MS Catholic May 19, 2023

St. Vincent de Paul conferences form helping hands for Rolling Fork

By Joe Lee JACKSON

– Donovan Guil-

beau, who installs power lines for Southern Electric Corporation and has seen many destructive tornadoes and hurricanes over four decades, said the EF-4 storm that ravaged the Mississippi communities of Rolling Fork and Silver City on March 24 caused the worst damage he’s ever seen.

“This reminded me of the Nagasaki bomb going off in World War II. It took my breath away,” said Guilbeau, a St. Richard parishioner is a long-time member of the St. Richard of Chichester Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP), a national organization dedicated to feeding, clothing, and healing individuals and families in their time of need. “The damage and 26 lives lost were in a very concentrated area, and I knew we had to do something.”

Guilbeau has business associates who own property in the Rolling Fork area, and his wife has family nearby. In trying to assess what he could do to help, he turned to the St. Richard of Chichester Conference, one of five SVDP conferences in the District Council of the Diocese of Jackson (the others are St. Martin de Porres at Christ the King, St. Therese Conference, St. Joseph Conference at St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Greenville and St. Elizabeth of Hungary at Annunciation Parish in Columbus).

“I’m the St. Richard conference’s field representa-

tive for Rolling Fork and Silver City,” Guilbeau said. “Once the site was secured by the local police and the fire department, Tommy Jordan, a fellow St. Richard conference member, and I invited Carrie Robinson, president of the District of Jackson Council, to go with us.

“In this case, the news media did not blow the destruction out of proportion. I became a news reporter

of sorts for SVDP, telling them what we were seeing on the ground.”

Robinson, a member of Christ the King Parish, said that all five SVDP conferences in the Jackson council eagerly came together: food and clothing was delivered from the Greenville conference, and financial assistance from the Columbus conference was provided to St. Helen’s Catholic Church in Amory to support nine families that suffered tornado damage the same weekend as the Rolling Fork storm hit.

“I ordered 875 hygiene kits from Disaster Services Corporation, which is the SVDP service arm,” Robinson said. “SVDP deployed case workers for a period of two weeks and began assisting residents of Rolling Fork and Silver City.

“The St. Richard conference donated $10,000 toward the relief efforts, which made it possible for us to serve one hot meal a day to 500-700 people for those two weeks. We also received a Rapid Response Grant from SVDP for $5,000, and a $5,000 grant from Isagenix Foundation.”

The grant money has gone toward Walmart gift cards, which have been handed out to storm victims in amounts of $25 and $50 to purchase food, clothing and other basic needs. But Dianne Clark, the Southeastern U.S. Disaster Rep for SVDP, said that one of the best things volun-

– Continued on page 6 –

Diocese announces “Pastoral Reimagining” process

By Joanna Puddister King

JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson has a new initiative that will focus on renewing and reimagining parishes across the diocese. The one-year “Pastoral Reimagining” process, that will begin on Pentecost Sunday, will focus on parishes and missions across the diocese taking a more direct and intentional look at the reality of their communities in the spirit of the Synod of Synodality in the aftermath of the pandemic.

“We are allowing the Holy Spirit to bless and guide us in our willingness to cooperate with God’s grace in a spirit of renewal,” writes Bishop Joseph Kopacz in his column for Mississippi Catholic on the reimagining process.

The theme from the process is from Ephesians, “There is one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism and one God and Father of all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6)

Thinking about the Synod process undertaken in the diocese and throughout the world, Bishop Kopacz noted that the church is at a crossroads locally and globally. With that, an extensive demographic review of the diocese will be a part of the “Pastoral Reimagining” process.

“Without a doubt [it] will enrich the local conversa-

tions,” said Bishop Kopacz.

There will be four stages of the pastoral reimagining process over the course of the year, running from Pentecost this year to Pentecost 2024.

The first stage will run from Pentecost through August 2023, with each pastor

– Continued on page 6 –

Anniversary list 4

ROLLING FORK – St. Vincent de Paul conferences across the diocese work to serve the people of Rolling Fork after devastating tornado struck the community on March 24. (Photo courtesy of Carol Evans)

SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

GREENWOOD Locus Benedictus, “Inner Healing through Scripture” Retreat on Saturday, June 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the retreat center on 1407 Levee Road. Presenters are Dr. Sheryl Jones and Joyce Pellegrin. Details: contact (662) 299-1232.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference, July 21-22 at John Carroll Catholic High School at 300 Lakeshore Parkway held by the Diocese of Birmingham. Conference theme is “Victory in Jesus” and will feature Father James Blount, with Father Eric Gami and Teresa Ragusa, a miracle COVID survivor. Father Blount is an internationally known healing ministry priest of the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity (SOLT) of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Registration $25 for individuals and $65 for family of three or more. All are welcome! Details: Sally Smith at (205) 983-4150 or mustardsally14@gmail.com. To register visit www.catholiccharismaticrenewal.org.

METAIRIE, La. Five-day Silent Directed Retreat, June 26 – July 2 at the Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat Center (5500 Saint Mary Street, Metairie). Cost $500, includes room and board. Meet daily with a spiritual director, pray with scripture and spend the rest of the day in silence, prayer and rest. Register at franu. edu/retreat. Details: tyler.trahan@franu.edu or call (225) 526-1694.

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS

COLUMBUS Annunciation, International Food Fest, Sunday, June 4 at 5 p.m. to sunset in church parking lot. All are welcome for fun, fellowship and food. Details: church office (662) 328-2927.

MERIDIAN St. Joseph, Knights of Peter Claver Food Fest, Saturday, June 3. BBQ ribs, chicken and fish

plates cost $12. Slab of ribs $25 and must pre-order. Details: Contact David to order ribs at (601) 938-5757. Plate tickets can be purchased from KPC members.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Yard Sale, Saturday, June 10 at 8 a.m. Details: church office (662) 8955007.

PEARL St. Jude, Pentecost International Food Fest, Saturday, May 27 following 5 p.m. Vigil Mass. Bring your favorite dish to share and join the fun as we celebrate the diversity of cultures with food. If you have a group that would like to perform a dance of your culture, contact Caytee at cderby@stjudepearl.org.

RIDGELAND Catholic Charities, Open House, Tuesday, May 23 from 4-6 p.m. Come visit the new location and learn about services provided. Address: 731 S. Pear Orchard Rd, Ste. 51 in Ridgeland. Details: call (601) 355-8634

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, Trivia Night, Saturday, June 10 at 7 p.m. Cost: $15/person or $25/couple. Details: call Donna to reserve a spot (662) 342-1073.

WEST POINT Immaculate Conception, Blood drive, Wednesday, May 24 from 1-7 p.m. in parish hall. Details: make an appointment by calling (662) 494-3486 or www.donors.vitalant.org, code: iccatholic. Walk-ins welcome.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, VBS, June 12-16. Launch kids on a cosmic quest where they’ll have a blast shining Jesus’ light to the world. Volunteers needed. Details: call Catelin at (662) 902-6478 if you can help.

CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, VBS, June 4-6 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for ages entering Pre-K4 to sixth. Details: Sign up or volunteer, call or text Jenifer at (662) 4027050.

FEATURED PHOTO ... May Crowning...

FLOWOOD St. Paul, VBS, June 5-9 from 6-8 p.m. for ages 4 through sixth grade. Helpers needed. Details: Register at https://bit. ly/StPaulVBS2023

GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, “Win the World for Jesus!” VBS, June 5-7. Registration for children (K5fourth graders) and youth volunteers (fifth graders on up) will begin May 7. Details: Registration forms are in the church foyer or email Karen at kworrellcre@hotmail.com.

GREENVILLE St. Joseph, VBS for grades K to fifth grades, July 16-18 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at St. Joe High School. Visit stjosephgreenville.org to register or volunteer. Details: Alyssa at (662) 820-0868.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, VBS, June 5-8 from 5:307:30 p.m. for Pre-K through fifth grade. Dinner provided. Register in the Narthex. Details: Jessica at (601) 5405301. Volunteers needed.

ly/StFrancisVBS2023. Details: mc.george@stfrancismadison.org.

