FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPERFOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTSCAPE COD &THE ISLANDS

VOL. 41, NO. 45 • Friday, November 21, 1997 FALL RIVER, MASS. Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year

Winners of house

A happy holiday for the DaSilveiras

BISHOP O'MALLEY stands with the happy DaSilveira fam­ily. From left, Maria, Melissa and Denisa. (Malone photos)

Cape "Kitchen Angels" bring food to needy

I...., .

happy to do so," said Pat Sullivan,delivery coordinator. "We had someextra plates made up and broughtthem to people who were not at homebecause of work, like at the police sta­tion or local shops."

Recently the group was com­mended by the Friends of theProvincetown Council on Aging forits "quiet" volunteer program. At thatpoint they did not yet have a namefor their group and were taken by sur­prise when asked what it was. Theyeventually settled on "SI. Peter'sKitchen Angels," and use the slogan"holiday meals for holiday shut-ins."

The Kitchen Angels are gettingready as this Thanksgiving rapidlyapproaches and ask that any shut-inwho is not on the Meals on Wheelsprogram or is unable to attend thesitdown holiday meal at St. Mary'sof the Harbor keep them in mind. Ifthey would like a meal delivered,people are encouraged to contact anyof the town's places of worship andleave their name and phone number.These will be passed on to the An­gels coordinator, who will verify therequest by phone before the holiday.

Anyone who would like to helpdeliver these holiday meals in theirown vehicles or would like more in­formation about St. Peter's KitchenAngels may contact Dan De Palma,tel. 487-2434.

Speaking for a grateful neighbor­hood association, Latisha Silva toldthe New Bedford Standard-Timesthat the house had been vandalizedand was a "neighborhood eyesore."

Rehabilitating it, Malone told thenewspaper, was "an attempt to helpstabilize a neighborhood that is notbad but is kind of on the edge."

..

o'clock on Thanksgiving Day and thetrio also financed, prepared and deliv­ered holiday meals on Thanksgiving,Christmas, and Easter of that first year.

"We wanted to avoid using plasticor styrofoam food containers and tomake the food more appetizing we setup each meal on oval plates with sidedishes for salad and dessert, and withcloth napkins and real flatware whichwe borrowed from the restaurant Danwas then associated with," saidNancy. These were picked up the nextday and returned until the next holi­day arrived.

Soon the Interfaith Food MinistryCoalition, The Soup Kitchen at theUniversalist Meeting House and thegroup organizing the sit-down holi­day meals at the Methodist Churchmade it clear to the group that therewere far more than 15 who neededholiday meals brought to them. It wasnot long before three more volunteersjoined the group: Pat Sullivan, WendyLacerda, and Irene Joseph and withthem the group could begin to satisfythat bigger need.

Last Easter they prepared and de­livered over 45 meals to shut-ins allover town. "If people couldn't get tothe sitdown Easter dinner at St. Maryof the Harbor Episcopal Churchwhich is open to everyone in the com­munity and we knew who they wereand how to get to them, we were most

pass Bank mortgage covered 95 per­cent of its value, asking a down pay­ment of only three percent. The re­maining two percent Ms. DaSilveiraneeded came as a lO-year loan fromthe Office of Housing and Neighbor­hood Development; and it will be can­celed in 10 years if Ms. DaSilveiracontinues to live in the house.

Several years ago, a handful of pa­rishioners of St. Peter the Apostle,Provincetown, learned that Meals onWheels, the program that delivereddaily meals to local shut-ins, did notdo so on holidays. Apparently thelack of funds and the difficulty of at­tracting holiday volunteers were theculprits so these parishioners soughtto correct the situation.

First they obtained permission todo so from the person in charge of thelocal Meals on Wheels program, whoincidentally thought it was a wonder­ful idea, but also needed approval fromher bosses. Once that came through,Meals on Wheels recipients were con­tacted and asked if they would like aholiday meal delivered to their homeand if their name, address, and phonenumber could be given to the new vol­unteer group. "It was a green light allthe way," explained Dan De Palma, thegroup's organizer.

A list of 12 people was handed tohim and when he shared it with his firsttwo cohorts., Nancy Marotto andYvonne Cabral-Edwards, they realizedthey knew each person on the list.They also added three more names ofpeople not in the Meals on Wheelsprogram, but who were shut-ins whomight enjoy the meal. Nancy andYvonne contacted each person to ex­plain that they would deliver their holi­day meal between noon and one

KITCHEN ANGELS Dan De Palma, Wendy Lacerda, Nancy Marotto, Yvonne Cabral­Edwards and Irene Joseph work on angel-motif holiday decorations for the upcoming holi­day bazaar at St. Peter's, Provincetown. They've been very busy with projects like this oneand their holiday meals to holiday shut-ins program.

plans to start work on a second house,also in New Bedford's south end.

Ms. DaSilveira expects to move herfamily into their new home as soon asall negotiations are completed and sheplans to rent her second apartment.

Malone said the house cost a totalof about $180,000 to purchase, reno­vate and delead, and that the Com-

as eligible to become fil1lt-time homeowners had the opportunity to viewthe house and indicate ~heir interestin it.

Bishop Sean O'¥alley waspresent to bless the house and also onhand were representatives of NewBedford city governme':lt and of thefirst-time home-buyers' program ofCompass Bank, New Bedford, whichhad provided Ms. DaSilveira with a$70,000 mortgage. RepresentingCatholic Social Services was execu­tive director Arlene A. McNamee.

Then came the breath-holding mo­ment. Bishop O'Malley asked one ofthe children present to pick the win­ning envelope from the six in a redbasket held by another child. Whomshould he choose but MelissaDaSilveira, who will be living in thehouse!

"Thank you, God!" shoutedMelissa's mother as the bishop openedthe envelope and read her name.

Malone, a semi-retired real estatedevelopment agent and director ofCommunity Action for Better Hous­ing, said the nearly century-old housewas rehabilitated und~r his supervi­sion and that Catholic Social Services

By PAT MCGOWAN

It·s going to be a wonderfulThanksgiving for Cape Verdean emi­grant Maria DaSilveira of New Bed­ford and her little daughters Melissaand Denisa.

On Monday, Nov. 17, they becamethe lucky winners of a drawing for aonce abandoned two-family home onNew Bedford's South Sixth Street, inSt. John the Baptist parish.

Renovation of the home was a col­laborative effort on the part of Com­munity Action for Better Housing, aproject of the New Bedford office ofDiocesan Catholic Social Servicesand the City of New Bedford Officeof Housing and Neighborhood Devel­opment.

Applications for the house wereaccepted from income-eligible fami­lies and individuals, and eventuallysix were selected to participate inMonday night's drawing, held in theliving room of the coveted property.James Malone, manager of Commu­nity Action for Better Housing, ex­plained that the proces!; began withan Oct. lon-site open house, widelyadvertised in the New Bedford area,at which persons previously qualified

2 THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997 .. _

THE 38TH ANNUAL Corporate Communion Supper of theTaunton and Attleboro districts of the Fall River DiocesanCouncil of Catholic Women was held recently at ImmaculateConception Church in N. Easton. Pictured from left are Rev.Thomas E. Morrissey, district III moderator; MaureenPapineau, vice-president and chairman of district III; LucilleCouture, district III president; Most Rev. Sean P.O'Malley,OFM, Cap., principal celebrant and homilist; Mary Martin,district IV president; Rev. Msgr. Daniel F. Hoye, district IVmoderator; Marian Desrosiers, assistant to the director ofthe pro-life apostolate and guest speaker. .

LEARY PRESS

MEMBERS OF YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY will be adding their talents to the prepara­tions for the Bishop's Charity Ball to be held Jan. 9 at the Venus de Milo Restaurant inSwansea. The ball, sponsored by the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and the St.Vincent de Paul Society, is held each winter to raise funds for Catholic Apostolates andMinistries within the diocese. Pictured above is part of the decoration committee led byClaudette Armstrong (left). With her are Angie Byers, Michelle Hamel and Lisa M. Gulino,director of Adult Education. (Anchor/Mills photo)

CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

individuals in all geographic areasof the Diocese. Presently, solici­tations are being directed to pro­spective friends of diocesan chari­ties in the business, industry and'professional circles of southernMassachusetts and to socia.l, civicand parish organizations. A col­orful souvenir booklet will he pub­lished in conjunction with the Ball,listing donors and their support tothis year's effort.

Those wishing to contribute tothis effort are invited to contactthe Catholic Charities Office, 344Highland Avenue, Fall River,MA, 02722 or by phone: 676­8943. Ticket information mayalso be obtained at all parishesthroughout the Fall River diocese.

for the Ball and decoratingSwansea's Venus de Milo Ball­room for the Jan. 9 event. Otheryoung adults will cooperate withmembers of the Society of SaintVincent de Paul in attending toushering chores. Helping to co­ordinate the participation of theYoung Adult Ministry membersare Louis "Bud" Miller, directorof Youth Ministry Services, andLisa M. Gulino, director of theDiocesan Office of Adult Educa­tion.

The annual event brings to­gether members of the diocesanfamily for a celebration which ben­efits the agencies, institutions andapostolates 'Nhich serve the needsof many thousands offamilies and~

Conference opposes.'Oregon's suicide statute

The Massachusetts Catholic Conference has issued the followingstatement on Oregon's referendum regarding assisted suicide:

We are saddened by the recent vote in Oregon to keep a seriouslyflawed.statute on the books that legalizes assisted suicide for the ter­minally ill. Among other flaws, the statute reduces an entire cll/SS ofpersons to second-class citizenship, stigmatizing them as having lives

; not.'worthy of equal protection; exposes vulnerable persons to in­cre~sedrisks ofmistake and abuse by lacking even basic safeguards;lowers: the ·standard ofcare for physicians, and immunizes them fromliab'kity'everi. when they carelessly misdiagnose a person's' compe-.tency.~or condition. :. .

Despite 'the. valiant efforts of a broad coalition of medical, legal,and religious groups to repeal a law that even its'supporters admit ispqorly conceived, Oregon remains the first and only state to immu­nize physicja'1s from penalty for helping their. t~rminally ill patientsto kill themselves. In theface ofcalls to replicate Oregon's misgu idedpolicy in Massachusetts, we must redoubl!! our efforts to provide bet­ter care for the dying, and we must address the very real fears ofpainand abandonment that give rise to suicidal desires. Killing is no!' theanswer!

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Members of "Generation X" .affiliated with the DiocesanYoung Adult Ministry will be co­operating with the traditionalsponsors of the annual Bishop'sCharity Ball to help host thisyear's celebration. "We are de­lighted to have the vigorous col­laboration of these energetic newhelpers," noted Ball DirectorMsgr. Thomas J. Harrington."We hope that it will give a newthrust to our efforts and we wel­come the addition of some youth­ful new friends to our team."

