t eanc 0 FALL RIVER DIOCESAN NEWSPAPERFOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTSCAPEC;:OD & THE ISLANDS

VOL. 40, NO.]9 • Friday, October 11, 1996 FALL RIVER, MASS. Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly • 513 Per Yeai'

cret. At Fatima, the rosary had been the secret. !'S. Fatima,the rosary emerges again as a spiritual weapon againstthe oppression of atheistic Communism. Today, Qur ro-

. saries are needed to fight a new battle ... one of life and.death. We come together on this Pro-Life Sunday, onthe eve of the Feast of the Holy Rosary, to celebrate theMass of Mary, the Temple of God.

Mary became the new Temple, the new Ark of

. the Covenant, when she said, "Yes" to God atthe Annunciation, the day the first 'Ave' was

prayed: Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee.When Mother Teresa opens convents in the farthest cor­ners of the earth, she says she is putting a tabernaclethere. Mary is the first tabernacle. Mer hearing fromthe angel Gabriel the news that her cousin was preg­nant. Mary rushed off to help her. When she arrives atElizabeth's house... the Hail Mary continues ... Blessedarethou among woman and blessed is the fruit of.thywomb.

The pregnant Mary and the 'pregnant Elizabethembrace. Jot]n the Baptist, a fetus in his mother'swomb, leaps for jay - like David dancing before

the Ark of the Covenant.

The Apocryphal Gospel of James describes theflight into Egypt ... it is said that the pagan idolsfell at Mary's feet like Dagon crumbled in the pres-

Turn to Page Six

BISHOP SEAN O'Malley, OFM, Cap., delivers the homily at the arin"ual pilgrimage of the Archdioceseof Wasl;lington to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. (Catholic Stan-dard/Michael Alexander photo) .

is the 'house' that Divine Wisdom built for Himself." TheTemple was Goa's dwelling place; it was God'~ house.The sign of God's,taking up residence in the Temple wasthe cloud of incense which filled the inner shrine wherethe Ark was enthroned.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is often called "theTemple of God" because' she became thedwelling place for God in human form. Just

as Solomon prepared the Temple in every detail, so Godprepared Mary to be the Mother of Jesus. From the firstmoment of her conception, she was preserved from anystain of sin and guk~ed py the cloud of God's presence.When she conceived Jesus in her womb, she became atrue Temple, the dwelling place of God in the flesh..Through the death and resurrection of Mary's Son, everyperson has been made a Temple of God. In Baptism,the Spirit of God dwells in each person, making ustemples. The Holy Father speaks of the vocation of thefamily to be the "sanctuary of life." Mary, the Temple, isjust that. Through her intercession, our families will growto be "sanctuaries of life."

Four hundred and twenty-five years ago, St. PopePius V established October 7 as the Feast of theMost Holy Rosary. The feast was established in

thanksgiving. By the power of prayer, Christendom was'.spared a terrible invasion, The rosary had been the s~

Bishop Sean O'Malley OFM Cap. served as homilistfor the annual pilgrimage of the Archdiocese ofWash­ington to the Basilica of the National Shrine of theImmaculate Conception. Thousands gathered thereon Respect Life Surlday, October 6, for the Mass. Fol­lowing is the text of the bishop's homily:

In ancient Ireland. the people had the practice ofmaking a vow to be peregrinus, to be lifelong pil­grims in perpetual exile. They neither cut their hair

nor clipped their nails (they must have looked like ourrock stars). They traveled from one holy well to the next.from one shrine or hermitage to another, never sleepingtwo nights in the same place. Their pilgrimage was awitness to the whole Church, a testimony abollt our spiri­tual condition as pilgrims-one that engenders a sense ofsolidarity. detachment, penance, and courage and for­bearance in the face of hardship. St. Teresa put it verysuccinctly: "Esta vida no es sima una mala noche en unamala posada." "This life is like a bad night in an uncom­fortable inn."

T· oday, we are all here on pilgrimage celebrating

the Patroness of the Archdiocese, Mary, Motherof God, the ancient title that goes back to the

Council of Ephesus in 431, in which Mary is proclaimedMother of God. or in Greek Theotokos. Our PilgrimageMass today celebrates life - on Pro-Life Sunday, and in aspecial way Mary's pregnancy, Mary as the temple withGod inside her. A new collection of Marian Masses offersus this celebration: the Virgin Mary. the Temple of theLord.

The Fathers of the Church gradually realize.d thatthe temple and 'dwelling place images of Scrip­ture, indeed all the figures'of containment and

enclosure, apply with great precision to the Mother ofGod. When for nine months the Virgin carries Christ inher womb, she is the consummate Ark and Temple ofGod. In a homily preached at the Council of Ephesus,St. Cyril salutes Our Lady in a litany replete with meta­phors of habitation and sanctuary:

Hail, Ma~y Theotokos ... Imperishable Temple,place of Him who cannot be c9ntained in aplace, Mother and Virgin ... Hail, thou who hastcontained in thy holy virginal womb Him whocannot be contained in the heavens.

St. Proclus acclaims the Holy Theotokos as "theunsullied shell that contains the pearl of greatprice, the sacred shroud of sinlessness, the costly

alabaster box of spikenard, the Ark gilt within and with­out." All these sacred places from Scripture reach their

.fulfillment in Mary's womb: 0 womb in,which the Char-ter of our freedom was composed, 0 temple in whichGod became a priest, "in the words of an ancient prayer.

One hundred fifty years ago, the Bishops of theUnited States consecrated this country to Maryunder the title of the Immaculate Conception

...thus the narne of this Shrine dedicated to Mary, Pa­troness of our country.

This magnificent Basilica is Mary's temple, buttoday's Mass reminds us that Mary is God's

. temple; as St. Bernard of C1airvaux stated: "Ma!y

Golden jubilarians interested inparticipating in the program shouldcontact their diocesan bishop (J,rthe bishop of the diocese where.they live. Enrollment must be madethrough the Vatican tour organi­zation: Peregrinatio ad Petri Se­dem, Piazza Pio XII, 9, VaticalllCity 00120 Europe. The fax n.um­ber is 011-396-6988-5617.

...........,....._..PQP.e..'~.gQlde1jL...,"jubilee c~l~k,:atj,on.set for Nov~ 7-JO'VATICAN CITY(CNS)- The

·Vatican has had to rely on loc(llbishops to do the inviting' l:O afour-day celebration of-the .:;Oth_anniversary of Pope John Pau:! II'spriestly ordination. .

The plan is that every dioc(:sanor religious-order priest ordainedin 1946 would be invited to pa:itic-

. ipate in a Nov. 7-10 jubilee pro­gram of talks'and'sharing, Massesand prayer services, celebr~tions

and sightseeing.But the Vatican does not have a

mailing list for all the jubilarians,nor is it sure of how many menwere ordained to the priesth Dodthe same year as the then 26-y,~ar­

old Karol Wojtyla, the currentpope.

The, uncertainty has not sloiNeddown the planning spearheadedby Archbishop Crescenzio S(:pe,secretary of the Congregation forClergy.

. He did reveal, however, that'Pope John Paul would make a giftto each of the participating priests~ a simple, but elegant stole witha cross, the papal crest and thetill tp-

As of Sept. 13, he said, about1,006 priests and bishops ordained

. in 1946 had written to the V;iti­cans's tour coordinating officeaccepting the invitation. . .

Many of them will come ,'toRome with family members, ::el­low priests or parishioners.

The Vatican does have an up-to­date count on a segment of 'thejubilarian community. Of the m,)rethan 4, 100 Catholic bishops world­wide, 85 were ordained priests in1946. .' .

Five.car<linals also are m~rking

their 50th anniversaries: SwissCardinal Gilberto Agustoni, pre­fect of the Apostolic Signature, achurch court; Italian Cardinal PioLaghi, prefect of the Congrega­tion for Catholic Education; Cilr­dinal James A. Hickey of Washing­ton; Cardinal Jose T. Sanchl:z,fOfmer prefect of the Congrega­tion for Clergy; and Italian Canii­nal' Achille Silvestririi, prefect ofthe Congregation for EasternChurches..

According to "professional s1a­tistical calculations," Archbish,)pSepe said, there probably are about7,000 other priests marking 50thanniversaries.

The Vatican did not keep world­wide statistics in 1946, he said, :;0

their number is uncertain.Obviously, like the 76-year-old

pontiff, most ofthejubilarians arewell into their 70s.

But, the archbishop said, "the.commemoration of 50 years is n,)ta celebration of the elderly, but ,)fyouth continually renewed, becau:;eChrist is young and hispriesthocdis always rejuvenated."

From the letters the congrega­tion has received, Archbishop SeJlesaid he estimates that about half ofthe priests ordained' in 1946 arestill active and he thinks the va:ltmajority are still·alive. .

"Priests last a long time," h.esaid.

C HaBel photo

teers are trained to visit the handi­capped at home, working withthem on rehabilitation, physicaltherapy and education.

Father Patin observed "I workin a country where 99 percent ofthe people are Buddhist, and whereI have the opportunity to radicallychange their lives,' to touch themwith Christ's love.

"I wake up every day with thatthought;" he concludes, !'excitedby and grateful for the possibilitythe Lord offers me to tell themabout him."

On Sunday Oct. 20, we willwake up knowing it is World Mis­sion Sunday, a special day to focuson our own missionary responsi­bility,. our own call to touch thelives of people all over the worldwith the love of Christ.

The prayer and financial 'helpsought on World Mission Sund!ly.support the work of the diocc;:.se of'Udon Thani and 1,000 other mis­sion dioceses that depend for basicdaily support on the Propagationof the Faith. A portion of ttiefunds gathered remains in the U.S.for the work of the home missions.

. ~ TURN eACK .IF

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. ~ MISSION SUNDAY'~ 0ir..:-.!=~~;==n-~-,-. --~

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Church around· world aided. by Mission'Sunday funds

FATHER KUTALA, greeting a blind woman on a roadin India, illustrates the daily service of priests, sisters and lay' .missionaries in dioceses around the world. In India a~one,

more than 100 dioceses are aiaed t~rough funds donated byUS Catholics to the Propagation'of the Fajth on World Mis­sion Sunday, bet. 20.

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The witness of bishop, priests,religious, laity and missionaries.makes a tremendous differenceamong the people of Udon Thani,Thailand, says Redemptorist Bish­op George Phimphisan..

To illustrate, he. tells of a Bud­dhist family in which tHe father, aprominent police official, waskilled'. The youngest child, a girl,attended the local Catholic school."When the sisters came to visit the'family,'· saio the bishop, "~he ranto them, telling them of her sor­row. Her mother said to the sis­ters, 'She did not do this withanyone else; that· is how much loveshe has for you,'''

"That is how we evangelize,"Bishop '·Phimphisan says, "by wit­nessing to people, showing them,through our actions of c.harity, theGospel, the new life Jesus offers,and 'his love. People who comeinto contact with me or the mis­sionaries or the sisters will ask,'Why do you do this for us?' We'tell them, 'Because ourf!iith teachesus to do this. You are children ofGod. Jesus loves you and we wantyou to know that,'''. . .

The love of Jesus has motivatedanother Udon Thani missionaryfor 30 years. Redemptorist FatherLarry Patin began .his ministryserving leprosy victims. These gays,with their' medical needs beingaddressed, he is involved in theday-to-day struggles of the poorfarmers of his parish on theMekongRiver on the Thailand-Laos border.AI OS is also a big challenge to

.him, as is meeting the needs of thehandicapped. A diocesan programis being developed in which vol un-:' .