MERIDIAN VBS, June 26-30. Adult volunteers needed. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, “Camping in God’s Creation” VBS for K through third grade, June 19-23 6-8 p.m. Island Luau for fourth through eighth grade, June 26-30 from 6:30-9 p.m. Details: call Donna to register at (662) 342-1073.

YAZOO CITY St. Mary, VBS, June 9-11. Details: (662) 746-1680.

REMINDERS/NOTICES

JOB OPENINGS Catholic schools across the diocese have a variety of positions open from athletic directors, teachers, bookkeepers, substitutes and more. Please visit https://jacksondiocese.org/employment for an opportunity near you.

ENGAGED ENCOUNTER WEEKENDS July 1416 and Oct. 27-29 at Camp Garaywa in Clinton. Please register at www.jacksondiocese.org/family-ministry.

INDIANAPOLIS Eucharistic Congress, July 17-21, 2024. Registration is now open. See what Our Lord has in store for this next chapter for the Catholic Church in United States. Purchase tickets at https://bit.ly/3ydav9Q. Details: EucharisticCongress.org.

VICKSBURG – “O, Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May!” Traditions at Vicksburg Catholic School are one of the many ways that makes the school unique. It is a Catholic tradition to honor Mary, Blessed Mother of Jesus, during the month of May. (Photo by Lindsey Bradley)

MADISON St. Francis, Rocky Railway VBS express, June 19-22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. All pre-K4 through fourth graders are invited. More volunteers are needed. Register at https://bit.

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC MAY 19, 2023

Pastoral reimagining and beyond

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

We are happy to announce the start of our diocesan pastoral plan that we have named Pastoral Reimagining to begin on Pentecost Sunday in two weeks and culminate on Pentecost Sunday, 2024. The overarching theme is: “There is one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, and one God and Father of all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6) Like the Synod on Synodality, it is intended to be a user-friendly and diocesan-wide process that is centered on the four marks of the church: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. At the outset, it is notable to see the interconnection between the process of the Synod on Synodality and the four marks of the church that we proclaim in the Nicene Creed at Masses of Sunday obligation throughout our Catholic world.

We recall that the theme of the world-wide Synod on Synodality is Communion – Participation – Mission. Pope Francis gave us this lens to rediscover the nature and mission of the church in the modern world.

However, it is a standard that is ever ancient and ever new.

The Nicene Creed in 325 AD taught that the Church is One – Holy – Catholic – Apostolic and within this belief the harmony with the Synodal theme is straightaway apparent. This is the nature and mission of the Catholic Church that did not just emerge in 325 AD but was there from the beginning at the first Pentecost. The gift of the Holy Spirit reveals that God is one, and that the Good News of Jesus Christ is intended for the entire world.

In this light, our pastoral reimagining is building upon the work of the Synod on Synodality which produced good fruit in our diocese. Once again, we are allowing the Holy Spirit to bless and guide us in our willingness to cooperate with God’s grace in a spirit of renewal. The good fruit of the Synod process is contained in our diocesan synthesis that expresses the results of prayer, scripture, and conversation from over a one thousand people from around the diocese. (View the synthesis here: https://jacksondiocese.org/synod.)

Pastoral reimagining will allow each parish and mission to take a more direct and intentional look at the reality of their community in the spirit of Synodality in the aftermath of the pandemic.

There will be four stages for the pastoral reimagining process over the course of one year, framed by the feast of Pentecost this year and next. The first stage will be the foundation upon which we take a deeper dive into the nature and mission of the church as One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.

How? Briefly, we have created four videos in English and in Spanish of approximately 20 minutes in length, with discussion questions for each of the four productions. They will be available on Pentecost, and going forward they will be widely distributed throughout the diocese. Each pastor and/or Lay Ecclesial Minister is to form a core group in their parish community to work with these videos as the foundation for the year ahead. Calling upon the Holy Spirit we pray that each parish will be encouraged, as well as challenged to be whom God calls us to be. All parishes will also receive their own input from our diocesan Synod process to add to the discussion. This first stage should be undertaken during an opportune time frame over the next few months and be completed by late summer or early autumn.

In the early fall of this year, a thorough report of the demographics of our diocese, including the religious and Catholic populations, will be available for the core team, as well as for all of the faithful throughout the diocese. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) will be the source for this research. Stage two without a doubt will enrich the local conversations as the One – Holy – Catholic – Apostolic process coalesces with current demographics and researched based future projections.

Briefly, the third stage in the early part of next year will be deanery gatherings in the six regions of our diocese to develop a synthesis that best captures the reality of our diocese in each region.

During the fourth stage in the spring of 2024, a diocesan core team and I will have the opportunity to examine and take to heart all that comes from the six deaneries. By God’s

Volume 69 Number 12 (ISSN 1529-1693)

P.O. Box 2130 Jackson, MS 39225-2130

Phone: 601-969-3581 E-mail: editor@jacksondiocese.org

Publisher

Communications Director

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

Joanna Puddister King

Production Manager Tereza Ma

Contributors ......................................................................................................... Berta Mexidor

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an official publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published digitally twice per month January – April and September – December; once per month June, July and August. Mississippi Catholic mails 14 editions 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 w www.jacksondiocese.org

grace, a pastoral letter will be the good fruit of this process that will be “a lamp for our feet and a light on our path” (Psalm 119:105) for pastoral reimagining and planning.

I am excited over the possibilities for this diocesan endeavor, and may the Lord prosper the work of our hearts and minds and grant us a year of favor in the spirit of Pentecost.

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Saturday, May 20, 10:30 a.m. – Diaconate Ordination of Tristan Stovall, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Sunday, May 21, 9 a.m. – Confirmation, Sacred Heart, Camden

Sunday, May 21, 1 p.m. – Confirmation, St. Therese, Jackson

Tuesday, May 23, 7 p.m. – Vicksburg Catholic School Graduation

Wednesday, May 24, 7 p.m. – St. Joseph School Graduation, Madison

Thursday, May 25, 7 p.m. – St. Joseph School Graduation, Greenville

Friday, May 26, 7 p.m. – Cathedral School Graduation, Natchez

Saturday, May 27, 10:30 a.m. – Priesthood Ordination of Deacon Carlisle Beggerly, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Saturday, May 27, 5 p.m. – Confirmation, St. Michael, Forest

Sunday, May 28, 10:30 a.m. – Confirmation, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Sunday, May 28, 1 p.m. – Confirmation (Spanish), Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Wednesday, May 31, 6 p.m. – Confirmation, Catholic Community of Meridian

Thursday, June 1, 6 p.m. – Confirmation, St. James, Corinth

Wednesday, June 7, 6 p.m. – Mass of Installation of Danna Johnson as LEM, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Houston

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

JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz films a video message for the upcoming pastoral reimaging process on Monday, May 8. The reimagining process for the diocese builds upon the work of the Synod on Synodality and begins at Pentecost. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

As we continue to nurture a culture of vocations in our diocese, we are starting a new initiative to invite more stakeholders to get involved. The Catholic Women’s Burse Club is a ‘meeting-less’ association that invites all Catholic women in the Diocese of Jackson to support our seminarians. We have sent out invitations throughout the diocese, so be on the lookout! A small gift is all it takes to become a member of the Burse Club, and all members will be connected to the Office of Vocations with a monthly report and will be asked to pray for our seminarians. They will also be recognized at our annual Homegrown Harvest Fundraiser each fall.

One of the biggest sources of priestly vocations is parents. If parents encourage and promote priestly life to their sons, then it is a much easier road to the seminary. Unfortunately, the opposite is true as well. It is very challenging for young men when their parents do not support their decision to discover God’s will for them in the seminary. I know that it can be scary as a parent when your children choose to take a “road less traveled,” but God will not be outdone in His generosity. I encourage all parents, and as we are in May, all mothers to please encourage your sons to consider the priesthood. It can be easy to say “we need good priests,” but it is more difficult to proclaim, “…and those good priests can come from our family!”

I am hopeful that the Burse Club will provide helpful information and a wonderful opportunity for women of the diocese to get involved in our quest to bring forth homegrown vocations. We ask for the intercession of the patroness of our diocese, Our Lady of Sorrows, and we are confident that the Lord will bless our efforts. Please consider joining the Catholic Women’s Burse Club. We are rejoicing this month at the ordination to the priesthood of Carlisle Beggerly and the ordination to the transitional diaconate of Tristan Stovall. Kay Beggerly and Ginger Stovall, the mothers of these men, have supported them greatly and have encouraged them every step of the way. This is a great gift and we thank them for giving their sons to the family of the church.

