Ms Catholic Feb. 24, 2023

Couples celebrate World Marriage Day

JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson celebrated the anniversaries of married couples from around the diocese with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph Kopacz on Sunday, Feb. 12 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. According to World Marriage Day history, the idea of celebrating marriage began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1981, when couples encouraged the Mayor, the Governor and the Bishop to proclaim St. Valentine’s Day as "We Believe in Marriage Day." The event was so successful, the idea was presented to and was adopted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter's National Leadership.

By 1982, 43 Governors officially proclaimed the day, and celebrations spread to U.S. military bases in several foreign countries. In 1983, the name was changed to "World Marriage Day," designated to be celebrated each year in February. In 1993, St. Pope John Paul II imparted his Apostolic blessings on World Marriage Day. World Marriage Day celebrations continue to grow and spread to more countries and faith expressions every year.

To honor couples in 2023, the Office of Family Ministry on behalf of the Diocese of Jackson asked parishes to submit the names of couples celebrating their 60th, 50th, 25th or any significant anniversary. This year, 36 couples from throughout the diocese submitted their names in celebration of their anniversaries.

At the World Marriage Day celebration at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, couples received an anniversary certificate blessed and signed by Bishop Kopacz.

Please join us in celebrating the anniversaries of the following couples:

– Continued on page 6 –

JACKSON – Deacon Denzil Lobo and his wife Gina celebrate their 25th anniversary at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle on Sunday, Feb. 12 for World Marriage Day. For more pictures turn to page 6. (Photos by Tereza Ma)

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS

COLUMBUS Annunciation, Blood Drive, Sunday, March 26 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Bank First parking lot. Sign-ups available soon.

GREENVILLE St. Joseph, 113th annual Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday March 5, 8 a.m to 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Parish Hall at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Lake Village, Arkansas. Cost: $15 adults/$10 children. Dinner includes noodles, red gravy, meatballs, italian salad, lemon dessert and bread. Details: limited reserved tables and individual dine-in tickets. For dine-in call (214) 533-0227 or (870) 489-2883.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Cocktails and Catholicism, Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in church gym. Join us for a presentation by Deacon Ted Schreck “Where do you find hope? Jean Valijean’s life changed in a moment.” Details: sign up at https://bit.ly/March2023CocktailsCatholicism.

JACKSON St. Richard, Men’s Prayer Breakfast with Bishop Kopacz, Monday, April 3 at 7 a.m. in Foley Hall following Mass at 6:30 a.m. Details: contact Anthony at (601) 573-8574 or eanthonythomas@gmail.com.

MADISON St. Joseph School, 17th annual Bruin Classic Golf Tournament, Monday, March 27. Register or sponsor a hole by visiting https://bit.ly/17thStJoeGolfTournament. Details: email danacaskey15@ gmail.com.

St. Joseph School, Egg My Yard Fundraiser, For Madison County residents only. Order your pre-filled eggs to be hidden in your yard the night before Easter. Book your spot today. Orders due by March 24. Cost: 30 eggs $30; 50 eggs $45; 70 eggs $60. Proceeds benefit St. Joe cheer programs. Order at https://bit.ly/StJoeEggMyYard2023. Details: email sjcheer@stjoebruins.com with questions.

MADISON St. Catherine’s Village, Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group, meets fourth Wednesday of each month from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Campbell

FEATURED PHOTO

Cove building. Lunch provided. All are welcome. Details: call to RSVP (601) 856-0123 or remail cynthia.armstrong@fmolhs.org.

MCCOMB St. Alphonsus, St. James Lenten Mission, Sunday, March 5 at 7 p.m. thorugh Wednesday, march 8 at 6:30 p.m. “Behold, I Make All Things New,” presented by Jim Murphy, a Catholic missionary and evangelist. Mission schedule: March 5 at 7 p.m.; March 6, 7 and 8 at 6:30 p.m. Reconciliation held on Wednesday, March 8. Supper will be served in Liguori Hall at 5:30 prior to the Mission Monday through Wednesday.

MERIDIAN Travel with Father Augustine to Italy and France, Sept. 9-19. Trip includes stops in Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Assisi, Venice, Italy and Lourdes, France. cost is $4,999 – airfare and all included. Details: contact (855) 842-8001 or register online at proximotravel.com.

MEMPHIS 40 Days for Life, Feb. 22 – April 2. Vigil location at Memphis Center for Reproductive Health, 1203 Poplar Ave. Details: Sarah at (901) 450-5433 or sarah@memphiscoalitionforlife.org.

PHILADELPHIA Holy Rosary, Lenten Mission (for Holy Rosary, St. Therese and St. Catherine) with Father Dennis Berry, ST, March 9-11. Thursday and Friday at 6:30 p.m. with Mass and Saturday at 5 p.m. followed by potluck supper in the parish hall. Details: church office (601) 656-2880.

RIDGELAND Catholic Charities, Sleep Safe Event, Friday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Event for expectant women, couples, fathers and caregivers on awareness of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Free giveaways and resources with guest speaker. Event at 731 S. Pear Orchard Rd, Ste. 51, Ridgeland. Details: Register at https:// bit.ly/March17SleepSafeEvent or call (601) 3558634.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, Forgiveness Walk, Tuesday, March 21 from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Catholic Build Habitat House in Jackson...

FEBRUARY 24, 2023 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

Walk is a silent meditative prayer journey reflecting on our own need for forgiveness and need to forgive. Opportunity to stop at nine different stations each with its own theme to read a short scripture passage and reflect on questions. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.

SAVE THE DATE

COLUMBUS Annunciation School, Draw Down and Art Auction, Friday, April 14 at the Trotter Convention Center from 6:30-11 p.m. Adults only (21 and up). Event includes dinner and open bar.

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

MADISON St. Francis, Rock Railway VBS express, June 19-22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. All pre-K4 through fourth graders are invited.

MERIDIAN St. Patrick School, Countdown scheduled for April 21. Grandprize $5,000. Tickets on sale soon!

DIOCESE Join us in honoring 2023 Bishop Chanche service award winners. Adult awards presentation and Mass, Saturday, March 4 at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Jackson. Youth award presentation will be during the closing Mass at DCYC in Vicksburg on Sunday, March 5.

APPLIANCE AUDIO VIDEO BEDDING FURNITURE SUPERSTORE

JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz congratulates new Habitat for Humanity homeowner, Mrs. Brown. Brown and her children were the beneficiaries of the Catholic Build home on Prentiss Street this year. She was very excited and thankful for all of the help from parishes in the Jackson area on her new home. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC FEBRUARY 24, 2023

Repent and believe in the Gospel

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

Once in a Blue Moon, a natural occurrence nearly every three years, the Gospel of Matthew flows seamlessly from Ordinary Time into Ash Wednesday. Since the Christmas season the church has been proclaiming our weekly Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount from the fifth chapter of Matthew. We are in Cycle A of our threeyear rotation with the Gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke. This year the timing was picture-perfect to go from chapter 5 into the traditional Ash Wednesday Gospel taken from St. Matthew’s sixth Chapter on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Recall that the Sermon on the Mount encompasses Chapters 5-6-7 in Matthew’s Gospel, the first book of the New Testament. The well-known words “repent and believe in the Gospel” or “remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return” as each person is marked with the ashes are the bridge to the Lenten season of conversion and new life in Jesus Christ. This

is heaven-sent because the Sermon on the Mount is at the essence of the Lord’s standard for holiness of life, and an exceptional examination of conscience for our 40-day spiritual journey. Each chapter is brimming with God’s wisdom and by allowing Jesus’ words to find a home in our hearts and minds, and our actions will keep us firmly fixed on the road to life from on high .

Immediately following the Ash Wednesday Gospel on prayer, fasting and almsgiving is one of the Lord’s summary statements on storing up treasures in heaven. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth, rust and thieves are powerless.”

Why? “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (6:19-21)

As disciples of the Lord, the first foot forward is not about receiving pennies from heaven, as it is storing up treasures in heaven. “But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

We are in the world and for sure, want to live a full life, but we are not of the world. “I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you

The Diocese of Jackson has launched a third-party reporting system that will enable all diocesan employees, volunteers and parishioners to anonymously (or named if preferred) make reports. Examples of this activity include fraud, misconduct, safety violations, harassment or substance abuse occurring at a Catholic parish, Catholic school or at the diocesan level. The system is operated by Lighthouse Services. Based in Deerfield, Illinois, Lighthouse Services maintains ethics, safety and fraud hotlines for over 4,100 organizations between the U.S. and abroad.

To make a report visit www.lighthouse-services.com/ jacksondiocese or call 888-830-0004 (English) or 800-2161288 (Spanish).

