02.28.03

theanVOL. 47, NO.8· Friday, February 28, 2003 FALL RIVER, MASS.

. .Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • $14 Per Year

By CINDY WOODEN

CATHOUC NEWS SERVICE

RULES FOR LENT

more human manner of living ...in this earthly society." That, mostwould agree, is something wesorely need.

The Church's commemora­tion of the Lenten season enablesus, through prayer and peniten­tial practices, to examine anddeepen our relationship to God'inand through Jesus Christ. Life inChrist results in a close, intimaterelationship with Him which canbe described best in Saint Paul's,words, " ... I liv((, no longed, butChrist lives in me" (Galatians2:20).

OJu~I'M)~~»d.,..-tty8)rb' sin,

-'I

jammed exits as the lights went,out. Many bodieswere found piled just inside the doors. '

"The thoughts and prayers of all the faithful ofthe Diocese·of Fall River are directed to all the vic­

tims ofthe terrible conflagra­_~-------.., tion in West Warwick and

their families and friends,"Msgr. Coleman said.

"We will pray that God willwelcome to their everlastinghome those who died in thistragic event and that he willgive strength and healing tothose who were injured or af­fected in any way."

Among the confirmed deadare eight local residents.

They are Richard A. CabralJr., 37, of Summer Street,Attleboro; James Gahan, 21,of Falmouth; DonaldRoderiques, 46, of Mashpee;Lisa Kelly, 27, of Swansea;Albert A. DiBonaventura, 18,of North Dighton; Victor

, Stark, 39, of West Yarmouth;and Katherine O'Donnell, 26,and Joseph Rossi, 35, ofSeekonk.

Still missing are Robert

Turn to page jive - Fire

Holiness is not an exotic wayof lire, meant to be practiced onlyby a few; rather, it is the life towhich all are called. A holy lifeis not led apart from the joy andhappiness, the pain and anxietyof everyday life. A holy life canbe lived in everyday circum­stances, in our families, if) theworkplace, in our,neighborhoodsand schools. As the Councilteaches, holiness promotes "a

status, are called to the fullnessof the Christian life and to theperfection of charity; by this ho­liness, a more human manner oflivi'ng is promoted in this earthlysociety."

By DEACON JAMES N. DUNBAR

Prayers of diocese offeredfor nightclub fire victiDlS

FALL RIVER - Msgr. George W. Coleman, ad- ,ministrator of the Fall River diocese, has offeredthe prayers of the diocese to the victims of the Feb­ruary 20 tragic fire at TheStation nightclub in WestWarwick, R.I.

Many grieving parish­ioners across the southernMassachusetts regionknew victims or theirfamilies, and as The An-chor went to press onTuesday, the death tollhad reached 97 and nearlya hundred more badlyburned were in theregion's hospitals.

Last week's Thursdaynight fire reportedlyerupted when GreatWhite, a rock band, set offpyrotechnics at the begin­ning of its performance.Within seconds the firequickly spread to the ceil­ing and walls filling The ~=2:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

,Station with flames and A STATUE OF the Virgin Mary sits undersuffocating smoke. It set a large cross at a makeshift memorial to theoff a stampede as approxi- victims of the deadly nightclub fire in Westmately 300 people Warwick, R.1. (eNS photo from Reuters)

Msgr.. George W. Colemanissues Lenten message

"Even now, says the Lord, return to'mewith your w'hole heart" (Joel 2:12).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The more we prayerfully re­flect on the Church, the more re­,markable a reality it is seen to be.The Head of the Church is JesusChrist; its members, by beingjoined to the Head, receive from

, ,Him grace and life. Jesus Christis the sinless One; the membersof His Church are prone to sin andin need of being redeemed.

Christ calls all the membersof His Church to lead live~ ofholiness. The Vatican Cpuncil IIterms this "the 'universal call toholiness in the Church." TheCouncil taught that "all the faith­fulof Christ of whatever rank or

might succeed in improving impor­tant aspects of social and politicallife, without charity'every changewould remain short-lived," the popesaid in the message released at the

___________ Vatican.

Full text ofpope's Lenten , !'or the ma-Message on Page 13. J?nty of Catho­

lics, who followthe Gregorian

calendar, Lent begins with AshWednesday, March 5.

The pope said Lent offers indi­viduals "the practical and effectiveweapons of fasting and almsgiving

Turn to page 13 - Message

Wednesday, March 5 is Ash Wednesday. The Church's regu­lations for the Lenten season follow:

abstinence' from meat on Ash Wednesday, all Fridaysduring Lent and Good Friday for those aged 14 and older;

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are to be observed asdays offasting for those aged 18 to 59.

Fasting is defined as eating only one full meal and two ligh,tmeals during the day. Eating between meals is not pe'rmitted,however, liquids are permitted.

In Lenten message" popesays charity essential

to Christian life

VATICAN CITY - Personalacts of charity and sacrifice to helpothers are essential elements of atruly Christianlife, Pope JohnPaul II said.

"Christiansmust not thinkthat they can seek the true good oftheir brothers and sisters withoutembodying the charity of Christ,"the pope said in his message forLent 2003.

"Even in those cases where they

I

February 2003 - Catholic Press Monthj

FALL RJVER - Saint Anne's Hospital an- Since 1994, Saint Anne's has provided freenounces its March schedule for its Women's breast and cervical services to more· than 4,300Health Network outreach program of breast and uninsured or underinsured women. To find out ifcervical cancer medical services as follows: March you qualify or to make and appointment call 508­4 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., SSTAR. Family 675-"5686 or check the hospital's Website:Health Center, 400 Stanley Street; March 8 from www.saintanneshospital.org.8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., FIRSTFED "Center for Breast A nurse practitioner provides clinical breastCare at Saint Anne's Hospital, corner of South exams, Pap tests, physical exams and breast andMain and Middle streets; March 13 from 6:30- cervical education at host sites .throughout the8:30 p.m., FIRSTFED Center for Breast Care at area. Mammography is provided at theSaint Anne's Hospital; March 20 from noon to 3 FIRSTFED Center for Breast Care. Other healthp.m., Healthtirst Family Care Center, 102 County services including free further diagnostic testingStreet; March 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., as order by the physician are included as needed.FlRSTFED Center for Breast Care at Saint Anne's Portuguese speaking staff arid interpreters· ofHospital. All locations are in Fall River. other languages are avail.able.

prayers, such as for Ugandans liv­ing with HJV/AIDS; topics fordiscussion; and lessons for Catho­lic school children,

CRS is· marking its 60th yearas the official humanitarianagency of the U.S. Catholic com­munity.

For more illformatioll aboutOperation Rice Bowl alld CRS,visit the Website atwww.catllOlicrelief.org.

River. In 1992 she moved to theMont Marie Retirement Resi­dence and· in 1997 to the MontMarie Health Care Center.

She is survived by nieces andnephews in "the Fall River area,and her religious community Sis­ters of St. Joseph.

Her funeral Mass was cel­ebrated Tuesday in Mont MarieChapel ofthe Sisters of St. Josephin Holyoke. Burial was in MontMarie Cemetery there.

Sampson Family Chapels in. Holyoke was in charge .of ar­

rangements.

Central Falls' schools and shegraduated from the NovitiateHigh School of the Sisters of St. .Joseph, Fall River. She receiveda Normal School Certificate froolthe former Sacred Heart Schoolof Education in Fall River.

Her teaching assignments wereat Blessed Sacrament, St. JeanBaptiste and St. Roch schools inFall River; St. Joseph and St.Therese schools in New Bedford;and St. Michael School, OceanGrove, Swansea.

In 1980 Sister Pratt joined theretirement community in Fall

March 31960, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Timothy P. Sweeney, LL.D., Pastor,

Holy Name, New Bedford

March 5( \ .

1995, Permanent Deacon\Manuel H. Camara

\.\ '-\ .~~l1:ch~;~

1932, Rev. John W. Quy;"k, FQ,under, St. Joseph, Taunton;Rev. Bernard P, C9_nnolly,-S:S~ St. Charles College, Mary-I d ~. _/ \ \an ~~ \. .

1996, Rev. Antoine Lanoue,'p,p., St. Anne, Fall River\ ,\ \

March\1\ . ..1958, Rev. Arthur PJ. Gagnon~'pastor,Holy R<;>sary, New

Bedford \ \\\

'. March 9 \".1947, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Henry 1. Noon, VG., Pastor, St. James, .

New Bedford; Third Vicar General, Fall River, 1934-47

In Your PrayersPlease pray for the following

priests during the coming week

tional crises continues to heighten,American Catholics, through theirparticipation in the program, willput their faith into action and walkin solidarity with their neighborsin need around the world.

Approximately 12 millionCatholic parishioners, studentsand teachers will use the Opera­tion Rice Bowl materials as aguide to pray, fast, learn and give.

The materials offer daily

Sister Marie Agnes Pratt SSJ

Sir 17:19-27; Ps32:1-2,5-7; Mk10:17-27Sir35:1-12; Ps50:5-8,14,23;Mk 10:28-31JI2:12-18; Ps51 :3-6a, 12­14,17;2Cor5:20-6:2; Mt 6: 1­6,16-18Dt 30:15-20; Ps1:1-4,6; Lk 9:22­25Is 58:1-9a; Ps51 :3-6a,18-19;Mt 9:14-15Is 58:9b-14; Ps86:1-6; Lk5:27­32Gn 9:8-15; Ps25:4-9; 1 Pt3:18-22; Mk1:12-15

. .'Operation Rice Bowl begins 28th year ~

Saint Anne's Hospitalannounces March schedule

Mar 3

Mar4

Mar 5

Mar 6

Mar8

Mar7

Mar 9

Daily Readings

BALTIMORE, Md. - Mil­lions of Catholics will begin par­ticipating this month in CatholicRelief Services' (CRS) annualLenten program, Operation RiceBowl, now in its 28th year. In thisyear when the severity of interna-

1111I11III111111111111111111111THE ANCHOR (USPS-S4S-Q20) PeriodicalPostage Paid at Fall River. Mass. Publishedweekly except for the tirst two weeks in Julyand the week after Christmas at 887 HighlandAvenue, Fall River, Mass. 02720 by ule CatholicPress of the Diocese of Fall River. Subscriptionprice by mail, postpaid $14.00 per year.POSTMASTERS send address changes to TIleAnchor, P.O. Box 7, Fall River, MA -02722.

HOLYOKE - Sister MarieAgnes Pratt of the Sisters of St.

tional Association of Treasurers of . Joseph, also known as AnnetteReligious Institutes from 1996 to Pratt,died Sunday at the age of2000. He also served on the board 94 in the Mont Marie Health Careand finance committee of the Center here.Leviticus Fund, which is an a1tema- Born in Central Falls, R.I., thetive inve·stment fund, and on the daughter of the late Arthur andMarist Brothers' International Com- the late Diana (Denomme) Pratt,mittee on Economic Affairs in she entered the Sisters of St. Jo­Rome. seph in Fall River in 1927. She

In his new position, he will over- became a member of the Sisterssee fimmcial mallagement and grant of St. Josephof Springfield whenadministration for the religious re- the two congregations merged intirement office, founded in 1986 to 1974.help the nation's religious institutes Sister Pratt was educated inaddress massive retirement needs.Currently the unfunded retirementliability of religious orders is esti-mated to be $6.7 billion. .

"BrotherSammon brings in-depthunderstanding of both religious lifeand finances at a time when religiousorders are facing the monumentalchallenge of dealing with retirementneeds," said Msgr. William P. Fay,general secretary of the U.S. Confer­enceofCatholic Bishops. "Heclearlybrings insight, skill and sensitivity tothe challenges before religious in thiscountry today."

The National Religious Retire­ment Office is located at the head-.quarters of the l).S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops in Washington. Itis sponsored by the USCCB, theLeadership Conference of WomenReligious, the Conference of MajorSuperiors of Men and the CouncilofMajor Superiors of Women Reli­gious.

Our Lady'sMonthly MessageFrom Medjugorje

February 25, 2003Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Marist brother to directreligions retirement office

JOHN'S SHOE STORE295 Rhode Island Avenue

Fall River, MA 02724 .

FORALLOAYWALKING COMFORT

"Dear Children! Also today I call you to pray and fast forpeace. As I have already said and now repeat to you, littlechildren, only with prayer and fasting can wars also bestopped. Peace is a precious gift from God. Seek, pray andyou will receive it. Speak about peace and carry peace inyour hearts. Nurture it like a flower which is in need of wa·ter, tenderness and light. Be those who carry peace to oth­ers. I am with you and intercede for all of you.

~'Thank you for having responded to my call."

OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE GROUPMarian Messengers

P.O. Box 647, Framingham, MA 01701· Tel. 1-508-879-9318

PRACTICE THE DEVOTION OF THE FIRST SATURDAYS,

AS REQUESTED BY OUR LADY OF FATIMA

On December 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared to Sister Lucia(seer of Fatima) and spoke these words: "Announce in myname that I promise to assist at the hour ofdeath with the graces

necessary for the salvation oftheir souls, all those who on the firstSaturday of five consecutive months shall:

1. Go to confession; 2. Receive Holy Communion; 3. Recite theRosary (5 decades); and 4. Keep me company for IS minutes whilemeditating on the 15 mysteries ofthe Rosary, with the intention of

making reparation to ine."In a spirit of reparation, the above conditions are each to be

preceded by the words: "In reparation for the offensescommitted against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

.Confessions may be made during 8 days before or after thefirst Saturday, and Holy Communion may be received at

either the morning or evening Mass on the first Saturday.

2 THE ANCHOR - Diocese ofFal! River- Fri., February 28,2003

WASHINGTON (CNS) ­Marist Brother Henry MatthewSammon, who has been treasurerlcomptroller of both men's andwomen's religious orders, has beennamed associate director of the Na­tional Religious Retirement Office.

He succeeds Christian BrotherJohn Patzwall, who left the office inearly January after five years in thepost.

Brother Sammon, 56, currentlyis acandidate for a licentiate in canonlaw from The Catholic Universityof America in Washington.

He holds a master of science de­gree with a concentration in tinancefrom the University ofNotre Dame,has pursued advanced studies in .educational administration at Man­hattan College, and holds a certifi­cate from a program in the law andreligious life at College Misericor­dia in Dallas, Pa.

Brother .Sammon was presidentof the board of directors of the Na-

POPE JOHN Paul II receives ashes from Cardinal Josef Tomko at Rome's Basilica ofSanta Sabina in this file photo. This year, Ash Wednesday is on March 5 marking the begin­ning of Lent. (CNS file photo)

forbidden during Lent, a specialbread was made with dough con­sisting of only (lour, salt and wa­ter. These lillie breads wereshaped in the forms of armscrosscd in prayer.

Hot Cross Buns were also tra­ditional Lenten food. The En­glish custom was to place icing0':1 the buns in the shape of across.

While the rigors of Lent con­tinue to be performed individu­ally, the community dimensionof Lent must not be overlooked,Father Turncr reminds us.

"It is a time of community re­newal," he says. "We do not en­ter it alonc, preparing as we mightfor a job interview. We cnter it asa community. like blood donors,recyclers and highway cleanupvolunteers. Our efforts n~ake usfeel like better pcrsons. but theygive us an experience of mutualsacri lice, bui Iding up the commu­nity, and making thc world bcttcrfor everyonc."

So although one's personalobscrvancc of Lent may secmlike a private matter, i"t takesplace within the context of anentire community seeking to re­new hearts and souls togcther.

While the emphasis today ison voluntary Lenten practices,direction still comcs from thehistorical evolution of Lent withits emphasis on baptism, per­sonal conversion, pcnance andthe suffering and death of ChrisI.

Lent should not be like timespent in a dark tunnel. It shouldalways be illuminated by theglow of Christ's triumphant res­lirrection over death, which thesun will daily bring to our atten­tion as it restores life to the win­ter-dead world.

For further information, and a full color brochurePlease call Margaret Oliverio or Fr. Joe781·762·2029 or 781·344·2073

Featuring:St. Anthony of Padua, Venice,St. Catherine of Siena, St. Francis of Assisi,Loreto-Our Lady's House,Lanciano-Bleeding Host, St. Padre Pio,Monte Cassino, Rome .& more!