Participants in Young AdultMinistry will be joining the Di­ocesan Council of CatholicWomen in ~erving as hostesses

Young adults add talents to annu,alBishop's Charity Ball preparatiollS

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Bishop O'Malley to celebrateMass for World AIDS Day

Diocese of Fan River

/

lay persons, including those livingwith the HIV/AIDS virus, theirfamily members and AIDS Minis­try office volunteers.

For more information, pleasecontact the Diocesan Office ofAIDS Ministry, tel. 674-5600, ext.2295.

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She bas taken across counby camping tripof the United States.

Sbe spent ayear at Sakonnet Vineyardsworking in every aspect of wine production

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Sbe bas natwaIly curly hair.

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THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997 3

O'Malley began the observance in1994 at St. Mary's Cathedral andin successive years has celebra~ed

the liturgy in New Bedford and onCape Cod. It is coordinated by Dr.Krysten Winter-Green, director ofDiocesan AIDS Ministry, and acommittee of clergy, religious and

In line with the national themeof World AIDS Day as designatedby the United Nations, "Give Chil­dren Hope in a World With AIDS,"the diocesan commemoration willhighlight the work of young peoplefrom the diocese. The winningdrawings and essays from contestsheld for elementary and highschool students will be included inthe liturgy. The art work has beenincorporated into a banner to becarried in the procession and theessays will be read. The Office ofAIDS Ministry sponsored the con­tests this past spring and fall as anopportunity for education on theAIDS pandemic at a level appro­priate to age and grade of the stu­dents.

At the conclusion of the Masscandles will be distributed tocongregants and all will be invitedto walk together in procession withlighted candles from the Cathedralacross Second Street to the Cathe­dral school building, where a recep­tion will be held., Refreshments willbe served and other student entriesin the elementary school art con­test will be on display.

The Mass of Healing and Re­membrance is held annually in theFall River Diocese. Bishop

twenty minutes of meditationhymns before the Mass. In the con­text of the service prayers will beoffered in several languages in ad­dition to English, specifically Pol­ish, Portuguese, Spanish, Frenchand Creole, to reflect the ethnic di­versity of the diocesan family.

Two panels from the nationalAIDS quilt will hang in the Cathe­dral adjacent to the sanctuary forthe Mass. Rev. Joseph Costa, Ca­thedral rector, noted that the panelswill be in place by Saturday morn­ing and that the Cathedral will beopen throughout the day on Satur­day, Sunday and Monday for those~ho wish to see them, offer prayersor to enter a name in the book whichwill be available.

OFFICIAL

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Sean O'Malley, O.P.M.Cap., Bishop of Fall River, has announced the following appoint­ment:

Bishop Scan O'Malley, OFMCap., will celebrate a Mass of Heal­ing and Remembrance in obser­vance of World AIDS Day on Mon­day, December I, at 6:00 p.m. at St.Mary's Cathedral, 327 SecondStreet, in Fall River. Pri(:sts fromthroughout the diocese will concel­ebrate the Mass with the bishop andeveryone is welcome to attend.

On this day of recognition of thetragedy of HIV/AIDS in our com­munity and in our world, the Massoffers to all the opportunity to praytogether for those affected and theirloved ones, and for those deceased.

Sine Nomine, a regional 20­voice choir group specializing' inchurch music, will provide musicfor the liturgy, beginning with

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EDICTAL CITATIONDIOCESAN TRIBUNAL FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS

Since the actual place of residence of LIEF M. ANDERSON is unknown.We cite LIEF M. ANDERSON to appear personally before the Tribuhal of the Dio­

cese of Fall River on Tuesday, December 2, 1997, at 2:30 p.m. at 887 Highland Av­enue, Fall River, Massachusetts, to give testimony to establish:

Whether the nullity of the marriage existsin the Orabone-Anderson case?

Ordinaries of the place or other pastors having the knowledge of the residence ofthe above person, Lief M. Anderson, must see to it that he is properly advised inregard to this edictal citation.

Given at the Tribunal, Fall River, Massachusettson this the 17th day of November, 1997.

Effective November 26, 1997

Rev. Joseph H. Mauritzen, from Parochial Vicar, Saint Pius XParish, South Yarmouth, to Chaplain, Saint Anne's Hospital, FallRiver.

Paul F. Robinson, O.Carm., J.C.D.Adjutant Judicial Vicar

Rev. William W. Norton, Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Vic­tory Parish, Centerville.

Effective November 22, 1997

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AN EMBOSSED GREETING CARD FROM THE EARLY 1900s SHOWSA PURITAN COUPLE SAYING THANKSGIVING PRAYERS.

THANKSGIVING DAY FALLS ON NOV. 27 THIS YEAR.

THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River -':- Fri., Nov. 21, 1997. '-'", . ". .

the moorins.-,Pray for the Synod .

This week in Rome the Synod of Bishops for America was for­mally convened by Pope John Paul II. For a month, nearly 300representatives from the Americas will discuss an agenda designedto help the Catholic communities of North and South America en­ter into the new millennium with renewed purpose and intent.

Five centuries after Columbus' dramatic entrance into the NewWorld bringing with him his Catholic European tradition, theAmeri­cas are on the one hand indebted to the best that the Old World gavebut on the other still suffering from the worst of its prejudices.

These times have seen a Catholic Church ofgreat diversity, rang­ing from the stoic mind of North America to the Latin passions ofSouth America. Nevertheless, the Church has flourished in bothAmericas in ways that are puzzling and confusing. North of theso-called border, the Church has been tremendously affected bythe Protestant work ethic, driven by the desire 'to succeed and toprove that its members are not second-class citizens. This desirewas nurtured by a Catholic education system that offered immi­grants the means of attaining success.

From one end of the North American continent to the other,schools, colleges, and universities daringly raised the cross as asymbol of determination as well as of faith, but sad to say toomany s~eking the American dream only viewed it in terms of dol­lars and cents. To be a wealthy American became more importantto many than being a Catholic in America. As the years of thepresent century have passed, the challenge in the north has be­come one of reevangelizing our own people and bringing themback into the Church family.

This will be one of the major challenges facing this synod.Getting bogged down in regional and petty issues will do theChurchpoor service. Indeed the difficulties she faces in Central and SouthAmerica perhaps stem from lack of a cohesive system of Catholiceducation. The caste system imposed by the Spanish certainlywas divisive and much of this mind-set still survives.

The missionary efforts of the Church weretoo often combinedwith the conquest of new peoples, and too often the worst of theOld World was .imposed on the New. Evangelization was oftenbased on fear, not 19ve.. ~ucatipn wa~ JO\':Jhe..\l{~althY: and thepoor had whatever the.f.TIl~sIOns could sup-ply. Inthis'century, theexploitation of Central and South America by the capitalist Northhas been nothing more than social injustice with the rich gettingricher and the poor ever more poor right to the present day.

Today's challenge in South America comes not only from neweconomic endeavors, but from distribution of the benefits they makepossible to all classes. Many have been won from the Church by theemotional evangelical promises', while many abandoned by the sys­tem seek justice by revolution. To be sure, the Church in both Ameri­cas has much in common. It's the differences that divide. Over twothirds of the people of the two continents are in name Catholic.How to move them beyond mere nominalism is a challenge that thesynod fathers must face and respond to in their deliberations.

It is imperative that the Catholic families of North and SouthAmerica pray that the synod delegates be open and honest in theirdiscussion of the challenges of the times and not avoid the realissues because of ecclesiastical niceties. The unsolved problemsof centuries have a tendency to accumulate, but by getting down tothe proverbial brass tacks and launching into the future with theempowerment of the Holy Spirit, much good both in the practicaland spiritual spheres can be achieved. Conversely, dodging issues,

. sublimating feelings and ignor!ng reality will poorly serve thepeople of God.

The Synod of Bishops for America is important for all of us. Itoffers much promise. May we all pray that God will infuse it withHis Spirit so that the Word will indeed become flesh in the Americas.

The Editor

theancho.(S)OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVERPublished weekly by The C~tholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River

887 Highland Avenue P.O. BOX 7Fall River. MA 02720 Fall River, MA 02722·0007

Telephone 508-675-7151FAX (508) 675-7048

Send address changes to P.O. BOll 7 or call telephone number above

EDITOR GENERAL MANAGERRev. John F. Moore Rosemary Dussault

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THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997

JINGLE BELL WALKA walk dedicated to the memory

of Joseph C. Saulino, a youngschoolteacher who died of a rareform of colon cancer in 1990 willbe held on Nov. 30. Registration is

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OL PERPETUAL HELP, NBPrayer group will meet at 1 p.m.

Nov. 25 for recitation of the DivineMercy chaplet, prayer and reflec­tion followed by a Marian talk, reci­tation of the rosary, and Benedic­tion of the Blessed Sacrament. Allwelcome. .

friends always welcome.

NOTRE DAME, FRAnnual Thanksgiving prayer

service sponson~d by the Fall RiverInterfaith Council of Greater FallRiver will be held at 7 p.m. Nov.24. Join us for Liturgy of the Wordand refreshments following in theparish center.

ST. JOSEPH, NBThe Legion of Mary annual re-'

union will be held at 2 p.m. Nov.30. It will begin with Benedictionof the Blessed Sacrament and in­clude recitation of the rosary. A so­cial gathering will follow and en­tertainment will be provided by thelegion praesidia. All welcome.

ST. PATRICK, WAREHAMCardiac support group meets on

the first and third Tuesday of eachmonth at 7 p.m. All cardiac patientsand their families are welcome. In­formation: Joanne Finn 295-0880ext. 368.

A special anointing Mass willtake place at 2 p.m. Nov. 23 for allelderly or infirm people. Informa­tion: 295-2411.

HOLY NAME, NBThe Calix group will meet on

Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the parishcenter. Calix is for Catholics cel­ebrating recovery from alcoholism,drug addiction and other dependen­cies. It offers a complement to thespirituality ofthe 12-step programsof AA and NA, etc., with specifi­cally Catholic elements includingMass and the Sacraments. New

VOCATIONS OFFICECollege and high s~hool students

are invited to the next gathering foryoung men at Sacred Heart rectory,FR, on the Friday after Thanksgiv­ing, Nov. 28, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.Join us for evening prayer, dinner,and a brief sharing al;>out vocationsand our Christian faith life. New­comers are most welcome to joinus. Contact Father Craig Preganaat 675-1311 or Email: FRVocationOffice@Juno.com for more infor­mation.

ST. JULIE BILlLIART,N. DARTMOUTH

Bishop O'Malley will celebratea Mass for deceased Serrans at 7p.m. Nov. 24. Serra Club is an in­ternational organization of Catho­lic men and women who pray forvocations to religious life. All wel­come.

FOOD DRIVEAt this time of year many par­

ishes are collecting food items todonate to families and individuals inneed. Contact your local parish tofind out how you can ~elp and what'items may be needed. Help make adifference this Thanksgiving.

VOCATION COMMITTEEThe Diocesan Vocation Commit­

tee will sponsor an afternoon ofAd­vent reflection for women in initialand ongoing formation and forthose interested in or consideringconsecrated life at St James Con­ference Center, Nanaquaket,Tiverton, RI, from 2:30 to 5 p.m.on Dec. 7. All welcome. Informa­tion: Office of Religious 992-9921.