The women of the diocese should be receiving information via mail on the Burse Club in May. If you would like more information on the Burse Club, you can contact the Office of Vocations at (601) 969-4020.

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

Happy Ordination Anniversary

May 7

Bishop Joseph Kopacz (ordained priest)

May 11

Father Mark Shoffner

St. John the Evangelist, Oxford

Father Adolfo Suarez Pasillas

St. Michael, Forest

May 14

Father Panneer Selvam Arockiam

St. Mary, Yazoo City

Father Jason Johnston

St. Joseph, Starkville

Father Joseph Le

St. Francis, Aberdeen

Father Andrew Bowden

St. Richard, Jackson

May 17

Father Matthew Simmons

St. Joseph, Gluckstadt

May 23

Father Joachim Studwell, OFM

St. Francis, Greenwood

Deacon Hank Babin

Retired

May 24

Father Bob Goodyear, ST

Holy Rosary Indian Mission

Father Joseph Chau Nguyen, SVD

St. Mary, Vicksburg

May 27

Father Charles Bucciantini

Retired

May 29

Father Sam Messina

Retired

Father Hilary Brzezinski, OFM

St. Francis, Greenwood

May 31

Father Lincoln Dall

Holy Savior, Clinton

Father Rusty Vincent

St. Paul, Vicksburg

Father José de Jesus Sanchez

St. Joseph, Greenville

Father Binh Chau Nguyen

Immaculate Conception, West Point

Father Nick Adam

Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Father Aaron Williams

Basilica of St. Mary, Natchez

June 1

Father Anthony Okwum, SSJ

Holy Family, Natchez & St. Anne, Fayette

June 2

Father Guy Wilson

Holy Child Jesus, Canton & Sacred Heart, Camden

June 4

Father Joe Tonos

St. Richard, Jackson

Deacon Jeff Artigues

St. Joseph, Starkville

Deacon Denzil Lobo

Christ the King, Jackson

Deacon John McGinley

St. Joseph, Starkville

Deacon John McGregor

St. Jude, Pearl

Deacon Ted Schreck

Catholic Parishes of Northwest MS

June 6

Father PJ Curley Retired

June 7

Father Noel Prendergast

Retired

Father Kevin Slattery

St. Therese, Jackson

June 8

Father Thomas Delaney

Retired

June 9

Father Juan Chavajay

Sacred Heart, Canton

June 10

Father Robert Dore

St. Michael, Vicksburg

June 11

Msgr. Patrick Farrell

Retired

Father Thomas Lalor

Retired

June 12

Father Gerry Hurley

St. Paul, Flowood

June 13

Father Mike O’Brien

Retired

Father Mario Solorzano

St. James the Less, Corinth

June 14

Father Tom McGing

Retired

Msgr. Mike Flannery

Retired

June 15

Father David Szatkowski, SCJ

Catholic Parishes of Northwest MS

June 16

Father Jeffrey Waldrep

Annunciation, Columbus

June 18

Father Anthony Quyet

Retired

June 26

Deacon David Gruseck

Annunciation, Columbus

June 27

Father Andrew Nguyen

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Greenwood

Father Cesar Sanchez

St. James, Tupelo

Father Marco Sanchez, ST

St. Anne, Carthage & St. Therese, Kosciusko

– Father Nick Adam

Father Nick Adam

Quiet prophecy

IN EXILE

By Father ron rolheiser, oMi

Christian discipleship calls all of us to be prophetic, to be advocates for justice, to help give voice to the poor, and to defend truth. But not all of us, by temperament or by particular vocation, are called to civil disobedience, public demonstrations and the picket lines, as were Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Daniel Berrigan and other such prophetic figures. All are asked to be prophetic, but for some this means more wielding a basin and towel than wielding a placard.

There is a powerful way of being prophetic that, while seemingly quiet and personal, is never private. And its rules are the same as the rules for those who, in the name of Jesus, are wielding placards and risking civil disobedience. What are those rules, rules for a Christian prophecy?

First, a prophet makes a vow of love, not of alienation. There is a critical distinction between stirring up trouble and offering prophecy out of love, a distinction between operating out of egoism and operating out of faith and hope. A prophet risks misunderstanding, but never seeks it, and a prophet seeks always to have a mellow rather than an angry heart.

Second, a prophet draws his or her cause from Jesus and not from an ideology. Ideologies can carry a lot of truth and be genuine advocates for justice. But, people can walk away from an ideology, seeing it precisely as an ideology, as political correctness, and thus justify their rejection of the truth it carries. Sincere people often walk away from Greenpeace, from Feminism, or Liberation Theology, from Critical Race Theory and many other ideologies which in fact carry a lot of truth because those truths are wrapped inside an ideology. Sincere people will not walk away from Jesus. In our struggle for justice and truth, we must be ever vigilant that we are drawing our truth from the Gospels and not from some ideology.

Third, a prophet is committed to non-violence. A prophet is always seeking to personally disarm rather than to arm, to be in the words of Daniel Berrigan, a powerless criminal in a time of criminal power. A prophet takes Jesus seriously when he asks us, in the face of violence, to turn the other cheek. A prophet incarnates in his or her way of living the eschatological truth that in heaven there will be no guns.

Fourth, a prophet articulates God’s voice for the poor and for the earth. Any preaching, teaching, or political action that is not good news for the poor is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to bring good news to the poor, to “widows, orphans, and strangers” (biblical code for the most vulnerable groups in society). As Pastor Forbes once famously said: Nobody goes to heaven without a letter of reference from the poor. We are not meant to be the church compatible.

Fifth, a prophet doesn’t foretell the future but properly names the present in terms of God’s vision of things. A prophet reads where the finger of God is within everyday life, in function of naming our fidelity or infidelity to God and in function of pointing to our future in terms of God’s plan for us. This is Jesus’ challenge to read the

signs of the times.

Sixth, a prophet speaks out of a horizon of hope. A prophet draws his or her vision and energy not from wishful thinking nor from optimism, but from hope. And Christian hope is not based on whether the world situation is better or worse on a given day. Christian hope is based on God’s promise, a promise that was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus, which assures us that we can entrust ourselves to love, truth, and justice, even if the world kills us for it. The stone will always roll back from the tomb.

Seventh, a prophet’s heart and cause are never a ghetto. Jesus assures us that in his Father’s house there are many rooms. Christian prophecy must ensure that no person or group can make God their own tribal or national deity. God is equally solicitous vis-àvis all people and all nations.

Finally, a prophet doesn’t just speak or write about

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christians have no need to be afraid or hopeless because Jesus always tells the faithful where they are going and how to get there, Pope Francis said.

“At times, especially when there are major problems to face and there is the sensation that evil is stronger, we ask ourselves: What should I do, what path should I follow?” he said May 7.

Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth and the life,” which means “Jesus himself is the way to follow to live in truth and to have life in abundance,” the pope said.

Before reciting the midday “Regina Coeli” prayer with about 20,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis spoke about the day’s Gospel reading, John 14:1-12, which is among Jesus’ discourses at the Last Supper before his death.

“The disciples’ hearts are troubled, but the Lord speaks reassuring words to them, inviting them not to be afraid,” the pope said. Jesus “is not abandoning them but is going to prepare a place for them and to guide them toward that destination.”

Jesus tells his disciples that “there is space for you, you are welcome, you will always be received with the warmth of an embrace, and I am in heaven to prepare a place for you,” the pope said. Jesus also “prepares for us that embrace with the Father, the place for all eternity.”

This is a source of consolation and hope for the faithful, he said. “So, when we experience fatigue, bewilderment and even failure, let us remember where our life is headed.”

“We must not lose

injustice, a prophet also acts and acts with courage, even at the cost of death. A prophet is a wisdom figure, a Magus or a Sophia, who will act, no matter the cost in lost friends, lost prestige, lost freedom, or danger to his or her own life. A prophet has enough altruistic love, hope, and courage to act, no matter the cost. A prophet never seeks martyrdom but accepts it if it finds him or her.

