can Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, former students and African American scholars, priests and bishops.
“Her call for justice, justice for the roles of women, justice for those who experience no matter what ethnicity, oppression or hatred” speaks to “us as a church being the body of Christ,” he said.
“Going Home Like a Shooting Star: Thea Bowman’s Journey to Sainthood,” comes from NewGroup Media and the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi. Along with archival media of Sister Thea, the documentary features interviews with her colleagues, friends, fellow Francis-
“Another time, my husband dropped something off after hours at St. Paul, and Father was in the kitchen in the Learning Center by himself cooking anything he could find to feed a family in need that had pulled in from Lakeland Drive. He had a servant’s heart and was so funny and humble. ... Well done, good and faithful servant,” Brechtel continued.
From the archives 14 Bishop Gunn travels west as retreat master
Continued on page 20 –
With a servant's heart, Father Carroll passes at age 86
“He was so good to my in laws who came to live with us and attended church at St. Paul with us in Brandon for a few months after they lost everything in Katrina. Later, when my father-in-law died in 2010, [Father Brian] drove from Brandon all the way to New Orleans to concelebrate. He was so good at comforting the grieving, “ wrote Lori Brechtel on the news of Father Brian’s passing.
By JOAnnA PUDDiSter KinG
SEPTEMBER 16, 2022mississippicatholic.com
synthesis insert Summary of diocese synod ndings INSIDE THIS WEEK
“Well done good and faithful servant. You gave us so much. I could name it all from baptizing my dying brother with a teacup to giving your best to our youth. We’ll miss you; God give you rest.” – Jimmy Isonhood
JACKSON – Known for his servant’s heart, Father Bernard Patrick “Brian” Carroll passed on Monday, Sept 5 at the age of 86, celebrating 60 years of priestly life in Mississippi.Born on April 27, 1936, in Dublin, Ireland to the late Dan and Bridget Carroll, Father Carroll enrolled at St. Patrick’s College in Carlow, Ireland and was ordained for the Diocese of Jackson (formerly Natchez-Jackson) after completing his seminary studies on June 9, 1962.While at seminary, Father Brian earned his nickname “Speedy.” His friends would encourage him to “quicken up” his story telling saying “can you speed this up and get to the “Butend.” it never happened,” said Father Gerry Hurley after describing the moniker during his homily at St. Paul parish for Father Brian’s funeral Mass.
By AnnA CAPiZZi GALVeZ
The documentary is a comprehensive look at Sister Thea, the first African American member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and one of six Black Catholics known as a “Servant of God.”
WASHINGTON (CNS) – A new documentary on Sister Thea Bowman shines a light on her life and work as an advocate for racial justice and intercultural understanding.Theidea for the documentary came to Franciscan Sister Judith Ann Zielinski, who wrote and produced the film, after the 2020 death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.
The one-hour film, a part of the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission’s fall documentary season, will begin airing on ABC stations nationwide Oct. 2.
film would make her known to a new generation. He also said her life resonates with much of what younger Catholics are looking for in the church – someone who speaks truth to power.
The list of memories and stories could fill pages on the love, humor and heart for service Father Brian had for the people of the Diocese of Jackson. Each story, such a wonderful testimony to the joy and compassion over his 60 years in the diocese.
New documentary on Sister Thea Bowman highlights her faith, justice work Continued on page
From the coast, Father Brian then made his way up to Vicksburg teaching at St. Aloysius High School and serving as assistant pastor at St. Paul Parish in 1968. He then served on the Diocesan Board of Consultors as a representative of assistant pastors.
Traveling south, in 1970 Father Brian was assigned as pastor of St. Alphonsus
It also makes a case for her sainthood and for contemporary spirituality, Sister Zielinski said.
Also known for his dry wit and sense of humor, Father Brian had a joke for each occasion, said Father Hurley. “And you weren’t always sure when he reached the punchline.”Having a servant’s heart, Father Brian was well known for his ministry to children and the sick. Many comments on social media following the news of his passing highlighted just how special Father Brian was to those who knew him.
Redemptorist Father Maurice Nutt, associate producer and biographer of Sister Thea, called her an “apostle for racial reconciliation in our church today.”
“Father Carroll always had the wisdom from the Holy Spirit to guide his parishioners. ... He was wonderful to make home visits and give the anointing of the sick to the sick and dying. He anointed my great uncle in Jackson in the middle of the night. He always said God protects us.” – Jeannie Malatesta Roberts
Synod
Father Bernard Patrick "Brian" Carroll is pictured in 1968. He died on Monday, Sept. 5 at the age of 86, celebrating 60 years of priestly life in Mississippi. (Photo from archives)
Arriving in the diocese in September 1962, Father Brian was assigned to St. John’s Parish in Biloxi and served as a teacher at Biloxi High School. In 1967, he served on the faculty of Our Lady of Victories High School in Pascagoula and as assistant pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Moss Point.
“I thought, I have to do something, what can I do?” and “Thea Bowman popped into my head. She was a Franciscan sister, a woman who had been fighting systemic racism in her own time and in her own way.”
Noting that she died in 1990, Father Nutt said the
8 –
In 1969, Father Brian was assigned as assistant pastor at Annunciation Parish in Columbus and served as chaplain at the Mississippi University for Women (formerly Mississippi State College for Women).
In memoriam 15 LEM James Tomek and Father Jim Schifano, SCJ
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PEARL St. Jude, Retreat for Healing and Hope, Fri day Oct. 14, 6:30-9 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the parish hall. Featured speakers: Father Bill Henry, Janet Constantine, LMHC and spiri tual director, sponsored by Marian Servants of Jesus the Lamb of God. Registration free, lunch provided. Top ics: Our Brokenness; Blocks to Healing; and Receiving God’s Love. All are welcome. Details: Contact Maureen at (601) 278-0423 or Pat at (601) 955-0755 or email msofjlog@gmail.com.
YAZOO CITY St. Mary, Lunch with seminarian EJ Martin, Sunday, Sept. 25. He will talk to youth about the Mass and his decision to become a priest. Lunch will be in parish hall following Mass. Details: church office (662) 746-1680.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Germanfest 2022, Sun day, Sept. 25 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The family-oriented fes tival is best known for its authentic German food and music. Admission and parking are free. Festival goers may wish to bring a lawn chair. Details: church office (601) 856-2054.
Fall Faith Formation Day ...
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, We Are One Northwest Parishes of Mississippi, Sunday Sept. 25. Day begins with a youth led Mass at 3 p.m., followed by “Community Feud” for high school youth, activities for Pre-K through eighth graders. Dinner, snack and drinks will be provid ed. Also, door prizes, music, inflatables, games and more. All are welcome! Details: church office (662) 429-7851.
NATCHEZ Cathedral Fall Festival, Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Midway games, petting zoo, food and craft sales. Plus Adult Night Saturday at 6 p.m. with band and purchase paddles for fantastic packages. Sunday fried chicken lunch at 11 a.m followed by bingo. Details: Contact Carlyle at (337) 962-5323 or visit Facebook @ CathedralFallFest.
MERIDIAN St. Joseph Octoberfest, Saturday, Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy this day of fellowship with food, youth activities and more. Details: Rhonda (601) 227-1199.
YOUTH EVENTS
SAVE THE DATE
PARISH, FAMILY AND SCHOOL EVENTS
JacksonJackson FlowoodFlowood PearlPearl
RIPLEY St. Matthew, Parish Feast Day Celebration, Saturday, Sept. 24 beginning at 9 a.m. Enjoy fun with sports tournaments, food booths and more. On Sunday, Sept. 25, Bilingual Mass of Thanksgiving at 3 p.m., fol lowed by a potluck meal. Details: church office (662) 993-8832.
JACKSON St. Richard School, Krewe de Cardinal set for Feb. 10. Call for tickets and sponsorship opportuni ties. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
JACKSON St. Richard, ChristLife: Discovering Christ, a seven-week series begins Sept. 28 and ends Nov. 9. Held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Foley Hall. Come enjoy dinner and explore answers to important life questions. Registration required, child care for ages 3+ is provided. Details: register at StRChristlife@ gmail.com or visit https://saintrichard.com/christlife.
HERNANDO, OLIVE BRANCH and SOUTHAV EN Holy Spirit, Queen of Peace and Christ the King, Drive-thru Blessing of the Animals, Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9-11 a.m. All pets welcome! Details: call parish offices.
DIOCESE Middle School Fall Retreat with NET Ministries, Oct. 15-16 at Lake Forest Ranch, Macon. Retreat is for seventh and eighth graders with oppor tunity for prayer, faith sharing, fellowship and more. Details: contact Abbey Schuhmann at (601) 9496934 or abbey.schuhmann@jacksondiocese.org.
MADISON – Mary Frances Strange of St. James Tupelo and Joi Fleming of Holy Family Jackson socialize during a break during Fall Faith Formation Day on Saturday, Aug. 20 at St. Francis par ish. Faith formation leaders from around the diocese gathered for the event with the theme “Be hold I make all things new,” with keynote speaker Stephanie Cloutre Davis, an Ignatian trained spiritual director and breakout sessions covering a variety of topics. (Photo by Joanna King)
SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, Save the dates: St. Fran cis Parish Picnic on Oct. 9; Knights of Columbus Blood Drive on Oct. 23; and Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat on Oct. 26. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.
DIOCESE Save the date: #iGiveCatholic on Giving Tuesday Nov. 28. Join Catholics in this nation-wide day of giving.
OLIVE BRANCH Men’s Club Golf Tournament, Sunday, Sept. 25 at Wedgewood Golf Club. Sign-up at qopcc.com. Details: to donate doorprizes, play or sponsor a hole, contact Tim at (901) 515-8598.
SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, Save the date: Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 8. Enjoy international food, basket raffle, entertainment and more. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.
R dgeland Cl nton
CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth Fair, Tuesday, Sept. 27. Spaghetti dinner, gift shop, raffle and more. Details: church office (662) 624-4301 or school office (662) 624-4239.
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Evening with Fa ther Josh Johnson, Saturday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. Father is well-known for his popular Ascension podcast “Ask Fa ther Josh.” He has written several books including the best-selling “Pocket Guide to Reconciliation” (co-written with Father Mike Schmitz), “Broken & Blessed” and “On Earth as it is in Heaven.” The event is free, contributions to Father Josh’s school in his Baton Rouge parish are welcome. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
MERIDIAN St. Patrick, 23rd annual Variety Show/ Dinner and Fashion Show, Saturday, Nov. 5 in the Fam ily Life Center. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.
V cksburg TupeloTupelo ColumbusColumbus Laur elr OxfordOxford Hat t esburg
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Faithful to the tradition of law developed by the Israelites in the Covenant at Mount Sinai the church understands its extensive Canon Law developed for nearly 2000 years to be in the service of justice arising from God’s abundant mercy in the blood of the New Covenant on the Cross.
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 12 p.m. – Catholic Charities Journey of Hope Luncheon with David Magee, Jackson Convention Complex
others, we have written an extensive letter to the Department of Health and Human Services on pending legislation regarding Access to Health Care:
Our prayer is the springboard for our commitment to realize our nation’s ideals of greater liberty and justice for all, based on the dignity of the human person, made in the image and likeness of God with an eternal destiny. The church must be aware of being too political, but we will always be a voice in the public square where we remain steadfast over the free exercise of the fullness of religion. In this very moment the church is advocating on behalf of just laws on behalf of the common good. Examples follow.
Thursday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m – St. Richard Special Kids Golf Tournament, Deerfield Golf Club, Canton
The U.S. Catholic bishops have advocated longstanding moral principles in discerning health care policy: respect for life and dignity, access to all, honoring conscience rights, true affordability, and comprehensive and highUnfortunately,quality... the proposed regulations go beyond access to care by suggesting that health care providers must provide, and that health plans must cover, procedures that are not medically indicated, may harm rather than heal, and may violate religious and moral convictions. Especially problematic is the suggestion in the preamble that Health and Human Services might be open to imposing requirements with respect to abortion.
Thursday, Oct. 12-13, – Encuentro Regional, St. Augustine, Flordia
The Cross is universal, offering equal access to God’s just mercy through faith. The Mass is our celebration of the New Covenant in God’s mercy as we recall and proclaim the Lord’s own words; “do this in memory of me.” The sacrament of reconciliation is the extraordinary way that we encounter God’s merciful love in the manner of the prodigal son.
and called him and the Israelites to repentance, and to stand with God. Those who did went on to live and go forward as the chosen people.
“Ensuring access to health coverage and health care, and removing barriers to these, is without question a laudable goal. “Concern for the health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of living conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity ... [which includes] health care. ...” Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2288.
First, they came to Marah but could not drink the water because it was bitter, or was it turgid? And so, the Israelites said to Moses, “Got Water?” God directed Moses to throw a tree into the water and it became sweet. Maybe in Jackson we haven’t tried all of our options. Maybe a few good Magnolia trees properly placed in the water treatment facility are the answer. But I digress.
Waters of
For the next 12 chapters, Moses the great lawgiver was given numerous laws that concerned the sabbath and slaves, violence and harm, restitution, social and religious laws. This was a long process, and the people lost patience after Moses was gone too long, and they demanded of his brother, Aaron, that they go down a different road, violating the first commandment.
As we gather this morning, mindful of and grateful for so many professionals whose lives revolve around the law of the land, know that our church has the utmost respect for all just laws and is committed to be a voice for justice, mercy and peace in our country. We take seriously the First Amendment, our nation’s foundation, in the fullest sense. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
Editor’s note: Below is the homily Bishop Kopacz delivered at the Red Mass celebrated on Sept. 11, 2022, at St. John, Oxford.
faith MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 let there be light Publisher Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz Communications Director Joanna Puddister King Production Manager Tereza Ma Contributors ......................................................................................................... Berta Mexidor P.O. Box 2130 Jackson, MS 39225-2130 Phone: 601-969-3581 E-mail: editor@jacksondiocese.org Volume 68 Number 16 (ISSN 1529-1693) MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an official publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published twice per month January - April and SeptemberDecember; once per month June, July and August. Subscription rate: $20 a year in Mississippi, $21 out-of-state. Periodical postage at Jackson, MS 39201 and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mississippi Catholic, P.O. Box 2130, Jackson, MS 39225-2130.Website: www.mississippicatholic.com www.jacksondiocese.org
After the Israelites escaped from the Egyptians through the Red Sea, they quickly realized that they had to have water to survive in the desert. These critical moments are recounted in Exodus, chapters 15 and 17.
The mercy of God at work with the Israelites for numerous generations came to fulfillment in Jesus Christ on the Cross. The words of Jesus in today’s Gospel which stretch our spiritual imagination and our human instincts, can only be grasped from his words and actions from the Cross.
Tuesday, Oct. 25, 6 p.m. – Catholic Foundation Membership Dinner, Country Club of Jackson
All events are subject to change. Check with parishes and schools for further details.
In collaboration with
A few chapters later the Israelites received the gift of the ten commandments – the first of these as the cornerstone. “I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.” Or I will punish the iniquity of the Fathers to the third and fourth generation upon those who hate me but show mercy to the thousandth generation to those who love me and keep my commandments. This is the foundation of the Covenant that God formed with the Israelites through Moses as described in the 20th chapter of Exodus.
Whatthereof.”wedoin this church, and in all of our houses of worship, is the soul for all of our ministries in education and advocacy, in health care and social services.
BISHOP’S SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 30, 6:30 p.m. – St. Joseph School Homecoming Football Game v. Leake Academy, St. Joe, Madison
BY BISHOP JOSEPH R. KOPACZ, D.D.
Thursday, Oct. 20, 6 p.m. – Catholic Charities Purple Dress Run, The District at Eastover, Jackson
St. Luke, the dear and glorious physician in his former life, knew that the only remedy for humanity’s sick soul and incurable wounds, was God’s merciful love. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” and to the repentant thief, “from this day forward you will be with me in paradise.”
