weekend. Just take my word — and I was asked to lead our that the days are wonderfully table’s discussions after each planned for each participant and lecture. Each group prepared richly supported by a great group a quick written summary after each lecture, drew a group poster of friends and volunteers.

Cursillo No. 311 may have depicting its conclusions, and, each night after dinner, presented been a group of strangers when we arrived — different ages, its summary and poster to the different family and educational whole group in an informal, backgrounds, different abilities supportive atmosphere. Anyone and ideas, but we left deeply like me who felt uncomfortable talking to this group of strangers connected by our shared experience. soon felt at home. I could see I lived two important truths some of the younger men growduring my Cursillo. ing in confidence and faith right The first is that the cross before my eyes. doesn’t just go up and down, sigThe daily lectures covered nifying the relationship of each a lot of great topics, such person to God. It also goes side as “Grace,” “Laymen in the to side, indicating the relationChurch,” “The Sacraments,” ship of each person to the com“Piety, Study, and Action,”

Guest Columnist

munity of believers around him.

I had signed up for my Cursillo expecting to find God in my own individual prayers and meditations, but I ended up encountering him in the faith and love of my fellow “Cursillistas” and the network of volunteers supporting and praying for our Cursillo experience.

The second truth was found in the slogan for the Cursillo weekend — “Don’t

— well, almost every minute.

Now that I am retired from the responsibilities of administration, I have the freedom to continue to minister through celebrating Masses at two different parishes and helping out wherever there is a need. I also have the freedom, and, thank God, the health to continue enjoying community involvement and my avocations in addition to priestly ministry.

My life is full and very happy as it has been throughout this journey. I can only hope that Christ will continue to use this unworthy instrument to make a difference in peoples’ lives. I look forward to a different Church than that which I entered into in 1962, one that I face now as a white-haired, much heavier septuagenarian, but, please God, with that same hope that is still founded in faith in his never-ending love.

Msgr. Tosti retired as pastor of Christ the King Parish in Mashpee in 2006 and now lives in Cotuit.

anticipate. Just participate.” In other words, don’t worry about the future. With the love of God, and within the community of those who believe in Jesus Christ, you have everything you need. Just participate in that love and in that family. All the rest will take care of itself.

David Ament is a practicing attorney and is an active parishioner of St. Patrick’s Parish in Falmouth. He and his wife Bev have two children and five grand-children.

8

The Anchor

T

he Romans counted among their gods, Janus, the god of doors. He is represented with a doublefaced head, each looking in opposite directions. This image of looking back at the past and ahead toward the future is a good way of explaining what we need to be about today as we celebrate the last Sunday of the liturgical year and the feast of Christ the King.

By way of explanation consider that as the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we recall that during this past year we have memorialized in the sacrament of the Word and the Eucharist the Incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We must ask ourselves how has this changed and shaped our lives.

How have we grown in our

November 20, 2009

His throne is the cross

love of God and neighbor? and live a life prepared to Also consider that today’s encounter Christ our King as readings from the Prophet he comes into our lives in the Daniel and the Book of Revpresent. elation reference the end time How then are we to unand the final judgment.

The prophet Daniel proclaims, “I saw one Homily of the Week like the Son of Man Feast of coming, on the clouds Christ the King of heaven,” (7:13) and

By Deacon we read in the Book of Maurice Ouellette Revelation, “Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who derstand this feast of Christ pierced him” (1:6). In choosthe King? What we celebrate ing these readings the Church is Christ’s sovereignty over is calling each one of us to all creation which began at take stock of our relationship his resurrection and ascenwith Christ in anticipation of sion and continues into his the final judgment, knowing final judgment over all. What that we are accountable. It kind of king is Christ? Well, makes an eternal difference imagine, if you will, opening how we live. We look back a rather large and magnificent and look forward in order door — the kind of door we that we may be transformed might find at Versaille or some

other great palace — the kind of door which says, “On the other side of me lies something important.” Now imagine this door opening onto a kingdom, the kingdom of God. Upon entering this kingdom we find ourselves in the throne room only to discover that the throne of God’s kingdom is the cross. It is then that we realize the kingship of Christ is very much unlike the worldly concept of kingship, knit up in power, domination, and oppression. Jesus, the Christ, sees and exercises his true kingship in service. His was the greatest service given to humanity, the forgiveness of sins. “Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, I and their guilt he shall bear” (Isaiah 53:11).

In John’s Gospel Jesus

tells Pilate that his kingship is not of this world and was ordained to “testify to the truth” (18:36). Jesus revealed the truth of the Father in his preaching, teaching, and healing, but most profoundly on the cross, where he revealed his kingship is centered in the power of love and not the love of power.

So, on this feast of Christ the King we are invited to stand at Christ’s throne, the cross, contemplating. We know that Christ as King rules the heavens and the earth, all that remains is our invitation for this king to rule our hearts.

Deacon Ouellette is married to Teresa, and for the past seven years of his ordination has served at St. Lawrence Martyr Parish in New Bedford. Their daughter, Elise, is currently a freshman in college.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Nov. 21, The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1 Mc 6:1-13; Ps 9:2-4,6,16,19; Lk 20:27-40. Sun. Nov. 22, Our Lord, Jesus Christ The King,Dn 7:13-14; Ps 93:1-2,5; Rv 1:5-8; Jn 18:33b-37. Mon. Nov. 23, Dn 1:1-6,8-20; (Ps) Dn 3:52-56; Lk 21:1-4. Tues. Nov. 24, Dn 2:31-45; (Ps) Dn 3:57-61; Lk 21:5-11. Wed. Nov. 25, Dn 5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28; (Ps) Dn 3:62-67; Lk 21:12-19. Thur. Nov. 26, Dn 6:12-28; (Ps) Dn 3:68-74; Lk 21:20-28. Fri. Nov. 27, Dn 7:2-14; (Ps) Dn 3:75-81; Lk 21:29-33.

P

The Vatican and the Lefebvrists: Not a negotiation

rior to the opening of formal conversations between officials of the Holy See and leaders of the Lefebvrist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), which began on October 26, the mainstream media frequently misrepresented these discussions as a negotiation aimed at achieving a compromise that both sides can live with.

That was to be expected from reporters and commentators for whom everything is politics and everything is thus negotiable.

Alas, similar misrepresentations came from “Vatican insiders” who suggested that the teaching of the Second Vatican Council

we have a society of clergy was under joint review by the who have been living in disobeHoly See and the SSPX, which dience to the Roman pontiff for only made matters worse.

Here is what’s going on here, decades, and their lay followand what isn’t.

1. The conversations between leaders of the SSPX and the Holy See are just that: conversations. These are not negotiations, for

By George Weigel there is nothing to be negotiated; nor is this a dialogue between equal ers, many of whom are more partners. On the one hand, we confused than willfully schishave the bishop of Rome and matic. The purpose of these those curial officials whose conversations is to make clear work is an extension of his what the Second Vatican Counpapal office; on the other hand, cil taught (especially about the nature of the Church), to listen politely to what the SSPX has to say, and to invite the SSPX back into the full communion of the Catholic Church, which the SSPX broke in 1988 when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre committed the schismatic act of illicitly ordaining bishops without the authorization of the Roman pontiff (and against the

The Catholic Difference

EasternTelevision

direct, personal pleas of Pope John Paul II).

2. Despite what some “Vatican insiders” have said, these conversations do not represent a bold initiative by the Holy See; and despite the carping from the mainstream media, these conversations are not a craven papal concession to the demands of angry traditionalists whose dissent from Vatican II Benedict XVI is alleged to share. Rather, the conversations now underway are an act of pastoral charity by the pope, who is quite clear about the settled doctrine of the Church and who wishes to invite all, including members of the SSPX, to adhere to that doctrine. Nor is this about mutual enrichment; it is not easy to see how the Catholic Church is to be theologically enriched by the ideas of those who, whatever the depth of their traditional liturgical piety, reject the mid-20th century reform of Catholic thought of which Joseph Ratzinger was a leader.

The pope is under no illusions on this score; his purpose is to invite the SSPX back into full communion, thus preventing the schism of 1988 from becoming a permanent wound in the Mystical Body of Christ.

3. The issues to be engaged in these conversations do not involve liturgy; the pope has addressed the legitimate

pastoral needs of SSPX clergy and SSPX-affiliated laity by his decree allowing the unrestricted use of the 1962 Roman Missal. The real questions have to do with other matters. Does the SSPX accept the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on religious freedom as a fundamental human right that can be known by both reason and revelation? Does the SSPX accept that the age of altar-andthrone alliances, confessional states, and legally established Catholicism is over, and that the Catholic Church rejects the use of coercive state power on behalf of its truth claims? Does the SSPX accept the Council’s teaching on Jews and Judaism as laid down in Vatican II’s Declaration on Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate), and does the SSPX repudiate all anti-Semitism? Does the SSPX accept the Council’s teaching on the imperative of pursuing Christian unity in truth and the Council’s teaching that elements of truth and sanctity exist in other Christian communities, and indeed in other religious communities?