(per persoll, double occupallcy)

June 16-26, 2003$2895.00

Tour Includes:• Round-trip air from Boston• 10 Nights Superior First-Class Hotel• -Breakfast & dinner daily• All taxes and service in Italy

Under the spiritual direction of:Rev. Joseph P. McDermott

Pastor of Immaculate COllceptioll,StoughtOil, Massachusetts

THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri .. February 28, :LeU} 3

sin and be faithful to the Gospel,"point our minds and hearts in anew direction.

But Lent still has its solemnreminders. You'll see violet vest­ments - of a more reddish huethan the blue of Advent - on aregular basis; and in the liturgywe'll omit the"Glory to God" onall Sundays of the season, butcontinue to recite the Creed. Wealso substitute another Gospelacclamation for the Alie lu ia,which is suppressed throughoutLent.

Infant baptisms arc usuallydeferred until after Lent, al­though weddings are permitted.

And Lent is a marvelous sea­son to celebrate the sacrament ofreconciliation. The prayers andpractices of the season help usto call to mind our sins and God'sforgiveness. As we grow inawareness of our faults, we canbring them to God in a spirit ofrepentance, open to growth ingrace, awaiting the full expres­sion of mercy and love.

Lent used to be marked by anintense obligatory fast. Now onlyAsh Wednesday, the day the sea­son begins, is a day of obligatoryfast - fasting meaning that onlyone full meal may be taken thatday.

The fast - obligatory forthose aged 18 to 59 - reappearsafter Lent on Good Friday andthe Saturday of the Triduum inHoly Week.

However, abstinence frommeat is observed on all Fridaysof the season by those aged 14and older.

Pretzels, a popular snack atTV time, have their origin inearly Christian Lenten practices.Because eggs, fat and milk were'

So the spiritual renewal ofLent takes on specialized formfor those already faithful Churchmembers who recommit them­selves to life in Christ. And thosewho have signed the Book of theElect at some earlier time preparethemselves for baptism. Bothgroups undergo Lent "as a sea­son for preparation," says FatherTurner.

"The elect see in the faithfulthe ideal of sacramental life to­ward which they strive," FatherTurner writes. "The faithful seein the elect the strengthening ofa spiritual commitment that theystrive to renew."

He adds: "To these mutualends, all.those in the householdof the· Church use Lent as a sea­son for prayer, fasting andalmsgiving, to arrive at Easterpure of heart and renewed inspirit."

In centuries past, Lent's so­lemnities were much more re­strictive and demanding thanthey are today.

In essence, the practice of put­ting ashes on the heads of people,and originally, thc wearing ofsackcloth, is an ancient, peniten­tial practice common among theHebrew people (Jonas 3:5-9;Jeremiah 6:26; Matthew II :21).It later became a mark of expel­ling a sinner from the commu­nity for long periods of time as apenance for public "capital" sinsand scandals such as apostasyheresy, murder and adultery.

Later, during the Middle Agesemphasis was placed on personalrather than public sin. In recentdecades an alternntive formulafor the imposition of ashes andthe warning, "Remember you aredust and into dust you shall re­turn" emphasizes a more positiveaspect of Lent.

The words 'Turn away from

his Sourcebook 2003, then add­ing, "Christmas is the time to re­new friendships andfamilies. InLent we renew our spirit."

It's as if the whole Churchgoes on retreat for six weeksabout a month-and-a-half afterthe Christmas season. This an­nual spiritual renewal preparesfor the celebration ofChristianity's most fundamentalbelief: Jesus was raised from thedead and is Christ, the Lord.

"Lent, therefore, has no mean­ing in itself," writes Gregg Duesin his "Catholic Customs & Tra­ditions." But it does, he asserts,"prepare us for the celebration ofChrist's rising from the dead" atEaster. The world "lent" for ex­ample, comes from the oldAnglo-Saxon word for spring­time, "lencten." It describes thegradual lengthening of daylightafter the winter solstice.

Our fathers in the faith wereaware of what it means to haveEaster near the spring equinox.After that date the days getlonger and longer. But symboli­cally, it means that Christ re­vealed himself to man ever morefully after rising from the dead,just as the sun, weakened duringthe short dark days of winter,grows stronger even after thespring equinox.

This celestial symbolism titswell with the custom of receiv­ing new catechumens into theChurch at Easter, Dues pointsout.

Here too, the language ofVatican II retlects this solar im­agery: "When the sacrament ofChristian initiation has freedthem from the powers of dark­ness (cf. Col I: 13) ... thc cat­echumens celebrate the remem­brance of the Lord's death andresurrection together. with thewhole people of God."

Lent: A time for spiritual renewal~ The special season of

enlightenment beginson Ash Wednesday,March 5.

EDICTAL CITATIONDIOCESAN TRIBUNAL

FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTSSince the actual place of residence of

WAYNE A. THATCHER, JR. is unknown.We cite WAYNE A. THATCHER, JR. to

appear personally before the tribunal of theOiucese of Fall River on Tuesday. March 18,2003 at 10:30 a.m. at 887 Highland Av·enue, Fall River, Massachusetts, to give tes·timony to establish:

Whether the nullity of the marriageexists in the Roberge·Thatcher case?

Ordinaries of the place or other pastorshaving the knowledge of the residence ofthe above person, Wayne A. Thatcher, Jr.,must see to it that .he is properly advised inregard to this edictal citation.

(Rev.) Paul F. Robinson, O. Carm., J.C.D.Judicial Vicar

Given at the Tribunal.Fall River, Massachusettson this the 20th day of February, 2003.

By DEACON JAMES ·N. DUNBAR

FALL RIVER - The unex­pected thing about our workadayGregorian cnlendar the Univer­sal Church has been in charge offor centuries, is its symbolism.

More than just ticking off thedays until your vacation, it formsa great image of faith, showinghow thc ordcr of nature corre­sponds to the story of Redemp­tion.

"Within the cycle of the year,"says Vatican II's COllstitll1ioll onthe Sacred Liturgy. thc Church"unfolds thc whole mystery ofChrist. not only from his' Incar­nation and birth until his ascen­sion, hut also as reflected ... inthe hoped-for rcturn of the

. Lord.""For many people summer is

the timc for physical renewal,"Father Paul Turner reminds us in

EDITORDavid B. Jolivet

"I AM BENT OVER AND GREATLY BOWED DOWN;

I GO MOURNING ALL DAY LONG"

(PSALM 38:6).

.th~ living word .t

snow. These delightful soundsadd to life's little pleasures.

Ah, but there is still more ahoutsnow that is blessed! Whateveryour age, sculpting snow intovarious forms brings the best ofyouthfulness out of us.

In the United States, we oftenforget that snow for people in thefar north long has provided ma­terial for a home. Though it iscold, snow has insulating, protec­tive powers.

Snow is a photographer's treat.I never wi II forget one of the mostmemorable days I ever enjoyed inthe woods while cross-countryskiing. The sun shining on snow­laden trees against a rolling whitebackground created a spellbindingscene. Nor will I forget riding ona train in Switzerland and lookingout on snow-capped mountains. Iwondered, "Could heaven be anymore beautiful than this?"

No doubt the beauty of heavenis beyond our imagination, hutwhen it comes to better under­standing God's beauty on earth,take a closer look at snow,...

By FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

A CHAPLAIN, RIGHT, LEADS FIREFIGHTERS IN PRAYER·FEBRUARY 21 OVER THE REMAINS OF A

VICTIM OF ''THE STATION" NIGHTCLUB FIRE IN WEST WARWICK, R.I. THE BLAZE KILLED AT

LEAST 97 PEOPLE AND\ WAS REPORTEDLY STARTED BY AN ONSTAGE PYROTECHNICS DISPLAY AS

THE BAND GREAT WHITE PERFORMED THE NIGHT BEFORE. (eNS PHOTO FROM REUTERS)

Take a closer lookat the snow

after talking with God, his facewas so dazzling white that it had

If there is one thing people to be covered with a veil.don't want to hear praised this In Scripture, this quality ofwinter, it is snow and ice. The last dazzling brightness expressesfew,months have been nothing G9d's presence, and in our moralbut digging but and trying to stay teachings it is a sign of purity.warm. Snow produces dazzling light.

As undesirable as snow and ice So it is also a perfect symbol ofmay seem, I can't help but recall Christ the light of the world, whothe Canticle of Daniel's sugges- came to dispel darkness.tion that ice and snow are able to Thanks to science, we are"bless the Lord." learning that snowy days have the

Why does Daniel speak of ice _ power of dispelling depressionand snow almost as though they because they surround us withare human and capable of bless- light and its uplifting spirit.ing God? Beca':lse he sees ice and Snow is a farmer:s delight and,snow as servants of God, prais- for that matter, a delight to any':ing him through their beauty. one who gardens. It allows the

Think about snow and its soil to rest by throwing a blanket'blessings. Examine them closely. over it, and when it melts, it feedsThink how dull landscapes can be the soil with valuable nutrients.transformed instantaneously into When you walk in the snow,bright winter wonderlands when do you reflec~ on the distinctivesnow falls. sounds made when it is stepped

Interestingly, when Christ as- upon? If it is bitter cold outside, acended the mountain' and· was sharp crisp sound unlike any othertransformed, the scene was one of is created. When it's not so cold,dazzling brightness. And when a quite different, squishy tone isMoses descended Mount Horeb created when we walk on the

theancho~OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL· RIVER

Published weekly by the Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River887 Highland Avenue .P.O. BOX 7Fall River,MA02720 Fall River, MA 02722-0007

Telephone 508-675-7151 FAX 508-675-7048E-mail: [email protected]

Send address changes to P.O. Box, call or use E-mail address

EXECUTIVE EDITOR.Rev. Msgr. John F. Moore,

NEWS EDITOR OFFICE MANAGER,Jam~s N: Dunbar Barbara M. Reis

themoorin~

4 THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., February 28, 2003

A change of heartAmid the cries for war, the movement of troops, and the propa­

ganda of nationalism, the voices of peacemakers have been sub­ject to ridicule, derision, and even have been viewed as unpatri­otic. We are losing focus, and the hope of a peaceful world again isbeing dashed to pieces. The Church has always reflected that inthe Commandment, "You shall not kill," our Lord asked for peaceof heart. First and foremost we should reflect that respect for hu­man life requires peace.' Peace in this light is not merely the ab­sence of war. It is not limited solely to maintaining a balance ofpower between adversaries. We have ignored the reality that peacecannot be attained on earth without safeguarding respect for thedignity of persMs and peoples. As St. Augustine wr~te, "Peace isthe tranquility of order." Isaiah's Words should not be overlooked,"Peace is the' work of justice and the effect of charity."

For Christians, earthly peace is the fruit of the peace of Christ,the "Prince of Peace." His words should be recalled when he de­clared, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Because many have refusedto listen to these words, we are a nation in confrontation, here athome and in nations around the world.

Again: we must affirm that the Fifth Commandment forbids the, intentional destruction of human life. Because of the horrendousevils and grave injustices that accompany all war, the Church oncemore prays that God will free us from the ancient bondage of war.She reminds all her members that all citizens and all governmentsare obliged to work for the avoidance of war. The few who takethese guidelines seriously ,have become the victims of insult andridicule. Our government refuses to'listen to other nations andpeoples who are attempting to uphold and affirm this responsibil­ity. This is wrong, and we will pay a mighty 'price for deafe.ningourea~. .

In this age of the ongoing development of sophisticated weap­ons of war, we must again affirm that the arms race does not en­sure peace. The headlong rush for nuclear arms has placed all theworld in grav~ danger, especially when one considers the unstablenature of many nations possessing such weapons. Indeed, far fromeliminating the cause of war, it only aggravates the situation. Someday someone will push the wrong button. However, we must recallthat this nation was'the first to use such destructive weaponry. Themorality of this action is much in question. This being said, weforget that our armament mUltiplies reasons for conflict and in­creases the danger of escalation. bdeed, this is the problem wenow face throughout the world: '

The Fathers of Vatican II faced this issue squarely when theywrote, "It is our clear duty to spare no effort in order to work for

, the moment when all war will be outlawed by international agree­ment." Our current machination of the United Nations frustratesthis desire. We seem to be playing one nation against another in apolitical tug-of-war. It has not helped our credibility as a "peace­ful" nation. In fact, it has painted us in a very untrusting light.Peace must be born of mutual trust between nations and peoples.Efforts today seem to be measured by a distrust which fosters theconcept that if you're not wi,th us you're against us. Does this re­ally reflect the spirit of the American' people?

We need a change of heart. To do this, we must refocus'ourvision of the family Of nations and look to those efforts and tasksthat we can all perform'together in order to bring about a peacethat will be for the betterment of all nations and peoples.

The Ex~cutive Editor

My people, our people

LOW. LOW RATES STARTING AT

33;4%*NO POINTS. NO CLOSING COSTS

1ST. 2ND, 3RD MORTGAGESPURCHASE OR REFINANCE

IMPROVEMENT. REPAIRDEBT CONSOLIDATION

CREDIT CARD PAY OFFS.HOME EQUITY, COMMERCIAL

2ND HOMES, TUITION. SELF EMPLOYEDNO INCOME VERIFICATIONPOOR CREDIT· NO CREDIT

PAY OFF LIENS & ATTACHMENTSFORECLOSURE· BANKRUPTCYAPPLICATION TAKEN ON PHONE

NO APPLICATION FEE.FAST SERVICE. WE CAN HELP!

CALL NOWNew Bedford 508-636-7000Cape Cod 508·945-0060Free application on Internet

www.ccnm.comMB # 1161

"APR 5 7/8. Adj. $10k min.

CAPE CODNATIONAL

MORTGAGE

tion" of humans, the pope said theChurch "respects and SUppOl1S sci­entific research." He noted biomedi­cal research had helped overcomelethal and selious diseases and im­proved the length and quality of hu­man life, especially in the develop­ing world.

But hecliticized a growing "ex­tremely serious and unacceptabletrench" between wealthy and poornations in regard to biomedical re- .search and health care.

"1 am thinking in a special wayof the drama of AIDS, pm1icularlyselious in many ArIican countIies,"he said.

"It is necessary to' realize thatleaving these populations withoutthe resources of science and culturemeans not only condemning themto povelty, economic exploitationand lack of health infrastl1.1clure, butalso committing an injustice andnOUlishing a long-term threat for theglobalized world," he said.

The pope said the Church seesthe moral guidance it gives as a "pre­cious service" because it directs sci­entific research towru'd the authen­tic good of humanity.

G r »;....i-~I_i"lJirTIT. J~I~)Jt~iJi"- '.'Bibles • Books • Vid8!!b, I

Music • Gilts • Cards .'. ';88·A Siaia Road (RI. 61. N. Dartmouth •

(506)997·1165' Fax.(508~.•99..~0_.ti.·iiIII·"Open Mon-Sat 9:3D-5pm ' • .* .. =..-l .. :~.~ P,

.--lY1rfglj J .~ I~ • 'jl~QPTef~fAJT. ~.1

JJhclr~um ,..'/._ ,"_,_. , ,._ ,-__ 4

GIFTS

CARDSBOOKS

508-673-4262936 So. Main St., Fall River

Charlie's Oil Co., Inc." Prompt 24 Hour Service" Automatic Deliveries" Call In Deliveries. " Budget Terms Available

• Free Estimates

You Never Had ServiceUntil You Tried Charlie's

We're located at ...

46 Oak Grove Ave., Fall Riveror call ...

508-675-7426 • 508-674-0709

Montie Plumbing& Heating Co.

Over 35 Yearsof Satisfied Services

Reg. Master Plumber 7023JOSEPH RAPOSA, JR.

432 JEFFERSON STREETFALL RIVER 508-675-7496

VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Ifthe Church fails to speak out force­fully about the ethical limits of bio­medical research, history - andmaybe even scientists - could oneday accuse it of culpable silence,Pope John Paul II said.

