MS Catholic September 15, 2023

Order of the Fleur de Lis holds meeting, invests Bishop and others with Knight Commanders Cross

BY TEREZA MA AND JOANNA PUDDISTER KING

NATCHEZ – The Order of the Fleur De Lis held its annual meeting Aug. 25-27, in Natchez, with several events at the Basilica of St. Mary. The Order of the Fleur de Lis is an organization of Catholic men incorporated under the laws of the state of Louisiana as a non-profit organization. The Order’s domain is a five states region consisting of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Grand chancellor of the Order of Fleur de Lis, Steve Koach of Enterprise, Alabama said “for us to be here for the meeting, this is special because only every two years we do an investiture ceremony.”

Objectives of the order include supporting and defending the Catholic Church and its teachings; promoting patriotism and good citizenship, encouraging public morality and unselfish service to God and country; assisting and publicizing the activities of other organizations; memorializing the memories and achievements of Catholic leaders in religion, the arts and sci-

ences, philanthropy education, exploration and archeology, government and international relations, medicine and jurisprudence and other established professions.

Bishop Joseph Kopacz, who was inducted as a part of the Order on Aug. 26 said, “These qualities define the vision of the Order of the Fleur de Lis, and I wholeheartedly embrace these virtues that enrich the lives of our members and their families, as well as their parish communities, and ultimately our nation.”

After their business meetings, the Order attended the Vigil Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary and after Mass an investiture was held with 23 Catholic gentlemen being invested with the Knight Commander Cross of the Order. Grand Prelate Bishop Glen J. Prevost, of Lake Charles, Louisiana presided over the ceremony. Leading the group of Knight Commander designates was Bishop Kopacz, Eleventh Bishop of Jackson. Other investees from the Diocese of Jackson were Father Aaron Williams, of the

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Church in Morocco, pope o er prayers a er quake; death toll rises to

BY MARIA-PIA NEGRO CHIN

(OSV News) – Rescuers continue to search through the rubble in the hopes of finding survivors after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco the night of Sept. 8, killing more than 2,800 people and causing widespread destruction.

Search and rescue teams continue their attempt to reach those in isolated villages closer to the earthquake's epicenter. Previous attempts to help had been delayed by fallen rocks covering the roads leading to the hard-hit rural communities.

The deadly quake's epicenter was reported to be in the High Atlas mountains, about 44.7 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of historic Marrakech, a city of about 840,000 people. The villages in these areas were reported to have suffered the worst destruction, with buildings falling and killing many of the villagers while they were asleep.

Even as some aid was starting to reach the villages Sept. 9 and 10, media reports shared that survivors were struggling to find food, water and shelter.

The Sept. 8 earthquake struck shortly after 11 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which said its preliminary magnitude was 6.8 and it lasted several seconds, with a 4.9 aftershock hitting the area minutes later. The quake was the strongest to hit that part of the North African nation in 120 years, according to USGS.

On Sept. 11, Morocco's interior ministry confirmed the earthquake's death toll had risen to 2,862, as of 3:40

p.m. ET. Authorities warned that these numbers are expected to rise. The ministry said there are over 2,500 people injured, with at least 1,404 in critical condition. According to CNN, state media reported that most of the dead – nearly 1,500 – were in the Al Haouz district in the High Atlas Mountains.

"The next 2-3 days will be critical for finding people trapped under the rubble," Caroline Holt, global director of operations for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Reuters.

Soon after news of the devastation spread, the Archdiocese of Rabat – which has churches in Marrakech and Ouarzazate that suffered minor material

damage – urged prayers for those affected through a message posted on social media. "Let us pray with Our Lady of Morocco for the victims and their families," the archdiocese said.

In a Sept. 9 telegram, Pope Francis expressed his sorrow and "deep solidarity" with the people of the North African nation, praying for those who perished, healing for the wounded and consolation for those mourning the loss of their loved ones and homes, Vatican News reported.

The pope continued expressing his proximity to the Moroccan people "stricken by a devastating earthquake" after the Angelus prayer Sept. 10. He also

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Pope's travels 7 Pope Francis traveled to Mongolia to reach margins

Sister Thea Bowman 8 Howard University names building honoring Sr. ea

Adviser Award 18 Cassreino named National Broadcast Adviser of Year

NATCHEZ – Front, left to right in black: Father Jeffery Bayhi, Father Vernon Huguley, Bishop Joseph Kopacz and Father Joshua Rodrigue were invested in the Order of the Order Fleur de Lis on Saturday, Aug. 26 at the Basilica of St. Mary. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

DOWNINGTOWN, PA – Day of Prayer for the Health and Wellness of Clergy and Men and Women Religious, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20. The main event for is a live-streamed Mass from the Our Lady of Hope Chapel on Saint John Vianney Center’s campus at 10 a.m. CST. The goal of this day is to raise awareness of the need to support our men and women in ministry and to pray for them in solidarity as one community of faith. No cost to participate. Details: https://www. sjvcenter.org/dayofprayer/

SAINT LOUIS, MO – The North American Vocation Team (NAVT) of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) invites young adults ages 18 and older to a monthly online evening prayer on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. CST via Zoom. Upcoming dates for evening prayer are Sept. 26, Oct. 24 and Nov. 28. Details: ssnd.org/events/

WASHINGTON D.C. Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage, Sept. 30 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Join with Catholics from around the country to seek the intercession of Our Lady. Hear life-changing talks; celebrate Mass and pray the rosary. Details: for more information visit rosarypilgrimage.org.

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS

ABERDEEN – St. Francis, Parish Picnic, Saturday, Oct. 14 following Mass. Enjoy a good meal and fellowship. Details: (662) 813-2295.

BROOKHAVEN – St. Francis, Parish picnic with bingo and games, Sunday Oct. 1, after 9 a.m. Mass. Details: office@stfrancisbrookhaven.org.

CLARKSDALE – St. Elizabeth, Parish Fair, Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 5-8 p.m. Food, raffles, fun, games and more. Details: church office (662) 624-4301.

COLUMBUS – Annunciation School, Beats on the Blacktop, Thursday, Sept. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Enjoy music, games and fellowship. Details: psa.acseagles@gmail. com.

FLOWOOD – Homegrown Harvest Fest, sponsored by office of vocations, Saturday, Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Paul parish. Proceeds support our seven seminar-

ians. Evening includes dinner, silent auction and fellowship. Silent auction items are needed! Contact Shelia at sheliafoggo@gmail.com or Laura at lfoley929@ gmail.com to help. Details: Tickets can be purchased at bit.ly/HGHarvest2023.

HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Men’s Association Fish Fry, Friday, Sept. 22 from 4-7 p.m. Cost: $13 adults/$6 kids. All are welcome. Eat-in or take out. Plates include catfish, hushpuppies, fries, slaw, drink and dessert. Details: Jon at (901) 481-0228.

JACKSON – Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Fellowship Night on Oct. 4. Schedule: 4:30 p.m. Adoration, 5:30 p.m. pot luck meal in the center and 7 p.m. presentation by Father Nick in the church followed by Benediction. Details: church office (601) 969-3125.

JACKSON – St. Richard, Special Kids Golf tournament at Deerfield Country Club on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.

LELAND – St. James, Spaghetti Dinner and Fair, Tuesday, Sept. 26. Dinner and silent auction begin at 5 p.m., booths open at 6 p.m. Cost: $15 per plate. Details: Donna at (662) 207-8844.

MADISON – St. Francis, Fall Parish Mission “Igniting the Light of Christ within you,” Oct. 1-3 at 6:30 p.m. each night in the church. Featured speaker is Paul Koleske. Hear practical techniques you can use to increase your connection with the presence of the Holy Spirit. All are welcome! Details: church office (601) 856-5556.

St. Francis, Taste of St. Francis Feast takes us around the world on Sunday, Oct. 8 in the Family Life Center following 10:30 a.m. Mass. Details: parish office at 601-856-5556 or Amy at 601-953-4182.

MERIDIAN – St. Joseph, Octoberfest on Oct. 7 from 11 am to 2 p.m. Enjoy this day of fellowship and fun! There will be youth activities, plenty of food and more. Details: contact Rhonda (601) 2271199.

NATCHEZ Cathedral School, Fall Festival, Sept. 23-24. Enjoy food, games, raffles, bingo, adult night and more. Details: school office (601) 442-2531.

OLIVE BRANCH – Queen of Peace, Men’s

FEATURED PHOTO ... Development Day ...

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

Club Golf Tournament 4-person scramble, Sunday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. Dinner included. Cost: $100 per person. Details: contact Tim at (901) 515-8598.

OXFORD – St. John the Evangelist, Red Mass on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. Details: email Olivia at orschwab@go.olemiss.edu.

PEARL – St. Jude, Day-trip Pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama, Saturday, Oct. 28. Tour the Shrine, Mass, Adoration and more. Cost est. $75. Details: email kmcgregor@stjudepearl.org or call (601) 939-3181.

RIPLEY – St. Matthew, Feast day and 13th anniversary celebration of church building dedication, Saturday, Sept. 23. Enjoy food booths, games and competitions. Bilingual Mass with food and fellowship following on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 1:30 p.m. Details: church office (662) 993-8862.

STARKVILLE – St. Joseph, Fall Trivia Night, Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph parish hall. Cost $20/person – $10/college student. Details: email ben.bachman@gmail.com for reservations and other questions.

VICKSBURG – Knights of Columbus 898 $3,000 Drawdown, Sunday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. Tickets $75 each. One ticket gets one draw and dinner for two. Details: kc898.square.site or see any 898 Knight. Hall located at 310 Fisher Ferry Road.

MADISON – Educators from Catholic Schools around the diocese gathered for a professional development day at St. Joseph School in Madison. Teachers and school staff celebrated Mass with Bishop Joseph Kopacz and heard from Sister John Dominic, OP who spoke on having grace thorugh out the year and Jim Brown, a school resource analyst from the Department of Homeland Security/Department of Public Safety on school safety. (Photo by Joanna King)

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Pope’s travels reach worldly margins

BY BISHOP JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D.

Pope Francis, furthering the tradition of modern popes, has made pastoral visits around the world. He has gathered millions on the beaches of Brazil and the open fields of the Philippines, and recently, one and a half million pilgrims flocked to Portugal for World Youth Day. But there have been much smaller gatherings that are no less extraordinary. A few years ago, during the pandemic Pope Francis undertook a pastoral visit to the neighboring county of Iraq, the first of its kind, to encourage the su ering church in this war-torn nation, and to pray for peace. In Mosul, formerly occupied by ISIS, the pope proclaimed. “Today, however, we rea rm our conviction that fraternity is more durable than fratricide, that hope is more powerful than hatred, that peace more powerful than war.” These words echoed around the world.

As September dawned upon the world the Holy Father went much further east than Iraq, flying 10 hours across Asia, even over Chinese airspace to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia to proclaim the Gospel, to celebrate the Eucharist, and to engage government, civic, ecumenical and inter-faith leaders with words of faith, fraternity and solidarity. Immediately upon landing it was obvious that Pope Francis had gone to his beloved margins of our world and our Catholic faith. There were not hundreds of thousands to welcome his motorcade, rather hundreds, like two hundred. At the closing Mass of this pastoral visit in the Steppe Arena in Ulaanbaatar there were an estimated 2,500 hundred in attendance, nearly all of the 1,500 Catholics in Mongolia, along with a 1,000 additional pilgrims from around the world.

However, during this time of Eucharistic renewal, the Pope gave an excellent message regarding all of humanity’s hunger and thirst fulfilled in the Gospel.

“With the words of the Responsorial Psalm, we prayed: O God, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Ps 63:2) We are that dry land thirsting for fresh water, water that can slake our deepest thirst. Our hearts long to discover the secret of true joy, a joy that even in the midst of existential aridity, can accompany and sustain us. Deep within us, we have an insatiable thirst for happiness; we seek meaning and direction in our lives, a reason for all that we do each day. More

than anything, we thirst for love, for only love can truly satisfy us, bring us fulfilment; only love can make us happy, inspire inner assurance and allow us to savor the beauty of life.