----..".-~-.....

Iteering pOintl

THE FALL RIVER Diocesan Council of Catholic Womenis having an Advent afternoon of prayer from 1:30 to 4 p.m.on Dec. 7 at Holy Rosary Church, Taunton. The afternoonwill include Scripture, rosary, adoration, Benediction and wit­ness by Deacon John Welch. Pictured above are Sister JaneSellmayer (left), DCCW Church Commision consultant, andVivian Belanger, DCCW Church Commission chairperson.

PUBLICITY CHAIBMEN areasked to submit news items forthis column to The Anchor, P.O.Box 7, Fall River, 02722. Nameof city or town should be in­cluded, as well as full dates ofall activities. Please send newsof future rather than past events.

Due to limited spa(:e and alsobecause notices of strictly par­ish affairs normally flppear in aparish's own bulletin, we areforced to limit,items to events ofgeneral interest. Also, we do notnormally carry notices offundraising activities, whichmay be advertised at our regu­lar rates, obtainable from TheAnchor business office, tel. (508)675-7151.

On Steering Points Items, FRindicates Fall River, NB indicatesNew Bedford. All telephone num­bers withoutarea codes are (508).

HOLY TRINITY, W. HARWICHPastoral care visitors are hold­

ing an Advent service at 6:30 a.m.,Dec. I for residents of Eagle PondRehabilitationlLiving Center, Den­nis. There will be a second serviceheld at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 4 at theRosewood Manor, Harwich. Allwelcome.

Little miracles make our hearts rej;oicethemselves lightly."

Thanksgiving is a time for usto be graced not simply withnourishment of food, but withthe cheerful heart that being inthe presence of our loved onesshould bring us. No one should,on my account, be reminded ofthe warning of FriedrichNietzsche, "I would like to seethe redeemed looking more re­deemed!"

If the words of comfort thatwe exchange at table d'J not im­mediately help us to drive awayunnecessary sadness, then weshould remember that our pro­claiming ofthe Good Kews willnever strike a responsive chordif we go about with sad faces.

Our whole beings, includingour facial expressions., shouldmake known to the world thatwe trace our roots back to theoverflowing bliss of God, whohas called us to be cocek~brators

of his eternal feast of blessed­ness and joy. With open heartswe can find many reasons to re­joice so others can see cheerfulfaces for the Lord!

ADVENT BEGINS NEXT

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER. 3tJ

life with your eyes and ears shut.How can gratitude enter ourhearts unless we cultivate asense of openness, which flour­ishes in the fruitful soil of grati­tude toward God and toward ourfellow human beings. Gratitudeis, as it were, the open channelfor the reception of new graces,new insights and new possibili­ties. Bitter people will alwaysfind ways of blocking that chan­nel and becoming unreceptive tograce and to the call of the mo­ment.

The best antidote to bitter­ness I know is humor. InAristotle's rich teaching on vir­tue, he refers to humor("eutrapelia") as liveliness orready wit. He characterizes avirtue as a healthy mean or bal­ance between two extremes,namely grim seriousness' andinane foolery. I remember tell­ing one of my professors that Ibelieved in moderation in ev­erything, including modera­tion! This reminds me of G.K.Chesterton's famous quote:"Angels fly because they take

Weekly General.Audience Message

Pope John Paul n

.Dear brothers and sisters,

In our catechesis on the Creed we have reached the pointwhere we profess our faith in the resurrection of the bod'id andlife everlasting. These "lost things" can onlld be understood in thelight of the divine plan which unfolds in human historld and in thelife of each individual. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Lord of his­torld, leads creation bock to the Father through the life-,~iving

action of the Holld Spirit. This is the conteKt which also enables usto eHplain the meaning of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000,for which we are preparing.

Through a free oct and motivated onlld bid love, God cr(!atedall things. In creating the. universe he created time, whic:h heguides in its development. God is also the author of the NewCreation: In Christ he has healed and renewed our human condi­tion, wounded bid sin. While the jubilee speaks to us of what Godhas done in the post, it is also. a reminder that the future, too, isin his hands. We approach the jubilee therefore with hope andtrust, for we know that it will bring about the fulfillment of thedivine plan of love for each of us and for all humanitld.

TodOid I eKtend a special welcome to the stoff and studentsof the Ecumenical Institute in Bosseld, Switzerland, who ar'e inRome as port of their graduate school program. Oear friends,during the lost few months .ldoU have hod on opportunit~1 todeepen Idour ecumenical commitment and responsibilitld. It is midhope that Idour visit will further encourage IdoU to be servants ofthe unitld for which Christ prayed on the night before he died (cf.In 17:211 God bless IdoU all!

I am also pleased to greet the participants in the courseorganized bid the NATO Defense College: mOld Idour dedicated pro­fessional efforts alwalds be aimed at building a world of true 'Jndlasting peace.

Upon all the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims, I glc1dlldinvoke the jOld and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

By REV. KEVIN J. HARRINGTON

Thanksgiving. Day gives usall a wonderful opportunity tocultivate a sense of gratitude.

Gratitude begins by our ef­forts to become more aware ofthe miracles that happen aroundus every day. In 1993, when Ibecame pastor of St. Joseph'sparish in Attleboro, arather bit­ter old woman asked me if I wasgoing to get rid of the food cel­lar that operates out of the rec­tory basement. The programwas then two years old. I askedher why would I ever want to dosuch a thing? She said that whenshe lived through the depressionof the 1930's no one ever helpedher and thepeople who come forfood are better off then she wasback then.

I begged her to try to be tol­erant and to give the people whocome to the food cellar the ben­efit of thtr doubt. I helped her toacknowledge that at least someof the people who come to it areno different than she was whenshe was poor. I implored her totry to make up for the wrong thatwas done to her so many yearsago. One of my happiest mo­ments came when she broughtme empty bags and told me thatshe had had a change of heart,but that providing the bags wasall she could do because she wasliving on a fixed income. Littlemiracles can make our hearts re­joice!

This past Veterans' Day agroup of youngsters from the lo­cal public middle school col­lected and delivered over 2000items offood to our food cellar.The teacher in charge told mehow surprised he was that twiceas many items came in than hadthe year before. Later a 12-year­old told me that she was not sur­prised, because that a long timeago, when she was six years old,her mother was out of work andSt. Joseph's food cellar helpedher family get by. She addedthat was the reason why shemade everybody give some­thing, even those who thoughtit was uncool. She made all herfriends promise her that they'dbe "wicked generous." I amgrateful for encountering thatlittle girl whose enthusiasmturned a holiday into a holy dayfor me and made me rememberwhen six years ago was a longtime ago!

The greatest gifts that grate­ful people possess are "anten­nas" that often pick up unex­pected new insights and per­spectives. To go through lifesaying "no one ever did anythingto help me" is like going through

11111111111111111111111111111TIlE ANCHOR' (USPS-545-m0) PeriodicalPostage Paid at Fall River, Mass. Publishedweekly except for the first two weeks in Julyand the week after Christmas at 887 HighlandAvenue, Fall River, Mass. 02720~ the CatholicPress of the Diocese ofFall River. SUbscriptionprice ~ mail, postpaid $14.00 per year.Postmasters send address changes to TheAnchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA 02722.

THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997

CFCA adds lOO,OOOthsponsorship

MILESTONE REACHED! Archbishop James Keleher ofKansas City, Kan. (left) celebrates the Christian Foundationfor Children and Aging's (CFCA), 1OO,OOOth sponsorship withCFCA co-founder Bernard Hentzen. (photo by Buford Erwin)

Nine-year-old Jose Anaul Arita co-founder Bernard "Bud" HentzenMunos of Honduras just found new noted that "It has taken us 16 yearshope and' Archbishop James to reach 100,000 sponsors. I hope,Keleher of Kansas City, Kan., just and truly believe, that we will reachmade a new friend. 200,000 by the end of the millen-

"I am honored to become more nium year, 2000."personally involved in this great He also recalled thework," Archbishop Keleher said, as organization's founding in 1981,he formally signed on as the when brothers Jim, Bob, and Bud100,000th sponsorship with Chris- Hentzen and their friend Jerry Tolle,tian Foundation for Children and all Catholic laymen, began assist­Aging (CFCA), a non-profit orga- ing 25 children .in Colombia andnization working with Catholic 'Honduras. Although the organiza­missionaries for the benefit of chil- tion expanded to work with mis­dren and the aging in 23 countries. sionaries in Chile, Guatemala, Do-

The archbishop was among minican Republic and the Philip­about 100 people celebrating the pines within the first year, addingmilestone at CFCA headquarters in sponsors was slow going at first. "IKansas City, Kan., Oct. 14. He said remember the days when one newhe had traveled to Honduras in the sponsor a day would really makepast, and chose Jose as his spon- our day," Bob Hentzen said.sored friend for"that reason. He also Today, CFCA has 70 fulltimeshared a few sobering facts about employees and is one of severalJose's life. major sponsorship organizations

"He has six brothers and sisters," serving the poor in the developingthe archbishop said. "His mother, world. The majority of its sponsorsesentially a single mother, makes are reached through weekend ap­$15 a month. Can yO!) imagine try- peals conducted by priests in par­ing to raise seven children on $15 a· ishes throughout the United States.month?" CFCA is probably the single larg-

As Jose's sponsor, Archbishop est advertiser in the Catholic pressKeleher will pledge $20 a month to and is a member of the .CatholicCFCA, which will distribute the Press Association, U.S. Catholicmoney to Jose's community, help- Mission Association, the Nationaling to provide medical and dental Catholic Development Conference,attention, food, clothing, education, the National Catholic Stewardshipshelter, Christian formation, and Council, the Catholic Network ofagricultural training. The arch- Volunteer Service and the Nationalbishop will also receive letters from Catholic Council for Hispanic Min­his new friend, and the two may istry.even get the opportunity to meet Although CFCA has suffered theface to face. deaths of two of its co-founders,

"As soon as I can go to Hondu- Jim Hentzen and Jerry Tolle, in theras, can you meet me and take me past few years, its outlook remainsto this very remote place where my positive and its commitment to thelittle guy lives?" the archbishop poor of the world unwavering. Bobasked CFCA co-founder Bob' Hentzen, CFCA'president, nowHentzen, who called during the cel- lives permanently in Guatemala andebration from his home in San Luca works directly with CFCA projectsToliman, Guatemala, and spoke to in Central America and Mexico.staff, volunteers, friends and fam- . His brother Bud calls the shots fromily by speaker phone. Kansas City as CFCA's executive

To the cheers and applause of director. .those gathered, Hentzen and Arch- When asked if he ever antici- .bishop Keleher made tentative pated reaching 100,000 sponsor­plans for the archbishop's visit not ships in the early days of the orga­only to Honduras, but also to Gua- nization, a beaming Bud Hentzentemala and EI Salvador. laughed and said, "Nolin a million

During the celebration, CFCA years!"

