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Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, November 12, 2021

Stang boys soccer team christens renovated field with playoff win DARTMOUTH — The GAME ON Campaign is a powerful initiative involving the renovation of our Hugh Carney Stadium, including artificial turf fields, a new gated entrance plaza, pathways, and more. This project will have a profound

impact on students, families, and community. The playing fields primarily support baseball, football, soccer, softball, field hockey, lacrosse, and numerous school events. In addition, athletic training and 8 Turn to page nine

St. Lawrence Martyr Church, New Bedford

New Bedford church marks two centuries of service to faithful

Mass commemorating the church’s 200th anniversary.

Outside the “New World,” Special to The Anchor one would be hard-pressed Editor’s note: This is the to find many entities or edifices that celebrate two first of a two-part history centuries of existence. That’s of St. Lawrence Church in one of the reasons why this New Bedford. The introis such an incredible event. duction was written by the Following the Mass, a editor. Part II will appear in reception will follow at The the November 26 Anchor.

Century House, 107 South NEW BEDFORD — Main Street in Acushnet On November 23 folks at 1:30 p.m. There are only will gather at St. Lawrence 175 tickets available for sale Martyr Church in the due to the room size at The Whaling City to participate in the celebration of a 8 Turn to page three

By Msgr. Barry W. Wall Diocesan Archivist

The Bishop Stang High School boys soccer team christened the newly-renovated Hugh Carney Field with a playoff win against Monty Tech, in Dartmouth on November 5.

Diocesan Catholic Schools Office hires new Nurse Manager

FALL RIVER — The Diocese of Fall River Catholic Schools Office recently announced that, effective November 1, Anna Manny, RN, NCSN, is the Diocesan School Nurse Manager who will support the 19 Catholic schools from Attleboro to Cape Cod on a parttime basis, in addition to maintaining her role as the school nurse at St. JamesSt. John School in New

Bedford. While all Catholic schools have had nurse cov-

erage prior to COVID-19, the continued challenges posed by the pandemic raises the need for a highly qualified and experienced school nurse to oversee the 25 nurses who work at the individual school level.

“Navigating the ever changing requirements of COVID has been challenging for school nurses,” said Daniel S. Roy, Superinten8 Turn to page seven

November 12, 2021 †

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FACE Fall Dinner welcomes back live audience in Westport WESTPORT — Through the dedication and commitment of the Fall Scholarship Dinner Committee led by John Feitelberg, president of HUB International, and Janna Lafrance, of Lafrance Hospitality, more than $300,000 was raised in support of FACE student scholarships.

The evening began with a welcome back from Emcee Kait Walsh, WPRI anchor and Bishop Stang Alumna ’08. Walsh extended special thanks to Presenting Sponsors: BayCoast Bank and its subsidiaries — BayCoast Mortgage, Partners Insurance and Plimoth Investment Advisors; The Carney Family Charitable; and Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation and Rockland Trust Bank. To view a list of all of the event’s sponsors and donors, visit: www.face-dfr. org/2021-face-fall-dinner.

Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha,

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S.D.V., offered a heartfelt opening prayer that acknowledged how wonderful it was that so many had come together to help children access a Catholic education.

He also presented the Timothy

J. Cotter Friend of Catholic Education Award to Dennis Kelly, FACE board member, chairman of the Bristol County Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, and former president and chairman of the

From left, Kait Walsh, anchor at WPRI TV; Janna Lafrance; Bishop da Cunha; guest speaker and performer Matt Maher; and John Feitelberg gathered for a photo at the FACE Fall Dinner in Westport.

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Board of Bristol County Savings Bank, for his dedication and service to Catholic education in the Diocese of Fall River. Attendees heard from Margherita Spinelli, an eighth-grader at All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford, about how FACE has helped her and her six siblings attend Catholic school.

Welcoming award-winning guest speaker and performer Matt Maher was a special treat for all attendees. Maher shared some heartwarming words about the inspiration for some of his songs as well as the roots of his faith and his connections to this part of the country. His beautiful songs, including “Lord, I Need You,” “Your Grace is Enough,” and “My Brother’s Keeper,” were truly wonderful and his performance brought the crowd to its feet.

A return to White’s of West8 Turn to page 12

New Bedford Church celebrates 200 years continued from page one

Century House. Tickets will be sold at all Masses and at the parish offices at St. Lawrence Martyr, 508-9924251. Office Hours: M-F 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, calls only. Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 508992-3184. Office Hours: Monday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

St. Lawrence Church, is part of the Whaling City Catholic Community, of which Father Michael S. Racine is pastor. Father Racine told The Anchor that the anniversary is a marvelous achievement, proof of the hard work and dedication of countless immigrant and settled New Bedford residents two centuries ago, until today.

Even with all the church and its faithful have achieved over the years, Father Racine noted that “St. Lawrence Parish has produced many vocations over the years, the last being Father James Ferus, S.J., in 2020 and myself in 1995.”

Beginnings: The First Church The records of the Bristol County Registry of Deeds show that 200 years ago on March 19, 1821, Edward Wing for the sum of $80 conveyed a 40-rod parcel of land in New Bedford to John Cheverus of Boston. John Lefebvre de Cheverus was the first Bishop of Boston; his diocese included the six New England states. The land was located on Allen Street at the head of Dartmouth Street which would become the northeast corner of Allen and Orchard Streets.

This was the first piece of land owned by the Catholic Church in what is now the Diocese of Fall River.

The real estate transaction was very likely negotiated by Father Philip Lariscy, an Irish Augustin-

ian Friar who was accepted into the diocese from Nova Scotia by the bishop in the spring of 1818. Father Lariscy apparently visited New Bedford in March of 1821. The baptismal register of the Holy Cross Cathedral in Boston contains the records of the Baptisms of 10 children of New Bedford families of various ages celebrated between March 12 and March 20. Six of the 10 were the children of Peter and Eleanor O’Connor whose names appear in the 1810 Federal Census. A small frame church was soon built at the Allen Street site by a local carpenter, Dudley Davenport, at a cost of $800. The weekly newspaper, The Mercury, announced the little church would be dedicated to the worship of God on Sunday July 29, 1821 but a week later the same paper reported the dedication would not take place as scheduled.

The postponement of the event was caused by the sudden departure of Father Lariscy from the Boston Diocese. The situation is not easy to summarize.

In April Bishop Cheverus had accepted a priest from the Diocese of New York, Father William Taylor.

Although he was Irish, he was an urbane convert from the Anglican Church; in temperament and background he was the complete opposite to Father Lariscy, the boisterous Irish-speaking Friar. Furthermore, in a dispute in New York Father Taylor took the side of the laymen against the bishop and a friend of Father Lariscy. The inevitable blow up took place when Bishop Cheverus returned from a well -deserved vacation. Bishop Cheverus felt compelled to let Father Lariscy go but in recognition of his hard work he

gave him a hundred dollars and allowed a collection to be taken up on his behalf.

