MS Catholic September 30, 2022

Sacred Heart celebrates 75 years of commitment to Catholic education

By Laura Grisham

SOUTHAVEN – The story of Sacred Heart School dates back 75 years. In the beginning, Father John Flanagan, SCJ, wrote to Bishop R.O. Gerow in 1944 re questing a church for the 34 Catholics in the village of Walls in northwest DeSoto County. That was the year that the Harris family opened their home to the group to celebrate the first Mass. Many Sacred Heart School alumni fondly refer to this building as “The Little White House.”

By the end of 1944, construction of Sacred Heart Catholic Church was complete. During the dedication of the church, parishioners requested a school be built. World War II delayed construc tion of the school due to lack of building materials. Finally, in the fall of 1947, the work was completed. The School Sisters of St. Francis agreed to send three sisters to staff the school. On Sept. 17, 1947, Sacred Heart School opened with 17 stu dents.

From that tiny three-room building in Walls, Mississippi, Sacred Heart School has seen many changes over the years. The growth of the student body necessitated the construction of a new building in 1999. A larger, more centrally located site in South aven was chosen. Situated on 16 acres in central DeSoto County, Sacred Heart School serves students from across northern Mississippi and the Memphis-Metropolitan area. The school offers classes for hundred of students from early childhood development beginning at age three and continuing through middle school through eighth grade.

On Saturday, Sept. 17, exactly 75 years to the day after first opening its doors,

Sacred Heart School celebrated its legacy of a quality catholic education with a full day of activities for students, staff, alumni and friends of the school.

The day started with a family picnic and games on campus. Inside, every cor ner of the school was filled with pictures, yearbooks and memorabilia from past years. Dozens of the school’s former edu cators were on hand to greet alumni and reminisce about days gone by.

Mass was celebrated in the school gymnasium with Bishop Joseph Kopacz, as the main celebrant. Alongside him were Father Vien Nguyen, provincial su perior of the U.S. Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJs), Father Jack Kurps, executive director of Sacred Heart Southern Missions (and vice provincial superior) and Father David Szatkows ki, local superior of the SCJ community. More than 400 people attended the lit urgy.

Accolades were in no short supply for the school or its educators. Father Kurps thanked the many dedicated teachers and staff, who through the years, were commit ted to making sure that the children received a good education and made sure that they could succeed.

He also recognized the dedication of the School Sisters of St. Francis, who have pro vided many teachers throughout the schools’ seven-and-a-half decades of operation. “In the early years, most of the students of Sacred Heart School came from poor back

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116 Years of devotion: St. Mary Catholic Church to be honored with historic markers

By John surratt (the VicksBurG Post)

VICKSBURG – For 116 years, St. Mary Catholic Church has been a source of spiritual guidance and edu cation for African American Catholics in Vicksburg and Warren County.

Its importance to the community will be remem bered on Oct. 16 with a ceremony dedicating two his toric markers – one for the church and another for the elementary and high school.

The markers, said Benny Terrell, a member of the marker committee, were the idea of the church’s pastor, Father Joseph Nguyen.

“He decided that he wanted to do something to rec ognize St. Mary’s; to highlight the significant contribu tions of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and St. Mary’s School to the spiritual and educational needs of the Vicksburg community,” he said. “We wanted to cover those things that we have done that have impacted this community and a lot of the minority people in this community.”

The original plan, Terrell said, was to unveil the markers in 2021 to celebrate the church’s 115th anni versary, but the impact of COVID-19 delayed the plans.

“We couldn’t get the markers done until 2022 but we decided to go on and do the dedication anyway.”

St. Mary’s parish was founded in 1906 by Father Aloysius Heick. The first church was on Holly Street “right behind where United Cleaners is located on Cher ry Street, down the hill,” Terrell said.

The Sisters of Mercy provided the altar for the first

church, the candlesticks and the priest’s vestments, and the priests at St. Paul Catholic Church provided a place for Heick to stay until St. Mary’s moved to its present location at Main and Second North streets later in 1906 and also started an elementary and high school. The present church was built in 1923.

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Journey of Hope 7 Catholic Charities latest event with David Magee INSIDE THIS WEEK

Eucharistic Congress 11 Diocese to host Eucharistic Congress in October

U.S. Synod Report 13 USCCB releases summary of synod findings

SOUTHAVEN – Sacred Heart School celebrated 75 years of Catholic education on Sept. 17. The school opened in 1947 with 17 students. (Photo courtesy of Laura Grisham)

SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

DIOCESE Diocesan Eucharistic Congress, Friday, Oct. 28-29 at St. Joseph Church in Gluckstadt. Featured speaker Father Ajani Gibson of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. This will be an evening and morning of prayer, adoration, spiritual talks and Mass.

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.

JACKSON St. Richard, 105th anniversary of Fatima’s Miracle of the Sun, Saturday, Oct. 8. Confession at 8 a.m.; Mass at 9 a.m.; and Rosary at 9:30 a.m. Come celebrate Our Lady of Fatima and the devotion to her Immaculate Heart. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS

BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, Parish Picnic, Sunday, Oct. 9. Mass at 9 a.m. then potluck lunch, plus fun and games. There will be a waterslide and jumpers for the kids – bring a towel and change of clothing. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.

COLUMBUS Annunciation, Loaves and Fishes An nual Supper Fundraiser, Thursday, Oct. 20 from 5-7 p.m. in the Activity Center. Tickets: $15. Details: church office (662) 328-2927.

HOLY LAND Trip with Father Mark Shoffner to the Holy Land, June 30 – July 9, 2023. If you’ve wanted to go walk in the footsteps of Jesus and see the places of the Scriptures come to life, then now is the time to sign up. An exceptional moment to see Jesus in a whole new ex perience. Ten days, airfare, hotels, meals, tour guide, dai ly Masses in the Holy. Sites are all included in the cost. Details: https://www.catholicjourneys.com/shoffner/.

JACKSON 42nd annual Squat & Gobble, Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Country Club of Jackson. All proceeds help victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence. De

tails: visit www.friendsforacause.com.

Catholic Charities Domestic Violence Awareness Month Event, Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. at Char ities at 850 East River Place. Join Catholic Charities for a balloon launch, guest speaker and proclama tion to honor victims of domestic violence. Details: office at (601) 366-0222.

MERIDIAN St. Patrick, 23rd annual Variety Show/Dinner and Fashion Show, Saturday, Nov. 5 in the Family Life Center. Details: church office (601) 693-1321.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Evening with Fa ther Josh Johnson, Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. Father is well-known for his popular Ascension podcast “Ask Father Josh.” He has written several books in cluding the best-selling “Pocket Guide to Reconcilia tion” (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.

St. Mary Basilica, Knights of Columbus Spaghet ti Dinner, Sunday, Oct. 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the O’Connor Family Life Center. Drive through and dine-in available. Tickets: $10. Details: Darren at (601) 597-2890.

OLIVE BRANCH Women’s Club Hootenanny with Father Ardi, Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. Music, fire pit for s’mores, cider and hot chocolate. Bring your sing-along voice and lawn chair. All parish members are invited! Please sign up in the Commons to ensure enough refreshments are provided. Details: church office (662) 895-5007.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser, Monday, Sept. 28 to Saturday, Oct. 31 from 11-7 p.m. sponsored by the Knights of Colum bus Council #7120 (open at 12 p.m. on Sundays). Various sizes available, including specialty pump kins. Benefits support Coats for Kids. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.

Christ the King, Trivia Night, Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. Cost: $15/person or $25/couple – limit 10 to a table; door prizes and trophies for the winning table and the best dec

CLARKSDALE – St. Elizabeth held Confirmation on Sunday, Aug. 28 with Father Raju Macherla. Pictured left to right: Sam Stonestreet, Patrick Mont gomery, Luke Agostinelli, James Chicorelli, Jackson Avery, Meri Hollis Lawrence, Carlos Diaz, John Aedon Clark, John Oliver, William Walker and Justice Duraj. (Photo by Austin Britt)

Confirmation at St. Elizabeth ...

R dgeland Cl nton

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V cksburg Tupelo Columbus Laur elr Oxford Hat t esburg

Jackson Flowood Pearl

Respect life from the beacon of eternal life

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

As Christians, we do have the inside track on the road to eternal life. The Lord Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, and his appearances to the disciples, although not a matter of historical evidence and scientific proof, are breath taking in the scriptures. The wounds, the baked fish and bread, the burn ing Word, the breaking of the bread, the personal encounters, the forgiveness, the peace, the joy, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church.

It may not be the work of the laboratory, but it is the la bor of love through faith in the risen One in a bond that can never be broken, and in an eternal promise that is sealed in the Blood of the Lamb. With St. Paul we press on to the finish line (Phil 3:14) because our citi zenship is in heaven. (Phil 3:20)

For our eyes are fixed not on what is seen but rather on that which cannot be seen. What is visible is transitory; what is invisible is eter nal. (2 Cor 5:18)

far beyond the stadium’s confines into the hearts and minds of Catholics and people of good will around our nation and our world. From the perspective of history, we know that he was a warrior on behalf of life, unborn and throughout the lifespan, and one of his landmark en cyclical letters that revealed the depth of his passion, was published around the time of his second apostolic visit to our nation in 1995. In it he warned about a culture of death that was plaguing America.

Back in 1979 with a full stadium as the launching pad, the Holy Father’s words arose from the proclama tion of St. Luke’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus. St. John Paul framed his social teaching to follow in the power of evangelization.

think of the parable of the rich man and the beggar. We cannot stand idly by. Nor can we remain indifferent when the rights of the human spirit are trampled upon, when violence is done to the human conscience in mat ters of truth, religion and cultural creativity.

“We cannot stand idly by, enjoying our own riches and freedom, if, in any place, the Lazarus of the twentieth century stands at our doors.” – Pope St. John Paul II

However, our belief in the res urrection of the body and life everlasting does not place us on the sidelines of this life. Rather, the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead places us squarely in the thick of this world’s joys and sorrows, tragedies and tri umphs, as we await the blessed coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, all creation groans and is in labor pains until now...(Romans 8:22), and the Christian groans and grieves with the rest of humanity, but with hope because Jesus is risen. As Jesus said to the woman at the well, the life of God within us is like a spring of water within welling up to eternal life. (John 4:14)

Eternal life has begun and this is the source of our hope in our commitment to respect life across all stages of the human lifespan. With all of the attention of the baseball world on Aaron Judge, a New York Yankee, as he surpasses 60 home runs, the memory surfaced for me of another superstar who packed Yankee stadium back in 1979.

St. John Paul II did not disappoint. Only two years into his apostolic ministry he launched moon shots during his presiding at Mass and preaching that carried

“When we Christians make Jesus Christ the center of our feelings and thoughts, we do not turn away from people and their needs. On the contrary, we are caught up in the eternal movement of God’s love that comes to meet us; we are caught up in the movement of the Son, who came among us, who became one of us; we are caught up in the move ment of the Holy Spirit, who visits the poor, calms fevered hearts, binds up wounded hearts, warms cold hearts and gives us the fullness of his gifts.”

