The Catholic Church Wants Your Opinions

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The Catholic Church worldwide is undertaking a “fact finding mission” to the extent that has never happened before. This project starts in Rome with the Pope and extends down right to St. Mary’s in Fairhaven. The Catholic Church hierarchy is very interested in what Catholics around the world are thinking about their Church.

            Participating Catholics, former Catholics and nonparticipating Catholics are all invited to a one-time meeting where your thoughts, opinions and questions will be heard and communicated.

            The Vatican will address issues worldwide, but if you attend the session at St. Mary’s in Fairhaven, this local parish will be able to take action immediately on positive ideas and suggestions.

            Over the past years, the attendance at Catholic churches has been declining, and with the Pandemic, the attendance in many Churches has been cut in half. The Church scandals have had an effect, the Catholic population is aging, some Catholic churches have closed, and of course, the Pandemic have forced families to stay away from in-person masses for over a year. When people get in the habit of not going, it can be a challenge to get them to change their new habits.

            On a positive note, although attendance at weekly Catholic Mass has declined, the registration at Catholic Private Schools has been growing over the recent years, especially during the Pandemic. In Fairhaven, New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth and Fall River, there are 10 elementary schools and 2 Catholic high schools.

            The Catholic Church also operates Catholic Charities and nursing homes. But the School System and the Charity work are different from the benefits Parishioners get from weekly mass and Parish Activity.

            The main focus on this “fact finding” process is to focus on the issue of weekly mass attendance and local Parish participation by the parishioners themselves.

            The goal of the process is to make each parish in the U.S. and here in the south coast the best it can be for our current parishioners and to make the Church as welcoming as possible to any new parishioners. The time involved for you would be one meeting, a couple of hours. Your part is not an ongoing process.

            The official name for this worldwide “fact finding” process is a Synod. This type of meeting for discussions and input is generally held at the senior levels of the Church hierarchy, but now for the first time the process is being implemented at the local level.

            It will be refreshing to hear firsthand what all Catholics, participating or not, are thinking about parish life in their Church. The discussions will be a judgment-free zone where all ideas are open for discussion.

            It’s important that everyone involved in the Church now, or those who are thinking about the Church, will have an avenue where their individual thoughts, ideas, feelings and impressions will be listened to and heard. This is a one-time meeting, a couple of hours, not an ongoing process.   

            And immediate changes or adjustments may be made at St. Mary’s Fairhaven if there is consensus, and the suggestions are doable for the local Church.

            To participate, please send your contact information to St. Mary’s Fairhaven: stmarysfairhaven@comcast.net   (508)992-7300 or text to (603)493-2512.

Thank you for your consideration!

Florence Marie Dubois

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It is with great sadness that the family of Florence Marie Dubois of Dartmouth, announces her passing on Saturday, January 1, 2022, at the age of 63. She was the beloved daughter of Pauline (Hubert) Dubois and the late Joseph H. Dubois.

            Affectionately known as Flo, she lived most of her life in Acushnet and Mattapoisett before moving to South Dartmouth. She graduated from New Bedford Vocational Regional School and worked as a waitress at the Mattapoisett Diner for many years.

            Flo loved her son Justin and was so proud of all his accomplishments. She adored her two beautiful grandchildren Brantley and Ember. Florence was generous to a fault and would give the shirt off her back to anyone in need. Her love of the ocean was well known and her favorite spot was Ned’s Point in Mattapoisett. It was there she could feel her worries of the day wash away with the tides. Sitting by an open campfire while listening to the beautiful sounds of nature brought great comfort to her heart and soul. She enjoyed music and attended numerous concerts throughout the years. Flo had a lovely voice and could always be heard singing or humming a favorite tune. She will be truly missed by all who loved her.

            Florence is survived by her son Justin Dubois, his wife Courtney, their two adored children Brantley and Ember Dubois all of Marion. Two brothers David Dubois, his wife Robin of Westport, Michael Dubois his wife Lynne of Fairhaven, sister Michelle Dubois and her partner Misty Reis of New Bedford. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

            Flo was predeceased by her brothers Raymond and Steven Dubois.

