NOVEMBER 22, 2023
mississippicatholic.com
US bishops' meeting shows united front on mission but no clear synod action plan By Peter Jesserer Smith
BALTIMORE (OSV News) – For two days, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met in plenary assembly in Baltimore advancing key issues related to liturgy, living out the faith, including in the public square, and retooling the conference to better serve the church's mission. However, the bishops' Nov. 13-16 meeting, which took place nearly three weeks following the conclusion of the global Synod on Synodality, also concluded without a common game plan for how bishops could get consultative feedback from their local parishes with respect to the synod's "halftime" report before it reconvenes in 11 months. At the assembly's opening Mass Nov. 13, the bishops prayed for peace, with USCCB president Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services in the homily saying they asked for wisdom to help others embrace Jesus Christ, and noting the feast day of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American saint, and herself an immigrant who championed care for immigrants. The public portions of the bishops' plenary assembly Nov. 14-15 were marked with extraordinary unanimity as the bishops' closed-door "fraternal dialogues" gave them time for face-to-face group discussions to work out contentious issues in advance of presentations and votes.
Bishops attend Mass Nov. 13, 2023, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore at the start of their 2023 fall plenary assembly. (OSV News photo/courtesy Angelus Virata, Baltimore Basilica)
The bishops approved a letter to Pope Francis, affirming their shared concern over global conflicts, his teaching on "ecological conversion," and their commitment to prayerfully reflect on the Synod on Synodality synthesis report. In their addresses, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., and Archbishop Broglio offered contrasting viewpoints on synodality. Cardinal Pierre focused on Luke's Gospel account of the risen Jesus revealing himself to his disciples on the road to Emmaus as illustrating "precisely the synodal path in its essential elements: encountering, accompanying, listening, discerning and rejoicing at what the Holy Spirit reveals." Archbishop Broglio shared his view that existing advisory structures in the U.S. church, both at the diocesan and national level, are examples of existing synodal realities to "recognize and build on" while remaining open to "new possibilities." Over Nov. 14-15, the bishops voted with overwhelming majorities on every issue: U.S. adaptations to the Liturgy of the Hours and liturgical drafts related to consecrated and religious life; national revised statutes for Christian initiation; and it also approved without controversy supplements to its teaching on faithful citizenship that reference Pope Francis' 2020 encyclical letter "Fratelli Tutti" ("Brothers All") while naming abortion
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Walton’s “Advent Reflections for this Day" offers unique path to deeper Advent experience By Joanna Puddister King
book offers a weekly focus on the Sunday Gospels, allowing readers to dive deeper JACKSON – Parishioner of St. Paul Flowood, Monica Walton, didn’t envision her into the spiritual meaning of Advent without the pressure of daily readings. One 2022 Advent Reflection booklet she made and shared with friends and family would of the standout features of this book is the inclusion of “Modern-Day Parables,” original stories created by Walton that draw parallels between the Gospel passages lead to the publishing of her first book, but it did. Earlier this year, Sunrise Press rose out of Dogwood Press, and contemporary situations. Walton says that the parables provide fresh perspeca small but traditional publishing house headed by Joe Lee, parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi – Continued on page 6 – Madison. Walton said even though Lee’s publishing house was focused INSIDE THIS WEEK on mystery and suspense fiction, he was Catholic and thought she would get his perspective even though she was hesitant to do so. As chance would have it, Lee was “sufficiently Monica Walton intrigued” with Walton’s pitch and he ended up creating Sunrise Press, a subsidiary of Dogwood Press that considers faithbased works of fiction and nonfiction for publication. The 2023 edition of “Advent Reflections for this Day” – the very first book published by Sunrise Press Youth 11 Called by name 4 From the archives 7 – is a unique and thoughtfully crafted resource for indiYouth photos from schools Fr. Nick writes on taking Woodward writes on upviduals seeking a more profound connection to the Saand parishes time for prayer date on Sr. Thea Cause cred Word during the busy Christmas season. Walton’s