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2 THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Oct. II, 199~.

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Daily ReadingsOct. 14: Gal 4:22-24,26­

27,31-5:1; Ps 113:1-7; lk11:29-32

Oct. 15: Gal 5:1-6; Ps119:41,43-45,47-48; lk 11:37­41

Oct. 16: Gal 5:18-25; Ps1:1-4,6; lk 11:42-46

Oct. 17: Eph 1:1-10; Ps98:1-6; lk 11:47-54

Oct. 18: 2Tm4:10-17b; Ps145:10-13,17-18; lk 10:1-9

Oct. 19: Eph 1:15-23; Ps8:2-7; lk 12:8-12

OCt. 20: Is 45:1,4-6; Ps96:1,3-5,7-10; 1Thes 1:1-5b

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THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall 'River - Fri., Oct. 11, 1996 3

+ :STEWARDSHIP DIRECTORDIOCESE OF PORTLAND

The Diocese of Portland is looking for a Stewardship Director.The Diocese serves 250,000 Catholics statewide and has 139 par-

•ishes, 55 missions and 19 schools..The director will be responsible for the overall Stewardshipand

Development <rfforts of the Diocese. These efforts include work­ing with pastors and parish leaders by implementing first time orrenewal stewardship programs and directing both the Annual Catho­lic Stewardship Appeal and Planned Giving.

The successful candidate must have a thorough conceptual un­derstanding of stewardship in a Catholic setting. The candidatemust also demonstrate leadership and superb organizational skills.

The Roman Catholic Diocese ofPortland offers a rewarding workenvironment as well as cOII).petitive compensation and benefits.

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Portland, ME 04104-7559ATTN: Stewardship Director

visual artist for a one-man show,"Ethnic Man," Which addresseshis own multi-ethnic, multi-racialand multi-cultural heritage.

The Council is also planning toform an .Interfaith Choir whoserepertoire would include ethnicmusic and folk songs frilm aroundthe world. The group would beavailable for in'terfaith functionsand community events through­out the.·area. Those interested in,participation as vocalists o.r pia~oaccompanists may contact Barbara,Shore, Council co-president, at

.(401) 624-7857. .,

'", , li~ ,,"41': ., .

1,',1 ~ •• ~~~ ~,\: ...,. .."

Bishop writes to sponsorsof senatorial debate

Fall River Bishop Sean P. O'Malley, OFM, Cap., haswritten to sponsors of an upcoming senatorial debate atStonehill College to express his disappointment that theonly candidate who is opposed to abortion has been ex­cluded from participation.

"I am extremely disappointed," the bishop wrote, "thatthe only candidate whose position on abortion coincideswith that of the Catholic community has been excludedfrom the debate."

Susan Gallagher, an independent running for U.S. Sen­ate, is opposed to abortion. Debate sponsors have de­cided to limit the debate series to the candidates of thetwo major parties.

In his letter the bishop asked th~ Boston-based debatesponsors (the Boston Ol~be, the Boston Herald, TV chan­nels WBZ, WCVB, WHDH and New EngHmd CableNews) to reconsider their decision and allowthe candi- ,date to participate. To have a fair debate, Bishop O'Malleystated, it is important to offer Massachusetts voters, a ­chance "to hear articulated a position on abortion that iscontrary to that of the Democratic and Republican candi­dates." In this way the bishop feels that the electorate canbecome better info.rmed ~f the issue and of a wider rangeof candidates' positions on it. .

Stonehill College in North Easton, the site of the Octo­ber 15 debate, is run by the Congregation of Holy Cross'Fathers and is located within the Fall River Diocese.

Bishop O'Malley commended the media for their spon­sorship of the debate and reminded them of their impor­tant role of ensuring that all issues receive thorough ex­amination and discussion. He added that exclusion fromthe debate of the only candidate opposed to abortion weak­ens the democratic process and can be perceived as a pro- 'abortion bias. I

Interfaith Council announces events

New teacher,domain name

at Coyle-Cassidy

October 171984, Rev. Gerald Lachance,

Missionary Father

. October 141918, Rev. Dennis M. Lowney,

Assistant, Sacred Heart, Taunton1972, Rev. Msgr. Edward B.

Booth, Pastor Emeritus, St. Mary,North Attleboro

. October 161987, Rev. Ra'ymond M. Drouin,

OP, Former Pastor, St. Anne, FaIlRiver

. At Taunton's Coyle and Cas­sidy High School Barbara Quillhas been named a member of theEnglish Department, teaching'English and journalism. She wasthe school's receptionist last year. .

Coyle and Cassidy has beenassigned a new domain name forits new site on the Internet's WorldWide Web. It can ~e found at:www.c~ylecassidy.com.

The Interfaith Council of Greater,-Fall River has announced its 20thannual dinner, to lake place at Ip.m. Oct. 20 at White's of West­port. Information on tickets isavaihible from Anne Pacheco, tel.673-9605. Entertainment will beoffered by Teja Arboleda, writer,producer, actor, comedian and

. ,

I

eNs/Callawa)' photo

the living word

Why a Hurricane' Kevin is un,likely

DAVE LENART SPRAYS RED PAINT ON SOME OF THE 4,000 WHITE CROSSESOUTSIDE ST. MARGARET MERCY H'EALTHCARE CENTER IN DYER, IND.

THE CROSSES MARK RESPECT LIFE MONTH AND THE NUMEROUSABORTIONS TAKING PLACE IN AMERICA. LENART SAID HE PAINTED

SOME RED TO REPRESENT PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTIONS.

"See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you,that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father

who is in heaven." Mt 28:10

~The Editor

themoorin~I

Keepers of the Pro~ise . , "Noone has suffered more at the hands of this past Congres$

than have legal immigrants to this country. Amid the man~,horrendous debates it was hard to discern if our elected off~i

"cials even kn~w the definition of"legal." The muddled terms Oftheir discussion made one think that immigration to Americl\is illegal. It really is ironic to think that this could happen' in ~Congress whose roots, save for those of any Native Americaqmember, are in the immigrant status of their own ancestors.!How quickly one forgets one's origins when political correct1ness is at stake. '

It is important to put the facts in right order. Undocu~ -­mented, i.e. illegal immigrants, constitute less than two percen~

of the total United States population and only about 9.~

percent ofthe U.S. population consists oflegal impligrants. In;fact, the foreign-born population of America is declining.U .S.\Census Bureau records show that only 2 percent of workinglage immigrants, ,excluding refugees, receive welfare, comparedjwith 3.9 percent working-age native-born Americans. Some,how Congress ignored the fact that legal immigrants pay over:$64 billion in taxes to support government services. ' . i

While we do of course control immigration to the UnitedlStates, it is imperative that we do not jeopardize legal immigra-,tion policies. The challenge of developing effective rules andregulations for control of megal immigration is great. As asovereign nation we have the right and obligation to controlour borders, but what we are losing in this process is ourlrespect for civil rights. . '. '\

, To safeguard the budget and reduce tax rates, we deny ba~ic

human s~rvices to.... newcomers to the nation. Such tactics arelnot far removed from bias and discrimination. Too many of!our present policies flow from fear rather than acceptance. ~

More and more we see judgments being made on the basis of a;person's appearance, slirn,!-me or accent. This is not only;wrong, it is un-American., . '1'

It would be well to call to min~ that im~igrants.to?ay, liKeimmigrants of the past, playa Vital role to Amenca s demo­cratic process. Recent research shows~at immigrants whobecome citizens are more likely to register and to vote thannativ~-born Americans. Those seeking election should keepthis in mind. .

We should also heed the words of the prophet Isaiah who'cried out "woe to those who enact unjust statutes and whowrite oppressive decrees, depriving the needy ofjudgment and,robbing my people's poor of their. rights." In our own time,'Rope John Paul II has written, "Justice will never fully be Iattained unless people see in the poor person, who is asking forIhelp in order to survive, not an annoyance or a burden but anopportunity for showing kindness arid a chance for greater,enrichment."

There was little kindness expressed in the halls of Congressduring this past legislative session when the subject of immi­

.gration ~ade its way to the front. And some of our statehousesare not far behind Congress in their lack of care for theimmigrant.' . '

As we try to. survive the last days before the presidential andcongressionil1.elections, may we hope that right and just immi­gration laws are enacted and that each of us may.str:ive formore empathy toward those who yearn to share,in the promiseAmerica holds out to the world family. Let us remember thewords of Emma' Lazarus engraved on the' pedestal of the'Statue of Liberty: "Send these, the homeless, temp~st-tost tome. I lift my lamp beside the go}den door!"

By Father Kevin J. Harrington· denses on the steel, touch the blade' storm starts moving westward fromThe last·two hurricane seasons and notice how quickly it heats. In Africa, this force deflects it ~.way

have produced close to a record your imagination multiply that from the equator and toward tJ:tenumber of -tropical storms. The blade by the thousands of square ·pole. The Coriolis force is strong-life cycle of a hurricane provides. miles of a'ir and water that make est at the poles and vanishes c:om-living witness to many striking fea: up a hurricane and you can see pletely at the equator. When thistures.of our planet, from its daily' .how enough energy is derived from drift carries the hurricane ollt" ofrotation to the state of its ocean.s. this. source to power the storm. the region of the trade winds, .As dreaded as hurricanes are, they The rotation of Earth is 'respon- which blow to the east, it is suhjectare a physicist's dream because sible for the curved path that char- to the westerly winds that domi-they illustrate so many interesting acterizes a hurricane. This is clearly nate the weather in the temperateprinciples of physics. They occur evident from the perspective of a latitudes. Northern hemispherein a!~ of Earth's oceans except the s~tellite viewing Earth from afar' storms move counterclockwise,South Atlantic. In the Orient they but is by no means evident from while southern hemisphere sto,rms'are called typhoons; in the Atlan- .' Earth itself. There is a simple move clockwise. When hurricanestic area, hurricanes; and.everywhere experiment set up in the Smithson- approach the equator, they simply·else, tropical.cyclones.. ian Institution in Washington that .run out of steam as if the wind!: are

They are characterized by a 'shows us that Earth is rotating on at a loss without help from thecorkscrewlike flow ofair and clouds its axis·without us ever leaving the ·Coriolis force.into a region of low pressure. Ask" . ground~ A set of little red blocks is Armed Forces meteorologistsing the right questions about hur- arranged. in a circle under a huge started the practice of assigl\i~gricanes yields many insights 'into pendulum swinging from a ceiling. girls' names .to hurricanes at ran-the nature of our world. Where Every 10 minutes or so a cheer dom after the Second World War,does a storm's energy come from? goes up from the spectators as the which is why the 1938 hurricane'

. Wtiy does the wind flow into the pendulum. knocks over another had no name. In 1953, girls' names

thecentral low-pressure area along red block. To an observer in space began to be assigned in alphabeti-curved paths instead of in straight of this Smithsonian phenomenon, cal order. A truly devastating storm

. ' lines? Why do storm tracks curve it would be obvious that this causes its name to be retired. In

OFFICIAL NEWSP'APER OF' THE DIOC.,ESE OF FAll RIVER up away from the equator instead apparent sideways niotioI) arises 1979 the politically correct customoffollowing the trade winds straight b . ofalternating boys' and girls' names