“Dear brothers and sisters, the Christian faith is the answer to this thirst; it takes it seriously, without dismissing it or trying to replace it with tranquilizers or surrogates. For in this thirst lies the great mystery of our humanity: it opens our hearts to the living God, the God of love, who comes to meet us and to make us his children, brothers and sisters to one another.”

The culmination of Pope Francis’ homily was the heart of our way of life as the Lord’s disciples.

“This, dear brothers and sisters, is surely the best way: to embrace the cross of Christ. At the heart of Christianity is an amazing and extraordinary message. If you lose your life, if you make it a generous o ering in service, if you risk it by choosing to love, if you make it a free gift for others, then it will return to you in abundance, and you will be overwhelmed by endless joy, peace of heart, and inner strength and support; and we need inner peace.”

In his spontaneous remarks at the end of Mass, the Pope made a sublime association between Eucharistic spirituality and the Mongolian language.

“I was reminded that in the Mongolian language the word for ‘thank you’ comes from the verb ‘to rejoice.’”

Indeed, the Mass is our great prayer of thanksgiving as our spirits rejoice in God our Savior who in Jesus Christ poured out his life for us in an act of eternal love. Pope Francis went on to say that “to celebrate Mass in this land brought to my mind the prayer that the Jesuit Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin o ered to God exactly a hundred years ago, in the desert of Ordos, not far from here. What was Father Teilhard de Chardin, SJ doing in Mongolia? He was engaged in geological research.”

The Pope recalled that his Jesuit brother fervently desired to celebrate Holy Mass, but lacked bread and wine. So, he composed his “Mass on the World,” expressing his oblation in these words: “Receive, O Lord, this all-embracing host, which your whole creation, moved by your magnetism, o ers you at the dawn of this new day.” This priest, often misun-

Volume 69 Number 16 (ISSN 1529-1693)

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

Publisher Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

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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.

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derstood, had intuited that “the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world” and is “the living center of the universe, the overflowing core of love and of inexhaustible life.”

For the more than 3 million who are not Catholic in Mongolia and to billions around the world, Francis of Rome wove a marvelous pattern with Jesus Christ, through whom and for whom all things were made, (Colossians 1:16) the Eucharist and the world.

Happy Ordination Anniversary

September 15

39 years

Father Bill Henry Retired

October 13

Father Justin Joseph

St. James Tupelo & St. Christopher Pontotoc

Thank you for answering the call!

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Friday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m. – Catholic Charities Healing Hearts Ribbon Cutting, Catholic Charities, Greenwood

Sunday, Sept. 24, 11 a.m. – Red Mass, St. John the Evangelist, Oxford

Monday, Sept. 25 – Saturday, Sept. 30 – Mission Trip, Saltillo, Mexico

Sunday, Oct. 1, 10:30 a.m. – Feast Day Mass and Celebration, St. Therese, Kosciusko

Sunday, Oct. 1, 5:30 p.m. – Mass, St. Joseph, Starkville (Confessions from 4:30-5:30 p.m.)

Monday, Oct. 2 – School Mass, Annunication Catholic School, Columbus

Tuesday, Oct. 3, 10 & 17, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

Friday, Oct. 13 – St. Joe Bruins v. Presbyterian Christian Football Game, Bill Raphael Field at St. Joseph Catholic School, Madison

Sunday, Oct. 15, 4 p.m. – Confirmation Mass, Christ the King, Southaven

Monday, Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m. – School Mass, Sacred Heart Catholic School, Southaven

Monday, Oct. 16, 1 p.m. – School Mass, Holy Family Catholic School, Holly Springs

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 8:15 a.m. – School Mass, St. Anthony Catholic School, Madison

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

God won’t move a ‘parked car.’ Father Brett Brannen of the Diocese of Savannah wrote a very popular book on priestly discernment called To Save a Thousand Souls. In the book, he encourages all young people to move toward their vocation in life. He writes that “God won’t move a parked car,” meaning that the Lord honors our freedom, and if we are not willing to start seriously discerning our vocation, then he won’t force us into a decision. The longer we wait, however, the more we deprive ourselves of the grace that God gives to those who have courageously chosen a vocation. It is important to remember that the church calls us to give ourselves fully to a vocation, a call to another, at some stage of our life. This call includes a lifelong commitment that we make solemnly before the Lord and His church. This call can be to marriage, or the priesthood/consecrated life.

It has become popular to delay making a choice on a vocation until we are a little more ‘mature,’ but it is important to remember that maturity does not magically happen just because we get older. I know some folks who are in their early 20s who are way more mature than I was at that age, and while they don’t have ‘life experience,’ they do have a real direction in their life. Faith Formation is more important than life-experience, and when young people are formed in a strong life of faith in their families and parishes from a young age, they are able to move toward life-long vocational commitments faster, and this is a good thing!

On the other hand, some people who delay making vocational commitments in the name of getting more life experience risk stunting their formation even more because they don’t progress in maturity, but only in age, and the extra time they give themselves is spent de-forming their consciences rather than preparing them for the lifelong sacrificial love that our vocation demands.

God won’t move ‘a parked car.’ He won’t force us to grow in our life with him. If we don’t have a solid life of prayer and participate in the sacraments, then we risk missing out on the vocation that the Lord has called us to. Please encourage the young people in your life to grow in maturity. Challenge them to live virtuously and help them to understand that God will help them when they ask for it. All young people should be praying to know their vocation – praying to know who they are called to give their life for. When we move toward the Lord and we ask Him to help us, we will be challenged to do things we never would have chosen ourselves, and yet we become fully alive because God gives us the grace to do things we never would have been capable of otherwise.

– Father Nick Adam, vocation director

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

Save the date:

Homegrown Harvest – Saturday, Oct. 21

If you want to bring together good men and women from Mississippi and encourage them to seek the will of God in their life, consider being a sponsor or buying tickets for this event. You can register by scanning the QR Code or visiting bit.ly/HGHarvest2023. Remember Burse Club members receive a free ticket!

Father Nick Adam

Divine permission for human fatigue

IN EXILE

By Father ron rolheiser, oMi

Someone once asked Therese of Lisieux if it was wrong to fall asleep while in prayer. Her answer: Absolutely not. A little child is equally pleasing to her parents, awake or asleep – probably more when asleep! That’s more than a warm, cute answer. There’s a wisdom in her reply that’s generally lost to us, namely, that God understands the human condition and gives us sacred permission to be human, even in the face of our most important human and spiritual commitments.

This struck me recently while listening to a homily. The preacher, a sincere and dedicated priest, challenged us with the idea that God must always be first in our lives. So far so good. But then he shared how upset he gets whenever he hears people say things like: “Let’s go to the Saturday evening mass, to get it over with.” Or, when a celebrant says: “We will keep things short today, because the game starts at noon.” Phrases like that, he suggested, betray a serious weakness in our prayer lives. Do they?

Maybe yes, maybe no. Comments like that can issue out of laziness, spiritual indifference, or misplaced priorities. They might also simply be an expression of normal, understandable human fatigue – a fatigue which God, the author of human nature, gives us permission to feel.

There can be, and often is, a naïveté about the place of high energy and enthusiasm in our lives. For example, imagine a family who, with the best of intentions, decides that to foster family togetherness they agree to make their evening meal, every evening, a full-blown banquet, demanding everyone’s participation and enthusiasm and lasting for ninety minutes. Wish them luck! Some days this would foster togetherness and there would be a certain enthusiasm at the table; but, soon enough, this would be unsustainable in terms of their energy, and more than one of the family members would be saying silently, let’s get this over with, or can we cut it a little short tonight because the game is on at 7 o’clock. Granted, that could betray an attitude of disinterest; but, more likely, it would simply be a valid expression of normal fatigue.

None of us can sustain high energy and enthusiasm forever. Nor are we intended to. Our lives are a marathon, not a sprint. That’s why it is good sometimes to have lengthy banquets and sometimes to simply grab a hotdog and run. God and nature give us permission to sometimes say, let’s get it over with, and sometimes to rush things so as to not miss the beginning of the game.

Moreover, beyond taking seriously the normal ebb and flow of our energies, there is still another, even more important angle to this. Enthusiastic energy or lack of them don’t necessarily define meaning. We can do a thing because it means something affectively to us – or we can do something simply because it means something in itself, independent of how we feel about it on a given day. Too often, we don’t grasp this. For example, take the response people often give when explaining why they are no longer going to church services, “it doesn’t mean anything to me.” What they are blind to in saying this is the fact that being together in a church

means something in itself, independent of how it feels affectively on any given day. A church service means something in itself, akin to visiting your aging mother. You do this, not because you are always enthusiastic about it or because it always feels good emotionally. No. You do it because this is your aging mother and that’s what God, nature and maturity call us to do. The same holds true for a family meal together. You don’t necessarily go to dinner with your family each night with enthusiasm. You go because this is how families sustain their common life. There will be times when you do come with high energy and appreciate both the preciousness of the moment and the length of the dinner. But there will be other times when, despite a deeper awareness that being together in this way is important, you will be wanting to get this over with, or sneaking glances at your watch and calculating what

By Cindy Wooden ULAANBAATAR,

Mongolia (CNS) – Pope Francis ended his four-day visit to Mongolia where Catholic missionaries began – with charity.

Blessing the new House of Mercy in Ulaanbaatar Sept. 4, the pope insisted that while Catholic charitable and social service activities have attracted Mongolians to the church, the service is motivated by love alone.

Salesian Brother Andrew Tran Le Phuong, director of the House of Mercy, told the pope the facility would offer: a shelter for vulnerable people, especially women and children; a first aid center for the homeless; free laundry and shower facilities; a place where returning migrants and others in need could go for help in connecting to services; and a meeting place to coordinate the variety of Catholic charities operating in the city.

Naidansuren Otgongerel, who took the name “Lucia” when she was baptized, uses prostheses on her arms and legs. But, she told the pope, “I am the luckiest person in the world, because I made the decision to accept fully the love of God, the love of Jesus.”

Pope Francis used his speech to the charity workers and volunteers “to reject certain myths,” including one about why Catholics offer education and health care, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and care for widows and orphans.

A big myth, he said, is that “the Catholic Church, distinguished throughout the world for its great commitment to works of social promotion, does all this to proselytize, as if caring for others were a way of enticing people to ‘join up.’ No!”

“Christians do whatever they can to alleviate the suffering of the needy because in the person of the poor they acknowledge Jesus, the son of God, and, in him, the dignity of each person, called to be a son or daughter of God,” the pope insisted.

The House of Mercy, he said, should be a place “where people of different creeds, and nonbelievers as well, can join efforts

time the game starts.

So, scripture advises, avoid Job’s friends. For spiritual advice in this area, avoid the spiritual novice, the over-pious, the anthropological naïve, the couple on their honeymoon, the recent convert and at least half of all liturgists and worship leaders. The true manual on marriage is never written by a couple on their honeymoon and the true manual on prayer is never written by someone who believes that we should be on a high all the time. Find a spiritual mentor who challenges you enough to keep you from selfishness and laziness, even as she or he gives you divine permission to be tired sometimes.

A woman or man at prayer is equally pleasing to God, enthusiastic or tired – perhaps even more when tired.

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

with local Catholics in order to offer compassionate assistance to our many brothers and sisters in the one human family.”

Throughout his stay in Mongolia, Pope Francis tried to reassure the government and suspicious Mongolians that Christians were there to help and not to colonize or undermine traditional Mongolian culture. Works of charity that involve people of different religions or no religion at all, he said, help people see each other as brothers and sisters, giving them a sense of “fraternity that the state will rightly seek to protect and promote.”

“For this dream to come true,” Pope Francis said, “it is essential, here and elsewhere, that those in public office support such humanitarian initiatives, encouraging a virtuous synergy for the sake of the common good.”

