Mississippi Catholic 8 14 2020

AUGUST 14, 2020

mississippicatholic.com

On year later those affected by ICE raid still struggle

By Berta MeXidor King

and

Joanna Puddister

JACKSON – On Aug. 7, 2019 at least four Catholic parishes were shaken after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided chicken processing plants across the state, arresting 680 undocumented workers. The day left many children in fear and pain on their first day of school, as they were left with no place to go with their families taken from them.

As some were released from ICE custody to care for their children, a new reality set in. The loss of income, along with an unforeseeable future and questions on how their families may survive without loved ones in ICE custody.

About seven months later, between court appearances, possible deportation, and legal incertitude, pain for these communities came again, now in the form of an illness affecting everyone without discrimination of legal status. But for the families of affected families in Canton, Forest, Morton, and Carthage, the fear of COVID-19 was less than the fear for immigration officials.

Hundreds have gotten sick, and friends and family members have died due to COVID-19.

Many undocumented immigrants are avoiding tests and hospitals regardless of the authorities' promises of not to check legal status during medical tests due to the immense fear the ICE raids caused.

The situation is not localized only to Mississippi, but around the country too. Several of the famCANTON – Even today, children are still worried about their parents being taken from them by ICE. Last year ilies affected by the raids migrated to other states after the initial ICE raids across the state, children of undocumented immigrants held a rally on the historic – Continued on page 16 – Canton square on Aug. 11, 2019. (Photo of by Joanna Puddister King)

Loyola University Maryland removes Flannery O'Connor's name from hall By george P. MatyseK, Jr

The priest noted some of the new disclosures about O'Connor's use of racist language date to the 1940s when she was a teenager.

"They don't take into account any evolution in her thinking," he said.

The priest still felt the need to be sensitive to concerns, especially from students, about O'Connor's use of racist language and an admission in her correspondence that she did not like people of color.

"A residence hall is supposed to be the students' home," Father Linnane said. "If some of the students who

BALTIMORE (CNS) – Thirteen years after naming a new residence hall at Loyola University Maryland in honor of the Catholic author Flannery O'Connor, Jesuit Father Brian Linnane, the university's president, removed the writer's name from the building.

The structure will now be known as "Thea Bowman Hall," in honor of the first African American member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.

Sister Thea, a Mississippi native, was a tireless advocate for greater leadership roles for Blacks in the Catholic Church and for incorporating African American culture and spiritual traditions in Catholic worship in the latter half of the 20th century. Her sainthood cause is under consideration in Rome.

O'Connor, a Southern Gothic writer who died of lupus in 1964 at age 39, is recognized as one of the greatest short-story writers of her era, one whose work often examined complex moral INSIDE THIS WEEK questions.

Concerns about her use of racist language in private correspondence prompted more than 1,000 people to sign an online petition asking Loyola to rename the residence hall.

Father Linnane said it was a difficult decision and that the issue of O'Connor and race is very nuanced.

"I am not a scholar of Flannery O'Connor, but I have studied her fiction and non-fiction writings," he told the Catholic Review, Baltimore's archdiocesan news outlet.

Vocations 4 "Particularly in her fiction, the dignity of African AmeriMeet seminarian Will Fogcan persons and their worth is consistently upheld, with the bigots being the object of ridicule." go of St. Paul Flowood.

– Continued on page 6 –

Youth service 7 Natchez CYO completes summer service projects.

Sister Thea Bowman

Nosser's goodbye 13 After 41 years, teacher retires from Vicksburg.

AUGUST 14, 2020 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

Calendar of events SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

MAGNOLIA St. James Mission, you are invited to embark on a journey towards faith and racial healing sometime in the first week of Sept. via Zoom meetings.

It is an opportunity to further and deepen our desire to follow the way of Jesus. This program is not specifically Catholic. It is universal. All are welcome. The program is not about religion; it is about human dignity and respect.

If you are interested, please call or email. Details: Chris Ingrassia (301) 266-0433, gracie_eddie@yahoo.com.

Website is: https://justfaith.org/faith-and-racial-healing/.

NEW ORLEANS Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans (CCRNO). Speakers will be Deacon Larry and Andi Oney, internationally known speakers and authors. The theme is “The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory” and will focus on the call of the Lord to us now. The morning will include praise and worship, preaching and prayer.

Registration is $25 per person. Special price for youth ages 18-30, $10. Register online at www.ccrno.org no later than Wednesday, Aug. 26, 12 p.m. On-site registration will be accepted. Masks and distancing will be observed. Details: Visit www.ccrno.org or call CCRNO at 504-828-1368 for more information.

VIRTUAL Department of Faith Formation Fall Faith Formation Virtual Series. The theme this year is “Rise!”

Aug. 22 at 10 a.m. Roy Petitfils presents “Rise to Reali-

FEATURED PHOTO . . .

ty;” Aug. 24 at 10 a.m. Katie Prejean McGrady presents “Rise to the Journey;” and on Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. Deacon Art Miller presents “Rise to Hope.” Details: Contact Fran Lavelle at fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org or register at https://jacksondiocese.org/offices/faith-formation/.

PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS

CLARKSDALE Catholic Community of St. Elizabeth, Choosing Christ in the World/Lightworks, Tuesdays 12-1 p.m. (via parish Zoom) and ends Nov. 10. It is a program of prayer for spiritual growth based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola and designed to help you deepen your prayer life and your relationship with the Lord. Class size is limited to small group.

Details: church office (662) 624-4301.

CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Sunday School is planning to begin Sunday, Sept. 13. This year pre-registration is required to make sure all guidelines/procedures are met. If you prefer to teach at home, we will provide materials. Details: church office (662) 8466273 or www.olvcleveland/contact to register.

GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Germanfest 2020 cancelled. After consultation with the diocese, conversations with Father Kevin and our Germanfest Chairperson Eric Price, and much prayer, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel Germanfest this year. Due to uncertainties surrounding the COVID pandemic, the escalating numbers of illness, and the necessity of close and sustained contact during preparations, as well as the need to protect our parishioners and our visitors, we feel it is the best decision we can make at this time.

JACKSON St. Richard, Coffee and Creed, Sundays at 9:15 a.m. in Glynn Hall. Please wear a mask. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.

MADISON Bishop’s Cup Golf Scramble will be on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at the Lake Caroline golf course. Details: Contact Julia Williams at 601960-8481 or julia.williams@ jacksondiocese.org.

Visit https://one.bidpal.net/bishopscup2020/welcome for more information and to register.

Remembering Finn

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, JCYO (7th-8th grades, not 6th grade at this time), Scavenger Hunt Sunday, Aug. 23, 5:30-6:30 p.m. It will be teams of three hunting for … you have to come to find out. Water will be provided (no meals at this time). There will be prizes for the winners.

CYO (9th-12th grades), Wednesday, Aug. 19, 6-7 p.m. “Be Still” – this is something new in the Family Life Center. Pizza and drinks will be provided. It is not a class or program. Participating students will receive service hours. Sunday, Aug. 23, 7-8 p.m., Scavenger Hunt (see JCYO for description); Wednesday, Aug. 26, 6-7 p.m. (see above description); Sunday, Aug. 30, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Local Mission Work Camp was very fruitful this year to those who served and those who were served. We are pairing up with a few members of the Knights of Columbus and CYO parents to continue our mission work. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.

LIVE STREAMING

In person Masses are now open at many parishes within the Diocese of Jackson. Check with your local parish for details and follow guidelines in place for attendance.

Some parishes are still offering live streaming options via Facebook live and YouTube to bring Mass to the faithful.

The obligation to attend Mass continues to be dispensed, so if you do not feel safe attending, or have an underlying health condition, or feel sick, please stay home. Be safe and stay vigilant!

YOUTH BRIEFS

JACKSON – Ian Burkes remembers classmate Finn Blaylock, who passed away on Aug. 22, 2019, on his First Communion at St. Richard parish on June 21. (Photo by Caitlin Burkes)

MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, Youth programs are not cancelled, just delayed and coming back late Sept. with a different look. For now, the Life Teen YouTube channel offers several options for youth: Summit Teaching, for studying the upcoming Sunday readings in small groups of friends; Lectio Live, reflections on the Sunday readings and Here’s the Thing, Catholic takes on current happenings.

Details: church office (601) 856-5556.

For more info call Carmelite Gift Shop: 601 373 1460

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let there be light

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC AUGUST 14, 2020

Faith in the face of fear

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

JACKSON – In the midst of the pandemic and other harsh realities, we recognize that all of us are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. There are significant differences in everyone’s life that require unique responses of all. At the center of last Sunday’s Scripture is the good news that no matter what boat we are in, or cave, as we heard of Elijah on Mount Horeb (1Kings 19), the living God desires to pass by and enter into the boats and caves of our lives.

Can we see him, feel his presence, and hear him? Do we want to encounter him?

After the multiplication of the loaves and fishes it was compelling to realize that Jesus himself dismissed the crowds after sending his apostles ahead of him on the Sea of Galilee. Here we have the Word of life, the Bread of life, serving as a minister of hospitality. Dismissing 5,000 people not counting women and children, nearly ranks as another miracle. This is the God who calls us by name and holds us in the palms of his hands.

