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Friday, December 16, 1988
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World opens heart to Armenia VATICAN CITY (NC) - The Vatican announced it was donating $100,000 to Armenian earthquake victims as church charity organzations geared up to join a rare international relief effort to the Soviet Union. $100,000 has also been pledged by Catholic Relief Services, the overseas aid and development agency of U.S. Catholics.
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EXAMPLES of church-aided programs are the Community Soup Kitchen at the Cath~lic Social Services building in Fall River, where volunteers Mayetta and Joseph Levasseur prepare for diners in this 1983 photo; and St. Francis Residence in New York City, a hotel purchased by the Franciscan Order as a home for street people and former mental patients. (Torchia and NC photos) .
"Give Five," Christians asked WASHINGTON (NC) - "We decided to make a bold move and set a standard of what might be expected of all of us," said John Thomas, a spokesman for Independent Sector, a nonprofit group of corporations, foundations and voluntary organizations, including Catholic Charities USA. With assistance from the Advertising Council, the group has produced television, radio, newspaper and magazine ads urging Americans to contribute 5 percent of their income and 5 hours a week to their favorite charities. "The campaign is not geared to a specific charity," said Thomas. "It tells people to think about what they're doing for whatever causes they care about." At least in part, U.S. churchgoers and their congregations seem to be taking such advice to heart, according to results of a study by Gallup pollsters released Dec. 7. Titled "From Belief to Commitment," the study showed that .U .S. congregations of all church denominations donate nearly half of the money received from their members to charitable works and surpass U.S. foundations and corporations as sources for direct grants. In 1986, individuals contributed $41.4 billion to their congregations, and, of that, $19.1 billion, or 46 percent, was used for service programs and activities in the community. About $22.3 billion, or 54 percent, went to worship and religious education. Social service activities reported by the congregations surveyed included day care, family counseling, housing for senior citizens,
meal services, youth programs, refugee relief, civil rights, social justice, community development, health programs, education, arts and cultural efforts and environmental projects. Catholic Charities spokeswoman Cynthia Russell said the study illustrated the role individuals play through their churches and their "shared value system" in helping the nation's need. "It's important to take a look at church activity in social services and the important role donors play in making that possible,"Ms. Russell said. "If you took away the churches there would be huge gaps. Churches have a network, are well-run and efficient." Father Eugene F. Hemrick, USCC director of research and an adviser to the study, said it helped "to educate society to ways of helping people" and "to keep people aware they are stewards." "We're to take care of the goods of the earth and as stewards are to see that the earth's abundance is shared by all," Father Hemrick said. "It's a privilege. People easily forget that. The more they get the more they want." Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Frances Mlocek, USCC director of finance, and Father Lou McNeil, director of the Glenmary Research Center in Atlanta, also helped with the project. In addition to Catholic Charities USA, Independent Sector members include the U.S. Catholic Conference, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice and the National Catholic Development Conference.
Ms. Russell pointed out that the new study, as well as giving figures on contributions and their use, Turn to Page Six
ADVENT WREATH PRAYER FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT
STIR UP thy power and come, we pray thee, o Lord, and with great might succor us; that our deliverance, which our sins impede, may be hastened by the help of thy grace and the forgiveness of thy mercy, who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Bisho'p Daniel A. Cronin has authorized a special collection for Armenian relief in diocesan parishes this weekend. Proceeds will be forwarded to Catholic Relief Services for transmittal through the Armenian Catholic Exarchate of the United States and Canada for an ecumenical relief fund to be administered by the Exarchate, the Archdiocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America and other Armenian churches. Bishop Cronin also asks that parishes and individuals remember the Armenian people in prayer.
Pope John Paul II sent telegrams to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Catholic and Orthodox church officials, pledging the· church's aid and his personal prayers for Armenians. "I express to you, to the Soviet people and especially to the entire Armenian nation my spiritual closeness and my painful sharing in this very sad event," the pope said in the Russian-language telegram to Gorbachev Dec. 10. The pope expressed condolences in separate messages to the Armenian Orthodox patriarch, Vasken I, and to the Catholic Armenian patriarch in Beirut, Archbishop Jean-Pierre XVIII Kasparian. The earthquake struck Armenia, a southern Soviet republic, on Dec. 7, leaving an estimated 50,000 people dead and thousands more injured. Half a million people were reported homeless. Gorbachev cut short his U.S. visit to fly to the devastated region Turn to Page Six
Pope asks policy revie.w
Special ministers. VATICAN CITY (NC) - U.S. recent ruling by the Pontifical bishops should review policies to Commission for the Official ensure that special ministers of the Interpretation of Canon Law. Eucharist do not distribute comA commission ruling, made munion when enough prie.sts and public last July, said a special mindeacons are present,' said Pope ister is not authorized to "exercise John Paul II. his temporary task when there are "I n some cases there may still be present in the church, even although a need to revise diocesan policies not participating in the eucharistic in this matter," the pope said to celebration, ordinary ministers who U.S. bishops from Illinois, Wis- are not in any way impeded." Ordinary ministers are priests consin and Indiana. Special ministers of the Eucha- and deacons. rist are lay people granted permisA 1980 document by the Vatision to distribute communion. can congregation for Divine WorMany U.S. parishes have programs ship said special ministers could by which such ministers regularly distribute communion when there help distribute communion at is no ordinary minister, when the Masses and bring the sacrament to . priest is impeded by illness or the sick in homes and health care advanced age and when "the number of faithful going to comfacilities. The pope stressed '''the supple- munion is so large as to make the mentary character of the faculty celebration of Mass excessively granted to lay persons to distrib- long." ute holy communion." The 1980 document said "a Review is needed "not only to reprehensible attitude is shown by ensure faithful application of the those priests who, though present law but also to foster the true at the celebration, refrairi from notion and genuine character of distributing communion and leave the participation of the laity in the this task to the laity." life and mission of the church," the The pope, in his talk to the pope said Dec. 10. bishops, also discussed the 1989 The bishops were at the Vatican special meeting between the leadfor their"ad limina" visits, required ership ofthe U.S. bishops and Vatevery five years to report on the ican officials. He called the meetstatus of their dioceses. ing a "pastoral collaboration." The pope said church rules on No date or specific agenda has special ministers are established.in been announced for the summit canon law and were reiterated in a Turn to Page Six
2 THE ANCHOR -
Diocese of Fall River -
Fri., Dec. 16, 1988
Cuban open door? bishop Fiorenzo Angelini, president ofthe Pontifical Commission for Health Care Workers, met with Castro in Havana in November, during a Cuban conference on family medicine.
VATICAN CITY (NC) - A Vatican official who met with Cuban leader Fidel Castro said he hoped their encounter will open the door for church health workers in the Caribbean nation. Arch-
The
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Little Rock bishop ordains former Episcopal priest LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (NC) Eighteen months after'he and his family were received into the Roman Catholic Church, Father Alan E. Rosenau, 40, a former Episcopal priest, was ordained for the Diocese of Little Rock. The Nov. 19 ordination was celebrated at the Discalced Carmelite Monastery ofSt. Theresa of Jesus in Little Rock, the site of his family's May 1987 reception into the Catholic Church. Bishop Andrew J. McDonald of Little Rock presided at both ceremonies. Father Rosenau, father of three, is one of about 40 married former Episcopal priests to be ordained Roman Catholic clergy under a 1980 program approved by the Vatican for use in the United States, said Father James Parker, assistant administrator of the program. Father Parker, director of Catholic Charities for the diocese of Charleston, S.c., was the first married former Episcopal priest ordained under the program. Boston Cardinal Bernard F. Law is the program's director. "I don't have any grandiose schemes for myse.lf," Father Rosenau said. "I am grateful to the Holy Father for extending provisions for people like me" to join the Catholic Church and continue ministry, he added. Father Rosenau said that the growing separation of the Episcopal Church from the Roman Catholic community - highlighted by the Episcopalians' 1976 decision to revise the Book of Common Prayer and permit the ordination of women priests -led him to consider joining the Catholic Church. In 1978, Father Rosenau moved from Arkadelphia, where he was a university chaplain and vicar of missions, to Hot Springs. He started a small traditional Episcopal parish which continued to use the unrevised Book of Common Prayer. The book contains all the liturgical text.s, prayers and rubrics for worship in the Episcopal Church. Father Rosenau was ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in. 1974
New administrator for Marian Manor His Excellency, Most Reverend Daniel A. Cronin, Bishop of Fall River, is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas F. Healy as Administrator of Marian Manor Nursing Home, Taunton. Healy will assume his new duties on December 19. It is with gratitude that Bishop Cronin also announces the continued presence of the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation at Marian Manor. Their dedication and devotion to the home are a source of great comfort to the many residents. Rev. Edmund J. Fitzgerald, director of the diocesan nursing homes, states that Healy is a graduate of Bentley College and has completed many hours of continuing education in the health care field. He has 13 years experience as a nursing home administrator and for the past year has been involved in opening a new nursing . home where his responsibilities included recruitment and training of staff.
-~;~~~Ei~~~l shall make their supplication: come to deliver us and
~arry not. . .
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DECEMBER 20
o KEY OF DAVID and Sceptre of the house of BEGINNING tomorrow Israel, who openest and no the Church uses the ancient. man shtitteth, who shuttest o antiphons, so called from and no omn openeth: come their initial letter, at the and bring forth from his Eucharistic liturgy and at prison house the captive Evening Prayer. They are suggested as a beautiful even- that sitteth in darkness and ing grace or prayer at the in the shadow of death. time of lighting a family or individual Advent wreath. DECEMBER 21 DECEMBER 17
o WISDOM,
who earnest out· of the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come and teach us the way of prudence.
o DA WN OF THE EAST, brightness of the light eternal and Sun ofJustice; come and enlighten them that sit in darkness and in 'the shadow of death.
DECEMBER 22 DECEMBER 18 o ADON AI and Leader of the house of Israel, who didst appear to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and didst give unto him the lawon Sinai: come and with an outstretched arm redeem us.
DECEMBER 19
o ROOT OF JESSE, who standest for an ensign of
o KING OF THE GENTILES and the desired of them, thou cornerstone that makest both one: come and deliver man whom thou didst form out of the dust of the earth.
DECEMBER 23 o EMMANUEL, our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior: come to save us, 0 Lord our God.
Sister Santillo The Mass of Christian Burial in New York, Michigan and Rhode was offered Monday for Sister Island, principal of Jesus Saviour Mary Elizabeth Santillo, SSD, 78, School, Newport, and librarian at who died Dec. 9 in Providence. Our Lady of Fatima High School, A native of New Haven, Conn., Warren. the daughter of the late Crescenzo She held a bachelor's degree in and Elizabeth (Torello) Santillo, education from Catholic Teachers' she made first profession as a SisCollege, Providence, and a master of St. Dorothv)n 1944. ter's degree in library science from She retired three months ago for Villanova College, Villanova, Pa. reasons of health and had taught • She is survived by a sister, Laura until that time in schools of her. community including Our Lady of : Torelli of Wallingford, Conn., and Mt. Carmel School, New Bedford. a brother, Joseph Santillo of She was also a teacher at schools Florida.