The Association of Priests of the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi provide a small pension to our retired priests. As you consider your estate plans, please remember these faithful servants by making a donation or leaving a bequest to the Association of Priests. Our parish priests dedicate their lives to caring for us, their flocks. Let us now care for them in their retirement. Donations can be made payable to the Association of Priests and can be mailed to:

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

Volume 69 Number 6 (ISSN 1529-1693)

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

Publisher Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

Communications Director

Joanna Puddister King

Production Manager Tereza Ma

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

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an official publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published digitally twice per month January - April and September - December; once per month June, July and August. Subscription rate: $20 a year in Mississippi, $21 out-of-state. Mississippi Catholic mails 14 editions per year – twice per month in December and January; and once per month February – November. For address changes, corrections or to join the email list for the digital edition, email: editor@jacksondiocese.org.

Website: www.mississippicatholic.com w www.jacksondiocese.org

should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:11, 14-15.)

The treasures we are storing up in heaven are rooted in prayer, fasting and almsgiving, or generosity of life, walking on the path Jesus trod, in the desert overcoming temptation, and as a treasure trove of blessing in daily life.

The Ash Wednesday demand to repent and believe in the Gospel is the foundation of the Lord’s call in each of our lives. St. Mark’s Gospel, without the Infancy Narratives of Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels, and the Prologue of John’s Gospel wastes no time over who Jesus is and what are the demands of his mission. “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) Immediately after his identity is established Jesus sets out on his public ministry. “After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God saying, The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)

Jesus invites us to place our faith in him as the Son of God and to repent, embracing a life-long journey of conversion of mind and heart, of mindset and attitude. We have been buried with Christ in baptism so that we can die to self and rise with him each day. This is not a once in a Blue Moon display of ashes, but a way of living with a storehouse of treasures.

40 years of priesthood

Father

Bill Cullen

Thank you for answering the call!

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Saturday, Feb. 25, 11 a.m. – Rite of Election – Northern Area of the Diocese, Christ the King, Southaven

Sunday, Feb. 26, 2 p.m. – Rite of Election – Jackson Area of Diocese, St. Francis of Assisi, Madison

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

Saturday, March 4, 11 a.m. – Bishop Chanche Awards, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Sunday, March 5, 7 p.m. – Mass, Millsaps College Student Center, Jackson

Sunday, March 19, 9:30 a.m. – Mass for Feast of St. Joseph, St. Joseph, Greenville

Tuesday, March 21, 7:30 a.m. – Mass, Carmelite Monastery, Jackson

Monday, March 27, 1 p.m. – Bruin Classic Golf Tournament, Annandale Golf Course, Madison

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

VOCATIONS

FEBRUARY

CALLED BY NAME

God doesn’t call the qualified – He qualifies the called. In my four and half years as a priest I have learned to do countless things that I once thought had “nothing to do” with ministering to God’s people, but which I now realize are mandatory if I am going to be an effective parish priest. I have learned to create agendas and run meetings – not exactly the height of spiritual union with the Lord, but very important if you want your staff, finance council, pastoral council and other committees to be in a good mood. I have learned how to fundraise and create budgets and produce purchase orders and expense reports – not what I immediately thought about when I began to consider the priesthood, but very important when it comes to day-to-day stewardship of the goods that the People of God entrust priests within the church.

I have learned to do all kinds of things that at one stage or another I thought had “nothing to do” with ministering to God’s people, but now I realize that as a priest, especially a diocesan priest, everything that I do can be caught up in the mystery of God’s call to be a priest. When we entrust our lives to the Lord by following his will for us, we allow him to take our lives in whatever direction he sees fit. This is what we prepare men studying for the priesthood to do. They need to be generally prepared to be good leaders, good organizers and good business managers, but they won’t know exactly what will be asked of them until they are out with their flock. Getting ready to be a priest is probably something like getting ready to practice medicine – you get lots and lots of training in med school and then when you put the white coat on, you begin to be challenged by things you never expected.

All this is to say: our seminarians may not take a ‘class’ for every possible situation they’ll be faced with, but they are trained to expect the unexpected and do their best, because God doesn’t call the qualified – he qualifies the called. This means that the most important thing that a man learns in seminary is how to pray and how to remain in relationship with the Lord who has called him to this task and this identity. If a man is deeply rooted in a life of prayer and a joy-filled relationship with the Lord, then he will be up to the task even when the task at hand is something he had never prepared for.

In the past week at my parish, I’ve done a wide scale edit of the website (didn’t learn how to do that in seminary), revamped our social media presence (didn’t learn how to do that either), issued purchase orders for seminarian education (same) and filed expense reports (same). It can be easy to see these tasks as “added burdens,” but that is not the message that the seminary sends to our men. For the diocesan priest, all of these administrative tasks are a part of a loving response to God’s call to the priesthood. These things are important to the life of the church and the life of our people, and so we are trained over 6-9 years to expect the unexpected, and to see every part of our day as an opportunity to minister to the People of God.

Father Nick Adam

Lenten meals, Stations and Penance services across the diocese

CANTON Sacred Heart, Stations every Friday at 5:30 p.m. followed by a soup supper in the parish center (no charge). All are welcome!

COLUMBUS Annunciation, Fish Fry in the Activity Center, after Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m. in the chapel.

FLOWOOD St. Paul, Knights of Columbus Fish dinner every Friday after Stations at 6 p.m. Donations accepted. All are welcome.

GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Lenten dinner/Fish Fry on March 3 and 31. Stations every Friday at 6 p.m.

GREENWOOD Immaculate Heart of Mary, Knights of Columbus Fish Fry, every Friday during Lent from 5-7 p.m. Cost is $12 per plate. Dine in or carry out.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Soup Supper after Stations on Fridays at 6:30 p.m.

Holy Spirit, Men’s Association fish fry on March 31 beginning at 4 p.m. – eat in or takeout.

JACKSON St. Peter Cathedral, Stations at 5:15 every Friday in Lent, followed by simple, meat-free meal in the parish center. Spanish stations at 7 p.m.

JACKSON St. Richard, Stations at 5:30 p.m on Fridays during Lent with Knights of Colubus Fish Fry in Foley Hall following. Dine-in or carry out. Cost: $12 adults; $6 children; $40 Families of 5+ members.

MADISON St. Francis, Rosary 6 p.m., Stations 6:30 p.m. and Lenten meal 7 p.m. every Friday during Lent.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Knights of Columbus Fish Fry, every Friday of Lent, beginning Feb. 24 from 5-7 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Cost: Catfish $12; Shrimp $12; Combo $14. Dinners include fries, hush puppies and coleslaw. For grilled fish, call 30 minutes ahead. Details: Darren (601) 597-2890.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Soup Suppers at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 24, March 3, 10, 24 and 31; Knights of Columbus Fish Fry fundraiser on Friday, March 17.

PEARL St. Jude, Fish Fry following Stations every Friday at 6 p.m. Reservations required. Dinner includes catfish, fries, huspuppies, coleslaw and tea. Dine-in only. No cost, donations encouraged. Details: church office (601) 939-3181.

STARKVILLE St. Joseph, Knights of Columbus catfish dinner after Stations in the Church at 5:30 p.m. every Friday during Lent.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, Fish Fry at 5:30 p.m. and Stations at 7 p.m. on March 3, 17 and 31. Lenten meal served on March 10 and 24.

TUPELO St. James, Lenten Lunch, Thursday, March 2.

PENANCE/RECONCILIATION SERVICES

CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Reconciliation with serveral priests available, Wednesday, March 22 from 4-6:30 p.m.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Penance Service, Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m.

MAGEE St. Stephen, Penance Service, Saturday, April 1 at 4 p.m.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Penance Service, Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, Penance Service, Wednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m.

STARKVILLE St. Joseph, Penance Service, Tuesday, March 28 at 6 p.m.

TUPELO St. James, Reconciliation Service, Thursday, March 30 from 5-7 p.m. in the Church.

VICKSBURG St. Michael, Reconciliation Service,

Tuesday, March 21 at 7 p.m.

STATIONS ONLY

BATESVILLE St. Mary, Stations, 30 minutes before all weekend Masses and on Fridays before 11 a.m. Mass.

CHOCTAW St. Therese, Stations on Fridays during Lent at 6 p.m.

CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.

CLINTON Holy Savior, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m. followed by Mass.

GREENWOOD Immaculate Heart of Mary, Stations at 12 p.m. on Fridays.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Stations every Friday during Lent beginning March 3 at 5:15 p.m.

Assumption, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Stations every Friday during Lent at 7 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA Holy Rosary, Stations on Fridays during Lent at 6 p.m.

PONTOTOC St. Christopher, Stations at 6 p.m. each Friday during Lent.

SHAW St. Francis, Stations every Friday after 6 p.m. Mass.

TUPELO St. James, Stations on Fridays following 12:10 p.m. Mass (English) and at 6 p.m. (English). Spanish stations following 6:30 p.m. Spanish Mass.

VICKSBURG St. Mary, Stations every Friday during Lent at 6 p.m.