(Isaiah 41:13) But it is the storm on the sea of Galilee that assures us that Jesus Christ is present to us in the sudden squalls that strike without warning. (Matthew

14:22-33) As Jesus walks across the water to his storm-tossed apostles the unfolding drama reveals the contrast between the fear that paralyzes and the fear that saves. Without the Lord even the hard-boiled fishermen were going down in panic. With a hand clasp (Matthew 14:31) to save Peter from drowning, the Lord and he settled into the boat, and immediately the peace that only God can give ruled the wind and waves.

This was not the first time that Jesus accompanied Peter through his fears. On the shores of this same lake, Jesus invited himself into his fishing boat to better preach the word to the assembled throng. (Luke 5:111) He then directed him back into the deep to cast his nets for a catch that brought Peter to his knees. “Leave me Lord, for I am a sinful man.”(Luke 5:8) Actually the preaching of Jesus of Nazareth had softened his heart to be receptive to the gift of holy fear and the ensuing life-giving words. “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Like Peter in both encounters with the Lord, we too must take a step toward Jesus and follow his lead through the fog and gloom of uncertainty and anxiety that confronts us.

In the letter to the Romans, last Sunday’s second reading, the Lord is near to St. Paul in his grief over the painful realization that most of his fellow Israelites are rejecting his beloved Savior as the long-awaited Messiah. It was a heavy cross for St. Paul because he loves the Lord and his people and is deeply torn. “I have an

Fe ante el miedo Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

En medio de la pandemia y otras duras realidades, reconocemos que todos estamos en la misma tormenta, pero no en el mismo barco. Hay diferencias significativas en la vida de todos, que requieren respuestas únicas de todos. En el centro de las Escrituras del domingo pasado está la buena noticia en que no importa en qué barco estemos o en qué cueva, como oímos de Elías en el monte Horeb (1 Reyes 19), el Dios viviente desea pasar y entrar en los barcos y las cuevas de nuestras vidas. ¿Podemos verlo, sentir su presencia y escucharlo? ¿Queremos encontrarnos con él?

Después de la multiplicación de los panes y los peces, fue convincente darse cuenta de que Jesús mismo despidió a las multitudes después de enviar a sus apóstoles delante de él en el mar de Galilea. Aquí tenemos la Palabra de Vida, el Pan de Vida, sirviendo como ministro de hospitalidad. Al despedir a 5,000 personas sin contar a las mujeres y los niños, casi es otro milagro. Este es el Dios que nos llama por nuestro nombre y nos sostiene en las palmas de sus manos. (Isaías 41:13) Pero es la tormenta en el mar de Galilea lo que nos asegura que Jesucristo está presente para nosotros en las repentinas tormentas que golpean sin previo aviso. (Mateo Volume 66 Number 17 (ISSN 1529-1693)

P.O. Box 2130 Jackson, MS 39225-2130 Phone: 601-969-3581 E-mail: editor@jacksondiocese.org Publisher ........................................................................................... Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

infinite sadness and an incessant grief that torments my heart.” (Romans 9:1-5) The pandemic hit like a sudden squall and now it has settled in like a thick gloom that will not lift. Like St. Paul, currently, a growing number of people are feeling a similar pain with the loss of life, means, in some cases the work of a lifetime, along with the rhythms of daily life.

This is a daunting reality that can push us to the margins of our internal and external resources. Yet, it is also an invitation to deepen our faith in the Lord’s nearness in the face of fear. Can we hear his loving words that dispelled the distress of his apostles?

“Calm yourselves. Do not fear. It is I.” When we are feeling most vulnerable and fragile, our faith by the grace of God motivates us not to allow ourselves not to sink into fear. The amazing grace that allays our fears, also gives us the peace of Christ which allows us to walk by faith, and not by sight (2Corinthians 5:7), that shines on us who live in darkness and in the shadow of death.

With our options narrowed and our movements restricted, cannot God penetrate this cloud of unknowing to help us nurture our faith and enter more deeply into intentional concern for others, and so give witness to the living Lord.

With the difficult decisions facing many educators, parents and students for the fall semester, allowing the Lord to clasp our hand is a far better state of being than sinking into our own emotional sludge. This is the difference between fear and holy fear, the capacity to hear the Lord’s words that He is near, and to act upon this faith-filled knowledge.

14:22-33). Mientras Jesús camina sobre el agua hacia sus apóstoles azotados por la tormenta, el drama que se desarrolla revela el contraste entre el miedo que paraliza y el miedo que salva. Sin el Señor, incluso los pescadores duros caían presa del pánico.

Con un apretón de manos (Mateo 14:31) para salvar a Pedro de ahogarse, el Señor y él se acomodaron en la barca, e inmediatamente, la paz que solo Dios puede dar dominó el viento y las olas.

Esta no fue la primera vez que Jesús acompañó a Pedro a través de sus temores.

En las orillas de este mismo lago, Jesús se invitó a sí mismo a subir a su barco de pesca para predicar mejor la palabra a la multitud reunida. (Lucas 5:1-11) Luego lo dirigió de regreso al abismo para que echara sus redes en busca de una pesca que puso a Pedro de rodillas. “¡Apártate de mí, Señor, ¡porque soy un pecador!” (Lucas 5:8). En realidad, la predicación de Jesús de Nazaret había ablandado su corazón para que fuera receptivo al don del temor santo y las subsiguientes palabras vivificantes. “Síganme y yo los haré pescadores de hombres”. Como Pedro en ambos encuentros con el Señor, nosotros también debemos dar un paso hacia Jesús y seguir su ejemplo a través de la niebla y la penumbra de la incertidumbre y la ansiedad que nos enfrenta.

En la carta a los Romanos, la segunda lectura del domingo pasado, el Señor está cerca de San Pablo en su dolor por la dolorosa comprensión de que la mayoría de sus compañeros israelitas están rechazando a su amado Salvador como el Mesías tan esperado. Fue una cruz pesada para San Pablo porque ama al Señor y a su pueblo y está profundamente desgarrado. “tengo una gran tristeza y en mi corazón hay un dolor continuo”. (Romanos 9:1-5).

La pandemia golpeó como una ráfaga repentina y ahora se ha asentado como una densa oscuridad que no se disipa. Como San Pablo, en la actualidad, un número creciente de personas sienten un dolor similar con la pérdida de la vida, significa, – Continúa en la pág. 11 –

BISHOP KOPACZ’S SCHEDULE

Communications Director ....................................................................... Joanna Puddister King Production Manager....................................................................................................Tereza Ma Contributors ......................................................................................................... Berta Mexidor ..................................................................................................... Cindy Wood MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an official publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published twice per month. Subscription rate: $20 a year in Mississippi, $21 out-of-state. Periodical postage at Jackson, MS 39201 and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mississippi Catholic, P. O. Box 2130, Jackson, MS 39225-2130.

Website: www.mississippicatholic.com w www.jacksondiocese.org

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2 p.m. – Ordination and Installation of Bishop Robert W. Marshall, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana Saturday, Aug. 29-30 – Mission Appeal, Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Tuesday, Sept. 1 – Bishop’s Cup Golf Scramble, Lake Caroline, Madison Only public events are listed on this schedule and all events are subject to change.

Please check with the local parish for further details.

AUGUST 14, 2020 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

4 VOCATIONS CALLED BY NAME

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know our seminarians over the past several issues of the Mississippi Catholic, we still have two more men to feature, starting with Will Foggo this week. Our seminarians are getting back to their academic commitments this month as they return to study at St. Joseph Seminary College and Notre Dame Seminary. St. Joseph is where most of our men start out their studies and then everyone goes to Notre Dame for their graduate work in Theology.

But this summer our men were spread throughout the diocese engaging in pastoral work and getting to know priests around the area. This was one of the greatest gifts of the “Tour de Priest.” I was able to spend time with a few of our men as they engaged in a different part of their formation. I spent a good while in Starkville with Carlisle Beggerly and listened as he delivered a very impressive reflection in the context of evening prayer and did the same in Jackson with Andrew Bowden.

Prior to their return to the seminary, our seminarians and I gathered in Natchez for some time to build community amongst ourselves. I am so pleased with the men who are in formation for our diocese as I believe they are authentically seeking God’s will in their lives and only that. In my mind now the calendar turns over and I look to the future. Who is the next young man who wants to respond to the mysterious call the Lord has placed on his heart? That call that says: “you need to see if priesthood is for you, I want you to go and see.” I’m in the midst of scheduling out the rest of my year. I’ll be visiting schools in person and via Zoom/YouTube/ WhateverElseINeedToUse and traveling to parishes and campuses around the diocese. But I could always use more help. The best thing you can do is pray for more vocations, but if you want to do one more thing, tell a young man you admire that they would make a good priest, and encourage them to get in touch with me. They can go to www.jacksonpriests.com to find out all they need to know and send me an email or give me a phone call.

We have six men in the seminary, and they are a great gift, let’s continue to call forth more men to consider this path, a path that leads to answers, a path that leads to challenge, a path that the Lord could be calling them to take.

