MS Catholic January 27, 2023

Historic Catholic school enrollment rise holds steady as U.S. enters fourth year with

BY GINA CHRISTIAN

(OSV News) – Enrollment numbers at Catholic schools across the U.S. continue to hold steady following a bump at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. After data released last summer by the National Catholic Educational Association showed a 3.8% nationwide increase in enrollment for Catholic elementary and secondary schools during the 2021-2022 school year, numbers going into the 2022-2023 year continued to look strong.

"This year we had stable enrollment, and to me that means schools already did a great job of retaining students and families," Annie Smith, NCEA vice president of research and data, told OSV News.

Countering a 6.4% enrollment decline from the previous school year, the 2021-2022 enrollment spike in Catholic schools was the first in two decades, and the largest ever recorded by the Leesburg, Virginia-based NCEA, which represents some 140,000 educators serving 1.6 million students.

Smith also said the rate of U.S. Catholic school closures had declined.

"We used to have about 100 per year," she said, noting 209 schools closed or merged prior to the 2020-2021 academic year. "This year we had under 50."

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Greg Richmond, superintendent of schools, said that their numbers had stayed steady for the first half of the 2022-2023 school year

– a feat made even more impressive by the fact that “the annual number of births in our archdiocese has been plummeting," he said.

According to Richmond, annual births within the Chicago archdiocese declined from 90,000 to 65,000 over the last 15 years. "So there are a lot fewer kids than there used to be, but our numbers went up and stayed level," he said.

In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Catholic schools marked a 4.2% uptick in enrollment last year, jumping from almost 64,700 to just under 67,500, according to senior director and superintendent Paul Escala.

Escala told OSV News the gain – their first in 27 years – was realized while complying with California's stringent COVID prevention protocols.

"We advocated and worked closely with public health partners to allow for reopening in person, with masking, distancing, desk shields and no visitors," he said. "It was a tremendous challenge."

Those efforts have paid off by attracting new families to Catholic education, said Escala.

Smith attributed the growth and subsequent steadiness to "a combination of things," including Catholic schools' ability to "pivot in meeting the needs of students" throughout the various phases of COVID restrictions.

BY KATE SCANLON

WASHINGTON (OSV) – Tens of thousands of prolife advocates descended upon the nation's capital for the 50th March for Life Jan. 20 – the first national march since the overturn of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that initially prompted the annual demonstration.

Standing on the event stage at the National Mall, with the U.S. Capitol visible in the background, Jeanne Mancini, March for Life president, told attendees at a rally prior to the march that "the country and world changed" when Roe was reversed in June 2022. But she said the annual March for Life would continue in Washington until abortion is "unthinkable."

"While the March began as a response to Roe, we don't end as a response to Roe being overturned," Mancini said. "Why? Because we are not yet done."

The march took place on a sunny and unseasonably warm day in Washington. A headcount of attendees was not immediately available, as the National Park Service does not release crowd size estimates.

The national March for Life first took place in Washington in 1974 in response to the Roe decision legalizing abortion nationwide the previous year. The protest has taken place in Washington each year since, with a smaller-in-scale event during the COVID-19 pan-

demic in 2021.

The 2023 event was the first national March for Life since the high court’s June 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe and returned the matter of regulating or restricting abortion to state legislatures.

At the pre-march rally, the Christian band "We Are Messengers" performed, followed by a number of speakers, including Jonathan Roumie, known for his role as “Jesus” in the television series "The

Chosen,"

Molla

former Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy, Democratic Connecticut State Rep. Trenee McGee, and Gianna Emanuela Molla, the daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla. Canonized in 2004, St. Gianna gave her life for Giana Emanuela, choosing to move forward with her fourth pregnancy even after doctors discovered a tumor in her uterus.

told the rallygoers that she thanks her "saint mom" for the gift of life. "I would not be here now with

NATCHEZ – Teacher, Justin Johnson goes over an assignment with student, Ella Moak at Cathedral School in Natchez. The U.S. average of Catholic school enrollment is holding steady as country enters fourth year with COVID-19. (Photo by Cara Moody)

SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. Women’s Morning of Spirituality, Saturday, Feb. 4 at Church of the Incarnation. Breakfast at 7:15; program at 8:15 and Mass at 12:15. Speaker is Cathy Reineking and Keynote is Ann Leatherman. Mass celebrant will be Bishop Terry Steib. Register at http://womensmorning.com. Details: email wmosmemphis@gmail.com.

GREENWOOD Locus Benedictus, School of the Holy Spirit, Feb. 16-19. Cost $100 per person, no charge for age 18 and under. Featured speakers: Father Tom Dilorenzo, Maria Vadia and Pastor Myles Milham, with worship team of Mike McDuffee and Arianna Alberti. To register or more details visit: https://tinyurl.com/ SHS-2023-locus-benedictus. Details: Magdalene (662) 299-1232 or locus-benedictus@gmail.com.

NATION Bible in a Year Online Retreat, Feb. 10-13, led by Father Mike Schmitz. Details: for info and to register visit ascensionpress.com/pages/2023biyretreat.

ST. LOUIS Discernment retreat, Feb. 17-20 at the School Sisters of Notre Dame Sancta Maria in Ripa campus. Retreat theme is “Caught up in God’s love: Listening to the call.” Weekend will include time for personal and communal reflections. Sessions will provide opportunity to learn – through conversation, contemplation, prayer and spiritual guidance – how to recognize God’s invitations in your life. No cost to attend. Private rooms provided, all meals included. Details: for more informaiton and to register visit ssnd. org/events/retreat23.

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS

CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Knights of Columbus Spaghetti Supper, Thursday, Feb. 9 from 4-6:30 p.m. at the KC Hall. A limited number of tickets will be sold; plates are $15 and drive thru only. Tickets can be purchased from any Knight at the parish.

Our Lady of Victories, 2nd annual Supper and Substance for married couples, Saturday, Feb. 11 in the parish center, following 5:30 p.m. Cost $50 per couple. Forms due Feb. 1. Details: church office (662) 846-6273.

FLOWOOD St. Paul, 20th Annual $10,000 Draw Down Mardi Gras party, Saturday, Feb. 18 from 7-11

p.m. Tickets $125/admits two. Details: call Pat at (601) 953-6370.

GREENVILLE St. Joseph School, Spring Fling, Feb. 11 from 7-11 p.m. at the Delta Men’s Association in Eudora, Arkansas. Tickets include dinner, drinks for two; entertainment by Stylish and $10,000 Draw Down. Details: visit www.stjoeirish.org.

St. Joseph Church, Youth Group Strawberry Fundraiser. Cost 8 lb flat $30 or 4 lb $15. Orders due by Feb. 10, payable to St. Joseph Church. Details: order from Alyssa at (662) 335-5251 or stop by the office.

GREENWOOD Immaculate Heart of Mary, Annual Fat Tuesday Chili Fest, Feb. 21. Details: church office (662) 453-3980.

GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Family Bingo Night, Friday, Feb. 3 from 6-8 p.m. in the parish hall. Items needed for prizes. Details: church office (601) 856-2054.

HERNANDO Cocktails and Catholicism, Second Friday of each month from 7-8:30 p.m., for adults only. Meeting space at Holy Spirit Church (545 E. Commerce Street) in the Family Life Center. On Feb. 10, Father Ben Bradshaw of St. Michael’s in Memphis and creator of Soul Food Priest will discuss faith and food in his talk “Can we eat alligator on Fridays and other important things to prepare for Lent.” Details: RSVP at https:// bit.ly/CoctailsCatholicismFeb10 or call Deacon Ted at Christ the King at (662) 342-1073.

JACKSON St. Richard School, Krewe de Cardinal, Friday, Feb. 10 at The South Warehouse in Jackson. Theme is “Rio de Janiero.” Enjoy food and drinks, plus music by the Epic Funk Brass Band. Silent auction and raffles. Tickets $200 per couple. Details: Tammy at tconrad@strichardschool.org.

JACKSON St. Richard Church, Liturgical Living in Lent, Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. in Foley Hall. Event for parents – nursey, refreshments, fellowship and materials provided. Details: email csimmons@strichardschool.org for more information.

MADISON St. Joseph School, Jeans, Jazz and Bruin Blues Draw Down, Saturday, Jan. 28 from 6-9 p.m. at The Country Club of Jackson. Tickets are $130 per couple. Enjoy a wide selection of food, open bar, auctions and a chance to win $10,000. Only 500 draw down tickets will be sold. Details: www. stjoedrawdown.com.

MERIDIAN St. Patrick, Travel with Father Augustine to Italy and France, September 9-19, 2023. Travel to Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Assisi, Venice, Italy and Lourdes, France. Cost: $4,999 with airfare and all included. Details: To register contact (855) 842-8001 or register online at proximotravel.com.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, “Rekindling Eucharistic Amazement” Catholics as Intentional Missionary Disciples of Jesus, Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. Featured speaker is Father James Wehner of the Diocese of Pitts-

burg. Events begin at 6 p.m. each day of the program. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.

PEARL St. Jude, Feed My Sheep Ministry will be serving lunch and passing out “Blessing Bags” at Poindezter Park in Jackson on Sunday, Jan. 29. Donations accepted to help with cost of meal. Volunteers are needed to assemble blessing bags, prepare the meal and transport and serve the meal. Details: contact Beth at bethpaczak@gmail.com to volunteer.

PEARL St. Jude, “Lent: A Season of Preparation and Renewal” – Mission and Mass with Father Joseph Krafft, professor of pastoral theology at Notre Dame Seminary. He will preach at all Masses the weekend of Feb. 18 and 19. Mission on Feb. 19, 20 and 21 at 6 p.m. Details: church office (601) 939-3181.

STARKVILLE St. Joseph, Deacon John will be hosting ENGAGE this Spring. Come and engage in your faith on Monday nights from 6-7 p.m. in the church. The schedule is as follows: Jan. 23; Feb. 6 and 20; March 6, 20 and 27; April 17; May 1 and 15. Details: church office (662) 323-2257.

SAVE THE DATE

JACKSON 17th Annual Sister Thea Bowman School Draw Down, Saturday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose building. Details: school office (601) 352-5441.