            Services will be scheduled in the near future. Arrangements are in the care of Rock Funeral Home, 1285 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford. For online tributes, please visit: www.rock-funeralhome.com

Mattapoisett Library Artist Series

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Mattapoisett Free Public Library 2021/2022 Artist Series: Ruth Fortier: Creative Explorations on January 15 to February 14. Local area resident Ruth A. Fortier was born and raised in the Berkshires and attended Berkshire Community College where she received an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts. Her focus was Art History and Calligraphy. Fortier then studied at Swain School of Design in New Bedford, receiving a BA in Sculpture. Fortier was honored in the Who’s Who among College Students in 1984. Fortier has a broad artistic perspective and has created several series of paintings. Her work has been shown at various art exhibitions.

ConCom Approves Wall in ‘V’ Zone

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            The solid wall on the north side of Arthur Solomon’s outdoor kitchen and extended patio at 538 Point Road was given the green light by the Marion Conservation Commission after it was determined during the commission’s December 23 meeting that any deflection of stormwater would be funneled to the front of his property.

            The public hearing to adjudicate Solomon’s Notice of Intent via engineer Greg Drake’s proposal was held on a Zoom call and about a home located in the velocity zone and partially within the 100-foot buffer zone to a coast beach at Blankenship Cove.

            Drake, of Franklin-based Outback Engineering, explained that the property lies within the coastal bank also near some salt marsh and is land subject to coastal-storm flowage.

            Commissioner Jeff Doubrava noticed that a hardwall being was proposed along the roadway side of the structure. “This is a structure with a fixed, vertical wall in the (velocity) zone. … That’s my concern. … I don’t know what the FEMA rights are for an accessory structure.”

            After Drake acknowledged the question and said he would discuss the matter with the architect, Doubrava framed his concern in terms of where the water would deflect toward in the case of a coastal storm. “You don’t want waves in the velocity zone, you want to evenly disperse the energy,” he said.

            “I don’t have a problem with this design,” said Chairman Shaun Walsh. “As Greg alluded to, this is not a four-sided structure where, if you’re building a home or a garage … in the (velocity) zone, you do have to have breakaway walls, you to have to have openings, flood vents so that water can flow through them.”

            While acknowledging the FEMA question raised by Doubrava, Walsh said Blankenship Cove offers protection from southwest storms, but the flooding of area coves like Blankenship and Planting Island is of greater concern. Nonetheless, Walsh expects wave energy to deflect water primarily westward (toward the homeowner’s property.)

            Member Marc Bellanger agreed with Walsh that grading around the seawall is not necessary.

            Walsh reiterated that he believes the design as presented is “approve-able” and added that there are no specific performance standards with land subject to coastal-storm flowage. “We encourage applicants to design plans so that you don’t create alleyways where stormwaters can get funneled and pick up more velocity and do more damage, more erosion,” he said. “We try to minimize hard obstructions that will deflect wave energy.”

            The entire house is within the velocity zone, according to Walsh, so he wasn’t sure what could be accomplished by requesting the applicant make revisions to the design.

            “I don’t disagree with anything you said. My concern is more about consistency because we have asked people to (revise designs because they’re in the velocity zone,)” said Doubrava. “But I agree with you, if the wave energy is going to be funneling some place, it’s right at the front of the house.”

            Walsh acknowledged Doubrava’s point, and the commissioners voted to close the public hearing. Later in the meeting, the three that constituted a quorum on December 23, Doubrava, Walsh and Marc Bellanger, voted to issue Solomon an Order of Conditions with several special conditions including 20 additional feet of silt fence or hay bales at the ready.

            In two votes, ConCom approved certificates of compliance for land on Assessors Map 24A, Lot 39, the wooded lot adjacent to the Brew Fish restaurant parking lot.

            Following up on allegations made regarding land owned by Dennis Lynch, 173 Wareham Street, ConCom members visited the site and came away comfortable with what they saw. Walsh suggested that any work proposed in the former bog area should consider filing a Request for Determination of Applicability and that the site could be assessed to see if it is jurisdictional.

