Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week

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Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, February 5, 2021

 Diocesan students, staffs mark
Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
       FALL RIVER —  ­­ Since 1974, Cele-       community.
brate Catholic Schools Week has meant               “I never knew it was like this and feel
a week at the end of January full of fun        so blessed that my children are now at a
activities, inter-school competitions,          Catholic school,” stated Christine Matias,
and dress-down days culminating with a          parent of a kindergarten student at St.
weekly school Mass. As with most things         James-St. John School in New Bedford.
this year, Celebrate Catholic Schools           “While my children were getting a good
Week will have a very different meaning         education at their previous school, the
for the 20 Catholic schools of the Dio-         pandemic has made us rethink what is
cese of Fall River as they celebrate what       truly important. Difficult times call for
makes their                                                                faith, communi-
schools unique                                                             ty and apprecia-
during the week                                                            tion of ‘normal-
of January 31                                                              cy’ and we could    A student at Holy Name School in Fall River begins her
­­— February 6.                                                            not be happier      day with her classmates with morning prayer. This week,
  Every day of the                                                         that our children   diocesan schools have been taking part in the annual
  week will have                                                           are getting these   national Celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a number
  a new theme —                                                            every day at St.    special events and activities.
  from celebrating                                                         James-St. John
  with the parish,
  to celebrating students and teachers, to
                                                                           School.”
                                                    “Celebrate Catholic School Week is a
                                                                                                Bishop Feehan ice hockey
  celebrating our nation.
       While the 2020-21 school year will be
                                                wonderful opportunity for all families to
                                                learn more about Catholic education and
                                                                                               player suffers serious injury
  remembered as the year of masks, social       why it has been a valued education for               By Dave Jolivet            “One minute everything is
                                                                                                           Editor               perfectly normal, suddenly it’s
  distancing and hand sanitizer, it will also   decades,” indicated Daniel S. Roy, Su-
                                                                                                  davejolivet@anchornews.org    not. It was a normal game, and
  be recalled as the year of challenges for     perintendent of Catholic Schools for the                                        a normal play.” But quickly it
  education in general. Catholic schools        Diocese of Fall River. “As families make            ATTLEBORO — It was a
                                                                                               nightmare scenario. At a high    was evident something was
  have much to celebrate as they often have     educational decisions for the Fall of 2021,                                     seriously wrong.
                                                                                               school ice hockey game pitting
  been a haven of stability for the many        we encourage all families to consider                                               After Quetta was taken
                                                                                               Bishop Feehan High School
  families and students benefiting from the     investing in a Catholic education for the      against Pope Francis High        to the hospital, play resumed,
  in-person Catholic education since the        formation of the whole child — mind,           School in West Springfield,             8 Turn to page 11
  end of August.                                body and soul.”                                Feehan senior A.J. Quetta
       Moreover, even during the pandem-            Affordability is the main worry for        crashed head first into the
  ic, the Diocese of Fall River Catholic        many new families as they engage in            boards and suffered a very
  schools continue to live out the Catholic     learning more about the Catholic schools       serious injury. He was taken
  faith by integrating the teachings of Jesus   in the Diocese of Fall River. “The cost        from the rink on a stretcher
  Christ into all that is done at the schools   of tuition is of great concern to many         and rushed to the hospital.
  every day. Many other educational fo-         families,” said Christina Duggan, Vice              As of press time, Quetta
  rums do not have the benefit of someone       President of Operations for the Catholic       has had one successful surgery
                                                                                               at Mass General Hospital in
  sitting with each child and helping them      Foundation of Southeastern Massachu-
                                                                                               Boston, but his prognosis is
  learn to pray — which is one of the gifts     setts. “Each of our elementary schools         still unclear.
  of Catholic education that has been ex-       encourages families to apply to the                 “This is every parent’s
  perienced by so many new families who         Foundation to Advance Catholic Edu-            nightmare,” Feehan president
  have recently joined the Catholic school                                                     Tim Sullivan told The Anchor.
                                                                                                                          February 5, 2021 senior
                                                          8 Turn to page three                                                     Feehan   †     A.J. Quetta 1
Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
2   		   † February 5, 2021
Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
Schools mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week                         While Catholic schools     integrated into every aspect   partnership to educate the
continued from page one                                         have weathered many chal-       of a child’s development.      children of the Diocese of
cation (FACE) which helps            Other concerns that        lenges over the past few de-        For more information       Fall River in Catholic faith
reduce the cost of tuition      have been expressed by          cades, there is no doubt that   about Celebrate                and values. Our schools
by providing scholarships.      interested families are         Catholic schools are still a    Catholic Schools Week,         have a demanding educa-
Almost 950 students re-         special education services      valued piece of this coun-      please go to www.              tional culture that helps
ceived a needs-based award      for their child. The Diocese    try’s educational landscape.    catholicschoolsalliance.org/   students from across the
this year, which in many        of Fall River has made great    Whether a family’s interest     celebrate-catholic-schools.    academic spectrum reach
cases can reduce tuition by     improvements in special         in Catholic education is due        For more information       their God-given poten-
30-50 percent; and for many     education by partnering         to the rigorous academics,      about scholarships from        tial. With an emphasis on
schools, this can result in a   with the S.E.A.L. Founda-       or for the formation of         the Foundation to Advance      service and respect for the
monthly tuition payment         tion, who oversees the spe-     the whole child, Catholic       Catholic Education, please     dignity of every person, we
of $300 or less. Awards are     cial education professionals    schools continue to pro-        go to www.FACE-dfr.org.        prepare students to meet
determined by a family’s fi-    in each partnering school,      vide children and families          The Catholic Schools       the challenges of today’s
nancial circumstances at the    as well as providing special    a faith-filled communi-         Alliance comprises admin-      diverse world and become
time of application. FACE       education assistance to stu-    ty where the values and         istrators, teachers, staff,    meaningful contributors to
scholarships help reduce        dents who have a learning       teachings of Jesus Christ are   parents and clergy joined in   society.
the tuition cost and make a     difference to ensure sup-
Catholic school education       portive accommodations
more attainable and, in the     are provided. In addition to
end, families realize that a    the very high quality special
Catholic education is well      education services, the
worth the investment. Fam-      smaller class sizes of Catho-
ilies are encouraged to apply   lic schools lend themselves
early for the best chance of    to a more personalized
receiving an award as funds     education focusing on each
are limited.”                   student’s specific needs.