Those are the real issues.

Conversation about them is always welcome. Those who confuse conversation with negotiation make genuine conversation all the more difficult.

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Dribs and drabs

Friday 13 November 2009 — I did go south. I traveled less Old Dighton Village — Mother than four miles, but south is Cabrini Day south. The trip took seven mint was getting unbearably cold in the North Dighton rectory.

I held out as long as I Reflections of a could. One day, I noticed Parish Priest my dogs curled up on the rug, shivering — and

By Father they wear fur coats. That Tim Goldrick motivated me to finally pack my bags and move to a warmer climate. utes. I still reside in the parish No, dear readers, I didn’t mi- of St. Nicholas, but now in the grate to sunny Florida, although house that formerly served as

I

O

9

The Anchor

November 20, 2009

The Ship’s Log

St. Peter’s Rectory. Praise be to God, it is well-insulated and has a functioning heating system. I cannot imagine what it must be like for the poor people who live on the streets during our New England winters.

I’ve been moving in dribs and drabs; first my bed and bureau, then my desk; then a couple of chairs. The rest can follow eventually. There’s no hurry.

It took the greyhounds a week to get used to their cozy

Family full meal deal

tions with each of his children. ne of the things that Though Margaret didn’t always makes for a healthy, show great interest, she learned happy family life in larger a lot and is grateful for receiving families is the experience of a solid grounding in the truths of family meals, which by necesthe faith. sity become medium-size dinner When the Sunday night parties. dinner was over it was time for Margaret Mullan says she the Mullan Talent Showcase forged friendships with her nine hour. Everyone got to show off brothers and sisters in an atmotheir latest talent, such as a new sphere of warm companionship dance step or a gymnastic move. at the dinner table. This was far Poems could be recited or songs from an “eat your meal on your sung. Once, someone proudly own while watching TV from enumerated all of the bones in the couch” type of experience; the body. everyone gathered around their There was just one rule: no huge wooden table and anyone was welcome to talk, no matter what age, and evLavishly eryone else was invited to listen with interest.

Generous The children would Love take turns telling funny anecdotes or sharing

By Joan Kingsland interesting things they had learned that day.

Margaret’s brothers even discovered they could spare laughing at what the other said or did. Those who felt incapable themselves the trouble of doing of holding back their laughter research for their essay assignneeded to leave the room. Only ments by getting their father to once was the entire room cleared expound on matters such as the except for the parents. That was Civil War. when the youngest child, six at There were also questions the time, graciously dedicated about what’s right and what’s her song, “Hello Mr. Turkey, not right about the things people How Are You?” to her mother. said and did. Their dad always While siblings collapsed in made sure to provide clear exlaughter in the hallway, dad and planations. In fact, he developed mom remained sedately seated a reputation for having answers on the living room couch listenespecially in regards to Catholiing with apparent rapt attention. cism. Fellow parishioners would Mrs. Mullan would get out come by seeking Dr. Mullan’s her guitar after dinner when opinion. As Margaret grew older there were guests. There were even her college age friends Irish songs, religious songs, would swing by her home to Broadway hits or Peter, Paul and clear up doubts they had about Mary songs. Today the Mullans their faith with her dad. would feel something had gone It was over a dinner converamiss if they don’t get in at least sation that Mullan discovered an hour or two of singing their his own children didn’t have hearts out when they have a an adequate knowledge of their family get-together. beliefs. After asking them to Another Mullan tradition redefine the Incarnation, he was lated to dinner was the parentsconsternated at the ensuing only “tea time” afterwards in the argument over what part of the kitchen. Try as the kids might Mass that was. Appalled at their to cut short their parents’ daily unabashed ignorance, Mullan moment alone together, dad and assumed the duty of personally mom would remain there as providing Religious Education long as they wished. It was a key for his children. So he set up a way for them to keep a united series of one-on-one conversa-

front in matters of discipline with their children. The kids didn’t really know what their parents talked about because they never interrupted. At most they would lay down and shout through the crack under the door that they were going to fail their homework assignment if somebody didn’t come and help them soon.

There was also the special dinner out invented by Mullan when he realized his children were avoiding the sacrament of confession. Inspired by the verse in the Gospel when Jesus says, “There is joy among the angels in heaven over one sinner who repents,” he decided that if the angels could have a party in heaven over confession, then so could they. So one day he announced, “I’m going to confession and then I’m going out to dinner to celebrate my joy at having received this sacrament. Anyone who wishes to do the same is welcome to join me.” Given the initial success, Mullan extended the same invitation once a month, thereby instilling the habit of regularly going to confession in his children.

Meal times for the Mullans were a precious opportunity to gather together as a family.

Everyone was accepted and appreciated as he or she was. The parents got to know their children better and had the chance to provide important guidance when it came to their faith and morals clashing with what their kids were facing in society.

This family immensely enjoyed being together and still does. Who would have guessed that so many seeds of happiness could be sown around a large wooden table?

Joan Kingsland, a consecrated woman of Regnum Christi, teaches theology at Mater Ecclesiae College in Greenville, R.I. She received a doctorate from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Rome.

new quarters. At first the dogs stuck to me like Velcro. They wouldn’t let me out of their sight. Eventually they felt secure enough to roam.

It took me only a few hours to feel at home in this hundredyear-old house, even though it does need a lot of TLC. It was built as a rectory. This makes all the difference in the world. A rectory doesn’t function like a private home. Of all the rectories in which I’ve lived, I can think of only two or three that were built as rectories. These provide the most sensible living arrangements for priests, a combination of semi-public and private spaces.

I found the old blueprints for the building, carefully rolled and stored away for safe keeping.

I wonder who put them there.

The building stands basically as it was designed, with a few regrettable modifications. It is intended for two resident priests, a resident housekeeper, and a guest priest. All the rooms are very small by today’s standards.

Downstairs, there’s a tiny shared office and reception parlor; a dining room and living room; a kitchen, and a small library; upstairs, three priests’ bedrooms but no work spaces. The rear section of the house is the servant’s quarters, including a bedroom and “spare” room.

There is a back stairwell for use of the servant and there was once a separate entrance.

The most impressive feature of the house is outside. It’s the huge maple trees that stand sentry around the place. The massive maples are beautiful and stately — works of art, really. Standing there guarding the house for a century, I wonder what they have witnessed.

The front door is neoGeorgian in style. The brick steps are long-gone, replaced by pressure-treated lumber of generic design. The architectural piece de resistance was once the “sitting porch” on the south side of the house. Although it has a door, the door is off-axis and not designed to be a public entrance.

g tin a r leb ur e C O

It’s a private space, accessible from the living room, where, in another age, priests dressed in long black cassocks could sit in rocking chairs after supper and read the newspaper or pray the breviary or just chat with each other. Here, too, the brick steps have been removed. The columns are also gone, as well as the porch’s turned railings.

The porch in now enclosed with prosaic aluminum windows.

This is Old Dighton Village, the original town settlement at the intersection of County Street and Main Street. Just a block away, at the confluence of the Segregansett and Taunton rivers, is the boat yard. Here are the fire department, the public works department, the hardware and grain store, a couple of churches, an ancient graveyard, a former tavern, the library, and the older town residences. The village store stands abandoned and derelict, a tattered blue tarp blowing from its roof. The village factory has been razed, its parking lot left to revert to nature. The railroad tracks, now in disuse, run behind my house.

I wonder if there was ever a train station. A long wooden building across the street is also abandoned, the windows broken and its walls collapsing.

Even though their village is dilapidated, the people who live here are country people. Village is a state of mind. The early morning gathering spot is Alice’s Last Stop Restaurant, where “the food is as fresh as the waitresses,” according to their slogan.

In Boston, it’s “Cheers” where everybody knows your name; in Dighton, it’s Alice’s.

I went to the local barber shop for a haircut. “You’re new in town,” observed the barber.

“We give all of our new customers a free gift. Here’s a backscratcher.” It’s the thought that counts.

Dighton Village may look tired and faded, but to me it feels like home. It’s a good feeling.

