12.05.08

Diocese of Fall River

The Anchor

F riday , December 5, 2008

Anti-religious bigotry spikes following Election Day B y Gail Besse A nchor C orrespondent

BOSTON — Anti-religious violence, vandalism, and intimidation erupted across the country after the November elections because radical homosexuals were incensed that voters in three states had constitutionally protected marriage.

Mormons have taken the brunt of the abuse because individual members gave substantial time and money toward California’s successful “Proposition 8” amendment, but Catholics and evangelicals have also been targeted, according to news reports.

Among those reports: Screaming marchers stomped on a cross they grabbed from a 69-year-old woman in Palm Springs, Calif. A news clip of the event was broadcast locally on KPSP television, a CBS affiliate.

Demonstrators chanted “Mormon scum” outside a Los An-

geles-area Mormon temple and vandalized church property, the Chicago Sun-Times reported November 12. Others yelled slurs outside Mormon temples in Salt Lake City and Manhattan, proposed tourism boycotts of Utah and challenges to the church’s tax-exempt status.

A self-described homosexual anarchist group invaded services at an evangelical church in Lansing, Mich., on November 9. They flung condoms at worshipers, hung a banner featuring two lesbians in a provocative position and unfurled a large rainbow-colored flag with the inscription, “It’s OK to be gay! Bash back!” LifeSiteNews.com reported.

Outside the church, protesters beat on buckets and shouted, “Jesus was a homo” over a megaphone while carrying an upside-down pink cross. There were no arrests.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded: “The Turn to page 18

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT DECEMBER 7, 2008

AWAITING CHRISTMAS — Joseph and the Blessed Mother are en route to Bethlehem and the first coming of Jesus in this Advent display, part of the annual Christmas lights panorama at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro. The Holy Family beckons family members of every age to visit the Shrine and be buoyed by the hope of Christ’s first, current, and final coming’s promise.

(Anchor file photo)

Our Lady of La Salette displays brighten way to Christmas Day

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” – Matt 5:16

By Deacon James N. Dunbar

ATTLEBORO — With just two days to go before the switch was thrown and approximately 400,000 lights illuminated thousands of Advent and Christmas displays at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, Father Andre “Pat” Patenaude was indeed one of the busiest men in southeastern Massachusetts.

As director of the Shrine, and with so much scheduled in Advent, the Missionary of La Salette priest during a November 25 interview with The Anchor had

to think twice about whether had had lunch.

“We have a lot going on,” he said, laughing. “And because this year’s theme is ‘Christ Our Hope,’ we’re praying that all we do will help people find hope at a time when a poor economy is affecting so many … that they find that hope in Jesus who comes to us.”

At 5 p.m., on November 27, Thanksgiving Day, thousands of excited pilgrims from across the region were on hand at the Shrine property at 947 Park Street to ap-

plaud and voice the “oohs and aahs” ushering in the 54th annual Christmas lights display.

From now until January 4, an estimated 10,000 pilgrims to the Shrine will be able to view the marvelous panorama of lights from 5 to 9 nightly.

From the Rosary Walk and Pond at its southern border to the trees lining the vast parking area on the north, colorful illuminated displays are reminders of the peace and harmony and joy of Christmastide for young Turn to page 11

Stonehill ‘family’ fetes Father Kruse on 50th jubilee as priest

By Deacon James N. Dunbar

EASTON — When Congregation of Holy Cross Father Robert J. Kruse learned that approximately 200 people would be attending the November 29 Mass and dinner celebrating his 50th anniversary as a priest, he said, “That’s absolutely amazing.”

But the range of people who attended was evidence of the retired teacher’s capacity for seeing the presence of God in all people — from professors to ground

staff, from Catholics to friends of other faiths, from his wider fam-

Father Robert J. Kruse, CSC

ily to his fellow religious priests, religious Sisters and neighbors — and students — all who gave him a rousing standing ovation.

At the Mass in the Chapel of Mary at Stonehill College, the jubilarian reflected on his life as a priest and spoke of how he saw his priestly vocation as one of “bringing attention to the holiness of life” and was mindful that God is everywhere “in the friendship of those who touch Turn to page 18

News From the Vatican

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December 5, 2008

Vatican newspaper: Beatles’ music is better than today’s pop songs

By John Thavis Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican newspaper said the musical compositions of the Beatles were far more creative than the “standardized and stereotyped” pop music of today.

The Beatles’ songs have demonstrated “remarkable staying power, becoming a source of inspiration for more than one generation of pop musicians,” it said.

The newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, published a lengthy and laudatory retrospective on the Beatles November 22 to mark the 40th anniversary of the release of the “White Album,” the group’s groundbreaking double-record set.

“Forty years later, this album remains a type of magical musical anthology: 30 songs you can go through and listen to at will, certain of finding some pearls that even today remain unparalleled,” it said.

With rock songs like “Back in the U.S.S.R.” and “Helter Skelter,” ballads like “Julia” and “Blackbird,” and dreamlike pieces like “Dear Prudence,” the album represents the “creative summit” of the Beatles’ career, it said.

What characterized the “White Album” and the Beatles best music in general was an inventiveness that stands in stark contrast with popular music today, the newspaper said.

“Record products today seem mostly standardized and stereotyped, far from the creativity of the Beatles,” it said. The modern pop music industry is too willing to sacrifice originality and fantasy in order to satisfy the consumer models it has adopted and promoted, it said.

The newspaper also recalled that the Beatles were recording with rudimentary tools compared to those used by the high-tech recording industry today. Even so, “a listening experience like that offered by the Beatles is truly rare,” it said.

As for John Lennon’s famous quip in 1966 that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, the Vatican newspaper dismissed it as youthful bragging.

“The phrase that provoked profound indignation, especially in the United States, after so many years sounds merely like the boast of a working-class English youth faced with unexpected success,” it said.

Rev. Msgr. John J. Oliveira, V.E. 106 Illinois St., New Bedford, MA 02745 ANCH. 12/05/08

HOLY HISTORY — Pope Benedict XVI views relics of St. Andrew during a special Mass for pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Amalfi-Cava de’Tirreni, Italy, at the Vatican recently. (CNS photo/CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters)

Mideast peace requires religious freedom, pope tells Armenian leader

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Peace in the Middle East and religious freedom for all the region’s inhabitants will not be achieved without respect for other religions and selfdetermination for the nations involved, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Meeting the Lebanon-based Armenian Catholicos Aram of Cilicia in late November, the pope said, “I cannot fail to assure you of my daily prayers and deep concern for the people of Lebanon and the Middle East.

“How can we not be grieved by the tensions and conflicts which continue to frustrate all efforts to foster reconciliation and peace at every level of civil and political life in the region?” the pope asked at the end of a midday prayer service with the Armenian patriarch, nine of his bishops and about 50 of his faithful from Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Cyprus, Italy, the United States and Canada.

The pope said all Christians have been saddened by “the escalation of persecution and violence against Christians in parts of the Middle East and elsewhere.”

“Only when the countries involved can determine their own destiny, and the various ethnic groups and religious communities accept and respect each other fully, will peace be built on the solid foundations of solidarity, justice and respect for the legitimate rights of individuals and peoples,” the pope said.

Pope Benedict and Catholicos Aram spent 25 minutes speaking privately in the papal library before joining the rest of the delegation from the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Vatican’s Redemptoris Mater Chapel.

Surrounded by the vibrant,

modern Eastern-style mosaics that decorate the chapel, the Armenians chanted their traditional hymns and read the Psalm and Gospel in Armenian.

The pope used English for most of the prayers he recited, but “ahs” of appreciation were heard when he said, “Khaghaghutiun amenetzun,” which is Armenian for “Peace be with you.”

Pope Benedict also praised the catholicos for his Church’s leadership in the Catholic-Oriental Orthodox ecumenical dialogue, which, he said, “promises to clarify theological issues which have divided us in the past but now appear open to greater consensus.”

In his remarks to the pope, the catholicos said Christian unity is essential “in a world in dire need of the life-giving message of the Gospel.”

“The united voice and the common witness of the churches in a polarized world is the call of Christ, which is more imperative and urgent today than ever before,” he said.

While the pope paid tribute to the “unspeakable suffering” of the Armenian people in the 20th cen-

The Anchor

tury, Catholicos Aram said it was essential that religions and governments explicitly acknowledge the Armenian genocide and work to prevent new genocides “by affirming the rights of all people to dignity, a dignified life, freedom and self-determination.”

An estimated 1.5 million Armenians — more than half the Armenian population at the time — died in a forced evacuation by Ottoman Turks in 1915-18. Turkey rejects the accusation of genocide, saying the deaths were due largely to disease and famine.

Catholicos Aram also told the pope that Christian churches must engage in “a responsible interfaith dialogue” because “we are living in a globalized world characterized by interdependence and interaction.” he said.

Responsible dialogue, he said, “preserves and articulates the integrity and uniqueness of Christian faith” while at the same time respecting the “traditions and values” of others.

The catholicos said Lebanon is a country where such dialogue takes place between Christians and Muslims.

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Vol. 52, No. 46

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.

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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 Powers waynepowers@anchornews.org REPORTER Michael Pare michaelpare@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.

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December 5, 2008

The International Church

SOLEMN REMEMBRANCE — Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko places a candle in a cathedral in Kiev recently during a commemoration service for the Ukrainian genocide, known as Holodomor.

At the Vatican Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the victims of the 1932-33 “Great Famine” that left millions dead in Ukraine and parts of the Soviet Union. (CNS photo/Mykhailo Markiv, pool via Reuters)

Pope condemns terrorist attacks in India, prays for victims

By John Thavis Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI condemned the wave of terrorist attacks in India as acts of “cruel and senseless violence,” and led prayers for the nearly 200 people who died and the hundreds injured in the bloodshed.

A Vatican spokesman, meanwhile, warned that if extremists continue to exploit the ethnic and religious tensions of southern Asia the results could be even more tragic.

Speaking at a recent noon blessing, the pope asked for prayers for the victims of the attacks in Mumbai, the Indian financial capital, where suspected Islamic militants

assaulted at least 10 targets in a three-day siege that began November 26.

The pope also expressed concern for the clashes between rival ethnic and religious groups in Jos, Nigeria, where at least 200 people were killed November 28-29. Churches and mosques were burned in the rioting.

“The causes and circumstances of these tragic events are different, but there should be a common sense of horror and condemnation for the explosion of such cruel and senseless violence,” the pope told pilgrims from his apartment window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

“Let us ask the Lord to touch the hearts of those who delude them-

selves by thinking that this is the way to resolve local or international problems,” he said.

The morning after gunmen attacked the targets in Mumbai, including the luxury Taj Mahal hotel, the pope deplored the brutality of the violence in a telegram sent to Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai.

The papal telegram appealed “for an end to all acts of terrorism, which gravely offend the human family and severely destabilize the peace and solidarity needed to build a civilization worthy of mankind’s noble vocation to love God and neighbor.”

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said

the well-coordinated attacks were reminiscent of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist acts against U.S. targets.

In a commentary on Vatican Radio, Father Lombardi said the terrorists had clearly chosen India, a place of tensions and conflicts, as a “critical point at which to try to ignite an even more frightening conflagration, whose consequences are difficult to imagine, given the demographic dimensions of southern Asia and its role in world development.”

In addition to political tensions in the region, he said, India has been troubled by “persistent and perhaps growing fundamentalist currents, not only in the Islamic world but also among Hindus.” He noted that India’s minority Catholic community had suffered recent discrimination and attacks, just as the country’s Muslim community did several years ago in a wave of anti-Islamic violence.

“It is horrible that in today’s world religion is mixed up with violence. Fundamentalism is one of the most dramatic risks faced by humanity, and it challenges the conscience of every religious person,” the Vatican spokesman said.

In India, Cardinal Gracias immediately expressed the Church’s shock and sadness at the terrorist attacks, which he said were an attack upon the entire country.

“The Church in India condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms. Innocent and unconnected people have been killed. Very brave police officers have been killed,”

3 the cardinal said in an appeal issued November 27. He said the Catholic Church in Mumbai was making all its medical services available to the wounded.

“We must fight together as a nation and as a united people to combat the terrorists. We must never give up hope because ultimately hope will prevail,” the cardinal said.

The Indian bishops’ conference, meanwhile, appealed to the government to take all necessary means to “guarantee the safety of citizens, who yearn for peace and calm.”

India’s National Security Guard commandos killed the last group of terrorists when they battled their way into an area of the Taj Mahal hotel November 29. Shortly before that, the commandos had stormed a Jewish center in the city and found six hostages dead.

In Pakistan, a leading Christian politician condemned the terrorist attacks in India and rejected accusations, voiced by some Indian leaders, that Pakistan was somehow behind the violence.

Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic and the head of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, told the Romebased agency AsiaNews that “we strongly condemn this act of barbaric terrorism and share our grief and sorrow with all families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy.”

He called on the governments of India and Pakistan to make a joint effort to ensure peace and security in the region.

4

The Church in the U.S.

December 5, 2008

Same-sex marriage not a matter of human rights, says Maine bishop

PORTLAND, Maine (CNS) — Allowing same-sex couples to marry would strip marriage of its essential component — the creation of new life — and render it meaningless and “open it up to endless revision and redefinition,” Bishop Richard J. Malone of Portland said in a letter to Catholics in the statewide diocese.

The bishop defended traditional marriage, writing that he believes opposing its redefinition is a matter of faith, reason and a concern for the good of society.

“To claim that marriage is a civil right open to all forms of relationships is a misnomer,” he said in the mid-November letter drafted after several Christian ministers at a news conference days earlier called for the state to legalize same-sex marriage.

“Marriage is an institution that predates civilization, ordained by God, and exclusive to one man and one woman who are given the responsibility to procreate the human race and to nurture, educate and pass on shared values and mores to their offspring,” Bishop Malone wrote.

“Marriage, as we know it, has been preserved, rewarded and recognized by the state in numerous ways because the state has long recognized the foundational nature of traditional marriage to the good of the nation and entire civilizations,” Bishop Malone said.