VICKSBURG St. Michael, Stations every Friday during Lent at 5:30 p.m.

–

LENTEN MEALS AND STATIONS

Lesson from “the misfit”

IN EXILE

By Father ron rolheiser, oMi

More than a half century ago, Flannery O’Connor wrote a short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find. One of the main characters in the story is an elderly woman who is a difficult, stubborn and not a particularly happy person. Traveling to Florida with her family, she is constantly whining and complaining. Then, thanks to some carelessness on her part, they get in a traffic accident and while their car is stalled, an escaped convict (the Misfit) chances on them and executes the whole family. Just before she is shot, the unhappy elderly woman, fearing for her life, reaches out and touches the Misfit and has a gentle moment with him. After killing her, he says, she would have been a good woman, if there had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.

I suspect we would all be better persons if there were someone there to shoot us every minute of our lives. At least I know that I would because I once had someone there to shoot me and it made me a better person at least during the time when the threat was there. Here’s my story.

Twelve years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. The initial prognosis was good (surgery and chemotherapy and the cancer should be stopped). For a while it was. However, three years later it again made an unwelcome reappearance. This time the prognosis was not good. My oncologist, whom I trust, shared that situation was grave. Chemotherapy would be tried again; but he assured me, that barring the exceptional, this treatment would not be effective for long and would be more for palliative purposes than for any real hope of remission or cure. He felt it his duty to deliver that message clearly. I was facing the shooter. You have about thirty months to live!

As you can guess, this wasn’t easy to accept and process. I struggled mightily to make peace with it. Eventually, through prayer, I wrote a creed for myself as to how I would try to live out those two years. Here’s the creed:

I am going to strive to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can.

I am going to strive to be as productive for as long as I can.

I am going to make every day and every activity as precious and enjoyable as possible.

I am going to strive to be as gracious, warm, and charitable as possible.

I am going to strive to accept others’ love in a deeper way than I have up to now.

I am going to strive to live a more-fully “reconciled life.” No room for past hurts anymore.

I am going to strive to keep my sense of humor intact.

I am going to strive to be as courageous and brave as I can.

I am going to strive, always, to never look on what I am losing, but rather to look at how wonderful and full my life has been and is.

And, I am going to, daily, lay all of this at God’s feet through prayer.

For some months I prayed that creed intensely every day, trying to live out its every tenet. However, the

chemotherapy treatments were, surprisingly, very effective. After five months of treatment, all the indications of cancer were gone, I was healthy again, and my oncologist was optimistic that, perhaps, his diagnosis had been too dire and that with some maintenance chemo, I might enjoy many more years of life. And, indeed I did for the next seven years. However, during those seven years of remission, feeling healthy and optimistic, with no one there to shoot me every day, I now prayed my creed less frequently and with less intensity. And even though its challenges were now more ingrained in me, my old habits of taking life for granted, of praying St. Augustine’s prayer (Make me a better Christian, Lord, but not yet!), of losing perspective, of impatience, of self-pity, of nursing grievances, and of not appreciating fully the richness of life, began to seep back into my life. The “shooter” reappeared two years ago with an-

The Pope’s Corner Guadalupe is

By Justin Mclellan

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Our Lady of Guadalupe is a message of “mestizaje,” or a fusion of cultures that leads to an encounter between humanity and God, Pope Francis said.

In a message to Archbishop Francisco Cerro Chaves of Toledo, Spain, Pope Francis reflected on the figure of Guadalupe to mark the occasion of the shrines of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and in Spain becoming “sister shrines.”

“Mary, our mother, is always a bond of communion for her people,” and her invitation to prayer and communion “has been expressed in many places in the world with the invitation to build a temple that would be a house with doors always open to all,” the pope said in his message, which was published Feb. 13.

Two of the most famous temples in Hispanic culture built at Mary’s request are the Guadalupe shrines in Spain and Mexico which are considered “sister shrines” following a ceremony in Guadalupe, Spain, Feb. 13 in which Archbishop Cerro and Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, archbishop of Mexico City, Mexico, both participated.

The royal monastery of St. Mary of Guadalupe in Spain was constructed in the 14th century on the site where tradition holds that Mary appeared to a farmer who discovered a dark-skinned statue of Mary. Many Spanish conquistadors who traveled to the New World came from the area around Guadalupe and had a strong devotion to the Marian figure.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City houses St. Juan Diego’s tilma, the mantle that bears the miraculous image of Mary who appeared to the Indigenous saint and spoke to him in Nahuatl, an Aztec language. An estimated 12 million people visited the basilica each year before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, making it Catholicism’s most popular Marian shrine.

In his message to Archbishop Cerro, Pope Francis said the origin of the word “Guadalupe” is not entirely known, and its roots have been traced to Arabic, Latin or Nahuatl. He noted that while this could be interpreted as a conflict, it can also “be read as a sign from the Holy Spirit who makes his message of love heard in every language.”

The pope then traced how the different

other reoccurrence of the cancer. Initially the prognosis was dire (thirty months and chemotherapy for the rest of my life) and the creed again took a central place in my life. However, a new treatment unexpectedly offered a much longer future and, with no one there to shoot me every day, the creed again began to lose its power and my old habits of impatience, ingratitude and self-pity began again to mark my days.

I am deeply grateful for all the post-cancer years that God and modern medicine have given me. Cancer has been a gift that has taught me a lot. Having my life parceled out in six months chunks has me appreciating life, others, health, nature, the simple joys of life and my work like never before. I’m a better person when there is someone there to shoot me every day!

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

linguistic interpretations of “Guadalupe” combine to produce new meanings: in Arabic it means “hidden river,” which refers to grace; its Latin origins could mean “river of wolves,” referring to a “haven of peace for those troubled by their own sins” and violence; and the Nahuatl roots would mean “the one who conquers the serpent.”

The Gospel, while remaining the same, is “enriched in meaning” in every historical moment and by every culture it encounters, the pope said.

a message of communion amid mixed cultures, pope says

Pope Francis passes a banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe as he leaves after presiding at Mass marking the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 12, 2022. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Happy anniversary

71 Years

Al & Bea Katool

St. Richard, Jackson

62 Years

Henry & Corinne Anderson

Holy Family, Jackson

60 Years

James & Gloria Culver

St. Paul, Flowood

Jody & Judy Hill

St. Francis of Assisi, Madison

John & Mary Kraft

St. Francis of Assisi, Madison

Jimmy & Mary Frances Lang

St. Joseph, Greenville

John & Luise Lauzon

Holy Spirit, Hernando

Millard & Mary Lynn Powers

St. Joseph, Greenville

53 Years

Gary & Marie McCall

Holy Cross, Philadelphia

50 Years

Ron & Jo Ann Brumfield

St. Mary Basilica, Natchez

Dennis & Gina Conner

St. Patrick, Meridian

Dr. James & Naomi Cook

St. Paul, Vicksburg

Joseph & Nancy Harben

Immaculate Conception, Raymond

Ed and Corley Marsalis

St. Francis of Assisi, Madison

James & Kathy Mathews

St. Paul, Flowood

James & Roxanne McIngvale

Holy Spirit, Hernando

Manny & Melanie Mitchell

St. Patrick, Meridian

Jerry & Linda Perez

Sacred Heart, Canton

Ken & Carolyn Pribyla

St. Francis of Assisi, Madison

Leslie & Sharon Southwick

St. Richard, Jackson

John & Cathy Stone

St. Patrick, Meridian

44 Years

Ned & Debbye Garner

Christ the King, Jackson

31 Years

Dan & Rosa Buzzarde

St. Peter, Grenada

30 Years

Tommy & Traci Avalon

Cathedral of St. Peter, Jackson

27 Years

Pete & Janys Canizaro

St. Paul, Flowood

26 Years

Aracely & Reynaldo Acosta

St. James, Tupelo

Leonel & Cristina Blanco

St. James, Tupelo

Mario & Conny Villasenor

St. Therese, Jackson

25 Years

Eddie & Renee Borne

St. Paul, Flowood

Lawrence & Patti Greene

St. Joseph, Gluckstadt

Denzil & Gina Lobo

Christ the King, Jackson

James & Katrina Maier

St. Mary Basilica, Natchez

Burkie & Debora McGee

St. Jude, Pearl

Sean & Heidi Summers

Cathedral of St. Peter, Jackson

Ron & Laura Tarbutton

Cathedral of St. Peter, Jackson

21 Years

Lee & Ashley McCall

Holy Cross, Philadelphia

Sharon and Leslie Southwick, of St. Richard parish, turn to each other renewing their promise vow after 50 years of marriage.

Al and Bea Katool, of St. Richard parish, come forward for a greeting from Bishop Kopacz congratulating them on 71 years of marriage. (Photos by Tereza Ma)

Celebrating 50 years of marriage, Manny and Melanie Mitchell, of St. Patrick Meridian, receive hand shakes from Bishop Kopacz congratulating them during the annual World Marriage Day celebration at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson.