WASHINGTON – A group of 47 from St. Mary Basilica traveled with Father Aaron Williams to New York and Washington for March for Life events. Pictured are Graci and Jay Gamberi on the streets of Washington Marching for Life. (Photo courtesy of Father Aaron Williams)

Synodal path reveals common ground

BY BISHOP JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D.

So, what’s new with the Synod on Synodality? Toward the end of 2021 Pope Francis had directed the church throughout the world to engage in the process we have come to know as the Synod.

Throughout 2022 each (arch)diocese, in one arrangement or another, responded to the pope’s vision and directive, and launched the process under the gaze of the Holy Spirit, producing a synthesis of the People of God’s joys and hopes and wounds along with a profound desire for all of what Jesus desired for his church.

In turn, nearly 200 (arch) dioceses in the United States by region, like streams of water, combined to form a flowing river in the National Synthesis document that reflects the work of approximately 700,000 Catholics. This was the inspired work of 2022.

Currently, all countries have entered into the Continental Stage and the United States is partnered with Canada. The goal is that further prayer and dialogue will refine the voices of nearly one million Catholics in the North American neighbors. During January several representatives from the Diocese of Jackson took part in the Continental Stage. What is produced at this level will go on to Rome for additional dialogue and discernment in anticipation of Pope Francis’ written

Apostolic Exhortation in 2024, the fruit of the worldwide Synod.

The Catholic Church in the United States and in Canada are at the center of “western culture” a reality that offers opportunities and challenges that vary significantly from other parts of the world. The links to each country’s National Synthesis are available for your edification to better appreciate the common themes with our neighbors to the north, and also the pronounced differences.

Canada’s overall population is significantly less than the United States and its Catholic population mirrors this reality. There is a large indigenous population in western Canada, and Pope Francis modeled the spirit of Synodality when he visited last year to be with those so unjustly treated in their boarding schools, in order to listen, to pray, to honor their culture and to express his and the church’s sorrow over the pain that still afflicts the people.

On the other hand, the Province of Quebec in the East is extremely secular and “there is a desire for urgent change in order to regain – or preserve – what remains of the church’s relevance and mission.”

To one degree or another the Catholic Church in each country is responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to gather in prayer, discernment and respectful dialogue in order to see, to value the things that truly matter and to serve with the mind and heart of Jesus Christ.

The Synodal path has revealed the common ground between each of our countries. As Pope Francis modeled in Canada among the Indigenous, there was a high

premium in both National Syntheses placed on the virtue of listening. At the core of being a welcoming church is a listening heart that takes a long and loving look at what is real.

“The value of simply listening is a clear message of the Synod process. People must be able to speak honestly on even the most controversial topics without fear of rejection. We must be open to new ideas and new ways of doing thing, even as we remain faithful to the church’s tradition. Faith formation can help us develop greater understanding and grow in trusting the Holy Spirit who is at work in every place and time.” (U.S. Synthesis)

Replete throughout the National Syntheses is the call for the church to fulfill the promise of Jesus for life in abundance. There ought to be far greater collaboration between the ordained and the laity in order to continue to build a culture of trust and transparency between the church’s leadership and the faithful. Reconciling the wounds of the past, reaching out to the alienated, accompanying those on the margins of society, and heeding the call to repentance and conversion demonstrate that the Kingdom of God is in our midst.

“As Pope Francis frequently reminds us, Synodality is not a one-time event, but an invitation to an ongoing style of church life. We have taken the first steps of this path, and we have learned much; we have more to learn and more to do as witnesses of Christ Jesus in our time.” (Intro, U.S. Synthesis)

Editor’s Note: For the Diocese Synod Synthesis, U.S. National Synod Synthesis and document on the Continental Stage of the Synod, visit www.jacksondiocese. org/synod.

El camino sinodal revela un terreno común

POR OBISPO JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D.

Entonces, ¿qué hay de nuevo en el Sínodo sobre la Sinodalidad? Hacia fines de 2021, el Papa Francisco había ordenado a la iglesia de todo el mundo que participara en el proceso que conocemos como el Sínodo.

A lo largo de 2022 cada diócesis y arquidiócesis, en una disposición u otra, respondió a la visión y directiva del Papa, puso en marcha el proceso bajo la mirada del Espíritu Santo y se produjo una síntesis de las alegrías y esperanzas y heridas del Pueblo de Dios, junto con un profundo deseo por todo lo que Jesús anhelaba para su iglesia.

A su vez, casi 200 arquidiócesis en los Estados Unidos por región, como corrientes de agua, se combinaron para formar un río que fluye en el documento de Síntesis Nacional que refleja el trabajo de aproximadamente 700,000 católicos. Este fue el trabajo inspirado de 2022.

Actualmente, todos los países han entrado en la Etapa Continental y Estados Unidos está asociado con Canadá. El objetivo es que más oración y diálogo refinarán las voces de casi un millón de católicos en los vecinos de América del Norte. Durante enero varios representantes de la Diócesis de Jackson participaron en el Escenario

Continental. Lo que se produzca a este nivel irá a Roma para diálogo adicional y discernimiento, en anticipación a la Exhortación Apostólica escrita del Papa Francisco en 2024, fruto del Sínodo mundial.

La Iglesia Católica en los Estados Unidos y en Canadá están en el centro de la “cultura occidental”, una realidad que ofrece oportunidades y desafíos que varían significativamente de otras partes del mundo. Los enlaces a la Síntesis Nacional de cada país están disponibles para su edificación para apreciar mejor los temas comunes con nuestros vecinos del norte, y también las diferencias pronunciadas.

La población total de Canadá es significativamente menor que la de Estados Unidos y su población católica refleja esta realidad. Hay una gran población indígena en el oeste de Canadá, y el Papa Francisco modeló el espíritu de sinodalidad cuando visitó el año pasado para estar con aquellos que son tratados tan injustamente en sus internados, para escuchar, orar, honrar su cultura y expresar su dolor y el de la iglesia por el dolor que aún aflige al pueblo.

– Continúa en la pág. 10 –

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Friday, Feb. 3, 12 p.m. – Dedication of Habitat Catholic Build Home for the Brown family, Prentiss Street, Jackson

Friday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m. – Rite of Candidacy – Deacons, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Sunday, Feb. 5, 5 p.m. – Confirmation, St. Richard, Jackson

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

Friday, Feb. 10, 6 p.m. – St. Richard School – Krewe de Cardinal, The South Warehouse, Jackson

per year – twice per month in December and January; and once per month February – November. For address changes, corrections or to join the email list for the digital edition, email: editor@jacksondiocese.org. Subscription rate: $20 a year in Mississippi, $21 out-of-state. Periodical postage at Jackson, MS 39201 and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mississippi Catholic, P.O. Box 2130, Jackson, MS 39225-2130. Website: www.mississippicatholic.com  www.jacksondiocese.org

Sunday, Feb. 12, 3 p.m. – World Marriage Day, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

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

CALLED BY NAME

“…if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.”

American novelist Flannery O’Connor responded with this curt statement after a fellow dinner guest suggested that the Eucharist was a nice symbol. The devout Catholic O’Connor had clearly based much of her journey in the faith assenting to the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, and so she responded with great courage at a suggestion that the Eucharist was not the very presence of Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under the appearance of bread and wine.

She recounted the comment to her friend in a letter and went onto write regarding the comment ‘that was all the defense I was capable of, but I realize now that this is all I will ever be able to say about it, outside of a story, except that [the Eucharist] is the center of existence for me; all the rest is expendable.’ (Excerpts from O’Connor’s letter cited in John Desmond’s 2002 article for Logos “Flannery O’Connor and the Symbol”)

Certainly, anyone can look to this anecdote for encouragement in making the Eucharist the center of his or her life, but I think about that statement when it comes to other truths of the faith that we hold as well, including the call to celibacy for most priests in the Roman Church.

As I’ve stated in this space before, the reason for celibacy is often assumed to be ‘so the priest has more time to minister and doesn’t have to care for his family.’ My response to that is O’Connor-esk: “if that’s the reason for celibacy, to hell with it.’

Priestly celibacy is a real Spiritual Fatherhood that a man must be

called to. One of the reasons that seminary is so long is so a man can discern chaste celibacy alongside priesthood. Jesus says in Matthew 19 that some will be called to be unmarried “...for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive this.” (Matthew 19:12b; NRSV2CE)

If my celibacy is a way to give me more time, it’s not working. I have less time now than I ever had, but that is because I am seeking to exercise a real fatherhood and a real spousal relationship that is lived out in my soul and in my day-to-day work and life.

Jesus actually taught this in the Gospel. That’s why I always cite these words when people try to give me an ‘out.’ They say things like: “I wish y’all could get married, because you’d probably have more help.”

I realize that these comments are made in support of me and my brother priests, but sometimes I respond in a way similar to O’Connor’s defense of the Real Presence. If the priesthood and the call to celibacy that I discerned in seminary is really all about efficiency and was not a true call to be a spiritual father, to hell with it

I believe that priesthood can most fruitfully be lived out with a deep recognition that you were called into relationship with the church and into a true fatherhood for her people. Thankfully this was explained to me many times in many ways by many different formators in the seminary, and that work continues with our men currently in formation.

Thank you for your support of priests, and please encourage them to take ownership of the identity that Christ has called them to – they are spouses of the church, and they are true fathers of the People of God. Pray that our men in seminary discern well the call to celibacy, and that they courageously accept that call if, and only if, the Lord offers it.

For more info on vocations email: nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.

– Father Nick Adam

Father Nick Adam

How serious is laughter?

IN EXILE

By Father ron rolheiser, oMi

In a homily, Karl Rahner once commented that in the Beatitudes in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus makes a rather stunning statement. He says, ‘blessed are you who are now weeping, for you shall laugh.’ Rahner suggests that Jesus is teaching that our final state of happiness in heaven will not just lift us out of our sadness and dry away our tears, it will bring us to laughter, to “an intoxication of joy.” Laughter is integral to the final ecstasy.

Further still, if laughter constitutes the final happiness in heaven, then it should follow that whenever we are laughing, we are on good terms with reality. Laughter, Rahner submits, is part of the eternal praise of God at the end of time.

However, this can be glib and misleading. Not all laughter gives God praise and not all laughter suggests that we are on good terms with reality. Laughter can also be cheap, glib and wrong. The final joy of heaven is not always found at that place in a room where folks are cracking up with laughter.