                                                                                                                    February 5, 2021 †                    3
Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
Catholic Schools Week — 2021; Faith. Excellence. Service.
    By Daniel S. Roy            been and where God is         and will inevitably create    young people to see that       due to what we are offer-
Superintendent of Schools       calling us to be. In par-     new opportunities. Our        they are being called by       ing. What a blessing to ex-
     Diocese of Fall River      ticular, we recall how our    schools will continue the     their gifts and talents to     pand our Catholic school
     FALL RIVER — In            Catholic school communi-      long tradition of educating   respond to where God is        community! So many of
expressing his gratitude for    ties have faced the chal-                                   calling them to serve and      these families have ex-
Catholic educators, Pope        lenges of the pandemic,                                     lead.                          pressed gratitude for their
Francis said, “Educating        distancing, masking, and                                        Whether we are work-       Catholic school and have
is like an act of love; it is   cleaning in order to create                                 ing from home or the           been some of the first to
like giving life.” Catholic     the space for learning. The                                 office, our daily schedules    re-enroll their children for
Schools Week has always         sacrifices of our students,                                 have changed dramatically      the 2021-22 school year.
been a wonderful time for       families, teachers, and                                     from this time last year.      They have become some
Catholic schools to cele-       administrators have made                                    Social distancing require-     of the best advocates for
brate their unique ability to   it possible for our schools                                 ments and large gathering      Catholic education and are
educate the whole child —       to continue to serve the                                    limitations ensure that we     ever ready to share their
mind, body and soul.            greater good.                                               spend more time at home        story with their circles of
     This year, Catholic            In doing so, we remain                                  and in smaller groups.         family, friends, and other
Schools Week offers ev-         attentive to where God is                                   Gone are the days of soccer    prospective families.
eryone an opportunity to        calling us. The pandemic                                    tournaments, dinners on             During this Catholic
reflect on where we have        has exposed many needs                                      the run, and homework          Schools Week, each day’s
                                                                    Daniel S. Roy           crammed in on Sunday           theme is communicated by
                                                                                            night. Over the past year,     a new video that highlights
                                                                                            our sense of communi-          the many aspects of our
                                                                                            ty has been disrupted in       schools; i.e. our parish, our
                                                                                            many ways, though our          community, our nation,
                                                                                            Catholic schools have of-      our faculty, and voca-
                                                                                            fered an alternative.          tions. Our Catholic school
                                                                                                The resumption of          community is made up of
                                                                                            in-person learning this        so many wonderful people
                                                                                            past fall provided families    with so many interesting
                                                                                            with peace of mind that        backgrounds and experi-
                                                                                            their children would be        ences. We are pleased to
                                                                                            welcomed back to caring        have Edna McKenna, a re-
                                                                                            learning environments.         tired Navy Command Se-
                                                                                            Our schools have managed       nior Chief Supply Officer,
                                                                                            to remain open for full        teach at Bishop Stang High
                                                                                            in-person learning as well     School. Claudine Cloutier,
                                                                                            as provide a remote option     an attorney with Keches
                                                                                            for families desiring it —     Law Group, freely gives of
                                                                                            and many of our teachers       her time and talent as the
                                                                                            would say that they have       chair of the FACE Board
                                                                                            never worked harder. They      of Directors. St. Stanislaus
                                                                                            also realize how much          School’s new relationship
                                                                                            they prefer community to       with the Catholic Collabo-
                                                                                            remoteness. They know          rative of Central Fall River
                                                                                            that their Catholic school     has seen an influx of many
                                                                                            provides familiarity and       new students with many
                                                                                            connection that comes          new traditions which have
                                                                                            from being with others         benefited the culture and
                                                                                            in a safe environment.         learning opportunities for
                                                                                            Classrooms and hallways        all students and staff. We
                                                                                            have sustained the “nor-       are not limiting ourselves
                                                                                            malcy” of homework,            to expressing our wonder-
                                                                                            tests, friends, lunches, and   ful story to just one week
                                                                                            school Masses.                 and look forward to a
                                                                                                Our schools are wel-       continuous stream of ways
                                                                                            coming many new families       to tell our unique story.