– Father Nick Adam

Vocations Events Friday, October 9, 2020 – First annual Homegrown Harvest Gala and Fundraiser (virtual)

Email nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org if interested in attending this event.

Q&A: William Foggo and St. Joe in Madison. I went to college at Mississippi State. I have lived my whole life in Mississippi.

What is your vocation story? Who influenced you and why?

I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school all the way through high school. I had never thought about becoming a priest. I first felt a desire for priesthood when I was a senior in high school. When I was in college, that desire grew. I began to notice signs that God may be calling me to priesthood. The feeling of a call to priesthood became so great that I couldn’t’t ignore it, so I decided to enter the seminary.

Will Foggo Will Foggo is entering his first year of seminary formation. He recently graduated from Mississippi State University.

Home parish: St. Paul, Flowood.

Background: I am from Brandon, MS. I grew up in Brandon and went to school at St. Richard in Jackson

Lady for her intercession. It is a very powerful prayer and spiritual weapon. I also love spending time with our Lord in Eucharistic adoration. I enjoy getting to pray face to face with our Lord.

What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I studied mechanical engineering at Mississippi State for three years.

Who is your favorite sports team? The New Orleans Saints.

What draws you to diocesan priesthood? And to the Diocese of Jackson?

I like the idea of serving those who helped me to grow in my own faith. I want to bring Christ in a real way and minister to my friends and family.

What advice do you have for those discerning a vocation?

I would say to go to the Sacraments. Go to Reconciliation and Mass. Seek Jesus in the Eucharist. Pray the rosary and ask Our Lady for her intercession. Talk to a spiritual director or your parish priest. Speaking with someone else helps to see the path more clearly.

What are your hobbies/interests?

I enjoy playing guitar and listening to music. I also enjoy camping, hiking and being outdoors. I also enjoy cooking, though I am not very good!

Where can people send you a personal note?

You can mail a note to St. Joseph’s Seminary College at 74576 River Rd. Covington, LA 70457.

Who is your favorite saint and why?

I have many favorite saints, but I have always felt close to St. Joseph. He was a quiet, humble and compassionate man. He is my Confirmation saint and I have always been inspired by his quiet humility. He is a great example of a good, Catholic man.

Do you have a favorite devotion?

I really enjoy praying the rosary. I really like meditating on the mysteries of Christ’s life while asking Our

Pray for our Seminarians Carlisle Beggerly Andrew Bowden William Foggo Grayson Foley Ryan Stoer Tristan Stovall

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC AUGUST 14, 2020

Spirituality 5

Letting go of false fear IN EXILE

By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

Recently in a radio interview, I was asked this question: “If you were on your deathbed, what would you want to leave behind as your parting words?” The question momentarily took me aback. What would I want to leave behind as my last words? Not having time for much reflection, I settled on this.

“I would want to say: Don’t be afraid. Live without fear. Don’t be afraid of death. Most of all, don’t be afraid of God!” I’m a cradle Catholic, born to wonderful parents, catechized by some very dedicated teachers, and I’ve had the privilege of studying theology in some of the best classrooms in the world.

Still it took me fifty years to rid myself of a number of crippling religious fears and to realize that God is the one person of whom you need not be afraid. It’s taken me most of my life to believe the words that come from God’s mouth over three hundred times in scripture and are the initial words out of the mouth of Jesus whenever he meets someone for the first time after his resurrection: Do not be afraid!

It has been a fifty-year journey for me to believe that, to trust it. For most of my life I’ve lived in a false fear of God, and of many other things. As a young boy, I had a particular fear of lightning storms which in my young mind demonstrated how fierce and threatening God could be. Thunder and lightning were portents which warned us, religiously, to be fearful. I nursed the same fears about death, wondering where souls went after they died, sometimes looking at a dark horizon after the sun had set and wondering whether people who had died were out there somewhere, haunted in that endless darkness, still suffering for what they’d had not gotten right in life. I knew that God was love, but that love also held a fierce, frightening, exacting justice.

Those fears went partially underground during my teenage years. I made my decision to enter religious life at the age of seventeen and have sometimes wondered whether that decision was made freely and not out of false fear. Looking back on it now however, with fifty years of hindsight, I know that it wasn’t fear that compelled me, but a genuine sense of being called, of knowing from the influence of my parents and the Ursuline nuns who catechized me, that one’s life is not one’s own, that one is called to serve. But religious fear remained unhealthily strong within me.

So, what helped me let go of that? This doesn’t happen in a day or year; it is the cumulative effect of fifty years of bits and pieces conspiring together. It started with my parents’ deaths when I was twenty-two. After watching both my mother and father die, I was no

longer afraid of death. It was the first time I wasn’t afraid of a dead body since these bodies were my mother and father of whom I was not afraid.

My fears of God eased gradually every time I tried to meet God with my soul naked in prayer and came to realize that your hair doesn’t turn white when you are completely exposed before God; instead you become unafraid. My fears lessened too as I ministered to others and learned what divine compassion should be, as I studied and taught theology, as two cancer diagnoses forced me to contemplate for real my own mortality, and as a number of colleagues, family, and friends modeled how one can live more freely.

Intellectually, a number of persons particularly helped me: John Shea helped me realize that God is not a law to be obeyed, but an infinitely empathic energy that wants us to be happy; Robert Moore helped me to believe that God is still looking on us with delight; Charles Taylor helped me to understand that God wants us to flourish; the bitter anti-religious criticism of atheists like Frederick Nietzsche helped me see where

my own concept of God and religion needed a massive purification; and an older brother, a missionary priest, kept unsettling my theology with irreverent questions like, what kind of God would want us to be frightened of him? A lot of bits and pieces conspired together.

What’s the importance of last words? They can mean a lot or a little. My dad’s last words to us were “be careful,” but he was referring to our drive home from the hospital in snow and ice. Last words aren’t always intended to leave a message; they can be focused on saying goodbye or simply be inaudible sighs of pain and exhaustion; but sometimes they can be your legacy.

Given the opportunity to leave family and friends a few last words, I think that after I first tried to say a proper goodbye, I’d say this: Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid of living or of dying. Especially don’t be afraid of God. (Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

The Pope’s Corner

Weapons must be set aside for peace to flourish

By Carol Glatz

lence and conflict,” he said.

“It has never been clearer that, for peace to flourVATICAN CITY (CNS) – For peace to flourish, weapons of war must be set aside, especially nuclear ish, all people need to lay down the weapons of war, weapons that can obliterate entire cities and coun- and especially the most powerful and destructive of tries, Pope Francis said on the 75th anniversary of weapons: nuclear arms that can cripple and destroy whole cities, whole countries,” the pope said. the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.

Reiterating what he said in Hiroshima in 2019, “May the prophetic voices” of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki “continue to serve as a Pope Francis wrote that the use of atomic energy for warning to us and for coming generations,” he said war and the possession of nuclear weapons are both in a written message sent Aug. 6 to Hidehiko Yuza- “immoral.”

The pope ended his message with “abundant diki, governor of the Hiroshima prefecture, who led a vine blessings” for all those commemorating on this peace memorial ceremony.

The pope’s message and others were published “solemn anniversary.”The pope asked that people on the Hiroshima For Global Peace website: hiroshi- understand God’s sense of compassion, “which is trust in the provident love of the Father and means maforpeace.com.

In 1945, during World War II, the United States courageous sharing.” dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima Aug. 6 and on Nagasaki Aug. 9 in an effort to get Japan to surrender. The cities were decimated and, by year’s end, at least 200,000 people had died from the blasts or the aftereffects.

Those who survived, called hibakusha, were honored at the Aug. 6 ceremony, and the pope greeted them as well as the organizers and others taking part in the ceremony.

“I was privileged to be able to come in person to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during my apostolic visit in November last year, which allowed me to reflect at the peace memorial in Hiroshima and at Hypocenter Park in Nagasaki on the destruction of human life and property wrought in these two cities during those terrible days of war three-quarters of a century ago,” the pope wrote.

“I continue to hold in my heart the longing of the peoples of our time, esPeople wearing protective masks release paper lanterns on pecially of young people, who thirst for the Motoyasu River facing the gutted Atomic Bomb Dome peace and make sacrifices for peace. I in Hiroshima, Japan, Aug 6, 2020, the 75th anniversary of carry, too, the cry of the poor, who are the world’s first use of an atomic bomb in war. (CNS photo/ always among the first victims of vioKyodo via Reuters)

AUGUST 14, 2020 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

6

Diocese maintains hotline to report potential fraud

By Joanna Puddister King

JACKSON – In January 2020, the Diocese of Jackson established a hotline system for individuals to report potential fraud, compliance issues, ethics violations and human resource issues.

The use of a hotline has been discussed for several years at the National Diocesan Fiscal Managers’ Conference, that members of the diocese attend. A hotline is considered a ‘best practice,’ as having an independent hotline can help alert companies to and reduce the possibility of inappropriate or illegal actions.

