MS Catholic November 11, 2022

Diocese hosts event as part of National Eucharistic Revival

BY JOANNA PUDDISTER KING

GLUCKSTADT – For much of the evening and morning of Oct. 28 and 29 at St. Joseph Church in Gluckstadt, the sanctuary was relatively silent with the occasional sound of movement or a cough.

Upon entering some had their heads bowed in prayer and others with their eyes fixed on the consecrated Eucharist host placed in the center of the altar. The host was contained in a monstrance from the Bishop R.O. Gerow collection and modeled off the one used for the 1932 Eucharistic Congress in New Orleans, a fitting receptacle for the Eucharistic Revival moment help by the Diocese of Jackson.

The event was held as a part of the National Eucharistic Revival, developed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the diocesan “Year of the Eucharist.”

The national revival comes at a time when many Catholics don’t believe the church’s teaching that the consecrated bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Jesus. Pew research reported in 2019, that 69% of self-described Catholics say they personally believe the bread and wine are just “symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.”

The diocesan Eucharistic event held at St. Joseph included adoration, vespers, spiritual talks on the Eucharist, opportunities for reconciliation and Mass with Bishop Joseph Kopacz.

Selected as the featured speaker for the event was Father Ajani Gibson of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. A relatively new priest, only being ordained about a year and a half, Father Ajani’s passion and love for the Eucharist was evident as he focused event attendees on internalizing and externalizing the Eucharist.

In his first spiritual talk, he touched on how much COVID-19 affected us as a Body of Christ, with many not returning to Mass or continuing to view Mass virtually. Of Mass, Father Ajani said that “we come to be reminded of the beauty and the gift that is the Eucharist.”

This moment of Eucharistic Revival, says Father Ajani, is about renewing our relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. He asked in his first talk for everyone to contemplate the simple question – “Do I believe in Jesus Christ?”

“The Lord in the moment of Eucharistic renewal is drawing us to be in communion and unity with Him,” Father Ajani told those gathered at the event.

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Boy Scouts honor Dominican sisters with citizenship award

BY JOANNA PUDDISTER KING

JACKSON – On Thursday, Oct. 27, the Andrew Jackson Council of the Boy Scouts of America honored the Dominican Sisters of St. Dominic with this year’s Distinguished Citizen Award at a luncheon held at the Jackson Country Club.

Tony Haines has served as the chief executive officer for the Andrew Jackson Council of the scouts for twelve years and is described by some as a “huge fan” of the Dominican sisters and their work providing quality, compassionate care to the community.

The sisters of St. Dominic “save the lives of the individuals of this community ... they save the community at times from itself, they impact the quality of lives in our area, and I would probably say outside of our area. They do a lot of good,” said Haines.

He also believes joy comes from their service to others.

“They pass along that joy to God. ... They are leading lives that are very dedicated to Christ and dedicated to the community.”

Kay McRee says what makes St. Dominic so special is the Dominican sisters.

As the executive director of St. Dominic Health Services Foundation, McRee talked to those gathered at the luncheon about the history of the Dominican sisters beginning with the Jackson Infirmary in the center of the city in 1946.

Also, at the event celebrating the Dominican sisters of St. Dominic was Bishop Joseph Kopacz. Growing up in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, he was a part of “Troop 66” at

his local parish starting with Cub Scouts and eventually becoming an Eagle Scout.

Bishop Kopacz also talked to the group gathered about merit badges, how special they are and how “blessed” he was during his eight years of scouting.

“There are very special merit badges in scouting – I believe they may still require merit badges like ‘Citizenship in the Community, in the Nation and in the World,’”

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Foundation meets 8 Catholic Foundation meets, celebrates accomplishments

Youth 21 Photos from around the diocese

GLUCKSTADT – Bishop Joseph Kopacz and Father Ajani Gibson administer Communion during the Eucharistic Revival moment held at St. Joseph parish in Gluckstadt. The two day event was a part of the National Eucharistic Revival featuring adoration, vespers, spiritual talks on the Eucharist, opportunities for reconciliation and Mass. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

FLOWOOD St. Paul, Women’s Ministry Advent Day of Reflection, Saturday, Dec. 3 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Deacon Tony Schmidt will lead the day of reflection to help us in our spiritual journey during Advent. Cost: $10 donation to cover cost of lunch. Details: register at https://bit.ly/StPaulAdventReflection2022.

JACKSON St. Richard, Liturgical Living in Advent, Wednesday, Nov. 16 in Foley Hall from 6-7 p.m. Come and gather practical ideas to keep your family grounded during the Advent season. Details: RSVP to dre@sain trichard.com or csimmons@strichardschool.org

TUPELO St. James, Annual Men’s Retreat, Nov. 1820 at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Ala. Retreat leader is Father Ben Cameron of the Fathers of Mercy. Retreat begins Friday evening and ends Sunday morning. Enjoy this weekend of prayer, rest and fellowship. Cost: $130 if sharing a room or $205 for a private room. Registration includes two nights of lodging, all meals and snacks. De tails: David at (662) 213-3742.

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS

COLUMBUS Annunciation School, Fall Open House, Tuesday, Nov. 15 with tours at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Come visit us! Details: school office (662) 328-4479.

Annunciation, Knights of Columbus Blood Drive, Sunday, Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the BankFirst parking lot. Details: Sign-up at https://bit.ly/Annuncia tionBloodDrive2022.

CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, Parish Feast Day Cel ebration and Mass, Sunday, Nov. 20 at 10:30 a.m. Cel ebration lunch served after Mass. Details: church office (662) 624-4301.

FLOWOOD St. Paul Early Learning Center, Open House for Discover Catholic Schools Week, Wednesday, Nov. 16 between 9-11 a.m. Details: school office (601) 992-2876.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Blood Drive, Sunday, Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the church parking lot. De tails: call (877) 258-4825 or visit www.donors.vitalant. org.

MADISON St. Francis, Ring In Your Faith 10k run and 5k run/walk, Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 a.m. Registra tion fee guarantees your shirt through Dec. 17 and you will enjoy a mouth-watering New Year’s Day meal with a Southern twist. Ring in 2023 and register here: https:// bit.ly/RingInYourFaith2022 Details: Joe at leslieslee@ hotmail.com.

St. Francis, Evening of Worship & Adoration for Ad vent and Christmas with music by John Finch, on Sun day, Dec. 4, 6:30-8 p.m. in the church. The evening will include a time of worship music, Advent reflection and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction. Open to the public, donations accepted. For more info on John Finish visit johnfinchmusic.com. Details: email mc.george@stfrancismadison.org.

MADISON St. Joseph School, Christmas Arts and Crafts Camp, Saturday, Dec. 17, St. Joe Fine Arts Build ing from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1-4 p.m. For grades K through eighth. Cost is $40 per session or $70 for both. Snacks included. Bring lunch if staying for both sessions. Details: email vrunnels@stjoebruins.com.

MERIDIAN St. Patrick, Candy Cane 5k Dash, Satur day, Dec. 3 at 8:30 a.m. Details: to register visit https:// bit.ly/CandyCane2022.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, “Will the Real Holy Grail Please Stand Up?” On Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. after Wednesday night parish dinner in the Family Life Center welcome Dr. Beth Boggess who will present a facinating program on the latest findings regarding the identity of the Holy Grail. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.

St. Mary Basilica, Christ the King Feast Day Eu charistic Procession, Sunday, Nov. 20 following 10 a.m. Mass. Procession will be down Main Street to the Gazebo on the Bluff where Father Aaron Wil liams will bless the city of Natchez. Light refresh ments will be served after processing back to the church. All are welcome! Details: church office (601) 445-5616.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Spaghetti Dinner, Sunday, Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. Dine-in or take-

out. Cost: $8 per plate; max $25 per family; $2 smoked sausage; $10 quart gravy; $5 quart slaw. All are wel come! Details: church office (662) 895-5007.

RIPLEY St. Matthew, 1st annual Christmas Bazaar/ Indoor Yard Sale, Nov. 18 and 19. Details: call Geraldine at (216) 867-8007.

St. Matthew, Christmas Mini-Sessions – photography by Madeline Hale. Nov. 13 and 20 from 12-1:15 p.m. or 4:15-6 p.m.; Nov. 16 and 23 from 5-7 p.m. Appointment form available at church entrance. Session fee is $10 and is a donation to the church. Proofs available on Nov. 30. Details: church office (662) 993-8862.

VARDAMAN Catholic Charities Thanksgiving meal for Farmworkers, Friday, Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. Help by do nating soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste and brush es or donate funds to assist with the meal. Details: Cath olic Charities Vardaman (662) 682-9992.

YAZOO CITY St. Mary, Bake Sale, Tuesday, Nov. 22 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Baked goods, soup and sandwiches available for purchase. Details: church office (662) 7461680.

SAVE THE DATE

DIOCESE SEARCH Retreat – For Teens, By Teen, Jan. 13-15, 2023 at Camp Wesley Pines in Gallman. De tails: email abbey.schuhmann@jacksondiocese.org.

MADISON St. Anthony School, Starry Night Gala, Friday, Dec. 9. Details: school office (601) 607-7054.

Jackson Flowood Pearl

JACKSON – St. Jude parish engaged in their Feed My Sheep ministry led by Beth Paczak. The group served lunch at Poindexter Park on Sunday, October 23. (Photo by Rhonda Bowden)

Light of the World draws us out of darkness

BY BISHOP JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D.

“Beloved, we are God’s children now. What we shall later be has not yet been revealed. However, we do know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he really is. Everyone who has this hope in him keeps himself pure, just as he is pure.” (1John 3:2-3)

The Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed at the beginning of November carry us to the threshold of eternal life which we announce at every Mass in the Nicene Creed on the Lord’s Day. “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

Throughout this month each Gospel passage from St. Luke inspires us to see beyond this world to our destiny in heaven.

Last Sunday the Sadducees who believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but did not believe in life after death, presented Jesus with a situation that was an attempt to trip him up.

Using the Mosaic Law that required a brother to marry his deceased brother’s widow if they did not have children, they cooked up a ridiculous scenario in which seven brothers married the woman. “Whose wife will she be at the resurrection since she married all seven,”(Luke 20:33) they asked the Lord, likely smirking, thinking they had checkmate.

The Lord’s response was not only brilliant, but it was also an invitation to the Sadducees to enlarge their understanding of who God is and who we are as God’s children. “Those who are judged worthy of taking part in the age to come and the resurrection of the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage... They are like angels, and they are the children of God, because they are the children of the resurrection. That the dead are raised Moses himself showed in the account about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for in his sight all are alive.” (Luke 20:35-38)

On this weekend ahead, Jesus assures his disciples that in the midst of worldly upheavals and suffering, “by your perseverance you will secure your lives.” (Luke 21:19)

On the Solemnity of Christ the King, the final Sunday of the church year, the promise of eternal life unfolds

all to continue to pray for those who have passed. “May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful

from the Cross when Jesus responds to the repentant thief. “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

In the Gospel of Luke these are the final words of Jesus earthly existence spoken to another person. All that remained was the earth-shattering event of the resurrection, fulfilling the Lord’s words spoken to Martha on the occasion of her brother Lazarus’ death. “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Martha, answered, “Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 11:25-27)

Do you believe this? How blessed is the person who can say yes to the Lord with Martha’s conviction. This is the first work that please God. (John 6:29)

During November we have a unique perspective to consider the promise of eternal life through Jesus words and actions. “Those who are judged worthy take part in the resurrection of the dead are his words.”

Was the unrepentant thief left behind, judged unworthy? We are God’s children now, but do we keep ourselves pure as God is pure?

Do our choices have sufficient gravitas as God’s children? Does our freedom to love, mirror the mind and mercy of the crucified Lord?

These are only a few questions that come to the fore prompted by God’s Word during this month of All Saints and All Souls. Even as the darkness deepens with each passing day, the Light of the World is always drawing us out of darkness into his own marvelous light.

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Monday, Nov. 14-18 – USCCB Fall General Assembly, Baltimore, Maryland

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 10:30 a.m. – Blessing of “Touchdown Jesus” statue, St. Joseph High School football field, Greenville

Sunday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m. – Confirmation, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Greenwood

Sunday, Dec. 11, 11:45 a.m. – Procession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Monday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m. – Mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

$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, Dec. 18, 11 a.m. – Mass and Christmas Dinner, St. Patrick, Meridian

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

NATCHEZ – The Basilica of St. Mary held the faith community’s traditional All Soul’s Day cemetery procession Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Natchez Cemetery. Father Robert Johnson, associate pastor of St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Alexandria, La., led the procession. The procession included the Rite for a Cemetery Procession and parishioners including mothers and fathers with young children recited the Sorrowful Mysteries as they slowly walked from Old Catholic Plot 1 to Catholic Hill in the back of the cemetery property. Father Johnson reminded

departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen,” he said concluding ceremonies. (Photo by Linda Reeves)

CALLED BY NAME

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

As I was preparing my homily for daily Mass recently, I was reflecting on these words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. Our Lord’s statement reveals that a little faith doesn’t just go a long way, it also produces miracles. After all, it is impos sible for a mulberry tree, or any other tree, to be planted in the sea!

