MS Catholic 11 5 2021

NOVEMBER 5, 2021

mississippicatholic.com

Catholic Build continues to give families place to ‘call home’ BY JOE LEE

MADISON – How hard has Habitat for Humanity/Mississippi Capital Area (HHMCA) been hit in 2021 by the ongoing COVID pandemic and the skyrocketing costs of building materials? The numbers are sobering. “It cost $80,000 to build before. Now it’s $120,000,” said HHMCA executive director Merrill McKewen. “None of that (increase) was in our 2021 budget.” That’s a whopping 50 percent leap, and over a very short period of time. When combined with COVID safety measures reducing on-site volunteers at builds from 15 at a time to only seven, McKewen and her board of directors faced serious challenges in keeping their tradition of bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. The way forward, at least temporarily, lies in touching up previously-built Habitat homes.

“This was an unusual year,” McKewen said. “We had a cluster of homeowners who wanted to live in recycled Habitat houses. Not much big stuff is involved in recycling them – not much gutting – we’re getting the home up to standards with electrical, painting, plumbing, and clearing the property.” HHMCA hopes to close on five safe, recycled homes before Christmas. Among them is the annual Catholic build, located this year on Gentry Street off Bailey Avenue in west Jackson. Hard-working volunteers have spent several Saturday mornings on the property and will wrap up before Thanksgiving. “I started volunteering on the Catholic builds about 12 years ago,” said Allen Scott, incoming HHMCA board president and a parishioner at JACKSON – Arthur Ring, Allen Scott and Brett Fitzgerald work on rehabbing a 're- Holy Savior of Clinton. “For several cycled' Habitat for Humanity home for a family that needs a place to 'call home.' As years that was my total involvement COVID hit and construction prices skyrocketed, Habitat has had to limit the number of – Continued on page 6 – volunteers and are now rehabbing homes to save on costs. (Photo by Callie Ainsworth)

March for Life: Unborn must be part of current U.S. debate over inequality BY KURT JENSEN

WASHINGTON (CNS) – It's a question Jeanne Mancini has already been asked so many times, she has an answer ready to go. On Dec. 1, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, an appeal by Mississippi to remove a lower court's injunction on its law banning most abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. Should the court rule in favor of the state law in a decision to be handed down next year, overturning Roe v. Wade and sending the abortion issue back to the states, will there still be a need for the annual rally and march in Washington? Or will March for Life, a fixture since January 1974, instead become a decentralized arrangement of statewide marches? "We will make an announcement if and when that happens," Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, told Catholic News Service. State marches that began a few years ago, she said, were not planned in anticipation of any Supreme Court decision, but rather as a way "to strengthen the grassroots" and provide opportunities for activism for those who don't make the long trip to Washington. Carrie Severino, president of Judicial Crisis Network, identified the challenge should the court uphold the Mississippi law. "It really just puts the ball back in (the states') court. There should be 50 Marches for Life," she said during the Oct. 27 announcement of next year's theme, "Equality Begins in the Womb."

"We want to expand this rigorous debate about inequality" to the unborn, Mancini said at the Heritage Foundation, where the theme was announced. Calling the theme a cry for "inherent human dignity because of who we are in our essence," she added, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere, including in the womb." Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said in a statement that "it reclaims a key word – equality – and reminds us that unless children in the womb enjoy it, the rest of us lose it as well." The March for Life is scheduled for Jan. 21. The event, which starts with a rally near the National Mall followed by a march to the Supreme Court, is always held on a date near the anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 rulings, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, companion rulings that legalized

abortion nationwide. "It's going to be one of the most significant years for the march yet," said Severino. "This court has an opportunity like none it has had before with the Dobbs case." The Mississippi law was enacted in 2018, but it never took effect because a federal appellate court immediately blocked its enforcement. The state's single abortion clinic is still performing them. With Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, as well as Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, Severino said, "we now have a majority of justices on the court who believe the Constitution must be interpreted according to its original understanding, and its original meaning." The turnout of more than 100,000 people for the – Continued on page 6 –

INSIDE THIS WEEK

Knights new project 4 Join the Knights with Wreaths Across America

Purple Dress Run 8 Supporters don purple to raise funds and awareness

Art of Mass 13 Father Dennis Gill speaks on Ars Celebrandi

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

Calendar of events SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

GREENWOOD Locus Benedictus Retreat Center is hosting a Healing Retreat, “Learning How to Thrive,” on Saturday, Nov. 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The presenter is Maria Vadia. Details: for more information, call (662) 299-1232. PEARL St. Jude, MARIAN SERVANTS® of Jesus the Lamb of God, will be offering the Marian consecration on Tuesdays from 1-3 p.m. in the St. Jude parish hall through Dec. 7 with consecration on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Join us as we strengthen our love for Jesus Christ with the aid of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Details: Maureen Roberts at 601-278-0423 or msofjlog@gmail.com. St. Jude, Sung Mass in Extraordinary Form, first and third Sundays of each month at 6 p.m. Details: church office (601) 939-3181. PINEVILLE, La. A.C.T.S. Retreats at the Mary Hill Renewal Center, Men’s retreat Jan. 13-16. 2022 and Ladies retreat Feb. 10-13, 2022. Opportunity for spiritual renewal and fellowship beginning Thursday evening at 5 p.m. and concluding with 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday at St. Patrick Church in Ferriday, La. Cost of the retreat is $50 deposit plus $125 due at retreat check-in. Open to persons 18 years or older. Details: To register contact St. Patrick Church at (318) 757-3834. Vocation Retreat Do you know of any man discerning the call to enter priesthood or religious life? A special Quo Vadis retreat is being held Friday, Nov. 19 – Sunday, Nov. 21 in the Diocese of Jackson. Details: nick.adam@ jacksondiocese.org.

PARISH, FAMILY AND SCHOOL EVENTS

CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, Feast Day weekend, Nov. 12-14. Friday, Nov. 12, 5:30 p.m.Mass with Bishop Kopacz; Saturday, Nov. 13, Adoration 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. followed by Mass; Sunday, Nov. 14, 10:30 a.m. Mass and St. Elizabeth Feast Day luncheon at 12:15 p.m. Call church office to make reservations for luncheon. Details: church office (662) 624-4301.

FEATURED PHOTO

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Cooking for the Holidays Sale, Nov. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Get your frozen casseroles, vegetables and desserts for the holidays. Baked goods are available, too. Details: church office (662) 429-7851. JACKSON St. Richard, Volunteers are needed for Stewpot lunch and Stewpot pantry. St. Richard Mealson-Wheels delivers meals from an assigned menu to the Jackson area the second Tuesday of every month. They also send volunteers to Stewpot lunch to serve and Stewpot pantry to help one week per quarter. Details: call Tommy Lamas at the church office (601) 366-2335 or email lamas@saintrichard.com. 41st Annual Squat & Gobble, Thursday, Nov. 11 5:45-10 p.m. at the Mississippi Trade Mart, part of the proceeds go to help victims of human trafficking and domestic violence through programs of Catholic Charities. Enjoy food, beverages, door prizes and live and silent auctions. Entertainment by Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster. Cost: tickets $65 available at www.friendsforacause.com. Details: Tommy Turk (601) 955-1677. MERIDIAN St. Patrick School, Save the Date, St. Patrick School Candy Cane 5K Dash, Saturday, Dec. 4 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Details: Registration is now open at www.time2run.net. MAGEE St. Stephen, Parish Health Ministry members will be selling raffle tickets for a beautiful handmade bench with lap blanket and a lovely handmade quilt. You get two chances for one ticket. These items would make wonderful Christmas gifts. Cost: Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5. Drawing will be Nov. 21 during their parish Thanksgiving dinner. Details: church office (601) 849 3237. NATCHEZ Assumption of BVM, Bible Study on Fridays at 8:30 a.m. in Tuite Hall with Roseminette. Everyone is welcome. Details: (601) 442-7250. St. Mary Basilica, Line Dancing, Mondays 9-10 a.m. in the Family Life Center. Details: church office (601) 445-5616. St. Mary Basilica, Poinsettia sale fundraiser for the

Community Rosary...

CYO. Plants are from Fred’s Nursery in 6 inch foil sleeved pots. Cost $15, or order 10 or more for $12.50 each. Available for pickup first week of Dec. Quantities are limited, so place your order early. Details: stmaryyouth@ cableone.net. OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Blood Drive, Sunday Nov. 28, 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. All donors will receive a $5 Amazon gift card and are entered to win a $500 gift card. Schedule your appointment at donors. vitalant.org and search by blood drive code: queenop. Details: Gretchen (662) 895-5007. YAZOO CITY St. Mary, Garage Sale, Saturday, Nov. 6 at the parish hall from 7-11 a.m. Money collected will be used to purchase a refrigerator for the office. Details: (662) 746-1680.

YOUTH BRIEFS

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Wednesday night “Open Gym” 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Make plans to come Wednesdays and enjoy food, fun and games. Details: church office (662) 429-7851. JACKSON St. Richard School, Open House, Tuesday, Nov. 9 from 9:30-11 a.m. Details: RSVP to tconrad@strichardschool.org.