He made his remarks recently toabout 160 medical researchers andChurch ethicists pmticipating in athree-day plenmy meeting of thePontifical Academy for Life.

'Today, perhaps more than inother times, given the enormous de­velopment of biotechnologies ­even human expeIimentation - itis necessmy that scientists are awareof the impassable limits that the de­fense of life and of the integlity anddignity of every human being im­poses on their research activities,"the pope said.

"I have returned to this thememany times because I am convincedthat being silent in the face of cer­tairi results or claims of human ex­perimentation is not permilted toanyone and much less the Church,who would be accused of silencetomorrow by history and maybe bylovers of science themselves," hesaid.

The pope also appealed to scien­tists to devote more resources tohuman procreation studies and find­ing "natural solutions. to the prob­lems of conjugal infeltility," whichhe called an issue of growing ur­gency. He said the request echoed asimilar one made by Pope Paul VIin his encyclical "Humanae Vitae"condemning artificial contraception.

Though he wamed of the ethicaldangers of biomedical "manipula-

THE ANCHOR - Diocese ofPall River - Fri., February 28, 2003 5

Pope says Church must speak outon limits ofbiomedical research

OUR LADY'SRELIGIOUS STOREMan. - Sat. 10:00 - 5:30 PM

ing to victims and firefighters."Some of the victims were

burned badly, but you didn't knowhow badly," he said.

Providence Bishop Robert E.Mulvee issued a statement offer­ing prayers and condolences forthe victims and their families, say­ing, "All of us in Rhode Island arestunned and grieved by the horrificfire .... As we mourn the suddenand tragic deaths of the victims,we ask God to comfort all thosewho weep at such a loss."

On Tuesday, families of burnvictims kept an agonizing vigil athospitals across Rhode Island andMassachusetts. Days earlier theyhad watched as TV channels broad­cast startling video images taken bya TV newsman inside the club atthe time of the fire showing peopleovercome by the thick smoke andtrying to flee the flames in the dark­ness as the lights went out.

At the Crowne Plaza inWarwick, set up as a center forfamilies impacted by the fire,Msgr. Jacques L. Plante of S1.James and St. John the Baptist Par­ishes, celebrated a Mass for themon February 21. A standing-roomcrowd gathered to pray with him.

At press time on Tuesday, 74of the 187 people injured in the fire- some critically, with burns overmajor percentages of their bodies- remained in nine hospitalsthroughout Rhode Island and Mas­sachusetts.

All are battling infections andpneumonia, and some have al­ready undergone skin transplants.

lieved in God, and some probablydidn't. Some had heruts of gold andsome probably didn '[, But they wereall human anu none of them de­served that fate. It wasn't heavy

metal that killed them. Theywere simply in the wrongplace at the wrong time.

It can happen to any ofus. I can't count the num­ber of conceIts or spOttingevents I've been to, andnothing has gone wrong.How'many of us have beenin velY crowded restaurants,shopping malls, movie the-

aters and churches? Yet nothing likelast week's disaster has happened tous.

My hemt is still broken from lastweek's tragic fire. Those were mypeople who were killed. Those aremy people who face months, if notyears, ofpainful recovery. Those aremy people who will be horribly dis­figured and/or haunted for the restof their lives. '

Regardless of what you maythink of heavy metal, raise a prayerfor the souls ofour brothers and sis­ters who perished. Raise a prayer forthose mentally and physically in­jured. Raise a prayer for GreatWhite. Raise a prayer for the own­ers. They all need the comfort ofourloving God. Raise a prayer for all ofthem; because they weren't just mypeople, they belong to all of us.

Comments are welcome atdave;[email protected].

.:···· .. ·1·r,. ., 0:. ,i": .~., ~....,~"" '.Bi'\" .,'

••

(Silveira) Cabral, both ofTaunton,he have lived in Attleboro for 12years.

He had been working as a pre­cision machine operator for Leach& Garner in North Attleboro, forsix years.

Besides his wife and parents heleaves a son, Richard A. Cabral III,and a daughter, Christine R.Cabral, both at home; three broth­ers, Gilbert Cabral, Brian Cabral,and Mark Cabral; and nieces andnephews.

By Tuesday, medical teams hadidentified 78 of the dead.

Rhode Island Gov. DonaldCarcieri has called in teams of pa­thologists to help identify the deadhoping to bring quick closure tofamilies.

Father Robert L. Marciano,pastor of SS. Rose and ClementParish iii Warwick, and chaplainfor the West Warwick police andfire departments, was among thefirst to receive an emergency mes··sage on his pager. It came at 11:30p.m.

As tire and rescue crews ar­rived, the club was totally inflames. Patrons, including somewho were on fire, were running outthe door.

"Some were burned beyondrecognition, some just had smokeinhalation, and some had brokenbones from being crushed (by thecrowd)," Father Marciano told TheProvidence Visitor.

At one point, Father Marcianowas just 100 yards from the still­raging fire and he began minister-

gard for authority and moral decay.But that's not the whole picture. Yes,some aspects of this music can beoffensive, but not all. Also mixed inis musical talent, words ofsocial jus-

tice, and sometimes sounds that justmake you want to hit the dance floor.Many of those mtists donate timeand money to their needy brothersand sisters all around the world. Allof those artists are human beings.

The 300-plus people whochecked into The Station that nightjudged what was good and what wasbad in their music, based on theirbeliefs - just like anyone of mygeneration. Watch television, go tothe movies, orjust sit down and reada book, and those judgments mustbe made- based on ourbeliefs. En­countering a morally off-color mo­ment in any of these media is not areason to stop watching TV, goingto the movies or reading. It's thesame with rock 'n roll.

The 97 victims who perished inlast week's tragedy were mothersand fathers, sisters and brothers, sonsand daughters. Some of them be-

By Dave Jolivet

My Viewfrom the

Stands'

Conlinued from page oneFire

I can't say for sure, but deep in­side I feel there were those who,when they first got word of the hor­linc fire in aWest Wmwick, R.I. clublast week. did little more than raisean eyebrow when the word"heavy metal" was re­ported. For me, the tragedyaflected my very soul.

I didn't know anyonewho was killed or injured.1do know two individuals,both of whom were goingto go to The Station thatnight, and changed their .... _minds. But that's not whyit tOllched me. This tragedy, morethan many others, hit my generation- my people. Most of the victimswere in their 30s ruld 40s, and all ofthem were rock 'n rollers. All ofthem enjoyed music. All of themloved to be with friends. All of themliked to have fun. As much as sportsare a passion for me, so too is rock'n roll.

I know there are those who don'tconsider heavy metal music, butmusic it is. I'm not a Great Whitefan, or heavy metal for that malter,but they're all part of a music genrewith which I grew up. My tastes leanmore toward the classic rockers likethe Beatles, Rolling Stones, EricC1aplon and Pink Floyd, and thereare those who don't consider thatmusic either.

I know there are those who whenthey hear of heavy metal or rock 'nroll envision long hair, drugs, disre-

Croteau. 31. and Donna Mitchell,29. oOlh of Fall River; and WalterRich. 40, of Attleboro.. Among the 32 listed in hospi­tals are Robert Barlow, 28, of FallRiver; Robelt Lucton, 37, ofNolthEaston;Andrew Paskowski, 29, ofSomerset; Gary Sto-in, 31, ofNorton; and Milton Serval, 40, ofEast Falmouth.

Recently released from a hos­pital after treatment was NancyTrautz, 40, of Fall River.

Found safe were Sean P. andColleen McNamara of Attleboro.

A funeral Mass for Albert A.DiBonaventura, ofNOtth Dighton,was celebrated Thursday morningin Sl. Joseph's Church in NorthDighton.

Born in Providence the son ofAlbert C. an.d Eileen L. (Laprise)DiBonaventura, he attendedDighton-Rehoboth public schoolsanu was a college student in Cali­fornia where he was pursuing in­terests in graphic design. He had apassion for writing music andplaying the guitar. Besides his par­ents, he leaves a brother, John"Patrick" Ring; a sister, Collee'nWood; his paternal grandmother,Ada DiBonaventura; and threenephews.

A funeral Mass for RichardCabral will be celebrated tomor­row at9 a.m., in Sl. John the Evan­gelist Church, Attleboro. He wasthe husband ofCatherine D. (New­ton) Cabral. They had celebrated

. their 161h anniversary on June 21.Born in Taunton, a son of Ri­

chard A. Cabral Sr., and Carol

6 THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Pall River - Fri., February 28, 2003

COlllilllledJi"OlIl page one

letter of 1968. Mankind will keepusing war and violence to solve itsproblems until enough young peoplesimply refuse to patticipate in them.

A few excellent resources whereone may find the Catholic Church'steachings concerning war and re­lated questions like this would be

Pope John XXIII's encyc­lical "Peace on Emth"; ma­jor statements of VaticanCouncil II on war, espe­cially in the Constitution onthe Church in the ModemWorld (No. 79); the addressof Pope Paul VI to theUnited Nations in 1965; the1968 pastoral letter "Hu­m,U1 Life in Our Day" of the

U.S. Catholic bishops, atld their his­toric pastoral of 1983, the "Chal­lenge of Peace"; several works ofPope John Paul n, including "TheGospel of Life," Nos. 27 and 70; andthe "Catechism of the CatholicChurch," No. 231 I.

Any good Catholic bookstoreshould be able to help you obtainthem.

A free brochure onecumenis~l, including questionson intercommunion and otherways of sharing worship, is avail­able by sending a stamped, .self­addressed envelope to FatherJohn Dietzen, Box 325, Peoria, IL'61651.

Questions may be sent to Fa­ther Dietzen at the same address,or E-mail: [email protected].

Their first need was a residence forthe children and mothers. The sis­ters looked for empty convents andfound one in the Diocese of Brook­Iyn for an annual rental of$20,006.They developed excellent working

relationships with the pro­bation department andchild welfare services, andfound encouraging sup­p0l1 from parishes.

Now, seven years later,Hour Children, aided by adedicated staff and a cadreof volunteers, includes f"iveresidential facilities, twoday-care centers, a thri ftshop furniture outlet, net-

working with job training and a teenprogram.

"Inside state prisons we run afamily service center and a nurs­ery program," said SisterFitzgerald, ~ho can now counthundreds of mothers and childrendoing well because of the helpgiven to them by Hour Children.This remarkable nun admits hon­estly that Hour Children strugglesto meet expenses and needs con­tinuall"inancial support. But she issustained, she says. by "the bkss-

. ing of family, faith and religiouscommunity."

And when things get tough,she has another blessing, "thewall of pictures of the children."A& she says, when "you put a faceon people," then you can lovethem.

Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, CSJ,can be reached at Hour Children,'36-11-A 12th St., Long IslandCity, N.Y~ 11106.

ing facilities and employment assis- .lance for such objectors who exer­cised their right of conscience torefuse participation in military ac­tion.

lust as we esteem those who con­scientiously serve in the armedforces, they said, "so also we should ,

violent and have children. Fostercare and related costs bring the an­nual expense of imprisoning amother to $58,000 a year.

With growing concern for theincreasing numbers ofchildren left

temporarily motherless, SisterFitzgerald took a bold step sevenyears ago. Joined by Sister CeliaGardia and Sister Ruth Costello,she launched Hour Children as "aplace of reunification," keeping in­carcerated mothers and their chil­dren together both during the im­prisonment and after release, whenmost ofthese mothers, barred fromcity projects, could get no afford­able housing and had no place togo. Rarely is a father in the pic­ture.

"Every social concern is high­lighted by the situation these moth­ers and children face," said SisterFitzgerald, whose ministry has­helped countless once-imprisonedmothers learn skills, find jobs andbecome independent.

What these three nuns haveachieved and arc accomplishingevery day is beyond belief.

With no money, "depending onpeople's goodness," they began.

regard conscientious objection andselective conscientio!Js objection aspositive indicators within theChurch of a sound moral awarenessand respect for human life."

About 20 years ago the worldSynod of Bishops in Rome ad­dressed this delicate question. "It isabsolutely necessary," they said,"that international conflicts shouldnot be settled by war but that othermethods better befitting human na­ture s~ould be found. Let a strategyof nonviolence be fostefed also, andlet conscientious objection be rec­ognized and regulated by law in eachnation."

Thus, the American Catholic po­.sition is not at all radical. It simplysays in another way what our bish­ops insisted on in another pastoral

By FatherJohn J. Dietzen

Questionsand

Answers

By Antoinette Bosco

The Bottom. Line

Q. The subjectofconscientiousobjection to war came up at ourstudy club in January. We don'tremember hearing about the sub­ject since the Vietnam War, butwe recall the American bishops,or the Church, approving reli­gious reasons for opting out ofthedraft. Some people op­posed the' idea as too"radical!' What was theposition at that time? Is itthe same today? (Ohio)

A. At the present" mo­ment there is, of course, nodraft in the United States,only volunteer forces. Noone is forced against his or -----~-----...,her will to enter militaryselvice. In that sense the situation isdifferent today than in the 1960s.

If you're asking whether the po­sition oftheAmelican Catholic bish­ops is that a good Catholic can be aconscientious objector to all war, ora specific war, the 'answer is the sameas dllling the Vietnam era.

At that time the American hier­archy made clear that refusal to par­ticipate in a war's violence and kill­ing can flow directly from traditionalCatholic "religious training and be­lief." They suppOlted this claim froma number ofoltkial sources, includ­ing positions taken by the entireChurch at Vatican Council It

Without in any'way suggestingthat conscientious 'objection is theonly moral position a Catholic mightassume, the bishops urged counsel-

Mothers in prison

Conscientious objection

If ever a ministry deserved at­tention and support, top of the listwould have to be Hour Children.No, that is not a mistake. The wordis "Hour," chosen specifically bySister ofSt. Joseph Tesa Fitzgerald,

, the ministry's founder, be­cause these arc very special r-----------­children. Their mothers arein prison, and their lives arcdefined by "hours, thehours they must wait tovisit their mothers behindbars and !he hours theywait to become a familyagain."

Their mothers arc not ....-----------t._.:.... J ..violent criminals. All arc inone of two medium security pris­ons serving sentences up to threeyears for dmg offenses. "The dailyhardship of these women is not seenby people," said Sister Fitzgerald.A former teacher, she became in­volved with prison work when shebegan meeting with incarceratedwomen who were devastated hybeing separated from their childrenand totally wonied about the caregiven to them. In 1986, she openedher own mother's house to bringsome of these children in for spe­cific good care~

"Tragically, the number ofwomen going to prison because ofmandatory sentencing for drug of­fenses has risen dramatically, andthe number of children needing aSUpp0l1ive living environment con­tinues to grow each day," said Sis­ter Fitzgerald. In fact, nat!onally, thenumber of women incarcerated fordrug offenses has gone up by 888percent since 1986. Most arc non-

TAUNTON - Members ofthe Taunton District Council ofthe St. Vincent de Paul Soci­ety will sponsor a Mass March3 at 7 p.m. at 5t. Jacques'Church for the intention of thecanonization of BlessedFrederic Ozanam and inmemory of deceased members. ,lts regular monthly meetingwill follow in the parish hall.

-. ""::"-~-=-; ,-_.

NEW BEDFORD - St.Joseph-St. Therese parish in~

vites all to add their recitedrosaries to its Rosary Drive forPeace. For more informationcall Alice Beaulieu at 508-995­2354.

MISCELLANEOUS ­Do you have a possible call­ing to the priesthood? Comejoin other college-age' men fora weekend at Mount SaintMary's Seminary inEmmitsburg, Md., March 20­23. It will be an opportunity tosee life in the seminary, speakwith men who are discerningGod's call and spend time inprayer. For more informat'ioncontact Father Kevin Cook at508-993-4704.

MASHPEE - The CeliacSupport Group, sponsored bythe Christ the King ParishNurse Program, will meet Sun­day from I :30-3:30 p.m. in theparish center. For more infor­mation call 508-477-2408.