The pope also rejected the idea that “only the wealthy can engage in volunteer work” because “reality tells us the opposite. It is not necessary to be wealthy to do good; rather, almost always it is people of modest means who choose to devote their time, skills and generosity to caring for others.”

The Pope’s Corner Charity is motivated by love, not designed to win converts, pope says

Pope Francis greets a child as he arrives at the inauguration of the House of Mercy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the final event of his fourday trip to Mongolia before returning to Rome Sept. 4, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

'... May God help ... our brothers and sisters in distress ...'

mourning following the disaster. Morocco's King Mohammed VI has mobilized the country's military for search and rescue missions as well as a surgical field hospital, according to AP. The government also ordered water, food and shelter to be sent to those who lost their homes.

On Sept. 10, AP reported that, according to Rescuers Without Borders, teams totaling 3,500 rescuers registered with a U.N. platform were ready to deploy in Morocco when asked. The news agency added that, even as some international help is arriving, the Moroccan government has not made an international appeal for help as Turkey did after a massive quake devastated the country in February. Other countries like France were waiting for Morocco's formal request to immediately assist.

It was later reported that the interior ministry said it had accepted search and rescue aid from four countries: Britain, Spain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

A Sept. 9 statement from the Archdiocese of Rabat expressed solidarity with the victims, "especially for those Moroccan families who are mourning or who have injured family members," and urged the faithful to pray and to help those affected.

"We are appealing for emotional and effective solidarity with those in distress at this time," said the statement posted on the archdiocesan website, adding that Caritas will be working to make aid available to help where the need is most urgent.

The director of Caritas Rabat will visit sites affected, and initial emergency aid is being prepared, according to a Caritas statement posted on the archdiocesan site.

Cardinal Cristóbal López of Rabat planned to preside over a Sept. 10 Mass in Marrakech for all the victims. He also encouraged all communities to pray, express compassion to local authorities and organize solidarity.

A woman reacts as rescue workers recover a body from the rubble in Ouirgane, Morocco, Sept. 10, 2023, in the aftermath of a deadly magnitude 6.8 earthquake. An aftershock rattled Moroccans that day as they mourned victims of the nation's strongest earthquake in more than a century Sept. 8, killing more than 2,000 people, a number that is expected to rise. (OSV News photo/Hannah McKay, Reuters)

"May God help us to draw positive consequences from this painful event, by transforming our hearts into hearts of mercy, solidarity and tenderness towards our brothers and sisters in distress," the archdiocesan statement said.

(Maria-Pia Negro Chin is Spanish editor for OSV News. Follow her on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MariaPiaChin.)

– Continued from page 1 –

thanked "the rescue workers and those who are working to alleviate the suffering of the people."

"May concrete help on the part of everyone support the population at this tragic time: Let us be close to the people of Morocco!" he said.

With roads damaged or blocked, rescue teams had difficulty reaching the hardest-hit areas. The Associated Press reported that authorities were working to clear roads in Al Haouz province to allow passage for ambulances and aid to those affected. But large distances between mountain villages meant it will take time to learn the extent of the damage, said Abderrahim Ait Daoud, head of the town of Talat N'Yaaqoub. CNN reported that the Moroccan army cleared a key road from Marrakech to the mountains early Sept. 10.

Ayoub Toudite, from the mountainside village of Moulay Brahim, told AP that his village was inhabitable after the earthquake. "We felt a huge shake like it was doomsday," he said. In 10 seconds, he said, everything was gone. "We are all terrified that this happens again," Toudite said.

Social media videos from Sept. 8 showed buildings collapsing and there were reports of people trapped amid the rubble in the city. "People were all in shock and panic. The children were crying and the parents were distraught," when the deadly earthquake hit, Abdelhak El Amrani told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

The BBC reported that many Moroccans "spent the night out in the open as the Moroccan government had warned them not to go back into their homes" in case of severe aftershocks. Those whose homes were destroyed by the earthquake slept outside again Sept. 9, CNN reported.

Media reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the G20 summit Sept. 9 with "heartfelt condolences" to everyone affected by the quake. Other world leaders expressed their condolences and offered support, with many countries – including France, the United States, Germany and Turkey – saying they are ready to assist Morocco following the disaster. Algeria, which severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021, offered to open its airspace to allow humanitarian aid or medical evacuation flights, according to reports.

On Sept. 9, U.S. President Joe Biden shared multiple messages expressing sadness at the loss of life and devastation following the earthquake and stating that “the United States stands by Morocco" during this difficult time. "My Administration is ready to provide any necessary assistance for the Moroccan people," he said on X, previously known as Twitter.

He also addressed the deadly earthquake as he began his news conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he was on a diplomatic visit following his attendance at the G20. "I want to express my sadness by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Morocco," Biden said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in Morocco,” Biden said, adding that he also is working with Moroccan officials to ensure U.S. citizens in Morocco are safe.

On Sept. 9, the Royal Palace announced three days of national

Defending and furthering the Catholic faith

...'

Basilica of St. Mary, Commanders William O’Connor of Clinton and Craig Harrell of Raymond. From the Diocese of Biloxi was Commander Larry Tabor.

– Continued from page 1 –

Grand chancellor of the Order of the Fleur de Lis, Steve Koach of Enterprise, Alabama said that the group conducts an investiture ceremony every two years. “We all love the Catholic Church and this means an awful lot to us.”

During the evening activities, the Order’s memorial chalice was presented to Father Carlisle Beggerly, parochial vicar of St. Patrick and St. Joseph Parishes in Meridian. The chalice memorialized the following Knight Commanders, who died during the prior year, John H. Shields (Arkansas), George C. Zimmer, Jr. and Wilmer Dugas (Louisiana).

Including the 2023 investiture, the Order’s total membership stands at a total of 97 members. Of that number, 43 are members of the clergy. Included in that number are His Eminence Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop Thomas Rodi of Mobile, Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans and Bishops of the Dioceses of Lake Charles, Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Birmingham and Nashville. There are 54 are lay commanders over the 5-state region.

"Defending and furthering the Catholic faith throughout a good part of the Deep South is one of the goals of the Order, and a noble endeavor on their part. The more they can promote knowledge and appreciation for our Catholic tradition that leads to a lively faith in Jesus Christ, the more the Order of the Fleur de Lis will carve out a special niche of evangelization in our region,” said Bishop Kopacz.

'...

NATCHEZ – Father Vernon Huguley, Father Aaron Williams and Father Joshua Rodrigue clasp the Knight Commander Cross of the Order of the Fleur de Lis on each other on Saturday, Aug. 26 at the Basilica of St. Mary. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

Pope recounts the joy, goodness, humility he saw in Mongolia

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said he knows people wonder why he traveled close to 6,000 miles to Mongolia to visit a Catholic community of only 1,450 people.

“Because it is precisely there, far from the spotlight, that we often find the signs of the presence of God, who does not look at appearances, but at the heart,” he told thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience Sept. 6.

Following his usual practice of speaking about a trip at the first audience after his return, the pope said that during his Sept. 1-4 stay the country’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, he encountered “a humble and joyful church, which is in the heart of God,” but one that was excited to find itself at the center of the universal church’s attention for a few days.

“I have been to the heart of Asia, and it has done me good,” the pope said.

The missionaries who arrived in Mongolia in 1992 “did not go there to proselytize,” the pope said. “They went to live like the Mongolian people, to speak their language, the language of the people, to learn the values of that people and to preach the Gospel in a Mongolian style, with Mongolian words.”

The universality of the Catholic Church, he said, is not something that “homogenizes” the faith.

“This is catholicity: an embodied universality, which embraces the good where it is found and serves the people with whom it lives,” the pope said. “This is how the church lives: bearing witness to the love of Jesus meekly, with life before words, happy with its true riches, which are service to the Lord and to our brothers and sisters.”

The Catholic Church recognizes God at work in the world and in other people, he said. Its vision, and its heart, is as expansive as the sky over the Mongolian steppe.

The international group of missionaries working in Mongolia have discovered “the beauty already there,” he said. “I, too, was able to discover something of this beauty” by meeting people, listening to their stories and “appreciating their religious quest.”

“Mongolia has a great Buddhist tradition, with many people who live their religiosity in a sincere and radical way, in silence, through altruism and mastery of their own passions,” the pope said. “Just think of how many hidden seeds of goodness make the garden of the world flourish, while we usually only hear about the sound of falling trees!”

People naturally notice the noisy and scandalous, the pope said, but Christians must try to discern and recognize what is good in others and in the world around them.

“Only in this way, starting from the recognition of what is good, can we build a common future,” he said. “Only by valuing others can we help them improve.”

Pope Francis said one thing that was very clear was how the Mongolian people “cherish their roots and traditions, respect the elderly and live in harmony with the environment.”

“Thinking of the boundless and silent expanses of Mongolia, let us be stirred by the need to extend the confines of our gaze – please, extend the confines, look wide and high, look and don’t fall prisoner to little things,” the pope said. That is the only way “to see the good in others and be able to broaden our horizons and also to broaden our hearts to understand and to be close to every people and every civilization.”

A priest distributes Communion during Pope Francis’ Mass in the Steppe Arena in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sept. 3, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Catholic student center at Washington's Howard University named for Sister Thea Bowman

By Mark ZiMMerMann

WASHINGTON (OSV

News) – On a day when history was made 60 years earlier with the March on Washington, Father Robert Boxie III, the Catholic chaplain at Howard University in the nation's capital, noted that the campus ministry program there was making history of its own, with the blessing and dedication of its new Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center.

"Today is an historic day, dedicating this new center," Father Boxie said Aug. 28. "It's going to be a place for students to pray, to worship, to study, to meet, to fellowship, to socialize, even to cook – we have a kitchen – (it will be) a place to build community and grow in authentic friendship, and a place where we can be unabashedly young, Black, gifted and Catholic."

Howard University, one of the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities, was founded in 1867, and the Catholic campus ministry at Howard University, named HU Bison Catholic to reflect the nickname of the university's sports teams, marked its 75th anniversary this past year.

Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory blessed and dedicated the new Catholic student center at Howard University, named for the late Sister Bowman. The Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration was a dynamic evangelist and noted educator who died of cancer in 1990. She also is one of six Black Catholics from the United States being considered for sainthood. She has the title "Servant of God."

"What a wonderful thing we do today to set aside this place as another house for God," the cardinal said.

As he dedicated the center, he prayed, "We ask that the life of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman may inspire these young people to share their God-given gifts, rooted in the African- American and African traditions, with the church and on this campus."

The new center is located in a semi-detached row house in Washington's LeDroit Park neighborhood. According to Father Boxie, the home once belonged to Gen. William Birney, a Southern abolitionist who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, Birney moved to Washington to establish a law practice.

Father Boxie opened the ceremony noting that "no event that involves Sister Thea Bowman is without music, is without singing a song," and in homage to the woman religious who was known for her soaring singing voice, he led the students, alumni and guests in singing the spiritual "We Have Come This Far by Faith."

To applause from attendees, he introduced Cardinal Gregory, noting he is "the first African American cardinal in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.'" Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2020.

Also attending the ceremony was Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, retired archbishop of Washington, who was thanked by Cardinal Gregory for helping to find financial support for the purchase of the building now housing the Catholic student center; and Washington

Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr., who is pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Largo, Maryland, a suburb of Washington.

Bishop Campbell, who also is president of the National Black Catholic Congress, offered a closing prayer at the ceremony. He is an alumnus of Howard University and studied zoology there.

The guests also included Redemptorist Father Maurice Nutt, the author of the book "Thea Bowman: Faithful and Free." A consultant to the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, for her canonization cause, he was her student at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in New Orleans, the nation's only historically Black Catholic university. Father Nutt donated a large portrait of Sister Thea to the center, a print of a painting by Vernon Adams, a young Black Catholic artist from her home state of Mississippi.