The Golden Calf was a major setback. Aaron’s inability to remain resolute against the hardheartedness of the Israelites was a costly act of infidelity. But in that critical conversation that we heard in the first reading, Moses interceded on behalf of the Israelites and called upon God to remember his just mercy to the 1000th generation, the source and summit of all the commandments and laws. Moses went on to rebuke his brother Aaron
Sunday, Oct. 16 – Confirmation, Christ the King, Southaven
Bishops’ Labor Day Statement: “This Labor Day, let us reflect on how we can build a more just economy by promoting the welfare of working families through both charitable works and through advocacy for improved policies such as expanding the Child Tax Credit and passing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Advancing these two policies would have a profound impact on family stability, especially for families who are financially vulnerable. ... This is also the first Labor Day since the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. The ruling is an incredibly significant step towards healing the deep wounds of abortion and protecting all preborn human life. But our aim as Catholics has always been, and remains, to build a society in which abortion is unthinkable. This unique moment necessitates a society and an economy that supports marriages, families, and women; it demands that all of us reach across political aisles and work diligently to reframe social policies in ways that are pro-woman, pro-family, pro-worker and, thus, authenticallyYes,pro-life.”wedo have water, the waters of faith and baptism that flowed from the side of the Lord on the Cross. These waters open the fountains of God’s just mercies that renew us to fight the good fight of faith, to finish the race, to keep the faith in this generation and always.
If you are interested in learning more about religious orders or vocations to the priesthood and religious life, email nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.
CALLED BY NAME
Rhonda Bowden was the driving force behind this initiative which we hope will help our parents build community as they support their sons and daughters who are on a unique path in life. Rhonda certainly has lots of experience after walking with her son Andrew for eight years in the seminary while also supporting her husband Mark in deacon formation and her daughter Laura as she graduated from Millsaps and is now a full-time teacher. I hope that this group provides some good community and fraternity for our parents.
I know that it is both a joy and a challenge to support a child who is discerning priesthood and religious life, and as we try to normalize that experience for our young people we want to make sure that parents are not excluded. As we get more seminarians, we want to build up our network of support for parents as well. I hope that this dinner is the first of many opportunities for parents to network. One of the greatest sources of vocations is family support and consistent encouragement of children to consider priesthood and religious life, and we want our parents to know how much we appreciate their encouragement and support.
It is probably more difficult in our current culture than ever before to encourage a child to enter ministry. We have been discouraged in many ways, both within the culture and within the church, but still, there are great men and women who are stepping forward and families that are supporting them. Please follow their example. The devil would love for us to believe that our situation cannot be helped, and that vocations have simply “dried up” here in the states, but this is not true. We can always trust that God will provide, but we must be co-workers with the Lord. I am grateful for the parents of our priests, seminarians and sisters, and I ask that you offer prayers specifically for these families after reading this article.
Please promote the possibility of priestly and religious life consistently to your children. This truly is the only way we will have a thriving church in the future. When we normalize vocations in the home, we provide our children with an opportunity to imagine the possibility of being a priest or nun just like they imagine the possibility of being a doctor or lawyer. This is so vital, and I ask for each parent to be intentional and courageous in pre senting this possibility to your children. I know that it’s a little scary, but the church is here to support our young men and women, and I encourage you to speak with parents of seminarians/priests/sisters that you know and ask them how their children are doing. They certainly have challenges in their state in life, but they also have great joy and experience great triumphs, and most importantly, all of them believe that the Lord has called them to this task.
16, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC4
SEPTEMBERVOCATIONS
Father Nick Adam
This month we will be welcoming parents of priests and seminarians and religious sisters to the Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle for our first ever meeting of POPS, which stands for (you guessed it), Parents of Priests and Seminari ans/Sisters.
Father Nick Adam
go against the truth and also against the Spirit.”
Correct view of tradition nurtures beauty, grandeur of the liturgy
By Father ron rolheiser, oMi
The pope made his remarks during an audience at the Vatican Sept. 1 with members of the associa tion, which was founded 50 years ago to promote the study and teaching of liturgy at seminaries, departments of theology and other educational in stitutions.Pope Francis under lined the importance of progress being rooted in a true sense of tradition.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The liturgy must be nur tured with care and never be neglected or abused, Pope Francis
This ongoing process “requires time and care, pas sionate and patient care; it requires spiritual intelligence and pastoral intelligence; it requires formation for a cel ebratory wisdom that cannot be improvised and must be continually refined,” he said.
IN EXILE
We need a wake-up call. A recent book, a novel, by Jeanine Cummins, American Dirt, gives us a fiction alized account of a young Mexican woman who be cause of violence and fear of death had to leave her life behind and flee with her young son in an attempt to reach the borders of the United States as an undoc umented immigrant. Full disclosure, the book has been heavily criticized by many because it doesn’t always measure up to the exact facts. Conversely, it has also been highly praised by many others. Be that as it may, the bottom-line is that this is a powerful story and a wake-up call, one meant to wake us up to the real tragedy of those who for reasons of poverty, violence, famine, fear and hopelessness are forced to flee their countries in search of a better life (or any life at all!) elsewhere. Whatever the book’s imperfections, it helps shatter the abstractness we can lean on to protect our selves against having to look at the issue of refugees today.Admittedly, the issue isn’t simple. There are ex tremely complex issues involved in protecting our bor ders and in having millions of people freely enter our countries. However, as men and women who share a com mon humanity and a common planet with these refugees, can
The liturgy must make “people raise their eyes to heaven, to feel that the mystery of Christ dwells in the world and life” and, at the same time, it must be a lit urgy for the good of humanity, with its “feet on the ground” and not removed from people’s lives, he said.
(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser is a theologian, teacher and award-winning author. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.)
we remain cal lous to their plight? More over, as Chris tians, do we accept the fundamental, non-negotiable principle within Christian social doctrine that tells us that the world be longs to everyone equally and we may not adhere to any nationalistic belief that says, explicitly or implicitly, that our country is ours and we have no obligation to share it with others. To espouse this is unchristian and goes against the clear teaching of Jesus.
“Thesaid.liturgy is Christ’s work and the church’s, and as such, it is a living body,” he told members of Italy’s Association of Professors of Liturgy.
The liturgy “is not a monument made of marble or bronze, it’s not a museum piece. The liturgy is alive like a plant, and it must be nurtured with care” and never be “neglected or mistreated,” he said.
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water to quench his thirst, but it turns out this is not possible. Jesus tells us that there is an “unbridgeable gap” between the two of them. We have always simplistically assumed that this unbridgeable gap is the gap between heaven and hell, but that is not exactly the point the parable is making. The unbridgeable gap is the gap that already exists now between the rich and poor, and the lesson is that we had best try to bridge that gap now, in thisNoticelife. that Jesus does not say that the rich man is a bad man, or that he didn’t earn his riches honestly, or that he wasn’t an upright citizen, or that he wasn’t going to church, or that he was unfaithful to his wife, or that he was a bad father to his children. It only says that he had one fault, a mortal one – inside his richness he did not respond to a hungry man sitting on the borders of house.
We might all, I submit, contemplate a certain parable of Jesus (Luke 16:19-31) where he tells the story of a rich man who ignored a poor man sitting at his doorstep and refused to share his food with him. The poor man dies and finds himself in the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also dies and finds himself tormented by thirst in Hades. He begs Abraham to send the poor man, whom he had ignored during this lifetime, to bring him some
According to the New Testament’s Letter to the He brews, “We are not among those who draw back,” he said. All Christians are called to “go forward, according to the line that tradition gives you. To go backward is to
“Progress in the un derstanding of, and even in the celebration of, the liturgy must also be root ed in tradition, which always advances in the way the Lord wants,” he said. Like with a tree, growth comes from the roots –from tradition, which is “the assurance of the future.”
MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 5Spirituality
Their work as experts, researchers and professors requires “synodal” dia logue with others in the fields of theology and the humanities, and with the people of God, who al ways need the formation and growth that helps their own understanding see “what comes from God and what really leads to him, even in the realm of the liturgy,” the pope“Wesaid.need more than ever today an exalted vision of the liturgy, so that it is not reduced to rambling about rubrical detail” or liturgical rules, he said.
Henri Nouwen once suggested that if you want to understand the tragedy of the Second World War, you can read a hundred history books about it and watch a thousand hours of video documentaries on it, or you can read the Diary of Anne Frank. In that single memoir of young girl imprisoned and later executed by the Nazis you will see, first-hand, the tragedy of war and what war does to the human soul.
There is a “worldly spirit” of going backward that is “disguised as tradition” and is “fashionable today,” he said.This “backwardism,” he said, “is a temptation in the life of the church that leads you to worldly restoration ism, disguised as liturgy and theology.”
The liturgy should be “serious (and) close to the peo ple,” he said. “The two things together: turning our gaze to the Lord without turning our backs on the world.”
By Carol Glatz
Seeing what lies near our doorsteps
The liturgy must not be “worldly” nor must it turn its back on the world with “worldly exclusivity,” he said.
However, the pope warned there are “many who say, ‘According to tradition ...,’” when talking about the liturgy, and “at most they will be traditionalists.”
The same might be said about the refugee crisis now taking place everywhere on borders around the world. According to statistics from the United Nations, there are now over eighty million ref ugees, displaced, homeless, nationless, frightened, and often hungry people on our borders around the world. Two-thirds of these are women and children, and the vast majority are not there by choice, seeking a bet ter economic opportunity in another country. The vast majority of them have been driven from their homes and their countries by war, violence, famine, hunger, ethnic and religious cleansing, and by fear for their lives.For many of us, this is a faceless, abstract problem. We have a generic sympathy for their plight but not one deep enough to keep us awake at night, unsettle our conscience, or make us willing to sacrifice some of our own comfort and security to do something for them or to pressure our governments into action. In deed, too often we are over-protective of our borders and the settled, comfortable lives we live inside our nations. This is our country! Our home! We worked hard for the things we have. It is unfair to us to have to deal with these people! They should go back to their countries and leave us alone!
The Pope’s Corner
Pope Francis meets with members of Italy’s Associ ation of Professors of Liturgy in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican Sept. 1, 2022. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
The association, which was founded after the Sec ond Vatican Council to help promote the reception in Italy of the council’s teachings on the liturgy, continues to assist the church in this “season” of liturgical reform, the pope said.
The liturgy is not a worldly festivity, nor should it feel “gloomy” or funereal, he said. It is filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, he said, and it celebrates “the beauty and grandeur of the mystery of God, who gives himself to us.”
Retired Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans will turn 90 in December, but the bike rack on his car at Notre Dame Seminary proclaims, in a fittingly understated way, that God isn't finished with him yet.
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“Going Home Like a Shooting Star” was funded in part by the Catholic Communication Campaign. Streaming opportunities will be announced by the Di ocese of Jackson. To watch a preview of the film, visit: https://youtu.be/tkzhnKG7mxc
Sister Thea was born Bertha Bowman in 1937 in Ya zoo City, Mississippi, to Dr. Theon Bowman, a physician and Mary Esther Bowman, a teacher. Her family moved to Canton where she encountered the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at Holy Child Jesus School.
Retired New Orleans Archbishop approaches 90 with no signs of slowing down
"So, what I say or what I do may be secondary to being God's presence to the people. That brought inner peace to me," he told the Clarion Her ald, archdiocesan newspaper of New Orleans.
And then, at the end of the hour he said it struck me that the Lord was not saying any thing, "but he's present, and he's expressing through his presence – support."
The bishop also remarked at the depth of her call, describing her as gifted, charismatic, prophetic and a “dy namo of energy.”
(Finney is executive editor/general manager of the Clar ion Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.)
It would also be significant for her order. One of the primary values of Franciscans is continual conver sion, Sister McKenzie explained, noting that Sister’s Thea’s canonization would call the community into deeper“Herconversion.spirituality, her witness, her prophetic spir it resonates with us today. It’s hard to even speak of Thea in the past tense. It’s as if she’s with us today,” Father Nutt said.
He also said her call for people to come together and share their gifts is a pivotal message to put a stop to “some of the racial hatred that we see in our society even today,” Father Nutt told Catholic News Service.
Her parents’ deteriorating health called her back to Canton, where she led the Diocese of Jackson’s first Office for Intercultural Affairs. Her gifts for preaching, singing and teaching led her to countless speaking en gagements across the United States.
McKenzie, president of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, said Sister Thea’s can onization would “hold up the spirituality and the gift of the Black Catholic Church” and “give courage to our African American brothers and sisters who often don’t have platform.”
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archdiocese during Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago.
Retired Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans is seen in this undated pho to. He will turn 90 in December, but still keeps a rigorous schedule of bike riding and swimming in addition to his duties as a spiritual director to 30 seminarians, priests and religious. The retired archbish op also visits homeless men and women with AIDS every Friday at an archdioce san shelter. (CNS photo/Peter Finney Jr., Clarion Herald)
He said Sister Thea had a “timeless message” that included a desire for greater harmony, unity, racial un derstanding and reconciliation and “being the body of Christ in a more faithful way.”
itual director, seminary rector and bishop, Archbish op Hughes has been masterful in helping others calm the troubled waters churning within themselves. The pitched-fork battles that characterize our social interac tions these days – as a nation and as a church – cry out for Thosehealing.neuralgic divisions over social policy and the obvious lack of fair play in public discourse are not going to be solved overnight. In his years of spiritual mentor ship, Archbishop Hughes says healing must start with a personal commitment to examine our own lives.
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He still cycles to Audubon Park in New Orleans every Sun day – "That's the safest day to ride in the city!" – swims daily during the summer in the Notre Dame Seminary pool, provides ongoing spiritual direction for seminarians, priests and religious – "I've had to cap it at 30" – and spends every Friday afternoon sitting and pray ing with the residents of Project Lazarus, the archdiocesan shelter and ministry to homeless men and women with AIDS.
In his life as a priest, spir
'... her prophetic spirit resonates with us today ...'
Thea went on to receive her doctorate from The Catholic University of America and returned to La Crosse to teach English and linguistics at Viterbo Uni versity.
This is an official promotional poster for the docu mentary “Going Home Like a Shooting Star: Thea Bowman’s Journey to Sainthood.” The documentary will air on ABC stations nationwide beginning Oct. 2, 2022. (CNS photo/courtesy NewGroup Media)
At age 9, Bertha became Catholic and at age 15, she left home for La Crosse, Wisconsin, to attend the Fran ciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration’s high school, later joining the community and taking the name Sister Mary Thea.Sister
Archbishop Hughes recalls being inside the adoration chapel at Our Lady of Mer cy Parish in Baton Rouge. It finally had become apparent that the floodwalls of the 17th Street Canal had collapsed and Lake Pontchartrain was angry and"Iwinning.wasjust overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin or what to say or do," Archbishop Hughes said. "I was putting this all on the Lord, and, of course, the Lord was remaining silent."
By Peter Finney Jr.
She was declared a “Servant of God” in May 2018 and the U.S. bishops voiced their consent to her can onization cause at their Nov. 2018 fall general meeting in Baltimore.SisterEileen
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) –
"The No. 1 step that's very helpful to take is to be faithful to some space and time each day of quiet to be present to God," Archbishop Hughes said. "If we don't step back from the swirl of messages and emotions going on around us, we're not going to get sufficient distance to see reality more objectively and sort out truth from false hood or half-truth. And, we're not going to experience the peace in ourselves that the world needs so much to receive from us.
"If we're going to be able to make some positive con tribution, we first have to be faithful to a regular time of placing ourselves before God and asking him for the grace to see ourselves, to see other people, to see the world and all that's going on, and even to see the de monic, as they are and, with his eyes, learn what it is he wants me personally to try to do that reverses, in some small way, and counters evil with good."
He just finished another book – "Priests in Love with God and Eager to Witness to the Gospel" – and lives out another chapter each day with his cheerful wit ness.He's known as the Katrina archbishop for shepherding the
In 1984, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died March 30, 1990, at age 52.
Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz of Jackson, Mississippi, pe titioner for Sister’s Thea’s cause and executive producer of the documentary, said the film “speaks the need for the church to never give up that desire to be more united and more universal.”
He also offered prayers “for His Majesty the King, as he assumes his new office, even as he mourns his moth er. God save the king.”
your thoughts and prayers were with me.”
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The documentary, by Emmy award-winning filmmaker, David Naglieri, features archival footage and interviews with dozens of commentators who knew Mother Teresa personally. It was filmed on five continents, providing interviews with many Missionaries of Charity and offering on-the-ground images of their work following in Mother Teresa’s footsteps.
Bishop Hugh Gilbert, president of the Bishops’ Con ference of Scotland, praised Queen Elizabeth for her life of “outstanding and dedicated public service.”
The U.K. has entered a 10-day period of Elizabethmourning.wasborn on April 26, 1926, to Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bow es-Lyon.Sheacceded to the throne Feb. 6, 1952, and during her corona tion in Westminster Abbey June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth was open about her Christian faith.
The queen was able to witness the celebrations in her honor but handed over all of her public duties to her nearest relatives. Her final act of office was to receive Prime Minister Liz Truss in Scotland Sept. 6, when she was also last photographed.