From this fountain of God’s eternal movement, John Paul II continued: “Cath olics of the United States are to walk hand in hand with your fellow citizens of every creed and confession. Unity among you in all such endeavors is essential, under the leadership of your Bishops, for deepening, proclaiming and effectively promoting the truth about human life, the dignity and inalienable rights, the truth such as the church receives it in Revelation and such as she cease lessly develops it in her social teaching in the light of the Gospel...The parable of the rich man and Lazarus must always be present in our memory; it must form our conscience. Christ demands openness to our brothers and sisters in need — open ness from the rich, the af fluent, the economically advanced; openness to the poor, the underdeveloped and the disadvantaged.

“All of humanity must

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

“We cannot stand idly by, enjoying our own riches and freedom, if, in any place, the Lazarus of the twenti eth century stands at our doors. In the light of the para ble of Christ, riches and freedom mean a special respon sibility. And so, in the name of the solidarity that binds us all together in a common humanity, I again proclaim the dignity of every human person: the rich man and Lazarus are both human beings, both of them equally created in the image and likeness of God, both of them equally redeemed by Christ, at a great price, the price of “the precious blood of Christ.” (1 Pt 1:19)

I close with the following reflection which was a bea con for St. John Paul across his long and fruitful apostolic ministry. He was the missionary disciple without parallel.

“In the cultural wars of the recent past the church has defended the fundamental values of our civilization. We must be proud of those pastors and intellectuals who led those struggles. We must, however, ask ourselves. Is it possible to defend Christian and natural values in the public arena if their root — faith in the living presence of Jesus Christ — has dried up? If the root is rotten the tree will fall; we must first of all seek to strengthen the root. We must become missionary disciples: before preaching the law we must enter the hearts of the people. Only then will we be able to speak with authority, and only then will our people feel that the law is not an external imposition, but the answer to the most profound desire of their heart.” Rocco Buttiglione, Discovering Pope Fran cis The Splendor of Truth, The Gospel of Life, The Joy of the Gospel!

From one generation to the next you are our hope, O, Lord.

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Sunday, Oct. 2, 9 a.m. – Respect Life Mass and Reception, St. Cath erine’s Village, Madison

Thursday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m – St. Richard Special Kids Golf Tournament, Deerfield Golf Club, Canton

Wednesday, Oct. 12-13 – Encuentro Regional, Mission Nombre de Dios Museum, St. Augustine, Florida

Thursday, Oct. 20, 6 p.m. – Catholic Charities Purple Dress Run, The District at Eastover, Jackson

Friday, Oct. 28-29 – Diocesan Eucharistic Congress, St. Joseph, Gluckstadt

Saturday, Oct. 29, 6:30 p.m. – 3rd annual Jackson Seminarian Home grown Harvest Festival, St. Francis, Madison

Sunday, Oct. 30, 11 a.m. – Feast of St. Jude, St. Jude, Pearl

Sunday, Oct. 30, 3:30 p.m. – 100th Anniversary Celebration, St. Al phonsus, McComb

Monday, Nov. 14-18 – USCCB Fall General Assembly, Baltimore, Maryland

Sunday, Nov. 27, 10:30 a.m. – 110th Anniversary Mass, St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale

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

VOCATIONS

CALLED BY NAME

The church is universal, and nowhere has that been more apparent to me than at our Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. In my first three months as rector, I have been blessed and pastorally challenged by the diverse backgrounds and needs of our parishioners. After three Masses in English each weekend, our 1 p.m. Spanish Mass welcomes the largest single crowd of the bunch. The pews are truly full at that Mass, it’s pretty cool to see. We seek to serve this di verse community by offering catechesis in both English and Spanish, and I am consistently depending on our bilingual parishioners to help me with homily translations.

In order to serve this community well, facility with the Spanish language is vital. I have some Spanish skills, but not enough, and it is so difficult to find time as a pastor, or as an associate pastor for that matter, to go for an immersion experience in Mexico or Central America. With this in mind, we are going to send several of our seminarians to Cuer navaca, Mexico this coming summer for a two-month immersive experience. This experience is organized by St. Mein rad Seminary, and it is hosted by the Benedictine Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels outside Cuernavaca, which is about an hour and a half from Mexico City (if the traffic is good).

I visited the monastery to observe this program back in July and I was very impressed. Not only do the seminarians get one-on-one instruction from teachers four hours a day, but they also take part in the liturgical life of the monastery, and so the needs of their spiritual life are nurtured while this very practical program plays out. In the future all of our seminarians will be required to take part in this immersion as a part of their second summer in our program, but since the need is urgent and this program is helpful, we are going to send four of our guys (Ryan Stoer, Tristan Stovall, Will Foggo and Grayson Foley) down there this summer to get things kicked off, and I will be going to Mexico with them. I certainly could use the practice, and I hope that this will be a blessed time of camaraderie and fraternity as we take this adventure together.

My first thoughts about a required immersion experience began to take shape a few years ago when I visited the Diocese of Little Rock. Spanish immersion seemed to be a real point of cohesion for their seminarians, and it certainly is a great gift to the Hispanic Catholics in that diocese. Little Rock has consistently had over 20 seminarians, and their demographics are pretty close to ours, so I think they must be doing something right! I am pleased that we are getting this off the ground, and I pray that this will be a great opportunity for our seminarians to grow in love of the church, and the people they will serve, as future priests of the diocese.

If you are interested in learning more about religious orders or vocations to the priesthood and religious life, email nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org.

Parishioner pens novel featuring St. Mary Basilica

NATCHEZ – St. Mary Basilica in Natchez comes alive in a new novel by parishioner G. Mark LaFrancis of Natchez.

A Song of Hope: A Spiritual Suspense Novel places the church in the center of a fast-paced, uplifting tale set in Natchez. “It is a coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old boy who discovers himself, Christianity and redemption,” said LaFrancis, author of ten books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction. “Although a mid-teen is the chief character, this novel isn’t solely a young person’s book. Adults have come to embrace it as well.”

LaFrancis and his family have strong bonds with St. Mary Basilica. He and his wife Eileen Maher are lec tors and have volunteered in various ways with the church and the Knights of Columbus. Both of their now-adult children re ceived their

First Communions and Confirmations at St. Mary, as well as graduating from Cathedral School. Their son Mark was an altar server, and their daughter Mary sang in the youth choir.

“St. Mary Basilica parishioners welcomed us with open arms when we first arrived in Natchez in 1994. This book is a tribute to them while introducing the ba silica to a group of readers who might not have experi enced the church’s magnificence,” LaFrancis said.

The book includes many references to the incredible statuary, stained glass and art work for which St. Mary is known.

Here is one passage: “Jesse rubbed his eyes. Before him was a most mag nificent sight: an ex panse some sixty feet wide and one-hun dred-fifty feet long. The ceiling, some two hundred feet from the floor, was like the sky, a canopy of blue with gold trim, and painted stars. But this was no flat ceiling; it was a series of wide arches supported by eight

Cover of A Song of Hope: A Spir itual Suspense Novel by G. Mark LaFrancis. The book includes many references to St. Mary Basilica in Natchez.

great cream-colored columns. Intricately carved designs decorated the arches.”

Woven throughout the story are songs – “Amazing Grace” and “Here I Am, Lord” – that are important to Jesse because their lyrics inspire and intrigue him even though he has no religious training. Both hymns become like musical glue binding the tale.

A portion of the proceeds from book sales will ben efit the Catholic Youth Organization in Natchez. The hard-cover book is available for $12.95 each, plus shipping, on LaFrancis’ web: gmarklafrancis.com or for $14.95 on Amazon.com.

Father Nick Adam

Father Nick Adam

On being jealous of God’s generosity

IN EXILE

By Father ron rolheiser, oMi

“The cock will crow at the breaking of your own ego – there are lots of ways to wake up!”

John Shea gave me those words and I understood them a little better recently as I stood in line at an air port: I had checked in for a flight, approached security, saw a huge lineup, and accepted the fact that it would take at least 40 minutes to get through it.

I was all right with the long wait and moved patiently in the line –until, just as my turn came, anoth er security crew arrived, opened a second scanning machine, and a whole lineup of people, behind me, who had not waited the forty minutes, got their turns almost immediately. I still got my turn as I would have before, but something in side of me felt slighted and angry: “This wasn’t fair! I’d been waiting for forty minutes, and they got their turns at the same time as I did!” I had been content waiting, until those who arrived later didn’t have to wait at all. I hadn’t been treated unfairly, but some others had been luckier than I’d been.

That experience taught me something, beyond the fact that my heart isn’t always huge and generous. It helped me understand something about Jesus’ parable concerning the workers who came at the 11th hour and received the same wages as those who’d worked all day and what is meant by the challenge that is giv en to those who grumbled about the unfairness of this: “Are you envious because I’m generous?”

Are we jealous because God is generous? Does it bother us when others are given unmerited gifts and forgiveness?

You bet! Ultimately, that sense of injustice, of envy that someone else caught a break is a huge stumbling block to our happiness. Why? Because something in us reacts negatively when it seems that life is not making others pay the same dues as we are paying.

In the Gospels we see an incident where Jesus goes to the synagogue on a Sabbath, stands up to read, and quotes a text from Isaiah – except he doesn’t quote it fully but omits a part. The text (Isaiah 61:1-2) would have been well known to his listeners and it describes Isaiah’s vision of what will be the sign that God has finally broken into the world and irrevocably changed things. And what will that be?

For Isaiah, the sign that God is now ruling the earth will be good news for the poor, consolation or the broken-hearted, freedom for the enslaved, grace abundant for everyone, and vengeance on the wicked. Notice though, when Jesus quotes this, he leaves out the part about vengeance. Unlike Isaiah, he doesn’t say that part of our joy will be seeing the wicked punished.

In heaven we will be given what we are owed and more (unmerited gift, forgiveness we don’t deserve, joy beyond imagining) but, it seems, we will not be given that catharsis we so much want here on earth, the joy of see ing the wicked pun ished.

The joys of heav en will not include seeing Hitler suffer. Indeed, the natu ral itch we have for strict justice (“An eye

for an eye”) is exactly that, a natural itch, something the Gospels invite us beyond. The desire for strict justice blocks our capacity for forgiveness and thereby prevents us from entering heaven where God, like the Father of the Prodigal Son, embraces and forgives without de manding a pound of flesh for a pound of sin.

We know we need God’s mercy, but if grace is true for us, it must be true for everyone; if forgiveness is giv en us, it must be given everybody; and if God does not avenge our misdeeds, God must not avenge the misdeeds of others either. Such is the logic of grace, and such is the love of the God to whom we must attune ourselves.