Also attending the ceremony were several pastors of Washington parishes and members of the Knights of Peter Claver and that group's Ladies Auxiliary. Representing Howard University was Leelannee Malin, its associate dean for community engagement and strategic partnerships.

Father Boxie acknowledged the presence of many Catholic students from Howard University, saying, "This is a day to celebrate you, and what God will be doing through you in this center."

Offering an opening prayer, Elei Nkata, a Howard University junior from Nigeria who is majoring in computer science and is a co-president of the Catholic campus ministry at the university, asked God to "unite the hearts of every one of us that passes through here with your love and joy, and lead us to become the sons and daughters of faith you have called us to be."

Another co-president of HU Bison Catholic, Loren Otoo – a junior from Ghana majoring in electrical engineering – noted that when he came to the university he sought a group where he could be connected to his Catholic faith, and he had found friends and "grown a lot in my spiritual journey" in the campus ministry program. Another Howard University student, Cameron Humes, a junior from Birmingham, Alabama,

majoring in political science, read a Scripture reading at the ceremony. He serves as the liturgy chair for the campus ministry program.

Ali Mumbach, campus minister for HU Bison Catholic, spoke on Sister Thea's life and legacy.

"Sister Thea was a radiant disciple of Jesus Christ. People Catholic and not, Christian and not, were attracted to her exuberant spirit," said Mumbach, a graduate student working toward a master's degree in sociology at Howard University and is also working toward a master's degree in theology at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies.

She quoted part of a dramatic address that Sister Thea gave to the nation's Catholic bishops in 1989, in which she said that as a Black Catholic, "I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture, my African American song and dance and gesture and movement and teaching and preaching and healing and responsibility – as gifts to the church."

Mumbach pointed out Sister Thea's special connection to Howard University: She spoke at the school after the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Naming the university's new Catholic student center after Sister Thea honors her role as a Black Catholic leader, she said.

"We as Black people have gifts to share with the church. This is a part of our ministry at Howard," Mumbach said. "In HU Bison Catholic, we are raising up and equipping the next Black Catholic leaders. We hope that this is the first of many Bowman Centers on HBCU campuses – that in the same way there are Newman Centers to remember and honor the great work of (St.) John Newman, we can celebrate, commemorate and carry on the legacy of Sister Thea Bowman."

After the ceremony, Father Nutt, who wrote Sister Thea's biography, said he was very moved that Howard University's new Catholic student center was named for her.

"She was my teacher, my mentor and my spiritual mother," he told the Catholic Standard, Washington's archdiocesan newspaper. "It was hard to hold back the tears, because I know how much this would mean to Sister Thea Bowman. She loved her time in Washington, D.C. It was here she became greatly aware of her identity of being Black and Catholic. She was inspired by the large number of Black Catholics in the archdiocese, and they welcomed her with open arms."

He added, "I know she will inspire them (the students here) to share their gifts of Blackness, not only with Howard University, but with the whole church."

In Washington, Sister Thea Bowman earned a master's and a doctorate degree in English from The Catholic University of America, and in 2022, a street at the campus was renamed as Sister Thea Bowman Drive. That same spring, Georgetown University renamed its chapel in Copley Hall after her.

(Mark Zimmerman writes for the Catholic Standard.)

Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory speaks during a ceremony Aug. 28, 2023, where he blessed and dedicated the new Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center at Howard University in the nation's capital. At left are Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, retired archbishop of Washington, and Father Robert Boxie III, the Catholic chaplain at Howard University. (OSV News photo/Patrick Ryan, Catholic Standard)

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

Hispanos debaten sobre Comunicación Intercultural

Por bErTa MEXidor

PEARL – Alrededor de 30 parroquianos asistieron a la reunión convocada por la Hermana Amelia Bretón, SBS., coordinadora de la Oficina del Ministerio Intercultural, el sábado 9 de septiembre.

Al encuentro asistieron, además, el obispo Joseph Kopacz y los sacerdotes Padre Marco Antonio Sánchez, ST, pastor de St. Anne Carthage y St. Therese Kosciusko, el Padre Alexis Zúñiga, ST, de servicio en Holy Child Jesus Camden, Canton y St. Anne Carthage y el Padre César Sánchez, pastor en St. Jude Pearl.

Todos los sacerdotes compartieron en diferentes mesas e intercambiando sus ideas con los feligreses

asistentes que venían de la Misión St. Martin of Tours Hazlehurst, St. Therese Kosciusko y St. Jude Pearl.

La reunión tuvo como objetivo el reunir a parroquianos y líderes para intercambiar conocimientos y escuchar algunas sugerencias en cómo mejorar la comunicación Intercultural en todas las relaciones diocesanas, para mejorar la misión del pueblo de Dios en la extensa área que abarca la Diócesis de Jackson.

La Hermana Amelia hizo una presentación interactiva sobre la Competencia Intercultural para Ministros, basándose en las directrices de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos (USCCB, por sus siglas en ingles) y un curso de Liderazgo de la autoría de Reinaldo Pacheco. La hermana Amelia planea muchas reuniones de este tipo con Hispanos de la Diócesis e invita a todos a participar.

(izq. i-d) María Josefa García de St. Martin Hazelhurst lee la palabra de Dios a al lado de la Hna. Amelia. (arriba) El Obispo Joseph Kopacz intercambia con los presentes su visión del futuro de la Diócesis e invita a todos a participar de la misma. (Fotos de Berta Mexidor)

El Obispo Kopacz hizo sus comentarios sobre la reunión y las opiniones que escuchó. Les habló a los pre-

sentes del proceso del Sínodo y de la Re-Imaginación Diocesana y de la importancia que vean los videos al respecto y participen para dar sus opiniones. "Quiero muchas voces de comunión, participación y misión, ... porque la esencia de la Iglesia nos puede unir ... y la "Eucaristía nos une a todos," les dijo.

Instalación del Padre Cesar Sánchez en St. Jude Pearl

PEARL – El padre César Sánchez fue instalado, como párroco de la parroquia St. Jude en Pearl, por el obispo Joseph Kopacz el domingo 19 de agosto. Durante una misa de instalación, el nuevo párroco es presentado a la comunidad parroquial y también se le presentan símbolos de su ministerio y de su nuevo puesto. Los símbolos fueron presentados por los feligreses Bruns Guevara, Myra Woodward, Vicki Thigpen, Nadya Villafranca y Patrick Fields. (izq.) Durante la ceremonia toda la comunidad impone sus manos sobre al Padre Cesar, ofreciéndole su bendición. (der.) El Padre Cesar le ofreció una interpretacion a guitarra a la comunidad, que después de Misa, se reunió en el centro comunitario para disfrutar de la compañia de parroquianos, visitantes, bailes y comidas tradicionales. (Fotos de Tereza Ma)

15 de septiembre de 2023 MISSISSIPPI CATÓLICO

MFCC, Nuevos Presidentes, Retos y Metas. Una Misma Fe

Por SuSana y Edward FlórEz

El pasado viernes 8 de setiembre del 2023, el Movimiento Familiar Cristiano Católico (MFCC) de la Federación de Jackson, MS inició sus actividades del ciclo 2023-2024.

La ceremonia de Apertura se realizó en las instalaciones del Richland Community Center, Richland. El evento fue dirigido por los nuevos presidentes electos, los esposos Miguel y Lizet Cruz, junto con sus vicepresidentes Joel y Rosalinda Montoya, y los delegados federales, Juan y Maribel Melo, quienes presentaron a su Cuerpo Directivo para el ciclo 2023-2026.

El evento de Apertura tuvo una masiva participación de familias, entre ellas 14 matrimonios coordinadores de las distintas cuatro etapas, 18 matrimonios de la primera etapa, cinco matrimonios de la segunda etapa, tres matrimonios de la tercera etapa y nueve matrimonios de la cuarta etapa.

La ceremonia tuvo la distinguida presencia y participación del obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, los asesores espirituales del MFCC Padre Marco Antonio Sánchez, ST, Padre Alexis Zúñiga, ST, Padre Nick Adam, Padre César Sánchez, y las hermanas María Elena Méndez, MGSPS y Amelia Breton, SBS. Así mismo, se contó con la notable participación de los matrimonios que ocuparon la presidencia del MFCC desde su inicio de operaciones en Mississippi, así como de nueve matrimonios que participaron y sirvieron al MFCC en años anteriores.

RICHLAND – Los actuales presidentes del MFCC, (i-d) Lizet y Miguel Cruz, hacen un homenaje a la Hna. María Elena Méndez, MGSPS y a matrimonios fundadores del MFCC en Jackson, Isabel y Francisco Mazy, Miguel y Consuelo Solano, por su liderazgo y fundamental gestión para que en el 2012 el MFCC obtuviera su nombramiento oficial.

Durante el evento, se brindó un reconocimiento especial a Miguel y Consuelo Solazo, Francisco e Isabel Mazy, y a la Hna. María Elena quienes fueron los precursores y líderes durante el proceso de instauración del MFCC en nuestra comunidad en el año 2012. Después de más de una década, estos matrimonios no solo continúan siendo piezas claves en la organización y desarrollo del MFCC, sino que su ejemplo, compromiso y dedicación vienen siendo sucedidos por los matrimonios de sus hijos quienes realizan labores importantes a favor del MFCC.

Fue una bendición y honor conocer a quienes hacen parte de la historia del MFCC desde sus inicios.

Como parte de la agenda de la Apertura, todos

los matrimonios de las diferentes etapas fueron presentados con sus respectivos coordinadores y de esta manera el evento finalizó con una cena donde todos los equipos interactuaron y conocieron a sus respectivos miembros de equipo. Así mismo, a la cena se sumaron los hijos de todas las parejas.

Esta primera convocatoria, tuvo la valiosa colaboración de las Sras. Sonia, Vanesa, Sara y de la Srta. Marlén quienes tuvieron a su cuidado a 45 niños durante el servicio de guardería que el MFCC puso a disposición de sus matrimonios miembros y visitantes.

Siguiendo la agenda definida por el MFCC para el ciclo 2023-2024, la primera reunión de coordinadores con los asesores espirituales se llevará a cabo el 14 de seti-

embre del 2023 en la Catedral de San Pedro. Así mismo, todos los equipos de las diferentes etapas celebrarán una primera reunión de ambientación e integración a fin de revisar algunas directrices importantes y finalizar las coordinaciones para sus reuniones quincenales.

Para informes sobre el MFCC, por favor contacte a Miguel y Lizet Cruz a los teléfonos (601) 667-8282 ó (601) 812-4118, o a Joel y Rosalinda Montoya a los teléfonos (601) 813-6778 ó (769) 233-3423.

(Susana y Edward Flórez son coordinadores de Primera Etapa del MFCC – Federación de Jackson.)

RICHLAND – Matrimonios de las cuatro etapas del MFCC Federación de Jackson fueron presentados a sus respectivos coordinadores y miembros de su equipo e interactuaron entre si. En la foto, al final de la reunión de Apertura del Ciclo 2023–2024, los matrimonios y sus familias disfrutaron de una deliciosa cena. (Fotos de Susana y Edward Flórez)

15 de septiembre de 2023 MISSISSIPPI CATÓLICO

Viajes del Papa llegan a "márgenes del mundo"

Por obiSPo JoSEPh r. KoPaCz, d d

El Papa Francisco, siguiendo la tradición de los papas modernos, ha realizado visitas pastorales por todo el mundo. Ha reunido a millones en las playas de Brasil y los campos abiertos de Filipinas, y recientemente, un millón y medio de peregrinos acudieron en masa a Portugal para la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud. Pero ha habido reuniones mucho más pequeñas que no son menos extraordinarias. Hace unos años, durante la pandemia, el Papa Francisco realizó una visita pastoral al condado vecino de Irak, la primera de su tipo, para animar a la Iglesia y orar por la paz, en esta nación que sufre devastada por la guerra. En Mosul, antiguamente ocupada por ISIS, el Papa proclamó: “Hoy, sin embargo, reafirmamos nuestra convicción de que la fraternidad es más duradera que el fratricidio, que la esperanza es más poderosa que el odio, que la paz es más poderosa que la guerra.” Estas palabras resonaron en todo el mundo.