MISCELLANEOUS - Amissionary church in india isseeking donations of pens,pencils and other school sup­plies for its children. They arealso accepting rosaries, statuesand magazines. Donations canbe sent in care of Father PaulCruz, St. Anthony's Church,Vaddy, Kollam P.O. Box 691013, Kerala, India.

will enable us to shun shallow andsuperficial lives. In search of au­thentic happiness and love, maywe follow Jesus Clirist, who of­fers the example of His own lifeand invites us to follow Him. MayLent help us bear witness toChrist's Gospel of charity as weseek that holiness to which Heinvites us.

(Rev. Msgr.) George W. ColemanDiocesan Administrator

Lent'every lukewarm or sel~"ish act, dis­tances an individual from' God invarying degrees. That is whyGod's invitation issued through theprophet Joel is so timely as webegin the 'season of Lent. "Returnto me with your whole he3l1." Soimportant is this invitation that theprophet repeats it. "Return to theLord. your God, for gracious andmerciful is He, slow to anger, richin kindness."

God's grace, accompanied bythe traditional Lenten practices ofprayer, sacril"ice, and almsgiving,

FALL RIVER -A healingservice will be held at St.Anne's Shrine Sunday at 2:30p.m. It will include rosary and'Benediction of the BlessedSacrament. The Holy NameHealing Ministry Team will bepresent.

BREWSTER - A Massand healing service led by LaSalette Father Wi II iamKaliyadan will be held March5 at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of theCape Church, 468 Stony BrookRoad. For more informationcall 508-385-3252.

-$Jeering,Points

ATTLEBORO - Singermusician John Poke will per­form tonight at 7:30 p.m. in theLa Salette. Shrine Church. AMass and healing service i':1Spanish will be held at theShrine Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Formore information call 508­222-5410.

FALL RIVER - A Massand healing service will be cel­ebrated March 4 at 7 p.m. atHoly Name Church. It will in­clude rosary prior to Mass. Formore inforn~ation call 508-

, 674-9877.

Publicity Chairmen areasked to submit news itemsfor this column to The AIl­cllOr, P.O. Box 7, Fall River,02722. Name of city 'or town

. should be included, as well asfull dates of all activities.DEADLINE IS NOON ONFRIDAYS.

Events published must beof interest and open to ourgen~ral readership. We donot carry notices of fund­raising activities, which maybe advertised at our regularrates, obtainable from ourbusiness office at 508-675­7151.

Paralyzed man who is bedriddensees prayers ~s a way to serve

\

THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., February 28, 2003 7

wasting any of this suffering." hesaid.

Becker said he doesn't get de­pressed but does get scared forhimself and for his daughter, Jes­sica, who also has rickets.

"Believe it or not, I'm not an­gry with God," he said. "If youlook at the cross, [ have no reasonto be angry with him."

He added, "And even though Iam in pain, [ do not want to die. Iwant to live. I feel [ have morethings to do for the Lord."

lot of faith." said Becker's friendGil Hoffman, a member of theChurch of the Immaculate Con­ception in Towson. "Here's a guywho's a quadriplegic and in painand he's praying for others:"

Becker said he has consecratedhi.mself to the Trinity and thehearts of Jesus and the BlessedMother "so they can use not onlymy.prayers, they can use allprayers through suffering andfaith."

"It's important to know, I'm not

MARY STANTON feeds ice cream to Steve Becker at theUniversity Specialty Hospital in Baltimore. Disease has leftBecker paralyzed and bedridden, but a little movement in hisleft arm and a sharp mind enable him to say special prayersfor patients at a nearby trauma center. (CNS photo by OwenSweeney III, Catholic Review)

images of Jesus and the BlessedVirgin Mary, hang on the walls ofhis shrine-like room.

Before he became paralyzed,Becker was a salesman forMcKesson Corp. and promotedprayer and pilgrimages for theEternal Word Television Network.He also was head of the Our LadyQueen of Peace prayer group andvice president of the CatholicMen's Fellowship, which sponsorsannual men's conferences.

Earlier, he was president of hisclass at City College and vicepresident of his college studentgovernment.

"All my life I've helpedpeople;' Becker said with tearsrunnin'g down his face. "I thoughtGod was trying to tell me tochange the world."

Friends from the men's grouphave set up 'a nonprofit group,Friends of Steve, to raise moneyfor Becker's enormous medicalexpenses. His employee medicalbenefits were discontinued andMedicare doesn't cover physicaland occupational therapy or acostly heated bed that relieves hispain. The group has raised$5,800 of the more than $50,000needed.

His friends hope others will rec­ognize Becker's lifetime of serviceand give to the man who gave somuch for others.

"He's quite a guy. He's got a

of complications from rickets, arare childhood disease diagnosedwhen he was six. Rickets leads toa softening or weakening of the

.bones."We need a miracle," Becker

said, speaking with effort as he layon his back at University SpecialtyHospital.

The disease left him with legsshorter than the upper half of hisbody. Surgery he underwent dur­ing his teen years straightened hislegs and allowed him to lead a rela­tively normal life.

But about two years ago, hisspine began narTO\ving and he de­veloped arthritis in every joint ofhis body, even his ribs.

Becker had emergency surgeryin an unsuccessful attempt to cor­red the problem. But four monthsfollowing the surgery he could notspeak, and for a year he had to relyon intravenous feeding for hisnourishment.

Becker receives visits fromfamily and friends and looks for­ward to receiving Communionfrom eucharistic ministers. TheFranciscan Missionaries of theEternal Word, who are friends ofBecker, named him an honorarybrother in September 2002.

Becker knows people from allover the Baltimore Archdioceseand is on many parishes' lists forprayer intention. Pictures of fam­ily, fliends and saints, along with

By RACHEL RICHMOND

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

BALTIMORE - From thewindow in his room, Steve Beckercan see the Medevac helicoptersflying toward the shock traumacenter at the University of Mary­land Medical Center in downtown .Baltimore.

He always stops what he is do­ing, makes the sign of the cross andsays a little prayer for the badlyinjured person in the helicopter.

For "a lot of people going there,their chances of living are not toogood," Becker explained in an in­terview with The Catholic Review,newspaper of the Baltimore Arch­diocese.

This small act is made remmk­able when one realizes that theonly part of his body Becker canmove is his left arm.

"God at least gave me this handto move like this because I canhold my rosary and pray." he saidas he lightly touched the blackbeads, his voice choking.

The 54-year-old member of theShrine of the Little Flower Parishin BaltililOre, paralyzed and con­fined to his bed, is in need ofprayers perhaps as much as anypatient he prays for at the shocktrauma center.

Through it all Becker has main­tained a rock-solid faith and a hopethat has endured despite excruci­ating pain he suffers as the result

A fishing pole, an accordion, atruck stop and Mother Teresa

AN IRAQI Kurd rides a donkey-drawn cart through theBanslawa refugee camp outside of Irbil in northern Iraq re­cently. The camp houses about 10,000 internally displacedKurds from Kirkuk and the surrounding region. For decadesIraqi authorities have expelled the majority Kurds and ethnicTurkmen in an attempt to make Arabs the largest ethnic group,say relief workers. (CNS photo from Reuters)

said: "I can do this. God wantsme to. And he will help." Likeher, none of them reached out toothers in an effort to impress,make millions or become famous.Like her, each has become both aconduit of grace and a reflectionof Jesus.

For all of her eventually obvi­ous charisma and wisdom, it

could be argued thatMother Teresa's most in­valuable "gift" was theability not only to see thepresence of the divine inthe sickest of the sick andmost hopeless of the poor,but to caress and comfortthem.

As a matter of fact, itis unlikely Mother Teresa

could fish, play the accordion orprovide directions on how best toenter the interstate heading east.

She rode the magic carpet ofGod's grace which she wouldmystically transform into a robeofcomfort and peace in which shewrapped the wretched.

We all have our own talents.Like Winston, maybe we shouldall be listening a little harder forGod's advice and encouragementon using them, no matter howmodest they might be.

Comments are welcome. E-mail Uncle Dan at '[email protected].

on' their ways from who knowswhere to somewhere else. So re­ports Catholic News Service.

CNS als.o carried two compa­rable stories in the recent past.One featured another long-mar~

ried couple (Mike Pintok andCindy Lupin of Mora, Minn.)who squeeze a ministry of music,companionship and prayer from

their hearts and the' accordionMike carries into the homes ofhousebound parishioners.

The other reported how EmilyShaffer of Tennessee, whoteaches the art of fishing, oftenemploys her angling skills as aministerial'tool- sharing her art

. with, for example, single moth­ers struggling to nurture whole­some family lives.

Where does Mother Teresacome in? Like her, each of theseCatholics has taken thetalents heor she possesses and put them .atthe disposal of grace. Like her,each in his or her own way has

I often have said that when youthink of a tishing pole, ·an accor­dion and a truck stop you cannothelp but think of Mother Teresa.

OK, that's a lie. I have onlysaid it a couple of times.