“To support and encourage strong families is to support the building

of a healthy and productive societal structure that is best equipped to raise and rear our children.”

Calling marriage “a holy sacrament, a vocation and a vehicle to salvation,” Bishop Malone defended his stance, saying society has an obligation to support strong families.

Pointing to recent elections in Arizona, California and Florida where efforts to redefine marriage were blocked, the bishop said he expects more such attempts throughout the nation, including Maine. When such efforts are undertaken, he said they must be opposed.

Bishop Malone also addressed the topic in his homily at a Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. He said that throughout the Bible marriage has always been understood to be the union of one man and one woman.

At the same time, he explained, the Diocese of Portland has been “unwavering in its support of hospital visitation rights or the sharing of health insurance benefits between household members, people choosing to live together whatever their sexual orientation.

“That only seems fair,” he said.

“However, to insist that complementarity of sexes is a fundamental prerequisite for marriage is not to be unfair.”

“We must work together to preserve marriage for the good of our society,” he added.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE — Children take part in a protest marking the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq at the Liberty Pole in Rochester, N.Y. (CNS photo/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier)

At 25, pastoral letter on peace set goals that remain unfulfilled

WASHINGTON (CNS) — May 3 marked the 25th anniversary of the U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter on peace, “The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response.”

In contrast to the highly public process that led to its adoption, the document’s silver anniversary passed with hardly any notice.

But that doesn’t mean the bishops’ core messages — challenging the world’s nuclear powers to rid their arsenals of nuclear weapons and discussing the importance of peacemaking in everyone’s life — has been lost, according to some of the country’s leading peace advocates.

“It’s a different time. It’s a different world. But the principles are timeless,” John Carr, executive director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told Catholic News Service.

“What the bishops said, what the Church continues to say is more important than ever,” Carr added.

“I think the Church these days is more involved in questions of international affairs and in questions of war and peace than back then.”

Written during the Cold War as President Ronald Reagan was proposing a new generation of high-tech weapons to secure U.S. military supremacy, the pastoral letter offered world leaders a moral vision on ending the arms race and working toward nuclear disarmament. The document made clear that possessing nuclear weapons was immoral but offered the notion of conditional acceptance only if such weapons were being held to deter a nuclear attack as long as the eventual goal was disarmament.

In addition, the bishops supported conscientious objection for individuals opposed to carrying arms.

They also urged people of faith to turn to prayer, penance and nonviolence to bring peace to family, work and social relationships.

“Our intentions were to change people’s minds and hearts and attitudes and that only happens in a very deep way through prayer,” said retired Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton of Detroit. He was one of five prelates on a committee chaired by the late Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin of Chicago who wrote the letter.

A sixth partner in the effort was Father J. Bryan Hehir, who today is secretary for health and human services in the Boston Archdiocese.

He headed the U.S. bishops’ Office of International Justice and Peace at the time. He could not be reached for comment.

While “The Challenge of Peace”

has hardly influenced world leaders to eliminate nuclear stockpiles, Bishop Gumbleton said the document has as much to say about today’s “global war on terror” as it did on the morality of launching a nuclear war in 1983.

Despite its reduced profile, the document legitimized the Catholic peace movement, which, until the bishops spoke, largely had been relegated to the Church’s margins.

Organizations such as Pax Christi USA, which had been seeking nuclear disarmament and stressing the practice of nonviolence for years, found wider acceptance as their message was being embraced by the bishops.

Over the years, the concept of peacemaking in everyday life has been integrated in peace studies programs at colleges and universities and the teaching of conflict resolution skills and nonviolence to students in Catholic schools, explained Franciscan Sister Marie Lucey, associate director for social mission at the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in Silver Spring, Md. “I think the bishops addressing the nonviolent position was important at that time and is still important today,” said Sister Marie, who represents the leadership conference at Faithful Security, a national religious partnership on the dangers of nuclear weapons. “That’s what we strive for.”

In an interview with CNS, Bishop Zavala cited the peacemaking example of Jesus as a model for 21st-century Catholics.

“We need to get more involved in the peace movement,” he said.

“Jesus was a man of peace, not of violence. We have a tradition in our Church of promoting peace. We can get involved in peace movements and something as simple as praying for peace in our parishes, having peace and justice commissions in every parish, having small groups seeing how they can promote peace in their own communities.”

December 5, 2008

The Church in the U.S.

MARCHING FOR A CAUSE — People take part in Covenant House’s annual candlelight vigil in New York’s Times Square recently. The event focused attention on the plight of homeless youths. (CNS photo/Hilary Duffy, courtesy Covenant House)

Catholic Charities USA warns against fraudulent emails on Internet

B y C haz M uth C atholic N ews S ervice

WASHINGTON — Catholic Charities USA officials have demanded that groups using the Catholic Charities name to solicit funds on the Internet discontinue using the trademark and urged potential donors to research the authenticity of an organization before making a contribution.

“Fraudulent emails that are misappropriating the name of Catholic Charities USA and its affiliates are being sent to extract money and/or personal information from unsuspecting recipients and are circulating on the Internet,” said Brandon Pinney, spokesman for Catholic Charities USA. The emails are labeled with the subject titles “Grant Notification,” “The Catholic Charity,” “The Catholic Charity Foundation” and “From the Office of the Cash Grant Program,” Pinney told Catholic News Service.

The name “Catholic Charities” was used within the body of some of the emails, said Candy S. Hill, senior vice president for social policy and government affairs at Catholic Charities USA. The messages — which come from several different

email addresses and provide a variety of contact names — ask recipients for detailed personal information, Pinney said.

In an effort to stop the emails, Father Larry Snyder, Catholic Charities USA president, replied to each of the addresses brought to the organization’s attention, insisting the sender stop disseminating such confusing messages or suffer consequences.

“Your unauthorized use of the name ‘Catholic Charities’ is likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception among the recipients of the email,” Father Snyder said in his statement. “We insist that you immediately discontinue all further sending of the above email.”

In the statement he said he wishes to settle the matter in an amicable way and asked for a reply within seven days to confirm they have halted such emails.

As of December 1, Catholic Charities did get one automated response from one of the dozen or so emails it sent out, but had not received a reply stating the practice would be discontinued, Hill said.

“We had a similar situation occur last year, and we sent

out an email just like we did this year,” she said. “We didn’t get any replies from them, but those spam emails stopped going out. We’re hoping for the same result this time around.”

Catholic Charities USA was working with its general legal counsel on the situation and planned to continue to monitor it, Hill said.

“I hope you appreciate the serious nature of this matter and our interest in ensuring that recipients of the email are not misled by your unauthorized use of the Catholic Charities name and trademark,” Father Snyder said in his correspondence.

“Federal law provides for imposition of severe penalties against those who make unauthorized use of registered trademarks,” he continued. “Among other things, the courts may require a defendant to pay for all damages caused by the

5 infringement, all profits derived from the unauthorized use of the plaintiff ’s trademark, court costs and attorneys’ fees.”

A few of the emails actually superimposed onto their messages images of the Websites of Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida and Catholic Charities of Chicago, Hill said.

Catholic Charities USA is “fully prepared to pursue legal action if the transmission of these fraudulent emails does not cease immediately,” Pinney said.

6

The Anchor Terrorism in India

For four days last week the whole world was united in horror and prayerful concern in response to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. In a series of 10 coordinated attacks across India’s largest city and financial capital, striking hospitals, hotels, train stations, restaurants, movie theaters, crowded docks, a Jewish center, and police headquarters, a band of what seems to be 10 assassins killed at least 172, injured at least 293, and terrified multitudes.

A group calling itself the “Deccan Mujahideen” has claimed responsibility for the attacks and, while the group is unknown, their principles and tactics are not: they are following the same jihadist philosophy of terrorizing and killing the innocent made known by Al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorists. That is doubtless one of the reasons for so much international attention, because people fear that what Islamic terrorists did in Bombay could be exported to other cities around the world.

There is another form of brutal, religiously-inspired terrorism occurring in India, however, that has not been receiving the same surveillance. It has been going on, not for four days, but for four months. Perhaps because it is not occurring to foreigners or being carried out by Islamic terrorists, it has not yet aroused the scrutiny and commitment of the world.

But it is just as evil and perhaps even more violent. It is the Hindu-on-Christian-terrorism occurring in the state of Orissa.

After a Maoist group on August 24 killed a Hindu Swami, local Hindu members of the “Hindu Identity Movement” spread rumors that it was in fact Christians who had killed him.

Radical Hindus, like those in the BJP (Indian People’s Party) and RSS (National Volunteers Organization), resent the presence of the Christians, whom they think undermine the caste system by promoting, especially in their schools, the dignity of all people, including the lower classes. The murder of the Swami provided a volatile occasion for these groups to scapegoat and massacre the Christians. Since late August, 500 Christians have been killed, 150 churches destroyed, 300 Christian villages demolished, 5,000 Christian homes burned to the ground, 13 Christian schools and orphanages attacked, more than 15,000 people injured and more than 50,000 have run to refugee camps or taken cover in the forests. Many of the attacks occurred in broad daylight in the presence of the police, who claim to be powerless against the mobs, but whom locals say are sympathetic to the violence. One Catholic nun was burned alive as she tried to defend the kids of her orphanage. Another nun, as we detailed in our November 7 edition, was dragged by a mob of 50 men to a veranda full of shattered glass and then gang-raped in the sight of police as the social center she ran was set on fire.

Pope Benedict has tried to raise international attention to the anti-Christian terrorism occurring in Orissa and rouse the international community to action. He said in a Wednesday audience soon after the violence began, “I have learned with deep sorrow of the acts of violence perpetrated against the Christian communities in the Indian State of Orissa, subsequent to the deplorable assassination of Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati, a Hindu leader. So far several people have been killed and various others have been injured. Centers of worship that belong to the Church have also been destroyed, as well as private homes. While I firmly condemn every attack against human life, whose sacredness demands the respect of all, I express my spiritual closeness and solidarity to the brothers and sisters in the faith who have been so harshly tried. I implore the Lord to accompany and sustain them at this time of suffering and to give them the strength to continue in the service of love on behalf of all.”

On October 12, during the canonization of St. Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception, the first native Indian to be raised to the altars, he called attention to her courage and applied it to the struggles of Catholics in her native land: “Her heroic virtues of patience, fortitude and perseverance in the midst of deep suffering remind us that God always provides the strength we need to overcome every trial. As the Christian faithful of India give thanks to God for their first native daughter to be presented for public veneration, I wish to assure them of my prayers during this difficult time. Commending to the providential care of Almighty God those who strive for peace and reconciliation, I urge the perpetrators of violence to renounce these acts and join with their brothers and sisters to work together in building a civilization of love.”

Hopefully one of the goods that God will draw out of the evil of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai will be a greater focus on religiously-inspired terrorism in the world’s largest democracy, so that all forms of terrorist atrocities being committed there can be resolutely fought and extirpated.

Black Friday

The day after Thanksgiving was black not merely out of retailers’ hope for their financial bottom line. It was black because of what happened at 5 a.m. at the Walmart in Valley Steam, N.Y. When 34-year-old employee Jdimtytai Damour was preparing to open the doors, he probably anticipated to be greeted by customers happy to have the chance for bargains. Instead, he met a mob that within seconds would trample him to death. Not content to wait for a few minutes more, the crowd ripped the doors off their hinges and stampeded into the store, shoving him to the ground and treading on him until he died. The same horde drove out of the way other employees who were trying to help him, pushed weaker and slower patrons to the floor, and even were trying to step over paramedics who had arrived to try to bring the man back to life.

It’s psychologically tempting to try to classify what occurred on Long Island as a tragic but isolated incident of little relevance to our culture as a whole. But it was merely the predictable consequence of an escalating series of Black Friday incidents in the past several years, when mainly elderly customers have been flattened by those who have valued obtaining a new gadget at a bargain more than others’ safety or lives. This is the antithesis of the Christmas spirit. The icon of this shift was seen in the mob’s shoving a woman who was eight month’s pregnant — an living icon, in some sense, of another pregnant woman with a Child about to be born — out of the way in the frenzied rush, at all costs, to obtain a coveted item at reduced costs.

There has traditionally been something somewhat praiseworthy in the commercial side of Christmas, namely that people have been willing to spend their money not on selfish pursuits but on others. Purchases were an external expression of one’s love for others and the desire to please them. But a growing, almost unbridled consumerism, abetted by marketing campaigns that allure throngs to spend longs nights in cold vigil outside department stores, is creating the conditions that now other human beings are being consumed in the process.

It’s time for Christians, shining with the light of Christ, to dispel the now-deadly darkness of Black Friday materialist idolatry that is increasingly pervading the Christmas season.

December 5, 2008

Total consecration to Jesus through Mary

F

ifteen years ago this Monday, on the So- for Total Consecration According to St. Louis lemnity of Mary’s Immaculate Concep- Marie Grignion de Monfort.” It contained varition in 1993, I did one of the most consequen- ous prayers and readings from the Gospel, St. Louis’ writings, and the “Imitation of Christ,” all tial things of my life.

I was at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Em- broken down into 33 digestible portions across mitsburg, Md., three months into my six-year four sections: leaving behind the spirit of the preparation for the priesthood. In the mailroom world, knowledge of self, of our Lady and of on All Saints Day, I noticed a flier by a transi- Christ.

Over the course of the next month, I went tional deacon inviting seminarians to a meeting to begin preparations to make a “total consecra- through these spiritual exercises, which were an occasion for thorough spiritual renewal. The tion” of themselves to Mary.

The opportunity intrigued me. The fact that day of my consecration was like the day of my the deacon was willing to sacrifice his time to ordination several years later, as, with the help guide younger seminarians through the conse- of the Blessed Mother, I tried to make a total gift of myself to God. I tangibly experienced on cration process attracted me, too.