Cuando septiembre amaneció sobre el mundo, el Santo Padre viajó mucho más al este que Irak, volando 10 horas a través de Asia, incluso sobre el espacio aéreo chino hasta Ulaanbaatar, la capital de Mongolia, para proclamar el Evangelio, celebrar la Eucaristía y comprometerse con el gobierno, la sociedad cívica y los líderes ecuménicos e interreligiosos con palabras de fe, fraternidad y solidaridad.

Inmediatamente después de aterrizar, era obvio que el Papa Francisco se había ido a sus amadas márgenes de nuestro mundo y de nuestra fe católica. No fueron cientos de miles para recibir su caravana, sino como doscientos. A la Misa de clausura de esta visita pastoral en el Steppe Arena de Ulán Bator asistieron aproximadamente 2,500 personas, casi todos los 1,500 católicos de Mongolia, junto con 1,000 peregrinos adicionales de todo el mundo.

Sin embargo, durante este tiempo de renovación eucarística, el Papa dio un excelente mensaje sobre el hambre y la sed de toda la humanidad cumplidas en el Evangelio.

Con las palabras del Salmo responsorial oramos: “¡Dios mío, tú eres mi Dios! Con ansias te busco, pues tengo sed de ti; mi ser entero te desea, cual tierra árida, sedienta, sin agua.” (Sal 63:2) Somos esa tierra seca sedienta de agua dulce, agua que pueda saciar nuestra sed más profunda. Nuestro corazón anhela descubrir el secreto de la verdadera alegría, una alegría que incluso en medio de la aridez existencial, pueda acompañarnos y sostenernos. En lo profundo de nosotros tenemos una sed insaciable de felicidad; buscamos significado y dirección en nuestras vidas, una razón

para todo lo que hacemos cada día. Más que nada, tenemos sed de amor, porque sólo el amor puede verdaderamente satisfacernos y brindarnos plenitud; sólo el amor puede hacernos felices, inspirar seguridad interior y permitirnos saborear la belleza de la vida.

“Queridos hermanos y hermanas, la fe cristiana es la respuesta a esta sed; lo toma en serio, sin descartarlo ni intentar sustituirlo por tranquilizantes o sustitutos. Porque en esta sed reside el gran misterio de nuestra humanidad: abre nuestro corazón al Dios vivo, el Dios de amor, que viene a nuestro encuentro y nos hace hijos suyos, hermanos y hermanas unos de otros.”

La culminación de la homilía del Papa Francisco fue el corazón de nuestra forma de vida como discípulos del Señor.

“Este, queridos hermanos y hermanas, es seguramente el mejor camino: abrazar la cruz de Cristo. En el corazón del cristianismo hay un mensaje asombroso y extraordinario. Si pierdes tu vida, si la conviertes en una generosa ofrenda de servicio, si la arriesgas eligiendo amar, si la conviertes en un regalo gratuito para los demás, entonces volverá a ti en abundancia y serás abrumado por alegría infinita, paz de corazón, fuerza y apoyo interior; y nosotros necesitamos paz interior.”

En sus espontáneas palabras al final de la Misa, el Papa hizo una asociación sublime entre la espiritualidad eucarística y la lengua mongol. “Me acordé de que en el idioma mongol la palabra “gracias” proviene del verbo “regocijarse.”

De hecho, la Misa es nuestra gran oración de acción de gracias mientras nuestros espíritus se regocijan en Dios nuestro Salvador, quien en Jesucristo derramó su vida por nosotros en un acto de amor eterno.

El Papa Francisco continuó diciendo que “celebrar Misa en esta tierra me recordó la oración que el padre jesuita Pierre Teilhard de Chardin ofreció a Dios hace exactamente cien años, en el desierto de Ordos, no lejos de aquí. ¿Qué hacía el Padre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ en Mongolia? Se dedicaba a la investigación geológica”.

El Papa recordó que su hermano jesuita deseaba fervientemente celebrar la Santa Misa, pero le faltaba pan y vino. Así, compuso su “Misa sobre el Mundo”, expresando su oblación con estas palabras: “Recibe, oh Señor, esta hostia omni abarcante que toda tu creación, movida por tu magnetismo, te ofrece en la aurora de este nuevo día.” Este sacerdote, a menudo incomprendido, había intuido que “la Eucaristía siempre se celebra de alguna manera en el altar del mundo” y es “el centro vivo del universo, el núcleo rebosante de amor y de vida inagotable.”

Para los más de 3 millones que no son católicos en Mongolia y para miles de millones en todo el mundo, Francisco de Roma tejió un patrón maravilloso con Jesucristo, por quien, y para quien todas las cosas fueron hechas, (Colosenses 1:16), la Eucaristía y el mundo.

El Papa relata la alegría, bondad y humildad que vio en Mongolia

Por Cindy woodEn

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – El Papa Francisco dijo que sabe que la gente se pregunta por qué viajó cerca de 6.000 millas a Mongolia para visitar una comunidad católica de sólo 1.450 personas.

"Porque es precisamente ahí, lejos de los reflectores, que a menudo se encuentran los signos de la presencia de Dios, el cual no mira a las apariencias, sino al corazón," dijo a miles de personas reunidas en la Plaza de San Pedro para su audiencia general semanal el 6 de septiembre.

Siguiendo su práctica habitual de hablar sobre un viaje en la primera audiencia tras su regreso, el Papa dijo que, durante su estancia del 1 al 4 de septiembre en la capital del país, Ulán Bator, se encontró con "una Iglesia humilde pero una Iglesia feliz, que está en el corazón de Dios", pero que estaba emocionada por encontrarse en el centro de la atención de la Iglesia universal durante unos días.

"He estado en el corazón de Asia, y me ha hecho bien", dijo el Papa.

Los misioneros que llegaron a Mongolia en 1992 "no fueron allí a hacer proselitismo", dijo el Papa. "Fueron allí a vivir como el pueblo mongol, a hablar su lengua, la lengua de la gente, a aprender los valores de ese pueblo y a predicar el Evangelio en estilo mongol, con palabras mongolas".

La universalidad de la Iglesia Católica, dijo, no es algo que "homologa" la fe. "Esta es la catolicidad: una universalidad encarnada, 'inculturada' que acoge el bien ahí donde vive y sirve a la gente con la que vive", dijo el Papa. "Es así cómo vive la Iglesia: testimoniando el amor de Jesús con mansedumbre, con la vida antes que, con las palabras, feliz por sus verdaderas riquezas: el servicio del Señor y de los hermanos".

La Iglesia Católica reconoce a Dios actuando en el mundo y en las demás personas, dijo. Su visión y su corazón, son tan amplios como el cielo de la estepa mongola.

El grupo internacional de misioneros que trabaja en Mongolia ha descubierto "las bellezas que ya hay", afirmó. "Yo también pude descubrir algo de esta belleza" conociendo a la gente, escuchando sus historias y "apreciando su búsqueda religiosa".

"Mongolia tiene una gran tradición budista, con muchas personas que en el silencio viven su religiosidad de forma sincera y radical, a través del altruismo y la lucha a las propias pasiones", dijo el Papa. "¡Pensemos en cuántas semillas de bien, desde lo escondido, hacen brotar el jardín del mundo, ¡mientras habitualmente escuchamos hablar solo del ruido de los árboles que caen!."

El Papa Francisco dijo que una cosa muy clara era cómo el pueblo mongol "custodia las raíces y las tradiciones, respeta a los ancianos y vive en armonía con el ambiente.

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia – Una bailarina mongol actúa antes de la reunión del Papa Francisco con líderes gubernamentales y políticos, diplomáticos y representantes de la sociedad civil en el Salón Ikh Mongol del Palacio de Estado en Ulán Bator, Mongolia, el 2 de septiembre de 2023. (Foto CNS/ Lola Gómez)

Alrededor de la Diócesis. Decanato V

TUPELO – Diferentes talleres y Sacramentos se celebraron en el Decanato V en los meses de Julio y agosto. (arriba, izq.) Las participantes del Retiro de ACTS, posan con el Obispo, quien las acompañó por un día, cuando se reunieron en julio 27-30. (Izq.) Mujeres se reunieron para estudiar la Palabra de Dios.

(arriba, der.) El PadreTim Murphy saluda a una niña a punto de recibir el Bautismo. (der.) Padres y padrinos de niños bautizados por el Padre Tim Murphy, el sábado 2 de septiembre en St. James Tupelo, posan para la cámara.

TOME NOTA

Vírgenes y Santos

Exaltación de la Santa Cruz. Septiembre 14 San Pio de Pietrelcina. Septiembre 23 San Gerónimo. Septiembre 30

Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús. Octubre 1

Santos Ángeles de la Guarda. Octubre 2

San Francisco de Asís. Octubre 4

Envíenos sus fotos a editor@jacksondiocese.org

Síganos en Facebook @Diócesis Católica de Jackson Visite Nuestra página web www.mississippicatholic.com /Español

NEW ALBANY– (izq.) Algunas participantes del Taller llamado "Mujeres Sanando su Historia" se reunieron para autosanar y ayudarse mutuamente. (debajo, izq.)

CORINTH – (debajo. izq.) Los participantes de un taller para parejas posan para foto grupal. (Fotos de Raquel Thompson)

Yellow fever martyrs abound in the South

Shreveport, Bishop Elder lost six of his priests to the fever’s outbreak in 1878. From Aug. 31 – Sept. 14, 1878, the then Diocese of Natchez lost: Fathers Jean Baptiste Mouton (8/31), Patrick Cogan (9/8), John McManus (9/8), Anacletus Oberti (9/11), Charles Van Queckleberge (9/11) and John Vitolo (9/14).

In a letter from November 1878, Father Patrick Hayden writes Bishop Elder from Columbus lamenting the loss of the six men, especially Father Mouton, who was a trained architect and had designed several of the churches in the eastern half of the diocese, including the original church in Columbus.

Father Cogan was in Canton and was said to be the only remaining minister in the town when the outbreak occurred. An interesting note from a newspaper article reveals ministers of other denominations wanted to stay but were convinced to leave due to the fact that they had wives and children, who would be left destitute without them if they died. There is a monument for Father Cogan at Sacred Heart in Canton.

We must remember, though, that alongside these priests were fearless women religious – Sisters of Mercy and Sisters of Charity – Angels, who served as nurses to the sick and eventually themselves died. Rarely are these heroic women given names, but in the case of Holly Springs St. Joseph, we do have at least the first names of the six Sisters of Charity who died – Stanislaus, Stella, Margaret, Victoria, Lorentia and Corinthia.

Cleta Ellington in her masterwork “Christ the Living Water” written for the Diocese of Jackson’s 150th anniversary in 1988, gives a stirring account of the epidemic of 1878 in Holly Springs. It follows below along with the tribute given to Sister Corinthia Mahoney by an eyewitness account.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Mary WoodWard

JACKSON – This past June at the U.S. bishops’ annual spring meeting, the Diocese of Shreveport put forward the cause for canonization of five priests who had served and died there during the 1873 Yellow Fever epidemic. These men ministered to the sick and dying in and around Shreveport until succumbing to the dreaded fever themselves.

I mentioned in the last installment of this series that our second bishop, James Oliver Van de Velde, died of Yellow Fever in 1855. Yellow Fever was a frequent visitor to the South in the 1800s.

Bishop William Henry Elder, our third bishop, contracted the fever but survived it. However, much like

“In the late summer and early fall of 1878, yellow fever swept across Mississippi like a conquering army, but it appeared that Holly Springs was to be spared. The city fathers, in a burst of generosity and believing that the germ could not live in such a high and dry climate, opened the doors of the town to fever refuges from surrounding counties.