Debbye and Ned Garner, of Christ the King Jackson, walk up the aisle to receive congratulations from Bishop Kopacz on 44 years of marriage.

New earthquake hits Turkey and Syria, killing 6; death toll from earlier quake rises to 47,000

By Dale Gavlak

AMMAN, Jordan (OSV News) – A new earthquake struck the border area between Turkey and Syria the night of Feb. 20, sparking fear and anxiety for people already bereft and for those helping them since the Feb. 6 temblor. Six people were reported killed in the new quake.

With a magnitude of 6.4 and centered in the southern Turkish city of Antakya, the new earthquake shook the ground two weeks after a massive quake killed more than 47,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes.

Catholic aid workers were rushing badly needed humanitarian help to the victims of Turkey and Syria’s deadly earthquakes, but with this latest earthquake to strike, they expressed concern over the lasting impact of loss for those deeply traumatized.

Andrea Avveduto, a psychologist on the ground in northwest Syria and director of communications for Pro Terra Sancta, told OSV News that “everyone is so afraid.”

“It’s a very dramatic situation, especially for children,” Avveduto said of his organization’s work in Aleppo in northwest Syria. “We are sending a group of psychologists specialized in post-traumatic stress to Syria because children are experiencing much trauma.”

“Children don’t want to sleep or go to the bathroom alone and insist that their parents stay close by. They become very afraid when they hear any loud noise and they want to cling to their parents,” Avveduto told OSV News.

He told the story of a 6-year-old Ibrahim, a blind boy, who was very terrified by the impact of the first earthquake. Everything crumbled around him. Sand was in his mouth and dust filled his nose. Ibrahim also tasted blood and then, as he reported, there was silence, followed by the sound of rain.

And yet, Ibrahim “immediately ran to our center, seeking shelter, food and some comfort,” Avveduto said of the boy who managed to escape the devastation.

Besides the more than 47,000 people killed in the Feb. 6 quake, thousands more have been injured. Many say they are terrified at night, unable to sleep and fearful.

Pro Terra Sancta, based in Jerusalem, Rome and Milan, supports the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. Since the start of the war in 2011, it has aided Franciscan fathers in Syria by opening four emergency centers in Damascus, Latakia, Aleppo, Knayeh and Yacoubieh, the latter places are found in northwest Syria.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have any information from the Franciscan friars in the villages of Knayeh and Yacoubieh. The communication lines are very bad, and we’ve had great difficulty trying to contact them,” Avveduto explained. Adding to the woes of these predominantly Christian villages has been the presence of Islamist militants who are in control there.

Avveduto also expressed concern for villagers in Tulul and some other areas in the northwest facing a double disaster, as some villages have been deluged with water by the collapse of local levees due to the aftershocks.

“We know there is also a huge problem due to flooding. We think there are people under the destroyed buildings that have drowned,” Avveduto said.

“Meanwhile, we are looking for people still trapped underneath the collapsed buildings in Aleppo. Our emergency center provides food, blankets and medicines, and the needs are growing. We have more than 4,000 people daily coming for hot meals in Aleppo and ... Latakia,” he said of those displaced.

Some 2,500 are sheltering in the Terra Sancta College in Aleppo. First aid kits, blankets and clothes are being distributed.

Italian Cardinal Mario Zenari, apostolic nuncio in Syria, warned that “the worst thing that could happen to Syria ... is to be forgotten.”

Cardinal Zenari underscored the dire circumstances Syrians face saying that already “there are more than 13 million Syrians who have been affected by the war and require humanitarian assistance.” The cardinal shared his remarks with AVSI, an international humanitarian organization.

Cardinal Zenari has supported AVSI’s Open Hospitals, an initiative to ad-

dress Syria’s health crisis by providing medical care for those living in poverty and aiding three nonprofit hospitals in Syria. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Health Association and private individuals provide financial support.

AVSI has treated the injured, and provided warm meals and clothing, shoes and blankets to families in shelters and camps set up after the earthquake. These organizations along with the U.S.-based Salesian Missions have set up disaster relief funds to aid quake survivors and are requesting financial support.

“Some families took refuge in our house in Aleppo. They arrived with only the clothes they had on. Their homes are not in good condition because of the war, and they feel safer with us,” explained Father Alejandro León, superior of the Salesian Province of the Middle East, from Kafroun, near Homs and the Lebanese border.

The Salesians said in a statement that they are aiding the displaced as much as possible despite severe shortages of electricity and fuel affecting Syria. “The population is really having a difficult time,” said Salesian Father Pier Jabloyan, provincial delegate for social communication.

Internally displaced Syrians who had escaped to the rebel-held areas of northwest Syria during the 12-year conflict have criticized the slow international response to bringing rescue equipment as well as medical and other relief aid to the region. Medical facilities are reported to be close to collapse there.

Now, more than 140 trucks loaded with supplies from six United Nations agencies have crossed into northwest Syria, mainly through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, but also through two other crossing points, which were previously closed.

Miracle rescues have taken place mainly in Turkey, where the enormous death toll has made it the worst disaster in modern Turkish history. Many people in both Syria and Turkey remain unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, several thousand Syrian refugees sheltering in Turkey have returned home to Syria’s conflict zone to check on relatives after the earthquakes. Turkish authorities are allowing them to spend up to six months in the rebel-held northwest without losing the opportunity to return to Turkey.

Aid groups say that survivors will need months of humanitarian aid, medical and psychological support to help rebuild their lives.

A woman is carried out by rescuers from the site of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, Feb.7, 2023. A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked areas of Turkey and Syria early Feb. 6, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing thousands. (OSV News photo/Dilara Senkaya, Reuters)

An earthquake survivor holding a child sits by a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, Feb. 10, 2023. The powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked areas of Turkey and Syria early Feb. 6, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing thousands. (OSV News photo/Umit Bektas, Reuters)

Emotional LA sheriff details arrest of suspect in shooting death of Bishop O’Connell; motive remains unclear

By PaBlo Kay and Tom HoffarTH

LOS ANGELES (OSV News) – A 65-year-old Hispanic man was taken into custody the morning of Feb. 20 by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies as the prime suspect in the murder of Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell of Los Angeles.

LA County Sheriff Robert G. Luna announced at a news conference Monday afternoon local time at the Los Angeles County Hall of Justice in downtown LA that citizen tips led to the 8:15 a.m. arrest of Carlos Medina, the husband of a housekeeper who had worked at Bishop O’Connell’s home in Hacienda Heights, after an all-night search.

Bishop O’Connell, a native of Ireland who spent most of his 43 years as a priest serving in LA’s inner city, was found dead in his home on the afternoon of Feb. 18.

The next day, the LA Sheriff’s department announced that Bishop O’Connell’s death was being investigated as a homicide.

Luna established a timeline based on the work of detectives that indicated that at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 a tip was received linking Medina to the murder.

“They were concerned he was acting strange (and) irrational, and made comments about the bishop owing him money,” Luna said of the tip from the informant.

The tipster also said Medina had left his residence in Torrance and was headed for the Central California area.

After obtaining an arrest warrant, police began a search of Medina’s home. Another tip at 2 a.m. Feb. 20 indicated that Medina had returned home, and LA Sheriff’s Carson Station deputies were dispatched to the scene. Medina refused to come out of his residence when asked to surrender, Luna said.

The original search warrant was amended so Medina’s house could again be searched. A tactical team dispatched again called for Medina’s surrender, and he was then taken into custody around 8:15 a.m. without further incident.

Luna said two firearms were recovered and are be-

ing tested to see if they were used in the murder.

In an emotional press conference, Luna said “my heart grieves” for the death of Bishop O’Connell, based on all the calls of support he received in the investigation over the last 48 hours.

“This man, this bishop, made a huge difference in our community,” said Luna. “He was loved. It is very sad that we are gathered here today about this murder.”

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, one of the speakers at the press conference, stopped several times during his remarks to collect himself. At one point, Luna put his arm around his shoulder to comfort him.

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell is pictured speaking with parishioners outside St. Frances X. Cabrini Church in Los Angeles July 19, 2015. According to local news reports, Los Angeles County sheriffs found him dead of a gunshot wound at his home Feb. 18, 2023, and his death has been ruled a homicide. An investigation was under way for a suspect and motive. A native of Ireland, he spent most of his four decades as a priest ministering in the inner city of Los Angeles. He was 69. (OSV News photo/CNS file, John Rueda, The Tidings)

“On behalf of our entire community, I want to share thanks for your professionalism and sensitivity,” Archbishop Gomez said of the investigation. “It is a sad and painful moment for all of us. Let us keep praying for Bishop Dave and his family, just as he prayed for law enforcement officials.”