This last counsel is, I believe, the one most challenging for “quiet” prophets. Wisdom figures are not renowned for being on the picket lines, but in that lies the challenge. A prophet can discern at what time to park the placard and bring out the basin and towel –and at what time to lay aside the basin and towel and pick up the placard.

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

sight of the destination,” he said, which is the “greatness and the beauty” of heaven.

Pope Francis said that once the faithful understand where they are going and what they are living for, the next question is “how can we get there, what is the way?”

Jesus says he is the path to follow, the pope said. “He is the way and therefore faith in him is not a ‘package of ideas’ in which to believe, but rather a road to be traveled, a journey to undertake, a path with him,” which “leads to unfailing happiness.”

The faithful are invited to follow Jesus and imitate him, “especially with deeds of closeness and mercy toward others, Pope Francis said. “This is the compass for reaching heaven: loving Jesus, the way, becoming signs of his love on earth.”

The Pope’s Corner Jesus shows what path to take, especially in times of trouble, pope says

An estimated 20,000 visitors and pilgrims join Pope Francis for the recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer May 7, 2023, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

'... pastoral reimagining...

'... this is long-haul healing ...'

– Continued from page 1 –

– Continued from page 1 –

or LEM establishing a pastoral reimagining committee and having the committee view four ecclesiology video sessions and answer a series of questions designed to guide conversation on who we are as a church, says Fran Lavelle, director of faith formation for the diocese and member of the core team who will be working on the pastoral reimagining process.

The four video sessions, led by Bishop Kopacz will focus on the four marks of the church: one, holy, Catholic and apostolic; and will be available for anyone to view on the diocese website after Pentecost.

Stage two, will include each parish undertaking a parish assessment that includes the current situation at the local parish, the growing edges, the areas that are diminishing, the opportunities for collaboration with other parishes in the area, and other local realities.

With this stage, demographic information will be prepared for each parish, including sacramental data, local economic data and more, says Lavelle.

The third stage will focus on each deanery working though challenges and reviewing the growing edges and diminishing areas of ministry within the deanery.

“The goal is to gain a realistic perspective of the health and well-being of the deanery within the setting of the individual parishes,” Lavelle says.

The final two stages will include a period of discernment on reports from the six deaneries in the diocese and a pastoral letter from Bishop Kopacz, concluding with a diocesan celebration at Pentecost 2024.

“Calling upon the Holy Spirit, we pray that each parish will be encouraged, as well as challenged to be whom God calls us to be,” says Bishop Kopacz.

Sisters celebrate jubilees

Sister Cathyn Kever, SSSF – 70 years

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Sister Cathryn Kever, SSSF was born in Luystown, Missouri. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Alverno College (1957) and a master’s degree from the University of Arizona (1968). In the Diocese of Jackson, Sister Cathryn taught at Sacred Heart School in Walls (1958-1960) and at Wood Junior College in Mathiston (1985-1987). She also served as pastoral associate at St. Joseph Parish in Starkville (1987-1989). Since 2017, Sister has served in the ministry of prayer and presence at Sacred Heart in Milwaukee.

Cards for Sister Cathryn may be mailed in sister’s name, Attn: U.S. Province Jubilee Committee, 1545 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53215.

Sister Marilyn Winkel, CSA – 60 years

FOND DU LAC, Wis. – When Sister Marilyn Winkel, CSA assumed her responsibilities as pastoral assistant in Meridian, Mississippi, she was known only to a few people. In November of her first year there at RCIA, Sister Marilyn briefly explained before Mass the meaning of the Rite. Then during Mass, she guided the RCIA individuals in responses and participation.

"After Mass, a parishioner with a visitor remarked that I must be a sister," said Sister Marilyn.

"As I reflected on this comment, I felt affirmed in my ministry, along with my words and demeanor that I was recognized as a vowed woman religious. The keyboard/piano musician for the choir expressed it this way, 'I always admired your acumen when it came to the finished product at St. Patrick’s.'”

Sister Marilyn was born in Marytown, Wisconsin. She earned a BS in elementary education from Marian University. Sister taught at St. Patrick School in Hudson, Wisconsin (1964); and Holy Family School in Bronx, New York (1969). She served as principal at Our Lady Queen of Angels School, New York (1972); St. John the Baptist School, Waunakee, Wisconsin (1984); Central City Catholic School, Milwaukee (1987); and St. Matthew/St. Lawrence, Milwaukee (1993). Additionally, she served as a volunteer and pastoral associate at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Milwaukee (19992010); director of religious ed at St. Patrick Parish, Bisbee, Arizona (2010); pastoral assistant and religious ed coordinator at St. Patrick and St. Joseph Parishes in Meridian, Mississippi (2013-2020); volunteer at St. Katherine Drexel Shelter and literacy program in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (2021).

Sister Marilyn says, "Of the many years in ministry, in different areas of the country, a great blessing I received is the delight to know so many people! One comes to know them in the stories (struggles and triumphs) they share, the gift of self which they express, their participation in faith, school [and] church activities. I have come to know and appreciate people of many cultures and languages, from within the states and varous parts of the world. I am greatly enriched by all the people with whom I have shared faith and life experiences."

unteers can do is listen to the victims’ stories and encourage them to talk.

“Each time you relate what you went through, it gets a little easier to talk about. Don’t keep it bottled up inside,” said Clark, who is based in Bradenton, Florida, and has seen plenty of hurricane damage in her decade-plus of SVDP service. “We’ll talk 20-30 minutes with each person to let them get things off their chests.

“It’s especially difficult if you’ve lost family members – there was one man on crutches who told us he’d just lost his mother and grandmother. Another woman said she and her husband lived in a mobile home, and her husband climbed on top of her to protect her. They survived, but the woman was horrified to find that when she looked over at the site where her sister’s mobile home was, it was gone. The sister’s body was found later, unfortunately.

First Baptist Church of Rolling Fork became a central feeding and recovery location for disaster survivors in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

“Pastor Britt Williamson was bringing in counselors to help the victims when we were there,” Clark said. “It’s so important to get children to open up as well as the adults. We give candy to them, try to get them to talk. They’re deeply impacted by what they’ve gone through.”

The inclination by so many goodhearted people once they learn of horrific storm damage is to organize drives to deliver food, clothing, supplies and even furniture. Some even hop in their cars and drive straight to the disaster site, eager to offer whatever help they can.

But despite the best of intentions, those spontaneous acts of generosity can create additional problems. Clark pointed out that when truckloads of furniture and clothing are sent at the very beginning of the recovery, there’s often nowhere to put them because homes and buildings have been destroyed.

“There’s an urge to go in and provide resources without asking,” Robinson said. “The greatest thing we can do is allow those in need to have some dignity, and say to them, ‘We are not the experts. Tell us how we can help you. What is it that you need?’”

Robinson just led a team of volunteers from the St. Richard and Christ the King conferences to Silver City on May 18 to partner with the Mississippi Department of Health and Human Services.

“DHS asked if we could help them feed the residents,” Robinson said. “They’re doing outreach for seniors and the disabled whose services – such as Meals on Wheels – were disrupted because of the storm. We purchased burgers, beans, chips and drinks to serve lunch, and we were also there to find out if there were additional needs from residents, such as those still without electricity.”

Guilbeau and SVDP volunteers all over the Jackson Council will gladly continue to help out in Rolling Fork and Silver City as long as it takes, and in whatever ways are needed – including through spiritual nourishment.

“We have a project called Home in a Box that provides furniture to homes that are being rebuilt,” he said. “The short-term need was for feeding; the long-term need is to rebuild. This is long-haul healing.”

“When we met with Pastor Williamson, he indicated that a lot of Rolling Fork residents are renters,” Robinson said. “Going forward, one of the needs will be to see how we can assist them in moving from renting to home ownership, which creates more stability in the community.

“But the most important thing we’ve done for our friends there – and the most important thing we can continue to do – is pray for them.”

To learn more about SVDP, visit svdpusa.org.

ROLLING FORK – A line forms for food provided by St. Vincent de Paul conferences in the community of Rolling Fork.