There are many kinds of laughter and not all of them are healthy or godly. There is the laughter of drunkenness, of deadening your senses and jettisoning your moral compass and normal sensitivity. That kind of laughter will not be heard in some noisy little corner of heaven. Then there is the laughter of sarcasm, laughter that belittles others, that delights in others’ problems, and sees itself as superior. That too won’t be heard in heaven. Then there is the laughter that’s predicated on being insensitive and blind to the pain of others, that can enjoy itself even while Lazarus is starving just outside the door.

The Gospels are clear as to where that kind laughter lands us. As well, there is the laughter of pure superficiality, laughter that comes easy because it really doesn’t care about anything. Such laughter, though harmless, speaks of nothing.

However there are other kinds of laughter that speak of health and of God. There is the laughter of pure spontaneous energy, seen most clearly in the natural joyous bubbling over of the life- principle inside of a young person, like the delight you see in a toddler delighting in her first steps. This is the laughter of sheer delight, one that says, It’s great to be alive! When we laugh in this way, we are honoring God and thanking God for the gift of life and energy – since the best way to thank a gift-giver is to enjoy thoroughly the gift and delight in it.

This kind of laughter is most spontaneous is us when we are young and, sadly, generally becomes more difficult for us as the wounds, failures, pressures and anxieties of adulthood begin to depress our spontaneous energies. We still laugh, but when we stop feeling spontaneous delight in our lives, when healthy laughter dries up, we tend to turn to unhealthy kinds of laughter to try to lift ourselves out of our depression. Hence, the loud, boisterous, cranked-up laughter we hear at our parties is often really only our attempt to keep depression at bay. See how happy I am!

Peter Berger once wrote that laughter is one of the proofs for the existence of God in that our capacity to laugh in any situation shows that, deep down, we are aware that no situation ultimately binds us. Our ca-

pacity to laugh in any situation, no matter how grave or threatening, shows that on some level we are aware that we transcend that situation. That’s why a prisoner being led to his execution might still joke with his executioner and why a dying person can still enjoy a bit of irony. Healthy laughter isn’t just godly. It manifests transcendence inside us.

But, not all laughter is born equal. There is a laughter that simply bespeaks superficiality, forced lightness, insensitivity, drunkenness or a thinly disguised attempt to keep depression at bay. That is not the laughter of heaven. However, there is another kind of laughter, spoken of by Jesus in the Beatitudes, which is a laughter that simply delights in the joy of being alive and (in that delight) intuits its own transcendence. That kind of laughter is a key component in love and

The Pope’s Corner

sanctity. It will be one of the “intoxications of joy” that we will feel in heaven.

If this is true, then the holiest person you know is not the humorless, dour, easily offended, over-pious person you deem as serious, deep and spiritual whom you do not necessarily want as your table companion. The holiest person you know is probably the person you want beside you at table.

When I was a novice in religious life, our assistant novice director, an over-serious, fearful man, frequently cautioned us against levity and humor, telling us that there isn’t a single recorded incident in the Gospels of Jesus laughing. Now deceased, I suspect the man is in heaven. I also suspect that from that vantage point, he would drop that caution.

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

Nothing can diminish the value of any human being, pope says

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – No physical limitation or setback can diminish the value of any human being because each person is a unique and beloved child of God, Pope Francis said.

“We are not anonymous, we are not photocopies, we are all originals! And this is how we should be: originals, not photocopies,” he said during an audience at the Vatican Jan. 14 with members of the Pope John XXIII Community association.

“God knows us one by one, with our name and our face, which is unique,” he said.

“Certainly, we also have our limitations; some of us unfortunately have heavy limitations to bear,” the pope said. “But this detracts nothing from the value of a person: each one is unique, a son or daughter of God, each one is a brother or sister of Jesus.”

“A Christian community that welcomes the person as he or she is thus helps to see them as God does,” which is with a look of love, he said.

“God also sees our limitations, it is true, and helps us to bear them,” the pope said. “But God looks above all at the heart and sees every person in his or her entirety. God sees us as an image of Jesus, his only begotten son, and with his love he helps us to become more and more like him.”

The pope thanked the many families at the audience who offer foster care, emphasizing the importance of welcoming children and others into a loving home so they may be “regenerated by Christian love.”

These are men and women “who open the doors of their home to give a family to those who do not have one. A real family; not a job, but a life choice. In it there is room for everyone: minors, people with disabilities, the elderly, Italians or foreigners, and anyone who is looking for a fixed point from which to start again or a family in which to find themselves,” he said.

Pope Francis also thanked those who were unable to be at the day’s audience and had sent him their stories and questions.

“I would like to address some of you personally,” he said, such as Sara, 13, who fled Iraq and carries in her heart “the holy desire that children not be robbed of their childhood: May God help you achieve this!”

The people offered guidance to others without naming them, urging one child who “would like to see your grandmother who has gone to heaven,” to “speak with her in your heart and follow her good example, and one day you will see her again.”

Another young person, the pope said, “like many teenagers,” wrote about the “struggle to perceive the beauty of Mass.” But the pope responded, “Do not fear; at the right moment, the living Jesus will let you feel his presence.”

Pope Francis also thanked a “little friend, who remembers the innocents who are killed in the womb.”

Noting that many members of the community meet online to pray the rosary for peace every Sunday, the pope told them, “God listens to your prayer for peace, even if he does not seem to. God listens to it, and we believe that God gives us peace, immediately, today!”

Pope Francis greets a young girl during an audience with members of the John XXIII Community at the Vatican Jan. 14, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

'... protecting human life ...'

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all of you if I had not been loved so much," she said.

Roumie took a picture of the crowd behind him from the stage, telling marchers to tag themselves on social media, and quipping he is the "TV Jesus," not the real one.

"God is real and he is completely in love with you," he said, adding that each person is individually loved by God.

The rally also featured some lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, a Catholic Republican and co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, said at the rally, "Future generations will someday look back on us and wonder how and why a society that bragged about its commitment to human rights could have legally sanctioned" abortion.

"The injustice of abortion need not be forever, and with your continued work and prayers, it will not be,” Smith said.

Prior to speaking to the sea of pro-life marchers on the National Mall, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who argued the Dobbs case before the Supreme Court, told OSV News that "empowering women and promoting life" were the next steps post-Roe

"Some of the things that we're talking about in Mississippi and promoting legislation on are workplace

flexibility options, particularly for mothers," she said. "We lose young mothers because they don't have any options. They don't have that flexibility. We've got to have childcare. It's got to be affordable, accessible and quality."

Fitch said she wants to see the pro-life movement do "some heavy lifts" to push laws enhancing child support enforcement and reforming the adoption or foster care systems.

"(These systems) are failing our children; they're broken," Fitch said. "We've got to make those (changes) happen and put those children in these loving families."

'... focused on the whole child ...'

Speaking with OSV News at the march, Kristan Hawkins, president of the pro-life group Students for Life of America, said the next front of her organization's activism will focus on fighting the spread of medication abortion. Hawkins said the pro-life movement should also focus on broadening the social safety net and its remaining goals at the federal level, such as stripping Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest single abortion provider, of taxpayer funds.

– Continued from page 1 –

In the pandemic's initial days, she said, classrooms "may have closed on a Friday, but our Catholic schools had their instruction back up by Monday or Tuesday."

Whether organizing remote or hybrid learning plans to comply with public health guidelines, the nation's Catholic schools benefited from "a flexibility and agility you often don't see in the public system," Richmond told OSV News.

He said the Archdiocese of Chicago's schools functioned remotely during the spring of 2020 term as educators "pushed (themselves) to the limit" in order to reopen in the fall of 2021. When they did, enrollment had risen by 3,000 students (4.5%) to a total of approximately 66,000.

"We were free from the extremes of politics that you often see in many public systems," Richmond said, while diocesan educational leaders "learned from each other through lots of conversations" with their peers across the country.

Concerned about "lack of instruction during lockdowns" in other schools, parents "saw Catholic schools as an opportunity for academics and social, faith-filled advancement during a very difficult time," he said.

Richmond agreed the push to resume in-person learning "created an invitation for people to check us out and learn about Catholic schools. It shone a light on us."

But getting kids back to the classroom was not the only driver for the enrollment bump, he said.

"People liked what they saw in terms of academics, values and reliability," even if they were not Catholic or practicing any faith, said Richmond.

The nation's Catholic schools have "really focused on the whole child, not only academic learning," addressing "social skills and mental health" while supporting families, said Smith. "They went above and beyond during COVID, asking, 'Do you need food, a tuition break, someone to talk to?'"

Escala said he is working closely with philanthropic partners to ensure that assistance continues.

"Our mission orientation is to serve the poor, and our preference will always be for those who have less," he said. "That's been a hallmark of Catholic education from the beginning, and it remains so."

Smith said that Catholic schools used to be a "best-kept secret," but that phrase no longer applies.

"Now, they're not a secret," she said. "People have experienced their local Catholic schools, and they're staying."

(Gina Christian is a National Reporter for OSV News.)

“There is a lot for us to do as a nation, especially raising awareness among its citizens,” Isalyn Aviles Rodríguez, who came to the march from Miami, told OSV News. Rodríguez said she was motivated to march because “the nation needs to know that children are part of God’s plan from conception until natural death.”

As in prior years, the March drew teenage advocates for life as well. Angeline Moro, 14, from Trenton, New Jersey, attended the event to learn how to raise her voice in defense of the most vulnerable.

"We all need to have a chance to live," Moro said.

At various events leading up to the march, pro-life advocates joined together in prayer and solidarity.

At the Jan. 19 opening Mass for the annual National Prayer Vigil for Life, the night before the march, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said in his homily that the pro-life movement has "much to celebrate" because Roe v. Wade "is no more."

But, he added, a "new important phase" for the cause of life "begins now."

"Our efforts to defend life must be as tireless as ever" not only to change laws but also hearts "with steadfast faith in the grace and power of God to do so," said Bishop Burbidge, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

The event, held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, drew between 6,000 and 6,500 people, with most of the congre-

gation filling the Great Upper Church. Dozens also viewed the Mass via screens in the lower level of the basilica.

Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., read a message from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, issued on behalf of Pope Francis, who imparted his blessing on all those participating in the March for Life.

