12.06.02

Page 1

e VOL. 46, NO. 46

• Friday, December 6, 2002

FALL RIVER, MASS.

Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year

i-Reiig-ious· of Jesus and Mary mark 125 years in diocese SPECIAL 10 THE ANCHOR

By SIS1BI JANICE FARNHAM, RJM

THESE THREE Sisters of Mercy are retired and residing at Our Lady of Mercy Convent in New Bedford. From left, Sisters Nora Smith, Jeanette Thomas and Brian Murphy enjoy a well-deserved rest after teaching in New Bedford Catholic schools for many years. With them is their pet "Angel," who provides comfort and companionship. (Photo by Sister Elaine Heffernan, RSM.)

Religions retirement collection in parishes is December 7-8 FALL RIVER - "Promise, Commitment, Impact," is the theme of the 15th national collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious which will be taken up in Catholic parishes across the Fall River diocese this weekend. The annual appeal helps retired sisters, brothers, and religious order priests who spent their lives in Church ministries such as education, health care, and social services, said Mercy Sister Elaine Heffernan, episcopal representative for religious. "The Diocese of Fall River has given without

stint to assist religious congregations of men and women to care for their elderly and retired members," she said in a recent letter to pastors and administrators. "This aid has enabled the religious to continue their service to the people of the diocese in spite of reduced numbers available for their works," she added. Last year, the diocese contributed $164,979 bringing the total diocesan contributions for all the Tum to page eight - Religious

Pipe organ restored to life for Cape Cod parish By MIKE GORDON ANCHOR STAFF

EAST SANDWICH - Corpus Christi Parish will bring the past to life and into its new church next year when it unveils a restored 1899 Hook and Hastings pipe organ. The organ that once adorned the former St. Peter's Church in Lowell will bring its music and its 3,400 pipes to Corpus Christi Parish and Music Minister James DeFrancesco couldn't be happier. 'There's a lot of excitement in the air," said DeFrancesco. "People are thrilled that it's going to be restored and are looking forward to hearing it." The organ was in use at the Lowell parish since it was built by

Boston's E.G. & G. Hook and Hastings Company in 1899. St. Peter's was razed in 1996, but thanks to the efforts of many people the organ was saved and put into storage so that another parish might be able to use it. Enter Corpus Christi Church which bought the pipe organ last spring. The parish was looking for an organ to grace its new church and according to DeFrancesco, who has been in music ministry for 10 years, it was "big enough for our space and we wanted to rescue an instrument." Although the parish only paid for the storage cost on the organ the necessary restoration process will

cost in the range of $800,000 when completed. That may seem like a lot of money, but when compared to nearly $1.6 million for a new pipe organ, double the cost of restoring a handmade pipe organ, it seems more reasonable. "We're very happy about this restoration project," said Corpus Christi Pastor Father Marcel H. Bouchard. "It's an exciting and historical thing to preserve such a good instrument." The parish created a Pipe Organ Committee for the project and it has been working with consultant James Jordan, a pipe organ specialist. Tum to page 16 - Organ

FALL RIVER - When they gather in Providence, R.I., tomorrow for their Provincial Assembly, Religious Sisters of Jesus and Mary of the United States Province will mark the 125th anniversary of their service to the United States. But during what will be a day of work and celebration, the gathering will especially remember the Fall River diocese, where it all humbly began with an exploratory visit in December 1876 to look at an offered mission to the French-Canadian immigrants of the newly-formed parish of Notre Dame de Lourdes in Flint Village. It was the first and much-loved foundation of what would become an extensive network of convents and schools reaching out from Fall River throughout New England, New York, Maryland, the South and the Southwest. "We'll be at the Radisson Airport Hotel in Warwick, R.I., involved in a business meeting and finances, a Mass later in the day, and yes, we will have a celebration dinner," reported Religious of Jesus and Mary Sister Diane Dube. Sister Dube, an alumna of the former Jesus Mary Academy, who is administrative assistant at the Catholic Education Center in Fall River, is among a community of seven sisters of her congregation residing at Thevenet Mission Center on Highland Avenue. The group includes a provincial councilor, the novice director and a novice. Sister Renee Thibault, a native of Fall River, currently receives nursing care at the Catholic Memorial Home, also in Fall River. Sister Shirley Ann Leveille teaches English as a Second Language and is a part-time librarian at Holy Name School. This year the historic community of nuns took on a special mission. They welcome sisters in the New England region for a ; variety of gatherings and renewal programs which they organize. It was at the invitation of Notre Dame pastor Father Pierre Tum to page 13 - Anniversary

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