SAVE THE DATE

JACKSON St. Richard, Save the date, Special Kids Art Show, Saturday, Dec. 4 from 5-7 p.m. in Foley Hall. St. Richard School, Save the Date, Krewe de Cardinal, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. This festive evening features a brass band, premium silent and live auctions, a cash drawing, dancing, and New Orleans-style cocktails and cuisine. Tickets are just $50/per person or $100/per couple in advance. Host Couple and Event Sponsorships are available and come with special amenities like reserved seating and an invitation to the pre-event VIP cocktail hour. Details: development@strichardschool.org. MADISON St. Joseph School, Save the Date, Jeans, Jazz & Bruin Blues $10,000 Draw Down, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022 at the Country Club of Jackson. To sponsor or purchase a draw down ticket visit www.stjoedrawdown. com. VICKSBURG Vicksburg Catholic School, Save the Date, $10,000 Drawdown on the River, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022.

#iGiveCatholic on #GivingTuesday, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. You can be part of the celebration by giving to your favorite Catholic organization or parish. Advanced giving opens on Nov. 15. Details: https://jackson.igivecatholic.org/ or Julia.williams@jacksondiocese.org.

APPLIANCE AUDIO VIDEO BEDDING FURNITURE SUPERSTORE

CRYSTAL SPRINGS – Parishioners from St. John and St. Martin Hazlehurst held a community Rosary on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the Packing Shed. (Photo courtesy of Janice Stansell)

Jackson Flowood R dgeland Pearl Cl nton V cksburg Tupelo Columbus Laurel Oxford Hatt esburg

let there be light

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC NOVEMBER 5, 2021

Year of the Eucharist invites harmony and solidarity BY BISHOP JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D.

Later this month on the Feast of Christ the King, the Diocese of Jackson will begin a Year of the Eucharist that is more than timely as we continue steadily to welcome back to Mass our Catholic faithful to take up their rightful place as members of the Body of Christ. We are not quite back to pre-pandemic numbers and vigor, but we have made significant strides. For active Catholics the sacrifice of the Mass is always the cornerstone for our faith in the crucified and risen Lord, and also at times the fertile ground for controversy in the modern era. The first document of the Second Vatican council to be passed and presented to the Catholic world was Sacrosanctum Concilium by the near unanimous vote of 2174 to 4. This was Dec. 4, 1963, and in this document on the Sacred Liturgy that had priority of place among the eventual 16 documents of the Council, we read that the Council Fathers desired to “impart an ever increasing vigor to the Christian life of the faithful and to foster whatever can promote union among all who believe in Christ.”

It’s not surprising that they and we look to the celebration of the Eucharist, the sacrifice of the Mass, to strengthen the bonds of unity that should always be a labor of love among the children of God, perhaps especially in our generation. Furthermore, the council fathers stated that “the liturgy, through which the work of our redemption is accomplished, most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true church.” One of the well-known quotes of the Vatican Council came from this document. “The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows.” This power of God’s undying love first flowed in the water and blood from the broken body and pierced side of Jesus on the Cross. These were the headwaters of the sacramental life of the church, specifically Baptism and the Eucharist, that have become a mighty river flowing through time. The one priesthood of Jesus Christ begun on the Cross, is given birth at every baptism, and made manifest in the gathering of the People of God at Mass in Word and in Sacrament. Through Baptism and Holy Orders, the two forms of the priesthood, laity and ordained, be-

come one as the Body of Christ gathering around the tables of Word and Sacrament, the Body and Blood of the Lord. The eyes of faith give us the privilege of seeing and celebrating this unbreakable bond between heaven and earth, the most exalted unity that is possible in this world. We become one with the ascended Lord Jesus to give praise to God the Father, in order to better fulfill our mission of salvation, and to build up God’s Kingdom on Earth, a kingdom of life, justice and peace. Indeed, this is the font from which our power flows. Is this upcoming “Year of the Eucharist” a good fit with the recently proclaimed world-wide process of the Synod on Synodality? We respond with an unqualified yes, knowing that the theme for the Synod is “Communion, Participation and Mission,” which is solidly Eucharistic in purpose and process. As in the Liturgy, we want the voices of our Catholic faithful to be raised in dialogue throughout the Synod process. The following quotations from Sacrosanctum Concilium illuminate a clear path for us for the Synod to sow the seeds that will provide an abundant harvest. “Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very – Continued on page 11 –

Año de la Eucaristía invita a solidaridad y harmonía POR OBISPO JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D.

A finales de este mes, en la Fiesta de Cristo Rey, la Diócesis de Jackson comenzará un Año de la Eucaristía que viene muy oportuno cuando estamos dando la bienvenida a la Misa de nuevo a nuestros fieles católicos, para que ocupen el lugar que les corresponde como miembros del Cuerpo de Cristo. No hemos vuelto del todo ni a los números ni a la fuerza previos a la pandemia, pero hemos logrado avances significativos. Para los católicos activos, el sacrificio de la Misa es siempre la piedra angular de nuestra fe en el Señor crucificado y resucitado y a veces, también el terreno fértil para la controversia en la era moderna. El primer documento del Concilio Vaticano II que se presentó y aprobó al mundo católico fue Sacrosanctum Concilium por votación casi unánime de 2174 a 4. Esto fue el 4 de diciembre de 1963, y en este documento sobre la Sagrada Liturgia que tenía prioridad de un lugar entre los eventuales 16 documentos del Concilio, leemos que los Padres conciliares deseaban “impartir un vigor cada vez mayor a la vida cristiana de los fieles y fomentar todo lo que pueda promover la unión entre todos los que creen en Cristo.” No es de extrañar que ellos y nosotros contemplemos la celebración de la Eucar-

istía, el sacrificio de la Misa, para fortalecer los lazos de unidad que siempre deben ser una obra de amor entre los hijos de Dios, quizás especialmente en nuestra generación. Los padres conciliares afirmaron además que “...la liturgia, a través de la cual se realiza la obra de nuestra redención, sobre todo en el sacrificio divino de la Eucaristía, es el medio sobresaliente por el cual los fieles pueden expresarse en su vida y manifestarse a los demás, el misterio de Cristo y la verdadera naturaleza de la iglesia verdadera.” Una de las citas más conocidas del Concilio Vaticano proviene de este documento. “La liturgia es la cumbre hacia la que se dirige la actividad de la Iglesia; al mismo tiempo, es la fuente de la que fluye todo su poder.” Este poder del amor eterno de Dios fluyó primero en el agua y la sangre del cuerpo quebrantado y el costado traspasado de Jesús en la Cruz. Estas fueron las cabeceras de la vida sacramental de la iglesia, específicamente el Bautismo y la Eucaristía, que se han convertido en un caudaloso río que fluye a través del tiempo. El único sacerdocio de Jesucristo iniciado en la Cruz nace en cada bautismo y se manifiesta en la reunión del Pueblo de Dios en la Misa, la Palabra y el Sacramento. A través del Bautismo y el Orden Sagrado, las dos formas del sacerdocio, laicos y ordenados, se vuelven uno como el Cuerpo de Cristo reunido alrededor de las mesas de la – Continúa en la pág. 11 –

Volume 67 Number 20 (ISSN 1529-1693)

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

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

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 8:30 a.m. – Mass, St. Francis of Assisi School, Greenwood

Publisher ........................................................................................... Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

Friday, Nov. 12, 5:30 p.m. – Mass of Celebration, St. Elizabeth Parish, Clarksdale

Communications Director ...................................................................... Joanna Puddister King Production Manager ...................................................................................................Tereza Ma Contributors ......................................................................................................... Berta Mexidor

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an official publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published twice per month January - April and September December; one per month June, July and August. Subscription rate: $20 a year in Mississippi, $21 out-of-state. Periodical postage at Jackson, MS 39201 and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mississippi Catholic, P.O. Box 2130, Jackson, MS 39225-2130. Website: www.mississippicatholic.com  www.jacksondiocese.org

Saturday, Nov. 13, 11 a.m. – Centennial Celebration – Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, Sacred Heart Parish, Camden Monday, Nov. 15 – Thursday, Nov. 18 – USCCB Fall General Assembly – Baltimore, Maryland Tuesday, Nov. 30, 6 p.m. – Pro-Life Mississippi Prayer Vigil, 6 p.m., Jackson Women’s Health Organization All events are subject to change. Check with local parishes for further details.