By that point, I already had a strong devo- both occasions the beauty that comes from saytion to the Blessed Mother. My earliest memory ing yes to the divine plan.

It was during this time of preparation that I is of praying the rosary as a family in our living room, as my parents, two brothers, sister and first became aware of how central total conseI would do every night throughout my child- cration to Jesus through Mary was in the life of hood. My mother was a president of a Legion Pope John Paul II. His spirituality and even his of Mary praesidium and Marian piety imbued motto, “Totus Tuus,” came from St. Louis’ formula for consecration. He would later explain: our home.

“At the time when my priestly vocation was When I got to college, and no longer had the same familial structure of prayer around me, my developing, … a change took place in my unappreciation for the rosary grew and my love for derstanding of devotion to the Mother of God. Mary matured and became more manly. Men I was already convinced that Mary leads us to Christ, but at do things for that time I began women they love to realize also and during those that Christ leads years, with other us to his Mother.

Catholic guys at At one point, I Harvard, I started began to questo make Marian tion my devotion pilgrimages on

By Father to Mary, believSaturdays. We Roger J. Landry ing that, if it bejourneyed to the came too great, Basilica of Our it might end Lady of Perpetual Help in Dorchester, the Shrine of the Madon- up compromising the supremacy of the worna in East Boston, the Sanctuary of Our Lady ship owed to Christ. At that time, I was greatly of Fatima in Holliston and of Our Lady of La helped by a book by St. Louis Marie Grignion Salette in Attleboro, and to altars of the Blessed de Montfort entitled “Treatise of True Devotion Mother in churches in the area. Eventually our to the Blessed Virgin.” There I found answers to horizons expanded and we visited the Marian my questions. Yes, Mary does bring us closer to holy sites of Montserrat in Spain, Lourdes in Christ; she leads us to him, provided that we live her mystery in Christ. This treatise by St. Louis France and Divino Amore outside Rome.

These were the days of intense and somewhat Marie Grignion de Montfort … is the origin of agonizing discernment of whether the Lord was the motto Totus Tuus. …. It is an abbreviation calling me to be a priest. Each day I was ask- of a more complete form of entrustment to the ing Mary to help me patiently and prayerfully Mother of God which runs like this: Totus Tuus trust in her Son enough to say “fiat” to whatever ego sum et omnia mea Tua sunt. Accipio Te in he was asking of me. At the time a young priest mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor Tuum, Maria.”

John Paul II wished to proclaim as the motto friend, who had been a seminarian at my home parish a few years earlier, visited and encour- of his life and papacy his total consecration to the aged me to “consecrate my vocation” to Mary. Blessed Mother. His wished to “live her mystery He told me that he had suffered greatly during in Christ.” I’m convinced that this was one of the his seminary years for his piety — the 1980s principal reasons for his sanctity and greatness. featured some confused days for priestly houses He would pray those words of consecration evof formation — and had it not been for Mary’s ery day, which translated means, “I am all yours help, he was convinced he would have never sur- and all I have is yours. I take you for my all. Give vived. He urged me to place my future in Mary’s me your heart, O Mary!” I have adopted those hands with confidence that she would intercede same words as a morning offering each day for me for whatever graces I would need faith- when I awaken, asking Mary for her heart that ful to respond to her Son. Later that night as I with it I might more faithfully love her Son. In his beautiful apostolic letter on the rosary, was praying in front of a statue of the Blessed Mother, I confided to her that I didn’t know how Pope John Paul said that total consecration to to consecrate myself, but wished to do so, and Mary “in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its begged her to receive my feeble entrustment.

A couple of years later I had a chance, on power.” He confessed openly that he had “powthe feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, to renew that erfully experienced” in his own life St. Louis’ consecration. It was, on the one hand, the worst “luminous principle” that “our entire perfection day of my life, when I was refused, for reasons consists in being conformed, united and conseof ignoble ecclesiastical politics, an application crated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect to become a seminarian for my home diocese. of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conOn the other hand, it was the happiest day of forms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly my existence because, despite my indignation to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creaand total incomprehension of where I would tures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, go from there, I was thoroughly convinced it follows that among all devotions that which that the mother to whom I had entrusted my most consecrates and conforms a soul to our vocation would intervene. Six months later I Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and was a seminarian for the Diocese of Fall River. that the more a soul is consecrated to her the Three months after that I was standing before more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ.”

For the last 15 years and beyond, I, too, total consecration advertisement on the bulletin have been powerfully guided by that luminous board in Emmitsburg.

I was interested in making the total conse- principle. As we approach Mary’s Immaculate cration both out of gratitude to Our Lady for all Conception, I would urge you — if you alshe had done for me as well as because I was ready haven’t done so — to discover for yourconvinced that my earlier “made-up” consecra- self St. Louis’ practice of total consecration to tory prayer somehow must have been inade- Christ through Mary so that you might experiquate. So I went to the meeting, joined by about ence that same joyful light and sure maternal 30 other interested seminarians. The deacon ex- guidance.

Father Landry is pastor of St. Anthony’s plained the 33-day process of preparation and passed out a small book entitled, “Preparation Parish in New Bedford.

Putting Into the Deep

Introducing Eastern Orthodoxy

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The Anchor

December 5, 2008

he divisions that have dom now became divided into resulted in the present two communions: in the West, fragmentation of Christianity the “Catholic Church” under occurred in three main stages, at the Pope; and in the Byzantine intervals of roughly 500 years.

Empire, the “Orthodox Church” We’ve already studied the first of the East — with both sides stage, when, in the fifth and claiming to be the true Catholic sixth centuries, the Church in Church.

Persia adopted the Nestorian The third separation, which heresy, and the majority of came with the Protestant ReforChristians in Egypt, Ethiopia, mation in the 16th century, will Syria, and Armenia embraced be addressed later in this series.

Monophysitism.

Our concern now is the Great Then came the second Schism and the communion of separation, the socalled Great Schism, conventionally dated The Fullness to the year 1054. of the Truth Political, social, cultural, and religious

By Father forces had long been Thomas M. Kocik pulling Eastern and Western Christianity apart. From the time of the Council of Chalcedon 200 million faithful that calls (451) when Pope Leo the Great itself the Orthodox Church. rejected its Canon 28, which This body is in fact not a unitary granted great jurisdictional pow- Church but a federation of ers to Constantinople, relations independent local churches, between Rome and Constantino- joined by sharing the same ple were marked by occasional faith, the same sacraments, and, episodes of high tension. The I’m tempted to say, an historic Great Schism was primarily a antipathy toward Rome. There is sundering of the Western Latin within Orthodoxy no one bishop Church, centered on Rome, with an equivalent position to from the Eastern Greek Church, the Pope in Catholicism. The centered on Constantinople (the Patriarch of Constantinople other three Eastern patriarchates (presently Bartholomew I), had by this time been greatly also known as the Ecumenidiminished and isolated under cal Patriarch, enjoys a position Muslim domination). Christenof special honor as “the first

among equals” (a position once accorded to the Pope), but he has no right to interfere in the affairs of the churches outside his patriarchate. (Today the Patriarchate of Constantinople includes the few thousand Greeks living in Turkey as well as some parts of Greece.) Since Orthodoxy has no permanent center of authority and unity, we cannot define the Orthodox Church as all those in communion with Constantinople, in the way that we may legitimately define the Catholic Church as all those in communion with Rome. As far as the Orthodox are concerned, the Church of Constantinople could lapse from Orthodox unity tomorrow, just as (in their view) the Western or Roman Church did a millennium ago.

Orthodoxy’s primary area of distribution lies in Eastern Europe, in Russia, and along the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean. There are currently 14 Orthodox churches that are generally recognized as “autocephalous” (Greek for “selfheaded”). Highest in honor among these are the four ancient patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem (Rome having lapsed in 1054) — all of which, together

Baby Jesus doesn’t need a Lexus

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car was a ’67 VW Beetle standard y educated guess is that held together with duct tape — my the advertising demodream car. graphic for sports on TV is those Every year the Holy Family who have money, and lots of it. gets pushed further and further out I sit there, mouth agape, when of the picture during Advent and the commercial showing a young child convincing it’s older self that the best Christmas gift ever was a Hot Wheels or something like that — until the older self gets a Lexus or a Porsche or an Audi. For Christmas.

By Dave Jolivet What better way to celebrate the birth of our Lord and savior, the greatest day in history, the humble king Christmas time.

At a time when the young born to poor parents in a cold, 16-year-old pregnant Mary, due dark manger, than with a nice any day, and her humble husband shinny Lexus? Who needs gold, frankincense and myrrh when you Joseph were traveling a long, cold distance, with meager means, for can have a five-speed electronic the census, folks commemorate it wonder that can virtually drive by shopping for diamond earrings, itself? cars, TVs as big as drive-in movie Imagine the time and energy screens and electronic gadgets that Mary and Joseph would have can monitor your heart rate, send saved if only the Three Wise Men text messages, watch live NFL had brought a Porsche instead. football, and tell you which exit If Denise ever surprised me with a car for Christmas, I’d check to take for the annual Christmas party at the local five-star restauher temperature, cut up her credit rant. cards and head to my nearest What ever happened to getting Audi dealer for a quick return of a good old Mr. Potato Head, or purchase. Unless of course the

My View From the Stands

Monopoly, or a sweater, or slippers, or a fruit cake you can save to give to someone else next year?

Or even decadent chocolates like the ones to my right on this page.

I’ve spoken to many people who are manning the local food kitchens across the diocese and they all say the same thing — “We’re seeing more people now than ever.

People who have never been to a soup kitchen before.”

It’s time to tone down Christmas giving — if not out of respect for the humble Baby Jesus, than out of respect for those who have less, lesser and least this year.

Audis make perfect birthday gifts — just not on Jesus’ birthday.

And Denise and Emilie, if you’re thinking of getting me a car, and it’s not a ’67 VW Beetle held together with duct tape for less than $50, than I’d much rather you get me a nice sweater vest.

And we all know how much I love those.

Any way, just keep the humble, blessed Holy Family in mind when choosing gifts to celebrate their special day.

with Rome, claim apostolic foundation and, with the exception of Jerusalem, were the most important cities in the Roman Empire. The other 10 autocephalous churches have emerged over the centuries in Cyprus (established in 434), Georgia (466), Bulgaria (927), Serbia (1219), Russia (1589), Greece (1850), Poland (1924), Romania (1925), Albania (1937), and the former Czechoslovakia (today the Czech Republic and Slovakia; 1951). In 1970 the Patriarchate of Moscow, on its own initiative, granted autocephalous status to most of its parishes in North America under the name of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA); but since the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople claims the exclusive right to grant independence, it and most other Orthodox churches do not recognize the autocephaly of the OCA. The heads of the Russian, Romanian, Serbian, Bulgarian, and Georgian churches are known by the title Patriarch; the heads of the other churches are called Archbishop or Metropolitan.

Several churches, while selfgoverning in most respects, are not fully independent and are therefore termed “autonomous” but not “autocephalous.” The Orthodox Church of Sinai (effectively, the monastery of St. Catherine there) is dependent on the Jerusalem Patriarchate; the Orthodox Church of Finland and the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church are under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and the Estonian Orthodox Church is under the Patriarchate of Moscow.

The Moscow Patriarchate has granted independent status to its

daughter churches in China and Japan, but these actions have not been recognized by Constantinople.

Additionally, there are churches deemed “uncanonical” or illegitimate by Orthodoxy as a whole, such as the Belorussian and Macedonian churches, and the two entities vying with each other and with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (which is loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate) for the allegiance of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine, namely, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kiev Patriarchate. Most Ukrainian Orthodox living outside Ukraine are under the spiritual care of Constantinople, which has never accepted the unilateral forced subordination of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to Moscow in 1686.

A great deal of information about the various Orthodox churches is available at the Website of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, www. cnewa.org, which also provides links to these churches’ official Websites.

The relationship between Western and Eastern Christians since the Great Schism reads like a tragic romance story: attraction and hunger for unity, urges and rivalry, misunderstanding and confusion. In what follows, we’ll examine Eastern Orthodox beliefs and practice, attending especially to the theological and historical issues that contributed to this millenniumold breach.

Father Kocik is a parochial vicar at Santo Christo Parish in Fall River.

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here is an old saying, “If it’s not broken, do not try to fix it.” How true a statement, or is it?

So often in our lives we are afraid to change our old ways. We are afraid to change because we might be challenged, or we might learn something new and become a better person from it.

So often as priests we hear from the people, “It’s always been done this way,” or “So and so did it this way.” It gets old. When we as priests enter into new assignments, whether it be parish or specialized ministry, we normally observe for a time, but then have to make changes as our parishes and ministries grow. Those changes are not always popular, but we need to do what is best for the whole of the community.

The Anchor

December 5, 2008

The challenge to change

As a first-time pastor I out of CCD and could not rely on a very dedicated staff wait to tell his father who that I consider a family, as was waiting to pick him up. well as the parish council One thought about it for a and finance committee to brief moment and simply help me make decisions to said “OK.” The third child help a growing parish. Someresponded with great joy, but times I like to take a risk and find out what works and what a Homily of the Week person remembers as Second Sunday a positive experience of Advent of Church.

In the days leadBy Father ing up to the First Michael Racine Sunday of Advent as I went through CCD classes and saw youngsters added that “she was not sure at Mass, I randomly seif her younger brother would lected a child for each of the go along with her as he was Sunday Masses and asked rather shy.” On that First them if they would assist me Sunday of Advent it was in the lighting of the first indeed a wonderful expericandle on our parish Advent ence for these youngsters, it Wreath. The expressions on was new, it was a change for their faces were priceless. them and the community of One child came running worshippers. It brought great

joy to them to be part of the Advent Sunday Liturgy in a different way.

Advent is that time for change. We all know and experience the hustle of these four weeks before Christmas; there are cards to send out, gifts to purchase, decorations to put up, and the list goes on. But how do we change that hustle and bustle? John the Baptist very clearly tells us in the Gospel on this Second Sunday of Advent. He tells us to prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. He ask us to repent and change our old ways. It sounds more like Lent than Advent. If we want to experience the true meaning of Christmas, however, we need to prepare our hearts and minds spiritu-

ally by fully understanding the joy of this holy season.