            The Town of Marion Department of Public Works asked ConCom for emergency certification to fix a leaking fire hydrant across from 50 Point Road. Walsh said the fire hydrant is basically inoperable and situated next to land subject to storm flowage. Conservation Agent Doug Guey-Lee signed the approval.

            The commissioners voted to issue an emergency certification to the DPW’s Water Department to remove the hydrant and cap the water main.

            Cynthia Callow’s resignation from the Conservation Commission included the office of clerk. Doubrava agreed to take on the clerk’s role, and the members voted their approval. Callow resigned to focus her efforts as chairperson of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

            In wishing the commissioners a Merry Christmas and happy holidays, Walsh said that 2021 will be the year that Marion finally got a conservation agent.

            The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, January 12, at 7:00 pm.

Marion Conservation Commission

By Mick Colageo

Lighthouse Santa Made Dreams Come True

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On Christmas day, before the turn of the 20th century of the historic era of New England, lighthouses beaconed their beams and blew their fog horns to warn shipping lanes of potential dangers that might lie ahead.

            At that critical position as lighthouse keeper to the safety of nautical traffic for the decades ahead, they were frequently called into action as heroic saviors of seamen’s lives as well as prevention of shipwrecks themselves on rocky shoals. Women were often heroines instead of men, as keeper Ida Lewis of Lime Rock Light in Newport, Rhode Island, repeatedly saved one life after another during her tenure in that rescue responsibility.

            Whole families of men, women and children shared the isolated lifestyles in remote locations of the living quarters, especially lonesome on the eve of holidays like Christmas when youngsters “dream of sugar plums dancing in their heads and that St. Nicholas with gifts soon would be there.” However, the possibility of this youthful anticipation that could not happen was brought into reality by the so-called flying Santa Clause by the name of aerial pilot William Wincapaw, who dared to drop presents from his single-engine plane for youngsters waiting down below to catch them.

            At Christmas in 1929, he shrugged off bad weather reports and took off above the rocky coast of Maine in his mission that almost cost him his life. As he entered a raging snowstorm, he could not even see out his window, and his instruments were not working properly. He was blown off his course by heavy winds flying blind and soon was almost out of fuel. Dropping down below the storm, the beam from Dice Head Light in Castine, Maine and five more lighthouses soon led him safely to land in Rockland, Maine. A grateful pilot took off a few days later with cookies, coffee, tea and a copy of Farmer’s Almanac.

            A coffee manufacturer subsequently loaned Wincapaw a seaplane to land on the water and deliver presents, and children collected rocks and sticks to signal all those still passing high overhead, saying thanks for a Merry Christmas.

            Wincapaw retired in 1947, and a flying club of volunteers was formed to replace him. He was finally killed when his plane crashed in Rockland harbor. Hundreds attended his funeral, and lighthouses all over New England sounded their foghorns in his honor.

            In 1998, the Friends of Flying Santa was incorporated for the future that started from materializing young children’s Christmas wishes while living at a New England lighthouse.

By George B. Emmons

Mattapoisett Library Climate Discussion

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Mattapoisett Free Public Library is hosting a discussion of Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation by Paul Hawken. Climate change is an important and timely issue across the globe, and communities everywhere are mobilizing citizen action groups and local committees to respond to the crisis. Coastal communities, such as Mattapoisett, are at increased risk for erosion and tidal flooding due to the effects of climate change. Join us for a discussion of Paul Hawken’s latest call to action, Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation and get the conversation started about how our community can get to “net zero.”  We will meet at the library, 7 Barstow St. and via Zoom on Saturday, January 8 at 2 pm to discuss the sections on Food and Industry. Participants will also contribute to the creation of a list of actions for Mattapoisett citizens to take in living a more sustainable lifestyle.

            Copies of Hawken’s book are available free to any interested participant thanks to grant funding from the Richard and Ann J. Prouty Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee. To get a copy, email Jennifer Jones at jjones@sailsinc.org or click the link located on the grant page, Start Locally – Live Sustainably, on the library’s website. The books are yours to keep after the program, and there are many copies still available.