Father Lariscy went to New York and was engaged in ministering to communities along the Hudson River for a time, and moved on the join the Augustinian community at St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia.

There he died on April 6, 1824 and is buried there.

From The Mercury of November 2, 1821, we learn that Bishop Cheverus visited New Bedford on Sunday October 28; there is no mention of the ceremony of dedication but the little church was in a sense dedicated by the good bishop’s presence. The paper also reported that it was not possible for all who came to find a place inside the church. The church which came to be called St Mary’s was little used because of the scarcity of priests. We know that Father William Taylor visited in April 1823

and accepted an invitation to preach in the Congregational church.

In 1825 Bishop Benedict J. Fenwick, S.J, a native of Maryland succeeded Bishop Cheverus who returned to France where he died in 1836 while serving as Cardinal Archbishop of Bordeaux.

Early in 1828 Bishop Fenwick welcomed the assistance of Father Robert D. Woodley whom he had known at Georgetown College. Father Woodley who resided in Providence, R.I., was appointed to care for the Catholics south of Boston, including those in New Bedford. Aided by contributions from Protestants in the community, as well as his parishioners, Father Woodley was able

to finish the interior of the church by plastering and painting so that on New Year’s Day 1830 something of a second opening took place. Father Woodley served through 1830 and returned to the south where entered the Society of Jesus.

Early in October Father Peter Connolly, recently ordained, was assigned to St. Peter’s in Sandwich, to care also for the Catholics of New Bedford and Wareham. His successors in Sandwich continued his ministry in New Bedford, Father Patrick Canavan (1832-1834), Father Francis Kiernan (1834-1835), Father John Brady (18351837), Father Kiernan again in 1837, and then the care of the New Bedford mission 8 Turn to page five

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A day of gratitude or mourning?

ast December 16, we marked the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ disembarking in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and this year we celebrate the quatercentenary of the first Thanksgiving feast.

It was a brutal first year.

Of the 103 pilgrims who had arrived, 52 would die before the long winter was over. Governor John Carver, their leader, succumbed to fever. Ten of the 17 husbands and fathers, and 14 of their 17 wives, perished.

The threat of famine was a constant menace until the March arrival of the English-speaking Squanto, who taught the emaciated pioneers how to distinguish between poisonous and good plants, to tap maple trees for sap, to fertilize soil with dead fish and to plant corn and beans. When that soil produced a humble harvest a few months later, they organized a feast to thank God Who had helped them not just with the food they were blessing, but with survival.

Every year the remembrance of that first Thanksgiving is an occasion for families, friends, and indeed our whole country to get together to express gratitude — for believers, to God; for non-believers, to whoever is listening; for everyone, to each other for much appreciated kindness, love, and solidarity.

In a consumerist age in which we’re coaxed to focus more on what we don’t have than what we do, when our polarized political and social culture tempts us to criticize far more than compliment, the fourth Thursday of November is an increasingly important opportunity to reset and detoxify.

I become more grateful every November not just for the generosity of God and others, but also for the feast of Thanksgiving itself and the manifold good it occasions.

Catholics pray to God in the heart of every Mass, “It is right and just, our duty and our Salvation, always and everywhere to give You thanks.” The feast of Thanksgiving allows us to fulfill that sweet and fitting obligation for the gift of life and 4

so much besides. It also opens us up to the various planes of human redemption that can only be received by grateful hearts.

A spirit of gratitude is essential not just to personal flourishing and happiness but to social growth and harmony.

Even and especially for those who have experienced suffering and setbacks, who objectively would have plenty of reasons to bemoan or complain, Thanksgiving is a lifeline cast into the pit of self-pity, offering a path of escape as well as the permission and motivation to take it.

But we cannot take this gift of Thanksgiving for granted, as if it will somehow always be with us, passed down from generation to generation, with no effort needed on our part to protect and promote it.

Thanksgiving regularly faces the annual challenges of those who are prevented from coming or choose to absent themselves, from family members who prefer to make it a midweek pseudo-Sabbath of NFL binge-watching, or others who regard it as a prelude to Black Friday binge-spending.

But now, in an era of cancel culture and its push for the historical, cultural and religious parricide of western civilization, Thanksgiving is facing a conceptual attack that shouldn’t be underestimated or ignored.

Similar forces to those that have been yanking down statues of Christopher Columbus and changing the second Monday of October to “Indigenous Peoples Day”; who have been besmirching U.S. history as an evil chronicle through the 1619 Project and critical race theory; who are pretending that the great Franciscan missionary Junipero Serra was a sadist rather than a saint; and who have gone after the memories and monuments of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Francis Scott Key, Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass, Lewis and

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Clark, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary; such fevered mobs are now aiming their iconoclastic and deconstructive crosshairs on Thanksgiving.

In a November 4 feature in the Washington Post entitled, “This tribe helped the Pilgrims survive for their first Thanksgiving. They still regret it 400 years later,” author Dana Hedgpeth interviews members of the Wampanoag Tribe on Cape Cod, whose members, she described, are “bracing for the 400th anniversary of the first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621.”

For the “Wampanoags and many other American Indians, the fourth Thursday

in November is considered a day of mourning, not a day of celebration,” she wrote, since all the Wampanoags got from helping the Pilgrims survive was a “slow, unfolding genocide of their people and the taking of their land.”

The hyperbolic use of the word “genocide” is not unique to this particular reporter. It is used regularly in interviews of the Wampanoags and other indigenous communities to refer to the arrival of the pilgrims.

Genocide, by definition, involves intent. It is the deliberate killing or harming of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group in order to bring about its physical destruction in whole or part. Rather than those who sought freedom from religious persecution in England who devoutly got together after a brutal year to give thanks to God, the pilgrims are being accused of slow-motion ethnic cleansing. The names of Bradford, Standish, Gardiner, and Carver should be numbered, in other words, alongside Ataturk, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Pol Pot.

There are, of course, some who believe this calumny about the pilgrims, like they do about almost any westerner who landed on the shores of the new world. But their outlandish accusations are generally not given credence by reputable outlets like the Washington Post in lengthy features with no quotations from scholarly or contradictory voices.

The first Thanksgiving, Hedgpeth recounts, “turned into a centuries-long disaster for the Mashpee [Wampanoags].” She links the arrival of the pilgrims to the “Great Dying” pandemic that preceded their arrival thanks because of the germs of fisherman from England along the Massachusetts coast, as if they were engaged in biological warfare rather than trying to catch cod.

Hedgpeth derisively makes the point that the Wampanoags weren’t even originally invited to the prayerful celebration of the first Thanksgiving but only came after they heard some festive gunshots, misinterpreting them as harbingers of trouble. Having arrived, however, they were invited to stay and share in the feast, which they did, something ultimately complimentary to pilgrims and the Wampanoags both.