The first step is making the change and experiencing the warmth of Christ’s love in the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and reconciliation. The readings of the season are words of hope and promise. Perhaps as we are writing that card, or wrapping that gift, we can put those things aside and take that time for a few moments each day and reflect on a passage of Scripture and allow that peace and hope into our own lives. Maybe that hope and peace will bring a change into your life. May these days of Advent be a time of peace and change in your lives and your loved ones’.

Father Racine is pastor of St. Bernard’s Parish in Assonet.

Upcoming Daily Readings: Sat. Dec. 6, Is 30: 19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-6; Mt 9:35-10:1,5,6-8; Sun. Dec. 7, Second Sunday of Advent, Is 40:1-5,9-11; Ps 85:9-14; 2 Pet 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8; Mon. Dec. 8, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Gen 3:9-15,20; Ps 98:1-4; Eph 1:3-6,11-12; Lk 1:26-38; Tues. Dec. 9, Is 40:1-11; Ps 96:1-3, 10-13; Mt 18:12-14; Wed. Dec. 10, Is 40:25-31; Ps 103:1-4,8,10; Mt 11:28-30; Thu. Dec. 11, Is 41:13-20; Ps 145:1, 9-13; Mt 11:11-15; Fri. Dec. 12, feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 2 Zec 2:14-17 or Rev 11: 19,12:1-6, 10; (Ps) Jdt 13:18-19; Lk 1:26-38 or 1:39-47.

The great places: St. John Lateran — The Church standing erect

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ecause the media drama of the papacy often has St. Peter’s for its stage, many Catholics may not know that the Basilica of St. Peter isn’t the pope’s cathedral. St. Peter’s belongs, in a sense, to the whole Church, and the pope presides there as universal pastor of the Church. The Lateran Basilica — or, to give it its full name, the “Patriarchal Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and of SS. John the Baptist and Evangelist” — is the pope’s cathedral, the site of the cathedra of the Bishop of Rome.

Long styled as “mother struggle with Maxentius.) For and head of all churches in some 900 years, the popes the city and the world,” the lived in the Lateran palace Lateran basilica was built by adjacent to the basilica. There, Constantine as a votum or thanksgiving offering for his victory over Augustus Maxentius, and consecrated by Pope St. Sylvester I in either 318 or 324. (The

By George Weigel foundations of Constantine’s basilica were once the barracks of an elite Roman cavalry unit that the special vocations of St. had backed the wrong horse, Dominic, St. Francis of Asso to speak, in Constantine’s sisi, and their followers were confirmed by Pope Innocent III; the palace now houses the Vicariate of Rome, the local diocesan administration. In the 15th century, the Lateran basilica was home to the first Jubilee “Holy Door,” symbolizing pilgrims passing from sin to grace — a tradition that has continued down to the Great Jubilee of 2000.

The most notable papal tombs in the Lateran basilica are those of Lotario de’Conti di Segni and Gioacchino Pecci, better known to history as Innocent III and Leo XIII. Thirty-seven years old when elected to the papacy in 1198, Lotario was already a noted canonist, theologian, and liturgist; during his papacy, Innocent III was Europe’s most powerful political figure, and a

The Catholic Difference

forceful exponent of the view that papal authority trumped that of kings and emperors.

He died in Perugia a relatively young man, in 1216, on a mission that combined diplomacy with the spiritual renewal of northern Italy. Innocent’s tomb remained in Perugia until 1891 when Leo XIII (who had served as bishop of Perugia) brought it to the Lateran, where the greatest of medieval popes now rests in the arm of the basilica’s transept. Leo XIII is buried opposite, in the transept’s other arm — a papal memorial parallelism that prompts some thought.

When Pecci was elected pope in 1878, the papacy controlled no sovereign territory (the Papal States had been absorbed into the Kingdom of Italy); the pope was the “prisoner of the Vatican;” and many among the worldly wise imagined the Office of Peter a spent force in human affairs. (England’s Cardinal Henry Edward Manning, fearful of Italian interference in the conclave of 1878, proposed holding the papal election in Malta under the protective guns of the Royal Navy.) Yet Leo XIII’s 25-year pontificate saw the papacy begin to as-

sert the kind of influence that would culminate in the pivotal role played by Pope John Paul II in the collapse of European communism and the liberation of central and eastern Europe.

This was the power of moral argument and persuasion, and Leo XIII was its first successful modern papal exponent.

Sovereignty is important for the exercise of the papal office: in order to fulfill his mission as universal pastor of the Church, the pope cannot be subject to any other sovereignty. So the Lateran Treaties of 1929, which created the Vatican City micro-state, were not unimportant. But just as important, and arguably more important, was Leo XIII’s assertion of the moral authority of the keys — the papal mandate to teach and persuade the nations, using the tools of both faith and reason.

In the Lateran, the statue of Innocent III lies recumbent upon his marble catafalque.

The effigy of Leo XIII stands erect, boldly proclaiming the moral truths that make society possible. Leo, architect of the modern papacy, embodied the Church persuasive in life; fittingly, that is how he is sculpted in death.

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

Two-faced

Friday 5 December 2008 — multi-faceted. Not only that, but at home on Three Mile River — we are never the same person Eve of St. Nicholas Day (Kramtwice. We grow. If we do not puslauf in Austria) grow throughout our lives, we ’m reminded of the classic retort of Abraham Lincoln when Reflections of a his political rival accused him of being two-faced.

Parish Priest “If I had two faces, why,

By Father Tim pray tell, would I be Goldrick wearing this one?”

We all have two faces and sometimes more, so to speak. We are complicated must already be dead. It’s our human beings. Like the mythic right to change our minds and god Janus (who actually had hearts. Those who are convinced two faces,) our personalities are of knowing me so thoroughly

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The Anchor

December 5, 2008

The Ship’s Log

they can predict my every thought and action annoy me.

I revel in change. I always have. My mind is constantly mulling over how something can be better done or improved. I’m bored with the “same old, same old.” I’m never satisfied with the status quo. To some, this may appear to be a sign of instability. Maybe it is. I don’t remember ever taking a vow of instability, but I seem to have kept it very well.

On the other hand, I’m also a creature of habit. My life is

Something to chew on

Love Story”: tewardship is one of the “The Trumans’ meals were founding principles of far from elaborate. Bess felt creation, as described in the that due to wartime austerity first two chapters of Genesis, her family should eat the same where God finishes creating food that other Americans put the world and tells Adam and on their table. ‘They look to Eve to take care of it. A stewus,’ Charles Ficklin, a White ard, according to “Webster’s House butler, heard her say.

Dictionary,” is “a person mor‘We have to set a good exally responsible for the careful ample, so stew and beans it is!’ use of money, time, talents, Bess proposed to [President] or other resources, esp. with Harry that he urge housewives respect to the principles or needs of a community or group.”

When I was a kid the concept of stewardship was summarized by the guilt-inducing adage, “Think of the

By Heidi Bratton starving children in China” when I foolishly voiced the desire to conserve food so that starvnot to finish my liver and ing victims throughout the onions. In good humor, I’ll world could be fed. A food admit that this saying is really pledge was prepared, and she too succinct to permanently was the first one to sign it. Her discard from our pile of parvow was featured in newspaenting tricks, but true, Biblical pers throughout the country.” stewardship goes much deeper Here are a few of the points than simply not finishing our from Bess’s “Pledge of the dinner plates.

American Housewife.”

The type of stewardship “I will do my utmost to we need to teach our children conserve all foodstuffs which encompasses the understandthe starving millions of the ing that everything we want world need today so desperto claim as “ours,” is not. ately. I will buy only the food Everything ever created is in my family actually needs for fact God’s, entrusted to our its proper nourishment and care for the good of all. Let health. I will neither waste nor me use an example from 1946 hoard … not discard … any to illustrate. food and will ask my family During the tumultuous era for the fullest cooperation. I after World War II, First Lady will make these little sacrifices Bess Truman wanted to use gladly … for the sake of those her position of influence to who cannot enjoy my Godhelp the nation and the world given right to live … and give recover from the lingering … as an American.” devastation of the Great DeWe can learn a lot from this pression and the fresh wounds First Lady who demonstrated of the recent war. She decided good stewardship by not eatthat she could do this best by ing as extravagantly as she and emphasizing stewardship of her family surely could have food. Here is a vignette from eaten. Whether we are rich or a truly lovely biography titled poor, however, is not the point.

“Bess and Harry, An American

Home Grown Faith

Biblical stewardship does not know economic status.

Whether we are in charge of a sizable or a small quantity of resources, as Adam and Eve’s spiritual heirs, we are morally responsible for the careful use of what we do have. Here are some food stewardship ideas for us to chew on as we begin to live and ingrain in our children the habits of Biblical stewardship.

Instead of grumbling about the high cost of food, we can explain to our children that we are going to concentrate on eating nutritious food instead of soda and chips in order to stay within our food budget.

This makes us smart shoppers and good stewards.

We could also designate one meal a week to be what we call in our house a “simple meal” comprised of only soup and bread or maybe rice and beans. This regularly reminds us that abundance and variety of food is a luxury most people in the world simple do not have. We can let our child pick out an item of food to donate to a local food bank, maybe even directly swapping it for another luxury food item they may have wanted, like a candy bar.

On occasion it is good parenting to set picky eaters straight by invoking images of starving children in China, but it’s even better parenting to empower our children to make a positive difference for the disadvantaged everywhere by practicing Biblical stewardship right at home, every day.

Heidi is an author, photographer, and full-time mother.

She and her husband raise their six children in Falmouth. homegrownfaith@gmail.com.

synchronized by the seasons and not by some man-made calendar. I never set my alarm clock because I don’t need to do so.

I’m genetically programmed to the cycles of nature. I start my day before dawn. I begin to slow down at nightfall. Thank heavens I live in New England, with its notorious weather changes. I could never live nearer the equator, where every day is similar to the day before and will be to the day after. There will be no Florida retirement for me.

I’m now in winter mode. The sun is slow in its rising. Unlike the lingering sunsets of July, in December the sun sets in a hurry. I’m a morning person.

I do my best thinking early in the day. By sunset, I’m not the brightest bulb in the pack.

First thing in the morning, I’m out with the dogs. They, too live by natural cycles.

Greyhounds Cleopatra and Sic Transit are getting on in years.

They seldom become excited about anything anymore (except perhaps guests arriving at my door.) They spend 80 percent of their lives sleeping. Loco the galgo, on the other hand, will, I suspect, be a puppy his entire life. He’s certainly a handful, but I enjoy a good challenge.

He won’t for a moment leave me out of sight. Loco, being a hunting dog, is not accustomed to walking on a leash, as normal greyhounds do from an early age. Loco came from Spain with the name Lolo (short of Pablo) but I changed it to Loco because it better suited his personality. Loco is a crazy dog. He lurches at birds. Moreover, he barks at anything that moves. He is also very powerful. I suspect that before too long, my right arm with which I hold Loco’s leash will be as muscular as Popeye’s — my left arm, not so.

Most parishioners stay put for

the winter season here on Three Mile River. Only a few go south, unlike the “snow birds” on Cape Cod. My parishioners generally decide to brave the New England winter, being the hardy folks that they are.

I, too, must do my best to prepare for the cold winter winds and the Nor’easters that will surely come our way. I live in a beautiful Victorian house, built as a private home more than 118 years ago, though it is now in need of much repair and up-dating. It was built with quality materials, careful thought, and pride of workmanship.

The interior woodwork is very detailed, including a sculptural mahogany-railed staircase, oak floors, customized door arches, and many grand and oversized windows as befits the elegant 12-foot ceilings. It has élan. It’s also an energy nightmare.

Originally, a coal-burning faux-marble fireplace in the library heated the 14 small rooms.

It was replaced with steam and then oil heat long ago. There is no insulation in the house. Beautiful as it is, the place is cold and drafty in winter. I do my best to stay warm. I wear a sweater, keep the one thermostat at 60 degrees, and sweep away the snow that blows in under the doors. The chilliest part of the house is the servant’s wing. I suspect this was purposeful in bygone days. The kitchen is the coldest room. Butter keeps better on the counter than in the refrigerator. I just close the kitchen doors and hope the pipes don’t freeze.

This old house and I are both New England born and bred.

The house speaks to me. It, too, has two faces — one shabby and the other chic. Let the winter winds blow.

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

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By Kenneth J. Souza Anchor Staff

MARION — It was a combination of fate and faith that brought Dorothy Jean DeLorenzo to St. Rita’s Parish in Marion nearly a decade ago.

DeLorenzo, who goes by her middle name Jean, had previously lived for 20 years on Martha’s Vineyard with her husband, Eugene, where the couple spent half that time operating a 15-room inn in Edgartown.

“We decided there were too many inns, and it was time to get out,” DeLorenzo said. “So we sold it and bought a 1752 farmhouse in West Tisbury, which we fixed. We were there for 10 years and then decided it’s time to come back to the mainland.”

On her way back from a jaunt to Acton to visit her kids, DeLorenzo took some extra time before catching the ferry back to the Vineyard to make an unplanned stop in Marion. “I had heard about Marion and I wanted to see it,” she said. “I drove all around and saw St. Rita’s Church. I stopped and parked and tried the front doors but they were locked. I tried the side door near the rectory, and that door was locked, too. I went to the other side where the ramp is and it was open … so I went inside.”

DeLorenzo described the experience as being akin to feeling immediately welcomed and at peace.

“I thought this is where I need to be,” she said. “It just went through me so much, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I went back home and I said to my husband Gene: I know

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December 5, 2008

Making her parish a welcome inn where I want to live. I knew it was Father Paul Lamb, and current pasfate.” tor Father Paul Caron, whom she It didn’t take long for DeLoren- described as a vibrant and active zo to return to Marion and set up an ecclesiastic. “Now that Father Caappointment with a realtor to look at houses. The first and only house she looked at was located just blocks from St. Rita’s Church. It’s the one she moved into with her husband in April 1999 and where they’ve lived ever since.

