Diocesan adult Confirmation classes preparing to begin
By Becky Aubut, Anchor Staff
FALL RIVER, Mass. — Adult Confirmation classes will begin at the end of January in the Diocese of Fall River, and Deacon Bruce Bonneau said that while the age of those seeking the Sacrament may have risen slightly over the years, the motivation of those seeking Confirmation remains the same.
“My whole sense is people are seeking God as they gain more life experience, as they work in a very complicated and chaotic world,” said Deacon Bonneau. “There’s definitely a need and a search for a spiritual life.”
Working in the Office of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Fall River as the assistant director for evangelization and spirituality, Deacon Bonneau stressed that candidates looking to be confirmed in the Catholic faith should be aware that the five-week-long session is only one component of a much larger picture.
Jason Brilhante to be ordained a transitional deacon tomorrow
By Kenneth J. Souza, Anchor Staff
FALL RIVER, Mass. — Fall River native and seminarian Jason Brilhante will take the penultimate step towards fulfilling his calling to the priesthood tomorrow when he’s ordained a transitional deacon by Bishop George W. Coleman inside the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption at 11 a.m.
“It’s very exciting,” Brilhante told The Anchor after completing a retreat in preparation for ordination earlier this week. “It’s been surreal how quickly time has passed during my seminary formation. I’m very much looking forward to being ordained a deacon this weekend and ultimately a priest in the Diocese of Fall River, implementing the new evangelization and administering the Sacraments. It’s something I’ve been desiring since entering the seminary.”
Boston bakery distributor practices ‘Charity in Truth’
By Kenneth J. Souza, Anchor Staff
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — As a Catholic, Andy LaVallee, founder and CEO of LaVallee’s Bakery Distributors in Waltham, feels charitable work is his moral responsibility.
“We run our company on two real basic values that came out of Pope Benedict’s encyclical, ‘Charity in Truth,’ and that is stewardship is a gift from God and that it’s something we’re only in possession of, so what we do with it is important,” LaVallee said. “We feel like it’s a real moral responsibility as a Catholic to do certain things for the community. So we need to take care of some of the Catholic-based food pantries and charities in the area.”
So when his prosperous bakery distribution company has a surplus 1,200 or 1,500 cases of fresh-baked bread on hand, they donate them to places like the Lazarus House or St. Francis House in Boston, or the food pantry at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in New Bedford.
Obama administration promoting a gay and lesbian agenda in foreign policy
By Christine M. Williams, Anchor Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D.C. — When President Barack Obama declared that he would no longer uphold the Defense of Marriage Act in court, he set a rare precedent for domestic policy. Last month, he vowed to export that policy to the rest of the world.
On December 6, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced to United Nations diplomats in Geneva that U.S. agencies engaged abroad have been instructed to “combat the criminalization of LGBT status or conduct.” (LGBT is an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-gender.) President Obama called ending discrimination against LGBT persons “central” to the U.S. commitment to promoting human rights in a memo released later the same day.
In her speech, Clinton said that all people deserve to be treated with dignity “no matter whom they love” and said that those who defend human rights are “on the right side of history.”