“On 21 April 1947, on her 21st birthday, Princess Elizabeth said, ‘I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service,’” Cardinal Nichols said. “Now, 75 years later, we are heartbroken in our loss at her death and so full of admiration for the unfailing way in which she fulfilled that“Evendeclaration.”inmysorrow, shared with so many around the world, I am filled with an immense sense of gratitude for the gift to the world that has been the life of Queen Eliz abeth II,” he said. “At this time, we pray for the repose of the soul of Her Majesty. We do so with confidence, because the Christian faith marked every day of her life andTheactivity.”cardinal quoted Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas message from 2000, in which she said the teachings of Christ and her own “personal accountability before God” gave her a framework of how to live, and that Christ’s words and example offered her “great comfort in difficult times.”Cardinal Nichols said: “This faith, so often and so elo quently proclaimed in her public messages, has been an inspiration to me, and I am sure to many. The wisdom, stability and service which she consistently embodied, often in circumstances of extreme difficulty, are a shining legacy and testament to her faith.”
During her reign, Queen Elizabeth met with four popes -- Francis, Benedict, John Paul II and John XXIII, and as princess she met Pope Pius XII.
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) – Catholics in the U.K. paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II following her death Sept. 8 and the end of a reign that lasted more than 70 years.
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said at a news conference hosted at Vat ican Radio Aug. 31 that the Knights made this film “to reach a new gener ation with the witness and example of Mother Teresa” and to inspire them.
Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury said: “As we grieve together, we know that, in losing our beloved queen, we have lost the person whose steadfast loyalty, service and humility has helped us make sense of who we are through decades of extraordinary change in our world, nation and society.”
“I willingly join all who mourn her loss in praying for the late queen’s eternal rest and in paying tribute to her life of unstinting service to the good of the nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ and her firm hope in his promises,” Pope Francis said.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With St. Teresa of Kolkata’s death 25 years ago, there is an entire generation of young men and women who did not see much about her life and legacy, serving “the poorest of the poor.”
The queen sometimes joked about her longevity, once quoting Groucho Marx, saying: “Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.”
By Simon Caldwell
“Her determination to remain active to the end of her long life has been an example of Christian leadership, which demonstrated her great stoicism and commitment to duty and was undoubtedly a source of stability and continuity in times of great change,” he said. “Scotland’s Catholic bishops will remember her in our prayers and pray for all those who mourn her loss.”
That meant it was time to put her back in the spotlight, said a panel of those who were promoting a new documentary about the life of this saint, known popularly as Mother Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charity.Ather beatification in 2003, St. John Paul II called her a “courageous woman whom I have always felt beside me.”
Mother Teresa was “an icon of the good Samaritan” who went “every where to serve Christ in the poorest of the poor. Not even conflict and war could stand in her way,” the late pope said.
“She was teaching us to have a heart that sees, and if we can learn to see as she did, the world would be a radically different and, I would say, better place,” he said.
New film on Mother Teresa seeks to put 20th-century saint back in spotlight
The accession of 1952 made 2022 the year when the world’s oldest monarch and the longest-serving mon arch in British history celebrated the platinum jubilee of her reign – the point when Elizabeth had sat on the British throne for 70 years.
British Catholics, Pope Francis pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II talks with Pope Francis during a meeting at the Vatican in this April 3, 2014, file photo. Queen Elizabeth died Sept. 8, 2022, at the age of 96. (CNS photo/Maria Grazia Picciarella, pool)
Fourteen prime ministers served during her reign, beginning with Sir Winston Churchill. Truss was the 15th to greet her in that office.
Pope Francis sent a telegram addressed “To His Maj esty the King, Charles III,” her son who immediately as cended to the throne.
Queen Elizabeth died 17 months after the death of her husband, Philip, who died in April 2021 at age 99. Her 73year marriage to Philip was the longest of any British sovereign.
Produced by the Knights of Columbus, “Mother Teresa: No Greater Love,” had its Vatican premiere Aug. 31, ahead of its release to more than 900 theaters Oct. 3 and 4.
“Thank you for promoting this type of initiative that helps, in a creative manner, to make accessible the zeal for evangelization, especially for the young generations promoting the desire to follow the Lord who loved us first,” the pope said in an Aug. 25 letter written to Kelly, replying to news of the Vatican premiere.
“Thank you for all the efforts made to capture the life of this saint, whose life and testimony have borne much fruit,” wrote Pope Francis, who canonized her at the Vatican in 2016.
Mother Teresa was born Agnes Ganxhe Bojaxhiu to Albanian parents in Skopje, now capital of North Macedonia, on Aug. 26, 1910. On Sept. 5, 1997, she died of cardiac arrest at the motherhouse of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India.
The documentary shows the work Mother Teresa inspired and, “when she was feeding the hungry or holding the hands of someone as they lay dying, she was treating them as she would the most important person in her life, Jesus Christ himself,” Kelly said in a media release.
The British sovereign died “peacefully” at Balmoral, the royal residence in Scotland, surrounded by members of her family. She was 96.
By Carol Glatz
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, paid tribute using many of the queen’s own words.
“When I spoke to you last, at Christmas, I asked you all, what ever your religion, to pray for me on the day of my coronation to pray that God would give me wisdom and strength to carry out the promises that I should then be making,” the queen said in her ad dress. “Throughout this memora ble day, I have been uplifted and sustained by the knowledge that
port was a moving experience.”
– The Denver Archdiocese: It “is called to be an agent of unity, manifesting the unity of the mystical body of Christ. She is especially called to help unify the divides between our diverse languages and cultures. Clarity of communication about our mission, more initiatives for communal prayer and healing of wounds will all help to bring about this unity.”
“Although not all partici pants called for a change in the church’s teaching on these mat ters, they did call for a change in approach and attitude,” it said. “Most participants articulated a need for more listening and con sultation in the church – most especially to engage the next generations.”Diocesan spokesperson Jai Agnish said that “reading the re
Catholics see synod listening sessions as significant for the entire church
These are some common themes that surfaced in a sampling of U.S. dioceses’ synthesis reports on listening sessions they held in preparation for the world Synod of Bishops on synodality in October 2023.
“Pope2023.Francis’ vision for the synod called for the larg est consultative process both in the history of the Cath olic Church and the history of humankind,” said Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, who attended several local gatherings.Thearchdiocese’s report captures feedback from nearly 1,000 online and in-person gatherings since Janu ary, involving over 11,000 people across western Wash ington.“I’m so proud of the many thousands of people in
“We’re not alone in the joys and challenges we expe rience in the church,” Schmadeke told The Catholic Mes senger, Davenport’s diocesan newspaper.
“Among the joys is the Eucharist, which the faithful say strengthens their faith and their connection with one another as members of the body of Christ,” he said. “Among the challenges is polarization.”
Seventy-eight sessions were hosted by parishes; 12 were based at schools; 23 were conducted through arch diocesan agencies and outreach programs; four religious orders hosted sessions; three lay associations held listen ing
“Thissessions.synthesis reveals pain and challenges with in our church along with opportunities for healing and growth,” wrote Louisville Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre in a cover letter accompanying the archdiocese’s synthesis. “It also reflects the great enthusiasm with which partici pants entered into this process.”
“A full spectrum of opinions was represented,” it said. “Some called for the church to fully adapt and adjust to current times and trends; still, others to clearly articulate her immutable, orthodox teaching without compromise.
Suggested discussion prompts were intentionally broad. One participant described the synod as “an offi cial, church-sanctioned conversation in which there are no taboo subjects, no off-limits subjects, no wrong an swers.”More than 90% of the archdiocese’s parishes are rep resented in its synod synthesis report. Additionally, lis tening sessions were held with students, the imprisoned, Catholic Community Services of Western Washington and women religious.
– The disciple: “Take seriously that we have personal responsibility for the mission to evangelize those closest to us: our family, neighbors and co-workers.
“Contrasting suggestions were made; for example, to limit the participation of, and presence of, the laity in the sanc tuary and affirm the male, celi bate priesthood versus to allow a married clergy and ordain wom en as deacons and/or priests.”
On a regional level, Patrick Schmadeke, diocesan di rector of evangelization, represented the Davenport Di ocese on the Region IX team working on its own synod report. Altogether, 17,044 people of the 15 dioceses that comprise the episcopal region participated in listening sessions and 37,666 completed online surveys.
WASHINGTON – Evangelizing the whole church, taking personal responsibility for the mission to evange lize, engaging youth and young adults better, accompa nying families, asking parishes to become more welcom ing, understanding the experience of LGBTQ+ Catholics and allowing more women in church leadership roles.
Each parish in the Denver Archdiocese held listen ing sessions after an archdiocesan-wide retreat in Advent on mission of the synod. At these sessions, parishioners prayed together and discussed questions about mission.
– The family: “Every family needs accompaniment of some sort. Help the family to encounter healing and forgiveness. Recognize that parents are the primary for mators and educators of their children. There is a desire to receive formation on how to do this well.”
– The parish: “God is asking our parishes to become more welcoming. The parish doesn’t exist for its own sake but is sent out for the sake of the broader communi ty. ... We need to reach out with the good news, with the treasure we have, and share it with those who have fallen away, with the poor, and with the broader community. The Eucharist is the soul of the parish.”
By CatholiC News serviCe
Massgoers were invited to have conversations with at least three different people: someone already in the pews; someone who used to be in the pews but hasn’t been since the pandemic; and someone who has never been a part of a faith community or stopped practicing long ago. Responses were shared on the diocesan web site.The coffee initiative was one of two prongs of the dio cese’s synod preparation process. The other prong focus es on organized listening sessions. Responses from the listening sessions and conversations provided the content for the diocese’s 10-page summary.
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In the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky, the faith ful shared their experiences of the church during 120 in-person group listening sessions.
This was followed by the archdiocesan discernment event March 25-27, where representatives from across the archdiocese “gathered to pray and discern together” what was revealed in the listening phase.
He added: “We need to participate in the healing that has to come, which points back to two things: the Eucharist and thoughtfully tending to the fabric of our communities.”
“The purpose was not to determine solutions; rather to practice walking with each other as church, to listen for the Holy Spirit and to begin to discern what God is asking of us in our time,” he added.
The secretariat will use the reports from bishops’ con ferences around the world to develop the “instrumen tum laboris,” or working document, to guide continental or regional ecclesial assemblies that will take place by March
The faithful identified four primary missions, accord ing to the archdiocese’s report:
Bishops and cardinals are pictured as Pope Francis celebrates a Mass to open the process that will lead up to the assembly of the world Synod of Bishops in 2023, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican in this Oct. 10, 2021, file photo. The pope told the Reuters news agency that he is preparing to name two women to the committee that helps him choose bishops for the world’s Latin-rite dioceses; the current members are all cardinals and bishops. (CNS photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters)
The USCCB will in turn synthesize the summaries from throughout the nation for a report to submit to the Vatican Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.
In the listening phase, members of parishes, dioceses, religious orders and Catholic movements were asked to consider the ways in which they currently experience the church as “synodal,” that is, as a community that walks together, and to suggest ways to strengthen that in prac tice.A synthesis of the listening sessions formed a report each diocese had to submit to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; 16 regional teams were working on drafting regional reports synthesizing diocesan reports.
For thousands of Catholics in the three-county Di ocese of Paterson, New Jersey, the listening phase was “more than simply an enormous feedback session.”
In Iowa, the Diocese of Davenport’s “58,000 Cups of Coffee” initiative fueled synod conversations.
“The process was a deeply spiritual moment of collec tive discernment and encounter connected to the univer sal church,” the diocese said in its synthesis report.
Participants identified a lack of inclusion and sensitivity to women, the Hispanic/Latino community, LGBTQ+ people, families with young children, people with special needs, people victimized by abuse, the elderly, “and other people who, for what ever reason, feel that they do not conform to the prevalent social or moral norms,” the report said.
Dioceses utilized several different tools and opportu nities to gather feedback: in-person and online group lis tening sessions, one-on-one meetings, targeted outreach efforts, online surveys and other methods.
western Washington who led, participated and invited others to prayerful dialogue. These events were marked by prayer, heartful sharing and attentive listening,” Arch bishop Etienne said.
“The feedback is real and authentic and provides an honest assessment of experience and perceptions of Catholics right now. It also offers great hope for the fu ture,” Agnish said. “The report reveals a deep concern and love for the church and reflects on the positive dyna mism of this collective discernment process.”
(Contributing to this story were Marnie McAllister in Louisville and Barb Arland-Fye in Davenport.)
Los participantes Hispanos de la Diócesis pertenecen a las parroquias del decanato V: St. James de Tupelo, St. James de Corinth, St. Christopher de Pontotoc, St. Matthew de Ripley y St. Helen de Amory y han sido auspiciados por la oficina diocesana de Formación de Fe.
Historia de superación, compromiso, evangelización y colaboración
“Sirviendo a los Católicos Hispanos de la Diócesis de Jackson desde 1997”
Por berTa meXiDor
El certificado fue entregado por los profesores Tracey Lamont, PhD. directora y profesora asistente y Thomas Ryan, PhD. director del Programa del Instituto Loyola para la Extensión del Ministerio (LIMEX). La Misa fue celebrada por el padre Timothy Murphy, concelebrada por los Padres Henry Shelton (retirado) y Mario Solorzano, quien fue el Homilista y asistidos por el laicosministrosstríaprogramasvaLoyolaSolá.permanentediáconoCarlosLaUniversidaddeNue-OrleansofrecedeMae-yCertificadoaeclesiales(LEM)así
Danna Johnson, quien obtuvo una Maestría en Teología de Loyola en 2019 y es ahora LEM en Inmaculate Heart of Mary Houston, fue la facilitadora del grupo. Las hermanas Carol Ann Prenger, SSND de Ripley y Jane Wand, SSND de Boonville fueron también una fuerza de apoyo y motivación para el grupo, acompañándolos en todoEnmomento.suhomilía,
El programa LIMEX comenzó en Tupelo en 2008. El doctor Len Pinkley, pionero de LIMEX, recordó en su intervención
TUPELOMississippicatholic.com–YolandaChávez;
El Padre Timothy Murphy explicó a Mississippi Catholic que LIMEX ha ayudado a grupos desde Natchez hasta Tupelo. “Una gran parte de los fondos para la traducción de los materiales al español fue proporcionada por la familia de la Sra. Betty Montgomery. Ella fue una de las primeras partidarias de LIMEX, con un doctorado en inglés y quien falleció trágicamente en un accidente en hace unos 10 años Tupelo.”
El grupo, recibió el Premio Kairos, del Instituto Loyola para el Ministerio el pasado mes de mayo, durante la ceremonia de graduación de Honores de la Facultad de Enfermería y Salud de Loyola. La palabra griega Kairos significa un ‘...espíritu pleno, cuando las personas y circunstancias se unen de forma extraordinaria para cumplir la voluntad de Dios en el mundo.”
TUPELO – El Certificado de Educación Continua en Teología y Ministerio de la Universidad Loyola de New Orleans fue recibido por un grupo de doce líderes Hispanos del decanato V, después de cuatro años de estudio, en Misa especial el 27 de agosto en la iglesia de St. James.
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Luis Gordillo; Magaly Heredia; María de Jesús Hernández; Mariano Hernández; Maria León; Alejandro López; Eduardo Padilla; Teresa Pena; Luis Rosales; Bernardo Sorcia y Raquel Thompson recibieron el premio Kairos del Instituto del Ministerio de la Universidad Loyola el pasado mayo. El certificado por completar sus estudios de Teología vino de las manos del Dr. Thomas Ryan, director of LIMEX en Misa especial el 27 de Agosto. (Arriba) Los doce líderes de LIMEX y su coordinadora Danna Johnson se preparan y bajan la cabeza para recibir la bendición especial proveniente de los Padres Tim Murphy, Mario Solorzano, Henry Shelton y el diácono Carlos Solá. (Debajo) La audiencia, acompaña a los sacerdotes en la bendición. (Fotos de Berta Mexidor)
como a líderes parroquiales que sirven a su iglesia. El certificado de LIMEX consta de seis semestres, completando un curso en cada uno de ellos.
el padre Mario Solorzano dijo que estudiar cuatro años de teología es un gran logro, pero que el caso de los laicos, a diferencia de los sacerdotes, la tarea es doble porque además de estudiarla ”...ustedes la ponen en práctica todos los días en sus vidas de familias, en el trabajo y en sus comunidades. Por eso ustedes ven la fe de una manera diferente,” y los instó a usar aún más los conocimientos adquiridos.