NO,TICE In keeping .with The Anchor's 50-week publishing schedule, there will be no issue on Friday, Dec. 30. Material that would normally appear on that date should reach us by noon Monday, Dec. 19, for publication Fri· day, Dec. 23.
THE ANCHOR -
Fro'm St. Mary's parish, N'ew Bedford, to St. Mary's Home, Boston, with love to the babies When Jane, 16, first came to St. Mary's Home in Boston, a transitional home for expectant teenagers housed at St. Margaret's Hospital for Women, she knew she was giving her baby the gift of life. . And now, through the help of a New Bedford parish, Jane has toys, clothing and household goods to help her. care for her new responsibility. Reaffirming their commitment to life, over 200 parishioners of St. Mary of the Assumption Church are remembering those touched by unfortunate circumstances this year.
Parishioners and clergy at the 1,600-member New Bedford parish were grateful this year for the dedication of a new block-long church and rectory complex in late November, said Fattier Mark Hession of St. Mary's. The project was six years in the making, he said. Father Hession, who organized the donation drive, said caring for others is an important tenet of the church. "We're trying to teach that the church isn't just the building. It's people and. people in need," especially during the holiday season
Pope's right to appoint W. German prelate upheld VATICAN CITY (NC) -Inan unusual statement, the Vatican' defended Pope John Paul II's right to select his own candidate for archbishop in Cologne, West Germany, one of the world's largest and wealthiest Sees. The Vatican statement followed months of controversy" over the appointment, which has been delayed by apparent local dissatis-, faction with the proposed candidates and by a complicated selection procedure governed by a concordat. The selection of a new Cologne archbishop has been expected for some time. Cardinal Joseph Hoffner, the former archbishop of Cologne, died in October 1987. The Vatican statement, issued by press spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls Dec. 10, said that because local churchmen had reached an impasse in voting on a candidate, the decision had now reverted to the pope. Normally, the' selection procedure begins with recommendations from an archdiocesan chapter and area bishops. According to the concordat, the pope then "takes into account" the recommendations and picks a "terna" of three names. The chapter then votes, selecting an archbishop from the "terna," who is given final approval from _the state and the pope. This time, though, the Cologne chapter - an association of 16 archdiocesan clergy - was unable to reach a majority on any of the three candidates, reportedly because of dissatisfaction with the ·"terna." According to canon law, the Vatican said, under those conditions the decision reverts to the pope. The statement said it was not true that the pope wanted to "impose" a selection on the Cologne church .. All the concordat proce- . dures have been followed throughout the selection process, it said. "Any assertion to the contrary could, in. all objectivity, appear offensive to the Holy See," it said. But the Vaticanstatement, in its reading of the concordat, strongly supported papal authority in making such appointments. It said that the pope "is not bound" by the original list of recommended candidates - raising the possibility that none of the local recommendations need be included on the papal "terna." It did not say whether the pope had accepted . any of the original recommenda-
tions in composing his "terna" for Cologne. Cardinal Meisner, archbishop of East and West Berlin and a resident of the communist part of the divided city, has been mentioned by many sources as the pope's leading choice for the position. One source said, however, that his appointment was seen by some West Germans as causing political problems in the country. A Vatican source said the statement was made because of a budding church-state disagreement over the process. Some West German leaders have complained that the Vatican has circumvented the concordt rules, the source said.
when many families feel the crunch, the New Bedford priest said. Respect for life is another important church teaching, he added. "Every life is valuable from tile moment of conception to the moment of natural death." . Gifts received at St. Margaret's Hospital .will be distributed December 22 to some of the 3,100 women who give birth there each year. Mary Breslin, St. Margaret's director of social services, said that the needy, often single-parent families served by the hospital will have gifts under their trees this Christmas, thanks to St. Mary's . parish. The gifts will be placed on St. Mary's altar in a Dec. 21 ceremony, at which parochial schoolchildren will reenact the birth of Christ. Father Hession noted that channeling the gifts to an agency. serving children was the suggestion of Father John F. Moore, St. Mary's pastor. Father Moore felt the project would dramatize the Nativity for St. Mary's youth. Father Hession suggested St. Margaret's Hospital as the recipient of the gifts. The hospital had impressed him greatly, he said, as he worked in a nearby parish during his seminary days. He also said that a family life education program based at the hospital is a model for many school programs, including that of St. . Mary's.
Diocese of Fall River -
Fri., Dec. 16, 1988
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CONTINUING a tradition begun last year, Father Francis L. Mahoney (standing right), pastor of Holy Name parish, Fall River, hosts an appreciation dinner for Fall River area sisters. Standing left is Father Thomas A. Frechette, parochial vicar. (Gaudette photo)
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THE ANCHOR -
Diocese of Fall River -
Fri., Dec. 16, 1988
themoorin~
the living word
Gorbachev Challenge Is Ours Too Most Americans have a hard time trying to understand what is taking place in Gorbachev's Russia. The Cold War years of ~uspicion and fear have had a cumulative effect. As a result, we do not believe that what's going on today in the Soviet Union is for real. Somehow, we feel, it won't last and Stalinism will be pack on oufdoorstep. But this view is unfortunate and narrow. The facts at hand as of today are quite real. Something is going on behind the Iron Curtain. The unrest in Czechoslovakia, the outspokenness of the Baltic peoples,. the voice of Solidarity in Poland and the unrest in the Balkans are but a few of the developing situations brought to our .attention through the spir:it of glasnost. .Even in Russia itself, it seems that much is going on. Soviet newspapers have openly publicized flaws and failures covered up for generations. Criticism of outdated politics and structures has had not only grassroots support but encouragement from the Kremlin leadership. There is no doubt that the spirit . of change has supplanted that of the status quo. Yet, it would be unwise and imprudent to thinI.c for a single moment that the Marxist dialectic has been completely swept aside. The ideology of Communism has in no way been replaced by what we refer to as the democratic process. . What has been brought to the repair shop is the mechanical application of the ideal to the real world. The irrational driving force of Lenin's revolution has been reduced to a snail's pace by attempts to put into practice the tenets that so inspired the masses. For all practical purposes, Russian Communism left the peoplein chaos. It did indeed bring a backward nation to a brilliant level of accomplishment, but at a terrible cost. . The number of Russians butchered and murdered far surpasses the total of victims of the Nazi holocaust. The Russian people were and are yet the victims of a philosophy that fails to meet basic human needs. It was but a matter oftime before the inherent flaws of the system would become irreparable defects. Gorbachev knows well that if the system is to survive it must no longer be afraid to change. He has taken the daring step of reforming Communism to meet the demands and problems of the Soviet economy. How well he can achieve this goal depends on how well he protects his back. Like so many who dare to make waves, his person is in constant danger. No one can predict where the new Russian wind will blow. The tragic earthquake in Soviet Armenia is evidence that the system is not working. The Russian state constructed the shoddy buildings that became living tombs. The same state was unable to coordinate rescue efforts, to the extent that an airport worker at Yerevan lamented "We cannot even accept help properly." All of this has been played before the world. Before Gorbachev this would not have been the case. Yet his attempts to change the system seem to be challenged by nature herself. Indeed, Russian history reads like a manic-depressive script, constantly plagued by a self-imposed darkness reminiscent of the long Russian winter. Its periods of light are brilliant but much too short; yet, for all their brevity, these times have always had a lasting effect not only on the Russians but also on the world at large. Gorbachev has provided such a period and it is affecting the entire planet. And this prospect brings real hope to all who pray for lasting peace on our fragile Earth. The Editor
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"Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together . in unity." Ps. 132:1
Believers and路 belongers By Father Kevin J. Harrington
lives. It is the belongers who are not believers who make our Today's article is a new twist on churches as cold as the icy waters the old gag, "I've got good news of Alaska!. . and bad news." First the good There are questions beyond the news: a recent Gallup poll found sociology of religion that no poll that 84 percent of American can answer. The ultimate question respondents said they believe Jesus. is not really how organized religChrist is God or the Son of God ion is faring or how religious peo-up from 78 percent 10 years ago. ple are. A similar increase was registered Ideally. of course serious-minded in believing in God and in expectadherence to a religious tradition ing life after death. should help a person become more The bad news: while believers ethical 'and more loving. But, as are on the increase, belongers are always, the ideal is rarely realized. on the decrease. The same .poll In the Old Testament, God makes found that in the last decade the abundantly clear that his compercentage of "unchurched" mands about mercy and justice Americans who don't attend a take precedence over those conhouse of worship has climbed 44 cerning ritual worship. Nurtured percent. in this tradition, Jesus warned: Evidently the baby boomers have "Not everyone who says to me, adopted a pick and choose atti- Lord, Lord, will enter the kingtude toward religion and are reluc- dom of heaven, but he who does tant to affiliate with any particular the will of my Father." institutional religion. While the The question that no poll can 1980s have witnessed growth in answer is "What are an individu" popular fundamentalist Christian aI's ultimate concerns?" Perhaps congregations, no such growth Cardinal Suhard's definition of is evident in either the Roman believing in God would give the lie Catholic or the mainstream Pro- to many who claim to be believers. testant churches. His definition is:"Acting in such a Indeed, a "do it yourself' form way that if God didn't exist your of spirituality seems to be on the life wouldn't make sense." increase. Religious exercises are . Most people whose lines fulfill validated only if they provide a that definition are -ordinary pertherapeutic effect. Worship in the traditional sense is seen as either sons who grapple with the age-old useful or useless depending on ultimate questions armed with the whether the worshiper can discern answers with which their traditions provide them. a benefit. Biblical religion assures us that Such narrow preoccupation with oneself hinders the type of partici- without the gift of faith (i.e., outpation that benefits the entire side help) we are doomed to grapcommunity. Human beings are ple in vain with those ultimate . social creatures and we need the questions. Believers who are not belongers witness of <;>ther believers to spur us on during life's more difficult do themselves a great disservice moments. The whales of October because they are unaware of how are a vivid reminder to us of what fragile their unaided faith can be. happens when we try to go through Belonging to an authentic community of faith can be a wondrous life without a community. We believers also need to be source' of comfort and joy. On the other hand, belongers belongers if we are to s~rvive through the many winters-of our who are not believers are in danger
of getting inoculated against the divine and its claim on practical life, i.e., getting a little case of it by way of preventing a big case of it. Jesus reserved his harshest criticism for those inoculated Pharisees who proved to be immune to his teachings and a stumbling block to true believers. All things considered, most people grapple with the ultimate questions in the same way high schoolers put on a Shakespearean play: anything worth doing well is worth doing poorly. Having a tradition and a community is a great help but without that outside help which goes by. another name we will always do poorly!