4   		                † February 5, 2021
Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
How to respond to prodigal Catholic public figures?
    H       ow do we respond
            effectively as Cath-
olics to the tragically too
                                   stopped coming to Mass, are
                                   cohabitating with a boyfriend
                                   or girlfriend, invalidly mar-
                                                                      a desire not to let the par-
                                                                      ent or grandparent “win” or
                                                                      incentivize his or her style of
                                                                                                          cians will likely lead them to
                                                                                                          conversion and remove the
                                                                                                          scandal or get the politicians
                                                                                                                                             helping people remember
                                                                                                                                             that they are beloved mem-
                                                                                                                                             bers of the family, even when
common circumstance of             ried, or in some other serious     attempted persuasion — but          to dig in and try to use it        they make sinful decisions.
Catholics in prominent posi-       immoral situation.                 it can unintentionally dete-        to their political advantage             Similar practical wis-
tions blatantly betraying the           As if that’s not a big        riorate the relational bridges      — and perhaps even cause           dom should inform the way
Catholic faith? On the inten-      enough concern already,            that the loved one may need         other unintended stumbling         Catholic citizens as a whole
tional killing of fellow human     they then tell me that their       to come back to the commu-          blocks to the faithful.            approach Catholic public
beings, the truth about the        children or grandchildren          nion of the faith.                       As part of that dialogue I    figures who oppose, rather
family, the revelation about       have stopped talking to them.           “What’s the right way to       ask how we generally handle        than live by and proclaim,
the human person made in           When I ask what happened,          do it, Father?,” several have       the situation of pro-abortion      the Gospel.
God’s image male or female,        the pattern is almost always       desperately asked.                  family members or those                  The last story is St.
and Christ’s personal iden-        the same. They recount that             “Your loved ones need          who otherwise take positions       Monica. For 17 years she
tification with the hungry,        they gave witness to the           to know the truth and where         or live in ways contrary to        had to deal with the various
thirsty, sick, naked, impris-      truth, let their loved ones        you stand,” I reply. “But you       Catholic faith and morals.         moral problems of her pagan
oned, migrant or someone           know that they were                                                              Do we generally “ex-     husband Patricius and her
otherwise in need?                 sinning, appealed to                                                             communicate” them        cantankerous mother-in-law,
     There is, of course, no       them to convert and                                                              from Thanksgiving        and then for 15 additional
single, concrete, detailed an-     go to Confession,                                                                dinner?                  years she had to suffer the
swer applicable in every time      expressed their fear                                                                  In large audienc-   flagrant sins of her famous
and place with every person.       that they would go                                                               es, there are always a   son Augustine. She patiently
As Catholics, truth and love       to hell if they died,                                                            few who say they do.     told the truth, forgave, loved
must always be part of our         and so on.                                                                       I politely ask what’s    and prayed. All three eventu-
response since without truth            “How did she                                                                been the impact of       ally converted. And because
we leave others enslaved and       respond?,” I gently                                                              that de facto famil-     of 32 years of persevering
without charity we are just        ask. “Terribly” is the                                                           ial exile. Does it       prayer for their conversions,
a noisy gong. Prudence is          basic reply.                       don’t need to remind them           lead the offending parties to      she, too, became a saint.
always required to know best            “How often would you          every time you see them.”           conversion? Are the other                St. Monica teaches us
what to say, when and how.         say these things to him?,” I            For the call to conver-        family members happier as a        that in response to the sins of
The other theological and          query. “Almost every time I        sion to be effective, in most       result or does it weigh like a     our family members and the
cardinal virtues — faith in        see him!”                          circumstances it must be            pall over the gathering? I’m       disappointment and worry
God, hope that people can               It’s certainly understand-    enveloped by a thick layer of       grateful for the honesty of the    we experience as a result,
change, courage to say things      able that a faithful parent or     love, rather than shrouded          interlocutors who have hum-        we’re not called to become
out of season, justice with re-    grandparent would worry,           in shame, embarrassment,            bly admitted that it has not       the wagging fingers of the
gard to the real harms done,       even obsess, about the situa-      fear and what may seem like         brought about conversions          Mystical Body of Christ but
and moderation not to go too       tion of a loved one in dan-        judgmentalism. That’s why in        and in fact has divided the        the calloused knees. We’re
far too soon — are always          ger. If the person were in an      such situations it’s important      family with regard to those        called not to “virtue signal”
similarly helpful. There is        ICU in danger of death, it is      to focus nine parts on loving       who “support” the ostracized       the truth as take-it-or-leave-
also the indispensable guid-       natural that the elder would       as normal, and one part on          family member versus those         it propositions with eternal
ance and assistance of the         struggle to think about            illustrating that that love like-   who “oppose.”                      consequences, but announce
Holy Spirit and His gifts.         anything else. Hence it makes      wise extends to appropriate              For the vast majority who     the truth in affectionate char-
     Since many Catholics,         sense that faithful parents        concern for their loved one’s       admit they don’t excommu-          ity, reminding them by our
however, are tempted to            and grandparents would sim-        soul, relationship with God         nicate family members, I ask       behavior of the love of the
objectify, treat by different      ilarly be preoccupied when         and eternal happiness.              why they don’t. In general         Father of the Prodigal Son.
standards and occasionally         their loved ones’ souls were            The second story has           they say that they don’t think           Where such sins of our
even dehumanize Catholics          in serious danger.                 to do with a question I             it will work to bring the          prominent Catholic family
in public office who are un-            But how they handle the       get every time I give adult         individuals to repentance and      members abound, as they
faithful to Church teaching        situation matters. Especial-       education talks on Catho-           they fear it will only drive the   unhappily do, our prayers
in scandalously conspicuous        ly in circumstances when           lics and politics: “Why don’t       family further apart. They         must abound all the more,
ways, it’s helpful to examine      their loved ones are in denial     the bishops excommunicate           also admit that, with respect      and far more than our criti-
the ways most Catholics            about the moral qualification      pro-abortion Catholic pol-          to the bad example that might      cisms, however just.
handle circumstances in            of their lifestyle, or when        iticians?” It’s a fair question     be given to younger gener-               We must never lose a
their own families and apply       they feel trapped, power-          that is often phrased with a        ations, they have a greater        profound sense of family
that practical wisdom to the       less or too afraid to change       mix of frustration and dis-         duty to teach the faith well       — ecclesial and national —
circumstances of prominent         it, bringing it up in every        couragement, and occasion-          and maturely: that loving a        even if made dysfunctional
prodigal sons and daughters        conversation as if it’s the only   ally with a sense that they         wayward uncle is not incom-        by sin.
of the family of faith.            thing that matters is counter-     think the prelates are weak         patible with helping them see            We must always remem-
     I’d like to mention three     productive. Not only can it        cowards, or asleep with their       that not all of his decisions      ber that persevering prayer,
different stories.                 stimulate people’s defensive-      rod and staff, or even secretly     are wise and holy ones.            like Monica’s, does work, as
     The first has happened        ness to their whole life sum-      pro-abortion.                            In these discussions, I       does incessant charity, and
often in parish life. Parents      marized by the expression               I generally begin by           generally encourage people         through them, God makes
or grandparents come to see        “living in sin,” or resentment     speaking about canon law            to remember that bishops           saints.
me, crestfallen, frustrated        over seeming to be more            about excommunication. But          are asking themselves similar            Anchor columnist
and at their wits’ end, over       judged than loved — leading        then I shift to prudence, as to     questions about balancing          Father Roger Landry can be
the situation of their children    the person to “dig in” and         whether they think excom-           a clear witness to the truth       contacted at fatherlandry@
or grandchildren who have          remain in the situation out of     municating offending politi-        and a call to conversion with      catholicpreaching.com.

                                                                                                                                February 5, 2021 †                        5
Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
Editorial
                                                                                            What if?
        Daniel Cellucci, the CEO of Catholic Leadership Institute, put out a video                   decades.”
    late last year entitled, “What if they don’t come back?” You can watch it on                         Trying to move us in a positive direction, away from being live-action
    YouTube or read the text of the talk on the Our Sunday Visitor website. He                       Eeyore characters from “Winnie the Pooh,” Cellucci challenged the listen-
    doesn’t just say, “So what if they don’t?” but instead challenges his listeners                  ers, “But what if we chose to lead with different ‘what if’s?’ We are a people
    and readers to see what they will do differently, in the face of the departure                   who believe that ‘nothing is impossible with God,’ who knows the victory
    of so many Catholics.                                                                            has been won, who knows the reason for our hope. We are a people who ask
        After raising the “so what?” question, he commented, “I don’t ask that                       the question ‘what if?’ not with fear, but with wonder in God’s goodness and
    question with a callous disregard for the consequences. The implications of                      power.”
    perhaps 30 percent or more of our people not coming back are many and                                He then recalled the many clever innovations that Catholics have done
    significant. It will completely change the landscape of our Church, affecting                    over the past year so as to be able to continue to share the faith. “Parishes
    every ministry, every parish and every diocese. Most gravely, souls are at                       that couldn’t send an email have learned to live-stream. Grandmothers are
    stake.”                                                                                          leading the Rosary over Zoom, and even my own mom now knows how to
        Before getting to that grave matter, he discussed the other fears which                      take herself off mute. What does that teach us about the tremendous oppor-
    leap immediately to mind — the loss of revenue, which would lead to clos-                        tunities before us?”
    ing of churches and loss of jobs for Church employees. “Often the fear that                          Looking to whenever the pandemic comes to an end, Cellucci addressed
    lies in the depth of this question is not primarily in our care for souls but in                 the desire of many to “go back to the way things were.” He cautioned against
    our care for our own comfort. If we say it too loudly or too frequently, then                    that. “But what if things don’t go back to normal? That’s an easy one. We
    we will also have to recognize that we cannot remain in the status quo and                       don’t want to go back to normal. Normal was a three-decade Sacramental
    might be forced to change.”                                                                      free-fall. Normal was 60-70 percent of those baptized no longer practicing
        Cellucci then recalled that even before the present situation, Catholics                     the faith at all. Sure, we don’t want to wear masks everywhere, and we don’t
    in the pews were expressing fears. “Beyond our personal concerns, we have                        want people to be afraid. But if we remember where we were, back when it
    larger mission concerns as well. Prior to this pandemic, the cry I heard                         was ‘normal,’ was it all that God wanted it to be?”
    from so many faithful parishioners was for the next generation. What if the                          Seems like the answer to that question has to be “no.”
    Church is not here for our children and grandchildren? How will they know                            Cellucci ended with a challenge for us. “This is our chance to ask ‘what if’
    truth? How will they come to know the Lord? Our fears are real and strong.                       and write a new story. What are you afraid to lose? We have to ask ‘what if’
    But are they stronger than our faith and hope? Jesus told us that He will                        with the same confidence the early Church had. The answer to that question
    build His Church and the gates of hell will not overcome it (cf. Mt 16:18). He                   is the same as it was then. We can’t lose everything, because for us as disci-
    didn’t say how many parishes there would be or what the priesthood would                         ples, nothing can change our real everything, which transcends time, space
    definitively look like. As far as I know, He didn’t mention Mass times or                        and conquers death. The most important things we have as believers remain
    diocesan departments.”                                                                           the same — our identity and relationship as beloved children of the Father.
        Before the pandemic, our “what if’s” were often of the “how to avoid a                       So why not ask a different what if — what if God is calling me to something
    problem” variety, as Cellucci mentioned, “to mitigate risk instead of stim-                      greater?”
    ulating possibility. What if we offend someone? What if no one shows up?                             We know that every day God is doing that, and yet we’re fine with keep-
    What if we close? These are all perfectly responsible, pragmatic to ask — that                   ing things “as is.” That’s not good for us as individuals nor as a community.
    is, if we weren’t Christians.” In other words, we need to trust more in God                      We know that Jesus condemned the man who buried the one talent that had
    than in other human beings and their whims.                                                      been entrusted to him (“You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest
        Cellucci sadly stated that we Christians often think “as if we are the audi-                 where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?” [Mt 25:26]), while
    ence instead of the actors” in the march of Salvation history. We “deny the                      He praised those who multiplied their talents. Let us beg the Holy Spirit,
    incredible potential the Lord has placed within each of us. We ask ‘what if’                     through the intercession of Our Lady and St. Joseph, to help us see what we
    as if the victory hasn’t already been won. This is not a new challenge for us                    can do as individuals and as communities to live Christ’s message in new
    because of COVID-19. This is a pandemic of doubt that has plagued us for                         ways in our world, so that people come back (or come for the first time).