Por raquel ThomPson
Uno de los muchos impactos que surgieron, tanto en los días de estudio como en mi vida personal, en el ámbito laboral, así como en mi vida de fe, fue sensibilizarme para darme la paciencia de escuchar a las personas y a mí misma para así poder discernir y escuchar la voz de Dios.
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Otra cosa fue que, en los tiempos de pandemia, de igual manera Dan na nuestra facilitadora nos alentó para seguir adelante con nuestras clases vía Zoom y esto fue algo mar avilloso para mí, ya que estoy segu ra que todo esto eran cosas de Dios, para que yo viera lo positivo, aún en medio de tan gran desafío que teníamos, en ese tiempo tan difícil de pandemia que pasamos.
Después de poner, en oración, la decisión en las manos de Dios y tomarme el tiem po para discernir, me di cuenta de que era el momento de retomar estudios, después de mucho tiempo de haber dejado el estudio, Dios me estaba dando la oportunidad de
TUPELO – Me pidieron que les dé un testimonio acerca de cómo este Curso de LIMEX ha impactado mi vida tanto personal como espiritual y lab oral.Mi
Agradezco al Dr, Ryan, a la Dra. Tracy a todas las personas de la Universidad de Loyola porque han hecho un gran trabajo en desarrollo de este programa de LIMEX al ha cerlo lo más sencillo y accesible para que todos los estudiantes pudiéra mos entenderlo de la mejor manera posible, adaptado a nuestro horario y así poder tener la oportunidad de participar es este programa.
Aprendo a Escuchar a Otros y a mí Misma para Oir a Dios
Otro agradecimiento muy especial lo doy al Padre Henry Shelton, ya que él fue quien hizo posible que en el año 2000 el Ministerio Hispano empezara aquí en St. James, con la ayuda del Padre Augusto Langenkamp y Elquin González.Esteresultado del día de hoy es uno de los tantos frutos recibidos, en esta parroquia de St. James, de las muchas semillas que ellos sembraron.
nombre es Raquel Thompson, estoy casada con mi esposo Ted por más de 25 años. Tenemos tres hijos: Anthony, Priscilla y Emma. Soy origi naria de Valle de Santiago, Guanajuato Mexico y migrante de este pais por 27 años.Soy
TUPELO – Los doctores Thomas Ryan, PhD. director of LIMEX y Tracey Lam ont, PhD. profesores de Loyola University, acompañados de Fran Lavelle, directora de Formación de Fe se preparan para entregar el Ceriticado de es tudios terminados, después de cuatro años de formación, a doce líderes his panos del decanato V, en Misa especial el 27 de Agosto.
Una de las cosas que me atrajo a este programa de LIMEX fue, sin lugar a dudas, un llamado de Dios, tocando a mi corazón para que abriera la puerta a este llamado. Recuerdo muy bien al Padre Tim y a Danna cuando me hicieron esta invitación, tam bién al Dr. Ryan cuando vino a hacer la introducción de este programa y cuando me dije que "4 años son demasiados para mi especialmente teniendo a mi bebe pequeña."
TUPELO – Raquel Thompson lee un sencillo y muy emotivo testimonio despues de recibir su certificado (derecha) de Educación Continua en Teología y Ministerio de la Universidad Loyola de New Orleans en Misa especial el 27 de agosto en St James. Lacopia de su testimonio es reproducida en esta
Len Pinkley, uno de los primeros alumnos del programa LIMEX en 2008, agradeció al Padre Shelton y a Loyola University y recordo a sus compañeros de estudio, vivos y ya fallecidos. (Fotos por Berta Mexidor)
Este programa del LIMEX ha influido de diferentes maneras en mi vida, me ha hecho una persona más madura en mi trabajo ministerial y más segura de mi fe católi ca, donde todo este estudio me llevo a experimentar, investigar, dialogar, estudiar de diferentes formas para poder comprender, sentir, pensar, percibir y compartir todos estos conocimientos aprendidos a los diferentes ministerios que tengo a mi cargo y a todas las personas que tengo a mi alrededor en especial a mi propia familia.
Le doy gracias además al Padre Tim Murphy por todo su apoyo, a Danna Johnson nuestra facilitadora, a la seño ra Fran Lavelle, directora de la oficina diocesana de formación de la fe, al Obispo Ko pacz y a todas las personas en la Diócesis de Jackson que aportaron su grano de arena para que pudiéramos tener este tipo de programa en español.
Yo exhorto a todos los jóvenes de nuestra parroquia o a las personas que quieran continuar estudiando que no pierdan la oportunidad de prepararse ya que nunca es tarde y este curso les va a enseñar a comprender más sobre su fe y crecer espiritual mente a un nivel personal, pero también para ser consientes y sensibilizarse de ver todas las cosas que pasan a su alrededor, teniendo una visión más congruente.
aprender, de conocer y formarme más acerca de mi fe católica y de poder compartir todo lo aprendido, ponerlo en práctica en mi propia persona, en mi familia y en mi tra bajo
(Raquel Thompson ha recibido el Premio Kairos de la Universidad de Loyola y es líder del Ministerio Hispano de la parroquia de en St. James Tupelo)
Unaministerial.delas primeras cosas que recuerdo con mucho cariño de mis compañeros de clase fue la dis ponibilidad que se percibía tanto de la facilitadora como de cada uno de ellos, respetando los parámetros de dialogo, el respeto y la escucha du rante cada clase.
uno de los doce estudiantes de este curso del LIMEX y trabajo como Coordinadora de la Comunidad Hispana aquí en esta Parroquia de St. JamesVoyTupelo.acomenzar agradeciendo a toda mi familia por el apoyo incondi cional que recibo de cada uno de ellos.
TUPELOsección.–Dr.
The young church articulated a desire for leaders who are humble and live their faith. They also asked for more opportunities for meaningful service; to take care of the poor. Like the Good Samaritan, the young church is asking us to pour wine and oil into the wounds of those in most – Continued on page 2 –
THE WISDOM OF THE YOUNG CHURCH
“I am gay. Help my parents accept me.”
“I am not Catholic, but I would change the hypocrisy.”
“Please stop making out like the Catholic religion is superior to other religions.”
The Diocese of Jackson is the largest territorial diocese east of the Mississippi River. There are 72 parishes and 19 missions spread out over the 37,643 square miles. However, the large geographic footprint does not hinder our mission. We firmly believe in a ministry of presence and presence requires us to meet God's people where they are.
70 Parishes Missionsand 18 High School ReligiousProgramsEducation4CatholicHighSchools 2 CampusUniversityMinistries2CohortsCatholicSeminariansof1CohortofCharitiesEmployees 2 Orders of Religious Women1PrisonCommunity 15 Local Sessions in Spanish 2 Cohorts of theProgramDiaconate
Diocese NUMBERS
of Jackson Synod on Synodality Synthesis Summary BY THE
Just over 40 percent of the high school students enrolled in our four Catholic high schools are Catholic. We serve a large non-Catholic student community. Responses from the non-Catholic students reflected two major sentiments:
Through the process of thoughtful prayer and discernment, our teens clearly see their call to be the hands, feet and heart of Christ in the world. They articulated a need for authenticity in how we serve, include and welcome others.
“I am a science person. I need proof. Help me understand the why.”
Catholics represent about two percent of the population in the diocese. Our minority status clearly offers us many opportunities to have conversations with our non-Catholic family, friends and coworkers. Thankfully, most people are open to conversation and feel at ease asking questions about what Catholics believe. Our young people often express a sense of responsibility in knowing their faith in order to answer their non-Catholic friends who may have questions. We heard in our local listening and affirmed again in the regional listening sessions with Bishop Joseph Kopacz a desire for better catechesis and a greater understanding of Scripture, specifically Bible studies.
SYNOD 1MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 16, 2022
We were overwhelmed that nearly 100 percent of our parishes and missions participated as did all four of our Catholic high schools, two college campus ministries, two womens' religious communities, several parish high school religious education cohorts, our seminarians, both cohorts in our diaconate program, our chancery department leadership, staff and leadership from Catholic Charities and men from one of the prisons in Mississippi. The graces that poured forth from our process were confirmed and affirmed across all demographics. The heart and mind of the people of God regardless of age, ethnicity or background found alignment in a desire for healing and unity.
When asked "what Jesus is asking you to do?" the teens responded:
• Be inclusive of others
• Keep an open heart and mind; Be merciful
• See Christ in everyone
“Be less intimidating.”
“Let us not be so quick to judge.”
INTRODUCTION
On the question of "what can our church do or change to respond to your needs as a Catholic Christian?" – a sample of responses include:
Our love for the young church compelled us to seek their wisdom as we saw them with the most to gain or lose if this moment of synodality was not properly explored. Ninth through twelfth graders were all asked the same questions: (1) In your own words what is Jesus asking you to do? and (2) What can our church do to change or respond to your needs as a Catholic Christian?
• Serve/help others
“The good Samaritan ignored the social differences between himself and the victim in the name of mercy. This is the mindset we should have today.”
“Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it. We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.”
These words of the Adsumus Sancte Spiritus (We are present, Holy Spirit) truly formed and informed the work of the Diocese of Jackson as we faced challenges in gathering the people of God to pray, reflect and discern where the Holy Spirit is leading us.
We are searching for ways to reimagine transmitting our Catholic faith in the Dio cese of Jackson that honors our deep tradition and past but also seeks to provide for a more inclusive future as one. Our desire for unity will only be achieved if we work to be one. Breaking down the man-made barriers that divide us will not be easy. Forces within and from the outside of the church have worked tirelessly to divide people. Recognizing that the church is big enough to make room for everyone is the one thing that will save us from further fracture.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC2 SYNOD
The work of healing requires prayerful consideration. The hurt experienced by the church varies from person to person. The areas of healing range from providing a more reasonable process for annulments, to creating space for the LGBTQ community, to overcoming racial and ethnic divisions, and to handling the continued fallout from the sexual abuse scandal. Allowing people to name their hurts is extremely powerful. We discerned that while we may be operating in a more transparent way, we still need to provide opportunities for those hurt by the church to be heard. An often-mentioned request was for the church to take ownership of its mistakes. The church can easily be circumscribed by ongoing litigation, but as soon as possible we should make the effort to own our mistakes, apologize to those impacted by our actions and make every effort to provide reconciliation and restorative justice.
1. Healing and Unity, 2. Adult Formation for Evangelization, and 3. Education of Children and Youth.
THE NEED FOR GREATER FRATERNITY
Our local listening underscored a clarion call for unity and healing. The call for unity came through on several levels.
There were three major themes that came from our discernment. We heard an overwhelming call for:
We heard a call for the church to be a safe place where different points of view and different spiritual expressions find a home. The biggest barrier to unity is our ability to disarm ourselves of our weapons of choice – be they words or actions. If we are to provide a big umbrella that covers the spectrum of spirituality and theological perspec tives, then everyone needs to make room for the other.
The strained political discourse in this country has taken a toll on the faithful. Many requested that politics be taken out of the church. While in reality politics can never be totally removed from the church, it is entirely possible to lessen the divisive rhetoric. We know the Catholic vote in 2020 was evenly split between the two major parties. The overflow of divisive, often tribal thinking that is evident in American political life has spilled into our sanctuaries. We read in Mark 3:25, “And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” As part of the call to unity, we un derstand that we must find ways that clergy and lay leaders promote the values and teachings of the church without regard to conservative or liberal agendas.
We also heard a call for greater lay leadership in the church and education/for mation of lay leaders; adult faith formation centered on Scripture, the Eucharist, and basic church teaching; evangelization of adults and youth to learn to share faith; active youth programs to reach and retain the young church; and to continue to rebuild trust and increase transparency.
CASTING OUR DREAMS
CONCLUSIONS
need of hope and healing. They called for leaders to be more authentic in words and actions; to stop being hypocritical. They asked for better preaching; to be more relevant and address issues that matter. They asked that the church stop using religion to support political views. They called us to be better examples of faith in action. And they asked the church to be more welcoming of others regardless of faith tradition, culture, and/or sexual orientation (LGBTQ). They further asked we meet people where they are.
JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz opened the Synod on Synodality in the Diocese of Jackson with a special Mass on October 24, 2021. (Photo by Tereza Ma)
– Continued from page 1 –
To be certain, there is a chasm between the more traditional Catholics including some young adults and the more progressive community. We heard both a call for preserving the Latin Mass and lifting the rules of celibacy so that married men can become priests and priests can marry. Expanding the role of women as deacons and
First, there was a call for unity in our diversity. There were some members of our traditionally African American parishes who called for integration of parish es. Those voices advocating for the integration of parishes cited that the model of segregated parishes no longer reflects societal norms.
Some things we heard we readily understood are examined at higher levels of the hierarchy. Other things the diocese can influence, while others are local issues that seek local solutions. We heard a call for better formation of adults. This is an area for partnership between the diocese and local communities. Another issue we heard from many participants was a call for better catechesis and understanding of the Eucharist. Our celebrations and activities throughout the year underscore our commitment to listening to what the people of God need from the church.
The above is a summary of the synthesis report submitted to the USCCB. To view the full 10-page report of the synod process in the Diocese of Jackson, visit www.jacksondiocese. org/synod.
In the regional sessions, we asked for concrete ideas; we asked the faithful to fur ther define the vision. We all want unity; we all want to retain the young church; we all want racial reconciliation. The question we asked is what does that look like? Some times the most important part of a conversation is in asking the questions. Perhaps the real work will begin when we intentionally gather again and again in different forums and locations to hammer away at the things that divide, deflate and defeat us.
Let Us Dream by Pope Francis was the inspiration for the process we developed for the ten regional listening sessions that our Bishop held throughout the diocese. We vis ited each of the six deaneries with listening sessions in English and held an additional four sessions in Spanish at key locations with high Hispanic presence.
We are all one in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. The truth of our faith is beautiful. We realize that before we can speak to others about that beauty, we must first see it in ourselves – our messy, diverse, complicated selves.
We stated many times over that the good news of the Synod on Synodality is that we do not have to wait for a document from Rome or for that matter a pastoral letter from our Bishop to begin the work of Synodality. This process of deep listening has reminded us to be more intentional.
There were some content voices who expressed an affirmation that every thing is fine just the way it is. But by and large, the young church asked to be taken seriously. They want to be seen, valued, and heard.
Our Hispanic community looks vastly different than it did 15-to-20 years ago. Gone are the days that Hispanic ministry solely served the needs of migrant communities as they came and left to work in our agricultural sector. Many commu nities throughout the diocese have well established Hispanic congregations. Many of our Hispanic high school youth were born and raised in Mississippi and have as much of a Southern accent as any of our Anglo teens. For the young church they have been raised side by side with their African American and Anglo contemporaries. For older Hispanics, depending on their immigration status and how long they have lived in the US, the needs of the communities vary widely.
We clearly witnessed the many streams that were feeding into the overflow mo ments brought forth by the synod process. They are still forming, flowing, and directing the mission of the diocese; the work of Synodality never ends.
... Synod Synthesis Summary Continued ...
One of the first steps toward becoming a synodal church is a real effort to rebuild a sense of community. Central to this mission is continuing to gather for dialogue. One of the more interesting groups that shared the synod process together was the leadership from the chancery. Our conversation was robust as we sought ways to animate faith in the Body of Christ in our diocese. What we all saw was our need to go out – to be present in our schools and parishes and gather to talk, brainstorm, and yes, dream.
priests was also raised. Deeply rooted in the passionate views of both communities and everyone in between is a genuine desire for a better church. We also heard a call for a better understanding of Scripture, for better adult formation, and for an expansion of formal formation of the laity for ministry roles within the church.
The young church is calling us to authentic listening, intentional accompani ment, and a re-envisioning of how we catechize. Witnessing faith in action was a theme that we heard over and over from the young church.
Unity – more diocese wide participation. Every church seems to act alone and keep it within the parish. As Catholics in central Mississippi our community is fairly small. I believe by reaching out to other churches and supporting their events or missions, we could build a stronger bond with our Catholic community formation.
As a married 32-year-old, my wife and I seek things to do based around our faith, marriage, retreats, diocese gatherings, festivals, worships, etc.
Also, I can say with 100% certainty that in the young, joyful living church, women priest is such a fringe view. Literally only old people seem to support that. (I say this lovingly.)