Dec. 20 1953, Rev. Manuel S. Travassos, Pastor, Espirito Santo, Fall River Dec. 21 1968, Rev. Henri J. Charest, Pastor, St. Mathieu, Fall River. Dec. 23 1901, Rev. Owen J. Kiernan, Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Fall River 1947, Rev. Charles P. Trainor, SS., St. Edward Seminary, Seattle, WA 1970, Rev. Msgr. John A. Silvia, Pastor Emeritus, St. John Baptist, New Bedford 1986, Rev. William E. Collard, Cochaplain Catholic Memorial H.ome 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111I111 THE ANCHOR (USPS-545-020). Second Class Postage paid at Fall River, Mass. Published weekly except the week of July 4 and the week after Christmas at 887 Highland Avenue. Fall River. Mass. 02720 by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River. Subscription price by mail postpaid $10.00 per year. Postmasters send address changes to The Anchor, P.O. Box 7. Fall River, MA 02722.
The volunteer age Want' an interesting statistic? The ayerage age of the volunteer ih our parishes, according to aN otre Dame study, is 49-plus. It doesn't surprise me. That's the age at which we are freer to give of our time, talents and lived wisdom than when we're working and trying to rear ,I families. It's also in the middle years that we evaluate our use of energy, establish new goals and recognize the rewards of giving to others. Much to some people's horror, I often encourage younger parents to say no to volunte.er work in their church, especially if both are trying to work and be good parents. "Volunteer work can come later," I tell them, "when time spent with children is not so urgent. Put it on hold if you are feeling time-stressed. Don't rear 'apostolic orphans,' as Clayton Barbeau calls the children of professional church volunteers." I believe this with all my heart. When we simultaneously make parents feel guilty for not volunteering and for not spending adequate time with their families, we send them a mixed message. The church can actually contribute to fragmented family life because when we get good conscientious volunteers, we work tltem to death. The more they accomplish, the more we ask of them until tltw burn out.
In spite of my words, however, the 49-plus age of volunteers is troubling. It doesn't reflect the needs and creativity of our younger marrieds who are the people we tend to serve most. So, given our fast-track lifestyles and volunteer needs, how do we attract younger volunteers with-' out fragmenting family life? I believe there are a few possibilities. First, we invite them to volunteer on ad hoc or one-shot activities like a family retreat, youth day, spirituality workshop, or bazaar. We can utilize our older volunteers for ongoing functions like the RCIA, adult education, and religious education but free them from involvement in annual parish-based activities by assigning these to younger parishioners. This gives busy parents an opportunity 1'0 be involved without signing themselves up weekly for eternity. Secondly, we can invite whole families, not just parents, to volunteer in such activities. At one diocesan conference, I found young children directing participants to meeting rooms, teenagers taking registrations and parents working with speakers and microphones. This bonds the family and allows members to give of themselves together rather than separately. It is also a viable alternative to cruising the mall together. Next, I suggest structures where younger parishioners can be heard,
Too soon for Noel JAKARTA, Indonesia (NC)Pre-Christmas celebrations disrupt the mood of Advent, say Indonesian bishops who disapprove of the growing wave of seasonal festivity. "For Catholics, Advent is a time for penance and preparation for the coming of Christ. Advent, or the pre-Christmas season, is not
By DOLORES CURRAN
without being expected to work on a project. They often have good ideas which they are afraid 'to voice for fear that someone ~ill say, "Will you head that up?" For example, some young parents were interested in a children's liturgy but were afraid to ask for it because they didn't have time to engineer it. The pastoral council invited them to give their ideas, reservations and hopes but made it clear that by so doing, they were not committing themselves to hours of volunteerism they didn't have. Older empty-nest parents took up the challenge with the attitude, "These younger parents will do the same later for others when their own families are grown." It is a beautiful example of recognizing reality in time-pressured families and yet meeting their expressed needs by giving our time. We couldn't run our churches today without the 49-plus volunteers. They contribute thousands of hours which they could be using elsewhere. Younger Catholics might well recognize and thank them publiCly every once iri a while' and see them as models for themselves later on in life.
for festivities," said Archbishop Franciscus van Roessel of Ujung Pandang, Indonesia. He said the problem is that some private and government offices organize preChristmas celebrations. "Slowly but surely such celebrations are becoming a tradition," the archbishop said.
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For five years I lived on the campus of Illinois Benedictine College in Lisle, Ill.; within the shadow of 51. Procopius Abbey. Ever since then I have tried to figure out why I felt closest to my priesthood when in that atmosphere. During the Thanksgiving holidays I returned to celebrate Mass with the monks and again raised the question. ' Before Mass, my Benedictine , friends could not have been warmer. Benedictines are noted for their hospitality and among them anyone quickly senses a caring community. The monks are truly happy to see you and are Interested in what you do. They welcome you into their family. But St. Procopius Abbey represents more than hospitality. Its simplicity, which draws a person closer to God, is its most inspiring quality, best realized in its chapel and what happens there. . ' The chapel is built of plain brick with a wooden beamed ceiling that gradually rises to become three or four stories high over the altar. Indirect light beams down on a stark oak altar, backed by a high brick wall. There are no ornaments or distractions in the chapel, either in the architectur~ or the way the monks celebrate, so that a person is left to concentrate on the sacrifice of the Mass. . The same simplicity is found in
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the melodic line of the chants the monks have composed. There is a purity in them that allows one to concentrate on the meaning of the words. Anyone who has experienced simplicity, whether in architectural lines, in a melodic line or in a person, appreciates its power to create beauty. St. Procopius Abbey inspires me, as I am sure it does others, to pray. It provides a beautiful atmosphere in which God can be fully experienced and in which the material self can unite more closely with the spirit. The peace and holy intimacy that ensue during such prayer are true Christmas gifts. Most of us don't have the opportunity to visit a St. Procopius Abbey around Christmastime. If anything, the 910ser we get to Christmas, the more complex and hectic the days become. Simplicity seems to vanish. Advertisements remind us that there are only so many shopping days left. Many of us are caught up in hectic traveling. We are pulled in many different directions at once. Often the holidays require a holiday after they are over! May you create an atmosphere much like that at the abbey, one that allows you to focus on the essentials of ti'le feast. May you have simplicity and may it be a means of arriving at the true meaning of Christmas.
MASS SCHEDULE Vi~il
Masses
4 P.M.
Organ & Carols
8 P.M.
Pontifical Mass H.is Excellency, the Most Reverend Daniel A. Cronin, Principal Celebrant Music by the Cathedral Choir & Instrumentalists Mrs. Madeleine Grace, Music Director Concert begins at 1:30 P.M,
Midnight Mass
Organ & Carols
Christmas Day Masses at 8 A.M. - 10 A.M. (Cathedral Choir) - 11 :30 A.M. -:- 5 P.M . .
THE PRIESTS AND PEOPLE OF ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL EXTEND TO ALLPRA YERFUL WISHES FOR A BLESSED CHRISTMAS I Rev. Horace J. Travassos, Rector Rev. Richard G. Andrade, Parochial Vicar Rev. Michael K. McManus, Vice Chancellor
6 THE ANCHOR -
Diocese of Fall River -
W orl~ .
Give 5
Fri., Dec. 16,1988
ope~s h~art
Continued from Page One France, Belgium and the Netherand oversee the relief operation, lands. which for the first time in recent· Some funds will go directly to Soviet history was opened up to Armenia, while others will be used foreign countries. ' to purchase eq·uipment and suppCardinal Roger Etchegaray, pres- lies in the West, Father Fitzpatrick ident of the Vatican's umbrella \ said. While Caritas is soliciting charity organization "Cor Unum," cash donations, he noted, it also said the Holy See was contributing wi'll be possible to airlift donated . $\00,000 as Ii "sign of solidarity" . items such as blankets, clothing with the earthquake victims. He and 'other essentials. made the announcement in a tele• "I've had people call to ask if gram Dec. 10 to Patriarch Vasken, they can adopt Armenian orphans, adding that the church was ready or how they can help dig survivors to receive "more precise indica- from the debris. Some of it is not tions" about further aid. completely thought-out, but it is a The church has no infrastruc- very generous response," Father Fitzpatrick said. ture in predominantly Orthodox A World Council of Churches Armenia, so the relief operation "will have to be a cooperative team in Armenia is gathering information for international relief ageneffort with state authorities," said Father, Thomas Fitzpatrick, a U.S. cies. Father Fitzpatrick said the Jesuit working for Carita,s Inter- Catholic Church expects to receive more precise details on needs nationalis in Rome. through the team. Father Fitzpatrick said the VatFollowing the earthquake, many ican donation probably would be families were facing winter in makerelayed through an ecumenically shift outdoor shelters without water administered international Armenand electricity. ian relief fund set up by Armenian In recent months, Armenia has church leaders in the United States been locked in an ethnic dispute and Canada or in Europe. with mostly Moslem Azerbaijan, a He said Italian Caritas has neighboring republic. At least 28 pledged $100,000 and smaller pled- people died in ethnic violence in ges have come from West Ger- November in the region, Soviet many, Austria, Canada, Scotland, officials said.
Continued from Page One draws attention to the way churches stretch a dollar. For example, she said, of an annual budget of $1 billion, Catholic Charities puts 85 percent into direct services and 15 percent into administration. "Those are good numbers," she said, adding that Catholic Charities volunteers outnumber paid staff by 4 to 1. Despite the study's positive view of what congregations contribute where, there is concern at least among Catholic Church organizations that giving by individuals in the pew is dropping off.. Earlier this year, researchers who have studied the giving patterns of U.S. Christians said that if the church were a business, ,"it would be a no-growth industry." The researchers, Sylvia and John Ronsvalle, last August completed a nationwide study comparing giving in the 1960's to giving in the '80s and said Christians were giving a lower percentage of their disposable income to churches than they did 20 years ago. "Catholic Contributions," a recent book by Father Andrew Greeley and retired Bishop William E. McManus of Fort WayneSouth Bend, Ind., showed that Catholic giving to the church has declined dramatically in the last quarter-century.
JESUS CAM,E
TO
BRING
GOOD
NEWS
TO tHE POOREach Christmas, we commemorate the ultimate manifestation of God's love, the sending of his Son, Jesus. This Christmas, share the love of God that you have come to know with the poor -- like these two young girls in Latin America, like countless others in the local churches of the Developing World, the Missions. Your financial sacrifice will help to ensure that the Priests, Sisters, Brothers and lay men and women who care for these two girls and the others like them will continue to minister to their hunger -both spiritual and physical. Jesus was the first missionary. Jesus came to bring Good News to the poor -- to all. Because you are baptized, you, too, are a missionary. You, too, are called to share His Good News with the world. Help to spread His love, His Good News "to the ends of the earth." Support the Propagation of the Faith this Christmas!