Father Goldrick is pastor of St. Nicholas of Myra Parish in North Dighton.

r ea 3 Y 3 rd

DECEMBER 5th & 6th B.M.C. DURFEE HIGH SCHOOL FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS

LARGEST CRAFT FAIR IN SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS 0 R 20 OVE ITORS B I EXH

10 A.M. — 4 P.M.

E ION FRE MISS AD KING PAR

FALL RIVER SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION

10

By Michael Pare Anchor Correspondent HYANNIS — The downward spiral of the economy is being felt in every corner

The Anchor

November 20, 2009

In retirement, she works to serve the needy of New England. To think for even a moment that any city or town is immune would be naive. And while economists consult their charts and graphs

and examine unemployment numbers, the number of new homes under construction, and job listings in an effort to gauge the region’s economic pulse, those people who volunteer their time to help others in need don’t need to consult fancy economic projections. They see first-hand the devastating impact of a true economic recession.

Hyannis, on bucolic Cape Cod, is no exception.

Jane Starinkas, president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Francis Xavier Parish, keeps detailed records.

And those records show that in October alone, the parish outreach program serviced 55 new clients.

“These are people we had not seen before,” said Starinkas.

There are others statistics that help to tell the story of an economy that is unforgiving.

They tell the story of an economy that finds more people than ever wondering how they are going to heat their homes this winter, how they are going to put food on their tables.

In 2008, for example, the St. Francis Xavier St. Vincent de Paul Society distributed $37,000 in aid to families for housing assistance. In 2009, with a quarter of the year still to be recorded, $60,000 has been distributed.

The need, according to Starinkas, is simply growing. The telephone calls — from people looking for help — do not

stop.

And so Starinkas works “We’re giving out money hard to make sure the parish for rent, mortgages … for gas is able to provide for those in and electric bills and even car need. It is her way of living repairs,” she said. “People are her faith. There is paperwork looking for a gas card so they to do to secure resources from can get to work.” the Greater Boston Food Bank.

Starinkas has become a sort There is grant writing to do of expert on all of this. It is and there are the regular viswhere her Catholic faith has its to local supermarkets to ask driven her. And she has em- for day-old products and other braced the ride with unabashed donations. enthusiasm.

“Sometimes I feel as if I am She retired in 2003 after a 30year career with Verizon.

Her husband Al also retired as a sales representative for the Brockton Enterprise and the couple made Hyannis their year-round home. They did not plan to settle for a sedimentary retirement. They would do things.

They would get involved.

That much, they knew.

A neighbor and fellow St. Francis Xavier parishioner who knew of Starinkas’ experience at Verizon asked her if she might ANCHOR PERSON OF THE WEEK — Jane be able to help Starinkas. out a bit with the computer for the St. Vincent de Paul program. begging, but Father Dan says I And with that simple request, am doing the Lord’s work,” she Starinkas had found her place, said. “So I guess that is what I as did Al, who quietly helps am doing.” behind the scenes.

That is exactly how Father “When you retire, you need Daniel Lacroix, pastor of St. something to fill up the time,” Francis Xavier, sees it. It is insaid Starinkas. “And I have al- deed, the Lord’s work. ways been strong in my faith.

“I am amazed at how proThis has become a big part of active she has been in being my life.” able to secure grants,” he said.

She volunteered for about “She knows how to go after the four years and two years ago United Way grants. She works took over as the organiza- to make deals with the pharmation’s president. She brings a cies. She really does go above dogged determination to the and beyond.” post.

For Starinkas, it is a labor of The St. Francis Xavier St. love. It is a labor of faith.

Vincent de Paul operates a “I love it,” she said. “I see food pantry. Keeping it stocked these poor souls and we make is hardly a part-time effort. their day. And they thank us Food is distributed Tuesdays and they are so gracious when and Thursdays from 10 a.m. they leave.” to noon. Often a line begins to “She’s a remarkable perform soon after 9 a.m. son,” Father Lacroix said. “Ev“This past week, we had 113 erything she does is geared to people,” said Starinkas. “It was the life of the parish.” the most we have had in a long To nominate a person, send time. Usually, we get 75 to 80 an email message to Fatherpeople, but lately the numbers RogerLandry@AnchorNews. have been going up. ” org.

The Anchor

November 20, 2009

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES — As part of the annual reunion of alumni of the former Msgr. Prevost High School in Fall River, the Class of 1959 turned out 21 members and former classmates from all over the country. The class had 35 graduates; six have died. Seated, from left: Roger Lamontagne, Paul Pellerin, Robert Tremblay, President Paul Lambert, and Gerald Guay. Standing: Robert Manosh, Edgar (Ned) Berube, Raymond Blais, Roger Chauvette, Julien Goulet, Roger Beauchesne, Roland Bileau, Leo Marchand, Maurice Michaud, Robert Dube, Robert St. Laurent, Paul Cantin, and Henry DeGagne. Not pictured: Father Richard Chretien, Father Richard Gendreau, and Andre Cote. At a separate class party the day before the reunion, two other classmates participated: Albert Berube and Paul Matton. (Photo by Arthur Francoeur)

Performance enhancers distort true nature of sports, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Athletes must avoid practices that damage human health, especially the use of performance-enhancing drugs, said Pope Benedict XVI. Sports play an important role in providing the well-rounded education that young people urgently need, he said in a message to a Vatican-sponsored seminar on sports.

However, athletes must avoid anything that distorts the true nature of sports such as “turning to practices that damage the body as is the case with doping,” he said.

The Pontifical Council for the Laity’s church and sports desk organized a gathering November 6-7 dedicated to “Sports, Education and Faith: A New Season for Catholic Sports Associations.”

In his written message, the pope asked that the Church continue to support athletic activity for young people and to highlight its positive aspects, such as its “capacity to stimulate competitiveness, courage and the tenacity to fulfill one’s goals.”

Catholic sports associations and educators “must see themselves as experienced guides for young people, helping them develop their athletic potential without neglecting those human qualities and Christian virtues that make a person fully mature,” he said.

“Through sports activities, the Church community contributes to young people’s education, providing an appropriate environment for human and spiritual growth,” said the pope.

“In fact when sporting initiatives are aimed at the full development of the person and are run by qualified and competent personnel, they become fruitful occasions in which priests, religious and laity can become true educators and teachers of life for young people,” he said.

11

12

The Anchor

November 20, 2009

Musical duo use story and song to help people know Christ better

By Liz Quirin Catholic News Service

BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Shannon Cerneka and Orin Johnson, who travel around the country and minister through music and story to help lead others to a deeper understanding of Christ, call their outreach Oddwalk Ministries.

At first it may seem a strange name for a musical duo, but they say, “Not so.”

It is loosely based on the disciples’ walk to Emmaus in St. Luke’s Gospel. The disciples didn’t recognize Jesus at first, and sometimes as people try to determine what path to take, it may seem to be a strange journey. So for Cerneka and Johnson, “Oddwalk” fits.

“Our mission had to be about our journey of faith in the world and how an encounter with Christ changes that,” Johnson said.

The two men met at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. Both are married. Cerneka and his wife have three small children.

The partners’ personal stories and ministry will take them to the National Catholic Youth Conference November 19-21 in Kansas City, Mo. The biennial youth gathering is expected to draw more than 20,000 young people and their adult chaperones this year.

At the same time Cerneka and Johnson will debut their newest CD, “Alright Now,” produced by GIA Publications Inc., “a leading publisher of liturgical music and music education resources,” according to its website.

“What originally attracted GIA ... to them was their uniqueness,” the company’s Andrew Schultz told The Messenger, newspaper of the Belleville Diocese. “As performers, the duo is engaging and fun to watch to people of all ages. As composers, GIA appreciates that much of their writing is liturgically sound and usable, all the same sounding fresh and contemporary.”

The Oddwalk duo said they were excited not only about their appearance at the youth conference and their upcoming CD but also about their partnership and mission to bring others to a deeper and fuller understanding of Christ.

Johnson, 36, is coordinator of music and liturgy at Our Lady of the Snows. Cerneka is a director of youth ministry at St. Peter Parish in Jefferson City, Mo. When Johnson and Cerneka met in 1998, Cerneka also worked at the shrine doing, according to him, “nearly every job there, including guest relations and leading tours.”

While none of those jobs required guitar skills, Cerneka had taught himself to play and began receiving requests.

Cerneka, 34, invited Johnson to “come along” and the two found they had an instant rapport.

Cerneka was comfortable in front of groups and a natural to lead with the guitar. Johnson, a self-described introvert, played, sang and told stories.

The two now travel the country performing and praying with youths and adults.

In the early days of their partnership, Johnson said if someone asked them to play for more than an hour they wondered how would they fill the time? Now, they play and tell stories for an entire day if they are leading an event.

“The quantity of music, stories and prayer experiences has grown,” Johnson told The Messenger.

The more time they spent performing, Cerneka said, they realized they could have “a more intentional ministry.”

Besides the new CD, Oddwalk also has contributed 11 original songs to GIA’s new hymnal “Cross Generation.”

The songs belong to GIA, which gives Oddwalk small royalties on them.