Holy Year 2025 website to go live; registration opens in the fall

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Vatican office in charge of coordinating plans for the Holy Year 2025 announced they are launching a new website and releasing an app to help people register and to guide them along their pilgrimage in Rome.

By registering online at iubilaeum2025.va or on the jubilee app, people will receive a free digital “pilgrim’s card,” which will be needed to participate in jubilee events, especially gaining access to the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica, said Msgr. Graham Bell, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization’s section that is coordinating the Holy Year.

The jubilee website was to go live May 10 and be available in nine languages, he said at a news conference at the Vatican May 9.

People can begin registering online starting in September, he said, “by clicking on the ‘participate’ button.” After registering, people will be able to access a personal page on the site’s “pilgrim’s zone,” which will also go live in September.

Registrants will receive a digital “pilgrim’s card,” which is a personal QR code needed to access jubilee events and better facilitate the pilgrimage to the Holy Door, the monsignor said. There also will be an option to purchase a “service card” for a nominal fee to receive special discounts for transportation, lodging, food and museums during the pilgrimage.

The jubilee website and app will give news and information on the Holy Door of St. Peter’s and the other basilicas as well as offer the possibility of organizing one’s own pilgrimage within the city, Msgr. Bell said.

People can choose from three proposed pilgrimages: “the traditional pilgrimage of St. Philip Neri with the seven churches; the pilgrimage on the churches dedicated to the women doctors of the church and patrons of Europe; and the ‘Iter Europaeum,’ that is, the 28 churches in 27 different European countries, plus the church that represents the European Union.”

“Tools are being prepared to better introduce pilgrims into these paths and to promote knowledge of the works of art in the various churches,” he said. It marks “an important effort carried out in agreement with the (Italian) Ministry of Tourism, which will encourage the discovery of many places often unknown to tourists themselves.”

“Rome has always been a cultural attraction and our aim is that the pilgrim may also become a tourist, just as the tourist may be fascinated by the pilgrim experience,” said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the section.

Starting in September, he said, they will open an exhibition “with works by the great Spanish Renaissance artist, El Greco.”

The pieces “have never left Spain and are being made available for this very occasion,” he said. The exhibit will be held in the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone facing onto Piazza Navona and will feature El Greco’s three masterpieces: “The Baptism of Christ,” “Christ Carrying the Cross” and “Christ Blessing.”

Other art exhibits will take place throughout the run-up to and during the jubilee, including ones that will rotate into places like hospitals and prisons, he said. “We want as much as possible for these events to have free access, in order to encourage the participation of citizens in the contemplation of beauty that allows a better relationship with the city and its people.”

Archbishop Fisichella said Pope Francis has asked Catholics worldwide to prepare for the next jubilee year by spending 2023 studying the documents of the Second Vatican Council, especially its four constitutions, which focused on: the liturgy; the church as the people of God; Scripture; and the role of the church in the modern world.

“In order to help local churches in their catechetical, human and especially Christian formation paths, and to give younger people the opportunity to know and rediscover the central contents of the council,” he said, the dicastery published a series of 35 small volumes titled, “Council Notebooks,” in December.

The “notebooks” have already been translated into Spanish in one hardcover volume titled, “Cuadernos del Concilio,” he said, and they are now being translated into English by ATC Publishers-India.

Since the pope wants 2024 to be dedicated to prayer in preparation for the jubilee, the dicastery will publish an in-depth series called “Notes on Prayer” to promote “the centrality of prayer, personal and communal,” the archbishop said.

“We are studying the possibility of a ‘school of prayer’ with pathways that would cover the vast world of prayer,” he added.

The opening and closing dates of the jubilee year will be announced in the pope’s “Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee, which will be published according to tradition on the feast of the Ascension, May 9, 2024,” Archbishop Fisichella said.

The ordinary jubilee will begin with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in December 2024, he said, and there will be “major jubilee events”

throughout 2025. For example, Jan. 24, 2025, will be dedicated to the World of Communications, May 30June 1, 2025, will be dedicated to families, and July 28Aug. 3, 2025, will be dedicated to young people.

The archbishop also announced that Italian composer Francesco Meneghello was the winner of the competition for an original score for the official hymn for the Holy Year 2025 that highlights its theme, “Pilgrims of Hope.” The lyrics were written by Msgr. Pierangelo Sequeri, an Italian theologian, composer and musician.

The city of Rome has estimated more than 30 million people will come to Rome for the jubilee year.

At least 87 public works projects are set to begin at an initial cost of 1.8 billion euro. Projects include revamping key areas, increasing accessibility and transport, and improving reception services and infrastructure.

This is the logo chosen by the Vatican for the Holy Year 2025. Pope Francis has chosen the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” for the jubilee year, which is marked by pilgrimages, prayer, repentance and acts of mercy. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

This is a list of major events being planned for the Holy Year 2025 as published by the Dicastery for Evangelization’s section that is coordinating the celebration. The jubilee will begin with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in December 2024, and there will be “major jubilee events” throughout 2025. Registration to attend the events will begin in September 2024 online at iubilaeum2025.va or on the jubilee app. (CNS photo/Courtesy Dicastery for Evangelization)

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Ordinations from yesteryear

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Mary WoodWard

JACKSON – Last edition I wrote about May being the month for ordinations. This week for the digital edition I thought I would share several photos of our three most recent bishops at their ordinations. It is very enriching to look back on lives well-lived in the service of the Lord. Keep all of our priests in your prayers as they strive to be humble servants of the Lord.

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

JACKSON – (Top) Bishop Houck following the ordination of Father Joseph Marino, a student of bishop’s when he was a priest in Birmingham. Father Marino went on to become Archbishop Joseph Marino, apostolic nuncio to Bangladesh and Malaysia. Bishop Houck was a co-consecrator at Archbishop Marino’s ordination to the episcopacy as well.

(Bottom) Archbishop Thomas Rodi pours Sacred Chrism on the head of Bishop Joseph Kopacz during his ordination on Feb. 6. 2014. (Photos from archives)

(Top) Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb lays hands on the head of Bishop Joseph Latino at his ordination on March 7, 2003.

(Bottom) Then, Father Latino gives a blessing to his parents at his first Mass.

A large bronze-colored resin statue is seen April 26, 2023, at the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston in a Shroud of Turin exhibit that features a 14-foot replica of the shroud gifted to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston by the Archdiocese of Turin, Italy. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston blessed and dedicated the new exhibit, the only permanent display of an authentic replica of the Shroud of Turin in the United States. (OSV News photo/James Ramos, Texas Catholic Herald)

NATION

HOUSTON (OSV News) – Entering a cavelike entrance, visitors at the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston confront a life-size statue lying in the tomb, a replica of the man’s body image from the Shroud of Turin. Sculpted by Italian artist Luigi Enzo Mattei, the body shows some of the suffering endured but in a subdued manner. The dark, bronze-colored resin statue highlights a gaping hole in his side, in each of his wrists, his feet and other wounds. Across on a wall of the compact space, a 14-foot replica of the wellknown Shroud of Turin looms as the possible burial cloth of Jesus. The shroud exposition sits adjacent to the museum’s lengthy exhibit on the death of the popes and features two life-size, back-lit screen displays of the shroud’s photonegative scans from official studies. Visitors have room to view the shroud up close, a certified linen reproduction gifted to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston from the Archdiocese of Turin, Italy. The shroud replica is just one of seven authentic reproductions recently made available by Turin officials for public display around the world. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston blessed the new exhibit with holy water, telling those gathered that the shroud “has led many to contemplate more deeply the central mysteries of the Christian faith, principally the historical reality of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – On May 11, when Title 42 public health order comes to an end, processing of migrants will be full reinstated under Title 8, a measure that experts said would stiffen the consequences for migrants who attempt to cross the border into the United States irregularly. Additionally, the Biden administration announced on May 10 new measures that would further harden the requirements to request asylum in the United States. Troy Miller, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), testified before Congress in recent days that the agency is preparing for up to 10,000 migrants to cross the southern border daily once Title 42 ends. Title 42 is part of the U.S. federal public health law implemented by the Trump administration in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Title 8 has been the standard for migration to the United States for decades. Johanna Kelley, a Washington-based immigration lawyer, said, “What is new are the policies of execution and implementation of Title 8; what is new is what the Biden administration is doing to create these regional centers (to process migrants in places like Guatemala and Colom-

bia), to generate alternative paths to stop irregular migration and these processes or procedures before entry through paroles,” she said. “Sadly, the asylum ban policy that the administration is finalizing raises many barriers to the rights of migrants and asylum-seekers at the border,” said Dylan Corbett, director of the Hope Border Institute.