--------------------------, The Society for I I ...all of us 'committed to the worldwide mission ofJesus I Reverend Monsignor John J. Oliveira, V.E. I 47 Underwood Street, P.O. Box 2577, Fall River MA 02722 I o Yes! I want to help ensure God's love reaches the'poor I 'through the work of missionaries. Enclosed is my I Christmas gift of: I o $100 0 $75 .D $50 0 $25 D $10 DOther$__ I I Name____________________ I Address___________________ I City State Zip_____ I ANCH. 12/16/88 0 Please send me information about becoming a monthly donor!. I No. lOl THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH
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" Hispanic bishops ,d.iscuss. conce.rns
NC photo
LOU HOLTZ .
How sweet it is! NOTRE DAME; Ind. (NC) University of Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz says he wishes no one would notice his Fighting Irish finished the football season ranked No.1. But the Notre Dame campus noticed. One II-story dormitory erected a 10-foot electric No. I sign that dorm dwellers plapned to keep lit every night as long as the Irish remained on top ofthe polls.. Notre Dame and West Virginia are the nation's only unbeaten football teams. Notre Dame received 49 of 53 first-place votes and 1,055 of a possible 1,060 points from a nationwide panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. But success is new for current Notre Dame students. The Irish had not been ranked No. I since early in the 1981 season and had not held on to the No. I spot for more than one week since 1967. Holtz' had not' coached a topranked team until this season. "You're not talking to Knute Rockne or Ara Parseghian" Holtz said. "They've been there. I'm the guy who's usually looking at it from the tilted side of the field." Rockne an'd Parseghian are former Notre Dame coaches. When Washington State upset UCLA and opened the door for the Irish to take over the top spot, shouts of "We're, No.1" could be heard all over campus. The senior football players appreciate the change. "To finish up No. I after such a shaky beginning, it's just really rewarding," said Frank Starns, senior defensive end. "It means a lot, especially to the older guys, because we remember being at rock bottom.
WASHINGTON (NC) - The U.S. Hispanic bishops, iit a statement released Dec. '8, urged the church to address problems affecting Hispanic Catholics, including proselytism by religious sects, disintegration. of the family, drugs and AIDS. _Inaddition, they called'for efforts to a~dress obstacles created for Hispanic Catholics as a' result of U:S. immigration laws "which continue to cause many Hispanics to live in the shadows of society." The high dropout rate among Hispanic students, which has produced a "su'bculture" of "youth . with no future," IS another challenge facing Hispanic Catholics, the bishops said. Titled "Joy, Courage and Hope," the 600-word statement was issued by the 20 U.S. Hispanic bishops -a 21st Hispanic bishop was named just two days earlier - to mark the first national celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12. The U.S. bishops' voted in 1987 to raise the celebrati9n of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the rank of a feast in U.S. dioceses. The vote was confirmed by' the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship in January. Our Lady of Guadalupe is considered a special patroness by His'panic Catholics. Dec. 12 is the date she appeared to an Indian in Mex4> in 1531. - In their statement, the bishops described the Hispanic presence in the United states as "an inescapa-, ble reality ... not a thing of the future." Experts say one out offour U.S. Catholics is Hispanic. In the statement the bishops called for utilizing a national plan for ministry to Hispanics, approved by the U.S. bishops in 1987, to address challenges facing Hispanics. The plan was written by the U.S. bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Hispanic Affairs - now a per- . manent' committee - based on recommendation of I ,200 delegates who attended the national encuentro in Washington and 25,000 Hispanics throughout the country who for two years took part in small-group discussions to prepare for the meeting.
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GOD'S ANCHOR HOLDS
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Special ministers Continued from Page One meeting to discuss problems in U.S. Catholic life. The pope said the special meeting will be an extension of his 1987 U.S. visit and tlte 1988 "ad limina" visits. The Midwestern bishops were the last to make the visits. "I look forward to the special meeting of bishops planned for next year, so that by continued pastoral collaboration we may assist the church in the United States to live her vocation of holiness through a life of dynamic faith," the pope said. . Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, speaking to the pope on behalf o.f the group of bishops. praised the upcoming meeting as a way to "reach a deeper understanding of our episcopal ministry." U.S. bishops work under tremendous pressure and "like your-
self, we are misunderstood," the cardinal said. "Living as we do in a society which too frequently is shaped by an exaggerated individiJalism, as well as by a pervasive materialism and secularism, this witness to the Gospel is very demanding," said Cardinal Bernardin. U.S. bishops "experience the pressures and tensions caused by the demands of our teaching and the pastoral expectations of many of our priests and people, which are not always in accord with that teaching," added the cardinal. "Like yourself, we are misunderstood and criticized at times because of our efforts to mediate, to clarify and to correct, to bring about a change of mind and heart where needed," said Cardinal Bernardin, who spoke before the pope gave.his speech.
United States this season are artificial!
.Artificial Christmas
trees
13 the nalian ready to filCt only By
BERNARD
A couple of New York psychol- CASSERLY ogists claim that kids on the average believe in Santa Claus until mas eve,· Mother told me long they are 7 1/2. Tltat may be the way it is today, kids being so after Dad's death, because on Christmas Eve tree merchants cut sophisticated now, but I must have their pricC$ drastically, often givbelieved in Santa until I was almost ing trees away. . 12. Growing up poor before and The unsold trees were leu than dur:ing the Great Depression. we perfect. Most looked quite a bit Casserly kids counted belief in old like Charlie Brown's Christmas Saint Nick almost an article of tree. Like Charlie's tree, too, they faith. How else could one explain were loaded with love. the shower of gifts onc day in the Remembering the assorted Yule year when the other 364 were so trees I have seen in many lands and bleak? climes, and the joy they brought - Besides, what of the Christmas despite their tWisted boughs, I look tree? with misgiving upon the campaign After we hung our longest socks for the perfect Christmas tree. from a drawer in the library table Who is to say what makes the in the parlor. we four boys were perfect tree? One might as well list sent to' the one bedroom kept warm by a coal stove ill the dining the requirements fOT a perfect baby. What's worse, when the National room below. Somehow, inthe long night that Christmas Tree Association profollowed, the socks were filled and duces that perfect tree, it wants to gifts were piled around.a fragrant make thousands ofidentical copies! tree laden with gay ornaments and The New York Times reported garlands of tinsel, popcorn and that plant biologists believe mass cloning of Christmas trees is too <:ranberries! No wonder I believed· in Santa expensive nDW, but they claimtbe so long. As the eldest, I felt it just· cost wilfcome down ""making poswouldn't do to shatter the faith of sible mass production of entire my younger siblings. I gradually fields ofgenetically idenlical trees." The reason for all this "linkering dilK:overed the generosity of our uncles and aunts, but it took a long with one of the time·lested symtime to learn about the Christmas bols of Christmas is the horrifying fact that almost one-third of all the trec. lt never ap'peared until Christ- trees aglow with decorations in the
one kind of tree, preferably a fir with a straight trunk, thick twoinch lleedles hiding the trunk, limbs angling upward at 45 degrees, and a uniform conical shape? Well,. I'm not. I can't forget one stumpy tree of boxwood and greendyed sheeting assembled aboard -an ol~ Liberty ship, the blue spruces that dropped their needles by December 26, or the Scotch pines with twisted trunks all ·choked with bran<:hes. Those trees had personality. Like ornaments collected overthe years, ea<:h recalls special times, places and people who shared their creations with us. If all Yule trees were flawless and identical, what joy would there be in shopping with the kids to find just the kind that fits our own family. Christmas is a special time at which each family builds memories as its members grow and change. Enough of life is stamped out in mind-numbing familiarity. The birthday of Our Lord should remain a day filled with remembrances ohimes past and rkh with expectations for the future.
THE ANCHOR -
BOKSBURG,SouthMrica(NC) - Religious who run Catholic institutions in the town of Boksburg have written an open letter to the town <:ouncil supporting a boycott of shops in the central business district. Blackand ""colored" (mixed race) residents in the area organized the boycott after the Boksburg town council reintroduced "petty apartheid," which strengthens already existing segregation laws. Under the new measures, for e"ample, only whites may use public toilets and other facilities. Members ofthe Christian Brothers, Dominican Sisters, Franciscan Friars and Sisters of Mercy signed the letter, which called the new policies "an affront to bask human dignity." ""We express our total empathy ... and pledge our support for their peaceful initiatives," the letter said. Fatber Mike Russell, a Boksburg parish priest, said he believed
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Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Dec. 16,1988
the boycott would continue beCause blacks and coloreds from neighboring townships were determined to avoid shopping in the "whites only" town. Boksburg businesses are l~sing an estimated 150,000 rand (U.S. $66,000) daily. and some have warned that they might go out of business. The town council has said the boycott has not been effective. The letter from the religious said Catholic schools and institutions, open to all races, would "<:ontinue to uphold the dignity of all our people at all times and at all <:08tS."
On commission
VATICAN CITY (NC)- Newark Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick. previously a consultor, has been named a member of the Pontifical Commission for Migra· tion and Tourism. Santa Fe Archbishop Robert Sanchez has been named a consultor.
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THE PARISH OF CHRIST THE KING COTUIT/MASHPEE
8
THE ANCHOR -
Diocese of Fall River
~
Fri., Dec. 16, 1988
"~'" England h'.'I"taIIlY
AWIDE CHOICE OF SAVINGS
The Birth of the Christmas Story
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It's a very simple story but has good dramatic interest: a wicked king, a persecution, a hairbreadth escape. H you look behind the story, you see some of the essential motifs of the Gospel. First of all, the hero in the whole thing is Joseph, who silently but patiently does what God tells him. He is the instrument of saving Jesus; thus he enables Jesus ultimately to save his people. Joseph represents the Jew who is obedient to the law and yet finds in Jesus God's fulfillment of the law. The story also has the revelation that this is God's Son, the Savior. Then there are the reactions of people: the Magi, whom Matthew describes as Gentiles, since they come from the East and they don't know the Scriptures. The strange thing is that in Matthew the Gentiles, who don't know Scriptures, somehow are more open to God's , plan. Yet, Jew that he is, Matthew says the Magi cannot really find Jesus without the Scriptures. So they have to consult those who have the Scriptures: Herod and the scribes. The tragedy is that Herod and tlie others who have the Scriptures reject Jesus and try to kill him.
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IN THE FOLLOWING article, Scripture scholar Father Raymond F.II River Brown, SS, is interviewed by the editors of u.s. Catholic magazine, who 679-1300 say: Father Raymond Brown is a meticulous man. He can take apart a scriptural passage and reassemble it as slowly and methodically as a watchmaker takes apart and reassembles the works of a watch. He has to be good and careful about what he is doing. He asks questions some don't want him to ask. People are still enraged at him for ~ "PERFECT XMAS GIFT" ~~ asking ifMary waia virgin. His answers were always orthodox. Yes, Jesus was born ofa virgin. Yes, Mary was a virgin all her life. But it didn't matter. Brown had asked the question. FOR Like the watchmaker, Brown knows he is performing a service. "THE PERSON WITH EVERYTHING" Catholics, he says, are woefully ignorant of even the most routine biblical scholarship. Even priests are shocked by statements that have been accepted by orthodox scripture scholarsfor years. So Brownfeels the need to do his work in public. Here, he takes apart the piece$ of the first Christmas story and fits them back together again. It's still the same story. But if you've been $20.00 EACH listening to the watchmaker, you'll understand why the story has stood the test of time.