But our faith can be shaken. A mustard seed is tiny and is easily lost if we don’t protect it. This is one of the reasons I continue to write this column. We need to be reminded that our faith is shared and we need to build one another up to keep up the fight. It is hard to be a Catholic in a land that has so few. It is hard to promote priestly vocations from our parishes when there are so many other forces in our culture that might distract young people from their calls. But it is a fight worth fighting, and with a little faith, God can work miracles through us!

As Joanna King reported elsewhere in this edition of the Mississippi Catholic, our 3rd annual Homegrown Harvest Festival was a great success, and I have come away from that experience more confident than ever that the Lord is going to do great things in our vocation department. Our POPS group (Parents of Priests/Seminarians/Sisters) continues to solidify with many of our parents supporting one another and coming up with great ideas for the coming year. I am also working with our diocesan chancery on new ways to engage Catholics throughout the diocese to help more people get involved in our vocation initiatives and in supporting our seminarians.

But the most important thing we can all do is pray. Please continue or begin to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life in our diocese. If everyone who reads this would pray regularly for this intention, I know that it would make all the difference. We ask for the intercession of Mary, Mother of Priests to nurture and protect the vocations of those who are discerning or who will discern the priesthood in the coming year.

The next time you attend Mass, I invite you to offer your Mass intention for an increase in vocations, or better yet, offer your Mass for a young man or woman you know in your parish who you think would make a great priest or religious. Some people ask me: how do I offer an intention at Mass? Well, when the gifts are coming up to the altar, in your mind’s eye ‘place’ your intention on the altar with the bread and the wine. God can work miracles with all that his people present offer to him in the Mass!

Thank you for your continued support of our mission for a Homegrown Harvest, let’s continue to build one another up so we can keep the faith because God is working and he will work miracles as long as we are open to his will for us!

If you are interested in learning more about religious orders or vocations to the priesthood and religious life, email nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.

Father Nick Adam

Father Nick Adam

Celebrating fifty years of ordination

IN EXILE

By Father ron rolheiser, oMi

Fifty years ago, on an overcast, cold, fall day in the gymnasium of the local public high school, I was or dained to the priesthood. Beyond the grey sky, another thing marked the event. This was a tender season for my family and me. Both our parents had died (and died young) within a year and a half just prior to this and we were still some what fragile of heart. In that setting, I was ordained a priest. Within the few words allowed in a short column, what do I most want to say as I mark the fiftieth anniversary of that day? I will bor row from the novelist Morris West, who begins his autobiography this way: When you reach the age of seventy-five, there should only be three phrases left in your vocabulary, thank you, thank you, and thank you!

I just turned seventy-five and reflecting on fifty years of priesthood, many thoughts and feelings come to mind; life, after all, has its seasons. However, the feeling that overrides all others is that of gratitude, thank you, thank you, and thank you! Thank you to God, to grace, to the church, to my family, to the Ob lates, to the many friends who have loved and support ed me, to the wonderful schools I have taught in, and to the thousands of people I have encountered in those fifty years of ministry.

My initial call to the priesthood and the Oblate con gregation was not the stuff of romance. I didn’t enter religious life and the seminary because I was attracted to it. The opposite. This was not what I wanted. But I felt called, strongly and clearly, and at the tender age of seventeen made the decision to enter religious life. Today, people may well raise questions about the wis dom and freedom of such a decision at age seventeen, but looking back all these years later, I can honestly say that this is the clearest, purest, and most unselfish decision that I have yet made in my life. I have no regrets. I wouldn’t have chosen this life except for a strong call that I initially tried to resist; and, knowing myself as I do, it is by far the most life-giving choice that I possibly could have made. I say this because, knowing myself and knowing my wounds, I know too that I would not have been nearly as generative (nor as happy) in any other state in life. I nurse some deep wounds, not moral ones, but wounds of the heart, and those very wounds have been, thanks to the grace of God, a source of fruitfulness in my ministry.

Moreover, I have been blessed in the ministries that have been assigned to me. As a seminarian, I dreamed of being a parish priest, but that was never to be. Immediately after ordination, I was sent to do graduate studies in theology and then taught theology at various seminaries and theology schools for most of these fifty years, save for twelve years that I served as a provincial superior of my local Oblate community and on the Oblate General Council in Rome. I loved teaching! I was meant to be a religious teacher and religious writer and so my ministry, all of it, has been very satisfying. My

hope is that it has been generative for others.

In addition, I have been blessed by the Oblate com munities within which I lived. My ministry usually had me living in larger Oblate communities and through these fifty years, I estimate that I have lived in communi ty with well over three hundred different men. That’s a rich experience. Moreover, I have always lived in healthy, robust, caring, supportive, and intellectually challenging communities that gave me the spiritual and human fami ly I needed. There were tensions at times, but those ten sions were never not life giving. Religious community is unique, sui generis. It isn’t family in the emotional or psy chosexual sense, but family that is rooted in something deeper than biology and attraction – faith.

There have been struggles of course, not least with the emotional issues around celibacy and living inside a

The Pope’s Corner

loneliness which (as Merton once said) God, himself, con demned. It is not good for someone to be alone! It is here too where my Oblate religious community has been an anchor. Vowed celibacy can be lived and can be fruitful, though not without community support.

Let me end with a comment that I once heard from a priest who was celebrating his eighty-fifth birthday and his sixtieth anniversary of ordination. Asked how he felt about it all, he said, “It wasn’t always easy! There were some bitter, lonely times. Everyone in my ordination class left the priesthood, every one of them, and I was tempted too. But I stayed and now, looking back after sixty years, I’m pretty happy with the way my life turned out!”

That sums up my feelings too after fifty years – I’m pretty happy with the way it has turned out – and deep ly, deeply grateful.

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

Parishes are essential places for growing in faith, community

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN

CITY

(CNS) – The COVID-19 pandemic has weakened many parishes, but that community “in the midst of homes, in the midst of people,” is still an essential place for nourishing and sharing faith, Pope Francis told Italian young adults.

The parish is “the normal environment where we learned to hear the Gospel, to know the Lord Jesus, to serve with gratuitousness, to pray in community, to share projects and initiatives, to feel part of God’s holy people,” the pope told leaders of the young adult sec tion of Italian Catholic Action, a parish-based program of faith building and social outreach.

Meeting thousands of young adults Oct. 29, Pope Francis said he knows that in most cities and towns the parish church is not the center of religious and social life like it was when he was growing up, but “for our journey of faith and growth, the parish experience was and is important, irreplace able.”

With its mix of members, the pope said, the parish is the place to experience how “in the church we are all brothers and sisters through baptism; that we are all pro tagonists and responsible; that we have different gifts that are all for the good of the community; that life is vocation, following Jesus; and that faith is a gift to be given, a gift to witness.”

Part of that witness, he said, is to show concretely how faith leads to charity and a desire for justice.

In the neighborhood, town and region, “our mot to is not ‘I don’t care,’ but ‘I care!’” the pope said.

The “disease of not car ing” can be “more dangerous

than a cancer,” he told the young people. “Human mis ery is not a fate that befalls some unfortunate people, but almost always the result of injustices that must be eradicated.”

Pope Francis urged the young people not to be frus trated or put off by the fact that in their parishes “the community dimension is a bit weak,” something “which has been aggravated by the pandemic.”

Learning to see each other as brothers and sisters, he said, does not begin with some parish meeting or activity, but with each person through prayer and, es pecially, through the Eucharist celebrated and shared in the parish.

“Fraternity in the church is founded on Christ, on his presence in us and among us,” the pope said. “Thanks to him we welcome each other, bear with each other –Christian love is built on bearing with each other – and

Pope Francis shakes hands with a child during an audience at the Vatican with members of the young adult section of Italy’s Catholic Action, Oct. 29, 2022. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

what it is all ultimately about ...'

“Isn’t this what it is all ultimately about, to be drawn into eternal union with our God?”

Weaving in personal stories, on Saturday of the event Father Ajani shared about his love of grapes. Always raiding his grandmother’s refrigerator for those round globes of sweetness as a child, Father Ajani laughed about his grandmother always telling him he was going to turn into a grape.

He asked when thinking about the Eucharist to ponder the saying “we become what we eat.”

“Externalizing the Eucharist is being a part of Christ ... out in the world. Is that not what the Mass prepares us for,” Father Ajani asked.

Mary Woodward, chancellor for the Diocese of Jackson, organized the event and says she hopes to organize more around the diocese as the National Eucharistic Reviv al continues into the next few years.

As those gathered left the event, many thanked Bishop Kopacz, Father Ajani and Woodward for their efforts in bring this to the people of the diocese.

Jo Dillon of St. Joseph parish told Father Ajani as they were leaving the event that she wanted to jump up and shout when he asked participants to internalize the ques tion “Do I believe in Jesus Christ?”

“I wanted to jump up and shout yes, I believe!”

Continued from page 1 –

said Bishop Kopacz.

“One of the connecting streams that hits me today, as we celebrate the sisters, here over 75 years here in the city of Jackson, the state of Mississippi, and the Diocese of Jackson, is that the commitment to community ... is very strong.”

Speaking on the sisters and the team at St. Dominic, Bishop Kopacz touched on being admitted to St. Dom inic Hospital for two days near the end of August for a kidney infection. He joked that he was “undercover Bish op,” as he served on the board for St. Dominic Health Services.

“But truly the care and compassion and the healing ministry is something special,” said Bishop Kopacz.

“We thank you and give praise to God for the gift of your presence here,” Bishop Kopacz told the sisters present.

Speaking at the event on behalf of the Dominican sisters was Sister Dorothea Sondgeroth, who first arrived at St. Dominic Hospital in 1963. Leaving in 1983, she returned in 1995 to become president and chairman of the board of St. Dominic Health Services. She retired from that position in 2011 and took on a new role as as sociate executive director of St. Dominic Health Services Foundation, a position she still serves in today.

“We are here to serve and not to be served,” said Sis ter Dorothea. “So, this is a privilege for us to be honored here today.”

“Thank you for your support of our community for these 75 plus years and its been a great privilege for all of us.”

'...

'... We are here to serve and not be be served ...'

GLUCKSTADT – Clockwise from top: Jesse Carkhuff speaks to Bishop Kopacz after the event; Seminarians Will Foggo and Ryan Stoer lead the procession after Mass; and Father Ajani Gibson delievers a riveting hom ily. (Photos by Joanna Puddister King)

JACKSON – The Dominican sisters accept the Distinguished Citizen Award from Tony Haines, chief executive officer of the Andrew Jackson Council of the Boy Scouts of America on Thursday, Oct. 27 at the Country Club of Jackson. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

St. Alphonsus celebrates jubilee of church building

By Berta Mexidor

MCCOMB – In a special Mass with Bishop Joseph Kopacz and pastor, Father Suresh Reddy Thirumalareddy on Sunday, Oct. 30, parishioners and priests from around the diocese celebrated the 100th anniversary of the St. Alphonsus church building.

Bishop John Edward Gunn led the McComb Catholic congregation in building the twin-towered church, which was dedicated in 1922. According to claims, the cornerstone of which contains the names of the 1922 con firmation class.

The McComb area Catholic history reaches back to the 1860s with the first Mass being celebrated at the Bunker Hill home of Marie Elizabeth Brown and other Masses held at Vinegar Hill where “wooden dressers were made into make shift altars,” according to Christ: The Living Water by Cleta Ellington.

Nine days ahead of the celebration parishioners began a novena to St. Alphonsus Logouri, patron saint of the parish. On the last day of the nove na, parishioners prayed:

“Lord, we celebrate 100 years in this building at St. Alphonsus Parish in

MCCOMB – Above, the faithful gather for a Mass celebrating the 100th an niversary of the current St. Alphonsus church building on Sunday, Oct. 30. On left, a picture of the exterior of the parish with its twin towers in 1954. (Photos courtesy of St. Alphonsus parish and Diocese archives)

McComb. Let this sanctified structure, we pray, continue to serve as a sanctuary for the Faithful, the True Church founded by Christ Himself, and as a beacon of Your Truth to our community of Pike County, through Christ, Our Lord, Amen.”

Two days after the parish celebration, parishioners reunited at the gravesite of Fa ther Brian Kaskie at Hollywood Cemetery for an All Souls Day Mass for their former pastor who passed in 2021.

Father Brian was only in McComb a few years but left a deep impact in the life of the parish.

With all the happiness, and faith of late Father Kaskie, all the priests that served the community since the beginning, and the founders’ parishioners, everyone present at the celebration said ”Thanks be to God for 100 years of blessings bestowed on St. Alphonsus!”

Grounded in Faith

By Lora Beth Barrett

SALTILLO – Just as Jesus says in the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time’s Gospel reading from the book of Luke, “Stand up and go, your faith has saved you,” so has the faith of the descendants of the St. Thomas Aquinas Church in the Saltillo community.

On Oct. 9 on a beautiful, sunny day, members of the Catholic community gathered to celebrate the 100th An niversary of the founding of St. Thomas Aquinas Cath olic Church.

The first structure, as a wooden framed church, was built and was dedicated on May 7, 1922, by Bishop John Edward Gunn. St. Thomas became a mission church of St. James the Greater parish of Tupelo in 1963 when Father Paul Gillis was priest. In 1966, a brick church was built to replace the original church. Tragedy hit this faith community when the church burned to the ground in the early morning hours in late April of 2009.