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) –Although she died centuries ago, the English mystic Julian of Norwich continues to remind people of the importance of “faith in God’s loving providence and holiness of life expressed in generous service to our brothers and sisters in need,” Pope Francis said. Pope Francis’ message about the ongoing relevance of the medieval mystic was read May 14 at the Anglican cathedral in Norwich, England, during an ecumenical service marking the 650th anniversary of the “shewings” or visions and revelations Julian received in Norwich over several days and nights in May 1373. Noting how Julian of Norwich’s life and writings are “increasingly being acknowledged and celebrated,” Pope Francis said that “her maternal influence, humble anonymity and profound theological insights stand as timely reminders” of the importance of faith in God and assisting one another. The mystic’s real name is not known; she is called Julian because she lived in a cell at the Church of St. Julian, praying and receiving visitors who asked for help.

WORLD

JERUSALEM (OSV

News) – Faith leaders and activists for coexistence from across Israel gathered in prayer in front of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem on May 10, in a week that once again saw yet another increase in violence between Israel and the Palestinians. The prayer march came after the May 2 death in prison of prominent hunger striking Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan, a leader and spokesman in the Islamic Jihad militant group. The prayer gathering took on more urgency following an early morning Israeli airstrike into Gaza May 9 that killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians including the militants’ wives, several children,

and civilian neighbors in a residential building. Muslim peace activist Ghadir Hani, from the northern Israeli city of Acco, and Rabbi Lana Zilberman Soloway from the Jerusalem area, said their prayers – recited in both Hebrew and Arabic – took on a special urgency now, and that it was important to see Arabs and Jews marching together at these very tense times, with the missile attacks continuing even as they prayed. “Today we are praying for all the children in Gaza and for all the children living along the Gaza border in Israel. We are one, and we are the ones bringing light to all the people of this land,” Hani said. “This march is a very important statement.”

LONDON (OSV News) – Catholic leaders in Britain welcomed the ecumenical and interfaith elements in the May 6 coronation of King Charles III and his consort, Queen Camilla, as well as a pledge by the new monarch “not to be served but to serve.” “The years following the Reformation were a desperately challenging time for Catholics, with priests, religious and laity persecuted and killed for their faith – it is testament to an incredible journey of reconciliation that six Catholic bishops were present at the coronation, including Vatican representatives,” said Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark. The archbishop was preaching at a May 7 thanksgiving Mass at St. George’s Cathedral in Southwark following the coronation, which was attended by 2,300 in London’s historic Westminster Abbey, including heads of state and government, and watched live by tens of millions worldwide. Westminster Abbey said the coronation, with its historic elements of recognition, oath-taking, anointing, investiture, crowning, enthronement and homage, had been the 39th in the Gothic building since that of William the Conqueror in 1066. The procession into the abbey included a new Cross of Wales, incorporating fragments of the Cross of Christ donated by Pope Francis, and a book of Latin gospels used in a sixth-century conversion mission to England, and was joined by various Christian denominations, as well as Bahai, Jain, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim and Jewish leaders.

Delight in the Word

FROM THE HERMITAGE

By SiSter alieS thereSe

U.S. author Karen Cushman, in “The Ballad of Lucy Whipple” said: “Look was pa’s favorite word; it meant admire, wonder, goggle at the beauty and excitement all around us.” What ‘word’ does this for you? One of my favorites is delight. Consider poor Owl in A.A. Milne’s “Eeyore Loses a Tail:”

“For Owl wise though he was in many ways … somehow went all to pieces over delicate words like measles and buttered toast.” Oh my, how words vary with each of us!

Spring is well underway though convalescence continues I have been exploring ways to study scripture. Most of you no doubt are reading each day’s readings, preparing for the Eucharist, and finding new ways to deepen your knowledge and wisdom. One way is through the Magnificat that our little parish provides us. I am always on the lookout for a word, a single word that can help me do that. “Delight” has been in my heart. Exploring words and the Word is well worth time and energy! Anais Nin, a French American writer in her diary called my attention to this:

“A trite word is an overused word which has lost its identity like an old coat in a second-hand shop. The familiar grows dull and we no longer see, hear, or taste it. “

So, I have also been exploring ‘the Word’ in “The

ON ORDINARY TIMES

By lucia a. Silecchia

If you enter a church and find the sanctuary decked out in red flowers, chances are that, unless it is Christmas, the parish has just celebrated Confirmation. This is particularly true in spring when so many such celebrations take place in the wake of Easter.

I wonder, though, if this Sacrament is in danger of being deeply underappreciated.

Unlike Communion and Reconciliation, Confirmation is celebrated only once in a lifetime. Thus, it is not repeatedly recalled in such a tangible way.

Unlike Holy Matrimony and Ordination, Confirmation does not bring forth an obvious reorientation of daily life and the organization of that life to meet the demands that come with a new state of life.

Unlike Baptism, it does not come with such constant reminders as the Baptismal candle prominently placed in every church or the annual renewal of Baptismal vows at Easter or the reminder of Baptism at every Christian funeral.

Unlike the Anointing of the Sick, it is often celebrated amidst the myriad distractions and angsts of teenage life rather than in those days when the mind and heart are intensely oriented toward the spiritual.

Message,” by Eugene Peterson … a poetic and modern language edition of the Bible (Catholic books not included). Some of you may well know it and realize that just the changing of a word enlightens the mind. He taught Greek and Hebrew and is a pastor and thought that the words one found sometimes did not express a modern understanding. It is neither a study Bible nor one with footnotes (but the Intros are very worth exploring). It is a reader’s Bible… Here is a simple example from the Gospel of St Luke:

“Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, beautiful inside and out! God be with you … the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God … nothing is impossible to God… Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say.” (Luke 1)

“The Message” is not an attempt to ‘dumb-down’ the scriptures but to make available words that catch our hearts and minds. The Psalms, for example, are a good place to start in any translation! I love Psalm 62:

“God, the One and only – I’ll wait as long as God says. Everything I need comes from God, so why not? God is a solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle: I’m set for life.”

I love that … breathing room for my soul! Delightful.

Psalm 142 anchors the cry of our word in the anguished hope that God will come to our aid:

“I cry out loudly to God, loudly I plead with God for mercy. I spill out all my complaints before God, and spell out my troubles in detail.”

Maybe you’ve never read the scriptures. I know that sounds nuts but often people listen at Mass and hope for the best. Indeed, the reading of the scriptures

is a pleasure and our source of goodness and promise. How will I know what God has promised me if I do not read His Word? What can I delight in? What can help me when I am ill or fearful, joyful or expectant? Though in our Catholic tradition most of the Bible is read aloud over the 3-year cycle, each day I need the Word for sustenance, I need to hear God tell me who He is, what He has done for us, how I might follow.

Another favorite is Job and his saga with three ‘friends’ who do him no good, and a God who loves him dearly but seems silent at times. Maybe you have had this experience?

“Please, God, I have two requests, grant them so I’ll know I can count on You: First, lay off the affliction; the terror is too much for me. Second, address me directly so I can answer You, or let me speak and then You answer me. ... Why do You stay hidden and silent? Why do You treat me like I’m Your enemy? You watch every move I make, and brand me as a dangerous character.”

(Job 13)

Exploring the Word and finding delight draws us close to our God who left us all these inspirations and promises that we might live with God forever. The human authors and saints that follow are there to invite us into the Kingdom. In Isaiah 42:1 (referring to Jesus) we are reminded:

“Here is My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen One, in whom My soul delights … I have put My spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” In whom does your soul delight?

Blessings.

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

It is also centered on the Holy Spirit, perhaps the most intangible member of the Holy Trinity.

