Christ is Risen. Alleluia!
Diocese of Fall River, Mass. † Friday, April 5, 2024
Solanus Casey Food Pantry provides sustenance and hope
Bishop Edgar da Cunha celebrates Easter Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. Clients ”shop” for food items at the Solanus Casey Food Pantry in New Bedford. The food pantry serves close to 400 people per week. come are grateful and friendly. By Joan D. Warren “It’s hard to express what I see Editor joandwarren@anchornews.org here. We are here to serve those NEW BEDFORD —The line with food insecurities, but at the end of the day, it is who we are being on Bonny Street in the south end served,” he said. of New Bedford stretched along
the sidewalk, around the corner and down Katherine Street. Folks weren’t waiting to purchase concert tickets or gain entrance to a show. They were patiently awaiting their turn to “shop” at the Solanus Casey’s Food Pantry, a ministry of Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Fall River. The chilly March morning with a steady breeze and mostly cloudy skies didn’t seem to bother them much. In fact, many were socializing with those in front or behind in line, some listened to music on their phones, and a mother sang lullaby’s to her infant in a stroller. This is a typical scene every Wednesday and Thursday morning from 10 am until noon at the food pantry. Kevin Frederic, coordinator for the food pantry, said the clients who
Solanus Casey Food Pantry Coordinator Kevin Frederic chats with Laurie Wilkerson and her mother Nancy Cahoon before they went shopping.
The “we” he speaks of are the dozens of volunteers that help make the food pantry operation a reality. “We have volunteers that the regulars who visit know on a first 8 Turn to page 14
2024 Easter Message
Bishop Edgar da Cunha, S.D.V
At last, after preparing during six-weeks of Lent, we celebrate the joyous feast of Easter, the heart of our Christian faith. Our faith flows from our belief in the Resurrection. Christ’s victory over sin and death means new life for us all. Easter is the proof of God’s love for humanity and our assurance that God wants all of us to be raised up after our own death and to live with him forever. We understand Easter as the passage from old to new; from darkness to light; and from suffering to joy. It is such a hope-filled and life-giving feast that we, the Church, celebrate Easter for not merely one day but for an entire 50-day season. Let us not miss this opportunity to enjoy, celebrate, and be inspired by all the beautiful symbols and messages the Easter season offers us. In my Lenten message, I proposed we offer our Lenten sacrifices for three special intentions to help us journey through the season with a more focused purpose. What if, for the Easter season, we continue to move forward in our faith practices with either the same or three new special intentions? For whom or for what intention can you continue to offer every prayer, every sacrifice, and every act of charity during the Easter Season in anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost? Did you experience a renewed energy in your prayer life over the last 40-plus days as you placed your attention on those things you most desire for your family, community, nation, or world? If you took my recommendation to write down your three most important intentions, go back to those now and reflect on where you saw God working in each intention. Then, write three new intentions to focus on for the 8 Turn to page 13
April 5, 2024 †
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