Happiness is not about vengeance, but about for giveness; not about vindication, but about unmerited embrace; and not about capital punishment, but about living beyond even murder.

It is not surprising that, in some of the great saints, we

see a theology bordering on universalism, namely, the belief that in the end God will save everyone, even the Hitlers. They believed this not because they didn’t be lieve in hell or the possibility of forever excluding our selves from God, but because they believed that God’s love is so universal, so powerful, and so inviting that, ultimately, even those in hell will see the error of their ways, swallow their pride, and give themselves over to love. The final triumph of God, they felt, will be when the devil himself converts and hell is empty.

Maybe that will never happen. God leaves us free. Nevertheless, when I, or anyone else, is upset at an air port, at a parole board hearing, or anywhere else where someone gets something we don’t think he or she de serves, we have to accept that we’re still a long way from understanding and accepting the kingdom of God.

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

The Pope’s Corner Jesus, present in the Eucharist, inspires compassion, sharing, pope says

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – One cannot love and wor ship the Eucharist without compassion for the poor and marginalized, Pope Francis said at a Mass concluding Italy’s eucharistic congress.

“Let us recognize that the Eucharist is the prophecy of a new world, it is the presence of Jesus who asks us to dedicate ourselves to an effective conversion,” which includes the conversion from indifference to compas sion, from waste to sharing, from selfishness to love and from individualism to fraternity, he said in his homily Sept. 25.

The pope concelebrated the Mass at an outdoor sta dium in the southern Italian city of Matera, which was host to Italy’s 27th National Eucha ristic Congress Sept. 22-25.

In his homily, the pope reflect ed on the day’s Gospel reading (Lk 16:19-31), in which Jesus tells the parable about the nameless rich man who “dined sumptuously each day” and ignored the poor man, Lazarus, “who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps.”

Pope Francis said, “It is painful to see that this parable” is still alive today with so many “injustices, in equalities, the unequal distribution of the earth’s resources, the abuse of the powerful against the weak, the indifference to the cry of the poor, the abyss we dig every day creating marginalization.”

All of this, he said, “cannot leave us indifferent.”

The parable talks about the abyss or great chasm that the rich man dug between him and Lazarus when they were alive, so now, “in eternal life, that gulf remains,” the pope said.

and death later.”

The Eucharist offers a “permanent challenge” to adore and worship God, not oneself, the pope said, and “to put him at the heart” of everything.

“Only the Lord is God, and everything else is a gift of his love,” he said.

“If we worship ourselves, we die, asphyxiated inside our tiny ego; if we worship the riches of this world, they take possession of us and enslave us; if we worship the god of appearance and are inebriated in wastefulness, sooner or later life is going to ask us (to pay) the bill,” Pope Francis said.

“Instead,” he said, “when we adore the Lord Jesus present in the Eucharist, we receive a new way of look ing at our lives as well: I am not the things I possess and the successes I am able to achieve; the value of my life does not depend on how much I can show off nor does it diminish when I go through failures and set backs.”

“Every one of us is a child who is loved” and blessed by God, “who wanted to clothe me with beauty and wants me free from all enslavement,” he said. Those who worship God are free and are slaves to no one, he add ed.

Pope Francis holds his crosier as he celebrates the closing Mass of Italy’s National Eucha ristic Congress at the munici pal stadium in Matera, Italy, Sept. 25, 2022. (CNS photo/ Vatican Media)

One’s eternal destination is deter mined by one’s earthly life, he said. “If we dig a chasm now,” separating oneself from others, then “we dig our own grave for later; if we raise walls against our broth ers and sisters now, we remain imprisoned in loneliness

The pope asked people to redis cover the prayer of adoration and to pray for a church that is “eucharistic, made up of women and men who break themselves like bread for all those who gnaw on loneliness and poverty, for those who are hungry for tenderness and compassion, for those whose lives are crumbling be cause the good leaven of hope has been lacking.”

The ideal, he said, is “a church that kneels before the Eucharist and worships with awe the Lord present in the bread, but which also knows how to bend down with compassion and tenderness before the wounds of those who suffer” and to become the “bread of hope and joy for all.”

'... shared a dedication to bring out the very best in every child ...'

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grounds. The Sisters opened the back door of their convent and gave families food, clothing and an encouraging word. They were able to help families know that God loved them and that the Sacred Heart of Jesus would always be with them and protect them.”

Father Kurps also shared a letter from the Superior General of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, Father Carolos Luis Suárez Codorniú, who had visited the school in late spring. Father Carlos said in part that he was impressed with the great spirit and care those at the school share with one another; it is a school where people are ready to do things with love and generosity in the service of all.

Father Vien shared that when the Priests and Brothers of the Sacred Heart founded the school so many years ago, they strived to carry out the vision and passion of their founder, Father Leo John Dehon, who believed in the formation in young people in making a difference in society and in the church through education.

In a nod to Sacred Heart Southern Missions’ 80 years of service to the area, Bishop Kopacz said that the work of educating children and raising them out of poverty was a blessing, adding, “We have been blessed to collaborate with so many dedicated disci ples of the Lord here in their schools and parishes.”

Leaders from area municipalities were also a part of the celebration and recog nized the contributions of the school and its people in a special way. The mayor of Southaven, Darren Musselwhite, declared Sept. 17 as ‘Sacred Heart School Day’ and honored the school with a special proclamation. In addition, Sister Virginia Reinl and Sister Margaret Sue Broker, OSFs, were recognized with proclamations from Keidron Henderson, mayor of Walls, Mississippi (the original location of Sacred Heart) for their contributions to the school and the people of the community.

The newly completed Sister Margaret Sue Broker Walking Trail was dedicated by

Bishop Kopacz following Mass, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebra tory lap by many in attendance. Named for the sixty-two year veteran of the school and a champion for its creation and construction, the walking trail is a fitting tribute for a woman who has taught and inspired generations of students.

A delicious barbeque dinner followed the dedication, carefully crafted by another Sacred Heart alumnus and restaurant owner, John David Wheeler. After sunset, every one was treated to a spectacular fireworks show, a DJ, and live music performed by the Christian Brothers High School Jazz Band and several Sacred Heart School alumni bands.

“Without a doubt, Sacred Heart School began the education of my mind, my heart and my soul. I am forever grateful for this threefold foundation that was provided to me, and I am thankful that I see this foundation still being provided to my children,” said David Delgado, municipal court judge, local attorney and Sacred Heart Alumnus.

Ed Savage, an alumni and former employee of Sacred Heart Southern Missions, shared his thoughts on the celebration and the school. “As a former student I have long understood and appreciated the tremendous blessing Sacred Heart School was for me personally... In four short years the arch of my life was transformed by Sacred Heart School,” Savage said.

“The 75th celebration of the school brought into even clearer focus the tremen dous impact Sacred Heart School has had on generations upon generations of people from all walks of life here in North Mississippi,” he continued. “Catholic and non-Cath olic, rich and poor, Black and White, Hispanic and Asian have all been blessed. The celebration reminded me to thank God for all those past and present whose work and generosity has made this marvelous school possible, and for the long line of teachers who have shared a dedication to bring out the very best in every child that comes through the doors of Sacred Heart School.”

'... it has truly served the community of Vicksburg and welcomed everyone ...'

– Continued from page 1 –

The congregation at St. Paul’s collected $279.80 that they donated to Heick to buy the land and philanthropist Katherine Drexel, who was later canonized a saint, pro vided half of the money necessary to get the property.

“When they moved from Holly Street, there were three houses on the lot,” committee member Josephine Williams Calloway said. “They utilized one for the priest, one for the school and one for the nuns when they came.”

School attendance at the time was so low, she said, the grade school and high school were housed in the same building.

“They (parish officials) had to contact most of the pa rishioners to see how many would come to the school,” she said.

A two-story Greek revival building was built in 1908 and was later used for the high school. Drexel, Calloway said, contributed money for the building.

“She came here to inspect it and according to ac counts, she was very impressed with what they were do ing,” she said.

“She was very dedicated to supporting Black Catho lics in this country,” Terrell said. Not only did she provide funding to help secure our property, but when Father Heick went to Jackson, she helped secure the property over there by donating funds. “She also paid for Xavier University in New Orleans. She was very generous and very supportive of Black Catholics and Native Ameri cans.”

The nuns who taught the children at St. Mary’s were members of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit, “Which were all German,” committee mem ber Cherrie Boykin McClelland said.

“And in order to teach in Mississippi, the teachers, if they had not completed their teach er training in Germany or Hol land, they had to go to DePaul University in Chicago and get an additional degree before they were allowed to teach here,” Calloway said. “So, most of our teachers had two de grees and one of our teachers was a professor at Peking Uni versity (before Catholics were expelled from China).”

“They spoke limited English and they practiced English on the way from Europe to the United States,” Terrell said.

Because they were teaching African American children in the then-segregated Jim Crow

South, “The nuns were not that welcome in Vicksburg and the congregation was the one that really supported them,” Terrell said.

“The nuns would not go anywhere by themselves; they would always go in pairs. People still did not cater to the idea of white nuns teaching Black kids,” he said.

“Sometimes they were referred to as the ‘N Nuns,’” McClelland said.

But the members of St. Paul took a different attitude.

“The contribution of the white community should be noted because the congregation consisted of Italian, Irish, German and Lebanese and they supported the nuns,” Calloway said. “Mother Hildegard, a Sister of Mer cy nun, and her family supported the missionary sisters when they needed food and help.

“A number of prominent whites attended St. Mary’s on a regular basis and still do,” she said. “Although this is an African American parish, it has truly served the com munity of Vicksburg and welcomed everyone who came. Although we may be assigned to the back pews of St. Paul, they were integrated into the total Catholic commu nity at St. Mary’s. They helped us and we helped them.”

The elementary school closed in 1970 and the high school closed in 1964. When the schools closed, Ter rell said, the children who wanted to continue attending Catholic school had to go to Yazoo City. Calloway’s fa ther, a prominent businessman in Vicksburg, took the children to Yazoo City and waited there to take them home.

When a new high school building was built in 1948, McClelland’s father, a contractor, contributed most of the money and materials.

“I think he actually built the high school, along with other adults,” Terrell said.

“Our parents worked hard to support St. Mary’s,” Calloway said. “We are continuing their effort. What we have done here has influenced the whole community.”

(Reprinted with permission of The Vicksburg Post.)

VICKSBURG –St. Mary's Catholic Church at Main and Second North streets was built in 1923. The parish was established in 1906. (Photo by John Surratt)

Magee leads Catholic Charities Journey of Hope event

By Joanna Puddister King

JACKSON – Bestselling author, David Magee imparted valuable life lessons to those in attendance at Catholic Charities Journey of Hope event on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at the Jackson Convention Complex.

Emceed by news anchor, Maggie Wade of WLBT, event attendees were also in for a treat with a special perfor mance of “One Mississippi” by Steve Azar, backed by the St. Richard sixth grade choir.