More importantly, Cerneka said, “it will put our music in places we are not able to be; it will let the music touch people’s hearts.”

In their live presentations, Johnson tells stories of faith, stories that express a need to be vulnerable and to be open to the will of God. Their message is “Don’t be afraid to take a risk, especially in terms of faith,” Johnson said.

Both see clearly the path that has pointed them on their journey to Christ and expanding others’ horizons. It’s not so much an “oddwalk” as a sure-footed journey of faith.

“Several moments (along the way) have given Oddwalk new insight into who we are and what we are to be about as we strive to be partners in the mission of building up the kingdom of God,” Johnson said.

Movies Online Can’t remember how a recent film was classified by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops? Want to know whether to let the kids go see it? You can look up film reviews on the Catholic News Service website.

Visit catholicnews.com and click on “Movies,” under the “News Item” menu.

NOT HAVING A GOOD DAY — Morgan Lily, Amanda Peet and Liam James star in a scene from the movie “2012.” For a brief review of this film, see CNS Movie Capsules below. (CNS photo/Sony)

CNS Movie Capsules NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“2012” (Columbia) In the disaster movie to end all fiasco flicks, a doomsday cataclysm results in billions losing their lives as the earth’s crust breaks apart, dismantling civilization and rearranging the continents. Director Roland Emmerich gives his special-effects wizards license to test the limits of the technically plausible and morally palatable, while asking moviegoers to take heart as the scenario affords a White House geologist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a divorced science-fiction writer (John Cusack) the chance to exhibit altruism, even as their exploits are interspersed with disturbing apocalyptic imagery, including the destruction of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Considerable crude and crass language, much profanity, a rough gesture and a few instances of sexual innuendo.

The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. ”The Box” (Warner Bros.)

In 1976 Richmond, Va., a cash-strapped suburban couple (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) find themselves in a moral dilemma when a mysterious, disfigured stranger (a haunting Frank Langella) pres-

ents them with a device that, if they choose to activate it, will kill someone unknown to them but will also gain them a $1 million payment. Spiritually wellgrounded adult viewers willing to overlook some improbabilities in writer-director Richard Kelly’s intelligently challenging, if over-elaborate, screen version of Richard Matheson’s 1970 short story “Button, Button” may be intrigued by this reflection on ethical choices and consequences, but the evolving parable includes actions that would be blatantly unacceptable in a more realistic context.

Mature themes, complex moral issues, a few uses of profanity and a couple of sexual references. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“Pirate Radio” (Focus) Energetic but sexually freewheeling ensemble comedy, set in mid-1960s Britain, in which

a rebellious teen (Tom Sturridge) is sent by his mother (January Jones) to live on an oil tanker that has been converted into an offshore radio station (led by Bill Nighy) where a team of eccentric disc jockeys (most prominently Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rhys Ifans) broadcast the rock ‘n’ roll music that the government-sponsored BBC will not. As they battle a bureaucrat’s (Kenneth Branagh) efforts to shut them down, he pursues romance with a shipboard visitor (Talulah Riley).

Written and directed by Richard Curtis, this fact-based frolic’s potentially buoyant celebration of music and camaraderie is torpedoed by its implicit acceptance of all manner of bedroom shenanigans. Benign view of casual sex and of drug and condom use, brief rear nudity, a pornographic image, some irreverent and sexual humor, a couple of profanities, at least 20 uses of the F-word. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, November 22 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Peter Fournier, a parochial vicar at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis.

Reception of precious Blood suspended I was dismayed to learn from the November 6 issue of The Anchor that the diocese has suspended the sharing of the precious Blood during Mass for the flu season.

We all understand the reasoning behind this directive, but I think such risk aversion implies that we do not really trust in the Lord. When the sharing of the precious Blood was suspended in Boston the previous week, clergy were interviewed, and I admired the response of one Orthodox priest. When asked if people could catch the flu from this form of holy Communion, he stated, “Impossible” — the Lord would not allow us to be harmed in sharing his holy Blood.

I’m not as certain as the Orthodox priest about the impossibility of contracting germs from the chalice, but for Christ I will take this risk. No one is forced to sip the precious Blood; the act is purely voluntary. I simply believe that those of us willing to face this risk should have the opportunity to partake in this beautiful ritual.

Risk aversion can go too far. For example, to really avoid contacting contagious diseases, logically we should not attend Mass at all.

I hope and pray that Communion through the precious Blood as well as host is reinstated in our diocese in the not too distant future.

Dr. Jack Stauder New Bedford Father Landry replies — The Church has always believed in the doctrine of concomitance, that when we receive the Sacred Host, we receive Jesus’ Blood in addition to his Body, soul and divinity. While the sign value is obviously reduced, the substance is not, for we are receiving the whole Jesus through reception under one species. The diocese’s decision was made considering the common good. If even one person is prevented from contracting H1N1 or another type of influenza, then the decision would be validated. Moreover, the Vatican has instructed that the Precious Blood should not be given when “a notable part of the people continues to prefer not to

13

The Anchor

November 20, 2009

Our readers respond

approach the chalice for various reasons, so that the sign of unity would in some sense be negated” (Redemptionis Sacramentum 102). We can anticipate during flu season that those who would approach to receive the Precious Blood will be much reduced, and this sign of unity “negated,” both because of the illnesses they may be harboring as well as because there will be many who, unlike the reader, are not willing to “face this risk.” Finally, it is important to note that the reception of the Precious Blood is not optional for everyone: Priests, deacons and extraordinary ministers of holy Communion must consume whatever Precious Blood is left over, and therefore are at greater risk for contracting whatever germs those who received the Precious Blood may have. For all these reasons, the diocese’s decision is prudent and laudable.

Another look at modesty in brideswear I have to express my concern with regards to the most recently received Anchor Marriage Supplement. The cover of the supplement has what I consider an inappropriate dress for inside a church.

I’d like to say it was an error or an oversight in editing … however, I see that the very same oversight is repeated throughout the articles and advertisements. How can we as parents expect to hold our children to the standards of the Church when they plainly see this kind of neglect?

My daughter and her husband shared in the sacrament of matrimony just last summer; I am well aware of what is in the bridal boutiques but unless Catholics insist on modesty — which is charity of neighbor — than how can we expect to make any effective change in this post Christian culture?

Anne-Marie Bosse Lakeville Lutheranism article wins praise I’m a Lutheran pastor in Connecticut. A member of my congregation received a copy of Father Kocik’s recent column, “Lutheranism: The just man lives by faith.” I

was very impressed with it both as a very fine summary both of the origins of our church, and of the current dilemmas we’re facing. I will share it with my congregation.

Pastor Bob McGurn Shepherd of the Hills Evangelical Lutheran Church Simsbury, Conn.

Thank God for our priests Last January, my husband and I were attending Mass in the village church of Ste. Brigide d’ Iberville, Quebec. The snow-covered landscape along with the magnificence of this beautiful church in such a small village filled me with awe and thankfulness for my Catholic faith.

As Mass began and the pastor and retired priest processed down the aisle, I thought to myself, “Thank you, God, for these priests.” My mind then flashed back to our own parish in Freetown, St. John Neumann, and I not only thanked God for our current pastor, Father Rick Degagne, but also for all of the priests who have served at St. John’s and throughout our diocese.

I asked myself, “Where would we be without our priests?” My immediate reaction to this question was, “There would be no Mass.”

That thought alone gave me such a great appreciation for our priests and their ministry. During the winter months, I thought about our priests and what their lives entail.

I’ve moved once in my life.

How many times does a priest move to a new home or “not so new” as we learn from Father Tim Goldrick? His new assignment also means familiarizing himself with the neighborhood, town and last but surely not least, a whole new parish family.

One of our goals as parents was to create a happy, loving and peaceful home, an environment where kindness and acceptance were a way of life. Needless to say, this was not always easy but instead often quite a challenge. In our religious and spiritual realm, our churches are our homes, our havens from the world. It then occurred to me that our priests are the shepherds of 500 or 1,500 families. I tried to imagine keeping all

of those people happy and at peace with one another.

God has chosen our priests to be the centers of his Church. It is through them that we hear the Good News proclaimed. It is only through them that we hear Jesus’ words, “This is my Body” and “Do this in memory of me.” When we seek forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation, we experience God’s presence and his grace as we hear the priest say, “I absolve you from your sins.”

My husband and I welcomed the announcement that this would be the “Year for Priests.” It is with heartfelt appreciation that we say “Thank you” to all of our priests here in the Fall River Diocese and throughout the world. Thank you for answering “Yes” to God’s call.

