MS Catholic June 14, 2024

BY JOE LEE

“Padre” Flannery celebrates 60 years of priesthood

MADISON – The blast furnace heat made quite an impression on Msgr. Michael Flannery, known as Padre to parishioners all over Mississippi and the impoverished Saltillo region of Mexico, when he landed in Jackson for the first time in September 1964.

The racial discord also made a significant impression. Flannery arrived shortly after the horrific murders of civil rights leaders Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Cheney in Neshoba County.

“My first assignment was St. Mary’s in west Jackson,” said Flannery, who celebrates the 60th anniversary of his priest ordination on June 14. “The school was integrated the morning after I arrived. A Black family had a little girl entering kindergarten, and there was a big demonstration. We feared Klan violence and left the lights on overnight for two weeks, but nothing came of it.

“A professor at seminary prepared us to face difficulty in the U.S. but said it wouldn’t be fair to tell us what to do. He said, ‘I’ve given you moral principles. You apply them to the situation

MADISON – Msgr. Michael Flannery “Padre” and Father Albeen Vatti joining in the fun playing spoons on frottoirs (washboards) and dancing during a spirited cajun tune on Oct 3, 2021 at St. Francis parish’s annual Cajun Fest fundraiser. Msgr. Flannery is celebrating his 60th anniversary as a priest on June 14, 2024. (Photo by Joanna King)

you find yourself in.’ That made an impression on me.”

Assigned to Our Lady of Victories in Pascagoula in 1967, Flannery organized the first Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) group to deliver items to Saltillo, but the game-changer was the involvement of Father Patrick Quinn. Saltillo Mission, Flannery’s book about the long-running service project that sent more than 20,000 Mississippi youth to Mexico, was published in 2017.

“Father Quinn had a tremendous love for the poor,” Flannery said. “One year he was seriously injured in a car accident on a slick mountain road, and Bishop Brunini wanted his medical treatment done in Mississippi. Quinn initially refused, saying he would receive care unavailable to the poor. He eventually agreed to it, but only if he could return to Saltillo once healthy.”

Valerie Balser Winn, accompanied her CYO from St. Alphonsus in McComb to Saltillo in 1973.

“Father Flannery always seemed full of energy and laughter as he drove a crowded jeep among the prairie dogs

– Continued on page 6 –

“Going home to God”: Father Noel Prendergast passes at age 90

BY JOANNA PUDDISTER KING

JACKSON – Just shy of sixty-six years a priest, Father Noel Prendergast entered eternal life on May 26, 2024.

He was born Jan. 1, 1934, the youngest of John and Mary Prendergast’s seven children. He was born at Christmastime, so that’s where Noel came from, Father Prendergast once told Mississippi Catholic

He studied six years at St. Patrick’s College and Seminary in Carlow, Ireland; and was ordained in that city’s Catholic cathedral on June 7, 1958. It was Prendergast’s choice to spend his entire priesthood in Mississippi, giving up cold, wet winters and springs for the occasional snow and frequent hot temperatures

native to the Deep South.

Father Prendergast and three other priests arrived in Mississippi in September 1958. His first assignment was to Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Biloxi as an associate pastor.

Four years later, he was moved to St. Mary’s Church in Jackson, where he served for two years as associate pastor. Father Prendergast once remarked that he “saw it more of an adventure,” since the parish also had a school.

From there, he was transferred to Mercy Hospital in Vicksburg, where he was chaplain. He left after three years for his first pastorate at Assumption Church in Natchez in 1967.

Father Prendergast became a U.S. citizen in the mid-1960s. “I figured if I was going to live here, I needed to be a citizen and take part in voting,” Prendergast recalled in 2018 for his sixtieth anniversary celebration.

– Continued on page 6 –

Youth 14 Youth photos from around the diocese

SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

PRAYER – Locus Benedictus, Would you be willing to commit to one day per week to pray the Rosary for priests and religious? Details: email your day of choice to contactlocusbenedictus@gmail.com or call (662) 299-1232.

CHATAWA – Our Lady of Hope, Blessed Virgin Mary Day Retreat with Kitty Cleveland, Thursday, Aug. 15 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with speaker Roy Schoeman. Enjoy talks, music, Mass, prayer, lunch and more. Cost: $125. Details: 601-202-3137 or email retreatsoloh3167@yahoo.com.

GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph, Millions of Monicas: Praying with confidence for our children, each Tuesday, beginning July 2 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the church. Join with other mothers, grandmothers and step-mothers as we pray to grow in holiness and humility, and for our children’s faithful return to the church. Details: church office (601) 856-2054 or email millionsofmonicas@stjosephgluckstadt.com.

NEW ORLEANS – Directed Retreat with the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center at the Cenacle on Lake Pontchartrain, June 28-July 3. Cost $500 – includes lodging, meals and personal spiritual director. To register call (504) 861-3254. Details: for more information call Melinda at (601) 597-7178.

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS

BROOKHAVEN – St. Francis, Vacation Bible School, July 14-17 from 5:30-8 p.m. for preschool through sixth grade. Supper and light snack provided. Registration forms available in vestibule. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.

CLEVELAND – Our Lady of Victories, Vacation Bible School – Scuba: diving into friendship with God, June 23-26 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Open to all children entering Pre-K3 through fifth grade. Dinner provided. Deadline to register is June 16. Details: register at https://vbspro.events/p/f77396 or call Catherine at (662) 822-5025.

COLUMBUS – Annunciation School, Sportsmania Camp, June 10-14 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the school gym. Basketball, soccer, football and other fun activities for upcoming second through sixth grades. Cost: $135 per child. Details: register by emailing pfarrell@annunciationcatholicschool.org. $50 non-refundable deposit is due for registration. Annunciation School, Dinosaurs to Luaus: Good Times! from June 24-28; Around the World from July 15-19. Camps from 8:30-11:30 a.m. for students entering kindergarten through sixth grade. Enjoy these hands-on camps focused on music, theatre and physical arts. Cost: $135 per child. All supplies and snacks included. Details: email Ms. Staggers at music@annunciationcatholicschool.org.

FLOWOOD – St. Paul, Bingo Night, Saturday, June 15 after 4:30 p.m. Mass. Play begins at 6 p.m. Enjoy a hotdog dinner celebrating Father’s Day. Details: church office (601) 992-9547. St. Paul, Birthday Blast Vacation Bible School, July 15-19 from 6-8 p.m. for PreK-4 thorugh sixth grade. Details: register at https://bit.ly/3UJOtX2. St. Paul Early Learning Center, Annual Golf Tournament, Friday, Sept. 20 at Bay Pointe Golf Club. Registration information coming soon. Save the date!

GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph, Vacation Bible School – Scuba: diving into friendship with God, June 24-28 from 6-8 p.m. in the parish hall, with dinner and games beginning at 5:15 p.m. Open to all children entering Kindergarten through sixth grade. Cost $15 per child/$30 max per family. Pick up reg-

istration card by the SCUBA display in the church foyer. Details: Karen at kworrellcre@hotmail.com or (601) 672-5817.

JACKSON – Christ the King, 50th Ordination Celebration for Father Joe Dyer, Friday, Aug. 16, with Mass at 11 a.m. and reception following in the Multi-Purpose Building. Please send RSVP by July 1. Details: ctkcatholicchurch@comcast.net or call (601) 948-8867.

JACKSON – Cathedral of St. Peter, Block Party, Saturday, June 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy music by Patrick Harkins, dunking booth, fire truck, games and food trucks. Be sure to bring your chairs and your family for fun and fellowship. Details: church office (601) 969-3125.

JACKSON – Catholic Charities, Bishop’s Ball, Saturday, July 13 at the Old Capitol Inn. Cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. with auction and dinner at 7 p.m. Cost: $150. Details: tickets and more information at https://event.gives/bishopsball24.

MADISON – St. Francis, Come to the Table: Va cation Bible School, June 17-20 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for all 4-year-olds through fifth graders. Register at https://bit.ly/4508VaP. Details: email mc. george@stfrancismadison.org.

St. Francis, Summer with the Saints, June through Aug. on Wednesdays from 5-8 p.m. in St. Clare Hall. Bring your drink and dinner and join us for Word on Fire’s Pivotal Players series on the Saints and selections from Formed. All are welcome. Details: church office (601) 856-5556.

MERIDIAN – St. Patrick, Vacation Bible School, June 24-28 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. for Kindergarten through fifth grades. Register online: vbspro.events/p/f7700f or pick up a form in the church office. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.

St. Patrick, Catholic Women’s Organization Luncheon, Sunday, June 30 at 12 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Enjoy some cheeseburger pasta salad, dessert and drinks for $10 per person. Family maximum of $40. Tickets on sale after Mass and at the door. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.

NATCHEZ – St. Mary Basilica, Vacation Bible School, July 15-19, evening hours. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.

OLIVE BRANCH – Queen of Peace, Young Adults Tailgate Party, Saturday, June 22. Event begins with Mass at 6 p.m. with dinner and activities following. If you were invovled in past youth groups or attended classes at Queen of Peace we would love to see you. Come eat, have some fun and let us know how you are doing. Open to young adults age 18-35. Details: Vickie at (662) 895-5007.

RIPLEY – St. Mathew, Yard Sale, Saturday, June 29 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Details: church office (662) 993-8862.

SOUTHAVEN – Christ the King, Out of this World Vacation Bible School, June 17-21 for grades Kindergarten through fifth; June 24-28 from 6-8:30 p.m. for grades sixth through eighth. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.

STARKVILLE – St. Joseph, Black and White Gala, Saturday, Aug. 17 from 6-9 p.m. Tickets: $50 per person or $500 per table benefitting the food pantry. Keynote speaker: Cassandra Mobley of the Mississippi Food Network. Enjoy fabulous food, beverages, music and dancing. Must be 21 to attend. Details: call (662) 323-2257 or email andy.teresa93@gmail.

com.

TUPELO – St. James, Featured speaker: Hosffman Ospino, Saturday, July 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Shelton Hall. Come be a part of engaging conversations to learn how we can foster more positive interchanges and relaitonships among our diverse family cultures. Details: church office (662) 842-4881. St. James, Vacation Bible School, July 15-18 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. for ages 4-years through sixth grade. Theme: “The Chronicles of Narnia – God’s Surely Alive!” Register before June 8 for a shirt. Details: register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6WHPDQQ or for more information email rhondaswita13@ gmail.com.

JOB OPENING

DIOCESE – The Diocese of Jackson has an opening for a Senior Accountant. This role will report directly to the Director of Temporal Affairs and will involve continuous collaboration with internal teams

2155 TERRY ROAD JACKSON MS 39204 601-373-1460/601-373-3412

Thank you for your support to our apostolate of prayer. To donate online, please visit our website www.jacksoncarmel.com God bless you! Our loving prayers, Carmelite Nuns of Jackson

Jackson Flowood Pearl

V cksburg Tupelo Columbus Laur el r Oxford Hat t esburg Hat t esburg

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Holy Spirit inspires believers to embrace Sacred Heart of Jesus

BY BISHOP JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D.

It was 125 years ago that Pope Leo XIII consecrated the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the dawn of the 20th century. Twenty-five years ago, at the dawn of the new millennium Pope John Paul II reconsecrated the world to the Sacred Heart imploring the church especially, but all people of faith and good will to see in the Sacred Heart of Jesus the essence of God who is love. Each year in our liturgical calendar the feast of the Sacred Heart is commemorated on the Friday after Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord. How fitting is this sacred combination. From the pierced side (heart) of the crucified Savior flowed blood and water, the gift of eternal love and the wellspring of the sacramental life of the church, baptism and the Eucharist.

The spirituality of the Sacred Heart steadily took

root and flowered from the time of the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, VHM in the 1670s to the major movements of the 19th century. St. Cardinal John Henry Newman, a phenomenal theologian and apologist who embraced the Catholic faith at mid-life chose for his episcopal motto in 1879 “Cor ad Cor loquitur” heart speaks unto heart. At the center of his intellectual prowess and pastoral dedication was the beating Sacred Heart of the Lord solidly anchored in the scriptures. “I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what the hope is of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.”

(Ephesians 1:18)

A year earlier across the channel in France in 1878 Father Leo John Dehon received permission from the Vatican to establish the religious community of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in the same year on Feb. 20 that Pope Leo XIII began his long tenure that would last until 1903.

Do we see a pattern here? The Holy Spirit was hard at work to inspire believers from the center of the church to all points on the compass to embrace the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Sunday, June 23, 10:30 a.m. – Confirmation, St. Mary, Yazoo City

Love for Jesus Christ in his Sacred Heart is Eucharistic through and through as we hear the words of the Lord echoing through time at every Mass: “this is my body, this is my blood poured out.” (Mark 14: 22-24)

Saturday, June 29, 6 p.m. – Confirmation, St. Peter, Grenada

Sunday, June 30, 3 p.m. – Homecoming Mass, Sacred Heart, Rosedale

Tuesday, July 2, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

Tuesday, July 16, 12 p.m. – Burse Club Mass & Luncheon, St. Joseph, Gluckstadt

Wednesday, July 17-19 – National Eucharistic Congress, Indianapolis

Tuesday, July 23, 12 p.m. – Burse Club Mass & Luncheon, St. John, Oxford

Friday, August 16, 11 a.m. – 50th Anniversary Mass & Celebration for Father Joe Dyer, Christ the King, Jackson

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

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

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

To be washed clean in the Blood of

the Lamb (Revelations 7:14) is the fountain of Eucharistic Revival. Yet, love for the Sacred Heart and the Lord’s sacrifice cannot be contained within our churches, as sacred as they are. The charism of the Priests of the Sacred Heart is to transform the world we live in through acts of compassion, justice and mercy. This labor of love on behalf of God’s Kingdom has been alive and well in the north of our diocese for over 80 years through the dedication of the Sacred Heart Fathers (SCJs).