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

4 VOCATIONS CALLED BY NAME

While this is officially “Vocations Awareness Week,” here in the Diocese of Jackson we are dedicated to the fact that all of us should be open to the will of God in our lives, and rooted in prayer and relationship with the Lord, we seek to live out whatever the call ends up being. We are vocationally aware every day. Kathleen McMullin is a shining example of that. I remind you that Kathleen entered the community of the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr St. George (Alton, Illinois) in early September. The call to consecrated life and the dedication to living out the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience is a call to live like Christ in a radical way. Kathleen is discerning a call that in many ways provides her with more temporal challenges than the call to diocesan priesthood. As a diocesan priest, I can own things. If I want to go to the store, or to get some take-out, I can, and I can drive my own car there to boot. For Kathleen and vowed religious, everything they have is shared in common. At the Benedictine monastery where I attended seminary it was always funny to see the monks fully habited driving back onto campus in random “community” vehicles that had to be “checked out” from their superior. This call to radiFather Nick Adam cal poverty is a path to freedom, however, and it gives Kathleen and her brothers and sisters the power to witness to a materialistic world that there is more to life than what we own. She has discerned that her call is to be in that community because she is confident in God’s love for her and she knows that no matter what happens, God will bring forth greater fulfillment in her life than anything else the world has to offer. She trusts that God has asked her to live and discern in that community for a reason, and I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for her. Kathleen is in her late-20s, and she has been “vocationally aware,” for a very long time. She stayed open to God’s will while she graduated from high school, and college, and was trained as an occupational therapist, and finally she received the “go ahead” from the Lord to go deeper, to take a leap, and to trust him more fully. She was, and is, supported by a community of believers who inspire her and who are inspired by her. The fact that she remained open to this call and she was eventually able to respond to the Lord in such a beautiful way is a testament to the “Vocation Awareness” that is present in our diocese. The greatest way we can remain “aware” is to pray for more vocations, and to pray for specific people in our community who we know are either thinking about priesthood or religious life or would make excellent priests and religious. Thank you for remaining vigilant and for continuing to beg the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers into the field. – Father Nick Adam Kathleen McMullin is pictured on the far left on a visit earlier in 2021 to If you are interested in learning more about religious orders or vocations the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George community in Alton, to the priesthood and religious life, please email Father Nick Adam at nick. Illinois. McMullin entered the community in early September this year. adam@jacksondiocese.org.

Knights bring Wreaths Across America to Clinton Cemetery By Berta Mexidor

JACKSON – This year the Bishop R.O. Gerow Assembly 554 of the Knights of Columbus, has gotten involved in the Wreaths Across America program by sponsoring the Clinton Cemetery. They have identified approximately 250 veterans’ gravesites which they hope to lay wreaths on Dec. 18 at noon. The mission is to remember, honor and teach. “What a beautiful and meaningful way to remember and honor our veterans during the Christmas season,” said the Knights of Columbus. The wreaths are made of live greenery with a red velvet bow and cost $15. Wreaths can be purchased for an unspecified veteran at the Clinton Cemetery, for a specific veteran at the Clinton Cemetery, or for a veteran buried somewhere other than the Clinton Cemetery. Wreaths purchased for placement at other cemeteries will be available for pick up at Holy Savior Church at 714 Lindale Street in Clinton on Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. Wreaths must be purchased prior to Nov. 19, 2021, so orders can be placed. Wreaths can be purchased online at https://kofc554.org/wreaths or by mail – just visit their website for details.

Honoring veterans buried at the Clinton Cemetery this holiday season is the mission for members of the Knights of Columbus Bishop R.O. Gerow Assembly 554, which are participating in the annual Wreaths Across America sponsorship drive. The national wreath-laying remembrance effort is planned for Dec. 18. (Photo WAA Staff)

Spirituality 5

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC NOVEMBER 5, 2021

Beware of your inner circles IN EXILE By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

No man is an island. John Donne wrote those words four centuries ago and they are as true now as they were then, except we don’t believe them anymore. Today more and more of us are beginning to define our nuclear families and our carefully chosen circle of friends precisely as a self-sufficient island and are becoming increasing selective as to who is allowed on our island, into our circle of friends, and into the circle of those we deem worthy of respect. We define and protect our idiosyncratic islands by a particular ideology, view of politics, view of morality, view of gender, and view of religion. Anyone who doesn’t share our view is unwelcome and not worthy of our time and respect. Moreover, contemporary media plays into this. Beyond the hundreds of mainstream television channels we have to choose from, each with its own agenda, we have social media wherein each of us can find the exact ideology, politics, and moral and religious perspective that fosters, protects and isolates our island and makes our little nuclear clique, one of self-sufficiency, exclusivity and intolerance. Today we all have the tools to plumb the media until we find exactly the “truth” we like. We have come a long way from the old days of a Walter Cronkite delivering a truth we all could trust. The effects of this are everywhere, not least in the increasingly bitter polarization we are experiencing vis-a-vis virtually every political, moral, economic,and religious issue in our world. We find ourselves today on separate islands, not open to listen, respect, or dialogue with anyone not of our own kind. Anyone who disagrees with me is not worthy of my time, my ear, and my respect; this seems to be the popular attitude today. We see some of this in certain strident forms of Cancel Culture and we see much of it in the increasing hard, inward-turned face of nationalism in so many countries today. What’s foreign is unwelcome, pure and simple. We will not deal with anything that challenges our ethos. What’s wrong with that? Almost everything. Irrespective of whether we are looking at this from a biblical and Christian perspective or whether we are looking at it from the point of view of human health and maturity, this is just wrong. Biblically, it’s clear. God breaks into our lives in important ways, mainly through “the stranger,” through what’s foreign, through what’s other, and through what sabotages our thinking and blows apart our calculated expectations. Revelation normally comes to us in the surprise, namely, in a form that turns our thinking upside down. Take for example the incarnation itself. For centuries people looked forward to the coming of a messiah, a god in human flesh, who would overpower and humiliate all Wholesale and home their enemies and freezer service offer them, those Beef – Pork – Sausage faithfully praying 109 - A Camellia Dr. for this, honor and glory. They prayed Natchez for and anticipat601-445-8743 ed a superman, and

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what did they get? A helpless baby lying in the straw. Revelation works like that. This is why St. Paul tells us to always welcome a stranger because it could in fact be an angel in disguise. All of us, I am sure, at some point in our lives have personally had that experience of meeting an angel in disguise inside a stranger whom we perhaps welcomed only with some reluctance and fear. I know in my own life, there have been times when I didn’t want to welcome a certain person or situation into my life. I live in a religious community where you do not get to choose who you will live with. You are assigned your “immediate family” and (but for a few exceptions when there is clinical dysfunction) like-mindedness is not a criterion as to who is assigned to live with each other in our religious houses. Not infrequently, I have had to live in community with someone who I would not, by choice, have taken for a friend, a colleague, a neighbor, or a member of my family. To my surprise, it has often been the person whom I would have least chosen to live with

who has been a vehicle of grace and transformation in my life. Moreover, this has been true for my life in general. I have often found myself graced by the most unlikely, unexpected, initially unwelcome sources. Admittedly, this has not always been without pain. What’s foreign, what’s other, can be upsetting and painful for a long time before grace and revelation are recognized, but it’s what carries grace. That is our challenge always, though particularly today when so many of us are retreating to our own islands, imagining this as maturity, and then rationalizing it by a false faith, a false nationalism, and a false idea of what constitutes maturity. This is both wrong and dangerous. Engaging with what is other enlarges us. God is in the stranger, and so we are cutting ourselves off from a major avenue of grace whenever we will not let the foreign into our lives. (Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)

The Pope’s Corner

Church’s social teaching needed to combat greed, injustice, pope says By Junno Arocho Esteves

the church’s teaching is based on the word of God that “seeks to promote integral human development on the basis of our faith in the God who became man.” “In every sphere of life, today more than ever, we are bound to witness our concern for others, to think not only of ourselves, and to commit ourselves freely to the development of a more just and equitable society where forms of selfishness and partisan interests do not prevail,” the pope said. Pope Francis said Christians must be inspired by the teachings of Jesus and care for others with a “love that transcends borders and limits,” giving witness that “it is possible to pass beyond the walls of selfishness and personal and national interest.” “We can be ‘brothers and sisters all,’ and so we can and must think and work as ‘brothers and sisters of all,’” he said. “This may seem to be an unrealistic utopia. But we prefer to believe that it is a dream that can come true. For it is the dream of the triune God. With his help, it is a dream that can begin to become reality, also in our world.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With many people around the world facing exclusion and inequality, the social teaching of the Catholic Church can inspire new economic systems that are more “people-centered,” Pope Francis said. Christians must not “remain indifferent” to those affected by an “economic system that continues to discard people’s lives in the name of the god of money, fostering greed and destructive attitudes toward the resources of the earth and fueling various forms of injustice,” the pope said Oct. 23. “Our response to injustice and exploitation must be more than mere condemnation,” he said. “First and foremost, it must be the active promotion of good: condemnation of what is wrong, yet promotion of what is good.” The pope addressed participants of an international conference sponsored by the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation. The two-day conference reflected on “Solidarity, Cooperation and Responsibility: The antidotes to fight injustices, inequalities and exclusions.” Established in 1993, the foundation seeks to promote the teaching of St. John Paul II’s 1991 encyclical on social and economic justice. Pope Francis praised the foundation for its “commitment to financing study and research by young people on new models of economic and social development inspired by the church’s social doctrine.” “This is important and greatly needed: in soil contaminated by the predominance of finance, we need to sow many small seeds that can bear fruit in an economy that is equitable and beneficial, humane and people-centered. We need possibilities able to become realities, and realities able to offer hope. This means putting into practice the social teaching of the church,” he said. Reflecting on the conference’s theme, the pope said that solidarity, cooperation and responPope Francis leads an audience with members of the sibility represent the “three pillars of the church’s Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation at the Vatisocial teaching,” which places the human person can Oct. 23, 2021. The organization promotes the social at the center of “the social, economic and polititeaching of the Catholic Church, in particular the teachcal order.” ing in St. John Paul II’s Encyclical “Centesimus Annus.” Rather than an individualistic world view, (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