            The Library now has Terracycle boxes to help our community recycle items that cannot go into the trash or are difficult to recycle. We are starting with ink cartridges and power cords/power strips. Bring these items to the library to put into the Terracycle box and when the box is full, Terracycle will send us a label to ship it for recycling. We will get more boxes each month for more types of household items with grant funding to help the community reduce the amount of waste going to the transfer station.

            Register on the library’s calendar of events to attend in person or get the Zoom link to participate virtually. Mask wearing is strongly recommended if attending the program in person. Contact Jennifer Jones at jjones@sailsinc.org if you have any questions about the book or the discussion.

ZBA Considers Meters ‘Substantial’

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            Before attorney Mark Bobrowski finished presenting developer Ken Steen’s case for a revision of water-metering practices at Marion Village Estates, he told the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals that a vote to consider the revision a “substantial” change would motivate Steen’s next-day appeal to the state Housing Appeals Committee.

            “That’s how we intend to process that. It’s only fair that you know that. I usually play my cards faceup in matters such as this,” Bobrowski told the board.

            One adjective carried a lot of weight at the ZBA’s December 23 meeting, where the board heeded the advice of Town Counsel Jon Witten and voted 5-0 to consider the revision a substantial change.

            The result of the vote is that a decision on the petition will be rendered only after a public hearing, complete with the bells and whistles of consecutive weeks of legal advertising in The Wanderer, the customary notification to property abutters and the opportunity for the applicant to appeal the board’s decision.

            At issue for the town is the significance of potential revenue lost by allowing the change; therefore, the ZBA voted to consider Steen’s plan to replace six water meters serving 10 units each with 60 meters (one for each unit) a substantial change. The ZBA needed three votes and got all five.

            Bobrowski stated that the new metering practice should be considered insubstantial because it would make no impact on the use of water or the generation of sewage. “It’s just going to be metered differently. We’re simply asking you, look at the regulation, apply the regulation,” he said.

            The crux of his argument is based in the history of Marion Village Estates, which was built before the town’s tiering of water rates affected the setup. According to applicant, water at the development was meant to be metered according to the bottom price tier (Tier 1,) but in 2013, the technicality of the metering setup categorized Village Estates in Tier 3, the town’s most expensive rate.

            “If we knew at that time that the town was going to move the goalposts – that is what they’ve done,” said Steen, “we would have applied for the 60 meters at that time.” He also insisted that a 60-meter setup we would have been granted, “No question about it.”

            For the last eight years, Bobrowski said 40 percent of the project’s maintenance budget goes to paying water rates. He said that with an “insubstantial” consideration, the management company could then put money into areas besides paying the water bill.

            When it was said that the town is not going to like what the development is going to look like as a result of a rejection, ZBA member Margie Baldwin jumped in and said that “threats from the developer are totally unacceptable” and that the ZBA is not going “to be pushed around.”

            Consulted for a date on the public hearing, Bobrowski told the board it doesn’t matter because the state-level appeal will be heard first. Nonetheless, the ZBA scheduled the public hearing for Thursday, January 20. Bobrowski said he has a previously scheduled meeting that night and will not attend the ZBA.

            Shawn Batcheley, an abutter at 13 Fieldstone Lane in the Sippican Woods development, used the opportunity for public comment to launch a public complaint at Steen for what Batcheley termed “an exit strategy” that he said leaves the development’s homeowners without a snow-removal service and other promised maintenance.

            Due to dead ends in the configuration, the town does not wish to adopt Fieldstone Lane as a public way.

            After five signal interruptions via the Zoom link, ZBA Chairperson Cynthia Callow allowed Batcheley to resume his prepared statement.

            Stating that the homeowners are under the threat of a lawsuit for noncompliance but given short notice under the duress of the holidays, Batcheley appealed to the town for some sort of help. Town Administrator Jay McGrail acknowledged the plea and invited the homeowners to attend a Select Board meeting but noted it is not possible to meet again until Tuesday, January 4. At the suggestion of Select Board member Randy Parker, the homeowners will be included as an action item on the January 4 Select Board agenda.

            Witten said the only advice he could give in light of his position representing the town is that the homeowners need to hire an attorney.

            Callow advised Batcheley that his concerns over a retention pond can be brought to the attention of the town’s Conservation Commission, which would respond to the request to make a site visit.

