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Attleboro Indian Pilgrimage
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| Bishop Jacob Angadiath with concelebrants for Indian Pilgrimage Mass |
Taking our cue from Mary’s welcoming spirit at La Salette, our National Shrine in Attleboro, MA has always welcomed pilgrimages for special cultural groups including French-Canadians, Polish, Spanish, Vietnamese, Haitian, and Portuguese. This year we have officially welcomed our Indian brothers and sisters for their special pilgrimage.
On Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010, we hosted an Indian La Salette Pilgrimage. About 300 people gathered in the Church for Mass in Malayalam, their native language, followed by an outside procession and blessing in the Shrine Church. An extensive Indian meal concluded the day of prayer and reflection.
Attleboro Springs Opens
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| Walkers enjoying the beauty of nature |
ATTLEBORO -- Outdoor enthusiasts of all ages gathered at La Salette Shrine off Park Street on Saturday morning for the grand opening of the Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary. Tara Henrichon, the director of both the Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary and Attleboro Springs, was pleased with the turnout. "We're really happy to see a great turnout from all of the different partners that were involved. ... The events are going on all day, so we expect about 300 people over the course of the day," said Henrichon.
The sanctuary, which features a half-mile handicapped-accessible trail and a mile-long hiking trail, is an Audubon-run facility on land owned by La Salette Shrine and established in cooperation with the Attleboro Land Trust and the city. The sanctuary is on 117 acres of protected land at the shrine, which was once a part of the turn-of-the-century Attleboro Springs health resort and includes nature trails with level paths, a frog pond, a boardwalk over a vernal pool and other natural and historical attractions. Other features include a pine plantation and remnants of greenhouses and agricultural enterprises that once supported the health farm.
Saturday's event was full of activity as dedication ceremonies and guided tours around the sanctuary took place. There seemed to be something for every person to enjoy at each path. The Massachusetts Master Gardner Association was present to answer questions about gardening. The group's members also directed walkers on the paths, encouraging sightseers to enjoy the scenery.
Crowds of children eagerly asked questions about turtles to April Daley, of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. As Daley showed the differences between land and water turtles, the kids were delighted to see the two turtles, Francis and Joe, up close. "He is an Audubon enthusiast," said Attleboro resident Justine Curry of her 3-year-old son Jonathan. A member of the Preschool Prowlers, a group run by Audubon member Kathi Gariepy, Jonathan was enjoying the turtle display, one of many activities set up for children.
The Church as Missionary
One of the things that excited me as a student in Rome during the final sessions of the Second Vatican Council was that the Church emphasized that by her very nature the Church is missionary and our call to discipleship is a call to be missionary. This is strongly emphasized in the Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (Apostolicam Actuositatem) and the Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity (Ad Gentes). For this reason and many more I put great emphasis on Mission Trips.
This summer we sponsored five. We had two for the Middle School, two for High School and one for College students. Each one was unique and very enjoyable. One Middle School and one High School group attended a Catholic Heart Work camp that really enriched them with a new awareness of our call to service. One High School group went to New Orleans to help continue the clean up after Katrina and one Middle School stayed and worked in our parish.
Revamped "La Salette eXtreme”
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| Lauren Murphy, Coordinator of Youth Ministry at La Salette Shrine, shares with the teens. |
Youth Program Kicks Off
The youth program held on the first Friday of every month at La Salette Shrine in Attleboro is taking on a new name and new format in the hopes of getting more teen-aged Catholics involved.
Created in 2007 and formerly known as Extreme East, the newly-named La Salette eXtreme is a monthly program that provides teenagers with an opportunity to grow in and deepen their faith through praise and worship music, hearing the Gospel message, adoration, confession, and fellowship.
The revamped La Salette eXtreme kicked off with a program titled “No Strings Attached” and free pizza for all attendees.
Artists at Attleboro
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| Demonstration given by Michael Graves; picture shared by Ann Hussey |
We are told that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In addition, scripture tells us that we can see God’s presence, power and beauty in nature around us: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft” (Psalm 19:2).
Both these truths were evident in a special program offered by the La Salette National Shrine in Attleboro this past weekend, entitled “Festival of the Art, at the Shrine.” It was a great art educational opportunity for all ages.
Twelve nationally noted “Plein Air Painters” were painting on location at the Shrine and it was free to the public. The artists that participated were: John Caggiano, T. A. Charron, Robert Duffy, Paul Goodnow, Mike Graves, Barbara Lussier, Christopher Magadini, Margaret McWethy, Dianne P. Miller, Tony Nyzio, Catherine Raynes, and Eric Tobin.
They held demonstrations from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon and were seen painting on the Shrine grounds and in remote wooded areas all weekend. The weather was simply wonderful! New art was added to their display all weekend.