The last time was in early Feb­ruary when my buddy Winstonand I were coaxing his aging VWVanagon from Seattle down In­terstate 5 toward San Di-

~~~~;~ne;'e w~ ~~~:~~~~ ·--T-h-e--O-f-fb--e-a-t--rc:-.--::.:::~;:;-.:-,-...-.,-.'"south into Mexico to visit \'an ailing diving buddy, wOt'ld of . .and Winston continuing Uncue Dan 1d e'" "east into the Joshua Tree JL '(~~ ~, .,National Park to give "rr:-- ;himself "a good spiritlial By Dan MorriS. i'r,~';'flushi'ng." I think this is L.------------f.~~~non-Catholic for "goingway out into the desert to bealone, talk to lizards. clear one'smind aJl'd see if it is easier to hearGod in the absence Of cultural'white noise.'" At least [ think·that's what he meant.

Anyway, en route to Mexicoand spiritual flushing we passedan Iron Skillet restaurant. Thisjust happens to be the same nameas another trucker chow stop inSturtevant, Wis., where Jim andJudy Francois are "chaplains,"making themselves available toshare an ear, compassion, prayer.and probably a corndog or twowith truck drivers who stop there

The following are the next in a series ofhistorical sketches oft1u{parislJes comprising the Diocese ofFall River, founded in 1904. The series will run in chronological order from oldest to newest parish,according to diocesan archives, concluding in March; 2004, the centennial anniversary ofthe diocese.

ST. MARY'S CHURCH,

NORTH ATTLEBORO

I u~·~ .. -~. ~- ~~:~~,;:;.=;:""'~ __ ~u,<>j c<: ~1l~~Q))&~~~IE&iJi~~l~~~-~

Ii ~ '~~~'_~:====~7'=~C--~ . 0 - '0' 0 - .~ ,. I

Fall River diocese marks its centennial

51. Mary Paris.h, North·AttleboroNORTH ATTLEBORO ­

The first Catholic Church in theAttleboro area, St. Mary's, be­gan as a result of the dedicationand devotion of a small group ofthe faithful. '

Historical accounts tell us thatJohn Graham in 1826 walkedfrom Boston to Attleboro tolearn the trade of a jeweler withthe firm of Draper & Tift. It wasat his home in October 1848 thatFather Joseph McNamee, com­ing from churches in Pawtucket,R.I., offered the first Mass in theAttleboros. From that time onMasses were said on a rotatingbasis at Graham's home as wellas those of Edward O'Brien,Patrick Fallon and others.

When, in 1852, the congrega­tion was considered largeenough for its own church, Fa­ther McNamee suggested pur­chasing land "on the rocky spot"on the main road between thefalls and North Attleboro..

A basement for the churchwas in place in 1856, the church

.was fihished in 1857 amfdedi- pl~ted,' "'"cated by Bishop Fitzpatrick of' A history"ofthe parish sums itBoston on June 19, 1859. Father up in these words: "Not built ofPhilip Gillick was the first pas- the gold and surplus and leisuretor. of the wealthy, but with pennies

In 1877 the Tift Estate was and' the want and labor of thepurchased and an octagonal barn poor. Not built through pride orserved as the house of worship. rivalry or petty jealousy, butAlthough a new church was be- through faith, to shelter Him ingun in 1890 on, grounds at 14 Whom we hope for life etemal."Park Street, the great financial In recent decades the pastorsdepression of the late 1890s set included Fathers Ralph D.in and it wasn't until Dec. 8, Tetrault and Robert A. Oliveira.1901, the feast of the Immacu- The current pastor is Fatherlate Conception, that pastor Fa- James M. Fitzpatrick. The dea­ther John W. McCarthy hosted con is James J. Meloni Jr,; Mrs.Bishop' Matthew D. Harkins of Monica T. Forte is parish secre­Providence, R.I., for the tacy, Mrs. Lauren Reddy is thechurch's dedication - as St. coordinator of religious educa­Mary of the Immaculate Con- tion, Chris Cometta is the cus­ception. '.todian and Michael Dias is di-

In 1907 the church bells were rector of music.blessed; 1924 saw the school and St. Mary's Church is locatedconvent completed; and a new at 14 Park Street, Northrectory was built in 1956. Attleboro, MA 02760. It can be

The consolidation Of St. reached by telephone at 508­Mar.y's-Sacred Heart School 695-6161; and by FAX at 508-was initiated in 1972, and in 695-5248. ".1985 the parish center was com-

51. Anne Parish,Fall River

FALL RIVER - For be­lievers and non-believersalike, St. Anne Church atSouth Main and Middle streetsis. a monument of rei igious ar­chitecture and one of the chiefpoints of interest for pilgrimsand tourists the world over.

Founded in the fall of 1869,the parish has been the cradleof French Catholicism and ofFrench culture in the south­eastern region of Massachu­setts. It was, from the start,comprised of immigrants fromFrench Canada who begantrickling in around 1862 to

'settle here and work the cot-ton mills of the fastest grow-

, ing textile manufacturing cen­ter in America.

FatherAdrien de Montaubrieg,a French h1issionary, was' sentin 1869 to establish a parishfor the 3,000 immigrants andin March 1870, the firstchurch corner stone wasblessed. At the ceremonies thestage collapsed and more than100 were injured. The newpastor quickly invoked St.Anne. No one died in the ac­cident and St. Anne was cho-

sen as the name for the par­ish.

In November 1887, a smallgroup of Dominican .Fathersbegan 'their ministry at St.Ann~'s. They continued to

.staff the parish and its wellknown Shrine in St. Anne un­til 1978 when the parish re­turned to diocesan administra­tion 'and' Father John Foisterwas named the 16th pastor. InJune 1994, he was succeededby Father Marc H. Bergeron,who'is the current pastor.

The Dominicans who re­sided at St. Anne's elected toremain and continue to serve.Somehow, the great Domini­can apostolate goes on withDominican Father Pierre E.Lachance continuing to min­ister in the confessional. Thistemple of worship, a master-

. piece of architecture, is botha parish church and a shrineof pilgrimages and devotions·to St. Anne. To this day, thou­sands of pilgrims have beencoming annually to the FallRiver Shrine in large andsmall groups to pray to themother of Mary and the grand-

mother of Jesus.The lower church is known

as St. Anne Shrine, as theword indicates, a place where

,people come to pray and askfor the help of a special saint.The lower church was built in1895 and although the mag­nificent upper church wascompleted in 1906, the focusof pilgrims has always cen­tered on the lower church,where the statue of St. Anne,purchased in 1882, is centrallylocated.

Besides the pastor, FatherBergeron, the parish is served .by Father Lachance and by Fa­ther Christopher Stanibula.Louis Bousquet is th~ perma­nent deacon and SusanChapdelaine is the religious

, education coordinator.The' church is located at 818

Middle Street, Fall River, MA02721-1734. It can be reached bytelephone at 508-674-5651 or508­678-5322; by FAX at 508-672­0939; and be E-mailed at:[email protected]; [email protected]; orat itsWebsite: www.stanneshrine.com.

ST. ANNE'S CHURCH,

FALL RIVER

.o~ I~- - ~

, ~,

.f/ff> .

,,-I'j".I'

New Orleans, New Yo~k African­American Catholics gather for jazz Mass

DIVINEWO~D Father Jerome LeDoux, pastor of the predominantly black St. Augustine'sChurch in New Orleans, celebrates a three-hour jazz Mass at St. Augustine's Church in thesouth Bronx section of New York recently. The 72-year-old priest danced, sang and preachedat the Mass during the special celebration for Black History Month. (CNS photo by ChrisSheridan) '. . ..

...

as reservists (Ir ~uardsll1en. en­ahling them to cllntinue in theirregular ministI'). \\ hi Ie otl1L:rs sen ct~)r three or hlllr YC.;irs \ III acl ive dut vand still uthers lor lIlore lilan ]1,years.

Jonathan Shiftlet. ~I 2fl war-oldfrom Oak Ridge. Pa.. said ';(' SOIl1l'­

times wenl months without allen(ling Mass because of the lal:k of ,I

Catholic chaplain during lield e:­ercises. He knew fellow Catholi,'soldiers who became Baptists Inpart because offhe lack oLI Catho­lic chaplain.

"Emotions get ratchetcd up abit" during deployments. and sol­diers have far-n:aching qucstions asa result. Shiftkt said.

An infantryman. Shiftlel is a ser­geant in the PCllnsylvania NationalGuard and plans to enter a scminarywithin 18 months. after he receiveshis undergraduate degree fromDuqucsne University in Piltsburgh.

The retreatants included enlistedpersonnel and officers, and the menwho came to Washington for theweekend were clearly not all cutfrom the same cloth.

"1 came here to explore. 10 findmore about myself," said Dat Vu, aVietnam-bom Navy corpsfnan whoserves at the Norfolk Naval Basein Virginia. One of the bcnefits ofattending the retreat was to spendtime with other young men whoshare high ideals. he said.

Huving received three promo­tions during his 18 months in theArmy, the J9-year-old cook said hewants to become a chaplain's as­sistant in the Army and perhaps goto the seminary later. He is servingat F0I1 Carson. Colo.

.: 1':'..;~t':.;.tl.,..,.-'" ..a1 •• _ ..' -;;.~.r;-"'" ~ " ".... ..........".., _.~~" '• ...,c.- I t"..",...., :. ••.. ~>"'.I.~(.. 1 ',I·~. 'b,'" .,a,,...:,-,,e .. ~ '1 -.

'. ,~ 'J '-""'." ," ' ........ "."f ,,~., <,~, .." "" :•• ' ' •••' :.·.. , '.1."....'.<,;_ ~l .• »<l-II.H.-· 1.. . ~ , ..1."" ' '. ••

Couple visits Guaimacan chapel they helped build

This message sponsored by the following business. concerns in the Fall River diocese

GILBEF1T C. OLIVEIRA INSURANCE AGENCY

Fl. rELBERG INSURANCE AGENCY

. ~;, ".~~"............~)'.'~..:'.,.,'~ ,

'";;FCft',"O,,",rtlt. s:;:;;,~r.·":C":""""~d~.~~..,...'!!":_~::n""_"II"'''''1''''''''''''''I::''_'_fllo.''''''''''',.''U'''''_'''''c:a':':Jt:~"~ "", ..~ ..."",,,..., ~l"""" .~.. M)I<,,,,, ._.~~."" l ....,.:.t\.."1\"tl>tt"'" ,;~.C;ltO~_""'_~!I"C;'" ""-""'I.....·•.".·"l"'_.;·rt..... , ....,..... ~o:i ..........:a·.,..: .....I_fll:l>·_1

A key source for ~ocal~ natioU1a~

and internationa~ Cathoiic newsSubscribe to theancho~

February is Catholic Press Month

THE ANCHOR - Uiocesc of Fall River -_. Fri., Fchl1lary 2R, 2003 9

Reueatdrawseckcticcrowdofpotential rrnilitary chaplains. WASHINGTON (CNSI- The

33 young men who attended athree-day retreat for military per­sonnel interested in the priesthooddid not fit into anyonc's stel'l-:nlypcsof what future seminarians andpriests will be like.

After enduring months aboardNavy ships in which hc has somc­times felt quite alone in his desiret,) live chastely and to avoid drunk­enness. for example, 34-year-oldLt. Cmdr. Jamie Brandt said hisdesire to become a priest has notbeen dampened by last year's cleri­cal sex scandals.

"I would love to finish my ca­reer as a chaplain." Brandt told theCatholic Standard, newspaper ofthe Washington Archdiocese.

Now teaching mathemal ics atthe U.S. Naval Academy in An­napolis, Md., the surface warfareofficer and Notre Dame graduatesaid he pi'Ins to give up his com­mission in two years to enter theseminary.

Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien ofthe U.S. Archdiocese fix the Mili­tary Services, talking with theyoung men in Washington lastweek at the retreat's COncll!sion,called it "the. best day of my life."because of the number and qualityof the candidates.

The archbishop has seen first­hand how the relative lack of priestscan affect morale on militaty biisesbecause he spends 70 percent of histime \\isiting his far-flung flockaroun~ the world.

The military archdiocese bor­rows priests from dioceses and re­ligious orders to serve in unifi)lTIlas chaplains. Some chaplains serve

the apostles who wanted to be re­garded as the greatest in Christ'skingdom.

He also called for "exorcism" ofthe demons that "all families have,"and of the various addictions that are"individual demons inside of us."

The homilist intermittentlybroke into song as he preached andsometimes into vigorous dance aswell. The quartet, tuned in to hisstyle, would promptly begin to ac­company his singing.

FatherThomasB. Fenlon, whitepastor of the Bronx church, an­

nounced the service as "aspe­cial Black History Monthevent honoring the fifth-cen­tury African scholar andsaint, Augustine of Hippo."

Father leDoux did not re­fer in his homily to Black His­tory Month, but he said after-.ward that he considered theMass itself "living black his­tory."

''The best way to give thehistory is by living it," he said.

Father S. Keith Outlaw, pastorof the Bronx church until last sum­mer, said the cOntlection with theNew Orleans church came aboutbecause a former music directorwho was from New Orleans andknew Father LeDoux took theBronx church's choir there lastspring to sing for a Mass at St. Au­gustine Church and give a concert.

Father leDoux, who turned 73on Wednesday, is a native of Loui­siana who. formerly taught at St.Augustine's Seminary in Bay St.Louis, Miss., and Xavier Univer­sity in New Orleans. He has beenSt. Augustine's pastor since 1990.

He told the Bronx parishionersthat the members of St. AugustineChurch in New Orleans were"grateful you came to us" last yearand that he was happy to respondby coming to them.

her New Orleans church has everySunday, though liturgies there aremore typically two hoUrs long.

Father leDoux, wearing a whitedashiki, led a highly participat9ryservice that had everyone at timestaking' the hands of their neighborsand giving not merely a formal"sign of peace" but rather sharingserious words of appreciation.

The altar was placed in the cen­ter of the church, surrounded on allsides by pews and choir members,and Father leDoux .continuouslycircled it as he preached, directlyengaging his listeners, insisting onresponses from them and at timeslaying hands of blessing on themas he passed by.

"We're going to talk about com­plexes this morning;' he announced.

Then he identified such specif­ics as "the apostle complex," a ref­erence to the Gospel stories about

associated with New Orleans in aspecial way; "Down by the RiverSide"; and a variation on the'me­morial acclamation sung to the tuneof "We Shall Overcome."

Those from the white churchescould feel theyJully participated inthe black worship experience, al­though one group scheduled tosing, the black Gospel choir fromSt. Augustine Church in Washing­ton, was kept away by that day'ssnowstorm.

Harris, the cantor, said after theservice that it wa<; similar to what

These visitors experiencedan exu­berant three-hour service, filled withmusicperformed in distinctively blackstyles, including calypso. The soundsreverberated and were upliftingenough to bring all worshippers totheir feet and inspire lots ofclapping.

By TRACY EARLY

CATHOUC NEWS SERVICE

NEW YORK - African­American Catholics from a NewOrleans parish joined New YorkAfrican-American Catholics attheir paris~ in the South Bronx fora distinctive observance of BlackHistory Month - a three-hour exu­berant celebration of a jazz Mass.

The visitors were from St. Au­gustine Church in New Orleans, apredominantly black parish, and thehost church, also named for St. Au­gustine, is a predominantly blackparish.

Divine Word FatherJerome leDoux, an African­Amencan priest who is pas­tor at the New Orleanschurch, was homilist and cel- ..ebrant for the Mass.

Brenda Harris, cantor ofthe church in New Orleans, .was cantor for the liturgy atSt. Augustine Church in theSouth Bronx. Music for theMass was enriched by a NewOrleans jazz quartet that includedpiano, electronic keyboard, trom­bone and drums.

Visitors from two predomi­nantly white churches of the NewYork Archdiocese, St. AugustineChurch in Larchmont and St. Au­gustine Church in New City, helpedfill the host church to capacity.

These visitors experienced anexuberant three-hour service, filledwith music performed in distinc­tively black styles, including ca­lypso. The sounds reverberated andwere uplifting enough to bring allworshippers to their feet and inspirelots of clapping.

MiL<;s begiUl with a rhythmic pro­cession of the choir singing a styl­ized version of ''This Little Lightof Mine," with some choir mem­bers adding tambourine accents.

The music also included "Whenthe· Saints Go Marching In," a song

monumentally noble terms they are almost seenas gods themselves. Their pronouncements are de­livered as if from on high with no shortage ofswelling music to underline their righteousness.A little of this goes a long way, but it's too long away from start to finish of this film.

Countering these flaws is the memorable pro­duction design with authentic-looking costumesand weapons, not to mention the widescreen cin­ematography that captures war-torn towns andunspoiled bucolic landscapes alike. The weH­staged battles of Fredericksburg. andChancellorsville, Va.; humanize the soldiers,trapped in the misery of making war, who haveto kill or be killed. The violence, remarkably, isnot gory.

Jackson's rock-solid faith in God's will, amaj(H theme of the film, can also be inspira­tional, as when he explains he feels as safe inbattle as he does in his own bed, so trusting ishe in God's plan for his life and the hour of hisdeath. "We sen'e a loving God and must notfear," he admonishes his long-suffering wife(Kali Rocha) ..

The solemn - even grim - tone of the moviegets a moment of mirth as entertainers performfor the troops and Ted Turner, whose film com­pany financed the film, is seen as a Confederateofficer grinning at the musical show. A half-dozenpresent-day Washington politicos also show upin costurrie as extras in the film.

Though Lang has more screen time as the he­roic and tragically wounded Jackson, Duvall out­performs him by giving a more measured por­trayal of the cagey Lee, whose strategizing bringstriumph in sections of the war.

Civil War aficionados should find the moviefascinating, but fts lumbering pac'e and the wayevery scene is given equal weight, which dimin­ishes the high points, may make it less attractiveto a mainstream audience used to undcr two-hour­length films. Intcnded as a trilogy, the end cre~­its announce that the final third is titled "The La\tFull Measure," ·but one wonders if its productionwill depend on the box-office reception of "God~\and Generals." , \

Because of battlefield violcncc, the USCCB \Office for Film & Broadcasting classification isA-II - adults ancl adolesccnts. The Motion Pic­ture Association of America rating is PG-13 -

,parents are strongly cautioned. Some materialmay be inappropriate for children under 13.

Pare is the director of the Office for Film &Broadcasting of the U.S. Conferen'ce of CatholicBishops.

'Gods and Generals' canbecoDle' a bit long-winded

SCOTT COOPER, Jeremy London, Stephen Spacek and Matthew St~ley star in the CivilWar epic "Gods and Generals," (CNS photo from Warner Bros. Pictures)

and doctrinal foundations for thegreat insights of the SecondVatican Council. '

This larger sense of Pope Pius'spirituality and theological vision,I believe, is necess'ary to assess thepolitical decisions he made duringthe Second World War. Oddly,none of the books attacking thispope (and by extension, of course,the Catholic Church as such) evenattempts to portray the man him­self as a fu'lly rounded human be­ing. Rather, these books, like the .movie "Amen," present a card­board caricature and on that cari­cature they place virtually the fullblame for the Holocaust, whichhas been well described as themost heinous crime in human his­tory. This, of course, is classic.scapegoating,