The only items that were saved from the fire include a votive candle stand, a holy water font and Consecration bells. Father Tom Lalor was the priest of the St. Thomas mission at the time of the fire. Since this tragedy, the members of this faith community have continued to re main strong in their faith.

The community continued to worship in Marie Bar rett Hall. The small chapel was built when Father Lincoln Dall was priest. Today, this faith community continues to worship together. Each fall the community celebrate the

“Blessings of the Graves.”

In the spring, this faith com munity celebrates Easter with a potluck dinner and Easter fun and games. The community continues the traditions and stand together in faith just as their ancestors did over 100 years ago.

Mass was celebrated under a tent in the area where the 1966 structure used to stand on Sunday, Oct. 9. The altar was placed in the general location as the previous structure. Mass was celebrated by Father Tim Murphy and Father Henry Shelton. The St. Thomas choir, under the leadership of Lailah Valentine, provided music for the Mass.

A potluck was served after the Mass celebration by the members in attendance. Entertainment was provided by the Gusmus Grass, a blue grass band, made up of several members of the congregation. Games were played by the newest generation of the community and lots of love, laughter, and conversation was shared among the congregation.

Both Father Tim Murphy and Father Hen ry Shelton left everyone in attendance with a lasting impression on the day’s events. Father Tim Murphy concluded his homily in com parison to the community’s ancestors, “Just as they came with two mules of the earth, so did their faith remain and grow. Just as yours will continue in future generations.”

Father Henry Shelton shared reflections of his experiences. He concluded by remind

ing us of the cemetery filled with generations of family members in the community who have gone before us. He stated, “It is the belief of the Catholic church that when we receive the Eucharist all of our loved ones are gathered around and sharing it with us.”

The community will continue to thrive as they wor ship together with the compassion, joy and love celebrat ed on this glorious day. God Bless this community!

(Lora Beth Barrett is a second-grade teacher at Dorsey Attendance Center outside Fulton, Mississippi. She enjoys singing in the choir, teaching Sunday school and growing her faith within her church family and work family. She spends her free time with family, reading and anything art related.)

SALTILLO – The St. Thomas community celebrated Mass out doors on the site of the former structure destroyed by fire in 2009. (Photo by Carrie Barrett)

Annual Catholic Foundation meeting celebrates accomplishments

By Joanna Puddister King

JACKSON – On Tuesday, Oct. 25, the Catholic Foun dation of the Diocese of Jackson held its annual member ship meeting along with the board of directors meeting at the Country Club of Jackson.

Board president, Joe Rice, Jr. of St. Richard Jackson, led those gathered through the election and re-election of the board of directors for the Foundation. Six members rolled-off board service this year, leading to the election of Beth DeGruy of St. Richard Jackson; Joseph P. Gray of Cathedral of St. Peter Jackson; Will Jemison of Christ the King Jackson; Robert Perry of St. John Oxford; and Key Smith of St. Mary Basilica Natchez at the event.

Catholic Foundation, executive director Rebecca Har ris then led members on a journey through all the Foun dation accomplished over the past year.

The Foundation currently manages assets in excess of $57 million and Harris reported that the Foundation was able to mitigate some of the losses due to the market in today’s economy to be able to continue all of the good works the Foundation supports.

The Foundation manages 35 trusts that grant mon ies to parishes, schools and Catholic ministries in the di ocese. This year, 25 grants were awarded that totaled over $69,000.

“These were grants that were for anywhere from ren ovating a rectory to curriculums in our Catholic Schools to Catholic Charities being able to provide women who are in dire need of work that helps them to bring their child into this world,” said Harris.

“And I think as a Catholic organization that is so im portant, and near and dear to all of us that there are children that are going to be born this year and that we were able to help them.”

One area that few parishes apply for grants is in se nior citizen ministry, explained Harris. “I hope in the fu ture that they do ... we’ve got a lot more that we could grant.”

The Catholic Foundation has 393 trusts that they ad minister and boasts over 800 members that support the work of the Foundation. Through membership fees, the Foundation allows the annual distributions to go direct ly to the beneficiaries – schools, parishes and catholic ministries.

“These membership fees allow me to run the Catho lic Foundation office, along with proceeds from the Bish op’s Cup tournament and charge no management fees to beneficiaries,” said Harris.

To those gathered, Harris also reported on the annual Bishop’s Cup golf tournament. In the 40th year for the event, the Foundation was able to raise $43,000. Harris thanked all for their support of the event saying, “we were able to keep expenses lower than they ever have been ... so we have more money to help operations and to help with future grants.”

“We can’t do all the things we do with out the help of our members,” said Harris. “We need you and we need many other people to understand what we do and how we do it.”

The Catholic Foundation is not compe tition for parishes, Harris explained. “We work with parishes to help them grow the things they can do in their parishes.”

Next year, the Catholic Foundation will celebrate its 50th anniversary. In 1973, Bishop Brunini called a group of community leaders together from across the diocese to form the foundation.

In his closing remarks, Bishop Joseph Ko pacz noted that the returns on investment in general have been down, but equated the Catholic Foundation as “Joseph in Egypt.”

“During the years of plenty, [Joseph] put aside a great deal of the harvest in order to

Spotlight on Catholic Education: Luke gives summary of year, so far

By Karla luKe

JACKSON – Things have been very active in the Office of Catholic Education since school began in Au gust. It hardly seems possible that the first quarter for our administrators, faculty and students has come and gone. The 2022-2023 school year is significant for us as we fully embrace our annual theme of service; the Of fice of Catholic Education (OCE) seeks to better serve the school community at large by providing more support for administrators, teachers and students.

For the first time since the pan demic, the Office of Catholic Educa tion held the annual Diocesan Profes sional Development Day for Catholic Schools in person at St. Joseph Cath olic School in Madison.The event welcomed over 450 teachers, teach er assistants, staff, administrators and pastors from 19 different institutions for Mass, spiritual refreshment and re connection.

face the years of famine and was able to serve the people of Egypt and the surrounding area because of that pru dent decision,” said Bishop Kopacz.

“So, the Foundation has done the same in these ‘lean’ years. ... This year we still have been able to give the full distribution that has been given over the last number of years. And that is wise stewardship.”

Closing the event with prayer, Bishop Kopacz asked God for His blessing on the Foundation.

“May we continue to grow and be faithful to You and to serve the people entrusted to us.”

For more information on the Catholic Foundation visit: foundation.jacksondiocese.org or call (601) 960-8477.

Members of the chancery also joined us on this special day with the educators. The day began with Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrating Mass and sharing his message with all for a spirit-filled and successful school year.

The keynote speaker for the morning was Father R. Tony Ricard, a priest for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the campus minister and theology teacher at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans.

Father Tony spoke on the Office of Education’s theme for the year: “Serve the Lord with gladness!” As a former third grade public school teacher, Father Tony related to the difficulties educators face while uplifting them and connecting their experience with our vocation as Catholic school educators.

During the afternoon, teachers met in small groups to discuss common issues and share best practices for addressing current issues facing schools today. Some groups met with chancery employees to discuss daily practices, new policies and procedures. The feedback for the day was very positive and illustrated the importance of gathering in the community.

Another significant project that the Office of Catholic Schools is currently under taking is strategic planning for all schools, Early Learning Centers and the Office of Catholic Education.

Since the pandemic surged worldwide in March 2020, the face of education has also undergone significant changes. The current social-emotional status of our stu dents, the economic state of our state and country, and the rapid pace of technological development all call for a revaluation of our mission and vision to continue providing opportunities for an exceptional Catholic education in the Diocese of Jackson. The Office of Catholic Education will continue to provide updates on this initiative as they become available.

Please continue to support Catholic education in the Diocese of Jackson by support ing your local parish schools. If there is no school in your parish, please support our administrators, teachers and school families with your prayers to produce service-ori ented citizens of the Gospel.

(Karla Luke is the executive director of Catholic School for the Diocese of Jackson)

JACKSON – Rebecca Harris, executive director of the Catholic Foundation, completes a “year in review” at the annual dinner and membership meeting, held at the Country Club of Jackson, on Tuesday, Oct. 25. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

MADISON – Father Tony Ricard of the Archdiocese of New Orleans speaks to educators during the Office of Educa tion’s annual Diocesan Professional De velopment Day in September. (Photo by Karla Luke)

Patron saint, celebrated with Mass and festivities

By Galen Holley

NEW ALBANY – Parishioners celebrated Mass out doors on Oct. 16, on a cool, crisp fall morning, with birds and squirrels darting through the pines encircling the yard. What better way to honor the legacy of their pa tron and namesake of the church, St. Francis of Assisi.

“St. Francis was known for loving nature and ani mals, and for loving others,” said Father Xavier Jesuraj, preaching his homily in front of a crowd of 300, most of them sitting in lawn chairs, others standing around the makeshift soccer and volleyball field that would soon be teeming with energetic athletes.

An unpainted statue of the saint, his hand held aloft in pious blessing, stood beside the altar, along with fra grant bouquets of flowers. On the west end of the yard, just behind the church, a Hispanic band, complete with bass, guitar, tambourine and a litany of female singers, serenaded the faithful. During Holy Communion, they sang, “The Prayer of St. Francis,” in Spanish. “Make me a channel of your peace,” they sang. “Where there is despair in life, let me bring hope.”

Catholics from Tupelo and Ripley also came to New Albany to worship. The “Danza” group, honoring their Aztec tradition, also performed.

Fluffy, bundled children scurried about, gathering handfuls of dried pine needles off the pavement. In the im promptu midway, on the north side of the church, the mechanical bull and the boun cy house were going up. The succulent smell of carne asada filled the air, along with the sweet smell of grilling onions, and the crisp, fresh bite of chopped cilantro.

St. Francis of Assisi Parish celebrated 72 years in 2022. The first gatherings were in the home of the Kelso family. Priests from the Glenmary Home Mission ers staffed it until four years ago, when diocesan priest, Father Raj, began shep herding the community.

Today, the church is a vibrant mix of Anglo and Latino members, along with other races and nationalities, who col laborate on festive occasions, like this one, to express their unity in Jesus Christ. Their diversity and mutual love testify to a broken world that division is only a de ception, and that faith in the risen Jesus is the tie that binds.

Father Raj spoke of his recent trip to the holy sites of Europe, including Assisi. He became emotional when speaking of Carlos Acutis, a remarkable Italian youth, who died of leukemia, in 2006, at the age of 15. The boy had vast computer skills, and documented, online, miracles concerning the Holy Eucharist. He was beatified in October 2020.

“The Pope says that we need saints in jeans,” said Father Raj, during his homi ly to the crowd of jean wearers gathered at the celebration Mass. Maybe modern saints are living among us.

More than 300 people attended the celebration of the patron saint of St. Francis of Assisi Church in New Albany on Oct. 16. Delicious food, athletic events and dancing were part of the fun. (Photo by Galen Holley)

Knights aim to honor vets with Wreaths Across America

By Berta Mexidor

JACKSON – The Assembly 554 of the Knights of Co lumbus, Bishop R.O. Gerow, will again be sponsoring the Wreaths Across America program (WAA) this year.

Steve Miller, PFN says the Knights will be selling wreaths made from live greenery to be placed on veteran graves during the Christmas season and that sales have already be gun.

The cost of a wreath to honor brave men and women who have served the U.S. is only $15 and can be purchased at kofc554.org through Nov. 20. Wreaths may be purchased for an unspecified veteran. These will be placed on veteran graves at the Clinton Cemetery and Cedar Grove Cemetery in Clinton on Dec. 17 at 12 p.m.

Wreaths can also be purchased for a specif ic veteran family member or friend and will be available for pick-up at Holy Savior Church (714 Lindale St., Clinton) on Dec. 17 at 3 p.m.

The Wreaths Across America program hon ors veterans from the Revolutionary War to present day conflicts and come from all back grounds. It also boasts over 3,400 participating locations around the country.

Wreaths Across America is a national pro gram with humble beginnings. In 1992 Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Compa ny of Harrington, Maine found himself with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holi day season and realized he had an opportunity to honor our county’s veterans. With the help of former Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, Mor rill arranged for the wreaths to be place at Ar lington National Cemetery in one of the older sections which had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year.

This act of generosity became an annual trib ute that went on quietly for several years each December, led by Morrill and his family until 2005, when a photo of the stones at Arlington adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, cir culated around the internet and it began to grow.

In 2020, nearly 1.8 million veteran wreaths were placed at more than 2,500 participating locations. More than two

million volunteers nationwide joined in these efforts. The Na tional WAA program is held annual on the second or third Saturday of December.

“The WAA program was brought to the Assembly’s at tention by Joe Blake in the fall of 2020. Joe, a past Faithful Navigator of 554 and a Vietnam veteran, thought it would be a good patriotic program for the assembly and worth looking into,” said Miller.

After researching the WAA program, the Assembly re alized with so little time and Covid restrictions preventing in-person sales the most they could do in 2020 would be to rely on membership to purchase wreaths and place them at a Crystal Springs cemetery, which had been adopted by a local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

In July of 2021 the Assembly filed the necessary paper work with the WAA’s organization and adopted the Clinton Cemetery located at 500 East College Street, where the As sembly had placed American flags for several years in ob servance of Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day and had identified 170 veteran gravesites, shared Miller.