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THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997

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wealthier nations and private enti­ties will have to step in.

During the conference in Alex­andria, Mount St. Mary's Semi­nary presented its newly estab­lished Archbishop John HughesAward to Mary Cunningham Agee,who in 1985 founded The Nurtur­ing Network.

Her network, now based at theUniversity of Steubenville, Ohio,is a grassroots organization of22,000 volunteers in 50 states and23 foreign countries that helpswomen in crisis pregnancies.

The Archbishop John HughesAward, which the seminary in­tends to give out each year, recog­nized Agee for her role as a layleader in founding the network,which has provided support formore than 9,000 women in its 12­year history.

"Wearing this Cross gives you a sense that you're being protect-ed ... that you are in the hands ofChrisL I'm wea.ring this cross andI have no fear of death." - Harriet Baker

"I prayed with the Nativity Cross and felt something special, like Iwas being heard." - Teresa De Le Riva

"You almost feel like you have a piece of jesus with you."- Bobbie Timberlake

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"This is The Nativity Cross, the most unique cross inhistOl)'. In 1963, renovations were l1Ullle to the Cave of theNativit)· in Bethlehem -- the recognized birthplace ofJesusChrist. The Mayor of Bethlehem approved the shipment ofexcavated stoJ:les from the Cave to the United States.Documented by both the Mayor and the Israel Museum, theyhave been in safekeeping for many years.

My devout wish is that when you receive the Nativity Crossfor yourself or to give to a loved one, it will help you drawcloser to the only true answer in these uncertain times, ourLord Jesus Christ."

-- Ricardo Montalban

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raises a challenge to the church toaddress death and sufferingthrough a variety of issues, in par­ticular treatment at the end of life,he said.

Without strong efforts by thechurch, followers of church teach­ing on the sanctity of all human lifewill find themselves more andmore isolated as society addressesthe problems of suffering in themost expeditious way instead ofthe most humane.

And finally, "Blessed are thepeacemakers" might be best de­fined in the post-Cold War era byPope Paul VI's description of de­velopment as the new name forpeacemaking, Msgr. Martin said.

As the phenomenon of "donorfatigue" strains the funds neededto help impoverished countries de­velop their own economies, he said

Beatitudes: framework for social actionBy PATRICIA ZAPOR

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNS)­The Catholic Church could defineits social mission in an increas­ingly ambiguous and ambivalentworld with the philosophies of thebeatitudes, suggested the secretaryof the Pontifical Council for Jus­tice and Peace.

"The church will not have amonopoly on social concerns inthe 21 st century" said Msgr.Diarmuid Martin at a Nov. 8 con­ference on renewing the Catholicmissionary spirit, sponsored byMount St. Mary's Seminary inEmmitsburg, Md.

Strong social movements alsohave a basis in other interests, suchas environmentalism, he noted. Inthe coming years, he said, socialaction will be much more a col­laboration among seemingly dis­parate organizations.

In such an environment, the be­atitudes are an appropriate frame­work for the church's action, ac­cording to Msgr. Martin.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit"might well be a reflection on thechanging face of poverty ­whether poverty of spirit or ofwealth - brought about by glo­balization, he said.

The more globalized economyhas elements of common good,Msgr. Martin said. But it will beincreasingly essential to protect theindividuals who make it possiblefor corporations to act in a world­wide marketplace.

"An economic vision whichshort-trades its most valuable as­set - people - is on the wrongtrack," he said. "Modern econo­mies, to be successful, must investin people."

It also will be important for so­ciety to challenge the individualswho gain the most finimcially fromthe global market to share the prof­its of their success, Msgr. Martinsaid.

While it's admirable that bil­lionaires Ted Turner, George Sorosand Bill Gates recently have an­nounced sizable contributions tocharitable organizations, Msgr.Martin questioned why those sto­ries were remarkable.

"The question is, how is it thoseindividuals can generate so muchwealth and not have it challengedinto social responsibility?" he said.

The beatitude "blessed are themeek" poses a particular challengein a world where self-affirmationhas become seemingly essential,Msgr. Martin continued.

The concept of individual rightsmay in fact be so linked to accu­mulation of personal power thatbroader social obligations are lost,he suggested.

"The arrogant affirmation of in­dividual rights can distort the veryconcept of human rights," he said.

"Blessed are those who hungerand thirst for justice" has implica­tions for justice in treatment of in­dividuals, of groups such aswomen, and of the environment,Msgr. Martin said.

"The work of justice is to re­store harmony in the world," hesaid. "But the notion of justice, ifexploited by individual agendas,can be destructive rather than heal­ing.'

"Blessed are those who mourn"

Why we need Thanksgiving

Daily Readings

Nov.24 On 1:1-6,8-20; (Ps) On 3:52-Ei6;Lk 21 :1-4

Nov.25 On 2:31-4'5; (Ps) On 3:57-61;Lk 21:5-11

Nov. 26 On 5: 1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28;'(Ps) On 3:62-67; Lk 21 :12-1!~

Nov.27 On 6:12-18; (Ps) On 3:68-74;Lk 21 :20-28

Nov. 28 On 7:2-14; (Ps) On 3:75-.81 ;Lk 21 :29-33

Nov.29 On 7:15-27; (Ps) On 3:82-87;Lk 21:34-36

Reader questions on family living and ehildcare to be answered in print are invited. Addressquestions: The Kennys; St. Joseph's College:; 219W. Harrison; Rensselaer, Ind. 47978.

and the flowers.Thank you for the chanceto be a part, however small,of your creation.

The BottomLine

By Antoinette Bosco

With Dr. James &Mary Kenny

familyTalk

locked in anger, resenting God for all that has beentaken away. In their bitterness they turn away fromGod; they find nothing to be grateful for. They areso wrong.

I remember interviewing a mother whose sonsuffered a sudden, severely debilitating episode of

and the joy of running road raceswith my sons and daughters.Thank you for my country:from purple-mountains' majestiesto amber waves of grainand the clouds and the sky

manic-depression at age 18. While her heart wasbroken, she could still find much to be gratl~ful for.She told me, "We tend to ask, 'Why me?' but myfather always said if we ask that of the bad things,we have to ask it of the good too." That was wis-dom. .

On Thanksgiving Day, we are supposed to re­member all the blessings we have been given andexpress our thanks to God for these. Some peoplecan't, because they get blocked, either by theirown egotistical self-credit or by anger ov(:r whatthey feel are their losses or deprivations. I would

·pray in this holiday season that everyone finds away to recognize all the good things life hasbrought.

One great woman who helped me learn that les­son was Helen Keller, physically blind and deaf,but oh, so spiritual. She said, "I thank God for myhandicaps, for through them I have found myself,my work and my God."

That is the spirit in which to celebrate th~ greatholiday of Thanksgiving: gratitude for all that has

. been given to us, beginning with the greatest giftof all, life itself. .

"I'm sorry" is a sparkly raindropwith 40 days tofashion an acknowledgment of wrong,And. Easter to celebratethe relief that follows forgiveness.

"Thank you" is a small white rosebudwith one feast,the least of all the graces.Only Thanksgiving Dayto remind us to be grateful.

"I love you" is a cuddly babywith two feasts:Valentine's Day for lovers,Christmas for parentsand children,and God for love of us all.

Thank you for the harvest,for food to eatand friends to share.Thank you for the kindnessof Native Arriericanswho saw our Pilgrim fathersthrough that first winter.Thank you for my friends and familywho have passed on,for the joy of loving themwhile they were here.Thank you for my wifeof 40 years, my other self.Thank you for our 12 childrenwho keep us young.Thank you for my friendswho are there for me.And my enemies, who keep me honest.Thank you for my health '

There are three graces:"I love you,""I'm sorry,""Thank you."

The great Greek philosopher Epictetus said, "Heis a wise man who does not grieve for the thingswhich he has not but rejoices for those which hehas."

Some people, sadly, never seem to be able togive thanks for all they have. In early November, Iwatched a TV interview with the very money-richDonald Trump. He has written a new book abouthis comeback after he lost most of his fortune. Nowhe has money back in multiples; apparently he givesfull credit for this to himself.

Trump writes that when he was in danger of los­ing all his fortune there were people who couldhave helped him and didn't. Now he takes plea­sure in financial revenge against them. The inter­viewer pushed him on this, asking why he wouldn't,in effect, forgive. Trump answered, "I believe inan eye for an eye." Then he repeated a line I hearoften and detest, "I don't get mad, I get even."

He'll probably be eating turkey and celebratingThanksgiving Day, but if people take full credit fortheir good fortune, can they really be grateful foranything? If gratitude means anything at all, it hasto be focused on a higher source than ourselves. Infact, gratitude and grace share the same root. Sograce, gratitude and thanksgiving are connected toour relationship with God.

I love a quote from the famed English writerG.K. Chesterton: "You say grace before meals. Allright. But I say grace before the concert and theopera, and grace before the play and pantomime,and grace before I open a book, and grace beforesketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing,walking, playing, dancing, and grace before I dipthe pen in the ink."

Now there's a man who understood how closelygratitude links us to our Creator. He didn't need aThanksgiving Day to remind him!

I have given many talks in the past few years topeople who are grieving. They have suffered a greatloss, the death of a loved one. So often people are

Thanksgiving prayer

news BriefsNCC greetings ~

WASHINGTON (CNS) - The outgoing and'incomingpresidents of the National Council of Churches broughtgreetings to the U.S. Catholic bishops Nov. 12 and ex­pressed hope that such collaborative efforts would continue."Baptismal water is thicker than any denominational'affilia-'tion;' said Episcopal Bishop Craig B. Anderson, who was;installed as NCC president for 1998-99 later that evening."We are all relatives, all brothers and sisters in Christ,' allchildren of God." United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert,outgoing NCC president, said, "It is truly. by .. G()~'s""gr~ce,that we are continuing to be reconciled together." As thetwo were speaking, Bishop Joseph A. FIO'rertta.OfGalveston-Houston,.vice president of the National Confer-··ence of Catholic Bishops, was addressln9 the NCe;. gen­eral assembly, also meeting in Washington. Both groups'said it was the first time that they have sent officers· to ad­dress each other's organization.

Unanimous approvalWASHINGTON (CNS) - The U.S. bishops ina unank

mous voice vote Nov. 12 approved a call to parishes to glo­bal solidarity. The document, "Called to Global Solic:iarity: "In- .ternational Challenges for U.S. Parishes," summarizes someof the conflicts and crises around the world and challengesU.S. Catholic parishes to raise awareness of .those,situa­tions and to strengthen or initiate programs of solidarity withpeople facing those difficulties. The bishops' encourage par­ishes to "integrate more fUlly the international dimensionsv·ofCatholic discipleship within a truly universal churc.h."