"His Holiness trusts that Almighty God will strengthen the commitment of all, especially the young, to persevere in their efforts aimed at protecting human life in all its stages, especially through adequate legal measures enacted at every level of society," the message said.

The Mass was followed by a "Holy Hour for Life" at the basilica, which launched a series of Holy Hours of Eucharistic devotion throughout the night in dioceses across the country. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph L. Coffey of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services celebrated Mass at 8 a.m. Jan. 20 to close the vigil.

Meanwhile, hundreds of teens and young adults from the Archdiocese of Washington gathered at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle for the Youth Mass of Celebration and Thanksgiving for Life, where homilist Father Robert Kilner of Solomons, Maryland, urged them to be "witnesses to life, witnesses to the truth that every life matters."

"Pray and be confident that God can and will do great things," he said. "Witness by the way you love your family, and especially the smallest, most helpless around you. Witness by your words in defense of the unborn, witness to God's mercy, inviting everyone back to the joy of confession."

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington, the principal celebrant of the Mass, said it was "a special joy for me to be able to celebrate this Eucharist with you, our young, youthful, joyful, happy church."

The thousands of attendees at these events then streamed into the National Mall, where they assembled at the noon rally and prepared to begin marching an hour later.

With the overturn of Roe, organizers had planned for a reworked march route, resulting in a new final destination: the East Front of the U.S. Capitol, symbolizing the movement's new goals. However, restrictions on the use of sticks for signage put in place by the U.S. Capitol Police after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol resulted in the route instead passing by the West Front. For the 50th time, the national march ended in the same spot: before the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.

(Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Julie Asher, Gina Christian, Marietha Góngora and Kurt Jensen contributed to this report.)

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch speaks during the 50th annual March for Life in Washington Jan. 20, 2023. (OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

ANNUNCIATION

SCHOOL

223 North Browder Street, Columbus, MS 39702

www.annunciationcatholicschool.org

Instagram/Twitter: @Annunciation_cs

TikTok: @acseagles

Pre-K4 thru 8th Grade (662)328-4479 701 N. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street, Natchez, MS 39120 www.cathedralgreenwave.com

“The students at Annunciation Catholic School have a heart for service. The idea of serving the Lord permeates through their commitment to service projects benefitting the wider community, but more importantly, through their everyday interactions and treatment of others. This heart of service comes out of a love for Christ, and a desire to serve Him with gladness.”

– Shannon Clapper, parent

CATHEDRAL SCHOOL

Facebook: @cathedralschoolnatchez

Instagram: @cathedralschool_natchez

Pre-K3 thru 12th Grade (601)442-2531

TRADITION:

Each year the school participates in “Pinwheels for Peace.” Students of all ages design a pinwheel to represent their hopes for peace in our world. Then, students celebrate International Peace Day (Sept. 21) with the annual Pinwheels for Peace prayer service. Students plant their pinwheels by our peace pole in the school garden and say a prayer for “whirled” peace.

SERVICE:

The school holds “Jeans for Green Day” and collects money to support various charities like Operation Christmas Child, St. Jude Hospital, St. Vincent DePaul Society and Helping Hands. Students also participate in the Just Walk for Justice and Pennies for Patients fundraisers. Also, a food drive for St. Joseph’s Food Pantry is held, in addition to volunteering at the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen, making Valentine cards for veterans and going Christmas caroling to a local nursing home.

“To me being a part of a Catholic school community means having the opportunity to talk, share, and grow in my faith with a likeminded community that shares the same values and beliefs as myself. Being able to educate students about our Catholic traditions and help them strengthen their own personal relationships with Jesus Christ is a source of great joy. Our Catholic school system is doing more that just education the leaders of tomorrow, we are creating the saints of tomorrow as well.

– Justin Johnson, teacher, alumni and parent TRADITION: Ring Day Mass – The junior class marks this milestone with a Votive Mass of St. Joseph with the blessing and conferring of class rings by Father Aaron Williams at St. Mary Basilica. After Mass the junior class spends the day together with breakfast in the Family Life Center then a retreat.

SERVICE: The “Pack the Bus” fundraiser for The Stewpot is sponsored by the Cathedral National Honor Society. The Cathedral school bus doors are wide open the Friday prior to the Thanksgiving break with students encouraged to bring a large sized canned good in exchange for wearing jeans on that Friday. The bus is filled to maximum capacity and the loaded bus is delivered to The Stewpot that afternoon just in time for their Thanksgiving feast.

COLUMBUS – Annunciation fourth graders pack Samaritan’s Purse boxes for their annual service project, Operation Christmas Child. (Photo courtesy of school)

NATCHEZ – Cathedral National Honor Society members Barrett Burget, MarLaysia Fleming, Journey Bridges and Marlie Hargon assist with loading the Cathedral School bus for the Pack the Bus Fundraiser. (Photo courtesy of school)

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

ST. PAUL EARLY LEARNING CENTER

5969 Highway 25, Flowood, MS 39232

www.saintpaullearningcenter.com

Facebook/Instagram: Search St. Paul Early Learning Center

ST. ELIZABETH SCHOOL

150 Florence Avenue, Clarksdale, MS 38614 http://seseagles.com Facebook: @seclarksdale Instagram: @seseagles47

Pre-K3 thru 6th Grade (662)624-4239

FLOWOOD – Townsend Watts and Hilton Peters use a light table to create a Christmas pattern in the St. Paul Pre-K4 classroom.

(Photo courtesy of school)

“I like learning about God and His love for us.”

– Madilyn Bradford, student

“Being part of the Catholic school community means the world to our family. Instilling Christian values during the formative years and incorporating it into the early learning environment sets the foundation for what’s important to our family.”

– Melissa Case, parent

MISSION: Christ-centered, quality care, early education for the whole child.

TRADITIONS:

Each December the school celebrates the Christmas Story with a program that includes all the children – ages two months to five years old.

At the end of the school year, St. Paul Early Learning Center celebrates with a “Family Fun Day’” with barnyard animals, snow cones, a picnic lunch and lots of games.

SERVICE:

Every year the school hosts a luncheon for first responders to show appreciation for their service to the community. Additionally, the school assists the St. Paul parish Backpack Ministry by collecting food for children in need.

CLARKSDALE – St. Elizabeth School family honors the feast day of their patron St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Students brought bread to school to donate to the Care Station food pantry. (Photo courtesy of school)

– Robin Noe, fourth grade teacher

“We learn God’s Word and help others learn about God by going to Mass each week. We serve God during Mass by reading and bringing up the gifts. We also care for God’s people by doing acts of kindness.”

TRADITION:

– Lucy Laney, sixth grade student

The school joins together with St. Elizabeth parish and community to celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a “Hamburger Supper and BINGO Night.” It is a fun night of games, prizes and fellowship for all.

SERVICE:

Each class has adopted an elderly home-bound parishioner. Students write cards and letters, prepare care packages for them. Students were even able to stop by to sing Christmas carols during Advent.

“Earlier in my career I taught at SES while my children were students here. I cherished being a part of their lives and experiences at school. I am once again teaching at SES and something I am extremely grateful for now is how my work has grown my faith. Church is not just a place I visit on Sunday, but is a part of my daily life. My faith grows as I teach my students.”

SISTER THEA BOWMAN SCHOOL

1217 Hattiesburg Street, Jackson, MS 39209

www.theabowmanschool.com

Facebook: @SrTheaBowmanCatholicSchool

Instagram: @srtheabowmanjackson

Pre-K3 thru 6th Grade (601)352-5441

ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL

308 New Mannsdale Road, Madison, MS 39110 www.stjoebruins.com

Facebook: @StJosephMadison Instagram/Twitter: @stjoemadison

7th thru 12th grade (601)898-4800

“It makes me feel good and happy to be a part of a Catholic school. I attend Christ the King Church and the school so I get to experience both. Sometimes what I learn from church, it helps me answer questions in my religion class.”

– Derion Bronson, fourth grade student

“My school serves the Lord with gladness by constantly helping each other when we’re down. The students support each other in the classroom and the teachers support each other inside and outside of the school building. We have a culture here that is geared towards helping and loving one another as the Lord loves us.”

TRADITIONS:

– Chris Payne, principal

The annual $5,000 Draw Down is held the last Saturday in April to raise funds for the school. Also, parents and the parish community look forward to student performances in the annual Christmas program.

SERVICE:

Green 4 Jeans – Every Wednesday, students donate $1 to give back to a charity of our student council’s choice.

Due to the water crisis in Jackson on multiple occasions, the school began a recycling initiative where they recycle empty water bottles and cans. The school has partnered with “Replenysh” to ensure products are recycled properly.

“As a practicing Catholic, attending a Catholic school offers me the opportunity to create bonds founded by faith. Catholics in our area are definitely in the minority. Having a campus where I can deepen my spiritual growth and obtain more knowledge about our church creates a safe haven for my spiritual journey. I appreciate the sacrifices my parents have made to afford my siblings and I a Catholic education.

– Gia Picarella, student council president

“I see the students and faculty of St. Joseph Catholic School serve the Lord with gladness each time I see them joyfully serve one another and support one another in their daily walk.”

– Jennifer Frost, parent

TRADITION:

Each weekly Mass is concluded with the singing of the Suscipe of Mother McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, honoring the sisters who founded St. Joseph 152 years ago.

SERVICE:

Bruinthon is a large service project the whole school participates in throughout the year, raising money for Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital. At the end the year, students celebrate their fundraising with a fun event of dancing and announcing the total amount of money raised for the hospital.

JACKSON – Fifth grader, Ian Horton recycles his empty water bottles into the school’s recycling bin. (Photo courtesy of school)

MADISON – St. Joe students show how much they raised for Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital through their annual BruinThon fundraiser. (Photo courtesy of school)

VICKSBURG CATHOLIC SCHOOL

1900 Grove St/ 1400 Hayes St, Vicksburg, MS 39183

Sisters of Mercy/St. Francis Xavier/St. Aloysius www.vicksburgcatholic.org

Facebook: @vicksburgcatholicschool Instagram: @vicksburg_catholic_school

Infants thru 12th grade (601)636-4824 (601)636-2256

HOLY FAMILY SCHOOL

395 West Street, Holly Springs, MS 38635 www.hfamilyschool.org Facebook: @hfamilyschool Twitter: @holyfamilyscho9

Pre-K3 thru 8th grade (662)252-1612

“Each day my friends and I come to school to learn English, Math and Social Studies. However, we also come to serve the Lord by helping others, participating in Mass, praying with one another and always striving to be more like Jesus.”