Inez Roy East Freetown

Catholic hospital’s role is clear In regard to conscience protection for Catholic hospitals and Catholic medical personnel, it appears that “separation of church and state” only applies when the state wants Catholics out of their way. It seems to me that the time has come for the hospitals to render unto Caesar what is his; since the licenses are from the state, we should give them back to the state.

Transferring the records of a patient who doesn’t pass the ovulation screening in an emergency room isn’t any different from Pilate’s washing his hands of his Rome/Jews conundrum with regard to Jesus. He knew what was going to happen. So does that Catholic hospital. Our Catholic leaders and institutions must have enough faith to believe that. Jesus’ words remain relevant: “Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Michael Aiello Forestdale Where has my Church gone?

Our Church is losing parishioners. Collections are down and parishes are closing. Multi-millions have been paid to innocent young victims of sex crimes committed by priests and enabled by bishops.

Vocations are at extremely low levels. What does the Vatican do?

It orders the investigation of women religious and orders that a commission be formed to investigate extra-terrestrials ... life on other planets. Then the pope reaches across the “bridge over the Tiber” (November 6 editorial) to invite into our Church Anglican (Episcopalian) priests who are upset with the acceptance by their church of women priests and homosexual priests. Do you honestly believe that Christ would not want to have women as priests? You belittle the sacraments administered by good Anglican priests, and question the validity of their ordination. Where has my Church gone?

Ed Scahill Mashpee Executive Editor replies: First, if Christ wanted women as priests, he could have invited women to the Last Supper. The fact that he did not — despite his many occasions of exalting women well beyond Jewish and Roman norms — has always been interpreted by the Church not as an oversight but as a manifestation of his will with regard to ordination. Second, to state that sacraments are invalid is not to belittle them but to tell the truth about them. Third, the Vatican has ordered the visitation of U.S. women’s religious orders not despite but because of the low vocations numbers in many of the orders. It should not escape notice that those women’s religious orders that are thriving in terms of vocations generally enthusiastically support the visitation.

Appreciation for story on Veterans I read Editor David Jolivet’s column on a regular basis as I am a big sports fan, especially our beloved Pats. I wanted to thank you for your article on Veteran’s Day. My husband and I always stress to our four boys the importance of appreciating what our veterans have done for us. This year I’ll have them read your article. I think it was very well written.

Jacquie Gallishaw Seekonk

14

The Anchor

Bishop to award Marian Medals continued from page one

the award were presented by him for the first time in 1968.

Since then, approximately 3,000 dedicated representatives of a variety of parish agencies and ministries who hitherto were the often unhailed workers, finally were recognized for their endeavors and have received the prestigious award after being nominated by their pastors.

The sterling silver emblem is embossed with the image of the Miraculous Medal of Mary on one side with the inscription “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

On the reverse side of the medal is the Fall River Diocese’s coatof-arms.

Agnes Costa of St. Louis de France Parish in Swansea, who is also to receive the service medal, said she felt “unworthy to receive the award and its honors.”

“I live just across from the church on Buffington Street so it’s not very far to go,” said Costa humbly, whose many duties include being the sacristan.

“I lock and unlock the church, do the linens, care for the sacred vessels used at Mass and yes, I keep the plants watered, and I love to serve people in any way I can,” said Costa, who has been a parishioner for seven years.

She is also the dedicated guardian and caretaker of her brother, and skilled cook who generously distributes her tasty treats.

“Doing things for the parish is so fulfilling and keeps me busy, but I don’t like being at the front of the attention,” Costa acknowledged.

From Holy Redeemer Parish in Chatham, Kay Sheehan will be at the Cathedral to receive the diocesan’s top honor.

“This is a big honor and I was very surprised, very shocked and much humbled when I received the news,” Kay Sheehan said. “I think that when one has been routinely doing things in one’s parish for so many years one takes for granted it is what we’re supposed to do. I work from home on my computer and so parish work becomes part of my everyday events and there are no dreams of honors.”

“Kay and her husband Tom are longtime parishioners here, and Kay is very involved … and key in coordinating the parish budget envelope system,” said Father George B. Scales, pastor.

Kay is also co-chairman of the parish’s Catholic Charities Appeal campaign, is very active in the Association of the Sacred Hearts, which meets Tuesdays, and “does much work behind the scenes in our parish,” Father Scales added.

“She is absolutely thrilled to receive the Marian Medal Award.”

As The Anchor went to press on Tuesday, the recipients and their parishes in the five deaneries across the diocese included those listed on this page.

ARE YOU MOVING?

The Post Office charges The Anchor 70 cents for notification of a subscriber’s change of address. Please help us reduce these expenses by notifying us immediately when you plan to move.

Please Print Your New Address Below

NAME: STREET ADDRESS: CITY, STATE, ZIP: NEW PARISH: MOVING DATE: Please attach your Anchor address label so we can update your record immediately. Send to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.

November 20, 2009

2009 Marian Medal Recipients

Louis Abdou Viola Araujo William H. Ashworth Casilda Babiczuk James B. Barron John Michael Basile Roland Eugene Benoit Gloria Bessette Ann Birch Claude Bourque Richard Butler Duarte Camara Maria Lurdes Camara Donna Cambi Donald G. Chabot Paul Clark Rachel Constant Agnes Costa Maria Eduarda Costa Hilda Dagenais Judith G. Daley Claire Dalton Susan Darling Mariana DeSousa Josephine Ethier Anselmo Fernandes Joseph Figueiredo Edward F. Fowler Jr. Louise P. Frigault Irene Goshen Richard Theodore Goyette Jr. Patricia Almeida Greene Elizabeth Grozier Maureen Guilmette Robert Horne Edward Houde Kathleen Jaaskelainen Armand O. Joia Mary Kelley Jean King Jill LaPizna Elaine Lee Gaetane B. Mahon Jesse Martin Irma Martinez (Spanish Apostolate) Mary J. McLaughlin Dorothy McMahon Ann O. Medeiros Joseph Medeiros Doreen Mello Robert Menard Joseph Michalski Beverly Morgan Gerald Arthur Morrissette Cynthia A. Ostrom David Anthony Pacheco Kenneth Augustine Pacheco Maria Cecilia Pacheco Robert Peladeau Gilbert Pereira Mary Ida Poitras Marilyn Potter Deborah A. Reney Ida Rioux Leonard Roberge Richard Rodrigues Clivia Rodrigues Joseph D. Rose Katherine Sheehan Merrilyn Sikora Delia Maria Silva Jean Silvia Judith Silvia Richard A. Silvia Hilda Sousa John Souza Steven Sozanski Beverely T. Stambaugh Jane Starinskas Frank Suits Claire Marcelle Sullivan Doris Sullivan Santos Vasquez Alice Verney Robert Vigeant John R. Young Anna Zdon

St. Mary Parish St. Mary Parish St. Lawrence Martyr Parish Holy Rosary Parish St. Rita Parish Our Lady of the Cape Parish St. Mary Parish St. Thomas More Parish St. John the Evangelist Parish St. Bernard Parish St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish St. Michael Parish Espirito Santo Parish Our Lady of Lourdes Christ the King Parish St. Mary Parish St. John Neumann Parish St. Louis de France Parish Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Holy Trinity Parish Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Immaculate Conception Parish St. Mary Parish Our Lady of Assumption Parish Immaculate Conception Parish Holy Ghost Parish Annunciation of the Lord Parish Holy Family Parish St. Mary Parish St. Peter the Apostle Parish St. Mary Parish St. Anthony of Padua Parish St. Anthony’s Parish Sacred Heart Parish St. Francis of Assisi Parish St. Joseph-St. Therese Parish Sacred Heart Parish St. Francis of Assisi Parish St. Joseph Parish St. Patrick Parish Good Shepherd Parish St. Nicholas of Myra Parish Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption St. Joseph Parish St. Margaret Parish Holy Cross Parish Our Lady of Fatima St. Julie Billiart Parish St. John of God Parish St. George Parish Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish St. Ann Parish St. Anne Parish Corpus Christi Parish Holy Name Parish Our Lady of Grace Parish Santo Christo Parish Notre Dame Parish St. Anthony of Padua Parish St. Anthony Parish St. Patrick Parish SS. Peter and Paul Parish St. Joseph Parish St. Elizabeth Seton Parish St. Dominic Parish St. John the Baptist Parish St. Patrick Parish Holy Redeemer Parish St. Joseph Parish Immaculate Conception Parish St. Anthony Parish St. Mary Parish St. Jude the Apostle Parish Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Parish of the Holy Trinity St. Pius X Parish St. Mary/Our Lady of the Isle Parish St. Francis Xavier Parish St. Joan of Arc Parish St. John the Baptist Parish St. Joseph Parish O.L. of Guadalupe Parish at St. James Church Our Lady of Victory Parish St. Francis Xavier Parish St. Mark Parish St. Stanislaus Parish

