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Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year
FALL RIVER, MASS.
True Spirit of Christmas lives in Nantucket By DAVE JOUVET
Central to the celebrations are the events initiated by Nantucket's many Christian NANTUCKET - For the last 26 years, St. church communities, including St. Mary's/ Nicholas hasn't forgotten the small commu- Our Lady of the Isle Church, part of the Fall nity residing on this tiny Atlantic island 30 River Diocese. The Stroll originated in miles off the Massachusetts coast. For over a 1974 as the Christmas Shoppers Stroll. The idea quarter of a century, the favorite of children and was to dniw tourists to the island to help out the loadults alike has boarded cal shop owners during the a U.S. Coast Guard vesslow fall and winter sel to take him to Nanmonths. Through the tucket for a pre-Christmas years, the Stroll has becelebration. come famous drawing It's part of what is now thousands of tourists for commonly known as the "Stroll," a three-day, isthat particular weekend. The island Christian land-wide holiday party churches saw this as an held the first weekend of opportunity to help revelDecember. ers remember the real This year, the event meaning of Christmas. took place from DecemUsually, the true meaning ber 3-5. of the season is overBut what's even more ,important is that the iswhelmed by a secular way of thinking. But on Nanland community hasn't tucket, the faithful have forgotten what prompts reversed that trend. the jolly guy's yearly soAs crowded as many of journ through Nantucket STAINED-GLASS image ,Sound. Amidst the hoopla of Our Lady of the Isle greets the secular events are, the of St. Nick's arrival, the visitors to the island church. Stroll Weekend church functions are as equally crowds of tourists, the (Anchor/Jolivet photo) well attended. shopping, the lights, the At St. Mary's, Pastor decorations and the food is the knowledge that all these things pale in Father Thomas C. Lopes has initiated a parcomparison to what the real meaning of the ish tradition on the Saturday of each Stroll season is - the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Turn to page 13 - Spirit ANCHOR STAFF
SHOPPERS BUY goodies at the St. Mary's Christmas Fair during Stroll Weekend on Nantucket last week. (Anchon'Jolivet photo)
Elves of St. Mary's excel in 'Fair' weather By DAVE JOUVET ANCHOR STAFF
NANTUCKET - Their busy season, where it used to be once a year, doubled nearly a decade ago. Instead of expending all their time and talents just in the summer, the "Elves" of St. Mary's/Our Lady of the
Isle Church in Nantucket have an encore performance on the first weekend of December. These elves are a core group of women in the parish, island born, baptized here and still devoting their energies to help keep the Turn to page 13 - Elves
Norton deacon assisted families in wake of EgyptAir jet crash By MIKE GORDON
to the families of victims and our primary goal is to coordinate local resources to meet the needs of people," said NORTON - Shortly after search and rescue crews Murray. "I call it a ministry of presence." People are filled brought in debris from the Oct. 31 crash of EgyptAir Flight with a lot of'grief and anger and we "listen to what people 990 off. Nantucket, Deacon Michael Murray received have to say. They need to deal with their feelings." SAIR is sponsored by the National news at home. Within a short time, the Transportation Safety Board and the permanent deacon was responding, en American Red Cross and is a nationwide route to New York - and later Newport, team of 60 people who are specially R.I. - to meet with grieving families of trained as crisis and trauma chaplains who the missing 217 passengers, who would respond to domestic air disasters. Eight later be confirmed as dead. people are on call on any given month. For Murray, consoling families and reAlthough they could be called, to work sponding to disasters are part of his pasany airline disaster, said Murray, the team toral duties as a specially-trained memresponds to crashes in the U.S. and its ber of the Spiritual Care Aviation Inciterritories. dence Response Team (SAIR). After the 1986 crashes ofValuJet and "The ministry, although sometimes TWA airplanes, Congress enacted the difficult, is an important one," said the Family Assistance Act through which the 51-year-old deacon, whose son is Father NTSB and American Red Cross were John Murray, the parochial vicar at St. charged with coordinating grief counselPatrick's Parish in Fall River, and who ing for victims relatives. also showed up to assist his dad. Turn to page 13 - Deacon 'The SAIR team provides spiritual aid DEACON MICHAEL MURRAY ANCHOR STAFF
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The Anchor will not be printed on Dec. 31, but should return to your door on Jan. 7, 2000. Material for the Dec. 24 edition must reach us by noon on Dec. 15.
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