MS Catholic 02 14 2025 by jacksondiocese

White House suggests it will strip funds from Catholic Charities

BY KATE SCANLON

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The White House Jan. 28 sought to clarify what would and would not be impacted by a directive to freeze federal financial assistance programs and suggested it would seek to strip federal funds from nongovernmental organizations including Catholic Charities as part of its effort to enforce its immigration policies.

Catholic Charities USA urged the Trump administration to reconsider the freeze of the funds in a Jan. 28 statement. A judge temporarily blocked the freeze the same day.

The White House budget office ordered a pause on all federal grants and loans, which could impact trillions of dollars in government spending and halt public programs that affect millions of Americans, according to a memo from that office. These orders could impact Catholic entities that rely on such grants.

In her debut press briefing as White House press secretary Jan. 28, Karoline Leavitt said “this is not a blanket pause on federal assistance in grant programs from the Trump administration,” arguing “individual assistance” will not be impacted, listing “Social Security benefits, Medicare benefits, food stamps, welfare benefits” as examples.

“It is the responsibility of this president and this administration to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” she said, arguing the directive was to combat

– Continued on page 6 –

Migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. walk into a temporary humanitarian respite center run by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas, April 8, 2021. (CNS photo/Go Nakamura, Reuters)

March for Life puts pro-life vision that welcomes babies, supports families in focus

BY MARIA WIERING

(OSV

News)

– “Let me say very simply: I want more babies in the United States of America,” Vice President JD Vance told a cheering crowd at the 52nd National March for Life Jan. 24.

“I want more happy children in our country, and I want beautiful young men and women who are eager to wel-

come them into the world and eager to raise them,” he said. “And it is the task of our government to make it easier for young moms and dads to afford to have kids, to bring them into the world, and to welcome them as the blessings that we know they are, here at the March for Life.”

In his first public appearance following Inauguration Day, Vance was the final speaker at the annual march’s two-hour rally preceding attendees’ walk from the Washington Monument grounds to the U.S. Supreme Court Building. Other speakers included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike John-

son, R-La. It is the first time both leaders of Congress’s chambers attended a March for Life.

While most speakers – policymakers and pro-life advocates – spoke specifically about making abortion “illegal and unthinkable” in post-Dobbs America, Vance championed a pro-family vision that not only rejected abortion, but also supported raising children.

Noting his own three young children, Vance, who is Catholic, said, “The task of our movement is to protect innocent life. It’s to defend the unborn; and it’s also to be pro-family and pro-life in the fullest

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph, Millions of Monicas – Praying with conﬁdence for our children, each Tuesday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the church. Join with other mothers and grandmothers as we pray for our children’s faithful return to the church. Details: email millionsofmonicas@stjosephgluckstadt.com.

GREENWOOD – Locus Benedictus, Wings of Grace, Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. beginning Feb. 25. This is a new ministry providing a journey of healing from abortion. Program is 12 weeks and is led by Teresa Lambert. Find hope, peace, love and forgiveness through Bible study. Free and conﬁdential. Register by Feb. 17. Details: email t.lambert0814@gmail. com or (662) 561-6018.

Knights of Columbus – Grow in your faith with ﬁve short videos produced by the Knights of Columbus called the “Mission of The Family.” The Mission of the Family” videos can be found at https://www. kofc.org/en/campaigns/into-the-breach.html. Videos are less than 14 minutes in length.

OLIVE BRANCH – Queen of Peace, Gathering in the Spirit Men’s Retreat, Saturday, Feb. 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join us for group and individual activities, adoration, opportunity for reconciliation and more. Morning refreshments and lunch provided. Details: RSVP in the narthex or email ctksdonna@ gmail.com.

PEARL – St. Jude, “Women and the Power of Prayer” Women’s Retreat, Saturday, March 15 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sponsored by the St. Jude Artisan Group. Details: Linda at (601) 573-8583 or maria.l. tynes@gmail.com.

PILGRIMAGE – Pilgrimage to Holy Land: Join Father Mark Sho ner, pastor of St. John Oxford, July 21-31, 2025. Details: lpjp.org, then click on “All Pilgrimages” and “Holy Land.” Details: church o ce (662) 234-6073.

PILGRIMAGE – Pilgrimage to Marian Shrines (Fatima, Spain and Lourdes) with Father Lincoln Dall and Deacon John McGregor, Sept, 15-24, 2025. Details: for more information visit www.206tours. com/frlincoln.

PILGRIMAGE – Pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, Lisbon and Fatima with Father Carlisle Beggerly, Oct. 4-15, 2025. Cost: $5,799 per person (includes airfare from anywhere in the U.S.) Details: contact Pat Nause at (601) 604-0412; Proximo Travel at (855) 8428001 or proximotravel.com. Mention trip #1181.

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. – Church of the Incarnation, Women’s Morning of Spirituality, Saturday, March 1 with breakfast at 7:15 a.m. and program beginning at 8:15 a.m. Keynote speaker is Beth Davis and witness speaker is Angela Edwards. Register at https://womensmorning.com.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – School Sisters of Notre Dame invite single women to a discernment retreat Feb. 2123, 2025, at their Sancta Maria in Ripa campus. Details: Pre-registration by Feb. 7, is requested. There is no cost for participation. Private rooms with restroom provided; all meals included. Some assistance with transportation costs is available if needed. Details: email sisters@ssnd.org or call (314) 633-7026.

VIRTUAL – Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Stay with Me: Lenten Prayer for Disciples virtual event, Wednesdays from March 5 through April 9 at 7 p.m. Event is free. Register once for participation in any or all of the sessions at springfieldop.org/events. Hear reflections on the theme, enjoy periods of silence and sharing, and build a community of prayer for Lent. Details: call Sister Denise Glazik at (217) 787-0481.

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS

CANTON – Holy Child Jesus, Musical Celebration in honor of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, Saturday, March 29 at 3 p.m. Details: “Cherie” Evans at arievans29@yahoo. com or (601) 259-1363.

CLARKSDALE – St. Elizabeth School, Mardi Gras Drawdown, Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at Hopson Hospitality. Tickets are $100 and must be 21+ to attend. Details: call (662) 624-4239 for more information.

COLUMBUS – Annunciation School, Mardi Gras Masquerade – Draw Down and Art Auction, Friday, Feb. 28 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Details: school o ce (662) 328-4479.

Annunciation School, Welcome Week, Feb. 18-21. Come see our school and meet our teachers. Tours available each day in 45 minute slots. Come tour and we will waive your application fee. Details: Register at https://bit.ly/3WAjfU6.

FOREST – St. Michael, Way of the Cross (Spanish), every Friday at 7 p.m. during Lent. Details: email stmichaelchurchforest@gmail.com.

GREENVILLE – St. Joseph School, Spring Fling, March 1 at 5:30 p.m. Details: school o ce (662) 3789711.

HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Soup and Stations, every Friday during Lent at 6:30 p.m. Details: church o ce (662) 429-7851.

HOLLY SPRINGS – Gregory House, Young Women’s Retreat for 9-12 grade, Feb. 28 through March 2. Come listen, pray and play. Event is free. Details: SHSM at (662) 781-1360.

JACKSON – Holy Family, Black History Celebration, Sunday, Feb. 23 after 10:30 a.m. Mass. Join us for singing, presentations and a wonderful display of amazing African-American culture. All are welcome. Details: church o ce (601) 362-1888.

JACKSON – Cathedral of St. Peter, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. Bilingual Mass with reception and dinner following in the Cathedral Center. Details: church o ce (601) 9693125.

JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman School, Drawdown 2025, Saturday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. Grand prize is $5,000. Tickets cost $120; with additional $15 for second chance. Join us for fellowship, food, entertainment, silent auction and more! Details: school o ce (601) 352-5441.

MADISON – St. Joseph School, Bruin Burn 5k Run and 2k Walk, Saturday, March 1 at 9 a.m. Race held at 200 W Jackson Street in Ridgeland. Registration $30 for 5k run or 2k walk; $15 for fun run; $10 virtual run. Come enjoy music, fun and glow tunnel in your best 80s running attire. Details: register at https:// runsignup.com/Race/MS/Ridgeland/BruinBurn.

MERIDIAN – St. Patrick, Ladies Retreat “We Wait in Joyful, Hope: a Lenten Journey,” Saturday, Feb. 22 from 2:30-5 p.m. in the Father Valley room. Retreat led by Mary Billups. Group will attend 5 p.m. Mass at conclusion of retreat. Details: church o ce (601) 693-1321. St. Joseph, Mardi Gras Party, March 1 from 6-10 p.m. at Kehrer Hall. Must be 21+ to attend. Details: church o ce (601) 693-1321.

St. Patrick School, Glow Run, Friday, Feb. 28. More information coming soon. Details: school o ce (601) 482-6044.

NATCHEZ – St. Mary Basilica, Blood Drive, Tuesday, Feb. 18 from 12:30-5:30 p.m. at the Family Life Center. Details: schedule an

appointment at www.vitalant.org or call the church o ce at (601) 445-5616.

SOUTHAVEN – Sacred Heart School, Trivia Night and Silent Auction, Saturday, March 22 from 7-9 p.m. in the school gym. Join us for trivia, door prizes, giveaways, split the pot ra e and more. Teams with max of eight players. Single players will be assigned a spot. Cost: $25 per player and $160 per table. BYOB and snacks. Doors open at 6 p.m. to decorate your table for a chance to win a prize. Details: register by emailing Allison at abaskin@shsm.org.

DIOCESE

OFFICE OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION – The OCE hosts a Zoom Rosary the ﬁrst Wednesday of each month during the school year at 7 p.m. Our upcoming Rosary is on March 5. Details: Join the rosary via zoom at https://bit.ly/zoomrosary2024.

YOUTH – DCYC, March 21-23, 2025 at the Vicksburg Convention Center. Theme is “Here I am Lord Work in Me.” Register by Feb. 21, contact your parish to register. Details: contact your individual parish o ces or contact Abbey at (601) 949-6934 or abbey. schuhmann@jacksondiocese.org.

OTHER EVENTS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Catholic Scouters Region 5 Conference, Feb. 21-22. The Catholic Committee on Scouting for the Diocese of Nashville invites you to join Catholic Scouter’s from the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee to a special conference that includes current scouting topics and an opportunity to receive a special event patch with registration. Cost $65 per person. Meetings held at the Knights of Columbus Council 4972 Hall located at 3129 McGavock Pike. For more information visit https://www.ndccos.org. Register online at https://scoutingevent.com/560-93593. Details: email backpackergus@gmail.com.

WASHINGTON, DC – Catholic University of America, Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman Conference, Saturday, March 28 Theme is “I Bring My Whole Self.” Details: Visit https://www. blackcatholicmessenger.org/thea-bowman-conference-2025 for more details or email cua-bowman@ cua.edu.

R dgeland Cl nton

APPLIANCE AUDIO VIDEO BEDDING FURNITURE SUPERSTORE V cksburg Tupelo Columbus Laur el r Oxford Hat t esburg

Jackson Flowood Pearl

BY BISHOP JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D.

The Jubilee Year of Hope is well underway, a year of favor from the Lord in which Pope Francis is encouraging and challenging us to be Pilgrims of Hope. What is a pilgrim anyway?

Over 40 years ago in the early years of my priesthood I participated in a biblical study tour to the Holy Lands and Rome to experience ﬁrsthand the earthly life of Jesus, the beginning of the church in Jerusalem, and its growth in Rome. In preparation for this three-week spiritual adventure the leader reminded all participating priests that we are undertaking this trip as pilgrims, not tourists. Most of us heard the call for pilgrimage and packed simply, except for one in the group who took along a large empty suitcase for souvenirs.

Later this year the Diocese of Jackson will sponsor a pilgrimage to Rome that will include passing through the Holy Door of one of the four major Basilicas. We will see ourselves as pilgrims for these ten days, all the while keeping in mind that the Holy Father is exhorting us to be pilgrims of hope in heart

What is a pilgrim anyway?

and mind as an enduring and deﬁning state of life. How? One of the prophets of old illuminates for us the path of pilgrims. “You have been told, o mortal, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to do justice, to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) It’s a way of being in this world that overcomes and transcends all who cast their shadows over the light of faith, the power of hope and the primacy of love. As pilgrims we are called to touch lightly on this earth, not in a superﬁcial manner, but in a way that inspires us to understand that to walk upon this earth is a miracle.