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For many people in America loday, Christmas is the liturgical and emotional high point of the religious year. Is this something that should be built upon? Or should it be destroyed so that Easter is more imporlant than Christmas? Every Pentecost I get up and tell people Pentecost is the most important feast of the church, knowing that people will never emotionally accept that. Yet I think it's important theologically to say it. But you are perfectly right. Emo. ~ional1y:)~y~.l:.l!~~!cally;;soci~.lr,. _
economically, Christmas is .the most important feast. Now you can wail against it, you can try to downgrade it, but you're noi going tQ. get anywhere, Therefore; why not use the Christmas story to preach the Gospel? ' How?, The infancy narratives are so dramatic that people remember them while they forget the rest of the Gospel story. So why not make Christmas the occasion to stress the connection between the infancy narratus and the essentials of the .q~p'~,lr '
>
Matthew's narrative is a rather simple story: Before they have lived together Joseph is told that Mary is pregnant and he is going to divorce her. The angel says, "No, this child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and he's going to save his people. This is predicted by Isaiah." Then the Magi come from afar to see the newborn king and they have to ask Herod where the child's birthplace is - even though they have the star to guide lhem. Herod, using the same information, tries to kill-the child but the child is t.aken off to Egypt.
In other words, Matthew's infancy narrative is a passion narrative: The scribes are there and Herod is there and they are plotting against Jesus. And in the end, God takes Jesus away and then later brings him back to foil his enemies. You can read the same things in the Gospel story but the infancy narrative is in succinct form. It anticipates the Gospel story. I think this is the key to the narrative. Matthew says what we say about every great figure: Look, the traits which make him significant were there even in Childhood. Bul won't it behDhy Jesus every Christmas? If I can get people to see the mysteryofthecrossintheattempt to kill Jesus as a child and to see the mystery of the resurrection in God protecting that child and bringing him back to accomplish his purpose. then thafs not so bad. is it? 1 really have no objection if the priest turnslothecribsetand says. "Notice how this symbol brings up the same things as the rest of the Gospel." By putting the shepherds from Luke's Gospd, who are Jews. with the Gentile Magi from Matthew's Gospel. the nib scene catches the truth that this isa Gospel for Jew and Gentile alike. II Ihat why Matthew and Luke wrote infancy narratives! I think so. In other words, how do you evaluate Jesus? It's not enough to begin evaluating him with the Baptism. Already God's plan was al work before the Baptism. It was at work at the time he was conceived. But the narratives are also a bridge with the Old Testament. How? The writers of Matthew and luke have a sense that you don't start the story of Jesus without knowing the story of Israel. Both infancy narratives are capsules of the Old Testament. For Luk.e's narrative, read the story of Abrahanund Sarah where ,the anae! ~y.s.'~rab is .gq!Dg .to.
have a child. Sarah says, "How can this beT' And God says, "Nothing is impossible for God." It's roughly what Luke says. Or take the Old Testament story of baby Moses and the stories about Jesus. The Old Testament story is simple: the Pharaoh wants to control the Jewish population so he says, "Let's kill all the Jewish male children." But the mother and sisters hide this one baby. In Jesus' time this story had been built up. Moses' father Amram has a dream in which an angel says to him, "Your wife is going to have a chilq and that child is going to save his people." Then the Pharaoh is advised by his wise men, "There is a marvelous child going to be born to the Jews who will save them and you had better kill him." Because he wants to kill the child, not because of the Jewish population, the Pharaoh says, "Let's kill all the children up to two years of age." So Amram says, "We had better not have this child because' he'll, be killed." Then Moses'sister, Miriam (which is the same name as Mary), has a dream and says, "No, Amram, because this child is going to be spared." Th' M ., IS lllses story was bemg told m Jesus' time and it is the background for the kind of story Mat. thew now tells about Jesus. Then what you are saying is that Jesus' bIrlh didn't happen exactly Ihe way it Is written? Well, it wasn't that simple. The narratives are, after all, a popular way ofdescribing basic truth. What they try to say is that right from Our Lord's birth there were already signs of his greatness and of his identity as God's Son and Savior. Then is II a good idea to have crib sets in the home? Of course. Crib sets are a continuation of what the evangelists began. They began to popularize the story of Jesus' birth in a way that caught people's imagination. We've continued in that manner with our crib sets, with Amahl and the Night Visitors, and all those elaborations. They all dramatize the meaning of Christmas. To my mind. perhaps our greatest wealth is not sheer historv but some of our ways of representing history. There are animals in crib sets: Were they present when Jesus was born? They come from Christian imagination filling in the blank spaces. For eumple. in Luke. the angel says, "You'll find the child in the manger." That is the real sign that the child is in the manger. And people have neglected that sign, even though it is mentioned in Luke three specific times. It probably reflects the Isaiah pas>age which lament' '"at -.-n a " "" jackass knows where to get food - in the rnang" - but I"a-\ " doesn't know wneTe to find its Lord. I think the si!n in Luke is: now you know where the manger is, The history has been reversed. God's people now know that they may find their Lord in the manger. Actually, by putting the donkeys in the crib scene (there are no animals mentioned in the Gospel), our ancestors were playing on that Isaiah passage with the little don. key who knows where to find the manger of his Lord. That's Christian imagination bUll _..il:..l;~~~nues- the biblical back';;
of that fact is precisely that Jesus is
God's Son.
hit possible hislorleany thai
Jesus hAd brothers and sisten?
ground. There arc no camels men. tioned in the Magi story, but you have a passage in the Old Testament, "People will come (rom the East with camels, dromedaries. bringing gold and frankincense." So the presence of camels is an exegesis; it's an intepretation of the Scriptures ina visual way. And it's perfectly valid. Would the miracle of God be-coming human be any less if he had two human parents instead of just one? Or should anyone even raise that question? I think it's very important that people understand that in Catholic faith Jesus was God's Son from all eternity. In a certain sense, he is God's Son no matter how he was COnceived. On the other hand, I don't under,estimate the fact that the virginal conception has been a marvelous tool to get people to see that Jesus was God's Son from the beginning. I also believe from a combination of church teaching with the evidence of the New Testament that factually Jesus really did not have a human father. He was virginally conceived. The significance
This goes beyond the question of whether Jesus was born of a virgin. It involves the question: did Mary remain a virgin after the birth of Jesus? It is not stated in the Scriptures that sne did remain a virgin; nor, on tne otner hand, is it clear from the Scriptures that those wno are called tne "broth· ers" and "sisters" of Jesus were children of Mary. It is from church tradition that we learn of Mary's continued virginity, and thus the church has clarified something that was not clear from the Scriptures. Now that doesn't mean that Matthew or Mark knew that tnese were not biological brothers and sisters of Jesus. Matthew, after all, was writing perhaps 50 years after Jesus' time. He mav never have encountered any of 'Jesus' family or have had precise knowledge of the family relationships. He may have assumed that these were biological brothers and sisters of Jesus. instead of more distant relatives. as we know from church teaching. What difference does it make if Jesus had brothers and sisters? It's not a New Testament issue; it's a later issue. The New Testament does not present Mary as a model for celibate life. She had
obviously chosen to 'be married, The virginal conception has to do with Jesus; it doesn't really have to do with Mar'y's choice of life. it's later on in -church tradition that Mary as a model of virginal choice comes in. That model appears most clearly in the fourth century, be-cause then celibacy becomes a formal pattern of Christian life. In the fourth century you get the . monastic movement in which men and women choose to give up their lives in the world. It becomes their chiefform ofsanctity. Then Mary the virgin-ever-virgin becomes the chief model for women. What does this do to our image of Mary'! I maintain that in modern Scrip~ ture study not only is Mary not downgraded, but if anything her real value in the Christian picture is strongly emphasized, partiCUlarly by Luke. She is really the first Christian. She is the first one who heard the Word of God regarding Jesus and said, "Be it done unto me according to your word." So she is the first one to belong to the family of God's kingdom not because she is Jesus' physical mother. but because she is a disciple. What about Joseph? He is always pictured as an old mn. Matlhew probably knew very Turn to Page 12
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The Rich and Diverse History ofFall River Continues with V leT 0 R I A N V 1ST A S:
FALL RIVER, 1886-1900 edited by Philip T. Silvia, Jr. VOLUME II ictorian ViSlaS, Volume 11, is a continuation of the successful Victorian Vistas, Fall River. 1865-1885, as seen through 19th century newspaper accoUnls. Dr. Silvia, a Fall Rive~ native, has captured the essence of the late 19th century in Fall River. Relive the days of the construction and dedication of 8.M.C. Durfee High School, Ihe famous Borden murders and the trial of Lizzie Borden. Like Volume I, a limited edilion of 2,000 copies has been printed.
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VATICAN CITY {NC}-Ona windy, 45-degree December night - chilly by Rome standards 6.000 Italians streamed past Swiss Guards to hear a Spanish tenor sing an Argentine folk Mass, The international event took place in the Paul VI audience hall, which normally houses Pope John Pa ulll·s Wednesday general audiences, The evening was also a char~ itable affair, with the ticket sales goi ng to tbe Italian Association Against Leukemia. The tenor, 42~year-oldJose Carrerall, bad his budding career-as an opera singer interrupted more than a year ago by leukemia. and there were doubts that he would be able to return as a performer. But on Dec. 9 at the Vatican, he gfve his second concert since apparently recovering from the disease severa I months ago. Carreras sang"Misa Criolla." a folk Mass based on styles of music frOJ1'l the Argentine Andes. and a series of Argentine folk Christmas songs that recount the events of lhe Holy Family from the Annunciation to the flight into Egypt. Joining him was the composer, Ariel Ramirez. who played the piano. They were accompanied by musicians playing typical Argentine folk instruments. These included a "charango," a mandolin made from an armadillo shell, and the "bombo:" a large drum made from tree bark with animal skin tightly 5tretched over the top and bottom. The songs were also the last Carreras recorded, in June 1981, before leukemia interrupted his carer. "'We are in the Christmas period, in the Vatican. And I think a Mass in the Vatican" is most appropria te, said Carreras when asked by Vatican Radio why he did not choose opera selections for the con<:ert. Carreras said his bout with Ieukr:mia helped him mature and strengthen his faith. "I have always been a man of faith. And even if it seems a bit opportunislic. I must say that I am now eV{"1 more so," he aoded,
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Abortion definition is clarified VATICAN CITY (NO Church authorities have clarified the legal definition of abortion to include new drugs and surgical procedures.
"In light of what's happened in abortion lately, and in light of what we know about conception, and in light of the church's teaching of the sacredness of human life, the question arose" whether the ·'Iegal definition used by the church is something more encompassing'· than the traditional legal understanding of what is meant by abortion, said Dominican Father
Joseph Fox, a member ofthe Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law. Thecommission said any method used to terminate a human life from the moment of conception until birth is an abortion and therefore an excommunicable offense.