“Our total wreath sales exceeded our expectations, and 250 wreaths were sold through our various purchase op tions,” said Miller. “Of the 250 wreaths purchased 30 wreaths were sold to individuals for placement on veteran gravesites of family members or friends at other cemetery locations rather than the Assembly’s adopted cemetery.”

On Dec. 18, 2021, the Assembly members along with women from Clinton’s local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and local Scouts took part in a Wreaths Across America Day Ceremony.

This year, the Knights assembly hopes to exceed those totals. For more information or to purchase a wreath, visit kofc554.org.

(Steve Miller, PFN, Bishop R.O. Gerow Assembly 554 col laborated with this story. For more information about the na tional WWA program, visit https://www.wreathsacrossamerica. org/.)

Editor’s note: Home with Heroes in Natchez is also spon soring the Wreaths Across America Program. Wreathes will be places at the Natchez National, Greenlawn Memorial Park and Vidalia Cemetery on Dec. 17. For more information visit: home withheroes.org.

Assembly member Craig Harrell with his grandchildren placing wreaths on veteran graves in 2021. (Photo cour tesy Steve Miller)

Saltillo mission, upcoming jubilee, part II

(Editor’s note: This reflection is part two of a two-part series from Msgr. Michael Flannery on his trip to the Saltillo Mission this fall. Part one ran in the Oct. 28 digital edition of Mississippi Catholic.)

By Msgr. Michael Flannery

SALTILLO, Mex. – During my visit to the Saltillo Mission at the end of September, I had the pleasure of celebrating Mass at St. William Church. There was a lady there that something told me I knew her from some place.

We started a conversation and I asked her where she was from originally. She said Santa Rosa. I asked her when she was born, and she said in 1972. I asked her where she was baptized, and she said in Santa Rosa.

I happened to be the priest that baptized her. I had not seen her in 50 years. It was like a reunion to get to know her again after all this time.

A new phenomenon in Saltillo is the building of columbaria at parish churches for the reception of the ashes of deceased parishioners. That has come in re sponse to the growing practice of cremation in Mexico. Prices vary from $600 to $1,000. It has become very popular.

A big thrust in the ministry of the Saltillo Mission is the service to the mountain villages. I accompanied Father David the last Saturday of my visit to the moun tain villages. Our first stop was Gomez Nueva where we had a wedding and five First Holy Communions. After a reception we moved on to La Brecha (the gap), which is a church that was dedicated three years ago by Bish op Raul Vera Lopez, Bishop Emeritus of Saltillo, in the presence of Bishop Joseph Kopacz and Bishop Louis Kih neman.

In La Brecha we had a quince años, (the celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday). During the celebration of the Mass, the 15-year-old girl renews her baptismal promises and recommits herself to serving the Lord.

From there we journeyed on to another village, El Rancho Pequeño, for another quince años celebration.

Then we returned to Saltillo where Father David had a baptism. One thing is for sure, the pastor is never short of work at San Miguel.

The following prayer will be recited at all Masses in San Miguel for the whole jubilee year.

We bless the Most Holy Trinity in your Holy Archan gels: Michael, Gabriel and Rafael. You have selected and called this portion of God’s people, of the Diocese of Saltillo, to form the Parish of San Miguel. We give you thanks for this jubilee year, coming together these 25 years.

You have given us an esteemed and faithful ministry in our bishops and priests, who with their lives and testimony guide your flock in the pastoral presence of Father Quinn and in all the generous priests committed in the pastoral ministry and in a laity committed to the synodal project. We ask that your Son Jesus Christ be for us, a road to journey toward you, the Truth which illuminates our hearts to the gate through which we are admitted to your kingdom.

Our God, who has given us San Miguel as our patron, give us the strength and the character to walk, being the light in the darkness of a culture of death, and in the compa ny of Our Mother and Queen, the Most Holy Virgin, Mary of Guadalupe. Preserve us with strength as true disciples of Christ the Redeemer who lives and reigns with the Holy Spir it forever and ever, Amen.

Father David Martinez gave a homily on the Feast of San Miguel, on Sept. 29, 2022, touching on the jubilee year and the aid given by the Diocese of Jackson:

“In this Eucharist on Sept. 29 we give thanks to God because he has permitted our Bishop Hilario Gonzalez Garcia, to proclaim a jubilee year to celebrate the twen ty-five years since the erection of the parish of San Mi guel.

“Today, full of joy, we have present with us, Msgr. Michael Flannery, who 25 years ago was an essential witness to the transaction of the separation of San Miguel from the parish of Perpetual Help and it is now a parish in its own right and the center of the ranchos which were once a part of the mission of Father Quinn.

“Bishop Francisco Villalobos of happy memory, was

the one who named the community of San Miguel as a parish. Present at the Mass were Bishop Francisco Vil lalobos, Bishop of Saltillo, Bishop William Houck, Bishop of Jackson, Frs. Raul Ramos, Carlos Davila Fuentes, VG., Lazaro Hernandez, Placido Castro Zamora, Msgr. Mi chael Flannery, Vicar General of the Diocese of Jackson, and Msgr. Michael Thornton who was named the first pastor of San Miguel.

“In this celebration today, on the solemnity of San Miguel, offering to God as we progress throughout the year, that on the 29th of each month, we will come to gether as brothers and sisters with other parishes, living different historic semblances of our experiences, in all of the rural communities, such as the chapels attached to the parish.

“By celebrating the Eucharist and the accompanying Holy Hour, we have received from our Bishop a partial indulgence. We have the privilege of offering to God, the pastoral experience of Deacon Adam Frey, who was sent here by his Bishop Louis Kihneman of the Diocese of Biloxi, to experience and share in the mission of Father Quinn. It is our desire that sharing this experience as a legate of his diocese, that it will be part of the history of our parish and its 25 years. ...

“Remembering the words of Jesus: ‘You will see much greater things than the angels of God ascending and de scending on the Son of Man.’ Because in these things is found the cross and the priest of Christ continues to as cend and descend the slopes in this parish of San Miguel following in the footsteps of Father Quinn, walking with joy, with the cross of the ranchos and in the company of our brothers and sisters who are poorer and more vulnerable and to whom we announce to them that the reign of God has come.

“We end by saying that we ask of God that on Sept. 29, 2023 we can meet with our brothers and sisters of the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi, who have been part of our history. We thank God for all his blessings and his Mother Most Holy, the Virgin Mary for all of her mater nal protection in our journey of faith.”

On left, a First Communion celebration at Gomez Nueva. On right, a quince años at La Brecha. “Padre” Flannery made a trip to visit the Saltillo Mission and the end of September. (Photos courtesy of Msgr. Michael Flannery)

Honor a Difuntos que nos trajeron hasta Aquí

Por berta MeXidor

TUPELO – En cada una de las parroquias existen personas que se dedican al montaje del altar con sus decoraciones y ofrendas y traspasar ese conocimiento a las nuevas generaciones.

En la parroquia de St. Therese Jackson se tiene un altar cada año. El matrimonio de Rosalinda y Joel Montoya se asegura que el grupo de jóvenes reciba las instrucciones y la ayuda necesaria.

En el Inmaculado Corazón de Maria Houston se repite la historia de honrar a los difuntos con altares, flores y alimentos. Danna Johnson, LEM dice que “Es hermoso como las familias pasan esta hermosa tradición a las nuevas generaciones.” Allí, por ejemplo, las niñas Michelle Torres y Delayza acudieron con sus padres a pagar respeto. Delayza hija de Elizabeth hizo una ofrenda a la difunta Timotea su abuela.

En St. James Tupelo, reporta Raquel Thompson, las señoras Rosario González y Gricelda Martinez se dieron a la tarea de hacer el altar. Según explica Martinez, muchos de los coloridos altares son creados en siete etapas que representan los siete pasos de las almas o los pecados originales, según la tradición y en las

HOUSTON – Niñas honran a sus familiares, Michelle Torres (der.), a un fallecido en Mexico y luego Delayza, hija de Elizabeth a su abuela Timotea.

JACKSON – Grupo de jóvenes de St.Therese (debajo der) bajo la guia de Joel Montoya preparan el altar.

TUPELO – (debajo izq.) Altar en St. James realizado por Rosario Gonzalez y Gricelda Martinez (Fotos cortesía de parroquias correspondientes)

cuales se colocan decoraciones simbólicas, pero muy significativas:

Agua: Se coloca un vaso de agua para la pureza del alma y la regeneración de la vida. Elemento Agua

Arcos: La entrada al mundo de los muertos Papel Picado: Representa la alegría festiva del día y el viento. Elemento Aire Flores de Cempasuchitl: Flor de muerto o Marigol tiene un aroma que sirve de guía a los espíritus.

Incienso de Copal: Ahuyenta a los malos espíritus

Veladoras: Alumbran el camino de las almas que llegan Elemento Fuego

Calaveras: Alusión a la muerte

Santos: El altar siempre se acompaña con imágenes de Jesus y Santos de su devoción.

Sal: símbolo de la purificación de los espíritus.

Comida y bebida: Platos favoritos de los difuntos cuando estaban en vida.

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

Cincuenta Años de ordenado como Sacerdote

Por Padre ron rolheiser

Hace cincuenta años, en un día nublado y frío de otoño en el gimnasio de la escue la secundaria pública local, fui ordenado sacerdote. Más allá del cielo gris, otra cosa marcó el evento. Esta fue una temporada tierna para mi familia y para mí. Nuestros padres habían muerto, y murieron jóvenes un año y medio antes de esto, y todavía éramos un poco frágiles de corazón. En ese ambiente, fui ordenado sacerdote. Dentro de las pocas palabras permitidas en una breve columna, ¿qué es lo que más quiero decir al conmemorar el quincuagésimo aniversario de ese día? Tomaré prestado del novelista Morris West, quien comien za su autobiografía de esta manera: Cuando llegas a la edad de setenta y cinco años, solo deben quedar tres frases en tu vocabulario, ¡gracias, gracias y gracias!

Recién cumplí setenta y cinco años y reflexionando sobre cin cuenta años de sacerdocio, me vienen a la mente muchos pens amientos y sentimientos; la vida, después de todo, tiene sus esta ciones. Sin embargo, el sentimiento que prevalece sobre todos los demás es el de gratitud, ¡gracias, gracias y gracias! Gracias a Dios, a la gracia, a la iglesia, a mi familia, a los Oblatos, a los muchos amigos que me han amado y apoyado, a las maravillosas escuelas en las que he enseñado y a las miles de personas con las que me he encontrado en esos cincuenta años de ministerio.

Mi llamado inicial al sacerdocio ya la congregación de los Oblatos no fue materia de romance. No entré a la vida religiosa y al seminario porque me atrajera. Lo con trario. Esto no era lo que yo quería. Pero me sentí llamado, fuerte y claramente, ya la tierna edad de diecisiete años tomé la decisión de entrar en la vida religiosa. Hoy en día, es posible que la gente plantee preguntas sobre la sabiduría y la libertad de tal decisión a los diecisiete años, pero mirando hacia atrás todos estos años después, puedo decir honestamente que esta es la decisión más clara, pura y desinteresada que he tomado hasta ahora. mi vida. No tengo excusas. No habría elegido esta vida excepto por una fuerte llamada que inicialmente traté de resistir; y, conociéndome a mí mismo como me conozco, es, con mucho, la elección más vivificante que podría haber hecho. Digo esto porque, conociéndome a mí mismo y conociendo mis heridas, sé también que no habría sido tan generativo, ni tan feliz, en ningún otro estado de la vida. Tengo algunas heridas profundas, no morales, sino del corazón, y esas mismas heridas han sido, gracias a la gracia de Dios, fuente de fecundidad en mi ministerio. De seminarista, soñaba con ser párroco, pero nunca fue así. Inmediatamente

después de la ordenación, me enviaron a hacer estudios de posgrado en teología y lu ego enseñé teología en varios seminarios y escuelas de teología durante la mayor parte de estos cincuenta años, excepto durante doce años en los que serví como superior provincial de mi comunidad oblata local y en la comunidad oblata del Consejo General en Roma. ¡Me encantaba enseñar! Estaba destinado a ser un maestro religioso y un escritor religioso, por lo que mi ministerio, en su totalidad, ha sido muy satisfactorio. Mi esperanza es que haya sido generativo para otros.

Además, he sido bendecido por las comunidades oblatas en las que viví. Mi min isterio generalmente me hizo vivir en comunidades oblatas más grandes y a lo largo de estos cincuenta años, calculo que he vivido en comunidad con más de trescientos hombres diferentes. Esa es una rica experiencia. Además, siempre he vivido en comu nidades sanas, robustas, afectuosas, solidarias e intelectualmente desafiantes que me dieron la familia espiritual y humana que necesitaba. A veces hubo tensiones, pero esas tensiones nunca dejaron de dar vida. La comunidad religiosa es única, sui generis. No es la familia en el sentido emocional o psicosexual, sino la familia que tiene sus raíces en algo más profundo que la biología y la atracción: la fe. Ha habido luchas, por supuesto, sobre todo con los problemas emocionales en torno al celibato y vivir dentro de una soledad que, como dijo una vez Merton, Dios mismo condenó. ¡No es bueno que alguien esté solo! Es aquí también donde mi comunidad religiosa oblata ha sido un ancla. El celibato por votos se puede vivir y ser fructífero, aunque no sin el apoyo de la comunidad.