Carolyn Callahan began researching hotline platforms after presentations at the conference, even before she entered her current role as director of temporal affairs at the diocese in May of 2019. Previously she acted as controller, internal auditor, and coordinator of special projects for the diocese, director of finance for Carolyn Callahan St. Joseph School in Madison, and as an accounting support person for all Catholic Schools.

“Although we have always had procedures in place to handle complaints, events of the past few years helped us see past any potential misuse of the hotline, so our parishioners and employees have a confidential and effective way to report issues,” says Callahan.

The diocese hotline system is operated by Lighthouse Services. For the past 15 years, Lighthouse Services has maintained ethics, safety, and fraud hotlines and now services over 4,100 organizations between the U.S. and abroad.

Any concerns relative to financial misconduct, fraud, compliance issues or human resources issues within the diocese may be reported anonymously by calling the hotline’s toll-free number or filed online. Lighthouse Services will field and process the information reported.

Immediately upon receipt of a complaint, Lighthouse Services will email three designated recipients.

“Two recipients are chancery employees and one is a diocesan priest who does not work for the chancery office,” says Callahan.

“If one of the three recipients are named in the complaint, that person does not receive the email notification and cannot access the report.”

After receipt, the three designated recipients access the complaint through the secure Lighthouse Services web portal. If the reporter files anonymously, the designees only see a PIN number, but never a name. Communication occurs between the reporter and designees via the Lighthouse online portal. Files and other documentation can be uploaded for review.

“Discussion ensues and a plan is created for investigating the claim either internally or using an outside investigator,” says Callahan.

“Depending on the results of the initial investigation

the diocesan attorney and/or law enforcement are notified.”

Callahan’s hope is that anybody concerned about fraud, compliance issues, ethics violations and human resources issues will feel comfortable knowing they have an objective and confidential platform to file a claim that will be investigated immediately.

“Questions asked within the filing process are meant to only identify the complaint and allow the reporter to give as much or as little detail as desired. Use of the hotline gives us the ability to know about and respond to complaints in a timely and effective manner,” says Callahan.

To make a report individuals can visit www.lighthouse-services.com/jacksondiocese or call toll-free 888830-0004 (English) or 800-216-1288 (Spanish).

Vicar general, Father Lincoln Dall, who works closely with Callahan, says “The Lighthouse hotline is part of our overall strategy of strengthening our control procedures and oversight of the assets and gifts that God and his people have entrusted to our diocese, our parishes and schools. We have been improving upon such policies, procedures and controls within the past two years and continue to do so through the current agreement we have with the federal government.”

The hotline information is published regularly in Mississippi Catholic and at least quarterly in parish bulletins. It can also be found at www.jacksondiocese.org.

' ... Most people in the Loyola community have responded 'very positively' to the name change ...'

– Continued from page 1 – live in that building find it to be unwelcoming and unsettling, that has to be taken seriously."

He said he hoped the decision is not viewed as a wholesale repudiation of O'Connor's legacy and noted that professors will continue to assign the study of her writings.

"We were looking to name the building for someone who reflects the values of Loyola and its students at the present time and whose commitment to the fight for racial equality – from an intellectual point of view and from a faith perspective – would be more appropriate for the residence hall."

Loyola is undergoing a larger review of all the names of its buildings and a university committee advised him on the renaming proposal.

Angela Alaimo O'Donnell, a former Loyola professor who currently serves as the associate director of the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at Fordham University in New York, is spearheading an effort for the university to reconsider its decision.

O'Donnell, an expert on O'Connor's life and writings, who recently wrote the book, "Racial Ambivalence: Race in Flannery O'Connor," agrees that one of Loyola's buildings should be named in honor of Sister Thea, but that O'Connor's name should not be banished.

She said O'Connor grew up in the virulently racist culture of the American South and could not help but be influenced by that culture. She also said the writer should be celebrated for opposing that culture and racism in her writings.

Over the course of her career, O'Connor became more bold and more outspoken in her opposition to the "inburnt beliefs" of her fellow Southerners and Americans, O'Donnell said.

"I find it ironic that her name would be removed

from a Catholic, Jesuit university," added O'Donnell, say- other writers who were marked by the racist, misogynist, ing the author portrayed America and the human soul as and/or anti-Semitic cultures and eras they lived in the deeply divided, broken and flawed, and "much in need midst of? No one will be left standing," it said. of conversion and repentance."

Father Linnane said most people in the Loyola comO'Connor held herself, her racist white characters munity have responded "very positively" to the name and all white people up for judgment, O'Donnell said. change. He also praised Sister Thea's efforts to eliminate "She lays claim to America's original sin of racism, racism and her work for justice. seeks atonement, and she atones," O'Donnell added, not"She lived a life of great holiness," he said. ing that even on her deathbed, O'Connor was working on a story about white racists who arrive at the difficult Matysek is digital editor for the Archdiocese of Baltimore knowledge of their sin. and the Catholic Review, the news outlet of the archdiocese.

The Fordham professor wrote a letter to Father Linnane signed by more than 80 authors, scholars and other leaders, urging the priest to keep O'Connor's name on the building. Among the signatories are leading American authors, including Alice Walker, Richard Rodriguez and Mary Gordon. Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron of Los Angeles, who is chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, also signed it.

A July 27 statement from Walker is included in the letter saying that "we must honor Flannery for growing."

"Hide nothing of what she was, and use that to teach," the well-known African American novelist said.

The letter asserts that very few, if any, of the great writers of the past can survive the "purity test" to which they are currently being subjected.

"If a university (Catholic or oth- A residence hall formerly named for Flannery O'Connor at Loyola erwise) effectively banishes Flannery University Maryland in Baltimore is seen in this undated photo. It O'Connor, why keep Sophocles, Dante, is being renamed for Sister Thea Bowman. (CNS photo/courtesy Shakespeare, Dickens, Dostoevsky and Loyola University Maryland via Catholic Review)

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC AUGUST 14, 2020

YOUTH 7

St. Mary Natchez youth find love of service at home

By Joanna Puddister King

NATCHEZ – In past summers you could find youth from around the country taking part in the annual Catholic Heart WorkCamp, but this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic many youth were sidelined from the service projects that brought them to much needed communities near and far that need help. But the St. Mary Basilica Natchez CYO group did not let it get them down, they found projects in their own hometown to tackle.

Between July 20 and July 31, 2020, groups of CYO members and adult sponsors worked to beautify the outdoor areas of Cathedral School and the yards of six elderly and homebound parishioners as well as help with a local Habitat for Humanity project.

Youth director, Carrie Lambert said, “This felt like it had more of a spiritual impact on the teens than going out of town to a work camp because the youth knew the people they were working for, asked questions about Habitat, and really felt like they had accomplished something and were appreciated when they were done.”

“They feel this way at Catholic Heart as well, but when the smiles looking back at you are from people you know – you’re touched in a different way.”

Bonding is a big part of mission trips, like those taken through Catholic Heart WorkCamp.

Last year, the youth spent time in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, working to beautify schools NATCHEZ – (Above) and churches damShannon Rojo, Thomaged by Category as Garrity and Dorothy 5 Hurricane Maria Garrity work to clear in Sept. 2017. After leaves. (Photos by Carworking, the youth rie Golden Lambert) enjoyed the beach and the sights of island life.

(Left) Thomas Garrity This year, the and another man visyouth bonding exit while taking a break perience was still from working on a Habspecial even though itat for Humanity projwork was only comect in Natchez. pleted in their own hometown.

“I loved watching the team work, the leadership and the hard work my teens put into this camp. I am so very proud of what they did and their attitudes while they were doing it.,” said Lambert.

“We at St. Mary are so blessed by the number of adults and parents who volunteer their time and energy to work alongside our teens throughout the year.

The overall experience ended up feeling a bit like traveling on the Road to Emmaeus – feeling like we were accompanying one another and finding Christ in what we were doing and He was working there alongside us.”

Going forward the CYO will pair up with the Knights of Columbus for work days during the year.

“The main theme of our youth programs is ‘Faith in Action,’” said Lambert.

“Doing work for people simply because you want to help someone out is a wonderful way (Above) Fletcher Mims, Carrie Lambert, Jay Gamberi, Joseph Garrity, Emma Ledford, Graci Gamberi and Thomas Garrity gather in front of a Habitat home in Natchez. The group put their ‘faith in action’ and performed many service projects over the to put your ‘faith in action.’” summer. (Photo courtesy of Carrie Golden Lambert)

AUGUST 14, 2020 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

8 SACRAMENTS

CANTON – (Left) Lylnee Runnels, George Holifield and Libby Kraft received their First Holy Communion at Sacred Heart Canton on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (Photo by Sarah Runnels)

MADISON – Nicholas Allen Horne celebrated his First Holy Communion at St. Francis of Assisi parish on Saturday, July 25, 2020. (Photo by Allison Herrington) JACKSON – Left to right: Sebastian Louis, Mary Catherine Vanderloo, Hudson Louis, Lachlan Louis and Ian Burkes gathered to celebrate their First Communion at St. Richard on Sunday, June 21, 2020. (Photo

by Caitlin Burkes)

MADISON – Blaise Allen Rodrigue celebrated his First Holy Communion at St. Francis of Assisi parish on July 18, 2020 (Photo by Sommer Rodrigue)

Sacrament Photos Needed

Mississippi Catholic will publish Sacrament pages in upcoming editions.