– Vaylor Smith, student

“I appreciate the rich traditions and esteemed reputation of Vicksburg Catholic School. The best part our school is who walks through the doors and sits in our classrooms each day. I have great expectations for our future!”

– Jon C. Graham, assistant principal – St. Aloysius

MISSION: Lead with humility, Serve with love, Strive for excellence, Prepare for distinction.

TRADITION:

In the spring, students memorialize and honor loved ones, both past and present, by inviting the community to join in prayer by walking the prayer labyrinth.

SERVICE:

Each year, students collect food for the food pantry, make Christmas cards and ornaments for the Carmelite Monastery and participate in the yearly Sister Fatima Thanksgiving Basket Collection.

”We remain steadfast and remember the Lord in everything that we do. We praise Him for his everlasting mercy and rejoice in Him at all times.”

– Anita Pledge, Kindergarten teacher

”Being a part of a Catholic school community allows the unique opportunity to combine our Christian obligation of serving others through projects which target the needy of the community with an education in academics as well as the Catholic faith.”

– Lesa Scott, interim principal

MISSION:

The mission of Holy Family School is to provide a holistic, Catholic education for children and to empower them to become confident, self-motivated, creative learners prepared to live worthy lives for the good of themselves, the community and the world.

TRADITION: The school’s Reading Around the Christmas Tree program and annual Christmas production are dearly held school traditions.

SERVICE:

Students are involved in service projects including food distribution through the mobile food pantry, serving meals to the needy through the Garden Café, sponsoring food drives and delivering food packs, as well as essentials to various areas of need.

VICKSBURG – Sixth graders, Andrew Nasif, Cohen Coomes and Peyton Meyer help load holiday food baskets. This service project was established by Sister Fatima, over 30 years ago, and provides turkey dinners to families in need for Thanksgiving. (Photo courtesy of school)

HOLLY SPRINGS – Kindergarten teacher, Anita Pledge serves students snow cones. (Photo courtesy of school)

MADISON – St. Anthony Catholic School kindergarten students created designs and built three houses like in the fairy tale, The Three Little Pigs, then tested to see if each house would hold up against the big bad wolf (the hair dryer). Pictured left to right are Frankie Brown, Lawson Griffin, Bett Malouf, James Wilkins, Mrs. Kerri Dare, Caroline Webb, Ellie Runnels and Sadie Baldwin. (Photo courtesy of school)

VICKSBURG – Alli Blackburn reads to Huntley Stokes as part of the senior theology service program called “Senior Buddies” at Vicksburg Catholic School. (Photo by Kristi Smith)

COLUMBUS – Development Director, Kelly Taboada, doubles as Pickleball Club Coach at Annunciation School. (Photo by Logan Waggoner)

JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman School fourth grader, De rion Bronson smiles next to a photo of Sister Thea. (Photo by Christopher Payne)

MERIDIAN – Kindergarten students, Logan Washburn and Charlie Owen write Native American symbols as part of their unit on pictographs at St. Patrick School. (Photo by Emily Thompson)

SOUTHAVEN – Middle school history students at Sacred Heart use online resources to complete assignments. (Photo courtesy of school)

MADISON – The St. Joe Bruins hosted “Senior Night” honoring basketball players on Friday, Jan. 13. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

COLUMBUS – Students sing along at Mass at Annunciation School. (Photo by Logan Waggoner)

FLOWOOD – St. Paul Early Learning Center student, Litton Pambianchi shows off his pumpkin art. (Photo by Susan Irby)

MADISON – Parents and children enjoy fun and fellowship at the Thanksgiving Feast at St. Anthony School. (Photo by Chelsea Scarbrough)

NATCHEZ – Peer Ministry Team Member, Gracie Gamberi reads the story of St. Nicholas to Mrs. Baroni’s kindergarten class. (Photo by Cara Moody)

GREENVILLE – Seventh through ninth grade girls engage in a small group activity with the Net Retreat team. (Photo by Nikki Thompson)

1501 V.F.W. Road, Greenville, MS 38701

ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL Pre-K3 thru 12th grade

Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary St. Joseph Middle/High School www.stjoeirish.org

Facebook: @sjsgreenville

(662)334-3287 (662)378-9711

ASSISI EARLY LEARNING CENTER

4000 West Tidewater Lane, Madison , MS 39110 www.aelcmadison.org Facebook: @AELCMadison

Infants thru Pre-K4 (601)856-9494

“Being a part of a Catholic School Community gives me the opportunity to show students that empathy is integral to the world. Christ asked us to love our neighbors, and it is a lesson that is especially important to young people. Showing empathy creates an atmosphere that is more conducive to learning, which is something we, as teachers, need and are privileged to have here. Showing my students what it is to be Christ-like gives them comfort in a chaotic ... world.”

MISSION:

– Dr. Eileen Jennings, teacher

The mission of the St. Joseph Catholic School is to provide a Catholic faith-based education rooted in Gospel values offered in a safe, caring, academically challenging and creative environment.

TRADITION:

A unique tradition at the school is the big/lil program that fosters relationships between older students and younger ones. This is something that each student looks forward to at some point in both elementary and high school.

SERVICE:

Each year students collect food to donate to St. Vincent de Paul. The organization allows those who need it to come in and have access to things that they need throughout the year and especially during the holidays.

MADISON – Assisi students Seitz Henry and Daileen Sanchez eating at the annual Thanksgiving Feast. (Photo courtesy of school)

" To serve the Lord with gladness, we sing His praises every morning with all our children.”

– Chelsea Scarbrough, teacher

“ One of my greatest joys since becoming the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is visiting the learning center and seeing the smiling faces of children as they go about their daily activities. It is my prayer that our services will continue for many years to come, and as adults, those who are presently enrolled in the center will look back on the time they spent here with happy and warm memories.”

– Father Albeenreddy Vatti, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi MISSION:

Assisi Early Learning Center is a faith-based childcare center that strives to educate the whole child. We strive to help children grow socially, emotionally, academically and spiritually. From six-weeks to four-years of age, children at Assisi are cared for in a safe, loving and educational environment.

TRADITION:

The school is serving a second generation of children - parents who have graduated from AELC are bring their children, to be nurtured and loved in this special educational environment.

As a center, each year the school hosts a huge Thanksgiving feast for families and students make handprint gifts for the parents for Christmas.

GREENVILLE – Students collect cans that were donated to the Annual Food Drive. (Photo courtesy of school)

ST. RICHARD SCHOOL

100 Holly Drive Jackson, MS 39206 www.strichardschool.org

Facebook: @StRichardJackson

Instagram: @saintrichardcardinals

Pre-K3 thru 6th Grade (601)366-1157

ST. ANTHONY SCHOOL Pre-K4

1585 Old Mannsdale Road, Madison, MS 39110 www.stanthonyeagles.org Facebook: @StAnthonyEagles Instagram: @st.anthonycatholicschool

“Despite their young age, our children’s faith has grown exponentially since being at St. Richard Catholic School. They reference God daily in their routine activities, which is a testament to how the school interweaves Catholic education into everything they do. Our children are taught to value, respect and treat with kindness each person they encounter without regard for circumstances or status. The Catholic school community is instilling a solid foundation for a lifelong commitment to living as Jesus instructed.”

TRADITIONS:

– Margaret Smith, parent

The school hosts a White Mass and reception for all healthcare workers. To honor the Sisters of Mercy, students host a Mercy Day Mass and Tea for them as founders of the school. For the holidays, the school prepares a special Advent program that families look forward to every year. There is also the Manhattan Mall service project for a nursing home across from the school; the annual blessings of the fathers and mothers Masses; the Father/Daughter dance; and CardinalFest.

SERVICE:

St. Richard School participates in monthly service projects. The school works to mold students to be community-minded adults. Students are encouraged to participate in collections for Birthright, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Pennies for Patients. Not every month involves physically donating items, rather the students are encouraged to think of other ways to give back to the community by writing notes and cards of encouragement for seminarians and patients in facilities such as St. Dominic Hospital.

MADISON – Sixth grade students, along with their teacher, Mrs. Duncan, fill boxes in support of the “Box of Joy” service project. This service project had both a material and spiritual impact on children in developing countries. (Photo courtesy of school)

“Being a part of a Catholic School community means being a part of a faith-based family whose focus is on Christ and serving others. Serving the Lord with gladness infiltrates our daily activities and encompasses everything we do from being kind to our classmates, striving for excellence and taking care of our environment. In Catholic schools, we get to commit ourselves to this standard and expectation of living like Christ while continuing our education and pursuing God’s plan for ourselves to be the best we can be through Him and with Him at our side.”

– Katherine Webb, parent and third grade teacher

TRADITIONS:

A beloved tradition is beginning each school day with Prayer and Pledge. The school community gathers in the gym each morning to read and study scripture, pray, recognize achievements and celebrate birthdays, and other special events together. The St. Anthony community also honors traditions such as the Pet Blessing on the Feast of St. Francis; the Advent program; Mardi Gras parade and Starry Night Gala.

SERVICE:

The school community participates service projects, such as: filling Boxes of Joy for Cross Catholic Outreach; collecting food for the Mississippi Food Network’s Backpack Ministry; and sending handmade blankets to members of our community who are ill in hospitals or nursing homes.

themselves.

A ministry of St. Francis of Assisi Parish

Serving a need for parents who have to work by providing a loving, safe, stimulating environment in which each child can become the best version of themselves.

JACKSON – Hills Ezelle helps to organize the food pantry at St. Vincent de Paul. (Photo courtesy of school)

ST. PATRICK SCHOOL

2700 Davis Street, Meridian, MS 39301

www.stpatrickcatholicschool.org

Facebook: @stpatrickcatholicschool2700

Pre-K3 thru 6th Grade (601)482-6044

SACRED HEART SCHOOL

5150 Tchulahoma Road, Southaven, MS 38671

www.sheartschool.org Facebook: @sheartschool

Pre-K3 thru 8th Grade (662)349-0900

“At St. Patrick School all students have the opportunity to participate in leading Mass each Thursday. This is a great way for us to serve the Lord and each other!”