But not to Darius Coombs, a Mashpee Wampanoag cultural outreach coordinator, who told Hedgpeth, “For us, Thanksgiving kicked off colonization. Our lives changed dramatically. It brought disease, servitude and so many things that weren’t good for Wampanoags and other Indigenous cultures.”

In exchange for introducing the “Boat People” to native foodstuffs like turkey, corn, cranberries, pumpkins, raspberries and blueberries, the Wampanoags, it is implied, received smallpox, cholera, scarlet fever, whooping cough and the common cold. And later dirty water and dirty air.

And nothing whatsoever good or even neutral.

Hedgpeth quotes Frank

James, “a well-known Aquinnah Wampanoag activist,” who called welcoming and befriending the pilgrims as “perhaps our biggest mistake.” In 1970, he created a “National Day of Mourning” to replace Thanksgiving and, as Hedgpeth details, “debunk the myths of the holiday.” Hedgpeth mentions that this year some Wampanoags will go to Plymouth on November 25 to mark this National Day of Mourning.

Other recent articles have documented efforts to “cancel” Thanksgiving from school curricula or at least to supplant it from a “heart-warming multicultural celebration” to a “cruel reminder of European colonialism,” as one 2018 Washington Post article described.

There’s no question that indigenous peoples have suffered enormously from illnesses, xenophobia, war (among themselves and with settlers), unjust laws and immoral actions against their persons, dignity, traditions, and lands.

Those need to be acknowledged, apologized for, repented for and, to the extent possible, justly remedied.

At the same time, such historic sufferings don’t provide carte blanche for accusing the pilgrims themselves of atrocity crimes, for trying to eliminate the memory of that first thanksgiving harvest feast 400 years ago, or for seeking to transform a much-needed day of national gratefulness and celebration into a day of shame, lament and national self-loathing.

The best remedy for a culture of grievance is one of gratitude. Even if, like that first Thanksgiving, the Wampanoags were late to the feast, let’s never stop inviting them, and others like Dana Hedgpeth, in the hope that they will realize what the rest of us already know: that there is indeed something to celebrate and that it is right and just, our duty and our Salvation, always and everywhere to give thanks.

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

New Bedford Church celebrates 200th anniversary continued from page three

passed to priests from Newport, Father Constantine Lee (1837-1839) and Father James O’Reilly (1839-1844) Bishop Fenwick first visited New Bedford in November 1832; he came again to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation on Aug. 15, 1841. Assisted by Father O’Reilly he wrote that he confirmed 10 people “great and small.” He also wrote in his journal that the church was the same “pitiful little building” of Father Lariscy’s time, with one aisle, 24 pews and adjoining sacristy; but he didn’t fail to note it was “brushed up, newly painted, white washed and in good repair.”

The church has been described as having three steps leading to the front door which was located between two arched windows, and on each side of the church there were three similar windows with heavy shutters. The church was probably in the beginning unpainted but older parishioners interviewed for a newspaper article in The Evening Standard many years later remembered it painted a shade of drab while the doors and shutters were green.

One parishioner recalled a boyhood memory of the men conversing together in front of the church before Mass while the women visited the graves of loved ones buried in the churchyard. “A beautiful place it was on a pleasant Sunday.

One could look from the rising ground where the church stood, off over a vast expanse of green fields and see in the distance the blue waters of the bay.”

New Bedford welcomed the railroad in 1840 which made it possible to travel from Boston in three hours compared with six or more hours by stage coach, but

progress in the Catholic Community would not come for another decade.

The first resident pastor, appointed in 1844 was Father Patrick Byrne, a veteran parish priest, one of four men ordained by Bishop Cheverus. Unfortunately, Father Byrne lived only six months. His successor was Father James Maguire who complained to the bishop about a lawless element in the diminishing congregation, saying he was almost assaulted by a man loitering around the church looking for a fight.

Growth: The Second St. Mary’s Church, St. Mary’s Cemetery

Father Thomas R. McNulty, a native of County Armagh, Ireland replaced Father Maguire in March of 1846. Three years later he was able to purchase the former Universalist Church at Fifth (Pleasant) and School streets in the center of the city. The old church was divided in two and sold.

One portion of the venerable building survives as part of a dwelling on Forest Street. The site continued to serve as a cemetery until 1856.

Part II of the St. Lawrence Church story will appear in the next Anchor edition.

November 12, 2021 †

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Editorial Praying for peace and for souls

This past Sunday Pope Francis issued a worldwide call for prayer after leading the people in St. Peter’s Square in the recitation of the Angelus. “I follow with concern the news from the region of the Horn of Africa, particularly from Ethiopia, shaken by a conflict which has lasted for more than a year and which has claimed numerous victims and caused a serious humanitarian crisis. I invite everyone to pray for those peoples so sorely tried, and I renew my appeal for fraternal harmony and the peaceful path of dialogue to prevail.”

La Croix International reported, “War broke out in the mountainous area [of Tigray] last November between Ethiopian troops and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front that controls the region. The violence in northern Ethiopia has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis with millions of displaced persons and accusations of rights violations. More than 2.5 million civilians have been displaced, and thousands have been killed in the year-long conflict between the Ethiopian government [aided by the armed forces of neighboring Eritrea] and the rebel Tigrayan forces, according to the United Nations.”

Clergy, both Catholic and Orthodox, have also been harmed during this conflict. Fides News Agency reported Tuesday that there was “a raid carried out on November 5 by government military forces in a center in Gottera (Addis Ababa) run by the Salesians of Don Bosco, involving 17 members among priests, religious Brothers and employees in the center, arrested for no reason and taken to an unknown place. In a situation marked by suffering, poverty, fear and absolute insecurity, all Christians in Ethiopia hope that the pope’s appeal, the intervention of the African Union and that of the American envoy to the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, will help calm the situation.”

Father Mussie Zerai, president of the Habeisha agency, told Fides, “We still do not understand what the reasons for such a serious act are: Why are priests arrested who exercise their educational mandate, especially in a center that has always been committed to doing good, which has been visited by many children for years and where street children are rehabilitated? Provincial priests, deacons, kitchen staff have been arrested, we know of raids and searches in other religious houses.”

Fides reported that the Salesian order has “a significant presence in five regions of the country. One of them is in Tigray Province, the center of a conflict that has turned into one of the worst wars in the world in just a year, with countless refugees and almost the entire population in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. As the information website Africa ExPress reports, police officers broke into the Orthodox Christian cathedral in Addis Ababa and forced priests and monks from the Tigray region to interrupt the religious services. The clergy were then loaded into security vans and taken to unidentified locations.”