Permítanme terminar con un comentario que escuché una vez de un sacerdote que estaba celebrando su ochenta y cinco cumpleaños y su sexagésimo aniversario de ordenación. Cuando se le preguntó cómo se sentía al respecto, dijo: “¡No siempre fue fácil! Hubo algunos momentos amargos y solitarios. Todos en mi clase de ordenación dejaron el sacerdocio, todos ellos, y yo también fui tentado. Pero me quedé y, ahora, mirando hacia atrás después de sesenta años, ¡estoy muy feliz con la forma en que resultó mi vida!

Eso resume mis sentimientos también después de cincuenta años: estoy bastante feliz con la forma en que ha resultado, y muy, muy agradecido.

(El padre oblato Ron Rolheiser es teólogo, maestro y autor galardonado. Se le puede contactar a través de su sitio web www.ronrolheiser.com. Ahora en Facebook www.facebook. com/ronrolheiser)

Obispos alertan a votantes católicos sobre grupos partidistas

Por CatholiC news serviCe

PHOENIX – Antes de las elecciones del 8 de noviembre, los obispos católicos de Arizona alertaron a votantes sobre "esfuerzos políticos no aprobados" que, según dijeron, están siendo llevados a cabo por varias organizaciones y publicaciones que afirman representar a la Iglesia Católica en una variedad de temas.

En una declaración conjunta emitida el 31 de octubre por los Obispos de la Conferencia Cato?lica de Arizona en Phoenix, los prelados dijeron que estas entidades "se llaman a sí mismas 'católicas''' pero "no representan a la Iglesia Católica". Ellos "cubren varios extremos del espectro político y, a menudo, participan en esfuerzos políticos partidistas", agregó el comunicado.

El canon 216 del Código de Derecho Canónico "sub raya que ninguna iniciativa puede reclamar el título de 'católica' sin el consentimiento de la autoridad eclesiásti ca competente", dijeron los obispos. "El uso del nombre 'católico' implica que la iniciativa representa de alguna manera a la Iglesia Católica".

"Por lo tanto, la autoridad competente, en la mayoría de los casos, es el obispo local, quien debe dar permiso para que cualquier entidad, esfuerzo o movimiento se llame a sí mismo 'católico'", agregaron. "Aquellos que lo hacen sin permiso están violando la enseñanza y la ley de la iglesia".

"Debemos enfatizar que la Iglesia Católica siempre es políticamente no partidista", continuaron los obispos. "Además, vale la pena recordar que la Iglesia Católica tiene una larga tradición de nuestras creencias que in fluyen en nuestra política personal, no nuestra política personal que trata de influir en nuestra fe. Cuando inver

timos esos dos, nos colocamos fuera de la tradición y las enseñanzas de la Iglesia Católica".

Los obispos señalaron a los católicos un video de YouTube, en inglés, con más reflexiones sobre el asunto en https://bit.ly/3DqIjST.

La declaración fue firmada por el obispo John P. Dolan de Phoenix; el obispo James S. Wall de Gallup, Nuevo México, cuya diócesis in cluye una parte de Arizona; el obispo Edward J. Weisenburger de Tucson; y el obispo retirado Thom as J. Olmsted de Phoenix, quien es administrador apostólico de la Ep arquía católica bizantina de la San ta Protección de María.

Para ayudar a los católicos de EE. UU. a resolver los problemas de la boleta electoral y sus elec ciones para cargos públicos, los obispos de EE. UU. ofrecen orient ación en su documento electoral cuatrienal, "Formando la concien cia para ser ciudadanos fieles".

No les dice a los católicos cómo votar, sino cómo "formar sus con ciencias, aplicar un marco moral consistente a los problemas que enfrenta la nación y el mundo, y dar forma a sus elecciones a la luz de la enseñanza social católica".

El documento se ha ofrecido como una guía para los votantes

católicos cada año de elecciones presidenciales desde 1976. Se ha actualizado y revisado en intervalos de cu atro años para reflejar los cambios en los problemas que enfrenta el país. Un PDF del documento en inglés y es pañol está publicado en el sitio web de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de EE. UU. en faithfulcitizenship.org, junto con recursos adicionales en varios idiomas.

Una multitud en Mesa, Arizona, participa el 9 de octubre de 2022 en un mitin antes de las elecciones generales del 8 de noviembre. Obispos en Arizona han alertado a votantes católicos sobre grupos partidistas que dicen ser católicos pero que buscan engañar a la gente. (Foto CNS/ Brian Snyder, Reuters)

Yo Soy la Resurreción y la Vida

Por obisPo JosePh r. KoPaCz, d.d. “Queridos hermanos, ya somos hijos de Dios. Y aun que no se ve todavía lo que seremos después, sabemos que cuando Jesucristo aparezca seremos como él, porque lo veremos tal como es. Y todo el que tiene esta esperan za en él, se purifica a sí mismo, de la misma manera que Jesucristo es puro.” (1 Juan 3:2-3)

La Solemnidad de Todos los Santos y la Conmem oración de todos los Fieles Difuntos a principios de noviembre nos llevan al um bral de la vida eterna que anunciamos en cada Misa en el Credo de Nicea en el Día del Señor. “Esperamos la resurrección de los muertos y la vida del mundo venide ro. Amén."

A lo largo de este mes, cada pasaje del Evangelio de San Lucas nos inspira a ver más allá de este mundo hacia nuestro destino en el cielo. El domingo pasado los saduceos que creían en el Dios de Abraham, Isaac y Ja cob, pero que no creían en la vida después de la muerte, le presentaron a Jesús una situación que era un intento de hacerlo tropezar.

Usando la Ley Mosaica que requería que un herma no se casara con la viuda de su hermano fallecido si no

tenían hijos, inventaron un ridículo escenario en el que siete hermanos se casaban con la mujer. “Pues bien, en la resurrección, ¿de cuál de ellos será esposa esta mujer, si los siete estuvieron casados con ella? (Lucas 20:33) le preguntaron al Señor, probablemente sonriendo, pen sando que habían dado jaque mate.

La respuesta del Señor no solo fue brillante, sino que también fue una invitación a los saduceos para ampli ar su comprensión de quién es Dios y quiénes somos nosotros como hijos de Dios, “...pero aquellos que Dios juzgue que merecen gozar de la vida venidera y resuci tar, sean hombres o mujeres, ya no se casarán, porque ya no pueden morir. Pues serán como los ángeles, y serán hijos de Dios por haber resucitado. Hasta el mis mo Moisés, en el pasaje de la zarza que ardía, nos hace saber que los muertos resucitan. Allí dice que el Señor es el Dios de Abraham, de Isaac y de Jacob. ¡Y él no es Dios de muertos, sino de vivos, pues para él todos están vivos!” (Lucas 20:35-38)

En este fin de semana que se avecina, Jesús les ase gura a sus discípulos que, en medio de los trastornos y sufrimientos mundanos, “¡Manténganse firmes, para pod er salvarse!” (Lucas 21:19)

En la Solemnidad de Cristo Rey, el último domingo del año eclesiástico, la promesa de vida eterna se de spliega desde la Cruz cuando Jesús responde al ladrón arrepentido. “Te aseguro que hoy estarás conmigo en el paraíso”. (Lucas 23:43)

En el Evangelio de Lucas estas son las palabras fi

Santos son Revolucionarios que

nales de la existencia terrenal de Jesús dirigidas a otra persona. Todo lo que quedó fue el evento trascen dental de la resurrección, cumplien do las palabras del Señor habladas a Marta con ocasión de la muerte de su hermano Lázaro. “Jesús le dijo entonces: Yo soy la resurrección y la vida. El que cree en mí, aunque muera, vivirá; y todo el que todavía está vivo y cree en mí, no morirá jamás. ¿Crees esto? Ella le dijo: Sí, Señor, yo creo que tú eres el Mesías, el Hijo de Dios, el que tenía que venir al mundo.” (Juan 11:25-27)

¿Cree usted esto? ¿Cuán dichosa es la persona que puede decir sí al Señor con la convicción de Marta? Esta es la primera obra que agrada a Dios. “La única obra que Dios quiere es que crean en aquel que él ha enviado. (Juan 6:29)

Durante noviembre tenemos una perspectiva única para considerar la promesa de la vida eterna a través de las palabras y acciones de Jesús. “...aquellos que Dios juzgue que merecen gozar de la vida venidera y resuci tar.”

¿Fue dejado atrás el ladrón impenitente, juzgado in digno? Ahora somos hijos de Dios, pero ¿nos mantene mos puros como Dios es puro?

¿Nuestras elecciones tienen suficiente seriedad como hijos de Dios? ¿Nuestra libertad de amar refleja la mente y la misericordia del Señor crucificado?

Estas son solo algunas de las preguntas que surgen de la Palabra de Dios durante este mes de Todos los Santos y los Fieles Difuntos. Incluso cuando la oscuridad se profundiza con cada día que pasa, la Luz del Mundo siempre nos está sacando de la oscuridad hacia su propia luz maravillosa.

Bienaventuranzas, dice Papa Francisco

Por Cindy wooden CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – Los santos no eran conformistas "almidona dos", dijo el papa Francisco; eran "contraculturales y revolucionarios".

La multitud de hombres y mujeres honrados en la solemnidad de Todos los Santos vivieron de acuerdo con las Bienaventuranzas, lo que los hizo decididamente fuera de lugar en el mundo, dijo el papa Francisco el 1 de noviembre antes de recitar la oración del Ángelus.

Con miles de personas reunidas en la Plaza de San Pedro, incluidos los que habían participado en la carrera de 10 km del Día de Todos los Santos, el papa Francisco también animó a la gente a no solo visitar los lugares de entierro de sus seres queridos al día siguiente, la solemnidad de los Fieles Difuntos, sino ir a Misa y rezar por ellos también.

Hablando de santos y la lectura del Evangelio del día de las bienaventur anzas, el papa Francisco se enfocó particularmente en "Bienaventurados los que trabajan por la paz".

Todos dicen que quieren paz, dijo, pero a menudo lo que quieren decir es que quieren "que los dejen en paz, que no tengan problemas, solo tranquili dad".

Pero, si uno lee las bienaventuranzas del Evangelio, dijo, verá que Jesús no dice: "Bienaventurados los que están en paz", sino bienaventurados "los que hacen la paz, los constructores, los pacificadores".

"Efectivamente, la paz hay que construirla, y como toda construcción re quiere esfuerzo, colaboración, paciencia", dijo. Y requiere actos de justicia y misericordia.

Mientras mucha gente hoy trata de convencer a todos de que solo el poder y la fuerza pueden garantizar la paz, la enseñanza de Jesús y el ejemplo de los santos muestran que "la paz no se logra venciendo o derrotando a alguien, nunca es violenta, nunca es armada".

Para empezar a sembrar la paz, el papa Francisco pidió a las personas que se miraran a sí mismas y se preguntaran: "En los lugares donde vivimos, estudiamos y trabajamos, ¿llevamos tensión, palabras que hieren, chismes que envenenan, controversias que dividen? ¿O abrimos el camino de la paz: ¿Per donaremos a los que nos han ofendido, cuidaremos a los que están en los márgenes, repararemos alguna injusticia ayudando a los que menos tienen?

vivieron

Esto es construir la paz".

Al final de su discurso del mediodía, el papa pidió oración por su viaje del 3 al 6 de noviembre a Bahréin para que sus encuentros con los cristianos locales y con los líderes musulmanes promuevan, "en el nombre de Dios, la causa de la fraternidad y la paz", que nuestros tiempos necesitan tan desesperada y urgentemente.

Y "por favor", dijo, "no se olviden de la Ucrania mártir; oremos por la paz, oremos para que en Ucrania haya paz".

La alumna de sexto grado Matilda Dias, vestida como Lucia dos Santos, la vidente de Nuestra Señora de Fátima, recita el Padrenuestro mientras ella y sus compañeros de clase asisten a una misa del Día de Todos los Santos en Sts. Philip and James Church en St. James, N.Y., 1 de noviembre de 2022. Los alumnos de sexto grado de la es cuela parroquial participan anualmente en un desfile de santos en conmemoración del día de la fiesta. (Foto del CNS/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Todos los Santos y Fieles Difuntos

CORINTH – El Padre Mario Solorzano (arriba izq.), después de la Misa del Dia de Todos los Santos, se toma una foto con niños y jóvenes de la parroquia, vestidos de algún santo de su eleción. Por la celebración de todos los santos en St James the Less Corinth los jovenes redactaron parte de la historia del su Santo favorito. (Reporte y fotos de Bernardo Sorcia)

HOUSTON – Los Padres (arriba, i-d) Clem Osha y Tim Murphy celebraron la Misa del Día de Todos los Santos en Immaculate Heart of Mary. Después de la Misa, los jóvenes de la clase de Confirmacion (izq) hicieron una presentacion del Santo de su preferencia, en la foto, el joven que escogió a San Judas Tadeo. Los jóvenes de la clase de Confirmacion terminaron el día con una charla del Padre Clem sobre el tema de la vida de los Santos. El Padre Clem, al dia siguiente, también celebró la Misa del Día de los Fieles Difuntos. (Reporte y fotos de Danna Johnson, LEM)

'... Altares de Siete Niveles para Almas ...'