This means we need 2020 First Communion and Confirmation photos.

Due to COVID-19, we understand there may not be group shots, so individual pictures are accepted.

email to: editor@jacksondiocese.org

Please include full names, parish, date, name of sacrament celebration and name of photographer, if possible.

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC AUGUST 14, 2020

FLOWOOD – Jordan Parker received a certificate at his First Communion at St. Paul parish from Father Gerry Hurley on Sunday, Aug. 9. (Photo by Cassie Parker)

SACRAMENTS 9

MADISON – (Right) Madeline Vanderloo joyfully made her First Holy Communion on Aug. 9, 2020, at St. Francis of Assisi parish. (Photo by Christina Butler Vanderloo)

JACKSON – Joseph Piers Hoffman of St. Richard parish, celebrated his First Communion on June 21, 2020. He is pictured with Father Nick Adam, on left, and Father John Bohn, on right. (Photo by Mike Hoffman)

SOUTHAVEN – Hunter Wong of Queen of Peace parish in Olive Branch, son of Carolyn and Garrett Wong, celebrated his First Holy Communion on Aug. 1 at Christ the King parish. He is pictured with Deacon Ted Schreck, on left, and Father David Szatkowski, SCJ, on right. (Photo courtesy of Cheryl Gardner)

10 YOUTH

AUGUST 14, 2020 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

Sports are back at Catholic Schools

GREENVILLE – Fighting Irish football is back at St. Joseph School Greenville. The team works on stretching exercises on Aug. 3. (Photos by Father Aaron Williams)

NATCHEZ – On Monday, Aug. 3 the Lady Wave softball team of Cathedral School and the Lady Flashes of St. Aloysius Vicksburg square off for the first game of the season. (Photo by Cara Moody Serio)

Meet the teacher/Meet the student

Buddies at church and school

JACKSON – New student, Christopher King and new teacher, Caroline Harris visit at St. Richard’s School “Meet the Teacher” day on Thursday, Aug. 6. King is entering the third grade. Six students will be learning in class with Harris and others virtually.

(Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

Teachers get ready for the school year

MADISON – (Right) Blaise Rodrigue and Luca Picarella celebrated their First Holy Communion together at St. Francis of Assisi on July 18. Both attend St. Anthony School in Madison.

(Photo by Sommer Rodrigue) VICKSBURG – Vicksburg Catholic Schools faculty and staff began the 2020-2021 school year with a retreat celebrating “HUMANITY!” on Aug. 3. (Photo by Lindsey Bradley)

Send us your news, stories and pictures!

editor@jacksondiocese.org

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC AUGUST 14, 2020

Bishop’s Cup golf scramble set for Sept. 1

by JoaNNa PUDDisTer KiNG

The Bishop’s Cup website can be found at https:// JACKSON – The Catholic Foundation’s 38th an- one.bidpal.net/bishopscup2020/welcome.

The site will also include an online virtual auction nual Bishop’s Cup Golf Scramble is slated for September 1, 2020 at the Lake Caroline golf course in that should prove to be quite fun. Bidding on items will begin a week before the tournament and will end Madison.

Due to COVID-19, the Catholic Foundation has the night of the event. Winners of the tournament, as been closely following guidance from the Centers for well as auction items, will be posted to the website.

Harris says that this year Disease Control (CDC) and the auction will be paired the Mississippi Department down from its normal size. of Health, as well as working “We appreciate all of the with the Lake Caroline Golf businesses around the dioClub to ensure a safe envicese who have helped make ronment for golfers and staff our auction such a success during the Bishop’s Cup golf through the years. However, scramble. New protocols will we knew that COVID-19 has be followed for this year’s affected many of those busievent to avoid large gathernesses, so we decided to have ings and improve the safety a small auction.” of everyone involved.

The proceeds from this Tee times will be deteryear’s tournament will benmined to assure safety reefit the Catholic Foundation strictions are upheld.

Grant Trust. The Foundation Rebecca Harris, execumanages 378 trusts for the tive director of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, which Foundation says, “We hope help Catholic parishes, Caththat our golfers return and olic schools, and other Cathcome enjoy a day out on MADISON – The 38th annual Bishop’s olic organizations under the the course. We hope the day Cup Golf Scramble, a fundraiser for The auspices of the Catholic Dibrings back some normalcy Catholic Founcation, is set for Tuesday, ocese of Jackson. The goal to their lives.”

Sept. 1 at Lake Caroline. See registration this year is to raise $35,000 New this year is the Bishand sponsorships packages at https://one. through the golf scramble. op’s Cup website where golfbidpal.net/bishopscup2020/welcome.

For more information, ers can sign up to sponsor the please contact Rebecca Harris, executive director of event, register each golfer, and purchase mulligans.

Mulligans have always been a bonus part of the the Catholic Foundation, at 601-960-8477. Tickets tournament. “It is a chance for a golfer to have a ‘do- and sponsorships can be purchased online or contact over’ when they hit a bad shot,” says Harris. For the Julia Williams, assistant development director at 601Bishop’s Cup, mulligans are $10 each with a limit of 960-8481 for assistance. four.

Billboard initiative brings message of life to state

DIOCESE 11 ‘... Ésta es la diferencia entre el temor y el temor santo ...’

– Viene de la pag. 3 –

en algunos casos, el trabajo de toda una vida, junto con los ritmos de la vida diaria. Esta es una realidad abrumadora que puede llevarnos al margen de nuestros recursos internos y externos. Sin embargo, también es una invitación a profundizar nuestra fe en la cercanía del Señor frente al miedo. ¿Podemos escuchar sus amorosas palabras que disiparon la angustia de sus apóstoles? “¡Calma! ¡Soy yo: no tengan miedo!”; Cuando nos sentimos más vulnerables y frágiles, nuestra fe por la gracia de Dios nos motiva a no permitirnos no hundirnos en el miedo. La gracia asombrosa que apaga nuestros temores, también nos da la paz de Cristo que nos permite caminar por fe, y no por vista (2Corintios 5:7), que brilla sobre nosotros que vivimos en tinieblas y en la sombra de la muerte. Con nuestras opciones reducidas y nuestros movimientos restringidos, ¿no puede Dios penetrar esta nube de desconocimiento para ayudarnos a nutrir nuestra fe y entrar más profundamente en la preocupación intencional por los demás, y así dar testimonio del Señor vivo?

Con las difíciles decisiones que enfrentan muchos educadores, padres y estudiantes para el semestre de otoño, permitir que el Señor nos estreche la mano es un estado mucho mejor que hundirnos en nuestro propio fango emocional. Ésta es la diferencia entre el temor y el temor santo, la capacidad de escuchar las palabras del Señor de que Él está cerca y de actuar de acuerdo con este conocimiento lleno de fe.

The Diocese of Jackson has launched a third-party reporting system that will enable all diocesan employees, volunteers and parishioners to anonymously (or named if preferred) make reports. Examples of this activity include fraud, misconduct, safety violations, harassment or substance abuse occurring at a Catholic parish, Catholic school or at the diocesan level.

The system will be operated by Lighthouse Services. Based in Deerfield, Illinois, Lighthouse Services maintains ethics, safety and fraud hotlines for over 4,100 organizations between the U.S. and abroad.

To make a report visit www.lighthouse-services.com/jacksondiocese or call 888-830-0004 (English) or 800-216-1288 (Spanish).

JACKSON – A partnership between St. James parish Gulfport in the Diocese of Biloxi and the Office of Family Ministry for the Diocese of Jackson have brought billboards asking all to “Choose Life” throughout the state. The billboards are located in Jackson, Batesville, Natchez, Gulfport, Biloxi, Bay St. Louis, Long Beach, Ocean Springs, and Hattiesburg. The initiative has even reached Mobile, Alabama; Lafayette, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Dallas, Texas; Destin, Florida; and Columbia, South Carolina. Pictured is the billboard in Jackson .3 miles south of Briarwood Drive on the east side of I-55 North. (Photo courtesy of Charlene Bearden)

The Association of Priests of the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi provide a small pension to our retired priests. As you consider your estate plans, please remember these faithful servants by making a donation or leaving a bequest to the Association of Priests. Our parish priests dedicate their lives to caring for us, their flocks. Let us now care for them in their retirement. Donations can be made payable to the Association of Priests and can be mailed to: Diocese of Jackson, Attn: Cathy Pendleton, P.O. Box 2248, Jackson, MS 39225-2248.

AUGUST 14 , 2020 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

12 Columns

COVID-19 crazy GUEST COLUMN

By Reba J. McMellon, M.S., LPC

If you have felt all sorts of crazy in the past six months, join the crowd. COVID-19 seemed to start gradually then hit us like a tsunami.

We were just beginning to hear about it, learn to spell and pronounce it, discuss it among family and friends when bam! – a “shelter at home” order was issued.