P bl ' h d kl b Th C th I' PIth O' I F II R' . h'? Wh "h . ecau.se Earth ,IS rotat.i.ng ~nder f h' . d' d Iu IS e wee y yea 0 Ie ress 0 e locese 0 a Iver' across.t e ocean. y can ta ur- . the pendulum'. or urncanes was .I~tro uc~. n. 887 Highland Avenue P.O. BOX ~ " ric,lin'e cross'th~' e,quator? Why can ,. . . . . ·theeven more polttlcallycorrect '

Fall River. MA 02720 Fall River. MA 02722-0007 there never be a Hurricane Zelda The Frenc~· ,mathematiCian . 90s culturally diverse names such

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• ' ' , ,amount of- eneJ:gy involved in a per~en(hcularly.t0 the ~Irecuon of, ' Thankfully, out ofmor.e than-af;;:' ~;<.-: '. ~:>~·;Send addreu ch&nges,toP.O:::80x'7:~r,·,eaJI;~'nl,U11~ri~bo.ve..: .'tiuiriciirie~y il:siinple expennlent ~'motlon'of.~he;obJe:ct·.~ng:watche~.' hundred weather- situations aniilu-~:;~':':. "::. '.::"', ;.~;', .. :~. "\: .•.::, ,,: .:: .7... , .' '. " , ,:'>,:;, ;~'.' .'i~,' .,,;;-' ''':, "":, 'in"youf'9wllki,tcheii: 'Hold-a' cold ' .~n~,he!,cec:a!1s<~s.I,~,.t~deV;l~te f[o~.,., ally·that might develop into Atbn­~ .,': ";'. :'.'. ".-,. ," "~'EDlTOR'" ... : ~ .,., -",:~' ·7>:-:"Q£N£RAL.ANAGER·:, ';:' ;kiiife'bl&de inihisteamtluit comes ,-.the t~peofmotlonlt.~ul!J,ha~elf; ; ticburriCanes•.orily 'between five/1 " ...;,', . ..Rev,";JQhn-F:'Moore' . '. .' "" ' ';'RosemaryDussault ,~ut;of:, a'.,k1:ule'on ·:yout"stov,e. .no ,SUCh force: were, p~nt.. ,~and ·1 S do so.-which mates ,it not;, '.<:~._,~_. __ ~,,~ :~.~.::: .: :.'., .",.i:_~_~.~~.'-~"""'" "', '::", :.:' ~". :>While"LYOu)watclt ·~the "beads"of ... '..This Corious effect'1:xplaius1he .. ··impoilsiblebut highlYllnlikelytl~at '(~~ ,... ~ • , . >,.. ,~., ,.... , ~, . ~ .. -- :'~'~'. ;~~:,~~ ': ~ ", ~'~~~;~~~~~,~~~~~~-;.\";:.~ti~.e.JiJ~~.Uir~~!i:at~~Whe~:a::;:':':::~WjU·li,ve.rosee1lJi.~~lf~~~~iPl;~

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It said the pope's personal phy­sician, Dr. Renato Buzzonetti, alsowas present for the operation.Another doctor from the Gemellihospital helped prepare a preven­tative treatment againSt cytomega­lovirus, a blood virus that affectedthe- pope in 198 I.

In his briefing, for reporters,Crucitti was also asked about thepope's nervous system disorder,which the Vatican has described asan "extrapyramidal" disturbance,a term that could include Parkin­son's diseasle.

Crucitti said that disorder was aseparate one being followed byother medic:al experts. He said itposed no problems for the pope'ssurgery or recovery, but did notelaborate.

The pope entered the hospitallate Oct. 6 and spent the next dayundergoing a series of routine pre­operation exams, al1 of whichreassured doctors that he wasready for surgery. It was his sixthoperation at the Gemelli hospital,which has llrranged a special suiteof rooms for the pope's exclusiveuse.

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Start of schOOl activities at St.Mary's, Nf:W Bedford, inCluded aWelcoming Committee receptionfor new families which followed aliturgy celebrated by Msgr. JohnJ. Oliveira. Fac~lty gathered for aday of prayer and fellowship mod­erated by F;ather Charles A. Jodoin,parochial vicar, and new teachersNicole Bedard (Grade 3) and Jef­frey Cormier (Grade 7) offered thegifts at the opening of schoolliturgy.

Parents were welcomed at anopening of school meeting at whichPrincipal Angela L: .Stankiewiczoutlined the schoolgoals and newactivit.ies·,for the year. "ParentAdvisory Committee representativeStephen Paiva" discussed· thatgroup's objectives and announc'edfundraising effort's fo~ the year.

Following the general meeting,teachers held class meetings intheir homeroom where classroomplans and policies were discussed.

Celebration ofstlident birthdayswill be highlighted this year with"Happy Birthday" announcements,ribbons, llnd "no uniform" passesmarking the day for the celebrants.

Students in Grades 3 to 6 andtheir teachers enjoyed a trip to theTraveling Smithsonian Exhibit atthe Providence Convention Cen­ter. Dorothy's ruby slippers werevoted the favorite exhibit.

The Walkathon Committee hasfinalized plans'forthe annu.al event Tickets or Donations Please Call:'.to be held Saturday, Oct. 19. Msgr. -Oliveira.willbe·setting the pace as Sister M. Lourdette Harrold ,school families and faculty ,put S·. M R A I M L II ntheir best feet forward beginning Ister . ose nge ace a .

·.at,9a,m. Alumni and friends are : . Sister Mary Nora Smith, f •. t.' (508) 992-3694invited to'join:.the.walk-oFto spon- I. -.. • d'sol' a walker.' For information, - 'In Ue'u ofPLlrchasing a Ticket, DONATIONS are AppreCiate .

~ p.ls:.~s~ ~~J~ w.eb·~itq?i.~i '??~:?§?~. ~1~_~__"-~••iI!IRamdate will, e Oct. .t6. -

St. Mary's, NB

"He was always serene," he said.Papal spokesman Joaquin Navar­

ro-Valis, speaking at a separatebriefing at the Vatican, said theoperation's success was expectedat the Vatican - and it left peoplerelieved. . .

"I think there's relief whenever asurgical operation confirms a pre­vious diagnosis. But the Vaticanhad every trust in what the doctorshad diagnosed. Thete was no sur:prise," he said.

The Vatican spokesman said t.hepope awoke at 3 a.m. the morningof surgery and spent some twohours alone in prayer in a privatechapel next to his hospital room.At 5 a.m., he concelebrated Masswith his personal secretary.

The pope began the ,pre-opera­tion routine at about 7 a.m., andsurgery was completed by 8:40a.m. The pope had awakened bythe time he reached his room andasked doctors how the surgerywent, Navarro-Valls said.

The doctors then handed thepope the medical report they hac!

. just drawn up for public release;the pope asked a nun standingnearby to read it.

According to the medical bul­letin, Cruciui was assisted by threeother surgeons, along with a car­diologist and three members of an .anesthesia team.

Two other doctors performedan immediate microscopic tissueexamination of the removed appen­dix which showed fibrosis causedby previous inflammations, it said.The bulletin said additionaJ rou­tine microscopic examinationswould also be carried out. .

Doctors remove pope's appendix,rule out serious disorders

ROME (CNS) _. Doctors suc­cessfully removed Pope John PaulII's inflamed appendix and ruledout any more serious intestinaldisorder for the 76-year-old pontiff.

The pope regained conscious­ness almost immediately after the50-minute surgery Oct. 8 and"greeted and thanked everyone"on the medical staff, said Dr.Francesco Crucitti, who performedthe operation at Rome's Gemellihospital.

Crucitti said all of the pope'svital signs were normal during andfollowing the surgery. He said thepope might get out of bed the nextday and could be dismissed fromthe hospital in a week or so.

"It might be eVI~n sooner. Butlet's not forget the pope is in his77th year," he said.

Crucitti said the operation c.on­firmed what he and other doctorshad diagnosed earlier this .year:that the pope was suffering fromrecurrent episodes of appendixinflammation, which producedsymptoms of fever and nausea.

"The regional examination al­lowed us to exclude, once again,the presence of other pathologies,"he said. He said he could "categor­ically" rule out.a tumor as a causeof the pope's recent flare-ups.

Crucitti expressed irritation withrecent Italian newspaper reportssuggesting that the pope had amore serious disease, such ascancer, which doctors were eitherconcealing or failing to diagnose.

"It's time to put an end to allthese fantasies we've read," he said."There is' no secret. I'm here to tellyou what the situation really is,and it's exactly as we described it"in previous medical statements.

Crucitti said a textbook appen­dectomy was performed on thepontiff. Doctors found exactly whatthey expected to find: that thepope's appendix had been inflamedand had developed scar tissue. Thedoctors also removed some "ad­herences" in the area, scar tissuethat sometimes.develops followingsurgery. The pope has been oper­ated 'upon twice in the intestinalarea, after a 1981 shooting and in1992'to remove a benign tumor.

The pope went through the opera­tion well, and .all his circulatory,respirat(>ry, blOCld and metabolicfunction's remaim:dwithin the normduring surgery, said Crucitti said.

Th'e pontiff had about 10 stitches.He was being treated with antibio­tics and was receiving the normaltherapy for appendectomy patients,.he said.

He'added that the pope's spiritswere'good before and after surgery.

'EDICTAL CITATIONDIOCESAN TRIBUNAL

FALL RIVER, M~SSACHUSmSSince the actual place of residence of

DANIEL P. O'CONNELL, JR. is unknown.

We cite DANIEL P. O'CONNELL, JR. toappear personally before the Tribunal of theDiocese of Fall River on Tuesday, October 22,1996 at 2:30 p.m. at 887 Highland Avenue,

'Fall River, Massachusetts, to give testimony toestablish:

.Whether the nullity of the marriageexists in the Siegfriedt· O'Connell case?

Ordinaries of the place· or other pastorshaving the knowledl~e of the residence of theabove person, Daniel P. O'Connell, Jr., mustsee to il.lhat he is properly advised in regardto this edictal citation.

• I Jay T. Maddp,ck.' , .Judicial.Yi~ar, l

Given at-the Tribunal, . I •

. Fall ~iV~IJJI1}.~S.~~~~setts. . ..on this, 4th day of October, 1996,- ..

TilE DO:\II:'\I(,":'; SISTEBS OF 1-!,\\\,TIIOBi\;E

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6 THE ANCHOR - Diocese of Fall River - Fri., Oct. II, 199,6 :B-ishop ._Q 'Malley's' homily. Continued from Page One the great-sttl,lggle between good offer~d to divide the child ill two.ence of the Ark of.Covenant, like and evil, between',light aQd dark-' One mother accepted this plan,

. the walls of Jericho came tumbling ness. The dragon wishes "to dey_~ur but the true mother prefer::ed todown as the trumpets blew and the the Child brought forth." That Child giye her child away rather than killArk of the Covenant was carried is also a symbol of every child, it. Adoption rather than abortion.

"I, around the walled city. Mary is the especially every helpless baby whose When we say "yes" to life, we areWeston Jesuit I new Ark of the Covenant - she is life is threatened. The Holy Father saying "yes" to God, as Mary did.