– Helena Rutledge, sixth grade student

“Being a part of a Catholic School Community means that I learn how to put my faith into action. It is important to know why we do what we do in the Catholic church, and I like having the opportunity to learn about the Catholic faith with my peers.”

– Jackson Spitzkeit, sixth grade student

“We begin our day with prayer and sing songs praising the Lord. We are kind to one another and our teachers. During NET Team retreats, we play games about serving the Lord. We have fun and enjoy giving back to our community through several service projects during the year.”

– Lyla Moore, student

TRADITION:

During Catholic Schools Week, students march to City Hall where a proclamation is read by the Mayor. The Meridian High School marching band leads the parade, and all students follow carrying a banners made by their classes.

SERVICE:

This year students participated in a County-wide canned food drive during November. In December, students collected toys for Care Lodge, an organization in Meridian for victims of domestic violence. For Catholic Schools week, students will make “blessing bags” with hygiene essentials for a local homeless shelter.

TRADITION:

On the first day of school, eighth grade students are presented with their eighth grade jersey at a special assembly. They may wear the jersey with jeans every Friday if they are in good academic and behavior standing. After the assembly there is a breakfast for the students and their parents.

SERVICE:

Students complete many projects throughout the year. The larger projects include various middle school students volunteering monthly at the mobile food pantry, recycling projects and programs like food donations and toy drives. Each month the school highlights a social service ministry at Sacred Heart Southern Mission. Students learn about the ministry, pray for the people volunteering, working and benefitting from the ministry and make a financial donation at the end of the month.

MERIDIAN – The Knights of Columbus trained fifth and sixth graders in flag etiquette so they can raise and lower flags daily at the school. (Photo courtesy of school)

SOUTHAVEN – Second grade students work in the fall gardens. (Photo courtesy of school)

Thank you for supporting Catholic schools

MESSAGE FROM THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION

By Karla luKe

Every year, for the past 49 years, the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) has designated the last Sunday in January as the beginning of National Catholic Schools Week. Activities conducted throughout this special week are intended to raise the profile of the benefits of Catholic education in our communities and our nation. We remember and celebrate the courage of the early bishops who sought to create a school system whereby schools could pass on our Catholic faith through education to all future generations. We express our pillars of faith, excellence and service through daily living out our Catholic faith and values in our schools, focusing on each student reaching their highest potential and serving our communities.

The experience of a Catholic education was the most precious gift my parents gave to my brothers and me. My mother was a public-school teacher in the sixties and seventies, while my father was a postal employee. As you may know, these jobs were considered respectable jobs, but in no way were we considered wealthy. My parents sacrificed to keep all three children in Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school. The people we are today are primarily because of the partnership that existed between our family and our schools. Our parents and schools taught us the value of our faith, honesty, integrity, service and hard work.

National Catholic Schools Week is the most appropriate time to express our thanks to all who support Catholic Education in the Diocese of Jackson. We thank Bishop Joseph Kopacz for his assistance to our Catholic schools through his prayers, for providing resources for operations and for his presence at our schools to interact with administrators, staff and students. His actions signal the value of this ministry to the Catholic community and, most of all, to our students. We stress and affirm that the students in our schools today are our present and future church. In the Office of Catholic Education, we would also like to thank the diocesan staff and departments who continue to assist our schools by sharing their areas of expertise, including financial, communications, development, faith formation, stewardship, liturgy and in many other areas.

We thank the pastors and canonical administrators who lead our schools and support school administrators, staff and students. Our pastors and canonical administrators are in our schools frequently, providing examples of what it is to be prayerful and compassionate Catholic men. Their representation of how they live their vocation is sure to inspire our students as they grow and begin to discern their own vocations in life.

We thank our administrators, who tirelessly give of themselves to the success of their schools. The job of an administrator is often “eight days a week.” The success and safety of the students, the well-being of the faculty and staff, and parents’ satisfaction are constant goals before them. I have personally witnessed the energy and care they invest in their schools. We cannot thank them enough.

We thank our teachers who interact with our students on a daily basis. Teachers and teacher assistants, and students spend nearly 40 hours a week together. Teachers and their assistants have the closest personal relationships with our students and are committed to their academic success and personal growth and development. Our teachers are devoted to preparing their students for successful futures and helping them achieve their highest potential.

We thank our support staff: administrative assistants, facility managers, maintenance and janitorial crews and cafeteria staff. Without their contributions, our schools could not function effectively. We appreciate that every school employee must be committed to student success, no matter their job title.

I thank the Diocesan Council of Catholic Education for your continued commitment to Catholic education in the Diocese of Jackson. Your support has been unwavering.

Finally, to our students and families … we would not exist without your faith in Catholic education! We thank you for your dedication and for entrusting your most precious resources to our care. Please believe that we are constantly exploring ways to make our great schools even more excellent by yielding students who love and serve Christ and are positive, productive and contributing members of their communities.

The theme for National Catholic Schools Week this year is Faith … Excellence … Service. The annual theme chosen for this year by schools in our diocese is taken from Psalm 100:2, “Serve the Lord with Gladness.” One of the national pillars of Catholic schools is service. In the Diocese of Jackson, our students, teachers and administrators participated in many service projects this year. It is exciting to see how each school has served its communities. Please enjoy this issue and continue to keep all schools and the members they serve in your prayers. God bless you and thank you!

Serve the Lord with Gladness Catholic Schools Week

Catholic Extension has deep roots in diocese

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Mary WoodWard

JACKSON – These past few weeks in the diocesan chancery office we have been installing a new floor. This has involved packing files and books and anything not attached to the wall.

The diocesan archives consists of four rooms on the ground floor of the chancery full to the ceiling with items that needed securing. Three of the rooms were getting the new floor.

In the midst of shifting and maneuvering, I came across a book of congratulatory messages to Catholic Church Extension Society on its 25th anniversary in 1930. Bishops of mission dioceses around the country wrote messages citing how Catholic Extension, based in Chicago, had benefitted the local church.

Bishop Richard O. Gerow penned a lovely message about his pastoral visits to small parishes around the state for the sacrament of confirmation. Many rural areas received grants from Catholic Extension to build a church. Prior to that priests would celebrate Mass in private homes. In his message below, Bishop Gerow relays how blessed the diocese is to have the ongoing support from Extension and congratulates them on their 25th.

“Not long ago I was in one of our small Mississippi towns. The occasion was the administration of Confirmation. It was the first Confirmation in this town for many years for the congregation was small and the children were few. Every seat in the little church was filled.

“The entire community – non-Catholic as well as Catholic – had assembled to witness this ceremony and to hear what the bishop had to say. The flower-laden altars, the burning candles, the bishop’s robes and the special display of ceremony uncommon in this community, seemed to give a thrill of pride to our few Catholic people and was a source of interest to our non-Catholic friends who had, at the invitation of the pastor and of the good people of this mission, gathered on this day.

“A wonderful opportunity it presented to explain in a simple manner some of the doctrines or practices of the church so misunderstood by many. It was a great

day for the members of the little flock, almost each of whom had some relative in the Confirmation class.

“All except the children of the congregation remembered the time not long past when such a blessed occasion would have been impossible in their midst. They remembered the many years they had lived here without even the modest church in which they were gathered today. They remembered when the visits of the priest to their town were few and far between, because the priests were few and the roads were bad; and when the priest did come in those days they [gathered] in the home of one of the good people of the place and there attend the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

“But now they were happy. Not many years ago Extension Society had given them a donation, and with this donation and the few dollars they had saved and were able to collect amongst themselves they had built this little church, and they were proud of it.

“What a blessing to these people has been the Extension Society! This community is not alone in the Diocese of Natchez in its gratitude to Extension. Over the entire State there are scattered little mission churches just like this one which could never have been built had not Extension made it

possible.

“The prayers of the good people who have benefited from Extension ascend to heaven constantly for their benefactors. May this Society not only continue the great work that it has done during the last twenty-five years for the good of souls in the country, but may it ever grow and extend its work to the greater honor and glory of God!

“In the name of our Catholic people of Mississippi and in my own name, I extend to Extension a hearty with ad multos annos.”

More than 100 years after its founding in 1905, Catholic Extension continues to support mission dioceses around the country such as our Diocese of Jackson. From its early days of providing Mass in railroad cars in which Bishop John Gunn was a celebrant along the Gulf Coast, up through Bishop William Houck’s tenure as its president, and continuing today, Catholic Extension has been closely connected to our diocese as a generous grantor to our parishes and ministries.

We are grateful indeed for this ongoing support which enables us to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to many places in this corner of God’s Kingdom.

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

Pictured is Bishop R.O. Gerow with the 1941 Confirmation class of Sacred Heart Church in Sulphur Springs.

A copy of the October 1930 Catholic Extension Magazine, found in the archives at the Diocese of Jackson, is open to a letter from Bishop Richard O. Gerow thanking Catholic Extension for their support of the diocese and congratulating them on their 25th anniversary. (Photos courtesy of archives)

NATION

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – A songwriting competition aims to inspire new Catholic music as a part of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival initiative. The Eucharistic Revival Musical Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis, seeks entries from Catholic composers, poets and songwriters for Catholic music, with a particular emphasis on the church’s teachings on the real presence of the Eucharist and the church’s unity as the body of Christ. Marilyn Santos, associate director of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis, said music is a beautiful way of “expressing our faith” and that she hoped the contest would “discover these new evangelists who use music as their medium of conveying the message.” Submissions are due April 21 with winners announced June 9.

DEDHAM, Mass. (OSV News) – Lawyers for Theodore McCarrick want the criminal sex abuse case

against the disgraced cleric dismissed, claiming the 92-year-old former cardinal is incompetent to stand trial. In a motion filed in the Dedham District Court Jan. 13, lawyers for McCarrick claimed an independent evaluation shows the laicized cleric in steep mental and physical decline. Prosecutors are expected to seek their own evaluation, and a Massachusetts judge will ultimately decide if McCarrick can stand trial. He is charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14. The outcome of the competency hearing will not stop the many civil cases now pending against McCarrick, who was removed from ministry in 2018 following a credible allegation of abuse of a minor, as well as wide-spread reports that he abused young men, going back decades. He was laicized in 2019.