We need to pray that these innocent people be released as soon as possible, that the warring sides lay down their arms, and that true justice and mercy come to Ethiopia. Those of us of a certain age remember the songs “Do they know it’s Christmas?” and “We are the world,” which were used to raise funds to help the OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 65, No. 22

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Published biweekly except for one week in autumn by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River, 887 Highland Avenue, Fall River, Mass. 02720, Tel. 508-675-7151; FAX 508-675-7048; email: davejolivet@anchornews.org.

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people of Ethiopia during a severe famine in the 1980s. Now a man-made crisis, that of war, is taking so many lives and threatening the futures of millions.

We also need to pray for the souls of the dead, there and around the world.

In this month of November we Catholics are mindful of our commitment to be united in love with the souls in Purgatory, as we, along with the saints in Heaven, pray for them, that one day we can all be at the banquet which the Heavenly Father has prepared for us.

It is always a shame (and a scandal for non-Christians, making it harder for them to believe in Jesus) when Christians kill others, especially when Christians fight other Christians. That has been something going on for almost two millennium and is what is going on in Ethiopia at the moment.

Instead of fighting, we need to heed Christ’s command to love. David Carvalho on page 13 of this edition of The Anchor describes well how we can approach others with love, instead of “war.”

We need to love God and neighbor now. As Christ has lovingly warned us, we don’t know the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come for us. Will He find us loving or warring?

St. John Paul II, in three weekly audience speeches given in July and August 1999, explained that Heaven is to be full of love for God and neighbor, while hell is the choice of those who do not love God and neighbor. The souls of Purgatory have imperfect love for both and are helped by the Church in Heaven and on Earth.

This past week the diocese lost two of its priests (as you can read on page 14), Father Conrad Salach, OFM Conv., died suddenly on October 30, while Father John “Jack” Andrews died on All Souls Day. Father Conrad probably did not know that he was dying, but he did provide priest coverage for Mass at his parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in New Bedford, for the day after he died (he had not been feeling well). Father Andrews had been in declining health for a few years.

Father Timothy Goldrick preached at Father Andrews’ funeral Mass in Taunton and began by describing how the body of an emperor (Franz Joseph) of Austria-Hungary was not admitted by the friar guarding the imperial burial crypt until the military officer bringing the cadaver stopped referring to his imperial titles and just said that a brother sinner wanted to enter. Then the friar happily opened the doors.

Father Goldrick said that Father Andrews did not want the funeral to be about him, but about Jesus. Both Father Goldrick and Father Andrews’ sister quoted him as saying at his 50th anniversary of ordination that the priesthood turned out to be everything that he had expected and so much more.

Let us pray for the souls of these servants in God’s vineyard, while also praying for the souls of those thousands being killed this year through war and injustice around the world. May they meet in Christ’s peaceful Kingdom (and may we live more in accord with His love, too).

Daily Readings † November 20 - December 3

Sat. Nov. 20, 1 Mc 6:1-13; Ps 9: 2-4,6,16,19; Lk 20:27-40. Sun. Nov. 21, Christ the King, Dn 7:13-14; Ps 93:1-2,5; Rv 1:5-8; Jn 18:33b-37. Mon. Nov. 22, Dn 1:1-6,8-20; (Ps) Dn 3:52-56; Lk 21:1-4. Tue. Nov. 23, Dn 2:31-45; (Ps) Dn 3:57-61; Lk 21:5-11. Wed. Nov. 24, Dn 5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28; (Ps) Dn 3:62-67; Lk 21:12-19. Thu. Nov. 25, Dn 6:12-28; (Ps) Dn 3:6874; Lk 21:20-28. Proper Mass in Thanksgiving to God, esp. Sir 50:22-24; Ps 138:1-5; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Lk 17:11-19. Fri. Nov. 26, Dn 7:2-14; (Ps) Dn 3:75-81; Lk 21:29-33.

Sat. Nov. 27, Dn 7:15-27; (Ps) Dn 3:82-87; Lk 21:34-36. Sun. Nov. 28, First Sunday of Advent, Jer 33:14-16; Ps 25:4-5,8-10,14; 1 Thes 3:12—4:2; Lk 21:25-28,34-36. Mon. Nov. 29, Is 2:1-5; Mt 8:5-11. Tue. Nov. 30, Rom 10:9-18; Mt 4:18-22. Wed. Dec. 1, Is 25:6-10a; Mt 15:29-37. Thu. Dec. 2, Is 26:1-6; Mt 7:21, 24-27. Fri. Dec. 3, Is 29:17-24; Mt 9:27-31.

Diocese hires Nurse Manager for schools continued from page one

dent of Schools for the Diocese of Fall River. “Anna’s front line expertise and understanding of school nursing will be a great benefit to ensuring all school nurses follow consistent guidelines. Moreover, her ability to interpret medical data and its application to the school setting will help ensure the safety of our students, faculty and families.

With a depth of knowledge and skills from her experience as a school nurse, Anna is a welcome addition to our team.”

Cristina Vivieros-Serra, principal of St. James St. John School, stated that “Anna has been a blessing to SJ-SJ as she led this entire school through the early confusion of the pandemic to where we are today. Anna’s leadership and commitment to Catholic education are two of her best qualities, which are evident through her close relationships with students and families. Everyone at SJ-SJ loves Nurse Anna!”

Manny added, “I am so eager to work collaboratively with all Catholic school leaders, diocesan school nurses, and school district liaisons to provide consultation through the complexities of COVID-19 and other health policies and procedures. Working with the students and staff at St. James-St. John School is a joy and I am blessed to be able to expand my role to include mentoring the nurses from all of the other Catholic schools.”

Manny is a registered nurse fluent in Portuguese and has been the school nurse at St. James-St. John School for 14 years and with the Diocese of Fall River for a total of 18 years.

She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from UMass Dartmouth and is a nationally certified school nurse through the National

Board for Certification of School Nurses.

For more information about the Catholic Schools Alliance, please go to www. catholicschoolsalliance. org/did-you-know/.

The Catholic Schools Alliance comprises administrators, teachers, staff, parents and clergy joined in partnership to educate the children of the Diocese of Fall River in Catho-

lic faith and values. Our schools have a demanding educational culture that helps students from across the academic spectrum reach their God-given potential.

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Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima to visit St. Anne Shrine in Fall River FALL RIVER — The beloved pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima will visit St. Anne Shrine of Fall River on the weekend of

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November 19-21.

This statue, blessed

by Pope St. Paul VI, and long an object of devotion around the world, will have

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a full program of activities available for pilgrims during the weekend in her honor.

All times are approxi-

mate.

Friday, November 19: 3 p.m. Arrival of Our Lady; 3:30 p.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; 4 p.m. Recitation of the Holy Rosary; 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday: Night Vigil (Open for pilgrims all night); Saturday, November 20: 6 a.m. Mass in the Shrine celebrated by Father Edward Murphy; 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; International Rosary (English, French,

Portuguese) at noon; Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3 p.m.; 5 p.m. Evening Office; 6 p.m. Movie “Pray” (Father Patrick Peyton); 9 p.m. Night Prayer and Closing of Shrine; Sunday, November 21: 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; 2:30 p.m. Benediction and Simple Farewell.