Archbishop Gomez Feb. 19 called on Catholics to pray for the late bishop and those investigating his death.

“We continue to pray for Bishop Dave, and for his family in Ireland, and we pray for law enforcement officials as they continue their investigation into this terrible crime,” he said at a Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels that morning.

Sheriff Luna confirmed a deacon who worked with Bishop O’Connell was the first to find him in his home. The deacon went to check on the bishop after he didn’t show up to a meeting that morning, then dialed 911. Bishop O’Connell was found in his bed with at least one gunshot wound. No firearm was recovered at the home, nor was there a sign of forced entry, Luna said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna comforts Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez while he speaks during a Feb. 20, 2023, news conference after the arrest of 65-year-old Carlos Medina, the suspect in the murder of Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell. Bishop O’Connell was found dead of a single gunshot wound Feb. 18 at his home in Hacienda Heights, a neighborhood east of Los Angeles. (OSV News photo/Victor Alemán, Angelus News)

After interviewing neighbors, Luna said surveillance video showed a vehicle had pulled into Bishop O’Connell’s driveway – a dark-colored compact SUV – which was later linked to the car his housekeeper had used.

Luna emphasized their investigation has not confirmed anything about a financial dispute between Medina and Bishop O’Connell,

only that that information came from a witness.

“Our investigation continues ... to get a better picture of what happened here,” said Luna. “The detectives will go out and validate.”

Luna added that not all information from the investigation will be revealed yet, as “keeping the integrity of the investigation is a priority,” he said. “The next step is to present all of the evidence and try to get a criminal prosecution (filed against) Medina.”

Bishop O’Connell was originally from Brooklodge, Glanmire, in County Cork, the largest county in Ireland. He studied for the priesthood at the former All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979.

Bishop O’Connell was named an auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in July 2015. Since then, he had served as episcopal vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, one of the LA archdiocese’s five regions.

During his time as auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles, evangelization, pastoral care for immigrants, and ensuring the future of his region’s Catholic schools were all top priorities for Bishop O’Connell, who believed that “parishes and schools are powerful instruments of transformation of people’s lives and of neighborhoods.”

Before being named a bishop, he was well-known for his pastoral work in south LA – where he served as pastor of four different parishes  – in the years before and after the 1992 Rodney King riots. He played a key role, along with other local faith leaders, in bringing together communities already suffering from gang violence, poverty and drugs, while working to restore trust between community members and law enforcement.

(Pablo Kay is editor of Angelus News, a publication of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Tom Hoffarth also writes for Angelus News.)

Examine your heart more deeply this Lent

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Mary WoodWard

JACKSON – Let us pray for Bishop David O’Connell, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who was murdered this past weekend. Let us also pray for his family in Ireland.

Having served in the diocesan chancery for 30 years and in particular having served the Office of Bishop under Bishops William Houck, Joseph Latino and Joseph Kopacz, and having assisted or been mentored by bishops across the region and world, this is poignantly disturbing. As we enter the great Lenten season, it is a sharp reminder of the fragility of life and the violence that dwells in the hearts of many.

This week I thought I would replay a difficult adventure of Bishop Thomas Heslin, relayed by Bishop John Gunn in his diary. It is an account of an accident that more than likely led to Bishop Heslin’s death a few months after it occurred. This week is the anniversary of Bishop Heslin’s death (Feb. 22, 1911) and Bishop Gunn’s death (Feb. 19, 1924).

Here is a condensed version of the infamous mule cart ride:

“Visit to Montpelier. This is a little mission chapel about 13 miles from West Point, without a railroad and with the poorest roads imaginable. On the way out from West Point to Montpelier I heard a story about Bishop Heslin which is worth recording.

“The good Bishop was, like myself, going out to the little chapel to give Confirmation. The best pair of mules in the neighborhood were commandeered to bring the Bishop out. The Bishop’s carriage was a spring wagon and a plank put over the sideboards formed the cushions for the driver and the Bishop.

“The roads were of that peculiar type known in Mississippi as ‘corduroy’ roads. Branches of trees, stumps, logs, etc. are imbedded in the mud roads during the Winter, In the Spring these are covered with dirt and there is a good road until the first rain comes. Then the dirt is washed up and the stumps are very much in evidence, especially when the mules get into a trot.

“It seems that on the past visit of Bishop Heslin, the driver talked all he knew about cotton, lumber, and the country and talked so much that the mules fell asleep. It is thought that Bishop Heslin – if he was not asleep, was at least nodding – and at the moment the driver woke up and commenced to whip the mules into some kind of activity.

“The sudden start caught the Bishop unprepared and he made a double somersault over the spring wagon and fell on the road. The driver was so busy with the mules that he forgot the Bishop and did not know of the mishap for nearly half a mile.

“Then there was the difficulty of turning the pair of mules on the road and a convenient turning spot had to be reached. This delayed the recovery of the Bishop for a considerable time and when the mule driver and his mules found the Bishop – Bishop Heslin was in a dead faint.

“The good Bishop was a big man and a heavy man, and the mule driver was lean and lanky and there was no help in sight or available. There was nothing to do only to take the sideboards from the wagon and form an inclined plane and roll the Bishop up the plane and make him comfortable in the wagon. “He recovered consciousness before he reached West Point.

“It is said that the Bishop never really recovered from the shock and the injury sustained by this fall. [The event occurred in late 1910 and Bishop Heslin died the following February.]

“The driver who brought me out to Montpelier was the same one who had brought Bishop Heslin and he gave me the story as written.”

This account is a reminder of difficult days of travel and ministry for bishops in our diocese prior to paved roads, 70 mph speed limits and Siri’s step by step directions.

So, as we move into these forty days of Lent 2023,

let us pray for our bishops and for the people of Los Angeles whom Bishop O’Connell served. Let us strive to build peace in our hearts and the hearts of our communities. We also must work hard at examining the violence within us no matter how big or small and work to quell it through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Find a big tree to pray under as a reminder of the outstretched arms of the Cross on which the Savior of the world, our ultimate shepherd, opened His arms and offered His life for us. Have a blessed Lenten journey.

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

A Magnolia tree stands in the gardens of Immaculate Conception Cathedral Basilica in Mobile. Chancellor, Mary Woodward plans to find a large tree to pray under throughout Lent, as a reminder of the outstretched arms of the Cross that Jesus opened his arms upon and offered His life for us. (Photo by Mary Woodward)

NATION

GROSSE POINTE FARMS, Mich. (OSV NEWS) –Tears were shed, words of consolation were shared, and memories were cherished the evening of Feb. 14 during two emotional prayer vigils to honor the memory of three Michigan State University students whose lives were cut short during a shooting on the East Lansing campus one night earlier. Two of the students, Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner, belonged to Catholic parishes in Metro Detroit, while the third, Arielle Anderson, was a much-loved graduate of Grosse Pointe North High School. Father Jim Bilot led hundreds of mourners at St. Paul on the Lake Parish in Grosse Pointe Farms in a prayer vigil that featured a picture of Fraser, 20, a Michigan State sophomore and 2017 graduate of the parish school, surrounded by candles in the sanctuary. “We come to pray, and that is the most important and most powerful thing that we could do at this time,” Father Bilot said. Deacon Christopher Stark led a livestreamed rosary from the parish, while a candlelight vigil took place at Clawson City Park, attended by community members, teachers, students and staff from Clawson High School, where Verner graduated in 2020.

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) – An unexploded pipe bomb found Feb. 19 near railroad tracks behind St. Dominic Catholic Church in Philadelphia was likely not meant to target the parish, pastor Father Edward T. Kearns told OSV News. “I don’t think it was in connection to us,” said Father Edward T. Kearns, pastor of St. Dominic parish in. “It was behind us, not on our property, (but) on the other side of the railroad tracks … 100 yards from my church.” The pipe bomb posed a potential threat to the Philadelphia freight line at a time when the U.S. is still grappling with the catastrophic impact of a Feb. 3 freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. At the same time, Father Kearns said he plans to meet with staff about increasing security at the church. “I don’t think (anyone) is out to

get us,” Father Kearns told OSV News. “But you never know these days. There’s so much anger in the world.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – During Black History Month in February, Catholics are being invited to register to attend this summer’s National Black Catholic Congress, which over the years has made history of its own. The National Black Catholic Congress XIII will be held July 20-23 at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside the District of Columbia. It marks the third time the Washington area has hosted the gathering, and each of those times, key participants included noted figures in U.S. Catholic history. Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory – the archbishop of Washington who was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis in 2020, becoming the first African American cardinal in history – will give the opening keynote speech and celebrate the opening Mass. Early registration for the National Black Catholic Congress XIII ends Feb. 28 and regular registration ends July 15,. For more information, including a schedule of events, and to register, go online to nbccgathering2023.org.