Likewise, Pope Leo XIII in his love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus yearned for greater justice for all workers during the Industrial Revolution when so many, including children, were being crushed beneath the wheel of industry. His landmark encyclical Rerum Novarum or “The Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor” is valued as the foundational document for the Social Teachings of the church in every generation since.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is well integrated into the liturgical and personal prayer of the church. We celebrate and cherish this symbol of God’s eternal love every First Friday of the month knowing that it is a love poured out every day of the year to enflame our worship and to inspire our actions on behalf of greater justice and peace in our world.

Jubilee Prayer: “I now consecrate my heart to your Sacred Heart, Jesus. You are the Son of God whom I love with all my heart. I o er you my body, soul, my mind, and my heart. Receive me, make me holy, make my heart like your heart, and guide me in the way of perfect love today and every day of my life. Amen.”

Happy Ordination Anniversary

June 1

Father Anthony Okwum, SSJ

Holy Family, Natchez & St. Anne, Fayette

June 2

Father Guy Wilson, ST Holy Child Jesus, Canton & Sacred Heart, Camden

June 4

Father Joe Tonos

St. Richard, Jackson

Deacon Je Artigues

Volume 70 Number 13 (ISSN 1529-1693)

Publisher Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

Communications Director Joanna Puddister King

Production Manager Tereza Ma

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

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an official publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published 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  www.jacksondiocese.org

Deacon John McGinley

St. Joseph, Starkville

Deacon Denzil Lobo

Christ the King, Jackson

Deacon John McGregor St. Jude, Pearl

Deacon Ted Schreck

Catholic Parishes of Northwest MS

June 6

Father PJ Curley Retired

Father Daniel Gallagher Retired

June 7

Father Kevin Slattery St. erese, Jackson

June 8

Father omas 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 omas Lalor Retired

Father Cli ord Hennings, OFM

St. Francis, Greenwood

June 12

Father Kent Bowlds

Our Lady of Victories, Cleveland

Father Frank Cosgrove Retired

Father Gerry Hurley

St. Paul, Flowood

June 13

Father Mike O’Brien Retired

Father Mario Solorzano

St. James the Less, Corinth

June 14

Msgr. Mike Flannery Retired

Father Tom McGing Retired

Father David O’Connor Retired

June 15

Father David Szatkowski, SCJ

Catholic Parishes of Northwest MS

June 16

Father Je rey 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. erese, Kosciusko

VOCATION

Back on Memorial Day I took a trip down the Pearl River in a kayak with Will Foggo and Joe Pearson. It was a very memorable trip for several reasons: 1) There was absolutely no current going downriver, so it basically became a 10.4mile trip across a big lake! 2) We almost had enough equipment. We had three kayaks, but only two kayak paddles, the third paddle we had was really for a canoe; and 3) we got a bit of a late start, and ended up getting to our exit-point well after dark.

Going into the trek we knew that we were in for some unexpected turbulence, that’s just the way it goes when you are in a group, and you are dealing with mother nature. The journey through seminary is comparable in some ways to that trip down the Pearl: both demand that you remain aware of your surroundings, rely on other people for help and support, and have a great attitude so you can truly ‘enjoy the ride,’ even when it’s a little unpleasant for various reasons.

I remember the first time I walked onto the campus of a seminary I was blown away by the number of chapels there were. It seemed that no matter where I might live on campus, a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament reposed in a a tabernacle was just a short walk away. Everything also seemed so ‘ordered.’ The seminarians would walk dutifully in packs from class to class, to the church for Mass, or

to the refectory for meals. The structure in seminary helps men to form good habits of prayer, study, fraternity and service, but that structure is not meant to be an end in itself.

I always tell our seminarians that if they are being called to be a priest in the Diocese of Jackson, then they are called to be malleable. They should be willing to step up and make adjustments to their schedule according to the needs of God’s people. When Will and Joe and I started down the river: it seemed like we were just going along with the flow. Everything was in order. But then we realized how slow the current was, and how much trash was in the river (truly, a disturbing amount), and that we might not be getting in until after dark. We had to be willing to re-frame our expectations and make the best of it, to have a great attitude and ‘enjoy the ride.’

I read recently that one should pray about the challenges, doubts and trials that are coming in our life, rather than to only pray about the ones that we currently have or the aftermath of a certain situation. I think that is a very wise posture of prayer for a seminarian. A seminarian studying for the Diocese of Jackson, or for the diocesan priesthood in general, should pray for the grace to remain calm in the midst of great change or challenge. That way, when faced with this during his priesthood, he won’t be dismayed or think something is ‘wrong,’ rather, he’ll expect that the Lord will give him the grace he needs to keep going, and ‘enjoy the ride.’

– Father Nick Adam, vocation director

(Father Nick Adam can be contacted at nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.)

In memoriam: Father Pat O’Shaughnessy

BILOXI – Father Patrick “Pat” O’Shaughnessy, age 80, of Hattiesburg, and a former resident of Long Beach, passed away peacefully on April 19, 2024.

Father Pat was born on Feb. 11, 1944 in Limerick, Ireland. He was a naturally gifted athlete. In his youth he played rugby. He then went on to com pete in many marathons and his greatest achievement was completing an IronMan Triathlon in Hawaii on Oct. 14, 1989, with a time of 12 hours, 53 minutes and 11 seconds. He loved all sports but had a deep passion for golf. He got a hole in one in Ballybunion.

Father Pat ministered in many different areas across Mississippi. Since his retire ment, he was glad to be a part of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Long Beach.

cese of Natchez-Jackson on Aug. 27, 1968.

His first assignment was as an associate pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Pascagoula, associate pastor of St. Michael Parish, Vicksburg, and St. John Parish in Oxford while he was continuing his graduate studies at the University of Mississippi, and then he was assigned to St. Alphonsus Parish in Ocean Springs.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Patrick and Margaret O’Shaughnessy; his brother, Jim O’Shaughnessy; his sister-in-law, Emma O’Shaughnessy; and an infant sister.

He is survived by numerous cousins in Ireland.

He will be mourned by Bishop Kihneman, all the Priests in Mississippi, many other Priests, and his previous parishioners who will miss him dearly and many other friends both in the United States and Ireland.

Father Pat was a native of Limerick, Ireland and completed his ecclesiastical studies at St. Patrick’s College, Thurles, County Tipperary. He was ordained to priestly ministry on June 8, 1968 at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Thurles and arrived in the Dio-

He served as pastor of St. Michael Parish, Biloxi, Sacred Heart Parish, Hattiesburg, St. Thomas Aquinas, Hattiesburg, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Lumberton and St. Joseph Mission, Poplarville, and he retired to St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Long Beach in 2009.

Father Pat was a gifted homilist that could get his point across in just a few words. His love for the outdoors was evident with his love of golf and bicycling. Father Pat also had a gift with children and caring for those with needs. He worked with the St. Vincent de Paul Society offering spiritual

guidance to those in need. His impact on the Diocese of Biloxi will be remembered and celebrated for many years to come.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Monday, April 29, 2024, at St. Fabian Catholic Church in Hattiesburg. A second Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in Father Pat’s homeland in Ireland on Friday, May 3, 2024. He is interred in Loughill Graveyard, Newcastle, County Limerick, Ireland.

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, P.O. Box 22723, Jackson, MS 39225-2723

Father Nick Adam

We are better and worse than we think

IN EXILE

By Father ron rolheiser, oMi

Our own complexity can be befuddling. We are better than we think and worse than we imagine, too hard and too easy on ourselves all at the same time. We are a curious mix.

On the one hand, we are good. All of us are made in the image and likeness of God and are, as Aristotle and Aquinas affirm, metaphysically good. That’s true, but our goodness is also less abstract. We are good too, at least most of the time, in our everyday lives.

Generally, we are generous, often to a fault. Despite appearances sometimes, mostly we are warm and hospitable. The same is true in terms of the basic intent in both our minds and our hearts. We have big hearts. Inside everyone, easily triggered by the slightest touch of love or affirmation, lies a big heart, a grand soul, a magna anima, that’s itching to be altruistic. Mostly the problem isn’t with our goodness, but with our frustration in trying to live that out in the world. Too often we appear cold and self-centered when we’re only frustrated, hurt and wounded.

We don’t always appear to be good, but mostly we are; though often we are frustrated because we cannot (for reasons of circumstance, wound and sensitivity) pour out our goodness as we would like, nor embrace the world and those around us with the warmth that’s in us. We go through life looking for a warm place to show who we are and often don’t find it. We’re not so much bad as frustrated. We’re more loving than we imagine.

But that’s half of it, there’s another side: we’re also sinners, more so than we think. An old Protestant dictum about human nature, based on St. Paul, puts it accurately: “It’s not a question of are you a sinner? It’s only a question of what is your sin?” We’re all sinners, and just as we possess a big heart and a grand soul, we also possess a petty one (a pusilla anima). At the very roots of our instinctual make-up, there’s selfishness, jealousy, and pettiness of heart and mind.

Moreover, we are often blind to our real faults. As Jesus says, we easily see the speck on our neighbor’s eye and miss the plank in our own. And that generally makes for a strange irony, that is, where we think we are sinners is usually not the place where others struggle the most with us or where our real faults lie. Conversely, it’s in those areas where we think we are virtuous and righteous that often our real sin lies and where others struggle with us.

For example, we’ve have forever put a lot of emphasis on the sixth commandment and haven’t been nearly as self-scrutinizing in regard to the fifth commandment (which deals with bitterness, judgments, anger and hatred) or with the ninth and tenth commandments (that have to do with jealousy). It’s not that sexual ethics are unimportant, but our failures here are harder to rationalize. The same isn’t true for bitterness, anger, especially righteous anger, nor for jealousy. We can more easily rationalize these and not notice that jealousy is the only sin for which God felt it necessary to write two commandments. We are worse than we imagine and mostly blind to our real faults.

So where does that leave us? In better and worse shape than we think. If we could recognize that we’re more lovely than we imagine and more

sinful than we suppose, that could be helpful both for our self-understanding and for how we understand God’s love and grace in our lives.

Aristotle says, “two contraries cannot co-exist within the same subject.” He’s right metaphysically, but two contraries can (and do) exist inside of us morally. We’re both good and bad, generous and selfish, big-hearted and petty, gracious and bitter, forgiving and resentful, hospitable and cold, full of grace and full of sin, all at the same time. Moreover, we’re generally too blind to both, too unaware of our loveliness as well as of our nastiness.

To recognize this can be humbling and freeing. We are loved sinners. Both goodness and sin make up our identity. Not to recognize this truth leaves us ei-

The Pope’s Corner

ther unhealthily depressed or dangerously inflated, too hard or too easy on ourselves. The truth will set us free, and the truth about ourselves is that we’re both better and worse than we picture ourselves to be.

Robert Funk once formulated three dictums on grace which speak to this. He writes:

- Grace always wounds from behind, at the point where we think we are least vulnerable.

- Grace is harder than we think: we moralize judgment in order to take the edge off it.

- Grace is more indulgent than we think: but it is never indulgent at the point where we think it might be indulgent.

We need to be both easier and harder on ourselves – and open to the way grace works.

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

Being missionary is not forcing conversions, pope says

By Justin Mclellan

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Living out the missionary dimension of the faith never means trying to forcefully convert people to Catholicism, Pope Francis said.

“The Christian mission is not transmitting some abstract truth or religious conviction, much less proselytizing – still less,” he told the national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies May 25.

Rather, “it is first and foremost enabling those we meet to be able to have the fundamental experience of God’s love, and they will be able to find it in our lives and in the life of the church if we are shining witnesses to it, reflecting a ray of the Trinitarian mystery,” the pope said.

Participants gathered at the Vatican from more than 120 countries across five continents for the general assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

To illustrate the perils of proselytism, the pope recalled an experience he had at a World Youth Day in which a woman belonging to what he described as an “ultra” Catholic group gloated to him about converting the two young people she was with.

“I looked at her in the eyes and I said, ‘And who will convert you?’” the pope said.

Regarding “this mission of conversion, there are religious groups that carry around a list of conversions; this is terrible,” he said.

In addition to giving money to support the church’s missions, Pope Francis said Catholics must find new ways of engaging with and promoting the church’s missionary projects.

“All missionary activity is creative” since it is rooted in Christ’s charity, he said. “With inexhaustible imagina-

tion, such charity inspires new ways of evangelizing and serving others, especially the poorest, and include the customary collections taken for the universal funds of solidarity with the missions.”

While Catholics should promote those collections, they must also “explore new ways of encouraging the participation of individuals, groups and institutions who wish to support the church’s missionary endeavors as an expression of their gratitude for the graces received from the Lord,” the pope said.

The pope said a spirituality of missionary communion “is the foundation of the church’s current synodal journey.”

“The call to communion implies a synodal style: walking together, listening to each other, engaging in dialogue,” he said. “This expands our hearts and fosters that universal outlook emphasized at the founding of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith,” a branch of the Pontifical Mission Societies which promotes missionary spirituality and universal solidarity with missions through prayer and the distribution of funds.

Pope Francis greets participants in the general assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies during a meeting at the Vatican on May 25, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

' ... I’ve been happy as a priest ...'

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and cacti for what seemed like hours,” Winn said. “He supervised the deliveries of medicine, dental care and balloons for the children.

“Not knowing Spanish myself and watching him tell those gathered for Mass in the tiny brick and mud huts about Father Quinn’s accident ... I can still see the shock and sadness in their faces. Then I saw them comforted with Father Flannery’s message of hope.”

Flannery’s mastery of Spanish led to his assignment to Rosedale, one of several Delta towns where he worked primarily with migrants. While in Cleveland he was asked by Bishop Brunini to learn canon law. Finishing at St. Paul’s in Ottawa, Canada, in 1985, Flannery was brought into the tribunal after returning to Mississippi, serving as judicial vicar.

“I see the tribunal as a healing ministry,” he said. “Divorce is a very painful thing, as part of you dies in that process. My experiences in Saltillo, with a lot of people suffering there, got me interested in the tribunal.”