St. Anne’s Shrine is an iconic national landmark Catholic church located in the Diocese of Fall River, and dedicated to the patronage of St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ. Since the Shrine was consecrated on Christmas Day in 1895, it has provided a unique atmosphere of faith, prayer, and devotion by those who have come to seek Divine help through the intercession of Good St. Anne.

This monumental church, built by the immigrants of French Canada as a testament to their deep devotion to St. Anne, serves visitors from all over the world to be witnesses of the Christ Who has touched our lives. To visitors arriving over the Charles Braga Bridge from the west, it stands out as a beacon of the faith of thousands who struggled, built, and worshiped here for over a century.

The St. Anne’s Shrine Preservation Society, curators of this special Shrine, is pleased to host Our Lady for this weekend to call down manifold graces on the Diocese of Fall River.

For more information contact the Shrine at 508678-1510 or visit www. st-annes-shrine.org.

Stang boys soccer team christens renovated field continued from page one

practices for all Spartan athletes will take place in these renovated facilities.

On November 5, the Spartans enjoyed their first “GAME ON” when the boys soccer team defeated Monty Tech in the first round of the MIAA tournament.

They played in front of the huge crowd that came out to cheer them on. Sparty, the school mascot, joined in rooting the team to an 8-2 win.

Tonight, the Spartans will kick off their first home football game at the newly-renovated Hugh Carney Stadium against West Bridge-

water.

Although the field is ready for play, and nearly 80 percent of the fund raising is complete, the school is actively seeking support to reach the $2.1 million cost to complete this transformative project for Bishop Stang.

If you have any questions about how you can help Bishop Stang finish the field project, visit bishopstang.org/gameon, or contact Jennifer Markey Golden ’86 in the Advancement Office at the school at 508-996-5602 x430, or by email at jgolden@bishopstang. org.

Sparty, the Bishop Stang High School mascot, points to the goal to reach to finance the renovations of playing fields there.

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My Brother’s Keeper to host toy drive tomorrow in Easton/Dartmouth

EASTON/DARTMOUTH — On Saturday, November 13, from 10 a.m. to noon, My Brother’s Keeper will be hosting a Pop Your Trunk Drive to collect new, unwrapped Christmas toys for local families in need.

Those interested in participating in the drive are welcome to stop by the facility with their donation any weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well.

Please join us for our Pop Your Trunk Toy Drive and help us bring the joy of Christmas to 3,000-plus local families in need. Bring unwrapped gifts to our drive-through locations and volunteers will gladly collect your donations with a pop of your trunk!

This toy drive will support the organization’s local Christmas Assistance Program. Since 1990, My Brother’s Keeper has brought joy to kids and removed stress from parents who could not provide presents for their children at Christmas.

Last December, My Brother’s Keeper delivered personally-selected gifts to 3,150 families — more than 13,000 children and adults — living in 95 communities from the North Shore down to Fall River and Cape Cod. Many Christmas assistance programs only serve children under age 13, but in keeping with its mission, My Brother’s Keeper serves the whole family: children, teens, and parents.

In addition to their presents, each family also receives a $50 supermarket gift card to help provide a special Christmas meal.

Demand for assistance in this community remains very strong so the Christmas Toy Collection Drive will help My Brother’s Keeper provide as much assistance to families as possible.

My Brother’s Keeper

regularly purchases bikes, scooters, action figures, sporting goods, and skateboards so another way to support the Christmas Assistance Program is by making a financial donation online. Visit www. mybrotherskeeper.org for details. My Brother’s Keeper does not receive any local, state or federal funding, and relies on private donations to serve the community.

For more information

contact Josh Smith, director, Dartmouth at 774-305-4577; jsmith@ mybrotherskeeper. org, or Ryan Thorley, director, Easton; 508297-8045; rthorley@ mybrotherskeeper.org My Brother’s Keeper is a Christian ministry with locations in Dartmouth and Easton, which delivers furniture, food and Christmas gifts free of charge to local families in need. The

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, November 14 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in New Bedford

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass

on the Portuguese Channel Sunday, November 21 at 7 p.m.

Broadcast from Immaculate Conception Church in New Bedford

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, November 14 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Edward A. Murphy, Pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Taunton

Sunday, November 21 at 11:00 a.m.

Celebrant is Father Michael S. Racine, Pastor of the Whaling City Catholic Community

organization’s mission is “to bring the love and hope of Jesus Christ to those we serve.” Anyone living in My Brother’s Keeper’s service area is eligible to receive help, regardless of religion.

To donate or learn more

about getting involved, visit www.MyBrothersKeeper. org or call 774-305-4577.

If you live in a community we serve and need Christmas assistance, please call the Christmas Helpline at 508-238-2562.

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests and deacons during the coming weeks: Nov. 21 Rev. Stephen J. Downey, Retired Pastor, Holy Ghost, Attleboro, 1975 Rev. James F. Kenney, Retired Pastor, Corpus Christi, Sandwich, 1994 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 Rev. Brian Marggraf, SS.CC., Retired, St. Damien Residence, Fairhaven, 2018 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., Conv., 2000 Rev. Robert J. Malone, C.S.C., 2010 Nov. 27 Rev. Candido d’Avila Martins, 1898 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 Permanent Deacon Richard G. Lemay, 2018 Nov. 30 Rev, William J McCoomb, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, North Easton, 1895 Dec. 1 Rev. Phillipe Ross, Chaplain, Sacred Heart Home, New Bedford, 1958 Rev. Edward J. Gorman, Retired Pastor, St. Patrick, Somerset, 1964 Dec. 2 Rev. Arthur Savoie, Pastor, St. Hyacinth, New Bedford, 1917 Rev. Dennis W. Harrington, Assistant, St. Mary, Taunton, 1958 Rev. Stanislaus Basinski, Former Pastor Holy Rosary,Taunton, 1970 Rev. Stanley J. Kolasa, SS.CC., Former Pastor, Our Lady of the Assumption, New Bedford; Director, Sacred Hearts Spirituality Center, Wareham, 2016 Dec. 3 Rev. John W. McCarthy, P.R., Pastor, Sacred Heart, Fall River, 1926

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Christian singer and presenter Matt Maher plays before a captive audience at the recent FACE Fall Dinner held at White’s of Westport.

FACE Fall Dinner returns to live audience in Westport continued from page two

port and a gathering of the generous FACE supporters in the Diocese of Fall River coming together to celebrate in-person was

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also noted at the end of the evening by Bishop da Cunha who shared not only stories of how his own life was touched by God’s

grace, but how His grace was moving in all of those present.