Showing concern and patience for those who do not share our view, lifestyle and feelings. Try to assist those who have left the church are viable path of reconciliation.Provide educational and recreation for the youth. Encourage them of the benefits of knowing Christ and church.
I am a young adult not native to the diocese. Being from outside the diocese I have had the opportunity to participate in numerous young adult communities throughout the southeast. Many things that made those groups vibrant, serving and alive are missing in this community. – Availability of the sacraments – Deep orthodoxy in educational opportunities that exceeds the surface level – Leaders who embrace the quest for answers to difficult questions
With the family being the domestic church, we need to build on the wonderful work that is already started. More attention to marriages to support the family. Many in our community and specifically in the church suffer from one partner having psychological issues. I feel our pastor avoids this. Even educating in group sessions what is healthy and unhealthy. How
What can we accomplish in “one hour a week?” Not sure if “here’s your book-teach your class” is the best way to approach teaching the children who do not attend a catholic school. I realize volunteers may not want to spend or donate even more time to really know their subjects, but “we” need to make the very best of what little time we have with our children. “Educate the Educators.”
For better and full communication when conflicts arise. Look at how we can handle conflict resolution better going forward. Transparency from the start, more education on the purpose of the sacrament of reconciliation and making it more available to us – has healing power. All need to be willing to hear what they may not want to hear but be willing to grow. Unite our diocese in common prayer. Make therapy, vacation, healing retreats available for our clergy and ministers without stigma attached to it. Have our priests have a support system, ways to be nurtured and poured into. They are spread thin.
Adult formation needs to be pushed hard from the pulpit. There are enough programs available on a myriad of topics
Diocesan phase/ Episcopal conferences phase
Continental assemblies convene and submit Instrumentum Laboris 2 (synthesis) to Rome by March 31, 2023.
In order to evangelize first we need to have more adult education in order to feel capable of explaining our faith small group studies talking and reaching the Bible and learning together.
As an expecting father children’s education is important, our early learning programs are great, but it will be my job as a father to ensure the education sticks.
GREENWOOD – MARCH 31, 2022
Commitment to meet across racial and language barriers, to listen to each other and act out of love, acknowledge our own shortcomings and ignorance.
Yearly sessions on Catholic social teaching to address all sections. As society changes, it can never be too often that all are discussed.
Improve religious ed by having fewer breaks (we cancel for the smallest, briefest school holidays – Columbus Day, Labor Day, etc.) Keeping it routine could help kids and families know that if its X:00 on Sunday, we have religious ed! Bonus: programming for adults at the same time.
There is scientific evidence (genetic) that homosexual predisposition is a gene carried and not a choice. The church must allow or at least research the literature to better meet the spiritual needs of this group of Catholic faithful.
Year 2 – 2022
e Synod of Bishops review and release nal report.
Also,all. we need to remember God’s word does not change – what is wrong is wrong! People change, not God!
Since there is very little we can do to change the annulment process – “we” can welcome those not permitted to marry in ways that are in keeping with tradition.
SYNOD TIMELINE
TUPELO – APRIL 5, 2022
Synod of Bishops
Many young adults I’ve encountered here and at other diocese feel wounded
In terms of unity and healing our church has many separate Masses which divide parishes. There has been a lack of youth orientated faith formation and a lack of leadership. Our differences seem to separate us instead of uniting us. We must invest in the youth.
Year 1 – 2021
To be willing to join in (at least) bilingual Masses, penance services and to be willing to be uncomfortable.
Youth engaging and dynamic programs be willing to face hard questions about the churchs' past. Current concerns about sexuality, gender issues and race.
Just an addition:
Continental & Universal phases
Synod process opens/ Diocesan phase
Listening sessions held and diocese synthesis report submitted to USCCB. e synthesis (Instrumentum Laboris) was then submitted to the Continental Assembly on Aug. 31, 2022.
and abandoned by pastors and bishops who tease or question their reverence, sincerity, questions and works.
MERIDIAN – APRIL 4, 2022
MADISON – MARCH 21, 2022
to build God centered relationships and avoid secular division.
BATESVILLE – APRIL 6, 2022
NATCHEZ – APRIL 19, 2022
SYNOD 3MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 16, 2022
Year 3 – 2023
e synodal journey opened with Pope Francis and bishops around the world with time for re ection on the preparatory document for the Synod on Synodality.
By coming together at Mass and celebrating opening our heart and mind to the presence of Christ. By prayer and realizing we are all created by God, we can accept each other with respect and understandingEmbracing our religion and learning what it entails, being a practicing Catholic, living our religion so that others will see Christ in us.
If the diocese did and probably should concentrate only on these, it would be Adult Formation – everything from life-changing, heart-affecting retreats like
– Continued on page 4 –
Our church leaders need to continually apologize for how the sex scandals were covered up and since handled. This should come from the local level, but continually from the bishops, archbishops, cardinals and pope. Confidence needs to be restored that our church leaders know that abuse of children is a sin. It is not bad behavior. It is a sin! We need to know that all the pedophiles have been removed from our church.
Below are excerpts from input received at regional synod listening sessions across the diocese.
Email from Bishop’s Office on the “Whys of the faith.” Short. One big question answered succinctly. If an email came from the Bishop and it could help train folks to answer questions that come from other denominations and the public.
Input from Regional Synod Listening Sessions
Be more welcoming in the church by reaching out to those who have left the church.Effectively teach children about their faith ensure that they are knowledgeable as they mature and go through their educational process.
Form groups that fast and prayer for a given time for healing and unity specifically in our parishes, diocese, country.
Cursillo to missions, to fantastic speakers, to Bible study. Well-formed adults will seek healing and unity, and will bring their children to Mass and religious ed. If we focus on everything, we’ll end up doing nothing. Let’s focus energy and diocesan money on adults formation.
– Challenge to engage in open faithful service to others
The youth in most parishes in Mississippi are spread out at different school districts and need more time to be together besides just a Wednesday night at faith formation.The"Bible in a Year" by Father Schmidt on Ascension Press is an awesome program that should be encouraged for
“Do you think your position as Pope makes you closer to God?”
– Continued from page 3 –... Regional Listening Input Continued ...
– pure water, pure air, untainted food – why do we allow scriptural preaching and explanations to be corrupted by political philosophies and trends. It only politicizes the Word and either panders to or infuriates the faithful.
“Pope Francis, do you believe the youth are import to the Church?”
not look like your or think like you. If the need is validat ed, develop a plan. Take your plan to the parish council or yourOftenpastor/LEM.parishioners come to the church office to bring up a need to the pastor but do not have constructive ideas on how to address the issue. I am not advocating that we all act like urban cowboys and bust up the pas tor’s office hell bent on doing what we want. I am sug gesting that when we see a need, develop solutions, seek input, listen to others and present a well-formed plan for addressing the issue. We have clutched our pearls for far too long. We have looked to the clergy or someone else to address the issues facing the church.
Our favorite responses include:
KNEADINGSYNOD
Welcome people of different races and eth nicities as members of our faith, worship com munities.Perhaps it is time to join majority white par ishes and majority black parishes as one – espe cially in places where one is flourishing, and one is struggling.
and unity: Welcome our LGBT mem bers with open arms and allow active participa tion in our church and liturgies.
“What kind of car do you drive?”
“What is your favorite season?”
Wefaith.need to call on the Holy Spirit to fill us with a passion to use the resources and tools that we have been given and become leaders within our parishes and com munities. What we are in need of are doers of the Word. We need people to say in earnest, “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.”
All that we heard, all that the faithful are seeking is within our grasp. There are more programs, podcasts, video series, websites and resources than one could ever have imagined. We do not need better resources. We do not need a better textbook for education our children in the
In the past nearly 60 years since Vatican II we have seen a sharp decrease in the number of clergy and reli gious serving the church. Perhaps the laity has not been empowered or encouraged to do so, but it the Synod made it clear that everyone must take part in undertak ing the work of the church. The ordained and religious can no longer shoulder that responsibility alone. The lay revolution I am speaking of is for us, the laity, to step up to the plate and take responsibility for our faith and the
I have been calling for a lay revolution for years. Be fore anyone calls the Vatican to have me arrested for inciting an insurrection against the church let me be very clear about what I mean.
How do you become a transformational leader in the church? If you see a need, talk to others in your commu nity about what they see. Get input from people who do
“What do you do with your personal time?”
Opportunities for fellowship (example: parish retreats dinner, events, etc. where you see micro cosm of our parish ) – For many, these opportu nities were some of the only events they engage in socially. I believe that these programs/events can help foster a sense of healing and unity and possibly help eliminate some of the isolation.
The listening sessions for our Synod demonstrated that we, the laity, know what is needed to move beyond a transactional faith. People around this diocese asked for better faith formation of both youth and adults, you asked for an end to partisan politics, you asked for great er unity, you asked for healing. You asked that we do a better job keeping the young church engaged and active.
(Fran Lavelle is the Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson.)
Bless the disenfranchised. Invite to parish family activities. Show love over and over. Touch people with hard hands. Physically reach out. Smile and give eye contact.
“What is the hardest part about being the Pope?”
Priest don’t have to do this; a trained facilitator can handle leading discussion.
We asked students if they could ask Pope Francis a question, what would it be.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC4
“If you could change your profession, what would you want to be?”
FOREST – Individuals gathered at St. Michael Forest to have to have their voices heard and give concrete ideas for the regional synod sessions held by the diocese. (Photo by Berta Mexidor)
ministries of the church in a transformational way. We have looked to the leadership of the church to tell us what to do.
Scripture, when preached well and consistent ly, in line with the long understanding the church provides, really cuts deep into the modern divi sion in structures. It always has what we want
“…when we go to a different life, is it going to be the same life that I have now, but different scenarios?”
I am not asking for a lay revolution against the church; rather one within the church in collaboration with the ordained and consecrated. For generations upon generations religious sisters and brothers catechized our children, Father made sick calls to the hospital and nurs ing homes. Father gave instructions for those seeking to come into the church. He also prepared couples for mar riage. Lay people had roles as cooks, housekeepers and janitors, but the heavy lifting of ministry was undertaken by clergy and religious.
And several versions of, “What did you do to become Pope?”
Beyond a synod process to a synodal church ...
that there is no excuse not to use them. However, the diocese might be able to help by offering fa cilitation training at various places in the diocese.
Acceptance of others for who they are or those who are different from you. God created ev eryone. His most important commitment is love. Everyone has something to bring to the table let's give them the opportunity to share. Some people often feel unaccepted in the church – they must feel they the love we as Christians should change that.Healing
“What made you decide to be so faithful to being Catholic?”
I have a plaque in my office that says. “Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.” If we want vibrant, dynamic, communities of faith we have to be dy namic and vibrant people of faith. Multiply the success of your parish community. Be a part of the solution. Step up. Show up. Share the journey.
FAITH
By Fran LaveLLe
San Lucas, el querido y glorioso médico en su vida anterior, sabía que el único remedio para el alma enfer ma y las heridas incurables de la humanidad era el amor misericordioso de Dios cuando clama “Padre, perdónalos porque no saben lo que hacen,” y al hablarle al ladrón arrepentido, “desde hoy en adelante estarás conmigo en el paraíso.”Lacruz es universal y ofrece acceso equitativo a la justa misericordia de Dios a través de la fe. La Misa es nuestra celebración del Nuevo Pacto en la misericordia de Dios al recordar y proclamar las propias palabras del Señor; “haced esto en memoria mía”. El sacramento de la reconciliación es la forma extraordinaria en la que nos encontramos con el amor misericordioso de Dios a la manera del hijo pródigo.
Aguas de fe
Este es también el primer Día del Trabajo desde que la Corte Suprema anuló Roe v. Wade. El fallo es un paso increíblemente significativo hacia la curación de las her idas profundas del aborto y la protección de toda vida humana antes de nacer. Pero nuestro objetivo como católicos siempre ha sido, y sigue siendo, construir una sociedad en la que el aborto sea impensable. Este mo mento único requiere una sociedad y una economía que apoye matrimonios, familias y mujeres; exige que todos crucemos los pasillos políticos y trabajemos diligente mente para reformular las políticas sociales de manera que sean pro-mujer, pro-familia, pro-trabajador y por lo tanto, auténticamente pro-vida”.
Nota del editor: A continuación, se muestra la hom ilía que pronunció el obispo Joseph Kopacz en la Misa Roja celebrada el 11 de septiembre de 2022 en St. John, Oxford.
Los obispos católicos de EE. UU. han defendido prin cipios morales de larga data al discernir la política de atención médica: respeto por la vida y la dignidad, acce so a todos, honrar los derechos de conciencia, asequibil idad real y calidad integral y de alta.
JACKSON – Después de un año, la Dióceis publica las conclusiones del proceso del Sínodo Diocesano a presentar a la USCCB. En foto de archi vo, el obispo Kopacz abre el proceso del Sínodo en Misa celebrada en la Catedral de San Pedro el 24 de octubre 2021. (Foto por Tereza Ma)
Lo que hacemos en esta iglesia, y en todos nuestros lugares de culto, es el alma de todos nuestros ministeri os en educación y defensa, atención médica y servicios sociales.Nuestra oración es el trampolín de nuestro compro miso de realizar los ideales de nuestra nación, de mayor libertad y justicia para todos, basados en la dignidad de la persona humana, hecha a imagen y semejanza de Dios con un destino eterno.
La misericordia de Dios, obrando con los israelitas durante numerosas generaciones, se cumplió en Jesu cristo en la Cruz. Las palabras de Jesús en el Evangelio que desafían nuestra imaginación espiritual y nuestros instintos humanos solo pueden captarse de sus palabras y acciones en la Cruz.
Fiel a la tradición de la ley desarrollada por los israel itas en la Alianza del Monte Sinaí, la iglesia entiende que su extenso Derecho Canónico desarrollado durante casi 2000 años está al servicio de la justicia que surge de la abundante misericordia de Dios en la sangre de la Nueva Alianza en la Cruz.
“Garantizar el acceso a la cobertura de salud y la atención médica, y eliminar las barreras a estos, es sin duda una meta loable.” “La preocupación por la salud de sus ciudadanos exige que la sociedad coadyuve en el logro de condiciones de vida que les permitan crecer y alcanzar la madurez... lo que incluye, el cuidado de la salud...” Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, n. 2288.
Tal vez, nosotros no hemos probado todas nuestras opciones en Jackson. Tal vez unos buenos árboles de Magnolia, colocados adecuadamente en la planta de trat amiento de agua, sean la respuesta. Pero yo divago. Unos capítulos más adelante los israelitas recibieron el regalo de los diez mandamientos y el primero de to dos ellos como piedra angular. “Yo soy el Señor tu Dios; No tengas otros dioses aparte de mí ... porque yo soy el Señor tu Dios, Dios celoso que castiga la maldad de los padres que me odian, en sus hijos, nietos y bisnietos; pero que trato con amor por mil generaciones a los que me aman y cumplen mis mandamientos." Este es el fun damento del Pacto que Dios formó con los israelitas a través de Moisés tal como se describe en el capítulo 20 de Éxodo.Durante los 12 capítulos siguientes, Moisés, el gran legislador, recibió numerosas leyes relacionadas con el sábado (sabbath) y los esclavos, la violencia y el daño, la restitución, las leyes sociales y religiosas. Este fue un proceso largo, y el pueblo perdió la paciencia después que Moisés se había ido demasiado tiempo, y le exigi eron a su hermano, Aarón, que siguiera por un camino diferente, violando el primer mandamiento.
El Becerro de Oro fue un revés importante. La inca pacidad de Aarón para permanecer resuelto contra la dureza de corazón de los israelitas fue un acto de infidel idad costoso. Pero en esa conversación crítica que escu chamos en la primera lectura, Moisés intercedió en favor de los israelitas y llamó a Dios a recordar su justa mi
Dios ordenó a Moisés que arrojara un árbol al agua y ésta se volvió dulce.
Desafortunadamente, las regulaciones propuestas van más allá del acceso a la atención al sugerir que los proveedores de atención médica deben brindar y que los planes de salud deben cubrir, procedimientos que no están médicamente indicados, pueden dañar en lugar de curar y pueden violar las convicciones religiosas y morales.Especialmente problemática es la sugerencia en el preámbulo de que los Servicios Humanos y de Salud podrían estar abiertos a imponer requisitos con respecto al aborto.Declaración del Día del Trabajo de los obispos: “... reflexionemos sobre cómo podemos construir una economía más justa al promover el bienestar de las fa milias trabajadoras a través de obras de caridad y abo gando por políticas mejoradas como la expansión del Crédito Tributario por Hijos y la aprobación de la Ley de equidad de las trabajadoras embarazadas.