Businesses were shut down, re-opened then shut down again. Initially all the masks looked like those blue medical things that portend some sort of medical procedure involving pain or discomfort. Now we’re use to people looking like they are going to a robbery. Facial expressions are blocked. Tension doesn’t begin to describe what we all felt and are still feeling in the atmosphere “out there.” In the beginning, every time I heard shelter in place or shelter at home, I pictured a chihuahua shivering with his nose in a corner waiting for a thunderstorm to pass. But this is no thunderstorm. It hasn’t passed. Does that leave some of us shivering in place?

Then comes the debate: What is this? Is it blue, is it red, does “it” have ties to being liberal or conservative, does it have left wings or right wings, can it fly through the air, does it make you really sick or not sick at all, do people die from it? It’s something we can’t see, touch or taste. It’s also something we can’t control. We Americans do not like things we can’t control.

It’s a type of sickness that will physically separate you from your loved ones, especially those in the margins of life. No. Uh huh, that just isn’t acceptable. A pandemic that hits the United States?

We thought we, as a society, were way past that sort of thing. We’re used to having fast paced control. Just look at what our cell phones can do. Technology is the

way of the world, not some viral outbreak no one has heard of. This sort of thing might happen across the pond but not in our country. We tend to be vague about our world geography and ignore all things not in our backyard, so let it be something that happens somewhere else.

But here “it” is, all up in our backyard. This leads to a little bit of acceptance that went something like this: “Ok, I’ll accept a couple weeks of disruption that could lead to a month or two but that’s it. Then we’ll move back to normal.”

When two weeks turned into two months and now six months with no end in sight, family and friends began to splinter in how they chose to cope. Conspiracy theories of fake tests, clandestine financial motives, political gain or loss, election plans, medical financing-you name it. Anger at not being able to bargain our way through “this” gave rise to anxiety, fear and irritably. Sometimes extreme irritability. When this stage started to wane, a sadness-like depression rolled around. Lethargy, giving up, giving in, preoccupation with health, fear of routines that previously brought comfort, finding new comfort in numbing out, giving up and giving in.

Life as we knew it is, well, over. This leads to a new level of acceptance. Acceptance of a life and lifestyle previously unfamiliar to most. One of much less doing and much more being. Living more simply and present in the moment can be extremely uncomfortable for a society that values doing over being. A society that equates busy with important. Depending on your personal value system and level of spiritual maturity, this could be asking you to rework your whole system of thinking.

Just when you think you’re over the anger, irritability, shock, anxiety, denial and bargaining, a sense of new peace flows down and you feel as though you’ve arrived at acceptance.

But, just like the stages of grief, the feeling may roll back around and play out again and again. The good news is, the more you lean into acceptance, the shorter

A campaign to send a hug MAKING A DIFFERENCE

By Sister Constance Veit, LSP

Summer is usually a lot of fun in our retirement homes. The elderly enjoy getting outdoors for picnics, gardening and community outings, especially when they include a stop for ice cream.

Not so this year! As summer wears on with no end to the pandemic in sight, the mandated social isolation is beginning to take a serious toll on our elderly residents.

In many of our homes, the residents have been living in forced isolation in their rooms since late March. Direct contact with family and friends has been forbidden for the last five months. While people from many walks of life have been incredibly generous in sending messages to our residents and helping us to provide for their physical needs, and we have been able to use technology to ensure screen contact between the elderly and their loved ones, screen time cannot fully replace person-to-person connections with loved ones and socialization with fellow residents.

The longer the pandemic lasts, the more concerned I am about the isolation of the elderly. It’s bad enough for our residents, but I can’t even begin to imagine how lonely it is for seniors who live by themselves, especially in rural areas and regions that lack adequate internet service – an estimated half of all Americans lack

high-speed internet service at home – or for those unfamiliar with technologies many of us take for granted.

Since the beginning of the pandemic celebrities of all types have reached out online to lift our spirits and remind people that we are all in this together. “Alone together” has become a popular catch-phrase, but what about the 50 percent of Americans – including many seniors – who lack internet access and who are especially vulnerable to the scourge of loneliness?

I’m afraid that the marginalization of frail seniors could become the new normal. A recent study carried out by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that both economic damages and loss of life from COVID-19 might best be limited by “a simple targeted policy that applies an aggressive lockdown on the oldest group and treats the rest of the population uniformly.”

The NBER working paper (May 2020) states that gains from “targeted policies” can be substantially increased by combining them with additional measures such as increasing the “social distance” between the oldest group and the rest of the population, reducing visits to older relatives and segregating the times when different demographic groups can go to grocery stores and pharmacies.

Such measures are referred to as a form of “protective custody” intended to protect the elderly.

After seeing our Residents suffer through five months of lockdown, concepts such as “targeted policies” and “protective custody” make me cringe. Surely our society can do better than this for our seniors!

Feeling the weight of these issues, I happened upon

the other stages will last. We, as a society, have a lot of strengths. Patience and trust don’t tend to be our top two. We are a nation that gets to work and fixes things.

Natural disasters? No problem. We show up and rebuild.

But COVID-19 is intangible. Most of us can’t show up anywhere and fix any of it.

We are, as a nation, hardheaded. Hardheaded but not hopeless.

The five stages of grief (loss) are: shock, denial, bargaining, anger, depression, testing and acceptance.

If you find yourself stuck in one stage for more than two weeks, it’s a red flag. Check in with yourself on a regular basis. Write on a calendar or in a journal so you can keep up with your moods and thought processes, as well as the days of the week, the change in seasons, the months that pass by.

If your mood causes you to lose your perspective, your ability to love your neighbor, family or friends and your ability to find joy or humor in something every day, talk to somebody! Not just anybody, talk to someone who really listens. You may need to see your medical doctor or mental health counselor. If you didn’t need extra support to see you through this COVID-19 crazy, you are in the minority. Needing a little extra help is a normal response to an abnormal situation.

If there were ever a time for the serenity prayer, it’s now. Light your candles, use holy water, listen to God, follow the liturgy of the word. If not now, when?

Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

(Reba J. McMellon, M.S., LPC is a licensed professional counselor with 35 years of experience. She currently lives in Jackson, Mississippi and works part-time as a mental health consultant and freelance writer.)

a recent tweet of Pope Francis. “The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that our societies have not organized enough to make room for the elderly, with just respect for their dignity and fragility. Where you don’t care for the elderly, there’s no future for the young,” he wrote.

And then I read our Holy Father’s message to young people on July 26, the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. He asked the young to perform “a gesture of tenderness towards the elderly, especially the loneliest, in their homes and residences, those who have not seen their loved ones for many months.”

“Dear young people,” he said, “each one of these elderly people is your grandparent! Do not leave them by themselves. Use the inventiveness of love, make telephone calls, video calls, send messages, listen to them and, where possible, in compliance with the healthcare rules, go to visit them too. Send them a hug.”

Taking up our Holy Father’s challenge, the Vatican has launched a campaign entitled “The elderly are your grandparents.” It invites young people to be inventive and do something concrete for older people who are vulnerable to loneliness. The campaign is associated with the hashtag #sendyourhug.

Let’s evaluate our own attitudes and behaviors during this difficult time, asking ourselves if we are sensitive to how our actions might adversely affect the wellbeing of others, and if we could do more to safely reach to the most vulnerable.

Let’s get inventive and find ways to make sure that our elders never feel marginalized or forgotten, no matter how long the pandemic lasts!

(Sister Constance Veit is the director of communications for the Little Sisters of the Poor.)

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC AUGUST 14, 2020

DIOCESE 13

Saying goodbye to St. Francis was something Nosser never thought she would do students has been one of the most enjoyable parts of her job.

“It’s so meaningful to them to think, ‘Oh my Mama had this lady. Oh she must be

BY ANNA KATE DOIRON THE VICKSBURG POST old,’” she said.

VICKSBURG – “I couldn’t wait to tell people I worked at St. Francis. I don’t think Nosser began working at St. Francis when the school was located on Cherry Street.

I’ll ever say goodbye.”

Her classroom was next door to the second-grade classroom of Martha Amborn.

After 41 years, Shelley Nosser is retiring from her job as a teacher at St. Francis Twelve years later, the school moved to Grove Street, and the two were assigned to Xavier and saying "goodbye." fourth grade.

They have been ‘joined at the hip’ ever since.

“I was home from college for spring break and applied for a teaching job at St. “She is my sister at heart.

When you have a partner that you work with as well as Francis. I didn’t go anywhere else. Sister Rosamond interviewed me and I ended up we worked together, the kids are the ones that benefit from that,” Nosser said. getting that job before I finished my senior year of college,” Nosser said. “What’s so She said she woke up every funny is it was the fourth grade at day, excited to go to work.

St. Francis, and I am still in fourth “I was just so proud to be grade.” there.

I couldn’t wait to tell people Shelley graduated from VicksI worked at St. Francis,” she said. burg High School and later studied She laughed as she talked at the University of Southern Misabout students’ infatuation with sissippi. The presence of prayer at her trademark lipstick.

Each day St. Francis, she said, was the reaas lunch ended, she applied her son she was drawn to it and never lipstick. wanted to leave.