The vicar general at the time was Father Francis Cosgrove, a fellow Irishman and a good friend of Flannery’s. Cosgrove would be assigned to St. Francis of Assisi in Madison in 1994, and Flannery was named vicar general. When Cosgrove was sent to Meridian in 2005 to pastor at St. Patrick, Flannery was moved to St. Francis.

“Father Cosgrove built the church, which was dedicated in 2000,” Flannery said. “I was glad to get back to parish ministry, my first love. The initial plan was for St. Francis to have a church, a family life center and a school. The first two had been taken care of by the time I got there.”

When a diocesan survey showed great support for another Catholic school in the Jackson area, Flannery went right to work. St. Anthony opened in

– Continued from page 1 –

Just two years after arriving in Natchez, Bishop Joseph Brunini assigned him as pastor of Gulf Coast Missions in Gulfport. He enjoyed returning to the coast, as he missed the sea, as he was only about 30 minutes from the ocean in his native Ireland.

Another two short years later, he was on his way to Annunciation parish in Columbus, where he served as pastor for 10 years. “You really got to know the people and appreciate them, and they appreciated what you did for them,” Father Prendergast once said.

His next stop was St. Michael’s Church in Vicksburg in September 1980, where he remained for 12 years. During his tenure, Father Prendergast helped oversee the construction of a new church structure, while the old church building became the parish hall.

His next assignment, in 1991, was Holy Savior in Clinton and Immaculate Conception in Raymond, where he remained 12 years.

In 2003, he found himself at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Yazoo City, where he remained until he requested retirement at age 75 in 2008.

Father Prendergast chose to come to

Madison in 2009, and enrollment has tripled in 15 years.

“Father Mike’s generosity to St. Anthony is a matter of record,” said St. Francis parishioner Ed Marsalis. “I love him dearly. He is a best friend, a true theologian. He continues the mission he was given that graduation day in Ireland and performs weekly masses in our parish and throughout the diocese.”

Msgr. Elvin Sunds compares his friend of half a century to the Good Shepherd in giving his all for his sheep. Father Albeen Vatti, St. Francis pastor since 2015, delights parishioners by routinely bantering with Flannery but has a deep respect for him.

MADISON – Msgr. Michael Flannery, affectionately known as “Padre,” is celebrating his 60th year of priesthood on June 14, 2024. Pictured is Msgr. Flannery celebrating Mass at his 50th anniversary celebration in 2014. (Photo from archives)

“He’s always willing to help and lives a very simple lifestyle,” Vatti said. “Following him was challenging because of his years of experience, but he has been a great blessing to me.”

Now in his early eighties, Flannery shows no

‘...

Going home to God ...

’

signs of slowing down. He visits St. Anthony often during the school year to entertain young Eagles, and he’ll fill in at parishes all over central Mississippi during the scalding summer months. He wouldn’t be anywhere else.

“I’ve been happy as a priest,” he said. “It has been a good life, a joyful life, and I would do it again.”

Mississippi, and he chose to stay in Mississippi. At his 60th ordination anniversary celebration in 2018, Father Prendergast said that he came back to Clinton because he couldn’t “stand the weather over there” in Ireland and that he knew more people in Mississippi than he did in Ireland. Mississippi had become his home.

He enjoyed the life of a retiree, taking annual trips back to his homeland in Ireland to visit family; and also spending time on the golf course with his fellow priests and filling in occasionally at his home parish of Holy Savior Clinton. Father PJ Curley played golf with him nearly every Monday and Friday for 40 years, developing a deep friendship as fellow golfers and Irish priests.

“Imagine the eternal hug from God to Noel, who is in his image and in his likeness,” said Father Curley during the funeral Mass for Father Prendergast. “What a beautiful thought what a beautiful image. Going home to God.”

“Father Noel Prendergast is home, safe and sound.”

CLINTON – Father Noel Prendergast stands in the sanctuary of Holy Savior Clinton in this file photo. He passed away at age 90 on Sunday, May 26. (Photo from archives)

Synod report for U.S. shows growth, tensions and ‘deep desire to rebuild’ the body of Christ

By Gina Christian (OSV News)

– Growth, undeniable tensions and “a deep desire to rebuild and strengthen” the body of Christ have emerged as key themes in the latest synod report for the Catholic Church in the U.S.

Released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops May 28, the “National Synthesis of the People of God in the United States of America for the Interim Stage of the 2021-2024 Synod” summarizes responses from more than 35,000 participants and over 1,000 listening sessions, with 76% of the nation’s dioceses and eparchies submitting reports to the U.S. synod team.

trying to balance welcoming LGBTQ and other marginalized persons while making known the truths of the Catholic faith, said synod participants.

In addition, over 350 people met in some 15 listening sessions that focused on church life, social justice and vocations, while U.S. bishops also met for a synod listening session.

Launched by Pope Francis in October 2021, the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, organized around the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission,” was held Oct. 4-29, 2023, in Rome.

Ahead of the concluding session of the synod, which will take place in Rome in Oct. 2-27, dioceses across the U.S. were asked to hold additional listening sessions during Lent 2024, following a request from the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops. Those responses were incorporated into the newly released synthesis.

In his introduction to the synthesis, Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas – who serves as chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, and who has shepherded the synodal process in the U.S. – noted that “while no document could cover the full range of topics on the hearts and minds of Catholics” who took part in the listening sessions, the report showed the synodal journey has made progress in the U.S.

Among their insights, many of which were directly quoted in the report, participants expressed “two basic hopes for the church” – that it be both a “safe harbor” and a “fiery communion.”

As a “safe harbor,” the church can be a place “where the faithful are embraced, sustained and loved,” said the synthesis, citing one respondent who observed, “People come when they are broken. … At my parish, I feel I have a family there.”

That welcome must be more than “superficial,” the report said, pointing to parishes with numerous small communities and prayer groups as being “most successful” in reaching and integrating people from diverse backgrounds. With the church in the U.S. comprising “countless cultural and ethnic groups,” the report noted a desire “to promote interculturality, so that there is more unity between cultures that share the same church.”

At the same time, respondents described the church as a “fiery communion,” with the synodal process digging up a number of tensions within the church.

In particular, a lack of clear communication from church hierarchy and from media, both Catholic and secular, creates confusion and division over what it means to be Catholic – and hinders the church’s mission, said synod participants.

That uncertainty can be especially evident when

Catholic social teaching was “another area where division was keenly experienced,” with “conversations ‘on social justice and inclusion … filled with moments of profound pain and generational hurt,’” the report said. “Participants expressed concerns that the church has allowed the ongoing polarization and conflict (in civil society) to lead to a denial of the church’s social magisterium in many situations.”

The liturgy itself can be a flashpoint for tension, with the celebration of the Mass using the Roman Missal of 1962 (informally known as the “Latin Mass”) becoming “a focal point of broader debates about tradition, modernity, and the best ways to nurture faith across the diverse spectrum of Catholic belief and practice,” the interim synthesis said.

Thank

Another sore spot identified by participants was complacency in many parts of the church, which potentially stands to pave the way for “grave institutional sins such as sexual abuse and racism” – both of which remain “enduring wounds” that “continue to inflict pain today,” said the document.

Likewise, the sin of racism, and “the sin of enslaving Black people for the betterment of the church,” continue to haunt the church, the report said.

At the same time, the listening sessions revealed a commitment to the importance of evangelization, and the need for catechesis and formation to sustain such witness. Participants also articulated a desire to actively participate in the church’s mission, seeking greater co-responsibility for the la-

ity (especially women and young adults) in that task through their “baptismal dignity.”

Both clericalism and a lack of vocations to the priesthood and religious life were lamented, as was division among priests, with one priest participant sharing that clergy “need to be better at getting past the bitterness and different theologies and political preferences.”

Bishops who attended the listening session also highlighted polarization among priests, with some shepherds likening themselves to “the episcopal referee” among an increasingly diverse clergy, many of whom hail from other countries.

The interim synthesis concluded by noting that “a major theme” articulated by participants was “the deepening awareness of how our trust in God expresses itself in relation to our imperfect institutions within the church.”

“It was noted by many that the faithful ‘should not be embarrassed about recognizing that our church might be a little messy – it’s better not to pretend that we are the perfect institution, but that we belong to the perfect and one, true faith,’” said the report.

(Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @GinaJesseReina.)

you to the Knights of Columbus from Bishop Joseph Kopacz

Graduation ISSUE 2024

Cathedral SChool NatChez

CATHEDRAL SCHOOL NATCHEZ

VALEDICTORIAN:

BRAEDEN JARROD GREGG

GPA: 4.33 – ACT: 30

From his speech: I have attended Cathedral since Kindergarten and so much has changed. I have watched all of my classmates grow, and experienced many different teachers in a number of different buildings. But there is one thing that has not changed about Cathedral and that is the opportunities each and every person has. ... Each of us will now go on our own journeys to find a place in society. We may go to college continuing our education or we may begin to work as soon as we graduate. Either way we will make an impact in society and never forget our roots at Cathedral. Watch out society, the seniors are out.

Church: St. Mary Basilica, Natchez

Favorite service project: Volunteering at the local soup kitchen is my favorite service project because I along with my classmates and church volunteers enjoying making and serving food to those in the community. It also gives us the opportunity to meet new people and continue to spread the Word of God.

Plans to attend: University of Mississippi

Plans to study: Biochemistry

Scholarships: Ole Miss Academic Merit and 1848 Scholarship; Valedictorian Scholar-

– Number of graduates: 36

– Number attending 4-year colleges: 29

– Number attending community colleges: 7

– Number of scholarship recipients: 36

– Largest scholarship awarded: $280,000

– Notable next steps: South Alabama (farthest school)

– Total amount of scholarships offered: $1,900,000

– Total amount of scholarships accepted: $1,472,112

– Total amount of service hours: 5,624.5 over four years

– Notable service projects: National Honor Society (NHS) members organized, collected and delivered coats to the Natchez Stewpot, senior citizen center and families in need. NHS members also spent time at local nursing homes leading fun games of bingo with residence.

– Special Honor: Dorothy Garrity Memorial Teacher Award was established in memory of beloved Math teacher, Mrs. Dorothy Garrity, who passed away after a long battle with cancer in December 2022. Her husband, Dr. Byron Garrity and family founded this award to honor a teacher who has impacted students’ lives in the fields of Math and Science. The inaugural award recipient is Mrs. Elizabeth Schmitz McCann (c/o 2010), High School Math and Career Development teacher.

ship; Green Pen Scholarship, National Football Hall of Fame Scholarship

Scholarships offered, but not using: Offers from Belhaven, Tulsa, New Mexico and Wake Forest

Awards/honors: Golden Helmet Award and Betsy James Award (Highest Biology and Chemistry I average); Highest Grade: AP Calculus, Biomedical Research, College Algebra and Statistics, English Composition II, American Government, and Religion 12; and member of the 30+ Act Club

Activities: Varsity Football; Key Club; National Honor Society; and Peer Ministry

Favorite subject: Science

SALUTATORIAN:

SARAH KATHERINE CAUTHEN

GPA: 4.31 – ACT: 27

From her speech: For a long time, I thought love was when someone put their full effort into another andwanted to be around them all the time. Love could only come from one person, and it was hard to attain. I have since learned that it's in everything – it's in the trees and the birds. It's in the strangers you smile at every day and the human inclination to wave at every passing car or boat. But most of all, it’s in the people who will be with you through all the hard times and pick you up through every mistake you make. It’s the ones that remain constant. That has been this class for me, and I wholeheartedly love every single one of you. Though we’re moving away in all different directions, I refuse to let this be the end of our story together. Thank you to my classmates for showing me, and showing each other, what it means to truly be loved. We will cherish these memorable years as we take these next steps. Congratulations, Class of

2024. May you each continue to redefine what love means to you.

Church: St. Mary Basilica, Natchez

Favorite service project: While I am heavily involved in many service projects my favorite one has to be consistently working at The Stewpot serving meals to less fortunate because I get to meet the people in my community that are most in need and hear their stories. It is also very rewarding work seeing the immediate gratitude on other’s faces when they receive their meals.

Plans to attend: University of Louisiana – Monroe

Plans to study: Pharmacy

Scholarships: 4-year $32,000 Academic scholarship at ULM; $2,000 Natchez Rotary Club scholarship; and $500 award from the Natchez Kiwanis Club.

Awards/honors: 2024 Hall of Fame; Principals list 9th-12th grade; 12th grade C.A.R.E. Award; Most Likely to Succeed; Soccer – most valuable player

Activities: Soccer; Dance team; Track team; National Honors Society; Key Club, Peer Ministry; Catholic Youth Organization; Cocoa for a Cause; Prayer Breakfast; Children’s Christmas tree; Altar Server at St. Mary Basilica

Favorite subject: Science

– Number of graduates: 73

– Number attending 4-year colleges: 49

– Number attending community colleges: 24

– Number of scholarship recipients: 41

– Notable next steps: United States Military Academy West Point

– Total scholarships offered: $4,915,973

– Total scholarships accepted: $2,783,121

– Total amount of service hours completed by senior class: 3,632 for their senior year and 11,653 total for their high school years.

– Notable service projects: Carmelite Monastery; BruinTHON

– STAR Student/Teacher: Lockard Williams/Jordan Bauer

ST. JOSEPH MADISON

VALEDICTORIAN:

JACOB LOCKARD WILLIAMS

AVERAGE: 4.306 – ACT: 33

From his speech: First and foremost, I want to thank God for guiding us through the tribulations of school and granting me the wisdom to get here. I am especially grateful for all the talents He has given me, which have helped me succeed and grow throughout my years here. My Catholic faith has been the cornerstone of my education and daily life and without it I could not be up here today. ... As we move forward, let us never

forget to remember and honor those who have made a positive difference on our lives and never stop striving for the ideals taught to us by God and this school. Congratulations to the Class of 2024. May God bless St. Joe, the Catholic Church, and each of you as we embark on this new adventure.