16 de septiembre de 2022
Primero, cuando llegaron a Marah no pudieron beber el agua porque estaba muy amarga, o ¿estaba turbia? Y así, los israelitas le dijeron a Moisés: "¿Tienes agua?"
En este mismo momento, la iglesia aboga por leyes justas en nombre del bien común. Los ejemplos siguen: En colaboración con otros, hemos escrito una exten sa carta al Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos sobre la legislación pendiente con respecto al Acceso a la Atención Médica, pidiendo:
Sí, tenemos agua, las aguas de la fe y del bautismo que brotaron del costado del Señor en la Cruz. Estas aguas abren las fuentes de las justas misericordias de Dios que nos renuevan para pelear la buena batalla de la fe, para terminar la carrera, para mantener la fe en esta generación y siempre.
Después que los israelitas escaparon de los egipcios a través del Mar Rojo, se dier on cuenta rápidamente que debían tener agua para so brevivir en el desierto. Estos críticos momentos se relatan en Éxodo, capítulos 15 y 17.
Por obisPo JosePh r. KoPacz, D.D.
Mientras nos reunimos esta mañana, conscientes y agradecidos por tantos profesionales cuyas vidas giran en torno a la ley del país, sepa que nuestra iglesia tiene el mayor respeto por todas las leyes justas y está compro metida a ser una voz por la justicia, la misericordia y la paz en nuestro país. Tomamos muy en serio la Primera Enmienda, la base de nuestra nación, en el sentido más completo. “El Congreso no hará ninguna ley con respec to al establecimiento de una religión, o que prohíba el libre ejercicio de esta.”
Sínodo Diocesano: Perspectiva Hispana y Números Generales
sericordia a la generación 1000, la fuente y cumbre de todos los mandamientos y leyes.Moisés pasó a reprender a su herma no Aarón llamando al arrepentimiento y a permanecer con Dios a él y a los israel itas, a todos aquellos que continuaron viviendo y avan zando como el pueblo elegido.
La iglesia debe ser consciente de ser demasiado política, pero siempre seremos una voz en la plaza públi ca donde nos mantengamos firmes en el libre ejercicio de la plenitud de la religión.
Un resumen, en números y opiniones, de las sesiones locales y audiencias públicas regionales con el obispo Joseph Kopacz, muestra logros y retos. Todo esto y más lo podrá encontrar en nuestro sitio www.jacksondiocese.org/synodweb: MISSISSIPPI CATÓLICO
Avanzar en estas dos políticas tendría un profundo impacto en la estabilidad familiar, especialmente para las familias que son financieramente vulnerables...”
Día de San Juan Pablo II. Octubre 22
líderes Hispanos “...son una gran historia de superación, compromiso, evangelización y colaboración.”
16 de septiembre de 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATÓLICO
TUPELO – La fiesta de St. James, Patrono de la comunidad, fue celebrada el Julio 25 con una peregrinación en el estacionamiento seguida de una Misa bilingue celebrada por los padres Timothy Murphy, Henry Shelton y Cesar Sanchez con la asistencia del diácono Carlos Solá. En la Misa, las señoras Mitzi Bristow Moore y Sue Repult, dos parroquianas de la comunidad Anglo, recibieron un reconocimiento por ser las fundadoras de la iglesia cuando, antes que la misma parroquia fuera construida, ellas comenzaron al tener Misas en sus casas. Al final de la Misa, la comunidad, como ya es costumbre, se reunió en el centro comunitario para compartir. (Reporte y fotos de Raquel Thompson)
@ Diócesis Católica de Jackson Mississippi Católico
el apoyo que recibió y la amistad imperecedera que se creó en el grupo, formado por seis miembros de la comunidad de Tupelo, incluido uno no católico.
–
Día de St. James en Tupelo
‘... Comunidad de Aprendizaje ...’
San Antonio Maria Claret. Octubre 24 San Judas Tadeo. Octubre 28
Para disfrutar el boletín Únase a lista de correos electrónicos Mande un texto: MSCATHOLIC a 84576
San Francisco de Asís. Octubre 4
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Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús. Octubre 1 Santos Ángeles de la Guarda. Octubre 2
Virgen del Rosario. Patrona de Guatemala. Octubre 7 Virgen del Pilar y Nuestra Señora de la Concepción Aparecida Patrona de Brazil. Octubre 12
Santa Teresa de Jesús. Octubre 15
TOME NOTA
TUPELO – La doctora Tracey Lamont agradeció a los graduados, Diócesis de Jackson, iglesia de St. James y al decanato V por dar a LIMEX esta "bendición de una asociación educacional con Loyola." (Foto por Berta Mexidor)
Envíenos sus fotos a editor@jacksondiocese.orgSíganosen Facebook
La doctora Tracey Lamont, profesora de LIMEX, concluyó diciendo que el grupo se ha ganado “el derecho de llamarse una ‘comunidad de aprendizaje’.” Viene de la pág. 3
Día de la Raza. Columbus Day. Octubre 12 Mes de la Herencia Hispana Septiembre 15 - Octubre 12
El Padre Tim concluye que estos doce
Vírgenes y Santos
mission. Its outreach is at an all-time high. More and more deaf and hard-of-hearing people are moving into the area for the center’s services.
Crapo said that the Catholic faith comes alive in sign language. He believes that the sign for “Jesus Christ” is the most powerful. It is the symbol for “king” with a C hand shape and the third finger of each hand touching the opposite palm representing Jesus’ wounds. Crapo says, “Working with our most vulnerable populations is the best way to walk in Jesus’ footsteps.”
NaTION 11MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 16, 2022
Thisflight.ishow to sign the words “Our” and “Father” — a hand that crosses the heart, open hands raised to the sky, just above the head, gracefully acknowledging the God space in which we always dwell.
Providing interpreters is just a small part of de l’Epee’s mission. The center creates a community in which the deaf and hard of hearing have all the activities and services a hearing community would have.
BILOXI – Start with your open right hand, palm face out, shoulder high. Move your right arm to the left, gently, like a mother gathering her children. Crossing your chest, touch the side of your right hand to your left shoulder.
The ministry is reaching an expanded population through a new branch called The Tabitha Project, which will serve the blind, deaf-blind and people with special needs. Crapo also helped establish a clinic that provides eye surgeries to people in need.
Ending isolation for the deaf: ministry director promotes independence and inclusion
From debt to expansion
By CatholiC ExtEnsion
Crapo has led the expansion of a wide array of social services including American Sign Language (ASL) classes, a food pantry, transportation and emergency services during extreme weather, such as hurricanes.
The ministry was established in Biloxi in 1977 by Daughter of Charity Sister Do lores Coleman. Since 2003, Crapo has served as the center’s director. Today, Crapo and his staff of three promote independence and inclusion in the community for the deaf, hard of hearing and disabled. Catholic Extension has supported the ministry for more than 30 Communityyears.isthe key word. Community is the only way to end the isolation that deafness brings.
(Catholic Extension is honored to share the accomplishments of Gregory Crapo, a fi nalist for the 2022-2023 Lumen Christi Award. Visit this page to read other inspiring stories from this year’s finalists: https://www.catholicextension.org/lumen-christi-award/ lumen-christi-award-finalists.)
Helen Keller once said, “Blindness separates people from things. Deafness separates people from people.”
Young people go on field trips, participate in dances and attend retreats. They receive educational services from academics to religious instruction. Camp D.E.A.F. (Deaf Enabled to Associate for Fun and Friendship) offers five days of recreational ac tivities for children ages 5 to 14. Older teens and young adults trained in ASL serve as camp counselors and are drawn further into empathy and mission. An outside prayer grotto is being planned to help young people know that the call to pray is always and everywhere.
Then raise both hands to the sky, the left hand slightly higher than the right, a silent show of praise. With your closed hands, a horizontal line just above the head, forming an altar, gracefully extend your fingers and pull your hands apart, like birds taking
The isolation that deafness brings is almost unimaginable for the hearing, who have no idea what the deaf have to go through to participate in a hearing world. Gregory Crapo, director of the de l’Epee Deaf Center in Biloxi, Mississippi, knows this well. Community is key
When Crapo first arrived, the center was struggling with debt. His leadership has enabled de l’Epee to become debt free, financially stable and in a position to grow its
Bishop Louis Kihneman III of Biloxi said, “Greg has been challenged with expand ing our established ministry to people of all disabilities while understanding the differ ences in each area of need.”
This ministry is as expansive as it is innovative. Crapo and his staff provide inter preting services for the Diocese of Biloxi and its neighbors. Universities and hospitals utilize these services, as do teachers, police and the court system.
In a thank-you note to our donors, Crapo wrote, “Your commitment to Catholic Extension allows us to make our community a better place and is a great inspiration, helping ensure that the staff and volunteers of de l’Epee can provide critical assistance whenThereneeded.”arethose who take advantage of the deaf. Crapo believes that trust building is the most important part of his ministry because such wounds can only be healed through love and in community. Crapo’s trust in God’s love animates his ministry. De l’Epee is truly God’s space.
So, start with a hand that crosses the heart, open hands raised to the sky, hands just above the head, gracefully praising the God space in which we always dwell.
Gregory Crapo, director of the de I’Epee Deaf Center in Biloxi, is a finalist for Catholic Extension’s 2022-2023 Lumen Christi Award. The award is Catholic Extension’s highest honor given to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve. (Photo courtesy of Dio cese of Biloxi/Gulf Pine Catholic)
• Clothe the naked
“Yourespect.have engaged each other in authentic dialogue, critical reflection challenge, and affirmation. Truly, you have earned the right to call yourselves a learning com munity,” said Dr. Lamont.
The group also received Loyola Institute’s Kairos Award for Ministry last May during the Loyola College of Nursing and Health Honors graduation ceremony. The Greek word kairos means a ‘...full spirit when people and circumstances come together in an extraordinary way to fulfill God’s will in the world.”
LEM at Immaculate Heart of Mary Houston. Sisters Car ol Ann Prenger, SSND of Ripley, and Jane Wand, SSND of Booneville were also supportive and motivating the group, accompanying them along the way.
When speaking to those who were her students, she also commended them for having “helped each other on a long and arduous road” where they also learned to overcome the challenge of dialoguing and criticizing with
Traveling from New Orleans for the special presenta tion were assistant professor and director, Tracey Lam ont, Ph.D. and director of the Loyola Institute Program for the Extension of the Ministry (LIMEX), Thomas Ryan, Ph.D. The Mass in honor of these dedicated His panic leaders was celebrated by Father Timothy Murphy, concelebrated with Fathers Henry Shelton and Mario Solorzano, and assisted by Deacon Carlos Solá. Loyola University New Orleans offers master’s and certificate programs to lay ecclesial ministers (LEMs), as well as parishCertificateleaders.awardees include Raquel Thompson, Ma ria de Jesus Hernandez, Alejandro Lopez and Yolanda Chavez of St. James Tupelo; Magaly Heredia, Mariano Hernandez, Luis Rosales, Teresa Perez and Bernardo Sorcia of St. James Corinth; Luis Gordillo of St. Christo pher Pontotoc; Eduardo Padilla of St. Matthew Ripley; and Maria Cecilia Leon of St. Helen Amory. Each were sponsored by the office of Diocesan Faith Formation.
• Welcome the stranger
The feast day of St. Vincent de Paul is Sept. 27, which is the date of his passing in 1660. He is the patron saint of all charitable works.
• Heal the sick
The LIMEX program came to Tupelo in 2008. Dr. Len Pinkley, a LIMEX pioneer, recalled in his speech the support he received and the enduring friendships creat ed in the group, made up of six members of the Tupelo community, including one non-Catholic. Dr. Pinkley also paid tribute to departed members, including the late Bet ty Montgomery.Speakingto the group of twelve leaders, Father Tim says with admiration that after they “...studied together for three years, they are the first to complete the certifi cate in Spanish.” Father Tim concluded saying that these twelve leaders “...are a great story of overcoming, com mitment, evangelization and collaboration.”
Artwork: Saint Vincent de Paul; Jean Leon Gerome; c. 1847; Public Domain
St. Vincent de Paul – Stewardship way of life
Facilitating the group was Danna Johnson, who earned a masters from Loyola in 2019 and is now a
Dr. Lamont commended the graduates for their com mitment to the program and thanked the parish of St. James and the Diocese of Jackson for the collaboration. “Our educational partnership has been a blessing for Loyola,” she said.
DIOCESE12 SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
TUPELO – Certificates of Continuing Education in Theology and Ministry from Loyola University in New Orleans was presented to a group of twelve Hispanic leaders from deanery five, after a four-year period of study and perseverance, at a special Mass on Saturday, Aug. 27 at St. James parish in Tupelo.
Father Tim explained that LIMEX has helped groups from Natchez to Tupelo. “A large part of the funding for the translation of the materials into Spanish was provid ed by the family of Betty Montgomery. She was an early supporter of LIMEX, with a Ph.D. in English, who was tragically killed in an accident in Tupelo about 10 years ago,” said Father Tim.
By Berta Mexidor
• Feed the hungry
JACKSON – St. Vincent de Paul’s holiness had a heart for the poor and was dedicated to the service of those suffering from poverty. He founded the Vincentians and the Daughters of Charity, and over the course of time established many local charitable groups, urging members to see Christ in the poor and attain holiness in theirSt.service.Vincent placed service to the poor above nearly every activity in his life. He would maintain: “When you leave your prayer to care for a sick person, you leave God for God. To care for a sick person is to pray.”
TUPELO – Danna Johnson, who also holds a mas ters from Loyola, is a LEM at Immaculate Heart of Mary Houston and coordinator of LIMEX. She thanked leaders for the opportunity to serve them. (Photo Berta Mexidor)
• Bury the dead
Hispanic leaders first to complete LIMEX program in Spanish, part of ‘learning community’
Excerpts: simplycatholic.com
STEWARDSHIP PATHS
St. Vincent practiced the seven Corporal Works of Mercy, which are obvious expressions of stewardship.
By Julia WilliaMs
• Visit the imprisoned
• Give drink to the thirsty
A life lived in concern for others is perfect stewardship. Taking care of all God’s creation is the stewardship way of life.
His humility and generosity have propelled Christians to greater charity for cen turies. Many parishes today have a St. Vincent de Paul Society, or other parish min istries, which carries on the work for the poor.
In his homily, Father Mario said that studying the ology for four years is a great achievement, but that in the case of lay people, unlike priests, the task is double because in addition to studying it “...you all put it into practice the days in their lives as families, at work, and in their communities. That is why you see faith in a dif ferent way,” and he urged them to use the knowledge gained even more.
Some recent reports have found the economy is re turning to a pre-pandemic norm with regards to unem ployment rates.2 However, other reports demonstrate that, while wages are rising, much or all of the increases are lost to inflation, which affects low-income families the most and puts our economy in a precarious position.3 I pray that government leaders who deal with inflation may have prudence in addressing its complexities and challenges.Butpre-pandemic norms were far from perfect. Even before current economic uncertainties, women – espe cially women of African descent and Latina women –earned less than their male counterparts, including when doing the same work with the same qualifications. They filled the majority of direct care jobs, experiencing in creased risk of injury, high stress, and exposure to illness while earning low wages.4,5 They were the majority of caretakers for their loved ones, yet many lacked ade quate family and medical leave policies. These and other economic challenges continue to affect working families andThischildren.isalso the first Labor Day since the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. The ruling is an incred ibly significant step towards healing the deep wounds of abortion and protecting all preborn human life. But our aim as Catholics has always been, and remains, to build a society in which abortion is unthinkable. This unique moment necessitates a society and an economy that sup ports marriages, families, and women; it demands that all of us reach across political aisles and work diligent
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 viola tions, harassment or substance abuse occurring at a Catholic par ish, Catholic school or at the diocesan level. The system is operat ed 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/jacksondi ocese or call 888-830-0004 (English) or 800-216-1288 (Spanish).