“Two articles from New Orleans newspapers reveal the swiftness with which the townspeople learned their leadership was in error.

“Aug. 13, 1878: ‘The town is clean and healthy… no symptoms of the outbreak here. We have thrown open our hospitality to our sister cities, even accepting Grenada where the fever rages. The mayor and the community council decided today to use disinfectants merely as a precautionary…’

“Aug. 19, 1878: ‘Yesterday there were seven deaths, last night six, five of whom died in our house. The situation is too appalling to be described and the worst is, not a single case has recovered or promises recovery.’

“The Marshall County Courthouse was turned into a hospital where beds were piles of straw, where black and white lay together to await medical treatment almost certainly useless.

“The 12 sisters at Bethlehem Academy closed the school and took over the courthouse hospital. They were joined by a number of volunteer doctors who had heroically rushed to the town and by Father Anacletus Oberti, a friendly Italian priest, 31 years old,

who had been working very hard to establish a Catholic library at St. Joseph.

“Six of the sisters, all of them part of the original group at Holly Springs, died during September and October. Father Oberti died on Sept. 11. Over 300 of the townspeople perished, 30 of them Catholic.

“Dr. R.M. Swearingen, a volunteer from Austin, Texas, penciled a tribute to Sister Corinthia Mahoney on the plaster wall of a jury room.

“It remained there until 1925 when the courthouse was renovated.

“To save the tribute, R.A. McDermott had workmen remove that section of the wall. Then he took it to Nazareth, Ky., where it remained until 1971 when it was returned to Holly Springs to the Marshall County Historical Museum where it can be seen today.

Within this room, September 1878, Sister Corinthia sank into enteral sleep. Among the first to enter this realm of death, she was the last, save one, to leave. The writer of this humble notice saw her in health, gentle but strong, as she moved with noiseless step and serene smiles through the crowded wards. He saw her when the yellow plumed angel threw his golden shadows over the last sad scene, and eyes unused to weeping paid the tribute of tears to the brave and beautiful “Spirit of Mercy.”

She needs no slab of Parisian marble

With its white and ghastly head, To tell wanderers in the valley

The virtues of the dead.

Let the lily be her tombstone, And dewdrops pure and bright, The epitaphs the angels write In the stillness of the night.

R.M. Swearingen, M.D. Austin, Texas

Let no one deface.

“Father Oberti and the sisters were laid to rest in the local cemetery where a monument was erected by a grateful town. And Bethlehem Academy reopened its doors.”

Kudos to Shreveport for putting forward the five martyrs from their diocese. The clergy and sisters in our diocesan history may be called martyrs too.

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

Archive photo of Father Jean Baptiste Mouton. Father Mouton died on Aug. 31, 1878 from Yellow Fever. (Photos from archives)

HOLLY SPRINGS - Archive photo of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Six Sisters of Charity along with the pastor died during the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1878 at the Marshall County church. Archivist, Mary Woodward gives an account of that time period in her latest “From the Archives” column.

NATION

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J. (OSV News) – For an Archdiocese of Newark deacon who survived the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the real battle – a search for God – began after reaching the ground. Now-Deacon Paul Carris was a 46-year-old civil engineer working in the World Trade Center’s North Tower when al-Qaida hijackers slammed American Airlines Flight 11 into the building. The deacon, who described himself as a rather indifferent Catholic layman at the time, accompanied a fellow floormate with severe health issues down 71 flights of steps to safety, even as the building burned and the South Tower was struck by a second plane. The pair were among the last to safely exit the building before it collapsed. In the following days and weeks after the terrorist attacks, he wrestled with anger and frustration that pointed to an unfulfilled hunger for a deeper relationship with God. Over the years, he immersed himself in faith formation and social outreach, eventually discerning a call to the permanent diaconate. Now assigned to Corpus Christi Parish in Hasbrouck Heights, he told OSV News that surviving 9/11 gave him “a rock of a foundation, knowing that God is here. I have no questions about the reality of God and the reality of God in everybody’s life. But unfortunately, we sometimes have to go through tragedy to wake us up to open that door.”

CHICAGO (OSV News) – St. Jude may be best known in the United States for being the patron saint of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, a cancer treatment center founded by Lebanese-American entertainer Danny Thomas. Thomas credited St. Jude – also well known among Catholics as the patron saint of hopeless causes and desperate situations –with reviving his career during a particularly low moment. He founded the hospital in gratitude. Now more Catholics are going to learn about this faithful apostle, martyr and saint as his relic – bone fragments from an arm believed to be his – leaves Italy for the first time in centuries, sponsored by the Treasures of the Church ministry, for a tour that extends into May 2024. The tour begins in Chicago on Sept. 9 at St. John Cantius Church. Scheduled stops for the remainder of 2023 include parishes in Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa, followed by Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, Indiana and Michigan. The relic’s tour then veers east to parishes in Ohio and central Pennsylvania – some 45 parishes. There are to be 100 stops in all. The 2024 stops into May have not yet been announced. At each parish, there will be public veneration and special Masses. The detailed St. Jude relic tour schedule is available at apostleoftheimpossible.com.

BALTIMORE (OSV News) – Archbishop William E. Lori told Catholics Sept. 5 that the Archdiocese of Baltimore is considering Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization as one option to deal with lawsuits expected to be filed when the state’s Child Victims Act takes effect Oct. 1. The law, passed by the Maryland General Assembly earlier this year, removed any statute of limitations for civil suits involving child sexual abuse. It caps suits against public institutions such as government schools at $890,000, and for private individuals or institutions such as churches at $1.5 million. The previous law allowed such suits for people up to age 38, an increase from the previous age limit of 25. At the time, the Maryland Catholic Conference – which includes the Archdiocese of Baltimore as well as the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, which both include Maryland counties – supported the increase to age 38. In his Sept. 5 letter, the archbishop said he has two overarching goals as the archdiocese considers its response: “the healing of victim-survivors who have suffered so profoundly from the actions of some ministers of the church” and “the continuation and furtherance of the many ministries of the Archdiocese that provide for the spiritual, educational, and social needs of countless people – Catholic and non-Catholic – across the state.” The archbishop said he plans to prioritize both goals.

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – If people can learn how to

inflict suffering on others with ever more deadly weapons, they also can learn to stop doing so, Pope Francis said. “If we can hurt someone, a relative or friend, with harsh words and vindictive gestures, we can also choose not to do so,” he added. “Learning the lexicon of peace means restoring the value of dialogue, the practice of kindness and respect for others.” Marking International Literacy Day, Pope Francis sent a message to Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, encouraging efforts to teach reading and writing to the hundreds of millions of people in the world who do not have basic literacy skills, but he also focused on the education needed to help all people contribute to building sustainable and peaceful societies. The papal message, was published by the Vatican Sept. 8, International Literacy Day.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Any limitations and rules regarding media access and communications during the upcoming Synod of Bishops are rooted in the “essence” of a synod and meant to help participants in their process of discernment, said the head of the synod’s communication committee. “The way in which we are going to share information about the synod is very important for the discernment process and for the entire church,” Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, told reporters at a Vatican news conference Sept. 8. Some of the “few rules regarding communication” stem from “the essence of the synod,” he said, which Pope Francis has repeatedly underlined is not a “parliament” or convention but a journey of listening and walking together in accordance with the Holy Spirit. However, Ruffini said, some portions of the synod will be livestreamed and open to Vatican accredited reporters: – Mass in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 4 to open the assembly of the Synod of Bishops. – The first general congregation, which begins that afternoon with remarks by Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, Cardinal JeanClaude Hollerich, relator general of the synod, and Pope Francis. – The moment of prayer beginning each general congregation. –The opening sessions of each of the five segments or “modules” into which the synod will be divided.

WORLD

MEXICO CITY (OSV News) – Mexico’s Supreme Court has removed abortion restrictions on national level – a decision expanding access to abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy across the country. The high court granted an injunction Sept. 6, requiring federally operated hospitals and health facilities to provide abortion services. The decision also scrapped criminal penalties for physicians and health professionals performing abortions. One of the litigants, the Information Group on Reproductive Choice (known by its Spanish acronym GIRE), called the unanimous court decision “a historic milestone,” as more than 70% percent of Mexican women have access to Mexico’s federal health system. That health system includes the Mexican Social Security Institute – the largest in Latin America which covers salaried workers,

along with systems for public employees and the poor. Pro-life groups decried the decision. “It is an attack on the lives of the most defenseless, innocent and vulnerable,” The National Front for the Family said via X, previously known as Twitter, calling the decision “supreme injustice.”

SÃO PAULO (OSV News) – Church activists in the Amazon are worried about the Brazilian government’s plan to exploit oil in a marine area close to the mouth of the Amazon River. Oil drilling, an issue discussed in different meetings over the past months by ecclesial movements and environmentalists, has been a problem in several regions of the Amazon. While there was relevant progress recently in the struggle to restrain the oil companies’ operations in the rainforest, the pressure from those corporations is immense, and it will take much effort from Catholics inspired by Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si’” encyclical to secure the protection ‘ of their “common home” in the Amazon, activists say. The project of exploiting oil about 300 miles northeast from Amazon River’s mouth has put top government officials on opposite sides: On one side is Environment Minister Marina Silva, who argues that technical studies showed that the operation would have a huge impact on the environment and local communities, and on the other is most of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s cabinet. Lula is himself among the ones who think that it is possible to go on with the project without harming the environment. The plan was among the topics discussed by Lula and the presidents of the other nations of the Pan-Amazon region during an Aug. 8-9 summit in Belem, in Brazil. The region consists of nine countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Guiana and French Guiana. “The summit’s final document failed to address key elements concerning extractivism in the Amazon. All decisions should be unanimous and there was no consensus on those issues,” explained Father Dario Bossi, a member of the Integral Ecology and Mining Commission of the bishops’ conference.

Teresa of Avila, Good Pope John and … Jimmy Buffett?

By ElizaBEth Scalia (OSV News)

– Too often lately, it feels like the offices from which we’ve historically taken our cues – our political and community leadership, the punditry, local authorities and even some church groups – are populated with unserious people who can’t rise to a moment. Those who aren’t peddling pure boilerplate and calling it constructive thought are offering endless scolds about how we should live, think and speak, and how, if things aren’t getting better, it’s because we’re not doing enough of the right things. We should constantly be doing ever more of all these right things, it seems, until the world is saved and humanity perfected and then, finally, we may rest.

These exhausting harangues have become as penetrating (and authentic) as prop knives. They fall upon our ears like an approaching storm we’ve heard for too long – an over-familiar sound and fury, often signifying nothing.

Which is why the Jimmy Buffetts of the world are important to have around, and why it is worth a respectful pause and some consideration when they pass.

There was something poignant in Buffett’s passing at the start of Labor Day weekend, when the days are growing shorter and the flip flops and Hawaiian shirts must be put away along with our fantasies of living on a beach, responsible for nothing beyond bringing dessert to the next get-together. Sweaters come out in the evening and time seems suddenly too valuable to waste away searching for misplaced meaning, too fleeting to reclaim the misspent days which, valued too late, are forever lost.

Some dismiss the laid-back island-escapism of Jimmy Buffett as being something hedonistic or uncaring. The world is heavy with material and spiritual misery on every continent – we see it daily in the headlines –and from that perspective he might seem to have been just another fizzy artist, part beach bum, part vagabond, rolling easily between a beer keg and a few cocktails capped with frivolous little umbrellas while singing of hazy nights and strange tattoos (how it got there, he hadn’t a clue!).

Buffett’s biggest hit, “Margaritaville,” celebrates a life lived in meandering dissipation; its plaintive chorus sounds only mildly regretful as the narrator wonders who is to blame for his under-achieving days until, in the final refrain he comes clean:

“Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame

But I know it’s my own damn fault.”

If you didn’t know that Buffett was raised Catholic, the last line is a dead giveaway.