Church: St. Francis of Assisi, Madison

Favorite service project: My favorite

service project was the medical mission trip to Honduras because I got to see a truly different part of the world changing my perception of it, and further, my love of the medical field.

Plans to attend: Mississippi State University

Plans to study: Biomedical Engineering

Awards/honors: Eagle Scout Rank; Mu Alpha Theta; Latin Honor Society; English Honor Society; National Honor Society; Youth Legislature Outstanding Senator Award and Bill Passage 2021/2022; Academic Awards for Highest GPA in Honors/AP Classes; Finalist in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program

Activities: Drum Captain in Marching Band; Cross Country Team; Track and Field; Archery Team; Bowling Team; Retreat Team; St. Francis Church Youth Group; Youth Legislature Senator 2021; Youth Legislature House Member 2022; 2023 Mississippi Governor's School; 2023 Boy’s State and Boy Scout

Favorite subject: Biology

SALUTATORIAN: ANDREW PAUL DOHERTY

AVERAGE: 4.258 – ACT: 31

From his speech: What made these hard times bearable and the good times memorable throughout my years at St. Joe was the good people I found myself surrounded with. The people around us define our experiences for better or worse, so I believe, and I hope y’all all agree, that the people at St. Joe are what makes St.

Joe special. We’re a cast of interesting characters, for sure. But, the one thing I’ve come to believe is that the community that makes up St. Joe, whether student, faculty, coach, or parent, is full of good people who genuinely want the best for each other in every situation.

Church: St. Richard, Jackson

Favorite service project: Helping at the Carmelite Monastery in Jackson because of how joyful and appreciative the nuns were and it was also fun to work outside.

Plans to attend: Louisiana State University

Plans to study: Chemistry (Pre-med track)

Awards/honors: National Merit Finalist; Bishop Chance Service Award; National Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta (Mathematics honor society); National English Honor Society; Rho Kappa (History honor society); Science Honor Society; and Spanish National Honor Society

Activities: Varsity Cross Country; Soccer; Ridgeland Junior Diplomats; St. Joe Retreat Team; Chess Club; Youth Legislature and Model United Nations; BruinThon Committee; and Journalism

Favorite subject: Chemistry

MADISON – Cy Stephen, left, Madalyn Weisenberger and Lockard Williams –all seniors at St. Joseph Madison – perform at the Spring Concert in the St. Joseph Fine Arts auditorium. The concert was part of the annual Celebration of the Arts that took place Sunday, May 5, 2024. (Photo courtesy of school)

GREENVILLE – Aniyah Williams, Elese Serio and Cha’Kariah Holmes have a little fun at senior retreat. (Picture by Nikki Thompson)

NATCHEZ – Senior, Tris McCoy assists Conrad Middleton with a game of Senior buddy bingo. (Photo courtesy of school)

MADISON – Senior Campbell Miller performs a song in the St. Joseph Catholic School spring musical “All Shook Up.” Students staged the jukebox musical-comedy, featuring classic Elvis songs, on Friday, April 12, through Sunday, April 14, 2024, in the school’s Fine Arts auditorium. (Photo by The Shield yearbook staff)

MADISON – St. Joseph Catholic School senior football player Malick Yedjou escorts fellow senior Aubri Fairley, a Homecoming maid for 2023, during the Homecoming Court presentation in the St. Joe gym on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Photo by The Shield yearbook staff)

VICKSBURG – (Left) Lilli Perniciaro, Hampton Derivaux, Maddy McSherry and Sarah Beth Johnston are pictured with Father Rusty Vincent at St. Paul after graduate recognition at the parish. Not pictured is Brady Harrell. (Photo courtesy of Connie Hosemann)

“Sirviendo a los Católicos Hispanos de la Diócesis de Jackson desde 1997”

Padre ‘Miguelito’ - Monseñor Flannery, 60 Años de ordenado

Por Joe Lee

MADISON – El calor de alto horno en Jackson impresionó mucho a Monseñor Michael Flannery, conocido como Padre Miguelito por los feligreses de todo Mississippi y la empobrecida región de Saltillo en México, cuando aterrizó aquí por primera vez en septiembre de 1964. La discordia racial también causó una impresión significativa. Flannery llegó poco después de los horribles asesinatos de los líderes de derechos civiles Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner y James Cheney en el condado de Neshoba. “Mi primera asignación fue St. Mary’s en el oeste de Jackson”, dijo Flannery, quien celebra el 60 aniversario de su ordenación sacerdotal el 14 de junio. “La escuela se integró la mañana después de mi llegada.

Una familia negra tenía una niña que ingresaba al jardín de infantes y hubo una gran manifestación. Temíamos la violencia del Klan y dejamos las luces encendidas durante la noche durante dos semanas, pero no pasó nada.

“Un profesor del seminario nos preparó para enfrentar dificultades en los Estados Unidos, pero dijo que no sería justo decirnos qué hacer. Él dijo: ‘Les he dado principios morales.’ Los aplicas a la situación en la que te encuentras. Eso me impresionó.”

JACKSON – El Padre Miguelito en sus sesenta años de ordenado ha servido a cuatro obispos, acompañó al Padre Quinn en Saltillo México por tres años, creó un programa para la atención a los pobres, que envió más de 20 mil jóvenes a México, fue Vicario judicial, fundó la escuela St. Anthony, dirigió el Tribunal Diocesano, vuelve a la Misión de Saltillo cada año, ha escrito siete libros y todavía da Misa. (En Misa de Acción de Gracias por su 50 Aniversario. Foto de archivo, junio 2015)

Somos parte de la iglesia

reimaginada

Asignado a Nuestra Señora de las Victorias en Pascagoula en 1967, Flannery organizó el primer grupo de la Organización Juvenil Católica (CYO) para entregar artículos a Saltillo, pero lo que cambió las reglas del juego fue la participación del Padre Patricio Quinn. El libro Misión Saltillo, de Monseñor Flannery, publicado en el 2017, es sobre el proyecto de servicio de larga duración que envió a más de 20.000 jóvenes de Mississippi a México.

“El Padre Quinn tenía un amor tremendo por los pobres,” dijo Flannery. “Un año resultó gravemente herido en un accidente automovilístico en una carretera resbaladiza de montaña, y el obispo Brunini quería que su tratamiento médico se realizara en Mississippi. Quinn inicialmente se negó, diciendo que recibiría atención que no estaba disponible para los pobres. Finalmente aceptó, pero sólo si podía regresar a Saltillo una vez sano”.

Valerie Balser Winn, sobrina del difunto Eddie Balser, acompañó a su CYO desde St. Alphonsus en McComb hasta Saltillo en 1973.

“Padre Flannery siempre parecía lleno de energía y risas mientras conducía un jeep lleno de gente entre los perritos de la pradera y los cactus durante lo que parecieron horas,” dijo Winn. “Él supervisó las

Por LourDes M.ortiz-berrios

JACKSON – Desde hace tres años nos encontramos visitando el Quinto Decanato de la Diócesis de Jackson, en Mississippi, invitados por el Padre Timothy Murphy y su equipo de pastoral del Ministerio Hispano.

No imaginaba el significado que tendría, en mi propia experiencia de conversión, el poder acompañar al pueblo hispano en los procesos de reinvención pastoral y la sinodalidad, a la luz de las visitas del Obispo Joseph Kopacz. Mi esposo Emmanuel López y esta su servidora somos puertorriqueños, formados en procesos pastorales de nuestra diócesis y bajo el Instituto de Teología Hispana de los Jesuitas en California. Tenemos preparación en áreas de trabajo social y psicología holística con una trayectoria de trabajo con poblaciones vulnerables.

Hemos misionado en diversos países como República Dominicana, México, Bolivia, Guatemala, Cuba, y Honduras. En esos recorridos fuimos conociendo y aprendiendo a amar la

TUPELO – Parroquianos interactuan en una actividad del taller Líderes en Clave Sinodal, ofrecido por Lourdes Ortiz en 2023, como parte del proceso del proceso de Reimaginación Pastoral. El matrimonio de Ortiz Emmanuel Lopez y Lourdes Ortiz son formadores pastorales. (Foto de Lourdes M. Ortiz-Berrios) – Continúa en la página 2 –– Continúa en la página 4 –

... Ministerio Parroquial: primer amor del Padre Miguelito ...

primeros”.

entregas de medicamentos, atención odontológica y globos para los niños.

“Sin saber español y viéndolo decirle a los reunidos para Misa, en las pequeñas chozas de ladrillo y barro, sobre el accidente del padre Quinn. . . Todavía puedo ver la conmoción y la tristeza en sus rostros. Luego los vi consolados con el mensaje de esperanza de Flannery.”

El dominio del español de Flannery lo llevó a ser asignado a Rosedale, una de varias ciudades del Delta donde trabajó principalmente con inmigrantes. Mientras estaba en Cleveland, el obispo Brunini le pidió que aprendiera derecho canónico. Terminando en St. Paul’s en Ottawa, Canadá, en 1985, Flannery ingresó al tribunal después de regresar a Mississippi, sirviendo como Vicario Judicial.

“Veo el tribunal como un ministerio de sanación,” dijo. “El divorcio es algo muy doloroso, ya que una parte de ti muere en ese proceso. Mis experiencias en Saltillo, con mucha gente sufriendo allí, hicieron que me interesara en el tribunal.”

El Vicario General en ese momento era el Padre Francis Cosgrove, un compatriota irlandés y buen amigo de Flannery. Cosgrove sería asignado a San Francisco de Asís en Madison en 1994, y Flannery fue nombrado Vicario General. Cuando Cosgrove fue enviado a Meridian en 2005 para pastorear en St. Patrick, Flannery fue trasladado a St. Francis.

“El Padre Cosgrove construyó la iglesia, que se inauguró en el año 2000,” dijo Flannery. “Me alegré de volver al ministerio parroquial, mi primer amor. El plan inicial era que San Francisco tuviera una iglesia, un centro de vida familiar y una escuela. Cuando llegué allí ya se habían ocupado de los dos

Cuando una encuesta diocesana mostró un gran apoyo a otra escuela católica en el área de Jackson, Flannery se puso manos a la obra. En Madison, en 2009, se abrió St. Anthony y la inscripción se ha triplicado en 15 años.

“La generosidad del padre Mike hacia St. Anthony es un hecho histórico”, dijo Ed Marsalis, feligrés de San Francisco. “Lo amo muchísimo. Es un mejor amigo, un verdadero teólogo. Continúa la misión que se le asignó el día de su graduación en Irlanda y celebra Misas semanales en nuestra parroquia y en toda la diócesis”.

Monseñor Elvin Sunds compara a su amigo de medio siglo con el Buen Pastor, al darlo todo por sus ovejas. El Padre Albeen Vatti, párroco de St. Francis Madison desde 2015, deleita a los feligreses bromeando habitualmente con Flannery, pero le tiene un profundo respeto. “Él siempre está dispuesto a ayudar y lleva un estilo de vida muy sencillo”, dijo Vatti. “Seguirlo fue un desafío debido a sus años de experiencia, pero ha sido una gran bendición para mí”.

Flannery, que ahora tiene poco más de ochenta años, no muestra signos de desaceleración. Visita St. Anthony con frecuencia durante el año escolar para entretener a los jóvenes Eagles, y trabajará en parroquias de todo el centro de Mississippi durante los calurosos meses de verano. No estaría en ningún otro lugar.

“He sido feliz como sacerdote”, dijo. “Ha sido una buena vida, una vida feliz y lo volvería a hacer”.

MADISON – Monseñor Flannery recibe el abrazo de una estudiante de St. Anthony. Monseñor Flannery celebrará su 60.º aniversario como sacerdote el 14 de junio de 2024. (Foto de archivo) – Viene de la página 1 –

JACKSON – Monseñor Flannery comparte su amor al ministerio parroquial con la fotografía y la escritura. Los viajes a la Misión de Satillo han sido documentados históricamente por él. En 2017 publicó el libro “La Misión de Saltillo” (“Saltillo Mission”), su tributo a los esfuerzos humanitarios de su amigo y mentor, el difunto Padre Patrick Quinn. En 2019 escribe “Las Aguílas de San Antonio” (“St. Anthony’s Eagles”), sobre la escuela de la que es fundador. Durante la pandemia se dedicó a escribir y ya en el 2021, Monseñor Flannery era autor de cuatro libros más: “El Cáliz de Limerick”, “Una vista del Santo Grial”, “La Esmeralda” y “En busca de mi Gemelo”. En fotos (izq.) Monseñor Michael Flannery “Padre Miguelito” y el padre Albeen Vatti se unieron a la diversión de tocar con cucharas en frottoirs (tabla de lavar) y bailar una animada melodía cajún, el 3 de octubre de 2021 en el Cajun Fest, la recaudación anual de fondos de la parroquia de St. Francis. (der.) Foto de composición con las carátulas de sus siete libros. (Fotos de archivo)

Espíritu Santo inspira a creyentes a abrazar el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús

Por obisPo JosePh r. KoPacz, D.D.

Hace 125 años que el Papa León XIII consagró el mundo al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús en los albores del siglo XX. Hace veinticinco años, en los albores del nuevo milenio, el Papa Juan Pablo II consagraba el mundo de nuevo al Sagrado Corazón implorando especialmente a la Iglesia, pero a todas las personas de fe y de buena voluntad, a que vieran en el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús la esencia de Dios que es amor.

Cada año en nuestro calendario litúrgico se conmemora la fiesta del Sagrado Corazón el viernes después del Corpus Christi, Solemnidad del Cuerpo y Sangre del Señor. ¡Cuán apropiada es esta combinación sagrada! Del costado traspasado (corazón) del Salvador crucificado fluyó sangre y agua, don del amor eterno y fuente de la vida sacramental de la iglesia, el bautismo y la Eucaristía.

La espiritualidad del Sagrado Corazón se arraigó y floreció constantemente desde la época de las visiones de Santa Margarita María Alacoque, VHM en la década de 1670 hasta los principales movimientos del siglo XIX.