North Attleboro Norton New Bedford Taunton Marion Brewster Mansfield Somerset Attleboro Assonet South Attleboro Fall River Fall River Wellfleet Mashpee South Dartmouth East Freetown Swansea New Bedford West Harwich Osterville North Easton New Bedford New Bedford Fall River Attleboro Taunton East Taunton Fairhaven Provincetown Seekonk New Bedford East Falmouth Fall River Swansea New Bedford North Attleboro New Bedford Woods Hole Falmouth Vineyard Haven North Dighton New Bedford Fall River Attleboro Buzzards Bay South Easton New Bedford North Dartmouth Somerset Westport New Bedford Raynham Fall River East Sandwich Fall River Westport Fall River Fall River Fall River Mattapoisett Somerset Fall River Fall River North Falmouth Swansea New Bedford Wareham Chatham Attleboro New Bedford Taunton Taunton Taunton Seekonk Fall River South Yarmouth Nantucket Hyannis Orleans Westport Fairhaven New Bedford Centerville Acushnet Attleboro Falls Fall River

November 20, 2009

M

Thankfully, sometimes things work out for the best

15

God We Trust” arched overhead? ing the sinister-looking eagle at the turkey to be our national bird envision the fledgling as golden Had one of America’s favorite center stage of our Thanksgiving went afoul. brown, emitting mouth-watering feasts. meals become the national bird, Selfishly, I’d much rather aromas. I truly think I could eat How strange would it be to would the expression now read, gobble up the turkey on Thanksa 15-pound turkey all by myself shout, “I have dibs on one of the giving, than somehow having each Thanksgiving, and probably “It’s tough to fly with turkeys eagle’s legs”? “gobble, gobble,” be part of the sleep for a week after For a week after lyrics of our national anthem. that because of a trypThanksgiving we’d be Despite it’s less-than-noble tophan overdose. But I relishing such savory treats reputation, I still love the terrific do resist the temptation as eagle salad, eagle soup, turkey — and not just on my and share the fowl with and eagle and stuffing plate. If you stare at a picture of family and friends — sandwiches. one long enough, it looks almost as it should be on such

By Dave Jolivet Would the Steve Miller as good with it’s head and featha wonderful holiday.

Band have a hit with, “Fly ers intact.

Still, I can’t help Like a Turkey”? but ponder what it And what about the Christian when you soar with eagles?” would be like had good old Ben classic, “On Eagles Wings? Well, Better yet, think about the received his wish. we’ll leave that one alone. president of the United States Just think, the Philadelphia Benjamin Franklin may have delivering the State of the Union Eagles would now be known as Address behind a podium embla- been a great statesman, politithe Philadelphia Turkeys; and the Boston College Eagles would zoned with the U.S. seal proudly cian, printer, inventor, experimenter, fireman, postman, etc., displaying a big, fat, old turkey. be the Boston College Turkeys. but I’m relieved his longing for Conversely, imagine findWhen we refer to someone with keen eyesight and vision, they would be known as turkeySisters of Mercy Northeast Community Secretary eyed.

The Sisters of Mercy, a community of Roman Catholic women, are dedicated to helping those in need through education, advocacy, healthcare, housing, pastoral and social services. The Northeast Community, headquartered in Can you just imagine the maCumberland, Rhode Island, is currently searching for a Secretary for the Life and Ministry Office in Riverside, R.I. jestic turkey adorning our U.S. Under the direction of the Life and Ministry Administrator, this part-time position performs, coordinates and overcurrency, complete with snood, sees office administrative duties in support of the daily operations of the Life and Ministry Office. wattles, and caruncles, with “In Secretary Abilities · Demonstrate personal integrity and a commitment to ethical principles. · Ability to deal effectively with emergency situations, interruptions, stress provoking situations, and varied personalities. · Sensitivity to Mercy charism/tradition · Possesses the initiative to get work done without waiting to be told what to do and demonstrates the ability to work independently of others. · Demonstrates the ability to work as a member of a team, involving members utilizing a collaborative style of decision‑making. · Demonstrates the ability to achieve results for the organization with and through other people utilizing creative and innovative solutions to achieve results. · Demonstrates the ability to work with evolving systems and structures and possesses the flexibility to adapt to changing environments.

1420 Fall River Avenue (Route 6) · Possesses excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills. · Demonstrates sensitivity to and knowledge of cultural differences.

Seekonk, MA 02771 Secretary Responsibilities · Perform a wide variety of executive secretarial and administrative duties as required by daily operations. · Prepare or complete correspondence, reports, or other communication as directed. · Maintain and update assigned databases to assure accurate and timely information. · Receive and screen communications to the Life and Ministry Administrator, including telephone calls and e-mail messages, and provide assistance using independent judgment to determine those requiring priority attention; prioritize, channel, and facilitate communication to and from other Community Managers and Members. · Respond promptly and effectively to inquiries from various publics (including sisters, managers, employees and the general public) and direct those inquiries to the appropriate individual for response. · Independently respond to letters and general correspondence of a routine nature. · Proficient in the use of computer systems, printers, copiers and other office equipment normally used in the function. · Must be proficient with Microsoft Office and have the ability to adapt to new programs.

Secretary Requirements Education: A two-year college degree in a suitable major, including business, computer technology or other appropriate course of study, or suitable experience in lieu of a formal degree Experience: 2 to 5 years of Administrative Support Experience.

Please submit resume and cover letter to: Deb Wallace, Manager of Human Resources, Sisters of Mercy Northeast, Ph. 401.333.6333; Fax 401.333.6450 Email: dwallace@mercyne.org; Website: http://www.sistersofmercyne.org

any of us have heard the expression, “It’s tough to soar with eagles when you fly with turkeys.”

Eagles have long been regaled as a noble beast, and our Thanksgiving best friend is ... well, a turkey. But that wasn’t always the case.

In 1782, the bald eagle was proclaimed to be the U.S. national bird. Yet there was one great American who didn’t agree by any stretch of the imagination.

Benjamin Franklin, the master of many talents, vehemently decried the bald eagle and strongly felt the turkey should be our national winged warrior.

On an online site he is quoted as saying, “... the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America ... a bird of courage ....”

I must admit, the turkey is one of my most favorite of God’s creatures, although I rarely think of the bird with a head and feathers. I mostly

Specializing in: Brand Name/ Foreign Auto Parts

The Anchor

My View From the Stands

16

READY TO SERVE — Holy Trinity Parish in Fall River recently commissioned altar servers. Pictured with pastor David M. Andrade, center, are six new servers, six returning servers and three teen servers who attend Bishop Connolly High School. In addition there are six adult servers who primarily serve at funeral liturgies.

Youth Pages

November 20, 2009

CARRYING THEIR LACROSSE — The members of the Bishop Feehan High School Girls Lacrosse team recently attended the second annual Friends of Jaclyn 5K Race/Walk at Amherst College. More than 400 student athletes, coaches, and other runners gathered to raise $6,500 for the Friends of Jaclyn Organization, a non-profit organization that pairs pediatric brain tumor patients with sports teams who “adopt” them and create a network of love and support for them while in hospice care or with their families. Hundreds of athletic teams have now been paired with “adopted” children. For two years, the Attleboro school’s lacrosse team has raised money for FOJ and is in the process of adopting a child for their own team. From left, father of Jaclyn and founder of FOJ, Denis Murphy; Nancy Anderson-Semple, head coach; Chelsea Sidman, co-captain; Taryn Murphy, Jaclyn’s sister; Cori Semple, co-captain; Mary Anderson, team member; and Caroline Wiseman, assistant coach.

MAKING CENTS OF IT ALL — Eighth-grade students at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro have started collecting pennies to help the less fortunate in the community. The penny collection will continue through December. Shown are eighth-graders counting pennies already collected.

CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS — At St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro, parents of firstgrade students are invited to come into school and speak to the students about the careers they have chosen. Recently the students were visited by Captain David Roy (retired) of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. Roy served in Iraq from July 2007-June 2008. Pictured is Roy with his son Nicolas (to his right) and his classmates.

SAFETY FIRST — Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students recently learned about fire safety from firefighter Steve, a parent of a kindergarten child at St. Mary’s School in Taunton. He explained the “Stop, Drop and Roll” theory, how to check doorways for heat before leaving, practice evacuation plans, and most importantly to leave the house as soon as possible. Fireman Steve also demonstrated the use of the equipment that firemen bring to a fire.

MIDDLE SCHOOL RALLY — The McCarty Theater at Coyle and Cassidy High School in Taunton was filled to capacity recently, but not with high school students. Instead the Office of Faith Formation filled it with nearly 500 middle school students from area diocesan schools invited to attend a Youth Rally. Meant to be an inspirational day that followed the annual High School Youth Conference, the event was organized by Crystal Medeiros, assistant director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, and included an additional evening program for area CCD classes.