            The long-anticipated presentation of Steen’s Heron Cove project was heard earlier and got off to a more amicable if abbreviated start.

            In Case 775, the applicant is seeking a Comprehensive Permit under the Limited Initiative Program (LIP) for a 40B affordable-housing development and this time has increased the plan from 96 to 120 units, according to Bobrowski.

            The attorney explained that a couple of parcels have been added to the site and will be reflected in the new package going out to ZBA members. Bobrowski confirmed that engineer Phil Cordeiro of Lakeville-based Allen and Major will be once again working with traffic consultant McMahon Associates.

            Since Witten was still waiting on a Project Eligibility Letter from the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD,) steps were taken to get peer-review consultants in place. To that end, Steen agreed to deposit $10,000 into a 53G account that the town will establish as a starting point for the peer-review compensation.

            “It’s not perfect, but it does move the ball forward,” said Witten. “Everything will be ready to go in January or whenever the board schedules the hearing.”

            After January 27 was targeted as a potential date for a full presentation, board administrator Anne Marie Tobia said a full agenda is already scheduled. It was agreed the Heron Cove presentation will be streamlined to accommodate the busy agenda and at the same time get the peer reviewers started on their work.

            ZBA member Dana Nilson reminded Callow that he and other members were not on the board when Heron Cove was last presented (and withdrawn for revision) but was assured that the new package includes the revisions for this new application and will bring the new ZBA members fully up to speed.

            The ZBA voted to continue Heron Cove to Thursday, January 27, at 6:45 pm.

            Callow announced that Building Commissioner Scott Shippey is leaving Marion after many years to work for the Town of Foxboro. The chairperson said that Shippey has been a pleasure to work with and wished him well.

            The next meeting of the Marion ZBA is scheduled for Thursday, January 13, at 6:30 pm. The Marion Village Estates public hearing will be held on January 20, and the continued public hearing for a Comprehensive Permit for the Heron Cove development will be part of a full agenda on January 27.

Marion Zoning Board of Appeals

By Mick Colageo

SOS from My Kitchen

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            The well-known adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” isn’t really based in truth. I know plenty of old, I mean senior people (not dogs,) who have never left the learning curve and strive to obtain new knowledge every day. And that goes for the culinary arts too.

            For yours truly, cooking meals that are flavorful and appealing to the eye comes rather naturally. Or at least I thought so. Then the pandemic began, and we found ourselves fully dependent on my ability to turn out meals at least once a day every day for an indefinite length of time.

            As the months wore on, cooking adventures became more like drudgery than cookery. My ability to cook main meals had a pattern that I couldn’t seem to break. Pasta and veggies, pasta and meat sauce, pasta cold as in salads or hot with some concoction plopped on top. Rice and beans, mildly seasoned or simply warmed up straight from the can – thank you Mr. Bush bean man. Chicken prepared in every conceivable way, same for fish. Beef, pork, turkey in rotation doing do-si-dos around a dinner plate. Boring.

            I like salads of all sorts, but not so much my husband, so I took to putting veggies in sauces and heavily into soups to ensure he wouldn’t need dietary supplements to survive. I felt responsible for his physical well-being. He was becoming less and less the man who would eat anything after finding chopped spinach is everything.

            Six months into the isolation I got sick of cooking and eating my own feeble recipes. What was once a pleasurable escape, dicing and chopping, sautéing and stewing, baking and frying to Motown tunes blasting in the background (Grandma got to get her groove on every now and then) became work versus hobby.

            Inspiration was needed. New tricks and ideas had to be found. Thank goodness for the Food Channel and PBS. Enter Julia, Jamie, Jacques and of course Martha. I tuned into Milk Street, Cook’s Country Kitchen and that Cajun cook whose name escapes me now. What these maestros could do to a chicken breast bordered on miraculous. It was a revelation. My “I eat anything” husband would not perish for the lack of a well-rounded meal. The only problem was me.

            But cooking takes a lot of work, a lot of standing on one’s feet. So after a full day of PT, standing at my computer working and walking the dog, the prospect of more upright activities was rather painful. I had to find a way to prep elements of a meal so that when it came time to actually cook, most of the sous-chef stuff was done, and I could breeze through cooking our supper.