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Tradition is a source of inspiration for seeking out new paths to take with Jesus and for avoiding the traps of stagnation or impromptu experimentation, Pope Francis said. “Jesus is himself the way, and therefore, both in the liturgical journey (of Lent) and in the journey of the synod, the church does nothing other than enter ever more deeply and fully into the mystery of Christ the savior,” the pope said in his message for Lent, which begins Feb. 22 for Latin-rite Catholics. Released by the Vatican Feb. 17, the text of the pope’s message focused on seeing Lenten penance and the synodal experience both as arduous journeys that lead to the wondrous experience of Christ’s divine light and splendor. “To deepen our knowledge of the Master, to fully understand and em-

brace the mystery of his salvation, accomplished in total self-giving inspired by love, we must allow ourselves to be taken aside by him and to detach ourselves from mediocrity and vanity,” the pope said. “We need to set out on the journey, an uphill path that, like a mountain trek, requires effort, sacrifice and concentration,” he said. “These requisites are also important for the synodal journey which, as a church, we are committed to making.” “During any strenuous mountain trek, we must keep our eyes firmly fixed on the path; yet the panorama that opens up at the end amazes us and rewards us by its grandeur,” Pope Francis wrote. The text of the pope’s message in English is online at https:// www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/ documents/20230125-messaggio-quaresima.html.

WORLD

DAVID, Panama (OSV News) – Pope Francis has expressed sorrow for the victims of a bus crash in Panama, which claimed the lives of 39 migrants transiting the Central American country. In a Feb. 16 telegram to Cardinal José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán of David, Panama – whose diocese includes the site of the crash – Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said: “The Holy Father has received with deep sadness the news of the bus accident ... in which several migrants have lost their lives and others were injured.” The tragedy occurred in the early morning hours of Feb. 15 in the western Panama province of Chiriquí. Panama’s immigration director Samira Gozaine told reporters the bus had entered a camp for migrants and the driver was turning the vehicle around when it slid down an embankment. The driver was among the victims, Gozaine said. The deaths were a tragic reminder of the perils faced by migrants traveling through Central America and Mexico on their journey toward the U.S. border.

Bishop Rolando Álvarez sentenced to 26 years and 4 months in prison by Nicaragua a day after the regime deports 222 political prisoners to U.S.

The list also included opposition candidates disqualified by Ortega prior to elections in 2021 – the results of which U.S. and European officials refused to recognize.

Independent Nicaraguan news organization Confidencial reported that six churchmen and a diocesan communicator, sentenced to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges by a Nicaraguan court Feb. 6, were on the flight to the United States.

ter to protesters after demonstrations erupted in 2018 and subsequently accompanying the families of political prisoners.

“The church is important because it is still one of the institutions with the greatest trust among the population,” Tiziano Breda, researcher at the Italian Institute of International Affairs, told OSV News.

“(Bishop) Álvarez was one of the voices that was outspoken and … had a capacity to convene people. (His imprisonment) disincentivizes any other voices in the Catholic Church from expressing views or rally people and criticize the government,” he said.

By DaviD agren

MEXICO CITY (OSV News) – Nicaragua has released more than 200 political prisoners, including Catholic priests, students, and opponents of the regime, who were taken from detention in deplorable conditions and sent to the United States. Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa was among the political prisoners included on the list for release and exile, but he refused to abandon the country. He was sentenced to 26 years and 4 months in prison on Feb. 10, according to media reports.

Media in the Central American countries reported 222 political prisoners boarded a flight Feb. 9 to the United States, where they would be granted refuge.

The New York Times reported the regime of President Daniel Ortega asked for nothing in exchange for the release of political prisoners but cited a Biden administration official saying Nicaragua hoped to improve relations between the two countries.

“The release of these individuals, one of whom is a U.S. citizen, by the Government of Nicaragua marks a constructive step toward addressing human rights abuses in the country and opens the door to further dialogue between the United States and Nicaragua regarding issues of concern,” U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a Feb. 9 statement.

“Today’s development is the product of concerted American diplomacy, and we will continue to support the Nicaraguan people.”

The plane with released prisoners landed in Washington at noon Eastern time.

In a video statement issued early Feb. 9, Nicaraguan judge Octavio Rothschuh ordered the political prisoners “deported” from Nicaragua.

“The deportees were declared traitors to the homeland, perpetually disqualified from exercising public office in the name of Nicaragua and perpetually disqualified from (holding) any elected position. They are in the United States, and, in this manner, we conclude the deportation sentence,” Rothschuh said.

The National Assembly promptly stripped the exiled political prisoners of their Nicaraguan citizenship.

The names of the prisoners were not immediately released, but Nicaraguan media and priests in exile said the list included churchmen convicted in sham trials of conspiracy and spreading false information.

The list includes Fathers Ramiro Tijerino, José Luis Díaz and Sadiel Eugarrios; Deacon Raúl Antonio Vega; seminarians Darvin Leiva and Melkin Centeno; and cameraman Sergio Cárdenas – all from the Diocese of Matagalpa. Another priest, Father Óscar Danilo Benavidez, pastor in the community of Mulukuku, who was arrested Aug. 14 and was sentenced Feb. 5 on similar charges of conspiracy and spreading false information, also was reported to be on the flight.

During a Feb. 9 televised message to the Nicaraguan nation, Ortega said Bishop Álvarez “demanded to speak with bishops, a reunion with the bishops” while in line to board the flight. The bishop turned back after his request was denied. Bishop Álvarez, an unrelenting critic of the regime, was transferred from house arrest, where he has been held since August 2022, to the notorious Modelo prison.

Ortega belittled the bishop, calling him “deranged” and telling a national audience: “He has shown the arrogant behavior of someone who considers himself leader of the church in Nicaragua, the church in Latin America.

“I don’t know what this gentleman thinks,” Ortega said. “In the face of a decision from the Nicaraguan state, he says that he does not abide by it, a resolution from a state power that orders him to leave the country.”

The bishop has previously refused to flee the country, in spite of increasing persecution. It was reported that a court decision could come as soon as Feb. 15 in his trial on charges of conspiracy and spreading false information. However, on Feb. 10, a Nicaraguan judge sentenced Bishop Álvarez to 26 years and 4 months in prison, and stripped him of his citizenship under the charges of treason and “undermining national integrity.”

The release of the political prisoners offered a rare moment of relief for Catholics in Nicaragua, but some consternation as those being expelled were stripped of their citizenship.

Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Baez tweeted Feb. 9: “It gives me deep joy that Nicaragua’s political prisoners are out of prison. I have thanks to God for them! They never should have been prisoners. By banishing them, Nicaragua’s dictatorship committed another crime, showing that it’s them (the regime) who do not deserve to be Nicaraguans.”

Bishop Baez serves the Archdiocese of Managua in Nicaragua but now lives in exile in Miami. He fled the country in 2019 after facing down death threats for criticizing the country’s totalitarian government.

The Nicaraguan Catholic Church has drawn the ire of the Ortega regime for its providing shel-

The persecution of Nicaraguan Catholics has caused international consternation and expressions of solidarity from bishops’ conferences from around the world.

“We follow with sadness and concern the situation in Nicaragua, and the persecution to which our church is being subjected,” Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), said in a Feb. 6 letter to Bishop Carlos Enrique Herrera Gutiérrez of Jinotega, president of the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference.

“As bishops of COMECE, we are committed to promote freedom, democracy and justice in Nicaragua through our regular dialogue with the representatives of EU institutions,” Cardinal Hollerich added.

Pope Francis has spoken somewhat tepidly on Nicaragua, where the regime expelled the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, in March 2022.

The pope has publicly expressed concern for the situation in Nicaragua and called for dialogue. He told reporters in September, “There is dialogue. That doesn’t mean we approve of everything the government is doing or disapprove of it.”

Breda said the objectives of dialogues involving Nicaraguan officials had diminished from trying to find a solution to the political crisis – including free elections, allowing Ortega to peacefully leave power –“to trying to persuade the government to give the most minimal, humane conditions for political prisoners.”

The Catholic Church has previously promoted dialogue in Nicaragua to find a peaceful solution to the protests but broke off talks after the regime showed bad faith. Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, have subsequently branded church leaders “coup mongers” and “terrorists.”

(David Agren writes for OSV News from Mexico City.)

Juan Sebastian Chamorro, one of the more than 200 freed political prisoners from Nicaragua, speaks to reporters after arriving in the United States at Dulles International Airport in Virginia Feb. 9, 2023. (OSV News photo/Kevin Lamarque, Reuters)

Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, a frequent critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, prays at a Catholic church in Managua on May 20, 2022. A Nicaraguan court sentenced Bishop Álvarez to more than 26 years in prison Feb. 10, 2023 for conspiracy and spreading false information. (OSV News photo/Maynor Valenzuela, Reuters)

The miracle of ordinary time

ON ORDINARY TIMES

By Lucia a. SiLecchia

Several weeks ago, I was visiting a parish not my own for Mass on a Sunday morning. I sat about a third of the way back – on the left had side as I usually do. When I came in, I noticed some young children sitting a few rows behind me. I did not pay too much attention to them during Mass because they were remarkably quiet

But then…

We reached the sacred moment of the Consecration. The bells rang and the Blessed Sacrament was elevated in that holy moment I so often take for granted. At that exact instant, there was a small voice from a young child who said, clearly and simply, “wow.”