As a new parishioner under then-pastor Father William Campbell, DeLorenzo immediately began bringing her former innkeeper skills to the church, starting with sewing and making such things as the priest’s vestments, a cloth for the altar, and even a cover for the monstrance to be used during the adoration of the holy Eucharist. She also became a makeshift sexton for the church, helping to decorate and clean the altar and keep track of inventory and ANCHOR PERSON OF THE WEEK — church literature. thy Jean DeLorenzo.

“I just started doing different things because I like doing ron is the pastor, it’s a whole new them,” DeLorenzo said. “I was the ball game,” she said. “He is great oldest girl in a family of seven kids: and everybody thinks the world of there were four boys and three girls. him. He’s just great to work with Being the oldest girl, I was just like and I don’t mind doing anything for a second mother to all my brothers him or the church.” and sisters, so I was used to doing “St. Rita’s Parish is very active this type of thing. I like sewing and right now,” DeLorenzo added. “As I like decorating and I like working some of the kids would say, it’s at it.” jumping. Father Caron has done so Over the past 10 years DeLo- much. He’s always coming up with renzo has served under three pas- fresh ideas. There are so many intors including Father Campbell, novative things he’s done. All the

lectors just received their workbooks and they’re pretty thick!”

DeLorenzo also volunteers as a lector during weekend Masses and serves as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion — one of two who take Communion to the sick and infirmed at the Sippican Healthcare Center in Marion.

“We have 78 Catholics to take Communion to on a Sunday morning and only two people do it,” DeLorenzo said. “There are so many of them that really don’t know what’s going on, yet they still would like to receive Communion. When you come out of there, you’ve done your job. We go in there right after the 8:30 Mass and it’s usually 11:00 or 11:30 by the time we’re finished giving everyone Communion.”

DeLorenzo described her experiences at Sippican Healthcare as among her Doro- most fulfilling, knowing that she’s often the only regular visitor many of these patients receive.

“Some of them I’ve visited everyday for three years,” she said.

“One is a deacon from Dartmouth.

He’s 82 and blind and he’s a sweetheart. When I go in he just takes my hand and grabs it to know I’m there. I said: ‘One day I’m going to beat you and I’m going to grab onto your hands first.’ He keeps telling me how much he enjoys my visits and he just hangs onto me. I feel there’s something between us and I

try to pass it on and make him feel comfortable.”

Then there’s a young woman who had surgery and stomach problems and DeLorenzo brings her Communion twice a week. “She’s quite young, very cheery and asks me to bring her any literature or church bulletins,” she said. “So I’ve been picking things up for her.”

On occasion, she will even bring some homemade baked goods to those she ministers to as an added source of comfort. “I bring them breads just because they don’t have anyone making things for them,” she said. “I like doing that, too.

Some will ask: ‘Do you have your lemon bread with you today?’”

Conceding that she rarely has a free morning to herself, DeLorenzo admits she gets great joy from doing it and she wouldn’t change a thing. “It’s just a wonderful feeling to be able to bring (Christ) to them,” she said. “I just think it’s the best thing I could ever do. It’s the healing that I can provide, because I’m not a doctor and I can’t heal them in any other way. But I think there is a healing there, because you do bring some joy to them.”

After years of caring for first her brothers and sisters and then for countless guests at her inn on Martha’s Vineyard, DeLorenzo continues her role as a caregiver for the parish community she now calls home.

“I feel very much at home at St. Rita’s and I think a lot of people feel the same way,” DeLorenzo said. “I felt like when I first got to that door and it wasn’t locked, it was meant for me to get in there. I always felt this is where I need to be.”

Shrine lights display brightens way to Christmas day continued from page one

and old.

Bordering the pond are Christmas trees dedicated to those who have died. Yearly, their families return to decorate them.

On weekends, Missionary of La Salette Brother Bob Russell narrates an approximately 18-minute tour of the grounds by trolley, a must for those who have trouble walking, and which also offers a view and facts that wouldn’t be gotten otherwise.

It gives a composite look at the effort by approximately 6,000 teen-agers, who, since August, have been involved at service projects at the Shrine.

Their efforts help offset the annual more than $26,000 electric bill for lighting the Christmas displays for approximately 39 days.

Daily Masses and the opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation are daily events during Advent at the Shrine, as well as concerts and other events.

“This year on weekends we also have a musical carousel for children as well as new displays for children,” Father Patenaude reported. “And we are featuring a grand display of a collection of more than 400 International Nativity Scenes in what was our old gift shop.”

More than 30 groups are scheduled to give concerts and performances in the new Wel-

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come Center, he added. “We have ethnic groups performing that represent Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian faith communities.”

One of the presentations, on December 8, at 7 p.m. will be a concert by the Daughters of St. Paul Choir, comprised of religious Sisters and singers from across the nation.

Father Pat himself performs two concerts daily with his guitar at 3 and 7 p.m., except Mondays during Advent. Those attending will be able to hear excerpts from his newly available DVD and CD recordings “Tears of Love” which center on the Blessed Mother.

Lighting up the property of the Shrine is not new to the residents of Attleboro.

When Dr. James Solomon dedicated his stately 200-room cancer sanatorium on the site in 1894 he reportedly used 1,800 lights and searchlights in the celebration.

The property was purchased by the Missionaries of La Salette in 1942 and used as a residence and seminary. The Shrine itself was erected and dedicated on Dec. 8, 1953, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The massive stone residence was destroyed in a tragic fire on Nov. 5, 1999. A new modern church and Shrine were dedicated Sept. 19, 2000.

SIGNS OF THE SEASON — The warm glow of thousands of lights seems to take away the cold bite of a winter’s night from the many pilgrims who visit the annual Festival of Lights at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro. (Anchor file photo)

In 2003, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved its designation as the

National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette.

And light is most familiar to the Missionaries of La Salette, who were founded in her honor in France in 1852.

Two statues in the Shrine depict Our Lady as described by the two children she appeared to in 1846 as they herded cattle high up on a pasture above La Turn to page 20

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Marana tha!

very Christian discourse on the last things, called eschatology, always starts from the event of the Resurrection: In this event the last things have already begun, and in a certain sense, are already present.”

Thus the Holy Father begins his catechesis on the last things, the eschaton, the end of the world, according to St. Paul. He tells us that it is impossible to speak of the end times without reference to the divine act that set the process in irreversible motion: the rising of Jesus Christ from the dead. He goes even further: the eschaton, Pope Benedict says, the completion and transformation of God’s creation, is actually already present in the Resurrection. How? Because as believers, baptized into the whole Christ, life, death and resurrection, we already are with and in the Lord. Our future, eternal life, has already begun. It

Living the Pauline Year

By Father Andrew Johnson, OCSO only awaits consummation.

First Thessalonians, in all likelihood Paul’s earliest surviving letter, examines the questions of his followers who were anxious about the Lord’s return: how would it happen? What about those who have already died?

What of those who are alive when he comes again in glory? Paul’s message is plain: let no one deceive you with false predictions.

Be calm and work quietly. Waiting for the Lord to come again, as every one does, does not remove us from our daily duties. “In other words, our awaiting the return of Jesus does not dispense with the work of this world, but on the contrary, brings responsibilities before the divine Judge regarding our way of acting in this world.”

Second Thessalonians takes a darker turn, looking at the negative events that must precede the end: false predictions, apostasy from the true faith, and the revelation of the “son of perdition,” the Antichrist. Even in that letter, the emphasis is not on dates and times and places, but on the work that is to be done as we wait for the Lord’s return. Here and in Philippians, Paul wants Christians to attain a healthy balance between waiting and working, which expresses itself in a willingness to live and toil, or to die and be at rest, all according to what God asks of us for the good of his kingdom and its upbuilding. We need to align our wills with his and then take it as it comes. Such an attitude toward life and faith has its own built-in reality check. No one who reads St. Paul seriously will ever go into a cave and wait for a date

with the parousia.

Well, the Holy Father says, let’s get practical: “What are the fundamental attitudes of a Christian toward the last things — death and the end of the world?”

First, a resting in the strength of Christ. He has already conquered death in his Resurrection, and that victory is irreversible.

So, no fear.

Second, this very Jesus, victor over death and hell, is with us until the consummation of the world. “The Christian knows that the light of Christ is stronger [than all else] and because of this, lives in a hope that is not vague, in a hope that gives certainty and courage to face the future.”

Third, while we live and wait for his return, we have a way of living that has been divinely given by the Christ himself, the judge and savior who is to come.

St. Paul might say, “Don’t just stand there; build up the Body of Christ.”

The certainty that Jesus will return does not allow us to just sit and wait for him; a true understanding of eschatology actually compels us to an energetic, virtuous life. The sufferings that attend such a life in this world gain their meaning in the future glory that always call us forward in faith and, yes, in joy.

Finally, the pope says, the early Christians prayed a very short prayer in Syriac which has come down to us in the conclusion to First Corinthians: “Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!” With his usual honesty, the Holy Father asks, are we really ready for the Day of Judgment and the end of the world? Can we really make that prayer our own? Perhaps not quite; who really wants the world to end? But we surely want the unjust world to end, do we not?

So we can indeed pray that prayer, as Benedict says: “Without the presence of Christ, a just and renewed world will never really arrive. And though in another way, totally and deeply, we too can and should say, with great urgency and in the circumstances of our time, Come, Lord. Come to your world, in the way that you know. Come where there is injustice and violence. Come to the refugee camps, in Darfur and in North Kivu, in so many places in the world. Come where drugs dominate. Come, too, among those rich people who have forgotten you and who live only for themselves. Come where you are not known. Come to your world and renew the world of today.

Come also to our hearts. Come and renew our lives. Come to our hearts so that we ourselves can be light of God, your presence.” Marana tha!

Father Johnson is diocesan director of the Pauline Year and parochial vicar at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Hyannis.

December 5, 2008

Federal appeals court rules abuse case against Vatican can go forward

B y Chaz Muth C atholic N ews Service

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled that a lawsuit can move forward against the Vatican involving three men who claimed to have been sexually abused when they were children by priests in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky. However, the lead counsel to the Vatican in this case said the ruling handed down by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also presents significant challenges for the attorneys representing the three men in proving the Vatican is liable for damages.

Louisville attorney William F. McMurry has brought what is believed to be the first clergy sexual abuse suit that names the Vatican as the sole defendant.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, claiming a 1962 directive from the Vatican instructed Church officials in Louisville to remain silent about sex abuse complaints against clergy in the archdiocese. The document became public in 2003 and the lawsuit asserts that it makes the Vatican responsible for crimes committed by clergy whose misdeeds were covered up because of the instruction.

McMurry was not available to comment to Catholic News Service, but told The Associated Press that this ruling was a significant step forward in his case. “We’re finally going to get to the root of the problem.”

McMurry also represented 243 sex abuse victims who reached a settlement with the Louisville Archdiocese for $25.3 million in 2003.

Jeffrey S. Lena, the Berkeley, Calif., attorney representing the Holy See in this case, said the ruling also was in many respects a good decision for the Vatican.

“The plaintiffs can say they have prevailed, because they have survived to litigate another day,” Lena told CNS. “But the basis for their jurisdictional claims is significantly narrowed and they lost all of their constitutional challenges that were on appeal.”

The appeals court upheld a 2007 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge John G. Heyburn II that allows the three men to pursue a claim that Church officials should have issued warnings that members of the clergy had been accused of

sexual abuse.

But the court dismissed the portion of the lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act, which grants immunity to foreign nations from nearly all civil lawsuits. The lawsuit claimed the Holy See was a religious institution that was separate from the Vatican City State, which is recognized by the U.S. as a country. The ruling holds that the Vatican is a country and not a separate religious institution.

“Because, what they claimed happened in Kentucky, now the plaintiff has to find a way to place the Holy See in the U.S.,” Lena said.

The argument may be made that U.S. bishops who should have sounded the alarm about sexual abuse allegations are employees of the Vatican, but the defense could maintain they are employees of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

When he rendered his 2007 ruling, Heyburn acknowledged that whether the Holy See qualifies as an employer of

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.

“Australia” (Fox) Sprawling, generally entertaining three-hour epic set just before and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor as a starchy English widow (Nicole Kidman) takes over her late husband’s cattle station down under, and falls in love with a rough-hewn drover (Hugh Jackman) whom

U.S. clergy for the purposes of the case had not yet been fully tested.

“In the ruling the court adopted the ruling of the Supreme Court of Kentucky, that says sexual abuse is outside of the scope of the employment of the priest,” Lena said. “Now that becomes the law of the case. When a priest is committing sexual abuse, it’s outside of the scope of employment.

That makes it difficult to move the case forward. The basis of the case is narrowed.”

Cecilia Price, spokeswoman for the Louisville Archdiocese, told CNS the archdiocese had nothing more to add to what Lena had already said about the ruling.

McMurry told AP he suspected this case could end up being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, but Lena told CNS it was premature for him to make such a prediction.

Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi told CNS in Rome that he did not expect Vatican officials to have any comment on the ruling. she hires to help drive cattle to sale ahead of a rival magnate’s (Bryan Brown) villainous henchman (David Wenham). Despite some fanciful plot contrivances, director Baz Luhrmann’s lavish homage to classic epics and Westerns brings back old-style Hollywood romance, courtesy of its magnetic leads, and carries an admirable message about racial tolerance. Moderate action violence, a mostly implied nonmarital relationship including a very brief sexual encounter without nudity, mild innuendo, one use of the F-word and some Aboriginal mysticism; acceptable for older teens. 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.

Diocese of Fall River TV Mass on WLNE Channel 6 Sunday, December 7 at 11:00 a.m.