El cardenal John Henry Newman, un fenomenal teólogo y apologista que abrazó la fe católica en la mediana edad, eligió como su lema episcopal en 1879 “Cor ad Cor loquitur,” el corazón habla al corazón. En el centro de su destreza intelectual y dedicación pastoral estaba el palpitante Sagrado Corazón del Señor sólidamente anclado en las Escrituras. “Pido que Dios les ilumine la mente, para que sepan cuál es la esperanza a la que han sido llamados, cuán gloriosa y rica es la herencia que Dios da al pueblo santo.” (Efesios 1:18)

Un año antes, al otro lado del canal en Francia, en 1878 el padre Leo John Dehon recibió permiso del Vaticano para establecer la comunidad religiosa de los Sacerdotes del Sagrado Corazón, el 20 de febrero del mismo año, en que el Papa León XIII comenzó su largo mandato que duraría hasta 1903.

¿Vemos aquí un patrón? El Espíritu Santo trabajó arduamente para inspirar a los creyentes desde el centro de la iglesia hasta todos los puntos cardinales a abrazar el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. El amor por Jesucristo en su Sagrado Corazón es eucarístico de principio a fin, ya que escuchamos las palabras del Señor resonando a través del tiempo en cada Misa: “…este es mi cuerpo, …esta es mi sangre derramada”. (Marcos 14:22-24)

Ser lavado en la Sangre del Cordero (Apocalipsis 7:14) es la fuente del Avivamiento Eucarístico. Sin embargo, el amor por el Sagrado Corazón y el sacrifi-

cio del Señor no puede contenerse dentro de nuestras iglesias, por muy sagradas que sean. El carisma de los Sacerdotes del Sagrado Corazón es transformar el mundo en el que vivimos a través de actos de compasión, justicia y misericordia. Esta labor de amor en nombre del Reino de Dios ha estado muy viva en el norte de nuestra diócesis durante más de 80 años a través de la dedicación de los Padres del Sagrado Corazón (SCJ). Asimismo, el Papa León XIII, en su amor por el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, anhelaba una mayor justicia para todos los trabajadores durante la Revolución Industrial, cuando tantos, incluidos los niños, estaban siendo aplastados bajo la rueda de la industria. Su histórica encíclica Rerum Novarum o “Los derechos y deberes del capital y el trabajo” se valora como el documento fundamental de las Enseñanzas Sociales de la Iglesia en cada generación desde entonces.

El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús está bien integrado en la oración litúrgica y personal de la Iglesia. Celebramos y apreciamos este símbolo del amor eterno de Dios cada primer viernes del mes sabiendo que es un amor derramado todos los días del año para inflamar nuestra adoración e inspirar nuestras acciones en nombre de una mayor justicia y paz en nuestro mundo.

Oración del Jubileo: “Consagro ahora mi corazón a tu Sagrado Corazón, Jesús. Eres el Hijo de Dios a quien amo con todo mi corazón. Te ofrezco mi cuerpo, mi alma, mi mente y mi corazón. Recíbeme, santifícame, haz mi corazón como el tuyo y guíame por el camino del amor perfecto hoy y todos los días de mi vida. Amén.”

JACKSON – Estatua del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús en St. Richard. (Foto de archivo)

Papa: ‘No antagonicen a los ancianos’, en mensaje del día de abuelos

El Papa Francisco saluda a Lucilla Macelli, de 100 años, antes de celebrar la Misa en la Basílica de San Pedro del Vaticano, con motivo de la Jornada Mundial de los Abuelos y de los Mayores, el 23 de julio de 2023. (Foto CNS/Vatican Media)

Por

Justin McLeLLan

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – Los ancianos no deben ser acusados de cargar a las generaciones más jóvenes con sus gastos médicos y pensiones, una noción que fomenta el conflicto entre generaciones y lleva a las personas mayores al aislamiento, dijo el Papa Francisco.

“Esta acusación dirigida a los mayores de ‘robar el futuro a los jóvenes’ está muy presente hoy en todas partes”, escribió el Papa en su mensaje para la Jornada Mundial de los abuelos y de los mayores, una celebración eclesial que tendrá lugar el 28 de julio.

Incluso en las sociedades más avanzadas y modernas “está muy extendida la creencia de que los ancianos hacen pesar sobre los jóvenes el costo de la asistencia que ellos requieren, y de esta manera quitan recursos al desarrollo del país y, por ende, a los jóvenes”, escribió en el mensaje publicado el 14 de mayo.

Tal mentalidad es una percepción distorsionada que supone que “la supervivencia de los ancianos pusiera en peligro la de los jóvenes. Como si para favorecer a los jóvenes fuera necesario descuidar a los ancianos o, incluso, eliminarlos”, escribió. Sin embargo,

el Papa subrayó que “la contraposición entre las generaciones es un engaño y un fruto envenenado de la cultura de la confrontación”. “Poner a los jóvenes en contra de los ancianos es una manipulación inaceptable”, escribió.

El mensaje del Papa ampliaba el tema elegido para la jornada mundial de este año, tomado del Libro de los Salmos: “En la vejez no me abandone”.

La celebración de 2024 marca la cuarta edición de la Jornada Mundial de los abuelos y de los mayores. En 2021, el papa Francisco instituyó la jornada mundial que se celebrará cada año el cuarto domingo de julio, cerca de la memoria litúrgica de los santos Joaquín y Ana, abuelos de Jesús.

En su mensaje para la celebración de este año, el Papa subrayó que “Dios nunca abandona a sus hijos. Ni siquiera cuando la edad avanza y las fuerzas flaquean, cuando aparecen las canas y el estatus social decae,...”

Pero hoy, una “conspiración que ciñe la vida de los ancianos” provoca a menudo su abandono por parte de sus allegados.

El Papa animó a todos a expresar “nuestro agradecimiento a todas esas personas que, aun con muchos sacrificios, ... se están ocupando de un anciano.”

14 de junio de 2024 MISSISSIPPI

... Para junio inicia el segundo nivel de formación ...

– Viene de la página 1 –

realidad del pueblo de Dios que emigra en búsqueda de mejores oportunidades.

Pueblos que, al emigrar, llevan consigo sus tradiciones, cultura popular y experiencias de Fe, que, a lo largo de muchos años, ya se han vuelto parte de la iglesia americana. También llevan sus historias de vida, heridas y el sufrimiento de dejar sus raíces para emprender una nueva vida.

Llegamos a Tupelo invitados por nuestro amigo, el diácono Carlos Solá, quien ya había dado un salto para mudarse a la comunidad y así poder ofrecer su servicio como primer Diácono ordenado.

Fuimos invitados a ofrecer los talleres de Crecimiento Personal y Espiritual cuya metodología fue desarrollada por el Jesuita Carlos Cabarrús, SJ y de la cual fui Certificada por éste, quien, como antropólogo, identificó las muchas heridas y necesidades emocionales de las familias en Latinoamérica.

Por más de 10 años hemos ofrecido dichos talleres en Puerto Rico y otros lugares de Estados Unidos y Latinoamérica.

En la iglesia St. James de Tupelo iniciamos un trabajo de apoyo emocional y espiritual junto a nuestro equipo de colaboradores, que ha desembocado en diversos procesos que vamos desarrollando junto a la comunidad y nuestro Pastor el Padre Tim.

Del trabajo de sanación de heridas, surgieron procesos individuales de acompañamiento psico-espiritual. Surgió un esfuerzo dirigido a la espiritualidad y crecimiento interior de las mujeres llamado “Mujeres abrazando su historia.”

Se han ofrecido talleres a parejas para fortalecer el núcleo familiar. También se ha trabajado en Convivencias con jóvenes y en diálogos de reconciliación familiar. Se han ofrecido talleres sobre Espiritualidad Masculina, Manejo del Coraje, Sexualidad Humana, Noviazgo y Crianza entre otros.

A raíz de las inquietudes de la comunidad de crecer en herramientas de fe, iniciamos la Escuela de Formación del Quinto Decanato que cuenta con el aval de la Diócesis de Jackson y de la cual el pasado mes de noviembre 2023 se gradúo el primer grupo. Se discutieron temas de Eclesiología, Cristología y falsas imágenes de Dios entre otros, dentro de una modalidad participativa y reflexiva.

En el mes de junio iniciaremos el Segundo Nivel de Formación sobre temas y herramientas para el liderazgo en la construcción de la iglesia comunidad de fe.

Hemos facilitado diálogos en clave sinodal con el Padre Tim, la directora del ministerio Hispano Raquel Thompson y los líderes de la comunidad, de donde ha surgido la iniciativa de un Consejo Asesor para aconsejar y ayudar a fortalecer los ministerios de la iglesia.

Invitados por el Padre Mario Solorzano y el liderazgo de las parroquias St. James the Less en Corinth, New Albany, Ripley y Pontotoc hemos acompañado a la comunidad con estas herramientas de desarrollo humano y espiritual en procesos individuales, de pareja y con los jóvenes de la comunidad.

Somos testigos del ardiente deseo que viven nuestros hermanos en estas comunidades de crecer en fe y obtener herramientas para seguir participando en los procesos de reinvención Pastoral.

Ellos nos han contagiado del amor, discipulado y servicio que se vive, aún dentro de los retos que atraviesan. Hay un ardiente deseo de participar y ser parte de las iniciativas de la Pastoral.

Felicitamos al obispo Kopacz por seguir el llamado, para que nuestra iglesia se renueve en fe y participación, para vivir la acción misionera de llegar allí donde más nos necesiten. Agradecemos al Padre Tim, al diácono Carlos Solá, Raquel Thompson y a todos los que nos han permitido compartir nuestros dones y crecer en fe junto a esta iglesia que sigue peregrinando y descubriendo la voz de Dios.

TOME NOTA

Vírgenes y Santos

Festividad del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. Junio 14

Dia de los Padres. Junio 20

Natividad de San Juan Bautista. Junio 24

TUPELO – (arriba) Lourdes Barrios en conversación con participantes de un retiro sobre Servicio y Discipulado a un grupo mujeres servidoras de ACTS. (Centro) Foto grupal después de una reunión en enero 2024, de los líderes de los diferentes Ministerios con el Padre Tim para dialogar sobre la realidad parroquial (debajo, izq.) Trabajo interactivo de un grupo en una de las mesas de trabajo. (Fotos de Lourdes Ortiz-Berrios)

Señora del Perpetuo Socorro. Junio 27

Solemnidad de San Pedro y San Pablo. Junio 29

Envíenos sus fotos a editor@jacksondiocese.org

Síganos en Facebook @Diócesis Católica de Jackson Visite

Nuestra página web www.mississippicatholic.com Español

GREENVILLE – Jacob Venuti, pictured with Principal Graig Mandolini, receives the Chuck Early Humanitarian Award at St. Joe Greenville's annual Athletic Ceremony. (Photo by Nikki Thompson)

NATCHEZ – Seniors, Graci Gamberi and Ainsley Wills delivered baskets of thank you cards, banners, and snacks to the City Hall and the Adams County Sheriff Department. (Photo courtesy of school)

MADISON – Seniors Anna Williams, left, Paige Loyacono and Adriana Terrazas hold an oversized check for $20,007.84 – the amount of money St. Joseph students raised for Children’s of Mississippi (formerly the Batson Children’s Hospital) at the school’s annual BruinTHON fundraiser. (Photo courtesy of school)

VICKSBURG – Maddie McSherry, Hayes Morgan and Land Oglesby are all smiles during a Senior Buddies project at Vicksburg Catholic School. (Photo courtesy of school)

St. JoSeph GreeNville

ST. JOSEPH GREENVILLE

VALEDICTORIAN:

JULIANNA JOJOA-PORTILLA

GPA: 4.2319 – ACT: 30

From her speech: We have cheered each other on through victories big and small, celebrated one another, and overall have created true genuine friendships. I am blessed to have experienced my high school years with this incredible group of students. Each one of you is brilliant and shine in your own way and I can feel the love God has put into all of us everyday when I set foot in this school. Whether we are in the classroom, out on the field, or any other extracurriculars, we all have pushed each other to become the very best versions of ourselves and encouraged us to live as God intended; by loving one another. ... Although we are all growing and moving to our next stages in life, it doesn't mean we are leaving home behind. No matter what your future plans are, make sure you never forget what beautiful life lessons you were taught here by your parents, teachers, friends, family members, and all of those you love. Most importantly, never forget the power of kindness, hard work, and community, which was always evident in our St. Joe family. ... And though it may bring some sadness to be closing this chapter of our lives, it is important to remember how blessed we are to have something so special to miss.

Church: Our Lady of Victories, Cleveland

Favorite service project: My favorite service project was with the Chick-fil-a Leadership Academy. We organized a Color Run for the community and donated the profit to St. Jude. We were able to raise over $1,000 and I was so proud to be working with such a great group of leaders and to be able to help the children at St. Jude.

Plans to attend: Mississippi State University

Plans to study: Biology and Pre-Dental

Scholarships: Greenville College Access and Attainment Network Scholarship ($1,000); MTAG ($3,000); MSEG Scholarship ($10,000); STAR Student Scholarship ($2,000); Freshman Academic Scholarship ($32,000); Betty W. and Hodding Carter Jr. Family Foundation Scholarship ($2,500); Newman Bolls Scholarship ($1,000)

Awards/honors: Mississippi Blood Services Graduation Cord; Chick-Fil-A Leader Academy; MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science; HOBY Leadership Academy; Duke University Talent Identification Member; Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Member; Star Student; Mississippi Science and Reading Fairs District and State Awards; National Youth Leadership Forum; Junior National Young Leadership Nominee; Girls Single State Tennis Champion; Girls Single North State Champion; Strong Christian Character Award; Award for Most Innovative and Constructive Ideas in Artistic Composition; Award for Excellence in Drawing and Painting; Mississippi Scholar; Highest Averages in Composition I,

– Number of graduates: 30

– Number of students attending 4-year colleges: 18

– Number of students attending community colleges: 8

– Number of scholarship recipients: 25

– Largest scholarship awarded: $90,000 Leland Speed Scholarship to Mississippi College

– Notable next steps: Baylor University

– Total amount of scholarships offered: $4,766,144

– Total amount of scholarships accepted: $985,501

– Total service hours completed by senior class: 1,622

– Notable Service Projects: 1 Million Book Giveaway; Do Good December Project; Impact Project

– Special honors: Mrs. Celeste DeAngelo was named Star Teacher for the eleventh time.