VATICAN

‘... un mensaje claro del proceso del Sínodo ...’

Por otro lado, la Provincia de Quebec en el Este es extremadamente secular y “hay un deseo de cambio urgente para recuperar, o preservar, lo que queda de relevancia y misión de la iglesia”.

En un grado u otro la Iglesia Católica en cada país está respondiendo a los impulsos del Espíritu Santo de reunirse en oración, discernimiento y diálogo respetuoso para ver, valorar las cosas que verdaderamente importan y servir con la mente y el corazón de Jesucristo.

El camino sinodal ha revelado el terreno común entre cada uno de nuestros países. Como el Papa Francisco modeló en Canadá entre los indígenas, hubo una gran importancia en ambas Síntesis Nacionales otorgadas a la virtud de escuchar. En el centro de ser una iglesia acogedora hay un corazón que escucha y mira con amor lo que es real.

“El valor de simplemente escuchar es un mensaje claro del proceso del Sínodo. Las personas deben poder hablar honestamente incluso sobre los temas más controvertidos sin temor al rechazo. Debemos estar abiertos a nuevas ideas y formas de hacer las cosas, aun cuando permanezcamos fieles a la tradición de la iglesia. La formación en la fe puede ayudarnos a desarrollar una mayor comprensión y crecer en la confianza en el Espíritu Santo que está obrando en todo lugar y tiempo”. (Síntesis de EE. UU.)

Repleto a lo largo de las Síntesis Nacionales está el llamado a la iglesia a cumplir la promesa de Jesús de una vida en abundancia. Debería haber una colaboración mucho mayor entre los ordenados y los laicos para continuar construyendo una cultura de confianza y transparencia entre el liderazgo de la iglesia y los fieles. Reconciliar las heridas del pasado, tender la mano a los marginados, acompañar a los marginados de la sociedad y atender el llamado al arrepentimiento y la conversión demuestra que el Reino de Dios está entre nosotros.

“Como el Papa Francisco nos recuerda con frecuencia, la sinodalidad no es un evento de una sola vez, sino una invitación a un estilo continuo de vida de la iglesia. Hemos dado los primeros pasos de este camino y hemos aprendido mucho; tenemos más que aprender y más que hacer como testigos de Cristo Jesús en nuestro tiempo.” (Introducción, Síntesis de EE. UU.)

Nota del Editor: Para encontrar la Síntesis del Sínodo Diocesano, Síntesis del Sínodo Nacional de Estados Unidos y los documentos del Estado Continental del Sínodo, por favor visite: www. jacksondiocese.org/synod.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis asked Cubans “to make present in their hearts” the actions and words of St. John Paul II during his visit to their nation 25 years ago to “give a new push to building the country’s future with hope and determination.” In a letter to the Cuban people, released at the Vatican Jan. 14, the pope marked the anniversary of St. John Paul becoming the first pope to visit the island nation. The visit began with Cuban President Fidel Castro welcoming the pope Jan. 21, 1998, to begin a five-day visit. Upon landing in Havana, St. John Paul called for Cuba to “open itself up to the world” and for the world to “open itself up to Cuba.” Pope Francis reminded Cubans that St. John Paul had asked them to return to their “Cuban and Christian roots” to face the country’s challenges while remembering that each person “is primarily defined by their obligation to others and to history.” Twenty-five years later, the pope said those roots of the Cuban people have grown and flourished through “work and sacrifice each day, not only for your families,

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 888-830-0004 (English) or 800-216-1288 (Spanish).

The Association of Priests of the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi provide a small pension to our retired priests. As you consider your estate plans, please remember these faithful servants by making a 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

but also for your neighbors and friends, for the whole people, and in a special way for those most in need.” Pope Francis told them, “Thank you for this example of collaboration and of mutual assistance that unites you and reveals the spirit that characterizes you: open, welcoming and supportive.”

WORLD

Sister André, a French Daughter of Charity who was the world’s oldest known person, is pictured in an undated photo. Sister André died Jan. 17, 2023, at age 118 in a nursing home in Toulon, France. (OSV News photo/courtesy EHPAD Sainte Catherine Labouré)

TOULON, France (OSV News) – Sister Andre, a Daughter of Charity and the world’s oldest known person, died at age 118, a spokesman of the nursing home where she died told AFP agency on Tuesday. “There is great sadness but ... it was her desire to join her beloved brother. For her, it’s a liberation,” David Tavella, speaking for the Sainte-Catherine-Laboure nursing home, told AFP. Sister Andre, a Catholic convert raised in a Protestant family, was born Lucile Randon Feb. 11, 1904. It was 10 years before World War I, Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States, New York opened its first subway line and U.S. Army engineers began work on the Panama Canal. She also lived through the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and through 10 pontificates. Sister Andre died Jan. 17 in her sleep at her nursing home in Toulon, on France’s Mediterranean coast, Tavella said. An avid listener of Vatican Radio, the French nun sent well wishes to the radio operation on the occasion of its 90th anniversary in 2021. Sister Andre, who was blind, was a “dedicated listener of the radio that offers her a window of the world” and supports her prayer life, Vatican News reported Feb. 11, 2021.

The time to act is now

KNEADING FAITH

By Fran LaveLLe

I was just at a regional conference where I spoke on the process moving forward from the Synod on Synodality. One of my friends asked me how it went. After a moment of reflection, I replied “not good.” She asked why I felt that it was not good. My response surprised even me. I truly feel like people are not ready to do the work that is required to achieve the things we say we want.

In our Synod listening we heard over and over the need for unity and healing. So much so that unity and healing is first among the issues we listed in our synthesis. However, when one addresses what unity and healing might look like in our post-pandemic church the enthusiasm for said unity wanes. The same holds true for taking politics out of the church. We heard repeatedly that politics should be removed from the pulpit. However, what many people really want to remove is the partisan politics of the party they oppose. Apparently, we are more than OK with hearing political rhetoric, as long as it aligns with our own perspective. Here’s the kicker, the teachings of the Catholic Church do not fully align with either conservative or liberal politics. That’s where Catholic Social Teaching comes into play.

“Catholic social teaching proposes a set of principles [Human Dignity, Solidarity, Subsidiarity] on which to form our conscience and then act in society. Because every life has value and is sacred, it should be protected by society. The principles of solidarity and subsidiarity mean people must participate in society.

To what end?

To provide criteria for forming our cultural, economic and political positions – based on the principles of Catholic social teaching and for the Common Good. The lessons of Catholic social teaching are always relevant. They provide guidance on how individuals can be better citizens. These lessons also guide social institutions in creating environments in which all can prosper (i.e., promote the common good).” – Catholic Social Teaching in Action

Speaking of partisan politics – both sides often fail to implement Catholic social teaching through their lives. And both run the risk of forgetting a key message of Catholic social teaching: “It is clear that no economic, social or political project can replace the gift of self to another … He who does not give God gives too little.” – Pope Benedict XVI

Clearly, we cannot cherry pick when to act and advocate for human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity. Seeing the bigger picture calls us to greater accountability. For example, if one professes to be pro-life, that extends to ending the death penalty as much as ending abortion. Sometimes we do not see the inconsistencies in our thinking until we look at the big picture. Catholic Social Teaching allows us to see the bigger picture.

On the question of healing there were several areas identified that require reconciliation and healing. Chief among them were racism, annulments/marriage issues, LGBTQ and the sexual abuse crisis that still plagues the faithful. Out of the issues identified there is little if any leadership within the larger church to support meaningful healing.

If the Body of Christ that is the church is waiting for someone or something to come along that will advance healing in these important areas, we will be waiting for some time. If you see something, say something. If you say something, be willing to do something. How can you facilitate conversations and each out to those who

FOR THE JOURNEY

By eFFie CaLdaroLa

As “I’m a recovering Catholic,” our contractor announces jauntily, apropos of what I can’t remember. I think we were trying to decide on flooring for the front deck.

It’s a phrase with which we’ve become familiar, so common that this guy we know only because he’s overseeing some basic repairs to our old house can throw it out casually.

Another common phrase in today’s parlance: “I was raised Catholic.” I can’t count the number of interviews with famous people in which I’ve read that statement. Often, it’s said with fondness. The people being interviewed are ascribing their beliefs in social justice, charity and right order to the years they spent at Mass or in a Catholic school classroom or gathered around the table for grace.

But let’s be clear, their comment implies, “I took the good part and left.” In many circles, to declare one is still a “practicing” Catholic is to admit to being old-fashioned, to still believing in Santa Claus, especially if Santa has been credibly accused of abuse. They’ve left that behind with the avocado appliances and shag carpeting of their childhood.

For those of us who still place their faith in this community of saints and sinners, it can feel lonely. Many people around me are not going to church at all, and some of the stalwart Catholics I knew from my youthful days as a Jesuit Volunteer and young wife and mother are dropping out or experimenting with Christian denominations.

I have a young friend who threw up his hands at the church because he saw our leadership failing to embrace Catholic social teaching. The abuse cover-up was the last straw.

“But what about the sacraments?” I asked. “Don’t you miss the Eucharist?”

His answer was vague. Those other things were very im-

feel rejected or invisible in the church? Supporting one another, no matter how difficult our journey, is the first step in promoting healing, reconciliation and unity.

The other major issues coming from our Synod listening involve catechesis and formation of children, youth and adults. All are worthy endeavors. All are important. All are attainable and achievable. Here’s the kicker, if we want better faith formation it will require that we as individual members of our faith community step up and do something. Perhaps everyone is not called to teach, but there are many ways we can support better catechesis and formation. As Catholics we often fail to invest in the young church. Every parish needs to have a budget for religious education and formation that extends from baptism through adult ed. Every parish should have a budget for youth ministry. An investment in the youth today will pay dividends today and far into the future.

Last but not least, was a call for formation opportunities for the laity. Jesus did not come to form the disciples to keep the work of the Gospel to themselves. Their commission was to go out and make disciples. Everyone has the responsibility to be a disciple. There are many formation opportunities available in the diocese to help you grow as a disciple. No matter what stage or what age, the offices of the Department of Faith Formation are here to help you produce great fruit from our synodal listening. We are only a phone call or email away.

(Fran Lavelle is the Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson. She can be reached at fran. lavelle@jacksondiocese.org.)

portant to him. OK, those things are important to me, too.