Scheduled celebrant is Father Richard M. Roy, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Attleboro

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December 5, 2008

news briefs

Bishop: Discovery of Copernicus’ remains highlights his contributions WARSAW, Poland (CNS) — The bishop who supervised a successful search for the remains of Nicolaus Copernicus, a priest and the father of modern astronomy, said the discovery can represent the reconciliation of disputes between science and religion. “The conflict between interpretations of holy Scripture and empirical observations about the world resulted from a great misunderstanding which we’ve gradually moved away from,” Auxiliary Bishop Jacek Jezierski of Warmia told Catholic News Service December 1. “Since Copernicus was a key figure in this process, we wanted to honor him by finding his bones and reinterring him in a fitting way, something previous generations couldn’t do despite 200 years of searching.”

Copernicus’ remains, discovered at Frombork’s 14th-century cathedral in 2005, were identified positively in November with forensic and DNA testing in Poland and Sweden.

Vatican calls for greater vigilance over world’s financial operations VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican said the current market crisis calls for a new international agreement to effectively monitor global financial operations and give poorer countries a greater voice in economic policies. In particular, steps are needed to curb the abuses of offshore financial institutions, which many see as one of the causes of the financial meltdown, said a statement drafted by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace It is important that solutions do not favor rich countries at the continuing expense of poorer countries, the Vatican said. “There is a need to avoid triggering a chain of mutual protectionism. Instead, cooperation should be strengthened regarding transparency and vigilance over the financial system,” the statement said. Reported by Vatican Radio, the statement came in preparation for the U.N.sponsored International Conference on Financing for Development in Doha, Qatar. The conference was attended by representatives of developed and developing countries, was expected to propose steps to respond to the current crisis.

RETIREMENT APPEAL IS DECEMBER 13-14 — Please remember that the annual Religious Retirement Appeal will take place at Masses across the diocese on December 13 and 14. Last year the Fall River Diocese contributed $146,477.72 to this important appeal. Pictured are retired Sisters Marie Adelaide Teixeira, SSD; and Alice Desrosiers, SUSC, both residents of Marian Manor in Taunton.

A

Answering the question, ‘Why?’

recent study in Britsimplistic, noting that a search Galilee with a host of illiterain concluded that for meaning doesn’t necessarate brethren, he waited by the children have a predisposiily translate into a personal well for a cherished sister who tion to find meaning in the creator who is looking for a had made a string of disasuniverse. The data emerging relationship. Fair enough. trous choices. He struggled up from Oxford University’s We must realize that faith Calvary, harassed and bloody, Centre for Anthropology and will ever be faith. While the only to look down with love Mind led researchers to posit human heart longs for someon the ravenous faces encirthat youngsters, even by the thing beyond itself, while the cled below. age of four, recognized and stars in their trajectories shout Is the human brain harddrew fundamental conclusions with veiled import, and while wired to receive the Gospel? about who created the Some at Oxford would natural order found in claim so, but most atthe world. That is good tentive mothers already news indeed for parknew this. Answering ents, especially those each question with love browbeaten by schools allows us to properly to educate their chilframe the universe and

By Genevieve Kineke dren in “facts, ma’am, encourage others to just the facts.” reach out to the exMost of the acatended hand of God. demic world has settled on a each believer wants a scientif- We welcome this study with a strictly materialistic view of ic scheme to prove his detracknowing nod, for motherhood the universe, clinging to quan- tors wrong once and for all, no grounded in father-love allows tifiable evidence while shying such proof will ever be found. revelation to burrow in the away from establishing any Scripture tells us that “Faith is breast of every child, and each moral frameworks that might the substance of things hoped one, disposed to ask, “why” is inhibit the “self-actualization” for, the evidence of things not poised to accept the ever-presof their charges, no matter seen” (Hebrews 11:1), which ent mysteries as invitations to how reckless. Parents often means God will only come so reach higher. make peace with this premise, far to meet us.

Mrs. Kineke is the author which prioritizes absorbing So how far did he come? He of “The Authentic Catholic information unhinged from the left the heavens to nestle in the Woman” (Servant Books). nagging constraints of ethics, womb of the virgin of NazaShe can be found online at and safety of the body while reth, he walked the shores of www.feminine-genius.com. neglecting to form the soul.

If these zealous parents who only want success for their offspring could return to those formative years when they were pelted with the ubiquitous, “why’s,” they might rethink their dismissiveness about the most mundane questions. Why do flowers die?

Why does the dog dig holes?

Why did my ball disappear down the grate? Why won’t sister leave me alone? To compile these curiosities is to create a worldview in which order makes every effort amidst the disorder of fallen human nature, where chaos rubs shoulders with neat categories, and entropy threatens it all.

The Oxford study suggests that even infants intuit that P.O. Box 22, 39 North Moodus Rd. Moodus, CT 06469 . 860-873-1581 the world is arranged to reveal Website: www.myfathershouse.com Email: sbsheldon@sbcglobal.net significance amidst the mad* 1ST SUNDAY Catholic 12-STEP Healing Program with FR. BILL & ness, and it is here that women (after the 1:30 Mass) TEAM from My Father’s House. Each Meeting will can take heart. If these babies 3:00-4:30 PM include teaching, sharing & prayers for healing -

open to everyone (not just AA). look for meaning, building one * EVERY WEEKLY HOLY SPIRIT BREAKFAST - Join us as truth upon another, then childTHURSDAY we give honor, praise, and glory to the Holy Spirit, hood provides a tremendous 10:00 AM followed by Holy Mass at 11:30. Come taste & see

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speakers each week. Currently offering BIBLE values on a ready and willing

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The debate that ensued after * SATURDAY CHRISTMAS PAGEANT using Scripture, song publishing the findings of this Dec. 20 7:00 PM and poetry with RIA Music Ministry. study were predictable. Those * WEDNESDAY Join with us NEW YEAR’S EVE as we unite in Dec. 31. 7:30 PM Prayer, Praise & Eucharist for the coming who believed in God delighted

year with the RIA Music Ministry. Mass at 11:00 PM in the results, remarking that

and Midnight Sign of Peace with Pot Luck Dinner. the predilection to find meanCheck out our website at www.myfathershouse.com ing was God’s own handiwork for upcoming Parish Missions manifest in the very cradle.

Call us to have your family reunion here.

Those who rejected God Lodging & meals available. denigrated the findings as too

The Feminine Genius

My Father’s House

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December 5, 2008

Vatican confirms tentative plans for papal visit to Holy Land in 2009

By John Thavis Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has confirmed tentative plans for Pope Benedict XVI to visit the Holy Land in 2009.

Israeli sources said the most likely time for the visit would be in May, with stops in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The pope was invited to visit Israel by Israeli President Shimon Peres in 2007.

At that time, the pope made it clear he hoped to make the trip, but Vatican diplomats said the timing would depend in large part on efforts to calm the simmering Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In recent months, Israeli and Vatican officials began making more concrete plans for a papal visit. The contacts were first reported by the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz and were confirmed by the Israeli Embassy to the Holy See. Ha’aretz said the most likely time frame for the trip was the second week in May. It said the papal nuncio to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Archbishop Antonio Franco, told Peres in early November that the pope had decided to visit the country.

The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, confirmed that “diplomatic contacts are under way to study

the possibility of a papal trip to the Holy Land during the course of next year.” He gave no dates or details.

Father Lombardi declined to speculate on whether the papal visit would include a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. The Vatican has urged officials at the memorial to remove from a permanent display a photo caption stating that Pope Pius XII did nothing to condemn the Nazis and their slaughter of the Jews.

Church officials have called the caption offensive and have defended Pope Pius for working quietly during World War II to help save thousands of people, including many Jews. In October, Father Lombardi reiterated the Vatican’s objections to the Yad Vashem display, but said it was not a decisive obstacle to a papal visit.

Pope Benedict has one other scheduled foreign trip on his calendar for 2009, a visit to Cameroon and Angola in March.

Pope Paul VI was the first modern pontiff to visit the Holy Land, making a pilgrimage there in 1964. In 2000 Pope John Paul II made a Holy Year visit to the Holy Land, one of a series of biblical pilgrimages he undertook in his later years as pope.

HOLY EVENT — Nuns attend a recent Mass in Nagasaki, Japan, for the beatification of 188 Japanese martyrs killed between 1603 and 1639. Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, celebrated the Mass. (CNS photo/Kyodo via Reuters)

Japanese martyrs beatified at Mass in Nagasaki

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Christian martyrdom is the fullest expression of human freedom and reflects the supreme act of love, said a top Vatican official at a Mass beatifying 188 Japanese martyrs.

“It is not the punishment or the torture that creates a martyr,” but rather the fact the person suffered and died for Christ, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, former prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Saints’ Causes, said during the beatification Mass in Nagasaki, Japan, November 24.

The 188 17th-century Japanese martyrs were tortured and killed in different cities between 1603 and 1639 after the Japanese government outlawed Christianity.

According to Vatican Radio, more than 30,000 people attended the ceremony in the city’s baseball stadium in the pouring rain to celebrate the beatification of Jesuit Father Peter Kibe Kasui and 187 companions.

After his Angelus address to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI said the martyrs’ beatification marked a significant event for the Catholic Church and all of Japan.

The pope asked people to “rejoice” and pray the beatified martyrs’ “victory in Christ over sin and death fill us all with hope and courage.”

During the Mass, which was concelebrated by 10 cardinals and bishops, Cardinal Saraiva Martins said martyrs of every age, place and time have all displayed the same dedicated faith in Jesus Christ.

Christian martyrdom “is the fullest exercise of human liberty and the supreme act of love,” he said, according to Vatican Radio.

Dying for one’s faith in Christ is “an act of love toward God and humanity, including the persecutors,” the cardinal said.

The newly beatified, all but five of whom are lay men, women, and children, had been decapitated, crucified, burned at the stake or scalded to death in boiling water. The beatified group included entire families who refused to renounce their beliefs.

By beatifying these men and women the Church is underlining the importance of persevering in the belief that only God can save humankind, said Archbishop Joseph Takami of Nagasaki.

The Japanese martyrs also highlight the value of religious freedom and the necessity of facing persecution with nonviolence if there is to be peace, he said in an interview with Fides, the Rome-based missionary news agency.

In an interview with Vatican Radio, Cardinal Saraiva Martins said because only five of the 188 newly beatified are missionary priests and the other 183 are laypeople, the Church is sending a strong message to today’s young people and laity to strive to live a life of holiness.

Bishop Francis Xavier Osamu Mizobe of Takamatsu, president of the Japanese bishops’ commission that prepared the beatifications, told Vatican Radio there are another 5,000 people who could have been recognized as martyrs.

He said nearly 20,000 people lost their lives in Japan because of anti-Christian persecution.

The Asian church news agency UCA News reported that today, less than one percent of almost 130 million Japanese are Christians, and only about 450,000 are Catholics. Buddhism and Shintoism are the main religions in the country.

Premier Taro Aso is reportedly the first Catholic to become prime minister. However, he rarely refers to his religion in public and did not attend the ceremony, UCA News reported.

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Our readers respond

We are all responsible It is both amazing and appalling to me that the articles in the November 21 Anchor: “Bishops will present concerns on abortion, other issues to politicians,” “The two Americas,” “Cardinal George prays for new president and warns about FOCA,” “Bishops instruct task forces to develop priorities up to 2011” — all appear after the election, or in other words, after the horses were out of the barn. Where were these bishops before the election mandating that pastors speak out concerning abortion and other life issues particularly concerning FOCA and Obama’s promise to sign it as a first order of business — a promise made to all pro-abortion groups especially to Planned Parenthood, NOW, and NARAL? Those of us in the Pro-Life movement were begging that the Catholics in the pews be informed and yet our pastors felt that the little information regarding the formation of conscience (through whose loopholes a truck could have been driven) was sufficient and so many Catholics voted as if their most important concerns were the economy, the war, immigration and specifically social justice issues like Guantanamo when the greatest social injustice — abortion — continues. How could they be so blind, or was it that they did not want to see?

As one bishop stated at their conference (and I paraphrase), “It is too little, too late.” Another, “We are promoting social justice with blood on our hands.” My comment, “We are all responsible.”

Doris Toohill Orleans The most powerful means Your headlines of November 14 raised the question “Defending Life: What Now?” The following article discussed new strategies to deal with the new wave of proabortion advocates expected from the recent election. One recommendation quoted indicated that “... prayer and fasting may be the average person’s only real recourse.”

Coincidently, the Gospel for the Mass of Saturday November 15 contained the parable of the judge who finally gives in to the persistent pleadings of the widow and renders a just decision for her; then Our Lord says: “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? ... he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.”

It is suggested that we thus have the most powerful means for defending life: Prayer directly to God. Jesus the Son of God is present during every Mass between consecration and Communion under the appearance of bread and wine. Why can’t we pray directly to him while he is on the altar for example, right after the “Our Father”: “Jesus, here present, through you to God the Father and the Holy Spirit, we pray to

you to end voluntary abortion!” If such a prayer or something similar is said aloud at every Mass in every Catholic church, will not God respond and see to it that justice is done speedily?

Perhaps implementation of such a prayer will require action by the bishop or a bishops’ conference or even the Vatican. Is it not serious enough that millions of helpless souls have already been aborted and many more will die in the future? Doesn’t it justify a specific prayer seeking the end of abortion as part of every Mass?

Raymond V. Picard Fall River The Republicans got fired I take exception to George Weigel’s comments in the November 21 issue on the election of Barak Obama. They were typical of a right wing neo-con Republican who believes that Catholics that don’t vote his party are “immoral” or “stupid.”

Let me tell you, George, the Democrats didn’t win, the Republicans got fired. Starting and conducting an immoral war on false pretenses, mismanaging the economy and incompetence at the top were all legitimate reasons for the firing.

In contrast, Cardinal Francis George’s statement to the president-elect on the Catholic Church’s Pro-Life position was clear and thoughtful and we can hope and pray that President Obama will take the statement to heart.

Ed Burke Pocasset Where are the informed Catholics?