Business Law, Personal Finance, and AP Calculus

Activities: Tennis; National Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta; Interact Club; Environmental Science Club

Favorite subject: Math

VALEDICTORIAN:

MADOLYN MCGAUGH

GPA: 4.2319 – ACT: 26

From her speech: I have been a student at St. Joe since I was in K-3. It has been such a pleasure and privilege to grow up attending this school and to be graduating with this amazing group of people. I am so proud of everyone and their accomplishments whether they be athletic or academic and I cannot wait to see what kind of people they grow into. We have all been so fortunate to go to a school that values Catholic education, which has without a doubt been the primary reason for the kindness, intelligence, and faithfulness of everyone attending St. Joe. Our ability to put God first has set each of us up for success and happiness in life and I am so thankful for that. I am confident that everyone will take this faithfulness with them after we graduate. I will miss St. Joe more than anything. It has helped me build so many memories and relationships that will stay with me forever.

Church: St. Joseph, Greenville

head to toe in color.

Plans to attend: University of Mississippi

Plans to study: Pharmacy with a minor in Business

Scholarships: University of Mississippi Academic Merit Scholarship ($7,600); University of Mississippi 1848 Scholarship ($8,000); MTAG ($3,000); Greenville College Access and Attainment Network ($1,000); University of Mississippi Girls State Scholarship ($1,000); Ole Miss Alumni Scholarship ($1,000); High School Val/Sal Scholarship ($6,000); The Elgin B. and Juanita Wright Turney Memorial Scholarship ($1,000)

Awards/honors: Mississippi Blood Services Graduation Cord; Chick-Fil-A Leader Academy; Girls State; Sandra McGaugh St. Joseph Alumnus Scholarship; Award for Excellence in All Artistic Media; 1st Place Printmaking MAIS High School Art Competition; Delta Council Honor Student; Mississippi Scholar; Highest Averages in French, Art, Chemistry, History, Algebra 3, Oral Communications, Algebra 2, Geometry, Psychology, CPR, and Physics

Activities: Cheer; Soccer; Interact Club; National Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta; Senior Class Treasurer; School Play

Favorite service project: The Interact Club sponsored a Color Run to support St. Jude. It was such a rewarding experience. Plus, it was so fun to see everyone

Favorite subject: Chemistry

St. aloySiuS viCkSburG

ST. ALOYSIUS VICKSBURG

VALEDICTORIAN: GRACE WINDHAM

GPA: 4.59 – ACT: 31

From her speech: I will forever cherish the amazing memories that I made with each and every one of you this year. Though we can all agree high school definitely has its rough times, not everything is going to be perfect or easy, but as you look back on your time at St. Aloysius, I challenge you to remember the good times. I’m choosing to remember the good times, the ones that make me laugh and smile and sometimes bring tears to my eyes knowing they are over. Guys, we made some great memories, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have been a part of this amazing class. So thank you for letting me tag along! As Matilda once said in Roald Dahl's novel, "Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world." Class of 2024, we can change the world! I can’t wait to see what God has in store for each and every one of us.

Church: St. Michael, Vicksburg

Favorite service project: Rainbow Farms Fundraiser – This project for was for special needs children with therapeutic disabilities, so that was a very uplifting thing to do.

Plans to attend: Mississippi State University

Plans to study: Veterinary Medicine

Scholarships: WAEPA Scholarship; Coward Future Leadership; Freshman Academic Excellence; Valedictorian Scholarship; Carson Kurtz Memorial Scholarship, Bruce Ebersole Jr. Memorial through United Way; Dani Kay Thomas Scholarship; Heart of a Thespian; Robert Foley Scholarship; Southern Ag Credit Awards/honors: 4.0 GPA Award; Ronald Reagan Stu-

dent Leadership Award; National Honor Society; National Junior Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta; 30 + Club ACT; Highest overall averages in English, History, Math, Fine Arts – 12th; Highest Averages in Math, Science, English, History, German II – 7th-11th; Gold Service Award; Silver Service Award; 2nd place Biology in Math and Science Competition; Top 10% Biology in Math and Science Competition; Joan Thornton Heroic Leadership Award; Dani Kay Thomas; Heart of a Thespian; George Eastman Young Leaders Award; Coca-Cola Scholar Semifinalist; Heisman High School Scholarship School Winner; Service “A” Award Gold Medal – 12th; Service Award – 12th; Robert Foley Award; Accepted to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University

Activities: Varsity Soccer Team; Varsity Dance TeamFlashettes; School Musical; Choir; Vicksburg Cotillion Club; Vicksburg Sub Deb Secretary; Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy; Retreat Team; Liturgical Team; Thunderbolt School Newspaper; Homecoming Court; Interact Club; Mentoring Club; Senior Bubby Program; Girlz Group; Prom Committee; Diamond Girl; Key Club; Camp Silver Cloud Counselor; Rainbow Farms Therapeutic Riding Center

Favorite subject: AP Biology

SALUTATORIAN:

WALKER LAMBIOTTE

GPA: 4.58 – ACT: 34

From his speech: One of the most important lessons imparted upon us during our time at VCS is that everyone’s path is different. No one person’s journey is the same –and that makes up so much of the complex beauty of life. This fundamental notion of society – that the world is powered by our differences, our separate strengths and weaknesses – is so strongly represented by this great class. I’m proud to say that by the end of our high school career, we have all become unashamedly proud of who we are and what we will accomplish, and that, to me, is incredible.

Church: St. Michael, Vicksburg

Favorite service project: Teens United Camp – This camp is offered to children in our community to help

– Number of graduates: 38

– Number of students attending 4-year colleges: 29

– Number of students attending community colleges: 7

– Number of scholarship recipients: 32

– Largest scholarship awarded: $164,000 to Allegheny College

– Total amount of scholarships accepted: $942,051

– Total service hours: 24,000

– Notable service projects: The Anita Zorn Hossley Community Service Award – Every year the senior class focuses on a project for service. This year The Community Food Pantry was chosen as the recipient. The entire school participated in the project by donating goods throughout the school year.

– STAR Student/Teacher Award: Steven Clement/Hannah Meeks

with education, health, and well-being. It was heartwarming to see how the children responded to the counselors and how much the children loved being there.

Plans to attend: University of Mississippi (Honors College)

Plans to study: Biological Science – pursing a degree in the Medical field

Scholarships: Junior Auxiliary; Student Body President; Ole Miss Academic Merit; 1848 Award, Salutatorian; Ole Miss First; ERDC Alumni; Rotary Scholarship; Raise Me; Chancellor’s Leadership

Awards/honors: Ole Miss Emerging Leaders Conference; Mu Alpha Theta; 4.0 GPA Award; National Honor Society; National Junior Honor Society; Two-time Top 10% Biology Test Takers at Mississippi College Math and Science Competition; Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award; Highest GPA Award in AP Language and Composition, Chemistry, World History, Geography; Highest overall Science Award – 12th; 30+ ACT Club; Gold Service Award; Silver Service Award; Mr. St Aloysius; Leadership Award – 12th; Principal’s Leadership Award – 12th; Service “A” Award Gold Medal – 12th

Activities: Student Government Association – President and Vice President; Math and Science Team; Varsity Basketball; Varsity Tennis; Varsity Cross Country; School Musical; Thunderbolt School Newspaper; Newsflash School News Program; Prom Committee; Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy; United Way Teen United Ambassador; Retreat Team; Liturgical Team; Senior Bubby Program; Key Club; Mentoring Team; SA Tech Team; Camp Silver Cloud Counselor; St Michael’s Catholic Church Altar Server

Favorite subject: Biology

St. JoSeph GreeNville

Robert Taylor Boozer

Landon Lamond Brown

Anna Claire Donham*

Abigail Grace Duthu*

Charles Gregory Fore, Jr.*

Alex L. Foster

Travary Laron Hart, Jr.

Anthony Carnell Hill, Jr.*

Cha’Kariah Amya Holmes

Caitlyn Elysia Jackson*

Julianna Jojoa-Portilla* (V)

Mikael Javion Jones

Sophia Claire Jones*

Jordan Manning*

Julia Clare Martar*

Christopher W. Mayfield, Jr.

Madolyn Elizabeth McGaugh* (V)

Mary Patton Meyer*

Christopher Tyler Montgomery*

Ma’Leah Morris

Joseph A. Myers*

Zion Chrysteen Richard*

Alan James Scrivner

Elese Ann Serio*

Maurice Thornton

Kenneth Howell Tonos*

Jacob Reed Venuti*

Chaunce’ Nicholas White

Aniyah Nicole Williams*

Cameron Isaiah Wise*

Cathedral NatChez

William Parker Baroni*

Chance Reed Bertelsen

Gracie Ann Bradley

Darrell Searcy Branton

Journey Aniya Bridges*

Sarah Katherine Cauthen* (S)

Timothy Hayden Cotton*

MarLaysia Noella Fleming

Graci Jayne Gamberi*

Bennett William Gilly

Braeden Jarrod Gregg* (V)

Scott Grayson Gwin

Marlie Ava Hargon*

Justin Claude Hawkins

Austin James Helbling*

+Jordan Jamaal Herrington

Joshua Connor Ingram*

Ariel Samone Ishman-Galmore

Bryan Cayde Jackson*

Matthew Brandon Kaiser

Brooklyn Kiera King

Emma Guadalupe Ledford

Nicholas Ryan Leigh

Marlee Kate Lynch*

Parker Claire Maxwell*

Tristan Cayde McCoy

Jacob Cole Moore*

Jackson Walker Navarro

Gabriel Louis Orr

Skyla Del’Nese Perry*

Helen Virginia Schwager*

Jackson William Simmons

CamRon Tyrell Tanner

Laila Grace Thomas

Margaret Elizabeth Waddill*

Jack Camden Whittington*

Ainsley Camille Wills

St. aloySiuS

viCkSburG

Addison Evelyn Averett*

Jonathon Daniel Busby*

Katelyn Adel Clark*

Nancy Jean Clement*

Steven Truett Clement*

Zachary Allen Cowart

Hampton Higgins Derivaux

Aiden Ford Dickerson

Blair Lillian Farrell*

Brady Raines Harrell

Christian Josephine Harris*

Natalie Christine Hendon*

Sarah Elizabeth Johnston*

William Connor Johnston*

Walker Armstrong Lambiott* (S)

Lucas Frasier Larson*

Laiken Suzanne Leist

Kennedy Lea May*

Sawyer Grace McCain*

Campbell London McCoy

HERITAGE ACADEMY

VALEDICTORIAN: PATRICK DOUMIT

GPA: 4.0 – ACT: 30

Church: Annunciation Catholic Church, Columbus

Catholic School: Annunciation, Columbus through 8th grade

From his speech: First and foremost, tonight I’d like to thank God for allowing us to reach this special moment in our lives. I know personally I could not have made it this far without Him. Some say that I have achieved Valedictorian because of what they call my intelligence. I, however, say that I have reached this because of the gifts and talents God has blessed me with. For without an author, there is no story.

Favorite service project: Rowdy Foundation (Organi-

Madelynn Claire McSherry*

Linley Loviza Miles*

Land Holden Oglesby

Lillian Phaire Perniciaro

James Robert Powell*

Damien Monroe Reeves*

Grace Alice Sams*

Barrett James Shows

Korey Oniell Sims, Jr.

Clara Rose Smith*

Canada Lake Stewart*

Ryan Justin Sykes

Caleb John Tucker

Harley Grace Vinzant

Lauren Ashley Walters

Benjamin Travis Webb*

Cynthia Mae-Erica Wheeldon*

Grace Kenlee Windham* (V)

St. JoSeph MadiSoN

Hala Malouf Alford*

John Frederick McCormick Barbour

Bren Lynn Barham*

Terrell Ma'Chond Barnes, II

John Henry Berthelot*

Lillian Celeste Boggan*

Andrew King Bonds

Markario Ahmod Brooks

Nicholas Reed Burger

Ryan Thomas Chance

Dennis Reece Chandler*

Noah Henley Chaplain

Jameson Patrick Clancy*

William Collins Coleman*

Brandon Joshua Cooley

Parker Nejam Davis

Anna Veston Deer*

Andrew Paul Doherty* (S)

John Gibson Eatherly, Jr.*

Zyia Cylene Eldridge

Emerson Claire Erwin*

Aubri Janae Fairley

Adam Bryce Forest

Carrington Gail Fowler*

William Marshall Fugate*

Caelyn Eliesse Funches

Adam Frost Gammill

Vincent Scott Glorioso, II

Charlie Scott Gordon*

Kaleb Benjamin Gray

Jarrett Christian Hall

Franklin Callop Moses Hampton

Mabry Gray Hirn*

Cecelia Elizabeth Johnson

Madelyn Kate Johnston

Skylar Elizabeth Jones*

Zachary William Kilpatrick*

Jeffrey Phillip Jennings Kimbrell*

Alyssa Lexia Leonard

Gaylon Keith LeSure, Jr.

Paige Amelia Loyacono*

Amare Davion Mannery

Mary Margaret Martin

Stella Grace McCarty*

Mikhala Leigh McLaurin

Aidan Zachary McNabb*

Campbell Morgan Miller

Melanie Wren Moody*

Rebekah Kate Odell

Charlotte Joyce Anne Park

Stephen Spencer Pittman*

Braylon Joseph Poindexter

Winston Hammond Putnam

Aedan Alexander Ramos

Laura Ribeiro Do Nascimento*

Tamarrian Antwan Robinson

Christien James Rosell*

Lonnie Antoine Smith, Jr.