I am writing this column on the 11th anniversary of my consecration and installation as the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Jackson. Applying the lens of Pilgrims of Hope I have experienced my episcopal ministry at its core as pilgrimage, journeying to many holy sites, i.e. our parishes, schools and ministries, and back again to the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. In ordinary and extraordinary moments, in season and out of season, my life is ﬁlled with encounters with the sacred. Recognizing this gift is the key. Each of us in has to do the personal work to “stir into ﬂame” (2Timothy 1:6) our baptismal call to be alive and active as the Lord’s anointed and pilgrims of hope. Our identity as God’s chil-

Happy Ordination Anniversary

February 6

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz (ordained bishop)

February 7

Father Hendrik Ardianto, SCJ Catholic Parishes of Northwest Mississippi

February 14

Father Jo n George Holy Cross, Philadelphia

February 19

Father Vijaya Madanu, SVD Holy Ghost, Jackson

March 2

Father Henry Shelton Retired

March 6

Father Albeenreddy Vatti St. Francis of Assisi, Madison

Thank you for answering the call!

P.O. Box 2130 Jackson, MS 39225-2130

Phone: 601-969-3581 E-mail: editor@jacksondiocese.org

dren ﬂourishes through prayer, through the sacraments, through works of justice and goodness accomplished in a spirit of humility. When we ﬁx our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:12) “each of us may be able to o er a smile, a small gesture of friendship, a kind look, a ready ear, a good deed, in the knowledge that, in the Spirit of Jesus, these can become, for those who receive them, rich seeds of hope.” (Jubilee Document)

As this edition of Mississippi Catholic circulates throughout the diocese, I will be in India for my second pastoral visit to this amazing country from where we have 15 priests serving in our diocese. Truly, this is a pastoral visit to spend time with the bishops and provincial who have priests on mission in the Diocese of Jackson. But at its core it is a pilgrimage to many holy sites and ministries in the land where St. Thomas the Apostle ﬁrst proclaimed the Gospel.

Wherever we are in this world, St. Paul reminds us that in the end “our citizenship is in heaven.” Yet, the journey begins here and the blessing and challenge is to see this world as God sees it, and to accompany one another as pilgrims with an abiding concern for justice, goodness and solidarity for all.

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Thursday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m. – 70th Anniversary Celebration, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Houston

Sunday, March 2, 5 p.m. – Conﬁrmation Mass, St. Richard, Jackson

Monday, March 3, 5 p.m. – Mass of Thanksgiving for Father Albeen Vatti’s 25th Ordination Anniversary, St. Francis, Madison

Tuesday, March 4, 11, 18 and 25, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

Saturday, March 8, 11 a.m. – Rite of Election, Christ the King, Southaven

Volume 71 Number 5 (ISSN 1529-1693)

Publisher Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

Communications Director Joanna Puddister King

Production Manager Tereza Ma

Contributor Madelyn Johnson

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an oﬃcial publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published digitally twice per month January – April and September – December; once per month June, July and August. Mississippi Catholic mails 14 editions per year – twice per month in December and January; and once per month February –November. For address changes, corrections or to join the email list for the digital edition, email: editor@jacksondiocese.org. 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  www.jacksondiocese.org

Sunday, March 9, 2 p.m. – Rite of Election, St. Francis, Madison

Sunday, March 23, 11:30 a.m. – Bishop Chanche Youth Awards Presentation at DCYC, Vicksburg Convention Center

Saturday, March 29, 11 a.m. – Bishop Chanche Awards and Mass, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Tuesday, April 1, 8 and 29, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

Saturday, April 5 – Natchez Together: A Festival of Ideas, Natchez Convention Center

Sunday, April 6, 9 a.m. – Conﬁrmation Mass, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Greenwood

Sunday, April 6, 1:30 p.m. – Conﬁrmation Mass (Spanish), St. Francis of Assisi, Greenwood

All events are subject to change. Check with parishes for further details.

VOCATIONs

I stated this last issue of Mississippi Catholic, but I’ll state it again … we have set a date for Homegrown Harvest 2025! In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we will have our 6th Annual Event on Oct. 11, 2025 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Madison. Please save the date.

Homegrown Harvest has become a sort of touchstone for me as vocation director. I had conversations just before the pandemic with Bishop Joseph Kopacz and with the development team at the diocese about having an event that allowed our supporters to encounter our seminarians and see all the good things that are store for the future of the church. Then … Covid. And so, our ﬁrst Homegrown Harvest happened at St. Jude in Pearl and there were about six people in attendance. We somehow managed to ﬁgure out the technology and had a live event over Zoom that night as Bishop Kopacz and I spoke with Father Jim Wehner about vocations, and some other things happened I’m sure. It was all a blur.

I am so grateful at how this event has grown since then. We want to continue to make it better and more fun, and, of course, keep raising money to support our seminarians and the great ways that we are reaching out to young men throughout the diocese and accompanying them in their discernment.

In other news, Father Tristan Stovall took a group of ten (10), yes, I said ten college students down to Notre Dame Seminary at the end of January. We are so blessed to have Father Tristan as assistant vocation director. He’ll be leading another seminary trip on

Palm Sunday weekend to St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington. Seeing the seminary helps young men see that there are just normal people at the seminary. The seminarians are not monks, and they are not hermits, they are normal young men who are discerning a call to a unique state in life. I’m so grateful that Father Tristan has such a love for the work that he’s doing, and it is a great help to have a brother priest on board who can lead these types of trips. He is also leading a trip for young women to see the Nashville Dominicans in the coming weeks. Thanks Father Tristan!

Our second wave of six-week discernment groups with men ages 15-25 are ramping up this month. If you remember the Called by Name campaign that we held last November – all the names that surfaced from that initiative are being contacted by members of the vocation team to see if they’d like to participate in one of these groups. Please keep these young men and the vocation team in your prayers and pray to the Father to send out more laborers for the harvest!

– Father Nick Adam, vocation director

(For more information on vocations, visit jacksonvocations.com or contact Father Nick at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)

https://jacksondiocese. ocknote.com/VocationsSupport

Father Nick Adam

Ecumenism: the imperative for wholeness inside the Body of Christ

IN EXILE

By Father ron rolheiser, oMi

For more than a thousand years, Christians have not experienced the joy of being one family in Christ. Although there were already tensions within the earliest Christian communities, it was not until the year 1054 that there was a formal split, in effect, to establish two formal Christian communities, the Orthodox Church in the East and the Catholic Church in the West. Then, with the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, there was another split within the Western Church and Christianity fragmented still further. Today there are hundreds of Christian denominations, many of whom, sadly, are not on friendly terms with each other.

Division and misunderstanding are understandable, inevitable, the price of being human. There are no communities without tension and so it is no great scandal that Christians sometimes cannot get along with each other. The scandal rather is that we have become comfortable, even smug, with the fact that we do not get along with each other, no longer hunger for wholeness, and no longer miss each other inside our separate churches.

In almost all our churches today there is little anxiety about those with whom we are not worshiping. For example, teaching Roman Catholic seminarians today, I sense a certain indifference to the issue of ecumenism. For many seminarians today this is not an issue of particular concern. Not to single out Catholic seminarians, this holds true for most of us in all denominations.

But this kind of indifference is inherently unchristian. Oneness was close to the heart of Jesus. He wants all his followers at the same table, as we see in this parable.

A woman has ten coins and loses one. She becomes anxious and agitated and begins to search frantically and relentlessly for the lost coin, lighting lamps, looking under tables, sweeping all the floors in her house. Eventually she finds the coin, is delirious with joy, calls together her neighbors, and throws a party whose cost no doubt far exceeded the value of the coin she had lost. (Luke 15:8-10)

Why such anxiety and joy over losing and finding a coin whose value was probably that of a dime? Well, what’s at issue is not the value of the coin; it’s something else. In her culture, nine was not considered a whole number; ten was. Both the woman’s anxiety about losing the coin and her joy in finding it had to do with the importance of wholeness. A wholeness in her life that had been fractured, and a precious set of relationships was no longer complete.

Indeed, the parable might be recast this way: A woman has ten children. With nine of them, she has a good relationship, but one of her daughters is alienated. Her nine other children come home regularly to the family table, but her alienated daughter does not. The woman cannot rest in that situation, cannot be at peace. She needs her alienated daughter to rejoin them. She tries every means to reconcile with her daughter and then one day, miracle of miracles, it works. Her daughter comes back to the family. Her family is whole again, everyone is back at the table. The woman is overjoyed, withdraws her modest savings, and throws a lavish party to celebrate that reunion.

Christian faith demands that, like that woman,

we need to be anxious, dis-eased, figuratively lighting lamps, and searching for ways to make the church whole again. Nine is not a whole number. Neither is the number of those who are normally inside our respective churches. Roman Catholicism isn’t a whole number. Protestantism isn’t a whole number. The Evangelical Churches aren’t a whole number. The Orthodox Churches aren’t a whole number. No one Christian denomination is a whole number. Together we make up a whole Christian number – and that is still not a whole faith number.

And so, we are meant to be anxious around these questions: Who no longer goes to church with us? Who is uncomfortable worshiping with us? How can we be comfortable when so many people are no longer at table with us?

Sadly, today, many of us are comfortable in churches that are far, far from whole. Sometimes, in our less reflective moments, we even rejoice in

The Pope’s Corner

it: “Those others aren’t real Christians in any case! We’re better off without them, a purer, more faithful church in their absence! We’re the one true remnant!”

But this lack of solicitude for wholeness compromises our following of Jesus as well as our basic human maturity. We are mature, loving people and true followers of Jesus, only when, like Jesus, we are in tears over those “other sheep that are not of this fold.” When, like the woman who lost one of her coins, we cannot sleep until every corner of the house has been turned upside down in a frantic search for what’s been lost.

We too need to solicitously search for a lost wholeness – and may not be at peace until it is found.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

Presentation in the temple shows how God lives among us, pope says

By Justin Mclellan

VATICAN

CITY (CNS)

– The presentation of Jesus in the temple of Jerusalem shows that God’s closeness to humanity is not confined to a place of worship but is manifested in his living among people, Pope Francis said.

“God is present in the midst of his people, not because he dwells within four walls, but because he lives as a man among humanity,” the pope said before praying the Angelus with visitors in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 2. “ This is the novelty of Jesus.”

The day’s Gospel reading from St. Luke recounted how Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple 40 days after his birth, following Jewish tradition. The “heartfelt voices” of Simeon and Anna, who had long awaited the messiah, “resound among the ancient stones of the temple, announcing the fulfillment of Israel’s expectations,” the pope said.

Simeon described Jesus in “three beautiful ways,” the pope said. “Jesus is salvation, Jesus is light; Jesus is a sign of contradiction.”

“Like the sun that rises over the world, this child will redeem it from the darkness of evil, pain and death,” Pope Francis said. “How much we need light, this light, even to day!”

Simeon then prophesied that Jesus will be “a sign that will be contradicted” so that “the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

“Jesus reveals the criterion for judging all of history and each of our lives,” Pope Fran cis explained. “And what is this criterion? It is love: those who love, live; those who hate, die.”

The pope urged Christians to reflect on whether they, too,

are longing for God: “Do I wish to see the face of the Lord? Do I await the manifestation of his plan of salvation?”

After praying the Angelus, the pope called for people to say “no” to war.

“It destroys everything, it destroys life and induces us to disregard it,” he said; “let us not forget that war is always a defeat.”

Pope Francis renewed his Jubilee year appeal for Christian government leaders “to do their utmost in the negotiations to bring all the ongoing conflicts to an end.”

“Let us pray for peace in tormented Ukraine, in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan and North Kivu,” he said, referring to the region in Congo where intense fighting flared up in late January, leading to the deaths of hundreds of people.

Pope Francis gives a thumbs up to visitors in St. Peter’s Square gathered to pray the the Angelus at the Vatican Feb. 2, 2025. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

By Joanna King

Diocese of Jackson celebrates World Marriage Day

JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson joyfully honored the anniversaries of married couples from across the diocese with two special Masses, celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz. The first Mass took place on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, followed by a second celebration on Sunday, Feb. 9, at St. James in Tupelo. These gatherings brought together couples of all ages to celebrate the sacred bond of marriage and their commitment to one another through the years.

Debbie Tubertini, coordinator for the Office of Family Ministry, explained that the decision to hold two Masses was made to better accommodate couples in different regions of the diocese. By offering celebrations in both the northern and central areas of the state, more couples had the opportunity to participate in this special recognition of their enduring love and faith.

World Marriage Day has a rich history, tracing its roots to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where in 1981, a group of couples encouraged their local leaders – including the Mayor, the Governor, and the Bishop – to proclaim St. Valentine’s Day as “We Believe in Marriage Day.” The

JACKSON – Couples from around the Diocese of Jackson celebrated World Marriage Day at the Cathedral of St. Peter on Saturday, Feb. 1. (Photos by Madelyn Johnson)

Pictured with Bishop Joseph Kopacz, Shane and Nina Hoang of St. Alphonsus parish in McComb, celebrate 31 years of marriage in 2024.