Millions of so called “Catholics” voted for president-elect Barack Obama, the most radically pro-

abortion candidate ever. What went wrong? The answer is that many Catholics had little knowledge of the implications of the abortion issue.

If Catholicism promotes the sanctity of life, why has there been little effort from many Catholic priests to educate their parishioners on this issue?

In my parish alone is complete neglect in even mentioning a prayer for the unborn during our prayers for the faithful.

How will Catholics know of the severity of abortion if it is not even spoken of in our churches? True education is imbued knowledge.

If knowledge of the heinousness of abortion does not permeate the human spirit, then all is lost in assuming a realization of the sanctity of life. Those who have that knowledge plead for the hope of a greater effort within the Church to educate all on this issue.

Certainly, Catholics are able to obtain information on the ills of abortion from many sources, but truly, it is the verbal support from those we trust who purpose to value the sanctity of life that we look to. If it is not forthcoming, many become weakened in their resolve.

If our hope is to change a law, which has destroyed 52 million human beings, we must find a way to change people’s hearts. Catholic hearts and minds should have an indepth knowledge of life’s sacredness and their Church must be a viable source in expressing its truth. It is then when Catholics of America will choose a candidate who will in turn help us all to “Choose Life.”

I have adopted three wonderful children, thus the reason for my great interest in this cause.

Terry Herman Mashpee

Dec. 5-7, 2008 Dec. 9 & 17, 2008 Dec. 10, 2008 Dec. 11, 2008 Dec. 18, 2008 Dec. 31 - Jan. 1, 2009 Jan. 16 - 18, 2009 Jan. 23 - 25, 2009

~ Advent Retreat ~ Prayer Shawl ~ Clear the Inner Clutter ~ Grief Ed. ~ Sep. / Div. ~ New Year’s Eve Retreat ~ Yoga Retreat ~ Women’s Retreat

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS DIOCESE OF WORCESTER, MA

The Diocese of Worcester seeks an energetic and inspiring Superintendent of Schools to provide vision and leadership to its 28 Catholic elementary and secondary schools and to achieve a new level of excellence. Candidates should have the following attributes: · A fully participating and practicing Catholic, with a vision of how to deliver effective Catholic education within diverse communities · Strong organizational, managerial and interpersonal abilities that inspire confidence among parents, teachers and administrators · Experience in the development of curriculum, Catholic religious education, and staff formation · Experience with budgeting and resource development · Excellent writing, speaking, and instructional skills · A minimum of five years experience in a senior educational leadership position and a Master’s Degree

A complete position description and application details may be found at www.worcesterdiocese.org

PILGRIMAGE TO

“GUADALUPE, MEXICO”

Spiritual Director: Fr. Joseph P. McDermott, Pastor Immaculate Conception Church 122 Canton Street, Stoughton, MA 02072

PROPOSED ITINERARY: Date: February 6-12, 2009 (7 days, 6 nights) Amount: $1,799.00 per person, Double Occupancy ($420.00 - Single Supplement)

INCLUSIVE FEATURES: - Round trip air on Continental Airlines - Round trip transfers to hotel - Baggage handling - 6 Nights accommodations @ Hotel Melia (5 Star) - Hotel tax & the service charges - 6 Breakfasts / 4 Lunches / 6 Dinners - All sightseeing per itinerary by private bus with the service of English Speaking Guide - Daily Mass attendance if possible

- Guadalupe Shrine - Pyramids & Museum - City of Puebla - Our Lady of Octolan Shrine - St. Juan Diego’s Home - Floating Gardens - San Miguel de Milagro - City Tour of Mexico; Cathedral - Folklore Shows (2) - Mariachi Dinner Show

For further information you may contact Margaret Oliverio @ 781-762-2029 or 781-344-2073

16

Youth Pages

December 5, 2008

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

ON RETREAT — Recently, the confirmation candidates at Annunciation of the Lord Parish in Taunton enjoyed a day-long retreat. One of the highlights of the day was a discussion of vocations. The girls were visited by two Franciscan Sisters Minor and the boys spent time with Father Kevin Cook, assistant director of Vocations. Both groups enjoyed their visits and discussions very much.

LIKE DAYS OF OLD — Students at St. Mary’s School New Bedford, grades K through three presented a commemorative Thanksgiving Prayer Service for family and friends in conjunction with the school’s student talent show. Dressed in period costume the students surrounded the Thanksgiving feast to give thanks to God.

LENDING A HELPING PAW — Three students at St. John the Evangelist School in Attleboro took up a collection from the student body to help aid in the recovery of Buddy, an abused dog who suffered a broken leg at the hands of its owner. The students raised more than $500 for the cause. Shown are Lainey Erwin and Michael Wheeler. Missing from the photo is Caitlyn Muehlberger.

MAKING SOMEONE’S DAY — Kindergarten students from St. Joseph School in Fairhaven collected food items to help a local family celebrate a happy Thanksgiving. From left, Brandon, Emma-Lee, and Francesca prepared the basket for delivery.

HELPING THE HUNGRY — The Holy Trinity School in West Harwich is busy at work again this year.

The fifth-grade class went to the Family Food Pantry in Harwich to package meals for the local needy families in the area. The students collected the food items after holding the drive for the past month.

The Holy Trinity School is one of the largest contributors to the Food Pantry. The director expects this year to serve the largest amount of families in many years.

PLEASE PASS THE SYRUP — Sixth-graders from St. Pius X School, South Yarmouth, enjoy a recent Pancake Breakfast to benefit the grade eight class.

Youth Pages

December 5, 2008

H

Intentionality

ow often do we find ourselves in trouble because we just didn’t think?

We may speak without thinking and hurt someone’s feelings, or reveal something we shouldn’t have, or join in some gossip. We may act without thinking and hurt ourselves or others, make mistakes, or find ourselves overcome with regret. Unfortunately, we may even pray without thinking, just going through the motions of worship or giving lip service to the words of prayer, but not opening our heart to the transforming presence of God. We need to be more intentional, speaking and acting in a way that implies

Be Not Afraid

By Jean Revil a conscious awareness of our purpose.

Intentionality is really what I want to focus on in this article. Here we are, in the early stages of Advent, and I’m wondering how many of us have given this season any serious thought.

We think about Christmas, and gifts, and cards, and carols, but Christmas isn’t here yet. We are in the season of Advent, the season of waiting, and preparing, and reflecting. We need to celebrate each season in its time.

The world would have us rush forward but the Church calls us to stop and wait; to look within ourselves rather than in the stores, to prepare our hearts for Christ, to prepare our lives for his coming.

I urge you to be intentional about this Advent. Use an Advent wreath as a family, waiting and watching, candle by candle, week by week.

Find an Advent prayer book that will help you to spiritually prepare. Along with my Advent wreath, I also use a bird’s nest as a reminder that I need to prepare a place in my heart that is warm and welcoming, much like the birds build their nests to welcome and safeguard their eggs. I don’t want to lose the season of Advent in the rush of the world. I want to

prayerfully prepare, a little every day.

I read in the news that there is an ad campaign on the buses of Washington, D.C., sponsored by an atheist group that will run through the end of December. The ad has a person dressed in a Santa suit with the caption: “Who needs god? Just be good for goodness sake.” I don’t get it.

Why on earth would you celebrate Christmas if you don’t believe that Christ is the Son of God? Take Christ out of Christmas and all you have left is December 25th … just another day in the calendar. Why would people diminish such a holy event to irreverent nonsense?

Why would Christians allow it?

We need to pay attention. If we are not focused on our spiritual life we will not grow in our relationship with God as he intends.

The Church, in her wisdom, gives us the Advent season to re-focus and prioritize the pieces of our lives and the pieces of the Christmas celebrations. Let us be intentional about our celebrations this year. Who needs God? I do …We do. May all of our preparations and celebrations bring glory to him.

Jean Revil teaches spiritual theology and thanatology at Bishop Stang High School. Comments welcome at: jrevil@bishopstang.com.

READY TO GIVE THANKS — St. Mary-Sacred Heart School in North Attleboro celebrated its annual Thanksgiving feast and prayer service. At the prayer service Father David Costa quoted Meister Eckhart, who once said, “If the only prayer you ever say is ‘Thank you,’ it will be enough.”

Grades one through four sang songs and performed skits about the first Thanksgiving and then celebrated with a feast of corn, pumpkin banana breads, and fruit salad. Before the feast, as is tradition, the students placed a single kernel into a basket and said a prayer as Principal Denise M. Peixoto collected the kernels.

From left, Julie Rasicot, Natalie Kaiser, and Italia Finucane enjoy the day in their Native American headdresses.

Our Lady’s Monthly Message From Medjugorje November 25, 2008

Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina “Dear children! Also today I call you, in this time of grace, to pray for little Jesus to be born in your heart. May He, who is peace itself, give peace to the entire world through you.

Therefore, little children, pray without ceasing for this turbulent world without hope, so that you may become witnesses of peace for all. May hope begin to flow through your hearts as a river of grace.

“Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Spiritual Life Center of Marian Community One Marian Way Medway, MA 02053 • Tel. 508-533-5377

17

18

The Anchor

Post-Election Day anti-religious bigotry spikes continued from page one

real story here is the refusal of the mainstream media to cover what is surely one of the most disturbing events of 2008. If an organized group of gay bashers stormed a gay church, there is not a single sentient person in the United States who wouldn’t know about it.

“This is urban fascism come to America’s heartland,” he said. “It must be quickly stopped before it gets out of control.”

News of these events is apparently being filtered by the media and coming mainly from conservative news agencies. WorldNetDaily.com has posted on its Website a fourminute video that shows disturbing mob violence November 14 in San Francisco.

On the video, a militant prohomosexual crowd yells profanities and swarms a group of evangelicals engaged in sidewalk prayer. Some in the mob shouted, “We’re going to kill you. We know who you are,” according to Christians who recounted their ordeal after police escorted them away for their own safety.

Envelopes containing a white powder were mailed to the Knights of Columbus headquarters in New Haven, Conn., to a Mormon temple in Los Angeles and to Mormon headquarters in Salt Lake City, according to the Catholic News Service.

In Los Angeles, the El Coyote Mexican Café was deluged by protestors because its owner had donated $100 toward the California amendment. Picketing got so hostile that police in riot gear were called in. “Out of fear for their jobs and their lives, workers pooled together $500 to pay off the bullies,”

wrote syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin.

Fox News reported seven arrests November 6 after protesters clashed with police on the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Demonstrators protested outside Pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church and outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles where they chanted, “What would Jesus say?” the Catholic News Agency reported.

Commenting on a protest held locally November 14, Boston Herald columnist Joe Fitzgerald noted: “The crowd that once pleaded for tolerance had become the most intolerant crowd of all. So it wasn’t surprising to see an angry gathering on (Boston) City Hall plaza last Saturday, livid over California’s passage of Proposition 8, formally banning same-sex marriage. Their arrogance was appalling, clearly reflecting their sense of entitlement.

Imagine, people who didn’t agree with them had been allowed to voice their opinions.”

In addition to California, Florida and Arizona also amended their constitutions to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, bringing to 30 the number of states with constitutional protections.

“What’s surprising (or maybe not so) is that even though 70 percent of African-Americans voted in favor of Proposition 8, protests against black churches are virtually nonexistent. And everyone knows exactly why: Such actions would be viewed as racist,” wrote commentator Chuck Norris in a November 18 post at Humanevents.com.

“Yet these opponents of Prop. 8 can protest vehemently and shout obscenities in front of Mormon temples without ever being accused of religious bigotry. There’s a clear double standard in our society,” he wrote.

Catholic Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento called the outrages ‘‘serious religious bigotry.’’ And Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, chairman of the US bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, on November 26 offered “prayerful support” to the Mormon community in the wake of “hostility and abuse.”

Not content with accepting the voters’ decision, several groups have challenged Proposition 8 in a suit scheduled for argument before the California Supreme Court in March.

“Although the court rarely overturns voter referendums (only twice since 1911), it will face intense pressure to do so,” a Family Research Council (FRC) report states.

FRC also noted that the Alliance Defense Fund will provide free representation to any church with a valid claim.

“While demonstrating in public is a First Amendment right, any effort to obstruct or interfere with any person engaging in a protected activity in a place of worship is a violation of federal law,” the FRC said. “While the mainstream media force-feeds Americans plenty of stories about ‘peaceful’ demonstrations, the calculated assaults on the church continue to go unreported.

Now is the time to take action in defense of our religious liberties.”

December 5, 2008

Stonehill family fetes Father Kruse continued from page one

our lives, in the smallest blade of grass and in the brightest star.”

His homily encouraged all “to appreciate the holiness of ordinary things.”

At the dinner, in keeping with Father Kruse’s modest and minimalist style, the speaking was short.

Only Father Kruse spoke, and briefly.

Looking back on five decades of life at Stonehill, he did so with his trademark sense of humor. Noting that he had served as executive vice president for many years, he remarked that he was so successful in the position, that when he left, the college abolished it.

Although he serves as counselor to the college President Father Mark Cregan, CSC, Father Kruse is remembered for the half century he served as a priest and educator in the faith, well known as a compassionate and graceful listener.

He taught theology to hundreds of students, sharing with them his specialized knowledge of religious thought; served as academic dean and also as executive vice president. In those posts, he was instrumental in the growth of the college; and also served as counsel to Father Cregan and earlier to former President Father Bartley MacPhaidin.

Although retired from teaching at the college, Father Kruse remains active on campus, exploring issues with students in the Theology on Tap program.

And twice a week he teaches new immigrants English at the English Transcultural Center in Brockton.

“At 76, I can say that I have been blessed … because I found the presence of God in such a high variety of people of different character and personality. It seems God has set up a network of human relationships in my life, and as I look back, I think that interplay is what might define my priesthood,” he told The Anchor in an interview.

He gave an example: “In the early 1990s I was a U.S. activist in Southeastern Asia and later suggested that we broaden our student base to include students from that area because it would be a good opportunity not only for them but for the college as well,” Father Kruse reported.

