Christmas lights continue to glow at La Salette Shrine, with COVID-19 guidelines ATTLEBORO — La Jan. 3, 2021. However, there DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER, MASS. † Salette Shrine in Attleboro will be many restrictions to FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2020 has become known assure the good health of throughout New England everyone. and beyond for its display No one will be allowed of religious Christmas on the grounds of the The La Salette Missionaries strongly feel that during this time of pandemic, the traditional Christmas Illuminations are needed more than ever as a sign of hope in these times of loss, stress and anxiety. Illuminations. Because of Shrine without wearing a COVID-19 and the pan- face mask. Individuals and demic, much thought has family groups will need gone into this year’s event. to respect the mandate After due consultation with for Social Distancing. The the authorities, a decision occupancy of every facility has been made to hold the will be limited according Solar panels in a parking lot at Stonehill College in Easton are providing a very Christmas Illuminations to the mandates of the cost-effective and ecologically safe energy alternative. Projects similar to this are that began on Thanksgiving Commonwealth of Massa- being installed across the diocese at various parishes and schools. (Photo courte- Day and will continue, be- chusetts. This includes the sy of Stonehill College.) ginning at 5 p.m., through 8 Turn to page 10 Some diocesan parishes, schools are looking skyward to efficiently meet their energy needs By Dave Jolivet so stretched the planet’s ca- cese of Fall River with his Editor pacity that our contempo- “Rebuilding in Faith and [email protected] rary lifestyle, unsustainable Hope,” message, outlining ACUSHNET — In as it is, can only precipitate the path the diocese should 2015 Pope Francis released catastrophes.” take to ensure its existence, an encyclical on the en- It was a warning from Spiritually and physically, vironment, “Laudato Si’ the Holy Father that hu- for many years to come. (Praise Be), On the Care mankind should, “clean up In his message Bishop of Our Common Home.” its act.” da Cunha stressed the im- The statue of Christ at La Salette Shrine appears ready In it he said, “The pace of In March of 2017, portance of rebuilding our to welcome visitors to the Festival of Lights, following consumption, waste and Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha, diocesan parishes, schools state health guidelines. (Photo by Robert Gillis) environmental change has S.D.V., presented the Dio- 8 Turn to page three Parish Faith Formation ministries reach out to students, families By David G. Carvalho weighed on the minds of parishes. “So many ishes across the diocese have adopted different Diocesan Faith Formation things are cancelled and shut down,” shared program models. As of mid-October, approxi- Senior Director Nate Schaff, director of Youth Ministry for mately 60 percent of parishes adopted a hybrid [email protected] Good Shepherd Parish on Martha’s Vineyard. model, with an additional 33 percent going fully FALL RIVER — As we continue to move “Students are spending more and more time remote. through an unprecedented year, parish Faith on devices, separated from their peers. Now Transitioning to a hybrid model meant Formation and youth ministry programs not more than ever, they need a place to socialize reassessing the use of facilities and putting in only launched but continue to find ways to min- and come together as a community, especially a new program structures. For Santo Christo ister to families. community of faith.” Parish in Fall River, this meant organizing The need to foster a sense of community, en- In trying to balance the need for meaningful students into groups that rotate their presence interaction with safety guidelines, many par- gage isolated individuals, and ensure safety have November8 Turn 27, 2020to page † eight 1 Bishop Connolly High School, In Force Technology and Fall River Police Department join forces as partners in school safety BOSTON — Massa- 9-1-1 calls can take an av- law enforcement arrives. tion window where staff taneously to the dispatch chusetts-based software erage of two to four min- ABOUT IN FORCE and faculty inside a school consoles, in-vehicle termi- company In Force Technol- utes to be routed from the TECHNOLOGY, LLC can provide real-time nals and mobile devices of ogy, LLC has joined forces centralized public safety School safety has al- intelligence-sharing with police officers in the field with Bishop Connolly answering point (PSAP) ways been the mission of each other and with po- regardless of duty status, High School and the Fall to the closest responding In Force Technology. Its lice officers responding avoiding the call routing River Police Department