Bishop Joseph Kopacz gives a handshake to Carolina Amador. Her husband Enrique was elated to attend the celebration giving a hearty fist pump to celebrating 30 years of marriage. The couple attend St. James parish in Tupelo.

‘... World Marriage Day ...’

– Continued from page 6 –

idea quickly gained momentum, and in 1993, Pope St. John Paul II imparted his Apostolic blessing upon World Marriage Day, solidifying its place as an international celebration. Today, the event continues to spread across the globe, embracing different faith traditions and cultural expressions, all in recognition of the beauty and importance of marriage.

During the World Marriage Day celebrations in the Diocese of Jackson, couples were honored with a special anniversary certificate, blessed and signed by Bishop Kopacz. These certificates serve as a meaningful keepsake, commemorating their years of love, commitment and faith. The ceremonies also provided an opportunity for couples to renew their vows in the presence of family, friends and fellow parishioners, reaffirming their dedication to one another and to God.

The diocese extends heartfelt congratulations to all the couples who participated in this year’s celebrations. Whether newlyweds or those marking decades of marriage, each couple serves as a witness to the enduring power of love and the grace of the sacrament of matrimony.

Please join us in celebrating and praying for these special couples, that their love may continue to grow and inspire others for years to come.

(More photos to come at https://jacksondiocese. zenfoliosite.com.)

Happy anniversary cont.

Eloy & Gloria Hernandez – 42 years

Paul & Marybeth Dawes

Basil & Colleen Demarest

José & Maribel Martinez

Stacy & Patricia McKay

Eddie and Brenda Panteria

Eddie & Margaret Stutzman

25 Years

David & Patricia Cavin

William & Erica Chisholm III

Jason & Kerri Dare

Jeremy & Caroline Erwin

John & Amy Hornback

Chris & Joni House

Hermilo & Cristina Lira

Chris & Emily Maxwell

David & Bridgette Moore

Fred & Jeanne Setzer

Ronnie & Mindy Smith

Rafael & Monica Valdepena

Chris & Amanda Williams

Other

Carrie & David Haadsma – 44 years

Jose Luis & Ma. Concepcion Segura – 42 years

Phillip & Colleen Ray – 38 years

Mike & Angela Massey – 37 years

Byron & Lillian Trahan– 37 years

Paul & Michelle Harkins – 39 years

Gary & Sheila Carver – 36 years

Jeff & Christi Houin – 35 years

Ken & Mimi Cash – 32 years

Marc & Lainie Anthony – 31 years

Guillermo Benitez & Lidia Serrano – 31 years

Shane & Nina Hoang– 31 years

Todd & SuzAnne Liddell – 31 years

Ted & Raquel Thompson – 29 years

Reynaldo & Aracely Acosta – 28 years

Shane & Ann Sanders – 28 years

Leo & Glenda Bautista – 24 years

Noel & Matilde Benavides – 24 years

Jai & Lori Eschete – 24 year

Augusto & Olga Soltero – 21 years

Alejandro & Katya Cruz – 18 years

Martín & María Mariela Martinez – 17 years

German & Natali Flores – 15 years

Gabriel & Luz María Gonzalez – 15 years

Tam & Lucy Nguyen – 15 years

Francisco & Yolanda Aguilar – 9 years

Javier & Kathya Candanedo – 5 years

Basil and Colleen Demarest, parishioners of St. Jude parish in Pearl, exchange vows during the World Day Marriage celebration at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle on Saturday, Feb. 1.

(Right) Ronald and Sandy Wojcik, of St. Francis of Assisi in Brookhaven, were all smiles to celebrate 65 years of marriage in 2025.

JACKSON – Chris Williams humbly accepts congratulations from Bishop Joseph Kopacz at the World Marriage Day celebration at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Jackson. Williams and his wife Amanda celebrate 25 years of marriage this year. They are members of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Madison.

30 Years cont.

‘ ... For more than a century, the Catholic Charities network has worked with the government ...’

– Continued from page 1 –

“wokeness” running afoul of Trump’s other executive orders on topics including diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

But questions remain about how the White House will define “assistance provided directly to individuals,” as indicated in the memo. Illinois and other states were cut off from the portal that is used to request and manage Medicaid spending, the office of that state’s Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said.

The White House confirmed the outage, with Leavitt writing on social media that they are “aware of the Medicaid website portal outage,” but said it would soon be available.

“We have confirmed no payments have been affected – they are still being processed and sent,” she said. “We expect the portal will be back online shortly.”

Leavitt was asked about the impact on organizations like Meals on Wheels, which is funded in part by the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) program, to deliver meals to homebound seniors, rather than the grant funds going directly to the seniors themselves.

“It does not affect individual assistance that’s going to Americans,” she replied.

Elsewhere in the briefing, Leavitt was asked if Trump “intended to permanently cut off funding to NGOs that are bringing illegal foreign nationals to the country, such as Catholic Charities?”

– Continued from page 1 –

sense of that word possible.”

As in years past, the march drew tens of thousands, many of them young adults. Some traveled more than a day on buses, missing high school and college classes to join others along the National Mall in the mid-Atlantic cold.

The 2025 march also commemorated a leadership change for the event’s organization, with longtime president Jeanne Mancini handing off her role to March for Life’s incoming president, Jennie Bradley Lichter. While Mancini emceed the 2025 march, both women spoke, with Bradley Lichter also introducing Vance.

The march was founded to protest Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states. That decision was overturned in 2022 with the court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, thus returning abortion policy to lawmakers. At the rally, March for Life leaders addressed the march’s role in the changed abortion landscape, with abortion laws now varying widely by state. The march, they insisted, must continue.

“Today we affirm that the pro-life generation will not rest until every single abortion facility in our nation closes its door for good. We will march until every child is protected by federal law, until abortion is unthinkable, and until every pregnant woman receives excellent prenatal care,” said Hannah

“I am actually quite certain that the president signed an executive order that did just that,” she said.

Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, issued a statement that did not reference the exchange in the White House briefing room but defended the work of her organization.

“Last year, 92 percent of the services provided by the 168 independent Catholic Charities agencies around the country covered basic needs – access to food, housing, health care and other necessities – for families and individuals struggling to get by,” Robinson said. “These vital services include food pantries for those who can’t afford groceries, childcare programs for low-income families, meal deliveries for homebound seniors, job training resources for veterans, temporary and permanent housing, mental health services and much more.”

The millions of Americans “who rely on this life-giving support,” she added, “will suffer due to the unprecedented effort to freeze federal aid supporting these programs.”

“The people who will lose access to crucial care are our neighbors and family members,” Robinson said. “They live in every corner of the country and represent all races, religions and political affiliations.”

“For more than a century, the Catholic Charities network has worked with the government to care for poor and vulnerable people in every community in the U.S., and we continue to be eager to work with

government to care for our neighbors in need. We strongly urge the administration to rethink this decision,” she continued.

The group also urged its supporters to contact their congressional representatives.

OSV News has reached out to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and is awaiting a response. Both CCUSA and the USCCB have said they abide by the law in their work with migrants and refugees.

In a Jan. 26 statement, issued hours after Vice President JD Vance questioned the motives of the U.S. bishops’ criticism of President Donald Trump’s new immigration policies in an interview that aired that morning, the USCCB said, “Faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church has a long history of serving refugees.”

“In 1980, the bishops of the United States began partnering with the federal government to carry out this service when Congress created the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP),” the statement said. “Every person resettled through USRAP is vetted and approved for the program by the federal government while outside of the United States. In our agreements with the government, the USCCB receives funds to do this work; however, these funds are not sufficient to cover the entire cost of these programs. Nonetheless, this remains a work of mercy and ministry of the church.”

(Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.)

‘ ... Pro-life generation will not rest ...’

Lape, president of Wheaton College Voice for Life. Her group carried the 2025 march’s iconic banner.

The march came four days after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term, following a campaign that disappointed many pro-life advocates in certain respects. Trump was hailed for pro-life actions during his first term. Since then, he reversed support for a federal abortion ban, stating he believes U.S. states should determine their own abortion laws. He also posted on social media positively about “reproductive rights,” and indicated he would not restrict access to mifepristone. The drug, while it is prescribed in some miscarriage care protocols, is widely used for nearly two-thirds of abortions in the U.S.

A majority of Americans support some legal limits on abortion, while keeping the practice largely intact, according to a Knights of Columbus-Marist poll released Jan. 23. The annual survey found that 83% of Americans supported pregnancy resource centers and 67% of Americans support some legal limits for abortion. But 60% support limiting abortions to the first three months of pregnancy – a limit that would leave most abor-

tions legal as nine out of 10 abortions occur in the first trimester.

“All of you here – all of you – have the power to change minds,” Lila Rose, a Catholic and longtime pro-life advocate, told the crowd during the march rally. “You are the voice for those who have no voice. Remember, science is on our side. The truth is on our side. We must simply have the courage to speak the truth with love.”

The March for Life was preceded by two large-scale events: Life Fest 2025 at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, held the evening before and the morning of the march; and the National Prayer Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate

Conception in Washington.

Marcela Rojas, who lives in the Archdiocese of New York, said that she attended the march with a group of 75 people, many of them mothers who brought their small children.

“Within our being, in our womb, there is a life,” she said of pregnant mothers. “It is a life that we cannot choose for. It is already another life that does not belong to us, and we are not the ones to decide whether it lives or not.”

(Maria Wiering is senior writer for OSV News. Contributing to this story was OSV News correspondent Marietha Góngora V. in Washington.)

Students from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, hold the March for Life banner outside the U.S. Supreme Court during the annual March for Life in Washington Jan. 24, 2025. (OSV News photo/Elizabeth Frantz, Reuters)

Dear Friends in Christ,

On Dec. 24, 2024, Pope Francis launched the Ordinary Jubilee for the Year 2025, naming it the Jubilee of Hope with the Latin title Spes Non Confundit or Hope Does Not Disappoint. As the spiritual Father of the Catholic Church throughout the world the Pope is calling all of God’s people in the church to be Pilgrims of Hope because the Holy Spirit of God has been poured into our hearts through faith.

Please read and examine this annual report for 2024 for the Diocese of Jackson through the Jubilee lens of hope.

2 0 2 4

Annual report

Chancery Office of the Diocese of Jackson

All that we do is rooted in all who we are as members of the Body of Christ, and the reason for our hope is the light of the Gospel shining upon all of our ministries.

St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians delineates the essential ministries that build up the body of the Lord to be faithful to his mission on earth. “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. Some people God has designated the church to be, first apostles, second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds, then, gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues.” (12:27-28)

The annual report displays the manner in which the faithful of our diocese support the ministries that have their roots in the scriptures and are alive and well in the Diocese of Jackson today. Administration is one of the essen-

Carolyn

Callahan

The full audit report for the Chancery office finances of the Diocese of Jackson is available online at https://jacksondiocese.org/temporal-affairs. Included in the audited financial statements are the Current Fund and Deposit and Loan Fund. The Current Fund represents the services provided to the parishes, schools and missions by the diocesan bishop and his representatives including the offices of the Bishop, Vicar General, Chancellor, Archives, Communication, Education, Faith Formation, Liturgy, Seminarian Education and Vocations, Stewardship and Development, and Temporal Affairs. The Deposit and Loan fund represents the savings of all parish and school locations and the related investment portfolio. Separate from this report are the income and expenses of Catholic Charities and the Catholic Foundation.

The two main sources of income for the Chancery office are the annual Cathedraticum Assessment and the Catholic Service Appeal. The Cathedraticum Assessment is currently 10.5% of the annual parish income less certain exemptions for approved capital campaigns and subsidies paid to schools. Income from this annual assessment funds the expenses of the office of the Bishop and his extended administration, all priest retirement and health insurance costs, and seminarian education, stipends and benefits costs.

Personnel salary and benefits, clergy benefits and assistance, and seminarian education represent the major expenses of the administration of the Bishop. Other routine expenses include workshops and conferences held and attended, travel, newspaper printing and distribution costs, and grants awarded to parishes and schools.

tial gifts of the Holy Spirit that empowers the church to serve in stable and creative ways. Literally the word means to minister to, and with so much at stake, our chancery staff is committed to be good stewards of the generosity of the people of God from every corner of our diocese.