Madison-Claire Louise Spence

Derek Tyrone Starling, Jr.*

Ann McCarthy Steckler*

Cy Edward Stephen

Adriana Pilar Terrazas*

John Joseph Tice, V*

Maia Maria Turner

Madalyn Faith Weisenberger*

Abbigail Elizabeth White*

Adam Thomas Williams*

Anna Marie Williams*

Jacob Lockard Williams* (V)

Jan Michael Williams, Jr. Malick Tchounwou Yedjou*

Vivian Grace Young (V) – Valedictorian (S) – Salutatorian * Honor Graduate (3.75+) + Honorary degree

zation that raises Autism Awareness and Special Needs Acceptance throughout the Golden Triangle. They host various inclusive events throughout the year for their special friends.)

Plans to attend: Mississippi State University (Shackouls Honors College)

Plans to study: Mechanical Engineering

Scholarships: MSU – Academic Excellence, Colvard and Valedictorian; American Legion Scholarship; Chamber of Commerce Scholarship

Awards/honors: HA Hall of Fame; Valedictorian; Highest Average 12th grade and overall highest average in Dual Enrollment Biology, AP Calculus, Spanish, English Comp and Government

Activities: Basketball; National Honor Society; National Beta Club; MAIS Honor Society; Senior Class Reporter; Spanish Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta

Favorite subject: AP Calculus (followed closely by Dual Credit Biology)

NATION

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The U.S. Catholic bishops’ latest annual report on child and youth protection shows abuse allegations are down, while safe environment protocols have taken root in the church – but guarding against complacency about abuse prevention is critical, as is providing ongoing support for survivors. On May 28, the bishops released their “2023 Annual Report – Findings and Recommendations on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” For the period from July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023, the report found a more than 51% drop in historical allegations from those reported in the same period last year, from 2,704 in 2022 to 1,308 in 2023. The decrease was partly due to the resolution of allegations received as a result of lawsuits, said the report. Another milestone was the full participation of all 196 dioceses and eparchies in the Charter audit, a 100% response rate that was unprecedented. But the report found that over the past 10 years, the Catholic dioceses and eparchies in the U.S. alone have paid more than $2 billion in costs regarding abuse allegations. Total abuse allegation-related costs in fiscal year 2023 were up 99% over the previous year at more than $260.5 million. Suzanne Healy, chairwoman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Review Board, emphasized in the report that as the church moves forward, it cannot risk “fatigue or complacency. We must remain vigilant.”

VICTORIA, Texas (OSV News) – The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s perpetual pilgrims’ second week included already iconic events – such as when Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York blessed the city with the Eucharist from a boat near the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor May 27 – and hidden moments – like when a man got out of a truck in the middle of Oregon, far away from any towns, and genuflected as the Eucharistic caravan passed. On a May 29 media call, the pilgrims shared other stories of encounter and conversion: On the California side of Lake Tahoe, a photographer for a secular news outlet – amazed by the masses of people turning out for processions – told the perpetual pilgrims that he was inspired to learn more about the Eucharist and plans to begin the process for becoming Catholic. Meanwhile, a woman who isn’t able to walk with the pilgrims has been joining each procession along the St. Juan Diego Route since Brownsville, Texas, on a retrofitted tricycle. Also in Texas, some perpetual pilgrims helped bandage a woman’s wounded leg at a homeless shelter, and then the woman – whose name is Hope – asked the pilgrims to pray with her. On the May 29 media call, the perpetual pilgrims acknowledged that their packed days can sap their energy, but explained each “amazing encounter” along their routes also reveals to them the impact that the pilgrimage is having.

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis announced that he is preparing a document on the Sacred Heart of Jesus to “illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal, but also to say something significant to a world that seems to have lost its heart.” The document is expected to be released in September, he said. The pope made the announcement during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square June 5. The Catholic Church traditionally dedicates the month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The document will include reflections from “previous magisterial texts” and it will aim to “re-propose to the whole church this devotion laden with spiritual beauty. I believe it will do us much good to meditate on various aspects of the Lord’s love,” the pope said. Meanwhile, in his main audience talk, Pope Francis continued a new series on the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the church. He said the freedom Jesus offers with his Spirit has nothing to do with the selfishness

of being free to do what one wants, but it is “the freedom to freely do what God wants! Not freedom to do good or evil, but freedom to do good and do it freely.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Although Pope Francis usually takes the month of July off – except for leading the recitation of the Angelus on Sundays – he will hold a consistory with cardinals in Rome July 1 for the final approval of the canonization of several sainthood candidates, according to the master of papal liturgical ceremonies. In late May, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints said Pope Francis would be convoking the meeting of cardinals to vote on approving the canonizations of Blessed Carlo Acutis, an Italian teen and computer whiz; Blessed Giuseppe Allamano, founder of the Consolata Missionaries; eight Franciscan friars and three Maronite laymen who were martyred in Syria in 1860; Canada-born Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis, founder of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family; and Blessed Elena Guerra, an Italian nun who founded the Oblates of the Holy Spirit. The date or dates for the canonizations could be announced during the ceremony.

WORLD

LOURDES, France (OSV News) – Surrounded by almost 15,000 military personnel from around the world, Airman 1st Class Quenton Cooper felt a deep sense of fraternity during a May 24-26 pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. Cooper was one of 183 American pilgrims who journeyed to Lourdes for the annual International Military Pilgrimage. Every year since 1958, the French army has invited soldiers from across the world to come together for three days of festivities, prayer, and fraternity in Lourdes, the frequented pilgrimage site where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858. “This trip has bolstered my spiritual life because it has reminded me that I’m not alone in my prayer life and that the church is not just located in one country, but it’s a community that extends all over the world,” Cooper said. “It is this reminder that no matter who we are, we need to thrive, and God will put us in.” For over 20 years, the Knights of Columbus and the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services have co-sponsored the Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage, bringing both active-duty service members and veterans from across the world to seek healing through the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage also provides participants from a military background the opportunity to experience fraternity with the global church, said military chaplain Father Philip O’Neill.

SAN SALVADOR (OSV News) – A recent decision by officials in El Salvador to remove a painting of St. Óscar Romero from a prominent location in the nation’s main airport and move it to a secluded area, generated backlash from Catholics and opinion leaders, who have been critical of how the nation’s government is treating national symbols while trying to rebrand the country as a safe, tourist-friendly destination. The 18-foot-wide painting depicts scenes of St. Romero’s life, including a meeting that he had with people whose relatives had been abducted by the military. The painting was commissioned in 2010 to mark the 30th anniversary of St. Romero’s murder and it had been placed in a hallway of the airport’s departure hall, where it could be easily seen by passengers as they headed to their gates. It was passengers at the airport who noted that the painting was no longer at its original location and had been replaced with a poster that welcomes tourists to El Salvador, “the land of surfing, volcanoes and coffee.” Officials initially provided no explanation for the painting’s removal, sparking criticism from some Catholic leaders. Carlos Colorado, a Salvadoran-American lawyer who runs a blog about St. Romero, said that he was concerned that El Salvador’s current government was being dismissive of the bishop’s contribution to the nation’s history. St. Romero was the archbishop of San Salvador in the late 1970s, a turbulent period that led to a full-fledged civil war, in which more than 75,000 people were killed.

Book Review

“The

Saints of St. Mary’s”

By SiSter M. Dorothea SonDgeroth, o.P.

JACKSON – “The Saints of St. Mary’s” By X.M. Frascogna Jr. with Joe Lee, Dogwood Press (2024), 192 pages, $24.95

The author, Mike Frascogna Jr., has done a masterful job in weaving the ingredients that spell success into a love story that piques your interest from beginning to end. A love for faith, family, young children, football and coaching blend together to make this true story a playbook of life, worthy of recognition and wide distribution. These pages illustrate how one person with integrity, purpose, determination, respect for others and fondness for children and football can be a positive mentor, role model for young boys giving them the discipline, character building blocks and goal setting needed for success not only on the football field, but also in their adult life.

Light moments and highlights of the team’s games wins and losses coupled with parental support showing love for their sons and the coach, mixed with tragedy, reflect reality in the game of life. These, of course, etch indelible memories of team spirit, sportsmanship, competitiveness, community and friendship in the minds and hearts of these young athletes.

Football is not just about athleticism, but also about teamwork, respect for others, motivation, character, dedication to details, discipline and courage. The coach throughout this story exhibited these traits and worked with passion to form these young boys into young men in spite of the grueling practices, for which they came back with appreciation and admiration for their coach.

I highly endorse “The Saints of St. Mary’s” to be placed in the hands and read by young parents, aspiring coaches, young students and all who are interested in the game of football. It’s a winning story!

(Sister Dorothea Sondgeroth is a Dominican Sister of Springfield. She is recognized for her years of service at St. Dominic Health Services, and is the recipient of many awards and accolades, including the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross.)

Bishop Gerow’s journal describes JFK’s assassination

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Mary WoodWard

JACKSON – In working on a history project that explores some pivotal moments in our nation’s history, I came across some poignant reflections in Bishop Gerow’s diary. The passages are from November 1963. This of course was the moment when President John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Many of us have seen the grainy video coverage of that violent act and the ensuing days of mourning, rituals and interment. It was a shocking moment in the country, which seemed to be brimming with optimism and opportunity. It marked an initial loss of innocence in a decade of change.

I now share the following entries from the diary to chronicle how our local church experienced those momentous days. The language used was the language of the day, so I have left it unchanged.

November 22 (Friday):

Today about 12:30 President Kennedy was shot and killed. He was on a visit to Dallas, Texas. When the news came over the radio, I am told that in our Catholic schools here in Jackson – or at least in many of them – the children dropped to their knees in prayer and many of them wept. Television station WJTV here in Jackson asked me to come out to the station and make a statement which I did in which I praised Mr. Kennedy for his high principles and spoke of the hatred that caused his assassination and asked the public for prayers for the country and for the deceased.

November 23 (Saturday)

Today in my private chapel I offered Mass for President Kennedy. Later, the television station WLBT asked me to come out to the station and speak which I did. In substance I said it is time to reflect and pray – to reflect on the love of our neighbor that our Divine Lord taught and to reflect upon the hatred that burns in the breast of some. These must share with the assassin the blame for this crime, asked prayers for our country, for the new President, and for Mr. Kennedy, etc. I announced on this station as well as yesterday that on Monday at noon I would celebrate a Pontifical Requiem Mass to which the public is invited.

November 25 (Monday)

At noon in St. Peter’s Co-Cathedral I sang a Solemn Mass of Requiem for the President.

The procession to the church started in the school yard. In the procession were the Fourth Degree

Knights of Columbus in full regalia. Clergymen from many of the non-Catholic churches in the city, most of them in their church robes, preceded our diocesan clergy. Amongst them were Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, Coadjutor Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi and a good group of Episcopal clergymen, Rabbi Perry Nussbaum of the local Synagogue, Dr. Seth Granberry of the Capitol Street Methodist Church (who by the way replaces Dr. Clark who was forced by his congregation to resign because of his views of justice to the Negro), Dr. Jeff Cunningham of the Galloway Methodist Church (who replaced Dr. Selah, who like Dr. Clark had to resign because of his views), Rev. Wade Koons of the Trinity Lutheran Church (who had had much opposition from his congregation because of his Christian views on race). Rev. Fred Tarpley of Ridgecrest Baptist Church. These ministers were given seats in the church in the front pews – our own clergy, who were not on ceremonies, were in the choir loft.

ceived Communion, but also to note that amongst those who received were a generous sprinkling of Negroes. It was good for the state and city officials to see these Negroes coming to the Altar rail and kneeling beside the whites and doing this without any sign of race discrimination.

Among the civic public figures in the church were former Governor Hugh White, former Governor J. P. Coleman, Mayor Allen Thompson, Attorney General Joe Patterson, Secretary of State Heber Ladner, State Superintendent of Education J. M. Tubb, and State Tax Collector William Winter.

The church was filled with people, seated in all the pews and standing in close formation in all available standing room. One of the policemen outside told one of our priests that at least a thousand people were turned away because there was no room in the church.

At the Gospel time I spoke. My theme was God’s love of us his children and our duty to love Him and His other children. At the Communion time it was a pleasure not only to see the large number who re-

After the Mass, the clergy, our own and the non-Catholics, gathered in the Chancery Office and witnessed on television the funeral of President Kennedy in Washington. This being over about 2:30 we all gathered in the general dining room of the Sun-nSand Motel for lunch. It is interesting to note that Father Bourges, S.V.D., Pastor of Holy Ghost Church, who is a Negro went into the dining room with the rest of us and was served without comment.

I felt much gratified at the fine ecumenical spirit of friendliness exhibited in our relationship with our non-Catholic ministers. In my own mind these ministers who gathered with us are good, earnest, sincere men who wish to honor and serve God and they do so in the way that they understand to be the way that God wishes.

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

The casket with the body of former President John F. Kennedy is pictured during his Nov. 24, 1963, funeral procession from the White House to the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (CNS photo/U.S. Army Signal Corps, courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library)

U.S. President John F. Kennedy and first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, arrive at Love Field in Dallas Nov. 22, 1963. (CNS photo/courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)

By Mary Gorski

Bishop Kopacz ordains priest for Dehonians

HOUSTON – On June 1, in the sacristy of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Houston, Texas, Paul Phong Hoang, SCJ, was vested as a deacon for the last time. An hour later, surrounded by family, friends, and fellow Dehonians, his parents would help to vest him as a priest.

Bishop Joseph Kopacz of the Diocese of Jackson, was the ordaining bishop. During Father Paul’s words of thanks at the end of the ordination, we learned that he and the bishop first met over a bowl of cereal in the kitchen of the Dehonian community house in Nesbit, Mississippi.