I", like a portable temple, a taberna- says that the rejection of a human O.nce I was talkin~ to a ~~nfir~.................................................................................................................................... c1e. The letter to the Hebrews tells life is really a rejection of Christ. matlOnclass. I mentIOned ary's

h 1 f h 1 'l us that the Ark of the Covenant Jl.'SUS states clearly: "Whoever '~fiat."One youngster immediatelySc 00 0 T eo og'y j' containedthreethings-thegolden 'receivesonesuchchildinmyname raised his hand and, with great,jar with manna, the staff of Aaron, receives me," and "truly, I say to exciterpent, asked if Mary drove

'j! the tablets of the law. Mary car- you, as, you did it to one of these 'an Italian car. I explained to him" ried the Word of God, carved not little 'ones, you did it to me." that "fiat" is the Latin word for

in stone, but pondered in her heart. • The Holy Father has described "let it be done," or in other words,~ She carried not the priestly staff, our modern society as a culture of the word for "yes." Christianityl but the .priesthood itself; not the death. There is something radi- begins when Mary says, "fiat,",I, manna from tne Qesert, but Christ, cally wrong in our world. says '>es" ~o God. T~d~Y'sGospel'j the bread of life. • There is something wrong when descnbes t at power u scem:.,

We are taught that' after receiv- the laws forbid painful procedures Our story, the story of Chris-ing communion, the Eucharistic in slaughterhouses where animals tianity, begins in the Year I, in

I presence of Christ remains with us are killed and then allow similarly Mary's house ~t Nazar~th. St.I for' a few minutes. These are painful procedures to be employed Augustine places the day as eight'I, moments of intimacy with the Lord. in the clinic. . days before the Kalends of April,! ,Mary's ·first Holy Communion • Thereissomethingwrongwhen in other words, March 25th. HeI lasted nine months. Christ's heart your teenage daughter needs your also places Good Friday on that

beat next to hers, her blood flowed ,written consent to have her ears same date, 33 years later. There isinto his veins. He heard her voice pie'rced: but an abortionist can certainly a connection betwee [l thewhen she spoke. Mary felt his perforin life-threatening procedures Annunciation (today's Gospel) andkicking inside her whenever Jesus upon her without yO,ur consent, the Crucifixion.

, moved., and e~en without your knowledge. At the Annunciation, Mary, aIn 1980, when I was still at the • There is something wrong when frightened maiden, says "ye!," to

Centro Catolico Hispano, we par- "choice" for the abortionists means. God in faith. Jesus becomes lleshticipated in an effort to register coercion of conscience for everyone in her womb. 33 years later, on thep'eople for the census. The local . else. Taxpayers have been com- same date, Mary is still sll:yinggovernment ~as very concerned pelled to pay for the killing of the "yes" to God's plan. 'Her "yes" onabout an undercount, especially in unborn. Hospitals founded to save Calvary is a' sirent scream in herthe Hispanic community. Much-to lives have been pressured to join pierced heart. She'says "yes" to themy surprise, we, were the agency. the killing, and those who refuse Cross, "yes" to the birth of thethat far surpassed every other are threatened with liability for, Church that is born of Christ'sagency, whether private or govern- damages. open side.. .like Eve, born of Adal!l'smental, in gathering names. Mayor • Something is wrong when the rib. She says ':yes" to Christ's offerBarry called to congratulate us quality of life, the right to privacy, to make her mother of his disciples.and ask the secret of our success. I emotional health and,almost every How much we can learn f!:Omsaid, "I know this is going to sound conceivable reason are alleged to Mary who says "yes" to life - withstrange, but I cannot take any justify sn.uffing out a huma'n life all its uncertainties, all its poten-credit for our success - we have -unborn, aged, abnormal, sick - tial. She s~ys "yes" to the Crosn, todone the same thing as all the but always an innocent and defen- the, painful death of an inno(:entagen.cies...the posters, flyers, an- seless 'human ,life. ' Christ on the hard wood of thenouncements, etc. The only thing In Nuremberg, Germany, at the Cross. It:! to.day's world, peQple arewe, did differently was quite by famous Nuremberg trials, one of struggling to say "yes" to life in thechance. We had a very pregnant the Nazi defendants said, when womb, and "yes" to the Cross, thelady in a maternity dress seated in faced with the undeniable holo- bed of pain of our elderly andthe lobby of our office inviting caust In which millions of Jews infirm. The history of civilizationeveryone who came in to fill out were murdered, "I never thought it depends on our response to life, tothe census form...and nobody could would come to this." The judge the Cross.say 'No' to her." The Mayor said said: "It was inevitable, bnce you In these two "fiats" of Mary, wethat he was going to send mater- killed the' first innocent, defense- too are born., Mary conceived us,nity dresses to all the agencies. I less person." Killing" gets easier that is, welcomed.us when she saidsaid, "Some of the gentlemen tak- and easier. Ask the proponents of "yes". to Jesus' incarnation, whening the' census are going to look partial-birth abortion, ask Dr. she consented to be the mother of

, pretty silly." Still, there is some- Kervorkiari. In America, we are Christ, "the first born among many, I thing about a pregnant woman beco!Jling desensitized. We are brethren." Mary sa~ Jesus' mis-i that still evokes tenderness, respect, moving from the slippery slope to sion grow and new followers corne,

Iwonderll}elJ.t. ' free-fall. acommunity formed. These newly-

, In this beau~ifulShrine, we have The violence in our streets, the arrived people were called broth-two images of Mary in a maternity pervasive drug culture, th~ harsh- ers, sisters, and mothers by Chn:st.dress-one is a photograph from' , ness.in dealing with the poor, 'the All of this began with Mary's

I heaven - Mary inthe Aztec mater- sick and the homeless are n'ot unre- "yes" to God at the An~unciation.!' nity dress of COlO,'nial Mexico.. ~~c- lated to the a,bortion statistics: in That was the beginning" the con-~ tually, the black belt she wears 'one year, more babies died by ception of the Church; but Mary,'I doe's neit i!ldicate :profi.ciency in a,bortion than all the me,n killed in beneath the Cross, is at the momt:nt

karate, but rather the fact thl't she American wars since 1776, the of travail, when the Church is bornI, is with child. A mosaic iil the time of George Washington. out of the side of Christ. I

: vaulted ceiling n~xt to the' high It is a spiritual problem. We' are Mary is still saying "yes" in·.t..eraltar on the ,west side of the church, not here to condemn or to "cast heart when Jesus entrusts us toalso depicts' Mary, in a, ma;ternity" the first stone," but to ask pardon her: "Woman, behold thy son."Idress, very obviously pregnant. It of Qod and of all those children Having witnessed the death of herI is ,~ary of the ,-:\pocalypse, the who never saw the light of day. We only son,Mary received a new and

jgreat portent of the woman is have to ask M1fry, our Mother, to more numerous family from God,act;ompanied !'yanother portent help us find the pathsthat will lead born not ,of the flesh, but of tile

, which appeared in/the sky, "a huge to repentance, reconciliation, and Spi,:if. As the psalm says: "Of Zion, red dragon" - also depicted in the a society committed to the protec- it shall be' said: 'this one and that,same mosaic. The dragon repre- tion of human life at every stage one, were born to her·... Beholdsents Satan, the personal power of, and in the face of every challenge. Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia

"evil, as well as all the powers of evil We ask Mary to intercedefor all -'This o'ne was born there.... Weat work'in history. and 'opposing those mothers and fathers who were all born there when Marytbe mission of Christ and His have aborted their children to said "yes" to God: We are all ht:rChurch. He walts' 'to devour 'the touch their hearts and :bring them children. With her help, :-ve to 0

FOR " PLEASE SEND ME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CONGREGATION Child, .' ,back to God's ways. ' shall say"~fia( - "yes" to life, "yen"MORE'" ,', ' . , , Iii his powerful encyclical; The We ,ask Mary to bless those to th,e Cross, ','yes" to love.

INFORMATION: NAME":' ',_'__'_' --'-'_______ Gospel ofLife (Evangelium Vitae)" mothers who have generously givenSr. !I'll/rie Edlloard ope Johl) Paul II remi,nds us that up their 'child in :adoption and to

• Dominical/ Sisters ADDRESS he forces of evil were first direCted bless those mothers' who, with love ' Turn to page 9 forthe textof HlI1l'tllOme gainst Mary, who had to flee with and determination, make other of the prayer with which

600 LiI/(/aAFeIllIC CITY STATE_._ ,lIP__ h' d h' Ch'ld' 'E' I' h'ld h '. ./'/all;tllOme. NY 10532 ,!sep .an tel IOtO gypt, peop e s'c 1 ren t elr own. " Bishop O'Malley concluded

'(9/-1) 769 -179-1 . est:.Herod kill' the Child. 'Mary When Solomon 'in his wisdom h' h 'I, - PHONE! ,! ---,-,_--------.A hus helps the Church to realize' was confronted by tw~ ,women: ,.Is, ,OI!.ll y.

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POPEJOHN PAUL IIin hi; message for

WORLD A1SSION SUNDAY,

Cctober 20,

nmindsus:

"The I-oly Spirit sends

every 'aptized person

to wociaim andbear uitness to Christ

tmIl nations.

TodJy Christ asks

each bptized person:

'Will yo£be my witness?'"

, .

ON WORLD MISSION 'UNDAY,

IN PRAYER AND GENEROU; SACRlFICE,

TAKE YOUR PART 11 THE

WORLDWIDE MISSION IF JESUS!

'. I

liIJiTheSocietyforTHE PROPAGAlION OF THE FAITHT .. .all ofus committed to the worldude mission ofJesus

Reverend Monsignor John J. Olreira, Y.E.106 nHnois Street. New BedfordMA 02745

"Attention: Column." No. 101 .NCR. 10/11196Encased is my gift for Wcrrld Mission S;nday:Ll ~100 0 $50 Ll $75 Ll $25 ·Ll no 0 Other $__NaJlle _

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HUNDREDS PACKED into the auditorium of Coyleand Cassidy High School, Taunton, for an Oct. 5 day ofprayer, reflection and workshops sponsored by the dioceseoffices of Adult Education and Divine Worship. (bottomphoto); at top, from left, Mark Bradford, director of LiturgicalMusic and professor of Pastoral Theology at St. CharlesSeminary, Philadelphia; Rev. Jon-Paul Gallant, director ofthe Offie,e of Divine Worship; Bishop Sean O'Malley, OFMCap., principal celebrant of the day's Mass; Lisa Gulino, direc­tor of the Office of Adult Education; and Msgr. John J.Oliveira, Diocesan Secretary of Education. (Anchorj Millsphotos)

ST. FRANCIS OF PEACEFRATERNITY

The group will meet Oct. 13 at 2p.m. at Holy Trinity Church, Har­wich. Mass celebrant will be FatherRemi Goudreau, OFM. A businessmeeting, discussion and refreshmentswill follow. Contact Mae Hall, tel.432-5772, for information.

EMMAUS .Emmaus is a cowed Catholic!

Christian weekend retreat for people

ULTREYAThe lower Cape Ultreya meets on

the second Friday of the month atOur Lady of the Cape Church inBrewster at 7:30 p.m. All are wel­come.