That nearly everything in our lives will eventually reveal a component of self-accountability at its core is something every Catholic can identify with. Such recognition is a gift that comes to us not from so-called “Catholic guilt,” but from a formed Catholic conscience.

Buffett, like so many, journeyed away from his childhood Catholicism, although he still sang of belief and of prayer. But as any revert to the faith will tell you, the church “stays with you.” Even after walking away, the potency of its sacramental graces – starting with Baptism wherein we are claimed for Christ – means the conscience is always nudged to wakefulness, and then to action, even if we’d prefer the sleep of oblivion.

Buffett was stirred to action after Hurricane Katrina, according to one man. “I worked at the New Orleans Margaritaville (while) in college,” tweeted John Veron. “I ended up in Austin TX with the clothes on my back and little else. … Margaritaville cut us all $3,000 checks immediately after the storm, no questions asked. … They also let employees know that if any of us could get to ANY other Margaritaville, there was a job waiting for us.”

Employees who ended up in Orlando were “set up with clothes, jobs and housing,” Veron continued. “Jimmy Buffett showed up for us when we needed it. He took care of me and my friends. I’ll always be grateful.”

Anyone surprised by the story would do well to remember what St. Teresa of Avila said when a critic disapproved of her unedifying enjoyment of a roasted partridge at dinner. “There is a time for partridge and a time for penance,” the great reformer rightly replied.

Knowing how to strike a balance between rest and action is a very Catholic thing, for we are a both/and church, part Mary and part Martha. Jimmy Buffett knew how to recognize when to take action and when to relax and enjoy the life he’d been given. This speaks to the value of a conscience formed and sustained by sacramental graces, whose effects the Holy Spirit tends.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose unto heav-

en” (Eccl 3:1). There is a time to work hard for a weary world, but also a time to kick off the shoes, settle back and take our cues from Teresa, or from Jimmy Buffett. It is good, and perhaps the better part of wisdom, to riff off of the prayer St. John XXIII was said to have prayed each night: “It’s your (world), O Lord. I’m going to bed.” (Elizabeth Scalia is culture editor for OSV News. Follow her on Twitter/X @theanchoress.)

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

A collage featuring images of St. Teresa of Avila (Public Domain), Pope John XXIII (CNS File photo) and singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett in New York City July 20, 2001 (Mike Segar, Reuters). Buffett died Sept. 1, 2023. (OSV News photo/CNS, Reuters)

Nurture the seeds of vision

KNEADING FAITH

By Fran LaveLLe

I have spent the past three years studying transformational leadership for a doctorate in ministry (D. Min.) Thanks be to God, I graduated on June 1st. One of my favorite courses was titled Transformational Servant Leadership. The course description states, “… the servant-leader is servant first. His or her desire to lead comes from a desire to serve and is manifested in the care s/he takes in ensuring that others grow into greater freedom, wisdom, health, and empowered leadership. Transformational leadership invites the leader to engage in a process of service that lifts the leader and those they serve to a higher level of being and acting that are the bases for personal conversion and social transformation. Both nurture the seeds of a vision that leaders and our society not only long for but can realize.”

When I first read the course description I was struck by the phrase, “nurture the seeds of vision.” Upon further reflection I came to recognize that hospitality is the cornerstone of any vision for ministry. Hospitality exists in places where authentic encounters lead to eternal love. The imperative to truly see, hear, and value one another is difficult. It is a challenge in our work as ministers but also it is a greater challenge in our daily living. In preparing our hearts to receive all others with attentiveness, active listening, empathy and love we rest in hospitality.

In John McKnight’s article, “Why Servant Leadership is Bad” he invites churches to be places of hospitality not social service agencies. Everything he advocates for begins with the ability to go beyond treating

GUEST COLUMN

By Lisa M. Hendey

”Patience is a virtue,” I try to remind myself as the oncology receptionist hands me the clipboard filled with five separate (and badly copied) forms I know I’ve already completed online.

“Don’t complain. Just smile and say thank you,” I whisper internally.

Truly, I am grateful these days. I’m grateful for access to excellent health care and the professionals who render compassionately. I’m grateful for family and friends who have prayed for me ceaselessly during my cancer treatment process. And I’m grateful beyond measure for my caregiving husband whose love has known no bounds during the last six months.

But I’d be lying if I didn’t also admit to being wildly impatient. This is a new trait for me.

In the past, I’ve had bouts of impatience. As a young professional stymied by a lack of experience, I felt

the symptoms of our social ills and work to see the other as equal not something to be pitied. Hospitality requires that we be focused on the other – their value, dignity and gifts. A space of radical hospitality is the fertile ground for dreaming, visioning and praxis.

We can dream and talk about vision but in order for visions to be animated, systems to support those visions must be in place. What are the seeds of your transformational leadership praxis? Are you building the structures to support the ministries in your parish or school that support your vision? Are you becoming united with other servant leaders through better communication, opportunities for education and training, regular meetings and celebrating milestones in both your professional and personal lives? Are you underscoring the importance of dreaming and envisioning, the importance of foresight and the value of authentic listening? Do you recognize team members who readily engage in dreaming big dreams, envisioning new ways of being and living a ministry of presence?

What are the desired outcomes of our vision? A question Robert Greenleaf asks in The Servant Leader, “Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?”

In returning to the connectedness of all life we are called to nurture the seeds of vision. A vision that includes the oneness of our humanity and indeed all of creation. The paradigm shifts a little every time someone on the periphery feels connected to God’s love. Our role as persons of faith and as formational leaders is to cultivate oneness by being present, vulnerable and loving. If we are caught in a “it’s the way we’ve always done it” mentality, we are limiting our ability to learn and grow. Holding on to old ways just because they are

impatient for not having been recognized by my older peers. Raising toddlers and navigating my sons’ teenage years certainly brought occasional moments of parental frustration. And I have confessed to more than one priest my ongoing impatience with my husband’s driving.

But by and large, my impatience in those moments felt like a temporary state, not the preexisting condition I carry with me these days.

My impatience with being a patient is something entirely new.

I am impatient with the endless hours of waiting that come with various forms of medical treatment. I’m impatient with the bureaucracy inherent in the process. Terribly, I feel impatient with the well-intentioned reminders of others that I should avoid “overdoing it.” Most of all, I’m impatient with myself and my inability to more quickly bounce back to my pre-diagnosis self.

In my better moments, it’s occurred to me since I turned 60 in June that this healing process, and aging itself, provide excellent opportunities to grow in the virtue of patience.

There is a saying attributed online to Mother Teresa and although I’ve nev-

comfortable limits the work of the Holy Spirit.

My colleague and dear friend, Abbey Schuhmann and I often talk about the young church. Our youth and young adults are seeking an authentic encounter with Christ. They want leaders who can accompany them on their faith journey, truly listen and hear them, and live out the Gospel in their everyday lives. They are listening to our words but also watching the way we live. Many who have left the church cite an authenticity gap. That is to say we do not live up to our preaching or teaching.

Successful servant leaders articulate a vision or message that resonates with people long after they are gone. I watched Ted Koppel’s segment on leadership a few years ago on CBS Sunday Morning. He interviewed Stanley McChrystal, a retired four star general. McChrystal mentioned a bright woman who came to one of his classes that he was teaching at Yale. She said something that obviously resonated with him, “People will forgive you for not being the leader you should be, but they won’t forgive you for not being the leader you claim to be.”

I pray a litany for all the transformational servant leaders in my life. Chief among them is my father. Forever imprinted in my spirit, he demonstrated transformational servant leadership. Dad was a great practitioner of hospitality. He used his life to serve others and encouraged them to become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous people. I am a beneficiary of his life of service. Nurturing the seeds of vision.

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

er been able to find a source for it, it’s sound counsel: “Without patience, we will learn less in life. We will see less. We will feel less. We will hear less. Ironically, rush and more usually mean less.” Since my decision to intentionally work on growing in the virtue of patience, those words have reminded me to pause intentionally during my moments of impatience and to see them as opportunities to learn and grow.

My first step in this process has been to recognize my problem, admit it to myself, and take it to the sacrament of penance, spiritual direction, and counseling. It’s hard to avoid accepting the olive branch that’s typically offered when I’m reminded, “You have a good excuse for being impatient these days.”

The harm that comes to me spiritually (when I simply accept impatience as an ongoing state of mind) is one of my major motivations for wanting to grow in patience. St. Peter Damian, an eleventh-century reformer and Doctor of the Church, taught his followers about the power of patience. “The best penance is to have patience with the sorrows God permits,” he said. “A very good penance is to dedicate oneself to fulfill the duties of every day with exactitude and to

study and work with all our strength.”

That helps. Slowing down helps, too –helps me to embrace the small moments each day when impatience can give way to virtue.

The proffered stack of medical forms reminds me to be intentionally grateful for our insurance coverage, and to pray for so many worldwide who go without even the most basic healthcare.

The extra hour spent in a waiting room is a chance to pray what I’ve come to refer to as a “waiting Rosary.” I count the heads of my fellow patients and use them as my “beads,” praying a Hail Mary for each of them and their needs in the silence of my heart.

My frustration with my own exhaustion and inability to focus reminds me to pray for the souls of my parents, to give thanks for the progress I have actually made, and to recognize that this new stage of my life offers many blessings I am only just beginning to realize.

(Lisa M. Hendey is the founder of CatholicMom.com, a bestselling author and an international speaker. “Senior Standing” appears monthly at OSV News.)

Being a patient is slowly teaching me about patience

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

Parish pioneers celebrate 40th anniversary

By Joanna King and Tereza Ma

GLOSTER – Families gathered to celebrate a relatively “new” church in the history of the diocese on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Holy Family in Gloster. Bishop Joseph Kopacz, Father Anthonyclaret Onyeocha and several of the founding families gathered for a special Mass in celebration of 40 years of the “young” parish.

In 1983, the few Catholics of Amite County were scattered but one woman had a dream to bring them together.

June Vallely moved to Gloster in 1980, she and her husband Bill, along with their five children had to travel over 23 miles away to St. Joseph in Woodville for Mass.

“Trying to get the kids ready, get them up, feed them, get them ready to go to church … it was hard work,” said Vallely.

“So, I started asking around in the community if there were any Catholics, or did they know of a Catholic.”

From that, Vallely began making a list; making it her mission to establish a Catholic Church in Amite County.

“Something was just pushing me and pushing me,” said Valley.

Then it hit like lightening.

One night in the middle of a thunderstorm, Vallely shot up from a slumber and went to the kitchen table and began to write.

“I started writing this letter to the Bishop. The words kept coming out.”

A couple of months later, Bishop Brunini gave permission for a church building in the small Catholic community in Gloster. The name Holy Family was even drawn from a brown paper bag. Everyone at Mass that given Sunday submitted a name and the youngest member of the church, Jason Chabreck, drew the name.

With the assistance of Sister Margaret Maria Coon, a retired college philosophy teacher and former provincial of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth of Kentucky, who had retired to the area, the fledgling congregation began to take shape.

The first location was an old store front on Main Street, the walls of which were covered in burlap to cover large holes.

“Our first altar was a kitchen cabinet from one of our parishioners,” said Vallely, reminiscing.

Other first items were a brass crucifix from an army surplus story, a baptismal font from a Methodist church in Crosby, a tabernacle from a Catholic Church in Illinois and various hand-me-downs from other parishes

across the diocese. It didn’t matter where the items came from, the founding families were happy to have a church of their own for their growing community.

To fundraise families would hold dinners on Fridays during Lent, serving Cajun delicacies such as jambalaya and shrimp etouffee. Parishioners would take orders from the area, including Liberty, Woodville, Centreville and Gloster. Each week earning $1,000

GLOSTER – (Above) June Vallely displays her plaque presented to her for her contributions to the Holy Family parish in Gloster. On left, the tabernacle sits behind the altar at Holy Family parish. It was donated to the fledgling parish in 1983 from a church in Illinois. (Photos by Tereza Ma)

At the 40th anniversary celebration, Vallely was recognized for her contributions to the history of the parish with a special plaque.

or more for their young parish.