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6     		                    † February 5, 2021
Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
Lent: A time for conversion
   S    ince the time of
        Moses, ashes have
been used as a symbol of
                                 ashes even if you receive
                                 them differently or even not
                                 at all as you remain socially
                                                                    er to take care of the poor
                                                                    and hungry. It doesn’t need
                                                                    to exclusively center on
                                                                                                     transforming yourself from
                                                                                                     one state of being to anoth-
                                                                                                     er, hopefully better, state of
                                                                                                                                      munity. When you combine
                                                                                                                                      our loving God, our wor-
                                                                                                                                      ship, rituals, prayers and
penance. They also symbol-       distanced.                         consuming less food. You         being. It can be a difficult     our community of believers
ize death so they remind us           Since Lent is a time of       could redirect some of your      concept to understand.           supporting each other, we
of our own mortality. When       penance, people sometimes          time to reading Scripture or     Think about the following        have a recipe for success.
we received ashes before         associate Lent with “giving        volunteering for community       analogy:                              Real conversion is com-
COVID-19 restrictions,           up” something. Popular             service. These noble efforts           You have a house with a    plex. It requires a radical
the priest or other minister,    things to give up have been        go a long way to softening       garage. You wish you had a       transformation touching all
using their thumb, signed        sweets or alcohol. We think        our hard hearts.                 big family room so you de-       the dimensions of the hu-
your forehead with the sign      we’re making a sacrifice.              Almsgiving is more than      cide to convert your garage      man being, “spirit, soul, and
of the cross and said, ”Re-      “I am going to make a real         writing a check to a charity.    into a family room. You go       body.” All that is good and
member! You are dust and         sacrifice this Lent!” The          While financial support is       through a decision making        bad in you is from the heart.
to dust you shall return.”       word “sacrifice” means             important, so is the giving      process weighing the pros        The hardened heart needs
With our death comes eter-       to make something holy.            of our time and talent. We       and cons. On the good            to be broken because real
nal life, so the ashes remind    Instead of giving                                                              side will come the    conversion needs to start
us that we need to be pre-       up things like                                                                 warm and hos-         with the heart. Ezechiel
pared when we stand before       chocolate during                                                               pitable gathering     described in beautiful and
God on judgment day. We          Lent, perhaps we                                                               place for friends     poetic terms the conversion
are reminded that we must        should be giving                                                               and family to enjoy   that would come about as
die to sin so we can rise to     up the things we                                                               companionship         we build the New Kingdom
a new life in Christ through     do that harden our                                                             and entertain-        of God on Earth: “I will give
His cross and Resurrection.      hearts. A great list                                                           ment. On the bad      them a new heart, and put
Lent prepares us to joyfully     of things to give                                                              side, the cars are    a new Spirit within them;
enter the Easter Season.         up can be found                                                                now sitting out-      I will remove the heart of
     Ash Wednesday marks         by examining our own               could do things like pro-        side in the hostile weather.     stone from their bodies
the start of our Lenten          conscience: greed, selfish-        viding companionship by          You make the decision to         and give them a heart of
journey. Being marked            ness, anger, jealousy, hatred,     visiting a nursing home          compromise the well-be-          flesh” (Ez 11:19). (Modified
with ashes reminds us that       intolerance. We can make           or providing babysitting         ing of the cars in favor of      combination of NRSV and
we are human and sinful.         a conscious effort to trans-       services to a single parent      the benefits of the people.      NABRE translations).
That doesn’t mean we are         form our actions into holy         who deserves a night out.        The house will never be the           As we enter the season
not holy. It means we need       actions such as compassion,        It can also involve stew-        same again. It’s hard to go      of Lent, let us try to really
improvement. We reflect on       patience, acceptance and           ardship that could include       forward with your plans.         make a difference and “give
our lives and ask for God to     forgiveness. What good is          protecting and safeguarding      It’s even harder to go back      up hardness of heart” for
help us change our hearts.       giving up something for            the environment and other        to the old way after you’re      Lent. Give up hatred and
We ask for transformation -      Lent if nothing was really         resources abundantly given       done. But the benefits of the    intolerance. Give up indif-
to cast aside our sinful ways    made holy through our              to us by God.                    family room are everlasting      ference. Give up impatience.
and prepare to celebrate         sacrifice?                              Lent is our primary         and good. Your future is         Give up negativity and
Easter with the joyfulness of         Lent is a time for            journey that brings us to the    better because of your work.     selfishness. Give up your old
a fresh, clean heart.            Prayer, Fasting and Alms-          joy of Easter, the pinnacle            Transforming your          ways. Embrace the ways of
     This year Ash Wednes-       giving.                            celebration of the Church        house is very similar to         Jesus and make them per-
day services will be very             Jesus prayed everywhere       year. Easter marks Christ’s      transforming your life. The      manent and everlasting.
different because of             and always. Do we dedicate         Resurrection and our Re-         transformation process will           May Christ, the Light of
COVID-19. There will             a part of our lives to pray?       demption. Our focus on Lent      convert your life from one       the World, shine His light
likely be only one service.      Going off to a quiet place, as     is to die in our old ways and    state to another. The old,       through you to others as
The remembrance phrase           Jesus did in the desert, is a      make room for the new ways       unsuccessful activities like     you strive to journey with
will be spoken once over         great way to connect to God        illuminated by the Light of      giving up chocolate for Lent     Him and live the Gospel
everyone and not individu-       and experience God’s pres-         Christ and our new life filled   are token gestures with usu-     this Lenten season.
ally. The priests or ministers   ence. Even in the stillness        with the love of God.            ally little impact and hardly         Rick Swenton is a
will not be placing ashes on     we can experience God. It               How do we discern our       life-changing. If you decide     parishioner at St. Pius the
your forehead with their         takes so little effort and only    path to a greater fullness in    to make the hard decision        Tenth Church in South
thumbs because of health         requires a desire to clear         Christ?                          to strive for real conversion,   Yarmouth and is a member
concerns. The exact method       our minds and hearts and                Lent is the ideal time      your life will be very differ-   of the choir and a cantor.
for distribution of ashes has    be open to God’s love. Our         to consider dealing with a       ent.                             He has a certificate in Lay
not been determined yet.         society has forgotten how to       most important Christian               Conversion can be hard.    Ministry from the Archdi-
The method will likely vary      listen. We’re so busy pro-         concept: conversion. Con-        But no matter who you are,       ocese of Hartford with a
by diocese. Many of us may       moting our own personal            version is a Spiritual en-       what you’ve done or what         focus on Liturgy and Music.
not be able to attend the        agendas. Christ has a lot to       lightenment causing a per-       you have become, anyone          He is a published Church
service and may experience       say to us in the stillness if we   son to lead a new life that      can do it. It is easier to       music composer. He resides
it remotely. Please consid-      would only pause to listen.        results in a transformation.     achieve conversion with the      with his wife, Gail, in South
er the powerful symbol of             Fasting is our remind-        Conversion is the process of     help of the Christian com-       Dennis.
                                                                                                                          February 5, 2021 †                     7
Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
8   		   † February 5, 2021
Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
FACE to participate in the 49th ASICS
     Falmouth Road Race August 2021
    FALMOUTH — The           vorite that attracts thou-    unteer, Cassandra Robin,
Foundation to Advance        sands of elite runners and    participated in the first
Catholic Education (FACE)    recreational runners from     Falmouth Road Race At-
is excited to announce                                     Home Edition and raised
it will participate in the                                 $3,660 for FACE!
ASICS 2021 Falmouth                                            If you are interested in
Road Race. FACE will be                                    participating and would
part of the Numbers for                                    like more information,
Non-Profits Program with                                   please contact Jane
six entries where partici-                                 Robin at jrobin@
pants will raise funds for                                 catholicfoundationsema.
FACE student scholarships.                                 org or call 508-380-7521.
    Each year runners
enjoy the beautiful scenic
                             local areas as well as from
                             around the world visiting
                                                               FACE provides criti-
                                                           cal scholarship support to
                                                                                           Visit the Diocese of
views along the seven-mile
seaside course from
                             the Cape Cod Town of
                             Falmouth, which is part of
                                                           children in need of finan-
                                                           cial assistance to attend      Fall River website at:
Woods Hole to Falmouth
Heights. The race is a fa-
                             the Diocese of Fall River.
                                 Last year, FACE vol-
                                                           Catholic schools of the
                                                           Diocese of Fall River.         fallriverdiocese.org