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'... Commitment has endured the test of time...' – Continued from page 1 –

— a few Saturdays a year on the Catholic build." “The staff at HHMCA asked me to chair the Catholic Build committee for a couple of years. When I met the families that were going to live in the houses – especially the children – and saw how happy they were, it just gave me a real feeling that I was helping somebody.” The Catholic build tradition goes back more than three decades, as parishes in Jackson, Pearl, Madison, Clinton, Gluckstadt and Canton have all contributed monetarily as well as providing volunteers. “HHMCA informs us of the amount that will be needed to do the work, and in turn we ask our parishes to contribute at the level that is feasible for them, depending on the population of the parish community,” said Bishop Joseph Kopacz. “Most parishioners are familiar with the annual project and the invitation to contribute and respond generously. The Habitat for Humanity organization is a trusted brand, and all know that the prospective homeowners are carefully screened to assure success with their lifelong dream of home ownership.” “We don’t give houses away,” McKewen said. “But anyone, regardless of income, can apply with us for a home if they’re willing to do the work and pay for a thirty-year zero-interest mortgage. We function as a mortgage lender with a Christian attitude.” What drives McKewen is getting people out of poverty and into safe homes, where they have greatly improved chances of putting roots down, learning marketable skills, attaining an education and, ultimately, giving back to the community. In addition to the thorough vetting the homeowners receive before being approved, all help physically build their new Habitat homes. That sweat equity is crucial in developing the pride the owners have in their new residences, and it’s not uncommon to witness deeply touching moments when families take ownership.

“I would encourage all HHMCA volunteers, and anyone interested in the ministry, to attend a house dedication,” Scott said. “The new homeowners are so genuinely appreciative that it is hard not to feel their emotions. My favorite memory was a house on Greenview (in south Jackson) where the four-year-old ran into the master bedroom and shouted, ‘This one’s mine!’ I truly believe that anybody who ever volunteers one time and meets the family will be hooked.” McKewen has high hopes for a smoother 2022 and plans to return HHMCA to the beloved Broadmoor neighborhood in north Jackson, where a number of the memorable homes built during the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations have fallen into disrepair and been abandoned. “We are changing the neighborhood and will be completely rehabbing those houses, as in gutting to the studs,” she said. “We are putting homeowners into homes for $650/month and getting people out of deplorable conditions where they were paying as much as $800/month.” “This commitment has endured the test of time,” Kopacz said. “We want families to have a place to call home, and in the process see the restoration of the blighted areas of the City of Jackson, one house and one block at a time.”

Want to help Habitat? "There are many ways to help in addition to volunteering on a worksite,” said incoming HHMCA board president, Allen Scott. “Pray for the families and the ministry. Encourage your parish council and finance committee to financially support HHMCA. Individual donations add up, so no gift is too small." “The volunteer crews have to be fed so meals have to be prepared and delivered to the home site. Basically, if a person wants to be involved, we can find some way to include them in a build.”

JACKSON – Pictured left to right: Arthur Ring, Allen Scott, Bo Bender, Demetrica Clincy (homeowner), Lechen Tyler (homeowner), Polly Hammett and Marc McAllister. The group stands outside of the home Catholic Build made possible for the family. (Photo by Callie Ainsworth)

'... We never thought of not doing the march ...' – Continued from page 1 – 2020 March for Life is considered the all-time high for the event. Attendees packed the National Mall to hear President Donald Trump address the rally in person. But in January of this year, the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and heavy security following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol reduced the march to its smallest turnout – an invited core group of 80. Instead of the usual march up Constitution Avenue, the group took a winding route through Washington streets to the Supreme Court and were joined midway by about 100 others. "We never thought of not doing the march," Mancini told CNS. But, she added, she didn't think she could comment on whether any of the current plans represent "back to normal." Mancini, who has headed the march since 2012 when she took over from its founder, the late Nellie Gray, said: "I wouldn't call any march

I've been part of a predictable march. It's always been a little bit unpredictable." The bus pilgrimages that traditionally bring thousands of marchers to the nation's capital also are difficult to predict for 2022 until reservations are confirmed by organizers and bus companies. At the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, Ed Konieczka, assistant director of university ministry, said their goal is to have 240 students, about 50 more than in 2020, head for Washington on five buses, with an event to be held in Bismarck coinciding with the national march. John Pratt, director of youth ministry for the Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend, Indiana, told CNS that "if we are able to go, my sense would be that we would have about 80% of the participation as compared to recent years. In 2019 and 2020, we sent 10 busloads (just over Journalists take photos of the March for Life participants outside 500 pilgrims) from our diocese." the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington Jan. 29, 2021, For 2022, he said, "350 to 400 (seven to amid the coronavirus pandemic. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn) eight busloads) is pretty realistic."

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC NOVEMBER 5, 2021

Exploring deaths of diocese former shepherds

DIOCESE 7

in December 1976 at the age of 91 having achieved 67 years of priestBy Mary Woodward hood – another death attributed to JACKSON – November is the “old age.” He is buried in the bishmonth to remember the dead in ops’ cemetery beside the cathedral. our Catholic faith. It opens with Bishop Joseph Bernard Brunini the Solemnity of All Saints where (1967-1984), our only native son we honor all those ordinary people bishop from Vicksburg, died sudin our lives who were saints to us. denly surrounded by his brother The next day is All Souls, a perbishops on retreat in Manressa, sonal favorite of mine, in which we Louisiana on the Solemnity of the honor the dead and, in many traEpiphany. I had eaten lunch with ditions, decorate graves and have him that very day and was shocked picnics in cemeteries. when I got the news he was dead This year was a particularly four hours later. He is buried next poignant All Souls for me as the to Bishop Gerow. death of Bishop Emeritus Joseph Bishop William Russell Houck N. Latino of happy memory is still (1984-2003) also lived many fresh. Because of soil and settling, years into retirement dying of heart we were just able to move the and lung issues in 2016 at the age gravestone over his plot in the diof 90. He, too, achieved 60-plus ocesan bishops’ cemetery next to years of priesthood having marked the cathedral. 65 years when he died. Bishop We have a temporary marker Houck completes the first line of for Bishop Latino and are awaitthree bishops in the bishops’ ceming the engraver’s arrival in a few etery. months to carve his inscription on Bishop Joseph Nunzio Latino site. Apparently, there are only one JACKSON – Flowers and candles adorn the grave sites of Bishop William Houck, Bishop (2003-2013) died on May 28 of or two people willing to carve out Joseph Brunini and Bishop R.O. Gerow in the bishops’ cemetery next to the Cathedral of this year having just celebrated his inscriptions on site on this type of St. Peter the Apostle on All Souls Day, Nov. 2. (Photo by Berta Mexidor) 58th anniversary of priestly ordistone. So, we wait patiently. nation on May 25. Bishop Latino’s Dealing with this made me death is still too fresh to share dethink about all our previous bishops and their deaths. tails, so we will save that for a later date. Bishop John Joseph Marie Benedict Chanche, SS, (1841-1852) died most likely of Throughout this month of November offer some prayers for our deceased bishops cholera in Maryland while visiting family after a plenary council in Baltimore. Cholera who have served as our shepherds for more than 180 years each in his own unique is a horrible death, but he was described as bearing it with great dignity. After spending and dynamic ways. more than 150 years in the cemetery in Baltimore, he was brought home to Natchez Requiescant in pace. in 2008. Bishop James Oliver Van deVelde, SJ, (1853-1855) was Bishop of Chicago and (Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.) suffered from arthritis. He felt a warmer climate would be beneficial for his joints, so he requested a move South. A yellow fever infected warm climate mosquito got him, another terrible way to go. Bless his heart. He was originally buried in the crypt at St. Mary in Natchez, but his Jesuit confreres wanted him home in Florrisant, Missouri. Bishop William Henry Elder (1857-1880) was elevated to Archbishop of Cincinnati and lived a long life up there into the next century (1904). He died of what we used to call “old age,” which is a medical term for not one specific thing, and he was 85, which is old for 1904. Bishop Francis August Anthony Joseph Janssens (1881-1888) also moved on to an archdiocese when he became Archbishop of New Orleans in 1888. He died nine years later in 1897 at age 53 aboard the steamer Creole, bound for New York City. He most likely had a heart attack or a stroke. Bishop Thomas Heslin (1889-1911) as we explored in an earlier column, flipped out of the back of a mule cart near West Point and was levered back into the cart while unconscious. He most likely sustained some broken ribs, which weakened his lung capacity, and he died a few months later. He is buried on Catholic Hill in Natchez. Bishop John Edward Gunn, SM, (1911-1924) survived an arsenic poisoning administered by a spy during World War I at a banquet in Detroit in 1915. Suffering a major heart attack in January 1924, his health finally gave out in February at Hotel Dieu in New Orleans. He is buried in the Catholic section in Natchez next to Bishop Heslin. NATCHEZ – A photograph of Bishop John Edward Gunn, SM, as he lay in state in the rectory of St. Bishop Richard Oliver Gerow (1924-1966) is the first Mary in Natchez. Bishop Gunn survived an arsenic poisoning attempt during WWI, but his health finally bishop to officially retire from the office of bishop in our gave out shortly after a heart attack in January 1924. (Photo from archives) diocese. He lived 10 years after his retirement and died