Some ministries harmlul?" .VATICAN CITY (CNS) ...,.. Lay ministries that obscure the

(ji.fferences belWeeo the .wdained priesthood and"thelaity,e~en if motivated by a eje~ire to serve priestless communi­ties, are harmful to the church, Vatican officials said.'''Arch­b)~QP Crescenzio Sep~,Jormersecretar;y,ofthe, Congre­9aticm for the Clergy, said that, while qualifis(j laY P~Rle

hf~fbe called to supplement the ministry of priests in cer­tainemergency situations; the faithful and the church willsuffer if the lay minister goes beyond his or her auxiliaryrole. Archbishop Sepe and officials from four Vati~n Qf­flces spoke at the Nov. 13 release of a Vatican instructionon ''the collaboration of the nonordained faithful in the·sa­cred ministry of priests:' The document, signed by the headsof eight Vatican agencies - including the Congregation forthe Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Council for theLaity - was approved by Pope John Paul II in mid-August.

Teachers on strikeonAWA (CNS) - Educators in the Toronto-areaYork

region Catholic school district remained on the picket lineslegally after a separate, illegal 10-day strike ended In therest of Ontario. About 2,700 Catholic teachers went on a le­gal strike over contract demands Nov. 3 - a week before theend of an illegal walkout that affected 2.1 million stuejentsthroughout Ontario. The legal strike affected 45,000.elemen­tary, secondary and French-language students in 76 schoolsin York region. The Catholic school board was waiting for theEducation Relations Commission to call both sides back tothe bargaining table. The issues the Catholic teachers wantedresolved included restoration of annual wage increments lostunder the previous government's social contract, staff trans­fers, class size and changes to parental and pregnangy leave.The York school board has offered a two-year. contract, in­clUding a freeze on salaries and no staffing reductions:' ,

Boggs sworn in ,WASHINGTON (CNS) - The first woman to becomeJ.J.$.

ambassador to the Vatican, Corinn'e "Lindy" ClaiborneBoggs, took an oath of allegiance to the United States Nov.12 amid a crush of family and friends.. Watching,wer~ l'!Jor~than 200 people, many of whom were members ,of Con;gress, where she andher late husband, Hale,servea acrosSf.ive decades. Placing her left hand on a Bible giveo to hetby Sisters of St. Joseph, Boggs swore her allegiancge t9 theUnited States "against all enemies;' saying she would "~up:'

port and defend ·the··· Constitution:' and that she t()ok"herobligations fre~ly. Vice President AI Gore adminjstered toeoath. Theoew' ambassa.dor is a member of St.. Matthew'sCathedral parish!n.Washington.a.nd •. St.· L6~is CatheCJralp~rish of NewQrlean$, whereshema.ll'lta,ins he>mes... ' .•.~.

8 THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997

THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997 9

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Questionsand

AnswersBy Father

John J. Dietzen

ted them into God's hands - - a conviction proclaimedin the art and inscriptions which one can still see intheir cemeteries.

The same belief, ofcourse, tells us our prayers andgood works extend into the future as well as into thepast. We can pray for our children and grandchildren,for those not yet born. They too are in God's eternalvision and presence, and are touched by our interces­sion~ for them.

This reality is a wonderful illustration of the livingrelationship we on earth have with those now de­ceased, a relationship the Apostles' Creed calls theCommunion of Saints.

We don't know how all that works. We know onlythat in God's mysterious love and intimate care forus, there is a "communion" of love we share in Godour Father and in Christ.

A free brochure on ecumenism, including ques­tion,s on intercommunion and other ways of shar­ing worship with people of otheIr faiths, is avail­able by sending a stamped self-addressed envelopeto Father John Dietzen, 704 N. Main St.,Bloomington, III. 61701.

Questions for this column should be sent to Fa­ther Dietzen at the same address.

moment in between.None of this is speculation or conjecture. It all fol­

lows immediately from our Catholic doctrine aboutGod and eternity.

It also explains why even the earliest Christiansfelt a living presence with their dead as they commit-

Things Catholic

Prayers for the deadQ. Our group has a question concerning prayers

for the dead. As we undlerstand it, God has no"time." If that is true, can our prayers help towardthe salvation of someone who has died?

This would mean that God foresees one'sprayers and good works for the deceased, and an­swers those prayers while the person is still alive.

This seems to make SllnSe, and is a wonderful,comforting thing to know as we think of our lovedones who have died. (New York)

A. Your instincts about prayer are right on target.What you say is true.

It's safe to assume that most Catholics still see theirprayers for the dead as primarily affecting the time ofpurification (or purgatory) a deceased individual mightundergo after death.

Their prayers can havt: that effect, as our centu­ries-old Christian and Catholic tradition holds. Thereality is infinitely larger and richer, however, as yourcomments indicate.

As far as we can know from our own human per­spective, there is no "time," as we experience it, forGod or in eternity.

In the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit has no desire toanswer scientific or philosophical questions aboutGod. Everything is seen and described in the experi­ence people have of God, both before and after Christ.

That experience, that awareness of God by bothJews and Christians, is always of one who is beyondtime and space.

As the catechisms (new and old) phrase it, Godhas no beginning and no end; he is "from everlastingto everlasting" (new Catholic catechism, No. 213).

For him there is no past or future. Everything, fromthe beginning of time in the universe to the end (what­ever that end may be), is as one eternally presentmoment.

Thus, our prayers, offered in earthly time, go to aGod who is not bound by those limits. A prayer maybe said a year after someone died; as God receives it,however, the moment of that person's birth is aspresent to him as the moment of death - and every

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phons have about four definitions, and I still don'ttotally understand them."

(He's the kind of friend who cancels out on a week­end camping trip you've planned for months becausehis sister-in-law needs help moving, and he makes itsound so much fun he talks you into helping.)

"I think maybe you are worried more about the in­house, Catholic culture stuff than maybe you need tobe," I tried. "Not that there's not lots of interestingthings to study and learn, but you'll be exposed to itwith time."

In the meantime, I suspect Jesus is glad the mansigned on. And it's doubtful Jesus spoke much Latineither.

By Dan Morris

November 231984, Msgr. Christopher L. Broderick, Pastor

Emeritus, St. Pius X, South YarmouthNovember 24

1991, Msgr. Daniel F. Shalloo, Retired Pastor,Holy Name, Fall River

November 251946, Rev. Philias Jalbert, Pastor, Notre Dame, Fall

River1971, Rev. Dennis Spykers, SS.Cc.

November 261945, Rev. James R. Burns, P.R., Pastor, Sacred

Heart, Fall RiverNovember 27

1948, Rt. Rev. Patrick E. McGee, Pastor, St. Mary,North Attleboro

November 281959, Rev. Adrien A. Gauthier, Pastor, St. Roch,

Fall River

The offbeatworld of

Uncle Dan

A dear friend who is a recent convert to Catholi­cism called last week. He confided that he was feel­ing a mixture of guilt, confusion and frustration.

He had just read an article in which a priest wasapplauding the current interest in Latin and the pos­sible reintroduction of Latin in part of the Mass. Inthe article, the priest-author threw around Latinphrases and words he assumed the reader would rec­ognize.

Our friend recognized none of them.The article had tripped off an anxiety our friend

felt about what he calls "things Catholic.""Someone was talking about antiphons after Mass

last week," he went on, "and I didn't know if theywere Christmas cookies, or cell phone accessories, orsome kind of baby deer."

(The Mass had been celebrated at the shelter forthe homeless at which our friend volunteers.)

"Sometimes I think I jumped the gun," he sighed."It's embarrassing. I wonder ifI should've waited untilI studied more. I mean, after I stood there listening tomy friends at the shelter talking about antiphons, theywent on to talk about the 0 Antiphons."

(He's the kind of friend you can call at 3 a.m. andask for help tracking down a teen-agel' who has notreturned home.)

He paused. "Hey buddy," he said, his voice sound­ing more hopeful. "Tell me you know what they are.Or beller yet, tell me you don't know what they are."

(He's the kind of friend who, out of the blue, sug­gests that he and his wife take care of your childrenfor a weekend so you and your spouse can get away.)

I laughed. "If it makes you feel beller, I'll tell youI think they are those contraptions Rudy Vallee usedto sing through to make his voice louder."

"I think those were 0 megaphones, you 0 fabrica­tor," he said.

(He's the kind of friend who shares imported beerfrom the back of the fridge with you.)

"Actually," I told him, "I think they are some kindof prayer you say before or after Scripture readings,and the 0 Antiphons come around at Christmas, sortof like '0 Come All Ye Faithful' and '0 ChristmasTree' and '0 Holy Night.'''

"You forgot, '0 LillIe Town of Bethlehem,''' hechided.

"Oh dear, oh yeah, oh my," I replied.. 'Time ~!Jt;.'·._he said. "I did look it up, and anti-

Class of 1943. He excelled inFrench, was timpanist in the schoolorchestra, and sang in the Notre

. Dame 'parish choir.' He b(~gan his 8years at Prevost in the fif~h grade.

Breault retired as western U.S.distribution manager for KraftFoods nine years ago. His careerwith Kraft spanned 35 y,~ars andhe still does consulting work forsmall businesses.

Prevost High was destroyed byfire in 1968. The brothers and thestudent body moved into unoccu­pied second-floor space at. the thennew Bishop Connolly High Schoolcampus off Elsbree Street, wherethe final Prevost class graduated in1972. Class members ce:lebratedtheir own 25th anniversary at thealumni reunion.

LEONEL BREAULT, left, and Brother Patrick Menard arepictured here at the 1996 Prevost alumni reunion.

the faith," Breault wrote, and "weowe them more than mere recogni­tion." For most of its existence,

-'Prevost was'the o'nly Catticili'c highschool for boys in the city. "Whata ble'ssing for all of us," he ex­claimed of the brothers' presence inthe community and the opportunityto be educated at Prevost. Thebrotners were well known for"humble dedication and their lovefor Christ," and in the field of edu-

, cation "their harvest is great."Writing to alumni President

Robert Chouinard, "I am honoredto be one of the Prevost family,"said Breault. His gift is intended tohelp "provide continuing assistanceto new and deserving students."

Himself an honor student,Breault was salutatorian of the

Prevost High School Alumni Associatilon,Christian Brothers receive gifts

, PAT STONE (left), assistant director of Birthright, admires a layette set made by BellaNogueira (right) as DCCW president Theresa Lewis looks on. At a recent Diocesan Councilof Catholic Women board meeting, Pro-Life Commission chairperson Madeleinl;l Lavoiearranged a baby shower for Birthright. The meeting was held at St. Elizabeth Seton church,North Falmouth, and many baby items were donated by DCCW members.

The Msgr. Prevost High SchoolAlumni Association and the Broth­ers of Christian Instruction haveeach' received' '$1 ;000: 'gi frs' fromLeonel'A. Breault, a 1943 graduateof the Fall River school at whichthe brothers taught.

For the alumni association, thedonation and a highly successfulreunion this summer have raised the

,group's scholarship fund to $44,000to assist students enrolled in Catho­lic high schools. Breault had alsomade a $1,000 scholarship contri­bution last year.