From love "Not from necessity was Christ a debtor to death. but from love of God and man," - St. Thomas Aquinas
MARIJA Pavlovic, 23, one of six young persons from Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, who clai In to see the Virgin Mary,is scheduled to donate a liver for her brother Andrija, 31, today at University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham. The young man has been on dialysis for several months. The operation will cost some $50,000 and since the family has no health insurance, U.S. friends have been collecting contributions for him. (NC photo)
The widow's still giving her mite The poll found that households earning under $10,000 gave 2.8 Rich people are Ii lot less gener- percent of their incomes to charous than poor people, according ity, households in the $50,0'00to the findings of a recent Gallup $75,000 bracket gave only 1.5 per. poll. cent, those in the $75,000-$100,000 Maybe I shouldn't be surprised bracket gave only 1.7 percent. but it bothers me to read statistics' "Contrary to popular opinion" showing that. people in low, to the well-to-do in America cannot middle-income groups give larger . be described as generous," said portions of their incomes to char- Brian O'Connell, president of the ity than do rich people. Independent Sector, a coalition of By Antoinette Bosco
By Hilda Young If you are super-efficient and remembered to order Christmas cards with your family's,picture on them in late October, the store will lose your order. If a car pulls out of a .parking spot right where you want to park" the space will be for handicapped ·parking. Corollary: The distance you park from a store is inversely related to how big a hurry you are 10.
If you are in Sears, you will have credit cards for 'Penneys, Montgomery Ward, K Mart and Macys. Related axiom: You will discover this only after finding just what you wanted after looking for an hour, standing in line for 20 minutes and having the clerk ring up the purchase. , If you stop in the aisle to listen to the Christmas music, someone will walk off with your shopping cart. The shirt your son wants for Christmas will come in all sizes but his. Corollary: A table with 3,000 sweatshirts on sale will not have a
size medium unless you are searching for an extra large in which case all 3,000 will be size medium. Sturdy and reasonably priced clothing is never in style. The chance of having your instep crushed in a crowd increases in direct proportion to the numberof bags'you are carrying. If you arrive early at a store to beat the crowd, it will have changed its hours. You will save the receipts of all items except the ones you wish to return or exchange. Clothing that looks good on manikins does not look good on humans: All stores offer complimentary gift wrapping exc,ept the one where you. buy a gift. If there is a chanc~ you and your siSter will buy your cousin the same thing, you will. The probability of locking yourself out of the car is geometrically increased by the chance of rain or snow and nears certitude as the temperature approaches 15 degrees.
650 corporate foundation and volunteer groups which sponsored the poll. It seems to me that the reason for this has to do with empathy. Poor people understand poverty. and know how it feels. They know what it means to be trapped and frustrated by poverty's often unbreakable cycle. If you've never known poverty personally, it can be ea~y to ignore the plea of the poor. Empathy elicits a kinder response. All too often, wealthy people get miserly. When those mail ap'peals coine, they're tossed unopened into the trash. News stories about homelessness and hunger glide by with no impact. When money is readily at hand, it can be impossible to imagine the plight of a poor person. My daughter used to work on Wall Street. She had a large office on the 35th floor where millions of dollars changed hands every day. "When you're up there in that ivory tower, you lose touch with the daily life of normal people," she said. "All perspective on money disappears. The poor become little more than an abstract concept. "Even I, who had been raised in a low-income household, was beginning to forget what it had felt like," she said. . "One day it occurred to me that if I could no longer believe in the reality of poverty and couldn't remember how to feel empathy, how could my colleagues, most of whom had been born relatively privileged, ever be expected to open their hearts and minds to the problems of the poor?"
The Gallup poll reminds me of the Bible .story about the poor widow offering two small coins for charity while the wealthy' made much larger gifts. Jesus praised her offering, pointing out that she gave more than the others because she gave all she had. I guess there's nothing new about. the relative generosity of the poor. Even back in Jesus' day the poor seem to have had greater empathy. Maybe that's why Jesus chose the poorto carry his message.
The Anchor Frid~y, Dec.
I~,
1988
11
IS~AWO,MET'
It is interesting. that the Independent Sector, a group representing many private interests, commissioned this particular survey. It demonstrates concern for the question of charitable giving. I hope it encourages the wealthy sector to examine its own record.
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CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE
1988 OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL CHURCH New Bedford, Massachusetts
* * * * * * CHRISTMAS NOVENA: begins Saturday; December 17 daily with homily and special prayers at all Masses: 7:00 & 7:45 a.m. (Port.) 12:05 p.m. (Port.) & 5:00 p.m.
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* * * *.* * SACRAMENT OF PENANCE: Confessions in preparation for Christmas: Saturday, Dec. 17 from 10:00 to 11 :30 a.m. and from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19 at 8:30 a.m. and at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 8:30 a.m Thursday, Dec. 22 - Advent Penance Service at 7:00 p.m. PLEASE NOTE: No Confessions after Thursday.
* * * * * *
'CHRISTMAS MASSES: Christmas Eve. - Carols and Scripture Readings - 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass in English at 5:30 p.m.
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May the light of His love warm your heart.
Midnight Mass -
Bilingual ceremony ~ preceeded by Carols and Scripture Readings beginning at 1'1 :30 p.m.
Christmas Day -
In English: 8:15, 11 :00,5:30 p.m. In Portuguese: 9:30,a.m., & 12:15 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE: No 7 a.m. Mass on Christmas morning.
* * * * * *
To all our Friends we wish A BLESSED AND HOL Y CHRISTMAS
Msgr. Luiz G. Mendonca - Rev. Steven R. Furtado - Rev. Daniel O. Reis - Rev. James Ferry
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Christm'as Story Continued from Page Nine little about him, just his name. In the infancy story he has the same features as the patriarch Joseph who dreamed dreams and interpreted them and then went down to Egypt and was spared. The role of the New Testament Joseph is sirriilar to that of the Old Testament Joseph. If Joseph isn't really Jesus' father, why did Matthew go through the genealogy and end up with Joseph? The identity of the mother of child is more obvious than who is the father. In Jewish law, if the father takes the child and puts him in his lap and says, "This is my son," then that's his son. It's acknowledgment of the child that makes a person the father. That is the whole point of the story following the genealogy. It says very carefully that Joseph took the child and named him Jesus.. That is what constitutes Joseph the father. I think many people would find it easier to identify with the Holy Family ifJesus had a human father. I don't think either of the evangelists was presenting Mary and Joseph as a model for family life. I think that is a modern usage. I can't really deal with that from the viewpoint of the evangelists. One evangelist, Matthew, tells you all about Joseph and nothing about ~ary; other than that she gave birth to the child. The other evangelist, Luke, tells you all about Mary and nothing about Joseph. It would be extraordinary if either one intended to present the family as a model of ordinary life between husband and wife. In the same way, any suggestion from the doctrine of virginal conception that Mary would have been defile'd if she had natural union with her husband is bad doctrine and cannot be used. It路 was never the purpose of either evangelist to say that a natural conception was unworthy. Their message was one of total surprise at this creative action of God in the virginal conception which was a unique. experience.
a
Did Jesus know he was God from the moment of his birth? Or did he gradually come to realize he was God? I never say that Jesus gradually came to understand he was divine,
and yet people think that is what scholars are saying. Jesus was a Galilean Jew of the first third of the first century for whom the term God referred to the father in heaven. Jesus' coming changed the meaning of God. We now know that God can be both up in heaven and on earth at the same time, that God can be both Father and Son. There is an example in Mark's Gospel where somebody comes up to Jesus and says, "Good Master." And Jesus says, "Why do you call me good? Nobody is good but God alone." Now does that mean that he's saying he isn't God? It all depends on what you mean by God. Jesus is obviously not the Father in heaven. There was no vocabulary in Judaism to say a human being on earth is God. Every term that existed - Messiah, Son of God, even God - had to be changed in order to meet the reality of Jesus. And I think that really is what happened in the New Testament. It's a very interesting reorientation of language to fit reality. That is where Christian theology begins: finding an adequate vocabulary to convey what the early Christians had seen. ' . But even as a child in the Temple, did Jesus know he was God? ' I think that the Temple story is the same kind of story as the infancy narratives. The whole Gospel is only u.nderstood if you move backwards. The early Christians knew Jesus was God's Son throughthe resurrection. Then they began to ask, was he God's Son during the ministry? Yes, because at the Baptism Godsaid,"This is my Son."Then you move from the Baptism to the Temple story, which is the first time Jesus speaks. You say, "Well, now was Jesus adoptedT Did he become the Son of God?" The Temple story was originally told to' inform people that even from the first time he spoke, Jesus is already God's Son. Did he become God's Son then? No. He was conceived as God's Son. Did he become God's Son then? No. He preexisted as God's Son. Each answer is a deeper grasp of truth. Reprinted by permission from U.S. CATHOLIC, published by Claretian Publications, 221 W. Madison, Chicago, III. 60606; (312) 236-7782.