“They loved to see the lipstick “Number one, you feel the love on the napkin, and when I would when you walk in the door. I was put my lipstick on, they knew it in Heaven," Nosser said. "I think was time for recess,” she said. when you can start a day off with Years later, she now has a colGod, with prayer, the day can’t get lection of items given to her with messed up too much." lipstick or a pair of lips on them.

Out of the fear of safety for her Nosser said that since making mother due to COVID-19, Shelley the decision to leave, it feels like decided to retire a few years earlier part of her heart is missing. Days than intended. that were once fi lled with lesson “I just could not take that risk plans and grading papers will now of bringing something home to her. be fi lled with new activities.

If she Your family comes first,” Shelley had it to do all over again, she still said. “She’s an angel from Heaven. would go back to that day she inAnything good in me comes from terviewed with Rosamond. her and daddy.”

VICKSBURG – Shelley Nosser decided recently to retire from teaching at St. Francis Xavier “Once you see those beautiful This decision was not made School after 41 years. (Photo by Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post) little faces, it just falls into place. lightly. Shelley reminisced on 41 Knowing that you’re gonna be their leader, you’re gonna be the one to help them "beautiful" years of teaching and how she began dreaming of becoming a teacher grow,” she said.

“When they know you care and love them, the sky is the limit for what while playing school as a little girl. Her two older sisters were teachers as well. they will do.

I don’t think I’ll ever say goodbye to that school.”

Nosser’s impact on students did not stop in the classroom. Years later, as seniors (Editor's note: re-printed with permition from The Vicksburg Post)

from St. Aloysius made their final walk down the St. Francis hallway, or even as the children of former students approach fourth grade, those who had Ms. Nosser make a point to tell her about the effect she had on their lives when they were 10 years old.

St. Aloysius graduate Sam Andrews remembers her strong faith in God playing a big role in her success.

“At the end of the day, when you walked out of Ms. Nosser’s classroom, you left feeling better than when you got there. In my opinion, that’s why she’s been so successful,” Andrews said. “She took the time to listen to and understand each student.”

Other former students hear the news and beg her to stay so their child can have the same experience they did all those years ago. Teaching the children of former

action shots needed

for Back to school edition

Send name of child, school, what is happening in the photo, date and name of photographer.

editor@jacksondiocese.org

(Anna Kate Doiron is an intern writing for The Vicksburg Post and Vicksburg Living.

She is a graduate of St. Aloysius and attends the University of Mississippi.)

14 NaTION

AUGUST 14, 2020 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

Catholic Charities pandemic assistance totals nearly $400 million “There are a lot of food and housing-related issues being met,” Dominican Sister Donna Markham, CEO and president of Catholic Charities USA, said.

Information gathered over the last two weeks by the umbrella agency for U.S. Catholic Charities operations showed that the clients seeking assistance comprise a broader demographic than low-income and poor households that traditionally walk through the doors.

Sister Markham said that among the 50% to 70% increase in the number of clients are people from middle-class families who lost their jobs as the pandemic surged during the spring. “And they are trying to figure out how they are going to eat and pay their rent or mortgage,” she told CNS. Similar requests are being made beyond Catholic Charities, Sister Markham added.

“The whole charitable sector is being stretched to the limit. How long can that be sustained without some significant government support?” she asked.

Some of the need has been met by corporate donors and small companies that have stepped in to provide food in particular.

Andrea Dowlen, left, an Americorps worker with CathSister Markham said elsewhere corporations olic Charities of Tennessee in the Nashville Diocese, such as Golden West Food Group in California and Matthew Grimes, a Catholic Charities volunteer, fill and the Idaho-based Albertsons grocery store emergency food boxes July 7, 2020, for people who chain have provided millions of dollars in food dohave been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the nations.

March 3 tornadoes. Catholic Charities USA agencies At Catholic Charities of San Antonio in Texhave provided nearly $400 million in assistance during as, requests for food jumped from between 300 the first four months of the pandemic. (CNS photo/Andy and 400 families per Telli, Tennessee Register) week to an average of 3,500 per week

By Dennis Sadowski from April through June, CLEVELAND (CNS) – Scott Milliken has seen a lot said Antonio Fernandez, of people come through the doors at the Father English the agency’s president and Center’s food pantry during his years as CEO of Catholic CEO. Charities of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, but not “It’s just never-ending,” like the numbers since the coronavirus pandemic hit in he told CNS Aug. 4.

March.

Through Aug. 1, the “We are feeding more people than ever,” he said. operation had distributed Whereby in a typical month before the pandemic 490,000 pounds of food, the program served between 5,000 and 7,000 people, much of it donated from agency statistics showed, the numbers rose significantly grocery stores and corpoin the spring. In April it was 11,000, in May 21,000 and rate partners, Fernandez in June 25,000.

In terms of quantity, the amount of food distributed said. Agency staff members between March and July totaled 940,000 pounds, far are planning to distribute beyond a typical month before COVID-19, the illness food to 5,000 people – caused by the novel coronavirus, arrived. Milliken esti- another 70,000 pounds – Aug. 8. mated the food to be worth about $1.6 million.

Food is just one area Milliken said the agency has seen demand for shortthat has seen a sharp rise term utility payment and rental assistance and other in demand.

Rising numbers needs skyrocket by 60% a month from pre-COVID-19 of people have sought legal times. Since March the agency has distributed $1.8 milservices, assistance with lion – on average about $1,500 per household. income tax filing, emergenThe agency leader doesn’t expect things to change any time soon, especially since the July 31 end of the cy shelter and counseling, temporary unemployment benefit of $600 per week that Fernandez said. Overall, was included in legislation passed early in the federal the added needs have cost slightly more than $10 milresponse to the pandemic.

“The increase just on Monday (Aug. 3), the phone lion, according to agency was just ringing off the hook of people who need ser- statistics.

Elvira Ramirez, execvices,” Milliken told Catholic News Service. “They’re utive director of Catholic worried about losing their homes. Their worried about Charities in the Diocese of feeding their families.”

Stockton, California, said The response in the Paterson Diocese is part of nearthe rising number of cases ly $400 million in emergency aid and services that Cathin the largely agricultural olic Charities agencies nationwide have provided since March in response to the pandemic-induced economic region the agency serves has led a burgeoning need recession.

among military veterans and working families who face losing their homes.

“They are coming from all different directions. It’s definitely because of COVID that existing problems are getting worse. And now it’s about working families who are getting behind and their ability to support their families,” Ramirez said.

“It’s mostly agricultural and restaurant workers and domestic workers. It’s people who were probably on the edge and living paycheck to paycheck,” she said.

The agency has received support from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as well as local foundations to meet the increased need. However, Ramirez wonders how long the funds will last as the pandemic resurges in California.

Despite the difficulties, the agency leaders are maintaining a positive attitude.

“I tell our folks, ‘Let’s not get overwhelmed. Let’s see how we can help,’” Ramirez said.

Milliken in New Jersey said he sees “light in the people” who provide assistance as well as those seeking help.

“The people that we’re serving, they know that people care. There’s light in people who are providing donations to use so we can do what we do. There’s light in the staff. They’re essential employees. Our staff is on the front lines feeding and helping people, putting their own lives at risk, too,” Milliken said.

“Everybody’s worried, but there’s light in the good people of the world. The history of Catholic Charities has shown we come together as people and as a church to help those who need help.”

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC AUGUST 14, 2020

BRIEFS 15 still hospitalized at the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesu pediatric hospital in Rome, a spokesman said Aug. 10. But their mother, identified only as Ermine, “really wanted the pope to baptize them.”

WORLD

DUBLIN (CNS) — Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, Northern Ireland, has hailed political leader John Hume as a “paragon of peace” for his key role in bringing an end to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Hume, 83, died ear- Twin sisters Ervina and Prefina, who had been ly Aug. 3, his family said in a joined from the back of the head since birth, are pictured with their mother, Ermine, at the Bambino statement.

MANILA, Philippines Gesu hospital in Rome in this photo released July (CNS) – Missing Mass: Social 8, 2020. (CNS photo/courtesy Ospedale Pediatrico Cindy Schiller takes Emmerson Greer's temperature before she can exit the isolation keeps elders safe but Bambino Gesu via Reuters) family car at St. Matthew School in Franklin, Tenn., Aug. 6, 2020, as her lonely. In communities around MEXICO CITY (CNS) — In southern Mexico’s Chibrother, Chandler Young, waits his turn. A new school year is beginning the world, the social isolation apas state, customs and traditions have proven stronger with extensive COVID-19 protocols in place, and all of the schools in the that keeps elders safe from than any warnings that come about COVID-19. Priests Diocese of Nashville will be open by Aug. 12 for in-person learning. (CNS the coronavirus but precludes like Father Gustavo Andrade of the Diocese of San Crisphoto/Rick Musacchio, Tennessee Register) going to church is proving ex- tobal de Las Casas report widespread skepticism in Chitremely difficult for many. In apas over COVID-19, its origins and its impact — even some remote areas, younger generations are helping as the pandemic claims lives and collapses an already WASHINGTON (CNS) — Some of the country’s their elders.