Maybe he was reacting to the bells. Maybe he was impressed by something entirely unrelated to Mass. Maybe one of his siblings had done something that caught his attention. Maybe his parents were embarrassed by his exuberance. Maybe I should have been critical of the way he broke the sacred silence.

But I was grateful.

I was grateful for that tiny voice that said “wow.” He drew my attention to the fact that I had just witnessed something awesome for which “wow” seems to be the only right reaction. It was a reaction that recognized that what he, and I, and we had just seen was a miracle far beyond our comprehension, and yet within our grasp.

We had just seen the miracle that, through God’s lavish generosity, happens ev-

ery moment of every day in grand cathedrals and silent chapels in every corner of the globe. It is the miracle that has happened for nearly two millennia.

As an adult, I know with my mind what happens at Mass. Sometimes, though, the heart and soul can lag behind. They can fail to see how glorious that miraculous, sacrificial gift is. Sometimes, the heart and soul need to hear “wow” to remember what awe really means.

The Catholic Church in the United States is in the first year of the National Eucharistic Revival. The Revival’s aim is “to restore understanding and devotion to this great mystery.” As the years of the Revival unfold, the invitation to delve more deeply into the heart of this “great mystery” will take many forms in our dioceses and in our parishes.

Certainly, the aim of restoring understanding is a critical first step in bringing about a fuller appreciation for the great gift of the Eucharist and the reality that it is, truly, Christ Himself. If this understanding leads to greater devotion, the Revival will have been a great gift to the church in our time.

Yet, my tiny friend’s “wow” leads me to think that understanding and devotion are but the first two steps on the journey to awe.

My tiny friend’s “wow” was the invitation to stop taking this daily miracle for granted and really notice what happens.

My tiny friend’s “wow” expressed the grateful reverence and reverent gratitude that should not belong solely to the young. It belongs to all who rejoice in this great miracle of ordinary time.

(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.)

Living my Lenten discipline through the lessons of Black

FOR THE JOURNEY

By effie caLdaroLa

My friend Sister Mary Hogan told me that what she remembers most vividly about her experience in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 was the “hate stare.”

Sister Hogan was a young religious sister in Detroit when then Archbishop (later Cardinal) John Dearden permitted his priests to respond to the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King’s request for clergy and religious leaders to come to Selma. The day before, peaceful marchers had been met by violence from police and bystanders on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Her community’s superior asked who wanted to go to Selma in response to Dr. King’s plea.

“I jumped up and said, ‘I do,’” Sister Hogan told me in an interview in 2015. “I thought she was kidding.”

But the next day, Sister Hogan found herself on a plane, and if you see pictures of sisters in long, traditional black serge habits sitting in the grass near that famous bridge, you may spot her.

Later, she recalled the eyes full of contempt watching her along the march and following her at the airport. Decades later, Sister Hogan said she had never again experienced the level of hatred conveyed in those eyes.

Much has changed for the better since 1965. But Black Americans still face powerful struggles and inequality in housing, employment, health care, incarceration and education.

And how about Black Catholics?

A recent Pew research study reveals 6% of Black Americans are Catholic. That translates into about 3 million people.

Do they sense the same commitment from their church and its leadership as evidenced by Archbishop Dearden in 1965? Or do they sometimes feel invisible?

Over the recent Martin Luther King weekend, I attended

a local parish. I intentionally scanned the crowd and found not one Black face. The homily did not mention our national observance and the bulletin made no reference to the holiday or to the day of service it engendered.

King’s long-ago observation rang true: The 11 o’clock hour on Sunday is the most segregated in America.

But did not we, a church full of Catholics regardless of color, have a deep need to be reminded of the ongoing struggle for justice and the legacy of a great American?

Later, I went online and found that Sunday’s bulletin for Gesu Parish in Detroit, where my friend Jesuit Father Lorn Snow is pastor. His parish, in a neighborhood that used to be mostly Jewish and Irish, is predominantly Black. But that, too, is changing, as young and suburban white Catholics come seeking the parish’s diversity.

In pastoring a Black community, said Father Snow, who is white, “the most important thing is to listen.”

Enculturating people’s experience into the liturgy is also important, he said. Gesu’s music ministry incorporates a lively African-American vibe.

Gesu’s bulletin for MLK week contained a full page of events relative to social and racial justice – an archdiocesan Mass at the cathedral, a parish event, an invitation to the National Black Catholic Congress in July. There was a reminder that the Novena of Grace, a nine-day preached event in March which is a tradition in Jesuit parishes, will have racial justice as its theme. If the novena is live-streamed, I plan to attend as a good (hopefully fruitful) Lenten exercise.

But what else can I do for Lent?

One Lenten wake-up call for those who often sit in segregated pews is to read “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” King’s stirring

History Month

admonition to “moderate” whites and to Christian church leaders who often disappointed him.

Written in 1963 while King languished in jail for civil disobedience, the letter still holds relevance and challenge for our church today.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” wrote King.

As the church, how do we stand for justice?

(Effie Caldarola writes for the Catholic News Service.)

POSITION AVAILABLE

Campus Minister Position

St. Joseph - Starkville

St. Joseph Catholic Church in Starkville, Mississippi, Home of Mississippi State University is seeking applications for a Campus Minister. Candidates should have the following:

• Bachelor’s Degree – Master’s in Theology, preferred

• Ability to uphold and cultivate Christian values, especially the moral teachings of the Church

• Experience with youth or young adult ministry/outreach

• An understanding of ministry as a calling

• Good leadership skills and excellent communication skills

• Ability to work in a team-oriented and collaborative environment

• Positive attitude

The Campus Minister is a full-time salaried position. Due to the nature of Campus Ministry, evening and weekend hours are necessary. For inquiries about the Campus Ministry position, please contact the parish office at (662) 323-2257.

Application Deadline: March 15, 2023

Please submit cover letter and resume to: frjason@stjosephstarkville.org

Exchange students experience Sacred Heart School community

so good being part of the community and helping the people. That is an idea we are going to propose back home!”

Their time in the country was also filled with all kinds of special activities, such as seeing the Memphis Zoo Lights, attending a local high school basketball game and going to Memphis to tour the National Civil Rights Museum. The girls were also introduced to something very familiar to many of us – a Walmart Supercenter.

One of their first excursions was to Graceland to celebrate Elvis Presley’s birthday. (The King of Rock n Roll would have been 88 years old this year.) Unfortunately, during their stay in our country, his only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, passed away unexpectedly. While the student visitors would have loved to have gone to her memorial service, an early morning visit to Lisa’s grave later in the week gave them a private opportunity to send up a prayer and say goodbye.

While here, the Brazilian guests were able to taste all kinds of cuisine, with stops at a Waffle House, a Wendy’s and the exquisite Peabody Hotel. Throughout the month they got a heavy dose of local flavor as a number of families from the Sacred Heart School community hosted dinners, welcoming the girls to their homes.

When asked about their time here in the United States, the response from each of the exchange students was the same, “Everything has been so great! These days here in Southaven are going to be in our memories forever.”

No doubt these young women have left an indelible mark on the hearts of everyone here. As one of our parents so eloquently put it, “There are times in our lives when God delivers special and unexpected gifts right to your front door. Never having experienced exchange programs before, I was unsure of how it would work within our school system. I was met with such unconditional love and openness! The culture and universal language of kindness that these students and teacher brought will forever be part of me. I feel honored and grateful that I have met such sweet friends … and I know I am not alone! God is so very good and this is an example of his perfect love working around us every single day.”

By Laura Grisham

SOUTHAVEN – The Sacred Heart community said goodbye to their Brazilian exchange students over the last weekend in January. By all accounts, their time in the United States was much too short. The four students – Alice, Joana, Luisa and Maria, along with their teacher, Mariane – are from São Luiz (St. Louis) in Brusque, a school sponsored by the Priests of the Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart School (SHS) students have been penpals with students from São Luiz for several years. As part of the Dehonian educational community, students are also able to connect with POSH schools throughout the United States and in other parts of the world via zoom at various times through the year.

While visiting the SHS students, the girls from Brazil were fascinated by all things new and different, but more importantly, formed a bond through a shared universal language love and sisterhood.

The girls attended regular classes on weekdays with their Sacred Heart counterparts. Though many activities during the school day here and abroad are similar, there are some subtle differences. “The sequence of the classes and everyday life at school are so different from ours in Brazil. For example, we don’t have lunch at school. Classes finish at 12 p.m. Most of us go back home and eat lunch with our families. It has been a great experience to eat at school,” said Luisa.