One day on the campus “I was surprised to run into a young man, only to find out he was a Cambodian refugee by the name of Thon Chen. I became a strong and fast friend to him — and later to many others like him.”

Chen, who was taken under Father Kruse’s wing at Stonehill, said his priest-mentor helped him adapt to the culture and master English.

“Father Kruse is like a father to me,” said Chen. “My wife, my daughter and I love him very dearly. He is not only a dictionary for our daily life, but he is also a Bible for our faith, too. No matter what our question is, Father Kruse always has answers for us. We are very fortunate to know him and we thank God for having Father Kruse as an ambassador for us.

We have no doubt of his vision and guidance.”

Father Cregan admits to “being an admirer” of Father Kruse. “He has dedicated his religious life and his ministry to young people. His passion for the life of the intellect is legendary. Whether as a religious of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a priest, a teacher, counselor and guide, Father Bob (Father Kruse) has taught all of us that this passion for the intellectual life need not, and indeed, should not, be disconnected from our day-to-day experience.”

Martin McGovern, director of communications at Stonehill College, said he seeks Father Kruse’s professional advice frequently. “With his help we were able to highlight so many of the beautiful and spiritual locations on campus for the Sacred Spaces” program.

Father Kruse, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., came to Stonehill as a young seminarian in the early 1950s when the collage was in its infancy. He graduated from Stonehill in 1955 after majoring in philosophy.

He was ordained a priest in 1958.

After completing doctoral studies in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he joined the Religious Studies department at Stonehill in 1961 and became its chairman.

In 1978 he became the academic dean, a position he held until June 2001.

During its Golden Anniversary in 1998-1999, the college presented Father Kruse with its Moreau Medallion in recognition of his critical role in Stonehill’s first 50 years.

A specialist in 19th-century and 20th-century religious thought, Father Kruse loves to read, garden and walk.

Instrumental in providing information for this story was Martin McGovern, director of admission at Stonehill College.

19

December 5, 2008

The Anchor

Around the Diocese

Diocese’s finding of compliance with ‘Charter for Protection of Children’ continued for 2008

Eucharistic Adoration: Eucharistic Adoration ACUSHNET — Eucharistic adoration takes place at St. Francis Xavier Church, 125 Main Street, Mondays from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., ending with Evening Prayer and Benediction.

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.

NEW BEDFORD — Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place at St. Joseph-St. Therese Church, 51 Duncan Street, Mondays following the 8:30 a.m.

Mass until 1:30 p.m. For more information call 508-995-2354.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Miscellaneous Miscellaneous: CAPE COD — ECHO of Cape Cod, a successful retreat for teen-agers grades 10,11, and 12 has scheduled a boys retreat weekend for December 5 – 7. Retreats are held at the Craigville Conference Center. For more information and application, visit our Website at www.echoofcapecod.org or contact Mary Fuller at 508-759-4265.

CENTERVILLE — The annual memorial Deacon Joseph Stanley Mass of hope and remembrance for parents grieving the loss of their children, will be celebrated Sunday, 11:30 a.m., in Our Lady of Victory Church, 230 South Main Street. Refreshments will follow in the parish center.

CHATHAM — A Tridentine Mass is celebrated 11:30 a.m. every Sunday at Our Lady of Grace Chapel on Route 137.

EAST FREETOWN — A Christmas Surprises Barn Sale will take place tomorrow, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the St. John Neumann Parish barn next to Cathedral Camp, sponsored by the parish’s Women’s Guild.

FALL RIVER — A healing Mass will be held at St. Anne’s Church on December 11 at 6:30 p.m., with rosary at 6 p.m. Benediction and healing prayers will be held after Mass.

FALL RIVER — A holy hour takes place at Holy Name Church, 709 Hanover Street, Tuesdays at 7 p.m., It consists of the rosary, Miraculous Medal Novena, a homily, Benediction, and the opportunity for confession. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is recited Wednesdays at 3 p.m.

HYANNIS — “Iraq — Peace: Preparing for the End Game,” a conversation with internationally recognized authority on peace negotiations, Dr. Padraig O’Malley, will take place December 10 at 2:15 p.m. at Tilden Arts Center, Cape Cod Community College, 2240 Iyannough Road. Co-sponsored by Pax Christi of Cape Cod, the program will run about 90 minutes with an interview of O’Malley, followed by a Q&A session. The event is free and open to all.

MASHPEE — Christ the King Parish’s annual Christmas Bazaar sponsored by its Catholic Women’s Club, will be held in the church on Masphee Commons, tomorrow, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Games for children, face painting, handmade crafts, and lunch and snacks will be available.

NEW BEDFORD — Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast celebration will be held at St. Kilian Church, 306 Ashley Blvd., on December 12 at 6 p.m. with music and a trilingual rosary followed at 7 p.m. with a bilingual Mass. Food and entertainment will be provided in the church hall after Mass. Please call 508-998-8603 for more information.

NEW BEDFORD — The Legion of Mary of the Fall River Diocese will hold its annual reunion on Sunday at 2 p.m. at St. Kilian’s church hall, 306 Ashley Blvd. The event will include a service, recitation of the rosary and Benediction, followed by a social gathering. Entertainment will be provided by members of different groups of the Legion of Mary. The public is invited to attend and enjoy lunch. For more information about the reunion or membership, please call diocesan director Father Barry W. Wall at 508-679-1408.

NEW BEDFORD — The Massachusetts Choir of Communion and Liberation will present an Advent Concert, tomorrow at 7 p.m., in St. Joseph-St. Therese Church, 51 Duncan Street. For tickets and information call Robert at 508-525-0051.

NEW ENGLAND — The Portuguese TV Program “Good News For Life,” (“Boa Nova da Vida”) sponsored by the Communications Office of the Fall River Diocese, will present, “Is It Possible to Live the Peace of Christmas in Our Times?”

December 17 at 9:30 p.m.

NORTH DARTMOUTH — A Day with Mary will take place tomorrow from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., in St. Julie Billiart Church, 494 Slocum Road. It will include a video, instruction, devotion, a procession and crowning of Mary, Mass, an opportunity for the sacrament of penance, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, recitation of the rosary, and enrollment in the Brown Scapular and Miraculous Medal. For more information call Mary Creeden at 508-984-1823.

OSTERVILLE — Our Lady of the Assumption Parish will host its Silver Bell Holiday Fair, tomorrow, 9 a.m., to 3 p.m., at the church, 76 Wianno Road. It will include pictures with Santa, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.; lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and hand-made items, jewelry and a white elephant table.

OSTERVILLE — The 19th annual National Night of Prayer for Life uniting the feast of the Immaculate Conception and the feast of St. Juan Diego, will be held from 9 p.m., December 8 to 1 a.m., December 9 in Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 76 Wianno Avenue. For more information contact Larry K. Burke at email Lburke4845@aol.com, or by phone at 508-420-5713.

TAUNTON — Holy Family Parish will host the Cranberry Brass Quintet at an Advent Lessons and Carols program, December 14, 4 p.m., in the church at 370 Middleboro Avenue. Refreshments will follow in the church hall.

WESTPORT — Sung Vespers every Sunday in Advent at 4 p.m. in St. John the Baptist Church, 945 Main Road. All are welcome.

Pro-Life

ATTLEBORO — Concerned faithful are needed to pray the rosary outside Four Women, Inc., an abortion clinic at 150 Emory Street, Thursdays from 3-4 p.m., or 4-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30-8:30 a.m. For information call 508-238-5743.

FALL RIVER — The Fall River Diocese has been notified that its full compliance standing with regard to the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” remains in effect for 2008 based on the completion of requirements for a 2008 off-site audit and the finding of full compliancy in a 2007 on-site audit.

Bishop George W. Coleman received the notification in a letter from the Galvin Group, Inc., the independent firm contracted by the U.S. Bishops’ Conference to measure the implementation of the Charter in dioceses across the country.

In the letter, Group president William Galvin informed the bishop that the information requested from the diocese for this year’s data collection audit was received and that, “Based on the fact that your diocese was found to be compliant with the ‘Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People’ as a result of the 2007 Full Audit, the finding of compliance will be continued for 2008.”

Every three years dioceses participate in what is called an on-site full audit, conducted over a fiveday visit to the diocese by representatives of the Galvin Group.

Provided that no requests for additional action are issued and a determination of full compliancy is made, dioceses are monitored in the two intervening years by Galvin auditors off-site, by their

In Your Prayers Please pray for these priests during the coming weeks

Dec. 8 Rev. John F. Broderick, Pastor, St. Mary, South Dartmouth, 1940 Dec. 9 Rev. Rene Patenaude, O.P., Retired Associate Pastor, St. Anne, Fall River, 1983 Dec. 10 Rev. Thomas C. Briscoe, Former Pastor, St. Anne, Fall River, 1918 Rev. Andrew S.P. Baj, Former Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, New Bedford, 1971 Dec. 11 Rev. Edward L. Killigrew, Pastor, St. Kilian, New Bedford, 1959 Dec. 12 Rev. Paul F. McCarrick, Pastor, St. Joseph, Fall River, 1996 Dec. 13 Rev. Reginald Theriault, O.P., St. Anne, Dominican Priory, Fall River, 1972 Rev. Adrien L. Francoeur, M.S., La Salette Shrine, North Attleboro, 1991 Dec. 14 Rev. Msgr. John J. Hayes, Pastor, Holy Name, New Bedford, 1970

review of specific documentation and follow-up interviews by telephone when necessary.

To comply with requirements for this year’s audit Catholic Social Services Director Arlene McNamee, whose department includes the Office for Child Protection, compiled for the Galvin Group requested data and supporting information to document the diocese’s response to allegations of abuse and to verify clergy/employee/volunteer participation in its programs for safe environment training. The audit covered the period of July 1, 2007 through June

30, 2008.

Bishop Coleman said he wanted take this opportunity “to reiterate the commitment of the Fall River Diocese to the full implementation of the Charter and to continued vigilance to ensure the safety of all children attending any of its institutions or participating in any of its programs.”

He also expressed his appreciation to those involved in children and young adult endeavors under sponsorship of the diocese for their understanding of the necessity of safe environment program requirements.

HELPING THE HOMELESS KEEP WARM — The Men’s Club of Our Lady of the Cape Parish, Brewster, recently collected more than 600 pieces of men’s garments and more than 275 pairs of socks for the Noah Shelter in Hyannis. Walter Keymont, left, and Bob Jones, chairmen of the event, stand with a small part of the collected clothing items. (Photo by V. Scarnecchia)

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20 Continued from page 11

Salette, a village near Corps in southeastern France.

According to their witness, “a globe of light opened to reveal a resplendent women seated on a stone with her head in her hands.” Her tearful message urged people’s repentance for sin. The children described her as very tall and beautiful, wearing a long, white, pearl-studded, sleeved dress, and white shawl,

The Anchor with a sort of tiara or crown on her hand. Hanging from her neck was a large crucifix, adored with a small hammer and pincers, with a brilliantly shining figure of Christ on it.

“The whole effect was as if she was made of light,” says one of the historical accounts of the apparition.

Those pilgrims coming from afar who visit the Shrine Church will be able to receive

the plenary indulgence granted during the Pauline Year that began June 28 and extends to June 29, 2009.

It celebrates the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul, and its goal is to inspire Catholics to pray, read holy Scripture and strive to imitate Paul’s great love of Christ, catapulting him to a life-changing personal encounter with Christ.

The Shrine is one of seven station churches in the Diocese of Fall River designated

by Bishop George W. Coleman, where faithful may receive the indulgence by meeting certain conditions of their local visit

December 5, 2008 if unable to visit St. Paul’s Basilica in Rome, Italy Those conditions are: being in a state of detachment from any inclination to sin; devoutly taking part in a pilgrimage; making a sacramental confession; receiving the Eucharist; and saying prayers for the intention of the Holy Father.

“You might say that we have Masses, scheduled confessions and offer everyone the ideal opportunity to meet the conditions for the indulgence,” Father Patenaude added.

For more information on the daily and weekend events, call the Shrine at 508-222-5410.

Please visit us at: www.CarmelTerrace.org or 508 788 8000 933 Central St. Framingham, MA 01701 On the campus of St. Patrick's Manor

Walsh University founded by FIC celebrates 50 years Fall River native was one of founding Brothers

NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Walsh University Museum Studies students are organizing an exhibit called “Walsh University: 50 Golden Years in the Making” at the Hoover Historical Center to celebrate Walsh University’s 50th anniversary.

The public opening will take place on Sunday in conjunction with the Christmas on Hoover Farm event. The exhibit will remain until 2012.

“Walsh University: 50 Golden Years in the Making” will showcase the history of the Brothers of Christian Instruction, the physical changes to the Walsh campus over the years, milestones in Walsh history, the university’s study abroad programs including Rome and Uganda, and what’s new at Walsh right now.

Fall River native Brother Robert Francoeur was one of the school’s founding Brothers, and the last of the founders living on campus. He died Aug. 7, 2007.

Brother Francoeur was sent by his order to Notre Dame University for his doctorate, and was given instruction to find a suitable area in the Midwest to relocate the Order’s college. He found North Canton and began laying the groundwork for what is now Walsh University.

He was the school’s first dean, its second president, and taught there for more than two decades.

The Walsh Museum Studies undergraduate major, the only one of its kind in the state of Ohio, is in its inaugural year.

Students in Professor Nicholis’ Introduction to Museum Studies class have been working with Ann Haines at the Hoover Historical Center to orchestrate every aspect of the exhibit. The 10 members of the class were broken up into five teams each with a different task to complete in the creation of the exhibit. The students have assumed the roles of curators, educators, development officers, researchers, and exhibit designers.

Walsh University is an independent, co-educational Catholic liberal arts and sciences institution that promotes academic excellence and diversity and provides close faculty-student interaction. It is dedicated to teaching its more than 2,800 students to become leaders in service to others through a values-based education with an international perspective in the Judeo-Christian tradition.