to agency, lengthening the leading-edge software ap- to an active threat. When process. First respond- protect the school’s stu- time for first re- seconds matter ers also have immediate dents and staff in the event sponders to get most, reducing access to a school’s digital of an active threat. Teach- on scene. The response time building schematics, aerial ers and faculty will now second under- and increasing photos, emergency opera- have the ability to immedi- lying problem communication tional plans, and Internet ately notify first responders at-risk facilities is the goal of IN protocol (IP)-based camera at the Fall River Police face is the in- FORCE911. feeds, which are integrated Department of an active ability to effec- The IN through the IN FORCE911 threat and communicate tively commu- FORCE911 soft- application to plan the best directly with them during nicate with each ware application approach for ending the the event to provide mis- other from inside the same plication, IN FORCE911, empowers school faculty, threat. sion-critical details needed building and to collective- enables an alert to reach staff and administrators The two-way commu- to end the threat as soon as ly provide specific details all internal staff and re- with the ability to launch nication window enables possible. of an active threat to law sponding agencies in less an alert from any device in those experiencing the PROBLEM WITH enforcement, causing than four seconds; in seconds, rather than min- threat to share informa- LEGACY 9-1-1 additional time delays and addition, the app provides utes. IN FORCE911 sends tion; as a result, school staff Traditionally placed leading to confusion when a two-way communica- alerts and messages simul- 8 Turn to page 12 2 † November 27, 2020 Diocesan parishes, schools look skyward for energy School in Acushnet and St. collaborate on an exhibit continued from page one Mary’s Parish in New Bed- at the school to enable the ford plan to install rooftop students to learn about the and ministries “Spiritually engineering, local zoning solar experts, Forefront En- systems, having the panels solar panels showing up on and materially,” and for issues, and interconnecting ergy and Resonant Energy, installed on the roof of a their roof. these institutions to become with the grid managed by to assist in the larger-scale particular structure on the Madeleine Barr is the “financially sustainable.” local utilities. All that has to process now going on. parish or school campus. liaison between Resonant On the “material” be resolved before a project Forefront Energy is Sacred Heart Nursing and the diocese. She told aspect of the rebuilding can physically begin.” contracted for the projects Home in New Bedford will The Anchor, “I love the process, the diocesan Harrington also added at St. Pius X Parish in South have carport and rooftop idea of doing an educa- Finance Office, along with that the process, as compli- Yarmouth and Our Lady of systems. tional activity with the the Catholic Schools Office cated as it is, is a win-win Grace Chapel, at Holy Re- According to Har- students at St. Francis to and a number of volunteers, dynamic for the diocese, deemer Parish in Chatham. rington, the Cape projects help connect them to the began looking at oppor- parishes and schools in- St. Pius X plans on are currently awaiting equipment being installed tunities to assist parishes volved. “In addition to the installing solar carports. results of an interconnection on their building. In the and schools. It is with this economic value add, the An illustration of this type group study at Eversource past, we’ve shared some plan in mind that solar savings to our environment of solar field can be found Energy, one of the largest resources with the teachers energy cropped up in many are dramatic. We also saw on page one. The size will energy providers in parts and have explored putting conversations as a way of a monitor in the lobby or producing efficient and a “In addition to the economic value add, the savings to our environment a classroom that shows the more cost-effective way to are dramatic. We also saw this as an opportunity to teach our school production of solar on a produce electricity in par- children about the benefits of renewable energy.” — Joseph Harrington, graph. One of our partners ishes and schools. director, diocesan Finance Office had their students make Not only did this en- their own graphs that were deavor fall into line with of eastern Massachusetts. hung in the hallways that Bishop da Cunha’s hopes this as an opportunity to be scaled down from the “They hope to have the re- matched how solar produc- for parish entities to be- teach our school children example shown, but the port by the spring/summer tion correlated to different come financially sustain- about the benefits of renew- theory is the same.