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WORLD NEWS 2 NATIONAL NEWS 3 GUEST EDITORIAL 4 POPE AUDIENCE 4 COMMENTARY 5 CATHOLIC QUIZ 5 AROUND DIOCESE 6 CAREERS & VOCATIONS 8
'You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.' - John 8:32
VOL. 70, NO. 20 MAY 14, 2021 WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS HOME DELIVERY $39/YEAR
FREE IN PARISHES & ON NEWSSTANDS
Welcoming migrants, refugees is opportunity for growth, pope says. 2
Blackstone Valley parishes plan for future
BY TANYA CONNOR THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS
Blackstone Valley parishes are working together to prepare for a vibrant future with fewer priests. Decisions are still to be made about how to do that. Leading the effort is Father Nicholas Desimone, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Uxbridge. He is also to become administrator of three of the parishes: Good Shepherd in the Linwood section of Uxbridge, St. Augustine's in Millville and St. Paul's in Blackstone. Father Victor Sierra, adminis- trator of the first two parishes, is moving on, Father Desimone said. Father Dennis J. O'Brien, a retired priest who is also di- ocesan minister to priests, has been serv- ing at St. Paul's since its pastor, Father D. Timothy O'Mara, died recently. Two more priests are to be assigned to assist Father Desimone. Father Thien X. Nguyen, who is to re- main pastor of St. Theresa Parish in Black- stone, said he and Father Desimone will work together on the process. Bishop McManus made these announce- ments in a letter shared publicly with the five parishes last weekend, Father Desim- one said. "Beginning July 1, 2021, we will embark on a mission of parish renewal in the Blackstone Valley Region," Bishop McMa- nus wrote in the letter, dated May 9. "We will engage each of the five parish communities in prayer, conversation, and discernment as we envision a vibrant fu- ture for the Church in the Blackstone Val- ley," the bishop said. He said that because there are fewer active priests now and many more are expected to retire soon, he anticipates ul- timately having only two priests to serve these parishes. "This means that we must also consider alternative models for parish configura- tion, including clustering (each parish remains a separate entity but shares a pastor) and merger (several parishes unite as one new parish entity with one or even multiple campuses)," he wrote. Father Desimone said no decisions have been made yet about merging parishes or closing church buildings. The configura- tion process, which will involve members of the parishes, is expected to last one to two years, he said. "The process of renewal - that is an on- going process," he said. "Why do we need parish renewal?" Bishop McManus asked in his letter. "Our parishes face a number of challenges - the parishioner base of some parishes Sometimes, the opportunity to pray with some- one "on-the-spot" will arise as we share our faith story or when someone shares a distressing problem. Don't be afraid to invite that person into God's presence through prayer. We don't have to be someone special to do this. Blessed Solanus Casey (1870-1957), a Franciscan friar, was a simple porter (receptionist) in his friary in Michigan. Nev- ertheless, his compassionate care led thousands of people to come to him for prayer. Later, hundreds of people pointed to their encounters with Blessed Solanus as turning points in their faith. Therese an- swered the door one day to find a young Jehovah's Witness named Brenda, who wanted to come in and talk. And since Therese had been praying for an opportunity to witness, she said, "Sure, if you will answer one ques- tion for me after you share." "Okay," was the answer. They got comfortable and Therese listened carefully. Then she asked her question: "Tell me, how did you de- cide to become a Jehovah's Witness?" "Well, I guess it all started when I was about twelve. I used to be Catholic until my grand- mother died and the priest told my grandfather he couldn't go to Communion at her funeral. My whole family stopped going to church after that," explained Brenda. In response to all the pain and the perceived offense behind her story (whether it was correct or not), Therese said, "I am so sorry. On behalf of that priest and the Catholic Church, please forgive us." Brenda burst into tears, so Therese offered to pray with her. If an opportunity for prayer comes up, be sure to remain humble and gentle. Ask the person if you might pray with them about their situation. Then just talk to God out loud. "Jesus, please come and help ______. I know you love her. We place her situ- ation in your hands, and we watch for your help." Leave a moment for silence as well. Then conclude with an expression of gratitude and confidence. "Thank you, Lord, for hearing us and for helping ______. We know your loving kindness is without end." If a serious concern has been expressed, you might follow up with a phone call, email, or text several days later. If you feel uncomfortable making up your own prayers, feel free to pray a formal prayer slowly, like the "Our Father" or the "Hail Mary." Finally, ask the person if they felt anything happening as you prayed, and listen carefully to the answer. Keep in mind that it is not the end of the world if someone refuses an invitation to pray, or if, when