Youth Pages

November 20, 2009

A

All that truly matters

s Crystal Medeiros men- God and I can’t get through totioned in her column in gether; this space last week, the seasons — it is taking me a long time seem to move more and more to become the person I want to quickly and so do the years. I look be; back and realize that it has been — it is not what you have in 35 years since I graduated from life, but whom you have in your college. Where does the time go? life that counts; Occasionally I will turn to — the woman I married 31 my wife Kris and say, “Did ya years ago is my soul mate in evever think…?” followed by something that is going on at that particular moment. Did we ever think back 31 years ago that we would be in this place doing what we are doing? Who knew where

By Frank Lucca life would lead us? This statement will always cause us to pause for a moment to think and chuckle. ery sense of the word; — I need to forgive everyone As an example I just turned to her and said, “Did ya ever think everything; — that money is a lousy way that I would be writing for The Anchor?” OK Kris, you can stop to keep score; — that even when you think laughing now. Please. She does say that she knows that God has you have no more to give, when a sense of humor because he cre- a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help; ated me.

— that background and cirWhat I do know, is that looking back over all of those years, I cumstances may have influenced certainly can see that I have been who we are, but we are respontruly blessed, and I give thanks sible for who we become; — to whom much is given, to the almighty God for all that he has given me in my life. I look much is expected; — just because someone forward to the future with that same excitement of a little child doesn’t love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean waiting for Christmas morning.

Sometimes life is moving so they don’t love you with all they quickly, however, that we don’t have; — you can keep going long have an opportunity to stop, take a deep breath and ponder what after you can’t; is important. This is the perfect — it’s OK to get angry with time of year, for me, to take stock God, he can take it; of my life and to prepare myself — we need to be men and for the Advent of Christ. women for others; Before I can look forward, — miracles do happen every however, I have to look back.

What lessons have I learned that will help me move forward? As I was thinking about this, I received one of those “forwarded emails.” You know, the ones that say you should send this on to 10 friends that you know, by midnight, or live with the consequences? Generally, I send them to the trash bin, but since this one came from a trusted friend, I opened it.

It was a list of life’s lessons, written by a 90-year-old woman by the name of Regina Brett.

The items listed got me thinking about what I’ve also learned over these 57 years. I hope that some of these lessons learned will give you an opportunity to pause, to sit calmly, and to ponder what is truly important to you during this most holy season.

I’ve learned that: — God knocks and knocks and knocks until you open the door; — there is nothing more important than family; — there is nothing in life that

Be Not Afraid

day. Believe; — proper planning prevents poor performance; — bread with fiber is more like cardboard with a little bread in it; — it is important to over prepare and then go with the flow; — God loves me because of who God is, not because of anything I did to deserve it; — if we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back; — even after 35 years I can still study for and pass an exam.

Who knew?; — time heals almost everything. Give time time; — my daughters are a wondrous gift from God; — I need to pray as though everything depends on God, but act as though everything depends on me; — you need to save for retirement starting with your first paycheck; — everything can change in the blink of an eye, but fortunately, God never blinks.

But most importantly, the greatest lesson I’ve learned is that all that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

Frank Lucca is a youth minister at St. Dominic’s Parish in Swansea. He is chair and director of the YES! Retreat and director of the Christian Leadership Institute. He is a husband and a father of two daughters and still has a lot to learn. He can be reached at stdominicyouthministry@comcast.net.

17 The Anchor is always pleased to run news and photos about our diocesan youth. If schools or parish Religious Education programs have newsworthy stories and photos they would like to share with our readers, send them to: schools@anchornews.org

18

The Anchor

November 20, 2009

Cape cancer group supports each other

Taunton parish’s Hispanic Parish Council helping those in need

1991 and surviving the ordeal, his wife Mary was also diagnosed with and survived breast cancer in 1995. Then in August his oldest daughter learned she, too, had breast cancer and just underwent a double mastectomy last month.

“Anyone who’s been affected by cancer knows it can be a devastating thing,” Lees said. “I can remember when I first heard the news, I was alone in a doctor’s office and I felt no one was there for me. It’s a very lonesome thing. We all need some sort of support in those times.”

“It came out of left field for me,” added John’s wife, Mary.

“No one in my family had ever had cancer before. Now with our daughter, we’re going through it again, but from our perspective, it’s all about faith. We believe she’ll go on to live her life as it will be.”

Both John and Mary are now actively involved with the cancer support group and say it has been a cathartic and rewarding experience to help others cope with cancer.

“As a survivor I can help other people through it,” John Lees said. “Everyone in our group is in a different stage — either having had it in the past, having just been diagnosed, or having just gotten over it. I dare you to find someone who hasn’t been touched by cancer in some

know how to cut through the red tape sometimes associated with getting the proper needed help.”

Wharton said the St. Mary’s Hispanic Parish Council was fully aware that in the Taunton area there was no one location people could go to get the proper information to help them out of dire circumstances.

“Our volunteers are available to direct our clients to such valuable agencies as Catholic Social Services, the Welfare Office, Social Security, the Department of Labor, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Council on Aging, the Disabled American Vets, and the New England Food Service,” he said. “Much of where they should go depends on their unique situations.”

Jose Torres, another member of St. Mary’s Hispanic Parish Council told The Anchor, “We’ve been actively helping people in our community for the last nine years. This office is a great place for people to contact for referrals to the proper agencies.

“The phone line is open 24-hours a day, and if no one is available, clients can leave a message and the volunteers do their utmost to get back and assist as quickly as possible.”

Torres said he has seen the Latino Community grow and “it’s still growing. Many in our Hispanic Community are Catholics and it’s important to reach out to them and assist.”

continued from page one

way.”

“This ministry has touched my heart for many different reasons and it’s proven there’s a tremendous need for something like this in our area,” Mary Lees agreed. “The dominant feeling seems to be: ‘I’ve been through this and now I want to help others who are going through it.’”

Father Hession said he’s proud they’ve launched the group at his parish and that it’s become a source of spiritual comfort for many people.

“Clearly parish life in so many respects touches the real lives of parishioners, so there’s nothing more compelling than parishioners affected by cancer,” he said. “When someone receives a diagnosis of cancer, they are profoundly spiritual people confronting spiritual challenges.”

As for the spiritual founder of this ever-expanding network of parish-based support groups, he’s happy to see the work continuing on.

“I think the Church can reach out to people in their different needs,” Msgr. Moore said. “Nobody is exempt from cancer, and so if people know there is something for them, especially for us who are baptized, then it can help tremendously. We’re not going to cure the cancer, but we hope we can at least help the person and I’m very happy with that.”

continued from page one

Holy Cross Father William H. Kelley, pastor of St. Mary’s Parish, told The Anchor, “I’m delighted with the efforts of our parish Hispanic Council. These are good people who know what it is like to struggle, and they want to help others.

“The idea of the resource center is wonderful. It doesn’t provide financial support directly, but the volunteers can identify where the best available assistance is. They know where to find the help.”

“Father Kelley, Holy Cross Father Marc F. Fallon, in residence at St. Mary’s, and Father Richard Wilson, director of the diocesan Hispanic Apostolate, have been very helpful in this project,” said Torres.

“The Fathers have been very supportive,” said Wharton, “and the parish was most helpful in providing the office space, telephones and fax machines to help us run the office.”

“One of the difficulties in such hard times is that the very poor rarely admit they are in need,” said Father Kelley. The volunteers at the resource center are helping to end that trend.

Wharton explained that the New England Food Service has a condition attached to the services provided to its clients. Each person receiving help is required to perform two-and-a-half hours of community service per month.

When that condition is met, the

clients can purchase food items at discounted prices.

“We are asking our clients for the same commitment,” Wharton said. “We are seeking to help people be self-supportive, getting them on the right track and one day being able to support themselves. It’s about people helping people.

“Everyone can do something, whether it’s baby-sitting or even picking up a daily newspaper for an elderly shut-in. The whole community can support one another.”

Father Kelley also mentioned that the volunteers can sometimes accompany clients to certain agencies, “to provide a friend and help them around the red tape or to assist in filling out forms completely and accurately.

We would also, someday, like to provide spiritual support by going, as a family, to funeral homes of those experiencing a loss.”

The St. Mary’s Hispanic Parish Council is making a difference in the lives of the Taunton area community, Hispanic and others. “It’s people helping people,” Wharton reiterated.

Such an ideology is very much needed in the current economic uncertainties. It’s an ideology Christ instilled in his disciples two millennia ago. It’s an ideology still alive and well today at St. Mary’s.