FROM THE ARCHIVES

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Charities Purple Dress Run raises awareness

JACKSON – About 200 runners and walkers grabbed their running shoes and purple dresses for Catholic Charities 10th annual Purple Dress Run at the District at Eastover in Northeast Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 21 in honor of National Domestic Violence Awareness month. Racers ran and walked through the Eastover neighborhood to raise awarness about domestic violence and to raise money for Catholic Charities domestic violence shelter. If you need assistance escaping abuse, please call Catholic Charities Jackson at (601) 366-0222 or 1-800273-9012 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE(7233) or chat online at www.hotline. org.

Photo finish! At the last second, Steven Hernandez edged out the overall win with a pace time of 6:44 in the 5k run over Daniel Burnett with a 6:45 pace.

Patrick Weldon took home the best dressed win and first place in his age category at the Purple Dress Run.

At age 83, Richard Edmonson won the 70+ age category in the 5k run with a pace time of 11:50. Way to go! (Photos by Berta Mexidor)

(Above) Jessica Diamond and Rowdy (with a little help) cross the finish line with the overall win in the female 5k run category.

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

PLEASE, BE GENEROUS NOV. 20 & 21

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10 DIOCESE

Ars Celebrandi: Getting more out of Mass

This attention is authentic participation. Liturgy is life and life is Liturgy. If we have participated well, we can put By James Tomek, Ph.D what we rehearsed at Mass into real life – the meaning Celebrating the Mass as an art was the subject of a of Ite, Missa Est at the end. We are sent. Mass is not a recent workshop, led by Father Dennis Gill for Priests, pep rally, but a worship – a rehearsal of our Christian Deacons and Lay Ecclesial Ministers of our diocese. Ars eternal life. Celebrandi, the title of Father Dennis’s book, is also a Music highlights the spiritual value. Here, Father church activity promoting the study of Liturgy (our offi- Dennis focuses more on the musicality of the dialogs. He cial public worship used here interchangeably with the prefers the singing of the dialogs, like the “Let us give Mass) as an art. A general lack of respect at Mass, along thanks to the Lord” and the “Holy, holy, holy.” There with a general “not getting” of what happens at Mass has should be a music feel or a rhythm where even silences inspired Father Dennis to become an expert in Sacred are important so that we have time to let the mystery Liturgy. soak into our hearts. Furniture also provides meaning. Active participation at Mass, a major aim, happens The Altar is the centerpiece where the Sacrifice takes when we all feel united with Jesus, offering himself and place. It is Christ. The Ambo, or lectern, is where the us to God. Viewing Mass as an art can help us see that Word of God is read and spoken. The Chair is the perparticipating at Mass requires skills. As a literature per- manent sign of where Jesus speaks. son, when I see Ars Poetica, it is usually a poem or essay Every part of the Order of the Mass – the Entrance, about what a certain art should be Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist and – its essence. Art can be defined Concluding Rites – is about the offering of Jesus Christ as a “doing” of things that makes and us to God. What will we do with our Holy Commuthem beautiful and memorable. nion? How will we be worthy of it depends on how we We will now talk about Father will put it in practice in our Christian lives. Dennis’s view of major essences at With the Entrance rites, we should focus on estabMass, followed by how they fit into lishing communion with others, so to be worthy of the the Order of the Mass. Sacrament. With the procession, the priest, as Jesus, Father Gill encourages us to leads us to the altar. The kiss at the altar symbolizes study the General Instructions of the communion of Jesus and his sacrifice (sometimes the Roman Missal (GIRM). What is happening “inside” intensified by an incensing). The Collect prayer points us? Mystagogia describes this “inside” – a leading into to the scriptures and the offerings of the people that are the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. How about to happen. do we render this “prayer” concrete in real life? (orandi In the Liturgy of the Word, lectors recite the story of vivendi) Christ’s redemption and salvation. The Homily becomes The Sacrament of Holy Orders confers on priests the a liturgical rite where the scriptures are broken open. official authority to speak in the person of Jesus Christ With the Universal Prayer, or intercessions, we pray for at Mass. Theological realities? Where is Jesus in all this? the general needs of the church. These petitions should Liturgy puts us in the presence of Jesus, who is raised be associated with the scripture readings and can form a from the dead by the Father and Holy Spirit. We are all base of offerings that we will put in practice in everyday “priests” by our Baptism. When the ordained priest says, life. This prayer slides into the Offertory and the Liturgy “the Lord be with you” we lay people, as a part of this of the Eucharist. priesthood, answer “and with your Spirit.” The third part of Mass is the Liturgy of the EuchaOur primary aim at Mass is to prepare to be wor- rist. The “Eucharist” in this part of Mass refers to the thy to receive “Holy Communion,” which I take as not “meal” celebration. The gifts are prepared as the altar is just the Sacred Host, but a sum of receiving the Body of dressed with the corporal, missal and vessels. The bread Christ in Communion with all the faithful. The Eucharist, and wine are raised slightly and then set to the side for meaning thanksgiving, is a beautiful word to summarize the sacrifice coming. Mass and this Holy Communion. The Eucharistic Prayer that follows is Jesus starting “Worship” comes from “worth-ship” where we give our conversation with God. It is a prayer of thanksgivGod the respect for his worth to us. Gestures and pos- ing and sanctification. The introduction to the preface tures help. For example, we stand when we say prayers. calls us to lift our hearts and minds to God. The Preface leads to the “Holy, holy, holy,” and emphasizes our thankfulness. The main body of the Eucharistic Prayer follows (Father Dennis recommends using Prayer I or III for Sundays). From this prayer, Father stresses the Epiclesis, where the Holy Spirit is called on to bless the proceedings, the Institution Narrative, where the bread and wine are consecrated, and the Anamnesis, where we remember what Christ has done for us. The last part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the Communion Rite. The Lord’s Prayer is where we dare say with Jesus “Our Father” asking God to forgive us and give us the grace to forgive others. The sign of peace goes back to when Jesus tells us that, before receiving communion, we need to reconcile any differences with our neighbor. PEARL – Father Dennis Gill speaks on the art of Mass at the The Breaking of the Bread (fraction) is the yearly continuing education gathering of the priests, dea- huge Sacramental sign where Sacred Bread cons and LEM’s of the diocese on Oct. 19. (Photo by Rhonda is broken and shared with the community. Bowden) The Lamb of God prayer is recited simulta-

GUEST COLUMN

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

neously. With the Concluding Rites, the priest, preferably from the chair, dismisses us and sends us on our way to live what we have just rehearsed. We need to reflect on the liturgy regularly. Father Dennis concludes, saying that with every celebration of the Liturgy, there is a hint of the Ascension with Jesus Christ where we are all raised to the Father. (James Tomek is a retired language and literature professor at Delta State University who is currently a Lay Ecclesial Minister at Sacred Heart in Rosedale and also active in RCIA at Our Lady of Victories in Cleveland.)