If you have not made a gift in support of FACE scholarships, or if you would like to make an additional gift, please consider making a donation via Text to Give, text FACE 21 to 508-714-7921.

To watch a recording of the event and view more photos visit www.face-dfr. org/2021-face-fall-dinner or scan the QR code with your mobile device.

Family, holidays, and what to say

T

here is something special about this time of year. The unique traditions, decorations, and gatherings associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas are, at least for myself, always looked forward to.

Yet, family gatherings can come with mixed emotions and situations for at least some of us (if not more). A family noticing one more empty seat at the table. Family members who won’t speak to one another.

The awkward silence and abated looks when religion or politics are brought up. It is then when the reality of human weakness becomes apparent, and nostalgia fades away.

What may we be tempted to do? For some, we ignore the conversation or issues. We attempt to bury them deep as if no one notices them. This may work for a time, but eventually the issues will resurface.

For others, we attempt to tackle the issues head on and can, in our eagerness, end up creating more hurt or alienation.

As one priest pointed out to me in Confession, it can be easy to hurt our families because they are the ones closest to us.

Yet, our proximity to individuals also allows for the opposite. Since our families are closest to us, it presents ready opportunities for compassion and mercy, healing and support.

If you’re like me, holidays can be a mixed bag.

They’re great, until they’re not. The conversation is wonderful, until it isn’t.

And at times, yes, I am to blame.

But I wanted to present to you the premise that if we can approach the awkward moments and topics intentionally, we don’t need to fall into the “either/or” of

ignoring them or hurting others through them. There is another way and the Gospels aid us in knowing what to do.

So what do we do?

The first thing I would sincerely recommend, especially if you know you may be walking into a tense situation during the upcoming holidays, is this: pray and go to Mass.

I’m serious.

We have to acknowledge that if we want others to be transformed, we must be willing to be transformed ourselves. My wife and I have made it a simple tradition to go to Mass Thanksgiving morning as a family. Does it alter when we can start cooking that day? Yes. But ultimately, what’s more important?

Start the day right and ask the Lord for His grace. It is important to note that throughout the Gospels, Jesus goes off to pray to God the Father by Himself on a regular basis.

If there is someone you are not looking forward to seeing, then pray for them by name each day ahead of time. Fast for them.

Perhaps, even reach out to them ahead of time, with no agenda, just to reconnect. In Matthew’s Gospel, we see Jesus advise His followers to make peace with one’s brother before making an offering at the altar (5:23-24). For this reason, we have the sign of peace at Mass before Communion.

There is wisdom in continuing this practice outside of Mass.

But let’s say that you did not have the opportunity to do this. Let’s say that the day has come and the inevitable, undesired interaction has occurred. You find yourself in the midst

of “that” conversation, with “that” person. What do you do?

My suggestion is to become familiar with John 4, where Jesus meets and speaks with the Samaritan Woman at the well. It is, in my opinion, a masterclass on how to engage in difficult discussions. I invite you to pray with this

Gospel chapter yourself, but would like to make some observations on Jesus’ actions.

First, while knowing the impending situation, Jesus is open to it.

Jesus is traversing through Samaria; an unnecessary, yet intentional, detour on Jesus’ part. He does not shy away from a people (the Samaritans) who are at odds with the Jewish people. In doing so, He encounters the unnamed woman at the well and breaks open the conversation with a simple request: that she give Him some water.

Her response is essentially: why are you talking to me? Yikes. She knows the situation. She knows that she is a Samaritan woman, and Jesus is a Jewish man. Yet, Jesus broke this convention for He came to seek and save the lost. And so, He does not shy away from a potentially awkward situation.

Second, Jesus invites the woman to share her story.

He knows that there are issues going on in her life. After all, she is get-

ting water from the well at noon, when the ordinary time to do so was early in the morning. Why? So she could avoid her town folk, for whom she is the topic of gossip due to her checkered past. While He already knows the situation, He still asks her questions and allows her to speak for herself. He first listens to her and what she has to say. It is through this conversation that the woman begins to encounter Jesus not as “other” but as someone who wants to truly know her.

Often times, our disagreements and divisions cause us to want to see individuals as “other.” There must be an “us” and “them” to justify our displeasure. Yet, Jesus gets rid of this divide and enters more deeply into coming to know the heart of this woman and her story. Remember: while the proximity of family can cause great hurt, this proximity allows for great compassion and healing. Thus, embrace the proximity and enter more deeply into it.

Third, Jesus speaks truth into the woman’s situation.

After hearing the woman’s story, Jesus speaks the truth that she needs to hear.

And, yes, He does point out details she’d rather not acknowledge. This involves sharing with her that her longing for love remains unsatiated because (pardon the cliché) she has looked for love in all the wrong places. Ultimately, what she longs for is not in the string of marriages she entered into, but in God alone. How does she respond? In awe and acceptance of what Jesus says.

Why? Well, she is first

astounded by the fact that Jesus knows the details of her life. But, I would argue, she accepts what Jesus says because He first “tilled” the soil through the lead up in the conversation. In other words, Jesus didn’t rush in, tell her what she did wrong, judge her for it, and in so doing leave the situation worst than He found it.

Rather, He fostered a genuine encounter by being open to speaking with her, listening to her story, and then, and only then, speaking about the matter at hand intentionally and without malice.

What was the end result?

She left their conversation elated and went out to the same town folk she previously avoided to share the Good News of this encounter.

Now, am I saying this will exactly happen for our own situations? No. I am also not saying that the Thanksgiving dinner table is the appropriate time to point out someone’s wrong doing and make it the end all-be all conversation to try to fix a larger problem. But, I am saying that if we can approach — rather than avoid — difficult situations, topics, and conversations through prayer, listening, and intentionality in what we say, we have a much better chance of binding wounds, building relationships, or even just taking an initial step towards either of these. Let the proximity of upcoming family gatherings, by God’s grace and assistance, be an opportunity for compassion, healing, and living the Gospel message.

Anchor columnist David Carvalho is the senior director for Faith Formation, Youth, Young Adult and Family Life Ministries for the Diocese of Fall River. Contact: dcarvalho@ dioc-fr.org.

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Father Conrad Salach, OFM Conv.

NEW BEDFORD — Father Conrad Salach, OFM Conv. died on October 30.

He was born in Methuen, on May 3, 1944, the son of the late Charles and Julia (Kirmil) Salach. Besides his Franciscan family, he leaves his dear sister, Barbara Jean Salach. Friar Conrad

entered the Franciscan Friars Conventual Novitiate in Ellicott City, Md. in 1961, professed Temporary Vows on Aug. 15, 1962, and professed his Solemn Vows, on Aug. 15, 1965. He was Ordained to the Priesthood on May 22, 1971. He received a B.A. (philosophy)

Father John F. Andrews

TAUNTON — Father John F. Andrews, 85, passed away peacefully on November 2, at Marian Manor.