“It was lots of fun,” said Vallely. “We loved bringing the whole community together.”

Michele Chabrek was also of one of the founding families of Holy Family. Along with Vallely, she is one of the only remaining families from the beginning of the parish.

“Through hard work and faith, we’ve managed to come together and provide for the community and any of our spiritual needs.”

“We wanted to do something special for June to let her know all of her hard work did not go to waste,” said Pauline Gauthier, a resident of Gloster for 36 years.

“We’re not a big parish or big community, but those of us that are here – we’re family.”

Father Anthonyclaret Onyeocha and Bishop Joseph Kopacz process out after Mass at Holy Family parish in Gloster on Saturday, Sept. 23 for the 40th anniversary of the parish.

June Vallely visits with Bishop Kopacz and Pauline Gauthier after Mass, about her history with the parish. Vallely and other founding members were present for the 40th anniversary celebration of Holy Family Gloster.

St. Joe journalism teacher Cassreino named National Broadcast Adviser of the Year

From StaFF reportS

MADISON – The Journalism Education Association at the University of Kansas has named St. Joseph Catholic School journalism teacher Terry R. Cassreino the National Broadcast Adviser of the Year for 2023.

The honor marks the first time a Mississippi high school journalism educator has received the JEA award. Dr. R.J. Morgan, executive director of the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association, presented the award while visiting Cassreino’s Sports Broadcasting class Monday.

“This award is not just about me,” Cassreino said. “This award is for the hundreds of students I have had the privilege of teaching and working with at St. Joseph Catholic School since I took over the high school journalism program in 2012.

“My students work hard every day to produce high-quality productions we feature on our own YouTube Channel. They produce a weekly sports preview on Monday, a midweek news update on Wednesday and a full-length weekly newscast on Friday. Their work is amazing.”

Morgan agreed: “The resulting multilayered program is one of the deepest, most nuanced and enriching high school media outlets I have ever seen. There may not be a scholastic broadcast program in the country that serves its audience better or in more ways.”

The JEA Adviser of the Year Award honors outstanding high school advisers and their exemplary work from the previous year and throughout their careers. Cassreino received a cash prize and St. Joe received $500 for broadcast equipment or student schol-

arships for summer workshops.

Cassreino was one of five high school journalism teachers the JEA honored recently.

Two others were named Distinguished Broadcast Advisers and two were named Special Recognition Advisers. All five will be honored at the JEA/National Scholastic Press Association National Fall High School Journalism Convention in November in Boston.

Cassreino teaches Print Journalism, which publishes a yearbook, The Shield; Broadcast Journalism, which produces a weekly newscast “Bruin News Now”; and Sports Broadcasting, which produces a weekly sports preview, “What’s Bruin at the Joe,” and the sportscast for “Bruin News Now.”

Journalism students also produce live radio broadcasts and live video streaming coverage of Bruin sports, including football, basketball and baseball. Radio productions air live on WJXC-LP Jackson, Mississippi Catholic Radio, 107.9, whose studio is in Cassreino’s classroom.

St. Joe journalism students and their work have received state, national and international recognition. Students have been named the state’s high school journalist of the year and received the prestigious Orley Hood Award for Excellence in High School Sports Journalism seven of the 10 years it has been given.

“He runs his class like a legitimate newsroom,” said Jack Clements, a former student of Cassreino’s who is studying journalism at the University of Mississippi. “This authentic newsroom experience with real deadlines and newsroom hierarchy truly set me up for success in this field.”

In memoriam: Sister Angela Susalla, OP

ADRIAN, MICHIGAN – Sister Angela Susalla, formerly known as Sister David Mary, died on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, at the Dominican Life Center in Adrian, Michigan. She was 91 years of age and in the 71st year of her religious profession in the Adrian Dominican congregation.

Sister Angela was born in Detroit, Michigan, to David and Bertha (Zinger) Susalla. She graduated from Rochester High School in Rochester, Michigan, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Master of Science degree in Mixed Science, both from Siena Heights College (University) in Adrian.

Sister ministered for 24 years in elementary and secondary education in Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Aiken, South Carolina; Fort Walton Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach, Florida; and Grafton, West Virginia. This includes 10 years as elementary and secondary teacher at Rosarian Academy, a sponsored ministry of the Adrian Dominican congregation in West Palm Beach. She also served six years as a pastoral minister: a year in Eleuthera, Bahamas; and five years for the Diocese of Memphis in Lexington, Tennessee. Her last 31 years of service were spent as a social service minister for Catholic Social Services in Tunica, Mississippi. Sister became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in Adrian in 2014.

Sister Angela was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Thomas, Ernest, Larry and David; and a sister, Elda. She is survived by sisters Elaine Campbell of Troy, Michigan, and Karen Swaim (Gary) of Sevierville, Tennessee; other loving family and her Adrian Dominican Sisters.

A Funeral Mass was offered in St. Catherine Chapel on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221.

Cassreino is a four-time Mississippi high school journalism adviser of the year and has been recognized twice by the Dow Jones News Fund as one of the nation’s top print journalism teachers. JEA recognized him as one of the top broadcast advisers in 2020 and again in 2022.

Cassreino is a former longtime journalist with more than 25 years of experience as a reporter, political columnist and editor at Mississippi newspapers. He is married to the former Pam Vance of Canton. They have two children Camryn, a freshman at Mississippi College, and Matthew, a sophomore at St. Joe.

“No doubt about it: We have the best student media program in Mississippi,” said Dr. Dena Kinsey, principal of St. Joseph Catholic School.

“This award speaks volumes about the success our students experience at St. Joe. This program under Terry Cassreino’s leadership equips students with an incredible array of skills. It’s just one example of many showing how our school prepares our students for life as an adult.”

In memoriam: Curtiss McKee

MADISON – Curtiss wanted his obituary to be short because he was never interested in accolades. He requested that it state only that “he was born, he lived, he died.” However, no one who ever knew him could ever stop there because he truly was a “gentleman” –one of faith, loyalty, generosity, intelligence, wit and unfailing love.

Miles Curtiss McKee was born Aug. 21, 1930 in Cleveland, Mississippi to Samuel Melvin and Alethea (Alice) Miles McKee. At age sixteen, he went to Millsaps College for two years before moving to Clarksdale to work for the Bank of Clarksdale. As the Korean War was beginning, he joined the Navy to become an aviator. As a Naval aviator, he served as a hurricane hunter, flying just 100 feet above the water and in anti-submarine warfare missions. He served as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer in the Naval Reserves. Curtiss retired as a Captain after 30 years of military service. Curtiss was President of Naval League of Mississippi for several terms.

After his four years of active duty service in the Navy, Curtiss finished his undergraduate degree at Ole Miss and then attended University of Mississippi Law School while also teaching Political Science. Curtiss was an editor of the Law Journal and a member of the Lamar Order. He graduated from law school in 1959 at the top of his class with many distinctions, and he was elected as a member of the Ole Miss Hall of Fame.

Curtiss became one of the leading labor and employment lawyers in Mississippi. He took two cases to the U.S. Supreme Court. He was Chairman of the Judicial Selection Com-

mittee of the Mississippi Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He was also an active member of the Mississippi Bar Foundation of which he was also a Fellow, the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute, a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employer Lawyers. He was continuously chosen for The Best Lawyers in America from 1987-2010.

When Curtiss retired, he was asked to become the in-house attorney for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. He served pro bono there for five years. Curtiss was an active member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Madison where he was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Curtiss is survived by his wife, Ann, of 50 years, daughters Carol Brame of Madison and Laura McKee Zouein (Fouad) of Ridgeland; sons David McKee (Shannon) of Gluckstadt and Reid McKee (Rachel) of San Antonio, Texas; grandchildren Lindsay Casperson (Eric), Allison Dotson (Alex), Taylor Brame, Shelby Partridge (Austin), Betsy McKee, Miles McKee, Jackson Lindsey, Juliet Lindsey, Molly McKee, Ava Cate McKee, Lucy McKee; and great-grandchildren Caylee Casperson, Connor Casperson, Chloe Casperson, and Luke Dotson.

A Requiem Mass was held Wednesday, Sept. 6 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.

In memory of Curtiss, donations may be made to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 4000 W. Tidewater Lane, Madison, MS 39110, University of Mississippi Medical Center Children’s Hospital and/or your charity of choice.

Around the diocese

VICKSBURG – Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a favorite of Vicksburg Catholic School Kindergartners! To really bring the story to life, each student made a snack that looked like a coconut tree. (Photo by Lindsey Bradley)

WOODVILLE – St. Joseph parish hosted their 150th anniversary on Sunday, Sept. 10. Bishop Kopacz shakes hands with Stella Ferguson, while Helen Claire Wesberny gets ready for her chance to greet her bishop. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

MADISON – St. Joseph School celebrated Bruin teams with a special tailgate gathering on Wednesday, Aug. 23. Pictured are students and parents at attention during the National Anthem performed by the school band. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

GLOSTER – Holy Family parish celebrated 40 years on Saturday, Sept. 9. Bishop Joseph Kopacz visits with Kayla Zumo with sons Charlie and Anthony, of Baton Rouge. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

St. Joseph Woodville celebrates 150 years

By Berta Mexidor and tereza Ma

WOODVILLE – A grand gathering, after a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz, took place in the gardens of the St. Joseph community in Woodville where parishioners and Catholic community commemorated the 150th anniversary of the founding of the parish, on Sunday, Sept. 9.

The historic Mass was concelebrated by Father Anthonyclaret Onyeocha, pastor of St. Joseph Woodville and Holy Family Mission Gloster and Father PJ Curley, who served the parish in the 1970s. The congregation that filled the pews came from Woodville, Baton Rouge and other surrounding areas.

The year 1873 marked the opening of St. Joseph Catholic Church, under the direction of Father Germain Martin. Catholic believers were present around Fort Adams area since 1682, when on Easter Sunday, historians claimed the celebration of the first Mass, not only of the area but for all Mississippi soil.

The town of Woodville was incorporated in 1811, and for years the only Catholics families were the Elders, the Gordons, and the Poseys, who gave the community and history from a General to a Bishop.

The first Mass for the Woodville community was celebrated in the Gordon family house. The first families and their descendants have claimed and kept the history until these times.

For years the Catholic community of Woodville was served by priests of Natchez, until 1905 when Father Joseph B. Weis was the first resident priest.

The history of the Woodville community is rich, with many home and buildings, including St. Joseph Church, being included on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

St. Joseph’s current pastor, Father Anthonyclaret was also celebrating his American citizenship during the festivities. He stated that all the parishioners “worked on weekends for months and contributed to the celebration.”

Edward (Eddie) Rispone, a Catholic from Baton Rouge, owns acres of property in the area for recreation, and even though he has his parish at home, he registered his family at St. Joseph, and contributes to the area because “it is special to belong to a historical Catholic Church.”

Like him, many of the attendees from Louisiana came because of the ties of their ancestors to the parish.

Ann and Octavio Gutierrez were parishioners for years. They moved back to the area from Texas, sharing their ties of many sacraments in this church. Ann now sings in the choir. Even though they have other homes, she said this has always been her “home church.”

Bishop Joseph Kopacz blesses new vessels, surrounded by (right) Father Curley who served at St. Joseph in early 70s, Father Anthonyclaret Onyeocha (left) with Wil Seal and Wallace Ferguson as altar servers.

WOODVILLE – Samuel Bray reaches in for a hand shake hand with Bishop Joseph Kopacz after a Mass celebrating the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph parish. Also pictured is Spencer Bray.

Beautiful weather provided for a wonderful outdoor gathering for the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph Church. On right, smokemaster Mac Fletcher of Daddy Mac's BBQ in action at the event. (Photos by Tereza Ma)