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_talian creches have medieval origin v ATlC'AN CITY (NC) Kitschy or traditional, mechanized, musical or with a cast of hundreds, Christmas creches have been a test of Italian ingenuity and folk artistry for centuries. Despite inroads by Santa Claus and 'other Christmas imports, Italians enthusiastically continue to assemble each year their creches, or "presepios," in town' squares, churches and private homes. This yuletide fixture appears a few days before Christmas, ready for the appearance of the baby on Christmas Day. It remains up through January, entertaining children and adults alike. Italians take a proprietary interest in the creche tradition, since it was St. Francis who started the devotional practice in 1223. In an age when the kingly and divine aspects of Christ were emphasized, St. Francis drew attention to the human and the numble: a babe born in a stable. The saint went to the town of Greccio, north of Rome, where he staged a living creche, with townspeople standing in for the biblical cast. Franciscans quickly spread the practice to other regions. Today Greccio continues the tradition with a Christmas Eve procession leil by heralds in medieval dress who call on townspeople to follow them to the manger. A child is placed in the
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crib at midnight, and the first Mass of the day is celebrated. A similar living re-creation of the first Christmas takes place every year in the tiny U mbrian hill town of Marcellano, complete with a star, 'drawn by wire across the' heavens, leading the 'shepherds to the Christ child. But in Rome, "presepios" can be found in all shapes and sizes, from the life-sized statues in St. Peter's' Square to the tiny plastic figurines collected by children. In early December Rome's traditional supermarket of"presepios" opens for business in Piazza Navona. The elegant square becomes a riot of carnival booths selling everything from hand-painted terra cotta figures and traditional Sicilian marzipan sweets to plastic dinosaurs and other cheap toys. At one end of the square is displayed a large creche annually designed by contemporary Italian artists and funded by the city government. The booths remain open until Jan. 6 - the feast of the Epiphany in Italy - when Befana the Witch brings toys to the good children and coal to the bad. While low-priced plastic creche figures can be found in Piazza Navona, serious shoppers must be ready to invest serious money. This year one handmade crechecomplete with castle turrets, apartments and winding staircases - was being offered for $550. Variety is the spice of a creche, which'is why one booth sells seven different styles of water fountains for do-it-yourselfers, while another offers figurines of bread bakers, milk maids and wine vendors, even tiny plates offish and vegetables to decorate the village tables. A tiny watermelon stand complete with fruit - vendor sold separately - can be purchased for $40. As a short stroll through the square makes obvious, the' real challenge of Italian '~p~esepios" is the often fancifUl creation of town life around the manger scene. While a basic creche cannot grow much beyond a few shepherds and a visiting king's came,l, once a town is added, the sky is the limit. As often as not these towns resemble Rome more than Bethlehem, with Roman fountains, walls and ruins used as sets. Most Roman of all is the "presepio" at the Church of Santa Maria in, Via, not far from the Trevi Fountain. Each year the church re-creates a local
Roman neighborhood in mInIature as the backdrop for its manger. Most of Rome's 500 churches join Santa Mafia in Via in setting up nativity scenes each year. Some of these elaborate sets are hundreds of years old and involve dozens of figures. . , In the city of路the baroque, historical accuracy often takes back seat to dramatic and eye-catching displays. Stars and angels move across midnight skies. Lake waters rock their fishing boats back and forth. Snow falls and hearth fires flicker in the nearby to路wn. Churches with particularly noteworthy "presepios" include the Jesuit churches of the Gesu and San Ignazio, as well as the Church of Araccieli. Here the baby Jesus used in the creche is on year-round display above the altar. It is said to have been carved from olive wood taken from the garden of Gethsemane and is particularly revered by Romans. This Christmas, however, one of Rome's most beautiful creche sets will not be seen. On Nov. 29 thieves stole an 18th-century set of 35 handmade Neapolitan figures from the Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian in the Roman Forum. Its figures, 1- to 2-feet tall, were dressed in silk 'and satin costumes, with an estimated value of up to $8,000 a figure. Only because of a lack of space, another 35 figures from the set were in storage and therefore safe from the thieves. In the past 12 years thieves have taken at least six major creche sets, including a 500-piece set worth an estimated $1.6 million. Even the size of this set pales in comparison to another 18th-eentury set currently on exhibit in north-ern Italy: its 5,000 figurines dramatize the entire life of Christ. But for creche lovers, R~me has one unmatchable boast: the relic venerated as the true crib in which , the baby Jesus re'sted, one of the prize possessions of the Basilica of St. Mary Major. References to the crib date from the 12th century, but tradition says the basilica has possessed the relic since the seventh century, when a small chapel was designed to look like the nativity grotto On the 25th day of every month the crib - five pieces of wood linked by metal bands - is exposed for veneration. On Christmas Eve, it is carried in solemn procession around the basilica during the midnight Mass. .
THE ANCHOR-Diocese of FaIl River-Fri., Dec. 16, 1988
13
Torture settlement JOHANNESBURG, S'outh Africa (NC) - A former official of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference has accepted an out-of-court settlement on his claim that he was tortured while detained by the government. Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, former
secretary general of the conference, accepted 25,000 rand (U.S. $11,000) and legal costs to settle a claim against Minister of Law and Order Adriaan Vlok for the priest's 1986 torture experience. He will donate the money to charity.
-1988
CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, Cnri,st Our LicJht
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Largest ReligiOUS Display of
Christmas Lights in the CountIy
GRADE TWO religious education students at St. Julie Billiart parish, North Dartmouth, recently learned about the sacrament of baptism through hands-on training, according to Sister Theresa Sparrow, RSM, coordinator of the 860-student parish religious education program. Each of the five second grade classes presented a "baby" for baptism to parochial vicar Father Stephen J. Avila; students took the parts of mother, father, godparents and wellwishers. Watching five baptisms, Sister Sparrow said, "made a deep impression on their minds." .
tv, movie news Symbols following film reviews indicate· both general and Catholic Films Office ratings. which do not always coincide. General ratings: G-suitable for general viewing; PG-13-parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13; PG-parental guidance suggested; R-restiicted. unsuitable for. children or young teens. Catholic ratings: AI-approved for children and adlilts; A2-approved for adults and adolescents; A3approved for adults only; A4-separate classification (given films not morally offensive which, however, require some analysis and explanation); O-morally offensive. Catholic ratings for television movies are those of the movie house versions of the films.
NOTE Please check dates and times of television and radio programs against local list· ings, which may differ from the New York network schedules supplied to The Anchor.
"Full Moon in Blue Water" (Trans World) - The Mr. Nice Guy owner (Gene Hackman) of a rundown bar and grill spends too much time mourning the loss of his wife and not enough salvaging his business or courting the feisty woman who loves him (Teri'Garr). The only drawback to this delightful ensemble piece about people . on the brink of positive change is the constant stream of vulgar language spouted by one character. Implied sexual promiscuity. A4, R "1969" (Atlantic) - Failed sentimental reflection on the pivotal year of the Vietnam War era follows two, small-town 19-year-olds (Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Downey Jr.), who as college students struggle to balance their fears about the draft with their desire to enjoy their last summer of teenage freedom. Locker-room language, full frontal nudity in a brief, nonsexual scene and some drug use and abuse. A3, R
m fi T
'''The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" (Para~ mount) ~ Follows the bumbling attempts of an L.A. police lieutenant (Leslie Nielsen) to clear the tarnished name of his partner (O.J. Simpson) and save the life of Queen Elizabeth II (Jeannette Charles). Well-choreographed pratfalls and chases, riotous sight gags but some particularly vulgar bathroom and . sexual humor that may offend some. A3, PG 13. "Tequila Sunrise" (Warner Bros.) - Detective yarn explores the limits of loyalty and betrayal within friendship. With Kurt Russell, Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Raul Julia. Tangled plot/improbable ending. Some rough language, a discreetly filmed erotic scene and an intense climax. A3, R Films on TV Sunday, Dec. 25, 8-11 p.m. EST (NBC) - "The Sound of Music" (1965) - Particularly fine screen version of the Broadway musical about the formative years of the Trapp Family Singers. A I, G Tuesday, Dec. 27, 9-11 p.m. EST (CBS) - "St. Elmo's Fire" (1985) - Seven friends cope with the world after graduating from Georgetown University. Amoral atmosphere pervades. 0, R Wednesday, Dec. 28, 9-11 p.m. EST (PBS) - "The Return of Martin Guerre"(1983) - Engrossing, fact-based French production about a 16th-century peasant who
Hardly free JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (NC) - Zwelakhe Sisulu, edi-. tor of the Catholic-backed newspaper New Nation, was released from prison Dec. 2, after being held for 720 days without being charged. Restrictions placed on him are "the harshest I have expe- . rienced," said his lawyer, Priscilla Jana. Sisulu is barred from returning to his job, granting interviews or meeting with more than 10 people. He must report to a police station twice daily and he cannot leave his home overnight. '.
abandons his wife and disappears from his native village only to reappear some eight years later, much improved in every way. A mystery / love story. Brief nudity and sexual references. A3 Religious Radio Sunday, Dec. 18 (NBC) "Guideline" -Interview with Bishop Aloysius Jin, China's Patriotic Association bishop of Shanghai.
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There was no room at the Inn... And so the Sacred Family was turned away not having a place for their blessed son to be born. The shepherds knew of shelter and guided them to the manager, known to us now as the holy cresh. We realize and celebrate the message of Christ's coming that every birth is a blessing and every creation a wonder. Rejoice. Our very best to everyone.
THE PARISH COMMUNITY OF
ST. JEAN BAPTiSTE • FALL RIVER REV. RENE G. GAUTHIER, Pas·tor
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14, THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Dec. 16, 1988
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PREJUDICE AGAINST elderly persons was discussed at a recent Youth Ministry meeting at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish, Seekonk. Mike Durkey directs the program,-which has about 60 participants.
