The Compass, March 25
- 18 hours ago
- 10 min read
Spring Has Sprung!
Easter Flower Orders
If you would like to purchase flowers in honor or in memory of a loved one, please make sure your donations are in no later than March 31. Order forms are on the table in the back of the sanctuary.
You can also drop a check off at the mail slot on the office door. Please indicate which flower(s) you would like. Prices are below.
Tulips: $10
Hyacinth: $10
Lily: $20
Welcome Two NEW Members
Please join us in welcoming two new members of our church: Jessica Smith and Daniel Everton. Both have been attending services pretty regularly, so you may already know them. But if not, please give them a warm welcome.
Upcoming Memorial Services
April 18 at 1:30 PM: Aurore Chace (July 27, 1921 - October 5, 2025)
DARTMOUTH-Aurore B. Chace of South Dartmouth passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at the age of 104. She was the wife of the late Robert M. Chace and mother to Peter Chace, Deborah Hayes, and Ann Chace Sheldon. Grandmother to Christina Shipman, Windy Chace Eyler, Stacy Chace Field, Eliza Chace, Andrew Chace, and Peter Chace. Great-grandmother to Patrick Shipman, Melody Orbegoso, Zachary Magary, Robby Chace, and Tommy Chace, and great-great-grandmother to Leo and Liliana Orbegoso. She is also survived by her sister Esther Davenport of Chelmsford, Mass, and by several nieces and nephews.
Aurore was a graduate of Dartmouth High School and a 1942 graduate of the Truesdale School of Nursing. She went on to be a Labor and Delivery Supervisor at Truesdale Hospital. She was well respected by both nurses and physicians. Aurore was also a private duty nurse for many years. She was an active member of the nursing alumni association.
Aurore was an active community member in the Town of Dartmouth, serving as a Girl Scout Leader, Mariners Leader, and a member of the Women's Alliance of the Unitarian Church. She was an avid gardener, cook, baker, knitter, seamstress, and quilter. The cookie jar was always full, and the kettle was ready to go for a cup of tea when you visited Aurore's home.
Aurore was an avid sailor and member of the New Bedford Yacht Club.
She was always found by her husband's side, manning the sails on their many sailing trips, whether it was a day visit to Cutty Hunk or a month-long sail to Maine with friends.
Aurora always demonstrated a kind heart and was a friend to many in Dartmouth. She lived a full, productive life as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and RN. She was a second mother to many of her nieces and nephews. A memorial service to honor Aurore and her amazing life will be held at the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford on April 18, 2026. A reception will be held following the service.
April 24 at 2 PM: Larry Jaquith (December 26, 1944 – November 9, 2025)
Laurence White Jaquith was born in Cambridge, MA, on December 26, 1944. He passed away in New Bedford, MA, on November 8, 2025, after a brief illness. Larry grew up in Lexington, MA. He attended Lawrence Academy, Hanover College, Brandeis University, and Harvard University, earning degrees in English literature and theatre arts.
From a young age, Larry followed a creative path, driven by his passion for design, literature, film, and ethnography. While serving in the Peace Corps with his wife, Connie, Larry designed and built their adobe home in the Bolivian village of Coromata Alta, where they shared agricultural techniques with the local Aymara community. Upon return to the United States, Larry led a distinguished career as professor and department chair of theatre arts at Kalamazoo College, playing a pivotal role in designing the college's new thrust stage for the theatre. It was during this time that he began conducting independent research on Maroon culture in Suriname's rainforest, a lifelong interest.
Larry's training in theatre arts provided him with a strong foundation for architectural and museum design. He worked in New York and Philadelphia before returning to New England, where he oversaw multiple architectural projects and produced several independent films.
Also an avid gardener, Larry's landscape designs in Michigan and Massachusetts were highly regarded, and he enjoyed consulting with friends and neighbors on horticulture techniques.
A love of literature drew Larry to New Bedford, MA, where he opened Subtext Books, curating rare editions and books about New Bedford's rich history. Subtext Books became an integral part of New Bedford's cultural community, offering book readings and signings, and participating in the New Bedford Book Festival and AHA! New Bedford cultural nights.
Larry was an active member of the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford for over a decade, where he served as chair of the Finance Committee. All will miss Larry's clever wit and charm.
Larry was predeceased by his parents, Wilbur and Virginia Jaquith; his sister, Cynthia Jaquith; and his brother, Bruce Jaquith. He is survived by his sister, Diane Jaquith; several nieces; a nephew; his former wife, Connie Jaquith; and many close friends.
Larry selected the following poem by Wendell Berry to share.
The Burial of the Old
The old, whose bodies encrust their lives,
Die, and that is well.