A careful reading of this report will portray the complexity of our diocesan network, as well as the careful stewardship that is applied each day. This inspires confidence throughout our diocesan network. As I have stated in previous reports, I am grateful for the commitment to collaboration among our diocesan leadership and personnel that meaningfully engages leadership throughout the diocese.

Our Pastoral Reimagining process over the past few years has been closely linked with the Synod on Synodality

that concluded in October 2024 after a three-year endeavor. We have seen the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in creative and surprising ways throughout the diocese, strengthening our mission and ministries.

Faithful administration is the gift that applies transparency and accountability in order to build trust, serve the Lord, and give glory to God. This firm foundation evident in this report frees us to be pilgrims of hope this year and always.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Financial Report

– Director, Department of Temporal Affairs

Significant areas to note for the finances of the Diocese and the Department of Temporal Affairs since the last annual report filed in January 2024 are:

• Multiple schools and parishes are undergoing major construction and renovation projects with assistance from the Deposit and Loan Fund. All loan transactions equal to or greater than $250,000 are approved by the Diocese Finance Council prior to Bishop’s approval.

• The investment portfolio of the Deposit and Loan Fund remains in a strong position with an allocation and calendar year return of 77% / 3.5% Fixed Income, 18% / 24.6% Equities, and 5% / 5.7% Cash as of Dec. 31, 2024. The weight of the portfolio in highly rated Fixed Income securities is due to the source of the funds that represent the Savings of the parishes and schools less loans to parishes and schools. The return on investment continues to increase the cost basis of the account balances and has not been withdrawn for operations.

• As it is recommended that property appraisals are updated every ten to twelve years, Temporal Affairs contracted with Mike Domain of Insurance Valuation Group (IVG) in December 2024 to begin appraising all Diocesan properties during the spring of 2025. IVG is working closely with the Chancery team and Catholic Mutual in updating property appraised values for the next insurance year that begins July 1, 2025.

• After discussion with our external actuary, audit partner, Diocesan Finance Council and with Bishop’s approval, the Lay Frozen Retirement Plan (For Chancery and Catholic Charities Employees only – Frozen July 14, 2014) was revalued using a

higher investment return rate which lowered the plan’s overall value and unfunded liability. (See note #6 of the audited financial statements)

• Temporal Affairs contracted with a new payroll provider, Checkwriters Inc., in 2024 to provide payroll, distribution, and ACA services to all parishes, schools, the Chancery, Catholic Charities, and the Association of Priests Retirement Fund. While payroll provider software programs are very similar in their functionality, we were not receiving the client support needed to ensure accurate and timely payroll distribution from the prior provider.

• The Diocesan Finance Council and its separate committees meet throughout the year and include members who are experts in various areas to provide oversight of Temporal Affairs and financial advice to Bishop Kopacz. Committees of the Council include the Budget Committee, Audit Committee, Investment Committee, Revenue Committee, and the Deposit and Loan Rates Committee, and the Cathedraticum Committee.

• Temporal Affairs continues to have a strong working relationship with its external audit firm and the audit report was received without exceptions again in 2024.

Questions regarding Diocesan finances may be sent to Carolyn Callahan, Director, Department of Temporal Aﬀairs via email at carolyn.callahan@ jacksondiocese.org.

+Joseph R. Kopacz Bishop of Jackson

Catholic Diocese of Jackson

Catholic Education Executive Director of School Operations

Karla Luke

• In summer of 2024, the Office of Catholic Education (OCE), and all schools and Early Learning Centers began district reaccreditation for all schools and early learning centers for 2025-2030 school years.

• The OCE and Diocesan Catholic Schools embarked on a yearlong of service to schools and communities adopting the annual theme of “Faith, Hope and Love,” based on 1 Corinthians 13:13.

• The OCE in collaboration with the Office of the Chancellor welcomed fifth graders from across the diocese to the Mass of Holy Chrism during Holy Week. This was such a success with our seminarians in attendance, the event will continue annually.

Chancellor Mary Woodward

• The Chancellor is charged with managing diocesan archives and records for the bishop; acts as official notary; and coordinates diocesan liturgies celebrated by the bishop. Also, the intricate process for the cause of canonization of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, is a responsibility of the Chancellor.

• Liaison to Diocesan Review Board, which evaluates Protection of Children/Safe Environment protocols.

• In 2024, assisted in the creation and installation of a bronze statue of Sister Thea Bowman on the Cathedral of St. Peter grounds.

• Coordinated the annual Diocesan Chrism Mass and an ordination Mass.

• Completed several national and international statistical reports for the church.

• Facilitated several canonical processes.

• Collaborated in developing a records management platform for the diocese.

• Authored a bi-weekly column for the Mississippi Catholic – From the Archives.

Diocese of Jackson Stats

Stewardship and Development Director

Rebecca Harris

Stewardship Office

• Produces the Stewardship Paths monthly e-newsletter provides parishes/parishioners with stewardship materials.

• Assisted with the 5th annual Homegrown Harvest for seminarians, which raised $141,000.

• Wrote Catholic Extension grants and initiative projects which funded over $80,000.

Catholic Service Appeal

• The Catholic Service Appeal raises money for 14 ministries in our diocese. The goal was $1,275,000. Raised $1,384,715 from 2,683 donors and an average gift of $516.11. The following ministries received funds through the 2024 CSA:

• Seminarian Education $175,000 (14%)

• Retired Priests $200,000 (16%)

• Clergy Healthcare & Assistance $200,000 (16%)

• Permanent Diaconate Program $10,000 (1%)

• Evangelization/Communications $54,170 (4%)

• Religious Ed. & Faith Formation $40,000 (3%)

• Youth Ministry $40,000 (3%)

• Intercultural Ministry $40,000 (3%)

• Campus Ministry $60,000 (5%)

• Family Ministry $30,000 (2%)

• Young Adult Ministry $20,000 (1%)

• Catholic Charities $350,000 (27%)

• Parishes & Schools Grant Assistance $50,000 (4%)

• Prison Ministry $10,000 (1%)

The Catholic Foundation

• The Foundation manages 400 trusts with investments reaching $60M.

• Distributed 5% to trust beneficiaries totaling $2.4M.

• Funded 25 grant projects totaling $84,000.

• The Foundation raised over $86,000 for membership.

• Sponsored the 42nd annual Bishop Cup Golf Tournament, raising over $44,000.

La Casa Blanca sugiere que retirará fondos a Caridades Católicas

Por Kate scanLon WASHINGTON (OSV News)

– El 28 de enero, la Casa Blanca trató de aclarar lo que sería y no sería afectado por una directiva para congelar los programas de asistencia financiera federal y sugirió que trataría de despojar a los fondos federales de las organizaciones no gubernamentales, incluyendo Caridades Católicas, como parte de su esfuerzo para hacer cumplir sus políticas de inmigración.

Catholic Charities USA instó a la administración Trump a reconsiderar la congelación de los fondos en un comunicado del 28 de enero. Un juez bloqueó temporalmente la congelación ese mismo día.

La oficina de presupuesto de la Casa Blanca ordenó una pausa en todas las subvenciones y préstamos federales, lo que podría afectar billones de dólares en gastos del gobierno y detener programas públicos que afectan a millones de estadounidenses, según un memorando de esa oficina. Estas órdenes podrían afectar a las entidades católicas

que dependen de dichas subvenciones.

En su primera rueda de prensa como secretaria de prensa de la Casa Blanca, el 28 de enero, Karoline Leavitt dijo que “esta no es una pausa general en la asistencia federal en programas de subvenciones de la administración Trump”, argumentando que la “asistencia individual” no se verá impactada, enumerando como ejemplos “los beneficios del Seguro Social, los beneficios de Medicare, los cupones de alimentos, los beneficios de bienestar social”.

“Es responsabilidad de este presidente y de esta administración ser buenos administradores de los dólares de los contribuyentes”, dijo, argumentando que la directiva era para combatir “wokeness” que va en contra de otras órdenes ejecutivas de Trump sobre temas como la diversidad, la equidad y los programas de inclusión.

Pero sigue habiendo dudas sobre cómo definirá la Casa Blanca

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La Marcha por la Vida comparte una visión provida que acoge a los bebés y apoya a las familias

Por Maria WierinG (OSV News) – ”Permítanme decir muy sencillamente: Quiero más bebés en los Estados Unidos de América”, dijo el vicepresidente JD Vance a una multitud que lo aclamaba en la 52ª Marcha Nacional por la Vida el 24 de enero. “Quiero más niños felices en nuestro país, y quiero hermosos hombres y mujeres jóvenes que estén ansiosos por darles la bienvenida al mundo y ansiosos por criarlos”, dijo. “Y es tarea de nuestro gobierno facilitar que las madres y padres jóvenes puedan permitirse tener hijos, traerlos al mundo y darles la bienvenida como las bendiciones que sabemos que son, aquí, en la Marcha por la Vida”.

En su primera aparición pública tras el Día de la Toma de Posesión, Vance fue el último orador en la manifestación anual de dos horas que precedió a la caminata de los asistentes desde los terrenos del Monumento a Washington hasta el edificio de la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos. Otros oradores incluyeron al gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, el líder de la mayoría del Senado, John Thune, republicano de Dakota del Sur, y el presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Mike Johnson, republicano de Lousiana. Es la primera vez que ambos líderes de las cámaras del Congreso asisten a una Marcha por la Vida.

Mientras que la mayoría de los oradores – políticos y defensores de la vida –hablaron específicamente de hacer que el aborto sea “ilegal e impensable” en un Estados Unidos post-Dobbs, Vance defendió una visión pro-familia que no sólo rechazaba el aborto, sino que también apoyaba la crianza de los hijos.

Refiriéndose a sus tres hijos pequeños, Vance, que es católico, dijo: “La tarea de nuestro movimiento es proteger la vida inocente. Es defender a los no nacidos; y también es estar a favor de la familia y de la vida en el sentido más amplio posible de esa palabra”.

Como en años anteriores, la marcha atrajo a decenas de miles de personas, muchas de ellas jóvenes. Algunos viajaron más de un día en autobús, faltando

a clase en institutos y universidades para unirse a otros a lo largo del National Mall en medio del frío. Llevaban carteles en los que se leía “Amenlos a ambos”, “La vida es nuestra revolución” y “Desfinancien a Planned Parenthood”, el mayor proveedor de abortos de Estados Unidos.

La Marcha 2025 también conmemoró un cambio en la dirección de la organización del evento, ya que su presidenta Jeanne Mancini le paso las riendas de la organización a la presidenta entrante de Marcha por la Vida, Jennie Bradley Lichter. Mancini fue la presentadora de la marcha de 2025, y ambas tomaron la palabra, mientras que Bradley Lichter presentó a Vance.

La marcha se fundó para protestar contra el caso Roe vs. Wade, la decisión de la Corte Suprema de 1973 que legalizó el aborto en los 50 estados. Esa decisión fue anulada en 2022 con el fallo del tribunal en el caso Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, devolviendo así la habilidad de tomar decisiones sobre la política abortista a los legisladores y estados. En la manifestación, los líderes de la Marcha por la Vida abordaron el papel de la marcha en el cambiante panorama del aborto, con leyes que ahora varían ampliamente de un estado a otro. La marcha, insistieron, debe continuar.

“Hoy afirmamos que la generación provida no descansará hasta que todos y cada uno de los centros abortistas de nuestro país cierren sus puertas para siempre. Marcharemos hasta que todos los niños estén protegidos por la ley federal, hasta que el aborto sea impensable y hasta que todas las mujeres embarazadas reciban una excelente atención prenatal”, dijo Hannah Lape, presidenta de Wheaton College Voice for Life. Su grupo portaba la emblemática pancarta de la marcha de 2025.

La marcha tuvo lugar cuatro días después de que el presidente Donald Trump

– Continúa en la página 2 –

Sirviendo a los Católicos Hispanos de la Diócesis de Jackson desde 1997

Migrantes que buscan asilo en Estados Unidos caminan hacia un centro temporal de respiro humanitario administrado por Caridades Católicas del Valle del Río Grande en McAllen, Texas, 8 de abril de 2021. (Foto por CNS/Go Nakamura, Reuters)

‘... Durante más de un siglo, la red de

Caridades Católicas

ha colaborado con el gobierno ...’

– Viene de la página 1 –

la “asistencia prestada directamente a las personas”, como se indica en el memorando. Illinois y otros estados se quedaron sin acceso al portal que se utiliza para solicitar y gestionar el gasto de Medicaid, según informó la oficina del gobernador de ese estado, el demócrata J.B. Pritzker.

La Casa Blanca confirmó el corte, y Leavitt escribió en las redes sociales que son “conscientes de la interrupción del portal web de Medicaid”, pero dijo que pronto estaría disponible.