Sister Marghelita goes beyondcaricature to present this pope as aman of vision, of vulnerability, ofhope, and, yes, of compassionate

commitmentto the poor,the sick, andespeciallythose whowere the vic- By GERRI PARE

tims of Nazi CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

and other NEW YORK - "Gods and Generals" (Warnerideological Bros.) arrives in theatres as a prequel toperversities "Gettysburg," released 10 years earlier. This epic,of the 20th nO-minute drama covers the early years of thecentury, such Civil War, 1861-63, focusing on Confederate andas fascism Union military leaders as they examine their loy­and commu- alties and plan battle strategies.nism. With As with "Gettysburg," which was based on the'this informa- late Michael Shaara's novel, "Gods arid Gener­tion ,readers als" is based on the novel of the same name bycan begin to Shaara's son, Jeff. Ron Maxwell served as direc-SHEPHERD OF SOULS appreciate the tor for each film.complex re- The film opens promisingly as Gen. Robert E,

\ I'J( I (li" \I I" I (JI 1'lll'II'II '> \11 alities he Lee (Robert Duvall) declines Lincoln's invitationfaced.' to head the Army since Lee feels a much stron-

A scholar ger tie with his native Virginia. Also siding withof modern Virginia and states' rights against what he con­

Italian and Italian-Ametican cul- siders a Union invasion is Virginia Military In­ture, Sister Marghelita was the edi- stitute teacher "Stonewall" Jackson (Stephentor of "Twentieth Century Italian Lang), who will become Lee's most trusted aide.Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology" Much of the film is seen from the Confederate(Fairleigh Dickinson Press, 1974) perspective as Lee and the deeply religious Jack­and author of "Americans of Ital- son feel the justice of the South's need to secedeian Heritage" (University Press of. and a moral certitude that God is on their side.America, 1995). Her recent books, Surprisingly, the slavery issue is underplayed andhave focused on Italy, the Second only two blacks - Jackson's cook (FrankieWorld War and Pope Pius XII. She Faison) and a female servant - have even minorwrote "Yours Is a Precious Witness: roles in the story.Memoirs of Jews and Catholics in The North is eventually represented by MaineWartime Italy" in 1997 and "Con- teacher-turned-soldier Lt. Col. Chamberlain (Jeffsensus and Controversy: Defend- Daniels), who shares a Bible reading with sad­ing Pope Pius XII" (co-written with dened wife Fanny (Mira Sorvino) before report­CardinaITheodore E. McCarrick of' ing for duty alongside his sergeant brother (c.Washington) in 2002, both pub- Thomas Howell). In a smaller role, Gen. Hancocklished by Paulist Press. (Brian Mallon) brings some dramatic conflict into

"Shepherd of Souls" should be the Nonllern leaders' strategizing by disagreeingin every Catholic parish library, with their plans to outmaneuver Lee.school, and, indeed, home. If I Another spirited performance is from Kevinwould have a suggestion for Conway as an Irish soldier who comments on howPaulist Press, it would be to put he and his fellow countrymen ieft persecution forthis book out in a smaller, mass the land of the free only to ironically find them­market paperback edition as inex- selves now shooting at each other from opposingpensively as possible, even if that camps. This and other scenes point to an under­would mean cutting back on its current of anti war sentiment that is apparent de­pictorial side, so that it could be spite the many references to honor and duty toordered in bulk for school and par- one's country.ish groups. While the battle scenes are impressive, the his-

Fisher is an associate director torical drama, also written and produced by Max­of ecumenical and interreligious well, requires much patience as scenes are drawnaffairs at the U.S. Conference of out and the generals are allowed to give lengthyCatholic Bishops and an adviser speeches that break the movie's momentum.to the Vatican's Commission for While the military leaders are devoutly religiousReligious RelatiollS with the Jews. and fiercely patriotic, they are depicted in such

eNS book reviewPIUS XII SHEPHERD OF

SOULS: A PICTORIAL LIFEOF POPE PIUS XII, by SisterMargherita Marchione, MPF.Paulist Press (Mahwah, N.J.,2()()2). 216 pp.

REVIEWED BY EUGENE J. FISHER

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Anyone who has seen and beenconfused by the recent: histOIicallymuddled I)1ovie "Amen" by Greekdirector Costa-Garvas or who hasread with dismay the glowing re­views of the spate of best-sellersattacking Pope Pius XII shouldread "Shepherd of Souls: A Picto­rial Life of Pope Pius XII." Theauthor, Sister MargheritaMarchione, is a member of theReligious Teachers Filippini. pro­fessor emerita of Italian literatureat Fairlei~h Dickinson Universityand auth(;r of 40 previous books,three of which have been in de­fense of Pius XII: Here. she dis­ti lis years of study into a short. ap­proachabletext au~­

mented \vithan excellentcollection ofphotographsof Pope Piusand his times.

" Sis tel'Margheritaoffers us apractical un­derstandingof how' theplay by theGerman au­tho r (R 0 If) MA".'" "". M.;(",,,,t

Hochhuth('-The Deputy."on which them 0 vie"Amen" isbased) helped l- --l

create in popu-lar culture a selious misreading ofa great pontiff," Cardinal WilliamH. Keeler of Baltimore wrote inhis preface to this timely and help­ful book. "Certainly there is roomfor a wide range of informed,scholarly opinion on the record ofany pontiticate, especially one aslong and as seriously challengedby ~haotie and destructive worldevents as that of Pius XII. But wealso need to remind ourselves thattoo often in our own history as anation classic anti-Catholicism hasexpressed itself in attacks on thepapacy,"

In "Shepherd of Souls" SisterMargherit:i takes us through thelife of Eugenio Pacelli before hewas elected pope in 1939, scantmonths before the German inva­sion of Poland catapulted the,world into the unprecedentedmaelstrom of evil and violenc'e wecall World War II. She shows hisgreat (albeit not always success­ful) c1T0I1S first to forestall and thento lessen the human suffeling ofthe wal·. She shows how his bIi,l­liant encyclicals of the 1940s onthe nature of the Church ("MysticiCorporis"), the Bible ("DivinoAlllallte SjJiritu") and liturgy("Mediator Dei") and many ad­dresses in 'the 1950s on socialpolicy issues laid the theological

10 THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., February 28, 2003

.,.;..J

.~

ST. EDITH STEIN, a Catholic convert from Judaism, wrote Pope Pius XI in 1933 askinghim to condemn Nazi ideology.1he letter was published for the first time recently in Germanand Italian newspapers after s~holars were given copies of the original from the VaticanSecret Archives, (CNS file photos)

I

1933 letter ftiom St. Edith Stein askedPope Pius XI to condemn Nazism

have been exoneratcd sinl c thcSupreme Court reinstated capitalpunishmcnt in 1976. He poir~ted tothe Maryland case of KirkBloodswolth, who was scntenccdto dcath for a murder that DNAevidence later revealed he did notcommit. He had spent nine ycarson death row when he was par­doned in 1993.

As attorney general, Cun an ac­knowledged his rcsponsibilty forsecing that death penalty Ia.....s arccmTied out in Mmyland. Hc empha­sized that his office would continueto enforce them, even as he person­ally promotes the abolition of capi­tal punishment.

CtllTan sent a lettcr last monthto Gov. Robcr1 L. Ehrlich .Jr. andmembers of the General As~ell1hlyurging them to end capital punish­mcnt.

Sen. Sharon M. Grosfeld, aMontgomery County Democrat,subscquently introduced a hill thatwould eliminate the death penaltyand Del. Salima S. Man'iott, a Bal­timore City Democrat, introduceda separate bill that would mandatea death penalty moratolium.

Shareese DeLeaver, Ehrlich'sspokeswoman, said the governorwould not sign any measure thatabolishes capital punishment. As hepromised dUling the gubel:latolialcampaign, the Republican govemorhas lifted a death penalty morato­rium imposed by former Gov.Panis N. Glendening.

"It's a hot topic where people areclearly either pro- or anti-death pen­alty," said DeLeaver. 'There arecompelling arguments on eitherside of the fence. Attol11ey GeneralCUITan is entitled to his position onthis issue and we respectfully dis­agree."

Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, aCatholic who opposes the deathpenalty, said he was concernedabout the conclusions of a recentUniversity of Mmyland study thatfound the state's death penalty lawsto be applied unfairly on the basisof race and geography. Steele hascalled for a second study of the is­sue to identify the reasons for theapparent disparity.

ROBERTA MORRIS, religious education director at Moth!3rof Good Counsel Church in Los Angeles, joins a recent dem­onstration in Hollywood against a potential U.S.-led war inIraq. "It's clear that this is an unjust war by our theology," shesaid. (CNS photo by Ellie Hidalgo, The Tidings)

By GEORGE P. MATYSEK JR.

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., February 28, 2003 11

Maryland attorney generalpraised for call to end

death pe.nalty

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The call. by Maryland Attorney General 1.Joseph Curran Jr. for abolition ofthe death penalty will go a long waytoward revitalizing debate on theissue in Annapolis, according toRichard J. Dowling, executive di­rector of the Maryland CatholicConference.

"His personal advice is going tohave an impact, there's no questionabout it," ~aid Dowling, who rep­resents Maryland's Catholic bish­ops in the state capital.

"Here's a guy who's beloved bythe lawmakers, so they're not go­ing to regard his position casually,"he said. "I think some people whoare on the fence on this matter areprobably going to take a secondlook at it and those whose mindsare unchangeable are going to beforced to look at their positions."

Standing in front of the StateHouse with Dowling and other re­ligious leaders, CUITan, a Catholic,announced that the death penaltyshould be outlawed because he be­lieves "mistakes are inevitable" inits administration. He supports lifesentences without parole as a viablealtemative,

"There is one pivotal differencebetween death in prison and thedeath penalty," said CUITan. "That

-is the chance to con'ect a mistake.Capital punishment comes only atthe intolerable risk of killing an in­nocent person. This is unworthy ofus."

Long an opponent of capitalpunishment on moral grounds,CUITan said it is urgent that law­makers take action now because asmany as seven men may be put todeath within the next few months.

"In the fractured history of thedeath penalty in Mmyland, this is awatershed moment," the Democratsaid: "Despite our best efforts, thissystem does make mistakes. It is ahuman institution and humans arenot infallible. With appeals and re­views, we catch many of them. Butwe do not catch all of them."

CUITan noted that 102 people ondeath rows throughout the countl)'

contempt for justice and for human­ity, not to mention love of one'sneighbor."

"For years the leaders of na­tional socialism have preachedhatred of the Jews. Now that theyhave come to power and armedtheir followers ~ among themknown criminal elements - thcyare reaping the fruit of the hatredsown," she wrote.

Some Jews, she said, had com­mitted suicide following a boycottof Jewish-run businesses.

St. Edith Stein told the pope whilcit was possiblc to say those whokillec;i themselves WCI'C weak patt ofthe blame must go to those whopushed them to the breaking pointas well as to those who remaincdsilent.

"Everything that has happcnedand is happening daily comes froma government which calls itselfChristian," she said.

"For weeks not only thelews, butthousands of Catholic faithful inGermany - and, I believe, through­out the world - have been waitingand hoping that the Church ofChlistwould make its voice heard againstsuch an abuse ofChlist's name," shewrote. .

She called the Nazis' "idolatry ofrace" nothing other than "an openheresy."

And, she said, "this war of exter­mination of Jewish blood" shouldoutrage Chnstians because Jesus, hismother and his disciples were Jews.

"Ali of us who are watchingthe current situation as faithfulchildren of the Church fear theworst for the global image of theChurch itself if the silencc con­tinues," she said.

St. Edith Stein's letter was sentto the Vatican Secretariat ofState byan abbot she knew; she later said thatshe received a papal blessing alongwith an acknowledgment that theletter had atlived.

commentary, study of Churchteaching, handbook of Catholicapologetics, introduction to theChurch fathers, and a survey ofhistory and culture at the time ofChrist."

Ray, a convert to Catholicism,is the author of "Crossing theTiber" and "Upon This Rock" andhosts the 10-part fi 1m series,"Footprints of God," coveringmore than 2,000 years of Jewishand Christian history.

His latest book drew praisefrom Cardinal Ricardo Vidal ofCebu, Philippines.

"St. Joh,,'s Gospel" is avail-·able at Catholic book stores orfrom Ig"atius Press o"li"e at:www.ig..atius.com. orby calli"g:800-651-1531.

Vatican-German relations beforeWorld War II opened to scholars.

The idea of wliting an encycli­cal against Nazi ideas contrary to thefaith had been discussed at theVatican and at least one draft waswritten, but Pope Pius died in 1939without completing and publishingit.

Jesuit Father Pierre Blet, theVatican's leading expert on WorldWar II, said in 1999 it would havebeen a mistake to publish the draftbecause while it condemned anti­,Semitism it also recognized therights of a state to take certain mea­SUI'CS against Jews.

St. Edith Stein wrote to the pope,"As a daughter of the Jewish people,who through the grace of God hasbeen a daughter of the CatholicChurch for II yeilfS, I dare to ex­press to the father ofChristianity thatwhich is wonying millions of Ger­mans."

She said the behavior of Hitlerand his supporters betrayed "total

New Bible study guideexplores John's Gospel

SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) ­19natius Press has rcleased "St.John's Gospel: A Bible StudyGuidc and Commcntary," whichit describes as the first extensiveand easy-to-usc Bible study guidefor Catholics to help them under­stand the Gospel of St. John.

Written by Stephen K. Ray, the461-pagc study guide featurcsnumerous "text boxes" with rel­cvant cultural. religious, histori­cal and othcr information perti- 'nent to speci lic passages, as wellas quotes from a wide range ofscholars, historians and special­ists to enhance students' under­standing and insight.

Ignatius Press, based in SanFrancisco, calls the book "morethan a study aid: it's a scriptural

By CINDY WOODEN

CAll-tOUC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY - Just a fewweeks after Adolf Hitler came topower in Gel111any, St. Edith Stein- a Catholic convert from Judaismwho was soon to enter a Carmeliteconvent -.:... wrote to Pope Pius XIasking him to condemn the Nazi ide­ology.

The saint, who died at the Nazideath camp of Auschwitz in 1942and was canonized in 1998, wroteto the pope Aplil 12, 1933, sayingthe whole world was "waiting and

. hoping that the Church of Christwould make its voice heard."

The letter, which St. Edith Steinrefen'ed to in other wlitings, waspublished for the first time in Ger­man and Italian newspapers re­cently after scholars were given cop-.ies of the oliginal from the VaticanSecret Archives.

An ofllcial of the archives con­finned that the letter was one of thehundreds of documents involving

12 THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., February 28, 2003

Pope seeks reference to Christianity'in new European constitution

Bishops urge SouthAfrican leader to act 'on

AIDS, Zimbabwe

the middle of the fifth Crusade,the saint crossed the battle linesto talk with the sultan. In lateryears, St. Francis used the hornto call his monks to prayer.

B"efore leaving, Aziz wrote aninscription in a guest book, ask­ing God to "grant peace to thepeople of Iraq and the wholeworld."

Aziz had lunch with theFranciscan friars in the monas­'tery, with guests that included

controversial MelkiteArchbishop 0 HilarionCapucci, an 80-year-oldSyrian who has long pro­moted the Palestinian causein Rome. In 1974, Israelconvicted the archbishop ofsmuggling guns to Palestin­ian guerrillas, an accusationhe always denied.

In remarks to reportersin Assisi, Aziz said he had

made the visit to highlight themessage of p~ace, on a day whenmillions of people around theworld demonstrated against a ,new war in Iraq. He said theworld needs to resist a new warand "the intentions of aggres­sion,"

He also defended SaddamHussein, calling him a "father forhis people, who trust in him," andsaid the rest of the world should

, trust him, too.After Aziz left, Father Coli

defended the Franciscans' deci­sion to invite the Iraqi leader toAssisi. •

."This was an important visitbecause we want Arab peoplesof the Muslim faith to understandthat our own faith is anchored inChrist, the prince of peace," hesaid.

Iraq," a 47-year-old researchernamed Giulia told the Italiannews agency ANSA.

Meanwhile, in the Basilica ofSt. Mary of the Angels, Aziz lis­tened as a U.S. Franciscan readin English St. Francis' "simpleprayer," which begins "Lord,make me an instrument of yourpeace."

Aziz proceeded to the Basilicaof St. Francis, where he prayedbefore the small crypt that holds

the remains of the saint whosename has become synonymouswith peacemaking.

In a brief ceremony that fol­lowed, Aziz was handed the"lamp of peace" by BishopSergio Goretti of Assisi, whoprayed that the money spent on'weapons could be used insteadto reduce poverty' in the world.The bishop condemned the dev­astation of war and the threat ofglobal terrorism. The lamp wasthe same one lighted by religiousleaders in January 2002 whenthey prayed in Assisi at the invi­tation of Pope John Paol II.

Then Aziz and the Franciscancustodian of the basilica, FatherVincenzo Coli, together touchedthe ivory horn that was given toSt..Francis by the Egyptian Sul­tan Malik al-Kamil in 1219, In

In a brief ceremony that followed,Aziz was handed the "lamp ofpeace" by Bishop Sergio Goretti ofAssisi, who prayed that the moneyspent on weapons could be used in­stead to reduce poverty in the world.

By JOHN THAVIS

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Iraqi official's 'pilgrilDage,' toAssisi touches political nerves

TARIQ AZIZ prays in,the crypt of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, recently. TheIraqi deputy prime minister, a Chaldean Catholic, was invited by Francisc~n friars to pray atthe tomb of St. Francis, a patron of peace. A day earlier, Aziz met with Pope John Paul II atthe Vatican. (CNS photo from Reuters)