They unhinder what has struggled in them.
The light, painfully loved, that narrowed
And darkened in their minds
Becomes again the sky.
The young, who have looked on dying,
Turn back to the world, grown strangely
Alert to each other's bodies.
Wendell Berry
Did you miss Sunday Service? Watch it below!
Upcoming Services
Arts & Culture Nonprofit Meetings Scheduled
First Unitarian Church in New Bedford is forming an art & culture nonprofit! We will be facilitating a series of meetings to discuss details, board members, grants, and more.
Meeting Four: April 1, at 7 PM on Zoom
All interested individuals are encouraged to join the conversation.
Garden Committee Update
The garden committee will be scheduling a garden refresh somtime in mid-April. Please watch the newsletter for updates.
Volunteers Needed!
Are you looking for more ways to get involved? We have a few upcoming events that need volunteers. A HUGE thanks to those who have already reached out to express interest.
Beltane, May 3, 2026
We need people to plan the event, recruit volunteers to set up and break down.
We would like to include a child's Maypole this year, which means setting up two Maypoles
Musicians
Food planning
Karen can not do everything for this event. In order to make this happen, we need YOU! Please reach out to minister@uunewbedford.org to express your interest.
Jazz Concert, June 28, 2026
We need organizers and planners for food. Are we doing a bake sale? Providing sandwiches? Providing drinks? We need one person to be the point of contact and main organizer of food.
Volunteers to help with gift baskets and selling raffle tickets.
We are looking for a group of individuals to revive the Strategic Plan. An initial survey and outline were completed in 2020-2021, but a plan was not finalized. We want to analyze the findings and create a comprehensive 5-year plan. Interested parties would meet via Zoom. Please email admin@uunewbedford.org to express your interest.
March Thrift Shop Sale
Only a few days left of March!
Fill a bag of winter clothing for $2! (excludes jeans)
April Sale: 50% off decorative ceramics, planters, pottery, and vases.
May Sale: 50% off all framed items
June Sale: 50% off pre-season summer clothing & footwear
March 29: The Power of Paying Attention to The Wisdom Within
Holy Week!
One of our favorite hymns, Blue Boat Home, has been turned into a children's book! Click the image of the book to visit the UUA's online book store.
The wide universe is the ocean I travel and the earth is my blue boat home.
We are all travelers on this earth, sailing through the cosmos together on the planet we all share. Blue Boat Home follows an adult and child reverently experiencing a beautiful day together in their community, both appreciating the here and now and looking outward and upward to the vast transcendent glory of the universe. With musician Peter Mayer’s striking and poetic lyrics and imaginative illustrations by artist Sue Todd, Blue Boat Home will foster wonder and care for our natural world in young readers and adults alike.
Ages 4 to 8.
A Trembling Courage is Still Courage
This is an excerpt from “Courage Requires Vulnerability” a 2017 reflection by Rev. Marisol Caballero that is available on WorshipWeb.
Courage does not ask us to stop trembling; it asks us to find ways to incorporate our trembles into our dance.
Courage, the faithful companion of hope, is sticking around when “we” and “us” are spoken in contexts that clearly don’t mean “me.”
Courage is claiming this faith as home when nearly everything around me says I am out of place, yet everything inside me says I am home.
Courage is the generations and generations of ancestors who taught us to actively pursue joy, laughter, and celebration alongside outrage, grief, and fatigue.
The goddess Tonanztin, madre de los Méxicos, bringer of corn, nuestra morenita, teaches that we can make for ourselves a place of comfort and leave room for wonder, even when our home has been invaded and has become nearly unrecognizable. Courage is being firm in saying, “I know exactly where home is and what it looks like. I will figure out any way to get there, with the help of good friends. We will dance the whole way there, through the terrifying unknown. I will brave the rough waters knowing that my boat may be smalI but it is strong. I will leave a trail of beauty in my wake, so that other courageous seekers who follow will not be lonely on their journeys.”
Read the full essay here.
A Poem: Sarah Kay - Orange
Please share these events with your family and friends, and consider attending yourself. We would love to see you!
FREE Events Happening at UUNB
Being Human takes place every Friday at 11 AM. Please use the parking lot door.
No Kings 3: Power Belongs to the People
UUNB will open its doors on March 28th to bring comfort and hospitality starting at 2:00 PM, and will remain open until after the march. If you are able to drop off nibbles for our visitors, please do. Your generosity is always appreciated.
Below is the march route. The stars indicate the stops where there will be guest speakers. Rev. Karen will be at the NB District Courthouse with an opening blessing. Tonianne is leading chants and song with members from Indivisible. We will also be ringing our bells 68 times to acknowledge each person who has been taken by ICE in New Bedford.