To contact the St. Mary’s Hispanic Resource Center call 508880-0410. Referral meetings are by appointment only.

World Series trophies to accompany St. Mary’s Fund Dinner guest speaker

WESTPORT — This year’s featured speaker for the St. Mary’s Education Fund Fall Dinner won’t be coming to the annual tuition aid fund-raiser alone.

The speaker, Boston Red Sox president and CEO, Larry Lucchino, will be bringing with him two very special pieces of recent Red Sox history: the 2004 and 2007 World Series Championship trophies.

“I was really pleased to learn recently that Lucchino has arranged for the trophies to be brought to White’s for the Fall Dinner,” explained Mike Donly, diocesan director of Development.

“Supporters of the Fall Dinner will have an opportunity to get a close up look at the trophies in the course of our evening. I think it’s a safe bet that many of them are longtime fans of the Red Sox and this adds an extra special something to what I know will be an already special night,” he said.

The St. Mary’s Education Fund Fall Dinner will take place on December 1 at White’s of Westport, beginning with a 5:30 reception.

Proceeds raised from the dinner support the St. Mary’s

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks Nov. 23 Rev. James E. Smith, Retired Chaplain, Bethlehem Home, Taunton, 1962 Rev. Msgr. Christopher L. Broderick, Retired Founder, St. Pius X, South Yarmouth, 1984 Nov. 24 Msgr. Daniel F. Shalloo, Retired Pastor, Holy Name, Fall River, 1991 Nov. 25 Rev. Philias Jalbert, Pastor, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Fall River, 1946 Rev. Dennis Spykers, SS.CC., Retired Pastor, Our Lady of Lourdes, Wellfleet, 1971 Nov. 26 Rev. James R. Burns, P.R., Pastor, Sacred Heart, Fall River, 1945 Rev. Charles Porada, OFM, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Bedford, 2000 Nov. 27 Rt. Rev. Patrick E. McGee, Pastor, St. Mary, North Attleboro, 1948 Nov. 28 Rev. Adrien A. Gauthier, Pastor, St. Roch, Fall River, 1959 Nov. 29 Rev. Thomas H. Shahan, Former Pastor, St. Mary, Taunton, 1902 Rev. Francis A. McCarthy, Pastor, St. Patrick, Somerset, 1965

19

The Anchor

November 20, 2009

Education Fund, which provides need-based scholarships to students at Catholic elementary and middle schools in the Fall River Diocese.

More than $6.6 million has been distributed from the St. Mary’s Education Fund to approximately 7,000 elementary and middle school students and to more than 500 high school students in the past 14 academic years. During the current school year an additional $600,000 will be distributed as partial tuition aid to 726 students, and Donly is quick to point out that many of those

students would not be able to attend a diocesan school without the financial assistance from the fund.

Lucchino’s participation in this year’s Fall Dinner as featured speaker was announced last month. His talk will be part of the evening’s program that will follow an elegant multi-course meal.

Businesses, organizations, and individuals are invited to sponsor a table or purchase a ticket for the Fall Dinner. For information, contact Donly at the Diocesan Development Office at 508-675-1311.

Around the Diocese 11/20

St. Mary’s Catholic School will host its fifth annual Christmas shopping extravaganza tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. in the school gym, located behind St. Mary’s Church, 330 Pratt Street, Mansfield. For more information, call 508-339-4800 (extension 201) or visit www.stmarymansschool.org.

11/21

The Women’s Guild of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Wianno Avenue, Osterville, will sponsor its annual Holly Fair tomorrow. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and there will be pictures with Santa from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair will feature attic treasures, hand-knitted and hand-crafted items, and a gift table with many raffle prizes.

Eucharistic Adoration in the Diocese ACUSHNET — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Parish on Mondays and Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Fridays 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays end with Evening Prayer and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.; Saturdays end with Benediction at 2:45 p.m.

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 following the 11 a.m. Mass until 7:45 a.m. on the First Saturday of the month, concluding with Benediction and Mass.

BUZZARDS BAY — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Margaret Church, 141 Main Street, every first Friday after the 8 a.m. Mass and ending the following day before the 8 a.m. Mass.

EAST TAUNTON — Eucharistic adoration takes place First Fridays at Holy Family Church, 370 Middleboro Avenue, following the 8:30 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 8 p.m.

FAIRHAVEN — St. Mary’s Church, Main St., has 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 the Desert Church, 300 North Eastern Avenue, has eucharistic adoration Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on the first Sunday of the month from noon to 4 p.m.

NEW BEDFORD — Eucharistic adoration takes place 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 233 County Street, with night prayer and Benediction at 8:45 p.m., and confessions offered during the evening.

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.

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

NORTH DIGHTON — Eucharistic adoration 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 at the church from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

The placement exam for prospective students of Bishop Connolly High School, 373 Elsbree Street, Fall River, will take place tomorrow at 8 a.m. A make-up test is scheduled for December 5 at 8 a.m. For more information, call Anthony Ciampanelli, director of admissions, at 508-676-1071, extension 333.

11/21

OSTERVILLE — Eucharistic adoration takes place at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 76 Wianno Avenue on First Fridays following the 8 a.m. Mass until Benediction at 5 p.m. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed at 4:45 p.m.; on the third Friday of the month from 1 p.m. to Benediction at 5 p.m.; and for the Year For Priests, the second Thursday of the month from 1 p.m. to Benediction at 5 p.m.

11/21

TAUNTON — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place every First Friday at Annunciation of the Lord Church, 31 First Street, immediately following the 8 a.m. Mass and continues throughout the day. Confessions are heard from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., concluding with recitation of the rosary and Benediction at 6:30 p.m.

11/21

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.

Our Lady’s Haven, 71 Center Street, Fairhaven, will host its second annual holiday craft fair tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Artists and crafters will feature a wide variety of unique handmade items, books, jewelry, food and gifts. For more information, contact Kate Hancock at 508-999-4561.

St. Jude the Apostle Parish will host its annual Penny Sale at the former St. Jacques Church Hall, 249 Whittenton Street, Taunton, tomorrow at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. In addition to three regular series, there will be specials, roll-ups, refreshments, a raffle on 15 turkey dinner baskets, and a money raffle with $1,000 as first prize. For more information call 508-824-9650.

11/28

Courage, a welcoming support group for Catholics wounded by same-sex attraction will gather to seek God’s wisdom, mercy and love. The next meeting will be held November 28 at 7 p.m.

For location information, call Father Richard Wilson at 508-992-9408.

12/6

The Providence Adult String Ensemble, directed by John Gomes, and the Fall River Diocesan Choir and Cathedral Youth Choir, led

by Madeleine Grace, will present an Advent Concert at St. Mary’s Cathedral, corner of Spring and Second streets, Fall River, on December 6 at 3 p.m. A free will offering will be accepted for the Cathedral Pipe Organ Fund.

12/6

Please join St. Mary’s Parish, Fairhaven, as they serve their famous Parish Family Breakfast on December 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Spend some time with family, friends and neighbors over a breakfast buffet of pancakes, scrambled eggs, baked ham, sausages, homemade potatoes, fruit, juice and coffee. Tickets will be on sale before and after weekend Masses through November 29. For more information, call 508-992-7300.

12/7

Good Shepherd Parish, Martha’s Vineyard, will offer an Advent program on December 7 at 7 p.m. in the parish center. Marjorie Milanese, spiritual director and retreat facilitator, will present a reflection on the topic “Advent: Waiting in Expectation.” A discussion and social with refreshments will follow and all are welcome.

WEST HARWICH — Our Lady of Life Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Holy Trinity Parish, 246 Main Street, holds perpetual eucharistic adoration. For open hours, or to sign up call 508-430-4716.

WOODS HOLE — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Joseph’s Church, 33 Millfield Street, year-round on weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No adoration on Sundays, Wednesdays, and holidays. For information call 508-274-5435.

20

The Anchor

Vatican unveils Villanova’s virtual tour of St. John Lateran

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican website celebrated the feast of the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran by launching a virtual tour of the Rome church — thanks to Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

The virtual tour — giving cybernauts a high-resolution, 360-degree view of the basilica — went online at www.vatican.va November 9, the feast of the dedication of the basilica, which is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome.

Bryan Crable, chairman of the communication department at the Catholic university in Villanova, Pa., said the virtual tour of St. John’s — and earlier tours of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls — was

November 20, 2009 the brainchild of Paul Wilson, a professor in the department.

“Although he proposed this idea two years ago, it took some time for it to become approved and for us to assemble the equipment necessary to carry out the project,” Crable said.

The equipment included digital cameras, computers, “cutting-edge software” and a very expensive “motorized rig, which can precisely regulate the movements of a camera” so that the more than 300 flat photographs overlap and can be edited into a video, Crable said.