– Viene de la pág. 1 –

Semillas, frutas: Elemento Tierra Pan de Muerto: Es en forma circular para representar el ciclo constante entre la vida y la muerte. Se adorna de cuatro panes pequeños en forma de cruz, por cada uno de los puntos cardinales, conectados con un panecillo redondo que representa el cráneo de un esqueleto.

Cruz: Siempre se coloca o se forma con sal, cenizas o flores de cempasúchil.

Vírgenes y Santos

Santa Barbara, Mártir. Diciembre 4 Inmaculada Concepción Santísima Virgen María. Diciembre 8

San Juan Diego. Diciembre 9 Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Diciembre 12 San Juan de la Cruz. Diciembre 14 Natividad de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Diciembre 25 Dia de la Sagrada Familia de Jesús, María y José. Diciembre 27 Día de los Santos Inocentes. Diciembre 28

Envíenos sus fotos a editor@jacksondiocese.org

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Mississippi Católico Para disfrutar el boletín Únase a lista de correos electrónicos Mande un texto: MSCATHOLIC a 84576

Martinez también explica que los altares pueden ser conformados de sólo tres niveles, que representarían el cielo, la tierra y el inframundo.

La celebración del Día de los Muertos ya sale de las iglesias y cementerios para convertirse en una celebración popular en oficinas, parques, museos y cualquier espacio donde se pueda armar un altar para que familiares y amigos compartan fotos, historias y recuerdos de las personas que descansan. Todo no termina el dos de noviembre.

Al próximo día

se realiza un ritual de clausura del altar. José, de la estación 97.5 en Los Ángeles explica que, según la tradición, muchos al día siguiente, prenden una “veladora blanca, se quema copal y se despide a las almas...” de los difuntos que asistieron a su celebración y se les pide que regresen para el próximo año. “... Después de este ritual se levanta la ofrenda,” concluye.

Symbols abound in Día de los Muertos altars

Salt – A symbol of the purification of the spirits. Food and drink – Favorite dishes or drinks of the deceased.

Pan de Muerto (Bread of Death) – The bread is circular in shape to represent the constant cycle between life and death. It is decorated with four small cross-shaped loaves for each one of the car dinal points, connected with a round roll at the top, that represents the skull of a skeleton.

Cross – It is always placed on the top of the altar or formed with seeds, fruits, salt, ashes or ce mpasuchil flowers.

The celebration of the Day of the Dead is al ready traveling from churches, the land of Mexico and cemeteries to become a popular celebration in offices, parks, museums and other such spaces. An altar can always be set up for family and friends to share photos, stories and memories of the people who have departed.

Día de los Muertos celebrations traditionally begin on Oct. 31, coinciding with Halloween, and continue through All Saints Day and All Souls Day – but everything does not end on Nov. 2. Some times, a closing ritual of the altar is performed on Nov. 3.

Jose, from station 97.5 in Los Angeles explains that, according to tradition, many the next day light a “white candle, burn copal’s incense and say goodbye to the souls...” of the deceased who attended their celebration, and they are asked to come back next year. “After this ritual, the offering is raised,” he concludes.

By Berta Mexidor

JACKSON – Several parishes around the diocese are dedicated to erecting altars for the Day of the Dead –Día de los Muertos. For many it is important to pass on the knowledge of the meaning behind the altar creation.

At Immaculate Heart of Mary in Houston, the history of honoring deceased family members and friends with an altar is a tradition parishioners look forward to.

Lay ecclesial minister, Danna Johnson says that “it is beautiful how families pass this tradition to the new generations.”

Johnson recently witnessed a parishioner bring in her young daughter Delayza to place an offering in front of the photo of the late Timotea, her mother and grand mother, respectively.

Rosalinda and Joel Montoya of St. Therese parish in Jackson work to pass the tradition down to the young people of the parish, giving them instructions and build the altar each year. The hope is that the tradition will continue for years to come.

At St. James Tupelo, Rosario González and Gricel da Martinez took on the task of making the altar this year. Each of the colorful altars has the tradition of being created from two to seven stages, as Martinez explains, which represent the steps that souls take to the final rest or the seven original sins, depending on the elder tradi tions. Martinez also explains that altars can be made up of just three levels, which would represent heaven, earth and the underworld.

From family and friends, each altar receives the of fering of products representing the four elements: earth,

wind, fire and water. Each stage of the altar and what to be placed on each has a mean ing, as well as each of the elements used for decorations.

Photos – Photos of the deceased are al ways placed on the altar. The inclusion of mirrors is optional, according to each tradi tion.

Arches – Symbolize the entrance to the world of the dead

Papel “Picado” (Tissue paper flags) –Represent the festive joy of the day and the movement of the wind.

Water – A glass of water is placed for the purity of the soul and the regeneration of life.

Seeds – Represent the element of earth.

Cempasuchitl flowers – Flor de Muerto (Flower of the Dead) or marigolds have an aroma that guides the spirits on their jour ney to this world.

Copal Incense – This is used to drive away evil spirits.

Candles – They light the path of the souls of the deceased.

Calacas-catrinas (skulls): They allude to death and can be made with sugar or any material.

Saints – The altar is always accompanied by images of Jesus and other saints of devo tion.

HOUSTON – Michelle Torres honors her relatives by placing a photo on the Día de los Muer tos altar at Immaculate Heart of Mary parish. (Photo courtesy Danna Johnson)

Cemeteries house archives written in stone

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Mary WoodWard

JACKSON – Cemeteries are fantastic, visual archives. The history of a community, a church, a family is literally written in stone. In a few short phrases, a person’s life is summed up: “Devoted Mother,” “Beloved Son,” “Christian, Southern Gentleman,” “Faithful Wife.” Often it is a favorite scripture verse such as John 3:16 or a favorite poetry line such as “horseman pass by.”

Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, asked that the words “she tried” be on her tombstone. William Faulkner has “Belove’d Go with God” on his marker. One poignant one I have seen is “In the end it all comes down to one word, Grace.” And we all have that person in our family who warrants the “I told you I was sick” epitaph. As Catholics, we like to see R.I.P. on a grave for requiescat in pace or rest in peace.

Currently, the chancellor’s office is assisting in an inventory of Catholic cemeteries in the diocese. We have a listing of all the parish connected cemeteries, but often when a chapel or mission church closed decades ago, small cemeteries can be left off of the registry. We welcome any information on these locations.

In our diocese, we have several Catholic cemeteries dating back to the early 1800s. Paulding St. Michael, the second oldest parish in the entire state, has a beautiful ceme tery filled with founding family members. There is a forest of bamboo standing 30-feet high that surrounds much of the back of the cemetery. Not long ago, St. Michael pa rishioners with the advice of Mississippi State’s Extension Service invested in a barrier to keep the bamboo from spreading farther into graves. They also built a fence around the graveyard to keep the occasional nocturnal burial from occurring as can happen in small country cemeteries.

It is fitting we are doing this during the month of November. November is the month to remember the dead in our Catholic faith. It opens with the Solemnity of All Saints where we honor all those ordinary people in our lives who were saints to us. The next day is All Souls in which we honor the dead and, in many traditions, dec orate graves and have picnics in cemeteries.

The Bishops’ Cemetery on the Cathedral grounds is right across the street from the Chancery. Each year we place flowers on the graves of Bishops Richard Gerow, Joseph Brunini, William Houck and Joseph Latino. This year, as we positioned the roses and sun flowers, I was able to reflect on these men and the act of assisting in burying three of the four.

Because of the location and design of the Bishops’ Cemetery, the graves are hand dug. This is a very arduous task which takes a team of gravediggers many hours to complete.

Burying the dead is a corporal work of mercy and we all have in some way partic ipated in burying the dead by planning funerals, being present for the family, celebrat ing the funeral Mass, bringing food to the repast. But actually digging the grave with a shovel and pickaxe is a profound way to fully immerse oneself in the act of mercy. Recently, I participated in two such acts. My brother is head of the gravedigger’s guild at Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Madison County. He invited me to join in for a dig in August and then again last week.

The cemetery at the Chapel dates back to the mid-1800s and is on a serene piece of property off Hwy 463. The congregation has never allowed equipment onto the property to dig graves. All the graves have been hand dug and the guild coordinates the digging. It is seen as a unique ministry to the family of the de ceased – an act of love.

My brother had marked the grave and at 4 p.m., the top sod was removed and set aside, then the team began making its way through soil, clay, roots and the occasional brick down into the cool, damp earth. The shovel crew would give way to the pickaxe crew, who would break up a few more inches of terra firma for the shovellers to get back in and remove. Eventually there is room for only one in the grave at a time. All stand around in support waiting to relieve the current digger by pulling her/him out and the next digger goes in.

This past week, as we dug down to the target depth, the family of the deceased, along with those who had come to pay their respects at the wake service, ventured over to the dig bringing food for the guild and chairs to watch the completion of act. Family members even participated in helping to dig, climbing down into the grave of their loved one and shoveling out clay.

JACKSON – Above, Mary Woodward uses a pickaxe to assist in digging a grave at Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Madison County. On left, Woodward left Bish op Joseph Latino’s favorite flower on his gravesite in the Bishops’ Cemetery next to the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson. (Photos courtesy of Mary Woodward and Joanna Puddister King)

At the end of the dig, the grave was blessed, and libations were passed around in a shared bottle as the deceased was toast ed by the team and the gathered assembly. All of this took place under God’s watchful November sky.

As we continue this journey through the month of the dead and we pray for our deceased loved ones, let us be reminded of the sacred places where we bury our family and friends. These are true archives of our communal life and of lives well-lived awaiting the resurrection of the dead – a collection of short epi thets giving a permanent record of and an eternal glimpse into those lives.

(Mary

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

NATION

INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) – It was a time of Scrip ture, prayer, music and fellowship. It also was a night to honor the late co-founder of the National Black Catholic Men’s Conference. But for those teenagers and adults from across the United States in attendance, Franciscan Father Agustino Torres’ message Oct. 13 was simple, yet powerful: “The Lord has sent me to bless you.” Father Agustino, who ministers for his order in the New York borough of the Bronx and is founder of the Hispanic youth ministry Corazon Puro, was the keynote speaker on the first night of the four-day conference at St. Rita Church in Indianapolis. The gathering drew about 300 people. It was the first in-person gathering since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The priest said he ministers to people in the inner city, and the heart of his mission is trying to bring them hope. With that hope he also delivers his blessing, much like the blessing he offered to the attendees. “This blessing is meant to be shared, this blessing is meant to be given, this bless ing brings joy,” he said. “This blessing brings life, this blessing heals. ... And I love sharing the blessing because someone has shared the blessing with me.”

The Diocese of Jackson has launched a third-party reporting system that will enable all diocesan employees, volunteers and parishioners to anonymously (or named if preferred) make reports. Examples of this activity include fraud, misconduct, safety violations, harassment or substance abuse occurring at a Catholic parish, Catholic school or at the diocesan level. The system is operated by Lighthouse Services. Based in Deerfield, Illinois, Lighthouse Services maintains ethics, safe ty and fraud hotlines for over 4,100 organizations between the U.S. and abroad.

WASHINGTON (CNS) – For the world-renowned emblems of the Catholic faith, such as St. Teresa of Kolk ata, elevation to sainthood comes fairly quickly following their deaths. For many others, the sainthood cause is a slow process that sometimes lurches to a stop. One ex ample is Venerable Nelson Baker, the Buffalo, New York, priest who died in 1936 and is the only Civil War vet eran with a sainthood cause. Father Baker, who served at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Buffalo after his ordination in 1876, was beloved in his lifetime for his charitable efforts for the poor, including serving thousands of meals during the depths of the Great Depression. Dubbed by local newspapers as “the padre of the poor,” he built the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna, New York, an orphanage, a maternity hospital, a trade school and a home for infant care. The charitable work he be gan exists today as OLV Charities. Our Lady of Victory institutions include Homes of Charity, Baker Victory Ser vices and Our Lady of Victory Elementary School. Born in 1842, Father Baker entered the priesthood after oper ating a successful feed and grain business with a partner. Before that, he served in the 74th Infantry of the New York State Militia, a unit that organized in the summer of 1863 and was stationed in Central Pennsylvania, al though it didn’t see combat.

VATICAN

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

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

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – During the month of November, Pope Francis is asking people to pray for children who are suf fering because of poverty, war and exploitation. “Let us pray for children who are suffering, especially for those who are homeless, orphans and victims of war. May they be guaranteed access to education, and may they have the oppor tunity to experience family affection,” the pope said in a video released Oct. 31. In the video message released

by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the pope explained his November prayer intention: “For children who suffer.” “An abandoned child is our fault,” the pope said in the message. “Each marginalized child, abandoned by his or her family, without schooling, without health care, is a cry! A cry that rises up to God and shames the system that we adults have built,” he insisted. Pope Francis noted that there are millions of boys and girls around the world living “in conditions very similar to slav ery.”