~ /1

"Father, hemisanotherbox01WontfMissionSlJIIdajcontJiIJtJIontlfMlkpesto S8fIdto the /'mptlgtIfionollieFaiIII.•

St. ANIHONl',EAST FALMOUTH

"A Time for Healing" wiJI be pre­sented by Rev. Edward J, Mc­Donough. Father McDonough willgive two teaching sessions on Spirit­ual Healings at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. inthe CCD building on Oct. 12. Thehealing service will be Oct. 13 at 7p.m.CATHEDRAL CAMP,E.FREETOWN

Cathedral Camp happenin~:Do­minican Academy Class of '71 re­union,O<:t. 12; St. James, New Bed­ford, Youth Group Day of I!-ecollec­tion, Oct. la; priestly day of renewal,Oct. 15; and Permanent Diaconateretreat, Oct. 18-20.LaSALETTE SHRINE,ATTLEBORO

All are invited each Wednesdayfor LaSalette and Divine Mercy De­votions at 7: 15 p.m.

Tony J. Ferry will be the guestperformex a~ this week's Co(feeHouse presehUitioft Ott. i2 at 6:30p.m.

A healing service, led by the mem­bers of the LaSalette Prayer GroupHealing Ministry, will be held Oct.13 at 2 p.m.

"Come Home, We Miss You," aseries for anyone who feels sepa­rated from the Church, will be heldOct. 13, 20and 27 at 7 p.m. No regis­tration is required and one need notcommit to all three sessions.

On Oct. 19, LaSalette will offer aDay of Recollection on Divine Mercyentitled "How to be an Apostle ofDivine Mercy like Blessed Faustina"from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with FatherGeorge Kosicki, CSB. He is thecountry's most popular speakerabout the Divine Mercy devotion.The day will include celebration ofEucharist, conferences and a HolyHout at 3 p.m. Registrations arerequested by Oct. 14. .

For information on any LaSaletteha"pening, please call 222-5410.

SAMARITANSYOU are needed to help operate a

24-hour crisis hotline. The Samari­tans are ordinary people who carefor the desperate, lonely and sui­cidal. Information: 548-8900.

HEALTHCARE WORKERSMASS·

On Oct. 15.8t 7 p.m., Bishop SeanO' Malley will celebrate Mass tohonor and affirm the contributionsof Catholic healthcare workers. Areception and social will follow atChrist the King parish in Mashpee.All arc wa~mly welcome.

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER,HYANNIS

The Spirit of Jesus CharismaticPrayer Group meets at St. FrancisXavier Church, South St. in Hyan­nis, every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in thechurch basement. Come and praisethe Lord.

fleering pOintf

- Cardinal Bernard Law,April 13, 1996

(] Mary,

bright dawn of the new world,Mother of the living,tt you do we entrust the cause wflife:lookdown, 0 Mother,upon the vast numbers0' babies not allowed to be borm,0' the poor whose lives are madle difficult,0' men and women",ho are victims of brutal violemce,0' the elderly and the sick kille<dby indifference or out of misguided mercy.(rant that all who believe in ymur Sonnay proclaim the Gospel oflife",ith honesty and lovett the people of our time.(]btain for them the graceb fl£cept thai GospelIII a gift ever new,tie joy of celebrating it with gnatitudetl.roughout their lives ...md the courage to bear wi/nelS' to itr.solutely, in order to build,bgether \Vith all people of good will,tIe Civilizhdon of truth and lov1e,tI the praise and glory of God,tie Creator and lover of life.

• Amen. Fiat. Yes.

Concluding prayer o/BishopO'Malley's Oct. 6 h([)mily

There is no doubt whatSoevertha: in the present cl:imate allother issues must take secondplaee to the overriding issueof tIe right to life. This is, inthe words ofthe u.s. bishops,

"thefundamentalhuman rights is­sue ofour day."

the l04th Congress. In the mean­time, a day of reparation forpartial-birth abortion has been setaside, Friday, the 18th of October.When you hear your church bellstoll. offer reparation for the actionsolpi>i1ticlan~,a&ivisi'arid 'physi­cians who promote and defendsuch inhumane acts and mourn forthe country that allows the killingof children during the process ofbeing born:'

Clearly the Senate vote was dis­appointing, but equally clear is thefact that the pro-life movementwill not go away, not until life inall stages is respected as the Lordrespects it.

MEMBERS OF the Diocese of Fall River gather behind the Pro-Life Apostolate bannerin Boston Common, preparing for the 3.I-mile walk. (Anchor/ Jolivet photo)

Boston, Bishop Sean O'Malley, have embraced the shameful. WeOFM, Cap., was uplifting the have defoliated the vineyard: Howcongregation at the Basilica of the can we bemoan daily news reports

_ National Shrine of the Immacu- ·of spouses stabbing spouses andlate Conception, nearly 500 miles children shooting parents andaway in W~Shingto.n. D.G., \.5- ._ p~re_nts .suffoc~ttng chiWren .. ~homilist for tb.e"anniild j\fIgriMl!'e" - llhifalJOw-parfial'birth aboitKin~~of the Washington archdiocese to he asked.

the Basilica. Hi~ messa~e too (see Later in his homily, he spoke ofpage one of thiS ~eek s Anchor) a day of reparation for partial-was str.on~ly pro-lIfe. birth abortion established by the

EarlIer 10 the day, on the TV . . .M WLNE Ch I 6 F _ Nallonal Conference of Cathohc

ass on . anne ,a Bishops-U.S. Catholic Conference.ther Fer?-andes dehyered a power- "There will be another vote toful homlly·condemmg the Senate ·d h h fit" h. . overn e t e same u ve 0, evote. "Much more than a lesson ID did.. I·· h h ecare.CIVICS or po Illes, we ave ere a

profound cultural statement. We "Our efforts will not end with

ST. PAUL'S parish. Taunton, had a young. enthusiastic representation at the Walk ForLife. (Anchor/ Jolivet photo) ,;i·,',

The Cardinal also asked that welove those who don't hold a pro­life position. He said the Walk forLife was a march of love, not ofhate, a march of unity, not div­ision. Speaking about the pro':lifemovement itself, he said, "I knowof no other movement that includeseveryone in its love and concern asdoes the pro-life movement, andI'm proud to be here with you."

Following his comments, thewalkers appeared upbeat and readyto roll. "We need to gather, 10support one another, especially atthis time, after the Senate vote,'"said Mrs. Desrosiers.

At about the same time that themarchers were on the streets of

CARDINAL BERNARD F, Law leads the Walk ForLife procession on Oct, 6. (Anchor/Jolive$ photo) .".J'''~'

Massachusetts for their overwhelm-'ing response to the postcard cam­paign against partial-birth abor­tions held earlier this year.

Despite Semite failure to over­ride the veto, the Cardinal said,"While they voted the wrong way[those who voted against the over­ride], 1 want to say that I am con­vinced that we got through tothem, and I am convinced thatpeople who voted the wrong wayknow they voted the wrong way-and if we get the message acrossas to what partial-birth abortionis, I have no doubt in my mindwhatsoever that _we are going toeffect that ban, and effect it quickly.We have to work together."

Boston walk had' a' therapeutic effect

FATHER STEPHEN A. Fernandes, director of the diocesan Pro-Life Apostolate, carriesa sleeping Brenna Riley during the 10th annual Walk For Life in Boston last week. Brenna is thedaughter of Ana and Kyle Riley ofSS. Peter & Paul parish, Fall River. (Anchor/ Jolivet photo)

Commentary

TEL. (617) 325-9901FAX (617) 325-9902

shioners, teachers and friends in asign of unity and support for alllife.

Prior to the walk, the partici­pants heard songs of praise andhgpe from a Black gospel group,the Bullock Brothers. Master ofceremonies was radio personalItyJeannine Oraf.

Cardinal Bernard F. Law--OLBoston, chairman of the U.S.bishops' Secretariat for Pro-LifeActivities, addressed the large~

crowd shortly before the walk. He <

told them, "We walk and we speakand we pray and we work onbehalf of life every human being,from the first moment of concep­tion, until the last moment of nat­ura) death." The cardinal spoke ofthe battles that have to be foughtagainst abortion, physician-assistedsuicide and euthanasia .. He addedthat we also have to "fight the bat­tle on behalf of poor children."

After the talks were talked camethe time to walk the walk. A line<>fthousands of pro-life supporters.led by the cardinal, peacefully andjoyfully journeyed 3.1 miles undera sun-splashed, autumn sky. Themood was upbeat and bright-as thestrains of young voiGes ,~hanting"R-E-S-P-E-<;,J:,·tiult's w"~t lifemeans to me," filled'the stoicalstreets and 'boulevards of old Bos­ton town. There were no confron­tations or voices raised in anger,just people walking out of love forlife.

LIFE!"• DEFEND

"AMERICA• •

His Holiness, Pope John Paul IIDenver, ColoradoAugust 12, 1993

CATHOLIC ACTIONLEAGUE

OF MASSACMUSEnS

85 BROWN AVENUEBOSTON, MASSACHUSEm 02131

By Dave JolivetAnchor staff

When the U.S. Senate failed tooverride President Clinton's vetoof a partial-birth abortion ban,many pro-life advocates felt thepain of that defeat deep within theheart. Many peop~1 spoke withafter the vote felt a deep sense ofloss, even though each person knewan override was unlikely. "-I knewthe override wouldn't happen, butwhen the news came in of the fail­ure to obtain the necessary two­thirds majority, 1 felt very sad­dened. 1 had to go to Mass thatday for some consoiation," saidMarian Desrosiers, assistant direc-tor of the Pro-Life Office in thediocese. Father Stephen A. Fer­nandes, director of the a"postolate,said he too knew what the out­come would be, but felt very dis­appointed when the final tally wasannounced.

The annual Walk For Life inBoston, sponsored by Massachu­setts Citizens For Life (MCFL),has taken place nine times pre­viously, but the timing of thisyear's event was a blessing. OnOct. 6, Respect Life Sunday through­out the country, at least 10,000pro-life people gathered on theBoston Common to begin a walkfor life, for mothers and children;but fresh in the minds of manythere was the Senate's failure tooverride the veto.

As participants gathered at theBoston Common prior to the walk,the mood appeared somewhat sub­dued. It was Cardinal Bernard F.Law's comments shortly beforethe walk began that buoyed thecrowd and put things in perspec­tive. Saying that the fight againstpartial-birth abortions is not over,

...........................~~,ge compli~ented the residents of

Diocese well represented at 10thannual Walk For Life in Boston

By Dave JolivetAnchor ~taff

Among the estimated 10,000people who took pait in the 10thannual Walk For Life in Bostonlast Sunday, was a large groupfrom the Diocese of Fall River.The walk, sponsored by Massa­chusetts Citizens For Life(MCFL)annually raises needed hinds for avariety" ~f Pro-Life services andprograms, including the Pro-LifeApostolate of the Diocese of FalJRiver.

Father Stephen A. Fernandes,diocesan director of the Pro-LifeApostolate, was pleased by thesupport shown by_ members of thediocese. "I was very encouraged bythe number of people from ourdiocese here today,'" he said.

Father Fernandes' assistant,Marian Desrosiers, echoed his state­ments. "It was very nice to see anincrease in the number of youthsand youth groups attending fromou'r diocese," she said. "They shouldhe applauded for being here andgiving us such hope."

Students and youth group mem­bers from Bishop Stang HighSchool, No. Dartmouth; St. Paul's,Tadnton; Our Lady.of Mt. Car­mel; New Bedford; Santo Christo.Fall River; and Corpus Christi,East Sandwich, walked to aidmothers and children. The youths,many of whom carried pro-lifesigns and banners, walked side byside with adult and younger pari-

Carmelitei nuns receive pro-lifeaward named for Cardinal Cooke

l'. " ~ • ~ ;.., .~ ~ .. Jo.- ....