Open Mic is back, hosted by Octave Avenue (Kwang & Tonianne)! Open mic will take place on the LAST Sunday of each month.
We are still looking for volunteers for Beltane. Please rech out to Karen if you are interested.
House Passes the PROTECT Act!
Originally filed by the Massachusetts Black & Latino Legislative Caucus, the PROTECT Act establishes statewide standards governing interactions between state and local systems and federal immigration enforcement. It strengthens due process protections, limits civil immigration enforcement in courthouses, expands protections for victims of crime, and increases transparency, accountability, and clarity for correctional facilities and law enforcement.
The bill passed on March 25, 2026, includes the following policies:
Limits on Law Enforcement
The bill restricts state and local involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement. It prohibits law enforcement from inquiring about immigration status unless the inquiry is directly material to a specific criminal offense (for example: human trafficking), and bars the use of local resources for civil immigration enforcement. It limits the sharing of nonpublic information and advance release notifications.
The bill also prohibits law enforcement agencies and political subdivisions from executing, renewing, or materially expanding a 287(g) memorandum of agreement; and adds oversight and reporting. This change effectively allows only narrow, time-limited exceptions tied to criminal public safety purposes.
Courthouse Arrest Protections
The legislation limits civil arrests in courthouses by requiring a judicial warrant or order, and a review by a judicial official. Except in extraordinary circumstances, as determined by the judicial official, the bill also prohibits a civil arrest from being made in a courtroom.
Detention & Legal Access
The bill creates uniform standards for individuals in correctional facilities. It requires notice of legal rights in a person’s primary language at intake, guarantees confidential attorney-client communication, and mandates the timely tracking of custody status and transfers with notice to counsel and designated contacts. Under this bill, corrections facilities must provide interpretation services for key interactions and ensure access to court proceedings, including remote options. It also creates a public-facing system for locating detained individuals is also required.
Worker Notification
The legislation requires that employers provide written notice to employees within 48 hours of receiving a federal immigration inspection notice, such as an I-9 audit.
U & T Visa Certification Reform
The bill reforms the certification process for victims of crime and human trafficking. It also broadens qualifying criminal activity, clarifies that charges or convictions are not required, and mandates clear policies and timelines for certifying entities, including expedited review in urgent cases. Additionally, it creates a presumption of helpfulness for cooperating victims, prohibits fees and retaliation, and requires data reporting to ensure accountability.
Bail Consideration
Under this legislation, courts may consider the likelihood of imminent deportation when making bail determinations. By allowing this update, defendants remain available to appear at future court dates and fully participate in the proceedings. This helps preserve the Commonwealth’s interest in adjudicating cases on their merits and maintains continuity in the judicial process.
State Facilities & Guidance
The legislation authorizes the Governor to restrict civil immigration enforcement in nonpublic areas of state facilities, and requires multilingual guidance for agencies, private entities, law enforcement, and the public. The guidance addresses how to respond to enforcement actions, verify credentials, document interactions, and understand individual rights.
Enforcement
Additionally, the attorney general is authorized to enforce key provisions through civil actions, with courts empowered to order compliance, monitoring, and reporting. The bill also specifies that there is no private right of action, except an individual may apply for a writ of habeas corpus if the individual has reasonable cause to believe a violation occurred.
The bill passed the House of Representatives 134-21. It now goes to the Senate for consideration. To see how your Rep. voted, click here.
To read the full Press Release click here.
Our Mission is to encourage diversity and mutual acceptance and work for positive change in ourselves and our community.
"We envision a congregation in which we practice the principles of our faith. We seek to enjoy peaceful reflection and inspiration in intellectually and spiritually satisfying church services. We aim to embrace the people and efforts of our church community by supporting our children and their programs, our committees and their goals, our staff and their efforts on our behalf, and each other."
Our Promises
Each person is important.
Be kind in all you do.
We help each other learn.
We search for what is true.
Each person has a say.
Work for a peaceful world.
The web of life’s the way.
Build the beloved community, free from racism and oppression.
First Unitarian Church in New Bedford
71 8th Street, New Bedford, MA 02740
(508) 994-9686
Administrator ext. 10
Minister ext. 13
Karen cell: (508) 441-9344
Thrift Shop ext. 12
Board Members & Officers
Steve Carmel, President
Charles Morgan, Vice President
Deborah Carmel, Treasurer
Elise Rapoza, Secretary
Trustees
Committee Chairs
Staff
The Thrift Shop is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10 AM to 1 PM
(508)994-9686 ext.12
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