Beginning his talk to the over 500 in attendance at the event, Magee spoke about an encounter with a young lady working at the hotel he was staying in while in town for the Journey of Hope event.

After sharing with her that he was in town to speak at a Catholic Charities

event, the young lady excitedly shared her life changing experience with the organiza tion back when she was just 16 years old. Magee shared with the crowd that she only had to rely on Catholic Charities resources briefly, and today she and her family had everything they could want, including joy. Magee said that the young lady told him ”’but I’m not sure how it would have worked out without Catholic Charities.’”

“It changed her life,” stated Magee.

Speaking on his critically acclaimed book, Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Ad diction, Recovery, Love and Loss, Magee chronicled his families struggle with addition and loss. Magee and his wife, Kent, lost their son William to an accidental drug over dose in 2013 and they nearly lost their other son, Hudson, to an overdose as well.

He also spoke about the effects of substance misuse among individuals and family, how illegal substances have increased in strength with the danger of added ingredients, and of relaxed attitudes toward prescription medications. Through out his talk, he gave guidance for staying safe and helping other seek the help they need.

Through the loss, recovery and healing his family encountered, Magee truly be lieves in the resiliency of souls. “I think faith, God’s grace, God’s strength – helps us in

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 ac tivity include fraud, misconduct, safety violations, harassment or substance abuse occurring at a Catholic parish, Catholic school or at the diocesan level. The system is operated by Lighthouse Services. Based in Deerfield, Illinois, Lighthouse Services maintains ethics, safety and fraud hotlines for over 4,100 organizations between the U.S. and abroad.

To make a report visit www.lighthouse-services.com/jacksondiocese or call 888-830-0004 (English) or 800-216-1288 (Spanish).

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

Diocese of Jackson, Attn: Cathy Pendleton, P.O. Box 2248, Jackson, MS 39225-2248

that resilience,” said Magee. “The power to get up in all the adversity – when we don’t have the strength to take one more step.”

Pointing to the hard times the city of Jackson has had recently with flood ing and lack of water, Magee noted that from dark times there is “always a path forward.”

“There is hope. There is a path for ward,” said Magee. “... This disease effects everybody. It knows no lines of econom ics, race, gender ... every single American family is touched in one way.”

Magee reminded those in attendance that the resources people have affect their ability to receive treatment for ad diction. “That’s why ... the work of Cath olic Charities and the special focus of this event ... changes generations of families, just like that lady I met at the hotel – just in different ways.”

Thanking those present at the Journey of Hope luncheon, Magee concluded his talk, saying “this isn’t about me and it’s not about my family. It’s about you and your family and this community and the state of Missis sippi.”

“As we come together as ‘One Mississippi’ – as my friend Steve Azar likes to say – we find power together and Catholic Charities is at the lead of that fight.”

JACKSON – Hundreds gathered to hear bestselling author, David Magee speak at Catholic Charities annual Journey of Hope event on Sept. 20 at the Jackson Conven tion Complex. Pictured at the event with Magee (on right) are Dr. Judy Alsobrooks Meredith and James Meredith. On right, Steve Azar, backed by the St. Richard sixth grade choir, sang “One Mississippi.” (Photos by Joanna Puddister King

Golfers turn out to support work of Catholic Foundation

By Joanna Puddister King

MADISON – With clear skies, twenty-three teams competed for the Catholic Foundation’s 40th annual Bishop’s Cup Golf Tournament on Thursday, Sept. 15 at Lake Caroline.

The proceeds from this year’s tournament aided in raising funds for the Catholic Founda tion Grant Trust. “This trust provides funding for grant projects throughout the diocese,” explained Catholic Foundation executive director, Rebecca Harris.

“Each year parishes, schools and other catho lic ministries are invited to submit grant applica tions for projects that they help fund. The Catho lic Foundation raises money throughout the year to help fund these grant projects.”

After a marvelous day of golf, teams gathered for an awards dinner and silent auction at the Mermaid Café. Awarded with the cherished Bish op’s Cup trophy this year were Chris Savell, Toli ver McMullen, Ken Guthrie and Joseph Pressley, playing for the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle Jackson, and sponsored by Matthews, Cutrer and Lindsay, P.A. accounting firm based in Ridge land. The second-place team was sponsored by WAPT and the third-place team was sponsored by BankFirst.

“The Bishop’s Cup committee began work ing on this tournament back in early July. They would like to thank all of the sponsors for helping to make the event such a success,” said Harris.

The 40th annual Bishop’s Cup was sponsored by: St. Dominic Health Services, Inc.; Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC; Citizens National Bank; Regions Bank; Rusty and Yvonne Haydel; BankFirst; BankPlus; Campus Dining; Capital Glass; Ken and Maetta Lefoldt; Matthews, Cutrer and Lindsay, P.A.; Mike and Diane Pumphrey; Old River

The Rosary: Our Lady’s lasso Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary – October 7

STEWARDSHIP PATHS

By Julia Williams

JACKSON – An old priest once said, “It is no coincidence that rosaries look like lassos, as Our Lady wraps them around lost souls and pulls them out of the depths of hell.”

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosa ry is a commemorative feast established by St. Pius V on the anniversary of the naval victory won by the Christian fleet at Lepanto. The victory was attributed to the help of the Mother of God, whose aid was invoked by praying the Rosary.

This victory revealed the power of the Holy Rosary more than ever.

Catholics who were open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit took, with deep resolve, the Rosary as

their link to God.

It is no surprise that the magisterium and countless saints have encouraged devo tion to the Rosary. Pope St. John Paul II said of the prayer, “The Rosary is my favorite prayer, marvelous in its simplicity and its depth.” The late pontiff also added five more “luminous” mysteries to the Rosary to help the faithful meditate upon sig nificant moments in Christ’s earthly ministry.

The old priest was correct in asserting that the Blessed Virgin uses the Rosary to con vert lost souls. However, the words of the Memorare must be remembered:

“Remember, O most gra cious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or

sought thy intercession, was left unaid ed.”

Source: catholicsteward.com

Artwork: Our Lady of the Rosary with Child, Simone Cantarini, c. 1612-1648. The Memora re: The Virgin and Child, Sandro Botticelli, c. 1480. Both artwork public domain.

Companies, Inc.; Raymond James; Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Canton; Allen and Maureen Scott; St. Joseph Catholic Church, Gluckstadt; Tico’s Steak House; Trustmark Bank; and WAPT. Special thanks to all of the hole sponsors, as well.

MADISON – The Catholic Foundation’s 40th annual Bishop’s Cup Golf Tournament took place on Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Lake Caroline Golf Club in Madison. Pictured is the winning team of Chris Savell, Toliver McMul len, Ken Guthrie and Joseph Pressley playing for the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle Jackson and sponsored by Matthews, Cutrer and Lindsay, P.A. accounting firm based in Ridgeland. (Photo courtesy Rebecca Harris)

NATION

WASHINGTON (CNS) – House sponsors of a new bill to protect pregnancy centers said the measure would require the Biden admin istration to publicly disclose how it is handling the investigation and prosecution of the per petrators of violent attacks on pregnancy re source centers around the country. “My goal is to foster an environment where no woman feels like their only option is abortion, and I am committed to supporting women and children at every stage of life,” said Rep. Cathy McMor ris Rodgers, R-Wash., who co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. “The violent attacks on pregnancy centers in Washington state and across the country are reprehensible and only endanger and intimidate the women who depend on them for critical medical care, education and other resources,” Rodgers said in a statement Sept. 20, the day she and Smith introduced the bill. The Protect Pregnancy Care Centers Act of 2022 quickly garnered 28 co-sponsors. “I believe all extreme and hateful acts of violence should be condemned, which is why I’m helping lead this legislation to hold President (Joe) Biden accountable for his failure to respond to this threat with the urgency it deserves,” Rodgers said. Nearly 70 acts of violence against such centers have been recorded since May, when a draft opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case was leaked.

NEW YORK (CNS) – “Little Amal,” a giant puppet that is on a worldwide pilgrimage to raise awareness about the plight of unaccompanied ref ugee minors, made a stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Sept. 18. The 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl met migrant families who recently arrived in New York City from Ecuador, Afghanistan and Myanmar; Father Enrique Salvo, the cathedral’s rector; and rep resentatives from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. “For immigrants and refugees around the world, New York is seen as a place of opportunity and promise – but there’s a tension running through U.S. his tory that suggests not everyone is welcome here,” said playwright/director Amir Nizar Zuabi, the artistic direc tor of this “public art project” called “The Walk” and starring Amal, whose name means “hope.” “Amal will experience the wonder of New York and also the appre hension of arriving in a strange new place,” Zuabi said in a statement issued in advance of several New York events featuring the puppet. “This is a crucial moment to explore these themes. How will she be welcomed here? Who will do the welcoming?” The cathedral stop was one of 55 New York events welcoming the puppet over a three-week period that began Sept. 14 and ends Oct. 2 and is titled “Little Amal Walks NYC.”

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As the October deadline approaches for the extension of the Vatican’s agreement with the Chinese government, the newly appointed ed itor of the news agency of the Dicastery for Evangeli zation said the deal has been instrumental in allowing Catholics to practice their faith openly and in commu nion with the church. In an editorial published Sept. 22, Gianni Valente, who was appointed earlier in the month as editor of Fides news agency, also said recent statements by Pope Francis and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, “hinted at a positive intention on the part of the Holy See to continue the process of negotiation.” The agreement, he wrote, has allowed for Chinese Catholics to “experience the adventure of con

fession of faith in Christ in today’s China as it is, without privileges, without being pointed at and perceived as a foreign body, as exotic guests or representatives of dis tant cultures.” First signed in Beijing Sept. 22, 2018, the Vatican and the Chinese government agreed in 2020 “to extend the experimental implementation phase of the provisional agreement for another two years.” The provisional agreement, the text of which has never been made public, outlines procedures for ensuring Catholic bishops are elected by the Catholic community in China and approved by the pope before their ordinations and installations, according to news reports at the time.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Marking World Alzheimer’s Day Sept. 21, Pope Francis asked people to pray for all those affected by the illness, including families and care givers. Alzheimer’s disease “affects so many people, who are often pushed to the margins of society because of this condition,” the pope said at the end of his general audience talk in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 21. “Let us pray for those suffering from Alzheimer’s, for their families, and for those who lovingly care for them, that they may be increasingly supported and helped,” he said. He also asked that people pray for men and women facing he modialysis, dialysis or an organ transplant. September is also World Alzheimer’s Month, which is an initiative by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) to raise aware ness, challenge the stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s and dementia, and garner more support for those affected. Dementia is a general term for a group of symptoms that negatively impact memory, and Alzheimer’s is a specific disease that is the most common cause of dementia.