Yet, when considering the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the fruits of that Spirit, and the great promise of strength that comes with it, there may be more that can be done to emphasize the importance of this Sacrament for those receiving it this year, those for whom Confirmation was a long-ago celebration, and for the life of a parish as a whole. So, perhaps:

• If space allows, all parishioners should be invited to and urged to attend the parish’s celebration of Confirmation to remember their own celebration, hear the beautiful prayers of Confirmation, and support the newly confirmed with their presence and their prayers. Attend if you can and recall the graces you received that special day of your own life.

• Consider hosting a parish wide celebration each year for those who are confirmed – perhaps on the Feast of Pentecost or on a Sunday close to the Confirmation celebration. This can be an occasion for all to rejoice in the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit.

• Occasionally the beautiful words of the Confirmation rite might be printed in the parish bulletin or website so that those who last heard these words long ago can have a chance to reflect on them once again.

• Confirmation sponsors may consid-

er all the ways they can help the one they sponsored grow in wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. Often, godparents are chosen for their critical role because of their relationships with the parents of the infant to be baptized. Typically, however, when a teenager or adult is being confirmed, he or she chooses the sponsor. Hopefully, those special relationships will inspire sponsors to play active roles in the lives of faith of those they presented for Confirmation. Perhaps the anniversary of Confirmation day, or the Feast Day of the Confirmation patron saint can be particular occasions to renew and strengthen that commitment.

• To the extent possible, the years after Confirmation might be given greater attention. All too often, Confirmation can become a day that marks the end of religious education rather than the beginning of a newer and deeper life of faith. Those who lead parish organizations might consider how to reach out to the newly Confirmed to play an active role in parish life. Yes, this may mean a vibrant youth and young adult ministry program. But it should also involve real invitations for the newly confirmed to join every other activity and form of service that is part of parish life.

• Planning for Pentecost Sunday –celebrated on May 28 this year – might include ways to recall the celebration of Confirmation, remember what it meant, and pray for continued openness to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

• If those to be Confirmed are still teenagers or younger, their parents – the

first teachers of the faith – have a sacred role to play in helping them to prepare, by sharing with them a strong witness of a faith-filled life and prioritizing their growth in faith above all the other demands on their time.

• Likewise, godparents should accompany their godchildren as they journey toward Confirmation. With the intimate connection between Baptism and Confirmation, this support can be essential.

My own Confirmation was decades ago. I have happy memories and some photographs in which I am wearing a red robe and a white felt stole bearing the name of my patron saint, “Ann.” I wish I remembered more. However, with every passing year, I get a bit more grateful for that long ago day and what happened on it.

Perhaps as individuals and as parish families this can be the year to celebrate Confirmation and its important role in the life of Baptized Christians and in the very life of the church herself. When the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, these men who had trembled and hidden in fear were strengthened to do great things boldly and bravely for the rest of their days. May we seek ways to more fully embrace the Holy Spirit in our own lives and to rejoice in the way it fills our ordinary times.

(Lucia A. Silecchia is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Research at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. Email her at silecchia@cua.edu.)

The spirit of ordinary time

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage connects Catholics across U.S. to 2024 Congress

By Maria Wiering

ST.

PAUL, Minn. (OSV News) – Mike Wavra

thinks of the 2024 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage as “an opportunity to walk with the Lord.”

He and his wife, Cindi, both 65-year-old retirees, plan to join the pilgrimage at its northern launch point in Minnesota in May 2024, and then walk for about a week, before rejoining the pilgrims seven weeks later in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.

The Wavras are among thousands of Catholics from across the United States anticipated to participate in next year’s pilgrimage to the Congress, part of the U.S. bishops’ three-year National Eucharistic Revival that began in 2021. The pilgrimage has four routes, with one beginning in the north, south, east and west of the country.

Pilgrims traveling in the “Eucharistic caravans” on all four routes will begin their journeys with Pentecost weekend celebrations May 17-18, 2024, leaving May 19. They will all converge on Indianapolis July 16, 2024, the day before the five-day Congress opens.

The pilgrimage is an opportunity for prayer and evangelization, as well as a way to engage Catholics unable to attend the Congress, said Tim Glemkowski, the National Eucharistic Congress’ executive director.

“What the pilgrimage does is it builds us in prayerful anticipation for what God is going to do at the Congress,” he told OSV News May 5. “It’s two months of us pilgrimaging, fasting, praying, interceding, asking the Lord to renew his church, his bride, in those five days. … They’re not two different things. It’s one pilgrimage: five days of which happen in a stadium in Indianapolis, and two months of which happen across our country on the way there.”

Weekend stops in major cities will include special liturgies, Eucharistic adoration, processions and service opportunities, Glemkowski said.

The northern “Marian Route” that the Wavras plan to take begins in northern Minnesota at Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The route follows the river to St. Paul and Minneapolis, its first weekend stop. Then the route heads south to Rochester, Minnesota, and then east through La Crosse and Green Bay, Wisconsin. It continues through Milwaukee, Chicago and Notre Dame, Indiana, before arriving in Indianapolis.

The “Juan Diego Route” begins more than 1,600

miles south of Lake Itasca in Brownsville, Texas, at the U.S.-Mexico border. It will follow Texas’ eastern border through Corpus Christi and Houston, and continue through New Orleans; Mobile, Alabama; Atlanta; Nashville, Tennessee; and Louisville, Kentucky.

The “Seton Route” – named for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first U.S.-born saint – begins in New Haven, Connecticut, and continues through New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Steubenville, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio.

The “Junipero Serra Route” begins in San Francisco – with hope of walking over the Golden Gate Bridge – and continues through Reno, Nevada; Salt Lake City; Denver; North Platte and Omaha, Nebraska; Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri; and St. Louis.

At more than 2,200 miles long, the Junipero Serra Route is the longest and most rigorous route. Pilgrims will use transport to cross sections of their route, but the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains are expected to be crossed on foot. In an interview with Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, for a February episode of the popular podcast “Catholic Stuff You Should Know,” co-host Father John Nepil said he wanted to walk with the Eucharist and fellow priests over Colorado’s Vail Pass, which, at 10,541 feet above sea level, is the highest elevation the pilgrimage routes will reach.

Besides the thrill of the physical challenge, “there’s always been a close connection for me between thinking of the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith, and the ways we reflect on the Eucharistic high points as a place of transcendence, and then the way it connects to the mountains,” Father Nepil, a priest of the Archdiocese of Denver and vice rector of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, told OSV News May 8. “We just kind of jumped at that as a cool prospect of leading some people and shepherding them over that pass as we make our way.”

This is the logo for the U.S. bishops’ three-year National Eucharistic Revival. The National Eucharistic Congress organizers describe the routes pilgrims will walk with the Eucharist to the NEC in 2024. The National Eucharistic Congress organizers have set the routes pilgrims will walk with the Eucharist to the NEC in 2024. (OSV News photo/courtesy USCCB)

traveling the entire route, from their launch points to Indianapolis. Each route also will include priest chaplains who will carry the Eucharist, usually in a monstrance specially designed for the pilgrimage. While some chaplains may join the entire pilgrimage route, others may join for segments of the journey, Glemkowski said.

Modern Catholic Pilgrim, a pilgrimage nonprofit with offices in Minnesota and California, is organizing the national pilgrimage. Its founder and president, Will Peterson, connects the pilgrimage to the scriptural journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus, where two of his disciples met Jesus after the Resurrection. Luke 24 recounts how Jesus comforted them, and then revealed himself in the breaking of the bread.

The routes include important Catholic sites in the United States, such the 18th-century ministry of St. Junipero Serra in what is now California, the Philadelphia tombs of St. John Neumann and St. Katharine Drexel, and in Wisconsin, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, the only approved Marian apparition in the United States.

“People are going to reach an ‘Emmaus point’ at these spots along the way, and we want to support the local church,” Peterson said May 9. “That’s where it’s such a great gift to coordinate with like 65 dioceses to say, ‘How can we really highlight the great sacred sites of your diocese?’”

Each pilgrimage route is expected to have 12 “perpetual pilgrims,” young adults, including two seminarians, committed to

The faithful are invited to join the pilgrimage for hours, days or weeks. Each day of the pilgrimage will begin with Mass and a Eucharistic procession with the local community before pilgrims continue the trek to their next stopping point. Pilgrims joining the Eucharistic caravans for short stretches will be responsible for arranging their own food and overnight accommodations, although some parishes along the routes may provide meals and lodging.

