June Celebrations

Upcoming Ordination to Priesthood

Deacons Matthew F. Laird, William O’Donnell III, Gregory Quenneville, and Laurent M. Valliere, will be ordained priests for the Fall River Diocese on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at 11:00 am in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Fall River. After being ordained as transitional deacons in the midst of the pandemic, how wonderful to be able to celebrate this joyous occasion to priesthood surrounded by family, friends, and fellow clergy. The Ordination Mass is open to the public and we hope you will consider joining us. If you cannot be there in person, the Mass will also be available to watch via livestream on the Diocese of Fall River Facebook page.


Learn more about the Deacons to be ordained, here.

Pentecost (June 5th)

Pentecost signifies the end of the Easter season and will be celebrated this year on June 5th. Pentecost always occurs 50 days after Easter and ten days after His ascension into heaven.  It can fall anywhere between May 10 and June 13. Easter always occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. This is why Easter, Lent, and Pentecost fall on different dates each year.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus explained that he was going to send the Holy Spirit. “And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).
The Apostles, in the Upper Room, waited in hope and trust, despite being uncertain and fearful. Their hope was not misplaced. Once they received the Holy Spirit, they were never the same again. The moment the Holy Spirit came upon them, everything changed, and their lives were never the same again, and the world was never the same again. That is why we have the Church. That is why we have the Sacraments and everything we cherish about our Catholic faith because the Holy Spirit came. May you experience an outpouring of the Holy Spirit into your heart, home, and parish this Pentecost Sunday.
 

Cathedral Gala

The Lumen Christi Cathedral Gala will take place next Wednesday, June 8, at 6 pm at White’s of Westport. There is still time to purchase tickets and join us for this special event.


The musical entertainment will be provided by Vatican III which features from the Diocese of Fall River Father Matt Gill, Transitional Deacons Matthew Laird and Larry Valliere, as well as Father Patrick Fiorillo from the Archdiocese of Boston. All proceeds from this event will support repairs and renovations that will help us shine the light of our beloved Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption for years to come. To learn more about tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit the Cathedral Gala webpage.

More about St. Mary’s Cathedral

First having welcomed faithful parishioners in 1856 as a parish church, the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption has served as the center of our Diocese since 1904 – the very beginning of the ‘new’ Diocese of Fall River. 

The first stones were set in place for St. Mary’s more than a century and a half ago. Begun in 1852, the church was completed in 1856, bringing to fruition Reverend Edward Murphy’s vision for a noble building to be the spiritual home of the Catholic community in Fall River. It replaced the small, wood-framed structure named for St. John the Baptist, which had served the parish for fifteen years.
The design was prepared by the famed church architect, Patrick Keeley, in response to Fr. Murphy’s request for a building that would accommodate twelve hundred worshippers, as the number of Catholics in the thriving textile-mill town was starting to grow briskly, and as St. Mary’s would be for some time the only Catholic church in Fall River. The Catholic Foundation of Southern Massachusetts website provides more history on St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Yours in Christ,
Bishop da Cunha
 

The Most Reverend Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D.

The Bishop of Fall River