“Hemos confirmado que ningún pago se ha visto afectado: todavía se están procesando y enviando”, dijo. “Esperamos que el portal vuelva a estar en línea en breve”.

Leavitt fue preguntada por el impacto en organizaciones como Meals on Wheels, que se financia en parte con el programa Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), para entregar comidas a ancianos confinados en casa, en lugar de que los fondos de la subvención vayan directamente a los propios ancianos.

“No afecta a la ayuda individual que se destina a los estadounidenses”, respondió.

En otra parte de la sesión informativa, se le preguntó a Leavitt si Trump “tenía intención de cortar permanentemente la financiación a las ONG que traen extranjeros ilegales al país, como Catholic Charities.”

“En realidad estoy bastante segura de que el presidente firmó una orden ejecutiva que hacía precisamente eso”, dijo.

Kerry Alys Robinson, presidenta y consejera delegada de Catholic Charities USA, emitió un comuni-

cado en el que no hizo referencia al intercambio en la sala de reuniones de la Casa Blanca, pero defendió la labor de su organización.

“El año pasado, el 92% de los servicios prestados por las 168 agencias independientes de Catholic Charities en todo el país cubrieron necesidades básicas – acceso a alimentos, vivienda, atención médica y otras necesidades – para familias y personas que luchan por salir adelante”, dijo Robinson. “Estos servicios vitales incluyen despensas de alimentos para aquellos que no pueden permitirse comprar comestibles, programas de cuidado de niños para familias de bajos ingresos, entrega de comidas para personas mayores confinadas en casa, recursos de capacitación laboral para veteranos, vivienda temporal y permanente, servicios de salud mental y mucho más”.

Los millones de estadounidenses “que dependen de este apoyo vital”, añadió, “sufrirán debido al esfuerzo sin precedentes de congelar la ayuda federal que apoya estos programas”.

“Las personas que perderán el acceso a una atención crucial son nuestros vecinos y familiares”, dijo Robinson. “Viven en todos los rincones del país y representan a todas las razas, religiones y afiliaciones políticas”.

“Durante más de un siglo, la red de Caridades Católicas ha colaborado con el gobierno para atender a las personas pobres y vulnerables en todas las comunidades de EE.UU., y seguimos dispuestos a colaborar con el gobierno para atender a nuestros vecinos necesitados. Instamos encarecidamente a la administración a que reconsidere esta decisión”, prosiguió.

El grupo también instó a sus simpatizantes a ponerse en contacto con sus representantes en el Congreso.

OSV News se ha puesto en contacto con la Conferencia de los Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos (USCCB) y está a la espera de una respuesta. Tanto la CCUSA como la USCCB han afirmado que respetan la ley en su trabajo con inmigrantes y refugiados.

En una declaración del 26 de enero, emitida horas después de que el vicepresidente JD Vance cuestionara los motivos de las críticas de los obispos estadounidenses a las nuevas políticas de inmigración del presidente Donald Trump en una entrevista que se emitió esa mañana, la USCCB dijo: “Fiel a las enseñanzas de Jesucristo, la Iglesia católica tiene una larga historia de servicio a los refugiados”.

“En 1980, los obispos de Estados Unidos comenzaron a asociarse con el gobierno federal para llevar a cabo este servicio cuando el Congreso creó el Programa de Admisión de Refugiados de Estados Unidos (USRAP)”, dice el comunicado. “Cada persona reasentada a través del USRAP es examinada y aprobada para el programa por el gobierno federal mientras se encuentra fuera de Estados Unidos. En nuestros acuerdos con el gobierno, la USCCB recibe fondos para realizar este trabajo; sin embargo, estos fondos no son suficientes para cubrir todo el coste de estos programas. No obstante, ésta sigue siendo una obra de misericordia y un ministerio de la Iglesia”.

(Kate Scanlon es una reportera nacional de OSV News que cubre Washington. Síguela en X @kgscanlon.)

‘... Son la voz de los que no tienen voz ...’

– Viene de la página 1 –

jurara su segundo mandato, tras una campaña que decepcionó a muchos defensores provida en ciertos aspectos. Trump fue aclamado por sus acciones provida durante su primer mandato. Desde entonces, ha retrocedido en su apoyo a la prohibición federal del aborto, declarando que cree que los estados de EE.UU. deben determinar sus propias leyes sobre el aborto. También publicó en las redes sociales comentarios positivos sobre los “derechos reproductivos” e indicó que no restringiría el acceso a la mifepristona. Este fármaco, aunque se prescribe en algunos protocolos de atención al aborto espontáneo, se utiliza ampliamente en casi dos tercios de los abortos que se practican en Estados Unidos.

La mayoría de los estadounidenses apoyan algunos límites legales al aborto, mientras que mantienen la práctica en gran medida intacta, según una encuesta de Caballeros de Colón-Maristas publicada el 23 de enero. La encuesta anual reveló que el 83% de los estadounidenses apoyan los centros de recursos para el embarazo y el 67% de los estadounidenses apoyan algunos límites legales para el aborto. Sin embargo, el 60% apoya limitar los abortos a los tres primeros meses de embarazo, un límite que mantendría la legalidad de la mayoría de los abortos, ya que nueve de cada 10 abortos se producen en el primer trimestre, según los datos de salud disponibles. “Todos los que están aquí, todos ustedes, tienen el poder de cambiar las mentalidades”, dijo a la multitud Lila Rose, católica y defensora de la vida desde hace mucho tiempo. “Son la voz de los que no tienen voz. Recuerden que la ciencia está de nuestro lado. La verdad está de nuestro lado. Simplemente debemos tener el valor de decir la verdad con amor”.

La Marcha por la Vida estuvo precedida por dos actos a gran escala: Life Fest 2025 en el EagleBank Arena de Fairfax, Virginia, celebrado la víspera y la mañana de la marcha; y la Vigilia Nacional de Oración por la Vida en la Basílica del Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepción de Washington.

Las Hermanas de la Vida, los Caballeros de Colón y la Diócesis de Arlington, Virginia, se unieron para presentar el evento Life Fest de dos días, que atrajo a casi 8.000 personas. En el santuario nacional, el arzobispo Joseph F. Naumann de Kansas City, Kansas, fue el celebrante principal y homilista en la Misa de apertura de la vigilia de oración el 23 de enero, y el Obispo Robert

J. Brennan de Brooklyn, Nueva York, fue el celebrante principal de la liturgia de clausura el 24 de enero. El arzobispo Naumann también pronunció una oración de apertura en la Marcha por la Vida.

(Maria Wiering es redactora senior de OSV News. Contribuyó a este artículo Marietha Góngora V., corresponsal de OSV News en Washington.)

Una estatua de Jesús es llevada ante el Capitolio de EE.UU. durante la manifestación anual Marcha por la Vida en Washington el 24 de enero de 2025. (Foto por OSV News/Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters)

¿Y qué es un peregrino?

Por obisPo JosePh r. KoPacz, D.D.

El Año Jubilar de la Esperanza está en marcha, un año de gracia del Señor en el que el Papa Francisco nos anima y nos desafía a ser Peregrinos de Esperanza. De todas maneras, ¿qué es un peregrino? Hace más de 40 años, en los primeros años de mi sacerdocio, participé en un viaje de estudio bíblico a la Tierra Santa y Roma para experimentar de primera mano la vida terrenal de Jesús, el comienzo de la iglesia en Jerusalén y su crecimiento en Roma. En preparación para esta aventura espiritual de tres semanas, el líder nos recordó a todos los sacerdotes participantes que estaríamos emprendiendo este viaje como peregrinos, no como turistas. La mayoría de nosotros escuchamos la llamada a la peregrinación y empacamos sencillamente, excepto uno en el grupo que llevó una gran maleta vacía para recuerdos.

A finales de este año, la Diócesis de Jackson asistirá a una peregrinación a Roma que incluirá el paso por la Puerta Santa de una de las cuatro basílicas principales. Nos veremos como peregrinos durante estos diez días, teniendo en cuenta que el Santo Padre nos impulsa a ser peregrinos de esperanza de corazón y de mente como un estado de vida renovado y determinante. ¿Cómo? Uno de los profetas de la antigüedad nos ilumina el camino de los peregrinos. “Se te ha indicado, hombre, que es bueno y lo que exige de ti el Señor: nada más que practicar la justicia, amar la fidelidad y caminar humildemente con tu Dios”. (Miqueas 6:8.) Es una forma de estar en este mundo que supera y trasciende a todos los que proyectan sus sombras sobre la luz de la fe, la fuerza de la esperanza y la primacía del amor. Como peregrinos, estamos llamados a tocar ligeramente esta tierra, no de una manera superficial, sino de una manera que nos inspire a comprender que caminar sobre esta tierra es un milagro. Escribo esta columna en el 11º aniversario de mi consagración e instalación como el 11º obispo de la Diócesis de Jackson. Aplicando el enfoque de los Peregrinos de la Esperanza, he experimentado mi ministerio episcopal en su esencia como peregrino viajando a muchos lugares santos, por decir, nuestras parroquias, escuelas y ministerios, y de nuevo a la Catedral de San Pedro Apóstol. En momentos usuales y asombrosos, en temporada y fuera de temporada, mi vida está llena de encuentros con lo sagrado. Reconocer este don es la clave. Cada uno de nosotros tenemos que hacer el trabajo personal para “activar la llama” (2 Timoteo 1:6) nuestro llamado bautismal a estar vivos y activos como proclamados del Señor y peregrinos de esperanza. Nuestra identidad como hijos de Dios florece a través de la oración, a través de los sacramentos, a través de las obras de justicia y bondad realizadas con un espíritu de humildad. Cuando fijamos nuestros ojos en Jesús (Hebreos 12:12) “cada uno de nosotros podemos ser capaz de ofrecer una sonrisa, un pequeño gesto de amistad, una mirada amable, un oído listo a escuchar, una buena obra, sabiendo que, en el Espíritu de Jesús, pueden llegar a ser, para quien las recibe, ricas semillas de esperanza”. (Documento del Jubileo)

A medida que salga esta edición de la Mississippi Católico que circula por toda la diócesis, me encontrare en la India en mi segunda visita pastoral en donde de este increíble país tenemos 15 sacerdotes sirviendo en nuestra diócesis. Verdaderamente, esta es una visita pastoral para pasar tiempo con los obispos y provinciales que tienen sacerdotes en misión en la Diócesis de Jackson. Pero en esencia, es una peregrinación a muchos lugares santos y ministerios en la tierra donde el apóstol Santo Tomás proclamó por primera vez el Evangelio. Dondequiera que estemos en este mundo, San Pablo nos recuerda que al final “nuestra ciudadanía está en el cielo”. Sin embargo, el viaje comienza aquí y la bendición y el desafío es ver este mundo como Dios lo ve, y acompañarnos unos a otros como peregrinos con una preocupación permanente por la justicia, el bien y la solidaridad para todos.

La Esquina del Papa

La presentación en el templo nos muestra cómo Dios vive entre nosotros

by Justin McLeLLan

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – La presentación de Jesús en el templo de Jerusalén muestra que la cercanía de Dios a la humanidad no se limita a un lugar de culto, sino que se manifiesta en su vivir entre la gente, dijo el Papa Francisco.

“Dios está presente en medio de su pueblo: no porque habite entre cuatro paredes, sino porque vive como hombre entre los hombres”, dijo el Papa antes de rezar el Ángelus con los visitantes en la Plaza de San Pedro el 2 de febrero. “Ésta es la novedad de Jesús”.

La lectura del Evangelio de San Lucas del día relataba cómo María y José llevaron al niño Jesús al templo 40 días después de su nacimiento, siguiendo la tradición judía.

Las “voces conmovidas” de Simeón y Ana, que llevaban mucho tiempo esperando al mesías, “resuenan entre las viejas piedras del Templo, anunciando el cumplimiento de las expectativas de Israel”, dijo el Papa.

Simeón describió a Jesús de “tres hermosas maneras”, dijo el Papa. “Jesús es salvación; Jesús es luz; Jesús es signo de contradicción”.

“Como el sol que nace sobre el mundo, este niño lo redimirá de las tinieblas del mal, del dolor y de la muerte”, dijo el Papa Francisco. “¡Cuánta necesidad tenemos, también hoy, de esta luz!”.

Simeón profetizó entonces que Jesús será “signo de contradicción” para que “se revelen los pensamientos de muchos corazones”.

“Jesús revela el criterio para juzgar toda la historia y su drama, y también la vida de cada uno de nosotros”, explicó el Papa Francisco. “¿Y cuál es este criterio? Es el amor: el que ama vive, el que odia muere”.