He was born in North Dighton, the son of the late Francis FG Andrews and Julia (Trond) Andrews.

He was a 1954 graduate of Coyle High School, Cardinal O’Connell Seminary and received his Masters in Divinity degree from St. John’s Major Seminary in Brighton.

He was ordained at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River in 1962.

Following his 1962 ordination, Father Andrews was first assigned to St. Joseph Parish in Fall River, beginning a ministry that took him all across the Diocese of Fall River, most of that on Cape Cod where he spent 34 years.

Father Andrews has the rare distinction of having been responsible for building two new church buildings, St. Joan of Arc in Orleans, which was dedicated in 1984, and Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Wellfleet, dedicated in 2009. He served at SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Fall River, St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Buzzards Bay, and St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis, and served as pastor at St. Bernard Parish in Assonet, St. Dominic Parish in Swansea, and St. Patrick 14

Parish in Fall River.

Appointments included serving as chaplain of the Fall River and Cape Cod Boy Scouts and chaplain of the ECHO retreat program for nearly 50 years. He also served as director of Catholic Charities on Cape Cod. Father Andrews had a passion for genealogy and was a descendant of Mayflower passenger Stephen and Constance Hopkins, Thomas Rogers and Degory Priest. He was a member of the Old Colony, Scituate and Wellfleet Historical Societies. In retirement, Father Andrews continued to assist at St. Joseph Church in North Dighton, St. Patrick’s Church in Falmouth and the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation in Dighton.

He is survived by his siblings, Carol L. Mills of Berkley; Ann K. McGurk and her husband Dr. William McGurk Jr. of Venice Fla. and Prince Edward Island; Louis O. Andrews and his wife Mary Ann of Williamsburg, Va.; and Robert V. Andrews and his wife Eleanor of Naples, Fla.; many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and a large extended family.

He was the brother of the late Mary E. Andrews.

His funeral was celebrated by Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., on November 6 at Annunciation of the Lord Church, Taunton. Contributions in Father Andrews’ memory may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Church, P.O. Box 1414, Wellfleet, Mass., 02667.

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from St. Hyacinth College and Seminary, Granby, Mass., in 1966. He attended St. Anthony-on-Hudson in Rensselaer, N.Y., and earned a Masters of Theology in 1971. In 1972, he also received an M.A. in Counseling and Psychology from the University of Notre Dame, Ind. After his ordination, Father Conrad’s first years of ministry were served as a teacher and counselor, at Archbishop Curley High School in Baltimore, Md. He served as director of Guidance there from 1974 to 1978. From 1978 to 1984, Father Conrad served as associate pastor of St. Anthony’s Parish in Ranshaw, Penn., while serving as both a teacher and counselor at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Shamokin, Penn.

Father Conrad became the pastor of St. Anne Parish in Hollsopple, Penn., and St.

Jerome Mission in Jerome, Penn. in 1984. Moving on in 1997, Father Conrad served as pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Lawrence until 2004.

In the intervening years, Father Conrad ministered as chaplain to the Providence Sisters Infirmary (2004-2005) in Holyoke, as well as chaplain to Msgr. Bojnowski Manor and Motherhouse of the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception (2005-2008) in New Britain, Conn. From 2008 to 2010, Father Conrad served as the parochial vicar at Holy Family Church in Amesbury.

For a short time, Father Conrad served as parochial vicar to St. Stanislaus

Basilica Parish in Chicopee.

His final assignment was a pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in New Bedford in 2011, until his death.

He had recently celebrated his 50th jubilee of the priesthood.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., on November 5, in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. Interment was in the family plot in Bellevue Cemetery in Lawrence.

A Memorial Mass will be offered on December 11, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Augustine Church, 43 Essex Street, Andover, Mass. Memorial donations may be made to the Franciscan Education Burse, 12300 Folly Quarter Road, Ellicott City, Md., 21042.

For condolences, please visit www. machnowskifuneral.com.

Katherine Danehy, sister of Father Richard D. Wilson, V.G.

HANOVER — Katherine “Katie” Mary (Wilson) Danehy, 52, of Hanover, passed away on Monday, November 1. She was born in Boston on Feb. 5, 1969.

Katie was the loving wife of Brian L. Danehy and the loving mother of Nicole E. Danehy and Rosemary I. Danehy, all from Hanover, MA. She was the devoted daughter of Robert D. and Mary M. (Vaughn) Wilson of Quincy. Katie is survived by her siblings Father Richard Wilson, V.G., of New Bedford; Paul Wilson and his wife Jasmine of Merrimac; and Suzanne Weaver of Concord, N.H. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, family members, and friends.

Katie was raised in Quincy and attended Quincy Public schools and then went on to graduate from Archbishop Williams High School in 1987. She earned her Nursing Degree from Laboure College

in 1993. After graduation, Katie began her 28-year career in nursing when she joined the Pond Meadow Nursing Home in Weymouth as an R.N. In 1997, she began work at Milton Hospital where she was a floor nurse, later moving into the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit where she followed her passion for caring for others. During the current pandemic, Katie worked on the front lines selflessly assisting critically ill patients in the COVID unit. Her eyes might be familiar to Anchor readers from advertisements which her relatives purchased at the height of the pandemic, showing her masked at work.

Katie enjoyed going to the beach, boating, fishing, and

shopping, but most of all, she loved spending time with her family and friends. Her favorite times of all were when she was with Nikki, Rosie, Brian, and Lucy, their dog. She was so proud of the young ladies they have become and all they have achieved.

A Funeral Mass was celebrated on November 8 at St. Mary of the Sacred Heart Church, Hanover. Burial followed at Hanover Center Cemetery .

In lieu of flowers, Katie’s family has set up a memorial fund to assist Rosemary and Nicole Danehy with their college education. Contributions can be made out to Katie Danehy Memorial Fund and mailed to: Katie Danehy Memorial Fund, c/o Rockland Trust, 272 Columbia Road, Hanover, Mass., 02339, or made directly through Venmo@Katie-DanehyMemorial-Fund.

I

guess it all began shortly after the Fourth of July. But now that Halloween is over, the media blitz begins in earnest. It’s Christmas. Oh yeah, with Thanksgiving mixed in there somewhere.

It’s been that way for a couple of decades now. Not when I was a kid though.

Secular Christmas music, decorations, movies, TV shows, et. al. began once Thanksgiving was in the rear view mirror.

Today, it truly begins sometime in September to a degree. Not only does the hype amp up children, who we all know don’t need much to ignite them, but adults, too, get caught up in the

̕ Tis the season (alas) day parties and Christmas that fall from these deca-

eddy of excitement.

But this is not the gist of my column. It’s quite the opposite. I think now about those who don’t, can’t, and won’t get caught up in the “holiday spirit.”

