Answering God’s Call Through Service, Prayer, and Education

From Homelessness to Hope

Our Diocesan newspaper, The Anchor, recently published a story about Catholic Charities of Fall River’s Transitional Youth Housing Program, a transformative program that supports local individuals ages 18–24 who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability. The program provides safe, fully furnished, scattered-site housing in New Bedford and Fall River, offering residents stability, dignity, and a path toward independence.

Since its launch, the program has helped more than 25 young adults transition into stable, long-term housing. Residents are paired with case managers who support their mental health, education, employment, and long-term planning, with the goal of achieving full self-sufficiency within two years. Many participants are enrolled in college, working toward their high school equivalency degree, or employed full-time, with all living and educational expenses covered during their stay.

The program’s impact is remarkable. For example, one resident, Angelina, described her journey as finding “hope at the end of the road.” Led by coordinator Rosa Albassan (who offers professional expertise and lived experience), the program embodies Catholic Charities’ mission to serve the most vulnerable, offering not just housing, but a pathway for young adults to move from survival to hope.

Recognizing Men and Women in Consecrated Life

The World Day for Consecrated Life was instituted by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1997 as a time for the Church to give thanks for the witness of those who have dedicated their lives to God through the consecrated life. The annual date is February 2nd, but you may hear mention of it in your parish Mass this weekend. 

On this day, we pray for all women and men who have made these sacred commitments, and offer our gratitude for their faithful service. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God’s call in their lives.

On February 2, please join me in prayers for these faith-filled men and women in Consecrated Life. 

Growing in Faith, Learning, and Service at Our Catholic Schools

As our schools throughout the Diocese celebrate Catholic Schools Week, I want to introduce a student from Espirito Santo School in Fall River to share, from her own perspective, the transformative impact of her Catholic education. She is also a recipient of tuition assistance from FACE, a powerful reminder of the importance of this program in helping families provide their children with a Catholic school education.

Hello, my name is Leeza Rebelo and I am in 8th grade at Espirito Santo School in Fall

River. I have been going to Espirito Santo School since preschool. My younger brother has also been a student there since preschool and is currently in fifth grade.

My brother and I are both fortunate that my parents enrolled us at Espirito Santo School. The school offers us the opportunity of a faith-based education. This faith-based education not only strengthens our Christian morals and values but shapes us spiritually and intellectually as a whole. The school teaches and encourages us both to bring our faith home and out into our community. One way we bring our faith home is we pray before we eat and we also pray every night before bed. As a family, we attend church together weekly and parish events together.

The school is more than just teachers and students, for me it’s like a family. I have spent

all of my life in this school. The teachers are the backbone of this family. They don’t only teach us history, math, science, and ELA, but they also teach us patience, respect, kindness, and how to be Christ-like to one another. Once a teacher told us that he would hope that if we were to learn anything from our time at Espirito Santo, it was how to be kind to others. 

The school also offers me the opportunity to not only serve my community by collecting food during Thanksgiving for a local food pantry, the choir singing at a nursing home, or during Catholic Schools week collecting items for the needy, but also offers me the opportunity to serve my church as an altar server. Being an altar server has changed the way I look at the Mass not only because of the different perspective, but also seeing what has to happen to celebrate the Mass for everyone. I would not become an altar server, if it were not for my school.

I am grateful for the FACE Foundation. If it were not for FACE helping financially, my

brother and I might not be able to attend Espirito Santo. With today’s high financial burdens like higher taxes, food costs, and the overall high cost of living, FACE gives families the opportunity of sending their children to a school that offers their children a well-rounded education by alleviating some of the tuition costs.

Thank you to my family for all their love and support. Thank you to Espirito Santo

School for helping me grow over the years.

My thanks to Leeza for sharing her Catholic school experience.

+Bishop da Cunha