El Papa instó a los cristianos a reflexionar sobre si también ellos anhelan a Dios: “¿Anhela mi corazón ver el rostro del Señor? ¿Espero la manifestación de su plan de salvación para la humanidad?”.

Tras rezar el Ángelus, el Papa hizo un llamamiento a decir “no” a la guerra.

“Lo destruye todo, destruye la vida y nos induce a desentendernos”, dijo; “no olvidemos que la guerra es siempre una derrota”.

El Papa Francisco renovó su llamamiento del año jubilar para que los líderes de los gobiernos cristianos “hagan todo lo posible en las negociaciones para poner fin a todos los conflictos en curso”.

“Recemos por la paz en la martirizada Ucrania, Palestina, Israel, Líbano, Myanmar, Sudán, Kiwu del Norte”, dijo, refiriéndose a la región del Congo donde a finales de enero estallaron intensos combates que causaron la muerte de cientos de personas.

La hermana Maryknoll Abby Avelino, coordinadora internacional de Talitha Kum, una red internacional de religiosas que trabajan contra la trata de personas, a la izquierda, se une a los jóvenes movilizados contra la trata de personas en la Plaza de San Pedro para el rezo del Ángelus por el Papa Francisco en el Vaticano el 19 de enero de 2025. (Foto por CNS/Vatican Media)

Los restos del avión yacen en el suelo en el lugar donde se estrelló un avión en Filadelfia, el 31 de enero de 2025. (Foto por OSV News/Rachel Wisniewski, Reuters)

NACIÓN

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) – El arzobispo de Filadelfia, monseñor Nelson J. Pérez, ha hecho un llamamiento a la oración, declarando que su «corazón se hundió» tras conocer el accidente aéreo mortal ocurrido en esa ciudad el 31 de enero, sólo dos días después de que la colisión entre un avión comercial y un helicóptero del ejército en la capital del país causara 67 muertos. El arzobispo emitió un comunicado pocas horas después de que un vuelo médico que transportaba a una paciente pediátrica, a su madre y a su tripulación se estrellara minutos después del despegue, matando a los seis que iban a bordo y a una persona que se encontraba en tierra, e hiriendo a otras 22 personas. El avión se precipitó en una zona densamente poblada y muy transitada del noreste de Filadelfia. El arzobispo Pérez hizo un llamamiento a todas las personas para que «nos unamos en la oración y hagamos lo que podamos en los próximos días para compartir el amor compasivo de Cristo con los que sufren». Mientras inspeccionaba el lugar del accidente el 1 de febrero, el sargento retirado de la Policía de Filadelfia Mark Palma, un católico que se ocupó de las secuelas de un accidente fatal de Amtrak en 2015, se hizo eco del llamamiento del arzobispo a rezar por los primeros en responder dado el trauma involucrado. El padre Patrick Welsh, párroco de la parroquia de San Mateo, a un par de manzanas del lugar del impacto, dijo que había organizado una adoración eucarística para los primeros intervinientes. Aunque nadie en la parroquia perdió la vida, dijo que una familia de la escuela «perdió completamente su casa a causa del incendio» y otra también se vio gravemente afectada.

VATICANO

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – Cuando un día de precepto cae en domingo y se traslada a otro día, se anima a los fieles católicos a asistir a Misa, pero no están obligados a hacerlo, según ha informado el Vaticano este enero. Esta nota del Vaticano responde una

interrogante que surgió el año pasado, a raíz de que la fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción de María del 8 de diciembre cayó en el segundo domingo de Adviento de 2024, por lo que, en la mayoría de las diócesis del mundo, la fiesta se trasladó al lunes 9 de diciembre. Algunos obispos de Estados Unidos insistieron en que los fieles seguían teniendo la obligación moral de asistir a Misa el día de la fiesta, mientras que otros obispos emitieron una dispensa formal de dicha obligación. El Dicasterio para los Textos Legislativos, en una carta con fecha de septiembre al obispo Thomas J. Paprocki de Springfield, Illinois, había dicho que “la fiesta debe observarse como día de precepto en el día al que se transfiere”. Pero en una nota formal fechada el 23 de enero y publicada en varios idiomas, el Dicasterio para el Culto Divino y la Disciplina de los Sacramentos dijo que había consultado con la oficina de textos legislativos y determinó que “en caso de un traslado ocasional de un día festivo de precepto, la obligación del precepto festivo no se traslada al día ad quem”. Cada domingo es un día santo de precepto porque es una conmemoración de la muerte y resurrección del Señor. Los días santos adicionales en los que los católicos tienen la obligación moral de asistir a Misa son: Navidad; la fiesta de María, Madre de Dios; Epifanía; la Ascensión; la fiesta del Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo; la Asunción; la fiesta de San José; la fiesta de San Pedro y San Pablo; y la fiesta de Todos los Santos. Dado que el calendario litúrgico de la Iglesia incluye fiestas fijas, como la celebración de la Inmaculada Concepción el 8 de diciembre, y días

14 de febrero 2025

festivos “móviles”, como Pentecostés, Pascua o incluso los domingos de Adviento o Cuaresma, en ocasiones dos fiestas coinciden en el mismo día, explica el dicasterio. En ese caso, se observa la que ocupe “lugar preferente en la tabla de los días litúrgicos”, y la otra fiesta se traslada al día disponible más cercano, dice la nota. En diciembre, el segundo domingo de Adviento tenía mayor rango que la fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción. La cuestión no se aborda en el Código de Derecho Canónico, dijo el dicasterio, por lo que la Iglesia sigue “consolidada praxis” según la cual, en caso de traslado de un día festivo de precepto, no se traslada la obligación de asistir a Misa.

MUNDO

TEL AVIV, Israel/CIUDAD DE GAZA, Franja de Gaza (OSV News) – Después de más de un año de guerra en la Franja de Gaza, tras el ataque de Hamás contra comunidades israelíes el 7 de octubre de 2023, la región finalmente estalló de alegría el 15 de enero, ya que Israel y Hamás han llegado a un acuerdo de alto el fuego. El acuerdo incluye un alto el fuego de seis semanas, la retirada gradual de las fuerzas israelíes de Gaza y un intercambio de rehenes israelíes por prisioneros palestinos. El acuerdo llega tras meses de negociaciones lideradas por Egipto, Qatar y Estados Unidos, aunque aún debe ser ratificado por el parlamento israelí. El presidente Joe Biden expresó su optimismo ante el acuerdo, calificándolo de esfuerzo conjunto y de oportunidad para un futuro mejor en Oriente Medio. El foro que representa a las familias de los rehenes israelíes acogió con satisfacción el acuerdo, pero expresó su preocupación por su plena aplicación y por los rehenes que puedan quedar retenidos. En Gaza, la población celebró el alto el fuego, con la esperanza de que ponga fin a la violencia y permita la reconstrucción del pueblo. El padre Gabriel Romanelli, párroco de la Parroquia de la Sagrada Familia de Gaza, declaró a SIR, el servicio de noticias de la Conferencia Episcopal Italiana, que la gente empezaba a “alimentar la esperanza de volver a sus casas, los que aún las tienen” y “volver a vivir sin la pesadilla constante de aviones, bombas, combates y violencia”.

TOME NOTA

Fiestas, Vírgenes y Santos

Día del Presidente febrero 17

San Pedro Damián febrero 21

Cátedra de San Pedro, Apóstol febrero 22

San Gregorio de Narek febrero 27

Martes de Carnaval. marzo 4

Miércoles de Ceniza. marzo 5

San Patricio. marzo 17

CANTON – Iglesia del Santo Niño Jesús, Celebración musical Sister Thea Bowman, Sábado 29 de marzo a las 15.00 h. Detalles: email arievans29@yahoo.com.

JACKSON – Cátedra de San Pedro Apóstol, Fiesta de la Cátedra de San Pedro Apóstol, Sábado 22 de febrero a las 16.00 h. Misa de vigilia bilingüe con recepción y cena a continuación en el Centro de la Catedral. Detalles: oficina de la iglesia (601) 969-3125.

Envíenos sus fotos a: editor@jacksondiocese.org

Síganos en Facebook: @DiócesisCatólicadeJackson

Directors’ Summaries

Faith Formation Director

Fran Lavelle

Office of Family Ministry

• Served over 40 engaged couples through Catholic Engaged Encounter weekends on four weekends throughout the year.

• World Marriage Day was hosted in Jackson at St. Peter Cathedral and in Tupelo at St. James. We honored over 70 couples who were celebrating their 25th, 50th and 60 plus anniversaries in 2024.

• Supported ProLife Mississippi by sponsoring their spring event.

Office of Intercultural Ministry

• Sister Amelia Breton brought a diocesan presence at events of various ethnic and cultural groups, including presentations on intercultural communications for ministry leaders.

• Intercultural Competence Workshops were held in English and Spanish for 150 participants.

• Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Day was celebrated with a Mass with over 200 in attendance.

• Sister Amelia created and distributed the Living our Faith booklet to parishes for small group conversations on culture.

Office of Religious Education & Faith Formation

• After a review of lay ministry formation we established the Bishop William R. Houck Center for Lay Formation. All areas of faith formation are being evaluated.

• The annual Fall Faith Formation Day was held in August. Over 100 people attended.

• The High School Confirmation Retreat was held in January with 106 in attendance.

• Presented at various retreats and days of reflection to enrich faith formation in the diocese.

Office of Youth Ministry

• The OYM sponsored events for youth; including the diocesan youth conference, DCYC; Search Retreat; and the Middle School Fall Retreat.

• Abbey Schuhmann, coordinator, sponsored and coached the First Things in Youth Ministry Training Program. The OYM also sponsored a Day of Reflection for youth ministry leaders.

• Continues to be active in regional and national youth ministry organizations connecting the diocese to the larger church.

Office of Young Adults and Campus Ministry

• A winter campus ministry retreat for all college students was held at St. John in Oxford in 2024.

• An Advent Day of Reflection for young adults was held at Camp Bratton Green.

• Young adult sporting activities such as basketball, co-ed softball and kickball are offered throughout the year.

• Jackson area monthly Theology on Tap gatherings were held featuring speakers on a variety of topics.

Communications Director Joanna Puddister King

• Assists in implementing parish and diocese email and text communication tool – Flocknote.

• Communications staff attended the Catholic Media Conference, connecting with other diocesan communications staff around the country and learning about the latest in Catholic media.

• Provides communications support to all departments for various projects and events; in addition to requests from parishes for assistance.

• Maintains presence with postings on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. All may be followed with the tag @jacksondiocese.

• Mississippi Catholic continues publish 14 printed editions and 21 digital editions through Flocknote per year. The digital edition is made available to all parishes under the diocese Flocknote system to send to their parishioners. To join the email list, text MSCATHOLIC to 84576. An English and Spanish version are available.

• Works with Bishop Kopacz on videos touching on holy days and Catholic social teaching topics.

• We have six seminarians, and two men applying for seminary for the fall. Will Foggo will be ordained a Transitional Deacon in December 2025.

• We have three participants in the Avila Institute’s online pre-seminary program.

• Father Tristan Stovall was named Assistant Vocation Director after his May 2024 ordination.

• We launched a two-year partnership with Vianney Vocations to help bolster our promotion efforts. The cost is $65,000 this year and $60,000 next year.

• At our Homegrown Harvest Festival, we raised a record amount just under $143,000. With other fundraising efforts and gifts we expect to have a balanced budget this fiscal year.

• The Women’s Burse Club was merged to better engage all vocation supporters in the diocese.

• There are currently 13 active Permanent Deacons in the Diocese of Jackson and one retired. There are seven men in their third year of formation and have been admitted to Candidacy, instituted as Readers and as Acolytes on Feb. 7, 2025. Tentatively, these men would be ordained in 2026.

2024 Statements of Income and Expenses

The Diocese of Jackson has 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.

Scan the QR code to view the full audit report. Questions regarding diocesan nances may be sent to Carolyn Callahan, Director of Temporal A airs via email at carolyn.callahan@jacksondiocese.org.

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

NATION

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Coinciding with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year, the Lunar New Year “can be a time of change and renewal” of faith, two U.S. bishops’ committee chairmen said in a special message to Catholics from Asian cultures who celebrate the Chinese New Year. “May the blessings of Almighty God come upon you, so that your Radiant Faith, which enriches the Church, may bring hope and renewal to our world, our country, the Church, and our families,” said Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn, New York, and Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, in a Jan. 28 message issued with their blessings on behalf of all the bishops. They are the chairmen, respectively, of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church and its Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Islanders. The Lunar New Year usually starts sometime between late January and mid-February. This year the festivities begin Jan. 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake, symbolizing good luck, rebirth and regeneration. Celebrations can last for 15 days in countries where the Lunar New Year is typically celebrated – China, South Korea, Vietnam and countries with a significant number of people from China.