The Blessing Basket and Feeding the Hungry
Baskets have been part of our lives for centuries. Webster’s dictionary defines a basket as “a container made of interwoven cane, rushes, strips of wood etc, and often having a handle or handles.” We remember how Pharaoh’s daughter spotted a papyrus basket, which contained a baby, floating in the reeds near where she bathed. Later on she adopted that baby and called him Moses [Ex 2:1-10].
Centuries later Christ told us that one does not “light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp-stand, where it gives light to all in the house” [Mt 5:15]. In that same Gospel we read of how Jesus multiplied five loves and two fish for some 5,000 men – how many would there have been if all the women and children were counted? All ate and were satisfied, and [the disciples] picked up the fragments left over – twelve wicker baskets full” [14:20].
The Charism of Reconciliation and Its Practices
It is certainly an auspicious time for you as Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette to return once again to reflect on your charism, the work of reconciliation. In the past twenty years, there has been a renewed interest worldwide in this theme, coming from a variety of quarters. The upsurge of conflicts within nations in the 1990s focused leaders on the need to heal deep divisions in their societies.
Native peoples in the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand found their voice to witness to centuries of suffering at the hands of colonial masters and to seek pathways of renewal and reconstruction of their societies. An acknowledgement of the abuse, both physical and sexual, enacted on women and children brought into the public sphere the widespread nature of these violations of the most vulnerable, and has caused new measures to deal with the damage this has wreaked on so many lives and to put in place measures to reduce such activities in the future.
Attleboro Shrine: Great place to visit will become even better
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| Visitors stolling through the La Salette Christmas Festival of Lights in Attleboro, MA |
An opportunity at La Salette for wholesome family entertainment
The National Shine of Our Lady of La Salette, officially recognized recently as one of the best places to visit in Massachusetts, has been a favorite spot locally for decades.
The site on Park Street in Attleboro is renowned throughout New England, certainly, for its annual Christmas lighting display. That tradition began more than half a century ago and now includes 300,000 lights over 10 acres of land and attracts thousands of visitors annually, without an admission charge.
There are indoor and outdoor chapels, displays of Nativity scenes from around the world and places for contemplation and reflection. For many families, in fact, the holiday season is not complete without a visit to see "the lights." In the summer, the shrine, with its gardens and walks, provides a quiet retreat from the hectic pace of the outside world, no matter what your religious beliefs may be. Now the shrine may be known for something else; a destination for family fun. An art festival, fashion show, high tea and a performance by a well-known Irish vocal group are among a series of events planned over the next several weeks at La Salette.
Read more Attleboro Shrine: Great place to visit will become even better
St. Brendan’s Dedication
Built for Peanuts, Welcoming Everyone
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| Church of St. Brendan the Navigator |
Our parish, St. Brendan the Navigator Church in Ocean Isle, was established on May 18, 1983, as a mission to Sacred Heart Church in Whiteville to meet the growing needs of Catholics in South Brunswick County, North Carolina. The first Mass on May 4, 1985 was celebrated in our original parish hall, a metal structure costing just $100,000.
Plans for a permanent church began with groundbreaking in March, 1994, and then the dedication on January 15, 1995. The church was literally “built for peanuts”; that is, parishioners planted, prepared and packaged peanuts, selling them locally as well as by mail order. This church sanctuary had seating to accommodate 500 – 600 people.
This area of North Carolina is very popular with vacationers looking to golf on the over 100 courses or enjoy the pristine Brunswick Isle beaches. Therefore our parish continued to grow steadily, fueled by retirees and baby boomers moving down from the north. The summer influx of visitors also created the need for additional seasonal Masses. The Easter worshippers swelled to over 4,000 people annually.
Our Parish HIV/AIDS Ministry: My Twenty Year Journey
A Surprising Beginning
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| Fr. Gene Barrette, M.S. |
I am a longtime happy member of St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Marietta, GA. One evening, almost twenty years ago, I received a call from a friend. He didn’t sound good; he wasn’t going to be able to keep our appointment. He said that his cold had turned into pneumonia and then he said, “Sharon I have something else to tell you. I have AIDS.” I said, “Terry, I am so sorry.” At that time I didn’t know much about HIV/AIDS but I knew it wasn’t good. I also knew that, at that point in time, there was not much hope for curing of his disease.
About a month later I noticed an announcement in my church bulletin. A La Salette priest by the name of Fr. Gene Barrette was planning to start an AIDS Ministry at our church. Something clicked but, of course, I ignored the invitation. I saw the announcement a few more times more and still ignored it.
I had been raised Catholic, went to all Catholic schools, considered myself a pretty good Christian but never wanted to “get involved and become a church lady”. Well, the Holy Spirit turned that click into a bang and a shove. I finally called Fr. Gene. He said there had been a good response and there would be a meeting soon.
Read more Our Parish HIV/AIDS Ministry: My Twenty Year Journey