12.28.07

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e e t I mmIgra Ion raled ; new I

s~hools and

parishes; Appeal; top 2007 stories I

I

By

DEA~ON JAMES

N.

DUNBAR

FALL RIvER - The solidarity of CatholiJ clergy and laity across the Fall River Diocese in joyfully proclaiming their faith in the good times as ~~ll as their Christian hope in the bad, is truly the top and brightest story of: the year. In what! was a year of wins and losses, the faithful as well as the many dioc~san groups and agencies, led by Bisnop George W. Coleman,. always fiel¼d a winning team when it came to 4hampioning key issues; at the sameitime reaching out to the impoverish¢d spiritually and materially. iI Sometime it called for affirmative actioJ - setting the record straight on ~atters offaith and morals - sucllias challenging facets of proposed mandatory sex-education courses in public schools attended by more than half a million Catholic youth; arid answering the November bashing by The F~ll River Heraid News that opined that the Church "harbors ra~ists," and therefore lacks the credibiijty to "order" the faithful to mull their choices in the 2008 presidential! election. Transcending the failure at year's I start to moveI unbending Massachusetts lawm*ers to restore marriage to its digni~ as the basic social struc-

ture designed by God in his plan for creation, was the mobilizing ofthousands in many ways in support of their faith beliefs. It showed as Catholics quickly organized to assist 361 immigrants and their families separated 'and heading for deportation after being caught up in a federal immigration raid in March on a New Bedford factory; generously propelled the spring anriual Catholic Charities Appeal to a record high; raised whopping $665,535 in scholarships through the St. Mary's Education Fund's fund-raisers for needy but deserving students to attend Catholic schools; attended holy hours to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life; embraced pastoral planning recommendations for bettet: utilization of parishes and clergy to continue the mission of Christ's' Church; and attende"d Boston's Men's and Women's Conferences to bolster their own faith and inspire others. They demonstrated their legacy by building new churches and opening new schools; converting a former New Bedford convent into 17 units ofhousing for the homeless and disabled; marked the 25th anniversary of the catastrophic May 1982 fire Tum to page eight - Diocese

a

Trav~ls, Pop~

consistory,. writings keep Benedict busy 'during 2007

B~ JOHN THAVIS

counters with a lineup of world leaders, including U.S. President George VATIcAN CITY Pope W. Bush. I Benedict XVI never gives the impresIn April - just before celebratsion of beiI~g overburdened, yet a ing his 80th birthday - the POPe publook back at 2007 reveals a long list lished "Jesus of Nazareth," which' ,ofpapal acti~ities and achievements. made the case that Christ must be unThe po~'s output included four derstood as the Son of God on a dimajor docuJents and a lengthy book, vine mission, not as a mere moralist I ,. more than 2QO speeches and sermons, or social reformer. In six months, the two foreign Itrips and three in Italy, book had sold more than two million the creation 9fnew cardinals, and en- ' Tum to page 14 - Benedict

CATHduc

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12.28.07 by The Anchor - Issuu