                                                                         Holy Family Parish
                                                                       370 Middleboro Avenue
                                                                            East Taunton
                                                                    Register for Mass attendance online at
                                                                   hfparish.net and click on the ‘Sign up’ icon
                                                                        Weeknight Masses at Parish Center
                                                                    (438 Middleboro Ave.) at a variety of times,
                                                                          including Saturdays at 7 p.m.

                                                                   Monday to Saturday 8 a.m. at the church

                                                                                                 February 5, 2021 †   9
Diocesan students, staffs mark Celebrate Catholic Schools Week
Diocesan Faith Formation Office offers guides
             and activities to celebrate the Year of St. Joseph
 By David G. Carvalho              at 7 p.m. for the Solemnity     for the diocese.                   also authored several prayer    band Raymond, and their
 Diocesan Faith Formation          of St. Joseph, Husband of            Dr. Miravalle earned          journals and bestselling        four young children live in
     Senior Director               the Blessed Virgin Mary.        his Sacred Theological             Catholic children’s books.      Georgia.
     dcarvalho@dioc-fr.org
                                   The Mass will also be live-     Doctorate at the Pontifical            She is also the part-time       For more information,
     FALL RIVER — On               streamed. Pre-registration      University of St. Thomas           communication manager for       or to register for
Dec. 8, 2020 Pope Francis          for in-person will be re-       Aquinas in Rome. He holds          the national evangelization     this free event, visit
announced a Year to St.            quired.                         the St. John Paul II Chair         apostolate, Catholics Come      fallriverfaithformation.
Joseph. As a diocese, we           Mass for Feast of St. Joseph    of Mariology at Franciscan         Home. Warner, her hus-          org/stjoseph.
will be partaking in this          the Worker                      University of Steubenville,
year through opportunities              Bishop Edgar M. da         where he has been teaching
for prayer and formation,          Cunha, S.D.V., will celebrate   since 1986. Dr. Miravalle
including the 33-day Conse-        Mass at the Cathedral of St.    is the founder and senior
cration to St. Joseph con-         Mary of the Assumption in       editor of “Ecce Mater Tua,”
cluding on May 1, the Feast        Fall River on May 1 at 10       an international journal
of St. Joseph the Worker.          a.m. for the Feast of St. Jo-   of Mariology research and
     For more information          seph the Worker. The Mass       president of the Interna-
and to register for free events    will also be live-streamed.     tional Marian Association.
during this year, visit or         Pre-registration for in-per-    Well known throughout the
fallriverfaithformation.org/       son will be required.           world for his lectures on
stjoseph.                          Holy Hour for the Year of       Mariology, Dr. Miravalle has
Living the Year of St. Jo-         St. Joseph                      addressed several episcopal
seph Talk                               On Tuesday, June 8         conferences, including those
     On Tuesday, March 2 at 7      at 6 p.m. (the Tuesday          of South India, Nigeria,
p.m., Father Donald Callo-         after the Solemnity of          Venezuela, and Costa Rica.
way, MIC, author of the book       Corpus Christi), Father         Dr. Miravalle has spoken
“Consecration to St. Joseph:       Jay Mello, pastor of St.        at numerous international
The Wonders of Our Spiri-          Michael and St. Joseph          conferences and has ap-
tual Father,” will be having       parishes, will lead a Holy      peared on EWTN, National
a virtual talk for the diocese     Hour at St. Joseph Parish       Public Radio, and the BBC.
as a prequel to the consecra-      (1335 North Main Street,             For more information, or
tion to St. Joseph, which will     Fall River). Confession         to register for this free event,
begin on March 30.                 will be available. RSVP at      visit fallriverfaithformation.
     Father Calloway, a            fallriverfaithformation.org/    org/stjoseph.
prominent Marian priest,           stjoseph.                       Strategies for Becoming
exhibits an unmistakable           Holy Hour for the Family        Stronger Spiritual Leaders
zeal for the priesthood and             On Monday, July 12         of Your Family Talk
devotion to Our Lady. He           at 7 p.m. (the Feast of St.          On Tuesday, October
is a well-known conference         Louis and Zelie), Father        5 at 7 p.m., Katie Warner,
speaker on Divine Mer-             Richard Wilson, pastor of       author of the book, “Head &
cy and the Blessed Virgin          Holy Family Parish, will        Heart: Becoming Spiritual
Mary. He speaks passionate-        lead a Holy Hour at the         Leaders for Your Family,”
ly about these topics in his       Holy Family Parish Center       will be having a virtual talk
moving conversion story.           (370 Middleboro Avenue,         for the diocese.
     For more information, or      East Taunton). Confession            Warner is a Catholic
to register for this free event,   will be available. RSVP at      wife, home-schooling mom,
visit bit.ly/stjoseph2021 or       fallriverfaithformation.org/    and author who loves cre-
fallriverfaithformation.org/       stjoseph.                       ating and sharing resources
stjoseph.                          Meet Your Spiritual Father      for Catholic families. War-
     Mass for Solemnity of         Talk                            ner received her graduate
St. Joseph                              On Saturday, August 21     degree in theology from the
     Bishop Edgar M. da            at 1 p.m., Dr. Mark Miraval-    Augustine Institute and is a
Cunha, S.D.V., will celebrate      le, author of the book, “Meet   Catholic speaker, an EWTN
Mass at the Cathedral of St.       Your Spiritual Father: An       TV segment host, and a cor-
Mary of the Assumption             Introduction to St. Joseph,”    respondent for the National
in Fall River on March 19          will be having a virtual talk   Catholic Register. Warner has