But don’t you miss the Eucharist? Don’t you want to be part of the change, part of the synodal process?

At a book sale, I found a used copy of Henri Nouwen’s book, “Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith.” This Dutch priest and theologian, who died in 1996, was a prolific writer. The book was published in 1997, before the abuse scandal hit the news.

Nevertheless, in his entry for Oct. 20, he writes, “Over the centuries the church has done enough to make any critical person want to leave it.”

He recounts “violent crusades, pogroms, power struggles, oppression, excommunications, executions, manipulation of people and ideas, and constantly recurring divisions.”

Whew. And he hasn’t even touched on more recent headlines.

But then he asks if we can believe “that this is the same church that carries in its center the Word of God and the sacraments of God’s healing love?”

He speaks of the human brokenness of the church, which presents the broken body of Christ to the world. Human promises are broken; God’s promise “stands unshaken.”

I love the church because I love the communion of saints. I love the sacramentals, the sacraments, the mystics and monasteries, the heroes from Teresa of Avila to Thea Bowman, from Ignatius of Loyola to Dorothy Day, from Francis of Assisi to Edith Stein. Would this cloud of witnesses want me to leave?

I wish that young man would stay. We need him. We need him involved in the conversation, we need him prodding his pastor and his bishop. We need him finding the promise among the brokenness of an imperfect church. We need the community of each other.

Peter’s plaintive words in John 6:68 echo. “Lord, to whom would we go?”

(Effie Caldarola writes monthly for OSV News.)

We must recover those ‘recovering’ Catholics

Papal calendar: 2023 holds important events for Pope Francis

Four other cardinals continue to serve past the age of 75. Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, celebrated his 76th birthday in July. Cardinal Joao Bráz de Aviz will turn 76 in April. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, turned 75 in September. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, celebrated his 75th birthday Dec. 22.

In 2023 Pope Francis also will hear continuing calls to address the clerical sexual abuse scandal and, especially, to ensure greater consistency in dealing with abusers and greater transparency in how the Vatican has handled the cases.

The case of Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik, the Slovenian artist, will continue to make headlines; in late December the Jesuits asked victims to come forward and published a timeline that showed the Vatican’s doctrinal o ce in May 2020 confirmed the priest had incurred automatic excommunication for granting sacramental absolution to a woman with whom he had had a sexual relationship. After he formally recognized his abuse and expressed repentance, the excommunication was lifted the same month.

In 2021 another allegation of abuse was made by several women who belonged to the Loyola Community he served as a spiritual adviser in Slovenia; the doctrinal o ce ruled that the statute of limitations had passed and closed the case. News of his previous excommunication came out only after the second case was dismissed, raising questions about why the statute of limitations was not waived and about whether Pope Francis knew about and was involved in lifting the previous excommunication.

Returning to Rome from Bahrain in November, Pope Francis told reporters that over the past 20 years, the Catholic Church had made huge e orts to stop hiding abuse cases and simply shu ing abusive priests to new assignments – “an ugly habit,” he said – and “we are moving forward.”

(Follow Wooden on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden)

BY CINDY WOODEN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis will soon pack his bags for his first foreign trip of 2023, a year that promises to be as busy as ever.

The pope, who celebrated his 86th birthday Dec. 17, can move quickly – in a wheelchair – and keeps saying in interviews that a functioning head and heart – not a well-functioning knee – are essential to the exercise of the papacy.

And, so, his appointment book for 2023 is starting to fill up, although he usually agrees to appointments with the caveat of “God willing.”

Several events are already inked in:

– A pastoral visit to violence-torn Congo Jan. 31-Feb. 3, followed by an ecumenical pilgrimage for peace to South Sudan Feb. 3-5 with Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

– Pope Francis celebrates his 10th anniversary as pope March 13.

– He is scheduled to join perhaps 1 million young people from around the globe for World Youth Day Aug. 1-6 in Lisbon, Portugal.

– And the first session of the world Synod of Bishops meeting on “synodality” is scheduled for Oct. 4-29 at the Vatican.

His constant pleas for peace in Ukraine will not end until the war does.

And while Pope Francis indicated Dec. 21 that he had reached, or at least was reaching, the end of a series of general audience lessons about spiritual discernment – what it is, how it is done and how the results are judged – his emphasis on teaching Catholics how to listen to the Holy Spirit when making decisions individually or communally will continue as the synod process does.

In October, saying he did not want to rush the process of discerning how the Holy Spirit is calling the church to grow in “synodality,” the pope announced that the assembly of the Synod of Bishops would take place in two sessions. The gathering scheduled for 2023 is only the first session.

Having published his constitution reforming the Roman Curia in June, Pope Francis is expected to make some changes in the top positions of Curia o ces in the coming year.

The normal retirement age for cardinals and bishops working in the Curia is 75, but the pope has often kept cardinals who are prefects of dicasteries in place beyond their 75th birthdays.

The two cardinals likely to retire in 2023 are: Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, who will be 79 in April and has been in o ce since 2017; and Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal, who turned 78 in September and has led the o ce since 2013.

Pope Francis gives a thumbs up as he rides in a wheelchair during his general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 7, 2022. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Around our Catholic Schools

COLUMBUS – Annunciation Art Teacher, Emmie Sherertz, assists students in Art Club. She teaches painting at the Columbus Arts Council and teaches art here at Annunciation Catholic School and her art work will be featured at Van Der Plas Gallery in New York City. (Photo by Logan Waggoner)

MADISON – Mrs. Dukes fourth grade class at St. Anthony School, packs and delivers healthy backpack meal kits each week for local students facing hunger. Students pictured from left to right: Lily Le, Cade Beard and Addison Santana (pictured with their teacher, Mrs. Dukes – center) are working hard to unload the nonperishable healthy food items to be packed into backpack meal kits for local students. (Photo by Celeste Tassin)

VICKSBURG – Senior Theology students hold a monthly food drive the for Storehouse Community Food Pantry of Vicksburg. (Photo by Lindsey Bradley)

CLARKSDALE – Grandparent, Ann Ruscoe watches as sixth grader, Reed Chapman shows fourth grader, Ridgely Walls how warm Polar Bear skin feels at St. Elizabeth School’s Math and Science Family Fun Night. (Photo by Sarah Cauthen)

Around our schools

NATCHEZ – National Honor Society members at Cathedral School sort and distribute coats at the Natchez Stewpot. (Photo by Cara Moody)

SOUTHAVEN – Seventh and eighth grade girls at Sacred Heart School set up a play to get the volleyball over the net. (Photo courtesy of school)

MERIDIAN – Youth dash from the starting line for the kids run at the 6th annual Candy Cane Dash 5K Run for St. Patrick School. (Photo by Emily Thompson)

MADISON – Parents and children enjoy fun and fellowship at St. Anthony School's annual Thanksgiving feast. (Photo by Chelsea Scarbrough) JACKSON – (Below) St. Richard sixth grade girls (in red) played Jackson Academy students on Jan. 17. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

Catholics 'must act' for racial justice to honor MLK, says USCCB president

selves have been renewed by God and are in constant contact with God.' For models of lives transformed, we can always turn to the saints."

Archbishop Broglio highlighted the USCCB's e orts to advance the sainthood causes of "six inspirational African American men and women: Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, Venerable Henriette Delille, Venerable Augustus Tolton, Servant of God Julia Greeley, and Sister Thea Bowman."

He said, "May their holy examples convert our hearts and our society, that we may achieve Dr. King's dream of building a society where every person is recognized as a beloved son or daughter of God and treated with the justice and dignity that they deserve."

Editor's Note: To read about the USCCB's Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, which works on the bishops' domestic policy priorities, please visit: https://www.usccb.org/committees/domestic-justice-and-human-development/who-we-are.

For more information on African Americans and Catholic ministry, please visit: https://www.usccb.org/ committees/african-american-affairs/timely-resources-ministry-catholics-african-descent.

For additional information on the USCCB's e orts to overcome racism, please visit:https://www.usccb.org/ committees/ad-hoc-committee-against-racism.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, poses for a photo Nov. 16, 2022, after being elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at a Nov. 15 session of the fall general assembly of the bishops in Baltimore.

(OSV News photo/CNS file, Bob Roller)

Further information on the lives of Black Catholic men and women up for sainthood can be found in the OSV book "Black Catholics on the Road to Sainthood": https://www.osvcatholicbookstore.com/product/black-catholics-on-the-road-to-sainthood.

BY OSV NEWS

WASHINGTON – Catholics "must act" for racial justice, starting with personal conversion, to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s struggle and eliminate racial injustices in society, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stated.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese of the Military Services in his statement immediately referred to the call to action from Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, one of six Black Catholic women and men proposed for sainthood.

"People keep saying, 'Where's the next Martin Luther King?' We're all called, I think. We're called by our citizenship, by our membership in the human race. We're all called to free ourselves and to free one another," Sister Bowman said.

Archbishop Broglio noted that while society has made progress toward "a just society that leaves no one on the margins" in the 60 years since Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, nevertheless "much work remains."

Dr. King, whose birthday is Jan. 15 but is celebrated on the following Monday as a federal holiday, led the civil rights movement until his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, April 4, 1968. He was just 39 years old and would have turned 94 this year.

"Beyond remembering and quoting Dr. King today, we must act to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, access to a ordable housing and health care, and economic opportunities," the USCCB president stated.

He noted the USCCB "continues to support policy changes in these areas of society," and encouraged people to read about the USCCB's policy work and e orts to overcome racism, as well as "ministry resources in working with and for Catholics of African descent."

Archbishop Broglio pointed out Rev. King's faith drove his civil rights work, and Catholics today must undergo conversion and look to the saints to undo unjust structures of racism in society.

"Remembering that Dr. King was guided first by his faith also challenges us to personal conversion. Unjust structures exist because personal sin persists," he said. "As the late Pope Benedict XVI expressed, 'To renew the church in every age, God raises up saints, who them-

Sister Thea Bowman, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, is shown during a talk she gave at St. Augustine Church in Washington in 1986. Sister Bowman, who died in 1990, is one of six African American Catholics whose causes for canonization are being considered by the Catholic Church. Her sainthood cause was opened in 2018 and she has the title "Servant of God."

(OSV News photo/CNS file, Michael Hoyt, Catholic Standard)