WORLD DUBLIN (CNS) – More people in Northern Ireland now identify as Catholic than Protestant for the first time in the history of the jurisdiction, new census figures re veal. The data has led to calls for a referendum for voters to decide whether to remain part of Britain or join with the rest of Ireland and form a new country. It comes 101 years after Northern Ireland was established in the six

northeastern counties on the island of Ireland, remaining part of Britain when the 26 southern counties won in dependence from British rule. The founders of Northern Ireland drew the boundaries of the state along lines that they hoped would guarantee a permanent Protestant majority. Traditionally, Protestants have supported be ing part of Britain, whereas the Catholic community has traditionally supported unity with the rest of the island to form a single independent Ireland. The first prime minister of Northern Ireland, Sir James Craig, famously addressed the legislature describing it as a “Protestant parliament for a Protestant people,” and the Catholic minority complained of discrimination in terms of jobs, housing and voting rights. The proportion of the resident population that is either Catholic or brought up Catholic is 45.7%, compared to 43.5% Protestant.

MOSCOW (CNS) – A senior Russian priest dismissed President Vladimir Putin’s threats of nuclear war as “just words,” but said many young Catholics now fear being forcibly conscripted with their priests to join the war against Ukraine. “Although I’m not a military person, I don’t think the Russian army could even use nucle ar weapons – and if it did, this would be much more dangerous for Russia itself than anyone else,” said the priest, who asked not to be named. “People are certainly frightened here, particularly since Catholic parishioners and clergy could now be called up, beginning with those who’ve done military service. But I don’t think there’s much to fear from Putin, who’s just coming out with words.” Street protests erupted in Russia after Putin’s Sept. 21 order for a nationwide call-up of 300,000 re servists after setbacks in the Ukraine war. The priest told Catholic News Service Sept. 21 students and young peo ple had “reacted very emotionally” to the mobilization order, with many debating its practical consequences. He added that there had been “no consultation” with Rus sia’s minority churches and said he had consulted law yers about the order’s implications for church personnel.

“Some young Catholics have already left the country, and more are doing so now,” the priest told CNS.

“Little Amal,” a 12-foot-tall puppet of a young Syrian refugee girl, greets migrant families who have recently ar rived in New York City from Ecuador, Afghanistan and Burma at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York Sept. 18, 2022. “Little Amal” has become a globally recognized symbol of human rights, especially for immigrants, refugees and other marginalized people. (CNS photo/courtesy DKC)

Retreat master, Gunn rides rails west, part II

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Mary WoodWard

JACKSON – In the last episode we had travelled with Bishop Gunn out West for a series of retreats. He had just arrived in Seattle on Aug. 14, 1918 and found himself with a week before his next engage ment.

Seizing a few days off, he left Seattle and made his way across the border to British Columbia in Can ada. Bishop Gunn had visited this part of the world before and he comments on its progress, although he makes a very “Gunnian” comment about war rations and the inhabitants of this British province.

“I left Seattle and went up the Puget Sound and spent a few days in Victoria and British Columbia. This was during the hottest part of the war when the Americas were eating stale bread, doing without sugar, sparing of everything and it was strange to find in the British Dominion that restrictions were unheard of. We were starving ourselves for the Brit ish and they were growing fat on our service and sacrifice.”

Wow. Bishop Gunn’s candor and wit are priceless moments of discovery. The journey continues below:

“I had been in Victoria and British Columbia years before, but the change and the betterment of both places was a distinct surprise. The trip on the Sound was ideal and when I got back to Seattle I was sorry to leave it.

“Seattle had grown from 20,000 to 600,000 be tween my two visits although there was not more than ten or fifteen years between the two. I had stopped in a little wooden frame hotel called the Washington. I looked for the same place in 1918 to find a hotel almost as big as the Waldorf-Astoria of New York.

“I enjoyed the week’s rest and left Sunday the 18th for Portland where I was booked to preach the retreat for the Archdiocese from the 19th to the 23rd. Archbish op Christie received me like a prince. I was comfortably installed in the Holy Cross College known as Columbia University and I found the priests attentive and respectful.

“There were about 85 in attendance. I gathered that the men would rather talk then mediate and it was like squeezing blood out of a turnip to me to give six original talks each day. However, I did it and they enjoyed it.

“At the close of the retreat, we had a big dinner at the Archbishop’s house and I was surprised to meet there Mgr. Kelley of [Catholic] Extension and Chas. Denechaud of New Orleans. After dinner we took a drive on probably the finest highway in America – the famous Oregon Highway which runs along the Dalles for fifty or sixty miles and affords scenery which cannot be duplicated anywhere.

“I left Portland for Helena arriving there on August 26th to begin a retreat which ended on the seventh anniversary of my consecration, August 29th.

“There were about eighty priests present and there was more formality in Helena than in St. Paul’s, St. Cloud or in Portland. The bishop, Bishop Carroll, assisted from the throne vested in all his glad rags.

“I tried some heavy stuff on the first day, but I found that the priests were human like everybody else and I switched to things practical and pastoral, with the result that we had really a very interested, I was told, and enthusiastic retreat.

“On Thursday a surprise, and frankly a very welcome one, came to me. The bishop was all apologies and told me that he was up against it – that some state law had come into effect on which all the priests had to take immediate action in view of getting St. Charles’ College accredited as a war college during the period of the war.

“The bishop said it was vital to the diocese that the priests should all hurry home and get busy pulling political strings on Friday and Saturday and make college an nouncements on the following Sunday. I yielded with internal joy and external resig nation.

“The bishop asked me to give a closing lecture on education and as a talk like that needed no preparation on my part, I satisfied the bishop and primed the priests for their work, especially on the following Sunday. The result of their action was that St. Charles got the appointment.

“On Thursday night I left with the priests and many of them came as far as Butte and among them was an ex-Marist who was pastor of one of the Butte churches. I had taught this man in Washington in 1892. He was a little scatter brained and his assign ment to Salt Lake College gave him wanderlust and he managed to get identified with

the Diocese of Helena. He was a good fellow and I really enjoyed him.

“I got away from Butte on the night of August 29th and spent the two remaining days of August on the train. On September 1st I arrived in Chicago where I ran into a well-organized strike. This strike was among the cabmen, taxi drivers and streetcar men and I found myself at the railroad station and no means to get myself to a hotel.

“The strike was thorough and not a wheel could be turned in Chicago for money. I was in such a pickle that I threw timidity to the winds and asked a gentleman who was driving a private auto to take me to my hotel.

“I was in a city of churches on Sunday, Septem ber 1st and I could not find a Catholic Church in Chicago, with the result that I neither said Mass nor heard Mass – a nice example of a man who had been preaching retreats to priests for about a month.”

This concludes our world wind 1918 summer journey across the continent with Bishop Gunn. I hope it gives us a better understanding of and appre ciation for our early church leaders in this country. Quite the time...

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

Bishop John Edward Gunn, a Marist priest, was the sixth Bishop of Natchez. He was known as brilliant orator and for having tre mendous energy. (Photo courtesy of archives)

Diocese to hold Eucharistic Congress in October

By Joanna Puddister King

JACKSON – As a part of the Eucharistic Revival, developed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Diocese of Jackson is holding a Eucharistic Congress on Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gluckstadt. The event also flows out of the diocesan “Year of the Eucharist.”

The event features an evening and morning of prayer, adoration, spiritual talks and Mass. The featured speaker for the event is Father Ajani Gibson of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

“This will kick off the Eucharistic Revival’s focus on the Eucharist in parish life and the re-evangelization of parishioners through reverence for the Eucharist in their lives and connect ing the Eucharist to service and how parishioners are called to be the Real Presence of Jesus Christ to others,” said Mary Woodward, chancellor for the Diocese of Jackson.

“As we move further into this focus, we will provide more opportunities for parishes to deepen their worship life and prayer life.”

Woodward says that the Eucharistic Congress is not just about adoration of the Blessed Sac rament, which is a necessary, vital and profound action, but also a deeper understanding of and commitment to worshipping the Eucharist as active participants in liturgy.

“This in turn leads to an internalization of the Real Presence so that one can then reflect that Real Presence of Christ to the world that is so in need of the presence of Christ,” says Woodward.

The schedule for Friday, Oct. 28 consists of a holy hour of exposition, adoration and evening prayer from 5-7 p.m.; a spiritual talk on the gift of the Eucharist by Father Gibson at 7 p.m.; and adoration, night prayer and benediction from 7:30-9 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 29, the morning begins with exposition, adoration, morning prayer and benediction from 8:30-10:30 a.m.; a spir itual talk on living the Eucharist by Father Gibson; and closing Mass with Bishop Joseph Kopacz at 11:15 a.m.

For those unable to attend the Congress, look for local opportunities for adoration and the sacrament of reconciliation during event times. For more information on the national Eucharistic Revival, visit www.eucharisticrevival.org.

... Calendar of events, continued ...

from page 1

orated table will be given. Decoration and Halloween costumes are optional but add some fun to the night. Doors open at 3 p.m. Bring food for your party or pur chase a bowl of chili for $5. Details: to reserve a spot call/text Karin at (901) 289-0311.

YOUTH EVENTS

DIOCESE Two scholarships are available to college students in the Diocese of Jackson. The Bishop Brun ini Memorial Scholarship was established to be used specifically for tuition assistance for undergraduate or advanced studies at any accredited Catholic college or university. There are no specific restrictions for the field of study.

The Stella Schmidt Memorial Scholarship was estab lished to be used specifically for tuition assistance for advanced studies in theology or religious education at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama.

Full and part-time graduate students are eligible to apply for the scholarship. If the recipient is currently en rolled in the Department of Faith Formation’s Pastoral Ministries Program and receives tuition assistance from the diocese and their school or parish, scholarship mon ey can be used to offset the amount of tuition paid outof-pocket by the individual.

The specific annual amount of the scholarships will be determined by the interest shown. Applications are due to the Department of Faith Formation by Dec. 1. For more information, please contact Fran Lavelle, director

of the department of Faith Formation by email at fran. lavelle@jacksondiocese.org.

DIOCESE SEARCH Retreat – For Teens, By Teen, Jan. 13-15, 2023 at Camp Wesley Pines in Gallman. De tails: email abbey.schuhmann@jacksondiocese.org.

JACKSON St. Richard, An Evening with Moms and Daughters with Kari Kampakis, Sunday, Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening with author and speaker Kari Kampakis as she shares Scripture-based wisdom for girls (seventh grade and up) and their mothers, covering top ics from friendships, identity, social media, dating and more. Tickets $5 each or max $20 per family. Purchase at https://bit.ly/STRKariEvent – Register by Oct. 21. De tails: church office (601) 366-2335.

SAVE THE DATE

DIOCESE Save the date: #iGiveCatholic on Giving Tuesday Nov. 28. Join Catholics in this nation-wide day of giving.

JACKSON St. Richard School, Krewe de Cardinal set for Feb. 10. Call for tickets and sponsorship opportuni ties. Details: school office (601) 366-1157.