FranciscaJD Father Benedict J.Groeschel, dliocesan postulator forthe cause ofCa~dina.lCoole. notedthat when tlue cardinal's cause gotunder way nhe Carmelite Sistershad taken 'the unusual step ofreleasing one of their members, Sis~ter M. Aloyrsius. to serve as ~oor~

dinator of the Cardinal CookeGuild.

The priest reported thai the guildhad five re~ports of miraculouscures aftribwted to the intercessionof Cardinal Cooke,

.... .'~ ..... ~ '. $.,;" ., .. .J.• ~., •..nursing hornes in 10states, includ­ing the Catholic Memorial Homein F:all Ri:ver. aJU!.o~ in fteland.

Cardinal O'Connor praised mem­bers of the order for rejecting thephilosophy of'·death with dignity"and· dedicating themselves to "lifewith dignit~."

Accepting the award, MotherMary Suzanne said Mother Ange­line and Cardi"nal Cooke. whodied of cancer in 1983, were"kindred spirits" as "true cham­pions for life in all its stages,"

An agonizing de1cision

Cardinal JohnJ. O·Connor. whosucceededCardinal Cooke as arch­bishop of New York. made thepresentation at the annual luncheonof the Cadinal Cooke Guild Sept.24. The bncheon drew a recordattendance: of more than 700 peo-

NEW YORK (CNS) - TheCarmelite Sisr.ersfor the Aged andInfirm have received the 1996 Car~

dinal Cooke Right to Life Award,given by the guild that supportsthe cause of the late Cardinal Ter­ence Cooke for canonization.

1"'"l."!!I~l\,"'·~{l·'tr~",:-=':;"'~··','.~'4:·Ir~';·<···....,~ ..._•.•" ',' •. '~'.',"" .,."..... T_" '."". ~ .". '" ~". - .• ~&' ".A...'«. u.». I-Y"-"'~,'~ ....-_ ..'<'li.:..... ~'_'-" ...~ ,,"'~-,''''''', .. ! ."<,. . <&.?-'!>_,;~J'.Jt..)))~1i:>-,l,'f.,_~./) Y~;'f,;J';l'J_/t.'_'~

10 THE AN<::HOR-Dioc~seof rail RIver-Fri., Oct.·lI, I~ pie, mc!uding 75 drmelitesisters.. .'. Hegavelhe newly elected mother

.gellera Iof the onkt",,~OtherMarySuzanne, a framed citation recog­nizing the sisters for "their dedica­tion to the value, beauty and dig­nity of life. especially when touchedby infirmity' and old age.""

The Carmelite Sisters for theAged and Infirm was found~iinNew York by Mother AngelineTerese. McCrory. Its motherhouseis in Germantown, in the Dioceseof Albany, NY. It operates 24

An Emergency Pregnancy $enice

UPHOLDS THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

Pro-life athletes to appear in ar.eaThe Pr...LifeApo~tolate for thc 2. Jwilli pve myselfo~ to tit..

.Diocese of FaIl River is 'sponsOr- speeIaI penoR thatl~... mying appeorances of Life AthIetes, partner lOll' Bl.. .Inc. at Bi,hop Stang High School, 3. • wiIII _peel _....cJIy";.ef.. dti,.No. Dartll1outh, and Bishop Con-. ~

nolly H;,b Scbool, Fall River, ~~pedl.u, tile ......... tile. Oct. It\. Scheduled to appear at .- .,,-

thc schools "'" Chris Godfrey and '~. 1 will _.qW-.... cT'1 e ell-

Mark Bavaro, both members of .........Ilelll 1fall, J wlIIllT......tbe SuPer Bowl.XXI cluimpion .. . .New Yorl Giants. G<MIfre)v is .....i4ent of the Life

.Life Atbletes, Inc. is a fellow- Atbletcs, 1Inc;. anda memberoftheship of p,ofeasiollliI and Olympic Indiatlli·BIa,•.Prior to gr•.tinga~esdedicated to riJSterinc-vir- frOmtheUJni~ ....Notrel>a1Itetue, abstioen~and respectfor1ilc, Law Sc:boool, be PlaYed nine yean

. The athletes accomplish tbil!Jli&- ofprofeuiicHalfootll8U. He resides. ot~4 thr.ulb ..puhlic lljgeakiil$, • in~~IJ~";~tb Iais:wife

spOrlscampJ';andyoUth raIIies.'; oomlUlllt..r~~Life AtblCtca was founded as an ·Ba~ ""'~·'1lt~'WO.;<liants'

.' . in~,!",,~ athlete-d~rected or- .. champiQiiililP_~~ltowb. ga~ m 1m. XXJ Ud~.Inl~a!!!l1"1,.: Futuro ph.1lS for the fellowship be ,!,as,,1II0~'''An-

include expanding membersbipbe- •NFL· I!Y" ,be "!'iiR ,,lItrvicei andyond the professional imdQIY..... major tielloao~",pic rank! to incImIe~'tllose W!U- WbeIIiar in~ Iimea:;or bad.ins to "live' where we nve," by the ccme:rof """"0'. life ba&making 1he Life AihleieCommit- always_it hulaith"and his lam­ment: ily:Todayrhe re.ides-in the Boston

I. I wiD try to do ..... Is rIpt, area with hi. wife and three chil-n ........0 it is diftleuIt. drcn.

226-2220

771·1102675·1561

457-G680·996-6744

822·2921693-4137

. ,

GOo By Amy Welborn daughter, ymur sister, your grand-t.lJ ]had made a routine stop at the child. Or it Imight be you.local Right to Life office where I What cam be done when life

()" _ was a volunteer. The director appears andl we don't'i:xpect it. we...." greeted meand gestured toward a didn't meam to create it and we~ closed door. A college student had caq't imagime the changes it willL.-A been referred to the office -by a bring?~ local church. She was pregnant What cam you say to the youngtlrr---t-----------1I--;ll~OD-al>ortim'-"'asJlCb&ilu!ll~edfor .}Yom.l!n in yzo!!r life who is as~ing~ the next afternoon. This happened those questiions?--

a few years ago. Often.- wlhen a girl is in an unex-r-t The church counselors had sent pected preg\nancy. she spends a lother to thi5 office after failirrg to of time wislhing. Wishing that shediscourage her from canceling the weren't prcegnant. Wishing thatappointment. Now her parents were she'd never met the guy in the firstwith her inside the offic~, offering place..their support to her and her child. Wishing.. most of alI, that it

How does it look? I asked. The would all jjust go away and lifedirector shook her head. would retulrn to the way it was a ..

As liefl. sadness overwhelmed week or momth ago before she wasme. Here was a desperate young pregnant. .

, woman with a tiny life suspended T~e hardl bu.t necessary truth ISwithin her. That Hfe would be that l~ nev.e~r wIll. No matter whatextinguished tomorrow. Several she .decide:s to do, ~he will bepeople knew exactly wh.ere arid changed byy her expenence. Therewhen it would happen, and we is no goj~g; b~ck. .were doing everything we could ~bort)Qrn IS such a tempt~ng

humanly <10 to save that baby and 0p!lon b~ciause-. they teU:us~~~ aits mother from a tragic choice. qUick procredure that transforms abut ultimately we were helpless. potentially'lifeiong proble.p1 into a

Th h' I f d b tiny bump on life's highway thatere was not mg e t to 0 ut can rapidlyt be put behind you.

pray. . ' - ;Byt-a"'~rrt~mv; iA fact, is-dettTuc-W~en .IOU. ~or~ With wo.men tive and vitolent, and like all vio­