Another difference the girls found curious was the changing of classes. “In Colégio São Luiz, in Brazil, we don’t exchange between rooms; we stay all the period in our homeroom,” Alice explained. “It is really nice to stand up and move between classrooms!”

Sacred Heart welcomed the girls with open arms. The camaraderie between the Dehonian students was instantaneous. Students were particularly enthusiastic about the Dehonian crosses on the Brazilian uniforms, inquiring if this was something that could be incorporated into the Sacred Heart uniforms in the future.

During their month-long stay, the São Luiz crew was able to experience a great deal of the Mississippi Dehonian community, including celebrating Mass at several of our parishes, and touring many of our facilities. They were able to meet with Holy Family School students, tour Sacred Heart Southern Missions’ main office, the Walls Food Pantry and the Dehon Village neighborhood. The girls also lent a hand at two mobile food distributions and helped serve meals at the Garden Café. “We loved being part of the mobile food pantry and the dinner at the Garden Café,” said Maria. “It felt

Parishioners ‘jump the broom’ celebrating wedding anniversaries

CAMDEN – In celebration of Black History Month, National Marriage Week and Valentine’s Day, parishioners at Sacred Heart parish in Camden gathered to celebrate “Jumping the Broom Sunday” on Feb. 12. Father Guy Wilson, invited all married couples to receive a special blessing and take part in a reception after Mass, after “jumping the broom.”

Father Guy said that “jumping the broom signifies sweeping away the past and starting a new life as a married couple. It also signifies the freedom of a couple to choose who they love and commit to.”

“Today, it represents great joy yet at the same time serves as a reminder of the past suffering and the unconquerable will of men and women to celebrate their lives with God’s blessing.”

Pictured: Father Guy Wilson and Martina Griffin line up couples for the broom jump at Sacred Heart parish on Sunday, Feb. 12. The first couple lined up to jump the broom, Leon and Susie Ware, are celebrating 63 years of happy marriage this year. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

(Laura Grisham is the communications manager for Sacred Heart Southern Missions in Walls.)

Touring the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis was a special treat for the Brazilian exchange students of Sacred Heart School in Southaven. The Brazilian students spent the month of January attending classes and bonding with their American penpals. (Photo by Laura Grisham)

Around our Catholic Schools

MERIDIAN – Father Augustine joins students for a “Tacky Tuesday” dodgeball tournament during Catholic Schools Week.

SOUTHAVEN –

kindergarten stu-

with finding their numbers while

Fifth grader, Geneva Hicks helps

dents

playing bingo. Front left to right, Maiya Pruitt and Kala McCoy. Top left to right, Valentina Amador-Alvarez and Geneva Hicks.

(Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)

JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman students on the Jaguar basketball team stop for a shot after the SIBA (South International Basketball Association) championship game. (Photo by Christopher Payne)

(Photo by Emily Thompson)

COLUMBUS – (Left) Annunciation students follow Ace the Eagle during their “Celebrating our Nation Day” parade.

(Below left) Annunciation seventh grader, Hayden Torres works on renaissance models in art class. (Photos by Logan Waggoner)

Around our schools

MERIDIAN – Students plant flags outside of St. Patrick school in honor of our service men and women. (Photo by Emily Thompson)

YAZOO CITY – Youth at St. Mary Church celebrated St. Valentine on Sunday, Feb. 12 by making crafts and playing games. (Photo by Babs McMaster)

JACKSON – St. Richard fourth graders recently helped Meals on Wheels pack deliveries.

Pictured left to right: Kybrin Johnson, Eli Williams and Cate Weisenberger. (Photo by Tammy Conrad)

In memoriam: Father Liam Francis Pentony

JACKSON – Rev. Liam Pentony, PE entered eternal life on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 at Silver Stream Nursing Home in Duleek, Co. Meath, Ireland. Father Pentony was 94 years old and celebrated 67 years in priestly life.

Born on Nov. 25, 1928 in Brittas, Dunleer Co. Louth, Ireland, Father Pentony enrolled at St. Mary’s School in Knockbeg and then St. Patrick’s College in Carlow. He was ordained for the Diocese of Jackson (nee Natchez) after completing his seminary studies on June 5, 1955.

Arriving in the diocese on Oct. 5, 1955, when the Diocese of Jackson was known as the Diocese of Natchez, Father Pentony was assigned to St. Paul’s Church in Vicksburg by Bishop R.O. Gerow. In 1958, he served as an assistant in Clarksdale at St. Elizabeth parish.

Moving south, Father Pentony was assigned as pastor of St. Joseph parish in Woodville on July 1, 1964. After spending three years in Woodville, Father Pentony was then assigned as pastor of St. Peter parish in Grenada in 1967 by Bishop Joseph Brunini.

In 1969, he was assigned as pastor of St. Therese parish in Jackson for six months before his assignment

at St. Joseph parish in Moss Point on July, 1, 1969, only a month and a half before Hurricane Camille struck causing immense damage to the coastal region of the state.

After three and a half years in Moss Point, Father Pentony was assigned as pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Laurel on Jan. 15, 1973. While in Laurel, the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson was divided, with the southern counties being reorganized as the Diocese of Biloxi in March of 1977.

After serving in Laurel, in 1981 Father Pentony was assigned to Sacred Heart parish in Hattiesburg, serving until he was moved from the Diocese of Biloxi to the Diocese of Jackson in 1982.

Father Pentony was then appointed administrator for St. James parish in Tupelo on Jan. 14, 1983 and then incardinated and appointed as pastor in September of 1984 by Bishop William Houck.

From Tupelo, Father Pentony was assigned as pastor of St. Francis parish in Brookhaven for a period of nine years before retiring from the Diocese of Jackson and moving to Ireland in 2001, where he served in the parish of Darver and Dromiskin for another sixteen

years. Father Pentony was a much loved brother to Clare, Seamus, Tom, Sile and Lily. He will be sadly missed by his brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.

A wake service was held at McGeough's Funeral Home Jocelyn Street, Dundalk (A91WX66) on Saturday, Feb. 11.

A Funeral Mass was held on Sunday, Feb. 12 at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Tenure. Father Pentony is buried in Monasterboice Cemetery. The Mass can be viewed online at https://www. churchservices.tv/monasterboice.

In memoriam: Sister Dorothy Ann Kundinger

La CROSSE, Wis. – Sister Dorothy Ann Kundinger, Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, 81, died on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, at Hospice Ministries in Ridgeland, Mississippi, where she had been chaplain for many years. She was in her sixty-second year of religious profession. She made first profession of vows on Aug. 12, 1961.

Dorothy Agnes was born on Oct. 8, 1941 in Auburndale, Wisconsin to Joseph and Martha (Bayerl) Kundinger.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in English from Viterbo College (University) and an MS in Education from Xavier University, Cincinnati.

The first 26 years of her ministry were spent as a middle grade and junior high teacher. She taught in Wisconsin at Platteville (1962-65), Blessed Sacrament School in La Crosse (1966-70 and 1977-79) and Dodgeville (1973-77) also serving as principal.

In 1979, Sister Dorothy Ann moved to Holy Child Jesus School in Canton, Mississippi where she taught junior high for 10 years. During her time in Canton, Sister Dorothy Ann became a companion to Sister Thea Bowman, an FSPA who gained prominence as a teacher, musician and civil rights activist to the African American community. She traveled across the country with Sister Thea, until Sister Thea eventually succumbed to cancer in 1990.

After Sister Thea’s death, Sister Dorothy Ann remained in Canton as a volunteer hospice worker, ministering to people with HIV/AIDS. In 1993, she moved to Jackson, Mississippi where she served as chaplain and hospice worker, providing care for people with HIV/AIDS at Grace House.

Sister Dorothy Ann is survived by her religious community, her brother Thomas (Diana), Marshfield, Wis., her sisters Patricia Kust, Bellingham, Washington, Kathleen Kundinger, San Jose, California, Elizabeth Hocking, Washington, D.C., her sister-in-law Dolores Kundinger, Marshfield, Wisconsin and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother James.

There was a wake service for Sister Dorothy Ann on Monday, Feb. 20 at Mary of the Angels Chapel in La Crosse. A Mass of Christian Burial

Catholics gather for Ash Wednesday

was held at

Mary of the Angels Chapel on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Sister Dorothy Ann is buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, La Crosse. Memorials may be sent to Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, 912 Market Street, La Crosse, WI 54601-4782.

Catholics from the Jackson Metro area gathered to receive ashes at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in downtown Jackson at noon on Ash Wednesday, February 22 for the beginning of the Lenten season. During the 40-day period of Lent, Catholics seek the Lord through prayer, giving alms and fasting. (Photo by Tereza Ma)