PEARL Cinemark Theatre, Theatrical release of “Mother Teresa: No Greater Love,” two-nights only –Monday Oct. 3 and Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Details: visit www.motherteresamovie.com.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Tie Dye for Je sus, Sunday Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. All are welcome! Event begins with an appetizer/dessert potluck. Sign up in the Commons area with your name and shirt size. Donations

welcome. Details: church office (662) 895-5007.

RIPLEY St. Matthew, 1st annual Christmas Bazaar, Nov. 18 and 19. Crafters wanted: tables available for $30. Begin making your crafts or preparing a food booth now. Details: Call Geraldine at (216) 867-8007.

TRUNK OR TREATS/FALL FESTIVALS

BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, Trunk or Treat and Fall Festival, Wednesday, Oct. 26. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.

CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, Trunk or Treat, Sun day, Oct. 30. Vehicles needed, call church office to sign up. Details: church office (662) 624-4301.

FLOWOOD St. Paul, Trunk or Treat, Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m. Trunks are needed! Enjoy great food and games. Details: church office (601) 992-9547.

GRENADA St. Peter, Fall Festival, Sunday, Oct. 30. More details coming soon. Details: church office (662) 226-2490.

MADISON St. Joseph School, Trunk or Treat, Thurs day, Oct. 27 from 5-6:30 p.m. for ages under 12. Details: school office (601) 898-4800.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Halloween Fam ily Bash/Trunk or Treat, Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. Costume contest, trunk decorating contest, bonfire, food, games and more. Details: church office (662) 895-5007.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, Fall Festival, Satur day, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy internation al food, basket raffle, silent auction, entertainment and more. Details: church office (662) 342-1073

GLUCKSTADT – The Diocese of Jackson is hosting a Eucharistic Congress on Octo ber 28-29 at St. Joseph parish in Gluckstadt. All are welcome to attend this evening and morning of prayer, adoration, spiritual talks and Mass.

Making saints

THINGS OLD AND NEW

By ruth Powers

Catholic saints have been in the news off and on over the last few weeks. A movie about St. Pio of Pietrelcina has just been released surrounded by discussion of the con version of its star, Shia LeBeouf, to Catholicism. Pope John Paul I was beatified on Sept. 4 of this year, and a new documentary about Mississippi’s own Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman will debut on Oct. 2. This raises the question in many peoples’ minds: How does someone become recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church?

The church teaches that anyone in heaven is a saint, but there are certain people whose lives were examples of heroic virtue or who remained faithful to God through martyrdom who are solemnly recognized as models of virtue and intercessors before God and are worthy of special honor (veneration) by Catholics. This practice of recog nizing certain people as worthy of special honor began in the ancient church with hon oring martyrs who had given their lives for their faith in Christ and recognizing them as intercessors for those who were left behind. A little later, this recognition spread to “confessors,” who were people who stood up for their faith and suffered persecution for it but were not martyred.

In the first five centuries of the church, people were recognized as saints by the acclamation of the people. There was no formal process, and most saints were locally recognized holy men and women. By the sixth century, requests for recognition of a person as a saint had to be examined by the local bishop, and he then proclaimed whether the person was to be so honored. Beginning in the tenth century, the local bishop still made the initial examination of the person’s life and gathered as much eyewitness testimony as possible; but the results of this examination were then passed on to the Pope, who made the final determination. In 1588 Pope Sixtus set up a new office in the Vatican, the Congregation for Sacred Rites, to help with this process of determination of new saints (among other things). The process remained basically the same, with some minor changes, until 1983 when the current process was put in place.

According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, there are three stages in the canonization process, with specific things that happen in each stage. The first stage is the examination of the life of a candidate for sainthood. The first phase of this stage takes place at the diocesan level. A petitioner, (which can be an organization

within the diocese, a religious order, or a lay association of the faithful) asks the bishop to open an investigation into the life of the candidate. Although a five-year waiting pe riod after the person dies is required, the Pope can dispense from this waiting period. The bishop consults with other bishops, the people of his diocese and the Holy See regarding beginning the investigation. Once he receives permission from the Holy See in Rome, the bishop sets up a tribunal to study the life of the person proposed for canon ization and how they lived a life of heroic virtue, or the circum stances surrounding their martyrdom. Witnesses are called and documents by and about the person proposed are examined. If the decision is made at the local level to continue the process, the person is now called a “Servant of God.”

In the second phase of the examination, all documentation is then sent to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints in the Vatican, where it is examined by nine theologians who vote on whether the candidate exemplified heroic virtue or suffered martyrdom. If a majority of the theologians agree, the evidence is then passed on to cardinals and bishops who are part of the Congregation. If they also agree, the prefect of the Congregation presents the entire cases to the Pope, who gives his approval and names the person “Venerable” if they have lived a virtuous life. If they were martyred, they receive the title of “Blessed” immediately.

At this point the second stage of the process, beatification, begins. For the beatifi cation of a Venerable, there must be a verified miracle attributed to the intercession of that person after death, proven through an intensive investigation with extensive documentation. If the Congregation for the Causes of Saints concludes that a miracle has occurred, and the Pope has approved, the Venerable is given the title of “Blessed” and local public veneration is approved within the diocese or religious order where the petition for sainthood originated. No miracle is required for a martyr to be given the title of Blessed.

Once the candidate is named as Blessed, the final stage of the process begins—can onization. In this stage another miracle attributed to the intercession of the Blessed after beatification must be verified. The same process of examination and verification is followed as before. Once the miracle is verified the Pope then issues a decree of canonization and the person receives the title of “Saint.” This means the person may now be publicly venerated by the Universal Church.

(Ruth Powers is the program coordinator for St. Mary Basilica Parish in Natchez.)

Special season of autumn

KNEADING FAITH

By Fran LaveLLe

Autumn comes, even to Mississippi. Perhaps not in the same way as I remember the autumns of my childhood, but it comes, nonetheless. In my mind’s eye I can still see the hills and valleys covered in color swept deciduous trees. The colors, like a patchwork quilt, of vibrant yel lows, reds and oranges. Cooling temperatures and open windows at night were the first signs that change was literally in the air. Like diligent ants we stored up the re maining fragments of summer. Apple butter was made in a large copper kettle slowly simmered over a wood fire outdoors. The last of the season’s hay was stacked and stored for winter’s consumption. Field corn was cut and stored in the corn crib. Sweaters and sweatshirts were emancipated from their storage bags and our summer attire was stored away for next year.

Autumn is a special season for many reasons. School is fully underway. Football dominates the airwaves. The temperatures are slightly cooler, and the vestiges of tailgates, hayrides and bonfires are palatable. In the life of the church, autumn represents the beginning of our preparation for the end. Soon will end another liturgical year and reflected in its last days our annu al reminder of our own last days. We celebrate All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day to remember and honor those who have gone before us. We are called to a stillness in the wake of these autumn days to

contemplate our own journey of life and faith.

We have a choice to make as we settle into our autumn. We can hit the pause button and make some time for reflection, or we can burn through the next few months like a well-trained thoroughbred destined to win the Holiday Triple Crown. You know an award worthy yard bedecked with all things Halloween, a Pinterest per fect Thanksgiving and a Griswold meets Martha Stewart Christmas light display. Please don’t get me wrong, I love good décor and I absolutely love a good party. Did any one say chardonnay? Keep doing the festive things that bring people together in a joyful way. I am in. In the midst of the Holiday Triple Crown, it is also a season that calls us to contemplation and prayer.

I have seen a multiplication of grey hairs in the past few years. Determined to – as the Beatles would say, let it be – I am choosing not to dye it. Rather, I am using it as a reminder as I pass through each season of the year that I am also privileged to pass through these seasons of life. I’m on the countdown for a big birthday next year that starts with 6 and ends with Ohhh! Taking advantage of the opportunities to be more reflective and live more intentionally become more urgent with each passing year.

Yes, the rituals surrounding the seasons can create powerful touch tones that remind us of the sweetness of this life. They can become place markers that keep us connected to our past and serve as reminders to keep making memories as we continue on the journey. But they can also be important touch tones that remind us of things eternal. I remember after my Dad died; I was thinking about his legacy. It made me think about my

own. Not legacy like that of a major sports figure or not ed philanthropist, but legacy in the ordinary ways that we are called to love and to serve. What was I doing to leave this world better for having me in it? That reflec tive moment nearly 30 years ago in October was the seed that germinated to become the vocation I live out today.

There are no do-overs in life when it comes to days. They are here and then they are a memory. I am remind ed of a line from the movie “The Shawshank Redemp tion” – “It comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.”

No one is promised tomorrow so for today let’s vow to get busy living. And by living we are not merely ex isting or stringing together weeks into months into years and calling it good. Living as intentional, reflective, prayerful companions on the journey. Choosing to will the good of the other above ourselves. Choosing to love unconditionally. Choosing to let God guide our steps and the Holy Spirit illuminate the path so that others may follow our example.

Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I challenge you to find time in these early days of autumn to take the time to reflect on the gift of the life you have been given. Look back on your memories of the autumns of your life. We can learn so much about God and ourselves in this season of change.

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

U.S. synod report finds participants share common hopes, lingering pain

By Dennis saDowski

WASHINGTON (CNS) – Catholics across the country continue to feel wounded by the clergy abuse crisis, seek a more welcoming church in which their “lived reality” is prioritized over rules and regulations, and desire lifelong spiritual, pastoral and catechetical formation as disciples, according to a report synthesizing the 10-month synodal process in dioceses.

Participants in the process also expressed concern that the U.S. Catholic Church is deeply divided and that a lack of unity exists among the bishops, spoke of a desire to “accompany with authenticity” LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, and voiced hope that laypeople’s gifts would be more widely utilized in a spirit of collaboration throughout the church, the report said.

Released Sept. 19 by the U.S. Conference of Catho lic Bishops, the report summarizes the concerns, hopes, pains and desires voiced by an estimated 700,000 par ticipants who joined thousands of listening sessions and other events during the diocesan phase in the lead-up to the Synod of Bishops on synodality in October 2023.

There are roughly 66.8 million Catholics in the U.S., according to the report, meaning more than 1% of Cath olics participated in the listening sessions.

“The listening is an opening movement toward a wise discernment locally, regionally and nationally about what our deepest concerns, our deepest hopes are right now at this moment in time,” Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, who is overseeing the U.S. involve ment in the synodal process, told Catholic News Service.

Bishop Flores, who chairs the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, said the process that has unfolded since October – and led to the 16-page synthesis report sent to the Vatican – enabled people to respectfully listen to each other and develop a new understanding of what life in the church can be.

Titled “National Synthesis of the People of God in the United States of America for the Diocesan Phase of the 2021-2023 Synod,” the report was prepared in advance of the Synod of Bishops called by Pope Francis.