By Bishop paul s. Coakley, arChBishop of oklahoma City, Chairman of the Committee on DomestiC JustiCe anD human Development
One of the USCCB’s policy priorities this Congress has been supporting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). There is cur rently no federal law requiring employers to provide short-term, reasonable accommoda tions to pregnant women in the workplace and the PWFA would do so. Common re quests include being able to carry a bottle of water, a stool for jobs that involve long peri ods of standing, or lighter duty for jobs that entail heavy lifting. Women in low-wage and physically demanding jobs, disproportion ately held by women of color, are regularly denied these simple accommodations and terminated or forced to take leave without pay.6 A number of states already have laws like this in place; however, pregnant women in every state should be protected by these standards. No woman should be forced to risk her or her child’s health, miscarriage, preterm birth, economic security or losing insurance benefits just because she requests a short-term, reasonable, pregnancy-related accommo dation. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed this bill with strong, bipartisan support. Now, with a short time left in this current legislative session of Congress, we urge immediate Senate passage of this pro posal that would make the workplace safer for women and their preborn children. Hundreds of Catholics who participated in this year’s Catholic Social Ministry Gath ering advocated for this bill in meetings with their U.S. Senators and we encourage Catholics to continue doing so through the advocacy center on the USCCB website.
one, and the exclusion of no one.
The USCCB has also been actively advocating in fa vor of expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC). In 2021, the CTC provided financial relief for families who were having difficulty making ends meet. Families largely spent this money on food, energy bills, housing payments and other basic needs. With rising inflation, continuing to expand this tax credit would be critically helpful to families forced to choose between buying food and fill ing up their gas tanks. Congress should move forward with a CTC proposal that has no minimum income re quirement, includes fam ilies with mixed immigra tion status, is available for the year before birth, and is offered to every child –regardless of the size of the family. The CTC was enor mously effective at reduc ing child poverty in 2021 and we should not regress from this Additionally,progress.the USC CB supports federal paid leave policy, just wages, and the right to organize. We have long called for a sys tem in which the whole of society enjoys fundamental human needs including nu trition, affordable housing, education, and health care. These common goods can not be achieved through individual efforts alone, but require the collaboration and cooperation of every
A worker uses a shovel at a highway construction site in Stony Brook, N.Y., Aug. 30, 2022. Labor Day, observed Sept. 5 in 2022, is an annual U.S. holiday that celebrates and recogniz es the contributions and achievements of American workers. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
3 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Cost Index Sum mary (July 29, 2022). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/eci.nr0.htm
Finally, in writing this Labor Day reflection, I am re minded of Monsignor George Higgins, who passed away 20 years ago this year. He was a fervent advocate of economic justice for all, working closely with unions and union organizers, including Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, and received many awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was the director of what was then called the Social Action Department of the bishops’ conference and, in fact, wrote or was consulted on the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Labor Day statements for decades. Inspired by him, let us continue his good work in building a just society for all. May the spirit and exam ple of Monsignor Higgins inspire us, that we might have the wisdom to build up justice and improve the lives of workers and their families as he did throughout his life.
Labor Day statement: Building a just economy for women and families
ly to reframe social policies in ways that are pro-woman, pro-family, pro-worker and, thus, authentically pro-life.
Just as significant as federal policy, there is much work that can be done locally to advance the dignity of work. For example, there are always opportunities to volunteer to help struggling families, such as with Cath olic Charities. Additionally, the efforts of labor unions have helped union workers fare better during the pan demic than non-union workers, as they were more likely to maintain their pay and their jobs. To this end, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development supports organizations that work on low-wage workers’ rights and training, in an effort to eliminate labor trafficking and related workplace abuses such as wage theft.
Sept. 5, 2022 – The church often looks at the well-being of society through the lens of the well-being of the family. As Pope Francis said during his visit to the United States in 2015, “We cannot call any society healthy when it does not leave real room for family life. We cannot think that a society has a future when it fails to pass laws capable of protecting families and ensuring their basic needs...”1 This Labor Day, let us reflect on how we can build a more just economy by promoting the welfare of working families through both charitable works and through advocacy for improved policies such as expanding the Child Tax Credit and passing the Preg nant Workers Fairness Act. Advancing these two policies would have a profound impact on family stability, espe cially for families who are financially vulnerable.
DIOCESE 13MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 16, 2022
The Association of Priests of the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi provide a small pension to our retired priests. As you consider your estate plans, please remember these faithful servants by making a donation or leaving a bequest to the Association of Priests. Our parish priests dedicate their lives to caring for us, their flocks. Let us now care for them in their retirement. Donations can be made payable to the Association of Priests and can be mailed to: Diocese of Jackson, Attn: Cathy Pendleton, P.O. Box 2248, Jackson, MS 39225-2248
1 Pope Francis, Prayer Vigil for the Festival of Families (Sept. 26, 2015). Apostolic Journey - United States of America: Prayer vigil for the Festival of families at the B. Franklin Parkway (Philadelphia, 26 September 2015) | Francis (vatican.va)
4 PHI. Direct Care Worker Disparities: Key Trends and Chal lenges (Feb. 8, 2022). org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Long-Overdue.pdfnantrect-care-worker-disparities-key-trends-and-challenges/https://www.phinational.org/resource/di5PHI.WorkplaceInjuriesandtheDirectCareWorkforce(April20,2018).https://www.phinational.org/resource/workplace-injuries-direct-care-workforce/6ABetterBalance.LongOverdue:ItisTimefortheFederalPregWorkersFairnessAct(May2019).https://www.abetterbalance.
2 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary (Aug. 5, 2022). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
“I left for St. Cloud on August 5th and went to St. John’s College, the Benedictine Monastery, where I was booked to preach a retreat for the clergy of the Diocese of St. Cloud. I started in on Monday and ended on
“On the train, I met Archbishop Messmer of Milwaukee, and we exchanged a lot of thought between Milwaukee and Spokane. The Archbishop had put his parish church under interdict and excommunicated three or four Polish priests on the day on which we met, so I think he was looking for shelter.
the following Friday. Bishop Busch of St. Cloud was persuaded by Archbishop Ireland to get me to give the retreat, owing to war conditions which were painfully acute in that section of Minnesota.
Burnsville train depot, circa 1910. Bishop John Edward Gunn traveled the country via train, as he was a highly-sought after retreat master. (Photo courtesy of Tishomingo County Historical and Genealogical Society Photo Collection)
“There was a lake in the center of the property which was so thickly stocked with fish that it was almost a crime to throw in a hook and line. It was not fishing – it was slaughter.“IleftSt.
In our next installment, we will continue this journey with Bishop Gunn as he shares his keen wit and intellect across the country.
Cloud satisfied with myself and I think left the Bishop and his priests pretty well satisfied and came to St. Paul where I stopped at the Ryan Hotel. I spent the night of August 10th with the Marists on Cedar Street and helped them out on Sunday and left Sunday night over the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul for Seattle.
By Mary WoodWard
FROM THE ARCHIVES
JACKSON – In these From the Archives articles I have chronicled a lot about Bishop John Edward Gunn, SM, sixth bishop of our diocese. In this installment I would like to bring to light that Bishop Gunn was a highly sought-after retreat master. Bishops around the country would recruit him to give retreats to the clergy of their diocese.
“I left the same night for St. Paul’s and reached the Marists on Sunday, August 4th. I called to see Archbishop Ireland and found him in a dying condition in his new home on Summit Avenue. The Catholics of St. Paul had purchased the finest house in the city and donated it to the Archbish op. He was brought into it, put to bed and he actually never saw the house that was his own.
Therefore, here is a description of his journeys across the country by train in August of 1918. World War I was still raging, and forest fires had been ravaging the western United States. It sounds vaguely familiar in some respects, but also gives a unique view of the development of the Northwest.“OnAugust
(Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson.)
NATCHEZ – In early 2019, Assumption embarked on a mission to change over existing windows to stained glass windows. This was the mastermind of Donnie Verucchi (now deceased). It was to be done solely by donations from the parishioners. The first window (a circular omen in the choir loft) was installed in August of 2019 and our last one was installed in May 2022. In all, the parish did a total of 29 windows all with donations from parish ioners. The work was commissioned Pearl River Glass Studio of Jackson. This was a labor of love for Assumption parish. The church welcomes all to come visit and admire the beautiful stained glass windows. (Photo by Vickie Stowers)
Retreat master Gunn rides rails west
DIOCESE14 SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
“The trip from St. Paul to Seattle was over some of the wildest parts of America. There was not a town of any importance after leaving Minneapolis. The Rockies were not as wild further South.
“On the trip, I saw for the first time a railroad actually controlled and propelled by electricity. The big Mountain engines could not do the work and tremendous electric power houses were installed all along the line and engines equipped to suit. We zigzagged around the Mountain and took a day to travel a bee line distance of thirty or forty miles. The trip was pleasant as we reached Seattle on August 14th.”
In my opinion, bishops are not always appreciated until years after their tenure. Bishop Gunn certainly had his moments during his time in office that caused conster nation among clergy and faithful, but we are very fortunate to have his diary to share his adventures in the early 1900’s from his unique perspective. Now, more than 100 years later time sheds light on the wisdom of his actions.
“Practically all the Priests and nearly 90% of the Catholics of St. Cloud were pro-German. The Bishop, of German Extraction, was very American and this created a natural state of war or at least of ill-feeling between the Catholics and the Bishop. I was supposed to smooth things out and while the Priests resented a retreat in English, one of the first every given in that language in the diocese, still they treated me very well.
Assumption parish, new stained glass
“The one thing that was a novelty to me was to go through a country that had been a raging furnace for over two years and a half and defied the power of the United States to put out the forest fires. The country showed the ruins of fire and looked as sad a spectacle as could be imagined.
1st I went to Vicksburg where I remained a few hours, taking the night train to Memphis from there. I got the Chicago train at six twenty, reaching the Auditorium on August 2nd. There I heard of the birth of Roy McCanna’s baby – long expected, much prayed for and the most welcome youngster that ever appeared in Wisconsin. I phoned my congratulations from Chicago, and I was requested to stop over on my way to St. Paul to baptize the youngster, which I did on Saturday, August 3rd.
“St. John’s College was a place worth seeing. The community was very large, the Monastery grounds covered 1000 acres, the monks were farmers as well as priests and the place was as near ideal as could possibly be imagined.
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
At Delta State, he was the recipient of the Uni versity Foundation Teaching Award and also Teacher of the Year Award in the Division of Languages and Literature and was awarded membership into ODK, a Leadership Honor Society. He received grants to study French literature at summer long NEH Colloquiums in Stony Brook, Dartmouth, Iowa City and Chicago. Writing and delivering numerous papers at national conferences was of interest to him, and he collaborated in writing the books, Windows After Matisse with Terry Everett and Mary Anne Rosse and Fast French with Anne-Marie Bryan and Yvonne Bryan Tomek, a grammar book that he used for sev eral years in his teaching. A philosopher, sports enthusiast, and poet, he often contrib uted to the literary journal, Tapestry, enjoying the fellowship of annual Fall unveilings and readings in Dockery, Mississippi.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his name to Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church in Cleveland.
His greatest joys were with his family and friends with whom he loved to play golf, tennis, baseball, go swimming, play cards and watch sports. He was particularly fond of watching New York Yankees baseball, reminding himself of the many afternoons he attended Yankee Stadium during his youth with his family. If he had not had a career in literature, he could have very well loved being a professional baseball an
CLEVELAND – James Joseph Tomek, 76, passed away Aug. 30, 2022, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The youngest of three children, he was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Joseph and Anne Tomek. Raised in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, his parents afforded him a private school Jesuit education, sending him to St. Ce cilia High School and St. Peters College in Jersey City. His love of literature drew him to study at Duke University where he received a Ph.D in French literature and philosophy. His special ty was 20th Century and his dissertation on the films of Jean Cocteau was directed by Dr. Wallace Fowlie. During that time, he met and married Yvonne Bryan Tomek in Durham, North Carolina, and then embarked upon a career of teaching French and English at Del ta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi in 1972 and served until his retirement in 2015.
Having always been interested in theology, he decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in Theology from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, while still teaching French and English. He would attend classes in Jackson, Mississippi every Saturday for six
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Yvonne Bry an Tomek; son Matthew Tomek (Renee) of Memphis; daughter Genevieve Tomek of Cleveland, Mississippi; and his grandsons, Jacob Jones and Renny McKnight of Cleveland, Mississippi.
He also leaves behind his sister-in-law, Jean Tomek, his brother-in-law Stephen Maf fei, as well as his nephews and nieces, Richard Tomek (Sherri), Laura Tomek Campbell (Doug); Nancy Tomek Deasey (Bob); Stephen Maffei (Janet), Matthew Maffei (Lori), Joseph Maffei (Stephanie), and their beloved children.
nouncer.Helamented
In 2010, he was invited by the Bishop Latino to lead Sacred Heart Church in Rosedale, as the Lay Ecclesial Minister every Sunday morning, where he would deliver scriptural breakout reflections, administer Communion and handle business affairs of the church. He enjoyed this mission very much as well as the relationship he made with the parishioners. With fondness for movies, harking back to his dissertation days, he wrote a column for Mississippi Catholic newspaper, entitled “Theology at the Mov ies” that explored religion as it is evidenced in international movies.
His is preceded in death by his parents; his sister Barbara Tomek Maffei; his brother, Joseph Tomek; and nephew Thomas Tomek.
having outlived many of his best friends which included Bill Sullivan, Terry Everett, Martin Bond, Ted Solomon, John Tatum, Leroy Mor ganti, Diane Stewart, Bonnie Horton and his trusted lawyer, Robert Johnston.
HALES CORNERS, Wis. – Originally from Colorado Springs, Father Jim Schifano, SCJ, passed away on Aug. 29 at the age of 77. It was only two weeks before that he celebrated his 50th anniversary of vows with the Priests of the Sacred Heart. Before pursuing his vocation, Father Jim served in the US Army; he was at the rank of sergeant when he was discharged in 1967.
At the time of his death, he was a member of the Sacred Heart Community at Monastery Lake. Please keep Father Jim, his family and local community in your prayers.
In memoriam: Father Schifano, SCJ
In memoriam: James Joseph Tomek
Father Jim completed his theological studies at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology and later served at the seminary from 1978-1990. However, his first as signment as a priest was at Divine Heart Seminary in Donaldson, Indiana.
May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in Amen.peace.
OBITUARIES 15MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 16, 2022
years, while arduously contending with a battle of cancer. He graduated in 2009, receiving highest honors in his Oral Exams, which were open to the public for atten dance. He was a devout life-long Catholic, and often attended daily Mass and served as lector and assistant in the RCIA program for incoming Catholics at Our Lady of Victo ries Church in Cleveland. He often led Little Rock Bible studies for those who wished to study the Bible in depth. He was a life-time member of the Knights of Columbus.
Besides his many years serving at the seminaries and in the monastery community, Father Jim also did pastoral ministry, first at St. Matthew parish in Houston (1977-78). After over 20 years at Sacred Heart Sem inary and School of Theology, Father Jim returned to Houston, where he briefly served at Christ the Redeemer parish (1990-91) and then back at St. Matthew’s for five years.In 1997, Father Jim joined the SCJ community in Missis sippi, where he ministered for three years at St. Gregory parish in Senatobia and Sacred Heart parish in Walls. From 2004-2007, he served at St. Joseph’s parish in Holly Springs. Father Jim’s final assignment before retirement was with the Sacred Heart Community in Pinellas Park, Florida.
In a paradoxical way, this season of new busy-ness is launched with Labor Day, the civic (but not meteorological!) end to summer. Since 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed a bill establishing our national Labor Day, it has been celebrated as a federal holiday honoring the contributions of workers to the social and economic life of the nation. One of the most significant achievements of the secular labor movement was the drive toward the 5-day work week. This should, in theory, free modern laborers for the worship and re-creation of a Sabbath rest. Yet, in a sad irony, we often surrender this freedom to the temptations to many things that creep into our Sundays.
JOURNEYING TOGETHER
The Catholic Church proclaims the dignity of the work, the value of labor and the importance of treating workers with respect and concern for their well-being and that of their families. A critical demand of church leaders through the decades has been ensuring that workers are free on the Sabbath to worship God and to be with their loved ones. As St. John Paul II wrote in Laborem Exercens, his encyclical on human work, workers have a “right to rest” that “involves a regular weekly rest comprising at least Sunday.” This Sunday rest from work would allow the worker to meet obligations to God on a day of worship.
Here are four practical ways in which we can support this important Praygroup.for our catechists. This is perhaps the easiest way of supporting them. Pray for their wisdom and wellbeing. Pray for their families. Pray for their holiness.
Fourth, support the continuing education of your catechists. Catechists need constant training. Support a formation program for catechists in your parish or diocese. Some may be ready to study theology at a local seminary or university, and they need scholarships. You can help.