Bishop Connolly Bishop Connolly High School, Show prize for a black and white Fall River, recently honored mem- drawing and honorable mention bers of its fall athletic teams at an for a second drawing. awards assembly. Ms. McN'ally received horiora55 varsity letters were awarded ble mention for two drawings, one in boys' and girls' cross country, black and white, one color. boys' and girls' soccer and girls' • • • • volleyball. Freshman Greg Czarkowski, an Junior 'Brian Ramos, who set a boys' cross country course record honor student involved with var(13.48.22), was named most valu- sity soccer, and freshman basketball, was recently elected president able runner. of the, class of 1992. Kathy Bump, Muffy Merrick earned the girls' cross country outstanding runner soon to be a winter track team award. She finished first in all but member, was chosen vice-president, one of the dual meets of the season and secretary slot victor is Nicole Raymond, a junior varsity basand set a course record (16.53). Chris Lafrance was named most ketbalI participant. Soccer and bas¢t valuable boys', soccer player. Sean ketball player Maura McDermott Studders was recognized ,as the was elected freshmen treasurer. .. . .' surely not the w~t thejoys o f . l o v e : ' team's lelIding scorer, teammate • • • • ..' People often mirror to us wJ1at Jay Ryan for five.shutout games. ' Mr. and Mrs. Heinz Sandelowski . >, We reallythink and believe about . Lafrance and Studders, both cap- recently met' with' seniors, their ourselves.lryou want the undertains, were named conference .all visit coordinated by faculty member .•·•. ~E~~N1Lr i·TE'Nirifl~riL.: ·J·Qne GOOd/Woman"! offers standing and love that this song stars. John Leidecker. ida asked me to teviewPeier !listeners severalexamples!6fhow describes. woi'konresponding to Pamela Tepfenhart received the Sandelowski was in a Nazi labor Cetiml's · ...One GoOd Wornah"love""can enhance oui' lives. It yourselfinthose same ways..' most improved player award for camp prior to World War II and Your comments or song sug~ec~use"hesin~about~o!f~oidesctibes a relationship that girls' soccer and Kailin O'Brien for met his wife while both were undergestions always are welcome. Adpeople can work it out ifthey are brings "out the best in me." volleyball. Volleyball tri-captain ground resistance members during headed f(ifa fall.... It'S a greaf This love has taught the pep dress Charlie Martin,R.R~. 3, Keri Hanley received the outstand- the war. Theifs was the first postsong that is headed fot the top." . son in the song to· express his Box 182, Rockport, Ind. 47635. ing player award. , war Jewish marriage celebrated in Junior John Gibney of the cross Berlin. ' country team and Colleen Manker, The couple shared their expe",' a senior volleyball player"received riences arid their thoughts on how dents with the highest scholastic standing in science during junior Massachusetts Intefscholastic Ath- good people respond to evil. . year. letic Association sportsmanship • • • • Leahy is now C;ligible for a foura~ards. year Baush and Lomb science schoSe"i-lioT Derek Leahy recently" Miss Merrick and Ramos were "The Beat," a Christian rock tured in Time and Space" concert , larship at the University of Rochesnamed Connolly Athletes of the ceived the annual Bausch and Lomb ter, N.Y. music and information program and a spotlight segment focusing Science Award. It recognizes stuMonth. produced by Building Block Min- on North Dartmouth's Jon Polce. Ramos recently competed aistries' of Taunton and UA/ CoPolce, who has recorded four gainst 254 runners in the. Kinney lumbia Cablevision of Massachu- albums and performed'with noted NQrtheast Crpss-Country chamsetts and aired in over 50 area Christian artists including Dion pionship, 'held 'at Vim' Cortland communities, including many in DiMucci and Phil Driscoll, gives Pa'~k, New York, finishing in 37th the FaIl River diocese, has readied an in-studio pe'rformance of three ".;. ' place. a special Christmas program. songs, including"Lord, I Believe," Ram'os also" was:undefeated in The show wiIl feature concert" his latest album's title, cut, and disdual rheets 'and. was' individual footage of popular Christian artist cusses his background in rock winner' bt tIl'e Fall River city cham• Amy Grant performing a song music. pionship race and seventh-place from her platinum "Age to Age" The special is being shown finisher at the Massachusetts Allalbum, a segment of Christian throughout December. Consult State meet"held recemly il,l BOliton. rock group Petra's classic "Cap- local listings for dates and times. Miss Merrick, a sophomore, ran in the- New~. York race's freshman/ sophom.or~ dj.~ision,~.finish Kindergarten students at St. a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday. All classes ing in third place am,ong over 200 Anne's School, Fall River, recently ~iII make gifts for guests and prorunners. She also, took fifth place, toured neighboring St. Anne's vide entertainment. in a recent Di.vision II Mass; State' Students are preparing gift bags Coaches' meet. ,PAT MELLO:ofNew Bedforc,i Child'and Family Service, Hospital. Second graders and CCD first of toiletries for homeless persons . ....., ·third fi'o'm left, stand~;with, from ieft, Thomas Pacheco, Lori communion candidates recently re- as a holiday service project. They .Semo.rs Emily McNally and C~th-'Brig'htni~lD and Joon Riggle juniors at Bishop Stang High ceived the sacrament of reconcilia- wiIIbe"delivered to the Rocking enne WIlcox and sophomore Mlch-. . ," .. ' , . ael Keane participated in Ii recent ,. School, North Dartmouth, and wmners of an essay contest on tion in St. Anne's Church. A recep- Horse Pub in Fall River for distribution'tiy proprietor Jack Oliveira, student art exhibition aHheG'reater ~'What Kic,is .Go T~rough if They Cannot Live at Home." The tion followed. The St. Anne Home and School who annually hosts it Christmas Fall River Art' Association. . contest wa~ coordinated by Ms. Mello through Stang religion Association recently sponsored a dinner for the needy. ~s. Wilco~ earned a Best in classes.and sponsored by her agency. Marriage Encounter workshop, Grades two and seven .students , 88 students participated in the contest, designed to draw "Managing Modern Marriage." will entertain nursing', home resiA Christmas pageant will be dents with singing and poetry and attention 'to the plight of homeless children and the need for Sacred History held at 2 p.m. Sunday in St. Anne's distribute cards and gifts. foster parents. Each winner was awarded a cash prize; Stang Church. All are welcome. . "Sacred history is not restricted The school is helping'needy chilGrade eight students wiIl pre- dren by, coIlecting iJ~ed cards and to the contents of the Bible but is notes ~~at ,because of~.he quality ofthe entries and the different pare and serve a Christmas lun- stamps. Cards are recycled and stiIl: going on; we are Iivi.ng in' approaches the winners took to the topic, it was impossible to cheon to parish elderly from ~ 1:30 stamps sold.to,deal~s; s"acred .histo~y." ----: Jean Da,nielou ~ecide on firs~, second and third place de~~gnations. . . ' . :;,..:; .....
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The Anchor Friday, Dec. 16, 1988
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Photos by Joseph Motta
Altar boys at St. Joseph's parish, Taunton
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JOSHUA DORSEY, 10, above: "I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the church and God, Before, when I started, I learned about the , Body and Blood and how to bring up the gifts and serve with Father. It's fun and I learn more every day,"
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ARTHUR AMARAL, 14:/ ",It's fun to do. You're helping the priests and serving God."
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KEITH NICKERSON, 11: " 'Cause it's fun. I've wanted to be an altar boy since third grade, and I've been doing it almost two years." WILL MENDONCA, 16: "[ knew a lot of the kids who were altar boys through C;::CD and I was kind of inspired by that. I just like it and I get along' with the priests, and to spend some time with God and help out." FATHER WILLlAML.BOFFA, 39, St'. Joseph's parochial vicar and aItar boys' director, was anaItar boy himself from grade four' through 11 at the former St. Joseph's parish, Norwalk"CT: ' '~I can're'member that the priest, FatherDennis, came into our, parochial school classroom seeking some assistance for , Mass. My first reaction wa,s 'I don't' thirik I'll eyer learn the Latin!' , "I ,wanted;.to' be a priest. I " always tho~gQt it ,was an bonor, • to be . able to serve." .. ADAM BERNARDINO; 12: "I thought it was fun to try , something new.. I sa"Y a bunch of kids having fun and thought I should try it and I did and I like it. It's doing something. The priests don't have to do it alone. You're helping out." ~
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16
THE ANCHOR-Dioceseof Fall River-Fri., Dec. 16,1988
VINCENTIANS, FR District council meeting 7 p.. m. Jan. 3, Holy Name parish.
ST. JOSEPH, FAIRHAVEN Parish schoolchildren are collecting toilet articles for the homeless.
ST. JAMES, NB
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ST. PATRICK, WAREHAM First and second grade Christmas play and party 9:45 a.m. tomorrow; parents welcome.
LaSALETTE CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING, ATTLEBORO "Believing in Beginning" New Year's retreat Jan. 6 to 8, directed by Father Giles Genest, MS, and Sister Patricia Cocozza, SND; information: 222-8530.
DIVORCED AND SEPARATED, TAUNTON Meeting 7 p.m. Sunday, Immaculate' Conception church hall. Program includes Clayton Barbeau video on surviving transitions.
ST. MARY, SEEKONK Jesus' Birth Story, caroling and manger setup 7 p.m. tomorrow.
CORPUS CHRISTI, SANDWICH The parish reports membership of 1,891 households/ 5,629 individuals.
CHRIST THE KING, COTUIT/MASHPEE Nov. 26, 1989, is the target date for dedication of the new church. Family Mass 10 a.m. Sunday.
ST. JOHN EVANGELIST, POCASSET Candles and Carols Advent celebration 7 p.m. Sunday, church; refreshments follow.
Information on annual March for Life Jan. 23 in Washington, D.C. is available from the rectory, 992-9408. Vincentian-sponsored nonperishable food drive this weekend; installation of junior altar boys at 4 p.m. Mass tomorrow..
ST. LOUIS de FRANCE, SWANSEA Parishioners have been mailed Christmas prayer booklets.
HOLY NAME, FR Rosary 5 p.m. weekdays~ Advent reconciliation service 7 p.m. Mondily. Cya freshman and sophomore basketball players needed; information: Rene Lavoie, 678-6480. School Christmas show 6:30 p.m. tomorrow. School Christmas Mass 9 a.m. Tuesday. Caroling 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Retreat renewal Sunday includes Mass.
ST. JOSEPH, TAUNTON Calix, a group for Catholics affected by substance abuse, meets 6:30 p.m. Sunday, CCD Center chapel. New altar boys: Jon and Marc Garcea, Mike Kitchen, Nathan Pawlowski, Timothy Brancsand Billy Hall..
LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE with a visit to Attleboro's LaSalette Shrine to experience its 36th annual Christmas Festival of Lights, the largest religious display of outdoor Christmas lights in the U!tited States. All are welcome; information and directions: 222-5410. O.L. MT. CARMEL, SEEKONK
Youth Ministry meeting 5 p.m. Sunday with trip to LaSalette Shrine for Mass and pizza party;.all high school students welcome. Youth Ministry Habitat for Humanity dayCATHEDRAL, FR The Cathedral priests are visiting . long.work project leaves parish center 7 a.m. tomorrow; information: in-parish apartment complexes to Sam Barchi, 336-4745. Guests of hear confessions and celebrate Mass Amos House, Providence, need new in anticipation of Christmas. clothing and toys; information: ST. DOMINIC, SWANSEA Meredith Arico, 336-6665. AppreciChildren's Mass 10 a.m. Sunday. ation night Jan. 20, Venus de Milo restaurant, Swansea. Prayer group Christmas party 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, 89 Warren Ave., Seekonk.
ST. STANISLAUS, FR Pastor Father Robert S. Kaszynski recently was told by cathedral rector Father Horace J. Travassos that Bishop Daniel A. Cronin commented on the poise and dignity of boys who served at a cathedral Mass with him; they are Chad D'Adamo, Todd Skibinski, Matthew Feeney and Sean and Joshua Cournoyer. The parish's famous Christmas tapestry is on display in the school.
O.L. CAPE, BREWSTER New choir members welcome; male voices especially needed. .
ST. ANNE, FR Cub Scout pack meeting 7 tonight, school: caroling 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Easton party' Easton senior citizens are invited to a free Knights of Columbus Christmas party, to include a turkey dinner and music, at 6 p.m. Sunday at K of C Hall, Foundry Street, South Easton. Reservations and rides are available through the town's Council on Aging, 238-1597. SS. PETER & PAUL, FR School children's Christmas Benediction II a.m. Thursday; parishioners welcome. Parish caroling 6:30 p.m. Monday, followed by refreshments, Father Coady Center.
SACRED HEART, TAUNTON
ST. THOMAS MORE, SOMERSET Advent lessons an.d carols 3 p.m. Sunday, church .
Third and fourth grade Mass Sunday. Workshop for students in play 10 a.m. to I :30 p.m. tomorrow.
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NORTH ATTLEBORO'S St. Mary-Sacred Heart Consolidated School community recently celebrated completion of the "Verifying the Vision" self-evaluation process of the National Catholic Educational Association. A prayer service commemorated the school's accreditation and priests from parishes whose children attend the school were among participants. From left: Father Ralph D. Tetrault, pastor of St. Mary's parish, North Attleboro; Father Kevin J. Harrington, . parochial vicar at St. Mark's parish, Attleboro Falls; Denise Flynn, kindergarten teacher and mother of Christopher, a sixth grader; grade two student Blake Sigman; Bishop Daniel A. Cronin; principal Kathleen Simpson; Diocesan Department of Education director Father Richard W. Beaulieu; Sister Michaelinda Plante, RSM, an associate superintendent of schools; Father Marcel H. Bouchard, pastor of Sacred Heart parish, North Attleboro. (Motta photo)
Published on Dec 6, 2011
EXAMPLESofchurch-aidedprogramsaretheCommunitySoupKitchenatthe Cath~lic SocialServicesbuildinginFallRiver,wherevolunteersMayettaandJosephLeva...