10    		              † February 5, 2021
Prayers and fund-raisers support injured athlete                                  students and staff are praying and
                                                                                  doing what they can.
                                                                                                                           The New England Patriots owner,
                                                                                                                           Robert Kraft, and the Providence
continued from page one
                                                                                       “I’ve heard from all the Catholic   Bruins each donated $25,000. At
but hearts were heavy. Following          The Anchor. “Within 15 minutes of
                                                                                  high schools in the diocese, many        press time, the total was at more
the game, the players from Pope           us posting to families and alumni,
                                                                                  grammar schools, Bishop da Cunha         than $120,000.
Francis and Feehan gathered at            Mercy Sister Sheila Harrington,
                                                                                  and Chancellor Kevin Kiley; all              The Boston Bruins and the
center-ice on one knee, joined in         sister of Feehan mainstay, the late
                                                                                  supporting A.J., his family and the      Boston Bruins Foundation pledged
prayer for their fallen fellow athlete.   Sister Pat Harrington, advised us
                                                                                  Feehan family.                           a minimum of $100,000 to help the
Pope Francis High School is selling       that A.J.’s name was in the prayer
                                                                                       “Only in a Catholic school          family. At the January 28 game be-
shamrocks with A.J.’s #10 on them         list at the House of Mercy on Bag-
                                                                                  can students, faculty, administra-       tween the Bruins and the Pittsburgh
to help raise funds.                      got Street, in Dublin, Ireland.
                                                                                  tion and staff openly express their      Penguins at Boston Garden, Bruins’
     The shock waves from the                  “So many other alumni have ex-
                                                                                  support and concern with prayer,         alternate captain, Brad Marchand,
catastrophic event have traveled          tended support, as have others not
                                                                                  reaching out to Jesus Christ. That is    hung A.J.’s Feehan No. 10 jersey on
far. A.J. and the Quetta family face      in the immediate Feehan family.”
                                                                                  a strong Celebrate Catholic Schools      the glass behind the bench during
a long road ahead of them, as does             With the injury happening
                                                                                  Week message.”                           warm-ups.
the Feehan community, the hockey          on the cusp of Celebrate Catholic
                                                                                       On January 28, Sullivan was             The Bruins also taped their pre-
community, and frankly, anyone            Schools Week, Sullivan said the
                                                                                  invited to speak on the Greg Hill        game warm-up sticks with Feehan
with heart.                               response at the school has been a
                                                                                  Morning show on radio station            colors, and a future Bruins 50/50
     “The faculty and students are        prime example of what Catholic
                                                                                  WEEI out of Boston. That day, the        raffle proceed will go to A.J.’s recov-
shaken by A.J.’s injury,” said Sulli-     schools are all about. “This is Cath-
                                                                                  Greg Hill Foundation held a fund-        ery efforts.
van. “We have to be there for each        olic education in action. We have a
                                                                                  raiser for the Quetta Family, with           The team presented the game
other. We can’t take care of every-       shared mission to be there for those
                                                                                  hundreds of listeners responding.             8 Continued on page 12
thing. The doctors will take care of      in need, no matter what the need,
A.J. We will be there for each other      and that’s never been more evident
as a Feehan community.”                   than through the reactions,” he said.
     The school gathered for a prayer     “If not for COVID-19 restrictions,
service for A.J. on Friday, January       I know there would have been a
29. “The outpouring of support            huge gathering of students the next
has been incredible,” Sullivan told       day for a candle-light vigil. But the

                                                                                                                      February 5, 2021 †                       11
8 Continued from page 11          Gina Simoneau, Feehan’s       a helmet sticker honoring
                               puck to the Feehan family         director of Strategic Com-    A.J.. The game was live-
                               after the game.                   munications   told The  An-   streamed on TW @Feehan-
                                    Elysa Quetta, A.J.’s sister, chor. “An ‘AJ’s Army’ banner Hockey.”
                               initiated a GoFundMe page hung behind the Feehan                    A.J.’s sisters, Elysa and
                               and at press time the dona-       bench,  and all players had   8 Continued from page 14
                               tions topped $700,000 with
                               more than 10,000 donors.
                                    The Feehan Shamrocks
                               resumed playing, following
                               a team meeting where all
                               the players agreed it was
                               what A.J. would want.
                                    The game took place
                               January 29 in Attleboro
                               between Bishop Feehan and
                               Austin Prep. “Before the
                                                                 Captains from the Feehan and Austin Prep hockey teams
                               game, both teams joined at
                               center ice to pray for A.J.,”     met at center ice before a January 29 game, to express
                                                                 support for A.J. Quetta. (Photo courtesy of Feehan)