HOLIDAY HOURS

Open House & Bake Sale Monday-Saturday: 9 am to 4 pm Sunday: 10 am - 3pm Carmelite Gift Shop and Bookstore 2155 Terry Road Jackson, MS 39204

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC NOVEMBER 5, 2021

‘... Voices raised in dialogue ...’ – Continued from page 3 – nature of the liturgy. Such participation by the Christian people as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people (1 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2:4-5), is their right and duty by reason of their baptism.” Likewise, we pray to approach the Synod as disciples of the Lord through fully conscious and active participation as a redeemed people seeking that unity for which Jesus ardently prays, allowing the Holy Spirit to bless and surprise us. Finally, let us allow the dialogue and silence that are essential for our liturgical prayer as stated in the final quote from Sacrosanctum Concilium, resonate in our hearts and minds as we approach the Synod on Synodality. “To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence.” Through voices raised in dialogue, attitudes shaped by prayer, and silence cultivated out of respect for one another, we will experience a deeper sense of communion, participation and mission. Perhaps, we will achieve a harmony and solidarity under the guidance of the Holy Spirit at the level of 2174 to 4.

dIOCESE 11

‘... Las voces que se elevan en el diálogo ...’ – Viene de la pág. 3 – Palabra y el Sacramento, el Cuerpo y la Sangre del Señor. Los ojos de la fe nos dan el privilegio de ver y celebrar este vínculo inquebrantable entre el cielo y la tierra, la unidad más exaltada que es posible en este mundo. Nos convertimos en uno con el Señor Jesús ascendido para alabar a Dios Padre, a fin de cumplir mejor nuestra misión de salvación y construcción del Reino de Dios en la Tierra, un reino de vida, justicia y paz. De hecho, esta es la fuente de la que fluye nuestro poder. ¿Cuán bien encaja este próximo “año de la Eucaristía” con el proceso mundial recientemente proclamado del Sínodo sobre la sinodalidad? Respondemos con un rotundo sí, sabiendo que el tema del Sínodo es “Comunión, Participación y Misión,” que es sólidamente eucarístico en propósito y proceso. Como en la liturgia, queremos que las voces de nuestros fieles católicos se eleven en diálogo durante todo el proceso del Sínodo. Las siguientes citas de Sacrosanctum Concilium nos iluminan un camino claro para que en el Sínodo sembremos las semillas que proporcionarán una abundante cosecha. “La Madre Iglesia desea fervientemente que todos los fieles sean conducidos a esa activa participación, plenamente consciente en las celebraciones litúrgicas y que exige la naturaleza misma de la liturgia. Tal participación del

pueblo cristiano como “familia escogida, real sacerdocio, nación santa, pueblo redimido (1 Pedro. 2: 9; cf.2: 4-5), es su derecho y deber por razón de su bautismo”. Asimismo, rezamos para acercarnos al Sínodo como discípulos del Señor a través de la participación plena consciente y activa como pueblo redimido que busca esa unidad por la que Jesús reza con ardor, dejando que el Espíritu Santo nos bendiga y nos sorprenda. Finalmente, dejemos que el diálogo y el silencio, que son esenciales para nuestra oración litúrgica como se indica en la cita final de Sacrosanctum Concilium, resuenen en nuestros corazones y mentes a medida que nos acercamos al Sínodo sobre la Sinodalidad. “Para promover la participación activa, se debe alentar a la gente a participar mediante aclamaciones, respuestas, salmodias, antífonas y cánticos, así como con acciones, gestos y actitudes corporales. Y también, en el momento oportuno, todos deben guardar un silencio reverente.” A través de las voces que se elevan en el diálogo, las actitudes moldeadas por la oración y el silencio cultivado por el respeto mutuo, experimentaremos un sentido más profundo de comunión, participación y misión. Quizás logremos armonía y solidaridad bajo la guía del Espíritu Santo en el nivel de 2174 a 4.

Debate, vote on proposed eucharistic document will top U.S. bishops’ agenda WASHINGTON (CNS) – When the U.S. bishops gather for their fall assembly in Baltimore Nov. 15-18, it will be the first in-person meeting of the full body of bishops since November 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the bishops’ June 2020 spring meeting, and their November 2020 fall assembly and June 2021 spring meeting were both held in a virtual format. Topping the meeting’s agenda will be debate and votes on a proposed document on the Eucharist, “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church,” and on a eucharistic revival initiative. During their spring meeting this past June, 75% of the U.S. bishops approved the drafting of a document, to all Catholic faithful, on eucharistic coherence. Part of the impetus for the bishops’ work on this document and a eucharistic revival to increase Catholics’ understanding and awareness of the Eucharist was a Pew study in the fall of 2019 that showed just 30% of Catholics “have what we might call a proper understanding of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.” The eucharistic revival would launch on the feast of Corpus Christi in June 2022. The three-year effort will include events on the diocesan level such as eucharistic processions around the country along with adoration and prayer. In 2023, the emphasis will be on parishes with resources available at the parish level to increase Catholics’ understanding of what the Eucharist really means. This would culminate in a National Eucharistic Congress in the summer of 2024. The Baltimore assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will begin with an address by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States. The bishops also will hear from Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the USCCB. The agenda also includes a report to the bishops from the National Advisory Council, a group created by the USCCB that is comprised of religious and laypeople primarily for consultation on action items and information reports presented to the bishops’ Administrative Committee. Other action items on the agenda requiring debate and a vote will be an update of the “Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines”; a proposal to add St. Teresa of Kolkata to the “Proper Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States” as an optional memorial Sept. 5; a resolution on diocesan financial reporting; new English and Spanish versions of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults; a translation of “Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery Outside Mass”; “National Statutes for the Catechumenate” in English and Spanish; and the USCCB’s 2022 budget. During the assembly, the bishops also will vote for a treasurer-elect for the USCCB, as well as chairmen-elect of five standing committees: Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations; Divine Worship; Domestic Justice and Human Development; Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; and Migration.

The bishops elected will serve for one year as “elect” before beginning their threeyear terms in their respective posts at the conclusion of the 2022 fall general assembly. There also will be voting for board members for Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development agency, and the election of a new USCCB general secretary. Also scheduled to take place will be a consultation of the bishops on the sainthood causes of Charlene Marie Richard and Auguste Robert “Nonco” Pelafigue. Both have the title of “Servant of God” and were from the Diocese of Lafayette Louisiana, where Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel has officially opened their sainthood causes. Charlene, a young Cajun girl who died of leukemia in 1959 at age 12, is regarded by many in south Louisiana and beyond as a saint, saying her intercession has resulted in miracles in their lives. She is known as “The little Cajun saint.” Pelafigue was born in France and from the time he was almost 2 years old, he lived in Arnaudville, Louisiana. He died on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus June 6, 1977. He is known for his decades of ministry in the League of Sacred Heart, Apostleship of Prayer – which is now called the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. The 2007 Vatican document “Sanctorum Mater” requires the diocesan bishop promoting a sainthood cause to consult with the body of bishops on the advisability of pursuing the cause. Other items to be presented and discussed at the bishops’ assembly include: – The 2021-2023 Synod of Bishops. – The work of CRS, Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., or CLINIC. – The 50th anniversary of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the U.S. bishops’ domestic anti-poverty program. – The “Journeying Together” process of intercultural dialogue and encounter “focused on the church’s ministry with youth and young adults that fosters understanding and trust within and across cultural families toward a more welcoming and just community of faith.” – The application and implementation of the “ Pastoral Framework for Marriage and Family Life Ministry in the United States: Called to the Joy of Love.” At their June assembly, the U.S. bishops approved a draft document that provides a pastoral framework meant to strengthen marriage and family ministry in parishes and dioceses. – The “Walking with Moms in Need” initiative of the USCCB Committee on ProLife Activities that asks every diocese and parish to help mothers experiencing a difficult pregnancy find services and resources or provide these when they see gaps in such services. Public sessions of general assembly discussions and votes will be livestreamed at www.usccb.org/meetings.

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

12 Columns

Joy and encouraging vocations GUEST COLUMN

By Sister Constance Veit, l.s.p.

I do a lot of outreach to the young on behalf of my religious congregation, so I try to be aware of trends in vocations work and the common traits of emerging generations. Recently I took some time to review the latest Study on Religious Vocations, co-sponsored by the National Religious Vocation Conference and the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, hoping that it would give me an “aha moment” on how to interest young women in our community of Little Sisters of the Poor. I was struck by a section of the report entitled Intergenerational Living. According to the 2020 NRVC/ CARA study, a mere 13 percent of perpetually professed members of religious communities are younger than 60, while the same proportion are at least 90 years of age. These are pretty sobering statistics! I was consoled to read the following testimony from a young religious: “It is beautiful to have all different generations and ethnicities in one community, in one house, if we allow ourselves to see that beauty.” What a hope-filled attitude on the part of a young religious! It really inspired me to stop bemoaning the aging of our religious communities and start seeing the beauty. So, as we observe National Vocations Awareness Week, I would like to address a message of hope to my fellow women and men religious who, like me, are not so young anymore! May you too take heart in realizing that young people seeking religious life are not as deterred by the older demographics of most of our communities as we thought. They don’t seem to mind that many of us are older – but they do hope that we will live simply, in solidarity with the poor, and that we will live and pray together in a spirit of joy.