WORLD

LIMA, Peru (CNS) – The church in Latin America and the Caribbean is called to be a missionary church that heeds the cry of the poor and excluded; a synodal church where women, young people and laypeople have greater roles; and a church that is evangelized even as it evangelizes, according to the final document of the church’s First Ecclesial Assembly held a year ago in Mexico. The document of re flections and pastoral challenges resulting from the assembly was released by lead ers of the Latin American bishops’ coun cil, CELAM, Oct. 31 during a news conference at the Vatican. The conference was livestreamed on various platforms. The publication reflects a desire for a church that “goes out to the periphery ... a Samaritan church ... a church that builds fraternity, which is grounded in love, in the encounter with those who suffer most,” Archbish op José Luis Azuaje of Maracaibo, Venezuela, president of Caritas in Latin America and the Caribbean, said in a video message at the presentation. The document is the fruit of a monthslong process that included a “listen ing” period from April to August 2021, during which some 70,000 people throughout the region provided input, followed by the weeklong assembly Nov. 21-28. That process, which echoed the methodology used for the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon in October 2019, made the ecclesial assembly “a practical laboratory” for the Synod of Bishops on synodality, which began with listening sessions this year, to be followed by meetings in Rome in 2023 and 2024, said Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos of Trujillo, Peru, CELAM president.

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNS) – Catholic bishops in Asia have committed themselves to engage with govern ments, nongovernmental agencies and civil organizations to respond to issues affecting the church and society in their work for a better Asia. “We believe that peace and reconciliation is the only way forward. We have envis aged new pathways for our ministry based on mutual listening and genuine discernment,” the bishops said in a statement issued Oct. 30, at the end of a two-week gen eral conference. Ucanews.com reported the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences organized its first general conference as a part of its golden jubilee celebrations that brought together 20 cardinals, 120 bishops, 37 priests, eight nuns, and 41 laypeople. The conference, with the theme “Journeying Together as Peoples of Asia,” sought to reaffirm the federation’s work of the past 50 years aiming to “revitalize the church and envision new path ways of service.” One of the paths they identified was “bridge-building” among religions and traditions and also “principled engagement with governments” and nongov ernmental agencies on issues of human rights, eradica tion of poverty, human trafficking, care of the earth, and other common concerns. “The escalating violence and conflicts” in Asia call “for dialogue and reconciliation,” the bishops said without naming any issue or any nation.

Catholics and members of a Peruvian community living in Chile attend the procession of El Señor de los Milagros (The Lord of the Miracles), Peru’s most revered Catholic religious icon, in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 30, 2022. (CNS photo/Ivan Alvarado, Reuters)

Commission starts planning global report on child protection e orts

BY CINDY WOODEN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With a renewed membership, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors met at the Vatican in late October and laid the groundwork for devising an annual report on child protection efforts by the Catholic Church globally.

Oblate Father Andrew Small, commission secretary, told reporters Oct. 28 that members also looked at the commission’s new relationship to the disciplinary section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and continued their efforts to promote greater transparency and fuller reporting to victims about the outcome of their cases.

“In our engagement with victim survivors, the acknowledgement of the wrong that was done to them is primary, being listened to, being believed,” Father Small said. “There’s nothing that takes the place of being believed and heard.”

But, he said, “seeing the wrongdoer continue to flourish at times or to appear without sanction is also very painful,” so victims are understandably confused or upset when they are not informed about actions taken by the church against an accused offender.

Because the commission is not involved in individual investigations and disciplinary procedures, Father Small said he could not comment on the case of Bishop Michel Santier of Créteil, France. When the Vatican announced in 2021 that the bishop was retiring, the bishop had said it was for health reasons. No one contradicted him publicly until mid-October when the Diocese of Créteil confirmed he had been credibly accused of sexual misconduct and disciplined by the Vatican.

The Vatican still needs to find a way to be more open

while respecting local laws that protect the reputation of someone who is not guilty of a civil crime but may have violated church law, Father Small said.

If the church cannot figure that out, he said, not only will it be bad for the institutional church, “but it will be continually painful for the victims, who are the source and summit of the commission’s focus.”

When Pope Francis reorganized the Roman Curia, he linked the commission to the disciplinary section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Father Small, writing in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, said the move ensures the commission “would maintain its independence as an advisory body to the pope, with access to the bodies that exercise leadership within the church and with the mandate to oversee the adequacy of the church’s policies and procedures in the area of abuse prevention and safeguarding.”

So, Father Small wrote, the commission “will continue to be led by a president delegate, appointed by the pope and reporting directly to the pontiff. And decisions regarding the personnel, the members of the commission, as well as the proposals it produces, will remain independent of the dicastery. Pope Francis has been very clear that the independent voices of the members of the commission and those it serves should not be compromised.”

U.S. Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston has been president of the commission since its establishment in 2014.

During the commission’s meeting Oct. 27-29, it also announced the launch of a fund to help finance the establishment of “suitable centers where individuals who have experienced abuse, and their family members, can find acceptance and an attentive hearing, and be ac-

Protection

companied in a process of healing and justice, as indicated in the motu proprio ‘Vos Estis Lux Mundi.’”

Father Small told reporters that he believed 70 to 80 of the 114 bishops’ conferences in the world do not have stable, publicly accessible reporting mechanisms called for in Vos Estis, mainly because they do not have the resources. But with major funding from the Italian bishops’ conference and contributions from others, those listening and reporting posts will be established.

As for the annual report on the church’s child protection efforts worldwide, a report the pope asked the commission in April to develop, Father Small said commission members outlined a design for the report.

The first section, he said, would summarize reports bishops give to the commission while making their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican regarding their guidelines and implementation of Vos Estis.

For the second section, commission members will divide into teams to look at the church in specific geographical areas, focusing on giving a broader overview of child protection efforts in Africa, in Asia and Oceania, in Europe and in the Americas.

A third section will look at how dicasteries of the Roman Curia are including safeguarding in their activities; for example, how the Dicastery for Clergy promotes safeguarding awareness in seminaries, he said.

The final section will look at broader church efforts to protect children in the world by, for example, rescuing child soldiers, protecting migrant and refugee children, ensuring their safety in orphanages and foster care homes.

While Father Small said the commission should have something to give the pope in 2023, he does not expect to collect enough “actionable data” to begin doing a full annual report until 2024.

of

BY CINDY WOODEN VATICAN CITY

(CNS) – The Nativity scene that will sit under a 98-feet-tall silver fir tree in the middle of St. Peter’s Square this year will feature 19 life-sized figures carved in cedar by artisans in the northeastern Italian town of Sutrio.

The tree comes from Rosello, a village of only 182 residents, in Italy’s central Abruzzo region, said a news release issued Oct. 28 by the office governing Vatican City State. The decorations on the tree are being made by young adults at a residential psychiatric facility in Rosello.

The tree will be lighted, and the traditional Nativity scene unveiled Dec. 3, the office said. The display will remain up until after the feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jan. 8.

The cedar for the Nativity scene figures, the Vatican said, came from trees selectively cut by gardeners to improve the health of other trees in several public and private gardens. None of the trees were cut specifically for the sculptures.

The Holy Family, the ox and donkey and an angel will be under an arched structure made of larch. The other figures – including the Three Kings, the shepherdess, a carpenter, a family and a “Cramar,” or local wandering salesman – will be on the surrounding platform or ramps leading to it.

The day before the office announced the plans for St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican’s Philatelic Office published a notice about the Vatican’s 2022 Christmas stamps, which were painted by Italian artist and activist Francesco Canale, who was born without arms or legs and paints holding a brush between his teeth.

He painted two stamps – one of an angel announcing the birth of Jesus to a shepherd and one of a shepherd adoring the baby Jesus.

CHILDREN

The Diocese of Jackson is committed to ensuring that no one being served by the church be (is) at risk of sexual abuse or exploitation by clergy, religious or lay church personnel. The spiritual well-being of all the victims, their families and others in the community is of particular concern to the church. In accordance with our policy, all victims are offered counseling and pastoral care.

Anyone who has been a victim of abuse or exploitation by clergy, religious or lay church personnel and has not yet reported it is encouraged to do so. Our victim assistance coordinator, Erika Rojas, a licensed social worker, is available to assist in making a report. Please contact her at (601) 326-3736.

For more information about diocesan policies and procedures and to learn what the diocese is doing to create a safe environment for everyone, please visit the diocesan website at www.jacksondiocese.org and click on “Protection of Children.”

To report an allegation of abuse or mishandling of allegations of sexual abuse by a bishop, please visit https://reportbishopabuse.org.

+Joseph R. Kopacz D.D., Ph.D. Bishop of Jackson

Vatican announces plans for Christmas tree, Nativity scene, stamps

Enlarge the tent: Synod document sees desire for greater inclusion

of the community and for its mission of spreading the Gospel.

“Clericalism is seen as a form of spiritual impoverish ment, a deprivation of the true goods of ordained min istry, and a culture that isolates clergy and harms the laity,” it said. Clericalism produces “rigidity, attachment to legalistic power and an exercise of authority that is power rather than service.”

In synod listening sessions around the world, partic ipants noted that women are the majority of Catholics regularly attending the liturgy and staffing most paid and volunteer parish activities, yet it is mostly men who make the decisions in the church.

“Many reports ask that the church continue its dis cernment in relation to a range of specific questions: the active role of women in the governing structures of church bodies, the possibility for women with adequate training to preach in parish settings, and a female di aconate,” the document said. “Much greater diversity of opinion was expressed on the subject of priestly ordina tion for women, which some reports call for, while others consider a closed issue.”

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Around the world, listening sessions for the Synod of Bishops gave many participants a sense of finally being listened to, but they also raised questions about how to promote greater inclusion in the Catholic Church while staying true to church teaching.

Two of the issues raised most often in reports sent to the Vatican were the need to respect and value the contributions women make to the church and the need to face “the impact of a lack of trust and credibility re sulting from the abuse crisis,” according to the working document for the synod’s continental stage.

Titled “Enlarge the Space of Your Tent” – the Lord’s command to the people of Israel in the Book of Isaiah –the document said, “This is how many reports envision the church: an expansive, but not homogeneous dwell ing, capable of sheltering all, but open, letting in and out, and moving toward embracing the Father and all of humanity.”

The document released Oct. 27 is the result of a group reflection on the syntheses of synod discussions submitted by 112 of the world’s 114 bishops’ confer ence, all 15 Eastern churches, 17 of the 23 dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the men’s and women’s international unions of superiors general, dozens of Catholic associa tions and more than 1,000 individuals, it said.

The general secretariat of the synod chose an inter national group of laity, religious, priests and bishops to read the submissions, pray about them and then draft a document that would help participants in the next phase reflect on the faith, hopes and concerns witnessed to in the reports. The document was approved by the cardinals and bishops belonging to the synod’s general council.

What emerged from the reports, it said, “is a pro found re-appropriation of the common dignity of all the baptized. This is the authentic pillar of a synodal church and the theological foundation of a unity which is capa ble of resisting the push toward homogenization. This enables us to continue to promote and make good use of the variety of charisms that the Spirit with unpredictable abundance pours out on the faithful.”

Those who most often feel unwelcome in the church or undervalued, it said, include: women, young people, people with disabilities, the poor, those who are divorced and civilly remarried, single parents, those in polygamous marriages and members of the LGBTQ communities.

Responding to experiences of exclusion and discrimi nation shared by Catholic with disabilities, the document

said that “in spite of its own teachings, the church is in danger of imitating the way society casts them aside.”

Reflecting the central place of the Eucharist in the life of the church, it said most submissions included a call for greater participation by all Catholics in the lit urgy, working to ensure that it is less “concentrated on the celebrant,” involves more young people and women, including in preaching, and is more reflective of local cultures.

At the same time, the document also not ed that in several re ports, including that from the United States, some participants in the local listening sessions “lamented” Pope Fran cis’ decision to limit cele brations of the Latin-rite Mass according to the rite used before the Sec ond Vatican Council.

“The quality of homi lies is almost unanimous ly reported as a prob lem,” it said.

But the document also highlighted a com mon desire to find solu tions to various forms of “sacramental depriva tion,” including for peo ple in remote towns and villages without a priest, as well as for civilly re married Catholics and those in polygamous marriages.

While the reports were not “against priests or the ministerial priest hood,” the document said, many of them cited “clericalism” as an obsta cle to being a “synodal church,” one where all the baptized share re sponsibility for the life

Between January and March, smaller groups of church representatives are to meet on a continental or regional level; organized by bishops’ conferences, the groups are to include bishops, priests, religious and lay people to read the document, pray about it and discuss which issues raised it in are most important and urgent for Catholics in their region to address in order to in crease participation, a sense of communion and a com mitment to missionary outreach.

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, relator general of the Synod of Bishops, speaks at a news conference at the Vatican via video chat Oct. 27 to present the document for the continental phase of the synod on synodality. The document will guide discussions at the regional or continental level in preparation for the synod. (CNS photo/Junno Arocho Esteves)

Mississippi Agates

FROM THE HERMITAGE

By sister alies therese

Did you know Jackson sits on an extinct volcano 2,900 feet under the Mississippi Coliseum, having erupt ed 75 million years ago and unlikely to blow any time soon? Well, who knows how many Mississippi agates (usually found in volcanic material) there might be?