12   		   † February 5, 2021
Baring arms for the cause
   C     onfucius, the
         great Chinese
philosopher, is credited
                              or needle in the arm
                              containing the COVID
                              vaccine. Of course, they
                                                           and needle him about the
                                                           Chiefs’ chances against
                                                           Tom Brady in the upcom-
                                                                                         go,” two lovely young
                                                                                         nurses, Kerry and Holly,
                                                                                         administered the vaccine.
                                                                                                                         their arms for the cause.
                                                                                                                             For myself it was an
                                                                                                                         overall pleasant experi-
with many witty sayings,      might like a shot of bran-   ing Super Bowl. I resisted    I hardly felt the prick of      ence and, on returning
most of which I dare not      dy first. Lol.               the temptation because        the syringe needle when         to my hermitage, I had
quote here, but this one          So it was that yester-   Sister Barbara Jean was       it was my turn to bare          my usual repast, then did
I can. It goes, “Man who      day, January 25, a                                                 my arm. A lovely        my customary medita-
wears short sleeved shirt     cavalcade of vehi-                                                 young nurse has         tion on the horizontal.
supports right to bare        cles drove up the                                                  that effect on me.      Some people call it siesta.
arms.” He has also been       driveway of Bish-                                                  Then it was time        It has been written that,
quoted as saying, “He         op Home complex                                                    to move down the        “He who sleeps on a bed
who sits on needle gets       where our Fran-                                                    circle for a pause      of nails is a holy man.”
the point.” Now I believe     ciscan Sisters’                                                    of 15 minutes of        Well, I guess that I’m not
that most people would        house stands. I                                                    recovery. Sister        yet ready for that degree
agree that getting a needle   call it the Manor                                                  Alicia was there        of holiness because my
in the seat would not be      House. I myself              doing guard duty in my        at the head of the line to      bed is very comfortable,
something to look for-        joined the cavalcade at      vicinity and motioned me      make sure that we did not       though narrow, and I
ward to, unless absolutely    about 11:35 a.m. right       to move on to the place of    jump the gun and leave          can now rest up until the
necessary. However, there     back of the now famil-       “execution.” It was time      prematurely. She and            next time that I am called
are millions of people on     iar red truck, driven by     to prepare for the sting of   Sister Barbara Jean were        upon to bare my arm for
our earth today who are       Marco who happens to be      the needle which would        like sentries at their posts.   the cause. Aloha.
looking forward to bar-       Kalaupapa’s head cheer-      administer the long antic-    After a break for lunch,            Anchor columnist
ing their arms and invit-     leader for the Kansas        ipated COVID vaccine.         the operation continued         Father Killilea is pastor
ing some lovely young         City Chiefs. I would have        As the procession of      into the afternoon until        of St. Francis Church in
nurse to give them a shot     loved to get out of my van   vehicles did a “stop and      all had offered to bare         Kalaupapa, Hawaii.

                                                                                                            February 5, 2021 †                    13
F ocus               on         C hurch Y outh
                                                      Don’t, don’t … Do!
     W      ell next week is
            the beginning of
Lent! Hard to believe. And
                                 much — like vegetables. Of
                                 course, there was little value
                                 in giving up what I didn’t
                                                                  way of our relationship with
                                                                  God and to give up those
                                                                  things that so often take
                                                                                                   it rewarding to look at each
                                                                                                   of the items and if they
                                                                                                   applied to me, to resolve
                                                                                                                                   hatred — return good for
                                                                                                                                   evil. Do give up negativism
                                                                                                                                   — be positive. Do give up
Lent always brings to mind       like or want! Generally,         over our lives. The less stuff   that this Lent I would bring    anger — be more patient.
what I should give up for        when I chose to give                                                          about a change      Do give up pettiness — be-
Lent.                            up the things I liked, I                                                      in myself by        come mature. Do give up
     I’ve never been one who     wasn’t successful a lot                                                       focusing on the     gloom — enjoy the beauty
is good at giving things up.     of the time. I was very                                                       positive things I   that is all around you. Do
I truly try to be a “giver” in   good at rationalizing                                                         could do to make    give up jealousy — pray for
all that I do, but I like my     why I could have that                                                         more room for       trust. Do give up gossip-
toys and other distractions.     candy bar just this                                                           God, myself and     ing — control your tongue.
Over the years when Lent         one time — perhaps                                                            others. To take     Do give up sin — turn to
came along, I’d try to figure    as a reward for going                                                         some time to tidy   virtue. Do give up putting
out what to give up as the       two days without one.                                                         up and dust off     people in categories. Do
good Sisters taught us in        I guess I kind of lost the       in our lives, the more room      my very soul.                   remember that we are all
school. I always thought         meaning of Lent. It is funny     there is for God, yourself            Perhaps you may find it    made in the image and like-
sweets, or candy, or televi-     how my brain works. My           and for others.                  valuable to look at the list    ness of God our Father. Do
sion or movies or some oth-      wife would say it’s scary              I believe that in my       of things that you might        give up giving up — hang
er material item that I liked,   how my brain works!              case, perhaps, I chose the       want to give up this Lent by    in there!
but I didn’t like the idea of        In any case, there are       wrong things to give up.         focusing on the positive. So        Of course, now that
losing those things. I don’t     reasons why we traditional-      Perhaps, I needed to look at     instead of DON’T, we can        I’ve completed this inner
know about you, but I was        ly give up stuff during Lent.    giving up more than mate-        think DO. Spend a moment        self-examination, it just
more inclined to give up         What we give up should           rial items, perhaps I needed     on each of these actions and    may have been easier to just
things that I didn’t like as     really be something we           to look inside (not an easy      really give some thought        give up those candy bars! I
                                 like, or like to do or that we   thing to do) and give up         and prayer on whether it        guess I’ll just have to give
                                 find pleasure in. Through        those things that truly get      applies to you and how you      up on that slimmer waist-
                                 this sacrifice we can learn      in the way of my relation-       might change the focus to       line and work on beefing up
                                 self-control, tell ourselves     ship with God and with           the more positive.              my soul this Lent!
                                 “no” once in a while (what a     others. Looking inside is             Do give up complain-           Anchor columnist
                                 novel idea!) and it helps us     not always fun or easy. But      ing — focus on gratitude.       Frank Lucca is a deacon in
                                 identify with the sufferings     this year that is my intent.     Do give up pessimism —          the Diocese of Fall Riv-
                                 of Christ. Lent gives us that          Searching though my        become an optimist. Do          er assigned to St. Mary’s
                                 opportunity to discover          homily notes, I came across      give up harsh judgments         Parish in Dartmouth and a
                                 those things that get in the     a Lenten reflection. I do        — think kindly thoughts.        campus minister at UMass
                                                                  not recall the author but it     Do give up worry — trust        Dartmouth. He is married
                                                                  is not me. In the reflection     Divine Providence. Do           to his wife of 43 years,
                                                                  it lists those things that we    give up discouragement          Kristine, and the father of
                                                                  should “give up.” I read this    — be full of hope. Do give      two daughters and their
                                                                  reflection as a sort of inter-   up bitterness — turn to         husbands, and five grand-
                                                                  nal examination and found        forgiveness. Do give up         sons! So blessed!