There are those for which the twomonth year-ending celebrations are just another day in the drudgery of a life without — without a job, money, food, companionship, and hope. Those who cannot provide a table adorned with more food than can be consumed. Like the dogs in the Mark and Matthew’s Gospels, they would love to eat the scraps

dent feasts. Those who are alone, abandoned, divorced, separated, recently suffered a crushing loss of a love one.

These poor souls don’t share in the hoopla.

There’s another group of which not much gets mentioned, although the tide is turning a bit.

Having written this column for more than 20 years now, I spent most of the time cautious about what I write.

I worried about what family, friends, coworkers, readers thought about me.

Having seen far too many losses in the past few years, some totally unexpected, I realize that none of us know how much time we have left on this earth.

With this in mind, I bring up those suffering from anxiety and depression disorders. I am one them, having been diagnosed mid-life as struggling with both. Medications help, but they’re not meant to take away the fear and the not knowing why I feel like I do at times.

As child, I hated birth-

get-togethers with cousins (seemingly hundreds of them on my mom’s side), aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends. It’s not that I didn’t love them. I did and do. I would get so nervous and anxious knowing I had to be among them. It would sadden me, beyond normal sad, that I felt this way.

These curses didn’t end when childhood did — they only changed based on what adult situations I was in. I still get very nervous when meeting with groups more than just a couple of people. I love going to concerts, but until the act begins performing, my mind races and panic sets in.

Well folks, all these wonderful attributes rear their ugly heads during the holidays. There are times when I don’t want to even be with large groups of family — again, not because I don’t love them. I do. I just get so antsy and depressed at times.

I don’t like letting this

side of me out. Even now, I wonder if I’m doing the right thing, but then I remember that I don’t know how long I’ll be here.

The reason I bring up my “dark side” is to help others like me who experience the same anxieties and depressions, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

And I’m sure there are some who experience far worse episodes than I. Please be aware of the people you love this season.

Please know that if they seem uncharacteristically aloof or distant, it may be an inner struggle going on.

Don’t be offended if they turn down an invite. There are those whom you would least expect that have these maladies.

I like to make people laugh because I like to see them laugh, but also it’s a mask at times. Just ask one of my heroes, Robin Williams, someday.

Please remember that those whom you think should be enjoying this time and are not, may have a good reason. davejolivet@anchornews.org.

New documentary from the K of C sheds light on humble man of the Bible, St. Joseph

A new documentary, “St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father,” sheds light on one of the most hidden protagonists in the Bible. The 60-minute documentary

premieres on ABC-affiliated stations across the country, October to early December.

The film’s release coincides with the final months of the special Year of St. Joseph. The documentary offers an opportunity to learn about Jesus’ foster father from a historical perspective and the extent to which a devotion to him can be life changing.

Segments from the documentary and resources on St. Joseph, as well as a schedule of airings, are available at kofc.org/ stjoseph.

Know someone who could benefit from joining the order? Visit or share kofc.org/joinus for details.

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Please support the TV Mass Donate online at www.GiveCentral.org/FRTVMass Or mail your check payable to: Diocese of Fall River – TV Mass, 450 Highland Ave. Fall River, MA 02720

A

s a teen-ager, Jesus’ words about the end of the ages (Mk 13:24-32) seemed so frightening that I quickly moved past them to latch onto the lesson from the fig tree. I knew what it meant to look to signs in the natural world (e.g., clouds) as possible predictors of upcoming events. Before the storm clouds broke, I had grabbed my younger brothers and headed home. We were together safely inside even as the storm began, then raged outside.

I can vividly imagine the story’s chaos and horror as forces beyond mankind’s control ravage the earth. I know the pain of suffering, loss, and grieving. Yet, as an adult, I realize the visual images of worldly despair and destruction are simply the background images.

The story’s focus is on the arrival of the Son of Man. Jesus pauses the powers of destruction as those to be saved safely pour in from all peoples and places of God’s earth.

Jesus’ words clearly speak to us about one event at the end of time. Yet, if we delve a little deeper, those same words speak to us about our lives each day. Our world is daily scarred by storms of injustice and inequality. Jesus’ words not only guide us in finding our way, but also in choosing how to act to best make a positive difference in the lives of others.

The focus is first to live a good life 16

Endbeginnings (follow that Greatest Commandment, then love thy neighbor as self). Second, remain vigilant for the sound of the Son of Man’s call home.

In her book “Kitchen Table Wisdom,” Rachel Naomi Remen invented a word Endbeginnings. She shared a tale from her life. She had designed and made a ring. An impressed colleague sent her to a designer so other copies of the ring could be made. Rachel left the ring there.

Later that night there was a huge rainstorm followed by a mudslide.

Both the designer and the ring were gone forever.

Rachel stood on the cliff looking down where that designer and Rachel’s ring had fallen into the water. She actually heard the voice of each of her parents speaking to her. Then, she heard a young voice from within herself ask where the ring was. As the adult Rachel looked at her finger, she wondered what would fill the empty space.

Rachel realized there was no beginning without an end to something. Hence, her phrase Endbeginnings. The perception of end was really the tell-tale sign of

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a beginning. Back to the Gospel, at the end of time, the elect who are gathered from throughout the world are brought to be with the Son of Man. It is the beginning of their time in Heaven.

What do Endbeginnings look like in our daily lives? It could be the death of a loved one, the physical destruction of property by natural disaster, being a victim of an accident, the announcement of an incurable illness, the loss of that ideal job, or the unanticipated ending of a human relationship. It could even be falling victim to another who had chosen to strike with the express purpose of hurting. Each of these is an end to something one had thought was a good path. That end will inevitably be followed by a new beginning.

I am rather a resilient person.

However, I don’t initially feel that knock down flat onto the dusty road as an exciting opportunity. I lie there feeling the pain wondering if I should have seen this coming (and ducked). After I realize I survived, I sit back up telling Our Lord that I don’t understand why and most definitely am not liking

this. Today, I can hear my guardian angel saying, “Lookout all — she’s griping again! Oh, why did I have to be assigned someone who makes it harder than it has to be?”

By the time I am getting to my feet, I remember Rachel’s Endbeginning as a reminder to look ahead. I, too, ask what will fill the empty space. The answer from our Providential God is a gentle “Look around you.” I suddenly realize that I am looking forward to the adventure.

It is as Rumi says, “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” Looking back on many journeys, I realize how they guided me to explore and share the many gifts God had given me. I treasure the many compassionate kindnesses shared by others.

I can now see others on a similar daily journey. Along the way, each of us can choose to reach out to calm a storm another might be facing. Ram Dass said, “We are all just walking each other home.”

Hmm, maybe those streaming in to stand with the Son of Man heard the call and began the journey a very long time before the forces of nature were unleashed.

Let’s all walk one another home in compassion, safety, and kindness.

Anchor columnist Dr. Helen J. Flavin, Ph.D., is a Catholic scientist, educator and writer.