Beatitude FROM THE HERMITAGE By

sister alies therese

In a couple of weeks, Advent will offer us a joyous opportunity to enter more deeply into a new evaluation of our broken, busted, banished, bold and brought together lives in beatitude. Beatitude, however, will be hidden if we bang into barriers set to disrupt us; barriers we keep in place to protect ourselves, or so we blindly imagine. G.K. Chesterton wrote somewhere in What’s Wrong With the World? that: We’re all in the same boat ... we’re all seasick. I dare say Advent is a bit like taking a new look at the boat (my life, the church, and/or our world), and perhaps consume some Dramamine for the seasickness in the form of prayer, almsgiving and fasting. We shall also be looking for the beatitude of the coming of Jesus, though you may also discover Him asleep in your boat. Usually during Advent, I need to clear out my excuses, and I have many, part of my seasickness. Whatever they are and in whatever form they appear ... they need to go, or the promised beatitude might be obscured. I found this anonymous little excuse from a driver on his insurance claim: the pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him. Oh my, quite an excuse. Made me think of all the ways I just push on when I clearly might have stopped and

So how do we connect with the young? Let’s take a few cues from Pope Francis! We might begin by striving to become young again. The pope has suggested that we seek to renew our youthfulness at every stage of life. “As we mature, grow older and structure our lives,” he wrote, “we should never lose that enthusiasm and openness to an ever greater reality.” In Christus Vivit, our Holy Father encouraged us to let ourselves be loved by God, for he loves us just as we are. A young friend and former FOCUS missionary told me that this is the essential message we need to communicate to young people. They need to know that they are loved as they are, even though God wants to give them more. God “values and respects you,” we might say to them, borrowing from the pope’s words “but he also keeps offering you more: more of his friendship, more fervor in prayer, more hunger for his word, more longing to receive Christ in the Eucharist, more desire to live his Gospel, more inner strength, more peace and spiritual joy.” This joy is something about which the pope very often speaks, and it is something that speaks deeply to young people in their vocational discernment. It is something they see in the quality of a gaze or a smile, in the serenity with which a consecrated person embraces trials or suffering, and in the generous gift of self to the poor day after day. Pope Francis insisted on joy in a recent speech to Discalced Carmelites, “It is ugly to see consecrated men and women with a long face. It is ugly, it is ugly. Joy must come from within: that joy that is peace, an expression of friendship.” God forbid that any of us become ugly as we grow older! In Christus Vivit, the exhortation he wrote following waited until the pedestrian (be that people, ideas, prayer or issues) found their place. No need to run right over in the pursuit of beatitude. Unlikely to emerge. Excuses need to go so I can wait in peace ... not in fear. Then I will know what to do. We know what Jesus said when He arose in the boat ... where is your faith? Be not afraid. No need for excuses. And the sea was calmed. What beatitude Jesus bestows in Himself. The Catechism offers us this little definition of beatitude: “Happiness or blessedness, especially the eternal happiness of heaven, which is described as the vision of God, or entering into God’s rest by those whom God makes ‘partakers of the divine nature.’” (CCC 1024, 1721) Do reread this a couple of times because therein lies the very good news of the arrival of Jesus, Divine Beatitude. I am always reminded when I find these immense realities a bit overwhelming that Jesus was gracious enough, thoughtful enough, and wise enough to come as a little Child ... a small baby, a little fella who would need to be fed and watered, comforted and rocked, enjoyed and played with, taught and accompanied on His journey of self-discovery and vocation. Who is afraid of a little child? The beatitude of humility. Jesus’ ministry takes the time to convince us that our final beatitude will be to see God face-to-face. Really? That sounds a bit overpowering. Fortunately, Jesus will make that transformative experience a blessing beyond all blessings. No barriers, no excuses, nothing to separate us from God. Nothing. Forever. First, however we must

the Synod on young people in the life of the church, Pope Francis reminded us that Christ is alive and he wants us to be fully alive. “When you feel you are growing old out of sorrow, resentment or fear,” he wrote, “he will always be there to restore your strength and your hope.” So, let’s ask Jesus, “himself eternally young,” to give us hearts that are ever young and capable of loving, ready to welcome the new generations who knock on our doors just as Elizabeth welcomed the Virgin Mary into her home in the Visitation. Let’s witness to these young women and men the JOY that fills our hearts, and is eager to fill theirs as well, if only they give themselves to Him! (Sister Constance Veit is director of communications for the Little Sisters of the Poor.)

The author (lower left) enjoying community time in San Francisco. Next to her is Sr. Cecilia Mary Sartorius, who recently left us for the Father’s House. Sr. Cecilia served as a superior for many years and in many locations, influencing younger Little Sisters with her joyful spirit.

learn the ways of beatitude and be ready to pray and act as if we belong. That’s what we are doing here until we move on. Thus, it is no secret that Matthew or Luke’s teachings from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount are referred to as ‘The Beatitudes’ ... the happinesses ... the blessings ... the promises, the actions and attitudes of the Christian life. (CCC 1716) When we explore our weaknesses and discover our gifts we are beginning to walk in the way of beatitude. When we discover our selfishness and the tiny Child ... we are beginning a deeper journey into the humility of God. Remember though that ‘crash and burn’ is not the way to get there as our driver pointed out: When I could not avoid the collision, I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car. Excuses must go even ones as simple as this: Sally won’t be in school a week from Friday. We must attend her funeral. Who knew? Thus, in this season of plenty let us not only be thankful for all things, but really be thankful for all things. That challenge of gratitude will lead us to an attitude of receptivity, opening our hearts to the beatitude to come, filling us with what we need to make truthful and healthy decisions. “The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement — however beneficial it may be — such as science, technology, and art or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love.” (CCC 1723) (Sister alies therese is a canonically vowed hermit with days formed around prayer and writing.)

BRIEFS 13

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC NOVEMBER 5, 2021

NATION

WASHINGTON (CNS) – Ahead of President Joe Biden’s Oct. 29 meeting with Pope Francis, panelists in a webinar offered mostly praise for Biden’s sincerity and what they said is his commitment to his Catholic faith. “We believe President Biden treats his vocation as a sacred one,” said Mary J. Novak, executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobby organization. Biden and the pope both “lead with a very clear conviction that solidarity is essential to our faith,” she said during the Oct. 26 event. In announcing the webinar, a Network news release called the meeting of the two leaders “an important inflection point for global and U.S. politics.” The White House has indicated that discussion topics for Biden and the pope in their private meeting at the Vatican are likely to include climate change, income inequality and migration. Webinar participants highlighted these same issues as those they hoped the two leaders would discuss. Whether the issue of abortion will come up is not known; Biden as a Catholic supports legal abortion, while church teaching upholds the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. One prominent U.S. pro-life leader, Judie Brown of the American Life League, said in an Oct. 28 statement that Pope Francis “needs to hold Biden accountable” for “his pro-abortion views.” WASHINGTON (CNS) – The theme of the 2022 March for Life in Washington is “Equality Begins in the Womb.” “We want to expand” the nation’s current “rigorous debate about inequality” to the unborn, said Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund. She made the comments Oct. 27 at the Heritage Foundation, where the theme was announced. Calling the theme a cry for “inherent human dignity because of who we are in our essence,” she added, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere, including in the womb.” The March for Life is scheduled for Jan. 21. It is always held on a date near the anniversary

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, safety and fraud hotlines for over 4,100 organizations between the U.S. and abroad. To make a report visit www.lighthouse-services.com/jacksondiocese or call 888-8300004 (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 donation or leaving a bequest to the Association of Priests. Our parish priests dedicate their lives to caring for us, their flocks. Let us now care for them in their retirement. Donations can be made payable to the Association of Priests and can be mailed to: Diocese of Jackson, Attn: Cathy Pendleton, P.O. Box 2248, Jackson, MS 39225-2248

of the Supreme Court’s 1973 rulings, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which legalized abortion nationwide. Carrie Severino, president of Judicial Crisis Network, said 2022 is “going to be one of the most significant years for the march yet,” said Severino, referring to oral arguments to be heard Dec. 1 by the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. It’s an appeal by Mississippi to remove a lower court’s injunction on its law banning most abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. A ruling in the case is expected next year. If the court upholds the state’s law, many expect Roe v. Wade to be overturned. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) – When the Taliban began taking control of Afghanistan in mid-August, “in one night, everything changed,” recalled Adam. Adam, his wife and their 7-year-old son are three of the more than 150 Afghans whom Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Nashville have helped and will continue to help resettle in the next several months through the State Department’s Afghan Placement Assistance Program. At the beginning of September, the Department of Homeland Security implemented Operation Allies Welcome “to support vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside us in Afghanistan for the past two decades as they safely resettle in the United States,” according to the official Department of Homeland Security website, further leading to implementation of the placement program. Since August 2018, Adam served as an Afghan interpreter for U.S. service members through the security office at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Because of his service to the U.S. troops, he requested his family’s true identity remain anonymous to protect their loved ones who are still in Kabul. Adam hopes to study anthropology and prepare for his dream career. “My hope for my future in America is to serve as I served before,” Adam said. “I want to serve for the government because the government can help Afghanistan; the government can help my people.”

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square this year will have a distinctly Indigenous, Andean look with the centerpiece being a “Hilipuska” baby Jesus, that is, one wrapped in a blanket bound with a long cord known as a “chumpi.” The super-swaddled baby is typical of the Andean highlands, particularly in Peru’s Huancavelica region, which is home to the five artists who created the 30-piece Nativity scene. In a statement released Oct. 28, the Vatican City State governing office said the scene was chosen, in part, to mark the 200th anniversary of Peru’s independence. “The Three Kings will have saddlebags or sacks containing foods characteristic of Huancavelica, such as potatoes, quinoa, kiwicha and cañihua, and will be accompanied by llamas carrying a Peruvian flag on their backs,” the Vatican said. “In the crèche, there also will be statues of different animals belonging to the local fauna such as: alpacas, vicuñas, sheep, vizcachas, flamingoes and the Andean condor,” which is the national symbol of Peru. The crèche will sit under a spruce tree, which is expected to be about 90 feet tall. The tree will come from a sustainably managed forest in the Dolomite mountains of Italy’s Trentino-South Tyrol region. The round wooden ornaments also will come from Trentino, the Vatican said.

