Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, January 13, 2023
Diocesan conference to focus on importance of the Eucharist in our lives By Dave Jolivet Editor
davejolivet@anchornews.org
EASTON — For the first time in three years, diocesan women and men will again gather for a day of prayer, praise and inspiration at the annual Women and Men’s Conference sponsored by the diocesan Secretariat for the New Evangelization. The primary focus will be the sacredness and importance of the most Holy Eucharist in lives of the faithful. The conference, themed “Receive Jesus. Worship Jesus.,” is open to all and will take place on March 10 at the Ames Sports Complex on the campus of Stonehill College in Easton. “There will be a very powerful and prayerful presence this year focusing on the Eucharist,” as part of the national threeyear Eucharistic Revival initiative, Beth Mahoney told The Anchor. Mahoney is the chairperson of the committee for the event, and principal of St. Stanislaus School in Fall River. “We have three
very dynamic speakers sharing topics to provide those in attendance with a better and clear understanding of how receiving the Eucharist nourishes us and brings us into a better relationship with God. She added that after two years of COVID restrictions, “We are so grateful… face-to-face again. . And there couldn’t be a better main theme than that of Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist.” The speakers this year will be Fall River Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., who has routinely spoken about the Eucharist’s importance in our lives since the beginning of the launch of the National Eucharistic Revival that began on the feast of Corpus Christi, June 19, 2022. That initiated a Year of Diocesan Revival that will run to June 11, 2023; followed by a Year of Diocesan Revival from June 11, 2023 to July 17, 2024; ending with a Eucharistic Congress from July 17-21, 2024 where 80,000 women, men and 8 Turn to page eight
Then-Auxiliary Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., of Newark, N.J., stands third from the right during a 2011 visit with Pope Benedict XVI. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano)
Bishop da Cunha shares reflection on the passing of Pope Benedict XVI
FALL RIVER — Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., on December 31 shared the following reflection on the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: Today God has called to His eternal reward Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, bringing to an end the earthy journey of this faithful and humble servant who became the 264th successor to St. Peter. His passing provides us with the opportunity to remember and reflect on his eight-year pontificate and to thank God for his extraordinary service to the Church and to the world. I am grateful for the opportunities that I had to meet Pope Benedict, to speak with him, to hear him speak, to concelebrate Mass with him and to be close to him. My first experience with him was when he came to the United States on his apostolic visit in 2008, meeting with all the bishops of the country and speaking to us at
the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on April 16 of that year. The next day, I was blessed to be among the bishops who concelebrated Mass with him at the Nationals Stadium in Washington, DC., with thousands of people partic-
Coverage of Pope Benedict’s funeral appears on page two.
my region, to gather with the Holy Father for a time of fraternal dialogue, to discuss issues affecting the Church in the world, especially in the United States. What remains so strongly with me from those meetings I had with him was his paternal attitude toward the bishops and his interest and care about our mission in our own dioceses. He showed amazing knowledge and great interest about what was happening in the world. Pope Benedict was an intellectual giant who actively participated in and influenced many of the documents of Vatican II, and he helped implement many of those pastoral principles that came out of that ecumenical Council. The influence of Pope Benedict has had on the Church is great, and his legacy will live on for generations to come. He had an incredible gift to communicate the truth about
ipating in what I consider a memorable experience. In May 2011, I was in Rome for the Beatification of St. Justin Russolillo, the founder of my Religious Congregation, the Society of Divine Vocations, when I met with him again during his general audience. As usual, he was the kind and gentle shepherd to world came to know. Again in 2011, while in the Vatican for the occasion of the ad limina visits of the bishops of the United States, I had the opportunity, together with the other bishops from 8 Turn to page five January 13, 2023 †
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