"We have told them it is a reality and edu- dilapidated health system. Conspiracies have also surged most prominent church leaders appealed to Congressiocated them on what to do to keep safe," but they find the — spread on social media and messaging services such nal negotiators to include financial support for families to social distancing particularly difficult, said Sister Dativa as WhatsApp — that the government itself is “poisoning” continue to send their children to Catholic and non-pubMukebita, a Franciscan Sister of St. Bernadette. the population and hospitals are killing people, he said. lic schools in a coronavirus relief bill currently being MANILA, Philippines (CNS) — negotiated. Signing the letter were Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference The Philippine government issued of Catholic Bishops; Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New new orders restricting movement in an York; Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago; Cardinal Dan- effort to control a spike in COVID-19, iel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston; Cardinal Sean P. resulting in 10 dioceses suspending O’Malley of Boston; Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of New- public Masses. In addition, the Diocese ark, New Jersey; and Bishop Michael C. Barber of Oak- of Balanga in Bataan province volunland, California, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on tarily suspended the public celebration of Masses, and Bishop Ruperto Santos Catholic Education.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Americans overwhelm- dispensed Catholics from their Sunday ingly back pandemic-related restrictions on worship ser- obligation in order to help fight the vices, saying houses of worship should not be exempt. pandemic.

BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) — Americans, by a 4-to-1 margin, said houses of worship Franciscan Father Gabriel Gutierrez should be subject to the same social-distancing rules as blessed a crowd of homeless peoother organizations. Among Republicans and those who ple quickly filed by a handful of vollean Republican, the margin was 2-to-1, and among unteers, who provided each person Democrats and those who lean Democratic, the margin with a cup of hot chocolate, a tamale was 13-to-1. The results were issued Aug. 7 by the Pew wrapped in plantain leaves and a bag Research Center in a new report, “Americans Oppose with two pieces of bread.

Father GabriReligious Exemptions from Coronavirus-Related Restricel, as he is known, tried to keep the line tions.” orderly, urging people to wear their face masks and stay a safe distance Franciscan Father Gabriel Gutierrez, wearing a face shield and mask, from each other. “The streets are not hands out free meals to a group of homeless people in Bogota, Coa romantic place” said the priest, who lombia, July 20, 2020. (CNS photo/Manuel Rueda) VATICAN CITY (CNS) – After a massive fire trig- has been providing free gered a deadly explosion in Beirut, Pope Francis called meals to the homeless for prayers and a united effort to help Lebanon over- in Colombia’s capital For today, retirement and every moment in between. come "this serious crisis ... Let us pray for the victims for the past four years. and their family members, and let us pray for Lebanon “But this is not a time Edward Prybylski so that with the effort of everyone in society – political for us to hide inside our Financial Advisor and religious – it may face this tragic and painful mo- convents or our mon601.487.6127 ment and, with the help of the international community, asteries.“ Colombia has 5719 Hwy. 25, Suite 4 overcome the serious crisis it is experiencing," the pope struggled to contain the Flowood, MS 39232 said Aug. 5 at the end of his general audience. coronavirus pandemEMP Group Wealth Management edward.prybylski@ampf.com VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope baptizes twins after ic. Each day, it reports ameripriseadvisors.com/ A financial advisory practice of successful surgery to separate them. Their heads encased more than 9,000 new edward.prybylski Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in white bandages covering the wounds where they had infections and more been conjoined, 2-year-old twins named Ervina and Pre- than 300 people dead Not Federally Insured | No Financial Institution Guarantee | May Lose Value fina were baptized by Pope Francis Aug. 6 in the chapel from COVID-19.

Securities offered by Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2020 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. (02/20) of his residence.

The babies from the Central Africa Republic are

NATION

VATICAN

16 DIOCESE

AUGUST 14, 2020 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

'... The church ground is the only place where they feel that they belong ...' parent that has June, they have distributed 300 boxes of food, fruits and been detained vegetables, provided by Partners of Mississippi. or deported She says that families deeply felt the closure of the for immigra- church. “They understand perfectly why, but the church tion reasons. ground is the only place where they feel that they beThrough the long. In church they can meet, share, hug, be happy and fund, Catho- enjoy a moment of protection from the Almighty Father,” lic Extension Peralta said. has been inSince Aug. 9, Sacred Heart has opened two services strumental in for Mass in Spanish, with space for only 40 people. The ensuring the challenge now is communicating the importance of soflow of aid to cial distancing and sanitary measures, as well as, calming support deliv- the fears immigrants manifest in going to the hospital for ery of basic tests, says Peralta. resources to Father Odel, of St. Anne Carthage, has also been an the churches advocate for families affected by the raids. He has also serving the hu- been distributing humanitarian aid and coordinating volmanitarian and unteers from around the country to those affected by the spiritual needs raids in his community since last August. Additionally, CARTHAGE – Days after the ICE raids on Aug. 7, 2019, several women stand in a group of the families he fought COVID-19 in April and has been sharing his in Mississippi story with migrants, so they will not be afraid to seek the wearing electronic bracelets. (Photo courtesy of Apoyo Latino MS) affected by the help they need if they contract the virus. He says that in ICE raids. some instances, entire families have been infected with – Continued from page 1 – The help from Catholic Extension, Catholic Charities COVID-19 in his community. due to fear of another raid. The church's membership and many within the Catholic community has helped afIn total, Father Odel says approximately 80 famiwas reduced by this migration as well. fected families in the parishes of Canton, Carthage and lies at his parish were affected by the raids and now Right after the raids last August, the church became a Forest-Morton communities.

COVID-19. The challenge for the whole undocumented humanitarian hub for food, goods and financial resources In Forest and Morton, close to 120 families were af- community is ”… to break the stereotype propagated to pay rent and utilities. At that moment, the immigrants fected, and now 20 of those families have been affected by some political outlets, of not being hard working innoted that God was sending several helping hands, even by COVID-19. Father Roberto Mena, ST sacramental dividuals. They get arrested while working, and during a Cardinal from Guatemala. minister of St. Michael Forest says that ”the loss of jobs the pandemic, when most people were home, they were On Nov. 7, 2019, Rep. Bennie Thompson held a con- and an uncertain school year for the children” is a huge working,” said Father Odel. “The chicken plants are congressional hearing at Tougaloo College in Jackson. He challenge right now for his community. sidered essential industries; therefore, immigrants were was accompanied by two more representatives; as well Blanca Peralta coordinates the activities of the His- needed, regardless of legal status.” as, state, community and religious leaders, including Fa- panic community, under the leadership of Father Mike Father Odel says the biggest challenge for his comther Odel Medina, ST of St. Anne Carthage, to question O’Brien, pastor of Sacred Heart Canton. Both began of- munity now is “the consequences of family separation, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Jere fering aid even as the raids were still being conducted. now worsened by COVID’s restrictions.”

Miles about the mishandling of the massive ICE raid Father Mike and Peralta, along with a network of volunAfter a year, the undocumented population has mixed months earlier. teers including Patti Greene, Jerry Perez and John Scan- feelings of pain and faith. Due to their lack of documenDuring the hearing, Father Medina took the opportu- lan, have been helping 120-150 affected families since tation, they lost jobs and some their freedom last August. nity to read a letter from a child in his parish, who was the raids. They have been providing food, payments for Now, due to COVID-19, many in chicken factories and hurting and traumatized in the aftermath of the raids. rent and utilities, and pastoral care. agricultural harvesting are considered essential workers.

Shortly before Christmas, Cardinal Álvaro Ramazzini The team from Sacred Heart Canton, along with con- Many hope that this situation can soften the laws toward Imeri of Guatemala, visited the affected parish communi- stituents from Grace Episcopal Church, were recently an- immigrants looking for an honest way of living. ties with a message that “God never abandons you.” He nounced as nominees for the Lumen Christi award from Still, the community has faith even after the trauma consoled families affected by the raid with words of the Catholic Extension for their work after the ICE raids. suffered one year ago lingers on.

Gospel and accompanied them during three days of the For Father Mike, the decision to close his church advent season, participating doors for a periin “Las Posadas” – a reen- od of time after actment of Mary and Jo- COVID-19 hit earseph’s attempt to find lodg- lier this year was ing before the birth of Jesus. very painful. His While in Mississippi, main concern was Cardinal Ramazzini spoke how to continue with media, advocating for a the labor of help“migration policy with a hu- ing those affected man face” and spoke of the by the raids. economic conditions that Peralta naviforce many to leave their gated the struggle home country and asked for due to the virus, the elimination of the cus- but Sacred Heart tom where immigrants are never stopped treated as criminals, without helping. They conhaving a criminal record. tinued assisting by During the same visit, phone, by mail and Catholic Extension, which by accompanying sponsored Cardinal Ramazz- immigrants to the ini’s visit, announced their hospital and court Holy Family Fund, a relief appointments. Adprogram that assists families ditionally, every FOREST – On Sunday, Aug. 9, families are seen wearing masks and practicing social in the United States who are Wednesday since distancing at St. Michael Forest. (Photo courtesy of Father Roberto Mena and Agua financially dependent on a Tibia Radio)