~nd gIrlS In ensls pregt:.tancy sltua- lent acts iUs fruits are guilt, grieftlOns, yrouseeha lot of~OY. ]~ eb~a- and pain. 'B"ry associating positivenates· r~Pl t e new orn a les words witlh the act of abortion:brought lito the office by proud ••' fl.. .. ...h· es fl"'l e·". . t' th JOY, pea«;e, apptn s, ov.moms. W.10 JUs a le'Y mOD s It can't be. !done:

~~~;;ar~t~;::e s~~.::.~~:~e:o:!:~ in::~::~1~~~~\~~::e~~~~~:~:e a or l(]":. love and wncompromisiDg moral

But grief comes with the terri- clarity. Wfe need to remind themtory as well, sadness and tragedy that this is an 3<:t that can never beand closed doors and hearts once undone.beating that are silenced for ever. Giving Hife may be difficult. but

There might be someone in your it is a posiitive act that ultimatelylife right t~is moment whois in tl}.e brings joy..same sit~tion as the girl at th~ The deeiision is one Yf,lu·re goingpro-life office. It might be your to live witth the rest of your life.

PATRONESS\

'IRTH RIGHT·AttleboroCape CodFall River

Falmouth

New lIedford, ''-.' "-

T~nton

Martha's Vineyard

of theFALL RIVER

DIOCE&AN COUNCIL(!)tl:ATHOLIC~~EN

"It is the right ofevery pregnant woman to give birth• •. •and. the Tight of etleTy child to, be born."

Free COfIfidelftia' Preglla8Cl Testill'- Frie,,"" - e-s,ethtgMATERNITY CLOTHES AND BABY CLOTHES

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groups and repeated in the publicsquare as fact. I pledge. on behalfof our Committee for Pro-LifeActivities. to intensify our educa­tional efforts until there is no oneleft in this nation who does notknow what a partial-birth abor­tion is and why it ought never to beallowed in any humane society. "

makes a mockery of our nation shuman rights tradition ofprotect­ing those who cannot protectthemselves.

"Where any support for thisprocedure exists. it is generally theresult of ignorance, fed by therelentless stream of misinforma­tion issued by abortion advocacy

HOSPITALAND

NURSINGHOME

CHAPLAINS

&PASTORAL

CARE OFTHE SICKPROGRAM

Pas'toral care ofthe sick brings Christ's life to people whoare hospital~ed, living in nursing homes or.homebound. •Sa"Ving men and women in the fullowing hospital and nursing home~Snardy Memorial Hospital, Attleboro Tobey Hospital, WarehamCape'Cod Hospital, Hyannis Rehabilitation Hospital ofthe CapeOwlton Memorial HospiciJ., and Islands, Sandwich.

Fall River Catholic Memorial Home, Feill. RiverMorton I1.ospital, TaWlton Madonna Manor, North AttleboroSt. LIke's Hospital, New Bedfurd Marian Manor, TauntonSt. Anne's Hospital, Fall River Our lady's Haven, Fairhaven

Diocesan Department ofPastoral Care to the SickRev. George Bellenoit, Director Sr. ShirleyAgnew, RS.M., Assistant Director

330 Pratt St., Mansfield, MA 02048 508-339-2981 Fax 508-339-0612

CORPUS CHRISTI, East Sandwich, parishioners wait to walk in Boston. (Anchor/ Jo­livet photo)

made absolutely clear by the med­ical community that it is nevernecessary to perform this proce­dure to protect a woman s healthor her fertility. .

"The Senates action flies in theface of medical evidence. publicsentiment. common sense andhuman decency. Furthermore. it

The Senate effort, however, cameup eight votes shy of. the two­thirds majority, with 98 membersvoting. The Senate had approvedthe measure last December by a54-44 margin. '

Cardinal Law said the Senate'saction "flies in the face of medicalevidence, public sentiment, com­mon sense and human decency.Furthermore, it ma.kes a mockeryof our nation's human rights tradi­tion of protecting those who can­not protect themselves."

The legislation vetoed by Clin­ton in April would have banned aprocedure used in late-term abor­tions in which the unborn child ispartially delivered before surgicalscissors are stabb.ed into the baseof the infant's head. The child'sbrain is tht:n removed by suction,allowing for easier delivery of therest of the body.

"Where any support for this'proced ure exists, it is generally theresult of ignorance, fed by therelenttess stream of misinforma­tion issued by abortion advocacygroups and repeated in 'the publicsquare as fact," Cardinal Law said.

He said the pro-life committeewould work to ed ucate' the Ameri­can public "until there is no oneleft in this nation who does notknow what a partial-birth abortionis and why it ought never to beallowed in any humane society."

Senate Majority Leader TrentLott of Mississippi predicted thatthe veto override vote "will imme­diately become one of the power­ful issues of the fall election."

Here is the text of CardinalLaw's statement after the Senatevote:

"/ am saddened and disturbed.as all the Catholic bishops in theUnited States are, by the Senate '.I'

refusal to override President Clin­ton '.I' veto of the Partial-BirthAbortion Ban Act. At the sametime. / am heartened that 57 sena­tors, a majority, voted to overturnthe veto and stop this inhumaneprocedwe. Pro-life people through­out the country have our heartfeltgratitude for their untiring effortsto put an end to partial-birth abor­tions. despite the terrible odds andthe curtain of silence maintainedby many media outlets.

..From the beginning ofthe pub­.lie debate. the sheer inhumanity ofpartial-birth abortions was appar­ent to all who would see. Duringthe course of the debate, it was

Cardinal vows to educateabout partial-birth abortions

WASHINGTON (CNS) - Thehead of the U.S. bishops' Commit­tee on Pro-Life Activities pledgedto "intensify our educationalefforts" about partial-birth abor­tions Sept. 26 after the U.S. Senatefailed to override Presidept Clih­ton's veto of legislation banningthe procedure.

Cardinal Bernard F. Law ofBoston, who chairs the committee,said in a statement that he was"saddened and disturbed" at the57-41 Senate vote, which was shortof the two-thirds majority neededfor an override. But he said he alsowas "heartened that 57 senators, amajority, voted to overturn theveto and stop this inhumane proce­dure."

The House of Representativeshad voted a week earlier to over­ride the veto, 285-137.

In an unprecedented campaignto override the Clinton veto, eightU.S. cardinals and hundreds ofothers had joined Sept. 12 in aninterfaith prayer rally on the stepsoft·he U.S. Capitol. Tens of thou­sands of Catholics also had partic­ipated in a postcard campaign toCongress urging the veto overrid~.

"Pro-life pt;ople throughout thecountry have our heartfelt grati­tude for their untiring efforts toput an end to partial-birth abor­tions, despite the terrible odds andthe curtain of silence maintainedby many med.ia outlets," CardinalLaw said.

.. DIOCESAN.PRO-LIFE advocates take to the streets ofBoston last week. (Anchor/ J olivet photo)

.J.':~',~~.i...;.; {;'...? i'.,~~,~:r': \.....J'f ..:

ty(te famiCy is t(re first(uwen wfrere t(wsew(w are aepem{ent­

6y '6ein!J too young or too o[d:too aisa6fea or too siclijo carefor tfremserves-filuf t(reir efosestanasurest support. ... J1.t t(re

(reart of t(tis sanctuary ,:~ fMefity-umvaveri,'IJ roya{ty 60tfi tot(wse we cfwose ana to tliose

. who (t.ave 6eengiven to /IS. 'lfretWraVea,'IJ of thatfMeaty inour time feaves aepenaents to6ecome {awful vic/:ims of tlieir .gum·aians.

-u.s. Catholic Bishops.Faithful for Lift: A Moral Rifltttioll

'.'

p

Anencephalic child deserves care,' baptism'

THE SANTO Christo, Fall River,. youth group poses on Boston Common, prior to theWalk For Life Oct. 6. (Anchor/ Jolivet photo)

-Cardinal Bernard ::"aw,

January 22, 1996

To b~ CP.J:IwIk· uto .

b~ ~Kdi:tib~1y

fYo,lifr.. To f~YtaiJOYtU;I'V) tb a,.dvol':AUt/te; Yijht to cJwOf,~ alt/aiJOYtU;1'V (:.ttI1/ in, 1(,0

wt1.f b~ cOfuiderea',~

eatlUJtiv optibl'V.

....... " " I I ~ J J .' .' . ':.'.' ,) ~.- .:',. • " .• ' ... ••• ~-.'

score' the value of ~il life' in the need 'to use "extraord'inary meanspresent climate." to prolong" life. '

Last year the Council on Ethical "It is most commendable forand Judicial Affairs of the Ameri- parents to wish to don2.te the organscan Medical Association, follow- of an anencephalic child forltrans-ing sharp criticisms, suspended its plants that may assist other child-controversial 1994 policy decision ren, but this may neve:r be permit-that would permit transplant of ted before the donor child isorgans of anencephalic newborns certainly dead," it said."even before the neonates die, as "The profound and personallong as there is parental consent s,uffering of the parents of anand certain other safeguards are anencephalic child gives us causefollowed." It reinstated a 1988 pol- for concern and calls for compas-icy which said removing such sionate pastoral and mt:dical care,"organs was ethically acceptable toe statement said.only after the donor infant died. "The mother who carries to term

The statement from the Com- a child who will soon G,ie deservesmittee on Doctrine defended the our every possible support," itright to life of the anencephalic added.child, before and after birth. "The baptism of the child assures

It rejected "the opinion that the parents of the child's eternalbecause of their apparent lack of happiness, and the provision ofcognitive function, and in view of Christian burial of thl: deceasedthe probable brevity of their lives, infant gives witness to the church'sthese infants are not the subject of, unconditional respect for hu'manhuman rights, or at least have lives life and the recognition that in theof less meaning or purpose than face of every human being is anothers." encounter with God," it said.

"Doubts about tht; human dig-nity of the anencephalic infant ...have no.' solid ground, and thebenefit of any doubt must be in thechild's favor," the statement said."As a general rule, conditions ofthe human body, regardless ofseverity, in no way compromisehuman dignity or human rights."

Against doctors who counselabortion or inducing prematurebirth, the committee said the child'sprobable shortness of life afterb'irth "cannot excuse directly caus­ing death before 'viability' orgravely endangering the child's lifeafter 'viability' as a result of thecomplications of prematurity."

While steps cannot be taken tokill the child or hasten death, thestatement said, there is also no

The two-page statement wastitled "Moral Principles Concern­ing Infants With Anencephaly.", It was sent to all U.S. bishops

Sept. 20, following approval of its'distribution by the AdministrativeCommittee of the National Con­ference of Catholic Bishops.

In a cover memorandum Arch­bishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk ofCin­cinnati, chairman of the Commit­tee on Doctrine, said the committeedeveloped the statement "to under-

the donor child is certainly'dead."It called for Christian burial as a

witness of the church's respect forall human life. .

"Most infants who have anen­'cephaly do not survive for morethan a few days after birth," it said.

It described anencephaly as "acongenital anomaly characterizedby failure of development of thecerebral hemispheres and overly­ing skull and scalp, exposing thebrain-stem." . .

WASHINGTON (CNS)When an anencephalic child isborn, it should receive baptismand "the comfort and palliativecare appropriate to all the dying,"said a statement of the U.S.Catholic bishops' Committee onDoctrine.

The statement said abortionbecause of an~ncephaly is notmorally' acceptable, nor ca.n theorgans of an anencephalic infantbe taken for transpla!1ts "before

"

..II

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MINISTRY TO THE WIDOWED PREPARATION FORMARRIAGE

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,Rev. Horace J. TravassosDirector

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OUR LADY of Mt. Carmel, New Bedford, made its message known in Boston lastSunday. (Anchor/Jolivet photo) . .

~he quality of life: who's to judge?

recent rulings on assisted suicidein two federal courts. In March tht:Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals inSan Francisco ruled that seriouslyill patients have a constitutional"right" to receive lethal drugs sothey can commit suicide. In April,the Second Circuit Court of Ap­peals in New York ruled that lawsagainst assisted suicide for suchpatients "are not rationally relatedto any legitimate state interest."

Throwbacks to eugenics, dismis­sive views of people with disabili­ties, even Nazi ideas '- are allbeing presented as the "cuttingedge" of ll;gal and ethical thought.

Some Americans have com­plained that Pope John Paul n hasa pessimistic view of the modernworld, speaking as he does inEvangelium Vitae (EV) of a grow­ing "culture of death" that threat­ens the weakest and most vulnera­ble members of the human family.But with the evidence recountedabove, can anyone doubt that theculture of death is real and grow­ing?

The Holy Father sets out a pow­erful intellectual case on the needto respect all human life, regard­less of its age or condition. Hepoints out that life is our first andgreatest gift from God, on whichevery other right and gift depend.If we fail to respect and protectthis gift for everyone, we will de­scendinto a bottomless abyss ofdiscrimination, in which the strongmake self-serving decisions aboutwhether the weak deserve to live.Ethicist Singer and his ally RonaldGreen, who adviser. the NIH onthe human embryo experiments,speak of a "Copernican revolu-