Underlining his admiration ofthe brothers, he wanted to givesomething tangible to mark the 70thanniversary of the teaching order'sservice in Fall River: from 1927-72at Prevost when the last class gradu­ated, and since then at Bishop Con­nolly High School.

Of Foster City, California, LeeBreault was unable to ,attend thereunion, but sent messages of sup­port to the alumni and of congratu­lations to the brothers.

In particular, he lauded BrotherPatrick Menard, now 84, teacher atPrevost from 1931-45 and principalin '46. Brother Patrick was among13 brothers who came together forJuly festivities - Mass at NotreDame de Lourdes parish (which hadbuilt and operated Prevost), followedby a banquet at White's ofWestport.

The brothers were "pioneers of

Plattsburgh, the school from whichshe had graduated as a youngster.There she was a member and presi­dent of the regional science faircommittee.

In Fall River she was prioress ofher community from 1970 to 1978and later taught mathematics foreight years to third and fourth grad­ers at -Dominican Academy, alsoenjoying making handicrafts for thecommunity's annual Christmas sale.

The Dominicans of Hope werefounded in 1995 from three exist­ing Dominican congregations. Sis­ter Anita Pauline sums up their min­istry as "looking toward the future,living out our mission focus andhelping others to do the same."

SISTER ANITA PAULINE

Nun, 87, shops, cooks,bookkeeps

THE ANCHOR -- Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997I10

Dominican Sister of Hope AnitaPauline Durocher, 87, is a steadycustomer at her local supermarket,takes her turn cooking for her com-

, munity, works on the convent bud­get, runs errands and enjoys needle­work A native of Plattsburgh, NY,who entered the Dominican Sistersof Hope after coming to know themas teachers at the school she at- 'tended in Plattsburgh, she is nowliving at the sisters' convent in FallRiver. She is a graduate of St.Michael's College, Winooski, VT,and did advanced studies at BostonCollege and Providence College.

In her earlier years she taughtchemistry and was principal forsome 20 years at St. Peter's,

l READY ~O GIVE THANKS-The annual Thanksgiving': prayer service at Notre Dame Church, Fall River will take{place at 7 p.m. Nov. 24. Refreshments will follow the Mass,and Roland Masse will conducta tour of the church explaining r---------------------its history. Participants will in- (;, 've .,:,.<1>/.elude (from left) Rev. Richard 4' ~}. ..:-W. Beaulieu, Notre Dame; Erin kC! ,Corriveau, parishioner; Dr.lrv- [harT tv, '.ing Fradkin, Temple Beth EI;and ..Anne Pacheco, InterfaithCouncil. Also sharing in theservice, but not pictured will becantor Richard Wolberg,Temple Beth EI.

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THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997 11

in business today, run by thecouple's daughter Colleen.

Robert Mahoney stayed in theMichigan Legislature for: 18 years,and is best known for introducinga bill that requires hunter safetyclasses for young people. To provethat anyone could buy a hunting li­cense, the blind legislator went outand bought one.himself. The billpassed the following year.

Faith is central to the Mahoneyfamily, and the couple recalled at­tending daily Mass and the familypraying the rosary together.

"Without that, I don't think wecould've made :it," Robert Mahoneysaid of their faith. "The grace ofGod was there." It was his pro­stance on busing and fair housingthat eventually "drove him out" ofhis legislative position in 1972,Robert Mahoney said.

"As a man and a Christian, I hadto pay more than lip service to myprinciples and convictions," hewrote in his 1995 book. "It's alwaysmuch easier to say the things peoplewant to hear and so much harder totell them what they should hear."

Robert Mahoney went on toserve as a county commissioner andas a lobbyist, and he eventuallysettled the family in Lansing. Theadvent ·01' computers has made life.easier for the blind, the Mahoneysreported. Most days, RobertMahoney can be found surfing theWeb on a special Braille computeror sending e-mail to friends as faraway as England.

They also have printers to printboth regular type and Braille, aswell as a scanner that reads the dailymail. "And (mail) that we don't un­derstand, why, the kids are alwayscoming over at lunch time or in theevening·," Jennie Mahoney said.

Now residents of Lansing, wherethey belong to St. Gerard parish, theMahoneys spend much time listen­ing to books and magazines on tape,attending Mass and playing cards orgames. "Jennie and I play cribbageevery day," Robert Mahoney said."We play two garnes, and we have atournament going all the time.

"It's really vicious," he laughed.

called. "We tried to follow our faith,all the teachings."

The young couple started theirfamily in 1944 with the birth oftheirson, Gary. Three daughters ­Roberta, Rosemary and Colleen ­and six more sons - Dennis, Jo­seph, Mark, Michael, Bill and Rob­ert - would follow.

"The first five, I think, were thehardest," said Jennie Mahoney, now78. "As the kids got a little bit olderthey could help a bit, even just run­ning and getting a diaper for youhelps."

When the children were young,she recalled putting bells on theirshoes to keep track of where thelittle ones were.

After 12 years in door-to-doorsales, doctors told Robert Mahoney- who was born with two bad heartvalves - that he had to find a newprofession. "I had everythingagainst me when you come downto it: blind, a bad heart and a bigfamily," he said.

At a friend's urging, RobertMahoney ran for Democratic pre­cinct delegate and won. His yearsas a door-to-door salesman paid offin grassroots connections. In 1954,he ran for the Michig~n Legislatureand won.

And so Robert Mahoney was offto Lansing as Michigan's first blindstate representative. While he rep­resented his constituents five daysa week in the state capital, JennieMahoney was home raising theirbrood.

In 1956 the Mahoneys estab- .lished a mail-order business, Michi­gan Notary Service, which soldseals, bonds, rubber stamps andother notary ne,eds. JennieMahoney took care of the business."When the phone would ring,Jennie'd yell and say, 'You kids bequiet, (it's) the business phone!'"Robert Mahoney explained.

She'd write down the caller'sname and address in Braille, then"she'd get the material to mail out,type the envelope and then put astamp on it and have the kids go tothe mailbox," he added.

Michigan Notary Service is still

BLINDNESS HAS not stopped Robert or Jennie Mahoney from enjoying life to the fullest.The couple from Lansing, Mich., has raised 10 children. Robert has served the MichiganLegislature for 18 years. (eNS/Smith photo)

By DARel SMITH

LANSING, Mich. (CNS) ­Robert and Jennie Mahoney havelived a full, happy life. He served18 years in the Michigan Legisla­ture, and together they raised 10children.

And both are blind."You're given on(~ life, and

you've got to do the very best youcan with it," said Robert Mahoney,76. "And it's not easy -·Iife is hard.People today want to think that ev­erything can be easy, ilnd you don'thave to struggle or fight or work foranything. .

"But half the joy in life is mak­ing some success out of it," headded in an interview with TheMichigan Catholic:, Detroitarchdiocesan newspap,er.

Robert Mahoney's successes.prompted him to write: his autobi­ography, "Living Out of Sight,"which he self-published in 1995.

Jennie Mahoney bl~came visu­ally impaired following a high fe­ver at age 3, and lost the remainderof her eyesight at I I. RobertMahoney has been blind in one eyesince birth, and lost sight in theother as the result of a detachedretina suffered in a skiing accidentwhile he was an 11th-grader at HolyRedeemer High School in Detroit.

The two met at the MichiganSchool for the Blind in Lansing,where the young Jennie Kubingerstudied for 10 years, and RobertMahoney for a year.

She graduated and went on tobecome the first blind student atAdrian College, majoring in homeeconomics. He earned his highschool diploma from Detroit'sNorthern High School.

In 1941 they married and rentedan apartment in Detroit, and be­came members of St. Raymondparish. To support his new wife,Robert Mahoney went door-to-doorselli.!1g mops, brooms and brushesmade by the blind. Hc was hclpedalong his route by a guide dog.

"I always figured that the graceof God was there that really helpedus along," Robert Mahoney re-

By JOHN THAVIS

Freed priest.hostage says faith sustained him\

mountains and corn fields, wherethey sometimes slept.

He said he was turm:d over tothe MILF, which broke with theMNLF, because other groups "who

, want to be part of the demands"were trying to take him.

The priest said the ori,ginal hos- ,tage-takers had legitimate: demandsbecause the government had notfulfilled some requiremellts.

He said he felt fear only once."There was some shooting, and

we had to evacuate.... We thoughtwe were being attacked and takenover by an armed force, but it turnedout that some of the group weretesting their guns. I was very fear­ful because my guards got veryscared," the priest recounted.

Before he was freed, the priesttold his captors that although heunderstood their frustration, theiractions were un-Islamic.

"I told them it was n::>t in thegenuine spirit of Islam to takepeople against their will, to deny thefreedom and human' ri ghts ofpeople, no matter what your de­mands are," Fath~r Hartford said.

He thanked' ArchbishopFernando Capalla of Davao, whonegotiated on the phone 'lJntil themidnight 'before his release, theCatholic Bishops' Conference ofthe Philippine~ and the apostolicnunciature in the Philippines.

"I was conscious that the whole.church ofthe Philippines was pray­ing'for me," Father Hartford said.

del Norte province, where he washeld by Muslim rebels who tookhim hostage Oct. 26.

"We walked mostly at night un­der the cover of darkness. Some­times three hours, sometimes four,

,sometimes one, just depending onwhere they were moving me," Fa­ther Hartford said.

He said he "ate rice and rice andmore rice," canned food andsmoked fish.

"I understood that because of thecircumstances they were forced tom~ve at nighttime, so we could notcook arid we could not light a firebecause it would identify where wehad been," he added. . .

Father Hartford was taken byformer Moro' National LiberationFront rebels to press ~he govern­ment to release rehabilitation fundsthey claim had been promised them.

He was kept from returninghome after attending a meeting tosupport an ex-MNLF commander

.under pressure from his people fortheir share of the funds.

He said the commander '.'hadbeen sick,' he had not enoughmoney for medicine, his childrenhad to stop going to school, andthey asked me to help. He had notransportation, he had no improve­ments to his house."

Father Hartford said he wasturned over to the Moro IslamicLibtrration Front "for safek~eping."He said four to five men in theirearly 20s guarded him through

IRISH COLUMBAN Father Desmond Hartford (right) is welcomed by Father Trunk Krantz,vice superior of the Columban order, after Muslim guerrillas freed Hartford in the :;outhernPhilippines, Nov. 8. The missionary priest, who has been working to promote harmonyamong Christians and Muslims, was held captive for 12 days in a mountain hideout. (CNS/Reuters photo)

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philip­pines (CNS) - The apostolic ad­ministrator ofMarawi , Philippines,expressing feelings of fatigue, grati­tude and f9rgiYeness, said his faithsustained him through a two-weekordeal that ended when his kidnap­pers released him Nov. 8.

"I was betrayed by people that Ihad already befriended and hadhelped. I am finding it difficult, buthopefully I will be able to pardonthem," Irish Columban FatherDesmond Hartford said on a morn­ing program of Radio Veritas-ZNNafter his release. . :

Shortly after the priest joinedcheering confreres and friends, hesaid: "I feel very, very tired. It's

. been a difficult ordeal, but I feel thatGod strengthened me."

