Our Lady of Fatima Statue Stopping in Berkshires; Vigil Set at St. Elizabeth's

Our Lady of Fatima

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church will host the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima for an overnight vigil on Sept. 10-11.

The statue will be at churches within the Diocese of Springfield from Sept. 8 through Sept. 28 as part of a two-year tour.

The procession at St. Elizabeth's begins Saturday, Sept. 10, after the 4 p.m. Mass and the vigil continues through the night until the 8:30 Mass on Sunday morning, Sept. 11.

After Mass at 10:45 a.m. on that Sunday, around noontime, the statue will be carried by firefighters to the city's Veterans Memorial, where a bell will be run for each of the airplanes involved in the Sept. 11 terror attacks. This will be followed by a moment of silence, addresses and a prayer.

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima will then be carried by police officers to Holden Street, transferred to parishioners and returned to the church. The custodian of the statue will give a speech about the messages of Fatima followed by a reception at the St. Elizabeth's Parish Center, where people may view the movie "The 13th Day: The True Story of Fatima," with food and refreshments.

The international statue is one of "twins" carved in 1947 according to the description of Sister Maria Lúcia, one of three children who claimed to see apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. It has traveled the world and, in 2014, was placed in the custody of The World Apostolate of Fatima, USA.

• Sept. 12: St. Mary's, Cheshire, 8 a.m. Mass
• Sept. 13: Sacred Heart, Pittsfield, 9 a.m. Mass    
• Sept. 14: Saint John Paul II, Adams, 8:30 a.m. Mass
• Sept 20:  St. Patrick's, Williamstown, 8:30 a.m. Mass
• Sept 26:  Divine Mercy Shrine, Stockbridge, 9 a.m. Mass

A date for Lee is also possible.

Other nearby stops include the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Chicopee, Sept. 15; Mother of Hope, Springfield, Sept. 16;  Our Lady of Fatima, Wilmington, Vt., Sept. 18; St Brigid's, Amherst, Sept. 22; Our Lady of the Hills, Haydenville, Sept. 25.  

See the website for a full schedule. http://wafusa.org/the-apostolate/national-pilgrim-virgin-statue/

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.