ROME - It was billed as a"pilgrimage of peace," but TariqAziz's visit to the tomb of St.Francis in Assisi, Italy, promptedas much political diatribe asprayerful 'reflection.

The Iraqi deputy prime min­ister, a Ca,tholic of the Chaldeanrite, was invited by Franciscanfriars to pray in Assisi February15. The gesture underlined that"every possible avenue to- .ward peace should remainopen," said a spokesmanfor the Franciscan monas­tery there:

But to some Italians, theimage of a prayerful Azizinvoking peace was toomuch to swallow. Theycomplained . that theFranciscans were beingused by a man who since1979 has been the No.2 officialof a regime guilty of serious hu­man rights abuses.

"Tariq Aziz is no hero and nos'aint, and seeing him kneeling infront of the tomb of St. Franciswas not a pleasant thing for thosewho oppose (Iraqi President)Saddam Hussein's dictatorship,"said Maurizio Ronconi, a sena­tor of Italy's Union of the Demo­cratic Center party.

Protesters from the RadicalPaity waved U.S., British and Is­raeli flags at an Assisi graveyardwhere U.S. and British soldiersfrom World War II are buried.They held signs that read"Saddam get out!"

"We are against dictatorshipand for the globalization of de­mocracy. In all sincerity, I say'yes' to the war if it will liberate

tural and religious contribution to'Europe of Saints Cyril andMethodius, whose feast day wascelebrated a week ago. He saidthe ninth-century Slavic mission­ary brothers helped "consolidatethe common Christian roots ofEurope, roots which with theirlife-blood impregnated Europe'shistory and institutions.:' .

"Precisely for this reason it hasbeen asked that the future Euro­pean constitution not leave out­this common patrimony of Eastand West," he said.

"Such a reference will not takeanything from the COITeC! secular­ism of the poli.tical structures," hesaid.

"United in the values andmemories of their past, the Euro­pean peoples will be able to playfully their role in the promotionof justice and peace in ~he entireworld," the pope said.

According to U.N. figures, 20percenrof the adult population isHIV-positive.

In his recent state of the nationaddress in Cape Town, Mbekisaid his government would con­tinue to implement a "comprehen­sive strategy.on HIV and AIDS,"including implementing a Cons,ti­tutional Court ruling last year that"the government provide theantiretroviral drug nevirapine topregnant HIV-positive women in

, state hospitals and clinics.The Southern African Catho­

lic Bishops' Conference AIDSoffice joined other religiolls andcivil society groups in demand­ing that the governme,nt imple­ment a national AIDS treatmentplan by t,he end of February.

Regarding Zimbabwe, thebishops said the economic andpolitical situation there probablywould continue to deteriorate andmany people feared that "SouthAfrica will be unprepared to re­ceive a large influx of refugees"from its neighboring country.

In early February, the bishops'conference urged the South Afri­can government to intervene inZimbabwe, which the bishopssaid is on the brink of civil warwith "increasing levels of orga­nized state terror."

At least 6.7 million people ­more than half Zimbabwe's popu­lation - face starvation.

The bishopsalso said that theywere concerned by"Mbeki's lackof provisions for South Africansliving in poverty or a comprehen­sive social security plan.

The bishops' conference is pmt.01' a coalition lobbying the gov­ernment to provide a $1 O-a-monthbasic grant to the 22 million SouthAfricans estimated to be living inpoverty.

By BRONWEN DACHS

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

CAPE TOWN, South Africa- Bishops in southern Africapraised the South Africanpresident's proposed peace mis­sion to Iraq, but urged him to ad­dress AIDS and the socio-eco­nomic and political crisis in Zim­babwe.

The bishops "applaud the SouthAfrican government for its role onthe world stage in the growingmovement to avert the tragedy ofa war against (Iraqi) PresidentSaddam Hussein, in which hun­dreds of thousands of innocent,people would suiTer even greaterhardship," the Southern AfricanCatholic Bishops' Conference saidin a recent statement from itsPretoria headqumters.

The bishops praised South Af­rican President Thabo Mbeki forhis "tirm stand in favor of a peace­ful solution to the Iraqi crisis as,well as for full compliance on thepart of Baghdad with the require­ments of the United Nations re­!!arding the total elimination of~eapo~s of m\lSS destruction."

But the conference said it wasdisappointed at Mbeki's "treat­ment of two issues ofvital conse­quence for South and southernAfrica: the AIDS pandemic andthe Zimbabwe crisis."

In hoth cases, the bishopsurged the president to "take thenation into his confidence in aneffort to formulate.and implementclear and open policies, so thin allsectors of society may becomeengaged in seeking just and equi­table solutions."

South Africa, which 'has apopulation of about 43.5 million,has more people infected withHIV the virus that causes AIDS,than any other country.

By JOHN NORTON

CATHOLIC News SERVICE

VATICAN CITY - Pope JohnPaul II renewed his appeal for theincorporation of a reference toEurope's Christian hei-itage in afuture European constitution, say­ing such a recognition would notthreaten the secular nature of thecontinent's political structures.

"On the contrary, it will help10 protect,the continent from theduuble risk of ideological secu­larism, on one side, and sectarianinlegralism on the other," he saidlast week at a midday blessing inSt. Peter's Square.

The: pope's appeal came as aEuropean constitutional panelprepared to consider aillendmentsto a draft European constitution.The draft text. released earlier thismonth, made no mention of Godor Christianity.

The pope highlighted the cul-

-r,

Pope urges religious leaders to besources of unity if war breaks out

THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Fcbnmry 28, 2003 13

By JOHN NORTON

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY - Warn­ing that a war on Iraq coulddamage international interreli­gious relations, Pope John PaulII urged religiol!s leaders towork together and "not permitpolitics to become a source offurther division among theworld's religions."

"Earlier this year, I said:'War is always a defeat for hu­manity,'" he said recently to adelegation of religious leadersfrom majority-Muslim Indone­sia.

"It is also a tragedy for reli-

Messageas a means of combating an ex­cessive attachment to money" andhe prayed each Catholic wouldpraetice charity during Lent"since the vocation to charity isthe hemt of all true evangeliza­tion."

Archbishop Paul Cordes,president of "Cor Unum," theVatican's charity promotionand coordinating agency, saidthat in many waysl "giving has

gion," he said.The pope noted that the del­

egation, headed by CardinalJulius Darmaatmadja ofJakarta, was visiting theVatican at a "ti me of great ten­sion in the world" and "with thereal possibility of war loomingon the horizon."

But "neither the threat of warnor war itself should be allowedto alienate Christians, Muslims,Buddhists, Hindus and mem­bers of other religions," he said.

"As religious leaders com­mitted to peace, we shouldwork together with our ownpeople, with those of other re-

Camilll/edfmlll page aile

become a fad."Actors and actresses, famous

SPOlts ligures and politicians all 'participate in benelit galas; air­lines collect change from theirpassengers for orphans; compa­nies sponsor and plaster theirlogos on fund-raising matelials;and governments announce withpride how much of their budgetsthey assign to relief and develop­ment work, he said in releasing

ligious beliefs and with all menand women of good will to en­sure .understanding, coopera­tion and solidarity," he said.

"My fervent prayer is thatour efforts to promote mutualunderstanding and trust willbear abundant fruit and help theworld to avoid conflict," thepope said.

In a statement after the meet­ing, papal spokesman JoaquinNavarro-Valls said the delega­tion from Gerakan MoralNasional Indonesia, a nationalinterreligious group, gave thepope a "statement of concerns"regarding the Iraqi crisis.

the pope's message.In many cases, he said, giving

seems to promise the giver "gloryand greatness ifonly they deliber­ately ignore the words of Jesus,"which instruct believers not to lettheir left hand know what theylight hand is doing when they give.

"The philanthropic climatemakes it possible even to makesolidaritY" a business," he said."Besides the good intentions,

"The delegation membersappealed to the Holy See tocontinue and intensify its dip­lomatic efforts so that all in­volved parties can find a justand peaceful solution - basedon humanitarian and moralprinciples shared by all reli­gions of the world - to thepresent Iraqi crisis," he said.

In addition to CardinalDarmaatmadja, delegationmembers included HasyimMuzadi, head of the 40-mil­lion-member NahdlatulUlama, Indonesia's largestMuslim Qrganization; AhmadSyafii Maarif, head ofMuhammadiyah, a 30-mil­lion-member Muslim organi­zation; Andreas AnangguruYewangoe, representative of

there is always the possibility forthe administrator to take a sub­stantial cut for his own needs."

Jesus' words that "it is moreblessed to give than to receive"show Christians the attitude theymust assume when engaged incharity - they must give of them­selves without expecting anythingin return simply because they arefollowing the example of Jesuswho gave evetything, Archbishop

the national Communion ofProtestant Churches; aiHJ Bud­dhist and Hindu leaders.

Cardinal Darmaatmadja (oldFides, the Vatican's missionarynews service, that the groupwas concerneJ that militaryaction against Iraq would beseen in Indonesia - which hassuffered recent Christian-Mus­lim violence - as a war againstIslam.

'But that which could startin Iraq is not a conflict of reli­gion," he said.

"For this reason, we supportthe Holy Father, who recalledthat war is always a defeat forhumanity and brings ahout thedestruction of the culture oflife, of solidarity, and of humanrespect," the cardinal said.

Cordes said.Christian charity, he ~aiJ, in­

volves more than giving linancialand material help to the poor andsuffering. it involves proclaimingsalvation in Christ and giving ofone's self.

"The Lentcn message is mO\"l:than a stimulus to raise moncy(and) more than a moral appealto share," he said; it aims to "col­lect spiritual fruits" as well.

By CATliOUC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY - Here is theVatican text of Popc John Paul II's Lentenmessage for 2003:

I. Lent is a season of intense prayer, fast­ing and concem for those in need. It offers allChl;stians an oppOltunity to prepare for Eas­ter by serious discemment about their lives,with pmtici.llar attention to the word of Godwhich enlightens the daily joumey of all whobelieve.

This year, as a guide for our Lenten medi­tation, I would oller a phrase taken from theActs of the Apostles: "It is more blessed togive than to receive" (Acts 20:35). What wehave here is not simply a moral exholtation ora command which comes to us from withoul.The inclination to give is rooted in the depthsof the human healt: EvelY person is consciousof a desire to interact with others, and evely­one finds fullillment in a free gifl of self toothers.

2. Our age, regrettably, is pmticularly sus­ccptible to the temptation towru'd selfishnesswhich always lurks within the human healt.In society gcnerally, and in the media, peoplearc bombarded by messages which more orless openly exalt the ephemeral and the hedo­nistic. Concem for others is celtainly shownwhenever natural disasters, war and otheremcrgencies strike, but in general it is difli­cult to build a culture of solidm;ty. The spil;tof thc world allccts our inner propensity togive ourselves unsellishly to others and drivesus to satisfy our own palticular interests. Thedesire to possess ever more is encouraged.Surely it is natural and I;ght that people, byusing their own girts and by their own labor,should work to obtain what they need to live,but an excessive desire for possessions pre­vents human beings from being open to theirCreator and to their brothers and sisters. Thewords of Paul to Timothy remain relevant inevery age: "The love of money is the root ofall evils: it is through this craving that somehave wandered away from the faith and

Pop~ John Paul II's Lenten. Messagepierced their hemts with many pangs" (I Tm the Supreme Good, is capable ofovercoming6: IO)! \. • thc valious fonns of pOVClty present in our

Exploitation ofothers, indifference toward' world. Mercy and love for one's neighbor mustthe suffet;ng of QUI' brothers and sisters and therefore be the flUit of a living relationshipthe violation of basic rules of morality are just with God and have God as their constant pointa few flUits of the thirst for gain. Faced with of reference, since it is in closeness to Chlistthe tragic situation ofpersistent pove.rty which that we find our joy (cf. "De Civitate Dei,"aftlicts so many people in our world, how can X, 6; CCL 39: 1351 ft).we fail to see that the quest for profit at any 4. The Son of God loved us lirst, whilecost and the lack ofeffective, responsible CO)1- "we were yet sinners" (Rom 5:6), with an un­cem for the common good have concentrated conditional love which asks nothing in return.immense resources in the hands ofa few while If this is so, how can we fail to see the seasonthe rest of humanity suffers in povetty and of Lent as a providential oppoltunity to makeneglect? courageous decisions inspired by altlUism and

Appealing to believers and to all people of generosity? Lent oflers us the practical andgood will, I would like to reaffitm a plinciple effective weapon~ of fasting and almsgivingwhich is self-evident yet often ignored: Our as a memlS of combating an excessive attach­goal should not be the benefit of a plivileged ment to money. Giving not only from ourlew, but rather the improvement of tpe living abundance, but sacrilicing something more inc9nd.i~ions of all. Only on this ,foundation can order to give to the needy, fosters that ·self..we l)uild that international order tlUly marked denial which is essential to authentic Chl;s­by justice and solidm;ty which is the hope of tian living. Strengthened by constant prayer,everyone. the baptized reveal the pl;olity which they have

3. "It is more blessed to give than to re- given to God in their lives.ccive." When believers respond to the inner The love of God poured into our heansimpulse to give themselves· to others without ought to inspire and transform who we areexpecting anything in retum, they expel;ence and what we do. Chl;stians must not think thata profound intet;or satisfaction. they can seek the tme good of their brothers

The elTolts of Chl;stians to promote jus- and sisters without embodying the chm;ty oftice, their commitment in defense ohhe pow- Chlisl. Even in those cases where they mighterless, their humanitm;an work in providing succeed in improving impOltant aspects ofbread for the hungry and their care for the social or political life, without chm;ty evelYsick by responding to evelY emergency and change would remain shalt-lived. The possi­need draw their strength from that sale and bility of giving oneself to others is itself a gillinexhaustible treasUIy of love which is the which comes from the grace of God. As St.complete gift of J~sus to the Father. Believ- Paul teaches: "God is at work in you, both toers are called to follow in the footsteps of will and to work for his good pleasure" (PhilJesus Chl;st, tme God and tme man, who, in 2: 13).perlect obedience to the will of the FaLher, 5. To modem men and women, often dis­emptied himself (cf, Phil 2:6ft), and humbly satislied with a shallow and ephemeral exist­gave himself to us in selfless and total love, ence and in search of authentic happiness andeven unto death on a cross. Calvary elo- love, Chtist offers his own example and is­quently proclaims the message of the Blessed sues the invitation to follow him. He asks thoseTrinity's love for human beings of all times who hear his voice to give their lives for oth­and places. ers. This saclilice is a source of self-fullill-

St. Augustine points out that only God, as ment and joy, as is seen in the eloquent ex-

ample of those men and women who, leavingall secll\;ty behind, have not hesitated to I;sktheir lives as missionm;es in different pailS ofthe world. It can also be seen in the responseof those young people who, prompted by faith,have embraced a vocation to the priesthoodor the religious' life in order to serve God'splan of salvation. It is likewise the expel;enceof the growing number of voluntP-ers whoreadily devote themselves to helping the poor,the elderly, the sick and all those in need.

Recently, we have witnessed a praisewor­thy outpout;ng of solidarity for the victims offloods in Europe, earthquakes in LatinAmelica and Italy, epidemics in Africa. vol­canic el1lptions in the Philippines. as well asfor other areas of the world scatTed by hatred,violence and war.

In these situations, the communicationsmedia play ~ significant rolc by allowil1g usto identify with and oller ready help to thesuflering and those in distress. At times it isnot the Chl;stian command of love, but ratheran innate sense of compassion which moti­vatcs our effolts to assist others. Even so, any­one who helps those in necd always enjoysGod's favor. In the Acts of the Apostles weread that the disciple Tabitha was saved ·be­cause she had done good to her n~ighbor (cr.9:36fl). The centll\;on Camelius obtained eter­nallife on account of his generosity (Ibid., 10:2-31).

For those who arc "far-oIT," service to theneedy can be a providential path leading to anencounter with Chl;st, since the Lord abun­dantly repays the good deeds done to one'sneighbor (cf. Mt 25:40).

It is myfelvent hope that believers will lindthis Lent a favorable time for beal;ng witnessto ttie Gospel of chm;ty in every place, sincethe vocation to chm;ty is the healt of all tl1leevangelization. To this end I invoke the inter­cession of Mmy, mother of the Church, andpray that she will accompany us on our Lentenjoumey. With these sentiments I allectionatclyimpmt to all my blessing.

-

14 THE ANC;HOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., February 28, 2003

healthy ecosystem. They are alsolearning how to identify the pooland share their knowledge withothers.

The Cranberries on MarsProject has combined agriculturewith space science as studentslearn to grow cranberries andspeculate through research of the

two planets ifsuch a plantcould survivein the environ­ment of Mars.

AI1 . threeprojects weremade possibleby grants. TheWarehamYouth Empow­erment Councilprovided agrant for the

