Ordination 2023 Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, July 7, 2023
Samaritan House Shelter continues commitment to hope and Healing in new location By Shawna Erickson
Diocesan Catholic Foundation Special to The Anchor
TAUNTON — On June 28 a dedication was held with representatives of the Diocese of Fall River, non-profit partners, and city and state government officials to celebrate the Samaritan House Shelter’s new location. The gathering was an opportunity to acknowledge the many hands and hearts that contributed to opening its new home in the former Rectory of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish as well as to highlight the critically important work that the Samaritan House and its staff carries out every day. A longstanding ministry of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fall River, Samaritan House
provides shelter for 18 homeless individuals and serves as a vital conduit in linking them to additional resources to aid in their journeys toward transitional and permanent housing. CEO of Catholic Charities, Susan Mazzarella, reminded the group not only of the root of Samaritan House’s name from the Biblical Parable of the Good Samaritan aiding a brother in need, but also of the shelter’s current spiritual and corporal role. She said, “Pope Francis said that we must immerse ourselves in today’s problems and needs, bandaging wounds and healing broken hearts with closeness, compassion, and tender love. Here at Samaritan, we acknowledge that we cannot be 8 Turn to page 15
Susan Mazzarella, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fall River, speaks during a dedication ceremony for the new location of Samaritan House in Taunton on June 28. (Photo by John E. Kearns Jr.)
On June 3, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., ordained three men as priests of the Fall River Diocese at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River, and on June 9 he traveled to Aracaju, Brazil to ordain Father Thiago Menezes Santos. Top photo, the bishop says the Prayer of Ordination for, from front to back, Fathers Brian Connors, Christopher Hughes and John Garabedian. Middle photo, Father Jay Maddock; Father Walter Carreiro, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston; and Father Michael McManus pray over, from left to right, Father Connors, Hughes and Garabedian. Bottom photo, the bishop with Father Thiago Menezes Santos in Brazil. See page two for the bishop’s reflection of the events and page four for the reactions of the four new priests. July 7, 2023 † 1