DCA News, an Asian churchnews agency based in Thailand,said Father Hartford told the radiothat, while a hostage, he prayed thathe would be released and that therewould be no violence.

"I didn't want anyone killed be­cause of me.... My captors or ab­ductors, I didn't want themharmed," Father Hartford said.

Shortly after he arrived at theColumban house in Cagayan deOro, 470 miles southeast of Manila,Father Hartford placed phone callsto the congregation's superior andhis family in Ireland.

Then the apostolic administratorof Marawi described to ZNN hisordeal in the hinterlands of Lanao

time of the Gulf war, the pope saidhe wanted to remind leaders of the

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - "civilian population, especially'Apprehensive about the possibil- the children and the sick, whoity of new fighting in the Persian have been caught up, withoutGulf, Pope John Paul II urged wanting to be, in a spiral of vio­world leaders to insist on dialogue lence that could make their al­as the only way to defuse the cri- ready difficult situation even moresis in Iraq. tragic.

The pope, speaking at a Sun- "Let us ask the Lord to en-day blessing No.v. 16, appealed lighten the minds and hearts ofespecially on behalf of Iraq's ci- those responsible for the destinyvilian population, which has suf- of peoples, so that they under­fered under a U.N.-mandated stand that peace is the only instru­trade embargo opposed by the, mentcapableofguaranteeingjus­Vatican and local church leaders. tice," he said.

"The fate ofour brethren in the It was the first time the pope,Gulf region is the source of strong an adamant critic of the 1991 Gulfand renewed concern," the pope War, has spoken out about the cur­said from his apartment window rent crisis in Iraq, which aroseoverlooking St. Peter's Square. ., when Iraq expelled U.S. members

"In this moment of extreme of a U.N. weapons inspectiontension, with the possibility of a team. 'new armed confrontation in Iraq, U.S. President Bill CiintonI want to make a heartfelt appeal called the Iraqi action unaccept­so that the path of dialogue and able and beefed up U.S. militarydiplomacy is not abandoned as a forces in the Gulf, while Iraqway to preserve and strengthen threatened to shoot down anyrespect for justice and intern a- U.S. reconnaissance planes.tionallaw," he said. Clinton also expressed hope that

In a reference to the trade em- the crisis could be resolvedbargo imposed on Iraq since the through diplomacy.

Pope urges dialogue amongworld leaders on Iraqi ~risis

Oh adorable and Divine Will, behold me here before the im­mensity ofYour Light, that Your eternal goodness may open tome the doors and J11ake me enter into It to form my life all inYou, Divine Will. Therefore, oh adorable Will, prostrate beforeYour Light, I, the least of all creatures, put myself into the littlegroup of the sons and daughters ofYour Supreme FIAT. Pros­trate in my nothingness, I invoke Your Light and beg that itclothe me and eclipse all that does not pertain to You, DivineWill. It will be my Life, the center of J1lY intelligence, theenrapturer of my heart: and of my whole being. I do not wantthe human wilJ to have life in this heart any longer. I will cast itaway from me and thus form the new Eden of Peace, of happi­ness and of love. With It I shall be always happy. I shall have asingular strength and a holiness that sanctifies all things andcondl,1cts them to God.

Here prostrate, I invoke the help of the Most Holy Trinitythat They permit me to live in the cloister of the Divine Will andthus return in me the first order ofcreation,just'as the creaturewas created. , , . , , ,

Heavenly Mother,' Sovereign and Queen of the Divine Fiat,take my hand and introduce me into the Light of the DivineWill. You will be my guide, my most tender Mother, and willteach me to live in and to maintain myself in the order and thebounds of the Divine Will. Heavenly Mother, I consecrate mywhole being to Your Immaculate Heart. You will teach me thedoctrine of the Divine Will and I will listen most attentively toYour lessons. You will cover me with Your mantle so that theinfernal serpent dare not penetrate into this sacred Eden to en­tice me and make me fall into the maze of the human will.

Heart of my greatest Good, Jesus, You will give me Yourflames that they may bum me, consume me,and feed me toform in me the Life of the Divine Will.

Saint Joseph, you will be my protector, the guardian of my.heart, and will keep the keys of my will in your hands. You will'keep my heart jealously and shall never give it to me again, thatI may be sure of never leaving the Will of God.

My guardian Angel, guard me; defend me; help me in every­thing so that my Eden may flourish and be the instrument thatdraws all men into the Kingdom ofthe Divine Will. Amen.

( In Honor ofLuisa Piccarreta J865-J947 Child of the Divine Will)

Consecration to the ,Divine Will

'12 THE ANCHOR -- Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21'; 1997 _

Cardinal to explore Day sainthood causeTHE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997 13

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999·1226

for the magisterium." And he saidshe was "much closer in her out­look to the humanism of PopeJohn Paul II than many of her re­form-minded admirers wouldcare to admit."

That commitment to thechurch, combined with the posi­tions that have made her a figurebeloved on the left, could makeher a saint of the "commonground" emphasized by the lateCardinal Joseph L. Bernardin,Ellsberg said.

Nov. 8, 1897, more than 200people gathered at the CatholicCenter of New York Universityfor a symposium on Day orga­nized by Joyalito F. Tajonera, aMaryknoll seminarian originallyfrom the Philippines.

Tajonera had received one ofthe last letters written by MotherTeresa, expressing regret shecould not accept his invitation toattend the symposium because of"my illness and the pressingneeds of our society."

A friend of Day since the nun'sfirst visit to the United States, shewrote, "May this centenary cel­ebration of Dorothy bay's birthhelp strengthen the faith of manypeople that they may not be afraidto respect and defend the rightsof the poor - not forgetting thatthe poorest of these are the un­born, the little ones in the womb."

The question of Day's canoni­zation was also explored in thesymposium's principal address,given by editor Robert ElIsbergof Maryknoll's publishing arm,Orbis.

ElIsberg, son of Vietnam Waropponent Daniel Ellsberg, cameinto the Catholic Church in 1980after five years with the CatholicWorker, the last two as editor ofthe paper.

At the symposium, he said a1983 announcement by theClaretians that they would "takeon the initial work of promotingthe cause of Dorothy's canoniza­tion" brought some criticism frompeople close to her.·t· .. - .

These critics feared a "co-op­tion of her witness" and a shift"from imitation to yet;leration," hesaid.

"Inevitably, church officialswould try to emphasize her 'won­derful work' with the poor, her or­thodox piety, her spirit of obedi­ence and respeot for themagisterium, and so would filterout the problematic areas of herlife and witness - particularlyher radical pacifism and her re­sistance to the state," he said.

Ellsberg said Day created "anew way of being a saint" thatcombined "the mystical and thepolitical."

She not only carried out chari­table works but also worked po­litically for justice, he said. "In sodoing she represented an aspectof the saintliness demanded by thepresent moment." ,

A second contribution fromDay was commitment to "Gospelnonviolence," ElIsberg said. "Bymaintaining this witness through

·one war after ano~her, Dorothychallenged and enlarged the con­science of the church."

EIISberg also suggested thatDay would offer a helpful modelas a saint who was a laywoman,and a laywoman who, unlikesome lay women already canon­ized who seem more like reli­gious, had known "the joys andsorrows of family life, of mother­hood and life in a somewhat rau­cous and mixed community."

Like Cardinal O'Connor,Ellsberg drew attention to Day's"pious adherence to Catholicmoral teaching and strong respect

By TRACY EARLY

NEW YORK (CNS)--Cardi­nal John J. O'Connor of NewYork announced Nov, 9 that hewould gather people acquaintedwith the life of Dorothy Day toconsider initiating her cause forcanonization,

He said he had received manyletters urging him to do that andwas asking himself whether heshould.

AfLer his return from the Nov.16-Dec. 12 Synod of Bishops forAmerica, he will invite a numberof individuals to meet with himfor reflection. on the pros andcons, he said.

"We will pray together, and wewill talk together, and we will askif this should be," he said.

Cardinal O'Connor made hisannouncement during a Mass atSt. Patrick's Cathedral com­memorating the centennial ofDay's birth.

Born to a nominally Episcopa­lian family in Brooklyn, shejoined in the radical politics andBohemian life of New York'sGreenwich Village before thebirth of a daughter in a common­law marriage led to hc~r conver­sion to Catholicism.

A writer, she wanted to con­tinue using her abilities to servethe poor, and in 1933 joined witha Frenchman, Peter Maurin, tofound the Catholic Worker news­paper.

They also opened houses ofhospitality to feed the hungry andperform other corporal works of .mercy, and she died in one ofthem, Maryhouse on the LowerEast Side of Manhattan, in 1980.

In his centennial Mass homily,Cardinal O'Connor rea.d a columnabout Dorothy Day he had pub­lished in the previous week's is­sue of Catholic New York, hisarchdiocesan newspaper.

"Few people have had such animpact on my life, even thoughwe never met," he wrote. She"worried" seminarians of his gen­eration by her "passionate com­mitment to the poor," he said.

"Before knowing of DorothyDay, I worried about poverty;since then, I worry about poorpeople," the cardinal said."Homelessness doesn't bother meany more, or hunger; homelessand hungry people worry the lifeout of me."

Cardinal O'Connor also notedthat despite Day's social radical­ism "her respect for and commit­ment and obedience to churchteaching were unswerving."

"She, in fact, chidc~d those whowanted to join her in her worksof social justice, but who, in herjudgment, didn't take the churchseriously enough and didn'tbother about getting to Mass," hesaid.

[n the Archdiocese of NewYork, her influence continues notonly through her followers in theCatholic Worker movement, butalso in the ministry of manypriests, religious and lay Catho­lics engaged in charities and theworks'ofjustice, the cardinal said.

On the day before the Mass,the anniversary of her birth on

onship, thus qualifying for theD.ivision 3-B Super Bowl. Thegame will be played at NickersonField in Boston at 7 p.m. on Dec.5 against the yet to be determinedwinner of the Atlantic Coast Con­ference.

AWARDWINNER JeffreyBears, a student at BishopFeehan High School in Attle­boro, was named as thisyear's recipient of theDaughters of the AmericanRevolution (DAR) Award,given annually to the seniorwho best' exemplifies Clut­standing qualities of depend­ability, service, leadershipand patriotism.

drive to assist with rehabilitationof 1995 graduate John Lawler,recently paralyzed in an auto ac­cident. Anyone who wishes tocontribute should contact AnneCarroll at the ~chool, tel. 226­6223.

Newly elected captains for theswim team are juniors MeredithBurgess, Sarah Clausius, andNaomi Williams.

Freshman class officers are Hi­lary Clarcq, president; KeithBrachold, vice-president; RajeevChaudhry, secretary; and MattGibson, treasurer.

