DECEMBER 8, 2023
mississippicatholic.com
For most families with loved ones still held by Hamas, the painful wait continues BY RICK SNIZEK
paper of the Diocese of Providence. "Who are they going to tell me is dead? I don't TEL AVIV (OSV News) – It's a nightknow." mare scenario that no parent would "I was praying I don't want anyone to ever want to experience. Fifty days after die, but just not my children," she said, her children were taken hostage, Hadas crying. Kalderon did not see their names on the The day before, Kalderon had orgalist of the first three rounds of released nized a party to mark her mother's 80th hostages. birthday, complete with a festive chocoFinally on the list of the fourth round late cake adorned with two, huge glittery of the hostage release Nov. 27, she saw candles forming the digits of her mileher children, who are returning to Israel stone age atop it. from Hamas captivity. That day, she would learn from the Two weeks after five members of soldiers at her door that her mother and her family were taken captive by Hamas Noya, who was autistic, were found murmilitants on Oct. 7, two somber-faced dered in Gaza. members of the Israeli Defense Forces The last communication with her approached the home Kalderon has been children came in the form of a frantic staying at with a friend in Tel Aviv after text message from another home in the hers was destroyed in the attacks. kibbutz as the attack unfolded. She told them to go away before slow"They told me that they also have terly collapsing to the floor crying in grief. rorists inside their house, and so they She couldn't bear to hear the news. jumped from the window and were hidShortly after 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 7, under ing in the bush. This was the last mesthe cover of hundreds of rockets being sage I got from them," Kalderon said. launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel, At the time she was experiencing a the militants broke through the security Hadas, second from left, and Ofer Kalderon, second from right, pose in an fence separating several kibbutzim along undated family photo in Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, with their four children, from nightmare of her own. The Hamas militants, with the group the southeastern border with the Pales- left, Sahar, now 16; Rotem, 19; Erez, 12; and Gaia, 21. Sahar and Erez along being designated as a terrorist organizatinian territory. with their father were taken hostage by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, and Hadar Over the course of the next two has received no word of their fate. They were not in any of the three groups tion by the U.S., as it rejects Israel's right hours, 29 of Kibbutz Nir Oz's 400 resi- released by Hamas Nov. 24-26. Her mother and niece have been reported to exist and has dedicated itself to the formation of a Palestinian state in the dents would be murdered, and 80 would murdered in Gaza. (OSV News photo/courtesy Hadas Kalderon) Holy land, had now raided her home as be taken captive and across the border, to well. be secreted somewhere in Gaza. Among She described them as bloodthirsty, going house to house murdering and butchthem were Laderon's two youngest children, son Erez, 12, and daughter Sahar, 16; ering residents, and even any cats or dogs they came across. their father, Ofer, 53; her mother Carmela, 80; and niece Noya, 12. "I was in a safe room, all alone for eight Recalling the IDF's visit she said: "I told them, 'Go away, I don't want to hear – Continued on page 8 – from you,'" Kalderon told a visiting reporter from the Rhode Island Catholic, news- hours, in the dark, with no electricity, no
St. Joseph Fighting Irish hold off Kirk Academy to win state championship BY DAVID W. HEALY, DELTA DEMOCRAT-TIMES
Raiders were out of the time outs, the head official restarted the clock and the final JACKSON – Of the five state football championships the St. Joseph Catholic seconds ticked off. After that, the celebration could finally begin. School football program has won over the last seven years, the one they won on “This win was all about our defense,” St. Joseph head coach John Baker said. Friday, Nov. 17 night may be the sweetest. Unlike in years past, the 2023 version of the Fighting Irish (8-5) were not a super “Our defense stepped up time after time after time. team that dominated the season from start to finish. Instead, they were a bunch of – Continued on page 6 – kids who kept fighting through adversity and got better and better as the season wore on. INSIDE THIS WEEK St. Joseph’s 6-0 victory over Kirk Academy in the MAIS Class 3A State Championship Friday, Nov. 17 at Jackson Academy was much like their season as a whole. It was a gritty victory and the Fighting Irish had to battle until the very end. Led by senior quarterback Carter Hatchcock, the Kirk Academy Raiders, who entered the title game with a perfect 12-0 record, made one last frantic drive in the final two minutes of the game. The drive ended, however, when a Kirk Academy receiver caught a pass for a first down inside the 3-yard line with three seconds left Youth 14 Achievement award 4 From the archives 9 on the clock. The game saving tackle was made by St. Joseph juYouth photos from schools Sister Trinita awarded lifeBishop Gerow's diary covnior Chris Moore. and parishes time achievement award erage of WWII But, because he could not get out of bounds and the