The synod’s theme is “For a Synodal Church: Com munion, Participation, and Mission.” The report is the synthesis of 290 documents received by the USCCB from various contributors. The report said the docu ments “represent over 22,000 reports from individual parishes and other groups” that emerged from more than 30,000 opportunities to join the synodal process.

The national synthesis report draws from the 14 in termediate syntheses submitted by teams from each of the geographic regions of the U.S. church. All 178 Latin dioceses and archdioceses submitted syntheses that were incorporated into the regional reports.

For the process, the USCCB created a 16th “region” for the numerous Catholic national ministries, universi ties, associations and organizations working throughout the country. Those organizations submitted 112 summa ry reports.

In a letter introducing the report, Bishop Flores de scribed the document as “an attempt to synthesize and contextualize the common joys, hopes and wounds called forth with the help of the Holy Spirit in the unfolding of the synod.”

“While not a complete articulation of the many top ics and perspectives shared in the listening process, this synthesis is an attempt to express the broader themes that seemed most prevalent in the dioceses and regions of our country,” he wrote.

The report is divided into four themes: “Enduring Wounds,” “Enhancing Communion and Participation,” “Ongoing Formation for Mission” and “Engaging Dis cernment.” Each section summarizes common observa tions raised in the listening sessions.

It includes directly quoted descriptions of common concerns, hopes and desires from individual regional re ports raised in the local listening sessions.

The report cites several “enduring wounds” expressed during the sessions. In addition to the still unfolding ef fects of the sexual abuse crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exact a toll on the sense of community peo ple felt before the virus swept around the world in 2020.

“The pandemic itself ‘has led to the fraying of our communities in some ways, accelerating a trend toward disengagement and intensifying the isolation and lone liness of many, youth and elderly in particular. A large number of faithful have not yet returned to worship,’” the report said, quoting the Region 12 submission from Northwestern states.

Divisiveness and polarization in the church was a con cern expressed in multiple regional reports. The Region 9 report covering four Midwestern states said division over the celebration of the Eucharist is disconcerting, particularly when it comes to the pre-Vatican II Mass.

“The limited access to the 1962 missal was lamented; many felt that the difference over how to celebrate the liturgy ‘sometimes reach the level of animosity. People on each side of the issue reported feeling judged by those who differ from them,’” the national synthesis report said quoting the Region 9 submission.

Other concerns were expressed by people who feel marginalized. The report said marginalized people fall into two broad groups.

One made up of those who are vulnerable by their lack of social or economic power, including those with disabilities, the mentally ill, immigrants, ethnic minori ties, people in the U.S. without documents, the unborn and their mothers, and those living in poverty, who are homeless, are incarcerated or living with an addiction.

The second group includes women, “whose voices are frequently marginalized in the decision-making process es of the church,” the report said. Others in the group in clude those who are marginalized “because circumstanc es in their own lives are experienced as impediments to full participation in the life of the church” including members of the LGBTQ+ community and people who are divorced and may have remarried, and those civilly married.

“The synodal consultations around the enduring wounds caused by the clergy sexual abuse scandal, the pandemic, polarization and marginalization have ex posed a deep hunger for healing and the strong desire for communion, community, and a sense of belonging and being united,” the national synthesis report said.

Under the theme of “Enhancing Communion and Participation,” the sacramental life of the church and the spirit of welcome within the church were addressed. The report found that the wounds expressed among partic ipants in listening sessions could be addressed by the church being more welcoming to those not in the main stream.

Quoting the Region 13 report from Southwestern states, the synthesis report said participants were con cerned with “obstacles to community within their parish es, partly due to the divisive political climate and result ing polarization within the country.”

People in the region also identified the centrality of the Eucharist as a “source of hope for greater uni ty.” They said in addition that “receiving Eucharist does bring them more closely in solidarity with the poor,” ac cording to the synthesis report.

Concerns about racism within the church and the lack of welcome to diverse cultural and ethnic communi ties emerged in listening sessions. The elderly, the report said, were particularly hurt by the departure of young people from church life.

“Young people themselves voiced a feeling of exclu sion and desired to participate more fully as members of the parish community,” the synthesis report said.

The synthesis report also included the observation that “nearly all synodal consultations shared a deep ap preciation for the powerful impact of women religious who have consistently led the way in carrying out the mission of the church.”

Participants in listening sessions expressed a “desire for stronger leadership, discernment and decision-mak ing roles for women – both lay and religious – in their parishes and communities.”

The synthesis report said a common hope that emerged nationwide was the “desire for lifelong spiritual, pastoral and catechetical formation as disciples.” Discus sions in the sessions “made clear the importance of evan gelization as we continue to live out the church’s mission, which requires stronger formation.”

Steps would include accompaniment with families in their formation as people long for a closer encounter with Jesus.

Suggestions also emerged on the need to “journey together” in the formation of clergy. The Region 5 in termediate report from Southern states suggested such formation was needed to better understand human and pastoral needs, cultural sensitivity, stronger emphasis on social justice, how to include laypeople in decision-mak ing and “learning to speak with empathy, creativity and compassion.”

Laypeople, the synthesis report said, also expressed hope that a genuine appreciation for their gifts and tal ents would grow into a “relationship of collaboration” with pastors.

The final theme, “Engaging Discernment,” concluded that the diocesan phase of the synodal process was the first step in a church rooted in synodality, or walking together.

The synthesis report said the process enabled thou sands of people to reengage “in the simple practice of gathering, praying together and listening to one another.”

It invited people to commit to “ongoing attentive lis tening, respectful encounter and prayerful discernment.”

Going forward, the report called for continued en gagement with communities that did not participate broadly in the listening sessions particularly Indigenous people, ethnic communities and immigrants.

“Engaging and discerning with our sisters and broth ers who experience the woundedness of marginalization, as well as those whose voice were underrepresented within the synodal process, will be essential for the un folding of the synodal journey in our dioceses and in our country,” the report said.

The next phase in preparation for the Synod of Bish ops is being called the continental phase. It will find teams gathering by continent to synthesize the reports submitted to the Vatican thus far. Synod officials will pre pare the “instrumentum laboris,” or working document, to guide continental or regional ecclesial assemblies that will take place by March.

The North American report will be submitted by the U.S. and Canada. Bishop Flores said some preliminary outreach has already occurred among the teams from the two nations. Other continental reports will involve significantly larger gatherings of teams from individual ecclesial assemblies.

Those assemblies will produce another set of docu ments that will help in the drafting of a second working document for the Synod of Bishops in October 2023.

The synod is expected to produce a final document on how synodality can be practiced throughout the church.

Catholic leaders weigh in on upcoming, busy Supreme Court term

court’s bakery decision and noted that the initial case “didn’t actually address the big speech issues at play” and instead took an “off ramp narrowly in favor of the bak er on very established religious liberty grounds.”

“Here we have a new court,” Amanda Shanor, assistant professor of legal stud ies and business ethics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, continued.

One difference is that in the current case, the artist, Lorie Smith, is not fight ing a specific incident, as was the baker who denied baking a custom cake for a same-sex couple. Smith wants the court to weigh in before she is even asked to de sign a website for a same-sex couple.

Even though she does not wish to provide a service based on her Christian beliefs about marriage, the case hinges on her freedom of speech claim.

The brief, joined by the University of Notre Dame, the College of the Holy Cross, DePaul University and Villanova University, among others, said the right to con sider racial diversity in admissions is essential to their academic and religious missions and is “inextricably in tertwined” with their religious foundations.

The brief also argued that this right is rooted in the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech and free ex ercise of religion, particularly for Catholic higher educa tion institutions, whose ability to have discretion in how they choose students is critical to their religious missions.

The challengers in both cases are urging the justices to overrule their 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, a ruling that said the University of Michigan could consid er race in its undergraduate admissions process as part of its efforts to obtain a diverse student body.

Catholic leaders and immigration groups also will be paying attention to United States v. Texas, which does not have an argument date yet.

By Carol Zimmermann

WASHINGTON (CNS) – The Supreme Court begins its new term Oct. 3, jumping right back into the fray with cases that take on affirmative action, voting, immigration, the environment and freedom of speech.

This term will include a new member, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, replacing Justice Stephen Breyer, who retired at the end of last session. It also will be the first time the public will be allowed back inside the court since the start of the pandemic.

In late September, the court had not announced if it will continue to provide live audio of oral arguments.

Another change is outside. Barriers around the court since May – after protests erupted following a leak of the court’s draft opinion on its Dobbs decision – have now been removed. The investigation into that leak, ordered by Chief Justice John Roberts, is still continuing.

For now, the court has agreed to hear 27 cases and has scheduled 18 of them.

In the weeks leading up to the court’s new session, law schools and think tanks have presented previews of big cases coming up and speculation on how the justices might respond.

Adam Liptak, a Supreme Court reporter for The New York Times, who moderated a few of these panels, point ed out in a Sept. 15 preview by the American Constitu tional Society, that the court was not taking a breather after just finishing “a tumultuous term.”

And this term, as in many previous sessions, Catholic leaders have something to say about major cases coming up.

One case getting a lot of attention is 303 Creative v. Elenis about a Colorado graphic designer who does not want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples based on her Christian beliefs about marriage. The case, which does not have a date yet for oral arguments, is similar to the 2017 case involving a Colorado baker who refused to make a custom wedding cake for a same-sex couple based on his religious beliefs.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by the Colorado Catholic Conference and other religious groups, are siding with the designer as they did with the baker five years ago.

In an amicus brief they said this case gives the court the chance to clarify free speech issues it said the court fell short of doing in the previous case, Masterpiece Cake shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission

In a Sept. 21 court preview by the Federalist Society, one panelist described the website case as a sequel to the

Shanor said Supreme Court preview panels in 2017 likely didn’t predict the baker winning, but now she already is pretty sure the court will likely rule in the artist’s favor and said the case could have broad implications about who can be viewed as an artist.

The USCCB’s brief said there is a “pressing need for the court to clarify how the compelled speech doctrine applies to wedding-vendor cases and other disputes.” It urged the justices to do what they have done in the past: “Apply the Free Speech Clause to protect religious speech, thereby strengthening liberty not just for the re ligious but for all society.”

It also said the current case “provides an appropri ate and especially important opportunity to invoke free speech protections again to address the ongoing tensions in wedding-vendor cases and in the current cultural con text more broadly” and implored the court to “protect individuals from compelled speech and to provide space in the public square for minority voices.”

Other groups that filed briefs on behalf of the wed ding vendor included Catholicvote.org, the Thomas More Society, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and the Becket Fund.

DignityUSA, an unofficial Catholic support group for gay Catholics and their families, and New Ways Minis try, a Catholic pastoral outreach to LGBTQ people and their families, joined a brief filed by 30 religious and civil rights groups opposing the graphic artist’s case.