Maybe you’d find a three-inch thunder-egg shape of varied colors. Agates are often rust-red from the oxidiz ing iron or yellow, brown, black, grey, pink and even sometimes green. White bands of quartz separate the colors. The translucence of the quartz allows light to shine through and even glow. Fossils are billions of years old, and many are found in our gravel pits. The Missis sippi agate is a mere 323 million years old.

Shapes are important too, how the water has formed them in the streams as they travel down from the Nash ville Dome in Tennessee to the Appalachian Mountains of Alabama. All these rivers are moving toward the gulf and their deposits are still to be discovered near where I live in Northeast Mississippi. They say these ancient gravel deposits were recycled by erosion and made new bars in modern rivers like the Tombigbee. Sometimes they were embedded in floating ice!

Treasures of the heart are frequently the result of much refining and pressure, often formed by the water of tears. Have you noticed? The diamond is beautifully created under pressure; who knew when the first per son discovered the magnificent geode’s insides or that a bland and ‘regular-looking- outer- rock’ had a purple amethyst encrusted within?

Consider the Great Star of Africa, (Cullinan I), part of a larger diamond discovered beneath the earth in South

Africa in 1905...the largest of the Crown Jewels we learned about during the passing of the queen. It was formed over 400 miles deep in the earth. Worth millions...whose money is it? South Africans think it’s theirs. Why not, it was a gift ‘taken’ from the people’s pocket.

What are the pressures we seem to be under that shave off our rough edges and when someone looks in side, they discover such magnificence? Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman reminds me of one whose guileless splendor exploded through the pressures!

I’ve always been a bit of a rockhound and often collected a small stone from places I’ve visited...a stone from St. Kevin’s Hermitage near Glendalough in Ireland (where his slab of sleeping rock remains), finding a rock with a fossil in a Kentucky creek. A friend brought me the plainest looking rock from her refugee camp in Iraq, another from Elijah’s cave on Mt. Carmel, and another from her workplace in Alaska.

The thing about these stones is that they are indeed plain, nothing could get a big WOW! They are a perfect example of ‘what you see is what you get’. Various sorts of collections like this provide us with ‘prayer-stones,’ re minding us of just who we are praying for. I have a stone from the gravel outside the prison in New Jersey where a friend was on death row. Another stone from Helen Keller’s place in Alabama, and one from a lonely wild cliff in Scotland. Other times I’ve challenged myself to collect perfectly round stones.

Markers have always shown up biblically, some times as treasures, sometimes as tablets of information, and sometimes as a place to rest while on an agonizing journey. Stones were piled up for altars and places of worship, as signals of the way to go, and as weapons of destruction; five small ones for David.

Houses, fences and walkways, birdhouses, prisons and barriers, abound in various cultures. We find stone spirals or labyrinths. There is a power in the stone, sta

bility, and a substance not easily blown over even by the strongest of storms. Jesus is our ‘cornerstone.’ That is a forever thanksgiving gift!

Of course, the gems that come from deep within are still the natural resources of the nations, looked for and often sold on markets that do not respect the miner’s work. You might remember the issues around diamonds... were they ‘blood diamonds’ or not, one would ask the jeweler...some knew what you were talking about, and others either did not or ignored the question.

These natural resources were part of what was want ed by colonizers and those who came to take the land (and gem resources) from indigenous peoples and tribes. Rubies, emeralds, agates, diamonds and sapphires are among the beauty God created under the pressure of earth and stone.

Consider this from Exodus 28:15ff: “On the breast plate of decision, you shall have made you shall mount four rows of precious stones: in the first row a carnelian, a topaz, and an emerald; in the second a garnet, a sapphire and a beryl; in the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; the fourth a chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper...each stone engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.”

How do you mark your breast plate of decision? Have you discov ered your deep withins? Have you turned your pressures and ‘I’m go ing to blow up’ into something ex traordinarily beautiful? Well, even though the Mississippi state stone is petrified wood, the Mississippi agate is there for you to find. Goin’ lookin’?

BLESSINGS.

(Sister alies therese is a canonically vowed hermit with days formed around prayer and writing.)

With gratitude and thanks in all circumstances

THINGS OLD AND NEW

By ruth Powers

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

During the month of November, we in the United States traditionally focus on the virtue of gratitude, looking back to that feast celebrated by the Pilgrims as they gave thanks for a good harvest after the first terrible winter they spent in the New World. However, as Catholics and as Christians, we are called to make gratitude one of the central virtues in our lives. We are, first, called to gratitude by the Scriptures. Both the Old and the New Testament speak of the importance of giving thanks to God in all things and all circumstances. The psalms contain many beautiful hymns of thankful ness and praise, that God is the source of all things and that when we recognize this truth, we are moved to thanksgiving. St. Paul teaches about the virtue of Christian thankfulness in many of his letters even when the communities to whom he writes are undergoing trials. Gratitude is also a theme in the writings and teachings of too many saints to enumerate.

Often, though, we are more likely to forget that all we have we owe to God, and to become distracted by the concerns of our daily lives and forget to give God the thanks He deserves for all He gives to us. We are much more likely to complain about what is going wrong in our lives than to focus on the gifts we have been given. True gratitude (and not mere politeness) flows out of humility. It begins with the realization that we lack something that has been freely supplied by another because at that time we could not get or do it for ourselves.

As people of faith, we also know that God is the ultimate source of “life, the universe and everything” and so must be the ultimate object of our gratitude. It’s easy to think of doing this when all is well, but St. Paul reminds us that we are to give thanks

in all circumstances, not just the good ones, because we never know what part even seemingly bad or uncomfortable things may have in God’s plan for us.

There is a passage in Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place where she and her sister give thanks for the fleas that infest the bunkhouse where they are living in Ravens bruck Concentration Camp. Later they realize that the guards have not searched their bunks and found their contraband Bibles because of the fleas.

At the end of his life, St. Francis of Assisi was blind and in constant pain; yet in these seemingly terrible circumstances, he wrote his most famous prayer, which was a hymn of thanks: “Praise be my Lord for Brother Sun..., Sister Moon and the stars..., Sister Water ..., Brother Fire..., our Sister Mother Earth..., Praise and bless my Lord and give him thanks.” We are reminded to cultivate gratitude even when it seems things are going badly for us.

The other issue that cultivating the virtue of gratitude will help to combat is the culture of entitlement that seems to permeate our society. Many people seem to feel that the world owes them preferential treatment for no other reason than an inflated vision of their own importance. Gratitude teaches us that our own labors, important as they may be, have their source in gifts given to us by God and thus should be sources of humility and gratitude toward the one who loves us enough to give us those gifts. We run into immeasurable trouble when we begin to give ourselves credit for what we have rather than giving thanks to the one who is the true source of all.

Although November may be the time culturally when we think about giving thanks, gratitude needs to be nurtured and expressed daily. A very wise retreat master once challenged a group of retreatants to this meditation: “Think about what your life would be like if you woke up one morning and all you had left in your life was what you had thanked God for the day before.” We would do well to meditate on this frequently.

(Ruth Powers is the program coordinator for St. Mary Basilica Parish in Natchez.)

Halloween fun

– The

and

groups at St. Patrick/St. Jo seph hosted the 2nd Annual Halloween Carnival on Oct. 22. The event had great community participation. The Hispanic group provided concessions and were able to take the profit that will be used towards expenses for this year's Our Lady of Guadalupe activities. The school children and teachers helped with games and the profit from the games will help the school with any projects they have in the works. The Youth and Young Adults also put together a Haunted House in the old convent and profits will go towards event registrations and other activities.

MERIDIAN

Youth

Young Adults

(Photo by Angela Dove)

CLARKSDALE – Students at St. Elizabeth School wore costumes, ate pizza and cookies at a Halloween Movie-Night Fundraiser. (Photo by Mary Evelyn Stonestreet)

JACKSON – St. Rich ard sixth grade student dressed as T-Rexes greet students on Monday, Oct. 31. (Photo by Shea Luckett)

Around the diocese

– (Above) St.

together

COLUMBUS – Annunciation second and third graders took a field trip to The School of Math & Science for their annual Sci ence Carnival on Oct. 24. (Photo by Logan Waggoner)

MADISON – St. Anthony School celebrated Halloween by incorporating Catholic school sym bols. Principal Anne Cowger, Katie Loyacano and Celeste Tassin, dressed as students, chat with the fifth and sixth grade sisters/teachers on Halloween. (Photo courtesy Bridget Moore head)

CLARKSDALE – The three Stonestreet brothers served as altar servers at Mass at St. Elizabeth par ish. Sam (senior), Harris (eighth grade) and Michael Stonestreet (fifth grade) are pictured with Father Raju. (Photo by Mary Evelyn Stonestreet)

YAZOO CITY –(Left) St. Mary parish held Chil dren’s Mass be fore celebrating the All Saints and All Souls feasts on Sunday, Oct. 30. (Photo by Babs McMaster)

PEARL

Jude parish celebrates the St. Jude feast on Sunday, Oct. 30, with a get

and lunch after Mass with Bishop Kopacz. In front, Lori Lee was “surprised” to be caught with all the cookies. (Photo by Rhonda Bowden)

Trick or Treat

MADISON – St. Joseph students put on a trunk or treat event on Thursday, Oct. 27. Pictured is the Winnie the Poo crew from St. Richard giving an inter view to videographer Page for the Bruin Buzz. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

(Right) JACKSON – St. Richard School held their annual Cardinal Fest on Sun day, Oct. 23. Pictured is Sister Kelly Moline purchasing homemade cupcakes from students at the entrepreneurs nest. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

CLARKSDALE – St. Elizabeth held its annual Trunk-or-Treat and canned food drive on Sunday, Oct. 30. The parish collected canned goods for the Clarksdale Care Station while the children dressed up and trick-or-treated through the dec orated vehicles and won baked goods at the cakewalk. (Photo by Catelin Britt)

YAZOO CITY – St. Mary parish participated in trunk-or-treat in downtown Yazoo City on Monday, Oct. 31. (Photo by Babs McMaster)

‘Harvest’ event continues to grow

By Joanna Puddister King

MADISON – The Jackson Seminarian Home grown Harvest began with a vision of an event to celebrate the Catholic faith and the future priests of the Diocese of Jackson. It has grown from its humble beginning, in 2020 during COVID, as a online only, livestream event where Father Nick Adam and Bishop Joseph Kopacz talked about vo cations to viewers.

This year approximately 200 guests were in attendance for the event at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Madison. And the event looks to con tinue to grow.

Through the first part of October, seminarian Deacon Carlisle Beggerly served his in ternship at St. Francis of Assisi Madison.

“During the diaconate in ternship we try to place our men in parishes that will given them a wide range of experi ences,” said Father Nick told event attendees.

“He is really reaching the end of his process. From won dering about being a priest, feeling that tug in his heart to do so and being supported by the diocese.”

To much applause, Father Nick announced to the crowd that Deacon Carlisle will be ordained a priest for the diocese on June 10, 2023.

A convert from Protestantism, Deacon Carlisle en countered St. Augustine’s Confessions, that ultimately led him on a journey to Catholicism and on to the priest hood. In college, he began to feel a “quiet whisper” to a vocation.

Speaking on his diaconate internship at the event, he said that he was indebted to the parishioners at St. Francis for their assistance in forming his ministry and to Father Albeen Vatti, pastor of the parish.

Deacon Carlisle said he is confident he is on the right path now. “I truly believe God is calling me to ... use my talents for the greater glory of God.”

The diocese now has nine seminarians – Deacon Carlisle Beggerly, Ryan Stoer, Tristan Stovall, John Le, Will Foggo, Grayson Fo

ley, Tripp Bond, EJ Mar tin and Straton Garrard – and their education and formation costs are close to $50,000 per student annually.

Their education

cost are covered by a variety of cources including the diocese, second collections, and fundraising events like the Homegrown Harvest. At this year’s event, attendees were able to give extra support through a silent auction and raffles using “Beggerly Bucks.”

“It looks like we landed right at about $145,000 in proceeds from the Homegrown Harvest this year,” said Father Nick. “That’s a 71% increase from last year. This is in huge thanks to all of our sponsors, too.”

A 2011 graduate of St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison and of Springhill College to working profes sionally in Austin, Texas for a few years, new seminarian EJ Martin took an opportunity to talk to those gath

ered about his experience during his first few months this year at seminary.

At 30 years old, Martin is grateful to the people of the diocese for being able to spend his time immersed in formation at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.

“I could not imagine doing this with a full-time job,” said Martin. “It’s absolutely incredible to step away from where I was and to really immerse myself into the forma tion process of whit it is to be a man of God.”

To learn more about vocations, contact Father Nick Adam at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.

MADISON – Above supporters from around the diocese attended the third annual Jackson Seminarian Homegrown Harvest event held at St. Francis parish this year. Inset: Seminarian, Deacon Carlisle Beggerly speaks to the crowd. (More photos can be found at mississippicatholic.com/Photos by Joanna Puddister King)

Father Nick Adam completes a "measure-off" to see who is the tallest seminarian – EJ Martin or Grayson Foley.