river project. The Vernal PoolProject was made possible by theVito Pini Foundation while thecranberry project was funded byMassachusetts Agricultural in theClassroom.

Caradimos, a teacher assistantat the school, said that 27 studentsare involved in the projects thisyear. She explained that studentsare learning map making skills,writing poetry, bringing the infor­mation they tind to local librariesand earth day festivals.

"It's become very popular withthe students," said Caradimosadding that "they're making a dif­ference."

The Agawam RiverProject is one of three en­vironmental scienceprojects offered to seventh­and eighth-grade studentsat the school. The othersare the Vernal Pool Projectand the Cranberries onMars Project.

BUZZARDS BAY - Eighth­grade students from St. MargaretRegional School have been ac­tively involved in the AgawamRiver Project this year in whicbthey analyze data and learn whatcontributes to a healthy river sys­tem.

The Agawam River Project isone of three en-vironmental sci­ence projects of­fered to seventh­and eighth­grade students atthe school. The.others are theVernal PoolProject and theCranberries onMars Project.

Students aregetting a lot outof the three projects according tocoordinat9r Pam Caradimos."They are learning about environ­mental awareness and teachingothers. It's been very successfuland I'm very proud of their workand enthusiasm."

Through on-site data collec­tion and research and the infor­mation compiled by students inprevious years, project partici­pants have been able to compareand contrast data concerning theAgawam River that will be help­ful for years to come.

In the Vernal Pool Project stu­dents are learning what a vernalpool is and its importance to a

Buzzards Bayeighth-graders study

local river systelTI

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM -:- Eighth-graders ColeenFitzpatrick, Amie Crites and Alex Franco of St. MargaretRegional School, Buzzards Bay, record data at the AgawamRiver in Wareham. They are part of a team that is studyingthe waterway and learning the importance of a healthy eco­system.

LIESSE SLEMON

.. -. '

.'

"

.'. ~ '.

ADAM DEFR,IAS shows off the three-dimensional city he constructed as part of a recentcartography project at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, New Bedford. He and other sixth­graders designed and named original cities and then presented their creations to classmates.

PRE-SCHOOL AND kindergarten students from St. Anthony School, New Bedford, learnabout trees during a recent field trip to the Patchett Brook Farm in Tiverton, R.1.

Feehan senior competesat National Fencing event

ATTLEBORO - Bishop Skmon is the captain of theFeehan High School Senior Shamrock's' fencing team that in-

. Liesse Siemon has only been eludes nine students who competefencing for two years, but already regularly and about 20 who haveshe's finding great success in the learned the sport. In addition tosport. She recently returned from Texas she has competed in Bos­Texas where she attended the ton, Warren, R.I., Long Island,National Fencing Competition. NY and Florida.Although she did not take top In the short time that SIemonhonors her coach Mike has been a competitive fencerGiammarco said just to place in she has earned numerous awardsthe middle of such a competition including the silver medal in theis "a great accomplishment." Senior Women's Sabre Champi-

'Tm very proud of her," added onships, a bronze medal in theGiammarco. a mathematics Under 19 Women's Sabreteacher at the Attleboro school. Championships and a bronze"She worked really hard, It's a . medal in a Sabre unclassifiedvery competitive division here in tournament. She is the daughterNew England and she's doing of Fred and Liesse SIemon ofvery well:' Seekonk. ..

-

THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Februar)' 28, 2003 15-

-_,-f9r:~~-~QfI:-;~2bQ:.g;* o,ur-.youth--:--" '.-:-;-r-~ _.•...:. __.__~ _. _.-. _ .

. . .

Is this a saint like you?

ss.- Peter aridPaul'Schoolannounces science fair winners,

Pope calls for pr3yer,fasting for peace on

Ash WednesdayTherefore, lhe pope said, he

was asking Catholics in everycountry to fast and pray forpeace - especially in theMiddle East - on Ash Wednes­day, March 5, the start or theLenten season.

"'We will above ail implorefrom God the conversion or hearlsand the wisdom of just decisionsto resolve with peaceful and ad­equate means the disagreementsthat hinder humanity's pilgrim­age in our time," he said.

He said particular ;lllenlionshould be given thal day to pray­ing the rosary - in families,parishes and Marian sanc\llariesaround the. world.

The pope said fasting on AshWednesday this year should bean "expression of penitence forthe hatred and violence that pol­lute human relations."

He pointed out that Chris­tians share the ancient practiceof fasting with men and womenof other faiths.

"With them, Christians wantto strip themselves of all prideand prepare themselves to re­ceive from God the greatest andmost necessary gifts, in particu­lar the gift of peace," he said.

In praying for Mary to guidcthe prayer and fasting initia­tive, the pope quoted from thebeatitudes, "Blessed are thepcacemakers, for thcy will becalled children or God,'· Hesaid that invocation needs toresound with new force intoday's world and find practi­cal application.

By JOHN THAVIS

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY - Warn­ing that the world was driftingtoward th-:: "logic of war:' PopeJohn Paul II called for a day ofprayer and fasting' for peace onAsh Wednesday.

, The pop,e announced themove recently. as he appealedonce again ,against war in Iraq.He said armed conflict in thePersian Gulf state could throwthe entire Middle East into tur­moil and raise tensions aCfOSSthe globe. .

A peaceful future for theworld cannot be won by terror­ism or by war, the pontiff saidfrom his apartment windowabove St. Peter's Square.

"For months the internationalcommunity has' lived in greatanxiety over the danger of a warthat could upset the entire re­gion of t,he Middle East and ag­gravate tensions which unfortu­nately are already present at thestart of the third millennium,"he said.

"Believers, whatever their re­ligion, should proclaim that wewill never be able to be happyopposing each other, and thatthe future of humanity cannever be assured by terrorismand the logic of war:' he said.

He said Christians in particu­lar are called to be "sentinels ofpeace" in the places where theylive and work 'and to help makesure people do not give in toselfish interests, lies and vio- .Icnce.

to) ,.

~ AMANDA LUMMAH,left, and Lauren Cronan,students at TauntonCatholic Middle School,'await judge.s to view theirscience project on flight, atthe school's recent annualscience fair.

Seventh-grade: first-place, Jes­sica Oliveira, Does TemperatureAffect Monofilament; second-place,Megan Rego, The Effect of Tooth­paste on Enamel; third-place, CoreyBatista, The Mechanics ofCatapults.

Eighth-grade: first-place, ErinCarlson, Pond Nutrients in Plants;second-place, Kayla Vangel, Min­erals and Plants; third-place,AshleyGomes, Human Hair and PlantGrowth.

student's knowledge of their topicand the quality of their research. Theregional science fair is at BristolCommunity Colie'ge March 15.

Winners were as follows: Sixth­grade: tirst-place, Jared Dumont,Reef Tank Saltwater Ecosystems;second-place, Blitnie Paquette, RoofTiles Color and Heat Absorption;third-place, Matthew Ba~es, compo­sition of Sand From Around theWorld.

~ JEFFREY CONNON,left, and Andrew Burhoedisplay their project entitled'Wright Stuff'

FALL RIVER - SS. Peter andPaul School held its annual sciencefair recently for students in gradessix through eight. First-, second­and third-place winners in the threegrades will advance to the regionalscience fair and school science 'in­stl1lctor Thomas Keane said he was"impressed by the advanced subjectmatters chosen by the students."

Each was interviewed by a mini­mum of three judges to determine a

By AMY WELBORNCATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Even if you're trying reallyhard, it can be a challenge for akid lO find saints to identify with.

You like the young Francis ofAssisi's idealism, and the wayTherese of Lisieux loved so pas­sionately and died so bravely.When you need to forgive, MariaGorelli shows you how. Whenyou need strength to stop gripingabout your moments of suffering,it helps a lotto just slOp and thinkabout the countless young people,from ancient Rome to the present,who've died rather than betrayJesus.

But still ...At the moment, your life isn't

being threatened. You're not in acloister. You're not leaving yourfamily and starting a religious or­der from scratch. As much as you

can see in each of these lives thatis helpful, you wish you hadsomeone to look to who lived alife a little more like.your own.

Have you heard about PierFrassati?

If you're a fun-loving, friendlyperson with lots of energy and apassion for life, Pier Frassati, whois called "Blessed:' or one stepaway h:om :'Saint:' is the guy Joryou. .

, Pier· (Peter, in Eng!ish) wasborn in Turin, Italy, in 190 I. Earlyon,it was clear he was filled withan amazing sensitivity toward thepoor. He regularly gave his allow­ance away to people he met onthe street who were in need ­even his shoes on occasion.

When it came time for Pier tohead to college, he rejected thepath everyone expected him tofollow - going into journalism

or politics like his parents. Hedecided to study the engineeringof mines.

Why? Because mining was(and is) one of the most danger-

-r.;~

"\ '-.,'" II •Comingof

flge

ous, dirtiest jobs anyone couldhave. Miners face the possibilityof death every day in ways mostof the rest of us don't. Pier haddecided that God was calling himto bring this brave group thestrength and hope of God's love,and the best way to do it was ac­tually to plunge in and work

alongside them. Pier didn't hesi­tate to throw himself into politi­cal protests too, standing up forworkers' rights even to the pointof getting beaten and arrested!

But there's more. Pier Frassatiwas not your stereotypical, seri­ous holy guy. He loved playingpractical jokes. He was into mu­sic and the theater. And he rel­ished outdoor sports, especiallyskiing. '

He and his closest .friendscalled themselves "the sinisterones." Their ridiculous motto isbest translated into English as"The Few, the Proud, ... the Maca­rani!" Pier would lead his friendson energetic, exciting mountain­climbing trips, followed by ski­ing trips back down the moun­tains.

Pier died in 1925, and if youdo the math you'll figure out he

was only 24. He had picked up acase of polio while visiting thehomes of the poor, and it killedhim after only a few days, but notbefore he had pulled out a littleaccount book filled with thenames of people he helped on aregular basis and begged his fam­ily not to let these folks be for­gotten.

No, none of us is exactly likePier Frassati, Maria Gorclti,Therese of Lisieux. Kateri

. Tekakwitha or Francis of Assisi.But when you look at how differ­ent these young people were fromeach other and how each onefound a path to friendship withGod -even, in Pier's case, in themidst of a life not too differentfrom yours - it should give youhope that somewhere in the midstof your own life here's a path foryou lOa!

-

-

____________Signalure _

According to parish leaders,the loss of the logging industrydealt a devastating blow to whatis an isolated community; thepopulation fell by a third. Yet,despite the population decline,the parishioners of St. John theBaptist have outgrown their pre­vious' church because of an in­flux of Catholics who make Cas­cade their summer home.

The parish already has a blue­print for a new church, which, isto be named for St. KatharineDrexel. She founded the Sistersof the Blessed Sacrament andhelped, establish more than 50mission schools in· 15 states andterritories. It will be large enoughto accommodate the 77 Catho­lics who live in Cascade year­round as well as a summer con­gregation tha't can number morethan 200.

Located on a plot of land do­nated by a family in St. Johnthe Baptist Parish, the churchwill serve a 2,000-square-milearea.

"This truly is a worthwhileand urgent need, arid we look for­ward to helping the parishionersof St. John the Baptist realizetheir dream," said retired BishopWilliam R. Houck of Jackson,Miss., president of Catholic Ex­tension, in a statement.

"We have the opportunity togive them a proper spiritualhome," he added.

Contributions to this missionappeal. called the Idaho Project.may be made online at:www.catholic-extension.org.Do­nations also nUlY be sent by mailto: Catholic Extension. Idaho

,Project. 150 S. Wacker Dr.. 20thFloor, Chicago. IL 60606.

McCall in the Boise diocese ­file into' the 67-year-old theatereach Sunday where a pine altaris rolled out and the projectionroom serves as a makeshift sac-risty. .

Use of the theater has beendonated rent free by a local fam­ily to the parish, which has en­dured hard economic times andis saving money to build a per­manent home for worship.

Through bake sales, dinners,collections and a building fund­drive, parishioners have raised$250,000 - about a third of themoney they need to fund theirnew church.

So, the Cascade church turnedto Chicago-based Catholic Ex­tension, the largest supporter ofCatholic missionary work inAmerica, for a $75,000 buildinggrant.

, Father Donald Fraser, pastorof Our Lady of the Lake, and'Bishop Michael P. Driscoll ofBoise hope to start constructionduring the summer months. .

Cascade endures heavysnows, accompanied by a windchill and temperatures in doubledigits below zero, up to sixmonths out of the year.

Located in the Boise NationalForest, Cascade was once a log­ging home to the former Boise­Cascade Corp., which employedone out of three of the centralIdaho town's population. But twoyears ago the lumber businessdried up as Congress passe~ leg­islation that curtailed logging innational forests. The industryalso has been hurt by the abilityof tree-growers in Canada andthe South to produce faster­growing and less-expensivetrees.

Idaho parish'. seeks '~elp lDovingfrOID movie theater into church'

A WORKER posts "Catholic Mass" to the playbill of the Roxy Theater in Cascade, Idaho;where parishioners of St. John the Baptist Church celebrate Sunday Mass. The 67-year-oldtheater comes rent-free courtesy of a local family as the parish, which has endured hardeconomic times, saves to build a permanent home of worship. (CNS photo by James Boweycourtesy Catholic Exte.nsion) , .

By CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

CASCADE, Idaho - On Sat-,urday nights, the Roxy Theaterin Cascade draws moviegoers forthe latest box-office hit.

But on Sunday mornings,amid the lingering smells of but­tery' popcorn, the theater wel­comes Catholics as they maketheir way down the sticky aislesfor Mass.

Members of St. John the Bap­tist Parish in Cascade - whichis a station, or mission, of OurLady of the Lake Church in

P,O.BOll 29, South Yarmouth, MA 02664o CDs $15.00 +$2.00 s&h

came together.in 1993 to havemaximum impact in publicizingthe ministries of contemporarywomen religious who' are livingthe Gospel message in today'sworld.

Last year the group sponsoredbillboards around the state whichurged people to "welcome the im­migrant you once were."

Iowa communities of women re­ligious that belong to Sisters UnitedNews are: Carmelites, Eldridge;Roman Dominicans, Iowa City; Sis­ters ofCharity of the Blessed VlfginMary, Dubuque; Sisters of Humil­ity, Davenport; Sisters ofMercy, Ce­dar Rapids; Sisters of St. Frd/lcis,Clinton; and Sisters of St. Francis,Sisters ofthe Presentation, Sisters ofthe Visitation and Trappestine Sis-'ters, all of Dubuque. ,

The other memhers are theBenedictine Sisters of Rock Island,

, III., and from Wisconsin, theSinsinawa Dominicans and theFrancisc.m Sisters ofPerpetual Ado­ration.of LaCrosse.

The group' also plans to air themessage in LaCrosse and Madison,Wis., as well a" in Clinton, Dubuqueand western Iowa.

determined Church movements ordo not cultivate particular spiri­tualities," the pope said.

The lay association, Catholic 'Action, was holding a national.

, meeling in Rome on how it couldcontribute to renewing parishes inthe new millennium.

He said parishioners shouldwork to build an effective dia­logue with those who live withinthe parish boundaries, "reservingpilrticular attention for those wholive in material and spiritual dif­ficulties and are awaiting a wordto accompany them in their searchfor God."

Namei\ddress _

City ~ ' Stale Zip Code

All major credit cards accepted ,~,Si;d:.

o Tapes $10,00 eilch + $2.00 s&h

o Check/MO enclosed for $_____ Payable to: Merciful Love Music

Credit Card No, Exp Date _

@;(fuurh.'l~tro [ffiil'j] (lGXfUl!ID lIx.Jilim

DUBUQUE, Iowa (CNS) ­Hoping to counter the country'smoves toward war, communities,ofwomen religious in the Midwest areadding their voices to those callingfor altematives to war and effortstoward peace.

A 30-second radio spot producedby the communities began airingrecently on AM and·FM radio sta"tions in Cedar Rapids that coverem;t­em and central Iowa but also extendinto Illinois and Wisconsin.

With the music of "Let There bePeace on Earth" 'L" background, themessage'says:

"We all laugh, we all love, we allcry, we all bleed, we all grieve inthe same language.

"Work for peace!Pray for peace!A message from the Catholic sistersof this area."

Violin music for the spot was,played' by Sister Marie ThereseKalb, a member of the DubuqueFranciscans, and J.L. Brimeyer, ac­comp,mist.

The ~pot originated with com­munications personnel from the 13religiolls congregations of the up­per Mississippi Valley which makeup:Sistcrs United News. The group

Catholic nun's take peace messageto radio station in Midwest

Parish still fundamental pope saysVATICAN CITY (CNS) - In

a message to a Church lay asso­ciation, pope John Paul II high­lighted the fundamental impor­tance of parish life and said itshould be a "school of sanctity"for all Catholics, not just mem­bers of movements.

In the messacc he said thcChurch's 2,OOQ-year experience-' confirmed by the SecondVatican Council - "teaches thatthe Church cannot renouncestructuring itself in' parishes.

"The parish is "the 'school ofsanctity' for all Christians, evenfor those who do not belong, to

16 THE ANCHUR -- Diocese of Fall River - Fri., February 2g, 2003

!Mauro ~ ~cal ~ (2?§§~ The luminous Mysteriesr: of The Rosaryil with Gospel Meditations & Songs

IFOIiOWin~:~tion of the :;5% ~', ~i Ai"l":I Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary by ',,: ' .:. ~%, ,/tl

the Holy Father, Marilla has recorded this'\" '" \~"tf:f:"'-., ..' <;~.1ffspecial album. Join Marilla as she leads us in prayer from the hidden Iff~ irtNazareth, :0 the public life of Jesus through the five new mysteries of light.

-

..~..