“Carving out this broad exemption would allow pub lic businesses to legally exclude customers based on their identities,” it said, adding that “instead of safeguard ing every citizen’s right to buy goods and services from businesses open to the public,” the proposed exemption “would further hurt the very people these civil rights laws were designed to protect.”

Another hot-button topic before the court this year in volves affirmative action with two separate cases – from Harvard University and the University of North Carolina – challenging the way higher education institutions use race as a factor in their admission process.

The court chose to hear the two challenges Oct. 31 separately since Justice Jackson recused herself from the Harvard case because she just recently finished serving a six-year-term on the university’s board of trustees.

Georgetown University filed an amicus brief with 56 Catholic colleges and universities urging the court to up hold affirmative action in admissions in these cases that challenge a 40-year legal precedent.

The case will once again examine the executive branch’s authority to set immigration policy, criticized by Texas and Louisiana leaders as too lenient. It specifically challenges federal policy that prioritizes certain groups of unauthorized immigrants for arrest and deportation.

In the last term, the court ruled 5-4 in Biden v. Texas that the administration could end the Trump-era “Re main in Mexico” policy, or the Migrant Protection Proto cols, that required people seeking asylum at the south ern U.S. border to stay in Mexico until their asylum case could be heard.

Another Texas case, on the death penalty, has long had the attention of Texas Catholic bishops, Catholic op ponents of capital punishment, as well as celebrities. The case, Reed v. Goertz, argued Oct. 11, will examine when prisoners can pursue post-conviction claims for DNA testing of crime scene evidence.

Rodney Reed, sentenced to death more than 23 years ago for the murder of 19-year-old Stacey Stites, has maintained his innocence and his attorneys from the Innocence Project have brought forward crime scene evidence, not tested for DNA, that they say implicates someone else.

In 2019, five days before he was scheduled to be executed, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted an indefinite stay of Reed’s execution and said it was sending his case back to trial court for further review.

Sister Helen Prejean, a Sister of St. Joseph of Medai lle, who is a longtime opponent of the death penalty, has been drawing attention to Reed’s case for several years, citing lack of evidence of his guilt.

Similarly, Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, said in a 2019 statement that if Reed’s execution proceeds, “there is great risk the state of Texas will execute a man who is innocent of this crime while allowing the guilty party to go free.”

Other big cases before the court this term involve voting rights, the Clean Water Act and a challenge to a California animal welfare law.

The court starts its new session amid low public sup port. A Gallup poll in June found just 25% of the public have confidence in the court.

A poll by Marquette University Law School this Sep tember found 40% of adults approve the job the court is doing, while 60% disapprove. A similar poll conducted by the Milwaukee Jesuit-run university in July showed 38% of adults favored the court’s work and 61% disap proved. Both results were down from court approval the poll found in 2020 and early 2021.

(Follow Zimmermann on Twitter: @carolmaczim)

The Supreme Court is seen in Washington June 7, 2022. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

Germanfest 2022

By Joanna Puddister King GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph parish hosted their annual Germanfest on Sunday, Sept. 25 on the church grounds. The Gluckstadt community was founded in 1905 by German immigrants. Many of the decendants of the original families still attend the parish.

Much prep work goes into planning this fun-filled festival. Families gather weeks in advance to can sauerkraut using a traditional recipe. In the days leading up to the Germanfest you can find parishioners preparing sausages, bratwurst, desserts and oth er German delicacies to share with the community.

This year, Germanfest was a hot one with temps in the low-to-mid 90s, but festival goers had lots of fun, good food and a variety of beer to sample.

The general store was stocked with sauerkraut and other goodies for sale. (Photos by Joanna Puddister King. More pictures from Germanfest can be found at mississippicatholic.com)

Food, beer, games, music and fellowship are sta ples at Germanfest each year.

Friendly competition was the name of the game for Vicki and Sarah in the beer stein holding contest.

The men’s group holds their steins steady in the opening of the Men’s beer stein competition.

Germanfest attendees tried to beat the heat under tents.

Morgan Ladner grits her teeth in the Women’s beer stein holding competition. Morgan Moore pulled out the win this year.

Special celebrations

Hands-on learning

YAZOO CITY – (Right) Seminarian EJ Martin visited St. Mary parish in Yazoo City on Sunday, Sept. 25. He spoke to the children about his vocation, the seminary and also served at Children’s Mass. (Photo by Babs McMaster)

JACKSON – Second graders at St. Richard Catholic School finished their combined science and social studies units with a visit from Scott Riddell – a real beekeeper. Students learned about the effect of the environment on animals and how the environment is affected by ani mals. (Photo by Tammy Conrad)

SOUTHAVEN – Aleena, A.J. and Aaric work on “stained glass” sun-catcher Crosses on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross at Sacred Heart School. (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)

VICKSBURG – St. Father Robert Dore gives a blessing during school Mass at Vicksburg Catholic Schools. (Photo by Lindsey Bradley)

JACKSON – In 1953, the Sisters of Mercy founded St. Richard School. To honor their Mercy heritage the school included sixth-grade girls in a special celebration – a Mercy Day Tea with several members of the Sisters of Mercy on Wednesday, Sept. 21. (Photo by Tereza Ma)

School Masses

Happy birthday,

COLUMBUS –(Above) Fifth grad er, Lily Baumann receives commu nion at Thursday morning Mass from first grade teacher assistant, Debbie Leonard.

(Right) Fourth grad er, Abigail Hall clos es her eyes to talk with Jesus during Thursday morning Mass. (Photos by Logan Waggoner)

CLARKSDALE – The St. Elizabeth School celebrated the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary — Mary’s birthday – on Thursday, Sept. 8 with a procession. God’s gift of His Son to humankind was preceded by another precious gift — the gift of the Mother of His Son. Mary brought forth Jesus into the world. In this modern world, each and every follower of Jesus is also invited to “bring forth” Jesus into the world, in his or her life situation. (Photo by Mary Evelyn Stonestreet)

VICKSBURG – Father PJ Curley offers a blessing to Brady Shows during the opening school Mass at Vicksburg Catholic Schools. (Photo by Lindsey Brad ley)

After Roe, Catholics must help 'build a world' that welcomes all

WASHINGTON (CNS) – The U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade "is, without question, an answer to prayer," but in a post-Roe world, "Catholics must now work together for another, even deeper paradigm shift," said the U.S. bishops' pro-life chairman.

"We must move beyond a paradigm shift in the law in order to help the people of our nation better see who we can be as a nation by truly understanding what we owe to one another as members of the same human family," said Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-life Activities.

"To build a world in which all are welcome," he said, Catholics "must heed" the words of St. Teresa of Kolkata "and remember 'that we belong to one another.'"

"We must shift the paradigm to what St. John Paul II described as 'radical solidarity,' making the good of oth ers our own good, including especially mothers, babies – born and preborn – and families throughout the entire human lifespan," Archbishop Lori said.

He made the remarks in a Sept. 21 statement for the U.S. Catholic Church's observance of Respect Life Month, which is October. The theme of the observance is "Called to Serve Moms in Need."

The first Sunday of October is designated as Respect Life Sunday, which is Oct. 2 this year.

In their June 24 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a majority of the justices ended the court's nearly 50-year nationwide "regime of abortion on demand," the archbishop said.

This "regime" was "based on the indefensible view that the U.S. Constitution implicitly forbids government from protecting the preborn child in the womb from the violence of abortion," he said.

The court "concluded that there is nothing in the Constitution's text, history, American legal tradition or the court's precedents that justified the extreme holding of Roe," he said.

Dobbs was a challenge to a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks. The court affirmed the law 6-3 and also voted 5-4 to overturn the 1973 Roe ruling, which legalized abortion nationwide, and 1992's Casey v. Planned Parenthood ruling, which affirmed Roe.

The ruling returned the issue of abortion to the states.

With Dobbs, the high court "cleared the way for a paradigm shift in American law, allowing it to enlarge its boundaries to again welcome a segment of the human family that had been outside of its protections for close

to half a century," he added.

He called Dobbs "a victory for justice, the rule of law and self-governance."

"But for those of us who have prayed for this moment to arrive, it is the time for a renewal and rededication of our efforts to build a culture of life and civilization of love," he said. "Justice is, of course, es sential to this end. But it is not sufficient.

"To build a world in which all are welcome requires not only justice, but compassion, healing, and above all, uncon ditional love."

"Abortion is a gruesome sign of how we have forgot ten our mutual belonging," Archbishop Lori continued. "The logic of Roe v. Wade has framed our national discourse on the issue of abortion as a zero-sum conflict among indi vidual strangers."

But "mother and child are not strangers; they are already bound together by flesh and kinship," he said. "The new life that is developing under the heart of the mother is already situated in a network of rela tions, including family, neigh bors and fellow citizens."

Roe's logic "offers the wom an only the right to see lethal force used against her child, but it otherwise abandons her," he explained.

But "the logic of the cul ture of life recognizes that the pregnant woman and her child are not alone – they are fellow members of our larger human family whose interwoven vul nerability is a summons to all of us, but especially Catholics because of the teaching of Jesus and his proclamation of the Gospel of life," the archbishop said.

This is the poster for Respect Life Month 2022, which has as its theme: "Called to Serve Moms in Need." The U.S. Catholic Church celebrates Respect Life Month every October. The first Sunday of October is desig nated as Respect Life Sunday, which is Oct. 2 this year. (CNS photo/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)This is the poster for Respect Life Month 2022, which has as its theme: "Called to Serve Moms in Need." The U.S. Catholic Church celebrates Respect Life Month every October. The first Sunday of October is designated as Respect Life Sunday, which is Oct. 2 this year. (CNS photo/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)

of abortion," Archbishop Lori said. "This is a massive and daunting undertaking."

To practice "radical solidarity and uncon ditional love in a post-Roe world," he said, means speaking and living the truth" with compassion – the truth that abortion not only "unjustly kills a preborn child, but also gravely wounds women, men, families and the nation as a whole."

"Catholics already have a strong foundation in the church's centuries-long encouragement of parental and societal duties," he said. "Millions of individual Catholics from all walks of life are already personally endeavoring to build the bonds of solidarity and compassion through out our society."

Mississippi Catholic will now print one issue per month Feb ruary 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.

Through law, policy, politics and culture, society must do whatever it can to provide mothers, children and families in need "with the care and support necessary for their flourishing throughout the entire arc of life's journey," he said.

"Building a world in which women are esteemed, children are loved and protected, and men are called to their responsibilities as fathers, requires us to understand and ad dress the complex and tragic tangle of afflic tion and strife that culminates in the violence

Many also are engaged in parish and community ini tiatives such as pregnancy resource centers, post-abor tion counseling, he said, as well as Walking with Moms in Need, an initiative of the U.S. bishops to connect preg nant women and their families with parishes and to a growing network of resources.

(Editor's Note: The full text of Archbishop Lori's state ment and Respect Life Month materials from the USCCB's Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities can be found online at https://www.respectlife.org/respect-life-month.)