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) – Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia is calling for prayer, saying his “heart sank” after learning of a fatal air crash in that city Jan. 31, just two days after a collision between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter in the nation’s capital killed 67. The archbishop issued a statement a few hours after a medical flight carrying a pediatric patient, her mother and crew crashed minutes after takeoff, killing all six aboard and one person on the ground, while injuring 22 others. The jet plunged into a densely populated, heavily traveled area of northeast Philadelphia. Archbishop Pérez called for all people to “unite in prayer and do what we can in the days ahead to share the compassionate love of Christ with those suffering.” As he surveyed the crash site Feb. 1, retired Philadelphia Police Sergeant Mark Palma, a Catholic who dealt with the aftermath of a fatal 2015 Amtrak crash, echoed the archbishop’s call to pray for first responders given the trauma involved. Father Patrick Welsh, pastor of St. Matthew Parish, a couple blocks from the impact site, said he set up Eucharistic adoration for first responders. While no one in the parish lost their life, he said one school family “completely lost their home to the fire” and another was also badly affected.

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When a holy day of obligation falls on a Sunday and so is transferred to another day, the Catholic faithful are encouraged to attend Mass, but they are not obliged to do so, the Vatican said. The feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary Dec. 8 fell on the Second Sunday of Advent in 2024 and so, in most dioceses around the world, the feast was transferred to Monday, Dec. 9. Some bishops in the United States insisted the faithful still had a moral obligation to attend Mass on the feast day while others issued a formal dispensation from the obligation. The Dicastery for Legislative Texts, in a September letter to Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, had said, “the feast must be observed as a day of obliga-

tion on the day to which it is transferred.” But in a formal note dated Jan. 23, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said it had consulted with the legislative texts office and determined that “in the event of the occasional transfer of a holy day of obligation, the obligation to attend Mass is not transferred.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A nerdy love of science fiction, a yearning for adventure, a passion for science and a foundation of Jesuit education all helped in some way to lead a man from Detroit, Michigan, to become a master of meteorites and the head of the Vatican Observatory. Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, who has led the observatory since 2015, shares his journey of becoming a Jesuit astronomer, explains the compatibility of science and faith and guides readers on how to look at the heavens in a new book released Feb. 4 by Loyola Press. Titled, “A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty and Science,” the book also features full-page color astrophotographs taken by astronomers of the Vatican Observatory and NASA.

WORLD

SÃO PAULO (OSV News) – Violence in Colombia between the National Liberation Army and a dissident group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, known as FARC in Catatumbo region has led to over 80 deaths and displaced 48,000 people since mid-January. The Catholic Church has been actively working to provide relief, calling for respect for humanitarian principles and access to food and water in the region. Father Hector Henao, who has mediated between the government and guerrillas, emphasized that control over Catatumbo’s illicit coca trade and precious metals is fueling the conflict. Many displaced people were small-scale coca farmers, and while some are returning as the violence subsides, tensions remain high. In response, local parishes are distributing food, aiding in the release of captives, and organizing peaceful protests. Father Jairo Gélvez Tarazona highlighted the efforts of the community of Pacelli, which is moving away from coca production in favor of sustainable crops like cocoa and fish farming, though economic support from the government and international groups is still needed. On Jan. 26, he celebrated Mass for the community, who almost entirely turned up to march that day for peace in the region.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (OSV News) – A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has paused air raids and bombings on Gaza, but the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. Joseph Hazboun, regional director of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, describes the situation as bleak, with over 17,000 children orphaned and at least 150,000 pregnant women in urgent need of health care. Mental health issues are widespread, with 1 million children requiring psychological support. CNEWA is providing essential relief, including food, medical care and psychosocial programs. However, the region’s challenges persist, including limited access due to road closures and ongoing reconstruction needs. Hazboun also highlights the diminishing Christian population, now down to about 600, with only 300 expected to remain after the Rafah crossing reopened Feb. 1 – so far for medical assistance border crossing for those wounded. While the ceasefire offers temporary relief, Hazboun and other experts warn that lasting peace remains uncertain, with deep-rooted issues between Israelis and Palestinians unresolved.

Dancers wearing lion costumes perform during a midnight Lunar New Year celebration in the Manhattan borough of New York City’s Chinatown Jan. 28, 2025, marking the Year of the Snake. (OSV News photo/Adam Gray, Reuters)

Catholic school principals gather for refueling

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Mary WoodWard

When I think back about my 12 years in the Jackson Public Schools, I remember the many classmates and teachers who were a part of my education. I began the first grade when JPS implemented integration completely.

In the third grade, Harry Reasoner of 60 Minutes visited my classroom at Power Elementary. His crew filmed us all morning and he talked to us about integration and how well it was going in JPS. Apparently, we were a model school district because people from around the world would visit to see how we did it. I guess people were expecting riots as in previous situations, but that did not happen. [We did have the occasional bomb threat, but that allowed us to go outside and run around for an hour while the school got looked over.] And so, we got to meet Harry Reasoner, and our classroom was showcased on a national broadcast for a total of 15 seconds.

The last week of January our diocese celebrated Catholic Schools Week in unison with dioceses all over the country. Each school has special activities which were highlighted in Mississippi Catholic’s last issue. The week highlights all the wonderful educational and growth opportunities available in our Catholic schools.

I received a quality education in JPS, and I learned much about academic topics as well as how to thrive in a diverse environment, but one thing that was lacking was faith formation. Outside of the history teacher who taught Moses and the 10 Amendments to some of my classmates, and my eighth-grade teacher who made us read bible stories on Fridays, the public schools did not offer faith-centered curriculum. That was for Sunday or Saturday, whatever your faith tradition might be.

The uniqueness of our Catholic schools is the curriculum incorporates a grounding in Christian values that reflect the rich tradition of our church. The very atmosphere of a Catholic school exudes an essence of faith, hope and love, which happens to be this year’s theme for our Catholic schools.

Very early in the history of our diocese, the bishops established Catholic schools and other educational opportunities for the local communities. Our first bishop, John Joseph Chanche, established a school for slave children in the basement of the church. So, Catholic faith-based education has deep roots in our state.

Those who serve in our Catholic schools as principals, teachers, administrators, counsellors, maintenance workers, cafeteria personnel, etc. are all a part of passing on our beautiful faith in an atmosphere of respect and learning. And those serving in our Office of Catholic Education (OCE) at the diocesan level –Karla Luke, executive director, Virginia Hollingsworth, director of curriculum, and Rachel Patterson, administrative assistant – are true heroes of faith-based learning who support and inspire our school personnel to form our young people.

This week the OCE hosted its annual retreat and development for Catholic school principals from around the diocese. The retreat, directed by Dr. Fran Lavelle, director of the diocesan faith formation office, was held in Mobile, Ala. The Catholic Schools Office for the Archdiocese of Mobile arranged visits to several of their schools for our administrators.

I tagged along to recommend various sites to see and restaurants to enjoy plus host a breakfast for them on the last day. I was so impressed by the spirit and camaraderie among these dedicated individuals who have a passion for serving the church and working with young people and children. It takes a very special person to be a teacher and even more special to be a principal.

They have an awesome responsibility to be beacons of faith, hope and love in the midst of a sometimes chaotic climate. They must be pillars of strength when the world becomes big and scary. They deal with irate parents, state guidelines and bratty kids all while putting on the face of a compassionate leader and professional servant.

For all of you with children in our long-standing and historic Catholic schools system, how blessed you are to have such a nurturing environment for your children. Pray for the school and all who serve there selflessly so that your child can receive a well-rounded, faith-filled education designed to assist them in achieving their highest potential and growing into the person God called them to be.

That is an awesome responsibility to put on someone’s shoulders – to be a guide in God’s unfolding plan for another. So, to all those who were in Mobile this week, who have returned renewed in the noble mission of being a Catholic school principal, thank you! You are heroes of the faith, planting seeds of faith, hope and love in the hearts of our young people.

(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)

MOBILE, Ala. – Principals of Catholic Schools across the Diocese of Jackson enjoy some downtime at the annual principals retreat hosted by the Office of Catholic Education in Mobile, Alabama. (Photo from archives)

US bishops call for prayer after deadly DC air collision claims dozens of lives

Debris is seen Jan. 30, 2025, as the U.S Coast Guard, local, state and federal agencies respond after American Eagle flight 5342 collided in midair with a Black Hawk Army helicopter late Jan. 29 while on approach for landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The plane, with 64 people on board, and the helicopter, with three crew members, crashed into the Potomac near the airport. (OSV News photo/U.S Coast Guard/ Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles via Reuters)

By Gina Christian and Kate sCanlon

(OSV News) – U.S. Catholic bishops – joined by Pope Francis – are calling for prayer after a deadly aviation crash in the nation’s capital claimed dozens of lives.

“Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Washington today join men and women of good will here and around the world in praying for those who perished in last night’s heartbreaking accident,” Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the retired archbishop and current apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, said in a Jan. 30 statement.

The Jan. 29 midair collision between a regional jet operated by American Airlines and a U.S. military helicopter took place over the Potomac River at approximately 9 p.m.

American Eagle Flight 5342 – which originated in Wichita, Kansas – had been preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and carried 60 passengers and four crew members on board. The helicopter involved in the collision, a UH-60 Black Hawk assigned to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, contained three troops on a routine training flight.

The initial rescue operation was soon declared a recovery effort, with first responders and dive crews battling the Potomac’s icy waters to retrieve the bodies. The incident remains under investigation by multiple agencies led by the National Transportation Safety Board and including the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Army.

“We praise God for the generous assistance of our courageous first responders,” Cardinal Gregory said in

his statement. “May this disaster serve as an impetus to strengthen our unity and collaboration.”

In a Jan. 30 post on the X social media platform, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, asked people to be “united in prayer for all those tragically impacted by the accident.”

“May we be united in prayer for all those tragically impacted by the accident near Reagan airport,” Bishop Burbidge, whose diocese borders the Potomac, said in his post.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, in a statement issued Jan. 30 “on behalf of the clergy and faithful” of the archdiocese, prayed for those “who tragically perished” in the crash and expressed “prayerful solidarity” with the families of all the victims.

“May Almighty God grant them peace and serenity and consolation to those left behind,” he said. “Reagan National Airport is a very familiar place to me. This tragedy strikes very close to home.”

Shortly after the crash, Bishop Carl A. Kemme of Wichita, Kansas, posted on Facebook that he was “praying for all involved” in the disaster.

“It is sobering to think that I and two other priests were on this very flight one week ago on our way to DC for the ... March for life,” Bishop Kemme said in his post. “May God bring divine assistance to everyone involved.”

On Jan. 30, Bishop Kemme released a statement on the disaster, saying, “My heart, and the hearts of the faithful of the Diocese of Wichita, go out to the families and loved ones of all those lost in this devastating accident.

“We pray for the souls of those who perished, including the brave members of our military, the passengers, and the crew,” said Bishop Kemme. “We also pray for comfort and strength for those who mourn, and for the first responders and recovery teams as they continue their difficult work. I encourage all to pray for those affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.”

In a Jan. 30 telegram to President Donald Trump, Pope Francis expressed his “spiritual closeness” to victims and their families and commended the souls of the departed to God’s loving mercy.

“I likewise pray for those involved in the recovery efforts, and invoke

upon all in the nation the divine blessings of consolation and strength,” he said.

While the victims’ names have not yet been revealed, U.S. Figure Skating, the sport’s governing body, told media that several passengers on the commercial aircraft were young figure skaters returning from a training camp in Wichita. Russian state media reported that several of the skaters were Russian nationals.

(Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina. Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News based in Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.)

Declaration of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity in service to the rights of all immigrants and refugees, beloved of God

The Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinitarians) have been present in the challenging reality of migration at every moment of our history. From our beginnings more than one hundred years ago, the Holy Spirit has moved us to be willing to leave everything and go to the most unprotected portion of the harvest.

Today, throughout the world, the suffering of displaced persons-immigrants and refugees-is a cry of brothers and sisters waiting to be heard, seen and found. In all our missions and the countries where we strive to live prophetically, our call to mission, the cry awaits a response.

We, Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, proclaim today, “You are not alone. We journey with you!”

Well have the bishops of the United States declared: “Together, we must be the voice of the multitudes who yearn to breathe freedom and demand that our government provide just and humane treatment for our dear brothers and sisters. It is our hope, our prayer, that we can all work together in developing a reform of the current immigration system.”