                                                                  8 Continued from page 12              “When people ask what      over. “The last 40 hours has
                                                                  Ella, spoke to both teams        they can do to help A.J. and    seemed like two months.
                                                                  before the game, expressing      his family, my first response   We are filled with sadness
                                                                  the family’s thanks for the      it: Pray!,” Sullivan told The   and gravely concerned,
                                                                  outpouring of support and        Anchor. “So much prayer is      but prayer is so powerful.”
                                                                  prayers.                         needed in addition to the       And prayer is what A.J.,
                                                                      According to the Feehan      financial support that is       the Quetta Family, and the
                                                                  website, “A.J. was watching      going to be needed to help      Feehan family could use in
                                                                  the live-stream with Mrs.        A.J. and his family move        abundance.
                                                                  Quetta, texting his reactions    forward.”                           To help with A.J.’s
                                                                  throughout the game. From             Several times, when        medical treatment and
                                                                  the texts it was clear that      Sullivan was talking to The     recovery, visit the family’s
                                                                  A.J. supported his team-         Anchor, he choked up when       GoFundMe page at https://
                                                                  mates and, well, still hates     mentioning the support and      gofund.me/5c4593a5.
                                                                  to lose.”                        reactions of people from all        And pray.
14   		             † February 5, 2021
War of another kind: The DNA of family life
   D      espite the ex-
          istential body
blows thrown at the
                              key function is to con-
                              trol growth. The genetic
                              material contained within
                                                          previous generations of
                                                          cells is inextricably tied
                                                          both to the survival and
                                                                                              Like the biological
                                                                                         cell, the strength of the
                                                                                         nuclear family, as the
                                                                                                                        maintain its integral task,
                                                                                                                        or whether the Christian
                                                                                                                        inheritance it relies on
family in recent decades,     is a repository                                                  Church understands       for strength and purpose
there is a template that      of hereditary                                                    it, depends on its       will have to do battle with
might help to push back       information that                                                 various ingenious        a pernicious mutation.
against the present confu-    serves to orga-                                                  elements. Interesting-   Gene therapy, despite its
sion. In Biology 101, we      nize how the cell                                                ly, while both mem-      effectiveness when treat-
learned that at the center    reproduces itself,                                               branes are required      ing some diseases, is po-
of every plant or animal      meaning that the                                                 for the good of the      tentially disastrous when
cell is a nucleus, whose      inheritance from                                                 cell, one remark-        applied to the healthy
                                                                                               able feature is their    parts of cells. The Cate-
                                                          future of a particular liv-    asymmetry. Research has
  Diocese of Fall River TV Mass                           ing thing.                     shown that they cannot
                                                                                                                        chism reminds us: “The
                                                                                                                        family is the community
       on the Portuguese Channel                               The nucleus is sur-       be reversed; neither can       in which, from childhood,
                                                          rounded by two mem-            there be two inner mem-
    Sunday, February 7 at 7 p.m.                          branes — an inner and an branes or two outer, for
                                                                                                                        one can learn moral
                                                                                                                        values, begin to honor
    Broadcast from St. Francis Xavier                     outer — which comprise         each has a distinct, com-      God, and make good
       Church in East Providence                          the nuclear envelope. Not plementary, and irre-               use of freedom” (CCC,
                                                          only is this envelope es-      placeable role.                2207). With all the au-
                                                          sential to maintaining the          Moreover, the mem-        dacity of those who built
    Diocese of Fall River TV Mass                         shape of the nucleus, but
                                                          it contains pores which
                                                                                         branes’ task of filtering
                                                                                         incoming material and fa-
                                                                                                                        the tower of Babel, tin-
                                                                                                                        kering with the mission
        on the Portuguese Channel                         allow critical substances      cilitating outgoing mate-      of the family — whether
     Sunday, February 14 at 7 p.m.                        to enter and exit, without rial is integral to survival       its construction or what
                                                          which the cell would die.      and growth, and mirrors        is forced into its inner
      Broadcast from Santo Church                         It is fascinating to see       the way that the family        sanctum — threatens its
               in Fall River                              how, on the most subsid-       must interact with the         very ability to survive.
                                                          iary level, tremendously       outer world. Each filter’s     Altering its DNA can only
                                                          complex activities take        criterion is to distinguish    undermine its essential
  Diocese of Fall River TV Mass                           place which are ordered
                                                          not only to the very exis-
                                                                                         between what nourishes
                                                                                         the cell and the toxins
                                                                                                                        moral framework; and
                                                                                                                        vice versa, because in-
      on WLNE Channel 6                                   tence of living things, but that would destroy it. In         hibiting the benefits that
                                                          the flourishing of their       this regard, the Catechism
    Sunday, February 7 at 11:00 a.m.                      species.                       quotes from Gaudium et
                                                                                                                        healthy families offer to
                                                                                                                        society will diminish the
                                                               It requires no great      Spes: “The importance          surrounding culture well
                                                          leap to see how the            of the family for the life     into the future. There is
     Celebrant is Father Thomas C.                        Church relates this bi-        and well-being of society      already a quiet nuclear
    Lopes, retired priest of the Fall                     ological phenomenon            entails a particular re-       war simmering — one
                     River Diocese.                       to the most basic family       sponsibility for society to    effectively below the
                                                          structure. Indeed, the Cat- support and strengthen            radar of any standing
                                                          echism notes, “The fam-        Marriage and the family.       army. Parents everywhere
                                                          ily is the original cell of    Civil authority should         need to be vigilant, and
                                                          social life. It is the natural consider it a grave duty       safeguard that which has
                                                          society in which husband ‘to acknowledge the true
   Sunday, February 14 at 11:00 a.m.                                                                                    been entrusted to them so
                                                          and wife are called to give nature of Marriage and            that coming generations
                                                          themselves in love and in      the family, to protect and     may benefit by the stable
                                                          the gift of life. Author-      foster them, to safeguard      truths on which nature
                                                          ity, stability, and a life     public morality, and pro-      and grace depend.
         Celebrant is Father Robert
         A. Oliveira, Pastor of Holy                      of relationships within        mote domestic prosperi-            Anchor columnist
         Trinity Parish in Fall River.                    the family constitute the      ty’” (CCC, 2210).              Genevieve Kineke is the
                                                          foundations for freedom,            Thus, it should be-       author of “The Authentic
                                                          security, and fraternity       come clear in coming           Catholic Woman.” She
                                                          within society” (CCC,          months whether the             blogs at feminine-genius.
                                                          2207).                         family will be allowed to      typepad.com.

                                                                                                           February 5, 2021 †                   15
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