Turn to Page 15

human condition by eliminatingcertain hum·ans. In 1993, in a caseinvolving "suicide doctor" JackKevorkian, Michigan Judge Rich­ard Kaufman asked whether aconstitutional right to assisted sui­cide could be found. He finallyturned up Buck v. Bell. a long­discredited U.S. Supreme Courtruling influenced by the Americaneugenics movement of the 1920s.Buck v. Bell upheld the involun­tary sterilization of women consid­ered "feeble-minded...· When theNazis established their own eugen­ics laws in 1937, they quoted Jus­tice Oliver Wendell Holmes' ma­jority opinion in Buck v. Bell. 'Holm'es authorized the steriliza-tion of Carrie Buck with the state­ment: "Three generations of imbe­ciles are enough."

Some professors of ethics haveasked whether humanity can bedivided into two groups: the valu­able and the valueless. In his newbook Rethinking Life and Death:The Collapse of Our TraditionalEthics, Australian ethicist PeterSinger proposed letting newborninfants with Down syndrome starveto death. "If we compare a severelydefective human infant wi~h a non­human animal, a dog or a pig, forexample, we will often find the'nonhuman to have superior capac­ities, both actual and potential, forrationality, self-consciuusness,communication, and anything elsethat can plausibly be consideredmorally significant," he wrote. Hisbook replaces the old "incoherent"Judeo-Christian sanctity of lifeethic with a new set of "command­ments," one of which is "All hu­man life is not of equal worth."

The culmination of these "qual­ity of life" ideas can be found in

THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Oct. II, 1996 13

birth of handicapped offspring.One of them, an expert" in cysticfibrosis, was surprised to .learnthat families with a child wh'o hasthis illness were not thrilled tolearn about the new procedure.One parent told. her that using thetechnique to eliminate 'future off­spring with cystic fibrosis wouldbe "like saying l wish that littleJohnny didn't exist, and I don'twish that."

Some judges try to improve the

. One experiment of interest wasa testing technique known as pre­implantation genetic (Iiagnosis. Acouple at risk· of hav,ing a childwith cystic fibrosis or other geneticdefect could have their sperm andegg combined to produce an em­bryo in the laboratory -so theembryo could be tested before im­plantation in the womb and dis­carded iffound "defective."

The NIH advisers saw this as abreakthrough in preventing' the

ti .What.a U

beautll"u/ I:CHOICE

.1 ), ," -~ tH ... , ••" ./ 'II ".111" \., .

.. '1 'II. ~ '11"

By Richard M. DOl:rflinger

No ethical questions are moretimely or controversial than those.involving human .Iife. So'metimesthey bring surprising answers. In,December, 1994 the director of theNational Institutes of Health metwith his advisers to decide theanswer to one such question:should federal funds be used forexperiments on live human em­bryos?

CHURCH OF THE HOIX NAMEFALL RIVER

-dlbo 'aullI,fulll/ill rJtI',.RD. 28

We are. facing an emir·10US and dramatic clash .~etween goad and eVil, deathlad life, the "I:unurl' ofdeath" and the "cultore oflife." Ie find ourselves. nat.·only "faced with" but neces·sarily "in the midst of" this'conllict: we are all involvedand we all share in it,withth. inescapable responsibility ofchoosing to be unconditionallypro-lile.

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.THE:PARISH COMMUNITYAND

:·..·~'VERY.REY:' FRANC.IS.L>MAHO~' PastOr• ~ .... . • I r

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MANY YOUNG people from throughout the diocese. walked for all life in Boston last week. Fr'om top, the younggroup at Santo Christo parish, Fall River; studen,ts fromBishop Stang High School, No. Dartmouth; and the youthcommunity from Our Lady .of Mt. Carmel, New Bedford.(Ancho~/Jolivet photos) . . .

-Sr. Theresa Bergero~, SCQPresident

We Respect.... -·Life~. -'. _. __.

by 'Caring for.,the Young,

..

and the 'Old

Fall River Diocesan Councilof

Catholic Nurses

Rev. Mark HessionModerator

~.I .;;. ;. (y" '.;.)C":;.:,.'~",,";'!".'~~l-~". '.·'I'~":f(',}:'(.':\·'t;:~',~',·vrrt:~I!:~';""f""":<:-:f-a;: :t'~..•~ '-t"'--:- ~··':.'f.'t,1' ~.'T": ~~-~ '; ~~r"(~('"l'7'O'~~e't'-t-'c,'~~:'--:"("e'/", ~i ·I.~~i 'l'{ ! 'f '~' t.X.(,I"..<:(~' .~<-'.,t:(~l~(./·_/:l?..:~·.l:( l. /.:.':.~!:~.,~l:·l:t;t.~.t<:,,\~·..t. ..,/ ,~ ...... ' ~ .' "'/,,16." .r-,/'.$(ll,~~~f'~~t '~}I.t ,"O,:t}:;: .",~~

yOU. ,f:le thinks only about 'Yhat h~:.:, selfish as:Chuck, ,reveryone could his law in our h~~!.S, so' we can _wants and. doesn't' seem-to care~' ·de'cide·what's right and wrong know what to Qo··by examiningwhat is right and wrong. He doesn't . depepding on what they felt like our conscience. The Ten Command-listen to ~hat God teaches or fol-' doing. Imagine if the laws to pro- ments, the Gospels, the teachingslow your parents; rules, either. - tect'people were changed so that it of our Church all help to form our

mom that you did it. He'd make' Chuck thinks it's okay for him to was okay to kill some people, like conscience properly so we won'"fun of you in front of your friends decide what's right and wrong just babies who are almost born, or be confused by selfish arguments.at the' bus stop, and threaten to because he's bigger and stronger" elderly people who are tired and How can kids help build a worldpun~h youifYou.tol~ your parents. than you are and he can get away weak, or people with disabilities. where people love and'respect each

Living with Chuck would.reaJly. with it. What an awful world that would. other? Treat everyone with kind-stink. And why is that? Because-...... Now imagine what the world' be! Nobody would feel safe and ness and respect. You'll make lotsChuck doesn't love you or respect wo'uld'beJike,'if everybody 'were as happy.. . . • . offriends and be an example other

..... ~ .Fortunately, the world is filled kids will want t~ folio",. Ask your~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~i'~~~~with good people who try to obey parenh about lmportaM human

......... ~od's teachings, who try to always life issues today, like abor.tion,love-an<trespect their family and assisted suicide, care of the elderlyneighbors,and-who assist people and persons with disabilities:Findwho need their hel~These~p-eople out what you can do in your fam-know that God loves each oneOfus __i.ly, neighborhood or parish com-in a special way and that he wants miihit·y_tQ..be a friend to someoneus to love one another as he does. in need. Respectillg life.:.it can

How do we know what's 'right change the world, o'ne'p;~fSQn at aand wrong? God promised to put time. - -.

Nos a'credit;imos"no:

"Caring With Christ"

Catholic Nurses Answer the Church's Voice!

Clero 'da Igreja de' 'S·.Migu~1Fall :River

R·ESP'EITO PELA VI~D.A':·'

o aborto ·de qualquer forma esempre um mal.

~E' a dest~i1i~ao 'de u.ma vida ·h~man~."·,:·~ .','," • l • - ..' .

·Respeita·a Vida. Protege a Vida.-daquele- . . . I .

que nao se pode. defender.• ..' l>

14 ,TH.E ANCHOR-Diocese of FaJl River-Fri., Oct. II, ·1996

·'80W,8 C'hild can respect life-Imagine how your life would be

if you had a big brother·-Iet's call­him Chuck - who is a rotten

. bully. Chuck would never let youhave a turn at Nintendo or watchwhat you want on TV. He'd eat awhole bag of cookies aruj tell your

-Mt 18:5, 10, 14

THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Fall River-Fri., Oct. II, 1996 15

+W hoever welcomes

one such child for'my sake welcomes me: ..'.See that- you never despiseone of these little ones. ...It is no part of my

Father's plan that asingle one of these littleones shall ever come to

grief:THE LINE seemed to go on forever at the Walk For Life in Boston last Sunday.

(Anchor/ Jolivet photo)

Marian Manor33 Summer StreetTauntonTelephone 822~4885

Our Lady's Haven71 Center StreetFairhavenTelephone 999-4561

"'"Catholic Memorial Home\2446 Highland AvenueFal! RiverTelephone 679-0011

Madonna Manor85 North Washington StreetNorth AttleboroTelephone 699-2740

11 t(!$i~~lItDoris Desmarais erjoys the~r{l",dtlatlRhterDiane Messier, both LPNsres .~.. ellai; witll his great-gr~nd';'other. .

'. I

Four generations offamirY...Our La(l ,company oflIer daUk.ht~r Shirley ~at the nursing home~ Christopher Messier

tions. When a family lives infidelity it is a place of refugeand dignity, a place whereeach member is accepted, re­spected, and honored preciselybecause he or she is a person;and ifany member is in greaterneed, the care which he or shereceives is all the more in­tense.... If it becomes each oneonly for himself or herself,then instead of being. thesource, school, and standardfor fidelity to neighbor, thefamily can become the sceneofits harshest violations:" .I£I contrast to a life of self­

indulgence, we are called to moredemanding but richer lives of com­munity and solidarity:

"To live in fidelity we have torearrange our lives, yield con7trol, and forfeit some choices.

. To evade the full burden ofputting ourselves at the dispo­sal of those to whom we be­long, to allot them only theslack in our own agendas andnot what they require, is topractice desertion by othermeans."In a land of unlimited "freedom

,of choice," nothing is more offen­sive than the 'idea that some reali­ties and some obligations - likeobligations to, our children, ourparents and other loved ones -aresimply given to us, to cope with asbest we can. This is the ultimatereminder that we are not God. Butrecognizing such bonds is also theway for us to become fully human- for we grow and flourish whenwe give ourselves to those whoneed us most. When we violentlybreak these bonds offidelity, think­ing that it will make us more free,we really make ourselves shrivelup and die as persons. .

As Christians, we must promotethis fierce fidelity 'to the helplessthroughout our society. All menand women are our brothers andsisters; anyone in need who comes , ,

~~o~su~u;e:i~t~i~~ ~~~ ;~i;~:~r~ ~j,ecf(llized. fro~~q"J:~i~~i:t~d ~~e e~;~~~f~; ~~is r~~~t~~ ,e~~riatriC CareMalJ:lgtf~:rr~gtam ,.fulness in our own lives. Spo~~or~d by~ur~adY's~aycm

Doerflinger is associate director eGonsidineUnitfor ~lzbeimer's:oliseasefor policy dev~lopment, NCCD RSecretariat for Pro-Life Activities, 8;.;' elated Dementias Care at Ca.tholicand editor of Life at Risk: A Memorial HomeChronicle ojEuthanasia Trends inA merica. He has a master's degree eBethany House Adult Day Health Carein divinity from the University of ~t 72 Church Green, TauntonChkagoand~anexpertonend-'I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~of-life issues.

The quality of life: ,Continued from Page 13

tion" in thinking about life anddeath, in which the intelligent andarticulate members of a societyshould vote, on the basis of theirown self-interest, on whether othermembers of the species deserve"personhood." Green says Qpenlythat his theory should be appliedto humans after as well as beforebirth - yet his theory was acceptedby a 19-member NIH panel with­out one dissenting voice.

It is clear that more individualsand families with disabled mem­bers are needed to expose ideasabout "quality of life" for whatthey really are: either misplacedcompassion or arrogant attacks.on people who need help andsupport.

The theme of fidelity is at theheart of the Bishops' pastoral state­ment released in September, 1995,'"Faithful for Life: A Moral Re­flection." It deals with abortionand euthanasia in a new way: notonly as violations of an individu­al's right to life, bu't as the aban­d.onment of the very young, verySick and very old who depend onus:

"It is for good reason thatmany find the roots of thisdisdain for life in the break­down of the family. The fam­ily has a special role to playthroughout the life of its mem­bers....The family is the firsthaven where those who aredependent...find their closestand surest support.. ..At theheart of this sanctuary is fidel­ity - unwavering lC?yalty bothto those we choose and tothose who have been given tous. The unraveling of thatfidelity in our time leaves de­pendents to become lawfulvictims of their guardians."The bishops note that the same

shift toward individualism andaway from faithfulness has affectedmarriage and divorce: "Men andwomen find it increasingly diffi­cult to make permanent commit­ments to each other." And they seein this shift an enormous danger tohelpless members of society:

"When a people lose confi­dence in fidelity between hus­bands and wiv(:s, it 'is an easyleap to imagine that otherfidelities - of parents to chil­dren, and of adult children totheir elder parents - no longerneed to be permanent, for­better-or-for-worse obliga-

.......

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-- ......

"Your bishops will -not rest. .

until -eV'ery person in this

country understands that 01'lr ­

government, in approvin.'g.

, partial-birth abortion, has, .

crossed the'line to infanticide:

the killing of children clearly,. ..'

alive .and, but for a fe~1, .

inches, completely born."

Bernard Cardinal Law

PRO~LIFEAPOSTOLATE • DIO·C:ESE OF F!\LL RIVER500 SLOCUM ROAD • . NORTH DARTMOUTH,MA 02747-29.30

(5()8) 997-2290 .

'REV. STEPHEN A. FERNANDES, Diocesan Director • 'MRS; MARIAN.DESROSIERS,.Assutant To The Director