While there are many Catholics who love to share our faith as catechists, the numbers are not always enough. We need many more catechists and thus we have a responsibility to encourage one another to serve our faith communities in this capacity.
16 Columns
Love and support catechists e rest of ordinary time
For those whose days are not directly driven by school life, there is still something about the fall that brings a rapid new rhythm to life as parish activities, clubs, sports teams and community events get underway after a hiatus. Indeed, after the past two years, this return to community life seems to have an extra urgency about it.
BY HOSFFMAN OSPINO (CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE)
apply practically to all the baptized. We all are called to be catechists.Stay-at-home
Third, sponsor a catechist or your parish religious education program. Catechists are very generous with their time and expect nothing in return. Yet, we can be gratefully supportive.
Although the first and most essential catechists, especially for children and youth, are the parents and other adults who live in a household, catechists expand and enhance that first catechesis by sharing their faith in small groups.
These words are worth considering as life fills up again. As demands on our time increase, it is tempting – and can often even feel necessary – to treat Sunday just like any other day. This would let us catch up in a fast-paced world and not fall behind in what seems to be a constant seven-day whirlwind of shopping, working, answering emails and doing the work that just did not get done in the six workdays of the week.
The rapidly filling pages of my calendar are welcome to me since I like the busyness of life. Yet, there is also much to be said for the wisdom of rest.
He went on to say that “man’s work too not only requires a rest every seventh day, but also cannot consist in the mere exercise of human strength in external action; it must leave room for man to prepare himself, by becoming more and more what in the will of God he ought to be, for the rest that the Lord reserves for his servants and friends.“
USCCB poster for Catechetical Sunday 2022.
School sports and similar activities – good as they may be in their own right – split families apart on Sundays as they race in different directions. Sunday can all too easily become merely the start of the new work week.
If you look at the catechists in your parish, you will notice that there is not necessarily a specific profile that restricts this important ministry to a narrow group. We want catechists to be witnesses of what they believe, do their best modeling their faith through their actions and share the faith with joy. However, these expectations
Yet maybe the start of the new season of busyness is a time to resolve to keep Sundays holy, to keep them sacred, and to appreciate the wisdom of a God who rested on the seventh day.
Maybe this year, as I watch the pages of my calendar fill up, I will take a special look at those things with which I fill my Sundays to see if they honor God and serve my loved ones. I also hope to do so with appreciation for the ability to do so ... something that I know so many do not have.
For those whose lives ebb and flow with the school year, as does mine, autumn bursts into our lives with a rapid increase in the events, activities, gatherings and obligations that will again fill our days.
moms, teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, farmworkers, administrators, retirees, young adults, grandparents, tour guides, hotel and factory workers, taxi drivers, academics, cooks, nuns, priests, deacons, married couples, single people, among many others, join the ranks of catechists in our parishes every year.
I hope you will have the chance, too, to celebrate Sundays as a slice of the extraordinary that comes to each week of our ordinary time.
Second, approach a catechist in your faith community and say, “Thank you.” It does not take much effort or time. A word of gratitude is always the best way to encourage others to move forward in what they are doing.
Catechetical programs have resumed activities or will soon start in most Catholic parishes in the United States. Children, youth, young adults and adults prepare to return to sessions where they will learn and reflect about theirJustfaith.as we speak of the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, as essential to nurture our spiritual life, catechesis is essential to nurture our love for our faith and for God’s Centralword.tothe work of catechesis are the many women and men of all ages who exercise their discipleship by serving their communities as catechists. They are missionary disciples who understand the importance of passing on the faith.
At the same time, we should avoid taking our catechists for granted. Our faith communities need to cultivate a permanent culture of support for our catechists.
Buy a book for them, bring a gift certificate, contribute to a fund to buy coffee or tea when they catechize. Make an annual or monthly donation to support their meetings and retreats.
The commandment to “keep holy the Sabbath,” and the Biblical traditions of sabbaticals and jubilees are reminders that time is sacred. In a particular way, they are a reminder that there are certain times that deserve to be safeguarded from the demands of our daily lives.
Lucia A. Silecchia is a Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Research at the Catholic University of America. “On Ordinary Times” is a biweekly column reflecting on the ways to find the sacred in the simple. Email her at silecchia@cua.edu.
Hosffman Ospino is professor of theology and religious education at Boston College.
In many cases, catechists play a remedial role, mindful that many parents fall short in sharing the basics of the faith at home with the younger ones.
Whenever someone asks how I am, one of my most frequent replies is “Good, but busy.” That is rarely more true than it is in September’s back-to-school season.
What do all these people have in common? We all love our faith and we all are passionate to share it with others! Nearly all of us do it as volunteers. This is what makes being part of a faith community exciting.The Holy Spirit moves the hearts of the baptized, regardless of our background or social location, and inspires us to build the church as catechists.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
ON ORDINARY TIMES
BY LUCIA A. SILECCHIA
Theyears.celebration
was held at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Franklin, Wisconsin.
Sacred Heart Southern Missions congratulates their own Father Jack Kurps on his 50th jubilee! Original ly from Chicago, Father Jack professed vows with the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1972 and was ordained in 1977.Herecently recalled how he had first been attracted to the Priests of the Sacred Heart some 62 years ago on a visit to Divine Heart Seminary in northwest Indiana,
logical Union in 2002, and was ordained to the priest hood shortly thereafter.
“I spent three years at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Houston before returning to school,” said Father David. This time, school was the Angelicum in Rome, where he earned a JCL and a JCD (canon law degrees). After grad uation, Szatkowski served in provincial administration, in formation, and on the pastoral team here in northern Mississippi.Reflecting on his years as a Priest of the Sacred Heart, Father David said that he has “come to see the wisdom of the call to ‘get out of the sacristy,” words to fellow priests from Father Dehon inspiring them to go to the people. “I think that by seeing ourselves as active repair ers of the world we are free to find how we can invite people to the Heart of Christ.
By Laura Grisham
On Aug. 16, the US Province commemorated the 70, 60, 50, 40 and 25-year anniversaries of First Professions of 14 SCJs, including Father Jack Kurps and Fa ther David Szatkowski. Those celebrating their jubilees are Father Bernie Rosinski (70 years); Father Thomas Cassidy, Father Mark Fortner, Father Patrick Lloyd and Father Steve Pujdak (60 years); Father James Brackin, Father Jack Kurps, Deacon David Nagel and Father Jemes Schifano (50 years); Father Stephen Huffstetter (40 years); and Brother Duane Lemke, Father Vien Nguyen, Father David Szat kowski and Father Church Wonch (25 years). (Photo courtesy of Laura Grisham)
Father Jack’s first assignment was in 1980 at Queen of Peace parish in Olive Branch, Mississippi. In addition to his parish ministry and decades of service as execu tive director at Sacred Heart Southern Missions, he has served as vocations director for the Priests of the Sacred Heart and on a number of committees and commissions, including as a delegate to the 1997 General Chapter. Kurps has also served several terms on the Provincial Council, and is currently vice provincial of the United States
accompany an increasingly larger number of the laity in Mississippi who have become De honian Associates.”
Born in Pueblo, Colorado, and baptized in Alex andria, Virginia, as a child of a military family, Fa ther David, 48, has lived in many parts of the world, “but I consider Lawton, Oklahoma, to be my hometown,” he said. After taking part in a summer program hosted by the prov ince vocation office, Szatkowski applied to be an SCJ candidate in 1992.“Iliked that the SCJs ministered as a team,” Father Da vid said. “I also liked the variety of minis tries and the creative ways that ministry is done.”He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1995, a Masters of Divinity from Catholic Theo
Deacon David Nagel, SCJ, a 50-year jubilian, was the homilist for the Jubilee Mass. He recalled the respons es of the prophet Samuel and Mary, Mother of Jesus, who both said ‘yes’ to God’s call. “Each of us celebrat ing our anniversary can remember God’s call to share in the work of his church,” said Deacon David. “...When I look at this group of jubilarians, I can see a large variety of gifts, he continued. “That is what we celebrate today with the anniversaries of each of these religious. Each of us called to give ourselves in service to the Lord and the church. And each of us in different forms of service, but each one completing the whole church of Christ.”
“Yes, listen to the call of God as Samuel did. Open your hearts to receive the gifts of the Spir it so you might use them in service to the church and people. Let us lose our lives in Christ so we might live with him always. As Father Dehon lived his life in witness to love ... so may the Heart of Jesus live through us and in us! Vivat Cor Jesu ... “ – Deacon David Nagel, SCJ
“I try hard to be a faithful son of Father Dehon. When I look to see where we minister, not just here in the U.S., but also in some of the most difficult places in the world, and what God has accomplished through us, I am proud and happy to be part of this,” said Father Jack.
DIOCESE 17MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 16, 2022
of vocations to be the most challenging, but also most reward ing of the ministries I have been asked to perform. As I am sure that anyone who has done formation work would agree, there is something very sacred about hasciateswardsgroupsKurpsAssociatessonDehonianwomenters–erbeingSacredofofofayearsaskingdiscerningsomeoneaccompanyingwhoistrulywhatGodisofhim.“Inthelast15orso,IhavehadgrowingawarenessnotonlybeingparttheCongregationthePriestsoftheHeart,butalsopartofthewidDehonianFamilypriests,brothers,sisandlaymenandfollowingthecharism.”AsactingchairperoftheDehonianCommittee,hasledseveralonthepathtobecomingassooftheorder.“Itbeenaprivilegeto
SOUTHAVEN – The day after welcoming three new SCJs to the fold, the U.S. Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart celebrated the anniversaries of the first profession of vows for 14 of their own: Father Ber nie Rosinski (70 years); Father Thomas Cassidy, Father Mark Fortner, Father Patrick Lloyd and Father Steve Pujdak (60 years); Father James Brackin, Father Jack Kurps, Deacon David Nagel and Father James Schifano (50 years); Father Stephen Huffstetter (40 years); and Brother Duane Lemke, Father Vien Nguyen, Father Da vid Szatkowski and Father Chuck Wonch (25 years). To gether, they have served in religious life for a remarkable 650
Priest of the Sacred Heart celebrate jubilees
Sacred Heart Southern Missions also congratu lates Father David Szatkowski, local superior of the SCJs in Mississippi. He celebrates his 25th profes sion of vows this year.
SpeakingProvince.of his various ministries, Father Jack said, “I obviously have enjoyed being part of our ministry in Mississippi. And I enjoy my work on the Council and the prep work for provincial assemblies and other gath erings. I would consider my time as province director
where his brother was attending. “I was nine years old when I first met priests like Paul Casper and Dominic Wessel. Although I was just a kid, they and other SCJ priests and brothers always seemed to welcome and have a kind word for us. I looked forward to our monthly visits and when, in eighth grade, I decided that I wanted to go to the seminary...”
YOUTH18
JACKSON – The shape of the week was a square and these St. Richard PreK3 students got “hands on” when making their very own squares. Clockwise from top: Josie Ball, Oliver Metzger, Townes Crews and Louise Simmons. (Photo by Tammy Conrad)
SEPTEMBER
16, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
FLORA – After a time out with their coach, the Jr. Bruins march back for another play versus the Tri-County Academy Rebels on Thursday, Aug. 25. The Jr. Bruins are made up of fifth and sixth grade students from St. Anthony and St. Richard schools. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)
Art and Science
MERIDIAN – St. Patrick assistant teacher, Jasmine Jordan aids kindergartener Matthew Rush with finger painting. (Photo by Emily Thompson)
MADISON – St. Anthony third graders work on a science project in Ms. Holder's room. Pictured left to right: Isaac Smith, Aspen Taylor, Sydney Beard and Cruz Warwick. (Photo by Kati Loyacono)
MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 16 2022 19YOUTH
SOUTHAVEN – Sacred Heart School's seventh grade baptism study included the students making their own candles. Pictured is Fernanda Bermudez working on her votive candle. (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)
VICKSBURG – AP Biology students participated in an Animal Behavior Lab exercise learning the response to environmental variables. Katelyn Clark and Sara Beth Johnston observed animal behaviors relating to environmental stimuli and courtship behaviors. (Photo by Lindsey Bradley)
After serving as dean of deanery III and VI, Father Brian served as the Pro-Synodal Judge to the Marriage Court before being appointed in 1986 as pastor of St. Elizabeth Clarksdale, where he ministered for 12 years.From the Mississippi Delta, in 1998 Father Brian was appointed pastor of St. Paul Parish in Flowood, where he served for another 12-year stint. While there, he would often visit the St. Paul Early Learning Center and entertain the children with jokes and sing Irish lullabies and ditties.
While at St. Paul, he served as dean of deanery I for two years, in addition to serving again on the College of Consultors and Presbyteral Council.The year 2010 brought Father Brian to St. Richard Parish in Jackson as a senior associate with Father Mike O’Brien; and as sacramental minister of St. Stephen Parish in Magee. He served in both parishes until he retired on New Year’s Eve of 2014.
After the first print edition of the month, Mississippi Catholic will publish a digital only edition, in between print editions. It will be available via email through Flocknote and on mississippicatholic.com.
“He had a great impact and affect on the lives of people,” said Father Hurley. “Yes, he was known for the funnies and wit and the Irish ditties, but he was most especially known for his pastor’s heart, his generosity to his family and friends and indeed to anybody in Whenneed.”hewas
SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC20 DIOCESE
On behalf of the family, Donal thanked the many who aided Father Brian in his final years, including the staff at St. Dominic Hospital and St. Catherine’s Village; and to Father Mike O’Brien who helped care for “Speedy” and assisted the family for many years.Father Mike is currently in Ireland ready to greet “Speedy” along with other family and friends on his final stage of the journey, where he will be buried at Kilmore Cemetery in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Roscommon.
Mississippi Catholic join our email list: text: MSCATHOLIC to 84576
“It still didn’t diminish our delight to see him coming home for that month.”
Parish in McComb for six years, in addition to serving as chaplain at Southwest Junior College. After McComb, he served as pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Meridian and again as a consultor for the diocese.
Mississippi Catholic will now print one issue per month February through November and two issues in December and January. A second digital only edition will publish February through November. Catholics across the diocese can sign up to receive a digital copy of the paper on Flocknote by texting MSCATHOLIC to 84576 or by signing up at jacksondiocese. flocknote.com.
The change in frequency of the printed edition is part of a series of cost-cutting measures due to rising print and postage costs.
The paper will continue to be printed twice per month in December and January to accomodate the need to communicate annual reports and news about Catholic Schools Week.
'... After 60 years of faithful service to God and the people of Mississippi, Father Brian has gone home ...'
Currently, with each print edition, a digital version of the paper is also created, as well as having each individual story published on mississippicatholic.com and emailed in an e-version of the paper.
able to travel home to Ireland, Father Brian would make the trek home to Ireland for a visit with family, always bringing a suitcase filled with gifts from Mississippi – whether it be popcorn, candy or over-sized clothing – it was always well received.Traveling from Ireland to attend the funeral, was Father Brian’s nephew, Donal Carroll.
To access the the digital edition, text MSCATHOLIC to 84576, visit www.jacksondiocese.flocknote.com, or email editor@jacksondiocese.org to be added to the list.
FLOWOOD – Along with Bishop Joseph Kopacz, priests and deacons of the diocese stand watch as Father Brian Carroll's casket is moved to be transported from St. Paul parish. Father Brian will travel home to Ireland for a second funeral and will be buried at Kilmore Cemetery in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co, Roscommon, Ireland. (Photo by Joanna Puddister King)
Mississippi Catholic newspaper adopts new print schedule
“We were very privileged to have a priest in our family,” said Donal.
He said that some of the most cherished memories in the family was when Father Brian would come home to Ireland with the suitcase of gifts for everyone.
By JOAnnA PUDDiSter KinG
“After 60 years of faithful service to God and the people of Mississippi, Father Brian has gone home to his eternal rest in heaven. His body will be buried at home in Ireland. So, again to the Diocese of Jackson and the people of Mississippi, you will be forever enshrined to the Carroll family.”
“From pecan logs to Slinkys to popcorn ... eventually Father Brian realized after many years of carrying this heavy suitcase ... that you could get popcorn and the like in Carrick-on-Shannon or the local towns,” shared Donal.
JACKSON – Beginning with its Sept. 16, 2022 edition, the Mississippi Catholic newspaper of the Diocese of Jackson will be adopting a monthly print schedule from Feburary through November. Mississippi Católico, the Spanish-language newspaper of the diocese will continue to have its regular monthly print schedule.
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