Journey to serving the Lord
BY TANYA CONNOR
THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS
"Jos, we're praying for your vo- cation," the religious sisters told their high school principal. "That's nice," responded the young man. "You mean my voca- tion as a teacher? I love what I'm doing. I also feel I'm serving the Lord." In addition to being principal, he taught. "We're praying for your vocation to the priesthood," insisted the Re- ligious of Jesus and Mary. He was impressed; he hadn't told them of his previous interest in priesthood. But he told the sisters, "Don't waste your time; I discerned that already." Undeterred, the sisters said they would keep praying for his voca- tion - to the priesthood. "That's why I tell people God has a sense of humor," that young man, Deacon Jos Fernando Car- vajal Castrilln, told The Catholic Free Press. Tomorrow Bishop Mc- Manus is to ordain him a priest for the Diocese of Worcester at Mass at St. Paul Cathedral. This is his story. He was born on July 29, 1989, in Medelln, Colombia, the son of Luis Fernando Carvajal Arenas and Di- ana Lucia Castrilln Cardona. Gifts
10,445
Raised
$3,680,073
Percent of $5 million goal
74%
SEE BLACKSTONE , 6 SEE PRAYING , 6
TANYA CONNOR CFP
Blessing and ceremonial ground-breaking held for OLV GRACE Center
"Breaking ground" for the Grace Rett Athletic Complex and Education Center May 6 at Our Lady of the Valley Regional School in Uxbridge are Superintendent David Perda, Bishop McManus, Grace's family, Christopher, Brianne and Mary Jo Rett; Father Nicholas Desimone, St. Mary Parish's pastor; Thomas Wickstrom, consultative board chairman and Principal Edward Reynolds. Eighth-grader Lauren Moors said she couldn't think of anything more fitting to represent Grace, whom she looked up to for her energy, spirit and passion for sports. Eighth-grader Riley Cahalane said students feel valued at OLV and "this type of school spirit is consistent with who Grace was." See story on page 7.
Sharing the love of Christ in pandemic times
Praying with someone 'on the spot'
Article 8 in a series BY JOHN AND THERESE BOUCHER
SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS CNS PHOTO THE MICHIGAN CATHOLIC
Blessed Solanus Casey (1870- 1957), a Franciscan friar, was a simple porter (receptionist) in his friary in Michigan.
Ordinations
Five ordination liturgies for the Diocese of Worcester are scheduled in St. Paul Cathedral. COVID restrictions limit in-person attendance but anyone can watch via Livestream at worcesterdiocese.org. Those in Worcester can view live on cable WCCA, Spectrum Ch 194. May 15 at 10 a.m. Ordination to the priesthood Deacon Carlos F. Ardila Deacon Jose F. Carvajal May 29 at 10 a.m. Ordination to the transitional diaconate James Boulette Thiago Ibiapina Derek Mobilio May 29 at 2 p.m. Ordination to the transitional diaconate Cleber De Paula Julio Granados Juan Parra June 5 at 10 a.m. Ordination to the permanent diaconate Scott Camilleri John Ladroga Donald Pegg June 19 at 10 a.m. Ordination to the priesthood Deacon Lucas M. LaRoche Deacon John L. Larochelle SEE JOURNEY , 7
BY BILL DOYLE
CFP CORRESPONDENT
There are a lot of im- portant positions in the Diocese of Worcester, and, as director of the Office for Vocations, Fa- ther Donato Infante III certainly has one of them. "Basically, we recruit and train the next generation of priests," Father Infante said. The office plays a cru- cial role because too few young men are interested in becoming priests. "It's challenging, but it's very rewarding," Fa- ther Infante said, "and it's a lot of fun, in fact, because the people who do contact me, they're at the point where they're open to what God is do- ing in their heart, in their life, and they're zealous. They're asking, 'How am I supposed to serve God?' So it gives me a lot of hope to work with these young men and some- times older men, too." The diocese didn't or- dain any priests last year, but four are scheduled to be ordained this year, two in May and two in June. Father In- fante became the director of vocations in July 2019 and last year he walked five men through the application process. It usually takes six years to become a priest. "Vocations come from healthy parishes," he said. "We have excellent priests in our diocese. They are the ones who are inspiring men princi- pally and then they reach out to me. Is my role im- portant? Yes. But so is the
Office for Vocations: challenging and rewarding
SEE VOCATIONS , 7
CAREERS VOCATIONS
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