We, the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, want to be much more than a voice. Wherever we are, we wish to invite all our partners in mission and every person of good will to join us in a concrete effort of solidarity, presence and hope.

As men of faith with lives dedicated to the Gospel of Jesus, we commit ourselves to:

• Be one with our sisters and brothers in their moments of terror and need.

• To honor their sense of devastation and anguish.

• Support one another and those we serve.

With this commitment, we pledge:

• To walk purposefully, hand in hand, with the immigrant and refugee.

• To actively participate in all efforts for justice.

• To be architects of protective spaces for people at risk.

• Share resources and collaborate with others working for justice.

• Bear witness to the fact that there are no disposable people.

• To seek the wisdom of our elders and the audacity of youth.

• Work to create safe spaces where people can flourish in freedom.

Missions are people: people of all races, cultures and ways of life. People are not “illegal” or “undocumented” but beloved sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father, redeemed by the blood of Jesus on the Cross, the ultimate symbol and sign of God’s infinite love for every person without exception.

We, Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, with all people of goodwill, commit ourselves, by the grace of God, to live this Gospel message of Jesus in loving service to our sisters and brothers, whatever the cost! Only in this way can we truly fulfill the vocation we have received.

Grace and growth in the Year of Hope

REFLECTIONS ON LIFE

By Melvin Arrington

Pope Francis has recognized 2025 as a Holy Year, a Jubilee Year of Hope. In 2025 we, as “pilgrims of hope,” are called to renew ourselves, to transform ourselves into all that God wants us to be.

As Christians we have reasons to be hopeful. First and foremost, we are made in the image of God, and He has chosen us to be His adopted children. He has given us meaning and purpose for our lives. And He has promised that we will spend all eternity in heaven if we remain faithful to Him.

According to the Catechism, hope, like faith and charity, the other two theological virtues, is “infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as His children and of meriting eternal life.” (CCC 1813) “Infused,” as my handy little Catholic Dictionary states, means that God, through His grace, imparts hope to the soul; it’s not something we can acquire through our own efforts other than our willingness to receive it.

Because this connection between grace and hope in the life of Christians has interesting parallels with the growth process in plants, I’m going to examine some of these correspondences. Joseph Campbell, considered the leading authority on mythology, argues that a type of consciousness operates not just in humans but in all forms of life, including plants. For him, the vine that wraps itself around a tree and the leaf that opens and turns toward the sun, an activity we call heliotropism, illustrate the existence of a

plant consciousness.

Although Campbell makes a compelling argument, I prefer a different approach to this subject. Weeks ago, a winter storm brought a record snowfall and near single-digit temperatures to our part of the state. As I was out walking, I noticed near the sidewalk a row of tiny green shoots powerfully pushing upward, just beginning to break through the rockhard surface of the ground. How could this be, given the frozen ground? But there they were! Although revealing less than a centimeter of their tips, they were bursting forth with determination and confidence.

God has put in place all the elements plant life requires to flourish. Nurtured by these graces – sunshine, rain and nutrients in the ground – the little shoots will continue their journey upward and will fulfill their purpose by turning into full-grown plants. And before long the color green, which stands for life, growth and, ultimately, hope, will be all around us again!

Interestingly, the way vegetation emerges has a direct application to Christian life and serves as a metaphor for the Catholic view of hope. Like the green shoots, we are on an upward journey. We, too, are confident of renewal and advancement in the faith, nourished by God’s grace. We, too, have the goal of blossoming and becoming what we were intended to be: mature, Christ-like servants. And because green also signifies Ordinary Time, the long period of maturation in the spiritual life, we’ll see it more than any other color during the liturgical year

Free people of color and the Catholic faith

CALL TO HOLINESS

By JAyMie StuArt Wolfe

Black History Month is officially observed every February, but there’s something unfortunate about that. Don’t get me wrong: it’s great to recognize the contributions of Black Americans. But dedicating a specific month to doing so seems to have had the unintended side effect of limiting the recognition they’ve earned to a paltry 28 days of the year.

In New Orleans, the gifts of Black Americans are more visible than in other places. Flavorful food, soulful music, deep community and lively joy: nearly everything both locals and visitors love about our city has roots in Black culture beautifully expressed.

Louisiana’s story of colonialism, race and culture is unique and complex. And as it turns out, African American history is not merely synonymous with the history of slavery. New Orleans bears the tragic distinction of having had the largest slave market in North America. But at the same time, the city was also home to the largest community of free Black people. Most free people of color were

French-speaking Catholics; some arrived in New Orleans already free, others purchased their freedom or acquired it through government or military service or manumission.

A middle class of merchants and artisans, free people of color attended school, owned property, and were able to build generational wealth. By 1810, 29% of the city’s population was free people of color. They lost many of the freedoms they had enjoyed under French and Spanish rule when the United States purchased Louisiana in 1803. Nevertheless, this thriving community had a lasting impact on New Orleans and well beyond it.

As restrictions increased and the imposition of Americanized racial policies took hold in the 1830s and ‘40s, free people of color created their own religious, cultural, mutual aid and educational institutions. Their examples are inspiring.

When Henriette Delille (1812–1862) had a religious experience at the age of 24, she believed that God was calling her to religious life. Although she was well educated and had been born free, women of color were disqualified from joining the established orders.

as a constant reminder of what we’re striving for. The Catechism defines hope as “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 1817) In other words, it’s much more than just the desire or wish for something; for example, that there will be something good to watch on TV, or that my team will make the playoffs, or that my utility bills will be lower, etc. These wishes may or may not come to pass. The Catholic understanding of this virtue, however, deals with eternal things; it goes well beyond mere desire to include “the confident expectation of divine blessing.” (CCC 2090)

Hope encompasses a firm belief that God will keep His promises to us, so we have to make sure that we honor our commitment to Him and not presume on His mercy: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

What kinds of things should we as pilgrims of hope do during this Jubilee Year? I heartily recommend consulting the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website, which contains a wealth of information for the Holy Year. But if a pilgrimage is not feasible, several other opportunities for personal renewal are readily available. Maybe this is the year for taking a deep dive into God’s Word, or for making more frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament, or for committing to praying a nightly rosary. Whatever we pledge to do, let’s not forget to give thanks for the amazing gift of hope, which “does not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

Instead, Henriette and seven other young women founded a community that later became known as the Sisters of the Holy Family. Permitted to take only private vows and prohibited from wearing a habit, the sisters cared for the sick, helped the poor, taught both free and enslaved children. Taking elderly women into their home, they established the first Catholic nursing home in the United States. Mother Henriette’s influence is still felt here. She was declared venerable in 2010.

Eugène Warburg (1825–1859) was born into slavery but was freed as a young child by his Jewish father. He apprenticed as a marble cutter under a French artist, then established his own sculpture studio in the French Quarter. Warburg earned commissions for religious statuary, portraits and gravestones. The checkered marble floor he designed and created for the expansion and beautification of St. Louis Cathedral in 1850 still testifies to the quality and precision of his work.

A fourth-generation free man of color, Edmond Déde (1827–1901) began playing the clarinet as a child, then quickly moved to violin. He was considered a musical prodigy. Working

as a cigar-maker to earn his passage to Europe, Dédé enjoyed a successful music career in France. He composed many pieces of classical music and is the first African American to compose a full-scale opera. “Music from Morgiane” debuted in 2025 at St. Louis Cathedral, where Dédé was baptized.

Homère Plessy (1862–1925), a French-speaking free man of color, grew up during Reconstruction, when Louisiana schools were racially integrated, Black men were able to vote, interracial marriage was legal, and more than 200 Black men held elected office. A lifelong member of St. Augustine Catholic Church, Plessy became politically active when Louisiana began passing Jim Crow legislation. Plessy challenged segregation laws with an act of civil disobedience. He is best known as the unsuccessful plaintiff in the famous Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson which established the “separate but equal” legal doctrine that was ultimately overturned in 1954. The lives of these four free, Black, French-speaking Catholics from 19th-century New Orleans are worthy of our attention. The nobility of their enduring contributions to American society, despite the difficulties they faced as people of color, is nothing less than miraculous.

Around the diocese

– St. Patrick kindergarten students have been learning about the sacrament of baptism. Pictured: Father Augustine Palimattam, center, explains baptism to St. Patrick School kindergarten students on Tuesday, Jan. 14. (Photo by Helen Reynolds)

CLARKSDALE – (Right) Bishop Kopacz asked each deanery to designate at least one church to serve as a dedicated pilgrimage site for the Jubilee Year of Hope. On his word, deanery four selected St. Elizabeth Church and St. Joseph in Holly Springs. On Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, the parishioners of St. Elizabeth braved the cold weather for a beautiful liturgy outside the church doors, dedicating St. Elizabeth for this purpose. Pilgrims will be eligible to receive a holy year plenary indulgence by visiting, participating in Mass or adoration, praying for the intentions of the Holy Father, and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation within eight days of visiting the pilgrimage site church. St. Elizabeth is honored and blessed to serve in this way and welcomes all pilgrims to visit and participate in Mass and/or adoration. Weekend Mass times are Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Daily Mass is offered Tuesday-Friday and adoration on Wednesdays. Please visit stelizabethclarksdale.org for details and times. (Photo by Catelin Britt)

Holy Family Students listened intently as Sacred Heart Southern Missions’ Food Coordinator Ralph Howard and Director of Administration Carla Crockett answered questions about their work in the community.

SOUTHAVEN – During Sacred Heart School’s grandparents program, first grader Riley Burks gets a hug from her grandmother after lighting a candle together as a reminder of the light that our grandparents bring to our lives. (Photo by Laura Grisham)

MERIDIAN

HOLLY SPRINGS –

(Photo by Laura Grisham)

JACKSON – St. Richard School sixth graders – Holt Wright, Anthony Ramsey, Eli Williams and Judah Hill – visited the St. Richard ELC for story time during Catholic Schools Week. This was in celebration and thanks to our Community. St. Richard School values every piece of our “community.” The toddlers at the ELC and St. Richard students were able to really interact with one another and had a wonderful time together. (Photo by Celeste Saucier)

MACON – (Above) Youth from around the diocese gathered at Lake Forest Ranch in Macon on Jan. 25-26 for the annual High School Confirmation Retreat coordinated by the Department of Faith Formation. Pictured are youth from Crystal Springs roasting s’mores over a bonfire. (Photo by Yvette Howard)

STARKVILLE – (Left) College students from across the diocese gathered for a day of fellowship, prayer and more at the “Embracing Joy” winter retreat held at St. Joseph Church in Starkville on Saturday, Feb. 1. (Photo by Amelia Rizor)

MACON – Youth engaged in various activities to strengthen their faith throughout the Confirmation Retreat weekend Jan. 25-26 at Lake Forest Ranch. Pictured are youth from St. James Tupelo, among others fully engaged in their faith. (Photo by Michelle Harkins)

e dedication of clergy like Father Je rey Waldrep, a priest of our diocese for over 34 years, and the critical support provided through programs like the Catholic Service Appeal (CSA) highlight the profound importance of caring for our priests who have devoted their lives to serving others. Ensuring that retired and active priests have access to comprehensive healthcare and assistance honors their commitment and strengthens the communities they serve.

Clergy Healthcare:

A Vital Priority Father Je rey underscores the importance of comprehensive healthcare provided to dioc-

esan priests, especially retirees like Father Sam Messina. Father Je rey said, “Now that I oversee Father Sam’s care, I had no idea of the costs of staying on top of a retired priest’s every day and long-term healthcare needs.” e CSA allocates $400,000 to support this e ort, ensuring that priests like Father Sam receive essential care.

Clergy Assistance: Beyond Healthcare

In addition to supplementing clergy healthcare needs, the $400,000 also supplements other forms of clergy assistance. One of the substantial needs is keeping up with documentation for our foreign priests faithfully serving in our diocese. Father Je rey noted, “It can get substantially costly and tedious keeping up with the latest documentation the US requires from di erent countries our foreign priests have originated from.” Clergy Assistance also extends to helping some of our retired priests with living expenses, a vital aspect of their care.

A Call to Action

By contributing to the CSA, Father Je rey invites donors to actively participate in this mission of care and gratitude. e appeal is not merely a request for nancial support but an invitation to join in expressing appreciation for our clergy’s lifelong service. e impact is heard every time Father Sam tells Father Jeffrey, “ ank you for taking care of me.”

Father Je rey stated, “Supporting the initiatives of CSA allows us to give back to those who have given so much. It is an opportunity to ensure that the physical, emotional and practical needs of our priests are met, enabling us to continue our mission with dignity and peace of mind.”