            Right about now you might be asking yourself why I haven’t mentioned cleanup after cooking. Full disclosure – he does most of it. I’m blessed with a husband who doesn’t mind washing dishes, loading a dishwasher and cleaning the stovetop. Amen! The fact that I do have to QC some parts of the kitchen isn’t worth mentioning. Forget I mentioned it. I cook. He cleans. Period.

            I gauged my energy level to be moderately high until about 3:00 pm, then it took a nosedive oftentimes requiring a nap. So if there was some way to get most of the prep stuff done ahead of time, I’d be golden. My freezer would become my new best friend.

            Onions, peppers, potatoes, celery, carrots and garlic are now stored in meal-ready freezer bags. If I need an onion, I simply grab a prechopped one from the freezer, place it in the shimmering olive oil and enjoying the luscious fragrance. Problem solved. No more daily chopping, grinding, mincing or julienne slicing, everything is done in advance. This doesn’t solve those courses that require fresh, not previously frozen ingredients, but I digress.

            Still, every action has an equal (if opposite) reaction, we are taught by Mr. Newton. My freezer is now packed with small plastic bags of frozen vegetables, some of which are hard to distinguish from one another. I run the risk of putting celery into a simmering pot when I meant to put in fennel. Not all solutions are bulletproof. Now I often hear, “Honey, I can’t find the ice with all these damn bags in here!”

            The pandemic has taught me I’m not a great cook in spite of what my husband might think. He, after all, will eat just about anything. I realize I can cook about five things really well, and the rest of what I produce is what my father would have called “eatable.” Another man who would tuck into just about anything placed in front of him.

            The bitter truth is I’m sick of cooking every day. While on the one hand I appreciate that we have food, on the other hand I’m tired of stirring the pot. I just don’t want to cook any longer.

            I’ve toyed with the notion of going to a raw-food diet. That’s a thing, according to my internet sources. I know I could survive quite nicely on foods processed in my gut rather than on my stovetop, but that same man who will eat anything isn’t so willing to make the leap to uncooked foods, primarily plant-based. Bless his heart, he’s in the kitchen now sputtering about, getting his own meals from now on. Hold on a second, I think I hear him yelling in my direction, “Where do you keep the B*%#! can opener?!” Give me strength.

            PS: Note to C.O.A. directors, maybe you could offer cooking classes for despondent home cooks and their partners. Just saying…

This Mattapoisett Life

By Marilou Newell

MA Preservation Projects Fund Grant Cycle Announced

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The Marion Historical Commission would like to share information with the Tri-town communities about the next round of state Preservation Grants.

            The Massachusetts Historical Commission has just announced Round 28 of the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund grant program (MPPF.)

            The MPPF is a state-funded 50% reimbursable matching grant program established in 1984 to support the preservation of properties, landscapes and sites listed in the State Register of Historic Places. Applicants must be a municipality or nonprofit organization.

            Properties are listed in the State Register of Historic Places if they meet one of three criteria:

-Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

-Determined Eligible for National Register listing by the MA Historical Commission

-Included in the Inventory of Historic Assets of the local community

            Determination of a property’s eligibility can be obtained by accessing the MHC MACRIS online website: mhc-macris.net or by contacting the local historical commission in your town. (Please note that grant disbursement is subject to reauthorization of the capital accounts and the availability of sufficient allocated funds.) MPPF Round 28 application submission deadline is March 18. MPPF Round 28 scheduled grant award date is June 8.

            More information and the application materials and video can be found at: www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcmppf/mppfidx.htm.

            Questions should be directed to MHC Grants Division staff at 617-727-8470.

Mattapoisett Christmas Tree Disposal

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Christmas tree pickup in the Town of Mattapoisett is scheduled for the weeks of January 3 through January 14. Christmas trees should be placed curbside by 7:00 am on the day of your regularly scheduled rubbish pickup. Trees are also accepted at the Transfer Station on Tinkham Hill Road. Trees in plastic bags or with ornaments will not be picked up. If you have any questions, please contact the Mattapoisett Highway Department at 508 758-4181.