Parishioners of St. Bernard Parish in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, the Wavras have worked out their own logistics: They plan to take their truck with a camper and two motorized bicycles, and “hopscotch” their way along the route, taking their truck each morning to drop off their bikes at that evening’s stop, driving back, walking the pilgrimage route, and then taking their bikes to pick up their truck.

The Wavras expect the pilgrimage to include comradery with fellow Catholics and their bishop, Bishop Cozzens, whose Diocese of Crookston is home to Lake Itasca and the first stretch of the Marian Route. Bishop Cozzens is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, which is overseeing the revival.

The pilgrimage “brings Jesus out of our churches and out into the public,” Mike Wavra told OSV News May 4. “This is just an opportunity for people to see the Jesus that we know and love.”

Wavra also expects the pilgrimage to attract interest and curiosity from non-Catholics. “They wonder what some crazy Catholics are doing, following a piece of bread,” he said. “It’s not a piece of bread, it’s the Lord himself. What an opportunity for us to share that.”

(Maria Wiering is senior writer for OSV News.)

Pictured is a monstrance from a Eucharistic Revival event at St. Joseph parish in Gluckstadt in October of 2022. The National Eucharistic Revival will include a pilgrimage after Pentecost 2024 as an opportunity to “walk with the Lord” leading up to the Eucharistic Congress in mid-July 2024 in Indianapolis. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

Around our Catholic Schools

MADISON – St. Joseph Catholic School students celebrate their efforts that raised a record $19,665 at this year’s edition of BruinTHON – an annual student-driven fundraiser that benefits the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson, part of the Children’s Miracle Network hospital. Their fundraising effort culminated the seven-hour, on-

marathon fundraiser BruinTHON on Friday, April 28, 2023, in the St. Joe gym.

VICKSBURG – Sixth grade students led a May Crowning service at Vicksburg Catholic School on May 4. “O, Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May!” (Photo by Lindsey Bradley)

CLARKSDALE – Principal Sarah Cauthen and student Liza Stonestreet work together to crown Mother Mary. (Photo by Mary Evelyn Stonestreet)

TUPELO – Light one candle! (Photo by Michelle Harkins)

your-feet,

(Photo courtesy of school)

CLARKSDALE – (Above) First grader, Olivia Lin displays her talent by playing the piano at St. Elizabeth School’s Got Talent: Talent Show. (Photo by Mary Evelyn Stonestreet)

JACKSON – (Right) St. Richard six graders, Hayden Couch and Maya work together to crown Mary at school Mass on Wednesday May 10. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

Students around the diocese

COLUMBUS – Logan Grant places a flower and Boone Morgan awaits his turn to honor Mary on Monday, May 1 at Annunciation School. (Photo by Logan Waggoner)

JACKSON – Recently, St. Richard fourth grade reading buddies visited their PreK-4 friends for some outdoor story time! (Photo by Tammy Conrad)

SOUTHAVEN – Mrs. Wade's second grade class release butterflies they hatched. Pictured are Matthew and Aaric getting a very close look. (Photo by Sr. Margaret Sue Broker)

Late singer-activist Harry Belafonte found inspiration in life of Sister Thea Bowman

By OSV NewS

NEW YORK – Many are remembering how Harry Belafonte, who died April 25 in New York at age 96, was so inspired by the life and ministry of Sister Thea Bowman that he had planned to make a film about her.

In turn, the singer, actor and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s, inspired others, including Chicago's Father Michael Pfleger, senior pastor of the Faith Community of St. Sabina in Chicago, who is himself an outspoken advocate against gun violence, gangs, poverty and racism.

According to an April 25 posting on the website of The Catholic University of America in Washington, Belafonte first contacted Sister Bowman after he saw a profile of her on "60 Minutes" on CBS in 1987.

The religious sister, a noted educator and dynamic evangelist, had persuaded the TV news magazine's lead reporter, Mike Wallace, to say, "Black is beautiful" during the primetime story on her ministry, said the university's posting.

CANTON – Harry Belafonte visited Sister Thea Bowman at her bedside in her Canton home in 1989. Belafonte and a screenwriter conducted extensive interviews with Sister Thea and other Canton residents in preparation for a film that was never made. The Diocese of Jackson released a film on Sister Thea in fall of 2022, "Going Home Like a Shooting Star: Thea Bowman's Journey to Sainthood." The film is available on YouTube at https://bit.ly/SisterTheaFilm.

"Belafonte watched the broadcast and knew he wanted to bring her witness to hope and healing to wider audiences," Catholic University said. "Belafonte contacted Sister Bowman to discuss his idea of a feature film about her life starring Whoopi Goldberg, both of whom she met during a visit to California."

They first met in 1988. At the time, Belafonte was "a Hollywood icon who was widely respected for his social justice activism, so Sister Bowman trusted that he would do her life's work justice," Catholic University said, adding that Belafonte "went to great lengths to get personally involved in bringing her story to the big screen."

According to the university, the Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, who was battling the cancer that would claim her life on March 30, 1990, invited Belafonte to her home in Canton, Mississippi, and to Xavier University of Louisiana's Institute for Black Catholic Studies, of which she was founding member, in New Orleans.

Belafonte visited both places "to speak with Sister Bowman's friends and students to learn about her impact on their lives," Catholic University said. "Even though she was using a wheelchair due to a battle with cancer that took her life less than two years later, he saw that nothing kept her down. They became practically inseparable, and Belafonte was seen pushing her along in her wheelchair."

When Sister Bowman's "condition worsened," Belafonte "traveled to visit her at her bedside," the university added. But the film was never made. The actor-activist's rights expired after the project was delayed because he and her Franciscan community had different opinions on who should "have final editorial control over her portrayal" – him or her community, the university said.

Some years later, a documentary on her life and ministry was written and produced by Franciscan Sis-

ter Judith Ann Zielinski. The film was released in 2022. Sister Bowman today is a candidate for sainthood along with five other prominent Black Catholics in the U.S. Belafonte died at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The cause was congestive heart failure, according to his longtime spokesman, Ken Sunshine.

Born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. on March 1, 1927, at Lying-in Hospital in New York's Harlem neighborhood, he was the son of immigrants from the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Jamaica. His father worked as a chef and his mother was a housekeeper.

Harry Jr. was baptized a Catholic and raised in the faith. He attended parochial school at St. Charles Borromeo in Harlem. He grew up in poverty, but spent much of his childhood living with his grandmother in Jamaica. After high school graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy and served during World War II.

He returned to New York after the war, enrolled in drama school and began performing. Belafonte first achieved fame in the 1950s with film and musical theater roles.

"Harry Belafonte was not the first Black entertainer to transcend racial boundaries, but none had made as much of a splash as he did," The New York Times said in an April 25 obituary.

Belafonte is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony

(EGOT). He won the Oscar in a noncompetitive category – in 2014, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented him with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He earned his career breakthrough with the album "Calypso" (1956), which was the first million-selling LP record by a single artist.

Belafonte was best known for his recordings of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)," "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)," "Jamaica Farewell" and "Mary's Boy Child." He recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes and American standards. He also starred in films such as "Carmen Jones" (1954), "Island in the Sun" (1957), "Odds Against Tomorrow "(1959), "Buck and the Preacher" (1972) and "Uptown Saturday Night" (1974). He made his final screen appearance in Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman" (2018).

Belafonte was a close confidant of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He also helped organize the March on Washington in 1963.

His civil rights activism inspired Father Pfleger, the Chicago pastor and activist. In an interview with Chicago's CBS News affiliate, Father Pfleger called Belafonte a hero and a friend who helped shape him.

"He stood in this pulpit. He stood in this church time after time after time," Father Pfleger said about St. Sabina. "He had a major shaping of my life, and my formation of who I am today, because ... I had such admiration for him."

God

Harry Belafonte and Servant of

Thea Bowman in an undated archival photo. Belafonte met Bowman at Xavier University in 1988. (OSV News photo/courtesy Xavier University of Louisiana, Archives & Special Collections)

(Photo by Fabvienen Taylor/Mississippi Catholic)