“Who was this guy eating in our kitchen?” thought Father Paul when he saw the bishop. The ministries of Sacred Heart Southern Missions fall within the Diocese of Jackson. When the bishop travels to the northern portion of that diocese, he often stays with the Sacred Heart community, where he regularly starts his day with a bowl of cereal.

When he met the bishop, Father

Paul was in Mississippi as a student. Years later he would return to serve as a deacon and now as a priest in the Diocese of Jackson.

The man in the kitchen would one day travel to Houston to ordain Father Paul.

“I am so happy that Father Paul will continue to serve in our diocese,” said Bishop Kopacz.

When asked if he has advice for someone discerning a call to the priesthood or religious life, Father Paul talked about his religious community, but also about God’s call to each of us:

“Our community – the Dehonians – makes space for people from all different walks of life. Let us not be discouraged by a person, an incident, a thing that hurt or bothered us. The love of Christ and our charism are what unite us. There are still people in the world searching for the Truth, hungry for Christ, and wanting to be loved. Despite our personal human weaknesses, God continues to call us to serve His church and people.”

Father Tristan Stovall – a new priest for the diocese

On Saturday, June 1, Bishop Joseph Kopacz ordained Father Paul Phong Hoang, SCJ to the priesthood at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Houston, Texas. Father Paul will be serving the Northwest Mississippi following his ordination. (Photo by Mary Gorski)

JACKSON – Father Tristan Stovall was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Jackson on Saturday, May 18. He is assigned to St. Joseph Starkville. Photos from the event are available for viewing on Facebook @jacksondiocese. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

Celebrating Catechists!

KNEADING FAITH

By Fran LaveLLe

I have spent the past year working closely with the Pastoral Reimagining Process for the diocese. Each phase of the process opened up opportunities for lay leaders to contribute to the conversation including their own wisdom and best practices as well as personal struggles.

One common comment that was shared was the difficulty in getting people to volunteer for ministry opportunities at the parishes. Perhaps it is part of the rebuilding after the pandemic or something more systemic, but many leaders noted that they are struggling to maintain a volunteer pool for catechesis as well as other ministries.

Volunteerism across the board is in decline in other denominations as well as civic and service organizations. The percentage of the U.S. population that volunteers on an average day has declined by 28% in the past decade, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Studies suggest many attributing factors such as aging workers working past traditional retirement age. Whatever the cause, the effect is hurting the church’s ability to fulfill Catechetical and formation, as well as other volunteer opportunities at the local level.

We are charged with reimagining how to engage

the people in the pews to want to give of their time and talent to our faith communities. One of the best ways to increase interest in giving back to the parish or community is to celebrate the people who are serving in voluntary ministry positions. It might sound silly or perhaps even a bit contrived, but we need to carve out times within the year to highlight the efforts of the lay people who are serving in ministry. And we need to celebrate everyone!

Celebrating everyone can be as simple as having a donut reception after Mass to recognize lay leaders and volunteers or creating a space in your bulletin to highlight the work of your parish’s volunteers. It is also helpful to share success with the community. A Flocknote or bulletin to everyone about the progress of a project or highlights of what the young people in religious education are doing creates opportunities for connection. Cross pollinate ministry opportunities like bringing different parish groups together for fun activities like doing a supply drive for the local animal shelter in conjunction with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi and the blessing of the animals. People love to give, especially when they see the collective impact of the whole parish. Above all – make it fun! There is nothing worse than people coming to an event to volunteer and the day feels like drudgery. Faith and works can also include fun.

You may have been at a parish where one person or one group does everything. On its face it looks great. Things are being “taken care of.” But are they?

“Put his head on my knees”

FROM THE HERMITAGE

By sister aLies therese

You might remember that I am fond of desert monastics for both inspiration and correction. Having recently left the hospital and rehab after five long months, I’m back home hoping to share with you a little nourishment.

There are all sorts of deserts that these stories might be applied to and hospitals, nursing homes, rehab, jails are among a few. Don’t forget the homebound.

Desert monastic stories might be ‘true’ or not ... in any case, the messages they bring are well worth at least devotional reading. Let’s consider two for ‘correction’ and one for inspiration.

“Abba Zosimas used to say: Take away the thoughts and no one can become holy. One who avoids the beneficial temptations is avoiding eternal life. It is like I always say: inasmuch as God is good, God has given us to profit from everything. However, we become attached and misuse God’s gifts, and so we turn these very same good gifts to destruction through our evil choice and are therefore harmed.”

I learned a lot from being so sick and I offer this reflection for those of our readers who are. Even when you are sick you can profit. Even when you have lost a good deal of control over your life, you can still profit. Bitter or better? You still choose. So, when opportunities come our way to be strengthened by adversity ... let’s choose God for profit. This is often worked out by how one interacts with nurses, doctors and staff. Learning to listen beyond what we think is a real challenge. Learning to give up, give in and trust strengthens our resolve to love God alone.

What we value is often brought out when we are ill or restrained. I thought many times about how fortunate I was to be where I was (five hospitals and rehab). Would I die? Would I live? Who knew? Many medics were sure of the former (a scary time), but I kept trying to choose the latter.

Mentally I was stretched so my values got mixed up. Maybe I lost my temper, got angry? Or maybe I didn’t eat or I ate everything I could find? Our values come into bright relief when we are not in charge. Would seem that the things we have identify those values ... but really it is who we are (in Jesus) that says a whole lot more.

One person or one group cannot do everything and if they do how well is it being done? When a parish does a time and talent survey but never calls the people who volunteered to help with specific ministries, we not only lose out on a volunteer, but we lose out on the gifts of those individuals could have shared with our parish family.

One simple idea to help your parish increase the pool of doers is to name a volunteer coordinator for the parish. They would work closely with the pastor, parish staff, ministry leaders to keep their finger on the pulse of what activities are happening at the parish. They would be able to recruit volunteers long in advance of the event. A Flocknote or bulletin announcement of upcoming events and an easy way for people to express interest would help streamline the process. At the end of the day it is about getting everyone involved with passing on the rich story of our faith. Many hands make light work.

Taking a note from my own advice, I want to thank all of the lay leaders, catechists and other volunteers that contributed to all of the formation ministries at our parishes this year. Keep your eye on the prize as you continue to animate the Good News. The fruits of your labor are evident in the young people we encounter at diocesan events and in everyday people we meet in our parishes. Keep doing your very best. We see you!

(Fran Lavelle is the Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson.)

“An old man said: If you have lost gold or silver, you can find something in place of what you lost. However, if you lose time you cannot replace what you lost.” Can we profit then from everything God sends ... even those things we are sure are so important? What do we value? What do we share? What do we learn from difficulties?

Finally, I love a story about judgment and how we treat each other. I saw more than I would have liked of people left behind, uncaring professionals, and wrestling with my foibles. Judging others or ourselves is a slippery slope and one who has come to love God has learned this truth.

“Some old men came to Abba Poemen and said: Tell us, when we see brothers/sisters dozing during the sacred office, should we pinch them so they will stay awake? The old man said to them, ‘Actually if I saw a brother sleeping, I would put his head on my knees and let him rest.’”

I can be quick to judge what is right or wrong in any given situation and often I am completely off base. The tenderness of this story reminds me that we are flesh, and we are bound to fail, be weak and give in to ourselves. But here is a brother who understands this well and holds in his hands, as God does with us, the very flesh that this youngest or elder seems to be withholding. Oh no, God gives to His beloved in sleep the Psalmist reminds us and the beauty of this act reminds me to treat others and myself as God would have it. It is the heart of course that makes our awesome God smile and that is a treasure we can never lose and can always profit from. At the core of this heart, we develop that love that loved us first.

Maybe this anonymous little poem helps when we try to explain how great that love is. In A Nonny Mouse Writes Again we hear: “I know you little, I love you lots, my love for you would fill ten pots, fifteen buckets, sixteen cans, three teacups and four dishpans.”

What we learn to profit from will fill all that is around us and we become willing and able to put that love everywhere. So, when you encounter someone ill or left behind, offer them your hands and your knees, and let them rest. And when fear overcomes you, remember that love drives it out. The Russian author Ivan Turgenev in The Sparrow reminds us: “Love, I felt, more than ever, is stronger than death and the fear of death.” Rest, trusting that you are loved and cherished ... and pass it on!

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

Around the diocese

COLUMBUS – Annunciation School Principal Joni House visits a class working on their “letters” on Wednesday, May 15. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

PEARL – On May 31, members of the St. Jude youth group helped setup the parish’s huge garage sale in the parish hall. (Photo by Lauren Roberts)

SOUTHAVEN – The seventh grade religion class at Sacred Heart School enjoyed tea with “Our Lady” on May 16. (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)

MADISON – St. Joseph School soccer coach, Dwyane Demmin hosted an unforgettable showcase of jugglers from across the globe on Thursday, May 30. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

Around our schools

MADISON – St. Francis of Assisi parish hosted the annual St. Anthony School sixth grade recognition Mass and ceremony on Monday, May 20, 2024.

Pictured are youth processing in for Mass. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

MADISON – Seventh grader, Maya receives an award from Principal Dr. Dena Kinsey at the middle school academic awards ceremony on Friday, May 17 at St. Joseph School. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

MADISON – Sixth graders, Roland Klar and Chris King check out the programs for their sixth grade recognition ceremony at St. Francis Madison on Monday, May 20. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)

Mission work opportunities abound at Sacred Heart Southern Missions

BY LAURA GRISHAM

WALLS – Like many other non-profits, Sacred Heart Southern Missions (SHSM) in north Mississippi relies on volunteers to achieve its mission. They play key roles in the organizations outreach programs. Last year, nearly 3,800 people came from near and far to help Sacred Heart Southern Missions. These generous individuals donated close to 23,000 hours of service. The time worked equating to approximately 11 fulltime employees.

More than 1,200 people have come to volunteer since the beginning of 2024. The organization has a number of regulars who help out daily at their food pantries and social service o ces. Many local businesses, churches and schools support SHSM by working in mobile food pantries, prepping meals at the Garden Cafe, assisting at the thrift store and making deliveries.

High schools, college and church groups from across the country travel to Mississippi to help out as well. They come for days or weeks at a time to help with one of SHSM’s bigger areas of service: home rehab.

There is never a shortage of projects that need attention. There are so many people who have no means to make repairs or are too frail to maintain their homes. Without the time and talent of our volunteers, these needs would remain unmet.

From ramps, roofs and rafters to doors, floors, tubs and tile, and everything in between, many critical home repair projects have been checked o the proverbial to-do list through the hard work of volunteers. But often, they leave with greater gifts than the ones they gave.

A number of families and individuals have been blessed by the arrival of volunteers over the past months. Benjamin is one of those individuals. He worked in the tree trimming and removal business until a gigantic limb fell, striking him on the head, breaking his neck and back and cracking his skull.

In March, students from St. Matthew in Virginia were tasked with the construction of a wheelchair ramp so that Benjamin could enter and exit his home easily in his electric wheelchair. Working alongside their skilled chaperone, the young people raised the level of the front porch to the front door and built out a ramp with a gentle incline. The project helped restore some of the mobility Benjamin lost a little more than a year ago.

Critical repairs are always on the horizon and new groups are being signed up regularly to help out. Recently, Valero Refinery sent several skilled workers who joined a student from the University of Memphis to tackle a roof for Wayne, an elderly client in Nesbit. The group made quick work of the project, completing it in three days. “You have no idea what gratitude is,” said Wayne as he patted his chest. With tears in his eyes, he said, “Thank you so-so much.”

Program sta ers have been busy assessing client homes and preparing for the next wave of large volunteer groups, and parishes in Northwest Mississippi are also teaming up for a Summer Immersion week of service.

More groups are welcome, visit https://bit.ly/VolunteerSHSM for more information about volunteer projects, lodging facilities available for volunteers or to donate to help with projects.

to the 35 parishes who have reached their CSA goal: Congratulations

AMORY – ST. HELEN

ANGUILLA – OUR MOTHER OF MERCY

BATESVILLE – ST. MARY

BELZONI – ALL SAINTS

BROOKHAVEN – ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

CANTON – HOLY CHILD JESUS

CANTON - SACRED HEART

CARTHAGE – ST. ANNE

CLARKSDALE – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

CLEVELAND – OUR LADY OF VICTORIES

CLINTON – HOLY SAVIOR

CONEHATTA – ST. CATHERINE

CRYSTAL SPRINGS – ST. JOHN

FLOWOOD – ST. PAUL

FOREST – ST. MICHAEL

FULTON – CHRIST THE KING

GLUCKSTADT – ST. JOSEPH

HAZLEHURST – ST. MARTIN OF TOURS

JACKSON – CATHEDRAL OF ST. PETER THE APOSTLE

JACKSON – ST. RICHARD OF CHICHESTER

KOSCIUSKO – ST. THERESE

LOUISVILLE – SACRED HEART

MADISON – ST. FRANCIS

MAGEE – ST. STEPHEN

NATCHEZ – BASILICA OF ST. MARY

OLIVE BRANCH – QUEEN OF PEACE

PEARL – ST. JUDE

PHILADELPHIA – HOLY CROSS

PONTOTOC – ST. CHRISTOPHER

VARDAMAN CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

RAYMOND – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

RIPLEY – ST. MATTHEW

ROXIE – ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST (CRANFIELD)

VICKSBURG – ST. PAUL

WEST POINT – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

When you generously contribute to the CSA you are making a profound impact on 14 ministries that are vital to our Catholic faith. Your support is invaluable to us and we extend our deepest gratitude.

Your gift does make a difference! Please consider making a gift to the CSA and helping your parish reach their goal.

To make an online gift please scan the QR code or go to csa.jacksondiocese.org. Then click on giving.

Send a check to: Catholic Service Appeal PO Box 23004, Jackson, MS 39225-9801

(please put your parish name in the memo section)

WALLS – Students from St. Matthew in Virginia work to construct a wheelchair ramp for Benjamin, who became disabled after a large limb fell on him. (Photo courtesy of Laura Grisham)