WORLD

WELLINGTON (CNS) – New Zealand’s Catholic bishops have prepared guidelines for health professionals, chaplains and priests to assist them in their pastoral work with people who decide to die under the country’s End of Life Choice Act that takes effect Nov. 7. While the church opposes the deliberate taking of human life, it cannot turn away people who choose “assisted dying” under the new law, said Bishop Stephen Lowe of Hamilton, New Zealand, vice president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The church must help people view the questions and choices they face through a Christian lens, Bishop Lowe said in a statement released by the bishops’ conference Oct. 28. “Individuals often find themselves in complex places. In these times, the church tries to offer guidance to people as best they can, but people make their own choices,” he said. “Often as a church, we find ourselves caring for people dealing with the consequences of such choices. Our pastoral practice is always called to be a reflection of our God, who does not abandon his people,” he added.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With the COVID-19 pandemic still underway and with restrictions on gatherings still in place in some countries, the Vatican has again extended the period of time when people can earn a plenary indulgence for visiting a cemetery and praying for the souls of the faithful in purgatory. Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal dealing with matters of conscience, said the indulgences traditionally obtained during the first week of November can be gained throughout the entire month of November, the Vatican announced Oct. 28. The cardinal said he was acting in response to “pleas recently received from various sacred pastors of the church because of the state of the continuing pandemic.” Traditionally, the faithful could receive a full indulgence each day from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8 when they visited a cemetery to pray for the departed and fulfilled other conditions, and, in particular, when they went to a church or an oratory to pray Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day. Because of the pandemic and the popularity in many cultures of visiting cemeteries for All Souls’ Day, some local governments and dioceses closed cem- A euthanasia advocate who suffers from an incurable condition eteries in the first week of November that atrophies her muscles and has left her breathing through a to prevent crowding. That led Cardinal ventilator, lies in bed at her home in Lima, Peru, Feb. 7, 2020. Piacenza to issue a decree in 2020 ex- New Zealand bishops have developed guidelines for health profestending the period for the indulgences. sionals, chaplains and priests to assist them in their pastoral work The decree for 2021 renewed those with people who decide to die under the country’s End of Life Choice Act that takes effect Nov. 7, 2021. (CNS photo/Sebastian provisions. Castaneda, Reuters)

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

14 youth

Dinosaur takeover

Garden delight

COLUMBUS – Annunciation kindergarten students wrap up their unit on dinosaurs with a dinosaur parade up and down the school hallways. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)

SOUTHAVEN – (Top) Sacred Heart PK-3 student, Ollie, gets help watering pansies the children planted earlier in the week. (Bottom) Vincent and Shayla water the broccoli that they planted as a follow up to learning about the story of creation. (Photos courtesy of Sister Margaret Sue Broker)

Red Ribbon Week

MERIDIAN – Fifth graders Jackson Spitzkeit and Helena Rutledge have their picture made by their teacher Lindi Palmer. This dress up day was a part of Red Ribbon Week – “Dress as your favorite book character – Good Character Counts!”(Photo by Emily Thompson)

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC NOVEMBER 5, 2021

DIOCESE 15

Art: of Mass and of pumpkins

SOUTHAVEN – Izzy, Eli and Maddie with Bishop Joseph Kopacz during the recessional of Mass at Sacred Heart School on Monday, Oct. 18. (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)

MADISON – For St. Anthony's annual pumpkin contest, third grader Madison McCullough put together Father Albeen Vatti and Kindergartener, Morgan McCullough made Msgr. Mike Flannery. (Photo by Amanda McCullough)

Exploring science

MERIDIAN – Fourth grader Jeremiah Mari presents his contraption to the judges of the Knights of Columbus Creative Contraptions Competition at St. Patrick School. Pictured left to right: Mark Hampton, Mouise Richards, Bob Leo, Jeremiah Mari and Tom Zettler. (Photo by courtesy of St. Patrick School)

COLUMBUS – Annunciation seventh grade student, Hollis Fenstermacher, participates in a "Melting Ice Lab" which is an inquiry-based activity that lets students explore the effects that melting ice has on the temperature of its surroundings. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)

16 DIOCESE

Signs along the road

JACKSON – As a part of National Vocations Awareness Week, we hear from our diocesan seminarians, and the encouragements they received as they began to ponder God’s will and the possibility they may be called to priesthood. "Father Martin Ruane, my first pastor, was a big influence on me. Father Ruane was a joyfilled priest. A joy-filled priest gives a powerful witness to the light of Christ in the world." – Deacon Andrew Bowden (Deacon Andrew will be ordained to the priesthood in May 2022.) "I converted to Catholicism while I was pursuing my undergraduate degree after reading a copy of St. Augustine’s Confessions that I found in a used bookshop in Florida. I almost immediately began to feel a call to ordination." – Carlisle Beggerly (Carlisle will be ordained to the diaconate in preparation for priesthood in June 2022.)

NOVEMBER 5, 2021 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC "I first felt a desire for priesthood when I was a senior in high school. When I was in college, that desire grew. By participating in, and leading, mission trips to serve the homeless through the Catholic Campus Ministry I realized a desire I have to serve others. The more I did this, the deeper that desire grew and I felt a greater excitement for service to the people of God. The feeling of a call to priesthood became so great that I couldn't ignore it..." – Will Foggo (Will is in his 2nd year of Pre-Theology studies, he is scheduled for priestly ordination in Spring 2026.)

"I was convinced that I would play college basketball. They say: 'If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.' In the summer of 2018 I went to a Catholic youth conference called Steubenville On the Bayou. It was a faith filled experience and was the first time I considered the priesthood. I had an amazing encounter with our Lord during the exposition of the Eucharist. After returning home I started to receive spiritual direction. This helped me to pre-discern my vocation." – Grayson Foley (Grayson is in his 2nd year of Philosophy PEARL – Seminarians gathered studies, he is scheduled for priestly ordination in for the Ordination of Deacon AnSpring 2028.) drew Bowden on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at his home parish of Please keep our seminarians (and religious St. Jude. Left to right: Grayson discerners and postulants) in your prayers, and reFoley, Tristan Stovall, Deacon, member that you can be a great influence for young Ryann Stoer, Carlisle Beggerly people just by sharing with them that they would and William Foggo. (Photo from make a great priest or religious. archives)

Diocesan vocations events aim to give time and space to listen for God’s call With so much distraction and ‘noise’ in the word, God’s call can be difficult to hear. The Department of Vocations is offering young men and women opportunities to retreat and listen to the call of God. Here is a timeline of what has happened, and what will happen in the coming months to give our young people time and space to listen. CHATAWA – Father Nick Adam directs an activity at the Quo Vadis retreat for young men open to the priesthood in June 2021. (Photo by Ron Blalock Photography) "I graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from New Mexico Tech. I had a couple job offers after I graduated. I accepted a job as a nuclear engineer, but before I could start working, I needed a security clearance. While I was waiting for that clearance, I went to confession one day, and a priest said that I should be a priest. When the priest said that, I said, 'No way! I’ve always wanted a wife and kids.' Then, I left, [but] what he said stuck with me, and I began my discernment." – Ryan Stoer (Ryan is in his 2nd year of Theology studies, he is scheduled for priestly ordination in Spring 2024.) "My first memory of Catholicism is seeing the funeral of St. John Paul II on television. At the time I was awestruck by all the proceedings. I had so many questions about what was happening and who this man was for whom the whole world was coming to a halt. I became more and more interested as I grew up." – Tristan Stovall (Tristan is in his 2nd year of Theology studies, he is scheduled for priestly ordination in Spring 2024.)

June 2021 – Quo Vadis? I The question where are you going was explored at this three-day retreat for young men who are open to priesthood. Father Nick and the diocesan seminarians led the retreat and gave talks to the 14 men in attendance. November 19-21, 2021 – Quo Vadis? II Coming off the success of the first retreat, the Diocese of Baton Rouge and the Diocese of Jackson have teamed up to offer another discernment retreat. Father Josh Johnson, vocation director for Baton Rouge and Father Nick Adam are leading the retreat along with seminarians from both dioceses. Young men ages 15-25 are invited to attend. Winter/Spring 2022 – Nun Run II The Department of Vocations is leading a trek north to visit several different religious communities in early 2022. Father Nick will begin recruitment in December for this trip. The first Nun Run was held in Fall of 2019 and was a huge success. Kathleen McMullin was on that trip and is now a postulant in a religious community! The Department of Vocations also offers individual and small group visits to seminaries and religious communities based on need and circumstance. Several young men have been hosted at the seminary by Father Nick and our seminarians in the past year. If you are interested in any of these events, or want to know how you could help, please email nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.