Athletic Director Paul O'Boy,has been notified that junior Sa­rah Clausius has been selected asa 2nd team all-star in division 2of the Eastern MassachusettsGirls' Soccer Association. Sarahis a two-year starter in goal forthe team and also plays basket­ball, softball and is a member ofthe National Honor Society.

The Campus Ministry Officeand school chapter of the NationalHonor Society have announcedthat they will again hold the an­nual Thanksgiving Day BasketProject in homerooms ~ith .stu­dents filling baskets with Thanks­giving meals for the needy in areaparishes.

The Bishop Feehan footballteam recently clinched the East­ern Athietic C?nference champi-

Connolly HonorsFor the first ·quarter marking

period at Bishop Connolly HighSchool, Fall River, 102 studentsreceived highest honors, 69 stu­dents high honors,' and 62 stu­dents honors.

News from Bishop Feehan High SchOOl}

L'" ./

,1 .11,,'.. ~:":::::::::'J

TOP SWIMMERS! Members of the Bishop Feehan High School girls' swim team cel­ebrate their fourth consecutive Southern Conference Swim Championship. The team, coachedby 1990 graduate Rod McGarry has not lost a dual meet in 4 years (51-0-1) and in additionto winning its league title four times recently swept a third conseetuive Massachusetts SouthSectional Championship. .

Bishop Feehan High SchoolStudents Against Destructive De­cisions (SADD) recently heldelections for the 1997-98 schoolyear. Ms. Anne Carroll, modera­tor, announced them as follows:Nathan Sullivan, president; KatieMcCabe, vice-president; andAdam Kulzyck, secretary.

The group also announced thekickoff of a $2000 fundraising

'9Toppy',~

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The values of this program havebeen numerous. Students developorganizational skills, career aware­ness, job skill development, andmost importantly the enhancementof writing skills.

It began when Ms. Burt saw itbeing used in SO!TIe Rhode Islandschools and inquired at the post of­fice in Fall River about such a pro­gram being implemented at SS. Pe­ter and Paul. With the help of manypeople including Pat Eagan of thepost office, the program has be­come an important one at theschool. "The post office was won­derful," said Ms. Burt about theprogram's beginnings. ''They pro­vided a mail box, equipment, andeven shirts and hats for the kids."She hopes that Wee Deliver will en­hance communication in the schooland community for years to come.

OUf Catholic Schools • OUf Catholic YoutWee Deliver program PQsts

another successful yearAlthough 55. Peter and Paul

School, Fall River, recently. wel­comed new computers completewith Internet and e-mail commu­nications, the school will pause onTuesday to celebrate a form ofcom­munication that is rather old-fash­ioned, sometimes forgotten, but hasa lot to teach in this day and age:the friendly letter.

SS. Peter and Paul School's postoffice, St. Peter's Station, celebratesits fifth anniversary this year and theschool has invited local and na­tional postal service members, poli­ticians, members of various civicorganizations and all who havededicated their time to make the·program a success to share in itscelebration.

Beginning at 11:00 a.m., PatEagan, master of ceremonies,Kathleen Burt, principal, and rep­resentatives from both Mayor Lam­bert and State Senator Norton's of­fices will speak in appreciation ofthe successful program.' StudentAmanda Silva will take the oath ofoffice as the station's n~w postmas­ter and a luncheon will follow theceremonies. The entire school willjoin the festivities and enjoy rootbeer floats donated by a parent.

The Wee Deliver program is partof a national project, but very fewschools in the nation have been assuccessful as SS. Peter and Paul.

For the past five years, the in­school post office, manned by stu­dents, has worked just like a citypost office. After purchasingstamps, students as well as parentssend mail to students' school ad­dresses. Classrooms'have streetnames and individual addressesdepend on a student's seat.

1.===============

GOOD FOR THE HEART! Students from St. Francis Xavier Preparatory School in Hyan­nis raised over $3,000 for the American Heart Association during their 2nd annual "Jump forHeart-A-Thon." They gathered pledges in the weeks before the event based on the numberof jumps made in the two-hour event. Over 371,000 jumps were recorded!

By CHARLIE MARTIN

church, but rather that religious fer­vor is a normal part of life for many,many teens.

-Second, if you are one ofthose more religious teens, it is veryimportant that you find a trustwor­thy teacher, someone who canguide you through the complexitiesof spiritual exploration.

Religious growth is not a self­help process. This is a clear teach­ing of the church from very earlytimes.

Beginners need spiritual direc­tion, as do advanced seekers ­there are too many opportunities forconfusion, self-deception and plainerror.

Books on "spiritual develop­ment" may be helpful, but there isa great deal of useless, even dam­aging junk out there.

In my own life, the most fruitfulperiods of learning have come whenworking closely with a teacher.When I was 16 I started meetingwith Father Moore, our parishpriest. Since then, my teachers haveincluded monks and nuns, priestsand wise lay people.

While you will probably havemany spiritual teachers, I've foundthat choosing a teacher and stick­ing with him or her for a period oftime is most helpful.

Where do you find a spiritualteacher? A good place to start maybe with your pastor. He may bewilling to talk with you about yourjourney or may have some sugges­tions about other possible teachers.

There is an old and wise saying,"When the student is ready, theteacher will appear."

If your heart is ready to movecloser to God, God will help youfind the teacher you need.

Your comments are welcome.Please address: Dr. ChristopherCarstens, c/o Catholic News Ser­vice, 3211 Fourth St. N.E., Wash­ington, D.C. 20017.

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THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Nov. 21, 1997 15

Finding a spiritual teacher

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By CHRISTOPHER CARSTENS

During high school and college,young people reach a major fork inthe road of their spiritual and reli­gious lives.

Many basically drop out of thechurch shortly after confirmation.Sadly, I've heard that sacramentcalled "graduation from thechurch." Having done their basicduty, they feel no need for goinganymore.

These estranged Catholics mayattend an occasional holiday Masswith Mom and Dad, but religion getsmoved toward the edge of their lives.

Many stop altogether, only re­entering the church later, when theyhave children of their own.

Another, smaller group goes inquite the opposite direction. Forsuch people religion becomes thecentral focus of life. Their daily de­cision process becomes more andmore a matter of vocation, of dis­cerning how God is calling them ateach moment in their lives.

For this second group of youngpeople, living their lives in relation­ship to God stops being an abstrac­tion, something that "Father" talksabout in his homily, and becomes adaily reality;

Young people in the first, lessreligious group, have a hard timeunderstanding their more religiouspeers. "Why," they may ask, "areyou so hung up on this stuff?"

It can make one feel out of step,even odd.

Here are some thoughts for thoseof you who find yourselves morereligious than your classmates.

-First, remember that being areligious teenager may make youunusual in our secular time, butlooking back historically, it is clearthat the late-teen years often havebeen a period of intense religiousdevelopment.

Among Christ's first discipleswere teenagers. The lives of thesaints are filled with examples ofyoung people on fire with theirfaith. St. Francis of Assisi was inhis early 20s when he made thegreat turn toward God in his life.St. Catherine Laboure realized thatshe was called to the religious lifeafter her first Communion.

The point is not that all religiousyoung people become saints of the

Your comments are al­ways welcome. Please ad­dress: Charlie Martin,7125 W 200S, Rockport,Ind. 47635.

your walk?How about the nurse at

school? Ifyou ever have feltsick at school, you knowwhat an important serviceshe provides.

If you take religious edu­cation classes at your parish,your teachers are puttingtime and effort into yourmoral and faith develop­ment. These qualities willimpact your whole life.Have you told them that youdon't take such caring forgranted, that you appreciatetheir concern?

I'm not suggesting thatyou overlook the obviouslycaring people in your life:parents, grandparents orclose friends. Yet Thanks­giving is a time to beexpan­sive in your gratitude. I feelsure that you could easilycome up with five to 10names of people who add tothe meaning of your life.

None ofthese people is inyour life by accident. Godhas guided them to m~ke thecontributions that affect youand others.

Even as you take extra ef­fort to tell others of your ap­preciation, do not forgetyour Creator. God's love iswith you forever. It cannotbe lost.

Whatever the content ofyour Thanksgiving festivi­ties, find some quiet mo­ments to speak with God.Tell God what this love andcare means to you.

Turn your expressions ofthanks intO a growing circleof gratitude that touchesmany. When you do this thepoWer ofyour heart changesthe, world.

for Thanksgiving.Who has brought light to

your life during this pastyear? Have you told themhow much you appreciatethe magic of their caring? Irefer not only to romanticinterests, the song's focus,but also to the many peoplewho do small yet importantactions for us. Their choicesto be involved in oui livesmake a real difference i~ thequality of Qur. day-t~-day.existence. Thanksgiving in­vites us to remember them.

If you walk to school,have you thanked thecross­ing guards who add safety to

Our Rock and Role

A Thanksgiving Song

Written by ,Joe BrooksSung by LeAnn RimesCopyright (c) 1997 by Curb Records

So many nightsI'd sit by my windowWaiting for someoneTo sing me his song.So many dreamsI kept deep inside meAlone in the dark.Now you've come along.

Landing at seaAdrift on thE! waterCould it be that finallyI'm turning for home?Finally a chance to say,"Hey, I love you"Never again to be all alone.

You L.ight Up My Life

It can't be wrongIf it feels so rightBecause you light up my life.

And you light up my lifeYou give me hopeTo carryon .And you light up my daysAnd fill my nights with sun.

Refrain:

(Repeat refrain twice)

GIVING THANKSmakes sense in any season.It spiritually enriches anyday. Still, it is a blessing thatwe have a special day ofThanksgiving.

Sometimes we forget todo what we ought to do. Thisday helps to remind us thatgratitude should fill ourlives. ,

If you have followed thiscolumn in 1997, you k~ow

that I, like m:il1,ions of oth­ers, have become a fan ofLeAnn .Rimes' .music. Herremake of the Debbie B00nehit "You Light Up My Life"seemS'an appropriate choice

t these CYhankssivins and AcfventQ Seasons, a biS thank toU to the

fo((owinS sroups and individua[swho co[(ected and shipped winter

coats, sweaters, and chHdren's c[othins forvictims of the terrib[e Hoods of 1997 in Wo[and:

The students of Holy Family-Holy Name School of New.Bedford; Bishop Feehan and Bishop Stang High Schools; Parish­ioners of Holy Name Church of New Bedford; Girl Scouts ofFirst Congregational Churches of Fairhaven, Rochester,Mattapoisett; Church Women United under the auspices ofRev~ Pamela Cole of Acushnet-Wesley Methodist Church; Mr.& Mrs. Joseph Michaud of Arjay National Box Co.

uqf qr ~((Jlve not CIhtCOl1dt~9 qr am nothinao"n Cor ] 3) ~ ] ~4

On behalf ofRev. Tadeusz Filas, S.J.

Parafia ~_w.. Andrxeja Boboliul. Rakowiecka 6102-532 Warszawa

Poland

.WESOtYCH SWlftT•

BOZEGO tlfiRODZEtilfiMr. Alvin Bodzioch

Atty. Ferdinand B. SowaMr. Richard T. Sa.unders·